2017 – Page 3 – Artquiltmaker Blog

ColorPlay: Pumpkin Pie

In honor of Thanksgiving, I chose a picture of my pumpkin pie filling in process. I make a maple pumpkin pie. I found the recipe in a Bon Appetit magazine when I first contributed to Thanksgiving about a zillion years ago. Nobody has complained so I keep making it that way.

We remodeled our kitchen in about 2007 and it has red accents. We are very strict about what color appliances and accessories come into the kitchen. As a result, I received this food processor as a gift one year. I use it for all holiday food prep and it works really well.

I found out very quickly that the tight composition of the shot made for a very limited palette. The default palette, as we have found over the year, has a lot of neutrals. However, I found this to be a very warm palette.

I wanted to try and get more reds, more different reds, so I tried again.

n.2 has more reds, so I succeeded in that way. I am not that fond of Kona Caramel on its own, but with the reds, it does add something – perhaps a place for the eyes to rest?

I was able to get even more red tones in.3. I also changed the Caramel to Kona Latte for a slightly different look. I might like Latte less than Caramel, but I haven’t decided. As with Caramel, it does add something to the heavy red palette.

I kept a red, but tried out a dark neutral palette. The buttons of the food processor are grey, so I was able to add in Kona Mocha, which I think might be off in terms of names, but it is a nice addition to the palette. Kona Ruby comes from my spoon rest (made by the YM) and I kept it in to keep the palette from becoming too neutral.

I tried an even more neutral palette for n.5, building on n.4. I, again, kept some red, but changed the specific red from Ruby to Kona Cotton Wine. I wouldn’t make a quilt from this palette, but can see it being used for a very chic house sale.

Finally, for the last palette, I went for broke with the reds. I was pleased to see a Kona Lipstick show up! I love the name of that fabric. In this palette, the grey (Kona Mushroom) is the only neutral, though the Kona Mahogany could go either way in terms of it being one of the reds or a neutral

I know the differences are subtle between the palettes above, but it is interesting to see the changes one can make by moving the circles around a picture. As I have said before this is a good exercise.

What palettes have you made?

Happy Thanksgiving

I hope all of you who are celebrating Thanksgiving have a wonderful day and those of you who aren’t have a wonderful day as well! One thing for which I am grateful are you, my dear readers. Thank you!

Even More Donation Blocks

As I said yesterday, I used donation blocks as leaders and enders. I only finished 2.5. After doing an inventory of the donation blocks I have made this year, I was determined to up my numbers.

I’d love to give Peggy and Michelle a nice little stack at the BAM Winter Extravaganza, but we will see.

I am trying to clear out my little bin of 2.5″ squares. Some have been hanging around for a long time and I am sick of looking at them. The group above are not any of those. I needed some nice fabrics to work with first.

I do worry about using non-white fabrics for backgrounds, though I do it anyway. I don’t want to say beggers can’t be choosers, but I do think it. I do firmly believe that other background fabrics thrown in make the blocks more interesting. Some of the background fabrics in the second image come from the appealing California fabric I bought at the Granary. These fabrics were also not the ones I was eager to move out of my bin.

Some of the red tones in the half made block are those that need to earn their keep in a donation quilt. I bought too much of those Joel Dewberry red-pinks at the top. They keep showing up and I need them out of my life. The two squares on top might be the last two, but I suspect another 1-2 squares are hiding from me, ready to pounce when I am least expecting it.

I’ll have at least three new blocks to give to the Charity Girls in a few weeks and more, with any luck.

Stars #3 Quilted

I had a bonanza yesterday at the guild meeting. Gerre finished quilting Stars #3, which I was not expecting. Her finish meant I (we!) had something finished to show after all. I was really thrilled that she was able to finish it. I really enjoy collaborating with Gerre on projects.

She chose to do some straight line quilting, which I think was a good choice. This quilt will go off to its new home soon.

New Donation Top

This quilt top has a connection to two other quilts. One is the Carpenter’s Wheel. The other quilt to which this top has a connection is the Ends Donation Quilt.

This top is second in a series (yes, I see more in my future) of quilts made from the leftovers of quilts after they have been quilted. I made this top from the leftovers of the back after Colleen trimmed it.

The back of the Carpenter’s Wheel was pretty big so there was quite a bit leftover. This top is about 48×48. I am in the process of making the back and sewing leftover pieces of batting together. While I am very much into fabric buying, using every little bit really makes me happy.

Tim said that he would quilt it when I am done making the back. I love his quilting, so this is an awesome development.

More Donation Blocks

In between everything else, I made a few more donation blocks. Next year, I might write one big post on donation blocks and publish it at the end of the year. I am sure you might be more impressed with a big selection of blocks than the ones and twos I tend to post.

Various & Sundry 2017 #15

Doing Good
Help Sonoma County quiltmakers recover from losing everything. The Santa Rosa Quilt Guild writes on their website: “We are so grateful for the outreach by the quilting communities in California and throughout the country to help us recover from the effects of the fires in Sonoma County. Your heart and generosity are a perfect expression of what we quilters do. Calls for fat quarter donations through Facebook and Instagram were an unexpected surprise.

Small envelopes can be sent to our post office box: Santa Rosa Quilt Guild; PO Box 9251; Santa Rosa CA 95405.
Please send boxes and larger packages to Vice President: Linda Hooper; 725 Brush Creek Rd.; Santa Rosa, CA 95404.
Completed quilts, tops and pillow cases (no unfinished items) should be sent to: Janet Tonkin; 634 Madrone Ct.; Santa Rosa, CA 95409.

While they don’t ask for them, I would send NEW tools and supplies -rotary cutters, rulers, mats, thread, pins, Wonder Clips, sewing machines, machine needles, and other notions and supplies that a quiltmaker needs. If I had lost my home I would want to get sewing again ASAP. Of course, they might all be super busy.

Happiness Is A Warm Quilt is seeking donations of bed-size quilts (nothing smaller) and pillowcases for children affected by the fires. The Quilt Show has a blurb and some links. You can find them on Facebook or contact Happinessisawarmquilt@gmail.com.

As a reminder, there are lots of opportunities to provide some comfort to those in distress. Take a look at the post from the Las Vegas Modern Quilt Guild, calling for blocks and quilts. Also, Quilts of Compassion is collecting quilts for Houston.

Patterns, Projects & Tutorials

Bonnie Hunter has started her winter mystery quilt. This year it is called On Ringo Lake and inspired by a recent trip to visit family in Minnesota. No clues have gone out, but the Intro is available. Read this post, as it is really helpful for choosing fabrics. Clues will be published every Friday. The first clue will go live on Black Friday, November 24th. Excellent alternative to shopping! Remember that it is up to YOU to print your clues as they are released and to save them in a place where you can find them. This mystery will be retired from Bonnie’s blog on Feb 1, 2018 and placed in the digital downloads section of the Quiltville Store for purchase after that. I am not finished with En Provence, so I doubt I will join in. I do save the clues, though, since you just never know.

Tools, Notions, Thread and Supplies

The Bonnie Hunter Mystery Quilt uses a ruler I have heard about called the Folded Corner Ruler. This is by Antler Quilt Design. I wasn’t sure what ‘folded corners’ were so I watched the video on the Fat Quarter Shop website. I realized that I could use this for the Triple Star. Of course, I only have about 20 more of these types of units to make, though. However, you know how I love rulers. 😉 You can buy this at the Fat Quarter Shop, Amazon (yes I get a piece) or on the Bonnie Hunter site . It is out of stock everywhere, except on the Antler Design site. Some of the sites are not taking pre-orders. I did see some other rulers that seem to do the same thing when I was surfing around.

Other Artists

Have you seen Mr. Domestic’s butterfly?

I was very sad to hear about Nancy Zieman’s death. Her obituary is posted.

Carrie Bloomston is offering creative life coaching phone (or FaceTime) consultations on Mondays and Thursdays in November. The sessions are 55 minutes for $95 (+ $5.25 WePay fees). You’ll pay via WePay through the Sign-Up Genius form below. (All times are listed in Mountain Standard Time.) Email questions to info@carriebloomston.com and sign up online.

Triple Star Blocks Finished

I had an unexpected day of sewing on Sunday. Mom and I were scheduled to visit her quilt show, but she was called on to act in her Presidential Duties at her church. I was sad not to see her, thought glad to avoid the 2+ hour each way drive. My long commute has prevented us from getting together regularly and that is hard. Mom and were able to catch up for a few minutes on the phone and that was nice.

I sewed instead. I sewed A LOT.

One of the projects on which I made progress was the Triple Star blocks. I have made all the blocks called for in the pattern. After taking Sarah’s class on Saturday, I have a different idea of the layout and may need to make more to get the right balance.

The pattern calls for a straight set – 4 down, 4 across. After Sarah’s class, and after thinking about the layout of the Stars #3 Donation quilt, I want to do something different, more interesting.

I did a quick layout with three quarters of the blocks, which resolved my uncertainty. I like the asymmetrical idea, though I realize that I may need a few more blocks for the upper left and lower right hand corners.

Even if this particular layout (definitely without the toes) will not be the final layout, I am on the right track. Using Sarah’s technique, I be able to cut exactly what I need to put it together.

Sarah Goer Class

Saturday I took a class through BAMQG with Sarah Goer. Sarah is a GREAT teacher and her class, Planned Improv, is fabulous. I liked it, mostly, because it was a design technique that I can use beyond the class. It is a technique that could be similar to using Electric Quilt, but sometimes I need to sit down with graph paper and scribble.

I went to class thinking that I would expand the technique and use it for one of the Niece-phews quilts, if it worked out. I had one nephew in mind, so I brought reds for the foreground and dark grey for the background. I thought I could make a pillow cover for a gift if i was not willing to commit to making a quilt using the technique.

The technique is great. Mary C asked me where this technique had been all her life and I wondered the same thing. Another thing I liked about this technique is that it isn’t quite improv, but it is not a buttoned up pattern either.

I am pleased with the way the block came out. I think it has potential for becoming a quilt.

The block is 25×24, so I don’t have to make many of them to have a large lap quilt. I have some squares cut, so I can make another block soon.

S	M	T	W	T	F	S
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5	6	7	8	9	10	11
12	13	14	15	16	17	18
19	20	21	22	23	24	25
26	27	28	29	30	31