Goodbye February

 

Seems impossible that we have reached the end of February so quickly. But here we are preparing to welcome a new month. I've put together a collage of this month's highlights.

 

TOP ROW: My sister Carol and her husband Monte spent a week at Disney, so we joined them for lunch and an afternoon of the sights and sounds of Disney Springs. The middle picture is the whole family enjoying lunch at Raglan Road, an Irish Pub. The next picture is just a panoramic view of the beauty of the park and of the day.

MIDDLE ROW: Some minimal sewing has been accomplished. Most has been focused on the Grandmother's Flower Garden. I am happy to be making this quilt come to reality. The middle picture of Cate is a screenshot from a FaceTime call with her and our daughter Erin. She has grown so much since we've been in Florida. The final picture in the middle row is of my brother and sister-in-law who came to stay with us for about a week. Hard to believe that 3 of 5 siblings were able to connect here in the Sunshine State.

BOTTOM ROW: Our bike trail continues to be a source of beauty and entertainment. We are making as much use of it as possible. Dear little Reagan, then 4+ months old, wished family and friends a happy Valentine's Day with her pretty jammies and bright eyes. She, too, is growing too much! The final picture is from the quilt show I attended last week in Daytona. The quilt show has been the topic of the last few posts, if you are interested in some amazing works of art.

Coming up for March, we will just have to wait and see. Not too much is scheduled at this point. One overnight when some friends stop by on their way back to Ohio from southern Florida is about the only definite plan we have at this point. We are always open to adventures and look forward to whatever opportunities might come out way.

As far as sewing goes, I am still working on GFG and on Smoked Cheddar. I almost have one new flower made. I've also stitched up a couple of blocks to use as fronts on pillow shams. I will share progress on all fronts, so come on back for a look-see!

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Jayne 

Final Thoughts on AQS

It's been fun looking back over the pictures I took last Saturday at the Daytona AQS Quilt Show. It was as much an art show as it was a quilt show. These quilts will never be used on beds. Rather, they will be displayed on walls in formal settings or in businesses or libraries or art galleries.  I showed you quite a few of these beauties yesterday and have just a few more to share today.

Because I am currently working on a Grandmother's Flower Garden quilt, I was interested in quilts using hexies. This one is quite a work of art.  

Eobuba by Jinyoung Lee

Combining mediums in such an artful way just amazes me. The applique of the woman and child has so much movement. The uneven edges enhance that movement and the overall effect creates a breathtaking experience.

Hextesela-El Camino Azul by Carmen Maria Cambronero

The design in this quilt simply takes my breath away. The massive medallion is gorgeous, and I love the color combination. So impressive; and no, a quilt similar to this is NOT in my future. I will be satisfied to get my GFG done; plus, I must get back to business on Lake Effect, so no. No. No.

Super Moon and Tokyo Tower by Noriko Misawa

This incredible quilt was hard for me to photograph satisfactorily because I couldn't get close enough to really zoom in on the hexies. The bottom picture zooms in on a 3-D part of the reddish 'swish' across the quilt. Those are hexies and they are INSIDE OUT! Yeah. They are stitched onto that quilt upside down. Strange, but such a cool way to add dimension to a quilt. The color variations are so artistically handled, especially in the dark border, which I zoom in on in the middle picture. Really lovely.

The AQS and their sponsors host various sub-categories of contests or specialty efforts. For this show (and possibly more; I don't know the typical methods they offer), one sub-catgory that captured my interest was the Cherrywood Challenge: Poppy - The Petal. Cherrywood is apparently a maker and/or seller of hand-died fabrics. This was a popular challenge with dozens of entries. 

And some close-ups:

 

Other special challenges or categories included "Name That Tune," Medallion Inspirations," (I actually shared a couple of those yesterday) and the AQS Creative Challenge: "My Dream ____ Cabana." Quilters made a very small wall hanging and filled in the blank - like my beach cabana or my farm cabana or my mountain cabana. Here's the link to all the challenges.

