Saturday, December 31, 2016

Happy New Year!


I hope your new year is even better than you can imagine.
Including lots of good quilting time!

Sunday, December 25, 2016

Merry Christmas!

I hope you have a wonderful day and Santa brings you a month of sewing Sundays and a boatload of fabric. Best wishes!

Thursday, December 15, 2016

Fingers Embroidered Collar


This whimsical collar by Vivetta in Italy is featured on Moda Operandi
It's not a shirt; it's a dickey to be worn under another garment. 
The price is $295 and they are sold out!

Monday, December 12, 2016

Fantasy Christmas Coat!


I love this Christmas fantasy coat made by my friend Barbara at Amber Studios in New Jersey.
Everything about it delights me: the use of real pine foliage, the shaggy woodland collar, the felted flowers, the combination of orange and pink, and the tiny waist too. I would wear this coat in the snowy forest when I bring apples to the fawns. I picture a scene from The Chronicles of Narnia. See all Barbara's creations here.
I hope you're having a merry Christmas season!


Saturday, December 10, 2016

Paper Flower Installation in Japan


Over 25,000 paper flowers decorate a mall atrium in Tokyo! Called "Color Mixing,"
 this installation was made by Emmanuelle Moureaux, a French-born architect living in Japan. 
Found on My Modern Met. (Scroll way down.)  

Wednesday, December 7, 2016

Fused Mosaic Clergy Stole


This fused mosaic clergy stole is the newest item in my Etsy shop: Shadrach's. I finished it last night. It's made from Kona cotton: black, royal blue and turquoise. On my screen the turquoise looks washed out but it's actually quite brilliant. I love this color combination. It's relaxing to cut and arrange the "tiles" in alternating clusters of blue and turquoise.




Monday, December 5, 2016

Friday, December 2, 2016

Just Finished a Super Hero Baby Quilt - Now Waiting For the Baby


This super hero baby quilt is for my DIL's friend in Louisville who is having a baby boy this month. 
DIL provided the comic fabrics. The photo below shows the backing and the striped binding. It measures 40" x 41." First I fussy-cut the images, then filled in around them. All the dotted fabrics and striped binding are from my stash. I love the big black dots on the white background, and the cheddar and black too. This was a new challenge, but it was fun to create. I hope the little guy enjoys it.



Wednesday, November 30, 2016

Sunday, November 27, 2016

New Clergy Stole with Vintage Buttons


This new clergy stole features 433 vintage buttons sewn in a wavy organic river pattern. It's the newest stole in my Etsy shop: Shadrach's. It weighs 10.7 oz. I made it while visiting with family over the Thanksgiving holiday. I loved making the flowing design.

If you have a minute to "Pin" or "Favorite" it on Etsy, that would be great. Thanks!

The buttons are from the 1800's and 1900's. Old saved buttons eventually end up in rummage sales, where I find them. Some are ordinary, others are interesting, like the bovine bone buttons with 2 large holes. Some of the buttons are square. They are mostly white and off-white, with some brown and a few other colors. 

These buttons represent the history of the people who wore them to school and work, to worship, to weddings and births, in illness, at sea, and possibly in the Civil War. Interesting to think about.

Tuesday, November 22, 2016

Wrapped Chair


"My Mummy Made Me Do It!" by Tommy Simpson, exhibited at the Fuller Craft Museum in Brockton, Massachusetts in 2013. This is one of several items featured on Quilter Beth's Blog.

It looks like it's wrapped with a variety of fabrics and ribbons. See the random knob that would be behind your right calf if you were sitting in the chair? Interesting.

Want to see more awesome chairs?

Tuesday, November 15, 2016

Aviator Quilt


"Aviator Quilt" made by Vanessa Goertzen of Lella Boutique. Vanessa has a pattern for this quilt. She says there is no paper-piecing or templates involved. She is a fabric designer for Moda.
Nice job, Vanessa!

Sunday, November 13, 2016

Giveaway Winners!


The two winners of "Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks" are:

1. Jinger in Hawaii. Her blog is: Trials of a Newbie Quilter.
2. Wendy Caton Reed in Maine. Her blog is: The Constant Quilter.

Congratulations! Your magazines will be shipped tomorrow.

Thursday, November 10, 2016

Modern Selvage Quilt from C & T

When I made the quilts for my book "Quilts from the Selvage Edge" (AQS 2008) I tried to come up with a selvage version of many classic quilt categories including: log cabin, tree of life, Amish style, silk cigar ribbon quilts, stars, optical illusions, and so on. This courthouse steps quilt from C&T takes care of the modern quilt category! It looks like a maze, or interrupted concentric squares. Very nice!
This photo was posted to Pinterest by C & T Publishing.

Saturday, November 5, 2016

New Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks - GIVEAWAY!


Here it is: Vol. 14! It will be on the stands soon, but you can win one now. See below.

See my block: Beach Umbrellas? Like all my favorites, it looks a little tricky, but it's easier than pie.


I love being called one of "today's top designers." Haha. Right next to Bonnie Hunter too! Cool.


Your comment on this post will be your entry into the drawing. Tell us what your favorite kind of quilts are. Random drawing will be held Saturday Nov. 12. Two prizes will be awarded. Prizes will be mailed anywhere in the world.

Tuesday, November 1, 2016

Saturday, October 29, 2016

Fabric and Crochet Quilt!


