Quilt National, 2013

We went to The Dairy Barn in Athens today for Quilt National, 2013 and it was AWESOME!! The two teenagers even liked it.  :-)

I am continually amazed at the talent and creativity of these wonderful quilt artists. I could easily spend hours looking at their work and continue to be amazed. I was the only quilter in the group of nine who went to the show, but four of them had been there two years ago and liked it. My brother-in-law and I had a conversation about these quilts and he feels that the creators are artists first and quilters second. I know that many will agree with that statement, but I wonder why we even have to make a choice between the two. I believe whole-heartedly that all quilters are artists in their own way. One does not have to actually design a quilt to be an artist. Fabric choices, the quality of piecing, the actual quilting, etc. all play a role. If a quilter wants to be known as an artist, I'm okay with that. If he or she doesn't, I'm okay with that too.

No matter what you choose to call these people, their works are wonderful and really inspire me. Unfortunately there was a time when that wasn't always the case though. I was intimidated by these amazing works and would even go so far as to evaluate my work by comparing them to these. Really, what was I thinking?

There had been times in the not-so-distant past when seeing really wonderful quilts made me feel like I don't do justice to the world of quilting. I felt like my skill level was down and out non-existent after seeing perfection in not only the quilting itself, but in the piecing, color choosing and overall design concept. I'm not really sure when my attitude changed, but I'm so glad it did. I can now look at these creations and appreciate the time and effort that has gone in to each one of them. Seeing some really non-traditional quilt has forced me to step outside my comfort zone and be open to many more ideas and concepts. You cannot imagine how freeing that has been!

After the visit to the show, I returned to the house and began working on the blocks for the library quilt. All that needs to be done with these blocks is to quilt them and sew them together to be put on display in the children's section when the library renovation is complete at the end of the month.  These blocks (100+ of them) were all been painted by kids in the reading program and I am doing a quilt-as-you-go technique on them. I brought the blocks with me to the sisters' weekend hoping to have time to work on them. Well, I made a few other items first, but last night I started quilting these blocks. I have all but five of them done and these five need a little extra attention.

 

That stack of quilted blocks is just shy of 18" high. Here's a better picture to see what some of the blocks look like.

 

 

I have had these blocks a while, but I couldn't really decide what to do. Last night I started quilting some because it was pretty obvious how they should be quilted, but there were others that we're not obvious. After being at Quilt National today, I was all full of ideas and the quilting was easy and fun.

 

We're headed back to our homes tomorrow and even though it's been wonderful, it will also be nice to return to our own homes and get back into our regular routines. I can't wait to get my design wall loaded up with these blocks and get busy sewing them together. Of course I'm also excited to start my row construction on the quilt whose layout is being voted on by the general public. If you haven't voted yet, you can do so HERE. By voting, you'll also be in the running for a prize!

 

Check back soon for pictures of that quilt. And by the way, I saw some really cool quilting techniques that I may try on this quilt.

 

Sew and Tell Tuesday

No real sewing or quilting was completed yesterday, except about 10 more of the library blocks. (I'll post some of those blocks later.) We were busy with other fun things like going to Nelsonville again and discovering a few fun places. Since there rain, the boat ride was out, but it did stop long enough for a nice bon fire last night. YEAH!!

Today some of us are heading to The Dairy Barn in Athens for Quilt National, 2013.  We went two years ago and really enjoyed it and I'm so looking forward to it again. I get really energized after seeing quilt shows like this.

Anyway, my Sew and Tell Tuesday is the same as was in yesterday's post. It's my two layout options that I want someone else to take the responsibility and choose.  :-)

If you take a minute and read yesterday's post HERE, you can join the fun and vote for you favorite layout option and even be entered for a chance to win some fabric!  Sounds like fun, huh?

Here's how it works. Read yesterday's post, leave a comment with your choice and a way to reach you if you're a no-reply blogger. Later this this week (when I get home), I'll pull the prize fabric and randomly select one person who left a comment, and they win the fabric. I'll finish the top (unless one of you lovely quilters out there wants to do that and return it to me ASAP - hehehehe), and post another picture on the blog. See it's that easy!

Here are the options:

Option 1

Option 2

Check out what other quilts have for Sew and Tell Tuesday by linking up to
i have to say...  You'll be sew inspired!

Design Wall Monday and a Giveaway

If you've been reading my posts the past few days, you know I've had the pleasure of spending some quality (and quilty) time with my six lovely sisters. We had an absolutely wonderful time, even though the weather was kind of crappy most of the time. Apparently though we are pretty adaptable because it didn't affect our good time. Nope, we just changed up what we did. You can see my earlier posts HERE and HERE about some of our sewing adventures, but I'll add a few more pictures and tidbits of information below.

