Weekend with Sue Spargo

I attended three days of classes with Sue Spargo last weekend, and it was wonderful to be surrounded by so much creativity! The classes were held at Smith Owen Sewing Center here in Grand Rapids. Sue comes every year in the fall, and the classes fill up fast. This year we worked on the Pomegranate Tablerunner for two days,

and then a needlecase sampler on Sunday.

I don't really care for orange, so I decided to do my Pomegranate's in pomegranate colors. For some reason it took me most of the first day to get it just right, but when I was done I loved it. The second day was spent stitching the pieces down, although I admit I have a hard time staying on task when there is so much going on.

I didn't get any embellishing done, but I bought some threads and things to add to my stash, so I have a lot to chose from when I get there.

Here is part of the shop Sue set up for our browsing pleasure. Most of us grazed there all weekend, adding to our piles each day.

I'm a convert to these sewing bags Sue sells on her website. They are so handy, and I love the snaps instead of a zipper. I need to pick up some more in the smaller sizes.

Here's a pic of me working away, taken by Judy from CJ Stitching and Blooms. She and Susan from Sukylady are in my Yahoo Woolstitchery group, and we all met for the first time at the class. Susan's daughter Fiona attended with her on Sunday.

Sue sells the kit for the tablerunner on her website if you want to try it for yourself.

You probably already know about Janet from Quiltsalott sharing her pattern for Susan McCord's Trailing Vine Quilt. I bought the fabrics for it, but I'm still deciding with poison green to use for the vines. Fabric choices are always the hardest part of quilting for me!

I have added a lot of close-ups of Sue's embellished samplers on my Flickr page. Just click on the widget on my sidebar to see them. Enjoy!

Eagle Medallion

A little over a year ago I was contacted by Sue Wildemuth from Illinois Quilt History and asked to do a commission for a project she was starting. Sue has a particular interest in Eagle Quilts, and has quite a collection of them. She features them on her Eagle Quilts: Antique, Vintage, and New Quilt History Study CD for sale on her website.

She told me she wanted to commission a Miniature Historical Eagle Quilt for each decade from 1790 to the present, and asked me to participate. I said I would love to! I picked the 1860's, which is my favorite decade for quilts, textiles, and clothing. The quilt had to be 24 x 24, or smaller, be a reproduction of a quilt from your decade, or in the style of, and of course, have an eagle in it!

I started searching for inspiration, and found it on page 123 of Kiracofe's The American Quilt. It's a four block, appliqued, red and green quilt from northeastern Ohio. Who doesn't love red and green?!

And here is what my interpretation looks like. Although the original has reverse applique, mine is all regular applique, and I embroidered the tendrils in silk.

Here's a closeup of the head.

Sue hopes to have the quilts exhibited at sites around the country in the near future. I'm hoping my Quilt History Study Group can bring the exhibit here to town for the AQS show next year. I'll post more info about where you can see the quilts when it's available.

I had a great time being involved in the project. Thanks so much for asking me Sue!

Pennsylvania Charm

I got a tip from one of my quilt history lists to check out Pook and Pook's upcoming auction. I think most of the quilts and needlework are in lots 300 and later. Look at this charming pieced and applique'd crib quilt.

And this Whig Rose. I love the birds in the border.

But for some reason, my heart is captured by this simple Shoo-fly doll quilt.

The Elizabeth MacCullough Hervey Quilt is my favorite Baltimore Album Quilt. It's also one of the quilts the Baltimore Applique Society has made a pattern of to offer for sale. I finally saved up the money to buy it a few months ago, only to find out I'd just missed it, and it was sold out. Now, because of so many requests, the BAS is willing to reprint this pattern if they get 25 orders for it. If you think you will ever want to make this quilt in the future, now is your chance to get the pattern. If you are interested or have questions, email Cathy at baspresident@gmail.com. You can read more about the quilt, and the other patterns they have made available, here, under the Past Activites tab.

