SEEN AT THE QUILT SHOW

Good Morning Quilters.  I hope everyone got to attend the West Michigan Quilter's Guild quilt show this past weekend.  It was wonderful. And I hope you got to stop by the Attic Window Quilt Shop booth.  I was going to take a picture of the booth but got to talking and forgot.  Actually, I didn't get to take as many pictures as requested because I got sidetracked by all the wonderful quilts and seeing friends I hadn't seen in a while.  This picture above did draw my attention.  I have no idea who made this adorable quilt since there was no name next to it.  I was surprised at the number of fused quilts on display.  I have recently discovered fusing and I love it.

This quilt is Frog Days of Summer by Jane Becker and Bonnie Rhoby.

 I marveled how Bobbie Vruggrink used fabric to "paint" this stunning Zenia.

This is Traverse Bay Splendor by Jer Hon-Hawkins.  This quilt speaks to me!

That's all folks.  Don't forget the:

• The Second Annual Country Fair Road Tour 2018 is October 11, 12, and 13.

AT THE ATTIC WINDOW QUILT SHOP

• Sampler, Monday Oct. 8
• Bee, Tuesday, Oct. 9
• Sampler, Tuesday, Oct. 9
• Embroidery Bee, Tuesday, Oct. 9
• Happy Scrappers, Wednesday, Oct. 10

ON ANOTHER NOTE:

• Spring Leaf Studio has information on QAYG.  Here is the summary of what she has been posting about QAYG.  Also there are links to five different QAYG tips and tutorials.

Caroll,  

Caring, Sharing, Creating Smiles

ATTIC WINDOW VENDORS AT WMQG SHOW

Above, Chris Brown stands in the Attic Window Quilt Shop booth at Quilts On The Grand, the quilt show put on at the Delta Plex by the West Michigan Quilter's Guild.  The show had 275 quilts on display.  There were demonstrations over the three day event as well as special exhibits, vendor mall, raffle quilts, and a small quilt auction.  This was a super show and I want to show you some of the quilts.

The first quilt I want to show you is Twirling Roses and was made and quilted by Julie Barnum.  This quilt is based on "One Block Wonders" by Maxine Rosenthal.  Julie said that she started this quilt in a class at the Attic Window Quilt Shop because she wanted to learn the technique.  She said it was a lot of fun arranging the hexagons into a design.  Julie's other quilt, Autumn Star, which I never did find because it is such a big place, won an award for Individual Pieced-Machine Quilted.  Congratulations, Julie!

I had to take a picture of this.  I love Cats.  This piece is actually called Attitudes and is made and quilted by June Becker.

 Fireworks. Made by Mary Ellen Barber and quilted by Bonnie Rhoby.

 Moccasin. Made by Anna Hooker and quilted by Susan Hooker.

 Cardinals.  Made and quilted by Nancy McCormick.

 Mornin Has Broken.  Made and quilted by Bobbie Vruggink.

 Birds, Bees, Butterflies & Bugs.  Made and quilted by Bobbie Vruggink.

 Kaleidoscope In My Garden.  Made by Kathi Glasby and Quilted by Bonnie Rhoby.  (Look at that quilting!)

 Thanks Dad!  Made and quilted by Bobbie Vruggink.

 Ugandan Pineapple.  Made and quilted by Evonne Doctor.

 Directional Challenges: Follow Your Star.  Made and quilted by Jer Hon-Hawkins.

 Gold Fever.  Made and quilted by Marilyn Eparvier.

 Bars & Dots.  Made and quilted by Janet Bonarski.

 Eleanor's Kids.  Made and Quilted by Sharon Brandner.

Orange Tango.  Made by Jeanne McLaren and Quilted by Karen Giles.

Many thanks to the WMQG for putting on such a fantastic show!

Happenings at the Attic Window Quilt Shop

• Beginning Free Motion Quilting, Monday, Oct. 10
• English Paper Piecing Bee, Tuesday, Oct. 11
• Open Sew, Wednesday, Oct. 12
• Chenille Class, Thursday, Oct. 13
• Stitch-In and UFO, Friday, Oct. 14
• Stitch-In, Saturday, Oct. 15
• Stacking Pop Ups, Saturday, Oct. 15

Be sure to check the calendar on the sidebar for happenings this week at the Attic Window Quilt Shop.

