Reflections and Predictions- my 2 cents

I'll be answering the questions from my perspective as a quilter rather than a garmet sewer. 

Looking back at the 2011 sewing scene, what trends stand out in your mind?

  Gray every where and I was thrilled about it. I really hated that harsh hard white. 

Hand applique - or is that just me?
lots of Mid Mod design everywhere.
in the last couple months Im obsessed with single block quilts - or non pieced blocks ie. triangles, tumblers, etc.

What were some of your favorite things related to sewing this past year?

 For me it was Friends Fabric and Fun :)
Other than Kona solids ... I love RJR brand, Northcott , some of the Bellas ..Im happy to see them in stores and being used... 

What did you make that you’re most proud of? 










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This project and learning this blossom pattern and learning it well enough to quilt it out. I can feel my confidence building as a quilter.  I'm becoming more comfortable with my skills and exploring ways to use it to express my creativity. I feel like I have a more of voice.

What sewn projects have you seen this year that you absolutely love?
That School house Tunic! Made me want to sew a garment... :D not very likely but made me want to. 

Do you have a favorite sewing book or pattern from the past year to recommend?

Susan Beal's Modern Log Cabin. I just loved that book! I generally don't buy books or use patterns but it was a great book and got me making a log cabin.. or two. I love that she included History and  paid respect to the ladies before us.

Are there any trends you’re over and done with?

Aqua... I have so much of it in my stash its unlikely I'll ever be with out in my quilts though. I really need to make my Red/Aqua quilt before that goes out completly .. 
the zigzag quilt or 2 rail fence- yawn
coin quilt-  double yawn
Kona kona kona... there are other brands of solids  and some of them ROCK!

What are your thoughts about social media? How is it going for you? What do you love or hate?

I love that its social and fun.. I love all the great charity hookups and ways to help folks who need it. 
I love Flickr still... wonderful! twitter..rocks! facebook..Hi Friends!
im not on pintrest... seems like one more thing... Im full. 
I love store blogs.. tell me what you have, when it comes in, if I can preorder..very helpful... 


I hate that monetized blogs who get stuff for free and then push it, get this iron, get this fabric ... but don't say that it was a free item and that they are being paid to review...  my hackles are kinda up on that... If I read too often " go this store" 'buy this product" "I only use this brand" I am actively unfollowing... 

Did you have a favorite fabric collection or print in 2011?

Paris Apartment gray stripe..
A lot of Betty Dear by Robert Kaufman made me swoon...
Echo- I want to lick Jansdotter!

What do you predict for 2012 in the sewing industry?

Now that I have a great stash I'll be buying less fabric
With 1 in 4 children food insecure I think there will be more charity quilting... 
Im going crazy for neutrals, moda wovens and shirtings...   
I higher focus on quality..

Can you tell us what to expect from you in 2012? Any big projects or life-changing goals?

Im taking a more active role in caring for an elder but I expect to be doing lots more charity quilting and quilting  for my friends...  
I've kinda cleared my schedule so Im gonna be having some fun...im excited... 
I have some great quilt projects in the works.. I cant wait.
I'll changing the focus of my blog to more local charity work/quilting. With 50% of this country lowincome/poverty I feel very called to this mission. My life is so blessed I feel obligated to help. 

Quilters Rock! 

Xmas at the Guild

2011 Xmas Guild Swap

 I picked the largest bag of fabric I saw out of the gift exchange bag. Then I checked the name to make sure it wasn't one of the Queen Bees or Wannabees (every group has a couple) in our Guild. It contained a MoMo HoneyBun solids and a great piece of a Feed Sack reprint. I loved the idea of using an old print with moderns.
 Turns out it was my pal Kim, I wouldn't say that we are super close but I know her and she always so nice to everybody. I tried to hide her bag from her so she wouldn't know I had it. I didn't think I had time to do what I did last year and I didn't want her to have expectations.
for cherri 















I looked on Flickr and saw that she had favorited a technique called Strip Race (see more about it here and here
What ever I did, I wanted it to be fast, easy and simple. We had 2 months to make our gift but with the Habitat Quilts and family obligations I hadn't started till about a week before it was due.
While my husband was gone to the gym I produced the top... Yes it was that fast! no joke! petal to the metal! balls out sewing! bam! I read that it only takes 90 minutes and its true.. it does.
This border treatment is one that I have used on my Jackson School quilt and I've been drawing it for years and years... so it was super simple and fast as well ..
Next came the quilting:
I'd been doing this on a previous quilt Here so I had lots of practice and it goes so fast. Its basically "S" quilting. The quilt is pretty small at 50 x 60, a size that is very similar to Passage Quilts and I've had lots of practice.
Took a couple hours total over a couple of days.

