In Honor of Earth Day

Posted on April 22, 2024 by divadiversion

Several years ago, I was on a team to organize an upcycling retreat. Our focus was on the 3 R’s and 5 Hands. The three R’s are Reduce Reuse and Recycle. The Five Hands are Hand Me Down, Hand Made, Hand in Hand, Hand to Hand and Helping Hand. I’ve tried to incorporate these practices in some of my quilting each year.

Some materials are much easier to work with than others. I love love love working with mens button down shirts. With the changes in dress code brought on by the pandemic a few years ago I am seeing a wealth of these shirts in the thrift stores. By purchasing these shirts they make money for the work that the thrift stores are trying to do, they keep this material out of the landfill, and giving new purpose to the fabric.

The “make” doesn’t have to be complicated. There is joy in simplicity. Sewing that doesn’t take a lot of thinking I find very Zen. Nine Patches are Zen Sewing for me. Cutting fabric into usable pieces also brings me joy.

In between projects or as I am pondering design options, I can mull things over as I cut my pieces or stitch together simple blocks.

For 2024 I have this little gem to offer.

I call this Dressed to the Nines. The nine patch blocks are made using 1 1/2 inch squares, then put together with other nine patches to create a double Nine Patch Block.

To back the quilt I use larger pieces of the shirts to create enough fabric for the backing.

This little gem was custom quilted by Terry Burris Quilting.

Posted in Accomplishments, Charity Quilts, junking, Nine Patch, Quilting, recycling, Scraps, simple, Terry Burris Quilting, Uncategorized, upcycle | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Same Pattern – Two Executions

Posted on July 29, 2022 by divadiversion

It never ceases to amaze me how the exact same pattern can look so different by switching the fabrics.

Several years this pattern was introduced to me while I was on retreat with my sister Terry. One of her buddies (Cindy) was making this out of a gorgeous black speckled batik and a bright color that I’m having difficulty remembering right now. The thing that struck me was how simple the pattern was and how complex it looked.

The pattern is called Rolling Waves and it was offered in the MCcalls Quick Quilts magazine in September of 2008. Today it is still one of my favorites. Although not as “quick” as some, it is easy. As Cindy says you do get weary of making the same block over and over, but the practice is good and the reward is great. Just put on an audio book and go for it. Or break it down into warm up blocks. Before you know it you are done.

Using only two fabrics, this is what I completed. The first time I did this it was for a quilt for my mom. Hers too was made using only two fabrics.

Rolling Nine Patch – Two Fabrics

Then I looked through my scrap pile and thought “What if?” Seriously, don’t the best ideas start with “What if”! So I sorted through and pulled out all of my low volume black and whites and my solids and blenders and started to work.

Happy Scrappy Rolling Nine Patch

Isn’t this a fun quilt! I just love the way it worked up. And all the motion that the pattern creates is fascinating to me.

The pattern consists of three different nine patch blocks so this pattern is truly beginner friendly. And as you can see it can also be scrap happy.

I love the way each of these quilts worked up, and can see myself doing this again in the not too near future. Terry Burris Quilting did the quilting on both of these pieces.

Same pattern, different fabrics

.

Although I do not have this pattern available I’m pretty certain you can find it on the Quilting Daily Website or the McCalls free quilting patterns website.

However, if you are looking for a quilt pattern to inspire you, I have several wonderful quilt books available at the vintagevacouple etsy store. All are used and deeply discounted. Use the code DIVADIVERSION10 when you check out for an additional 10% discount.

Til next time…piece!

Posted in Etsy, Nine Patch, Quilting, Scraps, simple, Terry Burris Quilting, Uncategorized | 3 Comments

Inspiring Visitor

Posted on August 1, 2021 by divadiversion

It had been over two years since we had been together at the same place at the same time. And at that time we were going through one of the most difficult challenges in our lives. Yes we chatted and face timed since then, but it just doesn’t hit the same spot as when you get to hug and giggle and share a meal and inspiration. I was blessed this past week by a visit from my sister Terry of Terry Burris Quilting.

We filled our days with walks in the neighborhood and at the James River. We went to not one but three different local quilt shops, and one of those we actually visited twice. And we enjoyed the beauty that we shared at the Lewis Ginter Botanical Center here in Richmond. Seriously, there was a lot to be inspired by with the generous blossoms so full of color and the picture perfect day. Truly, it was a creative way to get in great walk in a gorgeous setting.

Terry came with suitcases of pretties. And quilts ready for me to bind. I couldn’t have been happier.

The Sun Comes Over The Mountains

I’ve loved this pattern for a long time. It is Scrappy Mountains Majesty (Delectable Mountains) and can be found on Bonnie Hunters Quiltville Blog as a free PDF (seriously lots of cool stuff found there) https://quiltville.blogspot.com/2005/06/scrappy-mountain-majesties.html. I pieced this using thrifted mens shirts. The shirts are a joy to work with. They behave just like the quilting cotton I am accustomed to using. And the blocks were fun to piece. Terry used and edge to edge quilting pattern called mist by Keryn Emmerson. Yesterday I shared photos of these pictures in the Upcycled Cloth Collectcive Group on Facebook. Imagine my surprise when I was over 1600 responses, 122 comments and 27 shares. I never imagined it would garnish that much attention. Needless to say I am overwhelmed and grateful and inspired to create even more. It would not be complete however if it wasn’t for my sister and her quilting skills. For which I am incredibly grateful.

