Getting Ready

I'm getting ready to go on my first retreat!! I'm really excited. I'm going with my friend Kim, who is teaching one of the quilts from her book, Scrap Basket Surprises. In trying to get some projects together, I found these log cabin blocks I started a couple of years ago.
After making wedding quilts for both of my children, I decided I wanted to use the scraps and make a quilt for me. I love log cabin quilts but have never made one, so that decision was easy.

Since both the wedding quilts were signature quilts, I had lots of small strips of the fabrics left. As I fingered thru all the scraps, the name came to me. It's called "Wedding Memories Linger" for when I look over the blocks, my thoughts linger and I can remember working on each quilt as we prepared for the weddings (2002 and 2007).

I recently saw a post by Wanda in Exuberant Color of her batik log cabin and it reminded me of my stack of blocks. I have struggled with deciding which layout to use, which is why my blocks have languished in drawer for almost 3 years! But seeing her play with several different layouts, I was inspired to finish mine!

These are several different layouts I'm playing with. Knowing me, the finished quilt may not look anything like these, but at least I took pictures to remind me of which ones I really liked. I also bought a batik last year that I think will work perfectly as a border.

So my goal for this project at the retreat, is to finish the number of blocks I need for whatever layout I choose. Fortunately, I don't need too many. I've found the box of scraps and they are ironed and ready.

I've got a couple of other projects I'm taking too, but no time to take pictures. Wish me luck and lots of happy sewing :).
Until next time, make something beautiful,

Karen

Looking for something else

You may remember this wallhanging from my post a while back. Well, the other day I was looking for something else, and I found a piece of the original fabric. This project was made by cutting up a focal piece into small squares. You then sorted by color and then into light, medium and dark. You then start to create whatever picture you see in your mind. I wanted mine to look like the mountains of North Carolina. Here's a close up of the squares.

Here is the original fabric. There were hunting men, horses and dogs.

How funny is that?? I'm really glad I've found this. I'm going to applique it on the back of the piece so I'll remember what it looked like. It's fun to go back and look at the finished piece and see parts of the men, dogs and horses.

All in all, I'm pleased with this. It's one of my early works (early 90's), put in a drawer and finally finished 4 years ago. This is one of the very first things I machine quilted.

I've been busy working on a big project that is almost ready for a reveal. Plus I've finished another quilt to be sent to it's owner soon. Pictures to come.

Until next time, make something beautiful.

Karen

Angels In My Garden After 50 Years

Several weeks ago our extended family of 23 gathered in Stone Mountain, GA to celebrate my parents 60th Wedding Anniversary. This is the quilt I made for their 50th. I called it Angels in my Garden after 50 years. If you look closely, the angels are carrying a bouquet of flowers. It was for a wedding gift after all :).
Here's the back. I took one of the blocks from the front (the blue one on the left), added the flying geese sashing and enlarged it.

I love doing back art. I don't always do it, but this is a special quilt.

Almost every block in this quilt has meaning. The 3 flower pots are for me, my sister and my brother.

The red and blue bird are for my dad and his sister. The 3 flowers right below the birds (sorry they're kind of cut off) are for my mom, her twin sister and her older sister. (Notice the two blue flowers are mirror images of each other - that's for the twins). The carolina lily block represents that they live in High Point, NC.

This is the wedding wreath block, with their date.

My dad has a barn and raises goats - so of course there had to be some goats in the quilt!

My mother is a master gardener and loves flowers and color - so the basket of flowers is for her.

Last, but not least, is the signature block. Using leaves that I sent all over the country to be signed, the big sunflower represents their siblings, their children and my only remaining grandparent. The little flower coming off the branch of the big flower is for the grandchildren. If you click on the flower, right in the center you'll see........ the kitty!!! Can't forget him.

This is the original label I made 10 years ago when I gave them the quilt. I asked my mom to bring the quilt to Atlanta. I just said that maybe the new members of the family would like to see it.

What she didn't know (and the real reason for bringing it) was that I'd made a new label for their 60th. Everyone there signed it except for the 2 youngest great grandchildren LOL!

If we get to do this again in 10 years, I'll have to come up with something new. But for now, Angels in my Garden went back home to NC where it is very loved.

So until next time, make something beautiful.

Karen

Hanging a Quilt

Today I'm going to try to show a friend who asked me how to hang a quilt without using tabs at the top. I recently added a sleeve to this quilt so I could hang it in my little sewing room. You first cut a strip of fabric 4 1/2" wide and the width of the quilt.
Turn under a small hem on each end, fold in half wrong sides together and sew a 1/4" seam. Then hand baste to the back side. The sleeve should be about 1/2" shorter than the quilt on each side.

For heavier quilts I use a yardstick cut to size (adjust the sleeve width accordingly). For this small one I used a piece of cardboard cut just under 2". I poked two holes in the cardboard, right through the sleeve (cut out a small piece of the fabric so you can see the hole). The stiffness of the cardboard is sufficient for hanging a small quilt like this.

Then line up the holes and put 2 nails in the wall. Just push the quilt onto the nails through the holes you cut in the sleeve. I know there are lots of different ways to hang quilts, this is one I use when you don't have a hanger or don't want anything to show.

And just in case you think I'd forget the kitty, here he is.... peeking out from the middle. :) You might have to click on the picture to see him.

Thanks for all the sweet comments about Miagia's!!! Be sure to go back to Stash Manicure and register for the giveaway from Rae Ann. The whole experience was great fun for me.

Until next time, make something beautiful,

-Karen