A Blog Walk down Memory Lane - 2011 McCall's Design Star Contest

It came up in my Facebook Memories.

 Today 11 Years ago I was notified that I was a Top 10 Finalist.

2011 was a year of starts and finishes for the McCall's Design Star Contest. 

I watched the process of Natalia Bonner's Mom, Kathleen in 2010

It started in May 2011

Entry Challenge

"Roses for Roma"

I made this Quilt for my Sister.

Using Fabrics from our Mother's STASH.

The Pattern is original from Lynn and I.

Sew Fun to fussy-Cut the Roses.

Quilted with Sweetheart Panto.

Challenge # 1

"Be-Ribboned Asterisk"

We were given 10 MODA Fat Quarters to make a Quilt 

We could add 1 other fabric.

Inspired by Floor Tile at a Quilt Shop in Baker, Oregon

Quilted by Natalia Bonner 'Piece and Quilt'

Challenge #2

Using 2 Blocks chosen by McCall's

Shoo-Fly and Arrowhead

I used the Arrowhead Blocks in the center, 

Shoofly for the inner Border and

more Shoo-fly blocks around.

I used Shoo-fly for the the final Border too.

I named this one...

"Shoo-Fly, Don't Bother Me"

My Friend Marlene and I made the local Newspaper in August

Challenge #3
My Quilt that Sings

Challenge: use lyrics from a well recognized song to be inspired, 

let it represent you as a designer.

"How Much is that Doggie In the Window"

Dedicated to my childhood Puppy, Curly.

3-D 'Dog Bones' in the Corners and Prairie Points to finish the edge.

Quilted on a Borrowed Bernina from Stash.

I quilted in the ditch and did meander in the border.

Long story Short-

 My desire for a NEW Machine, cause the one I was using didn't do what I wanted.

Entered in the Walla Walla Fair and got a Blue Ribbon.

The Challenge Quilts did NOT have to be Quilted. 

I sent this one to be Quilted by Natalia.

I got it back in December after the Contest was over.

See how Happy I was to get it back?

2011 was an eventful Year!

Enriched by my Quilting Swaps, Contest Entries, Newfo's, Leaders/enders, 

Mysteries and Designing Quilts in EQ.

Getting Published in McCall's Magazine didn't happen.

But, Our Pictures and Bio's and Challenge Quilts are there. 

Thanks for Reading and Commenting.

I missed my Blog-O-Versary

Next week I'll figure out a Giveaway and Post.

Design Wall Monday,December 12, 2011

It's Home!!!

Beribboned Asterisk- Challenge #2 - 2011 McCall's Quilt Design Star

 I had to take the Box that came last week out to my Quilt Buddies to show her my Challenge Quilt after the Quilting. I was so excited to get it back and will get to show it off at Guild on Tuesday.  The quilting was done by Piece and Quilt- Natalia Bonner.  I'm so happy with the results and have to show it off!  I still need to get the binding on and hope to do that this week.  I'm still waiting for my Final Challenge Quilt "How Much Is that Doggie in the Window?" to be returned from Colorado.  These two quilts are well traveled.

My Neice, the youngest Daughter of my DH's Sister is getting married this Friday.  Today is her Birthday and this is the quilt her mother made for her and her future Husband.  I took the picture at the Bridal Shower back in November and hadn't blogged about them.  Her favorite color is Red she tells me and the next quilt was made by her Grandma Crowther, My Husband's Mother.  She finished the quilt top and our neice has hand quilted it to finish it off before getting married.  She is also Making her own wedding dress.

 I hope you enjoyed seeing these fun quilts.  My real design wall still has the same old stuff on it.  I look forward to changing it soon for next year's UFO Challenge.

Check out more Design Wall's HERE.

Design Wall Monday, October 10, 2011

I made 17 BOW ties with the Lori Holt fabric!  Ten are 5.5" and seven are 4"  This is how I put them up on the WALL to let them ruminate a while. They fabric is a little busy and I'm wishing I would have added a solid to stretch it a bit further.  I'll be adding fabric for the Sashing and Border, but I'm not sure what color to pull from the fabrics. You can leave your Suggestions in the Comments!  I made Blocks for Block Lotto and the Blogger's BOM last week too. It's so nice to be able to show something in the works again... This months's UFO #5 needs lots of WORK, but I have to locate it first.  Playing the waiting  game until the Voting begins again for McCall's Quilt Design Star  FINAL CHALLENGE.  What a relief to have it sent off and submitted online.  I'm so grateful to have made the final round and I know I'll have something to be extra THANKFUL for this year.  I have been getting calls and Facebook messages from my friends and family who have seen my Picture in the Current  Nov/Dec McCall's Quilting Magazine.  There is another article in the Country Register that is on stands now!  I am hoping this week will go fast so I can start VOTING and  see all the rest of the 12 Finalists entries.  Good Luck to all of US!  I'll put the button to the DIRECT Link up as soon as I have it -so you can go see them all too!

