Math is Involved.................

In our journey to make a quilt, we use math including fractions, whole numbers, division of numbers--just to get to the ending.

Remember all these flying geese--I won't forget 224 of one and 224 of the other combination = 448!  A nice whole number

Take the sum of the whole number +  a part of another number =112 of these components

Now we are adding a portion of the 224 to a section that is 4.5 to = 56

That's a nice collection of parts to make up a whole

To which we add more of the portions (112) to make one whole of complete block = 56

Now, take that 56 number and divide into sections of 7 = 8
And we get our answer =



One complete quilt top! 

Quilts of Valor

Let's hear it for those who champion our heroes--which also makes them heroes!  Recently, I was honored to work along side some of these wonderful people at a sewing day for Quilts of Valor.  This organization has their mission:  to cover all combat service members and veterans touched by war with comforting and healing Quilts of Valor.

There are some ways anyone can participate in this organization: 

• piece a quilt top at least 55"x 65"
•  quilt a top
•  donate monies towards postage and supplies
• volunteer administrative assistance for the Foundation
• join a local sewing day



There were also stacks of donated fabric on hand in case our kit ran short of necessary supplies.  What to choose?  What to sew?  So many interesting choices......and with each quilt, a pillow case to match is presented.

My friend Judy and I arrived at Tomorrow's Heirlooms Quilt Shop to begin our sewing adventure.  Our leaders from Columbine Quilt Guild had kits available for us to begin our task for the day.



I chose this patriotic quilt--pattern and pre-cut strips were in the kit and we're off and stitching!

Judy chose this rail fence kit and whoa!  rail fence blocks had already been assembled!!

During the morning I took a break to see what others were working on--nice to have fabrics ready for sewing

And the facility!  great lighting!  great set-up for cutting and pressing!  great tables for machines!

Here we have the makings of an interesting quilt with 18" star block

Our sewer is on her way to completion of this interesting string center with star points

another sewer brought her featherweight Singer to show it still had some life in its stitches

Zoe Ann & Vicky, our leaders, were working on the great flannel board on this Coin quilt top==hint, if sewing this one, make sure to sew four together and then sew the strips, otherwise, you'll have wavy strips--voice of experience talking (so says Zoe Ann)

so many interesting patterns to sew together

And we are back to mine--sew four of five fabrics together; five of six fabrics together--get that!  Then cut into 8" blocks and 9.5" blocks; then cut diagonals and you have all these triangles, which are then sewn together

We are getting there--should have total 20 blocks 11.5"x 11.5"

All but borders and Judy completed her top--isn't this smashing look with such a simple pattern--it's the fabrics that make it so yummy looking!

Another good thing about being in a quilt shop is the lovely surroundings--quilts on the wall with interesting stitching

And yes, the visitors who drop in to see what you are doing............here we have a visitor who brought her prize winning quilt to show off.

Nice! and Nice!  I can see why it won Blue Ribbon at the competition

This quilter knows how to do some raw edge applique! 

This was definitely a good day and gave me a warm feeling of serving in some regard to bring comfort to our military personnel--okay, off to finish up those blocks and assemble.........

This foundation is not about politics. It's about people.

New Legacies: Contemporary Art Quilts

Exhibit now on display through August 31st at Lincoln Center, Fort Collins, Colorado is New Legacies: Contemporary Art Quilts. This juried show features various techniques to offer a range of expression to the artists' legacy. These small wall hangings use varied fabric designs with hand painting, dyeing, hand or machine embellishing, stitching, etc. This is an exciting exhibit--one not to be missed.

Jo Fitsell "Withdrawal"

Close-up

While browsing through the exhibit, I met this artist, who also has another piece in Golden exhibit at Foothills Center.  This is Margaret Abramshe with her piece "Sacred Clock of Now"

She uses photo transfers on cloth to express your thoughts

Julia Pfaff presents "Contrast XIII"

Great quilting lines

This is a prize winner "Sand Dollar Spectrum"

Betty Busby created this lovely hanging

Patricia Kennedy-Zafred has two pieces juried into this show. 

"Interwoven"

This is a haunting piece!  But well executed by Patti Morris

"Rohingya Children"

Martha C Hall, "Bits and Bytes"

Interesting piece

Sandra Palmer Ciolino

"Martello #3 Sympatico"

These are just a few of the highlights of this exhibit.  all of the works are excellent in their execution and design work--go visit!  And the facility is super nice! 

PATTERN PLAY

Have you ever thought about a design and wish you could transfer it to larger scale--maybe on wallpaper or fabric?  After seeing the summer exhibit SPUN at the Denver Art Museum (DAM) recently, my brain began to perk with ideas.  In the Jacqueline Groag area, you view her original works on paper that were transferred to textiles!  Amazing designs!

Jacqueline was born in Czechoslovakia in 1903. She studied textile design with Josef Hofmann in Vienna in the 1920's. She designed textiles in Vienna in the 30's and received a gold medal at the Paris World fair in 1937. She designed textiles for the leading fashion houses in Paris, including Chanel , Jeanne Lanvin et Paul Poiret. In 1939 she immigrated with her husband Jacques Groag, an architect, to the United Kingdom.





What exciting contemporary fabrics these are! 

Fabric printing goes back years and years--there is batik printing using wax and stamps.  But, today we want faster and easier ways to take our designs to fabric. 

There are various ways we can transfer our own drawings to fabric in our own home--inkjet printing is one way and that involves a printer and some computer work. 

Here is an idea!  Try this!  Spoonflower definitely has the right idea!  Upload your design and you too can have that special fabric, wrapping paper, wallpaper, etc. with your unique design--what a novel idea!!
Off to the drawing board.....................................................

Wrap Yourself in This!

Another one bites the dust--Off the needles! Hurrah!! Let's all shout from the rooftops! Knitting finished!!

This was begun many weeks ago--a clue a week--another one of those mysteries that I'm so fond of.  This one came from yahoo group--summer shawl mystery.  Yes, I got stuck on shawls for awhile--I just love working those patterns and seeing those charts........

At one point, I thought this would never end, then another clue would come out and I would rush to begin knitting again.  I was behind two weeks once but caught up quickly as the stitches knitted and purled off my needles.  Then at the end of clue 5, I waited for another clue and it didn't arrive--what's the problem??  Answer--me!  I didn't read through the top portion of the clue--after row #1000+ (or so it seemed at times), bind off!   Well, duh!  We are blocking.....................

You can tell from the color change, something happen here--I ran out of the red yarn and had to bring in the stash to finish off the shawl------------

Actually, I rather like it this way! 

In between those days, I wasn't knitting on the shawl, I had these plain socks to knit--I could knit these in the dark if need be; just mindless knitting to keep the fingers and hands active.

Okay, we were in a dread--no shawl to knit--wait, there is that one in the bag that was begun earlier in the spring and brought to Colorado home and left aside thinking there wasn't enough yarn to finish

I picked that up and began knitting--oh, could there just be enough yarn to finish this, it's a good possibility!  Tally ho, knitting is good.................

 Finished!!  Yes!  And it looks great!  blocking and then ready to wear!

This was such a lovely knitting pattern--easy to follow and lovely leaves in the body--"Leaf Evolution" on Ravelry.