Where are the quilters?

[DemBones DemBones]

Let's get stripping and scrapping!

[Bjornsdotter]

1. I'm ready!

Well almost. I'm just finishing up a wall hanging and I have been collecting fabric like a mad woman.

We have a fabric store that has been selling their fabric for $3 a yard......Hoffman, Moda, Kaufman etc.
The sale ends this month, then I have to think about which quilt to start first.

Cheers

[DemBones DemBones]

2. Are you a fairly new quilter? I'm guessing that from

the "collecting fabric like a madwoman." :evilgrin:

I did that for several years but now I've actually gotten to the stage where I figure I'll never use my stash in my lifetime, though I do think I need some more Japanese indigo prints. . . Yeah, fabric is addictive! And $3 a yard for good brands would tempt me a lot.

I have so many quilts in progress and so many more planned that it's been overwhelming me. I need to stop worrying about finishing every quilt before starting another one and just make as many tops as I want to, whether I ever get them all quilted or not.

One of the well-known quilt book writers once wrote about this problem in her newsletter. She had decided she collects quilt tops! I think that I'd rather have a huge collection of quilt tops than a huge stash. I'll get around to quilting as many as I can and not worry about the others. Quilt tops are beautiful in themselves, after all.

So have you decided what you are going to make next?

[Bjornsdotter]

3. Lol

I've been quilting for about 15 years, but I go in spurts.

I'm a fabric manic, I used to sew figure skating dresses...competition, practice, ice show and I have stacks and stacks of stretch velvets, glissenettes, lycra etc.....because you never know when you just can't get something anymore. I no longer sew these anymore, but I could outfit an entire precision team and then some.

I have fabrics from the early 70's that I bought when I was a teen and first learning to sew. I also tend to buy fabrics even if I have absolutely no idea what I'm going to use it for. Fifteen years ago I saw the perfect wedding dress material for my daughter (she was 2), I bought it and have it packed away. It a beautiful camellia colored stretch satin. She'll probably never use it, oh well there's always my niece

Ooooo, I like your idea about quilt tops. Lately, I've been running around finishing up old projects so I don't feel so guilty about new ones.

My next quilt hmmmm, I'm torn. I haven't decided if it's going to be an autumn quilt (you know the one with all of the leaves everywhere) or a quilt for my daughter to take away to college or a quilt for my godson....maybe the bugs in a jar one.

Actually, I'm going to spread out some of my fabrics and see what inspires me.

If you can, post some pictures of your quilt tops, I'd love to see them.

I'm so glad we have this forum, I love chatting with people who have the same hobby and it gives us someone to bounce ideas off of.

A friend and I have been talking about making a pilgrimage to Keepsake Quilting, my favorite catalog in the world. We'd like to visit the store, so we might plan a trip for the fall after all of our children are in college.

Cheers

[DemBones DemBones]

5. ROFL!!! We won't discuss all the fabric

I've bought to make clothes that I'll probably never make, or the half-finished clothes. I was just thinking last night that maybe I'll finish those two summer dresses before summer. . . I did actually make clothes years ago, but in recent years quilts have been my thing. Still, I can't resist buying fabric for clothes, too.

I am definitely tired of feeling guilty about not finishing quilts, and it makes more sense to make tops than have "quilter's block" (I just made that up!) and do nothing, which is what guilt about UFOs has been doing to me. My guild has been big on finishing UFOs the past three years and then there's the annual show, which has made quilting less fun to me, too much like work.

I really like the autumn leaves quilt, have been seeing it in the Keepsakes catalog for years. (Where is Keepsake located now? Did they move or is that another company I'm thinking of?)

But I'm on a fabric diet, I'm not buying anything unless I need it to finish a quilt, like those Japanese indigo prints. . . or something for backing. So I'm staying out of fabric shops. I do still look at the Keepsake catalog but just to keep up with things, you understand. ;-)

Do you hand quilt or machine quilt or do you have a preference? My preference would be to have someone else quilt them for me but that is too expensive. I am still striving for machine stitches that are the same length when free motion quilting.

I will see about posting some photos ASAP -- hope you will do the same. I'll have to get my husband to help me with that and this weekend is our anniversary so I think I'd rather do something more romantic than photograph quilts but next week I'll get on it. One of my out of state friends has bugged me about it for years.

It IS fun to have this new forum and chat with other fabric addicts! I'm feeling good about finishing my unfinished tops and starting some new ones. :hippie:

[Tansy_Gold]

7. Keepsake Quilting -- it's all my mother's fault

I've made a dozen or so quilts over the past 25 years, but never considered myself a quilter until my mother took it up about 5 years ago and really got me hooked. Never mind that I already do a whole bunch of other crafts, no, she had to go and whet my passion for color. I had it almost under control until she sent me her latest Keepsake Quilting catalogue. . . . :grr:

My favorite pattern is Dresden Plate. I'm always looking for new variations. (Just bought the AQS "Dresden Plate: New Quilts from an Old Favorite" book; OMFG, it's gorgeous!) I've done kaleidoscope versions in both twelve and sixteen blades. Sometimes I think just making the plates is enough: seeing how all the different fabrics and patterns turn out when put together.

I have several quilt tops in various stages of semi-completion, and I'm currently hand-quilting a "Depression" pattern assembled from red and blue paisleys and matching solids: functional but not particularly exciting.


Tansy Gold, craft addict

[DemBones DemBones]

8. A quilting friend of mine has a new

guest towel in her bathroom that one of her daughters sent her. On it is printed "I smile because you are my mother. I laugh because there's nothing you can do about it!"

I figured out that it works the other way, too: "I smile because you are my daughter. I laugh because there's nothing you can do about it!"

