Fabric Questions and Answers

I've received several requests for the fabric detail for Coastal Lily.  I didn't use one family of fabric, or even one manufacturer,  and I can't even identify some of the fabric but hopefully here's enough information to help.

The top and bottom border fabric is Happy Go Lucky by Bonnie and Camille.

That fabric was pretty much my inspiration for the entire quilt.

The stems and leaves are scrappy grays.  The flying geese are a mixture of navy blues and grays.

Here are the Happy Go Lucky blues I used for the flying geese.

Here are the other navy fabrics I used.

The first three and 5th are by Tsuru by Cloud 9 fabrics.  The 4th is Avalon by Fig Tree for Moda, the dot is Sarah Jane for Michael Miller.  

There are 36 lilies in the pattern, I used a different print for each lily.

These prints are by Bonnie and Camille for Moda.

They are all Happy Go Lucky except one Vintage Modern piece.

I also used quit a few pieces from V & Co, Simply Color, for Moda.

I used the greens and oranges in different prints.

And I used these prints from Honey Honey by Kate Spain.

That's all the families I used, the rest are just random pieces.

like these,

which is how I got to here.

The grays I used were just an assortment of lights and darks.

Happy Go Lucky is hard to find these days, I pieced this quilt in 2013.  But Miss Kate has the same colors as Happy Go Lucky and is still available, I think it would be a nice substitute.

I hope this helps.  I sure would like to see your Coastal Lily, send me a pic!

And don't forget, the pattern is by Minick & Simpson and available here.

Happy May Day!!

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Cha Ching . . .

Enough about Coastal Lily being recognized at the AQS Show in Paducah, here's what you really want to know, what did Thelma buy!!

My first stop when I hit town is Hancock's of Paducah.  Hancock's is a fabric store, not a quilt shop.  To me a quilt shop has a mix of old and new fabric, fabric bundles created by the staff, and some personality.  Hancock's does carry patterns and notions but they are really all about the fabric.  The latest fabric by every designer by every company, or at least it seems they carry every company and every designer.  They only carry the latest fabric, if there is still fabric on the shelf for one collection, and the designer has a new collection out, the old fabric goes on sale to get it out the door.

I love shopping in quilt shops, but I also love Hancock's of Paducah.  This is the one opportunity the whole year where I get to see all the fabric that's currently available for sale, up close and personal.  It is wonderful to see all the collections and each fabric within each collection.

So here is everything I bought as Hancock's.

First, some Kaffe Fassett binding and backing fabric for my flowering snowball top.

Next, I needed 12 solid fabrics for a class this summer, and Hancock's has every solid by every manufacturer, I just picked out some colors that appealed to me,  I don't know the names or makers.

Regent Street, I had seen this fabric online but passed, but I loved the looks of it in person, it reminds me of Liberty of London fabric, but not at Liberty of London prices.

The Primitive Gatherings Muslin fabric was a nice surprise.  The colors are rich, the fabric soft and beautiful with a very nice texture.  I bought two of these charm packs and intend to just sew the squares together for a throw for my husband.  In the past I've struggled putting together quilts that appealed to us both but I think we'll both love this quilt.

This was my favorite find, Sanibel by Gina Martin for Moda.  I had not seen this fabric online anywhere, it was totally new to me.  I think it was released in December.  Several of the bigger online shops didn't even carry it or immediately sold out of it.   I love the colors, it screams summer and I'm ready for some summer.   I plan to put this fat quarter bundle to good use very soon.

So that's all I bought at Hancock's.  Here are the other items I bought at the show.

Lisa Bongean of Primitive Gatherings, in conjunction with Creative Girds, has created  6" x 6" and  3" x 7" rulers.  Lisa talks all about the benefits of the rulers here.  Their biggest selling point is the easy to read 1/8"  markings, but what I like best about the rulers, there are no solid lines.  I think all rulers should have dashes, getting the fabric to line up just right with that solid line is hard for me.  I'm hoping Creative Grids updates all their rulers with dashes instead of solid lines.

I also bought that Rhombus template, I've never played around with diamonds and I liked how this set of three will give me three times the playing fun.

So that's how I spent my money in Paducah!

