Quilt Stories!!! I seem to save them up into batches!

Shhh! It's Low Volume  made in 2017  64 x 82

This was another hunt for fabric that lasted years!  I saw this pattern on a Swedish quilting website after following the link from Pinterest.  

It was a baby quilt! Oh, Baby! my bin of 'conversation prints' was overflowing and it was such fun to use some of my favorite fabrics!

SL in Scrap Happens called text fabrics "conversation prints" and the name stuck.  Kind-of like 'Beige-ings"!

And of course, I had to buy bright fabrics to go with it!  I use this on my side of the bed in the winter!   And Oregon summers!!  It's my second quilt RIGHT NOW!!

The back is a nautical print that didn't work for a QOV back. 

Spring Strippy  2008

Evening Stars Workshop had a block exchange of the churn dash blocks. Then I was in a "strip of the month" club led by a good friend of mine. I'm sure I drove her nuts! But she never said a word!. [Thanks, M!]

The first month's assignment was "half-square triangles" - that's churn dash! 

The next was "square in the block" - ha! churn dash!!!

Well, you get the picture - if churn dash fit the description - there it was! [I had a lot of the blocks!] I even had a row of churn dashes left over - [they ended up on the back!]

I thought the extra row made the quilt too long for the width and didn't want to deal with redesigning it. That's probably why it had a l-o-o-n-g incubation / Time Out period as UFO.

As you know, if you came here via FB.  Miss JJ is now the proud owner of this quilt.

Kinsey's Whimsy Wall Quilt - Literary Challenge  2007

Just 27 x 27

Lincoln Quilt Guild had a "Literary Challenge".  Pick a favorite book or character.  Make a quilt that character would like.  It was a great challenge - so many different interpretations.  I chose the Sue Grafton alphabet mystery series.

I used nickel squares (Kinsey was very thrifty!) in a Bento Box pattern.  I picked bright "California" fabrics and loved making it.  I used it for years as my picture online.

Edyta Sitar was just beginning her quilting career - or I just found her!  And she said - against all Quilting Rules - that you CAN put quilting fabrics and batiks in the same quilt!!  So I did!  and I never stopped from that moment on!

 Oregon Lighthouse Wall Quilt - the Challenge  2006  40 x 40

I found some mini lighthouses on our Oregon Trip one year.  Quilters Corner Quilt Store in Port Orford had had a challenge with them.  The entries were on display and Halleluiah!  They still had the silk-screened lighthouses.

There was a challenge in Lincoln guild too, so of course, I incorporated them into that theme.  I liked it - but when I hung it up in my cubicle at work ... there was a whole lot of sighing and begging for it.  JJ has an August birthday too, so I gave did it to her ... eventually!

Hmmm, I do love that Bento Box setting.  I have another challenge this year for Brookings Guild ... hmmm!

We're getting to the end of the FB challenge - but this has been a whole lot of fun to pick out favorite projects and review them again.  What do you think of "Quilt of the Week"???  Let's see I'd have enough to publish them for a decade or more!!  LOL!  We'll see!

Have a great weekend and stay safe!

Favorite Quilts over on FB - but the fun part - WHY! - is here!

Selvedge Yard  2011  

CAUTION:  Long story you might want coffee!!

Selvedges galore, Unruly lettering, I even put my practice longarm piece on the back!  2015 I sold this piece at Sisters!  Cheaply ... but still, it sold within the first few hours!

So, as an out-of-my-box experience goes - let me tell you - that quilt grew like a summer weed. Here begins the saga: years ago I started making string blocks incorporating selvedges. 6 inch blocks and they were fun. Something else came along ... distractions, many quilts, you know how it goes. 

There are 600-ish selvedges in the quilt - yes, there are repeats! And the most colorful ones came from the quilts made for grandkids and the many pair of pj pants I've made them. But there are many reproduction fabrics represented!!

I always wanted to do LazyGal's free-style 'wonky' alphabet and this was the project to do it. Those letters are fun - use a whole lot of thread and are bigger than you think they are.
I figured out my saying - hmmm - too long, shortened it and started creating. Let me tell you there were threads everywhere!! But words appeared. After I had the quote 'written' out, it was bigger than planned. [Of course, it IS that quilt!]

