Testing patterns

I love paper piecing and I had no idea that I did .... that is until I volunteered to be a pattern-tester not knowing that the patterns were all paper-pieced ones!

Here are two from recent pattern testing gigs ....

This Geometric USA pattern is due to be released later this month by Quiet Play (aka Kristy Lea in Australia).  Check her many patterns on Craftsy (www.craftsy.com/profile/quiet-play-s-pattern-store ) & Payhip -- or browse thru her awesome posts on Instagram  ....

I finished the USA on July 4th, so added (digitally only right now) the "Happy 4th of July" across the top.  I'm pondering doing a paper pieced red-white&blue USA to put there but haven't decided.


I also tested this amazing lighthouse pattern, also by Quiet Play.

The model sailing ship was hand crafted by my dear Papa Herb (may he rest in peace).  I stitched up the sails for him and the ship is named for his sister Edna (also of blessed memory).  Papa Herb is/was my father-in-law and I still miss the quiet times we shared -- we were the two craftsy people in the family at the time.

The Geometric Lighthouse was released this spring and a bonus pattern to the "Release the Kraken" block of the month that Quiet Play and Gnome Angel are hosting.  These two creative Australians have teamed up as "Quarter Inch of Quirk" for this block of the month (I'm guessing it is the first of more that will come).  Check out hashtag: "release the kraken b-o-m" on IG for more of their joint block-of-the-month quilt (there are mermaids, sea creatures, and much more!).  By the way, the website for Gnome Angel (aka Angie) is www.gnomeangel.com and the website for their joint venture is www.quarterinchofquirk.com/




An important reminder (or lesson, or tip) is to ALWAYS be sure to double check your "printer settings" before printing your paper piece patterns. 

Most every pattern will have a test square that (once printed) will measure to be an accurate 1" square.  Print your patterns at 100% and then be sure to measure your test square.  When you do this, your finished paper-pieced block will end up the size as stated on the pattern (ask me how I know?  and no need to ask how many times I forgot to measure my tester square before piecing the entire block...)

Look carefully above -- my 1" square is SMALLER than the 1" ruler markings -- this is not a good sign.  If they do not match, go back and carefully examine your printer settings ..... 

New list of finishing goals ....

Here is my current top ten (plus 2) list of projects that I aim to finish by the end of September....  All have indeed been started and yet are lingering too long in this unfinished limbo state.

1) bind my first Red-n-White quilt (& label)

2) bind my Oopsie Daisy quilt (& label)

3) finish my cross stitch ABC Words of Wisdom

4) buttons and buttonholes on peach plaid shirt

5) stitch up rayon peach top

6) quilt "Dream" quilttop (or will it be a pillow? or pillow case?)

7) quilt "Geometric USA" then finish into mini quilt or pillow

8) finish assembling 2015 Row-by-Row (water theme)

9) finish piecing, quilting, binding & label the latest Thangles pattern

10) dress and garnish my first spirit doll (maybe more than one)

 11) bonus:  quilt and finish my original Instagram logo mini-quilt (and finish an identical twin for a future swap ...) pattern by Lori Holt (IG: beelori1; her website: www.beeinmybonnetco.blogspot.com/)

12) might as well go for an even dozen:  finish any old UFO that I re-discover in the next two months .... (hee hee hee - there are many that I've forgotten about!)


This is my official list for the Finish-Along group effort -- teams of fellow finishers are wonderful spirit-boosters!  Check out this link or this one for more information and join (if you act fast .....).

Thank you to all the Finish-Along hostesses and prize donors and participants for inspiring me to get things DONE!

I am happy to report that I am linky number 87 for the 3rd quarter of 2017 Finish-along fun.

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.

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.

More from St. Mary's

Below are some of my favorite views of the quilts on display at the second annual quilt show held in St. Mary's Church in Plantersville, Texas in April of 2016.  

I have included historical information about the church (with links).

The land that the church stands on was purchased 

for $30.00 on 

February 2, 1894.

According to Diocesan records, St. Mary’s official name is 

Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title of Immaculate Conception, 

Plantersville, Texas.  

Click here to read more about this church's history.

Once a year, every pew in this small church is covered in quilts, all on loan from quilters in Houston, The Woodlands, Katy and many other towns and cities nearby.  

The beauty and diversity of the numerous quilts truly enhances 

the loveliness of this historic painted church.

St. Mary's interior had been painted over many years ago.  A restoration project began in 2003 to painstakingly return the church to its original hand-painted glory.  Two years later, the church re-opened in stunningly colorful splendor.  Ten years after that, the quilt shows began. 

Click here to see more photos taken during the restoration.

 

The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (St. Mary's original name) 

was struck by lightning 

and burned to the ground in 1917.  

Within in the year, the current building was built to replace the  original church.

 

St. Mary's Church building became a registered Texas Historic Landmark in 2001. 

I hope you've enjoyed wandering through this lovely free quilt show held at 

St. Mary's Church in Plantersville.  

(located at FM 1774 & St. Mary's Drive)

8227 County Road 205, Plantersville, TX 77363

 

The church website is http://smsj.org/  

The website for the quilt show held here is http://www.stmarysquiltshow.com/ .  

There are links to professional photos from the first and second quilt shows on the show's website.  

Head's up: The Third Annual Quilt Show is scheduled for Friday, April 28th and Saturday, April 29th, 2017.  Just like the previous two shows, this one is open and free to the public.  Donations are graciously accepted with the proceeds being donated to the St. Vincent DePaul Society of St. Mary/St. Joseph.  For further information, look at the quiltshow website listed in the paragraph above.

St. Mary's Quilt Show

In one month I was fortunate to visit two quilt shows displayed in two lovely (and very different) churches.  The first was the 26th Annual Quilt Show and Sale at the United Church of Hyde Park in Chicago, Illinois held on April 15th and 16th, 2016.  The second was the St. Mary's Quilt Show held in the beautiful historic painted church in Plantersville, Texas on April 29th and April 30th, 2016.

Below are photos from the St. Mary's Quilt Show:

 St. Mary's Church in Plantersville, Texas

 After parking your car and before entering the show, you enter this open covered-patio area where an entire red-n-white quilt exhibit is waving from above, hanging in the rafters.

Surprisingly, this is NOT the quilt show!  It is only one small extra for the day! 

I am inspired all over again to make and build my own collection of red-n-white quilts.

There are tables and chairs set up.  

Many people are enjoying picnic lunches in this uniquely special setting.

 One enters the quilt show from this side of the church.

Once you enter, you are swept away!

Quilts from all time periods are draped over every single pew in this teeny, tiny lovely church.

 Viewers walk up the far left side of the church,
then down the center aisle ...

 and back up the center aisle again
to then walk down the far right side of the church,
admiring quilts everywhere and
the wonderful details embellishing the interior of this sweet church.

 It is peaceful and quiet as everyone is respectful and in awe of the beauty of the quilts on display as well as the beauty of this historic painted church.

There are so many quilts, that some are draped over the choir's balcony!

This is the Second Annual "St. Mary's Quilt Show".  

The Third Annual St. Mary's Quilt Show is scheduled to be held April 28th and April 29th, 2016.

Check out their website: http://www.stmarysquiltshow.com/

Stay tuned for more photos to be shared soon.