Cheryl Lynch Quilts

Scrappy Quilt #3

2012-01-27T22:05:00.000-05:00

I brought a bunch of fabric with me to Key West that I wanted to use up. I made 2 scrap quilt tops for our house in the Poconos. You can see them here and here. I had one more quilt on my "To Do" list from this pile of fabrics. This quilt is for a community project in Israel. I am heading to Israel in a few weeks and wanted to bring a quilt top with me for "Quilts For Benji".

Men and women from around the world volunteer to join the Israeli army. In 1998, a young man from London named Benji Hillman came to Israel to join the army and then lost his life fighting to protect Israel in 2006. These young people leave their family, friends and country and are willing to give their life for the people of Israel. There is a group of women who want to show their gratitude and appreciation by making each of them a quilt for their bed in the army barracks.

So I still had a pile of fabric left from my the other 2 scrappy quilts that I made. Inspiration came to me on one of my morning walks here in Key West in front of The Banyon House. Check out the sidewalk.

Here is a close-up.

It reminded me of the pattern, "Yellow Brick Road", published by Atkinson Designs.

I made a quick sketch, decided to make it a 12" block and designated the size of all the pieces.

This became my cutting list. I also decided to make each piece the same color. For some of the blocks, I did not have enough fabric, so I used multiple fabrics of the same color.

This is a finished block.

This is what the blocks looked like laid out on the floor as a quilt. (I really miss my design wall.)

I intentionally used the gold fabric for the smallest piece and I really like what they did as the blocks came together. I was not so crazy about the big patches of blue.

So I added a corner triangle to each of the blue patches and liked that much better as the blue rectangles came together.

I only need to bring the quilt top with me. The quilters in Israel will make it into a quilt. It's really a win-win, because then I will have extra room in my suitcase to bring souvenirs home!

Wednesday's Wanderings

2012-01-25T05:44:00.001-05:00

Week #4

Key West has it's own architectural style of houses. Often they make me smile with their gingerbread detailing, simple style and pastel colors. Although they are not all painted pink or blue, they do have similar characteristics to suit the tropical climate. They are called conch (pronounced konk) houses since they were origianlly made from ground up conch shells. Although conch shells are no longer used in their construction, they typically have galvanized steel roofs, ventilating roof hacthces, window shutters and porches with an overhang. All of this "to beat the heat".

Here is a sampling of some of my photos:

This is a photo of my favorite breakfast spot, Blue Heaven. It's an outdoor restaurant with the best pancakes, all served with roaming roosters and cats.

I used fusible machine applique to create this block.

A machine blanket stitch was used to stitch it down.

I also used machine stitching for the porch railing.

The most fun was creating the palm fronds. I wanted them to be 3-D. To achieve this, I fuse 2 pieces of fabric, back to back. Then I cut it out. I only stitch the fronds down the middle to achieve dimensionality.

Where Else?

2012-01-22T06:06:00.001-05:00

On my morning walk, the other day, I saw the most adorable vehicle.

Where else, but in Key West?

Wonderful Wonderfil #3

2012-01-20T05:00:00.002-05:00

"It Takes A Village" is the 3rd piece that I created to showcase Wonderfil threads.

I use a heavyweight stabilizer such as Pelltex II to achieve unusual edges like the roof top shape. It makes the whole piece very stiff.

The pink leaves of this tree are 3-D. I only stitch them down the middle, leaving the sides of the leaves free to curl up and be leaf-like.

I used rayon thread (Splendor) to machine blanket stitch all of the little houses.

The buttons are tied on using an 8 wt rayon thread (Razzle). I use a drop of Fray Chek to keep the knots of this slippery thread from coming loose.

Since these pieces are decorative and not meant to be washed, I often use the foam letters from the craft store. Moat of them have sticky backs that help to keep them in place while I whipstitch them down.

Here's a close-up. I love using Dazzle. It's a heavyweight rayon thread with a strand of metallic thread that gives it a touch of sparkle.

I call these embellished triangles hanging down from the bottom, jewels. I usually add beads and/or charms to them. For this piece I also added some old keys to the bottom using Wonderfil's 12 wt cotton thread. (Thank you to my friend Barbara for giving me all those fabulous old keys.)

Wonderfil will be displaying all three of my pieces in their booth at a bunch of sewing and quilting shows both in the US and Canada. If you want to see the other 2 pieces, click: "I Love Paris" or "My Wish".

Wednesday's Wanderings

2012-01-18T05:42:00.000-05:00

Week #3 was inspired by two of the most popular sites to see in Key West - the sunrise and the location of the southernmost point in the United States. (I took a little poetic license here, because the sunrise is not visible from the buoy.)

People start lining up in the morning to have their photo taken at this unique geographic location. I am always amazed how polite and orderly we can be as a group of human beings. Everyone takes a turn and usually the next person in line snaps the photo.

Even Bailey and I got into the act.

And the sunrise here does not disappoint.

I spent a day using Lumiere paints to create the fabric for the sun rising over the ocean. I played with both dry and wet white cotton fabric, first painting the sky and ocean, leaving space for the sun and it's reflection.

I let this dry and heat set it and added the yellow paint.

I was not happy with the results. The paint just bled into the other colors, even though I heat set it. (I later read that there is a resist that you can apply to the fabric to prevent bleeding.)

This led me to creating the sunrise and the ocean separately and then creating the sun as a fusible applique.

I didn't really want to spend the time to recreate the buoy. My goal is to finish my block in a day. So I went shopping and bought this cold drink can cozy. It's foam rubber.

I cut out the buoy and whipstitiched it to the background. Why not?

Scrappy Strippy String Quilt Tutorial

2012-01-13T04:05:00.001-05:00

This quilt will fulfill my mission of having every bed in our mountain house covered with one of my quilts. My ultimate motivation was two-fold. The first motivator is that I am hosting a quilting retreat for a group of ladies in June. The second motivator is that we are hosting my son's wedding, also in June. Do we see a little over-commitment here? Of course - I wouldn't have it any other way.

String quilts are not new. They are a great way to use up strips and/or scraps of fabric. String quilts are traditionally sewn to a foundation of fabric or paper. I like to stitch them to fabric for stability and to avoid bias edges. When you stitch to paper, paper removal becomes a time consuming and messy step.

Part of my goal was to use up a bunch of my traditional; fabric as well as have the quilt fir that mountain aesthetic. To keep with that goal, I cut up lots of my fabric to use as the foundation. I cut 100 rectangles measuring 7" x 10".

Then I took a bunch of fabric and cut them into strips. I cut them without a ruler, varying the widths and not caring whether they were straight or not. I place a strip right side up diagonally on the rectangular foundation fabric. (Those words are from my ironing board cover.)

Then I placed another strip on top of the first, right side down and stitched it down with a 1/4" seam allowance.

After pressing that strip open, you can add strips on both sides of the existing strips. I do them assembly line style - usually 20 blocks at a time.

After covering the foundation fabric, it is time to trim.

I didn't find much shrinkage to the size of the block. I recommend using anything but a loosely woven fabric like a homespun to prevent shifting.

To trim, I first used the rotary cutter to trim one of the long sides. Then I aligned it with the lines on my cutting mat, to trim the other 3 sides.

If you want the diamond pattern, make sure that you make half of the blocks with the strips going diagonally to the left and the other half of the blocks with the strips going diagonally to the right.

After prepping all 100 of the blocks, I sewed them together in pairs and then sewed the pairs together to form the diamond.

And this is the finished quilt top. If your family likes a heavy quilt - this project is for you. The top alone weighs a ton because of the extra layer from the foundation fabric. I am thinking about quilting it without batting so I don't add any more weight. But I think it would look too flat.

And I just couldn't resist sharing this last photo with you. How could you not love a dog that can sleep with her head resting on the bed of your sewing machine?

Wednesday's Wanderings

2012-01-11T05:00:00.001-05:00

Here we are on week #2 of my year long project to create a block a week. I am still in Key West, so there is still lots of inspiration. I have received lots of feedback that you are enjoying the local color, so this week I will continue.

Bicycles are one of the most popular way to get around the island. You see both locals and tourists riding bikes. A lot of the locals ride bikes in lieu of owning a car. Bike riding is fun for us tourists and it alleviates the aggravation of traffic and trying to find a parking space for a car. There are bike racks everywhere. (Even though this is paradise, you still have to lock your bike.)

For the time we are here, I try not to get behind the wheel of the car. I am able to do this because my husband does all of the grocery shopping,. (VBG) I ride my bike for fun and to run errands. I have a folding bike that is a little strange looking with a very utilitarian basket.

And whenever I can, Bailey is my companion. She sits in that basket and checks out the scenery like a masthead. Every once in a while she turns around for a kiss and to make sure that I am still there.

Here she is in the basket with her ear flying in the breeze.

I used the big stitch and metallic thread to add the spokes.

And then I used free motion quilting to add the words.

Wonderful Wonderfil #2

2012-01-06T05:14:00.001-05:00

This is the second sample that I made for Wonderfil threads.

I really loved making this one because it included silk, lots of hand stitching and circles.

I call it "My Wish" - peace, love and happiness. What could be better?

I first quilted the dupioni silk background, that was layered with a low loft batting, with 12 wt cotton thread (Spagetti). I love the way you can really see the quilting. The circles were hand stitched with a whip stitch using Razzle, Dazzle and Spagetti. These threads added a little bit of bling.

The heart was fused and machine blanket stitched with a variegated rayon thread. I created the banner with rubber stamps and attached them with a sequin and a bead in each corner.

