Spokane Valley Quilt Show~ Techniques

This past weekend was the Spokane Valley Quilt Show.

I thought rather than sharing pictures of the

oh-so many beautiful quilts,

I would share a couple that used unique techniques.

First is the Poppy~

It uses a couple of techniques.

Many small pieces layered then quilted give the background almost

a Monet-like appearance.

It was interesting to see how this was all quilted together.

There was another one that was more of a mountain scene using the same

layering technique.

Then there was a quilt that used so many techniques,

it's difficult to keep track.

I was somewhat flabbergasted to say the least.

Applique, ruching, embroidery, hand-quilting...

And do you see it?

It's fabric turning like the quilt I am still working on.

The entire thing was beautifully done.

This show has become one of my favorites.

The people are friendly - both those who are working,

and those who are viewing.

It is professional, and the quilts are well presented.

If you are ever in the area at the right time,

 I would certainly recommend attending. 

Until next time,

Nimble Fingers and Even Stitches

The Slow Quilt Movement

Eleanor Burns is fabulous,

but I just don't do quilt in a day.

I'm lucky if I make a quilt in a year.

A short while back,

I posted a quick pix of a few blocks I was working on.

It's here.

Then Kathy asked, "So what are you making?"

Great question.

I follow quilt patterns about as well as I follow recipes.

I make them my own size and do the math myself.

I did find the pattern I am using though.

I'm not much of a pink person so I decided to make it more
"Civil-War-ish."
This is Fons and Porter June 2014 issue.
My blocks are a little smaller then what they call for,
but I'm making the same pattern (design.)
That's good for me.
It takes me so long to make it through a quilt, 
I don't really think about it until I'm ready to put it together.
My reason for quilting isn't because we need more blankets for winter, 
and I don't need instant gratification
so I'm not really worried about getting one finished in a day.
It's my therapy. 
I enjoy the process.
The methodic rhythm of cutting, piecing, and the needle and thread.
I usually have one machine quilt to work on
and one hand project to work on.
I'm still working on the Cathedral Window by hand.
About 1/3 of it is one big piece and the rest in strips
so it's getting there.
This one is my machine quilt.
It too will get there eventually:)

Does anybody else quilt this way?

Until next time,
Nimble Finger and Even Sticthes  

Barn Quilt Block

They might be common in the mid-west,

but this is only the second one I've spotted out here.

After I spotted this one,

I kept saying to Mr. LB, "That barn would be good.  Say,

look at that barn.  It has a nice big wall."

We were headed toward the Eagle Caps.

You can get a little better idea of the view in this picture.

The hay meadows looked fabulous.

I am happy for the ranchers.

If it's as dry as predicted, maybe they will have enough

not only for their own stock, but to

sell a little extra.

Until next time,

Nimble Fingers and Even Stitches

Cathedral Window Update

Just in case you thought I was slacking...

well, I might be, but I'm making progress.

It is a very slow going piece.

I now have all 99 blocks made 

from the 398 smaller blocks.

Aaaaand...from those 99 blocks,

I am now joining them into pairs,

then onto the main piece which will eventually

end up being the coverlet.

I didn't show all 99 of the blocks as they are

stowed away in a basket so I just took out a hand full.

I am still working at it.

Really I am - here's the needle.

Maybe by fall it will look more like a real coverlet.

A word to anyone who is considering making this pattern.

You need to be okay with so-so.

If you are a perfectionist, you might grind your teeth down

and need to learn wittlin' so you can make some new choppers.

I have been adding beads to distract add to the design.

The design is flawed!

There is no way to fold 4 layers of fabric

into a perfect angle of about 15-20 degrees.

(Side note: I'm so old, I remember degrees symbols on typewriters.)

In order to make the point, 

you must roll the fabric over creating the appearance

of another seam.

Also, in the points, if you do attempt to make them perfect,

there is a very small corner of the raw edge of the window

that will show.

Had I known these things prior to making it,

I might not have committed to a queen size coverlet.

Hubby loves it and thinks it is beautiful.

He likes the effect of the fabric folding and the colors.

So it's his:)

Until next time,

Nimble Fingers and Even Stitches

A Quilt Show and An Estate Sale

Talk about a weekend on the go.

Now I need a weekend to recuperate from the weekend.

Saturday was the Pendleton Quilt Show.

It was nice, not as many vendors as usual

which I am finding is kinda the norm since 2008.