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 I call this Awesome Blossoms- Mostly, because when I first started making them I would stop and marvel at my genius and whisper "oh wow, that is so awesome". I freehand quilt and wanted flowers that spoke to the old quilting patterns but were more free and organic. I view my quilting as sculpture, something that changes with use, and also as an expression of my femininity and of the connection I feel to women past and present.
A lot of my work shares its vocabulary with nature, being non symmetrical, using natural images rather than a grid based motif system.
detail of quilting






















Awesome Blossoms














See the whole set over at flickr  ...  and the Habitat quilts too























 Next came the Label.  As Treasurer/Membership of the Guild this/last year my duties included sending out the new cards and I asked for a stamp for the envelopes. I inked it with Fabric Ink and used it with my usual stamps... I think it turned out great.
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All in all, it took only about 6 -8 hours which I'm sure was pretty average.
Late in the evening before we all went home I finally managed a snap.  
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Heres Kim with her Xmas Swap Gift. I hope she will enjoy it as much I did making it..
Quilters Rock!

Winner! Winner! Chicken Dinner!

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The way I read it I'm supposed to have 8 winners.... I picked 11 so I have a few in the wings, in case I need them... 
Okay so its been a process... I had to re reread my instructions, make sure at least one was international.

In my case, I used the randomizer to get a list of numbers and then I hand counted..
I reread my instructions and I decided to have 1US and 1International winner and then a runner up because I thought it read like international couldn't win only be runner up.

The 2nd number I got was international so she will get the same 1st prize as our First prize winner and they are:
Amber Noel  & NotYetTheDodo is my international winner.

The Non barbell winner is:
amelieandatticus

The 2 Munki Charm/F8th winners are :
Caitlin From LethargicLass
Jenny fromKrousegirl

The 3 Fat Eighth winners are:
 Sharon from a prairie sunrise
Sarah from coincidentallyiamquilting
Kate S. from Needle and Spatula

whew! Im tired! Ill be mailing the winners later late late tonight... right now Im going to Chicken Dinner! :)
Quilters Rock!
Rachel

GIVE AWAY! day is Here!

FMF BarBells

Give away day is here .. I'm giving Flea Market Fancy Barbells. FQs of yellow, red, brown, pink BUT  a F8th of blue.
This fabric line is being reprinted, I'm celebrating! I don't have a shop but I'm sure you'll find some later this spring, the barbells won't be being reprinted. Im sure Sew mama sew will carry it and somebody is taking 10$ preorders. ( Ill put the link in after I track it down)

How do you win?
Leave a comment before Dec 16 5pm PST (make sure I have your email addy)
Tell me which Denyse Schmidt Fabric, or any OOP fabric for that matter,  you're looking for. If I  have it, and you win, maybe I'll slip some in.. Or just enter...

*EDIT* I have no Outfoxed or FFA - if you know the print or would like scraps (larger than 5" but smaller than 10") tell me.  We'll have one winner and at least two non barbell winners,  one international and one US.  I'll keep adding prizes if we go over 100 entries..

*EDIT #2 * whoo hoo! 100 entries... okay lets add another prize.. hmmm Heather Ross  sound good?
How about at least one crochet lobster (I got some in the sample sale) and You pick a F8th from these fabrics or a 6x6 charm of each...  (all poplin except the cord art supplies and twill apples)
adding another prize


















 so that's 4 winners so far.. a 1 in 50 chance... I guess Ill add another prize like this at #150
 and at #200 I'll do another edit and and add another prize.

