Go Hawaiian

I've always wanted to do a large Hawaiian applique' quilt, so this year at the International Quilt Festival, I took a class from Kathy Kansier called "Meet Me in Hawaii" (isn't that a nice invitation?).  In three hours, students cut an original Hawaiian design and applique'd it onto a background fabric (via machine applique).  I've been busy making more blocks that will grow into quilts, rather than lingering in my w.i.p (works in progress) pile.  Click here for more about the class.

Here is a peek at one of my original designs which I am currently shadow quilting, much in the style of Hawaiian quilts.   My goal is to finish this for the ALQS8 swap that is fast approaching.  I am also pondering if I should teach this as a class/workshop at one of my local quilt shops, such as Quilt 'N Sew.

Click here to be inspired by more Hawaiian quilts (as found on Pinterest).  There are also many websites with Hawaiian quilts for sale (I will let you explore those on your own ....).

Meanwhile, maybe I will stitch a few more rows before calling it a day....

Venice

Daydreaming of favorite places I've been and would love to visit again .... and thought I would share a lovely quilt of one of these places - Venice, Italy!

 Venice Lagoon

by DAMSS (D. Arnoldi and M. Sarzi-Sartori)

of Milan, Italy

I snapped my photo of this lovely quilt when it was on display in the 2013 Tactile Architecture exhibit at the 2013 International Quilt Market and Festival in Houston, Texas.  It evokes memories of my visit to Venice when I was in college.  I too took photos of the picturesque canals during my visit.  I must find them and post one here .... soon (but not tonight).

The quilt artists used manipulated, pieced, embroidered and custom techniques.  Their inspiration is taken from one of their countless visits to the city of Venice.  They state: "Here we see landscaping and urban perspectives reflecting our respective engineering and architectural vocations.  This quilt is inspired by the Italian Lagoon of Venice."

I love this detail shot.  See the reflections in the canal?

But you must see more work by this amazing pair.  Click here to see several, including nice detail views.  DAMSS, Daniela Arnoldi and Marco Sarzi-Sartori, are featured as L'Artiste du Vendredi (French for the Artist of Friday) on the blog/website of L'Atelier D'Emma (the Workshop of Emma).  I may need to refresh my high school French so I can read more of these wonderful posts of Emma Coutancier!

In her own statement (which I had the talent of the internet translate for me), Emma says:  

I am a textile designer, a little slacker, always in a hurry and impatient, and I offer on this blog sewing projects, patchwork deco and the machine.   My motto: colors, speed and simplicity! Sign up for the newsletter to not miss my adventures and feel free to comment!

I have done exactly that!  If you are interested to sign up for her newsletter too, start by clicking here or http://www.atelierdemma.com/

you call this Winter?

It is Winter across most of the country, but here in my back yard, it is still Fall.

 

Will cooler weather ever arrive???

cards

I've thought of making my own cards to share with family and friends for years ... and this year, with the season here (early for me - Chanukah merged with Thanksgiving - a true rarity!), and being without a great family photo to share across the world .... I pulled out some old fabrics and had fun playing ...

This fabric was one I had in my stash, leftovers from a round robin I participated in years ago.  One of the quilts in our circle had a Christmas theme.  I used Wonder Under (or was it Misty Fuse?) to adhere the fabric Santas to the card fronts.  Then I smeared some Elmer's glitter glue to seal the edges down.  Inside: "Ho, Ho, Hoping you're having a wonderful holiday" or another similar Ho-Ho-Ho sentiment, along with a personal note and update of annual newsy-ness.

My mitten cards were simpler and used leftover strips of batting and backing fabric from an earlier quilt.  I cut mitten shapes first, then stitched them directly onto the card fronts.  I added an extra layer or two of the batting on the cuff, as needed.  Sentiment:  "Warm Wishes for a Wonderful New Year"

Now to ponder whether to come up with a new card design, or try to upscale these a bit - perhaps adding something from Stampin' Up.  I must check in with my cousin, Kimberly Myers, one of the Stampin' Up demonstrators.  Click here for her story.

Modern Quilt Guild meet-ups!

National Meet Up during Market was great fun as was the Houston Meet Up during Festival.

These are a few of the freebies I picked up at the Market Meet-Up with the National Modern Quilt Guild crowd.  Thank you Windham Fabrics for sharing these with us!  My favorites are Marcia Derse's fabric line.

I most enjoyed meeting so many, especially visiting with Jacquie Gering!  Click here for her blog, Tallgrass Prairie Studio.  I  admit I was a little starstruck at first as I had just finished piecing a new quilt top for my son inspired by a pattern in her book Quilting Modern.

It's a great book -- be sure to look for it at your local quilt shop (or dare I suggest Amazon?).

Oh, and I will share my quilttop -- or quilt -- as soon as the last border is sewn on .... but here is a previous post showing the first blocks.

Letter Carriers

I like sharing some of my favorite quilts from the International Quilt Association's judged show held in Houston during the International Quilt Market and Festival.  The winners are revealed on Tuesday evening, after Quilt Market has closed and before Quilt Festival has opened.

In the Mixed Technique category, sponsored by Robert Kaufman Co., this delightful quilt caught my eye.  It was created by Janet Stone from Overland Park, Kansas and is titled "Letter Carriers".  This quilt won a first place ribbon!  (Validation that someone else likes the same quilts that I do!)

The quilt is an original design created by Janet Stone.  It features a variety of techniques such as: weaving, machine piecing and raw-edge applique (also by machine).  Decorative touches include prairie points, half penny circle edging, hand-covered buttons, and both hand-sewn and hot-fixed embellishments.  There are wood, metal, plastic and glass embellishments - can you spy them?

Janet explains that a love of basket blocks sparked the idea to create baskets by hand-weaving new fabrics together.  She also created twenty six new baskets to adorn the sides of the quilt, each with a single letter embroidered with in it.

I enjoy the variety of basket blocks, as well as the tucked-in alphabet.  Is it possible that teaching my two and three year-old students has increased my interest in alphabet quilts?  I love alphabet samplers too -- the embroidered samplers -- both old antique samplers and new modern-day ones.

It is a lovely quilt!  Hopefully Janet will be publishing a pattern for it one day!

Market finds

Here are a few of my Market finds.  To think I was only wandering the floor for the last hour of Market, too.

First: I've never noticed this magazine before

Primitive Quilts and Projects magazine has 4 beautiful issues every year.  Each one is filled with 15 or more cute cute cute projects in quilting, rug-hooking and wool embroidery too.  I may have to subscribe to this new magazine soon ... check out their website here: http://www.primitivequiltsandprojects.com/

I've just signed up for their newsletter, and see that they share free projects on the website too.  Naturally they are on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest too (aren't we all?  or almost all?)

The Warm Company had packaged these cute little bundles -- a collection of all their products.  I never knew there were so many options available in batting and all from the same company!

I think I will stitch up a little mini-series and use these little samples for the batting in this new mini-series (that is still percolating in my mind).

Or I may need to try sewing with this warm fleece first...

I wonder how it will work up in a purse or totebag pattern?

The Warm Company also produces Steam-a-Seam and Steam-a-Seam 2.  If you haven't heard, they have hit a bit of a snag is supplying this fabulous product to all of us.  You can read all about it here, or watch for the latest updates on their website:  warmcompany.com

The worst part of Market this year?    Not having my friends from Chicago, IL and Fond du Lac, WI in town to share Market with.

The best part of Market?    Seeing all the quilt exhibits in a pleasant manner (no hordes crowding around each fabulous quilt! but then the winners for the IQA judged show are not announced  until one day after Market closes).