New work on the design wall…

Hi All,

For the first time since having a quilt grace the cover of Quilting Arts Magazine, I have taken a short hiatus from blogging. I was quilting, to be sure, but it was totally different than what I normally work on. First, t-shirt quilts made using the Too Cool T-Shirt template which means to backing for the shirts, no stabilizer, nothing heavy or stiff to make the shirts less comfy, snuggly, warm – the best part of t-shirts!

Next, using this same method, making a Navy veteran’s quilt.  Did you know there are different anchors for different ranks?  I didn’t when I started, but I did at the end – and while NOT an applique genius, the Chief’s Anchor took almost 8 hours to make.  The way it turned out, it was worth all the time put into it, and he loved the quilt!  That’s a good ending – and the pockets all work, so when he’s snacking while watching a movie at home, he has a place to put things.  My family has a long history of service to this country and making veteran’s quilts is always an honor.

If you have ever read any of my previous posts, you’ll know that I’m not overly fond of patterns – OK, free-wheeling might actually describe how I often work, and why, perhaps, projects take on a life of their own.  My last VERY large quilt started small but reminded me more and more of my late sister (leukemia sucks!), and eventually became a watershed piece for me in recognizing all the unfinished conversations we missed out on.  It turned out to be cathartic, monumental, and a release from grief.  So, the opposite, and I mean what is diametrically opposed to the way I usually work, is making “building” quilts, or local area buildings and land-marks into quilts for the AQS Grand Rapids special exhibit area.  So, there are quilters and artists that love working from patterns.  I respect that, and spend random afternoons on occasion doing EPP, or English Paper Piecing.  I love the precision!  However, in making quilts from existing brick-and-mortar buildings was a challenge…

At the Sign of the Black & White Cow – I am starting with Kona white, drew on the fieldstone, and am filling in with fabric markers. I want it to have a painterly feel…

Almost there…

Basic assembly almost complete – Fieldstone “mortar” took 4 bobbins and extremely dense stitching

Mortar

Finally, I’d like to thank DH, Darling Husband, for adding 20″ to my design wall – no more pins in the drywall when working on large projects!

OK, so that’s where we are and what’s on the design wall.  I’ll post pics when completed –

Make something today!

Beth

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