V Findlay Wolfe BLOG

KICK OFF YOUR HEELS!

2013-05-19T20:09:00.002-04:00

"When Crows Fly"

I meant to put up a "Bloggers quilt festival" quilt... But never got my quilt, quilted...
To busy with stuff, I guess...drat...
Oh well... This quilt, you may recall the story of how it went together, since it was quite recently! If you missed it, you can pop over HERE to read about it. It's definitely a favorite of the minute... Double edged love would probably be the other...

I'm just home from Market...WIPED OUT....so I will KICK OFFMY HEELS!

TOMORROW! Well, depending on when you read this....MONDAY!!!!
The KICK OFF YOUR HEELS auction starts!!!

Please buy these babies up! You know I love a GREAT CAUSE!!!!

CLICK here for INFO
http://kickoffyourheelsfundraiser.blogspot.com/2013/05/kick-off-your-heels-let-fundraiser-begin.html?m=1

PLEASE GIVE THESE A GOOD HOME!

"CRAZY 4 U" Shoes, By Victoria Findlay Wolfe

We're excited to tell you about how you can own a pair of art-full high heels,

that benefit the women's heart wing of Cedar's Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles!

The sale of the shoes will begin at 8:00 a.m. EST Monday May 20, 2013 and will be

available for purchase over the course of the week as follows:

Shoes can be purchased for $300 on May 20 and 21, 2013 beginning at 8:00 a.m. EST

Shoes can be purchased for $200 on May 22 and 23, 2013 beginning at 8:00 a.m. EST

Shoes can be purchased for $100 on May 24 and 25, 2013 beginning at 8:00 a.m. EST

Click here to visit the website we set up so you can preview ALL the shoes before the

sale begins.

Set your calendar alarms for Monday, May 20, 2013 and check out the website for your

favorite pair of artisan made high heels!

CLICK here for INFO

http://kickoffyourheelsfundraiser.blogspot.com/2013/05/kick-off-your-heels-let-fundraiser-begin.html?m=1

ready!

2013-05-15T00:00:00.000-04:00

last minute things

2013-05-14T00:00:00.000-04:00

visit Newcastle blog today!

http://inasewingmood.com/2013/05/14/sonnet-fever-in-portland-2/

Off to pack! Heading to Portland for Spring Quilt Market!

**********

Whose that chick with the double knit?

http://generationqmagazine.com/2013/05/packing-our-bags-for-portland-and-look-whats-in-em/

Do you have any double knit quilts, in your possession?

Mother's day

2013-05-12T17:30:00.002-04:00

My Mother's day was spent doing what I love! I taught a class on 15 Minutes of PLAY! A lovely day, and I came out all inspired by my students...

I wish this pic was in focus... Pink, oranges, mint purples... GORGEOUS... Now I want o go buy more of these colors to make something too!

Orange was definitely a color of choice today! It's funny how certain color are CATHCY! This bird was inspired by "My bird, Pierre" Quilt...I can't wait to see how she finishes it. ;-) It makes me smile!

Some Y seam PLAY happened as well.... SUCCESS!

It was a lovely Mother's day to be sewing...

Happy Mother's day to you!

Hope yours was lovely too!

Did you do anything special?

Cynthia Knapp! You won a copy of Marie's book!

CONGRATS! ( I will email you)

really?

2013-05-11T09:06:00.003-04:00

Quilting is finally done on TINY DANCER... circa Jan 2012....

here's the OLD post on this journey....

http://bumblebeansinc.blogspot.com/2012/01/journey.html

Last night at about 6 pm, I decide I need to finish this quilt, Tiny Dancer, that has been sitting here for over a year, basted, and ready to be quilted... I did all the quilting up to a point, a bit that needed to be ripped out and redone... this is at 9pm last night, of course... and do you think I can find the 4 new seam rippers I bought last week?

Can someone please tell me where they run off too?

12a.m. this morning, I did actually find a TINY seam ripper from QUILTCON, after I had used my sharp scissors to rip most of it out... Of course, I could only find the COVER of one of the new seam rippers.... I had just cleaned my studio, cutting table was clean... except for a 6" scrap of fabric I was saving for a later project....

10 hours later, I found it.

Guess where it was?

Under that 6" scrap of fabric, on the clean cutting table.

I'm sure you can relate right? Thanks Laurie for sending me the cartoon! I still have only found one of three.. but, oh well, the quilt is done... YAY!

