Quilt Show - Part 1

Last week there was a quilt show in town. Here in Utah, we only have one big one per year, and it’s always in May. It’s called the Utah Sewing and Quilt Marketplace. A couple years ago Cousin Kim and I went to check out the quilts and listen to the keynote speaker, Jenny Doan from Missouri Star Quilt Company. We had our picture taken with her too (although I didn’t publish the picture). This year Jenny Doan was in town again, but she was down in Utah County (Lehi) at some other shindig.

Anyway, Kim and I needed a Girls Day Out, and this was just the ticket. We spent about 3 hours there walking and walking (and yet my Fitbit was not impressed. Fitbit should give you bonus steps when the floor is concrete, don’t you think?) But I digress....

So this post is Part One (of Two) of some of the quilts I snapped. And it really brings home the point that I need a new phone/camera SOON. Yeah, the operator could probably use some lessons, too.

This triptych really caught my eye - and apparently lots of others’ too, for there were lots of people milling around it. It was called “Fountain Green, 1906”.  Fountain Green is a small town in Utah, and the quilt information included a picture from that date.

Here is the three-part, 3-D quilt.

Hopefully you can see from the (blurry, sorry) detail shot below that the picket fence opened and closed and the quilts were handmade. The kite string and tail were 3-D too. It’s called stump work, and in needlework refers to work done off the piece and then added. Those tiny quilt blocks on the quilts were varying sizes, just like the eye would see them if they were actually blowing in the breeze. 

As usual for a quilt show, there were lots of sponsored exhibition themes. One that I really enjoyed were the mini-quilts (wall hangings) that were inspired by U.S. National Parks. There were three categories - Flora, Fauna and Landscapes. Here are my favorites (with information tags for each):

Landscape:

Flora:

Fauna:

The sea foam around the whale was tulle and organza.

And then there was the quilt awarded Best of Show. When I took the picture of the information card and ribbon, it was before it was awarded Viewer’s Choice as well. I hope you can click on the picture and read the information. The quilt contained over 15,000 pieces and was four years in the making.

Here is a two picture detail collage:

Not overly impressed?  Well, those are just pictures OF THE BACK!!!

Shall we look at the front?

There are no words to describe this quilt (except crazy maybe?) Definitely someone’s lifetime masterpiece.

Moving along, I LOVED this quilt:

On a final note, Kim and I wore our good walking shoes and dressed comfortably (jeans). I also had on a Missouri Star Quilting Company t-shirt that I picked up there a couple years ago. Well, it was surprising (to me, anyway) how many times I was stopped by people asking me if I worked there. No, I don’t, but I’ve been there; they sell these t-shirts there.  The kicker was a vendor who stopped me and said “We have one of your quilts hanging in our booth!”  I was puzzled and said that she must have me confused with someone else. Then she pointed to my t-shirt and a quilt that was made from one of MSQC tutorials. (really?) Anyway, we got a chuckle out of that after I explained it to her. I’m just really glad I didn’t wear my old Grateful Dead t-shirt.

In the next post, I’ll try to finish up the rest of my favorites from the show and show you some of the goodies I bought.

But I’ll leave you with one last quilt picture. Look familiar? This was hanging in the Handi-Quilter display area where the concession vendors and dining tables and  chairs were. There was no attribution; I believe it was just to show off their machines’ abilities. Anyway, we know this is the free Geese Migration pattern by our dear Cynthia Brunz of Quilting is More Fun Than Housework.

In the Pink

It’s been a week of glorious weather here - and so much to do. I didn’t get too much sewing done other than to finish up the fusing of Groovy Guitars (see post HERE), and sew a few pink blocks for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge’s May color. But there is lots more pink scrappy goodness over at Angela’s RSC linkup. 

So, let’s begin. I have so many pink scraps. Last year I didn’t sew enough of them up, and with adding to them all year I have quite a bit this year. Even my selvages were bulging. So, I was able to make 15 selvage blocks that will finish at 6” square. Plus I still had enough left over to make 3 - 4.5” blocks for some future use (not pictured).

See those really, really wide pink selvages? Those were given to me by Sally over at The Objects of Design. Her supervisor Molly must’ve directed her to cut them generously because I’m the hu-mom of her furry friend Darla. 

