My Tips n Techniques

Monday, August 31, 2009

Photo Transfer Journal Quilts



Click Images to Enlarge:

Birthday Surprise

Our son came home on his birthday to show us his new puppy.
We went outside to take a few pictures and it began to snow so beautifully.
The puppy had snowflakes all over his head.


I had a difficult time printing this image onto fabric.
I ended up with 4 prints, and didn't want to waste them.
I chose the best for the center, then cut the rest up and added them to create a fractured piece.


Nicholas 24 yrs ~ Gunnr 9 weeks



I Do The Limit

This is my husband's grandmother.
Her son-in-law would tease her about driving too slow.
She would simply reply, "I Do The Limit".


Grandmother turns 90 this year.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Grandma Barker



The Guardian

As soon as I snapped the camera, I just knew this would become a quilted textile some day. I love when that happens.
This is Tony..... with Kent & Celia in the background.
His main job was to guard their car. If he was in the car, nobody got near it!

I chose to keep with the botanical elements and quilted wheat in the border and grasses in the center.


I plan to include these photo transfer journal quilts in the exhibit later this month.
It was good to get home from our trip early enough to have time to get these completed for the show.

May Your Bobbin Always Be Full,
LuAnn

To see my New Work CLICK HERE

To see the Thread Shed CLICK HERE

To see my Exhibit Quilts CLICK HERE

To see Tutorials CLICK HERE

Saturday, August 29, 2009

Wyoming, Idaho & Oregon...



Click Images to Enlarge:

Paul Harvey on Wagon Wheels



Paul Harvey on Coffee Wagon



GPS Unit

This lives on the windshield when we are traveling.
It is great for finding Quilt Shops.



Antler Arch in Jackson, Wyoming

Each year Elk naturally shed their antlers and grow new ones.
The elk are fed hay each winter in Jackson, Wyoming.
This is what they leave behind.



Shoshone Falls, Idaho



The Iron Horse

This stretch limo is the only way to travel.
No matter what I find along the way, there is always plenty of room to haul it home!



Covered Wagon in John Day, Oregon


Why did I name my quilt Paul Harvey? READ HERE


May Your Bobbin Always Be Full,
LuAnn

To see my New Work CLICK HERE

To see the Thread Shed CLICK HERE

To see my Exhibit Quilts CLICK HERE

To see Tutorials CLICK HERE

Friday, August 28, 2009

Paul Harvey, Chickens, Sheep and Horse


Click Images to Enlarge:

Paul Harvey with a BIG Chicken
Reminds me of the old cartoon Foghorn Leghorn Rooster
Darby, Montana


Paul Harvey with Big Horn Sheep



Paul Harvey with Clydesdale Horse



My sons have spent many hours fishing in this river
Yellowstone Park, Wyoming


LaMar Valley
Yellowstone Park, Wyoming



Montana Wheat Flour

This was a great place to stop, Wheat Montana.
A family owned wheat farm. They grow and mill the wheat.
They also have a bakery and sandwich shop on the farm.
We stocked up on flour for bread, cinnamon rolls and cookies!


Why did I name my quilt Paul Harvey? READ HERE


May Your Bobbin Always Be Full,
LuAnn

To see my New Work CLICK HERE

To see the Thread Shed CLICK HERE

To see my Exhibit Quilts CLICK HERE

To see Tutorials CLICK HERE

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Paul Harvey, Tetons and Geysers...

Click Images to Enlarge:



Paul Harvey in Montana

These beautiful old wooden fences and gorgeous backdrops really slow down our travel time on the road.
The Paul Harvey quilt is well photographed on this trip!
The horses were happy to see us stop on the side of the road.






Old Buckboard wagon and Paul Harvey




Teton Mountain Range in Wyoming




Geyser Basin in Yellowstone Park




This color combination of lime green, yellow and pink is wonderful!



I am inspired to make a quilt in these colors!




At the end of a full travel day
Suzy & Gunnr sleep soundly in their own bed!


Why did I name my quilt Paul Harvey? READ HERE


May Your Bobbin Always Be Full,
LuAnn

To see my New Work CLICK HERE

To see the Thread Shed CLICK HERE

To see my Exhibit Quilts CLICK HERE

To see Tutorials CLICK HERE

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Montana & Wyoming...

Montana Fence

Click Images to Enlarge:

Paul Harvey Quilt

This is my personal lap quilt. It keeps me warm when I am on the couch at home, and it also travels with me everywhere I go. I sleep with this quilt when we are in motel rooms while traveling from state to state. It just makes an overnight stay a bit more like home, and I sleep better cuddling up with it.