So. Quilt backs...
Do you Piece your backs or
use a pretty piece across the entire thing?

And:
favorite seam ripper?

(my answer? a found one!)

A visit with Joe

2013-05-10T00:00:00.000-04:00

HAPPY FRIDAY!!!!!

Last night Joe Cunningham, (who doesn't have a favorite color but he loves pink) came by the studio, and so I asked him if we could share a bit of our visit... ;-)

Topic of the day?
OUR STASH...

photo from Joe's website. go visit his blog and say hi!

Visit:
http://joethequilter.com/
http://joethequiltercunningham.blogspot.com/

;-) Tell me about your stash....

What color do you buy the most of?
what do you go to first in the quilt shop?
clearance?
Sale?
Color?

***********************************************************************

WINNER: LJ! Congrats on your win of the MODERN BABY BOOK!

WALL STREET JOURNAL

***ALSO, There is an Article in the WALL STREET JOURNAL today about Modern quilting!
YAY!
An article about modern quilting in the Wall Street Journal today! Victoria Findlay Wolfe, Lisa Sipes, Jacquie Gering ,Alissa Haight Carlton, Charlotte Newland.
(if the link doesn't work, then google the title - you'll be able to read it from the google links)

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324326504578467273484511136.html

http://weallsew.com/2013/05/10/sew-to-serve-with-bumble-beans-basics/
Happy Friday!

A GIFT!

2013-05-09T00:00:00.000-04:00

Hilde was in NYC and came by to say hi,

and delivered the most beautiful tea box to me!

Made with MADE FABRIC in my favorite colors!

See how nice it blends in with my quilts?

Isn't stunning!!!

Swing by her blog and say hi.

www.geckoboxes.blogspot.com

I'm off to have a cup of tea... (and fill my special box with my favorite kinds! )

besides fresh ginger tea or fresh mint tea, one of my favorites is

Green tea with roasted brown rice.... YUM!

Got a favorite tea you like?

Sonnet!

2013-05-07T20:20:00.002-04:00

SONNET

I'm so excited to share my first line of fabrics with all of you,

Sonnet with Newcastle Fabrics!

I'm a hopeless romantic, and often name my quilts from lines in poems,

like The Star Splitter by Robert Frost,

or Goodbye my Fancy by Walt Whitman

This collection reflects the fabrics I love to use most often. Colors that are

my normal "go to" palette are "red, yellow, pink, blue," and

Adding in the comfort colors of chocolate brown and a deep navy...

I am a girl who loves her jeans and chocolate after all!

I love Beauteous floral fabrics, and small Celestial prints that have a lot of color.

I adore border prints and fabrics that run light to dark, rather like a good sonnet!

One can never go wrong with great looking (flattery) plaids,

and a graceful modern floral as well!

The prints are named from words in Sonnets like Beauteous, Celestial, Flattery and Grace.

I can't wait to have you playing in them!

Coming fall 2013

Request the line at your local quilt shop!

newfabs.com

Swing by New Castle fabrics at their website,

and/or at booth #1737 at Quilt Market next week in Portland!

Marie's Book hop!

2013-05-06T00:00:00.000-04:00

YAY!!!! I'm so excited about Marie's new Book being out!!!! I've been hearing bits and bobs about it for the past year and I'm so happy that we can share it with all of you! I just finished reading it yesterday while I was being LAZY... So good! Love the ending...
You know I will tell you Marie is Fabulous, I can proudly say we are good friends! Here's our little group below.

Marie,Michele, myself and Jackie

So the book!

IT'S TOO MUCH!!!!!

Well, really, it's "Too Much, Texas"!

If there isn't a town named "Too Much", there really must be!

Read on!

About the book...

In this luminous prequel to her beloved Cobbled Court Quilts series, New York Times bestselling author Marie Bostwick takes readers into the heart of a small Texas town and the soul of a woman who discovers her destiny there...

Welcome to Too Much--where the women are strong-willed and the men are handsome yet shiftless. Ever since Mary Dell Templeton and her twin sister Lydia Dale were children, their Aunt Velvet has warned them away from local boys. But it's well known that the females in Mary Dell's family have two traits in common--superior sewing skills and a fatal weakness for men.

