Thursday, November 10, 2011
Houston Quilt Show pictures
I went to the International Quilt Festival in Houston, Texas, last week. Here are pictures of some of the quilts displayed there. If you'd like to see the official Virtual Tour of the quilt show, go to the website www:quilts.com and click on the red shoe icon. The Virtual Tour has pictures of the prize winning quilts, as well as many of the entries I did not photograph. Enjoy!
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
September Meeting
The Sassy Quilters met on September 8 at Mozelle's house. We had a smaller gathering than last month, but we still had a great time.
Estela asked for volunteers to go with her to meet with the Military Officers' Association to ask for a monetary donation to be used toward the purchase of fabric and quilting supplies for the small lap quilts we are making for the veteran's home. The volunteers are Iris Page, Susan Moore, and possibly Sylvia Allen and Meg Rogers. We are meeting with the Military Officers on Monday, Sept. 26, and will report back to the group at the October meeting.
Estela also asked how everyone was coming along on their sampler blocks. Although no one brought any sampler blocks to show at this meeting, those working on the sampler reported that they are still working on theirs. Estela told the group that she intends to work on her sampler blocks when she attends her quilting retreat in Texas at the end of September.
New member Essie made another quilt! How does she do it? She obviously has a great eye for color and fabric coordination.
No show and tell is complete without Susan, who always has a quilt she's just pieced or just finished. Another overachiever! This is a scrap quilt, made from 60-degree diamonds. The pattern is called 1000 pyramids. There may not be 1000 diamonds in this quilt, but it still took a lot of work--and perfect piecing--to get to look so great!
Estela asked for volunteers to go with her to meet with the Military Officers' Association to ask for a monetary donation to be used toward the purchase of fabric and quilting supplies for the small lap quilts we are making for the veteran's home. The volunteers are Iris Page, Susan Moore, and possibly Sylvia Allen and Meg Rogers. We are meeting with the Military Officers on Monday, Sept. 26, and will report back to the group at the October meeting.
Estela also asked how everyone was coming along on their sampler blocks. Although no one brought any sampler blocks to show at this meeting, those working on the sampler reported that they are still working on theirs. Estela told the group that she intends to work on her sampler blocks when she attends her quilting retreat in Texas at the end of September.
New member Essie made another quilt! How does she do it? She obviously has a great eye for color and fabric coordination.
Mozelle showed us her finished jelly-roll quilt that will be donated to the Veteran's home.
Sheila is a new quilter, but took on the task of making several of the donation quilts for the Veternan's home; here she is showing one that she just finished.
No show and tell is complete without Susan, who always has a quilt she's just pieced or just finished. Another overachiever! This is a scrap quilt, made from 60-degree diamonds. The pattern is called 1000 pyramids. There may not be 1000 diamonds in this quilt, but it still took a lot of work--and perfect piecing--to get to look so great!
August Meeting
It's September already, but I'm only now getting around to updating the blog for August. We met at Mozelle's house, and everyone was all excited about the evening's program, which was our second annual Quilters' Auction. Present were: Meg Rogers, Mozelle Wilson, Sheila Fulnechek, Eva Simes, Susan Moore, Diane Baker, Diane Purcell, Sylvia Allen, Dollie McCratic, Cindy Depew, Joyce Snodgrass, Essie Helms, Debbie Vaughn, and Mary Ann Center.
Everyone donated quilt/craft/sewing related items, and Sylvia Allen served as auctioneer. Sylvia's glib tongue and savvy chatter kept the action rolling, and prices, which started at $1, climbed higher and higher. Here's Sylvia in the middle of auctioning off some items. And notice that Meg, our treasurer, is right beside her keeping track of everyone's purchases! The auction raised about $195! That's money for next year's community service quilts!
The auction took up most of the evening, but we did have show and tell. Here's Meg showing one of her sampler blocks.
Another of Meg's sampler blocks.
This is Mozelle's Corn and Beans block. Just ask her which is the corn and which is the beans!
Here's Mozelle's black, white and brights quilt. Notice the multi-colored inner border and the piano key outer border.
Meg brought a baby quilt to show. The white blocks were embroidered and then surrounded with bright color triangles. What baby wouldn't love this!
Meg also brought a quilt top that she's been commissioned to quilt. The quilt top was made by a man, who is a prolific quilter even though he started quilting less than a year ago. This memory quilt top has family pictures in each block.
Debbie Vaughn has been very busy sewing and piecing, and she's got some wonderful quilts to show for her efforts. Look at the gorgeous hummingbirds and stars.
Here's another of Debbie's little quilts. What bright and cheery colors!
And yet another of Debbie's quilts. Although not shown, Debbie also brought a beautiful quilt made using batiks. I took a picture of it, but something went wrong and I can't upload it into the blog.
Estela showed the Christmas tree mini-quilt that was made during the "Christmas in July" program at Meg's House. Everyone had so much fun doing this, and it went so fast that everyone at the sew in had time to make two of them.
