It is Showtime...

Well all the quilts are hung...the vendors set up...and the ribbons on the quilts. It has been a busy couple of days and I cannot wait until the show opens tomorrow.Judges Choice by Rachel T.

I spent a good part of this afternoon taking photos. So many photos that when I uploaded them there were a few quilts I don't even remember seeing! But I have photos to prove I did...

First I want to post some of the big winners...the "Best in..."

Best hand quilting went to my friend Julie Z, (this is a Piece of Cake design)...

Best Machine quilting was done on Sharon's quilt.

Best Use of color was my friend Paula's "Big Blue"...

And Best is Show went to Judy Lockhart...

It is a great show...I'll post lots of photos this week...

Show Judging

Well my guild's first day of judging for this year's show is over. There are some beautiful quilts there. Susan Edmonson from Charlotte is our judge and is doing a great job.
One of the new quilters in our group asked me how I prepped my quilts for the show. I can't claim to be an expert but after seeing a few quilts with threads and dear I say cat hair, still attached I guess my system works ok.
First I make sure I have clean bags or pillowcases to put the quilt into. It is no good taking a quilt out of a bag, working on it for 30 minutes to clean off cat hair then put it into the bag it was originally in...chances are there are hairs hiding in there!
Second, I put my quilts up on my quilt hanging rack. You could put a clean sheet down on a bed or large table but having the quilt hanging is much easier on the back. I put a clean sheet on the floor below it and use a large box to toss the thread cuttings. Once it is on the rack I start at the top and going left to right I take off any loose thread using my seam ripper. I only use a scissors when I absolutely have to...I'm very nervous about cutting the quilt top.

After all the threads are gone (front and back of the quilt) I then use a pet hair roller and go after any lint, threads or pet hair. The larger the roller the better...I still end up changing the sticky part often.

I left out the part about locking the animals up in the other room while you do this...DH came home and promptly let Dobby the cat out. Dobby...well, being Dobby, immediately ran at the quilt on the rack sending quilt, rack and confused cat tumbling over me.

Off to get the pumpkin cheescake bars out of the oven...more scribing for the judge tomorrow and we need to keep our energy up!

Quilt Show Prep

So this is it...my guild's semi-annual show is this week. I am doing lots of last minute prep to get ready.

Last quilt bound and washed....

First, I need to get my quilts prepped. This involves removing all of the threads (amazing how many times I have to clip threads...its like they hibernate inside the quilt and come out only after you have folded them and put them away.) Then check for any pet hair...even if I keep these quilts in the "no-pet zone" of my house quilts are like a "pet hair magnet" and a floating cat hair will find a way through doors and solid walls.

Does she look like she cares if her hair is causing a problem....

Each quilt must have a 4-inch sleeve for hanging. Then I label the quilt with a permanent label and the show paper-label. They also require a cloth bag or pillowcase with my name on it to store and move the quilt in.
For my witch hat making a cloth bag was an adventure...Before the show I volunteered to scribe for the judge for a few hours. On Wednesday I am the food lady...I bring and set-up lunch for the judges and the folks setting up the quilt-show rack. (lunch is a tray of deli subs and a tray of homemade chicken curry salad on croissants, a veggie tray, fruit salad, homemade chocolate pound cake with peanut butter frosting, molasses cookies, and pumpkin cheese cake)...Folks will be working hard that day so they need their energy!

During the show I am responsible for the Demonstration area...not not quilt version of the Wall street protesters...we are doing demos on applique, embellishment, caring for your quilt, hand quilting, and working with wool.

Only a few more quilts to prep...which is good since we hand them in tomorrow night! So off to make the molasses cookie dough and hunt down a few more loose threads....

Goodbye Quilt

My guild's donation quilt spent most of the past year in my library (safe from the pets!) Next week it goes to it's new home. This quilt raised over $3,000 for Camp Rainbow, a camp for Children with Cancer.

The quilt design is from the book "Simply Vintage" from Blackbird Designs. The piecing and applique was stitched by over 30 members of Pieceful Hearts Quilters.