One last specialty exhibit in the show featured quilters Pat Holly and Sue Nickels who happen to be sisters! Their quilts were beautiful! I took a few pictures of their quilts. All of their quilts had QR codes on the labels which sent viewers to a YouTube program in which the sisters are interviewed about the quilts. I have found and added the links to three of the videos which are enlarged under three of the pictures below.

Blue Tips on Pink Skies by Sue Nickels

 

Tea at Tenby by Pat Holly & Sue Nickels

Paisley Peacock by Pat Holly

 

Le Panier de Fleurs by Sue Nickels

Saffron Splendor by Pat Holly

The YouTube videos are all done by AQS on their channel. I will watch for the remaining videos and share them if/when I find them.

I need to make a couple of additional notes to yesterday's post. Several of the quilts I shared yesterday were actually winners in various categories of judging. Click this link to see all the winners, including the handful that I included. 

And best of all, the Best of Show for this whole event was Heartwarming Days. AQS has posted a YouTube interview with the quiltmaker, Aki Sakai which I think you will enjoy. She reveals how long it took her to make her award-winning quilt - she was certainly dedicated in her efforts. Watch to find out. *grin*

And now, my friends, I believe I have shared the AQS quilt show at Daytona in about as much detail as I can. It had been many years since I last attended a national quilt show, and I hope I can plan on going again next year.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Jayne

Quilt Week at Daytona Beach

Don't think for a minute that I spent a whole week at the AQS quilt show. No, that was the name of the show - Quilt Week. 

Here is the website for AQS where you can learn which other cities across the US are having Quilt Week shows. I learned from a reader that one will be in Grand Rapids, MI, in August. Of course, there are others.

I went to the Facebook page for Daytona AQS and found that many of the quilts I took pictures of are also shared on their page. So I won't put as many on this post as I could. Believe me - I took over 80 pictures! So many gorgeous quilts and absolutely stunning, meticulous craftsmanship! I am totally impressed by the exquisite level of perfection, and at the same time, absolutely not inspired to do anything similar in my own quilting. I remain content to crank out 9-patch quilts, churn dash quilts, Ohio star quilts, and so on with the same level of completion as I've always had.

Let's being the parade! On to the pictures!

Birdsville by Judy Ballance

This struck me for two reasons: one, it reminds me of Sue Spargo-like quilts; two, my cousin Marilyn would totally be up for making a quilt like this. 

Filigree Calligraphy by Janet Stone

I have to add a close-up of this one. The detail is amazing. Click on the picture; that will probably enlarge it for you.

 

Supraspinatus's Swan Song by Margaret E. Solomon Gunn

Again, a close-up is necessary. Dense quilting; beautiful design; spot-on color choices; embellished to perfection.

Watermelon Sugar by Amy Pabst

The close-up for this one will show you how thin the sections of the log cabins are; in addition, it's worth noting that the fabrics are silks. 

 

Millefleur by Jan Hutchison

This is thread work, not applique. Amazing.

 

And There Is More by Inger C. Blood

Of particular note on this close-up: the blues in the log cabin blocks are all Kaffe Fassett fabrics (I believe), the quilting is exquisite; the border has both prairie points and 3-D loops of some sort. A-maz-ing.

Heartwarming Days by Aki Sakai

 

Noteworthy in this close-up: the tiny applique; the tiny yo-yos; the 3-D elements (there's a fridge at the upper right edge with a door that opens and food inside); the decorative outer border. I cannot fathom the time it took for this woman to make this quilt.

Six Hours in Arles by Ruth Ohol

 

This appeals to me for the incredible quilting, that impressive swirly border, and the skillful blending of neutral colors.

Coming up next are other quilts I liked, but did not get ribbons.

Cabin on the Beach by Mindy Skinner

 This quilt simply speaks to me of all things Florida. I'd make something like this for a bed here at our winter house.

