I finished a few more…

August is quiet at the shop; everybody’s savoring the last few summer days on a beach blanket and  aren’t the least bit interested in being at the sewing machine with a blanket in their lap.  However, they’ve  brought a few projects my way to be finished at the last minute, so I’ve been quilting alot under pressure.  I’m thankful for this in August.

And while I’ve been stitching….

 

Home Sweet Shop

This is really a story quilt!  A life’s story that came into my life.   I loved quilting it.The back is muslin, a wall-hanging, but it really shows off the quilting.

Thursday’s sewing studio was very productive.

This will be a 2 1/2 Times Square

Cathleen finished her commission

I love interesting quilt backs.

Jessica bound her sampler

Another Amy Butler Bag. This time with Studio E and Art Gallery Fabrics

New embroidery design

Leave a comment if you want the free download

Finishing the binding

It was inspired by something I saw at  Brimfield. And I will be teaching a class in the fall.

When will I finish this?

One of  several in-progress projects.

Just plain inspiring!

Michele and Pierre-Emanuel’s little project, Nathanael

 

Quilting and Sushi

New customers constantly come by saying they had no idea we were “here.”  Yesterday just such a person walked in (called first) recommended by one of our mutual friends.  She had been desperate for fabric and brought in her internet finds – all sushi yards.  It was such fun to get to know her a bit over this pile of fabric and a few more bolts from our shop.  And I’m anxious to see my “On the Grid” pattern covered in novelty prints, very unlike the original, but yet another fabulous use for this pattern.

It won’t actually look like this, but I thought it would be fun to imagine.

Happy birthday Sue, the winner of our fat quarter and pattern drawing. She will receive eight fat quarters: the new Studio e Flourish collection with a couple of Art Gallery prints that really go perfectly with it, and a Quilter’s Alley pattern.

 

I promised

new fabric, but first a few new fabric projects,  Sometimes, I get on a roll and it seems that the binding bug has taken a big bite this week.  It feels good, with so many projects coming and going, to finally finish some of my own.  This is the shower gift I made mostly from stash material.  And I had one good idea when I checked the registry to inspire the color scheme.

with new quilting design: Almost Paisley

Did you know it takes two years to plan a statewide shop hop?  Well besides deciding to participate, all I have to do is sell passports and make the shop quilt.  I actually made a lot of progress at quilt camp and got some quilting done this week.  The best part  is getting the binding on (binding 1)

I’ve had a sample of a simple Daiwabo Taupe throw folded cleverly  so you wouldn’t notice the edges.  It was being hand quilted and that slows things down a bit, but I finally chose a binding and it  feels good. (binding 2)

Finally a won-auction vintage quilt top, from two summers ago, quilted one summer ago by the amazing Wilma, and the vintage binding was hiding among my vintage fabrics for sale at the shop.  It’s good to re-merchandise now and then.  And the pretty blue and orange flowers match the scrappy color scheme perfectly. (binding 3)

Okay, I also took a poll and the majority of folks voted for fabric and a pattern giveaway.  So comment by July 3rd and be entered into the drawing for exactly that.  Here are some of the possibilities.  New fabrics in the shop:

Jennifer Paganelli's Dance With Me Collection

Flourish Collection

Heavier weight for stuff like tote bags...

Bird Print and Coordinating Texture Print

Alexander Henry Halloween 2009

How cute are these witches?

 

Camp Weekend

and other topics I’ve missed telling about… Lots of pictures

It’s been busy around the shop.. I take the pictures, celebrate the finishes, but have little time  to crop, resize and post.  Lately, it seems, there are so many last minute gifts, graduation, wedding, even weddings in my family that require pause for designing and executing that special quilt to make the bride and groom know how much I love them.  So here in not any specific order I have loaded some interesting images from the past few weeks that need recording.

I gave this amazing embroidery artist a lesson on how to bind this work of extreme motherly love.  Libby executed this hand-embroidered masterpiece over the last year to honor little steps in her daughter’s life, bits of clothing embellished with perfect embroidery to represent a lifetime of memories.

