Quilt shows and "potato chip" blocks

Thursday I took two quilts with hanging sleeves to the library to be hung where the AIDS quilt panels were.  I'm not sure how they'll get them up there.  The space on the older brick wall of the building and visible from the new art is huge.  They say they have a volunteer handy man who doesn't mind climbing.   

I think the quilts (Harriet's Journey and Hanky Quilt #2) will be a little small for the space, but I had only one larger quilt with a hanging sleeve.  I'll work on another one this week and swap them out in another month or so.  Both are older and used to be on beds in our B&B.

It never rains, but it pours! On Friday, I had a call from the Barre Opera House asking me if I could show some of my quilts in the lobby for about six weeks.    I had a show there one summer maybe ten years ago.  They have a lot of events planned this season and a very empty (dull) lobby.  The catch:  I need to hang the quilts this week.  

Yesterday I got out all the smaller wall hangings and curtain rods and dowels I have.  Paul cut one dowel to fit a small wool appliqued piece.  We will try hanging everything on Tuesday.  I'm excited!  Today I'll get the steamer out to work on one quilt that's very crumpled (shown here without wrinkles).

Meanwhile, I've been cutting 2" x 3.5" rectangles for "potato chip" blocks to go around the Dresden Plate quilt that was in timeout in the closet.  I need 24 for the next border and am having fun putting them together.  It's going to be quite colorful.  The final border will be a wide, plain print to bring the quilt up to about 72" square.  

A great quilt show!

 

Yesterday, Paul and I met our friends Pauline and Bob in Woodstock (VT) where the Billings Farm and Museum is having a summer-long quilt exhibit.  There are 56 juried quilts and 14 commissioned barn quilts on display.  The barn quilts are on the farm buildings and it was fun to wander around looking at them.  

Of course, there are farm animals to pet and watch, too, but I was most excited to see my own Hankie Quilt #2 on display - in a perfect spot right by some glass doors.  I ran into the Curator and thanked him for putting my quilt in such a prominent and lovely spot.  He says the exhibit is going well and they plan to have one next year.

Following are a few other photos I took of the quilts - one was just amazing with very intricate quilting and embellished with over 4,000 beads!

This was my favorite, I think.  So simple, yet the color placement and the vertical quilting were spot on.

Each of the hexies was hand appliqued, and the fabrics are prints and solids.  It's another "wish I'd thought of that" quilt!

Westview Meadows show

A few months ago, a former neighbor who has since moved to a senior residence with assisted and independent living asked me to display my quilts in their gallery space.  While my brother Axel was visiting, he helped me choose some of the quilts, but the space turned out to be a little longer than we had figured.  The quilts are to be up throughout November and December, and Paul, Chris, and I hung them last Thursday.  It all went rather quickly because of their nifty hanging system which is meant for paintings but works well for quilts, too.  Here are the photos I took with my phone.

In a little seating alcove, we hung the Australian Christmas quilt made with fabrics sent by some Aussies in a swap.  I used the fabrics in a row by row swap to surround a panel of floral wreaths.  I love the subtle colors.  I had brought some Christmas stockings for the show, which we looped over the ends of the rods.  Next came The Blue Bird of Happiness which usually hangs over our guest bed in my sewing room.  It's adapted from an Edyta Sitar design.

To the right of these there's a little jog in the wall with a small wool appliqued vase of flowers which I forgot to photograph.  Then there's a long wall with all the rest of the quilts - Bloom Where You're Planted, E Pluribus Unum (Out of Many, One), Civil War Sampler, and Atlantic Crossing.  The latter I just finished hand quilted (after two years!) a couple of weeks ago.  It's a Deb Tucker design.  You can see one of the residents taking a closer look at it - using some of the white gloves I brought along for just that purpose.  I was worried about touching because the gallery space opens out into the dining room where oil, chocolate, and other stains might be lurking.

I'm so glad we managed to get the exhibit up quickly, and I'll be doing a short presentation at the center in December.  Here's another photo of Atlantic Crossing.

I love making those "migrating geese"!

Doing the math!

I have mentioned that I've been invited to show my quilts at a senior residence in November and December.  While my brother was here, he helped me pick out quilts to show.  However!  at that time, I thought I only had 9 ft. of wall space to fill.  Hence, I chose three wallhangings for that space.  In re-reading my notes (thank goodness I took some!), I see that I have 19 ft. to fill.  OMG!  That is 228 inches!

