Wednesday, September 28, 2011

McCall's Cover Quilt!

Last week I found out that my quilt would be featured on the cover of McCall's Quilting!!!

It's the large star made from a jelly roll of Kate Spain's Flurry.  I just love it!


They named it Snow-Kissed Star which is more perfect than anything I could have come up with!


Here's the link to their blog:


and here's the link to more information about the pattern on their website:


The pattern takes half of a jelly roll.  That means I have half a jelly roll in my sewing room.  To celebrate, I have decided to give it away! 

If you want the jelly roll, leave a comment telling me what your favorite Christmas color combination is for a quilt.  Do you like traditional red and green, bright red and green, do you like adding the winter blue, magenta and forest green?  I think I will do the drawing on Monday.  Monday sounds like a good day to have a prize drawing.
**The drawing is now closed.**

Happy Quilting! 

Fat Quarter Stars Sign Up Winners

And now we have winners!
There were three winners from our flickr pool.  Each of these winners get my new book, Simply Charming Modern!  (If you happen to have it, let me know, and I will send another one!)
Our winners are:

No Time for Quilting?!


RachelB18!


stipplequilt!



Then we had one more winner!!!  

This winner wins the fat quarter bundle that I am working with, Folklorique wovens!  This winner is from the comment list of the sign up post.  

The winner is:


I'm in...looking forward to learning more quilting techniques ...I learned a lot with the last quilt along.
Thanks everyone!  And that was just the beginning of the prizes.  These drawings for prizes happen every two weeks for those uploading the picture of their block to the flickr pool.  
 
If you are a winner, please email me at kluckau@moosequilts.com your name as you see it here (so I know who you are) your real name and real shipping address, so I can send you your prize.  Thanks!

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Fat Quarter Stars Block One

Let the games begin!  The day has finally arrived to start our next quilt along.  A friend of mine called last weekend and we were talking about the quilt along.  I realized that it started on Tuesday (today).  For some reason I was thinking it started on Friday!  Good thing I got that figured out before today!

I have designed the first block.  Usually here we have an introduction to the block designer.  Since if you are here, you probably know a little about me, I will just write a few random facts about me that may or may not be interesting, but either way, you probably didn't know them before.

A favorite experience as a teenager was watching the Fourth of July fireworks from the mall in Washington D.C.  (Just in case you didn't know, the mall is the large area by the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Memorial.  It isn't a shopping mall.)

Two jobs I had growing up that I didn't enjoy, but I knew they would be short lived were making sure there was the correct amount of beans in canned green beans at a factory and cleaning toilets in the dorms at college.

I was a cuckoo bird in a school program.  I think I was in kindergarten.  The only thing I remember about that program was singing this song, "Red and yellow and pink and green.  Purple and orange and blue.  I can sing a rainbow, sing a rainbow, sing a rainbow too."  Which now I think is a funny song because those aren't the colors of the rainbow.  My grandpa taught me that the colors of the rainbow are violet, indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange, red.  He could also say the alphabet backwards -- quickly.

One thing on my bucket list is to visit every state in the United States.  The ones I still have left are Washington, Oregon, North and South Dakota, Minnesota (unless I count a 20 minute layover), Wisconsin, Michigan, Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana.  Looks like I can't die yet.  There's more left than I thought.

Okay, enough of that, on with our block.  I really went back and forth on this block.  I came up with many designs, but three that I liked and debated between.  One was too easy, one was too hard, and I think this one is just right!  There is one thing that might make a beginner nervous -- cutting a 1 5/8" strip.  It really does have to be that size because I turned the inside star to make it on point.  Be brave.  1 5/8" is in between 1 1/2" and 1 3/4."  You can do it!  And if you mess up, it is a small square and you have enough fabric to cut another one!

Here's my block.  I hope you like it.  The fat quarters I am using are really out of my comfort zone.  I know I'm going to like it, but it's a challenge for me.



Click HERE for the link to the instructions.

What happens next?

Because this is the first block there will be two different drawings tonight.  One drawing will be from anyone who comments on the original quilt along announcement post.  A second drawing will be from the flickr group.  Right now you can post 1 picture of the fabric you will using.  There will be some of you who are quick and will get your blocks posted.  Any blocks posted before I post my block tonight, usually around 10 ish (Mountain Time) or first thing in the morning, will be entered into the drawing.  

