Blogger's Quilt Festival Fall 2010

I have blogged about this quilt before, but because it is my most favorite quilt, I just had to enter it into the Bloggers's Quilt Festival Fall 2010. It is so big, that it graces our king sized bed. I get to look at it, and sleep under it, every day. I truly love this quilt, and the beautiful batik colors in it. It is a pattern called Picture This from the Happy Hour book by Terry Atkinson.

I decided to actually take a class in order to do this quilt. I'd done some quilts before, but I had never taken a class, and I liked the idea of being in a class setting, to serve as motivation to "get 'er done." It was definitely worth it; I finished the blocks in the class. It just took me awhile to actually assemble them, and get them bordered. :)

This quilt is incredibly hard to photograph, in order to showcase its real beauty. I can say that, because it is the fabrics, and not my extraordinary quilting skills, which make this so beautiful! :) I think that, had I gone with the smaller version of this block, it might have photographed better. But it is still lovely to view in person, regardless.

This was one of the quilts that I rented time on a long arm machine to quilt.

It is done in a meandering free motion design.

I entered my second most favorite quilt, which was new at the time, and an original pattern, into the Blogger's Quilt Festival Spring 2010. But this red and brown batik quilt, even at that time, was probably still my favorite. So, of course, I had to show it here!

Make sure you go and visit all of the other really beautiful quilts; click the button to be directed to them:

One last photo.

Sock progress: Heel

I finished the heel turn. Next, the gusset. I'd hoped to finish more this past weekend, but a painful wrist cut down on the time I was able to spend knitting. Ah, well; onward.

Socktoberfest 2010

I don't think I told you about this...

I decided to participate in Socktoberfest this year. The goal of this month-long activity is to knit socks, as the name implies. So, since I have been knitting the same pair of socks for longer than I care to mention, I have decided that this will be the month that I finish these socks. (I have SSS--Second Sock Syndrome; I finished the first sock eons ago.) I will use time that I am in the car, either as a passenger (we have a road trip this coming weekend), or while I am waiting for my children during their lessons.

I'd show you a picture of my progress, but someone in my house has taken the card out of my camera.

Please; don't ask.


Don't. Even. Go. There.


Update:

I was just handed a card (not mine) that fits my camera. Again, don't ask.

So, here are some pictures:

I started them so long ago, I have to find the yarn tag details. AH; here it is! This is Lornas Laces Shepherd Sock Print Sassy Stripe 502 Yarn. If you know anything about knitted sock construction, you can see that I am knitting these socks on two circular needles from the toe up.

I am using the book More Sensational Knitted Socks, which I absolutely love, because it has so many options--knitting top down or toe up, knitting on 3 double pointed needles (DPNs), 4 DPNs, or two circs. Your yarn and foot size determine the number of stitches--you do not have to try to figure out how to alter a pre-determined pattern to suit your personal needs. Trust me; if I can use this book successfully, anyone can.

Here's the first sock, above.

Here's the second sock in progress. I've done the toe, instep, sole, and heel flap. I just need to turn the heel, do the gusset, then the leg and the cuff, and I'm done. Not much more to go. I even bought clear jelly boots for the occasion a couple of years back, just to show these puppies off.

I WILL finish these this month.

Totin' in style!

Aren't these just the cutest little totes ever?!!

My bloggy friend sent us these two totes. She calls them sandwich bags, but they are the most creative, most roomy sandwich bags I've ever had! Look at the detailed heart stitching up there, on the handles!

And here's a shot of the inside. Donut fabric! {swoon} My girls immediately claimed them and quickly whisked them off to parts unknown. I had to gather them up again to take these photos.

Thanks SEW much, A.

I got my brown bag!

Look what came in yesterday's mail!

All the way from Australia!

As you might recall from the last post, I joined a Brown Bag Quilt challenge. This is what my partner sent me!

Um...I think this is a bit more than 2 yards of fabric. :) Isn't she generous?!!!

There appear to be 9 quarter yard cuts:

And 24 charm squares:

Wow! And, these are supposed to be rejects?!!

Some of this fabric feels a bit heavier than the regular all cotton quilting weight fabric I normally use. But it still feels like all cotton, and very soft. I am already envisioning what fabrics I'll pull from my abundant stash to put with this...

I sent her half-yard cuts of each of these four fabrics:

I really and truly hope she likes it as much as I like her choices for me. Thanks, partner. :)

Brown bagging it

I will be brown bagging it.

