Category: Quilting in Maine

Quilting, mine and others

Turkey Tracks: Turkeys in Trees and Clue 5

Turkey Tracks:  December 26, 2017

Turkeys in Trees and Clue 5

It snowed all day yesterday.

I have about a foot on the ground up here on Howe Hill Road.  It’s pretty, very light, and very sparkly snow.

The plow/shovel guys came early, followed by Kelsey’s Appliance.  There is no way a van truck would be getting up my drive with a foot of unplowed snow on the ground.  The dishwasher is fixed–after a very nice conversation with the repair man.  Thank you Tom Jackson for sending the plow team.

The male turkeys spent most of the day in the trees out front yesterday–which is interesting because they usually roost in the big pines to the side of the house.  Why the bare trees, I wondered?  The tops of these trees were whipping around like crazy in the worst of the snow.  Are they safer than the big pines in a storm?  Or do the turkeys like the ride?  Who knows.

Four of the usual six that hang about here are in this picture–two on the left and two on the right.  One of the dark shapes on the left is a huge squirrel nest.

I spent some portion of the day working on Clue 5 of Bonnie Hunter’s 2017 mystery quilt, “On Ringo Lake.”

This clue wants flying geese units–in the dark fabric and neutrals.

I really love the new corner ruler Bonnie surfaced for this quilt.

The angle piece helps cut the side triangles, and the square side measures units. The ruler t is especially nice for cutting units from strips.  The orientation lines are wonderfully accurate for all the tasks..

Here’s a close-up:

I have not had to sliver trim one of the MANY flying geese units we have made now.  Of course, I fiddled with the needle position to get the needle sewing in the perfect place first–before chain piecing.

OOPS!

One does have to pay attention to WHERE one is making the angle cut though.  Or one gets this kind of unit.

Fortunately, as I’m working in piles of ten, I only did this ONCE.  I was too engrossed in my downloaded book I guess.  Or, it was time to STOP and WALK AWAY.

 

 

Turkey Tracks: “On Ringo Lake” Clue 4

Turkey Tracks:  December 19, 2017

“On Ringo Lake” Clue 4

This week was “easy peasy.”

So happy, as we’ve had, as we always do, some intensive sewing.

I chain-pieced all 218 units–first one side and then the other–and finished by Tuesday.

Here are some units with the first triangle ironed and piles of triangles on the left that go on the other side.

Done!  And glad to see that I do have enough light grey to be lighter than the blacks.

I’m hoping upcoming clues have more neutrals…

Here’s a block for the parts department–made from the tiny “waste” triangles in earlier clues.  Once was enough with these tiny blocks.  Cute though…

Turkey Tracks: Zoe’s Lullaby Log Cabin

Turkey Tracks:  December 2, 2017

Zoe’s Lullaby Log Cabin

This quilt started as a leader/ender ongoing project.  Before I knew it, I had 16 of these 10 1/2-inch blocks.  I was loving using bright strips from my 1 1/2-inch bin.  And I have a lovely collection of low-volume fabrics now.    I’ve wanted to make a log cabin for some time for some reason—and when I started, I loved playing around with the centers by making them different sizes and adding some cute animals.

I had in mind a special “little stranger” who was coming to join the human race some time in January or February.  Or so I thought.  This baby would be the first grandchild of my beloved friend Gina Caceci.  And the child of a young man I watched grow up down in Virginia.

Imagine my surprise when Gina mentioned that the baby was due in LATE NOVEMBER!!  Making this quilt went immediately into overdrive, but none of the joy of making it lessened.  And the baby arrived safe and sound last week.  Welcome Zoe!

This backing was chosen after I knew the sex of the baby.  I love it for a girl!

I quilted with yellow/green thread that matches the back really well.  The pantograph is “Acadia” by Patricia E. Ritter.  It’s a favorite of mine.

All the animals in the center do face the same way in terms of up and down—and that proved to be a bit tricky.

I would also say that I am very careful with log cabin blocks when I sew because it is so very easy to get “off” rather quickly.  I measure as I go along and if there is a problem, I can fix it right away.  I believe that with a block as big as 10 1/2-inches unfinished, it is very very easy to get “off.”  That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it anyway.  AND, the quilt was true as a result, which made quilting if on the long arm really easy.

