Empire Quilt Show

All the quilts of the Empire Quilt Show a week and a half ago have been put on their website, so I'm just going to share some of the closeup photos that I took. For my favorite quilt, the one that won Best Pieced, Grandma's Hexagarden by Mary Anne Ciccotelli, I'm going to give you her blog, which has better pictures than I took. I voted for this one for Viewer's Choice. All those tiny folded hexagons are amazing! Also the black background hexagons are folded. For this hexagon junkie, it was a treat to see! My next favorite things in the quilt show weren't quilts at all! They were the handmade Best of Ribbons. They have them on the website, but the closeups don't show much. So, here are some. Click on each photo for a larger version so you can see the beading and embroidery.

Here is a closeup of the Best of Show, where you can see the use of the black and white fabrics a bit better.

My favorite non-award quilt is by Karen Griska's Firing on all Cylinders in the Pieced category. Below is a portion of the quilt to click on and see larger. She's the Selvage Blog lady and author of Quilts from the Selvage Edge. This one looks a lot like her selvage quilts. This is proof that you should never throw out even the thinnest strip of fabric!

Enjoy! Debbie

Quilt Shows

I haven't posted in too long. I was away in the U.S. and just came home on Tuesday. Still trying to catch up. I spent a week in Florida with my grandson and his parents and this past weekend in New Jersey with my parents. I was thrilled to be able to spend the day Sunday at the Empire Quilters Guild quilt show. One of the highlights was the lecture by Brenda Papadakis, of Dear Jane fame. Below is a photo of the two of us right after the lecture. It's the first time meeting in person. I've been on the Dear Jane list from almost the beginning and have made a Dear Jane quilt, sort of. All the blocks were made years ago (many) and it all just needs to be put together. The center is together and the triangles are made and the alternates are cut. But it's been sitting in the closet for almost ten years, I think!

Within the next few days, I plan to post photos of some of the quilts that grabbed me. I'll also write about the quilt exhibit that I went to in Florida. Have a great weekend, Debbie

Collecting Selvedges (or Selvages)

About a year ago I started collecting the selvedges of the fabrics I've been using. I don't have so many yet, but I'm thinking of going through my stash and cutting off the selvedges there! If any of my readers are inclined to, I'd love it if you could send me any selvedges that you are cutting off from the fabrics that you are working with. In the meantime, I'm hoping to win one of three of Lissa's selvedge giveaway's on her blog! Check out the Selvage Blog to see some of the things that are being made with selvedges. There you will see links to many other blogs with amazing things made with selvedges. Debbie

Hexagons

I love making things with hexagons. So, I recently joined The Great Hexagon Quilt - Along (also see logo in my sidebar.) Here are two little quilt items that I made a couple of years ago. This triptych I made for the Ricky Tims MicroCosmos Challenge. They're each 5"x7". The theme was Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow. There were so many different types of interpretations. Some of them I couldn't even figure out how they fit into the theme! (They really are rectangles, it was the camera angle.)

I made a whole bunch of these for a fabric postcard swap that I participated in. I really enjoyed making them and did not get bored making the multiples! It's 4"x6". It was even more fun getting the postcards from the others in the swap.

Debbie

Current quilt I'm working on

I recently participated in the Sylvia's Bridal Sampler red and white block swap from the SBS mailing list. Above are the blocks I received. My plan is to make a baby quilt for my granddaughter using most of the blocks mixed together, probably in some kind of diagonal setting, with some redwork blocks. But, instead of the traditional red on white embroidery, I'm going to make them white on red. Below are the fabrics I'll be using for the backgrounds.

I found a lot nice free redwork embroidery patterns here. And, I had downloaded these when they were first offered as a free block of the month. Some of them are really cute.

More on the threads I use

Superior Threads is having a giveaway again. But, you'd better hurry, because it ends today! You can read all about it on their blog. Their most recent blog post talks about pre-wound bobbins. I use them all the time! The L style ones work perfectly in my 1630. I bought them when they were on sale, and when they were on sale again, I bought some more. I use them mostly in the neutral colors, but I have a good selection of colors. Sure, it *might* cost more than winding it yourself, but probably not much of a difference and it's worth every penny to me. They say that there's three times as much on a prewound than on the one you wind yourself. Debbie

Finished Quilt

I finished one quilt for the black and white challenge. It's a baby quilt. For the quilting, all I did was a diagonal grid.

And the label

Where I buy my threads

For the past couple of years, I've been buying most of the threads I use from one place, Superior Threads. Their huge range of products (every type of thread one can need) and superior customer service, is very important to me. When I sent a question about a product, I received a reply from Bob himself! One time, I had placed an order for some pre-wound bobbins, which included a combo package of different colors. I received a phone call from a nice lady putting together the order. She wanted to tell me that one or two of the colors are not in stock. She spent time with me trying to decide which colors to substitute. To me, that is service! They are having a giveaway on their blog, Mother Superior's Blog, so be sure to check it out! Debbie

One World - One Heart Blog Giveaway Winners!

