Three Amigas Retreat

My two best quilting buddies and I get together each summer for 2 days of quilting, talking, laughing, some eating, and mostly reconnecting as one of us moved 125 miles away some years back.  We look forward to this time and have already decided next year HAS to be 3 days so there can be some retail therapy too.

A few weeks ago I cut the strips for this new class sample and got it made at our retreat:

Box of Wine  40" x 48"

 

It's from a great new book on Color:  The Quilter's Practical Guide to Color by Becky Goldsmith.  I first wrote about it here.  I will be using this book to teach four separate classes in a series I'm calling Color College.  This is for Fall Semester--it shows how clear and grayed fabrics can work well together.  This book is packed with practical, easy to understand information about color but you DO have to read it to get the most out of it.  My hope is that those who take all four classes will have read the entire book by the time they finish the fourth class and have a better grasp on using color in their quilts.  Now it's on to the quilting.

My other finish is this, a compilation of blocks from the Simple What Nots Clubs I led over the past year.  Rather than make a bunch of small quilts, I put the parts and sample bits together:

Simple What Nots Club Parts 1 and 2, approx. 60" square

 

Then Ellen surprised me with a birthday gift, a quilt for my grandchild (ren), called "Sleeping at BB's":

"Sleeping at BB's", 40" x 48"

 

I love how bright and cheerful and scrappy it is and the beautiful machine quilting Ellen put into it!

Here are a few shots of their work, except that Sharon won't let me post several of her pieces as they are class samples for our Quilt-In July  18:

Ellen--we do love our scrappy quilts!

Ellen--always uses her leftovers for another little quilt

Ellen--she makes big quilts too

Ellen--this looks familiar--her guild did a red and white swap block challenge

Ellen--had to make a little one too, great quilting!

Ellen--Snowballs and Nine Patches

Ellen--GREAT Quilt of Valor, she almost finished during our retreat

Sharon--after she bound 4 quilts for her upcoming class

 

Time spent with these two is always so special, particularly because it doesn't happen often enough and we really have to make time to be together.  The first night Sharon's husband, Rick, grilled chicken and we all shared a terrific dinner at her house, including my husband.  Great times!

Time to scour the closets and bookshelves again for more stuff for our guild Yard Sale.

And look who is one month old today:

Stella!
 

Let's quilt!

String Block Swap Tutorial

I'm in another block swap, this one with a few members of the Education Team who come to Houston each year for Festival.  There are 7 of us doing this one, and we only have to make 6 blocks for each person so this project will go fast.  I've written about an earlier string swap here.  Those blocks just cover the paper with no need to worry about where the center line is.

One of the team says she wants Red and White blocks--can you imagine?  So here is a quick tutorial on making blocks that are exactly half one color, half another.

Our blocks are to be trimmed to 6.5" inches when sewn so start with a 7" square of lightweight paper.  I use telephone books--the paper is thin and the ink does not run.  I'm hoarding old phone books because one day there won't be any more such things.

I dug through my bag of strings I've been saving for these projects.  First, I gathered various red and white fabrics.  Then I folded the 7" page on the diagonal to find the exact middle.  I took one long red and one long white, placed them right sides together, and placed the edge along the fold on the paper.

Here is the first seam sewn and pressed open:

Next, I worked on the red side, adding red strings one at a time, until the paper was covered.  Here is the second red string in place before sewing, face down on the previous red string:

When I get to the corner, I like to use a half square triangle as that puts straight of grain fabric on two opposite corners.  All the other edges will be bias so this helps minimize stretching when you piece with the blocks:

 

Now that the red side is done, it's on to the white side:

 

Notice all the strings are longer than the paper underneath.  You will be sewing with a small stitch and do not want to have to remove a string that is too small so bigger is better.

Now that the paper is covered it's time to trim the block to 6.5", being very careful to get the midpoint exactly right.  See the 6.5" ruler?  I have placed the center diagonal line exactly on the center red/white seam.  Even though the seam wasn't sewn exactly straight down the middle, the outer corners are spot-on so that the corners will match exactly when the block is sewn to others:

Yeah, it works!

 

And here you have it, the finished red and white 6.5" string block.  We do not remove the paper on these--the new owner gets to remove her own paper. 

TIPS:

1.  Use a small stitch, less than 2.0.  If it's so small the paper is perforating and falling off while you are sewing, it's too small.  My stitch is about 1.7.  Longer stitches make it difficult to remove the paper--no one likes that job.

