Meetings and Prizes

The past week has been terribly hectic.  I returned from Kansas City and turned around to attend the Indiana State Convention of P.E.O., the women's philanthropic organization to which I belong.  Had a great time at the convention and was thrilled that two of my chapter's newer members were the delegate and alternate.  Monica gave her convention report last night and I have to say that it was one of the most energetic and fun reports I've ever heard!  Of particular note was the contributions of her family to one of her posters...daughter Elise wrote Colin, Elise, Mommy & Daddy on the poster in magic marker; son Colin contributed (he wasn't such a happy camper about this) one of his Matchbox race cars; and husband Dave had the brilliant idea and the creative talent to draw the Yellow Brick Road that morphed into a race track, perfectly capturing the themes of this year's convention (There's No Place Like P.E.O.) and the transition to next year's convention theme (Sisters...Start Your Engines)!

At the last minute, the meeting was held at my house since the original hostess had done a number on her back.  Diane had apparently been shoveling mulch, planting flowers, weeding flower beds and all sorts of other tasks that take their toll on the body.  So I used a quilt as a tablecloth, made some raspberry lemonade and we were in business.

I purchased this quilt top at an auction for the Milroy Amish School last fall.  Finally found a quilt top that I could use the flourescent pink thread I had purchased several years ago.  It looks great and I love the way it looks on the table!

Picking up after the meeting, I remembered that I had received two boxes from Gammill.  I didn't think I had ordered anything from them so tore into the boxes and found that I had won a prize from them!  How fun!  Just look at the cool stuff - everything from pantographs to pins, thread to thread cutters, a bobbin keeper and even some machine oil!  Also included was a video titled, "The Great American Quilt Revival." I'm looking forward to watching the video this evening and then I'll be able to tell you what it's all about!

The really neat thing is that one of the pantos is a design that is perfect for the quilt now loaded.  And the "Under the Sea" pantograph that the red thread is sitting on will be perfect for the quilt that I'll be working on this summer.  It's a sea scape purchased in Morrow Bay, CA.  I'm excited!

Cheers!

Sold!

Last year, I received a grant from the International Machine Quilting Foundation to attend classes at the 2009 Machine Quilting Showcase (MQS) in Kansas City.  One of the grant stipulations was that I provide an item to be auctioned at the 2010 MQS Audacious Auction.  The auction is one of the ways the Foundation replenishes their funds so they can award additional grants to quilters.

So...I've known for an entire year that I would have to provide some type of quilt or quilted item for this auction.  I've stewed about it for almost an entire year, thinking about one project and then another that might be worthy of being auctioned off.  I've even been collecting potential quilt tops for this auction!

The Milroy Amish School has an annual auction of quilts and quilt tops.  I purchased several quilt tops with the thought of perhaps using one of those for the MQS auction.  I also purchased a quilt top made by a fellow guild member at our annual auction in March.  For a variety of reasons, those tops are still waiting to be quilted.

I liked the traditional feathered wreath but wanted to add the ribbon swirls to make it a more contemporary design.

My other thought was to make a quilt using my favorite pattern - the Double Irish Chain.  But then questions of what size, what colors, did I have enough time (I'm very slow at constructing quilts) plagued me.  I did manage to finish my grandson's Double Irish Chain in April.  It was his to be his Christmas gift - Christmas 2009, that is.  I was pleased with the way it turned out as it was the first time I'd used non-traditional colors and fabric choices for this pattern.

 I used two of these panels for the MQS quilt.