Then I worked on the Linked Squares Blocks. I always try to do these first (-ish) because they need larger pieces. Sometimes the larger pieces limit my choices, but overall I was pleased with how they turned out this month.

Even with a flash, my camera seems to take lousy pictures, but maybe they’re slightly better on an individual basis. Mental note: get a new phone/camera before leaving for Africa in July!!

I've touted Pattern Jam many times here on my blog. It’s a free platform for designing quilt patterns using basic blocks in the size of your choice and then calculating the yardage required. Last year they closed down, but were bought up and restarted earlier this year. It was fun to participate in design contests (and win fabric!). And I could use it to figure out patterns to use based on fabric lengths in my stash.

Anyway, with the transition, all my old patterns were lost (except the ones I’d already saved on my own computer), but I have been interested in a pattern of pinwheels and half-square triangles that I’ve seen on Pinterest and Sally’s blog - a pinwheel and HST combination. I wanted to find out a size combo that wouldn’t require measurements in the eighths-of-an-inch (note: fruitless). 

So, I played and came up with Pinwheel Parade, which happened to become the most popular (based on likes or saves or something) pattern of its week in April. Then it became the most popular pattern for the month in April. What does that mean? Absolutely nothing! But it’s sure fun and colorful to look at! Anyone can save, resize and remix this pattern as they wish.

The kicker is that even though the pinwheels and HSTs finish at 4”, the initial cutting is in odd sizes. HA! Never mind; I’ll be rounding up to the nearest whole number after all.

Today cousin Kim and I are going to a quilt show here in the Salt Lake Valley. I’ll do a separate post of pictures later on (hopefully!). Then tonight my son Ryan and his wife Kim and kids are coming over for dinner.  

Ryan, Lauren, Kim (Easton not pictured)

Kim (daughter-in-law Kim, not cousin Kim) and Lauren and I are the three that are going to Kenya together in July. It’s official. We’ve made our reservations and will be talking and sharing plans tonight!  

May Sewing Goal for OMG

It’s time to link up once again to Elm Street Quilts monthly goal setting link party for OMG - One Monthly Goal.  

For May, my goal will be to finish this baby quilt for our daughter Stacy, who is expecting their daughter at the end of June or early July.  This is the status of the project so far. All the blocks are sewn, and I’ve decided to go with a plain white sashing instead of the wild gray and white print I’ve shown in previous postings. There will be colored cornerstones to tie it all together. The first row and the g and h from the second row are all sewn, and it’s looking good. Naturally, after the top is finished, I’ll need to layer it, then quilt and bind it. Although I probably won’t work on it until the second half of the month, it should be a piece of cake to finish. 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * 

In other news at our household, my brother Steve left today, after 9 months and one week of living with us. He is on his way to check out possible living scenarios in Grand Junction, Colorado and down through Arizona to the Lake Havasu area where he lived for 4 years prior to staying with us. We wish him well! But naturally, we are thrilled to have our privacy (and quiet) back. Once Steve finds where he wants to settle, he’ll be back again (we estimate in about 1-3 months) for a week or two to pack up his stuff and move. We have a storage shed full of his stuff, plus his hot rod in the carport and some furniture in a spare bedroom.

Bruce and I are planning to replace the two front bedroom windows in the house this year (then there is only the one window and the screen door in my walkout basement studio to replace next year). Once the windows are replaced, I will repaint the ceiling and trim (only) in the yellow guest bedroom and shampoo the gray carpet in there. That carpet is curiously more gray since Steve lived there; he was in and out so much and he never took off his shoes like I nagged asked begged him to. I won’t have to be sweeping and mopping floors as much either! YAY!! Anyway, I see a yellow and gray quilt in my future for the day bed in there!  :-)

Today is Bruce’s birthday, and we spent the day out at garden nurseries picking out roses and a trumpet vine for our back garden wall to fill in holes along the back that have needed plants for a couple years or more. We also bought another rose tree for our front porch area, several perennial shade-loving shrubs (including a hosta) for our front planters. It was sunny and beautiful. Then we had a Barnes & Noble date (coffee, magazines, checking out books) and walked over to our favorite restaurant for an early dinner. We’re home now, and since it’s still early evening, I promised I’d bake him a batch of his favorite oatmeal raisin cookies. 

Life is good!

