10/23/2015

Quilting That Will Keep You in the Dark

This past week is one of secrets in my quilting. 
First:
I made up the swap pincushions for the next 3 months. I am going to be very busy for the next 2 months, so I wanted to get them sent out this week. 
The recipients have not yet received them, so I am posting only a tiny portion of each.





Second: 
I began a Challenge quilt for a quilt show.
I needed to make some fabric look like stone pavement, so I was sponging fabric with Liquitex Soft Body Acrylic Artist Color (Mars Black). I found it worked better if I washed the fabric before sponging. Gloves were a necessity. 

Before, Jinny Beyer's Necessary Neutrals
After sponged.

It also involves Deco Foil. I had advice on how to use this product from Amy of Sew Incredibly Crazy. Amy uses the Deco Foil quite often and has tutorials on her website. 


There is lots of hand sewing on this project with applique. Now to get it finished with a fast approaching deadline. 

Third: 
I made some burp cloths from new diapers, embroidery and flannel backing. They are a baby gift for a relative's newborn son. She has received them, so I am not shy about posting this photo. 


I leave you with a photo I took yesterday. 



This is from the Roadside Park about 2 miles away. Through partnerships with six families, the Land Conservancy has protected more than 500 acres of land and five miles of river frontage in the Muskegon River watershed. The Land Conservancy worked with the Veit, Sutton, and Leaver families to protect more than 400 acres of land and 3.5 miles of frontage along this stretch of river.

It is called The High Rollway because during the lumber era it was a place where the logs were rolled down the hill into the river where they would float 30 miles to Lake Michigan for transport to lumber mills. There are 214 steps down to the river which were built by the county road commission. 

Happy Quilting. 


10/14/2015

Quilting is Off the Cutting Table

The quilting retreat I attended was great. This is a new group that was formed this past spring by a friend of mine who wanted to get Michigan quilters together. We have a Facebook group of over 700 Michigan quilters!
There were 65 quilters working in 3 different areas of the Kettunen Conference Center. 


The space was well-lighted with lots of room to work, we had very good meals, and great fun. 




I looked forward to seeing my long-time friend, Kathi, who I haven't seen in a few years. 


But, I had no idea Bev would be there, sewing at the next table!


The first night we were treated to a beautiful sunset.


The projects I took needed binding while 
others were somewhere between started and partially done.
My goal was to get them off the cutting table. 

For those of you who followed the 2015 EQ Seasons Row Along, 
my first and most important item to finish was the "Welcome Spring" wall hanging 
I sewed the binding and glued the rick rack, flowers and beads to the fence. 



I put the binding on the "Peeking Snowman" wall decor. 
The ladies really liked this project. I am sure it was the snowman 
I used from Marian's Row Along block that made it a hit! 
It went home with my daughter for Christmas decorating. 
I put triangle pockets in the top two corners 
so that a dowel can be put in them and used as a hanger. 


The "Eye Spy" quilt is bound and ready for a relative's new baby. 



And the project I finished today was 
a doll quilt for my daughter's friend, 
matching the quilt my daughter made and gave as a baby gift last winter.
(Scraps must be used, that's my motto.)




Thank you for stopping and looking. 
It encourages me to share when I know there will be visitors to my blog. 
What will you finish this week? 

10/08/2015

Christmas Wall Hanging from EQ Seasons Row Along

During this final week of the EQ Seasons Row Along I finished up a wall hanging using the fence row I designed for the row along. I wanted to post it while people are still visiting all the designers and entering the giveaways. Here is the LINK if you'd like the free pattern for my fence block.

And HERE you can find how I used the fence block in other projects.


It is a fairly large file photo which will let you open the photo and look at the details.

If you have not seen my other show and tell projects this week for the Row Along, here is the LINK. Be sure to enter any of the giveaways if you haven't done that.

If you want all the details of the Row Along go to Seams To Be Sew.

Thank you for visiting.

10/06/2015

Final Week of EQ Seasons Row Along

"Welcome Back" to those of you who visited the Row Along during the last 5 weeks. 
And "Glad You're Here" to those who are visiting for the first time.

IT'S SHOW AND TELL WEEK

This week you are being treated to projects that some of the designers have made 
by combining the rows and/or blocks of some of the other designers.

Those of us who are sharing our designs with you are listed here: 

My projects are shown below this list. I hope they inspire you. 
And if you make a project, post a photo on the Flickr site HERE 
for all of us to "oooh and aaaahh" over!