I LOVE this quilt!!!  It has great energy.

Poems: Haiku 7 and Work of the Hands

Poems:  November 26, 2017

Haiku 7 and Work of the Hands

7.

November 24, 2017

Penny at fifteen

Will puppy plan and snuggle

Gift lessons for me

 

It’s a rainy day.

I’m working on the Bonnie Hunter 2017 mystery quilt—alongsides friends near and far—and listening to a Jo Nesbo book (downloaded from the Maine state library system).

 

More pics of finished clue to follow later.

Turkey Tracks: Ready, Set, Go!

Turkey Tracks:  November 25, 2017

Ready, Set, Go!

The first clue for the 2017 Bonnie Hunter mystery quilt, “On Ringo Lake,” came out yesterday.

I’m ready!

All my fabrics are ironed and ready to be cut.

The first clue will need the black, the grey, and the neutrals.  Nine 9-patches with grey, neutrals, and the black in the center.

Visit Bonnie Hunter’s blog instructions if you want to join in or see what’s in Clue 1:  Quiltville.com.  The “On Ringo Lake” tab is at the top of the blog.

 

Turkey Tracks: The Mt. Battie Modern Traveling Quilts in November

November 21, 2017

The Mt. Battie Modern Traveling Quilts in November

We had POURING cold rain the night of our meeting last Thursday.  Some of those from away elected, wisely, to stay home.

For those who made it to the meeting, these traveling quilts continue to excite us!

On the right  is Vicki Fletcher’s addition to Lynn Vermeulen’s quilt.  The pinks and blues are playing nicely with existing bright colors.  And this addition is opening up room for the quilt to grow, as four or five members have yet to work on it.  Vicki stretched herself by making these curved blocks as she tried making blocks she had never made.

Tori Manzi made a Timna Tarr map of Linda Satkowski’s neighborhood.  (We attended Timna Tarr’s map  workshop at our last Coastal Quilters’ meeting.  See Timna’s map quilts in the gallery at timnatarr.com)

Here’s how the map fits into this quilt.

Here’s G. Bruns’ quilt.  This quilt is in pieces, so we spent some time trying to see where we might begin to connect the blocks.  Linda Satkowski connected the top right pieces by adding the red trees between them.  And she added the hexie flower and the bright green/blue blocks.  I have this quilt now, so who knows what will happen to it next.  My mind is turning over ideas as I work on other projects right now.

I did not get a good picture of Vicki’s quilt.  It’s getting large now.  Lynn Vermeulen added the stars over the forest and cabin

Aren’t these great stars!!!

Becca Babb-Brott added the “never stop looking up” to Nancy Wright’s “star” quilt.  And, the selvage star on the right.  Joann more added the “made fabric” star in blues–a la Victoria Findlay Wolfe.  I hope some of you have iPads and will look at these stars close up.  I promise to get close ups next go round.  This quilt is certain to get more celestial blocks.

My quilt arrived at the Mt. Battie Sit and Sew the next day.  It was so fun to see it as I have not seen it for some time now.  Nancy Wright added the big moon, and G. Bruns added the big feather.

Love this feather and the way the Carolyn Friedlander background fabric works.  And the teacups that Margaret Elaine Jinno made for me–one each for my sons and daughter-in-laws.

Nancy used a collection of fabrics she had to make this moon–Blue Park designed by Karen Lewis Textiles.  I love the curved pieces in this circle.

JoAnn Moore made this star for someone’s quilt–and I have lost track of whose.  It will be put in the right box, and I’ll point it out next time we see the quilts.

JoAnn Moore worked on Margaret Elaine’s “village” quilt.  We placed some of the buildings around Vicki’s square for fun.  JoAnn finished the school’s and flagpole at the Sit and Sew on Friday.  You can see them below.

So, we are having fun.  And now we all have projects to work on for the next two months.  We will see the quilts again in January.

Turkey Tracks: Scratching a Log Cabin Itch

November 2017

Scratching a Log Cabin Itch

This one began as a 10-inch (finished) leader/ender project, using 1 1/2-inch brights and neutrals from that strip bin.