I spoke with the new owner today and she is so excited...so I guess I'm ok with it leaving!

Our next quilt (2012) debuts at out quilt show on the 14th...somewhere a quilter is stitching the binding on! Now time for the guild to start planning for 2013....lots of work but a good cause!

How many photos...

Since I haven't been able to do much stitching lately I have been spending a lot of time organizing my photos. I've always loved to take pictures but I think blogging gives me that extra incentive. This incentive has generated thousands of photos!

Cobb Quilt...maybe my oldest MIA-UFO

Don't get me wrong. I love going through them I just decided I needed a better method of organizing. Previously I filed them in monthly groups. At the end of each month I copied the file to a disk for a backup. Worked great for making backups but not so good when you try to find a specific photo.

So I made some specific files for those "go-to" photos like "pets" (don't even ask how many photos are in that one!), my antique and vintage quilts, quilts I've made, antique "inspiration" quilts, guild photos, Holiday decorating ideas....Now at the end of each month I will still make a copy of that months photos but then I will "file" them.

MIA-UFO A Carolina Christmas

One thing I did learn from this is there are seveal UFO's that are in hiding. Several of you have written about losing the mo-jo on a project and putting it aside until the magic comes back. In my case if the project doesn't stay in view it migrates to the back of the closet and goes into long term hibernation. It was tough to learn there are no quilt elves that visit my closet in the dark of the night to finish my projects...sigh.

Left-over Baltimore Album blocks....

So after the quilt show I am going to do yet another clean out. I have the "wanted" posters on these malingers (helpful to know what I am looking for!) They will either make it to the finish list or to new homes....

Finally thanks for all the tips on how to do one-handed binding (note: the birds with clips work really well!) Also thanks for all the emails with offers of help. My friend Paula came by and picked up a quilt and a table runner. She and another quilt-buddy, Angie, are going to put on the sleeve and finish the binding on them.

In a bind....

Somewhere in that yellow section of the brain above there should be a label that says "quilt binding." You can't see it? Maybe they drew my brain... With several quilts still needing binding before the show the lingering flu/cold finally tweaked my MS and my left arm has little to no coordination/strength.

So far I have tried pinning the quilt to a pillow to keep the binding taunt while I sew it on...works but is v-e-r-y s-l-o-w. I've also used a large binder clip to attached the end of the quilt to a table, letting the quilt hang over the edge and used gravity to keep it taunt while I stitch...can you say "awkward!"

I know this arm thing will pass...most of my MS-y stuff is irritating but fortunately temporary. But I do have a deadline (also, do you realize how long it takes to type this with one hand...yikes!) so any ideas on how to work around this?
On the good news side I did clear out a stack of UFO's last week...no I didn't finish them! I gave two dollquilts and three table-runners to members of my guild to finish so they could go onto our silent auction table. The way I look at it is I had "kitted" these up almost a year ago (put finished to with batting, backing, and binding) but still hadn't gotten to them...they needed to go. So it is a win-win...the guild gets more handmade items for the auction and I have cleared half a shelf in my sewing room (and a bit of quilter's UFO guilt to boot!)

Pensieve Quilt-top Finish

I finished my Pensieve Quilt top today. I decided to put a mixed fabric inner border with blues and a multi-color large floral on the outside. It finished at 72x82 inches.
I think I like it...not my typical quilt but that is a good thing! I used up a lot of scraps and older bits of fabric in this. The border I bought for another quilt but had changed my mind and this was on it's way to the stash pile...thankfully it worked for this quilt.I did a little break out on one corner since a conventional border on the entire quilt just didn't feel right. (the corner lies flat in real-life...except when there is a cat underneath it....like in this photo...)
Still coughing and wheezing...so wish this cold would just go away....

Now back to sewing binding and labels on for our quilt show next month....after a small nap...

Back from Bermuda...