There were of course some pretties:

 These 2 are by Jess Berry.

His work is all self designed and hand appliqued and quilted.

Sunday, while lazily roaming Craigslist antiques,

I ran across an add for an estate sale in Waitsburg, WA.

I was going to wait until next weekend

to go that direction for a few odds

but decided to go today instead.

The prices (on Sunday) at half off were fair.

The 'regular' price was what one might find

in a much larger city so perhaps fair in a different geographic area.

They were fair enough to find a few goofy little goodies.

 A whimsical frog tape dispenser.

 

                                                    This thimble intrigued me.  

It has a thread cutter on the side.

It's just sitting on the tea cup, because it's little.

Mr. LB went fishing today so

when I saw this picture, I just cracked up.

It's called "Pa & Ma Philosopher."

I got a few other things also,

that I neeeeeded of course.

I've been being good about saving so I almost felt guilty

after buying these things today.

Mr. LB laughed at me when I told him that and said,

"Just don't spend the mortgage."

May you all have a beautiful Sunday evening.

Until next time,

Nimble Fingers and Even Stitches

***Ooops~I Got It Right***

Ever feel like if you do something right,

it must have been an accident?

I was cutting up some wool for an idea I'm working on.

I had just been telling my mom 

that I needed to find a soft peacock color to add.

I went to darken a little bit of tan that was too bright,

and I discovered that I had left a piece in some dye

probably 2 months ago.

Can you guess what color?

It was exactly what I needed.

If I would have tried to get this color,

I would probably ended up with orange:)

I have plenty more dying and cutting

before I can even get started on stitching, 

but I am so glad to have this piece.

These are the things in life I call miracles~

the perfect little things that happen without planning them.

They are like unexpected gifts.

Until next time,

Nimble Fingers and Even Stitches

*~*~*A Little Christmas Stitching*~*~*

No laughing,

but after I finished writing my couple of cards

(to those who would otherwise think I was dead,)

I actually spent a little time stitching.

It's just a little quilt

made from the scraps of a much larger Christmas quilt.

I have had the stack of scraps sitting there

in my way for ages so decided to get rid of them this way.

They aren't finished and aren't really Christmas fabrics

but will make a nice little doll quilt

or table topper.

Sometimes these weird little projects

turn out to be some of the most fun to do,

because they don't have to be 'just so.'

So far that's how this one is-

just a fun little thing.

I wish you all a very merry

and blessed Christmas.

Until next time,

Nimble Fingers and Even Stitches

~*~Autumn Table Topper~*~

Just another small finish.

As soon as my table cloth gets out of the dryer,

this will go on our table.

This is actually my second ~

Last year I made a table runner.

I really should pick another season,

but autumn is so cozy.

Until next time,

Nimble Fingers and Even Stitches

Buggy Barn Quilt Show

Mom and I went to the wonderful

Buggy Barn Quilt & Folk Art show

in Reardan, Washington.

This is the wonderful Buggy Barn quilt shop.
I will just let the pictures do the talking...

 It started at 10am.  We were 20 min. early.

This is the view of the cars in front of us.

And the cars behind us...

We didn't have to wait a long time,

though when waiting for a quilt show,

it does seems like forever.

Now quilts...

 That's Mom saying, "Look how they..."

This is the second barn that 

they use as a sort of annex during the show.

There was a shower that came through as I was

taking the picture so it's a little dark.

By the time we made it around the barn, 

the sun was shining.

Even quilts on the old water tower base.

Folks are usually pretty nice at quilt shows,

but this was exceptional.  It seemed as though

all of the attendees were as courteous as

the great families that hosted the event. 

I wasn't sure what to expect.

There was a great basket weaver,

wood work, metal work, and several

vintage style booths.

I kinda forgot to take pictures when we were 

looking around at the booths.

I did get one of this great little wagon.

After the rain, I was trying to shade my lens with my hand

(also in the picture) from the sun.

This was probably the most unique 

show I have attended.

It was a beautiful day in spite of the shower

in the morning.

I can't imagine the work that went in to putting

all of this together as

they had to wake up early in order to 

hang quilts the day of the show.

Due to the sketchy weather,

I am guessing they took them down

and re-hung them Sunday morning.

All I can say is

"Job well done!"

If you ever have the opportunity to attend,

I would highly recommend it.

Until next time,

Nimble Fingers and Even Stitches