April Quilt Retreat

Nashville, IN

The last week of April, I flew back to Indiana for a quilt retreat I began when I lived there. It was just wonderful visiting with golden friends!! I missed them so much! It highlighted the difficulties of moving across the country during a pandemic. Meeting people and making friends has been challenging here in Washington state due to masking and meetings being via ZOOM. SO being with friends I’ve known for several years was very comforting and enjoyable.

We (eleven friends) have been meeting annually in the same place for 7 years. Nashville, IN is a great locale for our retreat because we don’t have to drive anywhere once we move in. Many places to shop and eat within walking distance. Fabulous sharing and good times!!

Enjoy viewing some quilts that were completed or projects that were worked on during the 4 1/2 days together.

Cheryl’s quilt
Another of Chery’s quilts
Chery’s blocks

The two Lindas. One quilts, the other knits.
Elaine’s quilt – made from her late sister’s fabric collection for her sister’s sons
My table runner
Kathy’s embroidered shirt
Kathy’s machine embroidered tree skirt.
Each panel of Kathy’s tree skirt is detailed and amazing!
Denise’s quilt blocks
Three Posh Santa’s – two of Bev’s, one of Lynn’s
Bev also worked on these blocks for a Christmas quilt
Casey’s machine embroidery project
Casey’s machine embroidered block
More of Casey’s beautiful blocks
Lore’s beautiful quilt for a special charity. She makes and quilts around 20 quilts for charity every year!!
Lore’s work on this Christmas Tree quilt from Missouri Star Quilts
Lynn’s baseball quilt for a nephew
My Strip Twist pieces for GE Designs’ Sew A Long
These are what the Strip Twist blocks look like

Our last breakfast. We failed to get a picture of everyone. A few had to leave early.
Til next year, Cornerstone Inn!

March Island Batik Ambassador Challenge

Our March Challenge was our choice – choice of one of the fabric collections Island Batik provided and also choice of project. I needed a table runner for our new sofa table, so I browsed my patterns.

I have had this book for awhile, love the table runners in it, but have never made any. I decided on the one in the middle, second from the top. I love the movement in it.

Island Batik Stash Builders

Remember those rolls of fabric from my unboxing video? Each roll has 4 5″ wide strips by width of fabric. I had a nice assortment to choose from, so I choose some of my favs and began pairing them up in pleasing sets of 3. Then I cut 2″ strips.

I made 2″ wide strip sets from each group of 3, then cut them as directed in the instructions and laid out the triangles to make partial hexies which appear to overlap. I’m glad I caught those mistakes in my layout before they were sewn!

It’s loaded on my Handi Quilter Forte ready for quilting,

I sewed leftover 2″ strips for the backing.

I chose the digital design Malachite from Urban Elements.

And here it is on my sofa table. I love it!

Check out the other Island Batik Ambassador’s blogs to see what they did for their It’s All Up to You Challenge.

Brenda Alburl ~ Songbird Designs
Renee Atkinson ~ Pink Tulip Quilting
Pamela Boatright ~ PamelaQuilts
Susan Deshensky ~ Lady Blue Quilts
Brittany Fisher ~ Bobbin with Brittany

Preeti Harris ~ Sew Preeti Quilts
Mania Hatziioannidi ~ Mania for quilts
Reed Johnson ~ Blue Bear Quilts
Victoria Johnson ~ Forever Quilting for You
Randi Jones ~ Randi’s Roost

Connie Kauffman ~ Kauffman Designs
Emily Leachman ~ The Darling Dogwood
Denise Looney ~ Quiltery – For The Love Of Geese
Leah Malasky ~ Quilted Delights
Maryellen McAuliffe ~ Mary Mack Made Mine

Anorina Morris ~ sameliasmum.com
Lisa Pickering ~ Lisa’s Quilting Passion
Sarah Pitcher ~ Pitcher’s Boutique
Claudia Porter ~ Create with Claudia
Lana Russel ~ Lana Quilts

Elita Sharpe ~ Busy Needle
Gail Sheppard ~ Quilting Gail
Sandra Starley ~ Textile Time Travels
Jennifer Thomas ~ Curlicue Creations
Suzy Webster ~ Websterquilt

Modern Double Wedding Ring

I’m more modern than traditional, so when it came to making a Double Wedding Ring quilt, I had to swerve. Sew Kind of Wonderful has a great pattern that fit the bill – Metro Rings.

