Man, Male, Dude, Guy, Bro.....

No, I am not one of these, but....  Man these Dudes can QUILT!

I know of Matt Sparrow from the APQS forum.  I have never met him, but any couple (his wife is a quilter as well) who have 8 kids and still find time to quilt....  well just say, my hat goes off to them.  But after reading on the forum that Matt now has a regular column in Quilters Home, I decided to find his blog.

Scrolling thru it, I read a post about a space he created to see how many 'man', 'male', 'dude', etc...  quilters he could find.  I think last count was 87, but take a look at their work here.

My or My....  These Men can Quilt!!!

Feeling Good!!

So last week, I promised to bring you up to speed on what I have been up to. 

First, I finished my round on the Pelham Quilters 2010 Round Robin.  Remember, this is what I received.  I can't show you what I decided on just yet, but I promise to post a picture after guild meeting Monday night.

Second, you have seen me working on Raven's wall hanging for awhile, actually since early November.  My poor daughter has had to wait while I finished two Christmas presents, then I worked on hers while I also worked on the Round Robin.  Well it is all quilted and blocked.  Here is a picture of it being blocked on my only rug, in the front porch.

I changed quilting designs as I moved throughout the piece, which was fun, as it didn't get boring.  The top is still wet in this shot, so you can see some of the seams, but here is a close up of some of the quilting.

But to be honest, I am not sure I really like the thread.  I searched and searched for the right thread and while I like the variegated green, with it's subtle color changes, I think it is too heavy.  I used Sulky Blendables 50wt, but think I should have used a finer thread, so that it sunk into the top a little more.  Maybe if not finer, than a little lighter....  but, too late now.

Since this will be a tryptic, I now have to decide where to cut it.  Raven wants the center to be bigger than the side pieces.  It will have to hang a few days and give me a chance to stare at it, before I decide.  Then I will use the technique my friend Elizabeth Rosenberg taught me last week for facing a quilt without corner seams.

I hope to have it done by Monday night to take to guild for Show and Tell and then ship down to Raven in Miami.

The juices are flowing... what about yours?

I had a great night quilting last night!  My round robin is coming along nicely.  I really like the fabrics and colors.  The design says Renee!  Can't wait to show it to you...  but that will have to wait until after 7pm on March 1st....  that's our next guild meeting.

But now that my creative mojo is back on track, I was thinking today....  was it really just being with my quilting friends on Saturday that finally got me going?  Almost 6 weeks I looked at the piece and my stash....  multiple visits to quilt shops, multiple conversations with quilting friends on ideas....  nothing.  Then, all of a sudden it clicked.  Now don't get me wrong, I am happy...  actually thrilled that it did, especially since the due date is coming up quickly and I am the organizer of the round robins for my guild.  Surely I couldn't be tardy.  But what would I have done?  Would I have just slapped some fabric on it to say it was done...  without making it mine...  without ?????  I sure hope NOT!

So with this in mind, I have one of the curious questions again...  where do you find inspiration????  how do you get unblocked, when you just can't seem to get going????  Is there a secret you can share with the rest of us??  :-)

Finally Unblocked!!

I have had a mental block for over a month.  I have not been able to find inspiration anywhere.  Yes, I continue work on Raven's piece  (I have even finished quilting it....  I will post pics after it is blocked and faced...I promise).  But, actually figuring out what to do for my round on the Pelham Quilters 2010 Round Robin has been impossible.  I have sketched out four different designs, even got two of them on graph paper.  But they weren't right.  Either I couldn't find the right fabric to get the look I wanted, or the dimensions didn't quite work.

Well after Saturday's workshop with Elizabeth Rosenberg, I came home really feeling good.  I sat down and did the last hour or so of the quilting on Raven's piece.  Then I sat down with my sketch pad again and went back to my first idea.  Still not thinking I could make it work I went to bed.  Well, they say dreams can come true.

I woke up yesterday and knew exactly how I was going to tackle the problem.  I had worked it all out in my head during the night, even seeing the fabric right in my stash.  After a wonderful Valentines Day with my husband, we sat down to watch the Olympics and out came the paper and pencil.  Within an hour or so, I had the pattern done, fabric selected and everything set up for a quilting day today.

Enjoying the three day weekend, I ran errands this morning, came home and made some Wild Mushroom Soup and garlic bread for lunch (YUM!...  even DH surprisingly thought it was very good...  he usually has to have meat in his soups :-)).  Next, I spent the afternoon and evening after dinner working on my round.  It isn't finished, nor can I show you what I am working on, until I bring it to the March 1st guild meeting, but I made great progress and I feel GOOD!

I will share with you the piece as I received it.......

 As a tease...  here are the fabrics I choose....  

Can you figure out what I am doing?

Improvisational Flowing Line Workshop

It has been a long time since I posted.  Almost a month, that is very long for me.  But once again life has kept me going in multiple directions.  The good news is I have been quilting.  I will catch you up later, but for now wanted to share the fun I had today!

One of my favorite people in the quilting world, the person who expanded my quilting from patterns, squares and triangles, to applique, bright colors, batiks and finding my own quilting voice has recently added a new workshop to her list of lectures and workshops. Today, along with 6 other Pelham Quilter's, I had a ball in Elizabeth Rosenberg's "Improvisational Flowing Line Workshop".

No patterns, no rulers, just a mat, rotary cutter, some fabrics that read 'almost' solid, your machine and a willingness to think soft curves and your in.

Lorraine, our guild President, was one of the first to embrace the mantra...