The toughest part of vacation is coming back to laundry, finding out that I didn't get all of the food cleared out of the fridge that needed to go, and battling a travel induced cold...Bermuda was very nice...very bright! When in England I took lots of photos of sheep, in Greece and Turkey it was cats, and in Bermuda it was chickens...they were everywhere! Crossing the street, the golf course, and even outside the pub. These roosters are probably complaining about all the Americans....
I did bring some hand-sewing with me but did not take one stitch...I have lots of work to do before our show next month! For now though I'll just down another cup of cold and flu medicine, toss movie in the DVD and huddle under a quilt....ok, maybe after I walk Macbeth....

Wordless Wednesday

A bright NYB made 7 years ago...seems like yesterday!

A couple of hex's...the good kind

Last night I had a great time with the Carolina Pine Quilters. I am always amazed at the generosity of quilters. These ladies were making Quilts of Valor, sending boxes to the troops in Afghanistan, Care blankets for members, quilted place mats for meals on wheels, bags for the Lydia Project, children's quilts for a number of organizations, and even little pet blankets for the SPCA.

So how many quilts did I bring with me...well if you include the tops it totaled 38. I've decided I need to start bringing more tops and crib quilts...they certainly are lighter than a backs seat of full-size quilts! The quilt in the photo above was brought by one of the members. It really fascinated me...part hexagon and part logcabin! I looked it up in Brackman and it is called a "logcabin." Maybe a Buckminster Fuller cabin....
The black center hexagon is corduroy! It was foundation pieced by hand and then hand pieced. This one is a top but the owner has a matching one that was hand-quilted...that quilter must have had really strong hands! The quilts were made in Alabama.

While pulling quilts for the talk I found an old one that I had purchased at a flea market with the intent to use it at a quilt restoration workshop. I ended up using a different quilt and this 1930's hexagon ended up at the bottom of one the quilt boxes....The quilter had used some silks for hexagons which not surprisingly shattered. Since the quilt is so scrappy and I have boxes of authentic 30's fabrics this project is back on the active list again....
A question came up that caused me to pause a bit. The quilter wanted to know how often did quilters in the past piece their backs with multiple fabrics. It is a good question. I know in my collection of over 100 quilts made prior to 1940 I only have one. Even that is a stretch as it is made from multiple feed-sacks and those all have a tan background but do have different advertising stamped on them. Does anyone know if there is research on quilt backs anywhere?

A complete finish!

Today I took the final stitches on the binding and label of the "Pink and Green Ladders" quilt! This started after on of those Bonnie Hunter "want to play" posts. Always get me trouble...but amazingly I finished this one in time for our show next month!

This morning a neighbor came by to borrow an electric drill...when she stepped in the foyer she asked, "are you moving?" "No," I answered, "just packed up a few quilts for a program tonight up in Aiken." She didn't look convinced. OK, I packed up a lot of quilts for the program...jeesh.

"The quilt inspector" thinking this quilt needs more Scottish plaids...

Every time I do a program I get nervous that no-one will bring a quilt so I bring lots of them just in case....Now it has never happened that no one brings a quilt that they want assistance in dating or identifying the pattern...but there could always be a first time! (of course the last time I did a program in Aiken it was at a Town and Country meeting and they brought over 40 quilts...may have been a record...)

A few of the quilts getting ready for travel....

I know that I enjoy lectures/programs with lots of quilts. Just like show and tell is my favorite part of guild meetings, a lecture only comes to life for me if there is lots of eye-candy. So how many quilts are "enough" for a 60 minute talk...six would be one every ten minutes - too few...ten would be every 6 minutes...twenty would be every 3 minutes... So how many do you think I have packed? (Hint it takes up the entire back seat of a Tuscon....)

6 by 6 and growing

These blocks are a bit addictive. I've tried to use them only as leaders and enders but...well, I find I've run more of these through the sewing machine than the project I am "supposed" to be working on.
So now I have 40 blocks...the setting in the photo is 6x6...I may stop at 6 by 7 and do something on the border. Then again I may let it grow to 7 by 8 and do no border...I'll think about that tomorrow...

