Valentine Quiltworks

New Website is Up and Running!

2011-02-27T20:19:00.004-05:00

My new website is up and running! I am continuing to add to it and change some things, but the info is there. A few weeks ago my web host informed me that the software I had been using for the last 4.5 years was being discontinued. So I experimented with three new softwares and chose the one I thought would be the best for what I wanted to do. I spent the last week or so learning it, designing the new site, and getting it all done! And I did it all by myself :) Except for the last step of switching the old and the new, I called my web host and they were very helpful and did the final switch for me. So please check out my new redesigned website!

www.ValentineQuiltworks.com

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-14T21:23:00.002-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day!

Published Again!

2011-01-14T16:51:00.083-05:00

In March 2009 I was selected by RaNae Merrill to be one of the members of a special group called "Spiromandalas". Over the next 10 months we learned, designed, pieced, and finished a quilt for her second book, Magnificent Spiral Mandala Quilts. After that task was completed, the book was written, edited, and published in November 2010. It is a wonderful book :) I am very proud to have my quilt pictured in the design section on page 39, highlighting my unique approach to the task at hand. Here is my quilt!

I named it "Up, Up, and Away" because my focus fabric consisted of brightly colored hot air balloons.

I will now explain a little about the process. The quilt was designed using paper, pencil, ruler, and colored pencils. I used a program called Auto Sketch to help me draw my design. It follows the guidelines that were given to us by RaNae, and are spelled out in detail in her book.

After RaNae and I settled on the design I made a full size drawing on paper so I would know where the various colors of fabric belonged. I also used these drawings to create the foundations for each section of the paper piecing.

Then it was time to choose gradations of the various colors in the quilt. Fortunately I found most of them in my stash of bright colored fabrics :)

I cut strips of fabric corresponding to each piece of each section.

Then I cut them to the approximate length I would need, as paper piecing does not require exact sized pieces of fabric.

I arranged the pieces I needed for the six sections that consisted of blue, green, and yellow, so I would be sure to put them in the correct position.

The deadline was fast approaching, and apparently I was so busy sewing all those little pieces together that I forgot to take pictures! So here is the quilt laid out before the sections were sewn together.

Here is a close up of the quilt after the sections were assembled.

Time to quilt it! I used my Gammill Statler Stitcher.

I quilted radiating lines every five degrees to represent the ropes that hold down a hot air balloon.

The border is a feather design that represents the blowing wind that keeps the balloon afloat.

I quilted some circles in the center to represent the people riding in the balloon.

And once again, here it is, "Up, Up, and Away"!!

I invite you to read more about the Magnificent Mandala Quilts! Click on the link below and it will take you to RaNae Merrill's blog. The right column on the blog lists all of the members of the group and gives details about how each quilt in the book was designed and constructed. At the bottom of that column you will find the section that tells more about the process I used to create my quilt, click on Susan Wood. Enjoy!

Spiromandalas Blog

Record Snow!

2011-01-13T10:44:00.017-05:00

Nearly two feet of snow in about 12 hours!

Looks like we won't be swimming for awhile...

Or grilling outside....

The snow blower broke, but fortunately we were able to fix it!

Looks like a project for tomorrow...

Plenty of shovels!

I think I will stay inside now and quilt!

Happy Quilting 2011!

2011-01-09T15:24:00.031-05:00

I'm a little late, but I wanted to wish everyone a Happy New Year, and share what I did on New Year's Day! I went fabric shopping at the annual sale at Keepsake Quilting in Center Harbor, New Hampshire! Do you think they have enough fabric?

Fabric in every color of the rainbow, and plenty for everyone! I hope this feast of colorful fabric inspires and motivates all of you! Happy New Year, and Happy Quilting 2011!

My Favorite...

