The Genesis of a Quilt

I am often asked two questions. One is if I sleep? The answer is "not much". The other questions is how does my brain work when it comes to my quilts. Honestly I don't even know myself. Sometimes when I have an idea, everything flows smoothly from inception to completion. That's a beautiful thing. It makes my heart sing. But sometimes it does not go so smoothly. That is the story with this quilt aka large tablerunner. It measures 25" x 54".

My goal was to use my stack of shot cottons that I purchased a few years ago. They are kind of like my iridescent silk dupioni, but not really. The warp and the weft are 2 different colors. They do have a handwoven look.

I had a bunch of fat quarters, so this size limited what I could create. I started with a tablerunner.

I used a Curvalicious based design. The colors made me think of Fall and also Craftsman colors, except for that bright yellow and maybe that pink. This just didn't do anything for me. So I took it apart and sewed it together in a different configuration.

I love the way the Curvalicious strips change color as they flow into one another. Now how to take advantage of that. And with the additions of circles, I wasn't happy.

At this point I printed a photo of the quilt without the circles. It would be easier to cut this and move sections, as opposed to ripping and stitching the actual quilt. It made me think about changing the orientation.

I liked it, but I thought another section was needed for balance. I had to scrounge for fabric, and I had just enough.

It became the first project that I quilted with my longarm. The variegated thread gave a nice look. I learned a lot about my new machine. I'm glad this entire thing was an experiment.

I added a bunch of folded triangles at each of the ends. I developed this technique for my book

Sew Embellished. They are very easy to add after the quilting is done.

And they add a nice finish. Maybe it needs a few beads for embellishment!

 

Posted with Blogsy

It's Quilt Show Season

 

It's quilt show season and this is a great local show.  Come and be inspired by local quilters and do a little shopping with vendors.  

I am thrilled that I will be there in the afternoon for a book signing.  You can see all the projects in Sew Embellished! plus I will be doing a Curvalicious demo.

  I'll be bringing dupioni silk and lots of tools for sale.  

Bob DiCarli will be there in the morning with his latest book, that's hot off the press.

Stop by and say hi.

And don't forget to sign in for the giveaway.

A Double Giveaway

Today The Quilt Show is airing the second class in my series about making a free-standing folded fiber book.  In this class I demo how to make a page from a photo. I used one of the many photos I took of windmills as I bicycled around Holland.  You can use my technique to make a page for a fiber book or to make a pictorial or memory quilt.  Here's the link:
http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/classes.php/teacher/oyveyquilts
To see this class you need to be a member. To join, there is a cost involved, but it is worth every penny.  You get a lot of great quilting tips and info plus access to presentations by many of the best quilters around.

This week, The Quilt Show is doing a giveaway in conjunction with my second class.  If you submit a photo of a WIP to their website, you can win  a trio of fat quarters of delft looking fabric that I bought during my travels

 or a copy of my second book.  The book contains directions on how to turn "pages" into a book plus lots of tips for embellishing.

My second giveaway involves another book with a very inspirational story.  I met Mary Marks as a participant in a group of Jewish quilters.  (You know there are groups for everything.)  Mary has started a new career as a mystery writer at 70! Her first novel came out this month and it's a good read.   She modeled the heroine, Martha Rose after herself - a divorced, overweight, Jewish, quilter from LA.  The book is pretty funny and the solution to the crime is very ingenious. 

I am quoting the blurb on the Amazon page: Martha and her besties Lucy and Birdie are set to expand their Quilty Tuesdays by inviting newcomer Claire Terry into their group. Though at forty Claire's a tad younger than their average age, her crafty reputation could perk up their patchwork proceedings, especially as they prepare for the fancy quilt show coming to town. But when they arrive at Claire's home and find her dead inside the front door, and her exquisite, prize-winning quilts soon missing, Martha is not one to leave a mystery unraveled.

 

Thanks to Mary and her publisher, I am giving away a copy of this book.  Join me on Bloglovin' (see the link below) and leave a comment with your e-mail address.  I will pick a winner on Friday.

