Solid Blocks

You may have noticed the blocks hanging from the ceiling at Bright Hopes Quilting lately. All the staff have been making them and as they come in, they go up and we hope to have the ceiling covered in a few weeks.

Each block is made entirely of solids. Only solids. The pure color allows the block to stand out and keeps things simplified. It has a rather Amish look to it. It is exciting for me to walk in and see new ones hanging.

Each block is at least 16" square. This is a great size because once the project comes down, people can turn the individual squares into sofa pillows or bags. With enough of them, a good sampler quilt is a definite possibility!

So, what are we doing this for?

Fun, mainly. Why not just have fun? Why have to make a whole huge quilt just to play around a little? I have my own personal favorite blocks: Dutchman's Puzzle, Variable Star, Card Trick, Rising Star (in fact I am almost finished with a huge scrappy batik in this block, I like it so much!) and I really like how they look all by their lonesome.

Challenge. Well.... let's face it, some people are skeptical of solids. "The heck!", you say.  

No, really! They are so bold and simple that they can intimate! 

Okay, here's a question for you: When was the last time you incorporated a solid into your quilt unless it was the background? hmmmmm?

These solids of ours started arriving last summer and I watched them float in, maybe 15-20 at a time. Gorgeous pure color. And I waited. After a few months, we had over 100 bolts of crayon-colors lining the shelves like soldiers and I just mentally malfunctioned.

They are so clean and strong and frightening! I mean.... part of what we do every day is attempt to match and pair colors with each other in a fabric line or for a pattern. With solids, it really is hit or miss and so very evident when you miss!

Here is an example: We got in the latest Kaffe Fassett's just before Christmas and I really like this bright, tropical floral. I knew the quilt I wanted to make, as well.

Gorgeous bold color and the antithesis of Winter. So, I picked up the bolt and waltzed over to the solids. With 100+ colors to choose from, matching these oranges and purples should be a breeze!

WRONG

With two possible exceptions, none of the solids match the color exactly but they came together and played nicely with each other.

This is New York Beauty, a block I have wanted to make for quite a while. I knew I wanted to make the spikes in solids to really show them off!

 Everything else was negotiable.

I am showing below the blue I had chosen (originally) to use in this sample but as I was 'auditioning' the spikes in the New York Beauty to the prints and with the help of an honest friend (Thanks Kathy! You made it better!), I realized that this blue was never going to play nicely with the other colors. So I kicked him out. It was the closest blue to the Fassett print we had, so I took it. Didn't use it. That's okay too; it gave me a background color for a Solids Block.

What I find really interesting is those colors below, in this Little Sister block, are the same orange, purple and pink as you see above, but look how washed out the pink appears in the block! (I also want you to look at the tight points!)(another reason to make simple blocks... practice the points!)

Okay, all this being said, if you would like to join this project, make any square block you like (or multiples... we like participation!) using ONLY SOLIDS and make them at least 16" but no larger than 24". Pin your name to the back so we know who to return them to and drop them off at the shop.

There is no competition and no swap because the sizes would be confusing. Also, this is for fun!

We'll have them hanging on display for all to see.

I'll Have A Box Of Crayons, Please. A BIG One!

As a kid, I remember going back to school as an exciting event because of the new school supplies. Folders, lined loose-leaf paper, ball-point pens and unsharpened pencils. My favorite thing of all was a fresh new box of Crayola crayons. All lined up like soldiers, each color better than the other. It was an especially great year when I got the Big Box; what was it? 128 colors? Can that be right? It had a sharpener on the back...... well it seemed like a 128 colors and I was in heaven.

When we began receiving the Colorworks solid fabric line, all those memories came flooding back and with every shipment, I went slightly bonkier and now that we have all of them in stock, my eyes go awandering in their direction as soon as I walk in the door! And now that I have let the dust settle down from Market, I have been carrying home FQs and 1/3 yard cuts of these lovely creatures and, like a kid at recess on a rainy day, I've been playing!

It started with this Dresden plate using chevrons and Kaffe Fassett fabric. I love the use of the zig-zag to create the optical illusion and how the plate pops off the solid electic blue background! Fussy fussy center! If I'd had enough of the fabric at home, I would've fussy-cut the blades to all be identical; as it was, I had enough to pair each blade.

Then, I played with the Fassett/solid fabric dresden plate and a different direction, as though they were leaves. 

Here, I mixed it all up with directional chevrons and Fassett fabric set in an Amish block with a star center. Love this!

This a Modern Baby quilt top using solids with two different baby motif fabrics. The baby fabric is so cute and it is printed with unusual colors that I don't normally relate with babies so, clearly, this is what I gravitated towards! Then I paired them with, again, nonconformist baby colors to make a bold crib quilt. The pattern is by Modern Quilt Relish and it's called Market Values.

