The Latest Projects

I've been having a great time working on these hand-pieced Antique Rose blocks:

I've written about these before here.  Each block has 72 kite-shaped pieces and I typically hand-piece 3 of them to form a unit, because they have a bit of a Y seam, then use the "hybrid" method:  I machine piece those units into the complete block.  It's fast and fun and I'm beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel--4 more blocks to go.  The complete row on the right is just stuck up on the design wall but the 3 rows on the left are completely sewn together, and there's one block waiting for the last 4 to join it and become the final row.  I'll be teaching this in July for our guild quilt-in and the  top will be done before that. This is another project that makes me glad I paid attention in Geometry class!  The template comes from Material Obsession in Australia. 

Here's what I'm itching to get to work on:  my Paducah Round Robin.  This was begun last year, 2013, at Paducah when my two friends and I continued our challenge to each other to make quilts together.  I've written about that here.  I made the Feathered Star, Ellen added the first purple/green border and Sharon added the pinwheel border.  I love it!  Sharon was shopping in Paducah for a great black and more cheddars.  She found perfect fabrics and came home and jumped on this.  Now it's my turn and I don't know what I'll do but it will be bigger because I really like it.

This week I head off to Pittsburgh to work for Quilts Inc. at Spring Market.  I love Market and this will be especially fun for me as the excitement about Red and White--By the Numbers being used for Houston 2014 advertising is just beginning to build.  I'll let you know what is new and exciting when I get back.

And when I get back I have a commission piece to get made.  It's a "Modern Quilt", unlike my usual work, but planning it has been fun and I'm eager to get it completed and off to it's new home.

Check out what is new on Judy L's Design Wall Monday blog. 

Let's Quilt!

Barbara

Rubies are a Girl's Best Friend

This is the 40th anniversary of International Quilt Festival in Houston, TX--that's the Ruby year.  To celebrate, they are having a special exhibit of Red and White quilts, both contemporary and vintage/antique.  I submitted my Red and White--By the Numbers and am so pleased to announce:

 

 

 

They liked it, they really, really liked it.

 

In fact, they liked it so much, it will be the featured quilt for Houston 2014.  That means:  it will be in all the print advertising, on the catalog cover, on the cover of the show book, the Quintessential Quilter, AND, drum roll please, the show TOTE BAG!   Oh, yes, I'm over the moon with excitement and so pleased so many people will get to see this quilt in Houston.  About 60,000 make the trip each year. 

 

A lot of credit goes to the pattern designers, Gay Bomers and Brenda Papadakis, for their JustTakes2 patterns, still available here.  This quilt was designed as a tribute to the Infinite Variety special exhibit held in New York City in March 2011, where more than 700 red and white quilts were on display.  I'm sure that, like most quilters who saw this exhibit, they said "I want to make that one".  "No, I want to make that one". "No, wait, I want to make that one".  So why not do a quilt with lots of patterns?  And they did and I did and here you have it. 

 

My best decision:  sending this quilt to Pam Dransfedt, The Joyful Quilter for quilting.  I found her on Facebook a few years ago and so admired the magic she can make with her longarm machine.  Here are a few closeups Pam posted of the work she did on this quilt: 

 

 

I kept track:  I used 59 different fabrics and there are 2770 pieces, including that crazy set of pieced borders I designed.  I've seen photos of 2 other of these quilts completed and I'm not surprised the makers added a red border to the outside and called it done.  Not me, I had to make it really, really hard. 

 

So, if you're in Houston this year, stop by to see the quilt--it is a fitting tribute to the amazing company of Quilts, Inc. who provide such wonderful shows for so many quilters and vendors every year.  The quilt world is a better place because of them and I'm so happy to be a small part of this year's celebration!

 

Let's quilt!

 

Barbara

 

 

Stash Enhancement Expedition: Paducah 2014

I had a great time in Paducah these past few days.  It's such a treat to spend quality time with my two best friends, Sharon and Ellen, and this year we all wore "contestant" ribbons for our Round Robin quilt, A-Round with My Friends:

The quilt is directly behind me, except I don't recognize that woman in the middle. 

Red and White--By the Numbers was there too but I didn't take any pictures of it--since I know what it looks like and it was a side-hanging quilt and it's hard to get good shots of those. 

A friend of Pam Dransfeldt, the awesome Joyful Quilter!, took this photo for her.

