FLOURISH QAL: Fabrics

 The first exciting step in starting a new

project....FABRICS!! 

YAY! YIPPEE! YAHOO!

I had a lovely floral print, 

"First Impressions" designed by

Mary Anne Henderson 

from Red Hen Fabrics 

for Northcott 

that started it for me.

The color is true in the pic above.

I used the colors in the print

to pull my applique' and other

piecing fabrics.

 I placed a ruler over the 

fabric so you can get 

an idea of the print scale.

This print worked perfectly 

with the size of the templates.

You want a small to medium

print so that the fun details show

in the smaller pieces of the design.

Here is a second colorway

shown with ruler and with

the F template since the print

is larger than the original.

It still shows a lot of

color movement though and

that is important too.

A couple of fabrics

pulled to go with

this firework/spray print.

A third colorway 

shown with ruler and 

F template for scale.

Fabrics pulled to go with 

the floral print.

I really like that architectural

print to the left and wonder 

what it may look like in an F:)

Let's look at some

other print / color options..

Wild bubbles above or

repro below?

Folk art floral above or

tulips below??

I love these tulips but will

be saving them for another project:)

As you can see,

there are soooo many options!

How do we ever decide

when we start  new projects?!

In case you missed the 

first post 

discussing some

of the basics, go

HERE to read all about it.

Start your stash hunt and 

next time we will discuss supplies.

~Keep Stitchin'~

Well-Loved Ladies QAL: Ruffled Tulips

Welcome to block 12 

and our last block 

before we get to assembly.

The photo above is a detail of

a circa 1860 quilt in my collection.

Normally I show you the block

and you can see a bit of it

in the upper corner, but I wanted

you to see the fun border

that was added too.

As we come closer to adding 

a border, I wanted you to see

that I had other options from

my collection and it was

sooo hard to choose!

The quilting on this one

is all over the place from

clamshell, to flowers, to 

individual symbols and 

small initial placards.

Gifted from a dear friend, 

it is the only one I have

of this design and I do LOVE it!

Let's talk Tulip variations.

Barbara Brackman 

has at least 36 variations

in her applique' encyclopedia

and that doesn't count

the ones with a basket,

bird, or something else.

It comes potted or in 

4 way arrangements.

My tulips are actually

2 parts, green and red, 

but so many German

folk art shows the 

tulips also having

a touch of gold so

I redesigned for that.

I imagine mine was meant

to be based on a 

triple layout but then 

a 4th was added for

her own variation.

In one of the BB links

below you will see some

lovely variations.

ASSEMBLY TIPS

The template for the 

red section shows

 a V but if it 

is rounded into 

a U while hand

appliqueing, it 

will still work.

Remember they are

flowers and do not

need to be exact!

Have fun:)

WELL-LOVED LADIES 

SAMPLER PATTERN

FULL PATTERN

Available HERE

Tulip TEMPLATES ONLY

HERE

My Well-Loved Ladies lecture is

where I showcase the 

variations of designs.

I am excited to announce 

this lecture is now available

in ZOOM format.

Guild program chairs can EMAIL me 

for availability:)

ADDITIONAL READING 

& Eye Candy:)

The links below go into more depth about 

either the history of the block OR 

FAB pictures of variations.

Barbara Brackman will blow you away

with all the variations she has accumulated!!

ENJOY~

History of the Tulip

Barbara Brackman

I searched "tulip" and

found THIS...

and THIS...

Quilt Index

Very close...

Beauty for the eye:)

What more do we need!

My New Quilting Stencils

In 2018 I designed a whole line of 

tulip themed quilting stencils.

Here I am with them in the Quilting Creations booth

at Houston Market...So Exciting!

I learned a lot doing these.  I assumed (HA) that I 

could magically transfer my outline applique 

drawings to stencil and I basically did.  

What I didn't take into account, since I love 

hand quilting, is that drawings for 

machine quilters need to be more adaptable to 

continuous line drawing.

