Sticks and Stones

I am trying to get some things caught up in my studio. Last week I wrote about my Ocean Blue piece for the A4 challenge group.  I was late with that piece, but am on time (I think!) with this theme. Sticks and Stones.

Threads everywhere!

I decided to do a piece using the phrase "Smile stone". The full story of the Smile stone is on the A4 blog post, I won't repeat it here. I decided to use trapunto to poof out the letters. After layering with a batting and backing I went around each letter with black thread to highlight the letters.

All tucked in

I am a thread tucker. I feel that it makes a more polished finish to quilting threads.

Stones

I am not very skilled at free motion quilting, but I can do pebbles!  I was pleased to see the letters pop after quilting the background.

Finished!

I did a line of stitching then rough trimmed the piece. I soaked it to remove the wash away thread I had used in the trapunto letters. I laid it out flat to dry and went off on errands. I was pleased to see how the soaking had improved the texture of the piece. At that point I came up with a wonderful idea to "bind" the piece using sticks!

Check out the A4 Challenge blog to read the full story of my smile stone. Also take a look at the wonderful challenge pieces the group has posted.

This is my off the wall post for this week.

Pie Plating in Fountain Green

The ladies of the Pie Plate Pattern company put on an annual Super Spring Retreat. It is held in their small town of Fountain Green, UT. It is about 20 miles Northwest of my home. Always a great time! A very nice, small town retreat.  My friends Lisa and Helen came down to the retreat, so an extra bonus.

It takes 3!

I have never used Mistyfuse and recently there was a special on a hundred yard roll of the stuff. So Lisa and I went in on buying one. Lisa uses it a lot. It took three of us to roll off 50 yards off the roll.

My Mistyfuse

The rolled off bit doesn't look nearly as nice as the factory roll. It will still do its job.

Mistyfuse

So Lisa gave me a quick demo on how to use the fuse.

On the Goddess sheet

You need to use a Goddess sheet because this fusible web doesn't have paper attached.

Action shot

You cover it with the Goddess sheet and press the fusible to melt it.

Ready to cut

Lisa brought her Silhouette machine to cut some leaves for me. I asked for her help with a project and thought her machine would cut out the intricate shapes easily.  Well, it was a good theory anyway.

Beautiful leaves!

Lisa designed a lovely page full of leaves for me! SO excited! Let's see how it works!

failure

Unfortunately, Lisa  forgot to bring the fabric blade for the machine. The paper blade kept picking up the fabric and scrunching it and not cutting through it cleanly.  UGH.  So she will take my fused fabrics home with her and cut them at home with the proper blade. So then I can be impressed with that machine.

Block challenge

Everyone got the fabric to a make a block of their choice. We will vote on our favorite and the winner gets to keep all the blocks.

Lisa in action

Lisa at out table working on her blog post of our adventures.  

This is my off the wall post for this week. Next week I hope to have something to show after having 2 more days to sew like crazy!

Getting back into the groove!

I had a wonderful 2 weeks in California! Saw a lot of good friends, went to a retreat, taught a class and sewed like crazy! I had brought along a bunch of batiks in purples and yellows. I had a theory about doing a QAYG without sashing strips between the blocks.

2 panels

I pieced strips and then quilted them to the batting and backing. I made 3 panels. I let fabric hang over the top and bottom edges for sewing the sections together.

2 quilted 1 not

I then quilted each of the panels. When I tried to sew two of them together I discovered that I have a few issues that I need to get worked out. I may just finish off each panel separately.  It is now on my design wall curing.

Vintage Fiber Art

I stopped by and visited my Mother-in-Law on my way home. This piece of fiber art has been in her home since I first met her in 1979. I was always intrigued with it. It is made with layers of felt on a burlap base. It has some rug hooked loops and also some embroidery stitching. It depicts San Francisco.

Close up of rug hooking

Close up of felt layers

Has anyone ever seen anything like this? I couldn't find a signature on it.

This is my Off the Wall post for this week.

December?

