Visiting Marilyn

A little over a week ago we - DH and I - took a drive with my mom down to Peebles to have a visit with her uncle, my great uncle. Last November, he took a pretty serious fall and at age 94, you can imagine how slow the healing process has been.

Anyway, a pleasant, springtime front porch visit does a world of good for anyone, but for both Uncle John and Mom, I think it was the absolute best medicine for shaking off the winter doldrums.

 

Now, to get to the point of this post! You’ve met Marilyn before - go here and here and here to read some earlier posts featuring Marilyn. I want you to see the pretty quilt hanging on the wall in their family room. It’s a Lori Holt pattern and it looks so cheerful in all its glorious spring colors. Isn't it spectacular?!

Her sewing room is as neat as a pin - I’m so envious! Not wanting to be intrusive or presumptuous, I only took one picture of it. One of the features I especially liked were these shelves where fabrics are folded onto cardboard. She said that was a lot of work and could be accomplished in other ways. However, she does recommend being able to see your fabrics, and not having to dig them out of tubs or drawers. This definitely has merit, and makes me consider how I might accomplish this in my own sewing room.

Another thing I like about her space is that she has wood flooring, not carpeting. Mine is carpeted, and it is just so hard to clean. Sewing creates so much thread, lint and dust; I know it would be better to be able to dust-mop hard floors. 

Not much to show you, but a tiny glimpse into Marilyn's quilting. I always look forward to seeing what she's working on!

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Jayne

Special Slow Stitching

In the last post I teased that I would share more about my cousin Marilyn's beautiful creation. Quite honestly, calling it beautiful does not nearly convey the absolutely marvelous array of colors, textures and designs. It is a stunning work of art. Needle art in the truest sense.

I'll rerun the picture of the full quilt here.

This is wool applique at its finest, ladies and gentlemen. The decorative stitches and the whimsical objects combine to offer up a feast for the viewer's eyes. Wherever you look, the incredibly detailed workmanship is evidenced.

I want to share some closeups. While I could have lingered over every single panel, I did not. I snapped a few random shots of various elements on the quilt. To best see the detail, I recommend clicking on each photo to enlarge it.

This work amazes me in a couple ways. First, I cannot even fathom what sort of creative mind thinks of drawing up a design like this and then bringing it to life in wool, thread and decorative embellishments. Second, I wonder where in the world needle artists find the patience to tackle such an intricate project as this.

I know. Many people say those same things about straightforward quilting, so I get it. Everyone has their own unique niche. Thankfully, Marilyn's preference is applique and gosh, is she good! This will truly be a work of art when finished.

The pattern called Fresh Cut is by Sue Spargo from her book entitled , interestingly, Fresh Cut. Her shop which is located in Ohio sells kits. Wouldn't that be an enormous shopping bag?? 

Marilyn tells me that she has twice visited Sue's shop in Uniontown, OH, and dreams of someday taking one of her classes. Sue was actually there in the shop both times she went, so Marilyn got to meet her. Marilyn says the shop is not your typical quilt store. Sue sells unique gifts made by indigenous African women, as well as a wide array of threads, ribbons, fabric (including wool) and kits.

If you are interested in seeing more of Sue Spargo's amazing designs, I recommend visiting her Instagram page. I have scrolled through quite a lot of her feed and have learned so much! She does have some video tutorials and sells some instructional books on getting started with embroidery and embellishing. She travels quite a lot to teach in some very exotic places  - Orvieto, Italy, for example. She just seems like a very fun lady to know. Here are two links to her IG account that relate to this Fresh Cut- here and here, but you should definitely browse it in its entirety!

I am offering up Marilyn's stitching for your Slow Sunday Stitching today. After seeing all this amazing work, I think I will stop moaning and groaning about the bit of simple applique I have attempted over the years. Yikes! I'm such a whiner!

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Friends' Quilts

I recently have had several opportunities to enjoy seeing the quilting of friends and family. Today seems like a good day to share those here.