While Lydia Dale grows up petite and pretty, Mary Dell just keeps growing. Tall, smart, and sassy, she is determined to one day turn her love of sewing into a business. Meanwhile, she'll settle for raising babies with her new husband, Donny. But that dream proves elusive too, until finally, Mary Dell gets the son she always wanted--a child as different as he is wonderful. And as Mary Dell is forced to reconsider what truly matters in her family and her marriage, she begins to piece together a life that, like the colorful quilts she creates, will prove vibrant, rich, and absolutely unforgettable. . .

"This book is wrapped around my heart with all the love, warmth, and beauty of a favorite family quilt. I can’t stop thinking about it! I’m in love with Mary Dell Templeton, and I’m in love with Too Much, Texas." - Robyn Carr, #1 New York Times Bestselling author

"Brilliant . . . the characters thunder with life right off the page and into your heart in this quintessential story of family, forgiveness, and nobility. I just adored every single page!" -- Dorthea Benton Frank, New York Times Bestselling author of "Porch Lights"

"A book that brims with laughter and laser-sharp insight." -- Kristan Higgins, New York Times Bestselling author

About Marie ... Well, she's just plain Fabulous... SWEET as can be, big heart, and....

Marie Bostwick is the New York Times Bestselling author of eleven books, including the popular Cobbled Court Quilt series of novel. She lives in Connecticut with Brad, her husband of thirty-one years. When not writing or volunteering for her church, she enjoys quilting, gardening, reading, watching movies, spending time with her friends and family, and especially playing with her grandsons. Marie travels extensively, speaking at libraries, bookstores, quilt guilds, and at quilt shows. She has been a featured speaker at the Paducah Quilt Festival and the Houston International Quilt Festival. In 2013, she will be the keynote speaker at Quilt Nebraska.

We are all making STAR blocks within our posts as well,
so be sure to get all the tutorials! Link is below the tutorial.

BLOCK TUTORIAL

click here for downloadable PDF

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/8779102/sawtooth-squared.pdf
OR

THE LINKS:

(SEE ALL of the quilt blocks here):

http://quiltinggallery.com/quilters-fun/between-heaven-and-texas-blog-hop/

Flickr group for hop:

http://www.flickr.com/groups/between-heaven-texas/

Marie's Web Site:

http://www.mariebostwick.com/

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/mariebostwick

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/mariebostwick

~~YOU MUST want a chance to WIN a copy right?~~

~~Leave a comment here,~~
~~have you read of Marie's other books? which one?~~

~~I love the cobblestone series... TOO MUCH GOOD STUFF!~~

~~And be sure to visit al the other HOPPERS below!~~

Monday, April 29 - Marie's intro post and her block - will be on Quilting Gallery site

Tuesday, April 30 - Michele - Quilting Gallery - http://quiltinggallery.com/

Wednesday, May 1 - Bonnie - Quiltville - http://quiltville.blogspot.com/

Thursday, May 2 - Pat - Pat Sloan - http://patsloan.typepad.com/

Thursday, May 2 - Kim - Persimon Dreams - http://www.persimondreams.com/

Friday, May 3 - Melissa - Happy Quilting - http://happyquiltingmelissa.blogspot.com/

Saturday, May 4 - Jo - Jo's Country Junction - http://www.joscountryjunction.com/

Sunday, May 5 - Wendy - Ivory Spring - http://ivoryspring.wordpress.com/

Monday, May 6 - Victoria - Bumble Beans Inc. - http://bumblebeansinc.blogspot.com/

Tuesday, May 7 - Vicki - Quilting Lodge Blog - http://www.quiltinglodgeblog.com/

Wednesday, May 8 - Melissa/Jake - Generation Q Magazine -http://generationqmagazine.com/

Thursday, May 9 - Jennifer - Sew Hooked - http://sewhooked.com/

Friday, May 10 - Jackie - Canton Village Quilt Works -http://cvquiltworks.blogspot.com/

~~Make sure I have your EMAIL ADDRESS~~
~~in your comment...~~
~~MANY are no reply, and I can not contact you.~~
~~Leave a comment by May13th 9am for a chance to win!~~

THE GIVEAWAY HAS NOW ENDED

blah.

2013-05-05T09:25:00.005-04:00

Taken her easy...
I had a long weekend at my house hoping I'd get a bunch done... Turns out I got a little bit done. But that's ok...

I did the stitch in the ditch on this quilt,( Fun on the long arm!) now that I brought my batting out here... I had it set up and waiting for me last week. I also hung up a new photo by Jim Naughten, the woman...in her amazing dress. She's so powerful and beautiful, I had to have her... and I had to have her hanging in my creative space. There is a show of his on now at Klomching gallery, and if you know Selvedge magazine, he's in there this month as well.

