2018 – Page 23 – Artquiltmaker Blog

Various & Sundry 2018 n.1

Best wishes to TFQ for a happy birthday!

January always feels fresh and shiny-clean to me. It also goes by much too quickly and becomes February, which is always a month that seems depressing to me. This year January is chaotic – too much family and work stuff is happening and I am running from one place to another like a crazy person.

I have resolved to finish up some projects and use some patterns that have been hanging around. I am not doing a ‘refrain from buying’ challenge like many, but I am trying to buy responsibly when I am in a quilt shop. I am also tracking what I use so I can use up more than I buy and use up more than last year as well. Liesl at Oliver+S talks about simplifying, challenges and setting deliberate goals. My personal take on the key to success is doing what works for you. When I see something I don’t want or need, I put it in the ‘to donate’ box.

Doing More Good

The past several months have been tough for California and other places. The Ventura Modern Quilt Guild has launched an effort in support of the Thomas Fire Victims. Scott Griffin, VP of Ventura Modern Quilt Guild has designed a beautiful Perkiomen Valley Block to make as relief for Thomas Fires victims. Click on the block name to view the size and fabric suggestions. Choose any solids or prints you wish to use, lights and darks as indicated. All blocks go to superbuzzy (address is included on the block information file). There is no deadline on block submission, but we would like to get quilts assembled out to the needy folks in January and February as they begin to rebuild. The guild will assemble them into quilts for those in need after this devastating fire. VMQG will be arranging sewing and quilt finishing soon. If your guild is interested in participating in this project, please contact them at communications@venturamodernquiltguild.com. Review the other opportunities to help Las Vegas and the Wine Country at previous posts.

Fabric

Fabric is a joy and a problem. We love it so we buy it, pet and look at it. We also dream about what we will make with it someday. Then we have to store it. Storage is always a problem no matter what kind of house you live in. thus the fabric spreadsheet. It was started, as far as I know, by Pam of Hip to Be a Square podcast fame. Others have taken up the mantle including Cheryl of my guild who has written another essay on the subject that includes a recap of her 2017 purchases and usage.

Tips & Tricks

Megan has some tips on using Jeni Baker’s drawstring bag pattern, specifically how to put the directional fabric so it is right side up on the lining. The pattern talks about using directional fabrics for the outer fabric, but apparently the information doesn’t work for the lining.

AllPeopleQuilt.com has some storage ideas. I don’t think they are rocket science, but they do make me drool a little bit. I love those wire drawers. There are 43 various article snippets to click through. I also like the washi tape idea-pretty and useful. Additionally, there are tags at the end of the article, so readers can find other related articles. If you click on the ‘organize your sewing space‘ tag, you can see examples of gorgeous sewing spaces. No solution will be best for everyone, because all of our spaces are different. Use these articles as inspiration.

Patterns, Projects & Tutorials

Charlotte Hawkes, of the Scrapitude pattern, has a newish pattern out, Summer Stars on Fawn Lake. Valerie put me on to it and I am sorely tempted, though my to do list is also on my mind.

Planned Improv Top

The top is finished. It came out to be about 60″ x 84″, which I think is a great size. No, it isn’t bed sized, but it will be a good couch, snuggle quilt.

I cut the border pieces to fit each block and sewed them on to the blocks, then sewed the blocks to each other. It was pretty easy to match up the seams using this modified ‘chunking‘ method. It is somewhat scrappy within both colors – interesting, but not psychedelic.

On to the back

Portland Shop Hop: Speckled Hen

I went to Portland last week and had a very quilty time with Amanda. We made our own shop hop. Amanda looked up a bunch of shops and we decided which ones to visit together.

I had planned to spend more time with the YM, but he told me at the last minute that he was going on tour with the Wind Symphony and wouldn’t return until after I left. As a result, I invited my mom to come along and we had a good trip.

Mom spent a lot of time with an artist she met so I was free to roam local quilt shops with Amanda.

The first shop we visited was Holly Hill. It was closed (on a Wednesday?!? WTH!?) so we were only able to look in the window. Someone in the shop kept waving at a us and finally came to the door and said they were closed. We knew that, being able to read the sign. She asked us if we had checked their FB page and we said no. We told her that we had checked the web page and it was not up to date. Later, when we looked, she had had someone update it. I never check FB pages, do you?