2011-01-05T16:19:00.005-05:00

Ice Cream! If you ever have a chance to visit the UConn Dairy Bar in Storrs, CT, it is well worth the trip! It is the best ice cream in the world :)) My favorite person brought these two half gallons home for Christmas. Wow! The flavors are all delicious, but my favorite is Jonathan Supreme. It is a vanilla base with peanut butter swirls and chocolate covered peanuts. Did I mention it has no calories? ;)

It has been pointed out to me by several followers that I have not been very good about keeping my blog up to date. Hmmm, people actually read this? I promise I'll get back on track!

Could it be more fabric?

2010-09-27T19:29:00.004-04:00

I just can't resist a sale! I patiently waited all afternoon for the UPS man to deliver my latest little fabric purchase... I love package tracking! My order was timed perfectly to be delivered at a time when I would be home alone. I heard the truck, and as they say timing is everything. As I looked out the window I saw my husband arrive home early. As he stopped at the mailbox the UPS man pulled up, handed him MY box, and said "I know what this is!!", as if he had seen boxes like this before. LOL

Mmmm, yummy!

2010-09-06T10:27:00.003-04:00

A bright sunny day after hurricane Earl passed by... what better to do than pick raspberries! Have a delicious day, everyone!

You can never have too many.....

2010-08-13T14:22:00.012-04:00

Scissors! Family members borrow them and they disappear. Friends borrow them and they disappear. Pets borrow them and they disappear. They just seem to disappear into thin air.

The real reason I have so many scissors is because when I am quilting on my longarm I need to clip a lot of threads. I choose a color that does NOT match the quilt, so that when I set them down I can see them. Then they do NOT disappear!

Happy Friday the 13th, it's a lucky day!

My First Accuquilt Project

2010-06-12T16:16:00.004-04:00

As I posted a few days ago, I have a new Accuquilt Studio die cutter. It is an amazing tool for cutting precise fabric shapes for quilt piecing. My first project used the tumbler block. The pieces were all exactly the same size, and they fit together perfectly. I've always wanted to make a pink and green quilt, and this seemed to be the perfect opportunity! I pieced it, and then quilted it on my Statler Stitcher with a beautiful feather design.

My New Quilting Tool

2010-06-06T21:11:00.015-04:00

A few months ago I was at the AQS Quilt Show in Lancaster, PA and I bought a new tool for my business. I had done the research and decided what I wanted, and they had a deal I just couldn't resist! This is what the UPS man delivered...

The Accuquilt Studio is a die cutting tool for cutting fabric for quilting. It cuts multiple shapes that are very accurate and all exactly the same. I bought dies to cut squares, triangles, strips, hearts, cats, tumblers, and lots more.

Stay tuned to see what I can do with this wonderful tool!

Cass Scenic Railroad

2010-05-29T21:22:00.010-04:00

We recently attended the Cass Scenic Railroad Railfan Weekend in Cass, WV. Three days of riding the rails and taking photos of these Titans of the Mountains. It was awesome!

Machine Quilters Expo 2010

2010-04-18T21:40:00.011-04:00

The 2010 Machine Quilters Expo (MQX) was held in Providence, RI last week. It was fabulous! Great classes, spectacular quilts, old friends, new friends, and lots of cool stuff to buy :-) I had 12 hours of classes with Al Hutchins, he is a fantastic teacher. I learned a lot about Creative Studio, the software that runs my Statler Stitcher. It is an amazing system, and I am looking forward to finding some time to experiment with all the new things I learned.

Lots of beautiful thread. Buying thread is almost as addictive as buying fabric. I bought some new colors, and some different types of thread to try.

Spectacular quilts! There were many different categories of quilts, including edge to edge, custom, heirloom, wallhangings, and challenge. They were all magnificent. I really enjoy the ideas and the inspiration, both for piecing and quilting!

Longarm machines to play with. A lot of people come to the show to see the different machine manufacturers and decide which one they like the best.

Vendors to visit. There was all sorts of cool stuff to buy. New tools, thread, replacement machine parts, thread, fabric, more thread, new rulers. Did I mention thread?

Quilted wearables exhibit. Another category of the competition is the wearables. Interesting clothing items, but I'm not sure I would want to wear most of them!

Demos. Gale is hard at work. Is he demonstrating something on the Statler Stitcher in Cowle's Quilting booth, or is he spying?

