Barn Quilts, Woolen Shop and More

29 Oct 2008 6 Comments

by averyclaire in Quilt Blocks, Sewing, Wool Tags: , , , ,

I spent this past weekend in Cedar Rapids, Iowa with my lovely sister-in-law, Judy, and her friend, Kay.  We began the day with a trip to her local quilt shop, Pine Needles, for a fun quilt group to learn of all the latest things. This shop is quite famous and one of the nicest I have ever visited.  The weather was cold and rainy, but we had a great time anyway.

Then we went to Kalona, Iowa.  I share with you the postcard I picked up at the quilt shop we visited. There is a wonderful Barn Quilt Tour in Washington County to see amazing quilt blocks which are painted on the side of barns.  We saw quit a few of the painted quilt blocks as we drove into Kalona, but with the rain it wasn’t good for photos or a complete tour.  Maybe next year on a sunny day.

We promptly had a luscious lunch at the Tuscan Moon Restaurant. A super place with great food. Then walked across the street to the Willow Creek Quilt Shop (sorry no link), but a lovely quilt shop that just went on forever. Each nook was filled with a new treasure to behold.  It was hard talking myself out of buying everything.  A must see when in Kalona.

We skipped the Kalona Quilt Museum (as I actually had been there before…although it is a “great” place to visit), and left for Williamsburg, Iowa where Judy and Kay had discovered a wonderful wool shop on a previous trip. The Woolen Needle is just a lovely place to find lots of wool patterns and get the most beautiful hand-dyed wool. 

 

 

 There is nothing more wonderful and fun than spending a weekend with good friends.  Ahhhh.

Moving onto another topic….Each year at the beginning of November, my quilt group holds a holiday boutique.  All of our members make handmade things to sell.  Part of the profits go to our quilt group to sustain us during the year in order to have wonderful guest speakers at our meetings.  We also use our profits to buy fabric for charity projects.  For several years now, my contribution is a stack of baby blankets with teddy bears. On September 30th I showed a photo of a huge pile of flannel fabric.  Well here is part of the results my work.  I made about 14 blankets and teddy bears and have flannel for about 6 more (later maybe).  I also made up the “Moses Basket” to use for displaying my blankets.  While my children are all grown and my grandchildren are too old for baby blankets…they are still fun to make.

Ornaments

22 Oct 2008 8 Comments

by averyclaire in Christmas, Embroidery, Gifts, Wool Tags: ,

I’ve been working a lot without much time for sewing.  Actually I wake up at 4 AM and get some sewing done before I go to work.  I think I am a bit tired…but I managed to do these Christmas ornaments.  They are from a pattern by Indygo Junction.  I haven’t done a lot of it, but I love working with wool.  I have been collecting it for years hoping to do something fun.

 

 

 

Aren’t they just adorable.  I think I will save them for gifts for the holiday season. 

 

 

 

I think this green one is my favorite.  They worked up quickly and it was something I could do when I was really tired and just wanted to sit in front of the TV at night and “veg.”

 

 

 

The embroidery on this one didn’t take much time and it really adds a lot to the ornament!

 

 

 

 

The little Christmas tree has beads for ornaments and a tiny silver bead to top the tree.  Each ornament has a “jingle bell” attached to the ribbon.

 

 

On second thought…I think perhaps that this Mistletoe ornament might be my favorite.  When I was a young girl, I always made sure I had mistletoe around at the holidays for the all the gentlemen who might pass through our doorway!  What do you think?

 

 

 

Perhaps it is hard to choose a favorite.  But I think they will make delightful gifts this year.  Glad I spent those early mornings sewing.

Crazy Quilt Stitching

16 Oct 2008 6 Comments

by averyclaire in Crazy Quilting, Needlework Tags: ,

Several people have emailed me and asked for clearer and close-up photos of my crazy quilt stitches. Here is my best shot. Hope this helps. This was an experiment in crazy quilting for me. While I love to embroider and stitch, I had never really worked with silk ribbon before…I guess I am learning. Just for fun…my friend, Dolores, had some of us other friends over and taught us “how-to.” Between her lovely patience and reading a few books…voila…the makings for a pretty pillow top.


