Month: March 2011

Re- Learning. Is that a word?

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Just a SHOUT OUT to everyone that has sent in
their block for the JUST ONE STAR project. I had the honor to start sewing some of the blocks together into quilt tops.

I joined the blocks into rows of 6 chain piecing them as I went along.

I have been quilt for 30 years and I continue to learn or RE-LEARN things. I recently attended a quilt guild meeting where Bonnie Hunter was the speaker. It was so good I went to another guild meeting 2 nights later. Bonnie has won the award for making the most fantastic quilts from scraps, leftovers and recycled, re purposed fabrics. Bonnie’s blog, Quiltville is a must read.

Bonnie’s book, Leaders and Enders, published by Kansas City Star is amazing.

This is the part where I re-learned.

Bonnie wrote an entire book that utilizes Leaders and Enders. The picture above shows what a leader is. Basically a piece of fabric to begin sewing on, before you start chain piecing your blocks together.
The leader does a couple of things.
1. It keeps your needle from coming un threaded.
2. It makes you not have those long pieces of thread to trim away.
The bonus thing it does is you can actually sew an entire separate project just by using leaders and enders.
You may remember my candy bar post from 2 days ago. I am making the dresden plate sections as my leaders and enders while I assemble Just One Star quilt tops.

Here is my ender (another dresden plate fan section) To make an ENDER sew half way and stop. Cut off the sections that you have chain pieced. Your ENDER now becomes your LEADER and you are ready to start chain piecing the next section. I love my auriful thread and using the LEADERS and ENDERS saves thread.
I never thought I needed to use a leader or ender. I didn’t have much trouble with my needle coming un threaded BUT I did hate trimming those excess threads. The back of my projects looks so much neater.
1. Adventures with Leaders and Enders
and
2. Scraps and Shirtails II
Did I forget to mention that I got Bonnie to autograph 2 of the books while she was in town?
AND I am giving them away here.
Leave a comment with a sewing TIP or something you have RE-LEARNED
and I will randomly draw for 2 books
and post the winners on April 7th.
(1 book per person)

Moda Bake Shop box

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You may have seen one of the latest projects on the Moda Bake Shop by Tilly and Susan of the The Quilt Asylum in McKinney, Texas. I was going to do a post but she did such a fantastic job I am going to link there for the how to section of my post.

My post is about The Moda Bake Shop Candy bar boxes that are in stores now. The boxes are available

in two varieties, both are equally tasty.

The instructions to make a dresden plate using the same technique that the Quilt Asylum featured is included in the Moda bale Shop box. 4 sets of “Candy Bars” measuring 2.5″ x 5″ are included in each box. Add your favorite background, center circle and binding to make a quilt all your own. Instructions for a tablerunner are also included.

Of course I am kind of a fabric “collector” so I couldn’t resist and had to have one of both.

Mixing the collections has been fun to see the different combinations.

Here is a picture of the completed quilt using 1 candy bar box.
But the SUPER DUPER GREATEST thing about the candy bar boxes is that there is a golden ticket hidden in 100 different boxes. Are you a fan of Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory? I watched that show so many times and wanted Charlie to find the golden ticket so bad! Charlie and his uncle were so excited when they finally found the ticket.  Now I want YOU to find a golden ticket. Every golden ticket wins a gift bag full of moda products. That is SUPER! But the SUPER DUPER part is that each of the golden tickets will be entered in a drawing to come and visit the candyland we call Moda. We have had a few golden ticket winners but there are many more out there.
Ask for Moda candy bars at your favorite quilt or specialty store, cross your fingers and you just may be packing your bags to visit moda. Contest runs through August 2011

NO GOLDEN TICKETS WERE FOUND DURING THE MAKING OF THIS POST.



Friday Funny

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I am amazed by bi lingual peole. How can they get their brain to switch back and forth from one language to another? I thought Spanish would be fun to learn. 4 of my 5 kids know it and the some of the girls at the office put post it notes all over my office to help me. I decided to finally take the post it notes down. Then a friend of mine sent me this and I guess learning our language isn’t all that easy after all.  #15 is my favorite.
1) The bandage was wound around the wound.

2) The farm was used to produce produce.

3) The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse.

4) We must polish the Polish furniture.

5) He could lead if he would get the lead out.

6) The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert.

7) Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present.

8) A bass was painted on the head of the bass drum.

9) When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.

10) I did not object to the object.

11) The insurance was invalid for the invalid.

12) There was a row among the oarsmen about how to row.

13) They were too close to the door to close it.

14) The buck does funny things when the does are present.

15) A seamstress and a sewer fell down into a sewer line.

