Happy Veteran's Day

Today, November 11, is Veteran's Day in the United States so this post is in honor (and in memory) of the many Military women and men who have served our country.  

 detail of the quilt below

Thank you to all the USA Military Veterans, and especially to my Sister-in-law Mary, my brother Garry, my dad Louie, and my Papa Herb (may he rest in peace).  Here a few quilts inspired by the USA flag.

Betsy Ross Never Imagined This

 by Nancy McLerran of Santa Rosa, CA

This lovely crazy quilt was exhibited in the Mixed Technique category of the International Quilt Association show recently in Houston.  In her statement, Nancy says "I wanted a quick Independence Day crazy quilt"  (hmm, quick and crazy quilt don't seem to go together in my mind!)  Originally planning to finish in one month, Nancy's quilt turned into "a three-year odyssey" with this lovely result.  Her design was inspired by a Sisters, Oregon poster titled "Patriot's Needle". Nancy won an award in the 2010 Road to California quilt show.

 Other flag quilts have been exhibited in previous Festival Shows.  The quilts shown above and below are from the 2008 Festival show in Houston.  I wished I recorded the name and maker of both quilts ... but sadly, I did not.

Flag patterns and kits are abundant.  Below is a pattern available through Embellishment Village.

I have not made a flag quilt ... yet.  But thought I would share the fleece flag I made in 2007, even if it is inspired by the Texas state flag rather than our national Stars and Stripes.

Texas flag blanket

made with the students of Mrs. Williams' 4th grade class of 2007-08

currently in a private collection

Students in my son's 4th grade class helped design and create this flag.  Each student decorated one of the puzzle pieces, inspired by things special to Texas.  The flag was in the annual school auction, helped to raise money for the PTO and now is in a private collection.  I discovered something fun about the dimensions of the Texas flag while making this blanket ... did you know that the three rectangles of color are all the same size?  and that the longer side of the rectangle is exactly double the shorter side?  Of course today, you can find ready-made fleece blankets in the Texas flag design ... or be daring and design your own!

Best of Show

The 2010 International Quilt Festival has been and gone, but the memories linger on and I hope to share a few here.... and thought I would start off today with a view of the Best of Show.

Mystique

by Sharon Schamber

of Payson, Arizona  USA

Here is Sharon Schamber standing proudly by her gorgeous quilt, Mystique.  The quilt took her four years to finish and it is wonderful!  Sharon is quite an accomplished quilter, as she has one the IQF Best of Show award two times before this year, making this her Third Best of Show award!!!  Congratulations to you, Sharon. 

 A detail view of her quilting -- the thread adds dimension as well as design.  It is no wonder that she is a master quilter!

 Showing her admiring fans a closer view of the unique border edge treatment.

Note:  If I can track them down, I'll add peeks at Sharon's two previous IQF Best of Show....

Quilt Art ATCs

One fun event at the International Quilt Festival last month was the huge ATC swapping board hosted by Pokey Bolton and her mighty Quilting Arts team.
Pokey planned a special Birthday Swap honoring the 35th year of the Quilt Festival.  She encouraged Festival attendees to make 35 ATCs, bring them to her swapping board, and trade with others.  I made 20 (just plumb ran out of time) that I swapped ... and here they are ... oops, I swapped mine without snapping photos first!

Texas Art Asylum

The Texas Art Asylum is a gathering  place for overflow items (donated from individuals and businesses) and all is available for purchase for creating new recycled art or perhaps is stated more clearly on their home page:

Cool stuff for creative reuse!

This crafty enterprise is located at 1230 Houston Avenue, in Houston, Texas 77007 (conveniently close to I-10 and 45).
Hours are posted on their webpage, and so is a lot of other fun information (such as what artifacts they are accepting, what classes are on the schedule, and FAQs). 

A great new discovery and one that I can hardly wait to see in person!  I believe I that there is a special rate for teachers too -- gosh, this could be the best reason for returning to the classroom!  Woo-Hoo!

"Which Dress ..."

The winners have been announced for the 2010 Heart, Hands & Heritage: The Patchwork Soul of Women quilt competition.