Shopping wasn't too bad.  I bought an old quilt top as a show souvenir from Cindy Rennel's Antique Quilts, www.cindysantiquequilts:

 

And I added to my own stash, mostly reproduction fabrics:

 

The large piece of batik yardage on the far right is for our guild's next raffle quilt--it's back and background, very glad I found that.  I'll be eager to see what fabrics our members got to add to that quilt.   Members were asked to donate one fat quarter as a way of participating in the project.  I wrote all about and showed the project here.
It was a terrific couple of days--I got to see most everyone I wanted to see and was able to have lunch with one of my favorite people, Mary Sorensen.  The teachers who know me from Houston, Chicago, Long Beach, etc., all do a double take when they see me in Paducah--that's funny!  "What are YOU doing HERE?" 

Now to clean off my cutting table, ironing table, put all this stuff away and get back to being creative.  When asked what I'm going to do with this new stuff, I simply say: "Put it in the closet with its' friends, the stuff I bought at the last show, and the show before that, and the one before that...  If you're a quilter, you get it.  If you're not, you never will.

Let's quilt!

Barbara

Off to Paducah!

It's that time of year--the American Quilter's Society in Paducah, KY.  I don't go every year, but this year I have 2 quilts in the show so I made hotel arrangements 9 months ago and tomorrow my two best quilt friends and I are headed up there. 

We went last year and, as we often do, we planned a 3-way Round Robin project to commemorate the trip.  We each selected a focus fabric and each of us bought 2 fat quarters for each of the other two.  Of course, we added more fabrics during our stash enhancement expeditions.  I wrote about my block and fabrics here.  The only rule of our swap is: there are no rules.  We each make a center and pass it and the desired fabrics along to the next person.  Eventually, we get our own back and can decide what, if anything, we want to do next.  This works because we trust each other and it's not like we don't have anything else to work on--no rush on this project.

Here's what I've been working on the last few days:

Sharon's Neighborhood with Guard Cats

Sharon made the houses and trees.  Ellen added the picket fence borders.  I got it during the height of tax season so it just sat on the wall for awhile.  Someone saw it and said "you should add a cat".   Yes, of course!  We each have one cat so I added Sharon's smoky gray baby, Ellen's orange Gigi, and my long-haired tortie, Patches.  As they are all house cats, each sits guard at their front door. 

Sharon will see this for the first time tomorrow morning before we leave for Paducah.  I hope she likes it!

I already know that neither of my entered quilts are wearing a ribbon but that's OK with me--they are hanging in some pretty glorious company.  Less that half of the entries receive ribbons and that's as it should be.  I'm glad others will get to see my work.  And since one of them is a Round Robin I made with Ellen and Sharon (and worked on for 7 years) we all get to wear "Contestant" badges--and share in the fun/experience together.

Now I'd better go pack--clothes, essentials, and my handwork bag--can't leave home without that. 

Let's quilt!

Barbara

Tax Season--by the Numbers

Or, what I want to remember about tax season:

1.  90.5--number of hours I've worked in the last 9 days, without a day off
2.  29.5--number of hours I worked April 14 and 15
3.  355--number of clients I worked with this year, plus a few more who did not have to file
4.  353--number of clients I really enjoyed working with this year
5.  34--number of years I've worked for H&R Block
6.  3 weeks--how old my youngest son was the day I started working for H&R Block
7.  26--how old I was the day I started working for H&R Block
8.  7--associates who worked directly for me this year
9.  7--number of associates who said this was their best year ever
10. 2--number of direct bosses I reported to
11. 2--number of direct bosses who really appreciated my efforts
12. 200%+--amount my office did over budget target
13.  500%--how happy I am we had such a record-breaking year and a happy office environment
14.  0--number of days until the next tax season for me

It's been a great run.  I am one of those lucky people who found the perfect career fit--I could talk to many different people each day, help them with their tax and financial issues, teach my co-workers how to improve their skills and knowledge so they could help people too, and I know I made a difference in the lives of some of my clients, and some of my associates--because they took the time to tell me so.  Sure, I'll be missed for a while but life goes on and others will surface to fill the gap.  And I will miss my clients and my co-workers, but life goes on and I have quilts to make.

Here's a poem my father always kept on his dresser--it was the one thing of his I wanted when we cleaned out my parent's home.  It's a yellowed piece of paper now, but one of my great treasures:

THE INDISPENSABLE MAN

 

                       Sometime when you're feeling important

                       Sometime when your ego's in bloom

                       Sometime when you take it for granted

                       You're the best qualified in the room;

                       Sometime when you feel that your going

                       Would leave an unfillable hole,

                       Just follow these humble instructions,

                       And see how they humble your soul.

