Kate's Perspective | |
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Tuesday, March 29, 2005
Quilt Stars
 We finally saw the sun today in Chester County-- what a relief. It was a nice day for my drive out to Lancaster to hear Alex Anderson talk about her quilts. She's very personable, which made her lecture to a room of 300 seem like a personal visit with a fellow quilter. It was great to see her work, which is rarely featured on her show, and she even left her quilts at the front of the room for us to look at up close. Wish I had remembered that before I got halfway home. Oh well, it was a thrill just to see them from across the room. I didn't realize that so many of her blocks are 6-inchers (smaller than I expected). The small size is very appealing and allows for the use of many more fabrics. The two bed size quilts I've made have been based on large blocks (10 or more inches), but I prefer the look of the smaller blocks and look forward to making my next quilt at this smaller scale. I also noticed that her quilts seemed to have a very fluid drape, while most of my quilts have been fairly stiff. I'm definitely going to try a different batting to achieve a smoother drape. The handquilting, even viewed from the audience, was gorgeous-- the motifs fully and evenly covered the entire surface of each quilt. I'm very inspired. This weekend is the big Lancaster quilt show, and I can't wait to see more quilts! I'm starting to recognize the quilters, too. In the fall I spotted quilting twins Roberta Horton and Mary Mashuta walking the aisles at Fort Washington-- perhaps I'll spot another famous quilter this weekend. Whose work do you admire? Monday, March 28, 2005
Quilt Groupie
 Tomorrow I'm going to meet Alex Anderson. I learned to quilt 8 years ago in a class based on her book, Start Quilting with Alex Anderson, and I really like her designs. I've admired her quilts, own several of her books, and watch her HGTV show Simply Quilts regularly, so I feel like I know her. Now I'm going to hear her speak and have her autograph my book! I'm officially a quilt groupie now. Must be time to make a patchwork sweatshirt. Here's the result of this weekend's naptimes, a split LeMoyne star from Alex's book Simply Stars. Yes, another red block-- I've gotta start using another color, I'm boring myself!  This is two scans stitched together, but the ripple effect can't be blamed on that. I need a little more practice to avoid stretching the bias edges and to get the points to meet. But I think it turned out pretty well. I'm starting to accumulate a big pile of one-off blocks. It's fun to try out a new pattern or technique, and maybe someday I'll turn them all into a big scrap quilt. Thursday, March 24, 2005
Watching Soaps and Eating Bon-Bons
Monday, March 21, 2005
Baby Steps
 I finally got around to adding the borders to my Irish Chain. And then today, my mom took the baby for an hour and a half, and I seamed the backing fabric. Now I just have to repair my batting, lay it out, and pin-baste it. That could take a while. And a lot of cat-free, baby-free room. In the meantime, I'm just enjoying the view. Wednesday, March 16, 2005
Independence
  Now gimmee a kiss!  Monday, March 14, 2005
I Didn't Win...
 I got excited and made four pinwheels for the block of the month, because I wanted to see how the pattern repeated. It's just as well I didn't win, because I don't like the stark white background. In fact, I so don't like stark white backgrounds that I'm not even making the April block. It calls for stark white, and two shades of lavender. I guess I don't like lavender either, because I can't find any in my stash. There seems to be a strong inverse correlation between how little you like the block and how likely you are to win. I'd better sit this one out! Here's my longest running project. I pieced the top in Alaska in the summer of 1997 and began handquilting it in Seattle the following winter. I worked diligently on it in Hawaii and then back in Pennsylvania, and during a long vacation in Newfoundland. The label on the back of this thing is gonna be huge! There's not that much quilting left, but I chose a quilting design with lines 3/4 inch apart. Good choice for my first project, huh. If I were to piece this quilt today, I would change the outer border and the outer background, but overall I like it. It's blue and white (but not stark white!) because I originally thought it would be a nice gift for my mom. I think I'm gonna keep it for myself though.  Thursday, March 10, 2005
Places I've Been
create your own visited states map or check out these Google Hacks. Note: I've actually lived in Pennsylvania, Washington, Alaska, and Hawaii. Just for fun. Monday, March 07, 2005
Assistant Buyer
 We decided to take a trip to northern New Jersey for the quilt show this weekend. I, because I want to learn more about how quilts are judged; John, because he wanted a nice family activity outside the house; and Lydia, because we're the parents, that's why. It turned out to be a juried quilt show, not a judged one, but we enjoyed the work of Linda Cantrell and I had fun shopping. I got a template for the clamshell quilt in case I get inspired soon and bought some Kaffe Fassett fat quarters. I've never been inspired to buy his stuff from online photos, but in person, it is really compelling. Lydia was disappointed not to be able to sort the fat quarters at the show like she does at home, but once we got home, she had her chance.Thursday, March 03, 2005
A Day in the Life - Through the Mommy Filter
Dear Editor,Try it. It's good for a laugh or two. And look! 4 minutes have passed! Wednesday, March 02, 2005
Cordless Irons
 Has anybody out there used a cordless iron? Consumer Reports tested products by Maytag and Panasonic, but didn't give many details. Although they recommend the Panasonic, they say it doesn't put out as much steam as some heavily wrinkled items would need, and that it would need frequent reheating to finish a large job, like a tablecloth. Hmmm. How about a quilt top? I'm thinking this is more of a "dis-recommendation" for my purposes. Now I'm wondering if any of the cordless models would retain heat longer, and which have more steam output... Anybody have this info?
Thanks for the moral support re: ripping that sweater. I totally agree, but feel like ripping it *right now* puts the pressure on to knit it *right now*. So I stuck it in a bag at the back of the yarn cupboard for ripping and reknitting... later. |
WORKS IN PROGRESS
QUILTS Big Girl Quilt Oriental Rug Christmas Scrappy Star Gridlock KNITS Cashmere Aran Afghan Lydia sweater |
