Peppermint Pinwheels: On The Design Wall

Free Bee: February

2012-03-03T17:15:00.002-08:00

Another month gone, another Free Bee block turned in late. I think I have a hard time following the rules when it comes to quilting. The instruction for the block (given by Mari Haak, herself a VERY inspiration quilter herself!) was to base your inspiration on an urban photograph and use neutral, darker tones. Her suggestion was to study the work of Elizabeth Barton, to see how she interprets landscape in fabric. I think that's where I went astray...instead of focusing on a photograph, I decided to take my inspiration from another textile artist, Karen Goetzinger and a piece of Marimeko fabric.

Free Bee Block for Mari

Here is what I came up with. You can see how others interpreted the challenge over on Flickr. I'm not crazy about mine and wish I had more time to play with it, but even though February gave me an extra day, I've run out of time and must send it off!

I'm blushing like a...

2012-02-23T20:06:00.000-08:00

...girl who's napkins have been spotted in a bridal magazine! Yep, those are Peppermint Pinwheels napkins sitting at the table of honor with the Kate Spade dinnerware!

Thanks to Rachel Hollis of Chic Events, my gingham napkins were featured in a story for California Wedding Day magazine. Her idea for the design is Modern English Garden, and I think it looks gorgeous!

String Thing Along

2012-02-18T12:52:00.000-08:00

My Collaboration Quilt is on the String Thing Along blog today. Head over there and check out the wonderful things quilters are doing with their scraps! My favorite so far is the Spider Web and Stars post.

Thank you, Brenda, for coordinating such an inspiring site!

In Progress: A Collaboration

2012-02-14T21:02:00.000-08:00

A friend and I have been collaborating on a baby quilt. The baby celebrated her first birthday months ago. It's really time we finished this thing up!

Collaboration Quilt

All that is left is to do is the quilting and then to pop it in the mail. But, wouldn't you know...my sewing machine has suddenly decided to be a diva. So, I get to spend tomorrow searching for replacement parts as opposed to quilting. BOOOOO!

Completed: The Embers Quilt

2012-02-09T09:39:00.000-08:00

The Embers Quilt is finished! It's the latest sample for my Confetti Quilts class, so I rushed it down to the shop and hung it on the wall. I barely even had time to take a picture of it! I think it photographs nicely next to the blazing red wall of the New Pieces class room.

If you are interested in learning how to make your own Confetti Quilt and live in the SF Bay area, I'm teaching the next class on March 7 & 14, 2012, 10 AM - 12 PM at New Pieces in Berkeley, CA. It's fun - I promise!

Stitch Modern - The Opening Night Extravaganza!

2012-02-06T21:56:00.000-08:00

What makes Stitch Modern a better quilt show than any you've ever been to before? We served wine! Oh, and all the awesome people who helped make this show possible and the amazing quilts they put in it!

Food as Craft (thanks to Kristen Takakuwa!)

For those in the SF Bay area, the show will be up until the end of February. Catch it Wed, Friday, and Sunday from 12-3 at the Piedmont Center for the Arts. I'll be there this coming Wednesday night (February 8, 6:oo pm) helping to lead a public conversation exploring the topic of Modern Quilting. There will be door prizes!

For those not in the area, you can catch the photos on Flickr. I'm working on making a full gallery tour available online, but that hasn't happened yet, so stay tuned!

Stitch Modern

2012-02-03T19:10:00.000-08:00

Me and my quilting compadres have been busy this week. We have been installing our first group quilt show, Stitch Modern!

I admit, I was quite intimidated by the daunting task of arranging, hanging and promoting a show, but thanks to some very talented and visionary people,* it came out splendidly!

Planning.


Hanging.

Perfect!

*Birgit, Kim, Sharona, and everyone who put up with long strings of rambling e-mails and helped hang the quilts late into the night - THANK YOU!!! And, none of this would have happened if it hadn't been for Birgit!

If you live in the San Francisco Bay Area, the show will be hanging through the end of February (You heard it here first: The show has been extended!) at the Piedmont Center for the Arts. As well as visiting during gallery hours, we've planned some fun events. Hope to see you there!

Feb 4: 6:30pm-8:30pm Saturday Opening Reception
Feb 8: 6pm What is Modern Quilting? Public Conversation (I'll be on the panel!)
Feb 12: 12:30pm-2:30pm Family Event: Make Your Own Quilt Square Ages 4+

And here's a little sneak peak!

Free Bee January

2012-02-01T08:05:00.000-08:00

Let the piecing begin! I've completed my first block for my first online-based quilting bee.

Free Bee January Block

Luckily for me, the group I'm in is called the "Free Bee," and blocks are meant to be improvisational in nature. I know I can handle that! At least, I thought I could...this is the January block, and it's now February. This should have been on it's way to it's new owner at least a week ago!

In Progress: The Code Quilt

2012-01-24T15:58:00.000-08:00

This was supposed to be the backing of the Embers quilt. I made it using a bunch of the scraps left behind while making that top, but, I've decided I like it too much for it to go on the back. It will be its own quilt. I think I'll call it "Code."

It is very big. Much bigger than this photo shows, really. I'll try to get a better picture of it once it's been quilted!

Textility

2012-01-17T17:16:00.000-08:00

Today, I'm enjoying this Flickr slideshow of the Textility show from the Visual Arts Center of New Jersey.

My favorite is the work by Derick Melander. Which do you like best?

In Progress: The Embers Quilt

2012-01-13T08:11:00.000-08:00

I started working on this quilt in my last Confetti Quilts class. I fell in love with the Kona Charcoal fabric I used. It's not black, but a veeerrrry deep grey. I'm calling it "The Embers Quilt" because the little bits of bright scraps add kind of a bright, burning look. At least, that's what I think!

Sewing Studio Upgrade

2012-01-07T08:39:00.000-08:00

It was time to give my little sewing studio a make-over. And who doesn't like to see a sad "before"...

...and happy after?

Here are a few of my favorite things in the new studio:

My 8' x 8' design wall! It's flannel, padded, and beautiful - even when it's empty!
The fold out table that's adjustable to big or small projects. It's the same table that I used before, but I modified it by putting some Ikea shelving beneath one leaf of the table, and now it is so much more useful! It also rolls if I need to move it out of the way.
I love all of the new shelving and drawer space. I've already filled my bookshelves to the brim, though. Does that mean I have to stop buying books?
The quilted pet beds in the corner. One for cat and one for dog. They needed a new space in the new space!
The printed waxed paper garlands from Mangle Prints that I got on Etsy months ago in preparation for the new studio!
This list could go on....and on....and on...

New vs. Old

2011-12-14T22:45:00.000-08:00

Can you tell which fabric was bought for 50 cents from the thrift store and which was bought for $9 at the quilt shop?

Lecien vs. Thrift Store

I thought not.

I am in love.

