What WIP?

I've been away from Blogger for a while and am going to do a quick catch up. I visited my mother and sister in Missouri. My 92 year-old mother has returned from Louisiana sister to Missouri sister and I went to see them and hoped to be helpful in the settling. It turned out there wasn't anything to do really except help my sister choose jewelry, shoes, and fabric for an evening wrap. She is going to a MAJOR EVENT, and needs to glitter. We found sheer fabric and trim for the wrap; now she gets the fun of sewing that slippery stuff. Better her than me. We also bought jewels to glue on the straps of the sandals; apparently if you want glittery shoes three-inch spike heels are part of the package, so she's dressing up the plainer, sensible heeled pair.

I'm off tomorrow to visit a friend in the Washington area for the weekend. We've known each other since grade school and are getting together to celebrate our joint landmark birthdays. I made her this card:



Crappy zig-zag stitching, and too bad I didn't try to retouch my skaggy bangs (vanity dies hard).

My other sewing projects are gathering dust at the moment, which is frustrating. But I've enjoyed looking at what other people are up to.

Chicago Quilt Festival

Here are a few favorites from the Chicago Quilt Festival.













I seem to prefer blended color effects over strong graphic designs, and do I love the Japanese quilts! Their intricacy, subtlety, and lack of formal balance just knocks me over. The best part of the show was the Husquavarna Challenge exhibit, and another special exhibit called In Fine Focus, consisting of small pieces, less then 10x 12 inches. A great deal of variety of style, technique, and subject was present in these two exhibits. No photographs were allowed in either one of these so I can't share, but if anyone has a chance to see either one, don't pass it up. The $100,000 Challenge winner was also on display in the vendor's area. I was glad of that since the white wholecloth doesn't photograph terribly well. It's a beautiful quilt, and I have no quarrel with it being chosen but I heard some negative comments. I think some people don't appreciate the skill and artistry required in that kind of machine quilting, not to mention the design.

Debbi at Dubiquilts has posted many more photos, complete with information. She's much more organized and patient than I am.

I enjoyed the show more this year than last. Last year included a large exhibit of Amish quilts, which seemed rather ho-hum to me, and decreased the space available for other work. This year seemed to have a good balance of tradition and innovation with something for everyone. And of course, there were vendors, and more vendors, and more vendors...

My Hoffman challenge quilt is finished! It's labled, sleeved and put away for now. What a good feeling. I now have been "commissioned" to make a baby quilt for a young colleague of my husband's. I bought this panel cheap at Hobby Lobby a couple of years ago, and then came across the coordinating solid blue. I really intended to just do a quickie with wide blue sashes around the squares, but some sort of pride wouldn't let me do that. After trying several settings, I remembered the Children's Delight block in Quilts from the Quiltmaker's Gift, so I'm using that. The color scheme is a little odd for a crib quilt--hope these people like it. I THINK I do. But isn't it too bad that manufacturers don't make the fabric between the blocks wide enough that you can use the original as a bit of a sash too? I wonder why they don't.



Ignore that sideways letter--I'm just auditioning here! The cornerstone will finish up as a 9 patch with another chartreuse polka dot square.

Check out my Weather Pixie; yes, it is snowing and 21 degrees. So much for spring. The daffodils that I picked last week are probably the only ones I will have because all the others are not only lying flat from the cold, but now buried in snow. It will be interesting to see what happens to the bluebells that I naturalized on the edge of the woods. How ironic and unfortunate that this freak weather had to arrive at the same time as the UN report on climate change, since it makes sceptics reluctant to believe there is a problem.

Thanks everyone for kind words about my quilt. It is now finished and blocked, just waiting for the label and sleeve. I'm now off to church to hide Easter eggs--happy Easter everyone.

Wednesday

I've almost completed the challenge quilt. After the binding is finally done, I will rinse it, remove marks, block, and think of a title for the label. Getting close.

On another subject, I want to put in a plug for this company which advertises on the Quilt Studio list page. I ordered one of their "No See 'Ums" quilt hanging systems and love it. Brackets attach to the wall either with adhesive or with screws, and then a rod goes into the quilt sleeve, and a hook slips through the fabric (no damage) and attaches to the wall bracket. Slick--nothing except the quilt is visible. Worth checking out the website for a clearer explanation. They have more traditional hangers too, but I like this one because it doesn't hide part of the quilt.

Happy Spring

Daffodils are my favorite flower--until the tulips bloom, and then the peonies, and the iris... But daffodils have the advantage of being totally low maintenance, which is why I have lots of them. The double ones came from bulbs I dug out of my grandmother's abandoned garden. They must have been there 75 years. It took several years for them to grow enough to make many blooms, but now they will probably be good for another 75, if the developers' bulldozers or global warming don't get them. You have to love something so tough.