A few fall photos...

I don't often post photos of myself. Unfortunately, I seem to be more of the photographer than the photographee, so there is a definite lack of photographs of myself.

Well... why did we take these photos? Patricia who runs the website for the Quilters Guild of Greater Kansas City contacted me after she found my blog. She asked me if she could link to my blog so that everyone in their guild could find the pictures I took at their quilt show a few weeks ago easily. I said sure.

She then asked if I could write a little bit about myself and my experience at the show. After that, she asked for a picture of me to include with the blurb and the link. So after searching through all of our thousands of pictures Wednesday night, I decided none of them would do. Jason and I headed to the park over our lunch break for a small photo shoot. The top one is the one I sent to the guild and the bottom one was the runner up.



So, I thought I'd just pop in to say hello and share these with you.

It's pretty cool that somebody found my blog from my post about their guild's quilt show don't you think? I certainly do.

Have a great weekend!

Jargon of the Week - Mainstream

This week I'll look at indie v. mainstream from the mainstream side.

According to dictionary.com, mainstream is:

main⋅stream [meyn-streem]
–noun
1. the principal or dominant course, tendency, or trend: the mainstream of American culture.
2. a river having tributaries.

–adjective
3. belonging to or characteristic of a principal, dominant, or widely accepted group, movement, style, etc.: mainstream Republicans; a mainstream artist.
4. of, pertaining to, or characteristic of jazz falling historically between Dixieland and modern jazz; specifically, swing music. Compare traditional (def. 4).

–verb (used with object)
5. to send into the mainstream; cause to join the main force, group, etc.: to mainstream young people into the labor force.
6. to place (handicapped students) in regular school classes.

–verb (used without object)
7. to join or be placed in the mainstream.

Origin:
1660–70; main 1 + stream

Specifically in the creative world, mainstream is the contrast to indie. (Indie was last week's Jargon of the Week. Check there for an indepth analysis of indie.) It is using something where another person has made all the design decisions. The creator of the specific item makes an almost identical copy of whatever the initial project was.

Example: Mainstream in the quilting world is buying a kit put together by someone else to make a quilt identical to the one they have already created.

Exception: In my opinion, using a pattern to create a project doesn't make you a mainstream crafter. If you substitue different fabric for a dress or create a different arrangement on an appliqued quilt, you've put yourself into the indie crafter category.

My interpretation of mainstream is that a mainstream crafter is someone who relies on another person to create a project. They surrender all design aspects of the project to the initial creator and rely solely on themselves for the construction.

Note: There isn't anything wrong with being a mainstream crafter. Mainstream projects can be just as enjoyable as creating something solely from one's imagination. Mainstream crafting is a great way to learn new techniques or methods. I do it all the time.

Want a better understanding on the term indie? Check the blog post from October 29, 2009.

Des Moines Quilt Expo

My mom and I headed to Des Moines this weekend to check out the AQS Quilt Expo - Des Moines. Unfortunately, I can't share the photos I took there with you because something happened when I copied them to the computer. They show up as "Image Invalid". What a bummer. There were some nice quilts there that I would have liked to share with you. I'm irritated, but trying not to let it get to me.

So, instead... I can share the photos I took at Fons and Porter's Quilt Supply in Winterset, Iowa. Somehow those photos came out fine. I'm not sure what happened to the quilt show photos.








We saw two celebrities on this little trip. We saw Marianne Fons of Fons and Porter at her quilt shop in Winterset, Iowa. We also saw Eleanor Burns at the Quilt Show in Des Moines. How exciting!

Jargon of the Week - Indie

Jargon:
What does the term indie mean to the crafty world? This edition of Jargon of the Week is mostly my interpretation of the term.

According to dictionary.com, indie is:

in⋅die [in-dee]
–noun
1. an independently owned business: to work for an indie.

–adjective
2. (of a person) self-employed; (of a business) privately owned: an indie film producer.

Origin:
1940–45; ind(ependent) + -ie

n. Informal

1. One, such as a studio or producer, that is unaffiliated with a larger or more commercial organization.

2. An artistic work produced by an independent company or group: "[His film] showed that indies could . . . take in millions at the box office" (Liesl Schillinger).

adj. Of, relating to, or being an indie: an album of indie rock; an indie film company.

