Sewing Machine Gets Used!

Check out the Baby quilt. Yes, it's Kaffe and was a kit on Gloriouspatchwork.com's website. Of course, all those setting triangles along the sides of this quilt had to be re-cut because someone famous, who publishes great patterns and creates gorgeous fabrics, can't get his math right.

Jenome Gem and I had a long weekend together while Bob was playing golf last month. It's amazing how much faster the machine is but I still prefer hand piecing. Kaffe's shot cotton fabrics are not nearly as much fun to sew together as they are to applique.

Lollypop Trees

Obsessing over Kim McLean's choice of fussy cut Kaffe's is evident in this block.
That center of the flower bugs me, though. It may have to be picked out. Perhaps, after another few blocks are finished. The 'trunk' is one of Kaffe's shot cottons. It appliques like a dream.

Lollypop Trees..

How cool is this quilt? Barb and I decided to order the patterns after
Barb saw it in person at the Asheville Kaffe lecture in October. We're being a bit obsessive-blowing up the individual blocks, matching the fabric exactly, going to extremes to acquire out-of-print fabric. It's been sooo much fun!

We're trying to do two blocks a month since we have a ton of other projects going at the same time. In December we'll only do one, though, because our families expect us to spend time with them.

My Kaffe stash fairly extensive. There was still some real hesitancy on my part to share with my friend, Barb, ... even though she was sharing with me!

Ha, ha. I'm such a selfish bitch!

I found some quilts... in San Francisco!

During my recent trip to San Francisco, my grandmother's younger sister, Aunt Betty, pulled out these cool quilts made by her mother, Annie Laurie Clapp Harrell (aka.Mammie). They are in perfect condition, too!! Mammie made these from kits during the 1950's and had them quilted by an unknown woman.



Red and Green Wreath Applique




Pinwheel or Love in a Tangle



Cornucopia Applique

Here's What They're Fighting For..

Last night I presented our guild with information about our logo and the possibility of a *GASP* new logo. You'd think I'd suggested we all get matching tatoos.

The presentation went better than I thought it would; the guild did vote 3-73 to at least look at some new designs.

Here's the problem with that. They will look at three new designs and a re-do of our current logo. All of the old-no-change ladies will vote for the old logo no matter how cool the new ones are. The rest of the guild will split their vote among the other designs. Sort of like grade school when the boys only fielded one candidate and the girls kept nominating their friends-guess who always won?

Here's the best part of the evening: I had on a cool new outfit. My hair cooperated as much as it ever does. I had handouts and giant posters for demonstration purposes. I was prepared and confident. I looked down at my feet when I sat down and realized I had on two different shoes.

Batik Debate..

I adore this quilt. A while back, OK, two years ago, I ordered a spectrum of hand dyed fabrics so I could replicate it. I made a few of the blocks from various Hawaiian pattern books. They're OK, but I need to have a consistant background that I won't run out of. It's a little problem I have, running out of background. I don't plan ahead.

OK, here's my idea: to make this quilt using batiks. Would it be too weird and disjointed? Would some of them pop and some retreat into the background? Would the Tonga Batiks I'm thinking of ordering look tacky with the more subdued batiks in my collection? Do I have enough things to work on at the moment?

My Surly E-mail Reply to the Previous Post

How convenient of you to have your hop when the other regional shops are having theirs. This way you can cash in on their hard work and advertisements.

Please take me off of your mail list.

Amazingly Rude Item in my In Box..

5th Annual My Quilt Shoppe Hoppe

Friday, July 13 - Saturday, July 21, 2007
Greetings!
Join us as we celebrate our 5th Annual My Quilt Shoppe Hoppe.
We are not part of the "official" Carolina Shop Hop No passports required at MQS. Our dates will coincide with theirs so be sure to include MQS on your iteneray as you travel shoppe to shoppe.
If you are collecting the blocks during your adventure, you won't find one at MQS but...... will give you Quilt Label to use for your 2007 Shoppe Hoppe Quilt when you visit us during the hoppe. What more could you want, 12 beautiful purchased block kits and one free label for the back.
The first 250 who comes thru the quilt shoppe during shoppe hoppe will receive discount coupons towards services in our Service Department on YOUR Bernina Sewing Machine or Serger.
Bring in a quilt top to be quilted by Kim on our Gammill longarm and we wll give you a $25.00 gift certificate to use on your next visit.
Daily Specials.....big discounts
Daily drawings for door prizes
Free Fat, Free gadgets
Two Horn Sewing Chairs to be given away Sat. July 21st
Wear a hat ....get extra fat!
Work this in with our July 14th Early Bird Sale and Save $$$$$$$$$
See You Soon Lanna,David & MQS Staff
My Quilt Shoppe

Quilt Show in H'ville..

