Bright & Cheerful

I carved out some time this weekend to work on a couple sewing/quilting projects...with my BRD work schedule full of stressful deadlines, sometimes a little creativity can get me in the right frame of mind. Saturday, I decided to sit down at my sewing machine and clear my head...I had a pile of scraps left from the "Home Sweet Home" pillow I showed you last week, so I took them to my AccuQuilt GO! fabric cutter. Over the years I have have purchased quite an assortment of dies, so it is always fun to play in my studio - I decided to work with the GO! Drunkard's Path 3.5" Finished die and make a small modern table runner, measuring 7" W x 24.5" H. I always enjoy curved piecing, as I like a bit of a challenge...and the bright, cheerful fabrics were a joy to sew! The top is pieced with Fresh Flowers by Deb Strain for Moda and the binding and backing are Ellie's Emporium by Sue Penn for Fine Lines (a favorite fabric I picked up some time ago and now I wish a had a few more yards!)....and I didn't used a pattern, just made it up as I went along. I did straight line quilting which really gave the finished piece a nice flow and added to the modern look...

I also have another fun tidbit to share today...if you are a long time reader, you may remember the adorable bumble bee mug I found last April...well, for Christmas, I received another one of these special mugs - this time, the frog! Just like the bumble bee, it makes me smile...and since he matches my table runner, I thought it was the perfect time to share it with you...

I hope you have had a weekend full of smiles and creativity too!

AQS Quilt Show & Contest - Des Moines, IA

I know it has been a while since my last post...and I do have a good reason...I have been preparing for two large events I am teaching on the East Coast later this month...and I will share more with you in the next few days...

I did manage to take the day off today to visit the AQS Quilt Show & Contest being held at the Iowa Events Center (October 3-6). My dear friend Kimber and her husband Tom were kind enough to invite me along to view the show with them...and it truly was a splendid day! We headed downtown bright and early, so we could see everything in one day. We started by walking the vendor area (I will blog about that tomorrow), then we perused the Des Moines Area Quilters Guild 29th Annual Quilt Show...and finally we walked the AQS Quilt Contest Exhibit. It was sensory overload as we visited an array of fabulous vendors, then took in all the incredible quilts on display...I was so inspired by the creativity and talent, that I completely forgot how much walking we were doing and the day evaporated without a second thought. If you are in the Des Moines area or plan to be this week, this show is a MUST SEE. After we finished our visit to the quilt show, we headed to the Brass Armadillo Antique Mall to see the antique and vintage quilts, sewing notions, and sewing memorabilia vendors prominently placed about their booths...and yes, we did find a few goodies. After our day of shopping, viewing and walking, we had all built up quite an appetite...so we headed to The Drake Diner - a local favorite/landmark for a delicious late lunch/early dinner. It was the perfect day off!

Here is my view of the Des Moines Area Quilters Guild 29th Annual Quilt Show through my camera lens...I truly took hundreds of photos - but here are some that stood out to me (click on each photo for an enlarged view). This year's annual show was titled "Welcome to the World of Quilting" and included over 425 quilts made by guild members. The show also included a silent auction with over 100 small quilts...

Small Quilts in the Silent Auction

Small Quilts in the Silent Auction

Missie Carpenter
Applique Medium
168J: Charmed Beginnings

Gretta Wilkinson
Mixed Technique X-Large
520J: Wedge - Red/White

Patty Barrett
Applique Large
122J: The Bride's Quilt

Patty Barrett
Applique Large
122J: The Bride's Quilt - Close-up Owls

Patty Barrett
Applique Large
122J: The Bride's Quilt - Close-up Peacocks

Barbara Blair
Pieced Medium
151J: Diamond LeMoyne Star

Leigh Lussie
Applique Medium
337J: Pineapples and Carnations

Leigh Lussie
Applique X-Large
335J: McLean Family Album

Leigh Lussie
Applique X-Large
335J: McLean Family Album - Close-up

Missie Carpenter
Mixed Technique Small
171J: Primitive Pineapple Welcome
Loved the punch needle center!

