Pointless Quilter

Marie Du Toit of http://machineembroiderybyaquilter.blogspot.com/ asked for close ups.  I'm not a great photographer so this is the best I can do.  Considering I was just going to do an all over, this custom design really gave me a lot of practice.  Hope you like it. Thanks for looking! Barbara

The pattern is Lincoln Watch and the fabric is Coventry by Jo Morton- Coventry means the state of being ostrocized or being banished.  Don't like Lincoln's Watch for a name.  Suggestions always welcomed.  When I first started making these blocks from hell, I didn't think I'd like the quilt, because each block separately is pretty ugly.  However friends encouraged me and when I had about 10 (of the 120) done I laid them out and squinted and saw the pattern emerging and kept on.  My husband loves this quilt so this will his.  I quilted it heavily.  I even added more in the lighter parts of the blocks I showed earlier.  The border is full of feathers.  With the leftover fabrics I whipped up this quick quilt for our guilds Charity committee.  Two more days of work and then I'm off to the beach for 4 days of sewing with friends.  Can't wait - I have the most of my stuff packed already.  :) Thanks for looking.

pattern:  Lincolns Watch - Fabric:  Coventry by Jo Morton  This is what I have been working on.  I've quilting the inside with feathers and swirleys up in the points (suggested by Janice Minyard), the inner border I used a stencil I had.  I had to go around this bad boy 4 times for this little border.  I plan on doing a feather design in the main border.  Being challenged by my friend Anna's (annatheartistwithin.blogspot.com) said that she is not going to cop out and do an all over design and challenge herself to customize even if the quilt is busy.  My original idea was to do an overall design.  However I'm glad I didn't because I really like how this is turning out.   My art friendship group met last night.  Only 4 of us were there and 3 of us did the project (pin tuck with inspiration word wave).  I was the one who didn't get the quilt done.  I couldn't think of anything in time and when I did, I didn't have enough...

Our local quilt show was this weekend.  It's called Best of the Valley.  I spent all day at the show -selling our guild's opportunity quilt tickets and docenting and of course shopping.  I took pictures of all the quilts from my guild members who entered.  I was very happy to report that a lot of won ribbons!  Yea Common Threads members.  Here's a link to the facebook album of the quilts.   In Harmony (Best of Show - Machine Embroidery) Common Threads Quilt Guild Best of the Valley entries I myself did very well at the show.  I won Best of Show for machine embroidery, a first place for my Deb Karasik class project and an honorable mention for my Pine Brrrr quilt.  The Claire with the Kaleidescope Hair didn't win a ribbon and the comments weren't all that great - but I'm okay with that.  It was not made all that well I just thought it was groovy.  Here are pictures of my quilts. Claire with the Kaleidescope Hair Pine Br...

So my art quilt group met this past week and our project was pleats with inserts (trim, other fabric, etc.)  Anna was even kind enough to give us all a baggie full of fun trims.  The inspiration word was passion.  I'll show my piece and the others' and explain mine later in the post.  Pictures from iphone so not best quality. Mine Anna's (Annatheartistwithin.blogspot.com to see better pic) Barbara Sawyer sample Barbara Sawyer (almost done) Karen Taber Sara Kelly (sarakellyartquilt.blogspot.com) All were incredible (Sara's is not quite done but keep checking her blog for when she posts a better picturej.  You can also see a better picture of Anna's on her blog).  Passion was the word however, my only passion is quilting so anything would work.  However, when we got the trim the month before, the first piece of trim I saw was the one I used for the mustache and that idea stuck in my head and that is all I could think about doing....

This wasn't even on my list of things to do this weekend but I just couldn't resist --wanted to try it.  I didn't have enough material but you would never know it.  It's about 3 inches too short.  I can live with that.  This is a spring scarf and I got the pattern from Bernina's website its created by Ashley Johnston.  Mine will go so pretty with a pink shirt. Now - on to my boring blocks.  I have 60 more to make. Thanks for looking. Barb

First, I want to thank all of you again who commented on my last post.  I will look at the comments from others about my "talent of finishing quilts" as only positive and I hope I will be just as cautious about my comments about others as well. So, I did a little retail therapy this week.  I have seen all these cute Lil' Twister quilts and decided I needed to make one too.   So off to Fat Quarter Shop to purchase the tool and the 5" solids.  It's not like I don't have a lot of 5" squares, but I decided I wanted only true solid colors for my first try.  I will use a black border as well.  Here's my purchase, I also bought about 7 yards of kona white as well. I also bought 3 books from Amazon.  I used to go to Scrap Therapy at the LQS but it has changed ownership and the new owner isn't continuing the program.  I contacted the owner of 'Scrap-Therapy" and she said she was having a book for Scrap Therapy out in March so I have been pa...

Here are my finished quilts and I'll explain the guilty part later. The first quilt is from Judy Sisneros 9 Patch Pizzazz on point class I took 2 Saturdays ago.  I had the top done except for the border at the class and just added the borders and cut out some of the focus fabric to applique for that extra "pizzazz".  As I was quilting, I noticed that I had 2 blocks switched.  I won't tell you and you probably won't be able to see it since it's kind of a busy quilt.  The close up shows you the free motion quilting I did in the border too.  I used Valdani's variegated thread and I love the color variations but I have to say it's not the easiest thread to use - it took a while to get the tension/needle/bobbin thread combination right.  This second quilt are the circles I had to cut out for this quilt scroll down to see it .  This  little baby will be donated to my guild's charity quilt program.  Was super fast and easy to make and used ...

My husband and I just came home from a whirlwind trip to the Grand Canyon.  I had never been and we saw this AAA deal where you start in Williams, AZ, and take a train to the Grand Canyon for the day, then back to Williams for another night, and then home the next day (today).  On our way home we stopped at the Hoover Dam to see the new bridge.  So - saw two big holes in the ground - one man made and one God made.  Both were pretty awesome to see. Grand Canyon - picture taken from the south rim Hoover Dam The train ride was slow - 63 miles and it took 2.5 hours.  They tried to entertain you with musicians and we even had a train robbery on the way back.  It was fun to see that because we had 2 young boys on our train and they made it more fun.  The Marshall kept trying to hit on the 4 girls who sat ahead of us - was pretty funny to see the old fart flirt.  I have to say the musician we had on the way back also told some very funny jokes....

This past Tuesday was the Loose Threads meeting and I didn't have my project finished.  I did show them what I had started, and I finally finished it today.  The technique was to use dimmensional flowers and the inspiration word was soul or sole or any other way you want to use the word.  I used soul and found this quote that was just perfect.  I took a class from Judy Sisneros (of 9 Patch Pizazz fame)that was sponsored by our guild yesterday.  If you ever get a chance to take a class from her I would recommend it.  My original idea was to use my tiger eyes I painted 2 years ago but she said it wouldn't work with the "on point" we were going to work on that day.  She was right - but I figured I could sneak it in.  Instead I ended up buying a kit from her.  I finished the top last night and got the back ready today as well as the binding and label.  I just have to pin it.  I plan on doing just a basic all over design so the quiltin...

What a busy week I've had.  I went to visit my folks this weekend - not only was it the Almond Blossom Festival in the big town of Ripon, California (went to the parade) my niece Claire turned 8 and I was the official photographer and am now on the top of her favorite aunt list.  Here's me and Claire. My niece Claire It was a chef party and here are all the girls Me and Claire It was a fun party -each girl got to decorate their own chef's hat, each got an apron with their name on it (and no I didn't make them her Grandma Marcia and her mom did all that work), they made their own lemonade, pizza, decorated their own cake and then had smell and taste tests.  My sis-in-law did a great job with the party. Then on Tuesday night, my art group met and we revealed our "soul" project.  I didn't get mine finished and I'll show it later when it's done, but here are Karen's (not quite finished either), Anna's, also not quite finished, Sar...

Tried to get a close up so you can see that I actually did some beading on there and there are dimmensional butterflies that I got for a Christmas gift.  Had fun playing with this.  I use my embroidery machine for the Danish looking horse thing and free formed the rest, a la Terry Waldron.  And this is a resolution quilt - so one more off my list.  :)  Check out my friend   Debbie 's blog - she has her class project posted too.  Hers is much prettier and her quilting is out of this world and her's has a real sentimental story. My husband met with our tax guy today and we are so screwed.  Jeff is still reeling.  We have to make some adjustments this year so we don't get dinged again next year.  And I usually don't talk much about my work, but I'm being audited this week--it's an internal audit (we hire a company to do this each year) and today was madness getting ready for it.  Still didn't get it all done but they will be...