Joy to you!

Merry Christmas!

I know this is such a standard greeting (where it is not banned for being politically incorrect), yet I use it anyway because I'm joyful this morning celebrating that God sent Jesus, and my desire is that everyone knows that same joy!

Out my studio window

When I wandered into my studio about 8:30 this morning, this was the view out the south-facing window. I took a few photos on various settings on my digital, and while the color isn't quite right, I liked this one the best. The ornament hanging in the window is a gift from my husband's employers (everyone in management got one) and is Swarovski crystal. It looks like a quilt inspiration to me!

The temperature is about - 14C and I never noticed the car backing out of the garage down the street until I moved the files to my computer. (Double-click to see the large view.) Somehow that little bit of light adds 'humanity' and warmth to this otherwise cold winter scene!

I'm in the homestretch with my 'insanity' quilt... keep cheering and I will get it done before Christmas (or before being hauled away in a straight-jacket)!

My Rapture over Rhapsody Quilts

Our local quilt shop has "Quilt Talks" once a week. The topic yesterday was "Rhapsody Quilts" as made by Ricky Tims. The presenter had taken Ricky's class, made a large quilt that we loved, and told us some stories. She said that Tim's idea about these quilts comes from his musical background. He want them to flow, like music.

Then she told us the meaning of 'rhapsody.' Apparently, 'rhap' means to sew, and 'yodei' means a song. Did he know that before he picked the name for these interesting quilts? I don't know, but I do know that I must make one of these.

The main part of the talk was instruction on how to design and do just that. I ordered Ricky's new book last week. It hasn't come yet, but I've got a few sketches already... and am totally side-tracked. No wonder my cupboard is so full of UFOs! I also picked up a bit of fabric... yikes.

The photo is not my quilt (wait a couple of years for that) but one of Ricky's. Click the link at the side to see more. This one is called Bohemian Rhapsody. If anyone has made one, I'd like to hear from you.

I might try with something smaller, and it will not be in these colors (even though I have a neighbor who loves this so much she'd serve me forever if I made one for her just like it). My design is fairly intricate, and piecing it will be a challenge. Yes, these are pieced... with applique on top, but put together without pins! Ricky strikes me as something of a quilting daredevil!

Back to the sewing machine...

Frustrations in the bag?

The past few weeks have been taken up with remodeling our bedroom. New flooring, wall color, furniture, bedding. I'm exhausted, but also frustrated. Other than my once-a-month get together with other quilters, I've not been able to sew at all. Oh, I've looked at quilt books (a new book does not automatically mean a new quilt) and read blogs (same thing) and been inspired, even opened EQ6 last night and played with an idea, but no fabric creations. I'm frustrated.

But there is one little gem that did come out of all this. I'd seen it in a McCalls 2005 Christmas quilt magazine and had to make it for 'show and tell' at our group. I've cut out another one, and these are so easy! The pattern called for a 6" orphan block but my leftovers were too large so used a small piece that I'd stamped on during an Earthly Goods class. The colors in the photo are a bit anemic. The green is rich, darker, but sparkles.

Oh, the bedroom turned out absolutely gorgeous... but now I need a new quilt, a king-size to boot. I guess that a new bedroom does automatically mean a new quilt. Sigh! Those UFOs are never going to be finished...

Tulip Table Runner

That 'insanity' quilt is progressing far too slowly. I just got a new computer, with Vista, and am climbing the learning curve as I install software and try to figure out how to turn off all the unwanted stuff that Vista loads up at the start.

In the meantime, I love my table runner, so want to share it. Our oak table sits in a north facing room, but with this runner and the glow of oak, the room looks sunny and inviting. I made the runner for a class that I taught. As always, the class variations due to fabric choices were super. I also made a pink one as a sample, then the yellow one in class.


My nephew and family live in San Diego and were one of the first to get out (left early Tuesday morning). We live in Canada, but our prayers are certainly including the people in southern California whose lives have been affected by these fires.

I've been tagged...

I've just discovered that I've been tagged by Wanda. The rules are:
1. Follow the link to your tagger and copy/post these rules.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself: some random, some weird.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post and list their names (linking to them).
4. Let them know they've been tagged by leaving a comment at their blogs.

