Goodies in the Mail

No, I didn't win a giveaway on a blog, but something even better...

My stepdaughter send me a box full of gorgeous fabric that she had batiked and no longer has a need for because she is moving cross-country and doesn't want to take it with her. So, I'm the lucky recipient of at least 30 pieces (most of them are about half a yard), no two alike, and in every imaginable color. She tells me that it's crepe de chine silk, which I'm not really familiar with, but I'm going to find out!

Now all I have to do is figure out what to make with it all -- but until then, I think I'll just admire it!

Watkins Glen Quilt Show

A few of my friends and I were lucky enough to see this show in person this past weekend. Take a few minutes for the video tour (my Jane Stickle quilt is in it!).



And if you're ever in the Finger Lakes region of New York, be sure to stop by O'Susannah's Quilts and Gifts in Watkins Glen.

Enjoying The Outdoors

After an awful, humid, hot July and an unseasonably chilly early August, we have finally had some perfect weather recently for sewing outside on the deck. This is how I spent my Sunday....

...working on an improvisational project using the leftovers from the two double pinwheel quilts I made earlier in the month...

I hope this gorgeous weather continues for as long as possible!

Fiber Love

This isn't quilting, but it is a lot of fiber fun! How cool!

Surrounded by Creativity

Ten members of my guild traded our Artist Trading Cards at the annual picnic earlier this week (three others weren't able to make it) -- this is what I came home with...each and every one is gorgeous and so unique!

This was one of my favorite swap projects.

Playing With (Not) a Full Deck

In my previous post, I showed some progress on Artist Trading Cards that I was making to exchange with fellow guild members at our annual picnic tonight. Here they are completed...

I cut Peltex into two 8 1/2 x 11 inch pieces and used them as a base for fusing some snippets of batik fabrics (all left over from my Jane Stickle quilt), and then I covered the whole thing with white tulle, and then couched fun yarns (some of which were given to me by friends) on top of the whole sheet. Here's what one of the sheets looked like before cutting down into the smaller ATC size...

I have a couple of strips left over, so I may steal an idea from my friend Susan's granddaughter and make them into bookmarks.

I can't wait to exchange my ATCs and see what the others look like!

In the Works

I really have to stop signing up for fun projects...too many of my other projects get pushed aside when I'm pulled into something new and interesting.

This project involves itty-bitty pieces of fabric (I'm afraid I probably only used up about 1/16th of a yard with this one, if that much) and some very pretty yarns.

Eventually, what you see in the photo will turn into Artist Trading Cards for some members of my quilt guild. A bunch of us signed up and we will be exchanging these at our annual picnic next week.

I've had a lot of fun creating these and can't wait to see what the others make! (check back next week to see what mine look like finished)

Another Finish for August

This one looks very similar to the quilt I showed earlier this month (see my post here).

(click on the photos to enlarge)

It's basically made with the same fabrics, except that the white has multi-colored polka dots on it. Again, half-square triangles.

Here's a shot of the pieced back...

And a couple of closeups of the quilting...just random wavy lines...

And another shot taken outdoors...

This quilt is made mostly with fabric that I bought in 2013 and some donated fabric, so I can't say I used up too much of my pre-2013 stash. Only the polka-dot fabric comes from that category -- a measly one yard.

Like the other flannel HST quilt, this one is destined to go to my guild's current outreach project, our local foster children's program.

Quilt Odyssey

Since the rules from Quilt Odyssey say that I'm not allowed to share my photos of quilts online (I could write a whole rant about that subject), I thought I'd share a photo of a display of vintage buttons at one of the vendors' booths. Just imagine how many thrift stores they had to go to in order to buy the dresses and coats and jackets that these originally belonged to!

Pretty Goodies

I was fortunate to attend Quilt Odyssey in Hershey, PA last week on a bus trip with my fellow guild members, and in addition to seeing the gorgeous quilts on display, I spent a little bit of time wandering around the vendors' booths. I'm proud to say that all I came home with was half a yard of this fun fabric and three cones of my favorite machine quilting thread. I find that I use the lime green more than any other color -- it works great on all sorts of fabrics.

Out and About

You never know where you'll find quilts hanging on the wall...

I recently took my college-senior son shopping for interview clothes (he's trying to convince me that it's possible to overdress for software-company interviews -- hah!), so we went to the local men's clothing store in our town. Here's what was hanging on the wall...

(click on the photos to enlarge)

By the way, you can't beat the service of small-town stores, even if the prices are a bit higher than in department or discount stores. It's so much more of a pleasure to shop here than at the big stores where the clerks are grumpy and the displays are a mess. Doing my part and shopping locally!

The Start of Show Season

I just dropped off my Jane Stickle quilt at the first stop of her upcoming whirlwind tour ... My local county fair in Whitneyville, PA...

bad photo take through windshield

This is the building in which she will live for the next week...

She'll come home for a couple of weeks and then go up to Watkins Glen, NY for a show later in the month, then a show at the New England Air Museum in September, and a show near Ithaca, NY in October.

First August Finish

This is just half-square triangles with a row of sashing inbetween the vertical rows. I love the shot taken by the flower garden, even if it does wash out the quilt a bit. The fabric that looks white is actually a very, very pale blue.

Leftovers from a charity quilt that I made back in May (you can see it here) were used on the back...

A closeup of the quilting...just loops and a few double loops...

This shot shows the backing and binding fabric a bit better.  All the fabrics are flannel.

I'm afraid that this doesn't count toward using up my pre-2013 stash. The bright flannels were purchased this year and the backing and pale-blue fabric were donated to my guild for use in charity quilts. This quilt is now destined for my guild's current outreach project, our local foster-child program.