Latest News

Summertime! I am going strong on my many projects: working on the second draft of my novel (YAY!), making art for my NCWCA  Art Tag group adventure. This round’s theme is Germination. I’m also co-facilitating a 12 x 12 group with a couple months to go.

I hope you are enjoying your summer and whatever you are passionate about whether that is making things, writing, photographing, blogging or just being happy to be alive. You deserve to have the life you want. Make it happen! What have you got to lose?

If you are considering hiring me to finish your project or restore your quilt, be sure to check out the discount page at the right. I look forward to meeting you and discussing your project.

One of My Finished Projects

This quilt was made by my friend Sara, her second, of a favorite antique quilt in her collection that was beyond repair.  She says this will be the last one which she will keep for herself.  I love the simplicity of the design and the beautiful reproduction fabrics she has used. The half-square triangle border lends a air of playful irregularity.  As always, I enjoyed working on Sara’s quilt.

WORD Week 18

Another week has gone by.  I have an appointment next Wednesday with the Dr. who will perform my surgery and I am not looking forward to it.  My therapist told me that I need some distractions so that I won’t keep going to that dark place where I dwell on my fears and feel paralyzed.  I told him that TV was working somewhat.  He suggested that I do something more than that. Like walking, for one thing.  So, that’s the word this week: DISTRACTION.

My first instinct is to say that I must face this head on and not put my head in the sand.  Perhaps that would work well for someone who does not worry about everything in the world that could go wrong when it comes to any disagreeable situation one has to face.  Therein lies the dilemma. Will the information I find fuel my fears or defuse them?  I want to find out everything there is to know about this operation; I watched a couple of You Tube videos and surprisingly, that calmed me a bit. The operation using the da Vinci machine seemed to proceed better than the regular laparoscopic surgery.  Of course it all depends on the skill of the Dr.  I will have many questions.

As far as DISTRACTION goes, last month I participated in NaNoWriMo’s set-your-own-word-count, write-what-you-want extravaganza.  I made my 10,0000 words and got my certificate.  I also have just about finished my 3′ x 3′ quilt for the Annual  Berkeley Public Library Quilt Show which starts on May 8, coincidentally.  I have been trying and buying new hot sauces at Heat Hot Sauce Shop here in Berkeley: (heathotsauce.com ).   I love hot food!  While I am on this food thing, I distract myself at the Berkeley Farmer’s Market stopping by Flacos Tacos( flacostacosonline.com) most Saturdays for their  Banana Leaf Tamal with hot sauce, of course.  It is such a wonderful combination of flavors and is vegetarian, although you wouldn’t know it.  Wow, I guess I am pretty good at DISTRACTIONs already!  Who knew?

Another T-shirt Quilt Done!

T-shirt Memory Quilt

 

At last!  I delivered this quilt to a very patient client on Tuesday.  She was thrilled to receive it.  I had made one last year for her brother for his Christmas present and would have finished hers a lot sooner had my husband’s cancer not reared it’s ugly head again.  It is a memory quilt containing not only her t-shirts but her mother’s blouses as well.  This type of t-shirt quilt is very challenging.  Going up and down the step stool from the design wall to the sewing machine, the ironing board and back up the stool is also great exercise!  Now, on to the next one.

Giveaway Items and Quilting Finished

Giveaway #1

These are the giveaway items won by Sara C. of Scrapbasket in my first ever Giveaway.  I just thought that you might like to see them in their finished state.  Sara, as it happens, is a fellow quilter and creative type whom I have known for  quite a number of years.  Her quilts are a mix of traditional and contemporary and everything in between.  She has an eye for color and imaginative use of prints.  In fact, I just finished quilting one of her quilts last week shown below.  Now, don’t get the idea that the drawing was rigged.  In truth, I know many of my subscribers personally.  Who knows, one of you whom I don’t know could be next.  Let’s see those comments!

Sara’s Africa Quilt

Another Month to View

My quilt “Sunrise” will be shown for another month in a group show at the Alameda County Administration building on 1221 Oak Street, Oakland, CA. For many years the Alameda County Arts Commission has invited our Guild ( East Bay Heritage Quilters or EBHQ) to hang quilts for a show to be enjoyed by the many visitors and staff. Please see the link to EBHQ at the right for more information and for a slide show of the quilts on display. There is also a slideshow of members’ quilts from our annual Show-and -Tell meeting in November as well as information on upcoming speakers, workshops, and our own guild show, Voices in Cloth, Spring 2012, etc. We are a great bunch of people so come to a meeting for a visit!

A Little Show and Tell

Rosemary's Irish Chain Quilt

My latest finished project is Rosemary’s Single Irish Chain quilt destined for a little girl whom she knows.  I was told to do whatever I wanted in terms of how to quilt it. Sometimes I find that daunting and take my time until I find something that just feels right.  This time I found an old Amish pattern that I scaled up to fit in the alternate blocks. Here are pictures of the whole quilt and a detail.

My Latest Quilt

Here is a photo of my latest T-shirt Quilt finished recently for a client’s son’s graduation present.  I had the usual challenge of making the randomly sized shirt parts fit together in a balanced and pleasing manner.  I think that the red binding really sets off the whole quilt.  My client was very happy with the outcome.

T-shirt quilts have unique requirements when compared with woven cotton quilts.  The t-shirt material must first be stabilized with a lightweight fusible interfacing to minimize  distortion while piecing and quilting the  quilt.  Much of the time that it takes to make a quilt of this nature involves the  preparation of the shirts, fusing and designing.  Even though this type of t-shirt quilt is more demanding than a straightforward  block set, I enjoy making it and find it more rewarding from an esthetic point of view.  The best part is seeing the response I get from my client when I show the finished quilt!  That is it’s own reward.

 

Quilts in the Library

If you get the chance, visit the Central Branch of the Berkeley, CA Public Library.  The 30th annual quilt show is on now until early June.  There are some wonderful quilts, several of which are “out of the box” creations that use unusual materials like paper,wood, metal and plants.  Shredded bark as a batting in a paper quilt is about as unusual as they come.  Many of the quilts are post card size contained in display cases so you can get a close-up look.

I took a shot of my quilt “Sunshine” draped over my bed.  Sorry that the whole quilt isn’t shown.  I was in a hurry to deliver it and will have to wait until the show is over to take a better one.  My inspiration came from a book on decorative painting.  I started it several years ago and had a much bigger quilt with several borders, pieced and applique´d in mind.  The quilts could be no larger than 36″ square. I needed to finish it in a hurry, so there is minimal quilting.  I will add more later.  I am glad that I completed it in time!

Sunshine

Below is a shot of  a quilt I completed recently.  String quilt blocks are made of many small strips of fabric sewn to a foundation, most commonly newsprint, and in earlier times, muslin.  Plain alternate blocks and sashing set off the string blocks. The more fabrics used, the better.  It’s a great way to use up fabric scraps.

I am working on a client’s T-Shirt quilt for a graduation present and another ALN art challenge altering a city guide-book with 2 folded flip out maps, (I chose Paris).

Detail of String Quilt

May Special

Please see the May Special page in the list to the right.  I have changed the format for the special to a dollar amount instead of a percentage.  If you have a project that you have been thinking of getting completed or would like to consult on the restoration of a treasured quilt, please give me a call or send an e-mail. Or, if you just have a quilting or restoration question, please use me as a resource.  I enjoy helping my fellow quilters and quilt enthusiasts.

Spring is a time of awakening and renewal.  Good wishes to you all in all that you do.  Just remember to take some time to relax and just BE.  I’m also speaking to myself here!  It is so easy to let the to do list overtake one’s life.