Monday, May 31, 2010

AROUND THE WORLD QUILTING BEE ROUND 2

Hope everyone had a great holiday weekend. I woke up to thunder storms this morning. It rained here on and off all day. Some people lost electricity. Our Cable, phone, and internet were down, but fortunately we still had electricity. My heart went out to all those who had outdoor activities planned.
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Because of this busy weekend I didn’t get much done, but did want to show you another Around The World Quilt Block. This one is for Round 2 and goes with the quilt for Beth Novak Of modern jax. She wanted a white background with bright fabrics. It is now on its way to Massachusetts and then making progress around the world.
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Have you seen this cute pattern? I remember at Christmas time, hostesses were attaching those cute little charms to wine glasses so their guests could tell which glass was theirs. Great idea. But I like this one better. This free pattern from Creative Grid serves as a coaster as well as an identification piece for wine glasses. I would make each one in a different color or design to make it easy for the guest to make a quick identification.

Until next time,

Caroll

Friday, May 28, 2010

BACK FROM MARKET WITH NEW TOOLS AND IDEAS

Leaves Galore is the name of the new ruler that will make your life easier. Above, Chris, owner of the Attic Window Quilt Shop, demonstrates this new tool. It comes in three different sizes. Sue Pelland has designed these new rulers to make your leaf cutting easier. These rulers are also great for cutting stems and vines, flower petals, etc. It seems there are endless possibilities. Watch Sue’s video demonstration here. Better still, stop in at the Attic Window to take a peek at all the wonderful things you can do with this new tool.

When Chris was at market she took some classes, one of which was Penny Haren’s Pieced Appliqué class. Above are the samples that Chris made. These blocks just shout "look at me" something my piecing usually does not do. Notice the sharp points and the perfect circle. I can’t wait to learn this interesting technique. Watch for an upcoming class.

The Pink Penguin has a nice tutorial for placemats. Make these quick and easy placemats out of scraps or make them out of the new summer fabrics to use on your deck or patio or to take on your next picnic or when camping.

Until next time,
Caroll

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

CHECK OUT THESE THINGS FOR YOUR HOME

“A Painter’s Approach to Quilt Design, was Velda Newman’s topic when she recently spoke before the West Michigan Quilt Guild. Above Newman stands in front of one of her awesome wallhangings. I believe she said this one was about 16 feet long. Now let’s see where will I put that….
Knotty Girls Quilting Bee met tonight at the Attic Window Quilt Shop. Sherri P. had a couple of her finished pieces to show us. Above is a pincushion that Sherri filled with sand and lavender. It not only looks beautiful, but it had a wonderful fragrance.

This is Sherri’s needle case. I’m trying to talk her into making one for me. I admire anyone who can do such intricate work. Isn’t it darling?
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Reanna Lily Designs has a nice tutorial for a strip Dresden Quilt.

Until next time,
Caroll

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

HAVE A STASH MANICURE




Hi, I just wanted to tell you that today I’m a guest blogger on Stash Manicure. Why don’t you hop over there and get some new ideas on ways to reduce your stash. Be sure and take a look at all the previous posts by other bloggers. You will find they have lots of ideas on reducing your scrap pile.

Until next time, Caroll

Sunday, May 23, 2010

AWQB ROUND ONE COMPLETED

I recently received all my blocks from the Around The World Quilting Bee (AWQB). These blocks are fantastic. Each one is individual and unique to its creator. Aren’t they beautiful! I can’t decide how to put them together, what sashing to use, etc. I need time to put some thought into it. However, I was so excited about getting them that I had to show them to you. This quilt has been to the United Kingdom (several times), Indiana, Texas, Washington ( a couple of times), New Hampshire, California (more than once) , Tennessee (a couple times), Australia, The Netherlands, Illinois, Florida, Virginia, Michigan (east side of the state), Massachusetts, and I believe Brazil. I have a block with no name on it and I thought Brazil was in the mix.
Anyway, I want to thank all of you who participated. You have made beautiful blocks for me and I will think of all my wonderful AWQ Bee friends every time I look at it. It will cover me with warmth and love for all my new friends. Thanks again!
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And a very special thank you to Summer Sadie for putting this group together and keeping us all on track. Great job!
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Chris, owner of the Attic Window Quilt Shop, has been at Market this past week. I can't wait to see what she brings back. I'll post about it as soon as I can.