Facts about me:

1. At 7, I had a childhood illness and my parents were told I would not see my 16th birthday.
2. At 17, I'd broken and trained two American Saddlebred horses, and wrote and sold my first article--about horses, of course.
   
3. At 27, I had two children and made myself and my little girl matching dresses.
4. At 37, I was married twice and had three children and a husband whose job took us all over the place.
5. At 47, we moved near a Bible college so I took 4 years in 2 1/2 and got a degree, the oldest person in my classes. Such fun!
   
6. At 57, we designed and built our current home. I'd moved 28 times and am staying put!
7. I'm not 67 yet, but by then hope to have my UFO quilt shelf empty! Ha!

I am tagging:

• Julia
• Leslie
• Karen
• Tazzie
• Denise
• Cindy
• Anne
  

Kaylee's Garden

After not posting for two weeks, it is time to at least share a finished project. This one is a quilt I made on commission. We had three ladies in our church give birth all in the same month, all girls. I made three quilts for the joint shower.

After a few months, one of these three moved away and we lost touch. A few years later, she called me. She now had another little girl, but her first one liked her quilt so much that sharing it with her new sister was out of the question. Would I make another one for the second daughter?

Of course! I selected the fabrics because they seemed to suit the fair-haired redhead that I was making it for, and would accept payment for only the fabric. Some commissions are just too much fun to be commercial about them.

The quilt is called "The Sun Always Shines in Kaylee's Garden."

Inspiration out the Window

I've been busy with a writer's conference (am on the executive), but sneaking a few minutes to keep at my "Insanity Quilt" so soon you will see the finished product.

However, the past few days at my computer, I've had the north window of my studio open and an enjoying the glow off of the trees in our neighbors' back yards. From this photo, it is difficult to judge the size, but my window is 7' wide by 5' high and the view of these trees fills most of it. it is like having a sky of gold shining in the window!

The poplars are just poplars, but this year they are luminous, far more golden and glowing than my photo. Is there fabric with such a light in it?

The other shot is looking down at the orange bushes next door. I'm not sure I'd make a quilt using this color, but it certainly is eye candy. What inspires me the most are the textures... stripes, the fir needles, bushes, polka dot lawn, and the stone mulch. Now that might be a good combination.

I hope the neighbors are enjoying my yard as much as I'm enjoying theirs!

Favorite Time

Fall is my favorite time of the year. The leaves are just starting to turn here, so lots of greens yet, and wonderful skies. My husband has all our local photos, but I wanted to post something with these colors. This one is a bit dark, a picture taken in the Rocky Mountains near Canmore. Click on it to see birds and other lovely details. We try to go to Canmore at least once a year.

Canmore's quilt shop, The Sugar Pine, hosts Quilt Art Rockies every year. Leah, the shop owner, is a sweet gal who remembers names like no one I've ever met. The shop was voted one of the ten best in North America. In that setting, who could not want to make art of some kind!

Quilt Art Rockies is a terrific experience, and that is an understatement! I've been there twice and am going again in January. (It is usually in March, but the venue has been booked for a movie crew filming there that month!). Instructors for 2008 are: Elizabeth Barton, Phil Beaver, Sue Benner, Susan Carlson, Sandra Meech, Kathy Sandbach and Lura Schwarz Smith.

Now, back to my to-do list.

It's Better to Aim for the Stars...

The rest of that line is. . . "and hit the woodpile, that to aim for the woodpile and hit your foot."

Log cabin blocks, for some reason, always make me think of a woodpile, and when I quilted this one with stars, the name seemed logical. (Of course, who needs to be logical?)

This was only a sampler. In our Dear Jane group, the facilitator planned to show us how to do scallop bindings. We had to bring a sandwich to practice on, so I figured I might as well make something. With no time to do it, I whipped out some leftover strips and made this odd log cabin block, set it on a piece of black that didn't seem to have much going for it, and quilted it with wavy lines and stars. I used a twin needle for some of the wavy lines and the stars were simply done free form, without any marking on the fabric.

The curved scallop was much easier than I expected. The key is to sew the binding on marked curves before trimming off the excess, in this case, about 3-4 inches of fabric/sandwich/backing. Also, the binding needs to be stretched on the inside of the curve, stopping with the needle down in the point.

