the difference

the other day i received a phone call from a potential customer. i answered all her questions, and one kinda got me to thinking. how do i explain the difference between a E2E and a 'custom/show' quilting job. so i dug out the thread tails of three quilts that i recently did. (don't ask why i kept them, i'll explain that on another post) the three quilt were about the same size. i think the raffle quilt was the biggest. oh, and i forgot to mention the 10 to 12 hour difference.. :)

barney


i was playing around in adobe photoshop and did this to barney. it looks really nice printed out on fabric...
uh oh, the creative hamster found another wheel.

sunday stash #9


this was a difficult batik to photo. there is no 'brown' in it, it's actually a nice dandelion yellow. anywhoo- saw this, liked it (i think it was on sale- even better) so i bought some and one day it'll be the perfect focus fabric/accent fabric/ sashing/ cornerstone/ inner border/ outer border / binding/ backing fabric for a quilt and i'll be extremely pleased with myself because i had the foresight enough to know i would need it.

thinking outside the box

okay- bear with me, this is one long story to make a small point. okay, so i LA. i hang the quilts on the outside of my cabinet that i need to get done that week. the thing i was using to do that worked, but i *knew* there was a better way. skip forward- davis and i stopped by home depot tonight and while he was off gandering at boring ole electrical stuff, i happened into the draw hardware aisle. this is where i need to tell you no knobs in my kitchen will be the same. there are so many, i couldn't, in no way or form, pick ONE. so anyway back to tonight, i noticed the cabinet pulls. you know the really long contemporary ones. we'll i had a gut reaction that that would be useful some how....flash forward another 1/2 hour, we're standing in line at the register when it hit me....i knew exactly what that cabinet door pull would work for....i built a better mousetrap. now i need to find swivel-headed hangers that are strong enough to hold the weight of a quilt...oh,darn (insert sarcasm) i see a trip to the container store in my future....

Houses

this quilt belongs to madeline c. it's a wallhanging made from the blocks of a LQS's BOM. kudos to madeline- the sampler blocks are 6". yup, that's tinny! i like the houses used as the setting. it was fun to quilt.i like the double sided-ness of it. the back is so whole clothy.

i used CCing in the blocks, ribbon candy in the sashings, and echoed the side and roof of the house. ok, on to the next one....i'll be starting the quilts for the ECQG show soon.....

have you thanked a veteran lately?



May we take some time today to silently thank the men and women who have given their life for the cause of freedom, for those who are currently serving, and their families. May we soon celebrate their safe return, not simply remember their sacrifice.
Freedom isn't free.

sunday stash #8

here's one of my favorite batiks. i 've had it awhile, and used it in a quilt. it is a large scale 'doodle' of loops and wavy lines on a navy background. i had a lot of ideas for this fabric, but only made the one quilt.

i've have the top pieced for awhile and i'll tell you why. i made it about the same time i had started LAing and i knew that i wanted to quilt it by echoing the lines in the pattern of the fabric. well, being a newbie LAer, i wasn't experienced enough to do that, (i could meander and do a loop meander) so i put it on a hanger and hung it in the closet knowing one day i'd be comfortable quilting echos. i think that here in the next month or so i'll get it on the frame and turn this top into a quilt. it's only fair- i've been LAing for 5 years now, and i'm confident enough to quilt echoes.

the pattern i used is called "circle of stars" by fig tree quilts. i found it for purchase here. if i remember correctly, the pattern had directions for the flying geese using the flip and sew method, i figured out the measurements to do them the no waste way. if you want, email me, i'll dig out my pattern and email you the cutting sizes for that. i hardly ever follow directions :) directions are just a suggestion.

busy little bee today!

my machine has been buzzing! first i finished up a block swap that i'm doing over at the APQS chat. the theme was fall colors with either a black or cream background, i chose black, makes the colors pop. plus, i have an idea for the quilting in that black....

