Inspiration - three generations of quilters

November 2006, during our DD2's annual family visit from San Diego, California, DD2 and I paid a visit to the local quilt shop for fabric.

Daughter picked out fabric she liked for a quilt, since I haad not yet made one for her and her husband. She liked both the log cabin and double Irish chain patterns, so it was decided that we would make lap size quilts for her home.

Both daughter and grand daughter got in on the planning, cutting and sewing of the log cabin blocks before their visit ended. The girls took back a list of beginning "I want to learn to quilt' supplies, purchased a sewing machine and have begun quilt making on their own!

The two of them have taken a class at Quilt in a Day as well. Both are currently working on finishing their quilt projects from that class. (see more information by clicking the TJ's quilting adventure link on this blog)

They have recently visited again, and I helped Granddaughter (age 15) with learning to quilt her project on the sewing machine.

Daughter used the embroidery machine to personalize the one she is now making for her husband.

Both attended quilt guild with me and Granddaughter showed her project at 'sew and tell'

It is a joy and pleasure to share this hob-ssession with them.

Grandson Brett - dinosaur fan and quilter in his own right

Brett loves dinosaurs, we found the big panel, a fabric book, and coordinating fabric that he really liked.

I used those to make the large quilt for him.

Brett has a mild form of autism and is home schooled. As a part of his home school program, Brett (then age 9) chose to make a small quilt.

He used the scraps left over from his quilt. I cut his blocks for him, but he did all the sewing, sandwiched the quilt and tied it.

We entered his quilt in our local county fair. He won a blue ribbon.

I also sent a picture of it in to my internet quilt group and Brett's quilt was chosen "quilt of the month".

Shortly after that, I took him to a local quilt show, he told the sponsors about his quilt and that he was "a world famous quilter". Who knows, maybe Ricky Timms is going to have some serious competietion in the future?

Since then Brett has made a rail fence baby quilt and is now working with his mom on a bargello pattern.

Musing on the quilt guild meeting

Is it Autumn or Christmas??????

Monday was quilt guild meeting. Our family was well represented, me, 2 daughters, granddaughter and a nephew in attendance. Also have another daughter and a grandson who quilt, but were not there.

I am proud of my 'quilting family'! They are very talented and creative.

Our new BOM is one we all really liked and the colors are "autumn". We bought fabric after the meeting and cut out block "kits" for 6 blocks, all alike! After we got started, we thought maybe the colors were more Christmas-y than autumn, but the apple theme is autumnal, so we will use them anyway.

I liked it so well that I already made more blocks with the same pattern and colors - just in case I don't win the blocks at the meeting LOL! I wonder what the reaction will be when they get 6 identically patterend blocks in the mix?? Oh well, it's what we wanted to do, and we did it. I may make a couple more in more traditional autumn fabrics, just for fun, and to add to the drawing. Someone may as well get a lot of blocks!

We were supposed to also make one block in patriotic colors for our Quilts of Valor project, so I made one of them using only 3 fabrics instead of 4. I was pretty impressed with the result of that too. I am going to share what I used for the focus fabric in the patriotic block with those in the family who want to make a patriotic block too.

At the guild meeting I was invited by one of our guests to her hand quilting group. I am excited about that, and hope to be able to attend.

This pattern is called 'improved nine patch'. A lady in one of the nursing homes I worked at, had made one and I was very impressed with the design.

I did not make this one completely, it was partially finished and it is vintage fabric. When I came upon it, I could not resist. I did finish it, and learned a lot about doing curved seams. It is small, about 45 inches square, so will be a lap robe to snuggle under when DH turns the air conditioning up too cool to suit me, and this fall when it's too warm for heat and too cool for comfort. I plan to hand quilt it.

Just some thoughts

I finished another 'Wolf' panel quilt today.
I got out the 5 tops that hadn't been documented with pictures and took photos of them, then went to work on my quilt journal.
The journal contains pictures, fabric swatches, and a few notes on the quilt. There are, of course, duplicates of several patterns, I have made several of the bordered panels, each different, several log cabins, in different sizes and settings. More than one Irish Chain or variation thereof.
I have quite a collection of books and equipment, rulers, mats, cutters, pins, needles, threads, and 2 sewing machines. Not to mention FABRIC, if I love it, I buy a yard or two, you never know when you might want to use it and for some reason the designs are only out for a while and then disappear. And of course there is the large trash bag of scraps, small pieces that are enough to use for something.
I have hand cut, rotary cut, paper pieced, chain pieced, hand pieced, and used about every other technique I have read about. I can draft my own patterns and settings on graph paper and I am learning to use EQ and an embroidery machine.
The finishing ranges from tying, to hand quilting, to a few on my home machine and those I have sent out to machine quilters. I can do a 'quick turn' finish or put on commercial binding or make my own, and if all else fails, yes, I can turn over the back and just hem the quilt.
There are 36 quilts in the journal, and 3 others that never got photos taken. From the early days, when I did not realize that this hob-ssession of mine was really an inroad in a time honored craft. There are also a few other undocumented projects, some 'quillows' and quilted pillows that I have done too.
Long ago, my best friend and I would spend time with her grand mother, who hand quilted for herself and others, Grandma Essie would try to get us to learn to piece and quilt. I don't know how many times she would get us started with a simple block, like a nine patch or snowball. We might stick with it long enough to complete a block. I don't remember completeing more than those 2 patterens and I am sure it was only one block of each. How sorry I am now that I did not pay more attention to that gifted craftwoman.
I used to sew, made most of the dd's school clothes for many years, a homecoming candidate dress, and youngest dd's wedding dress. Made western shirts and bib overalls. Now I hardly ever even sew up a rip or patch 'leaky' jeans. I would rather cut the fabric up and make a quilt!

Now hanging on the 'Design Curtain'

This is my 'storm at sea' wall hanging.

I found that paper piecing the blocks worked better than trying to cut and sew the pieces.

It is another venture in hand quilting. My stitches are getting more uniform and smaller, so improving.

This pattern intrigues me, with its feeling of motion, and the optical illusion of curves in the block.

The colors are still another attempt to use up the trash bag of scraps that I have collected.

The problem is: now I want a larger quilt in this pattern and these colors. One of these days I will get around to it!

UNICORNS on top and Dolphins on the back

A friend of ours wanted a special quilt for his wife for her birthday. She was also recovering from surgery. He specified that she liked unicorns, dolphins, and green and blue.

I used EQ to work on a layout and block size.

I had couple of yards of fabric with unicorns in the stash, so fussy cut some blocks from it. Made a trip to the quilt shops and of course there is no more of that fabric in the area, so opted to make some blocks with unicorn heads embroidered on them.

I finished the top and with only a couple of days to spare before the birthday, pieced a back for it with dolphin and tropical fish fabrics.

It really met all of his specifics!

This is a 'quick turn' quilt and it is tied, rather than quilted.

Using the quick turn technique also eliminated having to make binding for the finish.