Under the Wire for my April Goal

Whew! Here it is, 5:30 pm (Mountain Daylight Time), four hours until the deadline for finishing my OMG - One Monthly Goal. And I finished! YAY!!!  My goal for April was to get the top of my husband Bruce’s “Groovy Guitars” (a pattern by Robbie Joy Ecklow) cut, placed and fused. My goal-setting post was HERE.

I'm very pleased with the primary and secondary colors I used. Bruce wanted bright on black, and boy do these colors sing! Or should I say they “play” well together! I’m so full of puns today!! Probably because I’m doing a happy dance at getting this beast moved along to the next stage.

Right now I’m waiting for special polyester thread and finer gauge needles to arrive before I can move on to the next step - machine appliqué. I learned so much about this from my friend Angela at Quilting on the Crescent. Thanks for the great post, Angela! But all those tuning pegs and assorted other dots (64 of them total) will be hand appliquéd. The appliqué will be a goal for June so I can work on another project for my May goal.

So, I’m linking up to Patty at Elm Street Quilts for the April OMG Finish. Come see all the wonderful finishes!

Also linking up with Linky Tuesday at Connie’s Freemotion by the River. 

Wrapping up Yellow

Let’s talk yellow. I was able to get in some good sewing time this week, but it was all on two specific projects. First though, let me recap the yellow blocks I sewed for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge’s April color of the month.

Top Row, L-R: 10 selvage squares, 6 (4.5”) bow ties; 4 (6.5”) blocks for AllUNeedisLove

Middle Row, L-R: 6 Noon & Light 9” blocks, 3 Squared Away blocks, 12 6.5” Qtr Log Cabins

Bottom Row, L-R: 6 crumb blocks, 4 yellow birds, 3 Linked Squares blocks

Total Blocks: 54

I also made 32 yellow flying geese units for the AllUNeedisLove quilt, but haven’t counted those because they are just units, not blocks.

And in weight loss, I lost a grand total (hold on to your hats) of a half pound in April. Still walking, still riding my bike and still watching what I eat. But obviously, not as conscientiously as I should be. Life will get easier when I can go back to cooking for just Bruce (after my brother leaves). 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Groovy Guitars, the quilt I’m working on for DH Bruce is coming along nicely. I’ve got about seven or eight more pieces to fuse, plus several little dots for “tuning pegs”. It’s possible that I could finish this today or tomorrow and squeak in just before the end-of-the-month deadline for my April One Monthly Goal (OMG). The goal was to get the top cut and fused.

And I may or may not continue with this project for May (the hand and machine appliqué). I need to add a border, and am torn between using the bright scraps in piano-key fashion or just finding a suitable red, which is Bruce’s favorite color, to border it with. The Utah Quilt Shop Hop is May 30-June 2, and I’ll be hunting for that fabric then if I decide to go that way. So, I may select a different project for my May OMG.

That OMG project is likely to be this ABC baby quilt. The working title of this project is “AB Baby”. I had a math teacher in 7th grade named Mr. Abrahamson. We called him Abey-baby (not to his face, although he was cool and probably would’ve laughed). This quilt made me think of that. Yes, my brain works in mysterious ways.....

I am so in love with these blocks! The pictures do not do them justice. They are so sweet and whimsical. The picture above shows everything just pinned up on the design board. My goal for this week was to get halfway through the alphabet, and I actually did more than that.

Some close-ups:

The fabrics are mostly from various collections of Tamara Kate, with a few other fabrics thrown in here and there.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

This week I was also able to meet up with Emily from Em’s Scrap Bag. She runs Quilty Hugs for Happy Chemo, one of the charities for Hands2Help. Hands2Help is a great online international charity organized and run by Sarah at Confessions of a Fabric Addict. 

Anyway, Emily was kind enough to meet with me last Wednesday and a passerby was kind enough to take our picture. I donated six quilts; four of which will go for Quilty Hugs and 2 smaller ones which will go to Primary Children’s Hospital (where my friend Terri and I donate our baby quilts). 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Grapes along west patio, 2006 

Garden-wise, it’s been another busy week of working in the yard. The new drip irrigation is installed in the raised growing beds. The weeds have been pulled everywhere (for now), although I still have an area on the west side of the house that has a lot of grass to pull out where it’s invaded the flower beds. But everything else is spiffy; the lawns are thick, weed-free and nicely trimmed, the flowers and bushes are all cleaned up and dead-headed from last year and we are ready to plant vegetables. 

