Quilting In The Robyn's Nest

Thursday, May 26, 2016

Pythagorean Sash: 2016 Riley Blake Spring Fabric Challenge

It was time for another Riley Blake Fabric Challenge! This years fabric is called Sashing Stash designed by Eleanor Dugan, and it’s so incredibly versatile!

They sent each of us 3/4 yard of the top fabric

It was also the very first challenge members of our guild signed up to participate in as the TMQG.

We had until the end of May to submit our entry on the MQG website. Actually, they requested MQG members also post their quilt on Instagram, FB and Twitter using the hashtag #mqgfabricchallenge, MQG galleries and on Pinterest! (They definitely don't know how proud I am when I remember how to post on instagram... & the rest... um, perhaps I'll figure them out... someday.)

This fabric is so inspiring! So much so... that I stared at it for several days unsure what to do to make the best use of what little I had of it. (As soon as I can buy some- I absolutely will!)

I remembered a block I created at a workshop was hidden below the layers somewhere in my WIPs pile and decided it was the perfect centerpiece!

Since that block was my only "planned pattern", next I started auditioning solids. I took a lot more photos of this project than most- since I had no real idea what direction I was going. So the remainder of this posting will be mainly images:

I created this block a few years back at a paper piecing workshop.

I wish I could remember who the guest designer was and give her credit...

so yeah... if you are reading this.... THANK YOU!

I decided to frame the block with 3" red strips

Squared up centered...

eh...decided I wanted to go a different way...

I decided to create an asymmetrical shaped quilt square

Then it was time to make that first cut into the Riley Blake Fabric. It is designed to cut apart & leave 1/4" seams for piecing.

So, once I braved the rotary cutting, I auditioned different designs and tried to imagine what patterns could go "where and in what way".

I just kept auditioning different patterns & borders... until a quilt starting developing.

HALF SQUARE TRIANGLES

2" border

FLYING GEESE

I always use rulers and painters tape

to help guide my quilting stitches.

"invisible thread stitch work from behind"

Quilting away the hours on my Babylock Elissimo

looking good... but... It needed more...

decided to square up my quilt with a final frame of asymmetry-

opposite of the first one created earlier in yellow

creating prairie points by cutting apart rows of

EQUILATERAL TRIANGLES

after completing quilting, trim & squaring up...

I decided on a few different locations to

add those PRAIRIE POINTS!

I auditioned a few different binding colors

before deciding on solid black...

I machine stitched the binding

on front of quilt using a 1/4" edging foot

I hand stitched the binding to the quilt back

I am fairly pleased with my completed challenge!

description as part of MQG entry:

A multi fabric improv quilt inspired and created for the 2016 Riley Blake Fabric Challenge featuring Sashing Stash designed by Eleanor Dugan.

My Sashing Stash

Riley Blake Challenge Quilt

2016:

Pythagorean Sash

Friday, May 20, 2016

The SPRING CHALLENGE that was purebred for June

It's that time of year again...
weddings, graduations, end of term events... and the list goes on and on.
I never seem to be home long enough to go anywhere near my sewing room.

BUT-

I am the VP of programing for The Tyler Modern Quilt Guild & I had personally proposed a spring challenge last winter... so I knew I had to follow through on it.

I challenged our members to create a quilt featuring their MONTHLY BIRTHSTONES & FLOWERS. I gave them FEB through MAY 2016 to complete their creation.
Needless to say... I delayed... and now hurried to get it ready for next weeks meeting.

So here were the specifics I challenged:

-FOCUS FABRICS---Your BIRTHSTONE COLOR and your FLOWER COLOR

-Your quilt must represent YOUR BIRTH MONTH and can be created any way you wish. (EX: applique, pieced, painted, whole cloth, embroidered, embellished)

-Your BIRTH FLOWER must be somewhere on the FRONT of the quilt.
You can make ANYTHING you like… a spring table runner? pillow? wall hanging? Something new… JUST GO FOR IT!!!"

I also provided a formal listing with REMINDERS of MONTHS, BIRTHSTONES, FLOWERS, & their MEANINGS to help them get started.

My birthday is June 4th.

Thus: June: White/Cream Pearl -Red Rose …Love, strong.

Purebred by Erin Michael for modafabrics

I love the combination of colors created by the "paint by numbers" within the fabrics palette of roses... the reds, creams, pearls, grays, & greens. I thought the fabrics perfect & am so glad I stumbled on them!

