tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62825105672067759172023-11-16T09:44:02.437-06:00irish thREDheadadventures of a redhead in the world of sewing and knittingAoifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08927427553227297000noreply@blogger.comBlogger96125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282510567206775917.post-50597718211758655302015-09-02T12:51:00.000-05:002015-09-02T12:51:15.997-05:00WIP: Cheer You Up Cushion<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Last week I decided on a bit of a whim that Paul would like a big cheery cushion to have in Raleigh when I'm not there. It would make the place cosier and might give him a smile when he sees it. I don't know.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Initial fabric pull.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">However, I'm not the titan of sewing you'll find on other blogs. I just about finished the front of the cushion before I left. So this is relegated to work in progress status. However, I tried out a new block, used non-white, low-volume (I guess?), backgrounds, and cut into some Alexander Henry Calaveras Alegres fabric for the first time!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnV2W9yBJBPR_phkjWjPCRKFTsNeq858HY9RBzi6zPdBtz69mSKVK0v0Iyiao5AwBpf99uYnfo_s0F54f3J6jf0Pwp-eqT758RnuizW6fbRhHpuh9kOfH7axCJj50Me3PeyDzqpQ2goCI/s1600/First+Ever+Wonky+Star.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnV2W9yBJBPR_phkjWjPCRKFTsNeq858HY9RBzi6zPdBtz69mSKVK0v0Iyiao5AwBpf99uYnfo_s0F54f3J6jf0Pwp-eqT758RnuizW6fbRhHpuh9kOfH7axCJj50Me3PeyDzqpQ2goCI/s400/First+Ever+Wonky+Star.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">First ever wonky star!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I wasn't sure the low volume backgrounds to the wonky stars (I used <a href="http://thesillyboodilly.blogspot.ie/2009/02/wonky-star-tutorial.html" target="_blank">The Silly BooDilly's tutorial</a>) was going to work. The skulls are so vibrant, that I started and then thought, oh god they need really punchy, contrasting stars, I should have just done pure white and black backgrounds, and solid, clean colours for the stars. But then, I had no white fabric.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Using the back side of fabric for better contrast.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As I made more of the stars, I started to realise that, to my eyes (and possibly addled brain), they were bringing a comic book element. Do you know when the character's clothes are coloured in on the cover with a lot of little dots for texture, and the like? And after that, I started being reminded of the <a href="https://www.google.ie/search?q=paint+with+water+books+80s&espv=2&biw=1242&bih=585&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAWoVChMItK3vtuXYxwIVEFnbCh1MTgzn" target="_blank">paint with water books</a> from when I was a kid.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Still amazes me how much blocks shrink with seam allowance loss.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Paul really liked the stars all the way through, which I think is all that kept me from freaking out and starting over right at the beginning. But I really like them now too, so all's well that end's well? Plus, I've learned to give my brain some time to adjust to things. And there isn't just one right answer. I don't know, I'm jetlagged, if any of this is going in and staying in I'll be amazed.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One cushion front - sewn together mere hours before my plane! Success!<br />(no one was looking for a finished cushion, right?)</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Before I left I pulled all the other pieces I needed to make the back and insides of this cushion. I'm going for a really big one, I love sitting up in bed with a big cushion behind me. So this is for a 24" form. Now all I have to do is get back to Raleigh and finish it! Who knows, maybe I'll talk Paul through the end of the process over skype...??? Shall we take bets?</span>Aoifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08927427553227297000noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282510567206775917.post-3112651984867302202015-08-28T07:17:00.000-05:002015-08-28T07:17:03.051-05:00Year Apart Quilt - Creating a Mini Stash<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As many of you know we moved from Texas to North Carolina this summer. Paul got a much better job, with a much longer contract and the prospect of permanence in several years. We have been really wanting to be somewhat more settled for a while now so this is fantastic on all levels, plus Houston has really awful weather and a lot of concrete. Though I really like the rest of Texas.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">x and + quilt laid out in full.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">However, as you may have gleaned from allusions to bs, from my absence here and elsewhere, and the title of this post, this hasn't and won't be the straight road we expected. My visa is going to take longer to apply for and get than Paul's (thankfully, he's already working - woo!). A lot longer. We can ask to speed it up, but likely be rejected. What all this means is that I'm going back to Ireland on Sunday, where I'll stay for at least the next 7 months, more likely the next 11 months.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Things could be worse. Paul has a flexible-ish job now and will be able to work from Ireland for a little bit early next year, hopefully. I can look for a job and work while I'm back home - yay! Also, scary, because it's been a while. Mostly I'm looking for things I can distract myself with for when I'm lonely or ragey (because parents, again, at 33). So I've made probably a way too ambitious list, for my suitcase, let alone my time, of projects to bring home and make.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg272UqzKufeLo1X70y-Gs55yVJlTVXBmuvL7Et1ViRXuqo8yJRY2DKdULlkeIozHBeDbTavX_BThh9U02vCcBGw95SCgwtdXmoW0U5hiV6gG6Ue9bzFp5kztq3oEReEigD2xri499w19s/s1600/USA+Roadtrip+Embroidery.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg272UqzKufeLo1X70y-Gs55yVJlTVXBmuvL7Et1ViRXuqo8yJRY2DKdULlkeIozHBeDbTavX_BThh9U02vCcBGw95SCgwtdXmoW0U5hiV6gG6Ue9bzFp5kztq3oEReEigD2xri499w19s/s400/USA+Roadtrip+Embroidery.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">USA Embroidery Map</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In July I was following Adrianne from <a href="http://www.onthewindyside.co.nz/" target="_blank">On The Windy Side's</a> instagram feed and her <a href="https://instagram.com/explore/tags/year30quilt/" target="_blank">#year30quilt</a>, and I thought, well why don't I make a block a day for the time we're apart. So I started a little notebook of daily block ideas over the last month to see if I could even come up with some inspiration each day and it's been fun! I thought I'd forget completely before the first week was out, and I do forget every week or two for like a day, but then I pick right back up. So I think I'm going to go for it, a #yearapartquilt.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm going to cheat on the concept slightly, and use the notebook, so my blocks will be from inspiration that happened a month previous, but it will mean I can plan what I need for a whole week on a Sunday night. Hopefully, if I actually am that kind of organized, and don't just think it at the beginning. Let's find out!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBw4DRDT4-u8aIzZqkmN1-NeeqH8nnxLgVBki-TH-UQu5ysYGBynFnVU4NZF3OYBvZXagM84q4cU3rt7oqUacAT4Ce7_Ca0AtaRMmEWOxaTr4Tr0kcHG_hiwAvv3f_9U0kcejUtT_YgAg/s1600/How+Have+I+Never+Used+This.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBw4DRDT4-u8aIzZqkmN1-NeeqH8nnxLgVBki-TH-UQu5ysYGBynFnVU4NZF3OYBvZXagM84q4cU3rt7oqUacAT4Ce7_Ca0AtaRMmEWOxaTr4Tr0kcHG_hiwAvv3f_9U0kcejUtT_YgAg/s400/How+Have+I+Never+Used+This.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">How have I never used this print?</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In deciding this I realized I don't own any fabric in Ireland anymore. Buy more, you say! Just moved state, I say! So I decided to cut a 6" strip off every piece of fabric I own (ok, I skipped a few of the more ugly ones). I still filled two of those plastic shoe boxes. I didn't even cut all the solids, I figured I'd defo buy them locally. This is just a starter pack? Have I gone too far? Sometimes it's hard to tell where too far is.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSoWm0e6abyT81cImM15gHPdnAvHM1TnMeL-pQOONM4weglUx3fTuC2fl14MC_SlMCNykDUAJdwLQr2kptiD4X2uVoLf0eiikEGKoAM7lSmc9hr2BCt9mLbwSTl-LkP5aeKy6O0pQgvtw/s1600/Prints+Stash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSoWm0e6abyT81cImM15gHPdnAvHM1TnMeL-pQOONM4weglUx3fTuC2fl14MC_SlMCNykDUAJdwLQr2kptiD4X2uVoLf0eiikEGKoAM7lSmc9hr2BCt9mLbwSTl-LkP5aeKy6O0pQgvtw/s400/Prints+Stash.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I also have a pile of large print/multicolor fabric equal to the one on the left,<br />and a pile of solids equal to the one on the right not pictured.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've also started a very pinterest-cliche USA embroidery project. By started I mean, gathered all the materials, transferred the map outline, and packed it back up again. I plan to color in the states that I've been to, as I visit them. So far I'm good for 13 states and D.C.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho83ooRv0APHfUtNltEk6dc4mryUpwBJPfFq8LBqqL5ZAtaY52TYkHNpMoI1qVfuUMewTVSBy8xwvcYlB3weKAMW0rgT8Dv-k3f2__mRyFwOkLJjLlKg7-S5gdLusiE-hffIX7z5PGbcg/s1600/Yellows+Not+Looking+Smaller.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho83ooRv0APHfUtNltEk6dc4mryUpwBJPfFq8LBqqL5ZAtaY52TYkHNpMoI1qVfuUMewTVSBy8xwvcYlB3weKAMW0rgT8Dv-k3f2__mRyFwOkLJjLlKg7-S5gdLusiE-hffIX7z5PGbcg/s400/Yellows+Not+Looking+Smaller.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Trimmings not looking that much smaller...</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've reached the point where I'm beginning to worry about suitcase limits, even though I'll be buying a 2nd one (have to bring home the winter coats, because I will freeze - I'm coming from Houston, people!). Even so, I'm still pondering whether I should bring my x and + blocks and finish that off, along with a quilt for my parents, and an <a href="http://www.irishthredhead.blogspot.com/2015/05/planning-for-east-coast-autumn.html" target="_blank">AMH footwarmer</a> for us. (not going to mention the quilt I already have in Ireland, or the smaller clothing projects I also plan, nope, they don't count)</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsneNvd3tR4a1GFKcWB-6bUI5-YTarWz_d8mamQec8yFgEE2ZEhGTZY6MXSoLazDSX0aS5nEA-MUuwfjs4ozxy0ozhZHegmSzTE0bSAdhLZ10oCsnEfeMSqgM2JOmP4reCdM48OEg38HE/s1600/Folds+up+kinda+small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsneNvd3tR4a1GFKcWB-6bUI5-YTarWz_d8mamQec8yFgEE2ZEhGTZY6MXSoLazDSX0aS5nEA-MUuwfjs4ozxy0ozhZHegmSzTE0bSAdhLZ10oCsnEfeMSqgM2JOmP4reCdM48OEg38HE/s400/Folds+up+kinda+small.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bit more like it, that's yellows and oranges.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I think the packing will provide a natural culling point. And Paul gets a 2nd bag for free, so he can always bring me more stuff at Christmas, right!??? I think that's how marriage is supposed to work, fill your suitcase with fabric for me, that's defo a vow...</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheDJLVKfc3M-eMM_Pr2EaxhIzGWXsW9feM2YKI1vM7vvGjUEslZDZRr2D8qPe7-9me25jySnJk0wlIpAMyAsUM5goxaZphH1o9yWqqlxGQBMDoTlveSyhUk1WmBTDsK3wvvMYH8QcGbO0/s1600/Neutral+and+Warm+Colours+Cut.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheDJLVKfc3M-eMM_Pr2EaxhIzGWXsW9feM2YKI1vM7vvGjUEslZDZRr2D8qPe7-9me25jySnJk0wlIpAMyAsUM5goxaZphH1o9yWqqlxGQBMDoTlveSyhUk1WmBTDsK3wvvMYH8QcGbO0/s400/Neutral+and+Warm+Colours+Cut.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All the neutral and warm fabrics in one shoe box.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is approaching rambling territory, it's getting late, and I'm getting hungry. So it's time I let you go. I guess I just wanted to update you on why after one move, I'm making another one so soon. Why it's only me this time, and why not to be surprised when another one hopefully happens next Spring/Summer. Wish me luck, even if only with the packing!!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A :)</span><br />
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Aoifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08927427553227297000noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282510567206775917.post-40216601785053557182015-08-21T16:28:00.000-05:002015-08-21T16:33:11.494-05:00The New Addition Quilt<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's been a long summer, filled with mostly non-sewing bs. But there has been one quilt that has gone from beginning to end and found its home with a little girl I haven't gotten to cuddle yet but will find in just a few more weeks.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj25YwlhkatrBPToxQslxKh3id2YaCy-iurMFlu1q49vYPUg57Iu3Rlnlj7eKWJwUZBuqlG6YWX2Sph2Dgvr7Y2qK0ppwKRN85oFM17FeSTD64_I5ufyswgZVaEKY6SBR6BT-QMf_ao0qg/s1600/Sometimes+the+Wind+Wins.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj25YwlhkatrBPToxQslxKh3id2YaCy-iurMFlu1q49vYPUg57Iu3Rlnlj7eKWJwUZBuqlG6YWX2Sph2Dgvr7Y2qK0ppwKRN85oFM17FeSTD64_I5ufyswgZVaEKY6SBR6BT-QMf_ao0qg/s400/Sometimes+the+Wind+Wins.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sometimes the wind wins.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As the newest addition to a family, I thought it fitting I use plus blocks for this quilt. The colours are inspired by a <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/pin/318489004871906590/" target="_blank">photo</a> of a mountain at sunset I have pinned, on a background of cream. I had a lot of fun looking for just the right fabrics, and then fussy cutting little details here and there - kids in trees, butterflies, baby toys.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1SeDC4nU6wkJHotCm-kj4AGVv5BiYMW2NEZDQel7Hh6B7Dqn3hVdbpb5lDjKdkYFJKve7Rqq8l_z8yeuvOC9NJPKczq5smYWObDa6y19Hk1e_0v_fFpD50VDgj9d1Nbi9Ft0e2Eeab9A/s1600/Rain+Clouds+Moving+In.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1SeDC4nU6wkJHotCm-kj4AGVv5BiYMW2NEZDQel7Hh6B7Dqn3hVdbpb5lDjKdkYFJKve7Rqq8l_z8yeuvOC9NJPKczq5smYWObDa6y19Hk1e_0v_fFpD50VDgj9d1Nbi9Ft0e2Eeab9A/s400/Rain+Clouds+Moving+In.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We found a still spot ahead of the rain.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A navy binding with a thin zigzag gives lots of directional changes and a nice firm frame. But the backing was so perfect - Ann Kelle's superkids;girls in pink! I just LOVE this fabric. I bought extra.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoBCstvjiHhIr9VRdql5WzYlrqKK5CRc_F_wNEc5cIMNV8CIVLN0X7nKvnYhFpMHEVQ13lG5nWqnqSJwIj_dnuRPzDyyvQ5c7MZcbpmXgZrjOMluVatqII_Qe4FOcDuCorCoKAYK5GL7c/s1600/The+Supergirls+Are+Flying.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoBCstvjiHhIr9VRdql5WzYlrqKK5CRc_F_wNEc5cIMNV8CIVLN0X7nKvnYhFpMHEVQ13lG5nWqnqSJwIj_dnuRPzDyyvQ5c7MZcbpmXgZrjOMluVatqII_Qe4FOcDuCorCoKAYK5GL7c/s400/The+Supergirls+Are+Flying.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Supergirls are Flying!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I free motion quilted this one. The very first time I've done anything larger than a 10" square. I just chose a loopy variation on a straight line, some baby pink thread, and went for it. It went surprisingly quickly and well. I tend to lose concentration as I get further down the line and speed up as I go around the loops and so my stitch length can get a little funny in those areas. But I definitely improved as I went on. And I enjoyed it, in an 'enter the zen' kind of way. If I was trying to do a lot of different designs I'm not sure how much I'd enjoy that right now, but my skills aren't there yet so no need to fret about that for a while!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhepaTJmBk6m3KSayrNUc92RNqRTpkV8zqxX8r5u_0FfJqBYD4IUtn4pZTnyVrNrCvTF7AGvGEuu-U7EtaDQ7Dpgi0J8XyjZn3kJ2xFZd69p8rky30O4YaMacMWJ2_5qsbF2Haxr4KNC0E/s1600/Girl+in+A+Tree.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhepaTJmBk6m3KSayrNUc92RNqRTpkV8zqxX8r5u_0FfJqBYD4IUtn4pZTnyVrNrCvTF7AGvGEuu-U7EtaDQ7Dpgi0J8XyjZn3kJ2xFZd69p8rky30O4YaMacMWJ2_5qsbF2Haxr4KNC0E/s400/Girl+in+A+Tree.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Girl in a Tree and loopy FMQ-ness.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I finished sewing down the binding when we arrived in Ireland at the start of July and tried to find a good day to take some photos. However, the nice days were incredibly windy and the non-windy days were wet and overcast (and freezing). But it was fun trying to find the still spots, or the calm between the gusts, and eventually for close ups I reverted to the clothesline in the back garden.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy9BCJNnv-UUlxjR2ZBw29nZeJRLZtWRs5cSKcO8kaZJTUQ_weIMhP3m8pFwsXBv_lP3p0pPqrpNjOd1DFDovb_gzJ_bqv-Wc-bnMlCbzMk7p-G7_Goc6Q19v9HMMyFkSu3BNMdf5JCMc/s1600/Just+realised+this+is+on+the+seam+line.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy9BCJNnv-UUlxjR2ZBw29nZeJRLZtWRs5cSKcO8kaZJTUQ_weIMhP3m8pFwsXBv_lP3p0pPqrpNjOd1DFDovb_gzJ_bqv-Wc-bnMlCbzMk7p-G7_Goc6Q19v9HMMyFkSu3BNMdf5JCMc/s400/Just+realised+this+is+on+the+seam+line.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Just realised this picture is taken on the seam line of the back, but here<br />are the supergirls!!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At the moment I find myself overwhelmingly just wanting to make things. But by the time I've figured out what and how and gotten the sewing machine out I don't want to anymore. It's like I'm overthinking the quilts right out of me. One part of me wants spontaneous creation to feel better and another part of me feels I can't start until I know exactly where I'm going, and the two parts don't seem to be able to co-exist. One saps the joy from the other. Does anyone else ever feel that way? Or have I finally started to unhinge?</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGRhUYllvYbXNRn9VOWdjvBpfBzERgKR1qulrv6hW1MZHycCGOxIr0wLnnKWlQG2YBxhdOlPpcmuaOpgczJfSJ9Ensut7ls4TgQckdR9I6SRcJPjYKK0NveW53jLN96bMyDuDp363P7as/s1600/Lovely+Texture.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGRhUYllvYbXNRn9VOWdjvBpfBzERgKR1qulrv6hW1MZHycCGOxIr0wLnnKWlQG2YBxhdOlPpcmuaOpgczJfSJ9Ensut7ls4TgQckdR9I6SRcJPjYKK0NveW53jLN96bMyDuDp363P7as/s400/Lovely+Texture.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lovely post-wash texture.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Overall though, I made something this year and it has a snuggly home! There's definitely some joy right there.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Aoifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08927427553227297000noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282510567206775917.post-43726359809721769402015-05-07T19:20:00.001-05:002015-05-07T19:20:32.372-05:00Planning for an East Coast Autumn<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Just a quick drop-in, the last 5 weeks since I got back to Houston have been busy busy busy. Paul went straight to a job interview two days after I got back, and then was offered two jobs within the week following his return. He'd been sending out resumés and doing the odd interview since the end of last year and nothing had been happening so we weren't really expecting this sudden frenzy. We got some good advice about going to visit the prospective new towns, we didn't do that with our move to Houston and we've found the adjustment here pretty hard. So you saw some of our visit to Muncie IN last time, and we also visited Raleigh NC. I took much fewer photos in Raleigh, the weather was not as good and it turns out it doesn't matter because come August that's going to be our new address!!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYFvoGWmAMUZDYvUNArj69BVHiIu5sKATsgiTsdvZ6rLEmZPFr1TosdXbOfXO5a5eytu2GD1SrUd7Xgx3aXhDbdjcx4gzisvUgmAhsLh_1PaAezF7_ovvMVJ4T8Nim5P1j28ks79dfyHw/s1600/Street+Art+Raleigh+NC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYFvoGWmAMUZDYvUNArj69BVHiIu5sKATsgiTsdvZ6rLEmZPFr1TosdXbOfXO5a5eytu2GD1SrUd7Xgx3aXhDbdjcx4gzisvUgmAhsLh_1PaAezF7_ovvMVJ4T8Nim5P1j28ks79dfyHw/s400/Street+Art+Raleigh+NC.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Street art, Raleigh.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was completely wiped out last weekend after a month of travel and decisions, following on from a month where I was stuck in Ireland recovering from a bad scald.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I had bought some AMH velveteen in a sale a couple of summers ago and planned on making a throw for the bottom of our bed.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Before Christmas I had begun cutting out squares from my AMH collection, bits and pieces from various collections (scrap packs, FQ bundles, charm packs, whatever I'd gotten my hands on). But life had gotten in the way, that happens easily for me when it comes to lots of cutting or basting!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil6tWl9GBT6eSqbQmdO9Vh6D1xTfc-jHrOFrkcbQVHf8NJUqhebYcj8eN_H0IT1MkN8sG_kyt2SK65iSFSsNTgBJYlsRGL-bgekhTt_DLxXrLPJEOxrZ2QT3Gsu_rKDMgSWAVmo7Dd1Kw/s1600/AMH+The+Big+Squares.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil6tWl9GBT6eSqbQmdO9Vh6D1xTfc-jHrOFrkcbQVHf8NJUqhebYcj8eN_H0IT1MkN8sG_kyt2SK65iSFSsNTgBJYlsRGL-bgekhTt_DLxXrLPJEOxrZ2QT3Gsu_rKDMgSWAVmo7Dd1Kw/s400/AMH+The+Big+Squares.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fussy cut prints. The Big Squares.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Last weekend I was in just the right head space to mindlessly cut squares though, fussy cut in places, and then play with layout and enjoy the colours! Paul got into it as well, and the squares stayed on our bedroom floor all weekend. We had to use our phones' torches to go to the loo in the night - totally worth it though to wake up to all the colours in the morning!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkKJPrHHB3mzpqO9CGs8Y1O69QE3T6b3VOAlf10Hw_SpSozeqv7Vc-EoY7qzzJUg7IAfm3z1Lmqku0Nr74Uub26AZijGdeAsFSSOIVdNIwbVJXFoGTUuzUhQsmtka38PkrO2tJiyUr6hw/s1600/Filling+in+the+Gaps.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkKJPrHHB3mzpqO9CGs8Y1O69QE3T6b3VOAlf10Hw_SpSozeqv7Vc-EoY7qzzJUg7IAfm3z1Lmqku0Nr74Uub26AZijGdeAsFSSOIVdNIwbVJXFoGTUuzUhQsmtka38PkrO2tJiyUr6hw/s400/Filling+in+the+Gaps.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I couldn't decide if the gaps should be filled in with more AMH or if that<br />would be too chaotic, so I tested in the top left corner first.<br />LOVED IT!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All The Colours!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrlzMwtCsNYFWuBARv5e9JVd7zlPlZnlZGyuAe03Il_h6SMiC99qckvTvv7CqWHp1e9bKxHlk-Bp3iIIotixTpx3k-rVeaDISJ5x0t_-SynNYmHvq6LnYirM8Ov6BCjH0pi9fRH44kWqU/s1600/New+Large+Leopard+Print+Square.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrlzMwtCsNYFWuBARv5e9JVd7zlPlZnlZGyuAe03Il_h6SMiC99qckvTvv7CqWHp1e9bKxHlk-Bp3iIIotixTpx3k-rVeaDISJ5x0t_-SynNYmHvq6LnYirM8Ov6BCjH0pi9fRH44kWqU/s400/New+Large+Leopard+Print+Square.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Blocks got moved, one got replaced with a big leopard print square, I<br />couldn't believe how much tinkering I did before I was totally happy.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Anyway, this one's packed away into a plastic shoe box now and maybe it'll be my first quilt to make in our new place in NC, when we find one - it looks kind of perfect for Autumn to me! In the meantime, I have two quilts that need making before we leave Houston, one that's a top and partial back. And another that's only a plan, but will need to go to Ireland when we do for visas. I will keep you updated ;)</span><br />
