Blogger's Quilt Festival voting is open!

It's time to head over to Blogger's Quilt Festival and vote for our favorite quilt! I entered Which Way is Up? in the Original Design category. To vote, you click on the gray heart in the linky that you like best. It will turn red when you vote. It's that easy.

The It's All About Kids Day 5 giveaway is still open Please go the original post and leave a comment to win a great (who couldn't use this?) $25 Gift Certificate to Fat Quarter Shop. Make sure you do it through the Rafflecopter as I will be using that to pick a winner.

Which Way Is Up? Blogger's Quilt Festival

My entry for the Blogger's Quilt Festival at Amy's Creative Side this fall is a new version of Which Way is Up? that I made last summer.

I made the original quilt about a year ago. I had so much fun making the different sizes of geese in these cute, bright fabrics.

I finished the top at our quilt retreat in Feb. 2013

 I loved the idea of having some of the small geese flying into the border. But I was never sure about my color choice for the border they were in. I debated it and asked for advice. I waffled back and forth between a few ideas.  I finally chose a teal blue, but was never entirely happy with it

 After I taught the class on it, I was excited to see Barb's rendition, as she had used white in the border and I liked it so much! White was one of my original choices, but I worried it would be too much white! Wrong again! I wish I had time to make multiple versions of each of my designs, but part of the fun of teaching classes is that I get to see them made up in different colorways.

Barb's version of Which Way is Up?

When I decided to make another version of this pattern, I wanted to make it without borders. So I had to make more blocks and used batiks this time. For those who know me, you know I love batiks and love to use as many as possible for a scrappy look.  I love this version too, even though it has a completely different look with the batiks and without the border. I need to rewrite the pattern now to include this version as well....it's always something, right? It will get done one of these days!

 Which Way is Up? is in the Original Design category of the Festival.  Beginning on Nov. 1, you can vote for your favorite quilt in this category, as well as each of the other categories. You can vote for the Viewer's Choice Award quilt at any time, voting for your three favorite quilts in the entire show. Have you visited any of the Festival  blogs yet? Are you joining the Festival?

I took advantage of the sunny, gorgeous day here in Iowa yesterday and took some new pictures of both quilts. 

Quilting finish

 Recently I made a new version of my pattern, Which Way is Up? It is a  bit larger and doesn't have a border. I wanted to see it made out of batiks...everything is better in batiks, right? Especially when you have a large collection!

 I used the Drift panto by Keryn Emmerson.

 I like to take a picture of the back, though in this case it's hard to see the design. I am going to use this colorful fabric for the binding as well, since it has most of the colors in the quilt.

I finished the quilting yesterday, then worked at prepping and piecing the backing for the new design so it's ready to go on the machine.  I also worked on my models for my demo at Cut Up and Quilt on Aug. 30. I have a small quilt ready to sew together, as well as the demo pieces that I will use to show quilters how the ruler works.

Today I'm heading to my hometown, Earling, for my niece's bridal shower. I made her something, which I'll show you tomorrow...I don't want her to peek! 

He ain't Goldilocks!

 I loaded and began the quilting on a new version of Which Way is Up? the other day. I took a break and when I came back someone was sleeping on MY quilt! I usually close the door as the cats think a quilt pulled tight on the frame makes a nice hammock, but I must've forgotten, or didn't close it tight. Luckily I had rolled it back before I left it so it was resting on the table.

 As you can see, I used many gorgeous batiks for this one, loving the colors and designs all melding together. I do love batiks!

 I am using the Drift panto by Keryn Emmerson...it flows well and gives some curviness to an angular design, which  I like. I plan on working on it again today as I have two more that need to be quilted.

 I taught my last Kid's Camp Bag class yesterday. It was fun and I will post the pix tomorrow. One of the young quilters took some of the pix for me, as she and her friends were leaving and I was busy with the girls still finishing. But she forgot to have someone take her picture, so I'm hoping they will take it and send it to me so I have all six.

After class I went out to Cut Up and Quilt to get some fabric and a Strip Tube Ruler for a demo I will be doing there on Aug. 30 as part of their 2nd Anniversary party. It's hard to believe it's been 2 years for them already, but it's sure to be a fun event with drawings, and lots of savings! If you live in our area, mark your calendar and plan on coming by.

