Where Creativity Blossoms

Making Music – Critique’s

2012-01-30T13:05:00.001-06:00

Before I get to the first closer look I want to remind everyone that we have a ‘Project QUILTING Critique’ group now too. Since I don’t have judging and personal critiques this season you can add your piece to this group. Here – people are encouraged to critique your piece – the good and the bad. We want to know what you like about our quilt, what you don’t like, what you may have done differently or if you have a technique that would have worked better! Here’s a quick mosaic of the quilts that want to be critiqued from the Making Music Challenge.

1. Just Believe Mini art quilt, 2. Melody of Love detail, 3. Project Quilting- Week 2- Making Music-Detail, 4. A Hazy Shade of Winter, 5. Across the Stars, 6. Carolyn's Project Quilting (Making Music) - Caroline - Up Close, 7. Keep On Dreaming Quilt, 8. Project QUILTING - Making Music Challenge - Bicycle Race Created with fd's Flickr Toys

**Just click on the links below the pictures – they’ll take you right to the quilt’s flickr page for you to give your honest opinion!

I know in the past I’ve loved having my pieces critiqued. It’s nice to hear what other’s think when they look at the piece, it gives you a sense of what you’re doing well and what you need to improve on. So, I hope you take some time and help let these artists know what you love and of course, what they should think about working on.

What’s Coming Up?

2012-01-29T22:21:00.001-06:00

Since there seems to be a lot going on in my world right now I thought it would be helpful for you (and me) to give you an idea of what’s coming up in the next week.

Tuesday – Block #5 from TerryAskeArtQuilts for the Home Sweet Home Quilt Along will be posted, Diane’s birthday (60!), Pip goes in for her 9 month check up

Thursday – Block #6 from Quilties for the Home Sweet Home Quilt Along will be posted

Friday – get my goodies organized and packed up for the 5th Annual Valentine’s Craftacular

Saturday – Sell at the 5th Annual Valentine’s Craftacular!

Sunday – 3rd Project QUILTING Challenge Posted at NOON!

Random PRIZES for Project QUILTING – Season 3, Challenge 1 – Making Music

2012-01-29T19:19:00.001-06:00

Once again I was completely blown away by all the talent and creativity shown by this group! We had 27 amazing quilts created in just one week that were inspired by the ‘Making Music’ Challenge!

And for your hard work you all had your names entered into the hat for prizes as well as added to the bag for the end of the season grand prize drawing. As always my two beauties, Capri and Cedi were the name drawers.

Cedi is sporting a dress made by Wise Sewcial Ties. My girls both have quite a few of her dresses in their wardrobe and they are definitely in the ‘favorite’ list. I love them too, not only because they’re cute but they will ‘grow’ with my girls as they do and they’ll be able to wear them for a long time! And with any of their dresses…it’s nice to have three girls so they’ll keep getting passed on (of course, I’m sure Pip will refuse to wear dresses). Pip did not participate in the drawing this week since she was taking a nap.

Time to show off the prizes!

Lesleyworth will take home Prize 1 - The Fat Quarter Shop will be giving one lucky winner a layer cake of their choice!

Stephanie Stories will be getting Prize 2.

LoveBugStudio (aka the Grand Prize Winner of Season 1) is giving one semi-annual subscription to Blocks to Die For magazine. The subscription can be gifted as well. The magazine is geared toward people with fabric die cutters.

I’m Feelin Crafty will be taking home prize 3. LoveBugStudios is giving a Quiltspirations! Mystery Card Pack from her latest venture, quiltspirations.com.

Prize 4 goes to JK Goldman! Quiltology is giving a coupon for her longarm quilting services for 20% off with a minimum $40 purchase. All of her patterns are online.

All Things Belle will be getting one yard of stunning hand-dyed fabric from Dye Candy.

Prize 6 goes to Sharon H! Marcia’s Crafty Sewing and Quilting is offering a Gift Certificate of $30.00 off Quilting on a Baby size or larger. The Gift Certificate will be good for 60 days from the date of issue. The gift certificate is transferable so you can share it with a friend if you’d like.

Sally Keller will be receiving an adorable ‘I Love Quilting’ Keychain from Quilties.

Quilts by Lisa won Prize 8. QuiltsbyBarb is giving a gift certificate for $20 off machine quilting. The coupon expires in 6 months from the date issued and is not transferable

PennyFabricArt is giving the book pretty little mini quilts to the prize winner tesuquewho!

Emma Jean’s Boutique will be sending Dashasel 2 packs of 25 squares of I-Spy fabric in cotton-quilting weight.OddStuffbyXanthe is giving SewLizz a greeting card, patch and button with prints of her amazing original artwork.

And for the final prize, Pat Denino will receive $10 from TheApple to be redeemed at her etsy store on her handmade jewelry. (aka my other etsy shop)

I’ll be posting ‘Closer Looks’ just like the last challenge throughout the week so it’s easier for people to really get to see all the amazing pieces created.

***PS. I will be contacting everyone tonight via email or flickr to coordinate prize claiming. If you haven't heard from me by morning (1/30) please email me: lapaceksorchard {at} gmail {dot} com

Saturday Summary

2012-01-28T22:35:00.001-06:00

I realized today that I spend most of my blogging time talking about Project QUILTING or the Quilt Along that I’m doing. Well – I think I’m going to change that…just a little. On Saturday’s I’ll share with you a quick summary of my week – what creative goodness happened, how my beautiful girls are and if we did anything super spectacular. I hope you enjoy hearing a bit more about my life!

One of the most important things this week is that my youngest daughter, Persimoni (aka Pip) turned 9 months today! I can’t believe how fast the time has gone! She’s just getting so big, moving so fast and getting into EVERYTHING! Did I mention that she’s just beyond adorable too!?

During the past few weeks I’ve started sort of new ‘job’. That new ‘job’ is to get myself healthy again. I have never really been a “skinny” girl but after I had Capri I managed to lose about 60 pounds. After having Pip I need to do that again. Key word – NEED. So – 4 to 5 times a week I’ve been heading to the gym. They have an amazing daycare program where they’ll keep my kiddo’s for up to two hours. If I time it right I can take two classes during that time and if I don’t I can take one class and walk for the difference in time. I’m on week three of my ‘work out’ plan and so far my favorite classes are Kick Boxing and Body Pump.

Along with this ‘getting healthy’ goal my hubby and I have been planning our meals out. We’ve managed to cook for our family for 6 out of 7 days a week for almost three weeks now – that’s huge! Tonight, my husband’s cousin, Shaun, taught me to cook some delicious Asian cuisine – ground chicken and tofu wrapped in lettuce and tasty sesame beef stir fry. It was beyond delicious and would have been super healthy if I could have stayed away from the champagne…but of course I didn’t ;)

Last night I got to play with my new long arm for the first time. It seemed to be successful but I really need to take a closer look at the bottom stitches to make sure the tension is decent. I did discover that I had the top bar on backwards and Jared and I had to flip it. Easy fix though!

Today, Cedi and headed to open skate at a local skate rink. The place was sort of a dive but we had a lot of FUN! Cedi even ended up taking second in LIMBO. (yup – that’s her in the pink tutu) I was so proud of her! She’s just five and only fell three times. Each time she fell she immediately got back up and kept going – no tears or frustration! It was so much fun and I even managed to work up a sweat skating with her for an hour!

This morning, my family headed to ‘Kids in the Rotunda’ a free kids program at the Overture Center in Madison, WI . The show was a guy that was good at juggling. He had a good act –but is it just me, or do older guys that do that for a living sort of creepy? I just couldn’t get past that feeling. It could just be me – my husband didn’t agree and my kids really enjoyed it. Since we run our business from home (orchard and my craftyness) it seems hard to find time to just be a family. We’re always splitting up – you watch the kids while I do this or you watch this kid, I can still do this with these two. We’re making a conscious effort to leave the farm and truly do some fun as a family. We’ll see how that goes – it seems like a lot of whining is involved…

With all that fun, working out and cooking going on I did manage to finish some quilting projects. My PQ Piece is already posted (24+ hours before the deadline) AND I started to work again on Fabrics N Quilts 1930 Repro Block of the Month project again as well as the first BOM (Block of the Month) from FabricFascination. I love BOM's. It’s been a great way to learn about different blocks and techniques.

I’ve also been working on getting a few new things ready for next Saturday’s Craftacular! I don’t have any pictures of the new goodies yet but I promise a sneak peak before the show…don’t worry!

So, that pretty much sums up last week. Oooh! I almost forgot – I finally filed and paid my sales tax for both the orchard and my crafty business. It’s not hard to do but it’s such a relief to actually have that crossed off.

Check back in next Saturday if you want to see how next week goes!

What’s Your Style: Asian

2012-01-28T08:19:00.001-06:00

I couldn’t find a definition of Asian Style so I’m just going to find some examples of it on etsy to share with you all.

'What's Your Style: Asian' by TheApple

a study in all the different ' style' options when you list an item -

Fine Art Giclee - Asian Graf... artandwares $82.99	Asian Style Stacking Kitchen... VintageSoup $35.50
Blue Silk Dress, Hand Painte... BorneoBatikraf... $250.00	Bead Dangle Earrings Blue Wh... ForestDaydream $18.00
Cat Magic Asian-style cups (... DragonflyMagic $39.00	Coin Charms - I Ching Replic... TheBeadDreamer $2.00
Edition Collectible Mug ( a... javieravalos $27.00	Asian Oriental Styled Pedest... planeman $235.00
Confetti Punch Floral Cheong... SunshineintheC... $42.00	Vintage Green Glass Oriental... bythewayside $10.00
Asian Style Cutting Board - ... ShowOffDesigns $69.95	Tibetan Agate Earrings, Brow... CharleneSevier $24.00
Asian Art Geisha and Fox Lin... mamaslittlebab... $40.00	1970s Vintage Sewing Pattern... SelvedgeShop $9.00
Black patina earrings Asian ... theshagbag $9.95	Japanese Tree Painting Huge ... NathalieVan $285.00

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio.

Past Styles:

Block 4: Home Sweet Home Quilt Along – My Tilted House from Quilts by Barb

2012-01-26T07:21:00.001-06:00

I’m having so much fun seeing all the blocks come together on my design wall! I’m ready to have ALL 16 done – but alas…we’re only on block 4. Good think it’s a fun one!

Typically I would ‘introduce’ you all to our block designer but since Barb is a sponsor for Project QUILTING I already introduce her (and her new granddaughter) to you all this past Sunday, HERE. So instead, I asked her some questions about the fantastic Quilt Retreat she runs every November.

Name of Retreat: 2012 Quilt Retreat Getaway Weekend

Details of Retreat – Our retreat will be help from November 9 – 12, 2012, at the Quality Inn Ballroom in Mineral Point, Wisconsin.

How many retreats have your taught/organized?

This will be the 10^th annual fall retreat sponsored by Quilts by Barb. We also held an Extravaganza Weekend in February for 3 of these years.

Why did you start doing retreats?

Diane Lapacek, my main quilt retreat teacher, and I saw a need for educational, fun quilt retreat weekends. There are a lot of retreat centers and guild retreats around the tri state area but few that provide good quilting education along with their program. We envisioned everyone learning from not only us, but from each other. We encourage participants to bring projects they have at home that they can use additional help with.

What makes your retreat special?

We are an educational, hands on retreat. We don’t just get together to sew and quilt although we do a lot of that. Our Yard that Keeps on Going…… has been talked about in the quilting world. If you come to the retreat, you get to participate. Our program has become well know in the tri state area as one of the best.

Marcia of Marcia’s Crafty Sewing and Quilting with her Quilt, Imaginary Blooms from her Yard that Keeps on Going at Show and Tell.

What is the project for this year?

Our main project for 2012 is “Celebrations” by Marilyn Foreman. I have added a twist to Marilyn’s pattern (with Marilyn’s permission and blessing!) and incorporated a kaleidoscope feature to some of the blocks. The quilt is large, makes up quickly but has a lot of WOW! factor when completed. It is one of my favorites.

Starry Nines in the Jungle by Diane Lapacek

We also always offer “Starry Nines” for Beginning Quilting 101 or people who just want to refresh on the basics. This is an original pattern by Diane Lapacek and we teach them how to rotary cut, sew an accurate ¼” seam, proper pressing, applying borders, etc. They leave with a lap quilt almost completed and they are all so great! *side note* this is the pattern that i used for my very first ‘real’ quilt – my Aunt owns it now and I get to see it every Christmas. It’s a basic quilt but you learn LOTS of good tips and tricks. AND Diane is the most patient teacher you will ever learn from – trust me! She puts up with me!

Anything else you can think of that people would want to know...

Diane and I are both so excited about our 10^th Anniversary. Wow, where did the years go?! We are in a new location this year and the facility is beautiful. Mineral Point is a very historic town and has lots of great shops. I would suggest coming early and visiting them.

For more information, visit my website at www.Quiltsbybarb.com If you have questions email me at Barb@Quiltsbybarb.com I would love to answer them for you.

Special note from Barb: “Also, a special thanks to Kim for doing this interview with me and promoting our retreat. Kim has attended a number of years and we love having her!”

Thank YOU Barb for always supporting me and my ‘ideas’ that I get in my head (Diane pointed out that every time I have an ‘idea’ she gets a new job – same goes for Barb typically!)

And now what you’ve all been waiting for –

Block 4: My Tilted House from Quilts by Barb

Check out Barb’s Blog: http://www.quiltsbybarb.blogspot.com/2012/01/home-sweet-home-quilt-along-with-kims.html for detailed instructions!

And be sure to ‘Like’ QuiltsbyBarb on Facebook to see what’s going on in her quilting world!

