Too Many Irons?

I am often asked how I get so much done.  That's ironic, since I feel like I don't get enough done! 

Maybe it's because I have too many irons in the fire?  Thought you'd like to see a shot of my current design wall:

At quick count I can see 6 works in progress--and at least 2 more that are covered up by the Small Feathers quilt and one that's in the basket.  Grandmother's Choice is almost done--only 2 blocks left, then borders and it's fini!

Some are hand pieced, some hand appliqued--they just go on until I decide they are done.  The Scrappy Trip Around the World was a class sample--class is over so I'll work on that as a "leader/ender" project until it's the size it wants to be. 

There is another "leader/ender" project to the left of the Scrappy Trip--it is lots of four-patches--1" finished size.  First there are 4 of them in a block with 1" sashing, then 4 of those become an 11" block, then 4 of THOSE become a 23" block--those are joined with 2" wide dark teal sashing and cheddar cornerstones.  This will be a special birthday quilt for my sister and is half done so far.  I have another couple years to get it done but think I'll try to wrap it up this year--I'm getting tired of all those little 1" squares!

Today I'm off to Long Beach, CA for the Summer Quilt Festival there.  I work for Quilts Inc in the Education department and look forward to these shows every year.  It's our last visit to Long Beach--next summer there will be a great new show in Portland, OR.  I will get to see my wonderful longarm quilter friend, Pamela Joy Spencer Dransfeldt, this Saturday when she and her husband Steve come to the show. 

Do you think I'd get more done if I stuck with one project until it's done?  Is that how YOU work?  I don't think I'd be able to do that--more is better for me. 

For more inspiration check out Judy L's Design Wall Monday blog.

Let's quilt!

Barbara

Small Feathers

I seem to have a thing for Feathered Star blocks and made this one to commemorate the 2013 Raffle quilt I created for our guild show, which is this October.   Here is my "baby":

I'm still hand quilting it--the wool batt is luscious to quilt with.  Then I'll bind it and add a sleeve.  It's 26" square and those feathers are 13/16" finished, the star is 12" finished.

Here is the "mama": 

It's 84" square and the star is 15" finished.  Tickets are still available for this beauty--just contact me and I'll fix you right up with as many tickets as you want--$1 each and you do not have to be present to win.

The kittens are getting adjusted.  The male was diagnosed on Saturday with a parasite, Coccidiosis, and is taking 3 meds to clear it up and control his "problem".  And we have to watch for symptoms in the female--she tested negative but it's early and she may still develop it.  They are 12 weeks old now and growing.  They sleep most of the time, then run and chase each other hard for a few minutes, then eat, "go", and sleep some more. 

Check out Judy L's Design Wall Monday blog to see what others are doing--I seem to make it by Tuesday!

Let's quilt!

Barbara

Call Me Crazy--Kitten Time!

After 10 years without a cat, I caved and went to a kitten adoption fair last Saturday.  My husband insisted we "needed" two so they could have a friend so we selected 2 sweet fur babies.  They came home yesterday, about 11 weeks old and so sweet. 

Here's Patches: 

She's still shy and a little skittish--I never know where she is hiding.  And she is not making friends very well yet.  But she purrs when she lets me hold her and she seems to be getting the lay of the land.

 

Here's Stitches:

 

Isn't he sweet?  He loves to pose for the camera so I have lots of shots of him.  He is very playful and you can hear him purring from across the room.  He thinks Patches wants to play--so why is she hissing at him all the time? 

Even though we prepared by buying all the stuff you need for cats, within minutes of being home I realized they needed collars with bells on them--so I can find them.  They are fast little kitties and I have to be careful I don't get tripped up. 

Today they'll be introduced to the studio as I have to get a small quilt done today--guild meeting tonight.  We're keeping some doors shut so we can keep an eye on them and they won't ever be left alone in the studio--there are just too many attractive dangers in there for them. 

Let's quilt--assuming the fur  babies will let me!

Barbara



Baby Quilt--Topsy Turvy

A couple weeks ago, two great quilt-y friends and I got together for a mini-retreat.  One day we went to a quilt shop out of town and the next day we sewed all day together.  It was just what we all needed and one of them showed me how to make the fun little twister block, also called Square Dance, and probably other names. 

Realizing I needed a baby quilt for a soon-to-be born boy baby, I made this:

It starts out like this:

Then you cut it up into twisty-turvy pieces and sew them back together.  Fun and done!

Check out Judy L's blog to see what other people are working on.

Let's quilt!

