Virtual Retreat - Ongoing (started January 2019)

[genevacarroll]

I think I said I’d post something soon,,, that was probably 2 weeks ago! Time has a way of flying by,,,,
Here's what I’ve been working on:






Next up,,, pillow covers to go with this one and the bookcase quilt from a few months ago.

[eileenkny]

Luann, that is a very cool lion! Did you design it? Who's it for?

[eileenkny]

It's for a grandson that lives in th UP of Michigan. He loves the Detroit Lions, even if they lose! I guess that’s a true fan, lol.
I printed out the teams logo onto 81/2x11 paper. Then folded it both directions into 8 segments, oh,,, what was I thinking??? If I had just done it by 1” squares my life would have been so much easier. I knew my center panel needed to be a finish size of 34x51, and my 'grids'were somewhere about 5x6 that I then drew each grid from the printout onto freezer paper. You think I’d have been smart enough after that to just put fusible all across the blue fabric I was going to cut it from, but nooooo! I iron the freezer paper on, carefully cut it out and then the panic set in! I was able to get misty fuse onto the back in sections, then iron it in place. Next I stitched around the edges before longarming it with a football design. I’ll show you a closeup of his front paw, I didn’t plan it, but a football landed in his paw !



Glad this one’s ready to go out.

[lotti]

wow, Luann, fabulous Lion. He'll absolutely love it!

[twiglet]

Smashing Lion and ball catching Luann.

[twiglet]

I’m 2 days late, but,,, I’m finally here, lol

I used 3 hanks of previously dyes clothesline for this basket. I hated the colors but once I added the variegated threads, I found them to be more pleasing to me.



I also made this one with fabric wrapped clothesline. The original dyed color should have been a golden yellow, but I got an obnoxious vomit looking color. I wrapped this cord before I stitched the other basket or I would have tried some variegated thread on the bottom area and decided after that.




I have made a pillow covering for each of the grandson’s quilts and included them in the box I shipped off to them.




Learned a new technique called ‘threading’ for keeping pieces/blocks in order as you sew a quilt together. I did NOT use it when I made the first blocks for this quilt and many of the units were upside down or backwards. Once I used the process, my blocks went together as they should have AND I actually sewed this entire top of blocks, sashings, and cornerstones together with it. Basically a chain piecing method, and when you have all the rows together, your columns are directly in line for the final stitching phase. I believe it’s a Bonnie Hunter method, she’s on the web, Quiltville, I believe.



And because I was on vacation during May, I didn’t receive any quilts to longarm for our charity projects, but I’ve already gotten 3 done for June and I have 5 or 6 sitting on my table.

I’m getting sooooo close to the 10 million stitches mark,,,,
Why this excites me, I have no idea, but it does....



My last photo came to me from a friend in northern Wisconsin. It is a yearling bear,,,



All the best to everyone,
Luann

[genevacarroll]

Luann, It's good to hear form you and see what you've been up to.

Love your baskets! So colorful. I'll be dyeing this summer. I think I will follow your lead and dye some clothesline. Thanks!

Love your quilt and pillowcases. 10 million stitches is a lot of quilting! It seems to me like you just got your long arm. Good for you!

Enjoy the rest of your June.... geneva

[eileenkny]

Luann, I really like your baskets; a friend of mine did an area rug with that method. Very pretty! My longarm doesn't keep track of stitches, wish it did. When you reach 1M, does it reset or keep going?
I tried that method of piecing and got all tangled. What's your secret?
We haven't had any bear sightings locally, but they've been seen in the next county. Don't know what I'd do if I did see one!

Have a great day. I hope to have something to show tomorrow, which is my monthly day.

[lotti]

Wow, Luann, you‘ve been busy! Especially love that first basket!

Ive been in Canada, visiting my parents for just over a week. Spending time at home, doing a little cooking and baking, my mom‘s also managed to get me to help with the . With all the rain they‘ve had the weeds are quite easy to uproot, but a few hours in the morning are quite enough :silly:

Yesterday afternoon I went to our local museum, I try to pop in whenever I’m here in the summer. Their special exhibition this year is quilts. These are between one and two hundred years old, a few of them were made by young brides in the states who brought them with them when they married Canadians (being just a few miles from the border everyone has relations on both sides).