Project QUILTING Sponsor – Marcia’s Crafty Sewing & Quilting

2012-01-25T20:44:00.001-06:00

Happy Wednesday everyone! I hope everyone had a nice day.

Capri was a bit under the weather today so we spent a special, “Mom and Capri” day – it was nice and it really doesn’t happen often. During her LONG (3 hours!) nap I managed to get my 2011 sales taxes filed for KCA AND make some really good headway on my Project QUILTING – Making Music challenge piece. Now I am happy to be giving you closer look into one of our fantastic sponsors:

Marcia's Crafty Sewing and Quilting

Marcia and her mother

What's your crafting style?

Free Style Quilting and Sewing

How did you get started creating?

My Mom was my inspiration as she's a very crafty person. We were always making something from sand candles to fake fur happy faces. Remember the crackled grapes? How about the loop loom pot holders? But my Mom didn't sew. I took a sewing class in 7th grade and I was hooked on sewing. My best friend and I made cute little smock tops. This was my first sewing project! I still have it and it hangs in my shop to remind me of where my love of sewing started.

I took Home Economics classes all through Junior High and High School. I loved it! I went to college at UW-Stevens Point and graduated with a teaching degree in Home Economics Education – now it is called Family and Consumer Education. Subbed for awhile after graduating, raised a family, had several different jobs, and then taught Family and Consumer Education at the Middle School level for several years. In 2002, we moved and it was time for another career change. I bought a Gammill regulated stitch quilting machine in 2003 and started my quilting business. I started it part time and in less than a year, I was quilting full time - 5 days week. It just snowballed, with one customer telling another customer. Word of mouth still seems to be the best advertising. I am so blessed to have a job I love!

Favorite piece?

Today, my favorite quilted project is Imaginary Blooms. Before I finished that quilt, my favorite was my First Morning Glory Bloom. It's not necessarily the final project that I like, but how I feel when I am creating the project. It's the story behind the projects, that make them special.

What's your favorite crafty blog to follow/read?

I follow and read several blogs, but I my favorite blog is:

HillbillyHandiworks

Tonya shares beautiful projects and the stories of her life. She does “quilt a longs”,“learn a longs”, and recently is sharing her wonderful Hexagon Blocks.

Because I work alone, I love the connections I have made through blogging.

Favorite part of creating a quilt?

The construction of the quilt --- the piecing and the quilting --- Sometimes I don't want that to end! Love the process!

Least favorite part?

Love the whole process!

Beverage of Choice? Iced water with one blackberry

Sweet or Salty?

Both Sweet AND Salty -

blackberries, mandarin oranges, AND eggs with fried rice

Number 1 on your Bucket List?

To just keep doing, what I am doing ... creating, quilting, and sharing everyday.

Keep in touch with and/or an eye on Marcia!

Marcia's Crafty Sewing and Quilting

Blog: http://marciascraftysewing.blogspot.com/

Lunch Blog: http://lunchlookslikeaquilttome.blogspot.com/

Website: http://www.craftysewing.com/

Email: Marcia@craftysewing.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/craftysewing

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Marcias-Crafty-Sewing-Quilting/100856479173

Flicker: http://www.flickr.com/photos/craftysewing/

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/craftysewing/

Picasa: CraftySewing Picasa Photo Gallery

Thanks Marcia for all your support with these challenges!

And NOW, that the kids are all in bed…I’m going to quilt my PQ Challenge piece!

Block 3: Home Sweet Home Quilt Along – House by the Bay

2012-01-24T08:06:00.001-06:00

Everyone super excited to see what Block 3 for the quilt along is going to be. Before we get there I want to introduce you to today’s designer, Pamela Boatwright of PamelaQuilts.

Web site: http://www.etsy.com/shop/Pamelaquilts
Blog: http://pamelaquilts.blogspot.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pamelaboatrightquilts
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/pamelaquilts
Email: pamelaquilts {at} gmail {dot} com

What is your crafting style?

I like to think of myself as traditional with a modern slant, with a
little art thrown in…

How did you get started creating?

I have loved sewing and crafting since I was a child! My mother was a seamstress, and my dad builds cars and draws, so I have always been encouraged in creating.

Do you have a favorite piece? Why is it your favorite?

My favorite quilt is usually the one I am working on, though I am partial to this one:

This is Memories of the Titanic. It was designed and machine pieced by me, and hand quilted. I love blue and white quilts, and this one was really fun to work on. It was juried into the Denver National Quilt show, which made me feel very awesome!

What is your favorite crafty blog to follow/read?

That is hard, I follow a lot of blogs and enjoy them all. I think my favorite is Bonnie Hunter of Quiltville, though. http://quiltville.blogspot.com/
I adore scrappy and she does it so well!

Which part of the creating process does you like the most?
The best part is finishing!

Which part of the creating process do you dislike the most?
Cleaning up!

Favorite Adhesive: Fabric Tac

Favorite Movie: The Lord of the Rings Trilogy

Beverage of Choice: Ice Tea

Sweet or Salty? Sweet, hands, down

It was great to learn more about your Pamela! Now we’re all really excited to see what block you designed!

Block 3: House By the Bay

Check out Pamela’s blogpost: http://pamelaquilts.blogspot.com/2012/01/home-sweet-home-quilt-long.html

to see how to make your very own! She’s got some special prizes in store for you there as well!

Don’t forget to add your picture to the flickr group once it’s complete: http://www.flickr.com/groups/1850682@N20/

Previous Home Sweet Home Blocks:

Check out the current Project QUILTING Challenge: Making Music

Spoonflower – Stack of Pearls

2012-01-23T21:23:00.001-06:00

Stack of Pearls

Please VOTE in the Spoonflower Outdated Technology Fabric Contest (http://www.spoonflower.com/contests/118) for ‘Keys Madness by KimsCraftyApple). You can vote for as many fabrics as you want – I just hope you include mine in your selection! Thanks for all your support!

If you missed my previous Spoonflower posts no worries…

Purple Lace
Ice in Bloom

Project QUILTING, Season 3, Challenge 2 – Making Music

2012-01-22T12:05:00.001-06:00

photo from bcooner

The first challenge of Project QUILTING was a huge SUCCESS! 33 quilts were made in just one week and they were amazing! Check out the Closer Looks HERE If you missed it.

Now it’s time to move onto the second challenge. Before we get to that, I’m going to go over this weeks

PRIZES

Prize 1
The Fat Quarter Shop will be giving one lucky winner a layer cake of their choice!

Prize 2
LoveBugStudio (aka the Grand Prize Winner of Season 1): is giving one semi-annual subscription to Blocks to Die For magazine. The subscription can be gifted as well. The magazine is geared toward people with fabric die cutters.

Prize 3
LoveBugStudios is also giving a Quiltspirations! Mystery Card Pack from her latest venture, quiltspirations.com.

Prize 4
Quiltology is giving a coupon for her longarm quilting services for 20% off with a minimum $40 purchase. All of her patterns are online.

Prize 5
Dye Candy is donating one yard of stunning hand-dyed fabric.

Prize 6
Marcia’s Crafty Sewing and Quilting is offering a Gift Certificate of $30.00 off Quilting on a Baby size or larger. The Gift Certificate will be good for 60 days from the date of issue. The gift certificate is transferable so you can share it with a friend if you’d like.

Prize 7
Quilties is giving away an adorable ‘I Love Quilting’ Keychain!

Prize 8
QuiltsbyBarb is giving a gift certificate for $20 off machine quilting. The coupon expires in 6 months from the date issued and is not transferable

Prize 9
PennyFabricArt is donating pretty little mini quilts from for a prize!

Prize 10
Emma Jean’s Boutique will be sending one lucky winner 2 packs of 25 squares of I-Spy fabric in cotton-quilting weight.

Prize 11
OddStuffbyXanthe is giving a greeting card, patch and button with prints of her amazing original artwork.

Prize 12
TheApple is donated $10 to be redeemed at her etsy store on her handmade jewelry. (aka my other etsy shop)

photo by spicenic7

The Challenge - Making Music

Choose a song title for your inspiration.
Your project can be any size or shape.
Your project must have a name. It can be the same as the name of the song, but does not have to be.
Please remember that these projects need to be created during the week of the challenge.
POST your entries with a description of your creative process, including where you are (ie, I create in Madison, WI) and the size of your project by Sunday, January 29th, 2012, at noon (well 12:06 since I’m slightly late…), CDT, to this flickr group – Project QUILTING with KimsCraftyApple:http://www.flickr.com/groups/1401824@N21/ OR email a picture/description of your completed project to {lapaceksorchard at gmail dot com} with PROJECT QUILTING in the subject line.
If you wish to receive critiques on your piece – the good and critical – please add your photo’s to this group as well: http://www.flickr.com/groups/1628629@N24/
Are you stuck? Need a little ‘Tim Gunn’ advice during the week? Or are you just so excited on how things are going along and what to share your WIP? We have a group for that! http://www.flickr.com/groups/1430386@N24/
If this is the first Project Quilting challenge you've participated in, please email Kim at {lapaceksorchard at gmail dot com} with PROJECT QUILTING in the subject line so that Kim can keep you updated on the behind the scenes going-ons.
If you want your name to be entered into the drawing for the prizes your piece has to follow ALL the rules – including being a FINISHED quilt and completed within the allotted time.

Remember, these challenges are intended to help you “Think Outside the Square”. Be creative. Take a risk. DO SOMETHING NO ONE ELSE WILL THINK OF DOING and of course, HAVE SOME FUN!

Project QUILTING Sponsor – Quilts by Barb

2012-01-22T09:25:00.001-06:00

I’m happy to be sharing with you some more information about one of our fabulous Project QUILTING sponsors this season - Barbara Raisbeck of Quilts by Barb.

But before I get too far into her interview I have to share that she just became a grandma again!

Barb recently welcomed her first granddaughter to this world – Kennedy Mae. (pictured with her older brother, Colin) Everyone is healthy!

Now – let’s get to know a little bit more about Barb:

What is your crafting style?

I am a long arm quilter and my favorite part is selecting fabrics
and designing the quilt. I prefer scrappy quilts and I use a lot of my own hand dyed fabrics.

How did you get started creating?

I have always been creative and did a lot of sewing but I didn’t start quilting until after my Mom passed away. I had a quilt top she made for my son that needed quilted. I hired a machine quilter to finish it. After I completed that project, I thought I would try my hand at one for my daughter. I was hooked.

Do you have a favorite piece?

Mariner’s Compass on the Nine Patch Why is it your favorite?

It is so traditional but still so unexpected in fabric combinations and design
choices.

What is your favorite crafty blog to follow/read?

I don’t really have time to spend a lot of time on blogs so I do a lot of skimming.

Which part of the creating process does you like the most?

Selecting the fabrics and color choices.

Which part of the creating process do you dislike the most?

Getting that perfect binding, especially the corners.

Favorite Adhesive: Elmer’s glue works wonders when used in quilting. Glue it where it supposed to be, press the seam, sew it shut and wash quilt when done.
Favorite Movie: Any good modern romantic comedy to laugh and relax with
Beverage of Choice: Muscato wine, especially the bubbly kind.
Sweet or Salty? A combination of the two together
Number 1 on your Bucket List: clean my quilting studio

Web site: www.Quiltsbybarb.com
Blog: www.quiltsbybarb.blogspot.com/
Facebook: http://facebook.com/Quilts.by.Barb
Twitter: http://twitter.com/Quiltsbybarb
Email: Barb {at} Quiltsbybarb {dot} com

Architectural Elements – A Closer Look - Barn Bones

2012-01-22T08:19:00.001-06:00

Since I’ve done ‘Closer Look’s’ at all the other quilts in the Project QUILTING challenge I figure I’d do one for the quilt I created as well.

On the other feature’s I typically showed the quilt and then the inspiration – on this post I’m going to show you how the quilt was created – starting with the inspiration.

Quilter: Kim’s Crafty Apple

‘Barn Bones’

As soon as I saw the challenge was 'Architectural Elements' I thought about the barn that they'd been taking down for months just down the road from me. I mentioned to my DH that I needed to go take a picture of it for the challenge and he said they' started taking it down that day! Luckily I still snagged a few bone pictures - at least enough to still use it for my inspiration!

I created this 'Free form quilt' using the techniques I read bout it the book 'create your own free-form quilts' by Rayna Gillman.

I love the book and the concept behind the quilts in the book instantly. I love that it's completely free and you don't think as you create - exactly by method! Every piece in this quilt was found in my scrap bin. I can't wait to make another quilt like this with even more scraps! (I may have a few…see upper left corner photo…)

In the early stages of the piece…when it was basically just beige and a few little light blue and green my husband Jared looked at it and was like, “What are you making? That doesn’t look like you at all!” (I’m not a neutral quilter). I assured him not to worry and it would definitely end up being cool. It kept growing bigger and bigger (on its own) so I finally just had to stop. At this point, I felt that it needed more dark brown (the 'barn bones') so I did some raw edge appliqué to add a bit more depth to the piece.

When it came to the quilting I also went with the free-form approach. I love how tight stitching looks and feels so I did that randomly, in different directions all over the piece.

I finished by binding with all different scraps found in the quilt. The brown bits ‘stops’ the quilt while the colored/neutral leaves it feeling open – I think that it has a little of both fits this piece perfectly.

Dimensions: 30" x 42.5"

Created in Poynette, WI

Did you miss the earlier closer looks?

Ready for the Home Sweet Home Quilt Along?

PS. Please VOTE in the Spoonflower Outdated Technology Fabric Contest (http://www.spoonflower.com/contests/118) for ‘Keys Madness by KimsCraftyApple). You can vote for as many fabrics as you want – I just hope you include mine in your selection! Thanks for all your support!