Friends! Gale Tuper was demonstrating one of the Cowle's Quilting Statler Stitchers in Anne Bright's booth. Anne designs patterns for paper pantos and digital designs for computerized machines. She is really nice, and a lot of fun! Ask her about the bear shaped cloud ;-)

More friends! Darryl and his other brother Darryl ;-) We had lots of laughs! (For those of you who dare to ask... Larry, Darryl, and Darryl were from the "Newhart" sitcom).

How often do you get to have your picture taken with the two people who own MQX? Thank you Mary and Janet-Lee. Another fantastic MQX! See you next year!

AQS Lancaster Quilt Show

2010-04-03T18:57:00.009-04:00

I went to the AQS Lancaster Quilt Show with a friend on March 25-26. We had a lot of fun, stopping at several fabric shops on the way, and more on the way home! If you are ever in the area, you must stop at Hayloft Fabrics in Morgantown, PA. They claim to have over 8000 bolts of quilting fabric. I didn't count, but they had at least that many!

The show was interesting. A lot of art quilts, but I wish there had been more traditional bed quilts on display. There were hundreds of vendors, and crowds of people! I attended three lectures, and they were all very informative. We are not allowed to post photos of the quilts, but here are a few pictures of the quilters :-)

On the way home we stopped in Lititz, PA and stocked up on Wilbur Buds at the Wilbur Chocolate factory. It is the best chocolate in the world :-)

Teddy Bear Quilt

2010-02-21T11:09:00.008-05:00

I made this baby quilt, it is a Turning Twenty pattern using primary colors, teddy bears, numbers and alphabets. I quilted it on my Statler Stitcher. I love the teddy bear quilted design!

The backing is little teddy bears. They are so cute!

Visit my website at www.ValentineQuiltworks.com!

Castle in the Clouds

2010-02-16T17:49:00.003-05:00

Castle in the Clouds is an amazing place in Moultonborough, New Hampshire. We have been there many times, and used to take the tour. We would go down to the spring to see where the Castle Springs water originated, and then see it being bottled. The spring was sold, but sometimes we can find that wonderful bottled water! Bottled at the source, in Moultonborough, NH.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2010-02-14T15:52:00.001-05:00

I Love Quilts

2010-01-21T22:33:00.005-05:00

A picture is worth a thousand words :-) I used fusible applique for the letters, added the borders, and then quilted it on my Statler Stitcher. The quilting design is called Celtic Hearts, stitched with red variegated thread.

A Bloggy Question

2010-01-05T19:54:00.004-05:00

I'm a visual person, I like pictures. When you look at a blog, do you like to read lots of stuff, or do you prefer to browse pictures with short explanations?

The Simple Joys of Christmas

2009-12-13T20:19:00.003-05:00

Our beautiful Christmas tree!

Machine Quilting - How It's Done!

2009-11-25T21:37:00.009-05:00

Have you ever wondered what happens during the consultation when you bring your quilt to a longarm quilter? Have you ever wondered what the actual quilting process entails? Visit my website and find out!

Valentine Quiltworks

To Wash or Not To Wash

2009-11-20T10:24:00.006-05:00

Do you prewash your fabrics before you use them in a quilt? Here are a few examples of why all of my fabric is washed before it is placed into my stash! Some colors have more excess dye than others. Red is bad...

But blue is often worse!I soak similar colors of fabric together in the sink with a little Tide. I continue to change the water until the excess dye is out. Sometimes I leave it to soak overnight. I rinse it by hand, then I toss it in the washer for one final rinse and spin, and into the dryer it goes! I do it in batches of about 8 yards or less, and remove it promptly to reduce wrinkles. I fold it neatly, and put it in my stash, ready to be made into a quilt!

Winter is Coming...

2009-11-18T21:25:00.002-05:00

This is a photo of the acorns in our shrub bed. The entire wooded area looks like this, thousands of acorns! The squirrels have been busy... is this an indication of a harsh winter to come? Wouldn't this be a fabulous design printed on fabric? :-)

Shoreline Quilters Guild - Quilt Show 2009

2009-10-19T20:39:00.032-04:00

It takes a lot of work to put on a quilt show.