those little green/yellow 4patches are 2" finished!! that's right- i'm crazy enough to piece 1 inch squares. (actually i strip pieced them, but hey that's still not easy) but they are pretty and i can't wait to see what i get in the mail....i'm calling it "harvest star"


then i worked on a group quilt block (i know i made two) for a friend from january. i'm still working on the applique one. ok, that makes three....well, she gave me enough fabric....the blue is the shop hop batik from 2006. it's a dogwood and was only produced for the atlanta shop hop with the promise that it would not be mass produced. so it's a batik that only atlanta-ians have! i was promised that i'll get to quilt it, so that'll be a future post one day.



then i made a block for Bonnie to complete a set of 30s swap for her....30's reproductions are impossible to photo for true-to-color....even after re-touching....








melon quilt

this quilt belongs to amanda s., and it was made as a sample for a class she is teaching. i love this quilt. ever had a quilt that you wish you could keep? this would be one of mine. i LOVE all the large scale fabrics. i also like the hodgepodge of patterns and colors. if you saw these fabrics just laid out as yardage you'd probably think, "okay, how are they going to make that work?" but it's gorgeous to me. i also love the outer border fabric. the little lace dollies remind me of the flowering weed queen anne's lace.

the quilt measures 67 x 85" and i did a custom quilting design on it. i like how the design in the 'melon' came out. i'm going to call it a double ribbon candy.

t-shirt quilt

here's one of the quilts i quilted yesterday. the other was a toddler quilt, and i forgot to snap pics before she picked it up.

it's a t-shirt quilt, and i quilted it with what i call a "peacock" E2E. it's a design i use as a filler in a much smaller proportion for backgrounds of applique. i've never really done it as an all over on a quilt of substantial size. i forgot how pretty it was. i have a pink and brown sampler that i decided is getting this.



on another note- this is the only graduation quilt i got this year. i guess my customers' kids/grandkids all graduated the last two years. i had something like 30 to quilt one year. *shrug* i'll wait 4 more years and i'll be getting some again :) now that i think about it- nobody that i know, knows anybody getting married. i didn't get any wedding quilts either. but, the east cobb quilt guild show is this September, so i have ALOT of show quilts....guess it's like anything- it'll all average out, and i'm NOT complaining :)

i need to get busy quilting!

national show catergories

as some know i frequent the chat forum over on APQS's website. and some may know about the MQS (machine quilter's showcase) show that happened last week in kansas.

2009 show winner list: here (no pics tho)

first, congrats to ALL the winners! i know alot of my APQS family was included on the list.
second- congrats to all the quilts WITHOUT ribbons! the work that goes into these quilts is just as awe inspring and ribbon worthy.

so on the chat forum linda posted this topic. i posted my OPINION, and have interestingly keep watch on the replies. i got to thinking though, i'd like to elaborate a bit more.

first, i'm not jealous that the same group of (talented) quilters keep winning the major awards at the majority of the big national shows. NOPE! i've seen pictures of these quilts and they deserve it! the ONLY, the ONLY! jealousy issue i have is that they have made the TIME to work on their own quilts, or to work in a collaboration with someone else. do i have the time to work on a show quilt? yup! but like most, i have bills to pay, and my LAing helps do that. plus, i'm about a year or two of skill/confidence building before i have the cajones to enter a big show. i enjoy making quilts and quilting my customers quilts, and after much doodling i decided that one day i'll get that design out of my head and in a quilt then enter it in a show. will i hope for a ribbon-yes. will i expect a ribbon- nope. i'll just leave it to chance and the judges' opinion. and that is IMHO, the quilt show lottery.

i'm glad we have the award winning quilters in the industry. it gives me ideas and inspiration for my quilting. they introduce new ideas and techniques into the quilting world. i remember not to long ago a machine quilted quilt was not even considered a quilt- it was considered a bedspread, so just in the last 15- 20 years, look at the changes these ladies/gents have helped make to MY art. i also thank those same quilters who unselfishly produce patterns, books, tools, and DVDs to sell to the masses so i too can know how they do it. i honestly think they do want us/me to succeed as they have.

