Charleston Quilt Show

Today I went down to Charleston SC with my good friend and my daughter and we spent the day at the Cobblestone Quilters 2012 quilt show.  

There were a lot of wonderful quilts and a few vendors, which I avoided since I already spent my fabric allowance this month.  There was also a representative from Nolting Long Arm Quilting Machines at the show and I tried out my very first long arm machine.  And boy was it wonderful.  It puts my Bernina stitch regulator to shame.  I want a long arm even more now.   A couple more weeks and my attic rooms will be finished.  Then I can move some kids up there and take one of their rooms for my own sewing room and a place for a long arm.  I better get saving my money, won't be long now!

This quilt was titled "The Place I love" and is a topographical map of the Charleston and surrounding areas.

It came in third in the Art/Innovative category.

I took a lot of pictures at the show today. Lots of inspiration.

This one was titled "Gone With The Wind" and won First in the Art/Innovative category.

 This one took first for "Wall - Mixed Technique"  It had beads all over it, even on the edging of the binding.
It is one of my favorites.

 There were quite a few Bargellos.  My friend and my daughter liked these a lot.

This one was titled "Ice Crystal" and took first for Wall-Pieced.

For some reason I didn't get the whole quilt on this one, just the quilting. Which is lovely.

This one didn't win anything, but I thought it was quite stunning with all the tiny fused applique pieces. The cutting on each one was very precise.

I couldn't resist taking a picture of the cat quilt.

This quilt made good use of huge buttons for fish eyes.

This Kaliedascope quilt took first in the "Duet Wall-Pieced" category.

There were lots of Duet quilts in this show and I like how they give ribbons to both the piecer and the quilter.
In my opinion, the quilting is just as important as the piecing and sometimes it can turn a boring quilt into a stunning one, not that this one is boring.  It is quite spiffy.

There were quite a few 3D elements on this quilt.

This won for "Best of Show-Bed Quilt" and First in the "Duet Bed - Mixed Technique".

It was also the Opportunity quilt for the Cobblestone Quilt guild.

I didn't feel lucky though, so I didn't buy a ticket for a chance to win it.

Close up of some of the machine stitching.

This won "Best of Show-Wall Quilt".  It was all hand appliqued and hand quilted. It was extraordinary.

It also won the ribbon for First in the "Wall-Applique" category.

View of the back of with the hand quilting.

I love the really thin vines done with embroidery on the border.

Some close up shots of the handwork.

While I was zooming on this quilt some guy commented to me, "You are a purist aren't you."  

Not quite sure what he meant by that, but I will take it to mean that I like the traditional quilts best,
which is true.  :)

Best Interpretation of Theme.

Best Hand Quilting.

First in Bed-Applique category.

Best Machine Quilting (Track Machine)

Best Hand Applique

First Place Duet Bed-Applique

Look at those perfect berries!

There were so many beautiful quilts to look at and a lot of them were large ones.

I was really drawn to  the Appliqued quilts.

Particularly the hand turned appliques.

Must be the "purist" in me.  

I voted for this one as my People's Choice.  All the pieces in it are 1/2 an inch big.

It was wonderful to look it.  It was titled "Omigosh!"  It took First in "Bed-Pieced Category".

First place for "Duet Bed - Pieced"

A couple more lovelies.

This one didn't take home a ribbon, but it is another favorite of mine.

The miniatures were wonderfully pieced.

I asked my daughter to pose next to this one so I could have a scale reference.

This quilt wasn't in the judging.  It was on loan from the Charleston Museum.

My daughter vote for this one for her Viewer's choice.

It took the ribbon for Best Use of Color and Second for Landscape/Pictorial.

Seeing all these ribbons makes me want more to go with the two I already have.
This guild allows anyone to enter their show.
Perhaps I will enter some of my quilts next year and try for some more ribbons to hang on my wall.  :)

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Guild BOM for March

The pinwheel block was the March BOM for my guild.

The only rule for this month was that one of the pinwheels had to be green.

