Swapping books and more with new friends . . .

Recently, I joined my first swap in ages. I confess I was a little nervous (having been burned in long ago swaps). But I had such fun planning what to swap, making my gifts, then packing, mailing and eagerly anticipating, then receiving my own package.

"Fall into Reading Book Swap 2022" was hosted on InstaGram by @wwarner27 (aka Wendy). She matched participants into one-to-one swap partners. Everyone in the swap filled out a questionnaire including favorite book genres and other interests. My partner and I were able to chat via emails while deciding what to send to each other. 

Here's a peek at the books I soon purchased for Mandi  ...  My puzzle now is which one (or two) to send to her .... or maybe send more?  

See any titles below that intrigue you? 

 

 

Wondering where I purchased this stack of books? Why, at one of my favorite independent book stores! I am lucky to have two located near me. If you're in Houston, be sure to visit "Murder By The Book" on Bissonnet and "Brazos Bookstore" a block away also on Bissonnet. While I frequent both, the books above are entirely from Murder By The Book. Now to decide which books to send to Mandi....hmmm....

Meanwhile, the swap includes sending small gifts. Mandi and I are makers and crafters, so I wanted to make something special for her. But time was short and I needed to whip something together quickly. What could I make for my new book-loving-&-crafting-friend? Inspired by the name "Fall into Reading", I looked through my unfinished blocks, pulling two made in fall colors. I decided to finish both.

 

The first block is a variation of the classic Jacob's Ladder quilt block. 

It was originally headed for a Sampler Quilt, a quilt never came together.

I confess, I enjoyed quilting this block into a little quilt.

 

The second block is called "Leaf Love Wreath." It is an original design and paper-piecing pattern by Kristy Lea (aka Quiet Play). 

The pattern is currently available on her Quiet Play website. For your ease, click Leaf Love Wreath pattern for a direct link to this pattern. Click Quiet Play patterns to see all of Kristy's wonderful patterns. To learn more of my creative quilty friend Kristy who lives in the Land-Down-Under (aka Australia), take a look at her website: https://quietplaydesigns.com/ 

I finished this sweet leaf wreath block into a small quilt too.

Both quilts are finished and ready to go to a new home .... as soon as I decide which to send or whether to  to splurge and send both quilts to my "Fall Into Reading Book Swap 2022" partner .... What would you do?

Send BOTH of course!

... along with three books and more gifts which filled the package nicely.

 

 

All have arrived safely and best of all,

Mandi is pleased! Yea!

 

I love my package that she sent to me too!!!

This was a fun swap & I look forward to swapping again.

Wendy mentioned hosting the next swap in February (possibly?)!

Have you joined any internet swaps lately?
If you have, I hope they were as delightful as this book swap was!

So many tiny log cabins

 

Stars and Stripes by Amy Pabst

One of my favorite quilts on display at the 2019 International Quilt Festival is this one.

Stars and Stripes is an original design using 5,480 individual pieces.

There are 100,000 pieces in this series.

signage from the 2019 Quilt Festival

Sawtooth Star by Amy Pabst

 Love this red-and-white log cabins in this quilt.

Sawtooth Star is a design from Log Cabin Star by Elaine Poplin.

3,600 pieces in this quilt.

Ultra Violet by Amy Pabst

Ultra Violet's design is Baby Quilt #5 by Ann Brooks.

3,600 pieces 

 

   

Marching Elephants by Amy Pabst

Marching Elephants is a design from an unfinished quilt top dated 1881.

2,750 pieces

 

Milk and Honey by Amy Pabst

 Milk and Honey has 8,700 pieces.

Fever Dream by Amy Pabst

 Fever Dream's design was inspired by the quilt Japonism by Yumi Hatori.

6,411 pieces in this one.

Off-Center Barn Raising by Amy Pabst

 Off-Center Barn Raising is a design from Four Patch Charm by Kathy Schwartz.

2,730 pieces.

A Long Way Home by Amy Pabst

A Long Way Home is a design from Classic and Cool by Caroline Wilkinson.