Setting up the quilt show, the vendors are unloading their stuff and the quilt frames have arrived.

The quilt frames are being set up.

Quilts have been checked in and are waiting to be hung up.

Vendors are getting ready. It's starting to look like a quilt show!

Quilts are displayed.

More beautiful quilts.

A view down the aisle. The show is on! There were over 200 quilts on display, and I quilted more than 30 of them!

One of my quilts in the show. I named this one "Oreo Ice Cream with Raspberries on Top". I must have been hungry :-)

Another one of my quilts. I named this one "Sound of Music".

I quilted this beautiful Dresden Plate quilt for a customer.

A closeup of my quilting. The quilt has been washed so it has a wonderful antique look to it.

Here I am in my vendor booth, promoting my machine quilting business. The quilt show was a success! It was a lot of work, but a lot of fun too. I really enjoyed talking with all of the quilters who stopped by to see me. I also saw a few old friends that I had not seen in many years!

Quilt Show!

2009-10-04T22:45:00.008-04:00

The Shoreline Quilters Guild presents
"A Harvest of Quilts"
Quilt Show 2009

Saturday, October 17th, 10am-5pm
Sunday, October 18th, 10am-4pm
East Haven High School
East Haven, CT

I will have quilts in the show and
a booth in the vendor area.
Please come say Hello!

Stash or Collection?

2009-08-25T18:05:00.002-04:00

Is it a "stash" or a "collection" A stash is meant to be made into quilts, a collection is meant to be loved and enjoyed. Which one do you have?

A Beautiful Day for a Parade

2009-07-04T16:28:00.002-04:00

July 4, 2009. Happy Birthday America!

Twisted Log Cabin Quilt

2009-06-24T17:03:00.007-04:00

Remember Alex Anderson's TV show "Simply Quilts"? I miss that show, I learned a lot of new quilting techniques from watching it! At the beginning of every episode they showed a Twisted Log Cabin quilt. About 4 years ago I decided to design and piece one of my own, from the concepts presented in Barbara Kaempter's book Log Cabin with a Twist. Mine is still a UFO, I never did figure out what I wanted to do for a six sided border, let alone the quilting. So, here it is, as is, about 30" across.
When I designed this quilt, I created it full size on paper with all the colors. There are 24 triangles in the quilt, and every one is a different color combination! I really enjoyed the paper piecing, but this one has so many little pieces, so the foundation paper is staying on the back!RaNae Merrill wrote a book, Simply Amazing Spiral Quilts. Her book takes the twisted log cabin to a new level by creating spirals in 4, 5, and 6+ sided shapes. She is in the process of writing yet another book based on spirals, and I am lucky to be part of her "Quilt Lab". I am designing a quilt, and will piece it and quilt it, and hopefully it will be in her next book! I am not allowed to explain the details of the book, but stay tuned, it should be another beautiful book that you will want in your quilt library!

Are You a Fabric-aholic?

2009-06-15T19:29:00.006-04:00

I love fabric! And like many of you, I have a pretty substantial stash :-) Of course when I make a quilt I never have exactly what I need, so I end up buying more. I collect cat fabrics, heart fabrics (after all, it's Valentine Quiltworks!), bright colored fabrics, pretty fabrics, and any fabric that I like. The main reason I am writing about fabric is because I want to share my two favorite online fabric websites. The first one is www.fabric.com. They get new fabric every few days, and they have good prices, and free shipping if you spend over $35 (that never seems to be a problem!). The other website I like is www.thousandsofbolts.com. Everything is about $4/yard, and who cares if it is last season's fabric? It is all name brand, quilt shop quality, and they also get new fabric every week or so. Both sites tell you how much they have in stock too. I must add that I do like to support my local quilt shops, especially if I need something specific or need to match colors, but occasionally I like to support my stash habit late at night, so the internet is handy for that!

