Wednesday, March 31, 2010

The Criticizer


This quilt is a tribute to those people who never have a good thing to say about anything. The book she's holding is titled "How to be an Authority on Every Subject", by Noah Tall.
The arrows around the border are arrows of criticism. There are cartoon swear word symbols quilted in the background. And yes, there are many people that I have known in my lifetime who were the inspiration for this project.

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Christmas quilt


This quilt could either be hung on a wall or used as a lap quilt. I made it to sell in a craft sale, but it never sold, so I gave it to my piano teacher for a gift.
I took piano lessons for years and never got anywhere with it. I was stubborn and wanted to learn, but my fingers always fumbled up and I'd hit the wrong keys. I finally got the message that I would never be good at it.

Two of the corners on this quilt looked a little wonky after it was quilted, so I appliqued doves on them. My motto is: never pick anything out if you can cover it up with a creative label or applique!
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Monday, March 29, 2010

Courthouse Steps



I made this quilt for my dear friend, Anna Marie to celebrate being friends for more than 30 years. It's Courthouse Steps, a log cabin variation.
Quite awhile after I had given the quilt away, Anna Marie noticed that there was a big pin inside it. I took it back to get the pin out, It was a large T-pin that I had used to stretch the backing to the carpet when i was pin basting it. I had to pick a small area apart to get the pin out, then resew it. That's the first time that ever happened in my quilt making history!

Sunday, March 28, 2010

Cat Memorial Quilt


Yikes, what a last couple of days! I smashed up my Jeep when I hit a deer on the highway. Now I have whiplash and I'm all drugged up on painkillers and muscle relaxants. Not fun. At least I can stare straight ahead at a computer screen, I can't turn my neck at all.
Anyway, this little quilt happened because somebody at work had an old diabetic cat that passed away. I could see that she was devastated, she lived by herself and the cat was
a big part of her life. I made this quilt called "In Loving Memory of Guy" and gave it to her at work.
I'm going to go lay down now, I feel like crap.
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Saturday, March 27, 2010

Quilt Kit



I don't normally make quilts from kits, but somebody paid me to sew this for them. It's made from flannel, was nice to sew together, but the pattern looks boring to me. Lynda Balas did a beautiful job of quilting it on her long arm machine.

Friday, March 26, 2010

Postcard #2



Here is another one of the postcards that I was making a few years ago. These ones were for the Columbia Valley Lodge, not too far from Golden, BC.
I custom made the back of them so they would be advertisement for the lodge.
Now that I've had some time to recover from the postcard making frenzy, it might be fun to make some for the sake of creativity and art instead of sweating for many hours over the sewing machine for a few bucks.

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Postcard


I went on a postcard making binge a few years ago. I was extremely broke, so I had a sweatshop going on here and I made a ton of them to sell in a store and a lodge.
It gave me a few bucks for groceries and kept the wolf away from the door for a few days. Being poor sucks!

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Baby Quilt


The old memory is getting blurred here. I can't remember if I made this as a gift or if it's one that I sold.
I used to make baby quilts square, now I make them rectangle shaped. I figure they would fit better in a crib that way. I tend not to use babyish fabric prints, then the quilt can be used longer as the kid gets older.
I still have the baby quilts that I made for my daughter, just about 23 years ago. One of them has marks on the back of it from where it was sitting on the shelf in the closet. The shelf was made from particle board and it looks like glue stuff from the board went into the fabric of the quilt. Something to think about when storing quilts. That's probably why museums use acid free paper to wrap things in for storage.

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Small Quilt


I tried to sell this small quilt at a craft sale one time, nobody bought it, so I ended up sending to my internet quilting buddy, Hrafnhildur in Iceland. At least she liked it!
I found it's a lost cause trying to sell quilts. I've tried craft fairs, but barely sold enough to cover the cost of renting the table. Also, you have to sit there at the table for two days and watch everybody go by. They stop and admire the stuff, then go on their way. I can find better things to do with the two days.
It's also a lost cause trying to sell quilts in a shop that charges commission. By the time you pay the 40% or whatever they want for their cut, there's nothing left.
Dozens of hours of work, cost of fabric, thread and batting and you're just about giving the thing away. Might as well just give it to somebody you like instead of a stranger. There's been the odd time that somebody bought a baby quilt or a table runner, but I've usually just sold those on my own, not in a shop.
Too many hours of work go into making quilts. It works out to only a few dollars per hour, so it's not worth it to sell them. That's my rant for the day :)

Monday, March 22, 2010

Baby Quilt


I made this baby quilt for somebody at work quite a few years ago. The pattern came from the book "Quick Country Quilts" by Debbie Mumm.