Loft Creations has a new idea for using up those scraps. She calls them Silly Strings. Really pretty.


Until next time,
Caroll

Friday, May 21, 2010

AROUND THE WORLD QUILTING BEE BLOCKS


Cancel your weekend plans and ….no wait, that was something for a winter blog when you "got" to stay inside and quilt. Now is the time to get outside, garden, go to art fairs, take long walks, plan picnics. Have some summer fun!
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Since there is a lot to be done outside my house right now, I don’t have too much to show you. These two blocks are all that I’ve accomplished this week. On Stash Manicure blog, Marjorie of Appliqué Addict talked about lessons she has learned while quilting. I personally subscribe to #6, which is what I did when making these two blocks for the Around The World Quilting Bee Round #1. This first block is for Paloma. This is her final block and I’ve mailed her quilt to her. I bet she’ll be thrilled with her quilt. There are so many talented women in this group. (You’ll have to go to the Stash Manicure blog and scroll down to Stash Quilt Lesson’s Learned to see what #6 is.)

This block is for Aimee of Salt Marsh Designs. There were so many beautiful colors in her quilt and most of the block designs seemed to involve curves (can you see me sewing curves?). I had a difficult time choosing fabrics and design. I hope she likes this block. I had fun making it. As with Paloma’s block, I had to make some adjustments to the pattern, too, since I didn’t want to cover up too much of that lovely blue fabric. I think I’m done with Round #1 now, so it’s on to Round 2. I just received Paloma’s blocks today so I hope to add my block to it so I can get it in the mail Monday.
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Here’s something you might find of interest. Beadlust has a free e-book that you can download. It’s about exploring creativity with bead embroidery.

Until next time,
Caroll

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

AROUND THE WORLD QUILTING BEE ROUND 2

Round 2 of the Around the World Quilting Bee has started. Our theme this time is Christmas. Above is my block for Paloma’s quilt. I hope she likes my poinsettia flower. It should look nice with her starter block of a Santa and Trees. Paloma’s blog is Three Kitchen Fairies. I almost forgot to tell you - if you want to see what others in this group are doing, scroll down on my sidebar to the patchwork globe that says Round Two and click there. It will take you to the flicker group and you can see lots of pictures of what these talented women are doing.

I was recently blog hopping and saw on Freda’s Hive a really cute quilt. Then I saw there was a link to the pattern. Jina Barney Designz has The Alpine Quilt Group 2010 BOM. You should take a look at it. I especially like the wonky flowers. You can also see the quilt on Freda’s Hive.

Until next time,
Caroll

Sunday, May 16, 2010

NEW AT THE ATTIC WINDOW QUILT SHOP

I stopped at the Attic Window Quilt Shop Saturday and had to show you some of the new things there. This panel has Ants and the Moon on one side and Ants and the Sun on the other side. There are several complimentary fabrics to go with it, one of which is on the right side of the picture (dragon flies). This is The Very Series (no I didn't forget a word. That's it's name) and is by Andover Fabrics. Wouldn’t it make a nice tablecloth for that next picnic, or on your deck?
I fell in love with this fabric. It looks like kids have drawn with chalk on a blackboard. “Side Walk Chalk” is by Stephanie Brandenburg for Camelot Cottons.