Birthday block made by Rachel...quilt shops and a scottie dog!

Today I visited a local quilt collector. She is in her early 90's and is trying to get her things in order. I took a lot of photos and typed up descriptions of her quilts and some other items. She is going to use these pages with her will so there will be no confusion "when the time comes." She is a real character and it was interesting to hear her memories of when and where each piece was collected. This whole project came about a few weeks ago when she gave a red and green quilt to her great-granddaughter. The next day she got a call from her son saying she had promised him the red and green quilt. "Not that red and green," she said. "Just how many red and green do you have?" he asked, as if there was a great shortage in the world of red and green quilts. Today she has an answer to that question...she has ten beautiful mid to late 19th century red and green quilts. And just to make sure he is happy...she put his name on two of them!

Need to turn the channel

Earthquakes, hurricanes, tornados, floods, drought and fires...anyone else feeling a case of natural disaster stress? Makes watching a political debate a feel-good event...

Birthday block by Ille...it is the house I lived in in England!

Enough of that (though if anyone knows of a place to send a quilt for either flood victims in the Northeast and/or fire victims in Texas I would love to know.) Hitting the send button on the Red Cross website makes me feel like I am doing something but would like to do more....and it isn't like I don't have a closet full of quilttops....

I'm working on bindings which means lot of time in front of the TV...need to dig out some BBC costume dramas and ditch the news. Anyway, should have some photos tomorrow to show...a finish even! That is if I can get Goldie off of my quilt so I can work on it...

Also spent a few hours on the computer sending press releases for our show in October. If you are anywhere near the Augusta area it is a really good show representing a wide diversity of quilting styles...can you tell I've typed sentences like that all afternoon....
We are using my friend Rachel's quilt on our show cards and emails...it got the ribbon for "best use of color" two years ago at our last show.

The piecing is incredible too..

Twenty five and counting

I can't believe I already have twenty-five string/lego blocks made for my Pensive quilt. I don't think I will make as many as Tonya...right now thinking I will stop around 42 (which would make it 6x7 or about 60 inches by 70 inches.)
I'm finding this a great place to use up all sorts of odd bits of fabric. There are some batiks, repros, hand-dyed, novelty (yes, Elvis is in my quit too), and some modern. I hadn't used any solids until I read Tonya's tutorial...today I added a couple of solid blues. Since many of my brights are like-solids I'm not too concerned.
On the getting ready for the Quilt show front, I did get the first step binding on the Jacob's Ladder quilt. Now I just need to hand sew it to the front and put a sleeve on it. There is already a label sewn on....

Dobby has been great entertainment while I've been sick. There isn't a bag in the house he hasn't climbed into...guess his idea of recycling is to make everything a toy! Anyways, I am feeling much stronger today. I have an appointment to view a private quilt collection this week and I was worried I would have to cancel...amazing how the idea of seeing a dozen antique quilts can make the aches and pains go away!

Back in the Saddle..

Maybe the title should read back at the sewing table...whatever. I know I fell off the edge of the earth but MS-y issues took over and I worried if I posted I would be in danger of being whiny so instead I waited until the magic of medicine made me not-so-grumpy! All I will say is quilting coffee and tea cold turkey is not for the faint of heart....Enough of that...I did get some quilting done...a finish even! I had worried about what binding to put on the little quilt above and finally went with the gold-ish/yellow. I really like how it came out. This quilt is hand embroidered and hand quilted. It is based on a little quilt I bought in Paducah a few years ago....I also did a lot of semi-mindless piecing. Lots of 1-1/2 inch strips have been sewn into 10 inch blocks....I can thank Tonya for this project! It is using up a lot of funky fabric and bits left over from past projects. I was thinking of calling it my "pensive" quilt since the little strips of prior quilt projects sort of reminds me on the memory threads from Harry Potter.

This weekend I have to put this project away though and focus on the binding Que...I've committed several of these for my guild show next month. Nothing like a show to get me caught up!