2.  Use a light neutral thread--darker thread will show in the white seams and you don't want to have to change threads between the white and red sides, do you?

3.  Be sure each string is long enough to fit before you sew it.  When you flip it open it has to cover the paper completely--believe me, you really don't want to have to rip one out because it is too short.

4.  Use fabric of first quality and fabrics you really like.  Some of these reds and whites are leftovers from my Red and White--By the Numbers quilt--I'm enjoying working with these fabrics again.

So, that's all there is too it.  Each person is deciding what colors she wants--some may want completely scrappy, one wants black and white, some may say brights, some say pastels.  We're just getting going and the deadline is April 1, 2015 so there is no rush to get these done.  But I will anyway--I like to check DONE on my list of things to do.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. 

Let's quilt!

Barbara

Red and White Wrap Up

I've been home less than 24 hours now, but the past 13 days of excitement and joy I just experienced at Quilt Market and Festival are just bubbling below the surface.  So, here are my thoughts on what the Ruby Jubilee has meant to me.  Pull up a chair, this is long...

What I expected:

1.  It would be a tremendous honor for my quilt, Red and White--by the Numbers, to represent the 40th anniversary of International Quilt Festival.  I've attended Market every year since 1996 and both Market and Festival every year since 1999, so I know how important the Commemorative quilt is.
2.  I would LOVE the tote bag and show pins!
3.  I would not have a lot of time to hang around my quilt because, first and foremost, I had my duties as part of the Education Team to perform.
4.  It would be a grand time in my life.

All of those things get a big Check Mark.

What I did NOT expect:

1.  Images of my quilt would be everywhere.

At the Hilton Americas Registration Desk.

 

In the ads in the Houston Chronicle every day.

 On all signs, everywhere, in taxi cabs, restaurants, stores, everywhere.

 All over downtown Houston on the street poles.

 

Signage at the opening to each of the five halls.  This is from Market and was changed for Festival.  My quilter asked if I could take it home for wallpaper!  No.

The cake at the Champagne celebration Saturday night.

 

The lovely tote bag and show pins. Yes, I know the photo is upside down on the show catalog.  NO BIG DEAL.  Things happen. 
2.  People would take 1000's of photos in front of my quilt.  It will be a permanent reminder of their trip to this very special show.  And that I would feel so humbled and honored by that.

3.  The employees of Quilts Inc. who have known me for years as one of the "3rd Floor workers", that is, the Education Team, would be so excited for me and call me "Rock Star".  If I ever needed to feel the love, all I had to do was go downstairs and they would make me feel special. 

Most of the "1st Floor Workers", those who handle the show duties, with smiles and enthusiasm.

4.  My boss, Judy Murrah, would be my biggest champion.  I adore her and thank her for including me in Market and Festival.

Here are a few of the "3rd Floor Workers", better known as the Education Team.

5.  The Faculty would be pleased to know I made the quilt.  Most of them only know me as the person who takes good care of them in the Education Office.  It was surprising and fun to see them start to see me as a quilter, not just a worker.  And to want my autograph on their tote bag!

      A good friend of mine said, "You have been this good for 20 years but no one knew it.  Now, everybody knows it." And that was surprising but feels about right.

6.  My hometown friends would get a kick out of my "celebrity".  I received quite a few emails of love and support from guild members and many students who reminded me I taught them to quilt and infected them with the quilt-passion bug. 

7.  Good friends would be super-excited for me--they really ramped up the experience.  A long-time friend from K-12, Eileen Williams, attends the show every other year and she had two quilts in the IQA juried show.  We spent as much time as we could together, along with her friends, Laurie and Nancy.  Eileen is an art quilter, check out her incredible work at Eileen Fiber Art Quilts. And here we are:

 

And another long-time friend, my maid of honor, Judy, came from Philadelphia to see the show.  This is a big deal when you learn she is not a quilter.  Her sister is and has a friend who lives in Houston so they both made the trip--a true friend. Here we are before Judy got overwhelmed with the size of the show:

I only wish the long-arm quilter, Pamela Joy Spencer Dransfeldt, could have come from Camarillo, CA to experience some of this excitement too.  Many people took detailed photos of her incredible quilting and the big name long-armers who saw it told me they were impressed by her artistry.  I found her 6 years ago on Facebook.  You can too:  Pam's Facebook page.  Here we are in Long Beach, with the quilt I made for her and she quilted for herself:

UPDATE:   Check out this blog with many photos of the quilting:   Thanks, Sue Garman!

