Celebrate Hand Quilting

Click on the Hand Quilting button and have a look at the blog post celebrating hand quilting.  I've always liked hand quilting so much better than machine.  I know, I know - there is some good machine quilting done these days but I prefer hand quilting - the process, the look, and the feel.  Caron has a blog post where any of us with hand quilted pieces can put a link to our post for everyone else to enjoy, like Amy does for the online quilt festival.  So, go have a peak at what's been posted and then add a link of your own.

Salinda Rupp quilt

AKA Completely Insane and now I know why!  I was looking back over my posts and couldn't believe how long it's been since I posted about a completed quilt.  

I made this last winter and just realized I've never posted pictures.  I started it in January and completely finished it in June.  I left off the border that's in the book because I want the quilt to fit this bed and a border would have made the quilt too big.  

One of the things I learned is I'm never going to make another quilt with blocks this small and with so many pieces in them because it makes the quilting so difficult.  I hand quilt and stitching through five or more layers in the seams isn't a whole lot of fun.  I did a narrow cable in the sashing with a little flower-like thing in the blue setting squares.  The quilting in each block is different, depending on the design of the block.  (Click on the photos for a better look.)   

The blocks aren't set in any particular order so this doesn't exactly match the original but I did try to stay close to its colors.  It was obvious that Ms. Rupp used scraps so I did, too.  I kept a box on my cutting table and tossed in everything that was at least 3/4 inch wide.  Some of the pieces really do finish at 1/4 inch! 

Flower Basket quilt

First the whole quilt ---

Flower Basket, Vintage

Quilting close up ---

Flower Basket, Vintage, close up

Notice the quilting lines aren't exactly evenly spaced.  Synthia (no blog) met me at the show and pointed out this was probably so the maker wouldn't have to quilt through all the layers of seam allowance where the diamonds come together at the basket.  Clever, yes? 

Three pictures!

 

 The quilting is a fan design that goes through all layers of applique.  I love the colors and the plaid that was used.

 

Carson's Neighborhood

I had a computer update waiting for me that I installed - maybe that was the only problem because these seem to have loaded without a problem.  See the post directly below for a slideshow of the rest of the pictures.

Aurora Colony Quilt Show

Another slideshow design by Smilebox  I just finished writing a nice long post about the quilt show, but Blogger ate it.  Anyway, the show was fabulous!  My favorite quilt was Wreath with Sunflower, Antique, near the beginning of the slide show.  I loved the fabrics, the way they applique was done (I tried to get a close-up of the stitches) and the way it was quilted. My goals for this show, besides just having a good time and enjoying it, were to get photos of all the quilts without using a flash and to get a picture of the tags on them to identify the makers.  I think I may have put a few in the slide show twice so just ignore the duplicates.   The red and white blocks are part of a challenge which closes, I think, on Friday.  Selected blocks will be displayed Sat and I think those are the blocks to be made into next year's raffle quilt. Mary Doak was the featured quilter this year and she does awesome work!  She had a whole cloth quilt that was spectacular but I think Carson's Neighborhood was my favorite of hers.  It was happy and cheerful and made me smile every time I looked at it.  She has a picture of her baby grandson in one window as well as something cute in each of the others.  (I'm trying to add a couple of pictures to the body of this post but Blogger doesn't want to let me.  I hope the slide show works!)

Meet Abigail

Born Monday, October 10, 8 lbs 13.6 oz (!), 21 inches long.  Mom, baby, Dad, brother, and sister are all fine and excited for her to be here. 

Help !!!

I'm trying to add a photo to a post and I can't get back to this page to add more text - or to do anything else.  This has never been a problem before.  Anyone know what I can do?  It's a really important picture!

How I spent my summer . . . .

I can't really call it my summer vacation because there was no vacation involved!  There are now renters in my rental house (they moved in last week - yay!) but it's still not finished.  I had the gas company out last week to turn on service since the furnace is gas and the man said no.  The furnace needs repairs.  (Of course it does.  It's been that kind of summer.)  But the repair is really expensive and the furnace in there is 50 years old so I'm just getting a new one.    I'm waiting for the contractor to call me with the date which should be tomorrow or the next day.  At least it's not freezing here and the renters said it stays nice and cozy at night.  After the wall is repaired, I think that should be it.  I honestly think that house is in better shape than the one I live in so I shouldn't be getting many calls to fix things and that's good. 

I haven't gotten any sewing at all done since I posted my last Cherry Tree blocks but, since the weather is cooler here now,  I can use my sewing room again and can't wait to start.  I'm going to pull fabrics this week for the posted blocks I haven't gotten done yet.  My oldest daughter is having her baby Oct 10 (scheduled C-section) if she doesn't go into labor before then and I want them ready to take with me when I watch her children while she's in the hospital and then the first few weeks she's home.  I may not get much done while I'm there, but why take a chance on the kids napping at the same time and me with nothing to sew?   That would be bad!!!  And I've picked the quilt pattern for new baby's quilt.  I'm just waiting to find out boy or girl before I choose fabrics.

Do any of you have this book - Quilter's Academy, Vol 3?  I also have Vols 1 and 2.  My thought was no matter how long we quilt, there should be something new to learn and I enjoyed the first two.  Honestly, I think they'd be good for beginners but I still enjoyed them.  I have a question on this one, though.  I emailed them when I got the book (when it first came out) and Harriet replied that she was busy and would give me an answer in a week or two.  I waited a month and re-emailed.  That was last April and I haven't heard back.  If any of you have this book, can you please explain the measurements on p. 95 to me?    They make no sense at all.  I'm generally very good at math and quilting math makes sense to me but not this page.  After this experience, I'm fairly certain I won't buy the rest of the series.   I really much prefer to give good reviews but can't with this book.

And I want to thank all of you who emailed me over the summer.  That was really nice, I enjoyed hearing from you, and is was something I didn't expect.  Thank you!