The first shop we were able to enter was The Speckled Hen. The decor fits in with the name of the shop. There are a lot of chicken themed decorations. It is a small shop, but really crammed with fabric and quilty items. Sadly, a lot of the fabric was brown and beige – Civil War and repro type stuff. They had a good selection of chicken fabrics as well. The shop also had a good selection of non-brown 1930s and 40s reproductions as well.

She Sews Sea Shells fabric panel by Janet Wecker-Frisch

The shop did have a great line by Janet Wecker-Frisch called She Sews Sea Shells by Quilting Treasures. I liked (and Amanda did, too) the mermaid with the diving suit and would have bought a print with just that motif. Unfortunately, the diving suit was only on a panel.

There is something about the steampunk nature of the diving suit that was appealing. At this point in our adventure, I was trying to be reasonable about my purchases, so I didn’t buy any.

I didn’t buy any fabric, but I did buy a retro style apron pattern. I had never heard of the company before. I liked the style of the garment, though the pockets aren’t large enough. Also, the pattern uses really a clever layout for cutting. I can’t wait to try it and bought some fabric to make some gifts.

There were two ladies in the shop filling kits, I think. I am not sure the owner (I assume it was the owner) realized we weren’t retro fabric people, because every time we looked at a display, she told us the price and the designer, etc. It was kind of a hard sell that was somewhat useful, but also a little off-putting.

One of the things she mentioned was her sale on magazines. She mentioned Primitive Quilts, but also Simply Moderne. I was tempted, but I have a lot of magazines in my to-read pile, so I didn’t buy any.

I bought some gifts in addition to the pattern.

Contact info:

Speckled Hen Quilts
503-678-3368
25455 NE Boones Ferry Rd
Aurora, OREGON 97002
TUES-SAT: 10am - 4pm
Closed Sunday & Monday

Planned Improv Block n.6

This is the last block before I put the quilt together. As with the others, I like the way it came out. I think I might like to consider making a whole quilt using Sarah’s technique, eg cutting much larger pieces, arranging them, calculating the background and then sewing the whole quilt together. I could possibly use this technique with the FOTY patches, though it might not be necessary.

Gift Post #5: Zentangle

I took a class at A Work of Heart Studio in San Jose last week. My mom has been talking about learning the Zentangle technique, so I took her as a Christmas gift.

The class was 2 hours and we drew two tiles (3.5″ x 3.5″ squares of rag paper). In the course of the class we learned several patterns. The technique is a lot simpler than the finished product looks and I don’t think you need special powers to make a tile like I have drawn above. I followed the directions and piece by piece the finished tile evolved.

I went to Dick Blick with my mom and Lil Sissy (they both had gift cards) and bought some Illustration Board ATCs. I have been drawing some more Zentangle patterns on those. I drew the first sets of patterns over and then started trying a new one.

This method reminds me of the type of drawing and materials I used when I did the Creative Prompt Project Responses.

Planned Improv Block n.5

Block 5 is complete and n.6 is in process.

I think I will make 6 total. They are 24″ blocks, so the 6 will make a large lap quilt.

EBHQ Show Coming March 17-18

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Voices In Cloth 2018 Show Celebrates Quilting Diversity in the East Bay

Albany, California, 11 December 2017 – Returning to the beautiful Richmond shoreline at the historic Craneway Pavilion on March 17-18, the region’s largest non-profit quilt show will have lots to offer anyone interested in quilts, textiles, sewing, wearable art, and more. Voices In Cloth (VIC) 2018 will feature demonstrations, delicious on-site catering, specialty vendors, two special exhibits (over 100 art quilts & a curated show of contemporary Korean textiles), as well as scores of quilts by East Bay Heritage Quilters (EBHQ) members.

http://www.ebhq.org/quilt-shows/vic2018

CONTACT:

Ryan Young, East Bay Heritage Quilters, 510-484-6118 rufusrastus@gmail.com; http://www.ebhq.org/

Hours: Saturday 10 – 5, Sunday 10 – 4.
Tickets: 2 day admission $15; 12 and under free. Advance purchase price $10 before March 2. Buy ticket(s) online http://vic2018.brownpapertickets.com/
Show location: Craneway Pavilion,1414 Harbour Way South., Richmond, CA.
Driving directions and map
Parking: Free on-site parking.
Accessibility: Wheelchair and stroller accessible.