Oh and I lied about that Coastal Lily AQS Show thing, here's a video shot by AQS of me talking about Coastal Lily.  Warning, this is me on no caffeine, I just wake up this way.  I hope you've had your coffee, you'll need to be awake to keep up with my high speed chatter and constant twitching.   I asked my daughter if I always talk this fast and she said she guessed so,  that I sounded just like I always do.  Yikes!  Anyway, I think this video is a real hoot, I hope you do too.

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A funny thing . . .

A funny thing happened at the 31st Annual AQS Quilt Show in Paducah, KY, 

COASTAL LILY WON!!

First Place - Bed Quilts - Longarm Machine Quilted  Category.

Even though this is the third quilt that Judi Madsen , Green Fairy Quilts, and I worked on together, and the third quilt juried into the AQS Show in Paducah, this is our first win (Two Score and Seven Stars and Evening Bloom were our first two entries).  And interestingly enough, before the awards ceremony, Judi and I had never met in person.

Judi was at the show to teach for the week, the day before the awards ceremony Judi texted me that we needed to meet and get our picture taken by Coastal Lily since we were both in town. I texted her that I would meet her on stage at the awards ceremony when we picked up our ribbon!  And we did!!  It was a wonderful moment, surreal really.

Another wonderful moment was being greeted by Linda Hrcka and Lisa Bongean, who were on stage for winning second place in this category with their quilt Words To Live By.

This is one happy group of quilters.  I was so busy taking pictures of Linda and Lisa on stage for their win that I didn't even see Coastal Lily pop up on the screen for winning first place.  I just heard the announcement, squealed, and ran up on stage!  It is really all a blur, luckily there were some other quilters taking pictures at the ceremony so I have these to remember and relive the moment.  The winners are not notified in advance, you find out at the show that you're a winner, which makes for a crazy roller coaster of a time, lots of happy and surprised people.

The ribbons at the Paducah Quilt Show are topped with their traditional homemade dogwood blossoms, the colors vary, but how perfect Coastal Lily adorned this pink bloom, my favorite color!  I love dogwood trees and they were blooming everywhere in the trees lining the road on my drive down to the show.  I appreciated those blooms even more on the drive back home.  That has got to be the best ribbon at any show.

So here is Coastal Lily on display at the convention center with it's fellow Bed - Longarm Quilting winners.  Words to Live By, which won second, is on the left, designed and pieced by Lisa Bongean of Primitive Gatherings and quilted by Linda Hrcka from the Quilted Pineapple.  On the right is Vintage Moments which won third place and is pieced by Jan Zimmerman using the pattern Vintage Moments by Marsha McCluskey and quilted by Jan Hutchison.

It was fun watching the different reactions to the quilts from folks attending the show.  Some were drawn to the reproduction feel of Words To Live By, others went right up to Vintage Moments saying "I love 30's fabrics".   But what a nice assortment of winners, something for every taste.  I think the colors of Coastal Lily caught everyone's eye first thing, but it's the quilting, that creates a secondary pattern within the quilt, that really brings that top to life.  It was as if folks would look at the blooms then notice the quilting, then be in awe of the accuracy and creativity of how Judi quilted this top.

This is the pattern that started it all.

Some people think that quilts entered into the show must be an original work, but quilts made from patterns are allowed, as long as the designer grants permission for the quilt to be displayed in the show.  Laurie Simpson could not have been nicer and happily gave her permission for Coastal Lily to be entered for consideration into the show.  Whenever I was asked at the show if a picture of our quilt could be posted on social media I said yes, as long as Judi was given credit for the quilting and Minick & Simpson credit for the pattern.  I hope that happens, because even though Minick & Simpson were not on stage with us, they sure had a hand in the win, a good group effort.   Additionally, AQS provides the quilter's names and pattern information in the show book for each quilt.  The Costal Lily pattern is still available for purchase here.

Judi and I were asked to go back to the Convention Center at 5 am the morning following the awards ceremony for a live TV interview with the local NBC affiliate.  My first time on TV, let alone live TV, but it was fun. The AQS staff does such a good job of running the show.  I really appreciated their help navigating the expectations and responsibilities of being a winner.

