Bountiful Fabric

You know I have a love affair with Art Gallery knits so I jumped at the chance to sew with Sharon Hollands new Bountiful line.  The teal print is perfect for me and I was happy to finally try the Colette Myrtle dress pattern. I am pleased with the fit on the first try of the pattern.

I made the size medium and the only change I will make on the next one will be to cut the elastic for the waist a little shorter.  The dress and fabric are very soft and comfortable to wear. This is my new favorite dress! I know there will be more versions of this in the future. I'll be watching for some more Art Gallery knits that are my style!

I also made a Flashback Skinny Tee for miss P. This pattern by Made by Rae has been a favorite for years, we went up a size for this shirt and still are not to the largest size in the pattern. Miss P searched the web for a headband tutorial and use THIS ONE to make herself a matching headband.

Shortly after we finished the shirt, my DIL visited and saw the leftover fabric. She whipped out a pair of Baby Got Back pants for my grandson.

Bountiful barn

Miss P designed and made the bow tie for him one morning before anyone else in the house was up. These knits are great for wiggly babies!

Bountiful fun

Bountiful with chickens

Fractured

Blue and red barn

Here's the finished quilt, Fractured, from the previous post. The blocks are string pieced 5'' finished squares.

The "liberated" straight lines in the blocks were achieved by making straight line spirals over four blocks at a time.

I've made a few other quilts from Oakshott cottons and I am smitten.

I've saved all the scraps and will be doing some tiny piecing with the leftovers. The fabric is thin enough that I think it will behave really well in tiny piecing. 

This quilt uses the Lakes collection, the Ruby Reds collection and the two greys in the Scandinavian collection.

The back of the quilt is also Oakshott; I love it so much that I now want to make a whole cloth quilt with it, or maybe a simple Welsh Bars quilt. I want to hand quilt it and lose myself in the glow of the fabric. I want the quilting and the iridescence of the fabric to take center stage. 

I really do wish you could see it in person. 

Finished size 51'' x 51''.

WIP

The last week or two I've been working with these beautiful Oakshott cottons. This commission piece uses the Lakes collection, the Ruby Reds collection and the two greys in the Scandinavian collection.

I wanted short sections of straight line quilting. To achieve this, I used my new BERNINA 72 foot for ruler work. It is similar to the darning foot but the ring surrounding the needle is high enough to slide next to a thick ruler. I have used rulers before when I had my longarm machine so I was familiar with the process. Using the rulers on the domestic machine is different but by the time I finished the quilt I had it mastered! I know I'll be doing more ruler work on my domestic machine in the future. 

Wordless Wednesday

Log Cabin Mini

I started this little quilt last summer. It's a fun variation of a log cabin. The blocks are made in an improvisational or intuitive way that I teach in my intuitive log cabin class.  

I love the way some of the same or similar color fabrics come together and make a different visual shape, like the yellow and green angles in the photo below. 

I enjoyed hand quilting this one. I carried it in my project bag and took my time working on it while waiting at lessons and such. 

The deep purple binding gives it a nice finish.

Finished size 16'' by 14.5''. 

PTSD - domestic abuse quilt series #6

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD, is a diagnosable medical disorder that some people develop after experiencing a  dangerous event, like a natural disaster or violent attack, or living through a sustained trauma, like an abusive relationship.

People with PTSD experience a range of symptoms, from flashbacks and avoidance to angry outbursts, distorted feelings, and loss of interest or memory. Symptoms can be chronic or triggered by memories, sounds, people, or anything related or similar to the initial trauma.

Someone I love is in an abusive relationship and now has PTSD. Early on in their relationship, their abusive partner would subject them to verbal and emotional abuse as punishment for interacting with family members. After many years of this abuse, loving family members are now triggers for this person's PTSD. Now, just hearing our voices or seeing our numbers on their caller ID causes a PTSD episode and increases the stress and fear of abuse.

If you have a friend or family member who is experiencing abuse here are some things you can do to help. The most important thing to remember is that the choice to leave or not is theirs. You can't make them leave a bad situation but you can be supportive and helpful in their choice. They will need someone they can count on when/if they do decide to end or leave the abusive relationship.

Domestic Violence knows no boundaries when it comes to race/gender/sexuality/age/socioeconomic status/geographic location/culture.

Remember, domestic abuse affects ten million people in the US every year.  If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic abuse, please know that the folks at the National Domestic Violence Hotline (1 800 799 SAFE or thehotline.org) are ready to listen and support you, as well as refer you to a local program or organization. If you observe someone being abused, you can also call the hotline.  A good samaritan call can save a life!

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All of the quilts in the Domestic Abuse series so far can be viewed here.