I was also very interested in Mary Baker‘s quilt, this whole cloth wool quilt was made before her marriage about 1760, she and her husband Benjamin owned a farm in Duchess County, NY. But as they were loyalists (Benjamin was a private in the 1st Regiment of the King‘s Royal Regiment of
New York, captured in 1777, held prisoner for 5 months and then sold into servitude for another nine months). Mary and their children were forced out of their home with only the objects they could carry and made it to a Canadian refugee camp. The Family later settled in Frelighsburg, just a few miles from here. Amazingly this quilt was taken with them (I’m imagining the youngest child being bundled up in the quilt during their fight).


This quilt by Dora Drusilla Edmonds was made about 1880. about 120 years ago it had a burning beam fall on it during a house fire, it survived but still smells of smoke today.


This is an unfinished quilt top which the sisters Bernice & Georgia Boomhower worked on between 1943 and 1945, embroidering news headlines, embroidering important persons and the names of all the local men and women who served in the war. They said that they never finished the quilt as the men came home from the war ‚so we had something to do other than quilting‘, so, so good.


Go Caroline!
During the Fenian Raid in 1866, Caroline Tittermore discovered a Fenian wearing one of her quilts over his shoulders after he had stolen it from her home. She marched straight up to him and pulled the quilt away from him. We don’t know if this is the exact quilt in question, but it was also made by caroline and at about the same time.



And then there are the two silk beauties... yes, wool and cotton are much sturdier over time, but both of these still have a glorious shine









The Missisquoi Museum is made up of three Parts. The main building which is in an old mill, showing the history of this part of Quebec, the lives, the work, the politics, and whatever else was important to the people of our little corner. Being so close to the US border, the various conflicts, wars and raids also had a large impact on the population here. Then there is Hodge‘s Store, which was a working store for 180 years and today shows the store as it would have been in the 1930‘s. And lastly, the Walbridge Barn. A 12-sided barn, showing ‚modern‘ technology and innovations that are quite unusual. If you are ever in this area during the summer months, well worth a visit.

[eileenkny]

Lotti, my mother's family is from Dutchess County! I live across the river from there.
Those quilts are amazing! Their families must have appreciated them.
Have a safe trip home when you go.

[eileenkny]

Lotti,
Those are amazing quilts. And as for weeding, well, there’s a reason I’m not gardening here in South Carolina. They can grow a foot a week if the rain, humidity, and temps are to their liking. LOL

[eileenkny]

Eileen,
After I got the first columns sewn together, I sewed the first two rows across and having all those 'half baked' pieces tagging along pushed me to the following. I carefully put it up on my design wall. Snipped between the 'junctions'. I left them hanging in order then proceeded so that the bottom layer was solid and the new strip was on top. When I do this the next time, I will do this again before sewing any of the created rows to each other. I also will be able to press odd rows to the right and even rows to the left to keep those seams nesting. Hope that helps. I would suggest to any one new to the method to do some 9 patch blocks first so you get the hang of it on a small scale before undertaking anything bigger than a crib size.
My machine keeps counting for me. I have a project stitch count, and a lifetime stitch count. On July 25 of this year I’ll have my Fusion for a total of 4 years.
I did a quilt today that had camper fabric, so I used a camper quilting design. Here's what the monitor read out was,,,



Quilt and design I used

[genevacarroll]

Lotti, Thanks for the pictures and history of the quilts. It's a good feeling to know that our "work" is valued even after we are gone.

And, weeding is icky!

geneva

[eileenkny]

I'm a day late with my monthly posting, but I have something to show. I'm participating in Esther Aliu's BOM, Hold On To Your Heart. It began in January, but I've just finished stitching down Block 1. Since I love this quilt, I want to do it right, so I've done some fixes, probably from over handling. I'm finally done and can move onto Block 2.

[eileenkny]

Eileen,
Your hard work and patience shows. Great job.