"Friends are like fabric, you can never have enough!"

Machine Quilters Expo

2009-04-23T16:36:00.011-04:00

Last week I spent 4 days at MQX in Manchester, NH. It is an annual event for machine quilters, and I have now attended four times! I took several classes and learned many new things, including design techniques, technical Statler stuff, and business related. I enjoyed the beautiful quilts on exhibit, and made many new friends! I came home with lots of inspiration, and I already made my reservation for next year, when MQX moves to Providence, RI.

Happy Earth Day 2009

2009-04-22T18:05:00.003-04:00

Celebrate Earth Day every day! Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Conserve energy, turn down the thermostat and snuggle up under a quilt!

One Hundred Forty Two...

2009-04-07T20:08:00.013-04:00

I have 142 different cat fabrics! I love to buy quilting fabric, but I don't just buy any fabric. My favorites are bright colored fabrics in rainbow colors, Valentine fabrics, trains, and cats. This is the quilt I recently made for my Dad for his birthday, because he loves cats! I used the Turning Twenty pattern, and there are 72 different cat fabrics on the front, and 4 on the back!Here are a few closeup pictures.

Can you find the one that is NOT cats? ;-)

This is the back of the quilt. The fabric in the middle is called Kitty Chronicles.

It is a fabric newspaper with cute cat stories.

I quilted it on my Statler Stitcher, with a design called Here Kitty. If you look closely you can see one of the quilted cat designs.

And last, but not least, this is my helper. She thought the quilt was for her... that is a very logical conclusion, don't you think?

Tomorrow is Another Day

2009-04-06T20:28:00.008-04:00

Red Sox Opening Day home game at Fenway was rained out today, so they will try again tomorrow. My father in law was Joe Wood Jr. and his father was Smoky Joe Wood. They were both Red Sox pitchers, so that is why I am a Red Sox fan. Go Red Sox!

Disappearing 9 Patch Quilt

2009-02-24T17:56:00.028-05:00

Here it is! My collection of black and white fabrics is now a Disappearing 9 Patch quilt! To tell you the truth, I wasn't crazy about the black and white color scheme, it just isn't me. But I wanted to use colors outside my comfort zone, and I really like how it turned out! My favorite part of the quilting process is taking the finished quilt off my longarm machine because it has become a quilt. That is when I decided I really like this one. I was going to sell it, but it is definitely growing on me!
(Editor's Note: The Disappearing Nine Patch quilt design is not my own, and I do not intend to imply anything more than insight into the fabrics I chose, and how I made it for my own personal use. I did some research before I posted the quilt, and there are several different names, including "9 to 4", "Tossed Nine Patch", and others. Just like many other common quilt designs, there are tutorials and photos of the design on many quilting websites and blogs. This blog is not intended to be downloaded or copied in any way, it is for your personal enjoyment only.)

Now I am going to show you how I made this Disappearing 9 Patch quilt. It looks complicated but it is really easy!! I used darks (black), lights (white), and an accent fabric (red). This quilt is about 62"x84", it is 4 blocks wide and 6 blocks long, for a total of 24 blocks. For each block I used 4 dark squares, 4 light squares, and 1 accent square. I cut my fabric into squares 4-1/2" x 4-1/2". I used a total of 96 dark squares, 96 light squares, and 24 accent squares. Here is a pile of my 4-1/2" black and white squares.

The next step is to sew the 9 Patch block. I made 24 blocks that look like this, with the dark squares in the corners and the accent square in the middle. I didn't worry about what fabric goes where, other than light, dark, and accent, because as you will see it doesn't matter!

And my finished blocks look like this. I made make 24 of these.

This is a traditional 9 Patch block! The next step is to cut each 9 Patch into 4 equal pieces with one horizontal cut and one vertical cut, like this.Now here is where the 9 Patch disappears! I turned two of the blocks, so it looks like this.I sewed the 4 small squares together into a finished block. I ended up with 24 of these blocks. I then sewed them together in rows, 4 blocks wide and 6 blocks long. The blue line shows one block.

