"not so straight, not so narrow"

An Iowa Quilt
Made from 70 6 1/2 inch plaid squares cut in half to 6 1/2 by 3 1/4 inches. 

Red strips in each row, cut 6 1/2 inches long: 2 cut 1 3/4", 2 cut 1 1/2", 2 cut 1 1/4", 1 cut 1". 

(I cut some 6 1/2 inch red strips then cut my little strips from them.) 

What I like about this quilt: 

The plaids recede to background and are not on a grid because of the uneven sizes of the red strips. 

But, because of planning and using the reds in equal numbers in each row, the rows stay the same length. 
Made commemorating marriage equity in Iowa.

thrifty block

I love this wonderful block from Bonnie Hunter's book. My sashings are cut 2 inches instead of 2 1/2. I am awaiting finding a great cranberry fabric for the border. It is in my head, not on my shelves or of any fabric story I've been to.
Eve and I are back from a college tour trip to St Louis. My first time there--I really enjoyed it. The redbud was blooming.
We stopped in several thrifts and added a new stack of plaids to my life. I need ideas for what to do with buttons.

vintage block

I liked the simple vintage block Bonnie showed over at Scraps and threadtales'. The block is huge, 17 1/2 inch finished.
I am working on cutting down about 15 years of thrifted shirts that I had taken apart, but were not organized well (kept the backs, cut everything else down to 6 1/2", 2 1/2", 2", and 1 1/2", and random crumbs).
Whenever I got really tired of ironing and cutting, I'd make a few more parts for this quilt.
A simple pleasure of quiltmaking is the surprise I get when the raw blocks from the design board finally get sewn together--the transformation sometimes is startling.

ready for auction and feeding the stash

My Sarah's Sisters group at church helped me name these quilts for the auction this weekend. First is Green Whimsy, second is Chicago Blues.
The second is based on Bonnie Hunter's Crayon Box.

Sleeves for Sharon.
I found some of the most lovely shirts I have ever discovered yesterday at the Village in my hunt to replenish my stash (which does not need replenishing) . And, while cleaning the basement, found some more that I had bought earlier. Here they are all trimmed and pressed, a stack for my neighbor who swaps sleeves with me from our thrift shop finds.

another stretched star

Andy and I went to Nashville for a few days. Enjoyed the food and music, and had a little time to bind this second stretched star quilt in the style of Kathie, made with blocks I mistakenly had sewn to go the wrong way for the one I made in December.
I really like this quilt and may just have to keep it. Quilted with the squiggly lines on my Bernina.

I did a talk about quilting at a local older adults center. I go there with my nursing students in the fall. In November they were working on the spring calendar and asked if I had any topics to present. I decided against a health one and offered to show some of my quilts.
I had 7 attending--we sat around a table, studying and touching each quilt. I brought about 6 that I made and 6 old ones. I also brought an unquilted top so they could study the construction on the back.
I miss teaching quilting at the arts center--they closed last fall. I need to find another place to teach.

happy, happy anniversary

We celebrate our 25th anniversary on St Patrick's Day, and hosted coffee hour at church today. Today is also Eve's birthday. I was too busy to take photographs while the reception happened--I saw someone with a camera, so I hope to get a few pictures.


Two of our nephews helped with the day. We all went out to eat afterward.

broken

My machine quit working last evening--no loud noises, no smoke, no warning. The needle just stopped engaging.
While getting it ready to take to the repair shop, I had it on its side and noticed a button that looked like a resolution button. This machine is the Bernina 1530, one of the early computerized machines. I bought it in about 1993. The past 6 months I thought the screen was burning out as it was very difficult to read. I would move the mouse as far as I thought would be enough by memory to get to different stitches.
It turns out someone had turned the resolution button way down. Finding this out at home saved me from my fear of a big ticket repair and from embarrassment at the repair shop.
It is difficult being in the house without a working machine--my backup is at the arts center. I took in the 830 found at the thrift too--we are going to have it set up for the rest of the family--maybe it will keep them away my machine and from the resolution button---, the one I didn't know existed despite 17 years of daily sewing!

urban planning

More shirt parts.
I wanted to encourage use of lights, (and this quilt certainly uses up a lot of them) playing with the negative space.
Rows are 6 lights and 5 darks, cut 2 1/2 by 4 1/2 inches.
Alternating rows are random pieced lights, made from 2 1/2 inch strips.
Borders are from 6 1/2 inch strips.
I have been cutting down all shirt parts (except the backs, I leave them alone for odd shaped pieces) into strips 1 1/2", 2", 2 1/2" and 6 1/2".
My mother reminded me of her stacked bricks quilt she made in the 1970s out of wool scraps, shown below. She used an old coat of hers for the background rectangles. My recent quilts seem to be channeling this quilt.