2011-12-12T16:07:00.000-08:00

I'm so in love with everything Sally Nencini makes that I can't concentrate on anything else except clicking around her website and her Etsy shop. Really, I should be sewing up orders for my own shop, or at least cooking up some yummy Christmas fudge. But no, I must gaze upon the hand-embroidered sofa cushions. Or stare at the matching cowboy/cowgirl knit pillows.

Sally Nencini. Knit Genius.

Aaaaahhhh, so much goodness. There are hearts where my pupils should be.

Fat Thread Quilting with Mary Mashuta

2011-12-06T20:59:00.000-08:00

I've been wanting to take Mary Mashuta's Foolproof Machine Quilting class for awhile, and finally, the stars aligned, my Saturday was free, and the class had a couple of empty spaces. I've been adoring Mary's quilts for a long time. I had her Cotton Candy Quilts book continually checked out of the Berkeley Public Library for months at a time until I finally found my own copy, so I was really excited to take a class from her.

She uses a process of quilting that doesn't involve marking your quilt top. Instead, you use contact paper cut-outs to create designs that you then stick onto your quilt and quilt around. She also uses very thick threads, and I love that look!

Here are a couple of my class samples.

I can't wait to use this technique on a bigger project!

Let the Cuteness Begin!

2011-12-02T07:30:00.000-08:00

I'm an auntie!!! My sister has a new baby, so I feel like that gives me a good reason to go gaga for cutesy. Right?

Here's the stack I'm starting with, some thick cozy flannels.

Jumpin' Monkey flannels from Cathy Heck Studio

And when I've worked my way through that, I'm moving on to the cutest of cute featuring LOTS of PINK!

Emma, also from Cathy Heck Studio

Where did I find this hot off the press fabric? I just happen to be in the East Bay Modern Quilt Guild with one of the design team! Thank you so much, Ellen!

Indigo Dyeing

2011-11-19T22:45:00.001-08:00

I don't knit. Or crochet. So, I don't let myself go into yarn stores too often...or I might start a new bad habit. Recently, however, a new yarn store called A Verb for Keeping Warm opened and they figured out a way to drag me in. Back behind all the gorgeous yarn and wonderful spinning wheels, is a section filled with a beautifully curated collection of quilting cottons. And, wouldn't you know, I go in for the fabric...and come out contemplating taking a weaving class.

A couple of weeks ago, to celebrate their one year store anniversary, Kristine Vejar, the owner, opened up access to her indigo dyeing pots for anyone with a skein of yarn or a bit of fabric to come and use. So generous! And, of course I showed up with a little linen.

Pots of Indigo. Yes, they smell a bit and live outside.

Kristine dyeing my linen. When it first comes out of the vat, it's bright green!

I have to say, there's really nothing more beautiful than a drying rack full of recently dyed indigo yarns.

Once the dye gets more oxygen, it turns from green to blue.

You can see a video of Kristine explaining all about indigo and indigo dyeing on the Ysolda blog. I don't think it mentions the little tidbit that she told us the night of the dye demonstration about how, long ago, in order to get the ph levels just right, the indigo pots were fed with a strange mixture of mashed bananas and pee. Yes, urine, specifically from a young boy??? (Maybe that's because they'll pee just about anywhere...go ahead, ask me how I know.)

And, here's my linen! It turned a beautiful soft French Blue.

Now I just have to figure out how I want to use it! Any ideas?

A Gorgeous Give-Away

2011-11-18T15:22:00.001-08:00

Head over to the rikrak studio for your chance to win some lovelies (including a Peppermint Pinwheels baby play mat!). And don't forget to check out her Handmade Community Holiday Gift Guide!

It's that time of year!

2011-11-08T18:59:00.000-08:00

Holiday shopping has begun! I've already been going through my Etsy favorites to find some great handmade presents for the lucky people on my list. (I say they're lucky because I only buy things I would want myself!)

Rik Rak Studio is making it easy for me to find wonderful new items with her Handmade Community Holiday Gift Guide*. Each week, she picks a category and lets readers post their favorites in each category. Check back each Tuesday to see what the latest category is, and be sure to add your favorite gift ideas of the season (so I can check 'em out!).

A Quilt Block for October.

2011-10-31T07:00:00.000-07:00

I had so much fun making this block!

Happy Halloween!

Improvisational Confetti Class

2011-10-28T19:49:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, I taught my Improvisational Confetti Quilt class for the first time. Because I often work in an improvisational way, not planning before I cut, or worrying too much about how I sew it together, I forget about how hard it can be to step away from "perfection." I always have a great time in class telling people to "just cut it!" and yelling across the room, "put down that seam ripper!" (I promise, my classed ARE fun - not scary...right?!) Sometimes my students listen to me, but sometimes, they struggle with being afraid to go "off pattern" and letting wonderful things happen organically.

Confetti Quilt Class at New Pieces Quilt Shop, October 2011

In this class, some may have had a bit of a struggle, but look how beautifully the work came out!

Ah well, I might be more comfortable with improvisational quilting, but I bet all you perfectionists that think ten steps ahead would kick my butt at chess.

I Love 30's prints!

2011-10-25T16:06:00.000-07:00

I have an entire shelf devoted to 30's prints, but I rarely get to use them. Now they're off the shelf and have made it up onto the design wall!

Basketweave Sweets Quilt - In Progress

Pacific International Quilt Festival 2011

2011-10-19T09:06:00.000-07:00

This year, I only had 2 hours to spend at PIQF. Definitely, not enough time. Here are a few quick pictures of quilts that caught my eye as I ran past. You can see more detail over on Flickr.

Some pretties from PIQF 2011

Amazingly, the first quilt I saw at the show was created in my Split Log Cabin class! It turned out great, Barbara!

I think I only got through about half of the show before it closed and I had to run to my Hawaiian applique class with Jean Brown. It was a hectic afternoon, but I had a great time!

Learning how to make a quilt. Please help!

2011-09-29T21:57:00.000-07:00

Lately, I've been making some major changes to my sewing studio. But, I'll talk more about that later - I'm not finished with it yet! The reason I mention it, is that while re-organizing all of my things, I found this picture:

My First Quilt!

Pictures of the very first quilt I ever made! I didn't even remember that pictures of this quilt existed! I made it back in 1994, when I was in my last year of college. It was for the first friend my own age that was having a kid. (It took all my other friends a LONG TIME before they had any off-spring!)

I don't even remember who's sewing machine I used to make this, but I do remember that although I didn't have much trouble with the piecing (yes, I'm sure I cut this out with scissors!), I really struggled with the over-all quilting. I know I originally thought I would hand-quilt it, but decided on machine quilting, so I'd have it finished before the kid was in college himself. It almost didn't happen! The batting was a puffy polyester and I hadn't ever heard of a walking foot before. It was so frustrating and such a struggle to get it finished. The lines weren't straight at all and the stitch lengths were all over the place. I was annoyed and disappointed and I don't think I made another quilt for about 4 years. (The next one took years to finish as it was all hand-quilted!)