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 *EDIT #3*
Whew! can you believe it?? Almost 300 comments and lots of new followers. So time to add new prizes right?? okay keep those comments coming but be aware I have no/zip/nada Lizzy House/AnnaMarieHorner/HeatherBailey to share.( Im hoarding it like a Squirrel with its nuts so theres that there). I do have some of the blue Pearl Bracelet from Red Letter Day and have added that in...

Keep telling me what you're looking for  in your comments ... even if you don't see it, if I have enough to share, I will.
there will be 3 more F8th winners added.. whoo hoo... this was fun...

Would love it if you chose to follow me... but its not required.  Nothing is required but a way to contact you..:)

Im shipping international

All fabric from a smoke free and pet free home.

  click the button to link back to sew mama sew.

or go straight to my pal Jill at tabslot. She is having a give away too


 Quilters Rock!
Rachel

Its Official!

Its Official! by 2ndAveStudio
Its Official!, a photo by 2ndAveStudio on Flickr.
im done quilting.... Im on to binding.
and binding and binding... I have 3 days left till our Big Xmas Potluck Portland Modern Quilt Guild Meeting. My last as a Board Member. I want to thank everybody for letting me be of service to the group. Welcome to the new Board.! Hooray!

Last/First Board Meeting









A week or so ago we all met up for the Last/First Board Meeting. The Second Annual. We meet up, sip and sup, and laugh a whole lot.
Last/First Board Meeting



Last/First Board Meeting

Last/First Board Meeting










 Good luck to Our New Board! I know you will Rock It!
Nancy, if you need me, I'll lend a hand.

In other news, watch this space, I'll be changing things up and refocusing this blog next year.
I'll be back tomorrow for a sew mama sew Give Away Day!

Quilters Rock!




Gobble Gobble!

4th grade indian Potlatch

Being childless means I miss out on all those fun school functions, where the kids act so cute. 
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Long ago I reminded a girlfriend that I didn't work and could go see all the daytime events and pagents her kids sang and danced at.. She often invites me to attend these fun "paper hat parades" this year she forgot and when her daughter asked "is Miss Rachel coming?" she did a fast text and I ,of course, came running.
A Northwest American Indian Potlatch sponsored by the 4th class of FOE.

4th grade indian Potlatch

 Complete with drumming circle, songs, unintelligible memorized monologues,  and a marvelous sub group of kids with crepe paper streamer wings who did a very fancy "eagle dance" which included 3 kids in paper mountain hats ( hats painted like mountain peaks) who sat on the floor so that we got the idea that the eagles were flying. very effective.
Afterwards the adults were invited up to the class room for pumpkin cake,
4th grade Indian Potlatch



 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Each child also also showed off their paper hat, paper bead necklace, hand colored Totem and inside that Totem....
4th grade Indian Potlatch

each child wrote a myth .... (how the chipmonk got stripes)
4th grade Indian Potlatch





















We saw all that each class had collected for the food drive

4th grade indian Potlatch






















......and a tour of the diaramas .

4th grade indian Potlatch
I liked this one especially. There are fish on those spears and the deer is dead and ready for butchering.
4th grade indian Potlatch
























Another winner with paper sack mountain, electric flickering light, split log shelter and the weebles all had real hair.

Detail:
4th grade indian Potlatch














I like the canoe that appears to be made of the skin of the white man.

4th grade indian Potlatch


















I love the toilet paper roll Totem Pole and the exquisite popcicle Long House, but the waterfall was amazing!

I love other peoples kids... most of the time.. and I am super thankful that my friends share the fun and laughter of their children with me. 

Schools out for the holiday
Hope you get your fill of food and family..
Quilters Rock!

A Trip to My Longarmer

Today I wen to pick up my quilt. I asked "My Friend and Colleague" Nancy Stoval over at 
Just Quilting  to quilt a top for me. I wanted this top quilted by "another" and I wanted somethig I couldn't do. A grid of circles, which is perfect for her statler stitchers. 

Her studio is super cool and in an old Portland Eastside Industrial building down in Produce Row. 


