Sunday, May 16, 2010

Rebecca's Broken Star

Rebecca says that she made this quilt to learn the complicated piecing techniques. Her set-in seams are great! And my computer verified that each diamond was at a perfect angle.
Look at that center! It isn't easy to get 16 fabrics to meet so sharply!

It is quilted with One Song's "Bethany" feathers and a ribbon border.


My Quilts

I've been on a finishing rampage lately. This is a t-shirt quilt for my younger daughter. College shirts on one side..
Grade school and high school on the other.

I've been collecting I Spy fabrics for a long time. I finally made one for myself since my oldest grand daughter (age 2 1/2) is starting to "get it".

It is reversible. One side has fewer rows and a border so that the thick seams don't line up when it is quilted.
I chose Anne Bright's "Cinnamon Swirl" pantograph.




Another Dyed Project

Sometimes it is hard to actually cut up and use your hand dyed fabrics. So that's what I did with this quilt. It is going onto a bunk bed in the "grand kids' room". I found this pattern for Trip around the World on-line. You make it one block at a time which is why it has a "casual" look.
The quilting motifs are in honor of our dearly departed Mr. Cat.


I made the back with left over dye. Can you tell?






My Weaver Fever

This is Diana's Quilt's cousin. Since I was a little behind the crowd, and they were complaining so much about how long it was taking, I cut my rows a little wider than called for. So I got more quilt with less sewing.


When I dyed my fabric, I accordian folded it and dipped half into blue and the other half into green to create my striped border. Great fun!



Diana's Quilts

This is a "Weaver Fever" that my sister-in-law made at our semi-annual family quilting retreat.
We hand-dyed two 3-step gradations. We thought that is quilt would go together quickly. It didn't. We were happy that we were together and could whine to eachother the whole time.
But it was worth the effort! It is quilted with Anne Bright's "Awesome Blossom" in King Tut "Harem" variegated thread. Do you think Diana will notice if I "forget" to give it back to her?

Diana is anxiously waiting to meet her 5th grand child. This baby will be the first to carry on the family name. She lovingly made this to her daughter-in-law's specifications.
The blue fabric is "Minkee" and so is the backing. It is quilted with a simple Cloud pattern.



Suzanne's Christmas Quilt

Suzanne made the tree in a "Snippets" class. It sat around for a few years waiting for a bee border pass around project! Other members of "Sew Bee It" created the ribbon, ornament and star borders. Suzanne added the piano key border to make it fit the space where it will be displayed. She plans to add twinkly lights and call it her "Christmas tree" at the family cabin.

Elaine's Log Cabin Star

Elaine made this as a store sample. Too bad you can't feel this silky, drapey flannel! Rush over to Judy's Quilt and Sew in Hampshire because it is going to get caressed right off the bolts!

Barbara's Quilts

I find the colors of this quilt to be soothing.
The border is called "Ornate Sashing" and the body is quilted with "Curly Feather".

Barbara made this table runner as a thank-you gift for a lucky friend.


It is quilted with "Blowing Grass" and gold metalic thread.

It's fun to just look at the fabrics up close.




Candy's Baby Gift

Candy made this sweet quilt as a gift. It is quilted with a daisy motif.

Alice's Trip Around the World

Alice made this for for her daughter's birthday.
They chose fabrics to represent all 4 seasons. It is quilted with Anne Bright's "Flutterby".

Judy's Quilts

Isn't this a pretty assortment of batiks?
It is quilted with "Fern Meander" - but we decided to call it "Seaweed Meander" to honor the colors.

This quilt has a totally different feel - doesn't it? I would like this as a wall hanging - my eyes keep finding the different squares.

It is quilted with Jodi Beamish's "Spin" pantograph.



Judy is making this comforter for a friend. She wanted something simple. Judy stitched extra wide borders. I quilted a rose pattern with poofy polyester batting. Next they are going to wash it in hot water and dry it in the dryer to shrink it. Then Judy is going to trim it to the perfect size and bind it. File that idea in your bag of tricks!




Sunday, May 2, 2010

Happy May Day!

This is how bees arrive via USPS. You can see, hear, smell and feel them! A very brave postman left these in my garage on Saturday. 5 pounds of honey bees!
They are covering a can of sugar water and a small cage containing their queen. Right now they aren't very happy - but they are pretty docile. They are hungry, tired, and need to use the ladies room. Plus they don't have babies or a territory to defend (yet).

Now they are ensconced in their new Home Sweet Home. Inside they are busy sniffing, cleaning, and chewing their queen out of her cage so she can GET BUSY. Hopefully within a few weeks, she'll be laying 1000 eggs PER DAY!


Barbara's Double Wedding Ring

Barbara worked feverishly to complete this beautiful labor of love for her daughter's wedding this month.
Look closely at the construction technique. It consists of jillions of paper pieced wedges. The bright colors contrast wonderfully with the white background.

Sandy's Gift

Sandy made this as a going away present for a friend. While I admired the pretty fabrics as soon as I saw it, I didn't appreciate the woven look it has until I saw it through my camera's view finder.
It is quilted with "Daisies with an Attitude" to try to match the spikey flowers in the batik.

Laurel's Quilt

I love the value and color balance in this quilt! There are only 6 fabrics but I find it visually interesting.
Plus Laurel is an excellent piecer! What points! It is quilted with Jodi Beamish's "Splash" pantograph. We used a blue/green/purple thread on the front.

And a green variegated on the back. A lucky nephew will get this as a graduation present.


Pam's T-shirt Quilt

The t-shirt queen, Cathie, (of previous posts) created this quilt for Pam out of her running and cycling shirts.
We chose a swirly quilting pattern to try to capture the motion of the bike wheels.

Mary's Baseball Quilt

Mary made this for her lucky grandson.
This is another great Anne Bright pantograph. Can you find the baseball, bat, glove and cap?