Chris also has some new books in at the shop. Don’t these look interesting?
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Don’t forget to take a peek at the calendar to see what classes are being held this week. Mary Ann has a Make It Take It Toothbrush Placemat on Monday. Clothesline Club is Tuesday as well as another Make It Take It (Call the shop for details). Friday, Chris has a Churn Dash class in the afternoon, and UFO at night. Lots going on so be sure and stop by.
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Wilma sent me an e-mail last week telling me that Val Laird has a new BOM. You can download the patterns here. Scroll down. It's called Gifts of Grace. Thanks Wilma.

Until next time,
Caroll

Friday, May 14, 2010

MAKE THIS BUTTON BOUQUET

How to you like this button bouquet? Isn’t it adorable? Maria made it for the Attic Window Quilt Shop. You can make one too. Just stop in at the shop and pick up this month’s calendar. Instructions for making this cute little bouquet are on the back.
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Here’s something practical for you. Everyone needs one of these. Make It Love It has a tutorial for a trash bag for your car.

Until next time,

Caroll

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

YOU WANT TO DO WHAT?

I bet you thought the object was to get rust stains out of fabric. Not true. Today artists want to put the rust stains onto fabric. Rusting fabric is a surface technique that fiber artists use to make beautiful wallhangings and other art objects. Julia Voake recently demonstrated her technique for rusting fabrics at the Lakeshore Fiber Arts Group. Above she shows us a wall hanging she made by using various pieces of fabrics that she rusted and made into a college.


This is a close up of that piece. Julia has such a definite style and when I look at her works of art the words "class" and "sophistication" come to mind.
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Rusting is not difficult. Achieving these spontaneous patterns is fun. Julia demonstrated how she gets a variety of rust patterns by showing us various items that she had wrapped in muslin. One was a large old lead pipe. She came to the meeting with several buckets full of metal pieces that she had picked up at garage sales, welding shops, or scrap metal places. “You can’t go to a hardware store today and find things that will rust,” she says. She suggests that you scout old barn sales for rusty nails, chains, pipes, anything that will rust.
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A Little Story: She told us a story about the first time she and some friends went shopping in an Iron and Steel factory. She said that when the men saw her walking into their shop they give her a funny look, like, what are you doing here. When she told them that she and her friends were artists and that they needed metal that would rust for a project they were working on, the men were eager to help and started showing them odd shapes of metal they might like. Some of the pieces were even starting to rust.
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Julia warns that some metals are covered with oil to keep the rust at bay and that you should scrub that oil off with soap, water and a stiff brush. She said that an old disk break makes a perfect circle when it is wrapped in muslin, sprayed with vinegar water and put in a warm place to rust.

  • Julia says that moisture and oxygen are the key elements when it comes to creating rust and showed us various pieces that she had rusted which allowed us to see the variety of colors and layers and patterns that can be achieved. Did you know that natural materials will rust better than synthetics? Did you know that you can rust fabric, paper and trims? When Julia showed us the lead pipe that she had wrapped in fabric then scrunched and tied, she pointed out that she used cotton thread (like the thread you use to crochet dishcloths) to tie the fabric to the pipe because she wanted it to rust too.

  • Experiment with various fabrics. You can rust patterned and colored fabrics. Look for old T-shirts, tablecloths, napkins, scraps from your sewing room and have fun seeing the different batik-like patterns that you can get.

  • If you wrap your project in plastic, she warns against sealing the plastic. Remember what she said: Moisture and oxygen are the key elements. You need the air to circulate. If the project dries out, just spray it with a 50/50 solution of water and white vinegar.

  • Did you know that your fabric will continue to rust over time? Julia recommends that you mist your project periodically over the years with a solution of baking soda and water to neutralize the fibers and slow the rusting.

I’ve previously posted this picture, but wanted to show you again. It is another one of Julia’s works of rusted art. She is a true artist! Her demonstration has given me a completely new outlook on rusting fabric. This is something I want to try. (It just occurred to me: I think I have an old clothesline pole in my back yard that would be perfect for this. Think the neighbors will complain?) Thanks Julia for sharing with us and giving us inspiration.

