Not 1, Not 2, But 3 Quilts!

Fabric, so much fabric! That's how I feel since I bought fabric for a quilting class and then decided not to take the class. I have found from experience that it's best to choose a quilt pattern and then look for fabric that fits the pattern. However, this time I'm doing the opposite. I have been perusing my patterns and pattern books trying to match patterns to all the yards of different fabrics I purchased. I'll have to say that I have had fun throughout this search and match process. It has reacquainted me with the quilt books and patterns that I own, and for the most part, it has been a creative endeavor as I try to imagine how the fabrics would look put together in certain ways. It has also been a bit of a mathematical process as I've calculated the yardage needed versus the yardage I own of certain fabrics. If I've calculated correctly, I will be able to make not just one and not just two, but three lap size quilts out of the fabric as well as two bonus table runners!

I decided to make one of those table runners first. I was delighted to find a pattern that uses only two fabrics since I have quite a bit of a teal batik and a coordinating cream and teal batik print. Below is a picture of the completed quilt top on my design wall. I still need to layer the batting and backing, quilt it together, and add the binding. 

Pattern: Toast Points from Let's Do Lunch by Anderson Designs

My next project will be one of the lap size quilts using the same fabrics as the table runner but adding a third coordinating fabric--a lighter teal with dark teal dots. The fabric is cut, organized by  into ziplock bags, and ready to sew. 

The other lap size quilts will use a variety of fabrics rather than just two or three different fabrics. Similar in color to my first two projects will be a quilt that will use a batik focus fabric swirled with teals, greens, and purples. 

I am modifying a pattern so that it showcases the main focus fabric, but it will also feature blocks of pinwheels that include these coordinating fabrics.

My third quilt will have quite a different colorway of corals, greens, and grays. I will most likely use a quilt pattern that I have used before when I made a quilt for my daughter. It's interesting how some fabrics and patterns just seem to be made for each other! After making this quilt, I should have enough fabric left for a simple table runner. 

Fabric by Moda Fabrics

I believe my search and match process has provided me with enough projects to last for a while. It's fun to plan and to blog about planning, but it's even more fun to sew! That means it's time to get back to my sewing machine. Stay tuned to see how my planned projects progress. 

I have received no compensation for the mention of fabric, patterns, or companies in this blog post. All opinions are my own.

Linked with: Over the Moon, Wonderful Wednesday, Linky Tuesday Freemotion by the River, Needle and Thread Thursday

Word Play

Do you like to read or write? Are word games like Scrabble your favorite? Do you find the humor in puns, plays on words, or limericks? Do others look to you to edit their papers or essays? If so, you may be high in verbal intelligence as part of Howard Gardner's multiple intelligences. 

Howard Gardner is the John H. and Elisabeth A. Hobbs Professor of Cognition and Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. He is also an adjunct professor of psychology at Harvard University. Gardner may be best known for his theory of multiple intelligences where he challenges the assumption that there is only one kind of intelligence. Instead his widely accepted theory states that there are at least eight different intelligences. 

Howard Gardner

Let's get back to all those questions at the beginning of this blog post that relate to verbal intelligence, one of Gardner's eight intelligences. Verbal is not my strongest intelligence on the multiple intelligence quiz, but it scores a close second. I really enjoy words, and my latest quilting project reflects that love of words. 

For an annual fee, I subscribed for a few years to a quarterly newsletter from the fabric company Benartex. The newsletter came along with some new fabric samples from the company. The fabric was always cut into charm squares (5 inch squares), and the newsletter contained information about new lines of fabric as well as one or two patterns that could be made using the charm squares. When I received a packet of charm squares a couple of years ago named "Word Play" I set it aside knowing that one day I would make a small quilt from the squares. Well, the day has arrived to make that quilt and use some of that fabric in limbo that I mentioned in a previous post.

The pattern for this fabric featured in the newsletter is a little scrappier than I usually make, meaning that the colors don't necessarily coordinate the way in which I usually choose fabric. There are browns, blacks, grays, whites, creams, and greens among the squares. The common bond among the fabrics is that they feature words having to do with quilting, and since I love words, I'm going with the scrappy pattern that is featured.

I start by cutting each of the charm squares in half to make what quilters call a half square triangle (HST).  

Charm Square

Cutting Half Square Triangles

Hafl square triangles cut from "Word Play" by Benartex Fabrics

Following the pattern, I mix and match the HST's to lay out small quilt blocks all around my sewing machine. 

Then I begin to stitch the HST's together, and after that I sew the individual quilt blocks together. 

