AMB Winners & Quilting Options

The winners of the give aways for New Mexico's stop on the AMB tour are announced at the end of this post.

I've managed to find a bit of time to put the borders on Sweet Loreta's quilt top and picked up a length of green print from Albuquerque's Quilt Works, pieced some extras into it and have the backing ready to go.

 I love what the border is doing for this quilt.  (Not loving the fact that I couldn't find a spot without a breeze or sun shining through in order to photograph it.)

I also love the way the pieces worked into the 10 extra inches I needed in the backing.  If the backing were the quilt, it might have to be named "River of Tranquility."  I'm looking forward to seeing it after quilting.

I did have three blocks left and was wondering how the variegated Affinity thread would look,  so I decided to create a runner to try out the thread  because I thought I might prefer a solid color for the larger spaces.  Of course, for years I've wanted to make a cover for the keyboard of the piano my mother purchased in 1967.  It was a demonstration model for the showroom floor, built to demonstrate the musicality of Wurlitzer workmanship, and, as such, it was built without the usual cover for the keys.  I've kept various fabric runners over the keys, but as I worked with the wonderful fabrics for Loreta's quilt,  I knew those colors would look refreshing in my living room.

I'm glad I decided to do a test run.  This lovely thread doesn't really work that well on the solid fabric, partly because the design requires quite a bit of backtracking and partly because from a distance the design tends to disappear.

The thread adds a great deal of interest to the patchwork, so I'll use it there, and probably in the quilt border.  I haven't made a final decision.

The runner is giving me a chance to play with some free motion designs that I've been drawing in my head and in my notebook.  I do not yet know if this butterfly will make it onto Loreta's quilt, but it made it onto the runner.

I did something I seldom do; I drew a few lines on the fabric with the blue disappearing marker.  I'm not sure I'd need to do that next time.

I also added a new collage to my blog header, but I haven't yet decided if I like that either.

Now for the winners of the AMB blog tour's New Mexico stop.
Winning the bundle of American Made Brand fat quarters is Quilting Babcia of Amity Quilter.
The winner of the strip set to make the New Mexico Block is Barb of Nana Barb's Musings.
They have been e-mailed, but if I don't hear from them, I'll generate some more random numbers Friday night.  (I made it a little harder on myself, I guess, because I had to insert numbers for the people who e-mailed me directly, but I did want everyone who wanted to enter to have a chance.)
I especially thank AMB for asking me to be part of this tour and all the people who found my blog and started following as a result.  I feel like I was a winner too since I've discovered new blogs to follow as well, not just from the people who posted on the tour blogs but also from those who began following me.  I do love the world of quiltmakers!

Happy quiltmaking...and knitting....,

AMB New Mexico Give-Away: Last Chance

Today is the last day to enter New Mexico's Give Away for the American Made Brand Blog Tour. and your chance to win a pack of pre-cuts of this lovely fabric or a mini-kit to make the NM Block.

To enter, read and comment on this linked blog post.

Happy quiltmaking....

Tutorial: New Mexico AMB Blog Tour Block

Here's the New Mexico Block for the American Made Brand Blog Tour:

I made a chart to help with cutting, piecing, and organizing.

I also made a chart in EQ7 that showed a bit more detail to help me envision fabric placement:

It's not entirely accurate since I cut the top and bottom strips wider than the colored strips.

We can print this photo and write in colors and measurements or use the chart below.

For this block, cut the top and bottom strips of dark butter fabric 13 inches by 1.5 inches.
All other strips are cut 1.25 inches wide.

New Mexico’s AMB Road Trip Measurements

Column 1	Column 2	Column 3a	Column 3b
60 dark butter 13"
33 aqua*	34 dark aqua*
32 light aqua*	97 light sky*
81 dark tomato 3"	113 forest 4.5 "	85 periwinkle 3"	8 light yellow 4.5"
37 dark orange 4"	22 dark green 4.5"	28 dark purple 2.75	68 gold 3.75”
78 dark fuchsia 5"	24 olive 4.5"	69 dark gold 5"
61 brick 6"	18 lime 4.5 "	72 rust 4"
60 dark butter 13"

When I pieced my block, I began by piecing the brick/lime/rust row and then worked toward the top of the chart. For each of the strips of color we turn the seam toward the darker fabric and finger press (or press with an iron). 

I found I stayed more organized if I sewed each new row to the previous row as I worked upward. I waited until I had finished the entire block to press the horizontal seams toward the top of the block.

*When we reach the blues, piece diagonally, as shown below, placing the fabric to the right in the finished strip on top of the left color; then sew from top to bottom where the fabrics cross.

Once seamed, we can trim the seam to 1/4 inch and turn it toward the darker fabric.

