Artful Homemade Quilts Have A Way

[freedombecki]

Oh, and I'm sorry for being a ditz today. I haven't done my fair share of repping, and I can't rep anyone here until I get off my duff and do the rounds. I had to nap today. I don't know why I'm cross about that quilt I'm working on. I have it almost done, and it's like I've got writer's block, except it's block block. Only a quilter...

Before I go out and start the repfest, though, I have to share something very precious I found online as I was researching other people's brick quilts.

 

[freedombecki]

The last quilt I thought was pretty enough to save was a brick quilt made by "The Girl Who Quilts" blogger. Here it is:

She tells the story of this quilt that her neighbor's 16-year-old daughter was in a terrible car accident and would have a long recovery, so she cut some 5x10 bricks and used those little 5x5 "Charm" pack squares for the odd rows. I just thought that was such a wonderful thing to do for a neighbor, and the quilt is simple, but totally cute, and she used her scraps for the back, I think. The full story of her work is here. She calls her minor masterpiece the "Quick Trick Brick Quilt." A really sweet thing to do by a busy mom for a next door neighbor! imho...

The Girl Who Quilts: Quick Trick Brick Quilt

The back is just as cute as a button and equally as fun as the front of the quilt.

 

[freedombecki]

This one's for Koshergrl:. I found it the other day when I was reviewing a blogger's pictures on a quilt show she'd gone to. The zany lady who thought this one up must absolutely love embroideries as much as anyone!



It's Heather Bailey's booth and is a wall art entitled "Put a Bird on It." You have to double click or click on the thumbnail to appreciate it.

 

[Sunshine]

This one's for Koshergrl:. I found it the other day when I was reviewing a blogger's pictures on a quilt show she'd gone to. The zany lady who thought this one up must absolutely love embroideries as much as anyone!



It's Heather Bailey's booth and is a wall art entitled "Put a Bird on It." You have to double click or click on the thumbnail to appreciate it.

Wow. What is the 'embroidery' done with?

 

[Sunshine]

Beckums, do you know of any myths and legends surrounding quilting? Some folks around here are adamant that if you make a 'Lone Star' quilt someone in your family dies. Well, people are always dying so I guess there is some basis for it. Ever heard of that?

 

[freedombecki]

No, Sunshine. I did 14 lone star quilts the year I taught the class on how-tos, and nobody died, but everybody got a lone star quilt for Christmas!

 

[Sunshine]

No, Sunshine. I did 14 lone star quilts the year I taught the class on how-tos, and nobody died, but everybody got a lone star quilt for Christmas!

LOL. Superstitions defy logic! If I made a lone star quilt I would be accused of killing the next family member who died!

 

[freedombecki]

Beckums, do you know of any myths and legends surrounding quilting? Some folks around here are adamant that if you make a 'Lone Star' quilt someone in your family dies. Well, people are always dying so I guess there is some basis for it. Ever heard of that?

1) Well one I can think of is if the center of her log cabin is red, there is love in the home. If it is black, the flame has gone out. IOW, he beats her every night, he died, or she needs a hug from friends for one reason or another. *sigh*

2) You just don't make a quilt with black in it for a child.

3) The maker of an all-blue quilt is always faithful. (true blue)

4) Quilters are the absolute sexiest women on earth, and their friendly company is to be desired by the worthy one of the opposite sex.

 

[Sunshine]

Beckums, do you know of any myths and legends surrounding quilting? Some folks around here are adamant that if you make a 'Lone Star' quilt someone in your family dies. Well, people are always dying so I guess there is some basis for it. Ever heard of that?

1) Well one I can think of is if the center of her log cabin is red, there is love in the home. If it is black, the flame has gone out. IOW, he beats her every night, he died, or she needs a hug from friends for one reason or another. *sigh*

2) You just don't make a quilt with black in it for a child.

3) The maker of an all-blue quilt is always faithful. (true blue)

4) Quilters are the absolute sexiest women on earth, and their friendly company is to be desired by the worthy one of the opposite sex.

Well a quilter does have a large degree of stick-to-it-iveness. I marveled at those complex quilts in the quilt show and wondered how someone could work on something like that for a year or more and then go on the road with it. It seemed that none of them were quickies, but rather required a lot of dedication to come out with the finished product. I just had to wonder also what it would feel like to work so long on something then come out disappointed with the result.

 

[freedombecki]

Beckums, do you know of any myths and legends surrounding quilting? Some folks around here are adamant that if you make a 'Lone Star' quilt someone in your family dies. Well, people are always dying so I guess there is some basis for it. Ever heard of that?

1) Well one I can think of is if the center of her log cabin is red, there is love in the home. If it is black, the flame has gone out. IOW, he beats her every night, he died, or she needs a hug from friends for one reason or another. *sigh*

2) You just don't make a quilt with black in it for a child.

3) The maker of an all-blue quilt is always faithful. (true blue)

4) Quilters are the absolute sexiest women on earth, and their friendly company is to be desired by the worthy one of the opposite sex.

Well a quilter does have a large degree of stick-to-it-iveness. I marveled at those complex quilts in the quilt show and wondered how someone could work on something like that for a year or more and then go on the road with it. It seemed that none of them were quickies, but rather required a lot of dedication to come out with the finished product. I just had to wonder also what it would feel like to work so long on something then come out disappointed with the result.

I used to tell my quilt students that the quilt was a point along the journey. If the quilt was not liked when done, it could point to being hypercritical, the lesson being to lighten up. Furthermore, completing a bad quilt often was the fuel for never doing that bad again, so the next one would definitely be an improvement since that error would not be made again, as experience is the best teacher of all. If enough bad quilts are made there is the eventual turning point of accepting that the learning from already-good quilters is good and the learning from truly forgettable mistakes is also good. The passion for excellence is a good trait, but letting an error stand harks back to the quilters of yesteryear who if all was too perfect would put in a truly badly-turned block to show imperfection in honor of he that is all-perfection.

Every quilt that warms a cold person at night is a + in someone's life, and how it look fades in comparison with that one special thing it does for its recipient.

So much for the spiritual aspect of a quilt, here's the final border on that quilt. I took 4 naps yesterday, and finally got enough gumption to complete the quilt when I got up at 3 am this morning due to sleeping so much yesterday. It was done by 4:30 am.

I'm free to do something else!!!

 

[freedombecki]

This morning I goofed off looking at orange quilts. It was fun. I'll see if any fit here and post them below. I must've saved 50 quilts.

 

[freedombecki]

Okay, maybe more than 50 orange quilts were saved (I'm gonna run out of room one of these days)

How about some brighter specimens?

 

[koshergrl]

This one's for Koshergrl:. I found it the other day when I was reviewing a blogger's pictures on a quilt show she'd gone to. The zany lady who thought this one up must absolutely love embroideries as much as anyone!



It's Heather Bailey's booth and is a wall art entitled "Put a Bird on It." You have to double click or click on the thumbnail to appreciate it.

I need one of those!!! That is so cool!

I put my sewing machine away last night. It has been sitting on my table for around a week, and I had company last night so I went ahead and moved it back to my bedroom

Yesterday was a wonderful day, but it was full from beginning to end. We had church and then our yearly church picnic and a very dear friend's of my daughter's birthday party (at the same time, that was tricky). I went out on the lake on a paddleboat with the children, and then they went swimming. We came home around 5:30 or 6 and I gave the kids the talk on the way home...nobody is going anywhere/doing anything/coming over for the rest of the evening, I am canning some chicken broth/chicken and sewing or at least loading bobbins...I got the chicken in and my son and his family showed up...

So that was it. People were in the kitchen rousting around and sitting at the table, so I cleared it. We ate pulled Boston butt sandwiches and coleslaw for dinner, with peach iced tea that I made and canned the day I did the peaches.

I'm kind of ready for winter...early nights and lots of down time...

 

[Sunshine]

1) Well one I can think of is if the center of her log cabin is red, there is love in the home. If it is black, the flame has gone out. IOW, he beats her every night, he died, or she needs a hug from friends for one reason or another. *sigh*

2) You just don't make a quilt with black in it for a child.

3) The maker of an all-blue quilt is always faithful. (true blue)

4) Quilters are the absolute sexiest women on earth, and their friendly company is to be desired by the worthy one of the opposite sex.

Well a quilter does have a large degree of stick-to-it-iveness. I marveled at those complex quilts in the quilt show and wondered how someone could work on something like that for a year or more and then go on the road with it. It seemed that none of them were quickies, but rather required a lot of dedication to come out with the finished product. I just had to wonder also what it would feel like to work so long on something then come out disappointed with the result.

I used to tell my quilt students that the quilt was a point along the journey. If the quilt was not liked when done, it could point to being hypercritical, the lesson being to lighten up. Furthermore, completing a bad quilt often was the fuel for never doing that bad again, so the next one would definitely be an improvement since that error would not be made again, as experience is the best teacher of all. If enough bad quilts are made there is the eventual turning point of accepting that the learning from already-good quilters is good and the learning from truly forgettable mistakes is also good. The passion for excellence is a good trait, but letting an error stand harks back to the quilters of yesteryear who if all was too perfect would put in a truly badly-turned block to show imperfection in honor of he that is all-perfection.

Every quilt that warms a cold person at night is a + in someone's life, and how it look fades in comparison with that one special thing it does for its recipient.

So much for the spiritual aspect of a quilt, here's the final border on that quilt. I took 4 naps yesterday, and finally got enough gumption to complete the quilt when I got up at 3 am this morning due to sleeping so much yesterday. It was done by 4:30 am.

