Lepidopteran 3

This gorgeous art quilt was made by Caryl Bryer Fallert. You can see the pattern on Bryer Patch. It measures 30" x 30." Her inspiration for this quilt came from a Bradford pear leaf that she found in her neighborhood. As she sketched designs, she noticed that it looked like the wings of a butterfly.

I've been an admirer of Caryl's for a long time. Remember the birds?

Be Realistic

Found this on fb. Haha. Have a great day!

Lacy Collage Quilt

This busy quilt was made in 2010 by Pat Garrison. Embroidered and appliqued with flowers, faces, borders and words. Looks like there is some crochet and lace too. I especially like the scalloped outer edge. Some buttons, beads, charms and silk ribbon would be fun to add. Great job, Pam!

Handmade Pillow Cup from the Czech Republic

This handmade ceramic cup that looks like a comforter made me smile. Perfect with your comfort food breakfast. :) Found at Oli's Cupboard in the Czech Republic on Etsy. Very clever, Oli!

Charming Scrap Quilt

What a pretty scrap quilt. Just a simple log cabin block, but so artistically done. Nice colors, good variety of fabrics, especially the one in the center. I like the soft puckery look. Looks like it's been machine washed and dried.

I found this photo on Pinterest, attributed to Etsy. Link goes to a dead end. Too bad. Does anyone know who made this?

Selvage Jacket!

Lynda Duplissea created this beautiful selvage jacket! Here's what she wrote about it:

Late in 2012, I was asked to prepare a 15-20  minute program for our chapter to share the selvage edge technique I used when making a quilt from your book. At the end of the program, one member shouted out, “What’s your next project going to be?” 

With a broad grin, I answered, “I think I’ll make a jacket.”  “Have it ready by our quilt show!” was shouted out in reply. 

It was a good natured exchange;  you see, a few months prior to the program, I accepted the position of Biennial Quilt Show Chair for 2014 and at various workshops, I would encourage the gals to make sure their projects were ready by the quilt show. Though playful,  the challenge was on.

I’m attaching a few photos taken of my newly completed jacket. (Which by the way was ready for our show.) 

I am particularly pleased with my first attempt at making a jacket. The lining is tone on tone with the words ‘Recycle, Repurpose, Reuse” which I felt fit perfectly with the use of selvages. One of the selvages even had my name LYNDA so I placed it on the inside collar but I don’t think I’ll hang the jacket from it …that's purely decorative.

 Lynda is from the border town communities of St.Stephen New Brunswick Canada/Calais, Maine. Nice job, Lynda!

Meet Rebecca from Connecituct

Tonight I was waiting to have some fabric cut at JoAnn's in Waterbury and I met Rebecca, owner of Rebecca's Dorky Designs on Etsy. She designs and makes superhero/Star Wars/Hello Kitty dresses. One even glows in the dark. Pretty creative. Way to go, Rebecca!

Rock Pillows

I found these rock pillows among the new trending items on Etsy. They are offered by GlassandBrassCo located in Hong Kong. The listing is for 6 pillow cases for easy shipping. Then you fill them yourself. Pretty clever for a playroom.

Fancy Four-Patch Tutorial

This is my 6th year coming up with the Block of the Month designs for my guild Empire Quilters in New York City. 

The current block for November is the Fancy Four-Patch, shown above. This is a quick and easy block. You start with four 6" squares: 2 reds and 2 whites. See the instructions here.

Carolyn Wenzel's Ferris Wheel Quilt!

This lively Ferris Wheel quilt was made by Carolyn Wenzel from Wisconsin. It won Viewer's Choice for the "Black Quilt Challenge" recently at her local guild quilt show. The red centers and the light red block are brilliant, aren't they? And the red binding too. Nice nice job, Carolyn!

It's fun to make these fans. View the Ferris Wheel quilt pattern.

Fall Festival Quilt Exhibit

Today we had the Fall Festival at the First Congregational Church of Litchfield, CT. I had the honor of exhibiting 32 of my quilts in the sanctuary. One of the highlights for me was meeting two young sisters who want to learn how to quilt. They are going to spend an afternoon with me in my quilt room to make a small quilt. Can't wait. 

See Victoria Findlay Wolfe in Connecticut Oct. 20!

"Lost and Found in Translation" by Victoria Findlay Wolfe (above).

Victoria will give a lecture at the New Britain Museum of American Art on October 20th at 1:00. 

It will be a real treat to hear her and see all the quilts. I plan to be there. I hope you can come.

Her quilt is part of an exhibit called "Let Me Quilt One More Day" which runs from Oct. 12-Jan. 4.

The opening reception is this Sunday Oct. 12 from 2:00-5:00. Curator's remarks at 4:00. 

Extended Granny Squares

Here's a great idea for crochet fans: make a row of granny squares, then extend them in both directions. If you know how to crochet granny squares, you can see how easy this is. Clever!

Visit the source for this colorful baby blanket at Buscand Comienzos.

Embroidery - Chinese Knot

From AboutArtandCrafts website. Chinese knots are not usually used alone, but used in groups, as shown below from MarlaMallett.

And finally here's a close up photo of an embroidered coat from the Plays With Needles blog showing this same stitch, also called the Pekinese stitch.

Pine Burr Quilt from The Netherlands

This stunning Pine Burr quilt was made by Annemieke of The Netherlands. Her blog is: Colours and Fabrics. Her quilt will be on exhibit this month in The Netherlands. 

Annemieke sewed her quilting stitches in the red cornerstones and between some of the pine burrs. She made her quilt before I published my pattern. Our quilts are very similar, but hers is bigger. She plans to make more in the future, but right now I have no such plans! 

Annemieke taught me a word in her language: "groetjes." It means something like best regards, but in an informal way. So, groetjes everyone!

Movie Recommendation

"The Hundred-Foot Journey" is a delightful movie starring Helen Mirren. The sets and the scenery are beautiful. The story is interesting. Good ending. No chase scenes, gun fights or any objectionable stuff. My 85 y/o mom and 27 y/o son liked it too. Go see it.

By the way, Stephen Spielberg and Oprah Winfrey created this movie.

 See the fxguide for videos.