Our family has been known to be quite charitable and we girls thought we should do our part of help out the economy of Nelsonville, OH , or at least Nelsonville Quilt Company. Now you really do need to remember that there were seven people buying fabric, notions and supplies over a four day period so maybe this really isn't that bad.

 

Here's a better picture. Maybe I shouldn't have posted these pictures for fear that perhaps someone's spouse might not understand or approve of this stash enhancement. Oh well. Too late!

 

I am please to say that I have already used everything I bought except one bag pattern and the interfacing it needs. I bought the Mondo Bag kit that includes the pattern and interfacing to make one bag.   :-)

 

 

Now I really do have to counter the above pictures with pictures of some of the completed projects from this wonderful stash enhancement. We really were productive and this doesn't include the "kits" that Ann cut out to have ready to sew at a moments notice, the two bindings I finished, or the 40 out of 102 hand painted blocks I'm quilting for the library quilt.

 

 

You can't see them on the table, but I finished the blocks for a new quilt. I asked Claire and Evie if they wanted to be in charge of the layout options and they said yes. (Good, because I sometimes find that so difficult when I'm making something that is somewhat random.) Here they are planning layout option 1.

 



 



Here's what they came up with for option 1. (Sorry about the bad picture. We have no upright design wall space here.)

 

 

While working on the above layout, Evie wondered what it would look like if you tried to align the red "crosses" instead of trying to have them randomly placed and not aligned. She got to work and came up with another layout option. She and Bill spent some time working on this layout and fabric placement and I think they had fun.

 

 

Here's the final layout option number 2.

 





 

So now we have a dilemma. We can't decide which layout we like best! (Actually, we're split down the middle on the voting here and since there are ten of us, there is no tie-breaker option. So, I've decided that I'm going to ask YOUR opinion. Which layout do you like best?

 

Number 1?

 

 

Or number 2?

 

 

I'd appreciate it if you leave me a comment telling me which one you like and why. I'll keep a tally of the votes and let you know the decision sometime later this week. 

 

I've also decided that once the layout is chosen, I'll pull some fun fabric to be used as a prize for one lucky, randomly selected commenter. Sound like fun? (I can't post pictures of the fabric right now, but I'll do so as soon as possible.)

 

Remember - leave one comment per person and tell me which layout you like best and why. Also, please be sure to leave some way for me to reach you, especially if you are set up as  "no-reply."   

 

Check out what other quilters have on their design walls today.

Go to Judy L's Patchwork Times



Shift Change - The Men Have Arrived

Some of us sisters are very fortunate that our spouses are able (and willing) to join us for a few extra days here in Burr Oak.

 

Bill arrived after this picture was taken and then we got busy talking, eating dinner and just relaxing. Before I knew it, it was dark and raining and I couldn't convince the guys to go back outside for another picture. Where's their sense of adventure?  

More Fun Fabric Fondling Time

Guess where a few of us went today.

You guessed it. We went back to Nelsonville Quilt Company! They even left the welcome sign up for us.  :-)

A few of us needed a bit more fabric, thread and interfacing but we found even more fabric than we had anticipated. There are some really neat gifts in the making and I just hope my sisters can contain their enthusiasm and not give them out as soon as they get home.

Both Susan and Donna were cutting fabric today.

 

 

Tomorrow I hope to post a picture of most of the purchases over the last couple of days. It sure is fun trying to help the economic growth in this area.

 

Sewing Sisters and Friday Finishes

Well, it's our annual Sisters' Weekend and even though it's our first year without Mom, we're having a wonderful time. Do you think that maybe this has something to do with it?

 

As we've done for the past couple of years, we meet up in Nelsonville, OH and hit the Nelsonville Quilt Company.

 

 

Just look what you see as soon as you walk in the door! Ahhhhh. I think this may be what Heaven is like.

 

 



 

So, a few of the sisters have made a trip or two back to the shop and it's only Friday (I just looked at the clock and it's actually Saturday, but it still feels like Friday), but why not when there are so many friendly people who work there?

 

 

So what have we been doing here since our arrival on Wednesday? Well, since the weather hasn't really been wonderful, we've just been enjoying each others' company, fondling fabric and giving the sewing machines a workout.

 

 

Check out some of the projects that have been finished so far. Paula made a bag for Nick to carry a couple of guns and ammo. She's making another one but I don't have any pictures of it yet.

 

 

 

Barb has been busy making some vinyl mesh bags. She's also made an apron and is working on another bag, not vinyl mesh though. I'll get some pictures and post them later.

 

 

Kathy made a special bag and it is adorable!

 

 

 

Terri made this wonderful I-Pad holder and is working on another. Makes me wish I owned an I-Pad.

