Quilting By Design

     Memorial Day is a Federal holiday that is celebrated by the United States on the last Monday of May each year. This holiday was formerly known as Decoration Day and commemorates U.S. men and women who have died in military service to their country. It began first to honor Union soldiers who died during the American Civil War, then after World War I, it expanded to include those who died in any war or military action. One of the longest standing traditions associated with this holiday is the Indianapolis 500, which has been held in conjunction with Memorial Day since 1911.
     Many people observe this holiday by visiting cemeteries and memorials (Arlington National Cemetery shown above), usually placing flowers/wreaths upon the graves of loved ones. Over time, this holiday has become the time of year in which to pay our respect to all of our lost loved ones, whether they served in the military or not. In addition to the remembrance of our much-loved ones, Memorial Day has become a time for picnics, family gatherings, reunions, and sporting events. It is not only a day to remember our precious loved ones that have departed from this world, but it is also a day to celebrate life with the people that are important in our lives today.
     Memory Quilts and projects are yet another way for people to observe this holiday and honor the special memories of dear ones, alive and deceased. Quilt Pox defines Memory Quilts as, “A quilt made up of blocks to commerate an occasion. Common Memory Quilt themes: Wedding, Retirement, Birthday. The individual quilt blocks can be made up of signature blocks, direct printed photo blocks, theme related blocks (i.e. a schoolhouse block for graduation).”
     Quilting Passion provides a couple of free “flag” patterns (paper-pieced) that could easily be used in the observance/celebration of Memorial Day. The first, shown above and to the right, is a horizontal pattern; the second a vertical pattern. These specific patterns were designed on September 11, 2001 as the United States experienced one of its most tragic of all days; the day the World Trade Center was destroyed, as well as many lives along with it.
     Regardless of plans you may have made for today, please take a few moments to remember your loved ones that are no longer here with you, and also take some time to remind those that are still living how much they mean to you!

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Original article first published by Terry Crawford.

quilting, quilts, Quilting By Design, Quilting Passion, Memorial Day

SUDOKU QUILTS

     Sudoku puzzles have been around for quite a few years; the modern version invented by Howard Garns in 1979 and published as “Number Place” in Dell Magazines. These logic puzzles became very popular in Japan in 1986, then became an international craze in 2005.
     So, what are these unique and addictive puzzles? They are logic-based puzzles that center around the placement of the numbers 1 to 9. These numbers are laid out in a 9×9 grid, made up of three 3×3 grids, with no number repeating itself in any 3×3 grid, or on any one line, or in any one column. To put this into “quilting” language, the grid is set up like a nine-patch block! In each “block” are the numbers 1 to 9, too (visualize this as nine different fabrics or colors). So, in order to solve this puzzle (which the person providing the puzzle always gives a partial piece of the puzzle to get one started), close attention needs to be paid to each 3×3 grid, and each row (9 squares wide) and each column (also 9 squares). Just as the numbers cannot be repeated in the 3×3 grid, row, or column, nor can the fabrics/colors be repeated in the 3×3 grid, row, column. Clear as mud? Let me illustrate this with a bright, cheery Sudoku quilt made by Nina from Iowa, which she donated to the “Comforting Virginia” Project this week via the Quilting Passion Forum. Nina used a finished puzzle as the pattern to where to place the colors in this gorgeous quilt.

     The first thing to notice about this type of quilt is that it is easily recognizable as a large nine-patch. Each 3×3 block is separated in this quilt by a thin black sashing (1″ strips), distinguishing the quilt even more. Black is a long-time standard that has been used in puzzles, first beginning with crosswords, however, any color sashing can be used… or no sashing at all. In this quilt, however, the sashing really highlights the color and fabric selections that Nina has used.
     The second thing you might notice is that each 3×3 block consists of nine different colors and/or fabrics. After studying one of the 3×3 grids, then notice that the other eight blocks are entirely different, each from the other, so that all nine blocks in the quilt are unique in color placement. This not only holds true for each block, it also then follows to hold true for each row and each column. Nina did not really pay attention when assigning her fabrics/colors to each number. She states, “I just went for it, not caring about it until it was done”.
     How does one go about planning a Sudoku Quilt? There are several ways to accomplish this, including, but not limited to:

Watercolor Quilts

Monet Painting

Watercolor quilts are quilts that are made from many small squares, usually 1" to 2".  These quilts are usually considered in the artistic arena and favor the impressionism movement.  They have become quite popular over the past few years and each quilt is truly unique, even if using the same fabric selections and pattern.      Watercolor quilting can easily be learned!  There are many sites that provide helpful instructions in creating these impressionist quilts.

There are quite a few options available when making a watercolor quilt, including, but not limited to:  1)  A simple design using light/dark as the focal point, 2) A more complex design using different fabrics to create a secondary pattern, 3)  An even more complex design using a combination of the first two, or 4) A design, either simple or complex, used in combination with appliqué to create a layered effect.      Often times, many watercolor quilts are made using either floral fabrics and/or with a floral theme. This seems to be the standard, probably because of the Paris-based artists in Europe in the 19th century and the types of paintings they expertly brushed onto canvas.      Many sites offer patterns for watercolor quilts.  A few of the more well-known sites include: Connecting Threads, Whims, Mostly Quilts, Lenore Crawford, That Patchwork Place, Deanna Spingola Designs, Everything Quilts, Keepsake Quilting, Cathouse Quilts.      Sites that share photographs of watercolor quilts include: Forget Me Not Studio, Mostly Quilts, Lenore Crawford, A Watercolor Vest, Strip-Pieced Watercolor Gallery 1, Strip-Pieced Watercolor Gallery 2, Deanna Spingola’s Personal Gallery.      A few books with watercolor patterns and instructions include: Watercolor Quilts, Strip-Pieced Watercolor Magic, More Strip-Pieced Watercolor Magic, Quick Watercolor Quilts:  The Fuse, Fold, and Stitch Method.      Hopefully, this is enough information regarding watercolor quilts to whet your appetite!      Have you made any watercolor quilts that you would like to tell about, and possibly share a photograph?  If so, please comment in the area provided at the end of this article!

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Original article first published on Quilting Passion by Terry Crawford.

quilting, quilts, watercolor quilts

Do you love a good mystery? Do you love to quilt? If the answer to both questions is a resounding “YES”, then I have the perfect Web site for you!

First, let me define what a Mystery Quilt is. A Mystery Quilt is a quilting project that remains a mystery up until the quilt is finished or until the participants figure it out (much to the author’s dismay).      Participants are given instructional “clues” and have no idea what the outcome is going to be. It is usually a small, fairly easy project that is completed in stages over an extended period of time, the time determined by the author of the mystery and usually dependent upon several factors, discussed below. Most often, participants are informed as to the approximate final sizes and also the theme, if there is one.      Occasionally, mysteries may extend over a longer period of time, however a year is the maximum time to conduct and/or participant in one (in my opinion). The only instance where I would conduct a mystery of a great length, such as 12 months, would be for a full size quilt, and it would have to be a spectacular design, at that. A lot of people do not like to commit to a long-term mystery due to several reasons, most of which I suspect you can guess.      As mentioned above, there are a few factors that might influence the length of time a mystery would span. The amount of “free” time the author may have to orchestrate it. The vast majority of the time, a mystery is conducted without any type of payment from the participants. In other words, the mystery is provided freely by the author. Since this is the case, one must understand going into it that the installments (the releases of new instructions) depend upon the the author’s time. Several thoughts on this. First, the author of the mystery should make absolutely certain before beginning a mystery that he/she has plenty of time to conduct the mystery in a timely manner. Second, the participants should understand that life does happen, even to authors, and that there may be some delay in finishing the mystery. A good author will keep participants updated as to the status of future installments. The complexity of the pattern. This factor should be self-explanatory! The more complex the pattern, the longer it may take to complete the mystery. The time of year. The season (or seasons) a mystery is going to span is all-important, as well. Mysteries are typically not conducted over the holiday season, beginning Thanksgiving and going past Christmas, beyond the New Year. These seasons are simply too busy with real life. Mysteries may also experience difficulty in getting participation if it is during the summer.      In summary, mysteries are best when conducted during “dead” times during the year, such as winter. They also seem to have better participation if they are conducted over a shorter span of time (two months or less) and have options (MQ 15, 16, and 17 show versatility because they are all made from the same base pattern, but each look totally different when completed!) for the participants to choose from. I have also discovered that the more information (without revealing the outcome) that can be given prior to beginning, the better, such as: Theme, Options, Color Suggestions, Size, Time To Complete, Complexity, etc.      If a mystery is announced as a short, quick project, that does not necessarily mean that it is not going to be appealing. A good mystery author can provide a truly unique pattern that gives the participants options, such as turning it from a wallhanging into a tablerunner or expanding it into a full quilt, etc. There are many times when a pattern is simple to make, yet looks like the quilter spent a lot more time on it than actually happened.      An author of a mystery should attempt to keep the mystery suspenseful by mixing it up and postponing the “guessing” for as long as possible. The installments of a mystery should never be given in the order that is seen in the finished design. For instance, say that a wallhanging is going to have nine (9) blocks and the layout is similar to a nine-patch. Instead of giving the installments in order, from left to right and top to bottom, mix it up. Keep the participants guessing!!!!      If you are ready for a good mystery, check out the ones on Quilting Passion and the other sites listed below. Each have concluded on Quilting Passion, however the majority of them remain online. Also, keep a watchful eye out in the Quilting Passion eNews or the Quilting Passion Mystery Quilt Notifications for the announcements of new mysteries.      The Quilting Passion Gallery also contains many photographs of finished mystery quilts; this should give you an idea of the types (and wide variety) of patterns used. Since many authors of mystery quilts do not charge a fee, I can say with much enthusiasm that photographs are gratefully appreciated. Seeing finished projects from mystery quilts that I have conducted helps give me incentive to keep providing them! Mystery Quilt 19 is slated on Quilting Passion for sometime this summer.      Other Mystery Quilt Web sites include: WWQP The Quilted Snail Electric Quilt Mysteries Teena’s Patchwork & Embroidery Anne’s Mystery Quilts            Mystery Quilts are fun! If you have never played in one, then find one and join!

