Quilt for Foster Boys

My friend, A, and I pieced a larger than average quilt top together.  As she likes to say, some of the teenagers are rather big boys.  We want to make sure they get a quilt big enough to cover them, which is also nice to look at and cherishable.  My quilt group experience has been that most of the quilters are women.  Some of them do have sons and grandsons and sons-in-law, so masculine quilts show up occasionally.  Many quilters, like myself, just love quilting and do not require someone to give the quilt to as a reason to make one.   I had to pay special attention to the fabrics, so they would not be deemed too feminine.  Most of these fabrics were donated, by Phyllis O., to our quilt group for donation quilts.

We did use one of those three-yard quilt patterns, which was provided by our quilt group.  I doubled it up, so as to make it bigger; big enough to fit a twin-size bed at least.  I apologize for the darkness of the photo.  I did not notice until after the quilt was donated.  Too late!  It is a fun quilt, made with some care, and with good fabrics. 

Done and Done: Pentagon Quilt aka Crap Shoot

The challenge quilt from my Piecemakers of Idaho quilt group is completed.  The challenge was to bring instructions for one quilt block and pass them out to members, along with any fabric you wished to include, so they could make a block then bring it back at the next meeting.  I made twelve pentagon shapes (that is five sided, just in case) and pinned one to each of twelve sets of instructions.  When I passed them out to the group, I said that the five-sided piece of fabric, included, was to be the focus fabric, which means use strips of fabric that are the colors in the pentagon.  I got ten back at the next meeting.  I decided to wait to work on the quilt until I got the last two.  Four months later I got number 11, but I made another one for Jody, cause she wanted to make one and she turned that one in.  I got 12 altogether and I made 18 more.  I ran out of my focus fabric so I had to punt on the last block.

I had decided when I joined this challenge, that I would accept whatever people gave me.  Since more than one block had red or blue or orange or some of two of those NON-FOCUS FABRICS in them, it was okay because they balanced out.  It did turn out rather amazing looking for a quilt that has some blocks made by twelve different quilters, many who had difficulty with the construction concept.  I like it a lot and it makes me think of the quilters that contributed their blocks. 

Naturally, I photographed it on an old barn door.

An Actual Regular Sized Quilt Is Completed!

I have not been making many regular sized quilts these days.  I have been absorbed in art quilting and, of course, helping "the girls" with their quilt projects.   Once again, I started doing some scrap-busting about a year ago and this thing occupied my design wall for many months before I finally carved out the time to finish it.

It was quilted by Virginia Gross of Crabapple Creek Quilts.  In April, I took A on the shop-hop, as she had never been.  She is now retired and has time to do many more things.  We went to Nyssa, to visit Country Corners Quilt Shop.  Naturally, I spied a very fine old barn to take a photo of.  I asked permission and it was granted!  This is my latest quilt photographed on a barn.  

A Completed UFO!

This one has been on my list for six years.  My husband found the fabric for me six years ago.  The center fabric has little black cats messing with the goldfish bowl.  I knew exactly what I wanted to do with it.  Then busy-busy, procrastination, out-of-sight, etc. happened.  Then last year I actually did the rouching and got the top finished.

Then I stalled over how I was going to quilt it.  I typically quilt my own small quilts on my domestic machine.  I finally got the lead out and took it to my long-arm-quilter, who did an amazing job!  She quilted star fish, fish, and bubbles onto it.  This is a gift for a friend I have known since first grade. I now need to pay her a visit!   [click on the photo to enlarge]

String Pieced Quilt Completed

We are half-way through May already.  Below is another barn photo with a quilt in it.  After I completed it, I took it to show Betty, who's eleven string pieced blocks got this whole project going for me.  She did like it, but she does not recall the eleven blocks or quilting at all.  She, her hubby, and Mimi the pooch now reside in assisted living.   

We just came back from a week-long trip to Ely, Nevada.  I feel like the quilt on the barn photo could have been taken in Ely, but I took the photo before our trip.  There really are interesting things going on in and around Ely, and no crowds.  We had a great time and were not ready to come back home, but we had to, or our plants would have died.  I took my sewing machine and a project. I took three books to read, but I read zero.  I did zero sewing.  I darned one sock and a nice size hole that was in the seam near the left knee of my favorite pink jeans.  I glued a bunch of buttons onto a lunch box that I spray painted blue.  It was such a relaxing and fun week!

