ANGLERS’ DELIGHTS, quilted wallhanging

Just finished another quilted wallhanging in my Wisconsin pan fish series:

 

Angler’s Delight


Each fish is an original design.

Using my own design, I choose a fabric for each part of the fish.

The fish is then machine appliqued leaving raw edges for extra dimension.

Each fish block is paired with a plaid flannel.Black Kona Cotton is used for the sashing.
Each fish is then thread painted with variegated metallic thread.

Each background is tea dyed and stipple quilted which makes

the fish puff out, giving it added dimension.

The back of the quilt is a golden wheat flannel.

My favorite part is adding each fish’s eye.

It’s when they really get their personality.

This quilt is 39 inches square. It’s hanging sleeve already has a wooden lat in it with a saw toothed hanger attached: ready for immediate hanging.

Wouldn’t this make the best Christmas gift for that angler on your list or maybe someone with a cabin. It will be an immediate eye catcher and conversation topic.

It is sold on quiltingcafe.etsy.com.

Quilting Cafe, where something is always brewing

 

Jane Austen Quilted Postcards

Isn’t it just fabulous that we still can relate to Jane Austen today? Take look at my newest cards in my shop: quiltingcafe.etsy.com. Her words are still so true.

I do not want people to be agreeable, as it saves me the trouble of liking them.”

“A large income is the best recipe for happiness I ever heard of.”

“One half of the world cannot understand the pleasures of the other.”

Jane Austen knew how to say it. Don’t you know someone who would enjoy these gems. Mail them or keep it for yourself and frame them.

Three 4″ X “6 Quilted Postcards. Raw-edge quotation is also cotton. Actual cotton batting used. I first made the mini-quilt and then attached it onto timtex stiffening and the cardstock. This process makes the card puffy and soft like an actual quilt. These mini-quilts are quilted with shiny variegated thread. Postcard is finished with fabric binding or overcasted yellow and orange thread.

Can be sent through the mail for 28 cents and arrives in perfect shape. Card Stock back for easy writing. If you have any questions, please contact me either through my shop or quilt.cafe@yahoo.com

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PRIMITVE FOLK ART: Cabin Decor

I love to spend time up in the Northwoods of Wisconsin. That wondrous place of clear blue water, heavenly pine trees, and glorious fresh air were the inspiration for these new items listed in my shop: quiltingcafe.etsy.com.

These mini quilts would compliment any decor where warmth is wanted: cabin, den, boy’s room, or basement.

CABIN IN THE PINES

What a sweet little cabin nestled among the pines on a starlit night. This 18″ square scrappy quilt is made from 20 different cotton flannels and evenweaves.

The trees, cabin, moon, and star are appliqued and finished with a button hole stitch. 15 buttons are hand sewn in the corners of the squares.

The branch is included.

SNOW
Who wouldn’t love snow with this happy little snowman smiling back at them. This 19″ X 11″ scrappy quilt is made from 16 different cotton flannels and evenweaves.
The letters and snowman are appliqued and finished with a button hole stitch. French knots make up the eyes and mouth.
The Snowflakes are hand embroidered as are the snowman’s arms
RUSTIC CRAZY QUILT
This richly patterned 20″ X 13″ wall hanging contains about 25 different cotton flannels and evenweaves. Although the quilt does not have batting, it is flannel-backed to give it stability. All the seams have been machine embroidered in different stitches with gold thread. Two large buttons set off the centers of the blocks.The wall hanging is finished in pillow case style with no binding. The branch it is hanging on is included.

BLUE ANGEL
This little darling will keep watch over home and hearth.

The angel is paper pieced in cotton evenweaves. The body is a blue batik with embroidered flowers along the bottom. The hair is jute with two french knot eyes. Two vintage buttons finish.

The 8″ square mini quilt includes the birch branch hanger.

STAG IN THE NIGHT WOODS

Lots of stars at night, especially with a crescent moon, with deer rustling in the pine forest.

This 21″ X 15″ scrappy quilt is made from 21 different cotton flannels and evenweaves.

The trees, deer, moon, and stars are appliqued and finished with a button hole stitch.

Quilting Cafe, where something is always brewing

 

FISH with personalities…quilted art panels

This is the way to catch fish. No worms, no hooks, no mosquitoes to mess you up. Not only are this great to look at, each fish has its own personality. One of these quilted panels would look great in your cabin, bathroom,or child’s room.

Each panel is 11 inches square ready to be hung with a dowel inserted in the back. Check them out and others on my site: quiltingcafe.etsy.com.

Quilting Cafe, where something is always brewing

 

My oldest daughter requested ballet lessons at the ripe old age of 3. I acquiesced and continued on for the next 11 years with classes, costumes, and recitals. This wall hanging emulates her style when she was little in the ballerina panels and the modern sashing represents her style today 20 years later.

       

I really enjoy beading and adding dimension to my quilts and wall hangings. Each panel has been echo quilted to signify movement. The three yoyos add a bit of whimsy. It has a hanging sleeve on the white and red toile back. Please check my etsy shop to purchase: quiltingcafe.etsy.com

Quilting Cafe, where something is always brew

 

Old Prom Dress: Repurpose it!

