Wednesday, March 21, 2007

Batik Tomball - Trish Hodges

Last night I went to Greater Houstons Quilt guild meeting featuring Trish Hodges. She brought some wonderful authentic batiks from Java and Bali - The real thing. I had picked up a couple of the smaller ones at Festival (Houston - Nov 2006) and when I saw she was doing a workshop, signed up as soon as I could!


Well, that workshop was today. This was a great attempt at getting me out of that traditional box that I'm putting myself in. Here is Trishs' sample on the left.

Next comes MY feeble attempt at working with my panel. Granted, I learned a lot, and have yet to transfer those ideas to fabric... It will come though. (The light source is to be the upper right with lights/yellows and oranges blending into the darker colors in the lower left.)
I've promised to pass some of that knowledge with my Bee Buddies at retreat next week! They all bought panels at the West Houston Guild meeting this evening. The retreat promises to be a 'batik' weekend anyway with the swaps we're doing, so this will be a great addition to our activities.

Friday, March 16, 2007

Stashbuster Queen - wannnabee! :)

Wow, the quilt show is finally over, am caught up on customer quilts, and I took a few days for myself. What a novel idea! I managed to turn 3 UFO's into TOPS. Granted they aren't quilted yet, but one of them is on the quilting machine, so it's closer.

The Pineapple quilt was started waaaayyy back in the 1980's. BEOFRE the Gore invented the Internet. This was when there was just bullitin boards, and I was swapping with some other quilters. Probably only 5 or 6 of the blocks are actually from the swappers, as most of the blocks I received had to be either re-pieced or tossed. I finished putting the blocks together on Thursday, nearly 20 years later! Whoo Hoo!


Next, put together the last blocks of a "4 Patch & Furrows" quilt (ala quiltville.com) that I started on the quilting cruise in January 2007. Tell me what you think I should do for a border (if anything). Should I do the scrappy blues or one of the furrow colors?

The blocks are made up of two sets of 2 4-patches (total of 4 4-patches) for each block. I used the same background for each set of two, although the backgrounds vary through all the blocks. All of the 4-patches came from my stash, I did buy some of the Nantucket fabric for the furrows.


This next quilt was inspired by a quilt that my great-grandmother made (Hattie Marsh), and that I remember seeing as I was growing up. I recently saw a similar quilt at an antique store (but couldn't afford the price they were asking), so I took some mental measurements and went home and drafted this top back in 2005.

At Quilt festival, I saw a similar quilt again, and knew that I needed to make this quilt. Hatties' quilt had all different colors of the pink and browns (they might have been pink & green) centers, then I used stash fabrics reminiscent of late 1800's and early 1900's for the square in a square. (this is basically a patch, in a square, inside another square).

Then I quilted 2 charity quilts for quiltville.com and is pictured on her site) . My Friday Bee was so taken with this quilt top, that we chose it (done in Fall colors) for our Tin Can Raffle donation at the quilt show. It was one of the top 3 money earners in the raffle! (Thanks Bonnie!)

Thursday, March 08, 2007

Scribing for Quilt Show Judges

Wow! Am I pooped! For the first time, I was a scribe for one of the judges for our upcoming quilt show. I think I could be on brain overload. I learned so much today. However, I would say the most important tips to pass on when you are entering a quilt in the quilt show is to spend the extra time on the binding. I think the judges are anal about the stupid bindings - and whatever else you do, stitch those little miters corners on your bindings closed!!!! Don't know how many times I had to write that on the critique sheet.

There were some very well done quilts- the piecing was great, the quilting was great - but they rushed the binding, and I know of one quilt for sure that would have a ribbon, but for the binding.

The vendors were there all day getting their booths set up. . Can't wait to get back and do some shopping! I know, I don't need anything, but hey, we must support our Vendors!!!!! :)

Well, think I'm going to going get a glass of wine, take a hot bath and soak my feet for awhile. That will probably lead to me heading for bed early.

Later,
Betty

Saturday, March 03, 2007

NEW Favorite Quilting Tool !!

After previous post indicating rotary cutter WAS my favorite tool, I chopped off the end of my finger - and it's all the fault of the stashbusters!!

That's right! I put a brand new blade in the rotary cutter yesterday, set up a table in the living room so that I could spend some quality time with hubby ans started cutting a bunch of scraps into to strips (ala Bonnie @ quiltville) Anyway, about the third slice, I sliced off the end of my little finger! OOUUCH! which is all I can repeat from what was said last night...

Hubby was not very sympathetic, and kept telling me to 'tough it up!, as he was cutting the circulation off with the bandaide (which wouldn't stick because of the dripping blood.). Took some Tylenol, finished cutting up my scraps and went to bed.

This morning, I take a shower and proceed to change the dressing. It's STILL bleeding! I'm supposed to go on a quilty Birthday shopping trip for friend Michelle. But before I go, I call Gail who is actually an xray tech, and ask - "Are you a nurse?"She says no, but it's obvious to her that I need to go to the emergency room if its still bleeding! Well duh. . .

So I make arrangements to meet up with them for lunch and I head to the emergency room. 3 Hours later, and several explanations as to what is a rotary cutter, and WHY DIDN'T I COME IN LAST NIGHT??? I have giant bandaide, antibiotics and pain meds, all suitable to garner sympathy. My 'friends' threaten to buy a klutz glove for me, but they were all small sizes. I told them that I didn't think the klutz glove would have helped much. The slice was over an inch long and 1/4 inch wide, including quite a bit of my fingernail bed. The nurse said I "cut into the meat" !

Anyway, think my NEW favorite tool (s) have to be the rulers that you can get in all the sizes. I think I have at least one of every size made. I absolutely love to square up blocks with the exact size ruler.