This block is "due" in two weeks.  I say due, but it really doesn't matter.  Post your block when you get it done, and it will be entered into the next drawing.  If you make one block, post one picture.  If you make two blocks, post two pictures.

What's up for grabs this time?

1)  For the drawing for those who signed up for the quilt along in the comments of the original post, I have a fat quarter bundle.  It is the same bundle that I am using which is Folklorique wovens by Fig Tree for Moda.

2)  For the flickr pool, I will pick three winners!  These winners will each get my new book, Simply Charming Modern!


Before you head off, let me answer a couple questions that come up.

Sometimes the pdf doesn't download for some reason or another.  I don't know why.  I like to think it's because so many people are downloading it!  If it doesn't work after you have tried a few times, email me kluckau@moosequilts.com, and I will send it to you.  One other thing you can try is to right-click on the link and click on "Save target as," save it to your computer, and then open it.

If you have questions on the block, ask here or on flickr.  Ask a question in the comments of your block or start a new discussion in the flickr group.  In the past quilt alongs, those who post on flickr become a community.  I am sure this one will be no different.  Often others in the group will answer each others questions before I even see the question.  I love being part of the community of quilters!

I will post winners tomorrow.

Happy Quilting!

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Small Treat Bags

Last year these adorable little bags were all the rage:


I saw them everywhere.  I heard how quick they were.  You can make four with 2 fat quarters.  I wanted to make them.  I intended to make them.  I never made them.

Until a few weeks ago -- desperation struck!

You know, sometimes it's inspiration that strikes, and sometimes it's desperation.  Anyway, my oldest daughter had a birthday party to go to -- in 15 minutes!  We had discussed this a couple days before.  The girl said that she didn't want one of the animal pillows that you've seen that my daughter has enjoyed giving to her friends.  So we were going to give her candy.  (The girl loves candy.)  Then I couldn't figure out how to make candy look like a nice gift. . . .

The small treat bag!!!

My daughter quickly picked two fabrics, and I started cutting.  Then she couldn't find ribbon to match.  Wait -- we have rick rack!  Sewing, sewing, sewing. . . .  I got the bag done.  (I forgot to box the corners of the lining.  Oops!)  The candy loked much cuter!

I don't actually have a picture of that bag, but you can't make just one.  Here are the others I made.  The one for the friend was the black and white and red with the fabrics reversed.


It took me about an hour to make all 5 bags.  I even pressed them.  They are that fast!  My two littlest girls got two of the bags to play with, and the other two are being saved for another gift emergency!

This story has a P.S.  When my daughter came home from the party, she said that the girl liked her present, but the girl's mother wanted to know where her pillow was, and my daughter needed to make her daughter a pillow! 

Oh my!  Maybe for Christmas!


Wednesday, September 14, 2011

The Old is New Again

I am in the middle of quilting a quilt for a customer.  I just ran out of thread -- something I think I have done one other time, and it was MANY years ago!  She of course, needs it tomorrow, so I will be running to the store first thing in the morning to pick some up.  Too bad the shop that has this particular thread is an hour away!  I hope they still have this specific color.

That isn't why I wanted to show it though.  Here, take a look:


I thought the quilt looked fairly modern with its use of solids.  However, this quilt was made by a great-grandmother who is now deceased.  The grandmother gave it to me to quilt for her granddaughter getting married in Australia.  She needs to have it so she can get it bound and give it to her granddaughter before she leaves the country.

I don't know how old it is.  I wonder how a quilt apraiser can tell the difference between this quilt and one pieced today.  I can't tell a difference.  The cycle of fashion comes full circle!

P.S.  Thanks for the great label tips!  I am almost excited to finish my next quilt and try something new.

Monday, September 12, 2011

Singing the Quilt Label Blues

I know I shouldn't feel this way, but I don't like labeling quilts.  To tell the truth, I usually don't label my quilts.  If I do label it, it's usually to sign and date it with a sharpie on the back.

My favorite labels are those that I have seen pieced into the back of the quilt.  They get quilted over and become part of the quilt.

I recently made two quilts for Timeless Treasures, that I will show you one of these days, that of course, needed labels.

Here's what I came up with.



Hey, at least I appliqued them by needle turn, so the edges are finished!  Sometimes I sew them on with a running stitch and leave the edges raw.

