Vertical Quilting Curve

Welcome to a new series - Unfinished Object (UFO) of the Month! Truthfully, I have so many of these I could probably do a weekly series but I’m trying to encourage myself to actually work on these projects.

The first project I’m sharing is a New York Beauty pattern that I started in a class by Karen Stone. During the class I finished this one block you see in the class. I have always had grand plans for this paper-pieced pattern. I thought it would be great to be a contemporary work of art on my wall. It is one of my favorite designs with the curves and geometric angles. I also love the colors I picked out: greens, reds, blues and a little purple.

Question for you: What are your favorite colors for a quilt? I’ve found mine do not always match my decor but rather what mood I’m in.

New York Beauty, quilts, Karen Stone, quilting

I love Lazy Girl designs. I have a few patterns in my to-do stack of projects. I bought many of them after seeing great samples at quilt stores. My idea is to make a few out of the abundance of my fabric collection. I think it’s a wonderful way to show off all those special fat quarter us fabriholics love to collect. I for one have a hard time cutting up my precious designer fabric sometimes. I keep thinking that what if I find a better project to put it in and then it just sits with the other pretty fabrics.

Anyway, I found out that Lazy Girl has their own blog and and they recently posted this tutorial on how to add closures to the inside pockets of your quilted totes and purses. The flaps can be added even after a purse is completed. So if you have a pocket inside a purse or tote that is too open for you just add one of these to keep your stuff in place.

Lazy Girl, quilted bags, tutorial, fabric, quilting

This is the coolest craft fair you will ever go to. Some of the items you find here will not appear at the local church function around Christmas time but there are many hip versions of the very same things you will find at said church craft fair. I saw tons of bags that ranged from urban chic to vegan safe. There was an array of children’s clothing especially cute, cute onesies and adorable bibs. If you were looking for a one of a kind T-shirt for yourself or hard to find college student this was the place to be. You could also find independent printers of stationery, note cards and journals.

Here is a picture of just some of the many business cards I picked up. I went down with a friend and both she and I have the same affliction. It’s the “oh, I can make that” syndrome. I know I inherited it from my mother who took me to craft shows when I was a kid. We were definitely the kind of people that the crafters love/hate. They love it when we say how great their items are then discuss how it was made and then hate us when we turn around and don’t buy anything. We feel really bad that we don’t buy anything but I hope they know we are just like them and love to make stuff.

Luckily for us DIYers there were some booths that had the supplies for making stuff. I picked up 2 iron-on transfer packs from Sublime Stitching and some fat quarters from Quiltogy the urban quilters quilt store who had a booth. I got some great Amy Butler plus one other I can’t remember the designer of. See the photo. No, I don’t have a project in mind but I will…someday.

The Renegade Craft Fair only happens twice and year. Once in the summer in New York and once in Chicago. Check out the website for updates on next years dates. Also, if you live near Chicago or are coming to town they opened up a Renegade Handmade store selling many of the items by the artists who partake in the fair.

fabric, quilt shop, Chicago, Renegade Craft Fair, Quiltology, Amy Butler, Sublime Stitching, craft show

August and September have been very trying months for me and my family. My husband has been sick. It all started with chest pains back several months ago which finally ended up in a diagnosis of faulty gallbladder that had to be removed last month. Then last week he came down with a mysterious virus and had to be tested for meningitis. Those tests came back negative so then the only medical advice they gave was to stay home and rest. It has been over a week now and there is minor improvement in his symptoms. Today he didn’t have as much fever and went all day without taking medication until bedtime. Tomorrow is a doctor’s visit. I’m sure they will still just say “get plenty of rest and lots of fluids”.

So besides working full-time, taking care of our daughter and making sure there is clean towels in the house I’ve been playing nurse maid which left me little time for the attention Vertical Quilting Curve takes. It also makes me cranky when I can’t do my favorite things. I did manage a little this weekend plus I got to leave the house to go the Renegade Craft Fair which I will share more of tomorrow.

For all you regulars out there I apologize for my absence and hopefully this week will be a full and fun week with lots of good health to go around for everyone.

After getting inspired at the quilt show last weekend I decided I needed to stop by a quilt store. It was a great day for a drive especially since it was such a beautiful weekend here in the Chicago area. I found my way to Windmill City Quilts in the quaint town of Geneva, IL. It is a great town to window shop and enjoy a gelato at Graham’s while walking along the beautiful tree-lined streets.

It is a relocated quilt store from Batavia that has a new owner. It just opened in Geneva this summer. It already has a nice fabric selection with a large section of homespuns. They also carry batiks (you may have noticed is one of my favorites), Amy Butler, and cute theme fabrics.

They also like to put stuff on sale. This past weekend while I was there they had books and notions 40% off. I picked up a mechanical pencil for marking quilts with. I also picked up a black fabric with kind of a batik-like look that I may try putting with my grandmother’s flower garden blocks. I would share a picture but the black doesn’t show up in photos too well.

The shop is a nice complement to the historic feel of the town. If you are in the area there are occasionally nice events going on to make it a nice road trip. This weekend Sept 14 - 16, 2007 is the Festival of Wine. The town also has a Christmas Walk and Home Tour in December.

quilting, quilts, quilt shop, Geneva Illinois

It was an excellent show. I was very impressed with the local efforts of the quilt guild. There were a great many tremendous quilts on display. I left a little overwhelmed but quite inspired. As you can see in the accompanying photos the show was not just on the floor but in the rafters so to speak. It was held in the Prairie Stone Fitness Center gymnasium and many of the quilts were hung from the upper railing of the walking tracked that is raised above the gym floor. I think this touch made it feel even bigger and better.