Revision - gonna need more blocks!! There was blank space at the end of the words - before the corners. Hmmm, I could lengthen the quote with quilted words - fill in, so to speak, but now I'm stuck with an "AN". 

Think of adjectives that start with an vowel, make lists in the middle of the night! Consult with mom over the phone. Using my own 'best' [HA! - my handwriting isn't known for it's clarity!!] handwriting I added these 'secret messages' to the quote and free-motion quilted the words. 

Think of adjectives that start with an vowel, make lists in the middle of the night! Consult with mom over the phone. Using my own 'best' [HA! - my handwriting isn't known for it's clarity!!] handwriting I added these 'secret messages' to the quote and free-motion quilted the words:

QUILTING NOT SO MUCH A HOBBY (you know) MORE LIKE AN (infectious) OBSESSION (and we love it sew!)

A & J's Wedding Quilt  2010  

I thought doing this king size log cabin quilt would get those out of my system, nope!  I'm still making mini log cabin blocks for one of my own.

This has 2 color combinations for each row and even though it was carefully drawn out ... I made 20 blocks with the wrong colors together.  "Recalculating ... "  

Wanted the Love stamp block in it to break it up, 3 of them.  Got it all laid out on the floor at Bayshore.  We all looked it over, moved a few things around and completely missed the log cabin block going the wrong way!!  Arrrrgh!

I cut the strips  2" and although finished 1.5" logs seem reasonable for a king-sized quilt - I have to admit the logs look really big! Don't ask me why! I don't know!

The Lights of Home   2006

I bought the silk screened lighthouses at Lattimer Center.  I found the lay-out on a barn quilt.   My friend, MW, helped me draw it up.  I made the quilt and R loves it too.  

The funny part about this quilt is when I was in Nebraska it reminded me of the Oregon coast.  And after we moved to Oregon, it reminds me of working on it in Nebraska!!  It's one of my DH's favorites because it's only 2 colors! 

There - we're all caught up.  Other than the blogspot problems, it's fun to look through 45 years of my quilts ... hope you're having fun too!

Foggy Mornings, Beautiful Afternoons - must be July on the coast

This week has been a blur!  Monday there was a chlorine imbalance at the pool so no water aerobics that day!  But TTF classes have been great!  And Wednesday we actually got to have Tai-chi in the park!

It was an 80 degree day here (very unusual any time of the year!)  But under the tall pines, it was cool and very zen!  There were 10 of us.  Nine regular class students and one wanna-be joiner!  Next encounter Tuesday - same time, same place.

I have to admit, parts of my body hadn't been stretched or held a position since the beginning of self-isolation.  Wrist?? But we did well, Almost made it thru the long form - with everyone thinking hard "what is next"  and usually one of us would come up with it!  And boy-oh-boy it was a beautiful day to have class outside!!

Over on Facebook there is a 'tag challenge'!

I Love Being In a Quilter Challenge.... Every day for 10 days I will post a quilt I’ve made and I’ll challenge one of you to do the same, and you will challenge someone to do the same and so on. No description necessary, just a quilt photo. 10 days means 10 different quilts.

I love these pop up challenges. It's great eye candy and something not political on FB!! Win-win! Today I posted:

In 2017 I finally brought my "Quilt Diary" up to date.  That was the year I was "Featured Quilter in the Azalea Guild Show.  No one cared that I had it, but it was a great deadline to work toward!  I haven't add any quilts since!  So I guess Self-Isolation Summer is a good time to hunt up all the pictures and what information I've written about them and 'get'r dun!'

I wrote the diary because I was sure I was loosing my mind.  And at least I'd have this diary to look at and see the quilts again!  The following is the entry for this quilt!

All Around the Town - Boydville, That Is   This quilt was made in 2002.  It's 60 x 60 and I still own it.  I love it!

