WIP Wednesday 6/12/2013

My current project is a wallhanging for a wedding. Fabrics for the wallhanging are leftovers from other things made for the wedding.

How I sometimes make corner triangles:

Start with a square.

Draw a diagonal line on the wrong side of the fabric. 

Place the square in the corner, wrong side up.

Sew on the diagonal line.

Do the same to the opposite corner.

Press toward the corner.

Trim away the excess.

Press again toward the corner. Ta-dah!

Blocks laid out on the design wall per bride's design

Added squares of embroidered fabric - some have a flower. Put up all the flower blocks first, then no flower blocks.

Looking for balance - tried alternating flower and no flower. Too many flowers on the right half of the wallhanging.

Trying for symmetry as to flower and no flower blocks - better

Turned flower blocks toward the center of the wallhanging - I'm happy with them now.

Added burlap squares

Added the embroidered name/date fabric (not trimmed to size yet)

Pinned blue and lace corners to burlap squares 

Pinned more lace triangles - I like this better.

Swapped out plain white square for another embroidered fabric square (left of "Fletcher")

I was very happy with this layout, and emailed some of the photos to the mother of the bride, who contacted the bride. They love it, with one little tweak. The bride would like a little blue added to the name/date area. I'm thinking a narrow border, or perhaps a narrow folded flap. I'm working with scraps and there isn't a lot of the blue left. We'll see what I can do.

I'm hoping to finish the wallhanging in a few days.

Debbie

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What If...

What if prompt #artjournal, a photo by quilter4010 on Flickr.

Via Flickr:
What If prompt. What if I could live at the beach? I love the ocean and I would love to live on a beach. I'm two hours drive from the Pacific Ocean, and I take day trips there several times per year. Once a year I do a three-day personal quilting retreat not far from San Francisco. I can see and hear the ocean from my room. The scene on my journal page is a block away from my motel.

I painted the background yellow, then used a toothbrush to flick turquoise, brown and red paint, sort of like grains of sand. There is a page from John Steinbeck's Cannery Row; Monterey is one of my favorite places, about 3 hours drive from where I live. There is a bit of music from Claude Debussy's La Mer (The Sea), and a scrap from a Dutch-English dictionary.

Good Old Days

Good Old Days, a photo by quilter4010 on Flickr.

Via Flickr:
Good Old Days prompt. I loved when my children were small, and some of my fondest memories are of trips together when my son and daughter were young. Here is a photo of the two of them on a long ago camping trip. My son, now in his thirties, still loves to camp. Recently he took his two young daughters, ages 3 and 7, camping by himself. They all survived and had a wonderful time. To embellish the page, I used snippets of threads left over from a recent quilt and added antique buttons.

Drink of Choice

Drink of choice prompt. I enjoy Diet Pepsi. Page made of packaging from a 2-liter bottle of Diet Pepsi, and a newspaper ad for Pepsi. Painted using the cap, bottom of the bottole, wadded up label. White strips are the reverse side of the label.

Drink of Choice prompt #artjournal #dietpepsi, a photo by quilter4010 on Flickr.

Rain

Rain, a photo by quilter4010 on Flickr.

Via Flickr:
I love the sound of gentle rain. As a girl I enjoyed splashing in puddles in my rubber boots. So fun! Used paint, stones, fabric, sequins. Besides a brush, I painted with toothpicks, bottle caps, meat tray.

WIP Wednesday 6/5/2013

Lights On, Bob!

For organist, fellow church musician and very good friend Bob P.

Title is an inside joke between Bob and me.

Piano key border imitates a keyboard.

Original design

56" x 68"

Completed 6/4/2013

Close up

Classical music themed fabric reflects Bob's love of that style of music. Chose blue color for borders because the combination of blue with gold reminded me of royalty, and I imagine that the composers mentioned on the fabric performed before kings and queens.

Close-up of the back

Beige paisley is interesting, fits the mood of the theme fabric on the front, but isn't too feminine.

I finished Lights On, Bob! last night. I plan to give the quilt to Bob tomorrow (Thursday) evening before orchestra rehearsal at church, where Bob plays the organ and I play the piano. We have played together for 26 years. My daughter Lisa was 4 years old when Bob came to the church. Lisa will be 31 in just a few days. I hope Bob will enjoy the quilt as much as I enjoyed designing and making it for him.

My next project is a wedding wallhanging for the daughter of co-worker Gayle S. The fabrics you see below are leftovers from fabrics already being used for the wedding. I will use them to make the wallhanging. Included are lace and burlap. Think Romantic Cowboy.

"Fletcher" and date were machine embroidered by former co-worker Diane M., who owns a sewing business.

Sketch drawn by the bride

The wallhanging will be fairly small, 33" square. Wedding guests will sign the completely finished quilt, which will be framed and displayed at the newlyweds' home. I'll start this project in the next few days.

Debbie

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Pink Animal Print Quilt

Pink Animal Print quilt

62" square

Original design, completed 5/15/2013

Fundraiser quilt, raised $200 for daughter-in-law Laurie's Mothers of Preschoolers group at church.

Close-up

I finished this quilt a couple of weeks ago, but didn't have a photo until today. The quilt was quite popular at the fundraiser raffle, raising $200 to fund activities for the Mothers of Preschoolers group. My daughter-in-law Laurie says that the woman who won the quilt was very happy to get it.

Debbie

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WIP Wednesday 5/29/2013

Music quilt top finished

Close-up

Backing fabric

The paisley is interesting, not too feminine, and seems to fit the mood of the music theme fabric.

With sample of music theme fabric

Last night I finished the quilt top of the music themed quilt for organist friend Bob P. I see Bob twice a week at church - during Thursday night orchestra rehearsals and Sunday morning services. My plan is to give the quilt to Bob on a Thursday night, which is less hectic than Sunday morning. I would have loved to give the quilt tomorrow evening, but there was no way I could completely finish the quilt before bedtime and get any sleep. So I took the night off of sewing. I'll finish Bob's quilt over the weekend and save it for next Thursday night's presentation.

Since I didn't sew, I spent the evening planning a Fourth of July quilt. I did an Electric Quilt sketch and searched for stars fabric. I'll start that quilt mid-June.

Wedding wallhanging

Sketch drawn by bride

Once Bob's music quilt is done, I'll start working on a wedding wallhanging for the daughter of co-worker Gayle S. The quilt will be mostly white, with touches of embroidered fabric, blue, burlap and white lace. Think Romantic Cowboy. The center square has been embroidered by former co-worker Diane M., who owns a local sewing business. I should begin that quilt early next week.

Debbie

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Make It Monday 5/27/2013

Main part of music quilt top

Wide blue border to be added.

Not much left of the music themed fabric

I got the main part of the music quilt top done tonight. Tomorrow I just need to attach wide blue borders and the quilt top will be finished.

Debbie

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WIP Wednesday 5/22/2013

For the past couple of days I've been working on strip sets that represent black and white keys on a  piano or other keyboard -- part of a quilt for organist friend Bob P.

Piano key border blocks

Section of piano key border sewn together

For you keyboardists, this run of fabric strips represents the keys of C to B.

Border sections laid out on design wall

Turns out it wasn't quite right and it became almost comical that I had to rip out seams several times, adding the "right" colors to to get the correct combination of white and black strips.

Ta-dah! Finally got it right.

Again, for you keyboardists, notice that the notes start with C in the top left, and going clockwise, repeat through the scale several times.

Here's a preview with the music themed fabric in the center. A narrow blue border will separate the theme fabric from the black and white strips.

I plan to finish the quilt top this weekend.

Debbie

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Make It Monday 5/20/2013

Fabric for new music themed quilt for organist friend Bob P. Bob enjoys playing and listening to classical music and I found a great fabric in that theme. I chose the blue because the combination of blue and gold reminds me of royalty, and I imagine the composers would have performed before kings and queens.

ElectricQuilt sketch of music themed quilt. Piano keyboard border, often in alternating colors or scrappy, was designed to look like a real keyboard. Tan areas in center and corners will be filled with music themed fabric. Center will be one large panel of the fabric, not cut up.

I've started a new quilt for organist friend Bob P. Bob and I have been playing music together at our church for a very long time - nearly 30 years. I am excited to make this music-themed quilt for my longtime friend and fellow musician. 

I'll start working on the keyboard border tomorrow evening.

Debbie

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Make It Monday 5/13/2013

Main part of quilt top - fundraiser quilt

I haven't posted for a little while. I've been busy during the past week playing piano for a local stage production of Peter Pan, which ended last night. Also my sister Cass from Illinois was here for a few days, for the funeral of our aunt Alice. Somehow I've managed to do a little sewing each night. Currently I'm working on a fundraiser quilt to benefit my daughter-in-law Laurie's Mothers of Preschools group at church. The pink animal print is the same that I used in the In Love With Animal Prints quilt and the white-on-white fabric is leftover from past quilt projects.

Tomorrow I'll attach a narrow black border, then a wide border of the pink animal print. The deadline is very soon. It will be down to the wire on this one.

Music fabric

The classical music fabric I ordered has arrived but I haven't had much time to come up with a design yet. Right now I'm thinking of using a large panel of the theme fabric as the center, then surround it with a piano keys border, which would be great for my organist friend Bob. I'll think about the quilt more once the animal print quilt is done.

Debbie

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WIP Wednesday 5/1/2013

Binky Patrol quilt top

Tonight I did a pillowcase finish on the Binky Patrol quilt, turned right side out and stitched all the way around the edges of the quilt. Thursday or Friday night I'll tie knots. By the way, I used a bright orange for the back - a twin sized sheet from Wal-Mart for $6. I often use sheets for the backs of charity quilts.

Pink leopard fabric from In Love With Animal Prints to be used in fundraiser quilt. I'll make the quilt next week.

Just ordered this fabric to make a quilt for church organist and good friend Bob P. No design in mind yet, but will let the fabric inspire me once it arrives.

Debbie

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WIP Wednesday 4/24/2013

Quilt top - part of a set that was sent to me by friend and Vacaville Binky Patrol coordinator Marilyn L. (North Hills Quilter)

Dark green print from stash, for border

I removed a section of the quilt top so the finished quilt so the finished quilt wouldn't be too long after adding border. Section is actually twice as wide as pictured.

Shortened quilt top

Dark green border attached

Close-up

Taking the leftover section of quilt top to make a coordinating pillowcase. Light yellow is from stash.

Light yellow trimmed to size - Dimensions/directions found at AllPeopleQuilt.com. Can't say I followed the directions, but the dimensions provided were very helpful to me.

This is the look I'm going for. Section from the quilt top folded in half width-wise so it is very long and narrow.

Sewed right sides together, then zigzagged over the edge.

Seam pressed. Not shown: sewed two remaining side, zigzagged. Turned pillowcase right out.

Finished pillowcase

Pillow inside

I plan to finish the quilt this weekend. The quilt and pillowcase will be donated as a set to Stanislaus Family Justice Center, which offers counseling to abused children. Each child gets to choose a quilt to keep. There are a few more quilt tops from Marilyn waiting to be finished. I'll get to them in due time.

Debbie

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