Category: Quilting in Maine

Quilting, mine and others

Turkey Tracks: Coastal Quilters’ May Retreat

Turkey Tracks:  May 18, 2017

Coastal Quilters’ May Retreat…

…Mother’s Day weekend at the Franciscan Guest House in Kennebunkport, Maine.

We had SUCH A GOOD TIME!!

Tori Manzi started this quilt at Pink Castle’s Glampstitchalot last year and worked on it at our last retreat.  She finished it at this retreat.  (Pink Castle has a great web site, sells fabric, and organizes the amazing Glampstitchalot each year, where high profile quilt teachers come and work with attendees.)  Each border of Tori’s quilt was designed and taught by a different teacher.  How fun is that!!

Here’s part of the group early evening Saturday night.  We came on Thursday night so by this picture we were all thoroughly punchy.

Margaret Elaine Jinno worked to put her Farmer’s Wife blocks together.   We are all going to show our quilts at our June meeting:

Deb Hazell was on the J&E Riggin’s “Slow Sewing at Sea” cruise with Rhea Butler of Alewives Quilt Shop last September.  Deb brought along Deb Torre (on the left) to our retreat.  We loved having them with us.

Deb Torre worked on Sarah Fielke’s “Down the Rabbit Hole.”  This kind of quilt lets a quilter learn a lot of new blocks and sewing methods.  Here’ the left side in process.  The blocks below are for a sampler Deb Hazell is making.

Here’s the right side in process, and the lower blocks are Deb Hazell’s sampler blocks.

By Sunday morning, Deb Torres had these blocks done.  I am tree quilt crazy at the moment, so loved these blocks–made from organic cotton:

New to our group also was Betsy Maislen, who started this amazing quilt behind Karen Martin.  Betsy had all the blocks done by the time Sunday rolled around.  We are looking forward to seeing the finished quilt top, borders and all.

Penny Rogers Camm returned to us for her second retreat and started her third quilt.  Look at her pretty fish blocks!  (There were requests for this Joan Ford pattern.  I made Joan’s version–you can see it here if you search for “fish quilts” and scroll down.)

Linda Satkowski and Karen Martin hard at work.

Penny and Vicki Fletcher at one of the cutting tables.

Lynn Vermeulen making a foundation piecing check.

Becca Babb-Brott and I brought our selvages.  Becca started this spider web quilt using a Bonnie Hunter pattern (free on her web site, quiltville.com).  Love the way the neutral circles are working in this quilt.

Jan Kelsey worked on a number of quilts which went up and down on the design walls.  I was sewing myself and missed getting pictures until I slowed down to get this Christmas funky log cabin.

Mac Saulnier worked on three baby quilts.  I love her colorful novelty fabrics.  The designated children will be so happy to get these cheerful quilts.

Tori Manzi worked on several projects as well.  Here are more.  This quilt came out of an online block exchange.  Check out Tori’s Instagram (Camden Maine Mom) to see more of her work.

And, blocks from a sampler challenge.

One of our quilters could not go with us, but she worked on this quilt while we were away:

I worked on this selvage project–a BIG star from Jen Baker, a free pattern which I loved at first sight.

I am going to put all the Tula Pink 100 city blocks in a separate post.

It was a good long weekend.  We are so glad we added the extra day.

 

Turkey Tracks: “Maine Milky Way” Quilt

Turkey Tracks:  May 16, 2017

“Maine Milky Way” Quilt

I made this handsome quilt for my grandson for his 12th birthday.  (The kiddos are all growing up way too fast.)

This is Bonnie Hunter’s Narragansett Blues, which can be found in MORE ADVENTURES IN LEADERS AND ENDERS.

Remember a few years back when I spent the summer emptying the 2-inch square bin by making 4-patch blocks?  This is the FIFTH quilt made from those blocks.  And I still have more.  The big rectangles come straight from the blue 3 1/2-inch strip bin and from the 3 1/2 block bin.  So this quilt has been made with no fabric purchases but the binding and backing.

I quilted with a marine blue Signature thread that blends right into the fabric–and used a pantograph called “Scrumptous” by Lorien Quilting.

Turkey Tracks: April’s Tula Pink Blocks

Turkey Tracks:  May 2, 2017

April’s Tula Pink Blocks

Here they are:  8 blocks (at least) from our Tula Pink’s 100 MODERN QUILT BLOCKS.

These are such fun to make.  Several of our members couldn’t stop and have either finished all the blocks or are close to it.  Believe me, I really get that quilty fun.

I’m using almost all Cotton+Steel fabrics, and they are such a delight.

I do not have a clue how I will set these blocks.  But I look forward to turning that project over in my mind.