After the binding was sewn on the right side, we trimmed the seam allowance, clipped it in the corners, and turned it to the back. Notice, the binding is also very narrow. I can't remember but think it was 1.75" folded double, and cut on the bias, of course.

The quilt was finished with a sleeve and I thought the whole effort would be rather useless other learning a technique, but I just re-decorated a small bathroom and used black and red as accents. This 32.75" x 33.5" practice piece is absolutely perfect on the wall (or as perfect as a practice sampler can be).

You never know what might come out of a simple exercise session...

Lattice on a Blue Sky

When Joen Wolfrom came to town, I had to take the classes offered. One of them was about designing blocks by taking classics apart and putting them back together in a different way. This class included how to use elements from the blocks to design a border. For me, who discovered late in life that I really do love geometry, this was enormous fun.

A second class was about combining ordinary blocks to make secondary patterns. I enjoyed this one too, and the picture is a small quilt that I made as a result. I called it Lattice on a Blue Sky because that is sort of what it looks like, but then if you close your eyes a bit, the blue looks like a design on a yellow background. Joen is a soft-spoken, lovely lady. Take a class from her, if the opportunity comes. It will not be regretted!

That Last Border

This quilt has been bugging me so much that I decided to either toss it or fix it. It is a Round Robin (more on July 31 post) that wound up with many parallel lines in the borders that totally distracted from my paper-pieced block in the middle.

This is the solution finished last night. I appliqued 13 leaves around the edges, breaking up the lines. First I tried it by cutting leaves out of purple paper and putting them in various spots. After I was satisfied with the arrangement, I cut the leaves out of two batik fabrics, one slightly darker than the other, and sewed them in place.

Now when I look at it, my eye now goes to the middle, not the lines. At least now I can hang it on the wall without being totally frustrated! If anyone has any other suggestions, please share them!

My Insanity Quilt - in progress

A few asked about my "insanity quilt" so here is a picture of the progress so far. The finished wall hanging (from a pattern by Cynthia England) is 22" x 32" without any borders.

I've posted two pictures. One has the pattern tacked in to show how much is left. You might notice bits of pattern on the section to the left. This is freezer paper left to show me where seams have to match with the next section or the border.

The other photo is a detail version to show the scale of the pieces. The small "R" in the corner is 1/4" high.

If you have opportunity, take a class from Cynthia, or at least hear her speak. She has more energy than a whirlwind, makes you feel as if you can do anything (even if I go crazy doing it!) and is simply delightful, besides having a wacky sense of humor!

But btw, don't hold your breath waiting for the finished version!

Wednesday's Binge

Our young granddaughter came to our city Wednesday to take a job-related training course. Her little girl had her first birthday August 31. We were away on vacation that day. I forgot to enter it in "Life Balance" (where I keep track of my whole life) and am still blushed and flushed that we forgot that very important date. (It's awful having a foggy, fading brain.)

Anyway, Stephie called to say her course was over at 3:00 or so, and we planned an early supper together. I'd cut out part of the bonnet on Tuesday, but that was it... so I spent most of Wednesday making this little dress and the "Little House on the Prairie" bonnet that Stephie wanted. I finished just as she phoned for directions.

She loved it, was ecstatic in fact. I had a blast... haven't made a child's outfit for about ten years. Such fun!

Quilt of Belonging

On our way home yesterday, we stopped at the Glenbow Museum in Calgary (Alberta, Canada) to see the Quilt of Belonging. My husband did the forbidden without realizing he wasn't supposed to... he took photographs.

I bought the book. I'm still in a dazed state. This project is described at the Glenbow website: “The Quilt of Belonging stretches a monumental 120 feet in length and almost 11 feet high (36 metres by 3.5 metres). This tapestry features 263 blocks of fabric that represent all of Canada's First Peoples and every world nation. The wide range of designs, techniques and materials found in the needlework blocks highlight the dream of making a place for all people in Canada. Visual artist Esther Bryan initiated and coordinated this national, community art project. Experience this stunning artwork in person at Glenbow.”

I'll post our photo, but go to the Glenbow site to find out more. The exhibit is in Calgary until the end of this month. It is utterly breath-taking, and made me rejoice in being a Canadian who also quilts.

Quilting in the Rocky Mountains

Today we are in Banff. It is misty and cold, but my husband is golfing and I brought my light Janome Jem Gold. (I wish Bernina made one like this?) I will be working on a Cynthia England piece which I call my "insanity quilt" (sorry, Cynthia, but those pieces are so small I may be asylum-ready by the time it is finished)!

This photo is another "insanity quilt" -- my version of Dear Jane. It took three years to make, plus the support of a wonderful group at Earthly Goods. Without them, I may have quit. The blocks are 4.5" square, sashing is narrow with ittsy-bitsy corner squares. This is just the top. I did have it quilted (long arm, turned out nice) but haven't taken another photo yet. More about the worldwide Dear Jane phenomena here.

Funny thing about this quilt -- I learned or practiced almost every piecing technique known, enjoyed the others in that group, and sometimes think (in my weak moments?) that I'd like to make another one. Oh, my!

Actually, the triangles that go around the outside in the original are in my UFO pile. I've designed a smaller quilt that uses all of them, and hope to finish it one of these days.

In the Rockies

Today my husband and I are in the Rocky Mountains. The scenery is wonderful, the company good, and will certainly inspire more landscape quilts! However, our B&B does not have an Internet connection. We stopped by the local library where I'm typing a short note to say I will post Thursday (after we golf 18 holes) when we arrive home, that is if my sewing machine doesn't cry out for attention much more than I can resist!

All-time favorite quilting class

A couple of years ago my husband and I traveled to China to visit some friends who work there. They arranged that while I was there I should teach a quilting class to a group of ladies. I'd need a translator. Actually, I'd need two of them; the ladies are all deaf!

These ladies worked in a store that did custom sewing such as curtains and drapes, etc. Without a clue what to teach them, I decided to take an assortment of blocks requiring various skill levels. I also took some quilt books and prayed quite a bit!

When we got there, more challenges. First, there is no heat in this store. It was February and cold. We had to work with our coats on.

Second, electricity is iffy. They used treadle sewing machines, and each sewer plugged in the iron each time she used it, and unplugged it when she was finished.

Third, they use 1 cm. seam allowances, not 1/4 inch. All my patterns had to be redrafted, in my hotel room, with pen and ruler, and more prayers.

I had two days with them. I showed them the blocks. Each young woman picked one they wanted to make, and it turned out that their selections matched their skill level. The most difficult block was a Carol Doak foundation paper-pieced star. The woman who spoke Chinese and did the sign language, told my American translator, "I'm glad ... selected that one. She thinks she is so smart and needs to learn that she isn't!"

I began with the simplest block and explained how to make it. The woman who picked it began selecting fabric and sewing. On to the next one, and the same thing. By the time I got to the paper-pieced block (a technique they had never seen), I began understanding their sign-language. I was also really enjoying myself. These girls have a great sense of humor and laugh easily.

They are also very skilled. When they "got it" they hit the middle of their foreheads with the side of their hand, and then went to work. One of them chain pieced the curves in a Drunkard's Path, on a treadle, without a flaw and without pins. The beginners struggled that their blocks were not 'exactly' like mine (the Chinese are great copyists and perfectionists), but some I could tease and get a smile even in their 'humiliation' at not being perfect.

They all finished their blocks about the same time. I took pictures. They hugged me and made me a paper-cut thank you card. When I got home, I sent them some rotary cutters and other tools. They sent me a photo. I sent them a small wall quilt, another Carol Doak foundation paper-pieced block, and as I suspected, their first response was a careful examination to try and figure out how it was made so they could copy it. Last Christmas, I got another card and a photo. Their staff now includes two young men.

This was a highlight of my life. I will never forget the warmth and joy in that impoverished and chilly sewing room, nor the gratitude of these young women who would be outcasts in their world without the opportunity to learn how to sew for others.

"I've Seen Fire and I've Seen Rain"

If I don't get to my sewing room today, I'm going to.... (quilters know how to finish this sentence!)

Earthly Goods, the quilt shop in my city, has a 'degree' program. All 'grads' can meet once a month and learn new tricks, share in fabric exchanges, hear speakers, see demonstrations, and share in projects. This quilt was a Grad Club 'mystery medallion' that started with an assigned middle size, but it could be anything we wanted. Each month we were given options of various borders and assigned widths, but each quilter could choose the combinations. Twenty-seven participated and all the quilts wound up the same size, but there the resemblance ended.