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Crown of Thorns


When people make this pattern now, they use paper foundation piecing, which is accurate and done by machine. I made this quilt before that method became well known, so it was hand pieced. Still a very accurate method, but very slow!
I machine quilted it, using that horrible invisible thread.
Too bad that stuff was ever invented! I never use it now.

Saturday, March 20, 2010

Crazy Quilt


I was on a crazy quilt kick for a few years. This picture looks a little odd because there is a ray of sunlight going across the quilt.
There's no limit to what can be done with the crazy quilt method.
One time somebody at work wanted me to make a quilt with all the printed sweatshirts she had collected through the years. I couldn't cut a square out of the front of the shirts because they had raglan sleeves that angled towards the neckband. So I cut out a crazy quilt shape around the design, put it on a muslin foundation and sewed random strips around each one, then put sashing around each block. She really liked the end result, too bad I didn't get a picture of that one.

Friday, March 19, 2010

Finger Lick'n Good


This is a crazy quilt that took off in a strange direction. I was using chicken themed fabrics for the blocks, then 3-D chicken parts ended up getting sewn in here and there. They were parts of a stuffed animal I never finished.

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Bears in the Attic


Some fabrics need to be featured, the Attic Windows pattern is a good way to do that.
I've got a collection of bug fabric that I've been meaning to make into a bug jar quilt. Attic Windows might be another way to use it. Looking out the window panes and seeing thousands of bugs, frogs, etc. It would be like one of the great plagues, hehehehe!

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Pillow


I made this pillow for a gift for somebody a long time ago. Now that I look at the picture, I don't like ruffles anymore, I must have liked them at one time.
Things change, colour choices change. Back in 1987, I was making a sampler quilt that had tons of hand applique, embroidery and pieced blocks. It was a a lot of work and was about half way hand quilted. I never did finish it because I didn't like the colours anymore. Remember the dusty rose/blue/green 80's colours? YUCK!
I wonder if that'll ever come back in style? I hope not.

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

When Pigs Fly


There was a quilt challenge at the local fabric store one time. A certain fabric had to be used and the theme was "world unity". The title of my quilt is "World Unity Will Be Achieved When Pigs Fly".
The nine patches on the top were some from a swap we had with the QFT group. I used the rest on other projects. The bottom row of blocks were part of a block exchange that I had with Susan Getchell. We were swapping ugly fabric, then making blocks out of it for each other. I added lots of embellishments on the quilt, it was fun to make.

Monday, March 15, 2010

Penguins


This pattern came from a Quiltmaker magazine many years ago. I think I modified it somewhat, if I remember right.
This was given to my friend, Shannon at a Christmas gift exchange at work about 100 years ago (at least it seems that long ago because I've been working there for a lifetime).

Sunday, March 14, 2010

Trip Around the World


This was a class where I learned to make a Trip Around the World quilt using a bargello style method. I don't know if I still have the instructions, it was so long ago.
After I finished the quilt that's in the picture, it ended up being given away to a person whose house burned down. I always feel bad when a person loses everything like that, I wish I could do more to help.

Friday, March 12, 2010

Canadian Flag quilt


I was looking through my photos and found that I had a picture of the Canadian Flag quilt that I made for my brother back in the early 90's. This is the one that he took off the wall and shoved into a drawer because he was mad at the government for something. I wonder if he'll ever put it back up or if he's still mad? lol!
Now that I look at the picture, I see that it could have used more quilting. I didn't know what to do with it at the time so I just did enough to hold it together.

I'm going to be away for a couple of days, so there won't be posts this weekend. Oh no- computer withdrawals- AAAAGGHHHHH!!!!!

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Chicken Balls


I just finished typing a long blog post, then I hit the wrong button and everything disappeared- grrrr! Now I have to start over again.

I used to be a collector of chicken and rooster fabric, ornaments, etc, but it all got to be too much. I don't buy anything like that anymore. In fact, I'm not buying anything at all except for food, gas, propane and paying for vehicle maintenance. I made a New Year's resolution that I wasn't going to spend any money in 2010 unless I absolutely had to. But that's another long story, so I'll get back to the chickens.

This quilt top is one of many that's ripening in a box, waiting to be finished. One of these days I'll have to dig it out and quilt it. I think Lynda Balas may be responsible for the naming of this one, hehehe! It has hand applique, pieced blocks, four printed panels and a variety of chicken fabrics in the sashing.
I tried to use up some of the chicken fabric last year by making aprons for gifts, but that hardly put a dent in the stash.

