2013 Houston Quilt Festival Finds

I found a couple things and a couple of people at the Houston Quilt Festival this year.
Hope springs eternal breathing in the same creative air will inspire and these little quilting projects may/might turn out.

Mostly these items caught my eye for 1) their simplicity, and 2) their marketing/packaging/pricing.   Plus the booth vendors were very nice.  So a special shout-out to them!

I spoke to Pam Bocko herself, the Pieceful Designs designer of the Flash Cards Notebook Cover at the top of the photo, who even offered to help me via email.  The design is so cute and I loved how the pen is incorporated into the closure.

The bottom one from The Designer's Workshop is called "Coffee Break," but I want to rename my result, "Tea Time"!  I'm almost hesitant to unfold and use the fabric (which is enough to make both designs).  I think it would be a pretty Christmas ornament or sewing room decoration as is!

And for many of the others who wouldn't even look up, acknowledge us or try to sell their items. . .Sorry to bother you, I'm moving on.

But also how friendly were these ladies -- Alex Anderson and Lyric Kinard!  And Alex's husband who offered to take the picture!  Amongst other talents, Lyric also does amazing watercolors.

Flanked by quilting royalty!

My Quilt Block For Boston Adventure

First, let me add the disclaimer, I am not a quilter.
( I may not have needed to add that once you keep reading)
I covered the Quilt Market for the media, I attended the Quilt Festival over the years, I hang out with uber creative friends…something had to rub off and make my brain and sewing machine needle click, right?

OK, here goes!

The Boston Modern Quilt Guild's Quilts for Boston relief effort chose the colors of the Boston Marathon -- blue, yellow, gray and white.

My original idea of doing something Texas-y would have to be modified.
No Texas flag (no red),
no bluebonnets (no green).

And lately I had been seeing yellow everywhere. . .


Inspiration

Peeps!
 - even the logo lettering is blue!

Tory Burch "Chelsea" shoes -
"Daisy" yellow

My new Gap scarf I wore with a blue dress,
which don't you think would look great with the Chelsea shoes?!
I think so, but dream on…!

Daisies

Turnera from my garden

This pretty angel I saw in a shop window in Phoenix
(Shout out to "A Peace of the Universe")

So I wanted to include yellow for sure.  And blue.
(Let's pause to imagine those Tory Burch shoes on my feetsies, sigh. OK)

Throw down

Assorted fabrics and swatches I collected over the years from Houston Quilt Markets and Festivals.  I cut the star out of the Texas flag fabric.

So sew!

I just began placing and piecing the fabrics together.  I call it "crazy patching"  Not quite crazy quilting, not quite Log Cabin.  Looking good so far!

Whoops!

Hacky-whacky

Wrong shape!   At this point I put down the rotary cutter and backed away from the cutting table.

Back in the sewing machine saddle again. . .

I started sewing the smaller pieces together to make bigger pieces to square everything up.

The Gulf of Mexico

  I thought the scalloped part of the lace looked like waves coming onto the beach.

Blue Bonnets are o'er the border
(Click to play the song!)

And this embroidery - Texas' State Flower - the bluebonnets.  
Actually this is the fabric I used to make my daughter's blouse for her school's Scottish Festival.
(You'll love the King of Laois song, too!)

The finish seam!

A sincere and heart-felt effort for a great cause!

If you would like more information about and/or to make a contribution to the One Fund, click here

Wednesday Work in Progress!

I love these embroideries - I'm trying to collect the Wednesday - Mending/SEWING! and Saturday - Baking ones.

I (Heart) Hearts Times 23!

1) Use fabric swap fabric from ASG party in December - Check

2) Use what I already had floating around the sewing room - Check

3) Use something red/pink/hot for Project Spectrum - Check

4) February is Sew Mama Sew Quilting Month - Check

5) Make something Valentine-y to go with potholder - Check

6) Make something memorable for 23rd wedding anniversary - Check

1) The background batik fabric is from the fabric swap. The circles (which can also represent hugs) reminded me of those dot candies on paper rolls.