I decided to add the Civil War sampler (65") and another small quilt (37") to the mix.  And luckily, they have sleeves all sewn on.   That will allow about 6" of space between each quilt, which I had forgotten to take into account. 

I've made good progress with hand quilting Atlantic Crossing, partly because it's been quite sunny lately.  It's actually too hot to quilt out on the porch, but just fine inside.

Now to buy a couple more curtain rods and some picture hanging wire.  I will have to rummage around for wire cutters and write descriptions of the quilts for labels, too.   This show is a lot more work and worry than just hanging three quilts up at the library.  I'll be glad when everything's hung and I can quit obsessing!

Waterbury Grange show

Last night we braved commuter traffic (so many cars heading toward Stowe!) to deliver my Blue Orange Peels quilt to the old Grange hall in Waterbury Center for the "Fabric of Our Lives" show.  What a nice surprise to see two people I knew, also dropping off pieces.   I am still puzzled about why they chose the more traditional of the two quilts I entered, but I guess I'll find out more when I attend the opening reception October 1. 

It looks like the hall is still a work in progress, with unpainted walls and new stairs.  Paul said the floor looks great, though, and many old Grange halls show a lot of wear from dancing and various gatherings.  Artwork will be hung from the ceiling, which has a suspended grid and will work well for quilts on dowels or curtain rods.  Now that the quilt has been delivered I'm really feeling excited about being chosen!

Late summer company

My Wisconsin brother, Axel, was here for 9 days, and we've been keeping him busy most of the time.  Now that he's gone, he's keeping me busy with laundry and chores that didn't get done while he was here.  We visited a variety of museums and galleries, shopped for souvenirs a little, had some good meals, and walked in the town forest, albeit slowly since he uses a cane.
We watched his intake of food as he needs to lose quite a bit, so tonight we're treating ourselves to some peach-blueberry pie.

While Axel was here, he helped me figure out which pieces to include in a show at a Montpelier retirement community this November and December.  There are two walls, one 10' long and the other 19' long.  The shorter one has some furniture in front of it, so I plan to put only one quilt there.  I'll put three smaller quilts/wallhangings on the longer wall and then three mini pieces on the support part of the wall that juts out between the two walls.

Now that those decisions are made, I have to finish hand quilting my Atlantic Flyway wall hanging and put hanging sleeves on a couple of the quilts.  I also decided to enter two other small quilts in a different show, "The Fabric of Our Lives," in Waterbury Center Sept. 27 to Nov. 21.  One of those needs a sleeve, too.  And I'll have to inventory my collection of curtain rods and dowels.  Wow!

VQF

Mom, Jenny, and I went to the Vermont Quilt Festival Sunday, and it was great.  We arrived just in time for a gallery talk with Ruth McDowell, who is retiring from quilting (she says).   Because they're both non-quilters, Jenny and Mom really enjoyed hearing her talk about the process she used for her quilts, and I did, too, of course.  We looked at some of the contest quilts, then had lunch, and then looked at more contest quilts.  I also enjoyed seeing the antique quilts, some of which had hanging sleeves sewn by me.  Here's my favorite quilt:

It's really eight quilts showing a slightly different view of the same view.  Each could be a quilt in and of itself.  It won a third place ribbon, but I really enjoyed the slightly different techniques used in each panel, especially the sky.

We didn't have much time to visit vendors, which is fine since I have plenty of fabric.  I did get a couple of patterns for those little zippered bags - pea pods and another style - that use just one side of the zipper bent in half.  I also bought some aloe cream from a very persistent saleswoman.  If you see a "Hawaiian Moon" vendor at another show, run away fast!  It's very nice but I've got enough to last me a very long time.

Two ribbons!

It's been a while since I blogged.  First there was the run up to our local quilt show, then there was the show, then the recovery period.  I think I'm finally back to "normal" although with the spring weather comes lots of busy-ness.  Since winter is so long here, we have to really pack in our good weather activities before it gets too hot.  Of course, temperatures over 80 degrees spell "hot" to us Vermonters.

