Black and White Inspiration Vol. III

Hello Everyone,

Welcome to my third installment of Black and White Inspiration. So on my second post regarding my black and white quilts, I had asked which color I would use next. For those of you who guessed lime green, you were right!!!

This just seemed to be the right color to try next. I loved the results. So here we go...

I again used a variety of black and white fabrics since I have an extensive collection. This quilt was created from a class that I took with Laurie Shifrin. Those of you who may not be familiar with her, she is the one who has written a series of batik books. Her most "famous" one being Batik Beauties.

Yes, there is curved piecing and I do love curves!! This little bit of lime that is in the curve is actually dimensional. It is a flange just peeking out of there.

It kind of undulates with the curves. I do love the way it looks. The pattern is Laurie's Mango Tango. It is a single pattern and is not in any of her books.

She was a phenomenal teacher. I learned quite a bit from her. If you have a chance to take a class with her, do it!

Here is the entire quilt. Yet, another one that I have not quilted. Don't know why either, this is a smallish one too. I have the backing all ready to go too. I guess I should get it on the long arm soon, right?

But I did just quilt the Bordered Diamonds quilt and am going to start binding it tonight!! Stay tuned for another post with a finished quilt!! Woohoo!

Until Next Time...

Black and White Inspiration Vol. III

A Friendly Visitor...

Hello Everyone,

On Friday, I had an unexpected visit from a friend of mine, Kathy Echter!! Kathy and I met while we were both in Kansas about two years ago attending a Statler Stitcher Users Group meeting. In English, that is a Gammill Long Arm Quilter's meeting.

Anyway, she and her husband Jim were both out for the meeting and we instantly became friends. Being a fellow quilter and just super nice people were just an added plus.

Yes, that is my long arm and my thread wall. I love them both!

Kathy was in CT because her daughter is working in New Haven. I was so glad she called and came to visit. Jim was not with her. I missed you Jim! Anyway, Kathy is also a long arm quilter and you can visit her on her blog here. She does a really great job, please tell her I said hello.

Kathy came bearing gifts for me. Shocked, I was, but she knows me. Look what she brought...

A cool cordless scissors, in HOT Pink (my favorite color), to cut batting and fabric!! How cool is this? Thank you so much, Kathy!

Jim is also a crafty one. He does custom woodturning and drop spindles. Very talented couple! You can check out his website here, just beautiful!

But that is not all, look what Jim sent along for me...

A custom made wooden needle threader! I absolutely love it! It is just amazing and I will be sure to take good care of it. Thank you, Jim!!

It was a wonderful visit and I am looking forward to seeing you again, Kathy! Lunch next time?

One last thing, lots of new fabric in the shop!! Check it out here and here.

Until Next Time...

A Friendly Visitor...

A Finished Quilt Gifted, and a Happy Boy!

Hello Everyone,

Remember the stash strippy quilt that I was making for my nephew? If not, you can read about it here and here. Anyway, my nephew who turned 7 yesterday had been asking his Mom for a while "When is Aunt Jackie going to make me a quilt for my bed?". So how could I refuse this? I couldn't. I started the quilt in June and finished it on Friday, July 23!! Just in time.

So I wanted to show you the results and the reaction that just warmed my heart!

The completed quilt, above, as finished on Friday. I have to say, it was quite a bit of work, but really worth it all!

I wanted to keep the quilting rather simple and clean. So when I loaded it on the long arm I chose to do a water effect. I think it was a perfect compliment to this quilt. I used a blue thread from Superior.

The backing that I used is, of course, a Kaffe fabric. It is Paperweight Cobalt. I used this in the quilt top too. So it really went well.

Finished it off with this label. I used some clip art from the computer, chose a nice font and color and then printed it on fabric right in my inkjet printer. Then I heat set the ink with the iron. It is now colorfast so the ink won't run.

Then it was time to package it up with a coordinating pillowcase that I made on Saturday night. Once it was wrapped really nicely, it made its journey to my nephew's birthday party on Sunday.

The reaction....

Let's just say, he did not know what was in the box. He saved it for his last present to open. Then once opened, well the above picture says it all! He was thrilled and that really warmed my heart. I love this kid!

