Kept In Stitches

Quilt-In-Public Day With VMQG 2015

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June 20, 2015

We had an incredible day in Ventura, California today with the Ventura Modern Quilt Guild, participating in National Quilt-In-Public Day.

In 2005, American knitting enthusiast Danielle Landes had the wonderful idea of encouraging knitters all over the world to leave the comfort of their own homes and to go out and knit in public—and the worldwide knitting in public day was born.

Soon, quilters joined those world-wide knitters in spirit and initiated a parallel event for quilters—Quilt-In-Public Day—which takes place on the 3rd Saturday in June.

We’re both a bit sunburned, but we had a great time visiting with friends and doing what we love. And, it was the perfect place to sew binding onto quilts!

VMQG Round-Robin Quilt Swap 2015

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June 15, 2015

OMG! It’s my quilt!

This was the center block I provided to start the Round Robin.

The Ventura Modern Quilt Guild hosted a ‘Round Robin’ earlier this year. In a round robin, several people create a center “medallion” block. Each block is passed to the next person on the list. They must add a “border” and pass it on to the next person, to add another border, until everyone has added something to the quilt. I was familiar with how a round robin worked, but I had never participated one. It was actually a lot of fun. Many people joined and we were assigned groups of four, with each person adding a border. At VMQGs recent meeting, we had the final “reveal” (no one could see their quilt until it was finished.) Everyone brought a different creative touch to each of their rows and all the quilts were incredible. I could not be more pleased with the results of my quilt that the other quilters made. I love that there was plenty of negative space in the rows of my quilt. Now, my creative process begins to decide how I want to quilt my top.

Scrappy Trip-Around-the-World…FINALLY!

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June 2, 2015

Hey! It’s Greg, again. I had to post because I FINALLY FINISHED SOMETHING! And, of course, Benny had to check it out…

A couple of years ago, several of the modern quilt blogs had a “scrappy trip-around-the-world sew along” and I was in love with the look of the quilts. I was going to school at the time, so I couldn’t participate. But, I decided I would make the quilt someday. Well, that day has arrived! There are 288 different fabrics in the quilt…none are repeated. Since it only took a 2 1/2″ X 16 1/2″ strip of each fabric, it was easy to use up scraps. I made it with the “tube” method…I’m hoping to talk Griff into putting up a tutorial for it. Until then, I used this tutorial from Quiltville, which was perfectly fine. Now, it’s off to the long-arm quilter…

Take care and I’ll be back soon!

Central Coast Quilt Shop Tour 2015

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June 1, 2015

superbuzzy

superbee, Brynne

Quilt Ventura

Creation Station

Old Town Quilt Shop

Beverly’s Fabrics & Crafts

Betty’s Fabrics

Picking Daisies

Sew Fun

Quilter’s Cupboard

Birch Fabrics

The Quiltery

Cambria, Moonstone Beach

The Cotton Ball

Quilt’n Cousins

We had a wonderful weekend after participating in the Central Coast Quilt Shop Tour. We started out in Ventura at superbuzzy, and then made our way up the coast ending in Paso Robles. A total of 11 shop were on the tour and we decided to take in 3 additional shops that are not participating in the tour. Each of the shops gave out a ‘goodie bag’ and there are free downloadable patterns online from each of the shops. Good food, great company and fabric…what else can a guy ask for?

superbuzzy
Quilt Ventura
Roaxanne’s a Wish and a Dream
The Creation Station
The Old Town Quilt Shop
Betty’s Fabrics
Beverly’s Fabrics and Crafts
Picking Daisies
Sew Fun
Quilter’s Cupboard
Birch
The Quiltery
The Cotton Ball
Quiltin’ Cousins

We stayed over night in Cambria and it was gorgeous. Behind the hotel where we stayed there was a fire-pit located near the creek. I love listening to the frogs and other wildlife at night. And, Sunday morning was biscuits and gravy for breakfast…my favorite. We bought a couple books, a few patterns and many yards of fabric(24 yards for me). It’s always nice to run into people that you know from social media and actually get to talk with them in person (Hi Dora!). Cheers to all my friends.

Pig-Lick Cake

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May 28, 2015

My friend JJ shared this recipe with me about a month ago. I was in a rush and needed something homemade. I’m kind of embarrassed that this cake is as simple as it is, but everyone loves it. I’ve made it 5 times since he gave me the recipe. The only problem is getting it to the destination…I have a fork in my car for emergency situations. Thanks again JJ for this Southern delight!

