Hens, Chicks & Roosters Log Cabin

What's not to like about this subject matter? I continued working with my scraps from the previous post, creating more log cabin blocks. I've now run out of this fabric's particular motifs:

What to do with them...quilt for a bed? table-topper? apron? handbag? market bag? potholders? None of the blocks are the same size. I fussy-cut the motifs randomly rather than using a square template for each. What was I thinking?? They'll be an adventure to put together. Scrappy, scrappy.

I finished the bovine blocks from this same fabric:

You can see some sample lay-outs for them at this post: LOG CABIN COWS

Next up, pink pigs! They might demand pink and white, or pink and brown logs to surround them. What do you think?

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LOG CABIN COWS

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2015!

A lovely holiday season with such good memories:

• our daughter married in Seattle...our new son-in-law to love...
• having Christmas with our son from San Diego and the almost-newlyweds...
• celebration times with family!

Market Bags made from my otherwise discarded rice bags

 

Concluding 2014...

These bags are too lovely to throw!

I participated in a Holiday Art Faire in another artist's home at the beginning of December and I made some money (so I can resupply!). I found customers and other artists at the Faire most interested in: 3-dimensional houses, market bags, holiday-themed coasters, wall decor, homemade ornaments, a prize-winning red and white tablerunner, and machine-embroidered hand towels.

After the Faire, I've continued English paper-piecing hexagons and other shapes (an easy activity to travel with and I find hand-sewing calming).

One of my current goals in the next few months is to bring some quilts to completion. I added another border to my heart quilt and would like to quilt it on a longarm machine if I can find one to use. I have at least 3 other quilts of various sizes to complete.

Log Cabin Cows

My neighbor, knowing that I like to quilt, offered me some of her fabric scraps a few years ago. Some are probably about 30 years old because they are obviously children's prints from years gone by. The motifs of a few of the fabrics inspired me to combine them. I fussy cut the farm animals, in this case, cows, featured in the center of the log cabin block (surrounding fabrics: red with tiny white dots, black with white "cow" spots), each one being a little wonky at 1.75"x 1.75" (more or less):

Log Cabin block with fussy-cut wonky cow centers measuring about 10" finished

When I put all the blocks together, I have fun combinations like these:

I've run out of the feature fabric in the center, so I had to "cheat" or improvise on 2 blocks by using a plain blue square of fabric in the center so I would have an even twelve 10" blocks. I think they're cute and I love the many patterns log cabin blocks can make. These are not quilt-quality fabrics, but they'll have to do. I'm a bit worried about the red fabric running in the wash someday. I might presoak the blocks in vinegar to set the colors.

Happy creating!

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Quilt Show Feature: Homemade Paper-Pieced Farm Quilt

I thoroughly enjoyed the Sisters Quilt Show (Oregon) on July 12. My strategy: start as soon as it begins in the morning, before it gets REALLY HOT and crowded, which is 9 a.m. officially, though I sometimes arrive a little before.

The creativity displayed throughout the town is like visiting an outdoor art show. Even my husband enjoys looking around for about an hour (then he checks out to a quiet place to read until I'm done). I grazed around the show with my sister and niece, marvelling at the ideas, skills, colors, patterns. 

One of the biggest highlights of the show this year was a special jewel that I almost didn't find. It had become very HOT, as usual, and I was tiring out. I knew that once we left, we wouldn't be returning that day, and it's just a one-day show. There was one corner that we hadn't looked closely at kiddy-corner to the fabric store (Stitchin' Post), so we wandered over. That's where we saw this:

With creator and designer: Lisa Wipf of Salem, Oregon

DETAILS, DETAILS, DETAILS!!

This creative woman paper-pieced every block. Not only paper-pieced, but she designed every one of them as well!! Then she personally quilted it!

See the hens with the farmer holding the bucket of feed in the center block, surrounded by hens??

The outermost border also features hens, in various poses and colors. Note the larger blocks featuring pigs (top left), goats (below pigs), and, even though it may be difficult to see clearly, to the right of the pigs is a woman behind the clothes she's hung on the line! Wow!!!
 

Notice the cow with the sunflower block (top left), sheep block with barn in background below that.

The detail in this particular block is incredible: There's a sunflower in the middle. To the right of it, in the same block, is a beehive. If you look REALLY CLOSELY, you'll see yellow with black center stripes which are paper-pieced tiny bees!!! Note the quilting design: cows, pigs, chickens, bunnies, sun & more.

On the back, she included some leftover random hens:

Here's a close-up of the woman hanging out the laundry, including quilts hung with clothespins! There's a few bees buzzing above the line as well. Notice the bird on the clothesline post on the right!!


Here's a close-up of the farmer:

All I can say is
WOW!!I'm so glad we persisted and saw Lisa's quilt! It made our day. I hope it makes yours, too!