But what have I done lately?

Now, that the saga of BIQR is over, it's time to get back to 'what have I done lately?' Our guild had their bi-annual quilt show Harvest of Quilts 2008. I submitted 10 pieces this year, 3 of which were part of the Guild Challenge display. I am the official photographer for the guild blog and have made one post, but I am still working on getting a slideshow up, you'll have to wait for that. This pic shows my Robyn Pandolph folk art wallhanging with 2 other interpretations. Isn't it great when 3 people take the same workshop and each comes up with such different interpretations!


(I've upgraded to picasa 3 and have been trying out some of the new features, one is a watermark...I lay claim to taking the photos not necessarily the content therein.) For instance this next photo is not of my quilt but of fellow guild member Jill, The Quilt Rat (she's just started her own blog and is on my blog roll, so check it out...her stuff is amazing and very unique!). This piece is called Earthbound.


Next, I forgot to tell you of my sister-in-law's visit from Calgary in September. We don't see her that often so it was nice to catch up and we took her out for dinner one night. She was in London only for a few days and had many other friends to catch up with too. BUT she did bring me a wonderful present, Anne is a quilter too and she brought me a bag full of her scraps!!! Her bag-full practically doubled my stash! And they were big pieces, too, and so many wonderful fabrics that I wouldn't already have, florals, jungle prints, some left overs from jelly rolls. (If you are reading this Anne, I know I owe you a postcard...I am working on it!)


I have been using some already...there were these nice polka dots, I think from a jelly roll, left over, and I thought it might make a nice bargello... I also used some of my left over solids to add to it. I thought it might make a nice doll quilt, but it is a little narrow, perhaps a topper for a dresser in a girl's room...


Next, remember my 9 Lives, inspired by this comic? Well, I felt like it needed some borders, and I was really stuck on what to do, but after Gwen's retreat, I was inspired by her Wedges and Slivers piece in her new book and wanted that colour pallette. I ended up using her strippy borders in those colours and of course some more left over solids. I look at those solid pieces as a blank canvas for hand quilting and can't wait to get these batted up!

My UFO list is growing, the following need to be batted up and quilted:

Andrew's Scrappy Bargello

Carol's Floor Scrap Quilt 1

Test Pattern

9 Lives

Pink Bargello

Liberated Strips

Tomasziewski wall hanging

and....

Top Secret Quilt, still working on the piecing.

Making progress!

Andrew's Scrappy Bargello top is done! Just need to make the back and sandwich it, missed his birthday, though,... for sure for Christmas!



I finally made a label for Black Cats Staring:

Remember my iron fist comic inspiration? Well I didn't like how it turned out so I cut it up and am making postcards out of them. Here is "Cat in a Box" and "3 Cat Tails":

My Robyn Pandolph folk art applique quilt is done!

Still Quilting!

Just to show you I am still doing quilty things, here are a few pics. Above, part of a secret project and that is all you are going to see! Below I finally put a label on my "Picnic" quilt. I cut out the flower from the fabric that I used on the binding and appliqued it on as my label, added a few green french knots for interest in the center.

I have been hand quilting my Robin Pandolph applique piece and it is getting close to being done! I am using ecru perle cotton 12; it adds a shine that I like. First I quilted around the stuff in the centre and now I am making a grid pattern in the background.

Next I will have to start making sleeves for the backs of my quilts to get ready for our guild Harvest of Quilts Show in October. A kind of boring job that has to be done.

I have been very busy, and haven't been able to post. First, a Halloween photo. Pirates jogging by my house came to say hello. They had just completed their 10k run through Springbank Park. Participants were encouraged to dress up! Father and son make a great team!


Finally Echt Hollands is done and back in my possession! I sent it out to Sue Chinn of Huntsville to be machine quilted. And what a wonderful job she's done!



A detail from the back with the label I made:



Thanks Sue!!


On Saturday, our guild had a room booked so we could work on UFO's. Here is a very flattering photo of myself basting my Robyn Pandolph piece:

We were in a church basement and it rained most of the day but every once in awhile sun would shine through that window. I liked the way it shone on my quilt.