i do think that once a quilt racks up a couple BOSes and 1st place ribbons, it should be retired from the show circuit. let it travel in an exhibition show so all can see it and still be inspired. i'll be honest- if i had a quilt that went to a national show and won BOS, and i sent it to another and it ribboned there, I, ME, would retire it. i personally feel that sending it on to any other show would be, perhaps, showing off. it won two ribbons, time to come up with a new design, one-up myself, consider the possibly of teaching nationally, stepping aside and let another fellow quilter experience a big ribbon win. but as davis says- you can't judge someone by what YOU would OR wouldn't do.

i also disagree with some of the national organizations' categories for quilts, mostly how the categorize the quilting aspect. more to the point- how they classify computer driven quilting. with the advancement of technology, the LA companies have developed a computer driven long arm. i cannot compete with a computer, nor do i chose to (i'm not john henry dying with my machine in my arms) but what i would like to see is a separate category for "computer assisted quilting" if more than 75% of the quilting is done by computer- it fits that category, no matter how much more is free motioned. now, don't get me wrong- i'm not against computer LAing, i recognize that it is a different skill set, and requires a different level of knowledge. basically- a computer can quilt in way i cannot, and i can quilt in ways a computer cannot. i shouldn't be jugded as one in the same.

another one i have a problem with is the "quilt-for-hire" category. makes it sound like i should have a red light on in my studio. i consider what i do an art, and it took me 4 years of LAing to consider it that. i might not of pieced the top, but i made it a quilt using my POV creatively. i saw something in the quilt and used that to inspire a whole story with the quilting that enhances the patchwork design of the top. every quilt i quilt has a piece of my soul in it, every stitch placed is a labor of love, so when someone puts that in a box labeled "quilted-for-hire" i get a little defensive.

i have an idea for a quilt (or two)- and one day i will create this quilt, and hope it worthy just to hang alongside the quilts of the quilters i so look up to. until then,

i'm just stitchn' along

sunday stash #7

the other night in the instant before i fell asleep i realized that for my absolute obsession with batiks that i had not posted even one batik from my stash. that won't be an oversight anymore...
this is 3! batiks that i have. the two on the right are fabrics i bought to 'go' with it. i originally had plans to use it in a tote/purse, but haven't had a pattern tell me it needs this particular fabric. it was also sold in a bright jewel tone with navy (?) background, and even tho i am drawn to the jewel tones, i liked the earthy tone one more.

sage blue stars

here's the quilt i literally just finished- it belongs to muriel p. and i must say- i find myself really liking the subtle color scheme. i would totally sleep under this quilt.

it measures 85 inches square and i quilted it with feathers in the sashing and border, CCed the star patchwork, and doodlebugged the block backgrounds using a thread named mother goose. i was a bit surprised when i did my bobbin count- i estimated 9- 10 bobbins, it took 14! ....but i did echo the feather spine, so i'm guessing i didn't account for that in my estimate...

i was thinking the other day (no it didn't hurt), there are LAers that don't quilt for hire, don't get me wrong- that's cool (sometimes i wished i didn't) but i like quilting for customers cause there is no way in heck i could make enough quilts to quilt all the ideas i have floating around in my grey matter...plus, i like the challenge of designing the quilting design to fit the quilt. you couldn't really put a contemporary E2E on a civil war reproduction quilt, so i get to 'design' the quilting to enhance the theme of the quilt. keeps me on my toes. and just another reason i love LAing.

