Happy Halloween!

Sorry, I just couldn't resist this.  Once again, go to dog-shaming.com if you want to see more funny dog pictures.

My key rings are finished!  Here's a reminder of step 1.

Step 2.

Ta da!

Among all of my millions of projects, there is a large quilt under construction.  I've mentioned our February shop hop before.  The quilt and it's pattern will be a mystery until the hop starts.

Quilt for Sale

Unpacking  from the quilt shows and putting things away, I realize how many extra quilts and quilt tops I have.  Some are left over from classes, others once had kits accompanying them.  There is absolutely nothing wrong with them, but they don't have the same sentimental attachment that the quilts I designed or hand quilted have.  Some of them would be better off going to new homes.

This quilt is called "Stepping Stones".  The pattern was featured in the June/July 2008 issue of "Quilt" magazine.  I placed a wholesale order for about a dozen of the magazines and packed them up with a fabric kit to make the quilt.  All of the beautiful fabric, with the exception of the lightest off-white, is from KONA BAY.  I pieced the quilt top and my good friend Lilly machine quilted it.

Needless to say, the kits are long gone and the fabric is long gone.  Please contact me if you might be interested in purchasing this quilt (email me at cottonfields@embarqmail.com).  $250.00 including shipping if within the continental US.  It measures 66" x 86".  Here is a close-up of one corner:

 And here is the pattern in the magazine.

I want to emphasize that I bought copies of the magazine to be included in each kit.  It is important to respect copyright laws.

Now for something completely different.  Sometimes I check out the booth of odds and ends at the quilt shows.  Wow, did I hit pay dirt at the last one!  My friends will laugh (or maybe groan).  Look at all of the buttons!  And what a great price!!

Bee by the River

"Bee by the River" was the name of the quilt show we attended in New Bern, NC, hosted by the Twin Rivers Quilters Guild.  Hurricane Sandy was threatening so our attendance was down a little on the second day.  We haven't been able to unload yet because of the storm-related wind and rain, so I'll just have to content myself with sewing and blogging!

I was fascinated with a miniature scene, in a box not much bigger than a shoe box.  This little quilter's sewing room is full of interesting things to see....

I saw many wonderful quilts but I'm in sensory overload after attending three quilt shows in three weeks.  I took a few pictures, but not as many as last week.  Here are the top prize winners.

BEST IN SHOW - BED QUILT

 BEST IN SHOW - WALL QUILT

OK, blogging is done, so on to the sewing machine!.  As far as the storm goes, so far so good.  Power is on, Internet is on.  More tomorrow.

Key Rings and Earrings

After I made the pink tissue paper piece, I did another, with blues, yellows, and greens on a green hand dyed fat quarter.  I like it and I'm not so sure that I want to cut in up into itty bitty pieces.  Yesterday, when I briefly explained the process that I used, I neglected to include one important point:  work on top of a piece of freezer paper, shiny side up, so that you can peel the fabric off when it is dry.  Other details to note if you are going to try this method yourself is 1) Use a cheap foam brush and 2) My "white glue" of choice for this method is Aleen's OK To Wash it mixed half and half with water.

The pink fabric was dry first, so that is where I started.  I cut it down in size and sandwiched two layers of cotton batting between two layers of my tissue paper collage (right sides out) and quilted all over with a stipple stitch.  Then I marked a grid with pencil and proceeded to sew spirals in each space.  I tried something different in one space.

Next, I cut the pieces apart and began to cover the edges with zig zag stitch.  Most times I went twice around to get good coverage.  This is how far I got.  When I finish the edges, I will add the grommets and key rings.

I finished the latest bobbin earrings too.

AND I had time to make more blocks for my shop hop quilt.  I can't show it here because it is a secret until February.

Playtime in the Afternoon

I was absolutely delighted that I was able to finish my preparations for the next quilt show this morning.  TWO DAYS EARLY!!!  Three quilt shows in three weeks has not left much time for recreational sewing and crafts.  That changed today.

What's this?

I brought the big bag of tissue paper out of the closet.  Using a technique shown here earlier (and originally shown to me by Robin Kohler - Nestlings by Robin), I used diluted white glue to "decoupage" torn strips of tissue paper to a pink hand dyed fat quarter.

