Kym in Beverly Hills Shopping....

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CEK40 wrote:

JetmamaDiDi wrote:

Good morning....and happy National Quilting Day to you all....even if you don't quilt! Just to let you know, if you can sew a semi-straight seam, you can quilt!!! The fact that they offer 1/4" "feet" for virtually all sewing machines makes a world of difference because, basically, all seams can be sewn straight and the seam allowance is accurate!! So if you have any inkling or interest and a little time, I encourage you to give it a whirl and see if you like it! I love the history that goes along with it....it is a blast to the past! One of my next projects is going to be an "underground railroad" quilt...with blocks that had meaning for slaves who were taking the "underground railroad" from the south to the north. Certain blocks had meanings which indicated safe houses that only they knew. Civil War history is an area of interest and there are beautiful reproduction fabrics of the era as well as many books that offer patterns of quilts from that time.

So here is my virtual quilt show for National Quilting Day! Hope you enjoy it!

This one is called Grandmother's Flower Garden. It is a very traditional pattern which my grandma did a bit differently. Usually there is either a white or green border around each flower, but she just sewed them together....which gives it a somewhat different and unique look. This one was made by my paternal grandmother who probably provided the inspiration for my interest in sewing and quilting. She died in 1965 so this quilt was probably made in the early 1960's or late 1950's (she didn't put a label on it, but I've added one on the back with all the information I have about the quilt). It is all hand pieced and hand quilted...and is made from real vintage 1930's flour and feed sack materials, so it is a real treasure. I actually have 2 quilts she made using this pattern; the other is from fabrics she collected in the 1950's and maybe very early 1960's. I have the rest of the fabrics and have pieced together most of the hexagons she had cut and left when she died. I hope to make each of our 4 granddaughters a quilt from what remains (there is also a bunch of uncut fabric that will probably make this prossible). Wish me luck....I need to get started!!! LOL

This quilt is one of my largest and best in terms of workmanship. I finished it in 2012. Took me about 10-12 months to make and finish. It's called "Bears in the Cabin"...an original design by our quilting teacher. The center and borders are machine pieced; the border motifs around the sides and on the top and bottom are hand appliqued. I love doing needlework, so it was fun (and I did all of the applique before putting the borders on the quilt). The appliques could have been done by machine, but I opted for the hand version. I machine quilted the entire thing on my regular sewing machine (a technique known by quilters as "damn it and cram it!!!)!! It is toasty to sleep under since I used wool batting, which is incredibly forgiving during quilting and which gives a bit more loft and warmth than cotton batting (which is great for summer). For whatever reason I don't use polyester batting. In the 1980's when I first tried quilting, polyester was the only batting available and it was horrible to work with since it "slipped" during quilting...and then often "disappeared" over time for unexplained reasons!!
This is the center of the quilt...the block is called "bear paw".

These photos show some of the applique motifs around the top, bottom, and sides of the quilt. It is queen size bedspread side with a pillow tuck and overhang on the sides.



I have one more quilt to share but tinypic quit working for me when I was trying to upload them. Will try again after I post this.

I love this one Jet...if I ever get my bedroom redecorated it is going to have a "rustic" feel...this would be perfect!!!!  Your work is just beautiful!!!

 
Thanks, CEK....it is certainly one of my favs if not the most favorite because so much went into it and because fall colors are my favorite (perhaps because I was born in October??).  The lighting (overcast today when I took the pics) doesn't show the real color of the background fabric.  It was funny because when I decided to make this quilt, I had to go buy background fabric because it took something like 7 yards.  I had no real idea what color I wanted to use (it had to be neutral, tho)....and no one was more surprised than I when I came out with what is actually pretty much a sage green!!  I am NOT a fan of green as a color usually (except where it needs to be used or with Christmas fabrics) but this worked just perfectly.  Sometimes you just don't know and what you least expect works best!