16) To help with planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow.

17) The wind was too strong to wind the sail.

18) Upon seeing the tear in the painting I shed a tear.

19) I had to subject the subject to a series of tests.

20) How can I intimate this to my most intimate friend?

Let’s face it – English is a crazy language!

If teachers taught, why didn’t preachers praught? If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat?

In what language do people  recite at a play and play at a recital? Ship by truck and send cargo by ship? Have noses that run and feet that smell? You know this can go on and on.

How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and a wise guy are opposites?

You have to marvel at the unique lunacy of a language in which your house can burn up as it burns down, in which you fill in a form by filling it out and in which, an alarm goes off by going on.

English was invented by people, not computers and it reflects the creativity of the human race, which, of course, is not a race at all. That is why when the stars are out they are visiblebut when the lights are out they are invisible.

You lovers of the English language might enjoy this…  or is this just TEXAS language?

There is a two-letter word that perhaps has more meanings than any other two-letter word, and that is ‘UP’.

It’s easy to understand UP, meaning toward the sky or at the top of the list, but when we awaken in the morning, why do we wake UP ? At a meeting, why does a topic come UP ? Why do we speak UP and why are the officers UP for election and why is it UP to the secretary to write UP a report ?

We call UP our friends. And we use it to brighten UP a room, polish UP the silver; we warm UP the leftovers and clean UP the kitchen. We lock UP the house and some guys fix UP the old car. At other times the little word has real special meaning. People stir UP trouble, line UP for tickets, work UP an appetite, and think UP excuses. To be dressed is one thing, but to be dressed UP is special.

And this UP is confusing: A drain must be opened UP because it is stopped UP. We open UP a store in the morning but we close it UP at night.

We seem to be pretty mixed UP about UP! To be knowledgeable about the proper uses of UP, look the word UP in the dictionary.  In a desk-sized dictionary, it takes UP almost ¼th of the page and can add UP to about thirty definitions. If you are UP to it, you might try building UP a list of the many ways UP is used. It will take UP a lot of your time  but if you don’t give UP, you may wind UP with a hundred or more.

When it threatens to rain, we say it is clouding UP.  When the sun comes out we say it is clearing UP! When is rains, it wets the earth and often messes things UP.
When is doesn’t rain for awhile, things dry UP.

One could go on and on, but I’ll wrap it UP, for now my time is UP, so… it is time to shut UP!

Gotta go make UP some quilts. Have a good weekend.

-Modalissa

Did you ever wonder how I came up with modalissa? Watch for my post about that next week, opps week after next.

the lights are out

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All morning yesterday the power was out all over the area. Once the power was up I received this joke from Outlaw. Thought it was a good one for a Friday funny. ( be sure to look at the picture below)

I urgently needed a few days off work, but, I knew the boss would not allow me to take leave.
I thought that maybe if I acted ‘Crazy’ then he would tell me to take a few days off.
So I hung upside-down on the ceiling and made funny noises.
My co-worker (who’s blonde) asked me what I was doing.
I told her that I was pretending to be a light bulb so that the boss might think I was ‘Crazy’ and give me a few days off.
A few minutes later the boss came into the office and asked, ‘What are you doing?’
I told him I was a light bulb.
He said, ‘You are clearly stressed out.’ Go home and recuperate for a couple of days.’
I jumped down and walked out of the office…
When my co-worker (the blonde) followed me, the Boss asked her, ‘And where do you think you’re going!’
(You’re gonna love this…)
She said, ‘I’m going home, too. I can’t work in the dark.’

I find this odd that Outlaw sent me this joke. I think she might have been the person behind the power outage and she was the one trying to get to go home for a few days.

(This is only funny for those of you that know Outlaw)

I also think that this was supposed to be a blonde joke but it shows how brilliant blondes really are.

During the power outage I had gone to our storage building that had power and continued to work. I am now worried they may want me to work inside a crate everyday! It was nice and quiet.
Have a great weekend all the brilliant blondes!

Big Apple Here I Come

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When you come across an article such as this from Pilar Valadas of the New York Times you can’t help but get all goose bumpy:

excerpt from her article-
For six days only — March 25-30 — what promises to be an extraordinary exhibition will fill the Wade Thompson Drill Hall at the Park Avenue Armory. “Infinite Variety: Three Centuries of Red and White Quilts,” which was organized by the American Folk Art Museum, will present 650 red and white quilts — no two of which are alike — from the collection of Joanna S. Rose (who will donate 50 of them to the museum when the exhibition ends). The largest quilt exhibition ever mounted under one roof in New York City, it will fill the 55,000- square-foot drill hall to a height of 45 feet with a series of “rooms” defined by quilts that will be suspended on cardboard tubes. Read the entire article here.

