Basket Project – 2018-19

It started with a gift exchange at Rochester Modern Quilt Guild. We were to make a small container or basket to exchange with other members at our January meeting. Here’s the one I made for the exchange:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The interior fabric is from Mali, and the handles are riveted-on leather tabs. The pattern I found was so great, I also used it to make some Christmas gifts.

These went to my sister-in-law and husband, to coordinate with her MacKenzie-Childs collection. Handles were made from the same fabric as the binding, with wire inserts.

These cat-themed baskets were gifts for my daughter, again with the riveted leather tabs.

The pattern was designed by Anna Graham of Noodle Head Designs and can be accessed at:  http://www.robertkaufman.com/assets/pdf/Baskets.pdf I changed the dimensions of the fish bowl basket here, and the Mali-lined one above, by reducing the square fabrics and innerfacings to 12-1/2″ but still used the larger dart template.  It makes a great size.

If you decide to try out this, please send me a photo of what you’ve made. I’d love to see it!

 

2018 – Ten Squared Plus Five

At last, the Rochester Modern Quilt Guild’s first show, “Taking Flight,” is over (September 29) and I’ve nearly recovered. It was a huge success; we had lots of visitors, lots of quilts, and lots of happy vendors. It was also a huge job creating a show out of whole cloth, a job I’m glad to pass along to another guild member.

“Taking Flight” – inaugural show by Rochester Modern Quilt Guild, September 29, 2018

So, here is a quilt I made for the show. You can also see it hanging lower center in the show photo.

Ten Squared Plus Five

I used three packs of mini-charms (2-1/2″ squares) sorted by color, then added a few extra black squares to counterbalance at the bottom. To contrast with all those straight lines, I quilted it in a spiral on my Viking.

Ten Squared Plus Five – center quilting

Ten Square Plus Five – Showing Back

The back matched the fabric of the yellow square.

This is now with my new grand niece in Virginia.

2018 -Green Fuse

Wow, it’s been over a year since I posted on the blog!

Since the 2017 Genesee Valley Quilt Fest, I’ve been extremely busy with two projects: downsizing from a 4-bedroom house to a 2-bedroom condo, and chairing the first quilt show of the Rochester Modern Quilt Guild.

The show will be 10-5 on Saturday, September 29 at First Unitarian Church of Rochester, 220 Winton Road, Rochester, NY 14610. Hope to see you there!

And I’ve managed in the meantime to make a few quilts. I hope to cover them in upcoming posts, but here’s a preview of the free-motion floral quilting on a new queen quilt I’m calling “Green Fuse.” It’s inspired by Dylan Thomas’s “The force that through the green fuse drives the flower.”

 

This quilt should be finished in time to be part of the “Taking Flight” show. More to come!

Return of the Viking – and a Baby Quilt

Viking Has Returned!

At last, the machine is back. I really did sew a hole in the old bobbin case. They also found some red metallic thread wound around a shaft. But it’s clean and working smoothly again.
The charity project for the fall at Rochester Modern Quilt Guild is for every member to make a baby quilt. Here’s what I have so far on the design wall.

2015 Purple Square Baby Quilt

Rochester Modern Quilt Guild (RMQG)

Patricia’s Fabrics in East Rochester staged another of their huge quilt shows on 14 March, featuring works from their students and other local fiber workers. RMQG was assigned the head of the stairs for our educational display to show what the term “modern quilt” encompasses.

RMQG Booth at March 2015 Patricia’s Fabric Quilt Show

Two of my quilts are on the bench display on the left. Later some of us used a member’s antique Singer to attract more interest. What fun!