Playing Favorites!

Oh, my -- what a wonderful week I've had with great surprises coming from a number of directions.  Don't you love those? I was fortunate enough to win a $35 gift certificate from Fat Quarter Shop when this quilt won Quilting Gallery's contest for quilts made with "Squares and Rectangles" two weeks ago.  I'm hoarding it because I can't decide!  Such a good problem to have.

Late in the week, my-niece-the-quilter brought me these yummy fat quarters for my birthday.  I had asked for a FQ of orange or pink fabrics (the weakest link in my stash) and she took it way over the top!  What to do....keep them together and find a quilt that uses all of them or break them up and put them in with all the solids?  For now, they are on a shelf as art and I'm loving them!  Yummy, don't you think?  Maybe I'll use my gift certificate to get a different bundle of Robert Kaufman solids and use them together.  What to do - what to do - what to do....

And to keep the surprises coming, my-niece-the-athlete gave me this beautiful counted cross stitch replica of a Frank Lloyd Wright window.  This is surprising in many ways.  First of all, the image could not be more special as we used to live in the village outside Chicago where FLW's studio was and the impact of his brilliance was everywhere.  I love the lines and colors and design.  What is more surprising is that she has never done counted cross stitch (and was apparently wrapping it as I walked in the door -- literally finishing it minutes before we showed up).  I do not have the patience for this and have sworn off counted cross stitch forever.  I hate to backstitch and this pattern requires perfect backstitching in order for the impact of the design to be effective. She nailed it.  The beauty of never doing something is that you don't know how hard it is!  Additionally the designer who was licensed by FLW organization lived three blocks from my house and I had met her at a quilt trunk show a few years ago.  So -- like the FQs, this is a surprise and special in many many ways!

When it comes to 'playing favorites', I have always let these two young women know (from the day they were born) that I am their 'favorite aunt' and insisted on being introduced that way to friends.  It was a joke but it was real, too.  I love them with all my heart and consider them my 'psuedo-daughters' and I know they love me back and have been there for the good times and those that were not so good.  I love hearing from them -- emails, texts, calls and especially face-to-face time.  We can talk about anything and they know it's private -- thank you, girlies.  Love you both a "bushel and a peck and a hug around the neck".

I did a bit of work on my dollies and managed to get 76 done and assembled.  I am currently auditioning border fabric and hope to have this done by the end of May so I can donate it locally as a fundraiser or whatever they want to do with it.

You may have seen my first post on these little jewels. If not, you can read about them here.  These absolutely touched my heart and I knew I needed to make them.  They go together perfectly.
I feel really blessed this week - a week full of goodness and surprises and some quilting.

I hope you have family members that you love and who love you back and that you're having some good surprises too!  Jan

And the year comes to an end....

And, finally, here are the last three months of wallhangings.  Previous posts on these monthly wallhangings by Nancy Halvorsen are here, here, and here.

The October wallhanging of "be forgiving" has a bit of history.  My niece-the-quilter had a dog that was really a family dog and loved by all of us.  One day, while visiting, Baxter's treat didn't set well with him and he managed to find relief in one of my favorite pair of blue shoes.  It's definitely a bit of a family joke and this wallhanging was made with Baxter in mind.  He was brownish with terrier in him and the shoe is obviously blue.  His nose was a button that had to be specially ordered and the buttons for the tabs are from my grandmother's button jar.  RIP, Baxter.

November would obviously have a Thanksgiving theme and I love the harvest bounty theme and the oak leaves as wings -- not to mention the crooked halo.  The "berries" are more antique buttons that needed a good scrubbing!  I like her....

I love the message of "joy" for December.  This santa's beard is slightly padded with cotton batting for a bit of depth.  His suit and hat were actually scraps that I saved from years ago when my niece-the-quilter had created a strata from a number of red fabrics in my stash.  She was making a stocking for her boyfriend and when you make a stocking with fabrics at an angle, you have to make a pretty big piece of "fabric".  So, obviously, Aunt Jan saved the bits - knowing there would be a time to use them.  And, magically, here it was years later and was going to be on her mom's wall every December.  I like the scrappiness of his hat and suit and LOVE that it was done by a young woman who was not yet a quilter....but certainly is now!

I've said this before and I'll close this series of posts with it.  I love these but there are only a handful of people that I would have done this for.  My sister is obviously one!  The quilt out of these blocks is darling and would have been a bit easier as I had to resize some of these to make them around 15" x 18" (+/-).  Her instructions are easy to follow and I'd definitely do another one of her quilts at some point.

I hope there are special people in your life that you enjoy sharing your art with!  Jan

Liebster? Really?

I have to say I'm a bit surprised (read "stunned") by Tumblestone Handmakery who generously nominated me for a Liebster.  I have certainly seen other bloggers nominated and have always agreed with the comments and recognition.  It never occurred to me that someone might consider I Quilt for Fun to be worthy of a bit more attention.  Thank you, Tumblestone.

Let me start by saying you may want to visit her site.  I generally only follow quilting blogs but I think I stumbled upon Tumblestone Handmakery on Pinterest when this incredibly cute button frame popped up one day and that led me to another button frame.  Loved them but didn't repin them as that's when all the fury was going on about who has rights and "owns" the image.  Nevertheless, I'd recommend you check out her blog, Tumblestone Handmakery, or through Pinterest.  You won't be sorry.

So, what is the Liebster, you say?

It's an award that was created to recognize people that other bloggers are inspired by and enjoy; it's intended to show their fellow bloggers which blogs they may want to take a look at, with the logic being they will also enjoy them.

It's only given to blogs with fewer than 200 followers and is used as a vehicle to recognize smaller bloggers, irrespective of the type of blog -- quilting, crafting, cooking, whatever!  The Liebster Award takes its name from the German word meaning "beloved", "dearest", and "favorite".

The tradition includes passing the award along to five bloggers who have inspired you.  To accept the award, you must:

1.  Link back to the person who gave it to you and thank them.

2.  Post the award to your blog.

3.  Give the award to five bloggers who you appreciate and value - so long as they have fewer than 200 followers.

4.  Leave a comment on the five blogs to let them know they have been offered this award.

Without further ado, here is my award:

The five blogs that I'm nominating are all quilting blogs but they are very varied in their approach to quilting and blogging.  I think you'll like them all!

1.  klein meisje quilts is written by Lynn and she posts regularly on both quilting and her life.  I'm currently working on her little dollies that you'll see if you look under "An Exuberant Welcome" and she has multiple posts with the details.  Like most quilters, she's generous in sharing her knowledge, both in her blog and if you email a question.

2.  ~A Day at a Time~ is written by Connie and she is another prolific quilter with a lot of other interests.  I have thoroughly enjoyed her posts and hints and think you will as well.  Her blog is full of information.  Enjoy!

3.  Happy Appliquer is a treat to look at and peruse.  Heather is an accomplished appliquer with a great eye for color and detail.  Holy Smokes!  While she pieces some, she's clearly in her element when she's appliquéing! 

4.  Sew-Happy House is another fun blog.  Kathy is involved in lots of things and frequently sponsors giveaways.  I also find her to be so supportive of me and other quilters -- I think you'll really enjoy her blog and upbeat attitude!  

5.  Lucy's Quilts is another blog that I follow after seeing Alicia's stained glass denim quilts.  It's an easy way to put together denim and not have to sew "denim to denim" -- and she's more than happy to help you with any questions you may have.  Check it out!  Pretty cool....

So, thank you again to Tumblestone Handmakery!  I hope you'll take a few minutes to check out some of my favorite blogs listed above....and become a follower!

I hope you're finding time to read your favorite blogs and be inspired!  Jan

Continued...

Here are an additional three months of wallhangings from Nancy Halverson's Be Attitude quilt .  If you missed the background and first posts on these, you can read about them here and here.

The month of July wasn't patriotic as expected but was about honesty and featured a special little button that looked like butterscotch candy that could be ordered.  Without it (or something in her hand), it just wouldn't work.  I did this one with 30's scraps.

I liked the August block but don't think my fabric choices necessarily did it justice.  It's a pretty basic block to being with and not many design elements.  Once again, I was able to get something out of the cedar chest and repurpose it.  I had been hanging on to one of our mothers' blouses that I always loved for some reason.  It was a little white short-sleeved Villager blouse that she had monogrammed.  Since her birthday was in August and her faith was extremely important to her, it seemed appropriate to cut out the monogram and appliqué it to the back -- complete with some of the tucks.  So, one more thing got used in a way that has meaning (at least to me) and isn't in the cedar chest waiting for my son to pull out and wonder what in the world to do with it!