Barbara

Grandmothers Choice

It's getting there.  This is Grandmother's Choice, designed by Barbara Brackman, as a block of the week.  The blocks each have a connection to the Suffragist movement, from the late 1800's to 1920 when women got the right to vote.  Here is her blog.

I selected these colors based on the fact that the British Women's Social and Political Union adopted them in 1908 and I love Amethyst.  There is a lot of historical information with each block.  We take so many of our rights for granted, forgetting those who struggled to make our freedoms possible.

One more block gets done today, then just 4 more weeks to go.  I'm not sure how I'll do the borders, time will tell.

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

Let's quilt!

Barbara

Support Your Local Artist

Those of us who create stuff know the feeling when someone else likes what we have made.  And if someone buys one of our works, that's a great feeling--knowing the art we made touched another person enough that they wanted to own and enjoy it.

I have an old friend, from kindergarten as best we can remember, who is a quilt artist with several awards to her credits, several large commissions in public spaces, and terrific small quilts for sale at Tidewater Gallery in Swansboro, NC.  Her name is Eileen Williams and you can see her work here.

As someone who loves the beach and ocean and rarely gets there, I wanted a piece of Eileen's art to admire and remind me of the sea so I bought this piece:

Reach for the Stars
9" x 12"
 

Eileen is featured in the current issue of Quilting Arts magazine, June/July 2013--a terrific article about her and her work. 

We have a few interesting things in common:  we grew up just a couple blocks from each other and went to the same elementary, junior and high schools in Philadelphia.  After college, she went in the Navy and I joined the Marine Corps.  We both married Marine Lieutenants from Alabama, and raised sons--she has 3, I have 2.  And we both found our artistic outlet in quiltmaking--though our styles are very different, our passion is the same. 

Now I have to find the perfect spot in my home for this beauty--somewhere I can see it every day, smell the salt air and hear the waves. 

If you get the opportunity to support a local artist, do it!  It's good for the soul--of both of you.

Let's Quilt!

Barbara

92 Circles and Counting

Finally got these 4 blocks done--each gets 2 more circles once the blocks are attached to the 4 borders--not for a few weeks yet.   This is not how the quilt will be assembled--I just wanted to see these parts all together. 

 

Now I  have 8 more baskets and 9 more sections of borders to complete--THEN I can assemble the quilt.  The pattern is Ruffled Roses, designed by Sue Garman for the 2011 Block of the Month for www.thequiltshow.com  The pattern is available for purchase at Quakertown Quilts. 

Let me make a pitch for joining www.thequiltshow.com  I've been a member since before it existed--that's my only connection.  It features Ricky Tims and Alex Anderson as the hosts of great hour-long shows--a new one premieres every 2 weeks.  The shows are loaded with lots of great information with both very well-known as well as up-and-coming quilt artists.  Even if I'm not particularly interested in the topic, I still watch each show, and always learn something.  There are tours of museums, art galleries, artists' homes/studios.  There are  also short segments on how to do something fun or interesting--I've learned how to do simple bindings for small quilts and how to make 3 D flying geese with only one seam, and so many other things over the years.

The Block of the Month instructions are included for the membership fee and are available all year.  Once the new year comes, the previous year's patterns are gone--and you can buy them.  If you checked above, you saw that the Ruffled Roses pattern set is $78 plus shipping.  The yearly subscription is about $40, including everything--a tremendous deal.

Consider it a worldwide quilt guild.  I  have made friends with people all over the world through the forum and members blogs--those are great resources for so much quilt information.  There are many classrooms with tremendous information.  Over the last 2 days I watched 3 Sharon Schamber classes on how to design her elaborate style quilting designs, how to stitch them on a domestic machine, and great stippling motifs--almost 3 hours of instruction for free.  Those 3 classes are free until tomorrow, June 30, 2013. 

When I say I "watch" them, I mean, they are airing on my desktop computer in the studio as I work on projects.  If I see something I really need to watch closely, I "rewind" and review.  I can watch on my Ipad too and have done that while traveling.  Technical support is terrific, if you should need it. 

Once you join you have access forever to all shows that have aired since you joined.  As well as all the free stuff, like projects, BOM, forums, etc.  Occasionally, there are previous shows made available for a limited time for free for everyone--a good way to see a show you might have missed or one that aired before you joined. 

Here's my pitch:  if I had to be exceptionally careful about how much money I spend on my quilt life--this would be the last thing I would give up.  That, and my local guild membership.  Of course, I cannot possibly outlive my fabric stash, so I don't "need" any more fabric.   But TQS--that I NEED!

Check them out--a lot of stuff is free even if you're not a member--you just have to create an account with a screen name.  If you decide to join, you can easily do that too. 

Let's Quilt!

Barbara