We Have a Winner!

Fresh Fruit: San Mateo County Fair 2014
Fresh Fruit: San Mateo County Fair 2014

I visited the county fair last week to see the quilts and eat a frozen chocolate covered banana. Why else would I go? 😉

I was pleased to see I had another winner!

Fresh Fruit got an Honorable Mention. Nothing like the bonanza last year, but respectable nonetheless. It is certainly nice to win.

The Whole Cloth Quilt got nothing. 🙁

I am happy that Fresh Fruit is a winner, but also irritated. As I told you, it is a pattern e.g. not an original design, like the Whole Cloth Quilt. I used the same fabric as the designer used int he magazine picture. There was very little that was original in that quilt, unlike the Whole Cloth Quilt, which was completely original.

Silly Boys: Fresh Fruit: San Mateo County Fair 2014
Silly Boys: Fresh Fruit: San Mateo County Fair 2014

As they did last year, I had the boys make a fuss over my quilt, mostly because they are so hilarious.

Sewing Machine Saga Continues

After Grand Parlor, I went back to Serge-a-Lot to get my 9k and brought it home, hopefully to use peacefully for the next 5 years.

Sigh.

I turned it on and it sewed great, but the screen was very faint. This machine uses a touch screen and you might remember that, a few years ago, the touch portion stopped working and I had the touch screen replaced. Looking up the dates made me realize that it was over 6 years ago and while the first screen lasted 14 years, perhaps 6 years isn’t too bad for the second screen.

It doesn’t really matter, though, because a new screen cannot be purchased. They are no longer available from Janome.

I am not sure what I am going to do. What I am not going to do is buy is a Janome 15K, which I covet. I have to face reality that I just don’t use the embroidery module. I admire Katie’s “in the hoop” projects, but just don’t think I will do them enough to justify the expense. After all, I don’t have an Etsy store or anything.

A friend had many problems with the Janome 7700 and the reviews have been scalding. That is the type of machine I am looking at, however, if I decide to buy a new machine. I saw a review of the Janome 8900 at Diary of a Sewing Fanatic that got my hopes up for that model. I don’t know if they still make it.

The part of the this whole saga that is really depressing is all the accessories I have for the 9K: Sew Steady table, sewing table insert, hoops, embroidery cards, templates, etc. Bleah!

I have to think about what I want to do.

  • Have you bought a machine recently? What kind?
  • What features do you like on your machine (new or not)
  • What do you really use on your machine?

Creative Prompt #262: 13

Don’t hate me.

I really couldn’t resist since it is Friday the 13th. This prompt will be a challenge for you. Perhaps everyone will write a short story?

Musical by Robert Horn and Dan Elish

2010 movie that include identity theft

13 Bankers describes the rise of concentrated financial power and the threat it poses to our economic well-being.

Friday the 13th – date, superstition, movies

The chapter of the Bankruptcy Code providing for adjustment of debts of an individual with regular income.

TV channels in various markets

 

Definition: “13 (thirteen /??r?ti?n/) is the natural number following 12 and preceding 14. In spoken English, the numbers 13 and 30 are often confused. When carefully enunciated, they differ in which syllable is stressed: 13 Listeni/??r?ti?n/ vs. 30 /???rti/. However, in dates such as 1300 (“thirteen hundred”) or when contrasting numbers in the teens, such as 13, 14, 15, the stress shifts to the first syllable: 13 /???rti?n/.

Strikingly similar folkloric aspects of the number 13 have been noted in various cultures around the world: one theory is that this is due to the cultures employing lunar-solar calendars (there are approximately 12.41 lunations per solar year, and hence 12 “true months” plus a smaller, and often portentous, thirteenth month). This can be witnessed, for example, in the “Twelve Days of Christmas” of Western European tradition.[1]”(Wikipedia)

California’s Proposition 13

EA Sports FIFA 13

13th Floor in office buildings?

The 13th Amendment to the Constitution declared that “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.” Formally abolishing slavery in the United States, the 13th Amendment was passed by the Congress on January 31, 1865, and ratified by the states on December 6, 1865.

PG-13

Apollo 13

1 Corinthians 13: 4-8

Act 13 is a major overhaul of Pennsylvania’s oil and gas law. After years of deliberation on the issue, legislators passed the bill on February 8, 2012.

Taylor Swift and Lucky 13

California Code of Regulations title 13

Post the direct URL (link) where your drawing, doodle, artwork is posted (e.g. your blog, Flickr) in the comments area of this post. I would really like to keep all the artwork together and provide a way for others to see your work and/or your blog.