irons

There is much discussion among quilters about which iron is best. I had a Rowenta that I liked for its weight. I don't understand why manufacturers boast about their light weight irons--makes you have to push down harder using your shoulder muscles.
But, the Rowenta spit alot, giving me several burns, so I finally only used it with a spray bottle. I had it fixed once at great expense, and the second time it died I threw it away.
By then I had discovered the joy of using an old non-steam iron. They have no holes to catch little points on quilt parts and get so hot I rarely need to use a spray bottle, the ambient moisture in the fabrics is enough.
I pick them up at yard sales and thrift shops. The sole plates clean easily because there are no steam holes to get gunked up.
These four are now in my collection (I also just like how they look).
The Sunbeam is really heavy. The other three are General Electric.
Two are 1100 watts, two are 1000 watts.
I also love my old General Electric Waffle Iron.

This is my second one, my first wore out. I love it because there is no teflon so it really bakes rather than steams the waffles.
So, search the thrifts or yard sales. Unless you live in Chicago, where I ask that you forget everything you read here so I can find these remaining treasures.

common

When I wasn't feeling well, my friend Barbara told me to haul out my quilt magazines and find an "old favorite" pattern that I've always wanted to do but just never got to.
I've always liked the Boston Commons. (I love the idea that this park and city center is named for the common pasture. My home town's common pasture became the park behind my grandparents house when they retired from the farm.)
My construction of the pattern is a bit different from the traditional. Made with shirt parts, it is indeed common. It was a contemplative piece in that I had to use pins on for each patch to ensure the staggered bricks came out correctly. (I rarely use pins other than for borders.)
I will keep it common by not adding a border, just a dark binding.

Bricks finish 2" by 4", except for occasional 2 by 2 and 2 by 6 inch pieces needed to make the design. I cut the edge triangles from quartered 4 1/2 inch squares. It floats it a bit.

my beloved knitters

When Paul was 4 and starting preschool I made friends with these women who all had children starting school. We met to knit weekly and our called ourselves "Tuesday Knitters". Our older children are now in their 20s. We gather annually on Super Bowl Sunday. I look forward to this every year.

anniversary quilts

These quilts were made for my parents' 45th and 50th anniversaries.
The 45 Tulips are from Mary Hickey's Angle Antics--a book with many errors so if you have an old copy, make sure you check with the publisher for corrections. I found a few errors they did not have on their list. It was quilted by VJ Smith, the most amazing machine quilter I ever worked with.
The second quilt, for their 50th anniversary, was hand quilted by my mother's neighbor, Mrs. Bolks. She quilted two wedding rings in each golden star.

auction quilt

My mother bought this wonderful redwork quilt included in a box of linens at an auction near home, and discovered her grandmother's name embroidered in one of the blocks! Carrie (Graada) Diekevers is on the top block along with a lot of other Diekevers.
I love the swan (duck?) and the owls. I will get a photograph of the whole quilt next time I'm home.

Bible Story Theater 2009--Ruach The Breath of God

My photos aren't so good this year of the big cast. Here is Eve as the Tree of Life, Seth and his classmates as Ezekiel's Dry Bones, and, the narrators, Earth Wind Fire and Water, in costumes that only about 10 people in the audience got the joke, but, for those 10 people, it was so worth it.

road not taken

In 2004 I prepared a few pieces to present to a jury for inclusion in the Illinois Artisans Shop. I only got a few done when I decided to go back to nursing and did not have the time to focus on production of enough pieces to apply.
I love this little piece that was part of that endeavor. It is about 18 by 24 inches, made from hand dyed scraps from several projects. Working freely with fabrics in starting this project has greatly influenced my quiltmaking since.

solstice

I am home, trying to keep quiet for a while until classes start again. I am pulling out a few projects that were just about done, then the little bit left forgotten. This quilt was made 5 1/2 years ago for Paul's eight grade graduation; totally completed--even the label, except for the sleeve being tacked down. It took about 15 minutes, and is now done. I had made Paul a treasure box with that wonderful solstice fabric when he was about six. He kept stones and shells and bits in it, now I see it has Magic Cards in it and Seth uses it.
I love the Irish Chain pattern--it can be any mood you want it to be with simple fabric choices.

together!