September carried a back to school theme and the buttons for the tabs were from my old wool camel "car coat".  How's that for dating myself.  I have no idea why I still had it but it is no more!  I suspect more than half the people reading this will have no idea what a car coat even is.  The buttons for the berries were from my grandmother's button jar and I obviously caught a glare from the shiny red one.  I really like them but they had to be scrubbed to be used.  Just a tad dirty from sitting around for so many years!

We're lucky enough to be in Wisconsin babysitting for a few days and there's not much "new" sewing going on here!  Just grammie loving, a bit of laundry, and maybe cutting some scraps before the day is over. 

I hope you're finding time to stitch or create or repurpose!  Jan

First Break All the Rules!

Seriously!

I love this quilt but it took every ounce of effort I had to "let go" and let it flow.  This is from Victoria at Bumblebeans and is her Waverunner quilt.  I fell in love with it when I first saw it and knew that I wanted to make one.  But I had no solids.  What's quilter to do?

Buy solids, of course! So when it was my turn to host a challenge for MacQuilts and Mom22smartchix, I bought nine different solids (Moda and Kona) and we each took 1/3 yard.  We could then add up to 4 different fabrics to the collection but you had to use every fabric in whatever quilt you chose.

 

Unfortunately, I cannot convey the look on MacQuilts face when she saw the solids--and especially the tan and dark brownish-burgundy.  She is a batik and Kaffe girl for the most part and it was priceless.  "Horror" is slightly overstated -- but not by much.  She added a great batik and made very modern quilted placemats which are used daily and the back has the scary fabrics on the back.  Clever!

Mom22smartchix made an incredible Amish themed quilt which still needs to be quilted and will also be spectacular when it's done.

For me -- this was hard.  I am pretty focused on good process and quality control so letting go and following the "waverunner way" took some getting used to.

Cut on a straight line?  Goodness no!
Press not iron?  Heck no -- steam the fire out of it!  Make it fit!

Measure twice and cut once?  Why would you do that?
If a block doesn't work, rip it out and redo?  Of course not. Add a strip!

1/4" seam allowance?  Sort of!
Square up blocks before sewing?  Well you could, but why bother?

Follow a pattern?  Why?  This is yours!
Same fabrics can't touch?  Are you nuts!  Who cares if yellow and cheddar are side by side!

Amidst the dogwood petals that are letting go this morning.  Alas....they were beautiful.

In the end -- this was a blast and I love the quilt.  It's bound in red and I smile every single time I see it.  I'm not exactly sure why I waited six months to bind it -- that was silly now that it's emerged again.   There are a few tucks in it and once I wash it, I believe that the crinkles of washing will really blend with the quilting.

This little gem will be entered in this spring's Bloggers Quilt Festival sponsored by Amy's Creative Side.  Have a go at it if you've never had a chance to see what she does. It's amazing and there is so much inspiration over there, it will make your head spin.  Seriously!

I hope you're having a wonderful day and following the rules if that makes you happy or making your own rules if that's even more fun.  I get it!  Jan

F is for . . . .

Finished!  Finally!

This is a quilt that was started about two years ago and I've been cutting fabric off and on since.  As a "scrap quilter", I don't have a lot of "width of fabric" like many.  I'm happy with scraps, pieces, hunks and chunks rescued from friends' trash (you know who you are!).  So, because this does best when the strips are pieced from WOF, I've cut as I've gotten fabric and put it in bins.

Each octagon requires two strips at 2.5", 2 strips at 2", 1 strip at 2.5" and another strip at 2.5" (for pinwheel).  Obviously, that's a lot of fabric and because of the cutting requirements, there is enough for another quilt that is would be scrapier.  BUT NO TIME SOON.   I'm tired of octagons!

The pattern is "Paperweights" by Aardvark Quilts and octagon quilts are certainly popular right now and popping up on blogs everywhere.  Kudos to those of you who are making them.  There is bias everywhere.  The only straight of grain on the outside edge is where the kites come together.  Everything else is off grain.

