YEEEEEE HAAAAAAAW!!!

Okay, so I've been MIA for a loooooong time. Hopefully my hiatus didn't leave you all thinking that I'm a slacker. I have been busy doing all kinds of projects that I am anxious to share. Downloading and uploading all those pesky images on my sloooooooooow computer take their toll on my sanity. Luckily, my dad is working out the kinks with my computer problems, so hopefully, I won't be MIA anymore :)

This post is dedicated to a very special quilt for a very special person in my life.

This is a One Block Wonder (OBW) quilt that I made for my aunt and FINALLY got some pics of. She is like a second mom to me and is very deserving of something special. She has been going through a rough patch in her life and I am hoping that this has cheered her up. I started working on it back in March of this year when I was at a quilting night at my friend Jill's house (HOLLLLLLAAAA Jill). I had it all cut out but didn't get it all pieced until July. I am very happy with the way it turned out. The original fabric is this adorable Alexander Henry fabric called "From the Hip." You should all know that I have a bit of an obsession with his fabric and have quite the stash of his fabric!

I felt this was an appropriate post for my blog since I AM the Lone Quilter and I did this western-themed quilt. The idea for this quilt comes from a very funny story about my uncle that has become an inside joke between my aunt and I that I will never forget. The quick version goes like this:

I have been helping my sweet, sweet uncle (who is an artist and is very particular) create his own quilt also western-themed (more on that quilt later). He bought tons of cowboy novelty fabrics to use throughout it and he insisted on fussy cutting each block. WOW, was there a lot of blocks. We got to a fabric that had mostly cowboys on horses, but had one cowGIRL included in the repeat. He was sure to tell my aunt and I that he did not want her in his quilt, we needed to cut around her. He did not want any female likeness in his "masculine quilt." Before you ask, yes, this is for THEIR bed, where my aunt sleeps too! I thought this whole thing terribly funny and couldn't resist creating this quilt for my aunt to have. I love them both and am so grateful to have such a funny memory of them that I will never forget!

Some close-ups :)
This one shows some of the original panel

Giveaway at Green Fairy Quilts

Hello all!
Happy Friday! Just wanted to post this link to invite you all to enter this fun Moda giveaway on Green Fair Quilts.

http://greenfairyquilts.blogspot.com/

Sorry - you'll have to copy and paste the above link - couldn't get the actual link embed in the post :(

Good Luck!

Piece out :)

Charley Harper Quilt Show at Farbach Warner Park

Warning: This is a photo-heavy post LOL!

I posted my quilt that I submitted for this quilt show in my virgin blog post found here. It is an annual show put on by the RiverCity Quilt Guild, a group I am a member of. There were many quilts in the show that were nature-related that I didn't take photos of. I did take pictures of every Charley Harper quilt in the show, but a few are missing as they were blurry. I blame the new camera :( It didn't help that the show was held in a dark barn with limited lighting. Great location for the quilt show theme...not so good for photos.

If you want to compare these quilts to the original prints or lithographs, you can see his collection of works here.


Last year's well-deserved 'Best of Show'



My Lucy posing by mommy's 'Cool Carnivore' quilt (despite driving me nuts as late, I love this girl!) And, no, her leg is not missing, she is propping it up on the display!





The simple cross-hatch quilting on this one is perfect and really highlights the piece. The veins on the leaves are hand-stitched with black thread - adds a nice dimensional detail.





This one is so impressive in person - the bottom where the rat is hanging ot is actually covered with a black mesh with the "junk" items in underneath. It's a must-see in person! See the actual print here.



The use of the Indian corn on this quilt is perfect!



B-E-A-TIFUL quilting on this! Appliqued by guild founder, Jan Doench, quilted by her daugher, Katy.



The fabric used for these snowy owls is perfect. It has a ribbed texture that really imitates the work done by Harper.



Very "COOL" - a very popular Harper print. Appropriate subject for the tri-state.



Beautiful, simple quilting echoing the leaf applique. The eyes made from two round, black beads are the perfect finishing touch.



One of my favorite Harpers! Lisa left the edges of the bitten watermelon as raw edge and brushed it to make it appear as if the racoons had actually munched on the fruit slice. So cute!








This one was a new addition to the show this year. The garland is fabric tied to look like popcorn and red wooden beads. So beautiful!





Check out the quilting in the background - so pretty!



Added dimension here with an actual peacock feather sewn onto the fabric.








Couldn't resist ending the post with this picture. Lucy was so well-behaved and patient, keeping herself occupied at a kids coloring table while I went around taking pictures. I love catching her in action when she doesn't know I'm watching.