Wildflower Harvest Quilt Show

11 Oct 2008 5 Comments

by averyclaire in Inspiration, Quilting, Sewing Tags: ,

This morning my friend Pat and I were able to attend the  Wildflower Harvest Quilt Show which we learned about from Marjorie’s blog. There is still time…the show will be open on Sunday from 10 until 4 in Valparaiso, Indiana. It was a lovely quilt show. Lots of artistic quilts and many exciting vendors were there. One of my favorite booths was Pat Winters Gatherings. I read her blog every day and have a link on my blog to hers. I bought the most luscious hand-dyed ribbons from her and also a packet of beads to make a dragonfly.  She generously included for me a spider thread and bead kit and a silk for my crazy quilting.  Her booth was beautiful…so colorful with her crazy quilted purses and all of her hand-dyed ribbons.  How inspiring and such fun to look at!!  And there were plenty of people to share my enthusiasm.  So if you have time and live nearby…please stop by to see her.  She is as lovely in person as she is in writing her blog.

Here is a crazy quilt block that I began a while ago and have not completed…ahhhhh, another Work In Progress (WIP).

But I think I’ll save my new acquisitions for a brand new block.

Also want to mention that this weekend is the Sewing Exposition at Pheasant Run in St. Charles, IL.  It has a lot of wonderful vendors as well.

Progress and Past

07 Oct 2008 4 Comments

by averyclaire in Gifts, Quilting Tags: ,

Here is one of the blankets I managed to complete this week…Peter Rabbit and a couple of others.  The blankets are about 40 inches square and are double sided.  The flannel is all prewashed and preshrunk.  I have been making these and selling them as gifts for years now.  It is my own design with special embroidered edges.  And each one comes with a cozy stuffed animal. 

I also finished a baby quilt for the grandson of a friend of mine, but I can’t put it on the blog until I get it into the mail. Don’t want to spoil the surprise.

Everyone is always worrying about all the fabric they have in their stash.  I did too.  So I decided to do something about it.  I made an old-fashioned multi-color cat quilt.  It was a Robert Callaham pattern shown in a magazine some years old.  Thinking I would put a big dent in my stash, I even used scraps to create a patchwork backing for the quilt.   And you know what happened…I think my stash is just as big as it was before.  This lovely quilt didn’t even put a dent into my collection of fabric.   I had the opportunity to display my quilt in the public library for nearly six months.  It was fun.

 

 

 A closeup of the cats and “fence.”

 

 

 

Here is the back of the quilt…..all the left over scraps from the front of the quilt.

 

 

 

 

Here is a photo of the library where the quilts were hung.

 

 

 

 

And here is a photo of some quilting friends giving a demonstration of their quilting skills at the public library.

 

  

Quilting makes such good friends and we have such a good time together!  I wouldn’t trade this time with my friends for anything.

Fabulous Flannel

30 Sep 2008 2 Comments

by averyclaire in Quilting, Reflection, Sewing Tags: , ,

It’s been a busy week, working mostly. But I attended the funeral of a good friend who passed away from melanoma. She was only 58. I wrote a reflection on her illness and impending death on August 17th. And I have been reflecting on her life and passing often lately. Of course this leads to reflection on one’s own life as well.

But I have to get back into the groove and take care of projects. Here is a stack of fabulous flannel which will be turned into cute little blankets with stuffed bears and bunnies. I have been making these and selling them for years.  I’ll post a photo when I am finished. My quilt group has a holiday boutique every year in November and a portion of the profit from the things we sell goes to our quilt group.  It allows us to have wonderful guest speakers each month and to purchase fabrics for charity quilts, cancer hats and wheelchair and walker bags.  So I have LOTS of work to do before the November boutique.  Guess the wedding quilt will be put on hold one more time.

Off to work for the day…I hope I still have energy tonight to start this flannel project!

Grandchildren’s Quilts

23 Sep 2008 3 Comments

by averyclaire in Quilting Tags:

This past weekend two of my grandchildren came to stay with me, Noah is nearly 11 and Sophia is 6. I love to see them because soon they will grow too old for their “Nana.”  Although, the children gave me a small handmade item last year to prove that will NEVER happen.

When Sophia was a baby I designed this cheerful and bright quilt for her.   The white background is free-motion quilted in pink thread with lots of daisy-like flowers.  It still hangs on her bedroom wall. 

When Noah was just a “little guy” I made this Noah’s Ark quilt for him. It was one of the very first quilts I ever made. The animals and Noah are all done with piecing. I thought I’d never finish it. Some of the animals have corded tails that hang down and the giraffe has a 3D mane.  His quilt is safely tucked away in the closet.  I understand.  While it served its purpose many years ago, I think Noah needs a quilt for an “older guy” now.