Coral Reef by Penny Powell

Zoom in on this one, if you can, to see the amazing quilting done in all these rings. I thought of my pals in the Frankfort Girls group; we have had an ongoing discussion about Double Wedding Ring quilts; Jan has even made one; the rest of us are leery or downright opposed to making one.

Twilight Garden by Patty Nelson

Amazing applique and it's done on a black background, which I found interesting. Not something I would have thought to do, that's for sure.
 

Flower Carnival by Naomi Otomo

This was such a unique, happy design; I love the way it is bordered; I love the sprightly nature of the swags and the bursts from each point. It suggests lots of movement - sort of like a May Day celebration.

Enchanted by Dawn Siden & Joyce Grafe

Another quilt using a black background. I particularly like the vivid, almost electric blue ribbon effect encircling the design and how that same color is used in the corners and the borders.

Enough for today. I have one more post about the AQS Daytona show to share. I'll have it ready in the next day or two.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Jayne

A Wensleydale Plan

 Yes, I've been to the big AQS quilt show held last week in Daytona and I saw so much that I am still processing it all. So many quilts and vendors! Truly, it was a bit overwhelming.

So, let me share it in small doses. The easiest place to start is with a particular purchase I made at a very special vendor booth, Sewing The Good Life.

Meeting up with Annette and Craig was a super-fun treat. I'd contacted her a few weeks ago to find out that yes, she would be vending in Daytona. Her booth was the first place I stopped. And the first money I spent! 

And what a special spend it was. Take a look.

These are fabrics by Tilda and they are absolutely scrumptious. All except for that pink one came from Annette's booth. I already have a group of this fabric at home in a blue colorway, so I intentionally selected reds and browns and greens to add to my blues.

And, in quite an unusual twist, I actually have a plan for these Tilda fabrics. Let me take you back to this post for a hint.

Of the handful of quilting goals set forth for this year, one is to make Wensleydale, a paper-pieced beauty of a quilt that I have long admired. At the time I bought the pad of foundation papers, I made this one block.

I used scraps from a previous quilt and found that I wasted quite a bit. I held off making any more while I searched for tutorials on how to make the best use of my fabrics. In the midst of sleuthing, I got to see so many varieties of finished Wenselydale quilts, and this helped me decide to use Tilda fabrics.

The AQS puts on a mighty fine - and ginormous! - quilt show. It'd been a very long time since I've been to a national show, so I was all agog at the incredible workmanship on display. Mighty impressive, to say the least.

In addition to enjoying the show, I have increased my circle of quilting friends. Gayle and her quilting pals Mary and Joan graciously welcomed me and we had a full, fine day. How nice to connect with other quilters! Learning their quilting journeys, their preferences and histories made me feel right at home. My own group of quilting friends would be just as at home with these girls as I was.

I promise to bring pics of all the above. I am sifting through and editing. Eighty-plus pictures! I won't overwhelm you, but I will share as much as feasible.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Jayne

Smoked Cheddar Confusion

I'm posting a late Friday night description of the confusion I've worked through today with Smoked Cheddar. Go to this post to read about my plans for making this quilt. As I have just now re-read this post, I chuckle about my saying "all the thinking is done for me" because all I've done for the last day or more is think about what I've done wrong on this quilt! *grumbling*

Well, after counting out and checking off, it turns out that I haven't done anything wrong except leave out an entire set of units.

 I have 64 of these HSTs, and I feared I was going to have to 'unsew' all of them. And I had begun unsewing! I suppose I took about 5 or 6 apart.

I thought I needed to have made HSTs with this combination. And I completed a block with these remakes.

What I should have done, was study the pattern a bit more closely. Or maybe check off the steps I'd completed. I DO need all 64 of these HSTs - they just don't go in the basket; they form the feet or base of the basket.

So, I checked the pattern instructions again and that is when it finally dawned on me that I'd not made any of the HSTs for the center of the flower basket. They are supposed to be of the same small print as in the outer HSTs and flying geese units. Look at this basket to see a correct basket center.

Gracious! Could it be that I'm so accustomed to making up most of my quilts using basic blocks and scraps that I have forgetten how to follow directions? Hope not. Whatever, I'm finally be back on track. I hope.

Admitting this goof is far, far more preferable than dismantling 64 HSTs. I will gladly suffer the embarrassment and take my dose of humility. I will say in my defense, though, that I had put all this away for 2 weeks while we had company staying in the guest room. A long break from the project might have had a part in my inability to pick up where I left off.

The step I omitted (and now am beginning) is turning these fabrics into 128 HSTs. I've drawn my diagonal line and I am ready to stitch. 

Full-out block construction will commence soon. Oh, and yes, I will use that first block in my quilt - my humility block, if you will.

Big news for tomorrow! I'm going to Daytona for the AQS Quilt Show! I've teamed up with Gayle, a quilter from shuffleboard, and we are going with two of her quilting buddies. I am about to expand my world of quilting friends! Yay! I am so eager for a fun day. 

We leave early and will stay till they shut the doors. I promise to take lots of pictures and notes for some upcoming posts. 

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Jayne

Future Flowers

In the last post I referenced a bit of retail therapy that resulted in some bright florals which would be suitable for more hexie flowers. I thought you might like to see what will soon be in the works.

This group of blues/greens/yellows was purchased with the purpose of making some colorful throw pillows for our sofa and/or loveseat. I will make those pillows and then with the leftovers make hexies.

This colorful palate is intended for pillow shams in the guest room. Again, once this is finished, the remnants will become hexies for flowers.

I just set my sewing machine back up yesterday, since our company has moved on. The guest room has returned to being a sewing room! YAY! I have reacquainted myself with Smoked Cheddar by pressing open a whopping stack of HSTs and trimming dogears.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Jayne

GFG Future Outlook

I have stitched enough of my flower garden quilt that I wanted to see how it would look on the bed. And this, naturally, brings up more questions than answers. What I do know is that I will make a quilt to fit a full-size bed, and the flowers will appear only on the top. The outlook is that I have plenty more to make and consider.

This picture shows that I have the vertical direction just about spot on. Each of the three columns on the left are (mostly) sewn together. Nine flowers vertically seems to be just about right. I am 'guess-timating' that I will have seven flowers on the width, meaning I need 72 flowers.

Ahem...make more flowers. I stopped when I had 57. Fifteen more to make. I had no idea of how many flowers would be required to make a quilt, and now I know that 57 is not enough. 

I could finagle a way to avoid making more flowers by putting a medallion of some sort in the center. I could also use fewer flower either in the length or the width or both.

You wanna' know something, though? I will make more flowers. If I'm going to the trouble of making a Grandmother's Flower Garden quilt, then by gosh, it's gonna' be authentic. And, honestly, I like making these flowers. The combinations are fun to put together. A bit of shopping in recent weeks has found me in possession of some colorful fat quarters that will work nicely as hexie flowers. It will be a pleasure to whip out more flowers. When I gaze upon my finished quilt, I will see sprinkled about a few flowers reminding me that I made it in Florida with fabrics purchased in Florida. *smiles*

I've been pondering border options since laying out all these flowers on the bed. As yet, I have no definitive plans for how I will treat my borders. I will gladly take suggestions from you brainiac readers. 

I remember a long time ago, I stopped working on a quilt when I couldn't figure out how to treat uneven edges. Actually, you can look at the quilt I'm referring to in my header. I did NOT want to cut those stars in half! The same principle holds true for this quilt. I don't want to deconstruct any of my flowers. 

Sure, I could make half-flowers. The though of that is not overly appealing at this point in time, but maybe. I could also reverse applique a solid border onto the flowers. I would need to plan on having flower edges all around (no paths) and perhaps the border would be a narrow one that mimics the fabric of the paths. Or maybe do a path all around, then applique a narrow inner border of green. Then do an outer border or two with attractive florals or stripes or vines, let's say. So many options!

All to be determined later. For now, let's just keep making flowers and paths and stitching them together.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Jayne