While I liked the idea of using the back of part of the fabric, it does make it a little hard to read.

What is your favorite way to label your quilt?

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Ode to the Red and White

That title reminds me of "Ode to a Grecian Urn" which I just looked up is a peom by John Keats.  I, however, am not quite so well-read.  I know it from "The Music Man" that I think is a great old musical.

Anyway, I couldn't think of a better title.  I'm not so good at titles.  I made some red and white nine patch blocks for two reasons.  One reason was in honor of the Infinite Variety quilt exhibit in New York.

Simply amazing!  In another stage of life, I would have flown out to see it.  Instead, I decided to make my own red and white quilt. 

The idea was spurred on by a challenge from the Temecula Quilt Company:

It's a fun shop that I visited once on vacation.  It is full of miniatures and reproduction fabric.

The blocks in my quilt are 1" finished.  The nine patches were so fun that I ended up making three quilts!  (All of them are miniatures.)

I am attempting to hand quilt this first one.  I may change my mind about the others by the time I am done with this one!  I am using wool batting.  It is quilting very nicely.  I, on the other hand, am not quilting so nicely.

 

I spray basted the layers together.  They are holding together fine, and I am having no issues with the layers shifting.  The trouble is inexperience.  BUT that is why I am making the attempt at something 13" square.  I thought that was a good size to start with.


I am obviously not done quilting yet.  I do have a good needle.  I don't remember what kind, but it came recommended to me, and I got it at a quilt shop.  I am using my machine quilting thread.  I probably could have made a better choice there.  It is good thread, but I don't know if it is the best for hand quilting. 

I put the thimble on my second finger, and have been trying to get the rocker motion.  Oh!  It's not working.  Again, I chalk it up to inexperience.  My thimble is metal on the top, and the rest of it is rubber.  When I miss, the needle jabs through the rubber.  I may be getting another thimble that has a greater margin of error.  I'll let you know how it goes.

So that's the WIP for today.  Any advice?

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Quilt Uberfest

 What is Quilt Uberfest?!? 

It's a block of the day quilt festival from October 1-16!  It's a quilting Oktoberfest, a block of the month quilt along on steroids! 

Nothing like being part of a quilt along while running a quilt along!  I was excited to be asked to be part of an event that sounded like crazy fun!



Here's the line up:
Oct 1 John Adams
Oct 2 Kaye Prince
Oct 3 Karen Linton
Oct 4 Konda Luckau
Oct 5 Amy Lobsiger
Oct 6 Ryan Walsh
Oct 7 Scott Hansen
Oct 8 April Rosenthal
Oct 9 Cara Wilson
Oct 10 Amanda Jennings
Oct 11 Susan Sobon
Oct 12 Jan Peoples
Oct 13 Erin Singleton
Oct 14 Charlie Scott
Oct 15 Emily Cier
Oct 16 Rachel Locke

AND here's the link for more information:  http://bluenickelstudios.com/?p=3183

Feeling crazy???  Come join the Quilt UBER-fest!

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Springville Art Museum Quilt Show

A couple weeks ago I went to a quilt show at our local art musuem.  It is always a great show.  I think they took it down today.  To tell the truth, I almost forgot to post these pictures.  It seems like forever ago when I went.  I didn't get to spend as much time this year as I would have liked.

This quilt won a contest in McCall's Quilting.  I loved it then, so it was nice to see it up close!


This one was interesting because it was of a picture transferred to fabric.  The flowers in the front are appliqued.  There may be matallic thread in the water.  I remember it shimmering.  I loved how seamlessly the quilter moved from fabric to the picture and back.


I loved the frame on this quilt.  It actually looks like a picture frame.  The sliver of purple is perfect!


A friend of mine made this quilt.  I loved the roses in the border!


This was a modern sampler quilt.  The blocks were 8" I think.  It was in a hall, so it was extra tough to get a good picture. 


I loved the bold color on this quilt.  I never would have thought to use bright pink for hair, but it works perfectly here!  AND if I had that pink and green leaf fabric in my stash, ladies skirt wouldn't have been my 10th choice for what to do with it, but isn't it striking?!?


This is an example of the whimsy we get at the show.  It made me laugh.  It says "Good for you."


My favorite thing about the art mueum is this kinetic sculpture.  It has water running through it, and I never get tired of looking at it!