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Aoifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08927427553227297000noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282510567206775917.post-24081255032289856682015-04-28T12:06:00.000-05:002015-04-28T12:06:43.906-05:00A Few Days Away: Muncie, Indiana<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A week or more ago I got the chance to visit Muncie, Indiana for a long weekend. I'd never been to Indiana before and I have to say everyone we met there was really lovely and very chatty, even the cop who pulled us over took us on a mini tour of the village we were in before letting us go on our way with a warning to pay more attention to stop signs and less attention to our gps when lost (duly noted, first time pulled over, fully lighted up chevy suburbans are kinda terrifying tbh). In light of recent events and laws passed in Indiana I do realise that this straight Irish couple are always going to have it easy in the getting a warm welcome department though.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ1hyFMy-ZPg9LmM53DtBD9PcXXIzOOZ2nICBD1sRXZ6YBS3q8azqctsTNZ2VEVeu4f2kJewjUuoh-SH8Y0qD_Laj0GhAWmIrkEM3T0pjNpK6PyKWPOA8AIRUM3ktZloktiVqT1A-1wAw/s1600/Ball+State+University.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ1hyFMy-ZPg9LmM53DtBD9PcXXIzOOZ2nICBD1sRXZ6YBS3q8azqctsTNZ2VEVeu4f2kJewjUuoh-SH8Y0qD_Laj0GhAWmIrkEM3T0pjNpK6PyKWPOA8AIRUM3ktZloktiVqT1A-1wAw/s1600/Ball+State+University.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ball State University, home of the weeping angels?</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I got a chance to visit Muncie's quilt shop, <a href="https://www.cottoncandyquiltshoppe.com/" target="_blank">Cotton Candy Quilt Shoppe</a>! They were genuinely lovely people and chatted for ages, told us lots about the area and sold me this bevy of neutral beauties. I'm collecting for the background of a quilt I'm making my parents, hopefully this year! They even invited me upstairs to join in on their class that was on, but we were in the middle of touring our way back to Indianapolis that day and I didn't have the time :(</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipazrsgnOxtYVXI-gIKcIct9yBTVyEBZsT7KTGpdRaCOj4Rcvl1l-h6GN3NjtkGiBt4z1Huvo_e2Tg6sJnPl35rYgE0ehO_dUC0qQITqOFNmGiYwg_7VCLCnpWCuBr5gJfFym4uzbyVxY/s1600/Bundle+of+Neutrals.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipazrsgnOxtYVXI-gIKcIct9yBTVyEBZsT7KTGpdRaCOj4Rcvl1l-h6GN3NjtkGiBt4z1Huvo_e2Tg6sJnPl35rYgE0ehO_dUC0qQITqOFNmGiYwg_7VCLCnpWCuBr5gJfFym4uzbyVxY/s1600/Bundle+of+Neutrals.jpg" height="400" width="385" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hard to tell, but the one in front is a Moda Grunge fabric.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I brought some handstitching for the plane and the hotel evenings (that one didn't happen, just conked straight out each night after walking the feet off myself). But the planes required entertainment, and I got this block finished!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh95eKpKNzTMAmX-XrU2L4eHxZee7O7bfru8Rd1Wa7r7FoedQSFWS67-IRb7gIKVCZ7kCNq1xrAWWNuWPeHP6hccR0bR6ZV9XE_jSOGwLavpTDKOhWz0P7h64GK0Y-LMmCgxWMWLdL4-r4/s1600/Maple+Leaf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh95eKpKNzTMAmX-XrU2L4eHxZee7O7bfru8Rd1Wa7r7FoedQSFWS67-IRb7gIKVCZ7kCNq1xrAWWNuWPeHP6hccR0bR6ZV9XE_jSOGwLavpTDKOhWz0P7h64GK0Y-LMmCgxWMWLdL4-r4/s1600/Maple+Leaf.jpg" height="376" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have this next block all ready, the final block in this batch of ten for the Farmer's Wife quilt, but I don't know how long I'm going to take to make it. I do love the colours so it's at least enticing still! I need to get back into the habit of stitching in the evenings, or find a lot of time in waiting rooms soon...</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJoFgfxOqnEylMbBkaZxEOSgDouZZAPoruTi9jaVbPf61kxBCFcAcvqFbu253W8GNor98cgQtWp6WQrLF8lN59ctnoXFRI4te6ZuaLvWRBcMyZzm_x1UT7p8UX-uRIjJ_4snApSVd23xc/s1600/Morning+Light+Laid+Out.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJoFgfxOqnEylMbBkaZxEOSgDouZZAPoruTi9jaVbPf61kxBCFcAcvqFbu253W8GNor98cgQtWp6WQrLF8lN59ctnoXFRI4te6ZuaLvWRBcMyZzm_x1UT7p8UX-uRIjJ_4snApSVd23xc/s1600/Morning+Light+Laid+Out.jpg" height="396" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was going to say let's time me! But let's not!! It would sap the joy. And right now I'm all about the fun in sewing :)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">xx</span>Aoifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08927427553227297000noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282510567206775917.post-24839006728261147552015-04-20T13:33:00.001-05:002015-04-20T13:35:03.204-05:00I'll start at the start<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I went to Ireland for 6 days in late February for the wedding of a longtime friend, the wedding was beautiful even if the weather was not. But the trip itself turned out to be pretty doomed for me, and my constant refrain was 'it's all uphill from here' - it is not always uphill from there it turns out. One of the hill bottoms was scalding my right thigh quite badly with a cup of freshly made herbal tea about 5 hours before my flight back to Texas. My dad was thinking and suggested the shower, I later found out that running water on the burn (not necessarily cold because over a large area you can induce hypothermia, so tepid is fine) but running it for 20 minutes can reduce scars and skin grafts (I didn't need them, still waiting to see on the scar side). It would have been good to know that before, so now you know just in case!? I really hope it never happens to you, it's truly awful. It took about 3 weeks for the wound to heal over and because Paul was travelling a lot for work in the US we delayed my flight back another couple of weeks and I got back at the start of April. That was a whole other debacle, that uphill bit again, and it's good I stayed in Ireland that long because my burn did not like having to sit around all that time in the airports and planes. But I'm here now!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggkBxaS9Hk_8t_zbX59ZeREoZR8U7Mr4PwNtdmf2z5Om0aVRob9Mj3vCgUE7Fq5LD3DxobowBIFGCm6ftArBiqDEOpbhAO4e5W2cw80680MtIs___LtlLyVVUHTAdvWBCKP8OgcIeI2Ok/s1600/Farmer's%2BWife%2BQuilt%2BBlocks%2Bfinished%2Bin%2BIreland.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggkBxaS9Hk_8t_zbX59ZeREoZR8U7Mr4PwNtdmf2z5Om0aVRob9Mj3vCgUE7Fq5LD3DxobowBIFGCm6ftArBiqDEOpbhAO4e5W2cw80680MtIs___LtlLyVVUHTAdvWBCKP8OgcIeI2Ok/s1600/Farmer's%2BWife%2BQuilt%2BBlocks%2Bfinished%2Bin%2BIreland.jpg" height="302" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">These are Hovering Birds, Jackknife, and Mother's Dream!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While I was home I had three farmer's wife blocks to distract me, and I downloaded the netflix app to my phone - it didn't care if I fell asleep randomly. I got those blocks finished - woop!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP4TSnJmud2Jfc2q7mqQrXed4_CMAY9dalOJpuWqXrvK_Q0vfAzwKXgJZSgYBpqvi0XzpLF-gFxyIBWuidXeLfUBrAFHll6ko174cAlF0YpCKNHr7Sr4VlNbv0tzxw1fxlDWrvH9Jwnzg/s1600/Handstitched+Medallion+3rd+Border+Layout.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP4TSnJmud2Jfc2q7mqQrXed4_CMAY9dalOJpuWqXrvK_Q0vfAzwKXgJZSgYBpqvi0XzpLF-gFxyIBWuidXeLfUBrAFHll6ko174cAlF0YpCKNHr7Sr4VlNbv0tzxw1fxlDWrvH9Jwnzg/s1600/Handstitched+Medallion+3rd+Border+Layout.jpg" height="278" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The centre of the Handstitched Medallion by <a href="http://www.stitchedincolor.com/" target="_blank">Stitched in Color</a>!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Once my leg was up to having some pressure put on it again I could get out my mother's sewing machine and I pulled out a <u>really</u> old project, I didn't get much done in the end but I did bring it back with me to finish off - I'm quite close. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The blanket stitching took a long time around these blossoms, maybe because I got a bit strange and pernickety about spacing. Too little to do, idle hands and all that.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiocMPvEPrrXihWeAR17gmXn0Fv9dql99GqbUMPVuVhYW6lTnPkxBAQslus9W4lICUvMwhUUSx92DWzWrDfs2VpHqEF-2Idc7jeScJwuVS_xx25545A9otYlFohqiHdxxxPntfuZQ-BEns/s1600/Dogwood+Blossom+Blanket+Stitch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiocMPvEPrrXihWeAR17gmXn0Fv9dql99GqbUMPVuVhYW6lTnPkxBAQslus9W4lICUvMwhUUSx92DWzWrDfs2VpHqEF-2Idc7jeScJwuVS_xx25545A9otYlFohqiHdxxxPntfuZQ-BEns/s1600/Dogwood+Blossom+Blanket+Stitch.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I really like the fabrics I chose for this quilt. This was the first pattern I'd ever shopped for and it took a really long time, involved Paul, and I second guessed the whole way through. But since then I've gotten in the habit of working within designers or within lines, I'm scared of mixing things. I tried last year again and it went disastrously - I'll show you sometime, I kept all the HSTs I made in case I figure out a way to fix it. But I want to break out of that, that's a new long term goal for me.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTDRhSIW6PLJPCj1osEXSOxRUPGdGo492MWj-TYCALmR0SkNWYhg-92wsF-4Rabe3MXd40o42jtlLeqdY8sjHX91CkNBHm8-_eWUmkyjybOrEcFK3RnCWQYv8yBU0XCwRTtrw8kzeWq1A/s1600/Finished+Dogwood+Blossoms.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTDRhSIW6PLJPCj1osEXSOxRUPGdGo492MWj-TYCALmR0SkNWYhg-92wsF-4Rabe3MXd40o42jtlLeqdY8sjHX91CkNBHm8-_eWUmkyjybOrEcFK3RnCWQYv8yBU0XCwRTtrw8kzeWq1A/s1600/Finished+Dogwood+Blossoms.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The neon threads are unrelated, but I found them in the LQS at home!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm going to leave it here for now, I'll be back with the tiny bits I've been up to since I came home in a few days :)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've missed you, sorry to have been gone so long!</span>Aoifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08927427553227297000noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282510567206775917.post-25046593726812282632015-02-13T13:01:00.001-06:002015-02-13T13:01:42.256-06:00IQF 2014 Post 7: Modern Quilts<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">These are about a third of the quilts that were in the <a href="http://www.themodernquiltguild.com/" target="_blank">Modern Quilt Guild's</a> exhibition at Festival 2014. They are the ones, like all the quilts in this series, that really caught my eye. For whatever reason. I kept the MQG exhibit quilts to last because I knew QuiltCon would be following soon after and I thought it might be a nice lede (not 100% sure I'm using that word right). There are a lot of pictures this week, and some detail shots of a good few quilts so I will try and keep the writing short and sweet!</span><div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLPcMHEuNAn7_M1fdy9tPgezxtUbnug_ymfJ2ydJvNSIKSwl1YssuAf5szD5mriRhFh4Pgj3VefOcTnq_uEiCJSj4FLXBAmewDQkHbfDEp-NwVBlaGqm_iaFwyM4Oy6Ehd6cLMtXSgzys/s1600/Amazonia+by+Nathalie+Bearden.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLPcMHEuNAn7_M1fdy9tPgezxtUbnug_ymfJ2ydJvNSIKSwl1YssuAf5szD5mriRhFh4Pgj3VefOcTnq_uEiCJSj4FLXBAmewDQkHbfDEp-NwVBlaGqm_iaFwyM4Oy6Ehd6cLMtXSgzys/s1600/Amazonia+by+Nathalie+Bearden.jpg" height="400" width="385" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Amazonia by Nathalie Bearden</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Amazonia by <a href="http://www.nathaliebearden.com/" target="_blank">Nathalie Bearden</a>, a minimalist take on the mystical jungle of her childhood dreams. There is different quilting styles in each of the layers. The quilt was machine pieced and free motion quilted. It reminded me of those block diagrams you learn to draw in geography class, I loved those.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVDsI5wLpGEFVsCENFll1aUco0KKRnoScv_Ksj0pK1u846siamtEcSlf9CRvZ_BVqUTypW_6g9UyvEZOtFftpraduc17ET4hLFJz-uKZO89OQPsp2SkmGuiMbvUgYrY5m2yAKKwQoHw2A/s1600/Detail+of+Amazonia+by+Nathalie+Bearden.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVDsI5wLpGEFVsCENFll1aUco0KKRnoScv_Ksj0pK1u846siamtEcSlf9CRvZ_BVqUTypW_6g9UyvEZOtFftpraduc17ET4hLFJz-uKZO89OQPsp2SkmGuiMbvUgYrY5m2yAKKwQoHw2A/s1600/Detail+of+Amazonia+by+Nathalie+Bearden.jpg" height="400" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Detail of Amazonia by Nathalie Bearden</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWIuKR-50EJ_U-yrbuaqxWq2aC1aL2RLfIUiA80Gmfxj57zxOCluyY6ayXKDt3b4ZqIjeDrtBcthNIioUUZKrptuCXqfvVD5LBVAK57kckWOXVMqYKBWyluAGD_xiUB_G5y57yTZ1Yeuc/s1600/Anni+Albers'%2BOrange%2BChair%2Bby%2BMartha%2BPeterson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWIuKR-50EJ_U-yrbuaqxWq2aC1aL2RLfIUiA80Gmfxj57zxOCluyY6ayXKDt3b4ZqIjeDrtBcthNIioUUZKrptuCXqfvVD5LBVAK57kckWOXVMqYKBWyluAGD_xiUB_G5y57yTZ1Yeuc/s1600/Anni+Albers'%2BOrange%2BChair%2Bby%2BMartha%2BPeterson.jpg" height="400" width="323" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Anni Albers' Orange Chair by Martha Peterson</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Anni Albers' Orange Chair by <a href="http://onceawingnut.com/" target="_blank">Martha Peterson</a> was made for the Seattle Modern Quilt Guild's Binary Challenge, a two colour quilting test. An email ad for <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anni_Albers" target="_blank">Anni Albers</a>' designs sparked some exploration and inspiration from <a href="http://artsearch.nga.gov.au/Detail.cfm?IRN=28876&GETCS=1" target="_blank">Triangulated Intaglio IV</a>. The lone orange chair made its own way in to this red and white quilt using HSTs in a 'non-traditional setting with irregular negative space'.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiWC7Z95kV0TCdxN8J-pCZqg-5i1Q_ZnHYH9TqGQJuQMNvM4awQcAXVOKDGmfPohpn5Sx6cNgUY0MvbqkkCpbEX-BxxqpyQHePac97uAFrsEIckkfhiVkI9SKczH7n_2EuzA-3htYJQrM/s1600/City+Center+by+Angie+Henderson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiWC7Z95kV0TCdxN8J-pCZqg-5i1Q_ZnHYH9TqGQJuQMNvM4awQcAXVOKDGmfPohpn5Sx6cNgUY0MvbqkkCpbEX-BxxqpyQHePac97uAFrsEIckkfhiVkI9SKczH7n_2EuzA-3htYJQrM/s1600/City+Center+by+Angie+Henderson.jpg" height="400" width="396" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">City Center by Angie Henderson</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">City Center by <a href="http://sewcrazyforquilts.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Angie Henderson</a> is a medallion quilt, although the design is Modern Log Cabin by Art Gallery Fabric Staff in Generation Q. Magazine Jan-Feb 2014 edition. The tiny little borders make me the happiest, and then the inserts of perpendicular rectangles and squares within some borders come a close second!</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisYYG6hE4WxZ3vYgtkRxEg79e4N4UohEVlLMYrlKjWm-8XmdqUL3HCnkqgDhJXU4xC9UEDVIRzW7Q7sI6F0uxzRRmF5IXPKLZiv4JEnH-1Zr_WEeVYK4a0GV2aql-ka9DSVv95bWNvcJ0/s1600/Disruption+by+Barbara+Lockwood.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisYYG6hE4WxZ3vYgtkRxEg79e4N4UohEVlLMYrlKjWm-8XmdqUL3HCnkqgDhJXU4xC9UEDVIRzW7Q7sI6F0uxzRRmF5IXPKLZiv4JEnH-1Zr_WEeVYK4a0GV2aql-ka9DSVv95bWNvcJ0/s1600/Disruption+by+Barbara+Lockwood.jpg" height="400" width="391" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Disruption by Barbara Lockwood</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Disruption by Barbara Lockwood is here to play with your mind. Seriously, how did she put this together and not go barmy? It's more than a little bit brilliant. My photo has not done justice to the colours. The inspiration was a traditional Chinese porcelain design, and from Barbara's fascination with tessellations and Escher. To disrupt the orderliness of the pattern and create energy Barbara changed the colours and allowed her quilting to flow from that.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIp8BiES5Chfy6KQZpMQ5PM1JIYpndEc5FzZAmnAc2BocsdWaTfMNfOzh01mYOY7Z4mRwwhDwtjxW4f8n0Ii-hBYEzjyHukF0PyQX626gCKufxqbaNZL0gT5KfO4v3oDhubZcQ-OjQCLw/s1600/Entropy+by+Elisa+Albury.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIp8BiES5Chfy6KQZpMQ5PM1JIYpndEc5FzZAmnAc2BocsdWaTfMNfOzh01mYOY7Z4mRwwhDwtjxW4f8n0Ii-hBYEzjyHukF0PyQX626gCKufxqbaNZL0gT5KfO4v3oDhubZcQ-OjQCLw/s1600/Entropy+by+Elisa+Albury.jpg" height="400" width="327" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Entropy by Elisa Albury</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Entropy by <a href="http://stitchoutsidetheditch.com/" target="_blank">Elisa Albury</a> was conceived from the shapes and negative spaces created by dropping a container of ice-cream sprinkles. And from a distance it did indeed make me think of hundreds and thousands! (Is that an Irish term for sprinkles?) This quilt is fun.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtoVGOoavJ2tbfSiDrv6F0srFaAH670wjkrGZqEq4ZQnwEkykoKu_SVrXedqBLELL02aFER42gQnG2nBcwiWBo_x4ncouGQ5oDGLs2QCtDVGTYuHFinwGMkAUOKzyyNWZbUHCuCr9kd2M/s1600/Detail+of+Entropy+by+Elisa+Albury.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtoVGOoavJ2tbfSiDrv6F0srFaAH670wjkrGZqEq4ZQnwEkykoKu_SVrXedqBLELL02aFER42gQnG2nBcwiWBo_x4ncouGQ5oDGLs2QCtDVGTYuHFinwGMkAUOKzyyNWZbUHCuCr9kd2M/s1600/Detail+of+Entropy+by+Elisa+Albury.jpg" height="400" width="308" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Detail of Entropy by Elisa Albury</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2Ewqxa6FIIhxo2viy4zlWHySGSjY67iuFvC5A76xVXKqkmmf42H2bZOQIi9U1TKwkeM8HzqiW7uCxwgBKXPwkmok1g781MthX3PCalNMJOeF1VaobqcK1nzzFYTob5t5Es_nuFj-0Xfk/s1600/Funky+Junk+by+Renee+Tallman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2Ewqxa6FIIhxo2viy4zlWHySGSjY67iuFvC5A76xVXKqkmmf42H2bZOQIi9U1TKwkeM8HzqiW7uCxwgBKXPwkmok1g781MthX3PCalNMJOeF1VaobqcK1nzzFYTob5t5Es_nuFj-0Xfk/s1600/Funky+Junk+by+Renee+Tallman.jpg" height="400" width="306" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Funky Junk by Renee Tallman</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Funky Junk by Renee Tallman is just great. It's made of drunkard's path blocks and a quilt top that was sewn together and cut apart 7 times. It got thrown in the bin twice out of frustration. But finally, Renee made this beauty inspired by another quilt she saw once 20 years ago. Renee thinks Funky Junk is now acceptable and she quite likes it. There is some beautiful handstitching too! That is some mad-ass tenacity right there, and that's what makes this quilt my favourite.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlQCKZnQzkL1Z3b04pUEMzewVrnZciNAZcuSfysnEhqz8-4ND0OP2roQUDRxxsu0JSIymZ5oGp2U4A_lF3Lkl9EJMAHJUXDfEevOQoCCFro0ZdLzYMsG7a1wLANudD15A_vEbkxPMBKv4/s1600/Detail+of+Funky+Junk+by+Renee+Tallman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlQCKZnQzkL1Z3b04pUEMzewVrnZciNAZcuSfysnEhqz8-4ND0OP2roQUDRxxsu0JSIymZ5oGp2U4A_lF3Lkl9EJMAHJUXDfEevOQoCCFro0ZdLzYMsG7a1wLANudD15A_vEbkxPMBKv4/s1600/Detail+of+Funky+Junk+by+Renee+Tallman.jpg" height="400" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Detail of Funky Junk by Renee Tallman</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxQ0173IZb3wQuUYtu2U0k6yP-qHbonqUw5yMEqff1iHqXDIxV-47sxz0BooQrNzyPjiwqmlNxFvw2jmY6R0hBcWBNFgwD8WZCsrIoQYKT6RUTCYY6mhL7E18gr_IWBIBROlVM93zEiBI/s1600/Grand+Canal+by+Casey+York+Quilted+by+Ann+McNew.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxQ0173IZb3wQuUYtu2U0k6yP-qHbonqUw5yMEqff1iHqXDIxV-47sxz0BooQrNzyPjiwqmlNxFvw2jmY6R0hBcWBNFgwD8WZCsrIoQYKT6RUTCYY6mhL7E18gr_IWBIBROlVM93zEiBI/s1600/Grand+Canal+by+Casey+York+Quilted+by+Ann+McNew.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Grand Canal by Casey York, quilted by Ann McNew</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Grand Canal by <a href="http://www.casey-york.com/#!quilts/cuiq" target="_blank">Casey York</a> and quilted by <a href="http://atticthreads.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Ann McNew</a> is kind of bland I think, not the quilting - that's spectacular, but the perspective use crossed with the total minimalism is new for me so I'm including it here. The perspective play is based on work of garden designers of the 17th century and this vista is from the gardens of Versailles designed by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andr%C3%A9_Le_N%C3%B4tre" target="_blank">Andre le Notre</a>. In the 17th century apparently they were all into having it look as if their landscaping extended into almost infinity. Casey has a book on using applique to create illusions of depth if you're interested, more details at the link on her name above.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7d2tXUu2gr00yvI6SLZ8jDkqr5mCfCqv9AxxHORakEqsbFMlEgKHuKFZOCLZ2An-94anI0LutAGGqHixxKH-FCzDsPltniyCex-uy5aCVcNF6qy9RgzO0v4MG1c52tOLzdDTWNzepUbI/s1600/Detail+of+Grand+Canal+by+Casey+York+Quilted+by+Ann+McNew.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7d2tXUu2gr00yvI6SLZ8jDkqr5mCfCqv9AxxHORakEqsbFMlEgKHuKFZOCLZ2An-94anI0LutAGGqHixxKH-FCzDsPltniyCex-uy5aCVcNF6qy9RgzO0v4MG1c52tOLzdDTWNzepUbI/s1600/Detail+of+Grand+Canal+by+Casey+York+Quilted+by+Ann+McNew.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Detail of Grand Canal by Casey York, quilting by Ann McNew</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzzbM2J2FXVqeExiGCyI26aHSsGnd2kjY8A-UsKi__zFJ5s2KcXmaI-l1twIXpFXUHmefK64UpaMgXU4UNCqbgZYH1c3wzyLGxamj6izZMKs6ZNT8sbBi1c_LaouNw9TsBokQhj1Un1h0/s1600/Homage+by+Jacquie+Gering.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzzbM2J2FXVqeExiGCyI26aHSsGnd2kjY8A-UsKi__zFJ5s2KcXmaI-l1twIXpFXUHmefK64UpaMgXU4UNCqbgZYH1c3wzyLGxamj6izZMKs6ZNT8sbBi1c_LaouNw9TsBokQhj1Un1h0/s1600/Homage+by+Jacquie+Gering.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Homage by Jacquie Gering</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Homage by <a href="http://tallgrassprairiestudio.