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

Click here to continue reading...

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

Click here to continue reading...

My Quip – Update – Quilts and Wall Hangings in Progress

Good Day,

In an effort to make sure that we are in somewhat of an organized state of mind, the following are the current quilts and wall-hangings we are working on.

- EssbeeCon – Completed. Prepare for display at QuiltCon.

- Test 40 – In progress. Complete blocks and strips to create top. We decided, as something new to us, to use 100% batting. Sandwich assembled. We have created a lattice-work design as a complementary quilting pattern using the new Aurifil Test 40 thread.

- Cosmo’s Moon - Fabric chosen. Muslin strips sewn together to prepare for Design. Design to be drawn on muslin strips.

- Confetti Primary YLI - Extract colors. Design completed. Get fabrics.

- The Amulet - Completed picking out stitching. New thread for backing. Quilt.

- Astro-Physics – First planet created. Design to be determined. Quilting to be done.

- Blumish - Design to be determined. Quilting to be done.

- Joseph’s Coat - Quilting design to be determined. Quilting to be done.

- Joseph’s Ladder Pants - Design to be determined. Quilting to be done.

- Mauk II - Blocks and top to be completed. Quilting design to be determined. Quilting to be done.

- Rán - # of Blocks determined 24 small; 24 medium; 12 large. Width 72”, Length 78 blocks. Design to be determined. Top to be completed.

- Gunta Stölz - Design to be determined. Top to be completed. Quilting to be done.

- Batique OM I - Design to be determined. Top to be completed. Quilting to be done.

- Batique OM II - Design to be determined. Top to be completed. Quilting to be done.

- Civil War Re-enactment II - Design to be determined. Top to be completed. Quilting to be done.

- Eagle - Design completed. Top to be completed. Quilting to be done.

- Orange Peel Indian Summer - Quilting design to be determined. Quilting to be done.

- Just Trees - Design to be determined.

- BirthYear Bargello - Workout formula to create design.

Keep abreast of all our updates. I have added a “Follow By Email” capability at the bottom right of each posting under The Grid. You can also become a Follower of Quilts SB. Click on the “Join this site” in the right-hand column to follow Quilts SB.

I’ve added another means to follow the images of our quilt creations via Pinterest. Also check out our new Quilts SB Page on Facebook. Link over to Quilts SB and become a Fan, albeit “Like” us.

Check out my new experimental format of my Blog, Quilts SB Test. Certainly would appreciate your feedback.

To see previously posted quilts, there is a visual Grid presentation at the bottom of the Quilts SB page. Move your cursor over any mini-picture found there and click to see an enlargement. Move your cursor to the "Q#" link to see the quilt's details. If the quilt’s title is highlighted in yellow or in red, it has found a home in a collection and is no longer available.

If you have any questions and/or comments please feel free to get in touch with me via Email Quilts SB.

I'm not sure if I have missed any, but enjoy,

Jim and Andy

Click here to continue reading...

My Quip – The Amulet – In Progress – Quilting Errors Unpicked – Ready To Start Again

Good Day,

Well the unpicking of the first chance run of quilting of The Amulet has been finished. Talk about a pain. And our reason for unpicking… we did not like the thread which we had chosen for the top and used it simultaneously for the back. At the time it just seemed so right, but it was so wrong. New thread for the back has been decided upon.

The Amulet, our original design, is inspired by the work of artist Richard Tsosie. We have attempted to capture the spirit of one of the pieces of his art.

The top of The Amulet has been completed. We are now fine-tuning our piecing and reviewing the work. The Amulet will approximate the size of a Double-size quilt. The dimensions are about – Width: 72” (183 cms) and Length: 94” (239 cms). The top is constructed of 120 parts of fabric which have been pieced to create mirror images.

Here are a couple more preview images. You can see the square and rectangular construction of the fabric pieces. The backing is a corresponding light blue. My camera my not do justice to the actual coloring of the fabrics.

And boy, have we learned a lesson. Going forward, we will attempt to test-quilt on a sample piece in order to determine the complimentary and conforming thread choice.

Stay tuned to our progress.

Enjoy,

Jim

Click here to continue reading...

My Quip – The Amulet – A New Quilt in Progress

Good Day,

Supper last night – Thai cucumber, onion, bird chilies, and culantro salad, Sous vide teriyaki chicken with a teriyaki glaze reduction, garlic baby bok choy, and slivered broccoli with shitake mushrooms. I am still amazed each time I use the Sous vide contraption… And supper was good, and company was great.

Yes, we are working on a number of quilts concurrently… and it all depends upon deadlines and the type of mood Andy or I may be in. At times we like to walk away from one of our projects just to give ourselves a breather… and at times the work may become somewhat tedious. But all of our list of pending quilts and wall-hangings are works in progress… That is, until our Smith Brunhammer label is completed and attached to the back of a work.

This past January I wrote that we had started a new and original work inspired by a bracelet created by the artist Richard Tsosie. Our top, constructed of approximately 120 pieces, rectangles and squares of fabric, The Amulet, has been completed. The approximate and anticipated size of the completed quilt should be a Double-size quilt.

We have picked the back fabric, a light blue, and a variegated blue thread to complete the quilting. Our decision of how to attempt to quilt The Amulet has taken some time. The quilting we decided upon is a freeform meandering and continuous maze-like pattern. It seems to be the most complementary to the fabrics and design.

Once loaded and started we completed one pass of quilting and then stopped. We did not like the variegated blue thread on the light blue backing. And so, we have unloaded the quilt-wich and are picking all the initial quilting… to start over again. A new backing thread choice has been picked and a lesson has been learned.

Lesson learned… Work a sample quilt before attempting the final product… Hey we're still learning.

Enjoy, and stay tuned for updates on The Amulet.

Andy and Jim

Click here to continue reading...

My Quip - Where Is That Quilting Thread? - Update

Good Day,

Well the work continues on preparing our portfolio for Evolution for MQX East 2012 in April in Providence. All quilts and wall hangings have been chosen. We have to make sure that all quilts are included with a hanging sleeve and a Brunhammer Smith label. Next comes the packaging and shipping.

Blue Diamonds has been completed and is ready for shipping to Providence, Rhode Island for competition at MQX East 2012.

Tampa Lightning has been accepted as entry to MQS 2012 (aka Machine Quilters Showcase 2012) this coming May at the Overland Park Convention Center in Kansas. Check back for our updates at Quilts SB.

Our Mondrian I is still in the process of being quilted. We are considering entering this one to HMQS 2012 show in Salt Lake City.

We have just received new commissions to create a King-size quilt - Blue Memories, and a Queen-size quilt – S’s Memories. Interesting ideas and we will be beginning that work shortly. The draft designs for Blue Memories have been completed.

The Amulet is waiting on the back of a chair for the final modifications to the top.

All 15 planets have been constructed for Astro-Physics. Now next, the placement in the overall design.

The top for Joseph’s Coat has been completed. We are really pleased with design result.

176 blocks have been created for Joseph’s Ladder Pants and the design arrangement is currently on the pin-up wall.

And fabric has arrived for the make-up of a new quilt for Kumquat.

You would think that we were a wee bit busy? One would know that this obsession has got to them when you start dreaming of quilt design and fabric combination in the couple of hours that one sleeps at night.

Keep abreast of all our updates. I have added a “Follow By Email” capability at the bottom right of each posting under The Grid. You can also become a Follower of Quilts SB. Click on the “Join this site” in the right-hand column to follow Quilts SB.

I’ve added another means to follow the images of our quilt creations via Pinterest. Also check out our new Quilts SB Page on Facebook. Link over to Quilts SB and become a Fan, albeit “Like” us.

Check out my new experimental format of my Blog, Quilts SB Test. Certainly would appreciate your feedback.

To see previously posted quilts, there is a visual Grid presentation at the bottom of the Quilts SB page. Move your cursor over any mini-picture found there and click to see an enlargement. Move your cursor to the "Q#" link to see the quilt's details. If the quilt’s title is highlighted in yellow or in red, it has found a home in a collection and is no longer available.

If you have any questions and/or comments please feel free to get in touch with me via Email Quilts SB.

I'm not sure if I have missed any, but enjoy,

Jim and Andy

Click here to continue reading...

My Quip – The Amulet – A New Quilt Begins

Good Day,

Where in the heck did this cold weather come from? And no, before any of you reading this who reside north the 39th Parallel, I am not a wimp. The temperature has dropped, here in Tampa Bay, in the last couple of hours by about 10° F (12.2° C). AND it is getting colder!!! Yesterday, I was in shorts and barefoot. Right now I have on socks, sweater, and long pants. I’m freezing… I do not like our days of winter in the south!

And we have begun the process of a new creation; an original design inspired by the work of artist Richard Tsosie.

Our new quilt is The Amulet. Here are the cut pieces, 114 which do not include the borders or the backing. The Amulet will approximate the dimensions – Width: 72” (182.9 cms) and Length: 94” (238.8 cms). This will be about the size of a Double-size quilt.

The 114 parts of fabric are being pieced to create mirror images.

Stay-tuned to my updates.

Andy and I are moving at a steady pace with our quilt and fabric wall hanging work. Keep abreast of all updates. I have added a “Follow By Email” capability at the bottom right of each posting under The Grid. You can also become a Follower of Quilts SB. Click on the “Join this site” to follow Quilts SB.

Check out my new experimental format of my Blog, Quilts SB Test. Certainly would appreciate your feedback.

To see previously posted quilts, there is a visual Grid presentation at the bottom of the Quilts SB page. Move your cursor over any mini-picture found there and click to see an enlargement. Move your cursor to the "Q#" link to see the quilt's details. If the quilt’s title is highlighted in yellow or in red, it has found a home in a collection and is no longer available.

If you are interested, and would like some more information of available quilts, regarding costs, shipping, and insurance, please check our Quilts SB Etsy shop.

If you have any questions and/or comments please feel free to get in touch with me via email.

Enjoy,

Jim and Andy

Click here to continue reading...

My Quip – Two New Quilt and Wall-Hanging Designs Completed

Good Day and A Merry Christmas Eve,

Last night’s supper was a wee bit of a surprise to me; a Spicy Shrimp and Black Bean Corn Chowder. Pleasantly surprised. Onion and bird’s eye chilis; chicken broth and tomato purée. Corn, black beans, culantro, sugar, and salt. Filling and really, realy good.

We are all wrapped in fabric today. Dogwood Steps Quilt is off the Longarm and the binding has been attached. This is one enormous quilt. All-things-being-equal it is heavier than NC the Coast. And it looks fabulous.

The first strip of nine blocks, for our Blue Diamonds Quilt, has been completed. Thanks M for your comments and thoughts. We are both really pleased with the overall design.

I have completed a new design for the construction of a new Bargello quilt. The new quilt is called Rán… and no, not for Ran the movie. It is in thought of a Norwegian Sea Goddess. As we work on this quilt I will reveal bit-by-bit my reasons and warped thought process. Our target date for Rán is March.

I have also completed a new design for a completely new quilt which will, all-things-being-equal, be a new challenge for us. The thought for this wall-hanging is a mosaic-type quilt. It is of the American Eagle. All-things-being-equal we will try for completion in late spring.

The fabric for The Amulet is on the table. Next task is to scan all fabrics and rearrange those which will create The Amulet. Stay tuned for the updates.

Also check out my new experimental format of my Blog, Quilts SB Test. Certainly would appreciate your feedback.

To see previously posted quilts, there is a visual Grid presentation at the bottom of the Quilts SB page. Move your cursor over any mini-picture found there and click to see an enlargement. Move your cursor to the "Q#" link to see the quilt's details. If the quilt’s title is highlighted in yellow or in red, it has found a home in a collection and is no longer available.

If you are interested, and would like some more information of available quilts, regarding costs, shipping, and insurance, please check our Quilts SB Etsy shop.

If you have any questions and/or comments please feel free to get in touch with me via email.

Enjoy,

Jim and Andy

Click here to continue reading...

My Quip – What to Expect From Quilts SB in the Short

Good Day,

And I can guarantee that the majority of our readers are busy trimming, wrapping, cooking, baking, and washing, and cleaning up for the upcoming Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa Celebrations. Many more than likely, you do not have time, because of being “extremely” busy, to breathe, and to read our Blog. Wrong.

It appears that of late there has been more and more readers and visits to Quilts SB… and we thank you very much. Last night Quilts SB received 3 ½ Stars at Top Listed.net and was ranked the highest ever at Rank 8 of the top 50 Quilting Sites. This morning, we received 2 Stars and a Ranking of 23. (It is almost like monitoring the Dow Jones number.)

I thought I would bring you up-to-date at what Andy and I are working on at Quilts SB and what Essbee projects are in the line.

1. The backing has been completed for Dogwood Steps. This California King-sized quilt has been now loaded to the Longarm and we are tackling the quilting. The next steps are the binding and the label. We are very, very pleased at what we are seeing.

2. As mentioned in my last Posting, Q93, Dino in the Window has made it to its new home in South Carolina. We’re waiting for the “Show and Tell” pictures.

3. All 63 blocks for Blue Diamonds, our original design inspired from a Paul Klee painting, have been completed. Now starts the placement phase of the individual and unique blocks. All I will tell you now is that the matrix will be a construction of 7 blocks wide and 9 blocks in length. This one we’re keeping a real mystery.

4. The top for our Civil War Reenactment 1 Quilt is completed. It is next in line to be quilted and in keeping with the tenure of the Civil War era we will be quilting the complete quilt with the Baptist Fan pattern. Next, and waiting to be quilted is Mondrian I. Our idea is to create a possible beveled glass effect in the quilting pattern. All-things-being-equal it should work.

5. And then there is Tampa Lightning. It, too, is waiting in line to be quilted. We are going to try something new with a horizontal quilting line pattern that should give credence to the Lightning effect.

6. Approvals have been received from Richard Tsosie - Silversmith, Goldsmith, and Lapidary Artist, to use one of his creations as the inspiration for our new quilt, The Amulet. The fabrics are spread on the table. Next starts the fabric scanning process and arranging to create our inspired original design.

7. I am now working on a new design based on the work of textile artist Gunta Stöltz. This one will be a trip, especially if I can sit still long enough to develop the parts of the construction and design.

8. A key task is the prep work that will be necessary to prepare our portfolio of Evolution for MQX 2012. Obviously there are critical deadlines to get Evolution ready for its journey to Providence, RI in April and Portland, OR in October.

9. We are also looking at deadlines for three competitions for the first half of 2012: MQX East, Providence – February; Under the Sea, IMQA, Kansas – March; and Star Spangled 2012, HMQS – April.

10. All thought and work has been completed for the announcement in the upcoming new publication of The Local Dirt. All-things-being-equal printed copies of The Local Dirt are targeted to be available December 29.

Our work is cut out for us, but we are enjoying it… And there is fabric in every nook and cranny of this house.

Also check out my new experimental format of my Blog, Quilts SB Test. Certainly would appreciate your feedback.

To see previously posted quilts, there is a visual Grid presentation at the bottom of the Quilts SB page. Move your cursor over any mini-picture found there and click to see an enlargement. Move your cursor to the "Q#" link to see the quilt's details. If the quilt’s title is highlighted in yellow or in red, it has found a home in a collection and is no longer available.

If you are interested, and would like some more information of available quilts, regarding costs, shipping, and insurance, please check our Quilts SB Etsy shop.

If you have any questions and/or comments please feel free to get in touch with me via email.

Enjoy,

Jim and Andy

Click here to continue reading...