Then choose a pleasing spot to align with the next strips, cut to 13" and sew to the colors.

Once the entire block has been well pressed, trim it so that it measures 12.5 inches wide and 6.5 inches high.

Once the block was pieced, I used a red Micron 01 pen.

I slipped two sheets of card stock between the seam and the top layer to make a smoother surface on which to write. 

I placed a ruler on top of the card stock and fabric so that I could be sure my writing would not end up within the seam when this block gets pieced into a quilt top.

 I centered "New Mexico" on the top dark butter strip.

I wrote "Land of Enchantment" on the lightest blue strip.

Cautions:
Be sure to stitch scant 1/4 inch seams.  Because there are eight rows in this block, it is very easy to to multiply even a tiny error in seam allowances so that the block is not the correct size.

You may have noticed that I added side borders of dark butter to my block.  This is because when the section of strips was finished, it was just shy of 12.5 inches.  Therefore, I revised the chart so that the strips on the ends were longer so that when you trim, there will be no need for those tiny side borders.

Give-Away:
The Give-Away for this blog stop is on this linked post (*not* on the one you are reading now).
It includes a little bundle of AMB fat quarters and, for a second winner, a mini-kit of the strips used to make this block. Deadline for the drawings: Wednesday, June 25. This give away is closed.

Links to the other 49 blogs and blocks are available on this linked web page.

The great thing about this cotton is that it is grown, spun, woven, and dyed in the United States. Of course, it is wonderful that it comes in a wide range of colors, has a lovely hand that makes it perfect for quilts, clothing, and a wide range of little projects, and is available at a great price.

Thank you to Clothworks/AMB and all the wonderful bloggers who designed and posted license plate blocks reflecting their states.  Thank you as well to all the bloggers who helped promote this blog tour.

Happy travels.....

New Mexico's AMB Give-Away

You've arrived at New Mexico's stop on the American Made Brand Blog Tour.

Here is the New Mexico block, license plate sized.

This 12 X 6 inch block was made to honor Clothworks' new American Made Brand cotton.  The great thing about this cotton is that it is grown, spun, woven, and dyed in the United States. Of course, it is wonderful that it comes in a wide range of colors, has a lovely hand that makes it perfect for quilts, clothing, and a wide range of little projects, and is available at a great price. In exchange for creating this block, I was provided with an AMB color card and a swatch of each color.  I'll be sending this block back to AMB so it can become part of a quilt that will be seen at the 2014 Fall International Quilt Festival.

About New Mexico

New Mexico was the 47th state, admitted to the union January 6, 1912. One hundred and two years later, many people who should know better think we are part of a nation to the south. This link on Ask.com, accessed today, claims we are a state in Mexico rather than part of the United States of America. Of course, you can glean more information about New Mexico on Wikipedia. I'm going to share some additional, more personal, information about the state where I've lived for nearly 26 years.

As a very young reader, I became intrigued with New Mexico when my family visited Rosemary and Ray Satterfield in El Paso, Illinois. They had a huge stack of New Mexico magazines they had subscribed to for many years. I loved reading the magazines while the grown-ups talked--and dreaming of a future visit.  (Of course, my classmate, Jane Panther, had already visited 47 states, so I knew it was possible.)

When I was in college, one of my former roommates enrolled in a master's program in TESOL at UNM in Albuquerque, and I flew out to spend 10 days visiting her and exploring Albuquerque, Santa Fe, and other nearby sites.  My experience was that New Mexico was living up to its reputation as The Land of Enchantment. (That phrase became part of our license plates in 1941 and our state's official motto in 1999.)

Although most people driving across New Mexico along an east-west route travel via I-40, they encounter constant reminders of Route 66; although various portions of the original Route 66 have been renamed, portions of the original route are still in existence.  When I arrived, I first lived in Gallup and taught on the Navajo reservation. While our state is a "majority-minority" state, meaning Anglos are in the minority,  my teaching jobs for the Gallup-McKinley Schools (the district covers more land area than the entire state of Connecticut) and on the Zuni Pueblo, gave me not only a deep appreciation for those cultures but also new personal experiences being a minority.

While outsiders often assume New Mexicans speak Spanish,  the most common languages are English, Spanish, and Navajo, in that order.  In addition a variety of other languages are heard, including a variety of Native American languages, including seven Tewa dialects.  The Zuni language is not related to the other languages.  In fact, Zuni was an unwritten language until the 1970's when Wycliffe Bible translators arrived on the Pueblo. While some people assume we have some kind of amalgamated Native American Culture, the fact is that each tribe and pueblo is quite distinct. Our state constitution is written in both English and Spanish, both official languages of the state. It is fairly common for citizens to be bilingual or trilingual.