Below is what the quilt looks like when the blocks are all sewn together.

As the saying goes, "It's not a quilt until it's quilted!"

This is my Statler Stitcher at work. I chose a quilting design called "Too Much Bubbly". It is a design with lots of little circles, I thought the quilt was busy enough and needed something fairly simple with curves and repetition. I chose red thread to compliment the red accent squares.

I like to put a narrow accent border to frame the quilt, and then a wide border to finish it off. It is like putting a double mat on a picture.

Here is a picture of the back, you can see the quilting design. It is the same fabric that I used for the accent blocks and narrow border on the front, even though Photo Shop changed the color a little ;-) Rather than using black and white on the back, I think it is fun to use a fabric that creates a little bit of a surprise!

Now you know how I made this Disappearing 9 Patch quilt! Here is the finished quilt one more time...

Black and White and...

2009-02-17T19:50:00.005-05:00

Here is my collection of black and white fabrics. The time has come to make them into a quilt! I have an idea for what I want to make, maybe I will add a splash of color. Stay tuned!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2009-02-14T13:01:00.007-05:00

This is a special day because my longarm machine quilting business is named Valentine Quiltworks! To celebrate, bring me your quilt to be quilted before April 1 and mention my blog, and you will receive free solid color thread (or a discount on variegated thread) on your quilt!

Please visit my website at www.ValentineQuiltworks.com for more information!

It's Friday

2009-02-13T12:45:00.003-05:00

Friday the 13th. I have always considered it to be a lucky day! But I have one question. Why is there always one lone black sock in my supposedly empty dryer?

This Little Light of Mine

2009-02-10T20:05:00.013-05:00

There is something mystical about lighthouses. Waves crashing on huge rocks, peaceful sandy beaches, foggy mornings, colorful sunsets. I have visited all of these lighthouses. Each shelf represents a different state. Can you identify all six?

This is a closeup of the lighthouse on the lower right. Do you know where it is?

"We are each gifted in a unique and important way. It is our privilege and our adventure to discover our own special light." --- Mary Dunbar

Elegant Feathered Wholecloth

2009-02-05T16:51:00.008-05:00

Here is my first wholecloth quilt, measuring in at 20"x20". The designs were digitized by several different pattern designers, and I put them all together. The precision of the Statler Stitcher is amazing, but the planning, layout, and actual placement of the individual quilting designs came from my creativity!

Groundhog Day

2009-02-02T17:18:00.005-05:00

Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow this morning, so that means 6 more weeks of winter! The groundhog is sitting on a quilt I made with 6 different train fabrics, plus the tracks and the two border prints. It is 52"x70" and is quilted with a swirl design. This quilt is for sale on my website, perfect for keeping a train lover warm!

www.ValentineQuiltworks.com

Another Day, Another Dollar

2009-02-01T09:40:00.007-05:00

I love my Statler Stitcher, but after almost three years I still have not decided on a name for it. My husband calls it "The Money Machine". Haha, I'll never get rich quilting, but I do enjoy it. So that name is good enough for now.

Novelty prints are a lot of fun. I collected all of the money prints I could find, I think there were six, and made him a quilt for Christmas. I did not want to cut the fabric up too small, so I used a simple Turning Twenty pattern. Technically I guess it is Turning Six ;-)

The quilting design is called Too Much Bubbly, all of the circles remind me of the coins in the fabric. Well, it is not a particularly beautiful quilt, but that was not the goal. I used Quilters Dream wool batting, it is a fun quilt and it keeps him warm.

I enjoy piecing quilts, but I like the quilting process too. That is why I usually make quilts that are not too complicated, so I can get them on the Statler sooner. My favorite part is taking the finished quilt off the machine. It has been transformed from pieces of fabric sewn together, into a quilt!

