More from the local quilt shows (Question about "Nationalistic quilts")

Tonya asked about blogger rules (our own). One of mine is if someone is shoing in a local show that they deserve privacy... (I have taken flack on this one, but it is my blog, so I use my rules - besides I have been so sick & tired lately, that I think getting around the show & takeing pictures is an accomplishment & flickr rearranges the photos, so my list of makers names & quilt titles is not the same order as the uploads...) I know some people really like to know & even read the placcards - for me it is a visual response.



I will add the details on this one, because the maker is the designer (& is a long arm quilter that I have used) & she sells the patterns.
& this quilt makes me wonder:
Are there any ______ (fill in the blank, American, Aussie, English, Texan, etc.) quilters who feel the "need" to make a red, white, & blue quilt? Or a patriotic quilt? While in Houston, I saw several "Texican" quilts... I can't say the same for the quilt shows that I have attended in PA, VA, or MD. (BTW If your national colors are different, do you also feel the desire to make a nationalistic quilt? Any orange quilts coming forth from The Netherlands, etc?) I know that Hedgehog made a blue & white quilt as a baby quilt - based upon flag colors...

I love how this one was quilted & beaded.
(you can see that this quilt was the result of a block lotto - so who would I credit? Patti, Genie & Pat are all visible on these blocks...)
This one is similar to one that I showed last week. Again the patterns are by Karen Kay Buckley. (So if I had jotted down names, I would have said Karen Kay Buckly quilt by:___ & the way flickr rearranges them, I would have gotten them mixed up.)
I definately have a thing for quilts where the blocks are not the same size.

Spring Doll Quilt Swap quilt

This is the quilt that I made & will mail tomorrow (I forgot to write on the label). It is very much inspired by the Kaffe Fassett quilt that I made. (I used the scraps from the big quilt in this little quilt.)
Here is the back:

Again made with scraps. I hand quilted this quilt & when I ran into the extra bulk (where the seams on the back matched up with the seams on the front especially) boy did I have fun...

General Question (Re: computers & archiving)

At home, I have a MAC. (It has an e-mail function, but I somehow got it to show what shows up in my yahoo account - no separate address.)

I use Yahoo exclusively.

Does a MAC or Yahoo automatically archive e-mails?

I opened my e-mail yesterday afternoon. After I finally sewed down the binding on my Spring doll quilt, I opened it again to pull up the mailing address & only e-mails from the past week were available...

(The Spring info. was in the MAC e-mail, but the Miniature Booty & the Another doll quilt swap information were not.)

So Toni & Kate, please resend my partner information.

on quilt shows & quilting

Pondering number 1 "Do I or don't I?" That is the question... How many quilts should I share? Well, this is a quilt blog & I have more photos that are worthy of sharing...

Pondering number 2 "The apparent rotation of quilts in national quilt shows." I have been seeing on blogs many photos from Paducah. I have never been to Paducah & have always been rather forlorn about that fact... I am missing something... But it is not the quilts... Out of the quilts that I have seen on the blogs that I visit, less that 25% are "new to me." That means that I have seen them at Houston, Mid-Atlantic, Lancaster, Hershey, or Harrisburg this year or last year. (& several of them did well in both venues.)

Pondering Number 3 - my own quilting... (Or lack there of.) I got the label & binding attached to the doll quilt that needs to be in the mail sooner rather than later, but last night I got one of those over the eyeball head aches, so I was not able to hand stitch it down... I have half square triangles counted and ready to become 3 different doll quilt tops... I have not been able to sit at the sewing machine to sew them together...

Pondering Number 3.5 - I have 2 backings for a quilt or 2 for my very own work in progress baby, but the ideas on what to actually do are few & far between... I have to keep consoling myself, that I have the chance to make 2 quilts... :o)

Pondering number 4 My UFO's, WIPs, Kits, WHIMMS, bundles of fabric, stash... What to do with it? I'd love to pull it all out & cull it ruthlessly. (Heck then I might even be able to find stuff that I wanted to work on, but couldn't find.) If I culled it ruthlessly - cut at charm or two for me & a charm or two for you (I SPY) would any one be interested? (I can only pay the postage on so much & a ton to Japan - probably strained my postal budget :o) but that bit of fabric is GONE!)

Pondering number 5 charity quilting - locally it seems that they want finished products only. I hate to say it, but if I could finish my own stuff, then I could think about finishing something for charity... meanwhile if any charities wanted fabric...