And check this out

Whimsical Quilt made with thrifted materials

I just LOVE LOVE LOVE how fabulous this Whimsical Quilt finished! Thrifted denim as well as upholstery and drapery samples were employed to built this simple but gorgeous piece. The free pattern is available here: https://fabshophop.com/free-pattern-whimsical-quilt.asp. I had a piece of flannel in my stash that was big enough and related well enough to the front to use on the back. And lets talk about the perfect quilting design. This edge to edge design is called Hickory Dickory and I can’t thank Terry enough for suggesting it! Seriously though, if you are in a pinch and looking for a simple quilt that goes together in a flash – this pattern is for you!

So, Terry has moved on to her next visit with promises to return. I am totally inspired by her stay and all the work we completed on our individual and collaborative projects while we were together and can’t wait to do it again.

I hope you all have a dear family member or friend that you can share your passion with, that inspires and encourages you.

Piece.

Posted in Accomplishments, Denim, Family, Quilting, recycling, simple, Terry Burris Quilting, Uncategorized | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Etsy, I Heart This

Posted on June 23, 2021 by divadiversion

And it’s finished! Adorable Nine-Patch Heart Quilts. This has been on my list for a little while now. I’ve been beefing up my “Nine Patch The Humble Workhorse” presentation and wanted to recreate the Nine Patch heart quilt I did several years ago. I looked here and there and just could not locate the original pattern that I used.

But low and behold, Megan Collins started a QAL using her newly designed Heart & Stitches pattern. The pattern had everything I needed to recreate my quilt from decades ago. Now I do have a disclaimer, the Heart & Stitches Pattern does NOT include a Nine-Patch. However, there is a nice square space to perfectly fit a Nine-Patch in. If you are interested in the Heart & Stitches pattern check it out here: creative quilt design by MeganCollinsQuilts on Etsy

Love & Stitches Pattern available from Megan Collins

This is a great pattern for beginners and intermediates alike. It is a nice introduction into curved piecing and Megan makes it easy.

I pulled out my fabrics and saw on my friend Annie Morgans Etsy NineMileQuilts (etsy.com) site that she had some of the prints that were from the same family my chosen fabrics. The fabrics were priced affordably, I ordered them and they arrived very quickly. Talk about “Happy Mail”!

A word about Etsy. There are some wonderful creatives out there with beautiful patterns, used books and fabric to offer. If you are looking for something special, give Etsy a try.

A few weeks ago they had their debut so now I can show them

Hearts to Share

Hearts to Share is now part of my Nine-Patch Humble Workhorse inventory. I love how it came together. Terry Burris Quilting did the Edge to Edge Quilting on this piece. Although tempted to do a keyboard border I opted for a scrappy border instead. You can see how perfectly that Nine-Patch fits into the Hearts & Stitches block.

And one to give

This quilt contains all of the extra blocks I made and will go to one of the charity groups here in Richmond for a wee one to play on or cuddle in. Quilting on this was done by Cheryl Maddern. I just love the scrappy binding on this one, it makes my heart smile.

Keep cool and share the love.

Posted in Accomplishments, Etsy, Nine Patch, Quilting, Uncategorized | 6 Comments

In Honor of Earth Day

Posted on April 23, 2021 by divadiversion

What do you recycle?

Those that know me, know that sometimes I have a difficult time just disposing of things. I’m often thinking that there is more life to some of the things we discard. (Not quite a hoarder depending on who you ask)

For YEARS I have saves wine foils. Those things that are on the necks of wine bottles. Now sometimes those foils are plastic and they aren’t very good to work with. However the true foils are wonderful.

Foil on a wine bottle

Initially, I was making foil chains. Like garland to go on a Christmas tree. It is a little labor intensive, but not difficult. Do you remember making chains out of gum wrappers when you were in your early teens? I do, and the method is similar.

So instead of folding the foils like we did the gum wrappers, I cut them into strips.

Wine foil strips

After I had strips to work with I would fold them and create the chain.

Wine foil chain growing

As I stated this isn’t difficult, but a bit time consuming and not very exciting. The chains are also somewhat fragile because some wine foils are not as good as others. I will finish these as they look wicked cute on a holiday tree.

So I was ready to find something different to do with the foils. I make ornaments using fabric and they are quite nice, and I thought why not try using the foils.

And this is what I came up with.

Wine Cones

There are some colors that are more popular than others. And every foil is silver on the reverse.

These “rainbow” ones are fun to look at. I’m tactile, and just love the way they feel in my hands. I’m just needing to figure out how to “top” them, so the design for hanging them isn’t intrusive or looking like it was just an add on.

But just think, these foils did not end up in the land fill!

If I’m going to make very many of these, I’m going to have to drink faster.

Posted in recycling, Uncategorized | 4 Comments

Not a Great Start – falq1finish falq2list

Posted on April 7, 2021 by divadiversion

So close yet so not done. It’s all good though because it will just make the next quarter finishes that much sweeter.