 

 

Ann and Pat have been busy as well, but for some reason I don't have any pictures of their projects. I'll have to fix that tomorrow.  I've sewn the binding on to a large quilt (about 102" square) and have just the hand-stitching to do on a pretty small one (about 40" x 60'). I quilted about 25 of the blocks that I'll be using in the quilt for the library and I just completed a wall hanging (38" x 47") called Cool Waters by Kate Mitchell Quilts. I bought the kit for this Wednesday afternoon at Nelsonville Quilt Company because I just loved how it looked hanging on their wall and the kit was priced nicely and included ALL the fabric needed, including the backing and binding. This was so easy and only took a few hours. I may have some batting the right size to be able to quilt this in the next day or so. Wouldn't that be cool. Completely finish a project here?

 

 

I'll be sure to take pictures of the projects that I forgot as well as the ones being worked on as I type. I'm having a wonderful time and love my sewing sisters!!

 

I've linked up to Crazy Mom Quilts Friday Finishes. Check out what other quilters are accomplishing.



Hiatus is Over

I guess it's time to start blogging again after a short hiatus. It's been bugging me that I haven't posted in a couple of weeks, but obviously not enough for me to do anything about it. :-)

So, what have I been doing you ask? Well, I've been travelling a bit and busy playing hostess to some relatively new quilters. and loving it.  First off, Jerry and his friend (and now my friend too!) Connie blessed us with their company at the end of June. That was followed up by a visit from Ann and Claire, and then just Ann, and then Ann and Jerry, and then just Jerry. I had a blast, and boy did some sewing and quilting get done - mine included! Oh, and Nikki and family were here for a long weekend.  :-)

Sadie likes to help Quinn brush her hair and I love these two pictures. Quinn is a really good big sister and lets Sadie brush her hair. I guess Sadie kind of struggles with the height difference though.

Let's back up here a bit. Remember when I was in Burr Oak for the Sisters' Weekend? I talked a little bit about it here, here, and here. The Sisters' Weekend extended to family time that was discussed here and we had a blast! Within a couple of days of our return from Burr Oak, Jack and I travelled to Washington Island, Wisconsin for a week.

I'll break the sharing from our travels and "goings on" into a couple of different post. If I don't do this, this post would be pretty picture-heavy and you'd probably get tired of reading.  :-)

Way back in January, Jack read about an amateur radio operator in Wisconsin who has a wonderful ham shack filled with LOTS of old radios and he wanted to see the place. After a bit of searching around online, Jack found George's (W9EVT) website and the rest is history! We arrived on the island Sunday morning and stayed in the apartment of Greengate Farms, the  rental property that George's wife Susan runs. The apartment was over a garage and even though it was small, it was perfect for the two of us. It didn't take long for both Jack and I to realize that we could live in a small space. We really don't need a four-bedroom house.

That dormer is for the bedroom window.

Here's the stairs we used to get to the apartment.

The Greengate website has some great pictures of the inside of the apartment (as well as the other rental possibilities) and I think you should check them out. I know you'll just drool over the last picture, which is the view of the lake from the apartment. Even when it rained, it was a wonderful sight.

Of course while Jack was playing radio,

I sewed. Being spoiled and having lots of room here at home made my temporary sewing digs a bit challenging at first, but it all worked well. I had my machine set up in living room. 

While the cutting and pressing was done in the bedroom.

We didn't spend all of our time playing radio and sewing. We spent a lot of time on the beach, climbing the lookout tower

and checking out the local points of interest, including Sievers School of Fine Arts. Oh my....... I would love to return to the island and take a few classes!

Sadly, we left the island Thursday late morning for our trip home. But Jack and I often talk about our time there and feel certain we'll return - maybe to take a class at Sievers!  :-)

Our return trip was pleasant and rather uneventful until we were about an hour from home when we drove right into a major storm. Wow, was there a lot of rain! On a positive note, I saw a complete double rainbow. I've seen complete rainbows (you know, when the rainbow stretches clear across the sky in one long band), and I've seen double rainbows, but I've never seen both rainbows complete. It was absolutely beautiful, and of course the camera was in the back so I didn't get a picture.  :-(

Even though we were sad to leave the island, Jack and I were anxious to return home. Friday night Jack and his friend Dave were going to make some final decisions about Field Day, and Jerry and Connie were coming up for the weekend. I'll share more about that in a future post. Soon, I promise.

I may even get around to showing some of the projects on which I've been working.  :-)





 



Recent Fun

The last three weeks have been very busy and I'm finally getting around to sharing some pictures. Here are a few of my favorite pictures from the annual Girls' Weekend at Burr Oak.

Here's Mom checking out the sparrow clothes pins that Pat gave me. They are adorable - Mom and the clips!

