next up

This is a top that I made in preparation for a workshop with Ruth B McDowell in 2009.  I wasn't happy with the composition, so it never got quilted.  However, for several reasons that I won't mention just yet, it is time to become a real quilt.  

Yet, it will have to linger a bit longer, as I am off to the great north west to visit friends in Seattle and my daughter in Portland.  Got my bags pack and early to bed, since I'll be getting up in the wee hours of the morning to catch my flight.  I will tell all when I return.

 I am soooooooooooooooo excited.  

totally fiberliscious

The excitement continues.  See what I received by mail the other day!  My very own autographed copy of

DRUM ROLL ........

TA-DA.................

I am completely thrilled with Victoria's book filled with delicious eye candy.  The layout seems more innovative than lots of other books on quilting.  For instance, the center section of this book has all sorts of ideas on making your own improv blocks based on the good ole basic traditional quilt blocks.  These ideas can certainly jazz up your repertoire in the use of fabrics and colors.  What fun.  

There are tons of scrumptious examples of quilts created with "made fabric" blocks from 15 Minutes Play groups interspersed through out the book.   Victoria has successfully gathered quilters from over the world to share blocks with one another to fulfill each individual's ideas of their own quilt.  Each challenge could keep me busy for years.

Of course there are Victoria's own superb quilts.  Whimsical, witty, colorful, striking, totally deboxed are some adjectives that come to mind as I flip through page after page of 

15 Minutes of Play

If you are looking for inspiration, got nothing to do with that bag of little scraps, bored with the same old stuff, and feel the urge to play for just a few minutes every day, this is your cookbook.  Easy peezy recipes. Laid back ingredients. Results guaranteed to warm the cockles of your heart for a lifetime. 

Oh, and I must confess. Not only am I promoting Victoria's book, but just wanted to let you know that one of my quilts is in this book.  (page 63)  And, I was a block contributor to quilts made by 15 Minutes of Playmates.  Yeah, I am totally shameless.  

Thanks Victoria

I look forward to your next book.  

Oh yes, and your upcoming fabric collection!  

Your next move is to order this book here,

cuz I am not showing any more photos.  

Don't want to get nabbed for copyright violations.  

heehee

Happy Thanksgiving Y'all

Sweet Memories are Made of This

So, back to my somewhat regular routine.  Not that I could ever say I have a routine.  I sorta do whatever, whenever, and try to enjoy what may come.  After returning home from Alabama, and my most wonderful new friends departed for the great northwest, I dragged around for a few more days, still reminiscing about the fun we had.  You might have read about Nifty's, Bonnie's and Tina's purchases while shopping around Cleveland.  After finding those treasures, we hit the thrift store and each bought a few shirts. Then the girls treated Steve and me to a delightful dinner at our favorite local restaurant.  A few martini's, some nice wine and delicious food gave us new strength to head home and cut up the newly purchased shirts.  We continued laughing and cutting up into the wee hours.

Tina rescued the "seams" from all the boxers and shirts and made balls for the cats to play with.  Sorry Tina, but the cats don't get those balls.  I found a much better use for them.  The smaller ones are perfect for filling up the glass of my new Target lamp.  Now to make more more more.

Instead of getting back to work on my dogwood quilt, or any of the other projects that I have started.  I just couldn't wait to play with those shirt scraps that we shared.   I decided to make Friendship Star blocks.  Along with scraps from Tina, Bonnie and Nifty, these shirts turned out to have just the perfect color combinations.  For me at least. I think it will be the perfect quilt full of memories that will last forever.

Got twelve blocks whipped up in no time.  Not sure where it will go from here, but I've got lots of scraps left and it will continue to grow.  As I hope our friendship will continue to grow.

check out the pocket
another "Nifty" idea

Alabama Folk School part 2

Great Friends, Great Fabric, Great Food.  Just can't get enough.  Still reeling with with all the thoughts and memories that will serve me for a long time to come. 

I must take the time to thank Sarah Mills Nee, the director of the Alabama Folk School.  She and her husband are an amazing talented couple.  Sarah and her crew made the daily operation and schedule go smoothly and effortlessly to those of us participating in the workshops.  Everything was done to make our experience relaxing, inspirational and enjoyable.  If you like music or crafts, I can not say enough about this special spot.  They offer classes from nationally know artists and musicians and I can guarantee that you will get your money's worth and then some.

Thank you Sarah and the staff of the Alabama Folk School and Camp McDowell

Mary Ann Pettway - Gee's Bend
Sarah Mills Nee - Camp Director
Anne Robertson - Quilter

Now back to quilting

Mary Ann Pettway posing with her top ready for quilting
Can you tell that she is a fun lady?  