This is my project, which I joked was an exercise in matching points. I did a Carpenter's Wheel in the middle because I wanted to try one, but only one! However, the colors prompted the quilt's name, and I like James Taylor's voice. This lap quilt is 43.5" x 63.5" and was displayed in Earthly Goods 2004 Fall Show. The photo isn't the best, but since I still have this quilt, I can (and should) take a better one.

Now, I must get off this computer and sew...

Peek-a-boo Teddy Bears

This is one of those 'mystery' blocks that looks so ordinary when pieced but forms these neat patterns when sewn together. I made it from several prints, one with teddy bears on a denim-blue colored background. It is 44" x 56" and went to a nephew when he was just a little fellow. This month, he and his parents moved to Australia. His mom, my sister-in-law, is having a rough time with them being so far away. While I guess I can now say I have a quilt in another continent, I'm thinking I should make her one to cuddle up in because she misses them so much.

For now, I'm working on a mountain landscape. It is large, and exciting. I used to paint mountains but now my paint is fabric—and the results are surprising me.

First Quilts

Today a young lady is coming to my house for help with her first bed-sized quilt. She is 13 years old.

What a privilege! My daughter has a sewing machine she uses for mending only, and my granddaughters are not interested in quilts except to have one on their bed that matches their ever-changing decor. I have taught adults to quilt, but to host this young girl will be a special delight.

I didn't start quilting until my family was grown and gone (which partly explains their lack of interest). My first quilts were for babies, and those very first ones are thankfully without digital photos. However, here is one of my 'relatively a beginner' projects.

It is 35.5" x 39.5" so rather on the small size. The pattern came from QNM Jan-Feb 1996, and is called Baby Pinwheels. Nancy Riddell designed the pattern and included a poem that began with, "It's OK if you sit on your quilt. It's OK if your bottle gets spilt..."

I called my version simply "Spinners" and included the poem in a gift card. When I gave it to the new mom, she ignored the poem, loved the quilt, and hung it on the wall! After a year or so, she finally took the advice in the poem and began letting the baby use it.

"That Last Border"

Finally this little number is done. It was a Round Robin. I started the middle, gave it to the next person, and didn't see it until the fifth quilter had a go at it.

I was pleased but not entirely. That last border, while a good idea by itself, overwhelmed the middle. Actually, after the first set of stripes, I think I'd have gone with something else; it has too many narrow stripes which distract from the middle (a Cynthia England design).

However, I love that scrappy border, and I did like the idea of last border and wanted to keep it, so I moved it around to the back! Then I added some free-motion quilting and a few beads. I might do something more to the iris and the butterfly, but right now, I'm saying, "Finished is better than Perfect" - a quote I learned while making "Dear Jane" but that's another post.

Thanks to Laurie, Edith, Marilyn and Rae for their work on this one. "That Last Border."

So little time...

We all say it... so little time, so many _____ . Fill in the blank. For me, it is 'ideas.'

Yesterday I made the "mistake" of looking through a box labeled "Inspiration" and before long had quilts happening in my head. Too bad they didn't happen as easily in the physical realm of weeds to pull, floors to sweep, company to cook for, holes to mend, and on and on.

My first quilt inspiration came from the cover of a magazine, McCall's I think but that was long before I knew to record my 'source.' A woman had made a golf quilt for her husband. It was a wall hanging, but I wanted to make that quilt. I figured it would work if the blocks were six inches instead of her four, and if I added a couple of borders. I spent hours on CorelDraw designing it and at the same time buying fabrics that seemed to fit this design. I phoned all over the city and found what I am sure was the last yardage of the golfing print that inspired the original. After hours and hours, I started to cut out the pieces. This was before I knew anything about quilting.

Finally, I laid all the pieces on the floor and stood back. I was so amazed that I started crying, and at that point was totally hooked.

At that point I also realized I didn't have a clue what I was doing. Instead of taking classes (I may not have realized there were such things), I made a half dozen or so baby quilts as practice for this one. Then I sewed it together, sandwiched it on the floor of my dining room, and quilted it on my Bernina 1630, freestyle. It has been on our bed ever since, and while the photo is a partial, the colors and general idea is here.

