Really Old, Really Stuck

This UFQ dates to a happy event in 2004 -- the 25th Anniversary of my shop, Erie Street Quilts.

Forty 6" blocks made by customers and staff.

The blocks were part of a surprise cooked up by my staff.

They've all been carefully stored in a lovely box for 13 years.

After the success with The Lichen Tree, I feel like I've discovered a new strategy for working through my really old projects. 

Simmering!!

I put this one on my #APQresolution list back in January and it was the lucky winner for June.

It you aren't aware of All People Quilt's annual challenge, you can find the info HERE.

Up it went onto the design wall!

Each of the blocks is signed and many of them match the personalities of their makers triggering vivid recollections of their style and memories we share.

This is the most elaborate block.

It was made by Chris who worked at the shop for at least 15 years.  She taught classes in smocking and applique and backed me up skillfully with her ability to organize and her eye for detail.

The leaves are this size of my little fingernail!?!

This scrappy block is the main element of my popular pattern, Mississippi Mud.  It came out of a design challenge from Mary Ellen Hopkins in the late 1980's to simplify the piecing of a block and went on to become my most popular class.  I wonder if it would be an exaggeration to say that half of my thousand or so customers made this quilt at some point during the 26 years the shop was open?

For twenty years, I based my beginning classes on the book, It's Okay If You Sit on My Quilt by Mary Ellen Hopkins.  One of her popular mantras was to use "PPM's" -- personal private measurement. This was before 1/4" presser feet and templates so PPM's were often the easiest way to keep things sized (we NEVER trimmed HST's, but don't let me get started on that mini-rant)!

The classes were successful and lots of enduring friendships were born in them.

One of the common occurrences was to declare something a "PP_". 

Unfortunately I can't recall if all of these really mean something or are just some of our silliness.

And then there is the required "topiary".

Every significant event I've shared with my "inner circle" of quilting friends includes a reminder of the Legend of the Topiary.

Briefly, it was an ill-fated banquet centerpiece that has been passed around the group for lots of silly (and sometimes imaginary) reasons. 

It has been "won", "awarded", and "snuck" into many unsuspecting quilters lives.

It may still be lurking out there?!?

When it surfaces, it always produces lots of cheerful, eye-rolling laughter.

For the past week, I've been shifting the blocks around on the design wall.

There's a surprising amount of yellow and lots of star blocks.

I'm exploring Pinterest and Instagram keeping an eye out for setting ideas to audition. 

I'm enjoying the memories as they recur while waiting for the inspirations!

I know I won't finish the quilt during it's assigned month, so it appears on my list a second time. 

It will be interesting to see what the actual outcome is!

Hopefully, the end of 2017 will see a finished and treasured quilt in my home!

Here's to a good week!!

Mary

2017 Finish-Along -- #3 is DONE!

My first plus quilt -- scrappy blues from my diverse stash!

Made for a special young man who has been my "yard boy" for the past 5 years!

He graduates from high school this year and I'm going to have to find another young man in the neighborhood to train as my gardening sidekick!!

I committed to quilting it this winter to be sure it was ready for his summer graduation celebrations!  Layering with a good movie seems to be a key to success for me.

It was Woman in Gold this time -- fascinating story and such a timely perspective in these days of international refuge crisis.

As I sat down with George to contemplate the quilting, my intention was to use straight lines (matchstick quilting) but as I pondered the best spacing I found myself thinking about the "maze" that was used as an event ice breaker a couple weeks ago. 

Could I quilt a maze?

How appropriate to use that for a graduation quilt? 

You know, "life is a maze" with lots of choices and paths that can lead to so many outcomes?!?

I started sketching out ideas and realized I have no idea how to create a maze.

Of course, that's "google-able".

I thought the explanation HERE was interesting.  It didn't completely solve my "how-to" problem, but it helped me understand the mechanics of making one which enabled me to commence stitching.

The first few lines were intimidating as always -- but after working across one corner of the quilt, I was able to find a rhythm of spacing the lines and building the channels. 

I worked from side to side across four to five rows of the squares at a time and it took about four sessions to finish the lap size quilt.

I have been thinking about how to explain my "process" but can't come up with much more than stitch for a ways, make a right angle turn and stitch some more, repeat, repeat, repeat.

I like the texture it adds to the quilt.  I took quite a few pictures to remind me "how" I quilted this one as it will be a good strategy in the future. 

The cold weather has been scarce here this winter but it's back now that the daffodils are blooming?!?  My daughter graciously consented to hold up the finished quilt outside.

It's 44" by 58" and you can read about my piecing strategy HERE.

So that's three finishes for the first quarter -- wahoo!!

