Officially Quilt Time

September 26, 2015 by Candy Fullaway · Leave a Comment (Edit)

It’s officially fall, which is a beautiful time of year in the Northwest.  It’s cooler, of course, but often sunny with comfortable temperatures up around 70.  We have lots of trees that turn amazing shades of red and gold, mixed in with the evergreens.  This last full weekend of September is also the Northwest Quilt Expo, here in Portland.  We spent some hours there on Thursday and my feet are still tired.  As always, it was worth it.  I have to show off the entry from my small quilt group, Quilters on the Edge.

It’s called “Glories of Oregon” and each small quilt was made by a different member of the group.  Because it was not supported in the middle, and it’s heavy (each small quilt is about 18″ X 24″) it didn’t hang straight, which was a bummer.  I might also add that I forgot my good camera and used my phone, which I’m not very good at.  It was a fun project that challenged all of us.

This show has a bit of everything.  Modern . . . love the colors.

Realistic . . . he could’ve just jumped out and scampered into the woods.

Landscape . . . very seasonal and cool.

Hard to classify . . . but SO classic.

Amazing quilting . . . and use of fabric.

My head is swimming with all that great inspiration and some new ideas.

Of course the vendor mall was fun and I had to use all my self discipline powers not to buy one of each.  All in all, it was such a fun show.

It’s about time to close down the vegetable garden.  I learned a few things and will do it differently next year.  I’m even making some notes so I remember what not to do next year.  Some of the plants loved the hot, dry summer.  Others not so much.  Sadly, I can’t magically know in April what the weather will be like in July.  It’s a gamble every year.

I’m working on a block for a Christmas runner which I hope to show in about 10 days.

Please visit our website at www.mobquilts.com and comment back to us.  

Do a little handwork while you watch football if you’re a fan.  If not just go to your sewing space and QUILT FOR FUN!

Candy

PS  Like us on Facebook.  We’d just love that.

Quilt for Fun – Late Summer

August 20, 2015 by Candy Fullaway · Leave a Comment (Edit)

Every year at about this time, I say the same thing:  Why does summer go by so fast?  One minute it’s fireworks and parades and the next it’s back to school.  The list of what I wanted to get done “this summer” is still, largely, just a list with but few check marks.  I did finish a couple of UFOs and “Halloween Housing” needs only to be bound.

I took a class from Karla Alexander at the end of July and just couldn’t rest until the top was finished.  The pattern is called “Red Onion” from Karla’s book, “Stack a New Deck.”  My version is  “Onion of a Different Color.”  Karla is a great teacher and the class was a lot of fun.

This summer I’ve seen so many new fabrics and techniques that I love, it’s hard to choose what to do next.  I have lots of ideas for new projects and find myself annoyed when I have to go shopping, plan dinner or throw a load in the washing machine.  We went to see the Minion movie a few weeks ago and I think I need some Minions to do housework and weeding and laundry.  Also, errands, grocery shopping and cooking the boring stuff.  Wouldn’t that be cool?  I even saw some Minion fabric.  “Bello!”  I would even make them their own quilt.

The whole Northwest has had a hot, dry summer.  Please remember our firefighters in your thoughts and prayers.  Portland has had a record number of days over 90 degrees.  The good news is that the veggie gardens are having a banner year and the fruit has been terrific.  The bad news is that the glorious sunsets are partially due to smoke in the air and fire season is far from over.

No matter what I’m working on, Ella is always good for some commentary or reminding me when it’s time for a treat.

She never, EVER forgets treat time.

“Halloween Housing” will only be on sale until the end of August.  When you next see it, it will be part of a double pattern.  Turn to our shopping page ( www.mobquilts.com) for more details.

Quilt for Fun

Candy

Quilt For Fun Blog –

July 20, 2015 by Candy Fullaway · Leave a Comment (Edit)

It’s a beautiful summer morning with sunshine, a light breeze, singing birds and some crows.  I spent the week before last at the Quilter’s Affair in Sisters, taking a four-day class from Katie Pasquini Masopust.  We each brought a finished quilt as a jumping off point for a series of quilts.  I seriously surprised myself by doing four small quilt tops.  Each of us in the class was on her own little journey from very abstract to realistic, from patchwork to acrylic paint on silk and a whole lot in between.  I tried some things I hadn’t done before.  For me it was about experimenting with techniques and if it worked, great.  If not, then at least I learned something.  When I got home I finished the last one in the series, quilted it and hung it up.  It’s called The Last Leaf on the Tree.  It’s simple, effective and I like it.