At the Show:

Over 300 beautiful EBHQ quilts and garments

Over 40 specialty vendors See the list

A Marketplace of quilts and fiber art for sale

Special Exhibits:

Korean Voices in Fiber: Translating Tradition into Contemporary Art Read more…

Small Art Quilts from the collection of Sue Arnold More…

Demonstrations

Tips and techniques for all skill levels

A “bed turning” by the San Jose Museum of Quilt and Textiles of quilts from their collection

Fabric postcards made by EBHQ members for sale. Take a look.

Door prizes

Quilts made by kids – Call for Entries

Children’s activities

Raffle quilts

Our name suggests tradition, but our biennial quilt show is broad, and is neither juried nor judged. The efforts of each individual quilter, whether beginner or experienced – traditionalist, modern, or art quilter – are equally valued and enjoyed on their own merits.

Make a day of it and visit the fascinating Rosie the Riveter/WWII Home Front National Historical Park, immediately adjacent to the Craneway Pavilion, or take a stroll on the Bay Trail after you see the show.

ABOUT US

East Bay Heritage Quilters is centered in the East Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area. We are a non-profit quilt guild founded in 1978. http://www.ebhq.org/

Our purposes are to:

Continue and preserve the traditions of quilting

Promote camaraderie among people in all aspects of quilting

Contribute to the knowledge and appreciation of fine quilts

Sponsor and support quilting activities through educational sessions and special events
Serve the wider community through the Deanna Davis Community Quilt Project, providing more than 1000 quilts per year to a variety of charitable and disaster relief projects.

For more information, contact: Ryan Young, 510-484-6118; rufusrastus@gmail.com

Gift Post #4

Even though he expressly said he had enough Hawaiian like shirts, I couldn’t resist making DH another shirt with Cal fabric.

He calls it his bowling shirt, which is a little annoying, but it is his shirt.

I am planning to enter it into the fair this year.

Ta Dots and Stripes

I made a list of projects I had in process in my journal and found a lot. Seeing them on paper seemed to galvanize me in a way that seeing them here did not. I like having them here as it makes me accountable, but the combination of paper and bytes works for me.

One problem has been that I have had my design wall set up since last January. I have been using my small design wall, but really need a larger one. I have been hoping to sell the Pind Design wall (you know you want it!), but no luck so far. I finally spent time on New Year’s Day setting it up.

For whatever reason, the first project I put up was the Ta Dots and Stripes quilt. Yes, that is the new name.

I started working on it as a donation quilt using the Leaders and Enders method while I worked on the Planned Improv blocks. I made some progress, but it is easy to get confused about where what goes.

I found some more dots and decided to make another row of HSTs, so I prepared them at Sew Day and sewed them when I got home. It will make the quilt a little larger.

I thought the quilt would be a donation quilt, but after I sewed a number of the sections together, I think it will become a Niece-phew quilt for one of the nephews.

Planned Improv Block n.4

I am working very hard on this piece as I don’t want it to get stale. Block number four is another winner.

26 Projects: New Year New Resolve

I decided to get my quilt house in order and see what kind of a year it would be with regard to quiltmaking. A few years ago, I cleared out my UFOs and after that I started new projects with near-wild abandon. I don’t think this year will be either of those years, but I want it to have healthy doses of new projects and clearing out the old.

Finished 2018 Quilt Projects

Yes, I already have a finish for 2018

Mostly Manor Lozenge Quilt -finished 1/1/2018

Finished 2017 Non-Quilt Projects

Hat in process, but nothing finished so far

Doing Good

Blocks are in process, but nothing so far

In Process
The ‘In Process’ is used to denote projects on which I am actively working or pretending to stitch. I try not to put away projects, because that will ensure I never work on them.

City Sampler – blocks all made. Need to sash the blocks and put the top together. Due to some issues I had with my seam allowance, some of the blocks are smaller than others, so I will have to adjust them in some way – either ripping and resewing, adding a piece or two to the block or with sashing. This is sort of a sticking point and while I consider this quilt ‘in process’ I haven’t worked on it.
Dots & Stripes HST Quilt (or Something) – half square triangle blocks are made. I laid them out and see what is what with them. These blocks did not turn out as planned. I started sewing them together over the weekend and I am liking the whole better than I thought
English Paper Piecing Project– half hexies – I haven’t worked on this in awhile since I have been knitting while I watch TV. I’ll get back to it.–
FOTY 2016 – I didn’t capitalize on my excitement after seeing the Ellsworth Kelly exhibit and now I have lost that rush. I still need to get on it. I’d like to get the top finished by the end of the month, if at all possible
FOTY 2017 – pieces cut. Need to layout and start piecing.
Lobster – I still have more stitching to do and then I need to quilt it.
Mel Beach Quilted piece – I want to make it into a pillow cover.
Triple Star: The blocks are all made and I have an idea of how to lay it out.
Under the Sea: class project; like the design and am happier with the colors. I had an idea for it and would like to finish it by the end of the year.

