Friday, December 31, 2021

Quilt News, Happy New Year 2022! Holiday Around Town!

Holiday decor in town!
This is supposed to be Santa's sleigh.


Store front finery.

Sparkle and lights.

Local neighbor with his pet pig out for a walk. Really!

Christmas baubles.

 Dear Quilt Friends Happy New Year to you and your families!

I had to share the Holiday vibes going on in town, it's a small town, the best kind.

I'll be back to projects soon.

We have a lot to be thankful for!

And I'll be by to visit.

Monday, December 6, 2021

Quilt News! Merry Christmas! Story of 3 Quilts and Embroidered/Embellished Art Quilt Progress

Merry Christmas!
#2 Small Plaid Quilt, close view of hand quilting w' red floss.
#1 Small Plaid Quilt hand quilting progress.
#2 Small Plaid Quilt basted and making progress with hand quilting.
Hand Piecing sections for #1 Small Plaid Quilt.
#1 Small Plaid Quilt layered with backing and batting.
#1 at the top of photo, #2 bottom left, #3 bottom right.
#2 Small Plaid Quilt hand quilting progress.
#1 Small Plaid Quilt piecing sections.
#1 Small Plaid Quilt piecing progress.
#3 Small Plaid Quilt, final yellow border with blue plaid corner blocks.
#2 Small Plaid Quilt, hand quilted w' red embroidery floss.
#1 Small Plaid Quilt, all hand pieced and quilted, close view.
And I've added more embroidery to this art quilt project.
 
 
Happy December and Happy Holidays!
And Merry Christmas to all my Quilt Friends!
 
This week I've been adding hand embroidery, French Knots, Running Stitch, Cross stitch, to my embroidered/embellished art quilt and I'm finished with it for the most part.
I've been working on it for over a year. It started as a challenge but I stalled over inspiration and didn't want to force the process, so it got put away. 
My sewing machine is in storage for a while so now is the time for finishing hand work on my embroidered/embellished art quilt. And I'll start the process of submitting it to see if it gets accepted for publishing. I haven't done that in a while. 
 
Also I wanted to tell the story of #1, #2, #3 Small Plaid Quilts. All 3 are made from 2 plaid work shirts I bought at a local thrift shop and some print scrap fabric and scraps of Kona Cotton Solids I had on hand.
#1 was started during the covid hysteria and we were staying in an inn then next to a beautiful river, because there was no room for us anywhere else. My sewing machine was in storage, so I thought it would be a good time to get into hand piecing. I used scissors no rotary cutter. My book by Yoko Saito featuring quilted handbags was pulled out and I poured over that. Yoko does amazing hand piecing, and quilting. I enjoyed the process and considered that our great grandmothers sewed by hand until sewing machines became available. I finished #1 and I was happy with it, a little time consuming but I had lots of time on my hands.

Then we moved to the 'valley' and my sewing machine came too, yey! I started #2 with some hand pieced blocks, sections and scraps left over from #1. #2 Small Plaid Quilt was machine pieced and hand quilted with red floss. I hand sewed the binding on and down with red floss, which goes faster than you'd think.

#3 was started in the valley and finished in a new home in the east foothills. The blocks in #3 were made from the plaid scraps, prints and solids from #1 and #2. I pieced using liberated/make do techniques because that seemed like the thing to do! I hand quilted #3.
These 3 small plaid quilts have been on an adventure with me and now I think of them as friends.

We've moved and are staying for a while at an inn. I've been thinking about how our Savior was born in a manger because there was no room for them in an inn. He humbled himself willingly for us.
 
And that, Quilt Friends, is the quilt news from the Inn!
Remembering to be thankful and thoughtful this holiday season!
 
How are your holiday projects coming along?
I'll be by to visit!