Erin Underwood Quilts

Many years ago I lost a good friend of mine in one of those slow, downhill declines that only cancer can do. Her family and mine have moved away but I’m pretty sure her husband and mine still share jokes via email. Every now and then I hear little tidbits about her youngest daughter, whether directly from her or through my own daughter who has seen her some where out and about. It is always good to know that she and her brother and sisters are doing well.

Last fall I was lucky enough to hear from that young lady again. She had a quilt her mother had made for her and because she had loved it soooo much, it was falling apart at the seams – literally… And she was hoping I could fix it. Naturally, I said yes and she sent it to me.

Not only was this quilt falling apart at the seams but in many, many and many more places, the fabric was shredding!

I was totally surprised about this – since I knew the fabric was only about 10-11 years old. Why, I had even contributed some of that fabric to the quilt – I recognized it right away when the quilt was returned to me.

I will digress a bit here and tell you that ironically, this is a quilt I talk about often in my classes when the To-Wash or Not-To-Wash debate comes up. My friend made this quilt mostly out of batiks that had not been washed and used a cotton batting that needed to be quilted an inch apart, so we knew it did not have much of a scrim in it. After the quilt was finished and bound, it was washed and shrunk 6″!!! It is still beautiful and wonderfully crinkly and soft too – very antique-y looking.

But back to the current issue, that fabric looked like it was a hundred years old. We’ve all seen what I’m talking about. Holes in the fabric or nothing left but what was sewn into the seams. And it was several different pieces of fabric, not just one troublesome color. I am attributing the short shelf life of all of this fabric to the its origins and especially to where it was purchased. Hint, Hint: You can get fabric there rather cheaply especially when you have a coupon.

So I spent several hours appliqueing pieces over the shredded pieces – hopefully this was the right thing to do, rather than removing it. And thankfully, since my friend had just wildly meandered all over the quilt, I was able to add more quilting in the same fashion to anchor down all the applique then cover the binding which was worn and splitting too since it was made from the same irksome fabric in the quilt.

So the moral of this story is you get what you pay for and if you really want it to last, pay for it!

My cat has agreed that this quilt was definitely worth saving!

I am honored to have been included in Shannon Shirley’s new book, Celebrate the Day with Quilts. The quilts from the book will be traveling for a while as a collection so check out those quilt shows and see if you can find them or better yet visit Once in a Rabbit Moon and see them for yourself!

Voices in My Head – Multiple Personalities Day, March 5th

Take a look at this – all the worry about colors has been done for you with this great kit from The Cozy Quilt Shop in El Cajon, CA. Love the colors!

https://www.cozyquilt.com/Aspx/ProductDetails.aspx?productID=4783

So I frequently don’t go into my sewing room on the weekends because if I want to work on something new, I have to move the current “work” I have going. Usually it is a goal directed project soon to be a pattern or artistic endeavor for my mini-group.

But this evening I have come up with a plan to sooth my need to sew and yet not have it always have to be about the next possible class, pattern or some other goal directed quilt.  Now I suppose we all have one of these…

What is it, you ask?  Why, it a box of scraps! Scraps that are important, have been important or will be important again some day! Its an IMPORTANT box! Everything in this box can be used some how, some way… So it has been diligently saved, pondered upon, organized occasionally and lovingly stored in plain site so as not to be forgotten.

But it is getting in the way. This studio is small enough and storage is at a premium. So the thought  that keeps popping into my head is to start using this stuff or get rid of it. And for Pete’s Sake, quit saving all those little bits and pieces! None of these thoughts have been acted upon but it could happen if I don’t start doing something about my little hoarding problem.

Just to prove my point – this cardboard box shoved into the corner of the big plastic box is 4″ x 6″ and about 6″ deep and filled with trim-able half-square triangles rescued from all those diagonal seams used to sew strips together! First came the triangles that I used as leaders and enders ala Bonnie K. Hunter style. Then, there was the plan to trim them down, of which I have done to some but they are in another box… you didn’t think this was my only box, did you? 😉

So my plan to sooth my addiction to the sewing machine is to complete a project out of the box every month (or so… I know I will slip up a bit). This will provide a lot of weekend sewing for me with no particular goal in mind. There are a lot of opportunities in that box. Some things are left over from other things or things that will never get completed with their original intentions or just pieces here and there that didn’t fit any category in my stash storage system so it became a “scrap”. So there is creativity galore just waiting to be discovered in that box of miscellaneous fabric – just waiting for me to be creative!