So now the quilt top is ready for the backing, quilting, and binding. It has been such a pleasure to combine my love of words with my passion for quilting by using this Word Play fabric. 

What about you? Do you believe yourself to be high in verbal intelligence? Or is another of Gardner's multiple intelligences one with which you identify? Does your work or your hobby reflect one of your intelligences? Please leave a comment and share your thoughts.

I have received no compensation for the mention of fabric or companies in this blog post. All opinions are my own.

Linked with: Freemotion by the River Linky Tuesday, Over the Moon, Wonderful Wednesday, Needle and Thread Thursday, Thursday Favorite Things

What Do You Do on a Snowy Day?

You sew, of course, on a snowy day! I used my indoor day to complete a tote bag and make new throw pillows for my sofa. If you will recall, I spent quite a bit of time at the end of this past year making multiple items for a fall craft show. That left me with an unfinished project from early in the fall when my husband and I traveled to Sequoia National Park. While visiting the park, I bought some souvenir inserts for a tote bag, but I didn't get a chance to start the tote bag until just recently. I chose green fabric for the main part of the bag. 

I have made a few tote bags through the years, but the souvenir inserts came with directions for a bag. 

I used the directions to make the front of the bag, accenting the green with a couple of brown strips. Patterns are not created equal, however, so I ended up using my tried and true directions for the remainder of the tote bag. And here is the result! (To see another tote bag that I recently made, visit my friend Debbie's blog here. By visiting her blog post, you can also read a great book review.)

The majority of my sewing time today was used to make new throw pillows. I pulled out some of that fabric-in-limbo that has been waiting in a drawer for a while. I will use this fabric not only for throw pillows but also for a new valance for my family room. 

It has been a long time since I've used home decor fabric. Since I mostly quilt now, I almost always use 100% cotton. I will say, this drapery weight fabric was nice to use for a change as it doesn't wrinkle as easily as quilting cotton. Most pillows I've made recently have had a pieced front where I have combined several fabrics such as in this pillow below.

The pillows I made today went quickly since I only used one fabric for the fronts and the backs of the pillows.

Stitching the back of the pillow

Finished pillow back

It's nice to freshen the decor in my home a bit on such a snowy day. 

My next project will be making that matching valance, and maybe even a coordinating quilt for the back of the sofa will be in the works sometime this year so that I can use more of my fabric-in-limbo.

Sandpiper Bali Crackers by Hoffman Fabrics

Linked with: Wonderful Wednesday, Linky Tuesday Freemotion by the River, Needle and Thread Thursday, Thursday Favorite Things

Recap of 2017

Quilting terms to know before reading this blog post:

• Stash--fabric that is leftover from other projects or fabric that is bought without any particular project in mind.
• Fabric in limbo--fabric that was bought for a particular project or quilt that has not been made yet. This fabric is  stored until the project is started.
• UFO--unfinished object. More specifically, this is a quilt or project that is only partially complete. More work has to be done for the UFO to be finished.
• Design wall--a place where quilters put fabric to arrange quilt pieces, compare colors, or organize completed quilt blocks. Design walls are usually made of felt, flannel, or other types of fabric that will allow cotton fabric to stick to it without pins or other fasteners.

Toward the end of each year, I like to look back at sewing and quilting projects that I completed during the previous twelve months. Another year of sewing and quilting projects is almost complete, so I am ready to review my 2017 projects. Before I continue with my year end review, I must say that my goal for 2017 was to use much of the fabric in my stash and/or my fabric in limbo. Let's see how successful I was in that endeavor.

The year began with a few small quilts. I made a tea themed quilt which used my favorite technique--paper piecing. View an earlier blog post here to see details about this quilt. This first quilt of the year did not use any of my stash fabric. I decided I wanted to use the tea cup paper pieced pattern, so I visited a fabric store to find tea themed fabric.

My next few quilts of the year were made from stash fabric that had been in a drawer for a year or so. I bought the fabric at a favorite quilt store of mine in a little town called Burnsville about 45 minutes from my home. Unfortunately, that special quilt shop has now closed. At the time, I could not resist the muted reds, taupes, and greens of one fabric line and the bright primary colors of the French Country fabrics. I wasn't sure at the time how I would use these fabrics, but it's part of the fun to pore over quilt pattern books to find the perfect pattern for specific fabrics. All of these fabrics ended up as table runners or as a table topper. 

 

Using additional fabric in my stash led to this more modern quilt featuring bright colors accented with black and white. I'll have to say that even though I started this quilt early in the year, I still only have the top of the quilt pieced. The batting, backing, and binding of the quilt have yet to be completed. Even though I enjoy piecing the top of quilts more than doing the actual quilting, I still enjoy the satisfaction of completing an entire quilt. Therefore, I rarely have UFO's around my house. I probably will not finish this quilt before the end of the year, so it will be my only UFO of 2017. You can see this partially completed quilt below on my design wall.