A trip to my longarmer

She Has Two machines which were going full blast when we got there. 
A trip to my longarmer
 Look at that Wall of Thread! Nice Porn Shot of Gammill right... thats the new camera at work.. notice the plate of bobbins in the lower right corner.
A trip to my longarmer
 Nancy is so clever she puts the finished quilt in a nice sturdy sack (somebody needs a stamp, because Im going to be reusing that bag..hint hint) 
The quilt is going to do bed duty and when its bound I'll tell you its story and show it to you. 
 Thanks Nancy! 
Quilters Rock! 
 

New Camera





A trip to my longarmer

  I finally, after years of hemming and hawing, purchased a real camera. I'm feeling very Patti Smith and don't trust myself to write much.  
This is my first photo... it was taken outside of Target, I had to stop by and pick up a new SD card. 
Quilters Rock!
 

snowflake

snowflake by 2ndAveStudio
snowflake, a photo by 2ndAveStudio on Flickr.
I've doing hand work. lots and lots of hand work.
The round balls are yo yos, my friend Jill over at tabslot cut the cardstock templates for me.  If you have a shape you want, she can custom design either an acrylic or laser cut fabric/cardstock. She  can make almost anything almost anysize... genius!
Ive been working on a border project for this log cabin project and needed a little break, and I have all these balls and sticks that I'm using on that project. ( show it to you later when I get the corners finished)
This is a study for a new project... a maquette, if you will. I was so excited when I got it finished I just needed to share.
the plan is a modern hand applique sampler.
I know I haven't posted in a while, so I wanted to drop in and say Hi!..

Clover 12 and I had a Play Date

I know Its been awhile since I posted.
I've been busy living life and a couple days of life living me.
Feeling good and able to get back in the studio, I've just been playing and experimenting.
I'm still working on this quilt. I finally made a choice about the borders. .. er, a final choice. A choice I'm acting on, a choice that's gonna take forever since it involves hand work.

Lately, I've thinking a lot about craftsmanship and design but I'm not going to go into it here. Ive seen the blowback on that subject thank you. But as a result, I've been kinda focusing on "the making" more then ever before.

Jackson School Quilt at Evergreen and Jackson School

This quilt is about this space, this intersection. I have to pass it to go just about anywhere..  and its the urban growth boundary line. Suburbs on one side; working farms on the other. Its part of what makes Oregon a great place to live, this spot is less than 2 miles from the city center of Hillsboro Oregon, the county seat of Washington County. (and the spot where I was married) I love living here.
When the breeze played across the wheat I decided to make a quilt about it.
This puppy is a large queen and we use it on our bed.
Those three circles in the border ( see them upper left) are an homage to the light and are tula pink lady bugs.
The binding is a lovely italian shirting that is silky, strong and much like Liberty.
I quilted in the year and included little details just for my Dear Husband. This is our Fifth Year in our home and I wanted to make him a present that reflected our happy home. Our happy life. I'm so grateful. I hadn't made him a quit since Xmas 2007 (when I was a beginner) and really he deserves much better.
Duh sorry .. Did I mention this has always been, from the very beginning, a gift for my husband?
Quilters Rock!
and so do their SOs. 

School is in Session.

I'm back from Sisters and Boy! did I get sunburned. its Friday and Im still red. On a whim I decided to take Susan Beals Log Cabin class at PNCA. Truth: I had money left over from my "super well planned" weekend.
  Cherri and Kaci had planned that Sisters weekend so well, and it went so smoothly, and so cheaply without feeling frugal, I think Kaci should be my tour guide for life. I could learn from her. They invited me along and hopped on the chance to hang with them.
On my Summer of making docket this month is Susan Beal's Modern Log Cabin Class
and later this month the Denyse Schmidt quilting class.  July is busy.
 
 
This is Fabric Pull for the Log Cabin class. An " its a HOOT" Jelly roll and fabrics to go with...including a The Sometimes Crafter owl print... hooray... 
 
Susan is such a thoughtful teacher she contacted each of us and encouraged us to put together fabrics that we wanted to use and I decided to bring stuff that can could go both modern and "new school traditional". Im gonna skip the "serious traditional".
 
Im keeping my eye on the prize of  trying to make a twin top before this is over. fingers crossed.