My friend M was making the shop sample of this Sue Garman pattern for The Front Parlor. (just ONE of our local shops in Lincoln NE!  Those were the days!)  4 of us were also interested in the pattern, so we split the BOM costs.  I challenged myself to learn machine appliqué - but I went with fusible and machine blanket stitch.  A method I still prefer!!

It was fun to pick fabrics and quietly incorporate our lives into the quilt.  There's a brick house with shutters, DH will be glad to tell you how he had to stand on a ladder and drill holes in brick on his first Father's Day as a dad!! and a grey schnauzer with a red collar running around a corner. My horse, Thunder. Poor M had to do the sample exactly as published!!

I went to all the trouble to put FOUR sleeves on it, so I could hang it any which way up.  But, I only like it with the Flag flying correctly.  There was many a giggle over the "whale of doom" over its house!

I used G's DSM for the blanket stitching when she was traveling.  I was working on this when DH let it slip I was getting a new machine for Christmas! For the next few months, I would come downstairs and "bother" him with hugs for my new machine.   My Janome 4800 (picked with Glenda's advice). 

2018:   My 4800 is still running strong! Thank you - both of you!!

Today  I'm sad to report that my wonder-machine is failing.  I can only read 1/3 of the stitch screen - that makes special stitches very hard!!  I'm hoping the EverSewn machines ship next month - because I'm ready to buy a new one! (I blame all the face masks I made on it this summer!!)

So, each day for 9 more days, I'll give 'the rest of the story' to my FB choice!  Hope you enjoy it!

Well the #100dayproject is officially done.  I so enjoyed it this year, especially with the kind of year we're having!  It keep me going in the sewing room, even when that wasn't what I wanted to do.  But am I glad I kept it going - I feel more creative and that's not bad when you're turning 68 this summer.  Remember way-back-when I was afraid I was losing my mind (I am, of course!) but quilting keeps me cheerful and thinking about the next quilt all the time!!  That's the best thing about retirement!! A sustainable hobby!  And believe me, I can sustain it for a few more decades with just what I have in the house!  We'll discuss that problem another time or two!

What I accomplished:  2 quilts I'd been wanting to do forever - really - forever!  I made all the blocks and topped the quilts.  One went to the Quilter today!  And she named it "Wild Child" - can you guess which one!!!  LOL!

I also made FOUR 60 x 80 StashLab string QOV quilts.  The blocks were made.  I did have to mark, make and trim HST blocks out of them ... 

Last year our group donated strings and sewed string blocks at group gatherings and at home.  Just when we were ready to start putting quilts together, Yep, Covid showed up.  

So when I got tired enough and curious enough to do something about the giant amount of string stuff all over the sewing space ... I put a top together.  Boy, they are addicting AND don't ever 'fluff' strings!!!  

Pssst! Don't tell -   we are having a Guild meeting at the end of the month and I'm closing out our year long challenge with the promised prizes, and 2 (so far) table runners.  AND we're going to have the Big Reveal of what we created!!  I'll post the little darlings later, after the reveal.  One quilt was already presented to a Veteran.  But 4 are being quilted as we speak!!  And I'm coming up with a design for the leftover "beige-ings" blocks this weekend. It will be so EXCITING for me to be done with this and see it come to life!

Holiday Weekend - covid style!

As I was walking to my parking place this week.  Yep, walking the gauntlet on my way to the pool.  I took this quick picture with my phone.  I don't know why it appeals to me ... but something about the angles, and the juxtaposition of the buildings just interests me.  I see an art project in my future!?!

                 

We're supposed to be winding down on our re-roofing project, yet 4 of the 6 buildings had ladders up and guys on the roofs!

I talked to our manager today and he estimates (hopefully) an August finishing date!  ARRRG!  The roofers are very nice, polite but apparently slow! And everyone here is worn to the nubs!  My car has been covered in sawdust since the beginning of March! During the two weeks I was presenting QOVs ... I had to park a block away, to be sure of being able to get out as needed.  Stomping over to my car, hands full, twice or three times a day. It got really really old!  But so am I!?!

Wishing everyone a Happy Stay-at-home(!) 4th.  

Remember it's patriotic to wear a mask and social distance!  

Stay safe!