Amish Inspirations Fragment Quilt

i'm happy to announce that my Amish Inspirations Fragment Quilt is finished~!!~

(except for the label). i WILL get that done within the next few days.

i made this one as part of a collaborative experiment with Lori from Humble Quilts. She discovered a beautiful antique Amish quilt that happened to whisper sweet nothings into both of our ears. she shared a pattern for the center (medallion part) inspired by the blocks within that quilt. i hand dyed some fabrics that were similar and we were off.

be sure to take a look at the photos of  Lori's beautiful piece too. she has hand quilted hers beautifully using a black thread which was a traditional choice for many Amish women.

i also used inspiration directly from the book called Amish - Inspired Quilts by Becky Goldsmith and Linda Jenkins of Piece O' Cake fame. i've been wanting to make one of the fragment style quilts discussed within that book for quite some time and this seemed like the perfect opportunity. 

it's final measurements are 22.25 x 26.75 inches. i happened to have a piece of fabric that was a red on orange toile print that i thought worked well for the backing and had just enough of the orange hand dyed to make a binding. this small quilt has taken me a while to finish but i am very happy with it.

i hand quilted mine as well using a variegated thread in rich copper to gold colors. one of my loves is hand quilting. i love to do it. i love to see it. i love the way i feel after i've spent the quiet time it takes putting in the stitches. it's all good~!

if you enjoy hand quilting as much as i do you should visit Janet at Mrs. Sew n' Sew. she has recently posted a white on white piece that is wonderful~!
Barbara from The Sanguine Stitcher has many wonderful skills and hand quilting is definitely among them. see this cute prim heart place mat full of her wonderful stitches.

btw, if you know of some beautiful blogs that feature a love for hand quilting please feel free to share with me.
:-)

my wonderful daughter has been home for almost two weeks now and it's so good to see her safe and sound and happily re-nesting in the U.S.

the sprouts that i planted a few weeks back are coming up like gangbusters!

i have to show off the pumpkin because it's the biggest by far. i planted four of them and they are supposed to grow into a plant that bears GINOURMOUS 200+ lb monster pumpkins. the thing is we generally don't have the season for a great pumpkin crop so i probably won't have that sort of result but i couldn't resist trying. i have to say that at the sprout stage they certainly haven't been disapointing and bring a smile to my face every time i see them so maybe i can count it as some sort of success already. 

i've been able to get back to the string quilted donation quilt that i started quite some time ago. i'm going to tease you with this macro shot for now but hope to show something much more complete soon . . . 
remember "soon" is reletive . . .

i've also been able to make progress on my Amish/Fragment piece. the applique addition is done (you can just see it up in the left hand corner there) and has been sewn on and the quilting has commenced. once again i've only shown it in part but it's coming along nicely and i'll continue to tease you with it's progress before i show the whole piece.

this last goodie is a postcard that i made for a friend way back in the late fall. i just realized the other day that i hadn't ever posted it. and guess what? believe it or not, no tease here, it's actually finished.

i am still working on the feathers and fins card so stay tuned for that one soon.

remember these? way back before the holidays i dyed this group of fabrics.

i was inspired by a photo that i seen on Lori's beautiful blog. she seems to go to a lot of quilt shows and is very generous in sharing her experiences/photos with all who follow her blog.

this particular quilt was one that she seen and admired at the Old Aurora Colony Quilt Show.

it was made by Matilda Knight Stauffer.

i thought it was pretty awesome too. i've always been a big fan of the antique Amish style of quilts and this one struck me as particularly beautiful.