I'll post some more quilt show photos in a little while, in the meantime, I'd love some responses to my ponderings...

More from the quilt shows

(Back on the PC, so I can use more than one photo & hyperlinks.)

Marlene went to the Show that I went to on Friday. (She jotted down names & titles... I didn't.) I will only post one quilt that she posted because it was my favorite. :o)



close-up 1



close-up 2



I believe that her quilt was my favorite last year (Not that I can find the post to hyperlink it...) But according to my flickr & Marlene's information, she did make both quilts. Last years quilt was also made out of 1 inch squares, but the picture was of the University of Maryland mascot.
I thought that this one was a clever scrappy/ I Spy quilt.
Close-up of one of the rockets with my all time favorite cat print in red.
This pattern is by Mimi Dietrich. While the colors - are not me, I love her border:
I have a pieced quilt with an appliqued border in my future... (Not saying "when" in my future, but...)
Snail's Trail Charm Quilt. Take a look at the 2 close-ups below & then look again at this quilt...


I had never seen anything like that... Well, I had seen water colors, but not as a Snail's Trail.

I also got a goodie from Australia:
Thanks Tracey. I love it! (I wonder how many Aussies actually get to see Kangaroos out their windows? When we were in Australia, it was too windy for the roos - in areas where they are normally seen. We did got to 2 "zoos" where we got to see a lot of roos, they are soft.)
I also got this:
YUMMER! (if you are an Aussie & you participate in international swaps - do drop one of these lovelies into your package...)

In this time of financial insecurity, independent stores are not doing so well... Quilt shops included. So they come up with gimmics... If you went to the quilt show this past weekend & read the newsletter, & went to the shop, you got a yard sale coupon. $7.95 per yard (whole yard minimum). Not a bad "sale" idea...
Unfortunately, the fabric that I got is Minkies cousin & was closer to $20 per yard, but my baby is worth it. Now that to do with a mint green & a yellow backing? Does the backing have to "go with" the front? Not quite stashbusting...

motivation

Nothing like reading this "The Spring Swap mailing deadline is barely a week away" to get someone motivated.

At least it is quilted & the binding is cut...

frog quilt

frogs
Originally uploaded by aviva_hadas

Another quilt from the quit show. I think that this was in a special exhibit - but I only recall one exhibit & I don't see this one fitting into that exhibit.
I m not overly thrilled with the quantity of dragonflies, but I think that the frogs are great! Fun way to use a bunch of bright prints.

2 doll quilts in progress

2 doll quilts in progress
Originally uploaded by aviva_hadas

Check it out, I pressed the half square triangles!
One will be broken dishes or pinwheels & the other will be sewn like this layout & bordered with the same Kona Snow.

warm squares pieced quilt

warm squares pieced quilt
Originally uploaded by aviva_hadas

Well, not only did I work on a couple doll quilts today, but I also went to another local quilt show. I'll show more next week - so that I can show the details with the quilts. This one did not get a detail shot, but I am drawn to warm graphic quilts.

appliqued quilt

appliqued quilt
Originally uploaded by aviva_hadas

There were a lot of appliqued quilts that I went to last week - or maybe I just photographed the appliqued quilts... I was very tired & barely got around to digging out my camera to take photos at all. (What I do for you guys.) This one was nicely hand quilted in a shade of brown that was a touch darker than the brown fabric - very effective. The applique patterns are by Karen Kay Buckley. (In the past I have blogged about how she was my very first quilt teacher - I was in so far over my head!)

Rhapsody in a basket with a Porcelain doll

Rhapsody in a basket with a Porcelain doll
Originally uploaded by aviva_hadas

They must hang out here when we are at work.... For the longest time, she was supervising me while I was cooking. I had to keep telling her that she did not want Nut Loaf or Zucchini Quiche. :o) Well... she does like cheese, so she might have helped herself to a bit of that. Now to make a chocolate nut torte...

cooking & eating

When you feel sick (but don't actually get sick) do you feel like cooking?

Well, I feel sick... & I need to get cooking - we have guests coming over tonight. Luckily it will be vegetarian faire tonight, I so could not deal with meat...

Should I eat - yes is the obvious answer - but what? As I was discharged yesterday, among the tid-bits that I was given was  lit of Anti-nausea food combinations.

Ordinarily I am o.k. with cheese & apple - but not now... (Please don't ask what I do want, so far I can only figure out what I don't want. GRUMBLE.)

Oh & there are a few easy-peasy quick & simple quilty things that I should be doing...

At least I caught up with my blog lines & I even got a good chuckle out of it! "Cosmetically Challenged" strawberries! (I just got heirloom tomatoes at the grocery store & paid dearly for them - believe you me, they were cosmetically challenged!)

Any moms out there that were quilters when you got pregnant? What did you make for your off spring? How the heck did you decide? I think that I want to do seven sisters quilt? (I have decided that I SPY is better for a toddler - even though that has been a baby gift quilt from me on more than one occasion. Ditto the Very Hungry Caterpillar.)

What is it with sneezing & nausea - I sneeze & the nausea shoots up to almost completely unbearable...

octopus quilt

octopus quilt
Originally uploaded by aviva_hadas

Quilt show photograph.
I did not get the makers names or titles of the quilts - I was tired & it is a local show... With that said, I was in this guild for a while & the gal who made this quilt, exhibited in Houston several years ago. In one of my first meetings, she was talking about her hunt for gray fabrics - I see she is still using them - very effectively I might add!

RB in a basket with porcelain doll

RB in a basket with porcelain doll
Originally uploaded by aviva_hadas

We might need to discuss this "habit."

Before I started quilting, I made a few porcelain dolls - from the pouring to the dressing. I knew a lady who owned the molds & a kiln. (She actually had the slip & paints too.) I made a few & then had the "What am I going to do with all of these dolls?" revelation.

Not unlike the question that I now get, "What are you going to do with all of those quilts?"

I had another sonogram today - wow what a difference a week makes! (I also got released from the infertility specialist today, so I am not sure when I will get the next one - or how often they will be scheduled.)

Quilt show & "Sick & Tired"

Well, I made it to the quilt show on Thursday. It was nice, I'll post a couple photos after I download them off of the camera. (I could do that now, but...)

Who knew that pregnancy could make you so sick & tired? I go from absolute starvation (without any ideas about what I want to eat) to being completely nauseated... (I haven't gotten sick very often - that is a good thing.)

And tired - wow, I have never slept so much so often.

Not much quilting going on around here...

I am hopeful to get a doll quilt bound & some HST's pressed "soon."

Gotta go check on my turkey.

How bout a meme?

This one is so freaking timely...

1. What part of blogging brings you the most joy and satisfaction? Relationships? Having an outlet for writing? Reading? Commenting? Building your traffic? Something else?

While it isn't satisfying, I have on more than one occasion gone back & found my "plans" for a fabric bundle... & I have gone back & remembered what was going one when... (I got married while blogging - Now I am expecting my first child while blogging... I'll have a good record of all of it, not just the nice stuff that you put in an album.)

2. What is the most frustrating part of blogging for you?

When you post a "secret" so that those in the blogisphere know why you are cranky, etc. Someone that you see in real life copies that and forwards that onto other people that you see in real life, so that you don't get the chance to tell them yourself.

3. If you had to give someone one piece of advice about blogging, what would it be?

As the reply that I got from that person: if you don't want it public, don't post it on the internet.
(Although she has overheard other things & had no problem passing them on in the past.)

4. What do you know about blogging now that you WISH you had known when you started your blog?

How to organize the information....

5. What draws you to the blogs you read regularly? What elevates a blog to “daily read” status?

If a blogger leaves comments, I at least visit them for a while... Not sure what makes it a daily read - or what prompts me to eliminate one or the other from my blogroll... (I go in cycles - I often want to limit the number, but I regularly add some back or add new blogs...)

just so ya know

I just deleted my "Dear Blogger" post, because my poor swap momma had to give me my partners information as a comment & then I could not figure out how to delete a comment - I so thought that that was an option...

I hope that I have not missed a ton of e-mails... I know that she tried at least 3 times...

grumble

Any Aussies recognize this?

Detail of Jenny´s Quilt
Originally uploaded by Arco Iris a Metro

(I really should work on my Australian vacation quilt - s)

This technique was (is) part of a major quilting (Maybe batting) advertising campaign - I have loved it ever since I first saw it. But I think that it is a technique for me to admire, not to try out myself.

I've got a secret

Which I've been dying to tell... Partially because once i tell, then I can whine out loud daily about how I feel ____ & _____.

Any guesses?

Anyway back to the quilty content... last night while my husband was cleaning the fridge for Passover, I trimmed all of my HST's. I did help once I got my trimming done. But I have been so ______ that it took me a while to get to the point where I could trim those Thangles.

I had a little help from my friend.

How long has it been since you used Thangles?

I pulled the papers off after we finished our chore for the evening. Now I can go shopping for perishables. (We bought non-perishables in New Jersey.)

Sunday report (on Monday)

Well, I was in New Jersey for a family event, so I did not get to participate in the quilt-a-thon. :o(

I did however send out scraps to two different locations. (If you are looking for something - let me know!) So while my stash busting was not directly related to my own quilting, it is out of my stewdio! 

Tonight, I hope to trim my half square triangles... Oh & I need to attach a binding... Why oh why is that my stumbling block?

Do you have one specific stumbling block?

I know that I work on many different things at once, because sometimes, you are just not in the mood to sew, or cut, or fill in the blank. 

3 posts in one morning, why not?

So yesterday, I looked at the calendar that I created for myself. I jotted in a few local quilt shows & saw that one was happending close enough & it started on Thursday. Since I am going to New Jersey this weekend, I decided to run down to see the show while I could. Well I had to run home first to get my camera (In the other direction) so that I could share the experience with you.

I got to the designated location I there isn't a quilt show... So I call my GF, who I talked to earlier about meeting me there, but she already made plans to see the show with someone else on Friday morning. (So three of us had the wrong weekend circled in our calendars.) To verify the date & to explain the situation... (Verify the location, etc.) We were all wrong...

Upside, I went to my GF's instead & we went to have banana splits for dinner.

Next Thursday, I hope to bring the camera to work, so that I can go directly to the show after work. :o)

There is another local show the following weekend :o)

Luckily I am sorting through my stash & catalogging my UFO's, so that I can have a bit of restraint while walking past the vendors. :o) I did really well last night!

This Meme is brought to you by...

Floribunda. (She said I could take it & I have already had one of those mornings - it is only 7 a.m.)
1. If you were to attend a costume party tonight, as what or whom would you go?

ACK - I am such a party pooper... (I wore my sarong to the last constume party with a bright t-shirt - so I could possibly do that again.)

2. What are your choice of toppings on a hamburger? And do you prefer gas or charcoal grilling?

No preference charcoal, gas or electric. my toppings would be very mundane - lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, ketchup, & more pickles.

3. You are chosen to have lunch with the President. The condition is you only get to ask one question. What do you ask?

Why are you leaving the Iraq question to the next person, I thought you had a plan?

4. It’s your first day of vacation, what are you doing?

Travelling to the end location.

5. What is your concession stand must-have at the movies?

Popcorn, I can sneak in candy & soda.

6. How long was it from ‘the first date’ until the proposal of marriage? How long until the wedding?

You are going to have to ask Mr. Calico Cat, it is all a blur to me. (Although I think he took too long to ask.)

7. What is one quality that you really appreciate in a person?

common sense

8. Everyone hears discussions that they consider boring. What topic can put you to sleep quicker than any other?

Sports

9. If you had to have the same topping on your vanilla ice cream for the rest of your life, what topping would you choose?

Hot fudge

10. What food item would need to be removed from the market altogether in order for you to live a healthier, longer life?

sugar...

If you want to play along, feel free to take it! (Let me know if you do, I'd love to read your answers.)

Scrap bag bonanza

This morning I have Mr. Calico Cat pick a number between 1 & 27 - the number of comments not the number of participants.

So without further ado...

The winner of my scrap bag is Tanya!

(You should have seen the look when I said that the package would have to be mailed to Japan. :o) )

Same photo, different thoughts

Kaffe Fassett Blue quilt fabric.
Originally uploaded by aviva_hadas

If you click on the photo (or the link under the photo), you can see the comments that I added about the specific fabrics.

To begin, I made about 200 HST's out of thise bundle last night & I will apparently be making more, since I am doing a twofer & more of these are going in one rather than the other...

Oh, I should admit, that I used Thangles & only did the sewing part last night, not the trimming, tearing & pressing. :o)

For those of you who are not going to look a the flickr notes, I stated that the 5 will definately go in, & I said that 2 will definately not go in & the others got an "it depends on where the HST landed" on whether or not they will go in. (Which really is the answer for all 7 of the questionables. Especially for Mr. pink & blue. :o)

I got one more hand applique block done last night. :o)
Tonight I have class, so I will probably only get another hand applique block done, leaving the Kaffe delimma until Thursday.

Kaffe Fassett Blue quilt fabric.

Kaffe Fassett Blue quilt fabric.
Originally uploaded by aviva_hadas

Would you call all of this fabric "blue."
I bought them all as a blue bundle. But I am working on a doll quilt that is supposed to be blue....

Luckily my plan will wok with the 5 on the right - those are blue & white only.

Just wondering... Any opinions out there?

Tonight's sewing

current WIP
Originally uploaded by aviva_hadas

This is what I sewed on tonight. I have had these charm packs for a long time. Both are by "American Jane Patterns." One is Look & Learn, the other is Wee Play. I have 2 yards of one of these prints, that will be the border & Kona Snow will be the setting triangles. The other pieces from these charm packs went into my I Spy charm bag.

I hope that you have been busy sewing too. I am off to do my hand work for the evening.

The rainbow log cabin quilt top (Sunday Stash report)

100% stash!

My quilt block rearranger. :o)

A close-up of the corner & the border print.

I also cut 20 black & bright squares to make a "Bonnie Back."

I have an offer....

For all of you who liked this quilt as I was making it & like the bright fabrics that I chose - I bagged up the scraps (Minus the cats) & am ready to give them away. No strings attached & the scraps are bigger than strings! (A bigger variety than is show, but all could be classified as bright.) Just leave a comment - with an e-mail address & I'll choose a name randomly Thursday night.

Rainbow log cabin quilt blocks

Rainbow log cabin quilt blocks
Originally uploaded by aviva_hadas

As you can see, I have finished my rainbow log cabin blocks. I am very happy with how this is turning out! I only with the panel had 1 more cat... I have 3 more of those cats to play with.

Even More from Lancaster

You guys deserve to see the big winners...

Best in Show
Awesome Blossoms by: Claudia Clark Myers and Marilyn Badger (The quilting on this was very impressive - but I did not get a photo...)

First Place Team or Group
Red Green-Red Green by: Fay & Merl Pitts

First Place Applique
Wrought Iron Roses by: Linda Roy

First Place Wall Hanging
Blushing Triangles 3 by: Gloria Hansen

And on the local front, I have kept up with my unwritten goal of doing some hand work every night. First I finished the hand quilting on the Spring Doll Quilt Swap quilt & Now I am doing button hole stitching around my fused appliques. I found the binding that I want to use on the doll quilt so I will do that at the machine tonight & perhaps a log cabin block or two. :o) (I did my homework last night & we went out for Pizza, so I did not do machine work last night.)

More from Lancaster

Oh why not...

Bring on the miniatures! (Well at least some of them.)
Dancing Ribbons by: Cindy Richards (12 x 12 inches, 1st Place Miniatures)
Autumn Rhapsody by: Leigh Elking (18 x 18 inches)
Illusions by: George Siciliano (11 x 11 inches)
Freedon Stars by: Pay Kuhns (14 x 14 inches) "See there is a place for those old pin dots." (Quote by me...)
Spiderweb Shirts by: Connie Chunn (I missed the dimensions on this one, those are CW repro shirting prints & this one is up there with my favorites. Sorry for the poor quality photo.)

Last night after piecing my log cabin blocks & cuttin gmore strips for the green - it has the most use based upon its placement. I finished hand quilting my spring doll quilt swap quilt. No photos, I did not like how the photos turned out - so I will wait for a whole quilt photo.

Rainbow log cabin quilt blocks with cat fabric centers

Rainbow log cabin quilt blocks with cat fabric centers
Originally uploaded by aviva_hadas

Well, I have started my cat log cabin. I hope that by looking at the orange portion, that you can figure out my plan for this log cabin in a rainbow coloration will turn out. The centers are 5.5 inches square & the strips are 1.5 inches wide. I will only have 12 blocks. I have yet to decide on a border yet, but I am fairly certain that this one will have a border. I am sewing it using the Eleanor Burns method. (Sew the strip on then cut it to length.)

Is anyone else playing? Anyone else started yet?

2 piles-o-fabric

The Very Hungry Caterpillar fabric by Andover Fabrics based on the book by Eric Carle.


I am taking Judy's challenge (in her blog format, I can't figure out how to link to one post, sorry.)& will make this grouping into a log cabin quilt. This project has been a PIG (Project in Grocery sack) of mine for quite some time now, this is just the impetus to do it! It will be straight furrows in a rainbow arrangement, with the cats as the centers. The best part - this will be a stash quilt!