New York Beauty

Last year Linda Hahn visited our guild. I took her workshop, Buffalo Bubblegum, from her book New York Beauty Diversified. I've always wanted to make a NY Beauty. It is my home state and I always admired the quilts made by Karen Stone.

Linda's method simplified the construction of this complicated looking block.

Since the start of my love affair with dupioni silk, I have tried to push my boundaries and use it in as many different types of quilts that I create. I've made traditional, contemporary, art and modern quilts. This was another opportunity to use my silk stash in another way. I finished a few blocks in the workshop and today I reacquainted myself with the project. You know how it goes. What size blocks do I cut? Which fabric was I using for what? How many blocks have I made and what size quilt was I planning?

My goal was to have a fun day sewing. Quilting has become more of a business than a hobby for me. This entails spending time doing business kinds of things intermixed with creating quilts. Sometimes it's more of one than another. Since returning from Key West, there's been a lot of business - stocking up, shipping, writing proposals as well as an article for Quilting Arts- which I am so excited about.

Now that I have my NY Beauty project organized, I work on it in when I find myself with bits if time or when I need to have some fun!

Speaking of business, tomorrow night or tonight depending when you are reading this, I'm heading back to my old stomping ground , Bridgewater, NJ for a lecture for the Pieced Together Quilters. Flemington, NJ was the location of our last home. Bridgewater Commons was our shopping mall. The topic of my talk is Personalizing Your Quilt. I'm excited to be sharing my 2012 journal quilt called Wednesday's Wanderings. It was a labor of love and a chronicle of a year in my life and I used every technique that I have ever learned and then some. A bonus - it helps to remind me of the year. If you're in the area, stop on by.

 

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Wednesday's Wanderings #36 - New York Beauty

New York Beauty

I always look forward to going to New York City. 

 I grew up on Long Island and often took the train into "the city" to hang out, meet boys and shop.  It's too far for me to drive now and quite frankly, I think you need your head examined to compete with the taxi cabs.  I'm not sure they have brakes and I know they don't have turn signals.  LOL

A few years ago, I discovered the Bolt Bus.  It is a wonderful way to travel from Philly to Manhattan for not a lot of money.  Do you remember the slogan - something like "leave the driving to us"? That's what I do.  Plus there's Wifi on the bus.  I either sew or read or do Internet stuff.

Yesterday I met my friend Angela in NYC.  I met her a few years ago at a Pro Chem fabric dyeing workshop and we have kept in touch.  She lives in CT and she knows how to get around, especially on the subway.  I just follow her like a little puppy dog.  The 911 Memorial and a little shopping and good eats were on our agenda.

The Chrysler building is one of the more famous and identifiable buildings.  If you are a quilter, does the architecture on the upper levels of the building remind you of anything?

They remind me of the New York Beauty quilt block.  Was this block designed based on this New York skyscraper?  I thought maybe.

I did a little research.  The Chrysler Building opened for business in 1930 and was the tallest structure in NYC until the Empire State Building opened 11 months later.  The NY Beauty block was previously called "Rocky Mountain" and  first showed up in quilts in 1850.  Mountain Mist then renamed it as New York Beauty and published it in 1930.  Coincidence? or not?

If you want to give it a try Ivory Spring, has a pattern on her blog called "Sausalito" and a link for some really great directions using this new fabric from Timeless Treasures, with lots of photos for easy to follow how to's.

Or does it remind you of the crown on the Statue of Liberty?

Not the real one, LOL!!

We did manage to squeeze in a little bit of shopping.  I steered clear of buying fabric, but  when it came to the bead shops, and there are many.  Here are a few of my treasures including this little tool I bought for measuring the size of beads :

"Made with Love" charms- I can't wait to put one of these on one of my embellished beauties

This is the first time I have seen sequins with a pattern.  Had to buy some.

And these charms would look great hanging off the bottom of something.

This is the charm I bought that I attached to my block.

I decided to turn my New York Beauty block into a little gift for Angela - a pincushion. 

 Surprise! (She's camera shy.)

Sometimes you see quilt patterns in the strangest places.