What’s Your Style: Art Nouveau

2012-01-20T22:33:00.001-06:00

art nou·veau also Art Nou·veau

n.

A style of decoration and architecture of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, characterized particularly by the depiction of leaves and flowers in flowing, sinuous lines.

Here are some examples of items you’ll find categorized as ‘Art Nouveau’ on etsy:

'What's Your Style: Art Nouveau' by TheApple

Art Nouveau 3pc Tea Set with... ArtNouveauGal $575.00	Paris Photography, Art Nouve... EyePoetryPhoto... $30.00
Antique Plique a Jour Enamel... AawsombleiJewe... $199.00	Art Nouveau Brass Table Mirr... vintagebluesmi... $149.00
Enamelled glass vases LEGRAS... brikoloor $595.00	80s art nouveau print Swimsu... kickassvintage $16.00
Art Nouveau Letter Holder wi... Neatcurios $85.00	Spoon Ring Unique Lily of th... Spoonier $56.00
OOAK Art Nouveau Dancing Pea... charancreation... $46.00	SALE .... ART NOUVEAU Bohemi... DresdenDollz $250.00
Art Nouveau Beauty . 30s . 2... thingsofsplend... $399.00	Art Nouveau, Vintage Silver ... 20WestEuclidVi... $45.00
Antique Victorian Sterling D... GrandVintageFi... $48.00	Art Nouveau Custom Journal o... LilSketchy $35.00
Jewel necklace bee vintage a... mylavaliere $33.00	Limited Print Peas and Carro... artyecological $15.00

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio.

Past Styles:

Architectural Elements – A Closer Look, Part 5

2012-01-20T17:21:00.001-06:00

1. Red door, 2. Sharon S Project Quilting Entry, 3. Trapezoid, 4. Project Quilting 3:1, 5. side view, 6. ImFeelinCrafty-PQ-Wk1-quiltdtl-1, 7. DSCN0798, 8. DSCN1064windows Created with fd's Flickr Toys

Quilter: SweetDreamsbySarah

‘Red door’

I've always loved the bright pop of a red door on a house, especially up against a relatively simple wall... I made this wall hanging (about 12" square) using gray "siding" and a bright red door, and photographed it hanging on my brown HOA approved door... LOL!

Sarah @ www.sweetdreamsbysarah.com in Chandler, AZ
I blogged about it here... www.sweetdreamsbysarah.com/2012/01/project-quilting-ch all...

Inspiration photo:
www.flickr.com/photos/danielvirella/6661756973/

Quilter: Sharon S

When I first saw this photo, I was drawn to the shades of white and gray with the interplay of shadows, backed by the vibrant blue sky. It wasn't until much later that I saw the intersection of the 2 rooflines, making the much smaller squares in the center of the photo. Those small squares became my inspiration, which I recreated using striped fabric and sewing simple straight lines.

Hi, I'm a SAHM with 3 busy girls. I'm from Michigan where I've only recently learned the basics of quilting. This is my first time participating in this challenge and I'm looking forward to learning more! We are always struggling with storage in our 100 yr old house and my girls rec'd a ton of Legos for Christmas which continue to take over our living room. I saw this 17" crate this week and Bingo! I knew what I was going to make! My girls painted it this week and I plan to distress it, add industrial casters, a couple handles and stencil a word on it (PLAY, BUILD, or CREATE).
The crate needs a liner to keep all those Legos from falling out. I had picked up this striped fabric to make pillows for our living room. But after seeing my inspiration photo, I knew it would be perfect for this! I used dark gray thread to contrast with the shades of tan and cream and to bring in the blue from the sky. The bag has a square bottom (my first!) and a draw string to pull the bag out of the crate and take the Legos to play in other parts of the house.

Quilter: Dotty Jane

‘Trapezoid’

Vicki from Tennessee here with my Trapezoid wall hanging. My inspiration was the trapezoid windows we used when building two houses in the 1990's. I began by building the larger shapes with a log cabin process, added wide black border and fused the smaller pieces for some extra funkiness. The quilting is a spiral free motion. All the fabrics are my own hand dyed pieces except for the black background.
I tend to be very literal when I'm designing a piece, so I did my best to go the other direction with this one.
The size is approximately 20 inches by 12 inches.

Quilter: Quilties

My inspiration was the tiles on the Iowa State Capitol floor. I thought they were beautiful when I visited the capitol a few years ago and took lots of photos, because I knew I wanted to make a quilt from them someday. This challenge was the perfect opportunity! I almost copied the design, using a photo as a reference and enlarging the pattern at a copy shop. But I changed the colors a bit, to include a shiny gold lamé, to symbolize our favorite part of the state capitol, the gold dome. I used a mix of marbley batiks and prints that had stonelike textures. The yellow even has metallic gold spots.

Size: 29" square
Made by: Emma Thomas-McGinnis of Quilties in Urbandale, IA

Quilter:KatiesQuiltsandCrafts

"Tin Roof, Rusted"

My inspiration comes from the original tin Roof in my apartment. I live and work in a 3,000 square foot apartment which is the upstairs of a VERY old building in Milton, WV. The Tin roof has the most amazing pattern in it and I have always wanted to design a quilt after it.
Project Quilting Gave me that opportunity!. . or lit a fire under my butt. . however you want to look at it!

What did I learn from this ? I learned how to do MITERED CORNERS! As many quilts as I have made in my lifetime, I have never once attempted mitered corners. This quilt has SIXTEEN OF THEM!!! The inner miters are 1/2" FINISHED. . not a good beginning project to learn . . but I managed. ;c)
The Miters took me a bit longer than I anticipated so I didn't get as much quilting in as I had hoped. I'm going to add a bit more quilting today.

www.KatiesQuiltsandCrafts.blogspot.com
www.Facebook.com/KatiesQuiltsandCrafts

Quilter: I’m Feelin Crafty

Seattle, WA

9.5x14 inches

I had this one picture that I wanted to make into a quilt, but it was all grey and black and for some reason it just wasn't calling to me. Then I thought of the EMP building in Seattle and this wonderful pink silk fabric I have... That's when I decided to switch to the colorful from the black and white.

Then I found the inspiration photo with the muted tones contrasting with the background color and decided to use that one picture as my inspiration. My quilt is a pretty literal take on the picture! Since the colors in the siding were actually pretty muted I didn't even get to use the bright pink silk I had anyway! But I did need to figure out how to get the mottled look and different shades of color being reflected on the silver siding. This is where the use of layers and layers of tulle came in wonderfully useful.

The inspiration photo can be seen here, by James & Vilija

Quilter: Mary Beth O Berlin

Architectural Elements
I am a new quilter. I used this challenge to try out several new techniques. The paper piecing version didn't work out so I changed to appliqué instead. I tried a bit of free motion quilting at the top. The edges are unfinished because I plan to make this part of a larger piece. This square is 6x6. It's based off a photo from a trip to Italy. I made it at home in St. Charles, Missouri.

Quilter: patdenino

Yes, I know, I'm too late for eligibility, but for me this is more about the creative challenge, so I think I'll share it anyway. Boy, was it a challenge! I tend to be fairly precise, yet only had this one afternoon to make my bit of fabric art. Thus, I eliminated everything except what I considered to be the most basic of elements, and that was the window panes and the tree. I also eliminated my desire to be precise, thus the relatively rag tag binding. So be it. It was fun; my muse enjoyed pushing against some real time limits (I thought I had until midnight).
Oh yes. the piece is a wonky 9" by 9".

Did you miss the earlier closer looks?

Ready for the Home Sweet Home Quilt Along?

PS. Please VOTE in the Spoonflower Outdated Technology Fabric Contest (http://www.spoonflower.com/contests/118) for ‘Keys Madness by KimsCraftyApple). You can vote for as many fabrics as you want – I just hope you include mine in your selection! Thanks for all your support!

Next challenge posted at NOON CDT on Sunday, January 22nd!

Architectural Elements – A Closer Look, Part 4

2012-01-20T12:47:00.001-06:00

So far I’ve gotten a lot of positive feed back on my ‘closer look’ posts. I think this a great way to get the story behind each quilt without feeling so overwhelmed on the flickr group – I mean we did ONLY have 33 entries this past week! Let me know what you think of these closer looks! Should I keep doing them for future challenges?

1. My mini-Andrae, 2. P1155464, 3. Stained Glass and Steeples, 4. Sew Blue or Possibilities, 5. Love in the City, 6. Project Quilting 1, Architectural elements Created with fd's Flickr Toys

Quilter: Quilt-A-Daisy

“My mini-Andrae”

Created in Irmo, SC for Project Quilting Season 3 - Challenge 1 Architectural Elements.

I was inspired by this Chapel in Villeaceron www.pleatfarm.com/2010/07/29/chapel-in-villeaceron-by-s-m..., in particular the image of the light coming in the window and how it created varying levels and depths of shadows. So for my mini (sized 13" x 15") I tried to re-create the idea of the window of light and shadows. Once I had it pieced together, I wanted the quilting to play on the idea of light and kind of "sparkle"...and that's where I went completely Andrae (Season 2 of Project Runway) and let the idea with the quilting completely carry me away!...this is also my first attempt at FMQ...and I really love the overall finished product. I pulled all fabric from my stash and scrap pile, spent $2.77 for the quilting thread.

Blogged at quiltadaisy.blogspot.com/2012/01/project-quilting-s3-chal...

Quilter: Sally’s Angelworks

‘Pom Pom Walk in the Woods Baby Quilt’

I am completely in love with white space! So when I saw the inspiration picture, I was drawn to the left side of it. I also LOVED the part of the carousel that just barely stuck out from behind the building! :) I was going to use lace and then this roll of pompom trim fell out of my trim basket!!! It was a sign...LOL!!

I used straight line quilting to quilt it. I also used A Walk in the Woods by Aneela Hoey and Kona Pink for the binding.

It was made in Texas and is 51"x36.5"! Perfect baby quilt!!

Quilter: Natasha Blanco

Stained Glass and Steeples

When I saw Challenge 1 I immediately thought batiks and church steeples! I found a picture of a beautiful steeple and also a log cabin church that had a wonderful cross window and decided to combine the two elements to make this quilt. It measures 40" x 48" and has been quilted with angels on the applique background and a feather cross design on the blocks.

Bogue Chitto, MS

I also posted pics of the quilting on a blog post I did about this quilt at www.natashablanco.blogspot.com

Quilter: Kathleen Quilts

‘Sew Blue or Possibilities’

I'm a constant new home window shopper.... always searching for the next best home. I love looking at the floor plans and drawings available on new home sites, imagining what could be added, detracted, or moved around to suit me and what I perceive as the ideal living conditions. It's only a drawing so it holds infinite possibilities for the end product!

My quilt is a whole cloth, small quilt with a plain white base and only blue stitching. To me, it feels full of promise and is calming to view. I'm re-doing my sewing room and this will hang on the wall after I paint..... this may have helped me decide on the color blue for the walls.

Created in Cissna Park, IL
16" x 12"

Quilter: AllThingsBelle

‘Love in the City’

Jennifer Rodriguez - West Jordan, Utah
14.5" square

I love the idea of using architecture as an inspiration base. I struggled with not wanting it to be too literal, but still obviously connected to the original idea. This quilt had a very long train of thought (I will be blogging about the process with photos later this evening).

The Empire State Building with the heart comes from the movie, "Sleepless in Seattle". I then moved this icon into a very feminine, lovey version of Van Gogh's "Starry Night". I wanted to have fun with well known icons and shake it up. What if Van Gogh had focused on a building in his piece rather than nature? I played with taking a literal representation and a more impressionistic background.

The quilt is raw edge appliqué. I tried a new technique of over saturating the fabric with starch to reduce shredding. There is lots of free motion quilting - I played with using different color bobbin threads to see the results. I also painted all over it in both fabric and acrylic craft paint.

I would have love to do more thread painting, but time was an issue. I also would have liked to remove the heart from the building, but as it was the inspiration for it..it felt necessary to keep.

I really played with some new ideas here. I really enjoy the love and feminine aspects of this quilt. While I enjoy Van Gogh, it was nice to "lighten" up the mood.

**BLOGGED - allthingsbelle.blogspot.com/2012/01/where-does-inspiratio...

Quilter: Becky’s Blabber

The dimensions of this quilt is 30 by 40 inches, and I'm in Pendleton, Oregon. Check out Becky’s blog for more details and how this quilt came to be!

Blogged: http://becky-beckysblabber.blogspot.com/2012/01/project-quilting-challenge-1.html

Did you miss the earlier closer looks?

Ready for the Home Sweet Home Quilt Along?

PS. Please VOTE in the Spoonflower Outdated Technology Fabric Contest (http://www.spoonflower.com/contests/118) for ‘Keys Madness by KimsCraftyApple). You can vote for as many fabrics as you want – I just hope you include mine in your selection! Thanks for all your support!

Block 2: Home Sweet Home Quilt Along – Lapacek’s Orchard

2012-01-19T07:46:00.001-06:00

Yeah! It’s time for Block 2 of the Home Sweet Home Quilt Along. Before we get to it though, I want to share with you a little about the designer, Diane Lapacek.

What is your crafting style?

Quilting and fabric dyeing are my passions.

How did you get started creating?

I learned to sew in 4H. For years, I made a lot of my own clothes, but when I took my first quilting class, I found my passion. One of my quilting students
wanted to dye fabric, so I checked out some books and found another passion.

Do you have a favorite piece? Why is it your favorite?

I created this shredded flower technique for a class I was teaching at and I really like it. I think it is one of my best machine quilting efforts. And I really love the mixed fiber edging.

What is your favorite crafty blog to follow/read?

Kim's Crafty Apple

Which part of the creating process does you like the most?