Word Origin & History

indie

"independent record company," 1945, shortening of independent; used of film production companies since 1920s, of theaters from 1942; extended by 1984 to a type of pop music by such labels.

Indie means something a little different in the crafty world. My interpretation is that an indie crafter is someone who doesn't craft like the mainstream. It's somebody who develops a final product from something someone else has made all design decisions on. Like, say a scrapbooker. The mainstream scrapbooker would use some sort of prefabricated items, like maybe stickers, to decorate their pages. An indie scrapbooker may use items from the vacation they are creating a book for.

Let's use baking cookies as an analogy. A mainstream batch of cookies would be plopped onto a baking sheet right out of the Pillsbury tube. An indie route of cookie making would be to make the dough from scratch to use Grandma's famous recipe.

The indie v. mainstream is a hard thing to define. I think the cookie analogy may be the best way I've come up with to describe it. What do you think? Am I on the right track with this definition?

Come back next week and I'll touch more on the mainstream side of crafting.

I'll be a little absent.

Hello, readers.

I decided over the weekend to participate in a craft fair at a local church. I've never done a craft fair, so this will be a good learning experience for me. I've got a stock pile of things to sell and just worked on my killer spreadsheet (seriously, this thing rocks!) to track my items, sales, prices, and such.

If you live in the Kansas City area, it's November 14th, 8am - 8pm at the One Community Spiritual Center.

Over then next few weeks I'll be working on making some new items to add to my "for sale stash". This means that I've got a lot of work to do in a short period of time, so blogging is going to take a backseat until after the fair. I do have a few posts throughout the weeks already written and set to post on certain days, so don't forget about me completely.

What else do I have going on soon? This weekend, my mom and I are heading to Des Moines for the quilt expo.

Wish me luck on all my upcoming adventures!

October 24, 2009

This week my favorite thing is these birds!





They make me happy everytime I see them.

P.S. In case you are curious, they have held up very well in all the rain and wind we've had around here lately.

Have You Heard of this Contest?

I found this contest a while ago and had emailed myself a reminder link to enter.

I am planning on entering 2 quilts: The Flying Zebras and the It All Started With a Dream .

What are you planning on entering?

Me, My Scarf, and I

I just discovered this new contest being put on by Singer and Craft Magazine. It's called the Me, My Scarf, and I. How cute is that?



I've got a few ideas floating around in my head on what I can make for my entry, but since I just discovered it a few minutes ago there's nothing started. I'll let my thoughts marinade for a few days before I start to make anything. The deadline is November 23rd.

Have any of you readers discovered this contest? Are you going to enter?

Jargon of the Week - Pressing

Dictionary.com defines pressing as:

press⋅ing [pres-ing]

–adjective
1. urgent; demanding immediate attention: a pressing need.

–noun
2. any phonograph record produced in a record-molding press from a master or a stamper.
3. a number of such records produced at one time: The fifth pressing of his hit song has sold out.

Origin:
1300–50; ME presing (ger.); see press 1 , -ing 2 , -ing 1

In the crafty world, pressing is a type of ironing.

Ironing is the use of an iron to remove wrinkles from fabric. How does ironing differ from pressing?
Ironing is accomplished by moving the iron slightly back and forth to remove the wrinkles or create a crease. Pressing is accomplished by raising the iron straight up from the fabric every few seconds and setting it down flat on the fabric. There is no slight side-to-side movement when pressing; it is a straight up and down motion.

I get the difference between ironing and pressing, but why would I ever need to press rather than iron?
Quilters press, not iron. This is done because the slight movement of the iron stretches the fabric (come back in a few weeks to learn about the bias and grain lines of a fabric). When the fabric is stretched in quilting, it prevents nice sharp angles and distorts the pieces. What happens then? Blocks will not turn out square.

Do you see when pressing comes in handy?

October 21, 2009 - Favorite Things

I know I usually do my favorites on Sundays, but it just didn't happen this week. So, here's my favorite things on a Wednesday.
1. Playing for Change, an awesome CD, 2. TV Project Basket, all the things I'm working on while watching TV go in here, 3. Grandpa Vrooman's Spurs, a pair of spurs from Jason's Grandpa Vrooman's collection, 4. Let's make a patchwork Quilt, a gift from my parents, 5. Mini Singer, a new sewing doo-dad for my growing (okay, just started) collection, 6. Huge Bell Peppers from the farmer's market

Want better descriptions of the items shown above? Go to my flickr set.