Ebony and Marsha came with us.  Ebbs is getting better about not spending the entire trip under the quilt on the bed.

Marsha has not posted any of the photos of herself on the doll quilt blog yet, so here is one.  

We visited the Nevada Northern Railway and we rode on the train pulled by the steam engine.  I love the noise it makes. 

 Ward Charcoal Ovens.

The road back to Ely (heading north).

At the White Pine County Historical Museum.

On the main drag.

String Quilt With Homey Fabrics

I took another brief drive, in whatever remains of what is rural around here, and took another quilt-on-a-barn photo.  It has the spirits of at least five quilters in it.  It has fabrics from Wanda, Donna, Betty, Teresa, and I.  Although my mother was not a quilter, she was a sewer and the chili pepper fabric was hers.  These days, it feels as if barns and quilters/sewers are vanishing.

The barn, on which I pinned up this quilt, is located on Ustick Road, strangely not far from where I spend my time.  Click on the photo and it will be enlarged, so you can see all the different fabrics.  String quilts are pieced on a foundation of fabric or paper.  The strings are narrow strips of fabric, that are typically scraps left over from the construction of other quilts.  This one was started by Betty, who had eleven blocks already pieced on squares of jungle print fabric.  There were more squares of jungle print already cut, so I thought "Why not just make some more?"  I made 41 more, then sewed them all to each other and added the border with little spikes of color coming out.  It was very nicely long-arm quilted by Virginia.

Eye Spy Quilt Completed!

My first completed quilt of 2024 is my Eye Spy Quilt.  This is officially my first one.  However, my friend, A, says I have made Eye Spy quilts before.  She mentioned how so many of my quilts have an abundance of fabric prints and colors, so one can look at them for a while identifying all the unique prints that make up the quilt.  I know she was specifically thinking of my Random Chickens Quilt, and she is not wrong.  But this one was intended to by an Eye-Spy quilt.

To enlarge the photo, click on it.  Then you can see the details a bit closer.  I have determined there are 76 different fabrics in here, and some graphic for each letter of the alphabet.  There is also a secret fork, knife, and spoon fabric in here.  Of course, the polar bears and cows are for Teresa.  The backing is seersucker!

OMG! A is right!  My B&W Mostly quilt, completed and posted in Sept 2019, is a perfect example. Click on B&W Mostly and see what I mean. 

Pizza Rounds Quilt

In late August, when I was not working at the Home Arts Dept. at The Fair, I was playing around with some of my favorite bright fabrics and some curves.  I started what I call my "Pizza Rounds" art quilt.  To me, it is an art quilt.  It hangs in my quilt room, where it adds nicely to the atmosphere.  My quilt room has a lot of atmosphere. 

Our daughter came to visit in the first half of November, and we had so much fun.  We went on a day trip to Twin Falls, where we strolled down Main Avenue, window shopping.  We discovered several interesting places and spoke with a number of engaging people, especially small businesswomen.  

We met a friendly print shop cat, and an adorable creativity shop bulldog.  This little bulldog was the shop greeter at "Altered Purposes".  The shop, Altered Purposes, is amazing.  It has stuff creative of all types, not limited to wood, ribbons, decals, metal, paper craft, paint, inspiration for upcycling, classes, and bunting.  I bought some small drawer handles, that I intend to use on an art quilt.  I also bought some woodless watercolor pencils and a length of plaid grosgrain ribbon, which I used to make my "Ever Was" graffiti quilt.  My daughter asked the owner, who happens to be a woman veteran like my daughter and I, if she had a room upstairs for rent, as she would love to live upstairs and come down every day to play.  My daughter does a bit of sewing and is very creative, and her true creative love is everything Halloween.  

She has inspired me to do some Halloween quilts, bunting, and some small art quilts.  I have taken about a month off from quilting, and now I am trying to clean the Christmas lights and wrapping stuff off my quilt table.  Just this evening, I got a little twitch to do some piecing, so I better get my table cleared off, so I can get going again.

Hachi II

I finally took photos of my second Hachi quilt.  It has the traditional Japanese binding, so you do not see the binding on the edge.  It has a very clean finish.  Yes, another barn was found to photograph it on, and this morning was overcast, so I drove right out and got a photo.

