No quilting, just piecing

Still waiting for my thread!

In the mean time. . .

Finishing up more UFO's.  This is from a Craftsy class, the 2012 block of the month.  I was using a Kaffe Fassett fat quarter bundle for the fabric, along with a tone on tone white for the background color.  I had two blocks left when I was down to tiny scraps and had to order more fabric. Setting it to the side while I waited was how this quilt ended up in 'the pile' of unfinished quilts.  I plan to piece the back in more of a modern style using my leftover pieces.  This one I don't even need to plan how to quilt.  Craftsy also has a class taught by Leah Day on how to quilt a sampler and more specifically this quilt.  I really admire Leah Day and think I will learn a lot from this class.

Here is another unfinished project.

I started this one at a retreat with Minnesota Contemporary Quilters.  I set it aside while trying to decide whether to keep it as a lap quilt or add a little fabric to at least make it fit a twin bed.  I decided last week when I pulled it out of 'the pile,' to make it a little bigger.  I wasn't sure if I would still be able to find the same fabric but luckily I knew the name of the fabric line, Urban Couture by Basic Grey for Moda.  I put it in a search engine and found exactly what I needed.  I ordered on Thursday and had the fabric by Saturday!  Amazing service!  Thank you to Nana's House Quilt Shop in Nashville.

After I finish piecing these two, fronts and backs, I am excited to start my next project.  I washed and pressed all the fabric so, I am ready to go.  This is for the Craftsy 2014 block of the month on color theory.  Aren't these fabrics amazing.

Have a creative day
Janet

Getting Ready for Minnesota Quilt Show

My challenge quilt for Minnesota Contemporary Quilters is finished.  This quilt gave me some growing pains while I was working on it.  I have been working on improving my quilting for traditional quilts.  So when it came time to do something contemporary, I was a little confused about how to quilt it.  I like how the painting turned out and honestly, I was afraid I would mess it up.  How many times do I let fear hold me back?  I really let this quilt sit there longer than I should have out of fear.

It dawned on me to think of my sewing machine as a paint embellisher.  I just wanted to highlight the painting and add more texture to the finished product.  That's all it took, a little shift in my thought process and it was done.

The challenge this year is "Abode" in whatever form it speaks to you.  My abode is a saquaro cactus and living inside is a family of gila woodpeckers.  My inspiration came from a photo I took while vacationing in Arizona.  The photo is of the cactus with the hole just beckoning a family to move inside.  I found the woodpeckers in a Dover book.

Prickly Abode by Janet Hartje

Have a Creative Day
Janet

The Tree Project

Wanda in Minnesota Contemporary Quilters came up with a challenge for as many people who wanted to join.  She gave us a basic tree outline.  We needed to create a tree that fit the outline. Next we had to cut our tree into four equal pieces!  Gasp!  I think we ended up with approximately 26 different trees, not sure exactly.

We each kept the piece of our tree that was the bottom left corner.  We put the other three pieces in bags with our name and the part number, so the receiver knew who they were from.  At our meeting we randomly received the other three parts of our tree from three different people.  My pieces are from Sally Neckvatel (upper left), Leah Doherty (upper right), and Sue Kelly (lower right).  Thank you to all three of you, they are beautiful.

Here is my original tree before I cut it apart.

Janet Hartje original tree

Here are the four pieces for my new tree.

Janet Hartje the tree begins

                                       

I added a border, half spring, half fall, since that is what it appeared to me.

Janet Hartje tree with borders

                                       
Now the fun begins, how to make it once again my tree.  I decided it looked like a collision between two separate worlds.  In fact I think I might call it that.  "Two Worlds Collide"
fantasy and reality.

Janet Hartje "Two Worlds Collide"

                                       

All of the tree quilts will be hung together at the Minnesota Quilt Show in June.  I think it will be a fun exhibit and I can't wait to see them all.

Now for the quilting and binding and sleeve and label and ....

Have a Creative Day
Janet

Black and White and Read all over

I am working on my challenge for Minnesota Quilters.  It's a fun challenge.  I bought a bag at the show last June containing some black and white fabric and hidden inside was one marker.  I have to use the two black and white fabrics I was given but also pink, which was the color of my marker.  I can use plain black and plain white and other black and white fabrics along with the pink.  I haven't used my two fabrics from the bag yet but here is the beginning of my wall hanging.  Now to figure out what to do with it....hmmm.... Seriously, I know what I want to do, just not sure if I can figure out how.

The paper work needs to be turned in at the end of April, and the quilt needs to be turned in at the start of June.  Yeah for me, getting something finished early is not how I normally roll.
Next I will work on my Words of Wisdom Quilt for Minnesota Contemporary Quilters.  This also needs to be turned in the first week in June for the show!  This is the new, organized me, at least with this part of my life.  I have a long way to go with house work, but that doesn't really count does it?
                                     " My laundry room

                                              has the

                                             LATEST

                                                DIRT"
Have a Creative Day
Janet

dyeing fabric Minnesota style

Hello,

I feel very fortunate to be a member of Minnesota Contemporary Quilters.  They are a great group of women, and I love to go to our meetings once a month.  I learn a lot from the wonderful speakers we have but what I find most inspiring are the comedians in our group.  It isn't always the same person but there is always someone with a story that just makes me laugh out loud picturing their adventures with quilts.  When you are a contemporary quilter you often have adventures with your quilts, you certainly let them become a part of who you are at that point in time.  This last meeting was no exception.  I can't even begin to tell the story like she did, just picture yourself in front of a bank of snow in your front yard.  Fabric in one hand, a bottle of spray bleach in the other.  Neighbors peering from behind curtains wondering, what is that crazy lady up to now.  We do often become the neighborhood oddball because we do odd things in our yards such as pounding flowers, dyeing fabric, using heat guns on fabric, using wood burning tools on fabric, rusting fabric, (yes I admit I have done all of these) and now bleaching fabric in the snow.  I still haven't tried the garbage truck fabric but rumors are, that one wasn't true.

Some friends I've met through the internet were talking about dyeing fabric outside by their pool in California.  It was snowing here and I have to admit I was a little tired of winter at that point.  I told my husband I had warm weather envy!  He said yes but you have something they don't have, snow!  So, I got outside the next day and tried my snow discharge adventure.  My results weren't as spectacular as hers, she had three different fabrics and they looked like batiks by the time she was done.  You need to let serendipity happen with this technique and I think I tried to control it too much.  I pressed it down into the snow.  It was also still very cold that day, and I think she said the warm sun helps.  So I will try this again.  Might have to wait until next winter now (I hope)  as much of the snow is melting.

Today I'm having my small group over so we can play with lutradur.  I've never used it before and wanted to try as it looks so intriguing.  We will probably end up outside at some point.  I think the weather is supposed to be good.  It was gorgeous yesterday.   Later this month the guild is having a retreat.  I think only a couple of us from our small group are going.  I've never been on a sewing retreat and am really looking forward to this.  I'll have to remember to take my camera and a notebook to write down our adventures.  I'm sure we will have some. Have a creative day. Janet