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Jacquie Gering</a> is based on the colour principles of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josef_Albers" target="_blank">Josef Albers</a> (nice to have him now and Anni above!). This quilt illustrates the principles of making one colour appear as two. Jacquie has used Albers' book Interaction of Color as a touchstone while she's grown as an artist so this quilt is aptly named. I enjoyed spending time at this quilt and following the different colours around and watching how my perception of them changed. Maybe more fun to do than describe...?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Only three more quilts lads, we can do it!</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju2db0IGPkJS-v6MfeQLgJWoRnWB46zwoy5U9TjEBpo8TwGFk1vAipxxxZA2jCaxuFT5Ao58-CNBMtJL8ImWShTl6J9bQW5HorRIA8LstZS7oe-S0333xf-jnHFh1MC5fwJt7_k2jFIOU/s1600/Off+Center+by+Charlotte+Noll.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju2db0IGPkJS-v6MfeQLgJWoRnWB46zwoy5U9TjEBpo8TwGFk1vAipxxxZA2jCaxuFT5Ao58-CNBMtJL8ImWShTl6J9bQW5HorRIA8LstZS7oe-S0333xf-jnHFh1MC5fwJt7_k2jFIOU/s1600/Off+Center+by+Charlotte+Noll.jpg" height="400" width="278" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Off Center by Charlotte Noll</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Off Center by Charlotte Noll was an entry into the MQG's Riley Blake Challenge. The front is appliquéd and I love the spiral in the centre of the crazy whirlpool of colour lightning that's happening here. It's like something that pops out of a cartoon characters head after they've been biffed with a mallet.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPTwKwY9plgdxkSXBOHeatwMLY-PsGyYRXXlEs_RTk4uSYd2IMbOXdeMUoWp5_Hp9rZV8t0tJeXO6s6RP2NObjPy1BgZEhNbLL9tG7QDk_M1rx3o230ebRRKaqzlx_ixI29SHSS9mb8Vg/s1600/The+White+Rainbow+by+Shruti+Dandekar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPTwKwY9plgdxkSXBOHeatwMLY-PsGyYRXXlEs_RTk4uSYd2IMbOXdeMUoWp5_Hp9rZV8t0tJeXO6s6RP2NObjPy1BgZEhNbLL9tG7QDk_M1rx3o230ebRRKaqzlx_ixI29SHSS9mb8Vg/s1600/The+White+Rainbow+by+Shruti+Dandekar.jpg" height="400" width="292" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The White Rainbow by Shruti Dandekar</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The White Rainbow by <a href="http://www.13woodhouseroad.com/" target="_blank">Shruti Dandekar</a> was a quilt I was really looking forward to seeing in person and it didn't disappoint. I love the idea of writing the rainbow in braille on white fabric and then quilting it trapunto style (never quite sure how to use trapunto in a sentence). Shruti also added some coloured quilting lines among her matchstick quilting so when you get up close and personal with the quilt there is a rainbow hiding there, as well as the slightly larger one in the binding.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcvxKEwgpT_k-uamX4Q8JdssQ7NLaifBot2ZxGSQCd-O_JiFELRSA_uYc9_zTl7mCHOvPsuFnZRaZsF-F-wRD4coj46GO_yGX61oi4phH3-hjxvK6TLFBrB5jxBOK_po2hirqz4frgdg0/s1600/Detail+of+The+White+Rainbow+by+Shruti+Dandekar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcvxKEwgpT_k-uamX4Q8JdssQ7NLaifBot2ZxGSQCd-O_JiFELRSA_uYc9_zTl7mCHOvPsuFnZRaZsF-F-wRD4coj46GO_yGX61oi4phH3-hjxvK6TLFBrB5jxBOK_po2hirqz4frgdg0/s1600/Detail+of+The+White+Rainbow+by+Shruti+Dandekar.jpg" height="400" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Detail of The White Rainbow by<br />Shruti Dandekar</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7nGsw55TVAP9tWBw0ZXpQQ3quWS5-4zcwSuNk4l4ohyWIS0INhW_Gg_okCW33ZaAqnmB4iJgASNYoq6Fwnhyphenhyphen43R6h1UkoXFrnVQlN7AMYpGuX_YtHt_kB1CiVp2fXDE3JcdGid4pfo3E/s1600/Tune+in+Next+Week+by+Chawne+Kimber+Quilted+by+Pamela+Cole.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7nGsw55TVAP9tWBw0ZXpQQ3quWS5-4zcwSuNk4l4ohyWIS0INhW_Gg_okCW33ZaAqnmB4iJgASNYoq6Fwnhyphenhyphen43R6h1UkoXFrnVQlN7AMYpGuX_YtHt_kB1CiVp2fXDE3JcdGid4pfo3E/s1600/Tune+in+Next+Week+by+Chawne+Kimber+Quilted+by+Pamela+Cole.jpg" height="396" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tune in Next Week by Chawne Kimber, quilted by Pamela Cole</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Finally, we have Tune in Next Week by <a href="https://cauchycomplete.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Chawne Kimber</a>, quilted by Pamela Cole. Another MQG fabric challenge, this time from Michael Miller. The fabric reminded Chawne of Sputnik and early TV antennae and so a mid-century mod design was born. Improv log cabins of irregular sizes 'bounce' around the quilt top and elsewhere 'playful deconstructions of architecture' take place. I'm not a fan of mid-century mod design but in this quilt I clearly see the playful television vibe and I really like the changes in line thickness throughout, just like above. It draws me in and makes me want to stay.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That's it, we're done. I've really enjoyed doing this even if it might have been overwhelming to read? Those of us who aren't going to QuiltCon get to wait for the photos of the quilts that are hanging there to start showing up next weekend. I'm interested to see all the directions people have been heading in, though I guess I have to remember it is a curated exhibition of those directions.</span></div>
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Aoifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08927427553227297000noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282510567206775917.post-10094998314071873012015-02-08T16:05:00.003-06:002015-02-08T16:05:54.741-06:00IQF 2014 Post 6: Appliqué<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This week is appliqué! I've had several ideas for quilts over the last year and all of them seem to require appliqué to pull off. Something I swore to myself I'd never start, too fiddly, too much perfection, etc, etc... I'm still on the dubious side. I have little to no idea how my patience will last or what the durability of me-made appliqué might be like. But there is only one way to find out, and to get these ideas out into the real world!</span><div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thankfully for you lot, you get to see other people's appliqué quilts right now. Ones good enough to be in a big show. So let's sit back and enjoy this.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hudson Trader by Colleen Wise</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hudson Trader by <a href="http://www.colleenwise.com/" target="_blank">Colleen Wise</a> is for the quilter's sister, made of her favourite fabrics and named for her username. The spherical drops of fabric gobsmacked me. I wish I had a better photo for you. Colleen used machine piecing, appliqué, painting, and machine quilting to achieve these effects. I assume the light and shade of the spheres is what's painted, the circles are appliquéd, and everything is pieced and quilted as you would. But I'd like to be looking at the quilt in person while I thought about this, and not this photo. This is why people go to shows over multiple days!</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7r3iQTR94g_FHSTUATXFcaQK_hnm36owliWt59Iabrz2MG1xdoMUNuypi7YZKNMdJQmf7Pw4MzIhmoGfcxANkPcOlRyjdQHPjIou5uBhITMB_Nes1V4yGNW96508MOkRHJk-69GvvsYw/s1600/Not+Hiding,+Not+Revealing+by+Sharon+Hightower.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7r3iQTR94g_FHSTUATXFcaQK_hnm36owliWt59Iabrz2MG1xdoMUNuypi7YZKNMdJQmf7Pw4MzIhmoGfcxANkPcOlRyjdQHPjIou5uBhITMB_Nes1V4yGNW96508MOkRHJk-69GvvsYw/s1600/Not+Hiding,+Not+Revealing+by+Sharon+Hightower.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Not Hiding, Not Revealing by Sharon Hightower</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Not Hiding, Not Revealing by Sharon Hightower is inspired by the Valspar Paint ad, you know <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qfvl23HFVG8" target="_blank">the one</a>. Her feisty chameleon is taking on three colours courtesy of raw-edge collage and machine quilting. Now, I'm not sure what raw-edge collage is, but I'm guessing somewhere between appliqué and that mad tiny almost dust bits of fabric under tulle (is that tulle?) where you get the crazy landscapes? I really like the non-squareness of this quilt. It also takes me a minute each time to see the chameleon, but he's actually really detailed.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio_54INlWI2DfbBCyVVyxbqpBlx67Q5WOlpH1db3Y4PszCm929321PIzfGYiY3FnSAm9N8SbqAbQV2b46Vppn1EtHy9nrg7ajHRB5VdWQnXHoxbQh3XQbKUn44HsOcvTwt8Wh9Hz7PJEA/s1600/Libby's%2BLeaves%2Bby%2BLaura%2BWasilowski.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio_54INlWI2DfbBCyVVyxbqpBlx67Q5WOlpH1db3Y4PszCm929321PIzfGYiY3FnSAm9N8SbqAbQV2b46Vppn1EtHy9nrg7ajHRB5VdWQnXHoxbQh3XQbKUn44HsOcvTwt8Wh9Hz7PJEA/s1600/Libby's%2BLeaves%2Bby%2BLaura%2BWasilowski.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Libby's Leaves by Laura Wasilowski</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Libby's Leaves by <a href="http://artfabrik.com/libbys-leaves-complete/" target="_blank">Laura Wasilowski</a> was inspired by Libby Lehman's Leaves in Living Color and uses fused appliqué and machine quilting. There are some lovely close-ups of the quilting and the stitching around the appliqué on Laura's site at the above link. The colours on this one really got me, as did the shapes within shapes and unusual layout.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhslnzCDI8IQRjtHLBfkdz26TxNAm80f_iXW62Y_2k610FNTXSrBplVB3YRB7QOHqFEE7IPdiPVPE7aD2DfqL5EnTLSC12l193IuQueC5fhyAHCY3HnckWG6CECjROqeo9sT56kBDuni40/s1600/Wanna+Cookie+by+Teresa+Duryea+Wong.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhslnzCDI8IQRjtHLBfkdz26TxNAm80f_iXW62Y_2k610FNTXSrBplVB3YRB7QOHqFEE7IPdiPVPE7aD2DfqL5EnTLSC12l193IuQueC5fhyAHCY3HnckWG6CECjROqeo9sT56kBDuni40/s1600/Wanna+Cookie+by+Teresa+Duryea+Wong.jpg" height="320" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Inspired by David Taylor's <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/pin/250583166737776317/" target="_blank">Maynard</a> quilt, <a href="http://thirdfloorquilts.blogspot.com/p/gallery_6.html" target="_blank">Teresa Duryea Wong</a> has captured her dog Chip's attentive response in Wanna Cookie? as well as his greying muzzle and bright eyes! Hand appliquéing hundreds of pieces of fabric and then using machine quilting to define Chip's fur and bone structure Teresa wanted to capture his calm, happy personality. This is an appliqué technique that does fascinate me. It appears simple, but as you consider how you would have to divide up the subject into smaller shapes without losing their bone structure, then choosing colours and colours gradients that keep perspective and depth, light and shade, before adding the final details of quilting back in on top of this again. It must be very complex.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjux0RBnzAEVjzEY3b0U8CSuO-U4ILQ0sIywgkmf31vemcKD7-V8fcK7wUW9kxTU3_oT2NLXaM5fft46bJPkmWcM2r8JoRMnEli-tcIYRfdFvaLSSVkwCmtgiwgqRslO3DEX28alhcrGN4/s1600/Spring+Has+Come+by+Akiko+Kawata.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjux0RBnzAEVjzEY3b0U8CSuO-U4ILQ0sIywgkmf31vemcKD7-V8fcK7wUW9kxTU3_oT2NLXaM5fft46bJPkmWcM2r8JoRMnEli-tcIYRfdFvaLSSVkwCmtgiwgqRslO3DEX28alhcrGN4/s1600/Spring+Has+Come+by+Akiko+Kawata.jpg" height="387" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Spring Has Come by <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=akiko%20kawata&term_meta%5B%5D=akiko%7Ctyped&term_meta%5B%5D=kawata%7Ctyped" target="_blank">Akiko Kawata</a>. This is closer to traditional appliqué quilts, while still having unexpected elements. The background is made up of sinuous strands of various yellows and there are appliqué circles of purple bubbling there way across the quilt also. The pansies stand proud, each different but all somehow uniform. Like a beautiful flower show. There's a gorgeous dark satin stitch around each petal of the pansy, and metallic thread in the centre.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRUhwgjHK0UIiPP9829d050dvKBQeE9uIOlJk27oCyPDLhNdpbaPj2LeRsvCtmptxUeAqPVn9vc8Q2nhyMW3tnHBxX6FH1qMD7e3CISof2CVPUUoxwJ8SJjqaq9Ff2WAI7-e17T2jlJmY/s1600/Spring+Has+Come+Detail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRUhwgjHK0UIiPP9829d050dvKBQeE9uIOlJk27oCyPDLhNdpbaPj2LeRsvCtmptxUeAqPVn9vc8Q2nhyMW3tnHBxX6FH1qMD7e3CISof2CVPUUoxwJ8SJjqaq9Ff2WAI7-e17T2jlJmY/s1600/Spring+Has+Come+Detail.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Finally, we have Tessellating Wings by <a href="http://www.wendybutlerberns.com/" target="_blank">Wendy Butler Berns</a>. This quilt was one of the first to catch my eye when I got to the hall. The Monarch wings twisting in on themselves to form an almost chrysalis, against the pale blue but not static sky. Techniques used include machine appliqué, machine quilted, embellished, and painted. Wendy drew a sketch of a butterfly wing and then tessellated it to see what would happen. She wanted to push herself design wise and also used oil sticks for the first time in her quilting. Wendy teaches the technique she used to make this quilt on Craftsy, you can find out more on her website at the link above.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I think when I started quilting I had an idea that all appliqué quilts were those very 19th century perfectly turned out appliqué quilts, with the sort of abstract bowls of fruit and hearts and flower motifs. They seemed very proper and not at all like me (messy, impatient, too many curse words). Seeing these quilts at Festival has made me realise what I should have figured out by myself, appliqué is a skill that can be bent to serve whatever purpose you want. Have fun and make what comes to mind. I'm still not convinced on durability ;)</span></div>
Aoifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08927427553227297000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282510567206775917.post-43578822181717131812015-02-03T10:11:00.000-06:002015-02-04T12:07:02.193-06:00My Personal FMQ Challenge<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The best way over a fear in sewing is just to jump in, I've spent the months eyeballing a new technique in outright fear, panic, and awe. Considering it, looking at others work, deciding mine is never, ever going to match up regardless of practice, and shuffling away to leave it for a few more months before beginning the eyeballing over again. But each time once I've jumped I've loved it, I've made mistakes, I've cursed, and ripped seams, but I've felt invigorated and alive, and like I could conquer anything just because I tried.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Free motion quilting is probably my longest running sewing longing/fear. So I've challenged myself this year to do weekly practice, and to just free motion quilt some stuff. The weekly practice is going to add up to a QAYG quilt, another technique that's long had me baffled, and again the only to really understand it is to go through it. So I bought a layer cake of Botanics and of Silent Film by Kona, and each week I will quilt a 10" square with whatever design I fancy.</span></div>
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I first tried to start this challenge last September, but I only got one square in before it fell by the wayside overtaken by things I felt I should be doing, wasn't doing, and therefore became even more urgent to get done. I'm not sure this is the best way to improve. It's possible that taking one design and practicing it over and over would make me really great at that one design, but I'm hoping that this will teach me to loosen up and get into the sort of flow of the quilting.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">FMQ seems to require a sweet spot between not thinking too much and not thinking too little, kind of like playing music. Also, the instant you think, 'hey, I'm doing great right now' is the instant you lose it and it all goes to shit. For some unaccountable reason my cheap, basic machine has taken to FMQ like a duck to water with minimal to no tension issues (I am touching wood as I type this).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The biggest problem is that I have no way to regulate my stitches apart from, you know, me! Some days I do great, some days I do terrible, I'm heavy footed and slow handed and there's billions of tiny stitches. I've also discovered there's no point in me marking the design because the foot will block at least half of it and I'll mess up while peering to see where I'm supposed to go next. My concentration is poor, which means the design often starts great but ends up getting woollier and woollier.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkaQsW8H6r_5xMlV7isfJHF1voDUx97UR3-BoUkpAOipVQyqYkOHrcNKmn5pPXBEE9L5zprFMhHXlPF3rL87Xh8yaPOmD-ikkvM6ZXhJ9Xt56NWsBrf9dsvXQ7eSyuQpllMLRTdTTSJUU/s1600/Orange+Hatching+Collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkaQsW8H6r_5xMlV7isfJHF1voDUx97UR3-BoUkpAOipVQyqYkOHrcNKmn5pPXBEE9L5zprFMhHXlPF3rL87Xh8yaPOmD-ikkvM6ZXhJ9Xt56NWsBrf9dsvXQ7eSyuQpllMLRTdTTSJUU/s1600/Orange+Hatching+Collage.jpg" height="235" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It is lovely though, I get sort of lost in it and then the reward is the lovely texture at the end that you get to stroke. I think I'll probably revisit some of these designs again. I really like the spiral squares in the yellow and the echoing leaves (though they kind of look like flames, and that's what I was chanting while I stitched it). I'm going to stop now, because I'm starting to sound quite mad.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'll be linking up with <a href="http://www.freshlypieced.com/2015/02/wip-wednesday-fabric-y-goodness.html" target="_blank">WIP Wednesday</a> over at <a href="http://www.freshlypieced.com/" target="_blank">Freshly Pieced</a>!</span></div>
Aoifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08927427553227297000noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282510567206775917.post-70993795668486560292015-01-30T14:46:00.001-06:002015-01-30T14:46:58.573-06:00IQF 2014 Post 5: Nature<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A slightly broad category this week, encompassing a range of styles and techniques, and even subject matter. The unifying feature is that they are all part of the natural universe, moving from the most human-shaped nature to the least. Hopefully, it will all become clear!</span><div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTFAmL9tw3kuluPrc-D4FJzCjwkI16UJPsMt7IBERIOol0sc-IWy9K5n05oGk4fNdHKbnxEEjA8ziubG2ht93j9D1FWGH2Vrjk2EOYQ2cY-vKJiYpzAVWF0pY5YRcNdvPKsDQT1gmWuws/s1600/Bijou+(Jewel)%2Bby%2BChristine%2BAlexiou.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTFAmL9tw3kuluPrc-D4FJzCjwkI16UJPsMt7IBERIOol0sc-IWy9K5n05oGk4fNdHKbnxEEjA8ziubG2ht93j9D1FWGH2Vrjk2EOYQ2cY-vKJiYpzAVWF0pY5YRcNdvPKsDQT1gmWuws/s1600/Bijou+(Jewel)%2Bby%2BChristine%2BAlexiou.jpg" height="400" width="247" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bijou (Jewel) by Christine Alexiou</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Up first is this eye-catching quilt by <a href="http://christinealexiou.com/" target="_blank">Christine Alexiou</a>, whose <a href="http://irishthredhead.blogspot.com/2015/01/iqf-2014-part-3-realistic.html" target="_blank">Little Blue Planet</a> quilt we saw a couple of weeks ago. Bijou (Jewel) is an homage to Art Nouveau and this picture has failed to pick up the beautiful quilting in the silk that frames the koi in the lily pond. Christine has used appliqué, painted silk, thread sketching, and hand-applied bias tape outlines to create this quilt. I'm generally a big sucker for anything with a stained glass effect, but the colours used here combined with the apparent simplicity of the lines, but the beauty of the interweaving in the shapes keeps me happy for ages when I look at this quilt.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmZ72RpcL4gmXwVBoSUbmFYqLzV5tiqve83XDiizIL55Pf6kEX2W2_vt_aO-TbOS9cXZ-83xoGQsdGIzABwcKu0gPHMGlUxHuk4u3JD2re47fWjJ3BkRUjdtfGm6UoQwCS9OCqqJoosM8/s1600/Canola+Fields+by+Leah+Gravells.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmZ72RpcL4gmXwVBoSUbmFYqLzV5tiqve83XDiizIL55Pf6kEX2W2_vt_aO-TbOS9cXZ-83xoGQsdGIzABwcKu0gPHMGlUxHuk4u3JD2re47fWjJ3BkRUjdtfGm6UoQwCS9OCqqJoosM8/s1600/Canola+Fields+by+Leah+Gravells.jpg" height="400" width="323" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Canola Fields by Leah Gravells</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Next we have another quilt that I kept going back to have just one more look at during Festival. Canola Fields by Leah Gravells is QAYG using 3/4" strips. There are 199 different batiks in this quilt and it was a combination of the simple colour palette in a simple arrangement still managing to create an evocative picture that brought me back to this quilt each time. There's a large field just like this one right near the estate I grew up in, and while you wouldn't be lucky enough to see a sky like the one in the quilt every day, those colours just sing of a perfect summer day to me.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3EzcoSp8ktcwft6mCr_FXfIjcUHsmRfUwl8Vr3E4Lb48MR3tPBPbF-3IkJVi2ax0d_MXCiPIIYucUY5dfwqRDUHZF4Woj3qfNdV7rWUoiKlbSI-_PzRcyTkUxqlDCpQDdkCT6XHfukR8/s1600/GMOs+Gone+Wild+by+Betsy+Brandt-Kreutz.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3EzcoSp8ktcwft6mCr_FXfIjcUHsmRfUwl8Vr3E4Lb48MR3tPBPbF-3IkJVi2ax0d_MXCiPIIYucUY5dfwqRDUHZF4Woj3qfNdV7rWUoiKlbSI-_PzRcyTkUxqlDCpQDdkCT6XHfukR8/s1600/GMOs+Gone+Wild+by+Betsy+Brandt-Kreutz.jpg" height="400" width="252" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">GMOs Gone Wild by Betsy Brandt-Kreutz</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is GMOs Gone Wild by Betsy Brandt-Kreutz. Unfortunately, I've lost (if I ever had) my picture of the entry form so I've no details on the techniques used. I like this one because it's completely mad, totally in keeping with its title. It reminds me of coral reefs, but also of those funny little glass ornaments relatives would bring you back from holidays that they had filled with layers and layers of coloured sands. Which you'd use as a paperweight until you knocked it over and it smashed, or all the layers got jumbled and it just looked like regular sand...</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM37djoyv_1LrqOO5NSoc4V_njErOVE28uA68KGxVHI3YcnREdwbJuo7EzW2-nx_KZLFlmnwgSjvS7EIzlgVmsRFCDuJivKQYsCagWkKsQNMXS6Bj_xSdPgZBadmXEpPpYT7c87aqT7Xo/s1600/Conflagration+Desolation+Rejuventaion+and+Jubilation+by+Vicki+Conley.