Finally Finished my Ode to Asia

I started this quilt last year, and finally finished it yesterday. The design is roughly some pattern I once saw in a quilting magazine, but I have since lost the magazine, and then I just made it all up. The back is almost as perfect as the front, actually, I do rather find it more interesting. The ladies at the quilt guild always show there quilts, then they turn them around and show the back, and say "oh I just threw the rest of the fabric together on the back..." Well laudeedau for them. Piecing that back easily took longer, and definitely more Math skills than the front ever did. I had the piece quilted by Kathy Gyles and I think she did a great job. The larger squares have lotus blossoms - and the rest is bamboo.

Kati's Quilt

This summer I bit the bullet and finally started working on Kati's quilt. This is a drawing that I had Kati due when I was in a textile's class at KU. After she made the drawing on a large sheet of butcher paper, I traced the image with black resist on cotton. Between the 2 of us we then painted it with thickened dyes. From the start I loved it. I loved it so much I was terrified to work on it. With the help of Kris Barlow, I put together the top, and decided to quilt it on a long arm. Kris taught me how to long-arm, and together we used the same drawing ideals that Kati used, and I quilted it. Yeah. Somewhere there is video - but that is on a memory card that has briefly taken a vacation from my posession.

I even really enjoy the detail that shows up on the back due to the different color of threads. There is a lot of thread on this fabric, but I feel that it doesn't lose the quality and stories of Kati's mark making.

It has been a miserably long time since I have posted a blog, and the horror of it all is that there have been many things of which to post. First. Gramma's auction. What an event, amazing that a woman could have that much loot left after she was convinced she had gotten ridden of everything. I did walk away with a ton of quilting materials so I shan't complain. And my mom's high school yearbook. It was a fabulous day, and I spent it with great people. Atleast 5-6 months after the even I am pretty sure that is how it went.....

Later for more.

Heading South

Well, it's official...next year I will be teaching at Olathe South High School. I bet Bill is really excited about moving all my crap. Oh, it'll be good for him. This move is a mixed bag. Yes, I want to go, but it will be hard leaving CST behind. But CST will not be the same place next year, all the 9th grade teachers are moving up, and with budget cuts, all extra teachers are being moved around too, so time moves on. Really?

OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD!

OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD!
That quilt show was sooo much fun. Too late to turn back now....... People actually liked my quilts.

My Quilts will be Displayed at the

Kaw Valley Quilt Guild Show

April 24 and 25

Douglas County Fairgrounds

Lawrence, KS

10:00 - 5:00

Admission: Adult $5, Under 12 - Free

Fosters is Finally Finished

Well, on the road to Grampa Dixon's I finally finished the binding on the Foster's quilt. My bindings are getting better I think. I really love the free-motion stitching on the Foster's Friends.

Doni picked a few of the primary fabrics, and I threw the rest together out of the fabric I had on hand. The owl fabric and the polka-dots are the only fabrics actually purchased for this project. Once again, I am just using up scraps of fabric - Doesn't everyone have purple velvet and leopard print fur on hand.

This quilt was part of her Christmas present, so I suppose it is a good thing I finally got it done. I know that as soon as it comes off the wall, she will be bundling up with it. I hope it will always be a hug when she needs it. Oh so sappy....

Oh My Goodness

I almost forgot. I finished one of my little painted fabric quilts. I really, really wish the color was better. I absolutely love this one, except that the binding is uneven and the corners look funny on the binding....but with therapy....

I did free motion embroidery on the painted middle section, then the double border simply has a stitch in the ditch.

I am planning to enter a quilt or two in the Kaw Valley Quilt Show, what are your votes? I think I will go with the Geisha for sure...but then maybe a more traditional quilt..... I would definitely enter Scrabble, but it is currently in Oklahoma, so, that is okay.

Aunt Mary Ann wrote today, she has quilt fabric for me. I think I will print some pictures and send them to her, so that she can see I really will use it. I think she rather thinks I was just being polite when I said I would love to have it.....Never know what gems I will find in her lot.