One more to go and it's been on the design wall simmering for a couple weeks so I might be ready for the "full steam ahead" stage!!

Some of you may recall my story about finding "my" downy woodpecker under my feeder in late January (see my January 30 post). 

Good news!!

One March 8, I headed back out to the rehab center to pick him up!!  He was much admired by the center's staff for his feisty resilience and making such a good recovery!  I released him back into "his" yard and waited for 36 hours to catch a sight of him. 

At 8:30 a.m. on March 10, I was delighted to see him land on the finch feeder for a quick feed!!

Yea!!!

To the studio!!

Mary

Finishing Only??

This past weekend, I was teaching for the Maye River Quilt Guild in Bluffton, South Carolina.  Fran, who booked my visit for the guild told the members several times that she "admired" the way I set goals at the beginning of the year for my quilt making. 

 

It got me to thinking about my goals -- setting them is one thing, achieving them is another as you well know.  And I've been negligent in the "achieving" department this quarter.  Last night I decided since the studio is still torn up (very bogged down, blaming the gardens), I'll spend the rest of May and June TOTALLY focused on finishing. 

NO NEW STARTS, Mary!!!

 

Between participating in the 2016 Finish-A-Long and the APQ UFO Challenge 2016 and my own goals, there is plenty to do!!  This is my APQ list -- if you look closely you'll notice I've left some blanks at the end of the list and there are a couple of duplicate entries.  I left four spaces blank when I made the list so if I didn't "finish" something, I could add it back into the list for a future month . . . . . . . clever or cheating?

I'm still working on the quilting of April's project.  I was so excited to actually be able to start this because how to quilt it has been a major stumbling block.  I've lost track of where I got the inspiration for this all-over quilting (if it was you, please let me know) but I'm very pleased with the results.

And it should have been finished by now but, but, but . . . . . I'm doing it in two sections and froze when I realized that might not have been a good strategy with a quilting design which flows across the surface and at this point seems impossible to blend across the join needed at the middle of the quilt.  So I'm back to thinking.   There is an idea percolating but it's need a bit of simulation before I go ahead with it.

The May project is to finish a scrappy tumbling blocks piece that I've been using for demonstrations in my Set-In Piecing Simplified workshops.  It was all pinned onto a sheet for easy transport to classes.

This morning, I transferred everything to the work wall (I can get to it) so as time occurs to piece, I can work at setting the units together (the sewing machine is accessible) and filling in the gaps (I wonder where the bag of scrap diamonds is stashed?).

One of my 2016 Finish-A-Long goals (you can see all of them HERE) is to hand quilt the round robin quilt top from early last year. 

Once again, I have to get over the hesitations about "how to quilt it" so Sunday evening I just started in the middle -- no idea where this is going yet but will keep forging ahead and waiting for something to click in my head.

Spring of course will continue to distract me.  The blue jays are busy in my backyard harvesting fibers from last year's swamp milkweed stalks to use in their new nest and I have to watch that!?!  And yesterday on a birding morning at one of our favorite places, we found this little patch of wild blue phlox.  This flower is increasingly rare and must be enjoyed at any opportunity!!  In this flood plain, it was abundant and thriving!

I hope you are finding balance in your life during this changing of the seasons -- it's a challenge for sure!!

 

Mary Huey

 

 

 

 

Did you miss me?

A couple of you have contacted me over the weekend wondering what happened to my usual Friday post?  Well, check this out and you'll begin to understand.

 

The studio painting project has become something of an avalanche.  I got out alive but my camera is still buried in there.  The video is an experiment with my Kindle Fire -- sort of amusing, don't you think?

 

I have managed some stitching every evening for the past few days -- I'm making Brigitte Giblin's Nundle Dilly Bag (find it HERE) which is an English paper piecing project.  This photo shows my progress to date (phone camera this time).  My color/fabric combination is more subdued, perhaps more American, than Brigitte's pattern suggests.  I have to admit I don't get how to do that Aussie Bohemian look.  But I already have plans to make a second one by machine using Marti Michell's templates and the Set-In Piecing Simplified technique featured in my DVD and will take a stab at a more something fabric mix.

I also scored a "finish" -- my March pull for the 2016 APQ Resolution challenge.  My APQS George is not in the studio so I can work there unencumbered by the piles of treasures.  This is my son's Ohio BiCentennial quilt designed and pieced by his mother in 2003 which was coincidentally, Ohio's BiCentennial.  

 How do you label pieces that take 13 years to finish?

 I kept to my comfort zone quilting designs, arcs and straight lines.  I used the strategy for laying out the simple border design that I shared with you HERE.  Comforting to know that it works!