I hope you all had a nice Thanksgiving! We had a wonderful time. The kids and grands were down for the weekend. They left yesterday afternoon. Sweetie and I did a bit of clean up and then plopped down in our chairs, exhausted! I did not get into the sewing room at all. But after I get some chores done today I plan on getting back in there.

Sashing

First up is to finish the sashing for the block of the month that I designed for one of my local groups. I would also like to get the border on the top before the next meeting.

Wales Sampler blocks

I used all star block patterns for the 12 blocks and then used a star sashing design to continue in the same theme. The border also has stars.

Emerald Pools

I am still hammering away at this class sample as my leader project. It is slow, but steady progress. I hope to get it off the wall this week.

I also booked a class at a shop in California for January. I am going to be out there for a quilting retreat that my friends put on and so called the shop where I used to work and teach to see if the new owner would be interested in a class that week. She accepted! I miss that place! It will be fun to be back in the shop teaching. I will add it to my schedule after the owner gets a chance to announce it at her monthly Block of the Month event.

This is my Design wall Monday post for this week!

Since this is cyber Monday, I would love it if you are shopping at any of the sites that I have a banner for that you click on the link from my blog. I try not to be very pushy with promoting the ads and so I make very little from the ads. I greatly appreciate any clicks and purchases! I know that there are a lot of deals today and the next couple of weeks. Happy Shopping!

Freezing cold Monday

The weather turned cold this weekend! And we had snow Saturday afternoon and evening. Maybe an inch or two but it stuck. The next morning the temps had dropped to the teens, so it didn't melt off until the sun hit it. Most is gone, but the cold stayed. Hopefully it will warm up a bit today.

Never ending Hexagon

I got quite a bit done on my hexagon project while I was working the shop on Friday. This is my center, I think I am going to do a medallion style layout. I was able to get all the black pieces stitched on. I hope to start adding the next round of flowers this week.

4 sets!

Two more sets prepped

Since I can't make myself work on a piece with a deadline, I did some mindless sewing. A group that I used to belong to in California does a monthly block swap. I have participated from distance the last couple of years. I mail them out when I get a year's worth finished. I am running late this year. Their last meeting for 2014 will be the second Monday in December. I got 4 sets made this weekend and 2 more prepped. I will sew those today and get the last set done so they can go off into the mail this week. Cross that off the list.

Leader project.

My leader project is growing slowly. But I did round the corner so it feels like I am making progress.

This is my Design Wall Monday post.

First Snow!

Back porch

We are having a little bit of snow. Nothing like those back East are dealing with. But it still counts as snow!

Birthday Hearts

On the back

This year I had challenged a couple of friends to finish UFO's. Twelve for the year. I did pretty well at the start. Then I had a couple of new projects with deadlines come up.  So in the last couple of months I only got one done, So I am at 7 for the year. Time to catch up. This little quilt top was given to me by my daughter more than 10 years ago. She had taken an applique class and this was the class project. She gave  me the top and said you quilt it! Happy Birthday to me! This recently made its way up to the top of the pile. The fabric that I was going to use for the back wasn't big enough and so I found I had this heart print that would work well. I got it pin basted yesterday and hopefully this week it will get quilted in between the new work that has deadlines and can't be shown publicly yet.

Speaking of not being able to show publicly, a project from last year can now be shown! This is part of the Beatles project and this photograph my friend Kaye took at Houston a couple of days ago. What a thrill to have a piece in the show! 

Photograph by Kaye Evans

My quilt is "Twist and Shout" and I talked about it last week on this post.

This is my Design Wall Monday post for this week.

Monday Morning

I had joined a 4" block swap at a local guild. We were to swap 2 sets of blocks with each participant and an extra one for the upcoming raffle quilt.  We did the swapping last week. Some really fun blocks came in the batch. I decided to set aside 12 to make a small quilt.

12 blocks for a small quilt

On Friday I blogged about using the rest of the blocks for making some prayer flags. I had seven finished and hung them on my back fence.

Ready to tie together

Just need to attach the twine

Yesterday I sewed on the rest of the 14 blocks I am using for the flags. So  a total of 21. I ran out of time before dinner, but just need to sew the twine on the last few blocks, that should go quickly and then they can go out to the fence.