This is a picture of the Park Avenue Armory before it will be transformed into the artist rendering as shown above.

Then zip over to the Wall Street Journal to read more by Katherine Clark

New York quilt collector Joanna Rose received her first quilt, a red and white blanket with a schoolhouse design, upon the birth of her first child in 1957. She hasn’t stopped collecting since and has amassed more than 1,300 quilts. When Ms. Rose, who belongs to a prominent New York real-estate family, recently turned 80, she decided to put her entire collection of red and white quilts—some 651—on public display.
or visit the American Folk Art Museum

Can you imagine 650 red and white quilts and no two are alike? Three centuries of red and white quilts from one single collection owned by Joanna S. Rose.  Quilts in the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal, they must have learned what we knew all along that cotton is a commodity and highly sought after whether as a crop or a cover.
I am taking a belated spring break and headed to the show of a lifetime and must say I am very excited. The only thing that can make this event any greater is that New York will be hosting the Final Four as the semi-final and championship games will be played at Madison Garden on March 29th and March 31st. (same days I am in town for the quilt show)

What a great visual….  Can you imagine the “ballers” and the “quilters?” Wouldn’t that be funny to see balllers aggressively grabbing after a me and my sister Christmas fat quarter bundle? I wonder how these guys would fare at Quilt Market’s sample spree because I have seen some quilter’s going after IT just like this. I will be at the show on the 30th. Hope to see you there.

Book Interview with Jan Vaine

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In my previous blog post about why quilts at quilt shows lure you in, I mentioned some quilts you want to make and some quilts  are so amazing that you can’t begin to even imagine “how did they do that!”
This made me think of my friend, Jan Vaine and her book, The Art of Elegant Hand Embroidery, Embellishment and Applique.
 No matter what your style is you will be amazed with the workmanship and detail of every aspect of this book. The design elements along with the clear step by step illustrations makes this book a thing of beauty as well as a valuable resource tool. All images courtesy of Landauer Publishing.
What inspired you to write this book?
I have been honored to teach at The Elly Sienkiewicz Appliqué Academy for the past five years. When invited to be a quest artist in 2007, I felt ill equipped to offer students a new appliqué skill to inspire their album blocks. They were already under the skillful tutorage of nationally known, award-winning teachers such as Mimi Dietrich, Nancy Kerns, Sue Nickels, Pearl Pereira, Sharon Schamber,
Judy Severson, Elly Sienkiewicz, and Jane Townswick, to name only a few. What could I possibly offer students?

After discussions with Bette Augustine, the Administrator of the Appliqué Academy, we decided to offer a class on embellishment techniques for the album blocks. With Elly’s permission, we chose one of her newly introduced 8” blocks from “Baltimore Elegance”, Lovebirds in Wreath. With this block as our goal, I offered students the opportunity to learn embroidery and embellishing techniques to make their appliquéd blocks sing!
The response and enthusiasm of the class spurred me to gather stitches and techniques that could be used to add life to appliqué and piecing. Over the next several years, students’ enthusiasm grew even more, inspiring me to offer the collection of stitches and techniques found in The Art of Elegant Hand Embroidery Embellishment and Appliqué.

How did you determine what to include in the book? Why multiple techniques?

Quilters and appliquers are very visual! As students, it follows that most of us are also visual learners. Over the years of teaching classes I have learned handouts, along with the actual demonstration of the teaching techniques and the student’s hands-on stitching, helps them learn and grasp the application.

I developed a method/process of preparing a workbook for students with stitch page instructions. On the left side of the workbook is the instruction page and on the corresponding right side page is a blank piece of fabric. We use this fabric page to learn how to make the stitch. Then we experiment with the stitch, using different mediums of threads and ribbons and fibers. We note under the stitch the fiber used, for example 3 strands of cotton floss, or 2mm silk ribbon. As we work through the workbook, what begins to emerge is an invaluable reference tool. When we desire to add stitches to appliqué or even a pieced quilt, we have pages of sample stitches to choose from, or a sample page to try a new thread or stitch for the desired result before we add it to the actual block or quilt top.

So I took the workbook idea one step further and gathered stitches and techniques that I thought could be used to embellish or enhance appliqué and put them into one resource book…embroidery, fabric techniques, ribbonwork, and stumpwork…all working together.

In my previous post I talked about going to the quilt show and what kind of quilts yu are “drawn” towards. This made me think of my friend, Jan Vaine from the Graham Cracker Collection and her new book, no I mean master piece. The Art of Elegant Hand Embroidery Embellishment and Applique.