The show went very well, and I think we all ended up still being friends.  We had more quilts this time and lots more visitors (377 in two days, plus the entrants and volunteers, for a total of at least 400).  I think we're going to end up in the black slightly, but I haven't paid all the bills yet.  Some of the committee members have been slow to send them along.
My Oceans of Scraps quilt received a Celebrity's Choice ribbon from the owner of our Ace Hardware store who is also president of the downtown business owners' association.  I love this year's ribbons, made by Geri!  The other ribbon came from one of the Vendors who owns a quilt shop in Brandon.  What an honor, to receive two ribbons.  I was also happy that my Nearly Insane Civil War Sampler was the subject of lots of looking during the show.  There's a lot to see in those 6" blocks.

Now that the banking's almost done, I need to update the show website in preparation for the two year dormant period.  That will take some time as I load photos of all the winning quilts and a few crowd shots.  Samantha gave me a great DVD to copy from.

This past week was a busy one, with trips to Hanover, NH, to visit Polly in her new home, and to Waitsfield to pick up an order at Mad River Quilting which is going out of business.  While there, I loaded up on mostly neutral fabrics at 30% off.  While I'm sad Lisa is selling out, she will still be doing longarm quilting and will still belong to the state quilters guild.  Tuesday and this coming Tuesday I'll be over at Tracy's working on fairy dolls to give out May 16 at the fairy house building event in the town forest.  It's fiddly work but goes much faster with a buddy.  

Franklin Co. quilt show

Pauline met me in front of the City Hall in St. Albans yesterday, and we spent a nice hour or so looking at all the quilts.  This was my absolute favorite.

Guess I am just drawn to center medallion quilts with many borders.  The colors in this quilt were great, and really popped on the nearly gray/black lines on white background.  It was termed a "lap quilt," and I found their categories interesting - bed, lap, crib, wallhanging, mini.  There was a red and white challenge that was quite nice, too.  There were only a few hand-quilted quilts, and my favorite of these was a map of Boston.  The red quilting represented the streets, and some landmarks, notably Fenway Park, were drawn on with Pigma pen.  There was a lovely bed-sized quilt with applique and hand quilting, but the maker didn't erase the blue quilting lines.  I wonder if she was afraid to, due to the possibility of colors running?

After the show, we walked down the street to a restaurant, passing a number of store windows with quilts in them.  Very cute!  After lunch (Caesar salads), she went to a birthday party, and I headed home with a slight detour at Kohl's.  The weather has been beautifully warm the last few days, and the snow if melting rapidly.  Spring seems finally here!

Blocks made

I am working on several projects at a time lately - a Pat Sloan "Vacation Time" block of the month, "Sarah's Sampler" as a quilt along for an online group, and the "Rainbow Scrap Challenge" quilt along for another group.  I also have a mystery quilt that I'm about to put together with the final clues for my guild.  First on my agenda, though, is binding two quilts that I picked up from the quilter on Sunday.  This is my least favorite part of the quilt making process, but it is nice to get something finished.

These are a few blocks I made over the last few days.  Sister's Choice is the last block for my 9 block Sarah's Sampler, which I will put together soon for the Parkinsons Comfort Quilt project.  The purple blocks are the eight Rainbow blocks for April.  What a nice way to dip into the stash and use up a few pieces of my favorite color!

Today I'm hoping to pick up my newly cleaned and serviced Husqvarna Rose so I can put those bindings on.  My old Husqvarna 100 doesn't have a walking foot that works.  Yesterday, having pieced as much as I felt I wanted to, I hand sewed the hanging sleeve on my second quilt to go to the Central Vermont Quilt Show (April 24 & 25). 

Monday, I signed up for a class with Deb Tucker at the Vermont Quilt Festival at the end of June.  I'm excited to learn about alternating flying geese, a technique I've been wondering about for a while.  I ordered her "Atlantic Flyway" pattern, too, since it looks like just my style.  Thinking of more purple scraps!

New year's projects

On another blog, I read that many people choose one word to signify their goal for the coming year.  No, mine doesn't really relate to quilting although perhaps a little bit, tangentially.  My goal for 2015 is to be more "kind."  I am an ultra-critical person, and I let people get under my skin.  I need to let their behavior just roll off my back and try to see that the good in what they're doing.   

This year, kindness will perhaps be more necessary than usual because I have passed the role of vendor coordinator to two very inexperienced women.  This fall, I realized they had not even begun to think about what they should be doing.  I tried to help by emailing my files (for the second time) and inviting them to go with me to a quilt show where I could introduce them to some of the vendors would want to be at our show this spring.  They didn't even reply to my invitation.  But I am not chair of the show, so I need to sit on my hands (or perhaps use them to cover my mouth) and let them proceed at their own pace, with the chair's guidance.