3,024 pieces

Barn Doors by Amy Pabst

Barn Doors is a design from a log cabin quilt, circa 1880-1910.

3,000 pieces

Absolutely beautiful!

These intricately pieced quilts are all small in size.

Every log cabin is teeny-tiny

Mini Log Cabins pieces with tiny tiny tiny slivers of fabric.

Wow!

I wonder if Amy went cross-eyed after awhile? 

Amy Pabst is from El Roy, West Virginia.

My quilt family

I love seeing my Quilt Family at our annual gathering in Houston for the International Quilt Market and Quilt Festival.  This blog post features a few favorite quilts made with Thangles, created by MB Hayes, who I met at Quilt Market maybe 1,000 years ago.  I plan to start one of these soon ....

I love this Orion Star quilt.  If you are familiar with Thangles, you may recognize this best selling pattern which is always on display in their booth at Quilt Shows and Markets -- but in a cooler color way (purples, blues and greens).  I plan to make it one day, possibly in reproduction prints ....  The project pack is available online (directions and Thangles included!) by clicking here.

This one is called "Gemini Stars" and is one of newer Thangles patterns.  You learn how to make the "tulip" block when stitching this one together.  It simply sparkles, don't you agree?

I love this StashBuster pattern!  It is very similar to the current 2014 StashBuster pattern that is the free bonus sent out with all online orders placed that year.  I hope they bring back the Stash Buster patterns one day....

This is a variation of a pattern called "Stash Balls" -- such a fun what to use up your colorful fabric stash! Thangles are so easy to use when stitching up patterns with half-square triangles. 

The blue and white quilt below is one of the older designs and possibly one of the first Thangles patterns that I ever made.  This one is similar to a pattern in the Dress Your Table collection. There are now two Dress Your Table patterns, both feature quick-to-sew small quilts (great for making and gifting to friends and family).  They are "Dress Your Table" and "Dress Your Table 2" (scroll down the page to see the second pattern).

To watch a demo on how to use Thangles, click here. 
To learn more about Thangles, explore their website https://thangles.com/
You can also connect to Thangles via a variety of social media links, including: Pinterest, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook.... All links on the Thangles home page.

Just a little ....

💗Love 💗

It's what the world needs now

Please share a little now 

and

then, do it again.

 (can't possibly hurt!) 

💌  Thank-you  💌

Favorites from St. Mary's

The previous two posts have been about the second annual St. Mary's Quilt Show held in Plantersville, Texas.  This post will include some of my favorite quilts from the many on display.  In fact, this post includes quilts that are also on my quilt-bucket list (which is a list of quilts that I hope to make myself one day ......)

This lovely kitty quilt received my vote for "Viewer's Choice" award (sadly, I do not know which quilt won Viewer's Choice).  I love the cat and the garden of flowers surrounding her.  This quilt inspires me make it, specifically to make this quilt using the fusible applique technique, possibly with some surface embellishments (paint, beading, embroidery, etc).

I've seen this pattern (possibly this quilt too?) previously.  It looks like a straight forward pattern, possibly made using one or more layer cake sets (10" squares of fabric often sold as charms from one entire pattern line).  I think I may try making this using all the floral fabrics that I've collected.  I have always purchased floral fabrics, then when the "fad" of watercolor quilts became popular in the 1990's, I actively collected even more floral fabrics with the idea of slicing them into 2" squares that would reappear in a watercolor quilt.

 

While I am slicing into my collection of floral fabrics, perhaps I will also consider making this quilt.  I am not certain of the name of this block but it reminds me of both the Goose in the Pond block and a combo nine-patch center of a churn dash block.  I can picture making these 9" blocks, 3" half square triangles with 1" squares and rectangles to make the nine-patch center and the middle side pieces.  I wonder how many blocks I can make, when each will feature different floral prints?

This quilt, "Special Flowers of Red and White" is made by fellow member of the Block Builders Bee Barb Paliatsos.  She sews prolifically: quilts, pillows, tea towels and much more.  She sells her creations in craft shows and at local quilt shows.  Special Flowers of Red and White makes me smile!