Also, we went and saw Where The Wild Things Are over the weekend and it was fantastic. I totally recommend it.

Happy 5th Birthday, Lily

Today, my cat, Lily, turns 5. Well... sort of. We adopted her 5 years ago today. We got her from the humane society when she was around 3 months old, so we don't know for sure when she was actually born. So instead of celebrating her birthday, we celebrate her adoption day.

This year, to celebrate her adoption/birthday we're going to the vet to get rabies shots! (No, we don't usually celebrate a whole lot more than this. She might get canned food instead of her regular dry food or a new mouse. We're really not crazy, wacky cat people.)

Here's a few photos of Lily throughout the years:
1. Jason and Baby Lily, this was the first day she was with us (we had only been dating for 3.5 weeks and I convinced Jason we needed a cat), 2. Lily's Sink Bed, she loves napping in here, 3. Jason and Lily Day One, they were both so small!, 4. Lily's Fabric Stash, how can one sew and not have a cat to hide in their fabric?, 5. Jason and a Younger Lily, this was probably sometime in 2005, 6. Lily 60s Yearbook Style Photo, this was just taken yesterday.

So, Lily... we love you and are glad you decided you could put up with us for these 5 years.

Halloween Crows

I made these little guys using a pattern from Spool. I used 7 different fabrics to create 7 different crows. Up close you can see the different fabrics, but from a floor down, they just look like solid black birds.

I used my button attaching stitch to make little loops on each of their backs. I threaded a piece of fishing line through each of the loops and strung them all together.

I think they're kind of fun. I like that they aren't your everyday Halloween decoration.

Quilters Guild of Greater Kansas City Quilt Show - Part 2 of 2

Yesterday I posted the first half of the photos I took at the Quilters Guild of Greater Kansas City Quilt Show at Crown Center. This is the second half. Enjoy!

If These Shirts Could Talk
Quiltmaker: Rosemary Cromer
Quilted by: Mary Hibbs
Owner: Rosemary Cromer
Techniques: Machine pieced, machine quilted



Red Rooster
Quiltmaker: Janie Wagner
Quilted by: Janie Wagner
Owner: Janie Wagner
Techniques: Machine pieced, machine quilted
I thought this one was really cool. It looks so simple. Why didn't I ever think of this?


Don't you love it when they give you gloves at a quilt show? I hate when they don't because I have to walk around with my hands in my pockets just so I won't accidentally touch something I'm not supposed to. I love the feel of fabric, so pockets or gloves are a must. I just can't help myself.

Sunny Spanish Sky
Quiltmakers: Kay and Norm Cox
Quilted by: Countryside Quilting
Owners: Kay and Norm Cox
Techniques: Machine pieced, machine quilted
The quilting on this was amazing.

Civil War Stars
Quiltmaker: Mary Ellen Bloomquist
Quilted by: Nedra Forbes
Owner: Mary Ellen Bloomquist
Techniques: Machine pieced, hand appliqued, machine quilted

I love the quilting on this quilt.
I think my favorite part of the whole thing is this applique on the border.

Truly Nancy #2
Quiltmaker: Nancy Wakefield
Quilted by: Ross Williams
Owner: Nancy Wakefield
Techniques: Machine pieced, machine quilted
I love this one. I love the simplicity of it. I love scrappy quilts that don't have an overall theme. They seem like they have more of a necessity to them than a specific statement. Somehow, no matter what fabrics are put together, they seem to work.

Red and White Triangles
Quiltmaker: Holly Benson
Quilted by: Holly Benson
Owner: Holly Benson
Techniques: Machine pieced, hand quilted


Unfortunately I only took a few photos of this quilt. It was fabulous. It was solid red and white fabrics on the front and I loved the back fabric. It matched beautifully. It was heavily hand quilted. Gorgeous! Sorry about the lack of overall photo on this one. At least you can get a sneak peek.

Chocolate Block of the Month
Quiltmaker: Naida McKee
Quilted by: Naida McKee
Owner: Naida McKee
Techniques: Machine pieced, machine quilted

I thought the colors on this were interesting. I don't think I would have ever come up with these fabrics together, but I dig them.
I love the back on this one. See why I love when they give me gloves? I get to discover really cool things like this.

