Modern Quilting

Before we moved here to Arizona I went to a few classes in Oregon about "Modern Quilting".  I was hoping that we would get into making some modern quilts, and they may have, but I didn't get a chance to keep going. However for the classes I went to, there was a teacher that is a fabric designer for Michael Miller, explaining the 7 elements that are considered to make a quilt "Modern", such as expansive negative space, and minimalism.  From what I've heard, there seems to be a lot of strong opinions such as  "It's not modern, it's what quilters have always done"  which actually goes along with one of the descriptions of a modern quilt, "Traditional Modernism" traditional piecing with bright or bold fabrics.    

Well I don't care what you want to call this style of quilting, I like it.  

Back in April of 2014 I made this little doll quilt for my swap partner in Germany.  It is paper pieced but using the bright bold fabrics.  It wasn't orginally made to be a modern quilt, however has several of the definitions to make it a modern.  Minimalism (one block), use of bright bold colors, and the traditional modernism (traditional piecing, using bright and bold).  So for me, I believe it's legit. :) 

You can read my original post here.  

I'm Linking this up to Tuesday's Archives hosted by Val. 

Thanks for stopping by, 

Blessings,   

Lynn 

Sunday Slow Stitching and More"

I had a wonderful day stitching and sewing.  I worked a little on my "Twas the Night Before Christmas"  which is what I'm linking up to the "Slow Sunday Stitching" 

 But  I also spent a big part of the day quilting "The Monsters"  which is for my Great Grandson Benji who will make his appearance in February. 
I have had my issues with quilting this but I'll explain that tomorrow when I show you some pictures. 
Blessings,
Lynn 

Guild Day and Monsters

Today was our monthly business meeting for the Colorado River Quilters Guild.   However today was my day to bring food,  and I was the coordinator for today's lunch.  There were 7 of us so that helped but we were making lunch for approximately 60 people. I made two different types of meatballs, we had rice, soup, enchilada casserole,  green salad, fruit salad and rolls.  It was a feast.  

Oh and there was plenty of dessert too but it got cleaned up too quickly for me to get any of that.  In my normal fashion I was a plan-a-lot-a-mus and woke up way too early wanting to make sure it all got done right.  And like always it did.  We even got a "Job Well Done" from the main coordinator, she told us this was the least amount of work she's ever had to do for the lunches.  Almost makes me want to volunteer to coordinate again,  ALMOST.   Ha Ha.  After I got home I tried to take a nap but that only lasted for about a half an hour.  So I got up and took apart part of the Monster quilt and fixed a couple of blocks that just weren't laying right.  I'm backing it with Minky and not putting a batting in so it's now ready to start pin basting it.  

So to update on the week.  Tuesday mornings sit n sew went really well. I've learned some new techniques lately to make your block press right and lay better  - so I only got one block made, but it was so nice and crisp I really can see the difference the pressing and the laying of seams can make.  Funny once you know that it ruins it for doing it sloppy anymore and I ended up taking out part of the other block that's why I only got one done.  :)  

Then Tuesday night's other guild meeting went really well - and I am now a new member of that guild too.  Which of course brings more projects to do and choose from. So much for moving to a new town and not knowing anybody so I'd have plenty of time for UFO's.  Ha ha.   Not a problem - I'm having a blast. 

Wednesday we took our friends that are visiting from Oregon to Hoover Dam.  So no sewing there.  

Tomorrow I'm going to a class at the quilt store - Handi Quilter Educational Event... The first class tomorrow is  "The Fun of Finishing".  They are going to talk about ideas of how to quilt your top. That's the only class I'm going to. I am a long way from needed or wanting to buy a mid-arm or long arm machine.  I'm hoping that when I get home I will be able to start pinning the monster quilt so I can start quilting it soon.  

Well that's what I'm up to  - thanks for stopping by!

Blessings, 

Lynn 

American Hero - Revisited

Today I'm linking up to Tuesday's Archives with a quilt that I made for American Hero's quilts.

My original post about it was here.