I love all the creative parts. Planning, dyeing, cutting, sewing, assembling, and adding an amazing pieced border.

Which part of the creating process do you dislike the most?

Those finishing things like backing that really don’t add anything special to the quilt, but need to be done to finish the project.

Favorite Adhesive: Quilt basting spray.
Beverage of Choice: cold beer
Sweet or Salty? salty

Upcoming Events where I’ll be teaching: {on a side/personal note, Diane is the one who pretty much taught me everything I know about quilting. She is an AMAZING teacher with patience like know other! I strongly recommend learning from her if you possibly can}

Fox Valley Tech Sewing and Quilting Expo

March 23 and 24, 2012
Fox Valley Technical
College, Oshkosh, WI,

Hand Dyeing Workshop

June 18, 2012
Lapacek’s Orchard
Poynette, WI

Quilts by Barb Quilt Retreat Getaway Weekend

November 9, 10 and 11, 2012
Quality Inn Hotel and Ballroom
Mineral Point, Wisconsin

Need to contact Diane? email her at: fdlapacek {at} gmail {dot} com

Many of my readers already probably know that Diane and I are co-owners (along with our husband’s) of an apple orchard in Wisconsin (hence Kim’s Crafty Apple). The block Diane designed is only fitting for what we do. Enjoy!

Block 2 - Lapacek’s Orchard

By Diane Lapacek

One apple tree is just an apple tree. Two apple trees make an orchard……

This is a very scrappy block. Pull out your smallest scraps. Nothing wider than 2 inches is needed here. I used a wide variety of greens for the trees, assorted lights for the background, small pieces of 8 different florals for the flower garden and dark and light blues for the checkerboard.

We’re going to start by making a template for the apple treetops.

Cut a 6½“ square of paper. I used an old newspaper. Something lightweight that will tear easily is best. Make a mark 1” in from the edge on 3 sides.

Now, draw a “circle” that touches the bottom edge and is no wider than the lines on the other 3 sides of the square. This is the template for your treetop.

You will make 2 trees, so you may want to make both templates now and build the trees together. They do not need to be exactly the same shape. Notice that one of mine is taller and the other is rounder.

Keep your template by your ironing space. We are not going to sew on it until later. For now it will serve as a guide to the size and shape of your treetop.

The treetops will be very free form, so there will be no cutting instructions. Pull out your smallest scraps for the treetops. I used a wide variety of greens.

Start with a small piece that is about 1½ to 2” on each side. It doesn’t need to be square. I just used my scissors to cut a piece off the end of a leftover strip. Line up another scrap along one edge and sew them together. Press seam to one side.

Add a piece to the opposite side. Press seam toward the last fabric added.

Straighten the sides by laying your ruler across the end and trimming the jagged edges with your rotary cutter.

Add pieces to the 2 edges that you just trimmed, pressing seams toward each fabric as you add it.

The piece will now look pretty square. Trim off the corners to make it more rounded.

Add strips, press and trim until your treetop is about the size of the template.

Spray starch your treetop.

Place the treetop on your template. One edge needs to follow the paper edge at the bottom of the template. Cut off any corners that go too far beyond template. Make straight cuts, not a perfect fit to the circle. Do not cut the paper!

This one needs a little more trimming.

This one is ready to go.

Pin the treetop to the template, making sure one edge is even with the bottom of the paper.

Add strips of background fabric to the edges of the treetop. I used various lights. Stitch through the paper. Do not sew beyond the edges of the treetop fabric. Press after each fabric is added.

To trim, fold the paper back, place your ruler and cut off the jagged edges.

Continue to add fabric strips in this manner until your fabrics go beyond the paper on all sides.

Remove the paper. Spray starch. Square up to 6 ½” x 6½”.

For the tree trunks: (You will need 2.)

Cut a piece of paper 2 ½” x 6 ½”. Pick a piece of fabric for the tree trunk and lay it on the paper, near the center. About 1 to 1 ½” wide is good. It does not need to be straight. You’ll see mine below is not. Sew a piece of background fabric to one edge of the tree trunk, sewing through the paper. Press. Add additional background pieces to both sides until the paper is covered.

Remove the paper. Spray starch. Square to 2½ x 6½ “.

Sew the trunk to the treetop. My tree trunk was a little off center. I rotated the trunk piece and liked the fit much better.

Now we’ll add the flower garden in the lower right corner.

Cut 8 squares 2” x 2” from various floral fabrics. Sew them together to make 2 strips of 4. Press the seams all to the left on one strip and all to the right on the other.

Sew the 2 strips together to complete the flower garden.

For the checkerboard in the upper left corner.

I created a very scrappy look using lots of different dark and light blue fabrics.

Cut 12 1½” squares from dark fabrics.

Cut 12 1½” squares from light fabrics.

Pair each dark with a light and sew together. Press toward the dark fabric.

Alternate the darks and lights to create a checkerboard and sew together.

Assemble the block.

Sew the flower garden to the bottom of one tree.

Cut a 1 ½” x 6 ½” strip of background fabric and sew it to the top of the same tree.

Sew the checkerboard to the top of the other tree.

Sew the 2 tree sections together to complete the block.

Sew red buttons on for apples. I’m going to wait until after my quilt is quilted to do this.

Thanks for sewing along. Hope you enjoyed it.

Click HERE for a printable PDF of this pattern!

Don’t forget about Block 1: My Home: http://www.kimscraftyapple.blogspot.com/2012/01/block-1-home-sweet-home-quilt-along-my.html

Architectural Elements – A Closer Look, Part 3

2012-01-18T19:58:00.001-06:00

Quilter: tesuquewho

‘window quilt’

Inspired by brick arch framed by foyer window. Measures 14 X 8 Inches. From Bismarck, ND.

Quilter: Shout4Joy

‘Details, Details’

Details, Details! is my entry for Challenge 1, Season 3 of Project Quilting. I was inspired by the art deco details on a building downtown.

This quilt was created in Franklin, PA, USA.

I used raw edge fusible appliqué and paper piecing to create the square in a square block that is the feature of this quilt.

The quilt is 18 1/2" Square.

Quilter: Quilts by Lisa

The inspiration for my quilt is a long row of skyscrapers. Not a photo, just a mental image. I find that if I work from a photo I tend to try to copy it, rather than interpret it, so I just had an image in my head and started sketching. Then I drew something more structured on graph paper and started grabbing fabrics and cutting and sewing.
Usually inspiration just hits me out of the blue. This project was a challenge since I don’t normally make myself contemplate a certain thing and look for inspiration. It was rewarding to come up with something, though. This is actually my second attempt. My first involved a photo of stained glass windows and the result was not something I was happy with.
Thanks for offering this challenge which encouraged me to try something different. I really enjoyed it!
Lisa from Kentucky

Quilter: Marcia’s Crafty Sewing and Quilting

“Quilts Built by Imagination”

The quilted table runner represents tall buildings with lots of windows. The place mat was made by cutting my leftover fabric scraps into squares of different sizes to represent the colorful buildings in Italy. The wavy lines are the roads in between the houses. Combining the elements in both photos, I used my imagination to create the quilts - "Quilts Built by Imagination". The quilts were created for Project Quilting. - Season Three - Challenge ONE kimscraftyapple.blogspot.com/

You can see the photos for my inspiration on Tuesday's post - Build With Your Imagination: marciascraftysewing.blogspot.com/2012/01/hodgepodge-patch... and the beginning of my quilted project. Saturday's post shares more of the work in progress. I called it Building Your Vivid Imagination. marciascraftysewing.blogspot.com/2012/01/work-in-progress...

More photos of the completed quilts on this post marciascraftysewing.blogspot.com/2012/01/quilts-built-by-...

Project Quilting - Season Three - Challenge ONE

Marcia Wachuta - Marcia's Crafty Sewing and Quilting
Boscobel, Wisconsin
www.craftysewing.com
marciascraftysewing.blogspot.com/

Quilter: Stephie Stories

‘Arches’

My week 1 challenge quilt. The inspiration for my quilt for the 1st challenge is Arches. Arches have been around forever, are still very popular, and are easy to recognize.

Finished size 15.5 by 16.5 inches

Quilter: Karen’s Crafty World

“Lighthouse in South Haven, MI”

My inspiration was the lighthouse and the black steel bars that run the course of the pier. I spent summers in South Haven and the lighthouse is in all of my memories. I wanted this to be a bit more 3D, with shading and such but needed to get the project in in time! My favorite part is the shading I did on the pier. I used a brown color pencil to do this bit. This piece measures 10 X 16 inches. I plan to give it to my dad as a gift :)

All of the materials came from my stash in Elgin,IL.

Did you miss the earlier closer looks?

Ready for the Home Sweet Home Quilt Along?

Block 1 is UP!
Block 2 will be posted tomorrow!

Architectural Elements – A Closer Look, Part 2

2012-01-17T10:47:00.001-06:00

Quilter: SewLizz

Inspired by the NMAI, I used canyon colors and windswept shapes. Straight line quilting on the strata fabrics and squash blossoms in the sunlit sections. 15"x24" The whole piece is freezer paper applique' and made in Sycamore, IL - far from the southwest, to be sure, but when the snow flies very much on my mind!!

Quilter: Pastor Katie Bishop

Growing up just moments from Washington, D.C. I chose to glean my inspiration for this challenge from the Museum of the American Indian, a newer museum on the National Mall. (As an aside, this is a FREE museum, that is not only architecturally beautiful on both the outside and the inside, but also offers a whole host of programs, exhibits and videos.). While the building is basically two –toned (the sandy exterior and the blue glass windows), I wanted to make this colorful using colors I found in nature. I first wanted to make the windows. The straight lines are in such stark contrast to the contours of the floors and ceilings. Once I made the windows (adjusting in size as the move left to right a bit to add depth), I then added the plum colored “floors” that flow across the pane. Finished, this is 12x11.5 inch wall hanging.

Quilter: HillbillyHandiworks

“Burning the Midnight Oil”

Wonder, who's burning the midnight oil tonight? Looks like five offices are lit up, while the rest of the world sleeps.

Notice, the clock has struck midnight.

My quilt is 18 1/2" by 24".
I am from Cameron, Mo.

Quilter: PamelaQuilts

‘Tiles’

This is my first entry into Project Quilting, although I have watched and wished to enter from the beginning. My first entry is very appropriate for me as I often burn the midnight oil myself so that I can find time to be creative. I think in a larger scale it would be easier to get a more dimensional affect with the quilting. The yo-yos worked really well for the flowers, though! This measures 11 1/2 inches square. Created in Coos Bay, Oregon

Quilter: MooseCarolQuilts

The Red Door

My entry into Challenge 1 of Project Quilting's new season. I just love the symmetry of the door, even the knob itself is centered on the front. The quilt measures 10 by 12 inches.
I call it The Red Door - Inspiration was a photo in a book about Ireland and its people. The whole page was covered with photos of similar doors and it struck me that it would make a nice quilt.

Quilter: Gock’s Frocks

"room with a view"

Kristen Hallagan - Rochester, NY

so.... we were challenged this week to design a quilted entry with architectural inspiration. We were also encouraged to "think outside the box"....so, I attempted to do both!

I was inspired by this flickr photo:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/megan_evans/6663373857/in/faves-gocksfrocks/
which got me thinking about the architectural element of lattices....

and.... I got thinking about the challenge to "think outside the box" which led me to design a piece that was quilted but not displayed as a traditional quilted piece might be but rather displayed in a large wooden hoop, as might be used for hand quilting.

I also wanted to incorporate some textural elements which led me to the 3D felted wool flowers that are "growing" on the lattice.

This challenge led to a little lose of sleep as I thought about how I wanted to approach it but in the end I was very pleased with what I came up with - though I think it will be quite different from most of the other entries!

enjoy!

Did you miss the first closer look?

Closer Look, Part 1

Ready for the Home Sweet Home Quilt Along?

Block 1 is UP!

Block 1: ‘Home Sweet Home’ Quilt Along – My Home

2012-01-17T07:06:00.001-06:00

‘My Home’
by Kim Lapacek, KimsCraftyApple

Fabric 1: Medium or light for sky (I chose blues) – you should have at least 2 different fabrics for this color (lower left)

· CUT: 4 – 4” squares

Fabric 2: Light/Medium for grass (green) (upper left)

· CUT: 2 – 3.5” x 7.5” rectangles (or strip piece a bunch of fabrics together and cut out 2, 3.5” x 7.5” rectangles from that…your choice)

Fabric 3: Roof (dark batik) (Lower right)

· CUT: 2 – 4” squares
1 – 6.5” x 2.5” rectangle

Fabric 4: House (pink) (upper right)

· CUT: 1 – 6.5” x 1.5” rectangle
1 – 3.5” square
5 – 1.5” squares
6 – 1.5” x 3.5” rectangles

Fabric 5: Scraps for windows/door that contrast with your ‘house’ color (upper right)

· CUT: 2 – 1.5” squares
1 – 1.5” x 2.5” rectangle

4 Patch

Take one of square of each color.

Put right sides together.

Stitch ¼” seam on opposite sides of the square.

Cut square in half (2”) – each piece will measure 4” x 2” before ironing.

Set seam and iron open. – you now have two , 2 patch units

With the 2 patch units right sides together, seams aligned, and the two different fabrics opposite each other,

Stitch ¼” from opposite sides. Be sure stitch crosses the first seam.

Cut the resulting unit in half.

Set seam and iron open – your two corner four patches are done! End block should measure 3.5” square if done correctly. (This is an amazing technique I learned from Pat Speth and Charlene Thode’s Nickel Quilts Book - you can use this method for any four patch you want to create. If you want your end block to be 3.5” square then cut two 4” squares and put together, if you want 4” square – cut your initial squares to 4.5” and so on. LOVE this method for 4 patches!)