Food for thought

next time someone asks why i quilt this will be my answer:
(thanks to Bobbi over at the APQS chat for this. it's in her signature)

TIME cannot be influenced by Mankind. It gives each of us a beginning, and an end. And this makes us question the significance of what comes between. BUT if you can create something time cannot erode, something which ignores the eccentricities of particular eras or moments, something truly timeless, THIS, THEN, IS THE ULTIMATE VICTORY!

it's the perfect way to explain it, IMHO

LOL #2

remember, i LOVE corny jokes. here's another one....( the post that got it going here )



What do you get when you cross a snowman and a vampire?






frostbite

Doodlebuggin!!!


i'm thinking this would make the CUTEST t-shirt for me. see what happens when i'm bored and left alone with my dry erase board and a marker.... geez, and it's a friday night. such a party animal, huh?

taking out the math #3

here is a chart that will tell you how many stitches per inch (SPI) you get if your domestic sewing machine is metric. but if you want a true representation of exactly how many SPI your machine does, take a strip of fabric and mark it in inch increments and set your machine at different lengths and stitch for a inch. then count how many you're getting, mark that on your fabric as well as what stitch length setting you used for that inch. keep that close to your machine and you'll always have a record of your SPI.

when i piece, i use 11-12 stitches per inches. if you are sewing thru paper and it will be removed, i recommend 15-18 SPI (or higher depending on the weight of the paper) to make removing the paper easier. do a small test with the paper to be absolutely sure it's the results you want.

millimeters/ stitches per inch
.5 / 50
.1 / 25
1.5 / 16
2 / 12
2.5 / 10
3 / 8
3.5 / 7
4 / 6
4.5- 5 / 5

happy stitchin'

strawberry fields forever

here's the quilt i did for a color challenge i came up with. i go to a group called Stitchin' Sallies and i taught a color theory class and at the end we did a project using the info we learned along the way.

at the end, i took a box of crayons and dumped them in a basket and each lady blindly picked 5 crayons. (i took out the black and white crayons, as well as the metallics) once everyone had picked they had the choice of putting two crayons that they didn't want in the center of the table. then they had two options: drawing two crayons blindly from the basket again or take two from the center. after everyone did this they had five colors to make a quilt with. they could ONLY use the five colors they had with slight variants on the values. here's my five (thank goodness i got a lime green)




this is my quilt. i made a small wall hanging using a pattern from pat sloan's book "Pat Slaon's Favorite Techniques" (she has a blog here )it was the perfect opportunity to try machine applique (i usually do it all by hand). i sewed yellow beads to the strawberries for seeds. i think it came out CUTE! i've had it done for a while, but it took FOREVER to find yellow seed beads....i looked everywhere for 4 months, but i finally found some this weekend at Hobby Lobby, so now it's done...




Sunday Stash #6


here's the other fabric i got from this group i posted about here. i got my hancock's of paducah catalog on thursday, they have the group (here), along with some VERY cute coordinates i didn't see/notice at intown quilters.


i love love love the little owls. they are so bug eyed and cute!


i almost forgot!


HAPPY MUDDER'S DAY!


i don't have one, i was hatched..... :P

taking out the math #2

okay here's another chart for all the non-math majors. it is a chart of 'standard' mattress sizes.
now, a word of caution: there is NO 'standard' mattress size. what i mean is this, the surface top (where you sleep) is pretty consistant, but with all the different pillow tops, depth of the mattress varies. so if you're going to make a quilt to fit a certain bed- MEASURE THAT PARTICULAR BED including the depth of the mattress (called the drop). also, when a quilt top is quilted and washed it shrinks (up to 10% depending on the type of batting used) so i recommend adding at least 10" in both directions: width and length,to the quilt top to allow for this. trust me, i made a quilt to fit my bed- looked beautiful! then i washed it- it didn't fit my bed anymore. so i add 10 inches to every quilt i make for shrinkage. (disclaimer-*groan* this is MY personal opinion, based on at least 10 years of making quilts. it is in NO way industry fact. you are left to use your own creative interpretation of my previous experiences :) )

Bed Mattress size (in inches/ width x length)
Buggy 15 x 31
crib 23 x 46
playpen 40 x 46
youth 32 x 66
studio (?) 30 x 75
bunk 38 x 75
twin* 39 x 75
wide twin 48 x 75
long twin 39 x 80 (used commonly in college dorms)
double/full* 54 x 75
queen* 60 x 80
king* 78 x 80
CA king 72 x 84

(*- denotes 'standard' size)
oh- i've never heard or seen a mattress labeled 'studio' but i included it anyway....

that's clear as mud, right?

