Quilter’s Patch – Block of the Month – April blocks are finished!

April 27, 2017 / lifesloosethreads / 2 Comments

This month I asked my special needs daughter, Mimi, to model the finished Day Lilly block. Both April blocks for the Quilter’s Patch Block-of-the-Month are done! The Tulip and Day Lilly blocks were easier than last month. I didn’t have to take out my seam ripper one time this month.

However, I started to sweat looking ahead to May’s blocks. The Dahlia block has lots of hexagons … and I’ve never gone near a hexagon in my life! The Honey Suckle block doesn’t look any easier … full of 60 degree triangles and bias edges. Looks like I will have to step-up my game!

Quilter’s Patch – Block of the Month – March finished!

March 23, 2017 / lifesloosethreads / 2 Comments

I got my lovely daughter, Katie, and grandson, Ben, to pose with one of March’s finished blocks. Last month I tried to get grandson Jacob to hold one of February’s blocks but he wasn’t having any of it. He’s nearly three years old and a man of action. After chasing him around the backyard for a few minutes I gave up. Maybe he will stand still long enough for a photo in April when he officially turns three!

My two blocks for March on the Quilter’s Patch block-of-the-month quilt are all done! Loved the fabric color choices and pattern on the “sidewalk and log cabin roses” block. It’s a really cute block! It amazes me how a block with well over fifty pieces can, in the end, measure the required 12-1/2″ by 12-1/2″. What did we do before there were rotary cutters and precision rulers?

The “petunias” block came together rather quickly! Easy block. Love the pinks.

I’ve probably got a week before April’s fabrics and instructions hit the mailbox. Time to work on unfinished projects while I’m waiting!

Quilter’s Patch – Block of the Month – February

March 1, 2017 / lifesloosethreads / Leave a comment

So yesterday, I finished blocks 2 and 3, the cat block and the nine-patch daisy, from Fat Quarter Shop’s block-of-the-month for February. Hope I can keep this up! I consider it a victory to not have fallen behind when life gets in the way … yet!

What I love about these types of quilts is the opportunity to review piecing skills and to learn new ones! So far so good.

Bring it on March quilt blocks 4 and 5!

Tina’s “Lollipops” quilt

February 14, 2017February 15, 2017 / lifesloosethreads / Leave a comment

I am a better quilter because of some of the talented ladies I hang with! One of those many gifted ladies is Tina. She has some serious skills! I interviewed Tina about a year ago wanting to take my blog in a different direction. Not just show people what I am doing all the time. Boring! Thought it would be fun to showcase some of my friends’ work. Loretta … are you listening? Hopefully, you are next on my list!

Unfortunately, cancer became a hot topic at our house and Tina’s interview notes got buried. I found them the other day … so here goes!

Tina has been quilting since 1999. So you don’t have to get your calculator out … that is 18 years! She told me that her grandma quilted. If any of you happen to be about our age, and quilters, you might remember back when Alex Anderson had a television show. It was awesome! Two ladies that give Alex Anderson lots of credit when it came to getting them seriously hooked on quilting … was Tina … and me! I’m certain there are thousands of others. So after that, Tina purchased one of Alex’s quilt books. Then she took a quilting class. The rest is history!

Tina has been a member of the Kingwood Quilt Guild for over ten years and has taken lots of classes through the guild. She joined a quilt bee a bunch of years ago also which is where I met Tina.

The “Lollipops” quilt is from a Laundry Basket Quilts pattern from 2008 and finished measures 40″ by 40″. Tina told me when she saw the pattern it made her smile. That is totally what happens to me too! The fabric for the quilt came from her fabric stash. Don’t you LOVE her color choices. Thanks Tina for sharing your story with me! You are my quilt hero!

Quilter’s Patch – Block of the Month – January

January 26, 2017 / lifesloosethreads / 2 Comments

Dephinums block pieces cute and organized

You really wanted to see the back didn't you?