We are also talking about this on Twitter. Use the hashtag #CPP

The Creative Prompt Project, also, has a Flickr group, which you can join to  post your responses. I created this spot so those of you without blogs and websites would have a place to post your responses.

Donation Blocks

Donation Blocks - June 2014
Donation Blocks – June 2014

I started a couple of these blocks at the BAMQG Retreat in hopes of adding to the giant pile, but I just couldn’t get them done. I was using a non-quarter inch foot for the Petrillo Bag and that foot doesn’t work when I need a quarter inch seam.

I had a couple of extra kits at home and a set of 2.5′ squares (green batik, middle of top row), so I ran them through the sewing machine one afternoon and suddenly had 6 donation squares. I’ll bring them to the next meeting.

I have also been working on the grey and black donation quilt. We are getting into our foggy time of year and I may not be able to work on it much longer as it is too depressing. Not good for a donation quilt. I have a lot of squares cut, but enough blocks for a baby quilt. I was just kind of hoping to make a teenage boy sized top as the colors would be better for a teenaged boy. I will keep running the squares through the machine and see what happens.

FOTY 2013 Progress

As you can see I making some progress on this piece.

I have about a thousand more photos of this piece and it doesn’t seem to be working. If you click on each photo in turn, you can see the minute changes. It doesn’t matter what I move around, the piece is not working.

I knew I had to go back to the regular format, but I wasn’t sure how. I had a chat with Maureen and her son about it last week and they gave me an idea. Stay tuned!

Paris Pillowcases

I needed to get back in the swing of sewing last week after being out of town. I don’t know why I have so much trouble getting back into the swing after being out of town, because all I really want to do is sew. I am sure there is some guilt about having fun mixed up in there. Oh well, I think about that later. 😉

Paris Pillowcases
Paris Pillowcases

Anyway, pillowcases are easy and I wanted to cement the process in my mind. I had just ironed some Paris prints and decided to make them as a birthday gift for a friend who has everything.

I was inspired by my sister’s love of Paris and France to buy these prints, but I decided that they were too brown and muted for me. I bought the Black Dress print at Scottie Dog fabrics in January and thought that fabric, used as a cuff, would tie the set together.

I know that three is an odd number for a gift, but that was all the cuff fabric I had. I am not even sure I will be able to cut a piece of it for FOTY 2014. I might have another piece somewhere. We will see.

I am pleased with how they came out and think the recipient will like them. I hope so, at least.

Various & Sundry #5- June 2014

Techniques, Tips & Tutorials

I have talked about using French seams in pillow cases and gift bags. They really make the seams look nice. Perhaps I can use them on the free motion tote bag I haven’t yet made if I cut out the batting? I’ll have to see. Here is a tutorial that might give you more information.

I found a video of Sue Nickels machine quilting and was pleased to see that A) she marks and B) she doesn’t run the machine at a demon speed. I don’t feel like such a fish out of water after watching this video and I think it opens up the possibilities of machine and free motion quilting to other quiltmakers who didn’t feel comfortable moving the machine a long as fast as it would go.

The Fat Quarter shop has a YouTube Channel they describe as great if you are looking for tutorials, tips, and fun videos?

I love this binding. the designer embellished it. It is the last thing I would have thought of, but it does provide another venue for embellishment and surface design.

Torie showed a picture of the beginning of her Texas Braid quilt, which I thought was a cool unit. The teacher has a post with students showing long strips of braids. I kind of like the units alone and wonder what I could do with one.

Joe Cunningham, of San Francisco, has a video on the TQS blog about sewing something to something else. While it is a simple idea, it is also profound and opens up your quiltmaking to a host of design possibilities.

Remember the Sarah Ann Smith online class I reviewed? Recently I saw a Melinda Bula video that illustrates the idea in a couple of minutes. I don’t think this video replaces the Sarah Ann Smith online class (which you should buy, if you haven’t already done so), but it does give you a good reminder of the steps in only a couple of minutes.

Exhibits, Shows & Challenges

Homefront Challenge. Entries are due August 30.

ZAnyMouse Disappearing 4 Patch
ZAnyMouse Disappearing 4 Patch

I like the layout of this Disappearing Four Patch that ZAnyMouse shared on Twitter. I like the way the small squares form, what looks like sashing and the larger part of the blocks form real four patches. Peggy at BAMQG said she has laid out some of the Disappearing 4 Patches this way. It makes me want to make a Disappearing 4 Patch! If you want to make something like this, check out the Material Girl tutorial.