Now I quilt all the time. And I just wish that back then, I had someone telling me all the tips and tricks to make sewing and quilting more fun and not so frustrating. With that in mind, I'm starting a new class, held here in Berkeley (sorry, it's not web-based) called Home Ec 101 to help new quilters, or anyone struggling with sewing. It's also for anyone who just wants some dedicated quilting time and some fun peeps to hang out and quilt with! It starts next Tuesday, October 4th and will be held on the first Tuesday of every month at New Pieces Quilt Shop.

Here's where I need HELP!!!

What I'm wondering is, if you're a new quilter, what are you struggling with? And, if you're an experienced quilter, what are your words of wisdom? I would LOVE it if you would leave comments and let me know!

If you'd like more information on Home Ec 101, you can check it out here: http://onthedesignwall.blogspot.com/p/quilting-classes.html

Peppermint Pinwheels Give-away!

2011-08-31T18:42:00.000-07:00

Head over to the uber-cute Bloesem Kids blog and leave a comment for a chance to win a $50 gift certificate good towards anything in my Peppermint Pinwheels Etsy shop. Good luck!

I pulled an all-nighter!

2011-08-24T16:52:00.000-07:00

Well, I didn't actually stay up all night, but it was close! I'm a big fan of sleep, so you know it's important if I'm staying up late and waking up early. I'll just come out and admit it, I went on vacation, over-committed myself, and fell a bit behind on my obligations. But, although I'm a bit sleepy today, I'm happy to say, I finished!!!

Confetti Quilt

Here's my new Confetti Quilt. It's totally scrappy and lovely and I'll be teaching a class on how to make it in October!

You can see more pictures on Flickr!

A trip to the Virginia Quilt Museum...and then shopping.

2011-08-21T09:35:00.000-07:00

While I was visiting in Virginia, my sister and I took a road trip. The intention was to visit the Virginia Quilt Museum as well as whatever quilt shops we could find along the way.

The Virginia Quilt Museum

The museum itself was a bit of a disappointment as most of the quilts on exhibit were contemporary and made by the same woman. They just weren't my cup of tea. I would have loved to see more antique quilts. The museum did have an interesting library where I could have spent a lot more time, but we had other things to see!

Our next stop was Patchwork Plus, which claims to be the largest quilt store in Virginia. I picked up a couple of fabrics from the sale table, as well as a sweet little strawberry print that I just couldn't resist. I have a thing for strawberry fabric.


Adding to my hoard.

After that we hit just about every thrift and antique store in North-Western Virginia. At least, it felt that way! I have got to say, the thrift stores were amazing! I could have come back with a shipping container full of furniture, but alas...I only had suitcases to fill.

Since I hadn't gotten enough of antique quilts from the quilt museum, I made sure to pay special attention to the quilts at the antique stores, plus, they didn't mind if I took pictures! The best over-all selection came from my favorite antique mall of all time, The Strasburg Emporium. I literally grew up shopping there and they always have wonderful things to look at.

Dresden Fan with really fun fabrics

This quilt had hundreds of these little hand-embroidered campfires. What is that about?

This antique signature quilt baffled me. What were all the signatures for?

But, my favorite two quilts of the day were found at Vilnis Antiques, also in Strasburg. The fist is attributed to the Mennonites of SE Pennsylvania and dates somewhere between 1880-1920 (this, according the tag attached to it!). I just adore the colors of this quilt. ADORE!!!

"Joseph's Coat" quilt

Each stripe in the interior is quilted differently.

Detail of the hand-quilting

But, the one that came home with me...all the way back to California, is this one:

How could I resist?

I'm calling this my God's Eye quilt. The top is made from double knit jersey - cotton mostly, but with just a few bits of polyester thrown in! The binding is a polyester stripe fabric that is wonderful. The backing is a hideously ugly flannel print of fruit, but it will never see the light of day as I never intend to look on the reverse side again!

I ♥ Virginia!

2011-08-10T08:33:00.000-07:00

I may live in Northern California, but I'm actually a Virginia girl. When the cold, Bay Area summers start to get to me (seriously, I have to heat my house to get the temperature above 65 degrees), I jump on a plane and visit hot, humid Virginia. Here's why I love it!

View of the Blue Ridge Mountains from the Hartland Orchard in Markham, Virginia

Fresh tomatoes from my sister's garden.

Blue crabs, caught and cooked by my uncle. Yum

Fresh peaches, picked by my sister and me.

And so many great antique stores, flea markets, and thrift stores. But, more on that later!

Going down the Drunkard's Path.

2011-07-11T07:41:00.000-07:00

It's not what you might think. I haven't gone round the bend with a bottle of whiskey. But, I have wandered a bit on the Drunkard's Path recently. I have this wonderful solids charm pack from Robert Kaufman that needs to be made into a quilt. So, I started ~~drinking~~ thinking, and that's when I got involved with this tricky little block.

The Drunkard's Path Die (makes 2 blocks)

A friend lent me his new toy, a die-cutter for fabric called the Accuquilt Go Baby. One of the die cuts is a 3" drunkard's path block. The coolest thing about the Accuquilt is how fast it can cut up a TON of fabric. The not so cool thing, is that I cut up a bunch before I really thought about what I was doing. Wah, wah.


It took about 5 minutes to cut up my Kaufman charm pack with the Accuquilt.

What a beautiful scrap heap! I can't bear to throw these little strips away.

Now I've got all these little bitty curved blocks to piece and arrange. So far, I'm struggling.

As usual, I turn to Google images for help. Here are my favorite arrangements. As it turns out, my most favorite is a Gee's Bend quilt. Go figure.

Lucy T. Pettway "Drunkard's Path" Variation (Snowball) ca. 1950

Ripple Quilt by Dan Rouse

Drunkard's Path by Nora Lehmann at Painter's Progress

Drunkard's Path Block by Kate at Needle and Spatula

And then, I started designing some myself. Here are a few of the designs I'm considering.

1. Drunkard's Path: circles, 2. Drunkard's Path: vertical lemons, 3. Drunkard's Path: quartered, 4. Drunkard's Path: dark and light, 5. Drunkard's Path: crash dummy circles, 6. Drunkard's Path: mosques

Which one do you like best?

Classes, cake, and more classes!

2011-06-26T21:14:00.000-07:00

This first official week of summer has been so busy! My son's out of school, so summer camp has begun, I have had great friends visiting from out of town, it was my birthday (I love yummy birthday treats!), I took a class, and I taught a class. Whew! Just typing that makes me tired. So, with all that going on, I haven't had much of a chance get any real sewing done...but the ladies in my latest Improvisational Basketweave class did!

Improvisational Basketweave Class at New Pieces Quilt Shop

I never get tired of watching people create. It's wonderful to see the different color and fabric combinations that people bring to class. This was a great group, and we had such a great time! If you'd like to see the pictures in detail, click on over to my Flickr set!

