Join Me on this Trip to NYC!

On Saturday I went to NYC for my Empire Quilters Guild meeting. While riding the train I decided to take some photos to share with you. There are always many interesting things to see along the way.

There are 6 individual posts for today. Please don't ask me to explain why:)

At Grand Central there was an exhibit featuring Italian design. This amazing gown was made for Queen Elizabeth by Italian designer Katia Ricciarelli.

In this close-up you can see huge pearls in the skirt. There is an excellent book that shows how to gather fabric into patterns like this (and much more), called "The Art of Manipulating Fabric" by Colette Wolf.
Stepping outside of Grand Central onto 42nd Street the city looked so pretty in the morning light.

NYC - Part 2

This is the outside of Grand Central; you can see the big arched windows that are so well-known from the inside. Light is reflecting off a nearby building.
Did you know that taxi cabs have tv screens now? The left hand side of the screen has a map of the city with a little red "You Are Here" marker that moves as you ride along. You can push a button for News, Weather, etc. They also accept credit cards (see the thingy above and to the left of the tv screen). I guess you can close the sliding window between the front and back seats if you want to have a private conversation.
I thought it was interesting to see the Manhattan version of Staples.
Visitors take photos from these open-air sight-seeing busses. Little do they know that the locals are taking their picture!

It seems everyone had a camera Saturday!

NYC - Part 3

Have you ever seen a parking lot like this? I like the name of this place, "Park Fast." I don't think so! And if you notice the "$25" sign, don't assume that's for a whole day! That's for the first half hour. Seriously.
I thought this was an interesting scene. The giant tv screen kept changing scenes and nobody on the sidewalk seemed to notice:)
The buildings looked so shiny and clean in Times Square.
When I saw this lady in Times Square, I said "Oh! Can I take your picture?" And she sportingly said, "Of course!" Check out the red, blue, and shocking neon yellow hair. (Like you didn't notice that.) I don't know if she was in a show and just left to get some coffee or what.

NYC - Part 4

These ladies were waiting to cross the street when I noticed this stunning shawl. The flowers are all embroidered, and there is some nice long crocheted fringe along the bottom. She is carrying a pretty fancy bag, too.




















Back at the Grand Central Dining Concourse I noticed another very interesting hair-do. I was very discreet taking my photo from a distance (while appearing to concentrate on ther things). Believe me, your computer monitor is not capable of conveying the intensity of this orange. Quite stunning, in it's own way.

NYC - Part 5, My Crazy Quilt

This is my crazy quilt that I shared at Show-n-Tell at the Empirre Quilters guild meeting. You'll see more of this quilt in a new website for quilters that I will be telling you about soon. The quilt was made from silk and cotton fabrics; it's machine pieced, and hand embroidered and beaded. (The butterflies are part of the purchased brocade fabric.) I love the fans in the corners.

NYC - Part 6

I found this checkered button in London years ago at Mark's and Spencer. I knew it would someday come in handy!
My Mom crocheted this pretty little fan. She just made it up as she went along!
















I love this little roller skate charm. To cover up the stitches that attach the charm to the quilt, I piled up some black beads. This looks nice, I think.

Onion Chair Delights Receptive Hearts!

Isn't this a wonderful chair? It is located outside the gift shop at the Botanical Garden in Bermuda. As my husband and I sipped our iced tea, I noticed that every child who passed by sat in this chair. It seemed to me that they did this with some sense of expectation. Their expression said, "I wonder what will happen if I sit in this chair." Typically they would get comfortable, lift their feet up in the air a little, look around, enjoy the moment and move on. They looked happy, like occupying the "onion chair" for a moment was satisfying.

I wonder if quilters who enjoy selvages are the same ones who would try out the onion chair. I think maybe so.
God, the Creator, loves to give us good things like the joy of making quilts that surprise us with their beauty, and the friendship of our quilting buddies. We don't need to work and strive to be creative. We simply need to keep our hearts open to these "onion chair opportunities" and quiet moments with Him. Might we recapture some delicious child-like wonder...beyond our wildest dreams? I think so!

Elena Tells How to Make Selvage Postcards

If you don't already know how to make a selvage postcard, you will in 1 minute. Apply your selvages to stiff interfacing like Pellon (the non-fusible kind). Trim to a rectangle a little larger than your postcard stock. Attach your selvage block to the postcard by sewing a nice zigzag stitch around the outer edge. See the bottom photo.Trim. All done. Aren't these pretty? They travel well in the mail, and require a first class stamp.

These were made by Elena McDowell, and she told me how to make them. If you have been following this blog, you know that she is the one who received that 5 pound bag of selvages from her friends at a quilt shop. That explains how she can make such a fancy color arrangement:-)

Check out Elena's work at http://www.quiltsbyelena.com/, and http://www.carolinasqsuirrel.etsy.com/. Also, look for Elena's quilts at the North Carolina State Fair. Go Elena!!

Great Big Tote Bag!

Front

Back

Sew a seam along the line highlighted with the blue yarn to make box corners.

Handles are padded for comfort.

This large tote bag is simple to make. First, make a selvage quilt. This one is 21" wide x 38" long. I decided to add some selvages on an angle, as you can see in the bottom photo. When you have finished binding your quilt, fold it in half, selvage sides together, and sew the side seams together. Make box corners by sewing a seam in the spot highlighted by the blue yarn in the photo above.