Lori and i did a little brainstorming, i dyed some fabric, she had a friend who was willing to help out with the pattern making and before you know it Lori and i were both sewing up our own personal interpretations of this beautiful antique quilt.

in addition i had a book (within my obscenely huge personal library) called Amish -Inspired Quilts: Tradition With A Piece O' Cake Twist by Becky Goldsmith and Linda Jenkins. i've admired the quilts in this book for quite some time and especially loved the "fragment" style quilts that are depicted within it.

so i decided to combine all of these inspirational sources within the piece that i've been making and these are my results.

starting with a variation of the block within the Matilda Knight Stauffer Quilt and setting it on point within the turqouisey blue fabric. this produced a piece that measured 16.25 inches (finished).

i then added a skinny cheddery yellow border of 1.75 inches (finished) and wider green border of 3.5 inches(finished) to the top and the bottom.

then the holidays were in full swing and i had to set it aside. but i knew that i wanted to take the piece into the "fragment" style at this point and so i cut a 6.5 inch (unfinished) strip of the red fabric. i pinned these pieces up onto my wall and thought about them A LOT.

i drew up sketches and played around with the idea of adding a vine applique as well as some quilting possibilities . . .

and finally i've been able to get back to it and begin stitching that vine. the center "stem" is nicely in place and i will begin to cut and sew leaves tomorrow . . .

meanwhile, Lori has been exhibiting the patience of a saint as she is much faster than i am and has her wonderful piece already quilted.

this has been wonderfully fun and some day soon i hope to show the finished results of my little Amish inspirations fragment quilt. hopefully you'll show as much patience as Lori has.

i have finally taken a photo of my finished Strawberry Fields Forever doll quilt. i finished the top in June and completed the hand quilting/quilt in November. it measures 20.5 inches x 26.5 inches and i'm quite happy with the way that it turned out. this fun little doll quilt was done as a quilt-a-long project with Lori over at http://www.humblequilts.blogspot.com/. i see that she is just finishing up with another really cute one called Midnight Stars. i'll have to add that one to my wish list . . .

meanwhile i'm working on getting a baby quilt finished.

my daughter pieced the four center blocks in a liberated log cabin style using thrifted fabrics that she found in Honduras. she does not have the luxury of electricity where she's living so she pieced them by hand. she did a good job too~! i was able to visit her over the holidays and the blocks came home in my backpack so that i could square them up, set them together (with a border), back and layer the piece and finally quilt it. i decided to use a perle cotton and big/utility stitch. that goes pretty fast and seems appropriate for this cute little gift.

the baby was due in late january but surprised everyone by arriving in early january instead~! so i've really got to hurry up and finish it. i'm happy to be a part of the whole process as the mother has been a very good friend of my daughter since their elementary school days and is practically part of the family. this is the second of two boys in their growing family. the first little guy also received a quilt (jungle theme) that was collaboratively done by my daughter and i.

my Strawberry Fields Forever Quilt-A-Long doll quilt top is finished. i ended up finding a brown (earth) reproduction with pink dots (strawberries) for the zig zag setting but couldn't help myself and had to add the solid cheddar in the form of a skinny outer border . . . hmmmm, does cheddar go with strawberries?

think of it this way: it's a picnic by a strawberry field and the menu consists of a fabulous bread, CHEDDAR cheese and a beverage of your choice with freshly picked strawberries for dessert . . .

i hope the sun is shining on your picnic today~!~

this little top is just a bit wonky and i'm guessing that it's because i hand pieced the blocks by eye and then machine pieced the remainder. i actually like a bit of wonk in my doll quilts as it makes them seem a bit more "genuine" somehow . . .
now i need to start thinking about getting it quilted . . .

for a fun look at everyone's strawberry fields forever doll quilts go to: www.humblequilts.blogspot.com

~!!~THANK YOU Lori for sponsering this fun and challenging project~!!~

i'm proud to say that i accomplished trying two new things with this little sweetie. using half blocks and using a zig zag setting. loved doing both and will definately use these techniques again.

my apologies for not posting or visiting much over the past couple of weeks. i'm having some unforeseen demands made on my time and energy and may be a little bit slower in response for the next month or so.




i have finally gotten all of my strawberry field blocks sewn together and am now trying to make a decision regarding which background fabric i should set them together with. the setting will be in a streak of lightening or zig zag form as i have laid out in the photos below.