I went shopping.

2011-06-19T20:08:00.000-07:00

So, I bought a couple of things. It was kind of an accident...you know how it is when you start looking around on Etsy. And, I ended up just HAVING to have the antique green trim from Maison Maudie shipped to me. (From France! Don't you just love the Labrador Retriever stamps that were on the package?)

And then, the day before it came in the mail, I found this "Fleur d'Paris" by Henry Glass fabric on sale. How could I say no? Now they live on the shelf above my work table. What to make!?!

Quilting Small.

2011-06-14T20:33:00.000-07:00

This week I finished three mini quilts...otherwise known as "pillows."

Quilted Pillow Fronts

I might even like the backs more than the fronts.

Quilted Pillow Backs

If these pillows look awfully familiar to you, maybe you've seen these pillows, which I made a couple of years ago. Like the first set, these are also made with designer sample book fabrics, but just a bit smaller (each pillow is 18" square). I LOVE working with designer sample books. It's like having the most gorgeous charm packs.

Thank you, Heart Handmade!

2011-06-07T19:50:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Mandie for featuring me today on her blog, Heart Handmade.

Completed: Another Improvisational Quilt!

2011-06-03T18:20:00.000-07:00

I started working on this green, white and red quilt during one of my improvisational quilting classes. I was inspired by this quilt made by Martha Jane Pettway. You may remember a similar green and white split log cabin quilt I made last year, inspired by the same quilt. Well, these two are similar, except that they're completely different!

I used a combination of cottons and linens in this one. The off-white cotton I used on the front is Robert Kaufman's Kona Crush, which is fast becoming my most beloved fabric of all time.

The backing is pretty simple. Some really silky feeling blue chambray, a panel of home dec. weight pink floral, and more of that lime linen. The quilting shows up so well on the blue chambray!

The lime green linen is from a towering stack of linen banquet table cloths that I purchased from my favorite local re-sale shop. I just picked up a couple more yesterday, so be on the lookout for more work using dark khaki green, mustard yellow, and purple linen. (Don't worry too much, it probably won't all be in the same quilt...but you never know!)

By the way...this one's for sale!

Antique Half Square Triangles

2011-06-01T19:47:00.000-07:00

This is another antique quilt that lives at my Mom's house.

Another of my Mom's Lovely Quilts

The fabrics in this one remind me of the calm, sepia tones that are popular in Japanese quilting right now. Right before I posted this, I found the cute brown fabric with the little colored red balls has been almost exactly reproduced by D's Selection fabrics from Japan. What a crazy coincidence that my friend, Mary, just happened to purchase some of it the day I was writing this post!

Anyone know what the name of this block is? I found one similar to it called "Birds in the Sky," but it only had 3 half-square triangle blocks. This one seems more like the entire flock of birds, not just a few... (I admit, I'm too lazy to look through hundreds of blocks to find the name, but I'd love to know!)

Completed: A Couple of Different Basketweave Quilts

2011-05-20T20:00:00.000-07:00

I'm teaching a new class in June and made a few quilts to demonstrate the pattern.

A bright and springy green and white quilt

A moodier green and white quilt

Same blocks, mostly the same fabric, really different quilts!

Yeah Bloggers' Quilt Festival Time!

Student Success!

2011-05-20T08:07:00.000-07:00

One of my quilting students brought in her completed Split Log Cabin quilt. Isn't it great? Can you guess where she might have gotten some inspiration?

Gail with her split log cabin quilt.

I love her quilting. She did this on her home machine!

Interested in making one of your own? See my list of classes to see when I'm teaching next!

In Progress: Scrappy, Scrappy, Scrap, Scrap

2011-05-12T08:16:00.000-07:00

I've been working on a new quilt. Or maybe it's two or three quilts. I haven't decided yet. All I know is that my scrap "pockets" are overflowing and need to be thinned out.

I love using this shoe organizer to store scraps.

As you can see, the pockets are just getting too full!

So, here's what I'm working on.

I can't decide if I should make several small, more monochromatic quilts, or just go rainbow crazy and make a really large quilt. I think I'm leaning towards small and monotone....ish.

A sweet and simple boy's quilt.

2011-05-09T18:32:00.000-07:00

I've noticed lately that "sweet and simple" keeps slipping into my quilt titles.


Bouncing Blue Balls Crib Quilt

Bouncing Balls quilt detail

*This quilt is for sale in my Etsy shop, Peppermint Pinwheels.

Thank you, Amy!

2011-04-29T08:06:00.000-07:00

Amy Ellis has featured me on her blog, Amy's Creative Side today! You might know her from such accomplishments as her book, Modern Basics, her involvement with The Sewing Summit, and not least her wonderful blog which features The Blogger's Quilt Festival, an online quilting gallery that coincides with Quilt Market. The next one begins May13th. Mark your calendar!

Thank you, Amy!

A wonky good time!

2011-04-28T21:29:00.000-07:00

I'll get back to the quilt-making rampage I referred to in my previous post tomorrow (or perhaps the next day!) as I have 2 new quilts to show off, but first I want to share some pictures from my last improvisational quilt class!

Lots of sewing!

And designing!

These ladies were so much fun. I'm always amazed at how each person interprets the class in a different way and each quilt is so unique to the quilt-maker. One of my students, Elena, started a quilt in the first class and had it finished (mostly!) AND selected for a show by the next class!

Elena's selected quilt is in the center, the one to the left of it is the one she started on between class sesssions!

Another simple quilt, still modern?

2011-04-26T15:00:00.000-07:00

Once I got back from New York, I went on a quilt-making rampage. As soon as I was done with the simple, modern quilt, I realized that I needed to turn in a quilt sample for my next improvisational quilt class. So, I made this green and white number with some blocks I've been playing with for awhile. I just couldn't help myself and backed it with yellow gingham checks made from thrift store curtains. I didn't even care that the gingham was part polyester. Madness!

I love how bright and sunny this quilt is!

Sorry I didn't take any pictures of the back. I whipped on the binding, threw it up on the design wall to take a couple of pictures and rushed it to the shop, as my "homework" was a day late!

If you'll be in the Bay Area in June and are interested in taking the class for this incredibly versatile pattern sign up here!

A simple, modern quilt.

2011-04-24T22:39:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, I finished a queen size quilt (that's very large for me!) made with some lovely fabrics. I'm just now catching up enough to post it!

Love this over-blown dahlia print!

What do you think of that purple?

Art/Sewn at Five Myles Gallery, Brooklyn

2011-04-21T09:06:00.000-07:00

On the very last day of my trip to New York, I managed to drag my family out to a small gallery around the corner from the Brooklyn Museum. I found out about the show, Art/Sewn, from Anna Von Mertens' website while I was writing a blog post about her quilts. Not wanting to miss a chance to see more of her work, I made sure that this gallery made it onto my packed agenda!

