CQ Adventure Prep and Discovering Fabric

I am happily busy getting ready for the Adventure in Crazy Quilting and the exciting classes and workshops I will be taking.  One of the classes I am really looking forward to is taught by Allison Aller and is called Frame it with Flowers.

In Allie’s class materials list, she encouraged us to prepare a background piece available to arrange the flowers we will be learning on.  At first I thought just a simple plain background fabric would be nice, but Allie did advise that it be something sturdy, and her own piece looked lovely with a lace overlay.  So I began looking through my home dec fabrics and found a lovely green jacquard.   To that, I added a fusible fleece to stabilize the back.  The plan is to add a backing later once I get home from the class to cover up all the “business”.

I also made a small rod pocket at the top and hemmed the sides. I liked the fringe on the bottom selvedge edge, but how to cover the white border? 

My gaze fell upon a piece of lovely shabby vintage lace (I can’t remember where it came from!) that was just about the same size as the jacquard. It is way too fragile to remain intact on its own, but as a layer on this project, it has real potential.  And, it is a floral print.  I think it was meant to be!  The lace covers up the green while still allowing the color to show through.

The lace allows green fringe at the bottom to show through, but not the white selvedge.

The picture below shows how shabby the lace is.  But can’t you just see it with some of Allie’s lovely flowers arranged and attached to it?  Oh, the possibilities!

After preparing the background piece, it was time to gather the flower supplies.  Luckily I had a HELPER!  Here is DGD London (18 months) “inspecting” the blooms.

What a lovely morning it was with my little helper.  Grammy is so tickled that London has “discovered” the yumminess of fabric!  Here’s how it went down...

Grammy has her fancy purples in the wrong place!

Everyone knows they go here with the green cottons!

I will just tuck them in here nicely...

A few more purples over here.  Are you watching, Grammy??

Oh, I pray I have a stash like this some day!

And then it was on to the next lesson:  London shows Grammy how the foot pedal works.....

 Between Allie and London, I am obviously in good hands....

  

Autumn RR, Another Block Done

Amidst getting ready for the CQ Adventure in Connecticut in two weeks, I still have round robin commitments.  So I am trying to knock those out in the next few days.  And since I love the autumn theme so much, the Autumn RR block was more a matter of limiting ideas rather than trying to come up with some.

This is my work on Dee’s block.  I LOVED her colors and fabrics.  Leaves are one of my favorite, if not my very favorite fall motifs, so I tried to include a lot of them...

These are all four of the completed blocks so far.  The stitchers are:
Top:  L - Helina (Finland)  R - Cathy (Utah, US)
Bottom:  :  L -  Rita (Kansas, US)  R -  Lorrie (Canada)

I love the angular elements of the blocks in the total composition, and yet each block has swirls or curved leaves or spider webs to offset the straight lines.  Maybe I should “forget” to mail these?  LOL - just kidding!

Hearts and Hands for Sendai

I am participating (and I hope you will join me) in Crazy Quilting International`s Japan Earthquake and Tsunami relief project entitled “Hearts and Hands for Sendai”.  This project is  dedicated to helping those affected by the earthquake tsunami disaster in Japan. 


At Hideko Ishida's request, all quilts will become a part of an exhibit in Japan where money will be raised by viewing the quilts. Ultimately, these quilts may be auctioned and the proceeds given to a charity designated by Hideko Ishida, our Japanese CQ sister.  It’s just a bit early at this point to know all the final plans.  However, CQI will keep everyone informed as time progresses. 

This project is open to 

the quilting community at large! 

You may track details on the Crazy Quilting International blog, http://crazyquiltinginternational.blogspot.com    or   
ICQA (International Crazy Quilt Ass’n) Facebook page http://tinyurl.com/4h3x28a 

Guidelines are as follows:

Theme:  Friendship and re-building of a country
Finished block size: 8 inches
Colors: Jewel Tones
Style: Traditional or crazy quilt blocks will be accepted

For traditional quilt blocks:
There are no pattern restrictions. The only requirements are the size and the colors. Finished size is to be 8 inches (20.32 cm). Please allow a half inch seam allowance. Colors are jewel tones. No restrictions on the type of fabric used.

For crazy quilt blocks:
_ Cut foundation at 9 inches (22.86 cm), piece the entire foundation.
_ Baste a line at 8 inches (20.32 cm) to stop embroidering
_ Do not add beads or charms past 7 ½ inches (19.05 cm)
_ Prefer all fabrics used be “fancies” (ie: silk, satin, taffeta, velvet) but if you have some kimono fabrics or other oriental themed fabrics in your stash you are welcome to use them.
_ All beading MUST be double stitched and knotted with BEADING THREAD!!!  NO exceptions!!! These items will be handled a great deal and beads, buttons, charms are among the first to begin to loosen. Embellishments – may be done by machine or by hand.
_ Lace and other motifs are acceptable and must be securely attached
_ Trims are acceptable and must be securely attached
_ Silk ribbon embroidery is acceptable
_ Tatting and crocheted butterflies and dragonflys, etc are acceptable and must be securely attached


For all blocks:
_ Zig zag edges to prevent edges from fraying.
_ Add your name and address on the back of the block.
_ Mark the block with “UP” to show which side is the top
_ Please sign the back of your block
_ Include entry fee of $10 for each block (more info below). This fee will be forwarded to Hideko Ishida, who will donate it to the Japan relief charity of her choosing.
_ Please refrain from using any reference to the rising sun as this has political connotations in Japan.