The quilt receiving the most votes is:

"Which Dress Would You Like?"

by Laura Casmore

The second place quilt is:

"Starry Nights"

by Catherine Waltz

Third place is by a friend of mine:

"Craft and Soul"

by Patricia A. Hinojosa

There are many other great quilt in this exhibit and you can see them by clicking here or by visiting the exhibit while it is  open at Rice University (open Oct. 21 through Nov. 19, 2010).   Click here for more information in this exhibit.

Hearts, Hands and Heritage

I have just learned of a new quilt exhibit at Rice University here in Houston.  The exhibit is called ...

Hearts, Hands & Heritage

The Patchwork Soul of Women - 2010

Exhibit: Thursday, October 21 - Friday, November 19, 2010
Awards Ceremony & Panel Discussion: Friday, November 5, 2010
This quilt exhibition is produced and curated by Rice University Ph.D. student, Aundrea Matthews. A reception and panel discussion consisting of leading scholars and practitioners of the art of quilting represent two of the event’s primary offerings. The exhibit will introduce visitors to a collection of powerful works of art that illuminate both the spiritual and personal experiences of women. Our goal is to illustrate a broad range of artistic techniques and inspirations, shed light on the lives and experiences of quiltmakers, and examine the role women have played in education, politics, religion, the arts, business, the family and much more.

      ***      ***      ***      ***      ***      ***      ***
At the moment, there is an online voting process going on to determine which of the entered quilts will actually be accepted into the exhibit.  You (as a member of "the general public") can vote for the quilt of your choice from September 20, 2010 (noon cst) to September 26, 2010 (noon cst).  So, let's take a break from whatever you are doing and click here to look at the entered quilts and select your favorite one.  Then vote!

You can also click here to learn more about this exhibit at Rice University.  This exhibit is part of the H.E.R.E. Project -- Houston Enriches Rice Education --which was founded in 2007.

Just another reason to come visit Houston!

IB♥L II: Give A Little

I have just learned that the IBOL guy is at it again!
and I quote:

The Iraqi Bundles of Love project has shifted back into gear, with IB♥L II: Give A Little. The current effort, IBOL 2.1, runs through September, with a due date of Friday, 01 October, 2010, for getting bundles into the mail. IB♥L II: Give A Little is in support of Salah ad Din, in northern Iraq, and includes the area in and around Tikrit.

It is time to share the wealth with an impoverished country continually under fire .... for the small price of $12.50, the flat-rate postage for a US Postal System box overseas (well, to an APO address), you too can share your overabundance with women in another part of the world who excel at making the most of the very little that they have while living in a war zone.

I am talking about Iraq and the renewal of one soldier's efforts to leave a country with gifts for the needy there.  Perhaps you remember my posts of last September about IB♥L which stands for Iraqi Bundles of Love.  One soldier, commonly known as "The IB♥L Guy" asked for sewers and quilters back home if they would send a small bundle of needles, fabric and thread to him which he would then place in the hands of an Iraqi family.  His request reached the eyes and ears, via the internet, of thousands of open-hearted women and men .... and packages flooded in, far far surpassing his wildest expectations!  Read back through my posts (start here) or go to his blog:  http://ibol.wordpress.com/ to read more there.  He is also on Facebook (isn't nearly everyone?)  Better yet, join the spirit of IB♥L II, and Give a Little ... or give a lot!

Click here to see the 2-page pdf flier the IB♥L guy made for this year's IB♥L II: Give A Little.

For more information on what to send, click here.  Think: large pieces of fabric (soon to become clothing or bedding or curtains or ....) and toss in thread and needles too.  Be generous -- you'll feel so much better!

For more on how to bundle it, click here.  This make it easier to unpack and deliver, once your IB♥L has arrived.

Now move fast -- the deadline is Friday, October 1st, 2010.  All IB♥L packages must be postmarked by Oct 1st to arrive in time for delivery.  I'll write more soon, but need to gather some fabric to share with another .....



By the way, last year, this group effort sent 3,445 bundles to Iraq.  Wonder if we can top that this year?  and if so, by how much?  (IB♥L II count is 59 so far ...)


Are you wondering if this IB♥L story is a scam?  If so, click here -- or think of this:  You probably have more than you need, right?  Does it really matter who you are gifting it too?  You can choose to mail a bundle to IB♥L or donate your extras to a local charity ..... or both!