INGREDIENTS
Cake
1 box yellow cake mix
1 c. vegetable oil
4 eggs
1 (11 oz.) can mandarin oranges with juice

Frosting
1 (9 oz.) container whipped topping
1 lg. box instant vanilla pudding
1 (20 oz.) can crushed pineapple (drained)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine cake mix, mandarin oranges, eggs and oil. Beat 2 minutes on highest speed then reduce speed to lowest setting and and beat for 1 minute. Pour batter into greased and floured 9″ x 13″ inch baking pan and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown and set. Remove from oven and cool completely. Combine whipped topping, instant vanilla pudding and pineapple. Stir together until mixed thoroughly. Let stand in the refrigerator 15 minutes, or until mixture has set to spreading consistency. Spread pineapple mixture over top of cake. Chill for at least 2 hours before serving. Store in refrigerator.

Sew many projects

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May 27, 2015

Do I really want to start another project? Why yes I do! I’m thinking something simple so I can get back to one of the many projects I still have in the works. What about you? Are you working on your own designs or getting some help from an existing pattern? I recently ran across a blog called Free Quilting and they have some pretty cool ideas and patterns available. If you’re looking for some inspiration, you should check it out!
http://freequilting.blogspot.com/2015/05/dancing-ribbons-quilt.html

Intro to Heat-Set Machine Applique with Grace Errea

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May 18, 2015

One of the advantages of belonging to a guild is the opportunity to get to hear some very talented people talk about their art and take a class from these teachers. Saturday I was able to join Grace Errea for a one-day workshop. She gave a wonderful lecture at the Glendale Quilt Guilds monthly meeting. The quilts Grace showed at the guild were stunning…her use and knowledge of color was incredibly inspiring. Fusible applique really isn’t my ‘thing’, but now I have to rethink my opinion. Grace uses a technique that prevents the raw edges of the fabric from fraying and doesn’t leave you with a finished product that is stiff, like so many other fusible products. The class was full and we all had a great time.

When I began quilting, I tried to take as many classes as possible without breaking the bank. I have found that some teachers are good at the teaching component and not so strong at the lecture portion. And others, great at lecturing and then when it comes to teaching they’re just “so-so”. Grace brought the entire package to the guild…she has an inspiring knowledge of the use and application of color.

My project is going to be a time consuming piece and I only have a tiny portion of it put together. I’m excited about the process and can’t wait to work on it more. But, of course, I’ve started another new project!

Check out her website for more of her work.
http://www.amazingquiltsbygrace.com/

An Improv-Piecing Workshop with Sherri Lynn Wood

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May 11, 2015

It isn’t often that I have the chance to take a class lately. When I heard that Sherri Lynn Wood was going to be in Los Angeles I knew that I had to sign-up. I’ve always been a fan of her work. Sherri’s use of color and improv piecing is fantastic. Fifteen ladies and I let the fabric fly as we created our own improve works of art. I really like her design approach and her teaching methods were inspiring. With 16 people in the class the space was tight and nobody seemed to mind. Everybody produced a beautiful piece by the end of the day. For me it was very inspiring to be in a room surrounded by so many creative people. Each person had their own creative take on the method she was teaching and that resulted in a variety of improve piecing. Great job ladies! And Sherri, thank you for joining LAMQG for this incredible day. Be sure to check Sherri’s blog for more of her work and class schedule.

Ventura Modern Quilt Guild Bi-Annual Sew-In

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April 20, 2015

Greg and I spent last Saturday with the Ventura Modern Quilt Guild at their bi-annual Modern Meet-Up. Twenty-Four quilters met at MAKE Ventura for an incredible day of sewing, socializing, and silliness. VMQG President, Georganna Hawley, taught everyone how to make a small, zippered bag from thousands of selvages she had brought, everyone got an incredible prize bag, and we all ate so much amazing food! Thanks to everyone who was there for making the day such a success…I can’t wait for the next one!

Placemat Tutorial

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April 12, 2015

Ventura Modern Quilt Guild is making placemats for Meals on Wheels as part of our philanthropy this year. I’ve posted a tutorial for the placemats I made, in case you’d like a set of these for yourself! Check it out HERE.

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