ON ANOTHER NOTE: 

• The Q and the U has a Scrapbuster Random Railfence Block tutorial.

Caroll,

Caring , Sharing and Creating Smiles

A FIRST PLACE WINNER

Have you seen this stunning quilt?  It is hanging up front at the Attic Window Quilt Shop. 

Above, Jane B. shows us her wonderful quilt. Jane won first place at the recent West Michigan Quilt Guild show.  Her category was Two Person-Mixed and Other-Machine Quilted, Over 75”.  The pattern is Calendula Patterndrip’s Cottage by Crabapple Hill.  Here is what the Quilts On The Grand program said about Jane’s quilt:  “This quilt has everything you would expect to find in Calendula Patterdrip’s Cottage: Potion bottles, spell books, hobgoblin earwax, just normal stuff.  Shading was done with crayons.  Jane made the top and it was quilted by Bonnie Rhoby.

This is another quilt by Jane.  She does beautiful work. 

Above, Peggy shows us the quilt she made for her grandson’s wedding.  Kelsey K. VanBonn and Ronald N. Kamenski were married on Oct. 10 of this year.  What an awesome quilt.

A special thank you goes to Diana who took these pictures and sent them to me.  Great job!

DON’T FORGET:

• Pineapple Ruler, Wednesday, Oct. 22, 10-4.
• Vickie’s finishing class for her spiral Lone Star quilt, Thursday, Oct. 23, 10 a.m.
• London City Bag, Saturday, Oct. 25, 10 a.m.
• Shop Swap– Attic Window Quilt Shop and Quilted Memories – Sunday, Nov. 9 and Nov. 23, from 12-4 p.m.
• New Classes coming in November. Check the calendar on the Sidebar.  You can see a full month at a glance by clicking on the picture of a calendar.  Or you can scroll down the interactive calendar day by day.  If you have any questions about a class you can call the shop for further details and/or to register.

ANOTHER NOTE: 
Since the Mod Squad (Modern Bee) is meeting on Wednesday at the shop, I thought I’d tell you about this Modern Star Block. Lainey Bug Designs has a great tutorial.

Until next time,
♥
Stay Calm! Stay Kind! Stay Positive!
Caroll

JACQUIE GERING COMES TO GRAND RAPIDS

For the past two days I have attended classes with instructor Jacquie Gering, modern quilter, perhaps best known for her “out of the box” designs.  Jacquie is the Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the Modern Quilt Guild. When I learned that the West Michigan Quilter’s Guild was bringing Jacquie to Grand Rapids to speak and lead a couple classes, I knew I had to attend.

Jacquie brought lots of quilts to show us.  Above she explains what inspired this stunning quilt called Shattered.  She said that when her house was broken into and she saw the broken window glass, she was so angry and upset and when she went into her studio she started slashing away and made this quilt.  She often gets ideas for her quilts from life, what she sees in nature, how she feels about something, what speaks to her.

She also showed us this Red Cross quilt.  Note: None of the crosses are the same and none are perfect. Yet, the quilt is perfect!

 Above, Jacquie explains the mechanics of Slice and Insert Improvisation.  She said that improvisation is not a random process.  It is a thoughtful process.  She said the most exciting part of her studio is her scrap pile. She will dig into it and think, will this give character to my quilt?

 Later in the day, after we’d had a chance to practice, Jacquie shows us Julie B.’s block as an example of what to do.   

I don’t know the name of the person who made these blocks but we loved them.  Jacquie shows us the various ways to put these blocks into a quilt.  She talked about the Framing method and the Paneling method.

Jacquie also explained the effect a different colored background will have on our blocks.

Above they experimented with a yellow background in one square.  Is that out of the box or what?

Donna finished her Slice and Insert Improvisation quilt!  Note how the various sizes and angles give this quilt character.  I can’t wait to see it quilted!

Jacquie brought several more quilts to show us. Above, and ...

 This and...

This.  Note that little slice off the upper left corner of this quilt.  Now that is improvisation!

There will be more pictures tomorrow of Jacquie’s quilts and our Scrappy Improvisation class. 