Finally, I decided to use a new technique that I've recently enjoyed - the fractured quilt discussed earlier (see my April post on Fractured Quilts).  I had completed the quilt top in March but had been debating how to quilt it even before the top was completed.  With the show coming up quickly, I finally made my quilting plan.  The wind in the sky is quilted using black thread on the black background.  The inner border is ditched in purple - no quilting in this skinny border.  I have always liked the puffiness that ditching around a border provides.  The outer border is done in piano keys with gold metallic thread.  You don't really see it unless you look for it and with the striped fabric, I like that the quilting is somewhat hidden.  The remaining of the interior of the quilt is done in metallic thread.  The flying geese are outlined and their feathers defined, the moon segments are outlined and ditched between segments, and the rolling hills are quilted with swoops to emphasize the sweeping nature of the printed fabric.  I also added a segmented moon as a reflection in the one large open space in the lower left of the rolling hills.  I love the way this quilting enhanced the fractured nature of the quilt.

It may be hard to tell, but each of the bird's feathers are outlined in metallic thread.  That took quite a bit of time!  But I really like the look and was so pleased that my metallic thread ran beautifully.  It's all about getting the correct tension.

Moon Rise
Sold for $500 at the 2010 MQS Audacious Auction

But, would anyone else like it enough to bid on the quilt?  I was anxious all week leading up to Thursday's auction.  And, as it turned out, Thursday night was the one night I wasn't able to attend the evening festivities so I wasn't even there for the auction.  I won't make that mistake again.  

When I checked at the office to see if they would tell me, I was astonished to learn that the quilt sold for $500!  What a thrill to know that someone liked the quilt enough to purchase it at auction.  I'm only sorry I wasn't able to meet the purchaser in person.  Perhaps some day I will.

I do like the mitered corners of the outer border better than the straight butted corners of my other fractured quilt.  It's a little bit more demanding in the piecing and in the addition of the binding but well worth the effort.  I was very pleased with the way this quilt turned out. 

   Cheers!

Thread Challenges

Okay - I'm just going to put it out there. Next year, I'm planning to enter the Thread Challenge at MQS. Let's hope they have one! After several long months of experimentation, I've finally figured out how to run both metallic and Bottom Line thread in the top as well as the bobbin and get a good stitch in my longarm so I'm moving forward in my practice arena.

I've been really intrigued by the thread painting I've seen in quilts at shows over the last two years. It creates an effect that is quite different from embroidery or other quilting techniques. While at MQS last year, I took a class from Claudia Pfiel on Thread Painting basics. She's a delightful, energetic and creative teacher and I learned quite a bit from her about the basic technique. At the Quilting with Machines show last Fall, I then took a course from Jamie Wallen on Thread Painting. His class was quite a bit more advanced in terms of techniques and I could see that I have a long way to go.

My favorite quilt at MQS this year was actually one of the quilts entered in the Thread Challenge. The picture below is Judy Woodworth's quilt, Nature's Lace. Judy took first prize in the Thread Challenge with this quilt. Not only is the thread work very well done, it reminds me of my favorite place - a Hawaiian beach.

I also took a class from Renae Haddadin that dealt quite a bit with the different threads that she uses and their effect on quilts. Longarm quilting with silk thread! I've got a lot more to practice before I spend money on silk thread. Perhaps you can see some of the dense fills Renae used on this tote (the cord around the edge pulls together and this becomes a sac - instructions should be on her website this summer).

I did buy some Marathon thread that received rave reviews from several longarm quilters at the show. The other splurge on thread was something called a Magna-glide bobbin from Fil-Tec. These bobbins have small magnets at their core and are supposed to eliminate the backlash when you shift directions suddenly or come to a screeching halt. Two of the teachers raved about this advance in bobbin technology. They weren't cheap - $6 for a tube of 6 bobbins - but I thought one tube was worth testing it out.

In the mean time, I'm trying to apply some of what I've learned about thread weights to the thread I use for piecing. I've just ordered a sampler kit of Aurifil thread for my piecework. I'm hoping it helps me with the quarter inch seams and the build up that occurs when there are multiple pieces coming together.

Cheers!

Margaret

MQS Fashion Show Award Winner!