How Long is This Week?

Seems  like its been going on forever. They are still 7 days right? Seems like the 4th was so long ago.
I finished a quilt,  quited for a client and then added binding to the finished quilt. I still have binding to sew before I show it off. Went to lunch with my pal Faith and goofed off on a gal pals couch while I ate her homemade cookies! yummy. and its only Thursday... feels like Monday was so long ago. 
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 This is early on the fourth at my "neighbors" house (they live around the corner, but we share an HOA) Its our 5th year of the block party (which is in its 6th year). The boys are getting big and will be driving soon. I can tell this because all they did all night was throw firecrackers and follow the girls around.  Im not looking forward to cars going round and round and round... 
 
 We walked over to get pics early while kids were still napping.
 Heres my latest finish. made from a Jelly roll and Layer cake. It will be going into my stack 100 quilts for kids. see the button on the side there?? I am hoping it will go to the community warehouse.

Apparently, I feel a lot better as I just signed up to take Susan Beals Log Cabin Class. I scored a discount code on Facebook. :) yea me! thanks PNCA! thanks Susan!

I leave tomorrow for Sisters and hopefully it wont be like landing directly on the surface of the sun 
too hot. 

I'm not taking a machine or have any great plans, Im taking some binding(so behind and its a long drive) but Im hoping for unstructured time. 
Visiting and Goofing Off: that's my plan! 
I may blog directly here, tweet(im a twatter), flickr and I probably wont be on facebook... so look everywhere else...;)

Quilters Rock!

How You Doing?

Yesterday I took my mom out shopping. If there is one thing my mom loves, its going to the shops. We went on a long drive thru hill and dale searching for fabric. After that, we hit the mall to have chicken salad and figure out why my ipad map stopped working.
I've been getting these weird warnings about "charges" ( fees) .. so I went in to check my account.. Next week I'll be going to Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show in BFE , the hottest brightest spot in oregon   near Bend and want to take all my toys, HBOgo, Ecrack,  devices. Its a big quilting deal here in Oregon and I want to be able to ...sit in the shade/in a bar with a huge cocktail and watch movies if I get too hot ... tweet, text and flickr.
On the fabric front I got a bunch of lights to replace all the ones I've used lately and strengthen my light stash as I have plans. I'll be continuing my "low volume" series later this summer( which is my quilting-est time) and  using some of the pale greys in my next quilt. That 2 yards of black for a class later this fall.
 
Do you see the word Kaleidoscope? and the text.. Im loving the pale greys.. 
 
 and this cute fabric with the little poodle color spots .. too cute.
In the mail came a vintage sheet bundle that Im happy about:
 
Its from Jeni over at Incolororder, I'm hoping to do a churn dash, star or something for my mom( im still trying to get something made for that room.. ... I just needed a variety of good colors. It will be a quick made color blast with pale solids... fast easy big bang for the effort.. just color..

When I'm not shopping... Im still binding, binding binding! which I'm getting well sick of, let me tell you! but I have 2 left to bind so I fit it in as I can...  I start quilting a job tomorrow and Im excited to be earning a bit. hooray for that. 
So..how are you? what are you doing, sewing?? 
Quilters Rock! 

More About my Labels

original inspiration for my labels

These are  the original label inspirations for my quilt label. 
The center "washable" I got at the goodwill bins- that's right -  "the what did I just touch in order to stand next to convicts and jockey for smelly old sheets" bins! The place to go and pay by the pound for used items! we have one close and I sometimes like to go and see what I find. I found that "washable" label attached to a bedspread and promptly ripped off and stuck it in my keeper pile. 
Then maybe a year went by and my stepson was throwing out a pair of pants and I saw this label sitting in the trash attached to a pocket. When I saw that W 30 L 30 I knew what I was going to do. 
I also have a friend who has a small collection of old school stamps in her studio. like what you'd see in a mail room or shipping department from way back in the "old days". Im sure this was also a part of the process.

 I had stamps made up in as close to the same font as possible.
If you are thinking of making quilt labels with stamps... 
Get the right ink:  I like Versa Craft - heat set with an iron
I like the look of stamping on linen best but ... Im just saying, no pressure. 
Its messy and time consuming so .. no drinking and stamping.
and 
Spoonflower would probably be cheaper

I like the "doing" and the "making" - if you do too, stamps may be for you.

