More AQS Quilts

     I did not photograph a ton of quilts and totally forgot to photo the Egyptian ones (had a migraine then). The ones I am showing made a big impression on me. I only had my point and shoot camera, not the SLR as it is too heavy to lug at a show.

Cathy Geier Landscape, gorgeous colors.

Medical illustration meets quilt, called Neurons

This has so much quilting that it was very textural.
It made me happy looking at it.

By Timna Tarr. I love her quilts, detail
below, done uniquely

The circles were quilted with the squiggle lines around. Very neat.

Such a fun quilt done so well, could not believe no ribbon!

Detail of quilt above

More fun details. Isn't the quilting just the best!

AQS Syracuse Quilt Week

     It is the first time AQS held a Quilt Week in Syracuse, 2 1/2 hours from my home. A friend of mine was willing to drive and go with me. We stayed over and went to the quilt show Thursday and Friday. I had been to AQS Paducah in April. Of course, Syracuse was smaller. There were some good things- like the rep from Nolting that I could talk to about my machine and try the handles on the new one and see and buy fabric that I had never seen.
    There were also some hiccups that I saw. The upstairs of the Oncenter Convention Center had a carpet that was one of the most yucky, dirty and stained I had ever seen. The lighting upstairs for the quilts was subpar. The hanging of the quilts was not professional- all the fold creases and such were visible and not well done. The downstairs had some special exhibits that were well done, like the Egyptian tentmakers quilts, the Nine Patch from the quilt museum wonderfully hung and lit in a very nice room. 
    My favorite was Frond Fabric and I will show what I bought on another blog post. The women were so super and passionate about their fabric.
    The architecture from downstairs looking up was really super and I think a quilt could be made from this photo.

I was wondering if I could do something like this
with denim and hand dyed lines.
I don't know how this was sewn.

Like the medallion idea, I have a center of one
and this gives me ideas.

This is the quilt I wish I had made. I love everything
about it and in it.

Close Up of what I love

Mini Project gift

     One of my art teacher friends had a birthday and we had a lovely garden luncheon. Terri loves handmade items. I thought I would use some of my made batik fabric and make coasters (5 x 5 finished). I doubled the batting to make them more substantial. I quilted with variegated thread in a square spiral. All on the 301.
     I am still trying to experiment with denim. I was able to find a small back pocket, cut it out, sew it to card stock and add a lot of edges I trimmed off some batik fabrics going into a quilt. I folded the strips in half, tucked them in the pocket and sewed them down inside the pocket flat. The streamers can go up out of the pocket or down. She loved the card.

Six coasters

All ready to go

Front of birthday card, streamers up

Front of birthday card, streamers down

     Well, it is off to Syracuse tomorrow morning for AQS Quiltweek. Anyone reading going?

Strips with blacks quilted

    This quilt is made from an assortment of dark jelly roll strips from jellyroll.net and solid color ones given me by another quilter.  I asked my mom to sew the strip tubes, I cut them, arranged them, and then she sewed the strips together as I had taped numbers at the tops and pinned them for her. I quilted this today on the Nolting trying a different idea in every strip. I would rather do this than waste fabric and batting on practice sandwiches. Not yet bound. This will be a comfort quilt. For a few of the diagonals, I used my new ruler and template base. More learning curve. The ruler squirts around all over the place. Still pretty stinky quilting. 

Back

Back detail

Front detail

Front

Winter/windmills sewn together

      The blocks from the Winter/Windmill in the Cultural Fusion book were sewn together. What fun! I do not think I will put on a border. It is lap size. Wish I would have had more of the Marimekko fabric. I want to make another!

     I also finally made my portable design walls. I had to buy a whole 4 x 8 sheet of insulation board- the foil faced, cut it in half in the parking lot in order to fit it in the car. I cut a 3 x 4, 2 x 3, and some small left overs. I still have part of the sheet. I covered it with fleece on the large one, and felt on the smaller. I attached it with clear duct which it difficult to cut and handle. I hope it stays attached. The walls are light, rigid and pins go straight into it. Now I can work on some more denim applique quilts.

4' x 4' with fleece

Back with clear duct tape

Kit rearranged

    A couple of years ago, Connecting Threads had a huge Black Friday sale. I bought a lot of precuts and one kit that was priced below $10. I asked my mother to sew sets of three strips WOF for me. I have had these sitting around. 
   The Cozy Quilt pattern was included. Finally, I cut the strip sets and put it on the design wall. Hated it. I did not like the random arrangement which is why I also hate Yellow Brick Road- never made that again. I rearranged the blocks and was much happier. The border fabric included was so similar to the block fabric, that it disappeared. So, I added two accent borders, turquoise and light green, in between. I think it gives some interest and sparkle. Now it needs backing and quilting.

This was the kit picture with leaf appliques

My arrangement sewn together

Thin borders between provided fabric borders

Another Improv experiment

    In Sujata's class in Ithaca, we did a sample rail fence cutting 5 1/2" strips into freehand units. At home, I have a lot of 3 1/2" strips because lots of times cutting fabric, there is that much left over and I hate to cut it down to 2 1/2" and lose fabric. So, I tried using 3 1/2" ones and was able to get enough to do a 5 x 5 layout instead of a 4 x 4. So, now do I continue and make more? The block would finish at 12". I could make comfort quilts out of 4 blocks by 5 blocks having no border. Hmmm.

Top block using 3 1/2" strips, bottom one made in class with 5 1/2" strips