Thursday, October 6, 2011

Inspired by "Seven"




Remember "Seven"?
It was posted in July in my piece called "Seven and Friends." Since then, "Seven" has been donated to the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative and has earned $50 for Alzheimer's Research (www.alzquilts.org).
Amazing for such a little piece of art!

This "Squiggles" technique, learned from Kris Gregson Moss (http://www.krisgregsonmoss.com)
and used with her permission for the Q.U.I.L.T.S. AAQI Challenge, reveals a new and exciting result each time.

The original layers of fabric, seen on the left here, are sewn with a free-hand drawn design and then cut away to reveal the gorgeous colors below. No one color touches itself in the work. The piece is completed with appliqué fibers sewn to cover the seams and free-motion quilting to accent the other design elements. 

Below is the final result for this new piece. Although quite abstract, I think it looks like a child waving palms on Palm Sunday.  What do you see it in?



Here is the next set of fabrics to be "Squiggled"!
Wait and see what beautiful piece of art they will become!








Kris Gregson Moss Website:    http://www.krisgregsonmoss.com
Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative:   http://www.alzquilts.org/
Quilters United in Learning Together Schenectady:    http://quiltschenectady.org/

Saturday, September 17, 2011

Christmas Stripes


'Twas a few months before Christmas,
and with nothing to do
I sat in my quilt room-
seemingly blue.

The UFO's rested untouched on the shelf
and none of the BOM's seemed to 
bother myself.

Then in the corner a package 
caught my eye,
some new Christmas striped fabric, 
I just HAD to buy.

Full Striped Fabric
 Armed with a triangle template* and a sharp rotary knife,
I thought to myself, "Now this is the life!"

Just a few simple cuts and some seams 
sewn together--
I instantly had table runners for the 
snowier weather.
   




Layer two identical stripes, cut like this.




Poinsettias, reindeer and snowmen with S'mores--
What more could I make behind these closed doors?

A head start on Christmas 2052--
Because that's how long it takes me to finish things---
How about you?

    
 
  




Sew together end triangles first and then center seam.
Finished detail.   

*For the 60 degree triangle template I used in this piece:

http://www.online-quilting.com/

"'Twas the Night Before Christmas"

By Clement Clarke Moore

'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;


The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads;
And mamma in her 'kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled down for a long winter's nap,


When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.


The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below,
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer,


With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.
More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name;


"Now, DASHER! now, DANCER! now, PRANCER and VIXEN!
On, COMET! on CUPID! on, DONDER and BLITZEN!
To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!
Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!"


As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky,
So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,
With the sleigh full of toys, and St. Nicholas too.


And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
As I drew in my hand, and was turning around,
Down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound.


He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot;
A bundle of toys he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a peddler just opening his pack.


His eyes -- how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow;


The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath;
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
That shook, when he laughed like a bowlful of jelly.


He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself;
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread;


He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings; then turned with a jerk,
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose;


He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight,
HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO ALL, AND TO ALL A GOOD-NIGHT! 

Classic Poem from http://www.teachervision.fen.com/christmas/resource/4051.html

Friday, September 9, 2011

Peach Cobbler

The Purple Cook's Website Link

Hi Quilting Friends,
Here is my latest post through a girl friend's fantastic website!
Check out The Purple Cook!

She regularly comments on our CSA vegetables and fruits and how to use them on your family's table. She also has ideas about freezing, meal planning, etc.

I love her work and am thrilled to participate with one of the two desserts I made this summer. Frankly, I'd rather be quilting than cooking, but baking I can handle!

Enjoy!!!

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

For the Love of Autumn


"Autumn is the eternal corrective. It is ripeness and color and a time of maturity;
but it is also breadth, and depth, and distance.  What man can stand with autumn
on a hilltop and fail to see the span of his world and the meaning of the rolling
hills that reach to the far horizon?
-   Hal Borland*

"The winds will blow their own freshness into you,
and the storms their energy,
while cares will drop away from you
like the leaves of Autumn."
-   John Muir*

  
I love autumn! The season brings with it change. 
Change in our schedule as we return to school, new activities and our non-summer/ more "normal" life. This also means new adventures, new friends, a new quilt guild year, new projects, new classes, the resurrection of deeply loved old projects yearning to be finished and, of course, apple and pumpkin picking and my personal favorite-- hot cider and doughnuts!

One of the first events in the Fall is our church's Dutch Fair and silent auction. This year the chair of the silent auction is my mother, so I've donated this table runner/ wall hanging.
From Pieced Tree Patterns (Forest City, Iowa), "Falling Leaves" features four easy Maple Leaf blocks which not only allow one to practice their perfect, or not-so-perfect, point making techniques as well as time playing with these rich and lovely Fall florals. The pattern is designed to create a wall hanging banner with three sections. My piece is a modification from the center section.


In order for the piece to be more versatile, I've added "Fast Finish Triangles". They are squares folded in half and sewn into the binding of the corners. This way small pieces can be hung with a simple piece of wood underneath the corner trianges (seen below). I learned this technique from my work with the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative (www.alzquilts.org). Here is the link to the "Fast Finish Triangles" tutorial: http://www.alzquilts.org/paqdisplay.html
Other hanging techniques are also available on that page which include hanging sleeves and the use of the multi-purpose soda can tab!



* Quotes from http://www.egreenway.com/months/autumn.htm#Autumn

Monday, August 15, 2011

Winter Blues



Winter Blues or STUMPED!