HAPPY QUILT DAY JET AND GUNNER !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jet, I just love the quilts that you posted.  WOW !!!  I would take them all. lol

CEK40 wrote:

JetmamaDiDi wrote:

Good morning....and happy National Quilting Day to you all....even if you don't quilt! Just to let you know, if you can sew a semi-straight seam, you can quilt!!! The fact that they offer 1/4" "feet" for virtually all sewing machines makes a world of difference because, basically, all seams can be sewn straight and the seam allowance is accurate!! So if you have any inkling or interest and a little time, I encourage you to give it a whirl and see if you like it! I love the history that goes along with it....it is a blast to the past! One of my next projects is going to be an "underground railroad" quilt...with blocks that had meaning for slaves who were taking the "underground railroad" from the south to the north. Certain blocks had meanings which indicated safe houses that only they knew. Civil War history is an area of interest and there are beautiful reproduction fabrics of the era as well as many books that offer patterns of quilts from that time.

So here is my virtual quilt show for National Quilting Day! Hope you enjoy it!

This one is called Grandmother's Flower Garden. It is a very traditional pattern which my grandma did a bit differently. Usually there is either a white or green border around each flower, but she just sewed them together....which gives it a somewhat different and unique look. This one was made by my paternal grandmother who probably provided the inspiration for my interest in sewing and quilting. She died in 1965 so this quilt was probably made in the early 1960's or late 1950's (she didn't put a label on it, but I've added one on the back with all the information I have about the quilt). It is all hand pieced and hand quilted...and is made from real vintage 1930's flour and feed sack materials, so it is a real treasure. I actually have 2 quilts she made using this pattern; the other is from fabrics she collected in the 1950's and maybe very early 1960's. I have the rest of the fabrics and have pieced together most of the hexagons she had cut and left when she died. I hope to make each of our 4 granddaughters a quilt from what remains (there is also a bunch of uncut fabric that will probably make this prossible). Wish me luck....I need to get started!!! LOL

This quilt is one of my largest and best in terms of workmanship. I finished it in 2012. Took me about 10-12 months to make and finish. It's called "Bears in the Cabin"...an original design by our quilting teacher. The center and borders are machine pieced; the border motifs around the sides and on the top and bottom are hand appliqued. I love doing needlework, so it was fun (and I did all of the applique before putting the borders on the quilt). The appliques could have been done by machine, but I opted for the hand version. I machine quilted the entire thing on my regular sewing machine (a technique known by quilters as "damn it and cram it!!!)!! It is toasty to sleep under since I used wool batting, which is incredibly forgiving during quilting and which gives a bit more loft and warmth than cotton batting (which is great for summer). For whatever reason I don't use polyester batting. In the 1980's when I first tried quilting, polyester was the only batting available and it was horrible to work with since it "slipped" during quilting...and then often "disappeared" over time for unexplained reasons!!
This is the center of the quilt...the block is called "bear paw".

These photos show some of the applique motifs around the top, bottom, and sides of the quilt. It is queen size bedspread side with a pillow tuck and overhang on the sides.



I have one more quilt to share but tinypic quit working for me when I was trying to upload them. Will try again after I post this.

I love this one Jet...if I ever get my bedroom redecorated it is going to have a "rustic" feel...this would be perfect!!!!  Your work is just beautiful!!!

I loved seeing the quilts, Jet.  I'm partial to your grandma's...the way it all blends together.  And OMG!! you did all that squiggly quilting on your regular sewing machine!?  

I guess it's like anything else a person loves doing - and does fairly well.  If you start the project and proceed in logical steps, and then take it a step more etc.  When it's done, you look at it and think...how did I do all that. Wow.

(I look back at raising children, working, homemaking, husband, yard...much the same LOL) 
 

Not sure about elimination.  Is this a two night opening again, so we are guessing who is going home on Tuesday?  Early bird finale pick is Nyle/Peta,  Ginger/Val and Lindsay/Wanya.  Paige/Mark for top of leader board this week.  Geraldo to go home.  He seems really fit though, but I trust the sister's unanimous views on that. Thanks Luv for doing the score keeping. I think you deserve a prize for doing it! 
 Jet, those quilts are beautiful.  All of them!  I used to do quite a bit of dress making with my Grandmother.  There is unfortunately nothing left that would have made it to the other side of the world with me.  I do however have her dressmaker's scissors, which I guard just like she did.  Some for thin fabric, others for thick fabric and you observed that religiously!!