From quilt show 2017 and QOV

Made by Shelia 

    From the Quilt Show  2017 style!
I borrowed/stole a couple of photos of friends to share.

   Stained Glass Cathedral Window quilt was 12 years in the making.  This is a close up of part of the big, huge thing!   It has traveled with Shelia, been an ever-present take along project for so many years that she is sad it is finished.  Well, maybe not, because I saw a big grin on her face.  

  Working the Admissions Desk with Sarge was exhausting.  You have to know her to believe how much energy she consumes!  As a man was leaving the show he asked if any quilts were for sale.  There was one he was interested in.  Yep, this one.......Sarge priced it at "OH, about $20,000."    We had to giggle when he thought it was too much.

Made by Susan 

   Now, the story about Sarge.   

She has grown as a quilter......

from someone who said she  didn't do scrappy quilts  (afraid to use more than 3 fabrics  in a quilt) to a quilter who can finish  a Bonnie Hunter mystery quilt  in style.  Her En Provence is  just beautiful!   

I have to share these two.....just because:)  One made by Shelia from a workshop I did, and the other by Fannie.  Love them both!

  

  A highlight of the Saturday  at the Quilt show was the covering of 3 veterans by Quilts of Valor.  Word had spread about the ceremony and men began arriving.  

 

  This list of medals and service by this vet was amazing.....he served 3 tours.  

   The words Marietta read for the presentation of the quilts was so touching.  The line that really struck a chord was,  "A Quilt of Valor is the highest award a civilian can give a veteran in recognition of his service."

   The three recipients are here wrapped in their quilts, and flanked by the Honor Guard of SC, who escort  and honor veterans  in events on their motorcycles.  

   I was only able to do a quick tour of the rest of the show.....a bit too crowded for me to do photos....and my knee gave out.  So Susan took the QOV photos for me....thanks.
  Keep stitching. 

Question on value

  I had a comment with a question about how to determine value of fabric.  Since she could not find a Ruby Beholder locally, this commenter bought some red cellophane and tried that instead.    Red cellophane is not exactly the same as a value viewer.  It tends to be mis-leading especially for blue-green and turquoise.  ( Thanks, Linda, for helping with this info:)

  I also use this technique for value determination with a black and white photo.  Turn your photo to B&W and the gray scale will really show the value. 

Range of floral fabrics

Same fabrics in B&W gray scale

I saved this lesson on Value by Karen Combs.   She designed a red/green set of a  Value Viewer and explains how to use it too. 

   One thing I will note on the use of any style value viewer is look through the colored glass.  Once again, look through it.   I had students in class try to lay the tool on the fabric to determine value.  It doesn't work that way.....hold the viewer up to your eyes and look thru it.  

  Another point that Karen makes is that some fabrics may be light or medium to dark....depending on what fabric it is placed next to.    Sometimes value is relative!  With multi-print fabrics it may sometimes be very hard to class them on their own.  It is very helpful to place them on the table or design wall next to each other.....even just overlap them.  Look at them and the determination can be made easier.  

The last part of the question referred to selecting fabrics for my leader ender project.  I do have some thoughts on that to talk about, but I must hold them till next week.  My brother and growing up big-time nephew just got in, and I want to visit a bit.  Till then, keep stitching.

As I mend......

  The knee is better finally after 12 days.....I am walking rather than limping.  The swelling is less, pain is much better, I just am cautious when stepping out or turning/shifting direction.  Today I picked up the knee brace and wore it when we did two errands.  No photo....it is not elegant.  In fact it is ugly/awful  and stiff....but it does help keep the knee stable.

  But on to better things.  I have not done much in the sewing room....sorting and finding things I had set aside.  I was asked yesterday if I was still quilting.  I hated to answer with yes, and no.  But it is truthful.  I am a quilter, just not productive recently.  Pain is the biggest sap to my creativity.    That silent enemy I battle each day.  Like the little train that said, I think I can, I think I can.......I keep pushing and planning.

