WWQP Bulletin Board

noreply@blogger.com (quilter522) — Sat, 10 May 2008 21:34:00 +0000

Has anyone made the Postcard Quilt from Kaffe Fassett's book Quilt Road? If you have, do you have any tips or suggestions?
There are lots of squares, flying geese, some diamonds, etc. All directions are to use the templates published in the book's pattern. Main thing I'd like to know if anyone has pieced this top is if you've disregarded the templates, and cut the pieces by measuring the templates & cutting with a rotary cutter.
I liked a line in the introduction to the directions ".....quite a piecing challenge & a lot of fun to do. Because of the various angles & piecing difficulties some of the borders are best made too long and then just chopped off to fit." Sounds good to me! Harriet

Thank you

noreply@blogger.com (judy in ar) — Wed, 07 May 2008 16:50:00 +0000

Thank you JudyPete. I was also thinking the $20-$25 range for exactly the same reasons. And I was also struck by the criss cross sashing.

I do ebay myself but haven't wanted to mess with that for a while. I just wanted to find a better home for it than the garbage.

This might look wonderful displayed from a cradle or doll bed or something of that nature.

Vintage Quilt Piece

noreply@blogger.com (whitestone) — Wed, 07 May 2008 15:04:00 +0000

Hi, Judy in Arkansas: While there are many vintage quilt collectors out there, most collectors want quilts that are in excellent condition. Of course, there are also those who like the worn look and use such quilts for display purposes in their home, etc. If a pattern is highly unusual, or has providence (history), that makes a vintage quilt more desireable. Quilts that date back to the mid-1800s, especially the Civil War era, are prized. I'm guessing this one dates to 1930-40. But I could be wrong.

This piece is interesting in that is has an attractive block pattern and the sashing is 'different'. I really do like that sashing and have made note of its construction. Readers can click on the photo to get a closer view.

There are many old worn-out quilts sold on eBay and they are generally listed as "cutter quilts" for the buyers will cut them up for primitive crafts. You can go to eBay and research prices on small pieces like this. Crafters might cut it for crafty items or frame it for a primitive wall hanging.

I don't have the time this morning but perhaps someone here could look up the pattern for you. That would add interest to a potential buyer, especially if you have a quilter friend who can list it on eBay. Barbara Brackman has a book that is helpful in identifying block patterns/names. Remember, though, with eBay, that they charge an upfront fee as well as a percentage of the sale price, so when all is said and done you will pay eBay approx 3-5 percent (I could be off on this) of your final sale. I think it would be better to sell it personally at home or to some reader here. Listing is a hassle because you have to take photos, upload the photos, write your description, etc. It's very time consuming.

It is good that you have not just tossed this in the garbage. Don't expect a high price. But perhaps you can find someone willing to give you a small amount that will help your quilt group buy thread, fabric, or whatever. Or perhaps you can even find a quilter who will swap you with new fabric from their stash for old quilt piece. I'm not an appraiser so will not give you an "official appraisal" but it would surprise me if it fetched more than $20. If someone here disagrees with that, I certainly won't be offended if they so state. LOL.

But thanks for sharing. If nothing else, I got a wonderful sashing idea from your photo! I missed seeing it at first because I was looking at the block itself. But take a second look at the construction of the sashing and its visual effect. It's very attractive.

Best
JudyPete

More Info

noreply@blogger.com (judy in ar) — Wed, 07 May 2008 04:42:00 +0000

I forgot to say that the size of the vintage piece is 36" X 24.5". It is completely hand quilted and the back is traditional muslin.

Vintage price??

noreply@blogger.com (judy in ar) — Wed, 07 May 2008 01:02:00 +0000

I am posting a picture of a piece of a vintage quilt that was brought to our church relief quilt making group. We think it was a regular bed size quilt at one time, but cut down as a lap robe or something similar. It was bound in a different fabric on one side and just zigzagged shut on the end. It is showing some wear but the colors are still bright. We cannot use it for our group, but would like to see if we can sell it to help buy supplies that we need.

I know that someone on here--one of the other Judys??--collects vintage quilts and perhaps could help put a price on it. We're not looking for a lot, just to get it somewhere it might be appreciated.

