Votes for Women

Yipee!!! A New Block of the Week starting this Fall! 

Barbara Brackman plans to host another on the topic of the fight for women's rights worldwide. 

Visit her blog here and stay tuned for more details!
  

 

Becky is already working on the blocks

I had so much fun making the Civil War BOW quilt in 2011. It was a wonderful experience with a great group of quilters. Looking forward to making this new quilt this Fall :0)

Exercise your right and VOTE!!!

Memorial Day

Thank you to all our troups past and present and thier families for all they have given for our freedom

Flag Quilt from Jan Patek
Jan Patek's Girl Gang
http://janpatek.blogspot.com/

Jan's book Flags of the American Revolution:
https://www.pickledishstore.com/productDetail.php?PID=1138

Fair Trade indeed

My friend Brandie was working on a big quilt. She is a really good quilter and quilts on her home Juki. Does a beautiful job of it however, I convinced her to quilt this one on my longarm. We worked on it together and it turned out great! It's a blue and white quilt and she choose an all over tulip design. Perfect... It gave the quilt a Delft feel which made the Dutch girl in me happy :0) Check out her quilt on her blog ~ abc!

She asked what she could offer in return. I am always getting in trouble for not having a name tag at guild meetings so that is what I asked for. I knew she would make something wonderful, her applique is to die for, much better than mine. However this was beyond my expectations! Just look at what Brandie made!!!

Her inspiration is a China Red Poppy from my yard... my favorite flower with it's purple pollen. My favorite colors, red/orange and purple. Beautiful feather quilting, also my fav. She's a keeper!!!
I've been grinning since Thursday nite :0)

Brandie took me out for dinner that evening after we worked on her quilt and the next day gave me a Delft collectors thimble she had in her collection. And the name tag... Wow! I'd say we made a very fair trade!!!  

Happy Birthday today Brandie!!! and Happy Mother's Day tomorrow!

Have a Great Mother's Day Weekend :0)

Design Wall Monday 04.30.12

I do have something to put up on my design wall ;0) It's a paper pieced project that I worked on last week for my Paper Piecing class.

These are blocks from Anja Townrow's book call Dutch Flower Pot. It's a wonderful book on paper piecing and I love her designs. This is the easiest block in her book which is why I choose this one for the class (with her permission :0) There are many more in her book plus inspiration from her award winning quilts. I purchased her book from AQS in 2002 and it is available on Amazon, both used and new copies. Here  is a link to her book on Amazon. Anja is a wonderful quilt artist! Here is a link to her website.

I recently found two more of her quilts in a wonderful book called Quilts in Bloom. I picked that up at a local used book store. Just now found the Quilts in Bloom book on Amazon as well, click here for a link to that book.

Linked to Judy's blog Patchwork Times for Design Wall Monday. Check out what other quilters have on thier design wall. Have a great week!

April UFO

My UFO finish for April is Chips 'n Strips...

This started as an online New Year's Day Mystery Quilt hosted by Planet Patchwork Jan 1st 2012. Made from left over strips and scraps plus two different cream color pieces for the outer borders.

Close up of my feather quilting. The binding is pieced from strips as well. The binding on the corners is the red inner border fabric and centered on each of the sides is binding made from strips of one of the print fabrics.

On the 1st I finished piecing the top without borders. The fabrics I planned to use for borders were a bit too short and I set it aside. Added to my list for Judy's UFO challenge I took it out again and tweaked the pattern. Original layout called for nine patch cornerstones in the outer border. Changed them to a 16 patch, included the cornerstones of the inner border and now the two outer border fabrics work.

This quilt is actually #2 on my UFO list. April got away from me and I was not able to get much work done on my UFO # 10 Galactic Twinkle, Judy's designated UFO for April. Since I've been working on scrappy quilts I decided to stay in that mode and switched 10 and 2. Sew Chips 'n Strips is done for an April finish.

Today is also Design Wall Monday so Judy is planning to post the UFO link and new # this afternoon. Last week I made some paper pieced blocks for a class and have them up on my design wall this morning. If Judy picks #2 maybe I'll have Galactic Twinkle up on my wall next Monday :0) Will see what May brings... 

I can't believe it! Judy did pick #2 !!! for the next UFO! Perfect, it's a even trade for me ;0) Head on over to Judy's blog by clicking - Patchwork Times to see more quilts and projects finished in April by other quilters participating in Judy's 2012 UFO Challenge. Happy Quilting!

Classes at Cathy's

Classes at Cathy's Sew and Vac / Honey Run Quilters, Chico CA

Two of my classes at Cathy's this week were sew much fun! Thursday was the third session of the Carpenter's Star quilt we are making in Quilting 101 class ~ putting on borders. We added an inner and a second outer border...
This is Kathy W's quilt with the inner borders sewn on and one outer border.

She emailed that all her borders are on now :0) and she is ready for quilting in our next session! Love her enthusiasm and this is her first ever quilt!!! I'd say she is a natural for quilting. Wouldn't you agree?

This is my top with two borders on and the side borders up on the design wall next to the top. They are now pieced to length and attached.

More pics after the next class including Kathy T's quilt top. She was not ready for a photo at the end of class and promised to send one when her top is together. Have fun on your trip to the Eastcoast!

Yesterday, Saturday was my Paper Piecing class. After a simple practice piece we made flower pots designed by Anja Townrow. Her book, Dutch Flower Pot is wonderful and available at Amazon. Click the book title for the link to Amazon or Anja's name for a link to her website. TIA

Here is Takako's beautiful flower pot. She plans to buy Anja's book :0)

Takako

Here is Claudia's flower pot, not quite finished in class. I cropped the second photo. She emailed last night that she did finish her block when she got home and is happy with the result :0) Love the fabrics!



Claudia

Kathy

This is Kathy T's. She made a different flower pot, a little harder and in two parts. Gorgeous Kathy!



Field of Poppies

We are replacing the weed grasses (fox tails and such that are dangerous for dogs) on the back of our property with California Poppies. With the sun and warmer temps they exploded this week!

It was noon today and too bright when I took this picture so it's not the best photo. 

Did a quilting workshop for binding on Thursday at Cathy's. Saturday was spent in Bidwell Park leading a volunteer program for Earth Day. There were about 150 people that participated. Michael and I had a great group of 12 volunteers, we dug out lots of invasive plant sprouts and planted sedge, deer grass and a few trees in an area that we have been working on along Big Chico Creek for a little over a year. I'm a little sore today. Off to spend the rest of the day with Mom. Both of us will be moving slow today :0)