I mixed my green with some lemonade fabric.

 Below are all the blocks that were turned in.
I didn't get a shot before they took them all down, but luckily Lorene got a good photo for me.
They didn't draw my name this month, perhaps next month I will come home with all the blocks.  

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7th Finish + More

I finished the Mariners compass last night.  This makes finish #7 for 2012.

 I was going to put it off finishing this indefinitely because I didn't like the top fabric I picked out and I hadn't decided on a way to fix it to my liking.  You can see what it use to look like on the left.  

Tomorrow is guild meeting and they asked everyone who took this class to bring their finished project to the next guild meeting for show and tell. Nothing like a little pressure to get my butt in gear. So I made myself come up with something I liked and appliqued it on, then I put on the binding.  I am liking it a whole lot better now.

I was going to paper peice a smaller star for the center, I even had the papers printed out, but I got lazy was just ready to be done with it, so I cut out a circle instead and sewed it down.

It's looking good now, I actually like it and will put it out on display.

Before I worked on the mariners compass yesterday. I whipped up these two small quilts.  These are the ones I am going to teach the girls with at church tonight.  I have been assigned the task of teaching them how to tie a quilt.  They are small, 24 x 36 ish and I will turn them into the guild for our charity project when we are finished.

This morning I needed some batting for the two tops above, so I basted two bigger quilts knowing I would have enough left over batting from that process for these two smaller quilts.  Funny how one project motivates me to work on another project.  While I was at it I basted my i.s.t.h. quilt too.

With these three basted that makes a total of 6 quilts ready for quilting.  I better get busy... but first a little housework is in order.  Yeah, I did sweep and vacuum the floor this morning so I could baste in a clean room and I got two loads of laundry done on Monday - which isn't much with a house of 6 people - but the rest of the house has been neglected the past couple days.  Though it pains me to step away from the sewing machine when I am in such a good grove, I better get some other stuff done.

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i.s.t.h. top done

After I got off the computer Sunday I picked out my fabrics for this top and got one star made.

Then Monday I spent all day finishing the rest of the top.  I ended up keeping the columns in, but I didn't make them scrappy.  I also added the side purple borders.  Mainly as a mental thing I have.  I felt like the checkerboard would fall out if it wasn't trapped in with a side border.

I am hoping I can get this quilted by March 1rst, but first I have to make two small tops for the girls at church tomorrow.  I have been asked to teach them how to tie quilts. Being the great procrastinator that I am, I still haven't even started those.  I better get sewing!

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Jewel Box Progress

Instead of picking out fabrics for my February Schnibbles project, I spent Saturday putting the blocks together for my Jewel Box Quilt.  Then I put them all on my "design wall" - a flannel table cloth that is tapped to the french doors in my living room - to make sure I don't end up sewing all the reds in the top left corner.  I am excited to sew them all together, but that will have to wait....

Before I do anything else, I need to pick out the fabrics for the i.s.t.h. pattern. March 1rst is soon aproaching and I haven't even started the February quilt for Another Year of Schnibbles. 

I think I keep delaying this process because the pattern isn't one of my favorite Schnibble patterns.
I like the star blocks and the checkerboard border, but I am not big on the column setting.
Perhaps I will take the columns out and see how that looks.  

Ok, I am off to my stash to pick out some fabrics.  No more computer till the task is done!

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The Tiniest of Scraps

   Ok, I think I may have an addiction.  Usually I throw this stuff away, but last night I just couldn't bring myself to put it in the trash.  Sure I have been known to save some tiny stuff,  like pieces of fabric that are at least 1 inch, but these tiny strips are just too tiny. They just looked so pretty on my desk in a pile. I don't know what I'll do with them but but for now they look good in this jar.  If I keep making quilts and saving everything maybe one day I will be on an episode of hoarders with thousands of glass jars all over the house that are full of fabric trimmings.

