I’ve been working on a quilt top based on the pattern Urban Tiles by Jenny Pedigo of Sew Kind of Wonderful. The top is done, and here it is:
This was fun to work on because the fabrics are so bright and cheerful. I could see this as a table topper or a little girl’s quilt.
Now to consider quilting motifs. . . . I could go with an all-over design. On the other hand, maybe I should choose a motif that highlights the secondary design in the white fabric around the blocks. What do you think?
Yes, it’s a new Work-in-Progress. (The older ones will just have to wait.) I’m making a quilt using the pattern Urban Tiles by Jenny Pedigo of Sew Kind of Wonderful because I’ll be teaching a class on it in October at the Pine Needle Quilt Shop.
The center of the block was designed as a nine-patch but I wanted to show off the playful floral fabric (from the new Dori line by Mitzi Powers for Benartex) so I opted to use a solid piece. The block finishes at 16½”.
Regular readers may recognize the pattern, as I made a table runner last year from Jenny’s design, before her pattern was published:
Isn’t it amazing how fabric changes the look of a design?
I hope you’ll stop by in a couple of days to see my WIP transformed into a finished quilt top!
Between family birthdays, reunions, and weddings — joyous occasions all — I’ve spent very little time in my sewing room in the last month. My two youngest granddaughters, Bonnie (13) and Beatrice (10), are currently visiting from San Francisco, so the last week has been filled with activities such as picnicking in the Columbia Gorge, attending a professional women’s soccer game, frolicking in the pool at our nearby community center, and shopping for school clothes.
Yesterday we stayed home. Beatrice had a playdate with My Little Neighbor (MLN), who just turned 11. Both girls were in the mood to “make something crafty.” They picked out some fabrics from my stash, and here is what they created:
The girls had so much fun they’re going to make a few more coasters tomorrow.
Picking up where I left off a couple of days ago, here are more of my favorite quilts from among the 1300+ displayed last Saturday, July 13 at the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show (SOQS) in Sisters, Oregon.
Kristin Shields of Bend OR was a featured quilter. Here are a few of her wonderfully whimsical creations:
The Cover to Cover book club created quilts inspired by The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznic. My favorites from this group:
A peek at the back revealed that these kaleidoscope blocks were made from a focus print of . . . mushrooms!
I hope you’ve enjoyed this little presentation of the quilts that caught my eye this year. The quilts you see here and in my last post represent fewer than 4% of the quilts that were displayed. Simply astounding when you stop to think about it.
Is it any wonder that I have already marked my calendar for July 12, 2014 — the second Saturday in July — for the 39th Annual Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show?
Saturday, July 13. A perfect summer day in Central Oregon: temperatures in the low 80s with a light breeze. Thirteen hundred quilts hung just for the day on the fronts, backs and sides of buildings in the tiny town of Sisters. Dozens of other quilts hung inside businesses all over town. Thousands of quilt lovers and other spectators strolling the streets taking in the sights and sounds of the 38th Annual Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show (SOQS).
I was lucky enough to be there for the show and the week leading up to it. For the last seven or eight years (we’ve lost count), my quilt group, the Quisters, has rented a house for the week leading up to the quilt show in order to participate in Quilter’s Affair, a week of classes organized by the Stitchin’ Post Quilt Shop in Sisters. In addition to the talented teachers living in Central Oregon, instructors come from across the country and overseas to share their expertise.
This year I opted not to take any classes so I could continue to work on my ever-growing stack of Works-in-Progress. I was sorry not to have taken at least one class, especially after seeing how excited my fellow Quisters were about the ones they were taking, but I did come home with three completed projects — WIPs no longer! — and the show itself provided a plethora of ideas for new ones.
There was something for everyone at this year’s show: beautiful traditional quilts, edgy modern quilts, and everything in between. Below, in no particular order, are a few of the quilts that caught my eye:
The Portland Modern Quilt Guild was represented by several beautiful quilts, including these three:
Every year the Stitchin’ Post Quilt Shop issues a challenge to its employees to make a quilt based on a theme, and all of the quilts are displayed on the side of the Stitchin’ Post building on show day. This year’s theme was “Streams of Color.” This shot captures most of the quilts:
Two of my favorites are this one, incorporating hexagons . . .
. . . and this one featuring New York Beauty blocks:
Continuing on with the show:
Oh my! I just realized I’m not even halfway through my photos. I think I will end today’s post here and present another batch of quilt photos in the next day or two. I hope you will come back for more.
Are you a winner?
Last week I had my first Giveaway, offering up my new Sewing Machine Dust Cover pattern to six winners and a custom sewing machine dust cover to be made (by me) for one of the six. I used a Random Number Generator to pick the numbers, having decided in advance that the sixth number drawn would be the big winner. I also disqualified comments #2 and #9, since they were made by me and my husband.
Here is what the dust cover looks like:
And the winners of the pattern, in the order I drew their names, are . . . (drum roll) . . .
Jennie B.
Merethe S.
Patch G.
Mallory J., and
Joyce M.
The winner of the pattern and custom sewing machine cover is . . . (drum roll) . . . Susan S., who wrote, “I’d love to win your sewing machine cover . . . I’ve been meaning to make one for years and haven’t gotten around to it yet.”
Congratulations to the winners! Please email me with your full name and mailing address, and I will get the patterns in the mail next week. (I’m out of town this week, hence the slight delay.) Susan, let me know what colors and fabric styles you like so I can send you some fabric combinations to choose from.
Thank you all for entering my Giveaway!
My quilt group, the Quisters, met at my house last week on a perfect summer day. Between bites of marionberry pie, we had quite a show-and-tell session. Here is Peggy’s Paperweight quilt top, started last summer in a class taught by Pamela Dinndorf of Aardvark Quilts:
Such a happy and colorful top! Peggy also designed and hooked this fabulous rug, perfectly capturing the charm of her beach house on the Oregon coast:
The scene includes her goldendoodle, Lucy, on the left, and her grandchildren on the right.