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM37djoyv_1LrqOO5NSoc4V_njErOVE28uA68KGxVHI3YcnREdwbJuo7EzW2-nx_KZLFlmnwgSjvS7EIzlgVmsRFCDuJivKQYsCagWkKsQNMXS6Bj_xSdPgZBadmXEpPpYT7c87aqT7Xo/s1600/Conflagration+Desolation+Rejuventaion+and+Jubilation+by+Vicki+Conley.jpg" height="400" width="383" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Conflagration, Desolation, Rejuvenation, and Jubilation by Vicki Conley</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Conflagration, Desolation, Rejuvenation, and Jubilation by Vicki Conley shows the aftermath of a forest fire and subsequent recovery. I love the colour gradients between each block, but also within the background image in the sashing. We're slowly starting to move into how nature copes without humans with this quilt.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj71YJFCUptepvpDEV7ua9VUEc5UMUL5M91Vi6DBTVx0Z5amgTuplRGY1ZFIi6r6srWPwPHDPRBS_5uq9huMdJTR5P7EFW1NYcEBKg9jSPklkcesZH8Sqb0aK5SN3ebIQlGz9wUsL57l4Q/s1600/Arizona+Starry+Night+by+Alicia+Sterna.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj71YJFCUptepvpDEV7ua9VUEc5UMUL5M91Vi6DBTVx0Z5amgTuplRGY1ZFIi6r6srWPwPHDPRBS_5uq9huMdJTR5P7EFW1NYcEBKg9jSPklkcesZH8Sqb0aK5SN3ebIQlGz9wUsL57l4Q/s1600/Arizona+Starry+Night+by+Alicia+Sterna.jpg" height="206" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Arizona Starry Night by Alicia Sterna</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Vincent van Gogh is the inspiration behind Alicia Sterna's Arizona Starry Night. The catherine-wheeling stars are all I see at first, but slowly the cacti distract me, and finally the lights of the villages beneath them draw my eye like gold bars shining out into the desert. There's a nice overview of her work and links on <a href="http://www.danielbuckleyarts.com/2012/02/alicia-sterna-arizona-quilter/" target="_blank">daniel buckley arts</a>, it's from 2012.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrDtxDlPVS01SLBV1SPzYs0EyXaNZj56q5uNk7WhDLQs5WWxst6HODzUDzvxYbNFokGtxaEyCVpJaK3InFovaobj90oZ0nFb9-3w6r2zizgD9L0IzHK-TKFujpHUrIF-X2vQOI5XhE6j4/s1600/Eight+Branchlets+by+Janet+Steadman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrDtxDlPVS01SLBV1SPzYs0EyXaNZj56q5uNk7WhDLQs5WWxst6HODzUDzvxYbNFokGtxaEyCVpJaK3InFovaobj90oZ0nFb9-3w6r2zizgD9L0IzHK-TKFujpHUrIF-X2vQOI5XhE6j4/s1600/Eight+Branchlets+by+Janet+Steadman.jpg" height="197" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Eight Branchlets by Janet Steadman</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Eight Branchlets by <a href="http://www2.whidbey.net/jandon/" target="_blank">Janet Steadman</a> is just lovely, the colours and textures (not at all well captured by me but this quilt looked like it would feel like suede) combine to make me want to own it, big time coveting. The quilt is inspired by deciduous trees in winter, and uses Janet's own hand-dyed fabrics which she free hand cut to insert the fine curved branched lines. It is machine pieced and machine quilted.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg997FXT7krO5Sc8w7XxFw0d-YUBpItzBlayDnHv_LLW5dYMHGRLkQUfV4auwOCFA5jLRNpXCwvLenZvNushbJYm_k8A4cflwDwDB14yxMBLezs4173sUfxamkLjDWFTIu4i3YifJtPxJ4/s1600/Abstracted+Eucalyptus+by+Kathy+Bachofer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg997FXT7krO5Sc8w7XxFw0d-YUBpItzBlayDnHv_LLW5dYMHGRLkQUfV4auwOCFA5jLRNpXCwvLenZvNushbJYm_k8A4cflwDwDB14yxMBLezs4173sUfxamkLjDWFTIu4i3YifJtPxJ4/s1600/Abstracted+Eucalyptus+by+Kathy+Bachofer.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Abstracted Eucalyptus by Kathy Bachofer</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Kathy Bachofer uses Abstracted Eucalyptus to explore the meeting point of organic and structured forms. This quilt was inspired by a photograph of <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=cedric+pollet&espv=2&biw=1242&bih=585&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=u-XLVOLQOoHVgwTuhoPwDQ&ved=0CDAQsAQ&dpr=1.1#tbm=isch&q=cedric+pollet+rainbow+eucalyptus" target="_blank">rainbow eucalyptus</a> by <a href="http://www.cedric-pollet.com/site/en/" target="_blank">Cedric Pollet</a>. Kathy used computer software to abstract the photograph and create a quilt pattern, which she then machine pieced and quilted. I wonder if the structured forms Kathy's mentioning here are the computer and the camera, or are they rigours we apply to quilt making? Either way I really like the resulting quilt, another one I would have stroked if I'd been allowed.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxwUVSfUhOEC4bLLqlNlilEtk5lcjtx08AjHeajNAt965BO1qFxY9CoGZ5E_WQqMW-O4zmxwtrReTyZC_cJ-Q1XnDFKYpDObkXXYbV5YlEsf7B1TLYsCGKBLpuyHcqj50NsFDZSo-9mU0/s1600/Felted+Trees+%231+by+Charlotte+Hickman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxwUVSfUhOEC4bLLqlNlilEtk5lcjtx08AjHeajNAt965BO1qFxY9CoGZ5E_WQqMW-O4zmxwtrReTyZC_cJ-Q1XnDFKYpDObkXXYbV5YlEsf7B1TLYsCGKBLpuyHcqj50NsFDZSo-9mU0/s1600/Felted+Trees+%231+by+Charlotte+Hickman.jpg" height="342" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Felted Trees #1 by Charlotte Hickman</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Felted Trees #1 by <a href="http://www.naturequilts.com/" target="_blank">Charlotte Hickman</a> remind me of Mayo, in the West of Ireland. Gnarled, windswept, battered, but still standing. Providing stark contrast to beautiful sunsets and sunrises, reminding us of strength and resilience and the beauty in that.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7sMt6XINeR2FWWU0AswxF49l3XS2ITIwZeXylpaiwkSsj9asfheql7BWr8cwl1PsgV6mcOMRa_FHZP1yMhQF1_wX8xUfNUO0LsXMMS8NJIn1E2NDwdYQEz5Iu_Nu_YFr5DJM2F81bpS4/s1600/The+Color+In+Action+by+Cecilia+Koppmann.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7sMt6XINeR2FWWU0AswxF49l3XS2ITIwZeXylpaiwkSsj9asfheql7BWr8cwl1PsgV6mcOMRa_FHZP1yMhQF1_wX8xUfNUO0LsXMMS8NJIn1E2NDwdYQEz5Iu_Nu_YFr5DJM2F81bpS4/s1600/The+Color+In+Action+by+Cecilia+Koppmann.jpg" height="235" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Color in Action by Cecilia Koppmann</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Finally, we make the leap off world with The Color in Action by <a href="http://patchworkycia.blogspot.com/2014_05_01_archive.html" target="_blank">Cecilia Koppmann</a>. A triptych of planetary orbits, with colour gradation happening throughout. The perfect continuation of the quilting lines and 'planets' makes me think it was made as one piece and separated into three before binding.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKIM6aKc-diPUbPV7-mAB4DoOQipi6JHlVNu6AeFKxic_j8q7xQuAS55Le9cA4BWh7M9ODaxAoW00b4UC8LFeYuRovjcETA8mI5oAFWGDVUXGyErA9LFd9McRKC1SaA7aIKgSqaofDu84/s1600/Fireball+by+Candice+Phelan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKIM6aKc-diPUbPV7-mAB4DoOQipi6JHlVNu6AeFKxic_j8q7xQuAS55Le9cA4BWh7M9ODaxAoW00b4UC8LFeYuRovjcETA8mI5oAFWGDVUXGyErA9LFd9McRKC1SaA7aIKgSqaofDu84/s1600/Fireball+by+Candice+Phelan.jpg" height="298" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fireball by Candice Phelan</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And our last quilt for this week, it's been a long week this one, lots of photos! Fireball by <a href="http://www.fiberartvision.com/" target="_blank">Candice Phelan</a>. The quilt is raw-edged applique using hand-dyed fabrics, thread-painted and machine quilted with a variety of threads. This is the fourth in a series of sphere quilts. You can see Candice speak about making this quilt on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MmFmpc-mSuI" target="_blank">Quilt Alliance's Go Tell It</a>. I always find hearing a quilter speak about their work brings it to life that much more than just looking at a picture with no background to the why they made it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ok, next week's post is nowhere near as long as this one, so well done for making it this far! Enjoy your weekends :) Go some American football team!! I will be enjoying being sarcastic about the ads.</span></div>
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Aoifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08927427553227297000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282510567206775917.post-64093377037864374992015-01-23T09:51:00.001-06:002015-01-23T09:51:59.178-06:00IQF 2014 Post 4: Farm to Fabric<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Celebrating Farm to Fabric Exhibit was the product of a challenge set by the <a href="http://americanmadebrand.com/farm-to-fabric-challenge/" target="_blank">American Made Brand</a>. The quilts are made from American Made Brand's cotton solids and the quilters were asked, "What does it mean to you, your family or your community to bring fabric production back to America to use in American made quilts?".</span><div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In a serendipitous twist of fate my delay in doing this series till 2015 means I can link to the next quilter's <a href="https://cauchycomplete.wordpress.com/2015/01/21/in-hogtown/" target="_blank">post about this piece</a> which went up this very week! I had seen sneak peeks of this one on instagram before I went to Festival and I was really looking forward to seeing it in real life. I'm not going to be much use because this is yet more online photos of it, but the scale of this quilt is astonishing. The piecing is tiny, and not at all paper pieced.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfW5ztQ1XzOprWBFZZRRvaDvhj4rC_HsHuXlGgFdCm7y9XBGm3LIPzdddrdcAxkPN_wTZDQyh4_kLm6XD36tfMmhAPMTBpUiyd3ARs7iDkaPySBaZpHAiN8Ec5OJYrpZl5EKpIMddYzA0/s1600/In+Hogtown+by+Chawne+Kimber.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfW5ztQ1XzOprWBFZZRRvaDvhj4rC_HsHuXlGgFdCm7y9XBGm3LIPzdddrdcAxkPN_wTZDQyh4_kLm6XD36tfMmhAPMTBpUiyd3ARs7iDkaPySBaZpHAiN8Ec5OJYrpZl5EKpIMddYzA0/s1600/In+Hogtown+by+Chawne+Kimber.jpg" height="393" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In Hogtown by Completely Cauchy</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://americanmadebrand.com/2014/12/04/in-hogtown/" target="_blank">In Hogtown by Completely Cauchy</a> is stunning in person, here are some close ups. The quilted grid is about 1" square by my best estimate. This was early in the day, so I was a little scared to put my finger near the quilt for scale... Silly and stupid of me!</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiszVl6H4lkzULaDd5OQZBodHWGr1hnim01saZCB6sIOJIh__36mR4XQkpEe5VDXjvjSYlFUeuX2loLAuKhbX9kNGD3Qm7M02GTN6GQ0dVodamHe3FspSqjnaRC-aY7J7otvVfj4lMf-RE/s1600/Medium+Close+Up+In+Hogtown.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiszVl6H4lkzULaDd5OQZBodHWGr1hnim01saZCB6sIOJIh__36mR4XQkpEe5VDXjvjSYlFUeuX2loLAuKhbX9kNGD3Qm7M02GTN6GQ0dVodamHe3FspSqjnaRC-aY7J7otvVfj4lMf-RE/s1600/Medium+Close+Up+In+Hogtown.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Close up of In Hogtown - love the raspberry insert in the binding!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Look at the little corner of blue there amongst the green and yellow, that makes me so happy. And knowing that this is an interpretation of a real town (Gainesville, FL), it makes me love this extra. But also seriously, 1" quilting grid - see how small it makes that piecing! Crazy crazy crazy!</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiDCVgJCqmfGzIeuFdTorPJUhiFuoBmQ3IkAjpGFd7TzUjdFaRg0wDJENpgGfY9cH-deOLtLtKzuhCcYoTgtaZlrbsi6PVmC7Yv_7rKr76JfunuZ0jnckurTh0dnUHj9TiQJLWoJL9YDQ/s1600/Close+Up+In+Hogtown.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiDCVgJCqmfGzIeuFdTorPJUhiFuoBmQ3IkAjpGFd7TzUjdFaRg0wDJENpgGfY9cH-deOLtLtKzuhCcYoTgtaZlrbsi6PVmC7Yv_7rKr76JfunuZ0jnckurTh0dnUHj9TiQJLWoJL9YDQ/s1600/Close+Up+In+Hogtown.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Close up of In Hogtown - 1" quilting grid, tiny piecing, happy blue corner</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://americanmadebrand.com/2014/12/04/furrows/" target="_blank">Furrows by Charlotte Noll</a> is made with fused raw-edged appliqué and pieced. The inspiration comes from the farm fields in her home state of Florida, where she can drive through the countryside seeing newly prepared fields ready for planting and lush orange groves. Though most of the small farms near where she lives have been bought up and covered with concrete to be turned into stores. This quilt really caught my eye, I love the expanding diagonals, and the radiating nature of the lines, the fact that they're all at different angles and in such good colours just makes me happy on the inside.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAfAhEnJTjtas0OKqtwJKDXTxlkK-WQ2FJffdQ-fvSf1IxPFxx-TRTgOY5T3jqH6_o3e-57sB9U-iQ7lSyXLKEEDVIiWlSBuZVrZWdIMiiVwnMvW5Jt9orKUo6UKM0sZ7nwsh9tcsSW5A/s1600/Furrows+by+Charlotte+Noll.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAfAhEnJTjtas0OKqtwJKDXTxlkK-WQ2FJffdQ-fvSf1IxPFxx-TRTgOY5T3jqH6_o3e-57sB9U-iQ7lSyXLKEEDVIiWlSBuZVrZWdIMiiVwnMvW5Jt9orKUo6UKM0sZ7nwsh9tcsSW5A/s1600/Furrows+by+Charlotte+Noll.jpg" height="400" width="283" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Furrows by Charlotte Noll</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This next quilt is made by various artists and is made up of license plates from the 50 states. <a href="http://americanmadebrand.com/blogtour/" target="_blank">Tour License Plate Quilt</a> employs various techniques as you might imagine, and has an entire <a href="http://americanmadebrand.com/blogtour/" target="_blank">blog tour</a> in case you want to make your own version. Each quilter was selected to make a license plate based on the state they call home!</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaN9q9-g3CBfXYM59B-p1At8bQfOGPtBFtzYVLLT0hm1mYycCaBLP5_IkMIiRRPUdv1YM-BixTmmx0A1MccssEqtZp3ccJGvo9_LakXWuYlTs9qzUFqW6pUUCz_YvpGwTorpoqYvOdVYw/s1600/Tour+License+Place+Quilt+by+Various+Artists.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaN9q9-g3CBfXYM59B-p1At8bQfOGPtBFtzYVLLT0hm1mYycCaBLP5_IkMIiRRPUdv1YM-BixTmmx0A1MccssEqtZp3ccJGvo9_LakXWuYlTs9qzUFqW6pUUCz_YvpGwTorpoqYvOdVYw/s1600/Tour+License+Place+Quilt+by+Various+Artists.jpg" height="400" width="377" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tour License Plate Quilt by Various Artists</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've lived in Texas and DC, now DC isn't a state so I had to go for second best, I worked in Maryland while I lived in DC so that's the license plate I took the picture of as a close up! This quilt is a lot of fun, we spent ages looking for Virginia and I'm not sure we found it before we had to move for other people to take photos so there's lots to look at.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8HQL1Bn4Lo8cywOyDkGoma7EJCPJ3BIjC2zF8T-chmZ-0hqWqJ6uVt-SiJY1t25X-Avyfsv8oczGzj96zqjhJ9FQzLbQtZe7PbIIBpKPMjQI7Du76qY72xdHgHm7PvIrk6PpVYTl-V74/s1600/License+Plate+Close+Ups.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8HQL1Bn4Lo8cywOyDkGoma7EJCPJ3BIjC2zF8T-chmZ-0hqWqJ6uVt-SiJY1t25X-Avyfsv8oczGzj96zqjhJ9FQzLbQtZe7PbIIBpKPMjQI7Du76qY72xdHgHm7PvIrk6PpVYTl-V74/s1600/License+Plate+Close+Ups.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Check out how bad the lighting was or my photo taking...</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Finally this week we have <a href="http://americanmadebrand.com/2014/12/04/fresh-beginnings/" target="_blank">Fresh Beginnings by Monica Mondragon</a>. This quilt caught my eye straight away. The quilt is machine pieced, appliquéd, and hand-embroidered. Monica wanted to depict the early morning starts of her agricultural background, and how beautiful the sunrise is over rows and rows of crops. She used a squared dresden plate to achieve an intentionally pop art appearance which I love! Again I'm attracted to the radiating lines in strong solid colours, I might be sensing a trend in myself.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3swAKZDRT1SbA881-k2bUxtbl-QvcMqqCuvcDDUEBI1y0uY_yWKABDMHC6OPEpat9NkIRGhTQLMNbpI968RCUBRPbnd28fZvJr_I9n45QvElS4BTa6Rpeq27LEJFvrJxyL7sgSTYuUcg/s1600/Fresh+Beginnings+by+Monica+Mondragon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3swAKZDRT1SbA881-k2bUxtbl-QvcMqqCuvcDDUEBI1y0uY_yWKABDMHC6OPEpat9NkIRGhTQLMNbpI968RCUBRPbnd28fZvJr_I9n45QvElS4BTa6Rpeq27LEJFvrJxyL7sgSTYuUcg/s1600/Fresh+Beginnings+by+Monica+Mondragon.jpg" height="400" width="355" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fresh Beginnings by Monica Mondragon</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Have a good weekend everyone! Hope you fit in some time getting to do something fun :)</span></div>
Aoifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08927427553227297000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282510567206775917.post-23103330603071152842015-01-18T17:37:00.002-06:002015-01-18T17:38:25.471-06:00IQF 2014 Part 3: Realistic?<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm not casting aspersions with that question mark on the skills of the following quilters, but one quilt, while having quite realistic components, does not depict a particularly realistic scenario.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While I know there are discussions afoot about the artistic merit of quilts made to reproduce a photograph (see this <a href="http://raggedclothcafe.com/2014/11/23/perfect-copies-but-are-they-art/" target="_blank">blogpost</a> for a summary) and that's something to consider for yourself and if you're in charge of dishing out awards at shows. These quilts blow my mind with the skill they clearly require. Like, how do you even begin?</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbIAf5mXsWIRq5dge9yndEWNPyJB6aVPr1XTqbKyiris90q9z0boU29MUYYs9mqn13xsHD0zm0jo__tRa7C9wil5vcLhFQ8_9ms-1sfQ-0fqG52bRHJCaPrzRP7h6WOqeF1YS_hZ4DLi4/s1600/Alleyway+by+M+Bunte.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbIAf5mXsWIRq5dge9yndEWNPyJB6aVPr1XTqbKyiris90q9z0boU29MUYYs9mqn13xsHD0zm0jo__tRa7C9wil5vcLhFQ8_9ms-1sfQ-0fqG52bRHJCaPrzRP7h6WOqeF1YS_hZ4DLi4/s1600/Alleyway+by+M+Bunte.jpg" height="400" width="263" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Alleyway by M. Bunte</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This quilt drew me in first, straight from the front of the modern quilt guild's exhibit, it enticed me over. Alleyway by M. Bunte. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lafayette, Indiana is the inspiration and piecing, hand-appliqué, painting, and machine quilting brought the quilt together. The brooding greys, and the stark shadows against the lit buildings caught my attention and imagination. Even months later I love to stare at this quilt and wonder about the rest of this town.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Little Blue Planet by <a href="http://christinealexiou.com/" target="_blank">Christine Alexiou</a> is realistic, whimsical, and deep all at once.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8W7JBFQyQIH7TvG0Mw_IMC-F7sQp6okyfjW3iBH6lB31jJD88vzduIYuOYSQkT14k14w69dTpsRZH2L1uxvUWXy1r5IpZzGUtz-V8ggTb5uc7fbakfI1eZ7EwLD5bQ3rgILo5XauO-bU/s1600/Little+Blue+Planet+by+Christine+Alexiou.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8W7JBFQyQIH7TvG0Mw_IMC-F7sQp6okyfjW3iBH6lB31jJD88vzduIYuOYSQkT14k14w69dTpsRZH2L1uxvUWXy1r5IpZzGUtz-V8ggTb5uc7fbakfI1eZ7EwLD5bQ3rgILo5XauO-bU/s1600/Little+Blue+Planet+by+Christine+Alexiou.jpg" height="400" width="368" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Little Blue Planet by Christine Alexiou</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The quilt showcases machine piecing, free-motion quilting, hand-appliqué, and painting. The inspiration was a view of Earth from space and I'll quote some of the artist's statement here:</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT-vfNT0hsI7zR5ftNv2YhMezmRLHjs954cshn-6meimZHQmiOOT55tLhqnEbeUbIEk2U4RVvu3GmbRa6Wr1JFJHZ4tW-LQKqVWTjrMiYUYxlxbP5y0i-Ddhi6wvu6YKelOfL5VkEB4YA/s1600/Little+Blue+Planet+by+Christine+Alexiou+CloseUp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT-vfNT0hsI7zR5ftNv2YhMezmRLHjs954cshn-6meimZHQmiOOT55tLhqnEbeUbIEk2U4RVvu3GmbRa6Wr1JFJHZ4tW-LQKqVWTjrMiYUYxlxbP5y0i-Ddhi6wvu6YKelOfL5VkEB4YA/s1600/Little+Blue+Planet+by+Christine+Alexiou+CloseUp.jpg" height="345" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Close up of Little Blue Planet by Christine Alexiou</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>"...in the end, Earth is our only real home and we all must live here together. The window represents the idea that, no matter what landscape we see, it is only an aspect of one home. The night sky we see reminds us of the vastness of the universe..."</i></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0YSSxtVhXqKzVJzRei6cZl2whb1Ay2Qb1hn-hgzTAjs9xiQHA4VOnoyB-gEO-8Zh2Mf5mJ-fgtSxVzvmN-VO06wUQUI5noKDE9C7sr9jCwGRkJoX3pwG3Qh64viDTIM09_x51NDGydLs/s1600/Three+Brains+by+Laura+Espenscheid.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0YSSxtVhXqKzVJzRei6cZl2whb1Ay2Qb1hn-hgzTAjs9xiQHA4VOnoyB-gEO-8Zh2Mf5mJ-fgtSxVzvmN-VO06wUQUI5noKDE9C7sr9jCwGRkJoX3pwG3Qh64viDTIM09_x51NDGydLs/s1600/Three+Brains+by+Laura+Espenscheid.jpg" height="198" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Three Brains by Laura Espenscheid</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I wish I'd had more time to go back and spend it with <a href="http://www.quiltlab.com/" target="_blank">Laura Espenscheid's Three Brains</a>. This quilt really resounded with me. I think it's incredibly brave to be open with your personal struggles and it's something I admire. That sort of vulnerable honesty is something my too often too independent self aspires toward, and I have a personal quilt idea that has been permanently placed on the back burner for being too personal for me to put out there. So I really loved this quilt on many levels. The techniques used were fusing, trapunto, and machine quilting.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWPU7sLyZ0WdHLlutcMpIYuy9UypJekw1Aw3Y1sGZF-W5WVSGAGco-KrfFO8TF-RQeyIuzJmpxeEjbyIMaSpboHfeXffu2X9DxSq_xI0b97VelF8nKkl6QVMTV1KI0KJvZShzOvze1ea8/s1600/Before+the+Storm+by+Ludmila+Aristova.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWPU7sLyZ0WdHLlutcMpIYuy9UypJekw1Aw3Y1sGZF-W5WVSGAGco-KrfFO8TF-RQeyIuzJmpxeEjbyIMaSpboHfeXffu2X9DxSq_xI0b97VelF8nKkl6QVMTV1KI0KJvZShzOvze1ea8/s1600/Before+the+Storm+by+Ludmila+Aristova.jpg" height="396" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Before the Storm by Ludmila Aristova</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Before the Storm by <a href="http://ludmilaaristova.squarespace.com/" target="_blank">Ludmila Aristova</a> uses metallic fabrics and what I would call fabric origami but I'm sure has an official sewing name. This quilt is part of a series called 'Cityscapes' by the artist in which she interprets New York City through texture and colour in fabric, sequins, ribbons, and metallic thread. I was right there is an official name for the fabric origami, it's listed in the techniques which are many and varied! This quilt uses appliqué, hand and machine piecing, hand quilting, painting, hand-pleated, tucked, and prairie points to translate New York City into fabric. The colours are lovely I think, but I've always liked stormy skies.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfNGSBIhonIqhHh9JQaunGJfSo5cEr3fwg7yfXWMBFJpm0araJdz792OPeMB0c9rFNxXuInXBT4rnOmWfooy5MxPSFUNWRBV0tZE35bm2VplpVLTogPohBFBAJb296D0ejzxDE0a2D6Hc/s1600/For+My+Parents+Collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfNGSBIhonIqhHh9JQaunGJfSo5cEr3fwg7yfXWMBFJpm0araJdz792OPeMB0c9rFNxXuInXBT4rnOmWfooy5MxPSFUNWRBV0tZE35bm2VplpVLTogPohBFBAJb296D0ejzxDE0a2D6Hc/s1600/For+My+Parents+Collage.jpg" height="156" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ole' #9 by Donna Severance and British Garden by Anna Maria<br />Schipper Vermeiren</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">These next two quilts I've popped in as a pair because I took pretty poor pictures at the time, unfortunately, and I largely took them to show to my parents. On the left is Ole' #9 by Donna Severance with its painted sky background and the freezer paper pieced train that almost pops off the quilt at you. On the right is British Garden by <a href="http://quiltstudiowaelstaete.nl/" target="_blank">Anna Maria Schipper Vermeiren</a> which placed in the awards somewhere (detailed, right! I know my ribbons) and reminds me of an oil painting.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTQwaKUK427EhtRtD33P-UkTiLLGyRPywY3jBneGxqM9QrvrPYzXBVQtuY4jErWRFppcG8vupgzAwWaldB-lvw-9cZMvwZALEirDbR82E4TN76iUsNNmEnGKJHRELinweuZopKsmtn8Ug/s1600/Unknown+Swan+and+Cygnet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTQwaKUK427EhtRtD33P-UkTiLLGyRPywY3jBneGxqM9QrvrPYzXBVQtuY4jErWRFppcG8vupgzAwWaldB-lvw-9cZMvwZALEirDbR82E4TN76iUsNNmEnGKJHRELinweuZopKsmtn8Ug/s1600/Unknown+Swan+and+Cygnet.jpg" height="301" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Beneath My Wing by David Taylor</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Finally, we have Beneath My Wing by <a href="http://www.davidtaylorquilts.com/" target="_blank">David Taylor</a>. It's really hard to believe this is made of fabric and thread. The shading and perspectives are so perfect, the time it must take to to find all the right pieces to put this together. It's really jaw-dropping when you start to consider it. This quilt won the the Fairfield Master award for Contemporary Artistry.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ok, there you have it. Realistic quilts, filled with skill and occasional whimsy. I wonder if you would attempt to make one? I find them daunting, the way I know when I try to sketch something from real life it won't actually look like that thing. But without practice no-one gets better, or something, right? Still not sure if I'm interested, I am into picking up some of those skills though and maybe applying them elsewhere...</span><br />
