Always Working

To say I'm ALWAYS working on my "forever" hexie project is an understatement. I was going through some photos on my iPad (trying to get things organized and old photos deleted), and ran across an assortment of hexie pics. Just to show you how much I work on it, here are SOME of the pics.

I've stitched hexies while on MANY vacations. This picture is from our Destin, FL, trip this year. (Hexies have gone with me to MANY places--Niagara Falls, Arkansas, Tennessee, Colorado, every doctor, dentist, and optometrist appointment I've been to in the last few years, to guild meetings, stitching group meetings, and general meetings, on trips to visit friends and relatives, etc., etc., etc.)

I've stitched hexies with my cat (Libby).

 

 I've stitched more hexie parts than I can count. (Many of which I HAVE NOT taken a photos of.)

I've stitched hexies at NUMEROUS retreats.

I've tried to put what I have done on my design wall and photograph it. It has now gotten too large to do a very good job of that.

And I continue to work on it almost every single day.

Bloomington (IHQS) Quilt Show

Last weekend I went to the Bloomington (Indiana Heritage Quilt Show) at the Convention Center in Bloomington, Indiana. In my last post, I mentioned the class I took with Bill Kerr (which I really enjoyed). In this post, I want to share some of the quilts that caught my eye.  (For all the pictures below, I made a concerted effort to photograph the artist's name with the quilt. Be sure to zoom in to get some more information about each piece.) Being a hand quilter, I'm always on the lookout for great hand quilted quilts. The HAND quilting on this whole-cloth quilt was spectacular.

There was an exhibit called "Inspired by the National Parks" on display. They were created to celebrate the 2016 Centennial Anniversary of the National Park Service. You can find more information about this exhibit here. There were LOTS of quilts as you can see in this picture which shows a few of them.

These were some of my favorites. (If you zoom in, you can see the maker and the park the quilt represents.)

The dancing "bird" in the upper left photo was SO colorful and SO cheery I was drawn to it. When I looked closer, I laughed out loud. The disco ball was a great touch! The little owls (on the top right) had been stamped and hand embroidered (something else I LOVE). The cone flowers were really beautiful in person.

The rock arch in the top photo was VERY realistic. I loved the stalagmites and stalactites of Mammoth Cave in the bottom photo.

These two were just so peaceful to look at. The threadwork on the Virgin Islands National Park quilt (right) was such a nice addition to the quilt. It looked like an underwater scene.

 

Now, on to the rest of the show. The quilting of this quilt made it stand out from the crowd.

This artist had a good day. She won two awards with these quilts. 

There was some really nice piecing and applique.

There were colorful, artsy quilts.

The quilting on the top left photo above was REALLY good. It gave the quilt a texture that was very appealing. I liked the happy colors of the quilt on the top right. The way the circles were added gave the quilt a three-dimensional quality. The ladybug just made me happy. It was made up of all kinds of different flowers.

 

There were actual three-dimensional quilts. The artist used wire to create the petals of this quilt. She also did A LOT of beading to make the centers of the cone flower more realistic. (I think mailing this quilt to a quilt show would be a nightmare.)

There was something for everyone at this show. It is a relatively small show but a good one. If you are close enough to come to this show next year, please do. Take a class; enter a quilt. If we don't support these shows and classes IN PERSON, we WILL lose them. There used to be really good shows in Indianapolis and Louisville which no longer exist. I'd hate to lose this show too.

A Class--It Has Been a Long Time

I haven't taken a class (in person) for a long time. I have purchased many online classes through Craftsy and iQuilt and REALLY like those, but this past weekend I took a class at the Indiana Heritage Quilt Show in Bloomington, Indiana. I took a design class taught by Bill Kerr. I really enjoyed it and feel like I learned a few things.

Bill spent some time speaking about his quilts and elements of design for each one. The thing, though, that I found most interesting (partly because I have done A LOT of design work from Lyric Kinard's "Art + Quilt: Design Principles and Creativity Exercises" book) was his emphasis on intention/intentionality. He spoke about the "intention" behind each of the quilts he had with him in class. In looking at each quilt, I couldn't "see" the intention behind it; but when he explained it, it made perfect sense.

The first part of the class was organized to have have us create little (what he called) maquettes or models/samples/studies in a very short period of time. He gave us "assignments" throughout the day. This is the result of our first "assignment" for the class. We were (in 20 minutes) to make a STATIC design on an 8" X 10" background using 5 rectangles. (Static means stationary or fixed.) Doing ANYTHING quickly is a challenge for me since I do practically everything slowly.

Next, we put them up on the design wall and the class was assigned to put these little studies in order from most static to least static. We had to justify the placement of each (using complete sentences, as requested by Bill). I felt pretty good about this one (especially since mine was placed in the second position--turquoise and purple.)

 

The next assignment was to use the same 8" X 10" background and the same 5 rectangles we used in the static sample to make a dynamic design sample. (Dynamic means energetic, capable of action and/or change.) Again, we were asked to place the samples in order from most dynamic to least dynamic. The discussion revolved around our reasons for placing each piece in its designated position. Using the exact same pieces as the static maquette, I felt like I did a pretty good job of creating movement. We talked about the difference between "dynamic" and chaos here.

