Still Healing

Yes I know it’s Friday so it’s time for a new post.    I am still home healing.  It gets a little better each day and now that I can get up the stairs to my own bed and I am actually getting some sleep I hope that the process will accelerate.     I deeply appreciate your patience and understanding as I get better bit by bit.   I am keeping a running list of all the lessons, workshops and club meetings that will be rescheduled as soon as I am up to it.

Photo by Fancycrave.com on Pexels.com

This event has made it so clear to me how critical it is that I am able to communicate with you all through this blog and website,   and of course Facebook.    Please encourage your friends who may not yet be connected to the Shoppe in one of these ways to join this conversation.     I work hard to post interesting and relevant content,  and I only advertise my own events and merchandise ( and even then minimally) ,  I promise that I will never give out your contact info.     If you are seeing this through Facebook,  please visit our website homepage where the blog is posted each Friday and subscribe by entering your email in the space in the right column.     You will get a simple email notification when there has been an update, usually once a week early in the day of Friday.    Many of my customers are not super local so knowing what is going on makes life better for you and me.

Keep stitching so there is plenty of Show and Tell when I get back!!!

 

 

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Closed this week

The shoppe will be closed this week as I continue to recover from surgery.   I came home yesterday but it will be a a bit before I can fully return to normal.   For now I am celebrating my husbands amazing cooking,   and the total and unconditional love from Jake the Quilt Pug.     They are both taking good care of me as I slowly resume normal activities.

This does mean that there will be no Handstitchers or stumpwork clubs tomorrow.   I am hoping to be open for limited hours the following week, so I will let you know asap about Crazy Quilt Club currently scheduled for the 17th.

Keep stitching,   keep being creative and I hope to see you all again soon.

 

-Diana

 

Closed for few days

I need hernia surgery so the shoppe will be closed a few days.  Watch here and our Facebook page for re opening date.      or call 845 758 8541    Send some good vibes my way and I hope to be back for next week.       The BOM will be rescheduled too.

Chocolate Kisses

This Tuesday is the last day you can get the Chocolate Kisses and Hugs pattern for free.   It is the last day of the Summer part of the Row by Row program.     I will have kits and patterns to purchase after that while supplies last.    This is a great and easy to do block pattern and in the future you will be seeing some interesting variations from me as we get into the fall.    The Kit is pre cut and has enough for some extra blocks so that if you are using it for the Row by Row you can easily arrange them to fit any one of the shapes that are part of the program.   As is, it is an 18 inch square are which makes for a great pillow or tote bag side.    Don’t miss out on this one.

So as we go into Labor Day weekend  the promotion on our tote bag workshop is also ending,  If you register by the end of the day tomorrow,  August 31,  you can still take ten dollars off the fee.    It can be scheduled for any time through September, but to get the discount it must be registered by tomorrow.    This is  one of my favorite projects because it can be made in so many variations and customized so very easily.

Lastly,   we will be open regular hours for Labor day weekend.   Hoping for some great weather for a nice BBQ.   Have a wonderful weekend.

Replicants??

So you were cleaning out great grandmas attic and you found a quilt.   Several family members remember sleeping under it as kids and would love to have it for their won homes.   Wonderful.   What isn’t so great is the condition of the quilt.   How did she ever let it get this badly damaged??  So you are faced with this problem.   It is just so far gone,  but the pattern is recognizable and there is just enough left to see the fabrics she chose,  possibly from her aprons and house dresses,    possibly bought and traded with her friends for variety.   It looks like no two of these Sunbonnet Sue are the same.   How fun.  You can see the original warm yellow where the seam allowances that were protected for decades are now exposed.   When viewed from the back you can see that she quilted a star pattern in the yellow rectangles,  and in the ditch in the blocks plus a little extra,  and used a diagonal grid in the backgrounds.   Lots of information.  The black embroidery was done by hand and in a couple places is all that is left of the block design.   The applique was not turned under.   So you start seeing Sunbonnet Sue in all sorts of places you didn’t notice before.   None of the ones you see are just exactly like the ones on the quilt.   After a while you come to the conclusion that she must have drawn it herself based on the popular design.     There is one small corner that is a bit better than the rest,  but not enough to salvage a piece for everyone who wants.   And even this needs massive restoration in order to be a usable textile again. So in the end the original is done for.     This is a perfect example of a quilt that deserves to be replicated.    Thanks to the black handwork, tracing the pattern pieces is super easy,    she made it with raw edge,  which means you don’t even need to add seam allowances.    With contemporary fusibles and machines to do the embroidery if desired,  you can remake it.

We are going to do a workshop that will replicate a 3 x 3 segment of this quilt.   It will be two sessions and the materials lists will be on the Showcase page by the end of today.    It is your choice how closely you want to stay within the time period.    Typical alternate colors would have been this classic yellow, a bubblegum pink,  or an apple green.   Sue herself can use any variety of fabrics you choose.   Sizes of large scraps needed for each part are listed with the materials.    Since this original quilt was made Sue has celebrated every holiday you can think of,   had multiple careers,   and been on many adventures,  all by how she is dressed and accessorized.    I do believe she has even been to Quilt Jail for touching the quilts at a quilt show.      Our workshop is on the schedule for August 29, and Sept 5.   10:30 am,   registration fee is $60.00     I will provide the pattern that I have reverse engineered from this quilt.   It makes a commemorative sized wallhanging,  but you can simply make more blocks if you want something bigger.      She is a classic because she is so much fun, and with modern techniques at our fingertips we can really let her be all that she can be.