Julee Prose
Applique X-Large
410J: A Floral Celebration

Mary Shotwell
Applique Large
462J: Auntie's Red Hot Garden

Next, here is the AQS Quilt Contest display through my camera lens - there were so many breathtaking quilts on exhibit...again, I took hundreds of photos...here are just a few of the highlights for me....

Ruth Ann Reynolds - Raymore, MO
Super Sweet Ambrosia
Wall Quilts

Leigh Lussie - Windsor Heights, IA
An Abundance of Flowers
2nd Place - Bed Quilts - Machine Quilted

Carolyn H. Stine - Springfield, IL
My First Trip To Baltimore
Bed Quilts - Machine Quilted

Carolyn H. Stine - Springfield, IL
My First Trip To Baltimore (Close-up Fruit)
Bed Quilts - Machine Quilted

Ann Feitelson - Montague, MA
Basket Weave II: See Saw
1st Place - Wall Quilts - Machine Quilted

Carole J. Floyd - West Des Moines, IA
Miss Emily's Garden
Honorable Mention - Wall Quilts - Machine Quilted

Barbara Clem - Rockford, IL
Symphony of Roses
Best Hand Workmanship Award
Bed Quilts - Hand Quilted

Dolores Easter - Urbana, IL
Ladies of the Sea
2nd Place - Bed Quilts - Hand Quilted

Jean Clark - Mt. Horeb, WI
Scarlet Fever
3rd Place - Bed Quilts - Hand Quilted

Joyce L. Wuehle - Galesburg, IL
Onward
Bed Quilts - Hand Quilted

Joyce L. Wuehle - Galesburg, IL
Onward (Close-up Owls)
Bed Quilts - Hand Quilted

Wilhelmina Vandevoorde - Maryville, TN
Tree of Life
1st Place - Bed Quilts - Hand Quilted

Helen Williams Butler - Alpine, UT
Turkish Delight
1st Place - Bed Quilts - Machine Quilted

Janet Stone - Overland Park, KS
Letter Carriers
Best Machine Workmanship Award
Wall Quilts - Machine Quilted
My personal favorite of the show - the detail was incredible!

Marilyn Badger - Saint George, UT
Eureka!
Best of Show
Bed Quilts - Machine Quilted

Marilyn Badger - Saint George, UT
Eureka! (Close-up)
Best of Show
Bed Quilts - Machine Quilted

Marilyn Badger - Saint George, UT
Eureka! (Close-up)
Best of Show
Bed Quilts - Machine Quilted

It was truly a spectacular event and exhibit! I was completely mesmerized by the talent and creativity - it was a succulent feast for the eyes. Tomorrow, I will return with photos from a few of my favorite vendors...

St. Patrick's Day Twisting Star

So, there are several reasons I am excited about finishing my latest quilting project...first of all - I have had this in my to-do pile for over a year - yep, I purchased the fabric before St. Patrick's Day last year...second of all - it has several inset seams, which I was kind of scared of, but worked out quite well...and finally, all my star triangles have points (woo-hoo)! I actually started this project on Saturday afternoon and finished the piecing and binding this evening. I am so tickled to have this project done and on my dining room table before St. Patrick's Day. The pattern is called "Twisting Star Table Toppers" and is from Quilt Tales....it has 8 different projects, including: a candle mat, two table toppers, a set of placemats, and four table runners. I chose the 24" table topper...and I have enough of the fabric leftover to make the candle mat. I was actually impressed with how easily this project came together and how well it turned out....and I can definitely see working this project with a variety of fabrics. One of my local quilt shops had a template set (3 sizes) made for the center hexagon(s) and I am very happy I made that purchase - it made cutting the center quite easy...I also used my AccuQuilt GO! Fabric Cutter to cut all the strips and the binding. Yes, I am very happy with my new holiday table topper...

Appliqué Frolic Wall Hanging

First of all, welcome to all my new friends and followers! I can't believe I have officially passed the 500 followers mark (WOW!) - thank you for visiting - I will be hosting a giveaway in the near future to mark this momentous occasion, so stay tuned...

Over the last several evenings, I have been working on several birthday gifts for friends and family - one of which is this small appliqué wall hanging quilt...August is a busy birthday month and we all know how I like to make the majority of my gifts. After picking the pattern, I went through my stash and found some gorgeous fabric - the majority of the fabric is from the line "Bliss" by Bonnie and Camille for Moda. The entire quilt was cut using my AccuQuilt GO! fabric cutter - the pattern uses 4 different sizes of GO! Strip Cutter dies, along with the GO! Heart die, the GO! Round Flower die, and the GO! Critters die....and the design is actually a free pattern that accompanies the 6 1/2" Strip Cutter die. I had so much fun putting this together - I really enjoyed the machine appliqué and playing with these beautiful fabrics. It all went together smoothly for me - I did the cutting, appliqué, and piecing in one evening...and the quilting and binding the next. I added a sleeve to the back for hanging...and my husband made me some more wooden strips with sawtooth hangers so I could include one with this gift. All in all, I was quite pleased with how this special wall hanging turned out!

Nine-Patch Pixie

Those of you who follow me on Twitter may have seen a photo of this quilt in progress back on July 3rd...yes, I did start this before the 4th of July holiday (with intentions of finishing it sooner)...but BRD deadlines have been keeping me quite busy and I just had time to quilt and bind this patriotic table runner today. It is called Nine-Patch Pixie and the pattern is by Tea for Two...I used a mixture of Moda fabrics - including prints from Zippity doo dah! by Sandy Gervais, Solids, and Polka Dots. This pattern is done with a scrappy assortment of 2 1/2" squares - which I cut with my AccuQuilt GO! Fabric Cutter, along with the 6 1/2" square in the center. It goes together rather simply, you just have to pay attention to the layout diagrams in the directions...especially if you are like me and don't want any of the same scrappy fabrics touching each other. I really enjoyed the actual quilting of this piece - I did a "swirly" stipple for the entire quilt; except the center square where I quilted a fun flower which I thought complemented the fabric print. All in all, I am very happy with the results and will be anxious to have it out next summer for Independence Day!

Patriotic Paisley Patchwork

I have been working on this quilt for about a week...the piecing was done on day one, but I have been doing machine quilting to embellish it for several days. This is a "Quartered Nines" quilt...meaning you make nine-patch blocks, then cut them in quarters to make new blocks. It is a very fun and easy quilt to piece and put together. My finished quilt is 36" x 36" - but "Quartered Nines" works well for just about any size you can imagine. I used my AccuQuilt GO! to cut the quilt top - utilizing the 5" Square Die, the 1 1/2" Strip Cutter Die, the 2" Strip Cutter Die, and the 3 1/2" Strip Cutter Die...but obviously, if you haven't acquired a GO!, you could easily rotary cut this project. I wanted to work on a small quilt for the upcoming 4th of July holiday and this fabric worked perfectly - it is a fabric line from a year or two ago called "Wiscasset" by Minick & Simpson for Moda. After the piecing and pin basting was completed, I started machine quilting by stitching in the ditch. Next, for the sixteen full squares, I printed a floral pattern on a piece of paper...pinned it to the center block...and then quilted directly on the lines....once I was done, I just removed the paper - this works really well if you are like me and can only dream of the day you have a longarm machine. A couple tips, if you try this quilting method - use a recyclable or thinner (cheaper) paper, that is easier to tear - I use paper that is made for paper pieced quilting...and the smaller your stitches are, the easier it is to remove the paper (I like a larger quilting stitch, so it takes me quite a while to tear away all the paper). I still want to machine quilt a complimenting pattern in the borders (I'm thinking stars), as well....but for now, I am pretty happy with the results and I will be able to use it on my table for the holiday.