WEDNESDAY IN TUCSON

 Today was another great day in the workshop learning new beading stitches and seeing the great sample our teacher Lisa Binkley brought to share.

We ended class at 3:30pm today and headed down into Kaffe Fassett's classroom which had chairs set up for a slide show with Kaffe and Brandon.  It was great hearing about Kaffe's journey in the art world.  And Brandon is always a hoot.

Later that evening we all treked down to have an outdoor Cowboy Cookout.  There was barbequed chicken, brisket and ribs.  There was also corn elote (which I've never had before and now it's a favorite), baked beans (delicious), corn bread, baked potatoes with all the fixings.  And, I don't know what all else.  For desert there was Blackberry Cobbler and Apple Cobbler, I had to try both.  There was a bar where you could get your favorite beverage.  And there was lemonade.  All accompanied by a live band and dancing and punctuated with lights strung over the fun.

OLDIES BUT GOODIES

 We are rearranging furniture and getting rid of some to make room.  One of the things that wasn't needed was a quilt rack.  But, I'm keeping the quilts.  Here are four older quilts that have been hanging on that quilt rack for quite a while.

This first one is one I made right after the opening of Pieces Quilt Shop in Renton.  There were very few customers and I had time to sew.  This was made from the first collection of fabrics I bought for the store. 

It is titled "All That Madders" made in 1996. 65-1/2" x 83"

The back - 

The next is one of my favorites, made from Kaffe Fassett Shot Cottons.  I love how they are so soft.  This pattern was taken straight from one of his books.  It is titled "Square Diamond Quilt", made in 2003. 79"x86"

Even the back is Kaffe fabric.

This one was made from fabrics I collected while we were visiting Denver Colorado in 2009.  I made and finished the quilt in 2011.  78"x90"

Backing made from leftovers and some hand dyes I made for it.

Then there's this one.  It has no label ! 

I know I had these diamonds cut out and laying about for quite a few years before I sewed them together.  It is 95" x 95", too big for my design wall, so it's curled down to the floor.

I appliqued the leftover diamonds onto the backing.

BACKING FOR CATS IN PAJAMAS

 I finally got around to making the backing for Cats in Pajamas.  I printed out a label, and inked it onto some Kona Limelight.

I had bought this Kaffe fabric with the big flowers specifically for this quilt's backing.  I used the leftover linen fabric that is the background on the front.   But, there wasn't enough so I added some Kona Limelight which is close in color but not the same to fill in the blanks.

MONTH FOUR BOM

Seattle Modern Quilt Guild released month four of this year's Block of the Month.

#SeaMQGBOM2023

I made four of these:

ADDING ON

 After I put all of the 'X' blocks together from Joe's Workshop, I thought it was just blah.  So I thought I'd add a few more with variations.  I'm all out of the Brandon Mably fabric, so I went with a solid yellow, Kona Bright Idea.

Something is not quite right.  So, I went looking for some more of that Brandon  Mably fabric in the background of the larger 'X's.  I'd already tried finding it at the commercial fabric shops online.  Today I tried looking on Etsy and lo and behold I found a yard at $14.50.  A little pricey but worth it, since it's out of print.  But, I was shocked to see the shipping would be $10.50.  That makes it $25 for one yard.  Yikes!  But I purchased it anyway, because, you know...  Then I see it's coming from Montreal and it's going to take a while for it to get here.  I guess I'll set this aside for a few weeks while I wait.

LITTLE TOP

 I started with just a yard of fabric.  It was a piece I picked up while we were visiting Charleston South Carolina.  I purchased it from a little quilt shop in a cinder-block building, Stitch-n-Sew.  I thought the fabric reminded me of the area.  Bright yellow background, reminiscent of the bright sunshine, with boldly colored sea creatures reminding me of being so close to the sea (no alligators though).  I paired this bright yellow with a violet-blue solid for Joe's project this month.

The yellow fabric was cut into 6" squares and the blue into (more or less) 1" strips.  I did eventually trade out the solid blue for two other print fabrics of the same hue to seem more 'make-do'.

Someone used the term 'coping strips' in the class when talking about adding a strip of fabric to make the square big enough.  Joe really like that, I do too.  I hope it catches on. [Maybe I'll name the quilt 'Coping']

So, this was as big as it was going to get with using just that one yard of yellow fabric.  I ended up with 36 6" squares.  But I used only 35.

