I always find it a good day when I get to spend time in the sewing room piecing or quilting. Today is one of those days and I get bonus time as my dmil decided to stay home and I do not have to make dinner tonight! Yahoo! Dh and I are going out for dinner with another couple. So watch out sewing room here I come.
I finished piecing one of the two quilt tops for the guild. The other should be finished later today. I'm going to go to my lqs (The Quilt Cottage) this morning to pick up batting. I never have enough on hand it seems. One other thing I would really like to do is get a quilt top backed & batted. The batting I have chosen for it is wool and I'm really excited about the possibility of hand quilting. I can hardly wait to get started. I've heard such amazing things about the wool batting. On my next trip to Wisconsin to visit my family I am going to stop at the Cedarburg Woolen Mill and buy some of theirs. As much as I'm grateful for the bigger companies that can offer lower prices I like to support the little companies as well.
The other day at the coffee shop I sat & quilted trying to become somewhat familiar with the new hand quilting method. I think if I wasn't quilting curves it would have gone a bit better, but hey, we all have to start some where.
Happy Quilting!
Teri
Friday, August 31, 2007
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Having fun with Fabric
Two members of one of my guilds has given us a challenge for the summer make quilts for our charities. They provided a good bit of the fabric and we come up with the rest. I resisted at first, there is always so much quilting to be accomplished for the totes that I just wasn't sure I'd have time. While I was at a meeting last week with my quilt show co-chair she mentioned the challenge again and said that there was one fabric that just hadn't been taken. I looked and couldn't resist. So I brought home yards of fabric to be made into at least two quilts and need to have them completed by our September meeting. (Did I mention this is about 2 weeks away?) The fabric that wasn't taken by anyone has stripes, and not just any stripes floral stripes and long quarter inch black stripes. Black is one of my colors, I really like how it allows other colors to sing and pop. I cut the fabric into 15" squares, cut those on the diagonal, mixed and matched until I had each grouping sorted correctly and then put them back together again. Each block is different! I never cease to be amazed at how fabric can appear to change and how with a little imagination we quilters can make something work, even when it doesn't particularly appeal to our sensibilities. The second fabric is black with pink roses and the third is a floral as well with green and purple smudges all over (this description sounds awful but it's really a sweet fabric.)
I cut some of the rose fabric into 10" squares and wanted to frame the fabric on two sides using the attic squares technique and a strip of the striped floral fabric and see what happens. I used Eleanor Burns technique for getting that perfect mitered corner and all my lines matched up, can I just tell you what a sigh of relief escaped my lips? I'm often concerned that I'll mess up these techniques and am so happy when it works! It will be an interesting moment to see how these quilts come out with the different blocks and patterns that are presenting as I stitch a long.
As a quilter I like to design as I go. For me this adds a sense of spontaneity in my quilts that works for me. I get to be surprised, like opening an unexpected gift. I have planned a lot of my quilts as well and have enjoyed the process and the results as well.
Happy Quilting!
Teri
I cut some of the rose fabric into 10" squares and wanted to frame the fabric on two sides using the attic squares technique and a strip of the striped floral fabric and see what happens. I used Eleanor Burns technique for getting that perfect mitered corner and all my lines matched up, can I just tell you what a sigh of relief escaped my lips? I'm often concerned that I'll mess up these techniques and am so happy when it works! It will be an interesting moment to see how these quilts come out with the different blocks and patterns that are presenting as I stitch a long.
As a quilter I like to design as I go. For me this adds a sense of spontaneity in my quilts that works for me. I get to be surprised, like opening an unexpected gift. I have planned a lot of my quilts as well and have enjoyed the process and the results as well.
Happy Quilting!
Teri
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Drive-in Movies
Last night dh and I went to a drive-in movie. There are three that we know of within a 2 hour drive of home and we go when we can. It's a date night for us. We drive out to the town, do a little pre-movie shopping and a bite to eat for dinner, a few snack food and enjoy the evening watching movies. Poor dh has to go to work today however, he'll be fine.
