Perpetual Projects

Being involved in a couple of small stitch groups that meet at least weekly, I like to have a long-term hand sewing project to carry around and keep me occupied.  Emphasis on long-term--a perpetual project, one that will keep me occupied for many, many, many months and during that span of time will be ready to grab as I head out the door.  So it was with some regret, but mostly with real satisfaction, that I recently completed a perpetual project.

I used a traditional applique pattern, Hickory Leaf, very slightly modified from Barbara Brackman's book, America's Printed Fabrics, 1770-1890.  Here is Barbara's version, which uses large-scale reproduction prints on neutral background: 

I love that quilt.


Here's what I did with contemporary prints:

Bad photo of a quilt that is too large to light well and too large to fit flat on my design wall...  The color shows better in these details:

It's festive.  Kris Barlow did a terrific job of machine-quilting it.  I love the way it looks on a (queen-size) bed:

Next time--a preview of the new perpetual project.

The Great Shirley Greenhoe

And I do mean great.


Shirley is an extraordinary machine quilter.  On page 36 of Tile Quilt Revival there is a photo of Shirley's quilting of a tile quilt of mine that features printed hydrangeas and stitched circles.  As always, Shirley's design for the quilting brings it all together perfectly--beautifully stitched hydrangea blossoms combined with spirals upon spirals.  But that's another story.


Today's actual topic is Shirley's brilliant taking tile technique to another level!  She is using tile construction method to create a terrific border on a Tree of Life medallion quilt:

I apologize for the poor quality of the photo.  My excuse--too excited about the tile border to pay attention to camera settings....  


The graceful lines of the tile border work so beautifully with the crisp geometry of the tree leaves and the pieced inner borders.  Here are a couple of details:

I love it that Shirley used light grout (background fabric) in the border strips and dark grout for the fans/shells.  The combination makes for a nice positive/negative play.  


Shirley's quilt is obviously a work in progress, and I can hardly wait to see how it develops.  I understand there may be more tile technique in the works.
Thanks, Shirley, for sharing.  I hope you'll let all of us see the completed quilt.

Dog Day

We recently celebrated the 10th birthday of our mutt, Sumo.  We've pretty much ignored the previous 9, but 10 means 70 in dog years, and this one just seemed too important to pass over.  Here's the cake (divided in two to be shared with her friend, Grace):

Name notwithstanding, Sumo is of the female persuasion--she got the name by being pushy.  Here she and Grace are waiting to be told they can taste the cake:

And here's the Sumo dog hopelessly smitten with her present, a little stuffed beaver:

 I learned from reading the dog DNA story in the current issue of National Geographic that her Andy Rooney eyebrows are called "furnishings."  Nice.

Quilt Talk Radio!

Happy New Year.


Bobbi Finley and I are launching 2012 as guests on Pat Sloan's radio quilting show! Pat's program is American Patchwork & Quilting Radio, which can be heard live on Mondays at 4:00 ET.  If you are unable to listen then, no problem--recordings are available later. 


Here's a link to Pat's website: http://www.creativetalknetwork.com/


Bobbi and I will be guests on Pat's show next Monday, January 16, 2012.  It's 4:00 Eastern Time, so remember to adjust for your time zone if you plan to listen to the live broadcast.   Go to this link to listen: www.allpeoplequilt.com/radio/index.html


We will be talking about tile quilts and our book, Tile Quilt Revival.  


When I was in 9th grade I won a pair of (cheap) shoes for being Best Dressed Girl on the local television dance show, Hi Fi Hop.  I've waited a long time for this second showbiz opportunity, and I'm excited about it.  I hope you can be in the audience.

Finished Finishing

Enough of finishing.
Here's the last of the lot:

It's called Free Floating.
And here are a couple of details:

The details show a couple of my all-time favorite fabrics.  
The blue-green fingerprint with the occasional black dot is glazed, which gives it a wonderful crispness.  And it is vintage--exactly what vintage, I don't know, but it was well-aged when I got it years ago at Beverly Hills Silks & Woolens.  BHS&W was a set decorator's paradise where bark cloth and 36"-wide fabric, as well as almost anything else you fancied, could still be found on the bolt. The other fingerprint fabric is an African Dutch wax print. I like the two together--the fingerprint collection.

Another UFO Moved to the FO Column

The Finishing March plays on; a post-manuscript-completing urge to complete something else.  Namely quilt tops from the Past.  This time the top was made in 1998....  Or, at least, as close as I can figure, it was 1998.  And I may have this story totally tangled, but, as I remember it, here's how it came about:  Judi Blaydon, a literary enthusiast, issued a challenge to retreat goers. Use a passage Judi chose from The War of the Roses, a novel by Warren Adler, as the creative springboard for a quilt.  
Doing lots of fusing I made a small top, displayed it along with other challenge results at the retreat, and then put it away.  But, when I came across it recently, I was happy to see it again and thought it deserved to be quilted.  

I especially liked the positive/negative thorns.

And the yellow-green/green-blue/red combo holds up.  

Another FO for our guild's mini-quilt auction, April 2012.  Yea!

More UFO's into FO's

Two more UFO's became FO's at stitch group this morning.  They are both destined for the mini-quilt auction at the Kaw Valley Quilt Guild show in April 2012.  Proceeds go to local non-profits.  


You've seen both of these projects in unfinished stages.  The first is from the workshop Carol Taylor taught this summer.

The second is Sarah Fayman's second challenge--the challenge fabrics are the solid brown, deep blue, and violet. 

Both pieces were free cut.  I tamed the 9-patches with a ruler before sewing the blocks together.  


Done and done.