This lovely piece was made to replace the very red and green "Christmas Stars" piece on our hearth for the mommy group's book club meeting earlier this year. The pattern is called "Moroccan Tile" by Cheryl Phillips. It is a very easy pattern to follow and came with directions for cutting the fabric with either an acrylic template set or a paper pattern. The details are below.

The fabrics, however, were purchased from The Joyful Quilter (www.joyfulquilter.com), my local quilt shop. It was very humbling to face a bunch of beautiful "Fairy Frost" fabrics (by Michael Miller Fabrics) and to truly not be able to tell the difference between a true white and a very light blue!!!

Meanwhile, the piece came together and my "Winter in Morocco" tile was gently pinned to cover those "Christmas Stars" for the book club meeting. The reviews were in and everyone loved it. That was in February.

Since then, however, the piece has been in the same place and I am TOTALLY stumped as to how I should proceed to quilt it! Suggestions have been made by my friends and family (some of whom quilt), but now I am looking for advice from you, my greater community!

What do you think I should do to quilt it? Design ideas are welcome! Please comment or e-mail me with your thoughts. I appreciate it greatly!!!!

***********************************************************************************

"Moroccan Tile" pattern by Cheryl Phillips and is available from Keepsake quilting:
http://www.keepsakequilting.com/

"Marbled prints provide the realism.
All eyes will focus on this 42" x 47" quilt.
Kit has Cheryl Phillips's piecing directions, and fabrics for the top and binding.
Requires Cheryl's Gems 5 & 10 (pentagon and decagon) two-piece acrylic template set.
"
--Description from the Keepsake Quilting Website

Michael Miller Fabrics "Fairy Frost" blue fabrics available from The Joyful Quilter (www.joyfulquilter.com)













Monday, July 18, 2011

"Shattered"

Shat·ter (shtr)

1. To cause to break or burst suddenly into pieces, as with a violent blow.
2.a. To damage seriously; disable:
2.b. To cause the destruction or ruin of; destroy:



As glass shatters all over the floor upon impact, so do the elements of this quilt. Once straight lines and rectangles, have now become disjointed and taken on foreign shapes and sizes. As it is with life, a trauma or tragedy effects the whole redefining living and reality. This thereby gives those involved, and those observing, a new way to be and a new way to see things. Pain is often the escort through life's hardest moments but with the gifts of time, faith, acceptance and maybe forgiveness, there is hope that life will become new again.

Such are the thoughts to accompany the creation of "Shattered." Created from the scraps of a bridal heirloom gift I'm currently working on, the soft colors almost lessen the interrupted lines and odd shapes of the piece. Mirrors are used to remind the viewer that they too are shattered and broken in some ways. They are reminded that they have responsibilities, maybe not in this particular tragedy or trauma, but within their relationships to others who may be suffering in life's darkest hour.

These lines will never be straight again and the forms will never return to rectangles, but may we come to see a new beauty within and may we find hope in the ashes of despair.


Here is one more example of art created in reaction to tragedy:
http://registry.national911memorial.org/

Many more exist and I hope they will prove to be as helpful and therapeutic as this little piece was to me.

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

"Seven" and Friends

This is "Seven."

The "Squiggles" technique was learned from Kris Gregson Moss (http://www.krisgregsonmoss.com/) and was used for the Q.U.I.L.T.S. AAQI Challenge with her permission. Layers of fabric are sewn with a free-hand drawn design and then cut away to reveal the gorgeous colors below. No one color touches itself in the work. The piece is completed with appliqué fibers sewn to cover the seams and free-motion quilting to accent the other design elements. Learned in a private class, this technique offers lots of room for creativity and surprise. The final result was titled "Seven" by my 5 year old upon first seeing the work for the first time. My husband and a few friends thought that "Dot Seven" was more appropriate.

"Seven" meets all the criteria of the Quilters United in Learning Together Schenectady, NY (Q.U.I.L.T.S.) Guild Challenge for the 2010-2011 program year. First was to “go green" by using leftovers from other projects to create a quilt. The second was to think “outside the box" or outside of your personal quilting comfort zone by trying something new. Finally, the last challenge was to make a quilt that could be donated to the Alzheimer’s Art Quilt Initiative with a 9 inch by 12 inch maximum size. All participating guild members were encouraged to incorporate all three challenges into a Priority Quilt. Here are the 13 AAQI Priority Quilts which eight of our members created to meet this challenge. Our first effort was so popular that we are
going to do it again in the future.


"Seven" is dedicated to all the ladies of Q.U.I.L.T.S. (Schenectady, NY) who gave of their art and made a quilt for our first AAQI Challenge!


Below is the list of Friends of "Seven" which are all for sale at the following link:
http://www.alzquilts.org/quiltsforsale.html
Then you have to scroll to the numbers #7387-#7397 for a closer look. You can click on the individual quilts to see a close up or the description.



At the bottom is my "Music was the Center of Her Life" donation #7448. This is the second from Mrs. P's scrap bag of black and white fabric. It is a collection of images, which could make up the elements of one's life. As a music teacher, I naturally placed the music fabric at the center and then pieces in a similar manner to a crazy quilt. This little piece is finished with "Fast Finish Triangles" in each corner so that it can be hung by the future owner in one of four orientations for four very different looks and quilted in the ditch.


Enjoy your visit to the AAQI website at www.alzquilts.org and your time shopping for a good cause.