Domestic Bliss, Block 8 of Hazel’s Diary Quilt is finished. I followed designer Shelly Pagliai’s instructions for making the block but changed her appliqué design in order to preserve the fussy cut images in the large dark triangles. I also enlarged the two hearts in the center and changed their orientation slightly. You’ll see what I mean when you look at Shelly’s original block:
I’m happy with the how my block turned out but I really struggled with the appliqué on the four outer hearts. I can see that one of the hearts has a couple of little points where there should be only curves. At first I thought it was fine but the more I look at it the more I know it has to be replaced. The fabric is a Michael Miller Fairy Frost and I’m wondering if the slightly metallic finish makes it harder to needleturn the fabric.
For now, Domestic Bliss is up on my design wall with the other six blocks I’ve made so far:
That’s not the final setting; I just put the blocks up in the order they were made. Two more blocks to go and then I will add white sashing strips and a red scalloped border — needleturned! — around each one.
After posting a picture a few days ago of Aunt Ruby’s Choice, Block 7 in Hazel’s Diary Quilt, I decided to make a change. I replaced the triangles in the outermost row with the subtle black and white swirly print you see here:
I’m much happier with the block now. Why? I think I used too much of the floral fabric in the earlier version. The block had too much going on in it. The red Sawtooth Star is more prominent in this version and the bright yellow seems to be holding its own against the floral print. Take a look at both versions and tell me if you agree:
Lest you think the block has too much black in it now, let me point out that it will have 3″ white sashing strips all around it and a red scalloped edge. That will soften the black considerably.
I’ve also been working on Block 8, Domestic Bliss. The appliqué is prepped and ready to go:
I made some changes to the appliqué design, mainly because of those fussycut corners, and I think I’m going to love the result.
This is Aunt Ruby’s Choice, Block 7 of Hazel’s DiaryQuilt and the sixth block I’ve completed so far in my quest to make the queen-size sampler quilt designed by Shelly Pagliai in remembrance of her mother, Hazel. When you saw this block last month, it was pieced but did not have the flower appliquéd on yet.
I am loving the center blossom, especially with the addition of the bright yellow button in the center. The button may or may not remain in the final version. Shelly’s pattern calls for a small circle (see below) but I’m not there yet in my needleturn appliqué skills. I’m thinking of the button as a placeholder while I move on to the appliqué for the next block.
Block 7 will eventually be surrounded with white sashing strips and a red scalloped border, as it is in Shelly’s original block seen here:
I’ve pieced Block 8, Domestic Bliss, and hope to start work on the appliqué for that tomorrow. Then I need to hurry up and make Block 9, Fancy Farm Girl, the block I planned for August. If I can get that done in the few days left of the month, I’ll be back on schedule.
Then I can get to work practicing those needleturned circles!
A month ago today I was in Sisters, Oregon with Vincent van Gogh. And I have the picture to prove it:
I must say, even with a bandaged ear Vincent is looking pretty cheerful. Not at all like the unsmiling tormented soul we see in his self portraits.
So what’s this all about? In 2017 Cherrywood Fabrics issued a challenge for quiltmakers to interpret the paintings and life of Vincent van Gogh in a 20″ square quilt. Contestants were required to use three saturated blues and one black — all hand dyed fabrics by Cherrywood — in their creations. The company received 465 submissions and ultimately selected 200 to be included in two traveling exhibits, one called “the Dutch Gallery” and the other “the French Gallery” to represent the time van Gogh spent in his home country and the country where he spent the last years of his life.
The 2018 Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show included a special (indoor) exhibit of the French Gallery. I went to the exhibit near the end of the day and quickly snapped a few photos of the quilts in groups:
I’m amazed at the artistry, creativity, and skill displayed by these quiltmakers. I could have spent hours at this exhibit and probably would have had I arrived there earlier in the day.
If you look carefully at the last photo, you’ll catch a glimpse of “Vincent” between the first and second vertical panels. He was standing against a backdrop of The Starry Night holding an empty frame and a bouquet of sunflowers. His colleague was encouraging viewers to stop for a photo op. So I did.
The dates and venues of both traveling exhibits can be seen here along with the names of the quiltmakers and close-ups of the quilts made by the five winners of the challenge. If you get a chance to see either one, I highly recommend it.
Having viewed the French Gallery, I am now very keen to view the Dutch Gallery. I see that it will be in Spokane, Washington Oct. 19-21, at the Washington State Quilters Show. That’s only 350 miles from my home in Portland, Oregon. Road trip?!
Here, without further delay, are just a few of the quilts that caught my eye at the 2018 Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show on the 14th of July. On that day the tiny town of Sisters in central Oregon filled with 10,000 quilt lovers and other sightseers who strolled around town on a very hot day looking at the quilts displayed on the outside of buildings along the town’s main and side streets. With 1300 quilts on display, it was impossible to see every single one but we all did our best.
The first 10 you see below were made by quiltmakers who taught during Quilter’s Affair, the five days of classes and special events preceding the Saturday show. These quilts were on display in the Teachers Tent.
Lollipops, 42 x 52, made and quilted by Tonye Belinda Phillips of Camp Sherman ORArrival, 54 x 60, made and quilted by Kathy Doughty of Sydney, New South Wales, AustraliaFolk-Tails, 37 x 43, made by Sue Spargo of Uniontown OH, quilted by Janet JoelinDetail of Folk-Tails by Sue SpargoPretty Spool, 42 x 50, made and quilted by Laura Wasilowski of Elgin ILPincushion, 42 x 45, made and quilted by Sally Frey of Fortuna CATree Farm, 49 x 66, made by Karla Alexander of Salem OR, quilted by Loretta OrsbornDetail of Tree Farm by Karla AlexanderMaha Surya (Major Sun), 72 x 72, made by Robin Long of Poulsbo WA, quilted by Wanda RainsAccidental Fruit, 72 x 77, made by Sarah Bond of Philadelphia PA, quilted by Carol HeislerBromiliad, 20 x 32, made and quilted by Katie Pasquini-Masopust of Fortuna CAEmbracing Moss, 38 x 44, made and quilted by Hilde Morin of Portland OR
That’s quite an eclectic group of quilts, isn’t it? The quilts outside the Teachers Tent were just as varied in design and technique. Take a look:
Spin, 79 x 93, made and quilted by Kim Graham of Boise IDWelcome to My Neighborhood, 67 x 84, made and quilted by Darlene Wheeler of Nampa IDZoo It Yourself, 56 x 60, made and quilted by Patty Roberts-Hasenbalg of Salem ORLeaf 2, 56 x 47, made and quilted by Lou Ann Smith of Goleta CAMy Octopus Life, 85 x 85, made and quilted by Monica Dixon of Sequim WAPeppermint Pinwheels, 745 x 84, made by Jean Wells of Sisters OR, quilted by Julia JeansDetail of Peppermint Pinwheels by Jean Wells
The Portland Modern Quilt Guild had a special exhibit of word quilts, the result of a challenge the guild issued to its members. My favorite was this one:
SMILE on Your Brother, 52 x 58, made and quilted by AnnMarie Cowley of Hillsboro OR
My photo of the label identifying the following quilt was too fuzzy to read. If anyone reading this post knows who made and quilted this quilt, please let me know, and I will update the information:
Maker Information To ComeSquare Dance, 50 x 50, made and quilted by Donna Cooper of Portland ORDetail of Square Dance by Donna CooperMy Village @ Midnight, 94 x 94, made by Yvonne Black of Bellingham WA, quilted by Nikki CrispHouse Warming Party, 64 x 74, made by Brenda Daniels of Elverta CA, quilted by Michele SimesTangerine, 90 x 90, made by Jill Huntington of Portland OR, quilted by Nancy StovallSugar Pine, 60 x 68, made by Nancy Hoff, quilted by Laura Simmons
This next quilt has a special story. It was made by Jane Humphrey of Escondido CA, who lost her home — and a lifetime of fabric and quilt projects — in the 2007 Witch Creek Fire in San Diego. In her own words, “I naturally had to start rebuilding both. A pretty daunting task at 81. So much new, pretty fabric to buy! When I saw this pattern in the May/June 2010 issue of Quiltmaker, I immediately knew it was the quilt to make with all my new fabrics. That was the most fun, choosing the fabrics that would look delicious together! It was a difficult pattern for me but rewarding. At 92 now, I don’t plan on stopping anytime soon. I have too much new fabric!”
Here is Jane’s lovely — and lively — quilt:
Amorosa Asterisk, 63 x 69, made by Jane Humphrey of Escondido CA, quilted by Barbara Vanice
The last quilt I want to show you wasn’t in the quilt show. In fact, it’s not quite finished but it’s so spectacular I just had to share it with you — with the permission of its maker, Frances Barnes of Portland OR:
Work in Progress by Frances Barnes of Portland OR
I first saw this quilt in June, when I was teaching at a quilt retreat in Washington State. Frances brought it along to work on. She’s quilting it by hand using a utility stitch. I didn’t get a picture of it at the retreat so when I ran into Frances during a Quilter’s Affair class and saw she had the quilt with her, I jumped at the chance to take a photo.
The quilt was inspired by Sujata Shah, author of Cultural Fusion Quilts: A Melting Pot of Piecing Traditions (C&T Publishing, 2014). Sujata was a guest speaker at last year’s Quilter’s Affair, and both Frances and I bought her book after hearing Sujata speak and seeing a selection of her colorful quilts made using free-form blocks.
Then last fall Frances saw the cover of Issue #10 of Simply Moderne magazine, featuring a quilt called Paper Beads designed by Sujata Shah:
Paper Beads is composed of free-form string quilt blocks. Frances combined Paper Beads with blocks from the Cultural Fusion Quilts book and came up with the vibrant quilt you see above. Who knows? Maybe it will be in next year’s Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show!
Domestic Bliss, Block 8 of Hazel’s Diary Quilt is finished. I followed designer Shelly Pagliai’s instructions for making the block but changed her appliqué design in order to preserve the fussy cut images in the large dark triangles. I also enlarged the two hearts in the center and changed their orientation slightly. You’ll see what I mean when you look at Shelly’s original block:
