Sharing a little comfort

I love to sew.
I love to quilt.
I love to make things.

And I practice random acts of kindness

... so I've put these together and now I make blocks and quilt blocks to give to a number of charities or whenever a call goes out following a tragedy.  My favorite is to make blocks (or entire tops) and immediately send them off to the latest drive.

The first quilt blocks I remember making for survivors of a tragedy were stitched over 20 years ago.  Perhaps you remember April 19, 1995, the day a truck-bomb exploded outside the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, killing 168 people (including children) and injuring hundreds more (for a few more facts about the Oklahoma City Bombing, click here).

The shock in the aftermath was intense and there was a call for nine-patch blocks to be made, one for each who lost their life ... the blocks were so numerous that they included both those who died and those who were injured.  The loss of children was hardest of all to accept, and I saw a call online
(perhaps through the Quilters Forum on America Online - AOL) for small angel quilt wall-hangings (mini-quilts) to be made for each child who died.  So many people participated that there were quilts for every family who lost someone that sad day.  As more quilts came in, everyone injured also received an angel quilt.

I made nine-patch blocks and an angel quilt.  I love how quickly quilters step up to make something comforting to share with anonymous people, trying to ease their pain and loss.  I also made a second angel quilt that I kept for myself (wonder where that small quilt has gone to?  It was on my sewing room wall for ages!) to remember this outpouring of love through quilts that I took part in.

Since then I have made block and entire quilts for a large number of charitable calls -- the biggest impact on me was the call that came after the Memorial Day Floods that devastated Texas in 2015.

"Flood Texas with Love" was the name given this drive which originated on InstaGram, such a fabulous way to reach out with love to those in need. Social media is an effective way for such drives.

Here's a few of the tops that I helped piece, finish into quilts and then gift away.  Each would have a label with our special logo for this quilt drive.

This drive called for 15" blocks made using the color slab technique explained in Cheryl Arkison's first book Sunday Morning Quilts (read more here).   We had Cheryl's blessing and she even sent blocks for our drive too.   I originally planned to stitch a few blocks but ended up being the Houston Contact Person.  Quilts and blocks landed on my doorstep and I was in charge of distributing them.

I landed this role as sadly I had many many friends that were flooded in Houston.  One family lost loved ones as well.  My friends were surrounded by neighbors who also flooded.  To this day, many are still recovering from these devastating floods -- in part because they have flooded again and again .... but that's another story for a different day ..... (click here to see some of the quilts from this drive).

Meanwhile, the shooting in Orlando at the Pulse nightclub happened (June 12, 2016) and a new call for blocks Quilts for Pulse (this time colorful heart-shaped blocks) was made also via InstaGram by Alissa Lapinsky.  Once again, I made blocks and this time they were sent to Florida.  In fact so many quilts and quilt blocks poured into Orlando that quilts were given to families who lost loved ones, survivors, first responders and many more.  Quilt Con in Savannah (Feb 23-26, 2017) had a special exhibit to say thank you to the Orlando Modern Quilt Guild and the worldwide quilting community who participated.  Share the love!

Then today I saw another call for quilt blocks from Leanne on her blog http://devotedquilter.blogspot.com/ and I've made five new blocks to send off, sharing more love and providing comfort and peace to strangers in need.

Click here to learn more about this most recent quilt drive and feel free to send a block or two.  Or wait as sadly tragedy will hit somewhere else and another call for quilts and quilt-blocks will be made.  I will be contributing again too .....and I hope you'll join me.

Quiet Play

As the year draws to a close, I am speedily stitching up the letter "Z".

Why?  Because I am a pattern tester for Kristy of Quiet Play and her newest pattern is the Geometric Alphabet (upper case).  The letter Z is one of the letters I am testing for her.

Thus I am stitching up the last letter of the alphabet on the last day of the year of 2015.  I love ending the year sewing a new pattern.

Happy New Year!

Happy 2016!

By the way, I have tested other patterns for Kristy too.  My favorite one is this sitting kitty.

I made the first kitty in red-n-white so I could swap it in an international block swap between my Houston Modern Quilt Guild and the London Modern Quilt Guild. 

I added a border to make the block large enough for the swap.

Then I made a second one for me to keep.

 

Paper piecing can be quite fun especially when using fabulous patterns such as these by Quiet Play.

Click here to see more of Kristy's patterns.  

Her patterns (including some free ones) can also be found here, a direct link to her site on Craftsy.
Click here to see another post about some of Kristy's paper pieced patterns.

Modern Rainbow Blog Tour

 

Becca Bryan's Modern Rainbow three week blog tour has begun.  Visit a few blogs and enter your chance to win a copy of her colorful book.

I met Becca through the Houston Modern Quilt Guild and tested a pattern for her last Fall, Trilobite Cats shown here.