The show featured 8 artists working in the medium of "needlework" to create art and I really enjoyed it. Since the gallery allowed me to take pictures, I'll let you experience it in much the same way that I did! Click on the pictures if you'd like to read the text bigger or see the work closer.

Art/Sewn curated by Ward Mintz at Five Myles

Five Myles Gallery

Vanishing Point by Anna Von Mertens

Vanishing Point by Anna Von Mertens, detail of hand quilting

Gray Area/Maximum Ebb at San Francisco Bay Entrance by Anna Von Mertens

Gray Area/Maximum Ebb at San Francisco Bay Entrance by Anna Von Mertens, hand quilting detail

Empty Night by Jessica Rankin

Empty Night by Jessica Rankin, embroidery detail

Machination by Denise Burge

Recollection....Terra Cotta (1) by Elisa D'Arrigo

Filled by Linnea Glatt

Filled by Linnea Glatt, knot detail

A Visit to the American Folk Art Museum

2011-04-18T16:48:00.000-07:00

After giving my 7 year old son the camera at the Met, I realized that was the key to keeping him interested and occupied at the museum while I'm looking at the exhibits. So, I let him take more pictures at the Folk Art Museum. He took these shots specifically for me to use as quilting designs. Great idea!

Ball Point Pen Drawings by Eugene Von Bruenchenhein

These are pen drawings by the outsider artist, Eugene Von Bruenchenhein. Actually, a guard came over and explained that we weren't supposed to be photographing them. But the pictures were already taken, and I think they're neat, so I'm sharing.

A few other highlights of the museum:

Improvisational Quilts

Cute strawberry applique

Even cuter dog applique - Pugs, perhaps?

I've also been a huge fan of Paula Nadelstern's work and I was excited to finally get to see one of her Kaleidoscope quilts in person. I've tried making one of these myself, and got as far as one block. Her process is so exact and intense. I like a challenge, but it's hard for me to see the big picture when working with such tiny bits.

Paula Nadelstern's Kaleidoscope quilt

Infinite Variety - The Red and White Quilt Show

2011-04-07T15:30:00.000-07:00

The Red and White Quilt Show!

I can't believe how lucky I am that I just happened to be in New York the same week as the show, Infinite Variety, Three Centuries of Red and White Quilts, hosted by the American Folk Art Museum at the Park Ave. Armory. Since I make and sell quilts under the name, Peppermint Pinwheels, you know I've got a soft spot for red and white quilts.

It. Was. A.M.A.Z.I.N.G!!! And that could be an understatement. The show was only up for 6 days and I caught it on the very last day. There were 650 quilts - all of them red and white. I took so many pictures. I hope you can get just a little bit of the overwhelming awesomeness that was this show through my pictures, and if you want to see more, you can go to the Flickr site set up by the Folk Art Museum to document photos taken at the exhibit.

Did I have a favorite? I don't know yet. I'm still processing all the different designs. The show was unbelievably, wonderfully, incredibly, impressive. (Can you tell I looked up the word awesome in the thesaurus?)

The Metropolitan Museum of Art - Different Perspectives

2011-04-05T18:30:00.000-07:00

We spent the second day of our trip at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I've prepared a photo essay to show the difference between the things I found interesting, and how the exhibits were viewed by my 7 year old (or "8-ish," if you ask him).


My photos from the Met featuring mummy wrappings, 19th century graffiti on Egyptian tombs, and a painted ceiling from New Guinea.

The Met through the eyes of a 7-year old boy. It's all weapons, body parts and "creepy" sculptures made from found objects.

New York City in March: Chillier than expected!

2011-04-04T21:07:00.000-07:00

Last week, I went to New York City. This week, I have time to show you what I saw.

I was so excited to discover the work of Richard Galpin at High Line Park and my traveling companion enjoyed playing a little game of "now you see me, now you don't!"

Viewing Station at High Line Park

Using white space and cut-outs, Galpin's work changes the way you see the city.

Viewing Station by Richard Galpin

I really liked the installation at High Line Park and I'm in love with the work on his website. You can see some highlights on The Daily Tonic.

I also found some killer hot chocolate. Which was good since it was pretty windy up there on the High Line!

Cocoa with the biggest marshmallow EVER! from City Bakery

Completed: Hand Tied Quilt

2011-03-22T08:00:00.000-07:00

Call me a quilt snob, but the idea of completing one of my quilts by tying it just never occurred to me. It's not that I don't like tied quilts, they just seemed like a bit of a cop-out. Then I saw this Amish inspired baby quilt by my friend, Edith, and changed my mind.

Edith's Hand-tied Baby Quilt

The technique she used is called "crow-footing." Some people call it a "decatur knot." I just call it cool! There are no little knot ends left on the surface of the quilt top (or bottom), because the threads are buried within the quilt sandwich. Here is an excellent photo how-to posted by another fan of the technique who merely goes by the Flickr profile, Decatur Knot Fan. Who-ever you are, thanks!

Well, at the time I couldn't remember what the technique was called, so I went ahead and made a simple quilted blanket using square knots of lavender embroidery floss on an antique silk sari with a linen backing. I love how it turned out - tasseled knots and all!

My hand-tied quilt

Inspiration: Anna Von Mertens

2011-03-19T08:00:00.000-07:00

Do you ever love someone's work so much it almost hurts you to look at it? That's how I feel about the work of Anna Von Mertens. When I saw her quilts in person, the thing that struck me most, as a quilter, was that, although her quilts are clearly works of art, she was showing them in gallery settings on bed-like forms. Oh, I can't even tell you how much I love the irony of that!

Okay, so here are a few of my absolute favorites (it was really hard to pick just a few), but go over to her site and see the rest. It's like staring into the sun.

Black and White, Shades of Gray, installation view, Lizabeth Oliveria Gallery, Los Angeles, 2005

The Dawning of the Age of Aquarius, March 20, 2160

Jupiter Rising, January 7, 1610, Padua, Italy

Split Log Cabin Class - Round 2!

2011-03-16T21:45:00.000-07:00

Last week I taught the my second Split Log Cabin class at New Pieces, my local quilt shop here in Berkeley. I had so much fun teaching this group how to make this quilt! Since this class was an evening class on a week-day, I was expecting some tired folks to show up, but these ladies had their rotary cutters out and ready to go.

Wow! These ladies sew fast!

Thanks to Gail for letting me use her photos - as I forgot to bring the memory card for my camera!

If you're in the SF Bay Area and interested in taking the class, you can sign up for the next session here. I'll also be teaching a class based on my Basket Weave quilt, which will be held in June. If you're interested, you can sign up for that here.