the colors are all coming across fairly "true" and you should be able to click and enlarge if you would like.

this cheddar fabric was just a touch brighter than i wanted so i gave it a brief soak in some instant coffee. (not the best for drinking but a great "dye" for this overdye technique.) i think it took the edge off quite nicely and even if i don't use it for this little quilt i think it will be useful in some future reproduction style quilt project.

if you have a preference please feel free to share your thoughts as i'd love to get feedback on this before i start cutting and sewing my little top together.

i've been recently frustrated by an intermittent internet connection. all of last week it was on again ~ off again and by the time friday came i was just grateful that i was able to continue on with my give-away without interruption. then over the weekend it was completely off and i became even more frustrated. i had intended on connecting with everyone personally and getting addresses (for those of you whom i don't already have them) and putting some special surprises in the mail. i believe i've now made all of those contacts and once i've received the necessary information, will have some sweet goodies coming your way within the next few days. if it turns out that i've overlooked you in all of the confusion please let me know~!~



other than the internet irritations i thought that the giveaway was lots of fun and i am very grateful for all of those who dropped by and congratulated and/or participated.



anyway, despite the lack of internet service i did manage to find something fun to do with my computer during the two days of "black out". i got onto my photoshop elements program and created this digital postcard.





what do you think? i used a photo of one of my own mixed media postcards and a photo of the dragonfly that i shot last year (in my garden) and combined the two with a pinch of pixie dust (or whatever that photoshop magic is called) and voila~!~ it actually wasn't quite that easy and there may have even been a few swear words during the process but for the most part it was really FUN~!!~
i even purchased some postcard card stock to print them out onto. the printing process has been a bit frustrating as the card stock doesn't always seem to want to feed through just right . . . but i think both the printer and i are beginning to get the hang of it . . .

i'm currently working on a doll quilt quiltalong that is being sponsored by Lori at www.humblequilts.blogspot.com and so far i'm having a blast putting my little quilt blocks together by hand. Lori is pretty fabulous at giving excellent instructions and i've found no frustrations at all despite the blocks measuring only five inches square (they'll finish up at four and a half). each block consists of thirty individual pieces sewn up together. my finished quilt may take a little bit longer as hand sewing is slower but it's making a great end of the day (carrot quilt) project.

i already have two blocks completely sewn and one nearly finished.

there will be a total of eleven whole blocks and two half blocks within the finished little quilt.

and last but not least i have progress on the Dress Up challenge to report. this is my (romantic) dress for the month of february being modeled by my sweet and oh so charming sage dolly. this dress is made up of cheesecloth and bits of tattered lace.

i joined the challenge quite late and so still have dresses for the months of january and march to catch up with. i'll just fit them in as i have a bit of extra time . . . it's now time to start thinking about a dress for the month of may and my creative brain is already churning with some thoughts on that one . . .

feel free to take a look at what some of the other participants are doing by going to http://www.aliceandcamilla.blogspot.com/ . the variety of artwork in this challenge may surprise (and delight) you.

i have something very cool to show you in my next post . . . think "peeps" . . .

this morning the sun is shining and the snow is continuing to melt. i decided to make some bread and while i was in the midst of that i noticed these reflections and shadows on the table. i couldn't resist getting a shot of the wonders of sunshine within the bread making process. i have been interested in participating in the "Dress Up 2010" project/challenge hosted by Margaret at her blog Alice and Camilla for months now. if you're ready to see lots of arty cuteness you should go right over and check it out: http://www.aliceandcamilla.blogspot.com/ and so yesterday i ignored everything else that needed doing and concentrated on making a dolly. i found a couple of soft doll patterns that i liked various components of and had some ideas of my own, so i sort of Frankensteined together my own pattern. her head is stuffed with sawdust from dh's workshop and her body and legs are stuffed with, well, stuffing. she is approximately nine inches tall. her (once lovely) locks are made of a linen thread and her mismatched brown eyes are buttons. her mouth has been stitched on in a perpetual chuckle. she underwent a bath of warm spices and tea in order to obtain that lovely (and aromatic) "patina". she's not fancy which is exactly what i was going for and i am pleased with the much loved and played with look of her. her name is sage, which i thought very regionally appropriate to her "birthplace".