The only concern is that last fall my brother cut back the four grape vines along the west side of the patio to within an inch of their lives. It looks as though three out of four are still (barely) alive, but they won’t be producing anything this year. My brother thinks he knows more than he does about everything gardening. Anyway, since the grapes shade the patio from the afternoon sun (see the old picture, above), we are going to have to come up with a plan B to make the patio habitable in the early evening. The apricot tree will provide some shade, so that might have to do. I have hung some cute solar firefly lights (a gift from one of my friends) along the lattice and could always stitch up a canvas valance or something. I’ll just have to wait to see how it goes. 

After we plant the veggies this weekend, I’ll focus on visiting nurseries for flowers for my front entry Talavera flower pots plus some other landscaping items I’ve wanted for awhile - more roses and perennials. We are members of Red Butte Garden and I’m looking forward to their annual plant sale in a couple weeks.  

The first half of May will be crazy. My brother Steve is leaving for Arizona this week and Bruce’s birthday is also this coming week. Plus over the next two weeks there are dentist appointments, a graduation, two charity sewing meetings to attend, a family gathering and the aforementioned plant shopping and garden work. My sewing time may grow scarce for awhile!

Following the Yellow Block Road

It’s been another busy week here. Our weather has varied from snow one day to rain to high sixties (F) all in the same week. We’re supposed to get into the mid-seventies for a couple days next week. I can’t wait! Bruce has the garden beds all tilled, mulched and the drip irrigation about ready to go. We will likely plant at least the early stuff in the coming few days. The more tender things will have to wait 2-3 more weeks.

This week I finished up my yellow blocks for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge (visit our link-up at Angela’s blog, HERE) by stitching 12 - 6.5” (unfinished) quarter log cabins:

Six 6.5” crumb blocks:

And four blocks (also 6.5” unfinished) that will go into the All You Need is Love quilt:

And I finished quilting Geese Migration!! This pattern is by Cynthia Brunz, and it is so much fun! Geese Migration finished at 52x64”. I quilted it with loops, and when it was washed, the texture was just amazing!  I think the gray sets the colors off really well. This quilt is #3 on my Finish-Along goals for the 2018 Quarter Two, which you can read about HERE.  By the way, those columns really are vertical - that bump near the top left area is the quilt holder’s head or some other body part. Sheesh, it’s hard to get good help these days, hahaha.

Geese Migration is my final quilt finish for Hands2Help. All my quilts will be going to Emily at Happy Chemo up in Centerville. We weren’t able to meet up last week because she was traveling to teach, but I’m hoping we can get together this coming week. I really don’t want to have to mail 5 quilts. Anyway here is the back. It’s a combination of a spring green batik that I bought last year (but not enough, obviously), along with a Tula Pink remnant for the sides.

Cousin Kim was over last week to sew, as usual. The week before I had quilted her latest quilt for her and then she sewed on the binding. This fabric was a layer cake of something that we both bought from Missouri Star Quilt Company about a year ago unbeknownst to the other. I have a different pattern planned for mine, but I love how her pattern shows off the lovely prints and colors.

We auditioned several backs, but we both agreed that this old vintage sheet was the cutest, softest and overall best.  Kim is keeping this quilt for herself. Congrats on a great finish!

And I have been working on my April OMG project. The goal is to get the top of Bruce’s guitar quilt all cut out, placed and fused. This is where I am after a couple short work sessions on it:

There are more parts to add to what is here so far, as well as two more guitars that will expand the quilt out to the left of the green guitar. But it's progress! And other than struggling just a bit to get pieces to fit where they’re supposed to fit, I haven’t had any issues (so far, knock on wood) with reversing things. My brain is humming along in “drive" instead of neutral or reverse. One everything is in place, things will be tweaked and trimmed to make lines more flowing, etc. Then it will be properly fused and I’ll begin the buttonhole stitching around each piece. That ought to be a barrel of fun (do you hear the dripping sarcasm?)  But first things first. Since this piece, “Groovy Guitars” hasn’t earned my wrath this week, it is saved from Time Out. It's still on my design wall and will be getting more attention this week.