For the background, I used the chicken scratch stitch, which is so much fun, and Sizzle. I added seed beads to add a bit more sparkle.

I had a really hard time putting this piece in the mail.

Wednesday's Wanderings

2012-01-04T06:00:00.000-05:00

The first of Wednesday's Wanderings begins with the noisey and ever present rooster in Key West. Roosters are everywhere and they just don't crow in the morning.

They crow all day long.

And there is a law that you can do them no harm!

Some people love them. Some people do not.

So here's my block of the week, celebrating the Key West rooster.

A New Year Project.

2012-01-01T17:13:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year to everyone. First I want to share what it's like in Key West for New Years. then I want to tell you about my annual quilting project.

We have spent a few New Years in Key West. It has to be one of the wildest places to celebrate New Years Eve. I am getting too old for the craziness so I thought I would just do a short walk down memory lane (or Duval St aka Main St.).

The hottest spot for bringing in the New Year is in front of Bourbon Street Pub. People are packed in like sardines. Restaurant employees are throwing beaded necklaces off the roofs and porches of the building. As midnight approaches, a drag queen named Sushi, positions herself into the dangling red stiletto and is lowered to the street amidst other drag queens.

The next hot spot is in front of Sloppy Joe's where a huge Conch shell is lowered at midnight.

And last but not least, a wench is raised up the mast of a sailboat down by the water.

A couple of times I went out with my grown kids and we roamed the craziness. Last time we were here for New Years, my husband went out with me. That night I decided that was my last time.

And I'm sticking to it. So last night was movie night and leftovers.

But I spent today making a small quilt block. I am committing to making a block a week. I have been inspired by my wonderful friend Kelly, of Pinkadotquilts. She said I gave her the idea. frankly I don't remember. I find a need a theme to motivate me. My theme is "Oh the places I've been". At this point I am planning on it being a travelogue. This may change over time. But what won't change over time is that I will share a block every Wednesday on my blog. I am calling it Wednesday's Wanderings. At the end of the year I am going to put the blocks together to make a quilt that will reflect my travels for 2012.

You can guess that my first few blocks will be inspired by Key West. I am unveiling the project today to celebrate the New Year.

This measures 6 1/2" x 8 1/2"

I used silver beads ti make the illuminated numbers.

I invite you all to join me in this annual project. Pick your own theme. Use it as an opportunity to grow and try new techniques, but most of all to have fun.

Wonderful Wonderfil

2011-12-30T14:58:00.000-05:00

Wonderfil. - That's not a typo. Did it make you think of Lawrence Welk? Wonderfil is a thread company. I was thrilled when they asked me to make some samples for their booth to showcase their threads when they exhibit at sewing/quilt shows. They have a huge collection of threads. The thing that caught my eye immediately was the vibrancy of the colors. There is also quite a wide variety in fiber content and thread weights.

I stitch with thread both by machine and by hand. I use it to quilt, both by machine and by hand. I use thread both for utility and also as a design element. I also use it for embellishing. If I can thread a needle with it, I will sew with it. Needles are the key to making a thread "work". Many problems can solved by changing needles.

My first sample for Wonderfil is called "I Love Paris", just like the song.

The Eiffel Tower is the centerpiece and it is fused and machine blanket stitched with D-Twist.
The background is quilted by hand with the big stitch and a 12 wt variegated cotton.

Metallic thread was used to blanket stitch the fused letters. The polka dots are accented with clear seed beads. And a small black button dots the i.

I handstitched the vine design on black silk dupioni with hot pink Accent, 12 wt rayon and then added flower like beads.

The three fleur de lisles in the border on the right side are cotton fabric fused to a white silk background, blanket stitched by machine with a 40 wt rayon thread .

These little pieces are so much fun to do. I love adding the embellished top and bottom edges.

Final measurement: 11" h x 12" w

You can check out the huge variety of Wonderfil thread at their website:

http://www.wonderfilonline.com/

Design Dilemma Solved

2011-12-29T10:27:00.000-05:00

Thank you for all of your opinions about my scrappy quilt.

I have to tell you that my overwhelming desire to see what the orange peel blocks looked like butted together outweighed everything.

I really do love the circular pattern that is formed.

But I couldn't let the 9 patches go to waste.

I am not crazy about how the 9 patches worked out. It looks a bit old fashioned. I think when the quilt is on a bed and the 9 patches are the drop, it will look fine.

Scrappy Quilt Decisions

2011-12-27T19:29:00.000-05:00

You all may think I am just playing in the Key West sunshine and my sewing machine is still packed. I have been doing a lot of biking and walking and eating out, but I have also been sewing.

This is my set-up. My sewing machine is on a 4ft pretty stable folding table. It is placed right in front of a window facing the courtyard.

Of course Bailey gets as close to me as she she possibly can. If only I could teach her how to sew.

Sometimes she naps, but sometimes we both enjoy the view outside of the window.

My project has been a bit time consuming. I'm making a scrappy quilt for one of the beds in our mountain house. My goal is to make a quilt for each of the beds.

I cut out, fused and blanket stitched 288 leaves for half of the blocks for the quilt.

But I am getting ahead of myself. I brought a bunch of light and dark fabrics from home. First I cut up my light fabrics. I needed 72 - 6 1/2" squares and a bunch of 2 1/2" strips. So I ended up with 4 piles:

6 1/2" Squares

2 1/2" strips

Leftover scraps for another project

Trash

In addition to all of the off white pieces, I also cut 2 1/2" strips from lots of colored scraps. I then made 9 patch blocks - 70 of them.

This was the intended layout, alternating the 9 patches and the orange peel block. I thought I would see a diagonal movement throughout the quilt.

I like it but I couldn't help but wonder what if I put all of the orange peel blocks together.

I really like the way the blocks interact. The petals will touch once the blocks are sewn together and give a circular look. But what would I do with all of the 9 patch blocks? And I would have to spend days making more of the orange peel blocks. But I could combine them - someyhing along these lines.

I think I need to sleep on this. Any thoughts? I would appreciate your comments.

I'm A Sucker For A Bike Ride

2011-12-22T10:44:00.001-05:00

So what does a nice Jewish girl do on the 2nd night of Chanukah?

Last night combined two of my favorite things - Christmas lights and bicycling. The purpose was to tour the island of Key West to view the best decorated houses by bike. the organizers recommended that you also decorate your bike.

So I went to the dollar store and bought a few things. I turned a fluffy stocking into a hat for Bailey. I found this cool tie (for a dollar???) and added some foliage to my bike's handles. We were definitely ready for the ride.

I didn't take any pictures of some of the most creatively decorated houses because I was too busy trying not to fall off my bike or swerve into another cyclist. But in case you think I lost a few marbles on my drive down here, check out some of these other riders:

If you have not been to Key West, you can see from these photos, that anything goes here.

As we rode our bikes down the main drag (haha), Duval St, instead of being the spectators, we became the spectacle. It was a grand time. I can't wait until next year. In the interim, I have to find some of those battery powered twinkle lights.

Celebrating Hemingway

2011-12-20T20:17:00.000-05:00

We have begun our sojourn in Key West. It has been 2 years since we have been here. But thanks to good health, we are back. I am walking and biking and feeling great, as is my hubby. I brought lots of sewing projects that I will share as I go. But today, I want to pay homage to arguably its most famous resident, Ernest Hemingway.

My bicycle tour this morning (with Bailey in my basket), started with a visit to Papa Hemingway's house. He arrived in Key West in 1929.

His house has been made into a museum and is open for tours.

An interesting part of the tour is the cats. It started with one. The most impressive docents know all the names of the upwards of 40 cats. What is unusual about these cats is that they have 6 toes.

The cat population grew as these cats would leave the house and impregnate other cats on the island. So the city of Key West told the museum that they had to contain the them. This resulted in this wire grid above the brick walls to keep the cats inside.

Nearby Hemingway's house is a nice cafe type restaurant called the 6 toed cat. Two years ago they had a breakfast special that included $5 mimosas. I did not see that advertised this morning.

The most famous locale linked to Hemingway is Sloppy Joes. It is a restaurant/bar with walls covered with photos of Hemingway, his friends and the results of his fishing expeditions. We headed there for dinner tonight.

He spent a lot of time hanging out here.

The walls inside of Sloppy Joes are covered with photos and possessions of Ernest.

Including the photos from the annual Ernest Hemingway look alike contest.

I read that "his novel "To Have and Have Not", while not considered one of his better works (as a novel) represents an incredible "collection of short stories" that capture Key West during that time period". I'm going to put it on my book list. It would be fun to read it while here.

The 1356 Mile Project

2011-12-17T15:33:00.000-05:00

When going on vacation, the first thing I plan is what I am going to bring for handwork. Sometimes it is an easy decision. Other times I have to come up with a new project. I gather all my materials along with my designs, thread, needlecase and scissors and put them in a zip lock baggie. It becomes difficult at this point to not start the project until I am on the road. It is especially difficult if I am very excited about it.

The road trip that I just completed was from Pennsylvania to Key West, Florida - a total of 1356 miles. We planned it over 2 1/2 days so that we could have a short visit with my sister-in-law. There was a bonus while visiting my SIL. She asked if I would like to go see this house covered with lights. I don't think she knew how much this Jewish girl loves Christmas lights - the more, the better. Check this out:

The whole yard was fenced in. Families were waiting for them to open the gates so the children could wander around. We didn't wait.

