Hangin' Out at Orca Bay

I've been trying to finish someWIP's (works in progress) and today's it's Orca Bay. Since I started working on this in Dec. I had only completed 3 of the steps (blue string blocks, red string blocks and b&w hourglass blocks). Once I saw the reveal I decided to make some changes to Bonnie Hunter's original - I'm adding a third color and making it smaller.What is so interesting to me about watching this pattern emerge, it what happens to the blue sting blocks. The black squares seem to bring out the red triangles.

I decided to use a piece of marbled (kind of a batik) orangey-red-gold for the centers. So it's the same fabric, it just looks different from block to block. (I thought it needed a third color besides the red and blue).

What is interesting to me about this stage, is that as the triangles are added to the red string block to make a big flying geese unit, it makes the blue pop out.

And instead of using black and white for those pieced triangle units, I used another orangey-gold fabric. I'm thinking I may leave it this size - much smaller than the original. Not sure what I'll do for a border. I'll need to find something to do with the leftover pieces. Now it's on to making the star blocks and putting this thing together!!

(I think I'll move my can of starch!!!)

Until next time,

-Karen

Mom & Dad's Quilts - Part 3

I'm a little late with Part 3 but I've saved a good one to end with. It has been so much fun to share these quilts and other hand work pieces I've made for them over the years. This quilt was made for my Dad. It's an original design I call "The Boy from Ohio". He was born and raised in Wooster, Ohio. Putting the 4 Ohio Star blocks in the corners was an easy choice. I made this quilt in 1996 - and I had only been doing applique for a few years. I'm glad it's a folk art quilt as the motifs were fairly simple and so are my applique skills!! It took me a while to collect enough grey and brown plaids. I wanted it to look masculine and that was not what my stash looked like at that time!! I love the center medallion of folded bow tie blocks. It's hand quilted in a simple grid pattern.

My Dad uses this quilt every day - which just makes my heart smile. Each block at the top and the bottom has special meaning - especially the 2nd from the right on the bottom (this goat block also showed up in my parent's 50th wedding anniversay quilt too which I made 4 years later). My Dad has raised goats for probably almost 30 years. I hesitate to call them "pets" - they are more like friends :).

Here's the back art, a single bow tie.

And here's where the goats live - in the barn my Dad built for them.

My Dad names all his goats - and I'm not sure who this is - but she was very friendly.

Here are a few pictures of the quilt show. I am still recovering - it's a lot of work both in getting your quilts ready for the show and in putting the show on.

This is the second year we've met in this venue, it's really wonderful - so bright with plenty of room to enjoy the quilts.

I wanted to take this quilt home with me - it was made by one of the vendors and was hanging in her booth. She gave me permission to photograph it.

These fabrics remind me so much of Robyn Pandolph's Secret Garden. It's such a sweet quilt and the quilting is wonderful. I'm not sure I could ever replicate this on my domestic machine, but I'm going to keep trying and maybe someday my quilting will look like this.

Thanks for all the sweet comments on my ribbons and quilts. That is certainly not the reason I quilt - but winning a ribbon is such a fun thing (especially when it's blue)!!!

Have a great weekend.

-Karen

Quilt Show Update

The waiting is over, our Guild's quilt show opened last night and we found out the judge's results. When I came around the corner and saw "Wedding Memories Linger" wearing a blue ribbon, I was beyond excited!!! I have become very emotional about this particular quilt and I'm not sure why. But seeing it hanging just makes me so happy.
After all the months of quilting, it looks exactly the way I had hoped it would. The contrast of the straight line quilting and the curved quilting looks perfect. And after completely quilting the border of feathers not once but twice, you can definitely see them. I am thrilled.

And my sweet little Navy quilt "Going Home" that was made for the 100th anniversary of Naval Aviation won a third place. This was a very full, competitive category, and I am very happy about a ribbon. Our judge this year was Anita Shackelford. She's an incredible quilter and she judged our quilts with a great deal of detail. I'll share more pictures later, it is a great show! We have 258 quilts hanging. If you're close to Pensacola, come by tomorrow and say hi!

Thanks for all your encouraging comments over the last few months about my wedding quilt. My very humble little log cabin has brought me much joy :)!!

Until next time,

-Karen

Mom and Dad's Quilts - Part 2

Here's part 2 from my parent's house. I made this little Amish family many years ago. I also did a small Amish "Trip Around the World" quilt for them to put on the bench. It sits in one of their guest rooms.About 15 years ago, I went thru a phase where I made 4 watercolor quilts. Two got finished, two didn't. This wallhanging is in the office space. There's a sky light in this room and it looks good.

The quilting doesn't show at all, but it's a radiating design - like rays of sunlight.

I also did counted cross stitch for many years, this one combines quilts and Amish. My dad has a large collection of Amish things and when I saw this pattern it was the perfect thing for me to make for him.

This wallhanging was made in about 1996 for their living room. About 4 or 5 years ago, I added a lot more quilting to add some more interest. My quilting style has definitely changed over the years and I'm adding a lot more quilting now.

This pattern is always so interesting to me when I see it. My Mom still loves having it hang - makes me smile.

So that's it for part 2 - there's one more post.

Until next time,

-Karen

Mom and Dad's Quilts - Part 1

My birthday celebration moved last week from Charlotte, NC to High Point, NC where my sister and I spent 3 wonderful days with my Mom and Dad. I decided to take some pictures of the quilts I've made for them over the years. Here's Part 1.

My Mom collected all different kinds of moose for a while and this is a little wallhanging I made for them. She keeps it up during the winter.

This was the center of a larger quilt I saw in a magazine. I knew it would be perfect for a wallhanging. I love how it looks on their brick wall.

Next are some pictures of their 50th Anniversary quilt. I've posted pictures before, they brought it to their 60th anniversary celebration for family members to see and to do a new label for the back.

This quilt was very personalized for them. Most of the blocks had a special meaning to them.

The angels were keeping watch over their 3 children.

They love flowers and have many bird houses in their back yard.

They live in North Carolina - hence the Carolina Lily block. The birds represent my dad and his sister, the 3 flowers represent my mom (twins) and her sister.

The goats are for my dad, more flowers for my mom and the sunflower block was the signature block.

The back art combined one of the blocks (enlarged) and some left over flying geese units.

I'll be back with part two soon. I'm still in NC enjoying my time away from my "real" life. I did however, have to spend about two hours yesterday job hunting in order to claim my unemployment. So far, no one is jumping up and down about hiring me - imagine that LOL!!

Until next time,

Karen

Birthday Dinner

We celebrated a wonderful dinner out for my 15th birthday.

My daughter took me to her local quilt shop where I found something to come home with me (imagine that!!) and then my parents surprised me and drove down to spend the day too!

It was a great day - thanks for all the birthday wishes.
I am blessed.
-Karen