Cabins Under the Stars
Quiltmaker: Clara Diaz
Quilted by: Clara Diaz
Owner: Clara Diaz
Techniques: Machine pieced, machine quilted
I love the border on this. I need to start doing more of them this way.

Olde Hickory
Quiltmaker: Ramona Collins
Quilted by: Kathleen Coleman
Owner: Ramona Collins
Techniques: Machine pieced, machine quilted



Bright Kaleidescope
Quiltmaker: Kay and Norm Cox
Quilted by: Countryside Quilting
Owner: Kay and Norm Cox
Techniques: Machine pieced, machine quilted



My Funky Rail Fence
Quiltmaker: Joan Pickens
Quilted by: Melinda Roberts
Owner: Matthieu Pickens

I love black and white with a bit of red. It's quite possibly my favorite color combination.

There's No Place Like Home
Quiltmaker: Virginia Paul
Quilted by: Virginia Paul
Owner: Virginia Paul
Techniques: Machine pieced, machine quilted


I loved seeing this one. If you remember, the theme for my row robin quilt swap is the Wizard of Oz. I can't wait to get it back and see how it turned out.

Not College Bound
Quiltmakers: Kay and Norm Cox
Quilted by: Marily Cole
Owners: Kay and Norm Cox
Techniques: Machine pieced, machine quilted


Furrowed Fields
Quiltmaker: Rosemary Cromer
Quilted by: Rosemary Cromer
Owner: Rosemary Cromer
Techniques: Machine pieced, machine quilted

This was made of old shirts. I liked how they didn't cut out the pockets or sleeve buttons.

Not College Bound
Quiltmakers: Kay and Norm Cox
Quilted by: Marily Cole
Owners: Kay and Norm Cox
Techniques: Machine pieced, machine quilted


Furrowed Fields
Quiltmaker: Rosemary Cromer
Quilted by: Rosemary Cromer
Owner: Rosemary Cromer
Techniques: Machine pieced, machine quilted

This was made of old shirts. I liked how they didn't cut out the pockets or sleeve buttons.

Seeing Red
Quiltmaker: Marlene Moore
Quilted by: Marlene Moore
Owner: Marlene Moore
Techniques: Machine pieced, machine quilted


Roses and Raindrops
Quiltmaker: Linda M. Kahmann
Quilted by: Linda M. Kahmann
Owner: Linda M. Kahmann
Techniques: Machine pieced, hand quilted


Sampler Magic
Quiltmaker: Ramona Collins
Quilted by: Kathleen Coleman
Owner: Ramona Collins
Techniques: Machine pieced, machine quilted


This one was awesome to watch Jason look at. He couldn't decide whether or not he was okay with the different sized blocks that didn't necessarily line up with each other at every intersection.

Around the World
Quiltmaker: Peggy Peterson
Quilted by: Beth Kurzava
Owner: Peggy Peterson
Techniques: Machine pieced, machine quilted



Rain Drops
Quiltmaker: Sandra Froyd Mogg
Quilted by: Marthe Cox
Owner: Sandra Mogg
Techniques: Paper pieced, machine quilted

Awesome, isn't it?

Her First Quilt
Quiltmaker: Carol Crouse
Quilted by: Dana Davis of Cabin Fever Quilting
Owner: Kathy Needham
Techniques: Machine pieced, machine quilted


Antique Grandmother's Flower Garden
Quiltmaker: Unknown
Quilted by: Unknown
Owner: Julie Kiffin
Techniques: Hand appliqued, hand quilted

Jargon of the Week - Fat Quarter

As far as I know, the term fat quarter is only used in the fabric world.

A fat quarter is a size of fabric one can buy.

Most cotton fabric comes around 44" or so wide (it varies).

A fat quarter is the same amount of fabric you would buy in a 1/4 yard, but it is in different shaped rectangle. Rather than being 9"x44", it is half the length and twice the width. Thus, a fat quarter is basically a 1/2 yard cut of fabric sliced down the middle. So, a fat quarter is a piece of fabric measuring 18"x22" (or whatever the length of the particular fabric is). See the diagram below for a visual.

Why would I buy a fat quarter and not a 1/4 yard cut?

Good Question!

A fat quarter is often a better shape to work with. A 1/4 yard cut can really limit you. The biggest square you can get out of a 1/4 yard cut is 9". You can get an 18" square out of a fat quarter.

You may have a project you're working on where you don't need a lot of one fabric, but you need more than 9" each way. The benefit (or downfall, depending on your feelings about a fabric stash) of a fat quarter is that you don't have a lot of excess fabric when you end up in this situation.

Note: A fat quarter isn't always necessarily the way to go and sometimes it's not available.

Quilters Guild of Greater Kansas City Quilt Show - Part 1 of 2

Over the last weekend, Jason and I visited the Quilters Guild of Greater Kansas City Quilt Show at Crown Center. I took a ton of photos because there were a ton of amazing quilts shown here. I'm going to split the photos over the next few days because I'm sure you would get irritated with so many photos on one post. So, this is the first of a few. Enjoy!

They had this really cool thing going with a bunch of the stores in the center. Two dozen of the stores and theaters were offering a free quilt pattern. Each had a different pattern. They were all fairly simple. I only photographed one of them. They were each displayed something like this.

Pots de Fleur
Quiltmaker: Miriam Reed
Quilted by: Don Sutcliff
Owner: Miriam Reed
Techniques: Hand appliqued, machine quilted
I totally have a thing for black quilts.

Pumpkin Delight
Quiltmaker: Arliss Morris
Quilted by: Donna Bogue
Owner: Donna Bogue
Techniques: Machine pieced, machine quilted, hand appliqued

I wanted to share the details on this one with you, so this is a mosaic showing each of the smaller blocks.


Circuit Rider's Quilt
Quiltmaker: Candy Hargrove
Quilted by: Jo Reynolds
Owner: Candy Hargrove
Techniques: Hand appliqued, machine quilted



Birds of a Feather
Quiltmaker: Mary Lou Strahm
Quilted by: Jeannie Zyck
Owner: Mary Lou Strahm
Techniques: Hand appliqued, machine quilted

I love the quilting on this. It's so dense and nicely done.

Haunted Hill
Quiltmaker: Doris J. Heath
Quilted by: Doris J. Heath
Owner: Doris J. Heath
Techniques: Machine appliqued, machine quilted


Sunbonnet Sue
Quiltmaker: Miriam Reed
Quilted by: Members of the Quilt Guild
Owner: Miriam Reed
Techniques: Hand appliqued, hand quilted


How Far is it to Bethlehem?
Quiltmaker: Donna Bogue
Quilted by: Donna Bogue
Owner: Donna Bogue
Techniques: Machine pieced, machine quilted, hand appliqued



How beautiful is this one? I think it's gorgeous.

Butterfly Quilt
Quiltmakers: Mary Ellen Bloomquist and Unknown Appliquer
Quilted by: Mary Ellen Bloomquist
Owner: Mary Ellen Bloomquist
Techniques: Machine pieced, hand quilted, hand embroidered, hand quilted


You must check out the details on these butterflies. They're beautiful.

Adapted Sunbonnet Sue
Quiltmaker: Joann Webb
Quilted by: Joann Webb
Owner: Sarah Webb
Techniques: Hand pieced, hand appliqued, hand quilted


These little ladies are fabulous. Check out the gingerbread man. Doesn't he look like Sue is about to beat him?

Birds of '06
Quiltmaker: June Caldwell
Quilted by: June Caldwell
Owner: June Caldwell
Techniques: Machine pieced, machine appliqued, hand quilted

Isn’t this bird fabulous? I love the pear fabric used here.

October Sky
Quiltmaker: Judy Hill
Quilted by: Judy Hill
Owner: Judy Hill
Techniques: Machine pieced, hand appliqued, hand quilted



Goose Tracks
Quiltmaker: Gail Stewart
Quilted by: Gail Stewart
Owner: Gail Stewart
Techniques: Hand pieced, hand appliqued, hand quilted


Holiday Inn
Quiltmaker: Georganna Clark
Quilted by: Georganna Clark
Owner: Georganna Clark
Techniques: Machine pieced, hand appliqued, machine quilted


Trade Winds
Quiltmaker: Marilyn Henderson
Quilted by: Marilyn Henderson
Owner: Henderson Family
Techniques: Hand appliqued, hand quilted


Georgetown Poppies
Quiltmaker: Holly Benson
Quilted by: Holly Benson
Owner: Holly Benson
Techniques: Machine pieced, machine quilted


Elephants Marching
Quiltmaker: Sue Wilson
Quilted by: Beth Kursava
Owner: Sue Wilson
Techniques: Machine pieced, machine quilted, hand and machine appliqued, paper piecing



Just Aprons
Quiltmaker: Doris Conrad
Quilted by: Linda Kreisel
Owner: Doris Conrad
Techniques: Machine pieced, machine quilted

I totally, totally loved this one.

