Quilt 365 Update

It's day 58. I started Jan. 1st. I have sewn 114 blocks. They are sewn together to avoid a lot of tedious work at the end if the project. It is still calming to do but now I am starting to feel a little bored by the mellow colors. I think I am going to hunt for some interesting fabrics with highlights to throw in the mix. I've exhausted my stash. Oh shucks, that means I might have to buy new!

Do you recognize these?

These cat quilts are starting to be iconic. Naoko Suzuki makes these and has had at least one in the Tokyo International Quilt Festival for several years running.

This years entrance is the red/burgundy quilt down below.

2015

2016

2012

2013

Aren't they stunning? I like her style. I like how the cat faces capture cat mood perfectly. I like her limited palette. I wish she sold patterns because I'd like to hang something like this at my house.

My snuggle bunnies, Talulah and Pippen.

Yes, that's Talulah foot hung around Pippen's neck.

Quilty 365 update

Its day 30. I started Jan 1 and I'm ahead. 72 blocks.

2016 Tokyo International Quilt Festival-UPDATED

Schooled! By a Japanese quilter in the art of the log cabin block. Respect! I think this is my favorite quilt this year. My apologies for not posting quilters names..I do not read kanji. 

I have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of the Tokyo Quilt Festival 2016. This year I am not attending so I am living vicariously through other bloggers in blogland. I've gathered links to this year's festival so you can also enjoy the quilts if you weren't able to attend.

Alyce B has a extensive album of the festival quilts on flicker.

Pink Caramel's video link is especially good. Enjoy! Or see it directly through YouTube.2016 Tokyo International Quilt 

Queeniepatch has been attending the Tokyo festival for several years now.  I always love looking at her pictures.

Barbara Brackman blogged especially about the William Morris exhibition at this years festival.

Taniwa is another attendee gracious enough to share her festival pictures.

Michele  also focuses on the William Morris exhibit and will hopefully share the Beatrix Potter exhibit in her next post.

And saving best for last...

Maria has posted her festival pictures public for everyone to enjoy. And there are absolutely tons!

Bravo! For all the talented Japanese quilters at this year's festival!

Cold blue northern light

Its a cold blue northern light coming through my windows these days. I'll have to do with waves of warmth from the wood stove. There is ice and there is snow, and not gentle Hollywood snow, that doesn't exist here. In Norway, it snows horizontal, blown in gusts, swooping around the houses, chasing the animals inside to duvets and hearths. The dog lies as close as possible with a stacked log as her pillow and the cats with their rich thick coats sleep under the bathroom sink on the heated tiles, ever greatful that the kids never rember to hang up their bath towels.

And then there's the abandoned Swan. It is not a baby but is not fully grown. It still has the brown young feathers of youth. And its been sitting still out on the ice for days, conserving its energy while it recovers from illness or injury.  The parent swans seemed so devoted, always traveling in a tight knit group , Yet now, it feels bitterly cruel of them having abandoned one of their own in this bleek icey situation. I see the three of them swimming back and forth and I know the 4th is it the end of the lake sitting quietly alone with only ducks for company.

Practice makes perfect. My quilted circles are coming along splendidly. Why did it take so many years to start needle turn applique? Because I hadn't caught on to the wonderful virtues of YouTube learning.  I've said it before and I'll say it again, God Bless You Tube! And thank you Jude Hill of Spirit Cloth for a great video lesson.

Now I know Audrey of Quilt 365 suggests picking out your fabric each day but I like to have them ready so I can step on the gas when I get a free moment and inspiration strikes.

Quilt 365 - day two

Much improved applique. I tried to remember Jude Hill's tutorial on applique and guess what? It really helped! Thank you Jude!

If you haven't seen Jude's work, do yourself a favor. Her critters and beasts have inspired faces. Her work is soothing.

Jude Hill Spirit Cloth

And her very helpful YouTube tutorial:

Spirit Cloth Applique tutorial

Let's try one more time

Quilt 365.  Quiltyfolk have caught my attention. 1 a day. I tried this the last time we had a leap year...with building houses from scraps, got a little further than half way and burned out big time. The circles seams much simpler, perhaps I have the stamina for this. With the little houses, I was always trying to get a head, instead of just quilting one a day in twenty minutes I was tried for an hour....or to get five done. Slow and steady wins the race. Lesson learned.

So I am starting this circle adventure on Jan 3rd, here is a link to the project...Quiltyfolk Quilt 365.

My first block, far from perfect, what a good way to practice applique.

But I would dearly love to try and and make a hour glass quilt like this one featured on Barrister's Block.. So maybe I will try to do one-a-day of these hour glass blocks also.

This post of her's was so inspiring! I guess I lean towards more traditional antique quilts than I thought. So many lovelies!

I tried making some little hour glass blocks to see what I could get out of a two contrasting 6" pieces.

Turns out I could get 8 little ones easily.

Passacaglia Progress

This days I'm trying to making progress on my newest Passacaglia. It has been much easier this time around because I've just pinned it on top of my previous Passacaglia quilt. This time its mostly reds, brown, creams and pinks, fussy cut of course, pieced with a simple and efficient running stitch.

I'm also working on a border for another one of Willyne's quilts. This border is my design. Can you guess which quilt this is from her first book?

Til next time...Piece out.... Hee hee.

Millefiori Quilt...La Passacaglia Again!

I've got a stack of rosette pancakes almost 6 inches high ready to be assembled.

These rosettes are addicting!   I love how delightful each fussy cut block shines when sewn together. I got a little carried away and have five rosettes extra that will be waiting in the wing if needed.

Auditioning star legs

Using the black and white setting on my camera to check for adequate contrast. 

Rosette 

Star border

Viola!

Another Millefiori Quilt

Wall flowers...I'm attempting another one of Willyne Hammerstein's quilts. I took a long break over the summer but now I'm determined to finish it in the next few weeks

I'm so pleased to have captured a picture with dog food on the floor and the laundry basket in the background. Pippen only cares about the new quilt though. I'm flattered she approves.

Willynes's original 'Wall Flowers' quilt from her book, "Millefiori Quilts".

My version is creams, beiges, browns and purples....hopefully incorporating some depth compared to the original.

One of Blue Moth's postings has inspired me for the border.

I just love the center piece with the lighter fabrics!

QUILTmania Issue 100!

The postman delivered a treat this morning! Quiltmania's 100th Issue! Filled with fabulous quilts and patterns for fabulous quilts. Here is a sneak peak!

I especially love the skill of Japanese quilters and there was a great section on the 12th Quilt Nihon Exhibition. I especially liked the playful quilt Dandelion by Hatsumi Satou and  Flowers in the Crystal by Kiyoko Ishihara.

A real beauty got a full page layout, My Baltimore Album Quilt IV by Miki Yakita, in a very grabbing red!

Another goody was a feature on Reiko Kato's beautiful taupe quilts. 

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Kids always tell you like it is. And the first thing my daughter said over my shoulder, "Why are the colors so boring?"

Charlene Mills wrote an article, The last word on Japanese Taupes that was featured in The Chocolate City Quilters blog that explains it far better than I did to my daughter.   She seemed to be satisfied though and appreciated the reasoning behind it.

"Historical background

It is said that Taupes remind the Japanese of the fabrics their grandmothers and great-grandmothers wore for casual dress: sturdy cottons that could take the wear-and-tear of everyday life, with an ashy background to hide dirt, and prints that reflected the natural world. (In contrast, silk, the brighter the better, was the preferred fabric for anything formal.)"

complete article as posted from The Chocolate Quilter Blog

Why do people piece quilts by hand anymore?

The reason I sew by hand is because you can sew much more intricate shapes easily. Machine piecing is great for simpler quilts but when your pieces are small and join at all kinds of angles, it's just as fast, if not faster to do it by hand. Using your hands on small pieces gives you added accuracy that you loose when you, whoops, accidentally sew a little to far on your machine. Inset Y seams are dreaded on the machine because it requires very accurate starting and stopping. It's only a headache on the machine. Hand piecing inset seams is no different than  sewing any regular seam.

If I am going to quilt a standard nine-patch, I would naturally use my machine. Lots of straight lines, just zip right along. After quilting for about 7 years I started to feel limited to the types of quilts I could make with those easy straight lines. It wasn't until I started hand sewing (Houses from scraps) that I broke through the straight line barrier and realized how liberating hand sewing was. YES! I SAID HAND SEWING WAS LIBERATING! Any shape, any angle, any size is just as easily sewn. Did I mention I could sew anywhere too?

For me, sewing started to get stressful. I was always looking for the most efficient method to get through it as quick as possible. Blimey, my shoulders were tense as I hunkered over my machine alone in my room. I felt guilty about separating myself from the family. My focus was speed....how fast...could I get it done? Sure I got tops finished in a few days. I quickly started a project, quickly sewed it and almost just as quickly got sick of the quilt. I liked it for a while.  "Quickly" is a relative term. Even very ugly quilts take time to make. Any quilter knows you invest enough time in quilt that you should love it when you are done, not just sort of like it for a while. That is at least how I feel.  I have a stack of quilts knee high that I have folded away because I don't like them anymore. It represents a lot of time spent quilting. The cat sleeps on one in her basket. Bless her heart. The dog has one in her car cage..etc.. I was experimenting with techniques, colors, styles. Trying to find myself in quilting. Now I have a slightly different approach to quilting. I don't make a quilt unless I LOVE it, love it enough that I think generations to come will seriously appreciate it. Future generations won't give my knee-high stack of quick quilts a second look before binning them. I can't blame them. Dump them. Go ahead. I don't really mind.

And like I said before....Even ugly quilts take a looooong time to make. Quilts shouldn't be disposable. When I contemplate starting a quilt I think long term...starting when my children are grown. Will they want to hang on to it? or chuck it? If it passes the long term quilt
test I don't mind investing a lot of time making a quality, intricate, hand pieced quilt.

These days...I am making hexagon quilts, specifically fussy cut ones. Fussy cutting 'busy' fabric recreates it's own flower geometry that disguises the hexagon shape. (I'm not particularly fond of grandmother's garden quilts) but I am addicted to making these hexie blossoms.

Come back again, because I will be adding my YouTube tutorial demonstrating how I align and stack my fabrics when I cut out these fussy persnickety hexies.

Spring comes late to Norway...but she peaked out her head this weekend and I captured this while out on a hike with the family.