You all know that I have a sweet and fun quilting group - The Frankfort Girls. We definitely have a lot in common, yet we all seem to have our own special preferences which inspire and fuel our creativity.

This darling doggie quilt is Terry's creation - and guess what kind of dogs she owns??? Yes, these little cuties pay tribute to her own sweet Millie and Cooper. Notice that a few of them have their little pink tongues showing. Just adorable!

Sheryl shared this Dr. Suess quilt made with panels and yardage. No doubt this will be going to her granddaughter or maybe it will stay at Grandma's house for when little Alice comes to visit.

Becky had this Judy Rothermel version of a Carrie Nelson pattern called Tag Sale. I love it! Actually, in recent months I've even considered making a Tag Sale quilt. I made one long ago when the pattern first came out, so I can get started straight away. Hmmm...

Becky also shared this Grandmother's Flower Garden with a striking black background. What drama! It totally has the "Becky" look, and is quite eye-catching with those lovely reproduction fabrics.

This next quilt is one my cousin Marilyn is making. We visited with her a couple of weeks ago, and I asked her what she'd been working on lately. I gasped with amazement when she brought this out; my jaw literally dropped. What a beauty! This is a Sue Spargo pattern called Fresh Cut. I've done some investigating of Sue Spargo's designs and have learned quite a lot. I hope to bring more on this quilt in my next post.

So there you see - inspiration is everywhere!! I will never run out of ideas nor will I ever be wanting for inspiration.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

The Hillsboro Quilt Show

Over the weekend, nearby Hillsboro (my home town) had a quilt show sponsored by the local guild. I didn't even know about it until the last minute, and found a bit of time available on Saturday to go have a look-see.

I was majorly (is that an actual word?) disappointed to be prohibited from taking pictures. The guild offered a CD with all the quilts pictured on it for minimal cost - I think $5 or $10 - but, gee whiz, I want to take pics of the ones I most admire and skip the rest. Oh well, I can't have my way all the time, I suppose.

I did see some quilts that were familiar to me, though, and I can pull one of them up from my files to share.

My cousin Marilyn entered her gorgeous applique quilt which I'd seen in April at her local quilt show in Peebles. This quilt continues to leave me in awe of the workmanship; it's just gorgeous from the careful applique to the fantastic custom quilting. It actually won first place in the machine quilting category of the Hillsboro show. Here's the link to the post about the Peebles show.

Not only did I see Marilyn's quilt, I also got to see Marilyn! She was there along with some of her quilting buddies. One of them also won in the small quilt category, so the Adams County group did well in neighboring Highland County.

The other exciting thing to happen from this quilt show is meeting pattern designer and EPP queen, Annette Williams. I stopped by the vendors (of course) and noticed that one particular shop was promoting her patterns. I asked the gentleman in charge some questions about his shop, and went on my merry way. I later came back and asked him if he was affiliated with Annette. Ha! I think he was her husband! He pointed behind me, and there was Annette in person! Wow. What a delight. They have an on-line business out of their home in Jeffersonville, OH, which is just a half hour from me. I had a wonderful chat with her and made a small purchase.

She was gracious enough to pose for a picture in front of a couple of her quilts. She had a little station set up in the booth where she demonstrated her techniques for appliqueing; these were fascinating. I look forward to seeing her again in a couple of weeks at the Circleville show sponsored by Good Time Quilters.

Later on Saturday, while browsing Facebook, I saw that a high school classmate had tagged me. Imagine my surprise when I saw the photo above. Talk about a small world - get this - the woman pictured is Helen Sprinkle, Kathy's 99-year-old mother, with a quilt I definitely remember noticing at the quilt show; it had been voted the People's Choice Award! Here's what Kathy tells me about her mother, "She did those quilts almost 10 years ago...she is so very proud of getting that award." Aww, so sweet! In Kathy's FB post, I learned that Mrs.Sprinkle is no longer quilting, but when she was, she hand-quilted all her quilts. Isn't this great!? And, like so many, Kathy says that she never realized that quilting has been such a fulfilling pastime for her mother. I suspect that many could make that same statement.

