![IMG_0108[1]](https://keptinstitches.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/img_01081-e1411434994203.jpg)
This last weekend while on our way home from Cambria, California, we stopped by the Coastal Quilters Quilt Show. It was a smaller local show that did a wonderful job of illustrating the different styles of quilting. There was some incredible work at this show! They had around 30 venders as well as a guild boutique. I was able to find a pattern I had been looking for and who doesn’t enjoy a quilt show with shopping opportunities.
I’ve been working on my ‘Hexy’ project this week. It is slowly growing and there is no end in sight. I sure do love my Fiskars hexagon paper punch….I can’t even imagine how much I would have spent so far on all those hexagons. I plan on trying to baste more hexies in car on our trip this weekend to Cambria, California.
People often ask me if I do only quilting or if I’m into any other crafts? All I have to say is, “my creative juices kind of go with the flow”. I can be working on a quilting project in the morning and by nighttime I’ve got a needlepoint project on my lap. I constantly see things on other peoples’ blogs and say “I need to make one of those”. With so much inspiration out there on the web, I really don’t see myself getting bored anytime soon!
Several years ago I visited a quilt shop in the San Diego area and they had lots of cute wool items on display and beautiful pieces of hand-dyed wool. The simplicity and graphic quality of some of the projects really got me interested. At the time not many shops I was familiar with carried wool, so I bought a few pieces and started scouring the thrift shops for wool suits, coats, and skirts. I took them home, washed them in hot water and dried the heck out of them. Then started taking them apart, and it wasn’t long before I started building my wool stash. I didn’t have a particular project in mind because I liked them all. Eventually, I settled on making a penny rug for Greg, for Christmas. I scaled down the size and actually used coins as my templates to cut my circles. Then, I spent many hours sewing the layers of wool circles to each other with black embroidery floss…I was happy with the results and Greg was so impressed, he made a larger version for me! The historical significance made the project even more fun.
I can’t imagine limiting myself to one particular craft. I love learning, trying new things and making messes. And every now and then the finished product is something to be proud of.
In the 1800s, starting around the time of the Civil War, thrifty homemakers would use scraps of wool or felted wool from old clothing, blankets and hats to create designs for mats or rugs. Using coins as templates, they created circles and each piece was then stitched in blanket stitch fashion. (Thus, the name “penny” rug). Sometimes, the mats or rugs were backed with old burlap bags or feed sacks. Sometimes a penny was stitched inside the mat to make it lie flat.
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4 baking potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch slices
1/4 cup melted butter
8 slices bacon – cooked and crumbled
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8 ounces shredded Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup chopped green onions
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| 1. | Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). |
| 2. | Brush both side of potato slices with butter; place them on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake in the preheated 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) oven for 30 to 40 minutes or until lightly browned on both sides, turning once. |
| 3. | When potatoes are ready, top with bacon, cheese, and green onion; continue baking until the cheese has melted |
It has been too long since I’ve posted. I know, shame on me. I’m getting back on the horse and there’s many exciting projects and a couple of fun trips in the near future. In the meantime lets celebrate National Sewing month. I of course will celebrate it by purchasing some fabric and starting yet another sewing project. I’d love to see what everyone is working on. Send me some pictures…
We spent the day in Ventura at Superbuzzy sewing quilt for the Children’s Services Auxiliary of Ventura County. The Children’s Services Auxiliary is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to meet the needs of Ventura County’s court-dependent children. These children have been displaced from their homes due to abuse, neglect, or abandonment. We had a great time visiting and sewing…thanks to everyone for their help!
This last weekend we journeyed down to the LA Garment District looking for some specific fabric. Well, the joke is right there…specific. We parked on the third floor of the parking structure and paid the $12.00 fee. The parking structure was total chaos…valet parking and they are not responsible for anything. Once I realized I would be sharing the elevator with 4 strollers with crying babies I opted to take the stairs. The stairwell must be used as a public restroom after hours. A hazmat suit is the only attire for these stairs. Any of you that know me are aware I can fall stepping up a curb….three flights of slippery stairs to go down and Greg told me I wasn’t allowed to touch the handrail.
Once we got down to street level, things seemed to be a little better. Michael Levine Fabrics has a great selection of fabric and accessories. The store is huge and staffed well. However, my bladder was full and the only restroom is closed for cleaning. I’m not sure about everyone else but my shopping skills are not at their best when my bladder is full. I was given the option of going across the street to use the restroom. From the smells of the Downtown area….lots of people did not make it across the street.
Many of the fabrics sold by the street venders are poly-knits and a lot of searching goes into finding what you might be looking for. I saw some great deals on zippers. It was a fun outing, but I don’t plan on going back for a while. Have you ever seen a spool of thread this size? It was as brittle as straw, but it still looked very cool.
I spent the weekend completing some of those unfinished projects. There needs to be more hours in a day! Some people hate binding a quilt and I really don’t mind it. I don’t use those expensive/fancy little clips, I use hair barrettes from the Dollar store. Therefore, when a cat steals one it’s no big deal.
At the LA Quilt Show I purchased a fat quarter pack of some Kaufman Kona in blues. I couldn’t wait to make something with them and I put together this mini. Love doing the free motion quilting on a small project. Have you checked out the new Kona colors? If not, be sure to take a look….I like them.
http://www.robertkaufman.com/fabrics/kona_cotton/
I really like the design lines of a chevron pattern. It’s simple and yet makes an impression. As manys of you know I try to stay away from yellow but, I think it works well in this quilt. My friend Georganna Hawley did the longarm work on this quilt and I think se did a wonderful job.
Another fun Saturday adventure. Nancy King, awesome quilter/artist and friend joined us on our weekend adventure. I only came home from the show with a couple yards of fabric but I had such a great time. There’s nothing better than friends and fabric.
The first Los Angeles Quilt Show was hosted at Crafted in the Port of Los Angles. It was so nice to see a new quilt show and not more shows going away. The show was small but the facility was awesome and there is potential room for growth in the future.
Latifah Saafir’s work is so incredible. Her use of color with a traditional block is inspiring. Be sure to check out her blog for more of her work.
http://www.thequiltengineer.com/
The featured artist at the show was Luke Haynes. Amazing what this guy does with fabric.
http://www.lukehaynes.com/
Today, I was looking forward to some sewing. I pulled out my fabric and my first cut with the rotary cutter, I noticed it was time to change the blade. “Hmm, where are the blades?” As I was searching for the blades, I knocked the ruler off the cutting table, did a little 2-step, and stomped on the ruler, breaking it in half. Once I found the new blades, I realized that old blade was not as dull as thought it was. Now, I had cut my finger! As I was holding my hand over the cutting mat to protect the carpet, I noticed blood on the fabric I was going to cut. I grabbed a towel, wrapped my finger to staunch the flow of blood, and found a band aid. After all that drama, I replaced the rotary blade and found a different ruler to use. Then, I turn on the sewing machine and it won’t power-up. Further inspection revealed that somehow it had come unplugged from the wall (cat) and I had to move a huge mess and a piece of furniture to get to it. I spilled my soda on another piece of fabric and then stubbed my toe while I was trying to move the furniture back into place. My mess is cleaned up and I’ve surrendered to the creative gods.
It’s too early for bed, so I’ll just think about what I would like to do tomorrow.
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Confessions of a fabric hoarder
Medallion Quilts, Among Other Things
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Confessions of a fabric hoarder
Confessions of a fabric hoarder
Confessions of a fabric hoarder
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