Blog love

2011-03-09T22:19:00.000-08:00

Can the chain letter of quilty blog love come around twice? Yes, it can! Waaay back in January, Mari from The Quilting Edge nominated me for the Liebster Award (more details here), and now I've been nominated again by Mary Ramsey Keasler at Fiberliscious! In the spirit of spreading the love, it's now my turn to nominate a few blogs that I enjoy reading.

So, here's the list - go check 'em out!
Toefeather - I am loving the block a day done in solids. The colors are spectacular!
Aunty Cookie - A blog that makes me laugh out loud and fabric designs that I love.
Pings and Needles - Another funny lady!

In Progress: Ansley's Playmat

2011-02-26T19:36:00.000-08:00

Once upon a time, I met a lovely girl from Baton Rouge, LA named Ansley. We became friends when we were both in school in a tiny university in N. Ireland. At the time, the most creative things we did were based on trying to recreate American foods with UK groceries. (Can you believe that at the time, they didn't have chocolate chips there??) Fast forward a few years. I have a kid, she has a kid. I started sewing, and she started painting. When my son was born, she made a painting for him. When her daughter was born, I sent a quilt. When she requested one of my play-mats, I suggested she check out Spoonflower, and I would make a play-mat for her based on her own paintings.

Ansley's Playmat

Genius! What a special blanket for her little girl!

I'm particularly fond of the girl with the red ponytails print (no surprise there!).

Completed: Red and White Linen Improvisational Quilt

2011-02-18T22:50:00.000-08:00

I feel like I haven't finished a quilt in ages! And really, I haven't. I've finished lots of other sewing projects for my Etsy shop, but sadly been neglecting the things I find most fun.

Red and White Linen Improvisational Quilt

You might recognize this quilt from my previous post about it, or for the 9 ladies that took my class in January, it was the one I was working on during class!

Red and White Linen Quilt, Back

I have a couple other bits and pieces floating around my studio, just waiting to be whipped together into finished products. Now to just pry myself away from my Google reader and start sewing!

Something colorful

2011-02-15T14:58:00.000-08:00

My yellow flower baby play-mat was recently featured in this colorful treasury on Etsy. It's just the thing for the gray day I'm having!

53C87QRCNXHA

Happy Valentine's Day

2011-02-14T08:11:00.000-08:00

The best yarn bomb ever. Found on the Wonton Power blog. Unrivaled creativity and cuteness!

Lover's Lane Yarn Bomb by the Knitorious M.E.G.

Inspiration: Eleanor McCain

2011-02-12T10:17:00.000-08:00

The work of Eleanor McCain = miracles achieved with squares...and some rectangles.

Eleanor McCain, Red 2

Eleanor McCain, Grey and Green Grid Study with Red

Eleanor McCain, 9 Patch Color Study 4

Fearless Blogging!

2011-02-10T16:35:00.000-08:00

I'm so excited to be the guest blogger today over at Fat Quarterly.

Pop over and check it out, then come back and let me know what you think!

* If you're interested in taking a class on improvisational (fearless!) quilting from me and live in the SF Bay Area, I'll be teaching at New Peices Quilt Shop in Berkeley on April 12th and 19th from 6:15-8:15. Contact the store for more information!

Inspiration: Rugs

2011-02-06T19:25:00.000-08:00

If you know me, then you know that in my "day job," I restore oriental carpets. Every day that I go to work, I get to be surrounded, quite literally, by beautiful hand-dyed yarn and gorgeous (mostly!), antique rugs. Many of the carpets that I get to work on are tribal in origin and offer so much design inspiration. But, every once in a while, there's a carpet that seems worn beyond saving. I love what Loom Rugs does with rugs like these!

Loom has a beautiful selection of very interesting rugs, both new and vintage. Everything on their site is amazing - pop over and take a look!


Rugs available at Loom

I'm tempted to turn every one of these into a quilt...but especially the black and white one. We'll see!

Happy 1st Birthday TAFA!

2011-02-03T17:16:00.000-08:00

To celebrate the one year anniversary of the Textile and Fiber Art List, founder Rachel Biel made a video highlighting some of the wide variety of artists involved. Guess who's quilt made the "cover!" You can see more about the many members of TAFA (230 members and counting from over 23 countries!) on the TAFA website.

Inspiration: Wonky Pineapples from Japan

2011-02-01T20:17:00.000-08:00

I love pineapple quilts. I've made a few (silk & star), I love them so much.

But I it never occurred to me to use the pattern in an improvisational way. Once again, the Japanese quilters leave me speechless!

Picture by Moving Hands from Tokyo International

Detail

I can't wait to try to make my own "wonky pineapple" quilt.

In Progress: Improvisational Split Log Cabin in Red and White

2011-01-28T20:47:00.000-08:00

While teaching my class on improvisational quilting, I made a class sample!

My class sample

The top is finished, now I just need to make the backing and put it together.

Check it out: East Bay Modern Quilt Guild

2011-01-27T21:45:00.000-08:00

East Bay Modern Quilt Guild January Meeting

I just posted the meeting notes for our local modern quilt guild. Head over to the EBMQ blog and check it out!

Inspiration: Estate Sale Score!

2011-01-26T20:08:00.000-08:00

Last weekend, I bought myself a most exciting box of suprises.

File Box Full of Goodness

There are so many wonderful little fabrics in here. And even some bigger bits.

Scraps o'Plenty!

It's mostly cotton, with some silky/satins mixed in the bunch.

I'm suddenly feeling the uncontrollable urge to make a double wedding ring quilt. What would you suggest I do with them?

In Progress: Improvisational Quilting Class, Part II

2011-01-24T22:00:00.000-08:00

We wrapped up the second session of my Split Log Cabin class on Saturday (you can see pictures from the first class here). Since everyone had finished their homework, we were able to move into the process of finalizing our designs and finishing our quilt tops. It was so exciting to see how everyone's quilts came together!


For more detail, see these on Flickr.

Most of the students were able to finish putting on the interior sashes of the quilt before the end of class, and some had even started on outer borders.

I hope everyone sends me pictures of their finished quilts!

Thank you!

2011-01-20T20:35:00.000-08:00

The talented quilter, Marianne Haak over at The Quilting Edge nominated me for the Liebster Blog award. Marianne's quilts have been dazzling me from her Flickr pool for awhile, but she just started her blog, so head over there and check it out! My fellow East Bay Modern friend Dan's blog, Piece and Press made her list as well!

But, here's the sweet little catch to getting this award, you have to follow some rules!

Link back to the person who tagged you with the award!
And pass the award on to 3-5 blogs you recently discovered.
Our goal is to highlight some newer blogs (not the ones with already hundreds of followers) and introduce them to the blogging world!

My Google reader is full of great blogs, so after searching through the list (it's a REALLY long list!), here are my three picks. You'll just have to take a peek at them to figure out why I like them!
Papaver Vert
Kathryn Clark
Kim Eichler-Messmer

Inspiration: Amish Quilt Book

2011-01-19T20:16:00.000-08:00

After listening to this podcast by Pat Sloan with Julie Silber, I rushed right over to Amazon and ordered the out of print book, Amish, The Art of the Quilt.