Thank you to whomever can give some assistance!!

Ami

noreply@blogger.com (Shelli Fiorenza) — Tue, 06 May 2008 21:20:00 +0000

Ami Simms was a blast!!!!! These quilts are awesome! Please check the website for info on where the exhibit will be in coming months. Dates thru 2010 are listed and I think there is room for more if someone's guild is interested. She does a powerpoint presentation as part of the program which explains why she got involved in Alzheimer's research (her mom has it) and you find out what an incredible life her mom had. If you get a chance to go see the exhibit, take along kleenex so you can read the descriptions.

I'll have to get back to you about the interview, I am getting the DVD tomorrow and I am going to send it to Ami to have Ami upload it to YouTube. I'm just not computer savvy enough. I will try to post a picture of Ami and myself to the site as soon as my camera recharges.

In stitches, Shelli

Shelli's interview

noreply@blogger.com (Jill from Portland) — Sun, 04 May 2008 15:12:00 +0000

Please let us know how we can see the interview, what fun for both of you!
I'd love to have Ami at our guild that would be such a treat.
Jill

Alzheimer's Quilts

noreply@blogger.com (Shelli Fiorenza) — Sun, 04 May 2008 05:18:00 +0000

I don't know if any of you have ever taken a class from Ami Simms, but I did some years ago and she was a blast! She is currently curator of the Alzheimer's: Forgetting Piece by Piece quilt collection that is traveling the country. I was lucky enough to see this exhibit today at a local high school during the Its a Stitch quilt show. WOW, these quilts and their stories have power! I will also be interviewing Ami tommorrow for our local tv channel and my camera man has given me permission to submit the video to YouTube. If you would like more info or want to see the quilts online or check the travel schedule go to: www.AlzQuilts.org Now I need my beauty sleep so I don't look to ghastly on camera--lol!

Shelli

Need on-point graph paper

noreply@blogger.com (NancyH) — Fri, 02 May 2008 22:41:00 +0000

Hi all - it's been quite a while since I've posted anything, but I've been keeping up with all your posts. I need some help desperately - I'm trying to draw up a quilt top on graph paper in an on-point setting and my little brain just won't cooperate! I turn the paper but just can't seem to get it right. I'm putting sashing and cornerstones between the blocks so that complicates it a bit. I seem to remember that there was a website where you could download graph paper. After a Google search I still didn't find what I need. Is there such a thing? Or does someone know the trick to this? Ordinarily I do great with graph paper - it's the only way I know how to draw anything! Thanks ........NancyH

Let Me Entertain You

noreply@blogger.com (whitestone) — Fri, 02 May 2008 11:55:00 +0000

For a long time the BB has been my "light moment" of the day. And learning that we do indeed have "Quilt Police" in our midst has been a tickler. I love the photo of Judy inspecting Ted Storm's quilt "Spring of Desire". I only wish the camera had been in movie mode for it would have been a real giggle to see Ted's mentor, Lois, swat Judy on the butt for her impudence. The verdict on Ms. Storm's quilt? "Quilty as Charged!"

Are there any more Quilt Police out there, hiding behind their BB facade? If so, let's see photographic proof. I need a little entertainment these days...been doing some heavy-duty family care-taking this past month and it's not over yet. An occasional giggle at the WWQP BB is very welcome indeed.

JudyPete

Inspector Judy of the "Quilt Police"

noreply@blogger.com (Judy in Ohio) — Thu, 01 May 2008 02:42:00 +0000

In the comments section of my previous posting about my brush with quilting greatness dutchrose asked "how did she achieve the look of blurriness in the 'background' of the quilt? a fabric design? a bleaching technique? sewn strips? all of the closeup pics have been of the outer edges and i'm very curious."

This photo shows my bit of silliness when I pretended to look for a flaw in the Best of Show quilt but it also shows a better view of the background fabric. I read somewhere online that it was pieced from an RJR fabric and I do recall seeing a fabric once that ran in bands of red from one selvege to another light red at one side to dark red at another side. So imagine four giant triangles of a gradated gray fabric meeting with the lightest gray points in the center ...

Lois Ide told me that Ted had worked four years in the making of this quilt so I don't think you would be able to find this fabric on the market today.