Next time I will get it right:)

In the meantime, you can find all my stencils

on the Quilting Creations site.

Mine all start with RK### as you can see in 

the photos.  There are more than what is shown here.

  

 I had so much inspiration from my quilt designs. 

'Tulip Buds' (above) is from my 'Tulip Pinwheels' pattern.

'Tulip Flourish' offered up the sweet border above

and the four way design below.

If you aren't familiar with 'Tulip Flourish', 

you can find the pattern HERE.

 'Nouveau Tulips' came from my sweet, 'Tulip Star'.

 The pattern can be found HERE.

The fun thing about these stencils if you don't do your 

own quilting, is that they make lovely applique' stencils.  

Trace them out and connect the breaks in the line.

Back to work for me!  See you tomorrow~R

Cheryl Sleboda of Muppin.com for more blogs to follow.

ROUND ROBINS

First let me say that I have NEVER done or participated in a Round Robin for this reason, I am a Control Freak!  The idea of putting some fabric in a box and letting someone else make my quilt decisions for me and add other fabrics just makes my brain seize up. I have seen some lovely ones and some not so lovely ones too.  The idea intrigues me and seeing the reveals is inspiring but the need to be involved hasn't taken root.

Then I read somewhere about a controlled one and that made me want to do one:) Since I initiated this in my guild, I made up the parameters as shown in the first image print out.

I will say that participants didn't want anything

 too large so that limited my round sizes.

Here were the rules in case you want to do something similar in your own guild.

-This is a Round Robin personal challenge where you will make your own individual quilt using specific parameters given in 5 rounds

-Play along to make a gift for a friend, a charity donation, or just because it is fun to be a part of something and be challenged a tiny bit.

-There will be 5 rounds with one and two given together so that it will run for 4 months.

-Techniques will include applique' (by hand or fusible) and piecing with the finished size being roughly 48" square.

-Make it any color way that you love so that you will be excited to work on it.

Round 1: A 12" (finished) block with any applique you choose. 

I chose the tulip logo of our guild, Hidden Stitches.

Round 2: A 2" (finished) border to your center block. 

Border must feature at least one applique element from the center block. You can use any element, more than one, repeats in any way you choose.

Round 3: A 4" round of any pieced blocks.

Round 4: An 8" round with ANY triangular element (flying geese, half-square triangles).  Any combination of piecing and applique.

You can see that my big red tulip 

blocks will be cut to triangles.

Round 5: Another 4" round of any pieced blocks. The 4" was a minimum and they could go bigger if they chose.

You can see by my sketch that I made it way too complicated even though it is way cool (especially on a small computer screen:)!!

You see how far I got:)  I loved doing the applique but also became extremely busy in this time frame so the piecing was put on the back burner so to speak!

Now some of these ladies may hate me for posting these pics when I didn't catch them smiling and I can only hope I am forgiven when I say how much I LOVE THEM!!

They are members of my first 'Applique' guild, they are quilters, they share their stories and lives with me, and they are my friends and I love seeing them every month.

Lastly, they let me experiment on them when I have a new technique or Round Robin idea:)

My life here in Florida wouldn't be the same without these Amazing women!!   

We didn't all finish but the starts are pretty cool too! 

Cindy S. Love her flower and can't 

wait to see the rest.

Pat O. That birdhouse is darling!

It makes a sweet small piece the way it is.

Marva G. does amazing applique' work!

Again this could be done the way it is.

Jean R. used a block we had experimented with

 in a meeting and used it as her start point!

She even used the tulip as her 

quilting in the outer border.

Barbara D. did an amazing job! 

There was that sound in the room 

when people are impressed.

Lynn T. did the cutest kitty quilt and off setting 

border fabrics gives so much movement!

Then we come to our overachiever, Miss Liz M.

Above is the back of her quilt:)

Below is the front!