On to May…

Turkey Tracks: Mt. Battie Modern Traveling Improv Quilts

Turkey Tracks:  April 28, 2017

Mt. Battie Modern Traveling Improv Quilts

Some of us started a “traveling” improv quilt that will “travel” to those of our members who want to “play” along–and the emphasis is on both “play” and taking time to learn something new.

We each created a theme, specified what we did and did not want in our quilts (colors, fabrics, etc.), and said whether or not we wanted blocks connected along the way.  Each project is contained in a box or bag and has a notebook that “travels” along where everyone who works on the quilt writes what and why they did what they did.  Each person also includes a label with their name, etc., that will go on the quilt’s back when it is finished.  Each person working on a quilt can do one or two “sides,” but not all four sides of a project.

We are forming a list of all the themes, but I do not have it yet, I will be a bit fuzzy on exact themes.

Last night we could see what the first person to get our quilts added.

Here’s what happened–the order below is just how the pictures uploaded into wordpress.

Nancy Wright started this quilt (Star theme) with the large star on the bottom right.  Tori Manzi found two “funky star” patterns to add.  The smaller one is a free pattern from Amy Friend on Craftsy.  The larger star is from Nido (a quilt shop in Burlington, VT).  I found the pattern on Nido’s web site; it’s part of a star quilt that people did monthly.  It’s free too.

My quilt (Love), with a very fun addition by Lynn Vermeulen.  The black really pops the colors, doesn’t it?

Joanne Moore (color/play) gave us two pieced pieces.  The one on the upper left and the one at the bottom of the flower, ending with the polka dot fabric.  Becca Babb-Brott added the flower (she wanted to play with making the curved pieces), the long strips on the left, and the stars and pinwheel strip at the bottom.

Vicki Fletcher (color, stars, play) gave us the star block on the right, and Joanne Moore added the colorful block on the left.

Becca Babb-Brott (the words are her theme) kept her blocks separate and asked that we work on any one piece however we want but not connect them.  Linda Satkowski made lots of blocks that Becca can add where she wants.  The block on the lower right has a “secret message”–in Morse Code.  These two have been discussing Morse Code quilts over the past year.

Megan Bruns (play?) gave us the block on the right, with its interesting fabric border.  Nancy Wright created the block on the left with the adorable fox.  She also included two more of these little animals in case anyone wants to use them.

Lynn Vermeulen started this quilt with the word “quilt.”  She wants a wall hanging size when the work is finished.  Margaret Elaine Jinno added the thread spools and the English Paper Piecing hexies–which is apropos because we have all gone quite mad with EPP projects.

Tori Manzi’s initial block is all about color, play, and her love of foundation piecing.  Tori loves Allison Glass’s bright sunprint fabrics, so Vicki Fletcher used some of those fabrics and added in a bright Kaffe Fasset red border that picks up a lot of the colors in Tori’s flying geese/Mariner’s Compass block.  She did not attach her block as she thought the next person might want to do so, depending on what is done next.

Linda Satkowski’s theme is “community.”  The three houses pictured below each have a special meaning for her as living in each marked a special time in her life.  Linda’s husband was in the Air Force, so they moved around just a bit.  I made the dividing line of black and white squares (like a floor in a house or a pathway) and I located my tree house outside the city that is pictured in the grey fabric in the middle.  The text print in the sky has works like “neighborhood.”  The tree houses are for people, not birds.  I foundation pieced them and faced them.  My present home is on a hill, so I often feel as if I am living among tree tops.  A tree can be home to many life forms that form a community.  And I treasure this time in my life when I live much more in nature but am close to town.  The tree needs some texture, and I found some variegated grey pearl cotton (size 8) that either Linda or I can use when the quilt is layered to provide tree texture.

We are missing Margaret Elaine Jinno’s quilt.  Megan Bruns is working on it, and I will post a picture of it early next week.

I am very excited about this project.  It’s one I’ve wanted to do for some time now.  And I think that everyone has outdone themselves with their work.  I can’t wait to see what happens next month!!

 

Turkey Tracks: April is Maine Quilting Shop Hop Month

Turkey Tracks:  April 20, 2017

April is Maine Quilting Shop Hop Month

For two years now, Mary Bishop and I have spent some pleasant days “shop hopping” Maine quilt shops.

Today we finished what we are going to do for this year, having acquired the ten necessary shops to send in our ticket for the drawing.  (Last year I won a prize.)

Today we went west to Mystic Maine Quilts in Chelsea (on the Kennebec River just south of Augusta) and to Whippersnappers in Hallowell, where we also had a marvelous lunch at Slate’s.

It’s fun to visit quilt shops because each one is totally different from any other, and it is fun to see their projects, their fabric collections, etc., to maybe get something needed/desired on sale, and to visit with owners/staffs for a bit.  We always learn something in the process.

Each shop makes a “Shop Hop” quilt from the same set of fabrics, and it is delightful to see all the creativity in these quilts.  It is hard to choose which one is the best when it comes time to vote.  This year was no exception.