The San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles is trying to pay off their permanent building so they can have more financial options. To do this they are having a fund raising campaign. They write ” 37 years, 37 weeks, 37 reasons why you should join us to Realize the Dream. We have raised 50% of our $1.4 million goal but we need your help to Realize the Dream. These funds will eliminate the debt on our beautiful permanent building and home. Make our dream a reality by giving!” 50% is a fantastic start! Even if you can give $1, $5 or $10, every dollar counts. Give now to help maintain a resource celebrating all quiltmakers and available for all of us.

Media, Blogs and Other Artists

Kathy Matthews is a reader here and she does a quilt column for Chicago Now! Head over to her online space and tell her you read about her here. One interesting post was about a guy who wanted to return to work, because he had no hobbies. Can you imagine? The dude needs to start quilting.

Torina has redesigned the Tubaville Blog and looks cheery. She is working on the Gypsy Wife project. I will have to look that one up as I am not familiar with it. She also shows a picture of her finished City Sampler quilt on an April 29 post.

Anna Maria Horner gives the backstory of her new collection of fabric, which is sweet and sad and triumphant, but all in very lowkey ways. We think of designers in our realm as superstars and this post gives a very real view into the very real life of a woman who is mother, daughter, caregiver, nurturer and how all of that can overwhelm that woman when the roles get out of balance. The description of how her art and craft helped her return to her normal balance is heartwarming and inspirational.

The LA Times had a series of stories about Modern Quilting. Thanks to Pink chalk for the tip.

Quilt Market Recap

My pals at quilting Adventures have great posts on what they bought and saw at Market. Day 1’s post includes Carolyn Friedlander’s booth, which must have been a stunner (anyone have the list of booth winners?), because everyone is talking about it. One of their photos has a wonderful Dutchman’s Puzzle quilt where each block is made from 2 fabrics. I also really like the gridded flying geese quilt with the grey background. I could replace the flying geese with other shapes to make it a little different, but the flying geese are great.

They also did a Sample Spree post. I have a basic understanding of Sample Spree, but it is still a bit of a mystery to me.

Phoebe, on Day 2 of Market, was having so much fun she forgot to take photos for the blog! What a girl! Still she produces a valiant post. She reminds readers to check back for a Market giveaway.

If you haven’t seen Angela Walters post, be sure and read it. It is very poignant and makes me like her all the more. I am very partial to grandparents and she talks about her grandpa in this post quite a bit.

Deer with giant horns were prevalent. I saw a number of prints in various blog posts as well as a full on mounted, stuffed deer head – made form fabric. I think it is a strange trend, but to each her own.

Do you need a good laugh? Check out these photo captions from The Fat Quarter Shop. You can also see the thoughts of the FQS girls by taking a look at their Twitter feed during the show.

Lazy Girl Designs talks about her demos in the Clover Booth of “Press Perfect.” She also has some great photos. Short but sweet recap.

Nicole from Modern Handcraft (I wonder if this was the name of her blog before ‘Modern’ became a thing…when did ‘Modern’ become a thing anyway?) has a photo collage  and lots of detail shots of her Market experience.

Riley Blake has a two part blog post recapping the market experience of that fabric manufacturer. Part 1 talks about their booth theme (sea, beach) and shows stuffies, including a whale!, made from their new fabric lines. They say that navy and orange are the hot new color combination of the season. I guess I won’t be buying much fabric this season. I do like the flamingos (I’ll have to look for a pattern) on the pillows, but wish they were pink and the tree silhouette quilt is wonderful, though I wish it were made from different colors. Part 2 talks about more of their fabric lines, shows many, many projects and fabrics.

Bonnie Christine shows her booth, Winged, which is named after her new fabric line for Art Gallery Fabrics. Her post has mostly a fabric collage and she promises to talk more about Market soon, so stay tuned for that.

Jaybird Quilts has a nice post with a lot of different types of pictures: her projects in various booths, schoolhouse, setup. There is a picture of tula Pink’s new ribbon, one of which has the octopus motif that I used in one of the City Sampler blocks on it. I am not sure on which project I would use octopus ribbon, but I still kind of love it.

It is fun to look at a random sampling of different posts to get a sense of what Quilt Market was like. If you search for “quilt market pittsburgh 2014” recap you should get some interesting results as well.

Moda has videos.

Projects and Patterns

I don’t know how seem to miss blog hops. Moda had one recently called Spell It with Moda. It included patterns for letters, numbers and punctuations. I found it a link on Camille Roskelley’s blog.

I have been thinking about dong the Farmer’s Wife project. It will be awhile since I am working on the City Sampler/Tale of Two Cities projects and a person can only handle so many blocks at one time. I do like looking at them. Lori from Quilting Unleashed posted a nice picture of her blocks in the midst of a vacation post that makes me envy how much she got done.

