heARTS Creations

Works in Progress & Quilted Finish!

Posted on October 25, 2020 by heARTs Creations

I keep a log of my Works in Progress and completed projects and share it here monthly. Somehow I got away from that this year but became curious as to just where I’m at with everything. I know my project boxes have lessened and as I began my update I could see why! I’ve been busier than I realized! It’s probably because of all the time being spent at home that I wasn’t fully aware of just how much I was actually accomplishing. That and gardening have kept me going.

Note my definitions: Work in Progress – a project that has been started no matter how far along it is. Project – fabric and pattern in a project box with nothing done to it – no cutting, no sewing.

Here it is: projects still in the works and projects completed. Wow! A couple more and I’ll give myself permission to begin a new Work in Progress – I just may have a few of those!

Yeah! Another flimsy out of the closet! Some time ago I put together this fun Hawaiin String quilt and it was time at last to quilt it. I only do simple quilting and thankfully a string quilt lends itself to that quite well.

It’s backed with a navy fleece – warm, soft & comfy. This is also a Hospice quilt so it’s a double win!

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Victoriana

Posted on October 16, 2020 by heARTs Creations

The fabric wasn’t bright and bold as is my usual choice, but somehow it spoke to me. It seemed somewhat Victorian andI chose to do a small wall hanging. I pieced four patches and then cut them wonky which I found to be a fun technique. I did the same with the borders, just much smaller.

The background is straight line quilted. Circles of a focused portion of the fabrics was then hand appliqued onto the center of each wonky block.

It all blended in a bit too much so I embroidered around each circle using no. 8 pearl cotton.

Unfortunately, I do not have a pic of the bound and finished wall hanging which was bound in a dark Navy blue – it is now hanging at the Meadowbrook Inn in Blowing Rock, NC.

Sometime in the future I would very much like to use this wonky four patch technique in a larger, bolder and brighter quilt. Overall, I am pleased with this little quilt – another finish!

Scrappy Finish

Posted on October 11, 2020 by heARTs Creations

Another Scrappy Finish and soon to be another quilt to go to Hospice! I began piecing this quite some time ago and a few blocks sat on the design wall for much too long. In a moment of boredom, a few more blocks were added. Finally, last week, I got a bit annoyed with myself for having let it go for so long, so…I sewed!

I really got into it and by the end of the day all the blocks were together, a pieced border added, and it was a flimsy. was just the sewing therapy I needed. It now hangs with several other to be quilted tops, a few which are also for Hospice.

Just waiting for the urge to quilt to strike!

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My Little Gallery Showing

Posted on October 4, 2020 by heARTs Creations

Blowing Rock, NC is where I host my quilting retreats and hubby and I a;sp visit there a couple of times a year. I absolutely love it there! There’s hiking, strolling by all the shops and wonderful restaurants. It is such a pretty place. The hotel we stay at, The Meadowbrook Inn, is just lovely and comfortable – I call it my home away from home. The staff is so friendly, kind and helpful and over the years I have grown a beautiful relationship with them.

Every quarter the inn has a guest artist with their works hanging in their little gallery room. From now until January I am the guest artist! I had a number of pieces to bring, but there was a lot of prep work to do. I hand sewed loops or corners on the back of each piece, had hubby cut wooden slats to size, and inserted them in the back of each quilt for hanging. I brought 16 pieces and somehow got it all done. Whew!

Please note: the pics were all taken with someone else’s phone and sent to me after all the pieces were hung. They are not the best quality, but it is a hoot for me to see them all hung!

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Peaks of Color

Posted on September 20, 2020 by heARTs Creations

Another small wall quilt, this time using solids and one of my favorites: Kaffe prints. I began by pulling and pairing fabrics. I set my camera to a grayscale setting which was very telling. A couple of my selections blended together, but to the naked eye they seemed fine. From experience I knew that those had to be eliminated. It’s a great tool in fabric color selection.

I drew paper pieced block patterns as I wanted each to be a little different and to have as crisp points as possible. Happy to say it was all a fun process!

The polka dot backing was perfect. For the quilting I didn’t want too much as it’s a small quilt, so I chose random circle quilting. You can be sure I’ll be doing that again sometime in the future!

