As is usual, I should have started this post after I took the first photo of the first quilt of 2007. As per usual, I didn’t, so I am faced with looking through hundreds of photos and trying to determine which ones I liked and why. As a result, this is a paltry list and probably not as accurate as it would have been if I had followed through with my plan. I’ll try for 2008, but don’t hold your breath. I may review and/or revise this list, so bookmark it and check back. 😉This basket quilt was probably my all time favorite of the year. I loved the many different basket designs and fabrics. It was amazing to look at. This classic Judy Martin pattern is wonderful in many ways. I like the “pushed neutral” background technique as well as the different sizes and designs of the stars. Someday I want to make a quilt like this.
Another basket quilt with great fabrics. It had a lot of dots. What is not to like about dots? Very cheerful. This pattern from Piece O’Cake is still a favorite, even though I have seen it a number of times at different shows during different years. This rendition is enhanced by that Sashiko type quilting in the borders. The above quilt, Thoughts on Dots, was displayed at the San Mateo County Fair. I have to admit, in case you didn’t know, that it is mine! I love this quilt. It is on my bed and it makes me happy each time I see it.
Once again, in 2007, I have been sewing and making progress. I thought I would, again, inventory my UFOs and see if I made any progress since my previous roundup post of December 27, 2006. But first, I want to tout my accomplishments. 😉
Completed Pieces in 2007
Nosegay: binding still needs to be hand stitched on, but I consider this to be complete
Serendipity Puzzle: binding and sleeve still need to be hand stitched on, but I consider this to be complete. I look forward to giving it to the baby for whom it was made.
I thought there were more, but 4 is a respectable number of quilts to complete while working two jobs, blogging, being a parent and taking care of elderly rellies, etc.
UFOs
As mentioned last year, this list in no way implies that I will discontinue starting new projects or finish any of these.
Here is my list of UFOs. You can see many of them over at Artquiltmaker.com or look at the links I have provided.
Baskets: based on a quilt TFQ and I saw at PIQF. We will work on this together as we get together, so I am not so uptight about this project.
Bullseye: Still have those directions for doing the border the way I want it (the directions I found late last year). Asked TFQ to help me. No progress in 2007
Flowering Snowballs/Cross Block quilt: this is one that moved from the idea stage to the UFO stage. Hooray! Progress! Recently, after a month or so of no progress, I am back at it. I currently have about 16 blocks done and the potential for many more!
Garden from Pamela Allen class: needs hand embroidery and embellishment
House and Garden from Pamela Allen class in May 2007: needs hand embroidery and embellishment
Laura WasilowskiFlower Garden from LW (CQFA) class in July 2007: needs hand embroidery and embellishment
He Tried to Make it Up to Her: needs back and to be quilted. This is probably a quilt I will want to quilt myself. TFQ has dug out a number of quilts, but I don’t know if this was one of them. No progress in 2007
Her Eyes were Bigger than Her Stomach: needs a back and to be quilted. Very active quilt; probably not the best design, but a mile marker in the quiltmaking journey and an excellent learning experience. No progress in 2007
Kissy Fish: ongoing hand beading project. Progress made, but not complete
Leaf Friendship quilt: Before 2007 started I said “needs something that I don’t have; candidate for abandonment; sad, though, because it is a friendship quilt.” This may be coming up, because the fabric closet is, as we say in German, an derReihe. I have to clean that pit out as I can barely walk into it. This means that candidates for abandonment may finally be abandoned. No progress in 2007
Pineapple: All blocks are done. Need to put them together. Facing the reality that some blocks are much too large and trying to figure out how to move forward. I think I may be prepared to remake some of the blocks
Pointillist Palette 4: Night: This is the fourth (of six) in a series of Pointillist Palette fabric by Debra Lunn and Michael Mrowka that was popular a number of years ago. No progress in 2007
QA Challenge Quilt: need to fuse the parts and rubber stamp the words.
See: started in a David Walker class. Needs fusing, satin stitching around fused pieces and quilting. No progress in 2007
Self Portrait from Pamela Allen class: needs hand embroidery and embellishment
Solid Star Friendship Quilt: need more friends so they can make stars for me in solids with black. No progress in 2007
Spiderweb: foundation pieced project, still piecing. Need to create the templates for the border blocks. Aside from collecting more strips, no progress in 2007
The Tarts Come to Tea: Last year I said that I needed inspiration. TFQ and I talked about this quilt a bit and I got some ideas on how to proceed. It really always helps to discuss with someone who has a design sense. No progress in 2007
Women’s Work 2: last year I said that this quilt “needs focus.” Was inspired and have the design. This years words for this quilt: needs execution!
On My Mind
Here are the quilts I am thinking about. Some are on the list from last year. In some cases I have purchased fabric, but no sewing has been done, so they are not yet considered UFOs.
Paper pieced Nativity scene: I downloaded this pattern when it was free a few years ago and have never gotten up the energy to be as organized as I need to be to make this, but I still want to make it. You can find the pattern, for purchase, at Paper Panache.com
Interlocking triangles #4: love the techniques and have at least one, if not two, idea[s] for more
Feathered Star dot quilt from Summer issue of Quilts & More: more use for dots
Some kind of pink quilt with all the pink fabric I have been buying
Colorblocks 3: I want to use this pattern from Sandy Bonsib, but have silk fabric with a luscious sheen instead of the regular cottons. Background will be cotton sateen. What’s holding me up? Backing all the silk. I have the backing and just can’t bring myself to do it.
I Spy quilt for DS: hexagons and many of the triangles are cut. I just have to start piecing them. TFQ continually comes to the rescue as she continues to cut pieces for me.
Garden Quilt: I have been collecting photos and patterns of interesting flowers for years and have always wanted to make some kind of garden or flower quilt. It will probably be something like The Tarts Come to Tea.
Jack’s Chain: I saw a quilt of this pattern years and years ago and have always wanted to make one. Probably at least a partial hand piecing project.
P&B Pop Parade quilt a la Serendipity Puzzle
Bathroom ‘quilt’ out of heavy clear plastic. I want to make pockets that I can put interesting things in that won’t get waterlogged. I also think the stitching would be an interesting addition to the piece.
Other
I am trying to be more about the process of quiltmaking than the finished product.
As you can see from my previous blog posts, I have been sewing and making progress. Still, these seem to be new projects, so I thought I would inventory my UFOs and see what I was facing. One year (1996, I think) I buckled down and worked only on UFOs and finished 9 quilts. That was a record. Most, if not all, were already started and I didn’t quilt them all, but causing them to be quilted counts for something in my book.
This list in no way implies that I will discontinue starting new projects or finish any of these.
Here is my list of UFOs. You can see many of them over at Artquiltmaker.com.
Bullseye: finally found directions for doing the border the way I want it. Just need to do it
Garden from Pamela Allen class
He Tried to Make it Up to Her: needs back and to be quilted. St. JCN has to dig it out.
Her Eyes were Bigger than Her Stomach: needs a back and to be quilted. Very active quilt; probably not my best design, but a mile marker in the quiltmaking journey.
Kissy Fish: ongoing hand beading project
Leaf quilt: needs something that I don’t have; candidate for abandonment; sad, though, because it is a friendship quilt
Nosegay: top complete
Pointillist Palette 4: Night
QA Challenge Quilt: need to fuse the parts and rubber stamp the words.
See: started in a David Walker class. Needs fusing, stitching on of fused pieces and quilting
Self Portrait from Pamela Allen class
Serendipity Puzzle: on the design wall now. Five more blocks to piece.
Sharon’s quilt: blocks must be sewn together. After Serendipity Puzzle I will finish it. I don’t want a wedding quilt to be hanging around when a baby is due
Solid Star Friendship Quilt: need more friends so they can make stars for me in solids with black
Spiderweb: foundation pieced project, still piecing. Need to create the templates for the border blocks
The Tarts Come to Tea: need inspiration. Improvisational quilts are not the same experience when you do them alone
Thoughts on Dots: top complete
Women’s Work 2: needs focus.
Just for fun, here are the quilts on my mind. In some cases I have purchased fabric, but no sewing has been done, so they are not yet UFOs.
Denyse Schmidt Chocolate Boxes: see the post from August 11, 2006 to see the fabrics I will use.
Paper pieced Nativity scene: I downloaded this pattern when it was free a few years ago and have never gotten up the energy to be as organized as I need to be to make this, but I still want to make it. You can find the pattern at Paper Panache.com
Interlocking triangles #4: love the techniques and have at least one, if not two, idea[s] for more
Feathered Star dot quilt from Summer issue of Quilts & More: more use for dots
Cross quilt: totally scrappy except for middle and background. I would also like this to be a handwork project that I can carry along with me.
Some kind of pink quilt with all the pink fabric I have been buying
Colorblocks 3: I want to use this pattern from Sandy Bonsib, but have silk fabric with a lucious sheen instead of the regular cottons. Background will be cotton sateen.
I Spy quilt for DS: hexagons and many of the triangles are cut. I just have to start piecing them. St. JCN comes to the rescue as she cut a zillion of the pieces.
Garden Quilt: I have been collecting photos and patterns of interesting flowers for years and have always wanted to make some kind of garden or flower quilt.
Jack’s Chain: I saw a quilt of this pattern years and years ago and have always wanted to make one.
APNQ, Seattle, August 2006
EBHQ, Oakland, March 2006
PIQF, Santa Clara, October 2006
San Mateo County Fair, San Mateo, August 2006
Not enough, obviously, but they provided plenty of fabulous inspiration. People are still really pushing their machines to the limit.
St. JCN suggested that I put up pictures of the quilts I liked best from these shows and I think it is a good idea.
Rules:
1. My opinion is the only one that counts on this blog. You are welcome to post your opinion in the comments.
2. I did not visit every quilt show in the world, so these are the best quilts that I saw.
3. I did not take pictures of quilts that were not interesting to me, so these are the best of the quilts that I photographed.
4. If one of these is your quilt, I will be THRILLED to post your name, and, possibly, a link to your site or blog (at my discretion).
5. I probably would have picked different quilts if I had chosen them right after I saw the shows. As it is, I am at the whim of colors from a camera and the computer.
6. Subject to change at any time.
APNQ
Piece O’Cake pattern
Yes, this is made from a Piece O’Cake pattern. I don’t care, I love the pattern and the rendition this quiltmaker created is wonderful.
Piece O’ Cake pattern detail
Here is a detail of the border, which I also love, because it reminds me of Mary Engelbreit designs. Don’t you just love the dot flowers? Great use of fabrics as well.
Best use of puffy paint I have EVER seen. The fabrics are fantastic and used well also (look at this quilt with your head tilted to the left)
Candy Wrappers
I like this one, because it is different. I could do without the brown, but I love the blocks. The person who made this made an effort and made a quilt that is different.
Pineapple
I am a sucker for Pineapples and this is an excellent use of the Pineapple pattern. It looks like some of the silks that I have.
Special Exhibit quilt
This was part of the Beverly Dunivent special exhibit. I bought this pattern (reprinted by her) a few years ago after seeing it (and her) on Simply Quilts. I love this quilt. I don’t know if I will ever make it, but I love it. (look at this quilt with your head tilted to the left)
EBHQ
One thing I like about the EBHQ show is the way the members use clean lines and simple shapes in their piecing patterns wih interesting fabrics to make engaging quilts. It was very hard to choose the ‘best.’
Mary Mashuta Baskets
I love basket quilts. I am pretty sure this quilt is by Mary Mashuta and she is a genius with stripes. the quilt does have that sweet look she uses so often. I guess it is the soft/pastelly colors.
I think of Christmas applies when I see this. I like the scarlet used with the lime/icky green. I also like the fact that the quiltmaker added some oranges and pinks into the quilt to add interest. I would like to see how this color scheme worked with different patterns.
The blocks are very sharp. I also like the use of color. It reminds me of Colorblocks 2.
Fun and cheerful. May be a Freddy Moran or it may just be by someone who took her class or read her book. This is a fun link as well to Gwen Marston and Freddy Moran quilts.
Whimisical and I like the shapes of the various flowers. Great use of color and fabric.
Excellent repetition.
Icky colors, but fantastic quilting. See the detail below.
I like the individual blocks more than the overall quilt, but I do like the color scheme, because it is restful.
The blocks just suck me right in.
The triangles come across as really interesting shapes here. Reminds me of earthquakes as well.
PIQF
Each basket had a different flower in it. I believe that this one was done completely by hand. The attention to detail was wonderful.
An old Piece O’ cake pattern that I love. The signs on the houses and buildings were done in Spanish.
Fantastic water effect.
Wonderful colors and details.
I love Mariner’s compasses.
I also saw this at the San Mateo County Fair. I love the use of black and white.
Wonderful star pattern.
Matador Garment
I am not one much for garments, but this piece is wonderfully funny. I am really glad it won a prize. So often, judges have no sense of humor.
I like the way the stars overlap and contain little surprises in the center. I would love to see this done in brights and black.
Ronda K. Beyer, It Ain’t Easy Being Green: Love the colors; the quilting was fantastic. It won one of the prizes.
I love the wheel patterns. Again, kind of muddy colors, however.
San Mateo County Fair
The San Mateo County Fair’s quilts seem to be populated in large part by the Peninsula Quilters Guild. The piecing, in large part, is wonderful and there are a lot of quilts that display excellent piecing skills as well as a good use of color.
This is probably my favorite quilt of the year. The pattern is simple, yet complex. It really is a good use of dotted prints. The variety of fabrics and the way it is not easy to tell how the pattern was put together makes for a quilt. I couldn’t stop looking at.
This basket quilt was probably my all time favorite of the year. I loved the many different basket designs and fabrics. It was amazing to look at.
This classic Judy Martin pattern is wonderful in many ways. I like the “pushed neutral” background technique as well as the different sizes and designs of the stars. Someday I want to make a quilt like this.
Another basket quilt with great fabrics. It had a lot of dots. What is not to like about dots? Very cheerful.
This pattern from Piece O’Cake is still a favorite, even though I have seen it a number of times at different shows during different years. This rendition is enhanced by that Sashiko type quilting in the borders.