Fabric

You’d think I had enough fabric. Not in this case. I need the right fabric: fabric with images of California. I want to make shirts for the boys to wear when they are travelling together as Grand Officers, or to wear at Grand Parlor. There seems to be a dearth of nice (read: suitable for grown men to wear on their bodies) California themed fabric. I have seen the following:

Spoonflower has some great designs and I would love to use some of them, but the fabric is pricey. Some of them would have to be cut and matched very carefully and I am not that good at making garments.

I’d really like something like the vintage silk pieces that I saw online at Etsy or another on Etsy or on Flickr, but there is not enough of them to make a shirt and they may be too fragile. I wish Michael Miller or Robert Kaufman would reprint fabrics like this. Tell me what you have found. Perhaps there is some old bolt of awesome fabric that you have found.

Tools and Supplies

A downloadable PDF version of the color card is now available! the colors may not be completely true, because of the color reproduction on your computer, so just use it as a backup to your printed (real) color card.

A Fiber Artist’s Guide to Color and Design is back in stock at Amazon! Click below to order it if you have not already bought a copy. This is a fantastic resource for those of you following along with the design series.

Creative Prompt #261: Poppy

Poppy Montgomery, actress, Unforgettable, Without a Trace

opium poppy

Seattle restaurant

Definition: “A Poppy is a flowering plant in the subfamily Papaveroideae of the family Papaveraceae. Poppies are herbaceous plants, often grown for their colourful flowers. One species of poppy, Papaver somniferum produces edible seeds, and is also the source of the crude drug opium which contains powerful medicinal alkaloids such as morphine and has been used since ancient times as analgesic and narcotic medicinal and recreational drugs. Following the trench warfare which took place in the poppy fields of Flanders, during the 1st World War, red poppies have become a symbol of remembrance of soldiers who have died during wartime.”

poppy fields

Poppy was initially made for our research project about understanding biped locomotion, and full-body physical and social interaction in robots and humans. (The Poppy Project)

Poppy tea

California Poppy Reserve

The California Poppy is the state flower

1936 movie (Poppy)

Connecting the visual image of the poppy with the sacrifice of service made by our veterans has been an important goal of the American Legion Auxiliary Poppy Program since its inception in 1921. On Memorial Day and Veterans Day, millions of red crepe paper poppies—all handmade by veterans as part of their therapeutic rehabilitation—are distributed across the country in exchange for donations that go directly to assist disabled and hospitalized veterans in our communities.

The Poppy Program raises community awareness and respect for our veterans by educating Auxiliary members and the public about the symbol of the poppy, taken from a line in the poem “In Flanders Fields” written on the battlefront during World War I by Lt. Col. John McCrae, M.D.

The 2014 California Poppy Festival was scheduled for April 26-27, 2014.

(chiefly UK, Canada) A simple artificial poppy worn in the buttonhole to remember the fallen in the two World Wars, especially around Remembrance Sunday.

Dresses for women and girls. Follow the story of Poppy and Fred around each dress. Vintage inspired and made in Great Britain.

Poppy Daily – poppymag.com – a site for young creatives

Rain Poppy is an herb gatherable by herbalists that can be found in The Jade Forest, Vale of Eternal Blossoms and Timeless Isle. (World of Warcraft)

Post the direct URL (link) where your drawing, doodle, artwork is posted (e.g. your blog, Flickr) in the comments area of this post. I would really like to keep all the artwork together and provide a way for others to see your work and/or your blog.

We are also talking about this on Twitter. Use the hashtag #CPP

The Creative Prompt Project, also, has a Flickr group, which you can join to  post your responses. I created this spot so those of you without blogs and websites would have a place to post your responses.

Russian Rubix – 6 More Blocks

Russian Rubix -Early June 2014
Russian Rubix -Early June 2014

As I mentioned, I was avoiding the Petrillo bag on Saturday and ended up working on this project.

One of the annoying things about this project is that it takes 36 seams to make a block. This means that I sew and sew and sew before I make any progress.

On the good side I sew and sew and sew and then, all of a sudden, I have 6 blocks done. It is nice to see the blocks once they are done.

I have been trying to work through each color and then attach it to a different color to avoid duplication when making the 2-octagon subunits. It doesn’t always work and will look better once I have all the blocks done. The problem is that, in a picture like the one above, it looks like I have used the same fabrics in all the blocks.

To a certain extent I have and it bugs me, but then I remember that I am not going to, necessarily, put the blocks above next to each other in the quilt.

I also get bored with the same fabrics, so I try and move through the stack of colors so I have more from which to choose. As a result, I have some quarter block units to put together still and octagons waiting to be paired with other octagons.

