A Voyage of Friendship

Some of you may be wondering where I have been.  Well....its a long story.  Here is the short edited version.  Pete and I transferred our jobs up to Oregon.  We both managed to keep our jobs of 15+ years and work the same companies in different states.  We love Oregon, love the rain and the green.

We rented a house for about 6 mos and then started house hunting.  Last month we bought a house in a quiet little pocket of Happy Valley.  1970's house fully updated with a beautiful water feature in the backyard. 

We have never had a yard so this should be fun.  Pete bought a lawn mower and I am already loving going outside after work, weeding, trimming and playing in the dirt.  I hear that its only 4 mos out of the year, so that might give me some time to sew.

So while I was moving from November 2013 until last month, I decided to store all my quilting stuff and finish a hand quilt that I started in 2004.  Yes that would make it 10 years, but I am finished!  I love the way it turned out.  The outer blocks were done by my EZ Quilter friendship group.  But influenced by every quilter who saw the work in progress.  I love it and its finally home on my bed.

But before it made it there, I sent it to my Mom for her Shasta Lily Guild - Quilt Show last weekend.  My quilt took first place in the Large quilt division.  There were some amazing quilts in this group and I am honored.  Thank you Shasta Lily Quilters!

Viewer's choice in the show went to Bev Roper with this original piece.  This was exquisite work and I love the celtic work in the sashing.  Bev is an amazing artist and quilter.

I have more to share from the show and a recap on the Quilt Sew Knit show here in Portland.  I am a little behind on posts so I have lots to post.  Stay Tuned!

I hope you find some time to sew today!

Love Aunti Nicole

Quilting Addiction - Mariner's Saga

Once I get started hand quilting it is hard to stop.  I have been working on this in 2007.  I put the top together from friendship blocks, there a really wide blue border on it now but I'll show more pictures as the quilting develops.  I work on it whenever I am between projects, which is rarely.  I sandwiched and quilted in the ditch around all blocks and applique pieces a few years back.  In September 2011, I did a 1" crosshatch around the wheel.   Now I am going back to do the detail.  It may take me another 4 years, but its not a race right?

I thought I would share some of the blocks I have been working on recently.  Some of my friendship group did mariners compass blocks and those are in the corners, including myself and my Mom.
This one was done by Peggy Krewson.  Hard to see in the photo, but the block background is a really light cream and while check.  Quilting with the fabric gives it some interest.

 Here is the back of that blocks.

The one I'm working now was done by Lisa Dahlman.  See the sea shells? Hard to seem them in the neutral fabric but the back photo shows them a little better.

 I am not ready to put it down yet, so there will be more to show soon.  I'm cooking up a quilt design for our guild's challenge and hand quilting allows me time to get my creative juices flowing.

Hope you all get a chance to quilt this week!
Love Aunti Nicole

100th post!

Hi All,
Hope you are keeping warm.  I finished my nephews quilt only a little after he was born.  I just need to pop it in the mail!  But I wanted to share it with you first.

My husband picked out the border pattern from my templates.  I like the way it came out.

A little something different in the corners.

What a handsome boy!  I hope he likes it.  I know his Momma will, she is a quilter ;]

Busy day today, I'm off to get my hair cut and then I have an embroidery workshop.  One of my friends is teaching the guild workshop at Flying Geese Fabrics in Tustin.  Here work is extraordinary and I can't wait to learn how to embroider "properly".

Hope you get to sew this weekend.

Aunti Nicole

Smoke from my finger tips

Hi All,

Been hand quilting like a crazy person trying to get a baby quilt done!  But while I'm working away over here my sister in law Susie was hard at work too and she made a baby.  Here is Liam!

I am sure he wont mind waiting a little on his quilt, as long as I get it done before he graduates High School.  I would like to get it to him by Christmas this year.   

So since I don't have much new to post, I thought I would share with you one of my favorite hand quilting  gadgets.     When I'm hand quilting and one a roll... I don't like to stop thread needles.  So this little guy comes in handy.  Not mention the fact that it has a cover so WillieNo! can't hurt himself or others by steeling it.  Though the cats' war on thread has been deemed unwinable, still he battles on!

So I stick 10 quilting betweens in my quilt.

I use a long cheapy needle threader to load 5 needles at a time.  Put my thread through, still attached to the Spool.

and pull through all 5 needles without cutting my thread.

Then I pull off the first needle on the short thread side (not the spool side) and pull out the desired then.  It is recommended that you only use a length equivalent to your arm.  Then stick the needle in the top of the quilt and clip the thread before the next needle.  Then do again until all the needles are threaded.  Do the same for the next 5 needles.

all five needles threaded, no knots though.