Bonnie

At the end of the workshop, everyone "hung" their quilt tops with blue painters tape to the windows.  Here is Bonnie (sorry Bon, not such a good picture) with her two quilts.  Bonnie has a delightful webpage with great pictures and descriptions of our time together.  Jump over to On The Way and read all about it.  Bonnie is a wonderful artist and you must also visit her web page and art gallery.    Hey!  I just had an idea.  Maybe the Folk School should put Bonnie on their list of teachers!  What fun that would be!!!!

I love the idea of hanging our quilt tops in the windows.  It was magical 

Nifty

Tina

Kim and her very cool GB piece

Suzie made lots of great pieces!

Cathy used her wonderful hand dyed and stamped fabrics

Looks like Cathy and I will be going to a Nancy Crow workshop together!
The fun never ends, my friend.

                                   

Anne had a blast with this one
I cannot wait to see more of it!

I began making more posies on day 2 and laid them on another bark cloth curtain panel. Soon got a bit bored with the posies and looked over to see what Victoria was up to.
(footnote: Tina made a posey for me too - the one on the top with stripped outer edges
Thanks Tina! )
(Do you think I am easily distracted?)

OK, so, back on track.   I scrambled around for some pale neutrals from the table of "shared fabrics" and made this little block:

Mary Ann and China graciously signed it for me
My plan is to hand quilt this one, frame it and hold on to it forever.

So ends the saga of my Camp McDowell/Alabama Folk School experience.  You can see all the other quilt tops if you jump over to the other sites that I mentioned in today and yesterday's post.  As I said, I am being a bit lazy here.  Or is it a case of TMI?
Whatever, there is just way too much to ever fit into one little blog. 
Happy trails to you
until we meet again. 

Alabama Folk School

I have just returned from a trip of a lifetime.  No, no, not an exotic trip to some far flung destination.  I am talking about Nauvoo, Alabama.  

The Alabama Folk School at Camp McDowell seems to have been a well kept secret.  From me, at least.  Last winter my friend, Nifty, gave me the heads up on her plan to come south to learn from the ladies of Gee's Bend.   Naturally, I could not pass up this opportunity.  Along with 17 other ladies from all around the country, we made quilts with the guidance of Mary Ann Pettway and China Pettway of Gee's Bend, AL.

I had the pleasure of reuniting with Nifty and Tina from Seattle, and meeting Nifty's sister-in-law, Bonnie, from Salem, OR.   I also had the pleasure of meeting Victoria, a.k.a. Bumble Beans,  and Kim from NY after reading their blogs for a long long time. They have both already posted some great pictures and reads. Victoria shared lots of great ones on her  Flickr link  Another new friend, Cathy from Birmingham, AL has posted great pictures and stories on her blog that you will enjoy checking out.  Sweet Diane from Birmingham posted some great pictures on Picasa.  Ann, from Jackson, MS also has a blog and a website.  Jump over to see what she has going on.  So, I am taking the lazy way out.  You must jump over to see their pictures and descriptions.  I promise you won't be disappointed.  

                      But I must tell you about this lady.  Cherrye Parker

left to right:
China Pettway from Gee's Bend, Cherrye Parker from Brimingham, AL, who had never made a quilt, and  Mary Ann Pettway from Gee's Bend.

Cherrye arrived with fabrics that she had purchased in Africa and a sewing machine just purchased, still in the box, with not a clue how to use it!  Not only did she learn to use a sewing machine, but completed the top and began to learn hand quilting.

Just look what she accomplished as a novice sewer/quilter.

My hat is off to you Cherrye!

Cherrye also wrote a very touching note to all after returning home.  With her permission, I am sharing her thoughts:

 but mama said we'd learn to quilt

           a note from Cherrye Fincher Parker

When I was a little girl, mama would sew a few clothes and crochet.

Somewhere along the way she stopped sewing and taught my friend, Juanakee

and me how to crochet...

but mama said we'd learn to quilt.

Mama, Mrs. Lillie M. H. Fincher,  and I crocheted lots of blankets for Cassandra, my sister, Jasmine, my one niece, Mu Dear, my grandmother - Dr. Gertrude C. Sanders, and family friends. We shared good times together completing each others crochet projects. I enjoyed creating the body of the blanket and mama would do the edges and the fringes.....

but mama said we'd learn to quilt.

Years passed fast... work, new experiences, travel, marriages, divorces, illnesses,

job promotions, joys, disappointments, God's grace keeping us strong...time changes a lot of things...

but mama said we'd learn to quilt.