I have some new ideas percolating upstairs and wish there were more hours in a day than 24. As luck would have it, I get an extra one tonight.

Don't forget to set your clocks back!

More Quilts from Houston

I have a few more quilts from the Houston Quilt Festival for you to enjoy.... in no particular order. 

Having just made a couple of Lone Stars myself lately, this one caught my eye. It is huge, pieced and appliqued exquisitely on shaded fabric and made by Mayumi Watanabe from Japan. 

Shangri-La

"Color My World.... With Quilts!" by Sharon Schlotzhauer.  Now, this is tiny, approximately 9" x 12", probably smaller and I tried to see how it was done so I speak with no authority here. I think it's painted and quilted but I can't say with certainty. All I know is it drew me in.

I found it interesting that when I went to download the images in the camera, the one that immediately followed that tiny one was this: "Berne House Quilt", made by members of the Bernese Quilters in Switzerland. It was not near the last quilt I showed; it was just the next one that struck my fancy. Again, I don't have the dimensions but let me say, it is HUGE. HUGE!! and beautifully constructed. 

"Fifteen", by Camilla Watson from New Zealand. Techniques include photo-transfer, hand and machine piecing, fabric pens, applique and machine embroidery. It is stunningly, achingly beautiful.

"Cantilevers" by Jessica Levitt in New Jersey. This one just makes me smile a big grin. I love the illusions of transparency, the simplicity and cleanliness. The quilting is super!

Here is Gloria Hansen with her "It's Time". She had just arrived from New Jersey to find her abstract photo-transfer on silk quilt hanging upside down. (This was being dealt with with the organizers as we were conversing.)  When you read her description, the insights might strike you as familiar.

I hope all the attendees from the area affected by Hurricane Sandy come through safely and suffer the minimum of damage. Living on the Gulf, I feel your pain and worry. Thank you for sharing your work and time.

DID YOU GO??? DID YOU SEE IT?????

OH wow! Was this the best GSQA show ever? So many fantastic and beautiful works of art on display under one massive and local roof. I was in heaven!

The weather may not have been the best on Saturday to venture forth but those who traveled to the Northshore Harbor Oaks Center were witness to some amazing works of art. All of us who pour ourselves into the making of a quilt know first-hand the dedication and time it takes to create just one and here were well over 360 hanging in a splendid venue for us to wander through and gawp. Well, I was the one gawping, okay, but there were plenty of "how did she do that?" whispered and I have to agree.

I was with Pearl in the booth for most of the day Saturday and only took a few shots of the quilts that really went 'pow' to me and then some of our co-workers quilts so here goes a quick review of just a smattering of gorgeousness for your pleasure:

In No Particular Order

 Hawaii Sunset 1845 by Mary Kate Platts

 Eclipse by Dot Collins

Out Of Darkness by Susan Muller

Checkerboard Flow by Dorinda Evans

 Empty Boxes by Janet Bailey

X Marks the Spot by Janet Bailey

(Those two grabbed me immediately because of their scrappy look. I love it that the same quilter made both!)

 Leaves by Kathleen Chauvin

(She writes the leaves are "thread painted' not appliqued but I don't know what this means. 

Either way, stunning visual effect!

 La Rana by Mary Gerardi

(beautiful lizard!)

 Amish Sampler by Mary Gerardi

 Rose of Sharon by Mona Lowe and Georgia Farnet

(THIS is what it looks like to win a Blue Ribbon!) 

Congratulations on a beautiful quilt!

Serenity Walk by Pearl Squires

(Honorable Mention)

There were so many lovely quilts, many which passed through our doors in one form or another, many that were made by ladies who work here at Bright Hopes (but I did not get a shot of them with their quilts.  Boo me!       I regret that I cannot show them all to you. 

I want to close this post with one last quilt for a couple of reasons. The first is we have recently held a class in the radiant star pattern at the shop. Anyone who has made one knows how exacting the diamond points can be. 

Well, these are splendid and to top it off, the applique (my second {new} love) is delightful, the color positively glows and arrests the viewer immediately and lastly, 

as if all this is simply not enough!, it is hand quilted.    

Blue China Star of Bethlehem by Rebecca Creel

BTW: it won Viewer's Choice.

Good Choice!

To all the ladies and gentlemen at Gulf States Quilting Association who worked so hard to bring this "Charmingly Southern" exhibit to life, thank you for such an outstanding job. 

Big News, Great News!

A few years ago, Leslie Kiger left SELA and moved East, taking with her her boundless energy and high spirits. She left a big hole behind and we all miss her.