Saturday, a.m. I went and got all my garden stuff, dropped in some tomatoes even though I had the start of a migraine. AGAIN. By noon I was out of commission, and only just now, Sunday, have crawled out of bed... I used to get them constantly, then they went away for years...

Then this past year, they are back... and well... not fun. Time to get back to the doctor, as these are becoming very frequent... like spending a day in bed at Quiltcon with one... not fun.

So. I'm going to be lazy again today.

Hope you have a lazy happy Sunday!

Oh! Hop over to my friend Lyric's blog, say hi, and leave a comment to win a copy of my book!

http://lyrickinard.com/blog/

I'm off to lounge.

blah.

another edit!

ooh! Just got this photo, thought I'd pop back in here and share... Double Edged Love is hanging at the San Jose Quilt Museum! Can't wait to go see it in person June 2nd! Will you come to the opening and say hi?

http://sjquiltmuseum.org/

Modern Baby

2013-05-03T00:00:00.000-04:00

Baby Stories & Baby Showers......
I didn't know when I should have a baby shower. When we were waiting to adopt Beatrice, we waited and waited, and then two days before my birthday in 2001, we got the news!

The first pic we received of Beatrice...in an email!

At about the same time, a US aircraft was down on China soil, and they would not release the plane. So, instead of getting on the plane to go bring our baby home, we had to wait for the US to lift the ban on American's traveling to China... It was a torturous extra two weeks before we could go and get her... Instead of getting her a week before her first birthday, we held her a week after her first Birthday.... (ABOVE) Here we are the morning after we first held her in our arms, we are at the office signing and stamping her little feet and hands on the adoption paperwork. She thought it was hilarious... Red ink all over the place... not just on her hands and feet! Amazing, spectacular day.

I made about 10 baby quilts for her while we waited to bring her home... None was ever good enough..

We did eventually, have a baby shower for her.. I think I cried happy tears, all day long.

No one gave us any quilts. hahaha! They knew I had that covered!

And my.. time does fly...
The agony of WAITING to adopt, and the five minutes ( as it seems) that have passed til now, (teenager!) have been the greatest years of my life.

So now, I make baby quilts for everyone else! Including one for this book:

I am one of the contributors in the new book "Modern Baby" for Martingale!

Want to win a Ecopy?

~~Leave a comment to WIN,~~

~~Have you made a baby quilt?~~

~~For your own kids or for someone else?~~

~~I'll pick a winner May 10th, 9am~~

~~Be sure to visit the other blogger peeps included in the book hop...~~

April 18, Thursday Jenny, StitchThis! http://blog.shopmartingale.com/

April 19, Friday Shea Henderson, http://emptybobbinsewing.com

April 22, Monday Jake Finch, http://generationqmagazine.com/

April 23, Tuesday Audrie Bidwell, http://blueisbleu.blogspot.com/

April 24, Wed Carolyn Friedlander, http://carolynfriedlander.com/blog/

April 25, Thursday Melissa Corry, http://happyquiltingmelissa.blogspot.com/

April 26, Friday Jen Eskridge, http://reannalilydesigns.com/blog/

April 29, Monday Sarah Flynn, http://fairyfacedesigns.blogspot.com/

April 30, Tuesday Dana Bolyard, http://oldredbarnco.blogspot.com/

May 1, Wednesday Amy Smart, http://www.diaryofaquilter.com/

May 2, Thursday Carrie Bloomston, http://suchitysuch.blogspot.com/

May 3, Fri Victoria Findlay Wolfe, http://www.bumblebeansinc.blogspot.com/

May 6, Monday Lindsey Rhodes, http://lrstitched.com/

May 7, Tuesday Pippa Eccles Armbrester, http://www.pippapatchwork.com/blog/

GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED.

quilting the night away...

2013-05-01T22:02:00.000-04:00

It's all about QUILTING this week.... Machine quilting, hand quilting... Having some fun getting finishes here...

Do you have a finish happening this week? What is it?

Dyed on Monday

2013-04-29T18:48:00.006-04:00

Oh! What trouble we can get into when we want to! I was on a mission to dip dye a dress, as it was going to cost to much to have it professionally done.So I called my friend Emily up, and said,

"Hey Girl! Let's go play in some dye!"

She took me to Manhattan Wardrobe Supply, and HELLO! What fabulous goodies they have there!