Random.org chose two winners for me and they are: Danit in New Zealand and Stephanie in California Congratulations Danit and Stephanie! I have sent each of you a private email. Please reply by Sunday with your snail mail addresses so I can send you your fabric postcard and fibers. Debbie

One World - One Heart Blog Giveaway

Comments are now closed. I will announce winners later on today.

Important Notice: Please note #2 below. There have been many comments where email addresses are not available in the blog profiles or the comment writer has no blog. Without a blog OR an email, there is absolutely no way to contact you. For convenience, I've been approving all comments. On February 12th, I will go through them all and will have to leave those that have no way of being contacted, out of the drawing. If you have a blog, but no email address, it is less convenient to contact you, but possible. Still, you risk the possibility of not seeing that you won!

I just joined the One World - One Heart Blog Giveaway. I'm getting in a little late on this, but there's still plenty of time to enter the drawings. Thanks to Lisa for organizing it!

Two lucky winners will each win one of the two fabric postcards I made that you see in the photo, along with one yard lengths of about 30+ different yarns. Great for embellishing quilts, crazy quilting, scrapbooking, etc. The winners will be announced on February 12.

1. Leave a comment on this post. Comments on other posts are always welcome, but for this giveaway, only comments left on this post will count.
2. You must have a blog, that's the point of this giveaway event, to get to know other's blogs. If your email address is not in your blog profile then you must include it in the comment.
3. I would appreciate if you would answer just one question. Have you ever been to Israel? Yes or no is good enough, but you may add any other nice comment that you wish.

Good luck!

Debbie

2008 Journal Quilt

Another piece from the (not so distant) past. Titled "Raindrops are Falling." My 2008 Journal Quilt that was not juried in to the exhibit in Houston. It's one of many. Due to space limitations, just about one quarter of the quilts entered were exhibited. You can see many of the quilts that were not in Houston in this online exhibit, "Braving the Elements", sponsored by the Quiltart mailing list site. 

 Debbie

New Giveaway Winner

****After nine days and three emails, Avon has not contacted me, so I have drawn another winner. It's Crochet-n-Quilt, who has already contacted me and has already redeemed the coupon! Congratulations!****

Using Ribbon Floss

Sharon Boggon's Pin Tangle is one of my favorite stitchery blogs. She recently wrote a post about ribbon floss. I love ribbon floss. Some years ago a local closeout fabric shop got in a supply of a German ribbon floss and I bought a whole bunch of spools. I was sorry I didn't buy more and when I went back they were gone! Here's a scan (pre-decent digital camera days) of some stitching I did with the ribbon floss on a crazy quilt round robin I participated in during 2002. I lifted the idea of those little trees from a block that Sharon made! Debbie

Whirl Into Winter Quilt Blog Giveaway Winner

***The Whirl into Winter Giveaway is now over. Congratulations to Avon on winning the six month subscription to The Quilt Show!***

The Melanie Rose

Marie recently posted on her blog about email acquaintances from the past. She also brought up some of her work that was done during those years of activity on the silkribbon mailing list. I am one of those from the past and would like to share a small section of my family heirloom chuppah that I made where I used a stitch design that Marie developed called the Melanie Rose (named after her daughter.) Marie is also having a drawing on her blog for her blogiversary. Check it out.

Black and White Challenge

I joined the Black and White Challenge a few weeks ago and have started working on a quilt. I made some test blocks and like it so far. Here are the rules to the challenge. Unfortunately, as the blogger system only allows 100 member per blog, the challenge is now closed to new members. But, you can still check in to follow everyone's progress.

Whirl Into Winter Quilt Blog Giveaway

****After nine days and three emails, Avon has not contacted me, so I have drawn another winner. It's Crochet-n-Quilt, who has already contacted me and has already redeemed the coupon! Congratulations!**** ***The Whirl into Winter Giveaway is now over. Congratulations to Avon on winning the six month subscription to The Quilt Show!*** I'm giving away a coupon for a free six month subscription to The Quilt Show. See more information at the Quilt Show site. https://www.thequiltshow.com/os/join.php The coupon must be used by January 20. Please leave a non-anonymous comment in this post, anytime until January 15, and I will draw for a winner then. Thanks to Debi at http://whirlintowinter.blogspot.com/ for organizing the "Whirl Into Winter Quilt Blog Giveaway"

It's a start

OK, I give up. I've been resisting it, but it seems that I NEED a blog! So, here I am. My plan is to post photos of things that I am working on. In between, I will post photos of past projects that may or may not be finished. I will try to post at least once a week. Debbie