Then, suddenly I had 16 of them.

I really wanted to see LOTS of the neutrals together, so the quilt got bigger in order to see this pattern in a symetrical way that pleases me.  It’s now 60 by 60.  So I did have to make more blocks as a dedicated quilt, not as a leader/ender.  And that was fun.  I only had to cut a few black/white neutrals to add to what I had in this strip bin.

It’s on the longarm now, and I’ll likely finish it today.

It is a joy to work on a quilt that is squared up properly–and that is what happens when one is anal about making sure every strip sewn on to a block is “true.”  If not, fix it at that spot.  It’s really easy to get “off” with log cabin blocks.  I keep a square ruler on my ironing board and measure as I iron each strip.  That practice saves me time in the long-run and a lot of anxiety as I quilt the quilt on the longarm, which is so not forgiving of our-of-true quilts.

More pics to follow when I finish it.

Turkey Tracks: Change of Fabrics for Bonnie Hunter Mystery

November 17, 2017

Change of Fabrics for Bonnie Hunter Mystery

As I posted earlier, I started with these fabrics—which replicate Bonnie Hunter’s color scheme.

They’re pretty.  No doubt.  (The deep dark is a midnight teal.)

 

But,, but—I have been thinking all winter that I want to work with lots of low-volume fabrics this winter.  And I have several projects picked out to start.  And I’ve been clearing the decks to get to them.

I had not intended to make this year’s mystery when it starts, but to print out the pattern for sure.  Bonnie’s mystery patterns are the best.   But a friend asked me to accompany her on this year’s mystery journey.  And several more have joined us.  This friend was over the other day with fabrics to audition.  Along the way, she looked at me and said, “You know, I really want to work with neutrals and not these colors we’ve picked out.”

Oh my!

”Me too,” I said, and I’m going to pull out a different combo from my stash and see what it looks like.”

”Let’s do it RIGHT NOW,” said my friend.  And off we went.

Here’s what we pulled:

 

Now I’m happy!

And, yes, these are colors I used in “Butterscotch Fall,” so clearly I have not scratched this itch enough yet.  I can’t wait to see how these colors come together.

Turkey Tracks: My Milli is FINISHED: “Butterscotch Fall”

Turkey Tracks:  November 15, 2017

My Milli is FINISHED:  “Butterscotch Fall”

I love this quilt.

I love everything about it.

I have loved every minute spent making it.

This quilt stretched me.  It let me go off into all sorts of new quilty directions.

Here is “Butterscotch Fall.”

One year ago, in early fall, I got inspired for the milli fabric by a range of fall fabrics I saw in local quilting stores–and that inspiration set me off.  I had been trying to come up with focus fabrics for this quilt project over the summer.  As I worked on the quilt, the butterscotch color kept coming on stronger and stronger–some times lighter, sometimes as dark as honey.  When the top was finished and I was hunting for backing, I knew when I saw this 108-inch wide Carolyn Friedlander cross-hatch fabric , called Butterscotch, that I had both my quilt’s backing and its name.  (This fabric is from Friedlander’s Architextural line.)

I wanted this quilt to have an organic feel of fall:  colorful leaves, trees going bare, bees, hives, the idea of harvesting fall honey, blue water under a vibrant autumn blue sky, vivid green moss, the ghosts of Halloween, the grey and blacks of the darkening days and longer nights, and so on.

I was paralyzed about how to quilt the top when I remembered that Jo Diggs once told Coastal Quilters members that you can’t go wrong with using a Bishop’s Fan pattern to quilt.  I liked the idea of this old-fashioned pattern on this modern quilt, which in turn used ancient millefiori rosettes as its design.  And I have the Bishop’s Fan groovy boards for the long arm.  (If you don’t know Jo Diggs, take a minute and look at her web site gallery.)

You will see a Japanese text fabric used in all its color ways in this quilt.  For instance, it’s in the grey star above and in the star below in gold.  These fabrics were designed by Suzuko Koseki.

 

 

 

 

 

Here’s the first rosette, which began to set the tone for the quilt:

 

I am so proud of this quilt.

It is PERFECT!!!

Thanks you so much Katja Marek!