It's based on the Esprit Amish quilt collection that I've heard about for years, but never had the opportunity to see. Below are a couple of my favorites:

What an amazing (and amazingly heavy!) book!

In Progress: Improvisational Quilting Class

2011-01-16T12:49:00.000-08:00

On Saturday, I taught my first improvisational quilting class and it was so much fun!

The busy work-room

The class is based on my split log cabin quilts. (You can see my green one here and my blue one here.) It's so cool to watch other people take that design and interpret it into their own styles. The color and fabric choices (oh, that wool flannel!) are wonderful. This was the first in a two-part class and I'll post more photos of the works in progress after our next meeting! Hope everyone does their homework!

If you live in the San Francisco area and are interested in signing up for this class, you can register for the next session at New Pieces Quilt Shop. Class starts March 1 at 6:15 pm! All levels of quilting ability are welcome!

Completed: Pinwheels Quilt

2011-01-14T14:20:00.000-08:00

I like pinwheels. So I designed this quilt.

Pinwheels Quilt designed in EQ6

I made it using the Brenda Hennings paper-pieced half square triangle method called Triangulations, which I thought was neat and worked pretty well. Here's how it turned out. It's a really large quilt, so it was difficult to get the whole thing in one picture!

Pinwheels Quilt

Back of the Pinwheels quilt

Then I saw this video on Bailey Girl Five's blog and I can't wait to make another one using this technique!

Completed: Stacks and Stacks of Playmats

2011-01-11T15:07:00.000-08:00

This is what I've been working on this week.

Quilted Baby Play Mats

...and it's only Tuesday!

Completed: Hand Quilted Crib Quilt

2011-01-04T20:31:00.000-08:00

I had a wonderful, relaxing Christmas break. I ate lots of cookies and did lots of hand quilting.

Blue and White Diamond Crib Quilt

I have made hand-quilted quilts before, but this is the first quilt I've made using such traditional quilting designs.

Hand quilting detail

I think it turned out lovely!

Tools: Japanese Tape

2010-12-12T19:58:00.000-08:00

I think I might have a problem.

I can't stop buying Japanese tape. Masking tape, shipping tape, scrap-booking tape. Gotta have it all!

It's so pretty!

Holidays: Red Polka Dot Christmas!

2010-12-11T10:31:00.000-08:00

'Flawless Fun Confectionery' by CreaShines

Fun last minute holiday finds!

JOY Hand painted Wo... Daffidolls $15.00	Acrylic doily deer ... Iwannabe $22.00	tiny pompom candy4 dadaya $80.00
Vintage POLKA DOTS ... lunaparkfoundr... $36.00	0-3 Months Newborn ... deusprovidebit $24.50	festive ceramic pit... maryjudy $85.00
25% off entire shop... Ravenhill $25.00	Red polka dots skir... AliceCouture $78.00	Red Peppermint Nine... PeppermintPinw... $175.00
dr. Seuss Christmas... halfmoonorigin... $65.00	Red and Cream Polka... MemoryBeanDesi... $30.00	Handmade sterling s... littlebugjewel... $83.00
20 Mushroom Ornamen... Stemellina $33.00	Small Red Purse JoshRhi7 $29.99	Modern Personalised... savannahroom $88.50

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Inspiration: Sujata Shah

2010-12-10T16:24:00.000-08:00

A couple days ago, Sujata from the Root Connection did a feature on her blog about my quilts. What an honor! I've been admiring her quilts through flickr as well and decided to return the love. A girl who loves color, does strippy circles and stripey stripe quilts from reclaimed materials is a girl after my own heart! She also designs patterns! My favorite design that she has a pattern for is Wagon Wheels.


1. Wagon Wheel, 2. String Quilt, 3. Shirts from the Goodwill Store, 4. Inspiration from Gee's Bend

Completed: Done, done and done!

2010-12-06T20:47:00.000-08:00

Pink Bouncing Ball Quilt

Blue and Brown Peppermint Circles Quilt

Linen and Denim Stripe Block Quilt

Now, I just have to get crackin' on my Christmas list.

In Progress: Fun with Linen and Denim

2010-12-05T21:45:00.000-08:00

Since I was dealing with a disaster in my bath-tub, I decided to make something fun.

I hand-dyed some linen curtain remnants, mixed it with a natural linen and threw in some denim as sashing. It's soft and wonderful. And it worked, now I'm happier!

Inspiration: Victoria Gertenbach

2010-12-01T20:39:00.000-08:00

Quilts by Victoria Gertenbach

1. Rural Roads - Detail, 2. Rural Roads - Detail, 3. Farm Houses - Detail, 4. Work Quilt - Detail, 5. Work Quilt, 6. Work Quilt #3 - Detail, 7. Work Quilt #3, 8. Work in Progress - Work Quilt #2 - Layer 2, 9. Work Quilt #2 - Detail

I have been loving these "work" quilts by Victoria Gertenbach (aka the Silly Boo Dilly) since I noticed them on Flickr. They look so wonderfully tactile. And then I saw her post on her newest series of small quilts. Totally love them! I love quilts that incorporate and feature old fabrics and all their "flaws." So, now I get to brag, I am the lucky new owner of Rural Roads! Here is a picture of it, hanging in a place of great honor behind my sewing machine and above a baby picture of my grandfather. I love, love, love it!

Rural Roads posing with my Bernina

Disaster, or why you should always finish projects in a timely manner.

2010-11-29T20:41:00.000-08:00

This is the quilt top:

Silk Carnival Quilt based on a pattern by Norah McMeeking

...and this is what happens to it when you leave it folded on the sofa in your studio under the shelf where you often leave your tea...for months...because you haven't gotten around to finishing it yet...and then you open it up one day, thinking, perhaps this week, it will get finished...and find matching Rorschach stains of disaster.

...and this is what it looks like after you try to remove the stain.

Bleeding, rumpled, mess of ruined silk

Not a good day.

P.S. Just in case you think I'm completely mad for trying to remove the stain myself, after reading countless online tips for removing stains from silk, I did consult a dry cleaner, who was not at all willing to take the risk to remove it there as the entire thing is backed with fusible interfacing. But, here's the lesson learned from that - if there's red silk involved, perhaps have them just give it a try before dunking it in a tub of oxi-clean???

Completed: Pennant Bunting Advent Calendar

2010-11-21T15:58:00.000-08:00

Oh my, did these ever take forever to finish! I had this idea back in September that I could make up a bunch of sets in time for December 1st, and I barely finished two sets by the last week of November!

Advent Calendar

Can't wait until December 1!

Although I might not endeavor to make more in the future, I love how the two sets I did make came out. I used my Cricut to make fusible fabric numbers and they turned out perfectly. Here's a picture of what my cutting table looked like for the past few weeks!