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Original article first published on Quilting Passion by Terry Crawford.

quilting, quilts, mystery quilts

Quilting By Design Site Map.
Original article published on Quilting Passion by Terry Crawford.

quilting, quilts, lone star quilts, jan krentz, krentz, lone star

     Gardening is another hobby of mine. Spring has sprung and I am sure that spring fever has hit quite a few of you! I know it has hit me and I can hardly wait to begin gardening. I love to plant flowers, bushes, trees, and vegetables. Each year, my yard gets larger and larger!
     Did you know that you can still “grow” a garden even if are not a gardener? How? By quilting one!
     Here are a few ideas and/or resources to get you going. If patterns are offered on any of the links below, please adhere to the copyright of the owner!

Okay, I think the link finally worked- I can sew but not link html code. These are really wonderful chicken designs and some really cool roosters too. Florine Johnson Designs - Radical Rooster Quilt Applique Patterns

Is there anything a devoted quilter won’t use for inspiration? Now I love my chickens- as much as one can love a fluffy bunch of feathers, but I never thought of making a chicken quilt. Silly me
JD , a fellow quilter and bloger has been busy designing patchwork featuring hens. She got quite a lot of them already designed on her blog- see her site below http://jdebreuilsartandquilts.blogspot.com/

I’m not so sure I want to make one though- having 19 of the live birds sort of makes you not want to deal with them in a coverlet.

patchwork quilts, quilts, quilting, chickens

I’m adding a new category to the blog- Memory quilts. A few years back , I saw one made for the local candy store merchant by one of his daughters. The quilt included fabrics and holiday napkins form the family stash and fabric photos of all the members. The quilt was devided into quarters, with each section devoted to his children’s families. The central medalion was devoted to his and his wife’s families and well as a couple of ancestors. It was a great concept and he had a wonderful time showing this piece off to every one who came into the store.
And yes, I live in a town small enought to have a candy store!

I’m still gathering ideas and techniques for the individual quilts for the next generation I’d like to make this year. So far I’ve gathered scout badges, a couple of smaller stuffed animals, outgrown halloween costumes, some baseball caps and well, you get the idea.

I have never tried the photo technique of printing family photos on fabric, but that seems like a great way to incorporate momentos
I did find this site from HP wich details how to pirnt your own fabric on a computer printer.
What I like about this technique is that this will allow me to incorporate images on colored fabrics more in tune with the overall look of the final quilt. I can download the High school logo, pictures of their hometown and text, but not be constrained by the real colors of the images. I can print these in black and white on violet calico. Okay maybe not on violet calico.
the only constraint seems to be that the technique works on ink jet printers and that I would have to limit myself to smaller images.

patchwork, quilt, patchwork quilt, quilting, printing fabric, memory quilts, album quilts