Trilobite Cats

At the time I made my rainbow trilobite cats, I had no idea that Becca's new book being published by Stash Books was about using colors of the rainbow in quilts. 

 

Imagine my surprise when I saw her five quilts on display at QuiltCon (four were juried into the show and the fifth was on display in a booth) and learned that this is the theme of her book.

Rainbow Remix by Rebecca Bryan

Rainbow Remix was inspired by quilts made by the Quilters of Ghee's Bend.  Becca gives directions in how to make this quilt more wonky or less wonky, leaving it to your preference.  To get started,  gather 10" squares of fabric ... in fifty different solid colors.

detail of Huckleberry by Rebecca Bryan

Here is a detail view of Huckleberry to see the exquisite quilting, a true example that quilting makes the quilt. This is the quilt featured on her blog tour logo, showing the entire color wheel with 72 different solids.

Ducks in a Row by Rebecca Bryan, quilted by Angela Walters

I love this quilt from its' name to the scrappy low volume background to the colorful "ducks".  Becca says this quilt was inspired by a textile on display in a Houston restaurant.  Yes, inspiration to create comes from anywhere and everywhere.  One only needs to look ....

Which may explain why I love to wander among the quilts at quilt shows, looking and admiring and soaking up inspiration.  On the last morning of QuiltCon 2015, I bumped into Patty Sloniger, a friend and designer for Michael Miller fabrics and she mentioned that Becca was giving a free lecture in 10 minutes. Quickly, I finished snapping a few final photos and hurried to get a seat.  Becca's talk was all about color, of course. 

She shared guidelines to think about when playing color and showed early blocks that were reworked differently before going into her book - a good lesson that not every idea works perfectly on the first go-around.

I enjoyed her presentation and afterwards zoomed directly to Stash Books where I spied Wavelength, the quilt that graces the cover of her book. 

Wavelength by Rebecca Bryan, quilted by Angela Walters

 
Now back to her blog tour, yesterday's featured blog was Sally's Angel Works, my friend Sally Keller, the current President of the Houston Modern Quilt Guild.  Sally shared a quilt she made from Becca's book. 

Irish + by Sally Keller

This is Sally's version of Irish +.

 

Here are all the stops on the Modern Rainbow Blog Tour.

Stop by and visit as many as you can -- because each have been given a copy of this book to giveaway (International visitors will be sent an electronic copy).

March 23rd             C&T/ Stash Books

March 24th             Heidi Staples of Fabric Mutt

March 25th             Generation Q Magazine

March 26th             Jennifer Mathis of Ellison Lane 

March 27th  Sally Keller of Sally’s Angelworks

 

March 30th            Amy Garro of 13 Spools

March 31st            Angela Walters of Quilting is my Therapy

April 1st                Rebecca over at Craft Buds

April 2nd               Sara Lawson of Sew Sweetness

April 3rd               Sarah Craig of Confessions of a Fabric Addict

 

April 6th                Janice Zeller Ryan of Better Off Thread

April 7th                Beth Vassalo of Plum and June

April 8th                Nicole Daksiewicz of Modern Handcraft

April 9th                Giuseppe Ribaudo @giucy_giuce

April 9th                Shannon Brinkley of Bottle Tree Quilts

 

April 10th              Rebecca Bryan at Bryan House Quilts

I cannot decide which quilt I want to make first from this book.  Possibly this one ...

Flame by Rebecca Bryan

Flame, or The Impossible Rainbow, or Rainbow Remix, or MonStar, or Scattered, or Icarus Star, or .... Hmmm, how to decide?

Which quilt appeals to you? 

Spring Cotton Couture Fabric Challenge

I love entering challenges, and one of these days I aim to win one ... perhaps.  My Mmm PotPie quilt was one of the many QuiltCon rejects this year.  Naturally when I arrived at QuiltCon last week, I had to check out the quilts that were accepted to display in the Spring Cotton Couture Fabric Challenge that Michael Miller held earlier in the year. 

Aren't these solid pastels lovely?   The challenge was to use these pastels and any other solids in the Cotton Couture line by Michael Miller fabrics.  I must confess - Some marvelous quilts were chosen (over mine) for this challenge exhibit.  Here are some of my favorites:

Fractured Churndash by Erin Davis

Evanston, Illinois

Chicago MQG

I love this colorful quilt that is a spin-off of the classic Churn Dash block (one of my favorites).  Erin put a modern spin on the classic block by piecing the center in an improvisational manner.  She actually posted on social media that she was looking for any solid scraps in any color from the Michael Miller Cotton Couture line (as the challenge rules mandated that the quilt top must be made entirely from the Cotton Couture solids). 