Here he is all wrapped up in the quilt with the bow on his head. Isn't he sweet and adorable??

I had to sneak in a big cuddle and hug with him!! Happy, happy, birthday!! By the way, my sister in law, his mother also shares the same birthday. So it was a really great day.

My sister in law and I went up to his room and made up his bed for him. It will be ready for all those sweet dreams he will be having.

A view from the other side. Note the coordinating pillowcase. I really love it in his room and I think this is a quilt will grow with him. As my cousin said, "Pottery Barn, eat your heart out!". This quilt is now living in the right place.

Sweet dreams, my little nephew, sweet dreams!

Until Next Time...

A Finished Quilt Gifted, and a Happy Boy!

Beat the Heat!

Hello Everyone,

Beat The Heat Site Wide Sale

Canton Village Quilt Works is having a 2 day summer sale!! Beginning on Saturday, July 24 and wrapping up on Sunday, July25 you will receive 20% off your entire order*. Just enter the code heat20 at checkout to receive your discount.

*Books and kits are not included in this sale. Books are already marked at 20% off as an everyday value.*

Start shopping now...

Until Next Time...

Beat the Heat!

Garden Beauties

Hello Everyone,

Just thought I would show you all my different daylilies in my garden. I have so many I decided to make two collages. Make sure you click on the collages to get a closer look.

Aren't they beautiful? I really love my daylilies and have many more too.

They are very hardy plants and some of mine are re-bloomers, which I really love. For more garden beauties, visit Stephanie at Loft Creations today!!

Make sure you stop by tomorrow for something special!

Until Next Time...

Garden Beauties

The Chisel Shape

Hello Everyone,

One of the things in all my years of quilting that has intrigued me the most is the variety of shapes that we can use and the multitude of designs that they can make!

So when Carolyn, from AccuQuilt contacted me and asked if I would like to try the GO! cutter, I could not refuse. Now many of you know that I have the BIG version of this the AccuQuilt Studio and absolutely love it. But I though it might be nice to try the portable one.

In thinking of what shapes that I would like to try, that I do not have with the studio, I thought of the Chisel Shape. There is a variety of patterns that you can form with this.

Here you can see the GO! on my cutting mat. So it is truly smaller than my studio and it folds up nicely. The chisel die is sitting waiting to be used.

The mat is the gray piece that sits on top of the fabric once it is placed on the die. This allows the blades to come up and cut the fabric precisely.

The project I decided to make will include 30s reproduction fabrics. A BIG favorite of mine. So I cut them to the size of the die and made sure they were pressed, just like I would for a regular project.

Stacked up 6 layers! Yes, 6 layers on the die.

Placed the mat on the top and got cranking!

Out of the other side they come. In this photo, I already took the excess fabric away and this is what is left.

12 chisel shapes ready to be pieced together into a project. Noticed the trimmed corners. Hmmm... what am I making. You will have to stay tuned to see what I am will be making. Some of it is already on the design wall.

If you like 30s reproduction fabrics you can find some by clicking here and here.

Until Next Time...

The Chisel Shape

Bordered Diamonds Top is Complete

Hello Everyone,

I am sure you probably remember when I started making my bordered diamonds quilt top. If not, you can read a little bit about it here on this post. I started it because of the Facebook group that I belong to for Kaffe Fassett's newest book. The book is here and the Facebook group here.

Anyway, this is the quilt that I really wanted to make. It is smaller than what is in the book, but that is okay with me. I used my AccuQuilt Studio to cut the diamonds. So no fussy cutting with templates. It was a breeze!!

Then I had to add borders to each diamond. The diamonds consist mostly of a focal floral from the Kaffe Fassett collective and the borders are more textured or geometrics also from the collective. They are all from my stash!

Here is the finished quilt. I really am happy with how it turned out. It is a lap size a good one for our house.

I thought you might like to see the back of this quilt. I pressed all the seams open on this one. It was my opinion that it would lay a little bit flatter than if the seams were pressed to one side. I think it worked well.

It was a sunny day so I couldn't resist taking a few more photos. I decided on no border (as in the book) although I did consider it. The decision for no borders, I think, is the right one. It looks nice as is, what do you think?

