a couple more red/white/blue blocks

I'm still keeping up with the Moda Blockheads and some of the Splendid Sampler blocks...

Didn't think a pineapple would look good in red/white/blue so I tried a flag.  Kind of pathetic and I may redo it... but it will hold the place for now!  I've never sewn a flag freehand and I probably should've looked at a picture.  



And sadly my Splendid Sampler block shrunk from the applique... but I think the fixed seam will be within the seam allowance and won't show.  Story of my sewing life!  I did change the bobbin thread to match the top thread, at least!  Progress!

When you think you're picking up your quilt...

Remember I labored over this Bonnie Hunter design?  It was her leader/ender project from a few years ago?  I made it as a main project and finished it earlier this year?

I changed the fabrics, made it very bright and dropped it off at the LAQ's shop recently...  This quilter is new to me...He's very near my house and he quilted one other thing for me (the basket quilt along) so I figured I've return.



Well, when I walked in, I hadn't remember which quilt I'd dropped off (really.. I'm not kidding!).  As he was unfolding it, he asked if it was destined for a particular person?  Did I have a plan for where to put it?  I was confused... thinking maybe the quilting wouldn't go with the intended recipient??

When I told him I didn't, he started to say things about how attached he became to the quilt;  how much he just loved it... finally I asked him if he wanted to buy it...

YUP, he did.  So I went home without my quilt!! (and a wad of cash in my wallet!).  And immediately proceeded to start another one!!  Notice the dancing girls, writings, dogs and ducks!!


It was an easy pattern to make and so much fun so I figured I didn't mind selling him the quilt, since he loved it so much.

Never heard of such a thing.  He also said he'd never bought a quilt from anyone before...

What a surprise!!

A little bit of progress on some blocks

After showing you all the lovelies from the Sisters Quilt show, it's time to show you  some of my humble work...

some more of Bonnie's blocks, which I'm loving!  I have had fun fussy cutting odd fabrics and but pretty limited up at the cabin, which doesn't have my normal [=voluminous] stash

Those dazzling eyes are from a new Tula Pink fabric, which I couldn't resist!  I didn't get the on-point fussy cutting done very well...but you get the idea






I keep going back and forth on whether I want to add sashing or put them up next to each other.  They are fun blocks, though!

And I worked on the Primitive Gatherings freebie of this year's project.  These are quick and easy~  I found that the leaves were too small to buttonhole stitch so I just cross-stitched across them.









The background is from a new line that is being put out by Primitive Gatherings in red/white/black. They are just gorgeous!

I also have a lot of trouble with my stem stitch.  I always feel that it looks pretty pathetic -- I'm not a great embroiderer but I do enjoy working on the wool appliqué in the car during our long drives up to the cabin.  Have I told you it's 530 miles, takes 8-1/2 hrs each way??  Lots of time to sew.

For a while, I've dragged along a smaller project I started but have yet to feel that it's complete... orange peel blocks.  Have you ever sewn any?  They do require needle-turn but since they're small and there's only one per block, I don't feel overwhelmed.  I have a large pile in a baggie, waiting for a decision on how to set them.  They could easily be a monthly mini!!

June mini? Or is it July's?

I have honestly lost track of whether I finished my June mini or not... how sad, right??

This is what I recently finished.  It'll cover BOTH June and July!! And I think I get a gold star for completing a top that has been sitting for at least 3, maybe 4 years!  AND, not only that, but I used up ALL the leftover fabric in making the second top!!  Can I hear a WOOHOO??!!!

This first top was more work than I anticipated.  The main reason was that at the time I started it, I didn't have my design wall up yet in the cabin and I was trying to work on it with a very small "design wall" I made, that was maybe 15x24"... I had half the top on the floor!  Didn't work very well.  This definitely requires that you see the whole thing at one in order to line up the pieces correctly.  I don't think I made any mistakes...



And then I decided that I really didn't want any scraps from this project nor did I want to add to my stash by putting any of the fabrics back into "storage" so I cut all the rest of the fabric into 2-1/2" strips and made something called a Jelly Roll quilt.  Very complicated, right?  HEEHEE


Now I just need to run it over to the LQS (which just happens to be having a 40% sale) to find a border.  DONE... June and July minis are done (well, they need quilting but that's another story)... What do ya think, Wendy Reed???  Do I get a ribbon or what???  vbg

I've also been keeping up with the Moda Blockheads II in red/white/blue.  This is the latest block:  Note that my points are not meeting exactly, which honestly doesn't bother me, because once it's in the quilt, you'll never notice.



I've also been doing most of the Splendid Sampler blocks (except for the applique ones, which I just didn't have the time for when we had the kids at the cabin).  Doing the same red/white/blue so I can combine all the blocks into one project.


I like the construction of this star because there aren't really points to match.  My stripes almost match. VBG

I have more projects to show you but will save them for later in the week!

