A Brand New Start

Here's the centerpiece for the new medallion quilt I'll be attempting. I had to draw my own block as all the patterns available around here would end up with me having to make ridiculously small hst's. Not happening! This centerpiece finishes at 14 1/2"? Something like that.

Hst Medallion

If my math is correct, then all the hst's should end up finishing out at 1 3/4". That's doable--barely! I'm changing up the colors just a bit. In the antique quilt shown below, {found in one of my old Quilt Guild yardsale finds}, there are only four colors used throughout. I'm planning on using five or six, mixing it up every other hst row. We'll see. The whole idea could crash and burn any day!

Antique quilt using for inspiration

I decided to really push myself and use white instead of cream, my favorite background color. You have no idea how hard that was, coming to that decision. There's just something about cream that feels safe. Everything looks cozier with cream, right? lol  The whites in the stack of fabric I've gathered all have a tint of gray to them too, which could end up making the quilt look really cold and impersonal. Gonna fight that really hard with these pinks and cheddars!

I've been thinking and thinking, still no brilliant ideas for the wordy quilt proposed over at Anne's. I do have a couple stacks of fabrics percolating on my counters that most definitely have some improv. leanings. After our upcoming madhouse of a weekend is over, maybe I'll just play einy-meiny-mieny-mo, grab one and get going. Eventually, if there's a chance for words on the quilt, they can just come to me en route...

Pics of my Vintage Reproduction in the Local Quilt Show (and a few others)

Today was the 15th annual quilt show in our little town. It's held in a small church and the quilts are quite crowded together with very little room to step back and take a good picture.

Vintage Reproduction

I'm not actually part of the local quilting guild, but they are very generous to open up the quilt show to other local quilters--an open invite actually. I used to be extremely nervous about entering my quilts into the show because my style is so extremely different than theirs, but I loosened up a couple years ago when I realized that at least a few of the guild members seem to enjoy my quilts. There are a million times I've wished I could be a fly on the wall when they hang my quilts. What do they honestly think? hehe Better not to know sometimes! My mom has encouraged me the most, saying, it's always good to have something different to look at, compare with and maybe even shake things up a bit. lol

Vintage Reproduction

The previous picture is actually taken at home--I wanted to show one pic with a closer view of the quilting. I'm really, really happy with the way this quilt turned out. The quilting on the last border about gave me a panic attack after I had gotten it washed and dried. But long story short? I went back and added in a couple hours extra quilting. Now I'm happy. That thing about quilting evenly throughout the entire quilt? It does matter.

Vintage Reproduction

I usually try to enter three or four quilts if I've managed to finish that many in the last year.  My Monkey Wrench is very dark quilt, but I thought is looked very nice regardless. Funny how much lighter it looks without the borders pictured!

Monkey Wrench

I also entered my Antique Medallion quilt which looks happy and bright.....

Antique Medallion

and then of course there is Sew Charming! I definitely wanted to put this fun little scrappy finish in the quilt show too! Had to borrow it back for a few days in order to do that of course!

Sew Charming

Just a few other quilts caught my attention today.  This one was very interesting to me. Love the ladies!

This  30's reproduction quilt looked so sweet and wonderful, especially with the light streaming through the window behind it.

I thought whoever made the star quilt below has an excellent eye for combining complimentary colors.  It really had a lovely zing to it!

Then there was this hexie quilt that I just wanted to bundle up and take home.  I had a horrible time getting a decent picture of it because it kept looking so washed out, but finally I got one close up that shows a little of the quilty goodness that I so admired...

I meant to take a picture of the explanation pinned to this scrappy 'historical' quilt below, but like always, I forgot.  Taking pictures is definitely secondary to checking out the quilts, at least in my book! The story behind this quilt was something about a specific challenge to the quilters involved (possibly the first quilt guild in the town?). I think they got a dollar for every piece of fabric in their block and then the person who had the most pieces in 'her block', got to keep the quilt as well! Talk about incentive!

The block with the least pieces of fabric had 15 pieces I believe (it's the block in the far left corner of the prev. pic). Not too shabby, right?

Well, then you got to looking (they embroidered the number below their blocks) and wow! These ladies got very creative with such a little space!

I adored these blocks with the pieced baskets! They were absolutely fabulous! And the fan below was very sweet too in a blendy, blendy way.