While I was admiring pillowcases with crocheted edges yesterday, I found this elegant fabric/crochet quilt. It's from The Whoot in Australia. It looks like one-patch and four-patch blocks made like pot-holders, then bordered with a crocheted edge. The off-white roses are a very nice touch.

Friday, October 28, 2016

Pillowcases With Crocheted Edges - Nice Gifts!


Good idea! Beautiful pillowcases with crocheted edges would make great gifts for my sisters. Lots more inspirational photos on Pinterest too. The photo above is from Polka Pics


And here's a good resource for making crocheted edges: The Finer Edge, Kristin Omdahl.



Monday, October 17, 2016

More From Hata Larson



Old tee shirts, monk cloth, and now beads! This looks like fun. See more from Hata Larson of Rusia here


Saturday, October 15, 2016

Low Price on Kona Solids!



The Fabric Shack in Ohio offers Kona solids for $5.49/yard! ($9 at JoAnn) They carry 303 colors, and 12 of them come in 108" wide too.

Source article: Laurie's Place "The Best Sites for Buying Fabric."

The pretty color above is called "Breakers."

Thursday, October 13, 2016

Riel Nason's New Selvage Quilt Book!



This beautiful selvage quilt is the work of Canadian quilter and fiction author Riel Nason.
I love the delicate detail in this quilt. Look at that lattice. Yayy, Riel!
Riel's newest book is published by C & T Publishing. 


See all her books on Amazon here.


Sunday, October 9, 2016

Saturday, October 8, 2016

Road Sign Humor

Found this photo on Facebook. I don't know who's photo it is. I wonder how many times this has been photographed. Haha.

Friday, October 7, 2016

Join the Team: "Quilters Step It Up"


Join the team "Quilters Step It Up" and simply increase the number of steps you take each day for 2 weeks starting on Oct. 13. I started this team. 

You might want to use a fitness tracker or you might not; it doesn't matter. See FAQs.

I recently got a Fitbit Alta which counts my steps each day. It helps me stay motivated. (eBay was cheapest.) You might prefer to keep a log of minutes spent walking. This will be fun. 
Stay tuned.

Thursday, October 6, 2016

Couture Fantasy Coat from Amber Studios!


Look at this floral fantasy coat from Barbara at Amber Studios! Isn't it stunning? 
She starts with an upcycled boiled wool sweater, makes it into a coat, and then it's loaded with the most exquisite handmade embellishments! I've seen Barbara's coats in person and they are over-the-top wonderful. She takes her customer's measurements, listens to their preferences, and then creates a coat of their dreams. They all have a feminine shape and lovely drape.
Feast your eyes in her shop, and view her sold items too. 
Not only is she a fabulous artist, but she's a sweet person too.



Wednesday, October 5, 2016

Apple Quilt from Russia!


This beautiful collage quilt featuring apples is the creation of quilt artist Valentina Maximova of Russia. You can see more work from this artist here
I love the colors.

Tuesday, October 4, 2016

Here's That Pink and Gold Again


I'm noticing this beautiful color combination lately: pink and gold. This is a saffron yellow antique Persian Kerman rug from the Nazmiyal Collection. It measures 5' x 9' and is listed for $18,500.
Very detailed design! Beautiful!


Monday, October 3, 2016

Quilters Guild of Plano, TX


Look at this gorgeous quilt! Lots of fancy piecing and applique. This was a raffle quilt made by the Quilters Guild of Plano, TX in 2011. They have lots of quilt photos on the Gallery page of their website. Nice job!


Sunday, October 2, 2016

Kristin Shield's Improv Quilt


These quilts just keep getting better and better! This is "Bright Lights, Big City" by Kristin Shields. It measures 29" x 30." Photo by Sherri Lynn Wood of daintytime on Flickr. This quilt was inspired by a quilt in Wood's book: The Improv Handbook for Modern Quilters. Wow!

Friday, September 30, 2016

Wow! Curved String Quilt!


This fabulous string-curves quilt is the creation of Ann. She describes the process on her blog: Fret Not Yourself. Did you notice the circle that extends off the lower right corner? Ann says she used bias binding for that part, but straight-of-grain binding for the rest. Clever! 
(The photo is by Ann too.)

Wednesday, September 28, 2016

A Vintage Quilt for Fifty Cents?


Yes! A friend in my quilt guild recently bought this vintage feathered star quilt at the Bethlehem (CT) Fair for fifty cents! It's in very good condition too. And look at all those tiny triangles! I didn't think that happened any more!

Tuesday, September 27, 2016

Mrs. Bobbins


If you like Mrs. Bobbins, you'll like my collection of cartoons here



Sunday, September 25, 2016

Ruth McDowell's Blue Moon Chicken Quilt


I love how Ruth McDowell chooses fabrics for her wonderful quilts. She has this one listed for sale on her website at $1,400. Want to learn how she makes them? See her most recent book (pictured below) here: Piecing: Expanding the Basics



Saturday, September 24, 2016

Friday, September 23, 2016

Hi Doll Eyes!


Lisa in New Zealand used 13 shades of green, gray, brown and gold to embroider the iris for her doll eyes. She used a photo of her own eye as a guide. Lisa aims to create cloth dolls like the ones from the 1930's, but with a more updated look. You can see how she does it here: Big Little.

Thursday, September 22, 2016

Obras by Serena Garcia


Serena Garcia's collection of fiber art is called Obras ("works" in Spanish).
She is from Chile. See more of her creations here: Obras. This looks like fun.