The best thing about the internet is that you can find anything . The worst thing about the internet is that you try to find everything.
I have some wonderful oriental fabrics and a large collection of vintage brocades. I thought these would make up into a wonderful Sunbonnet Sue-like blocks of Geishas. Face it, this is a natural. The Kimono and Obi lend themselves to the use of fantastic fabrics, and the face can be hidden behind a fan, umbrella or a hairdo.
I liked the figures in bonnetgirls.com, mentioned in the last blog, but they are more complex than I wanted to try.
So I thought I’d find a few pictures of Geisha in Google and get some ideas.
Phew. After 2 hours , I still had not found the image I was looking for, but I did learn more than I ever thougt I’d need to know. ImmortalGeisha, link below, has tons of information and pictures. I found sites on how to put on a Kimono, an apparently time consuming and complex process. It’s not as simple as putting on a bathrobe. There are bustle things to pad out the shoulders and the small of the back for example, and under kimono and, well, an extensive under wardrobe.
http://www.immortalgeisha.com/faq_geisha.php
Now better informed than ever , I was still far from my goal. And then this morning , on a new site, I found a lovely picture of a Japanese quilt. The blocks were horizontally set diamonds housing the front and back images of toddlers in kimonos. They looked very much like paper dolls.
Each pair had their arms held at shoulder level, displaying the sleeves. The front facing girl had bangs, the back facing one had a knot in the obi.
The whole thing was as charming as a Sunbonnet Sue from the 1930’s.the link below should get you to the image.
http://www.viq.com/gallery/01/08.html

I decided to try my hand at this. My daughter suggested the proportions should match a Chibby, a child character in Japanese comics. The head is half the body size. This seemed like exactly what I wanted.
This and the image above are my first attempts at a reinterpretation of the Sunbonnet Sue, transplanted a world away. Note the crayon colors and large ruled paper from my nephew’s last visit!

Again, please respect the copyright holders of the images and the designers of quilts that inspire us all.

Sunbonnet Sue, Geisha, patch blocks, applique blocks, oriental fabrics, japanese quilts, chibby

I was browsing thorugh the internet again and I found these wonderful patterns for appliqued ladies who have large hats. Think of these as Sunbonnet Sue’s grandmother in her youth.
There’s over 150 patterns for sale, and , judging by the photos , these are charming.
At this point I have to note that I have no personal knowledge of the designer, no interest in her business , in short no connection whatever to this entity.
There are 2 interesting aspects to this collection, other than the Currier and Ivessort of charm. One is that many of the pattern elements are interchangeable with others, so that bonnets, pets, furniture etc can be combined into unique scenes. The other is the use of reverse or shadow quilting and applique to soften the look of far away objects such as train tracks in the distance or mountains.
It’s surprisingly pleasant given that this is not really my sort of thing.
http://www.bonnetgirls.com/

Sunbonnet Sue, Currier and Ives, applique, victorian ladies, shadow applique, shadow quilting

I found some interesting items about this pattern on these sites.

http://www.sunbonnetsue.com/suehistory.html
has a bit of historical information about inspiration for the Sunbonnet Sue character.
While this article suggests that the popularity of this type of drawing faded, I think we can see the survival in the works of Joan Anglund and of the Hollie Hobbie character. These also feature sweet children dressed in old fashioned garb and large hats or hair that largely obscure the face.

This link shows pictures of Sue quilts exhibited in in Houston in 2000 . Check out the Endangered Species quilt, Sue as a toddler, as an elegant girl in Sunbonnet Sue Through The Seasons and as a young lady in Green Summer Sue.

http://www.equilters.com/library/gallery/SSue/SunBonnetSueGallery.html

There’s also a category of Bad Sue blocks and quilts . Here Sue is engaged in naughty activities. She kicks a snowman, goes skinny dipping and , oh the horror, drags her quilt throught he mud!
http://badsuequilts.com/

Finally, a selection of quilt blocks of Sue in all 50 states.
http://www.swmpratt.com/nf20/nf20.htm

Please respect the copyrights of the designers and writers of these sites.

Sunbonnet Sue

I’ve been reading up online about this pattern. The concensus is that these are based on 1920’s illustrations that were translated into patchwork designs in the 1930’s and 40’s.

I’m curious though that no one mentions what I think is a major reason for the popularity of this design, namely the opportunity to use leftover clothing fabric for the Sue’s bonnets and dress. I think these were a form of memory quilt.

To some extent that is true of all patchwork. If you sewed at all, and did patchwork, you were bound to use clothing scraps somewhere in a quilt. But the Sues let you use dress fabric as dresses, a more apt use for these scraps.
I’m curious, does anyone who has made or inherited a Sue have an opinion?