The Next Chapter

Today (5/26/18) is my last shift at Wegmans. I am not retiring but rather starting a new chapter. I have been at Wegmans on Holt Road for 8 years, and would have reached 9 on my start date anniversary in August. In that time I have served many customers and worked with many people of all ages. I have especially enjoyed working with the 'kids.' Often their first job in high school or a return for summer job for the college kids. I have enjoyed watching the learning and growing. I have listened to and encouraged the dreams as they progress through the years.

One of my favorites. A fun combination of Half Square
Triangles (HST) using copper color fabric and a batik.

This past week was the ultimate from me. I talked to one of the young people who told me of her dream to become a lawyer. When I asked her about her progress on this dream she told me that she was graduating as a lawyer this year and already has a job in corporate law.

In many ways this new chapter is my chance to pursue my dream. I enjoy expressing what I see and hear in the tangible form of an art quilt. I enjoy using scraps for spontaneous designs. I would also like to do some teaching to help others express themselves and find fun in their projects.

The next chapter begins this coming week and I move into a new space on the main level of The Shops on West Ridge Road. If all goes as planned I will be there with my sewing machine on Saturday 6/2/18 as a part of the monthly first Saturday activities. The "Shops" are open Thursday through Sunday from 10 am to 6 pm and are located at 3200 West Ridge Rd., Rochester, NY 14626.

Fun with Vintage Santas

Here is my latest wall hanging. It features three vintage santas embroidered in green on a cream swirled background. Each santa is machine embroidered and the panel was quilted prior to final assembly of the wall hanging. This allowed me to add extra batting behind each santa for a raised effect. Free motion quilting, in the cream color backgrounds around them, imitates the swirling snow. 

The black fabric used for the half square triangle block has a beautiful gold poinsettia print.

 The finished piece measure 23 1/2" by 44 1/2" with hanging triangles on the back to hold a dowel at the top for hanging and an additional dowel at the bottom to provide weight.

 The additional photos show the wall hanging in process. The machine embroidery designs are from a the "Old World Santas" collection by Beth Dix at Primerose Lane. My wife has used their designs for hand quilting in the past and were pleasantly surprised to see that they offer so much of their beautiful work in digital format. We purchased disks for the santas and the covered bridges at the Lancaster, PA quilt show last year. These are so great to work with you will be seeing more in the near future.

Hearts and Flowers for the front door.

Hearts and Flowers -  20" x 32 1/2"

Last week, I watched a tutorial with Jenny Doan from the Missouri Star Quilt Company on making a heart block quilt. Of course I did things differently, I didn't use any precuts and I did them a in a different size. I was going to make some smaller heart for the offset panels, but I like the idea of adding some flowers.

So here is my wall hanging ready for the front door in February. I call it "Hearts and Flowers." I made two of the blocks, a litter larger than the tutorial, put them together with a little offset, did some free motion quilting around and added the hanging sleeve last night. I went for high contrast around the hearts to show best from the road. I really hope the all the quilters out there share their artwork on the front door of the living space. It is a way to share what you do and tell who you are.

Hearts and Flowers, close up

Runners and Wall Hangings make scraps that become Table Tops

A few new runners, the top one is a disappearing nine patch. The bottom one come from a block I saw in the tutorials at Missouri Star Quilting. Runners are a versatile term I use for something that could be a smaller bed runner, a wall hanging or a larger table runner.

If you have read my earlier blogs, you know that very few things are considered scraps in my world. So, the corners from the runner on the bottom were used to create the smaller table tops seen in the middle photo.