We saw Mr. Bean's Holiday and The Bourne Ultimatum. Two good movies! I like Rowan Atkinson from all of the British Comedy we've seen him in over the years, including the Bean series. This guy just cracks me up. We could hear others around us laughing just as hard as we were! The best part of this movie is that it is rated "G"! The Bourne Ultimatum is rated PG-13 and left itself with an opportunity for a fourth movie. I will say this, I was pleasantly surprised and the movie is very fast paced. All in all a good night.
Happy quilting!
Teri
We saw Mr. Bean's Holiday and The Bourne Ultimatum. Two good movies! I like Rowan Atkinson from all of the British Comedy we've seen him in over the years, including the Bean series. This guy just cracks me up. We could hear others around us laughing just as hard as we were! The best part of this movie is that it is rated "G"! The Bourne Ultimatum is rated PG-13 and left itself with an opportunity for a fourth movie. I will say this, I was pleasantly surprised and the movie is very fast paced. All in all a good night.
Happy quilting!
Teri
Monday, August 27, 2007
A day at the Fair
I'm a City girl. I grew up in a small town but I love living in or near a "Big City" with all it has to offer. The gift is that there is so much available and there's always something to do. One thing I've come to really appreciate is local, county & state fairs. They're the best. Getting the opportunity to see the hard work and really loved effort of folks who live in the country is just amazing to me. The cows & pigs and llama's and hand work just awe's me.
So yesterday dh, a friend and I went to the Dutchess County Fair (http://www.dutchessfair.com/). There's one booth that we have lunch each year because we like the food and the folks behind the counter. We arrived at just the right time yesterday because breakfast and lunch were both choices, our friend had breakfast, we had lunch. A great deal for sure. Many of the vendors are the same each year and they have new items with them. At last years fair I bought two hand-knit woolen sweaters one for me and one for my as yet to be born nephew (he's 7 1/2 months now!) Thankfully I have a very talented friend as she took up the sleeves for me. I'm so grateful!!
The fairgrounds has a permanent exhibit of locally made or locally used items in the "medium technology" range. These would be thinks like an old maytag washer where you'd have to crank the handle to get as much water out of the clothing before hanging it out on the line and a display of an old mercantile. In two separate displays there were Singer treadle sewing machines. The older Singers were beauties and many made in Elizabethport, NJ. They are pretty machines from the craftsmanship to the beautiful decal work.
I own a Model 15 from made June 14, 1910 that began life as a treadle. My dream is to have it restored. I also have a Model 15 from the 1950's. How they changed over the years! These are probably the only Singer sewing machines I will ever own, and they're pretty.
I also was able to chat with a woman I see every year at the fair and maybe another quilt show or two. We talk for a few minutes and then move on. It's a quilter thing. I learned this year two things 1) she knows how to quilt using Lixiun Newmans method and she let me stand over her shoulder and watch for a few minutes. While I think there will be a learning curve I'm more confident than ever to tackle this method of hand quilting and 2) about quilt shows - she's the co-chair for the Dutchess Quilt Show (http://www.dhquiltshow.org/). What a coup! I picked her brain for a few moments for some information for the Village Squares 2008 show. I have some things to think about and present to my co-chair and committee. How things work is sometimes just amazing!
Happy quilting!
Teri
So yesterday dh, a friend and I went to the Dutchess County Fair (http://www.dutchessfair.com/). There's one booth that we have lunch each year because we like the food and the folks behind the counter. We arrived at just the right time yesterday because breakfast and lunch were both choices, our friend had breakfast, we had lunch. A great deal for sure. Many of the vendors are the same each year and they have new items with them. At last years fair I bought two hand-knit woolen sweaters one for me and one for my as yet to be born nephew (he's 7 1/2 months now!) Thankfully I have a very talented friend as she took up the sleeves for me. I'm so grateful!!
The fairgrounds has a permanent exhibit of locally made or locally used items in the "medium technology" range. These would be thinks like an old maytag washer where you'd have to crank the handle to get as much water out of the clothing before hanging it out on the line and a display of an old mercantile. In two separate displays there were Singer treadle sewing machines. The older Singers were beauties and many made in Elizabethport, NJ. They are pretty machines from the craftsmanship to the beautiful decal work.
I own a Model 15 from made June 14, 1910 that began life as a treadle. My dream is to have it restored. I also have a Model 15 from the 1950's. How they changed over the years! These are probably the only Singer sewing machines I will ever own, and they're pretty.
