I'm back, Happy New Year 2018!

Happy New Year... 2018

I'm back to my blog "Seams Like Home".

The reason I have been gone is not a happy one.  In 2015 my dog "Cher" died from Cancer.  I know most of you would wonder why it affected me for so long that I could no longer write on my blog.  Once I stopped, it was hard to start again because I just couldn't bring myself to explain.  The word Cancer is hard for me to even say or type.  It has caused me to lose most of my siblings and many friends and loyal pets too.  I will not dwell on the sadness or sorrow I feel this day and every day.  I am grateful to have had Cher as my compainion for 11 years.

This is Sonny and Cher. Cher is on the left.  We lost Sonny two years earlier.  I miss them both more than I can say.

OK, enough of that.  I started out with Happy New Year and I mean it.  Looking forward is my resolution and I'm sticking to that.  I had to explain where I've been so you didn't think I'd fallen into some black hole.  I'm still here, still quilting, and I want to include my blog in the TAST (take a stitch Tuesday) with Sharon Boggon, and I am also plugging along with Kathy Shaw and Katie Bock on "Modern Crazy Quilt Seams".  Tast is one stitch a week but Kathy and Katie are a seam a day.  I am way behind on that one but I am still in the game.

I will explain more as I blog along.  I have big quilts, small quilts and fun items that I've been working on too so I've got a lot to show you.  I'm happy to be back! 

New Years Day is a perfect time to start again.

Judy

I'm down to the wire...

Blog 77

Welcome back to "SEAMS LIKE HOME"!

I'm down to the wire here, I had to finish a "RAG" quilt for a Birthday gift and pack to leave for a Retreat tomorrow.  OK, Judy, don't let the pressure get to you.  First things First, A day at a time, etc. etc. plus all those other sayings people say when they are in PANIC MODE!!

Alright... the RAG quilt was already cut and has been an UFO for a year or more.  As I checked the RAG quilt UFO I was thrilled to find that not only had the squares been cut but the middle layer of flannel was already cut and sandwiched.  Since the squares had been cut with an Accuquilt Go cutter the fringe was cut too.  There was only one more thing to do before I could start putting it all together.  Each square needed an "X" sewed across it to keep each block together.  OK, not so bad after all.

It took a while to sew the "X"'s, then it was time to sew the columns and rows together.  All the fringe needs to be on one side of the quilt. The back side of the quilt will have smooth seams. 

I used my design wall to get everything lined up the way I wanted the finished quilt to look.  I took down one block at a time to create the columns.  Then I took each column down to sew the rows together.

.Finally all blocks are together and it looks pretty darn good if I say so myself.  Next I wash it and dry it to fluff up the fringe and make it all cuddly like.  The fringe comes out cool, all kinda curly.   But Hey, just a minute.  Do I see a slight error in the way two of my blocks line up?  You know if I never say anything no one but me will notice right?  

Well, I'm out of time to fix it so I will send it off in the mail, and if, I'm saying IF someone notices I will fix it some day OR I will call it this:

OK, now I can head off to Retreat tomorrow with the present for my Son-in-Law's Birthday sent off in the mail, thanks to my Hubby who will run it down to the Post Office.  Thanks Honey!

HI HO, HI HO,

IT'S OFF TO RETREAT I GO!

I'll bring you back some pictures.

SEW ON AND SEW FORTH!

It worked! The wish list worked!

Blog 76

Welcome back to "SEAMS LIKE HOME"!

I've been working on a Stack and Whack quilt (I will blog about it later) but I ran out of one of the fabrics I needed - the background.  I think I accidentally gave it to someone when I cleaned out my stash to move to Washington.  Well, no matter what happened to it, I need it!  

It is an old fabric that I bought in Hawaii from a lady who worked at a quilt store.  It wasn't from the quilt store but from her personal stash. I don't know where she got it. It was truly a mystery fabric. I saw it and loved it and asked if I could buy it.  She said she had had it for quite a while and hadn't used it yet so yes, I could buy it.  Woo Hoo!  I shipped it home with other things I bought.  this was back in 2007! OK, Yes.... I had it in my stash for years too, but I did find the perfect use for it, the background for my stack and whack.  The main fabric is an African print, the background is a swirling rush of colorful rooster feathers, absolutely PERFECT for the background. Now all I need to finish the Stack and Whack blocks is that PERFECT mystery fabric.

OK, don't Panic! The New Quilting Website, MyQFE.com (stands for: My Quilters Fabric Exchange) has a forum with a wishlist.  You can post fabrics you are looking for and hope someone has it.  I knew my wish was a L-O-N-G-S-H-O-T! But what the heck.  I gave it a try.

I posted on MyQFE.com Forum wishlist.  I described the fabric and asked if anyone had it.  It took a while but I got a response asking for more details about the fabric.  I posted a photo of it in the MyQFE.com Gallery so she could see what the fabric actually looks like.  Again it took a while but I got an answer.  SHE HAS IT!!! OMG, I AM OVER THE MOON. I immediately contacted her by email and she is selling me 2 yards of it.  I sent her a cashiers check. I can hardly wait to get the fabric.

It worked!  The wish list worked!