At Second Street has a great tutorial for an on-the-go activity book. Not only will it keep the children busy, it is easy to take with you wherever you go. It is fun, entertaining, inexpensive and compact! This is a wonderful idea for those little ones (and will keep them from touching things they should not). I have to make several of these.

Until next time,

Caroll


Tuesday, May 11, 2010

YOU WON'T WANT TO MISS THIS

The Lakeshore Fiber Arts group met last night, and you are sure to be in awe of what they have accomplished. It is certainly a talented group of women. In this first picture, Connie Korsky shows us her jacket that won first place in a recent show. (First place was a brand new sewing machine!)

Here is a close up of the winning jacket. Note the texture magic around the neckline and the handmade beads. This jacket is stunning.

This is a close up of one of the sleeves, more embellishments and handmade beads. Connie certainly put a lot of thought and work into this jacket and I can see why she won first place.

Laura Strait says she is a perfectionist and that this little quilt helped her to let go of some of that perfectionism and release her creative spirit. I love the free flowing lines and the bold colors. Laura says that she has registered for Art Prize, which is a huge art contest held in Grand Rapids this summer. You can see some of last year’s entries here. I'm anxious to see Laura's entry.

Barb Wright made this hand dyed jacket. She calls it Better Than Cook Whip, because she died the fabrics in a Cool Whip bowl. She has a wonderful medley of colors.

Sue Clark also shared her Skinny Quilt tablerunner. This zingy quilt has real eye-appeal.
Many thanks to all who shared their wonderful talents with us. Don't forget to stop back because I want to share Julia's demonstration on rusting fabrics.
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I was at Spun Sugar Quilts the other day and she has a link to the Fat Quarter Shops where you can get the pattern for a Whimsy Kite Quilt. You can get the PDF file here


Until next time,
Caroll

Sunday, May 9, 2010

FLOWERS FOR MOTHER'S DAY


Happy Mother’s Day everyone! I hope you’re having a great day. My kids will be here later this afternoon so I thought I’d show you my latest finish before they arrive. As you know, I love flowers, appliqué, and 30’s fabrics. When I saw the book “Flower Festival” by Kim Schaefer, I had to have it.

Some of you may have noticed that I’ve been making my blocks for the Around the World Quilting Bee from this book.

Don’t look too closely. My quilting on it leaves a lot to be desired as I was trying some new things, but the quilt itself is one of my favorites. The 30s fabrics are so fresh and clean looking. I think something subconscious might be going on here, as these fabrics remind me of my childhood.
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Don’t forget to take a look at the calendar for the upcoming classes at the Attic Window this week. You don’t want to miss Chris’s Mystery Block or Carolyn E’s Quick Trio Table Runner. Lee Ann’s Chubby Charmer tote and Sue’s Journal and Fabric Sampler classes are on Wednesday and Vickie has her All Shook Up class Saturday.
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Now, for something different. I hate waste. I love gathering all my scraps and “making fabric,” as shown here and here. I think this gives your quilt so much depth. Now Heather Reed of Holland Michigan has another way to make use of all those little scrap pieces. She has a great tutorial for making Confetti Fabric on her blog. I saw the finished product at the last Fiber Arts meeting and it is way too cool. I can’t wait to get started on a project of my own. Check it out here.

Until next time,
Caroll

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

KNOTTY GIRLS ARE BEING KNOTTY AGAIN

The Knotty Girls Quilting Bee met last week at the Attic Window Quilt Shop. They are certainly a prolific group as they had a lot of finishes to show us. Above is the bag that Sherri P. made. Isn’t it cute? Love those fabrics and the flower appliqué.

Darla Westveer made this Sudoku quilt. Her fabrics are wonderful, and her work (all those straight lines and matching seams) is awesome.

Sherri also made this BOM by Edyta Sitar. Wow! What a lovely quilt.