There are countless incidents of otherwise bright people failing to recognize that we are one of the 50 states of the United States.  A couple decades ago a bureaucrat at the IRS called our Senator Domenici reminding him that he needed to fill out his tax return as a resident alien (a failure of reason on several levels)!  Each month New Mexico Magazine publishes several anecdotes of such incidents.  And yes, despite the fact that the New Mexico Territory included portions of present day California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Colorado, I have seen a map that acknowledged the other states and omitted us!

A few years ago, the state began adding "USA" after New Mexico; I was glad.  I know that the officer who stopped me in Topeka, KS before the USA was added probably thought I was in the country illegally.  (I've often wondered if he was surprised to see that two of the occupants were Chinese?!)

Aside from sunshine and blue skies nearly every day, one of the things I value most about New Mexico is our diversity and the fact that our citizens value that diversity.  Therefore,  I used  many colors in this block to represent our diversity.

My blog will publish directions for making the New Mexico block on Saturday, June 21 at noon Mountain Daylight Time.

Readers can register for two give-aways.
The first is a bundle of fat quarters from American Made Brand.

A second drawing will be for a kit of strips that are used in the New Mexico block.

Earn entries to the drawings by leaving a comment on this post and following my blog by e-mail or a feed such as Bloglovin (links in column to the right) or other format.  (If you subscribe by the e-mail subscription link to the right of this column, you will need to check the e-mail address with which you subscribe and verify your subscription or you will not be subscribed.)

1. You may earn one entry by leaving a comment that includes the name of the state where you live.

2. Earn a second entry by leaving a comment that lets me know how you are following this blog. 

Please note that this blog does not allow anonymous comments and that I must be able to e-mail the winners (so if your profile does not include your e-mail address, please include it).  For this drawing, winners must have a U.S. mailing address; this is a condition required by AMB due to the expense of foreign postage (very sorry, world-wide readers).

If any spam gets through, of course I will delete it.

The winners will be drawn on Wednesday, June 25 and will be notified via e-mail. Failure to respond will result in another winner being drawn on June 27. (While I usually reply to comments, that's probably not going to happen this time; however, I rejoice in every comment and in every opportunity to make new friends.)

      As of 8:39 PM Wednesday, June 25, 2014, comments are closed for this post.

Good luck!

You can find links to the other 49 blog stops here.

Happy quiltmaking and knitting.....,

Winner and Mid-Week Report

Something very exciting happened.....

 

 I won some wonderful fabrics from Marcia at Little Pink Rose Quilting and Sewing. Marcia's blog is here. These are Pat Bravo's Art Gallery fabrics.  Some people have mentioned that they are hard to find.  Marcia has them waiting for you!

Undoubtedly I can  count on one hand the number of times in my lifetime that I have won something and still have plenty of fingers left over.  (And that is despite the fact that since my head injury last March, I have entered more give-aways than I can count.)

These are destined for either a prayer quilt or a baby quilt (although, I should say that every quilt I make is a prayer quilt since praying has blessed me as much as the recipients).

Thank you, Marcia!

 This is where the latest quilt sits--not quite stalled, but no stitches added yesterday, because I was wiped out between my horrible headache and the visit to the rehab specialist in Albuquerque.  I'm not sure I've ever gotten out of his office in less than two hours.  However, he did make an important phone call and on Friday I have an appointment with one of the best neurologists in the state.  (So, if you don't count the fact that the injury occurred over six months ago, I'm getting to see a neurologist after far less than the usual three to six month wait.)

 

Last Saturday I ran into my friend Ruth at a yard sale and told her I've been looking for some kind of portable cabinet to hold my 1000 yard spools of quilting thread.  She texted me on Monday to let me know she had something for me that she thought would work.

 So I stopped to see her on the way home.  Not only does it have drawers to hold at least 18 spools of thread, but it also has a place for me to keep my notebook of plans and notes.  I couldn't resist giving it a little polish with real furniture polish.

 This tin that I picked up at a thrift store is what I've been keeping smaller spools in, but now I'll use it to transport my tools to quilting meetings.

 Of all the sunflowers I planted, this is the only one that isn't yellow.  I'm guessing we won't get one of the red ones this year.

 I have one little blooming Cosmos.  (I planted them late and feared I'd get no blooms at all.)

 I purchased some mums for a little more fall color.

 The pinks are still blooming....

 and this little one that has not done well at all looks like it's deciding to give life a go.

 I purchased six pansies too--then forgot to transplant them, then remembered but didn't know if they'd be okay.  Well, they are turning around....

thanks to my Sweet Teen's favorite kind of day.  Yes, we are so overcast that no one would guess there are mountains beyond that hill!  (Isn't it funny that I moved to New Mexico in part because I love the sunshine, and my daughter is determined to move to a place where it rains and is cloudy a LOT more!)