For my project, I prepared all the applique and fused it to the background. It measures about 16"x20".

I used 3 strands of floss to stitch everything down through only a piece of low loft batting.

I am not going to quilt it since I am placing it under a piece of glass. I like using the batting to prevent my stitches from puckering.

The project lasted me 2 days. I did run out of a tiny little bit of cotton floss.

I love my little country houses. It will be placed in a glass topped night table in the Poconos. But I won't be able to do that until after the winter. I'll keep you posted.

Today is also the last day of The Blog Hop Party. I thank everyone for taking the time to visit my blog and my etsy shop to look at my dupioni silk. I have used a random number generator to pick the winner. The winner of a trio of silk is: Ariane. Congratulations! Your hydrangea colorway will be on its way as soon as I get your address. Look for my e-mail.

Also, to celebrate that I surpassed 200 Followers - yippeee! - I have chosen another winner that will receive one of my dupioni silk collections. The winner is: Peggy. Congratulations and what fun this has been.

Jersey Boys

2011-12-14T06:49:00.000-05:00

This was my early Chanukah gift from my husband.

We went into Philadelphia to a really nice restaurant and then went to see Jersey Boys. If you remember any of the songs by Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons, you have to go see this show. There was a smile plastered on my face the whole time. I so wanted to sing along, but I controlled myself. Do you remember any of these songs: Walk like A Man, Big Girls Don't Cry, Rag Doll, I've Got You Under My Skin? The list goes on and on.

You Have To Be In It To Win It!

2011-12-09T00:01:00.002-05:00

The BLOG HOP PARTY begins on Saturday, Dec 10th. It is going to be huge with lots of give-aways. I am posting this today to make sure that my blog makes the cut and is included in the tour.

Welcome to everyone that is visiting my blog for the first time as you participate in the biggest Blog Hop Give-away that I can remember. My blog focuses on quilting. I share techniques, inspiration and lots of photos. My work is eclectic and ranges from traditional to pictorial to modern to artsy. It runs the gamut. I love sharing what I have learned over the years. As I am writing this you have the opportunity to win something from over 250 blogs. That is huge.

And to all of my regular readers, I hope you take some time to visit some cool new blogs and win something. (Just remember, I want a finders fee. LOL) You need to visit the Quilting Gallery for the links to all the blogs.

To celebrate the opening of my etsy shop, Sewing With Silk, I will be giving away a trio of silk dupioni fat quarters. The trio includes my tips for working with silk as well as fusible stabilizer to "tame" the silk.

To be eligible to win the silk give away you must:
1. Become a Follower or be a Follower
2. Visit my etsy shop and choose your favorite dupioni trio colorway
3. Leave a comment, making sure you include your trio color choice and an e-mail address where I can contact you if you win.

A random winner will be chosen on Saturday, Dec 17th.

Join the fun and visit lots of blogs. Maybe you'll win something. Good luck.

Fabric Flags

2011-12-03T16:59:00.000-05:00

My son is getting married next June at our lake house on our dock in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania. His fiancee is a wonderful girl whose creativity knows no bounds.

She has lots of ideas for the wedding decor -tons of ideas.

I have walked with 2 wonderful women every morning for many, many years. They have schooled me about being a mother-in-law. They have tried to teach me how to mind my own business and the fact that the first call a daughter makes is always to her mother. I have 2 sons. (Hrmph.)

But sometimes I can't help myself and I have to try and help, which they may think is interfering. IOne son is already married.) Honestly, I am only trying to help. (Do you hear that girls? I know they read my blog.)

So Loren, my future DIL, mentioned she would was thinking about stringing fabric flags throughout the deck and the yard up at the lake for decoration. She has already bought fabric. I had some immediate ideas about how to do this in a quick and easy manner. So what follows is my way of not interfering as a future MIL, but just doing a little experiment!!

I made a template from a 4" x 5 1/2" piece of paper.

After folding it in half, I cut diagonally to form a triangular flag.

Then I prepared the fabric. I chose an assortment of orange and turquoise.

(You know who likes those colors.)

Rectangles were cut from each fabric that were about 9" x 6".

Fold it in half and press a crease line.

Then I ironed a rectangle of fusible web to half of the wrong side of the fabric.

Remove the paper and press the 2 halves together.

The next step was cutting the flags using the paper template.

I stictched around the 2 sides of the flag. I used this very cool trim to connect the flags. It was from one of my quilt guild's members who moved away. (Thank you Josephine.)

Look at the price! Can you tell how old it is?

Then, I inserted the flags into the fold of the trim and stitched.

So it looked like this:

My friend Kelly thought they would look good pinked:

And it did.

So I took them out in the yard.

And look who was looking at me, wondering what the heck I was doing!

The Auction Begins

2011-12-02T11:52:00.000-05:00

The newest auction for the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative has started. It ends Dec 10th.

My quilt (#8397), "Give Peace A Chance" from our quilt guild's challenge is up for bid along with Lorna Milano's (#8394) - another guild member.

Hurry up and take a look at all the quilts.

They would make great holiday gifts,as well as benefiting Alzheimer research.

http://www.benefitbidding.com/listings/categories/index.cfm?category=965774286

Friends With Benefits

2011-12-01T13:07:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was a get together with a group of my quilting friends. We were all excited to hear about Terry's trip to India. She went to an Indian wedding and had teased us with some photos in her e-mails. I couldn't wait to hear about the rest of the trip. She started with Show & Tell with all the beautiful silk shawls and a real pashmina scarf. Then she showed us the Indian clothing that the wedding couple had custom made for them to wear. (I wish I had thought to take photos, but I was too dazzled by it all.)
The photos that followed were just amazing, including one of Terry and her husband on a painted elephant. We had the added delight that Sujata of The Root Connection is one of our gang. Being from India, she definitely added some commentary and explanations that were so enlightening.

Our group has a tradition of gift giving during a nice holiday lunch after our guild meeting in December. If time allows, we try to make a handmade gift -sometimes edible. Terry had dropped some hints that her holiday gift this year was from India. I thought she brought us back a bit of silk or some type of Indian fabric. I was speechless when she gave each of us in our favorite colors (of course mine was blue), this:

And here are some close-ups:

Here are a couple more. Each of them are made from bits and pieces of saris. Can you see the yokes?

The embroidery is gorgeous. Every time you looked, there was another wonderful design.

I Just Had To Share

2011-11-27T19:47:00.000-05:00

The love of my life

No Shopping For Me

2011-11-26T05:30:00.000-05:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Here on the east coast of Pennsylvania, the weather has been just beautiful and unseasonably warm. So it has been easy to walk off that dinner. I have been busy in the Studio working on some holiday gifts and will share my projects soon.

I am so thrilled that my etsy shop, Sewing With Silk, has been featured by Sew Cal Gal on her blog in the Fun Friday category. You can still go visit and have the opportunity to win some free silk!

The Jersey Shore

2011-11-20T12:26:00.000-05:00

I just returned from a 2 day visit to Toms River, NJ and the Beachplum Quilters. This is an energetic, fun-loving group of ladies with a new and fearless leader. They have big hearts and do lots of community outreach. It reinforces for me, if someone needs a comfort quilt, ask some quilters!

After a well attended lecture Friday night, I retired to my hostess' house. Now I have been a bit intimidated about staying in a guild member's home. I am a terrible sleeper and get up around 3 AM. I prefer to stay in a local hotel. But I was wooed by the program chairperson, yes you Genny, to stay in the President's home. She told me I would have to make time to have a cup of tea and sit and enjoy the view of the water. Well I am a sucker for a water view. I slept in her amazing sewing suite, complete with a bathroom , a closet full of fabric, a comfy day bed and an amazing cat collection. This was my favorite. I am partial to the Halloween variety.

In the early morning, I took my handwork and settled into a beautiful sunroom with wicker furniture and stitched away with my waterview. For breakfast, her husband made blueberry pancakes from scratch. Yum. Thanks Ellen and Rich.

Saturday was workshop day.The ladies did a great job.

BTW, Rich makes the most gorgeous reproduction thread caddies and cabinets. This one is made from beautiful birdseye maple. I definitely could have slid one into my overnight bag, but my Mother taught me better! Check out his website to see a better picture.

This was my last gig until next March. I'll be taking some time to regroup and doing some fun projects and developing some new talks and workshops for 2013 and getting ready for my next book, Sew Embellished! to come out in April. I'll be posting my travel schedule for 2012 after the holidays.

Have a great Thanksgiving. I have so much to be thankful for this year including all of you that take the time to read about my adventures in quilting and my crazy sense of humor. Please keep reading.

Stripping with Friends

2011-11-15T08:00:00.006-05:00

I hope the title of this post doesn't result in it showing up in X-rated search engines. I spent the day with Sujata of The Root Connection and our gang sewing strips together. She invited us over for a day of sewing and lunch. We were only to bring our sewing machines and basic sewing supplies. She said she would provide the rest. What did she have in store?

There were beautiful baskets overflowing with fabric. Some of them held strips. There were solids and plaids and polka dots and brights and lights and darks. The big question was what were we going to sew?

Sujata shared her Snow Falling On Cedars top from a challenge. (Don't you love the leaves?)

And said this is what we are going to do. So we sewed and sewed and sewed all the strips together

and divied up the blocks.

Thank you Sujata.

Fun Baby Block Gift

2011-11-14T05:08:00.001-05:00

I needed a baby gift. I saw an adorable baby playing with a stuffed baby block with tags on a blog called Simplify . It is featured in the winter issue of Quilts & More . I did not have time to go out and buy the magazine, so I searched and found a bunch of different methods for putting the block together on the Internet.