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Aoifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08927427553227297000noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282510567206775917.post-33648562745906882742015-01-17T11:04:00.001-06:002015-01-17T11:04:37.305-06:00Trying Out the 2015 Finish Along<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've never linked up before, but at the end of last year when I was thinking about how overwhelmed all my should-be-doing thoughts and projects were making me feel I decided to approach this year in a larger-scale format. I broke it down into quarters and popped two or three quilts to work on or finish into each quarter. If I actually follow the plan then I'll triple my output compared to last year (just 2.5 quilts). But I'm still not sure how good my attention span actually is, so we'll all see together!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibXtZkTHMVbyRFTRLTCT4QrX8kael_Q6tRYvTRpLaCYfC1tdJJ8-gI17CqgistDGUU3bNEpW3QPu4G08t-YjiZYlbztImnJEWKPpdaunFEiiVwRiBf7SeQOpUZiZEH6rK1vUsHbk7eiYI/s1600/Southeast+Texas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibXtZkTHMVbyRFTRLTCT4QrX8kael_Q6tRYvTRpLaCYfC1tdJJ8-gI17CqgistDGUU3bNEpW3QPu4G08t-YjiZYlbztImnJEWKPpdaunFEiiVwRiBf7SeQOpUZiZEH6rK1vUsHbk7eiYI/s1600/Southeast+Texas.jpg" height="400" width="397" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On my short-term temporary design wall, that's been up for 7 months.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I wasn't sure if I'd hold myself up against a to-do list on the blog. But my compromise is that it's a short to-do list, and it's totally on me whether or not I get berated for sticking to it or floating off down a separate alley of making. I make this fun, or not :) Then Adrianne at <a href="http://www.onthewindyside.co.nz/2015/01/2015-finish-along-q1-now-open.html" target="_blank">On the Windy Side</a> was hosting the FAL 2015 and it all seemed providential!</span><br />
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<a href="http://onthewindyside.co.nz/" title="2015 FAL at On the Windy Side"><img alt="2015 FAL at On the Windy Side" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSHMrCCuOf0EbEnNW_r9iKw9YFOR1_YaL5oKGd7_zO4O6Y7LIrzOLG6shyuH7bY8d4pSdAveaQuDiI3yvNh4wDiVwVLwENUqiewHUwVKg6hneW79k0WLftaTEliHJl8tKYtDhu5_5sUmJh/s1600/2015FALbutton200.png" style="border: none;" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So here they are, my quilts in progress this quarter:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Texas Quilt.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8HA-BmlphA4Zx9Ozuj_0y4Ywhq1qYBidxtwJkvf4-xbqRgKYTrz_p4zJeNuNewwNOZJxwwH-oNZbBl-XK8SgkC32xSy49DKdgdGL7CKM09Ub8rfIUxnXfzDFn1h-pn7krcp87-j0imXs/s1600/3-4ths+Texas+QAL+Top.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8HA-BmlphA4Zx9Ozuj_0y4Ywhq1qYBidxtwJkvf4-xbqRgKYTrz_p4zJeNuNewwNOZJxwwH-oNZbBl-XK8SgkC32xSy49DKdgdGL7CKM09Ub8rfIUxnXfzDFn1h-pn7krcp87-j0imXs/s1600/3-4ths+Texas+QAL+Top.jpg" height="188" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This has one final block needed before I can finish the top. The big problem will be the back of the quilt which is supposed to be a lonestar, but that already went wrong, so it's going to be a recovered lonestar. I have all the pieces, I just have to get through the unpicking and perfecting of the 60° piecing!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFo3ahXNBGJe4G0H1PYAiNe-X7QNerFt3Iuu6ceHIR6DirFGSCi9q3V-sWuoNwzZcitoySE8MlfMx1TL00BaDzR-kcKZzT38i18TxUiUFp16D8gXiiAYN6Q12aIe-8fgdnfFhhUyDpuAk/s1600/Texas+Lonestar+Fixings.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFo3ahXNBGJe4G0H1PYAiNe-X7QNerFt3Iuu6ceHIR6DirFGSCi9q3V-sWuoNwzZcitoySE8MlfMx1TL00BaDzR-kcKZzT38i18TxUiUFp16D8gXiiAYN6Q12aIe-8fgdnfFhhUyDpuAk/s1600/Texas+Lonestar+Fixings.jpg" height="326" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Neon Quilt</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This quilt is currently a pile of fabric that I specifically bought for a self-drafted pattern more than a year ago. This will be my first applique quilt, something I'm planning on being a bit of a theme this year. I want to level up my applique skills and learn what I can. This is the start - I'm hoping it will be the most straightforward of the quilts I have planned in this vein.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBPfDCBrEBsyIkKmdamw_NzDbXAdUINmxogN9Z8nA6ijHAQtfDhuADXp8qAXLRXeoi2SZhYGMIUFj0fMbX0BJkaglcwkoGP3NINUHS_FG3-eE3K2kS0TrH2mBRJdQWG9bgaBxxfx7bB2k/s1600/Neon+Quilt+in+the+making.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBPfDCBrEBsyIkKmdamw_NzDbXAdUINmxogN9Z8nA6ijHAQtfDhuADXp8qAXLRXeoi2SZhYGMIUFj0fMbX0BJkaglcwkoGP3NINUHS_FG3-eE3K2kS0TrH2mBRJdQWG9bgaBxxfx7bB2k/s1600/Neon+Quilt+in+the+making.jpg" height="276" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The top shouldn't take that long to put together, but I'm still not sure if I'll manage to get beyond top stage this quarter. So I'll be happy to get that far, and anything more is pure bonus!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB5yUR265QVhdr0nRqZIgndCh7Ss3Id7unhSY-EAHSTPpUbOj3SgQbAl73NRGVfm5-OGSW8dFJv5JGVjy66aOQz8sYOwojK2XkFsfqw9B0xN9tQiD0k5mgKxEpsTp6ZhdZ_Dp9i35wz1A/s1600/The+Final+Block.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB5yUR265QVhdr0nRqZIgndCh7Ss3Id7unhSY-EAHSTPpUbOj3SgQbAl73NRGVfm5-OGSW8dFJv5JGVjy66aOQz8sYOwojK2XkFsfqw9B0xN9tQiD0k5mgKxEpsTp6ZhdZ_Dp9i35wz1A/s1600/The+Final+Block.jpg" height="336" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Staring at me from my sewing table</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now, there should have been another picture post from the IQF 2014 yesterday but there wasn't. It's partly written and the pictures are ready. I've just been flattened this week by some sort of cold/flu thing (I'm currently thanking the flu shot that I haven't been completely knocked sideways). Hopefully I'll have the post up so we can ogle the pretties by the end of weekend! Have a good one, x</span></div>
Aoifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08927427553227297000noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282510567206775917.post-9804681086120425522015-01-09T06:33:00.000-06:002015-01-09T06:36:05.973-06:00IQF 2014 in Photos Part 2: Coloursssss<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For my last day in Ireland, a dull, grey, miserable, rainy day, I've decided to look at the quilts popped into my Coloursss category! Colour is so subjective, so I don't for a second expect these quilts to necessarily appeal to all of you. I did an interesting exercise for myself a month or so ago. I went through my Inspiring Quilts pinterest board which has over 250 quilts on it, and asked myself which ones would I actually consider putting on my own bed. I came out with only 14 quilts. I couldn't believe it but my personal style, which I couldn't have described before this exercise, is for lots of colour, almost always includes shades of pink, and shapes I find relaxing (it is a bed after all). That's not to say I wouldn't choose the other 200 odd quilts for inspiration if they weren't going on my own bed, but I wanted to know about my own very personal aesthetic. I know I've spent most of my time so far making quilts for others so their style has always been the primary concern. Something to maybe think about for yourself?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Anyway, back to Festival!</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsT741Qjl7WTE-UmOOk2E14TXG2YmE-5Xfw45wV9H2CBqsESO7UDilPLpadW-yfqPNsGkk1pkbZd81bNxH_5V9gDef8o7J1duh4E3A9VapTTNl9BqUjKSfhng-9ASUXO2whkgqaJDkeHU/s1600/Shirley+Gisi+Yellow+Sky.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsT741Qjl7WTE-UmOOk2E14TXG2YmE-5Xfw45wV9H2CBqsESO7UDilPLpadW-yfqPNsGkk1pkbZd81bNxH_5V9gDef8o7J1duh4E3A9VapTTNl9BqUjKSfhng-9ASUXO2whkgqaJDkeHU/s1600/Shirley+Gisi+Yellow+Sky.jpg" height="287" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yellow Sky by Shirley Gisi</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I can't find a website for Shirley Gisi but I did find an interview she did at Festival for Quilt Alliance talking about a different quilt, you can watch that <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOjseuO4sQA" target="_blank">here</a> if you like! I love Yellow Sky, Shirley describes it as depicting scenery from the Southwest with an abstract landscape and geometric quilting shapes. It's entirely machine pieced using freezer paper piecing and then home machine quilted. I've included it here in my colours section but honestly the shapes draw me in just as much, the juxtaposition of awkward angles and big round curves combined with those rich deep colours completely envelop me each time. The darker outer border which is a continuation of the quilt is so clever as a frame, effective but not at all distracting! I haven't even begun to wax on about her use of light and shade, that river! Suffice to say, I love this one and the skills are something to aspire to for me.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBBLiC7cRyTHUEYhvOFhr3OfvIwgYcf9p0NAtJHXJ58kDmf_WJiUA0zqAvepXbeDqPaE4wy8F7SXkhZZRXlRLurMD_teVMkXwd5_8Inf7S0RDVIYg3CQUDLe0znZSZdGM3m8Dj5gk32tg/s1600/Karen+Donobedian+Maui+Gold.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBBLiC7cRyTHUEYhvOFhr3OfvIwgYcf9p0NAtJHXJ58kDmf_WJiUA0zqAvepXbeDqPaE4wy8F7SXkhZZRXlRLurMD_teVMkXwd5_8Inf7S0RDVIYg3CQUDLe0znZSZdGM3m8Dj5gk32tg/s1600/Karen+Donobedian+Maui+Gold.jpg" height="378" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Maui Gold by Karen Donobedian</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My photograph doesn't do justice to the beautiful colours of Maui Gold by Karen Donobedian. Someone else I've failed to find online, I'll never get a job as a private eye at this rate. This quilt is inspired from a public domain photograph at NOAA which Karen decided to render at sunset rather than the daytime it was taken in. Raw-edged fused applique, with painting and threadwork to define the colours of the ocean and sky. Applique is something I want to explore a lot more this year and it's interesting to see the range of output that can be achieved from the technique. I want to learn more about quilt painting as well - does it render the quilt only useable as art? Can you make a fully functional bed quilt that's painted? I know you can buy inks and dyes that can be heat set, but can you achieve this level of blending and nuance with them? So much to find out :)</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnjfR7Z-xL73WgiDJSFjO9uVtgjQeXkhXQZ1NE4XvDOwfQ0xdaJC2aWr-59mXRZE1QrAnvlU6eoc7N8YQv4M0G-pxkAB-0vdGXjIn4BkgDcBRayhGT8Lrmur6-l39msd3XC3dZS4uuHXw/s1600/Suzan+Engler+Identity+Crisis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnjfR7Z-xL73WgiDJSFjO9uVtgjQeXkhXQZ1NE4XvDOwfQ0xdaJC2aWr-59mXRZE1QrAnvlU6eoc7N8YQv4M0G-pxkAB-0vdGXjIn4BkgDcBRayhGT8Lrmur6-l39msd3XC3dZS4uuHXw/s1600/Suzan+Engler+Identity+Crisis.jpg" height="330" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Identity Crisis by Suzan Engler</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.suzanengler.com/" target="_blank">Suzan Engler</a> specialises in digital painting and artistry, she then prints her paintings onto fabric and quilts them with variegated thread on her home sewing machine. I love the result. I would buy this calf and hang him in my apartment if I could afford him. The colours, his eyes, his shiny nose and those big ears. I wonder why Identity Crisis though? Because she straddles several worlds of artistry and creation, maybe? Or does the calf have a back story I don't know? Either way I've toyed with the idea of printing out some of the maps my husband makes at work onto fabric and quilting them, I always want to start bed sized though. Maybe I need to do some small practise ones first!</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY2LXr-rjeSOCpBob-FlTw9MG0fU5mJbUe-wpR8RbsoFSJO1sqljkBEAnjUfdwbRLdkdCW0NyFG2TEeT4HINgpUmQCYvQtVEK8BgrA_J5munnwAkRR2Ow4v6zeb9TzJBwYZx2z3DORsyw/s1600/Susan+Bleiweiss+Tutti+Frutti+City+Skyline.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY2LXr-rjeSOCpBob-FlTw9MG0fU5mJbUe-wpR8RbsoFSJO1sqljkBEAnjUfdwbRLdkdCW0NyFG2TEeT4HINgpUmQCYvQtVEK8BgrA_J5munnwAkRR2Ow4v6zeb9TzJBwYZx2z3DORsyw/s1600/Susan+Bleiweiss+Tutti+Frutti+City+Skyline.jpg" height="200" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tutti Frutti City Skyline by Susan Bleiweiss</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.suebleiweiss.com/home.html" target="_blank">Sue Bleiweiss</a> had a couple of quilts around Festival and I think i took a picture of each of them. They are part of an on-going series using hand-dyed cotton, raw-edged fused applique, and machine quilting. Sue describes them as whimsical and the word that comes to mind for me is jaunty. I particularly like the billboard which shows a paler version of the same type of buildings!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In a similar vein is Prince Charming's Shoe Sale by <a href="http://pamrubert.com/" target="_blank">Pam RuBert</a> which really made me laugh.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnwlNBzx7vxaS1Jf0Pbp-48F8JrhalfHWinLFbhdJbETEmFBRh5yipRATlhREfry9IWR3DaOAHs9lcab_7LbZJtGeYNUE3NO-nugaU8sR17rFNN2xswJm-6S9GLzJ7dwL8nO6jJ_eycLo/s1600/Pam+RuBert+Prince+Charming's%2BShoe%2BSale.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnwlNBzx7vxaS1Jf0Pbp-48F8JrhalfHWinLFbhdJbETEmFBRh5yipRATlhREfry9IWR3DaOAHs9lcab_7LbZJtGeYNUE3NO-nugaU8sR17rFNN2xswJm-6S9GLzJ7dwL8nO6jJ_eycLo/s1600/Pam+RuBert+Prince+Charming's%2BShoe%2BSale.jpg" height="260" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Prince Charming's Shoe Sale by Pam RuBert</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Finally, is Life After 40...From Constriction to Creativity by <a href="http://bettyhahnfiberart.blogspot.ie/" target="_blank">Betty Hahn</a>.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK1Z83jagw-p2gJwWoecN3NczIvnRl6pecHQpXo5Uz-W4sBue15FKDdM9gTZniHYc4eNao61yQAcZhpMzdsvqYftIj419db__3Im6QOxpBElccLyHW4G1v8iUSk_c-ZbjSrphSgCRo2a0/s1600/Betty+Hahn+Life+After+40.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK1Z83jagw-p2gJwWoecN3NczIvnRl6pecHQpXo5Uz-W4sBue15FKDdM9gTZniHYc4eNao61yQAcZhpMzdsvqYftIj419db__3Im6QOxpBElccLyHW4G1v8iUSk_c-ZbjSrphSgCRo2a0/s1600/Betty+Hahn+Life+After+40.jpg" height="388" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Life After 40...From Constriction to Creativity by Betty Hahn</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The quilt is painted and machine quilted. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I think this is my favourite every time I see it. It feels so wild and free and the colours are just fantastic, that deep yellow with the peachy pink and cool bluey-greens - divine. Then you read the thought behind it and for me it gets so much better!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>"After all the rules of the years before age 40, the 40s, 50s, 60s, and 70s have been wonderfully freer and more creative. The lower left corner shows a happy creative life with rules. The rest of the quilt shows an ever freer sense of creativity."</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Maybe by seeing this quilt I can begin to shed my reliance on rules and having the right way or the right answer sooner? Maybe we have to journey through the rules in order to successfully shed them? I don't know, but I love this woman's journey and I love this quilt.</span></div>
Aoifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08927427553227297000noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282510567206775917.post-21816882765364531642015-01-02T10:23:00.001-06:002015-01-02T10:24:39.564-06:00International Quilt Festival Fall 2014 in Photos - A Series; part 1<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjODBxwj-nzCtVgLcZrPg1Ub4NFwbs2yXFc2B0W18e1d6l_O8So3KnKZ3RU9LR7dsoJidJFusGixcGN6mjqJre8dD55XUUDLgMbWUsMwQlG6A_dZMew9vxLL8HCcVTFvXD5EAzuGzLzABQ/s1600/IQF+Ruby+Jubilee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjODBxwj-nzCtVgLcZrPg1Ub4NFwbs2yXFc2B0W18e1d6l_O8So3KnKZ3RU9LR7dsoJidJFusGixcGN6mjqJre8dD55XUUDLgMbWUsMwQlG6A_dZMew9vxLL8HCcVTFvXD5EAzuGzLzABQ/s1600/IQF+Ruby+Jubilee.jpg" height="303" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">International Quilt Festival Ruby Jubilee Exhibit</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Possibly the worst blog title ever! I love it. I know Festival happened at Halloween and it's now two months and a few days later, but I really wanted to share some of the quilts I saw there. It was hugely overwhelming and we only got there on the very last day. Next year I might go for two visits, so I can spend proper time with some of the more mind-blowing quilts. Mind-blowing to me anyway!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwrmvkpqiNCQr85YKEe5atCtAew0V-nWrpwnZCq4GF7XMEZwmLmPa0t1IXWmNljOBwCvpE_MhqUGjWM9q0ZOgeiR4i72d6iWRwnf0-tYIByAAcqu_XSnZY_YDA560mhwBjRFo2ktpwKEU/s1600/Christ+in+Gold+by+Laurie+Tigner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwrmvkpqiNCQr85YKEe5atCtAew0V-nWrpwnZCq4GF7XMEZwmLmPa0t1IXWmNljOBwCvpE_MhqUGjWM9q0ZOgeiR4i72d6iWRwnf0-tYIByAAcqu_XSnZY_YDA560mhwBjRFo2ktpwKEU/s1600/Christ+in+Gold+by+Laurie+Tigner.jpg" height="400" width="318" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Christ in Gold by <a href="http://www.laurietignerdesigns.com/" target="_blank">Laurie Tigner</a></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This was my first ever quilt show. Way to start with a bang! The hall is enormous and I still don't fully understand the background to all the various exhibitions. Another reason why visiting over two days would be better next time, or a smaller show, or maybe I need to be more clued in to things? All three?? There are sections you cannot take pictures in, one was the traditional quilts section and it was amazing. Seriously amazing! And I have nothing to show you, I didn't spend half enough time wandering that part but I did see it all and I still, now while I write this, wish I could go back and see it again.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAL-3LO2iSLvPFW1Yw-G4xBrqO_cxPLEGvAzb9wF31-b9fpyHv8cIoZ-HjBHMRBNqFBip872FfVDC2e7qLBR-YK7MnaEcacshfL6o1VcQ7kXu6GX5du86ZIdcCvgm3UpAId_k9y4wQyls/s1600/Collage+of+Mere+Color+by+Julie+Scribner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAL-3LO2iSLvPFW1Yw-G4xBrqO_cxPLEGvAzb9wF31-b9fpyHv8cIoZ-HjBHMRBNqFBip872FfVDC2e7qLBR-YK7MnaEcacshfL6o1VcQ7kXu6GX5du86ZIdcCvgm3UpAId_k9y4wQyls/s1600/Collage+of+Mere+Color+by+Julie+Scribner.jpg" height="235" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mere Color by Julie Scribner<br />Machine pieced and quilted</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've been pondering lots this last year. The move to Houston has been more difficult than we expected, and every part of our lives has changed with it. Sewing has fallen aside a bit with all this and I've found it unappealing to just make things because I feel I need to keep up or should use that fabric. Even making for others became exhausting. So I've been thinking about sewing things too, why do I quilt, my aesthetic and style, and where do I fit in ,do I even want to fit in? I think the answers are I need a creative outlet, I'm still exploring, and essentially no.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioKsHZZZFdYi1vML4aRbtVQltm8QlT6dMjAGt-F-YU5XaTUxzllML_TGWndCMZQEmX8McFjw5uU_53x2TqndbKEd4HeNktIkr2n9A5SVKXaiXWv5zqdAW1lP2D_UzK6eM0cRaIUIAzlZs/s1600/Selfie+by+Kristin+La+Flamme.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioKsHZZZFdYi1vML4aRbtVQltm8QlT6dMjAGt-F-YU5XaTUxzllML_TGWndCMZQEmX8McFjw5uU_53x2TqndbKEd4HeNktIkr2n9A5SVKXaiXWv5zqdAW1lP2D_UzK6eM0cRaIUIAzlZs/s1600/Selfie+by+Kristin+La+Flamme.jpg" height="400" width="171" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Selfie by <a href="http://kristinlaflamme.com/" target="_blank">Kristin La Flamme</a><br />'...a portrait of the artist as her stash'</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Festival was awesome for this, though not straight away because it's so overwhelming. There are so many styles and forms and representations of what you can do with some fabric and thread. It's all amazing. It's not all for me, it's not all something I want to try, but the scope is fantastic. And that's what I want to share here over the next several weeks. I'm going to have vague themes pulling things together (either by exhibit where I remembered or arbitrarily). Don't expect sterling commentary, my grounding is firmly in science but I'll attempt to rise above 'ooh the pretty colours' occasionally!