Entry fee: 

$10.00 (USD) can be sent via check, money order (payable to ICQA) when you submit your block, or  via Paypal, icqa4u@yahoo.com. Please check “gift" for the donation.

If you have any questions, at any time, please just email Leslie pinyoncreekq@q.com . All completed projects must be mailed to Leslie no later than June 30, 2011.  Please contact Leslie for mailing address information.
 
We appreciate everyone’s participation and look forward to seeing all the fabulous creations!

Japan is in Our Thoughts

For the people of Japan,  March 11 will likely be remembered much as we in the United States remember 9/11 (September 11, 2001); a day in which unthinkable, horrific events took place.  Too many souls lost, too many more left suffering.

Japan’s recovery begins even amid continuing aftershocks.  Countries from all over the world are offering help.  Assistance, just a trickle in these early stages, will come pouring in over the next days, weeks, and months. The rebuilding of homes, infrastructures and lives will be a long, painful process.

Let us all keep the people of Japan in our thoughts, prayers, and hearts. But let us also rise up and show with our actions that we are one world community and that we do care!

Please give to relief efforts in any manner and to the extent that you are able, both physically and/or financially.  (Do you homework to make sure your choice of charity is a bona fide organization and not a scam!)

Our friends deserve no less than our full support!

Hugs,

Update: London

Just a quick post.  I tended DGD London on Tuesday, and snapped some pictures.  We spent most of the morning running errands, and she was good as gold.  And what a babbler!

London is even letting us put bows and pigtails in her hair now.

Her favorite new word:  kakk-kakk (cracker)

Here’s the bow, Gammy.  Enough is enough!

After work this morning and Weight Watchers this afternoon, I plan to (FINALLY) gather up a prize for my 300-post giveaway.  Will post about that this weekend.

Hugs,

This Squirrel Wears Mink

I just finished my round robin block for Helina in Finland.  I love trees and leaves and most autumn motifs and colors, so this was a really fun block. Rita had gone before me on another block and done a tree, so I thought it would be nice to add another tree and leaves on my block as well.

After stitching the tree and adding the silkie of little kids burning leaves (AS IF!), I just kept thinking about doing a squirrel.  I’ve done that motif before, only with a silkie and a mink tail added.  See this post.  So, here is how my block for Helina finished up.

Yes, that is real mink.  I’ve had a few scraps laying around for awhile, and by golly, I am going to use them.  Sure as h*** am not going to wear them.   There are some vintage leaves tucked into the tree here and there, as well as some lovely metal leaves that Allie Aller gave me a couple years ago.  

So, the stitching on the squirrel is not my best; I ended up doing this over three days in hour-long blocks of time.  My eyes just go wonky on me when I do a lot of close work. I have had several eye surgeries, but that’s a story for another time. I did, however, make an appointment to see the eye doctor and get new glasses before the CQ Adventure next month.

Also, I just reserved my classes for Val Bothell’s Victorian Stitchery Retreat in Wichita in November.  You have know idea how thrilled I am to be able to take a 2-day class from Carole Samples!!  It has been one of my goals to learn from this great lady and amazing stitcher.  I will also (finally!) get to take a Candace Kling course on fabric flowers and Allie Aller’s Curved Piecing Class.  My dear friend Gerry is teaching a button-painting workshop there one evening as well.  My only regret is that I can`t be in two places at once because I really want to take JBM’s Fabric Painting class (manipulation to make land- or seascapes). But she lives in Colorado, and that is close, so I hope to someday attend a retreat at her studio.    

Finally, if you haven’t yet bought Allie Aller’s book, “Allie Aller’s Crazy Quilting”, what are you waiting for??  My copy arrived while I was at Gerry’s last week, but I got to read Gerry’s copy.  When I talked to my husband on the phone that evening (he had met Allie in 2006 when we were all at the John Campbell School), he said, “Your book from Allie arrived today.  I went ahead and opened it. I hope you don’t mind, but I wanted to see it.  It is a really professional, well-done book and looks like it has a lot of good information.”   Of course, I didn’t expect him to be gushing about how LOVELY it was, but in his manly way, he said just about the same thing!  :-)

Hugs,

Round Robin Work and 300 Posts

First of all, thank you all for your wonderful support and friendship!  The community of bloggers is filled with so many wonderful women (and men), and I want you to know that I truly appreciate YOU, my readers.   Why am I bringing this up now?  Well,  I just realized that this is my 301st post! Woo-hoo!  Time for a giveaway to celebrate!  Let me think on it for a couple days (and gather up some goodies to photograph) and I will announce it officially then. Any ideas are welcome, LOL!  :-)

Meantime, here are a couple things I worked on while at Gerry’s last week.  The first is a Tea Time block for PeggySue.  She had appliqued a teacup on each of her six lovely blocks.  The hardest part was selecting which one to work on! It’s a DYB (do your own block), so all the work is mine.

In our Steampunk traditional RR, it was my turn to work on Meg’s block. Betty had come before me and done the work pictured at the bottom. This lovely blue block was pieced for Meg as a Christmas Cracker wrapper, and so at 17x11” is quite a bit larger than the standard 12x12” block.  It probably will not return home completed, but that will give Meg a chance to add her own work to it!

My part was three seams at the top and the big vintage button motif.  It was intentionally placed over a Chinese medallion printed on the fabric in that patch, which is really not steampunk (nor was it in Meg’s preferred metallic colors of copper or silver/pewter).  Some of the gold shows through the heavy lace trim, but that helps to add a bit of spark.

And I am really looking forward to the next round in the Steampunk RR, so that I can work on ANYTHING BUT BLUE!!!