  I have pinned two tops for quilting....the floral rail fence and the floral scrappy mountains.  These are my main project for the month.....get them quilted.  I can only sit for short periods and have to move around to reduce the stiffness, so it might just take me all month.



   The shopping therapy.......I gave in to the need for more wonder clip things.   The dozen I had just were not  enough.  Instead of the expensive "name" set, I found 100 of them for  much less  on Amazon.  Mixed colors and 2 sizes satisfied that need.

Notice what they are resting on?

    I  found a set of six fast food trays to use for project trays.  Linda at Art In Search  commented that she was using cafeteria trays for her floral squares/strips.  I loved the idea and broke down and got a set.  I chose the smaller size of 10'' by 14'' fast food size.  If I am using them for floral squares, they stack and fabrics don't slide around.  They have the sides to contain pins, clips, small appliques, etc.

   I set this one up for my leader ender assortment.  This is a very scrappy Double 4 Patch in various stages.  I have about 10 blocks put together and the rest of these parts/piece units.    Instead of putting everything away, I plan on letting the tray next to the machine so I can make progress on this one.

    The guild's Quilt Show is this weekend.  I am slated to sit at the admissions table on Saturday morning.  So I need to bake up some goodies for the  "food room" as Sir Old Man calls it!  That should keep me out of trouble for today.
Thank you all for checking up on me during my knee rest.
Keep on stitching.

Month's end and Piper's Place quilt

From simple string blocks.....sewn but not quilted.  The 12 leftover blocks were a perfect size quilt at 30'' by 40'' for Piper's  Place quilt.  She's a Therapy/service dog.....a place quilt lets her know where she should be.






 
   I used all the turquoise strips I had for the binding to finish this one off. 
   Miss Piper, wearing the pink collar, has staked her claim to the string one.   Nick on the upper left is trying to nudge his way onto it too, I see.   Word is, she thinks the size is perfect....can I make another?  Lol, maybe.


  No Physical therapy this week for me ...no evaluation either.  I spent one  day at the doctor, and getting x-rays.  A swollen and very painful knee event brought everything to a limping along halt.   I tried an anti-inflammatory medicine for 3 days....but the stomach reaction has put a stop to that.  I just don't stomach--lol---any meds well.   I am taking ibuprofen instead.  A knee brace is ordered.....ugh.  Some arthritic changes were noted but most likely the pain is from an inflamed bursa  and accumulated fluid.  With ice on the knee and staying down for a couple of days, going out when required in the wheelchair to reduce walking for now......a gentle slide back.  Hard to take, but it is what it is.



    September only had the string quilt finish.....and the floral mountain blocks top, along with a few soup bowl cozies.  Not my best month for completions. 
 

    October.....I want to get this top quilted.  At this point plans are to keep it simple with no border.  Size is 48'' by 56'' as it is. 

  I want to consider a floral strip pieced project.  I have an older tutorial in three parts that you can find here.   This tutorial uses 16 fabrics and makes blocks that end up at 6'' finished.   I want to "grow" the palette to 25 fabrics and  make 7''  finished blocks......and  introduce some variety into the value layout....lots of things to think about. 

  I ran across a quilt that was described as a Blooming Nine patch pattern, but used 4 patch units instead of 9 patch.  Since I am preferring smaller size projects  now just because of the easier handling, this sounded like one I might like to try.  So I am putting this into the Future Ideas list. 

  Cooler temps today.....I think I felt a little crispness in the air!  Looking forward to a cooler weekend as Fall does make an appearance.
Happy stitching.

Is it Fall?

     The calendar says it is fall!  Time to switch out the wall hanging and such.  I remade the door wreath and added a large bow.   Now, we wait for the temperatures to join in and cool off.


   Good news is  my brother got word his power was back on.  He headed home on Thursday....bad news there was water damage in the apartment, and the AC went out.   No idea how long repairs will take when his turn comes.  Until then.....???     How quickly the storm damage and  residents with damages fade from our view and news.  And then another disaster happens.  