To all the quilters who did stop by Coastal Lily at the show, thanks for your kind words.  When I was hanging out by the quilt I  met several folks in person, which was even more fun.  I enjoyed talking to all the quilters.  I think I may have even planted a few seeds about entering their quilts in future shows.  You do not need to be a professionals quilter, a teacher, pattern or book writer to be in the quilt show, I'm a testament to that.  Like I always say, quilting is my hobby, not my job.   I'm just like you, which means you can have quilt in this show too, please give it a try.

Quilts juried into the show came from all 50 states and 10 countries for a total of 404 entries.  For the US the state of Illinois, where I live, had the most entries, 25, California was second with 24.  There were 63 entires from Japan.

My favorite picture of all, Linda greeting me on stage where she could not be happier.  And look, I'm still carrying my phone and camera that I was using to take pictures of them for their win.  Last year Linda, Lisa and I won Honorable Mention for Door County Cherry Baskets and Lisa and Linda won first place for Portland Rose. I didn't think I could top the joy and excitement of the 2014 Paducah Quilt Show but I did.   Winning was wonderful, but sharing the experience with friends, new and old,  made it even more special, a night I'll never forget. I am truly honored and humbled by the whole experience.

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Quilt Shows

A couple of weeks ago I had the privilege to judge a local quilt show.  This quilt was entered in the antique category, which meant it had to be at least 50 years old.  The quilt's owner told me her mother pieced the quilt more than 60 years ago.

Antique quilts are usually easily identifiable in a quilt show, but really, I think they all sort of have the same look to them, but I found this quilt to be such a contrast to my prior definition of an antique quilt.  I see quilts made today that are called modern that look just like this antique one.

I enjoyed helping with the quilt show, I hope you enter your quilts in your local quilt shows, I know some folks are scared of the criticism, but there's nothing like seeing a quilt you made hanging in a show, so get over it.  Plus, those shows are a lot of work, the more quilts entered the better.  And if I've still not convinced you to share your quilts with some shows, then please share your time.  The organizer will love you either way.

Speaking of quilt shows, this week is the AQS Show in Paducah, Kentucky, my 9th year to attend.  It's my favorite show because it has such a different feel to it, the whole town of Paducah is in Quilt City mode.  There are quilty things happening all over town, not just at the convention center, the Rotary Antique Quilt Show, Eleanor Burns Shows, Finkel Building book sale and vendors, the Quilt Museum, just to name a few.  There is so much to see and do.

And I thrilled to share with you that this quilt has been accepted into the show.  Coastal Lily, Lifetime Quilt Number 105 if you want more details.

The pattern is Coastal Lily by Minick and Simpson and still available here.  Don't you want to make a summery colorful Coastal Lily?

Coastal Lily was creatively quilted by Judi Madsen at Green Fairy Quilts.  If you're attending the show please take a few minutes to study the quilting on this quilt, she made the most of the white space in this quilt. Judi is teaching at Paducah this year and has another quilt in the show, Just Call Me Modern.

For more details on Judi's quilting of Coastal Lily click here.

So I'm in for a week of classes, catching up with friends, plus hosting family members who are coming to the show to see my quilt.  It should be fun week!  If you see me be sure to say Hi!

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C'est une finition

It's a finish!

And even though I'm a little sad this fun project has come to an end, it's hard to be too sad, because I love how it turned out.

This is Lifetime Quilt Number #105 - Coastal Lily

The pattern is Coastal Lily by Minick and Simpson (click here)

It finished at 76" x 86"

The fabric is mainly Happy Go Lucky by Bonnie and Camille for Moda

It has approximately 1,275 pieces.

This is the first pattern by Minick and Simpson that I have pieced, which is sort of funny, given how many quilts I've made using their fabric.  The instructions were great, easy to follow and I loved all the colored illustrations.  I think this pattern could be made using any type/style of fabric, and I think a scrappy background would really give it a great look.

I loved working on the stem blocks, they were a nice change of pace from the piecing and I feel like I added a few new tools to my toolbox because of them.  A few quilters have said they love the pattern but don't feel up to the appliqué.  Those dots were a breeze to make and if you don't think your skills are good enough to machine appliqué those berries then you could either glue or steam a seam them in place and tell your quilter to be sure to stitch around them when the top is quilted.