Half Square Triangles

Take 2 - 4” squares of Fabric 1 (one of each fabric)

Take 2 - 4” squares of Fabric 3

Put right sides together of Fabric 1 and Fabric 3.

Using a washable marking pen, draw a line from one diagonal to another.

Using the line as a guide – stitch a seam ¼-inch off each side of the line.

Cut along the line you drew and press each triangle open.

Trim square to 3.5”

Take 2 half square triangles and cut a 1.0” off the larger portion of the Fabric 3 triangle as shown in the picture.

Rectangle

Take Fabric 3 & Fabric 4 rectangles and sew together. Press towards the darker fabric.

House

Sew a 1.5” square of fabric 4 onto each side of the Fabric 5 1.5” squares. Iron away from the middle square.

On the opposite sides sew on the 1.5” x 3.5” rectangles of Fabric 4 to create 2 – 3.5” squares. Iron away from the middle square

Sew a 1.5” square onto the short side of the Fabric 5 rectangle. Iron toward the rectangle.

On opposites sides sew on the 1.5” x 3.5” rectangles of Fabric 4 to create a 3.5” square. Iron towards the middle rectangle.

Lawn

In this example I just cut two rectangles 7.5” x 3.5” for the lawn.

In this block – I strip pieced a bunch of different ‘grass’ fabric together first and then cut out the 7.5” x 3.5” rectangles from that. It’s completely up to you with which you like better.

Let’s Build Our House!

Step 1: Sew the 4 patch and the full ½ Triangle Squares together. Iron towards triangles.

Step 2: Sew triangles together so top row looks like the picture above.

HOUSE

Step 3: Sew window panes squares together. Iron towards long rectangle.

Step 4: Sew Door square to 3.5” square so base of the door is at the bottom of the square. Iron towards long rectangle.

Step 5: Sew house pieces together matching seams in the middle. Iron any way.

Step 6: Sew short triangle/rectangle to fabric 2 strips. Iron towards fabric 2.

Step 7: Sew long rectangles to house. Iron towards upper rectangles.

Step 8: Sew left side to house. Iron toward side. (away from the house)

Step 9: Sew right side to house. Iron toward side.

Step 10. Sew roof onto house. Set and Iron.

Now you have a beautiful My Home square – the first of 16 blocks for this ‘Home Sweet Home’ Quilt Along!

Click HERE for a printable PDF of this pattern!

Be sure to join the ‘Home Sweet Home’ Flickr Group: http://www.flickr.com/groups/1850682@N20/

and upload photo’s of your block as you complete them!

To keep up with all my crazy fun ideas – be sure to sign up for my newsletter, follow this blog AND like KimsCraftyApple on Facebook.

Let’s not forget that we have a prize now thanks to Barb Raisbeck!

Anyone that brings a completed 'Home Sweet Home' Quilt to Show and Tell at the 2012 Quilt Retreat Getaway Weekend hosted by QuiltsbyBarb will receive a $10 gift certificate to the quilt shop at the retreat in honor of the 10th anniversary.

One $25 gift certificate to the quilt shop at the retreat will be given to a recipient of the viewer's choice award decided by the retreat attendees.
Additional qualifications for the above prize: The quilt must include on the front at least 12 of the 16 blocks from the Quilt Along. It must also include the blocks designed by Kim Lapacek, Diane Lapacek, and Barb Raisbeck.

Stop back on Thursday, January 19th, for the next block!

Architectural Elements – A Closer Look, Part 1

2012-01-16T16:43:00.001-06:00

I’m going to take some time to share with you ALL the projects completed for last weeks challenge. Since there is no ‘Public Vote’ this season, I don’t have to do them all in one post – in fact, since there were so many I’m probably going to do it in about 6 or 7 parts.

I hope you enjoy these quilts and as your looking at them and reading there story – remember, these were all created in just ONE week! Bravo to everyone!

The second challenge will be posted next Sunday, January 22nd at NOON!

Sign up for my newsletter and/or like Project Quilting on Facebook to ensure you don’t miss out on the fun!

Quilter: ellison 01

“The Arch”

I just found Project Quilting and am so glad I could jump right into the first challenge!

When I started thinking about architecture, my first thought was Roman Architecture. So I began googling. I found tons of pictures of the Roman arches and they're lovely. But those pictures led me to think of the St. Louis Arch which I have visited many times. And why not make it personal? :) It is such an amazing structure.

My project is a 7"x9" hot pad (potholder). We can never have too many! The piecing is very simplistic, it's the free motion quilting that I feel makes it pop.

The 4 fabrics and 4 different threads were all stuff I had on hand, so a zero cost project... my favorite kind!

This really threw me out of my comfort zone and I feel like I created a piece of art. So happy to be participating this time around!

Laura E.
Southern Illinois

Quilter: Bomblet

“The Bridge”

There's an old iron bridge less than half a mile from our house that has turned green with age. I decided to make a free-form version using only scraps. I pulled from 1.5" strips to get the bridge pieces, and used a random piece of grey dot that seemed fitting giving how grey the day was today. Even the binding was a scrap- left over from a baby quilt I made last year, and magically just enough for this elongated mug rug! It will be perfect for the table behind me while I sew, so I can set my mug of tea (and a snack or two!).

It measures 9" by 16.25"

Created in North Central Illinois.

Quilter: Stephanie Zito

Here's my entry for this week's Project Quilting with Kim's Crafty Apple challenge - Architectural elements! I was inspired by this photo found here on flicker in Pooldodo's gallery: www.flickr.com/photos/pooldodo/6039297301/in/faves-stepha...
The size of my piece is 21" x 29 " and was inspired by the brilliant sky blue glass and window layout from my inspiration photo. My project was machine pieced and then quilted in the black sashings.
Ontario, Canada

Quilter: WayMooreFunQuilts

“Log Cabin”

My choice for this challenge is either a cop-out or brilliant. I vote for the latter! It is certainly brilliant in the color choices I worked with. All fabric used is from my stash, so it has a zero budget assigned to it. The layout is 'barn raising' another pioneer symbol. This 30x44" lap quilt will be donated to our Veteran's hospital here in Tucson, Az, where it was made. I hope these happy colors will help to cheer up and bring a smile to its new owner.

Quilter: For Quilts Sake

“Reflection Refraction”

Made by Pam Geisel of For Quilts Sake in Yellow Springs, Ohio, Jan. 2012 for Project Quilting Season 3, Challenge 1, Architectural Elements.

19” x 23.5”

My creative process and how I made it:

The last few years we’ve spent some time traveling and I noticed that I was drawn to interesting architecture. So much that I took several photos of buildings because I thought they’d make interested quilt ideas.

So when I saw that the first challenge for this season’s Project Quilting was Architectural Elements, I immediately started looking through the photos I took. We’ve recently been to Atlanta, Knoxville, Louisville, San Francisco, Portland, Seattle and places in between.

The photo I decided to use for this project was taken in the Financial District in San Francisco.

I was really interested in how the windows of the building reflected images from the building across the street and it appears that the even-numbered floors are reflection from one angle while the odd-numbered floors are reflecting a different image.

Since the photo is fairly abstract, I wasn’t trying to recreate in exactly. For one thing, there’s not a lot of color in it. And there aren’t any reflections on the far right side. I wanted this quilt to be more symmetrical so I decided to include the reflections on that side also.

To give you an idea of the scale of this quilt, each window is 2.25” high. I decided to create the larger, lighter shapes in the windows by cutting out light-colored fabric and fusing them to the background but I didn’t want to have to do that with the smaller reflections.

Instead I looked through my batik fabrics to see if I could find one with a pattern similar to the one in the photo. I found one that I thought was a good fit and it’s green with some blue in it. I also found some other batiks that complimented the green one.

The windows aren’t exactly straight and I wasn’t sure I could piece the subtle angles so I got a piece of fabric and set the batik fabrics on top of it, fusing and stitching to hold them in place. Black bias tape fabric was used to cover the seams.

At first I thought I wanted to do the whitish columns in a light color but once I started to work with the fabric, it didn’t look right to me. I wanted fabric that would be strong enough to support the design element but not stand out too much. I literally took out every piece of batik fabric to see if it would work and nothing really did. Then I remembered that I had some hand-dyed fabric and found the green piece which did work with the other fabrics.

I pieced the two borders, added some black cording on both sides of the green columns then for the binding I used a strip-facing technique.

Quilter: Dashasel

"A view from Lake Michigan"

Season 3, PQ 1 challenge, Architectural Elements

blogged: dashasel.blogspot.com/2012/01/view-from-lake-michigan.html

inspiration photo: www.flickr.com/photos/rwchicago/6440028091/in/pool-177952...

For this challenge, I knew that I wanted to focus on local architecture and one piece that garners attention around here, is the Milwaukee Art Museum. The museum is made of three buildings, one of which is the Quadracci Pavillion that has a 90-foot high glass ceiling and a sunscreen that has a wingspan of 217 ft. It is really a sight to behold as one approaches the building along Lake Michigan's lakefront. This is a building with no bad sides (lucky building!) and there was a lot of inspiration to be found on Flickr, particularly at this group site: www.flickr.com/groups/mam-calatrava/

I have always loved the angles and design of this building. When I look at it through a quilter's eyes, I see lots of pleats, thin and thick, and some tapered. For PQ, I always enjoy trying new techniques, so the ones that I focused on here were pleats! I've worked with undulating pleats before, but never thin ones or tapered ones. I also like the way pleats add a 3D element to working with fabric and maybe help my architecture piece come to life. Therefore, I knew that I wanted to try and work with pleats.

I decided that I wanted the wingspan and interior ceiling to be my focus, and that I would frame these in Polaroid pictures. I love that Polaroid's capture one moment in time that cannot be recreated (vs. film with negatives). Each Polaroid captures the following (from L to R): MAM- the initials for the museum framed in blue since the museum's colors seem to be white and blue, Polaroid logo, wingspan, blank Polaroid, and interior of museum. I used edge-turned appliqué to layer the Polaroid's. This was also another new to me technique. For the wingspan, I used narrow pleats with some tapering added at the end, and for the interior, I used tapered pleats.

At the bottom of the quilt, I made undulating waves to symbolize Lake Michigan. All the Polaroid's dangle above it because it reminds me of a clothesline on a summer day, which is when I most often tend to find myself there!

Finally for quilting, I used organic lines-- keeping with the wavy nature of the lake and/or breeze in the air.

The quilt is 17x21 and I made it in Milwaukee, WI.

***A side note – the first ‘Home Sweet Home’ Quilt Along Block Tutorial will be posted tomorrow! I hope some (or all) and more decide to follow along – in the end we’ll all have a fabulous, fun and whimsical house and tree quilt!***

Project QUILTING – Season 3, Challenge 1 – Random Prize Winners

2012-01-15T22:15:00.001-06:00

****Drum Roll Please*****
Things were a bit crazy with picking names this week. Jared and I were at an apple convention and had to get the girls bathed and fed in a much shorter than typical time period – hence the drawing of the names at dinner with wet hair.
Thanks again to all my amazing Sponsors! AND to everyone who made a quilt for this weeks challenge! We had 32 projects submitted – a new record!
Please remember that in order to have your name added to the hat the piece must follow all the rules including be a completed quilt. Now, if you can’t finish your piece in time – we don’t mind if you still share it with us – in fact we’d love to see it whenever, but you won’t be able to win a prize.
Alright…enough business…let’s get to it.
We don’t even need the hat for Prize 1 since EVERYONE gets it!
Prize 1: StudioCherie is giving a free pattern to EVERYONE that participates in the first challenge! (I’ll be contacting you all about this within the next few days…)

We’ll start with the hat – filled with the participant names. (see…I told you it was an actual hat).
Cedi is picking the first winner:
Cedi chose Prize 2 and Marcia’s Crafty Sewing and Quilting will be getting a layer cake of their choice from The Fat Quarter Shop. Capri will be picking the next winner… And for Prize 3: AllThingsBelle will be able to choose: Batik 5" Charms: 40 Tonga Treat Mini Squares in BlueBerry OR Batik 5" Charms: 40 Tonga Treat Mini Squares in Pomegranate from FabricFascination.
Dashasel will be taking home Prize 4: Marcia’s Crafty Sewing and Quilting is offering a Gift Certificate of $30.00 off Quilting on a Baby size or larger. The Gift Certificate will be good for 60 days from the date of issue. The gift certificate is transferable so you can share it with a friend if you’d like. Sweet Dreams by Sarah wins Prize 5: Dye Candy is donating one yard of stunning hand-dyed fabric.
Cedi picked Gock’s Frocks for Prize 6: LoveBugStudios is giving a Quiltspirations! Mystery Card Pack from her latest venture, quiltspirations.com. (these are a brand new venture so you will have to be patient and your cards will arrive in the next few weeks…) Capri chose Shout4Joy to receive Prize 7: Quilties is giving away an adorable ‘I Love Quilting’ Keychain!
Cedi chose Katie’s Quilts and Crafts to win Prize 8: Quiltology is giving a coupon for her longarm quilting services for 20% off with a minimum $40 purchase. All of her patterns are online
Capri picked Sharon S to win Prize 9: QuiltsbyBarb is giving a gift certificate for $20 off machine quilting. The coupon expires in 6 months from the date issued and is not transferable
Cedi picked Bomblet to win Prize 10: $10 to ThePaintedDaisy good for in stock merchandise in her Etsy shop (or local peeps are welcome to visit her and shop her inventory in person). We decided to let Pip draw the final name. She was a bit hesitant at first – no quite sure what to do with a hat full of paper…But she figured it out… and Pip chose our last winner, WayMooreFunQuilts, to take home Prize 11: PennyFabricArt is donating the book ‘pretty little mini quilts’ for a prize!