Everyone donated quilt/craft/sewing related items, and Sylvia Allen served as auctioneer. Sylvia's glib tongue and savvy chatter kept the action rolling, and prices, which started at $1, climbed higher and higher. Here's Sylvia in the middle of auctioning off some items. And notice that Meg, our treasurer, is right beside her keeping track of everyone's purchases! The auction raised about $195! That's money for next year's community service quilts!
The auction took up most of the evening, but we did have show and tell. Here's Meg showing one of her sampler blocks.
Another of Meg's sampler blocks.
This is Mozelle's Corn and Beans block. Just ask her which is the corn and which is the beans!
Here's Mozelle's black, white and brights quilt. Notice the multi-colored inner border and the piano key outer border.
Meg brought a baby quilt to show. The white blocks were embroidered and then surrounded with bright color triangles. What baby wouldn't love this!
Meg also brought a quilt top that she's been commissioned to quilt. The quilt top was made by a man, who is a prolific quilter even though he started quilting less than a year ago. This memory quilt top has family pictures in each block.
Debbie Vaughn has been very busy sewing and piecing, and she's got some wonderful quilts to show for her efforts. Look at the gorgeous hummingbirds and stars.
Here's another of Debbie's little quilts. What bright and cheery colors!
And yet another of Debbie's quilts. Although not shown, Debbie also brought a beautiful quilt made using batiks. I took a picture of it, but something went wrong and I can't upload it into the blog.
Estela showed the Christmas tree mini-quilt that was made during the "Christmas in July" program at Meg's House. Everyone had so much fun doing this, and it went so fast that everyone at the sew in had time to make two of them.
Here's the second one that Estela made.
This is a very colorful Trip Around the World. The colors are beautifully coordinated.
Susan made a quilted sewing machine caddy. You put it on the sewing table, with the pocket portion hanging down off the table, then set the sewing machine on top to hold it in place. The pockets can be used to hold things like needles, scissors, and other accessories that you need close at hand while sewing.
This is a very colorful Trip Around the World. The colors are beautifully coordinated.
Susan made a quilted sewing machine caddy. You put it on the sewing table, with the pocket portion hanging down off the table, then set the sewing machine on top to hold it in place. The pockets can be used to hold things like needles, scissors, and other accessories that you need close at hand while sewing.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
July Meeting
The Sassy Quilters met on July 14 at Mozelle's home. We had a full house, including several guests. Mozelle's daughter Donna and Donna's daughter were there. Mozelle's friend Lola attended as well. Joyce Snodgrass brought her friend Essie Helm.
Most of the Sassies are working on the sampler quilt, and several brought blocks to show, but I forgot to take pictures. Several people have completed the first two rows of the quilt. Sylvia got everyone laughing when she said she was so frustrated with some of the blocks that she just threw them away. We've all done that at one time or another! But most of us don't admit it--we remake the block and pretend it turned out perfect the first time!
There were lots of quilts at Show and Tell this month.
Susan is making a quilt for each of her nieces and nephews. This batik quilt is for one of her nieces. The dark brown border really makes the blocks pop. The layout makes the blocks look as if they were set on point, but Susan says they are laid out in horizontal rows.
This is another one of Susan's quilts. She called it her "jewel box oops" quilt. She cut and pieced the blocks for the jewel box pattern, then realized that she had sewn ALL the half-square triangles in the wrong orientation. At that point she had to decide whether to take the blocks apart and resew them, or cut and sew new blocks, or use the blocks as they were. She decided the use the blocks as they were, and this is the resulting quilt--it's gorgeous! It may not be a jewel box, but it is still a jewel!
Most of the Sassies are working on the sampler quilt, and several brought blocks to show, but I forgot to take pictures. Several people have completed the first two rows of the quilt. Sylvia got everyone laughing when she said she was so frustrated with some of the blocks that she just threw them away. We've all done that at one time or another! But most of us don't admit it--we remake the block and pretend it turned out perfect the first time!
There were lots of quilts at Show and Tell this month.
Susan is making a quilt for each of her nieces and nephews. This batik quilt is for one of her nieces. The dark brown border really makes the blocks pop. The layout makes the blocks look as if they were set on point, but Susan says they are laid out in horizontal rows.
This is another one of Susan's quilts. She called it her "jewel box oops" quilt. She cut and pieced the blocks for the jewel box pattern, then realized that she had sewn ALL the half-square triangles in the wrong orientation. At that point she had to decide whether to take the blocks apart and resew them, or cut and sew new blocks, or use the blocks as they were. She decided the use the blocks as they were, and this is the resulting quilt--it's gorgeous! It may not be a jewel box, but it is still a jewel!
Meg made this darling baby quilt using embroidered animal motifs for the center of each square. The colors are so soft and pretty!
Joyce called this quilt Christmas in July because it uses Christmas colors and she finished it in July! We're glad to have Joyce back in the group now that she is not working as a caregiver.
This is Eva's original design. She will submit a picture of this quilt to a magazine for publication. She and Susan are writing up the detailed instructions for cutting and piecing this quilt.
Essie is Joyce's friend, and she showed us this beautiful red, white and black quilt top that she said took about a week for her to piece. Essie surprised everyone by telling us that she is 91 years old and that until she was 85, she worked at "taking care of old people."