Thanks for stopping by.  

Lynn 

Busy Bee....

Quilting Bee that is.  Yahoo - I've had a really busy week sewing - isn't that the best kind of busy week? 
Well on January 1st I listed my goals and in just a little over a week I now see how easy it is to get off track. 
On Monday the 5th we had what is called "Mystery Monday" at the local quilt shop. Well we didn't come close to getting it done and so it carried over to the Tuesday Sit n Sew.  Nope we still didn't get it done.  It's a 35x35 wall hanging or table topper.  I was able to complete one of each of the two different blocks.  There will be 5 of the left block and 4 of the right one. And as much as I still want to continue with it - I looked at my list of goals and I have to put it aside for now.  

So Wednesday we had to run errands and so I didn't spend any time sewing.  
Thursday was the work shop for the quilting guild I'm in and we had a guest teacher Kim Schrader Fauth teaching us her method of quilting called "ABCD" .  Well it was a lot of fun and it's a great way to make a few blocks and turn them in to hundreds of different patterns.  Here is an example of taking the same blocks and just moving them around.  (they are not trimmed to size or sewn together yet) 

Looking at my list of goals, I listed this as a ??  because I was unsure of what to expect so I guess it's okay that I will need to set it aside for a later date.  :)

In the evenings, I have been working on the first stitchery in the free BOM from Jenny of Elefantz called "Vintage Kitchen"  I did a little twist on the red work.  I am going to do in one color but it's more of a salmon color to match a little different setting too.  I'm such a rebel aren't I.  I went looking for some suitable vintage kitchen fabric and found this and I absolutely love it and so it went from there.  The color isn't showing true, it's more of a coral or salmon color and I will use the green for sashing around the blocks.  

Good news is that I finished the first block last night so that is one thing on the goal list that will get a check mark - Yahoo for that.  

Today I had a few hours to work on the baby quilt I'm making for my new great grandson Benji  The Monsters.. I got the bottom final row on - and let's just say that wasn't exactly easy. The sashing/setting was stretching, so getting all the intersections and points lined up was very challenging.  I don't think I'll use that setting again any time soon.   :)  I only have scraps left of all the material I've used so far - so I will need to pick up something for the borders. I already decided I was going to back with Minky and so I'll need to get that too.  I'm really hoping I can finish this up by the end of the month.  Here's how it looks so far.  Still a couple of stretching parts, I'm really hoping will work out with quilting and a washing. 

So now you know what I've been up to.  It looks like I have a busy week coming up next week. Sit n Sew on Tuesday,  a potential new guild meeting Tuesday night.  They have a waiting list and this is the annual meeting where they accept new members. A lot of the members in the one I'm in already are also a member of this one as well.  On Wednesday we are getting together with some friends form Oregon, and Thursday we are having my normal guild meeting of which I'm coordinating the luncheon.  So somewhere in there I have to get a couple of different sauces ready for some meatballs.  Another of the ladies is bringing rice so I think I'll do a brown gravy on some and a sweet n sour or marinara for the other part of them.  Originally I was going to make them from scratch, but considering all else that is going on, I'm thinking pre-made with my sauce will be just fine. :) 

I hope you have a nice rest of your weekend and I'll let you know how it all goes.   

Blessings, 

Lynn   

January Wish List ... Goals

Well I'm going to start blogging my ideas of what I want to accomplish each month in hopes that it keeps me a little more organized and focused.  For years now I've said I want to finish UFO's and that's not happening very quickly. Also last year I had this nice Idea that I would work on Christmas all year long so I could finish some of these really cute Christmas things I have collected. I even found a group of people that were dedicated to doing "One Christmas Item a Month"  - Ya that didn't happen either.  I will cut myself a little slack - we did retire and move 1000 miles away in August - but this year - I need to kick into gear and get some of these projects done.  I didn't even do the projects I thought I would start for 2014.  So if you made it through all of that thank you and here is my list.  