detail view of Fractured Churndash

This quilt uses modern techniques in a new fashion and also keeps the iconic look of the classic Churn Dash block.  I love the wash of color across the quilt as well as the randomly set-in darker strips in the setting/framing sashes.  As Erin states, she has "put an effective modern spin on a traditional block with pastels as the primary focus, making this quilt a vibrant example that pastels CAN be modern.  This quilt is an original design by Erin Davis.  Erin writes a blog called Sew at Home Mummy; check it out here: http://www.sewathomemummy.com/

Totally Spring by Dora Cary

Paso Robles, California

Dora explains that her inspiration came from the dandelion blossom.  Her idea was to have smaller dandelions create a larger one and to use gradations of color and size to suggest the spherical shape, slightly drawing inspiration from the style of Romanian quilter Geta Grama. 

detail of Totally Spring by Dora Cary

Dora fused the dandelion petals on the quilt, then slightly stitched them.  Her variety of circular and spiral quilting also enhance the finished look.  This quilt feels like Spring, totally!  In searching for Dora on the web, I discovered that she is the 2015-16 President of the Almond County Quilt Guild (ACQG) in California!

 detail of Pastels Aren't My Favorite by Janet McWorkman

Starting with a peak of the quilting in this lively little quilt.  The name of the quilt lets us know that Janet is not a big fan of pastels.  Perhaps the success of this sweet quilt will change her mind?  

Pastels Aren't My Favorite by Janet McWorkman

Anchorage, Alaska

Janet states"I never sew with pastels.  But this challenge was so much fun and I am happy with the result.  The quilt looks fresh, clean and interesting." [she's exactly right on that!] "I was inspired by the personality the pastels have with the simplicity of the square.  Little shots of dark gray emphasize the coolness of the pastels."  Janet used Electric Quilt software to design her quilt top which is machine pieced and machine quilted.

 Retro Dots and Dashes by Kay Simard

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Vancouver MQG

Kay states that her quilt was "inspired by 'Retro lines of black and white' by artist Wen Wen".  Her personal challenge was "to maximize what was provided in order to fulfill the design inspiration".  Her techniques included applique, paper piecing, machine piecing and machine quilting.

detail of Retro Dots and Dashes by Kay Simard

Kay quilted long fluid lines to contrast with the non-organic face design.  These long curved lines provide contrast and yet also adds balance to the overall quilt.

A few more favorites:

Lucky Day by Cynthia Frenette

Mission, British Columbia, Canada

Fraser Valley MQG

Cynthia was inspired by candy colored rainbows, happy rain and or course, candy!  It looks like a fun new board game to me. Let's play.... Fun to discover that Cynthia is a designer for Robert Kaufman fabrics, among other amazing talents!  Click here for her website or here for her blog.

Slashed by Dana Szucs Hayden

Burleson, Texas

Fort Worth MQG

Dana says this is an original design inspired by the Twisted Spokes carpet squares from FLOR.  Click here or here to see a few images of the carpet squares.  Lovely quilt, even more so after seeing the inspiration blocks of carpet.  Dana also has a blog, http://sea-sew.blogspot.com/, with links to her Pinterest and InstaGram.

 Swan in the Water (Justin Nozuka) by Kristyn McCoy

Ilderton, Ontario, Canada

London (Canada) MQG

Listening to Swan in the Water provided the inspiration for this colorful quilt.  Kristyn arranged her colors to resemble the rainbow reflection as the setting sun hits the water, with the tiny white swan caught in the midst of it all.  Be sure to check out Kristyn's blog, Melon Patch Quilts, at http://melonpatchquilts.com/.

The Light of May by Krista Hennebury

North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Vancouver MQG

Krista explains that "in Vancouver, the May sun rises with a warm pink and yellow glow.  In the evening it sets over Vancouver Island, casting a grey light over my spring garden.  This quilt represents that morning and evening light."  She pieced this quilt using her "Improv Under the Influence" technique.  It is an original design.  Be sure to check out her blog PoppyPrint at  http://poppyprintcreates.blogspot.com/ and she's a published author, too.  Her book Make it, Take it is available here.

The New New by Amy Anderson

Asheville, North Carolina

Asheville MQG

Amy says "What always strikes me most about spring are the vivid and varying greens from the new leaves, grass, and plants emerging.  Sky, sun, leaves, flowers, and a chance for new beginnings.  Semi-improvisational piecing stitched into this original design."

***     ***     ***     ***     ***

Third place winner of the Spring Cotton Couture Fabric Challenge is:

Passages by Patty Simmons  

Lee's Summit, Missouri

Kansas City MQG

Patty says her inspiration for her quilt is both the beauty of the Gee's Bend quilts and the work of Lisa Call.  "Passages reflects the soft movement throughout a structure and the boundaries that we oftentimes self-impose" states Patty, who "enjoyed the improvisational piecing and quilting, moving through and running into boundaries."  This is her original design.

