Time to Quilt

Spring is in the air. Flowers are in bloom. Leaves are on the trees. Lawns are being mowed. Gardens are being planted. 

BUT - it's also time to quilt! 

Warmer weather is here and we like to get outside and do things we couldn't do all winter. The kids have sports to play. The river/lake/ocean are calling for you to visit. 

But - it's also time to quilt! 

The days are longer. We like to get together with family and friends to go do things. There are festivals, camping, vacations, carnivals, craft shows to attend and enjoy. 

But - it's also time to quilt! 

Like the room we always have for jello ( or ice cream and chocolate chip cookies) we always have time to quilt.  For just a few minutes a day or a week. There are fabrics to shop for while out seeing the country. There are new patterns to find and buy and make quilts from. 

And a quilt doesn't have to be large to be a quilt. Do something small that you can take with you to work on in the spare moments you have. Or to take with you so when you meet someone who wants to learn you can teach someone to quilt.

Remember - it's also time to quilt - even for just a few minutes every day or so. 

And when you get that quilt done..... let me know - I can do the longarm work for you! Because at my house.... it's always time to longarm (and quilt). 

Til next time....
keep those needles stitching,
ideas flowing,
and quilts growing. 

I'll be waiting.....

 

Show Time

My first show of the year is already done. It is the only quilt show that I do. Pictured is just a part of what I took this year, as I also included the signs I make with my other company, Winding Road Creations.

This is more of what was in our booth. Plus we had fabrics for sale. 

I have a show with the signs coming up this weekend and then will be working on longarming 7 quilts! 
After some time away from quilting it will feel good to be back at it. 

I've learned that once quilting is in your blood it may be there to stay.  I've talked with a few ladies who are planning to get away from quilting for one reason or another and they are having a hard time. The hardest part is not buying more fabric. Just the joy of seeing it, touching it and then owning it! You don't have to do anything with it, just have it. 

May your fabric stashes be full, but like jello - may you always have room for just a little bit more. 

Til next time..... 
Keep the stitches going. 

Phyllis

Snowman Memories

" Snowman Memories" is my latest quilt. It is made with the Fill in the Blanks 2 quilt pattern by Sue Jones. Snowman fabric was also purchased from her. 

Photos of this quilt have been seen by more people than I can count it seems. It's photo has been shared around the world. I posted it a couple of times on Facebook pages and my own page. Many have shared the photos onto their own pages.  I am honored!  

About the quilt:
The blocks came as an outlined pattern on the fabric. I then used a three step process and colored them with colored pencils. Some are assuming it was done with crayons. Some have shared my post and said it was an embroidered quilt. Neither is true. 

When you see a quilt you like don't assume you know how it was made. What it looks like and what it really is may be different. For the one who actually made it it is important that the information that gets spread around is correct. Share what is correct. 

This is part rant as well as part sharing of my quilt. I hope you enjoy viewing the quilt (that is NOT for sale) as well as understand my frustration of those who don't pay attention to what the truth is. 

Til next time.... 
keep those needles stitching
the details explained
the facts true. 

---- Phyllis----
 

IN THE BEGINNING

Remember this? 

It almost seems like a lifetime ago. It was my beginning. 

We all start somewhere. 

No matter what you do we all start at the beginning. 
For work we start with training or schooling, or both. 
For hobbies we either attend classes or group gatherings to learn or we do research and watch others to learn. 
For owning our own business - we earn a college degree to learn how to 'do it right', or we learn as we go through trial and error until we get it right where we want it. 

Same goes for quilting. We all started out not knowing what we were doing. Some started at a young age watching and helping a parent or grandparent. Others started much later in life and learned by taking classes, pairing up with others who were quilters, or just watching videos. And we all began thinking, "I can't possibly do 'THAT'!"

Then some time passes, you keep learning, keep quilting and suddenly you hear others looking at your work and saying, "I can't possibly do 'THAT'!" And you think, "Really? that was easy."  And you add, "Let me show you." And suddenly you are teaching others what you yourself, not that long ago, thought was difficult to nearly impossible to do.  

For you who are new to quilting or still in the wanna be stage of quilting but think they can never do a quilt like some you may see online or in person.... remember their first quilts didn't look like there current one. It takes time, practice, some frustration, trial and error, a good seam ripper, good fellow quilters to help you and encourage you, and ends with a great feeling of satisfaction of: "I MADE THAT!"

 This is my recently finished quilt. Complete with blocks I colored first. This is a technique I learned not that long ago and within a few months was already teaching our guild members how to do! 

As was once told to me before I got started..... 

"YOU CAN DO IT!"

til next time...... 

enjoy your quilting process! 

Phyllis
  

Quilting Again - feels good

I took a break from quilting over the holidays. Customer quilts were all caught up so I had time to catch up on other things. Including working in my other company, Winding Road Creations, that makes rustic signs! 
Having said that you may think I am taking time away from my quilting time to make the signs instead. No. I just organize my time to handle both. 

I am now back in the swing of quilting. The quilt above I finished piecing last year, after coloring each block but it was waiting for an opening on the longarm to be finished. I had the opening and I ended up a bit snow bound last week and quilted it. 

I have also made these two 'fold and stitch' 3D wreaths. I have one more ready for the final touches to be added. They are fun, but very time consuming to make. The yellow/gray/black one is already sold! 

I hope that you all have been busy quilting. Christmas may be over but there are so many other holidays and reasons to quilt. Family, friends, charity, memory quilts, baby quilts....

If you don't quilt.... don't forget you can always contact me to make one. If you have one ready to be longarmed...... That is our specialty! 

Til next time....
Keep those needles stitching
The seams straight and pressed
The threads cut
and
The quilts accumulating. 
and remember --- 
There are no quilt police! 
Do what you love and love what you do. 
  ---- Phyllis---

Merry Christmas

Taking time out to wish each of you a 

Very Merry Christmas!

 

Summer Gone?

Hard to believe that summer is so close to being over. Here in TN school began last week and the drive to work is slowed down due to all the buses and school zones. 

Craft/quilting season, which never really ends, is gearing back up as y'all begin to realize how near Christmas is. Yes, I said Christmas. 
 
I am busy longarming quilts for customers, and working on two that I'm piecing as well. One as a gift, one for us (or a gift). Another one is in the beginning stages of prep work, and two more are in the planning stages. When you (I) design them as well as make them, it takes a bit longer.

In my 'spare' time I'm busy making more quilted art wall hangings. I love each one I make more than the one before it!  So much fun to make. Very time consuming, but fun. 

In my even 'more spare' time my hubby and I have begun doing wooden signs and plan to play around with other items to use our new Silhouette Cameo machine for. We just started this past week on those, so it will take some practice, learning, questions, tutorials and any other method of learning I can find.

Never stop learning. Never stop trying. Never stop exploring new things. 

Here are the quilting art wall hangings. 

 These last several are all for sale.  Contact me for information. 

While you enjoy the end of summer and plan for cooler temps, remember - it's always a good time for a quilt!  Need a longarmer?  Contact me. I'll be glad to discuss the details.  
New to quilting? Have questions? I love to help and if you live close enough contact me for a class or two. 

Till next time. 

Keep the needles stitching, 

the creative juices flowing, 

and the dreams alive. 

Phyllis