Here in my quilting room, I am very nearly finished with the first of two t-shirt quilts I agreed to make and should have a finish to show you tomorrow.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Loose Threads Quilt Show - Part 1

On Saturday, DH and I picked up my mother in Hillsboro and then made our way down to Peebles for the Loose Threads Quilt Show. I have attended this show before, and wrote about it here. That was a special day, one that I am glad to reminisce about. It's also one of my all-time favorite blog posts. *grin*

This year's show was bigger and better. It really is readily apparent that the quilt club in Adams County is growing. Every pew in the church was covered! They still have a bed turning, but we did not stay for it. Uncle John and Aunt Nina came in and after visiting there with them for a bit, we opted instead to go to a local restaurant to be out of the way of the quilt show guests, and to converse more easily.

I will divide my material into two parts - this first part will feature the quilts by my cousin Marilyn. She has been making quite a name for herself as the resident expert applique quilter. I think her gorgeous quilt here will testify to that. The workmanship is exquisite.

 

Click on any of these pictures to get some closer views of the gorgeous  hand work as well as the custom quilting. It is truly an heirloom quilt. Marilyn said she got a book from the local library and added to the patterns offered to make a bigger quilt. She even made up some of the designs herself. Isn't it spectacular?

During the quilt show Marilyn demonstrated her method for applique work and she had quite a crowd around her table just about every time I went over to try to speak to her. I would love to have spent more time watching her work and learning about how she has perfected her technique. Note the wall hanging behind her; that's her work, too.

I will show you two other pieces of Marilyn's work on display at the quilt show. I don't know if I captured everything she entered, but it's a good representation.

The big quilt is colorful and scrappy, while the wall hanging is subdued and antique-like. Both very pretty and beautifully done.

Come on back tomorrow for part 2. I didn't take a lot of pictures, but I will share what I did take.
Happy Quilting, Friends!

A Visit To Marilyn's

When I was a child, our family used Sunday afternoons for visiting. We'd visit grandparents or aunts and uncles - which often meant . . . cousins! Occasionally, we'd visit close family friends or take a drive to some scenic locale. I will use this Sunday to take you on a visit to Marilyn's sewing studio. You may recall that Marilyn is my mother's first cousin who is active in the Loose Threads Quilt Club down in Peebles. I visited that lovely group of quilters in September, and took these pictures of Marilyn's quilting projects when I stopped by her place afterwards to say hi to Uncle John and Aunt Nina.

Marilyn is quite accomplished at applique, and this wall hanging shows off her skill. Allow me to take a moment to apologize for the clarity of my photos. I inadvertently had my phone/camera set on video rather than snapshot. It's taken me all this time to figure out how to make a picture out of a video. Finally, DD2 suggested doing a screen capture. I did, and now I have to make the best of what I got. (This is a direct result of my not having my reading glasses handy. I couldn't see the settings on my phone! Oh, the pitfalls of aging!)

But I digress. Just be prepared to enjoy some fuzzy pictures today, that's all.

Marilyn's design wall had these two lovelies adorning it -- more evidence of applique. She says it's her new love.

And even more applique! These panels are prepped for an eventual quilt.

These two pieced quilts are more of the sort of quilting I do. Aren't they fantastic? The colorful basket quilt is full size and is hanging on the wall in the dining area.

This pinwheel quilt is another of Marilyn's pieced quilts. If I remember correctly, it is a small quilt - either a table topper or wall-hanging size. This just might be "talking" to me - getting itself on my to-do list, perhaps. I just love it.

So there's a Sunday visit for you. I sure had a nice visit that September afternoon. Aunt Nina is so proud of Marilyn's quilts. She just beams when she shows them. While I was there, Uncle John came in from a golf game, and he's just as proud. The work quilters do sure makes a lot of people happy, wouldn't you say?

Happy Quilting, Friends!