The leader project

I am sure that you all will get sick of the seeing the leader project, but it is growing. Slowly, but surely! I am on the long rows, so it doesn't seem to feel like it grows much, but it is!

Saturday's Sunset

I just love sunsets! We get some really awesome ones here, so I decided to share Saturday's sunset with you.

This is my Design Wall Monday post for this week.

Cold Monday

It turned cold all of a sudden yesterday! At least this morning the wind is not blowing. I spent some time in the sewing room, and will go in there again today.

I got this month's sample block made. I am going to make November and Decembers as well. I will hand out the patterns this month. Then next month will be the sashing instructions and in December the border instructions. It has been a fun block of the month, good participation from the group.

My Emerald Pools sample

I always have a "leader" project for when I am chain piecing. I know that Bonnie Hunter is famous for this idea, but I have been doing it for a long time, way before I ever heard of her. Great minds think alike! I love her patterns, she has really taken the scrap quilt to new level. Right now my sample from my class is my leader project. It is on the wall right behind me as I am sewing. So it is easy to grab two squares and sew them together.

More leftovers

I had so much fun sewing the second boat from the leftovers of the first boat! I found some more leftovers which I pinned to the wall. I hope it inspires another art piece.

4 inch blocks

Last week I finished sewing my 4 inch blocks for the swap that is due on Wednesday. I always end up making a couple extra in case. I decided I am going to make prayer flags out of my swap blocks. I tested the idea using my extra blocks.

This is my Design Wall Monday post.

Fun on Friday!

I wanted to work on my Friday post first thing this morning. I am at the quilt shop today and it has been so busy that this is my first chance to work on the post. Busy is good!  Had a batch of women come in who are in the area for a quilting retreat. It sounds like they are having a very good time this week at their retreat! I love going to retreats!

Autumn Sunflowers

I sold a quilt this week! It is going to California to live in my old stomping grounds in Sacramento. It is a great feeling when someone plunks down cash to buy your work! I am thinking about selling some of my 12 by 12 quilts. A group of us took turns selecting words and everyone made a 12"x 12" quilt inspired by that word.

California Blues

Prairie

Here Comes the Sun

Given to my friend Sandy.

Peace, always in Fashion

Given to my friend Lisa.

Music Man

First Snow

Chaos

This is my off the wall post for this week.

World Wide Blog hop

I was tagged by Jan to do a post for the world wide blog hop!

#1 What am I working on.  I am doing a piece for an upcoming book celebrating the 100th Anniversary of the National Parks. I cannot show my piece, but I was lucky to get a Utah park, Capitol Reef!

#2 How does my work differ from others in my genre.  Not sure that I am that unique. I do feel my work is a bit different then the local quilters here in rural Utah. Not a lot of art quilting going on here, but they are very supportive of my work.

#3 Why do I write/create what I do?  I started to blog shortly after moving to a very rural area. It was a way to reach out to the outside world.

My View

#4 How does my writing/creative process work?

My work has evolved over time. I now try to make a statement with my art quilts. Recently I blogged about my quilts in the Springville Show. I had the most wonderful comment on that post.

Saw your quilt Saturday, it was truly a highlight of an outstanding show. My wife and I both voted for it for the people's choice award!

Since my blog address was not posted anyway at the exhibit, it meant this gentleman went out of his way to find me to tell me how much my work meant to him and his wife! That is better than any ribbon I could have won at the show!


I am tagging my friend Nan. I have been enjoying getting to know her the last couple of years. She won a ribbon at Springville. Note the photograph below.

Quilt by Nan Sturgill

And I am also tagging my friend Sandra. I have known her for a lot of years through the quilt guild. She is a quilt appraiser living in one of my favorite places in Utah, Moab!

She has two blogs and a facebook page. 

http://utahquiltappraiser.blogspot.com/

http://starleyquilts.blogspot.com/

https://www.facebook.com/TextileTimeTravels

I am also tagging my friend Lisa. We get into all kinds of trouble together! She helps me keep on track.
http://somethingcleveraboutnothing.blogspot.com/

This is my Design Wall Post for this week.