Monday, February 24, 2020

Quiltcon Miniquilt swap

Hello Friends! Here I am fresh out of the car from Quiltcon..... laundry going and ready for a nap. Seriously. This was the most exhausting, crazy fun weekend I've spent in a long long time. There is much to process and share, but today I thought I'd talk a bit about the mini quilt swap, which I entered for the fourth time this year. And look at this incredible beauty I brought home with me....
Tish from Toronto made this for me and boy did she hit the nail on the head! I love it so much. And.... she gave me a huge bag of treats from Canada; a Starbucks mug, some adorable fabric, a jug of maple syrup and more! Thank you Tish! Here's the mini I made for her...
It was wonderful to meet up with her and swap in person...
Wouldn't this be a great day to reflect on previous quilt con swaps? Last year I was paired with Julie....

Julie's amazing improv mini hangs right over my ironing station and I think of her often when I see it! The year before I was matched up with TziTzi ....
clearly we love the same colors! TziTzi was a newish quilter when we swapped and it's been fun to watch her evolve into a very accomplished quilter. 

The first year I swapped, I did not go to Quiltcon, but swapped in the mail. Back then they were not pairing us off. I made this for Sandi....
And received this gorgeous quilt from Jane...

This one hangs right by my front door. Jane and I have since met and become dear friends. I was delighted to spend a good bit of time with her this year in Austin.

Have I been a lucky girl or what? I can't wait to swap in Atlanta next year.



Monday, February 17, 2020

inkle weaving

Because a girl can never have too many hobbies, I've added inkle weaving to my list. Several months ago, my friend Chris introduced me to these little band looms. Off we went to the weaving store where I acquired one of my own (for the record, I also talked Chris into buying another for herself.)

Here's my inkle loom loaded into the car. We went straight back to my house where Chris helped me warp it up....
This is the first band I wove, about 1 inch wide. The selvages are a bit wonky but I am otherwise very happy with it. So I wove a wider band, in the colors of the MCKMQG logo....
I intended to make it into a lanyard, but alas, I misjudged and it is MUCH too wide! No worries, I will find a purpose for it.

Most recently I have begun weaving shoelaces!
This is my first pair and I really love them!
I have several pair of converse and I suspect they will all have hand woven laces very soon!

Friday, February 14, 2020

juggling act

My friend Jayne over at Twiggy and Opal introduced a new pattern today, and I must say it's a winner! I was lucky to get to test it out. Here is my version of the baby quilt size, ready to be quilted and bound.....

I used all Kona solids for my quilt, Kona Jade, Pool, Turquoise, Ice Frappe and Chartreuse.  The background is Kona Silver.  Hop on over to Jayne's blog to see lots of different versions, including some great scrappy ones! Then head straight to her shop to purchase the pattern, so you can make a Juggling Act quilt for yourself.

Thanks for letting me test your pattern, Jayne! This is a winner!

Monday, February 10, 2020

gifted quilts

There have been lots of happy occasions to gift my quilts lately! In December, friends of ours got married. We gifted them the improv string plus quilt I had begun in Sherri Lynn Wood's workshop in 2018. My pal, Diann, of Happy Quilts quilted it for me.
Then the babies began to arrive! Dear friends welcomed their first grandchild, a girl, in January. Knowing she was coming, I had made my final 2019 fifth Saturday challenge especially for her....
I assure you the quilt is square! Apparently I had my phone at an angle and this is the best photo I got of the quilt.

Another baby arrived in January, this one a boy, a great nephew for us. I hadn't made a Line Dance quilt (pattern by Kathy Mack) in years. This one came entirely from my stash...

Another great nephew will arrive in March. This quilt is ready to head off to his family for a baby shower this month...
These were block lotto blocks I won at a McKinney Modern Quilt Guild meeting last year. I knew they would make a bright and happy baby quilt.

I love gifting my quilts and knowing they are being loved and used.