My husband, the golfer, understands the title, "Just a Tad Over Par." In golf, par is average, and being over par is not as good as being under. All tad aside, I still feel pleasure at this 'first quilt sort of' every time I look at it. The points match and the "quilt as desired" turned out pretty well for such a beginner.

Beads & Butterflies

The Round Robin quilt is bound, but it needs beads, so no photo yet. Instead, this is another beaded wall hanging. It is not the first one that I put beads on, but it has the most.

I called it "Butterfly Trails" because of the whimsical quilting, freely scribbled and my favorite way to quilt. I'll never do formal feathers! I used metallic threads and just enjoyed myself.

This quilt is 42" square and was a sampler, of all things, for a class on applique. It turned out better than I planned, and is the one that I get the most requests to "put it in your will with my name on it." The close-up shows some of the beading.

Yesterday I watched the latest video at The Quilt Show. It featured Jean Wells, and I am anxious to try the method she demonstrated on this program. If you haven't signed up, give it a whirl. I think it is worth every penny!

Round Robin nearly finished

A few years ago we had a "Celebrate Creativity" function at our church. People brought everything they were making, from scrapbooks to furniture. Nora and I brought our quilts.

To our surprise, five people asked us to teach them how, and Fellowship Peacemakers was born. We've had as many as 15 in classes over a few years, and both Nora and I have learned much.

In the spring we asked if anyone was interested in a Round Robin. Five people were, so we began. Each person made a center of some kind. Mine was a paper-pieced block from a pattern by Cynthia England that appeared in a Quilter's Newsletter magazine. We passed our middles, concealed in a box, to the next person, and didn't see them for five months.

When mine came back, the four other quilters added some very interesting borders. The last one was imaginative, but over the top with contrasting fabrics and a unique design. When I looked at the quilt, all I could see was this dazzling border.

So with a bit of reqret I removed the last border, but I could not toss it, so sewed the strips together and used it on the back. When I turn this little quilt over, I can see the effort put into that border and remember the fun we had working on quilts for one another.

Yesterday I finished quilting it. As soon as the binding is on, I'll post a photo.

"No Star Shines Alone"

Today I'm going to make a list of UFO's (unfinished objects) and projects that I've got pattern and fabric but haven't started yet. The thought frightens me. I keep letting my wandering mind govern what I'm doing, which translates into, "Oh that looks nice! I think I'll make another quilt!" and another UFO is soon added to the pile.

Do I finish anything? Oh yes! A few weeks ago I took a class at Earthly Goods. It was called "Kool Kaleidoscopes" and taught by one of my favorite teachers, Kim Dalmer. Kim had gone stateside and took this class from Ricky Tims who gave her permission to teach it and sell his pattern.

What fun! No one in the class had a clue what their quilt would look like until it was pieced and put up on the wall, just like looking through a real kaleidoscope. I enjoyed it so much that this quilt had to be finished. I brought my partly done triangles home, put them together, made the background, sandwiched it, and then quilted the dickens out of it. I added a binding and label and completed the entire project in less than a month. It is about 50" square and hanging on my studio wall. I called it "No Star Shines Alone" because of the great encouragement flying around in that class. Each of us designed an amazing quilt as we were cheered on by Kim and the other quilters.

Now if I could just put the same focus into the rest of my ideas, and that pile of UFO's. . .

Why this blog?

Quilters are told to journal their progress. We are supposed to note when we start a project, our thoughts about the joys and struggles of being creative, keep track of what fabrics when and where, celebrate with words the date each quilt is finished, and note where it goes, if it wins any prizes, and who owns it. Of course we are supposed to take pictures, pictures in progress, pictures when it is finished.

I'm fortunate if I get the start and end date, maybe the size of the thing, and where it goes. I've been writing this information in a journal, but why not here? Some people might like to see what I'm doing, hopefully encouraging their own creativity.

I'll start with right now. Maybe I'll add some quilts from my past, but just use this space as a quilt journal, and hopefully chat with others who like cutting fabric into pieces and sewing them back together.

The image in this post is "Hollyhocks" from a pattern in Ruth McDowell's book, "Piecing Flowers." It is made from batik fabrics, and is 20" square. I like it because it "glows" and works nicely on a dark wall in my home. It is not for sale, at the moment!