A Few of my Favorite Things

Finished!  It's always a great feeling to have completed a project regardless of how long it took.  All the work and planning and imagining means nothing until a quilt is bound and hung and photographed.  Long sentence.

This quilt was adapted from the pattern My Christmas Album by Tina Curran.  Some of the blocks are my own design such as the ice skates above.  I hand appliquéd all the motifs in wool on cotton backgrounds and borders. 

Take a moment to note the long arm machine quilting done by Ann Becker, Always in Stitches.  Each block was quilted differently, picking up the theme of the appliquéd motifs.  Little quilting details were added - see if you can find them.  Ann does amazing work and turns each quilt into a personal work of art. Her love of what she does really shows.    

This kind of machine quilting is beyond me, though I'll continue to work at my own level.  

As always, quilting makes the quilt. Feast your eyes. 

A Few of my Favorite Things

48 1/2" x 48 1/2"

Published!

May/June 2014 issue MQU

I am excited to tell everyone that two of my quilts have been published in the current issue of Machine Quilting Unlimited.

December is featured in a special Appliqué Quilts article by Diane Rusin Doran and Oh, Mexico Beach is displayed in the Quilts from our Readers section.  

Both are shown as full quilts and also with close up details and include the story behind each quilt.  

I subscribe to six different quilting publications and do enjoy them all, but MQU back issues are saved and kept in my library of quilting books. They are a great reference for inspiration and instruction.  I can honestly say that reading this magazine inspired me to improve my own machine quilting skills and gave me the courage to quilt December on my home Bernina.  

Other news from my quilt world:

Electric Quilt has released it's computer program software for Macs and it is truly wonderful!  I bought a  MacBook Pro about a year ago (lifetime PC user) and struggled trying to use my PC Electric Quilt program with VMware Fusion and Windows 7 on my Mac - it just never ran smoothly. 

For around $30, I could upgrade my PC version of EQ7 to the new Mac version and downloaded it in no time.  Other companion software such as "Stash" is easily installed. I've been using it without a glitch.  

Still December?

December 58" x 58"

The most popular topic of conversation here in the Northwoods of Wisconsin is the weather   - at least it has been this winter.  I don't keep track, but it has to have been one of the snowiest and coldest in a long long time.  Even though it's spring (not December) by the calendar, it's still winter outside. Why just the other day, Mother Nature delivered about a foot of new snow.

I can't say that I mind as it gives me many hours in my sewing room to work on my quilts. 

Speaking of December, my quilt titled December has been juried into the American Quitler's Society Quilt Week, Paducah, Kentucky, April 23 through 26.  It is always thrilling to have my quilts displayed there, my favorite show of all.  

On to other things besides the weather - oh wait - my quilt in progress is winter related too!  

Hmmmm….. do we have a trend going here? 

See my last blog post for an intro to this quilt.  

Below are photos of progress I've made.  After adding the roof, sides and sidewalk to the "old building"  I'm now working on the snowy trees.   The smaller tree took me an entire day to draw, cut, fuse and appliqué stitch.  The larger tree is pinned in place and will take a bit more time to get just right, and then it's on to more trees and branches to the left side of the building.  

The last phase will be the tulle overlay and/or other ways to achieve that really soft, lovely snowy effect.  This may take awhile. 

New York City

 New York City building in the snow

My daughter Carla is an art design director at Knock, Inc in Minneapolis and she travels to NYC at least monthly to shoot all those wonderful Target in store model photos for apparel and accessories.  Yes folks, that is HER work.  

Recently, she sent me the above photo. The city is a mess to get around in the winter, but that old apartment building smothered in snowflakes looks so quiet and peaceful.

 I of course thought this would be a great quilt design and sketched out the old building, then overlaid a  tissue paper drawing of snowy trees.  

Phase 1 in fabric is done - fused and ready to stitch:

It looks only slightly like the photo thus far, but this is a work in progress and a big project.  In order to achieve that hazy, snowy look, I've overlaid some white tulle to the right half of the quilt top:

You get the idea?

I'll be adding sides, roof and sidewalk to the building next, then I will need to enlarge, cut and fuse those tree branches over the entire quilt top.  

In contrast to this peaceful winter scene, I spent my 60th birthday in NYC in September, 2010 with my daughters and sister.  It was a wild 4 day blast of fun and touring, noise and people and just too much fun.

Someday, I'll go back in winter.