I am glad I did not dilly-dally, as now it is raining.  Time for a cup of tea!  It suddenly feels like fall.  I call this my purple Hachi quilt, but it is so much more.  You can see my original post, dated July 30, 2023, about this quilt and my other Hachi quilts.  At that time, this one was on the design wall.  Look at the "Blog Archive" of my posts in the right margin, and find 2023, then July under it, and CLICK! -->      Or you can just scroll down until you get to it.  Then you get to see other quilt photos on the way, just traveling backwards in time.

My First Hachi Quilt

It has been a busy month.  I completed my first Hachi quilt, which is in the Japanese style.  Doing this one inspired me to make another this same size, then two doll quilts, and a red, white, and blue donation quilt, which will be one row longer.  

This is the back.  I am so glad I bought a few yards of this amazing multi-color fabric.  Besides using it in my Hachi quilt, I gave some to a friend, so she could use it in her Hachi quilt.  It goes with so many other fabrics.  Astrid is also throwing a titch into her Hachi quilt, as the unexpected visitor.  I expect she will be posting something about hers any day now.  Astrid has actually reread the instructions on how to add the "end cap facings" to Hachi quilts, as opposed to our traditional bindings.  She said she thinks she has it figured out, and she is going to attempt that style on her Hachi quilt.  I am looking forward to learning that process, so I can include that type of "binding" on the rest of my Hachi quilts.  I have to say, I already have at least two more planned, in my head, as I am discovering the joy of this type of improvisational quilting.  P.S. Tessa, I love that you look at my blog, but if you are judging quilts at the WIF, maybe you should not be looking at the photos. :)

Still Scraps Remain

Greetings!  It is finally springtime in Idaho.  The crocus are in bloom along my front walkway, so that is something.  I have moved on from black and white quilts forever, I hope.  I won't say never.  I am still working on that pile of quilt tops that need quilting.  I am down from six to three; half-way done!

This is the Black & White Mostly #4 quilt.  It started out as a quilt back for number 3, but I liked how it looked so much it had to become a whole nother quilt.  I am sure you understand.  You can click on the photo to enlarge it, so you can see the details better.  I used some courthouse steps blocks, in here, and a couple of Deb Rowdin's hearts.

    

                   video of how #4 went together:  click HERE

I have been honing my video making skills and I know I did better on this video than the previous one, so give it a chance . . . and have a view, please.  It shows how it went together from scraps remaining from the previous one, to the scraps remaining after this one.  Still scraps remain.  

I still had some scraps after I finished #4, but they are finally significantly less. I stuffed these on the shelf with my black and white fabrics, but I should move them to the bin with all the strips for making another "random" quilt.  It will need bits of b&w.

Black & White Mostly (#3) Quilt is Finished and Photographed

Black & White Mostly #3 is wider than an outhouse.  It looked like an outhouse, but maybe it was a pumphouse instead.  Finally, it has quit snowing, sleeting, and down right down-pouring long enough for me to get out and take some photos of my finished black and white mostly quilts.  This one I finished in February.  Please, check my Dec 29, 2022, post called "Taking Stock", to read all about how I created this quilt.  There is also a video.

After Teresa and I finished the first two B&W Mostly quilts, there were lots (tons) of scraps left over.  I unearthed that pile in December and decided it needed to go . . . . into a quilt.  I started making a backing from the still remaining scraps, when I liked what I was seeing and decided it was not a back, but a top.  Thus, we have B&W #4, which I will take you through in my next post.  It is simply a lovely day in Treasure Valley.

Happy Christmas Eve!

Happy Christmas Eve!  What an exciting and fun-filled year we have had.  I did plenty of quilting and sewing, read a couple of books, and did some traveling.  This second "Radiance" quilt is the last quilt I have completed this year.   

Since I needed to get it in the mail, I photographed it pinned to my design wall.  The shadows are from my cabinet (on the left) and my glass windchimes (above).  I am pleased with how it turned out.  I used a fat-quarter bundle for most of the central fabrics in the star.  It is composed of squares, half-square triangles, and flying geese.

I made a quilt for the kitties and included it when I mailed the big one to my cousin.  This is Mochi, who is a quilt hog, I am told.  She claimed the kitty quilt immediately, and Betsy doesn't get to share it.  I will be making a kitty quilt for Betsy in the coming months, so she can have her own.