I’m also back to hand applique and with cooler temps arriving here in the Piedmont, I’m enjoying doing so on my front porch. Here is my view:

The garden continues to delight. The onslaught of leaves will soon be following, but until then, I will soak in with joy all that surrounds me.

Linkup: N&TT

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Red Storm

Posted on September 13, 2020 by heARTs Creations

Recently I was looking through my orphan blocks and came across a several quarter circle black and white blocks. I’ve been doing a few small wall quilts and decided to do something with these. I chose several red batiks for a strong contrast, cut them into 1″ and 3/4″ strips and began piecing.

I played with several layouts on the design wall and mostly straight line quilted it – for such a little quilt, 11″ x 19″, it took a while!

Here it is – “Red Storm!”

Linking: N&TT

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The Best Mail

Posted on September 7, 2020 by heARTs Creations

Recently I heard from “JP” in Florida asking if I would be interested in receiving a quilt for the Hospice ministry. Of course I was! Imagine when the box arrived stuffed to the brim with not one quilt top – but several with the added bonus of fabric for a border and backing for one of the quilt tops.

These quilt tops are perfect in both size and design for Hospice. I especially love that more than one could be for a male patient. I’m especially blown away by the amount of time, effort and resources that went into these quilt tops. This level of generosity moves me greatly.

WOW – what treasures! Thank you, Thank you JP! My goal is to get at least two of these quilted in November. I need a quilting fairy!

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A Happy Flower

Posted on August 30, 2020 by heARTs Creations

sunflower

There’s been a lot of sunshine here but with that has been intense heat and humidity. Many hours of sewing and quilting was becoming somewhat unjoyful for me so I went down a different path. I had ordered some large art paper and the first happy thought I had was a sunflower and I drew a very simple drawing

sunflower drawing

The center of the flower is strip pieced, cut and sewn again to give the illusion of a woven center. Beading in the center gave it more dimension and made it look more like a seed center.

center

The leaf is three dimensional.

leaf

Lots of fun was had when choosing bright yellow batiks for the flower. I sewed narrow strip piecing of yellow batiks, then cut for the petals. Hubby helped me choose the unconventional green striped batik background. It surely makes the flower pop!

sunflower

Ahhh. Joyful in the studio once again!

Oh Scrap! Monday Making

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Playful

Posted on August 23, 2020 by heARTs Creations

My quilting journey began somewhere around 2006 to 2007. I purchased a magazine, “Quilt It, Two Block Quilts” and immediately loved two of the quilts. The first is in the back of my quilting closet, partially quilted. Each time I take it out thinking I’ll finish it, I’m reminded that I don’t care for it very much. I also remind myself that a fair amount of work went into it, especially as a beginner, and that I should finish it so I can donate it.

The second pattern was for “Baby Love.” In 2018 I finally got around to pulling various fun fabrics and copying the paper piecing patterns. In December of that year I worked on some of the blocks while retreating with a few quilty friends. Can you guess? The project box just sat on the shelf until earlier this year. Somehow I was motivated to get it together. I did, however, simplify and modify the pattern some. I didn’t use all the NY Beauty blocks. They’re in the orphan quilt box waiting for lightening to hit me with a brilliant plan!

Funny how after sitting for so long, I was super motivated and quickly got the top put together. Some weeks ago I pulled the top from my hangar of “flimsies,” found a batting and used a gray fleece for the backing.

Oh how I love having another finish. And where is this quilt headed? To play with the other baby quilts I have waiting for some unknown future arrival. Now I call that being prepared!”

Linking: N&TT Whoop Whoop

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On the Design Wall

Posted on August 16, 2020 by heARTs Creations

quarter block

Scraps, scraps, scraps. A container full of one and one half inch scrap strips! There is also a bin of polka dots that has been waiting to be used. The blocks are quarter log cabins with the centers made up of four patches of polka dots.

This option for arranging the blocks just didn’t work for me.

I’ve arranged the quarter log cabins several ways and putting four together for one full log cabin block was most pleasing to me.

For now, this is my layout choice.

There’s a long way to go. I’m now piecing more four patches. Adding the strips goes fairly quickly and is fun sewing.

Lots and lots of strips to choose from!

I’ve been doing a lot of organizing and although I don’t feel as though I’ve been sewing that much, I have really been quite productive. Hmmm. Maybe it’s because I’m not going anywhere during quarantine?!