Winter Wheat in Summer

Yesterday, Christine and I took a drive to Winter Wheat in Sparta. I went last fall with my cousin (see October 29 post). Last fall they were getting ready for Christmas and they had many Christmas themed stuff, so it was nice to go in the summer and see more garden stuff! It is run by folk artist Lucy Ogletree and her husband Mike. The small farm consists of their storybook home and a rustic house that is the main shop, plus some quaint little buildings: 2 tea rooms and a shed for the goats, all resting in a grove of huge pine trees. Sprinkled throughout the grove are a few picnic tables and giant wooden, whimsical folk sculptures, see above: the tea lady and her flowers made of teacups and teapots and below: the angel with the Robert Frost poem on her wings.


I've finished the Robyn Pandolph applique!!! It still has to be quilted.


Here is the thank you postcard I made for our friends in Michigan. They are crazy about tropical fish. I remembered there was an advertising in a magazine for a simple tropical fish quilt. Of course, could I find that ad??!!No! Then I thought, maybe I could draw it from memory. When I started drawing it I remembered it was only 2 triangles who needs a pattern for that! Scissors and scraps, that's all one needs! Beads for eyes. So may I present my tiny liberated fish!


Here's the back:


There was no fusing in this postcard, just regular quilting stuff: patchwork, batting, and muslin. I didn't even trim off the batting, looks kind of like an aquarium, this way. Still don't trust the post office with this and it went wrapped with a gift.

Hah! You guys are funny! I didn't expect so much agreement to my genius comment! Anyway here is the latest progress on my 'robyn' project. I've been busy the last 2 weekends; first we were away in Michigan visiting friends. I managed to work on my piece on the train ride to Windsor and finished up the dome border and vines and added a few berries. Still left to do are to add a few more leaves. While in Michigan, we visited Ann Arbor, a business expo, a few comic book stores, a few used book stores, and a Jo Ann's for some cheap fabric and some quilting tools...a little bit cheaper in the US than Canada. I will show photos on my next post of my latest quilt treasures, when I download them.


Saturday, we had our guild's roadtrip to the Kitchener/Waterloo Art Gallery or kw/ag for the Grand National Quilt Show and the Waterloo County International Quilt Festival. This is the mecca of quilting in Ontario as it is also Mennonite country.

Below is Ethlyndryal the Protector by Rice 2007 from the Grand National. This year's theme is Fantasy.This was an amazing 3D piece, mixed media with metal, stones and more. We were not supposed to take any photos, so I don't have many photos to show.


After visiting the kw/ag, we travelled on to the quilt festival located at Rim Park. I have more photos that I will post later, after I try and find most of the names of the quilts. I should have written them down, there didn't seem to be a program of the entries, or I missed it somehow. Here was one of the more popular pieces 'Zodiac' by Martha Brown:

From idea to application:

I had a brilliant idea, I was going to put a patchwork border around my Robyn Pandolph applique, but when it came to doing it was a little more difficult than anticipated. The problem was that the applique was on a dome shape in the original.

First I made four strips of patchwork for each side, then I made up a piece for the 2 top corners.



Then I placed the corner piece in the corner, wrong sides together, then I place my side piece on top, right sides together and made a straight seam through the 3 pieces. On bottom right corner, you can see that I made a freezer paper template of the curve and ironed it to the back of the corner piece. Then I trimmed a quarter inch from the freezer paper, flipped it back onto the applique background (top right). I then needle-turn appliqued around the freezer paper, leaving the top open to pull out the freezer paper (bottom left)


I did the same for both sides:


Then I sewed on the top and bottom pieces. I made my patchwork in nine-patches and then sewed them together to make the side strips. I was then able to make my patches line up better, by adjusting a few seams here and there. I am always amazed that no matter how hard you try, you cannot match up the seams perfectly. sigh.

Here's the back:


Ta Da! Here's the front:


I'm a genius! (if I do say so myself :P)

Anyway, it's still not done, more applique to come in future posts!

A Perfect Weekend!

Finally, spring has arrived! In fact I think it skipped on to summer. Sunny and warm all weekend long! 22 degrees Celcius, absolutely gorgeous! I dragged my patio furniture from the basement, we barbecued hamburgers for dinner. I raked and cleaned up the garden. Went to Home Depot bought mulch for the garden, the only flowers for sale, though, are these little pansies:

I did divide some of my hostas and moved a clematis. It is really too early to do any major planting, we could still get frost. Rule of thumb, here, is to wait until Mother's Day or Victoria Day weekend (around May 24) for the first real planting. It's a little weird though, felt like summer, but not a single tree has any leaves yet!

Old Spike doesn't mind though!