This lovely quilt is made using vintage handkerchiefs, many of which were gifts from the quilter's grandmother!  The Artist Statement (which I've included below) tells the story of this Granny's Hankies" quilt made by Marsha H Dolhonde.

I have table linens and a few hankies that my grandmother and her sisters embroidered.  I've been wanting to make something special with these "family heirlooms" of mine, but have been stumped on what to do, how to do it.  This is my reminder to keep planning this quilt of my quilt-bucket list!

This lovely quilt is my reminder to stitch MORE APPLIQUE!  I have made many applique blocks, but really want to focus on finishing a queen-size quilt made entirely with my applique work!

This is a lovely Jinny Beyer quilt that was sold in kits in the late 1990's and early 2000's.  In fact, I've purchased this very kit in this colorway .... but have been too chicken to get started on it!

 I love this view of the pews covered in colorful quilts.  The Angel quilt in front reminds me of one designed by Robin Pandolph years ago (perhaps this is it?).  I'd love to make an Angel quilt .... one of these days.

Can you guess how long my quilt-bucket list might be?  I fear it is only growing and getting even longer!  I'm tickled that I won this too.

Postcards from the East

This lovely quilt, Postcards from the East, began with a block swap with my QGGH Block Builders Bee.  Each block is a lovely Asian print with a black strip pieced into the center.  

Making these blocks is quite simple and basic.  

  1)  Start with a 5" square.

  2)  Slice this square down the middle, resulting with two rectangles 2.5" x 5" each.

  3)  Stitch an insert, a 1" x 5" black solid piece, into the middle split.  Use 1/4" seam allowances. Be cautious of piecing the insert into the former middle of the original block.  Depending on the print, this may not matter -- but on larger prints where the design continues across that black strip, it adds to the block.   

  4)  The resulting block will measure 5" square.   

  5)  Repeat steps 1 - 4 until you've made the number of blocks that you desire.

In this swap, we could make as many as 8 blocks that were identical, made using the same asian print.  After the trade is completed, we each receive a multitude of different blocks in return for the identical ones that were submitted.  Swapping blocks like this make it much easier to create scrappy quilts.  One more tip: I like to keep one of my original blocks before any of our swaps as my own record (to help me remember which blocks that I made). 

This past week-end, Postcards from the East was hand-delivered to Beverly who had been waiting patiently for over a year.  As soon as I gave her this quilt, I realized that I had not taken a nice photo of it for my own records.  At the time we were enjoying a lovely breakfast in a cozy New Orleans restaurant where there was no room to open the quilt to take a photo then, so Beverly promised to share a photo.   She sent this photo within an hour of our good-byes!  Hmmm, might have to start a new quilt for her soon ....

The quilt below was exhibited in the 2015 Joy of Quilts show held by the Quilt Guild of Greater Houston (QGGH).  It is made with some of the very same blocks that I used in my quilt for Beverly. 

"Asian Delight" made by LaNell Neel and the Neartown Bee,
Machine quilting completed by Jane Plisga.

LaNell was gifted with many of the Asian blocks from the Neartown Bee on her birthday, as she loves Asian fabrics.  She then used them to create the borders surrounding the center panel which she had in her collection of fabrics. 

Same blocks, different setting, makes for two lovely quilts.

Summer fun

Have you heard of the Row by Row Experience yet?  It is the fun reason that quilters are taking to the road this summer.  It is the easiest Shop Hop yet.  It is addictive and I confess, I am hooked!

Quilt shops across the United States of America and Canada too (and possibly other countries too?) have designed their own unique 9" x 36" pattern for a row in a quilt with a theme of "water" -- this is Row by Row in a nutshell.  Shoppers are invited to step foot into the participating quilt shops (over 2,000 this summer) to pick up their free pattern directions.  Many of the quilt shops are also selling fabric kits as well as pins and fabric labels featuring a unique license plate. 

