Happy Thanksgiving. . . already???

Well, Thanksgiving is already here, can anyone believe it?  I'm not sure where the last few months have gone.  I know I feel like someone pushed me off a speeding train and I am still living back in July.  I never seem to be ready for this time of year, but like it or not, I've had to get a grip and come to terms with the fact that the holidays are really here.



I thought I was actually ahead of the game for once when I was inspired in early September to work on a fall-inspired quilt.  Originally the plan was that it would be hanging in my house during the months of October and November.  Oh well, maybe next year!

I had wanted to capture a softer autumn feeling in this quilt and as I was also going through my fabric stash, I realized I rarely use orange fabrics, but I have way too many of them!  I had started cutting and using scraps for the sashing, which I foundation-pieced.  I auditioned several different options for the blocks and loved the look of scrappy Dresdens.  It took a couple of months to get it all together and completed, but I am happy with the finished look, although it still needs to be quilted.  I've titled it Tupelo Honey, partly after the Van Morrison song and partly because I started reading about Tupelo trees that grow in northwest Florida.  The honey that is produced from the tree's flowers is the gold standard that all other honey is compared to.  The trees also turn a beautiful orange color and since we don't really have traditional fall like the northern states, this is my version of fall!

So let's catch up. . . I had mentioned in my previous post that I had been notified that I had won an award at the International Quilt Festival in Houston in October.  We flew out there for several days and attended the Awards Ceremony.  I was completely taken by surprise when my quilt, Grandmother's Cabin, won first place in the Traditional Pieced category.  What an honor!  And for those of you that may not know this, they do not split up the categories in the Houston show with long arm quilted quilts and domestic machine quilted quilts, they are lumped together.  So the competition is very high, to say the least.  Some of the very best long arm quilters, whom I greatly admire, were in the same category.  Having my quilt achieve such an award is quite an honor for me, since I quilt on my home machine and never felt I could really compete with the long arm quilters.  Here are just a few of the quilts that were in the Traditional Pieced category:

Stargaze by Susan Liimatta, Wisconsin

 

 Stargaze (detail)

 White House Hexagons by Fiona Bell, Australia

 Cardinal Points by Gail Stepanek and Jan Hutchison, Illinois



Cardinal Points (detail)



 Starstruck by Carolyn Hughes & Errol A. Hughes Jr., Texas

Starstruck (detail)

Houston is always so inspiring, the number of quilts on display as well as the immense variety is overwhelming.  One of my favorite exhibits there was the Quilts de Légende Brouage 2015 exhibit by French quilters.  These quilts are pieced, appliqued and quilted entirely by hand and they are breathtaking!  All are copies of antique quilts and done in reproduction fabrics.  They are exquisite.  Of course, photos don't do them justice, but hope you enjoy some eye candy, just the same.

Somerset by Marie-Francoise Gregoire 

Somerset (detail)

Potomac by Yvonne Calvez 



Potomac (detail)

Bouquet d'ananas by Laurence & Eric Durth 

Bouquet d'ananas  (detail)

Legende by Simone Patouillard

Chesapeake by Aline Joulin 

Chesapeake (detail)

 In Memory of Ann Randoll by Martine Lanux

In Memory of Ann Randoll (detail)

 Cephee by Marie-Josephe Veteau

Cephee (detail)

 Champ de Tournesols by Gabrielle Paquin

 Champ de Tournesols (detail)

 La Bertauderie by Monique Hovette

 Wales by Aline Joulin

 Wales (detail)

 Miss Rosetta by Dominique Husson

 Miss Rosetta (detail)

 Antique Basket Quilt by Ghislaine Lucas

 Scaramouche by Dominique Husson

 Amish by Anne-Marie Uguen

 Sunburst Avec Etoiles by Louise Marie Stipon

 Jeu de Dames by Anne-Marie Uguen

 Potomac by Annick Tauzin

Potomac (detail)

Hope all of you have a safe and wonderful Thanksgiving holiday with family and friends!  Happy Quilting!



Grandmother's Cabin

I finally finished my quilt last week, Grandmother's Cabin, and thought I would share some photos with you, since I know I am long overdue for an update.  Some of these pictures are before I put the binding on, some are with a different camera so colors may vary, but you get the idea. 

I had hoped I'd finish it long before now, but a few of life's interruptions during the month of September pushed my finish date up a bit further than I originally planned.  However, I was still able to meet a deadline I had set for entering it into several shows coming up, so on that note, I am quite pleased it is done and ready to send off into the quilt show world.

"Grandmother's Cabin"

I made the top back in 2012 and it has been sitting in a closet waiting to be quilted up until a couple of months ago.  I knew I wanted a lot of quilting on it, but really wasn't certain as to how elaborate I wanted it to be.

The log cabin blocks were foundation-pieced on paper.  The hexagon flowers were made using the English paper-piecing method.  The Dresden plates and the hexagon flower vine are all hand-appliqued.  This is only the second quilt I have ever hand-appliqued.

Since the quilt is so busy visually with so many pieces and such a wide variety of different fabrics, I decided to keep the quilting clean and simple with lots of grid quilting and straight lines.  Although though there is still a ton of quilting, it tends to play a more supportive "background" role instead of obliterating the details of the quilt itself.   This is also the first time I have used a wool batting, which is Hobb's Tuscany Wool.  The top thread is Wonderfil Invisafil 100 weight and the bobbin thread is Wonderfil DecoBob 80 weight.  The quilt finishes at 91 inches square, the log cabin blocks are 9 inches and the border is approximately 9 1/2 inches wide.

 

I did mark every single line with a fine-tipped water-soluble blue pen.  The grid lines are a half-inch apart and all of the lines were quilted with free-motion quilting.  The only thing I used the walking foot on is the narrow cable in the border.  The log cabin blocks are free-motion quilted in the ditch, spiraling out from the center by quilting in the seam line of each strip.



My inspiration for this quilt came from my infatuation with traditional quilts from the 1930s.  After I finished the log cabin blocks and was deciding on a border, I got the idea to combine a couple of classic quilt motifs that are easily recognizable into a single quilt to pay tribute to the 30s era as well as to our grandmothers that made them.  Since I also love scrap quilts as well as collecting fabrics that are reminiscent of the Depression Era, I challenged myself to use as many fabrics in the quilt as possible.  I kept the overall values on the lighter side in order to evoke a sense of the pastel, candy colors associated with that time period.  This is an original design and there is no pattern available.



And finally I would like to send out a big thank you to all of you who have been e-mailing me as to my whereabouts, your various questions, and the lovely comments I receive on my tutorials.  I am so flattered and appreciative of all the e-mails, as well as being overwhelmed at the interest in my work.  You never really know how many people you reach when you blog, but I will say that the response from all of you is very gratifying and I wish there was a way I could meet you all in person to say thanks from the bottom of my heart!  Until next time. . . Happy Quilting!