Walla Walla Valley Quilt Festival - 2013

What an honor to see so many client quilts and a few of my own at the Walla Walla Valley Quilt Festival the last weekend in September.

Here are photos of my own quilts that were there, and this one received the 3rd place, People's Choice Award for small quilts. This was from the Barbara Shapel class held earlier in the year. It is a piece of black cotton sateen and the rest is all thread stitched with my domestic machine. I had entered it in the Crayon Adventure challenge (program said Lucky 13...but that was last year), but somehow it was displayed in the small quilts area.
I named it "Night and Day" --the back side looks like it is day time with a blue ombre fabric (light to dark).

I also entered these three:

"Christmas Friends" ...Friendship Star blocks won last December in the Walla Walla Valley Quilt Guild Block Lotto. Added one more (there were 4 of my own already ;-)), set them in pine cone fabrics from my stash and a thin woodgrain w/gold accents border and found the poinsettia large border to purchase and finish it off. Fussy cut the border to get a pleasing effect. The sides almost appear scalloped. Stitched the 'Holly Berries" pantograph while testing an Innova.

"Racing Hearts"...a jelly roll race made as a class sample for a charity quilting group in Arizona. Squiggles along each horizontal line, and a triple heart stitched at each red separator ...almost like the hearts are the ones racing! Used it as a test quilt on my Gammill after I moved it to Grand Coulee.

"Rose of Hope" --the center block originally selected as part of the Rose of Sharon Block Challenge for inclusion in Nine Patch Media's companion DVD. I wanted the borders to create an effect like looking through a thick wall. As if in Noah's ark...and even though Noah only saw an olive branch...this block reminded me of that story. Thus the title I have given it. The inner brown border has quilting that I tried to create the effect of inlaid wood.

 

 

Client quilts were big winners too!

People's Choice - Large Quilts - 1st place -- Charlotte Collier with her version of Judy Niemeyer's Christmas Celebration. Originally designed as a tree skirt, Charlotte kept it whole and has created a beautiful hanging mechanism so that it is perfectly circular on the wall. Well done!

"Christmas Celebration"

 

 

People's Choice - Large Quilts - 3rd place - Rayni Lambert with her version of Judy Neimeyer's Glacier Star with extended borders. Wishing you well Rayni as you move to Wyoming!

"Blooms on the Glacier"

 

 

Other client quilts included:

 

Melanie Plantaric -- a lot of hand applique! "Baskets in Bloom"

 

Melanie Plantaric - Lots more hand applique....I designed a motif to go in the blank spaces for the quilting. Hard to see the quilting with the lack of light.  "Turkish Delight"

 

 

Roberta Clough - a quilt in the making for many many years. The lighting prevented being able to see the quilting on this one too. "Persistence"

 

Audrey Campbell - her version of Judy Neimeyer's Glacier Star. Audrey had won Best of Show at the Walla Walla Fair and Frontier Days earlier in the month with this quilt. "Glacier Star in Purples and Blues"

Charlotte Collier - her version of Judy Niemeyer's Glacier Star (not listed in the program though)

 

Elaine Shaw -- a wedding gift. I didn't capture a photo at the show, but had one from my own collection since I was asked to put the binding on it as well. "Teahouse Garden"

 

Detailed photos of all the above quilts are available at www.facebook.com/kissedquilts in the Customer Quilts v.4 photo album. This is a public page, so even if you're not a Facebook member, you can still view the photos.

Just had to share this one too. My mom made it and gave it to my sister back in 2008. The lower one in this image. My mom's very first quilted wall hanging. This was entered by my sister in the Crayon Adventure Challenge. Just sentimental for me ;-)

And this one because it is adapted from my original 'Zoe' quilt pattern. Made by Dyann Swanson, quilted by Susan Purcell. So fun to see other people take your pattern and make something of it!

September Finishes

Finish #2013-15
"Christmas Friends"
Made from quilt blocks won in the Walla Walla Valley Quilt Guild's block lotto from December 2012 Five blocks are actually mine (one made after the win). Set with four different pine cone fabrics and a thin border of wood grain with metallic accent ....all found in my stash. I then purchased the outer border and fussy cut to keep the poinsettia's closer to the center of the quilt and the darker edges to the outside. Love how the vertical sides almost look like a black scallop. Quilted with 80/20 batting, a beautiful red wideback and a pantograph called Holly Berries. Quilted this on an Innova 18" machine....trying to help a friend to learn her new machine and working out some of the tension issues. This was shown at the Walla Wall Valley Quilt Festival, Sept 27-29, 2013.



Finish #2013-16
INMQ 2013 Challenge, and I'm naming it "Dreamland"--this will be at the WSQ-Spokane show, October 18-20. If you get a chance to go...hope you'll check out all of our various versions. Taking inspiration from the Sharon Schamber class presented in 2012, I designed the symmetrical wholecloth with a 1/8th section on vellum, then traced key elements on a lightbox onto the fabric with a purple 'evaporating' marking pen and mirrored it 7 more times. Only thread work is allowed and it must be symmetrical. Because the challenge provided the batik that had hints of pink/purple/blue in it, I chose to work with various threads with a pink tint in the center moving to purple and ultimately on the outer edges, blue. Mostly using Wonderfil threads including their metalic, hologram and 100 weight (fills). The feathers are Signature variegated 'pansy patch'. A bit of blue metallic Madiera and YLI silver was also used. Used a new batting provided by the Warm Co. at Spring Market called "Warm and Plush". It is 100% cotton. Thanks to Warm Co. for providing me with this sample. Keep up with me on this blog, as I'll be doing a giveaway of this batting, courtesy of Warm Co. soon. This was my first legitimate wholecloth and most pre-designed quilting work I've ever done. Learned a lot though!

 

I almost like the backside better!

So...for personal goals...that's what I've got to show for my month.

My business goals...
1. Writing my latest Country Register Article  --done. This article will be coming out in the latest Country Register that you can find around the country. Title: "Collective and solo effort quilts, how can they be fairly evaluated?"
2. Publishing my first class schedule. -- done. Sent to my email list (sign-up here if you didn't get it and would like to), a few spots left for the Technique of the Month series. New classes will be announced each month.
3. Quilting 15+ client quilts. -- QUILTED CQ234 - CQ242 ...maybe another one today, but we'll go with this for now. Not as many as my goal indicated, but that's what it is.
4. Another commission to get going on that is due in October. -- no visuals until late in October...so just know I did get the center blocks cut out (almost every block is a unique fabric)
4. Hosting my first local class! a Fall Table Runner with a beginner and an intermediate option.
Here is the morning group during the class....(taught 9/24). The evening students were split and so I was teaching both simultaneously and customizing one as we went.

Thanks for stopping by ....great to feel accomplished for the month with so much going on!

I'm off to AQS-Des Moines to see "Rosie"! If you'll be there...contact me so we can meet (Oct. 3 or 4).

Rosie the Riveter poster image can be purchased at spoonflower.com or from me as a 1 yard cotton fabric panel with multiple sized images, including shipping for $25.

Can't close this post without some exciting news....two clients of mine got ribbons at the WWValley Quilt Festival this weekend (I quilted them), and I got one of my own. I'll do an entire post later about the show.

Have a great week!

Minkee Mitered Binding

If you're using minkee as a backing....you might want to 'cheat' and just bring the back around to the front for your binding.

Here is a tutorial to do that and have beautiful sewn mitered corners for the binding too.

Start by trimming the batting (carefully, to not cut the backing) to the edge of your quilt top.

I usually leave my edge basting in until the binding is done, but you could take it out at this point too.

Trim the backing to about 1" from the edge of the quilt top.

Fold the quilt on the diagonal at one corner as illustrated below.

 

Sew at a right angle to the fold about half way down, then pivot and sew parallel to the fold ....until you reach the raw edge. Repeat for all corners.

 

 

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Trim the corner (right angle to the fold) to minimize the bulk.

When you turn it in...the miter is sewn down and when it turns under, it encourages the fold down on both sides along the edge.

 

Top stitch being sure to get the real fabric (not just the fuzz) in your seam.

 

 

Not sure how I captured this....but here it is!

I also don't normally put the label on the front...but this to be used on a scooter chair and I think she'll like the minkee 'on top' ...so perhaps the label will be on the back most of the time.

September Goals

Personal Goals:
The Inland Northwest Machine Quilter's group meets several times a year and hosts an annual challenge that is exhibited and voted on by showgoers at the WSQ-Spokane Quilt show in October.  It is time to get serious about the INMQ Challenge. This year it is a symmetrical whole cloth! And for this month's meeting (Sept. 21), I also need to draw my design ideas for two blocks that will go into their quilting designs for blocks book sold at the upcoming show.

If I get a chance...
a. I'll quilt and bind the Christmas Friendship Star quilt.
b. Continue on my Storm at Sea quilt
c. Try to finish up a Fall Wallhanging that has been in the works for a while.

Business goals:
1. Writing my latest Country Register Article
2. Publishing my first class schedule.
3. Quilting 15+ client quilts.
4. Another commission to get going on that is due in October.
5. Hosting my first local class! a Fall Table Runner with a beginner and an intermediate option.

You may have seen in the Keepsake Quilting catalogue, Terry Alber's Harvest Tabletop. If you've purchased the pattern or kit ...bring it along, or I'll have instructions for a similar one that lets you customize it to fit your own table.

The intermediate option includes some fall leaf blocks. I've re-written the result of this image so that the half square triangles (HSTs) can be easily done 8 at a time and you'll get points in your leaves. One part of each leaf block is paper pieced.

We can likely source fabrics within my studio to create kits for your own project, so please stop by and let's put together a beautiful collection of fabrics that will compliment your home or someone's that you may want to give it to.

Be sure to stop by KISSed Quilts to signup; email or call if it is not convenient for you to stop by but would still like to sign-up for the class.