A Quilt Showing and A New Project...

Quote for the Day:

"In this world, there's always going to be people who are better then you, so stop comparing yourself to others, and just be the best you."

~author unknown

Our local quilt group, the Millennium Quilters, held their quilt show.  I had never entered any of my quilts in a show before because:  1)  I give away almost all of my quilts so never have one here to enter;  and 2)  I don't think my work is "show-worthy".  

I wasn't going to enter one this year because the only quilt that I have of the six I made last year was the one I sent out to be long-armed and there isn't enough quilting on the borders, and knew I'd get dinged for that.  The rest of the quilt is beautifully quilted, but there just wasn't enough quilting done in the borders.  :(  I should have added more quilting there myself before I added the binding, but didn't...and if I try to add some now, it will all just pucker because of the binding being on already.  

Then about 2 weeks ago, I was laying on the decompression table at the chiropractor's office and saw the "Mr. Chillingsworth" quilt hanging on the wall...the one that I had gifted to him last year...

I asked to borrow it for the show and entered it.  The show was this past weekend and here is it hanging in the show...

Well...would you look at that???  It got "Honorable Mention" in it's class!!!  Wow!!!  Cool!!!

So...yeah...I'll be entering more quilts in future shows!  LOL


I have started on a new project...
I save the selvages off of the edge of my fabric (for those "non-quilters" out there...the selvage is what they put on the edge of the fabric to hold it onto the printing machines in the making of the fabric.  The make-up is denser and has printing on it, so you don't want to put it into your quilt.  However, many people save them and make them into a separate quilt...aptly named "selvage quilts"!)

This is what my selvage basket looked like...time to use them up!!!

I am making these star blocks using up some leftover 2.5" HST's from other projects as well as some new ones made with my new Accuquilt GO...all made from my scraps!!!   The selvages are foundation-pieced to used dryer sheets...which I press lightly with a cool iron, then cut down to 4.5" using my Accuquilt GO.  (I use my dryer sheets 2-3 times in the dryer before using them in a quilt to make sure there are no more oils or softener on them.  Once the softener is gone from them, they are merely a lightweight piece of non-woven material...similar to very lightweight interfacing.  I keep an empty tissue box on the dryer to put the used dryer sheets in when I pull clothes from the dryer.)

These blocks are so much fun to make and go rather quickly because there is no sewing/flipping/pressing like with other blocks.  Here is the tutorial I used:  http://quispamsisquilter.blogspot.com/2011/08/simple-selvage-square-quilt-block.html.  I use all the selvages...not just the ones with writing.  Here is a YouTube video showing how to make a selvage block, too, for those of you who like to actually see them being made:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKniayPTeKc.  

This is what the creative mess process looks like in my sewing room...

Hope this gives you some ideas of what to do with that fabric that you've been cutting off and not using.





Loretta

2015 Parade of Quilts...

Quote for the Day:

I have never done a "Year-In-Review" post before about my quilts, but I thought I'd do one for 2015...just because.

Please join me on this trip down 2015 Memory Lane...

My first finish was actually a finish-up of a quilt that I started in December 2014..."Vintage Embroidered Stars".  This was also the first (and only, so far) quilt that I sent out to be long-arm quilted by someone.  Machine-pieced, my own pattern...

My next project was "Mr. Chillingsworth", a gift for my chiropractor that I machine pieced and hand quilted, purchased pattern.  This quilt now hangs in one of his treatment rooms.  

By March I had a severe case of the "winter blahs" and made this Spring table runner for my dining room table.  Machine pieced and machine quilted, "Disappearing 4-Patch", free on-line tutorial...

Next up was another "Choo-choo Train" quilt...the fourth one I've made so far!  I give this quilt to each of my grandchildren on their first birthday (the fronts are the same but the backings are different for each one.  This one was for Clark who turned one in June.  Machine appliqued and machine quilted, from a purchased pattern...

In June, I made this "signature" quilt for Kate and Jon for their wedding in July where they had their guests sign it.  There was no pattern for this...I just got the idea from seeing a picture online and made up my own pattern from there, machine pieced and machine quilted.  It was also my first time working with batiks! 

In June a friend and co-worker of mine was diagnosed with cancer and I made this quilt for her...also a "signature" quilt...signed by our co-workers.  Machine pieced and machine quilted from free online "Wonky Stars" pattern.  These blocks were my "leader/ender" project from 2013 or 2014...

And the last quilt for the year was the hand-quilting project that I had been working on since April and finished in November...Erin & Dale's vintage embroidered quilt...

Along with these quilts, I also made 2 receiving blankets for new babies that arrived in 2015...Franco and Rylen!!

I know that I'm not nearly as productive as many quilters/crafters out there...but I do my craft for the joy it brings me and to spread happiness and smiles to those I love!

Loretta

I Can Finally Share This...

Quote for the Day:

“It's not how much we give but how much love we put into giving.” 

~ Mother Teresa

In February and March, I was working on a quilt as a gift for my chiropractor so I wasn't able to post anything about it.  

When I went in today for my office visit, I took it in and gifted it to him!  He was totally surprised and from his reaction, I could tell that he loved it!  

The back...the bones glow in the dark!  LOL

The label was a poem that I found online...

This quilt is machine-pieced and hand-quilted.  I had a lot of fun making it and I am so relieved that he loves it!!!

Loretta