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCCGq-VuwTGbXRZe7Lf61z27DAjTcDUOIMw-cRQocCY8KJExXSeIIx5CH28r0i4lYWNUkUS74Fq301THiQzu08qPBQXxrMcGlhLobqAifd-zAKbpIwNlMP2zLsRf_CW5S8kZrmi7jPB90/s1600/She's%2Ba%2BWildflower%2Bby%2BJoanna%2BWilczynska.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCCGq-VuwTGbXRZe7Lf61z27DAjTcDUOIMw-cRQocCY8KJExXSeIIx5CH28r0i4lYWNUkUS74Fq301THiQzu08qPBQXxrMcGlhLobqAifd-zAKbpIwNlMP2zLsRf_CW5S8kZrmi7jPB90/s1600/She's%2Ba%2BWildflower%2Bby%2BJoanna%2BWilczynska.jpg" height="280" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">She's A Wildflower by <a href="http://shape-moth.blogspot.ie/" target="_blank">Joanna Wilczynska</a><br />Graphic by <a href="http://vinegaria.com/" target="_blank">Gracjana Zielinska</a><br />Raw-edge applique, painted, and free-motion quilted</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The pictures scattered throughout here are tidbits from all categories, some you'll have seen a lot of already and others not so much. I recorded the quilters details when I took pictures, Paul however was snap happy and mostly went for the colours so I'll do my best to figure out attributions but I might fail. I'll try and link to more information about the quilters where I can, in case you get interested by a technique or piece. We'll see how it goes :)</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVCMdr3KtZlWlnBI-vPaKEZKRAsmHYp6rXo0xHI-zhE30hyjrG9x4xH9l350Ngv3bTmhfgNGi07eLk3KPKr67Q7FQp_rPBIqyUcNsGBszwNuTcJEiZDHjqHNSpAHdQViMo_gWa5RxhoDk/s1600/Dizzy+Miss+Lizzy+by+Nysha+O+Nelson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVCMdr3KtZlWlnBI-vPaKEZKRAsmHYp6rXo0xHI-zhE30hyjrG9x4xH9l350Ngv3bTmhfgNGi07eLk3KPKr67Q7FQp_rPBIqyUcNsGBszwNuTcJEiZDHjqHNSpAHdQViMo_gWa5RxhoDk/s1600/Dizzy+Miss+Lizzy+by+Nysha+O+Nelson.jpg" height="400" width="387" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Dizzy Miss Lizzy by <a href="http://studionysha.blogspot.ie/" target="_blank">Nysha O. Nelson</a><br />A wholecloth, painted, trapuntoed, and machine FMQ'd quilt from the<br />Inspired by the Beatles Exhibit</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My plan is to post this each Friday between now and mid-February. You'll have the weekend to peruse the pics!</span>Aoifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08927427553227297000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282510567206775917.post-30236543494000207472014-12-30T16:56:00.000-06:002014-12-31T04:44:48.612-06:00Eithne's Retro Flowers<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hi all! Long time no see, on here! I've been slow on the old sewing front for the last couple of months, and set myself one big finish for Christmas. I started this quilt in summer 2013 after learning to sew curves.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The fabric is all Anna Maria Horner's Field Study, in one of the colour ways. It was bought over two years ago now a brief google of my email tells me! The solids were from Simply Solids stash club that I took part in last year, and I think they just happened to be the colours that had been sent out at the time I started the quilt! I'm starting to reach now, but I <i>think </i>that the background is Kona Butter.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDzRqNMAxj9mWdV7HCmK8h7lYc96OPbocw6p7ii6suaEtYG3sQvk-8ZLqDfLTetdpf4uoqnmtCDSHSISWhNjrvVFOMhni88wKcnpNO8yeowWARyv4Aadl3Do5d-T6YGeHk6ouOssvnU7E/s1600/Retro+Flowers+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDzRqNMAxj9mWdV7HCmK8h7lYc96OPbocw6p7ii6suaEtYG3sQvk-8ZLqDfLTetdpf4uoqnmtCDSHSISWhNjrvVFOMhni88wKcnpNO8yeowWARyv4Aadl3Do5d-T6YGeHk6ouOssvnU7E/s1600/Retro+Flowers+1.jpg" height="387" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yes, that is leopard print binding :p</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The pattern is <a href="http://sometimescrafter.com/patterns/retro-flower-quilt-pattern/" target="_blank">Retro Flowers</a> by the <a href="http://sometimescrafter.com/blog/" target="_blank">Sometimes Crafter</a>. I bought it as part of the Curves Class I did with Rachel over at <a href="http://www.stitchedincolor.com/" target="_blank">Stitched in Color</a>.I adapted the layout a bit, so as there is a sort of central medallion to make the best use of the fabric amounts I had to hand. I love the finished product and the shapes of those petals! However, I've discovered that I detest following quilt patterns. Clothing patterns I love, I feel like I'm learning something new with every step, same with bag patterns. But I railed against following a quilt pattern.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I guess I can't tell if this is innate to me or particular to this pattern as it's the only proper pattern I've ever followed. My guess is that it's innate to me, but also that after a good long break I'll probably attempt some other unlucky pattern just to make sure... ;)</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIOSWU2cfTaULZ8fbWRAhH3XspRwmM2D1V3ahyelm98K_qe5DY6k-mHWRTl1IY5tpdU_eQeH48YoSFEtWBEq67ch4i-xOqXM3qfOvsDUetG5TwOjmpp4v1wJOmMkJEKRMtjuY2s97iw_k/s1600/Retro+Flowers+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIOSWU2cfTaULZ8fbWRAhH3XspRwmM2D1V3ahyelm98K_qe5DY6k-mHWRTl1IY5tpdU_eQeH48YoSFEtWBEq67ch4i-xOqXM3qfOvsDUetG5TwOjmpp4v1wJOmMkJEKRMtjuY2s97iw_k/s1600/Retro+Flowers+3.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is the photo that shows the truest colours.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I didn't measure the finished size, but it was 61" square before I quilted, but I basted badly and had to trim after quilting. So my guess is that it's now 59"-ish square. And, OH, the quilting! I started with a double grid around the blocks which was so boring to do and I nearly gave up and unpicked it and tried to FMQ my first ever quilt. But it was less than a week to my flight home and that was too much insanity even for me. So I stuck to my original plan, but once I'd added on the planned diagonal lines they looked kind of skimpy, so I started adding more. I probably could have kept going except for deadlines and flights and the need for binding...</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisYkShRGNDW78IsnF_retpwxDjMXePx9-1SNyhjGbh10iyPlSI6WcyVy-chCftJubpKk9vqg0ar5Hlh00cQmzSFd_8c8J8_ToOsys916MROYjoNTwHUg4aYUJ-Ys_CajFncy4_87KUfQ0/s1600/RF+Backing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisYkShRGNDW78IsnF_retpwxDjMXePx9-1SNyhjGbh10iyPlSI6WcyVy-chCftJubpKk9vqg0ar5Hlh00cQmzSFd_8c8J8_ToOsys916MROYjoNTwHUg4aYUJ-Ys_CajFncy4_87KUfQ0/s1600/RF+Backing.jpg" height="400" width="393" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hodge podge backing which I ended up loving!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This quilt is for my sister. It's always been for her, before I even started. So every pin that stuck me, every curve I sewed, then unpicked and sewed again, every instruction I followed badly, they were all done with her in mind. I'm glad I followed some random pieces of advice I got early on and cut all my blocks in one go, mammoth task that it was, but I would have given up if I had to cut in between blocks. Those curves nearly got me. But they taught me in the end, I learned that for me no pins are the curvy way to go!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgH3Xwuz05VA_PnWqBJhb1dyOaY1_LOkonZ9F3r4MkOVHqHux1QWfRnGYkmihScCJk2h8vByGbAoz1UOp5T80GjuJwEKDWSmdlr2RamXi3TWLHLWcdHb-MhtvZkRCtWJ5ixAJJO4JcWvE/s1600/Retro+Flowers+2b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgH3Xwuz05VA_PnWqBJhb1dyOaY1_LOkonZ9F3r4MkOVHqHux1QWfRnGYkmihScCJk2h8vByGbAoz1UOp5T80GjuJwEKDWSmdlr2RamXi3TWLHLWcdHb-MhtvZkRCtWJ5ixAJJO4JcWvE/s1600/Retro+Flowers+2b.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Eithne loves it! Yay! So much it actually got stuffed into her tiny little suitcase and brought straight back home after Christmas - it's not every Christmas my presents can claim that joy! I managed to snap a few pictures of it in daylight the day before she left, though I was still working on the label so she'll have to brave sewing that on herself. I don't have a good or daylight picture of that yet, so next time or instagram! Promise!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Happy New Year!!!</span></div>
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Aoifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08927427553227297000noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282510567206775917.post-48869099056751747492014-10-30T17:08:00.000-05:002014-10-30T17:08:40.463-05:00BQF - Pigeon House<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Pigeon House was inspired by a photograph I saw of dawn behind a Dublin landmark, the cooling towers at Poolbeg (locally referred to as Pigeon House). I lived in Dublin for 8 years before I moved to America and I always loved seeing the towers as part of the skyline there. If you want you can read my <a href="http://irishthredhead.blogspot.com/2014/07/pigeon-house.html" target="_blank">original post here</a>.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjqDOcsSeH_VlZPNFEXC77acubSt6Y_P6cDUED8AHzp_u-1-9PTs415banKy01G390zuFBPneqN0gyKDZMtsJ8nhBdjkb3j9x8kG1gh0Qcn4-FlUpBvfRMbSEqoLLqX7bnbGuRVQoR2Rs/s1600/Pigeon+House+Front.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjqDOcsSeH_VlZPNFEXC77acubSt6Y_P6cDUED8AHzp_u-1-9PTs415banKy01G390zuFBPneqN0gyKDZMtsJ8nhBdjkb3j9x8kG1gh0Qcn4-FlUpBvfRMbSEqoLLqX7bnbGuRVQoR2Rs/s1600/Pigeon+House+Front.jpg" height="303" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Pigeon House</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The MQG's Riley Blake Basics Challenge fabrics made me think of dawn/sunset colours and so I made this quilt at the start of this year, though I didn't finish on time for the challenge. I designed the top section in mostly 1" squares and HSTs, and the bottom is a self-drafted paper-pieced pattern. I took my sweet time with the quilting. I knew exactly what I wanted to achieve, but I had never deviated from quilting on either side of seams or some diagonal lines. So even though I kept to straight lines here, I changed it up in different sections to suit.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikmCkZb_wtsokvazE8TVT7rYFNQ7-zrIVLp8JyAv5_ccLCC83wF8nkHUX8xJVJp5N2mGsbownJC8W_o_-IcoI9kEG9OJI9H93Hra4jX_noCmIJwz053IEJqBohfzFzB41RZQCnwdmcBD0/s1600/Close+up+of+Quilting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikmCkZb_wtsokvazE8TVT7rYFNQ7-zrIVLp8JyAv5_ccLCC83wF8nkHUX8xJVJp5N2mGsbownJC8W_o_-IcoI9kEG9OJI9H93Hra4jX_noCmIJwz053IEJqBohfzFzB41RZQCnwdmcBD0/s1600/Close+up+of+Quilting.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yellow quilting around sun, black in buildings, and white on the strand!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Burying threads was definitely the most time consuming part. I'd never done it before, didn't really know how to do it, and trying to bury black threads on a black backing fabric is tedious to say the least! However, the effects are amazing and for the right project I would definitely do it again. The lovely people of instagram also informed me when I started complaining about batting fluff on my black backing that black batting exists - I have so many things left to learn in quilting!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrQ13kc3pWMsQcXaEddAjyG4enTphk1LMV1SfgndEAYWV-8G_aJmw9UoRvbaR2TyDWe_62iKPdkNL2_pY5gAAVuteP4A7_fA5B0Dqbwc5IrPhxqmXOF4lecUO8uJFZk1TUnUdM8aJB-4Y/s1600/Pigeon+House+Back.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrQ13kc3pWMsQcXaEddAjyG4enTphk1LMV1SfgndEAYWV-8G_aJmw9UoRvbaR2TyDWe_62iKPdkNL2_pY5gAAVuteP4A7_fA5B0Dqbwc5IrPhxqmXOF4lecUO8uJFZk1TUnUdM8aJB-4Y/s1600/Pigeon+House+Back.jpg" height="316" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Black Backing - thread burying headache</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This quilt definitely pushed my boundaries, and even writing about it now has reminded me why I should do that more often. It was trying at times, I took a long time, but I really loved learning so much and now I get to see a little bit of home that I've made for myself every single day!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA0QDy3-PZwGNoRalNpsYSpxjdhY8SpAcDdjNb0saWIeDzBVkfuBmTKelZYBMCluUxGAOfY0LUmoc7ou7pWGWlyHw0Ljb5MXIBXj9njJhOrez9qVx-Aonqxk3D0efaxZ3j5HqCIbMOnCY/s1600/New+View+from+the+Sink.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA0QDy3-PZwGNoRalNpsYSpxjdhY8SpAcDdjNb0saWIeDzBVkfuBmTKelZYBMCluUxGAOfY0LUmoc7ou7pWGWlyHw0Ljb5MXIBXj9njJhOrez9qVx-Aonqxk3D0efaxZ3j5HqCIbMOnCY/s1600/New+View+from+the+Sink.jpg" height="400" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My new view!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm entering this into the <a href="http://amyscreativeside.com/2014/10/24/bloggers-quilt-festival-mini-quilts-2/" target="_blank">mini quilt category</a> at the <a href="http://amyscreativeside.com/bloggers-quilt-festival/" target="_blank">Blogger's Quilt Festival</a> over at <a href="http://amyscreativeside.com/" target="_blank">Amy's Creative Side</a>! And then I'm going to spend most of the next week looking at all the entries in all the categories, I love this festival - so much to discover!!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u>Quilt Stats:</u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fabrics: MQG Riley Blake Basics Challenge Fabrics</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Size: 20" square</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Pattern by: Me</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Pieced & Quilted by: Me on my domestic Brother</span>Aoifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08927427553227297000noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282510567206775917.post-91389992314602892992014-10-28T21:49:00.000-05:002014-10-28T21:49:05.956-05:00I actually finished a project!<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Like to the actual end. It's also my first Christmas present ready for this year (but that's not organisation, oh no! read on).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was asked to make my almost 3 year old niece a nappy/diaper bag for her dolls back in the Spring. I said yes immediately, but it took me a couple of months to gather the right fabric and figure out what sort of pattern I'd use. I knew I wanted a messenger type bag with pockets she could use for doll paraphernalia! So I decide to take the only <a href="http://irishthredhead.blogspot.ie/2013/05/new-fancy-handbag.html" target="_blank">bag pattern</a> I've ever made and scale it down by 2/3s. Don't do that, well do if you want to, but bag pattern makers know what they're at and I think that bag was at the right size for making it on a home machine with the recommended materials - I'm starting to think bag designing is voodoo and only something to be undertaken with proper instruction! Three dimensional objects be hard.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJWfdJnsnRqr9maOQtpkFISzhnHkUC_OdzDkKoHteLZFvPkR6qynHRyqXRV0X3rruvG-D3WEF-mWsgLQ87zjawVI7__2_T8UAks7yLBkAsSS-_w5InCMnMFnAL5YokTfWV9uN22aZMGlw/s1600/Wrong+Seam+Allowance.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJWfdJnsnRqr9maOQtpkFISzhnHkUC_OdzDkKoHteLZFvPkR6qynHRyqXRV0X3rruvG-D3WEF-mWsgLQ87zjawVI7__2_T8UAks7yLBkAsSS-_w5InCMnMFnAL5YokTfWV9uN22aZMGlw/s1600/Wrong+Seam+Allowance.jpg" height="281" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I made some <a href="http://irishthredhead.blogspot.com/2014/05/knowing-when-to-throw-in-towel-or-bag.html" target="_blank">early mistakes</a> but it was super promising. Then it went horribly. The combination of Soft'n'Stable and denim made my machine super grumpy. On the final seam it ate two needles, and then I broke a handstitching needle, and I gave up. It went in the bin, which was sad because I'd grown attached to it as possible even a funky clutch!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR-8zFocBxBxyh9stywm7XNJNbY4OwDnk12NVUG84IQV3AF1Lj0DnLDsLueYUysYZgIj14smBeX2Ay1mrV-S50TMpktfBDOA5I62AH2z3S_mpzCPTba5Bzr334dvJaXeXyzddAlEqU-X8/s1600/Funky+Clutch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR-8zFocBxBxyh9stywm7XNJNbY4OwDnk12NVUG84IQV3AF1Lj0DnLDsLueYUysYZgIj14smBeX2Ay1mrV-S50TMpktfBDOA5I62AH2z3S_mpzCPTba5Bzr334dvJaXeXyzddAlEqU-X8/s1600/Funky+Clutch.jpg" height="260" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It took till September before I tried again. A new pattern fortuitously surfaced on the internet right before me, the <a href="http://fabricmutt.blogspot.com/2014/09/malibu-satchel-tutorial.html" target="_blank">Malibu Satchel</a> by Fabric Mutt! It's the perfect size for a small handbag or as a toddler's messenger bag! The body of the bag went together really quickly and easily, even with the dreaded denim. I added an extra elasticated pocket. Procrastination took me another month to gather the bits and bobs I needed for the straps and I finished it all off yesterday.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQRZSi0nJRR0kEIIUlpt9ptuwRgg57Bz-GgW5foQRjbrzFrYB0SWlru0KZ-PqK90Bqy-dUCrxWJQkqhOE8GTL-zOtJ-Mc5v1a67McjvrUkMZYppFO4sMzHyNnmTduF6a_zYzJ8Bp3V0H0/s1600/Grace's%2BMalibu%2BSatchel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQRZSi0nJRR0kEIIUlpt9ptuwRgg57Bz-GgW5foQRjbrzFrYB0SWlru0KZ-PqK90Bqy-dUCrxWJQkqhOE8GTL-zOtJ-Mc5v1a67McjvrUkMZYppFO4sMzHyNnmTduF6a_zYzJ8Bp3V0H0/s1600/Grace's%2BMalibu%2BSatchel.jpg" height="400" width="225" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm really happy how it turned out. The strapping is polyester, and not the lovely cotton webbing that Heidi uses in the tutorial. I've seen people on other sites use other brightly coloured webbing too which looked lots of fun, but I quite like the bright white I've got even if it feels a bit naff. Plus, if my brother- and sister-in-law want to keep using the bag as Grace grows then they can easily switch out the strap as it's only attached with lobster clips. Just buy and cut a longer piece of strapping and you're away!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If I was going on a beach weekend, or to a laid back music festival I would make another one of these bags in a flash! I just need to broaden my hardware buying locales - my local Joann's and Hancock's are not fantastic in this department.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Aoifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08927427553227297000noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282510567206775917.post-86604305140745323502014-10-15T18:11:00.002-05:002014-10-15T18:12:44.007-05:00Rediscovering Improv<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I took the <a href="https://www.creativelive.com/courses/10-ways-love-improvisational-quilting-malka-dubrawsky" target="_blank">10 Ways to Love Improvisational Quilting</a> class with Malka Dubrawsky on CreativeLive last week. It was free when it was live, though you have to buy it if you want to see the recording now - it's $79. It was the first time I've taken a class on CreativeLive. It was an experience, I decided on a whim. I had some free time, and needed something to pick up my mood and my sewing mojo.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Improv log cabins: warm, cool, & rainbow</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I did find that the class was poorly explained in advance. I did know it was live, and that it would be running from 11am to 6pm my time. But I didn't realise at first that it was on for two days, thankfully I had both days to spare. They didn't provide a list of required materials ahead of time either so the first day was quite the scramble. I just pulled two black and white fabrics, a white fabric, and a collection of solids I bought over a year ago for a different project. I culled that project off my to do list at the end of the summer so they were looking for a new home :)</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQMiULw_z0W32B5ZWe2hBbQ8yn5gMW3BvezFNt3xTZezCm-FwcPjH1CLz2Bq25mjvUEXjI17yepAoWG3RAF0gOns0GB_W7qsSMorymCWHCxeX5sYdJHb6QajCxg_kSRzogzn-lr8wcm9Y/s1600/Pinwheel+Cornerstones.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQMiULw_z0W32B5ZWe2hBbQ8yn5gMW3BvezFNt3xTZezCm-FwcPjH1CLz2Bq25mjvUEXjI17yepAoWG3RAF0gOns0GB_W7qsSMorymCWHCxeX5sYdJHb6QajCxg_kSRzogzn-lr8wcm9Y/s1600/Pinwheel+Cornerstones.jpg" height="367" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Pinwheels made with improv'd HSTs</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sewing along at home was ambitious, they really raced through the projects. True Malka had some pieces half prepared, and the people in the studio had baskets of materials provided, whereas I was dashing about, but Malka is a machine! I'd say I only attempted half the blocks Malka demonstrated. But it was so much fun!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMIFAbVKd2-TkHzRXLcl-72oCn7L53FgJz-rdNvSG1xafrJ28khSWDlSRtjxbnA8h73w2z7VQdny5ZK-JkrtgnPG6r3-os_PuFQo9G1KYaUwlOsSZKW6xzLNJMoCoSBkS0hLAr2t7iN18/s1600/Improv+Flying+Geese.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMIFAbVKd2-TkHzRXLcl-72oCn7L53FgJz-rdNvSG1xafrJ28khSWDlSRtjxbnA8h73w2z7VQdny5ZK-JkrtgnPG6r3-os_PuFQo9G1KYaUwlOsSZKW6xzLNJMoCoSBkS0hLAr2t7iN18/s1600/Improv+Flying+Geese.jpg" height="400" width="271" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Flying geese - I have a not great track record with<br />making these look nice, so we'll see!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I forgot, somehow, that the answer to how much I hate the cutting part of making quilts is improv quilting. It's so freeing! I had so much fun, I learned some new things, re-learned some stuff I'd done before but let flow out of my brain through lack of use. It is exhausting though, there are so many decisions to make all the way through. It's like when you go and do the groceries, and then they try and get you with sweets at the checkout because they know you're exhausted by making choices and you're weak now and will just buy random crap. After two days of improv, even with Malka leading the way for me, I was exhausted - thank god it was a Project Runway night!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqR7SvKS43NbcKgn2azcnN6OVmx0FabPsM-4CeV6UVtScSrIStvDb2LGqTw70hUj2rwywl8XTTpvx43n9f7hO9O5z3QwCI1FsFe_HhI1coa3_W6WC7GrfTGQPYV8TqkkpX5vJ2h9fnSCg/s1600/Improv+Drunkards+Path.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqR7SvKS43NbcKgn2azcnN6OVmx0FabPsM-4CeV6UVtScSrIStvDb2LGqTw70hUj2rwywl8XTTpvx43n9f7hO9O5z3QwCI1FsFe_HhI1coa3_W6WC7GrfTGQPYV8TqkkpX5vJ2h9fnSCg/s1600/Improv+Drunkards+Path.jpg" height="400" width="356" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I always sew these better super slowly and without pins.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I did some more sewing over the long weekend and added in some more blocks, including a giant HST star.