Santa's Workshop

Inspiration: Kim Eichler-Messmer's Beautiful Hand-dyed Quilts

2010-11-19T18:40:00.000-08:00

I recently discovered these beautiful quilts while perusing Pinterest. I love everything about them.


Kim Eichler-Messmer's Quilts

To find out more about her, check out her blog or her website.

Love, love, love.

Completed: Blue and White Split Log Cabin (with a little persimmon thrown in!)

2010-11-15T21:32:00.000-08:00

I created another version of my split log cabin quilt for a class I'll be teaching at New Pieces Quilt Shop in January.

Blue and White Split Log Cabin

For my first green and white version I used only upcycled and vintage fabrics, but for this one, I chose to use all new fabrics for the front. I found this wonderful, textured cotton that is very reminiscent of vintage flour sacks as well as some beautiful Kaffe Fassett shot cottons and a cotton called "Quilter's Linen" by Robert Kaufman (it looks textured like linen, but it's not!).


Split Log Cabin Detail

Split Log Cabin Center Detail

If you're wondering what the back looks like, well...I was a bit of a procrastinator as this quilt was due to be on display at New Pieces by today, so I literally cut the last threads, took a couple of photos and drove it down there, forgetting to photograph the back! I used the same ticking stripe for this one as for the green and white as well as some inset blue denim. I love it! I'm so excited about teaching the pattern, it's so much fun!

Inspiration: Grandmother's Flower Garden

2010-11-12T18:24:00.000-08:00

Grandmother's Flower Garden

I love the beautiful vintage textiles used to create this entirely hand-sewn and quilted Grandmother's Flower Garden quilt. This quilt has definitely been loved. Many of the white hexagons and some of the printed ones have shredded, but it's still in use!

Grandmother's Flower Garden - Detail

I love the edge detail and the pattern the hand quilting makes on the reverse.

Tools: Thimbles

2010-11-05T08:14:00.000-07:00

I'm hoping to get a lot of hand quilting done this weekend, so I pulled out some thimbles!

Starting with my favorite, ending with the ones I never use!

In Progress: Gingham!

2010-11-01T21:51:00.000-07:00

I love gingham! There's nothing like having a cute bowl filled with scraps...except maybe seeing the finished project.

Gingham scraps

A towering stack of picnic napkins

Inspiration: Martha Jane Pettway

2010-10-31T20:23:00.000-07:00

This is the quilt that inspired me to make my green and white linen split log cabin quilt. The original is in the Quilts of Gee's Bend collection. It is also made of corduroy, which I love in a quilt, but I cannot imagine hand quilting through corduroy.

Martha Jane Pettway, born 1898. "Housetop"--nine-block "Half-Logcabin" variation, ca. 1945, corduroy, 72 x 72 inches.

I think I remember from the show that the corduroy used was leftover scraps from home goods that women in the town were sewing up for a regional department store. For my version, I used thrift store linen tablecloths and bits of old blue jeans.

PSsst - Click on the link below the Martha Jane Pettway quilt to see some A.M.A.Z.I.N.G. quilts. You can also see loads of contemporary quilts by clicking on the Blogger's Quilt Festival button below!

Tools: Restoration for a Handmade Tablecloth

2010-10-30T11:55:00.000-07:00

In honor of Halloween, I have a scary story to tell about a ghoulishly stained tablecloth. Deep in a dark corner of the basement (where there was recently spotted a very large black snake and is a well-known haunt of the abhorrent jumping camel cricket, are you scared yet?) I found this once beautiful tablecloth. Brought back from a long ago trip to Venice, it's cream colored linen and handmade lace was stained and mottled with black and green mold.

Creepy!

The horror!


Bone-chillingly horrendous stains!

But, I heard of a product called Restoration that claims to extract stains from vintage textiles. It was a bit pricey for what I thought was merely a gentle laundry detergent. What I found out is that this powder has supernatural powers. I followed the directions on the container and had to repeat the application of my precious powder twice, but, at the risk of sounding like an info-mercial, the results were astounding.

It's a miracle!

There is still one tiny ghost of a stain left from the large patch of black mold, but it's so small that I can only see it when it's inches from my face.

I can't wait to use this to revive more of my stained treasures.

Tools: Vintage Needle Cases

2010-10-27T22:48:00.000-07:00

I love antique sewing accessories. I found this sterling silver needle case in an antique store amongst a jumble of threads that was once someone's sewing kit.

It is sterling silver and embossed with a couple standing facing a castle and a Van Gogh sky. It's so cool. When you press the small button on the front, it pops open, like a make-up compact. That's when all the needles fly out at you.

It's stamped with a patent from Jan. 12, 1904.

This needle case is hand painted porcelain from Limoge. It was a gift. The needles tend to fly out of this one as well. Flying needles, the price of beauty.

In Progress: Improvisational Split Log Cabin

2010-10-15T13:59:00.000-07:00

I'm working on a sample quilt for a class I'll be teaching in January based on my Linen and Denim quilt. I'll post class details as soon as it's confirmed!

Inspiration: Book Jacket Design

2010-10-13T21:03:00.000-07:00

We have had these books around for awhile. I really like the cover designs. A lot.

1. IMG_0005, 2. IMG_0003, 3. IMG_0006, 4. IMG_0007, 5. IMG_0001, 6. IMG_0008

In Progress: Pink and White Rolling Peppermints

2010-10-10T20:56:00.001-07:00

Pink and White Rolling Peppermints

Right now, it's all about the baby quilts!

In Progress: Blue and White Patchwork

2010-10-05T08:40:00.000-07:00

Creating patchwork fabric from bits and pieces.

Completed: An Obsession with Green and White?

2010-09-29T22:48:00.000-07:00

1. Linen and Denim Split Log Cabin Quilt Front, 2. Green Sunburst Quilt, 3. Green Sunburst Quilt, 4. Pink Border Peppermints and Ninepatches Quilt, 5. Green Gingham Cloth Napkins, 6. Green Bars Quilt

Maybe I'll switch to red and white in time for Christmas.

Inspiration: Ghost Town

2010-09-19T20:11:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I visited the town of Bodie in Eastern California. I loved the textures and patterns of the abandoned buildings.

Inspiration: Amazing Microscopic Needlework

2010-09-16T20:08:00.001-07:00

Vintage Needlework, originally uploaded by Peppermint Pinwheels.

Maybe I'm a bit odd, but I find this vintage linen handkerchief so exciting! Look at the itsy bitsy stitches! A friend of mine gave me two of these (score!) and I've just been oohing and aaahing over them every since. Whatever shall I use them for?

In Progress: Green and Denim Stripes

2010-09-13T11:58:00.000-07:00

In Progress: Gees Bend Inspired Quilt Top

2010-09-12T18:19:00.000-07:00

In Progress: Gees Bend Inspired Blocks

2010-09-07T23:23:00.000-07:00