Peg is already at work hooking another rug, Cat’s Paws, designed by Sharon Smith of Off the Hook Wool Rugs:
Deborah recently competed a quilt she started a few years ago in a class taught by fellow Quister Lee Fowler. This is Sushi Rolls:
Love the red and green color combo! I can see this on the back of Deborah’s couch at Christmas but it would work all year round.
Here is Lee’s newly completed Pickle Dish quilt:
Twenty-five of Lee’s friends contributed one or more paper-pieced arcs, and Lee put the rest of the quilt together with fabric from her stash (and a little more help from her friends). I spy lots of polka dots — one of Lee’s favorite design elements — and quite a few Kaffe Fassett prints.
Lee has also been making blocks for a Scrappy Trip Around the World quilt. Here are some of those blocks:
What a great way to use up strips left over from other projects!
Vivienne is currently working on a strippy diamond quilt:
Isn’t that a luscious combination of colors and fabrics?
I spent much of June working on my Sewing Machine Dust Cover pattern. Here’s a picture of the dust cover I made as a class sample:
By the way, I’m giving away a custom sewing machine dust cover and some patterns as part of my first Giveaway, which ends this Saturday, July 6. If you’d like a chance to win, just leave a comment at the end of my previous post, telling me what projects you’re working on this summer.
Have a safe and happy Fourth of July!
I’m pleased to announce the release of my newest pattern from First Light Designs. Here’s a picture of the cover:
It’s available at the Pine Needle Quilt Shop in Lake Oswego, Oregon and the Rose of Sharin’ Quilt Shop in Danville, Pennsylvania.
Would you like to have a pattern? I’m hosting a Giveaway this coming week — my very first! You have six chances to win. I’m giving away five copies of my pattern, and the sixth winner is going to get a pattern and a custom sewing machine dust cover made by me. It might be you!
To enter, simply leave a comment at the bottom of this post telling me what you hope to accomplish this summer on the sewing/quilting front. Multiple projects? One big finish? It’s always fun to know what’s going on in sewing rooms around the world.
I’ll keep the Giveaway open through Saturday, July 6 and announce the winners the following week. Be sure your contact info is included in your comments. For the winner of the sewing machine dust cover, I’ll be in touch to give you some fabric and color options.
I learned from Thelma at Cupcakes ‘n Daisies that yesterday was National Pink Day. I’m working on a project right now that has a lot of pink in it, so I thought I would post about it, even though I’m a day late. Take a look:
Regular readers of my site must be thinking, “What? She’s making another sewing machine dust cover?” (I’ve already made several versions, which you can see in my Small Pieces Gallery here.)
Yep. Two reasons for it: one, I needed a partially-made sample for a class I taught recently, to demonstrate how I sew the side panel to the main body and add the bias binding strip, and two, in response to multiple requests, I have written a pattern. (I always make samples while writing a pattern to test my directions.)
I’ll introduce my pattern later this week along with a giveaway — my first! — so please check back. I’ll be giving away several copies of my pattern, and one winner will get a custom sewing machine dust cover made by me for her machine.
Yesterday also happened to be National Pecan Sandies Day. (Who thinks these national days up, anyway, and why June 23?) If you’re inclined to celebrate after the fact by whipping up a batch of pecan sandies, here is a recipe from allrecipes.com.
Yes, after 12 weeks, the renovation of our upstairs bathroom is all but complete! Would you like to see? Let’s start in the doorway. The first thing you see is the quartz cap on the toilet alcove:
I’m so glad we waited to find another remnant of the quartz (“Lattice” by Pental) to finish this half-wall instead of capping it with wood trim. Wood would have been very nice but this is much more elegant. To the left of the wall you can see part of the clawfoot tub. Here’s a look at the entire tub:
I love the look of the vintage bath hardware, including the telephone-style shower head.
Now for the shower, in all its tiled and glassed-in beauty:
Moving counter-clockwise, here’s the five-panel door, which used to swing into the bathroom but now slides neatly into its wall pocket:
As you can see from the right side of the photo, I’ve already hung towels on the wall to the left of the shower. I chose a deep teal blue.
Am I saving the best for last? Maybe! Here is the mirror over the vanity, with the three sconces mounted in place:
Another view from across the room:
Even prettier with the lights on:
And, for some drama, here’s a shot of two the sconces with the lights turned low:
Back where we started, here’s another shot of the toilet alcove and wall cap:
And there you have it. Am I thrilled? Absolutely!
There is more to come, however. The plantation shutters I ordered for the windows are due to arrive by the end of June. I’m going to wait until they are in place before putting pictures on the walls. In the meantime, I’ll be looking for a long narrow console table, preferably vintage, to go in this space between the end of the tub and the half-wall . . .
. . . and a bench to go in this little corner:
Once the bathroom is truly complete, which may take a few weeks, I’ll post some before-and-after photos. Until then, if you want to review the project from the outset, feel free to follow these links:
March 16: Happy Birthday, House!
March 27: The Bathroom Remodel Begins
March 31: Bathroom Reno, Week 1
April 8: Bathroom Reno, Week 2
April 15: Bathroom Reno, Week 3
April 21: Bathroom Reno, Week 4
April 28: Bathroom Reno, Week 5
May 5: Bathroom Reno, Week 6
May 12: Bathroom Reno, Week 7
May 19: Bathroom Reno, Week 8
May 27: Bathroom Reno, Week 9
June 2: Bathroom Reno, Week 10
June 9: Bathroom Reno, Week 11
Thanks for following along!