she is wearing her first "Dress Up" dress for the month of April. it's a simple chambray frock with a bit of antique lace used for the collar and a few humble embroidery stitches added to the skirt for the special occasion of Easter. this morning was just nice enough to take her outside to get her portraits. see how happy she is that the sun shines on her~!?!~

AND she discovered the very first spring crocus growing in the garden. i think she was even more excited than i was~!~

i have also completed another carrot quilt (#7)~!!!!!!!~

this cute little pink confection was put together using left overs from a guild round robin that i participated in. it is all my own work. this piece measures approximately 15 inches x 17 inches.

this second one was one of two small quilts that i had in the round robin. i stitched the bee skep in the center and one of my guild sisters added the tiny zig zag pieced border. the next talented lady added a simple double border and then appliqued/embroidered the cute bees onto the top. when i got the top back i added the muslin border and the embroidered words. i've actually had this one finished for quite some time and may have even included photos of it previously in my blog (or maybe that was flickr) but i thought that all three quilts should be pictured together since they are somewhat "related". this piece measures approximately 18 inches square.

this is the second round robin top that was created within that same guild challenge. it also happens to be my sixth carrot quilt. i appliqued the little bean tree/berry branch block and the next person added a panel with the words "Love Life" embroidered on it as well as a sun with rays. the last lady within the exchange appliqued the cute primitive house onto a funky pieced checkerboard background. when it came back to me i added some more funky pieced checkerboard background and some appliqued pumpkins as well as a few more rays of sunshine. this piece measures approximately twenty three and a half inches x twenty five inches.

i have also shown it within the blog very recently.

i think that they all turned out totally full of cuteness and am looking forward to displaying them, each in it's own appropriate season, on my walls.

yesterday a.m. we were experiencing snow showers but this morning it's all about the sunshine again . . . i took my camera out to see if i could get any shots of spring emerging and i found the daffodils reaching out through the cold ground and up towards the warmth of the sun. keep in mind that these are macro shots and the plants are just barely pushing up so they appear to be much larger than they actually are.

i also found some crocus and even some tulips just coming up.

recently i read someones description of spring being like any other birth; contractions, lots of starting and stopping and then, finally, new life. this certainly seems like an apt description to me and thinking of spring in those terms causes me to remember that it will all happen in good time and just as it should. i just need to remember to breathe in those resting (reluctant) moments . . . whooo -whooo - whooooo

this is carrot quilt number six ~!~ quilted, bound and signed~!!~ this small piece (approximately 23 and a half inches x 25 inches) was one of two quilts that i did with my guild sisters as part of a round robin for small and doll quilts. i won't tell you how long i've had it waiting around for finishing/attention because that would be embarrassing. suffice it to say that it's been way too long. i did the primitive little bean tree and the next person added a panel with "Love Life" and some sunshine. the last person added the cute little primitive house appliqued onto a checkerboard background. then it came back to me and i added a bit more checkerboard background and some appliqued pumpkins as well as a few more rays on the sun. i think it turned out pretty cute and am planning on displaying it on the wall during the fall season. i quilted this one in the baptist fan pattern, using a heavier thread and utility stitches so it went pretty fast.

the second quilt that was part of this round robin activity is actually already finished and had i been thinking i would have included a shot of it also. i had the other members of my team build around a block with a primitive appliqued bee skep on it. the finished quilt reminds me of the longest, most golden days of summer.

here is a sneak peek of carrot quilt number seven (!!!!!!!) in progress. i made a second bean tree block and a second primitive bee skep block for this little piece and put them together in a quilt top of their own. i used lots of pinks, some green and soft browns in this one and it has a spring look to it so it's been a bit more seasonally appropriate to stitch on. i've even used a soft pink colored embroidery thread to quilt it with. this is the first time i've ever used embroidery floss (a single strand) to quilt with but it's lovely and i really like it.