A yearlong ( at least) project. Holly reprised a family heirloom for contemporary appreciation, ie. her couch.  She mended and quilted  the old suit strips so it will  last another 100 years. What’s next Holly?

Cathryn put so much thought and planning into her sampler.  And then it was on our Gammill frame – now officially a quilt.

I quilted this patchwork with a retro geometric pattern.  I have another quilt top from Janine  to finish this week and, to think, she’s a knitter.

Quilt camp was a huge success.  Not just the food, but the number of projects finished and started in three short days.

Big piles of cut  fabric turned into quilts.

What MP finished and what she will be starting after camp…

Kiwi, Camp Mascot

Next episode: New fabrics have arrived

 

Eze yom sameyach (This is a happy day)

Ally & Shara

Shara reporting in real time…

David joined them at (Kikar) Rabin Square

Don’t they look so…. happy!

And finally some more tmunot (pictures)

some beautiful place near Jerusalem

at the Wall

ah!……

 

Meanwhile at the shop…

My wonderful young women sewists are producing the most extraordinary projects.  Here are just a couple from last Sunday.

They used some of their scraps and other fabrics to make decorative guest towels or wall hangings.  Aren’t the colors just “Springy.” They really took off the with sewing machine decorative stitches like pros.  

Sandy fussy-cut a Heather Bailey flower for hers.

Debbie Zig-Zagging

 

Brave and patient feather stitching

 

Aqua, lime and brown are a great combination!

We will get everyone else started on this project next Tuesday, when our class changes day and time.  Don’t miss it!

 

Start your engines

The battery on my digital camera is charging for the next big upload of amazing quilt tops that have arrived at our shop for the quilting.  Poor thing, really takes a beating from me.  The quilts on the other hand are lovingly brought to life and the results speak for themselves.  

 

This quilt: I WISH I quilted.  There is something about Suzie Anderson’ s quilts that draw me in.  It’s called color.  And once again, just browsing around Pittsburgh at the quilt exhibit, I spotted this gem and bet myself that it must be hers.  Yes, yes and that much better in person!   

My sketchbook is  also getting a  real workout these last couple  of days, with ideas flying from head to pencil lead.  If only I could just hibernate and draw, but  work is always  calling.  I think I’d be bored, if things were any different.  

Topically speaking, I’m planning a giveaway. I haven’t decided if it  should be one of the many quilt projects  we’re retiring from the shop or a copy of an unpublished Quilter’s Alley pattern and some beautiful fat quarters.  What do you think?

 

New Wave

I am so proud of the young women sewists who have taken so beautifully to the craft and the results of some of their first projects is amazing.  We have adapted an Amy Butler pillow to fit a beginner’s skill set.  The lesson includes color choices, strip cutting, top-stitching among other techniques.  I can tell that the women are really enjoying  the Sunday break and the common bonds they are developing. Thanks Jenn, for the Mother’s Day Goodies.  And I’m having so much fun!

P.S. It’s a drop in, so it really works around their busy mom-schedules and anyone can join in at any time.

 

Look what Debbie made with her scraps!

 

Slow movin’

Post-show and a Monday: recipe to  recover.  But we’ll be in the shop and putting away and planning a sale.  The Northern Star Guild Show was a success in so many ways.  My favorite part is always the surprise encounters that enrich our life beyond selling and sewing.  There were great comments on my work, an unpresidented number of  ”cute”-s  for those darn ducks.  But the kits continue to sell.  Thanks, Mary.  New show friends and some amazing quilts and quilting.  We met the Artgirlz and watched a Sharon Schamber demo on the Gammill.  

 But now back to the grind of  unloading the bins, recreating another Molly Story Quilt for the shop (the auction is this Friday), continuing the latest pattern which still doesn’t have a name(or an in-focus picture to share), uploading some shots of our beautiful booth, which went up easily with the help of some bulletin boards behind our tables and the borrow of Nancy’s beautiful ladders.

Needless to say, we carry  a lot of stuff to shows.  And then we have to put it all back: what does not sell. It’s an opportunity to reorganize, move back into the shop life for the weeks ahead.