More Sisters quilts from the show

I'm going to share some more pictures of quilts I really liked.  It's so funny because my friend Lori (Humble Quilts) posted pictures of quilts at the show, many of which I NEVER saw!!  That tells you how large of a show it is!  Definitely it's an experience I highly recommend!


I didn't love this quilt but I liked the construction of the blocks and the layout.


When I saw this one, I thought of Kevin H and thought it'd be a great Quilt of Valor quilt.  I also love the variety of stars on the top and bottom!



As I recall, this quilter wanted to put her town onto a quilt.  That's my friend Claire in front admiring this FUN quilt.


Not sure you can tell but this is the BACK of a pretty modern quilt.  I thought the back was super interesting.  LARGE flying geese!

Front of the same quilt. Here's a close up.  Notice the quilting  of flying geese in the orange/yellows... The purples are TINY pieced flying geese!


Lest you think I've crossed over to the dark side (Modern quilters), don't worry. VBG


I actually bought a quilt at the show.  First time buying one from the show... will probably be the last as their system for checking out was pretty archaic and very very slow... But this one spoke to me and was not expensive.  




This next one was a mystery class taught by Lawry Thorn, one of my favorite teachers in Sisters.



Super cute fabrics... love the background.  And, of course, the Moda Grunge large polka dots are my favorite these days!  I have them in many colors!









There were a lot of quilts using Laura Heine's patterns, which are just adorable.  I thought this was too cute.  Another one of those that I admire but know that I'll never make.


I did get some sewing done during that week, after the kids left and when Claire was here at the cabin with me.  I'll show those to you next.  Don't want to overwhelm you.

We drive back to California tomorrow to babysit this weekend.  Monday I will get to pick up the little Eli from day care, now that his mom has started working.  I'm looking forward to seeing the kids but my dh and I are always sad to leave the cabin.  Good news is we'll be back in a couple of weeks, with the kids for their vacation.

Sisters Quilt Show

Every year, second Saturday of July, is the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show.  It's just such a spectacle and great tradition.  I've been going for years with friends and each year I still  love it.  It is primarily sponsored by the Stitchin Post, which is a large store in the town of Sisters (which is a charming little western town about 20 miles west of Bend with a population now up to 2,000!).  This is their employee challenge which is always hung on their outside wall.



Here is a look at the store and street from the front.  The main street is closed to cars and the town goes all out in decorating!  There are baskets of flowers at every corner and every sidewalk seems to have flowers:


It's been very warm this week in Central Oregon so we started very early and drank lots of water.  We were completely wilted by lunch time!
Here are some of my favorite quilts!  I will say that we noticed a big jump in the number of modern quilts vs traditional.










These little pieces of this postage stamp quilt appear to be 1" finished and were just perfectly pieced.  I thought the setting was really interesting.  The tag said all the fabrics were Jo Morton's fabric lines.




This was in the teacher's tent (a special section of the show where the teachers from the week's classes hang their samples for the classes they were teaching) and was made by Kathy Doughty, from Australia.  We happened to meet her while admiring a different quilt, which contained her fabric and she told us all about that!

Cherrywood Fabrics has been doing a challenge each year and showing the entries throughout the country.  This year's challenge was "Van Gogh" and quilters submitted their interpretations of that.  The setting was super crowded so I wasn't able to get any good pictures (or see very many of the quilts, either) but I did snap one picture:


There are many more pictures to share.  My dh and I are going for a bike ride before it heats up today.  Claire left early this morning so the cabin is once again eerily quiet!

Mini retreat

It's the week before the quilt show in Sisters and it's when we usually have a group sewing away at the cabin.  This year, it's just Claire and I as my other friends had conflicts.

I didn't get much sewing during the week when we had the grandkids but once they left, it's been pedal to the metal, sort of!

I did catch up with the Moda Blockheads II.  The first block is a whopping 24"!!



I had fun fussy cutting the stripes and the center from a fabric I found in Bend this week.



I have also been working on the Primitive Gatherings Freebie from last summer.  It requires the tiniest quarter square triangles that finish at 1-1/2"!  In hindsight, I realized I probably could've just done half square triangles... a little less work.  Now I need to finish the last couple of trees before I can attach all the rows together and start working on the border appliqué.


I really do enjoy wool appliqué.  I love that I don't have to turn the edges under and I enjoy doing buttonhole stitching with fun threads which I generally like to show!

Earlier this week I went with a friend to the Tour of Homes held here in Bend and saw this fabulous tile floor in a guest bathroom.  Loved it!


And one home had this fabulous piece (all the homes are staged so the furnishings are always so unusual!).  This one is a basket wrapped in newspapers!


And at one house, in a kid's room, they had fabulous framed pictures with various sayings.  I loved this one:


Quilt show is tomorrow!! WOOHOO!