While the pictures were taken on a windy day, some of the "play" you see in the black-on-black kites is where there is excess fabric.   Let's just say there are some "A cups" and one "B cup" in the kites.  I'm going to have to quilt the heck out of it to get it to lay flat.  Prior to quilting, it measures 86" x 102".

Suggestions by the designer were to make sure you had a good mix of dark, mediums, and lights in the fabrics so that different elements would "pop" -- the outer border in some, the middle strip in others, and the pinwheels in some.  I thought I had a good selection of darks for the outer strip but they aren't showing up in these pictures.  There's not the depth I had hoped for but I'm pretty much over it!

No border -- just 49 full octagons and maybe 11 half blocks.  I have stay stitched the outside as I'm pretty sure this could fall apart if pulled very much.  It will be going to Chicago in two weeks for some quilting.  I have no idea what to do with it but have some time to decide.

The designer recommended putting all the octagons together and all four kite pieces together and then assembling with way too many angles to me.  I put this together in blocks -- as noted above.  It's hard without a huge design wall but the quality control for me was much better.  I nested the strips and then pressed all the joined seams open so there would be less bulk.

The pictures that follow are the requisite spring photos showing some of the flowering trees in our yard.  Since this is our first spring in this house, it's always a surprise to see what comes up.  We knew we had three dogwoods and a redbud, but we didn't know that the larger dogwood was a pink one (scrawny but pink).

The redbud is past prime and I was tickled to find a lilac -- although it's on the other side of our fence, it's on our property so I'm going to presume the neighbors think it's theirs and enjoy the color and fragrance.

We made a quick trip through Chicago on our way to Madison WI last week and were stunned to see that the same flowers were blooming in Chicago and Madison (tulips, for goodness sakes!) as in Kentucky.  My son's clematis is bigger than ours and has more blooms.  The earth is so out of orbit when it comes to this wacky spring!

I hope you're having a blooming good day!  Jan

Quilters' Day Out

Today was my first Quilters' Day Out which is an internationally recognized day (third Saturday in March) that is set aside to honor and celebrate the art of quilting.  Interestingly, this special day originated in Kentucky many years ago - expanded to a few other states - and has now grown to a day that is recognized throughout the world.

The small guild that I belong to had a "Crayon Challenge" among the members to reveal at the show.  The rules were:

1. Two crayons were blindly pulled from a bag that included 64 Crayola Crayons.
2. If you hated one of the colors, you could put one back in and draw again.  One time.  No more!
3. Fabrics had to be in the colors of the crayons you drew -- and you could use any shade that could be created by coloring on a white sheet of paper - depending on the pressure you used.
4. You were allowed to add one more color to the quilt -- but it had to be from the box of 64 crayons and that shade only.  No scribbling for shades.
5. Size could be anywhere from 40" x 40" to 51" x 51".

The pictures I took are terrible and don't do the quilts justice.  

Pink Carnation and Red Violet were drawn and White was added as accent.  This quilter actually used her crayons to color in the squares and heat set shavings in the outer border.

I'm so sorry I didn't get a better picture of this one.  She drew Pink and Blue and didn't want to make the expected baby quilt so she added black and with with an Amish look.  She had seen the pattern in Quiltmaker and modified it slightly by adding flying geese.

This quilter drew Olive Green and Yellow and added Sky Blue as her accent.  This came from March, 2001 Quiltmaker Magazine.

This quilt was beautifully done. I don't recall which colors she drew but she embellished with yellow buttons and did some amazing quilting in the open spaces.

This quilter drew Salmon and Navy Blue and elected not to use an accent color.  Hand quilted.

This quilter drew Yellow and Green and made these cute little pieced baskets with her White accent color.  Hand quilted.

Brown and Blue-Green were the colors drawn for this quilt and she added Dandelion.  This was Viewer's Choice and much more striking in person.

Unfortunately, this one didn't get finished due to illness.   She drew Orange and Black and I think others were expecting a Halloween quilt.  Surprise!

The primary crayons for this quilt was Spring Green and Raw Sienna and Salmon was added as an accent. It's made from Celtic Pieced Illusions by Karen Combs.  Alas, it wasn't finished either.

I hope you've had a chance to celebrate quilting in whatever manner worked best for you today!  Jan