One thing that boggled my mind in seeing this quilt up close and personal was the hand quilting of that grid ...

Judy

Carbs

noreply@blogger.com (Jean in VT) — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 11:11:00 +0000

Pat, I'm probably one of the last people on earth who doesn't really know what a carb is, but could you explain? When I think of carbs, I think of bread or potatoes, but I know that's not the whole story. Could you explain carbs a little better for the diet-illiterate among us? Thanks!

Jean in VT

A Brush With Quilting "Greatness"

noreply@blogger.com (Judy in Ohio) — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 02:51:00 +0000

Tonight in Marion, Ohio I met Ted Storm the creator of "Spring of Desire" which was the winner of "Best of Show" at the AQS in Paducah this past weekend. Ted brought her quilt to Ohio so she could share it with Lois K. Ide, her beloved mentor and teacher who is an 88 year old widow who lives in Bucyrus, Ohio. There were dozens and dozens of other quilters who showed up to view this quilt up close and personal but I'm probably the only clown who joked around with a magnifying glass and pretended to be the "Quilt Police" ... I have a photo of that, too but I'm not sure I should post too many photos on the same subject.

Judy

noreply@blogger.com (Linda in AZ) — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 22:23:00 +0000

Judy Pete, your half square triangle shirt quilt was beautiful. You are inspiring me.

I am going to have my granddaughters (10 & 12 years) stay with me for 3 weeks this summer and I want to teach them to sew. I was looking for a quilt pattern and I thought I might copy your half square triangle quilt. Would you mind sharing the size of the small and large half square triangles you cut for your quilt?

Thanks a bunch,
Linda in beautiful AZ

Y2K

noreply@blogger.com (Laura in Alabama) — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 21:50:00 +0000

I made two Y2K quilts, and I thoroughly enjoyed both of them. I've decided that any fabric that gets smaller than a fat eighth needs to be cut into the largest possible square(s). This means that I have a rubber maid container of 5 inch squares, a few 4 inch squares mixed into my 5 inch container, a container of 3 inch squares, 2.5 and 2 inch squares. I have an entire box of 2 inch squares. I used up all the signature squares in my 2 Y2K quilts though.
I also keep buying the sample packs with 5 inch squares too. I've been thinking of using all these squares with the disappearing nine patch pattern.
I'll have to try that this summer, after completing my mother's quilt.
I've discovered why I no longer have time to quilt during the school year. The job I took 3 years ago, while great, is basically half an hour farther away than the one I left; that costs me an hour a day. I am also the academic team coach. I had not added up the hours, but my principal asked me to figure out the time I was spending, and it added up to 93 hours in January, mostly on the weekends. Add to that papers to grade, and now I know where my life has gone. 3 1/2 weeks until exams...
Laura in Alabama

Losing weight

noreply@blogger.com (Pat in Rockport, TX) — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 20:34:00 +0000

For me, the key is to avoid carbs. I can only seem to lose if I stay under 20 grams of carbs a day. Fortunately, I am a carnivore--I love meat, nuts, eggs, cheese, etc. And when I avoid carbs, my cholesterol stays lower, so that's another benefit. One thing about it, I know that I can never go back to eating sugary stuff and carb-dense foods, but that's okay. There are lots of lovely low-carb vegetables, and I can manage to lose if I have an occasional apple or pear, and there are Atkins sweets to placate my 28 sweet teeth. I always carry an Atkins Advantage or Atkins Endulge bar with me, to avoid temptation. When out for dinner, when others have their dessert, I whip out my Atkins and enjoy it. And it was a real pleasure giving away first the size 3X shirts, then the 2X, and now the Xlarge sizes are getting awfully roomy, and I can get into a Large shirt. My rear end has always been smaller in proportion. Size 16 pants and jeans are getting pretty roomy. I just bought some Medium size shorts for the summer, hurrah. Anyway, if you lose slowly, that's better than doing it quickly. I hope to lose another 35 pounds, but know it will take at least a year, maybe more.

bringing up the blog

noreply@blogger.com (judy in ar) — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 15:46:00 +0000

For the person who says she still has trouble opening this page on her computer. Put it in your favorites. I just click the favorite link and click WWBB and I'm here. No problems.