We did manage to all be in the same state and time zone for about a day on January 4th. Andy and Eve had been on the East Coast. Here also is Katie, the reason for Paul to be in Nebraska. Of all of us in the photographs, only the 11 year old was at a rockin' New Years Eve Party. How pathetic is that?

addenda: I just noticed the traditional Japanese Warrior who attended the Christ Child in the nativity scene above our heads. There was a Star Wars Storm Trooper holding baby Jesus at another scene I took down today.

Merry Christmas!

From the Davis and Dykstra family. (Paul is stranded on the plaines of Nebraska)

stretched stars

I used the idea from Kathie's Plaid kits to make my own version of stretched stars for my dear friend and neighbor. Sharon and I are both thrift shoppers for plaid shirts and give each other a sleeve from every shirt we buy.
I cut the greens 4 1/2 inch square and the reds 2 1/2 inches.
Also, when you are not paying attention, the stars go different ways. So, a second little quilt will come soon from the backwards stars.

let us get back to quilting!

Today is my last day with students, the paperwork is nearly complete, the anxiety of the next classes is several weeks away, hospice work is manageable--time to return to quilting--and quilt blogging!
I have managed a bit of sewing now and then, have been working on crumb blocks for this piece that is growing nicely.

I have this quilt for my sister Beth--I intended to give it to her two years ago, got the machine binding and most of the handwork done last year, and have about 1/2 hour of hand sewing left on it. It has been in use on the couches for the past year, the kids have used it with pins in it, they are very careful around quilts. I love that Hoffman peacock feather fabric in the border. It had been on my shelves for at least a decade. There was about 6 inches of it left over after using it in this wide border.

city life

Things that a farm girl transported to the city takes delight in:
--the el and buses--you step out of your door and the city is at your footsteps; for 2 bucks, you can go anywhere!
--multi story stores--I love the Dominicks and Targets and Home Depots that are on two or more floors; you take an escalator and your cart takes it along side you, racing to see if it gets there before you. As a child we loved going to Yonkers in Sioux Falls because they had escalators--the store people must have hated us farm kids who could have spent the whole day on those things.
--being in the flight path of the President--our house in in the flight path of the secret service helicopters, and when the president or vice president or president elect is going somewhere, we get strafed.
--alleys--wonderful part of Chicago is the number of alleys, secondary thoroughfares where so much happens. When I was pregnant with Seth and trying to take a nap, I told Paul he could not bring neighbor kids into the house so I could have quiet. I awoke to a house full of Polish speaking kids--I scolded Paul, "I said no neighbor kids" and he replied, "they aren't neighbor kids, they are alley kids". Apparently, in his mind, neighbors were just kids who lived on our street, those who lived across the alley were fair game. Alleys are also great for dumpster diving and for putting out things you hope someone will take off your hands. I love the metal scavenger trucks that are piled with all sorts of discards of our lives.

turkeys

Finn shows her Country Threads quilt on her site--here is mine. I made mine in 1993 as part of a guild challenge, so the fabrics were set. I could add only one. I don't remember which one I added. I did use the wrong sides of most of the fabrics to increase my selections.
Here is my favorite turkey.

I worked at the hospice on Thanksgiving; we went out to the Phoenix in Chinatown for supper and I cooked our feast on Friday.
Holidays are good days to work, other than the missing my own family part of it. The patients and families are thankful that the patient lived to the holiday and are in a state of grace.
It is funny, though, to work on New Years Eve and get the Estate Call. A patient will die in the evening and, like clockwork, about 2 hours later, a phone call will come from a family member, usually a son-in-law or brother-in-law, asking us to hold off the time of death until after the new year for tax purposes. We always politely tell them that we cannot do this, and they always apologise but say they thought it was worth a phone call. There is a little thing called FRAUD we are dealing with here. My L&D friends get inductions before New Years Eve for the same reason, to get the baby born in the right tax year. Folks, let these things happen in their own time.

Sarah's Sisters

These are several members of my church group, Sarah's Sisters; very important people in my life. (that's me on the right)
Our name was chosen from the story in Genesis where Sarah laughed, and we have much laughter in our group.
We meet on Wednesday mornings to make sack lunches for homeless/hungry people in the neighborhood and take on other projects in the church. I haven't been able to attend this fall due to my teaching schedule, and look forward to being back there in a few weeks.