Meanwhile...click around the blog-o-spere HERE to see more Design Wall Monday Postings.

Finally Friday!

It's has been a very long week. I've been trying to sew in spite of a toothache and headache.  Thursday I called the dentist and went in...two cracked teeth that will need treatment. I hate throwing my DH's Hard earned $$$ at fixing my teeth, but it's one of those necessary evils...  My DD asked how did I crack them?  Who knows?  Sore subject when my teeth are in the discussion.  I have a love/hate relationship with dentists to make a long story short.   I only see what the cost of fixing them could buy for my Quilting "wants".  It's almost the cost of a Homesteader machine that I have looked at... I only need the machine and this one fits the bill- no fancy- schmancy stitches, just straight stitching.
My Author's Album Swap Blocks came in Thursdays' Mail.  They will be shown on Monday's Design Wall. You can see a Finished Quilt done with the block HERE.  This link takes you to Jennifer's book page.

Anyway, I'm so happy that it is FRIDAY! That means the November/December issue of McCalls should be in my hot little hands soon! The new Country Register is coming out this week-end also. You'll need Adobe Reader to view this online.  Go to page 14 to read about and see my Challenge #2 quilt, since the #3 quilt isn't available- YET!

I have great plans for the week-end.  It's General Conference and since I have BYU-TV I don't have to leave my house.  That means I can quilt or sew all day Saturday.  Sunday will still be a Day of Rest - between sessions.

It has been suggested that I hand quilt my project...hummmm, I'm not sure that I could compete with my 'hand quilting' either.  I've been in a FUNK since I couldn't do what I wanted to do with it the other day. Yes, the toothache has something to do with it too... I can't let it keep me down, I'm going to get this completed, come what may!  Even if I have to borrow a machine to do it, I WILL get it done!  If I mess it up, I'm going to have to get more fabric and make it again. Just saying.

OUCH! Clumsy Me...

These steep stairs plus my rolling sewing machine cart did not make a good combination last week...

Steep Stairs

Rolling Sewing Machine Cart

Sore ankle

I thought it was just sprained and it didn't hurt much all week-end in Portland, but the past two days I've noticed more swelling and it really hurts!  I got it checked out, x-rayed and the Dr affirms that I was right - "it will feel better when it stops hurting..."

Just call me clumsy!  Word to the wise here, don't carry heavy things down steep stairs... Unless you like hurting and visiting the Urgent care. 

I know my children tell me not to carry stuff down the stairs and I usually let Paul carry them down for me, but he was at work and I really, really needed to sew! 

The deadline for the McCall's Quilt Design Star FINAL Challenge is coming up way too fast!  I have finally

  selected a song or at least a couple of songs that could apply to the fabric I chose. Fabric has been cut and I'm liking how it looks on the wall so far. I hope no one else chose the same well-recognized lyric. Only a few weeks left before I have to show it to at least Lynn W.  She can hardly wait, I'll quilt it on her Longarm- then it will be sent away for a while to Golden, Colorado for photography and judging- then VOTING begins October 18th and goes until November 9th.  

Challenge #2 -The BIG Reveal!!!

Challenge #2 is up for the VOTE as of Tonight.  The long awaited "Reveal" is finally HERE.

For my Challenge #2 , I used 9 of the 10 MODA Fat Quarters selected by McCall’s for this challenge.  I added fabric for the center appliqued block, the background fabric, sashing and scalloped border.

 I spent a few days designing in EQ…wanting to combine two blocks to make the best use the different Fat Quarters that really didn’t go together… finally drawing my OWN Applique design using the EQ tools.

The applique blocks are made using “English Paper piecing” method with Freezer paper. Each one hand appliqued onto the background square using Heirloom 100% cotton thread.  The yellow center is added to them using Kay Buckley’s “Perfect Circles”. www.karenkaybuckley.com A Tutorial on using the Perfect Circles  is found at http://wwwbluemoonriver.blogspot.com/2007/12/perfect-circles.html

The quilt is 3x3 set on-point, using 9 appliqued blocks and 4 Pinwheel blocks, with a narrow sashing, the partial pinwheel blocks are used as the setting corners and triangles to form the center of the quilt. A thin border frames the center using the Brown Fat quarter .

The multi-colored sashing fabric came from my personal Fabric Stash.  I liked how the fabric made all of the colors into a cohesive and pleasing design.

The pieced border is Half-square triangles made of the Fat Quarters sewn into a Multi-colored ribbon formation around the center.  I added a final border of the sashing fabric, cut to make the scalloped edge.  This quilt is very “girly”

Below is the picture of the Floor tile that INSPIRED the Applique. Can you see the center design?

Now I ask you to please click the Link once every day and use all the devices you own to VOTE!

Voting goes from August 17th-Sept 8th!  Thank you so much for helping me keep going on with this contest.