This will take a while to dry, but by tomorrow, I hope that I will be able to get to work on what will become more fabric key rings.  It was flattering that people bought my key rings and bobbin earrings at the quilt shows.  Now I have an excuse to make more!  I've glued buttons onto bobbins and when the glue is dry it won't take long to put four more pair together.

Goodbye to an old friend.  These scissors have only been used for paper for years.  The other day, they fell off a table at the quilt show and the handle shattered.  Thinking back, I believe that these are the scissors my mom bought for me when I was taking HOME ECONOMICS in the 8th grade.  That would make them around 45 years old.  Oh dear.  You do the math..

A Wonderful Quilt Weekend

We just returned from the Durham-Orange Quilters' Guild quilt show "A Thread Runs Through It".  Held every two years, this is our fourth time as vendors.  It was fun to see old friends among both guild members and the other vendors.  We had a GRAND time and the quilts we saw were just exceptional!  The quilt show is held at the American Tobacco Campus, a restored industrial space.  It is ideally suited for a quilt show.  The room containing the quilts is large and well lighted and vendors are situated on an L-shaped mezzanine area  above the show.  We had a bird's eye view.

Once down on the floor, I took a lot of pictures.  There were some large quilts with the most amazing piecing. 

Here's another.

And another.

Some things appealed to me for special reasons.  

BUTTONS!

SELVAGES!

This is the coolest patriotic quilt I've ever seen.  

"Bennie and the Jets"

Up close, there was some amazing machine quilting to see.

A local art quilt group exhibited their quilts depicting "from the mountains to the sea".

At the end of the show, I had a happy surprise.  I had bought 5 chances on fabric baskets and

 I WON ONE!!!

There is one more chance for quilters in this area to enjoy a quilt show.  Next weekend, we go to New Bern.  Their members tell me that there are over 250 quilts registered and there will be 17 vendors.  Don't miss it!

Bee By the River

October 26 & 27

Twin Rivers Quilt Show

Riverfront Convention Center

203 S. Front Street

New Bern, NC

9 am-5 pm both days

Demo at the Quilt Show

Believe it or not, we are almost ready to hit the road again.  This coming weekend we will be at the quilt show presented by the Durham-Orange Quilters' Guild in Durham, NC.  Vendors were asked if they were willing to give a demonstration and I accepted.  I'll be showing how to make my pattern "Crooked on Purpose".

The quilt on the pattern cover is a miniature, made of 3" blocks.  I've also made a lap quilt, with 6" blocks.

Not too long ago, I made another batch of 3" blocks.  

I wanted to do a different setting this time, so decided to make a runner.

Today, I finally got around to adding borders.

Then I chose some more fabric for my demonstration.  This time I'll make 5" blocks.

I made a few sample blocks and found a nice solid red for setting triangles.

I'm just about ready to go!

Durham-Orange Quilters' Guild, Inc.

"A Thread Runs Through It"

2012 Quilt Show

Oct. 19-21

American Tobacco Campus

334 Blackwell Street

Durham, Nc

Fri. & Sat. 10-6, Sun. 10-5 

On the Road Again

Another quilt show!  This one was in Wilson, NC, presented by the Peace by Piecing Quilters Guild.  I've known these ladies for over 20 years, so it was a wonderful weekend visiting with good friends.  The location was the nice, bright assembly room in the local agriculture center.  

One special feature was the display of miniature quilts.  They were incredible.

Just for fun, I took pictures before, during and after my booth was set up.  First, it was just a pile of boxes on the floor. 

Quilts were added as table coverings and I began to build shelves with the wire grid system that we use.

Here I am, ready for my first customer!

Fabric Graffiti

On Saturday, the Artrageous Quilters met here at the store.  The weather cooperated, so we ended up out on the porch, painting two lengths of muslin with acrylic paints.

There were a lot of people playing ring-around-the-rosy with foam brushes and plastic plates of paint!  For a while, it looked like we might end up with a muddy mess.  But, after the first layer was dry, we went back and added a lot of detailing with smaller brushes and stamp pads.  The results were GREAT!!

We are going to have a CHALLENGE with our graffiti fabric.  The original two yards would only yield 8 fat quarters, so we may have to pass out fat eighths.  The was some talk of getting some of the fabric reproduced at "Spoonflower" here in Mebane, NC.  Either way, it will be a while before you see this fabric again.  We already have another challenge in progress