Happy 2013!

Hi All,

Wow what a busy year!  I can honestly say that 2012 was not a lazy year.
In May I bought a Tin Lizzie and have been cranking out UFO's like mad.

In July 2013, I was sick of sitting on my duff and got off it.  My best friend Dione and her husband own a Crossfit Zen gym in Manhattan Beach and helped me find a crossfit organization in my area.    I joined Citizen Crossfit  and haven't stopped moving since.  The people at Citizen and Crossfit Zen are really supportive and they push me just enough and scale down what I can't handle.  I went from being tired old couch potato to the best shape I've been in for 20 years.  I feel great and have made some great new friends in the process.   I could go on about this (So says my husband) but this is a quilting blog afterall...onward!

Working out 5-6 days a week and changing my eating habits have taken up a lot of my free time.  But its all time I was wasting before with things like sleep and procrastination.  I actually now have more energy for quilting, yeah!

This huge 9 patch was a block exchange with my EZ Quilters group.  I ended up with my mom's leftovers after she made hers.  I think I only have about 6 blocks left.  It took me a while to figure out what border to put on it and my friend Donna said, maybe it doesn't want one.  So I asked my quilt, "Really, you done?" and the quilt just sat there there, so I guess it was done.

It was oddly enough the exact width of my long arm rails  7' which those of you who long arm know that means 6" in each side are not getting quilted. Grrr.  But I did it anyway.  I pinned the side to the top and then clamped it to the lower rails and hang it over the edge.  Then I just move it a couple of times. The biggest challenge is to make the back nice and smooth.  Just takes patience, which I'm learning.   I keep forgetting to take a picture of it.

I put a little piece of striped fabric for a flange before adding the binding.  A colored binding might have taken away from the quilt and a plain binding was just too plain.

I finished this before the holidays and my plan is to give this to my niece Madison who graduates from high school this year.  Done early? are you kidding?

So I've been on vacation for 11 days, today is the last day.  We got to go up to the mountains Mt. Shasta/Weed for Christmas and spent some time with my folks and my sister Dana and her chillen.  It was so nice to spend time with them all.  Sniff sniff, I miss em already.

Yesterday I finally got back into my quilt room and cranked out 3 projects.
The first was a philanthropy quilt top made by someone in our guild.  I try to quilt one of the unfinished tops as often as possible.  The fun wiggly design breaks up the stripes and plaids.












My friend Sharon made this for philanthropy and asked me to quilt it for her.  I have had it a while so it was time to get this one done too.  The basket with flowers was my mum's idea.

Finally, Sharon's friend Cathleen asked me to quilt this for her friends baby.  Such a bright and happy quilt.  and now its done too.  

So you see I have stayed busy.

I hope you all have a wonderful and prosperous 2013 and may you find the time to quilt!

Love Aunti Nicole

Someone Special is on the Way!

My sister-in-law Susie and her husband Will are expecting a little baby boy around November.  I am so excited for them.  I wanted to make an heirloom quilt with a little more traditional piecing and hand quilted.  I know you are supposed to do bright and exciting for babies learning eyes, but some things need to feel warm and comforting.

I put this together using Quilt-Pro.  I'll probably change the sashing once all the blocks are finished, but just wanted to get basic measurements.

I picked out some Benartex fabrics, from Nancy Halvorsen, from the Forever Spring, and Tried and True lines.  The background is also from the Forever Spring line.

 The blocks are 8" and here is the first block finished.  

They take a while as most are odd shapes and really need templates to get the edges right.  I keep them together in groups when I'm done, in case one is just so fun that I need to make more.








Have a wonderful week!
Aunti Nicole

A Precarious Position

At the very top of my over crowded quilt rack, sleeps WillieNo!  Don't worry, he won't fall, he has his little needle claws dug deep into my QUILT!  

Benefits of this spot you ask?

• Afternoon Sunshine
• Highest position possible in the room.
• Gets the stink eye from Me
• And head shake and sigh from Pete

All very valuable in picking the perfect site.