Going to Sisters always prompts all kinds of new ideas for me.  The big problem is that I can’t do them all, have them all, or buy them all.  I’ve been told by someone who knows me well, (thank you, Sweet Husband) to reprioritize and cut myself a break.  It’s time to pick a few favorites from the favorites.  And maybe indulge in a bit of meditation to calm my overwhelmed senses.

The week after I got back was mainly one of recovery.  Six days of quilts is kind of a lot.  When overwhelm sets in, learning and appreciation levels really go down.  Of course, we’ve already made reservations for next year.

While I was gone, my vegetable garden went crazy.  It looks like a jungle out there and it seems that one of my “zucchini” plants is actually a cucumber.  I’m not quite sure what to do as I have two other cucumber plants that are producing an embarrassment of riches.  Better lock up your cars or I may leave you some unsolicited cukes!

I just realized that I offered a special on “Halloween Housing” a couple of weeks ago and didn’t put it up on the site.  I’ll be fixing that this afternoon.  It’s really a fun little quilt and goes together fast.  Check it out.  We're at www.mobquilts.com   

Quilt For Fun

Candy

Quilt For Fun – The Blog

June 17, 2015 by Candy Fullaway · Leave a Comment (Edit)

Why do you quilt?  Nobody actually asked me this but the actual question:  “What are you doing with your time now that you aren’t working?”  made me consider it.  My first wise guy answer would be, because I can.  My clothing & textiles background made it a natural and it pretty quickly displaced making clothes.  Also, I love color.  I like projects that have a beginning, middle and end (unlike housework which has a beginning and a middle that goes on forever).  I also like having something fairly permanent to show for my time and the endless opportunities to create something new.  Good to know.

There are also reasons like:  they make special gifts, they’re memories of different occasions in life, I can honor the sacrifices of others with Quilts of Valor and something I’ve done will outlive me.  Also, nobody in my family will likely freeze.

The final answer and the most real one is that it’s fun.  The fabrics, the colors, the designs, the classes, the friends,  all of it is fun.  There’ll always be a challenge out there and I like that feeling, too.

So why do YOU quilt?  I think it’s worth taking a few minutes to think about.  Write yourself a note to remind why you’e doing this when it’s time to rip something out.  Then get back in there and Quilt For Fun.

Here’s a picture of a new little quilt that I’ll talk more about next week.  For a better picture, go to Mother on a Broomstick Designs on Facebook.

It’s going to be part of double pattern in a few weeks, but will be available soon as an individual download soon.  In the meantime, browse our patterns and let us know what you think.  We always welcome your input.

And Then There's This

If you look up teasing in the dictionary, you'll find a description of spring weather in the Northwest.  Warm, cool, sunny, rainy, breezy, calm - from day to day you never know.  And the weatherman isn't really sure either.  Now that the tulips are finished, the one bright spot in the garden is this poppy.

It'll soon have lots of company.

This glorious shade of coral makes me want to quilt it, paint it and photograph it.  I'll put that on the list.  Along with all the other ideas and a whole bunch of UFO's

I finished this little hanging which I did as a test piece from the new book "Patchwork City" by Elizabeth Hartman.  It's not my usual MO, but it was fun to do.  I'd like it better hanging on a darker wall, but I don't currently have any.

I liked that the blocks and quilts had familiar names.  They should be familiar; Elizabeth Hartman is from Portland and many of the names are Portland-based.  These small blocks require accurate cutting and seaming and I'm relearning to measure as I go along.  It's more exacting work than I've been doing lately and I enjoyed it more than I thought I would.  I went back to my Sally Collins books to review my skills.  If you're not familiar with her work, Sally makes small-scale quilts and by that I mean really tiny pieces and perfect intersections.  While it is very unlikely I'll ever do such small work, the lessons are valid for any size.  The bottom line is that the more accurate the cutting  and piecing, the less weeping and gnashing of teeth.

I gave up making clothes years ago.  I loved it for many years but quilting stole my heart.  I jumping back in - okay, more like dipping my toe in by making a sun dress for my 9-month-old great niece.  I hadn't intended to do this, but the green seersucker with embroidered pink flamingoes called to me and I just couldn't walk away.  So I bought a pattern, brought it home and decided to read through it just to be sure.  It calls for a zipper which I thought was odd.  I made Barb about a million sun dresses when she was a baby and toddler and while I no longer have evidence, I'm pretty sure none of them called for a zipper.  Seems to me that it wouldn't be very comfortable when sitting in a car seat or a stroller.  So I'm changing it.  (Hey, I took Children's Clothing Construction in college.  No zippers there either. )  Kids grow out of stuff so quickly that the simpler, the better.  Here's a sneak peek at the fabric.  I dare you not to love it.