Mountains Majesty saw some real progress with all of the blocks constructed, put into rows and the rows into a top. When I layed it out though, it isn’t as wide as I want it. For bed quilts I like the quilt to cover the flat sheet or at least all of the mattress. My fix for this is to add a 3 1/2 in border all around. I’m good with that, it will be off to the quilter before the month ends.

Fretwork. Heavy sigh, I just have a few more inches to quilt, and then I need to make a binding and apply it. There is a reason I send my quilting out. This too will be done before the beginning of May.

My third piece was Karen’s Sunflowers. I need to get more pearle cotton for the knots and quilting. I will have to dedicate time to this daily once the thread comes in.

Onto Quarter 2! My blue and brown pineapple quilt made with neckties is in the queue. There are about a dozen blocks completed and I need about 4 dozen more. Then they will be sewn together and sent off to the longarmer.

More blue and brown necktie work. These are little squares to go together to make pillow tops. They are little things about 3″ each and go together quickly. About 100 of them make a pair of pillows. I’m going to see how far I get with the ridiculous amount of tie scrap I have.

This poor thing has been hanging on the back of my powder room door awaiting attention. My intent is to make about 60 more blocks put them together have it quilted and donate it to charity. Many of these fabrics came from a facebook scrap exchange from over 10 years ago. It’s time this project got done.

My studio organizing has not been very successful either. I better invite my sister down, that will motivate me. Don’t want to have her see my mess!

Hoping for good weather, everyone to stay healthy, maybe an opportunity to safely sewcialize by the end of the next quarter.

Stay Safe

Piece.

Posted in Accomplishments, American Patchwork & Quilting UFO Challenge, Challenges, Charity Quilts, Fabric exchange, Finish-A-Long, Quilting, recycling, Scraps, simple, Terry Burris Quilting, Ties, UFO's, Uncategorized | 4 Comments

February Flannel Finishes

Posted on February 18, 2021 by divadiversion

There is nothing cozier than flannel! Warm and comforting, soft and snuggly. And to finish these pieces during flannel season is truly a win!

Two of these log cabin quilts were started “several” years ago. The fabrics called to me and I made one and gifted it, then started the other two. When I stumbled across the bag and saw how far I had gotten with them I just had to finish them.

The Log Cabin centers are an adorable house fabric where the houses look cross stitched.

One of the quilts has a cabbage rose border fabric and the other a sweet brown and green floral print flannel. Both are backed with flannel as well and the batting in these is a warm wonderful wool. Terry Burris Quilting did a superb job longarming these beauties. Those posies on the back of the cabbage rose quilt are very pretty.

But that wasn’t all! While I had the flannel yardage box out I decided I would start yet another quilt that I had had my eyes on for many years. It came from the book Quilts From Aunt Amy put out by Country Threads and the quilt is called 21st Century Bullseye. I really wanted to get this done for my daughter as she is living “up north” where there really is a winter season. Well I got it done! And delivered in time for winter use!

Meaghans Bullseye Quilt made from cozy flannel.

As you can see it is an easy quilt without looking plain or simple. And as it ages and gets washed (cold water gentle cycle), the circles will fray and it will look even cozier!

To add to the warmth, there is a warm and wonderful wool batting. Terry Burris Quilting did the longarming on this one. I just adore the quilting on this!

In order not to be distracted by the flannel to do yet another log cabin (I had done another prior to these two), you will find all of my scraps for the log cabin quilt (24 two inch strips as well as over 2 yards in pieces, more than 225″ in binding and a whole bunch of usable scrap) in the vintagevacouple shop on Etsy. https://www.etsy.com/listing/963149895/log-cabin-flannel-bundle

Also if you are more interested in a finished flannel quilt, you can find them at vintagevacouple@etsy too.

Posted in Accomplishments, American Patchwork & Quilting UFO Challenge, Flannel, Scraps, simple, Terry Burris Quilting, Uncategorized, Wool | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Do you want to join the fun?

Posted on December 14, 2020 by divadiversion

As I was going through my UFO lists, I thought I might share my thoughts.

It’s been a productive year.  The lists have helped keep me on track.  And as a byproduct of living during a pandemic, I was provided with a way to turn my thoughts to more pleasant things. 

Participating in the American Patchwork quilting UFO Challenge has provided a bit of social media comradery.  These folks cheer each other along, offer suggestions and tips when asked and can really provide some inspiration as you watch them finish their creations. 

I had 12 projects on my American Patchwork and Quilting UFO Challenge list and I completed 10 of them.  Yes, that’s 10 quilts from that list.  The other two just didn’t happen. 

Now I also had my FINISHALONG list.  They were not as active this year because it was a challenge getting sponsors.  Still, many of us created lists posted our challenges and our finishes.  This list had over 80 projects on it (the 12 projects from APQ were also on this list).  So that was 18 finishes off of that list.

This year I finished 19 quilts completely – one of these was not on any list.  It just creeped in there.  And I have 5 quilts at the longarmers (two of these weren’t on any list) and 2 others ready to go (these were new work also).  Now that IS progress.  Because we get distracted and new work always looks so much more interesting than a UFO, you have to expect to fall off the tracks once in a while!