Have a very Merry Christmas!

A Snowy Day In Idaho

Greetings and happy birthday to me!  No cake this year; I decided to have chocolate pie instead.  Meanwhile, I have been carrying my shark quilt around in my car for weeks, trying to figure out where to take a photo of it.  So, this morning, after chocolate pie, we went out in the backyard and took a photo in the snowiness. 

Remember that D or F movie about snow sharks?  These are not snow sharks, but there are a lot of them in this quilt.  Shannan named the quilt, "Smooth Sailing in Shark Infested Waters".  It is a little long, but I love it.  If you click on the photo it will enlarge so you can see the details of the quilt, including the S.S. Crabby submarine in the lower right corner.

The pie was made last night, mostly by my husband.  It has a wonderful gluten free crust.  What a great day!

Radiance Star Quilt Completed

You may remember that I posted about this quilt on September 3 and 5.  It was finished in October, but I was unable to photograph it until this week.  I found the perfect barn, in Canyon County, to use as a back-drop (actually hold it up while I take the photo).

I have made another Radiance Star quilt, which is at my long-arm quilter's for quilting.  It will have the same swirling pattern on it as the one pictured here.  I took a photo of the quilt top while it hung on my design wall.  Radiance II is for my cousin, who likes jewel-tone fabrics.  I used a fat-quarter bundle and three pieces of yardage to make her quilt top, below:

Radiance I is completed and laying on my table, as I took a photo of Radiance II on my design wall.  It makes for a nice reflection.  Don't mind the crap stacked on the hat tree to the right.

Typically, I don't buy patterns to make quilts, and typically, I don't make two of the same.  The bonus of using this pattern is it has instructions on how to make four identical flying geese blocks without wasting any fabric.  It rather blew my mind, when I first did that process.  Now I have a new skill in my set.  The one on the wall does not have the outer border on it yet.  I added tulip corner treatments to it in the aqua color that is in the center star.  The background fabric has dragon flies on it.  I am excited that it will be completed pretty soon.

Blues Medallion Quilt and Update on The Fair

Last spring I had my blues and greens out and these bright blues caught my eye.  I decided to make some random liberated churn dash blocks.  I have had them up on my design wall for months.  Just after I returned from my cross-country travels, I relaxed in my quilt room and sewed all nine together, finally.  Then I reasoned, I should probably just keep going, get a quilt top done, and move on.  So, I did. 

I keep doing these improvisational quilts, and I do not get the quilts done that are on my "to-do-this-year" list.  

I did put it in the fair.  It is not that big, so I was hoping they would not hang it from the ceiling where it's beauty cannot be appreciated.  Yesterday, they hung it from the ceiling.  Oh well, nothing can be done about it.  For the first time ever, I am working at The Fair in the Home Arts Department.  The real benefit of working at The Fair, in the Home Arts Department, is:  I get to touch all the exhibits!!!  I got to touch the ones I handled at 'in-take".  I got to touch all the ones that needed relocating.  On judging day, I got to touch all the ones I placed for my judges.  My main judge pointed out some details on the embroidery that I never would have taken the time to notice.  She has opened my eyes.  Also, on judging day (Wednesday), I got to place ribbons on tons of knitting and crocheting, so I got to touch a whole bunch of those, and I am amazed at how wonderful the workwoman ship is on these projects/exhibits.  Yesterday, we placed all the exhibits on display.  It took us 9.5 hours.  Today The Fair opens.  I got to sleep in this morning, and I don't have to go in until 4:30.  Yeah!  The hard work is done.

She Loaned Me Her Rail Fence

Prior to my RV odyssey, I got this quilt back from my amazing long-arm quilter.  I made the binding, then I hit the road.  It was waiting when I returned in mid-June.  I had some company, so I did not hop right on getting the binding sewed on.  I got it completed in early July, but it took me some time to get it photographed.  I picked up another quilt from my amazing long-arm quilter, last week.  While there, I photographed a couple of quilts, but especially the beautiful one with the 'granny fabrics.'  She loaned me her rail fence.