Lillies & Koi
Quiltmaker: Holly Benson
Quilted by: Holly Benson
Owner: Holly Benson
Techniques: Machine pieced, embroidery, machine quilted
I love koi. I really liked this quilt.


I love going to quilt shows.

Crazy Chicken Bag

My mother-in-law, Momba, likes chickens. I found this fabric a while back at Hancock and couldn't pass it up. I had to make something for her out of it.
Her birthday was on the 6th of October, so I made her a bag. I based the bag off Simplicity pattern 9963, option D. My mom had made me a bag from this pattern years ago and I love it. I think it's the perfect size for so many things. The shot above is of the inside of the bag.

I made a fun star block for the front side rather than the 9 patch shown on the pattern. I paper-pieced it using a pattern I found in a book called 365 Quilt Blocks.

It turned out rather fun, don't you think? I'm happy with it.

Plaza Art Fair 2009

A few weeks ago we attended the Plaza Art Fair. I only snapped a few photos, but thought I'd share them with you.

There were a ton of people at the fair. We spent probably 20 minutes trying to find somewhere we could park the car. We ended up about a mile away. Have I mentioned that parking is always an adventure?

This was one of the best artists (in my opinion) at the fair. Unfortunately, I didn't get his name and I can't remember what medium this is in.

I thought this was a cool booth. The plaza is filled with tasty places to eat and many of them put booths out for this even. I liked the design of this one.

I love the flowers on the plaza. It is such a beautiful part of town and the flowers are always so cheerful.

P.S. Happy Columbus Day.

October 11, 2009 - Favorite Things

My favorite thing for this week is Park City Girl's Online Quilt Festival. I'm loving snooping through all the links and seeing all the quilts everyone has posted.

Click on the button below if you have yet to stop in for a visit to the quilt festival.

Handmade Home

Recently, I received my copy of Amanda Blake Soule's Handmade Home. Okay... maybe I've had it for a short while, but am just now getting to write this.


The book is awesome! I bought my copy directly from the Soule Mama herself, so there's an autograph. The photographs are beautiful (although the method of printing chosen made them a bit grainy).


The projects in this book are all sorts of fun. Many of them are good projects to do with your kids. Since I don't have any kids, this only sounds fun. I'm not sure how this actually works out.

I love the way the book is written. The wording she chooses makes it sound like your having a conversation. It's not heavy on the instruction, but leans more towards the "this is how I did this project, you can try another method if you like."

So, I am in love with Handmade Home. I am pretty sure it's the first crafty book I've read cover to cover.

I made Millie's Hot Pads from the book and love them.


I recently acquired a bit of Christmas fabric, so I played around with that for these cute little pot holders.



The one one the left still needs its binding stitched down, but the right side is completed.

I think Handmade Home may be my new favorite crafty book.

Park City Girl's Blogger's Quilt Festival

How cool is this? I'm writing this post as part of an online quilt festival!

Each entry is supposed to be the participant's favorite quilt. My favorite quilt changes about every time I make a new one. This is my current favorite.

My best friend, Amber had her first baby, Lucy in August and this is a quilt I made for her. After she told me she was pregnant I had a dream about the quilt I was going to make. In my dream there was a big tree with a swing. I went back and forth in my mind for weeks before I decided how to construct this quilt. I finished this up just in time for her baby shower in June.

This is a photo of the full top. The finished size is about 3'-0"x4'-6.

The mosaic below is some detail shots of the quilt.

Here's a photo of the back. I wanted all the thread on the back to be purple, so it would just look like a line drawing mirroring the front. Want more detailed photographs or a better explanation of this quilt? I wrote about it in a previous post.

Just think... it all started with a dream I had.

Want to see other entries? Click on the button below.