Ending 2014 with a Box of Chocolate

This is the final Dutch Treat block I made in 2014. It is called Chocolate Box.
The perfect block to represent my life this past year.
If you are a fan of the movie Forrest Gump you will recall that epic phrase... "Life is like a box of chocolates - you never know what you'll get".

This was a year of sweet surprises around every corner.
Busy teaching a lot of quilting classes, making lots of new quilts and wonderful friends, and spending quality time with my family. Like that box of chocolates though... my year has ended with a bitter sweet bite.

The tragic loss of my younger brother a few weeks ago was quite devastating and a reminder of just how fleeting and precious life really is. But on this very last day of the year - Heaven shines it's grace brightly over my family once again.
Today is my little Grandson's 4th Birthday! I am extremely grateful & blessed.

To end the Year on a Positive note:
Here are all the little 5" blocks I managed to finish for Dutch Treat this year. There are 21 blocks in all. Considering my crazy schedule I'm happy with numbers.

Wishing you Health, Happiness and Prosperity in 2015!

every quilt tells a story....

Classroom Show & Tell

I can't believe it's been a month since my last post.
My Activities calendar was packed full!
Since my last post - my Dear Jane Clubs have ended.(all 5 of them here in VA)
So hard to believe 13 months has gone by so quickly... and YES we have our first Quilt Goddess of 2014!
Missy McKenna of Williamsburg, VA has completed her Jane top in 13 months!.

Some of my students have been working on 2 Janes at once, 8 of my students have already completed the center of their quilts and are finishing up the last of their triangles. And many more are getting close. I am so incredibly proud of all 82 amazing women that took this 13 Month journey with me!

Also during October, I had students working on their Modern Applique projects.
This was such a fun class. Everyone really enjoyed the process - especially the concept of turned edge applique all done by machine. Here are pictures of a few of my students quilts in progress:

The pattern was designed by Dawn Ronningen of Collector with a Needle. It is called Radical Rose & Reel. If you are traveling thru northern VA you can find the pattern at Kelly Ann's Quilt Shop in Warrenton. It is also available in Dawn's etsy shop found HERE.

I look forward to working with Dawn on a very exciting project in 2015!
(details to be shared in an upcoming post)

I hope that October was a very Happy & Productive month for all my quilting friends!

every quilt tells a story....

Jane Quilts - Show & Tell

I met up with a few of my former students and very dear Friends last week for a special business meeting. We are in the process of gathering quilts together for an exhibit titled "Dear Jane Revisited" that I'm curating at the Virginia Quilt Museum this coming Spring into Summer. Approximately 30 of my former students will participate/display their work in the exhibit. (very exciting for all)

It's been a while since I've posted Show & Tell from my circle of friends. I thought I'd share what Irene has been busy working on. First up is her scrappy Basket quilt.

And here is her beautiful Pink applique Oak Leaves quilt.

And here is Wendy with her small Nautical Jane quilt. The quilt was made using Dear Jane triangle blocks.

And Donna's Candles for Jane quilt

And on the homefront - a Christmas quilt that I created called Snow Globes with fussy cut Snowmen & Santa's.

A quilt I created a couple of years ago called Acorns & Oak Leaves that I'm finally attaching the binding to.

I hope you are having a fabulous start to October!

It's been a while....

I apologize for my absence from blogland the past 7 weeks.
I've missed seeing what all of my blog friends have been up to!
All is well. Things have just been extremely busy with LOTS of exciting things going on.

I made this quilt top in August (42" square) as a Class Sample.
The course I'm teaching is Modern Machine Applique.
My students are learning how to use quick prep basting techniques, specialty threads & machine stitch work. With no raw edges or fusible web, they will be able to achieve the look of Needle Turn applique in 1/5th of the time by Machine.

The beautiful pattern was designed by Dawn of Collector with a Needle.
I originally planned on offering this 3 part course in 2 time slots - a morning session and an evening session. Within days of people seeing Dawn's stunning design the classes were booked and a 3rd (afternoon) session was added. I'll be sure to share pictures of my student's work as we progress along.

I was also busy this summer designing/making quilts to display in the shop for the upcoming holiday season. Artie set up this festive display featuring some of of my Fall quilts.

The quilt in the center is Black Magic - a version of my Autumn Blossoms quilt.
This is being offered as a Paper piecing Class at Kelly Ann's the first week of October. (kits of this are also available at the shop)

I have a LOT more quilts and exciting news to share.
But I'll save it all for a post later this week.

Wishing you all a very Happy & Creative September!

