Pieces of my Heart lessons learned

I know I am supposed to be working on UFO's but a few weeks ago I saw a facebook post showing Wendy Williams's new quilt "Pieces of my Heart."

(Photo of finished quilt from Material Obsessions website)

I loved it so I ordered it from Austrailia and started working on it the week it arrived!  First, I still love this quilt and I am going to finish it.  I may even finish it this month!  I have however learned a lot...

Second - it is useful to check online to see if there are any videos.  I had only gone as far as pulling fabric and reading the direction when I found a 4 minute video by Wendy and Material Obsessions.  That made my life a lot easier!

Third - when you have enough fabric/scraps add a few more on each end of the value spectrum.  I started out with almost all reds and pinks.  After watching the video I added a lot more purples, oranges and yellows.  Also added more textures.  Really happy I did.  I have everything from Kaffee to Mary Engelbreight and everything in between!

Fourth - the technique is sort of a flip and sew log cabin...when trimming use a really long ruler.  My first half has a bit of ruler drift since I was only using a 15 inch ruler.  duh!

Fifth - pin often.  The heart can get a bit wobbley particularly as you get to the outer rows.

Sixth - press, press, press...hit it with a bit of best press or starch and press again.

I hope to get the last row onto the left side of the heart today and maybe even start the background piecing.  

This quilt also has a lot of wool embroidered hearts.  My friend Paula gave a bag of wool bits in lots of different shades of red, pink, orange and purple.  Can't wait to start playing with those!

On other projects...I had a finish!

This went to a fund raiser for a friend's sister's medical bills.

And this quilt top is for my sister!  It is Bonnie Hunter's Trip around the world pattern only put on point.  Yes, I took and fairly easy pattern and managed to make it complicated!  I have the backing ready to piece so should have this to the longarmer this month...phew.  Good thing for me they still need quilts in the summer up in Maine!

Friend quilt!

A few months ago my friend Paula and I exchanged quilts.  Paula made a Sue Spargo design but added a lot of her own ideas to it.  I had made candy corn - a take on a vintage Southern Top I bought at a country auction in South Carolina.

I'm embarrassed to say it has taken me this long to get it up on the wall!

On the left is the quilt I made and on the right is the Paula made

In my defense this quilt is made from wool, silk and cottons with lots of embellishment. So I didn't want the quilt to get sunlight...didn't want it to be near any vents where it could get moisture or dust.  And on top of that it is a mid sized quilt so need a decent amount of wall space.

Add to that I wanted folks to see it when they visit the house...phew.

So now this quilt hangs in the hallway off of the dining-room.  You can glimpse it from the front foyer so perhaps it will pull visitors into the house?!

Anyone else happy for Autumn?!

I'm back...it was a long hot and difficult summer for me.  Not sure I've ever been so happy for Labor Day to come around!

Not going too far into the details (feel too much like I'm whining) but lets just say I went to the doctor for one thing and ended up having so much more for them to work on.  In some ways it was very lucky...but it made for a long hot summer.

So my DH celebrated September with some chocolate, fabric and pumpkin spice coffee.  He knows me well!  I go in this week for a follow-up and hope for a clean bill of health (ok...at least nothing unexpected!)

So even though I wasn't as active in the sewing room as I'd like I did a few quilt-y things since I last posted.

This Singer came to live with me!  It was a fun project to take her apart and get her working again.  This is the model I learned to sew on!  Amazing how quickly muscle memory came to play...I threaded it without even thinking...

Her name is Bonnie...she sews really, really fast so I named her after Bonnie Hunter who used to come to the guild retreat and finish a quilt top before I had finished my morning coffee!

My wool group got together last week to start stitching again.

They are so creative

and productive.  Figured it should get me back into gear again!

Donation Quilt at Home Show

My quilt guild makes a quilt each year to benefit Camp Rainbow, a medically supervised camp for children with cancer.

One of our big events for this quilt is the Augusta Home Show.

I worked at our booth for the first shift and was really happy with how generous the folks were.  One man said he didn't have time to fill out the tickets but wanted to donate and put a $20 bill in the bucket!

Flowers are starting to come up even with the cooler weather...makes me want to work out in the yard but it is still about a month too early!

Speaking of flowers my friend Paula gave me my swap quilt this week!  The quilt on the left is Carnival corn that I made and gave to her and on the left is Fanciful Blooms (a Sue Spargo pattern that Paula made her own!)  which she made and gave to me!

Post Thanksgiving Notes

I successfully avoided shopping on Thanksgiving...I only succumbed to a quick visit to a Hancocks on Friday to pick up a new large cutting mat (50% off.)  I even stayed away from shopping on Saturday...

However today, Cyber Monday, I admit to buying some of my favorite hand lotion on line, got some deals at Missouri Quilts (3 Aurifil threads for less than $10!) and a Sinatra book for my husband.

I did get out to do a bit of walking around the Canal this weekend.  My goal is to walk there three times a week.  It has a half mile loop...