 

                       Take a bucket and fill it with water,

                        Put your hand in it up to the wrist,

                        Pull it out, and the hole that's remaining

                        Is a measure of how you'll be missed.

                        You can splash all you want when your enter,

                        You may stir up the waters galore;

                         But stop, and you'll find that in no time

                         It looks quite the same as before.

 

                        The moral in this quaint example

                        Is do just the best that you can;

                        Be proud of yourself, but remember

                        There's no indispensable man.

 

                                                                              Author Unknown

 

Let's Quilt!

 

Barbara

 



Fanfare '15--Let the Fun Begin!

Tax season is over so it's time to start the next major project:  being co-chair of my guild's next quilt show.  Jane and I are working hard to get all the pieces in place:  date and location are set, next job is to finalize the budget and the rules.  Fanfare '15, our 14th judged show, will be October 9-11, 2015, at the Von Braun Center, here in Huntsville.  Check out our guild Website, it's terrific.

Also needing to get done:  the Raffle Quilt!  It takes a lot of money to produce a show as wonderful as ours is, and having a great "opportunity" quilt people can purchase tickets for is a necessity.

Here's what we have planned.  With Bonnie Hunter's permission, we are going to use her latest Mystery quilt, Celtic Solstice, for the pattern:

 

 

And with the permission of Rhianon Taylor, the Nifty Stitcher, a quilter from Fife, Scotland, we are going to use this colorway:

Isn't this just luscious?!  Jane and I both fell in love with Rhianon's version--it's perfect for the look we want.   Thanks to the amazing Internet, I was able to "talk" to her and get her permission to post these photos here.   Why?  There's a good reason...

Jane and I are striving for a quilt show of inclusion and participation from our almost 250 members. Now you probably know, this is NOT the kind of quilt you want to make as a "group" project.  Apparently, not everyone has the same 1/4" seam allowance!!  So, we chose one of our excellent members, Carla R, who is a superb piecer, to make the quilt top and thankfully, she agreed. 

As a way for our members to participate, we are asking everyone to donate ONE fat quarter of fabric, in any of these colors.  They have ONE month--this will be revealed at our April 17 guild meeting tonight and the only time to turn in the fat quarter is next month  at the May guild meeting.  Since the quilt show at Paducah is next weekend, those going to the show can easily pick up a fat quarter.  Those who can't go, should definitely treat themselves to a visit to their local quilt shop in the next month, since they can't get to the big shopping experience in Paducah, and while there, pick up an extra fat quarter for this quilt.  After the May meeting, we'll shop for the remaining fabric we need, most likely background, and Carla will be off and running to get the top made.  The reveal of the quilt to the guild is set for early Fall of this year--to kick off the next year of fun plans and some hard work too.

Since Spring has tried to appear here, this quilt, in these color,s is like a breath of spring fresh air, minus the pollen.  I'm looking forward to seeing what our members contribute to this effort! 

Let's quilt!

Barbara

One of My Quilt Heroines

I don't have time to be very creative right now, working 60 hours a week until April 17.  Then I'll be able to make more quilts.

But here is news I don't want you to miss:  Barbara Brackman, quilt historian extraordinaire, is starting a new Block of the Week, based on Jane Austen:  her family, her friends, her life, her country.  The free patterns begin April 6, and will post weekly, each Sunday, for 36 weeks.  The blocks are 12" traditional blocks, and all the names have something to do with the history Barbara will relay about Regency England, from about 1770-1820.  Even if you don't want to make the quilt, the blog will be very interesting reading about the Jane Austen Era.

Barbara has blogged about this here and has an introductory blog post about it with suggestions for fabrics, how to choose them and how much here--at the home of this new blog.  It would be fun to make this quilt in contemporary fabrics, for a very different look.

Last year I made Barbara's Grandmother's Choice Block of the Week, still available here, telling the story of the women's suffragist movement in the US and England: 

 

 

Here is mine--it's quilted now and I'm working on the binding.  These were 8" blocks and there are 49 of them.  Jane will be 36 blocks, 12" each. 

 

So, if you're looking for a new project, check out http://barbarabrackman.blogspot.com/ where you can find all of Barbara's blogs and lots more information too.  Barbara is one of those special people in the quilt world--someone who is eager to share what she knows with the rest of us--and she knows A LOT!  She is one of my quilt heroines and I want you to know about her too.

 

Let's quilt!

 

Barbara