***PS. I have contacted everyone via email or flickr to coordinate prize claiming. If you haven't heard from me please email me: lapaceksorchard {at} gmail {dot} com

Project QUILTING Sponsor – The Fat Quarter Shop

2012-01-15T17:31:00.001-06:00

One of the fantastic sponsors for this season of Project Quilting is The Fat Quarter Shop. Many of you are already familiar and have shopped online at the The Fat Quarter Shop but if you haven’t you better check it out ASAP! It’s fantastic! Today I’m going to share with you a short little interview with Kimberly Jolly the owner of The Fat Quarter Shop.

What is your crafting style?

Quilting!

How did you get started creating?

I started out crocheting when I was five and learned to cross stitch as I got older. I was introduced to quilting in my early 20s. I’m a very creative person with millions of ideas bouncing around in my head, so my designs flow out of that. I took a quilting class and was immediately hooked. Back then, I felt that there was a great need for a quilting store that had a wide selection and and attentive service, and Fat Quarter Shop was born. Soon after, I started to feel the need to design great patterns.

Do you have a favorite piece?

What is your favorite crafty blog to follow/read?

Bee in My Bonnet [http://beeinmybonnetco.blogspot.com]

Which part of the creating process does you like the most? Cutting!
Which part of the creating process do you dislike the most? I don’t like quilting the tops or putting on the binding.
Favorite Adhesive: I don’t use adhesive
Favorite Movie: I actually don’t watch movies.
Beverage of Choice: Dr. Pepper and Sweet Tea! (no, not mixed together!)
Sweet or Salty? Sweet
Number 1 on your Bucket List: Take my whole family on the Disney Cruise.

Important Links:

Web site: www.fatquartershop.com
Blog: http://fatquartershop.blogspot.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/FatQuarterShop
Twitter: http://twitter.com/FatQuarterShop
Flickr Group: http://www.flickr.com/groups/fqscustomergallery/
Email: Kimberly@fatquartershop.com

Home Sweet Home Quilt Along – Pick Your Fabrics

2012-01-14T20:44:00.001-06:00

I realized that I’ve been ignoring the upcoming ‘Home Sweet Home’ Quilt Along (starting this TUESDAY 1/17!). I haven’t meant to but as many know – not only was this week the first week of Project Quilting – but it’s also January which means – get your taxes together and pay sales tax. That, along with my new goal to get to the gym at least 4 times a week – I’m in need of a new schedule – yet again!

Anyway- back to the excitement! The Home Sweet Home Quilt Along! It’s going to be fantastic! I just finished my block design which will be posted on Tuesday. Diane is going to make it to check my instructions before I post them to you all but hopefully it’s going to work!

One of your questions may be:

How much fabric am I going to need?

I’m going to be completely up front by saying I’m not 100% sure. I can give you an estimate but your best bet is to make this a scrappy quilt. Find fabrics in the same color family’s – pay attention to the tones. I think if you got a decent stack of dark, medium, and light toned fabric you’ll be sitting good. My mother-in-law, Diane, figures that if you have 5 yards, or 20 fat quarters (the scrappier the better for this one) you should be covered. I recently reorganized my fabric stash and as I was doing that I just pulled any fabric that caught my eye. The pile above is what I’m going to start with for my quilt.

I took that image and made it black and white to check the tones of my fabrics. It looks like I have a decent amount of dark and medium/light but I’ll have to keep looking for those medium/dark and light fabrics. I did include a lot of fabrics that have houses and or trees on them already. I’m really going to milk this theme and make this a full of these fun elements!

I may have a ‘few’ scraps of fabrics that I’ll be adding into my quilt as I go…

My quilt is going to be a fairly standard combination of blues, blues, browns, greens and blacks with a few pinks and reds thrown in here and there. I can’t even begin to tell you how excited I am for this quilt! Designing the first block was super fun – and trust me – I'm showing you quite a few techniques to fit into a 12.5” square – but they’re all fun! See you on Tuesday for for the first tutorial!

Be sure to become a member of the Flickr Group: http://www.flickr.com/groups/1850682@N20/ so you can easily share with us when you finish your block!

PS. Project QUILTING pieces are due at NOON tomorrow! Hope you get your piece done but if you are just watching along pieces are going up regular to the flickr group! So exciting!

Modern Solids Quilt Along – FINISHED!

2012-01-13T20:56:00.001-06:00

After months of working on this quilt – my Patchwork Solids Sampler quilt is finally finished! Thanks to Patchwork Squared for moderating this quilt along. I don’t think I ever would have made an all ‘solids’ quilt without this little nudge and now I can say I’ll probably be making many more in the future!

I know it may seem a bit weird that I ‘mosaiced’ the quilt blocks separately but I really want to give you guys a better view of the quilting (some pictures are bit blurry…I really need some sun and NO wind so I can get some decent photo’s taken). Barb Raisbeck of QuiltsbyBarb truly did an amazing job with the quilting on this piece. Each block is a different pattern and it’s the perfect pattern for each particular block. I couldn’t have asked for anything more!

I created labels in spoonflower for my quilts! I like this one especially because I pieced it right into the back – it’s never going anywhere…

The back is pieced with the ‘leftover’ solids from the quilt front. I love how you can really see the quilting on the back as well too.

Quilting in 2012

2012-01-10T07:22:00.001-06:00

WOW – If you’re looking for some quilting adventures – be it a quilt along, a swap, or some great challenges – you have to stop over at QuiltingGallery.

QuiltingGallery has established a massive LIST that all quilters MUST see! I think I’m going to have a hard time deciding which ones I want to do (and 2 of those listed are mine – PQ and the Home Sweet Home Quilt Along). This is TOO fun!

I’ll be adding some buttons to my blog for the ones I hope I can make something for. I love the New Year! Without the stress of shows and holidays – it’s time to really get those creative juices flowing! Who knows what you’re going to learn and come up with?!

A Monday Treasury

2012-01-09T08:06:00.001-06:00

Can you believe Valentine’s Day is just over a month away! Don’t forget to find that perfect little something for your sweetheart – handmade is always extra special. You can find unique, perfect Valentine’s Day Gifts on etsy or if you’re in the Madison area, at the 5th Annual Valentine Craftacular!
I just thought this treasury was so cute and fitting for the upcoming holiday that I wanted to share it with you all.

'the road to love' by TheApple

from stomach butterflies to first kisses to spooning...a road to love is amazing...Inspired by Nobel Earths's item for the NonTeam Treasury Challenge 64: http://treasurychallengenonteam.blogspot.com/2012/01/nonteam-treasury-challenge-64.html

the first kiss hediun $20.00	Love Signs Belt Buckle- Coll... bmused $22.00
LOVER COMPASS- Follow the Wa... GlazedBlackChe... $25.99	January SALE: Spooning Big P... petekdesign $48.00
butterfly photo print dream... TheGinghamOwl $18.00	Custom Road Trip Map // Enga... CirclePrints $17.00
Recycled Map Heart Cut outs,... NobleEarth $4.00	Fluttery Butterflies on Ivor... jewelera $85.00
LOVE ANGELS Wedding Cake Top... kikuike $180.00	Sheet music necklace. Coppe... GildedNotes $26.00
Layered Love in Pink - one h... Crafterall $5.00	Trip for love original ill... behappynow $80.00
24 Edible Butterflies - Blue... incrEDIBLEtopp... $9.95	Peace, Love, Iowa. Very fun... chapelhil $10.00
Trip Big Print JudyKaufmann $42.00	miss you iowa city custom ca... CAPow $15.00

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio.

I had to laugh at the 'First Kiss' print! My 3 year old got her first kiss not too long ago from a little boy at her baby sitters. It was so adorable! They were hugging good bye and he just went for it. She was shocked and he had this smug, proud look on his face like he had been planning it all day and finally had the guts to just do it! (almost exactly the print shows…)

***Updated 1/13/12***

I"m proud to say that even though this treasury didn't win the challenge, out of hundreds it did take one of the 16 honorable mentions! Woo Hoo!

Project QUILTING, Season 3, Challenge 1 – Architectural Elements

2012-01-08T11:59:00.001-06:00

photo by Jack – Lloyd (found on flickr)

Welcome back to another season of Project QUILTING! I am super excited to be back hosting more quilt challenges and I can’t wait to see all the amazing pieces that are created over the next 12 weeks of Season 3.

The PRIZES –

All of these will be selected from hat. Everyone who enters a piece following the challenges guidelines within the week of this challenge will have there
name put in the hat for an opportunity to win one of these ELEVEN amazing prizes! (Pictures/examples of the prizes are all shown on Project QUILTING Season 3 – PRIZES post)
Prize 1: StudioCherie is giving a free pattern to EVERYONE that participates in the first challenge!
Prize 2: The Fat Quarter Shop will be giving one lucky winner a layer cake of their choice!
Prize 3: FabricFascination is having the random drawing winner choose from either of these colors:

Batik 5" Charms: 40 Tonga Treat Mini Squares in BlueBerry OR

Batik 5" Charms: 40 Tonga Treat Mini Squares in Pomegranate
Prize 4: Marcia’s Crafty Sewing and Quilting is offering a Gift Certificate of $30.00 off Quilting on a Baby size or larger. The Gift Certificate will be good for 60 days from the date of issue. The gift certificate is transferable so you can share it with a friend if you’d like.
Prize 5: Dye Candy is donating one yard of stunning hand-dyed fabric.
Prize 6: LoveBugStudios is giving a Quiltspirations! Mystery Card Pack from her latest venture, quiltspirations.com. (these are a brand new venture so you will have to be patient and your cards will arrive in the next few weeks…)
Prize 7: Quilties is giving away an adorable ‘I Love Quilting’ Keychain!
Prize 8: Quiltology is giving a coupon for her longarm quilting services for 20% off with a minimum $40 purchase. All of her patterns are online
Prize 9: QuiltsbyBarb is giving a gift certificate for $20 off machine quilting. The coupon expires in 6 months from the date issued and is not transferable
Prize 10: $10 to ThePaintedDaisy good for in stock merchandise in her Etsy shop (or local peeps are welcome to visit her and shop her inventory in person).
Prize 11: PennyFabricArt is donating the book ‘pretty little mini quilts’ for a prize!

The CHALLENGE -Architectural Elements

Photo by Blake Herman, found on flickr

Your inspiration will come from architecture.
Be sure to include a photo or description of the architectural element(s) that inspired you.
Your project can be any size or shape.
Please remember that these projects need to be created during the week of the challenge.
POST your entries with a description of your creative process, including where you are (ie, I create in Madison, WI) and the size of your project by Sunday, January 15th, 2012, at noon, CDT, to this flickr group – Project QUILTING with KimsCraftyApple: http://www.flickr.com/groups/1401824@N21/ OR email a picture/description of your completed project to {lapaceksorchard at gmail dot com} with PROJECT QUILTING in the subject line.
If you wish to receive critiques on your piece – the good and critical – please add your photo’s to this group as well: http://www.flickr.com/groups/1628629@N24/
Are you stuck? Need a little ‘Tim Gunn’ advice during the week? Or are you just so excited on how things are going along and what to share your WIP? We have a group for that! http://www.flickr.com/groups/1430386@N24/
If this is the first Project Quilting challenge you've participated in, please email Kim at {lapaceksorchard at gmail dot com} with PROJECT QUILTING in the subject line so that Kim can keep you updated on the behind the scenes going-ons.

Remember, these challenges are intended to help you “Think Outside the Square”. Be creative. Take a risk. DO SOMETHING NO ONE ELSE WILL THINK OF DOING

A great way to document your quilts is with Quilt Album! Check out this post for a discount code!

Help me spread the word about InfantSee – a great program for babies under 1 year old!

Record your Quilts! A Quilt Album Review

2012-01-07T09:28:00.001-06:00

Have you ever sold or given someone a quilt and later realized that you have no picture, no record, no anything to remember that quilt? What a terrible realization!

Pat Sloan invited me to do a review of this new quilt documentation software months ago but with apple season and the holiday’s it took me awhile to get to it. I have to say though – I’m really glad I took the time to check it out. It truly is a great way to keep record of your quilts.

Project QUILTING is about to start up again and this is a great way to document all the fabulous quilts you make (you’ll have 6 COMPLETED quilts in the next 12 weeks if you participate in all the challenges).

Documenting Owl Be Yours

Once you’ve downloaded your copy of Quilt Album the first thing you do is start to add your quilts into it! You can either find your file and upload a photo of your quilt OR you can open the folder it’s in and just drag it to the Quilt Album Screen – SUPER EASY! Then you fill out all the important info about your quilt:

Quilt Name, Quilt Detail, Category (you create your own categories for your quilts), Made For, Quilt Maker, Year: Start & Finish, Size:, Quilt Pattern, Quilt Designer, Quilt Top Construction, Quilting Method, Quilted By, Batting Type, Notes

I love how they’ve thought of everything important you should remember about your quilt!

Once you’ve added all the information you want about your quilt just keep on going. Eventually you’ll decide it’s time to explore the rest of what Quilt Album has to offer – like the Quilt Summary Page. It’s a great way to check out all that you’ve accomplished. And – easy to find a quilt you want to print cards or details about. Quilt Album makes it really easy to create a gorgeous printed record of your quilts. Here’s an example of what the page would like of my ‘Galaxy’s Converge’ Quilt. You can also print up business cards, cover pages, greeting cards, and labels (HUGELY important for quilts!). Spring Water Designs also did a review of Quilt Album and you can see all the goodies she printed from it!