I chose the steps I liked from a few of the blogs and added a few twists of my own. I always like to streamline projects by combining steps to make them easier and quicker.

It is easier to adapt someone else's directions. Here is my method.

Start with 7" squares of 6 different fabrics.

Quilt with a walking foot.

Embroider the baby's name or add a fusible letter or any kind of applique.

Trim the squares to 6 1/2" and lay them out in the shape of a cross.

This is the most important step and one that was present in everyone's directions. Mark the seam allowance in each corner, on the wrong side. I used a 1/4" seam allowance so my mark was 1/4" in from each side.

Choose an assortment of colorfast ribbons and rick rack and cut them to 4".

Sew 2 squares together with a 1/4" seam allowance, starting and stopping with a few backstitches at the mark in the corner. Include 1 or 2 pieces of ribbon in the seam. Press.

After sewing the 6 squares together in the shape of a cross, its' time to start making the cube shape. Continue sewing the sides together making sure you start and stop at the corner mark. Leave a 3" opening when attaching the last side. Stuff. I like mine loosely stuffed. Whipstitch the opening closed.

Welcome to the world baby Chloe. I think you will enjoy this in a few months.

Big News

2011-11-11T20:00:00.001-05:00

I have gotten so many e-mails asking me about my silk projects. The questions range from how to quilt with silk to where I buy my silk. I have shared my tips for sewing with dupioni a few posts ago. Now I want to make the silk available in quilter friendly amounts, aka fat quarters.

So on this auspicious day of 11-11-11, I am so excited to be opening an etsy shop, called Sewing with Silk. You can buy silk dupioni there in assortments with or without directions. You can use it to recreate my quilts or just to add a bit of elegance to one of your projects.

Click to come visit: Sewing with Silk

The Finished Silk Quilts

2011-11-10T14:34:00.000-05:00

I am ready to share the quilts I made from the dupioni silk. Each of the wallhangings I created were made from 96 HSTs, sewn from 6 fat quarters. After experimenting with different layouts, I chose the layout that I felt looked the best with each particular colorway.

This is the flamingo colorway in a zig zag pattern:

This is the jewelbox colorway in a barn raising pattern:

And this is the Rusty Nail colorway in a Straight Furrow layout:

I really love them all.

I also varied the quilting for all of the quilts.

The quilting was done with a walking foot, 1/4" on either side of the seams for the rusty nail quilt.

This was quilted with a free motion foot with these stylized kinda leaves.

And finally the Zig Zag quilt was done with a walking foot mimcing the zig zag pattern.

If you missed my tips for sewing with dupioni, you can find them here: Taming Dupioni Silk

I have some exciting news concerning these projects that I'll make in the next few days.

Double Duty Kitchen Gadget

2011-11-08T05:34:00.000-05:00

I have a friend who will not buy a kitchen gadget unless it she can use it for 2 things. I thought of her yesterday as I accidentally knocked my container of straight pins on the floor. These were the ones with the tiny little heads. They went all over and I dreaded the thought of spending the time to pick them up, especially the ones that ended up in the little cracks between the floorboards.

Then I thought of this little tool that I had just come across in a box of canning supplies.

It's called a lid lifter.

On the end is a magnet.

You can probably figure out the happy ending.

Destashing

2011-11-07T11:05:00.000-05:00

Most of you know what I mean when I say I am destashing. I had a bin of fabric in the basement full of Chanukah fabric. What am I saving it for? I almost never use this type of fabric in my Chanukah patterns/designs. So let's let it go!

My husband is the e-bay pro in my family and he always wants to get rid of stuff..... especially my stuff! We took the fabric out of the bin and measured it all. I panicked right before he wrote the listings. What if I have grandchildren and want to make them a chanukah snuggle quilt? So I grabbed back 2 of the larger pieces. The rest of it went up on e-bay yesterday. If you are looking for Chanukah fabric, click here . If you want to see more, go to my other listings.

Houston Happening and Lonni Rossi

2011-11-03T18:24:00.001-04:00

I ran into Lonni Rossi at Quilt Market. She is a fabric designer among other things. Her shop isn't far from my home. I have been there a few times. Lonni has always been friendly, gracious and generous. But this time she exceeded all of my expectations.

I was whining a bit that there was all this fabric at the convention center and none that I could go home with. She said come with me. We headed to the Andover booth and she asked one of the salesmen for a charm pack . He didn't have any. She asked person after person until she finally found one and handed it to me. I was pretty speechless that she went to all that trouble. They are squares of her newest fabric line that will be in the quilt shops in the Spring.

Lonni's new fabric line in a quilt

The charm pack

Inside the charm pack.

My favorite

So I had a little fun today and made a little quilt with all those 5" squares. I have been interested in experimenting with the magic circle quilt pattern. No batting, no quilting. Fun!

Houston Happenings Continued

2011-11-02T16:22:00.001-04:00

Houston is home of one of the most prestigious quilt shows in the world. There are lots of quilts and lots of special exhibits. Please forgive me for lack of artist attribution. There were just too many quilts.

Enjoy!

Kathy York's view of Central Park

Side view. It's 3-D.

3D House Exhibit by various quilters

Special Exhibit - Doll Bed Quilts

Barbara Barick McKie

Melinda Bula

Close-up

Terry Kramzar

Pat Durbin

Marilyn Badger

Close Up

Sharon Shaumber

Close-up

My quilt, "Filigree Fantasy" among others

Barbara Persing

Houston Happenings

2011-11-01T16:22:00.003-04:00

I returned from the wholesale quilt show in Houston last night. It was certainly a whirlwind 2 days packed with tons of new ideas, inspiration and friends. I was thrilled to meet many of the people from Martingale that I have worked with over the past few years working on my books. It was so nice to put faces with names. They also don't seem so intimidating now.

I spent the first day checking out the vendors. There were lots of fabric manufacturers with lots of booths and lots of tables for shops to order fabrics. The fabrics will be out in the quilt shops in the Spring. The booths were filled with samples of finished items from quilts to bags to iPad covers.

+

Since it was a wholesale only show, there was not much to buy. Most companies were just taking orders. I was able to score a few freebies. Lots of tote bags.

There also were a bunch of independent designers selling their patterns. Covers for techie gadgets were very popular. I was able to connect with a few thread companies. They were generous with their samples and one even wants me to make samples for their booth next year in exchange for free thread. Whoppee!

There were some new products there as well. One of my favorites is for embroidery, which I do a bit of. I really am a monogrammer. About 2 years ago I was taught the beauty of using spray adhesive for positioning a towel to embroider. I had been struggling with hooping due to the thickness. Your hoop gets pretty grotty with all the spray adhesive and lint. They invented a plastic molded shield to keep the adhesive from gumming up the hoop. The simplest things are the best. What I also like is that she manufactures them in the US in her hometown. The distributors want to know why she doesn't have it done in China because it would be so much cheaper. Because her gadget is so popular, she has given the local factory a lot of work and is proud of it. (www.econceptmall.com)

A bunch of publishers were there. The magazines in particular are looking for projects to publish. One even had a daily get together to encourage designers to contact them. So......... if you ever had a desire - look for their submission guidelines in their magazine.

Options was a great booth with lots of really cool products for storage. (They also make tackle boxes for fishing -Plano).At 11 and 3 each day they gave away a bunch of stuff via a business card drawing. I didn't win anything. On the last day of the wholesale show they were going to hold a drawing and give away all the stuff in their booth! Awesome.

Elephants are hot. Lots and lots of fabric with elephants on it.

This stuffed elephant was in the booth of Valeri Wells.

The Olfa booth was giving away these rubber erasers. And you ask for what? They said it would remove any threads and bits stuck in your rotary cutter mat. What a great idea, I tested it when I got home and YES! it really works.

Tomorrow I'll share some photos of the most magnificent, meticulously constructed quilts exhibited at the show with many, many special exhibits.

Blogger's Quilt Festival: Fall 2011

2011-10-28T09:39:00.005-04:00

I love this quilt. It is my favorite quilt of all time.

I live outside of Philadelphia. In my travels through the countryside, there are lots of small farms and stone houses. I have always wanted to live in one of those stone houses and have a small flock of sheep so that I could shear them and spin the wool. But it was not meant to be.

So the next best thing was to make a quilt about my dream farm. I call it Willoway - A Folk Art Farm.

There is lots of hand embroidery from the garden to the leaves on the weeping willow. It wouldn't be complete without the presence of our 2 black labs that are no longer with us. One of my favorite elements is the round bales of hay which I made from pearl cotton. I enjoyed adding the top and bottom border from pieced stars.

There are lots more quilts to see in this virtual quilt show. Go to the Blogger's Quilt Festival by clicking HERE for links to hundreds of others. You can enjoy quilts the whole week long. The post will be up through November 4th. There are so many bloggers out there that are making great quilts. This is an opportunity for lots of people to see their creations.

I will be heading to Houston on Saturday to go to Quilt Market. I am excited and nervous at the same time. It will be my first wholesale market. I will get to meet all the people at Martingale that I have only met via e-mail. I hope to take lots of photos and share some of the latest and greatest that will be coming to your local quilt shop in the near future.

In the meantime, enjoy the quilts!

A Gift To Myself

2011-10-26T20:29:00.000-04:00

To celebrate the ark curtain installation, I bought myself a gift.