My daughter and I now use "I smile because. . ." regularly in our e-mails. She is not a quilter -- yet -- ;-) but a musician who draws and paints when she can and took up beading last year.

I think I've seen the woman who wrote the book you have -- she was on "Simply Quilts" and her quilts were dazzling. I remember one used fabric that pictured red chili peppers. Is that the book you have?

It's nice to see you here, Tansy, I haven't seen you in the forums lately. :hi:

[Tansy_Gold]

9. I'm pretty sure that's another book.

I've always loved Dresden plates, but got really turned on to them when I saw a book in a store in Tucson, and I think that's the one you're talking about. I couldn't buy it at the time and then couldn't find it anywhere in Phoenix (my home base) but I found the needed information online, and I think the samples used a chili-pepper fabric. The online information came from a quilting show, IIRC on HGTV so that may be the one you're talking about.

The book I bought last month takes the whole Dresden plate idea ten steps further. I flip through it and almost drool with envy. I've taken some ideas from it and come up with my own variations, but haven't had time yet to put anything actually into practice. At the moment, my sewing space is undergoing renovation, so I'm limited to how much I can do. As soon as I get my space back, I'll be sewing up a storm.

As for my spare presence on the boards, well, I've been mega busy and there's so much depressing news that I just can't hardly stand to write about it. I've sought comfort in my crafts -- did a couple of shows, and have spent quite a bit of time rockhunting and jewelry-making. It's good therapy.


Tansy Gold

[DemBones DemBones]

10. I may have seen that book, too,

at least I think I saw two different "Simply QUilts" shows that featured variations of Dresden plates from books by different authors.

I'm trying to expand my sewing space. We've added more shelving in my current studio and rearranged things. We also added a new room and I plan to move my machine out there where I can look out over the mountains (and a flower bed) when I sew. However, we are simultaneously redoing the living room floors and painting the walls so all the living room furniture is in the new room. Ack! It's taking about four times as long as we'd anticipated so I'm just trying to be patient. It's definitely not as bad as redoing the kitchen or bathroom.

I know what you mean about the bad news. I go away from DU for weeks at a time, or I stay out of the news forums, because it's so depressing to constantly think about things I can do nothing about. I think we need a democracy where the people get to vote about going to war, vote to approve the budget, etc. Vote to approve anything that Congress, the executive branch or the legislative branch want to put into effect. But first, we get rid of all lobbyists -- let them get honest jobs. I don't see this happening, though.

MUCH, much better to work in our studios and not to dwell on what we can't change! And to post in cheerful forums like this one. :-

P.S. Post some pix of your quilts if you can, and/or your other work.

[Tansy_Gold]

12. One of my quilts

I did this one for my daughter in 2004.

<>

Machine pieced but hand quilted.

The pattern is called "Susannah," and her middle name is Suzanne.

And yeah, I know it's not Dresden plate!

[Bjornsdotter]

11. Machine quilting

....is the way for me. Mostly because I'm impatient and I want it done, but also because I do a lot of cross stitch which tends to fulfill my hand sewing cravings.

I will post some pictures soon, I have to wrestle the digital camera away from my husband and open an account on photobucket. I've given away most of my quilts, in fact I've never made one for myself....go figure. Well it's time to change that!

Just a heads up....I received the new Keepsake Quilting summer catalog today. I haven't even opened it yet, I want to wait until everyone in the house is busy doing their own thing so I'm not disturbed. It's just like getting the old Sear's Wishbook we I was a kid, I'm just as excited. :bounce:

Have a wonderful anniversary!

Cheers :toast:

[Stargazer09]

4. I'm here :)

I've been quilting since 1982 (high school), and I'm definitely an addict. I've finished about 40 quilts so far, with lots more in the works.

Right now, I'm away from home with the military, and I'm going nuts without my "quilting fix!"

[DemBones DemBones]

6. Which branch of service are you in?

My dad was career Navy but my brother was a Marine and an uncle was Army so I know a lot about military life, especially from growing up as a Navy brat. . . Can you not even handpiece where you are? Maybe do some redwork?

That's great that you've been quilting so long and *finished* so many quilts. Finishing is the hard part, IMO. Do you make traditional quilts or contemporary styles? I like both and do some of both.

[Stargazer09]

14. No hand-piecing for me

I don't have the patience to hand piece my quilts. My sewing machine is my friend. :)

Most of the quilts I've finished are Quilt in a Day quilts that I've made for my eight children. I have a lot of projects in the works right now. I prefer to buy kits, mostly because I hate trying to coordinate patterns and fabrics. I've been collecting block-of-the-month kits for years now; I have most of the ones from Joann's (not the greatest quality, but good for kids' quilts), as well as a bunch from all of the quilt shops I've visited. I guess my attention span is so short that I feel like I've done a lot if I finish one block at a time! A couple of years ago, I had my four oldest sons pick out several yards of quilt fabric that they liked, then I added Kona solids and made Quilt in a Day Rail Fence quilts for them for Christmas. That was a huge hit with them, and I enjoyed seeing their true tastes in quilt fabrics come out.

I agree with you that finishing is the hardest part. I really enjoy piecing my quilts right up until it's time to put on the borders. I hate doing that last step! I have several quilts that are done except for the borders. It's frustrating, because once I push through that final step, I can send out the quilts to be quilted, and I'll be that much closer to being finished. I guess everyone has their most hated step, and that's mine.

I'm a Navy brat, too, and I'm in the Air Force reserves right now. I'm anxious to get home to my family. I hate being away from them for so long.

[KarenS]

13. Here!!

:hi:

I've been quilting for about 3 or 4 years now.

I love scrap quilts :) and have recently been making string quilts.

[peace13]

15. Reporting for duty

Keep me on the list if we do a DU quilt of any kind. I quilt in fits and spurts. Peace and love to all, Kim