Our guild has an annual "Airing of the Quilts" which is informal and a lot of fun!  Last month we met again at a member's home with a large yard and lots of fence for hanging our quilts.

Here my friend, Paula stands by to help me tell about my "through Grandmother's Window" quilt. It is a block of the month pattern from "Piece O' Cake" designs.  I started it in 1994!  Almost 20 years later, it is almost finished!  It is for my first grandchild, Lilia.

Below is a flower garden quilt which my grandmother made and gave to me when I was 6!  Love the bright pink!

Also shown above, is my pomegranate stitchery wall hanging, an art quilt.  Love doing these!

Paula told about her first quilt which she made at my shop in the early 1990's, the trellis pattern is from "In the Beginning".  Paula used some black floral sheets which she loved and enhanced the morning glories with beaded dewdrops!

Queen of the May

A special block as my daughter's birthday is May 1st.  This pattern is not too common, but I found it in a book, Family Ties by Nancilu Butler Burdick. (c. 1991, ISBN 1-55853-134-3)

From "Family Ties" quilt book



Using scraps from family baby clothes, and other I created this version.

it will be a gift for my "secret stitcher" pal this month!



pieced from scraps 5/21/2012



String-pieced 60 degree star quilt

Pieced on light weight (tissue paper or newprint) paper using thin strips of fabrics (some sewing scraps!) these are not fast to make!

I finally have all the stars finished and it is coming together with a tradtional (and modern) white muslin setting.

I left my toe in there for a bit of humor.....I'm also thinking of polka dot border....what ever color is still on sale tomorrow at Hancock's! [when I am back at work....or back at shopping! LOL!]

Catching up on quilts

I am a bit behind on posting my quilts.....so here goes...

This is from Kaffe Fassett's Passionate Patchwork book....the "Fonthill Quilt"...

there are several more borders to go on it! Lots of 1.5 inch half-square triangles forming sawtooth borders and pinwheels. These are separated and held together by a soft green floral.

More borders to come!

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Now a look at my "Sakiori" quilt from the book "Japanese Quilt Inspirations" by Susan Briscoe.

Here the top and back are basted together for quilting. I love the cheerful bird print on the back!

The finished quilt, mostly machine quilted (on an antique Singer 301) and hand-quilted in the gold circles.

Hexagon quilt

A beautiful sunny morning after a stormy night...so much rain this spring!

Mom is sewing down the binding on this small quilt. I pieced the quilt last spring.

It is machine quilted in the idtch around the blocks and "big stitch" quilted with pearl cotton in the hexagons.

After the washing, things change!

Before free-motion quilting and washing, the edges of the colored scraps are neat and tidy....

......but not that way after the first washing. The washing makes it pucker up and soften, it mkaes the edges ravel and fray. [ I was compelled to trim off most of the "strings"... It is standard crib size, 45'X60"].

I used binding scraps to keep the colors moving, even on the binding. [of course you can't see the binding in this photo .]

Topsy turvy quilt

An easy crib quilt is almost finished....

A friend is wondering about the pattern, so I was able to scan it .....

It is from Quilter's Newsletter Best Weekend Quilts, Autumn 2010.

Ticker tape quilts, a new form of tile quilt!

The photo above is by Karen Griska, the author of the Selvedge blog . It is called "Stamp Collection" tile quilt.

You can read a lot about this on Pat Sloan's blog post.

I have a friend already making one of these and I 'm feeling that I will be too! What fun!!!

I'll be back to show you what I come up with!

Indigo Reflections is now on the wall!

Held up by a small dowel, this beaded and embellished art stitchery piece is now in my living room! Fun!

Recyled Holiday

I found this doily for 50 cents at a thrift store. it was stained but cleaned up nicely! Last night was time to make something with it...we've been snowed in so using what I had was necessary! I used some small red velveteen pieces, some batting scraps for stuffing and added dried lavendar in the middle of the stuffing. So it is a 9" X 11"
sachet pillow and is on it's way to one of my Valentines!

New Quilt Block -a-palooza Quilt Along Group to Join

This is a Flickr group which is posting and making a block each week. The designers of each week's block are linked from the Flickr site.

The first block is "Flying over the Fields" by John Adams, Quilt Dad .

Now to download the patterns and get caught up!

For a baby girl yet to arrive!

Working on a crib quilt for a granddaughter (possibly) expected in June....fun and contemporary....I am working on the pink ruffle!

Indigo Reflections....making progress!

A bird, flowers, the moon reflected on the water....art quilts are fun! this one also has a ceramic button! I am keeping the edges and the stitches primitive and irregular. I plan to display this at our quilt show and then hang it in my home....NFS! [size is about 14X24. click on the photo for more detail!]

Getting started on Indigo Reflections art quilt

Beginning a small art quilt with my collection of indigo fabrics...some hand dyed. some Bali batiks, some from Shibori Girl.

Working this way is new to me, I have learned a lot from Jane LaFazio who teaches for Joggles. Jane is offering a 6 week on-line art quilt class this coming March.
I will be stitching this and a small beaded quilt of pomegranates which I hope to enter into our Quilt show this April.

Finished but should I use it?

I guess we can change them out!

This is the quilt on our bed now...I had hung the angel above the bed and then found this folkart wedding quilt which seems to go with it so well! Meanwhile, I finished the quilt I was making for this new bedroom.....
So, I guess I will soon try it on our bed, under the angel watercolor.

A new queen-size bed requires a new quilt!

This is the quilt top I am working on for the new bed. I like the soft/bright pastels which go well with the honeydew colored walls.

The blocks are 8" blocks and the entire quilt has a contemporary, Zen-like, feminine feel!

Recently my friend Paula came by and I gave her 2 wall hangings from my collection. [I do have a lot of quilts!!!LOL!] Here I am holding her quilts!

Antique doll quilt

To read more about this little quilt.....

Blogger: indigo pears - Edit Post "Treasures turn up when clearing out Mom's house. ..."

The Maypole Quilt

This is the Maypole quilt pattern from Moda fabrics. It was designed to feature the Maypole collection by April Cornell. My version does have some of her fabric, by co-incidence, and features my collection of striped fabric along with myriad florals! [click on any photo for a closer view!]
This weekend is May 1st so finishing it today was timely! I started it last year as a class sample. It grew into a small bed quilt. When I was ready to begin quilting, I had to pull together a backing. I took things from my stash, including 2 blocks! One is a house block saved from about 1993. The other is the daffodil block of the month block which I made for the class this recent March. I love how it brightens up the back and makes the house block feel "distant".

The house block called for something special. So, I found some bees in my stash and now they will buzz above the house, giving their own "magic"" energy!

Dogwood the block of the month for April

Block # 4 of the applique quilt I am designing.

My Romantic "treasure"

I try to be practical and not acquire things that I don't need.....but I couldn't help myself this time!

I have been enchanted with the aqua color ever since I first saw one of these Singer 337 machines made in Clydebank, Scotland in 1964. Now, I own this one which was brought into the shop by a 90 year old sewist who is down-sizing.

As you can see, it is perfect for patchwork. As soon as I locate a walking foot, I can do quilting with it too. To me, it is a type of "eye candy". Sigh!