102 spools of the most beautiful, shiny Sulky rayon thread, 30 wt.
I feel like a kid who just got a new box of crayons. The biggest box.

New Silk HST

2011-10-25T11:25:00.000-04:00

Three is the magic number. This is my 3rd final colorway of silk HSTs.

This colorway reminds me of flamingos.

My next step in this project is to choose my favorite layout of the 3 different colorways. I have named them Flamingo, Jewelbox and Rusty Nail.

I will share the outcome once they are pieced and quilted.

See if your favorites match mine.

Jewish Ritual Textile Art

2011-10-22T06:00:00.002-04:00

Lots of non-Jewish quilters have approached me lately to share with me that they have created a Jewish wedding canopy (chuppah) or a prayer shawl (tallit) or a challah cover. It's usually for a friend or a grown child that is marrying someone Jewish or a grandchild that is getting ready for a Bar or Bat Mitzvah. There are some Jewish needlework guilds where sewists can share information. There are lots of people making Jewish fabric art. Let's share it.

For a while I have been thinking that it would be helpful to many people of different faiths to have a place where people could share their creations by posting photos. It could also serve as inspiration and education for others.

So I started a Flickr group. The purpose of this group - Jewish Ritual Textile Art- is for us to share our creations. The photos would be available for everyone to view. I started by posting some of my own work. I hope lots of people follow. So post a photo. Tell anyone and everyone. Let's get some
photos up there. Here's the link. There's no strings attached.

Jewish Ritual Textile Art (JRTA) Virtual Gallery

Ark Curtain Installation

2011-10-20T19:39:00.000-04:00

Today was an exhilarating and glorious day. Today the silk dupioni ark curtain, "Enlightenment" was installed at Temple B'Nai Israel in Easton MD. My heart swelled with pride as I hung it in the ark - where the torahs are kept. It is such an honor to have my work as the centerpiece for this synagogue's most precious possessions.

The ark with the doors closed

This is the original ark curtain that is 60 years old. It is navy velvet with lots of stitching with metallic thread. The fringe is also metallic. The handwork is amazing.

The new ark curtain, "Enlightenment".

Shopping At Harbor Freight

2011-10-20T07:10:00.000-04:00

Have you heard of Harbor Freight - quality tools at ridiculously low prices? It is the first time ever that when I told my husband I was going shopping, he said he wanted to come. I had heard about a couple of items that I could use and I just had to check them out. I am here to report - SUCCESS!!!

#1 Rotary Cutter Blades - $1.99 for 2. Yes! They fit my Fiskars and were beautifully sharp.

#2. Plastic Storage Container - A large container filled with many smaller ones. I love these for my beads.

Design Wall - Gotta Have It

2011-10-18T06:16:00.000-04:00

All of the layouts in this post and the previous post were done on my design wall. If you think they look wonky, it's because they are not sewn together, just placed on my design wall. A design wall or something resembling it, is such a big help when you are creating your own quilts. I have quite a large one that spans the length of an entire wall of my studio. But yours doesn't need to be that large. I covered three 4'x8' sheets of insulation with light grey felt. People also use flannel or polar fleece. Some people also use white or black. The advantage of using these types of fabric is that cotton or in this case silk, sticks to it. I also use the sides of mine as a bulletin board/filing cabinet! I pin important papers, design inspiration and pattern templates. If I filed papers away, I would never find them again. When I am working on a large project, or run out of space, I do a clean-up. It looks like I need one soon.

Here's a photo:

And here's another colorway with silk HSTs. Keep in mind that I have taken 96 HSTs and just rearranged them.

Taming Silk Dupioni

2011-10-13T14:07:00.000-04:00

Silk Dupioni is beautiful fabric with a shimmer.( I believe that is imported from India, as opposed to silk shantung which is from China.) Somtimes it is woven with a different color silk thread in the warp and the weft. That gives it a beautiful iridescence that results in a fabric that changes color depending on its orientation. The downside to dupioni is that it has a fairly coarse weave. This results in a lot of fraying. I have had lots of requests about how to deal with these issues. So here are my tips/tricks for working with this gorgeous fabric.

1. Silk dupioni needs to be Dry Cleaned. NEVER wash dupioni if you want to preserve its beauty and sheen. Here is a photo of an unwashed piece on the left and a washed piece on the right. (I have to insert a disclaimer that these are not the same fabric.)

2. Use a NEW blade for your rotary cutter. It is so important that you give yourself the gift of a new blade. I know that so many of us use that blade until it just won't cut any more. You must have a sharp blade. If you don't use a sharp blade, the silk will fray and you will be frustrated.

3. If you want to make pieced quilts, the dupioni needs to be stabilized. I do this with a fusible interfacing. The interfacing should be as lightweight as possible. I cannot always find the interfacing that I am looking for so I have a tiered level of choice. I prefer a woven fusible. My 2nd choice is a fusible tricot interfacing. My final choice is a featherweight non-woven interfacing.

4. The trick to getting the fusible interfacing to adhere to the dupioni is steam, but not from your iron. I use a damp press cloth (really a piece of one of my quilting cottons). First place the silk on your ironing board. then place the interfacing on it, fusible side down and then lay the damp press cloth on top. Then with a hot dry iron, press. (you should hear a nice sizzle.) Hold it for 10 seconds and then move to another spot. Do not move the iron around in an ironing motion. This step is time consuming and tedious, but so important.

5. Fusible applique - My method for fusing silk is ever evolving. I was not happy with many of my combinations until now. I found this great new fusible web called Shades Soft Fuse. I have found that if I use the fusible web alone - WITHOUT INTERFACING - my appliques don't fray! (I have no affiliation with this company. I just love their product.)

Silk Half Square Triangles

2011-10-10T16:17:00.000-04:00

I chose 6 of the silk dupioni fabrics from the previous post. I used a fat quarter of each fabric and was able to make 96 half square triangles. Half square triangles are extremely versatile. Using my design wall, I created the layouts below. I haven't decided yet which is my favorite.

In the next few posts I will share the special techniques I use for working with silk.

Foliage & Fabric

2011-10-09T09:51:00.000-04:00

Fall is my favorite season. I love the changing colors.

I find that the season really influences my fabric choices.

Check out the fabrics for my next project.

Lovely silk dupioni!

Finally, Getaway Details

2011-10-06T16:49:00.001-04:00

It seems like forever that we had a quilting getaway in the Poconos. This was one of the few times that I drove up myself. Well, not exactly myself - I had my trusty companion as my co-pilot.

Driving alone. I certainly had time to chill and reflect. The leaves were just starting to turn. In a couple of weeks they will be amazing.
Usually I bring up one quilt to design and work on. Everyone else is power sewing away and I just plod along, feeling a bit unfulfilled. This time I decided to join the crowd. I made a bunch of small projects.
So here's my list:
1. Breast cancer pillowcases for our local hospitals. I made 4. You can find directions here. They fit a travel size pillow.

2. Casserole carriers. I made 2. You can find extensive directions and tons of photos on the 2 Little Hooligans blog. I used Insulbright to help the casseroles stay warm during transport.. I lined the carriers with a contrasting fabric.

3. One beaded bracelet for my quilt guild's December auction.

4. Tallit commission. This was a great project. A neighbor called and asked her if I would do this for her. It was her idea and I just love it. A tallit is a prayer shawl that some Jewish people wear when they go to synagogue. (Thank you Chrisitne for modeling.)

The first time that one is worn is for their Bar (boy) or Bat (girl) Mitzvah. It is quite an emotional and powerful event. ( My son wore his grandfather's threadbare tallit for his Bar Mitzvah.)
My neighbor called and asked if I could transfer photos to fabric and line her nephew's tallit

with photos - photos of loved ones - some who are no longer alive. I just love the idea, that during this important occasion, you are wrapped in love. This is a great project. I would do this again (hint.hint) and I don't say that about many commissions.

5. Then I started working on this wonky silk dupioni wallhanging. It is a bit too wonky for me. I have it on my design wall and I am just not sure what I am going to do with it. Any thoughts?

Getting all of these projects done was extremely gratifying.
I have to share with you some of the projects that my friends were working on. Jane was also working on a commission. I have to say she was doing a great job trying top make a silk purse out of a sows ear. A man wanted her to make 3 lap quilts from his deceased mother's clothing. Most of the clothing was wild housecoats/mu mus.

Bailey was the only one that liked them!

Terry made a soldier's quilt. The top border is bunting and it has this great aged look.

Kelly is always the queen of many projects, but I forgot to take photographs. Christine really did power sewing. She finished all the braids for 2 queen size quilts.

Always a nice time with friends.

Quotable TV

2011-10-05T03:12:00.000-04:00

As many of you know, I am a TVaholic. It keeps me company during the many hours that I am sitting at my sewing machine. Tonight, I heard a quote that will stay with me forever. The show was Castle, a murder mystery show. "Rejection isn't failure. Failure is giving up. It's how you handle it that determines where you end up".

The best advice I was ever given was not to give up and keep trying. My book was rejected by the first publishing house to which it was submitted. I was grateful that the next one said yes. It has opened so many doors for me.

So on those bad days, when someone makes you feel like your quilts ( or ..... fill in the blank) are inferior, don't give up.

Almost Finished

2011-10-03T18:48:00.001-04:00

The ark curtain is almost finished. The last step will be to do a "fitting". Yesterday, I worked on my favorite part. I added the donor..

I cut out fusible letters from silk dupioni and finished them using a blanket stitch with Sulky thread.

I just love doing the blanket stitch with my machine. It is very gratifying.