I have made it a point on my to-do list to add at least 5 quilts into quilt album a week until I’m caught up with all that I currently have record of. Once they’re in it will be easy-peasy to keep up with all the new one’s I’m going to create. Guess what!? You can do this too! You can download the program for $29.95, or if you prefer to have it on a disc, the price is $39.95. But, if you use the discount code AGC-RY you can save $5 at checkout! Just go to QuiltAlbum's site to order and be sure add your discount code at checkout.

You can see QuiltAlbum here http://www.quiltalbum.com

A great way to start the New Year right! Keep track of those heirloom pieces – you and your family will appreciate it!

What’s Your Style: Art Deco

2012-01-06T18:27:00.001-06:00

I am excited that next on my ‘What’s Your Style’ list is Art Deco.

Spoonflower is going to be having a ‘Art Deco’ inspired fabric contest. Entries need to be submitted by January 31st, 2012. I definitely needed to research this first to see if I had anything fit. (Have you given me your opinion on my Outdated Technology fabric options yet? Please do!)

Art Dec·o (ärt dĕk'ō)
n.
A decorative and architectural style of the period 1925-1940, characterized by geometric designs, bold colors, and the use of plastic and glass.

Here’s some examples from etsy of items you will find searching ‘Art Deco’ :

'What's Your Style: Art Deco' by TheApple

Art Deco Earrings Vintage Br... chloesvintagej... $24.80	Antique French Brass Art Dec... mamaisonfranca... $28.00
Art deco rose tea towel luluandluca $8.00	Vintage Art Deco Radio 1940s... MetricMod $45.00
Ariadna - Luxe Art Deco Neck... geodora $29.90	Original Art Deco 1930s silv... freshvintagemi... $5500.00
Vintage Art Deco Modern Wall... OrWaDesigns $62.00	Vintage Art Deco NEcklace TH... vintagesparkle... $225.00
Vintage 1940s Art Deco Dress... RetroKittenVin... $115.00	Black Brown and Taupe Art D... BagBoy $45.00
Art Deco 1920s style cloche ... AuroraDesignsb... $50.00	Flower Accessory : Olive Gre... Rotifera $6.00
Dark night - Captivates me N... DivinaLocura $23.90	Art Deco Print from Vogue of... ArtdeLimaginai... $8.00
Beaded Shell Headband - Art ... bethanylorelle $32.00	Art Deco 1920's Flapper ... sbeever $25.00

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio.

Past Styles:

Outdated Technology – I need YOUR help!

2012-01-05T20:05:00.001-06:00

One of the upcoming Spoonflower Fabric contests is:

Outdated technology

Create a fabric design dedicated to an outdated technology (think cassette tapes, vinyl, rotary phones, etc.). Preview will be sized at a fat quarter (21" x 18"). Deadline for entry is Tuesday, January 17.

I have some great photo’s of a vintage typewriter and I think they will make super cool fabric. My question for you – which one should I enter!? (and I would also LOVE name suggestions…no idea how to name things…)

A. Type Linear

B. Strike A Key

C. LC Smith

D. Keys Madness E. type F. Secretarial 2 G. Keys 3

H. Keys

I. Other – please leave me a comment on which one from my Type cast collection you like the best!

Let me know in the poll below what your favorite is!

Thanks so much for all your advice!

Project QUILTING – Season 3 – PRIZES!

2012-01-04T21:27:00.001-06:00

I can’t even expressed how grateful I am for all the sponsors that have donated prizes for the upcoming season of Project QUITLING. I think I’m going to LOVE the change to randomly drawing winners of anyone that participates. All these great prizes deserved to be spread out to as many people as possible! Without making you wait too much longer…here’s a breakdown of our prize packages! (I just figured it out and there are OVER $1,500 worth of prizes being given away this season – WOW!)

Week 1:

Prize 1

StudioCherie is giving a free pattern to EVERYONE that participates in the first challenge!

***Yeah! I seriously had the hardest time even picking an example picture of all the AMAZING options of patterns she has! AND I know they’re well written because I’ve made a few myself :)

Prize 2

The Fat Quarter Shop will be giving one lucky winner a layer cake of their choice! – WINNER: Marcia’s Crafty Sewing and Quilting

Prize 3

FabricFascination is having the random drawing winner choose from either of these colors:

Batik 5" Charms: 40 Tonga Treat Mini Squares in BlueBerry OR

Batik 5" Charms: 40 Tonga Treat Mini Squares in Pomegranate

WINNER: AllThingsBelle

Prize 4

1. Easy to Sew Table Runners, 2. First Morning Glory Bloom Quilt, 3. Quilts for a Cause 2011 Created with fd's Flickr Toys

Marcia’s Crafty Sewing and Quilting is offering a Gift Certificate of $30.00 off Quilting on a Baby size or larger. The Gift Certificate will be good for 60 days from the date of issue. The gift certificate is transferable so you can share it with a friend if you’d like. WINNER: Dashasel

Prize 5

Dye Candy is donating one yard of stunning hand-dyed fabric. (photo is just an example of her work…) WINNER: Sweet Dreams by Sarah

Prize 6

LoveBugStudios is giving a Quiltspirations! Mystery Card Pack from her latest venture, quiltspirations.com. WINNER: Gock’s Frocks

Prize 7

Quilties is giving away an adorable ‘I Love Quilting’ Keychain!

website. WINNER: Shout4Joy

Prize 8

Quiltology is giving a coupon for her longarm quilting services for 20% off with a minimum $40 purchase. All of her patterns are online

WINNER: Katie’s Quilts and Crafts

Prize 9

QuiltsbyBarb is giving a gift certificate for $20 off machine quilting. The coupon expires in 6 months from the date issued and is not transferable. WINNER: Sharon S

Prize 10

$10 to ThePaintedDaisy good for in stock merchandise in her Etsy shop (or local peeps are welcome to visit her and shop her inventory in person). I had to show off the picture of me (and my adorable goddaughter) in my FANTASTIC/GORGEOUS/STUNNING sweater coat I got from Jenny this year. I am so in LOVE with it! One of my favorite purchases EVER!

WINNER: Bomblet

Prize 11

PennyFabricArt is donating pretty little mini quilts from for a prize!

WINNER: WayMooreFunQuilts

Week 2

Prize 1

The Fat Quarter Shop will be giving one lucky winner a layer cake of their choice!

Prize 2

LoveBugStudio (aka the Grand Prize Winner of Season 1): is giving one semi-annual subscription to Blocks to Die For magazine. The subscription can be gifted as well. The magazine is geared toward people with fabric die cutters.

Prize 3

LoveBugStudios is also giving a Quiltspirations! Mystery Card Pack from her latest venture, quiltspirations.com.

Prize 4

Quiltology is giving a coupon for her longarm quilting services for 20% off with a minimum $40 purchase. All of her patterns are online.

Prize 5

Dye Candy is donating one yard of stunning hand-dyed fabric. (photo is just an example of her work…)

Prize 6

Prize 7

Quilties is giving away an adorable ‘I Love Quilting’ Keychain!

Prize 8

QuiltsbyBarb is giving a gift certificate for $20 off machine quilting. The coupon expires in 6 months from the date issued and is not transferable

Prize 9

PennyFabricArt is donating pretty little mini quilts from for a prize!

Prize 10

Emma Jean’s Boutique will be sending one lucky winner 2 packs of 25 squares of I-Spy fabric in cotton-quilting weight.

Prize 11

OddStuffbyXanthe is giving a greeting card, patch and button with prints of her amazing original artwork.

Prize 12

TheApple is donated $10 to be redeemed at her etsy store on her handmade jewelry. (aka my other etsy shop)

Week 3

Prize 1

Quilties is going to make one lucky winner an adorable Valentine Style Teddy Bear! (photo is just an example of her work…)

Prize 2

Quiltology is giving a coupon for her longarm quilting services for 20% off with a minimum $40 purchase. All of her patterns are online.

Prize 3

LoveBugStudios is giving away three patterns from her Quilt Possible! site. The patterns have instructions for die & rotary cutting.

Prize 4

LoveBugStudios is also giving a Quiltspirations! Mystery Card Pack from her latest venture, quiltspirations.com.

Prize 5

Dye Candy is donating one yard of stunning hand-dyed fabric. (photo is just an example of her work…)

Prize 6

Prize 7

The Fat Quarter Shop will be giving one lucky winner a layer cake of their choice!

Prize 8

QuiltsbyBarb is giving a gift certificate for $20 off machine quilting. The coupon expires in 6 months from the date issued and is not transferable

Prize 9

A scarf/arm warm set from ThePaintedDaisy. *photo coming soon*

Prize 10

PennyFabricArt is donating pretty little mini quilts from for a prize!

Prize 11

OddStuffbyXanthe is giving a greeting card, patch and button with prints of her amazing original artwork.

Week 4

Prize 1

QuiltsbyBarb is giving a gift certificate for $20 off machine quilting. The coupon expires in 6 months from the date issued and is not transferable

Prize 2

Quilties is giving away an adorable ‘I Love Quilting’ Keychain!

Prize 3

Prize 4

The Fat Quarter Shop will be giving one lucky winner a layer cake of their choice!

Prize 5

LoveBugStudios is giving a Quiltspirations! Mystery Card Pack from her latest venture, quiltspirations.com.

Prize 6

Dye Candy is donating one yard of stunning hand-dyed fabric.

Prize 7

Fabric Fascination is donating a Fabric Bundle: 6 Fat Quarters from Kathy Davis Happiness Collection for Free Spirit in Indigo - 1 1/2 YDs (ps. I have this collection in another color way – SPECTACULAR!

Prize 8

Quiltology is giving a coupon for her longarm quilting services for 20% off with a minimum $40 purchase. All of her patterns are online.

Prize 9

PennyFabricArt is donating pretty little mini quilts from for a prize!

Prize 10

OddStuffbyXanthe is giving a beautiful small, original collage on a wooden block and a fun pin with a print of her original art work.

Week 5

Prize 1

$10 to ThePaintedDaisy good for in stock merchandise in her Etsy shop (or local peeps are welcome to visit her and shop her inventory in person).

Prize 2

Quilties is giving away an adorable ‘I Love Quilting’ Keychain!

Prize 3

LoveBugStudios is giving a Quiltspirations! Mystery Card Pack from her latest venture, quiltspirations.com.

Prize 4

Dye Candy is donating one yard of stunning hand-dyed fabric. (photo is just an example of her work…)

Prize 5

Prize 6

The Fat Quarter Shop will be giving one lucky winner a layer cake of their choice!

Prize 7

Quiltology is giving a coupon for her longarm quilting services for 20% off with a minimum $40 purchase. All of her patterns are online.

Prize 8

QuiltsbyBarb is giving a gift certificate for $20 off machine quilting. The coupon expires in 6 months from the date issued and is not transferable

Prize 9

PennyFabricArt is donating pretty little mini quilts from for a prize!

Prize 10

Emma Jean’s Boutique will be sending one lucky winner a yard of fabric (1/2 yard of each shown above) of the cotton-quilt weight fabric.

Prize 11

OddStuffbyXanthe is giving a greeting card, patch and button with prints of her amazing original artwork.

Week 6

Prizes

Dye Candy is donating one yard of stunning hand-dyed fabric. (photo is just an example of her work…)

Prize 2

QuiltsbyBarb is giving a gift certificate for $20 off machine quilting. The coupon expires in 6 months from the date issued and is not transferable

Prize 3

Quilties is giving away an adorable ‘I Love Quilting’ Keychain!

Prize 4

Quiltology is giving a coupon for her longarm quilting services for 20% off with a minimum $40 purchase. All of her patterns are online.

Prize 5

LoveBugStudio (aka the Grand Prize Winner of Season 1) is giving a full pack of Quiltspiration cards!

Prize 6

Prize 7

The Fat Quarter Shop will be giving one lucky winner a layer cake of their choice!

Prize 8

$10 to ThePaintedDaisy good for in stock merchandise in her Etsy shop (or local peeps are welcome to visit her and shop her inventory in person).

Prize 9

PennyFabricArt is donating pretty little mini quilts from for a prize!

Prize 10

QuiltingDiva will send a winner their choice of 4” or 5” novelty squares themed either boy/girl/neutral.

Prize 11

OddStuffbyXanthe is giving a fiber art necklace, a patch and button with prints of her amazing original artwork.

GRAND PRIZE

(YES – ALL of this will go to ONE lucky person! You increase your chances of winning with the more challenges you complete – 6 challenges = 6 entries)

DyeCandy is giving one yard of hand-dyed fabric OR an $18 credit to her shop to buy a piece of her jewelry.

LoveBugStudios is giving a $75 gift certificate to be used for her long arm quilting service. The winner can discuss the details with her. Ebony is the Chicago-area quilter for Mary Fons and has been featured on Quilty and in her magazine!

LoveBugStudio (aka the Grand Prize Winner of Season 1) is ALSO giving a FULL pack of Quiltspiration cards!

Quiltology will be giving away a Creative Grid!

Poplin will be giving $15 to be used at her etsy shop!

SallysAngelWorks is giving away an apron like the one shown above. You get to go to her friend, Julie's store, the Intrepid Thread, and pick two fabrics and Sally will make you an apron like the picture above.

FabricFascination will be donating $15 to be redeemable at her amazing online fabric shop!

PennyFabricArt is donating pretty little mini quilts from for a prize!

Heather Lair Designs will be sending the winner 10 Art Quilt Postcards!

Jenny Blasen Pottery is giving four handmade ceramic buttons glazed in turquoise blue. Each button is approximately 1 inch wide – perfect for embellishing a quilt or a bag!

The Bookish Life is giving away this adorable Owls in Love Print on Wood Veneer!