The name of the fabric is "Poultry in Motion" and it is my PERFECT fabric, just waiting all those years for me to find the perfect project.  The woman who is now selling the fabric to me, at a very reasonable price, lives in Texas.  I live in Washington, but the "Wish List" makes it a small world after all.


Are you looking for fabric you need?  Give it a shot,
who knows where the fabric may be.

SEW ON AND SEW FORTH!

A break from the quilt show frenzy

Blog 75

Welcome Back to "SEAMS LIKE HOME"!

Getting ready for the quilt show and working the quilt show was exhausting in a GOOD way.  It was the climax of many months of planning and working towards the BEST small town quilt show in the West.  All the work was worth it, the quilt show was a big success.  Our only problem was Mother Nature's Heat Wave that hit on the same weekend.

No matter how much I enjoyed working with other quilters, by the end of the quilt show, I was ready for a short break.  Just an intermission.

The Pacific North-West provides plenty of diversions.  It's sheer beauty refreshes you and makes you glad just to be here as an observer of nature.  I took walks along the Dungeness River which is low like most, if not all, western rivers. It is still an amazing site to see.  I took time to pause, breathe in the fresh air and be happy.

Respite over, I've returned to my quilting.  First I looked for something small to make.  I suggested making a thread catcher to a group at the Sunbonnet Sue Quilt Club. They liked the idea and we made them. It was a lot of fun joining other quilters to make this project.  It was a chance to be creative short term.  They went together really quickly and turned out "oh sew cute"! I'm making two more for a total of three.  One for my sewing table, one for my cutting table and one for the ironing table. When I finish the next two I'll post them.  Stay tuned......

SEW ON AND SEW FORTH!

And the winners are: BUT...they were all winners to me!

Blog 74

Welcome back to "SEAMS LIKE HOME"!

And the winners are:  BUT ... they were all winners to me!

Best of Show

Shades of Purple by Brianne Moores

1st Place

Dog Park by Karen Clatanoff

2nd Place

William Morris II by Diane Shafer Davis

3rd Place

Twilight in Four Corners by Denise Cheney

4th Place

Dahlia Quilt by Judy Ramos (Hey, That's me)

5th Place

The Butterfly by Mary Ann Clayton

What a WONDERFUL quilt show it was.

I won my first pink ribbon, and I LOVE it!

Now to get ready for next year......

SEW ON AND SEW FORTH!

Sunbonnet Sue's - Art Sue's - Challenge

Blog 73

Welcome back to "SEAMS LIKE HOME"!

In my last blog about setting up the Sunbonnet Sue Quilt show, I said I'd show you more about the "Art Sue's" challenge display.  Here it is in one wide shot.  Oh my gosh, it was soooooo much fun!

"Art Sue's" is the name of a small group of members of the Sunbonnet Sue's Quilt club.  I'm a member of this fun group of quilters who are interested in  ART QUILTING.  Our challenge this year was to make an underwater panel and/or a three dimensional fish using a "steam punk" theme.

The "FISH" below are proof of the fun we had.

This last fish with the big metal teeth is mine.  Everything except the fabric came from the JUNK SHOP.

Now for the panels...

Look at the fish at the very top - I missed getting a close up shot at it Dang it!

Well there you have it, the fish & the panels, oh what fun.  I had a hard time getting any shots of them as the cubicle was always packed with admirers.  We have a small art group but we pack a lot of punch!

I have more photos to show you from the quilt show...  Did I tell you the quilt show was AWESOME!?

Well it was! It was the most awesome small town quilt show ever.

You'll see, just wait until my next post of the beautiful quilts.

SEW ON AND SEW FORTH!

How do you put on a Quilt Show?

Blog 72

Welcome back to "SEAMS LIKE HOME"!

Tomorrow the Sunbonnet Sue Quilt Show Opens. How does that happen?  What does it take? How do you put on a Quilt Show?

There is no one answer to that because all quilt shows have their own style and flavor.  The one common thread however, is lots of hard work.  It's the fun and fulfilling kind of hard work. The fruit of this labor is sweet.  We quilters LOVE our quilt shows.  We love to see all the wonderful quilts on display.  We love shopping at the vendor booths.  And, we love the camaraderie as we enjoy talking with each other while we look at quilts and do some shopping.

It would be impossible, well, not impossible but very time consuming to list all the things that it takes to pull off a great quilt show.  But I can show you some photos of what goes on behind the scenes the day before the show opens.

This morning the "Intake" ladies were accepting quilts for the show.  They marked everyone off the list who had signed up to bring a quilt.  Then they sorted them all out into the proper groups - room, aisle and number - so they will be ready to hang.

The hanging begins: one quilt goes up, there are over 200 more to go. They had more sleeves and chains for all the adjustments if necessary.    

Eight hours later the quilts are all up.


















This morning the special art quilting displays were accepted so they could be assembled.  Eight hours later.....the art display was finished. More photos and stories about the art quilts in another blog.

This morning "The Country Store" was being put together.  

Then 8 hours later, WOW... What a transformation.

This morning only the bed was in place for the bed turning of Vintage quilts.

Tonight the bed is ready along with the backdrops.

The list goes on and on:
There are  special exhibits, the vendors, the decorations, the community quilt program, the signage, the quilted garments, and the list goes on.

It's a labor of love...

SEW ON AND SEW FORTH!