LOL

i LOVE corny jokes! i'm sorry but i do- nothing like simple humor to make your inner child giggle. if you have a corny joke, please leave it in the comments....i'd love to add it to my collection. here's my lastest favorite:

What does a fish say when it hits a wall?






DAM!


see i bet you at least smiled....

hall county raffle quilt


well, here it is! it's done, and i must admit for all the bad words i uttered while quilting it and all the stitches i frogged at the beginning- it came out spectacular!

it is the raffle quilt for the hall county quilt guild (link here ) in northeastern GA. it was designed by Deb Karasik and i was told that it would not be published. (a link to her website here ) so if you want to buy tickets, i'll post as soon as i found out all the contact info. but don't buy too many :) i want my chances to remain good!

it took me 17 1/2 hours to quilt it. it measures 85 inches square. i quilted it all freemotion, except where i SIDed, where i used a ruler. the quilt is all batiks, with Warm and natural batting.

if i can say so, and i mean this in the humblest way: when i got it off the frame and hung it on the wall, i stepped back and was like "wow, i did that!" the quilt itself is a feat of piecing engineering, and i feel like i just enhanced the beauty that was already there. i swear, it's why i love what i do SO much!

(if you click on the pictures, it'll open up a bigger picture, then hit the back button on your browser to come back here)

not just for beds anymore...

this is a chair upholstered with quilts made by Julie B. this happened back at the beginning of the year, but i've had the same quilt on the frame all week now (you'll see it i promise!) and i wanted something to blog about, so i went thru my photos and found this. an oldie, but goodie. this photo was destined to be on my website, but this is a better home!

she told me that she looked for a long time for already made quilts to cover it in, but couldn't find any in the colors of her living room, so she made ones. how cool is that!


it took me three days to quilt all the pieces. if i remember there were 5 total. the gusset of the ottoman, i remember this one- was 8" tall by 118" wide. yup. it reads "home sweet home"
now i need to find me a 'comfy' chair and cover it with quilts...: )

King Tut

me and davis went to the King Tut exhibit last weekend (i've been blog lazy) it was really nice! i have always held a fascination of ancient Egypt's art and culture. ever since high school art history with Mrs. Grogg.

i couldn't help but to think that i was standing in front of objects/art that was created so long ago that my family tree was still thinking about being a seed and before Jesus walked the earth. i mean imagine- i stood in front of a statue that was over 3,000 years old. how often in life do you get that opportunity? here's a link to the exhibit's website: here

plus, king tut was not know historically for his reign as Pharaoh of Egypt. he is famous for a more modern reason: his tomb was and is the most complete ever found in the valley of the kings! it hadn't been touched by tomb robbers. it was totally fascinating! also, they also had objects from his tomb itself. the jewelry was fascinating! the detail the artisan's work was amazing! especially since they didn't have the technology we have today. it was BEAUTIFUL. i asked davis what he thought and i liked his response: "everything we saw is one of a kind. there is nothing else like it and never will be. i now understnad the true meaning of priceless. if you stole it, you couldn't sell it, cause they would immediately know you were the one who took it in the first place." that's my davis. :)

we then drove down peachtree street to see the Anubis statue that 'guards' the Pharaoh's treasures. that was pretty impressive!

all in all it was a GREAT day. if you have the opportunity to live close to a city that will host this exhibit, make the trip. i bet you won't be sorry.

now i just have to talk him into going to see the Bodies exhibit....that's been a toughie. :)

Sunday Stash #5

is this not the CUTEST! print? i love the beavers. it's a Robert Kaufman print by Amy Schimle from the collection "Forest Fun". i got another piece of it also- that'll be next sunday's post. it's a new piece of fabric, just bought it a month ago. i just thought it was TOO cute. i got two yards, and i don't have anything planned for it yet. I got it from one of my favorite quilt shops: Intown Quilter's in Atlanta GA. a link to their website is here.