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Log Cabin Pinwheel



It was probably about 1988 when I made this Pinwheel Log Cabin quilt for my brother.
He still has it on his wall, it doesn't look too bad because it isn't in a sunny place and didn't get faded.
A long time ago, he wanted me to make a Canadian flag wall hanging for him. I told him if he drafted the pattern for it in the size he wanted, I would make it for him. I don't have a picture of that one. He got mad and took it off the wall when the government did something he didn't like :^0

Monday, March 8, 2010

Stuffed Animals



I'll get off the beaten path today. Every once in awhile, I like to make stuffed animals or dolls. I made this unicorn and dinosaur for my niece and nephew when they were little.
When I was around 9 years old, my aunt Ethel helped me make a little stuffed dog. I wish I still had it, waaaah! That kind of behavior puts me dangerously in hoarding mode, so I better just hang on to the memory.

Sunday, March 7, 2010

Maple Leaves


The pattern for this quilt came from the book "Quick Country Quilting" by Debbie Mumm.
It's been the book I've used most for getting ideas for projects, kind of like a favorite cookbook.
I gave this quilt to my sister's in-laws for Christmas one year.

Saturday, March 6, 2010

Sampler Quilt


We had a beginner class in our guild when I first started and I made this project.
There was no fabric store in town at the time, so I shopped for the supplies in Calgary. I went into a Fabricland or Fannies, I don't remember which one it was. They had no cotton fabric there! I asked them if they had any and they pulled out a little bin with about 5 bolts of quilting cotton in it. That's why this quilt ended up with such a stark colour palette. I didn't know that there were shops that just sold quilting supplies. But a few years after that, the big chain stores got lots of cotton fabric in stock.
I don't know what those marks are on the picture because the quilt didn't have them, must've been gremlins in the camera.
This quilt was on my wall for a few years, but the sun faded it really bad and I took it down. Now I don't hang up a quilt if it's in a spot where the sun will get at it.

Friday, March 5, 2010

Amish Pinwheels


Many years ago, my sister and I were looking in a quilting magazine. We saw a tiny picture of an Amish style pinwheel quilt. I had quite a few plain fabrics in my stash, so I told Linda I would make the quilt for her if we could figure out the size of the blocks, there was no pattern with the picture. It just about took a magnifying glass to see the details in the picture, but I managed to pick out fabrics that looked just about the same as the ones in the picture. I made the quilt and gave it to Linda.
Thank you to whoever it was that made the original quilt! I usually don't copy somebody else's work right down to the last detail like that, I like to add some originality. But in this case, I couldn't help myself, hehehe!

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Group Quilt


A member of our guild was moving away, so we all made blocks for a quilt for her. I put them together and quilted it.
I made the Ohio Rose block, now that I look at it, the yellow centre is what stands out. There isn't yellow in any other area of the quilt, that's something to think about. If a bold colour like that is being used, it should also appear in other spots so things look balanced. Oh well, I'm sure Joanne liked her quilt anyway :)

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Sheila's Quilt


Many years ago there was a delightful woman named Sheila Seddon in our guild. She was the reason I joined the guild, Sheila was so welcoming. I went to one of their quilt shows and saw Sheila demonstrating cutting with a rotary cutter and mat. I never saw that being done before and thought it was fascinating. She invited me to the guild and encouraged me to take a workshop that was coming up. I was so impressed that I ran over to the fabric store and bought my first mat, cutter and ruler. They were in the process of closing out, there was only one of each item left, so I was lucky to get them. The next nearest fabric store was a two-hour drive away from there.
A few years after I joined the guild, Sheila passed away suddenly. I was devastated!
Her daughter, who doesn't sew, wanted a few of us to go through the items that Sheila had in her sewing room and take what we wanted, the rest was to go to the guild.
There was only one unfinished project there, Joanne Kosick and I decided to finish it and give it to Sheila's daughter. We hand quilted it, Joanne would do some for a while, then I would take a turn. The quilting was quite fancy- feathered wreaths on the border. When it was done, we gave it back to the daughter who was very pleased!

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Trees


One time in our guild, we made tree blocks, then we had a draw and a person won all the blocks. I happened to be the winner. There were eight blocks, so I divided them in
half and made two small quilts. This is one of them, it ended up being given to a person at work. The other one was given to my good friend, Susan who I've been yakking with on the internet for about a dozen years. I've never met Susan, but when I win the lottery and can afford to take a trip, I'll be heading across the continent to go have lunch with her.

Monday, March 1, 2010

Bow Tie


I made this quilt for my daughter, Lindsay when she was little. It took ages to make because it's hand quilted. She saw how long it took to do the work on it and was waiting for the day when it could be put on her bed. There happened to be a quilt conference in another town that some of the guild ladies were going to right at the time I put the last stitches into the quilt They asked if they could borrow the quilt for show and tell. Four year old Lindsay said "that quilt is not leaving this house!" The ladies said "it would only be gone for two days, then she could have it back", so finally, Lindsay agreed to let them take it.

Another One Completed

I don't know what to call this one. I watched a YouTube tutorial on making the triangle units. There were bias edges, so I had to be re...