Y2K

noreply@blogger.com (Kathi in Idaho) — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 13:36:00 +0000

You bet I remember them! Since it was difficult for swappers to find someone from Idaho, I actually swapped enough to make three quilts. The first had all 50 states plus all of the Canadian provinces and I can't remember how many foreign countries. That one was chosen to hang in the display of Y2K quilts at Houston. My second was made from way more than 2000 squares and was a split nine-patch that I called North, South, East and West (the one in the picture with Gus and me). It is on my bed right now. As for the third batch....they went to a friend who does paper piecing, since I wasn't willing to deal with any more of the little squares after the first two.

Kathi

Y2KQ Motivation

noreply@blogger.com (whitestone) — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 12:23:00 +0000

Hi, Stripey Bear,

I remember you from the old BB days. Glad to hear you are working on your second Y2KQ. Perhaps your post will nudge me to get my second set out of the closet and do something with them.

My first Y2KQ was soooo large. My DD wants my first to hang on a wall and she'll never own a house with a wall large enough to display it. LOL. So I'm thinking of duplicating the quilt in a smaller size.

For those quilters who don't remember Y2K quilts...when this WWQP BB was in its early days, members swapped packets of 25 different 2.5 inch squares of fabric. The packets were labeled "squishies" and included a signature square as well as a short bio of the quilter. It was so much fun to open the mailbox and find more squishies with wonderful fabrics from all over the United States and from other countries as well.

Quilters were exceptionally creative in designing their Y2K quilts. The idea was to have 2000 different fabrics in commemoration of the Year 2000. The idea was to make it a true charm quilt, that is, to have no two fabrics alike. It was truly an international internet event. Many of the swappers still post here or over on the Chat Page.

Anyone else out there still working on their Y2KQs? Or is your stash of 2.5 inch squares sitting in a Rubbermaid container in the closet, waiting for some future quilter??

JudyPete

Shirt Quilts

noreply@blogger.com (Beverley) — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 08:54:00 +0000

Here in Britain, we have thrift stores, we call them charity shops. Most of our shirts are polycotton though, and would be no good in a quilt.
Looking at Judy's quilts makes me want to look for cotton ones though. They are so lovely.
I am working on the second of 2 Y2K quilts!!! It is pieced, layered and ready to quilt. I am procrastinating. Could have done 2 hours last night whilst watching the latest Midsomer Murders.
Also making a scrap quilt for a friends daughter. In lilacs, purples, creams and tans.
Stripey Bear.

Request

noreply@blogger.com (Laura in IA) — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 02:29:00 +0000

Hi everyone! We will have a family reunion in Denver (Lakewood) this June (20-22) so if anyone has suggestions for quilt stores and quilty things to do post them here.

If you would, please put them in a post because the comments are as difficult to open as the posting page on my computer at home.

I have kept busy piecing tops during this long, snowy, cold winter. I last counted six, but there are so many more to do.

I read daily if I can and think of you all whether you post or not. Thanks to those who manage to post regularly. Maybe if I update my computer at home I too could post more often and with pictures. Just maybe.
Laura in IA

Off on another tangent

noreply@blogger.com (Pat in Rockport, TX) — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 03:14:00 +0000

I recently sold my Featherweight free-arm machine for a lot of $, so spent some of it joining Sharon Schamber's web site as a Premium member. She has a lot of excellent teaching videos there. I've set myself the goal of becoming a decent machine quilter. I am practicing on charity quilts for my guild. The other ladies are horrified at the amount of quilting on the one I did last week, LOL. The one this week is just as bad. Sharon recommends practicing 4 basic shapes until they become ingrained in the brain. I just started the third charity quilt, and am branching out to combined shapes on this one. She said it takes 200 to 300 hours to get pretty good, so I have a very long way to go, and my goal is more like "adequate". I'm doing it on my dearly loved treadle machines. They make lovely stitches. I am working on making the stitches more even. I also used some of the money to purchase a Janome DC3050 electric machine, so I can do a double blanket stitch for applique. It was less than $600 and does what I need. Seems odd to buy a machine to do that one stitch, so I tried out some of the others. There's a stretch stitch that looks something like a stem stitch, that I stitched out in dark green, then stitched over the top of it with the feather stitch in light green, which made an interesting stem. I'll use that with some appliqued flowers on the Drunkard's Path quilt that I'm working on. It's going to take a long time to finish this one, since most of my quilting time will be used practicing the machine quilting for a while. I tried to put a pic of some of the blocks here, but it didn't work for me today. Maybe I'll try again later.

