LORAINE COUNTY PIECEMAKERS GO PLAIDISH!

In May, I was invited to provide a workshop for

the Loraine County Piecemakers Guild.

My favorite quilt and an easy all day sew-in would be

The Plaidish Quilt by Erica Jackman. 

I asked  Erica aka Kitchen Table Quilting 

for permission to teach her pattern.

I was staying near Cleveland in Wellington, OH

at a lovely B&B, formerly a Funeral Home.

No haunts were noted and the owners were a lovely retired couple.

Then the workshop (and trunk show) was held

 in a beautiful lodge near Oberlin called

The Lodge of New Russia Township.

I brought both my Plaidish quilts for the participants to see.

They had all their 567 pieces of scraps cut and ready to sew!

There were 19 participants and I was overjoyed!

My partner in quilting crimes, Kathy Guenther,

 attended this workshop with me.

She is NOT a random, let go of control kinda quilter.

BUT she DID and THIS is the result!

It's jut lovely.

Here are some of the lovely guild members

and the beginnings of their Plaidish quilt tops.

I waited, hoping to get some full finish pics...

but those may never come?

As random scraps can be hard but with this one only

needed to sort by value, Dark, Medium and Light.

3 colors choices, Blue is Dark, Green is Medium 

and white is Light...see the pattern?

All solids works as long as you make sure the 

Dark, Medium and Low Volume 

pieces have enough volume contrast.

This participant came in with her entire layout on a 

flannel tablecloth...well that wasn't the point of a

'random quilting experience" but

if it works for you, its ok with me.

Totally scrappy!

Christmas prints.

Another all solids.

These busy florals also worked!

I was totally surprised by this one!

All scraps

A red, white and blue design.

3 color design

An autumn color palate REALLY caught my eye!

All Scraps

Minimal color selections.

Black, White and Gray

Blue, Yellow, White

Everyone seemed happy as they allowed the fabrics

to work the magic. 

This is a free tutorial and you can download it here.

PAY CLOSE ATTENTION

TO THE DESIGN LAYOUT!

If you don't your won't be plaidish or happish!

I am available for trunk shows and workshops.

Contact me for details.

FRIENDS WHO CUT LOOSE!

Who would have ever imagined that in January, 2022

we would still be dealing with the damn corona virus

 and all the ugly heads that have mutated.

I could go on a rant right now...

but that won't help get shots into arms.

Sew, I will talk about how I deal with the insanity.

Sewing has saved me and this

"CUT LOOSE" pattern along with my sewcial distance partner,

 Kim Hensley, gives me focus and goals to meet for a beautiful finish!

This quilt is our 7th sewcial distance sewing

"apart/together" since April, 2020 

I had a great stash of Alison Glass scraps.

How perfect is this color scheme!

I use my stash (without buying more fabric) any time possible.

Many patterns offer a cutting chart that uses a specific line of fabric.

Like this line by Denyse Schmidt for Free Spirit fabrics.

Erica Jackman, Kitchen Table Quilting made the quilt on the pattern.

I don't worry too much about fabric lines or prints.

I stick to keeping the colors as close as I can

to the pattern chart (above)

Next, I pull my stash fabrics and using the fabric requirements guide

cut, label and bag the fabrics.  Often I put a bit extra in the bag and/or

I allow myself to swap out fabric that might not be what I want

...as I sew the blocks together.

After everything is cut...I still have a pile of Alison Glass fabrics to use.

I have made one other quilt before this one. 

Maybe someone else who quilts will get these scraps gifted?

Kim decided to use her stash of Jennifer Paganelli fabrics.

She tagged Jennifer on Instagram and lets just say, Jennifer is excited.

Kim has also bagged and tagged her pretties.

I am pretty sure these tops and maybe the entire quilts will be finished

 before spring thaw!

Stay tuned to the best sewcial distance station in town!

Christmas 2021 Plaidish WIP

I apparently love plaid and Christmas.

