Kids and Quilts

Carla Anderson is a 3rd grade teacher and goes to my church. She asked if I would show my quilts to her class at St. Mary School in Peshtigo WI. They had read a book on quilting and she knew I was a quilter. I have spoke to children before and it's a lot of fun. The question they kept asking me was "how long did it take you to make that?" So here is the class, Mrs. Anderson and me holding my "Tina" quilt.

Chanel Jacket Part 2

This is the photo of the completed jacket. I was not able to "quilt" the boucle to the lining because of the pattern instructions so I did a traditional lining with a back pleat and the extra room at the sleeve and bottom hemline. It also has the shoulder seams and the under sleeve seams be tacked together. I will add the chain to the inner hemline arfter the trim is attached.I look at this jacket like a new house ready to decorate!! It's sort of blah and I can't wait to add the froufrou fun stuff!!

Look What Happened When You go To Quilt Retreat!!

This story begins with me at my quilt retreat last November. The seating arraignment put me next to Ellen Polenske. Ellen is more of a seamstress/garmentmaker than quilter and does beautiful work especially childrens clothing. She was working on a pink Chanel jacket for her 6 year old niece. I of course was drawn to the pink and inquired as to what she was making. She explained and showed me the Threads Magazine and her couture sewing manuals about Coco Chanel and couturewear and I was sucked into the Chanel jacket aura!! I had a flashback from when I was a high school senior at Appleton East in Mrs. Goolsbey's sewing class when I made a wool lined plaid jacket with pad stitching and bound buttonholes. I had another flashback of me at UW Stout when I was going to be a fashion designer when I grew up and before I knew about quilting. I took tailoring and draping class and did a lot of gament construction. I was also attacted to the pink color of the tweed of Ellen's jacket. I realized the Chanel jacket was a classic item which I could wear many years if I were to make one and it would be versatile enough to wear with dressy clothes or with jeans. I picked pink fabric since pink is a neutral for me!!!! I went to a few Chanel sewing blogs and learned about appropriate fabrics (boucle) and all the fancy trims that  make the jacket Chanel-like. There is also a row of metal chain across the inside hemline to weigh down the jacket so it hangs nicely. So in the photo there is the start of the jacket front construction, a sample of the lining, the metallic trim which will go around the neck and front edges, the hem and the top of the pockets. Then I will use the darker pink fringy selvage edge and add the trim I bought to conplete the decorative trim. I'm not used to the 5/8" seams and using these fabrics and measuring the grain line but it is making me think outside the quilting box and I am remembering how to construct garments. Keep you posted!!

12 Busy Sock Monkeys

I consider myself an art quilter but this sock monkey block of the month was calling my name at Quilters Haven in Menominee, MI where I live. It began in May 2009 and I began a back log of 6 blocks at the Nov. '09 quilt retreat. In the summer of 2010 I added the black dot sashing and it has sat since then until recently when I figured out what I wanted for an outer border. The "kit" came with a solid light yellow to sash the blocks. I love the yellow Moda dot but it was yellow overkill. I thought blue would calm it plus pick up the blue in the sky of the blocks. It also became a teaching tool for color theory to demo primary colors. I machine quilted myself which was another reason I was procrastinating!! I do not plan to make any big quilts in the immediate future! And my phography is a little dippy since I usually use my clothesline to display the large quilts and the backyard is full of snow at the moment!! Therefore it got photographed on the living room floor. How many months until spring??

The photo above is the close up of the January block.

And this block is the close up of the June block. I am living the January block right now and wish I was at the beach like the June sock monkey. Anyway, I will display this quilt in my local quilt guild's, Northwoods Quilters, spring quilt show April 30-May1, 2011.

Venus Rising: A Celebration of Women in Art at Spies Library Gallery, Menominee, MI

VENUS RISING:

A Celebration of Women in Art

Spies Library Gallery

940 1st Street

Menominee, MI 49858

January 4-31, 2011

Glenda Banta

Laurie Ceesay

Kathleen Eaton

Patricia Johnson

Artists Reception:

Thursday, January 6. 2011

4 pm to 7 pm

Four female artists featuring their portraits of women in oil, acrylic, mixed media and fiber.

*this piece is my contribution to the theme of the exhibit which I spoken of this fall on my blog. It has lots of activity and looks way cooler up close so check it out in January!!