QuiltSpeak Exhibit at the North Carolina Museum of History

Postage Stamp by Mamie Hollis Dameron

 I went to see the QuiltSpeak exhibit at the North Carolina Museum of History in Raleigh, NC.

Princess Feather by Priscilla Robinson Grose

The variety of styles, techniques, and materials represented were extensively wonderful.
It was difficult to photograph, with the special lighting and no flash to protect the quilts. 

 In this detail of the above quilt you can see the fabulous hand quilting, done in tiny stitches.  Do you see the red thread outlining the green applique?  That is a very small blanket stitch.  It inspired me to do some blanket stitching on my current project, although I did mine by machine.

Cotton Boll by Probably Nancy Johnston

This quilt's visual impact is just stunning!  The traditional red and green applique over white is classic color combination.  My photo shows just one block of this amazing quilt.

Tennessee Beauty by Louisa Green Furches

Another amazing quilt!  Tennessee Beauty showcases precise piecing (yes, those curved patches are pieced!) and fabulous quilting.  

Heel, Tap & Shoe Point by Ara Adner Williams Farrar

This is my favorite quilt in the exhibit.  I'm sorry I couldn't get a good photo of this one.  I love the block design!  It's so unique and beautifully done.

 Here's a detail of the above quilt, shown in black and white so you can better see the design and quilting.  

Six-Pointed Star by Mary Blount Grimes

Each quilt is accompanied by a short story that tells about the quilt and it's maker.  This quilt had my favorite story.  It's sewn in silk fabric, and though it looks to be English Paper Piecing, it's not!  It's all very precisely hand pieced from fabrics the maker acquired from her suitor's ties and her own dresses.

Mariner's Compass by Elizabeth Jennie Roach Witherington

Fabulous Mariner's Compass quilt!

Crazy Quilt Top by Sallie Fisher

One of two crazy quilts on display.  Amazing to see in person!

 My son, Trent creating some designs using the interactive display.

Double Wedding Ring by Diana Lualtah Myers Cecil

Double Wedding Ring quilt made with feedsacks.

Checkerboard associated with Edith Anne Williams Uzzell

 I really liked this quilt made with all blue and white plaid fabric.

Not a terrific photo, and also not part of the QuiltSpeak exhibit, but I love this Alligator pincushion on display in another section of the museum!

This is just a small sample of the quilts included in the Quilt Speak exhibit.  If you're in the Raleigh, North Carolina area I highly recommend checking it out.  It was amazing to see these quilts in person and read the stories about them.  It's going to be open through March 8, 2020 at the North Carolina Museum of History, and it's a free exhibit.  I purchased the accompanying book from the gift shop.  It shows all of the quilts, and has more detailed information about each one.  I'm enjoying the read.

Be Creative ~ Sew Something Beautiful Today.

Jennifer Thomas

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Snuggly Sleepwear Sewing Update Part 2

 I had another short apparel sewing session this week.  If you didn't catch my earlier post, I'm sewing the above sleepwear,

 From this McCall's pattern.

 During this sewing session, I finished the neckline.  I added some top stitching (not shown in this photo) in a crisp white thread.

 Next, I worked on the sleeves.

 The sleeves were sewn to the shoulders first.

Then I sewed the underarm seam beginning from the cuff and going all the way down to the hem of the garment.  I'm getting close to the finish!  Maybe next time.  Do you do any apparel sewing?  Leave a comment below.

Be Creative ~ Sew Something Beautiful Today.

Jennifer Thomas

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Happy Scrappy Update ~ Still Quilting

 The Happy Scrappy quilt does not have a deadline, so it's going slowly. It's a no pressure, and partly experimental project.  I've been adding some embroidery stitches to the concentric circles of quilting.  

It takes a long time to stitch a large circle of these, but the result is so pretty!  I'm enjoying the process and I like the way it looks to have a circle of embroidered motifs here and there on the quilt top.  I'm getting close to the corners, so I may finish the quilting on the next sewing session.  Fingers crossed!

Be Creative ~ Sew Something Beautiful Today.

Jennifer Thomas

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New in the Curlicue Creations Shop ~ Week of June 24, 2019

Dragonflies Glitter Quilt Fabric

A beautiful cut of quilting fabric, Dragonflies Glitter Quilt Fabric, 100 percent cotton, 44" wide. Easy care, machine wash cold water, tumble dry low.

The design on this fabric features blue and green dragonflies over a dark blue background sprinkled with silver glitter. Perfect for your next quilting or home sewing project. So unique - be creative!

Black Paisleys on White Quilt Fabric

A beautiful cut of quilting fabric, Black Paisleys on White Quilt Fabric, 100 percent cotton, 44" wide. Easy care, machine wash cold water, tumble dry low.

The design on this fabric features black paisleys in a stripe pattern over a white background. Perfect for your next quilting or home sewing project. So unique - be creative!

Black Paisleys on White Fat Quarter Cut

A beautiful cut of quilting fabric, Black Paisleys on White Fabric. 100 percent cotton fat quarter cut. Easy care, machine wash cold water, tumble dry low.

The design on this fabric is a black paisley stripe on a white background. Perfect for your next quilting or home sewing project. So unique - be creative!

For all these and more, click here to visit the Curlicue Creations shop.

New items added weekly!