Meanwhile I finished a quilt for our Flying Geese Quilt Show in October.  This is Fractured Fruitcake Sampler.  Here is a little tutorial for the blocks.  Click Me!  They are pretty simple, made from half-square triangles.  The tough part for me was keeping the quilting symbol.  I usually complicate everything to add "interest" but being done in time feels good too. 

 So per my husband's suggestion simple quilting, simple binding and of course he was right, but don't tell him I said so.





















Turns out that brown is a guy Christmas color, who knew?   Pete and my cousin Tom seem to like this one a lot.  We won't point out that there are pink and purple in the border as well.  hehehhee.

Anyway, fun project, cheery Christmassy and done!

Thank you all for stopping by.  Hope all got to do some quilting this weekend!

All my best,
Aunti Nicole

The Joy's of a Friendship Group

Every month for the last 5 years I have visited with the EZ Quilters.  We are a friendship group in Orange Country, about 18 strong now.  The women in this group are all wonderful quilters and so creative and talented. 

One very special EZ quilter is Joan Rossen.  This woman never complains, is always encouraging and does some of the most beautiful work I've ever seen.  She has allowed me to show her most recent work of art here.  This double wedding ring is for her daughter and while it took her a while and many great hurdles to climb during this time, she has completed it and done a fantastic job.  Her hand stitching is exquisite and colors beautiful and vibrant.  I wish you all could see it in person.  Maybe we will get her to put it in our Bi-Annual guild quilt show.  

Love you Joannie, I know your daughter is going to absolutely love this quilt.

If you are a lone quilter, join a local group or get into an on-line group, guild or start one yourself.  Even if you may not feel you have the time.  Take it.  You will be inspired, encouraged and constantly challenged to step up your skills.  

I am so honored to be involved in 4 such groups EZ Quilters, Wool Gatherers, Flying Geese Quilt Guild and Bee Splended online bee.

Have a great week!

Love Aunti

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

Dresden Delight

My EZ Quilter's friendship group has made this beautiful Dresden plate quilt for our Flying Geese Guild Auction on October 23rd 2010.  http://www.flyinggeese.net/auction10.html 

Each EZQ member made 2 blocks and passed it around for hand quilting.  Those who don't like to hand quilt did sashing, borders and binding and....

The pillowcase was embroidered with Dresden Delight.

I love the way the quilt turned out absolutely stunning and I am so proud to be a member in the group of incredibly talented and creative quilters.  Great Job Ladies.

Betty's Baskets

My neighbor Betty Preston just finished this beautiful quilt and brought it over for me too see.  She and her two daughters have a special retreat every year.  The daughters fly in and they rent a beach house and work on a similar project.   Last year, prior to the retreat, they picked a similar theme.  They did a block exchange throughout the year and put the quilts together at the retreat.  Each had different arrangements that they did with the similar theme and blocks.  So here is Betty's.

This quilt was hand appliqued, hand embroidered and hand quilted.  It is just gorgeous, so I had to share it with you all.

This is one of Betty's blocks that she designed and the border arrangement to match.  Sew creative!

I looooove the way she finished the outer border.  I am so proud to have a friend like her.

Thanks Betty for sharing!

Love

Aunti

Fruitcake in September!

Not normally a fan of Fruitcake, but this Moda Fruitcake is pretty yummy...fat-free too!  I bought 2 charm packs and some border fabric from the same line. 

20 unique blocks, each with 16 half-square triangles. 

Quick and Easy HST (Half-Square Triangles)

Place two contrasting 5" charm squares right sides together.  Draw a line diagonally down the center both ways.  Sew 1/4" seams on either side of both lines.  Cut in 4, then cut each in half.  Press  to the dark side.  You will have 8 half-square triangles.

Happy Labor Day weekend! 3 days of sewing! Whooo Hoo. Throw in a salmon barbeque in Chino and some R&R with my Pete and my Willie.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Love,

Aunti

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!