When my cousin was giving me her mother’s stash, she asked if I could do something with the left over material from her prom dress (1972). At the same time, she gave me an old pillow case on which her grandmother had tatted some cotton lace. Could I also do something with the lace. I thought a small zippered case in which she could put other mementos might do the trick. I used both the yellow flowered gauze and underlining together and quilted it. The lining is made of a material called “Si Bonne” and i used it for the case’s lining as well. I added the lace to the outside with a yo yo and button to add some interest.

Please note that I hand sewed the zipper in so that it would be invisible using a pinprick stitch. In fact, except for the 4 side and bottom seams, all the rest of the sewing was done by hand. Maybe one of her daughter might want to take it to their prom!

If you have any ideas about how to repurpose some of your memories, let me know.

Quilting Cafe, where something is always brewing

 

Northwoods Inspired Quilts

Added a new mini quilt today. Had left over scraps from other projects and this was really fun.

Here are other primitive folk art quilts that would look great in a cabin.

As always, these can be purchased at quiltingcafe.etsy.com

 

CHARM QUILTS…defined

I made 5 charm quilts over the weekend. The colors are so much fun to play with. It really pushes one to try different colors together It got me to thinking…what is a charm quilt?

A charm quilt according to the site, http://www.qnm.com/articles/feature15/index.html is as follows:
Charm, Beggar, Odd Feller, or Friendship–these are some of the names given to this unique category of quilts. Most quilts derive their name from the design of a block, or from the technique used in construction. But the Charm Quilt is defined by its one-patch construction, every piece being cut from a different fabric…Some were called Beggar’s Quilts because the maker had to beg scraps from friends and relatives. Other names were Memory or Friendship because the collection of fabrics represented friends and family and the memories attached to them. And still another name was No-Two-Alike, chosen for obvious reasons…The focus of the latest fashion for Charm Quilts is fun–the fun of collecting fabric, the fun of making connections with other quilters, and thefun of creating a quilt that is completely
unique to its maker.

This quilt “Just Conversation,” uses 24 different fabrics. Some are vintage fabrics which are over 20 years old; others are reproduction 30’s fabrics.

I bought a great charm pack from Moda called Butterfly Fling. I separated them into cool and warm colors. The first is “Blue Butterfly Fling.” I embroidered three pink butterflies on the adorable quilt. This would make a great doll quilt or security blanket.

The warm colors became “Pink Butterfly Fling.” Since there were more square, this is a great crib or napping quilt. The two butterfly quilts are not true charm quilts, I added some extra fabric.

The next two quilts are still waiting to be quilted and will be featured in a later blog.
As always, these can be purchased from my shop, quiltingcafe.etsy.com.

 

New Quilted Postcards with Vintage Photos and Quotations

I have listed some new cards today in my etsy shop: quiltingcafe.etsy.com. These are not only fun for me to make but also very sentimental. My father transferred 40 years of family pictures onto the computer. Since he took only 35mm slides with his Zeiss Ikon , the transfer quality is always excellent.

When making my postcards, I usually choose the photographs first and then find a quotation to go with it. Then the real fun starts! Picking out the fabrics and materials which will enhance the photographs.

“A mother’s treasure is her daughter.” The first pic is taken outside St. Viator’s Church on Addison on the northwest side of Chicago. I have many pictures of my mother in this hat. The hat is actually made out of velvet. I think she still has in the back of her closet.

“He who sings, frightens away his ills.” This is a quote by Don Quixote in the play “Man of La Mancha. My parents loved to give large dinner parties. Afterwards, the party would continue to the living room. My father would play the piano and sing. He even bought a micro phone. You can see others loved to join in! They were great parties. I know this to be true because I could hear them laughing from my bedroom into the wee hours of the night.

“I love you not for what you are, but for what I am when I am with you.” These are friends of my parents taken in 1953. The words are the first line of a poem that was read at my wedding. These words still ring true after over 27 years!

” It is one of the blessings of old friends that you can be stupid with them.” The last picture was taken in August of 1969. I have no idea what is going on with the pineapple, but it must be funny. My family was visiting friends in up state New York outside of Poughkeepsie. My dad’s friend suggested that we should take the back roads out because they were more scenic. Encountering an incredible traffic jam, my dad, rolled down the window, and asked some people walking along the side of the road what was going on. It was a music concert and It took us 3 hours to get down the road. Later, we found out it was Woodstock. I was 16 at the time, and told everyone “I was at Woodstock!”

Quilting Cafe, where something is always brewing

 

CHOCOLATE COVERED CHERRIES, 3 new quilts

Several months ago, I started collecting these brown and pink fabrics.I scoured quilt shops, Internet sites, and my stash. When I saw this pattern I knew it work very well with these fabrics.

I have never made a quilt with curves before. The instructions were clear and precise and I made use I pinned and pinned and pinned. By matching centers and ends, then continuing inwards, the blocks turned out perfect each time. I made sure the gathered section was next to the feed dogs. The fabric moved quite well through the needle. I removed each pin as I sewed.

I actually found the border fabric after the blocks were finished. They were the exact brown I needed. The large flowered print certainly compliments the geometric circles. When I finished the quilt, I thought they looked like chocolate cover cherries, or cherry cordials. They are named Cherry Cordial I, II, III.

I had some smaller squares from another project so, I decide to make a matching baby/doll quilt adding fabrics from the first quilt.

The first quilt had so many left over convex and concave pieces, I decided to use them to make a smaller quilt that work great as a wall hanging.

The set of all three can be purchased on my site at quiltingcafe.etsy.com