And last, but never least, is this twin size quilt I made for Haley who is now 8 years old.  It was my first large size quilt and first appliqued quilt.  The hearts are free-motion quilted with feathers in a heart motif and the background is stippled.   While the colors look muted in this old photo, it is bright and cheerful as well.  The border is a lovely floral with gold etchings.   Her quilt has been washed often and loved much.   I would like to see her have a new quilt as well.

But, alas, my last little grandson, Max, who is nearly five has never had a quilt made for him.  I need to put this on my high priority list.  

However, I suppose I should finish that wedding quilt that I have been working on first.   Perhaps I should quit that full-time job I have and really retire.  I have enough fabric in my stash to quilt at least until I am 102 years old!!  Isn’t that a wonderful thought?   Hmmm.

I will have to think about that.  Last night I had dinner with a friend who also works full-time and she really inspires me with all the artwork she accomplishes.   She is amazing; I don’t know how she does it.  We had so much fun.  Maybe with the economy, I’ll just work a little longer and try to fit more in to my days, like Marjorie. 

“A Magical Year”

17 Sep 2008 8 Comments

by averyclaire in Family, Quilting Tags: ,

Blocks 1, 2 and 3

Today is my younger son’s first wedding anniversary.  Mike and Michelle live in Colorado and were married in a meadow near a lovely lodge in the mountains one year ago today.   I called them tonight to say “Happy Anniversary.”   Both seemed to be having a fun time with friends.   But I share with you something that my daughter-in-law said to me tonight … “We have just spent the most magical year of our lives.”   Now you must understand that my son was in a nasty auto accident two years ago, needs back surgery soon, and I believe it must have been a very difficult year.  And yet Michelle could still say they had a magical year.   Mike is so lucky, and as parents we are so lucky to have her in the family.

Here are photos of the blocks I have completed so far on their “wedding quilt.”   Yes, I am slow.   It should have been done at least for this anniversary!   Alas, it was not. 

Block 4

Block 5

Block 6

Michelle and Mike

Michelle and Mike

       Happy Anniversary!!

Celebrations

14 Sep 2008 3 Comments

by averyclaire in Applique, Family, Quilting Tags: , , ,

We went to Cedar Rapids, Iowa for a couple of days to help celebrate the birthday of a friend.   It was such a joyful celebration.   The party was a kind of family reunion, where many of the family members had not seen one another for up to 15 years!    

From the sidelines I watched his daughter gently holding her father’s hand and I could see the tenderness and love in their faces as they spoke quietly in the corner.  It was fun to watch the joy on the faces of cousins who were together for the first time in years.  The entire weekend was very uplifting.  Thanks Ray for sharing your birthday with us.

 

It was also a “quilt fix” for me, as my friend, Judy, is a wonderful quilter.  She had many projects to share…some finished…some works in progress.  She inspires me to say the least.  I always find fun and laughter when we are together.   Sadly our time was limited to just a brief visit, but it makes me long for another visit, hopefully soon.

 

Today I share with you one of my works in SLOW progress…some of my Hawaiian quilt blocks.  My daughter, who has a wedding anniversary today, bought me a Hawaiian quilting book on her honeymoon in Hawaii several years ago.   So far I have only three blocks done.  I love to do the needle turned appliqué, but I fear it will be a long time before it is complete.  Her anniversary today inspired me to share this with you.

Time

10 Sep 2008 4 Comments

by averyclaire in Family, Needlework, Wool Tags: , ,

It was six days of fun, family, and relaxation.  We had a couple of days to ourselves; the children and grandchildren arrived; we hiked; we biked; we canoed; we roasted marshmallows; and we just simply spent time with one another.  We even celebrated one granddaughter’s 8th birthday with candles and cake and gifts.  It was marvelous.  It was a gift to me that they all agreed to come for the weekend.  And then we had a couple of additional days to just relax before coming home to what awaits everyone upon returning home. 

 

My time was spent with family…not much needlework, but I did manage to complete a couple of items, make progress on another, and read a good book.

 

The wool candle mats are from patterns I purchased sometime ago, but still available.  Working with wool is very soothing, very forgiving, quick to do and something I very much enjoy.   I have been collecting bits of old wool for years, have tried my hand at dyeing a bit, and have purchased some lovely wool pieces.  Most of what I use is felted wool fabric, but when I can’t find or create just the right colors, I use wool felt.  This comes in brightly dyed colors more than one could ever wish for. 

 

Sometimes my only enemy is time…not enough of it.  Right now I have time dedicated to promised projects and not enough time for desired art projects of my own.   One day.   For now, I spent the last six days of my time with my family…a very precious gift from them to me.  I am grateful.

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