Now I just need to decide on the backing. Most likely another Kaffe, but possibly a textural fabric rather than floral. Does anyone have any strong thoughts on this one?

The last photo, I just couldn't resist! Hopefully next time you see this it will be quilted.

An update on my nephew's quilt, it is quilted the label is on, and I am in the process of binding now. It needs to be done for his birthday next Sunday. Almost there...

Until Next Time...

Bordered Diamonds Top is Complete

Karen's Quilt

Hello Everyone,

I just had to do it!! I had to showcase my friend Karen's Quilt. She did a fabulous job piecing this and selecting the fabrics. Many of the fabrics are Kaffe, but she has others in there too. She really has a great eye for color.

She asked me to custom quilt this for her as it is a gift for her daughter. She used the BOM pattern from the Quilt Show, their first one, and adapted it slightly.

It is a medallion style quilt with this gorgeous feathered star in the middle. This of course required some special quilting treatment.

Pinwheels my absolute favorite block, love them!

Quilting close up. By the way, she was very happy with the quilting. I was too.

The entire quilt in all it's glory. Isn't it a beauty? You are never going to believe it, but she made 2 more of these!! Yes, you read that right. I am quilting those too. Those are slightly larger than this one though and are true to the original pattern.

If you would like to see more of my customer quilts, you can do so by going to my gallery here.

Until Next Time...

Karen's Quilt

Black and White Inspiration Volume II

Hello Everyone,

I hope you enjoyed my first volume of Black and White Inspiration. I have several more to do. It is definitely no secret that I love the combination of Black and White fabrics with a strong saturated color. I have tried various combinations and the next one is one of my favorites.

My favorite color, hands down, is hot pink or fuchsia. So, of course, I had to try it with my Black and White stash. Years ago while we were vacationing somewhere in the south, sorry I don't remember where, I saw the following quilt in a little quilt shop.

Funny I can still see the shop in my mind's eye and where this quilt was hanging. So I asked the owner if I could take a picture as I wanted to make it myself. No problem! I then proceeded to purchase some black and white fabric from her as well as the book for the pattern. Sorry I don't remember the book either, but I do remember it was a Nancy Smith and Lynda Milligan book.

Anyway, this quilt just grabbed my attention and I had to make it. To tell you the truth, I made the top pretty much right after vacation. And guess what, this one still isn't quilted either. I really need to get it on my long arm! Another one hanging in the closet. Soon, I think, soon...

But don't you just love how the hot pink just pops on this one (don't you like it Jane?) I used a variety of Black and White prints for a scrappier version. Using a variety of fabrics tends to give a quilt more of a scrappy look and I like that. What do you think?

So in my next volume of Black and White Inspiration, which color do you think I will add?

In the meantime, you can now read my most current newsletter online by clicking here.

Until Next Time...

Black and White Inspiration Volume II

Oak Park

Hello Everyone,

Have you ever been to Oak Park, IL? I have, many years ago, and it is a wonderful place to visit. If you are visiting Chicago, you should definitely make a stop here. There are many things to do and see. The Frank Lloyd Wright home and studio, as well as the Hemingway Museum are top picks here.

But if you can get there maybe you can make a quilted tote bag with the same name. You might remember this post that I did a little while ago, a little sneak peek and a kitty. Well I would love to elaborate on what I was making that day.

Here is a close up of the fabrics. They are Sugar by Art Gallery and Essex/Cotton Linen Blend Medium Aqua by Robert Kaufman. They really went to together well. I highlighted them with straight line quilting with a subtle variegated teal thread.

Added a beautiful yellow vintage button. It just seemed like this was the one. I tried many other buttons, but this was the winner. Love how it is wispy, don't you?

This is the back. No button here, but pretty none the less.

Here you can see the whole bag! Now for the real details... this is another wonderful pattern by Stephanie of Loft Creations!! I tested it for her and it was a breeze to put together, fun too! Great job, Stephanie! You can purchase the pattern by visiting her Etsy Store.

Would you like to make one just like mine?? Well, say no more, you can get your own kit right in my online shop. Just click HERE. You will have two options, the medium aqua bag or one with hot pink Essex!! The pattern still needs to be purchased through Stephanie.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Until Next Time...

Oak Park