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Really like this star that Malka suggested making with HSTs</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm now thinking about trying to join all these up like a medallion quilt - ambitious! But I'm loving these colours and shapes so much, plus I want to see if I can do it ;)</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Dodgy pic, but thinking a triangle border after this, then drunkard's paths,<br />then a final string/strip border.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Linking up to WIP Wednesday over at <a href="http://www.freshlypieced.com/2014/10/wip-wednesday-autumn-wips.html" target="_blank">Freshly Pieced</a>!</span>Aoifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08927427553227297000noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282510567206775917.post-4076721105175506412014-09-15T13:25:00.000-05:002014-09-15T13:55:02.049-05:00Around the World Blog Hop<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Nominated by Audrey from <a href="http://hotpinkquilts.blogspot.com/2014/09/around-world-blog-hop.html" target="_blank">hot pink quilts</a> - Audrey's great, she makes such a range of things and she uses fabric in such a different way to me. I love seeing what she comes up with, always gorgeous, always left of my field, and always inspiring. Go check her out if you don't know her already!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>What am I working on?</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Right now, I'm finishing a bag for my niece that I started earlier this summer. I took a pattern I have and made it a bit smaller and planned to add a flap, that has made this much harder for me than I ever anticipated. Using denim for the first time hasn't helped either. This is how it stands right now - I'm tempted to call it a day and have a funky new clutch for my own!? Too cruel though, too cruel - it'll be my next finish, but it's not going to be the greatest one ever.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It would make a great clutch though!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Then next up is a shirt for Paul, my first foray in to menswear. I'm using the Negroni pattern from Colette and hoping that the myriad of sew-along material online will help me through this - I'm scared of the buttons. It's his first anniversary present, already a day late - but I've had an awful flu-esque cold this last week and it's really knocked me sideways.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Between now and Christmas I'm trying to be realistic, and take into account all the regular life stuff I want to achieve too. So, I want to finish this Retro Flowers AMH quilt for my sister, it needs squaring up and sewing together before I even get it to a top.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjP2LgPr8A7HINl5txl8DB6Y90GwVMwL-O6T7x6XI06IvhorH9Iawex324INS3bEongBUrgLE-M5SQk6aHGk4rQWBJxjGS2uRm86kpIfJngNmMWZi8U08oujoGWlISgycP0sc3RmK7JWA/s1600/AMH+Retro+Flowers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjP2LgPr8A7HINl5txl8DB6Y90GwVMwL-O6T7x6XI06IvhorH9Iawex324INS3bEongBUrgLE-M5SQk6aHGk4rQWBJxjGS2uRm86kpIfJngNmMWZi8U08oujoGWlISgycP0sc3RmK7JWA/s1600/AMH+Retro+Flowers.jpg" height="278" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Then I have a possible very large, the biggest I've ever made quilt, in the works. I have all the material bought, the block chosen, the vague layout planned on my computer. The fancy material (shot cottons - eeeeee!) washed but only half ironed. I'm stalling. I don't know if I can do it all before Christmas. I want it to be really good. I'll think about it during the shirt, I think I need to just bite the bullet and start. No pics of this yet...</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Always the quilts for me on the longest finger!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Then I've made a little drawer of smallish projects that I can work on when I get bored or need a change of gear or hit a wall on one of the big important projects. These don't have a deadline and are all selfish, so I can take them out and pop them away at whim. Oh, and let's not forget finishing my Texas quilt, I haven't forgotten and I still love it.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">These leftovers will become a large cushion!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>How does my work differ from others of its genre?</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All I hear is Scooby-Doo shrugging 'I don't know, Shaggy' to this.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I think I'm too young a quilter. I don't know my own style yet. I'm learning things I don't like, I hate following a pattern - that's why Retro Flowers has taken so long (over a year now). However, this doesn't follow to clothing and bags - I love those patterns, I've learned so much about construction from them. So maybe I need to try out a couple more quilt patterns and see?</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPleFHad6-owbgjNqoLknz9JVNhhVdpKWQqIMrcoQaigddMxogD-ecgKVzYACyfj2XmM8F72BONVbE-ZzEkAePh5BQaJvZEt4zRyczPOrftHGKuNDOjft9fXr16WXCsL6sT0uz66ZVnhI/s1600/Freya's%2BQuilt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPleFHad6-owbgjNqoLknz9JVNhhVdpKWQqIMrcoQaigddMxogD-ecgKVzYACyfj2XmM8F72BONVbE-ZzEkAePh5BQaJvZEt4zRyczPOrftHGKuNDOjft9fXr16WXCsL6sT0uz66ZVnhI/s1600/Freya's%2BQuilt.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My <a href="http://irishthredhead.blogspot.ie/2012/11/freyas-quilt.html" target="_blank">2nd quilt</a>, made two years ago.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What I am trying to do more and more is just follow my own instincts. I'm much more likely to see a quilt through if it's something I really want to see when it's finished. I think I also need to make something for a clear reason - not that it has to be for a specific person, or a specific bed, or wall (something I never thought I'd say, I used to be 100% anti-wall-hangings), but just I'm making this quilt to test out x technique, or to see what happens if I mix this and that. I have a plan to make a mini applique quilt and then wash and tumble dry it every day for a month just to see how it wears. But yeah, I think I need everything I do to have a defined purpose.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrjcZXvyIbkJx-Ut0jbxcNjDcm3_Fs7Q0qSuYFSzDkZMbwGJUpOJJfOHI6xxIDEi0kKlhCcpjherD917z_d-EDx4XJsAJ8CorAJNjeLXlM1yOytEao3EO8aCkckDeZft3qvobiZ_JgZOU/s1600/Finished+Pigeon+House+Front.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrjcZXvyIbkJx-Ut0jbxcNjDcm3_Fs7Q0qSuYFSzDkZMbwGJUpOJJfOHI6xxIDEi0kKlhCcpjherD917z_d-EDx4XJsAJ8CorAJNjeLXlM1yOytEao3EO8aCkckDeZft3qvobiZ_JgZOU/s1600/Finished+Pigeon+House+Front.jpg" height="378" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://irishthredhead.blogspot.com/2014/07/pigeon-house.html" target="_blank">Could I render a photo in fabric?</a> Draft my own paper piecing? Do<br />interpretive quilting?</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've definitely rambled here.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Why do I write/create what I do?</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I started because I wanted to give something tangible to family who were really far away and going through major life stuff we couldn't be there for. I discovered that quilting drew together the geometric designs I'd been scribbling in the backs of science copies since I was a teenager and the pieces of fabrics I'd been buying just as long but doing nothing with. I'd always hated clothes making when I came across it because of the bloody tissue paper the patterns come on, though Swedish tracing paper and pdf patterns are changing that for me now. But quilting, quilting had it all.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF7hZE5_orWucp5t6ScBDMaL4WOkpHwvCAGpAoQRWTtr1ldrdb2VlTnbMF0KncztXSbPLViO4Htoz43m519BQappaZpOLswg2XvG20r09vHKPvnXNiciMru4y8PId-wn5DcBTIxmc0BwA/s1600/Quilt+Top+During+Basting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF7hZE5_orWucp5t6ScBDMaL4WOkpHwvCAGpAoQRWTtr1ldrdb2VlTnbMF0KncztXSbPLViO4Htoz43m519BQappaZpOLswg2XvG20r09vHKPvnXNiciMru4y8PId-wn5DcBTIxmc0BwA/s1600/Quilt+Top+During+Basting.jpg" height="248" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://irishthredhead.blogspot.ie/2013/01/my-very-favourite-finish.html" target="_blank">Rainbow Skittles</a> - the first quilt I designed.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Plus it was a creative outlet that I'd never had. I'd played music as a kid but never been interested in writing any. I always thought I was terrible at drawing because I have no innate talent, and it never occurred to me (so stupid) that practice might improve things. But sewing is creative and practical, and I love it for that. I really really like making things that can serve a practical purpose when you need them too, but are also just gorgeous or clever or surprising.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>How does my writing/creating process work?</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I generally don't think about this too hard in case I frighten it. I think at different times it just prefers to come out in different ways. Some days it's all about the actual making, some days it's the pulling colours and fabrics and putting them together. Other times I'll sit down with pencil and graph paper, or Adobe Illustrator, and design pattern after pattern. The latter only happens a few times a year, and other times I could sit there for days and nothing would come. If it was my job, I'd probably have to work on making each happen a little each week and rotating them, but I can just enjoy them as they burst forth. It's nice.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisx-_R2v8u_WbvuxsVSg84Xc-Rytx5Wbj83gBcgHlkISIxXgD1rBWSVDs_osJPAJmqlT_BHKpOk3eRIm2WMYtKkkF8-a1EZt1huaInbEdAMxnRsOL4EOQ0NPCI5H5BSuTJBYfj5a4R1tA/s1600/Ciaran's%2BQuilt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisx-_R2v8u_WbvuxsVSg84Xc-Rytx5Wbj83gBcgHlkISIxXgD1rBWSVDs_osJPAJmqlT_BHKpOk3eRIm2WMYtKkkF8-a1EZt1huaInbEdAMxnRsOL4EOQ0NPCI5H5BSuTJBYfj5a4R1tA/s1600/Ciaran's%2BQuilt.jpg" height="345" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Another one of <a href="http://irishthredhead.blogspot.ie/2013/09/up-dubs.html" target="_blank">my own designs</a>.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I am easily distracted, if I have to get up and walk to the iron too many times I'll easily get lost on the way so it's important that I have the radio on or a podcast. Something to keep my mind from wandering. The writing portion is easier, way easier than any of the academic writing I did before this. I actually write straight to the computer for the blog, for work I always had to jot a plan by hand first - sometimes I can be very analog.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNWbA3TJF7eIhS5K8CtpXfczccvM8vov-lXMPJdjL-w7M7O6-kIyoJC5YqEy01RYb3ShKcuHIRjJnzhHo0KelhN1K0uS3x38u6a-pLEAq_VaGgBg3qjQA-uVAk2yqCo0FFCemq0GtE-Eg/s1600/Kate's%2BQuilt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNWbA3TJF7eIhS5K8CtpXfczccvM8vov-lXMPJdjL-w7M7O6-kIyoJC5YqEy01RYb3ShKcuHIRjJnzhHo0KelhN1K0uS3x38u6a-pLEAq_VaGgBg3qjQA-uVAk2yqCo0FFCemq0GtE-Eg/s1600/Kate's%2BQuilt.jpg" height="235" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://irishthredhead.blogspot.com/2014/09/kates-quilt-colourful-journey.html" target="_blank">Kate's Quilt</a>, this summer, my quilting's come on a lot!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's always hardest to make quilts for others, for me anyway. The added pressure of figuring out their aesthetic and incorporating that into how you do things. It's a good challenge, but it can be stressful - generally in proportion to how much you like the person I find. I've also learned this year that I really do put a lot of myself into the quilts I make, and when I'm feeling down or in need of recharging it's really hard to continue to make things for other people. So I'm definitely going to be taking that into account in the future, and making sure that I have a greater balance of projects for me, that further my growth in sewing, as well as sewing gifts here and there for the people I love!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">________</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now, the idea behind this is that I nominate two people to post their contributions to the Around the World Blog Hop next Monday. Honestly, I'm having a hard time remembering who in my feed hasn't done this already and so I thought I'd leave this open to any of you reading this who haven't taken the opportunity to post yet and want to! Next Monday is your day, I nominate you - just let me know when you post or if you plan to and I'll come and have a read, I really do love seeing how differently we all approach the exact same thing. It's fantastic :)</span>Aoifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08927427553227297000noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282510567206775917.post-51879535315974365372014-09-12T14:35:00.003-05:002014-09-12T14:56:06.546-05:00Kate's Quilt: A Colourful Journey<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One of my oldest friends had her very first baby this summer. I've know her well for 14 years, and of her for longer. I've known her partner for close to 12 years. I didn't stop smiling for at least a week after I heard about the baby, and knew instantly I wanted to make a quilt. I emailed and asked if there was anything they would like or definitely wouldn't like (I definitely went overboard, I made a Pinterest board especially for their baby!), and I was told something colourful and maybe an applique animal. It took me from DC to Houston via Ireland, and Christmas to Easter, to finally come up with a design and fabrics I really loved. In the end simple lines and the rainbow won out! I was majorly inspired by two quilts: <a href="http://grapes-hearts.blogspot.de/2013/10/dare-to-be-different-finished-quilt.html" target="_blank">Dare to be Different</a> by grapes and hearts; and <a href="http://www.make-baby-stuff.com/dont-worry-be-happy-colours-quilt.html" target="_blank">Don't Worry Be Happy</a> by Carina E-H.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgffw972W-YLydkOMp2xQTxioWycVRypifZsbPPzqeZm20g1z_4d8-vH29iT95KGrFPANt2XIWp88cgBKPgrYuyDByOZPUX1Tcy0oe7q-tY79BLJDTPGYI8a9B_dKIsziwYWhWWTTtggRs/s1600/Astronaut+Quilt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgffw972W-YLydkOMp2xQTxioWycVRypifZsbPPzqeZm20g1z_4d8-vH29iT95KGrFPANt2XIWp88cgBKPgrYuyDByOZPUX1Tcy0oe7q-tY79BLJDTPGYI8a9B_dKIsziwYWhWWTTtggRs/s1600/Astronaut+Quilt.jpg" height="277" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My biggest challenge was deciding on what sort of applique animal to do, I considered owls for a long time, but was won back over to elephants because of the Eames elephant that I know has lived with these two for some years now. My drawing skills are all kinds of atrocious unless it involves a ruler, or a full on doodle, so I totally cheated when it came to drawing up the elephant applique. I bought a giant kid's sketchpad and drew a grid on it, then I found an outline of an elephant on the internet that I kind of liked and placed it over a grid in Adobe Illustrator (though I could have printed it and manually drawn a grid onto it either). Then I just copied from square to square in order to scale up the drawing to the size I needed for the quilt, about 20" x 20".</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfS-SbIuOEiMQ9EXHw2nU0kpxSKIG7C5efTzTqwgVKL1dpgbgnomB-FDztdoQ887FVgJFfK_YwbYuZVKiioFki_DgT_pm7IRRok5LFRNJocayKafKB-MWdVNYBwwzYsWAlzzm4zjhyfbQ/s1600/Elephants.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfS-SbIuOEiMQ9EXHw2nU0kpxSKIG7C5efTzTqwgVKL1dpgbgnomB-FDztdoQ887FVgJFfK_YwbYuZVKiioFki_DgT_pm7IRRok5LFRNJocayKafKB-MWdVNYBwwzYsWAlzzm4zjhyfbQ/s1600/Elephants.jpg" height="245" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I made some changes as I went, my elephant has no tail because I wanted to hem it for longevity and I'm really terrible/new at applique and sharp turns and points for a tail were right out. I also made sure his trunk was upwards cos that looked happier to me! I think I got him attached to the backing with no puckers on the first try purely through luck, the sheet I used had a little bit of stretch to it and when I was halfway through I suddenly realised that this could all be about to go to pot. But it didn't, thankfully.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I also tried pin basting for the second time ever, and it went horrifically. Mostly because of the aforementioned stretch in the backing fabric, and a little bit because I need to buy a few more basting pins. So the first few lines of quilting had to be unpicked, then everything unbasted, re-basted with trusty spray and I was on my merry way again. I quilted diagonal lines, the spacing set by the square patchwork section, in a yellow thread. And really, it was very hard to send off by the end.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZqvIG6mr_-BlX_lr27pK3fdp3mJA665ieAyK_0RzfflMe4dA6itGafTYvdRFPoWT6IOm36H6wkMKgwQGJ39wLHBSB4G4dqusWt5TZJRLahK0C1PtgAtkxFTzJ2gSwT07nl0_rKvPlvlM/s1600/Puckery+Badness.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZqvIG6mr_-BlX_lr27pK3fdp3mJA665ieAyK_0RzfflMe4dA6itGafTYvdRFPoWT6IOm36H6wkMKgwQGJ39wLHBSB4G4dqusWt5TZJRLahK0C1PtgAtkxFTzJ2gSwT07nl0_rKvPlvlM/s1600/Puckery+Badness.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Don't freak out, some pins had been removed during quilting!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But we took it on a walk early one morning beforehand and had a lot of fun taking photos with it in the Houston sun! If I could change on thing, I would make the binding satin. I searched all the local fabric shops here but I couldn't find a navy satin that was the right colour. They were all too blue, and not dark enough, and the ones that matched had glitter in. So that was just a no. Someday I'll make a baby quilt with a sating binding, and that one will be next to impossible to give away!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Size: 42" x 45"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Pattern: My own</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Top: Free Spirit Designer Solids</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Binding: Kona Solid</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Backing: Super soft old white sheet</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Batting: Warm & Natural</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikkbKjEps2oIFRgZIfuuIZ9tMs2cY5mmZ_oBdy3almZAL7FEDvv97Tsr6ipskohQpJ7DYLsVojz0GHA42WYs1rp1DQlRp4vay_hLgvpSe1iPwlNjXAq2ypNv-rRPqBiFOlR5zuSXDuJZE/s1600/Quilt+Back+Full+Sun.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikkbKjEps2oIFRgZIfuuIZ9tMs2cY5mmZ_oBdy3almZAL7FEDvv97Tsr6ipskohQpJ7DYLsVojz0GHA42WYs1rp1DQlRp4vay_hLgvpSe1iPwlNjXAq2ypNv-rRPqBiFOlR5zuSXDuJZE/s1600/Quilt+Back+Full+Sun.jpg" height="270" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Linking up, for the first time in a long time, to TGIFF over at <a href="http://quiltmatters.blogspot.ca/2014/09/tgiff-banner-day-for-otis.html" target="_blank">Quilt Matters</a> today!</span></div>
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Aoifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08927427553227297000noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282510567206775917.post-84737160693617911522014-09-01T13:34:00.000-05:002014-09-01T13:36:32.218-05:00Unable to Settle<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I had a reminder to back-up my laptop the other day, and it also prompted me to organise my photos into folders, sorted by month. I needed this more than I knew, I had been writing myself and this year off as unproductive but it turns out I was wrong. Up to a point. And that point was late June. Yep, I fell off the productivity/sewing mojo/whatever you want to call it bandwagon at <i>Midsummer</i>.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWlF9ljSsYtsBE6dAATa-GftjmJdNL8VAd_k8LuTEaZf4qhIgD22XrgtTU8NqnyTPEJRNw85PuZrIAhhBzkoh6d-VzbhvnzP-oG6qOiarm_GlWCVBBxNg4HZVdCPfI3Law4OiMxaU-nVM/s1600/Stash+Pull+Bed+Runner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWlF9ljSsYtsBE6dAATa-GftjmJdNL8VAd_k8LuTEaZf4qhIgD22XrgtTU8NqnyTPEJRNw85PuZrIAhhBzkoh6d-VzbhvnzP-oG6qOiarm_GlWCVBBxNg4HZVdCPfI3Law4OiMxaU-nVM/s1600/Stash+Pull+Bed+Runner.jpg" height="333" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Stash pull for bed runner.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Since then I've covered every available surface, the corner of the sofa, our rarely used for the actual purpose dining table, sewing table, sideboard, etc... with must start projects. I've started each of them. None of them are finished. Few of them have been picked back up beyond the first week of starting. Honestly, I've never felt like this. I don't know what I'm doing. I do know I can't force myself to finish them all, I'll end up like a toddler or teenager rebelling against the overbearing strictures of my own self. Which is too much internal strife to bother with.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi-cIZ6cy1TjZT4cAKoTb-72rEPmSJ57-0P_uJrptSbyxxsPGYWHzSBka1Mt6vcqlalCGRwbn-wh7bZrD7_GdpyAuE8HoqMhMlXok8Ecuta0onrpsog-IdsGPSjGiloqH2kDqC64k-2nE/s1600/Dad's%2BHat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi-cIZ6cy1TjZT4cAKoTb-72rEPmSJ57-0P_uJrptSbyxxsPGYWHzSBka1Mt6vcqlalCGRwbn-wh7bZrD7_GdpyAuE8HoqMhMlXok8Ecuta0onrpsog-IdsGPSjGiloqH2kDqC64k-2nE/s1600/Dad's%2BHat.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Some are more important to me than others. For instance, my dad does need a hat. His hair really is falling out, he's distracting the other bridge players and it was 5°</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">C/41</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">°</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">F when he got up to walk the dog last weekend. So even though I barely ever knit, I'm the world's slowest (two Christmases passed before Paul got the scarf I promised), I've never knitted in the round before (but the newly bald shouldn't have to deal with seams), and I have real trouble paying attention to which stitch I'm on, this project is a definite priority.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1BQfHeToXvXEYixKAVsPqG3VSX0sU5s0r5xLYre1EGOO1YsokQnNkfRQYasZaaunI8u4mE31oFsfbZccgukHTtN4kBjlfRANC5hxmY5J7qKIt6znGz-V42067IW1o7zyfPQ7MwUXWOHg/s1600/Linoleum+Farmer's%2BWife.