Eight Become Great

Hanging with my Brother

The year 2017 has begun and today as I entered the sewing room I noticed 8 pieces of fabric that seemed rather sad. “Why so blue?” I said, well besides the fact that you are blue in color. They explained that their life began as happy members of the Northcott family and went to live in a wonderful warehouse in Missouri that even had a star on it. They were shipped here to Webster, NY and felt like they were being born as they burst happily from the shipping bag. They enjoyed life on a shelf watching the comings and goings of projects throughout 2016. They got very hopeful when their stack of 40 went to the sewing room. They were to join the pictures that Prince Parker had made and become a lap quilt for his Oma. They watched as others were lifted off the pile and were sewn together with the beautiful crayon drawings. But all of the sudden the quilt was finished and they were left behind. They were not needed in this project. They got pushed to the back of the table as Christmas projects came and went. They heard that they may be taken to “the stash” and they did not know what or where this was. They had not seen it but were afraid that it may be a cult. They heard of many fabrics going there years ago that had never returned to see daylight.

Eight squares face to face

Cut corner to corner

As I saw these eight pieces of fabric, I had an idea. I had just read about a fabric challenge based on the number eight. I told the fabric squares that if they trusted me they may still have a chance to become something great. I told them they must go two by two to see the Brother, but must face each other and not look upon the Brother. Wait they said,  “are you the Brother’s keeper?” “Yes, I am my Brother’s keeper,” I said. This was an honor entrusted to me when I visited the great Jackie Lynn at the meeting of elders in Syracuse, NY this past year (the AQS show).

HST Half Square Triangles

Time to spin

The squares of fabric went to the Brother, two by two, right sides together and were sewn on all four sides. “Wait, how will we see the light of day this way?” said the squares. After a quick encounter with Ironman, the squares received two cuts from the Brother’s keeper, running corner to corner. They flopped open and suddenly realized they had become half square triangles. Again they were sad, because they were just half square triangles and looked much the same as each other. But the keeper told them to spin into different patterns and the Brother would make them into beautiful blocks. The blocks were afraid again since they were told they could not look upon the Brother. The keeper reassured them it was OK to look at the Brother, he was just joking before.

Auditioning Fabric

As the keeper auditioned beautiful fabrics to join the blocks, they were concerned that they should not be joined to other fabrics that did not come from the Northcott family. The keeper told them that many fabrics could live together in harmony if they were just given a chance. As the project came together, there was just one more request the blocks wanted to come together in the shape of an eight to remember where they came from. 

Throughout this journey with these pieces of fabric, the keeper was reminded of a lovely, local quilter named Zelpha. They had crossed paths many years earlier and she told the keeper of her story quilts. She had told stories, like Little Red Riding Hood, in quilts with textures for children to touch as she told the story. This is not to the extent of Zelpha’s quilts but it has become a fun story based on the making of a little quilt. The finished wall hanging is 15 1/2 inches wide by 20 inches tall. Eight blue squares turned into four blocks with eight triangles in each block surrounded by a big 8. This project started a 8 am this morning and I started writing the blog at 8 pm tonight.

Runners

 

These are a few of the runners that I have created this fall. They can be considered a table runner, a wall hanging or an accent runner on a bed, sofa or chair. They are a variety of sizes and a variety of techniques.  The block with a diamond center came from a video I saw on YouTube. Here is a link to the video where Suzanne McNeill demonstrates fast and easy quilting techniques, 10-Minute Blocks and Twist & Turn, from the floor of the Houston Quilt Festival 2010.  It is an easy block that I have used a variety of ways. Her book is available at Missouri Star Quilt Company and many other places.

The top left, this is two ten minute blocks in a brown and green leaf pattern is 25" x 45" with corner triangles for hanging.

The top right, black, white and red is 24" x 43" with corner triangles for hanging.The black and white squares started as a disappearing nine patch with an added twist.

The lower left, brown, green and black is 24" x 62" no hanging options at this time.

The lower right, this is another one done with the ten minute blocks. Here I offset the black and white with purple to finish 21" x 58.5" with corner triangles for hanging.

My wife keeps asking me if I am going to have a one man show... For now this is my one man show along with postings on my FaceBook page. My long term goal is an Etsy Shop. Thanks to all who share and support my postings.