Therefore a Plaidish Christmas quilt landed on my sewing table.

 I can never seem to get my fill of Christmas quilts.

I have a few on my radar for this Christmas.

I loved the Plaidish quilt pattern by Erica Jackman

@kitchentable quilting.

Wouldn't it be great in Christmas colors!?!

I decided Reds for Dark Value, Greens for Mid Value

and Whites for Light Value.

If you recall...I made one Plaidish quilt about a year ago

using scraps from my stash of hundreds.

I got it all cut and it sat for a long time as a WIP.

Then I went to a quilt retreat.

A perfect project that requires a lot of chain piecing.

 I only have to take one project!

And Dixie, my Featherweight.

There are 63 easy blocks to make.

Reds were my Dark Volume.

20 Blocks

Greens my Medium Volume

31 Blocks

And whites my Low Volume.

12 Blocks

It took me two days to sew the blocks.

Now remember...this was my first retreat in almost 2 years.

Sew I talked and visited a lot!

I waited a little while after retuning home and began to assemble

the blocks onto my design wall. 

And before I knew it...

Blocks were sewn into rows

and rows into the top!

If you want to try and make this very easy scrap quilt...

you can download the free tutorial/pattern here.

Thanks Erica Jackman (@kitchentablequilting)

for such an awesome pattern.

There's also a free Plaidish 2 pattern that I might do.

you can find it here.

This will be a quilt for my friend Kim Hensley to quilt on her

new longarm.  She needs my quilts for practice! WIN-WIN!

Are you working on any Christmas quilts yet?

CUTTING A SPECIAL GOODBYE

It’s been a very rough and sad month for me.

I had to say goodbye to a very special friend. 

He fought serious health issues, valiantly for 15 months. 

I am grateful I got to say my goodbyes while he was in hospice.

When I whispered I was there...

He opened his eyes and said…I love you.

I shared  51 years of friendship and shenanigans with...

John Michael "Moose" Mulligan.

Here, he was skiing at Snowmass Mountain, Aspen, Colorado in the 80s

That will be where his ashes will settle.

One more run down Snowmass Mountain and a final Apre Ski.

His final resting place because he had so many wonderful memories,

with all his friends, on this mountain.

This was Moose just a couple years ago!

When he would vacation with my husband, Phil and me

In Myrtle Beach, SC.  We made this journey for many, many years.

Phil and Moose golfing during thr day…dinners out at night. 

He loved those shrimp n grits.

We all have to work thru our grief any way we can.

Thru the years of loosing loved ones...fabric has been my path to healing.

 The week after Moose passed, I cut the hell out of fabric scraps.

Never underestimate the healing power of a rotary cutter.

ALL THE FEELINGS ROLLED OUT!

It began with a pile of Flea Market Fancy scraps, that I love.

2 hoarded charm packs from my stash.

Tiddly Winks and Just Wing It

cut into 2 1/2" x 5" rectangles

But the grief therapy didn't stop here.

I pulled scraps from my huge scrap basket 

and cut them into usable sizes.

2 1/2" strips

5" and 3 1/2" squares

2 1/2" squares, 2" strips and 2 1/2 x 5" rectangles

I kept some larger scraps in a separate bin.

And a bin for solid scraps.

I cut  3 sets of rectangles and 5" squares for charity quilts.

a few days before he passed...cause I knew it was gonna happen.

I had a hard time sleeping and when i became tired of 

cutting scraps, I began to purge them.

These 2 huge bags of scraps are going to my best friend 

Shirley, for her church group.

Then I found a bag of strings, some foundation pieced blocks

and a phone book that I used the pages for the foundation paper.

These go to Shirley also.

It will take time to fill the hole in my heart.

My wonderful memories made with him, will do that.

To all my friends who have supported me during this past year

during this hellish roller coaster ride, thank you.

Your prayers for Moose and me...were appreciated.