Saturday, June 30, 2007



I worked the WNCQG show a few hours Thursday and Friday this week. Guild Folk were worried we wouldn't have a good show so soon after the massive Symposium effort but people really came through. There were tons of really great quilts including a Calico Garden and a kick-ass traditional Hawaiian quilt-both by Norene Goard, my new quilting guru. A quilt made with Irma Gail's cool bird applique patterns and hand quilted made a nice showing, too. Here's a link to my webshots page with these quilts:

http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/album/559680890ySPNXq?track_pagetag=/page/photo/goodtimes/friendsfun&track_action=/Owner/DB/Album

R. I. P. ..Dead Pig on a Rope

June 9, 2007 ...Behold, His Replacement...

I'd written an obit for Dead Pig on a Rope (aka Silverado Electrolux) but let's face it, this was an abusive relationship and he doesn't deserve to be memorialized. His Replacement promises never to be too heavy to lug up and down stairs. His upholstery attachment is well designed and actually pulls dog hair off of furniture. Ergonomically and aesthetically, he's twice the vacuum that Dead Pig on a Rope ever was!

Symposium..

Sunday, June 3, 2007

NC Quilt Symposium 2007 was last weekend. Our Guild sponsored it this year and it was held in the charming college mountain town of Mars Hill. Next Year, Symposium is held in Wilmington. Above is a shot of the Wilmington guild's amazing raffle quilt. The quilt is hand pieced and hand quilted by the same woman. Her blocks appear to be four patches with the koi circle appliqued onto it. I love the blue and peachy orange colors.

Baltimore Applique revisited..again.

Friday, June 1, 2007

Here's an old online journal I started three years ago after my second stint at Elly's Applique Academy in Williamsburg:www.livejournal.com/users/sterby.

Well..I'm taking another Baltimore class at Material Things this summer. Our first lesson is the Fleur de Lis-an easy block I've already made a few times. Now for the background fabric decision, in case I decide to actually make an entire quilt. The Kona Snow is so classic and the appliques won't shadow through its thick surface. Kona's a bitch to reverse applique on, though; it frays horribly. I like the Moda Textures off-white but it's kind of thin and Andi may not be able to get a bolt of it for me.Later this summer, I'm going to Nashville for the AQS show and a class or two with Hawaiian Applique Queen, Nancy Chong. Hopefully, this will work out. I've had bad experiences taking a bunch of classes from the same teacher..(can you say 'Dear Jane'?)Susan and I got our class with Irma Gail next spring in Paducah. We've been stalking her in earnest and hoping she'd teach something we could attend.

Ship's Wheel/Virginia Star..

Friday, April 13, 2007



A wedding quilt decision has been made! Twenty-five of these blocks pieced so they are touching. A double half-square triangle will complete the border with feathered quilting between the lines of triangles. The larger space made by the touching diamonds will have a small feathered wreath.
I'm committed to making one of the eight points of this block every morning while having tea. That way at least there's momentum. I usually can join and sew the white spaces around the star on my quilt nights.

Friday, February 16, 2007

I spent the weekend between Sweden and Jamaica cutting, marking, and sorting 9 patches for the center of my Kaffe 9 patch. I finished about 22 of them in Jamaica and probably will finish the rest this weekend. It looks really cool on my quilt wall.I need to decide on my next project. I'm going to start a wedding quilt for my daughter. She's not engaged yet, but it does take me three years to finish a quilt. She's not a Double Wedding Ring or a floral sentimental fru fru applique kind of girl. I'm thinking of Ocean Waves or Lady of the Lake, maybe a pomegranate applique quilt.

The More Long-Winded and Artsy the Label, the Uglier and Least Likely to Survive 100 Years the Quilt

Saturday, December 2, 2006

I'm finally taking the Community Quilts I'm not doing to their final destination. Having them in the house irritates me like a yappy little dog. Now keep in mind, I had nothing to do with the actual construction of the quilts. For the most part, at least. My deal with my guild group was that I would pay to have them machine quilted if I didn't have to do anything else. I forgot, as group leader, to delegate the responsibility of coordinating the overseeing of making the quilts. Bad decision. Won't happen again. I did sew the label on the back. Grudgingly. It was simple, small, appliqued down on one corner of the quilt and included name, rank, and serial number.

Feeling Pissy...

Friday, December 1, 2006

Feeling Pissy...
Top 10 Reasons Why I Refuse to Participate in Guild's Community Quilts Projects:
10. I'm a hand piecer.
9. I hand quilt.
8. I sew my bindings on by hand.
7. If my children don't value or appreciate a hand made item, do the recipients who receive these random projects?
6. Other people in group quilt projects tend to donate ugly, cheap, scratchy fabrics.
5. Sick kids don't find ugly, cheap, scratchy fabric with stiff machine quilting 'snugly'.
4. Traumatised children don't find ugly, cheap, scratchy fabric with stiff machine quilting 'reassuring'.
3. I didn't like busy work when I was in Elementary School, and I don't like busy work now.
2. I'm not a team player
1. Quilting is my hobby, Not my job!