Yes, I named my quilt "Paul Harvey" after the radio announcer that tells us "The Rest of the Story."
This quilt started out as a class kit in Idaho. When I returned home to Oregon I realized all of the fabrics were not in the kit. I waited months for the quilt shop to send the missing fabrics......but it never happened.
I eventually found fabrics on my own and incorporated them into the quilt top. The border fabric came from Canada. My wonderful Anny Donna supplied the backing fabric.
This quilt took so much longer to complete than I had anticipated. After awhile I began to feel like it would never be done........when would I see....."The Rest of the Story."
I eventually began to refer to this quilt in progress as my Paul Harvey quilt.
Here I am in Montana with Paul Harvey.
We stopped to give the dogs a chance to stretch their legs, and I just couldn't resist photographing this beautiful pole fence.



Buffalo in Wyoming

This big fella came right up to the road to greet us.
The main herd is in the background by the stream.


Yellowstone Bison


CLICK HERE to see where else Paul Harvey has been


May Your Bobbin Always Be Full,
LuAnn

To see my New Work CLICK HERE

To see the Thread Shed CLICK HERE

To see my Exhibit Quilts CLICK HERE

To see Tutorials CLICK HERE

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Apple Core Quilt Tutorial

August 17, 2009.......We're on the Road

We packed up the suitcases and headed east out of Oregon

After all the prep work I have done for the last several months, I decided against taking along a "mobile" quilt project. I thought I could use a break from quilting....clear my head and give my hands a rest. That strategy lasted about one day......then I developed itchy fingers. I needed something to sew before we ever made it out of Oregon!

Day Two: We stopped at 3 quilt shops while traveling through Idaho.......they were all "out of business", that made my heart sad. (Let's all remember to support our lovely, local quilt shops.....they may not always be there if we don't).

Day Three: Jackson Wyoming has a sweet quilt shop, Stitchin' Time, that caters to all who sew, quilt & knit. I was able to stock up on all of the needed supplies to satisfy the traveling quilter in me. I also stopped at a thrift store in Jackson and found a perfect zipper pouch to hold all my NEW quilting supplies for $1.

Click Images to Enlarge:




By Day 3 I am outfitted with quilting supplies and ready to get to work!




This second hand zipper tote is just perfect to hold all my needed supplies for hand piecing while we are traveling along at 55 mph.




This is the tote bag zippered up with all of the supplies tucked neatly inside.
The label on the top reads......UNITED
As in United Airlines.
This was a great "find" at the thrift store in Wyoming




I also found these gorgeous floral fabrics in Wyoming.
How exciting......new quilting supplies AND new fabrics!




After we checked into the motel, I settled in and began cutting fabrics.




I rolled the leftover, uncut fabrics onto an empty paper towel roll and stored them in my suitcase. This kept away the wrinkles and I was able to cut more fabric each evening to sew the next day.





Day 4: Finally able to get some stitching in.
It feels great!



I have planned on making an Apple Core quilt for many years.
I was lucky enough to find an acrylic apple core template in Wyoming. (It matches the very same one I have at home....now I have 2).




Apple Core Acrylic Template




I spent the morning tracing the stitching lines onto the back of the fabric pieces.
The mechanical pencil fit perfectly in the channel of the apple core template.



I am ready to begin pinning the apple core fabric pieces together.

I folded the pieces in half to find the center of each one.
I placed a pin in the center to hold them together.




Then I pinned the very outside corners




Then I eased the fabric in the curve and pinned it in place.
This is the back side pinned together. It lays flat.




This is the front side, pinned in place.
It is ruffled and does not lie flat.
This is the side you stitch on, so you can keep an eye on the fullness of the fabric and avoid sewing in pleats.



This new wrist pin cushion works great for sewing at 55 mph.
Everything stays where you put it.
(It also matches 3 more that I have at home)




Straw Needles
The best and only needle you will ever need for hand piecing.



Straw Needles are very long and very sharp.
See all the stitches you can load on the straw needle before pulling it through!

Just follow the pencil drawn stitching line you drew earlier on the back of the apple core pieces.



The first seam is done and the curved piecing lies perfectly flat.
I finger pressed the seam on the back towards the top of the unit.




It didn't take long to stitch up a pile of apple core units.




The zipper bag sat nicely on my lap as we traveled along through Wyoming.

I will NEVER leave home without my quilting supplies!

I have learned my lesson. No matter what your mood......always pack your quilting supplies......just in case.




Never leave home without this book...



If you are traveling with this:


Suzy

CLICK HERE:  to see My Quilts

CLICK HERE to see the progress on the Apple Core Quilt


May Your Suitcase Always Be Full of Quilting Supplies,
LuAnn

p.s. Click HERE to see my other "Take-A-Long" Quilting Projects

To see my New Work CLICK HERE

To see the Thread Shed CLICK HERE

To see my Exhibit Quilts CLICK HERE

To see Tutorials CLICK HERE