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1BQfHeToXvXEYixKAVsPqG3VSX0sU5s0r5xLYre1EGOO1YsokQnNkfRQYasZaaunI8u4mE31oFsfbZccgukHTtN4kBjlfRANC5hxmY5J7qKIt6znGz-V42067IW1o7zyfPQ7MwUXWOHg/s1600/Linoleum+Farmer's%2BWife.jpg" height="387" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've had a 5 month hiatus from the Farmer's Wife quilt. I miss it, this block is not the most fun colours of the ten I've prepped. And that was my mistake. I meant to only prep 5 at a time from now on. But the colours distracted me and I selected for ten before I knew it, and then felt compelled to cut them all out. It went swimmingly till I reached the templates. They took me two months, and stared at me accusingly from the dining table all the while (yes, we eat on our laps).</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMnygzys-BaAX9YuwrkEfl7duyR3EIn0CSGXy8INlbqqs4nYiX2dFf8P8YN8-5DEqAaU7UB9gEPT0jHw1LiE-zAXwY9XeWtbf6TUR2jtkawcYQWl58w59oWfjDtYxBwaLy1scsxCQbDCw/s1600/Overturned+Death+Star.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMnygzys-BaAX9YuwrkEfl7duyR3EIn0CSGXy8INlbqqs4nYiX2dFf8P8YN8-5DEqAaU7UB9gEPT0jHw1LiE-zAXwY9XeWtbf6TUR2jtkawcYQWl58w59oWfjDtYxBwaLy1scsxCQbDCw/s1600/Overturned+Death+Star.jpg" height="228" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I also knocked into it scattering the nicely laid out pieces...</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I still love my colourful Death Star idea. When I started I got intrigued by trying to make my stitches less noticeable, so I tried some stuff. I got some good results, but finding a new stitch and then getting a rhythm with it is not easy. So I put this down again. Now I'm in two minds. Do I continue trying to make my stitches invisible, noble sure, I guess, but super time-consuming? Or do I go back to my FWQ regular whipstitch which I can bust out like nobody's business? I'll enjoy the process of the latter more, but will I feel annoyed with myself at the result, or once I'm more than a foot from the quilt will I even see the stitches if they're in a grey or matching thread? Ugh, these are the questions that have left this project sitting on a tray on couch, neglected for more than a month.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipIbvbujIYJOJXCpDHDMzalUhJdblJ_GrtnNzDGL8p2aPtZM1eBlAz6ZnU1fYbSX8WD3Zl4N_GxmR4BEletW7yBHG7cqvyARGqkd2Hn7z4ZnBzfR0OkB6F3x_noywL_c04N8EGIAGCjsU/s1600/Echino+Draught+Excluder.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipIbvbujIYJOJXCpDHDMzalUhJdblJ_GrtnNzDGL8p2aPtZM1eBlAz6ZnU1fYbSX8WD3Zl4N_GxmR4BEletW7yBHG7cqvyARGqkd2Hn7z4ZnBzfR0OkB6F3x_noywL_c04N8EGIAGCjsU/s1600/Echino+Draught+Excluder.jpg" height="320" width="309" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The others are all little projects, a giant cushion cover from leftover hourglass blocks, an elongated quilted cushion in Echino as a draught excluder, and a stash pulled bundle to make a simple bed runner just like the ones I made as <a href="http://irishthredhead.blogspot.com/2013/01/quilty-wedding-gifts.html" target="_blank">wedding gifts</a>.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG7g8ditgrc1bKgvPvRtIeL-5DejMKJ-JQnDg_zqkVPOONRFc2dxv1JJ-Rm9RknRSuHRDnOcysjuarrj-ism92IuXWkZLHEKcF_Kokw2SbEu50G9TrSKfn1DflsBxmN1BsLfhd9vd6i5A/s1600/Amarillo+Lighthouse+FMQ.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG7g8ditgrc1bKgvPvRtIeL-5DejMKJ-JQnDg_zqkVPOONRFc2dxv1JJ-Rm9RknRSuHRDnOcysjuarrj-ism92IuXWkZLHEKcF_Kokw2SbEu50G9TrSKfn1DflsBxmN1BsLfhd9vd6i5A/s1600/Amarillo+Lighthouse+FMQ.jpg" height="397" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One final thing, I've recently taken up and have found surprisingly meditative is free motion quilting. The #dailyfmq tag appeared on instagram, set in motion by the <a href="http://craftyplanner.com/2014/08/14/dfmq/" target="_blank">Crafty Planner</a>. I've only spent like 3 ten-minute chunks at it, but I've enjoyed each of them, learned something each time, and discovered it's possible to slip into a nice peaceful state while you're at it, until you get too peaceful, make a mistake and then it all goes to hell! But everyone at the hastag is so lovely and helpful, I've definitely been encouraged to keep going. Which is amazing, because I swore right off FMQ the last time I tried (February) until I had a better machine (still the same machine).</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDNM2K6L9rq4uxLFVgcOwV__3dO7yoEQegOJGFl6bRgJViAKTbTJn-cJQ-Tlrl2V2jbJt0Q0IF0iuRA9uVAZOKR2Wijuqy2xghgIxPXx94Lvwz__uy_H69ivBplqkJU0G-5AkJf6AkhrY/s1600/Rio+Grande+Valley+Turtle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDNM2K6L9rq4uxLFVgcOwV__3dO7yoEQegOJGFl6bRgJViAKTbTJn-cJQ-Tlrl2V2jbJt0Q0IF0iuRA9uVAZOKR2Wijuqy2xghgIxPXx94Lvwz__uy_H69ivBplqkJU0G-5AkJf6AkhrY/s1600/Rio+Grande+Valley+Turtle.jpg" height="385" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rio Grande Valley Turtle, pattern by Melissa of <a href="http://www.myfabricrelish.com/2014/07/texas-roadtrip-qal-rio-grande-valley.html" target="_blank">My Fabric Relish</a></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, I do have three big quilts in the works, one approaching top completion, one approaching block completion, and one with half the top fabrics washed (not my normal game but these fabrics apparently require it - more to come!). You've already seen Texas, so no more till I have something actually finished. The other two I'll blabber about in the next few weeks as I get a chance to take photos and get them in order in my head, more than anything else.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's going to be interesting to see what I do manage to settle to in the rest of 2014. This year has been a test for me in very many ways, and I'm eager to see how I fare coming out of it. I think I might be growing up.</span>Aoifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08927427553227297000noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282510567206775917.post-61259332975201794092014-08-23T11:40:00.000-05:002014-08-23T11:41:35.800-05:00An Unfinish Saturday<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But lots of other people finished their <a href="http://www.myfabricrelish.com/p/texas-roadtrip-qal.html" target="_blank">Deep in the Heart of Texas Roadtrip</a> quilts and you should totally go check them out at <a href="http://prettylittlequilts.blogspot.com/2014/08/texas-roadtrip-qal-quilt-parade.html" target="_blank">Cristina's</a> or <a href="http://www.myfabricrelish.com/2014/08/deep-in-heart-of-texas-roadtip-qal.html" target="_blank">Melissa's</a> blogs, because they're gorgeous and who doesn't love a bit of weekend eye candy!</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Northeast Texas, including Fort Worth, Dallas, and Tyler</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I didn't finish mine, even with the linky extension that the ladies laid on this week. I think 2014 is shaping up to be my year of almosts, not quites, and where on earth did my motivation/productivity/day/week/month go. However, I have been enjoying myself making this quilt and that's a first in a little while and so I'm very grateful. This week I've taken my time laying out my squares, choosing colours, lining up seams (not that it's always obvious in the finish...), and even unpicking! Normally, I just say "it'll do!" and steam on. It's been lovely, very zen, I don't know where it's come from and so I'm not going to rush it out the door. Instead I'm relishing it a little, without frightening it away.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have the two northern quadrants completed. And most of the two southern ones on my make-shift design wall, it's not quite big enough to fit all of south Texas. Hardly surprising, it's a big state!</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Western 2/3s of Southern Texas</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I only have three of the 10 city blocks from the south made, El Paso, San Antonio, and Beaumont. The city bocks have been a revelation. Such a diverse array of techniques, some I'd never tried before. I'll admit to putting off starting a few out of fear, but I'd forgotten how amazing it feels to accomplish something new! It's been really great, though it hasn't reduced the amount of build up time I seem to need before I'll tackle a new technique. There's a lot of talking myself into things.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">L-R: Beaumont, San Antonio, and El Paso</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm loving how the two finished quadrants look beside each other, and I've decided that this quilt will live in our car and be our picnic blanket from here on out. Lori Whitlock's Lazy Day is just such a happy fabric collection, I'm really glad I used it here.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Northern Texas</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I know it's been a while, the one quilt I've finished this summer is currently winging it's way over the Atlantic so hopefully I can post about it soon. And otherwise I've been starting lots of small projects, but completing none. My plan is to be back next week with a little round up of all the fabric bits that have been distracting me, then we can see what sticks over the next few months. And whether the last few months of 2014 will see me in a more finishing mood than up till now!</span></div>
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Aoifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08927427553227297000noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282510567206775917.post-48108908989186170582014-07-16T10:58:00.002-05:002014-07-16T11:02:51.002-05:00Crazy Thoughts<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Melinda of <a href="http://quirkygranolagirl.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">quirkygranolagirl</a> <a href="http://quirkygranolagirl.blogspot.com/2014/03/confirmation-that-im-geek.html" target="_blank">made</a>, and then drew up a pattern for a <a href="http://quirkygranolagirl.blogspot.com/2014/04/patchwork-death-star-pattern.html" target="_blank">patchwork Death Star</a> earlier this year. It totally stole my attention as soon as I saw it. It utterly terrified me as well, especially once I saw the ones people were making under the </span><span style="background-color: #fefefe; color: #222222; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">#patchworkdeathstar hashtag on instagram. Totally amazing, making patterned fabrics interplay with colour and shading to get a 3D effect on the Death Star. Daunting. But I was so smitten, I totally wanted to dive in, but my stash of greys are sorely lacking and I couldn't figure out what we'd do with one 12" block - hot pad maybe?? Except we almost never use them, and our kitchen doesn't have that much space...</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #fefefe; color: #222222; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Well, late one night, long after I should have been in bed, I had a crazy thought. The Death Star's iconic right. What if instead of one Death Star I had a grid of 9? Just like the Andy Warhol prints of iconic stars and soup tins!? What if I used those colours? I didn't go to bed for another three hours.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtPMT89SZYOZbEum-yjJBmqzL7MMz-Etgp1gGo68gKyktaovGJ_SfBQ4lQco9B7_XDOIQ_uNZIsLsbhfV0qfQfNW63ywlkRgLafh_i7HvWeefvewXb-lHmtOLCry7TDiO_jvqi0BCoEtg/s1600/Colour+Gradients.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtPMT89SZYOZbEum-yjJBmqzL7MMz-Etgp1gGo68gKyktaovGJ_SfBQ4lQco9B7_XDOIQ_uNZIsLsbhfV0qfQfNW63ywlkRgLafh_i7HvWeefvewXb-lHmtOLCry7TDiO_jvqi0BCoEtg/s1600/Colour+Gradients.jpg" height="400" width="388" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: #fefefe; color: #222222; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Colour pairings and choices were made after googling a lot about Andy Warhol, reading from his foundation website, Wikipedia, and just plain old google image search. Then I pulled out my now out of date Kona colour card and tried to figure out some colour gradients. I'm still not sure how well this bit is going. There's always some variety between what's in your card and what comes off the particular bolt you buy from. Plus, asking for a second opinion, even one in the same room, lighting conditions, etc... as you can get different results. Paul and I never agree on colours between green and blue.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV0g8roRKyemdSd3fWfXlJG3RvSDQPN_aIdI-hMdshwr4cklRJVoFagMj-vGSn34fvufbIMHYGF902DWjcwbq2swA27j10MyhflYbiRLspu8elmE8GzjtLEOIotjuZbaII_f_VQbAsYLA/s1600/Death+Star+Gradients.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV0g8roRKyemdSd3fWfXlJG3RvSDQPN_aIdI-hMdshwr4cklRJVoFagMj-vGSn34fvufbIMHYGF902DWjcwbq2swA27j10MyhflYbiRLspu8elmE8GzjtLEOIotjuZbaII_f_VQbAsYLA/s1600/Death+Star+Gradients.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: #fefefe; color: #222222; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've also discovered that despite knowing my grey stash is dismal, and thinking my solids stash was ok that I actually require to buy a bit of every colour to make each Death Star. So far I can make green and pink. I'll slowly add the other colours in dribs and drabs. I did splash out and buy all the backgrounds though, in case they sold out. They're the only patterned fabric in this quilt - Dear Stella Confetti Dot, dots as a starfield do you feel it?? I'm not sold on using the Peony as the pink background and might go back and buy one of the other pinks to see if they fit better. But we'll see.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnZgGujIP3oczw_SX3jo6J0sejAGP_Y9gypn3O_5owCUk2O-H99cNYE4ikAvVrWQz_204iSxSkWwuXESA3H1eNHvImHvGFjAUHhCSscrMsLaho9DnacORdqZ0VSDgH4FLK7s4mR-vX78w/s1600/Starfields.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnZgGujIP3oczw_SX3jo6J0sejAGP_Y9gypn3O_5owCUk2O-H99cNYE4ikAvVrWQz_204iSxSkWwuXESA3H1eNHvImHvGFjAUHhCSscrMsLaho9DnacORdqZ0VSDgH4FLK7s4mR-vX78w/s1600/Starfields.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: #fefefe; color: #222222; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The whole thing is planned to finish at around 45" square. Baby quilt size, though with the amount of effort it's taken so far, and I actually found the cutting fabric and wrapping the pieces (even with glue) to be tedious, this is not going to be seeing any babies. I'm thinking it's definitely going on a wall. Which is crazy for whole other reasons I won't go into here.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4iVYKF7gbAmUhBycwGCPMWr37MGaVrDbnvr7gtPnPzfLe3dFeYd7doTK_7owozIdVq4HKjMBevcYn3SaeFxWU8GS_XJxOyK1bjr7KWXWh6AomNQCczwQgCpK2oy0jInPsKToKDpYHOXM/s1600/Pink+Death+Star+Yellow+Starfield.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4iVYKF7gbAmUhBycwGCPMWr37MGaVrDbnvr7gtPnPzfLe3dFeYd7doTK_7owozIdVq4HKjMBevcYn3SaeFxWU8GS_XJxOyK1bjr7KWXWh6AomNQCczwQgCpK2oy0jInPsKToKDpYHOXM/s1600/Pink+Death+Star+Yellow+Starfield.jpg" height="353" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #fefefe; line-height: 20px;">Anyway, this is a project that has at once trapped me in its thrall, is scaring me into picking it up and putting it down but I never actually walk away, just circle, considering it, until I go back and pick it up again and think well you can always start over. I think it has the possibility to look great, I also think I have the possibility to balls it up royally. I'm still not sure which side of that we're going to fall more on. It's certainly not going to be speedy.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #fefefe; line-height: 20px;">But if it scares me I'm growing, right. Right?</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">PS yay for having internet back after almost a week!!!!</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #fefefe; color: #222222; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>Aoifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08927427553227297000noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282510567206775917.post-76779697195773747762014-07-01T15:49:00.000-05:002014-07-03T12:16:53.118-05:00Pigeon House<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2IJ5j3No6btiBAZQ-5fF7F4REeqGo244baKz2SqZjWCrH7Vm9jumzsTe-GtWjOVTscvSeYcxN-Y6kxa1vNRE4ckli9pU7WUzXmgHR8StwG8aXSFi5IrQud1CXQpxeUikrGyKGgUljbww/s1600/Finished+Pigeon+House+Front.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2IJ5j3No6btiBAZQ-5fF7F4REeqGo244baKz2SqZjWCrH7Vm9jumzsTe-GtWjOVTscvSeYcxN-Y6kxa1vNRE4ckli9pU7WUzXmgHR8StwG8aXSFi5IrQud1CXQpxeUikrGyKGgUljbww/s1600/Finished+Pigeon+House+Front.jpg" height="378" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Last August I agreed to take part in the <a href="http://themodernquiltguild.wordpress.com/2013/08/16/the-basics-challenge-with-riley-blake-designs/" target="_blank">MQG's Riley Blake Challenge</a>. Participants got 6 fat eighths of fabrics from Riley Blake's basics collection, we could make anything once it was quilted and could add any solid or any Riley Blake printed fabric. The deadline was sometime in February. I missed it. Understatement. Though most of the work, including the quilting, was done the few days right before the deadline. I semi-lie, most of the quilting was done the night before the deadline. Then I got to the buildings, realised how much I like sleeping, and how crazy sewing black thread on dark grey at night was, and gave up.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh8NaTvHFTC7GUuVGIHThD_RUm64Dw_eeMQPQnHcyHoCzEQ9hN3KATUdGxT_QtERtWYMthokSreQO24MdI2bi7p_4k-v7RBFHEvqUgjQjM0FJGn_gh192wxKCCqjtiBWaWkUO7VCRw3DU/s1600/New+View+from+the+Sink.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh8NaTvHFTC7GUuVGIHThD_RUm64Dw_eeMQPQnHcyHoCzEQ9hN3KATUdGxT_QtERtWYMthokSreQO24MdI2bi7p_4k-v7RBFHEvqUgjQjM0FJGn_gh192wxKCCqjtiBWaWkUO7VCRw3DU/s1600/New+View+from+the+Sink.jpg" height="400" width="225" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm glad I caved. I'm also glad I busted ass for the deadline. Without the challenge I may have never made anything like this ever. Tiny pieces, inspired by the real world, crazy dense quilting, self-drafted paper-piecing, starting and stopping quilting in the middle of the quilt, burying threads - I'd never done any of those things before this.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I also learned tonnes. For instance, I should have starched before I even started cutting for this project. I probably should have used interfacing for piecing the top section. The base has two different greys in it, because my ability to paper piece, think in mirror image, and work out triangles flipping over, are all limited. This required an eleventh hour trip to my local Hancocks when I still thought that I could finish on time if I busted ass till like 3am.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOUpvtdWuJ3noGGUW_xgnBRel-vHaVbKesBs5MUTr_aocRcjjlpKmTo1t9bvjVMeOa1xLC-BRgcQ5ztzMpYuOQWRlWyC3tQ0RVyzDo9MCgLWyFweiamgtASOcWkLIkBj6ec1pFmmujxwo/s1600/Pigeon+House+design+wall+layout.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOUpvtdWuJ3noGGUW_xgnBRel-vHaVbKesBs5MUTr_aocRcjjlpKmTo1t9bvjVMeOa1xLC-BRgcQ5ztzMpYuOQWRlWyC3tQ0RVyzDo9MCgLWyFweiamgtASOcWkLIkBj6ec1pFmmujxwo/s1600/Pigeon+House+design+wall+layout.jpg" height="261" width="400" /></a></div>
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</span> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It is so far from perfect. And after spending the last 4 months putting it down and picking it up to bury what felt like a million black threads into the black backing and cursing myself for the zillionth time, I see all the imperfections. However, I'm proud that I finished it. That it isn't still languishing on the corner of the sofa. Getting the stink-eye thrown at it intermittently. I'm proud that one small piece of work can hold quite so many pieces of information, and maybe by putting it in my regular line of sight I won't forget those lessons when it comes to the next project. Mostly I'm glad it's done.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD3GK80BwXtEYhPQnH99XvdRQncKpPbqfcir1PZPASuPxM0t5JrK2t7Ci4nbd1Fh4nKbrWG6ScU-x8DswEBdahS4hUyo_E_V47rdQiQg54nAcXEfhY_EKAj2V7r87qgY8dFuAxAhXB94k/s1600/Finished+Pigeon+House+Back.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD3GK80BwXtEYhPQnH99XvdRQncKpPbqfcir1PZPASuPxM0t5JrK2t7Ci4nbd1Fh4nKbrWG6ScU-x8DswEBdahS4hUyo_E_V47rdQiQg54nAcXEfhY_EKAj2V7r87qgY8dFuAxAhXB94k/s1600/Finished+Pigeon+House+Back.jpg" height="380" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You'll notice it's also not flat or square - the wall or pins are hiding<br />that for now!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The other nice thing about it is that it's a tiny little non-cliché piece of home. It's not green, there are no leprechauns, and definitely no diddly-aye fiddles playing. That is dawn from behind a power generating station in Dublin. I struggled with the colours and prints that the Riley Blake fabrics came in for a couple of months, and then decided to just think about the broad colours and see what I could interpret them as. As I was busy racking my brain for all kinds of inspiration, I came across this photo taken by @botsbushman of Poolbeg Generating Station (or Pigeon House, as we've always called it).</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://instagram.com/p/cN4sY-sTs6/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgId4MFkIL25GbsN8ndthd7KHQrQz7m4SQEH-PNxQYWSQItpTwp0tFxlUN2xo8TxcjAiKbU0KSRRHkdLIcB6eWqjFe5WCvHuHNK9M34IP_1vFIku74z7GiZnLDIRgSuVmFY1r3xrOkO1yU/s1600/Inspiration+Poolbeg+Dawn.jpg" height="240" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Picture's a link to this instagram pic!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Dublin is not a very high-rise city so the chimneys at Pigeon House can be seen from a lot of places, and are a well known landmark. I've also spent a lot of time travelling up and down to Dublin along the coast by train watching the sunrise, so this seemed like the perfect inspiration. And still a challenge to get those fabrics to work.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBOQfBg3_SPak__A2CL8neltRIxYwhaivsiRJB2vcloXMp-ZacgTOCIstKeVGkTXRb8NhfESi7XwfHVpe7LS4BePtOd6z2Fu-HF3CvgSffkAatvJfzMMUv8wJCbmum9XitA3DMmGnL2Vw/s1600/RBBasics.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBOQfBg3_SPak__A2CL8neltRIxYwhaivsiRJB2vcloXMp-ZacgTOCIstKeVGkTXRb8NhfESi7XwfHVpe7LS4BePtOd6z2Fu-HF3CvgSffkAatvJfzMMUv8wJCbmum9XitA3DMmGnL2Vw/s1600/RBBasics.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Seriously stumping, though the resulting <a href="http://themodernquiltguild.wordpress.com/2014/02/19/riley-blake-fabric-challenge-top-ten-are/" target="_blank">Challenge Quilts</a> were stunning!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Linking up with <a href="http://prettybobbins.com/2014/07/03/quilt-blossom-heart-quilts/" target="_blank">Pretty Bobbins'</a> <a href="http://www.blossomheartquilts.com/2014/07/quilt/" target="_blank">I Quilt linky</a> hosted over at <a href="http://www.blossomheartquilts.com/" target="_blank">Blossom Heart Quilts</a> this week!
</span>Aoifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08927427553227297000noreply@blogger.com5