New Year, New Challenge

Miss P and I love to do needlework and I have long enjoyed embroidery but lately have gotten in a rut of just using a handful of stitches such as backstitch, outline stitch, lazy daisy, and the french knot. I have a collection of vintage needlework books that include how to do many embroidery stitches. This Mary Thomas Dictionary of Embroidery Stitches includes over 300 different stitches. P and I decided this year we will work through the book and try them all. Our goal is to learn 365 different stitches this year, a new one each day. This book will carry us through most of the year. Here is my sample of the first four stitches in the book - Algerian filling stitch, Algerian stitch (plaited), Armenian edging stitch, and the arrowhead stitch. Tomorrow we stitch the back stitch.

We will try to keep up throughout the year.

Do you have a "word" for 2017? Some people come up with a single word to guide them through the year, to help them make choices and stay focused on their goals. I thought about it this year and didn't come up with a word as much as a saying, "do the work. "

I think "do the work" is pretty fitting with any of the goals that I have whether they are business, artistic and creative, or personal. I will have to put in the man hours and do the work to achieve my goals.

I will have to do the work to keep up with this embroidery project but if I do, I will be rewarded with the ability to incorporate more variety and interest into my future hand stitched projects. 

Advent Tree - the 2016 edition

Miss P and I again pooled our efforts and made an advent tree for her brother. This one is very similar to the one we made for D  last year.

Again, P made the plan and sewed the green parts. I made the backgrounds.

The ornaments are a mix of handmade felt ornaments reminiscent of those my sisters and I made when we were growing up 

and collected charms and old jewelry.

M and his new bride went to Hawaii for their honeymoon. The pineapple pin is a reminder of that. They also saw sea turtles from their rental place in Hawaii. The penny is from 2016, the start of their married life together.

The post about D's advent tree has a bit more explanation on how we made the quilt.

Favorite Things

I'm headed to Wisconsin this week to tape a show with Nancy Zieman and then to a workshop with Gwen Marston on Madeline Island. When I return, things should be a little calmer around here and I can settle in on fun sewing and babysitting my grandbaby.Here are some projects I'm looking forward to upon my return.

A few back porch sewing sessions and I've almost got this little quilt finished. I'm in the home stretch.

This one is basted and ready for hand quilting.

I am crushing hard on little half inch sawteeth.

Yesterday I had an idea on how to piece tiny one inch finished stars. I'm eager to play with this idea some more.

What are your favorite sewing things these days?

Triangle Bars

I've been enjoying playing with my solid scraps the last few weeks.

This quilt was a fun exercise that used up the scraps from last summer's Lucky Strike quilt.

I love the soft look of this beachy color palette my daughter-in-law pulled together from my stash.

It was fun to piece and equally fun to quilt. I can see a lot more hand quilting in my future, I have missed it these last few years.

Finished measurements 21'' by 22.5''.

Liberated Log Cabin Blues

I have been plugging along on my projects here between our family summer activities. This binding on this little quilt is almost finished and I've started quilting the liberated log cabin that I made a couple of weeks ago. I'm approaching the quilting in an improvisational manner making it up as I go. The quilting on both of these little quilts has been done while my husband reads chapters of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban to us. It has been heavenly. My boys were just the right age when the books first came out and had to wait for each book until it was released. We read each of them as a family one chapter a day and savored that time. I thought we were teaching some good life lessons there. You only get to read them for the first time once. Two years ago we started the series with miss P. one book each summer starting on Harry's birthday. It is a slow pace for some but just right for us and faster than the boys made it through them. I think enough time may have passed that it isn't on everyone's mind and so far she hasn't heard spoilers from her friends. So far so good.Yesterday I was a bit under the weather and spent the afternoon on our back porch couch with this quilt. I love the quilt but being feverish I really wanted to snuggle under it and thought it needed to be about eight inches longer. So, today, I started another log cabin that I hope will end up a little bigger than the postage stamp quilt I used yesterday.I'm working with my blue scraps with a touch of gold. I like it so far but dang, these pieces are big! I'm hoping for a quickish finish so I'm pushing through. 

The Splendid Sampler

Are you participating in The Splendid Sampler quilt along? This week marks the half way point. I was going along zippety zip with these blocks. I was having such fun keeping up and trying all of the different techniques and styles presented by the different designers. Then, that end of school madness set it, and then I went to summer music camp with my daughter, my son got married and my other son and his wife had a baby. Whew, things have been crazy busy here this summer.Luckily, I read Pat's article on The Splendid Way to Do Things. I know that there is no such thing as being "behind" on this sew along. I've been saving all the patterns and they are ready and waiting for me when I'm to continue.Even though I don't have the first 50 blocks made yet - or anywhere close, I'm celebrating!! This has been such a fun adventure and I've met a lot of new quilters over in The Splendid Sampler facebook group and through the #thesplendidsampler hashtag on instagram.In celebration, I'm offering a digital copy of my Atomic Pinwheels quilt pattern. To enter, leave a comment on this post. Let me know how you are doing - are you participating in the sew along? is it not your thing? are you being picky about which blocks you make? do you eagerly await the next pattern every Sunday and Thursday? do you have a favorite block that you have made? I'll announce a winner on Aug 10.Hop over to  The Splendid Sampler page for a list of other Splendid Sampler Designers who are celebrating this week. Some of them may be offering a free pattern or give away so be sure to visit all of the designers.

Summer Sewing

Last year after making the quilt for the wedding photographer, I saved the scraps together in a bag. I really liked the colors in that quilt and wanted to make another project with the same palette. I cleared off my design wall so that I could focus a little better.I started sewing pieces together and had quickly sewn five strips of liberated triangles. I added sashing between them and voila, a quick little quilt top.I'm  hand quilting this one and am enjoying the cooler temperatures stitching on it outside this week.

Borderline - domestic abuse quilt series #5

Borderline 16'' by 16''This piece is informed from specific cases of abuse, as told and experienced by me, my friends, and family. Mental illness can often be a factor in cases of abuse and is common among those who have Borderline Personality Disorder.  When making this piece I was specifically thinking about BPD and its role in the abusive situation my family member is dealing with. With BPD  things are very unpredictible and fragile; a person with this illness can switch from black to white and back again and you don't know "which person" you will be dealing with on any given day."At least 50% of all domestic abuse and violence against men is associated with woman who have a Borderline Personality disorder." from Oregoncouseling.orgBPD is not a part of all abuse cases, but  mental illness can increase the likelihood that someone will either perpetrate or experience abuse. People do not choose to have a mental illness but when diagnosed with one they CAN choose to follow or not follow their treatment plan. There are plenty of kind and gentle people working to keep their illness (BPD or other) under control so that they don't harm themselves and/or others.Here is a good resource for  friends and family of someone with mental health problems.   If you think your friend or family member is in need of community mental health services you can find help in your area.A healthy relationship is one that is free from fear and force.If you have a friend or family member who is experiencing abuse here are some things you can do to help. The most important thing to remember is that the choice to leave or not is theirs. You can't make them leave a bad situation but you can be supportive and helpful in their choice. They will need someone they can count on when/if they do decide to end or leave the abusive relationship.

Domestic Violence knows no boundaries when it comes to race/gender/sexuality/age/socioeconomic status/geographic location/culture.

Remember, domestic abuse affects ten million people in the US every year.  If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic abuse, please know that the folks at the National Domestic Violence Hotline (1 800 799 SAFE or thehotline.org) are ready to listen and support you, as well as refer you to a local program or organization. If you observe someone being abused, you can also call the hotline.  A good samaritan call can save a life!

--

All of the quilts in the Domestic Abuse series so far can be viewed here.

Quilt Talk

Last week I had a wonderful visit with a friend and mentor. There was a lot of quilt talk.

Foxtail Fabric

Hop over to the Dear Stella blog and read about the cute baby things I made from Rae Ritchie's Foxtail fabric line.

Wordless Wednesday - the tiny piecing edition

 

Every Last Piece - Off the Chart

Off the Chart is another quilt from my book, Every Last Piece.This design was inspired by colorwork knitting charts. I love this design idea because there are so many different ways to interpret it. Here, the different size circles represent different colors of yarn that would be used when knitting from the chart.The the pattern is made of three kinds of blocks; blank, small circles, and large circles.The scraps used in this quilt are all "light" fabrics. The background is a rich teal print from Carolyn Friedlander's botanics line.It is quilted in a design that mimics the look of the knit stitch at a size equal to the applique "stitches".Finished Size 58'' by 81''. In addition to being published in the book, this quilt was in the QuiltCon 2015 show.The pattern and directions for Off the Chart can be found in chapter three of my book.You can purchase an autographed copy of the Every Last Piece from me here.I can't compete with Amazon's low prices,  but if you want to save a little and purchase from Amazon, please click here. This is an affiliate link and clicking through to purchase will allow me to earn a few extra pennies.You can also ask your local quilt shop or book store to get the book for you.

Heirloom Coverlet

I love old quilts and especially love this coverlet my grandmother gave me when I was in high school.It was started by her mother and lacked several blocks from being complete. She shared it with me and asked if I would like her to finish it for me.Of course I wanted her to finish it for me!It's a simple block but just look at those fabrics!I love this old searsucker print, isn't it interesting?Can you tell which blocks my grandmother added?Those 1970s fabrics have quite a different look.

Visiting Old Quilts

One of the bonuses of visiting family is seeing quilts that I forgot I made for them. This is a cowboy quilt I made for my niece in her horse crazy younger years.Who am I kidding? She may still be in her horse crazy years,  she will be applying to vet schools in a year.In our hurry to get on the road to see all the wonderful places around Carlsbad I didn't snap a photo of the backing fabric which has large wild horses galloping on it.Here's another blast from the past, a stack-n-whack quilt from a bright chili pepper print.It's so fun to see some of these old treasures.