8.  Strangers were excited to  meet me, wanted the postcard I handed out to anyone interested, and "can't wait to tell my friends I met you" was said frequently.  That's odd.  I talk to lots of people at the show in my role as part of the Education Team but this was different.  I was the focus of attention in the conversation.  A little surreal.  Including the group of 8 New York quilters who met me at the airport yesterday as we all headed for home.  Marti Michell, a faculty member and rock star in her own right, told them who I was, and they got very excited and a little loud, took pictures of me and wanted their postcards autographed.  The rest of the folks in the gate were wondering who the heck I was.  Funny.

9. There was a great article about the Red and White Quilts in the Houston Chronicle Saturday.  Other than not liking my photo, it was a wonderful honor to have my story told.  The author told me it got more hits on their online site than any other this weekend.  Enjoy:  Red, White and Bold.  If the link does not get you to the complete article, Google Kathy Huber Barbara Black Houston Chronicle and that should get you the link to the whole thing.  There are 24 photos of red and white quilts included there.

10.  The Red and White Quilts were displayed in the stunning circular display used in the March 2011 Infinite Variety exhibit in New York City.  This was a tribute to that incredible exhibit and I didn't know we were doing that--amazing!  None of the quilts in Houston were from that private collection but were similar, especially the vintage and antique quilts. 

11.  I would spend a record-breaking LOW amount of money.  Here is what I bought:

Two bundles of Cotton + Steel's new collection.  I also got a jar of skin cream from the Honey Guy and a magazine subscription to Quiltmania.    That's it.  If you know me, you must be shocked.  I got a few tote bags and pins and a T-shirt and a lifetime of memories.  Priceless.  
       What little time I had on the first floor was spent looking at all the quilts, so many wonderful exhibits this year!  I was honored to have two quilts in the 500 Traditional Quilts exhibit.  A new book by the same name was released in September and more than 250 of those quilts were there.  I am in some amazing company and so enjoyed really admiring the rest up close.

12.  Finally, while I was hoping my quilt would sell, I could not be sure.  On Wednesday I found out the quilt would be purchased as part of the Quilts Inc. Corporate collection!  Must admit, I got a little teary-eyed--this was my dream.  It will be well-cared for and many other people will get to see it over the coming years.  My joke all along has been:  "I want to sell it before I have to wash it!"  Success!

13.  And I did not expect that this experience would make me even more certain I will spend the rest of my days making the best quilts I can and teaching as many others as I can to quilt.  There is so much inspiration at Festival and I am eager to piece and quilt to my heart's content!  Baby quilts are next up!

This blog is called My Joyful Journey because it's about my passion:  quiltmaking and the great joy it brings me to create "gifts for generations yet unborn".  And you, dear reader, are a part of my journey. I thank you for that.

Let's quilt!

Barbara

A Year of Red and White Quilts

I just learned of this today.  SewCalGal is doing a year of red and white quilts with contests and prizes.  All the info is here.  And for the next week you can see red and white quilts made prior to 2014.





For all of you who want to make a red and white quilt, this could be YOUR year!

Here's mine from the Just Takes 2 block of the month in 2012:

More close up photos of the quilting can be seen here.

Since I still have lots of red and white fabrics, I just might get inspired to make another quilt.

Enjoy and let's quilt!

Barbara

Red and White Excitement

During 2012 I worked on the Just Takes 2 Block of the Month designed by Gay Bomers of Sentimental Stitches and Brenda Papadakis of Dear Jane.  They released patterns twice a month for all 12 months of the year.  The patterns were free for a month then could be purchased.  They are still available here. 

They decided to do this after attending the 2011 exhibit "Infinite Variety" in New York.  Knowing they could never make all the red and white quilts they saw there, they figured it would be fun to make a single block of many of those featured.  More info about that exhibit can be found here.

The Top, 104" x 110"

It was a long process but I kept up most of the time and then finished with a complex pieced border I designed.  I kept track of all the fabrics I used and the number of pieces:  59 different fabrics and 2770 pieces. 

