Gunnr is......... a Calendar Boy !

Announcing the 2012

Quilting Arts Calendar Artists!

Gunnr

12 x 12

Gunnr is ......... a Calendar Boy !

Gunnr 8 weeks

This is the first day our eyes met....

Nicholas & Gunnr 2006

Our son brought Gunnr, his puppy, home to meet us.

Gunnr quickly became part of the family...

Gunnr just adores our Jack Russell, Suzy

They spend lots of lazy days in the Thread Shed

asleep under the sewing machine:

So......you can see how I was inspired to create a Gunnr quilt.

Actually, I have made several quilts with Gunnr on them over the last few years.

My most recent quilt was picked as a finalist in the

2012 Quilting Arts Calendar

This year’s theme, Getting Pet-ty inspired hundreds of you to depict your beloved furry or feathered friend with fabric, thread, and heaps of love. From the countless entries received, the decision to winnow the lot down to 13 was very difficult. We saw lizards, llamas, parrots, horses, mice, dogs, cats, iguanas, you name it.

Congratulations to the following artists whose art quilts will appear in our 2012 calendar:

LuAnn Kessi “Gunner”

Faith Cleary (Untitled, cow)

Nancy Brown “Opie and Mittens Go Birdwatching”

Sue Clayton “My Pet Llama”

Susan Brubaker-Knapp “Trouble in the Pumpkin Patch”

Susan E. Connor (Untitled, cat with fish bowl)

Lisa Encabo ‘Cutie says, “FEED ME! Throw my ball.”’

Nancy Hayes “Jazz Fetch!”

Loreen Leedy “Cautious”

Amber McIntosh (Untitled, frogs)

Joan Sowada “Agnus Ready”

Nanette Zeller “A Perfect Storm”

Jill Packer “The Iconic Miss Isabella (Iguana)”

CLICK HERE:  to see My Quilts

CLICK HERE to view the Thread Shed

CLICK HERE to view more about Suzy

CLICK HERE to view my Adventures in Mixed Media Class

May Your Bobbin Always Be Full,

LuAnn Kessi

Wedding Ring Quilts...

I spent the day with my friend Linda.

We have decided to meet once a month to piece our

Double Wedding Ring Quilts

Today I went over to Linda's and we cut and pieced on her kitchen table.

She made us yummy grilled tuna sandwiches for lunch.

(Home Canned Tuna......the BEST)

Here is how our day went:

We are using Sharlene Jorgenson's Book & Templates

Double Wedding Ring Quilts

Linda and I started these quilts more than a dozen years ago,

so we had to re-acquaint ourselves with what we have done so far.

We are rotary cutting the individual pieces, using acrylic templates.

This is Linda...

She is looking at the back side of her unit to determine just exactly how she pieced it all those years ago.

These Double Wedding Rings are not difficult, but require an accurate 1/4 inch seam.

Linda has all of her units sorted out...

She will spend the afternoon piecing those " football " shaped units.

This pattern also requires some curved piecing, which is only a gentle curve, and easily accomplished.

This quilt is a perfect opportunity for Linda & I to use these depression era fabrics we have been collecting for so many years.

This is my part of the kitchen table...

I have one Ring pieced.

My templates are pink acrylic, on the right side of the ring.

I am cutting those tiny pieces and organizing them into arc units.

I still have lots of cutting to do before I can even think about piecing any units.

Linda will come over to the Thread Shed next month.

We will continue making progress on our Double Wedding Rings.

I will keep you posted...

CLICK HERE to watch a Tutorial

Another Tutorial CLICK HERE

CLICK HERE:  to see My Quilts

CLICK HERE to view my Traditional Quilts

CLICK HERE to view my Art Quilts

CLICK HERE to view my Tutorials

May Your Bobbin Always Be Full,

LuAnn

Western Cowman Photo Contest.......Winners

When I am not creating Textile Art...

I am helping my family here on the farm.

I never leave home without my camera!

Farm life has afforded me opportunities to take FUN photographs.

Last fall I entered a couple in a photo contest:

The Western Cowman Magazine

Photo Contest 2010

Click Images to Enlarge:

" Oregon Wheat Field "

By: LuAnn Kessi

Won First Prize

Summer Scenic Category

The next image won Third Place in

The Dogs Category

This Third Place photo has a true place in my heart

Here is why...

This is Brad baling hay a few miles from our home.

He spent a good part of July cutting, raking & baling hay.

Which translates to a lot of hours away from home...

Our dog, Gunnr, missed Brad terribly!

So, I drove Gunnr down to the hay field for a visit...

When we pulled into the hay field,

Brad baled off the tractor to greet us...

This is when the fun began...

Once Gunnr spotted Brad getting off the tractor...

He raced through the hay field like he had wings

Jumping and leaping over the hay rows!

He couldn't get to Brad fast enough...

This is the photo that won:

" The Embrace "

By: LuAnn Kessi

A dog isn't your whole life,

but, a dog makes your life whole.

CLICK HERE:  to see My Quilts

CLICK HERE to view Gunnr's Portrait Quilt

CLICK HERE to view a slideshow of HOME

CLICK HERE to view Baling Hay

May Your Bobbin Always Be Full,

LuAnn

Cord Bound Edge Treatment......Tutorial

I thought I would share a quick tutorial on an

alternative edge treatment for an art quilt.

This is how I add a cord to the edge of the quilt:

Click Images to Enlarge:

This corded edge is another option for your art quilt bindings.

Choose a decorative stitch...

Stitch it all the way around the edge of your quilt.

I prefer a stiff cord...

like this rolled leather-like cording.

I use a thread that matches the cord color.

Zig Zag Stitch the cord to the edge of the quilt.

Be sure the needle goes all the way to the

right outside edge of the cord.

Do not stitch into the cord.

When you come to a corner stop stitching a few inches away.

Bend the cording to line up with the corner, like in the photo below.

By bending the cord before you get to the corner,

there is no distortion of the quilt.

Continue sewing down until you reach the bottom of the quilt...

An open toe applique foot gives the best visibility for this technique.

Keep the needle in the down position on the outside edge of the cord.

Keep the cord pushed up against the needle.

Raise up the presser foot...

Gently pivot the quilt around...

Keeping the cord against the needle.

When lined up straight with the next side of the quilt,

Drop the presser foot and continue to sew the next side.

Repeat this process until you are on the fourth and last side of the quilt.

Continue stitching until you are a few inches from the beginning of the cording where you started from.

Trim the end so it is flush against the beginning of the cord.

You just want the two ends to kiss together.

Continue to stitch the cord to the side of the quilt edge.

I stitch over the beginning stitches for a half inch or so.

Then I do a teeny tiny straight stitch to lock it in place.

This makes a nice finish.

Alternative Edge Treatments are just one more way to add the last bit of design work to your art quilts.

CLICK HERE to see the completed quilt

CLICK HERE:  to see My Quilts

CLICK HERE to view my Art Quilts

CLICK HERE to view Traditional Binding Tips

CLICK HERE to view Curved Binding Tips

May Your Bobbin Always Be Full of Bindings,

LuAnn