And The Winner Is.....

2011-10-03T13:31:00.000-04:00

Betty Alofs , you have won a copy of "Sew The Perfect Gift". It's a great book and I'm sure you will have lots of fun.
I'll e-mail you for your address. Congratulations.

NJ Applique Workshop

2011-10-02T12:13:00.000-04:00

I had a wonderful day yesterday teaching my workshop on machine fusible applique. It's called Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Machine Applique. I designed it as a sampler project and I share the traditional methods and some fun ones.

It was held at a wonderful quilt shop in Haddonfield, NJ called The Little Shop. The owner, Debbie, carries an assortment of clear, modern fabrics as well as wool and lots of unique patterns and notions.

The quilts on the wall are some class samples.

While I was driving there, I passed an exercise studio that was advertising itself as a bootcamp. I realized that this class is really a bootcamp for fusible machine applique. By the time the students are done they have been exposed to every technique and can then decide which one(s) is their favorite. There is no resting!!

This is my demo of the 3-D applique. I cut out a funky little tree out of scraps to show them how to add the leaves.

The following photos are the actual tree.

I love seeing how everyone's blocks look like based on their fabric choices.

Surprise! Look What Arrived In The Mail

2011-09-30T05:00:00.001-04:00

A package was waiting for me when I returned from my quilting getaway. (More about that tomorrow.)

I opened it and was thrilled to see Sew the Peffect Gift. It has just hit the quilt shops.

There was not just one copy, but 2 copies. Martingale wants me to give one away on my blog! Yippeeee.

It is packed with 25 projedcts that make terrific gifts. I was thrilled when they invited me to submit a project for this book.

My project, "Heartfelt Journal", is a journal cover made from felted wool. It is sized to fit one of those marble composition notebooks. Everytime your recipients writes in it, they will think of you!

Here are some of my favorite projects:

So if you would like a copy of this brand new book, make sure you are a Follower, leave a comment and a way for me to contact you. I will pick the winner on Monday.

A Sweet New Year

2011-09-28T17:49:00.000-04:00

It's the start of the Jewish New Year. The High Holidays are the most important days in the Jewish calendar. It starts with Rosh Hashanah and ends with a day of fasting ten days later on Yom Kippur. It is a time of reflection, atonement, forgiveness and hope for a year in which we do better next year than we did last year.

My wish to everyone, whether you are Jewish or not, is to have a year full of sweetness and may we all be better people in the coming year than we were last year. I know I am going to try.

L'Shana Tova. Happy New Year.

Bookbinding Bonanza

2011-09-24T18:09:00.001-04:00

It's always a good thing to freshen your creative juices. Today was that type of day for me. I took a bookbinding class in Philadelphia at the Bella Forte Studio. Since I love to make fabric books, I thought that I could learn something new and apply it to what I do.
Bridget Morris is a wonderful and generous teacher and a gifted bookmaker. She opened her studio, taught us how to make 2 different types of books and shared her supplies and equipment. Her studio is located in an old building that has been retrofitted as artists' studios. There are about 12 other artists in the building. The owners live on the top floor.

Bridget's studio was full of lots of interesting stuff. This cabinet with all those drawers was our first peak into the materials we should be using.

With drawers labeled with these words, one could only imagine. I was filled with anticipation.

But when we opened the drawers, OMG!! Talk about eye candy. We were told to pick paper for 2 books. It was sooooo hard to choose just 2.

But I finally did. (I restrained myself from changing my mind several times. ) This was for my Japanese bound book. It is gold silk screened on a vegetable paper.

This is the other one. I chose it for the accordion book.

These were the bin of ribbons to choose from.

First we made an adorable accordion book:

Next was the Japanese bound book. I couldn't wait to use that metallic copper scroll paper. And I chose a contrasting fabric for the binding.

Letter type for embossing our intitals on the Japanese bound book.

Bridget operating the foil initial embosser.

My book cover with my initials in copper foil. (Can you hear me squealing like a 5 year old?)

After folding the paper for the inside of the book, off to the drill press.

Here are everyone's books:

And here are mine

Cathedral Window Therapy

2011-09-20T18:26:00.000-04:00

I think I need therapy. I am hooked on Catherdral Windows. For those of you who are not familiar with Cathedral Windows, it is a quilting pattern that entails folding and sewing a square of fabric, usually muslin, several times and then inserting a colored piece of fabric, i.e. the window. I have never had an interest in making a Cathedral Windows quilt. I mean never. It is just a little old fashioned for me, and yet not old enough to be interesting. I hope I am not offending anyone, but I just had no interest. Until now.

Loren, my future DIL, has needlework in her blood. Her grandmother does lots of wonderful sewing projects. Last year I was the happy recipient of one of her Make Do pincushions - a wool crow one. For Christmas she gave Loren some quilt blocks she found in a consignment shop in Ohio. One set was a group of feedsack blocks. The other was a stack of 10 Cathedral Window blocks. Loren decided that this year she would surprise her grandmother and regift the cathedral window blocks back to her as a finished project. She figured I would help her because surely I know how to do all things quilty. Hahahahaha! (Talk about pressure.)

So through the beauty of the Internet, I googled cathedral windows and found some tutorials. The one that helped me the most was:http://hyena-in-petticoats.blogspot.com/2007/08/cathedral-window-quilt-tutorial.html. This blog also modernized the look.

I wanted to complement the fabric that was already in the windows and at the same time give it an updated look. Loren shopped a bit and picked out some modern fabrics. I checked my stash. The fabrics were just not speaking to me in combination with the floral that was already there. After many trials and errors, nothing was working. That's when you know you have to change course. It was time to abandon the plan or modify it. The original blue fabric needed to be eliminated. It was not hard to take out and replace.

Loren said that purple was her Grandma's favorite color. I happened to have a bundle of Lonni Rossi's assorted pueple fabrics.

I am almost halfway done. Now it's Loren's turn.

!Quilt Fiesta! at PNQE

2011-09-15T17:39:00.000-04:00

I had so much fun hanging all of the quilts from !Quilt Fiesta! at the Pennsylvania National Quilt Extravaganza in Oaks, PA. Yup, that's right - an exhibit of all of my quilts. I should really say - supervising the hanging of my quilts. It was so cool to see the behind the scenes workings of a big quilt show. Can you tell that it was a surreal experience for me?

My friend Kelly and I headed over to the exhibit hall after our wonderful Alzheimer Quilt Challenge. The Mancuso organization, who run the show, could not have been nicer. We pointed, they hung - all 20 quilts. I can't tell you how exciting it is to have so many people being able to see my designs. And I am doing a book signing on Friday from 1-2PM at Bitty Kinna's booth and on Sat from 1-2 at Steve's Sew N Vac's booth. If you go to the show, stop by and say hi.

WOW!

My helper!

Let's Raise Money For Alzheimer's Research

2011-09-14T20:29:00.001-04:00

Calico Cutters Quilt Guild has an annual challenge. The last few years we have tried to structure it so that not only do we challenge our members but also raise money for a worthy organization. This year we chose the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative (AAQI) as our beneficiary. The quilts could have any theme, but were supposed to be 8 1/2" x 11". They were displayed at today's meeting. People had the opportunity to purchase them with the proceeds going to AAQI. The remaining quilts will be sent to AAQI and sold at the International Quilt Festival in Houston at the beginning of November. The mini quilts were just amazing. 48 of them all together. Take a look at what some of our talented members created:

A Happy Hattie Day

2011-09-13T16:54:00.000-04:00

Today was a Happy Hattie Day. What is a Happy hattie Day and what is the origin of that saying? I have a wonderful friend named Hattie. Every once in a while she spends the day doing only the things she loves like baking or sewing. Then she tells me that she has had a Happy Hattie Day. Since I can't think of an expression using Cheryl to impart that same joy, I now talk about having a fun filled, no strings attached day, as my Happy Hattie Day.

After dropping off the ark curtain to be quilted, I decided this was the day. I have a list of fun projects for just a day like today. A couple of them I picked up at the bead show. I do love beads. I decided to make what we quilters would call a scrappy, beaded expansion bracelet. Lime green is my favorite color, so I gathered green, white, and clear beads and some charms.

This is the expansion bracelet as I bought it.

There is a slot underneath each of the ridges. There are 3 rows of them.

To make the bracelet you just need a round nosed pair of pliers, head pins and lot and lots of beads.

You attach one bead at a time with a head pin.

The head pin keeps the bead from falling off the metal wire. I turned the bracelet on its side and attached the beads a row at a time, continuing in one direction.

Finished in less than a day.

Ark Curtain Part II

2011-09-11T15:31:00.000-04:00

Many of you have been asking me how the ark curtain is coming. For a while I could not answer that question. Now, I am happy to say that it is coming along well. I finished the right half today and put the 2 sides together.

Ta Da!

I am thrilled with how it has turned out, so far. The silk has such a beautiful sheen.

It measures 75" high x 64" wide

I really needed my deodorant as I squared up each side before I put them together. I could not have done it without these pattern maker weights.

I don't remember who gave me to me, but I had two. I knew one day they would come in handy for something. They are deceptively heavy and they did not budge as I pulled and tugged the curtain.

I made the decision to give it to my friend, Barb Persing for quilting. She is an award winning long arm quilter. I think this piece deserves the type of creative quilting that she can do.