We bought the fancy pro dye, and also were intrigued by the liquid RIT dye... Bought both, came home, and started experimenting with RIT to see what would happen...

Here's all our tests strips. Yep! This was going to work!

Let's just go for it!

Here's my dress, all wet and ready to dip... Cute dress, just I had something else in mind when I had it made... I just saw it in my MIND as being DARK on the bottom half, to just up over my waste line... SOOOOO, as crazy as we are...

In it goes...

OOH! Looking good!

It's always darker when it's wet... so this took us a few dips to get it where we wanted it..., then I dabbed the dye up the bleed mark where I wanted it....

And dried it, to see how it looked. LOVE IT!!! I love how you can still see the print through the dye part... I have a few more bits of work to do to the dress, but for now, I am so pleased!

Then we had all that dye, so we thought, "hmmm,what else can we do?" I dug out some of my leftover carnival spoonflower fabric from the "When Crows Fly"quilt a week back...( you can see that post here)

Clamps, chopsticks, and dye... Very fun! Now what can I dye next? For today, I will stop while I am ahead!

THAT!
...was fun!

THANKS EMILY!!!!

long arm day!

2013-04-27T18:20:00.003-04:00

Wahoo! Guess who found some time to "get her motor running"? Yep. A month later, I finally, loaded a quilt, figured out the tension, and quilted a top?
I just did some S~loopy things, following the height of two rows of blocks... I just wanted to get the motion and speed thing, figured out, and well, I went for it on manual, too. No stitch regulator! I found when I was playing, that manual moves so much smoother, then when it's in the regulated way... so much fun!

Now to find a nice binding, curl up by the fire under i, and consider today a good PLAY day!

That took me most of the day to get it going... I should have been dropping seeds in my garden, but...I guess we always have next weekend! hehe! One must sew!

The Rhubarb and the peonies are popping up nicely... LOL! and a few weeds!!!

...And all the trees are flowering... a couple more weeks and all will be LOVELY!!! I think they call this....SPRING!!! YAY!!!

How are things blooming where you are?

BASICS and summer travel

2013-04-25T09:25:00.002-04:00

I had such a lovely time with my family the last few days! Here is a group shot of us all as we left the NYFA party! Left to right: My Stepson, My Husband, Michael, our granddaughter, My husband's niece, Alice, Myself, and our daughter, Beatrice. A super special evening.... Thanks to NYFA(New York Foundation fo the Arts) for making it so special!

Visit my summer schedule upper right hand corner tab, "FIND ME HERE"...

I'm also looking to maybe do a road trip in 2014 MN down to Missouri... so if you are on that route...and you might want me to visit with a lecture/trunkshow/workshop...
shoot me an email! CLICK HERE!

Thank you for all your nice comments on yesterday's post! HUGS!

Quilts being delivered today! MORE PLEASE!

visit:

http://bumblebeansbasics.com/project/the-child-family-institute/

~~~

Double Edged Love will be here! Be sure to visit & Suport the Museum!

May 8 - July 21, 2013
Milestones: Textiles of Transition

Milestones: Textiles of Transition explores how historic and contemporary textiles have been created for and continue to signify moments of transition—birth, marriage, and death, among others—and the unique bond these textiles have with our universal human experience. As material objects they play an important role in all of our life passages, either as utilitarian objects, or as ceremonial and symbolic pieces.

Milestones: Textiles of Transition seeks to facilitate a dialog between the traditional commemorative or functional textiles and modern interpretations of these familiar experiences by contemporary artists. Comprised of approximately forty objects, the exhibition includes a wide variety of textiles including historic baby and wedding quilts, ethnographic works such as kuba velvets and bani guili beadwork (worn during puberty rites) and provocative quilts, sculptures, and installations by contemporary artists pursuing these timeless themes.

In a series of lovely vignettes, Luminarium Dance Company’s Threading Motion Project artfully merges projected art quilts with dance performances. Two of the quilts are by local SF Bay Area fiber artists Judith Content and Sonya Lee Barrington. You can view a clip of the film here.

Some highlights from the exhibition include:

• Historic textiles from the museum’s and private collections such as baby quilts, double wedding ring quilts, and quilts with specific wedding-related provenance.
• Bridezilla, a contemporary wedding dress by Noël Palomo-Lovinski, commenting on problems and preoccupations facing today’s brides contrasts with a traditional lace bride’s dress.
• The Scream Within by Linda Friedman Schmidt, speaking to the rapid transitions and frustrations of infancy
• Bonne Nuit, a colorful Day of the Dead-inspired skeleton quilt by Wendeanne Ke’aka Stitt, narrating a touching and personal homage to her friends who have passed on
• A selection of Kuba cloth (African raffia textiles from a private collection) usually exhibited in large stacks at funerals to show the accumulation of wealth of an individual
• Beverly Rayner’s powerful installation Accretion, a sculpted coat with a long train of ephemera— cards, mementos, and notes of an individual, this heartrending piece looks at a lifetime of memory with this collection of things we leave behind
• Mary Mazziotti’s playful and foreboding embroidered vintage clothing that offers homilies about death and reminds us that life is fragile and death is the ultimate destination.
• Deidre Scherer’s sensitively chronicled series, The Last Year, portrays the final record in the life of an elderly woman

Contemporary artists featured include: Paula Chung, Susan Else, Kate Kretz, Victoria May, Mary Mazziotti, Stephanie Metz, Noël Palomo-Lovinski, Erica Spitzer Rasmussen, Beverly Raynor, Deidre Scherer, Linda Friedman Schmidt, Wendeanne Ke’aka Stitt, Ruth Tabancay, Angie Wilson, Victoria Findlay Wolfe, Lisa Sipes and Luminarium Dance Company

journeys

2013-04-24T09:44:00.002-04:00

I realized something last night...

My daughter and I really are two peas in a pod...

And I really am a happy, proud, lucky girl.

This morning, as we do each day,

we read affirmations together as a family, and I want to share with you today's...

Our lives are patchwork quilts of mismatched fabrics, all stitched together by an invisible seamstress. The tattered, blood-red scraps of quarrels, the beige of pastry crust baked on Saturdays in a grandmother's kitchen that always smelled sweet, the brilliant colors of our happy moments-picnics and sunsets and laughter-all these are necessary pieces of the tapestry of our lives, even our cold, white doubts and emptiness.

All colors of life sewn together with the green thread of growth. We are a mixture of feelings and experiences. Often, we want to cut away a square of painful memory. But without it, our quilt would lose it's beauty, for contrast would disappear. If a piece is removed, the rest is weakened and incomplete.

(from: Today's gift, Daily Meditations for Families)

I love that it was about quilts. Could it be more timely? I feel that way about my quilts... I like them to have a good story in them...otherwise it is a "nothing" quilt. Most times they are not obvious stories, and sometimes you can read them like an open book... Rather like my "Double Edged love" it might not be an obvious story, but all that interweaving of past and present of where I was, and a where I am now...it's good to reflect, acknowledge and move on.

I also like how life and making quilts leads you on unexpected journeys... Sometimes quilts make me want to pull my hair out, and sometimes so do relationships! But you work a bit harder, try a something new to change the dance, then all of a sudden something beautiful emerges...

That part, feels soooo good.

...I'm off to play a bit more with family, then back to work tomorrow...

I have three quilts here, ready to baste, then quilt.

After such a fun week, I am itching to start a new project.

Do your quilts tell stories?

GOOD STUFF.

2013-04-23T08:09:00.005-04:00

ALL GOOD STUFF TODAY!!!

I whipped up the quilting on a new quilt yesterday, it felt GOOD to get that done! Then I scanned my emails to see what was new, and this picture arrived!

KJ & DJ