1. Easy to Sew Table Runners, 2. First Morning Glory Bloom Quilt, 3. Quilts for a Cause 2011 Created with fd's Flickr Toys

Marcia’s Crafty Sewing and Quilting is offering a Gift Certificate of $50.00 off Quilting on a Baby size or larger. The Gift Certificate will be good for 60 days from the date of issue. The gift certificate is transferable so you can share it with a friend if you’d like.

OddStuffbyXanthe is giving a beautiful small, original collage on a wooden block and a fun pin with a print of her original art work.

QuiltsbyBarb is giving a $100 gift certificate to 2012 Quilt Retreat Getaway Weekend to help celebrate the 10th anniversary of her retreats. Not transferable. The quilt shown above is the quilt that will be taught during the weekend – of course, with a few of Barb’s ‘twists’.

***BONUS***

The Fat Quarter Shop will be giving FOUR lucky winners $25 gift certificates to their site!

Spoonflower – Ice in Bloom

2012-01-03T20:42:00.001-06:00

YES! This is a piece of fabric you can purchase and YES it is GORGEOUS! I can’t wait to use some of this in a project!

Stay tuned for more of my original fabrics!

If you missed my previous post no worries…

Purple Lace

Mystery Monday – Baffled in Belmont – Steps 18, 19, and 20

2012-01-03T20:29:00.001-06:00

I know… I know…it’s technically a Mystery Tuesday post but in my defense I’ve been really sick this last week and I still managed to get TONS done for the 3rd Season of Project QUILTING and organize the Home Sweet Home Quilt Along!

Enough excuses…on with the quilt!

If you’re just tuning in to the Mystery Monday from the Quilts by Barb 2011 Quilt Retreat be sure to take a look a back at

Step 18. Turn all squares so the sashing is on the bottom and lay out quilt according to diagram.

Sketch

Here’s my quilt laid out on the floor at the retreat. Man – was that a great feeling to see it there!

Starting in one corner, sew blocks together in diagonal rows. Sew rows together to complete the quilt top.

Step 19. Trim the edges of the quilt. Using a long ruler, align the 1/2” line through the points along the edge of the quilt and cut off the excess.

***side note*** I can actually see my entire cutting table which means…I’ll be trimming my edges and sending my quilt to Barb soon!

Step 20. Quilt and bind as desired.

Mine is not quite there yet…I promise I will share with you once I get to that point!
Thanks for following along! I would love to see your quilt if you decided to make one too!

Typewriter Photos

2012-01-02T12:41:00.000-06:00

Craftstravaganza

2012-01-01T08:07:00.000-06:00

Photo’s of my work for the 2012 Craftstravaganza Show in St. Paul, MN

Yup…I make a little bit of everything…

A Quilt-Along - Home Sweet Home

2011-12-30T19:53:00.001-06:00

I saw this quilt by Aneela Hoey over 9 months ago. I haven’t been able to get it out of my mind – I just LOVE it!

So – here’s what I am proposing – a House and Tree Quilt–Along!
That’s right – a tutorial for a block with either a house or a tree (or both) in it will be posted on Tuesday’s and Thursday’s during ‘off’ weeks of Project QUILTING. Why am I doing this to myself – I seriously LOVE this quilt and ‘house’ quilts have caught my eye for a long time.
I figure if I do this during the off weeks of Project QUILTING I should get quite a few people to join along.

To make this work I need some volunteers to design quilt blocks and make up tutorials for them. If you have a blog – you can post your tutorial right on your own blog. Once your post is up, I’ll link the block from my website to yours and include a mini bio about you, the designer. If you don’t have your own blog, just send me a word file with the instructions and photo’s and I’ll post it on my blog with links to you and of course a mini bio about you, the designer.

I talked to Aneela Hooey about my idea since her quilt was my inspiration. She thought it was a great idea but has too many obligations this year to participate. BUT she did give me a link to a house and tree tutorial on her blog so you can always start with those and work your own design off there.

The block you design should be 12.5” x 12.5” (so it’s a finished 12” square).
It has to have a house, a tree, or both incorporated somehow into the block but feel free to add other elements as well (see above inspiration quilt).

Here’s the schedule
Block 1: January 17th – Kim Lapacek - LIVE - My Home
Block 2: Januray 19th – Diane Lapacek - LIVE - Lapacek's Orchard
Block 3: January 24th - PamelaQuilts - LIVE - House by the Bay
Block 4: January 26th - Quilts By Barb - LIVE - My Tilted House
Block 5: January 31st - TerryAskeArtQuilts
Block 6: February 2nd - Quilties
Block 7: February 14th - Quilt Jane
Block 8: February 16th - Nancy Lee of Bolton Landing Gifts
Block 9: February 28th - Michelle Foster from QuiltingGallery
Block 10: March 1st - CraftyMamaD
Block 11: March 13th - Prairie Moon Quilts
Block 12: March 15th - Olive and Ollie
Block 13: March 27th - Around The Quilt Block
Block 14: March 29th - Melissa Stramel of Make Life Beautiful
Block 15: April 3rd - Samelia's Mum
Block 16: April 5th - Sally's Ponderings

Please let me know if you want to sign up to design a block, make a tutorial and post to your blog or mine. Dates will go to first come first serve so email me ASAP: (lapaceksorchard {at} gmail {dot} com)
I hope this works out! If I have more than 16 designers I will be happy to run this longer – I think it will look AMAZING in the end!

1/3/12 update
***So - I have 16 designers and 16 blocks! Whoo Hoo! If you are really wishing you would have signed up for it because you have an amazing idea in mind I'd be happy to feature *bonus* blocks that a person could make to increase the size of their quilt or in replace of a block they're just feeling. Just contact me if you're still interested! Thanks to everyone that signed up so far! WOW!

Feel free to add your button to your blog as a reminder of the fun that's about to start!

Thanks to *this blog post* I made my very first button! Most people I meet tend to think I'm tech savvy but really - I have a few helpers up my sleeve...like Julie, my brother...even my husband! I'm starting to figure things out though - super exciting!

There's a Flickr Group to post your completed blocks in: http://www.flickr.com/groups/1850682@N20/

AND we have a prize now thanks to Barb Raisbeck!

Anyone that brings a completed 'Home Sweet Home' Quilt to Show and Tell at the 2012 Quilt Retreat Getaway Weekend hosted by QuiltsbyBarb will receive a $10 gift certificate to the quilt shop at the retreat in honor of the 10th anniversary.

One $25 gift certificate to the quilt shop at the retreat will be given to a recipient of the viewer's choice award decided by the retreat attendees.

Additional qualifications for the above prize: The quilt must include on the front at least 12 of the 16 blocks from the Quilt Along. It must also include the blocks designed by Kim Lapacek, Diane Lapacek, and Barb Raisbeck.

Where Creativity Blossoms

Making Music – Critique’s

What’s Coming Up?

Random PRIZES for Project QUILTING – Season 3, Challenge 1 – Making Music

Saturday Summary

What’s Your Style: Asian

'What's Your Style: Asian' by TheApple

a study in all the different ' style' options when you list an item -

Past Styles:

Block 4: Home Sweet Home Quilt Along – My Tilted House from Quilts by Barb

Marcia of Marcia’s Crafty Sewing and Quilting with her Quilt, Imaginary Blooms from her Yard that Keeps on Going at Show and Tell.

Starry Nines in the Jungle by Diane Lapacek

Block 4: My Tilted House from Quilts by Barb

Project QUILTING Sponsor – Marcia’s Crafty Sewing & Quilting

Marcia and her mother

Keep in touch with and/or an eye on Marcia!

Block 3: Home Sweet Home Quilt Along – House by the Bay

Previous Home Sweet Home Blocks:

Spoonflower – Stack of Pearls

Please VOTE in the Spoonflower Outdated Technology Fabric Contest (http://www.spoonflower.com/contests/118) for ‘Keys Madness by KimsCraftyApple). You can vote for as many fabrics as you want – I just hope you include mine in your selection! Thanks for all your support!

Project QUILTING, Season 3, Challenge 2 – Making Music

PRIZES

Prize 1 The Fat Quarter Shop will be giving one lucky winner a layer cake of their choice!

Prize 2 LoveBugStudio (aka the Grand Prize Winner of Season 1): is giving one semi-annual subscription to Blocks to Die For magazine. The subscription can be gifted as well. The magazine is geared toward people with fabric die cutters.

Prize 3 LoveBugStudios is also giving a Quiltspirations! Mystery Card Pack from her latest venture, quiltspirations.com.

Prize 4 Quiltology is giving a coupon for her longarm quilting services for 20% off with a minimum $40 purchase. All of her patterns are online.

Prize 5 Dye Candy is donating one yard of stunning hand-dyed fabric.

Prize 6 Marcia’s Crafty Sewing and Quilting is offering a Gift Certificate of $30.00 off Quilting on a Baby size or larger. The Gift Certificate will be good for 60 days from the date of issue. The gift certificate is transferable so you can share it with a friend if you’d like.

Prize 7 Quilties is giving away an adorable ‘I Love Quilting’ Keychain!

Prize 8 QuiltsbyBarb is giving a gift certificate for $20 off machine quilting. The coupon expires in 6 months from the date issued and is not transferable

Prize 9 PennyFabricArt is donating pretty little mini quilts from for a prize!

Prize 10 Emma Jean’s Boutique will be sending one lucky winner 2 packs of 25 squares of I-Spy fabric in cotton-quilting weight.

Prize 11 OddStuffbyXanthe is giving a greeting card, patch and button with prints of her amazing original artwork.

Prize 12 TheApple is donated $10 to be redeemed at her etsy store on her handmade jewelry. (aka my other etsy shop)

The Challenge - Making Music

Project QUILTING Sponsor – Quilts by Barb

Architectural Elements – A Closer Look - Barn Bones

Quilter: Kim’s Crafty Apple

‘Barn Bones’

Did you miss the earlier closer looks?

Ready for the Home Sweet Home Quilt Along?

PS. Please VOTE in the Spoonflower Outdated Technology Fabric Contest (http://www.spoonflower.com/contests/118) for ‘Keys Madness by KimsCraftyApple). You can vote for as many fabrics as you want – I just hope you include mine in your selection! Thanks for all your support!

What’s Your Style: Art Nouveau

Here are some examples of items you’ll find categorized as ‘Art Nouveau’ on etsy:

'What's Your Style: Art Nouveau' by TheApple

Past Styles:

Architectural Elements – A Closer Look, Part 5

Quilter: SweetDreamsbySarah

‘Red door’

Quilter: Sharon S

Quilter: Dotty Jane

‘Trapezoid’

Quilter: Quilties

Quilter:KatiesQuiltsandCrafts

"Tin Roof, Rusted"

Quilter: I’m Feelin Crafty

Quilter: Mary Beth O Berlin

Quilter: patdenino

Did you miss the earlier closer looks?

Ready for the Home Sweet Home Quilt Along?

PS. Please VOTE in the Spoonflower Outdated Technology Fabric Contest (http://www.spoonflower.com/contests/118) for ‘Keys Madness by KimsCraftyApple). You can vote for as many fabrics as you want – I just hope you include mine in your selection! Thanks for all your support!

Next challenge posted at NOON CDT on Sunday, January 22nd!

Architectural Elements – A Closer Look, Part 4

Quilter: Quilt-A-Daisy

“My mini-Andrae”

Quilter: Sally’s Angelworks

‘Pom Pom Walk in the Woods Baby Quilt’

Quilter: Natasha Blanco

Stained Glass and Steeples

Quilter: Kathleen Quilts

‘Sew Blue or Possibilities’

Quilter: AllThingsBelle

‘Love in the City’

Quilter: Becky’s Blabber

PS. Please VOTE in the Spoonflower Outdated Technology Fabric Contest (http://www.spoonflower.com/contests/118) for ‘Keys Madness by KimsCraftyApple). You can vote for as many fabrics as you want – I just hope you include mine in your selection! Thanks for all your support!

Block 2: Home Sweet Home Quilt Along – Lapacek’s Orchard

Block 2 - Lapacek’s Orchard

By Diane Lapacek

Click HERE for a printable PDF of this pattern!

Architectural Elements – A Closer Look, Part 3

Prize 1
The Fat Quarter Shop will be giving one lucky winner a layer cake of their choice!

Prize 2
LoveBugStudio (aka the Grand Prize Winner of Season 1): is giving one semi-annual subscription to Blocks to Die For magazine. The subscription can be gifted as well. The magazine is geared toward people with fabric die cutters.

Prize 3
LoveBugStudios is also giving a Quiltspirations! Mystery Card Pack from her latest venture, quiltspirations.com.

Prize 4
Quiltology is giving a coupon for her longarm quilting services for 20% off with a minimum $40 purchase. All of her patterns are online.

Prize 5
Dye Candy is donating one yard of stunning hand-dyed fabric.

Prize 6
Marcia’s Crafty Sewing and Quilting is offering a Gift Certificate of $30.00 off Quilting on a Baby size or larger. The Gift Certificate will be good for 60 days from the date of issue. The gift certificate is transferable so you can share it with a friend if you’d like.

Prize 7
Quilties is giving away an adorable ‘I Love Quilting’ Keychain!

Prize 8
QuiltsbyBarb is giving a gift certificate for $20 off machine quilting. The coupon expires in 6 months from the date issued and is not transferable

Prize 9
PennyFabricArt is donating pretty little mini quilts from for a prize!

Prize 10
Emma Jean’s Boutique will be sending one lucky winner 2 packs of 25 squares of I-Spy fabric in cotton-quilting weight.

Prize 11
OddStuffbyXanthe is giving a greeting card, patch and button with prints of her amazing original artwork.

Prize 12
TheApple is donated $10 to be redeemed at her etsy store on her handmade jewelry. (aka my other etsy shop)