I did manage a little work on my Robyn Pandolph applique this week. I was getting all psyched up to take this work to a Stitch 'n Bitch next weekend, so I was pulling out everything I needed, when I just started working on it, anyway.


I am still having trouble with a nice sharp point. It's a good thing they're hidden under the centre circle.


I've picked up a few new quilting magazines: Fons and Porter's Love of Quilting, Quilting Arts and $100,000 Quilting Challenge. I am so inspired by all of them. In Quilting Challenge, I was inspired by 'Common Threads' by Valli Schiller...I like how her patchwork border meets with her meandering bias strips. I'd like to do that with the Robyn wallhanging....Quilting Arts magazine features a stunning sea horse applique on the cover....and from the Fons and Porter, I really have to try a Mariner's Compass block one of these days.... so little time, sigh.

Well, just letting you know that I am going to be awfully busy in the next two weeks, not sure if I'll have time to post.

Robyn Pandolph: Trunk Show and Workshop

Robyn Pandolph did her trunk show for our guild. She was a lovely lady and her quilts were beautiful! I really do love this industry for all the inspirational women you meet! I love to see women succeed in business and in life. We always need more role models. In this industry, it is especially good to see how women can make it on their own terms. In this case, Robyn was a stay at home mother, who home-schooled her children and managed to own her own pattern company and eventually moved into fabric design for major fabric manufacturers. She jokingly referred to her own children as child labourers. But it is true that she paid her children to help her make up kits to go out for sale; she felt the entrepreneurial spirit is one that is valuable for children to learn. And as a small business owner, I have to agree!


Her main inspiration for quilting is her Grandmother. So she tends to over-dye and bleach her fabrics to get that 'vintage' look. She feels quilting and applique should be peaceful. She also says we should get our inspiration from the world around us. The quilt below was inspired by the events of the Columbine shootings.


The next day, I participated in her 'Creating Your Own Folk Art Applique' workshop. She gave us a brief history of American Folk Art and how it was representative of the spirit of the country at the time, of pioneering, democracy, individualism and freedom.

She gave us a pattern to work with, but encouraged us to add our own unique element to the wallhanging to make it our own. This is her sample:


Here I try to take her advice and substitute my house for her house. Of course, I don't follow her other advice and keep it simple.... I have to add gables, stained glass windows, and trim!


Ta da! My House! Just in case you were wondering, the little blue bits are supposed to represent the stained glass.


She also taught us her method of needle-turn applique. I think I could use a little more instruction on how to do those pointy corners! But all in all I think I learned a lot. I only got a start on the needle work by the end of her workshop, I finished the house this morning. I will save the flower work for another day. I am not going to rush on this project, I will take my time. Quilting and applique should be a peaceful hobby, says Robyn, and I think the results will be better for it.

If you would like to read more about her visit, you can see what I posted at our guild's blog, the March 11 post.

Split Personality

I hit a road block with my Echt Hollands quilt, I definitely need a darker blue ribbon. I haven't found any yet. So I was sitting in my sewing room with my measly stash....unlike others, I do not yet need to go on a fabric diet. I found some neat left over cat fabric and I was making little piles of matching fabrics, and I found I that some of the matching fabrics were from my Suske Quilt. So what could I do with this? Perusing APQ October 2005 I found this Block Party pattern by Jason Yenter that might do!


First you make these courthouse blocks, mine are one strip smaller than in the pattern, and I only made nine of them.



Then, you split them into four pieces and join them with a thin sashing. Above, I had already cut my blocks, when I realized I hadn't taken any photos yet, so you can see the cut lines. Below I show you how they are split and then rejoined. I hadn't finished the piecing yet.


I've decided to call this wallhanging Suske II: Split Personality. However I have hit another road block...I have the perfect fabric for the sashing, but I don't think I'll have enough. Will the store I got them at still have it.....? Will keep you posted.

Below is Suske's take on the whole thing!


I am also getting ready for our Robyn Pandolph's visit to our guild and her workshop. Here are the fabrics I bought for the workshop. Aren't they yummy?! Very feminine, not really my style, but I like this colour combo. Some are her fabrics and the others are some Robert Kaufman blends. Those are great! When I first saw them by themselves, I shrugged, but when you put them with the prints they are fabulous. You know why I like these fabrics, even though they are not really me? They remind me of spring and I am getting so sick of winter! There I said it! It had to be said. It was minus 18 degrees Celsius yesterday! We just got out of another snowstorm! egad!...although today was sunny...yes, the fabrics remind me of spring.