There are three projects that I have deadlines on...

first this small wool and button project.  My woolie group is having an exhibit in January.  This is tough for me as I give away most of my finished items.

second is this little Christmas pillow (mine is the large one in the back with borders.)  It would be nice to be able to put it out on the couch before the 25th of this year!  My Wednesday stitching group did this as a day project.

and finally, the Elephant and me baby quilt for my nephew and his wife who are expecting in January.  The piecing on this quilt went quickly...the applique not so much.  Large applique pieces are tougher for me than small ones!

When I finish these I have another baby quilt for another nephew and his wife who are due in March!  Maybe I should start making some to keep on hand...

A future daylilly quilt...

Daylillies are in full bloom here in Georgia.  They are my favorite plant for the garden!  So many varieties and colors.

They are generally very hardy however recently some fungus and other issues have become more of an issue.  One of my beds was impacted this year.

I did everything the extension agent recommended and was able to save 75% of the plants...not bad.  It was a lot of work.  This mauve plant seemed to be the most effected.  I was only able to save two out the rive plants.  It was work the work though...love the face and the ruffles on this one!

We are rapidly coming to the end of my spring gardening season.  Saturday the temps are going to be up around 95 degrees!  Too hot for me!

A few years ago I bought Leni Levenson Wiener's book "Photo-inspired Art Quilt - From Composition to Finished Pieces."

 I'd like to try something to merge my quilts and my photos.  Have any of you made quilts using photos as inspiration or in the quilt?

Also in the garden...I've been trying to get photos of all the different Dragonflies.  Just yesterday I saw three (maybe four) different species in my yard.  The down side...I keep capturing photos of the same (slow perhaps) species.  Heck it may even be the same dragonfly!

(a few years ago this would have been fine...now, it is a toss away!)

Funny how expectations change.  First I just wanted a picture of a dragonfly.  Then I wanted a photos close-up and in focus.  Then I wanted multiple dragonflies....say what!

And in more quilt-y news...went to stitching yesterday.  Paula is almost finished her wool project!

And Shannon is making progress on her primitive piece!  Beehives...think there is a theme here!

Woolie gathering

I went to a gathering of my friends who like to work in wool...we call ourselves the Woollie Woolies...

Rachel's little handmade journal - mixed papers, linen, and wool

it was fun seeing them and as always I come home with my head full of ideas!

Paula's silks, cottons, and wool low-volume wallhanging

We don't always just work in wool but do try to use other fibers like linen or silks in our projects.

Rose of Sharon from my side yard...bees love it!

I unfortunately didn't have anything for show and tell.  Too much folding and moving of fabric the past few months.

A few more weeks of work (mainly in the yard) and I should be in the studio!

Gardenias in bloom make the entire yard smell wonderful!

Day off...

Friday I took a day off from working on the sewing room.  I was tired.

Rachel's wool sampler leaf

I did go over to my friend Paula's and stitched a bit.  It felt good.  As much fabric and quilting things I've handled in the past few weeks I haven't actually sewn for what feels like ages!

Paula's current mixed fiber applique project...

Usually we work on our wool projects but I just stitched on my Charleston basket...mainly because I knew where it was!

She does a nice job of displaying quilts at her house.  This is the Carnival corn quilt I made last year hanging in her dining area.  Aren't the berries and the birds on the quilt hanger perfect!

Speaking of birds...saw our bluebird for the first time yesterday....hope he chooses to spend more time in our yard this year!

Wool Day!

About once a month I get together with some friends to work on wool projects.  We call ourselves the "woolie woolies..."

Today was fun.  We tried felting wool from roving using both wet methods and needles.  I was happy my egg ended up shaped like an egg!

 I do need to do a bit of decorating with needle felting to dress it up a bit...but I do love the color!

In March we are going to try needle felting a small lamb/sheep.  I'm hoping with some practice I'll eventually be able to make a scottie dog!

Good news...the kitchen is finished.  At least the painting part.  Now I have to put all the "stuff" back.  I'm using this as a chance to change up the pictures and toss some of the unused utensils and plates.  Hope to make a bit more space.

Now I don't generally recommend products but this rejuvenate for counters worked great for me!  I hated the idea of replacing perfectly good counters just because they were getting a bit dull.  This really brought them back to life....which is good as that means more money for fabric and quilts!

Quilt Show - ribbon winners

So I finally have a few minutes and enough energy to sit down and post some photos from my guild's show this past Friday and Saturday.

I'll start with some of the quilts that were awarded ribbons.

Best of show is a king size plus red and white quilt.  It also won in the large bed - duo category.

Best hand quilting and best single medium quilt was won by Rachel Thomas.

This quilt has great movement.

"Going Dotty" won for Best Use of Color and medium bed - mixed techinique duo

Barbara Beland's blue and yellow log cabin with flowers won for best medium bed mixed tech single and for best machine quilting.

I know there are a lot of you who really like Primitive Gatherings ...and obliviously Lisa Bongean is popular in my guild as well....Judy Lockhart won first in Medium Applique - single.

and Angie Faircloth won for Applique Wallhanging with her Angie's Garden.

Well, now I really need to go get more coffee...will post more later!