Sunday, January 15, 2017

The Improper Bostonian Quilters - QuiltCon 2017 Charity Quilt Challenge


Our entry for the QuiltCon 2017 Modern Quilt Guild Charity Quilt Challenge
We are the “The Improper Bostonian Quilters.” Patty Bailey, Lorri Foley, Jeannette Tobin,  Mary Willis, and Barbara Winrich met several times while planning the quilt. It became an additional enjoyable social event, and not an unpleasant adventure that group projects can become as remembered from Grad School.  Although Lorri is still having anxiety attacks about the group process.


Our approach to the challenge was to decide which charity would benefit from the quilt challenge. We chose Casa Nueva Vida, whose mission it is to help families develop skills and education to get out of poverty. They serve the homeless families in Greater Boston.  They have an excellent rate of success in preventing further homelessness.  The name of our quilt is “New Home New Life.”

The mission of Casa Nueva Vida inspired us to use homes as the jump off to our design. The log cabin block was the starting point and figuring out how to manipulate the scale of the block was our challenge for the front of the quilt.  Homes are represented on the back of the quilt thus joining Traditional and Modern aesthetics together.

We collected fabrics and decided which we would use. The design morphed into what it became and members volunteered for different tasks related to their individual strengths.  We used our time at October Quilt Camp to continue getting the quilt together.  We gathered at a Saturday Day Camp and layered the quilt, and then began the quilting process.  

Watching how each individual effort came together in a successful design was our favorite part. Barbara loved making the tiny log cabins. Jeannette excelled at using quilt software to bring the design together and making an amazing sleeve. Patty’s binding is the bomb. Mary fast forwarded the machine quilting. Lorrie’s hand stitching is the finishing touch to add texture.  Each and every one of us was enriched by the experience.  We learned a lot and would do it again in a heartbeat. Additionally, we still love each other even though writing this blog post was like herding cats.  We are so excited that we will be in Savannah to see all of the challenge quilts and the other group’s interpretations of the challenge.
Savannah, Georgia here we come, The Improper Bostonian Quilters.......

Saturday, September 10, 2016

Sunday, July 12, 2015

Youth Rally pillow cases


As many of you know, I am a clinical nurse specialist in Ostomy and Wound care in Boston, and I am a member of the New England Region WOCN. We support the Youth Rally organization that sends teens with ostomies from the New England region to a week long camp
 every summer. It is a special time for them to be with their peers and build self esteem. This year the camp is in Boulder Colorado. Anne O'Connell suggested we make pillow cases for the campers. Great idea Anne! Thank you! Of course this meant a trip to Mardens in Sanford Maine for fabric. Mardens provided a generous discount for the guild purchase of about 150 yards of white and black print and green fabric (colors of the Youth Rally). Many members of the Proper Bostonians made pillow cases with me. Thanks to Susan, Jeannette, Anne, Carleen, Lorri, Patty, Barbara H, Barbara W., 150 cases were made. Two weeks ago, Mark and I spent the afternoon folding the cases and packaging them for mailing to Boulder. They arrived safely in plenty of time to distribute the cases to the campers for the start of camp tomorrow. Here is a link to the Youth Rally partners page recognizing our contribution.
http://youthrally.org/partners/


Monday, March 16, 2015

March Madness!!


It's been a long time again since I've posted. I want to share a few quilts.

Here is my OPI Radiant Orchid quilt part of the PBQG summer Challenge. 
Next is my Tree quilt from Modern Quilts from the Blogging Universe. 
A lap quilt for my FIL, for Christmas made in a day from leftover fabric from Sean's Christmas quilt which is below it. 
Scrappy Mountains free pattern on Quiltville.com that I made from a larger starting block than is on Bonnie's blog. You can Sean peaking from behind the quilt in left upper corner. 
Then you see my Rosette #1 from the New Hexagon Millefiore quilt along.
 Next is my Trellis Crossroads from a workshop at PBQG with Concessa Shearer. It is from the book Modern Bee, 13 Quilts to make with friends. 
Then a little charity quilt from scraps,
 and last is a panel I quilted to give to a friend who studies black holes in the universe! Who knew? 
I think I have a few more shares for next time. Off for a walk on this sunny and cold Marchh day....




Saturday, November 1, 2014

"Hexie Dragon" One Block Wonder #2 November 1st, 2014


Today I gave my hairdresser Paul a gift for his 50th birthday. He turned 50 in January. I know, better late than never.  I had shown Paul a picture of my "One Block Wonder" quilt a few years ago.  He was fascinated by the patterns that develop in the quilt pattern.  I told him I would make him a quilt someday, and he gave me some upholstery fabric with the colors that reflect his home decor as inspiration. It took me about two years to find the right fabric that had the colors he likes that would work with the "One Block Wonder" pattern. 
Here Is the fabric:
It's called "Tatsu" by Alexander Henry. I was worried that Paul might not like dragons, but it turns out his birth year was the year of the dragon! 
Here's the quilt this morning ready to be delivered. It's cold and raining here today, so no outside pictures with natural light.
He loves the quilt. Doesn't it feel great to surprise someone with a quilt? 


Monday, September 15, 2014

Pensacola Wedding

Wow! It's been awhile since I've blogged. It has been a busy summer. I visited my friend Joyce at her home in Englewood, Florida in July, went to see Justin Timberlake in Albany NY in August, my sister Marie's favorite, went to Hilton Head South Carolina for the first week in September, and today I'm sitting in the airport in Mobile Alabama waiting for my flight back to Boston.  I attended my friend Joyce's daughter, Kristen's wedding in Pensacola this weekend. We had a great time!  Mark loved it because he got to wear shorts and one of his Hawaiian shirts, with bare feet. The wedding was on the beach Saturday afternoon at 4:00 pm.  It was perfect.  There were huge clouds behind us threatening thunder and lightening and rain, but many people whispering prayers won out. No rain on Kristen's big day. 

Here are the bride and groom dancing in the sand.
Here is the bride with a rainbow!
Here she is with the quilt I gave her at her wedding shower in Plymouth,MA. 
Postcards from Maui. She and Kevin met there when she was a travel nurse. She loved it!
I collected the fabric during several trips to Hawaii over the past six years. The blocks are 4 by 6 postcards leftover from the king size quilt I made for myself. But I can't find a picture of it on my iPad right now. Oh well! The fun continues on Friday when I head to New York for Quilters Take Manhattan!


Friday, July 11, 2014

Blooming Four Patch




I take a class at the Button Box Quilt Shop in Wellesley called Stashbusters! Only I end up buying stuff to add to the stash to make the stash busters quilt :-(( but I enjoy it. This past year we worked from the Twist on Traditions book.  I made a great uneven nine patch for my sister Michelle for Christmas....

And the back from panels...



Here's the label...


She loves it!! But it didn't bust my stash... Cause it was made from donated stash (thank you J.T.)
Next we worked on the Blooming Nine Patch. I've made this 
before and had no interest in making and trimming 196 nine patches and 196 4-3/4" squares..... So I decided to make it a Blooming four patch instead. Thought it would go much quicker.  Well I cut the fabric and started sewing.  But I didn't like the way the fabrics worked together, so I had to break it up, cut more fabric, and ended up making two quilts.

Pinks and aqua and green Kaffe and Brandon.... Lap size

And blues and purples and orchid and pinks... Queen size.

Love them both. ...
Linking up to Crazy Mom Quilts