The first thing I think I’m going to play around with are the left-overs from a very poorly written pattern- not mine, of course- that never got completed past the center section. That particular quilt is now a table cloth for the coffee table to keep my hubby’s shoes from scratching the wood or to be more precise, to hide all the scuff marks he’s already put there.

Because there were a lot of pieces in that pattern, there was a lot of stuff pre-cut in my excitement to make the quilt. There’s a ton of 1-1/2″ strips, a few blocks, and the best news of all, there is even some of the fabric from this project still languishing in my stash! So I have a lot to work with here – with no particular goal in mind. I may keep it. It may go to charity. The possibilities are wide open right now… I’ll keep ya posted.

Maybe you might want to do the same thing – Use it or loose it! Just saying…

Its finished! Well, maybe almost – still might add  few more beads and there is still the label…

And now its off to a show! Our Fiber Dimensions art group is hanging our collection of Coastal Visions at the JCC Seigle ArtSpace  in Wilmington, Delaware. Show opens on Sunday, the 5th and hangs through February. This little baby will be displayed along with

Out of the Blue

and Midnight Flight

But that’s just my take on it. Other artists in Fiber Dimensions include Virginia Abrams, Barbara Tinsman, Mickey Irr, Ruth Oatman and Arlene Favreau-Pysher. Our talents cover a wide swath of fiber manipulations including weaving, silk painting, hand embroidery, fabric dying and painting, beading and embellishing, to name a few…

So if you are in the Wilmington, Delaware area in the coming months, take a moment to stop by and become inspired!

Work in Progress – must be completed by Friday morning at 9 am!

Got a guild meeting tonight and you know how December meetings go – a pot luck of some sort and lots of chatting – should be a nice quiet evening. Since we’ve got a few inches of snow lingering, attendance may be low. So glad the meeting wasn’t canceled because of the weather though since I spent the morning working on my contribution to the Holiday Block Exchange.

I’ve learned a few years back that if you really like the block you are making to exchange, you should make two. One to keep and one to trade.  This uses the Creative Grids 15-degree Triangle ruler to create the triple dresdens and it was a great use of all the scraps left over from the Triple Dresden Tree Skirts I have made.

Looks pretty cool – I may have to turn this into a pattern….hmmm….

Found this on Pintrest! Quilted Bootie Slippers! You’ll have to go to the link to see what I’m talking about.

http://www.coatscrafts.co.uk/Sewing/Projects/quilted_slippers.htm

Aren’t they adorable??!!! My house is 90% hardwood floors so slipping is an issue. I think I would make one change – I would put those grippy dots on the bottom to keep from sliding down the stairs.  I actually have some grippy dots left over from replacing the feet in my son’s footy pajamas. He’s 27 now – I’ve had that stuff a while…. wonder where it is… but I’m sure your favorite discount fabric store still sells it. Here’s a link to the stuff at Fabric.com.

https://www.fabric.com/buy/el-274/15-grip-tight-cloth-white?cm_mmc=Google-_-Products-_-Products%20Listings-_-Ads&CAWELAID=172000510000028013&catargetid=172000510000043626&cadevice=c&cagpspn=pla&gclid=CKayzamombsCFSUOOgodvn8Ajg

Had a great time at our first Diamond Dimensions Trunk Show hosted by Hoppin’ Bobbin. Many thanks to Kelly and all the ladies there! If you didn’t make the opening, you missed a lot of great food! Alas its all gone now but nots to worry, the quilts are still there! Hope you get over there to see them. Here are the last two patterns to compliment the collection – hot off the presses! Literally!

Dining Diamonds – you saw this one earlier but now the pattern is available! Click on the link or pick one up at Hoppin’ Bobbin when you go.

But the Diamond Dimensions Ruler does more than just diamonds. It miters! And it makes the whole process of mitering sooooo easy! Border Mania is a testament to that fact!