Showing posts with label #quiltspeak. Show all posts
Showing posts with label #quiltspeak. Show all posts

Wednesday, July 24, 2019

Artsy Fartsy In Love

Disclaimer:  The products used in the project were provided to me by Island Batik and their industry partners at no cost to me.
 This is my completed Island Batik Ambassador challenge project for July, the Love quilt.

 This challenge highlights Island Batik's industry partner, Aurifil Thread.  Our challenge was to create something "artsy" using at least three different weights of Aurifil thread.  I'm not sure how "artsy" my project is, but I really enjoyed playing with my thread.

 These are the different Aurifil threads I ended up using on my project.  I used cotton 12wt, cotton 28wt, cotton 40wt, and cotton 50wt, 

 The first thing I did was a tiny buttonhole stitch around all of my patches in cotton 50wt.  I was inspired to try the tiny buttonhole stitch by a quilt I viewed at the North Carolina Museum of History's QuiltSpeak exhibit.  You can read more about the exhibit here:  QuiltSpeak Exhibit

 I continued with the 50wt thread to do a little thread painting on the orange petals of the flowers.

 Then I switched to this light gray in 40wt to add details to the leaves.  I used this fun stitch from my Janome Memory Craft sewing machine on the large tulip leaves and stitched a simple vein down the center of the remaining leaves.

 I really enjoy hand stitching, so I drew a grid on the cutouts in the vase and combined these two threads together to get the above look.  I used an orange 50wt combined with a gray 12wt for this part of my project.

 I knew I was going to use a turquoise blue in 28wt for part of the quilting, so I went out and purchased a black in the same weight.  I echo quilted around the applique design and filled in the background with straight lines.

 I used the turquoise 28wt to accent the black quilting with a variety of fun stitches on my sewing machine.  I've been adding machine embroidery stitches to my quilting in a few projects recently.  It adds a nice touch and invites the viewer to take a closer look.

 I tried Hobbs 80/20 Black batting on this project.  I've never used a black batt before.  It did a lovely job at keeping my black background deep and dark.

 I backed my project with this beautiful golden Island Batik fabric.

I used two different blue fabrics for the binding.  They blend nicely together and accent the blue stitching and blue inner border strip of fabric outlining the block.
 I cut the blue block border strip with the 1-1/2" strip die for my Accuquilt Go cutter.  It's my favorite way to cut strips.  They always come out straight, and cut so quickly.

 Here's another look at the Love quilt slumping on my front porch church pew.

 Here you can see some of the prettiest thread accents all together.

 If you want to sew the Love applique block, too, the pattern is available in my Etsy shop, here:  Love Applique Quilt Block Pattern.

The Love Quilt
Quilt Stats:
Finished Quilt Size:  20" x 20"
Finished Block Size:  12" x 12"
Fabrics:  Island Batik
Batting:  Hobbs 80/20 Black
Thread:  Aurifil

Be Creative ~ Sew Something Beautiful Today.

Jennifer Thomas


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Saturday, June 29, 2019

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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Tuesday, March 12, 2019

Quilty Happenings in the North Carolina ~ Virginia Area

Are you looking for a fun and quilty event to attend in the North Carolina/Virginia area?  There are quite a few things happening in the upcoming weeks.

1.  Inspired Piece Makers Quilt Show in Roanoke, VA ~ March 29 and 30, 2019

2.  North Carolina Scenic Route Shop Hop March 21 - 23, 2019

3.  Warrenton Quilt Days Iron Quilt Competition in Warrenton, NC ~ March 30, 2019

4.  Uncle Eli's Quilting Party in Graham, NC ~ April 4, 2019

5.  Quilt Speak Exhibit at the NC Museum of History in Raleigh, NC ~ May 4, 2019-March 8, 2020

6.  National Quilting Day at the Virginia Quilt Museum in Harrisonburg, VA ~ March 16, 2019


I imagine there are even more quilting adventures happening in the area that I don't know about, but these are a few to get you started and add to your calendar.

Be Creative ~ Sew Something Beautiful Today!

Jennifer Thomas







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