I admit, I love making these scrappy type quilts.  It is a good way to use up some fabrics that you wish to get out of your quilt room, but just cannot part with them.  Meanwhile, months ago I showed the quilt top to my cousin, who just loved it.  She said some of the fabrics remind her of wallpaper in the houses of her childhood.  So, guess who is getting this one?!

Dr. Seuss Quilt

A friend was wanting something special for her first grandson, who is due on the scene in January.  She contacted me to see if I could create something special.  I had seen the new Dr. Seuss fabrics on-line at Jordan Fabrics, and I heard they were to be had at The Quilt Crossing.  She loved the Dr. Seuss idea.  So, I proceeded with a Jelly Roll from Jordan Fabrics and yardage from The Quilt Crossing.  

The fabric I had for the binding, "Oh, The Places You'll Go" was not quite what my eye wanted for the binding.  I looked through my bright stash and found this fabulous fabric, I got in the sale section of the 'Sew and Soak' website a couple of months ago.  It is perfect!  All it's colors are in the quilt!

My binding turned out perfect.  The red and white stripped outer border is from the Dr. Seuss collection that was released around 2013.  I had bought some down at The Quilt Barn (Kimberly, ID) way back then.  I had used about 3 inches of it, so I had plenty to add to this quilt.  

It is bright, fun, and soft and fluffy, just like a baby quilt should be.  She wanted it a little on the big side, so it is 51.5" by 51.5".  It is busy in just the way Dr. Seuss would expect it to be.   My friend loves it!

Happy October

It has been a busy month with auto appointments, pet appointments, people appointments, yard sale weekend, and a long camping weekend.  I still have hardly put up a decoration for Halloween.  I did make another Halloween quilt, however.  This one I actually photographed in October (instead of February or August).

This is the one that I pieced all the blocks while out camping in the woods in July.  My July post has some photos of the quilt in progress.  The light sashing fabric has tiny little black spiders on it.  I got it quilted in September and the binding on in the first part of October.  It was deliberately made for my co-workers' son, who is turning ten on this Halloween.  My dad's birthday was on Halloween, and it never occurred to me to make him a Halloween quilt.  I know this young man will appreciate and enjoy it for many years to come.  He wrote me a thank card in cursive.  I don't know if he has discovered that the bones in the border fabrics glow in the dark.  They do!   

On our camping trip, last week, we went up to Brownlee Reservoir, where I made some skull blocks.  I feel a skull quilt in my future.  These blocks are going into bunting to be hung out on Halloween.

Halloween in August

Did you notice all the 'Christmas in July' events this year?  I noticed several, and some were at quilt shops.  I have completed my 2nd Halloween quilt for this year.  Actually, I made a Halloween quilt top while I was out camping in June/July.  That one still needs the backing constructed and the quilt quilted. After that quilt, I made another quilt top out of those scraps and some other scraps in my Halloween Scrap Stash.  Say that fast four times.  Anyway, I finished the scrappy one and hand-stitched the binding on, so I could enter it in the Western Idaho State Fair.  It has been entered.  All the quilts will be judged on Wednesday, and then on display when The Fair opens on Friday, August 20.  If you understand log-cabin blocks, you will notice that this one is four really big log cabin blocks using varying widths of fabric strips.  It is a liberated log-cabin block quilt.  Officially:  scrappy, wonky, liberated log-cabin Halloween quilt.

I have this overflowing bin of Halloween fabrics, which I have gotten under control.  I can actually get the lid onto the bin. That is why I made two Halloween quilts this summer.  The previous one, I completed in February and posted a photo at that time.  I managed to make that photo look like it was Halloween, but how do I get some spooky fall look in August?  I took advantage of the smoke from all the wildfires that are polluting the air in the valley (and all over the place!).  My husband and I got up early on Sunday morning and drove out toward Caldwell and found a couple of fields to pose in front of.  I had my husband bring his gloves and he was allowed to hold the quilt up with his fingers showing.  How liberated of me, to allow such a thing.  Anyway, it is kind of a scary pose in the fog (smoke) with some eerie orb in the background (the sun).

Here is a shot of the back.  It has a six-inch wide casing across the top, so The Fair folks can hang it up.  The casing covers up the way cool bat fabric that I used at the top of the backing.  Oh, well.  It was long-arm quilted by Virginia at Crab Apple Creek Quilting.  I knew I wanted these spider webs when I took it to her.  She made it happen!