It is 27.5" by 38.5" - - -

I just love that 'tomato red' - maybe I should use that color on the backing, or maybe a blue and yellow pin-dot.  [You know, you can never find the fabric you have in your mind.]

STITCH N SEW

We stopped at a little quilt shop in Charleston - Stitch N Sew Fabrics.  It is in a small cinder block building, divided up into small rooms.  There wasn't a lot of bolts, but what was there was very new and well choosen.  A nice shop.

I picked out this new Tula Pink with the waves and this Kaffe Fassett print with the bright bold colors and sea-theme, which reminds me of our trip here.  I also couldn't resist a small charm pack.

QUILTING BRASSICA

I loaded up Brassica on Eduard and started quilting on it.  I'm planning on using the computer for the whole thing.

LAST DAY OF 2017

I made the label for the quilt top I finished yesterday.  I didn't know what year to put on it, so I put both.  

Also, I looked up Brassica - it's a genus of plants in the mustard family and includes cabbage, which are what the flowers in the Snowball blocks look like.  

The back is all done - it's ready to be quilted.  Next year!

  Good bye 2017 - Hello 2018.  Let's hope it's a Happy New Year!

A WHOLE BOBBIN - A WHOLE QUILT

I've been working on getting the center panel of Snowball blocks sewn together.  I think I finished that up the other day.  

Today I started adding the borders and got it all put together.  A quilt in a day!

Center panel of Snowball blocks with first border.

With two borders - the second being a fussy cut flower border.

Then the third border - a wide 8" of flowers.

The next border is purple polka dots.

You know how when you're sewing the border on you run out of bobbin just before the end?  I hate that, you've got it all pinned and are removing the pins as you sew that long seam and then you realize you're out of bobbin thread and haven't really been sewing it together for a while and you have to repin it and wind a new bobbin and start all over?

Well, I kept thinking that was going to happen on every one of these borders as I put them on.  I kept checking and checking, but no.  The bobbin thread just kept going!  And then I started thinking I'd make it to the end of the quilt without running out and it would be a red letter day, but no.  I ran out of thread about 8-1/2" shy of finishing the last seam.  Wouldn't you know it!  

The finished top with the last border of more fussy cut flowers.

This pattern is straight out of Kaffe Fassett's book "Quilts in Ireland".  He calls it "Contrast Brassica Snowballs" - or Brass Balls for short.  (kidding!)

I don't know what I'm going to name it.   Any ideas?

STARTING NUMBER 10

I loaded the tenth quilt onto my A-1 Quilting Machine (Eduard) today - finally.   Seems like it's been quite a while...

This is the Chain Reaction quilt that I just made.  I loaded it in long side across the machine.

I'm doing something different in every row.

I'll have to remember what went where, so when I get to the other side I can repeat it, since the quilt is a mirror image on each side.

Some are free-motion

Some squares are done with rulers.

FINISHED!

I got to work on my Kaffe Fassett project early and got another two rows done before our walk.

Then after lunch, I got the last two rows done, and started sewing it together.

Every square needed to be pinned to the previous row so the square points line up.

But I got it done before dinner!  Yea!

This is called "Chain Reaction" from Kaffe's book "Sew Artisan".

WORKING ON PROJECT

I had the project from the Kaffe Fassett Workshop spinning through my head all night.  I couldn't wait to get back to work on it.  I woke up way too early and headed out to the studio (after caffeinating myself).  After I got it up on my work wall I was not happy.

Part of the problem was I was thinking that Kaffe thought my project was okay.  So, I thought I should go with it.  But, there were a few things I was not happy about and I realized that if I put it together like that I'd never be happy about it.  So, I got to work (like I learned in the workshop) and moved things around, changed things, tried different fabrics, different colors until I was pleased with it.

Only then did I start sewing it together.

I got a few rows done.

KAFFE FASSETT WORKSHOP

What a great opportunity!  A local quilt shop, Gossypium in Issaquah, offered some workshops with Kaffe Fassett and Brandon Mably.  I was one of the first to sign up.  

We were working out of his new book "Sew Artisan" on a project called Chain Reaction.

The workshop was mainly about color and color's reactions when placed next to each other.

We were encouraged to try different combinations and stretch beyond our normal combinations.

At the end of the day Kaffe went around the room and talked about each project.  

Kaffe and Brandon

 Here are some of the iterations my project went through...

This was someone else's project that I envied.

There were probably 25 participants.

Kaffe talking about my project.

I'm tired and my mind is whirling.  I can hardly wait to get it up on my workwall at home and get it finished.