How many blocks and techniques are included the in the book?
(read these numbers slowly- this is amazing)

There are 100 4” blocks, 20 8” blocks, and the 16” center block and swag. They are all in individual pdf files on a DVD included in the back of the book. For those who prefer their patterns in a paper format, there is also a companion pattern pack available, which includes all of the blocks as paper patterns, along with a booklet including transfer instructions, a listing of each block, and the suggested stitches to create the individual block.
As for techniques, there are 62 embroidery stitches, 10 fabric techniques, 20 ribbon techniques, and 8 stumpwork or raised surface embroidery techniques.

Did you stitch all the blocks?

My goodness, no. In fact, very few blocks include my stitching. In order to meet the publishing deadline, 34 ladies and one gentleman graciously offered to stitch blocks for the quilts and book. Without their willingness to offer their skills and time, this book would not have been possible.

How did you coordinate the stitching of all these blocks?

The story of how all these blocks came together is truly amazing. Each stitcher chose their pattern(s) and then received a piece of background fabric, a color swatch of a red, green, gold, and white, and some suggested stitches. The swatches offered the colorway of the proposed quilts. What was so amazing was watching the blocks return from China, Ireland, and across the United States, all beautifully coordinated for making the quilts presented in the book! I could not have planned each individual block better to fit within the four quilts.
Stitchers’ skills ranged from highly experienced needleartists to first-time stitchers. The gentleman mentioned earlier was my Dad. My Mom taught him to stitch his blocks, and he worked diligently to perfect his technique. He stitched four blocks, and I am thrilled they are all part of the book and quilts!

My niece was also a first time stitcher. She was far from home, living in Ireland at the time, and had never embroidered. So the task was set to teach her the stitches and techniques to complete her two blocks, via letters and emails. With only written instructions and hand drawn illustrations, she completed two exquisite blocks.
My Mom and two sisters, living miles away in Pittsburgh, PA, were incredibly helpful having stitched numerous blocks between them in order to bring the quilts and book to fruition!

It was a family affair!

The local Jacksonville “gardeners” were such an encouragement and blessing throughout the entire process. We would meet for lunch at least once a month, learning new techniques and looking at ideas as they worked on their blocks. Some of the stitchers even taught me a few new tricks. It was fun and inspiring for all of us! read about master gardners, here.

Other long distance gardeners hailed from California, Colorado, Minnesota, Mississippi, North and South Carolina, and Texas. When the tops were pieced, Marilyn Lange from Ypsilanti, Michigan added the finishing touch with elegant longarm quilting.

The book and quilts were truly a garden tilled by those who have a passion and love for the needlearts. It would never have bloomed without each and every one of them!

What did you learn during the publishing process? Any surprises?

It’s a lot of hard work for everyone involved, from the publisher’s team, including the publisher, editor, illustrator, graphic artist, artistic designer, technical illustrator, photographer, marketing, to the author.

Someone shared with me along the way that working with a publisher is like having a good marriage relationship. It takes a lot of quality hours, hard work, and good communication. I am extremely grateful for my marriage with Landauer Publishing, and for the exquisite book we produced!

Why is the book different from other books currently on the market?

Numerous books on the market focus on single application techniques, such as piecing, appliqué, quilt patterns, embellishing, embroidery, stump work, or ribbon work. The concept of this book was to combine multiple embellishing techniques into one resource book to offer subtle forms of embellishment to enhance appliqué and/or pieced quilts.

The clear line drawings and corresponding text take the reader step by step through each technique, clearly illustrating the stitching process. The included block patterns and quilts encourage the learning of these techniques, and inspire creativity by applying personal design and interpretation of the techniques and blocks.

Who is your audience?

The audience for this book is quilters, appliquers, embroiderers, and needle artists of all skill levels. From primitive to Baltimore album blocks, this book will be a resource for learning new techniques as well as for inspiration. It will appeal to quilt shops, needle art shops, and anyone who might like a pretty coffee table book!

Tell us something only those reading this post would know.

The release date for the book is March 2011. An advance shipment of books was delivered to The Elly Sienkiewicz Appliqué Academy for my classes the week of February 13. The response to the book at the Academy was incredible and overwhelming! I heard over and over again, “The book is absolutely beautiful!” “It will make a gorgeous coffee table book as well as being an excellent resource!”