I just returned from the Machine Quilters Showcase (MQS) held in Overland Park, KS.  What a FANTASTIC time I had this year (as I did last year and the year before).  It will take several days for me to blog about all of the fun things that happened.  Today's blog is about the Fashion Show.

One of the people assisting in the Judging Room with me was Carol Brooks.  She is studying to be a certified judge and I learned alot about judging by talking with her at lunch and while we were taking quilts hither and yon.  During one of our treks, she talked with Laura Wertwijn, coordinator of the Fashion Show, about getting models for the two vests she created for the show.  Being a free spirit and as I didn't have anything else to do at the time of the Fashion Show, I volunteered.  I have to tell you that Laura was (rightly) skeptical of my ability as a model and waving my arms in exagerated swoops as if I had a long sleeved gown on didn't help convince her that I was a good candidate.

Regardless, the time of the Fashion Show drew near and my services as a model were needed.  So I tried to be a demure and gracious model.  OK, you all know me and know that's not my style.  To top it off, the paragraph that the mistress of ceremonies, Dawn Cavanaugh, was reading was fairly long and I was supposed to continue modeling the jacket on stage while she was reading.

Well, after two model-like turns so the photographer could take pictures and two trips to each corner of the stage, I had to continue modeling on stage.  So the jacket came off and I slung it over my shoulder on trip #3 to one corner.  As I went to the other corner, I held the jacket open so the audience could see the lining.  The use of Hobbs Thermore batting and the attached lining were things being mentioned by Dawn and I was just trying to show the audience all of the key features.

Finally, off the stage and then the walk through the audience so they could see the jacket up close.  Linda Hamson was the quilter who made the jacket and it was very comfortable to wear, light weight and plenty warm.  I passed by Linda and told her she might not get the jacket back - I was thinking about taking it as my reimbursement for being a model.  That didn't happen so I might have to make my own.

Now, the jacket I was modeling was in the Novice category along with Kiley's Coat.  Kiley is an adorable 8 year old and was modeling her coat.  Her mother was also pressed into service and modelled a jacket with a Laurel Burch horse on the back of the jacket.

Kiley and her mother, Trisch Price.  Isn't Kiley's coat beautiful?  She has worn it to school several times and loves it.  Trisch said Kiley's grown a little since it was originally made but that didn't stop it from taking an award.  The crushed panne velvet at the end of the sleeves and around the collar felt so luxurious.

Carol's vests are beautiful and there is an article about her technique starting on page 40 of the American Quilter magazine's May 2010 issue entitled Quiet Applique.  I'm going to check out this technique.  In addition to the beautiful look of the applique, the piping on the edges of the vest was some of the best I've ever seen.  Carol - a lesson, please!!!  Look at Carol's vest in the picture below. 

Laura Wertwijn is on the right.  Pat, the model in the center, has on one of Carol Brooks' vests.  The vest on the left is modeled by the quilter's mother.  Both vests are gorgeous and were fun to look at prior to our runway strut.

Well, I missed the awards ceremony as I was having dinner with Sharon Neuer, her husband, and some of our friends.  When I returned to the quilt show the next morning, I found I had indeed received an award - Best Model.  I received 14 write-in votes!  They even had an award to present.  I feel so badly that I wasn't there.  And look at the cool award I received - lots of fun candy and stuff:

So, all in all, it was a fun experience.  If you're ever asked to participate in a fashion show, DO IT!  It was lots of great.

Biggest Honkin' Bear Paw

Lana had asked me last year to make a quilt for her mother that featured black bears. She and I went to a quilt shop looking for fabric and we found a backing that had the colors that were appropriate. No black bear fabric in Indiana, however. We finally found some on line and I ordered samples to see what it really looked like. One of the samples was a montage of black bears with several southwestern motifs thrown in - really pretty fabric and had all of the right colors.

Then the trick was to design a quilt pattern that used that fabric most effectively. I finally decided on alternating blocks featuring the bear fabric and bear paw blocks. Because of the way the bear fabric was laid out, it looked like 16" blocks were going to be the answer.