I'm free to do something else!!!

Groovy! Well, when I did some oil painting last year in Gulf Shores, I realized that I had forgotten how much I loathe a painting before it is finished~! I always have to put them away for a while because I genuinely hate them.

 

[freedombecki]

Ummm, peach tea and I'm out of rep.

My heart lept when I read about the annoying paintings. I'm glad I'm not the only one. I once did one but gave it away thinking it was not good enough. I found a picture of it hanging on the wall, and I realized that although small it was one of my best paintings, and one of few modern subjects I ever painted--and I rejected it because it took less than 10 minutes to create. Long after given away, I realized it had everything--movement, rhythm, and more although it was in black and white. It was one of those oil well needle-nosed hammer-like things that swing up and down. The person I gave it to probably tossed it.

 

[koshergrl]

Omigosh becki, the peach tea is so good! Snapple has NOTHING on me!

I was so discouraged by my latest attempt canning peaches...soooo much work, and I ended up with 4 measly pints of irregular pieces (no beautiful slices or halves for me, I don't think that's ever going to happen) and I must have had a gallon of leftover syrup...I canned half of it just straight before it occurred to me to throw a little more water and sugar in there, and some of the peach pits and skins, and then several tea bags...heated it up, put it through a strainer and OH MY! I almost like that use better than just canning peaches themselves.

It turned out great...then the kids came last night and we went through three quarts! I'm going to make more as soon as possible!

 

[Sunshine]

Ummm, peach tea and I'm out of rep.

My heart lept when I read about the annoying paintings. I'm glad I'm not the only one. I once did one but gave it away thinking it was not good enough. I found a picture of it hanging on the wall, and I realized that although small it was one of my best paintings, and one of few modern subjects I ever painted--and I rejected it because it took less than 10 minutes to create. Long after given away, I realized it had everything--movement, rhythm, and more although it was in black and white. It was one of those oil well needle-nosed hammer-like things that swing up and down. The person I gave it to probably tossed it.

I did one in my art class that I threw in the ditch for the city to haul off with the rest of the junk before I moved here. My realtor pulled it out and took it home with her! I think she hung it in her house!

 

[freedombecki]

Ummm, peach tea and I'm out of rep.

My heart lept when I read about the annoying paintings. I'm glad I'm not the only one. I once did one but gave it away thinking it was not good enough. I found a picture of it hanging on the wall, and I realized that although small it was one of my best paintings, and one of few modern subjects I ever painted--and I rejected it because it took less than 10 minutes to create. Long after given away, I realized it had everything--movement, rhythm, and more although it was in black and white. It was one of those oil well needle-nosed hammer-like things that swing up and down. The person I gave it to probably tossed it.

I did one in my art class that I threw in the ditch for the city to haul off with the rest of the junk before I moved here. My realtor pulled it out and took it home with her! I think she hung it in her house!

I have a feeling it was a bonus commission for her. Glad it has a good home and is appreciated.

 

[freedombecki]

Omigosh becki, the peach tea is so good! Snapple has NOTHING on me!

I was so discouraged by my latest attempt canning peaches...soooo much work, and I ended up with 4 measly pints of irregular pieces (no beautiful slices or halves for me, I don't think that's ever going to happen) and I must have had a gallon of leftover syrup...I canned half of it just straight before it occurred to me to throw a little more water and sugar in there, and some of the peach pits and skins, and then several tea bags...heated it up, put it through a strainer and OH MY! I almost like that use better than just canning peaches themselves.

It turned out great...then the kids came last night and we went through three quarts! I'm going to make more as soon as possible!

I only have 2 peach trees left in the orchard I planted 2 years ago. They produced 10 small peaches, all of which disappeared except one. I gave it to my husband. He discarded it by laying it on the counter and forgetting it. I'm not about to eat it. Oh, well.

Well, it's time to cut out and see what the next quilt is going to be. I have a hundred ideas, but must settle on one. I saw this one truly cute idea, but it's another postage stamp quilt. Maybe I could upscale it a little to larger squares and just pick some pretty colors... Decisions, decisions... The other thought was to get out my old "How to make a Postage Stamp Quilt Book" and ditz my way through someone else's design. At least it would give me some experience in "paint-by-number-with small squares" before jumping into a design I would hate finishing. Well, I did design the scotty dogs a few hundred posts ago... There were six of them on a child's quilt as I recollect.

Found and resized:

 

[freedombecki]

I keep going back to this and was thinking of doing something like it in the true blues in honor of all the faithful people here who post in accordance with their beliefs. Actually, that would be 4 days of cutting out blue fabrics. Maybe sticking with things I could do would be smarter. Well, here are some ideas if I go the postage stamp route: