My Quip – IQFOI 2013 Quilter’s Village Map, Galway, Ireland

Good Day,

Just received the 2013 International Quilt Festival of Ireland Quilter’s Village Map in Galway.

Thank you Jim West.

I have attempted to mark out the locations on the NUI Galway Campus where our three quilts will be on exhibit with all the other amazing quilts next weekend, June 7-9.

Our quilts and wall hangings that will be on display in the corresponding categories.

Quilt – Coral Steps
Exhibit Category - Cornucopia

Quilt – Colored Windows II
Exhibit Category – The Mantality of a Quilter

Wall Hanging – MEM911
Exhibit Category – I Believe Enjoy,

Jim and Andy

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My Quip – Andy and I Do Have Our Personal Quilt and Crochet Critic

Good Day,

And the new member of The Pack, Max has definitely developed the wherewithal as our personal quilt, crochet, and fabric art critic.

No matter where we are set in our shop, whether it is quilting or crocheting, Max always is there. Always with his commenting and appraising eye(s). He has to be forever checking out our work, as he is now sitting, squished between my back and my chair, as I type up my quick journal of our days work and events.

The background fabric has been chosen for our Astro-Physics. It is also batik.

The design stage of Tampa Kaleidoscope continues. I hope it rains today so that I can shut myself in the Design Room to work on the final design.

Double Entendre Afghan has increased in dimensions to Length – 36” and Width 48”. Only 24” more to complete the inner top.

Work continues on the quilting designs for both our new Equality and The Amulet quilts.

New fabric and yarn has arrived for a number of new ideas and designs. Also we have received a number of inquiries regarding the commissioning of new king-sized quilts. And the house is beginning to transform itself into a fabric sweat shop… given the increasing Tampa temperatures. Praise be there is a pool for those quick refreshing and needed breaks.

And if you are interested in acquiring any of our available quilts or commissioning us to create for you please feel free to contact us.  Stay tuned to Quilts SB for updates.

Enjoy,

Jim and Andy

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My Quip – Astro-Physics Quilt Wall Hanging – The Clustering of Planets Begin

Good Day,

Work continues on our Astro-Physics.

The clustering of the planets and stars is in process. Seven planets and stars will be clustered together and eight more will surround the cluster in our quilt wall hanging. Our adaptation is a sort-of deconstruction inspiration of Jacqueline de Jonge’s Fly Away.

The background fabric for our complete composition has been chosen. The design of our fifteen planets and stars should prove interesting. Also we are now designing a complementary border that, all-things-being-equal, should enhance the piece.

And of course Max has to check everything out.

Stay tuned for our progress updates on Quilts SB.

Enjoy,

Jim and Andy

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My AIP – Double Entendre – Afghan In Progress

Good Day,

And this story starts about 42 years ago… but you’ll have to tune in again for the details. I’ll fill you in with those details in an ensuing posting at Quilts SB.

What happens when we combine two yarns: Country Rose and Off White?

The result is Double Entendre.

My inspiration is Layer of Luxury Comfort Afghan designed by Jacqueline Stetter. I have six one-pound skeins of yarn, a total of 4,956 yard. I thought that this may be a good challenge for me while Andy is manning the sewing machines and working on our quilts. I have to be doing something and therefore I thought I would re-start my once thriving crochet challenges.

The yarn is an acrylic yarn provided by Caron. I am using a 9.00 mm crochet hook. To date I have completed about half of the inner construction of Double Entendre. The eventual dimensions of the Double Entendre, without the borders, will be approximately Width – 48” (122 cms) and Length – 60” (152 cms). You’ll have to check back to see the final size and production.

It is great having a partner who has the education and degree in Textile Sciences. He understands the makings and composition of yarns. And my hands are getting a very good work-out as I try to recall the knotting process of crochet that I learned so many years ago, in a faraway place.

For the short time I will be keeping my updates and posts on our Quilts SB site. All-things-being-equal there may be a new site, Afghans SB.

Enjoy,

Jim and Andy Click here to continue reading...

My Quip – Astro-Physics Update – Nine More Planets and Stars Completed

Good Day,

And happy May Ray Day. We have now completed 9 more planets and stars for our Astro-Physics quilt wall-hanging project. All the component parts are now completed and now 15 planets and stars are pieced together.

Including the above, here are the addition nine planets and stars. And yes there is one that is duplicated in fabric and color.

I made an error in my previous posting and named Jacqueline de Jonge’s quilt Be Colorful. Its actual title is Fly Away. Her company located in The Netherlands is Be Colorful.

Seven of the planets and stars will be clustered, sewn, and pieced together. Our Astro-Physics cluster will be the mirror image of Jacqueline’s Fly Away. And so Andy is “clustering” backwards. The combination of both Sharon Schamber’s and Jacqueline de Jonge’s, coupled with Andy’s techniques is proving an exciting construction. The remaining eight planets and stars will be incorporated into the overall design of the quilt wall-hanging.

The work continues, and thanks for the positive feedback. If you have any questions, comments, and ideas, please feel to contact us.

Enjoy,

Jim and Andy

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My Quip – Progress Continues – Astro-Physics - Quilt

Good Day,

Work continues on our Astro-Physics project. Andy is currently working on the elaboration of the planets and stars for our eventual quilt wall hanging, as inspired by Jacqueline de Jonge’s quilt Fly Away. A combination of Jacqueline de Jonge’s piecing and Sharon Schamber’s curved piecing techniques has provided some insight how to appropriately piece curves.

Our target and reconstructed design is 15 planets and stars, four more than are included in Jacqueline’s Fly Away.

Check out the following Quilts SB links to bring up to date regarding our work on Astro-Physics. You might ask as to the time span from our beginnings of Astro-Physics, but there is definitely a method to our thread and fabric madness.

- Oct 16, 2011 My Quip – Astro-Physics – New Wall-Hanging Quilt Begins

- Oct 17, 2011 My Quip – Astro-Physics – Another Completed Piece

- Oct 20, 2011 My Quip – Astro-Physics – 16 Points

- Oct 21, 2011 My Quip – Astro-Physics – The Next Neck Adornment

- Oct 24, 2011 My Quip – Astro-Physics – Flying Goose

- Oct 29, 2011 My Quip – Astro-Physics – Star Cluster

- Nov 6, 2011 My Quip – Astro-Physics – Update and a New Direction

- Nov 19, 2011 My Quip – Caedogán Rugs – Astro-Physics Quilts 6th Star Cluster

- Dec 22, 2011 My Quip – Astro-Physics Quilt Construction Update – Christmas Quilt Sale

- Jan 2, 2012 My Quip – Another Block Completed for Astro Physics Quilt

- Jan 6, 2012 My Quip – Astro-Physics – Two More Blocks Readied

Stay tuned to our progress on our Astro-Physics... Also check back with Quilts SB to see our work on our other quilt and crochet projects.

Enjoy,

Jim and Andy

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My Quip - Our Quilts and Afghans in Progress - An Ancient Internet Speak

Good Day,

It is a wonder that humans are good at deciphering pictures on a cave wall.  And now we have to learn on old form of Internet-speak.  I was pretty good at it some 30 to 40 years ago, and I am wondering if Google will add it to it's Translate application.

Quilts - 25; and Afghans - 3; update and progress continues.  Here is the quick info on 10 of our current projects.

Hexagons for Tampa Kaleidoscope are all spread out in the design room. The colorways have been sorted into piles of shades.

The Amulet is loaded to the longarm. It is now basted. We are examining ideas for quilting, all-things-being equal to compliment the geometric form of the quilting.

The component parts of Astro-Physics are now being pieced together. Five of 15 have been completed.

A design quilting pattern is being developed for our in progress Equality Quilt.

New Damask and Native American fabrics has been received with thoughts of a couple more kaleidoscope quilts.

The completed blocks for our Jacob Ladder Pants quilt have all been moved to the design room.

We our thinking of deconstructing our work on the blocks of the Batique OM quilts.

And we are learning a new language once again, LOL.  Rnd2: Ch2, hdc in each hdc around, working 3 hdc in 2nd hdc of each corner, join with sl st in 2nd ch of beg ch-2.  This house now reads and and tries to speak English, Spanish, French, Latin, Twitter, and Crochet.

The first composition of a crocheted afghan, dark rose, almost burgundy and buff, is now 48" in width and 15" long.

And the sugar cane yarn is now in house. Exploring ideas.

This is not a complete list of all our work in progress but just a quick note of that which we are immediately working on.

We need to explore redoing our Quilts SB site. Stay tuned.

Check with Quilts SB for routine and regular updates.

Enjoy,

Jim and Andy

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My Quip – Progress – Tampa Kaleidoscope – And The Thought of Two New Quilts

Good Day,

All 1,368 equilateral triangles for Tampa Kaleidoscope have been cut and all 456 half-hexagons have been completed. Now, and I sound a wee bit like Professor McGonigle, the sorting begins.

The component parts of our Tampa Kaleidoscope are three colorways of the KMIS Tampa fabric: light, medium, and dark. The first stage of the sorting process is now to separate the possible hexagons into varying degrees of shades. It is delightful and extremely interesting how the hexagons, even though they each have the element of the Tampa fabric, through deconstruction, are transformed into something completely different.

Even the afternoon sunlight streaming through the blinds create designs on our Tampa Kaleidoscope.

Bruce Seeds is definitely correct when he states “the quilts are the result of a process, not a pattern… And each step builds on the previous one. It’s only when I get to the very end that I can see each quilt for what it wanted to be.” And Maxine Rosenthal writes, “This is a serendipitous and adventurous approach to design. One piece of fabric does all the work, because the fabric contains all the colors and all the design elements.”

Andy and I cannot wait to see what our final creation and design of our Tampa Kaleidoscope will turn out. This is definitely another step in our education and learning of the world of quilting.

We have also now acquired some new fabric to attempt two more new Kaleidoscope quilts. Stay tuned to our work and progress. Make sure you follow our Quilts SB: Site; Google+ Page; or Facebook Page.

Enjoy,

Jim and Andy

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My Quip – Tampa Kaleidoscope – Progress On Colorways

Good Day,

Well as we continue our work on our new quilt, Tampa Kaleidoscope, we are getting more and more excited as a totally random design erupts on our quilt wall.

108 pre-constructed hexagons have been completed from the light colorway. This means that two sets of three equilateral triangles have been sewn together. The two half-hexagons are then pinned together to create what will eventually be the final hexagon. Andy has also completed the 72 triangles of the darker colorway and is now working on the medium colorway.

I have been randomly, with some sense of color degree composition, pinning the to-be completed hexagons on the quilt wall. The result, at this point, definitely does not resemble the original Tampa fabric print. But, as we are so familiar with the original print we can see what the deconstruction has been doing to the outcome.

The above images are preliminary of our Tampa Kaleidoscope design and at this point in time, we cannot say exactly what the final quilt design will turn out to be.

Once again credit for the process and construction is due to Bruce Seeds and Maxine Rosenthal.

Stay tuned to our progress and updates.

Enjoy,

Jim and Andy

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My Quip - Update - Tampa Kaleidoscope

Good Day,

Well 216 half-hexagons for our Tampa Kaleidoscope have been completed.

The fabric is the same Tampa fabric as presented in our postings of April 30 and May 2.  From the three colorways we hope to create 228 hexagons.  Will we use all 228?  Not sure, that will depend upon the creative design.  The above images are two sample hexagons created from the Tampa fabric.

We are absorbing the work of Bruce Seeds and Maxine Rosenthal. There is definitely a creative freedom in the concept of the construction of a kaleidoscope quilt of this process.

We have also created a fabric wall which should give us the opportunity to visually display our design ideas and thoughts.

Enjoy,

Jim and Andy

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My Quip - EssbeeCon Awarded Judge's Choice at Denver National Quilt Festival VIII

Good Day,

Andy and I just found out that our EssbeeCon quilt has been awarded a Judge's Choice Ribbon at the Denver National Quilt Festival VIII.

Needless to say we're tickled pink.

The Denver National Quilt Festival is being held from yesterday through May 5 at the Denver Mart in Denver, Colorado.

Enjoy,

Jim and Andy

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My Quip - Progress Report - Tampa Kaleidoscope

Good Day,

The work is continuing on our new and experimental quilt design, Tampa Kaleidoscope. All-things-being-equal this quilt will be one-of-a-kind.

In the the process of our education, the experts who have completed similar type of construction projects indicate that a kaleidoscope quilt can be completed with one good printed fabric. Well of course, Andy and I are trying something a bit different, which does not mean that it hasn't been done before. We have decided to cut the basic equilateral triangles, for the construction of hexagons, from three blue colorways of the same Tampa fabric.

Our first run of our design will require 1,128 equilateral triangles cut from all three colorways.

All-things-being equal, our Tampa Kaleidoscope, when completed will approximate 93" (236 cms) by 98" (249 cms). This means that this could be the size of a queen sized quilt. And of course, this does not account for any border design at the present draft.

Keep tuned to Quilts SB for updates and our progress of Tampa Kaleidoscope.

Enjoy,

Jim

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