By now you've probably heard about the new John Hewson fabric line from Andover on another blog or website. I've been counting the minutes till this was available early next month, and wondering if I should find somewhere to pre-order it so I'm not left out in the cold. :( Then my friend Sharon sent me a link to the Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum. The bad news is the fabric arrival is going to be delayed a bit. The good news is, if you pre-order from them before Nov. 1, you get 20% off the fabric price. !

Don't miss the chance to get this great fabric, at a great price, and help support one of our increasingly endangered Quilt Museums. IMHO these panels won't last long. Thanks, Sharon, for the tip. ;)

Winner!

And the winner of the giveaway is Bonnie of Institches with Bonnie! Congratulations Bonnie, and I hope you enjoy your necklace!

Isn't this the most fun fabric ever?! Well, most fun non-repro fabric ever. :)

It's the lining fabric for the Prairie Crocus Tote. I may have to buy some extra. I didn't waste time waiting for the results of my poll last post, but dove right in. I would have had the tote done, but discovered I didn't have a wool thread that matched the base, so I sent off a quick order. It came yesterday, so I can get back to it tomorrow.

And here are the hexies I have basted for the Dutch Beauty. There are 4 different ones, but luckily the pattern has a good color chart, so I don't have to worry about the layout.

I kind of took the day off after a visit to the vet this morning with Rufus for a checkup. Anyone with a cat doesn't need an explanation for the need for rest after that. ;) I'm ready to get back to sewing tomorrow, though, and as soon as I get the tote done, I'll get the silk thread project on the frame and start working on that too.

Enjoy the weekend!

Giveaway!!

I've finally finished a commission that I have been working on exclusively for months, so I'm celebrating with a giveaway! Unfortunately, I was so excited to send it off that I forgot to take pictures, but she has promised to send me one soon.

I bought these great necklaces recently from 1 Stitch Off. They custom made them for me, one for my blog, and a Bird in the Window one with my boys initials on it. Aren't they great! I was thrilled with how they turned out. I am giving away one of these necklaces to the lucky winner. You can pick one from their etsy shop, or have one custom made just for you. But you have to read to the end of the post to find out how.

Now that I've finished with the commission, I am ready to tackle the stack of projects I have waiting for me. Which one should I do first?

I bought this Tree of Life panel from Happiness is Quilting last year after Di Ford used it in her Oh Dear, Mrs. Thompkins aka the Burnt Quilt pattern. It's from DenHann and Wagenmaker in the Netherlands. As far as I know, Laura Kay is the only one importing these to the states.


When I opened up the latest issue of Quilt Sampler, it somehow fell open to this!

I knew it had to be Laura Kay's shop. I thought I would use the panel for it, but then when I saw that some of the hexies were made from the D & W chintzes I have coveted for so long, I broke down and bought the kit. I just love the bright fabrics!

You all know I'm partial to Sue Spargo, and with my Imperial Garden BOM shipment, I added a new kit she came out with, Prairie Crocus Carry-All. More bright colors, and I love the jewel tones in the pack of threads. I almost don't want to open it.

And this little guy is on the back. How could I resist?!

I also signed up last month for a 6 month course in silk thread work. I'll be making a set of needlework accessories on 40ct. linen using Au Ver a Soie silk thread.

Aren't they amazing! The course is by Tricia Wilson Nguyen of Thistle Threads. She has several classes using historic needlework techniques. I downloaded the first class, and it is very detailed, with lots of pictures, and a section of historical background with links to more info. You can see more of her work on her website, and be sure and check out her blog. She still has some places left in the class, and you can sign up and see a video of the projects here.

Instead of my usual way, I invested in a roller frame so I could do it right. Some assembly required. You can see some of the rails are split. You insert the ends of your fabric in the splits, and then roll it up so that the section you are working on is in the middle. You can also adjust the tension on the sides, so the piece doesn't get pulled out of shape.

Now for the good stuff. To win the necklace, just leave a comment telling me which project you would most like to see me work on first. I'll draw the winner Thursday night at midnight EST. Good Luck!! While I'm waiting, I'll tackle that frame. And get caught up with my 1807 new emails. :)