I took a break in my quilting for most of the summer as my husband had major surgery. His recuperation became my first priority. However, toward the end of the summer I began to sew items for a fall craft show in which I would be a vendor. This was a terrific way to use fabric from my stash. I made multiples of fabric bowls, wine totes, bird seed totes, inspirational throw pillows, and more. It was good to see my stash dwindle, but I found that I would rather work on individual quilts than multiples of small items. 

As I open the doors to my fabric storage chest, I notice a real difference in my fabric stash. In addition to all the projects I made using my stash, I also donated some of it to a quilt shop in a neighboring county. The shop made special pillows for hospice patients so my stash fabric was put to good use.

I reached my 2017 goal of using fabric in my stash, but what about that fabric in limbo--fabric I bought for a specific pattern or purpose? Well, using my fabric in limbo is a goal for 2018! Stay tuned to see how I reach this quilting goal for the new year.

Linked with: Freemotion by the River Linky Tuesday, Wonderful Wednesday, Thursday Favorite Things

It's Almost Time!

It's almost time for the OLLI art bazaar/craft show! In a previous post, I highlighted some of the fabric items, that as a vendor, I will be selling at the show. If you live in western North Carolina, I would like to encourage you to attend the craft show on Friday, November 10 and Saturday, November 11. Please encourage your friends to attend as well. There will be something for everyone, and it's a great time to do some holiday shopping. Here is some detailed information:

OLLI Art Bazaar 

• The dates are Friday, November 10 and Saturday, November 11 
• The bazaar will be held in the Reuter Center at the University of North Carolina at Asheville 
• Friday hours will be from 11 AM-4PM; Saturday hours are from 11 AM-3 PM. 
• There will be 42 vendors selling a variety of handcrafted items. Each vendor has donated an item for drawings throughout the two day show, so by just attending you have a chance to win a unique handmade item. 
• There is free parking.
• Some of the proceeds from the art bazaar will be donated to a scholarship program at UNC Asheville. 

See you there!

A Visit to National Parks

Kaweah River, Sequoia National Park

My husband and I recently traveled to Nevada where my brother-in-law and sister-in-law live. The four of us then traveled together to Sequoia National Park and Kings Canyon National Park near Fresno, California. These parks are located in the Sierra Nevada mountain range and at 6,000-7,000 feet in elevation are home to huge sequoia trees. Sequoia trees are some of the largest and oldest organisms on earth. The largest of the sequoias are as tall as a 26 story building, and many of these trees have a diameter of at least 20 feet. Sequoia bark can be 3 feet thick and is resistant to fire, insects, and disease. These trees can live up to 3,500 years, and they continue to grow throughout their life span. 

After traveling on narrow, winding roads for several miles within Sequoia National Park, we finally reached an elevation where sequoia trees grow. There was a collective gasp in the car as we first viewed these dramatic trees mixed with smaller trees rich with autumn color. We decided to travel on through the park to the famous General Sherman tree. We parked and walked for a while to reach the tree that is noted as the largest living tree on the planet.  At 2,100 years old, it weighs 2.7 million pounds, is 275 feet tall and has a 102-foot circumference at the ground. It has branches that are almost 7 feet in diameter. 

General Sherman Tree, Sequoia National Par

A couple of days later we traveled about two hours north to Kings Canyon National Park. Here we viewed more of these majestic trees in their mountainous setting. The General Grant tree is a tourist draw in this park and is the second largest tree by volume on earth. Notice the vivid blue sky on our lovely autumn day in this park.

General Grant Tree, Kings Canyon National Park

Even though these parks are connected, Kings Canyon National Park is my favorite of the two. We took a 1 1/2 mile hike in this national park that was incredibly tranquil and beautiful.  The natural setting around the trees is magnificent, and there are other amazing sites such as this fallen sequoia which visitors can walk through. 

Fallen Monarch Tree, Kings Canyon National Park

I don't always return from our trips with souvenirs, but at the visitor center in Sequoia National Park, I couldn't resist when I found a special quilting treasure. These small fabric panels will be perfect when stitched into a quilted tote bag or two and will be special reminders of a special trip.

Design by American Quilt Blocks

Our travels often take us into different national parks, but I'll have to say that these particular parks do not disappoint with their majestic trees and lovely vistas. At the same time, I find myself wondering where our next national park trip will take us.

