Quiltville at the Museum

    On September 19th, I took a class at the Buffalo Niagara Heritage Museum sponsored by the Amherst Quilt Guild with the indomitable Bonnie Hunter from Quiltsville.  I had been waiting for the day to meet her and learn from her. She has taught me a lot through her blog. I owe my love for vintage machines, treadles, my sewing mates table, crumbs, scrap savers system, leaders and enders, and all the assorted knowledge from her blog and quiltcam. I took the Crumb piecing class. She taught basic crumb piecing, maverick stars, crumb hearts, letters by piecing, and string quilt blocks. She was so friendly, enthusiastic, and generous. My sister in laws and I took the class together. Bonnie put us on her site, we are down aways, three from the bottom.http://quiltville.blogspot.com/2014/09/galaxy-gram-lunch-break-crumbs-class.htmlcrumb class
   It was such a special day. One more peg for the big birthday year. Thank you Bonnie!!!

Pieced Letters

Crumb Hearts

Maverick Stars

4 1/2" blocks

    A lot of people brought show and tell. Here are just a few.

    And two of Bonnie's she used as class samples.

Mail mostly quilted

      Using white Isacord, I quilted all the white fabric in You've got Mail. I am debating how to quilt the color envelopes. I was thinking straight stitching up and down on the body and across the flap. Hmm.

All quilted up, thank goodness!

     I finished quilting and adding facings to Between a Rock and a Hard Place, the small quilt I started at the Hudson Valley workshop in March. I was assigned to use two colors I did not like. Still don't. I forced myself to complete the sewing and then I quilted it in straight lines with Black Isacord. I had some equally ugly batik that I used for the back. It fits with this. Now I just have to find someone who loves these colors and size so I can move out this piece. It was a learning exercise. And I finished it.

Just the blocks

      Things have been a little under the weather here. I have had continuous migraines and early Monday morning my husband passed out twice and fell in the middle of night as he was getting up which meant an ambulance trip, lots of expensive tests and no cause discerned. He has no prior problems, but needs to make some changes. 
      I have been testing out some new blocks to me to see whether I like them or not. First, my  first two paper pieced blocks for Sea Urchin by Judy Niemeyer are done.

      Second, after my class at Quilting by the Lake this past July, I was inspired to try a Dresden Plate. I got a template on the Missouri Star Quilt company daily deal. I wish it was even longer. I sewed 5, 2.5" x 4.5" strips together for each spoke and then trimmed them. I have not sewn the blades together yet. I wonder if this could be a center medallion with something else just simple around it.

      Third, Janet on the Quilting Board explained a better way to do the Missouri Star quilt company Disappearing Hour glass block so you aren't sewing bias edges. This using 5" squares. I like it. I have to find fabric to make enough same charm squares for each block- four of each, light and dark.

       Last, I am using my leader and ender 2.5" squares to make some 5 across blocks so I can make the Film in the Fridge pattern for another comfort quilt now that I sewed together Good Night Irene.

Circle dance rolling along

    Ah, the queen size Circle dance. I ironed the extra wide batting I bought and smoothed out the batting, and pin basted the whole thing. Although I have 3- 6' tables, it was not big enough and I had to do it in sections. I used the grapefruit spoon as shown before, so the skin on my fingers is intact. The yardstick in the photo is used to smooth the batting down, using the side edge from the center of the quilt. It then also smooths out the top to the edges. A woman from my guild showed me the trick and it is very useful. So now, the quilt is all pinned and sitting next to my Bailey Home Quilter waiting for me to wind many, many bobbins. 

Animal skin quilt and Rainbows

     I was able to finish the Animal skins quilt, made with strips of animal skin prints and other white and blacks strips all from jellyroll fabrics.  I used the diagonal variations pattern that was from jelly roll fabrics (freebie). My mom pieced the tubes, I trimmed the triangles and sewed the blocks, did the borders and FMQ with Glide thread. My mom sews on an old Brother that she bought when I was born. I have replaced cords and the foot controller on it, but the battered thing still sews a great straight stitch. My mom is not a quilter, but will sew 1/4" seams around squares and strips for me. She sews clothes. So, this was sewn on an old Brother, a Singer 201, and a Bailey Home Quilter. 

   My mother also sewed some strips for me to make this rainbow quilt. I sort of came up with this by watching a Tula Pink video on the Quilt Show and fooling around with some strips. I used a rainbow spectrum jelly roll from jellyroll fabrics and white strips from them. I cut the strips in half to make them 20 inches. I numbered with painters tape the order of placement. I layered a white strip on top of a color one, and had my mom sew the short ends together to make a tube. Then I cut the white strips to stagger the colors. I did this one at time to make sure I got the strips shifting well design wise. Then I pinned pairs and labeled the pairs with numbers and an arrow to what side was to be sewn. I gave them back to my mom, and she sewed the pairs on the long edge I had arrowed. She was very adventurous and pressed them open and matched the inside numbers and sewed all the pairs together making the complete top. I then added a 6" white piece on the long sides to make the quilt 56 x 66. Now, if an 82 year old lady can sew this who is not a quilter, this should give you some motivation to get sewing.
   I am thinking, since I have more spectrum rolls, of using light gray instead of white, and maybe increasing the plain fabric by 12" so even though the tube won't be even, I won't have to add a border. Hmm.

As sewn by my mom, blue painters tape numbers on side

6" white borders added to edge to make comfort quilt 56 x 66