 Finally I am back in the sewing room for a little stitching time.    I am webbing the top together of the floral scrappy mountain blocks.  The first 3 columns are together....and I am taking a short break.













This week is Pernicious Anemia Awareness week.....believe me I am aware :)
   It's been an up and down week or so for me .....a couple of good sessions at PT followed by a bad couple of days and then a poor session on Thursday.  I have an evaluation on next Tuesday.  If I don't have enough improvement, I will not be continuing.  That is the way the health care system is working......you need the therapy  but your  measured numbers don't  show enough improvement and you are gone.   It is kind of funny in a sad way.  I try each day, but the body often does not cooperate.
    But then I never did fit into anyone's box.  Besides I would rather be quilting!  Happy stitching.

It takes Heart

  Hearts have always been a favorite motif for me.  When I was able to do crazy quilting many years ago, I made lots of hearts, and gave them as gifts, and such.    I even have a crazy quilted quilt with the heart motif.     The top was given to me from the quilt guild when I was President.  I actually finished off the embroidery, and added the crazy quilted border.  Then 1 batted it and hand quilted in the open areas.

  And then there is the strip pieced water color heart.  This was the first strip pieced one I did.

   It's  an on-going thing for me to translate the heart motif to whatever technique I am doing.  I do lots of heart motif quilting and the feather shape comes from the same curve as the heart top.




   All of this leads up to making a few token scrappy, leftover hearts.  I first heard about making small hearts, sewing them and sowing them from Barbara, Smitty and Sadie's mom, at Catpatches blog.    She was making a few to hide and sow along her travels this fall.  Then I began to see some reported "found hearts" on FB.

 Here is the story about ifoundaquiltedheart  with details and such.    I just used a few chunks of fabric, some scraps, a bit of ribbon.  Very simple, raw edged shape, and not too perfect :)





  I had  designed the hang tag  but not printed it when the power went out.   So this morning was a good time to get the tags printed and tag the hearts.  I want to sow a couple when I go to therapy .
   The hearts I have made may not be posted on the website or on FB, but  I enjoyed playing around with them.  In this crazy, hectic, fast-paced world  with so much happening and going on, it is nice to do something simple and maybe brighten someone's day.   It takes Heart.💗
Happy stitching.

No power/no sewing/inconvenient!

    I was just beginning a post on Monday, when we lost power.  Ugh!   A tree took out a power line.   We were prepared for it, but being prepared physically is not the same as mentally being able to get through it.

     First, my brother arrived Saturday afternoon from Naples.  That is right, Naples.  Destroyed and devastated.  He will be here a couple of weeks....of course, I might have to hog tie him to keep him from going back.  His apartment survived he heard, while others in his area were flattened or blown out.  The worse news he has gotten was from the Sheriff's Office report that the electric grid has to be rebuilt (no power), there is no safe water and all must be boiled even to bathe, and no gas for residents.  The report suggests residents stay put, stay out of the area for a few weeks until some semblance of order is restored.
  Thank you all for prayers for him.

  No power for 36 hours is a minor inconvenience I know when I put it in perspective to what others are facing.   It made me think about the life style we have with all the communications, and equipment to make out life easier.  No sewing....I don't have a crank machine.   I needed to press a few blocks.....no power for an iron.  The wind was  blowing/howling all day Monday, and through the night....that meant little sleep, and I was cranky Tuesday.

   Luckily I held onto an old Pyrex coffee pot that makes wonderful coffee on the gas grill!   So I could put on a brave face.  The gas generator (for the freezer and refrigerator) was so loud and noisy, I was glad to escape to Physical Therapy for a session......lots of stretching as the low barometric pressure produces more intense muscle and nerve pain.  
  A salad for dinner along with a grilled sandwich and it was almost dark and time for bed.......8 pm!  Lol....candles and  a lantern do not produce enough light to read by no matter what history says.    We think we are tough now a days, but I have news for us......we are really spoiled.
   And then the morning comes.....relief the power has been restored by those wonderful power company workers.  A hot shower and a brighter day......communication and news.  I do have a lot to be thankful for.
Happy stitching.