This week I also cut out most of what I need for the granddaughter-to-be’s new baby quilt. Bruce’s daughter Stacy, who is still due in early July, and her hubby have decided the new little girl will be named Evie. I love it! And Evie’s ABC quilt is started. I’ve trimmed up all the letters and other blocks (there will be 30 total). I pull out a block/letter randomly and sew the strips around them. These are the first two:

I’ll talk more about this project as it progresses over the next couple months..... if I can wait that long. If I had my way, I’d just sit down and do it all NOW, but I have the guitar quilt and the Love is All You Need quilt going on, too.

In personal news, my brother Steve is getting ready to move out next weekend. It’s been nine months (a couple more than I had planned), and hard at times, but we are all ready. His health (and health insurance) is under control, he sold his old truck and motorcycle and has a new(er) truck - reliable transportation. He’s got his social security and retirement benefits all settled and coming in, and he’s has been able to save a good chunk of money. So, he will be heading back to Arizona temporarily to seek out new digs and visit friends. When he’s got that finalized, he will be back to pack up his stuff (stored in one of our bedrooms and an outdoor shed) and his hotrod and make the official move. Bruce and I wish him well, but are looking forward to having our privacy back.

And that’s about it for now.

On Copyrights

As regular readers know, I am in the process of making a quilt whose working title is “Lattice Birds”. It’s a bird block that will alternate with a single Irish Chain to eventually become a queen-sized comforter. With my heightened interest in pieced birds, it’s no surprise that both my Pinterest and Instagram feeds are filled with bird quilt images. And I discovered an interesting controversy last week on Instagram regarding bird patterns.

Way back in January when I introduced my bird quilt project to my readers, primarily the ladies of the Rainbow Scrap Challenge group – our January monthly color was blue, the main color in my quilt – I cited the sources (with links) of my design. Here is a link to my post so I don’t have to repeat it all here.  But I will recap. I needed a 10” bird pattern to dovetail (pun intended because I love them so) with the Irish Chain blocks. I bought Margot Langedouc’s Feathers pattern (8” finished bird) AND found a source online for a 12” bird (I call it the blockhead bird, HERE). The diagram is free, although they charge for the pattern. The reason I’m bringing this all up again is that I do want to clarify:

1.    The bird quilt I’m making is for my own personal use. So whether I use someone’s pattern verbatim or merely as a jumping off point (called “derivative art”), it doesn’t matter.

 2. I recognize that the design elements I changed do not constitute a “new” pattern that I have any rights to. Again, the changes are derivative – based on the original birds. Yes, my birds have shorter tails, the wings are rounded (thanks for that great tip, Sally), the beaks are prairie points set into the seam rather than pieced in. And I like those changes more than either of the above patterns. But they are cosmetic, not substantive.

The fact that Margot was the first to publish a quilt pattern with directions featuring this bird gives her copyright protection. And that is why it was hard to believe that Linzee Kull McCray (@seamswrite on IG) published an identical bird pattern with the addition of piecing that formed small medallions between the birds. She claimed it as her own, and Moda was set to begin distribution. Linzee even acknowledged that her pattern came out months after Margot’s. But to most of us, it was obviously derivative (like mine), not a unique pattern. Well, IG’ers came to Margot’s defense and put pressure on Linzee. To Linzee’s credit, she did the right thing and pulled the pattern. Crisis averted this time.

Anyway, all of this is to say that if you have asked for pattern information on these birds (and several of you have),  I have referred you to the links in my second paragraph above. I don’t own the pattern and have never claimed to.

And while we are on the subject, and in the interest of full disclosure, I’ve also been doing a block I call “Linked Squares” that I found on Pinterest last fall. The link to the original picture source (a community board on the Missouri Star Quilting Company website) was broken. I tried for weeks, even months, to find a source for this pattern. In the meantime, I figured out the block for myself, in measurements I wanted, and have been making a few each month.

Late in March I was searching for something with the word “Celtic” in it and DID find the pattern, so I want to refer you to it. The pattern is called Celtic Family Ties, and can be found on the Quilting Company website here.  You’re welcome.

Most of us, at least most of my online quilting friends, don’t quilt or make patterns in order to formally publish and make a profit. Yet, when their patterns are shared, it’s usually with the understanding that they will be for personal use. We should all be respectful (and I am speaking as much to myself here as anyone else) to give attribution where we can. If we're creating for our own personal use, we avoid a lot of messy situations. 

Have a great week, and I’ll see you back here on Saturday.