I have a healthy stash, and I was able to find the perfect combo within it – Jelly Roll, background, binding, and backing. I’ve always thought scrappy binding was cute, and this would give me an opportunity to use the leftover strips from the Jelly Roll for that.

Loved my find in my stash!
Jelly Roll opened. Like what I see!

Metro Rings uses Jelly Roll strips and the Curve ruler to cut the pieces = less curved piecing.

Also used the sold lime green and solid navy from my stash for the triangle inset pieces.

Quiltable.com has a specific digital quilting design intended for Metro Rings! Score! Quilted on my Handi Quilter Forte with Pro-Stitcher and Superior Threads So Fine!

All finished except for the binding.

Enjoyed the ruler work on the triangle insets. Curved cross hatch!

Hanging at Handi Quilter Academy 2021.

New Class added

Beginning next week is a class featuring the Dancing Stars Cotton Theory quilt.

IMG_1971This is a beginner Cotton Theory quilt and uses both of the two main joining methods – the Highway and the One Way.  It’s 52″ x 52″ so it would make a nice baby quilt, lap, or throw.  If you live locally, and would like to join us, please email me (lanarussel@gmail.com) for current openings and project materials list. Classes are on the first Monday and Wednesday of every month in my home studio. I have room for 6 in each session.  Dates for this project are June 1 and 6, July 6 and 11, August 1 and 3, and September 7 and 12.  Mondays are 1:00 pm – 4 pm, Wednesdays are either 9:00 am – noon or 1:30 pm- 4:30 pm.  Cost is $10 per 3 hour session.  Pattern is $12.

This is an easy one to cut out; I was able to get all pieces cut out, labeled, sandwiched, and pressed in one day.  Lots of same sized pieces makes it super easy.  I’m ready to sew!

 If you come in June with all pieces cut and labeled, we can get right to the quilting because you piece and quilt at the same time!!  If you are unable to get it cut out before then, please bring a mat and rotary cutter, so you won’t have to wait for the cutting table.
Hope you can join us to learn this fun way to quilt!

Hexies on the move

My project of choice during road trips (and there have been many lately!) is English paper pieced hexies.  My bag is always full of a ready supply of precut card stock backings and precut hexie shapes from my scrap bag using my Accuquilt GO BIG.  I use my cutting/ironing board for stability on my lap, my Sewline Glue Stick, Superior Bottom Line thread, and my sewing snips.  Everything is small and portable and easy to keep by me in the front seat.

My mobile set up

I love creating these little lovelies from pieces of scraps.

I really wish I could read in the car, but I am prone to car sickness, so that’s not an option for me. This suits me just fine.

Quilter in Residence!

This summer the Indiana State Museum had a quilt exhibit entitled 19 Stars.  Here’s their description of the exhibit:

“Indiana is the 19th state to join the Union; the state flag depicts nineteen stars. In anticipation of the state’s Bicentennial, this exhibit presents 19 historic star-patterned quilts selected from the Indiana State Museum’s collection along with 19 contemporary star-themed quilts created by some of Indiana’s outstanding quilters.

Stars were favored patterns in the 19th and 20th centuries and appear in many variations. The historic quilts in this exhibit span a hundred and fifty years of Indiana quilt-making, from the 1830s to the 1980s. In contrast, most of the contemporary works were created specifically for this exhibit, and incorporate the star theme in any number of ways, from overt to illusory. The artists’ techniques vary widely, from traditional piecework and appliqué to improvisational collage, layering, or richly textural thread painting.”