But this lady below? Wowsers, she ended up with 300 pieces of fabric in her block! It was so fun to check this quilt out and see how inventive they all were.  If you look closely, this block below has fans carefully pieced into the corners.  Overall, This quilt was my absolute fave in the whole entire show! So much fun!

So yeah, very enjoyable day! My oldest daughter got first place in the 5k and almost all my kids played on one of the 3on3 teams of basketball. Crazy, busy hot Summer day.  Right now everyone's trying to recover from the 100 degree heat and rest up for the fireworks later on....

First Two Finishes of 2013!

Well, I did it!  I finally managed to get the binding on these two quilts so I could say I truly have FINISHED something this year.  lol  Why does the list always seem to be growing regardless of what gets accomplished?

1st two finishes for 2013!

The light is terrible in my house at certain times of the day and our yard is scrubby and very unkempt right now so I was trying to think of other ways to take pictures of these two quilts.  Hmm....  Back to the wood floor for the next photo session!

Finished Antique Medallion quilt
and G'ma's Kaleidoscope quilt

I don't know if you can see the binding in the picture below, but I am extremely happy with my choices.  The pink is a (surprisingly) great complement for the Antique Medallion quilt and the blue binding seemed perfect for the Kaleidoscope.  I actually had to baste one edge of the quilt and then cut the extra backing off just so I could have enough of the blue fabric for to use for binding!  There was nothing in the totes that looked half as good and I wasn't going to settle for less.

Love how the binding turned out!

My husband was out of town today so I invited myself and the kids over to dinner at my mom and dads.  While I was there I managed to finish up two bow-tie blocks for my forever project.  It doesn't seem like much now, but two here and two there eventually add up to a whole bunch of finished bow-tie blocks!

Two more hand pieced bow-tie blocks.

Now I am linking up to Kathy's Slow Stitching Sunday where everybody gets to feel good about working on hand work projects whatever the method or approach.*wink

Today's for Binding Work

I don't know why I always put the binding work off, but that's the way things usually happen around here.  I am happy to say that there is now only one side of this quilt that the binding is not hand stitched down!

Binding for Antique Medallion

Yay me!  I might actually get a real finish for 2013 before the end of today.*wink  Go check out what everyone else is doing by hand today over at Kathy's.  She's got a great little post about chaos theory that makes me think about raising kids.  You really can't overlook anything 'cuz everything matters in the end.:)

This and That

I need to get some more bow-tie blocks ready for hand piecing.  Our girls won their game at Regionals on Friday and now they're headed to the state tournament in Spokane this coming weekend!  Very exciting stuff but I know from experience, it's good to have some hand work available for momma during the down times!

5 more bow-ties done

I managed to get all of the hand quilting done on G'mas Kaleidoscope quilt too.  You know how it is.  The closer you get to a finish, the faster you quilt and the longer your sessions!  I am not super proud of my work on this quilt, but I love the quilt for the sentimental value it has for me and I still say it's all been worth it.  The crazy fabric difficulties did not make me hate this quilt at all and in fact, I'm more fond of it than ever.  We won't talk about the fact that my almost new thimble now has more holes than a piece of Swiss cheese......

I'm gonna ignore the mistakes in this quilt and just love it to pieces....

Just yesterday when I realized how close I was to finishing the hand quilting on the Kaleidoscope quilt, I felt major guilt pains over the Antique Medallion quilt waiting so patiently on the railing for binding.  I've been having problems figuring out what color binding to put on it, but I finally went with a pink fabric that's already in the quilt.  None of the other colors ever looked right so when I saw the pink fabric, it just clicked.

Waiting so patiently for attention...

Right now it looks like a rather unfortunate choice, but hopefully when I fold it over and sew it to the back, that little bitty piece of color will look just right again.  Decisions, decisions......

Awww.... Did I do that?

When I was headed back down the stairs from my photo session, I looked up and saw this.  Such a beautiful sight to me.  I am sometimes in total awe that someone like me could ever make anything so beautiful.*wink  Once again I'm linking up to Slow Sunday Stitching over at Kathy's.  Lots to check out over there!

