Looking to Edyta and Phebe for Inspiration

It seems most of July has been speeding by with grandchildren, trips to the beach and a week in the North Carolina mountains.  But I'm back now and looking to start on my next project. My biggest news to share is that I have agreed to be the next show chairman for the 2014 Pensacola Quilt Show.  I know, I'm not sure what possessed me, but I did say yes.  In addition to that, I have agreed to design our Opportunity Quilt (raffle quilt)!!  Yikes!!! I'm not sure I'm equipped to do that, but I'm just taking one step at a time!

The first place I started was with Edyta Sitar.  I only have one of Edyta's books (so far) - these other 2 I borrowed from a friend.  I love the way Edyta combines prints and batiks - she is one of the best.  By the way, her newest book "Scrappy Firewooks" is a must have - it's fabulous!

I've been seeing this quilt pop up around blogland and I was completely smitten.  It's been designed by Di Ford of Australia.  It's based on a quilt made in 1802. While I'm pretty sure I will never make this quilt, it became the inspiration for me as I started designing our Opportunity Quilt.  We have decided on a name for our next show, "In Full Bloom". So until our quilt is done (or at least further along),  that's what I'm calling the quilt.  I have designed it in EQ7.  It's still a work in progress, but I'll show pictures when I can.

What I can show is the fabric I've collected so far.  I have decided on Edyta's line of fabric "Love Letter" as my starting point.  I visited a quilt shop in Franklin, NC (A Stitch in Time) while we were up there.  As I walked in the door, there was a huge display of this fabric line!!!  I took it as a sign and bought about 10 pieces to get me started.  My friend found the charm packs at Kudzu Quilt Shop in Montgomery, AL.  I found a few more pieces at the Atlanta Sewing shop as we were on our way home.

These are some "maybe" fabrics I've pulled from my stash.  I'm meeting some of my committee members tomorrow to hopefully find a few "must have" elements for the quilt.

I've NEVER done anything like this before, it's really way out of my comfort zone.  But in the end, I'm just going to make a quilt that I would love to own, and trust myself.  I've got talented ladies around me and we are about to begin a great adventure.

Stay tuned - my goal is to have this quilt finished by the end of the year!!

Until next time,

Karen

Another New Quilter!!!

It started with learning the quarter inch seam and practicing on some scraps. He found the black strip and wanted to be a Ninja :).

Then he dumped out a bunch of fabric from my scrap basket.  So many choices!!  Notice the design wall  he's standing next to. There is such fun in designing!

He finally decided on some fish fabric and we started to make the piece - just letting it grow as he sewed pieces.  We called it an aquarium. My granddaughter didn't really want him sewing on "her" machine, so I pulled out my Elna Carina.  Almost 30 years old and still purring along. It was perfect for him.

Notice the intense concentration!!!  Operating the foot pedal for the first time took some practice.

He really tried to hold the fabric straight and keep things lined up.

Here's his finished piece.  He decided not to baste and quilt it at this point. So I just used the pinking shears around the edges.

We did have another project picked out, but that will be for another time.  I am so proud of both kids - it has been a special time.  Today is their last day in Pensacola and we are headed out to the beach to see the Blue Angels perform - a Pensacola tradition!! :)

Have a great day,

Karen

The Next Generation - a new quilter

I have had my 2 grandchildren from North Carolina here for the past week.  My 7 year old granddaughter had insisted on bringing her sewing machine (we gave it to her last year for Christmas).  She wanted to make a quilt for her American Girl doll.  We talked for quite a while about which pattern to make.  She was a little undecided until she saw the current quilt I've been working on "Come to the Party". She immediately said that's it!!

She selected every single color combination - in fact, she was very insistent on what she liked together and what she didn't like.

We learned about the quarter inch seam and chain piecing - and before she knew it - she had all 16 blocks done.

As you can see, she's in her bathing suit (we were headed to the beach and had a few minutes while waiting for everyone - so of course she wanted to sew at least one more block!)

She sewed all the blocks together and then sewed the blocks into rows.  She helped me pin baste it and then it was time for me to quilt it.

Here's the proud quilter holding her first quilt! I am so proud of her :).

I think her smile tells you how she feels :).

Here we are holding our quilts - now all I have to do is baste and quilt mine!

In addition to the quilt, she made the pillowcase dress for her doll (she learned how to zig zag) and the pillow for her doll (she learned how to turn and stuff).

Here we are together. The big quilt behind her is Tree Party that I made for her last year.  Now my 5 year old grandson has decided he wants to learn to sew. We're choosing a pattern for him and then it's back to the sewing machine :).  I am one happy Nana Girl!

Until next time,

Karen