I like to insert a stiff piece of cardboard in the bottom of the bag to give it some support. First, cover the cardboard with batting then with fabric, to give the "floor" of your bag a nice feel. This floor is removable.

The two handles on this bag are 33" long. To make the handles, selvages were sewn onto 5" wide strips of foundation fabric. Then batting was added to make the handles feel padded (not thin and whimpy). Fold the handles lengthwise (folding in the raw edge) and sew using a quilter's walking foot to accomodate the bulk.

This bag is sure to be a hit at your next guild meeting or quilt show! Hold on tight:)

Another Quick Gift Idea

My friend Elena McDowell sent me these nice coasters. They're like little quilts, with batting and backing. She just trimmed them with pinking shears, so you can feel the soft batting around the edges. Yes, this is just a glass of water. I didn't want to mess up her nice work:)

She doesn't know this, but I particularly like the "Sturbridge Village" selvage. Growing up in Connecticut, we were always taking field trips to Sturbridge Village in Massachusetts. One year, the fourth graders went. The next year the fifth graders went, then the sixth graders the year after that. It was always us! It was okay with me; I loved it.

Font Fabric From Faraway Australia - Wow!

Shannon Lamden of Melbourne, Australia designed this fantastic fabric that she calls "Letterhead," and sells it on etsy.com. You can see more of her designs on her blog: www.auntycookie.com/blog. The blog is quirky and creative. She links to http://www.etsy.com/.

I'm curious to know what she wrote on these fabrics. I've noticed that people can't resist reading quilts. Wouldn't it be great to add bits of fabrics like these to scrap quilts? And you could use it in a selvage quilt too: just cut a strip, then fold over one long edge and press. Then use the folded edge as if it was the bound selvage edge. That would give your selvage quilt a nice "punch!"

Selvage Tulips from Australia!

These cheerful tulips were made by Erica Spinks of Australia. They remind me of crocuses a little bit, maybe because of the pastel colors. I like how she arranged the tulips into the foursome in the center photo. The tulip on the pink background was stretched over a canvas.

Erica says that "text is made up of simple shapes that don't have to be read, they just add visual interest to the piece." She is intrigued that some people are uncomfortable with the fact that the words read upside down on that tulip.

Read more about Erica on her blog: http://www.creativedabbling.blogspot.com/.

Selvage Pillow - Log Cabin Style

Have you noticed that Australian selvage quilter Jodie's style of arranging selvages is similar to that of New York selvage quilter June Calender? They use just the white stripe selvage with little or no printed fabric. That makes their quilts primarily white, so the writing and the color windows really stand out. I like that one selvage on the back. What a good idea. Keep up the great work, Jodie!

You can see more of Jodie's work at http://www.vintagericrac.blogspot.com/.

Here is the Finished Quilt Top

Readers of this blog will remember that recently Elena was asking for suggestions for the border of this quilt. Well, here it is. I think it looks great. I love the "fence rows" of selvages, and the little trees in the corners are just perfect! Stunning job, Elena:)

You can see more of Elena's work on her website: http://www.quiltsbyelena.com/, and at http://www.carolinasquirrel.etsy.com/. Etsy is an online marketplace for artsy items.

Monkeying Around Near the Selvage Edge

What a perfect fabric for a selvage quilt! All these monkeys are lined up right along the selvage edge. Used in a vertical spot on my quilt, they add a cheerful surprise. Since the background is white, I chose a selvage with a pretty colored print to put next to the monkeys, rather than one with a white stripe. Yes, little things make me happy:)

Jodie's Selvage Bag

Take a look at this selvage tote bag made by Australian selvage quilter Jodie, of http://www.vintagericrac.blogspot.com/. When Jodie cuts her selvages, she leaves only about 1/2 inch of printed fabric along the white selvage strip, so her finished tote bag is mostly white. To keep her bag looking clean she covered it with a layer of plastic. That made it difficult to sew the handles on, but she used a thimble and persevered! The lining fabric goes so well with the selvages. Nice job, Jodie!

"Hello, I'd Like 5 Pounds of Selvages, Please"

That's what Elena McDowell got when she went to her local quilt shop in Raleigh, NC recently! Her friend Cathy who is also the owner of Wish Upon a Quilt, makes up lots of kits (and layer cakes - those are 10" squares of fabric collections) and she and her staff have been saving the selvages for Elena for several months. Can you imagine? Oh! It's nice to have friends in high places!

June Calender's Reversible Selvage Quilt

You may remember reading about June's reversible selvage quilt-in-progress this summer. Well, she finished it and it's stunning! I love how the turquoise fabrics look so nice with the selvages, and how the few dark selvages add sparkle to the predominately white blocks. The selvage blocks look like a tightly woven arrangement, and the triangles in the border add the perfect touch! The square patches of Rowan prints are beautiful together. (I love that orange one mixed in with all the blue/greens!) You know a quilt is a keeper when you just can't stop looking at it. Nice job, June!

You can read more about June's selvage quilt and other endeavors on her blog at: http://www.calenderpages.blogspot.com/. June is a fellow member of Empire Quilters in NYC.