Guys Girls and Dolls...doll QUILTS, that is!

Here is one of my latest projects that I'm excited about. It's the first quilt that I drew up in EQ6 (Electric Quilt Software) and took all the way to completion! I have designed more quilts in EQ than I will ever be able (or want) to actually create. It's nice to play around with fabrics and colors and know that I don't have to physically create that particular quilt if I don't want to.

This quilt, that I've called 'Pipeline,' was for a doll quilt swap for the new quilt guild that my friend Jill and I have joined (AND LOVE!), Cincinnati Modern Quilt Guild (HOLLLLLAAAA, Jill!). It's a wonderful group of girls - we have similar loves of fabric lines and designers and share lots of fun and laughter. We have a monthly "swap" where we agree on a project, are given parameters and bring back our project the following month. For this quilt the only guideline was to make a bound quilt that measured no larger than 18" x 24". I think mine fell right at that measurement, but forgot to measure. At least I got pictures :)



Shot of the back


A closeup of the quilting


I received a beautiful aqua, red and white quilt made by our guild founder, Heather. I will post a picture of it in the coming days when I can get a nice sunny, outdoor picture. It's very worthy of a nice day to be photographed :) Thanks Heather - I [heart] it!

Can't wait for next month's swap: a set of 4 drink coasters!

Piece Out,
-Babs

Cincinnati: A River Runs Through It

Hello all!
I had really hoped to post this post over a week ago, but uploading issues prevented me from getting pictures on here. I hope to not have so long between posts in the future ;)

This second mini quilt was be part of a collection for the RiverCity Quilt Guild's show called 'A River Runs Through It.' Each guild member was challenged to create a 18" x 22" mini quilt panel representing something about our great city. This might include a landmark, a sports team, institution, business or even a local favorite food. I chose a landmark that was very important to me - a gazebo in the popular Eden Park.

I visited this gazebo as a young girl when my grandparents took me to Eden Park. My grandfather was mason/bricklayer. As a little girl, I would often ask him what buildings he had built around the city. One day, he took my brother and myself to this park to see the brickwork at the base of this gazebo. He had been on the team of bricklayers that worked on this beautiful landmark. It has remained one of my favorite memories of my grandfather.



For this quilt, I used printable cotton sheets to print a photograph of the gazebo along with the vintage sign that adorns the entrance of the park. In the closeups below, you can see the awesome vintage sign and the tufts of grass I added using embroidery thread. All fabrics are cotton with the exception of the river, which is a beatiful, rich, blue batik. The same "river" fabric was used on all member's rivers creating a continity between panels. When we signed up, we were assigned to have or river begin at 6" wide or 3" wide and then end in either 3" wide or 6" wide. This allowed the panels to be placed side by side, showing the river that runs through our great city.





Isn't it striking? I loved this challenge, and I'm glad I took it on.

Here are the pictures from the quilt show! Enjoy :)











Piece Out
-Babs

Diving in and breaking the ice that is: BLOGGING!

Well, I guess it's time for me to actually start blogging. I created this blog nearly a year ago, but have never posted! When people ask if I have a blog, I am quick to say, "Yes, yes I do!" It is immediately after this admission that I say something like, "Oh, but don't go there, because it's empty..." Time to end that. I want to become a proud blogger!

I've had lots of reservations about blogging regularly. This is mostly because sometimes I find it hard to find the time to pee, much less create something interesting enough to blog about. My hope is that by breaking the ice, I will be more motivated to finish all of my UFO's (yes, there are TONS of them!).

So here it goes - my first shared and blogged project. I'm almost giddy with excitement. After all, I know you didn't come here to hear me babble about my blog fears. This is one of my most recent projects, one of two mini quilts finished in the last week. They are for a quilt show for one of the guild's I belong, the RiverCity Quilt Guild.

This quilt is part of a yearly show that features quilts inspired by the artwork of local artist, Charley Harper. This mini quilt will actually be the FIRST quilt for my husband, Scott (despite being married 9 years!). He is a Cincinnati Bengal’s fan and though I made this for the guild show, I knew that I wanted to make it for him ultimately. I hope he likes it! The Harper print that inspired it is called 'Cool Carnivore' and can be seen here along with a large selection of his other works.



The fabrics are all batiks with the exception of the backing - a solid green Kona. All of the small dots are french knots to add some dimension. The quilting is simple, as are the lines in many of Harper's prints. I stitched in the ditch and then did vertical lines with very simple leaves falling along the lines.



I hope that you have enjoyed my first official post (YAY!). I will be back to share my 2nd mini quilt for the quilt show, along with pics from the show with you very soon!

Piece out!
-Babs