I'M HERE TO INSPIRE AND BE INSPIRED!

Monday, April 30, 2012

April FMQ Challenge

  
 First thing I should say is I got this motif pattern off of Forest Quilting. There are quite a few free motifs you can download the patterns for free!
    This is actually the back of the quilt design, because...

...I still have to remove the blue marks. Two reasons. I'm on a crunch to get in my practice in. And I don't think I am done quilting this. I want to add more!



   Here is the pattern from Forest Quilting I used to try out Don Linn's marking technique. I rather like this technique. It will be a good technique to have in my back pocket.








 Now I am hoping this post can double for my February challenge of Diane Gaudynski's feathers. I know these feathers are marked but I have been working on a FMQ quilt with a feather design put together randomly kind of like paisley. I really like the effect! I have not marked this design at all. Although I have to stop and think about where I am going next, the design really is easier than it looks. As I go with it, it is getting easier and easier. I will post pictures when I finish it which will be soon, since I need it for a baby shower present by May 12!






Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Sharp Stippling

 Here is my practice piece for sharp stippling. I didn't have any major struggles with this design, other than I had a tendency to want to go fast. I really had to pay attention to my speed so my stitches didn't get to big, as fore-warned by Leah.  This is a very forgiving design! There were a couple of times that I worked myself into a weird area. To get out, I had to create some, what I thought at the time, were some weird shapes. They didn't seem to match the rest of the design. But now that it is done, I can't find those areas!  I still need to practice, but for a first run, I'm pleased with the design! I don't know why, but it reminds me of falcons.




Saturday, April 21, 2012

Paducha, KY

Is anyone else going to the quilt show in Paducha, KY? I want to go so freakin bad!!!!! Never been to a big quilt show. I only live 2 hrs away, but my husband keeps getting laid of and back to work, laid off and back to work. :(  We haven't really got everything caught up yet soooooo, i really shouldn't. If not...there is always next year!

Leibster Blog Award

Yesterday, I was awarded the Liebster Blog Award by not one, but two, GREAT LADIES!!

First, by Karin fromThe Quilt Yarn

Second, by Rosemary fromThe Knitting Quilter

I give a BIG THANK YOU to both Karin and Rosemary!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Liebster Award (German for favorite) is for bloggers with 200 followers or less. As a recipient
of the award, you have the chance to thank and link back to the blogger who gave it to you as well as
pass it along to five other deserving blogs.

I started blogging 8 months ago. I discovered blogging through Leah Day's Free Motion Project. Then I discovered all the other bloggers, sewers and quilters that could bring me a wealth of information. No one has let me down yet! I have tossed Facebook aside in favor of blogging. :)
The people here well, they are just my kind of peeps.

The Liebster Conventions says that :
1. Thank your award presenter on your blogblog and link back to him/her (check)
    2. Copy and paste the award to your blog (double check)
    3. Present the Liebster Award to 5 blogs that you think deserve to be recognized (see below)
    4. Let them know by leaving a comment on their blog (will do)
    5. Have faith that your follower will spread the love too !
So, what do I do now? Do I award 5 or 10 since I was awarded 2 times? I'm gonna spread the love and go for 10 :)

The 5 deserving bloggers for my award , awarded by Karin are:

Mike at The Amateur Quilter 

Anne at Anne's threads

Marelize at New beginnings

MC at Slair's Lair

Ray and Jeanne at loving Retirement!

The 5 deserving bloggers for my award, awarded by Rosemary are:

Ashlea at Ashlea Tenner Quilts

Pat at Color Me Quilty

The Thompsons at The Thompsons

Dea at Quilt Idea

Kelie at Craft Nurse Quilt

Hope you new winners spread the love!!




Friday, April 20, 2012

The Wicked Step-Daughter and Hexies


   I am going to tell you a few stories today, rich with great family history, and hexies. This month, Craftsy BOM is all about hexies, which ties it all together.

  This month, April 16 is the death date of my Darlin' Grandmother Jennie. We, her grandchildren, all called her Jennie. This all started with me,since I am the oldest. She, called everyone darlin'. I was Dani darlin'. I vaguely remember in my very early years, probably 4 or 5 being scolded by her Aunt Hazel for not calling her Grandmother. After we left my great-great Aunt Hazels house, I turned to my Grandmother and said" Jennie, do I have to call you Grandmother?" She said " Baby, you can call you whatever you want as long as you love me." She always knew how to make me feel better.

   When I was young, she moved to Grayville, IL, about an hour away from us. We would spend a couple of weeks every summer with her. We loved it! She owned a restaurant and a fabric store/drapery business.
   One summer, when I was about 10, I was rummaging through her sewing things and came across this old box. I can't remember exactally what it said, but it was something like 'mammas quilting blocks'. She labeled everything. It was a box of Grandmother's Flower Garden blocks, nine patch blocks, and cut hexagons and squares.



I asked Jennie about the box. She told me her mamma made them.
I asked her if I could have the box. She said "why in the world do you want them? What are you going to do with them?" I told her I thought they were so neat and I was going to make a quilt with them. She was a little reluctant, but eventually caved in. :) She rarely said no to me. As you can see, I have yet to make that quilt, but who knows, maybe one day.

      This is her Father Ed(Shorty), and her Mamma Vera Marklin. Ed, died when Jennie was only 10 years old. Vera was left as a single mother of 5. This was at the time of the Great Depression. Vera supported her children as a nurse, and with the help of a well off cousin, but that's another story. I asked Jennie in my adult years how he died. She said, he starved to death. During the Depression, food was scarce. He would not eat because he wanted to make sure his wife and children had enough food.  This is one of the saddest things I had ever heard. It made me realize just how desperate times were then, and how lucky I was.

  My Grandma Jennie was a sewer, drapery maker, not a quilter. My Great-Grandma Vera was a quilter.

   About 30 years ago, Jennie met a wonderful man named Kenny. He became her third husband for 25 years in her golden years. He was the closest thing I knew as a grandfather. I did not know my maternal or paternal grandfather(another couple of stories).

   He treated my grandmother like GOLD! He treated us, her children and grand-children the same. He was a self-made millionaire. You would never know it by his demeanor. He had a nice house. Not a mansion, but better than we were accustomed to. But he always made us feel welcome. He was gentle and kind. I always though they were the perfect couple, because my grandmother was too, gentle and kind.

   Towards the end of their years together, Kenny got Alzheimer's. About a year later, Jennie got colon cancer.

This is our last Christmas together in 2006. left to right 4 generations: Jennie, Su(my mom), me, my daughter Ashley.

   This brings me to the end of the story. The Wicked Step-daughter and the Hexies.

   Jennie died one year before Kenny. Kenny had a  daughter, we will call her "B" for obvious reasons. B was the executor of Kenny's estate because of his condition. When Jennie was in hospice, she sent my mother to the house to retrieve 3 things. Her jewelry box, the title to her car, and an annuity check. My mom, could find all but the annuity check.

   Upon Jennies death, B promptly changed the locks on the house. My mom and her brother had to arrange a set date meeting to retrieve my Grandmas's life of posessions. B and her siblings, went through the house and gathered what she thought belonged to my grandma, or rather what she decided what we could have. It was all in boxes, ready for us to pack off. She said to us. "You can go through the house, and if you see something you think might be Jennies, lable it, and we will take a look at it, and decide if it is yours or not. There is a quilt on Jennie and Kenny's bed. But I am not sure if it is Jennies, or my mothers"(her mother died years earlier).

the quilt

I knew this quilt. She had told me before that her mamma Vera made it. I bee-lined for the bedroom and grabbed it. As I was walking though the house B saw me clutching it. She said" Please don't pick anything up. I told you I am not sure if that quilt is Jennies or my mothers. If you find something you think may be Jennies, label it and we will get back with you." I promptly said" This quilt is Jennie's. Her mother made it. She would NEVER have something on her bed that belonged to your mother out of respect for you!" B could not argue with that, because she knew how my grandmother was. There were several things in the house that belonged to Kenny's first wife, B's mother, and Jennie never let us touch those things. B said " well, you are probably right, just don't pick anything else up!" Needless to say, we did not get all of Jennie's belongings. I still don't understand B's greed. Kenny had money. She stood to inherit a lot upon Kenny's death a year later. Why did she want Jennies things too. B died about a year after Kenny. She didn't get to enjoy her new found wealth for long.

   I was the only one in the family who never received a family quilt from Jennie herself. I think it was just an oversight. Jennie would have given me one if I asked.The family said I could keep the quilt! It is one of my most prized possessions.


It has received much love over the years, so I keep it in a hope chest for safe keeping. Athough B made things difficult for us, Our family came together and no one argued. We took turns picking out what we wanted of the things we were ALLOWED to have. Jennie would have wanted it that way.

   This brings me to now. What got me thinking of all of this. This month of April. The Month of Jennie's death. We are making hexies this month for the Craftsy BOM. 









 I never have done English paper piecing before. I enjoyed the process, however, it is a long process!The first block I made much harder on myself than I had to. I pieced them together, and then machine appliqued them to the white fabric. This resulted in many thread tails to hide. I will NEVER do it this way again. 
  I like the portability of making hexies. I also love the look. Just be prepared for a long process if you make a whole quilt of these. It took me approximately a week to make these 2 blocks!

Ok, I have to get off here and start my day! I hope you enjoyed my stories. I know it was a long post, so if you read to the end, Thanks!!!!



Monday, April 16, 2012

Kelie's GIVEAWAY

Kelie reached her goal of 11 followers and is having a GIVEAWAY! Just click HERE! She actually is up to 11 followers, but who wants to stop there? Go become a follower and sign up for her giveaway!!
have a great day.

Friday, April 13, 2012

help Kelie get 10 followers

Help Kelie get followers! if she reaches 10, she is having a giveaway! her blog isHERE! Come on people! She really needs some followers!!!

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Corner Quilt Label Tutorial

Here is the culprit. This is where my camera went! My 16 yr old son helped himself, and then lied! I would have had no problem letting him borrow it, but.....grrrrrr. At least I have my camera back!:)

To make a corner quilt label first cut a square. I cut this one 6 1/2 X 6 1/2, but you can make it any size you think you will need.



Fold in half into a triangle, iron, open back up.


Cut a piece of fusable interfacing square 1/2 in smaller than your fabric square. Then cut it diagonally in half to form a triangle. lay it up to the crease you made on your first square. Fold your square back up and iron.

You can add chalk lines to help you FMQ your label information straight and even. I clipped my thread tails for this demo, but you could hide them.

Before I get to the end to add to your quilt, here's an optional label. I almost did one like this for my Hearts and Feathers quilt, but the corner label is a little easier. 

Cut out a rectangle piece of fabric what ever size you want. I think I cut this one 4 1/2 X 7. I cut the fusable interfacing 2 inches X roughly 6 inches. The short width is half the finished size. Sorry, I do my own funky math for quilting. I hope you understand what I am saying :/ Place the interfacing 1/4 inch down from the top of one of the seams. Fuse it!


Seam the piece together.

Flip it out!


Iron it putting the seam as close to the top as you can. this will be the back of the label!

Mark it as needed and FMQ it is needed!

place the top edge of your label under the 45 degree mark of a square ruler. Trim off the excess.



 Pin it to your unfinished quilt. Then, add your binding! I did a less than stellar job on my binding, but I was just trying to get a quick tutorial done :) You could always blind stitch the "pockets" of these labels down. i didn't on my mini, because I didn't see the need. I probably would on a bed quilt. You wouldn't want to get your foot caught! There is no exact size for these. Just make them as big as needed for the information you want on your label. Hope you like it!