Load 5 needles into slots on the winder.  Gently hold the threads out and away, making sure they are not tangled.  Move the dial on the back of the winder until the threads catch in the slot on the side. then wind and wind until they are all nice and tucked in.  Then repeat for the other five.

You can now cover it with the plastic dome top.  As you need needles just pull one out gently.  Sometimes it tangles a bit, but if you are gentle it does knot up.

I can get through about 2 loads of needles in an evening.

The end!

So the quilt is almost done, I have 2 1/2 borders left to quilt and then binding and label.  I let my husband pick out the border pattern and its nuckin futz.  I really love the way the way it is coming out, but its a little slow going.  

Ok, back to work.

I hope you all get a chance to quilt this weekend!

Love Aunti Nicole

Shoo Fly... Don't Bother Me

Its finally finished!  I started this quilt, wow almost 2 years ago for my dear friend Gina in New Mexico.  I decided to hand quilt it so it had to wait its turn.  I started the hand quilting around the beginning of this year and just finished it.  Now its bound and ready to go.  

Shoe-Fly is a traditional pattern, a simple block with sashing and corner stones.  This was done scrappy and the only fabric I bought was the background.  I love how the colors fade in and out.   I used what we call Uglies mixed with bright pretty fabrics.  Uglies give your quilt character and interest.  Scrappy is fun because you can take fabrics that normally don't go together and they look great together. 

So don't throw out those fabrics you think don't go with anything, cuz I'm here to tell you...they will find a place if you do scrappy.  I mean look at the picture below, would you ever think to put those together in a quilt, no not while they are on the shelves.  But thats the fun of scrappy.

The hand quilting was done with a variegated thread.  I heart variegated thread for hand quilting because it gives your eyes something new to look at every 30 secs or so.  

  

The paisley border was a little out of the theme, so I used a woven check for the binding cut on the bias to bring that country look back into the quilt.

This is my favorite hand quilting find.  Clover's Dome quilted needle case allows me to load 10 needles in one shot.  I load 10 quilting betweens on a needle threader, pull the thread from the spool through the needle threader loop.  Then pull one off at a time, cut it and put it in the dome.  Then the next and so on.  Finally you twist the case and the thread gets tucked in the bottom.  It has a little plastic cover to make it kitty proof.  

I can't tell you how many times my WillieNo! ran off with my pin cushion loaded with needles and I had to find needles in cream carpet.  Assuming I remembered how many I had in the pin cushion.   lol...NOT!

Thanks for stopping by and Gina, I Love You Sister, and I'll have this to you in time for your Anni....Birfday.....Ok, Christmas!  Eh-Wheh-Chu!  Squeeze Jade and Pablo for me.  Squeeze em hard.

Love Aunti Nicole

Reverse Appliqué Class

November is coming up soon!  I am so pleased to announced that I will be teaching two classes in November at Orange Quilt Bee in Orange, California.  The people there are so warm and wonderful and shop is just gorgeous.

The first class will be on Reverse Applique and I am looking forward to it.  If you are in the So Cal. area, I would love to have you in the class.


I created this pattern with the class in mind.  I hand quilted because I felt the need to have more to do, lol.  The pattern will be included with the class and is small enough to finish in time for Christmas or at least get you into the spirit of the holidays.  If you have a pattern that you want to use for the class bring it with you, you'll be able to follow along with your pattern as well.

Class Date:  November 14th, 2010
Sign up at http://www.orangequiltbee.com/

Christmas Ornies

Hope to see you there!

Aunti Nicole

What's on the Hoop

This shoe-fly quilt is a great scrappy project.  I bought one background fabric and all the rest is stash!  Oh exept for the border.  For a scrappy project, I almost always buy new border fabric after I'm done with the inside.  The scraps will tell you what border it needs (scrap whisperer, hehe).  Its hard to tell before hand.  It also may limit the color of scraps you pick, unless that is your goal of course. 

I have been working on the hand quilting this one for about four months.  Its my evening project (when there is no other hand work, applique, binding, embroidery, etc.).  There was a deadline, but its come and gone.  So I am not stressing about it anymore, it will be done when its done.

Well I'm finally on the outer sashing, so thats a good sign right? I'm about halfway around with the sashing and then I am on to the borders. My husband Pete helped me pick a pattern for the borders that has a knot in the corners. And maaaaabee I'll do some special binding, it depends on how much longer the quilting takes.

I love feel of a quilt after its been hand quilted.  The fabric gets worked and it has a special appeal.  It just takes longer.  Which is why my blog posts have been few lately.  I like to use a variegated machine thread or silk thread for quilting.  

Those of you who have not gotten into hand quilting, I recommned it.  When this quilt is done, I'll post a better picture, tell you about some great quilters and maybe post some hand quilting tips I've learned.  I suspect it will be around the end of this month.

Happy Quilting!