The Quilt Guild of Indianapolis, of which I am a member, thought it would be nice to have some members sit outside the exhibit quilting and available to answer any questions visitors might have about quilting or our guild.  My friend, Bev, and I enjoyed this so much the first time we did this that we signed up for double duty.  Here I am working on a Cotton Theory Charity Quilt.

I really enjoyed the experience!

Take Care,

Lana

 

Time for TWIST

{Sorry to keep you waiting, but I’ve had some major technical difficulties which required a full backup, restore, and reload.  Hopefully, I’m back up and running again.  This post is from the week of August 14.  I’ll get you caught up asap.  Thanks, Lana.}

TWIST ~ This Week In Studio Time

I completed Step 2 of my current Cotton Theory project, the piecing.

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Piecing for Bossa Nova completed

Healthy Families

When I retired, I decided 20% of my sewing time would be spent on charity quilting.  I just needed to decide on the organization or cause I wanted to support.  I have a heavy heart for those who suffer from domestic violence, even though I don’t know anyone personally.  I guess I’ve just experienced enough of the male dominated society I’ve grown up in that it touches me in that way.  We don’t have a women’s shelter in our county, but there are plans for a 30 bed unit to open in 3 years.  I thought I could make 10 simple twin size quilts a year and have 30 ready in 3 years.  I knew it was a lofty goal, but I set forth.  However, retiring allowed me the freedom to travel quite a bit and I fell farther and farther behind in that goal.  But, I retired, so we could travel.  I needed to reassess.

I had a friend who had mentioned she had organized a sewing group that supports Healthy Families and invited me to sew with them.  They make items that support members can take with them on home visits and leave them at the home as a gift.  I researched Healthy Families and liked what I found.

“Healthy Families Indiana is a voluntary home visitation program designed to promote healthy families and healthy children through a variety of services, including child development, access to health care and parent education.

By working closely with hospital maternity wards, prenatal clinics and other local agencies, Healthy Families Indiana systematically identifies families that could benefit from education and support services either before or immediately after birth. The program is designed to strengthen families by reducing child abuse and neglect, childhood health problems and juvenile delinquency.”

I ran it by my friend, who is in social worker, to give me a personal account of Healthy Families and she gave it a two thumbs up.

Mary Alice’s group is very well organized (they’ve been at this for 12 years!) and each person has their station, be it, cutting out, ironing, sewing, quilting, sandwiching batting, etc.

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Bev at cutting station

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cutting out and sewing

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Quilts, receiving blankets, and burp cloths ready for pick up

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cuddle bunnies

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receiving blankets, burp cloths, and bibs

Eleanor’s sister, Pat Knoechel

A couple of weeks ago, Eleanor Burn’s sister, Pat Knoechel, spoke to our quilt guild.  I was simply amazed at how similar their voice and manerisms are.  It’s really uncanny.  She is just as funny, too. They are not similar in appearance, however. I would never have guessed from just seeing her that they are sisters.

We enjoyed the many beautiful quilts she shared with us.

She graciously autographed patterns and books afterwards.  A delightful presentation!

TWIST ~ This Week In Studio Time

I joined the Turning Twenty Mystery Quilt Block of the Month last week and after I found out it was going to be stars, decided I would make this in red, white, and blue and donate it to Quilts of Valor.  The mission of the Quilts of Valor Foundation is to cover service members and veterans touched by war with comforting and healing Quilts of Valor.  The Quilt Guild of Indianapolis recently had a presentation by this organization that was quite moving.  Very impressive! I volunteered to be a presenter after hearing about what they do. Anyway, here’s my progress:IMG_1378 IMG_1379

I love the confetti background!

My neice just gave birth to a 9 lb 10 oz bouncing baby boy, so I’ve started this quilt for Caleb.IMG_1376I cut half square triangles with my Accuquilt Go – so easy and quick!IMG_1404 On the design wall…IMG_1407That’s my weekly recap!  Take care til next week!

Lana

 

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