Also, there are a few new members of the Friends of the Library who are trying in their own ways to help out.  Bulldozing along, they need to learn some manners,  but they really care and want to do what's best  for the group.  The other day one called me, and while her tone was abrasive, I tried to be as kind as I could, thanking her for her hard work.  (She would never do the same!)  Will this rub off on her?  Maybe being kind will mean that I just have to hang onto my own manners even when someone is driving me crazy!

Anyway, on to my new year's projects of a more quilty nature.  I'm doing the Rainbow Scrap Challenge from last year.  Here are my first five blocks, one of which is too small and will need extra sashing, once I figure out what color I'm going to use.  This month's color is blue, and I'm really enjoying making these scrappy blocks.

A few more photos

Continuing with the pictures!

I love the way each of these quilts turned out, although I think my Ocean of Scraps (at left) looks much better in person.  I used a teal fossil fern and lots of 2" squares that I have been accumulating for a long time. 

The vine was my own design although the pattern from American Patchwork and Quilting (April, 2014) showed a vine border also.  I thought the original was too skinny.  I quilted the center on a grid and outline quilted the vine. 

The next quilt is based on Jennifer Chiaverini's Loyal Union Sampler.  I participated in a block of the week quilt along last year, but knew that I wouldn't be able to stick with it over a whole year.  I like to get things finished.  So I added blocks from Liz Lois' book Nearly Insane (received from my friend Karen).  I am titling this quilt "Nearly Insane Civil War Sampler," and I'm entering both quilts in the Central Vermont Quilt Show, April 24 & 25 this year.

With the new year, I've started a couple of new projects.  Can't be sitting idle!  And I do love starting new projects.  I decided to participate in a Pat Sloan block of the month called "Vacation Time," and I plan to use as many orange fabrics as I can.  The blocks are 12" so a year's worth will make a pretty good-sized quilt.  I'm also participating in another "Around the World" swap (9" blocks this year) using my Indonesian blue fabrics, and I'm working on a "Rainbow Scrap Challenge" based on one I saw on SoScrappy's blog last year.  More photos are in the offing!

VQF

One of my favorite annual summer events is the Vermont Quilt Festival, "oldest quilt show in New England."  That is where I first saw the Dear Jane quilt and bought the book, around 2000 or 1999.  I met author Brenda Papdakis and later bought the templates and started working on the triangles which I used as a border on a quilt in memory of my Tante Jen.  I later started working on the blocks and have made several Dear Jane-inspired quilts as well as quite a few very nice friends around the world along the way.

After I looked at a few of the contest quilts, there was an announcement that Brenda herself was giving a gallery talk, so I ran right over.  She was just as I'd imagined, soft-spoken and very nice.  I wish I had taken a workshop with her when I was into the quilt.  There were about two dozen variations on the theme, and here's one by Linda from Colorado:

I love the way it sparkles.  Later in the morning, Brenda facilitated a Dear Jane Reunion, for about 100 enthusiasts who told their stories and showed finished quilts and works-in-progress.  It was heart-warming, and I continue to be impressed by the way one quilt has brought so many people together and helped so many work through problems and issues in their lives.

I did manage to see all the contest quilts, chat with people I knew, and shop most of the vendors.  One of my favorites did not win a ribbon, but I love it anyway.

It's made of candy bar wrappers.  My sister mentioned that they all seem to be empty, and I replied that they were most likely eaten while quilting.

This is a terrible picture, but it was a very intriguing Cathedral Window quilt set in a "Trip Around the World" fashion.  The blocks were about 2.5" so a lot of hand work went into this!  I probably will never do anything like it, but it sure impressed me.

As for the vendors, Sunday is the best day to go in my opinion because you could actually get into the booths.  A couple of vendors I know said that Friday was a madhouse.   At any rate, I bought fat quarters for a birthday swap, a marking pen, a 60-degree triangle template, a book about the mill girls of Lowell, Mass., with quilt patterns, a vase for my mom, and some Frida Kahlo socks for my friend Yve.  Quite a satisfying day! 

A busy week

I am looking forward to the weekend and next week when my life won't be as busy as it's been (I hope).  Tuesday night, I went to quilt guild which was quite fun, with four different workshops going on in the corners of the room.  I also showed off my Cornucopia of Thanks.