once i have this one finished i'll post a shot of all three small quilts together since they are "siblings" of a sort.

blessings

"Art is communication,

and if there is no communication

it is as though the work had been stillborn."

from Walking On Water

by Madeleine L'Engle
 

thank you to all of you who help to give my art life simply by coming here and seeing what i've done. you're wisdom, support and encouragement are a priceless gift that i treasure.

after the short little brag session below you will see that i have something in the works for my next give-away. a tangible expression of the gratitude i feel to all who offer me this sustaining communication which is an integral part of my creative life.

 

i'm finally getting around to posting my newest little finished carrot quilt (#5~!!!!~). this one took a bit longer to make since there is quite a bit of close quilting throughout.

 

all photos can be enlarged for a closer look.

 

i am happy with the results and am now working on carrot quilt #6 . . .

 

edit: i am linking this old post into a little quilt show hosted by Taryn of  Reproduction and Antique Quilt Lover.


it occurred to me just after posting my last post that i should be celebrating my first blogiversary~!!~ i began blogging in March of 2009. it's been a fun and interesting adventure and it certainly would not have been quite as fabulous if i hadn't been acquiring new friends along the way. in addition to being at my first year mark i also discovered that i'm almost to my 200th post. so, in celebration, i think it's time for another give-away.

since i realized this all a bit belatedly i am still creating what i'll be giving. i do know that it will be a package of six postcards. i don't want to actually have the drawing until i've finished them. so, you will have to be patient with me and i'll continue to post teasers on the progress of the cards. this shot is of some fabric card blanks (meaning i haven't added any embellishments yet) that i made using my own hand dyed fabrics and a few batiks. i love the way that hand dyed fabrics look with batiks and my stitches and other embellishments show up nicely on them too. i will however be making more blanks with a different look to them and may even throw in a paper collaged card or two . . . for now i'm just having fun creating a variety of postcards that you will be able to use for sending or keeping or whatever you might like.

. . . so stay tuned . . .

a white world revealed

bright cleanliness; a clean start

cold revelations

i woke up this morning to a fresh fall of snow. it's beautiful but i'm tired of winter . . .

i went outside (briefly) and got a quick shot of my freshly glittered garden and then felt like i could write a haiku to go with my minimalistic photo. i've been recently inspired to explore the world of haiku by a chance encounter in flickr and a couple of internet acquaintances so you may be seeing more of it within my blog as time goes on.

one good thing about winter is that i'm happy to be doing a little more quilting and have finished another doll (carrot) quilt. this one was made using some vintage star blocks that were given to me. i did a bit of reconstruction and added some of my own fabrics. it has a finished measurement of 16 and 1/2" x 21 and 1/2". i backed it with the lavender printed white fabric that you see used around the outer edges and bound it with a dark green print that i thought suited it. i can't say that it is one of my favorites but it will be a nice one to have within my doll quilt collection.

there is something about traditional antique quilts that i find particularly appealing lately . . . maybe it is that warmth of character that they seem to exude through their (often) hand stitched fibers. i see them and imagine the makers and their various circumstances and am amazed at how these quilts were frequently made using a minimum of resources, time and even good light to see by! i have such respect for both the beautiful finished quilts and their hardworking creators. i have recently discovered a few blogs that are fueling my current need for traditional and scrap quilts and the inner warmth that they spark up in me. if you are interested in doll quilts in particular go see Persnickety Quilts at http://www.persnicketyquilts.blogspot.com/ and click on her "doll quilts" label. she has a fantastically varied collection that i frequently drool over. for a bit of history with your doll quilt there is nothing like a visit to quilt author Kathleen Tracy's blog: A Sentimental Quilter at http://www.sentimentalquilter.blogspot.com/ . she's written three books on doll quilts with a fourth one in the works and has done a lot of research into the ladies (many of them young ladies) who made these gems. i recommend her books as well as her blog.

