Quilts: Questions and Quests

Crazy quilt bought at resale shop.  Fabrics literally disintegrating.

Hand Pieced and hand quilted.

     The class goes well.   We've learned a great deal about the history of quilting in the USA and had several guests in to share quilts made by family members and/or maybe purchased ( or rescued) from flea markets, yard sales or resale shops.  Students are researching the traditions of quilting from other cultures across the world and will be sharing their findings within a few weeks.
       The majority of the students are constructing a Log Cabin block, and a few have ventured out and are working on blocks they designed themselves, which is proving to be an interesting learning experience too.
       Students are reading Chiaverini's The Runaway Quilter and we'll be discussing that next week.

PINTEREST is totally ADDICTIVE

        I've gotten nothing done this week for browsing around in Pinterest.   It is totally absorbing.  There is something about exploring your own and others likes and dislikes that makes this site so fascinating.   It provides lots of other things as well, such as DIY projects, Recipes of all kinds, all kinds of products, and processes you can get lost in.   I must break the habit before it becomes a habit.   But Alas, I think it already has.

RED HAT LADIES

We have six birthdays coming up in the Red Hatters, so BD cards were in order.   Since I've been so lax, I decided to make a few cards for the upcoming occasion.   Nothing like a Red Hatter Birthday Celebration.

Roaming the WEB

Plummer Pettway (1918-1993)  Roman Stripes

I've spent way to much of today roaming the web.   Decided earlier to catch up on what my favorite blogsters were doing and learned about a site called "Pinterest"from Melody Johnson.   It's a fascinating place where people digitally pin-up their favorite sites of interests and others can see this and access the sites too.  It's fun seeing what others have pinned-up that is of interest to you also.

It was there on someone's Pinterest that I found the Gees Bend site.  I've always loved the black and white Pettway quilt from that group, along with several others.   

While roaming around in the Pinterest site, I found also a vegan-non fat site that had some awesome recipes.   Even though I'm following pretty closely  Dr. Fuhrman's  Eat to Live advice, I still find I crave sweets a little sometime and she has some recipes that appear to be what I need to address that craving.  

I sure intend to try some out over the next few weeks.

       

In visiting the blogs I follow, I found several other new ventures that people are embarked upon and joined one or two new blogger sites.   When I've been away a while, it takes sometime for me to get back up and at 'em.   I can feel the surge rising in me now though and I getting antsy to get downstairs to my studio and get going. Vegan

Where has the summer gone?

I can't believe it's been over two months since last I posted here.  Where has my summer gone?

I've been traveling...

to grandsons graduations in Buffalo

And another graduation in Michigan

And to the beach in NC --after Irene

And online with Carol Miller at Quilt U.

studying gradations and transparencies.

Our quilting group took a break for the summer and now it's time for us to start -up again.   And I'm teaching a seminar at the university called 'QUILTS:  QUESTIONS AND QUESTS. "   It's been and is a busy time, full of joy and good  times.   So much to be thankful for.

Quilt National, 2011

My Personal Favorite

On Saturday, June 11, three friends and I drove over to the Dairy Barn in Athens, OH to see the new Quilt National '11 exhibition there.   IT BLEW OUR MINDS.   It was amazing.   My personal favorite was the quilt above, but there were so many works of art that I was astounded.

I hope to return with a class of students in the fall before the exhibit begins to travel to other venues.

I finally finished and sent in my quilt for the Ebony Stitchers Exhibit in Atlanta next month.   Well, I sent in the digital photos, the application and the entry fee, now I'm waiting to see if it will be accepted for the show.   It will be in conjunction with the National Black Arts Festival  starting July 5 - 27.  

I titled it, "AFRICAN INSPIRATION: Made in America" ( wish I'd had real african fabric then so I could have entered ethnic theme category).  The piece was first conceived when I was making the tote bags with the African masks.   Later it became a wall hanging for a friend, from whom I borrowed it back and enhanced further with beads and ribbons, then added the background quilt as frame of hand quilted burlap.

Now, back to WIPs and dreaming of new projects.

Finished Pieces

          The Piecemakers had their show last Sunday.   Now we are on break until the fall.   We had a great end of  the year meeting to decide projects for next year for ourselves and for our community give a way.   I'm torn about that because often times I just want to do what I want to do and not what the group wants.  Still I enjoy seeing the things the group does, but I'm just not one for doing the same block 30 times for a full size quilt.  Well we'll see what the new season brings later.

The Pineapple trial kit

the final finished  quilted
fabric photo, 

TWO deer stopped by to eat flowers and pose in yard/

My friend' Sandee's " Birthday Card.

It always feels good to finish up a piece, no matter what.

Piecemakers annual quilt show

     The Huntington WV Piecemakers had their annual show on May 22, 2011.   To see some lovely quilts, go to  Huntington WV Piecemakers  and enjoy.   It was a rainy day, but we had a wonderful turn-out, good food, and joy and appreciation by all.

Amy's Creative Bloggers' Online Quilt Festival:: Spring 2011

Hellooooo Amy's followers.

Below you will find my entry into this year's Bloggers Online Quilt Festival. Since this is my first entry, I am very excited.

The quilt is titled Mountain Mama's Garden. I've done several quilts focused on the hills of West Virginia; the earlier ones were wall hanging sizes, but I've wanted to do a big quilt using this theme for quite some time. Last fall, I took a class in crazy quilting and decided to try a crazy quilt landscape. And VOILA!

The Process

I love the effect of light caught in facets of space that is created by the crazy block form and the mix of color values. I enjoyed making this quilt. Piecing the blocks was exciting and I couldn't wait to finish that part. A few weeks before I began this quilt, I'd purchased some gold and silver thread at a yard sale that seemed perfect for hand quilting the sun and a few rays.

A closer view.

My sun center rather resembles a bird.  Hmmmm, maybe a phoenix.

 I debated back and forth between hand quilting and machine quilting. I have a fairly new Handi-quilter 16 and decided quilting this piece would give me more practice in using it. So I machine appliqued a few clouds in the sky and  echo quilted around them. Then, I quilted the hills, and lastly the flowers. The machine quilting went well until I got to the hills and changed threads. It seems the tension went haywire. It didn't return to normal  even stitching until after I'd finished that section and changed treads again.  I learned that I need the same kind of thread on the spool as in the bobbin for smooth quilting.   Each time I use my handi-quilter, I learn new things. My handi-quilter is the sit down model, with the table, so all quilting is hand guided.  As I am still learning to machine quilt, tips and suggestions are very welcome.

Mountain Mama's flower garden.

I am so happy blogger is back up and I can participate in this spring's Blogger's Online Quilt Festival.

For Springtime is Your time is My Time...

                                                  In the cracked pot

                                                   on the front patio;
                                         where no one but I could see them
                                           Bloomed the sweet hyaccinth.