Next, we were asked to create a design we found personally pleasing using an 8" X 10" background and three squares of ANY color. The discussion here was about why we found the arrangement pleasing. What did we like about the design? It really took a lot of thought to articulate the reason behind the design. Again, each of these exercises (static, dynamic, and squares) was made in approximately 20 minutes and not meant to be topics for discussion not "actual" quilts. However, many of these could be made into interesting quilts.

The last thing of the day was to make a design depicting a feeling, a place, or a concept of some kind. I do believe he mentioned we should make the piece 18" X 18" or 18" X 24", but (as you see) not everyone followed those directions (which wasn't required). We were given approximately 45 minutes to complete this piece. We had to "explain" what we were trying to accomplish with the piece, and Bill spoke about each one. The discussion was VERY interesting. 

Doing these small "studies" was really good for me; I didn't have time to overthink the process. I can see me doing more of these, because I got some good ideas from really thinking about them and what I liked or didn't like about each one. Working quickly helped me find some ideas I might otherwise not have come upon.

 

If you haven't taken a class (in person) for awhile, I would encourage you to do so. You meet some nice people and you will learn SOMETHING if you go in with an open mind. If you have a chance to take a class with Bill Kerr, I would encourage that too. He is a very positive person and has a gentle manner when critiquing the work. He set the tone from the very beginning that the class would be a "safe place" to share. You can check out his website here.

 

I did take some pictures at the show and will share those later.

Jackpot!

One of my friends is moving to a new home and is cleaning out her fabric stash. I am the lucky recipient of two HUGE boxes of discharged, hand-dyed, stenciled, painted, monoprinted, (and I'm not sure what else) fabric. The boxes contained fabrics of all kind--silk, velvet, corduroy, cotton, denim, organza, gauze, etc. There are subtle, beautiful fabrics and fabrics that practically shout at you. My head is spinning with new ideas (which is what I had hoped they would do). As I told the giver, "It is like Christmas up in here!!!"

Now, where am I going to put these new fabrics???

Using Half-Square Triangles

I have wanted to make a half-square triangle quilt for quite some time. I finally am working on one using a layer cake and 10" background squares I cut from a gray I had on hand. I did some research (and played a bit on my own) to find several different layouts I really liked. If you would like to make a half-square triangle quilt, this post (and the previous post) is for you. In the previous post, I explained how to make eight quick half-square triangles from 10" squares (layer cake). The first thing you will need to do after making the half-squares is to square the blocks to your chosen size. This is how you do that. (I squared mine up to 4 1/2"; yours may need to be squared to 4 1/4" or 4" depending on whether you took a scant or generous 1/4" seam allowance.)

I made my half-square triangles using the method in my previous post. Next, I played with them on my design wall. As you will be able to see, the half-square triangles are not sewn together yet. (I can't decide which layout I like the best! You will have to leave me comments and let me know which layout you like. It might help me decide which one to make.) First I tried these...

Layout A and B

Next, came these...

 

Layout C and D

And these...

Layout E and F

And these...

Layout G and H

And these...

Layout I and J

 

After moving all those half-square triangle around on my design wall, I was getting pretty tired (but was still inspired). I still wanted to try some other layouts. This time, I did some block layouts. Think about how these would look either side by side or sashed. I liked these too.

Blocks 1, 2, 3

Blocks 4, 5, 6

Then, I thought why couldn't I make a table runner, so I tried one. I liked it too!

Which layout do you like best?

 

I hope I have given you some ideas about the WIDE variety of ways you can put your half-square triangles together. Use one of these designs or play with your half-square triangles to come up with a design all your own.

Virtual Quilt Retreat 2

I'm getting ready for my quilt guild's second virtual retreat on Facebook. We are a friendly group, and I would like to personally invite you to join us for this retreat. Gather your supplies and projects, get all your cooking and cleaning done, and get ready to sew, sew, sew. This is a really convenient retreat...you get to join like-minded sewing buddies (virtually--on-line), and you don't have to drag all your stuff anywhere! The retreat begins on Thursday, February 16 and runs through midnight on Sunday, February 19. Sew with us for all the days or jump in whenever it is convenient for you. Keep up with what everyone is doing by checking in on the Facebook page (Patoka Valley Quilters Guild). Post what you are working on, your progress all along the way, and your finished items. Add the hashtag #PVQGVR2 (which stands for Patoka Valley Quilt Guild Virtual Retreat 2) at the end of each of your posts during the retreat. I wanted to offer up a project for retreat participants (for anyone interested). I have been wanting to make a half-square triangle quilt. I also have been wanting to use one of my layer cakes I have had sitting around for awhile. I researched half-square triangle quilts and found lots and lots of ideas. I will be sharing some of my half-square triangle quilt ideas with you during the virtual retreat both on the blog and on the Patoka Valley Quilters Facebook page. Grab a couple of layer cakes--one print and one coordinating solid (or one print layer cake and cut your own 10" background squares--one for each print square in your layer cake). Sew up some quick half-square triangles.

 

(Be sure to put right sides together.)

 

 

 

Your last step is to square up your half-square triangles. I squared mine up to 4 1/2". I could do that because I took a scant 1/4" seam allowance. You may need to square yours to 4 1/4" or 4" square. Square ALL your half-square triangles to the same size--either 4 1/2", 4 1/4", or 4". 

 

Get your half-square triangles done and stay tuned for LOTS of ideas on how to use these half-square triangles. I'll be posting some suggestions on Thursday (when the virtual retreat starts).