I used my trusty Quilt Wizard software (purchased for only $7.50 - and not worth much more than that) to lay out the blocks. It did tell me what size to make the bear paws but didn't give me the total yardage needed. So I guessed.

Note to self: Next time, BUY MORE FABRIC!

My March 31st post details my search for a creamy/orangey batik used in the bear paws. Shortly after finding that, I ran out of the light tan fabric with pine cones and pine needles. Another search ensued and I found that, too.

Finally, the quilt is complete! Lana picked it up today - they're headed to see Harold & Dorothy next week and will be able to deliver it. I loved making the quilt for them and hope it goes well in their recently completed log home in northern Wisconsin.

So, are these the biggest honkin' bear paws you've ever seen? The quilt measures 85 x 85 if that gives you some idea of how big the blocks are.

And even though I didn't have any bears climbing trees on the front of the quilt as was suggested by some of the Seaside Stitchers, I did modify a pantograph of bears wandering through a pine forest. I wanted to modify and enlarge the pantograph design somewhat to go along with the honkin' big bear paws! I finally figured out where to place things on my copier to get them to enlarge properly - I'd been aligning things on the wrong corner for several years! Once I had a variety of sizes, I just cut them out and taped them on the table of my longarm. Quilting them was fun. And the binding lesson at our guild meeting came at exactly the right time. Had to go buy some needles, however, because I had been using the biggest honkin' needle to sew the bindings on quilts. I've used that needle for years! I know longarm machine needles need to be replaced periodically. Why wouldn't I translate that knowledge to other needles? And a search through my sewing supplies revealed that, although I had applique needles, I didn't really have any other needles for hand sewing. I do now!

Cheers!

Margaret

Boutique Goodies

For our Guild's quilt show coming up in October, we are having a Quilter's Boutique as a fundraising effort.  We've asked guild members to donate items that can be sold at this boutique and we're starting to assemble a variety of items.  For example:

Purses, scarves, wallets

Mug Rugs - there's one in this group that I'm going to buy!

This is an oval bowl made from covered clothsline.  I like the flower embellishments.

Hot pads, Christmas Ornaments, and a Toilet Seat Cover!

This is a gorgeous table runner

Another stunning table runner.

My favorite scene - a beach!

A cute Christmas Wall Hanging complete with ornament decorations.  Note the stick hanger!

Keep 'em coming!

Cheers!

Margaret

The Gift of Guild Meetings

Joining the Columbus Star Quilters Guild was one of the best gifts I could have given myself.  I've met some wonderful women, who also happen to be quilters.  They've introduced me to other quilters, who are also wonderful women.  And I've learned so much from them all.

Today's educational session was about quilt binding techniques.  Binding a quilt is one of those things I learned how to do by trial and error and if you look at my bindings, you can tell.  Most quilt books go into detail about choosing fabrics, designing the quilt and constructing the quilt.  When it gets to the part about quilting and binding, the statements are:
   Quilt as Desired
   Bind the Quilt

Two very talented quilters shared their specific process to finish and bind a quilt.  And they had different ways of completing that task.  Susan Rothrock shared her method for attaching a French Fold binding, including her method of joining the beginning and ending pieces of the binding.  She was demonstrating the joining technique using a slightly different process but one she thought worked very well during her trials prior to the meeting.  And she joined the edges beautifully.  She demonstrated that she, too, is human when the joined binding had that lovely twist in it.  Having done that before, I know how easy that is to do.  Susan also talked about squaring up the quilt top and using her walking foot to stitch around the edge of the quilt PRIOR to attaching the binding.  She then uses a regular foot to attach the binding and doesn't have problems with unwanted tucks creeping in.

Lois Griffith talked about her preference for a single fold binding and the technique to attach bindings to the sides and then the top of the quilt rather than running a single length of bindng around the quilt and mitering the corners.  I've become more aware of this method for binding quilts and have seen it in quite a few quilts recently.  Adding piping and rick rack,creating Prarie Points, using Wonder Under to attach a binding, and doing a pillow case binding were other techniques discussed by Lois.

Since two of the comments on my quilt from a quilt judge were that my binding needed work, I paid close attention to the lessons taught by these wonderful quilters.  I just wish I had waited for these lessons before cutting off the excess batting and backing from a quilt I just completed quilting last night!  Oh, well - always room for improvement.

It helps that everyone is so encouraging - another great reason to join a guild.

Cheers!

Margaret

Quilts of Valor

Every Monday, you can find a group of dedicated women talking, laughing and piecing quilts.  They are involved in a labor of love, a local Quilts of Valor chapter.  The mission of QOV is to provide a quilt to all service members "touched by war" in one manner or another.

I connected with this local chapter several years ago when my interest in quilting was just picking up and I was between jobs.  I attended several of their sewing days and made a few quilts.  When I started working again, I had to drop out for a few years.  After retiring from my day job and getting a longarm machine, I got back in touch and volunteered to be one of the longarm quilters for the local group.  Kathy Fruhner, coordinator of the local group, was so welcoming and encouraging - particularly since I was a novice longarmer.  She encouraged me to try out new patterns and techniques, giving me total artistic freedom - a scary thought!  It's been great fun coming up with designs for these quilts.  I've also found some patterns that I liked so well I've used them on quilts for customers.  They've loved them, too.

Next week (Friday, May 14, 9 - 5 and Sunday, May 16 at 9:00 and 10:30 a.m. services), there will be a display of at least 160 quilts completed by this chapter since last Fall.  The quilts will be displayed in the sanctuary of the Community Church of Columbus, where the group meets.  They now have two displays a year and typically have had between 130 - 150 quilts to display each time.  The quilts are then distributed to various Veteran's Hospitals or other locations where the distribution is made to those wounded serving our country. 

Kathy holding up the quilt I dropped off today.

  Today's gathering was typical of many of the days I stop by to deliver or pick up quilts.  There were already several quilters hard at work and while I was there others came in.  Check out these pictures!!

Here's Janet Ritzline adding the binding to a quilt.  I really like the circle swirls - going to have to see if the gadget I have can do those types of things.  Haven't even had a chance to try it out yet.

Joyce Jones is chain piecing blocks together.   She came in while I was getting other pictures.  Didn't take her long to get set up and started sewing.

Vickie Smith (left) and Donna Higgins (right).  I worked with Donna at Cummins for several years and never knew she was a quilter until I bumped into her at on a QOV sew day.

Rosie Collins is adding a pocket to the back side of a quilt.  A note from the local QOV group goes in each pocket with the names of those involved in that quilt.  Kathy keeps meticulous records to keep all that information straight!

Martha Tuttle is doing one of those things that I really appreciate - pressing a quilt top before sending it on its way to a longarmer.  It is so nice to get these quilts as they are always nicely pressed and I don't have to worry about that step.  Thanks, ladies!

Mary Sublette interrupted her sewing to show me the wonderful christening gowns she made for her great grandchildren.  She had two to show me.  The one she's holding has Shark's Teeth around the bottom edge. 

Shark's Teeth - on the gown made by Mary Sublette.  First you make the folds - not what she called them but I can't remember the term - and then you snip the folds strategically and turn the snipped edges under to form the triangles.  She also did some needle tatting around the collar and arms.  The work involved absolutely took my breath away.

Alice Corya (in the dark jacket on the left) talks with Flossie.  Happy Birthday, Alice!

Sherry Campbell is Alice Corya's daughter.  She's holding the cupcakes that Alice baked to celebrate her 84th birthday!  Wasn't that great of Alice to bake her own birthday cupcakes? 

Flossie Lock, a 95 year old quilter, takes huge stacks of fabric blocks home.  Keeping enough cut blocks to send home with Flossie is a full time job in itself!  She then sorts them into groupings and assembles the quilt tops.  Flossie brings in at least 6 quilts every few weeks.  That's Flossie's daughter Betty Christman holding one of Flossie's latest creations.

What I've found is that althought I still enjoy looking at and buying fabric and making quilts, the part I REALLY enjoy is quilting!  Participating as a longarmer for this local QOV chapter has been a way for me to test design ideas, play with new threads, do the quilting on many more quilts than I could ever make myself.  At the same time, it's humbling to support a mission that provides tangible evidence to our service members how much they are appreciated.  But the best blessing is getting to know and appreciate all of the quilters who are involved in this local chapter.  There were 12 women there today and there are at least that many more women and at least one gentleman I know who participate in this chapter as their time allows.  They are all wonderful and very talented people.

This QOV chapter is able to keep several longarm quilters busy.  It's a treat to see all of the different quilting designs these talented individuals use.  So if you're anywhere near Columbus May 15 - 16, stop by the Community Church of Columbus to see the latest batch of quilts.

Cheers!
Margaret

Columbus - what a GREAT place to live!

Today's blog is not about quilting.  It's about Columbus, my home for the last 30+ years of my life. 

My P.E.O. chapter had a presentation this week from Judie Lahr, who works at the Columbus Visitor's Center.  That's a great place to visit and I often swing through there on my way to the library.  One of my gifts to my fellow Cambria campers was socks from the Visitor's Center with the Columbus Dancing C logo.  I've even taken friends and family there because it is such an interesting building with a great exhibit about Columbus and a wonderful gift shop.  Their first reaction on learning of our destination is usually, "Why go to a Visitor Center?"   The reason is simple.  It's a wonderful place to learn more about Columbus, the friendly staff is ready to help you explore the sights of Columbus, the items in the gift shop are unique,and it is truly a part of the Unforgettable nature of Columbus.

What you may not know is that Columbus is an architectural mecca.  With great foresight, J. Irwin Miller supported the idea of using world-renowned architects to design public buildings in Columbus.  In what was described as a joint partnership, the Cummins Engine Foundation paid for the architect fees for public buildings if architects from a specially selected list were used to design the building.  As a result, Columbus has 5 National Historic Landmarks, buildings designed by I.M. Pei (our library; he also designed the East Wing of the National Gallery of Art!), Eliel and Eero Saarinen (churches and homes), Robert A.M. Stern (our hospital), Gunnar Birkets (St. Peter's Lutheran Church), several other churches, Fire Stations and quite a few schools that were designed by prominent architects.  It's also a great place to live...reasonable cost of living, plenty of cultural activities in Columbus as well as being within reasonable distance of Bloomington (home of Indiana University), Louisville, Indianapolis, and Cincinnati.

Library; Cummins Corporate Office centered around the historic Cerealine building; Columbus City Hall

After the presentation from Judie, we decided that our next social gathering (we often meet to eat) would be to swing by the Visitor Center, view the new video providing an introduction to Columbus, and then have lunch at Zaharako's.  We walked from the Visitor Center to Zaharako's, a recently restored landmark that includes a Welte Orchestrion.  Zaharako's web site is worth a visit, as is the ice cream parlor itself.  As a treat, we all ordered ice cream of some sort to go with our lunch although I did restrain myself and ate my sandwich before diving in to the hot fudge sundae.  Y'all just need to visit me and let me treat you to Zaharako's.  Columbus is fortunate to have entrepreneurs like Tony Moravec who are willing to invest in the community, restore historic landmarks and reinvigorate our downtown area.

It was a relaxing lunch and we enjoyed the music from the Orchestrion.  Even more, I enjoyed the reaction from kids and adults, alike, who had either never heard the Orchestrion or enjoyed hearing it again.

Y'all come!

Cheers!
Margaret