Blog, Blog, Blog

2009-01-31T10:17:00.003-05:00

I think I almost have this blog thing figured out. I spent the morning experimenting with several different backgrounds from the internet, it is sort of like choosing fabric for a quilt. I finally concluded that the basic blue I started with is the best. It is crisp, clean, simple, and easy to read. Maybe I'll find something else I like in the future, but for now my blog will be blue! And hopefully read ;-)

Quilted Things

2009-01-30T09:19:00.016-05:00

I love to make quilts, and most of the sewing I have done in the last several years has been quilts. But I used to make "things". When I was very young my Mom taught me how to sew, and I made lots of doll clothes for my beloved Skipper. Remember her? Then for many years I made clothes for myself. I made tree ornaments, pillows and wall hangings. I did needlepoint and counted cross stitch. I made decoupage purses and even a wooden table. Now that I have my Statler Stitcher, I started thinking about what else I could make.

After a bit of experimenting, I figured out how to make these bags! They are just the right size for shopping at the grocery store, and they can be tossed into the washer and dryer.

My prototype bag was made from muslin, and I decided I liked the look! Add some variegated thread and a nice design, and guess what all of my relatives and friends got for Christmas? ;-)

There are thousands of possible quilting designs including geometrics, florals, feathers, holidays, animals, and novelty designs. And there are many beautiful colors of variegated threads too. The possibilities are unlimited!

My next idea is to make a quilted jacket. A few years ago I bought a beautiful jacket from Orvis, it is reversible, quilted, and a very simple design. I am thinking about using it as a pattern. Stay tuned!

If You Don't Like The Weather...

2009-01-29T17:36:00.004-05:00

Quite a contrast compared to yesterday. It is still very cold, but the sun was reflecting brightly off the ice that covered the driveway! I was going to go to the sale at the local fabric shop today, but the ice kept me at home. I cannot resist a fabric sale, but I am sure there will still be some fabric waiting for me tomorrow ;-) How much fabric do you buy for your stash?

The Calm Before The Storm

2009-01-27T19:04:00.007-05:00

It is rare to see snow covering the sand. Take a moment to enjoy the tranquility of the calm water because another snow storm is brewing. I love snow, it falls so peacefully in the quiet of the day and night. When I need inspiration I go to the beach and look out over the water. The effect is calming, but at the same time it makes me organize my thoughts and gives me energy!

Finely Finished

2009-01-26T20:31:00.015-05:00

Finally, a finished quilt! Last September I went to New Hampshire with three friends for a few days of quilting, fabric shopping, and relaxing by the lake. It was a time for reflection, laughter, sharing ideas, eating chocolate, and just plain fun!

The quilt I decided to make is called Summertime Stars, by Fig Tree Quilts. It is made by cutting 30 16" squares, then stacking and slashing them into a star, and shifting the pile so that the fabric around one star becomes the background for another. The challenge for me was sewing the pieces back together because there are no seam allowances, thus nothing lines up. Being a perfectionist, I had a hard time accepting the idea that everything would work out, and a star block would be created from each pile. To my surprise, it worked!

During our few days in New Hampshire I managed to finish most of the star blocks. The fabrics I chose from my stash were various bright rainbow colored prints that I had been collecting. We all had fun speculating on what the quilt would look like! Over the next several weeks I finished the blocks, finalized the quilt layout, sewed on the borders, and then waited, and waited for the neon yellow quilting thread that had to be special ordered.

It was worth the wait, I love the vibrant color of the neon threads! Finely quilted and bound, until now my friends have not seen the finished quilt. Here it is!

The layout alternates lights and darks, but since I could not decide which category yellow fit into I used it as the narrow border.

I chose a design called Flirtatious for the quilting. I thought the flowing curves and simplicity of the design was a nice contrast to the busy fabrics and straight lines of the blocks and stars.

The backing is from the same line of fabric as the borders, Geo by Timeless Treasures. The two sides are black, the center is white.

Now that my "Star Bright" quilt is finished, it is time to decide which UFO is next in line!