This was one of those quilts that deserves a great quilter so I sent it to a wonderful longarm quilter in California:  Pamela Dransfeldt, the Joyful Quilter.  I found Pam when a Facebook friend posted a link to her work in 2009.  We collaborated on a quilt that year: 

Joyful Journey

She did a spectacular job on this quilt so I knew my Just Takes 2 was in good hands with her.  She's been working on it for almost 2 weeks now and has posted amazing photos.  I have been blown away with the interest that has been shown on Facebook by so many people.  Here are a few of her photos:

 

 

 

You can follow Pam's incredible work on Facebook--her page is Joyful Quilter.  She has quite a few more photos of this quilt as well as most of her customer's quilts  She's a terrific person with a terrific, supportive husband too.  I feel so fortunate to have found her--the internet has certainly made this a smaller world--or maybe it's a bigger world.  Either way, I'm glad I can introduce her to you.

 

Let's quilt!

 

 

Barbara



Just Takes 2 Done!

I worked all week on it, and got the borders on my Just Takes 2 quilt top:

I spent a good bit of time figuring out the measurements for the floater borders so the pieced borders would fit.  They did.  It got pretty big--about 91" x 108".  It will be sent off to California for quilting--I know it will be super when it's done. 

Another look at the borders:

Now I can move on to all the Christmas stuff that has to get done this week.  My guild party is Thursday and I still have things to get ready for that, plus shopping and shipping and baking... You get the picture.

Check out Judy L's Design Wall Monday to see what others are doing.

Have a great week and let's quilt!

Barbara

Just Takes 2 is Done--Almost!

With all the patterns and the final construction instructions in hand, I got the Just Takes 2 red and white quilt top assembled.  There were several places to join with partial seams as there are no complete rows in the whole top so it took a little while to join it all together:

 

Now I am working on a pieced border to finish it off.  There are 2362 pieces and 59 different fabrics in the top.   It will be quilted by a longarm wonder woman.  I'm thinking of using red for the back--what do you think?

 

The only other thing I got done this week is the next block in  the Grandmother's Choice block of the week, which honors and educates us about the women's suffragist movement of a century ago.

Check out Judy L's blog to see what other's have been working on. 

 

Have a great week and Let's Quilt!

 

Barbara

 



Design Wall Monday December 3, 2012

It sure got to be December in a hurry!  My son, Andy, turned 32 yesterday, so it must be December.  We enjoyed having dinner with he and his wife and her parents and brother on  Saturday night.  At a sports bar--we were there for the last 15 minutes of the SEC championship game between Alabama and Georgia--wow, was it LOUD when the game ended with Alabama's victory!

Here's what I got done this past week:

The first 2 rows of Grandmother's Choice, the story of the woman's suffragist movement.  The blocks come each Saturday and if I don't keep up, I'll never get it done.  I'm using the tradtional colors of the English movement--I didn't know it was a world-wide struggle.  See Barbara Brackman's blog for more information.

Here are the Just Takes 2 blocks I got done last week:

 There is one applique' basket block I don't love so I am replacing it.  Thought I would put four 6" heart blocks together to fill the 12" space until I had the first one almost done and realized I had not put the heart on point.  So, back to the drawing board--I'll find something else.

The final blocks have been printed and I'll finish those this week and complete joining all four quarters into a top.  I plan to add a pieced border--will give some thought to that after the top is done.

This is my last burst of "pre-tax season" quilting time.  Have to get as much done now as I can since my quilting time will be seriously curtailed from January-April.  I'll get a few hand projects together so I always have something I can pick up at night--when I have the energy. 

Be sure to check out Judy L's blog to see what other's have been doing.

Have a great week and let's quilt!

Barbara

Design Wall Monday November 26, 2012

It was a lovely Thanksgiving weekend--since I wasn't cooking much or hosting, I had lots of time to sew and there are almost no leftovers in the refrigerator.

I made these 2 little doll-size quilts as gifts:

These 4 patches are my "leader-ender" projects so I have many of those.

12 Days of Christmas, pattern from Temecula Quilt Company

 

Then I got to working on the Just Takes 2 Red and White blocks--I'm a bit behind.  I did the easy ones and now have to get to those more difficult ones:

Also made a Grandmother's Choice block--one more of those and I'll be caught up on that project too.

We went to see "Lincoln" on Friday--excellent movie!  The acting was terrific and the politics was interesting--it's the story of how the 13th Amendment, abolishing slavery, was passed by the House of Representatives.  As I watched it, I was reminded how young our country was in 1864--less than 100 years old, democracy still considered a "test", perhaps.  It's worth the time to see this one.

Be sure to check out Judy L's design wall blog to see what other's are doing. 

Have a good week and let's quilt!

Barbara