OCTOBER 5, 2012
Every September for the past eleven years, I have packed up the car and headed to Northern Michigan to beautiful White Birch Lodge for Gwen Marston’sBeaver Island Quilt Retreat.
The days I spend there are about friendship and quilting. Gwen has created a truly incredible environment where creativity flows for all of us.
Love this year’s t-shirt design!
Each retreat, Gwen inspires us with a commanding body of work that she has created for the retreat theme and this year was no exception! Medallion quilts abounded …
And no surprise, this one was my favourite!
A number of us who have been coming to BIQR for years commented about how the retreat is where we start our creative year. It is a place for us to renew and to experiment … oh and did I experiment! On a recent trip to NYC I once again saw the work of Jackson Pollock. I remember reading about how he would stand on a step ladder and splatter the paint onto his canvas. Having an ample supply of berries on hand and a length of white fabric I tossed the berries and stitched them where they landed! Stitching all of the berries on was a lovely way to spend my time at the retreat because I could move around and sit and chat with people as I stitched. I auditioned some parallel vine borders, but they came off so fast I did not get a picture! Carol did though! This is the audition with a sawtooth segment. There might be a call back for them later, but they didn’t stay on either. I will keep you posted on it’s progress!
So much happened this week in addition to stitching! Mike gave us a water ski show (no wet suit! brrrrr!).
And somebody at the lodge was very creative building this chair!
I will be back next week with more to share about BIQR!
Happy Stitching!
SEPTEMBER 25, 2012
I am so thrilled to finally be able to share with you a project that I worked on earlier this year!
All images used with permission from American Patchwork & Quilting® magazine. ©2012 Meredith Corporation. All rights reserved.
Oodles of tiny indigo triangles twirling across the quilt! And spectacular quilting by Karen Power.
You can find the pattern here, in the December 2012 issue of American Patchwork and Quilting.
On newsstands October 9th!
All images used with permission from American Patchwork & Quilting® magazine. ©2012 Meredith Corporation. All rights reserved.
I also want to thank Sew Mama Sew, Jan at Be*mused, Bill at Willy Wonky Quilts, Darra at See How We Sew, Janet at Quiltsalott, Amy at Amys Creative Side, Ingrid at Supergoof, Linda at Quilts In The Barn, Jenny at StitchThis/Martingale,and finally Lucy at QuiltingWith The Past, for an absolutely amazing blog tour, for sharing “Small Pieces, Spectacular Quilts” and introducing me to all their readers.
It has been wonderful to get to know everyone!
Thank you to Kathy Smith for being my Vanna White!
The winners of my giveaway are:
TrueCut Linear Sharpener – #30 Marcia W
Judy Martin’s Point Trimmer – #20 Sharon
Clover Natural Fit Leather Thimble – #213 Gayle
Aurifil Thread – #136 Carin
Fanmore Curved Blade Serrated Snips – #129 Marina Roos
Q-tools, repositionable sewing and cutting edge – #81 Robin
Small Blocks, Stunning Quilts – #189 Sally Olow
Small Blocks, Stunning Quilts – #13 Lila
Small Pieces, Spectacular Quilts – # 202 Judith Reynolds
Small Pieces, Spectacular Quilts – #152 Lindawwww
Thank you to everyone for your amazing comments!
Have a great week & Happy Stitching!
SEPTEMBER 23, 2012
Some of you may have received an email notice of a new post … and that post likely looks incomplete. That’s because it was! I was preparing the post for next week, up to the point of the draw and instead of hitting save, I hit publish!
So no worry, you can still leave comments for the draw until Monday at 11:59pm EST!
The suspense will just have to continue!
Have a great weekend
&
Happy Stitching
SEPTEMBER 19, 2012
This week Lucy at Quilting with the Past is the final stop on my blog book tour. She made up some adorable blocks from Wassenaar Windmills that you just have to see! Lucy’s blog was one of the first I ever read in blog land, many years ago. I love her style, photography, eye for colour and attention to details. It is a visual feast! Lucy’s quilts have been published many times in Quiltmania magazine. Be sure to check out the back issues to see some of her amazing work.
I had the chance to meet Lucy a few years ago when she came to Gwen Marston’s retreat. She brought along the quilt that she had made from a photo of an antique quilt in Gwen’s Liberated String Quilts book. And it just so happens that the original antique string quilt that inspired Lucy belongs to my friend Nancy who was also at the retreat that year and she brought the original to share!
Lucy and Nancy had a good chat about the quilts!
Here they are together! The quilts and Lucy and Nancy! Lucy’s version is on the right!
Lucy did such a splendid rendition! It just sings! And it was featured in Quiltmania in issue 67!
If this is your first time stopping by my blog … welcome! Be sure to go to my inaugural post and leave a comment for a chance to win one of the ten giveaways. Comments will close 11:59 pm EST on Sept 24th and I will randomly draw the winners and announce them on September 25th! And don’t forget to stop by and visit
Lucy!
Have a great week
&
Happy Stitching!
SEPTEMBER 12, 2012
My “studio space” doesn’t have a spot for a design wall. It is not that I wouldn’t like one or haven’t found other ways to get some perspective on projects I am working on. I have used my digital camera and looked at the work in progress on the screen, I have put my project on the floor in my hallway and gone up the stairs to gaze down, I have put up a “portable” design wall (that was an unhappy experience setting it up … like assembling a tent … poles springing everywhere!) and I have taken quilts to Biz’s house to “hang” on her bank of kitchen cupboards!
It wasn’t until we were backing up, practically through the french doors into Biz’s dining room that we found out just how bossy this flock of geese were and just how much it needed those two borders to stay visually contained and manageable! It’s helpful to get perspective on your work.
Darra and I had been talking about what they use for design walls on her annual retreat with her friends … flannel wrapped sheets of foam insulation. So a quick trip to Home Depot was in order to remedy my situation.
I found the sheets of white styrofoam insulation in the building materials area with the drywall. The 2’x8’x1″ sheet was perfect.
Once home, I cut the sheet of insulation in half, using my Exacto knife and my quilting cutting mat.
Warning: Do one decisive cut, all the way through the first time if you can. I did two passes with the knife and in the process made lots and lots of tiny, clingy bits! A quick roll with a lint roller removed any left over bits from my cutting board.
Using flannel for one side and bleached factory cotton for the other, I cut the fabric 2″ larger than the sheet of insulation. I stitched up three sides using a 1/2″ seam allowance, pivoting at the corners. To make box corners, I folded the fabric as shown, matching the seam allowances …
… and then keeping the 1/2″ line on the ruler on top of the seam, I moved the ruler down the seam allowance from the point until it measured 1″ across from edge to edge of the fabric and marked the line.
I stitched on the line and trimmed.
Turning the case inside out, I slid the board inside, turned under the raw edges, folding in the ends as if wrapping a present, pinned the ends into place by sticking the ends into the styrofoam, and stitched the opening closed. I made two from the sheet of insulation, to put side by side for bigger projects.
And the boards slide nicely under the sofa for storage when I am not using them!
It’s a new era!
Do you use a design wall?
If you haven’t already done so, stop by
this week’s blog book tour stop, Jenny at Martingale’s “Stitch This” where you will find an excerpt from the book featuring some of the antique quilts and projects from the book! If this is your first time to my blog, welcome and be sure to go to my
inaugural post and leave a comment for a chance to win one of ten giveaways.
Have a great week
&
Happy Stitching!