And then there was the weather?  Spring is in full swing after 3 weeks of cold days alternating with mild days.  The woods are calling me and there are new birds in my yard everyday.  Sunday afternoon, I worked in the garden all afternoon and witnessed a first (for me) ever event.  American toads found my garden pond three years ago and Sunday afternoon they returned! 

And I was there to see it all. 

These two embraced for 3 hours and left several hundred eggs along the edges of the pond. 

How could I stay inside sorting piles with that going on?

Can you see both toads?  I spotted the female first and then realized there was a second set of eyes -- the smaller male -- on her back.  They were still singing on Monday afternoon and "first of the year" migrant birds were showing up at my feeders -- pine siskin, purple finch, and yellow-rumped warbler for the curious -- so not much was accomplished.  Nice thing about stitching, it doesn't go anywhere while I'm off cavorting!

 

I hope you are enjoying the change of seasons in your part of the world!!

 

Mary Huey

 

 

 

 

Wrapping up 2015

As 2015 comes to a close, I'm already thinking about my quilting goals for 2016 but first I need to review what I've accomplished this year!

 

The winter group of donation quilts are finished, washed, and bagged up ready to deliver to the City Mission's Laura's Home here in Cleveland.  There are 18 in this pile, each with it's own carry bag ready for the day that the children and their mothers move into a new home.
This is our second donation this year and when all is said and done, we will have made 35 quilts for 35 folks!!

As I shared  on Tuesday, I haven't had as many finishes with my 2015 APQ Challenge list but I've certainly made progress!!  And that's always good.  The information for the 2016 Challenge is already posted on their website (find it HERE) -- I've printed it out and am contemplating which projects will "make the list"!!  Probably need to start with the leftovers from 2015?!?

Some of my finishing goals for the 4th quarter of the 2015 Finish-Along over at On the Windy Side have been neglected.  I will for sure get this one done -- just have two or three more evenings of sappy Christmas movies to go on Hallmark Channel (are you watching those?) and it will be ready to bind -- yeaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!  And there is another one layered and waiting patiently on the table next to George.  I thought I knew how I wanted to quilt it, but I'm hesitating . . . . . again????

At the beginning of 2015, I said (out loud) that I intended to make a twin size quilt top to donate every month and clean out some of my stash -- that lasted for three or four months before I lost my steam.  But it did result in a couple finishes for the year and both quilts are now comforting some one some where!!  I might give that idea a try again in 2016 -- maybe set a goal of six and give myself two months for each one.

Blog reading and writing has added a new dimension and energy to my quilt making in 2015.  With a lot of help from quilters far and near this past year, I have two exciting (unfinished) projects which will need to be at the top of 2016 "to-finish" list.   The Bug Hut is my next hand quilting project!

And all my wonky birds have the next shift on the work wall -- one more teaching sample to finish organizing for the new year!  I just received a happy surprise box from Moda -- won a scrap giveaway on Instagram!! -- and one of the bags of scraps (all polka dots) might be destined to become part of this quilt.

As I look forward to another year of quilting and blogging and teaching, I'm working towards participating in Cheryl at Meadow Mist Designs BEST OF 2015 Linky Party which begins on December 26!  It will be open for a week and I think it will provide a perfect opportunity for me to review this year's posts and help me determine my direction for 2016!!

It's so much fun to share my work with all of you and to see what you are doing as well.

Thanks for your interest and compliments!!

 

Mary Huey

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cute Alert!!

When I made this cheerful sampler of six-pointed stars three years ago, I started the process by pulling lots of prints out of my stash that were suggested by the colors of the border print.  It was quite a big pile so I cut a 3 1/4" strip off each piece to keep the cutting table tidier and make it simpler to be spontaneous about fabric selection for each star.

Of course, I cut way more strips than I used so when I started working on a drunkard's path workshop sample a year later, I was delighted to discover they were just the right size for cutting the "pie" shapes.

 

I wish I could remember the rest of the "inspiration" story -- why I chose the panel I did off the "sacred shelf", how I arrived at this layout?   But I don't and I didn't finish the top, just did enough of it to illustrate an idea in the workshop.

 

At the beginning of 2015, I decided to participate in the 2015 APQ challenge to finish twelve UFQ's and I put the barely started but really cute drunkard's path on the list!  When it's number came up in October, I was so far behind on September, August, and July that I didn't expect to make much progress.  I pulled it out of the crate anyway and started making the drunkard's path units as stitch-offs as I chain pieced through other (easier) projects. 

Slowly the units piled up and by mid-November, the end of those intimidating curves was in sight. Once I realized how close I was to being able to assemble the quilt top, I pushed the project to the front of the queue and started putting the finished units on the work wall.

The panels were part of the project from the beginning and I had organized a layout in EQ5 (I really need to update my program).

