RR Bloggers starting block

May 15 is the deadline to mail our starting blocks for the RR Bloggers. You can always see the blogs of the others in the group in the link for the RR Bloggers ring in my sidebar. I used components of a block designed by Carol Doak especially for the members of her CarolDoakQuiltingGroup group on yahoogroups.

Debbie

Baby quilt progress

I've finished two more reverse redwork blocks for the baby quilt for my granddaughter. Taking a little break to make a block for a group quilt that is meant to be a surprise for the recipient. So, I won't be able to share that until the quilt is presented, which will be at least six months from now! I also made a block for an RR. Picture tomorrow.

Debbie

Home made stamps

For some time now I've been reading the blog of Susan Purney Mark. Every week she posts "Stamping Monday". She gives great ideas of how to make stamps out of just about anything you can find. She also asks for readers to share their stamp making. I made these a several years ago. This one with a wave like pattern was made from erasers. I carved them so that, when stamping, the ends next to each other form a continuous pattern.

These were made from something that I can't remember what it's called. It's a very thin sponge-like thing. After I cut out the bells, as an afterthought, I glued the negative of what I cut out to a block, too.

This was made from the same sponge-like stuff. I wanted to see what it was like to stamp it and get the secondary pattern.

Enjoy, Debbie

Bloggers Quilt Festival

Amy at Park City Girl is hosting a Bloggers Quilt Festival this week. To be a part of this festival, you just write about your favorite quilt on your blog, put the logo and link to the festival on your blog and then add yourself to the link list of the Park City Girl blog for the festival. Put a comment on that post letting Amy know, with a link back to the post on your blog. I have a lot of favorite quilts, but one of them is one that I made about eight years ago for my son for his Bar Mitzvah. Here's the link on my old website that tells about it.

Have fun, Debbie

Nice yarn shop

I had heard about this yarn shop some time ago and every time I'd been to Ra'anana I kept looking for it whenever we drove down the street of its address, a main street. I was just curious to see the place, not like I need any yarn or anything, LOL! Anyway, two days ago we were walking on a side street there and I bumped into the shop! It seems that all the stores on this side street have the address of the main street. Anyway, it was closed for afternoon break and I didn't have time to wait or come back later. That was good for my pocketbook! I hope I get back there someday when it is open. It's such an interesting looking store, with an unusual outer decor, that I had to take some pictures.

I noticed the store because of this sculpture that was standing on the sidewalk.

Now take a look at the railing and the front door handle. How cute!

Debbie

Yesterday's Quinglish

What is Quinglish? Quinglish is the term someone coined years ago for our gatherings of English speaking quilters from around the country. They occur once or twice annually, usually on Passover or Sukkot or both. Usually graciously hosted in the home of Terry in Ra'anana. This year's new and capable chairperson's of the Accent Quilters, Adi and Michal, ran the show and did a great job. I know that Terry's camera got many more good pictures than me. If Terry uploads them, I will edit this post to include her link. In the meantime, you'll have to settle for whatever Show and Tell I managed to record. As usual, if you click on the photo you'll get to a good enlargement where you can see more detail.

Adi and Michal holding up Terry's appliqued circles of hand-dyed fabrics

Marlyn with her prized pinwheel quilt Tzvia, Adi, and Terry holding up Tzvia's and Henrietta's quilts made from the same pattern. At the time they were making them, neither knew the other was doing it Tzvia and Terry with their Stack and Whack hexagon quilts and a second one by Terry

Tzvia and Terry with their Jewel Box pattern quilts

Tzvia and Terry with their quilts made using Ricky Tim's Kaleidescope style

Monica and her unusual quilt made of mostly hand-dyes. Some of the fabrics Monica painted. I sure wish I had captured the center embroidery better! Miri with her Disappearing nine-patch set on point and two quilts made in the log cabin style, but totally strip pieced! Miri will be teaching workshops on these two patterns at The Quilt Center in Bustan Hagalil.

Progress on red/white quilt

I've finished one of the reverse redwork blocks for the red and white baby quilt that I'm making. For the next week and a half or so I'm busy with other things and then I hope to get working on it more seriously. Here's the block.

Lately, I've been trying to enter a lot of blog giveaways. I haven't won any of them yet, though. There's a very good one now, PigTales and Quilts giving away 30 fat quarters. WOW! Have a good weekend, Debbie

Quilts I saw in Florida

I'm sorry that I didn't get a chance to write about this quilt exhibit before it closed this past weekend. When I was in Florida a few weeks ago, I went to the Ocean Waves Quilt Guild Exhibit in Homestead. There were many art quilts among the traditional and contemporary. A lot of variety. I'm still waiting for the results of the viewer's choice poll to be posted to their site! Here are some photos of the quilts that I found interesting. Click on any photo to bring up details of quilting or enlargement of text. The first two are what are sometimes called 'slice' quilts. A group of quilters cut up a photograph and everyone makes their section and then it's sewn together and quilted.

Next is a quilt in which I loved the effect of the light illusion in the center. I think the spotlights on the quilt also had an effect on the photo. I liked the stitching and the different fiber supplies used in it, too.

Next is a quilt made of many little molas that the quilter bought on vacation in South America. You can see the embroidery detail in the enlargements.

Unfortunately, I did not get the description and maker's name of this next one. I thought it was well made and I loved the quilting. I tried to get a good detail of the quilting.

Added June 25: See new comment with explanation, by Rosa Brito, who quilted this quilt.

Enjoy, Debbie

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.