I have just finished my 51st hexagon quilt. This one is being donated to Quilters Dream Batting, Hopes & Dreams Challenge. Hopes & Dreams raises funds for ALS Reasearch (Lou Gerigs disease). 100% of all funds raised by Quilters Dream Batting goes to ALS Research. If you think you, your Bee or local quilt shop would be interested in donating quilts please go to their website http://quiltersdreambatting.com/HD/ALS.htm for all the details.
Every time I mention I’m making an Obituary quilt people shiver. I love my family and my family’s history. Finding obituaries is finding a treasure trove of information. I get really excited when I find information that tells me what they and their lives were like. This is how I remember them, how my children and grandchildren will get to know them.
Remember Me! This was truly a labor of love and a learning experience! I have a tendency to jump into projects feet first and figure out the details along the way. My sister and I had collected so many wonderful obituaries that one day I said “I know, I will make them into a quilt”. I started entering the information into my lettering software and began embroidering them. Some took over 3 hours to embroider. Then I had to figure out how to connect them into a cohesive top. I’m not sure if I was successful or not. I just started playing with them on the design wall, measured the negative space and figured out how to join them. The star blocks are Rapid Fire Lemoyne Stars (my favorite). I know it looks a little weird, but I kind of like the randomness of the top. I had real trouble with the borders. The embroidery shrank up the fabric, so I had to rip out what I could and add fabric to try to square it up. I got one end of the top square but not the other. I couldn’t take off the whole border as part of the embroidery went into the seam. I did not want to start over so I just went with it.
These obituaries start in 1900. That’s amazing, 113 years ago!!!
My wonderful daughter-in-law Pam is having a birthday next week. I’m spilling the beans a littler early. I made her this King size quilt to celebrate her birthday, she loves red! It measures 100 inches by 120 inches, phew, that was work! I always make a gift bag for the quilts I make, but this one is too big to fit in the bag. I love Pam, she makes my son very happy! Now they have a lot to be happy about, they are expecting a daughter in August. I’m so happy for them (& I’m happy for myself, a new grandchild to play with and love)! Happy Birthday Pam! I’ll see you next week!
I’m waiting for backing fabric to arrive so I can quilt Soho Sunflowers and I’m almost finished with my Obituary Quilt. I thought I would share some tidbits about Hexagon Quilts. The first hexagon quilt below I named “Koi in a Blender” I made for Alex in 2006, I made the second “Jumping for Joy” out of the same fabric in 2008. What I found interesting is how different they came out. I made the third “Route 66” in 2006 and again in 2007 for a friend of mine. Again they came out so different.
I taught a hexagon quilt class where two students with the same fabric worked next to each other and their quilts came out completely different. I guess it depends where your repeat starts and what your vision is.
I wanted to see what would happen if I cut my hexagon quilt strips 1 1/2″ wide. Well, I made a 12 inch hexagon quilt. The process stays the same, but by varying the size of the strips you vary the size of the block. If you have a very large print you can cut your strips wider making a larger block. Some of my students don’t want to make a full size quilt. So they can choose a fabric with a smaller print and cut their strips smaller, such as 2 1/2 inch strips makes a great wall hanging.
With the rest of the fabric I made this quilt. I cut the strips the standard 3 3/4 inches wide. This quilt measures 65″ x 82″. Below is the original fabric I started with.
The first photo is Pink Lemonade, Raffle Quilt for 2013 for the Tidewater Quilters’Guild. Last April I taught “The Bee” a One Block Wonder class, it was a great class. Below are some of the completed quilts that were in the New Horizons exhibit at the Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival. They all came out so beautiful, great job!
We had our second class tonight for Oak Ridge Stars. I can’t believe how much work my students got done in one week! I commend you guys, you did a great job. Well I’m off to the Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival tomorrow, fun fun fun!
I taught a class last night at What’s Your Stitch N Stuff in Virginia Beach making the quilt pattern “Oak Ridge Stars” using the Tucker Trimmer by Deb Tucker. I love Deb’s patterns. She goes into great detail so you understand exactly what to do. We used the Tucker Trimmer to square up pieces so when we put our blocks together they are perfect. You can buy Deb Tucker procducts at your local quilt shop or www.studio180design.net . On their webite are videos to show how to use their great products.
I decided to take Myrtle May out for a run. Myrtle May is my Singer 301A, hey that rhymes! She had been cleaned and tuned up and she now purred like a kitten. Not bad for a gal that is 60 years old. You see, Myrtle May & I are both turning 60, we were both born in 1953.
I ventured into sewing room number 2 where I park some of my sewing machines and set up Myrtle May and my Babylock Serger. I had 3 shirts that had been cut out since last summer and this was a good day to give Myrtle May a workout and git em done!
I have been wearing the same shirt for 10 years. It started out with long sleeves and a collar. First the long sleeves went, then the collar. You see, I am a Flasher – Hot Flasher that is is. I love cotton shirts.
This is a gift from my Aunt Judy for my birthday. My two dachshunds don’t know what to think about them!
The Quilt Ninja was born in 2008 When I entered and won First Place in the Virginia Consortium Of Quilter’s (VCQ) Apron Contest. I used Indygo Junction pattern Sewing Smock IJ694, but gave it my own twist by machine embroidering the pockets with quilting designs. I would reach around and grip the ruler from the pocket on my back while simultaneously whipping out my rotary cutter and crying out “Quilt Ninja”! The Quilt Ninja has been my alter ego ever since. This year I remade the vest using the Easy Silhouette Vest IJ730 because I lost 50 pounds.
In 2008 I won first place in the Tidewater Quilters Guild Show, Virginia Beach, VA for Wearable Art. I called it “Head Above Water”. I used the One Block Wonder process for the blocks. I laid down the pattern and designed the blocks over it until I couldn’t see the pattern anymore, then I sewed the blocks together, repined them to the pattern piece and cut out the pattern using Indygo Junction Retro Raglan Jacket IJ764. I thought it looked like water, so I machine embroidered fish swimming on it.
In 2011 I made my “I Love New York” jacket using the Indygo Junction Easy Silhouette Jacket IJ741. I hadn’t lost the weight yet so I enlarged & lengthened it and lined it. I machine embroidered NY items on it such as the Statue of Liberty on the sleeve, etc. On the back I embroidered the Textile Mill behind my grandparents’ house in upstate New York. My tribute to NY.
I guess you can say Indygo Junction Patterns inspire me!