DON’T FORGET:

• Pick up The Sept/Oct issue of The Country Register.  The Attic Window Quilt Shop is featured on Page 9.
• To mark your calendar for the West Michigan Quilters’ Guild Quilts on the Grand.  The date is October 3 – 5 at the DeltaPlex Arena.
• On Thursday, October 9th at 10:00 A.M., Vickie will be holding a finishing class for her spiral lone star for anyone who has previously taken the class with her and who needs some extra help with the finishing steps. 
• Shop Swap – Attic Window Quilt Shop and Quilted Memories – October 19 and 26

ANOTHER NOTE: 

• Here’s a nice gift you can make for that favorite gardener.  Sew Mama Sew has a tutorial for a Garden Tote.

Until next time,
♥
Stay Calm! Stay Kind! Stay Positive!
Caroll

LAST PHOTOS OF WMQG SHOW

Today is the last of the pictures that I took at the West Michigan Quilt Guild show last weekend.  Above is Crepe-Paper Poppies by Michele Lyons-Russell.  She said it is from the book “Flower Show Quilts” by Lynn Ann Majidimehr and published by that Patchwork Place.  Michele says that poppies are one of her favorite flowers.  Mine too.  I’d love to have this quilt on my living room wall.

These next two quilts are awesome.  Above is The Purple House by Julia Voake; Lakeshore Fiber Artists/Wyoming; and is quilted by Lakeshore Fiber Artists/Wyoming.  This design was inspired by a Grand Rapids Heritage Hill house.  A photo was turned into a line design, blown up to 36" X 36", and divided into 16 squares and two trees.  Each square and tree was made by a different group member.  Then it was reassembled to make a very “funky” house.

The Red House is also by Julia Voake and the Lakeshore Fiber Artists/Knapp.  This design was inspired by a Heritage Hill house also.  Again, a photo was turned into a line design, divided into 16 squares and two trees and distributed to various group members.  It was then reassembled to make this fantastic house.  It is amazing to me how all these people can work on a piece of the quilt and when it is assembled it looks like this!  Wonderful!

I had to take a picture of this:  Best Friends by Judy Mayhak.  It makes me smile and speaks to me because of all the wonderful quilting friends I’ve met over the years.  Judy says that this quilt was made for her granddaughter.  She was moving from Illinois to Colorado and leaving friends.  She has a name for most of the friends and she picked the fabrics to match the personalities of her friends.  The pattern idea was taken from a magazine.

I had to take this picture because the pattern came from a fellow blogger.  The Bunny Tree is by Lisa Kishman.  It was made for her daughter, Erin, for her 2012 high school graduation.  It was adapted from the Lilly Pilly pattern by Kellie Wuhlfsohn of Don't Look Now. 

I have one last quilt to show you.  It is unbelievable!  It was not in the quilt show, but was down at Art Prize in Grand Rapids.  Look at Fraser Smith Sculpture.  Yes, I said sculpture as it is made completely of wood.  

On Another Note:   Skip To My Lou has a nice tutorial for a crayon roll holder.  This Christmas gift!

Until next time,
♥
Stay Calm! Stay Kind! Stay Positive!
Caroll

SHERRIE WON THREE AWARDS

I’m devoting this post to Sherrie.  You might remember her.  She attends Knotty Girls and does all those lovely stitches on her wool projects.  Sherrie won three different awards at the West Michigan Quilter’s Guild show last weekend.  Above is Imperial Blooms, a Sue Spargo BOM.  It is a mix of wool and cotton with several different hand embroidered stitches.  This quilt won second place in the Small Wall Quilt – Applique/Mixed Technique – Machine Quilted category.

Magnolia is also a Sue Spargo pattern.  This is a wool quilt with hand appliqué.  It is wool/cotton/velvet mix embellished with a variety of hand stitches and silk ribbon.  This quilt won third place in the Large Wall Quilt – All Techniques – Machine Quilted category.

Barb’s Flower Garden Sampler is also a BOM.  The pattern is by Tammy Finkler.  These blocks were hand stitched with twilling and other embroidered stitches.  This quilt won Honorable Mention in the Large Wall Quilt – All Techniques – Machine Quilted category.