I'll keep you posted on how it turns out.

Quilt for Fun

Candy

This 'n' That

Ah, beautiful spring!  We just had our first 80 degree day and it was wonderful.  There's a lot to do in the yard and I'm kind of enjoying it.  If I do a little bit every day, it'll look pretty good in no time.

I went to a quilt retreat over the weekend that my guild put on.  They do a couple a year and it's always fun.  While I enjoy our regular meetings, they don't offer the opportunity to really get to know people.  The retreat really is great for this and I love it.  We are lucky enough to have a place in a beautiful setting with plenty of room for sewing and lots of natural light.  The food is good and the company is great.  It doesn't get much better than that.  I took some pictures on my walk to use as reference photos.  Isn't this lovely?

A few years ago when "modern quilting" became a thing, I decided that it was something I wasn't going to get into.  Saying a thing like this generally means that at some point I will do the exact opposite.  I dipped my toe in the modern quilt pool last year when I made "Mother Goes Mod."  

I'm not even sure if it qualifies as a modern quilt, but I wound up liking it more than I thought I would.  So a couple of weeks ago I bought a book called "Patchwork City."  What I didn't realize at the time was that the "city" in question is Portland, OR.  Elizabeth Hartman has charmed me and now I'm hooked!  I made part of one of the quilts featured in the book to use as a hanging and I really like it.  

This quilt is making me revisit more perfect quarter inch seams and measuring often.  This is a good thing as it keeps me from getting sloppy.  Now I just need to figure out how to get a few of my beloved batiks in the mix.  Or maybe something from the Halloween collection.

The thought above makes me want to start a new quilt.  I have finished a lot over the years but there are a number of UFO's hiding in my closet.  Two of us from our small quilt group are taking up the challenge to finish something every month.  This will take some actual focus on my part and I think I'm up to it.  

It looks like it's going to rain this afternoon.  Time to make good use of it and sew!

I've recently been posting my blogs on the www.mobquilts.com website and have decided to post them here, too.  The website also contains our patterns and a sign-up for our newsletter.  

Quilt for fun,

Candy

Winter or Spring?

February 16, 2015 by Candy Fullaway · Leave a Comment (Edit)

I’m having one of THOSE days.  You know the kind.  It’s a day where everything takes about twice as long as it should.  Everything I start to do reminds me of something else I need to do.  I sit at the computer, glance out the window and realize I need to bring in the garbage cans.  While doing that, I see that the tulips have grown significantly in the last week and it’s time to take a picture.  The phone rings and then I see dishes in the sink.  I ignore that and go back up to the computer.  I spill my drink, clean that up, plug my camera into the computer and it locks up the photo application.  The pork roast didn’t thaw as fast as I thought it would and now I have to think up something else for dinner.  And all this is after I’ve spent the morning at the sewing machine.  THAT day.

I’m actually playing hooky from the sewing machine for a bit to write this.  I have two quilts that need to be quilted in time for my Guild Quilt Show which is the first weekend of March.  I kept thinking I had lots of time.  Why on earth would I ever think that?  One project is thankfully small, but the other sort of got out of hand and it’s quite large.  I have big plans for the quilting so it’ll take some time.

 

I also have furry help.  Heaven forbid I take a picture that doesn’t include Ella.

The only good news here is that she doesn’t shed.  Also, she knows the phrase, “Get OFF.”

One of my distractions is that it’s lovely outside here, currently about 61 and sunny.  I want to start planting things.  It’s way too early for most stuff (although some Sweet Pea seeds would probably work).

The tulips are really going to town.  Didn’t realize until I saw the  picture that they’re being chewed upon.  Add some debugging procedures to tomorrow’s list.

If it’s snowing and miserable where you are, may I say that we skiers in the West would take some snow off your hands (and driveways) if we only had a clue how.

Our newsletter will come out later this week.  We only send it to people who sign up and we will email you a pattern for two postcards just for trying us out.  Just go to www.mobquilts.com 

I found this little volunteer in one of my planters at the front of the house.

Apparently it came up to remind me that winter is more than halfway over.

Keep quilting,

 Candy

PS  If you celebrate Lunar New Year, have a great one!