So what makes the book so beautiful? I think a big part of its beauty is Moda’s fabric line, Park Avenue by 3 Sisters. The cover background, each beautiful page within the book, and the quilts themselves incorporated Moda’s beautiful fabric, setting the tone and warmth of the book from beginning to end! Ahhh, how we love our Moda fabrics!
So here’s to Moda Fabrics and United Notions for being a part of making my dream come true! With heartfelt thanks and gratitude Moda! THANKS Jan, You are too kind.


Jan Vaine

Jan has also sent me an autographed copy of her book. If you are interesting in owning this piece of art, please leave a comment.  I will ask Jan to drae a name at random. I will announce the name on this post, March 29th. Please make sure we have a way to get ahold of you.

AND THE WINNER IS >>>>>MIRIAM. Please send me an e-mail with your shipping details.

Sunny Saturday

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What a wonderful sunny Saturday in Big D. Perfect for the Funkyfinds show (this was in Ft. Worth- sunny there also) No pictures, you will just have to trust me. This show is such a refreshing eclectic mix of artisans featuring jewelry, art and textiles. This show is also pet friendly with many of the vendors having a water bowl and some doggie treats in their booth. I have such a soft spot for this show because it reminds me of me 25 years ago put trying to peddle my wares to put groceries on the table.

Then I zipped over to the Dallas Quilt Show and lucked into a parking space within sight of the building. This parking issue means it was going to be a good show. I could see the lineup of tour buses.

After any quilt show I go home and look at the pictures I took. Why? Who? What? Some of the quilts are so amazing for the graphic repeat. The entire background was pieced in diamonds. I am attracted to the Co-ordinated scrappy quilts. The more fabrics the better.!

This quilt was made and quilter by Angela  Blahak of Abilene, Texas
My Dad is from Clyde Texas- Abilene was considered the big city from there.

Name of the quilt is Memories of Orlena. It was inspired by the cover of  American Quilt calender 2008.
Again tons of fabrics! Simple repetitive shapes.
Again, this one has a ton of fabrics- probably vintage fabrics.
Then the most unexpected large stars appliqued.
Fun, quirky!

More vintage fabrics!  Old stars newly completed! The sashing and border was actually brown but the pictures look as if it is Grey. (The New Black)
Classic, scrappy, repetitive shapes. This one is actually a quilt guild raffle quilt. I also take pictures of quilts that I “could” make. Not that I ever will.

Millefiori Revival
by Rebecca Yarbrough of Nacogdoches, Texas
(millefion means a thousand flowers)
Truly classic vintage inspired quilt with 1,965 pieces. Some of the stars precisely cut to form a whirling star shape. Some large hexagons throughout for your eye to rest and move on to the next star.

Sometimes- most of the time- I take pictures of quilts that I know I could never make. I tried to get close to this one but there was always a crowd. I do know the same person pieced and quilted it. The background was cross hatched ever 1/2 inch. Well deserved blue ribbon!
Cinamonde Twist by Lamora Lucia Haidar of Rockwall, Texas
Quilter by Richard Larson
(Richard is a popular quilter here- he quilted many of the quilts in the show)
This one is placed in my “artsy” quilt collection. Classic pattern but the fabrics used were more contemporary and the quilting was over the top.

see why so many people choose Richard as their quilter.

I also love 2 color quilts. Something about my middle child traits certainly is too explain the range from scrappy to two color quilts. At least my preferences for 2 color quilts still features tons of fabrics.
This quilt was made by David Mowery and quilted by Susan Corbett.
Patience is a virtue!
Some quilts and colors just make me Happy!
What an incredible t-shirt quilt. Oh the memories!
Strip Study # 2
Heather Pregger of Ft. Worth, Texas
True Art.
Then I take pictures of quilts that I know friends of mine would love.
Carolyn, these two are for you.
Thank you to all the quilters for sharing their work.
Back to work on Sunday- getting ready for the next quilt show called Market!!

woad is a word

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Woad is the legendary plant dye from England and was prized by Napoleon to dye his army uniforms. You do not have to have a uniform to get a chance to dye some treasures of your own. Join Kari Meng of French General and Denise Lambet from the south of France for a Woad Workshop in sunny California on April 9th.

If you can’t make the April 9th event you could always sign up for Susan Fuquay’s Chateau Getaway in 2012, but you would have to travel to France. ( I am not sure she has one scheduled for 2012 but there is always hope.) The 2011 trip is already sold out.

Our very own, Cheryl creating her woad creation.
Laundry never looked so good.
Did Napoleon do Tie Dye?

You may recognize some of the people (Hi Sandy Gervais!) in these pictures from a past Chateau Getaway. Pictures courtesy of French General.

HOWEVER, if you are interested in turning your whites pink instead of blue, my husband will be having a laundry exhibition next time I am out of town.