Be Creative ~ Sew Something Beautiful Today.

Jennifer Thomas

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Sewing on the Battleship North Carolina

 Last week I took two of my boys on a trip to the North Carolina coast.  One of the things we did was visit Battleship North Carolina.  We enjoy visiting historic sites while traveling.  

 I'm always looking for signs of sewing on our trips.  Here's an old Singer sewing machine that was on display in the ship's tailor shop.  Do you see the cot hanging to the left of the machine?  The sailors that worked the tailor shop had to sleep there, too.

 In the tailor shop, they did repairs and alterations to the sailor's uniforms.  According to the above, many of the sailors wanted "bell bottom blues made for liberty" to wear to impress the girls when they were in port.

 I spied this Singer shoe sewing machine inside the cobbler's shop.

 Here's a large press for wrinkle free clothing.  It's interesting to see how sewing machines were used in the past.

Here's a view of the Atlantic from North Topsail Beach, North Carolina.  

Be Creative ~ Sew Something Beautiful Today.

Jennifer Thomas

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What's Inside the June 2019 Quilty Box?

Disclaimer:  The contents of this subscription box were given to me by Quilty Box at no cost to me.

 The June Quilty Box is here!  This box arrived when I was at the beach.  I had to go to the Post Office to pick it up. The extra anticipation of picking it up at the Post Office made it extra exciting.  Maybe I should go to the beach more often.

 Oh!Oh!Oh!  I spy a bright bundle of Island Batik fabrics!!!  Excitement!  Also, do you see how everything inside the box is wrapped in tissue paper?  It gives it a special touch and makes it feel like you are unwrapping a gift every time.

 This month's featured designer is Ebony Love.  Read an engaging interview with Ebony inside the Bundles of Inspiration magazine.  Also inside is her pattern for the Starfall quilt, plus a baby quilt pattern and a tote bag pattern.

 Now for the fabric bundle!  It's Boho, by Kathy Engle for LoveBug Studios and Island Batik!

I can always use some more Island Batik fabric.

 Here's the fabric all fanned out so you can see the colors.  There's a paisley print, a butterfly print, a floral print and some swirls.  See that white fabric with the colorful flowers?  That's my favorite.  But they're all gorgeous!

  

 The Key West block ruler set is part of this month's box.  Ebony teaches you how to use these rulers to sew multiple blocks for her Starfall quilt pattern.

 Two cute stickers were tucked inside.  Share the Love Bug, and the one on the right shows the Starfall quilt.

 This month's fun new notion to try is Sew Tites magnetic sewing pins.  Neat-O.

"A way to pin when you can't", it says.  I'll have to try these out.

This month's thread is a yummy gunmetal gray shade of Aurifil thread.  Super useful.  I love this color.  It blends with just about any fabric in a dark, dramatic way.

This is an affiliate link.  Clicking this link will not affect the purchase price.

Are you thinking about trying Quilty Box?  Click the above link to visit their website.  They have a variety of plans to fit your budget needs.  Shipping is free within the United States and five percent of profits from multi-month subscriptions goes to support Quilts for Kids.

Be Creative ~ Sew Something Beautiful Today.

Jennifer Thomas

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Try It! ~ Jelly Roll Rug

 Disclaimer: The products in this post were given to me by Island Batik and industry partners at no cost to me.

 The June Challenge for the Island Batik Ambassadors was Try It!  I've been wanting to make a Jelly Roll rug for a while so it seemed like perfect timing.

 This month's project could be any size, any technique.  

 I ordered the Jelly Roll Rug pattern from another shop on Etsy.  I used Island Batik's Twilight Chic 2-1/2" strip pack, Hobbs cotton batting, and Aurifil thread in a medium brown to make my rug.

 Here's a closer look at the Twilight Chic fabrics.  Aren't they gorgeous?  I've been wanting so much to use them.  It's been sheer torture to save them all year for this project.  Those yellows!  The purples!  The deep dark blues and greens!

 The first step to making a strip rug is to cut the batting into strips.  This was the only part I didn't enjoy.  By the end of the batting cutting my hands were red and sore.  I can see why it would be helpful to purchase pre cut batting strips, or maybe next time I will use a thinner batting.  I wonder how this would work with Hobbs Thermore.

 Next, I sewed all of the Twilight Chic strips together into one long strip.  It looked like this coming out of my sewing machine.

 Then I sewed the batting into my long strip.

 I ended up with this huge unruly ball.

 Next I began sewing the strips together into the rug itself.  I used a beautiful medium brown Aurifil thread for all of the stitching on this project.  It looks nice with the spectrum of color ~ yellow, blue, green, and violet.

 My kitty cats found this project especially interesting.  That long fabric strip moving and the rug growing.  I'm sure they think I made it for them.  This is Ragamuffin, my youngest cat and biggest quilting helper.

 Trail Mix liked this project, too. She kept coming along and trying to nap on my rug.  

 When I completed the stitching, my rug looked like this.  It was amazing how much I was able to flatten it with careful pressing.  

 This is my completed rug!  I love it and can't wait to make another one.  It was fun to try this technique, and I learnt a lot.  I have an idea to make a rug that will fit into my super skinny farmhouse hallway next.

Be Creative ~ Sew Something Beautiful Today.

Jennifer Thomas

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