Joyce called this quilt Christmas in July because it uses Christmas colors and she finished it in July! We're glad to have Joyce back in the group now that she is not working as a caregiver.
This is Eva's original design. She will submit a picture of this quilt to a magazine for publication. She and Susan are writing up the detailed instructions for cutting and piecing this quilt.
Eva made this quilt too. The lighting in the picture makes this quilt look like it has a reddish border, but in reality the color can best be described as burnt orange. The fabric that looks almost gold colored in the picture is actually closer to a peach. It is a beautiful quilt, and I apologize for not getting a better picture of it. 
This is Eva's "long four-patch" quilt. It is a very simple pattern, and a wonderful stash-buster! Eva says she bought the fabric for the backing first, then made the quilt top to go with it!
This is Eva's "long four-patch" quilt. It is a very simple pattern, and a wonderful stash-buster! Eva says she bought the fabric for the backing first, then made the quilt top to go with it!
Essie is Joyce's friend, and she showed us this beautiful red, white and black quilt top that she said took about a week for her to piece. Essie surprised everyone by telling us that she is 91 years old and that until she was 85, she worked at "taking care of old people."
Last year Susan showed us how to make sweatshirt jackets. Dollie made hers in red, white, and black. If you look closely, you'll notice that she personalized it with a monogram.
Debbie showed off this beautiful red and white quilt. The blocks are a variation on the log cabin block. Although the block itself is fairly straightforward, the layout requires attention to detail.
The donation quilts are almost all finished. We will have about 15 or 16 of these lap-sized quilts to donate. Here Mozelle is showing five of the quilts that have come in:
Debbie showed off this beautiful red and white quilt. The blocks are a variation on the log cabin block. Although the block itself is fairly straightforward, the layout requires attention to detail.
The donation quilts are almost all finished. We will have about 15 or 16 of these lap-sized quilts to donate. Here Mozelle is showing five of the quilts that have come in:
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Corn and Beans revisited
After posting the first update about the Corn and Beans block, I realized that I had not included the pictures showing how I marked the sewing lines on the block. Here is a picture showing how you place the ruler--notice that the 45 degree line is placed along the long side of the block and the edge of the ruler is placed so that it intersects the corner seam of the half-square triangle (long red arrow) and the bottom right-hand corner (smaller red arrow). Mark along the edge of the ruler.
After you have marked the first seam line, flip the block so that the unmarked half-square triangle is at the lower left. Line up the ruler in the same way, 45 degree line along the long edge of the block and the edge of the ruler touching the corner of the half-square triangle (long red arrow) and the lower right hand corner (shorter arrow) of the block. Mark this line as well. Proceed with the other steps shown on the earlier post. Sorry about the omission; the blog does not lend itself well to editing and inserting pictures once it is published.
After you have marked the first seam line, flip the block so that the unmarked half-square triangle is at the lower left. Line up the ruler in the same way, 45 degree line along the long edge of the block and the edge of the ruler touching the corner of the half-square triangle (long red arrow) and the lower right hand corner (shorter arrow) of the block. Mark this line as well. Proceed with the other steps shown on the earlier post. Sorry about the omission; the blog does not lend itself well to editing and inserting pictures once it is published.
Monday, July 11, 2011
Corn and Beans--Sampler Block
I don't know how far along everyone is on their sampler, but I just finished making the Corn and Beans Block, shown at left. In this blog update, I'm going to demo an easy way to make the large center blocks.
The center blocks look like a big half-square triangle with an inset small half-square triangle. This combination is known as a "Magic Triangle" or "Mary's Triangle" in many quilt patterns. I call it Magic Triangle because it lends itself to many different layouts.
To make the Magic Triangle, start with two half-square triangles that are 2.5" square, and a strip that is 2.5" by 3.5". Sew them in the arrangement shown. Please note that the half square triangle needs to be positioned as shown so that it will be in the right place and orientation in the Magic Triangle.
The pieced block should look like this at this point and should measure 4.5" x 5.5"
Flip the block over and clip the vertical seam about halfway betwen the two half square triangles. The red arrow shows where I clipped it. Press the seams in opposite directions so that the half-square triangles lay flat and the corner intersection of seams is visible on both half-square triangles.
Using the 45 degree mark on your ruler, line up the edge of the ruler so that it intersects the corner of the half-square triangle AND the bottom right hand corner of the block. Red arrows point to where the line should go through. This is your sewing line.
Repeat the marking on the other half square triangle. Place the marked block on top of a solid color piece that is 4.5 x 5.5. Sew on the marked lines, being sure that the seam exactly intersects the corner of the half square triangle and the lower right hand corner of the block.
Cut the block apart between the seams. For illustration only, I made the blue piece of fabric larger so that you could see it beneath the pieced block. In your block, the pieced block and the solid-color fabric should be the same size.
Open up the block and press open. Voila! Magic Triangle. If you look at the pattern, you'll notice that the block requires 4 Magic Triangles, two with a colored (blue) triangle and two with a white triangle. To make the white Magic Triangle, repeat the steps of sewing the strips and marking them, but piece it to a piece of white fabric.
The rest of the Corn and Beans block is made of half square triangles and flying geese. Arrange the block as shown.
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