July's 4th Sunday Finish

My evening stitch project this past week was Dutch Treat.
I had been warned about the teeny windows of the School house block.
They were indeed a challenge for me. Barely 1/4" in size, the basting stitches didn't hold.

As you can see - my windows are all crooked. (sigh)
Frustrated with the results, I might remove them and embroider the windows on, at a later date. I'm still very pleased with the process and enjoy each of these little blocks.

Now it's time to pull out my July block for Benjamin Biggs.
The block will seem Gigantic next to these little "treats".

every quilt tells a story.....

July's 3rd Sunday finish

Happy to say that I've finished my very first block of Noah & Matilda!
I worked on it for an hour or so each evening this 3rd week of July.
The original block was created with green stems and green center buds for the tulip-like flowers. After the stems were stitched down, something compelled me to use deep saffron yellow for the center portion of the tulip flowers.

My intention is to respectfully recreate the quilt with color placement as similar to the original as possible. However, I have a finite personality quirk at times - so there may be 1 or 2 blocks in the quilt that deviate from the original color scheme.

The majority of this block was sewn via needle turn applique. For the basket section - I created freezer paper templates of the triangles and machine stitched the pieces and sections together. Once completed, I stitched the pieced basket onto the block - needle turning the outside edges under.

It's already apparent that this quilting journey is going to be a joyful one for me....
Red & Green quilts make my heart SING, but there is something I find especially endearing about this quilt.

every quilt tells a story...

Weekend Finish

I completed block 6 of Ben Biggs over the weekend.
The pattern for Block 7 has already been released, but it will have to wait it's turn in my "to do" pile for later in the month.

I've been anxious to fussy cut this pretty purple fabric that I purchased.
Finally, block 6 was the perfect opportunity to use it.

every quilt tells a story...

Goodbye June - Hello July!

I didn't get much hand work done during the month of June. Mostly because I burned my right hand (grabbing the wrong side of a curling iron) early on.
Happy to say - my hand healed beautifully due to LOTS of lidocaine, aloe & ice.

I did manage to complete 2 of my small 5" Dutch Treat blocks.

I also finished my Ben Biggs block for Month 5 and have Month 6 in progress.

Here's a peek at something new I'm adding to my Applique Repertoire....

This is just a preliminary sampling of fabrics that I've set aside for a special project. Dawn over at Collector with a Needle has a fabulous treasure called the Noah & Matilda Album quilt dated 1851.

She is graciously offering up the patterns for sale. I LOVE this quilt and look forward to recreating it using some of my favorite traditional red & green fabrics.

Wishing my U.S. blogging friends safe & happy Independence Day celebrations!

Starting Soon.......

I'm proud to announce I am a designer for the 2014 Row by Row Experience!
Earlier this spring, I designed a Summer themed Row for Kelly Ann's Quilt shop titled Beach Balls. Those familiar with my teaching style will not be surprised to hear that I've included simplified instructions for easier assembly of the blocks.

Here is the basic row that I designed, sewn together...

the shop is also offering a finishing kit to create a runner quilt that includes a super adorable Flip Flop fabric print border.

There are 1250 Quilt shops participating!
The 2014 Row by Row Experience has expanded to include 35 areas in the United States and Canada. Each area will feature participating quilt shops that have designed a unique row in a Sew a Season quilt. Collect the free patterns by visiting the shops during the summer - July 1st thru September 2, 2014.

Here's a look at the VIRGINIA shops participating here in my home state. If you are traveling through VA this summer, please remember... although "VA is for Lovers", it's also a GREAT place for Quilters!

I'm also including a link to the COMPLETE list of shops participating across the U.S. and Canada.

July 1st is just around the corner, have you started mapping out your road trips to collect your free rows?

every quilt tells a story...

Coin Quilt Challenge

A challenge was presented to the staff and teachers over at Kelly Ann's quilt shop. Each member created their own interpretation of a coin quilt.
(details available in my previous post)

I am always fascinated to see how creative minds interpret a common concept. Here are some of the larger quilts that were made for the challenge:

Here are pictures of the smaller creations which include pillows as well as small and miniature quilts:

This is my finished mini quilt - but it's a secret - if you don't follow my blog...(grin)

Unfortunately, I can't announce the names of these quilters. (just yet) The quilts are displayed for customers to guess who made them. But I can certainly tell you which quilt was my favorite. It was a miniature quilt - and no... it isn't mine. ;) It's this amazing and darling 12" quilt:

I love the little hammock and the adorable buttons the quilter used to embellish her quilt.

This challenge will soon go out to shop customers. It will be a fun Summer challenge involving an exciting display, contest and ribbons. Have you ever made a coin quilt?

every quilt tells a story....