I quilted it to be reversible

Friday, April 22, 2016

Italia, the Bocelli Farmhouse, & the ms Koningsdam

A visit to the Bocelli Farmhouse, Touring Tuscany, Lamborghini's, & a cruise on the premier voyage of the ms Koningsdam to Dubrovnik, Corfu, Albania, Ancient Olympia and the Amalfi coast.
Now how's that for an adventure to pack for!!!

We flew out on Sunday, April 3rd after a two hour commute to Dallas at 1:20PM...
and arrived in Rome on April 4th at 9AM local time.

In other words... a very perky driver holding up a sign with our names awaited- as I dragged my jet lagged body (for us it was now 3AM) through customs, collected luggage, and tried to be ready to tour.

He picked us up & we drove through a charming little town called Orvieto... where the travel promptly caught up with me... and the rest of the day became a blur :(

Later that day, we would arrive at what would become our home for the next few days.
I decided to research castles and vineyards to have a different sort of experience for the extra days we had prior to the cruise. When I stumbled on this farmhouse on line... we new it was ideal. Scott ironed out the details... and finally- here we were!

The Bocelli Family Farmhouse is located in Tuscany in Lajatico and is the birthplace of famous tenor Andrea Bocelli. Andrea, along with his brother Albert and wife Cinzia have transformed the family farm, stables, vineyard & olive groves in to a B&B. We were their only guests and were treated as family from the moment we arrived!

After a shower and refreshing... I caught up with Scott touring the vineyard.

Before I knew it, it was time for 🍷🍴 dinner.

Mario had been preparing for us all day...
This is how we were greeted:

Our welcome to the Bocelli Farmhouse:

hand carved by Chef Mario

He picked flowers for me every day!

The food he cooked was amazing... way too much. But I would quickly learn their MULTI COURSE FEASTS with WINE were their norm and WE were expected to fully partake. The table was set for us beneath the evening sky...
we ate & sipped wine while looking at stars overhead- and viewing of the space station.

Each new day began at sunrise when the roosters made it clear- they were up- so all the rest of us would be as well!!!

Chickens stir at Sunrise

Each morning a driver drove us in to town for breakfast. We ate in a small little bakery resembling the scene on the square straight out of Beauty & the Beast. Morning antipasti, breads, marmalade's, cheeses, cakes... every morning she seemed to add more to go along with the cappuccino (which was all I really needed in the first place!)

One day was spent visiting Garfaagnan.

And the next a relaxing exploration about countryside locals ...followed by a wine tasting at the Cantina Bocelli with Cinzia.

& of course at every stop there were long relaxing- intoxicating lunches.

Ponte della Maddalena detto Del Diavolo, The Devil's Bridge

alley way view from Lajatico

After a day of touring we returned a bit earlier to the farm for some cooking one afternoon!

Our pasta making lesson with Mario definitely created some challenges... but by its end... a delicious accomplishment!

Chefs at the ready!

Pasta fully prepared & ready to cook!

Early mornings.... long days touring... and late evenings visiting with new friends over wine & dinner until 10 or 11 nightly...
Scott still always wandered about capturing morning pics on vineyard.

Field flowers near the Bocelli Farmhouse

Vineyards at Sunrise.

(I am determined this image become a quilt!)

Bocelli Farmhouse Vineyard at Sunrise

And of course...
some standard tourist selfies:

They say this was a magical spot in the movie "twilight"

"Pisa"

the stage where Andrea Bocelli does his annual performance, in Lajatico

me, waiting stage side

Another meal with Mario

Of course, Scott's favorite day was our day in Bologna & Firenze with the visit he had arranged to the Lamborghini factory and Museo Ferruccio Lamborghini. He never stopped smiling!

Lamborghini factory

Museo Ferruccio Lamborghini

Dinner in Firenze

And before we knew it, it was Friday, April 8th & time to say our farmhouse goodbyes & make the 3 hour commute back to the Civitavecchia Port.



Our morning view at the Bocelli Farmhouse

a final glimpse

"arrivederci"... for now

This whole journey came about because we had looked forward to travel aboard the very first voyage of Holland America's newest ship the ms Koningsdam!

This was her 7-Day Premiere Voyage and it was round trip from Civitavecchia (Rome), Apr 8 to Apr 15...
so, as hard as it was to say goodbye to the first part of our adventure... we were quite eager to board!