Embellished Beauties Workshop

Saturday.

Friendship Quilters.

Oxford, PA.

Fun.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Spring Quilt Market and Some Free Stuff

I promised to share my experience at the Spring Quilt Market. I have to apologize for the length of this post, but I hope you'll think it's worth it if you make it to the end.  The show is open only to the trade and it is overwhelming. I flew out to Kansas City to help Martingale promote my book at the Kansas City Convention Center.

 

My first visit to the convention center was during set-up.

Martingale

Riley Blake

Wonderfil Threads

Clothworks  (Fabric)

Michael Miller Fabrics

It is amazing to see the effort and expense that the companies, especially those selling fabrics, put into their booths.

This is Michael Miller's booth after the show opened.  Can you see the circus themed backdrop?  I just love the elephants but after seeing them all  set up, I wonder how they shipped them.

It is really surreal and a pinch yourself moment, to see your name on the cover of a book.  Martingale aka That Patchwork Place has been so supportive and wonderful to work with.  Look at the end cap with my book projects!!!

And here's the banner that was hanging during my demo.It is 3 feet wide!  I got to bring it home :) 

 Where shall I hang it?  Hmmmm

 Everyone was very nice and so friendly.  I was star struck. 

Karen Combs and me in front of her new fabric, Midnight Blue.

Marcia Derse and her gorgeous fabric based on her hand dyed fabric.  I tried to get a sample.  Visit her website for a better look at that fabric:  www.marciaderse.com or visit your local quilt shop. 

Do I look like a shrimp or what?  Who knew Amy Butler was so tall?

I do love Susan Cleveland. She was generous in both her professional advice to me and she also gave me one of her Prairie Pointers. When I told her that I renamed this folded piece of fabric a crown in my book, she loved it. But I don't think she'll jump on the bandwagon.  I will definitely experiment with it.  If you want one of your own, visit her website:

www.piecesbewithyou.com

I expected to see lots of pattern companies.  I loved this company.  Do you think it was because they had a bicycle in their booth?

www.HemmaDesign.com

 

A few companies gave me some freebies that I want to send to one of you, my blog readers. 

It includes a 1 yard package of Trans Web, one of my favorite fusible web products, made by HTC Handler. They were at the show.  I shared with them my consternation that I can only find their product on-line at Jo-Anns.  So they gave me some so I would go away(LOL)!

I do love this pattern from Hemma  for a carrier for a bag to hang on the handlebars of your bicycle.  I really want to make one for myself, but I promised to give it away.

 Do you think I can fit Bailey in it?

I went to a talk about life in Bali supported by the fabric company, Kaufmann.  It was fascinating plus they gave me a fat quarter of one of their artisanal batiks.

There's also a fabric tote from Andover Fabrics made from one of their latest fabric lines, some jumbo rick rack, a clear tote from Eleanor Burns, a plexi neon ruler and a few other goodies.

All of these items are going to be given to one lucky winner.  Leave a comment and become a follower if you are not already.  Make sure if you are a "no-comment blogger" that you leave me your e-mail.  I'll be picking a winner on Friday.

I don't know how many miles I walked going up and down all the aisles,

 but my feet are happy that I'm home.  And I want to send a big thank you to Susan Brubaker Knapp from www.bluemoonriver.com who gave me lots of tips for maximizing my visit.

Wednesday's Wanderings #18 - Sew Embellished!

If you have been anywhere near me, my quilt guild or my blog within the last month or so, you know that this is the day that I have been waiting for.  My book has arrived!!!

 

In it I share the techniques I use to personalize my quilts.  It also has directions for some small projects that I call "embellished beauties". 

WW's topic has to be the arrival of my books, even though travel is my usual theme.  It needs to be in the finished quilt as one of the milestones of 2012.   I have hesitated putting a person with a face on a block.  Faces are not easy, especially when they are neckless!  But I wanted to share my jubilation.

Please let me know if you have found Sew Embellished! useful, informative and fun. I hope it is everything I wrote it to be.

Wonderful Wonderfil

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/