I also got some fabric yesterday to back my newest design, so I want to get it put together soon so it's ready to go on the machine when I finish this one. I go back to school on Aug. 27, so have a long list of to-dos to complete before then. Wish me luck!

Someone with a no reply email asked yesterday if I will be teaching a class on the Whatcha Got? bag...I am planning to do so. If you are local and interested in that class, please email me privately at quiltinjeanie@yahoo.com and I will let you know when I post it.

More randomness ...

Dianne has finished her Miss Tess quilt top...isn't it gorgeous? She is debating what to use for a border.

Barb's Which Way is Up? quilt is quilted and ready to give as a gift.

In case you missed Kerstin's post about her Against the Tide Mystery quilt, here it is in all its glory. I can't wait to see the other mystery quilts finshed!

Diana sent me this picture of her Spiderweb Stringpiecing quilt...she is almost finished!

Cindy brought this to S & B, our small quilt group, the other night. This is a quilt she was working on during our retreat. I don't know the pattern, sorry, but if you are interested I can ask her.

Do you ever get tired of kitty pix? Smokey was sitting quietly, watching me sew. Conrad jumped up beside her and started the tail swishing back and forth, back and forth....

in her face, over her back....he eventually left and she took a nap.

I'm sewing with my retreat group today...it's our mini retreat day! Are you having a quilty Saturday!

Very quilty day and Bluffs Quiltfest reminder

 I taught a double header yesterday at Cut Up and Quilt. I taught the Which Way is Up? quilt class during the day. That quilt features lots of flying geese flying in many directions. The students learned an easier way to make the geese as well as some tips on being more creative with their block placements as they put it together.

This student's idea was to have her geese flying over her collection of leafy prints. I can't wait to see these finished.

 In the evening I taught the second session of the Modern Cathedral Windows class. I posted about the first session and Anne's finished pillow here. Phyllis came to class with two finished pillows, she just couldn't stop making them! We loved how just adding the white to the oval sections  changed the look of the pillow so much.

 Keri finished her top in class last night and has plans to make a table topper with hers.

 Betty wants to make hers into a wallhanging. We had lots of discussions about the many things you could make with this block.

Barb did most of the construction by machine, but then hand stitched the curves down. She used 30s prints so it had an antique look.

 We gave Janice lots of help in figuring out the arrangement of her blocks. She is going to make a table topper out of hers too.

 Deb is having a hard time choosingwhich of her cute prints to use!

 Sandy missed class last week, so came early to make up for it. She is making a pillow to match a quilt she made for her mom 11 years ago. She still had the scraps left from making the quilt.

All in all it was a great day spent with many nice quilters, not to mention getting some chatting in with the shop owners and others I knew who were there to shop. Everyone is always interested in what is going on in the classroom. I also had a few people drop off their quilts for the Bluffs Quiltfest tomorrow. We are setting up later today, so I have all my quilts ready to go. I hope to take lots of pix during set up and the show tomorrow. If you live in the area, please stop by Community Hall tomorrow for this fun, free event! You can also read the newspaper article here.

Sewing Tuesday!

I had a great Easter with family. The kids enjoyed an Easter egg hunt and we got lots of visiting in!

I finished writing the patterns for the new sampler yesterday, so I was doing the happy dance! I enjoy writing patterns but there are so many with the samplers that it takes awhile. I need to double check them for mistakes, but it's best to wait a few days so I can look at them with a fresh eye.

I got a much needed haircut, then came back home and sewed the backing fabric together for the flying geese quilt. As you can see, it's on the machine and ready to quilt. That's the plan for tomorrow.....

Today I'm going to go sew with the Tuesday ladies...they meet every week and sew. We started this a couple of summers ago when I was off work in the summer and they have kept meeting every Tues. so I like to go when I am off and join them. I plan on starting on the mystery quilt today, so I will be spending the first part of the day cutting. I love starting a new project! I'm looking forward to catching up with all of their news and see what they are working on!