The progress continues, though I only have 10 blocks at the moment. I will keep sewing and make more.

Previous Posts:

Tale of Two Cities – Early June 2014

Tale of Two Cities, No.9 (top) & No.8 (bottom)
Tale of Two Cities, No.9 (top) & No.8 (bottom)

I had these two blocks mostly cut out before I went to Grand Parlor, but didn’t get around to sewing them until last weekend when, after finally getting my sewing mojo back, I worked hard at avoiding the Petrillo Bag.

These are the next two in the crosses section (Blocks 1-15 of the City Sampler Project). No.9 doesn’t much look like a cross, but No.9 makes me think of a Maltese Cross.

I, unintentionally, used pretty subtle fabrics in No.9. It will be one of the blocks that gives the viewer a reward if s/he comes closer.

I like the way No.8 looks on point and wonder what kind of secondary design the block would make if I made a lot of them and set them right next to each other? Of course, it depends on the fabric. I imagine NOT putting background fabrics in the corner would be key, but I really can imagine how it would look.

Tale of Two Cities, No.10
Tale of Two Cities, No.10

I usually cut out the fabrics in sets of two, but my design wall was crammed with Russian Rubix blocks, so I did No.10 as a single.

It is also subtle and I had to take the photo a couple of times to make sure I got the piecing. the center is Art Gallery fabric and I just love the feel and the color.

June 2014 To Do List

To Do List:

  1. Sew white on black wavy line 8 pointed star
  2. Layer, baste Christmas table runner
  3. Quilt Christmas table runner
  4. Quilt/stitch fish postcard
  5. Wash fabric AKA The Great Unwashed (I am guessing this will never be off the list, but a girl can dream) ;-) – I washed and pressed another bunch of fabric. It made more of a difference than I expected and I had some fun doing it. I still have a lot to do.
  6. Make stiff bucket or box for TP in main bath
  7. Make stiff bucket or box for TP in second bath
  8. Dragon Box (gift)
  9. Anna Maria Horner Multi-tasker tote (gift-due Holiday 2013- oops)
  10. Make 3 notepad covers (gifts)
  11. Day in the Park backpack variation
  12. Petrillo bag #2 – in process
  13. Bright apron as a gift
  14. Paris apron as a gift

To see the 26 Projects Lists, which list quilt WIPS, visit the May Current Projects update. Last month’s to Do List is about the same.

 

Completed items since November 4, 2013 (prior to this month’s list)

  • Sew on sleeve for Original Bullseye
  • Kelly’s Brown Round Robin
  • Pillow from cake tea towel
  • Try plain square for center of Russian Rubix blocks
  • Hand sew bottom opening in Shopping bag for BAMQG
  • Finish binding on T-Shirt quilt
  • Secret Santa gift for BAMQG
  • Kathleen’s Round Robin
  • Make sleeve for Original Bullseye
  • Finish sewing triangles for Scrapitude
  • Take apart Ribbon Star and resew
  • Color Group donation quilt
  • Binding for Color Group donation quilt
  • Make shopping bag for BAMQG
  • Sew coffee patch to red bag
  • Sew coffee patch to bathrobe
  • Sew green and red striped 8 pointed star (probably should include an item called “find background template for 8 pointed star!)
  • Scrap Lab backpack
  • Make binding for Disappearing Pinwheel

FOTY 2014: Very Early June

FOTY 2014: Very Early June
FOTY 2014: Very Early June

I went on a fabric pressing binge and now have at least one post as a result.

I don’t know what is wrong with me, but I couldn’t seem to get my act together to sew last week. I have spent a couple days on the computer tweaking my blog and reading other blogs, but no sewing. Bleah. I think the machine problems are getting to me.

Pressing fabric seemed my best bet. Aren’t these fabrics pretty? They make me happy. And forced me to sew on Saturday and Sunday. That was a good thing.

Finished: Disappearing Pinwheel

Disappearing Pinwheel Finished
Disappearing Pinwheel Finished

I thought of waiting until next week to post this, but I just couldn’t wait! Last night I finished the binding on the Disappearing Pinwheel. Hooray!

That means that another project is finished.

This is probably the fastest that I have completed a project of this size in a long time. I started it in January and here it is barely June and the entire quilt is done. A new era of completion? Perhaps. I have to acknowledge that Colleen is back on her gamenow  and that helps.

This quilt is part of the Niecephews series and will go to one of the small nephews. I have to finish his brother’s quilt first and hold off sending off either quilt until I show them at my guilds.

Disappearing Pinwheel Posts: