What do you do with all those quilts?

Do you have some of those friends that come to your house and admire your quilts, and then say, "But what do you DO with them all?" This question always renders me speechless. So I began to wonder myself. What DO I do with them all?

Well, after giving one or two to each relative, donating some to charity, dressing each bed with at least three, and reserving a pile for picnics and cold spells, I tend to put them all over the living room. It's a good thing my husband doesn't mind!

What do YOU do with all those quilts?

Old Lone Star

This quilt top belongs to a friend. The star is hand-pieced. It had been sewn to an old white sheet. I changed the background for her. I love the colors in this one!

Stack...and comments...

I learned on the help line that one reason I can't post comments on this blog is that I'm using a mac. That's as far as I got. Love the intensity of Nifty's red quilt and am so delighted to see Sujata's family examples, though that reverse applique is way too much...yikes.

Last week my show of paintings and work on paper opened at the Bush Barn Art Center where I've been artist in residence since February.



The gallery curator wanted 3D work, but I don't do that so I brought in a stack of quilts. It turns out they are way too tempting...everyone wants to untie the bundle and buy the quilts. In October Kay and I are going to have a small show of quilts...a "quilted Conversation" as it were.

reverse applique

This is a king size coverlet made with two pieces of whole cloth. 

  These patterns are also found carved in wooden and stone windows in rural India and old architectures like temples and palaces.

Simplicity at it's finest!

A quilt in my office

This week I hung this quilt in my office, and decided I really like small wall quilts. I love the way the lighting shows off the stitching.

Goodbye Lone Star

Today I will give this quilt to my step-mother, as a wedding gift for she and her new husband. I made it in a Freddy Moran class. Lesson #1: You go to a Freddy Moran workshop and you come out with a Freddy Moran quilt.

Wow!

I was only gone for three weeks but it seems like I missed out a lot! You all have been very busy! It has been a treat to come back to these gorgeous quilts! This is what I saw one morning looking out from my brother's home!

Must Make Pennies

Here's the inspiration

Nifty Quilts does a strippy

Buffy's Quilt from Gwen Marston Workshop

Done without ruler or rotary cutter for fun. Applique done before workshop for head start.

Cat motif from Dover book on Folk Art from India.

BONNIE'S GWEN MARSTON WORKSHOP QUILT

Vintage Wheels, 67"x66"

Inspired by similar quilt in early Kaffe Fassett book. He made his version from antique blocks. This has vintage scraps, friends scraps, and a few pieces from stash. Background from Goodwill.

Circles are pieced into background and into each other, thanks to technique learned in Ricky Tims workshop, last summer. Red centers are machine applique.

Tina's Quilt from Marston Workshop on Solids, March 2010

Cool Idea...

At the Portland Modern Quilt Guild last night this terrific young woman stood up with a show and tell. She got the idea from watching that modeling/design show called Runway something or other. One of the guys on the show was making extensive gathers and that gave her this idea. She got the red and black striped fabric and just made kind of gathers or pleats, sewing each square at the side. She said it took about 6 yards of fabric to make this quilt. Very original.

Thrift Market Neighborhood, 59"x76"

Inspired by Thrift Market Houses, a quilt in collection of Beverly Dunivent. That was the quilt that started me on the thrift market quest. Made house blocks a couple of years ago, mostly from thrift market shirts, and found the setting fabric only recently. It is a furnishing fabric and appears to have been a tablecloth in its first life.

Reluctant Log Cabin 42 x 47"

This is inspired by one in the book, Amish Crib Quilts from the Midwest, The Sara Miller Collection, by Smucker, Crews and Welters.

Guatemalan Pillow II, 16"x16"

Started with soiled, stained, frayed huipil (we-peel). Washed, soaked in BIZ, taken apart and ready to use. Combined sleeve section with 2 small strips of hand woven fabric, purchased from Priscilla Bianchi, and a larger piece of solid hand woven for pillow. Fun to do a 2 day project. Wasn't so long ago that it took me a year to hand piece a quilt and another year to hand quilt it. Now what happens to other sleeve piece, and the main central piece? These huipiles are woven on backstrap looms and the pattern is a weft inlay, a very labor intensive process. An individual woman might only own one or two of these blouses, and wear them for many years. Laundry is done in a lake or stream as a community activity. The neck on this huipil has a sunburst of embroidery. The black area is a small placket with a snap.

Guatemalan Inspired Silk pillow I

Guatemalan hand woven textiles from museum. I really liked this folk art motif. Pillow inspired by the museum textiles and made from a thrift market silk blouse. The buttons and pockets are on the back. I wanted some white images too, but no thrift market silk in white, yet.

Pillow for the office

I found a stray block from a class with Kaffe Fassett called "Square Clamshell." It took about 30 minutes to make it into a pillow cover. Today I'm going to place it in my therapy office. This is a big deal for me. So far, my office has been decorated nicely, but with very little of my personality. Therapy is supposed to be about the client, not about me. Right? But now I'm exploring ways to bring the two big arenas of my life together--therapy and quilting. I've told a few clients that I do quilting for relaxation. I doubt they'll notice the pillow. But it will be nice for me to see it there.

Red Diamonds is quilted

This year I'm trying to get caught up on quilting old tops. There are 10 more to do, plus whatever else I piece. We'll see how it goes. I tend to be a little too ambitious! I thought it would feel like hard work to do the quilting. But, with Sujata's inspiration, I'm finding it's actually kind of fun. And then you get a new quilt!

spring scraps

i can't keep my hands off these scraps, I am hand piecing little parts, then machine stitching bigger sections together. and I truly don't know where i'm going with it, but am enjoying picking up the clear colors of spring.......



this section is one piece.


below are more pieces, little sections......

Cockcomb, 83"x84", 2005

Anita Shackelford pattern, machine applique, and long arm quilted by Karen Kielmeyer of Bella Vista, AR. Currently at home of Kate Jackson, Nashville, TN. Center block 36"x36", side blocks 18"x36", corner blocks 18"x18". I love the hugh scale of the applique, and the Pennsylvania Dutch color. Wool batting gives the quilting a bit more loft. Never won any ribbons, but did jury into the 2 person division in Houston in 2005. The leaves and stems are green, but a very dark green. The background yellows aren't really this bight. They are a bit softer. Not sure this isn't better.

Tulip Trip, March 31, 2010

Buffy and daughter, Nancy, took a trip to the Tulips in Skagit county, WA, to celebrate my being in remission from cancer, and Nancy finishing 6 months of heavy chemo for hers. The weather was picture-perfect, and the flowers beautiful. The daffodils and tulips stretched as far as one could see. You can see I've gained weight back, darn, but small price to pay.

The yellow tulips would make a great Ruth B. McDowell quilt. Time to try that again, before I forget it all.

Dianne's Chicken Quilt, Rebels, March 24, 2010

This is sort of an "I Spy" quilt. Every chix has quirky differences.

WOW!!!!

I go away for a week and wow when I come back. First and foremost Sally what a great report. We KNEW you were tough and we HOPED this would would happen, because we have some sewing to do yet. Together.

Sujata the Thomas quilt is beautiful, and I actually LOVE the "machine quilting practice quilt." Most of all though, you and your daughter laughing like crazy is a gift.

Mary--great job--doesn't that look good do you think?? and really LeeAnn--it's all quilted already?? Phew. I took this picture for you of Carolyn's featherweight--it's white!! My Gwen quilt is ALMOST quilted...maybe this weekend will finish it off.

Paula--hello--wow that came out great! Let's go have a margarita!

I feel pretty lucky to be in this REBEL group. Every night I dream of quilts. Am looking forward to getting all the painting done for my show (which opens May 7th) so I can really sew this summer. xxoo to all. B

Mary's Quilt from Marston workshop in Sisters, OR

Good News!

My CT was normal, no fluid in lung, and tumor markers (blood tests) also normal, so looks like I'm in remission from tumor. No wonder I'm feeling so much better. Thanks to all Rebels for support. Buffy

Paula's Sisters Quilt, March 2010

Paula's quilt, started at Marston workshop, in Sisters, OR. Doesn't look like the one she had on the wall in Sisters, but does look great in current version. Paula is a new QA member, that we had to go to Sisters to meet and invite her to Rebels.

Joy!

She turned 15! Leaving for Seattle tomorrow by herself and for the first time we are going to be apart for whole month! Little anxious and little happy that she is growing up. Most of all, she is thrilled to be visiting her friends and a place she still calls home.... And I am thrilled for her!

Mary's Memory Quilt, Rebels 3/24/2010

Mary is a new member of Rebels. She is a retired first grade teacher and this quilt is for her school. As I recall, the houses represent the children, the stars are the teachers, the next row represents the library, in the lower mid right is a tree from the school memorial garden for a teacher who died. The many flags around the tree represent the ethnicity of the students. The buildings on the right are Seattle landmarks: the Smith tower, the Space Needle, Starbucks, the Columbia tower. The chicken is really a dragon for the Asian influence. The yellow patches below the tree represent school buses. Mary is a beginning quilter, and doing great work.

Bunches of Radishes

QA Raffle Quilt 2010

Machine applique by Cathy K and Buffy. Quilted by Patty Gwinn. Hand dyed fabric by Judy Robertson.

Close up of Thomas' Quilt

Thomas' Quilt

Practice Quilt for Machine Quilting