Marian - Seams To Be Sew - http://www.seamstobesew.com
Doris - The Quilting Queen Online - http://www.quiltingqueenonline.com/
Amy W Sew Incredibly Crazy - http://sewincrediblycrazy.blogspot.com/
Carla - Creatin' In The Sticks - http://createinthesticks.blogspot.com/ (Carla used a fence row.)
Carol - Just Let Me Quilt - http://www.justletmequilt.com/
Jennifer  - Sewhooked.com - http://www.sewhooked.com/
Reeze - Morning Glory Designs -  http://blog.morningglorydesigns.net/
Loreen - School House Quilts - http://loreen.typepad.com/loreens_place/
Marlene - Kissed Quilts - http://kissedquilts.blogspot.com
ME! Nancy  - Patchwork Breeze -  http://patchworkbreeze.blogspot.com

**Darlene at Quilt Shop Gal has a free bonus pattern for everyone. 

This Row Along was a most exciting adventure for me. 
It was the 3rd time I participated in any type of blog hop.
It was the first time I have designed more than "just a block" to share with others.

While I met only one of the 20 designers in person (Reeze Hanson when I took 3 classes from her during the AQS show in August) I feel like I did meet each of them. Via the internet, we shared many ideas, questions and answers, and a good deal of very useful information that got us unstuck a few times. 

Marian Pena did so much to organize this Row Along. She had the help of Amy and Bea. The sponsors that promoted this wonderful event need to be thanked beyond measure. 

Be sure to read past my project post
to find out about the wonderful giveaways 
we have for our visitors during this last week 
of the Row Along
They are fantastic!

Here, now, are the projects I designed using various blocks and rows. 

My Welcome Spring banner
is 44" wide by 46" long.
I paper pieced the airplane from Carla at Creatin' in the Sticks
and added my own cloud design.
Carol at FunThreads Designs designed the butterfly.
Darlene at Quilt Shop Gal had a cute bird to sit on my fence.
After a long winter, the squirrel is a bit skinnier than Lorna at Sew Fresh Quilts
had designed, but he fits nicely in the space on my fence.
The chicks and grass paper piecing are from Jennifer at Sew Hooked.

 I designed the birdhouse in EQ7 as a paper pieced block.



My vine is wide rick-rack, glued down with permanent fabric glue.
I used "silk" flowers from the craft store which I took apart 
so I had single layers of petals. 
I glued them down on top of the leaves that came with the flowers. 
I glued some beads in the center for a bit of glitz.
I had some pebble fabric for the chicks to walk scratch in. 
I finished the quilt with mitered borders and blue binding.

I want to thank my longarm quilter, Michelle Fialek, 
who does such a wonderful job of making my quilts look spectacular. 

I  made a bed runner for the queen bed in our guest room. 
It measures 60" long x 23" wide.


Again, I used the butterfly from Carol at FunThreads Designs
I searched EQ7 using the notecards to find other butterfly patterns
that I appliqued with fusible web. 
I used my fence block pattern with appliqued flowers and leaves on the vines
and yo-yo flowers on the fence posts centers.
The grassy area was made after reading about the filler rows 
The binding was a fun multi-colored flower fabric that had all the
 colors from the bed runner in it.
Below is a photo taken straight on so you can see the design better. 


I have more projects in the works and will post them as I finish them.
You have until October 31 to get my block free HERE.

But now - about the giveaways!


Northcott - Week 6 - Oct 06 to 13th - Show and Tell Week
To help one lucky person create a Seasons Row Along quilt, 
Northcott Fabrics is supplying 
a selection of 6-8 yards (in 1 yard cuts) worth $60-$80.
You may only enter at one of the designer's sites this week. 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

KNKUSA - Oct 06 to 13th, 2015 - - Oct 06 to 13th - Show and Tell Week
Enter to win a wonderful cutting system! 
KNKUSA is giving away a Zing Air basic package to one lucky winner
Free Shipping to anyone in the 48 Contiguous states
If winner is outside of this area, you must agree to pay shipping cost
Value $450.00

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Flickr - Craftsy & Nancy's Notions: From Sept 01, 2015 to October 13, 2015 
Upload a photo of a block or row you made from one of the designer's patterns 
for a chance to win either a Craftsy class of your choice worth up to $40 
or a $10 gift certificate from Nancy's Notions 
good on your next purchase of $10.01 or more. 
You can get a second entry by uploading a photo of a different block or row you have made.