   Last night I had planned on to start my February Scnhibble project, but I am stuck on what fabrics to use, so instead of  figuring that out I pulled out my Jewel Box project.  Last time I worked on it I had all the half square triangles sewn together and the first set of strips sewn together.  This time I trimmed all the HSTs to 4 inches and then sewed the second set of strips together and trimmed all those up. Now that everything is trimmed and the strips sewn and cut to size I can work on turning these into blocks.  I want to do that today, but I really need to get the February Schnibbles project started.  March 1rst is right around the corner!

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Lots of 4 Patches

Hot off the ironing board.  70 four patches.  They measure 8.5 inches.  There are enough for two quilts.  I want to make two similar to the one Crazy Mom Quilts made last fall.  The colors will be different of course, but the pattern will be the same.  Now I need to make 40 coordinating blocks to go with the 4 patches.

I have a huge pile of leftover 4.5 inch squares to choose centers for the alternate blocks, but I don't have any background fabric.  That means fabric shopping is in my immediate futre.   YAY!! I love the fabric store!

Once these two tops are put together I will only have one top left. My hubby's aunt said I could work on them whenever, but I have made a personal goal to get them all finished by the end of April and so far so good, they are going together according to schedule.

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Vote for Me...

Voting is now open for the Valentine Day Showcase.
I entered my Red String Table Runner.
Head on over to http://blog.sewbittersweetdesigns.com/?p=1563

Scroll down and check out all the great projects.
When you come to #34 that is mine.
If it is your favorite, click on the "Like" and I'd be ever so grateful.  :)

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Results of February FNSI

 I spent most of my Friday Night Sew In finishing up the top of my third Shirt Quilt.  

I cut and added all the sashing and border.  I can now add it to my "Ready for Quilting" pile.

Yay!! Only three more tops to make.

After that I fiddled around with some more smaller 9 patches before hitting the hay.

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Spot is Finished

I finished the binding on my Spot quilt last night.  Just in time for Christmas... Hahaha

 I think I will keep it out and use it before Christmas, it feels sooo good.  It is so soft.  

I love this fabric and mixed with my favorite batting, Warm and White, it is the perfect combo.

 I used my walking foot for this entire quilt.  The quilt is so busy it didn't really need anything too fancy. 

It did take a bit of time to make sure the lines didn't stray though, but it was worth it!
I love the smooth straight line quilting.

I even got a label on this one.  Some how I miscounted when making my blocks and made an extra one.  So I saved it for my label.  Perhaps I should take the time to write on it.  ;)

The black Polk-a-dot binding makes a nice framed border.

This is personal finish #6 for the year.

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My Red String Runner

I found the tutorial for Red String Runner at Quilting by The River. I was drawn to it right away.  Perhaps because she made it in my favorite color.  Then when my Mom asked me to make something for her I decided to give this runner a try.

Look at that corner!  Could it get any perfect.  Just looking at it makes me smile.

I did have to get a refresher on how to bind the other odd angles and I found a good video for that here.

It is raining today, but I went on the porch and took pictures anyway.  It gave me a chance to fiddle around with the manual settings on my camera so I could capture the colors I wanted.

I really like this quilted runner.  When I showed it to my husband though he said it was too small and wanted to know why it wasn't big enough to lay under.   Then he proceeded to tell me how to make it better - Make it bigger, add more bright colors etc.  As if he quilts... 

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Beach in Color

I sat down today and added color to my beach drawing.

This is what it looked like in Black and White back in October.

I also have my Pathway drawing complete.
I finished it in December and it has been sitting in my sketchbook.

Not sure if I will add color to this one.  I am liking it in black and white for now. 

I'll see how I feel about it again in a couple weeks.

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Lovely Red Work

I took a break from working on my own quilts to work on a guild mate's quilt.  She has made some wonderful Red Work blocks sashed with 2 inch squares and has asked me to quilt it.  She wanted me to quilt in the ditch around the red work and do something inside the sashing.  Later she will hand tack the large red work images herself in a matching thread.

 Here are some close ups a few of the Red Work blocks.

Now I need to work on some postcards that are long over due, then I can get back to my pile of newly basted quilts.
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