And I thought I had designed a lot 

of tiny bits for my borders!

THANK YOU all for being such great sports about trying out my Robin's Round Robin!!
I loved seeing every one of these and hearing about whether you loved or hated the process.
~Keep stitching

Travel Finds...

When we travel sometimes there is a tad bit of extra time to visit a shop or two and see if any treasures need to come home with me.
I am always on the lookout for old (older than these) blocks for my new "FABRIC COLLABORATIONS" Workshop.

These were found in Texas and the sweet Victorian carriage print was just too sweet to pass up.  With the 3 blocks, I can get 6 full squares that will be put with a different fabric and some applique:) Stay tuned!

When we went to Chicago this past summer, one of our stops was in West Virginia.  This circa 1940 tulip quilt is very interesting.  Not usually my go to for collecting but it will be in my "TULIPS" Lecture that is in development for 2020. The actual applique design is older but there was an applique revival in the late 20s-.... so there you have it, the old inspiring the new.  

Then I found this set of hand applique roses in another shop.  ALL my colors Except those pink ones....??? Those will be turned into something darling for the COC auction this year.  

Grandmas get ready for a bidding war:)

Lastly I found this adorable little green sewing machine.  It is from the 1930s I believe and will look fantastic in my work room that has green walls:)  Right now it sits on a chest in my living room with my runner, "Swaying Hearts Trio".  If you love embroidery, you can find it on my website under Quick Stitches or go HERE
Keep stitchin' 
R

Salt Lake City Spring Market

I left Tampa at 11am on Wednesday and arrived in Salt Lake at 5:50pm...that being 7:50 my time.

Some of the scenery from the plane was breathtaking!

Here is the great salt lake in the distance.

Then it is set up day! This sign says it all:)
 

The booth is ready to meet and greet!

I just love these quilts! They are my favorites 😊

Then I was off to set up my Sneak Peek display...that orange is wonderful.

I was a bit sad that my adorable little red chair doesn't show but it is about the quilts!!

We were done early enough today to run errands and enjoy a bit of the downtown City Creek mall...A must see.

Here is a fun shot of the floor from above.

My Tulips Tiled is the 3rd quilt up from the bottom. 

I hope you enjoyed this sneak peek at Market and there will be more to come!

 

TIP TOE THROUGH THE TULIPS.....

Are you humming along yet?
Tulips are one of my favorite flowers and I couldn't let April go without finding a way to add tulips to the design.

The Polka dot is from an Easter dress that I made one of my daughters when she was about 4 or 5 years old.  This little remnant has been sitting in my stash for a VERY long time:)  The print is a bit large scale for the size of the shoe but I love it.  Print size/scale is always a consideration in applique templates, but here I decided to throw caution to the wind and play with placement of the Polka Dots in the shoe areas as well as the binding.
 

As always, the pump is 12" square to fit on the originally designed (by me) Ackfeld metal hanger. 

 

Hopefully you have already signed up for the Starter Kit.  If not, this BOM is open enrollment so still plenty of time.

 

Since it is now April 15th, the templates for the April shoe are available for purchase on my website BOM 2015 page.

 

**NOW A WORD FROM OUR SPONSOR:)

Originally this project was set up so that you would pay for the templates and they would be an immediate download.  Due to a VAT (Value Added Tax) put into place overseas on digital products, I had very limited options as to how I could keep the digital aspect but not be subjected to a very disorganized new law.

 

When you pay for the templates on my website, a payment notification will be sent to me.  Once I have received this notification, I will then email you the PDFs of the templates.  Please be sure that your email address associated with Paypal is correct so that you can receive these files.  I will email within 24 hours of payment.  Thank you so much for your understanding.

**End of message**

 

I am very excited about watching this BOM progress and seeing how all of you use different fabrics to achieve a new shoe each month.  Please share your progress on my FB page.  This is also where you will find additional tips about how I went about making these sweet shoes.

Happy Quilting:)