How ADORABLE is this? My GOOD Friend Ayana's twin boys at their baptism! Ooh, I just want to go snuggle them both... SOON! That just made me SMILE!!!

I had reason to whip up another quilt for someone battling something, not fun...but GOOD that we can all help. So I grabbed 12 blocks from the stash of ANVIL blocks for these quilts, and whipped this up quick yesterday.. I am going to quilt it now, quickly, wash, bind and post today... The blocks you guys sent to make these quilts for peeps who need a quilt hug, have been life savers...THANK YOU! This is quilt #2 out of that batch of blocks, and I have enough for one more... In the past month alone, three friends were diagnosed with some sort of cancer... I hope this one brightens her day a bit, with all the love that went into these blocks from you guys...

A squishy package arrived for me today! SILKS! Thanks Sarah for these beauties! THANK YOU! I must think about a second silk quilt! These are so lovely! I must play! This made my day!

And lastly, here's my two dress options for tonight... (So excited for my man!) I let my hubby pick both dresses, and also let him pick which I will wear tonight...
The foxy red one or the 1950's vintage Sequin number....
Guess what he chose?

He chose Sparkles! ;-) the winner. He's happy!

Pics tomorrow.

Can you think of a good quilt-y deed to do today?
What if we all popped a package a scraps off to a dear quilt-y friend, just to surprise them?
Just because?

Make someone smile today.

20 things...

2013-04-21T21:04:00.003-04:00

My "20 Things" quilt, was the only thing I worked on this weekend. I appliquéd my circles down, and then started the hand quilting. I just love it...and I hope it finds a good hope at the auction.

I had a bit of fun on Saturday night. I surprised my husband by having my stepson and granddaughter fly in from Seattle. He had no idea! I got him up from bed and took him the the front door just as they were walking in! He was so surprised... he nearly fell right over! ( I have a few more surprises for him too!) Considering he's the hardest person to buy things for, this was the best, as it was so special to him. ;-) YAY!

My hubby is one of four people in the art world, being honored on Tuesday night, by NYFA, New York Foundation of the Arts. I thought, his son and granddaughter must be there to celebrate with us! So I have company this week, and won't be getting much sewing done...
This hand work is just enough for me to do this week! Maybe I will get it done!

Have a great week! My big decision will be the Red dress or the vintage 1950's SpArkLy one.
Got a vote?
Do you have a hand project going on right now? What is it?

Weekend YAY!!!

2013-04-20T00:01:00.000-04:00

Maria L! You are a amazing! Thank you for dropping off TEN baby quilts for BASICS today!!! I rcvd a bunch more boxes this week, my mail lady wants to know why I get some many boxes...I told her I have so many fabulous friends out there who share!!! THANK YOU!!!

I am planning on being LAZY this weekend... lazy lazy LAZY!
I may only sew on polka dots...
That's it.
How about you?

What's up?

2013-04-18T17:08:00.002-04:00

Gosh,where did the week go? Crazy busy week here, but all good. Whipping up some finishes!
One is my "20" themed quilt for the Quilt Alliance...

http://www.allianceforamericanquilts.org/projects/galleries/TWENTY/guidelines/

Here's mine!

See what I mean? How can you have abad day after you read that? ;-)

More quilts please!

9 HUGE boxes are being delivered this week to the Parent-Infant center! YAY!!
We need more though, so keep them coming, we will accept quilts until June 1st.
Thanks!

Question of the day:
Bindings, do you machine them all, or do you machine and hand stich them?
Do you enjoy it?

I love binding the backs by hand watching my favorite tv shows at night...
;-)

All put back together....

2013-04-15T08:14:00.001-04:00

WOW! It feels nice to have a nice clean studio space at my house! Why did I leave my space for so long, so boring? LOL! Now It's clean, reorganized and fresh! Check out my daughter's child size play table above right... I covered it with batting and fabric and I have a new iron table low, so I can sit, sew, and iron all in one go... YAY!!! Finding old pieces of furniture that we are not using, and repurposing them has worked nicely for me! If you look way down below where my long arm is, I took the old bookcase that was in my studio, and put it there for my thread etc... and above that. I had an open hanging book rack from Beatrice's nursery, still in storage, so I hung it up and use it as a way to hang quilts!

Where my long arm sits, is a room that leads to my garage, so no windows...I try to keep it bright an fun with colors, so it does not feel to dismal down there... In the summer, I will be able to leave the door open, and have a view out into the yard through the garage... better then nothing!

Still getting stuff in order, and have not had time to play on my machine yet... I still have to order stuff before I can actually sew on it.. Looks like JUne before I will try it out! Oh well... It's there waiting for me...I think she needs a name... Whatever shall I call it? I just called it a she, so that's a start!

What area of your sewing space do you like the most?

studio make over

2013-04-13T20:11:00.001-04:00

Ever since we remodeled, (2004!) I have had our old kitchen sink and cabinet in my studio... All the paint had flaked off it from being left out in the rain by the construction workers, at the time... I had every intention at the time to PAINT it... yet... I never did.. I decided today was the day my studio at our house on long island needed a make over.... starting, with that cabinet!