Outside Mystic Maine Quilts, these quilt blocks were new:

I bought a cone of 50-wt. RA thread for piecing in “eggshell” color.  It’s 3000 yards!  Looking forward to trying it out.  The color has some grey in it, so it might be really versatile.  We were also gifted with the pattern for their Shop Hop Quilt, which we both loved.

My 5-inch bin of blocks is overflowing, so I came home with this little book, found at Whippersnappers, where the patterns are for 5-inch blocks.

What a pleasant day!

 

Turkey Tracks: Working With My Star Design Block

Turkey Tracks:  April 20, 2017

Working With My Star Design Block

OK, this block is better.  However, I need to make sure I have absolute contrast in the centers of all four quadrants before the center star will pop out cleanly.

This block finishes at 12 inches, from 6-inch quadrants.

Meanwhile, I figured out how to get two 8″ quadrants on one sheet of paper, got Staples to copy 60 of them, and will make one as soon as my current TWO projects are further underway than they are now.

The 8-inch block will showcase the Cotton+Steel neutrals a bit more I think.  Time will tell…

Turkey Tracks: The Millifiore Quilt

Turkey Tracks:

The Millifiore Quilt

Here’s where I am with the Katja Marek millifiore quilt:

I had worried about the left bottom corner being too blue, but the teal in the upper right is balancing the blue just fine.  I’m working on the center star at the moment.  It’s “funky” too.

This quilt feels really big, but it isn’t really.

The left side and upper border is done now.

I am going to use the EPP pieces to even the borders, but I’m not sure yet how–as in with what fabric I’ll use.

And I will not add a border to this quilt.

What a fun project!

Turkey Tracks: My Improv Paper Piecing Designs

Turkey Tracks:  April 13, 2017

My Improv Paper Piecing Designs

I can’t quite believe it, but I designed some quilt blocks–thanks to Amy Friend, author of IMPROV PAPER PIECING.  AND, it seems two quilts.

(See the post before this one.)

I drew and colored on EQ7–which is both fun and frustrating as I have a LONG way to go before getting some proficiency with this program.

Here’s one design–which I learned to “export” to my photos, but from which I forgot to remove the blank border feature.

Oh well…

“Dawn Winter Trees”

There are TWO blocks here, because if I set them without a sashing strip, the tree trunks would make one long line down the quilt.  So the second block’s trunks are off-set from the first.  And the stained glass background has all mixed up color–no set pattern there.

I have shot cottons for the pieces–all in soft “dawn” colors.

The first block I made is beautiful.

AFTER the workshop, I started thinking about a more modern setting.

I like both settings.  Which one will I make?  I will play around with the stained glass blocks before deciding.   But I am drawn to this second quilt.

It will be a wall hanging.

I can also see hand quilting with pearl cotton in curving lines across the horizontal–but NOT across the lavender trees.

I drew this star point block in the drawing part of our workshop.  When I got home, I drew it on EQ7 and learned how to rotate it to make all four pieces of the big FUNKY star.

I always saw it with a solid charcoal background and the low-volume Cotton+Steel fabrics.  I love the big dark whirl-a-gig that has formed.  And the partial diamonds of its fans.  And the suggestion of an octagon come undone around each star.  I love it so much I think I will keep the traditional grid setting.  It’s something like 60 by 72–so a nice lap size.  There will be no borders–and probably just a charcoal binding.  I’ll decide that later.  I don’t want anything to distract from how the quilt is just as it is now.

Here’s my block done at 6 inches–to make a 12-inch block.  I can see right away that the center whirling star needs to be more defined.  Imagine it in one of the darker low volumes.

AND, I’m now wondering about making it at 8 inches…  It would be bigger, more dramatic, and could show off more of the low-volume fabrics.

Big blocks have never drawn me much, but I seem to be changing a little…

There are a lot of cat fabrics in the Cotton+Steel fabrics have.  Hmmmm.  That could be dangerous.  A friend of mine here drew a black dog and one came into her life about a year later.  Cats are a whole different ball of wax from dogs though.  And I do not have a logical space for kitty litter in this house.  And they can scratch furniture…

 

As I said, my brain is spinning…

Turkey Tracks: Amy Friend Workshop

Turkey Tracks:  April 13, 2017

Amy Friend Workshop

You probably think I have deserted you since I have not posted recently.

But, I have been having Quilty Fun.

Amy Friend was just here for a workshop on Improv Paper Piecing.

Our brains are still spinning.  Mine is, anyway.

Here is Amy’s exciting new book.  She is such a good teacher.

We learned all about how to create our own improv blocks and all of us walked away with fresh design ideas that we are now making into quilts.  Our monthly all-day Sit and Sew at the Camden Lion’s Club was buzzing with Amy Friend projects in process.