* * *    * * *    * * *    * * *    * * *

Second place winner of the Spring Cotton Couture Fabric Challenge is:

 After Dinner Mints by Paige Alexander

Picken, South Carolina

This is an original design that Paige created while working within the size restraints of the Spring Couture charm squares and jelly roll strips.  She used the Quick Curve Ruler by Sew Kind of Wonderful.  The curved squares and pastel colors reminded Paige of after-dinner mints, hence the name. 

First place winner of the Spring Cotton Couture Fabric Challenge is:

7 Up by Debra Jalbert

Clermont, Florida

Orlando MQG

This quilt won the honor of First Place in the Michael Miller Spring Cotton Couture Fabric Challenge for the Modern Quilt Guild.  It is an original design created by Debra using her own pattern which she calls "2 of 2".  The diagonal curve of the quilting is a lovely addition to this quilt.  Be sure to check out Debra's blog Made of Honor Quilts at http://www.madeofhonorquilts.com/

Day 5: FB Art Challenge

This is my 5th (and final) Day of the FB Art Challenge.  

I was nominated by Pam Biswas.   Thank you Pam!  For my fifth and final day of the challenge, I am sharing three more favorites, two are my most recent quilts while the last one is an older fiber art piece.  I hope you enjoy them.

Not everyone has a "Vanna White" to model with their quilts and fiber art.  Fortunately, our smart dog Andy thought he'd give it a whirl......

How did he do?

This quilt was made in the Spring of 2014 as part of the Fourth Annual Modern Quilt Guild challenge sponsored by Michael Miller Fabrics.  See their website: https://www.michaelmillerfabrics.com/.  The line is called Petal Pinwheels and has a fun, light, summery look, plus the Michael Miller fabrics all have a wonderful feel.  Click here to see the full line of Petal Pinwheels.  These are the six that were used for this challenge.

Of the six fabrics distributed for this challenge, I selected three to use (petal pinwheels, petal garland and pegs a plenty) and added two solids: white and gray.  I knew I wanted to make a quilt large enough to be a baby quilt or a lap quilt for someone.  I had great fun playing with many design options.

I call this quilt "Candyland" ... well, actually, my son helped with the name.  One evident fact is that I must practice my free-motion machine quilting.  I must confess that I do prefer to design and stitch the tops of my quilts, then find a friend to do the quilting.  Click here to see an earlier blog about "Candyland".


Many fellow members of the Houston Modern Quilt Guild also participated in this 2014 Michael Miller challenge.  Everyone (or many) brought their finished (or near finished) challenge pieces to our July 19th HMQG meeting and posed for this group photo.

Since I was teaching my first quilt workshop that day (Quiltville's Scrappy Trip around the World, with my Modern Scrappy Twist version as an option - which I may still blog about someday...) it is now surprise (to me) that I was in the early stages of making my Michael Miller challenge piece and did not bring these beginnings to share with the group.  I did some fast sewing and quilting after our meeting to meet the challenge deadline on July 25, 2014.  Click here to see the three winners and their amazing quilts and here to see a few more that were also entered.


Michael Miller announced a new challenge for the Modern Quilt Guild members for the 2015 Quilt Con in September 2014.  This new challenge featured eight solids from the Michael Miller Spring Couture line. The MM Spring Cotton Couture challenge colors are:

Opal

Breeze

Spa

Spring

Blossom

Creamsicle

Candlelight

Soft White

The rules of this 2015 challenge were straight forward: use only Michael Miller fabrics, and only solids on the front of the quilt.  Once I found the darker Cotton Couture solids (at High Fashion Fabrics), I knew I would use the "Pot Pie" pattern by Thangles.  I had to resize the pattern as it called for fat quarters but I had only fat eighths of the challenge fabric to use.  Click here and here to read more about the making of this quilt.

 

"Mmm, Pot Pie" is the name of this quilt.  The name is a spoof both on the yummy pattern name as well as being a play on Michael Miller (Mmm) fabric line.  I love the simplicity of this pattern, especially the random mix-matching of the solid colors but I especially love the quilting too.  Pam Biswas did a spectacular job with the quilting this time, didn't she?

I especially love the spiky spirals - they make me think of roosters (not sure why, but they do).  Can you see the spiky swirls on the yellow/burgundy block above? 

My last piece to share is my valentine-y fiber art, in honor of the chocolatey sweet holiday that is fast approaching.  

Presenting a glimpse of Hearts A'Flutter....

 

I dabbled in a variety of surface techniques when making this piece.  I finished in time to exhibit in Beyond the Borders, the first fiber art show at the Copper Shade Tree Gallery in Round Top, Texas held in February 2007.  My very first post when I began this blog features this fiber art piece.  Click here to read it.

Happy Valentine's Day to everyone ... especially to you!

I nominate Mona Keegan to join this 5-day Art Challenge by posting three photos a day of her artwork, and nominating another artist to carry the challenge ever forward.  Mona, I look forward to seeing more of your lovely art!