Now that she is firmly planted once again, she's back at quilt-making and has recently had this exceptional entry accepted into the Paducah show. In her own words:

"It was all made from scraps, except for the dark background fabric. It was the first quilt I made after we moved to Georgia, and it was made for the Theme category for the 2010 Pine Belt Quilter's show, which was Log Cabins. The name of it is "Logs and Stars in Scraps" and the pattern is "Eldon" by Laundry Basket Quilts. It won a blue ribbon in the Pine Belt Show, then a blue ribbon at the Jacksonville Quiltfest, and then on to the Georgia State Show, where it got a 3rd place ribbon. JoAn Knight quilted it, and she entered it in the Machine Quilter's Showcase in Overland Park, KS and got a blue ribbon. It is on it's way now to the Smoky Mountain Quilt Show in Knoxville, TN, and then on to Paducah!!"

We are all excited for her and wish her a safe trip to see it there on full display.

So I Walked In The Door And What Did I See?

These batiks arrived just two days ago and are already beating tracks out the door and small wonder why!

The flickering fleur de lis' are really beautiful and I love the color schemes we have here.

I don't know what I am going to make with them and I don't care. The point is they will be in my stash when the inspiration strikes! (I know! I know! Again there goes the New Years Resolution!) (What can I say? I'm a glutton for batik) This beautiful doesn't last long.

So, yesterday Celeste had her Happy Shacks class and there was a whole lot of giggling and carrying on over by the class corner. I have to share this shot of her and Mary Lou B as it I believe it truly sums up the mood at the store all day.

And in the midst of all this fun and frivolity, in marches the UPS guy and Fedex dude with boxes of new fabrics and of course I flip over these cute cowboy motifs!

Gee whiz! A girl can't catch her breath around here! Being from Texas has me wanting these too!

___________________

Mona has sewn all the blocks together now for the Amish with a Twist BOM sample and is busy on the appliqued outer border. I'll post again when the whole quilt is complete.

Want a cute idea for using UFO blocks that seem to accumulate? How about this! A customer wore this in the shop a few months ago and I thought I'd share it with you.

Wear your badge of honor proudly! We're QUILTERS and we are an army of many!

Duffle Bags with Linda Kay

Her 2-day class ended yesterday afternoon and I wanted to post the photos of the finished products.

The stitchers look very pleased with the results and I think they made wonderful duffles!

Linda Kay is taking new sign-ups for the next class in March.

When I popped in the shop this morning to buy binding fabric, I saw a new shipment of Michael Miller material being dropped off. And the sale fabric in the back really took a hit over the weekend and Monday!

We have our first Demo Day on Saturday, Jan. 14 with Kathy Brown and her Fat Quarter Cutter at 10:00 am followed by the staff showing new patterns and notions. I am very excited about the LED Mag-Ripper, (These eyes ain't getting any better on their own!) and we have another one that Georgia is keen on; a surgical-styled ripper.

I am just putting the final quilting on a top out of the Strip Smart Quilts book by Kathy B. and hope to have it at the Shop by Saturday. See you there!

Thursday Wrap-Up

We had one heckuva fabulous hour yesterday afternoon when Betty T and Casey B stopped by to show us their final quilt-tops.

These two ladies have been making "round robin" quilts with member of their guild and we've been watching the progress all year.

For those who don't know, the round robin quilt starts with everyone participating bringing a center already finished and then handing it off with specific requests (like all batiks or no applique, please (no applique???) and then trusting your fellow-quilter to add another "border" or sides that both complements and continues to build on the center. Then the pass the quilt to the third and so on.

The thing is, you don't get to see what is happening to "YOUR" quilt until the last person is finished. So technically, you all get to see the final results at the same time.

Now this in definitely not for everyone. But it can be great fun for those adventurous souls out there and Casey and Betty are firmly in that category. One with the SHOW!

Here's Betty with her finished top...... exquisite work!!!! I am slightly disappointed in my photo because the batiks are more vibrant than shows in both shots..... but I can't wait to see it quilted! You can zoom in by clicking on either photo to see the fantastic workmanship. Casey pieced the intricate border third from the outer edge.

This is Casey's..... check out the outer-most border close-up..... see the diminishing geese?

I was lucky to be working on the days they'd bring in the ones they were adding to and watched the progress but this is the first time I got to see theirs.....

So GREAT!!!!!! Thank you for sharing this adventure with us!

This is "Market" weekend and the Big Houston show next week. All you attending, have a super fun time and tell us all about your trip on the return!

Stonehenge Revisted

So, did you get a chance to attend the Event with Vic Dadika yesterday?

I sure hope you did..... but in the case of those unable to get here, I'd like to show just a touch of what we got to see first hand.

First, it was explained that Stonehenge, the fabric line from Linda Ludovico and Northcott, is the best-selling fabric in the United States and when you think that there are 81 fabric distributors all vying for our attention and money, that is no easy accomplishment.