I've also lost a total of 51 pounds since October of 2006, and continue to lose very slowly.

Pat in Rockport, TX, who has missed the show in Paducah two years in a row, sadly.

2008 Best of Show at Paducah .... "Spring of Desire"

noreply@blogger.com (Judy in Ohio) — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 01:43:00 +0000

Here's a copy of something I've posted on the About.com quilting forum this evening:

It so happens that the quilt that has just won the biggie Best of Show prize at the American Quilter's Society Show in Paducah, "Spring of Desire" by Ted Storm, was also a winner in Houston last October. As a result of winning an Award for Traditional Artistry in October, 2007 this quilt has been featured in an article in the June, 2008 issue of Quilters Newsletter which arrived in my mailbox today.

If you get this magazine you can read a thorough interview with Ted starting on page 56 where she reveals the intricate and exhausting work that went into her winner of a quilt and then there's a full page photo of the quilt on page 90 with more statistics (which made me swoon). No way will I ever do that kind of work but it is interesting to read about the kind of person who does that kind of work. (One of Ted's mentors, Lois K. Ide, used to live up the road from me here in central Ohio so that's why I am interested in her career.)

To top this off, The Quilt Show folks have some video featuring this quilt on their Daily Blogs and you don't have to be a member to view those. Just go to www.thequiltshow.com and click on the Daily Blog link on the home page .... scroll down the list of various blog offerings and you'll see the ones covering the Paducah show and the blog where Ricky Tims interviews Ted (which is called "The Big Winner"). Seeing her quilt "in person" with the shisha mirrors reflecting the light is kind of interesting.

Judy

noreply@blogger.com (Laurel in Iowa) — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 23:28:00 +0000

Thanks JudyPete, Your quilts are terrific! I'm not sure I am ready to take on such a big commitment right now! Although using those shirt fabrics with some of the fabrics in my stash might just help bring that stash down to a more reasonable quantity.

This must be my week for questions. I took my sewing machine in for cleaning and some minor work, so I am using my grandma's featherweight for the first time. While at the repair shop, I was looking at an Elna Quilters Dream Pro. I liked the larger opening for cramming those rolled up quilts to MQ and some of the other features. Does anyone have this machine? What are the pros and cons? It would be a considerable investment compared to my midlevel Janome, and I want to make sure I've got some unbiased opinions before I even think about it.

Thanks again for the advice about the shirt fabric, and thanks in advance for any info on the Elna,

Laurel in Iowa

Shirt Quilts

noreply@blogger.com (whitestone) — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 01:10:00 +0000

Hi, Laura, Welcome to the "Shirt Quilts" section of the quilting community. LOL. You asked about mixing shirt fabrics with fabrics from your stash. Here are my thoughts...

1) In my own experience, when considering shirts, I select only those made of 100 percent cotton and preferably from a nice grade of cotton, fabrics with a good (high) thread count. Some cotton shirts are made with rather flimsy thread count and the fabric is thin, especially those of lighter colors.

2) I never use poly/cotton blends. I find that poly/cottons get flimsier with each washing. They get limp with time. If you love a good quality cotton fabric, you will not like the poly/cottons. Unless, of course, the shirts hold sentimental value for you. In that case, disregard this statement. LOL.

3) Yes, by all means, feel free to mix your shirt cottons with fabrics from your quilt store. In the two photos above, one quilt is made entirely with shirt fabs. The quilt in the first photo is a mixture. Both have held up well to repeated washes and slight drying in the dryer.

I'm getting so bad about my addiction to shirt fabrics that I browse the men's shirt section in better department stores, pre-viewing next year's yard sale shirts. LOL.

Make up a few blocks and send us a pic here on the BB!

JudyPete