This quilted wall hanging is fantastic and the picture doesn't do it justice. Sherri crated this to enter into the West Michigan Quilt Guild show in October.

Above is an up-close shot of Sherri’s quilt. Look at all those small pieces and all those little beads. I love the way she has embellished it. Good luck, Sherri. This sure is a winner!
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Do you like dogs? Do you know someone who does? This is a cute applique pattern that you might like. I bet my grandson would love it. Check it out at Sundrop Designs.

Until next time,
Caroll

Monday, May 3, 2010

THIS IS A WINNING BOOK!

Today I want to give a very special thank you to Cindy Lammon. One day I was blog hopping (my favorite thing to do) and came across her blog here. I think what originally caught my eye was this photo of her new book “Flowers All Around.” I thought, WOW, I have to have that book. I then noticed that she was holding a give away. I don’t usually enter those because I never win anything, but I did enter, just in case. Last week I got an e-mail notice that I was the winner. The book arrived shortly thereafter. You can now purchase your copy of this book at the Attic Window Quilt Shop.

There are numerous beautiful patterns in the book and it is difficult deciding which to make first. What do you think about this one? It has both piecing and appliqué and the colors I love.

These are the pink fabrics I grabbed from my stash to see if any of them would work. I can’t wait to get started on this quilt. Thank you Cindy so much for your generosity.

Molly’s Place has a free pattern that you won’t want to miss (on sidebar).


Until next time,
Caroll

Saturday, May 1, 2010

BREAKING ALL THE RULES

When I was growing up, I heard that you should never to wear pink and red or red and orange or orange and pink together. Like a good little girl, I followed the rules. I think one of my favorite things to do when quilting is break all those rules. When I saw what Carolyn E. had spread on the table today at the Attic Window Quilt Shop, I thought about those rules. Then I thought that Carolyn E. was probably too young to even know about such things. These kids are so lucky today. Carolyn had this spread on the table so she could choose her border fabrics. Since I was there for First Saturday Bee, I had to give you a sneak peek of Carolyn's latest project. This is her original design and is called Make It Your Own Wallhanging or Quilt. Her two-day class starts this Friday during the day. She will have an evening session starting on July 20th. I love this pink and orange combination. I’m gathering my fabrics now because I want to take this class. I hope you will join us.

A lot was going on this morning at the Attic Window Quilt Shop and I wanted to show you some other things. During Show N Tell, Jeanne Bird showed us her newest wall hanging. She put her creative talents to work and took the last free pattern that was on the back of our Calendar, and added to it and came up with this wonderful idea that is just perfect for spring.

I would never have thought of putting these fabrics together, but I fell in love with this quilt that Cindy made. Eclectic Garden is the name of this quilt. Kits are available at the Attic Window Quilt Shop.

This fun group of women today proudly displayed their blocks for this month’s Sampler for me (I had to do a little pleading). What a great group. I’m so glad they are willing to share all their talents.
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I really kept this link because I have teenage grandchildren that I thought would like it. Then I thought maybe you have teenagers too or would like to make some of these unique bracelets for your younger friends. Lil Blue Boo makes these bracelets out of old t-shirt fabric.

Bloomin Workshop has a tutorial on Birds. Really cute!

Until next time,
Caroll
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Attic Window Teachers

Attic Window Teachers
Attic Window Teachers

Quilting for Kids With Cancer

Quilting for Kids With Cancer
Generosity has no bounds. Above are the women in the Quilts For Kids group at the Attic Window Quilt Shop. Left to right, Henrietta, Phyllis, Nancy, Carol, Karen. These women donate their time, fabric, money once a month to make quilts for kids who have cancer.

Quilts For Wheels

Quilts For Wheels
Many thanks and much appreciation goes to the women who work diligently each month to make quilts for those in wheel chairs. Kudos go to: Yvonne, Mary T., Fran, Joan, Mary Ellen, Barb, Lee Ann, Nancy, Mary.
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