1.  Work in Process  (WIP)  a  baby quilt for my newest great grandson "Benji"  I'm calling it "Monsters"  It's a pattern from AJ Padilla she offered it as a BOM last year.  I have all of the Monster blocks done that I'm going to put in and the top stitching done.  Goal for this month:  I want to finish putting the borders on the blocks and complete the top and have it sandwiched ready to quilt.  Bonus would be if I can start quilting it too.

And if I do get this done - I will be linking it up to "A Lovely Year of Finishes 2015"   

2. I did a scrap busting BOM from Peggy Anne's Quilt shop.  My friend in Mississippi and I were doing it together.  We got the block and then it would tell you what colors to add for the sashing from your stash - we thought it would be fun to see how different they came out when we were each done.  I have 11 of the 12 blocks done.  It's going to be pretty big when it's done. 

Goal for this month:  I want to finish  the top - which will include the 12th block and the borders. There are two borders, one of which is piano keys around the edge.  

3. I am working on a Christmas Sampler called "Twas the Night before Christmas"  That I got from Kaaren Johnson at "The Painted Quilt Blog" It was one of her First Friday Freebies.  She did her's in Red Work, but I did mine in colors.  I am on the second to last stitchery the Santa.
Goal for the Month:  Finish the Santa block.

4.  BOM's -  

I am currently doing a BOM with Jacquelynne Steves - I love her work and her style.  She started a BOM in October called "Sew Sweet Simplicity".  I have 1 1/2 blocks done of the 3 she has published.  Catch that up to Current.  

Here is what I have so far.

Tried several times to rotate pic and it won't turn. :)

5.  New BOM  I want to join Jenny of Elefantz she is offering a new BOM  called Vintage Kitchen.  So I want to do the first block. 

6.  New Stuff -  I am a member of the Colorado River Quilt Guild and one of the projects they are doing is called the "ABCD" Quilt that is being taught by Kim Schrader Fauth,  I will be going to that on the 8th of the month.  I'll keep you posted on that. 

7.  For a couple of years now, I have been wanting to get a good start and keep going on a quilt for my Sister that has 2 bears in the center and other woodsy animals around the edge.   So in January I want to finish the bear blocks with the top stitching and all.  The top stitching will provide I lot of the detail. Today I started the fusing part of one of the bears.  

I

7.   My Monthly Doll Quilt swap - theme is "A good book". 

Extra Credit - 

 If there is any additional time this month - I want to finish the binding on a quilt that I've been trying to finish for years.  And then if there is still time - I want to work on a Christmas item. I'm still trying to get all the Christmas projects done.  

Thanks, 

Lynn 

  

New FO - December

Well this is the last New FO.  At least until we catch up on our UFO's and WIP's.  Is that possible for a quilter.  :)


We didn't have Doll quilt swap this month so that isn't one of my New FO's - However I did create a couple other things this month. 


1.  I made a table runner.

2.  I made a needle keep for a friends birthday.  She likes to do red work so I put  a couple of skeins of red DMC  and some embroidery needles inside.

3.  I made a curtain for a sliding glass door.

4.  And low and behold after many many years of sewing I learned how to make pillow cases - So I made 2 pillow cases. 

And since I'm just now getting back into some routines I can't remember for sure if I started these in November or December but I definitely finished them in December so I am posting the finished picture of my Bird Mug rugs that I did all the thread painting and quilting on.  :) 

Thanks so much to Barbara at Cat Patches for hosting this fun New FO give away for so long.  It's been a great way to connect and keep us creating.  Thank you. 


Lynn

And Time Goes by...

Well not sure what has happened but as a new retiree, I feel like I have less time than I used to.  Or is it that because I have more time, I'm not as structured with my time.  I sleep in, I don't have to finish anything by a certain time.  I find myself saying oh no biggie I'll do that tomorrow.  :)  After all isn't that what retirement is supposed to be about. 
 But really - a lot has gone on and - we have been very busy - I just haven't got it posted.  I haven't even taken the time to post for the New FO's - Or the Let's Book it - Or anything really.  So here goes I'm going to try to catch up on what all is happening and then we'll see if I can keep this going.  :) 
Non sewing news:  We have traveled around a lot.  Living in a new state, we have had fun traveling around and seeing the sites. So much so that we traded in our big 4x4 Dodge Ram for a  more fuel efficient Hyundai Sonata. 

