Tag Archives: Naperville Modern Quilt Guild

Out and About

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My trip to Faithful Circle went well last week. Dorothy came with me so I didn’t get lost. I would have had to print out a map without her…

I took a few pictures of the before and after…

The sign up table for workshops with my samples on it,

DSC03628 Members taking a closer look at some of my flower quilts from my lecture, the Language of Flowers.

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There were two table of quilts by the time I was done.

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I have about fifty flowery quilts… Some are definitely better than others but they all have a story. The members were very kind and listened to them all.

 

On Thursday it was time for Naperville Modern Quilt Guild to meet. We had a special hexagon show and tell.

Here is Nancy with hers, all bright and cheerful with those fun leaves around the edges.

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Then we had our regular show and tell. Here is Bert with her table runner made with a Moda Comma charm pack.

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Then my camera ran out of battery or I would have had lots more pictures…!!

We had arranged to swap charm squares so we did that and agreed to bring back something made with them  to our June meeting.

 

On Saturday I went back to Downers Grove for my embroidery and beading class for quilters, Add that extra bit of style. The title doesn’t suggest how much fun we had so any suggestions for a new one would be very welcome. My camera was fully charged but we were so busy stitching I forgot to get it out. Oh well. You will have to take my word for it. Everyone learnt new stitches and successfully added beads to their little practice quilts!

I am home now for a few days. On Thursday I am back on the road. We are going On Safari With African Folklore Embroidery to McHenry. It was snowing last time we tried… Thunderstorms are forecast this time!!

Meanwhile I have mailed my little quilt to the HMQS in Salt Lake City, sent in entries to the NQA show in Columbus and registered quilts for IQF special exhibits…

Now I really just need to make something…

 

The circle of life?

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Last week started with me starting to stitch a little hexie piece for the next Naperville Modern Quilt Guild challenge. I was using the 3/4″ hexagon papers from Paper Pieces and things were going well, other than the little Diet Doctor Pepper spill… DSC03404I think it will wash off?

But a couple of phone calls later and my plans for the week had changed…

I made a little sample for a three hour Intro to English Paper Piecing,

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DSC03466and set to work on a Modern quilt sampler…

DSC03403But then I was interrupted …

By two very welcome visitors…

We went to the park where the see-saw called their names,

DSC03459and then there was the the climbing frame…

DSC03456 Ruby wasn’t for being left behind. She got to the third rung before needing to be rescued…

DSC03457 Fun!

Monday soon came around again and it was back to the sewing machine.

I finished the sampler… My favorite Michael Miller Cotton Couture grey with the pinks I bought at Gentler Times when they had 25% off for Valentine’s Day…

DSC03481DSC03493and made a You too can machine quilt sample, using 50 wt. Aurifil thread for a great result.

DSC03499Those all made and photographed I moved on to a little Taking wool appliqué a step further piece. The Village Quilters in Wheaton will be working on it next week in a little lecture/demo I’m presenting. It’s not quite finished but here’s where I’m up to.

DSC03487I’m thinking the completed piece will make a nice little needle book cover. That’s why there’s the gap down the middle.

Here’s a close up of those embroidery stitches…

DSC03490So today I’ll be stitching on the teal circle and might be able to move on to the ever growing stack of pieced hexagon blocks.

DSC03503or maybe I’ll be back to those pink and green hexagons I started last week with?

I have also been researching Coconut Cakes for Sarah’s birthday at the weekend…

Signs of Spring?

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I finished sewing down the binding on my second log cabin challenge quilt for Naperville Modern Quilt Guild yesterday evening so today it was time to take pictures…

There are no leaves on the trees and very small bulb shoots poking through but surely Spring Will Come Again?

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I ended up just quilting vertical lines 1/4″ apart over the whole quilt top with green Aurifil #50 thread, adding a few randomly spaced lines in Sulky Blendable #12 in darker shades of green.

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That challenge completed I now need to move on and tackle Riverwalk Quilters‘ challenge ready for our April meeting. The theme is “On the Riverwalk” for small quilts to be made in 5″ increments up to a maximum of 20″ square. No fabrics were supplied but we are to include at least one batik somewhere.

My first idea is inspired by the labyrinth along Naperville’s Riverwalk. I made a simple 15″ square labyrinth block from two batiks and quilted it with a spiral.

I like the little twiggy bits on the deck…

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and here’s a close-up of the quilting with another of my #12 Blendables…

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I want to make another piece representing the brick pathways. I have been looking at photographs and drawing some designs.There are a couple more weeks before we have to turn them in so we shall see if it comes to being or not!

 

After QuiltCon?

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I always find it hard to get back into any sort of routine when I have been away. I can’t even begin to imagine having a “proper” job and needing to go to work at 8 the morning after I have returned from a trip.

So, last week I retreated to my fall back position of catching up on my recorded programs and knitting scarves for a few days.

Then I cleared up my “stuff” and did the laundry…

Fortunately Thursday was Naperville Modern Quilt Guild day and I had promised a hexagon demo so I had to work on that. Paper Pieces supplied us all with little kits to work on. I will look forward to seeing what people get up to with their new, or rediscovered, skills.

Svetlana brought her Single Girl quilt to share with us.DSC03191

Her sewing machine was at the shop so Svetlana had hand quilted it. Through flannel! She did admit her hands were a little sore. It was beautiful.

Enough sulking from me. It was time to return to my machine and I pieced a back for my log cabin quilt. Then I layered and basted it with a Pellon Legacy wall batt and I have started quilting…

A view from the back.

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and a little look at the front.

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I am half way through, but now I have to decide what to put in the negative space ? I am pondering the problem but I sent Steve off to work with my bag of Mini Eggs so I don’t have them to help me…

Back at the sewing machine!

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It was about time I reacquainted myself with my sewing machine…

So, yesterday, I filled the dishwasher, put a load of laundry in the washing machine, watched the season finale of Downton Abbey…

and having run out of excuses went down the stairs!

Jean’s quilt top had been sitting on the side for a few months. I said I would quilt it for her to donate to philanthropy at quilt guild. She only asked me a few times how I was doing… A good place to start?

I found a nice piece of fabric in my box for the backing and some Quilters Dream batting and soon got it pin basted. A few hours later and it was quilted too. Why not attach the binding? Then a quick wash and a spell in the dryer and it was finished! That wasn’t too difficult.

Here it is looking all warm and cosy against the sprinkling of snow we got last night. Jean is a master of the scrap quilt. Virtually no pieces are too small or too odd for Jean to include in a quilt. This one is a study of all shades of greens set off with a red and white check in the sashing and binding.

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I just used my number 4 stitch, widened and elongated, for nice wavy line all-over quilting and 30wt Sulky Blendable thread. With the Dream Cotton batting it’s super soft ready to keep somebody warm in the near future.

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What next? My stack of log cabin blocks from December have been waiting to be stitched together. It did take me a while to decide what to do with them. With no advance planning and no extra of the printed fabrics I just had to make them work. We need 36″ finished square quilts for our log cabin challenge at Naperville Modern Quilt Guild…  I added 32 solid squares to the 32 pieced ones. They each finish at four and a half inches so those logs are 1/2″ wide.

I think I like it. A sort of de-constructed barn raising setting?

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Now it’s on the design wall, waiting for inspiration to strike on the quilting… I have some ideas but I think I will wait until I get back from QuiltCon…

I’m flying on Thursday morning. The excitement rises.