Do you have a favorite national park or natural setting that you enjoy visiting? Where do your travels take you? Please leave a comment and share your thoughts.

Linked with: Marilyn's Treats

Preparing for a Fall Craft Show

My news for the fall is an upcoming local craft show in which I will be a vendor, selling handcrafted fabric items. I have spent time in the last few weeks planning, choosing fabric, and sewing small items to sell. 

The fabric bowls that I learned to make recently are favorites of mine. The sample fabric bowl shown in these two photos is reversible. They are great as small holiday gifts or hostess gifts. Used alone as a table accent or filled with candy, nuts, dips, or even paper clips, these bowls may appeal to those who prefer practical gifts. 

There is a Scandinavian legend that if one sprinkles bird seed by the front door on Christmas morning, it will bring good luck. I made these tiny tote bags to honor that tradition. I will be filling each bag with a packet of bird seed and a card that explains the legend.

A bottle of wine is a typical hostess gift any time of year. My colorful fabric wine totes will allow a gift of wine to be a little more special.

I had fun deciding how to incorporate some inspirational fabric quotes into a small project. After thinking about it for a while, I had a "lightbulb" moment one evening, and the next day I set out to craft the three inspirational pillows that you see here as well as several others.

Although most of my items to sell are small gift items, I can't resist including a small quilt or two. I used some red, blue, and yellow paisley as the focus fabric for this table runner that has a French country feel.

In the craft fair, I am also including this small tea themed quilt which can be used as a table topper or a small wall hanging. In a previous post, I explained both the inspiration and the technique for making this quilt.

So if you live in western North Carolina, please save the date for the OLLI Art Bazaar on Friday, November 10 and Saturday, November 11 in the Reuter Center at the University of North Carolina at Asheville. Friday hours will be from 11 AM-4PM; Saturday hours are from 11 AM-3 PM. There will be 42 vendors selling a variety of handcrafted items. Each vendor has donated an item for drawings throughout the two day show, so by just attending you have a chance to win a unique handmade item. There is free parking, and some of the proceeds from the art bazaar will be donated to a scholarship program at UNC Asheville. 

Stay tuned as the date gets closer when I will share more details of my preparations for this craft show as well as a few more items to be featured on my craft show tables.

Linked with: Marilyn's Treats , Wonderful Wednesdays, Linky Tuesday Freemotion by the River, and Needles and Thread Thursday

Getting Ready for Fall with Pottery and a New Quilt

As I recently looked back over previous posts on my blog, it was hard for me to believe that my last post was one showing how I was getting ready for spring, and now we're close to fall. What happened to summer? Well, I was a caregiver this summer as my husband recovered from major surgery. The bulk of the summer went by in a blur. My routine has regained more normalcy now, and I'm ready to blog again!

Since sewing and quilting are such big parts of my life, my first thought in preparing for fall is to replace spring or summer table runners with a look of autumn hues. Here you can see a quilted table topper that I recently completed. The center is a novelty fabric that includes cherries, but the colors of deep reds, taupes, and olive greens remind me of early fall. 

Thanks to the generosity of friends and family as well as a few purchases of my own, I have a small collection of pottery. Fall seems the right time to pull out some pieces of pottery and experiment with displaying them as a centerpiece on my new table topper. Here I try a crimson bowl. It hides most of the quilt's center, but it showcases the pottery. 

Next I place a small pitcher with swirls of tans and golds on the table topper. Years ago, I owned a dance studio and taught dance. One of my dance students gave me this lovely pitcher. To my dismay, the pitcher was broken on a cross-country move. I glued it back together, and although the cracks can be seen, I think it might just add to the charm of the piece.

I enjoy cutting flowers from the yard and bringing them inside. Flowers are prolific in my yard during the spring, but it's a little more challenging in the fall to find blooms to bring indoors. However, my favorite flower never fails. Hydrangeas are beautiful during the summer with their bold periwinkle color. In the fall, these blooms turn more muted. The blooms are now green tipped with purples and reds. I can't resist loosely arranging a few of these hydrangeas in my small pitcher.

I am pleased with how well this fall hydrangea arrangement coordinates with my new quilted table topper.

Fall is the last season of the year when we will be able to enjoy our screened porch. I decide to cut a few more hydrangeas and place them in a different pitcher for the table on my screened porch. This pitcher has tones of green and purple, which makes it a perfect vessel for these autumn hydrangeas.

I feel fortunate to live in an area where there are four distinct seasons, each with special traditions to enjoy. 

What are some of your favorite things about fall? Do you have special ways of preparing for different seasons? Please leave a comment and share your ideas.

Linked to: Marilyn's Treats