Speaking of birds, there is a hummingbird feeder that hangs right outside the kitchen window. Every year we enjoy watching the birds and this year was no exception.

I even snapped a picture of two birds enjoying a drink at the same time. Can you see the reflection of my camera in the top right? I think that's funny.  :-)





Speaking of enjoying a drink...While out one afternoon, we made a quick stop.

And we SCORED!! (At least Pat did; but she's nice and shared.)

 



To read more about the Sister's Weekend, check out this blog post, and this one. Here's another one too. There was some sewing done that weekend, but more importantly, we just enjoyed each others' company. I'd share more, but I have to be careful. We have a rule that what happens at Burr Oak, stays at Burr Oak.  :-)

I hope you get the enjoy some quality time with your siblings!

Stash Enhancement

This really isn't going to be a full stash report, but I wanted to share what I've been up to the last couple of days.

It is time again for our Annual Sisters' Weekend, and as usual, we've had a blast. Check out these pictures to see our "digs" for the event. We made a trip into Nelsonville (actually, two trips to be exact), and that required trips to Nelsonville Quilt Company. This is a really fun shop and I always look forward to stopping by and leaving a bit of cash behind. Here's my stash enhancement from the first trip. I didn't just shop willy-nilly. I have plans for all of these pieces. The two fabrics to the left will be used in a Snap Happy project while the others will be used in a little something that I'm still sketching.

The second trip netted the following fabrics. The two fabrics on the right are for Terri's quilt that is still in our minds. She REALLY likes the top fabric and decided that we should get a bit of it to remind us of the "inspiration" fabric.  Don't tell my friend Kare, but the fabric on the left is for her!

 All told, I only bought 4 yards of fabric, but my sisters each bought some, so it was a good trip. Ann and I plan to make another trip to the shop either Monday or Tuesday so who knows what will find it's way back to the house. That will appear in another stash report, so I'm not even going to think about it right now. Out of sight, out of mind, right?

Let me tell you a bit about Nelsonville Quilt Company.

The shop is located in the Historic Art District of Nelsonville, Ohio and was started in 2003 as a longarm shop only. Lucky for us, in 2005 Susan (the owner) came to her senses and converted a former doctor's office into a retail quilt shop that boasts over 2300 bolts of awesome fabric! The shop offers a variety of classes and has some wonderful samples of not only quilts, but purses, bags, and lots of other items to tickle your creative fancy.

The bottom picture above is the door to the classroom. It is a really nice set up with great space and good lighting. The back of the room houses a Gammill, along with some really fun threads, a nice selection of batting, various wide backing fabrics, etc. I really liked the classroom space and would love to teach there. I'm sure most of you teachers out there know that great classroom space is often difficult to come by, so you appreciate it when you see it.

As an authorized Janome dealer, a certified Tin Lizzie Dealer and a Gammill sales rep, I have no doubt that Susan or any of the staff can answer whatever questions you may have in regards to quilting. They are all so helpful and fun that it truly is a pleasure to shop there. They make you feel just like you have walked into your home shop (or Cheers - remember that show?). Of course it doesn't hurt that all seven of the sisters think Susan looks and talks like our cousin Laura. We feel like she's just part of the family. (Susan, if you are reading this, Ann and I will see you soon!) 

Just across the street from the quilt shop is The Little Yarn Shop.

Now I'm not a knitter, but this was fun stop for me. Gail, the owner was lots of fun and patient with us as we invaded visited her shop. She has some wonderful fibers at the shop including Plymouth Encore, Brown Sheep Lamb’s Pride and Nature Spun. She is also an Ashford dealer for your all your spinning and weaving needs, and carries a good selection of DMC floss and other embroidery and counted cross stitch supplies. (How many of you quilters started your crafting life as cross stitchers? I know I'm not the only one out there!)

I didn't get as much as a couple of my sisters, but here's my stash from that visit. Again, don't tell Kare, but she's getting one of these bottles.  :-)

We sure did pick a great day to stop at the shop because it was Thursday, which is Sale Day. There were LOTS of things 50% off (almost everything in ths shop), including my Gloves in a Bottle. WOOHOO!!

Thursday is Stitch Night at the shop so if you live close by, head over to Nelsonville at 5pm with a project and some food for a stitchin' good time! 

Both shops have facebook pages. Check them out here.  https://www.facebook.com/thelittleyarnshop

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Nelsonville-Quilt-Company/202620289806298

In regards to my Stash Report.... 4 yards in, but since I'm not home and haven't updated my report on this computer, I have no idea of what has gone out in the past few weeks. I have to get busy with that....next week.

Check out what other quilters are doing with their stash.

Go to Judy L's Patchwork Times.