Mu Dear had a stroke at the age of 90 and mama took good care of her for two years until she went Home...

and mama said now we'd learn to quilt.

100 days after Mu Dear went Home, I guess she got lonely because

mama went to sleep and followed her Home too...

BUT MAMA SAID WE'D LEARN TO QUILT!!!

Three years later, Grace brought me to the company of some awesome women, representing eight different states and 2 phenomenal quilters from Gee's Bend at the Alabama Folk School.  With my brand new in-the-box sewing machine in hand, no thread, Joy in my heart and my mama's spirit dwelling in me, I worked hard to make my first quilt top. Mary Ann and China showed me how to bring it all together and several of my new friends added a stitch here and there.

Mama said we'd learn to quilt.

We did.

I know she was there.

Each one of you have blessed me.

Love ya'll,

Cherrye

(Cherrye's sister/best friend, Juanakee, passed away 5 years ago from breast cancer.) 

Here we are, in our final hours together, still laughing

And now to the beginning:
Day 1

China is amazed at Victoria - the day has just begun and she has already gotten half a quilt pieced!  

Where do we begin?

(left to right)    

Mary Ann, Bonnie, Tina, Nifty, Barb, Victoria, Cathy

Nifty & Tina stitching away while Mary Ann confers with Bonnie

(Note the extra large classroom with lots and lots of natural light.  It adjoined the cafeteria and made it oh so easy for meal breaks.  The food was just plain wonderful, I might add. 

Mary Ann shows us a top made by another Gee's Bend lady

Using old boxer shorts from my hubby & son (much to their dismay) and cut up for me by Nifty, Tina and Bonnie.  I brought along a bark cloth curtain panel from the 1950's, as well as bundles of Kaffe fat quarters given to me by Bonnie.  This is the beginnings of my Gee's Bend interpretation.

China suggested that I use this dark green along with the bark cloth.  I agreed, tentatively, but secretly, I didn't like the idea.  But then, why did I come here?  Just to do my own thing?  NO, I wanted to dig into the creative thoughts of a lady from Gee's Bend!  So I reluctantly decided to go with her suggestion.  

I am so happy that I did so.  And I think China was pleased too!  Ya think it looks a bit Gee's Bendish?  I promised China that I would quilt it immediately and not go home and stick it in a drawer.  

Bonnie incorporated some blue "flame" fabric given to her from Tina

Nifty's in progress, using pieces cut from her baby clothes made by her grandmother.

Tina's all together, using some blue and white vintage fabrics from her Mom.
Isn't it great!!!!

Okay, so if you have gotten this far, congrats.  Enough for today, but I promise that there will be more to come.  

One more my friend's shirts quilt finished

Another one bites the dust.  Bound and ready for snuggling on a chilly day.  

front 
All shirtings set together with 3 different pieces of orange shot cottons.
Straight line machine quilting with variegated threads.

back
Using an old piece of chambray which had the corner cut into, I added a length of shirting strips along with a couple of more pieces of shirting to make it large enough for the backing.  

Rebel inspiration

How to arrange

twenty 11 1/2 inch blocks made from silk ties

too structured for me today

I tried integrating reds, pinks and all sorts of other ideas inspired by my fellow bloggers' comments.  Nothing felt just right.  Except this bright orange linen tie that I had yet to cut apart. Not enough in that skinny tie to last very long.  So I had to give up on the idea of the linen, unless I want to stop and hand dye some linen fabric.   

 I opened one of the storage units that hold 

my stash of multi-colored florals

and this Alexander Henry design was looking me straight in the face.

Maybe because of the brisk fall air, seeing pumpkins everywhere I go, 

but shades of orange kept whispering to me.  And then perhaps the upcoming holiday was hovering in the back of my mind too?  I think that Sujata's brilliant use of color was also nudging at my subconscious.  The ties were just not quite as colorful as I had hoped.

Now how to put together 11 1/2 inch blocks with 7 1/2 inch blocks. Don't even ask me how I ended up with these disparately sized quilt block units.  Let's just say it was therapeutic at the time.

Late one night, perhaps because Kaffe Fasset was in town teaching and lecturing, I opened up one of his books of quilt patterns, "Passionate Patchwork".  This may have also been the result of seeing Nifty's blog with the wonderful striped shirtings quilt as well as her suggestion of using black as a connector. Very dramatic, yes?  Color issues solved for the moment.

But wait, too much black and too much orange to fill in the spaces, was detracting from the silk.  I need to let the silks shine. 

so more spacer blocks were needed.  