How can I do this? Well, being retired helps. I go into my sewing room most mornings and come out for lunch. I might go back in for a couple of hours in the afternoon. This year with travel and visiting being minimal, I spent a lot of time in there. It is my happy place.

If you are interested in creating your list for next year – please do!  I’ll cheer you along!  Go to:  https://www.allpeoplequilt.com/how-to-qilt/finishing/2021-ufo-challenge and read all about it.  Download your PDF and create your list.  There were also monthly and organization challenges that I did not take advantage of last year.  After walking through my sewing room, I’m thinking this might need to be a priority for 2021.  Join the Facebook Group, show your work! 

I’ll share the information when it comes out about the Finishalong. 

And here is the list for 2021!

Posted in Accomplishments, American Patchwork & Quilting UFO Challenge, Challenges, Finish-A-Long, Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Sunday Dinner Good

Posted on November 22, 2020 by divadiversion

Sometimes you stumble on a dish that is just so good that it elevates a weeknight. I call that “Sunday Dinner Good”. It’s the kind of dish you would be proud to serve a guest.

Now, I will confess, I’ve never been a squash lover. But this, this is just so good. Not only is it delicious, it is beautiful to look at!

Acorn Squash with Fruit and Nuts

It takes about 15 minutes to prep and cooks for about an hour depending on how big your squash is.

If you are interested in the recipe you can find it here: ORGANIC ALLSPICE ACORN SQUASH WITH FRUIT & NUTS recipe | Epicurious.com

After making this a few times I’ve made a couple of changes to the recipe.

I use a cookie sheet covered with foil for easy clean up.

I use what apples I have available, if I have 2 Granny Smiths, that’s what I use. If I have two Honeycrisp that’s what I use. If I have one of each – GREAT.

I don’t add the salt.

Pecans make a great substitute for the walnuts.

It really doesn’t need the poppy seeds.

In my humble opinion, maple syrup makes a better garnish than the honey.

Seriously, this is “GET IN MY BELLY!” GOOD.

I would be delighted to hear if you try this, and what you think.

Posted in Food, Uncategorized | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Fabulous Friday Finishes

Posted on August 14, 2020 by divadiversion

Yup, I’m bragging a bit.  Tooting my horn and Terry’s too!  I got this back and bound and it’s hanging in my bedroom.

Sharp Dressed Man was pieced last year.  The circles are made from neckties that have been sewn to a foundation and then pieced into the backgrounds.  Those backgrounds are shirts.  There are over 216 ties that were used in this quilt.  Each of the circles has 24 pieces.  Of course you will see smaller pieces of the same ties in another project in the works.  “Waste not want not”.  I also bound it with neckties.  Terry Burris quilted this for me and I couldn’t be more smitten.

My Smart Dressed Hubby making sure My Smart Dressed Man is hanging straight. Photo to the right is block detail. If you think you might like to make your own and need some neckties, I have bags of them for sale at VintageVaCouple on Etsy.

Aromatic is a quilt from a book I bought from Nancy’s Notions after watching an episode one Sunday morning.  It’s a lovely book and you will probably see at least one more quilt from this book in the future.   The book is Rainbow Quilts For Scrap Lovers by Judy Gauthier.  A few months ago I made Fretwork from this book.  What I loved about this pattern was the simple construction, the scrappiness without being chaotic and how generously sized each block is.  The backing is from American Quilters Society and it is perfect for this project (so perfect I wish I had bought more).  The quilting Terry Burris did on this is gorgeous without being intrusive.  I adore this quilt. 

These were not on my UFO or Finishalong list but I just had to make them.  These adorable Holiday Stars are wonderful for the tree, packages, and to decorate a wreath.  And they are not just for Christmas, think wreaths, package add ons. I’ve seen a few with some fabulous machine embroidery and they are pretty fancy. See more at Poorhouse Designs on Facebook.  If you can’t find the pattern at your local quilt shop give a shout out to Kris Poorhouse.

That’s all the progress I have for now.

What’s under your needle?

Posted in Accomplishments, American Patchwork & Quilting UFO Challenge, Finish-A-Long, Quilting, recycling, Scraps, Terry Burris Quilting, UFO's, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Book Work

Posted on December 29, 2019 by divadiversion

Some people iron as they need something to wear, I iron on Sunday morning.  And I sit while I’m pressing away with the television on.  Most Sundays I am entertained by Jane Pauley as I watch Sunday Morning.  This has been my habit for at least a decade.  Maybe two.  But if there is more pressing time than Jane time I’ll watch Sewing With Nancy or Quilting Arts.

Sewing With Nancy is entertaining and provides some simple approachable lessons, and there are retail opportunities to purchase the products that the program is focused on from Nancy’s Notions.  Of course, if your are a good note taker you don’t have to purchase, but again, the opportunity is there.  Much earlier this year I was watching and this creative quilter, Judy Gauthier, was Nancy’s guest.  She showed this adorable quilt called Packages, Boxes, and Bows.  Very colorful and a great use of scraps.  So was her Color Brick Road and Rectangles Squared quilts.  But she got me with Fretwork.

I enjoyed working on this so much that I made two tops and cut a third.  This will be a wonderful charity quilt!  This is my smaller version.

IMG_4965

The instructions are for a baby quilt that finishes at 60 1/2 x 75 1/2 which I find huge for a baby quilt.  When I finished the first top I decided that for my purposes it doesn’t need to be that big.  Mine is 45 1/2 x 60 1/2 and plenty big enough for me to quilt.  It’s also a great size to have in the vehicle or for a toddler to drag around.

You’ve got to love the simplicity of a nine patch!

IMG_4966

The “pieced” blocks are done reverse applique, and we are instructed not to overthink the process and allow the blocks to be wonky to add more whimsy and visual interest.

What I liked was I had everything I needed.  I didn’t have to go to the store as the pieces are small 5 1/2″ squares and 4 1/2″ squares.  What made me a little uncomfortable was the chance that there might be some raw edges in the corners if I didn’t pay close enough attention to that pressing.  Then again, these are not meant to be heirloom pieces, just working quilts.

And look what I had in my stash for the back!

IMG_4967

Was this perfect!?!  I’m over the moon that it’s done.

The name of the book is Rainbow Quilts for Scrap Lovers by Judy Gauthier.  You can get it at Nancy’s Notions, https://www.nancysnotions.com as well as other retailers.  The book was released in 2017 so it might even be at your local quilt shop.

There will be others to show from this book in the next couple of years.

Oh, and have a Happy New Year!

 

Posted in Accomplishments, Charity Quilts, Fabric exchange, Nine Patch, Quilting, simple, Uncategorized | Tagged , | 8 Comments

There was progress in August!

Posted on September 6, 2019 by divadiversion

One thing that got done was my one monthly goal with Quilters Corner. I quilted and put the binding on the double four patch baby quilt!

Double four patch baby quilt

This simple block is a standard beginner block and it was a joy to put together. The quilting is done in diagonal straight lines using a standard weight thread alternating red with yellow. Generally it takes me a few evenings in front of the television to get a binding finished. Looking at this, it looked like I could stitch it down by machine. And I did. Seriously, why hadn’t I thought of this earlier. Instead of taking a few evenings it took less than an hour and no one is going to notice. This is a charity quilt that I’m hoping will be well used and laundered and dragged around. Although not very babyish, it measures 36″ x 47″ and it does have color.

Well that wasn’t the only thing I got done. There was mad progress on my Kinship Fusion quilt a long!

100 blocks 100 days Kinship Fusion Quilt-a-long

I can see the light at the end of the tunnel with this one. It has been a blast to participate and such an inspiration to see how other quilters have interpreted the blocks in fabric. I’ve used what I have on hand and I’ve dubbed this “selective scrap”. The color story reminds me a bit of Froot Loops. If you would like to take a peek at how others are working their blocks out, go to Instagram and check out #100blocks100days2019. There are over 3900 posts! There are many people participating from all over the world! Check out Gnome Angel at https://www.gnomeangel.com for more inspiration about this project and others.

But wait there’s more! I finished a “two-fer”! This was a piece from several years ago that I finally sent off to Terry Burris Quilting. Well it’s back and I put a binding on it and it to is now complete!

  • Paper lanterns.

When you flip the Paper Lanterns quilt over you get a more serene look. The panel is beautifully framed by the Asian inspired prints.

The lantern block was very simple to construct and made good use of the prints I had collected over the years.

Paper Lantern Block

Although I don’t recall exactly where I found the block pattern, I suspect it was a magazine from about 10 to 12 years ago.

I also had a wonderful time with my friend Susan who came down and we had quilt camp. She was working on her pizza box project. I kind of got involved in that too.

First Audition of Susans Pizza Box Quilt

This may not be how she assembles it, but it sure did give me ideas on what to do with some of my 2 1/2″ squares. I was totally smitten!

Hope your bobbins are full and you too are making progress!

Posted in Accomplishments, Challenges, Charity Quilts, Quilting, simple, Uncategorized | Tagged , | 6 Comments

More Blocks and a New Recipe

Posted on April 4, 2024 by divadiversion

It’s been a time! Between the show, and some guild activities and car tours, I’ve been busy!

Over the years I have accumulated lots of fabric, and notions and projects. Many of which haven’t seen the light of day since we moved here. Two of the guilds I belong to are collecting stuff to sell in order to pay for quilting talent to come and teach us something new. That being said, I have been uncovering lots of stuff to donate, and a few things to sell in the Etsy shop. It is a tedious process, and there is a bit of sadness in finding some of these abandoned projects that I no longer have any desire to finish. However, they may bring someone else pleasure to pick up for a fraction of what I invested. If you are interested in picking up a bargain on fabrics, books, trims, or a quilted gift for someone very special, take a look at http://www.vintagevacouple@etsy.com

Those frog fabrics were a delight to work with and they still bring a smile to my face. The wine wall hanging was a blast to make. It was one of the Project Quilting Challenges in 2022. Project Quilting is a brilliant way to practice making quick decisions and executing them. The baby quilt was the perfect vessel to use some of the fun fabrics I had tucked away.