i recently discovered a delightful series for making a doll quilt called "Cheddar Cheese and Crackers" at Humble Quilts: http://www.humblequilts.blogspot.com/ . this blogger has many beautiful quilts, both large and small, within her blog. after reading this well done three part tutorial i've been inspired to add this pattern to my (long) "must make that(~!~) list". i do love that "cheddar" color used in many older quilts~!~

for further gorgeous fabrics and color choices you must see Inspired By Antique Quilts at http://www.inspiredbyantiquequilts.blogspot.com/. this blogger is a magician at the art of "getting it done" and i also love the many links she provides within her space.

and last but not least i must share this final blogspot not only for her fabulous use of scraps (which i so admire) but also for her humorous choice in blog names: What a Load a Scrap at http://www.whataloadascrap.blogspot.com/ . as you can imagine, this spot is full of ideas for using up one's final bits of fabric as well as a healthy dose of humor~!~

in addition to visiting tempting blogs i've been going through my own collection of vintage and antique quilt blocks in an effort to decide what to do as my next carrot quilt (# five~!~) and have turned up this cute embroidered "Hickory Dickory Dock" nursery rhyme block.

as well as these antique broken dishes blocks . . .

sometimes i think i just have too many choices~!~

maybe i'll think of some way to "marry" the two together . . .

i've decided to sit down with a cup of cocoa, some homemade shortbread cookies, and a few good quilting books and see how cozy i can make myself feel on this cold winter day.

won't you join me?

~a carrot quilt update~

despite my attempt to keep things to a minimum i've been completely overwhelmed by holiday preparations and life in general which is why i haven't posted more than the sunday postcard art challenge for the last few weeks. in general things are good, but the "slow setting" that MS puts me on isn't the best for keeping up with the usual holiday hubbub and so my blog posting has suffered some.

however, one of things that i have been able to continue doing is the carrot quilt stitching that i described in a previous post. and i'm delighted to have progress to report~!~

the first little indigo and white quilt measures approximately twelve and a half inches by fifteen and a quarter inches. i used some purchased antique blocks and hand sewed them into a top and then added a bleached muslin border around them. the blocks were constructed using a white muslin that had actually not yellowed or aged as much as sometimes happens with antique blocks so i rummaged through my muslin scraps and found one of my less white choices . . . despite the fact that they were not my brightest scraps i can really see the difference between what i used and what was originally used within the blocks. looking at the photo of the finished piece i can see that it turned out just fine and in fact delineates the border of the top a bit which i like. within my stash i managed to find a reproduction indigo fabric print for the binding and a shirting print that i used for the backing. all of that and a few hand quilting stitches and ta-da~!!!~ carrot quilt # 2 is finished.


carrot quilt # 3 is the result of some more purchased antique quilt blocks that i had on hand that were hand sewn together to create the top. i love the various blue fabrics used and that rogue plaid square~!~ which was pieced together from very small scraps of fabric by the original maker . . . a testament to the waste not, want not style of living that was once necessary. some of the other pieces are also "micro pieced" together too and i imagine that if you click on the photos you will be able to see some evidence of this yourself.
i found the border fabric and the backing fabric within my own stash and the binding was made from a chambray that i happen to have lots of because i like the way that it "plays" so well with the vintage and antique bits that i have accumulated. the backing fabric is the most wonderful print which includes the occasional bee and is one of my all time favorites. i chose to hand quilt the center using very simple straight diagonal lines in varying widths apart and i stitched a simple cable into the border. i like the way that the border seems to be a bit fancier in "attitude" than the simplicity of the center and think that it made for some subtle but good contrasts. this finished doll quilt measures approximately twenty two and a half inches by twenty inches.



i hope that you enjoy seeing the latest additions to my carrot quilt collection.
this evening i will begin to put the quilting stitches into carrot quilt # 4~!!~ yipppeeee~!!!!~