Still WIPs
I still have WIPs. Who doesn’t, after all? A project in the ‘UFO’ category means I am stalled. A nicer way of saying UFO is a WIP. The list is a lot shorter and the projects are newer, for the most part.

Aqua-Red Sampler – I need to lay the blocks out and put the piece together.
BAMaQG Color Round Robin – no progress.
BAMaQG IRR – I will either quilt it and donate it to charity or use it for the Big Stitch class I am taking at QuiltCon.
Handbag Sampler – this is a project about which I had forgotten. I haven’t even found a picture of all the blocks. The blocks were teaching samples when I taught a sampler class the time before I started writing the quilt class sampler tutorials. I actually don’t know exactly where the blocks are, but I have an idea and will crawl up in the far reaches of my fabric closet soon and find them.
Octagon 9 Patch: It is ready to put together. I could have used it as leaders and enders for a number of different projects I have going. I didn’t, mostly because I have a lot of other projects I can use as leaders and enders. It might be my next leaders and enders project.
Pointillist Palette #4: Fourth is a series of 6 quilts; needs tiny square patches sewn together. No progress.
Pies and Points from Victoria Findlay Wolfe class. No further progress. I need to focus on this and it is not up high enough on the list yet.
Self Portrait: started in 2006 at a class at Quilting Adventures in Richmond, Virginia. I am stalled on this again. Again, I didn’t capitalize on the excitement I got from my career counselor and now the feeling is lost.
Serendipity Lady Quilt: no progress.
Stepping Stones #2 – I am still ready to make the border blocks , but haven’t gone beyond designing them yet.
Ta Dots & Stripes HST quilt – I have started to sew the blocks together. I thought this would be a charity quilt, but it might end up as one of the Niece-phews series.

Ready for Quilting

En Provence – This will be going to Colleen later today

In Quilting Process

Thanksgiving tablemat – I have the correct feet and just need to get busy.
Theoretically, the Tarts Come to Tea is in the quilting process, though I haven’t worked on it in a while. See above.

Binding

Nothing at the moment

Hunting and Gathering

30 Something: I am still cutting 1.5 inch squares. I am pretty sure I have the 800 I need, but I am not ready to sew them together yet, so whenever I have a chance I cut more. It will give me choice when the time comes. I’ll have to think up a new name, too.
Blue Gradation Quilt: cutting 2.5 inch x 4.5 inch blue rectangles. It has to end sometime. I am just not sure I am ready.
Blue Lemonade: cutting blue, green, purple 2 inch squares. I used a lot of these squares for En Provence, so I will need to cut more.
Pink Gradation Quilt: cutting 2.5 inch x 4.5 inch pink rectangles
Spin Wheel: really not started, but supplies gathered. I might have to cut some more background fabrics. I probably have enough fabrics and just need to decide to start.
Windmill quilt: Still hunting and gathering. I am supposed to be cutting a variety of greys for the background, which required the purchase of a new template. I should be able to get going again

Other

Stepping Stones #3 using the Macaron pre-cuts from Hoffman. I have all the fabric in pre-cuts and am just waiting for space (and desire) in my schedule.

What’s on your list?

Finished: Mostly Manor Lozenge Quilt

Yay! I finished a quilt on the first of the year! In fairness, most of the work was done last year and I just had the binding to sew on. I couldn’t quite finish it in 2017, so it counts as my first finish for 2018. 😉

I started cutting this last year after buying the layer cake at QuiltCon in 2016.

I made the top, as you might recall, at the Quilt Retreat relatively quickly.

Now it is done and I will take it to Portland with me next week. It is a gift for one of the people that helps out the YM.

Planned Improv Block n.3

I have immersed myself over the past couple of weeks in the Planned Improv process. I finished block 3 a few days ago and am pleased with how it came out.