When I first heard of this, I thought oh how cute but was not really interested in joining this craze.  Although I did pick up my first pattern and kit when I popped into CJ's Quilt Shop on my first visit to this shop.  On the family road trip, I convinced my crew to stop at two shops in Greensboro, North Carolina and I picked up two more rows (and one more kit).

Here is my progress on these first three rows.  Top down they are from "Calla Lily Quilts" in Greensboro, NC, CJ's Quilt Shop in Richmond, TX and my favorite (and the only one totally complete as I post this) is from Studio Stitch also in Greensboro, NC and also a Bernina store.
The frog row was their kit with the pieces all precision cut with iron-on adhesive already on each piece.  The  three little ducks are fussy cut and framed by a blue check then appliqued on the waterdrops background (two umbrellas are being stitched on).  I did alter this a bit.  Then the bottom rows of batik fish was made from all my fabrics and was the most fun to stitch.

It's official.  I am hooked!  Since returning home from our road trip, I have since collected more patterns by visiting a few of the local shops .... and I'm recruiting family and friends to visit quilt shops near them to collect the patterns for me.  And I browse the Facebook pages for the various states (here's the Texas FB page) and the Row by Row Experience website, http://www.rowbyrowexperience.com/,  and images shared on InstaGram.  I am having fun!

Here are a few more favorite rows and finished quilts ... just to share the fun!

 

These bottles are an original design by Johanna Masko for a quilt shop, "The Workroom" in Toronto, Canada (on InstaGram as "_theworkroom").  Follow Johanna on her blog: johannamaskoquilts.blogspot.ca or in IG as "jmaskoquilts."

 

The above quilt is made with the rows by the five Pacific Fabric stores, each store has one of the rows available to their shoppers who visit each location in person.  I love it - don't you?  The stores from the top-down are: SODO, Bellevue, Everett, Bremerton and Northgate.

This photo from Instagram shows the two choices for rows that the Quilt Company in Aalison Park, PA designed for the 2015 Row by Row Experience.  I think the watercolors are my favorite, though the watermelon slices are also appealing. 

These four Sunbonnet Sues make up the row offered by A Great Notion Sewing Supply Ltd. in Canada.  Their kit includes 44 different fabrics - oh my!

This is one of my favorite completed quilts. It is by Loide Wasmund (IG: lwasmund),  a Texas quilter.  My favorite row is the four quilty-friends -- something different is reflected back from their sunglasses!  I also am tickled by the five bowl of fish!  I'm busy figuring out where each of these rows originated and whether I can get there during the Row-by-Row times .... or if I should just try drafting my own version of the rows I like.  Once I started thinking about drafting my own patterns, I then started thinking "why keep the stores in a long-skinny format, 9"x39"?  why not alter that size too?"  Stay tuned as I try to figure out what I am going to do and watch as I do it!

I love that the theme of "Water" has inspired so many in such different ways.  I want to collect and make more of these rows (or draft my version of the row).  Clearly this is my newest addiction!  What's yours?

More favorites from the Joy of Quilts show

The Quilt Guild of Greater Houston held its bi-annual quilt show this past week-end and here are a few more favorites that were in this amazing show.... starting with one of my own, Mmm, Pot Pie.

Mmm, Pot Pie (a Michael Miller challenge) by Cathy Winter, quilted by Pam Biswas

Mmm, Pot Pie was made specifically for a Michael Miller Challenge given to the Modern Quilt Guild.  Sadly, my quilt was rejected and never displayed at QuiltCon in Austin earlier this year.  How exciting that it won a 3rd place ribbon in the Small Wall Quilt category at the Joy of Quilts show!  Click here and here to see earlier posts about this quilt or click here to go to Pam's website.

Spring Landscape by Jo Sweet

My friend Jo stitches amazing photographic pieces, though the image is entirely rendered with thread and small bits of fabric.  They are often inspired by photographs she or her husband have taken.  This tiny quilt was easily the smallest quilt in the show, except possibly for the miniature quilt category.  Jo states "Every spring the earth presents a lovely gift to Texans.  All manner of wildflowers take their turn embellishing the land, but the bluebonnets truly enchant."  I totally agree with you, Jo!