First, Amy did a trunk show of quilts from the book–and some extras as well.  She used these quilts to illustrate the ideas in the book AND to show us what makes an improv, modern quilt.

So, I’m going to share those quilts with you.

The quilts are being held up by President Lynn Vermeulen and VP/Program Organizer Becca Babb Brott.  (Remember Becca has an Etsy store, Sew Me A Song, where you can find some really interesting modern fabrics, including the harder-to-find Japanese fabrics by Japanese designers.)

Note the jagged triangles–very modern.  This is an early Amy Friend quilt that is NOT in the book.  Amy used it to talk about destabilizing a traditional block, among other ideas.

I love this one–of course I do.  I’m a scrappy quilter.  These fabrics are all Cotton+Steel.  This one is a great scrap buster.

Funky stars done in a very modern black/white/green combo.

Simple is sometimes best.  That’s Amy on the left.  Here she talked about the use of negative space, an “open” block, and her color combos.

A modern hour glass.

Note that the dark blue does NOT evenly meet up with the light blue.

I LOVE this one:

Stained glass and the use of negative space with interesting quilting.

Architecture…

Modern objects–a road sign repeated.

Love this one too.

Mirror images.

These next quilts are not in the book, but were made along the way as Amy refined/defined what she wanted to share in the book.

My goodness!  I love this quilt.

And this one, seen some time ago now, probably from Amy’s blog, likely sparked my own design for the workshop.  It seemed like stained glass.

This one, “Twinkle,” is in a book named SCRAPS, INC. Vol. 1, compiled by Susanne Woods.  It generated one of my designs from the workshop (a separate blog post on those).  This quilt is probably my all-time Amy Friend favorites.  I think because it is scrappy.  I think I will make it one of these days.

Amy has her FIRST fabric line coming out any minute now.  She has designed “blenders” as she really likes to work with solid fabrics in her quilts.

Amy’s blog is http://www.duringquiettime.com.

So, more on my designs and plans next post.

 

Turkey Tracks: April 2017 Quilty Update

Turkey Tracks:  April 3, 2017

April 2017 Quilty Update

It snowed all Saturday.

Didn’t amount to much, was beautiful coming down, and provided a quiet sewing day to enjoy.

We all just hunker down on these sorts of days, providing we can.

I don’t feed the turkeys unless we have packed snow on the ground–which we did up to a few days ago.  (Though we have more snow coming in tomorrow, but maybe we will have rain here on the coast.)  The turkeys know I’ll throw out food when it snows, so they begin to assemble early morning, and when I let Penny out, they come running and talking.  They are more vocal now than ever before.   Anyway, I have had a lot of feed bags this winter.  I used to throw these bags away.  The feed bags from the chickens too.  But now everyone is making very nice bags from them–for the grocery store, for recycling, for anything that needs a bag.  I have been giving mine away, but everyone is “full up” now.  So, rather than throw one away, I tried to make a bag.

SUPER easy and very fun.  There are MANY tutorials online.  Here’s a good one:  Source: Feed Bag Tote Bag

I took the bag to the garage where it is storing newspapers to recycle at the dump.

The last of the amaryllis are blooming now.  The white one is from Rose Lowell (La Dolce Vita Farm).  It bloomed before and I put pics up.  Then it sent up a whole new stalk and bloomed three blooms again.  The gift that keeps on giving…

My leader/ender project got sewn into a quilt top.  More on that later as it will be a gift.  I got backing/binding for it today.  So my NEW leader/ender project seems to be a 10 1/2-inch log cabin block made from 1 1/2 inch strips.  I forgot (AGAIN!!!) how demanding log cabin blocks can be and spent most of yesterday resewing blocks.  Each section has to measure right or the whole thing goes awry.

How to set them???

It’s time to do 8 or 9 more Tula Pink blocks.  What a treat!  I’d probably rip through the whole book if I were not so busy with other projects as well.  Pics to follow soon I’m sure.

I spent a lot of time ironing fabric yesterday–getting ready to cut for the “Bits and Pieces” quilt made with Carol Friedlander “Doe” collection fabrics.  I’ve loved this quilt and this fabric for ages and ages.  I first saw it at Alewives Fabric Store in Damariscotta, Maine.

I wash fabrics first because the chemicals and dyes don’t agree with me.  If they didn’t, I probably wouldn’t.

The fat quarters go into making the “bits.”

I found this fabric in Friedlander’s recent collection.  It’s perfect for the neutral strips.  Or so I think.  I like the texture.

 

 

Here’s the whole array.  I’m thinking I’ll have enough for two quilts maybe…

The backing is a white/black Friedlander.  It’s perfect.

So, En Provence is still in pieces and ready to be sewn together.  Millifiori is getting BIG.  More on that later.  And the selvage star quilt is waiting patiently.