The Picnic Quilt

This is Hachi quilt number 3.  I had it on the design wall last month.  It is made from men shirts (the shirts of men).  Three belonged to my husband and two I got at the thrift store, but now they are in an amazingly soft quilt that I designed for use as a picnic quilt.  I put a shirt tail on all four edges of the quilt.  I sewed the ends into the piecing, and left little cubby spaces between the quilting, so one can tuck one's napkin in, and it won't blow away.

Plus, I used a pocket piece from each of the four shirts.  The fifth shirt was a dark woven shirt, I used as the unexpected visitor in the quilt.  It is part of the unexpected, curved-piecing I decided to use.  I also incorporated a few blocks made from the cotton sheet that I used for the backing and the binding.

The batting is two scrap pieces of 'Warm and White', I joined on my sewing machine.  I did the quilting on my home machine, using stitch-in-the-ditch.  I washed all the shirts and the sheet prior to construction, then again after I completed it.  It is so soft, I wish I had made it bigger, so I could snuggle in it.  

In the beginning, there were shirts . . .

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. :)

Design Wall Madness!

In my May post, I had quite a mess on my design wall.  That is all off of there and I have moved on and on, and on again.  I even had a friend's quilt up there for a little bit, as she did some layout work.

This is the May photo, with updates.  The one on the lower right you can see the finished project on Gluten Free Doll Quilts blog .   I love my doll quilt blog.  Kirsten has a whole story about this latest doll quilt.  

This is the row I completed on Tessa's quilt, which was at the top of my design wall in May.  I have since turned it in, and then did a row for Lizzy's quilt, which I turned in last week.  Now, I have Donna's, but have not looked at it yet, as I am in the middle of another entire quilt layout on my design wall, and I am trying to focus on it for the moment.

Meanwhile, after Tessa's and Lizzy's rows, I started working on some Hashi quilts, which are Japanese.  

I bought this book at the used bookstore on State Street.  It used to be Rainbow Books.  I really like the method of creating these Hachi quilts.  It appeals to my need to do improvisational designs in my quilts.  I am teaching two of my friends how to make them.  Then, I made my first one.  I got the top done in two days and the backing finished on the third day.  

This is what it looked like on my design wall.  It is currently at my long-arm quilter's house.  These quilts are made with 8-inch finished blocks, each of which is in a relationship with a large print and a solid.  I don't care much for solids, so I use 'acts like a solid' instead, such as Grunge Basics and Canvas collections.

Then I dug through my stash and found some more large prints and had to purchase a couple more 'acts as solids' to go with them.  This is the next one, as it was on my design wall.  I actually decided against the 'unexpected visitor' in this one, and the final version is different.  I will post it when I get it completed in about a month.  I am excited about it.

This is the backing of the one just above.  It is going to look amazing.

Currently, my design wall is holding my recent creation using button down shirts.  I am using five shirts and an old sheet to make the quilt.  I cut off all the shirt-tails and am placing them along the outside edges of the quilt top.  I am using a modified Hachi block construction and layout.  I have limited fabric pair-ups, so it has to be modified.  I am trying to determine how to work a couple of those shirt sleeves in.  I will post a more complete picture, in a couple weeks.  I have been a maniac on the design wall these last couple of weeks, even though I have spent a couple full days doing genealogy and read a biography about Emily Dickinson.  If you have a sewing machine, I encourage you to cut up some old piece of clothing and sew it back together with some other pieces of clothing, to see what you come up with. 

Quilts and Barns

I have managed to combine my quilting passion with my passion for photographing old barns.  I have been quite immersed in genealogy this year, and I am wondering how I can combine that with quilting.  I have recently completed another donation quilt.  I decided I was going to make it fun and not fuss about making it masculine.  So, here is the latest girly donation quilt.  I know some young lass will really fall in love with it.  Although, this is a strip quilt, I stealthily included a couple little houses, one with a fox in the door.

I photographed this quilt at Eagle Island State Park.  They have a couple old barns and silos there.

What's on the Design Wall in May?

I was restrained, as far as buying fabric, at the Quilt and Craft Show the other week.  There was awesome fabric for $6 a yard, so I bought two yards.  Then a smidge here and there, adding up to a total of $28.00.  I did behave!  Then, as I waited for DF to catch up to where I was in the crowd, I found an iron that was being demonstrated.  My spouse has been nagging me to buy a new iron, as mine has a faulty steam selection switch.  P caught up with me and she has the same problem with her iron, so we waited for the sole person, in this booth, to tell us about this iron.  Well, we both bought one!  The show sale price was $220.00, and DF could not believe we both bought one.  It made my husband happy!  

My design wall has pieces from six different projects on it.  The one needing the most attention is the churn dash blocks at the top.  When that is outta-here, then the houses and trees doll quilt will be next.  The largest one is the Eye-spy layout, which I need to get moving on.  I have just completed quilting and binding a quilt that was constructed by a friend who only partially quilted it.  It has been interesting.  I have finally finished it up and need to deliver it.

During some pucker abatement, I had a pin come loose underneath, which I sewed right through.  That little green bird has holes in it's body now, so I know it is my lucky favorite amongst all the bird pins.  

This is a thick quilt and has been a challenge stitching-in-the-ditch, as the top is made from drapery fabric and the batting is kind of thick.  It is heavy and bulky, but I gradually pushed on and got it completed. Gradually means 3 1/2 years.  She will be surprised to finally get this back!

May is here.  I am going, with friends, to the Quilt and Craft Fair going on at the Fair Grounds tomorrow.  I have not been before, although it has come every year for the last four or so years.  It is more a chance to be with people I care about, than whatever this organization is offering.  I am hoping we will go out for lunch after, so we can spend even more time together.  I have been very good at sticking to using my stash instead of buying more fabric these past few months.  I pretty much used up my plaid shirting fabrics on this quilt, that I plan to donate.

I have more plaid fabric, but it is less calm than these plaids.  Currently, I am working on an actual "eye-spy" quilt.  This eye-spy quilt has considerably less fabrics to spy than others that I have made, but the others were not actually eye-spy quilts.  I am not sure that made any sense at all.  I have re-read that sentence, and it makes perfect sense!  When I say that I am working on the eye-spy quilt, it really means it is mostly on my design wall, but I am not making progress on it, as I have other priorities at the moment.  I have a furniture refinishing project I am in the middle of, two genealogical projects I am in the middle of, and I am the key provider of data and projects for the GF doll quilts blog.  Plus, I mowed the back and front yards, today, read more of the book I am reading and picked up my car from the auto shop.  On top of that I had to watch two episodes of "Wipe Out", since it is Wednesday.  Having stated all that, I have not practiced my violin.  It is getting late, and the kitty is waiting on her bedtime Greenies. 

Charity Quilt

I am sorry, I did not take a photo of this quilt while it was on my design wall.  Last September, I posted about two charity quilts I made.  This is another one, made with 5" X 5" blocks.  I threw in a few four patch blocks, and in the center are the blocks (which are bigger) I used in a demonstration last fall.

I made it less feminine, so perhaps some teenage boy will enjoy it.  There is something about old barns that really capture my attention and imagination.  I have been trying to photograph some of my quilts mounted on old barns.  This is my new favorite.  This barn has not long to live.  The house on the property is abandoned and the windows are broken.  It is a common story these days in Idaho.  In a year, I can expect to see a new business in here where this barn has been for so long.  It has a practically new metal roof on it, but developers don't care about that.  I can image an amazing quilting retreat space in this barn renovated, heavily.  I have a great imagination.