However, by now you are probably well aware how beautiful the fabric is and how great it feels to work with and how well it blends with other designs.

But it was very interesting to hear how the designer came up with this concept, how it developed further and how far it's come in just two years.

We have had it in stock only since around the beginning of 2011 and carry a vast selection of bolts, collections, and recently received the 2.5" strips and now the "chips", the 5" squares. A package of these were given to each attendee along with a terrific trunk show of outstanding quilts. Here are just two:

Stoney River

Blueberry Hill

Now, these were my personal favorites and there were many more....

Northcott has a vast website offering pattern ideas for use with Stonehenge, some of which are free PDFs.... the two featured here are in stock now at Bright Hopes Quilting.

We lucky ladies sitting in got to see what was coming up in 2012 and I can't show n tell you. Yet. But there were plenty of excitable wimmen-folk and I only hope Pearl is able to order and receive enough of it to satisfy the masses.

Along with the pack I received, I purchased another and yardage of "Salt" Stonehenge and can't wait to get busy with it. I already know what I'm going to do... check back in a few weeks!

Things To Show, Things To Tell

Let's start with our 8 Anniversary Challenge: Here are three of the entries so far.

Bring in ANY 12.5" unfinished 8-Point star made entirely out of Batiks and be entered to win all. If we receive more than 12, we'll make another winner. The drawing will be held during our Anniversary Celebration at the end of September.

Friday, August 26, (that's Tomorrow!) Carolyn B is holding a class in this Color Work table runner. Look closely to see the waves..... break out of a rut of straight lines!

And Meliss made this stunning variation of Storm at Sea using those bold animal prints.

Very Nice!!!

Shop Hop 2011 Up date

I have another (better) shot of the Shop Hop 2011 quilt here that shows the background fabric more clearly....... you can also click on the image to get a close-up window.... for even better viewing.

The background has all the colors in small clusters and the border fabric is the same on black.

Show and Tell

Linda Kay held her class on the Christmas Tote last Tuesday and took a photo of the finished projects!

Linda Williams and Barbara Moore

Tote Club is a fun monthly class that offers a new "tote" each time.

Next month's project will be a small sewing notion "tote" that holds your marking tools, small scissors, ripping stick, you know.... all the small things that tend to get lost in the shuffle or under a pile of fabric on your cutting table.

Kay Guillot came in for Applique Society and brought with her this terrific Show and Tell:

Her 11 year old granddaughter was in town for a visit and together they held their own "quilt camp". Sarah Duley pieced and quilted this beautiful batik 9 patch. I am told she also chose the fabric selection as well. It looks like another quilter has embraced the craft. Welcome, Sarah, to the club.

Now for a fun and silly parody, please read this article: The First Rule of the Quilting Society

If you need a tidbit to sample:

You don't cut more than four layers of fabric at the same time. You keep an eye out for cuts containing fabric fibers, as this is a sign of a worn-out blade. You keep your blade covered when not in use and out of the reach of little hands at all times, because safety is paramount. And you don't talk about the quilting society.

Ah, good stuff!

Kathy Brown's Strip-Smart Quilts

It was a packed space last Saturday here at Bright Hopes Quilting, when Kathy Brown brought her new book and accompanying trunk show.

Oh to be so up-close to the quilts and feel the fabric, linger over the quilting designs..... and be able to ask Kathy, what is this fabric!? Case in point: The Twist

Okay?

Now check out the back!

And now the quilting.

When I saw this one in the book, it's softness was apparent but in person, the subtlety of color and simplicity of quilting just took my breath away! And the fabric was so soft and alluring. It was everything I love in a quilt! I wanted to curl up in it in some corner immediately and just just keep going over the rest of the book.

Here's Carlyn and Meliss, two of the Wednesday quilters, in front of Merry-Go-Round, one of the many bright quilts you'll find in the book.

So, when this whacky-looking ruler showed up, we were all asking each other, "What do you make with that!?" The answer is: "A lot more than you think!" and so much so, Kathy is in the process of designing new quilts for a second book.

She had even more exciting news to reveal! She showed us photos of her new fabric line that should be hitting "market" in the fall. And let me tell you, they are beautiful. What a talented woman we have living just down the road from us in Baton Rouge.

I enjoyed seeing the actual quilts, watching Kathy demonstrate and reveal the tips she has to make make these vibrant quilts. It's always fun to compare the photographs to the originals; in this case is proof to the pudding that this quality is at a high standard indeed with "Strip-Smart Quilts."

Someone at the demo said (I'm paraphrasing here), "You speak like you write in the book. Your personality comes through." and she truly does. She has pulled from her life and weaved anecdotes to the patterns.

Now, I wonder if she'll share the recipe for those good-looking brownies on page 26!