In the Hoop

When I was digging through all my completed quilt tops the other day, I pulled out this Kaleidoscope quilt.  I made it almost ten years ago in tribute to my grandmother.  She was a wonderful person and I loved her dearly.  After she died, my mother gathered up all of the scraps and pieces of her fabric together for my sisters and I to use in our quilting endeavors or however else we chose to use them.

G'ma's Kaleidoscope Quilt

The scraps were dumped out on the table and we picked one fabric each until all the of the fabric was gone.  After I had the opportunity to consider what there was to work with, I decided to make a kaleidoscope quilt out of templates.  I figured it was a good way to be efficient with all the little bits and pieces I ended up with!  Anyway, the quilt pattern was a little above my pay grade and the piecing did not go well at all.  I basically threw the quilt top in the back of my closet in extreme disappointment and decided to have it machine quilted someday whenever I got around to it.  Maybe even the fifth of never.  lol

Kaleidoscope Quilt close up

Up until the other day, I had never once seriously considered hand quilting it.  The white fabric is one that I added to go with the scraps and it just so happens to be one of those painted on type of fabrics or whatever they're called--very difficult fabrics to hand quilt.  Am I crazy?  My grandmother hand quilted every single quilt she ever made in her life and I think she'd be proud of me for the effort.  The kaleidoscope is a quilt that has been neglected for much too long and now it's finally in the hoop where it should have been years ago.

Full pic of Antique Medallion

Sorry for the blurry picture of the Antique Medallion.  Someone asked to see this entire quilt in a photo after all of the quilting was completed.  Best I can do for now!

Once again I'm linking up to Kathy's Slow Sunday Stitching and 'filling up the well' with some quality time spent on hand quilting today.

The Learning Curve

The hand quilting is all complete on the Antique Medallion!  I got this quilt sandwiched and ready to go on November 12, 2012 so I consider this very good work on my part.  I wish they all went this smoothly!  After my last stitch, I had to lay the quilt out on the floor and admire it--for a really long time!  In fact, I wanted to call all of the family in and do jumping jacks or something I was so excited!

Centerpiece of Antique Medallion quilt

I remember when I first started the center part of this quilt back in about 2009.  The pattern came out in the American Patchwork and Quilting magazine in April of 2001--one I immediately tore out and stuck in my inspiration book.  I always wanted to make the pineapple/pomegranite part of the pattern, but was so very intimidated.  Scared spit less of it actually because of all the precise-ness of it.  What a perfect way to showcase my mistake making skills!

Sponging out the quilt markings

Years and years later, I finally got up the courage to get started on it and I AM SO GLAD!  This project taught me an invaluable lesson.  Face your fears head on and plow right on through them!  It seems incredible now how frightened of this kind of applique I was!  There are definitely mistakes if you look close enough, but this quilt will always have special meaning to me for what it's done for my confidence ever since.

Ready for binding!

For now it's hanging on the railing in my quilting room to pet as I walk past. I confess that I have started a new project that is all about conquering my fears as well.  Those nasty drunkards path blocks.  Uggghhh....  I am not quite ready to say that I've mastered curved piecing, so I guess I'm gonna drown in it for awhile.  May the prep work take months.*wink

A new learning curve....

Hand Quilting Again and Some Frugal Thinking

It is starting to look like I am making very REAL progress on the Antique Medallion quilt!  Once I start working on the very outside edge of any quilt, I always get this feeling of excitement.  Yay me!  Of course the outer border is forever long when you figure you have to go all the way around the quilt.*wink

More hand quilting

I wanted to say 'Thank You' for all the wonderful comments I got in response to my mentioning our reduced budget as it may apply to my quilting hobby.  I really have no intention of giving up quilting, I was just trying to explain why I may be making weird or unusual  fabric choices--something that may not be immediately obvious as a frugal decision.  It's perfectly okay with me if you just think I'm being eccentric, because that's probably a correct assumption as well.  lol  

My biggest problem is that I get to feeling GUILTY.  How important is this quilting thing in relation to our growing family needs and obligations?  I'm very aware that there are lots of people in reduced financial straights these days and I'm always reading about a good tip for up-cycling, stash busting, and making do etc.  It sounds crazy, but I love it even when I'm annoyed about it.  Personally, I know that it helps me to not be so lazy.  It makes me dig a little deeper into my fabric totes.  I have to weigh my fabric buying choices more carefully.  It leads me to make more unique design decisions and take more time with each quilt.  I'm almost always broke so my entertainment is more home based; ie, I quilt more!