Besides the quilts themselves there were many activities going on. The guild members had two booths set up. One was books and magazines they donated for sale. Magazines were going for just 50 cents and yes I did adopt a few. Who wasn’t doing this at these prices? Some members were also selling handmade items from everything to full sized quilts to bookmarks. I picked up a bookmark. A few members were also demonstrating different techniques. I saw redwork embroidery, needle punch and machine piecing demos.

Other activities included merchants row, quilt appraising and a quilt turning. I wrote about quilt turning in this previous post but actually attending one was the best part of the show outside all of the beautiful quilts in the show. Seeing these antique quilts being turned down on an antique bed in person and having their stories told was very entertaining and informative. The oldest quilt was circa 1860. Amazing! I’ve posted a photo here of the start of the bed turning. There were two grandmothers flower garden quilts that I will have to write more on later. One of the more interesting quilts was one made from corset scraps brought home by a girl who worked in a corset factory in the late 1800’s and pieced into a quilt. It was actually quite lovely and looked as if made from fine dress scraps.

Overall the show was time well spent and has given me quite a few ideas for projects that I already have planned and those that have popped into my head because of the show. It has also given me some ideas to share with you.

quilting, quilts, quilt show, quilt turning

I just found out there is a quilt show just a few miles from me and I’m off to see some local creations.

If your are in the Hoffman Estates, IL area (suburb of Chicago) maybe you can check it out today, too. It is the Northwestern Suburban Quilters Guild’s show. They only hold it every 2 years. Also, I’ve been wanting to find out about membership in the guild so I am looking forward to meeting some of the members to check it out. You can check out the guild at their website.

quilting, quilts, quilt show

No matter what side of the political issue you are on regarding U.S. military policy there is one issue that most citizens can agree on. Our men and women in uniform deserve our respect and support as they have to do one of the hardest tasks we can ask of anyone. Sometimes the ways we can show it is a way that people, particularly women, have done through many wars and conflicts. By using the talents of a needle we show that they are thought of and loved for their sacrifices.

One sacrifice that many soldiers deal with is being injured whether physically or mentally during duty. One organization that uses quilting to help is Quilts of Valor. They are an organization that makes quilts to send to those injured soldiers to help comfort them in their time of need.

I just read about this program for the first time today in a newspaper article about a quilting group in northwest Arkansas, the Calico Cutups, who started by making 300 blocks to send to a Kansas group to finish for Quilts of Valor but the Kansas group couldn’t keep up. So, the Arkansas group started to make their own finished quilts.

The quilt block shown here with my story was made in Arkansas by a secret pal I had when I was a member of the Arkansas Quilt Guild so I am going to send it back to Arkansas to the group to put in one of the soldier quilts. I hope that you will find a way to help. If you don’t quilt or don’t have the time right now they are also in the need of funds to pay for extra fabric and postage to send the quilts. You can find out more here.

quilting, quilts, Quilts of Valor, Arkansas

I found this today and thought “Cool, a quilt tour in the gardens.” Well, Quilt Garden Tour to Attract Visitors isn’t quite a quilt show in gardens like I was thinking. It is actually gardens laid out in quilt patterns. The concept was born out of the Amish quilt heritage in the area and the love of gardens.

The tour will be held in Elkhart County, Indiana next year. I have family near there and I hope to make it over to see if you can really see the quilt patterns in the gardens. It is amazing how quilting seems to be popping up everywhere these days. From art gallery shows to barns in the countryside you can find something quilt related almost anywhere you go.

href=”http://www.econogics.com/busys/wnquilt.htm”>quilted panels for the windows that you put up once the sun is no longer beaming through the windows. They have backed them in unobtrusive, plain fabrics so that the neighbors won’t complain but you can put whatever design you want on the front.

Now that Labor Day is over that means winter is just around the corner which means it is time to get the house winterized and what a great way to do it by making quilted insulated window coverings. I already cover my daughter’s bedroom windows with colorful fleece. Our bedrooms are on the north side of the house and her room seems to always be the coldest followed by mine. I may just have to piece together a few of these with her favorite fabrics I haven’t done anything with yet. I also have batting that is used for potholders that would probably keep the heat in the house better. It would also be a great way to use up those odds and ends or test blocks especially if you are not concerned about the design.

quilting, quilts, gardening, Amish

Of course you probably already know that covering up with a quilt can keep you warm. Did you also know it can keep your house warmer, too. I found this site, Econogics, that does consulting to help business be more environmentally friendly. One of their pages discusses quilted panels for the windows that you put up once the sun is no longer beaming through the windows. They have backed them in unobtrusive, plain fabrics so that the neighbors won’t complain but you can put whatever design you want on the front.

Now that Labor Day is over that means winter is just around the corner which means it is time to get the house winterized and what a great way to do it by making quilted insulated window coverings. I already cover my daughter’s bedroom windows with colorful fleece. Our bedrooms are on the north side of the house and her room seems to always be the coldest followed by mine. I may just have to piece together a few of these with her favorite fabrics I haven’t done anything with yet. I also have batting that is used for potholders that would probably keep the heat in the house better. It would also be a great way to use up those odds and ends or test blocks especially if you are not concerned about the design.

quilting, quilts, environment, insulated window covering, saving energy