Wednesday night was the Greater Barre Democrats meeting, followed by a public forum on the Decriminalization of Marijuana.  This was the second of three informational forums with speakers who offer pros and cons of issues before the legislature, followed by questions and answers from the audience.  We have not taken positions on the issues (the others are Death with Dignity/Physician-assisted Suicide and Health Care reform) but feel it's important to inform ourselves and the public.  I happened to be the moderator Wednesday night which worked out pretty well.  We had 18 people attend, and several were people I didn't know.  Guess our publicity is working.

Thursday afternoon, the Central Vermont Quilt Show committee met at the Old Labor Hall to get a feel for the space since it has been renovated slightly since our last show in 2011.  Our show is scheduled for April 26 and 27, so that is soon.  We have a lot to do, especially encouraging more entries.  Tuesday night we got a few, but we can use more.  I entered a second quilt, my recently completed Licorice and Lime (warning - the photo is lousy).

I still need to sew a sleeve on it, and today I offered to sew a sleeve on a friend's quilt since she is in Florida tending an ill 99 year old mother and doesn't know if she'll make it home before the show.   After our meeting, we all went out to dinner at the restaurant in the old firehouse which was fun.  There was live music, an extra bonus - not too loud, folk/rock oldies - just our style.

Today, after my stint at the Vermont Historical Society, I went to the hospital for my annual mammogram and then visited Joann Fabrics for a few things.  I treated myself to an afternoon on the couch finishing up a good book, Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn.  It was on all the "must-read" lists last year and, while the characters were not at all likeable, it was a page-turner.  Happy Easter, everyone!

In a funk!

I haven't sewn anything quilty in a few days, even though I did quite a bit of fabric shopping Saturday.  On Sunday Lisa delivered my queen-sized lime and black quilt (as-yet-unnamed), and I did trim it on Monday.  It's looks lovely spread on the bed.  I have the fabric out to make the binding (black "Dimples" fabric), but the sheer size of the quilt keeps me from working on it.  I need about 400" of binding!

Tuesday, I procrastinated by sewing Chris' curtains which I had been procrastinating on for ages.  I got some kelly green fabric with black tractors in an auction last spring, and I thought it would be nice trim for the black curtains he wanted to block out the sun.  Living on the 3rd floor with tall windows, his place can get hot in summer.  It took Chris a while to measure,  and I needed about 10 yds.  So I waited until Joann Fabrics had moved into the new place to buy that quantity of polyester blend fabric with a 50% off coupon.  Then I found other projects to divert me, but Tuesday I couldn't delay any longer.  It didn't take too long, really, and he is happy with them.  I don't know why making curtains is such a chore.  Maybe it's just that they're dull?

I just don't feel like starting any sewing projects, probably because I have that darned binding to make.  So, the last couple of days, I've been busy at other things - making granola, doing laundry, going out to lunch, working on paperwork for the Central Vermont Quilt Show and the Green Mountain Quilters Guild - meeting minutes, budgets/spreadsheets, etc.  I've also been buried in two good books by Sara J. Henry - Learning to Swim and its sequel A Cold and Lonely Place.  They're mysteries set in the Adirondacks and very involving. 

OK, now that I've said it, guess I'll go cut 10 strips of 2.5" fabric for binding...

Central Vermont Quilt Show update

Most mornings will find me sorting and sifting through stuff and, eventually, packing a little to move. We made a major trip to the library earlier in the week with many boxes of books for the July book sale. We'll be making a few more trips before all the books are packed.

In the middle of the days, I've been working on quilt show details - getting insurance, exhorting people to enter, finding vendors. So far, the following vendors have committed:

• A Quilter's Garden, Montpelier
• Jenny Hermenze, Bolton
• Country Quilt and Fabric, Poultney

I'm working on a few more, including Darwin's Sew & Vac here in Barre. There's room for six vendors as well as a demonstration space that is reserved for Froncie Quinn of Hoopla Patterns. Some quilt shop owners have told me that they are stretched thin, and just can't commit to the two days away from their shops. So I've been looking for vendors like my friend Jenny who work from home or have online shops. I am optimistic that it will all come together.

I've also had a couple of calls from people wondering if there's still time to enter. The deadline is April 8, so I am hoping there will be a flood of entries toward the end of March. Still, I've got to continue beating the bushes. My next task is to nail down a few more judges. There will be vendors' and viewers' choice awards, but also some "celebrity" judges, including Richard Cleveland, creator of the Vermont Quilt Festival.