The next quilt is in keeping with the Texas theme....

Boot Scootin' Boogie detail view of boots

Boot Scootin' Boogie by Suzanne Purvis, quilted by Jane Plisga

I first saw this pattern on display at Quilt 'n Sew Studio in Katy and learned that it was featured in the Sept/Oct 2000 issue of the Fons and Porter magazine (click here to purchase).  The pattern is called Boot Scootin' Boogie, and is on my "quilt bucket list".  I fear that this list only grows lately -- might be time for me to get busy and sew sew sew.

Making a basket quilt has been on my quilt bucket list for years. Now I can check 'basket quilt' off of my quilt-bucket list.  Below is my Red Summer Baskets quilt which is the only one of the four quilts I entered in this show that did not win a ribbon.  Regardless, this is my all time favorite quilt and lives proudly on my living room wall.  After reading the judges' comments, I understand why they did not like my awesome quilt (also quilted by Pam Biswas), and I disagree, but that's OK.  It is what makes entering quilts shows so challenging and fun as you cannot predict what the judges will love or not love.  I know that I love my Red Summer Baskets and I will not fret over the judges' opinions.  Click here and here to learn more about its making.

On display to the left of my quilt are two quilts: City Living by Pam Tedeschi, which won an Honorable Mention in the category of Pieced Wallhanging Small, and The Bottom of My Spool Drawer by Susan Pain.  I served as the Co-Chair of Daytime Programming of QGGH with Susan Pain seven or eight years ago.  We had a blast working together.  The other fun thing to note - making a spools quilt is on my quilt bucket list, as is making a city horizon of my own.

Brody's Bots and Aiden's 'Droids both by Susan Pain

Can you guess that these two quilts are for young brothers, who happen to be Susan's grandchildren?  These quilts are fun and playful and perfect for her grandsons.  Nice job, Susan.

Nathan's Quilt by Ellen Brodsky Gaber

This Astros quilt is the first quilt Ellen ever made.  It uses many of her son's Astros t-shirts and was a labor of love.  Ellen states that her son "is passionate about baseball and loyal to his home team."  This describes one of my sons perfectly and I am not surprised that he loves Nathan's Quilt.  It looks like I will be making a quilt from my son's Astros t-shirts .... one day.

Zen Batik by Suzanne Purvis

Suzanne's was inspired to make this quilt using a jelly roll and a few more pieces of batiks after seeing a post on Pinterest.  I love this look, and the simplicity appeals as well -- may have to make one of these too.

The photo below shows a close-up view of a beautifully embroidered quilt, a hexie quilt!

Second Chances by Rhonda Dort, detail

Second Chances by Rhonda Dort

This quilt, Second Chances, is another by the talented Rhonda Dort.

Second Chances by Rhonda Dort, 2nd detail

This quilt is named Second Chances because Rhonda has given a second chance to life, or as shes states: She is "giving life to old, stained, tattered and torn vintage linens, buttons and ribbons.  Each hexagon is heavily hand embellished.... created with what might have ordinarily been unusable vitage pieces, easily discarded."  This is a design and execution of Rhonda's own creation.  A lovely creation it is too.  Good job Rhonda!

Cascading Blooms by Suzanne Purvis and Cotton Pickin' Bee, quilted by Linda Beiswanger

I love the modern take on traditional hexagonal flowers in this quilt.  They look like they are cascading down from the heavens above.  Lovely job to the Cotton Pickin' Bee!

Anwyn's Quilt a.k.a. Rainbows by Fran Urquhart, quilted by Jane Plisga

Let's end this post with one last Modern Traditional quilt, and one also using hexagons.  Jane made this quilt for her granddaughter, Anwyn, after her granddaughter saw the pattern in the Spring 2014 issue of Modern Patchwork.  The only alteration Jane made was to add more colored circles than were shown in the original pattern.  The colors reflect those found in a rainbow and stand out nicely against the mixed neutral, stormy grays of the background.