Tips For A Quick Quilt Label

2011-09-09T15:28:00.000-04:00

Often I am asked about how I create my labels. I have gotten pretty good about putting a label on each quilt as I finish it. It is because I have devised a process that works for me. I prefer to attach the label to the quilt backing before the quilt is quilted, so the label cannot be removed. It is pretty easy and quick. It is takes me less time to make a label than write this post. I use my word processing program (Microsoft Word) and fabric sheets that are pre-treated for putting through an inkjet printer.

Step1. Print the label
Open your word processing program and type, at the minimum your name, date and where you can be reached just in case your quilt gets lost. Then add any other info you want included, especially if it is a gift for a special occassion. I also add a photo or piece of clip art. In this case, I included the tile that inspired this quilt. About 2 years ago, I decided to add what type of batting is inside. I can then see how a certain type of batting acts over time. After printing follow the directions that come with the pre-treated fabric. Trim the label with a 1/4" seam allowance and remove the backing paper.

Step 2. Frame out the label
Cut a strip of fabric 1 1/2" wide. Cut 2 strips equal to the measurement of the top and bottom. Sew it on with a 1/4" seam allowance. Press open. Measure the distance from top to bottom and cut 2 strips for the sides. Sew to the sides and then press open.

Step 3. Prepare corner triangles
Cut 4 squares that measure 2"x2".

Step 4. Sew the squares to each corner
Position a square in each corner and sew across it diagonally.

Step 5. Press open to form the triangles
aligning the edges of the square with the label.

Step 7. Trim
Using a roatry cutter and a ruler, open the triangle and trim the fabric 1/4" from the seam.

Step 8. Prepare For Applique
Cut a piece of paper backed fusible web such as Heat n Bond or Wonder Under the same size as the label.

Step 9. Fuse
Iron the fusible web to the back of the label following the manufacturer's directions.

Step 10. Trim
Trim the label so that the side borders measure 1". This will ensure a good seal on the edges.

Step 11. Fuse
Remove the paper and fuse the label to the right side of the quilt backing.

Step 12. Stitch
Stitch around the label. I use a blanket stitch. You can also use a top stitch, zig zag or any type of decorative stitch.

Step 13. Finished

And The Winner Is.....

2011-09-08T15:51:00.000-04:00

The winner of Volume 2 of Art Quilt Masters is: Terry Kramzar.

Terry - Please contact me so Lark can mail you the book.

Congratulations!

An Amazing Art Quilt Book Giveaway

2011-09-07T03:00:00.002-04:00

Lark Crafts is an amazing book publisher, located in North Carolina. Each and everyone of their books is full of photos of whatever it is that they are showcasing. They make you drool. Topics of their books range from quilts to handmade books to Judaic crafts. I must admit that I own quite a few of their books. And the bonus is that these books, that really are eye candy are so reasonably priced for what you get.

Art Quilts Vol 2 of MASTERS - Major Works by Leading Artists is their newest publication. And it does not disappoint. I wish that I could tell you that I was one of the artists - but I am not. But what I can tell you is that I am part of the book blog tour to help promote the book. You may have been to some of the other blogs. I am near the tail end. So it is going to be one of your last chances if you want to win a book. Leave a comment and become a Follower. Make sure you include a way for me to contact you if necessary. I will pick a winner on Thursday, September 8th. I will post the winner here.

There are still a couple more blogs to visit where you can win a book. Check them out:

9/8 Deborah Boschert-http://DeborahsJournal.blogspot.com
9/9: Brenda Gael Smith-http://serendipitypatchwork.com.au/

Evolution of a Quilt Design

2011-09-04T17:21:00.001-04:00

This is a tile that I brought back from a trip to Barcelona, Spain. It was a gift from Benedicte Bodard who rescues these tiles from dumpsters. You can't see it but this 8" tile has about 1" of cement on the back. I brought home 3 tiles from the trip. To say it was a challenge to transport is an understatement because with the cement the 3 tiles weighed about 20 pounds! To deal with the airline weight restrictions, I schlepped it in my carry on.

I was contacted by the magazine, Quilt Life to write an article about using tiles as design inspiration for quilts. They requested a quilt that was not in !Quilt Fiesta!, so being the glutton for punishment, I said "Sure, I can do it". I chose this tile because of its sentimental value and I thought it would give the quilt a nice diagonal movement. Even though this tile says "craftsmen" to me, I decided to use fabrics that were jewel tone batiks in a variety of purples, blues and teals.

This was my initial interpretation, but when I multiplied it and created my virtual quilt top, I thought it looked a bit plain.

So I added the purple designs on the sides.

I liked it better, but thought the design looked dark (ignoring my horrible photography).

So I added the teal to brighten the dark purple. It worked.

Since the chosen fabrics made it what I would call a limited scrap quilt, I wanted to try and keep from having too many of the same fabrics touching each other. After I positioned the blocks on my design wall, I used sticky notes on each block to delineate the row and column. Lately I find myself getting distracted during construction and these location notes help me to keep all the blocks where I intend them to be.

I very rarely buy fabric for the back of my quilts. I try to use what I have. This keeps me from having to buy more fabric. I use up what may be left over from the top. Sometimes I find myself in a rut always working with the same colors. When using up these scraps from the current and maybe some previous projects, it forces me to work in other colors.

I am having trouble coming up with a name for this quilt. If you have any suggestions, I would love to hear. In the meantime, you'll have to wait to see the finished quilt when it is published, probably in a winter issue of Quilt Life. It's a great magazine. You'll love it.

Beads, Beads, and more Beads

2011-08-20T19:38:00.000-04:00

I had a plan for the day. I did a bit of housework, then I was heading out to Beadfest, the largest bead show on the east coast, to do a little shopping. Then I was going to get in what has become my summer exercise - biking and then swimming. Where I bike is right near the location of the bead show, so my plan was perfect, or so I thought.
Well, after 4 1/2 hours at Beadfest, I called it a day. I missed lunch and my feet were done. But look what I bought. Woo hoo! I can't wait to do some embellishing.

I love the disk type beads. I put them on my pieces laying them flat and keeping them in place with a seed bead. This is the first time I have seen the triangular beads. They will look great hanging off the bottom.

Presents? I love those rhinestone flowers.

This is some very funky stuff. Ooooh.

Metal charms.

Those are fresh water pearls. Aren't they gorgeous?

These dyed shell beads offer quite a bit of color options.

This is where I store ALL of my beads. It's a plastic file case and it's portable.

I use these plastic screw containers for the larger amounts of beads. I organize them by color. Of course there is a preponderance of blue!

I also have one of these "books" that fits inside of the file container.

This is what it looks like inside. I use it for smaller amounts of beads.

Recharging

2011-08-19T05:17:00.000-04:00

I always find myself heading to Lancaster County to recharge. I definitely needed a day out of the studio after the stress of the ark curtain. For now I will try to forget that I have to make the other side.

This is a great time of year to travel the back roads. Look at this wonderful farmstand that we always look for. Check out the prices.

My husband is the chef in our house. He could not pass up a box of assorted tomatoes for $3.00. It must have weighed at least 10 pounds. He is going to have a busy day tomorrrow. I requested a roasted tomato basil soup!

And while we were out that way, who couldn't pass up a visit to a couple of quilt shops. I did have an excuse. I need to make a quilt and soem blocks for a magazine article. But who needs an excuse anyway?

Amish Meets Faux Farm Girl

2011-08-17T20:39:00.003-04:00

Faux Farm Girl loves to go to the mud sales in Lancaster County in the spring. The sales are held to raise money for the local fire departments and at the same time, the locals can make some money. There are multiple auctions all taking place at the same time - horses, quilts, crafts,etc.

Faux Farm Girl loves everything fabric and everything Amish. This year she bought 2 tops at one of the quilt auctions. She passed them on to me and my job was to return to her finished quilts. I gave them both to my favorite longarm quilter, Susie Racobaldo.

To see more pets on quilts, click here. You can even win a prize!

Stressful Sewing

2011-08-16T19:21:00.000-04:00

I have spent the last month working on an ark curtain for a synagogue. When people ask you how long it takes to make a quilt, it is not a simple question to answer. First I spent a week coming up with designs and doing my best to draw them on paper with colored pencils. I have to say that my artistry with fabric far exceeds my drawing talent. I warn clients from the get go. Fortunately the people choosing the design were familiar with my work. I made torah covers for them last year. You can see them here.

I spent a day in NYC in the garment district and came home with $300 of dupioni silk. I love this silk. It's got shimmer and it's got texture. It is just plain gorgeous.

Then I spent 2 weeks deciding how I was going to construct this curtain that measures 60"Wx77"H. I realized that it was so much easier to make colored pencil lines and not so easy to figure out how I was going to sew 1 1/2" strips of silk into radiating lines. After a few false starts, I decided to construct it on a foundation of lightweight interfacing in 2 pieces that would be joined before quilting.

Then I spent 1 1/2 weeks constructing half the curtain. I never perspired so much before during a quilting project, and it wasn't because the A/C was broken. I was sweating because I was so worried and nervous. Choosing lightweight interfacing as a foundation was not a good choice. It stretched and distorted as I added the strips. I couldn't see the faint lines I drew as my pattern after I finished my first section. And if you are wondering if you would ever use a protractor again after HS Geometry, guess what I used to draw my rays? You can actually download one from the internet.

So I am not going to sugarcoat this. I finished the left side and it will need serious blocking and squaring up. This is what it looks like now.

Am I looking forward to making the right side? Hell no! Mirror image? I don't think so. But I will try my best. I will keep you posted.