TADA! I did it! I sanded it, and painted it! FINALLY! 13 years it sat all yucky looking! Now today, is a new day! Not only did I paint the cabinet, but I took out the small section of "ripped out from another part of the house" book case that sat on the ledge behind the sink, and got new SHELVES put in! The studio here is not very big and my space is VERY limited. I have it packed with three tables and my ironing board, and one wall is, (below)

All windows... so it's hard to re arrange the space.... I have one Large design wall, and one tiny one over another table... so, in the summer, I spill out onto my deck, and sew out side, lay quilts out on the lawn, etc... like above... everything got taken OUT of the studio today, and cleaned, and now, I am folding and folding and refolding, fabric.... and organizing... I guess it must really be spring!

It's still quite a mess... will show you more when it's ALL clean!

I'm getting there, slowly but surely! No time to play on the Handiquilter long arm, either.. I still need to get that all working right... and need a lesson on how to even begin! LOL!

Beautiful weather today... Hope it was a perfect Saturday for you!

A photo journey

2013-04-11T00:01:00.000-04:00

Inspiration... My Chalkware carnival toys....

Made fabric on Spoonflower 4 years ago,and never knew what to do with it.

Cleaned my studio, and hmmmm, ideas sparked... what if I....

Whip up a dresden out of fabrics I should just fold and put away! How about that polka dot! Reminds me of a clowns outfit... prairie points? Even better! BIG TOP!

Hmmm, more fabrics that might work... Bunting, Need bunting! Flying geese, makes me think about the HBO show, Carnivàle circling charlatan's, carnies and pop up religious charlatan preachers....
Since my carnival toys/fabrics include dolls and the Mother Mary, it makes for a nice fit!

Needs more circling... Crows, improv crows...

...a bit to straight on the crows but I will come back to those....

Time for some crosses... with fabrics made from mother mary's hands and heart! Saviours and protectors!

...Must have more crows... to complete the circle...

...Knock out more improv crows... set the corners ...

"When Crows Fly" 62" X 76"

Done.
Fabrics that I had made 4 years ago, came to life when I was cleaning my studio. One random thought, lead to another, and another, and then, Magic aha moments....

It was a good studio cleaning day!

In a creative rut?
Clean your work space!

INFO on DBL

2013-04-09T00:01:00.000-04:00

Patty asked about the colors...Those are all decisions I make when I was exploring... how do I fracture that pattern of the double wedding ring... how do I blow it apart... change the traditional into something modern? by each color and placement..., the muslin, the pink, black... a light, medium and dark, explore the depths of color... White pushes forward, black pushes away, the pink pops in between... it changes the pattern depending on where it lays... Pops of RED and one lavender bar help draw the eye around the quilt, so you can't just focus on one thing... and the pink is a very settling color...

That is just some of the things I think about... It's all about layers, the directions we take in life don't always make sense, and yet, the circle brings up that idea of full circle moments... Respecting where I came from, and where I am now... We are all like onions, filled with layers... and this quilt... well, is very personal to me, and my own journey... Am I protective about sharing everything about it. Yes...
But maybe this gives you a glimpse?

Schaumburg...

2013-04-08T00:01:00.000-04:00

My grandmother Elda Wolfe's Quilt.

I had so much fun in Schaumburg, IL at the Sewing & Quilting Expo! I taught a few workshops on 15 Minutes of play, and then I popped over to talk about the 13 quilts hanging from my book, 15 Minutes of Play. I have to tell you, walking over to see the quilts hanging, and seeing my grandmother's quilt there, brought me a few tears.... I wish she could have seen the work I do now, based on what I learned from watching her work... I think she'd be having a good chuckle about it now... and be so proud.

It was great fun, telling the stories behind each of the quilts... Perhaps I will see you at some of the other shows...

Speaking of FUN, pals from all over the internet came by to say hi, hug, and or take the workshops...Putting a face tot he emails makes such a wonderful connection... I'm very grateful for all my quilty friends!

Saturday morning, I had some free time, so I went and jumped in on Lisa Sipes Long arm quilting class! I figure, now that I have a HANDI QUILTER, I best get to know how to use the darn thing! Who better then to learn from, but my partner in crime, on the "DOUBLE EDGED LOVE" quilt, Lisa Sipes! Waaaay to much fun, and now I am super excited to get my machine up and running!

Speaking of which... If you want to read about how the quilt came to be, check out the MAY issue of AQS American Quilter magazine... page 86. Maybe it will make sense to you then. ;-)

I may do a little video for you tomorrow, about the quilt,while I sit and wait for the plumber to come...

;-) my kitchen sink is on the fritz as well as my leaky water heater... no dishes for me to wash today!!

Is there a quilt design that you want to make one day, that you haven't yet?

Or a design you think you never will make?