Circle of Life Continues

A friend of mine recently had a new granddaughter & this is the quilt I made for her. If it looks familiar, it's because it is a variation of the pattern I designed that was published in Fons & Porter's Love of Quilting Magazine in 2006. My sewing & quilting were much more accurate on this quilt than the first, you know, practice makes perfect... I may have to make another one sometime just to prove the pattern deserves better than 4th place at the fair.

Speaking of the fair, I'll find out tomorrow evening if I earned any ribbons at this year's fair. I'll let you know.

Keep on stitchin'

Deb

State Fair Time

The dog days of summer have officially arrived here in Iowa. After the coolest July on record, the temps have climbed into the upper 80's today & are forecast to stay there or go higher the rest of the week. The grass is a little crispy as you walk across the lawn & the weeds seem to have overtaken everything.

Of course, with the onset of August & the beginning of school just around the corner, it also means it must be time for the Iowa State Fair. I suspect many think their state fair is the best, but I'm pretty sure Iowa's is at least in the top 10 across the country. Actually, I think I heard one time that only Texas has a bigger (& possibly better) state fair.

Although I don't remember attending the state fair more than a few times as a child, it has been a 'can't-miss' event for me for many years. I even worked at the fair for a couple of years taking tickets at grandstand events. It was a great way to see all the musical acts for free, plus I got free parking in the infield of the track. As I get older, the walking & heat tend to take its toll after a while, but I still go, usually at least a couple of times.

For years I admired the many quilts, sewing & needlework projects that were exhibited at the fair & dreamed that maybe someday I would create something worthy of entering the competition. In 2006, shortly after one of my quilts was published in Fons & Porter's Love of Quilting Magazine, I decided the time had come. Alas, I was a day late & a dollar short. The deadline for entries had already passed. I did get it entered the next year & got a 4th place ribbon. At the time, I'm sure I thought it deserved a better ribbon, but when I look at the quilt now, I can see that the workmanship just isn't that impressive. Not to be deterred, I have entered something every year since. Last year I won a second place ribbon...I'm improving!

Above, left, is a photo of one of my entries this year. For those of you who wouldn't know, it is a fabric portrait of my husband, Randy. I made it based on instructions from a class I took online at Quilt University. Marilyn Brelsford was the instructor. I think it is a very good likeness, although, some of the gals who were checking entries in at the fair on Saturday thought it bore a strong resemblance to Bill Clinton. This was my first attempt at a fabric portrait & I learned a lot. There are definitely some things I will do differently next time.

My second entry at the fair this year is the quilt on the right called Wild Rose. It's also a product of a class I took. Barbara Riggs from Des Moines was the teacher. I was satisfied with the way it turned out, but she deserves most of the credit since she drew the pattern & we were provided a kit with the fabric. I do especially like the leaves. It required some extreme positioning on the fabric to get the shading in the proper places.

Now, it's a waiting game. I'll find out on Wednesday, August 12, if either of my quilts were awarded a ribbon. I'll let you know.

Keep on stitchin'

Deb

Row, Row, Row

Procrastination is my middle name. Instead of working outside in the gorgeous spring weather on that endless list of chores, I'm choosing to fiddle around on the computer. Where's my willpower?

I created this original design two years ago for the local quilt shop. I then taught a class whereby the students learned how to cut & piece one row a month & in so doing, the object was to learn 6 new techniques. I was actually able to incorporate more than 6, so they got a little bonus.

My favorite row was the diamond-shaped log cabins. They are all paper-pieced. It was very time consuming & I certainly wouldn't want to do an entire quilt in this block. But it was still enjoyable & oh-so-accurate!

The quilt shop owner suggested I use their just-in Civil War prints, so that was a real challenge. I tend to use brighter colors in my quilts & my absolute favorite fabrics are the 30's prints.

Time to get busy outside!

PS. I think I need a class in photography!

More Japanese Puzzle

On the left is phase two of my Japanese Puzzle quilt. This photo was taken after I had trimmed each of the four-patches using the diamond template, but before I began sewing everything together. Notice how much more square it looks as compared to the previous picture. This is one quilt that I absolutely had to keep on my design wall while I worked on it. It would have been really easy to mix things up & sew them in the wrong order.

The picture on the right is of the completed quilt top. I'm reasonably happy with the way it turned out & might make another one sometime in some higher-contrast colors.

A New WIP

This is my latest project, although really more of a diversion. I signed up to take this class through the Learning Fiber Arts Yahoo group. It's called Japanese Puzzle & involves sewing four-patches together, centering an off-kilter diamond template on each four-patch, trimming & sewing them back together. The biggest key to success for this pattern as far as I can tell is to use fairly high-contrast fabrics. I'm not sure mine will work (too many mediums, a problem many quilters encounter), but I thought it would do for an experiment.

I found this fabric at Walmart, go figure! Yes, I do buy fabric at Walmart sometimes, especially for something like this that is just an experiment. All the blue & green prints were prepackaged as 8 fat quarters for less than $10. I bought the light blue & light green to use as borders, but decided today to incorporate it into the quilt as well.

Let me know what you think. It's still on the design wall so it would be easy to change. But once I start sewing, forget it! Un-sewing is NOT my passion!

It's Finished

As promised, here is a photo of the quilt I made for my son-in-law's 40th birthday. It may be difficult to see, but it is a signature quilt. Everyone at his surprise party signed their name & some of them included a message. The hearts are fused on a black background with a zigzag stitch around them. The binding, although you can't tell in this picture, is the same as the back, a tie-dyed looking fabric.

This quilt was a fun one to make & didn't take too long. I have already started a second one & am changing it a little. Rather than the hearts radiating out from the center in straight lines they will swirl in arcs. I hope it turns out as well as I have it pictured in my mind. I can't always make my hands do what my imagination has created!

Time Flies

I can't believe it's been over a month since my last post. Since I enjoy looking at the pictures on the blogs that I follow, I want to try to include at least one photo with each of my posts. Aye, there's the rub...no completed projects to post. Not that I've been idle. I just don't have anything actually finished.

Last week was my son-in-law's 40th birthday. Of course, I decided he needed a quilt to mark such a milestone. I had the top pretty much done & decided it just wasn't working. The tie-dyed-looking background fabric, although perfect for him, was just too busy. So two days before the day of the surprise party I put my husband to work "unsewing" (would that be called a No-Sew day?), and off I went to buy different fabric. I did get the top pieced before the party on Saturday & he loved it! I think what he'll like even more is the tie-dyed fabric that will be used on the back. I'm busy quilting it now & will post a picture here as soon as it is done, hopefully in the next few days.

In the meantime, I decided I need some handwork to do while my husband & I watch TV in the evenings. He frequently finds some sort of ballgame or we manage to find a mutually agreeable old movie. Rarely do either of these diversions require my complete attention, so I check my Yahoo Groups & Facebook and then need something else. That something else is now a cathedral windows quilt. I think it will help me use up a lot of scraps (over 1500 2" squares) plus keep me sewing for many months. Don't look for that photo for some time to come ;)