I made all the "L" pieces of the units from assorted white-on-white prints.  The five whimsical panels are centered and equal to two drunkard's path units in size. 

There is a quite a stack of pie shaped cut-outs left from the background fabric -- I'm saving them in hopes that they will work for another project in the future. 

Soon the top was together and ready for borders -- this stripe was perfect both in color and style and I used all of it -- there are only the eight triangles left from trimming the mitered corners.

Here's the finished top!!

I've made the backing and now it's going back into the crate for the 2016 APQ Challenge along with the others that didn't get finished (though I did make good progress on four of them and completely finished three of them).

I used Marti Michell's Drunkard's Path Templates for cutting and her instructions (very helpful) for piecing.  If you'd like to have a copy of the layout with some rudimentary information (how many units to make, adjusting sizes, and yardage needed), you can send me an e-mail at maryhueyquilts@hotmail.com and I'll send you back a PDF file.  I also have the templates ($15 plus shipping) if you don't have a local source.

 

Now I need to get back to the Christmas stitching!!

 

Have a pieceful week!!

 

Mary Huey

 

 

 

 

 

Retreat UFQ Stitching

Several years ago, I took this beautiful orchid print to my winter retreat to have Kathy and Syd help me "stack and whack" it.  They are geniuses at it and since I do it infrequently, it's easiest to lean on their expertise.  Kathy could probably say exactly how long ago it was, but I'm going to guess 5 years.  I cut it with Marti Michell's Kaleido-ruler. 

Here are some scraps of the print -- forgot to take a picture of the big piece I had left before cutting it up for the border pieces.

Almost immediately, I decided I had ruined the fabric because I couldn't find any other print to use with it for the setting pieces.  This year, I put the project on my APQ Resolution list and it's number was drawn in August.  It's been sitting on my work table ever since as I strained to audition compatible fabrics.   For six weeks or more, it has haunted me so as I packed for the fall retreat last week, I decided to make it my priority project. 

The plan has long been to use Marti's cover pattern from Kaleidoscope ABC's and my first thought was to work with solids for the other fabrics.  After weeks of not making that click for me, I started pulling prints out of my stash that more or less matched the colors in the orchid print.  Two days before I left for the retreat, everything finally fell into place and I was able to pack a stack of possible prints and make a sketch of a potential color layout.

To my great surprise, I was the first to arrive -- look at all this space!!  I entertained myself by contemplating what it might be like to have this entire room as a studio . . . .

I got to work cutting piles of light greens into wedges

and medium greens into corner triangles. 

My sketch had lots of blank spaces and I started stitching with a flexible attitude expecting the values and color choices to become clearer once I saw the kaleidoscopes stitched together. 

The carpet presented a visual challenge as you can see but the sketch kept me on track.  I wouldn't have enough of the kaleidoscope blocks so I added five "stars" in pinks and golds.

Marti's instructions are very specific and piecing these blocks is a breeze when you follow them exactly.  This is the third quilt I've made using her tool and instructions.  At one point, she encourages you to "stop at the dot" and in the past I've struggled with this step.  (She offers an alternate strategy.)

But this time, the Set-In Piecing Simplified technique enabled me to negotiate that stop perfectly!!

A quick pivot and I was all set to stitch onto the next piece. 

What a difference it make in the flatness of the center to be able to swirl the seams and I'm delighted to find another application for the technique!

By mid-day Saturday, it was all coming together and I was excited with the results.  The greens were perfect for setting off the kaleidoscopes which are beautiful!

Here are a few close-ups!

 I've taken pictures of them several times and must not have a steady hand so the pics are a bit blurry.

I'm so delighted with the results, I started daydreaming about cutting up another hunk of fabric?!? 

By the end of the day Saturday, I had everything cut and over half the blocks pieced.

Once I got home, I finished the piecing and arranged the blocks on my workwall (and the floor).

I'm currently setting the blocks together -- thinking I will assemble it into two "halves", then quilt those sections (easier to wrestle with at my machine).  Once they are quilted, I'll join the halves, finish the backing, and quilt the central area.  I use Marti Michell's book, Machine Quilting in Sections as my guidebook when doing this.

It is currently 70" by 90" and I don't think I'll add another border though as I look at the picture, if I could find just the right stripe???  We'll see?

 

It's a delight to move forward with this quilt and find that I didn't ruin the fabric after all.  I'm also reminded that my "style" is to work with a large variety of prints and not get too tight about the exact shades of color -- close is good for me because value is what makes or breaks the design in my work.   I'm glad I scrapped the solids idea.

 

I'm so excited about the progress I've made on this project that it just might push ahead of several other pieces and get quilted next!!

 

Have a pieceful weekend!!

 

Mary Huey