Carla, Jane, Katy, Ellen

Enter this contest to win fabric for life!  Contest ends February 28th, but you can still enter each day until then - it only takes a minute.

To enter:  Click here  

GOOD LUCK!

Published! And other news from Jane.

Dresden Basket 

23" x 23"

My original, complete pattern for Dresden Basket has been published in The Appliqué Society's Jan/Feb newsletter.  I would encourage any appliqué enthusiast to become a member -  I have been for many years.  

TAS states:  "Our Mission is to Promote, to Teach, to Encourage the Love of ALL Types of Appliqué in Quilting."

The newsletter is delivered to members in print (black and white) and includes an online edition in beautiful color.  

The Appliqué Society's editor Patti Ives has written a wonderful review of my new book Nature's Journey Appliqué; you'll find the review in the current newsletter issue.  

Also included is a feature story about Gail Gilson Pierce and Lisa Wood owners of Wooly Lady, neighbors from northern Wisconsin. Their appliqué designs are wonderful and I consider their hand dyed wool fabrics the best around.  A number of those wools are included in My Christmas Album quilt still in progress:

My Christmas Album

in progress

Other news from Jane's quilt world:

This morning, winners of The American Quilter's Society Phoenix show, which opens today, were announced:  WOW!  I was pleased to see that my entry "Oh, Mexico Beach" won an Honorable Mention award.  

Oh, Mexico Beach

85" x 85"

Closer to home - meaning my actual sewing room - I have been working to complete my Nature's Edge quilt.  If you'll notice I completed that last block and have been working on the  borders.  This is a "rough" photo as there will be many more adjustments and additions to the appliquéd borders.  

I have this quilt top hung on my design wall where I pin and re-pin my appliqué motifs, sit back and stare, walk away, go away completely, and eventually that moment comes when YES!  I know I've hit it. I can then fuse the motifs and finish stitching.  

For some time, I was just stuck on this quilt and did not have any creative ideas for finishing it.  But I'm on a roll now!  

I'm anxious to start a new quilt which is spinning and turning in my head .  Remember those words "spinning and turning".

Woolies

Just an update on "My Christmas Album" adapted from the pattern featured in Quilter's Newsletter designed by Tina Curran.  I have used felted wool for all my appliqué motifs.

The blocks and borders are pinned to my design wall, but not pieced as yet.

I'm still hand stitching the penguin and ice skate blocks and then on to all those sweaters.  

My dear sis Ellen LaVen sent me some wonderful little diminutive buttons from her SkeeterBitz Etsy shop to adorn some of the sweaters and I can't wait to start stitching  them.

It is a Christmas quilt... Christmas 2014 that is.  

HAPPY WINTER!

Just Because

Mittens and Tam

Here we are with winter upon us (I really do like winter) and my thoughts turn to wool appliqué.  I spotted this quilt pattern titled "My Christmas Album" in Quilter's Newsletter and it looked like a perfect project for me.  Just because.  Because at night, I like to hand stitch.  Because I get tired working at my machine.  Because I run out of designing energy and want to create using someone else's pattern.

My Christmas Album

Pattern by Tina Curran

I like the simple 9 block layout of this quilt. It's all about appliqué.  And I like the mandala like layout of the blocks.  But  what I like best about this design is the sweater border. They are just too cute! 

Tina Curran is the designer of this fun quilt.  I've changed up some of the blocks, replacing some of her motifs with some of mine.  I have 4 more blocks to prepare, then on to those great sweaters. 

Winter Birds

Poinsettia

Fun trees

Christmas ornaments

After showing my work in progress to my quilt group, one of my friends offered me and another quilter a chance to go through her extensive wool collection and choose any pieces we could use.  Like kids in a candy store:

Some of my new woolens

By the way, when I do wool appliqué, I still use my raw edge fusible technique to prepare each motif.  I know some would frown on fusing anything to wool and instead use glue, staples, or pins.  But I find it works just great and helps keep those wool edges from fraying.  I am using a variety of gray toned cotton fabrics for the blocks and a slightly darker gray fabric for the sweater border background. I use a buttonhole stitch to appliqué each piece with 2 strands of embroidery floss.  I'll add embroidery details as I go along, using various threads and techniques. 

Ready to cut and fuse

The Edge of Nature

Spent wildflower in late autumn

Wasn't there a soap opera once titled "The Edge of Night"?   What is the edge of nature?  

Nature abounds here in the Northwoods of Wisconsin at all times. Summer blooms and flora are long past but take on another beauty when spent and dried.  

Dandelion?

This is a block from a new quilt I'm working on, probably to be titled Nature's Edge.  I saw an article in the Wall Street Journal's Style and Travel section a while ago about New York Fashion Week and the spring theme of "edgy floral designs." Flowers always catch my eye and the inspiration took hold.  Just yesterday, I actually read the article noting  "softness and toughness, dripping with color, washed out in black and gray, blurred, black blooms."  

The flower blocks are not meant to be anything in particular though they were inspired by real flowers.

Bachelor buttons?

Anemone and spiders?

A graceful black and gray bird

One block to go....

I plan to extend the bird branches and leaves all around the block borders and then of course, there will be an appliquéd outer border, so there will be lots more color and dimension.  None of the blocks have been appliqué stitched yet.  Lots of work to do.  

Sage and Rosemary brought inside for the winter.  

A nice sprig of mint popped out when I repotted the Rosemary.  We'll have fresh herbs for  Thanksgiving dinner this year!

Wax poetic

How about a peek at my awards from the Treasures of Tomorrow quilt show, Marshfield,WI October 25 and 26:

Bittersweet Too - Second Place

December  - Third Place

I Love the Nightlife -  First Place

Great show as always.  It's not a huge show, but it is judged.  I enter and attend every year.  

It was wonderful to talk to other quilters about their quilts and mine.   I met another quilter who had entered two of her quilts, one winning the Best Machine Quilting award and the other winning second place.  Her quilts were beautifully hand appliquéd. She used a technique called back basted needle turn appliqué which I had never heard of, so she explained it to me.  This was her first attempt at hand appliqué and her first quilt show entries.  Way to go!  

A Mercer friend and artist who always attends the show mentioned to me that she recognized the botanical elements in December from "our north woods".  That comment was so interesting.  She is not a quilter and I love the fact that a viewer would catch something like that when looking at my work.

By the way, I Love the Nightlife was considered for the Best Machine Quilting award, according to the judge's comments.  Hear that Lisa Arndt? (my machine quilter for that quilt).

I've had some thoughts since the show.  I don't normally wax poetic in my blog posts.  I figure readers want to see some of my photos, read a bit, just get in and get out.  But here goes.

Why do I enter quilt shows?  Based on my comments above, you may get the general idea. But questions arise at times about how much prize money I receive, how many shows I enter, do I make quilts just for show, just for the chance to WIN.  Am I looking for fame and fortune??  

I do make show quilts, but I don't make them just for show. I make quilts because I love the process and because they are an expression of things I see and love in life. Making quilts of show quality is a challenge I enjoy; it makes me always strive to improve my work. By the way:  I received no "could be better" comments from the judge on my quilts.  I guess I have finally passed the binding test.  That's one area I often needed to improve according to judge's comments.

I enter shows for the pure fun of it.  I love viewing every quilt at a show and it is so fun to see mine displayed among the others.  I love talking to people and answering questions about my quilts.  I learn so much from other quilters at a show and I am always inspired with new ideas to take home.  I take only a few photos of other's quilts and I never post other quilts on my blog without permission and credit to the artist.  

I notice very often - on Pinterest especially - photos of quilts posted without identifying the quilt maker.   Not good. 

One interesting note:  I entered December in the Wall Quilt, Art category described in the entry form as "Quilters original design that depicts a person, place or thing in a realistic or abstract manner."  Any technique may be used.  December is my depiction of winter and especially the month of December.  The dark background represents winter darkness setting in, with snowflakes brightening the landscape.  The bright blue pieces here and there depict the clear blue sky, not seen too often.  Fabric circle borders surrounding the snowflakes are the colors of  pine trees.  I used botanical elements in the snowflakes, such as birch trees, little snow clumps on brush branches, icicles etc.  All these ideas were gathered on my daily walks.  But looking at the other art quilts displayed in that category, I wondered if December really is an "art quilt".  No matter really.

But the perpetual question remains:  What really is an art quilt?  And that age old wonderment:  Are quilters artists?  

I don't wonder the answer to the second question.  To me, all quilts are works of art, and all quilters are artists.  

Fame and Fortune for me?   I am not trying to be famous and prize money is always nice but will never cover the costs of entering shows.  I cherish my ribbons more.