We've been to Las Vegas several times including a stay there with my Sister when she flew in from Oregon for my Birthday week.  We went to the Jersey Boys show here - It was awesome.

And since Laughlin NV, right across the river from Bullhead City AZ where we live is a gambling/vaction/resort area right next to Lake Mohave and Lake Mead recreational area - we have gone to several concerts, and sporting events including Rodeos, Bull Riding, Monster trucks...

We've gone to Hoover Dam - Wow that is awesome sight to see. Amazing what they did so many years ago with out the use of modern machinery. 

We've been to Yuma AZ to visit family, (and saw the Yuma Territorial Prision- sorry no pictures), Phoenix AZ a couple of times to visit family and friends. And then local places to sight see and just familiarize ourselves with whats available to us. Laughlin NV, (right across the river from us)  Kingman AZ, Lake Havasu City, Needles CA, Golden Shores, Topock, Search Light. 
Along with our travels we've also been fixing up our home, new awnings and roof repair thanks to a very rare "Micro Burst" class one hurricane that hit us only a couple of weeks after we moved here.

All better and fixed now. They removed the old swap cooler that hadn't worked in years and redid the roof, and we had new awnings put up. And now we even have Chirstmas lights up. 

It took about 2 1/2 months before it was fixed. Lots of repairs in the area and in Phoenix so we were on a waiting list.  

We've also had plumbing repairs, so many that we are on a first name basis and thinking of inviting the plumber for a BBQ.   LOL   New gas lines, a new electrical box, and the list goes on. So  this week we finally did something cosmetic. We put in new carpet in the bedrooms and living room.  And new vinyl in the bathrooms.  Here's a peek of the carpet and vinyl together. 

So where does the sewing come in - well sometimes if feels like it has taken the back burner, but I have managed to accomplish a few things.  I've joined a guild and have been doing some charity quilts for it, along with some projects they have offered. Here is one of the Projects we did.  This is a Judy Niemeyer quilt pattern.
Tea Leaf Table Runner 

Then also I do a weekly Sit n Sew at the Local Quilt Shop (Fabrics Unlimited) and have been getting into some other classes through them.  I have been using the Tuesday class to work on some of my many UFO's, trying to work through them one at a time. And then I'm also trying to practice and work on my Free Motion Quilting. So I'll show some of that too. 
The Birds are applique then used my free motion foot practicing and adding some "thread play" to give them some detail. 

UFO's I'm working on currently: 

One of the other ladies that comes to the Tuesday sit n sew needed to get this quilt top finished and was having trouble and then got called away and had to leave for an hour or so. So the shop owner and I took her blocks and got them all sewn together for her while she was gone.  She was so happy and thankful for all the help.  :)  It's done in Halloween fabric. 

Next are my Doll Quilts for the Monthly swap that I haven't posted here yet:  

Other random things I've done in the last few 

months. 

Above is the 1st row of a baby quilt I'm making for my new great grandson who's going to be here in February sometime. This pattern was offered by AJ Padilla as block of the month.  And the wall hanging above it was also a pattern that I got from AJ Padilla.  

Below is a class I took at the local Quit Shop (Fabrics Unlimited) its a pattern by Toni Whittney. 

Below is a runner that I made from a Table runner book called "More of my Runners"  by Disa Designs  

I got it at my local Quilt Store:  Fabrics Unlimited Fort Mohave Az 

This only summarizes - both in life and in sewing but at least this catches up on the majority of what has happened in my first 5 months of retirement in my new home.  I'm hoping that now I can keep on top of these posts which and in turn will also keep me focused on what I want to accomplish. Which means that one of my next posts will be my plans and goals for the upcoming year.  

If you made it this far - thanks for stopping by and reading to the end.  

Blessings, Lynn