We had a little chilly weather last week and there were lamb shanks on sale at one of the grocery stores. My beloved enjoys lamb and so do I. It was off to the market. When I got home I had to figure out what I was going to do with this cut of meat that I’ve never cooked before. Google to the rescue and oh my, did we feast! The recipe is from Allrecipes and is simply Braised Lamb Shanks Recipe and can be found on their website (it comes up first). It was a successful endeavor, but it does take the afternoon to work its magic. Most of the time was on the stove, but there was about 30 minutes of simple prep. And the house smelled marvelous! This reminded me of the lamb my MaMere would cook on holidays, simply delish.

Block count for this month is 48. Three were Dahlias created with ties. More on this in another post.

There were 20 pinwheels that were made with cast off 1/2 square triangles I found in my cleanout activity. They will go into a charity quilt.

And then there were 21 Ruby Pieced Hexes and 4 Half Hexes. These are for a project with the Virginia Consortium of Quilters. It is the 40th anniversary for the group and apparently 40 is the year of Rubies. As I am piecing these, I’m hoping that they will go together without much trouble, but my Y seam skills haven’t been in use for quite some time. There will be more on this project in a later post as well.

I’ll have more to share in another week or so when I get some of these projects completed.

Sew on!

Posted in Cooking, Etsy, Food, Hexis, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival

Posted on March 9, 2024 by divadiversion

There were classes and quilts and wearables and vendors. We went to a lecture and a fashion show.

The quality of the quilts was amazing. There was alot of applique and it was superb!

This lovely piece was done by Shari Flynn and was titled “In My Neck of the Woods”. I love this quilt.

The applique in this show blew my mind. I don’t do this kind of work but I love to see it. So beautiful. And those ships!

The Hoffman Challenge was there. I did notice several beautiful pieces from Warrenton, VA. Unfortunately, I did something to my settings and so many of my pictures did not come out. Technical difficulties are not new to me. Heavy sigh.

Such gorgeous wearables! From trending today…

To period pieces!

And a fashion show!

If you are looking for a bit of inspiration, for work to aspire to, for a lovely time, I would suggest getting to a quilt show.

A huge thank you to those who organized the show, those that created the quilts and wearables and those that developed and taught classes. Can’t wait so see what next year brings!

Posted in Quilt Show, Quilting, Richmond Quilt Guild, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

What Do You Grow? Richmond Quilt Guild Challenge

Posted on March 6, 2024 by divadiversion

This year the Richmond Quilt Guild participated in the Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival with our challenge “What Do You Grow?” There were 11 participants and 12 quilts. Each quilt was accompanied by an Artist’s Statement, and they were all beautiful.

A few of the quilts from our challenge

Some of the quilts were about growing friendships, several were about gardening and flowers, one was about skills, and the biggest surprise was about growing oysters!

My plan was to finish two quilts but that did not happen. However, I did finish one, which I called Grandpa’s Garden.

This was made using a pattern that I had saved from Quiltmaker magazine dated May/June 2000. It was finally time to get it made. I loved the pattern the first time I saw it. The fruits and veggies are foundation paper pieced. I was out of practice, but as each block came together it brought me such joy.

No new fabric was purchased to create this piece. Some of the fabric has a little age on it but blends in just fine.

I have to admit I got a kick seeing it hung in a national show. And to think I almost let this opportunity pass me by.

As much as I love to see the quilts that have ribboned, I also like to see something that I can actually aspire to. If my little quilt inspired anyone to dig into their fabric and sew, that makes me happy.

Posted in Accomplishments, Challenges, Gardening, Paper foundations, Quilt Show, Richmond Quilt Guild, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

A Cozy Second Finish!

Posted on February 11, 2024 by divadiversion

Now that it is bound, and finished I can share my second finish of the year. 

This was a simple finish using the Pebble Path pattern from Timeless Treasures. I’ve used this pattern three times and this by far is my favorite. I love the balance of color in the squares, and with that color comes a little pop! The dinosaurs are stinking cute and if you look closely, you can see some dino’s in the quilting too.

Check out that triceratops and the brontosaurus designs quilted into this piece. This was quilted by Deanne of Creative Quilting Company in Moseley Virginia.

 

Check out this cozy flannel I found for the backing. Isn’t it perfect! I love flannel on the back of a quilt!

Because my youngest grandson was so fond of Matchbox cars, I had made this quilt for him using the same pattern.

Again, the pattern was simple, and I thought he would be over the moon with this because of his love for little Matchbox cars. Terry Burris even found a really cool fast cars edge to edge design to finish this piece. 

And look at the stinking cute backing! A warning to all of you quilters out there when handing your piece over to your long armer. Measure twice. The backing that is. You see that red attached to that adorable Vroom Zoom backing – that’s a fix. Terry Burris of Terry Burris Quilting in Merrimack NH. She let me know that I had miss measured my backing, and because this was for one of my grandchildren and not a commission or sale piece, we (she) pieced the back for me with the red so it would be big enough and we wouldn’t have to send it back and forth. Terry shared with me that this happens more often than you would expect. So measure those backs twice to make sure you have enough to cover the front with a few inches to spare. Also, if you prewash your 108″ backings, it is imperative to measure them after laundering, as they do shrink. 