 Although I'm not making as much progress as I wanted to make, I am going to link to Freshly Pieced, where you will find links to the blogs of people who have been a lot more productive than I have been.

Happy quiltmaking.....

Blog Hop Party Give Away Winner

This is the announcement of the the winner of a small collection of my hand-dyed fabrics from the Blog Hop Back to School Party.

 

I am thrilled to have so many new followers--I've loved checking out blogs that were new to me and meeting new quilters.  It's been so much fun to discover bloggers with whom I have things in common.

(Living out here in the middle of nowhere, I don't have a local quilt guild where I can meet other quiltmakers.)

The winner of these fabrics is Rosemary, who blogs at The Knitting Quilter. 
I wish I had a whole room full of hand dyes to give away!

This was the first time I've participated in a blog hop and give away.  It won't be the last.  It was so much fun that I'll be doing it again--maybe I can do it when I get close to the next 100 followers.

Happy quiltmaking......

 

Quilt Progress, Tatting, Lucky Finds

If you came here looking for the give-away that runs through September 4, you will find it on this post.

I spent 2.5 hours in the office of the rehab doctor on Tuesday before he managed to get to me for a 10 minute procedure, there was no time left to run errands (in fact we had to do some car hopping and driver changes in order to get me home).  So yesterday I needed to head into Albuquerque for a couple of purchases, and on the way in I stopped at Good Will.  While I realize lots of people find great bargains at Good Will, it's much more rare here, although five or ten years ago I found wonderful things.  However, yesterday I did find some sweet things.

First the quilting progress:

 I'm trying to decide which of these two threads to use in the border of Little Miss Gardener, the quilt for the new great niece who will arrive in early October.  The thread on the right is Fil-Tec Glide and the one on the left is Fil-Tec Affinity, which is the same as the Glide except it's variegated.  (You might want to take advantage of their sale on Magna-Glide bobbins, which will continue for a few days.  No, I don't work for them.  I just love their threads. I use their size L magnetic bobbins in my Class 15 sewing machines.)

Yes, I will do a tutorial on quilting a feathery border, although I've decided to make it continuous around the entire quilt, which is not the way I do it most frequently.

 Here is the quilt so far, in all it's feathery goodness.  The tutorial for how to do the feathered plumes in the snowball blocks is here.

Good Will purchases:

 Two sets of embroidered pillowcases.   They are 100% cotton, so I'm guessing the cases were purchased in the 40s or 50s. Yes, I was amazed first that something of this quality was in that particular store, and more amazed that they had to have been destinedfor the variegated size 40 tatting thread I purchased this summer from Jess! at Tatilicious.

I suspect the pillow cases were never used  and that it was because an edging was never attached.  I have decided that rather than attach these edgings on the edge, I'll attach them on the hem.  A couple decades ago when I finished a set of pillow cases and sheet with embroidery and tatting, I did attach the lace at the the edge.  Despite the fact that I don't often use that set of sheets, the lace is coming apart in some places.  So I think this lace will last longer if it's on the hem.

Both of these lace edgings are narrow and my own design, because I had no idea how far 50 yards of thread would go--and I did end up ordering more.  I was going to come up with a tatted medallion for each pillow case, and I actually have finished one and have begun another, but the embroidery colors on these cases were so perfect that I just knew they were destined to have lace made from this gorgeous thread hand dyed by this wonderful young woman.

I almost didn't see these treasures.  The frames look like pecan wood--and the framing was done by Pic Frame in Alamagordo.  Beautiful stitching with all x's made properly and thread lying nicely.  We have hummingbirds all summer in our area and even more during migration season.  I'm thrilled to have these.

Okay, there were a couple of more purchases.  One was a file to sharpen the blades of my people-powered push mower because the vintage or antique (more likely) file I've inherited from Grandpa is not doing the job.  Neither the file nor the task is at all romantic, so no picture.

This was a splurge from Sunflower Markets/Sprouts  (they're in transition).  I have not had a slice of blueberry pie for decades!  No kidding.  By the time I was 11 or 12, pie making was my task.  My mom used a recipe from Mazola Oil  (at the time we had no idea I was allergic to corn products), and the pies were more like a tart.  My favorite was blueberry, but we rarely had blueberry filling.  (And now my favorite is cherry, but they had no cherry pies.)

Among my goals for today is to get at least the widest border of Little Miss Gardener done.  I'll take pictures as I work.

I'm linking to Melissa's Try New Things Thursday, despite the fact that attaching lace in a new place has nothing to do with quilting (except that bed quilts deserve to be accompanied by beautiful pillow cases).

Happy quiltmaking......