 

It was great to see her smiling so.  She really got into the swing of graceful sweeping curves, no pins...  Just go for it Lorraine!

As usual, Cheryl got down and dirty.  She is a speed sewer.  Cheryl quickly decided to cut her strips early and then get to sewing.  Here you can see Cheryl and Elizabeth discussing placement of her fabrics...

Cheryl decided she was going to make a tote bag.  During our lunch break, you can see one side hanging over her machine and her work on the other side laying down on the table.  Hmphhh...  what to do next?

Millie was also a busy beaver.  She was quick to decide to combine the flowing lines with traditional patchwork cut in.

 I love Millie's colors.  Purple, turquoise and lime green....  yum!  Just look at those lovely pinks in the background.

Here is Elizabeth with the sample for the workshop.    Just got to love her work.  Stop on over to Elizabeth's website / blog and see some of her other pieces.  I just love these.  Take a look at the second one...  omg...  it is to die for!

Ok, here's a picture of the group....  interesting how each piece is so different...  different colors, different curves, totally different vibes.  I really like the yellow slanted inserts in Cheryl's piece.  I think I will have to add that in mine as I complete it.  Thanks Cheryl!

Isn't it great getting a chance to spend a day with friends, doing something you just love!!  Oh yeah, thanks Lorraine for the cake, brownies and other goodies.  I think I am going to go have a slice of your banana cake now with a cold glass of milk.

The Quilt Scene - Miami, Florida

UPDATED 08/2013:  THIS SHOP HAS SINCE CLOSED

So, we made it to Miami just in time for DH to see the games on Sunday. We spent yesterday with DD and since she has to work today, we did some exploring. So, I found a quilt shop!

I did my usual and Goggled quilt shops in Miami. To my surprise there is only one shop in the Miami area.... The Quilt Scene. What a vibrant personality it has! I walked into the shop and was immediately greeted by a cheery staff member. (Not the lady below, she was the one who checked me out.) We chatted, she shared an overview of the store and their 'celebrity' staff member and then left me alone to browse. There was a group standing around one of the tables in the back discussing fabric choices with a new quilter.... quilters and staff alike were helping walk her through the process of choosing fabrics.


There is a large, bright room in the back where a class was going on, so I didn't explore too much back there. As usual I was on the hunt for threads..... they carried a good selection of Superior... King Tut, Razzle Dazzle, Masterpiece and Rainbows. They also carried YLI and a good selection of YLI Silks. Of course they carried Sulky Blendables, and Mettler and other thread for machine embroidery and sergers. Much more variety than many quilt shop I have visited. This is a good thing. To me, many shops focus on fabric, patterns and gadgets, but for those of us who tend more to contemporary or art quilting, a good variety of thread is a must!

The Quilt Scene is a dealer for both Bernina and HandiQuilter16. My husband was intrigued by all the old Bernina machines they had on display. They showed old popular machines dating back to 1950 along a shelve on the perimeter of the store. Don't know if you can see them on the shelve in the back.

These quilts are by Jane Hardy Miller, who works at the shop and is also their 'celebrity' staffer. Jane has a pattern line and is also the author of of the "French Braid Quilts" books.

I brought one of Jane's patterns, as well as another from ToadQuilts and some more black & white. Both of the patterns are good for quick, easy, but yet vibrant quilts. Great for gifts. Yes, this was a good trip for B&W's, I have built up my stash. I didn't have much room in my luggage for alot of fabric, so I had to keep my fabric purchases to a minimum on this trip, but I will be back:-).

I must say, I really liked the feeling of this shop. I told my DD that she now has a place to buy me presents :-). My DH and I were intrigued by some sample wallhangings they had with Angelina film (not the fibers)... really neat. Definitely need to get me some of that!

So 2 shops in Florida worth visiting as you travel down (and past) I-95 South....

Oh well, back to NY tomorrow... I will miss the 75+ degree weather!

Magrieta's Quilt Shop - St. Augustine, Florida

I stumbled on a wonderful shop today! While driving to Miami we were planning to spend the night in St. Augustine, Fl. So while enjoying the scenery, I decided to google quilt shops near our hotel..... I was pleased to see that there was one only 7 miles away!

Once my husband settled in to watch football, I got in the car and headed to Magrieta's Quilt Shop.

Ooooohhhh, I knew as soon as I walked in the store, that I was in for trouble. Good thing we were flying home and I only had a little carry on bag :-)!


The store was just my style.... brights, batiks, plenty of eye candy to brighten your spirit, tickle your fancy and grab a hold of your pocketbook. They carry a wide assortment of batiks as well as traditional and eclectic prints.

The staff was friendly.... ... and of course I did my usual damage... but at least just enough to fit in my carry-on luggage. I loved it that they had plenty of crisp black and whites.... not those almost white or greyish blacks, but true colors. They have a whole section dedicated to just such lovely baby's.

And some pinks for a pink, green and white quilt I want to make for some lucky young lady. Maybe I will donate it to my local Project Linus Chapter... they give quilts to a girls summer camp, where all the girls are in foster care, waiting to be adopted.

Then a piece for the back of Raven's wall hanging, which I have to get finished.

The spool of thread is one of Superior's King Tut variegated threads that I liked. They carry Superior, Sulky, Mettler, Aurifil and a few other thread brands. A nice variety for all type of quilting!

They are getting ready for The Florida Breeze Shop Hop, which starts on the 18th, so if you are in the area, stop in.


It is definitly worth the trip!