Congratulations Sherrie.  You are one great stitcher!

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Did you know that an Eleanor Burns Trunk Show is going on this month at the Attic Window Quilt Shop?  Be sure and stop by and see her great quilts!

Vicky F. also took pictures at the Guild show.  Stop by the Back-Burner Stitcher and see what were her favorites.

On Another Note: I thought this would be a good gift idea for anyone with children/grandchildren.  Check out Patchouli Moon Studio for a Chores Quilt.

Until next time,
♥
Stay Calm! Stay Kind! Stay Positive!
Caroll

A LITTLE MODERN AT THE WMQG

Today I want to show you some of the modern quilts that I saw at the West Michigan Quilter’s Guild show.  This first one is called Rooflines #2 by Colleen Kole.  She said that this series has been inspired by the rooflines at the local botanical gardens.  It is made with hand dyed fabrics and free hand cutting. 

I love the name of this one – Watermelon.  Doesn’t it look just like the center of a watermelon?  Sue Cortese made this original design/free form pieced from her hand dyed fabrics.

Tulip/Deconstructed Circles is by Elizabeth Brandt and quilted by Terri Watson.  It began in a Nancy Crow workshop but was later deconstructed and reconfigured.  This quilt won second place in the 2-Person Large Wall Quilt-Pieced Technique.

Loving Lucy is by Colleen Kole.  I love the artist statement in the Program:  This is an improvisationally cut and pieced quilt inspired by the colors at the local country fair; billboards, carnival ride lights, and fair attendees’ bright clothes.  And then my dog ate a chunk of the top so it became more improvisational.  Hand dyed fabrics, freehand cutting.  Loving Lucy won second place in the Small Wall Quilt – Pieced Technique category.

Interstellar Suite is by Dan Burke.  The pattern is by George Siciliano.  There are 100 pieces in this small 10 ½” square quilt.
 
On another note:  If you still have time to blog hop, check out Bee In My Bonnet for an easy tree block tutorial.

Until next time,
♥
Stay Calm! Stay Kind! Stay Positive!
Caroll

STYBURSKI TELLS YOU HOW IT'S DONE

 

 As some of you may know, I attended the West Michigan Quilters’ Guild show this past weekend.  It was tremendous with over 250 quilts and 58 vendors.  There was so much to see and I didn’t want to miss anything, so I spent two days there.  This week I will show you pictures of some of the quilts.  I’m just sorry I can’t show each and every quilt because they were all so fantastic.

Today I’d like to introduce to Denise Styburski, creator of Diamond In The Rough, which is the quilt hanging behind her.  Denise said that this string quilt was a gift to her niece Gloria. 

I asked Denise to put her finger on the quilt so you could get an idea of how very small these pieces of fabric are.  Denise said that she used muslin backing to sew this string quilt.  She never throws any fabric away.  After talking to her, I came home inspired and rummaged through my trash to retrieve those small pieces of fabric I didn’t think I could ever use. 

This quilt, titled Wrapped in Love, is also by Denise.  She said she made this “spider web” quilt for the man of her dreams, her husband Mark.   Denise said that the foundation for these small pieces of fabric is used dryer sheets.  She believes in using what you have and started saving her used dryer sheets. 

I had to show you this.  It is not part of the show, but Denise did inspire me to make these blocks.  I came home all fired up about trying this new (to me) technique and ironed all the dryer sheets I’d been saving.  Then (after digging through my trash) I started sewing fabric strips to a sheet.  I like these blocks.  I’m not sure how I will use them.  Denise made small diamonds out of her blocks.  She said the pattern was from McCall's Vintage Quilts/Spring 2001.  I’ll have to think about that some more before I decide on a design.  I don’t know about you, but it gives me pleasure to use those scraps I thought I’d have to toss.  I figure I’ve already paid for it, why not use it.  I’ll keep you posted on my progress.

I’ll post more pictures tomorrow of some modern quilts in the show.

On another note:  Designs by Fee has a tutorial for a Scrappy Heat Pack.  Wouldn’t this make a nice Christmas gift?

Until next time,
♥
Stay Calm! Stay Kind! Stay Positive!
Caroll