I've got a couple of friends in the process of making their own Coastal Lily, I'll be sure to link to their blogs when they're done.  There's nothing I like better than seeing the same pattern made using different fabric. And speaking of the same pattern made using different fabric, it's almost time for the AYOS Schnibbles parade.  I've heard from more than one person that the June Schnibbles pattern, Dulcinea, is a breeze and goes fast.  

Finally, thanks for the great comments you left while I was piecing Coastal Lily, this really was outside my normal style and I really appreciated you letting me know you were enjoying the change of pace.  I'll probably go more traditional with my next project, but I enjoyed working with these bright colors too much not to do it again soon.

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Getting Closer - Coastal Lily

All the bloom blocks for Coastal Lily, the wonderful pattern by Minick and Simpson and available here, are pieced.

I have to admit, as eager as I am to see this quilt come together, I was a little sad when I pieced the last block.  I enjoyed making each and every one of them.

So the next step is to come up with the perfect placement of each one of my bloom blocks.

I'm one of those quilters that suffers from "no like fabrics next to each other" syndrome.  But since the blooms were all made from different fabrics, all I had to worry about was the berries and stems, so coming up with the perfect spot for each block went very easily.  

After I'm finished with finding the perfect spot for each block, I always sleep on it and give it one more look the next day with fresh eyes before I start assembling the rows.

My design wall is just barely big enough to accommodate all the blocks but I'm making do,

and even using the floor, which pleases Cooper to no end.

For some reason that dog loves to lay on my works in progress.  If I'm not watching he'll wad all the pieces into a ball and lay on all of them, like he wants to lay on as many pieces as he can at once.

It's hard to shoo him away and off my projects sometimes.  Poor Cooper's had a tough year with being sick and losing half his hair.  See his pink skin through his thin hair?  But he's better now and his hair is coming back, in patches and places.  I still think he's a cutey, but not so cute that I didn't give him a sweet potato stick to sleep elsewhere.

I'm sad to be finishing up this quilt, not only have I had no quilt drama, it's been uplifting, I think it's those cheerful colors.  But I refuse to miss this the next Schnibbles Parade, this month's choice, Dulcinea, has been on my To Do list for ages and I'm running out of time so I can't drag out Coastal Lily much longer.

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Bloom, Bloom, Bloom

28 bloom blocks pieced, only 8 more to go!  

My design wall can't hold any more.

Here's a close-up for you to enjoy. 

 I've not even come close to falling out of love with this project.   It's usually about this time when I'm either questioning my fabric choices or pattern decision.  Nothing but happiness and fun in my sewing room.

Today is the last day to leave a comment on Monday's post to be eligible to win Monique Dillard's latest book, Diamond Traditions, don't miss out!  The questions answered the most frequently so far have been what is your least favorite and most favorite aspect of quilting.  We need to form some teams, I need the quilters who enjoy picking out fabric and don't like cutting on my team.  Isn't it funny, as a group, how we like and dislike different tasks? I love cutting the fabric and can't imagine anyone not enjoying it too!  

Monique is wrapping up the book tour at her blog today, click here to check it out.

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Still Blooming

I've added a few more blooms to my Coastal Lily project.  I've yet to make an ugly one!!

The Diamonds Tradition book tour continues today at Denise's blog, The Corner Stitch.  Be sure to stop by to see what project Denise has made and another opportunity to win Monique's latest book.  (click here)

Thanks so much for all the comments that have been left on my giveaway, I've enjoyed reading your answers to one my survey questions and getting to know you too.  It's been very interesting to see which question you decided to answer, there's been a little bit of everything.  If you've not left a comment you have until Friday to do so.

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Finally, something worth showing

So after the stems were stitched the next step was to add the berries to the stems.  I chose to machine appliqué my berries.  Once the berries were attached I tore off the stabilizer and squared up the blocks.

36 berry blocks all done!

I've also finished all 180 required geese.

The only thing left to do is make the lily blocks.

Since all the pieces and parts are ready to go, all I have to do is lay everything out, sew it together, press, and square up.  It takes less than 20 minutes to assemble one lily block, start to finish.

I think the hardest part is trying to decide which one to make next, so far I love them all.

Just in case you're stopping by for the first time in a couple of  weeks, this is the makings of Coastal Lily by Minick & Simpson.

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