Now I am starting to collect fish fabrics - SHOCKING - I want to do a fish bowl quilt.

Oh, and hope to have Doni's Fosters finished this week. Here is a little teazer for that one......J

More on the quilt trial

So, over Spring Break I had to say good-bye to three different quilts, it has been quite an emotional journey.....

I finished the Jayhawk for Connie, so it went to live at her house. The good-bye wasn't so hard, since it was the 3rd Jayhawk quilt I made. Oh, and save your comments about March madness, it seems rather like Mayhem to me. My favorite Jayhawk is still Papa's though....

(I finally delivered Kaye her quilt. Let me tell you, that one was hard to give up. The kids want me to make another one, but I can't do that, in my world, the quilt is made for the owner...maybe I will just make one similar....)

and finally, I completed and delivered the Scrabble quilt. Yeah, it turned out pretty cool, and I am sure the bride and groom (Martha and Alex) enjoyed it. It looked really good, and I love the humor in it. In case you didn't know - Martha rather proposed to Alex in a game of Bananagrams - but I played off the scrabble aspect. The entire wedding reception followed the same theme so I was "right now!" or some other cool phrase.

I also finished Ian's quilt. I particularly liked the bright colors. Ian wanted a quilt for his "Duckie" but decided he was going to keep this one. He told me that my other quilts were nice, but this was my best one... okay it was adorable the way he said it, but didn't translate to blog very well.

Another Pair of Quilts

Here are another 2 quilts that I just finished. They by no means are related to each other - I have just had time during Parent Teacher Conferences to finish the bindings. I know I would have time on my hands, so I have been saving up.....

The Geisha quilt is based on one of mom's drawings. She did several in a series, so I think I will do a couple more similar. There is one of a samurai in one that Bill is particularily interested in.

The other is the first quilt I have made based on a pattern and it was rather challenging. It didn't help that I used cotton velvet for much of it, and it has a greater thickness that regular cotton quilting fabric. But I like how it turned out. This is another one where I dyed all the fabrics for.

Both have free motion quilting/emboidery - whick is absolutly fabulous in my opinion.

Feel free to leave feedback. Jen

Yep, yep, yeppers, here is another addition. Most of these fabrics are hand dyed on Kona cotton - which is absolutely fabulous. I never know when I use my "special" fabrics how much quilting I should do, I don't want to draw attention away from the fabrics. Such a quandary.

Here are a few more quilts, including the one I made for Baby Eva.


And Papa's KU Quilt









There are a few more that I need to get photographed and posted. But I am thinking that I am pretty happy with what I have done. Any ideas or suggestions, please feel free to let me know. Oh, and Jamie, if you send me a picture of Braden's, I would love to add it to the posts.

Oh My! A Quilt Attack

Well, I created a quilt for my friend John (actually, his new baby girl) in Sept, and got rather addicted. At this point, I have made 2 full size, 2 throws, and 3 wall hanging quilts. The goal, besides that it is just fun, is to use up my fabric stash. And quite honestly, 6 quilts latter, and I still have crap-loads of fabric, but I think I have made some fabulous quilts. I even joined the Lawrence Quilt Guild - hoping to learn some new tricks.

I also have 4 quilts in the makings - but I ran out of batting, so I am just completing new tops - I will finish them as soon as I get more batting. I am doing some art quilts using all my hand dyed fabrics, and making applique projects (like Doni's Fosters Home for Imaginary Friends quilt.) I am also taking some of mom's drawings and turning them into quilts - this one is one of my favorites, but its not finished yet, hopefully this weekend.

I have posted some pictures on Facebook - and I am getting offers to buy them, and have one that I am making for a co-worker - She wants one just like Papa's KU Quilt.

And - check this out - I have learned to use a thimble, I hand stitch the bindings, and my fingertips had begun to loose their fingerprints - so I had to learn.