 There is a great pool on flickr devoted just to labels but Ive found only a few folks who are making their own using stamps.
LULUBLOOM has a nice label she developed as does leslie.keating. I also use the number/date system  leslie uses and may end up using the "no." instead of "#" when I do a "stamp 2.0" since none can tell what that smear  # is next the numerals.   Im thinking a bit more carefully about my 2.0 stamp ideas and waiting till I have a clearer vision of what I want.  

Also I have been a little more "artistic" with my numbering and dating.
Confession: I have geeked out with the dates/numbers! 2011 is a prime number as are most of the odd numbered months. Each quilt finished in this year will get an all prime numbered label. Next year they all will be even.  Im super excited about next year, I've already made notes.. I'm mulling only finishing in January, Feb and Oct. but I may have to scratch that as the summer is my busiest "season".

This year I will be making an anniversary quilt for my husband and it will get our date which is Oct.20 but thats special and if I make any Xmas quilts they will get the rare true date. ... but in 20 years will it really make any difference if it was finished in June or July? 
Quilters Rock! 
Rachel

Today is Wednesday not Yesterday

Today is Wednesday! I know that now.. :) Thursday we get more instructions on the old Quilt along, Im working on handwork, but hmm what to do while I wait.. Work on WIP tops that I have been saving for inspiration to hit.




 
This modified Bento Box (which is really a simple quarter log cabin!) has been sitting around forever for a bunch of reasons:
Its square - not really bed sized or donate sized
I had no idea how to quilt it, I think I have notes about scalloping the edges... :) HA! not likely!
Its an eye sore - that white goes poke poke poke at my eyes. 
But now I look at it and I think " mom will love it!" "who can see the quilting on color? in the white I'll do circles" 
SO its on the quilter and should be in the binding que by the weekend....

Off Topic: Not quilt related... 
 For the past 15 years I've pretty much had chronic pain in my joints and ,if truth be told, the sweet bloom of youth masked a fair bit of pain when I was young and I think Ive had this since Ive been about 18. Thats about 30 years!!! 
This last week I went to the Doctor and he did some blood tests and I bet there will be more as the weeks and months go by. But he prescribed a 3 pill cocktail taken _Just Once_ and I feel about 10  years younger!
My dad probably had this and Im feeling very connected to my genes.
As I start *violins* "a journey of recovery and discovery of healing" (maybe I'll get a lifetime movie!)  I hope you'll bear with me.  Processing all this new data is kinda daunting.
Im feeling pretty tall. :D














                                                  

Quilters Rock!
Rachel

PS here's a Rant:.... you've been warned...
I have one more comment to make because its been just eating away at me since I heard it yesterday.  I mean honestly how did I miss this? 
In December Obama made this comment regarding the lack of marriage equality in this country:
"[M]y feelings about this are constantly evolving. I struggle with this. I have friends, I have people who work for me, who are in powerful, strong, long-lasting gay or lesbian unions. And they are extraordinary people, and this is something that means a lot to them and they care deeply about,"

This is the part of that just sent me out into outer space "And they are extraordinary people, and this is something that means a lot to them and they care deeply about," 
Ok its bad enough that  the first part sounded like a white country clubber talking about civil rights in the 60s " gosh, Ive known lots of the gays" ... but he then says  "they""them" "they" !!!
Mr President, separate isn't equal, them is us,
"We are bound by an inescapable garment of mutuality, whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly." -Dr. Martin L. King, jr.-   1962


 




















WIP Wednesday

 
 
Well, its almost sewn up and the borders are pieced. Its going to come off the design board and go into hand sew mode - the plan is to hand sew 130- 150 1.25 inch dia. circles onto the border .. 
I timed it out it and it takes appox 12 minutes to sew one on - so that's about 30 hours of work.. so look for it in October to resurface ready for quilting... or October 2012 maybe... :) 
 
what are you up to? whacha doing? 
 
Quilters Rock!
Rachel