But yes, I will still be buying the occasional big chunk of background fabric (I just bought the yardage I need for my next forever project last month).  But I will buy it on sale or with a gift card.  Not be impulsive and buy the wrong color only to go back the next week and buy a different color!  If I get desperate, I will no doubt be knocking on my mom's door and offering a fabulous trade in return for raiding her quilting supplies.

In closing, I will also mention that I'm linking up with Kathy's Quilting today.  Slow quilting is very much a part of my quilting experience--one of the best parts actually.  It's so good to slow down and think things through occasionally.

Getting in Some Much Needed Hand Quilting Time!

Although things have been terribly busy around here, I still manage to squeeze in a little time here and there for hand quilting.  In fact, on Friday, my husband was running about two hours behind for our trip to Seattle.  I just pulled out my hand quilting and stitched (and stitched) until I got myself all calmed down and in a better traveling mood.  lol  Hand quilting is very therapeutic you know!

Quilting from the middle out.

I have stitched the entire center of the Antique Medallion quilt clear out to the sawtooth stars and into the first half of the green delectable mountains border.  I marked a small pomegranate design in the big area of the green border, just copying the same pomegranate from the middle of the quilt.  I still need to wash the blue markings out, but I thought maybe you could see the design better if I took a picture before.

Looking a little closer....

This quilt has been very enjoyable for me to stitch no matter what's going on around me.  I get frustrated sometimes at how much time it takes for me to finish hand quilting a quilt, but the rewards are invaluable.  Can't wait until I can snuggle underneath it properly!

Check out all the other hand work getting done this month over at Kathy's Slow Sunday Stitching!

Antique Medallion Gets a Turn in the Hoop

Today is a lazy day.  The kids are all home except of course for our oldest who is attending a tech school in Oklahoma.  I miss that kid so much it's crazy and I still set the table for him sometimes without thinking.  We can't get him home for Thanksgiving, but we've already got his ticket home for the 3-week Christmas break!!  That ought to be just enough time for him to drive me insane with all his empty food dishes piling up in the bedroom.  lol  High school basketball practice starts today and it seems like we've barely finished up with Cross country track! Our oldest daughter placed 3rd in Districts and Regionals both, but then had a bad day at state.  We couldn't be more proud of her though because she did all the training by herself--no coach at all--since she was the only kid interested in cross country in the entire high school!  Seriously dedicated girl when she decides to do something!  

Newest Quilt in the hoop!

I can't stand having an empty quilt hoop during this time of the year, so I managed to take over the floor long enough to get this particular quilt sandwiched and pinned.  Next in line, it's been finished up since about 2008.  The name of the pattern is 'Antique Medallion' pattern by Cheri Ralston out of a Red Wagon Quilts book.  I think it's Red Wagon?  The book was on loan from one of my sisters at the time.  Plus, I changed the center out and replaced it with a pattern I found in American Patchwork and Quilting April 2001 magazine.  The Antique Medallion pattern also called for more applique between the green and the lighter black border which I eliminated.  With all of the floral stuff going on, more applique just seemed like overkill.

I'm still in love with the center of this quilt.....

The original pattern had a darker, more subdued look and for once I decided to brighten things up a bit!  The red florals, polka dot & the cream fabric were bought with a completely different pattern in mind--the one and only time I bought ALL of the fabric for an entire quilt all together, in a single quilt shop.  Then, for some reason, I couldn't make myself start the quilt and the longer I looked at my selection of fabrics, the worse it looked to me.  In the end, I peeled off a couple of fabrics and started in with a wall hanging (the centerpiece to this quilt).

Naturally, being me, I thought it would look fabulous if I tried to incorporate it into a bed-size quilt.  After much contemplation and perusal of various quilt patterns, I settled on the Antique Medallion pattern as my template.  Honestly, I had trouble figuring out the pattern (not an unusual occurrence with me) and somehow ended up with the sawtooth stars being too large to fit precisely into the lay-out.  Grrrr....  I made a major design decision and whacked off all of the points, then quickly sewed the next border on.  Turns out, it's one of the things I like best about this quilt!  The slightly chunky looking stars add in character and an unexpected 'prim' look to what could have been a very formal looking quilt.  Well, if it would have been made by someone else.*wink