I entered a Brown Bag Quilt contest. The idea is to swap 2 yards of fabric (4 half yards or 8 fat quarters) from your stash with someone. At least 90% of that fabric must be used in a quilt, combined with any amount of fabric in your stash, to create a quilt in the size of your choice. If you buy fabric, you may only buy one piece.

This BBQ (ha! love the acronym!) is being sponsored by the ladies over at Stash Manicure, who work hard to create quilts from their bountiful stashes, as opposed to purchasing new fabric, in the effort to reducing the amount of fabric in their personal stashes--and to encourage you to do the same. This is supposed to be a nice way of having an "ugly quilt" contest, they said. Actually, to be clear, it is a way of passing onto someone else some fabric you are no longer in love with, or are just not using and may never use. So, it's as if you are getting more quilt fabric for free--not only did you not pay for it, but you didn't even increase the size of your stash to get it! Like that!

I'll be sending my fabric to my partner tomorrow. Once she gets a brown bag from me, and I receive a brown bag from her, I'll share pictures of the fabric with you. This is one project I can justify, because it will ultimately mean more fabric out of my house!

Giveaway!

Win the cookie cutters that make these fabulous cookies! Go to Lisa's blog to enter!

Organization contemplation

I have been overwhelmed recently with my obligations. Quilting, therefore, is at a temporary standstill. I can't even sneak in a few minutes! So, during this time, I wanted to discuss with you some things I've seen regarding fabric organization.

I am a member of the Stashbusters Yahoo group, which is supposed to be dedicated to paring down and better organizing your stash. Today's daily email was of a member who'd done an intense reorganization in her sewing room. Then, totally unrelated, a little later, I read a fellow blogger's recent entry to her blog who'd done the same thing. Both had made use of a board-like item that they wrapped their fabric around.

So, I started digging a bit.

I saw this system at PolarNotions.com:

And I saw this similar system at TheFabricOrganizer.com:

They are fabulous systems! But a bit costly. So, I saw that the bloggers I'd mentioned above hit on an ingenious solution to produce the same basic result. They used Comic Book Backing Boards!

I'd never even heard of these; have you? But apparently they are a stiff board of some sort, and they are acid-free, so they are safe for your fabrics. And they are much more affordable. Who knew?!!

What about you? Have you heard of these? Or what do you use for your fabric organization system?

A new pin cushion!

Do you remember the Pincushion Pass?

Well, I got my pincushion!

This thing is HUGE--probably no less than 10" wide!

Doncha just love the tape measure sewn onto this? It's just fabulous!

And look at the little embroidered dressform!

Thank you, partner. I LOVE it!!!

Quilt Odyssey 2010 - Hershey, PA

I attended Quilt Odyssey last month. All I can say is, WOW.

There were far too many quilts being exhibited for me to get pictures of them all. But I did take quite a few pictures you can go to my flickr photostream to view the set. The photo above shows just one of several stunning quilts. Update: I have removed the pictures so as not to violate any copyright, etc. laws.

I chose to focus this year on prizewinning quilts. What is it that makes a prizewinning quilt a prizewinning quilt? I can't help but think that, at least in some small way, it is subjective, and depends upon who the judges are and what they want in a quilt--on that day. Honestly; some quilts that were passed up were beautiful, and no less breathtaking than the winners. But, I'm not the expert; the judges are, right?!!

I focused on these types of quilts at the show, because as my quilting group has recently been toying with the idea of holding a quilt show in the future, I came to the realization that I don't really create exhibit-worthy quilts. Now, I LOVE my quilts, and I think they're beautiful, but worthy of being in a show? Hmmm. This issue has given me pause for a couple of months now.

So, I have therefore begun to look at quilts differently, and with a critical eye. Certainly, every quilt can't--and shouldn't--be show quality. I believe very strongly in the utilitarian nature of quilts. All but two of mine (the antique one, and the white one that is my avatar) get used. And, besides, my children are still young, and I homeschool them to boot, so my time to quilt is limited. I not only love the clean lines of large block quilts, but they are ideal for my lifestyle, as they go together very quickly.

Yet, even if I do it one block at a time (the way I'm creating my string quilt), I have to try to eventually figure out how to slowly but surely create quilts from time to time that are worthy of being hung in shows. And, as I now have this goal in the back of my mind, I find that a couple of things have happened. First, I am more tolerant now of "traditional" quilting than I was before, and am beginning to like patterns that I didn't previously like. Second, I have to make an effort not to become discouraged about quilting altogether--since, you know, the kind of quilts I want to try to make take more time.

So, along with the busyness of life, this is a really good explanation as to why you have not heard as much from me recently. I love quilting no less than before. I have just had to, by necessity and through re-evaluation, take a wee step back.