The Pebble Path Pattern is still available through several sites and is beginner friendly and pre-cut friendly using 10″ and 5″ squares. I will be retiring mine for a little while as I need to work on a few other less than simple projects. 

Piece!

Posted in American Patchwork & Quilting UFO Challenge, Flannel, Quilting, simple, Terry Burris Quilting | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

January Block Count

Posted on February 2, 2024 by divadiversion

I follow Shelly at Prairie Moon Quilts and she has a 350 Block Challenge. I made it through last year. But this year I thought I would share my progress as each month progresses. If you want to follow Shelly and her blog and Block Challenge you can find it here: https://prairiemoonquilts.com

For January I made 11 Double 9 Patch Blocks for a BOM with the Hospitality Chapter of the Richmond Quilt Guild. I made 11 in hopeful anticipation that I would win the pot of blocks. No such luck, but they sure were pretty.

Then I went on to the Morning Star blocks that were cut for me by Terry Burris Quilting. Nine of those were finished.

Not sure how I am going to put these together as I have used every single inch of the blue spatter that is used as a background. They sure are pretty though. I will admit that these went together alright, but they were not my favorites as they have a little curl in the block. Maybe that will remedy itself once I find a solution to my background problem.

In spite of the fact that I haven’t done any foundation paper piecing in a really long time, I’ve been entertained by constructing this delightful garden of blocks.

They are sew stinking cute! As of yesterday I have 3 Carrots, 3 onions, 2 beets, 4 corn, 4 watermelon and 6 little nine patches. These come from a Quilt Maker magazine from the summer of 2000. I can’t wait to use them in my What Do You Grow challenge for the Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival at the end of this month…wait, the end of this month. I better get busy finishing…

Piece!

Posted in Accomplishments, Quilting | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

New Finish for the New Year

Posted on February 2, 2024 by divadiversion

I’m totally smitten with these sweet little Cracker Blocks! They are scrap friendly easy to construct and a joy to work with. It was 2022 when I took the class that was offered by my quilt guild. My quilt buddy Sandy was not able to go so she gifted me her seat.

The instructor was Augusta Cole, and she is a fabulous teacher. Her instructions are clear and concise, she is amusing and enthusiastic. It’s no wonder that she has such a devoted following in our area. If you are interested in having Augusta come to your group for a class reach out at https://augustacolequilting.com

Although I kept the “background” consistent throughout the project, I used a massive amount of scraps. And yet I still have a massive amount of scraps. The blocks are easy to cut and construct. It was a joyful thing to see the components for the units and the units themselves start to grow.

Once the blocks were squared up I put them on my design wall and started putting them together. Before I knew it I had twelve rows of twelve blocks on the wall. The snuggled together nicely and I added a small border of the background before I continued with a keyboard border of some of the same scraps that are in the blocks.

Digging through my stash I found a lovely piece of green for the backing. It’s perfect as I have noticed I use a lot of green in my quilts. 

Quilting was done by Robin of Robins Nest here in the Richmond area. I chose a geometric pattern that I think is a great fit for quilt!

The quilt measures 60″ square which is a generous baby quilt or wall hanging or a mid sized lap quilt. 

Don’t be surprised if you see this block turn up again in my practice!

Posted in Uncategorized | 5 Comments

Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival Passport to Quilting Seattle Submission

Posted on May 28, 2023 by divadiversion

This year I volunteered to hang the challenge quilts for the Richmond Quilting Guild at the Quilt Festival in Hampton VA. I received the last quilt at the last minute and I’m so glad the quilter was able to complete her project.

This years work title was “Passport to Quilting”. We were inspired to make quilts that reminded us of our travels.

I’ve been blessed that my husband loves to plan trips for us and have a treasure trove of memories to draw from. However, my artistic abilities are somewhat limited. That being said, I leaned into a couple of commercial patterns and books.

My first piece was Seattle. We visited there in the autumn of 2018 after the passing of my mother. Initially the trip was planned as a post trip to seeing Mama Lou.

Seattle is a hip young city with lots of independent restaurants, a vibrant art scene and so much to see. We especially enjoyed the Chihuly Museum and the Space Needle, and were delighted by our harbor ride. I would highly suggest getting a city pass if you ever get the opportunity to visit.

The pattern I used for my submission was U.S. Skylines by Shannon Brinkley. Visit her website https://shannon-brinkley.com to view her gallery and check out her patterns both paper and pdf.

This was a new technique for me as I seldom (almost never) do applique. To actually piece that applique, was a stretch. I loved the trip and I wanted a keepsake, and I wanted to participate in the Challenge. I had plenty of fabric to work with, so why not try. Let’s give it a go!

My palette was inspired by this photo of my beloved in front of the Museum of Pop Culture.

The directions were clearly written and easy to follow. Take your time, read and re-read and don’t fret.

I found the perfect background and appied the skyline to it and zig zagged with monofiliment. The monofiliment I used was from Aurifil. I was amazed at how easy the monofiliment worked in my machine. I’ve used this type of product decades ago and remember it was not a pleasant experience so there have been some wonderful improvements over the years.

And here it is at the show. I was pretty excited to see it up there.