2) The swatches of fabric which match the dots are from previous Quilt Market fabric booths and almost look like those Necco conversation heart candies. Bernartex even called the giveaway packet "Quilter's Candy"

3) The purple edging and backing fabric is also from Market stash

4) Play with placing the squares and rectangles randomly, just like the "Flicka" pattern by Hillary Lang from Simple Contempory Quilts: Bold new designs for the first-time quilter by Valeria Van Ardale Shrader (2007, Library Call No. 746.46 - ISBN: 978-1-57990-875-1).

5) Suddenly think Valentine's/Love/etc., and inspired, immediately start cutting out hearts.

6) Think "uh-oh" - now the pieces are too tiny and too late to Wonder-Under to make attaching easier.

7) Brainstorm! Cross stitch "X's" to attach the bits and be the "kisses" to go with the circle hugs.

8) Make sure I have 23 hearts - out of 11 pieces of fabric? Find a swatch of pink Ultrasuede and put in the center!

9) Can't decide what color thread, spy a free sample spool of variegated metallic in all the colors on the thread rack - luck!

10) Free-motion stitch around and over pieces. Being very, very careful to keep fingers out of the way. A timely reminder to tell the blogosphere the story of how my thumb got in the way free-motioning and the needle not only went into it, but the tip broke off at the eye inside my thumb. But I didn't know it and thought the piece just flew off. But the little worry voice in my head started getting louder when I couldn't find it. Three days later go to doctor because thumb still hurts and he takes an X-ray and tah-dah - we find the needle tip! Go to surgeon next day and I now have a very identifiable thumbprint scar. Resolve not to enter a life of crime. The day after surgery, go to my daughter's school for her Kindergarten interview, do not take pain meds that morning as I don't want appear like a druggie mom, thereby ruining her chances of acceptance into a very uptight/Christian school. Testing and interview takes almost 2 hours - She passes, I almost pass out, I pop the pain meds as soon as I leave the office (DH was driving).

11) Finished size ends up to be 10 3/4" x 12 1/4" Hubby loves it and me!

I (Heart) Hearts!

This is the pattern I used to make the heart you see on the right sidebar. It's called "Ragged Hearts" by Homespun Quilts (HQ-105). I saw it as a wall hanging in a quilt shop and it was gorgeous. The heart was supposed to be divided into 4's and then stitched together. When I tried that the hearts were off and it looked a little wonky instead of whimsical, as the designer Anna Laura Reidt kindly said in the description. So I redid and made two halves, which seems more meaningful to me. My little potholder/mini quilt goes on display in February and lives the rest of the year perched on the bulletin board above my sewing machine. The other day I did find the rest of the cut out hearts and may try again with a double or four-square. Plus I have those cute fabrics from Moda I just bought!

Hey Quilt Girl!

I've been getting emails -- "Peggy, you talk the talk, but have you actually ever made a quilt?" Yes, I have, but I gave them away. "Ha!," you say. But seriously, they went to St. Jude's in Memphis, Tennessee and to Houston for the Hurricane Katrina evacuees.

To the above left are the St. Jude quilts our ASG Neighborhood Group made. Mine is out of camera range (true!), I was standing in the street to take the photo as it was. But on the right is one of my Katrina quilts. I was hoping it would go to a child, hence the 'Scooby Doo" and "Lion King" prints. Note the Texas flag print in the center. (If you like, you can read my quilting stories for PatternReview.com by clicking here for St. Jude's and here for Katrina)

Since I was and still am a quilting beginner's beginner, I used Kaye Wood's 6 Hour Quilt book-let. People, if I can do this, anyone can! Several years ago at the Houston International Quilt Festival, Kaye had an area where people could take a break, sit and serge strips for the Love Connection charity quilts, using her method. Even if you had never quilted, or sewed for that matter, this was easy and simple enough to do. When I originally bought the book, I thought it would make a nice Christmas gift in holiday fabrics or out of denim (the legs). I still do...! ;-)