And I won't bore you with the countless

 arrangements and rearrangements.  

Here is where it hangs now.  

66" x 34" 

No telling what may happen next.  What you see is not always what I end up doing.
Thanks to all for your suggestions and inspiration.  It's not over yet. 

A Southern Bridal Shower

After the storm, life is returning to normal for many of us.  My niece, Sarah Beth, will be married in June.  To celebrate the upcoming event, I hosted, along with my cousin, Lora, a bridal shower at my home.  We decided on a very traditional, southern style, girlie party with all the fixings. Mom and I polished up the silver and washed the crystal.   I washed and ironed the linens.  Lora and I made made yummy finger foods and champagne punch.  I trimmed the blooms and leaves from the southern magnolias and dogwoods for decorations.  It was so much fun to do something special and girlie pretty.  It was a such a sunny, happy day.

 

Lots of lovely ladies dropped in bearing gifts for the bride to be.

the bride and her grandmother

And of course quilts were involved. The bride and groom were happy to finally get their hands on this quilt that I had custom made for them.

  I do think it was a huge success.   And now we are all looking forward to the wedding.

And while I wait, I guess I will fill part of the time getting back into my studio and getting my hands on some fabric.

a long and winding road

Just when you think that you can take a deep breath, things are all under control and you will have time to spend doing the things that you enjoy, it all comes crashing down.  I, personally, have good news to report for most of my family and friends.  But there are so many not so lucky.   I have found pieces of homes and family possessions scattered over my yard and neighborhood from the horrific storms of April 27, 2011.

 My son's yard in the Chattanooga area. 
He was one of the lucky ones.

 my favorite quilt shop 

Sew Bee It

Ringgold, Georgia
not so lucky

You can view more pictures of destruction in this area
by clicking here if you are inclined

My great friend, Martha Steele, has been helping in salvaging as much as possible and was able to recover many of the quilts hanging in the shop, including one of mine. Many of the ladies, along with Martha,who are employed by the shop owner, Gloria Black, have dug in and begun helping her to recover whatever is possible in the shop.  They are also pitching in to assist the rest of their town, which was almost totally destroyed.

I know that quilts are not a priority in this time of crisis.  However, it is just a small indication of how all of the surrounding areas in southeast Tennessee, northwest Georgia as well as Alabama, Mississippi, and other parts of the south have joined together to help one another and begin the long process of restoring, healing, and recovering. 

Please keep everyone in your heart.  It will be a long road ahead.

what's next

  I shot this photo a couple of years ago at  our cottage in north Florida.  

Thinking that it would be my next project. 
The time has come, at long last to begin my next project.

  This is going to be one of my most difficult pieces to date, because I want to try and highlight each of these blossoms within the blooms.  What caught my attention, initially, were the buds.
I was fascinated by their unusual shape. 

After taking umpteen pictures, I chose a few that weren't too blurry and printed them off.  From those pictures I chose 4 (so far) blooms that l liked and arranged them for my sketch which would become the basis for drawing the pattern.  Here's a peek at the progress.

Because of the tiny pieces involved, I drew it out on a 19 x 24 inch piece of paper.  I laid a piece of tracing paper, the same size, over the drawing to begin working out the pattern.  Got a bit done, but it could be simplified, unless I decide that I really want to piece it this way.  I played with an enlarged section to see how this might play out. 
I normally used multiple commercial print fabrics, but this time I want to use mostly my hand dyed fabrics.  Since I did all that fun dyeing last summer, it is high time to cut into them.  And I found that I had gobs of fabric that would work perfectly. 

Now to enlarge the entire drawing.  And thanks to my friend, Melody,  I now have use of her overhead projector. She generously offered and I gratefully accepted.  Thanks Mel.   No more trying to explain to the clerks at the enlargement booth at the local office supply chain  how I would like to have this enlarged.  "Oh," they would ask, "is this for stained glass?  It will be beautiful".  "No", I reply, " it isn't a stained glass, it is an art quilt."   At which point, they would smile blankly and dismissively then totally ignore my requests for enlargement size.

Yes, yes, I know.  The last quilt was no rules, seat of the pants fun.  But I have fun drawing patterns as well.   I just have fun challenging myself.  I so enjoy trying something new each and every day.   Beside, I've got two other seat of the pants projects on the design wall to keep me loosey, goosey, when the mood strikes.    And I've got a new toy to play with to boot.  I'm off to play with the projector.  I promise that I will do my best not to break it, Mel.  I am soooo excited.