August's Endeavors

With August half over, and school starting in 2 weeks, I can't tell if I am thrilled that the kids will be going back soon or in a panic mode because there will truly be a TON of things for me to actually get finished then.  Probably a bit of both.

A few weeks ago, I sat down with my soon-to-be 10 year old daughter to help her begin her next quilt.  She hopes to have it done for MQX in April.  This year's project is a 40" wall hanging which I designed.  Each year there are new skills for her to practice - this year she gets triangles, use of the 1/4" walking foot (which she received after last year's quilt was already pieced), and we will also do a simple blanket stitch applique in the white center square.  She's going to find a cat silhouette to put there.

 Her threshold for how long she enjoys doing semi-mundane tasks like strip piecing is about 45 minutes, but on a project this small, it doesn't take much longer!

 The color scheme for this quilt all started with a free cone of very bright neon-orange-pink thread she won from YLI's Jim Miller after last year's MQX win.  It's going to be interesting and bright!!

 I have done a few client quilts.  FEW, being the operative word.  This is one of the more custom jobs of late, although there have been some edge-to-edges as well.  I don't think that the fabrics photograph nearly as pretty as they were.

 It's a custom, but far from the "overboard-custom" (break the bank custom!) I sometimes get to do!

 I have spent seriously ALL summer getting a binding on my next show quilt.  It will debut at MQX in October, but that decision was not made until last week, when I nearly had all of the binding done.

 "Why does a binding take all summer?", you coyly ask...Good question.

1. I am slow
2. I bite off more than I can chew.  This is a double-piped, scalloped binding, with a looped-corded facing detail.
3. I had to do it twice because the first attempt at a silk binding looked cruddy (not my word, but you get the gist!).

All's well that ends well.  The binding and facing are now on.  It will get some pearl and crystal details, as well as a sleeve and label.  There are a few other small things to fix, but the light at the end of the tunnel is definitely not a trail.  It will make the deadline.  Photos in October.  You forgot what quilt I am talking about.  Not surprised...It's the fussy-cut hexagons, green stars, all on champagne silk (scroll back a couple months).

I have found this summer to be very unproductive as well as unmotivating for me personally.  I have started more designs and projects, only to feel like they'd never be finished.  Two weeks ago, I abandoned all of them to cut into a stack of 12 pink and orange FQ's that came home from Hershey with me.  I have had a log cabin quilt on my bucket list for ages.  There is nothing like a little easy, mindless piecing.  You knew it had to have silk, right?! Applique is being designed for the 5 circles (actually, this part is already done), as well as an 8" silk border that is not added yet.

 I had one more little task on my list.  I decided this year to make a small quilt to donate to the IQA silent auction to be held at Houston in October.  My Bouquet Royale quilt is there, so I modeled the 23" piece after this one.  maybe the familiarity of the parent will help bidding on the little one, which I will call "Petit Bouquet"

 After a much unexpected trip to the longarm doctor this week, and two down days, on Friday, the majority of the quilting on this mini was finished.  It shares similarities of it's parent, but some things were modified/simplified.  I love how it turned out.  Just needs a quickie binding before mid-September.

I had some info about some client quilts lately.  The Maine Quilt show was 2 weeks ago.  I usually enter it, but because all my quilts were in Quilt Odyssey the week before, I had nothing available.  BUT, something I quilted for a client, Cathryn Renault, won both a purple ribbon as well as a Longarm Quilting Excellence ribbon.  Purple ribbons are the best, representing 98-100pts.  The quilting ribbons are new this year - and this one came home to me!  How sweet is that?!

 Another client that I have done much work for over the years, Erin from IA, had 2 quilts in the IA State Fair, both of which earned 1st place ribbons.  This was quilted over a year ago, but was really beautiful.

 This Fire Island Hosta I quilted in the winter I believe.  Kudos on both quilts!

With summer wrapping up, the kids are busy moaning about going back to school.  We've done plenty from Mexico to the beach to a lake to picking blueberries, to just getting out in the heat. Maine has been very dry this summer, and warm since late June.

 My 14 yr old is "too old" for such outings, but these two still appreciate it.

 OK, he did come to a day at Funtown/Splashtown, but not much else.

Her birthday is next week, and I am hoping for hot weather because I have something water-related planned.  Then it's off to the quilting room for me, and off to school for them!