Knowledge, Ideas, Inspiration

2009-01-20T12:16:00.012-05:00

"The best of a book is not the thought which it contains, but the thought which it suggests; just as the charm of music dwells not in the tones but in the echoes of our hearts." --- Oliver Wendall Holmes

I love books. They contain valuable lessons and beautiful photos. The authors share their ideas and talents. Books inspire creativity and make my heart sing. The photo above is my bookshelf full of quilting books. Do you have so many quilting books that you cannot remember which ones you have, and you buy the same one twice? ;-)

Furry Friends

2009-01-19T18:47:00.011-05:00

My Dad has always loved cats. He has a big gray cat named Wegian, that he adopted from a friend who moved and was not allowed to have a pet. Wegian's fur is the color of gray wool flannel, he is a very elegant cat and he loves to sleep in my Dad's lap. I made Wegian a quilt, about 28"x28". One side is cotton, the other is fleece, with batting quilted between the two layers.

I used a Printed Treasures fabric sheet in my computer printer to make a label. Then I hand stitched it to the back of the quilt, it is fast and easy!

Half Way Around The World

2009-01-17T19:42:00.019-05:00

I have a good friend who lives on the other side of the world, in Australia. We met a few years ago on a machine quilters forum on the internet. We have a lot in common, and she also has a Statler Stitcher. We instant message each other several times a week, and sometimes we video chat using Skype. She makes beautiful quilts, and she gives me inspiration! I am so fortunate to have several items that she made just for me! One is a mini quilt that she made when I started my business. It's beautiful, and my favorite color too! The other is a small quilted wall hanging with whimsical kitties on it. Maybe some day I will convince my friend to start a blog!

Winter Rainbows

2009-01-17T18:52:00.015-05:00

To see a rainbow, one has to have rain and sunshine. In the winter, water droplets freeze into ice particles that do not produce a rainbow, but instead scatter light in other interesting patterns. This morning it was 10 degrees below zero, the sun was shining and the sky was a brilliant blue. There was no rainbow outside today, so I decided to create one from my stash! The fabric is Robert Kaufman's Mixmasters, an abstract fabric that features variations of the same color fused together, like light refracting through frozen water.

Gammill Statler Stitcher

2009-01-13T22:16:00.002-05:00

This is my Gammill Statler Stitcher. It is a computer guided longarm quilting machine. It takes many hours to complete a quilt, and no, I don't just press a button and walk away! Attention to detail is very important to me, and that requires me to take an active part in the entire process!

Awards and Publications

2009-01-13T19:58:00.016-05:00

My Red Sox t-shirt quilt won two ribbons at the 2007 Machine Quilter's Expo (MQX) in New Hampshire; First Place - Quilts of the Future, and Rookie of the Year. It is featured in the "Quilter's Newsletter Magazine" special publication, "Quilt It For Keepsakes" in December 2007. It was made in memory of Red Sox Pitchers Smoky Joe Wood and Joe Wood Jr.

Machine Quilting in Connecticut

2008-11-16T18:47:00.010-05:00

www.ValentineQuiltworks.com

Valentine Quiltworks

Valentine Quiltworks is an award winning professional machine quilting service utilizing a state-of-the-art computer assisted Gammill Optimum Statler Stitcher longarm quilting machine. Valentine Quiltworks also creates fine quality custom designed quilts and t-shirt quilts that will warm the hearts of your loved ones!

About the Quilter

I have been designing and piecing quilts for over 30 years, and sewing award winning custom clothing since I was a young child. I was also a professional computer programmer/analyst in the telecommunications industry for many years. Valentine Quiltworks opened for business in Connecticut in July, 2006.

Computer assisted machine quilting has become my passion, bringing together my love for quilting and my knowledge of computers. Combining creativity, inspiration, technology, precision, personal service, integrity, and quality workmanship, I offer you the very best in custom quilt finishing.

My Promise to You

You have undoubtedly spent many long hours piecing your beautiful quilt top. I promise you that I will treat it with utmost respect, in a clean, smoke free environment. I will thoughtfully and meticulously quilt the layers together and transform your unique creation into a quilt that will be enjoyed for many years to come!

Susan Wood

Valentine Quiltworks

Please visit my website Valentine Quiltworks for more information.