If you belong to a guild that offers an opportunity to participate in a challenge for any quilt show, I would highly recommend the experience. It’s fun to see your work hanging with the work of your friends and quilt buddies. It is great to see how you have evolved as a quilter, the lessons learned and the changes you’ve gone through.

I’m looking forward to the next challenge!

Until next time…Piece!

Posted in Accomplishments, Quilt Show, Richmond Quilt Guild, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Two Simply Fabulous Finishes

Posted on November 22, 2022 by divadiversion

It started with an invitation a baby shower.  Although I realized beloved and I would be away for the event, I knew I wanted to send something special. 

So much creativity starts with a mess.  I was pulling fabrics and settled on what I thought I wanted.  There were animals and bright colors and fish and a quiet grey that pulled it all together.  The pattern although flawed but free.  Still in spite of the flaw, the correction was easy and the piece went together well.  I thought perhaps it was “user error”. 

And then I walked back into the closet and found fabrics even more appropriate for the nursery of this precious little bundle.  I cut and sewed and verified that there was a flaw and it wasn’t “user error”, but still the top went together beautifully with one simple correction.

Can I tell you the name of the pattern?  Nope, I decided that there were bunches of patterns out there to choose from and recycled the pattern.  I can tell you it was offered as a free pattern in 2013 from one of the fabric sites.

Prior to leaving for vacation I dropped them with the quilter with my ideas about quilting knowing that the quilts were in good hands.

Quilt One I am calling City Zoo.  I love the varied animal prints, and the “blender” prints I used.  Seriously those hippos and blue monkeys and alligators look so friendly!

The backing is pieced.  I didn’t have enough of the animal wreaths, but the companion print worked nicely with it.  The affirmations in the wreaths though fill my heart with joy! “You make the world a better place” “you are pure delight” “my heart adores your heart”. Honestly I’d love to put this soft message on the back of all my baby quilts! I should have bought a bolt, but alas, it’s all gone. The flannel is cozy soft and the quilt is bound in flannel as well. 

The quilting pattern used by Deanna from Creative Quilting is a variation of the City Windows edge to edge pattern and per my request she quilted it in grey thread. 

This sweet generously sized baby quilt can be found for purchase at https://www.etsy.com/shop/vintagevacouple Click on quilts and you will find this and many other quilts pieced by me and quilted by one of my trusted quilters.

Quilt Two is Bespoke Water Baby.  There are two different mermaid prints as well as two different sea horse prints.  There is a fabulous octopus and some of Dear Stella’s whales. 

All of these are surrounded by schools of fish (by far one of my favorite prints ever!).  On the back is more Dear Stella fabric, some anchors and some fish.  Deanna quilted this with a design that we are calling “Moving Seaweed with Fish” It is an adapted edge to edge design she did specifically for this quilt. There is a fish in most every blocks. This will be in the mail tomorrow.

It was such a delight to be able to start and finish something with less than 40 hours of committment. I’m going to have to do something a little less involved (like these) once in a while!

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Summer Class Work

Posted on September 15, 2022 by divadiversion

This summer I took a class with my friend Sandy through the Virginia Consortium of Quilters. The Consortium meets four times a year, twice in person and twice via Zoom. The meeting for this class was in Culpeper, VA. I love Culpeper! There are several wonderful antique shops and an Amish store with lots of interesting tasty delights and a wide variety of restaurants. We stayed two nights so we could take advantage of the location and drive home well rested after class.

Our class was Modern Hexigon Table Runner. I took it because the sample photo was cute. That was in spite of the fact that I had sworn off hexies. Several years ago I tried my hand at EPP hexies and I lost interest quickly as my hand stitching is somewhat inconsistent and the project moved incredibly slowly. But this was promising and looked finishable.

We started right in as the class was full and took up two classrooms. That being said, never once did I feel that the instructor was overwhelmed. She was organized, her instructions were clear and she was available to any and all of us to answer questions.

I brought my fabrics precut, got my hexies pressed and glued and ready to go.

Because of electrical issues we all shared irons. That didn’t really hold anyone up. Sandy had brought a cute little iron that we could use at our work table, which was very helpful. She is a great travel and quilting buddy, she thinks of all the stuff and is very organized!

These gorgeous French General fabrics are what Sandy worked with. I love how the look against the white.

It was exciting to see what everyone brought with them to work with.

We worked on our runners all day and even a little at the hotel that evening. I promptly brought mine home and put it aside to continue of another project I was working on.

Finally this week I have a finished table runner to share.

My Garden Variety Table Runner is complete.

I had so much fun working with this fabric. It truly pleased me that I had it in my stash and now it is in a cute “finish”. My difficulty was laying my hexies out so there was a consistent quarter inch in between each of them which then affected my quilting. Practice makes better, so maybe I will try this again.

If you have any ties to Virginia and enjoy quilting I would highly recommend joining the Virginia Consortium of Quilters. With the classes and meetings and retreat you will be inspired and meet many others interested in the craft we love so much. Check them out at https://www.vcq.org and I hope to see you there sometime soon.

Posted in Accomplishments, Food, Hexis, Quilting, Scraps, table runners, Uncategorized | Tagged | 4 Comments