Stash Report - August 14, 2011

Used this week: 5 yards 

Used year to Date: 112 yards 

Added this week: 0 yard purchased

Added Year to date: 133,16 yards 

Net used to Date: -21.16 yards


I was really good this week, too bad I don't know how to count the yardage of scraps I've sewn into "bowties" for Bonnie Hunter's Leader/ Ender Challenge. I worked on my Word Play quilt and I can count my McCall's Quilt Design Star yardage used because the quilt top is Submitted now! Voting starts on Wednesday night at 10 PM MDT. My DH has given his "attagirl" to the quilt already.  He says he is amazed at what I can do.
I'm anxious to show everyone my newest design!  Come back late Wednesday or Thursday and click the McCall's link to see it and VOTE!


Click HERE to see more Stash Reports...

Friday Stitching

WHEW!!! It's DONE!  I can take a deep breath now, right?  Only 5 Days until the Voting frenzy starts.  Are you READY to VOTE?? Every day, once a day from every device to keep me in the Contest.  THANKS!


Now that the Challenge is done I wanted to do some Fun stitching.  I haven't been doing the Block Lotto in a few Months ---so that was on the agenda. 

I finished the last word for the Word Play Quilt while sewing at Lynn's on Wednesday. I had to un-sew the little weird part off the "H" and put solid on there.  Thank heavens for the Camera "eye" to show me mistakes. Now to make some more blocks to intersperse between the words.  I changed my mind about using the "Therapy in Session" panel.  That will have to go with some other 'orphan' blocks I have laying around.

 Also some more Leader/Ender Bowties. I'll save those to show on DESIGN WALL MONDAY! 
Have a FUN Friday!  I hope to sew a few Civil War blocks to get caught up on those next week.

The BIG BOX

McCall's Quilt Design Star Sponsors donated a bunch of fabric FQ's, bundles, etc for the 20 Design Star Finalists.  We got word the package was coming Monday after the announcement of the 15 Finalists.

  It has been a long week, waiting. Today, The man in the Brown shorts brought the box to me.  I'd been hoping   I'd get it early in the day, so my FB Friends had to put up with my posting teasers all day.

I had opened the Blog of another of the 20 Finalists and she had all of her stuff out of the box.  It spoiled the surprise a little. You never know if we all got the same things.

The UPS Guy

Picture taken by the UPS guy

The Editors at McCall's wanted us to have someone take pictures of us opening the box of goodies, so I had to take my box down to Paul's work and he took some pictures...

 I was headed out to show Lynn, my Quilting buddy, but the car turned off to Americold instead. They have 'tools' for opening boxes...LOL.  I was so happy to see the purple bag!  It was FULL of fabrics and things any quilter would love!  Like Christmas in JULY!

Goodie Bag

Purple, My Favorite color!

         

Showing Lynn the Music fabrics

I had to get a better look so I went on out to show Lynn.  She is one of my best cheerleaders in this process. The ribbon tied around this Fat Quarter bundle was extra hard to un-tie.

A better peek into the box. The items are too many to list them all here.

But I can say Thanks to McCall's Quilting, Handi Quilter, MODA, Olfa, Studio E, Clothworks, P & B  Textiles, Red Rooster, Quilting Treasures, Blank Quilting, Windham Fabrics, Timeless Treasures, Marcus Fabrics, Warm & Natural, Sulky, C & T Publishing, Clover, Stitchin' Heaven, Fat Quarter Shop.

McCall's Quilt Design Star Contest- the Challenge continues.

THANKS!!!


I'm so honored to still be in the running for this Quilt Contest. I know I couldn't have done it without my Facebook and Blogging friends. THANK YOU seems a bit trite when I think of all those who helped me and linked their Facebook page to My Quilt and voted on every devise they could.

Now on to 'dream up" the quilt for the next round. The process will take place behind the scenes and not on the BLOG as the rules tell me to keep it a secret until the Voting starts.
The winner of Challenge #1 is Linda Anderson Dalton of TEXAS. Click Here to see who else moved on.
I am in the 15 of the 20 Finalists and very happy about that!

Voting will begin August 17th @ 10PM and go through September 9th @1 AM

2011 McCall's Quilt Design Star-Challenge #1

 

The time has come to VOTE.  That also means I can finally share my Design!  I made several (11-15) quilt designs in EQ and this one kept coming back.  I made a few changes along the way and adapted it to what it is at this point.  We only needed to make a 'quilt top' or Filmsy for this Challenge.  I wanted to use the Maywood Fabric that Lynn at Thread and Bolts (aka: Quiling buddy) has in abundance.  I love the pastels and how they look in this quilt.  The secondary pattern is fun, see the spinning stars, the yellow chain box and Blue chain that makes the X and ribbon circle in the center...?  I played with the blocks that were required making one the border treatment as well, see the Shoo-fly borders repeated two times? 

The process of making this will be more detailed on my Monday Design Wall next week. 

I thank you all for voting to make me a FINALIST and hope you will consider a Vote for me once again. One Vote Per day per IP address.  I Vote on my Computer and my Phone.  HERE is the direct link to the Contest page.  The Button is on the sidebar! THANKS!!!