Tag: quilt

Finding inspiration

July 9, 2025

Last month, my quilt guild presented a program on quilts from the late 1800’s to the 1950’s. This particular 1930’s quilt spoke to me. Not sure if it’s because of the the green background fabric or the prairie point edging, but I now have an idea on how to possibly enlarge the Vintage Windmill quilt to fit a queen size bed.

Speaking of Vintage Windmill, this quilt required more planning and prep work than most throw size quilts I’ve made. However, constructing the half-hexie units has been much easier due to said planning and prep work. I’m about 2/3 of the way done. The half hexies will be arranged in columns and sewn together to make the top. Once the top’s complete, I’ll decide about adding extra borders to increase the quilt’s overall size. Quilting will be simple: a large double loopy meander is the quilting design I keep coming back to, especially if adding borders.

I’ve been combing through my machine quilting design books to look for new no – mark FMQ designs to add to my everyday repertoire. I’ve got several versions of the loopy meander down (plain, double loops, hearts, stars and flowers). Recently, I tried one of the more angular boxy meanders that had previously given me fits. Teen size flannel blankets made for a special collaboration with the local school district provided the perfect opportunity to practice. Bonus: the Military Gold Glide thread used on my niece’s quilt also blended well with the first one. Now, to do a similar, but larger scale, boxy meander on the other flannel blanket!

Where do you find inspiration for your creative pursuits?

Label your quilts!

June 28, 2025
Label from a recently finished quilt

Yes, this is the label from the quilt referenced in two recent posts. The red you see was added with editing software to preserve my niece’s privacy. The original label was created using printable fabric sheets and my ink-jet printer. I like to use the free templates available from June Tailor/AccuQuilt as a starting point to create most of my labels. Now that AccuQuilt owns June Tailor, the templates may be found at the bottom of the Iron On Quilt Label product page (see bottom of screenshot below) rather than on the support page.

What info to include on your label? The Quilt Alliance has information about documenting your quilt and hints on making quilt labels. Simple or fancy? That’s up to you. Here’s a video that you may also find helpful.

Personally, I like to “name” the quilts I make. I also include the recipient’s name, quilt pattern name/designer, and the names of folks who helped make the quilt. I make sure to include city, state and month/year the quilt was finished. Depending on the recipient, I may include a photo of the quilt, cute graphic, quotes, or special notes about items used in making the quilt (silk ties, baby clothes, fiber content – wool, silk or bamboo batting, etc.). Recipients have told me they appreciate having care instructions on the quilt label. I like being able to customize care instructions for each quilt.

For this specific label, my sister-in-law got as far as she could before her advanced stage cancer left her too weak to continue. An extended family member was able to help me figure out when she last worked on it. I received the quilt bundle on Father’s Day. The quilt was finished and shipped to my niece yesterday (less than two weeks from receipt!). My niece approved the mock-up of the label and mentioned that she really appreciated the detail I was able to provide on the label.

Fifty years from now, my niece’s daughters will have documentation of the quilt’s history.

The Joy of Solo Quilty Travel

June 13, 2025

My favorite type of quilty travel happened this week – an event with classes, shopportunity and pretty quilts to see – Mountain QuiltFest in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. It’s a regional quilt show that attracts national teaching faculty. I really like the work of two west-coast based instructors teaching this year, so I took advantage of the opportunity to take classes with them close to home.

At least one solo quilty adventure each year seems to be the norm for me since retirement. It’s a time to focus exclusively on quilting and whatever else I want to do. Outside of classes and viewing the quilts, I can be as social as I choose to be. This year included a dinner event with Edyta Sitar (where I ran into four members from my quilt guild who’d come up to get quilt appraisals and check out potential instructors for the guild to bring to ATL in 2026 and 2027). There was also an evening show & tell, antique quilt lectures and a local quilt tour. Severe thunderstorms arrived just as my final class ended. I took myself out to dinner at a local Italian restaurant and spent the stormy evening stitching in my hotel room.

Classes with Edyta Sitar and Krista Moser were wonderful. I completed all the log cabin blocks in the Pioneer Log Cabin class with Mrs. Sitar. I even won one of her autographed books as a door prize!

For Krisa Moser’s class, once I understood the preparation and process for handling diamonds and pieced equilateral triangles, block assembly went quickly. The goal was for each student to complete at least 3 blocks by the end of class. She demonstrated how to assemble the quilt top by using all of the student blocks as her example. Here’s a sample Vintage Windmill layout utilizing blocks from 17 students:

Here’s one of my blocks:

I completed the required 3 blocks in class. The rest of the time was spent cutting diamonds from my pre-cut strips and assembling strip sets/cutting equilateral triangles for each hexie block. Next week will be spent getting the rest of the diamonds cut out and the pieced triangles made (12 required for each block).

Everyone I met in classes and in the show area was raving about how good this year’s event was. I concur. It was definitely the right call to attend this event in lieu of some other events I typically do this time of year. A return in 2026 depends how it works with my guild’s big quilt show to be held June 4-6, 2026.

Random stuff:
My stay at the Best Western Plus Apple Valley Lodge on the Parkway was comfortable and convenient. Tips: Request a non-balcony room on an upper floor if you like maximum quiet and privacy. The parking garage exits to a street that runs behind the property. Go two blocks over toward the Hampton Inn. There’s a traffic signal that will make left turns much easier. Traffic on the Parkway can be a nightmare. My plan is to stay at a hotel closer to the LeConte Center next time.