Tuesday is Crazy Quilt Club,  and next Friday and Saturday I will be closed to take Liz back to College.   Boy did that summer go quickly!!  –  Don’t forget that you only have a little more time to register for the tote bag workshop at he discounted price!!!

 

 

Prepping

No, not for doomsday.  Although if the deadline is tight it can feel that way.    This post is all about getting your quilt ready to send to a show.   As show season approaches I hope that some of you at least are planning to enter your work in a local show like the Dutchess County Fair,  or the Dutchess Hereitage Quilt Show.    These are shows that are not juried,  the only reason they would turn you down is they ran out of room.    They are also local enough for you to be able to drop off and pick up your quilts in person saving the expense and worry of shipping,   and of course you then get the excitement of seeing your piece hanging in the exhibition. 

I do encourage every quilter to share their work in this way at least once.   Seeing it hanging is a formal situation changes your perspective and many people are pleasantly surprised at how their work compares.   The main reason I think showing is good is that it adds emotional value to our work.    Too many quilters are dismissive of what they make.   Quilts are beautiful works of art that display technical knowledge,  precise skills,  and creativity.     They deserve to be shown.

So you have decided to enter a show and gotten the entry form.    Now read it carefully.   It will have information about drop off and pick up,   hanging sleeve and label directions,   and a place for you to be able to say a few things about your project.   It will also have questions about size, materials, quilting, and age.    I bet you didn’t realize how much there is about your quilt that they need to know.   Some shows will also ask for  a photograph so they can have a visual for identification purposes.    Just take it one bit at a time.   If you have questions, ask them of the committee,  or bring it in to me and I can usually help decipher for you.

Then there is the quilt itself.   All of a sudden the project that you curled up under with popcorn and a movie on the couch needs to get gussied up.   First,  if it is washable, do it.  It helps the batting get fluffed and lets the quilting show.   If needed block it so it hangs straight.   Be sure that your binding is well attached and that the miters on the corners are as good as you can get them.   Sew the miters closed with a few stitches too,  it helps them stay nicer and these days judges look for that.   Be sure that there are no loose threads or pet hairs ( I have to be very careful of that— thank you Jake ),   and follow instructions for hanging sleeve and label exactly.

When you get to the show and see your work hanging,  maybe even with a ribbon,  enjoy the moment.  It is a thrill.  If you feel social and there are people looking at it you can share that you are the quiltmaker.   Those conversations are some of the most enlightening and usually wonderful for the ego too.    Enjoy your moment,  take photos if the show allows.   Bask in the glow.   This is the part of showing work that is addictive.   Celebrate your achievements and share your excitement.  Share the excitement of others who are exhibiting work too,  Save any criticisms, even constructive ones for another day.     Savor it because the show comes down all too fast.     

If anyone needs help with the exhibiting process I am glad to offer assistance.   If you need help to finish something remember that we have work in progress Wednesday. 

Tuesday is a handstitchers Club day,  we are still working on the stamped cross stitch project.    I have a few more squares left so it is still not too late to get in on this project.   See the Club News page for supplies list if needed.

Don’t forget to register for our Five Fab Fats Tote Bag workshop,   $10.00 off registration fee if you get it booked by Labor Day.   The sample you see pictured here was made by a student using that fun Pre Pieced denim.   Great fabric choices don’t you think?

 

Generations

The post I was going to write for you today can wait till next week,    I need to share a wonderful thing that has been unfolding here at the shoppe.     To tell you I will start over a year ago when a woman came in to take a hand piecing workshop with me.   She did a great job and went on with life.    Hadn’t seen her in quite a while when she came in with two others one younger, one older.    Together they were three generations of women who wanted to work together to make a wallhanging quilt for and about their farm.    So we got started talking about designs right then and there and before they left we had settled on a next meeting date and chosen a basic design and some fabrics.    They have come back several more times and were here this morning to learn some basic embroidery so that the picture blocks can get colored and stitched.     It is a truly amazing project.

inspiration for coloring and stitching

I am so enjoying watching them make choices at each step, from fabrics printed with particular animals, plants, and objects of significance to fussy cut,  to choosing photographs to trace for embroidery and coloring,  there is meaning in every single bit of this for them.    Even the tree next to the barn that was the setting for a wedding.   It is reminding me of why I love this industry.   There are few things that put so much significance into tangible form across generations quite like a quilt.     I promise that when it is finished I will share some photos of our family of quilters and their project.  I am just feeling all warm and fuzzy about it and needed to tell you all.   I hope it inspires you to share your projects,  the process, and possibly work together across generations at least once.    In this digital world, we could all benefit from this kind of sharing.

Tomorrow we have our Block of the Month meeting,  we will be doing the last of the blocks.    If you have fallen behind due to summer and/or just life in general I want to encourage you to come to Work in Progress Wednesday to try to catch up.   In September we will have our final meeting and discuss assembly,  optional border choices,  and quilting.

Next Saturday August 10 is Chair Yoga for stitchers,  at one o’clock.    Please do call and let me know if you are planning to attend.   Last month it was dangerously hot and many decided to stay home, so if you are planning on attending please confirm.    Having a seat count ahead of time means I know if I need to take down tables or not.

Have a great day