I also was able to chat with a woman I see every year at the fair and maybe another quilt show or two. We talk for a few minutes and then move on. It's a quilter thing. I learned this year two things 1) she knows how to quilt using Lixiun Newmans method and she let me stand over her shoulder and watch for a few minutes. While I think there will be a learning curve I'm more confident than ever to tackle this method of hand quilting and 2) about quilt shows - she's the co-chair for the Dutchess Quilt Show (http://www.dhquiltshow.org/). What a coup! I picked her brain for a few moments for some information for the Village Squares 2008 show. I have some things to think about and present to my co-chair and committee. How things work is sometimes just amazing!
Happy quilting!
Teri
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Special Birthdays
My husband & I had the opportunity to celebrate a friends upcoming 50th birthday last night. What a hoot! A family style Italian dinner was served and delicious from beginning to end. It was also a time to renew some acquaintances as a few folks we hadn't seen in a couple of years were there. Oh how fun!!
One of my friends moved from near here to the far side of the state. She joined a quilt guild but doesn't quilt! Isn't that a hoot. She sits there chatting away while the rest of the ladies quilt. Since she now has her first grand child I'm going to set her up with a little quilt kit and maybe, just maybe we'll have a new quilter!
We're off to the fair - more later
Happy quilting!
Teri
One of my friends moved from near here to the far side of the state. She joined a quilt guild but doesn't quilt! Isn't that a hoot. She sits there chatting away while the rest of the ladies quilt. Since she now has her first grand child I'm going to set her up with a little quilt kit and maybe, just maybe we'll have a new quilter!
We're off to the fair - more later
Happy quilting!
Teri
Saturday, August 25, 2007
My first blog
Well, here I am, deciding to blog and enjoying how easy it is so far. My inspiration for beginning this new venture is my "new" friend Dawn Marie (http://friendshiparoundthefire.blogspot.com/). Dawn & I "met" years ago on-line and have just missed meeting each other several times until just recently. We had a lovely sewing day at Neen's went to DM's lqs and bought fabric! Woohoo. Anytime to buy fabric is a good time.
Dawn Marie and I have a challenge on for the next Maine State Quilt Guild Show - we each have a quilt to finish. Last night I worked on my quilt for several hours and the top is nearly completed. I have to add that I've had the blocks on my design wall (fancy term for a double bed that is standing up) for about a year now. Once I started though it didn't take long to get to where I am now.
This particular quilt is a tribute to two of my favorite quilters - Alex Anderson and Jinny Beyer. Both women have added so much to my quilting life and I'm grateful! The blocks are NY Beauty blocks and I'm using fabric from Alex's & Jinny's fabric lines. The fun part of getting so much sewing done last night is that I got so much sewing done last night. I'm pleased with how the quilt is progressing. I'll take photo's soon and post them.
Happy quilting!
Teri
Oh a bit of a funny - we quilters often find kindred spirits when it comes to fabric - I found one in Neen. At the Quilt Show in Manchester we both reached up and "petted" the Rhapsodee Colorie fabric (Ricky Tims new fabric line) at the same time and then about doubled over giggling!
Dawn Marie and I have a challenge on for the next Maine State Quilt Guild Show - we each have a quilt to finish. Last night I worked on my quilt for several hours and the top is nearly completed. I have to add that I've had the blocks on my design wall (fancy term for a double bed that is standing up) for about a year now. Once I started though it didn't take long to get to where I am now.
This particular quilt is a tribute to two of my favorite quilters - Alex Anderson and Jinny Beyer. Both women have added so much to my quilting life and I'm grateful! The blocks are NY Beauty blocks and I'm using fabric from Alex's & Jinny's fabric lines. The fun part of getting so much sewing done last night is that I got so much sewing done last night. I'm pleased with how the quilt is progressing. I'll take photo's soon and post them.
Happy quilting!
Teri
Oh a bit of a funny - we quilters often find kindred spirits when it comes to fabric - I found one in Neen. At the Quilt Show in Manchester we both reached up and "petted" the Rhapsodee Colorie fabric (Ricky Tims new fabric line) at the same time and then about doubled over giggling!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