Local Talent

2011-08-11T06:57:00.000-04:00

This is what my house looked like at 6:30 this morning. We are getting a new roof and the guys start early to beat the heat. We hired this company because they have this amazing contraption that they lift up to the roof for catching the old shingles as they are removed. Creativity takes many forms!

And yes it was noisy. So it was a perfect time to leave the house for a quilt guild meeting. Last month, Terry Kramzar was our speaker. Her talk, "Inspired By Adventure", focused on how her travels inspired her amazing quilts. After her talk I was ready to pack my bags and head to the Grand Canyon. You can see more of her amazing pieces at: www.TerryKramzar.com

This month Sue Reno was our speaker. She showed a bunch of ways that she transfers images to fabric. Nature is a huge source of inspiration for her.

Sue is from Lancaster, PA. She started documenting the renovation of an abandoned department store that was transformed into the Lancaster Convention Center. You have been inside this building if you have been to the Lancaster AQS quilt show. These photos became the topic of a series of quilts. This is one of my favorites. You can see more of her quilts at: www.SueReno.com

Oops - Recipe correction

2011-08-03T08:59:00.000-04:00

Is this why I am banned from the kitchen??? Too much salt, too much pepper. If you were thinking of making the Chickpea Dip, go back and review the corrections.

Sorry.

Heirloom Tomatoes

2011-08-02T10:12:00.001-04:00

I remember the exact moment that I fell in love with the heirloom tomato called Brandywine. I was out to lunch with some friends who are foodies at this little restaurant that is located in an amazing garden center. So you can imagine they had local and fresh produce on their menu. I ordered an heirloom tomato salad. It was the best tomato I have ever eaten. The foodies told me it was a Brandywine.

On my way home, I stopped at the produce market and bought a couple of these Brandywine tomatoes to bring home for dinner. I was hooked. My husband balked at what I spent, but enjoyed them nonetheless. That was 3 years ago. Today they are the staple of our summer diet. My favorite lunch is toasted English Muffin, with a schmear of chickpea dip, a big thick juicy slice of tomato and a dusting of fresh grated cheese.. Yum. Fast, easy and delicious. Tastes like Summer.

The dip is an adaptation of a white bean dip recipe from a friend. My personal chef, aka my husband, provides me with an endless supply.
Chickpea Dip/Spread
1 Can chickpeas (also known as garbanzo beans) - drained and rinsed
1/4 C Olive Oil
1/2 tsp Salt*
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper*
1/4 C (loosely packed) fresh flat leaf parsley leaves
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 Garlic clove
* Amended - These are the correct amounts
Place everything in the food processor, except for the oil. Pulse on and off until the mixture is coarsely chopped. Add the oil in a continuous stream with the processor running, until the mixture is smooth. Add extra salt and pepper to taste if needed. Refrigerate. We have also found that it can be frozen. It is also delicious as a dip for carrots.

And I had to treat myself to flowers from the growers market. Carnations? I'm not sure. The stems, leaves and buds look like them, but those flowers? Anybody know?

e-Patterns

2011-07-30T13:41:00.000-04:00

My future DIL is a master knitter. She was a yarn sales rep when my son first met her. The knitting world has an amazing website, www.ravlery.com, that contains everything about knitting. It lists blogs, patterns and tutorials. When it was first launched, you had to be invited to be part of the community. (Check it out if you like to knit.) Loren was invited and was very active. She had a blog and was known as the Surley Purler. Life has moved on for her and she has found that working a more than full time job, running a household and having a fiance leaves little time for blogging and knitting. She has found a bit of time for quilting with her future MIL - hooray!

Last week, when she was machine quilting her quilt (see previous post),we were chatting and she wanted to know why I didn't have my patterns available to download. She told me there are many times she comes across a pattern, likes it, and downloads it on an impulse. Who has the time? I told her when she leaves her full time job, she can come work for me and she can upload my patterns to be sold as e-patterns. Hahahahaha! (I didn't tell her that I couldn't pay her.)

So you know when someone puts a thought in your head and it vegitates and ruminates and grows? And I recently received a newsletter with a website that my friend had mentioned. I checked out PatternSpot.com.
It is an amazing place. You must check it out. It is the ultimate in immediate gratification. I don't know how many patterns are listed, but one of mine has now "joined the club". Search for menorah.

Loren's First Quilt

2011-07-27T19:54:00.000-04:00

This photo was taken in April 2010. The start of Loren's first quilt.

And this photo was taken today:

Way to go Loren - my future DIL.

And Happy Birthday!

An Interview With American Patchwork & Quilting

2011-07-26T16:25:00.000-04:00

I was interviewed by Maria Charbonneaux of American Patchwork & Quilting a few months ago for a column called Global Perspectives, which is on the last page of their magazine. It is in the October issue, which believe it or not should be available any day.

Well, Maria and I had so much fun chatting, that there was just too much to include in the magazine. She just published what didn't fit on their blog and you can read it here:
http://www.allpeoplequilt.com/blogs

Houston Here We Come

2011-07-25T08:58:00.000-04:00

The International Quilt Festival is the largest quilt Show in the US. It is held at the George R Brown Convention Center in Houston and over 60,000 quilters attended last year. It takes a few days to see the entire show including the competition quilts, special exhibits and vendors. (Oh I love vendors.) Your brain gets overwhelmed with all the sensory input.

I am proud to say that my "Filigree Fantasy" quilt will be hanging there this year. It was inspired by all the beautiful wrought iron doors and balconies that I saw on a trip to Barcelona.

It measures 63" square and I machine quilted it. It will be amazing to have it hanging next to some of the most beautiful quilts in the world. Click on it for a larger image.

In addition to my quilt being at Houston, our guild's Alzheimer Challenge quilts will also be there. And they will be for sale along with a bunch of other Priority Alzheimer quilts. Woo Hoo!

Need a Printer For Fabric?

2011-07-17T19:26:00.001-04:00

Many quilters ask me which brand of printer I recommend for printing on fabric. I have only one recommendation - Epson with DuraBrite ink. Why is it my favorite? Most printer inks will wash out. The exception is Epson's DuraBrite ink. This makes it suitable for printing on any cotton fabric. Another plus for the Epson printer is that there are 3 separate cartridges that comprise the colored ink.

I just had to share this. There's a great sale going on now. Epson Stylus NX420 Inkjet Multifunction Printer that uses this permanent ink is on sale at Staples or on-line for $59.99. Normally it's $99.99. It is also wireless. You can't beat that price. I bought one to save as a back-up.

Dupioni Silk

2011-07-16T21:52:00.000-04:00

I love dupioni silk. It is made in India and has the most beautiful sheen. It also has slubs that give it a wonderful texture. It is a little tricky to work with. One of the keys is a new, sharp rotary cutter blade. Sometimes it needs to be stabilized with a woven iron- on interfacing, but this is not always necessary.

I have been commissioned to make an ark curtain (parochet) for Temple B'Nai Israel in Easton, MD. (The ark is where the torahs are kept.) The design was just approved. It is my summer project. The curtain will be made completely from dupioni silk. So the first step for me was to head to the garment district in NYC to buy my palette of silk. The curtain is 5' wide and over 70" high, so I need lots of it. I ended up buying 23 colors. Doesn't it look yummy?

My next mission was to have a slice of NYC pizza. I grew up on Long Island, NY. Because my Mother kept a Kosher home, I had never tried pizza until I went out to eat with friends in high school. What kid doesn't like pizza? I loved it. So to me, NY pizza is the best pizza anywhere. I haven't had a slice in a really long time. Although I was tempted by a "designer" pizza, I chose to stick with real pizza! ( Forgive the exposure please - it was dark.) It did not disappoint. I wish you could smell it. I am drooling as I write.

It's often intimidating to start a new project, especially one of this size and importance. So today I finally prepared the fabric foundation and started cutting the red silk into strips. There are 4 different colors. It looks like tagliatelle to me.

Stay tuned to watch this project come together.

Kopel Gurwin

2011-07-14T08:49:00.000-04:00

My friend Kelly of Pinkadotquilts sent me a link to a blog she follows. She thought a particular post might interest me. She really knows me. I was introduced to the late artist, Kopel Gurwin and I am mesmerized by his work. So thank you to Kelly and Brenda. You can find Brenda's post here:http://scrapsandstrings.blogspot.com/2011/07/mid-century-textile-art.html
She found a piece of his work at a local synagogue. She has some wonderful close-up photos. You can see them on her blog.

Kopel Gurwin's work, not only interests me because of the Judaic theme, but because he created his textile art from felt using a hand blanket stitch. He was born in Poland in 1923 and survived imprisonment in concentration camps during WWII. He lived in Sweden for a few years and then immigrated to Israel. He studied art in Jerusalem at The Bezalel Academy of Art and Design. He was a painter and a graphic artist. Felt tapestries with biblical themes became his means of expression. He died in 1990.

The next piece that I found was on ebay. It is a Jewish wedding canopy. I happen to have a huge interest in wedding canopies right now because I am planning on making one for my son's upcoming wedding. I love the idea of being married under the image of these birds kissing entwined in a heart. Gurwin's use of Hebrew letters as part of the design also fascinates me.

The Sound of Joy, The Sound of Gladness, The Voice of the Groom, The Voice of the Bride.

Here's another piece:

You can see these next 2 pieces at The Lions Gallery:

King Solomon

Virgo

Here's another e-bay find:

David and Jonathan

This last tapestry was created to celebrate Israeli Independence in 1968 and was used to create a celebratory poster. The lions represent Israel.