The minute I laid my eyeballs on Edyta Sitar’s Quilter’s Patch quilt featured on the Fat Quarter Shop’s website, I was in serious love. Sitar, of Laundry Basket Quilts, is one of my favorite quilt designers. Her butterfly and elephant quilts are currently in my quilting queue to be pieced.

I could tell from the Quilter’s Patch photograph, the quilt would be a challenge using a variety of piecing techniques. And since I don’t really have a beautiful quilt that screams “SPRING” in my little quilt collection, this one was going to be IT! I reserved a spot on their website for the block-of-the-month quilt late last year.

So January’s installment arrived a couple of weeks back, along with Edyta Sitar’s book, and I just this moment finished my first two blocks. The year-long project features first the Cosmos and Delphiniums flower blocks. Lot of fabric pieces to piece … great directions … no shortage of fabric. This is my second block-of-the-month through Fat Quarter Shop’s website. They are pros and do a great job! Hopefully, I can keep up the piecing pace to have all the blocks finished during the proper month.

I understand this block-of-the-month is full, but Edyta Sitar’s awesome book is available. I feel certain for the adventurous soul, it would be fun to come up with alternate color choices. Happy piecing!

Houston’s International Quilt Festival … We love you!

October 30, 2014October 30, 2014 / lifesloosethreads / 2 Comments

This is the 40th anniversary of Houston’s International Quilt Festival. Who is counting but I’ve probably attended for at least the last 35 years. People from all over the world come to view what a lot of imagination and skill can produce with fabric and thread. I attended this year’s show with my quilt bee buddies. And yes … we even have a name for our little band of buddies … Bloom Where You Are Planted.

Our first mission was to seek out the Karen Nyberg’s Astronaut Quilt. We attended last night at Preview Night. The show runs until Sunday so there is still lots of time to visit. So I wrote about making a star-themed block in a previous post. My bee buddies and I participated and searched amongst the 28 panel quilts for their block. I think we found them all. The project announced last year at the quilt festival netted out with about 2,260 blocks from all over the world. What a lovely project and very humbling to be a participant.

Next we headed to the purchasing part of our reason to attend festival. Fat Quarter Queen is one of our favorite stops. I showed great restraint this year and only purchased a dozen fat quarters. Some of my favorite booths were Missouri Quilt Company. I even got my picture made with Jenny Doan who has some great quilt tutorials. She is as charming in person as she is in her tutorials. I loved Laundry Basket Quilts, Moda Bake Shop (everyone gets a free mini-charm pack for stopping by), The Teacher’s Pet (darling baby quilts) and B&T Studios (fiber artist … just had to have her stunning bluebonnet pattern).

There are also booths that have nothing to do with quilting. I loved The Bell Collection and purchased a “grandmother’s bell.” They also make lovely bell charms.

It is a wonderful event and one of the top-attended conventions in Houston with about 60,000 attendees. I’m already thinking about next year!

Name that quilt!

August 5, 2013August 6, 2013 / lifesloosethreads / 13 Comments

I need some help naming a quilt. For you non-quilters out there, just like books, quilts need a name, or a title, if you will. Short and sweet words work best. It’s for a quilt that I’ll be donating to my special needs daughter’s day center. They have a fundraising gala each November and it’s something personal I like to contribute.

So several years ago I purchased a collection of thirty Kaffe Fassett fat quarters. The man is an amazing textile artist that does the most interesting things with color and pattern. If his use of color doesn’t cause your eyes to dilate, the designs will knock your shoes and socks right off your tootsies!

Earlier this year I used part of Kaffe’s collection to make a quilt for our special needs daughter’s room. I used a scrappy pattern entitled “Spider Star Quilt” from Edyta Sitar’s book “Friendship Strips & Scraps.”

With all the leftover fabric from Mimi’s quilt, I made the simple quilt below with 2-1/2” strips. The beige print really makes the colorful blocks pop!