Friday Finishes - Good Friday

It has been sometime since I have posted and shared my quilting with you.  I am happy to say I have quite a bit to share today. Get your favorite cup of coffee, tea or a healthy smoothie, and settle down for a good read and pictures.

 

 I have been working on a quilt for over three (3) years for my best friend, Kelly.  The day we picked out the fabric and gave birth to this quilt was quite an adventure.  You may read the story:  http://quiltcrazie.blogspot.com/2012/10/sheep-shuffle-surprise.html.

Last Sunday, Kelly and her husband, Mike, took time off from the fiber farm to drive down for a visit.  We spent some time catching up on each others' lives.  Kelly and Mike own OK Acres farm where they raise Shetland sheep, chickens, horses, 1 alpaca, 2 lamas, 2 angora bunnies and multiple dogs.  They have guardian dogs that live with the sheep and house dogs that are their pets. Oh, let's not forget the two cats!  Before arriving Sunday, their son had been over to help install cameras in the barn to help with lambing season.  Now they will be check on the ewes from work, from bed in the middle of the night and from the house, without trekking down to the barn.  Kelly and Mike will be snuggling under the new quilt this Spring.  The outer border below is quilted with swags and piano keys quilting, along with the second border quilted with clam shells with curls (Handi Quilter patterns).  I used navy and off-white Magnifico threads.  The center of the quilt is quilted with Counting Sheep E2E by Three Sisters. 

Below is view of a corner.  I cropped the center pattern down to one sheep and stitched it in each corner square. 

I was never so glad to finish a quilt top.  I had taken so long to finish the quilt there was a danger I wouldn't be able to get additional fabric, if needed.  I would have been short of the outer border fabric but I took creative license and added corner stones to the border.  I am very pleased with the overall finished product. 

I also made a label telling the story. 

There once was a girl who raised sheep. She said let's go on a road trip, beep, beep! So, we loaded up Pearl Jam, the ram lamb and sped down the highway towards Beaver Dam. After the sheep shuffle, we bought a few hens with money to spare. So we stopped at the quilt shop where the fabric we did find. In twenty minutes flat - a pattern and fine fabric were all in our bag. As we dashed home from Sun Prairie with a coo from the hens, I promised a beautiful quilt I would make. But, we won't discuss how much time it did take. May you enjoy your quilt for many years to come. The pattern is Cabin Fever by Bonnie Sullivan. The quilt was pieced and quilted by Terry Johnson, Quilt Crazie, Princeton, IL. March 2, 2016

Please label your quilts and have as many appraised as you can.  Add them to your home owner's insurance. 

 

Tuesday morning I was so happy to meet Gudrun Erla of G.E. Quilt Designs.  She was the guest speaker at Quilter's Garden in Princeton.  There were 85 quilters gathered to hear Gudrun's story of her quilting journey.  She has developed the Stripology Ruler with Creative Grids and has authored many books and single patterns. You can visit her through her blog at Gudrun.typepad.com or on Facebook join her group Gudrun's Quilt Crew.  I joined her Crew a few months ago and recently made her free pattern, Come Together.

Gudrun's patterns are well written and easy to follow. 

 I am happy to say I made this top all on my featherweight. 

It is quilted with butterflies and backed with minky.  

Pattern is Handi Quilter Flutterbys and thread is Omni Banana.

 

This quilt was a collaborative effort with my friend, Kathy Olson.  Last June, we traveled to Shipshewana for the quilt show and shop hop.  Thanks to Kathy Allen, who is very familiar with the area, she made the hotel arrangements and drove us to all the events.  Kathy Olson and bought this panel (the center) at Yoders Department Store.  We planned to make Kathy Allen a quilt for taking us on the trip, as she is not a quilter.    Kathy O and I drew our inspiration from the panel and repeated the blocks in the panel in the borders.  It was exciting to find fabrics that matched the panel colors so easily.  We worked on the project at a January retreat and what we didn't finish at the retreat, we took turns working on the project at home.  Each of us made blocks and borders. 

It is quilted with Maple Omini thread and the pattern is Gingersnap by Apricot Moon. The barn blocks are a pattern by Lori Holt, Bee in My Bonnet.

Here is the story on the label.

To the bestest quilt shop hop chauffer.

Thank you for the trip to the Shipshewana area,

Shop Hop, Antique Shops, and Quilt Show in June 2015.

This quilt was designed, pieced and quilted

especially for you by Kathy Olson (Wyanet, IL)

and Terry Johnson (Princeton, IL).

Thanks for the memories!

 

The quilt below is one of my customer's quilts.  She recently finished this fabulous UFO.  Its a Nancy Halvorsen design, Beatitudes. 

Great applique.  She will be adding the decorative buttons to finish it!

 

Today I am linking up with.....Confessions of a Fabric Addict, Link a Finish Friday, Freedom Fridays, and Crazy Mom Quilts.  

 

Have blessed Easter weekend.

 

Yours in quilting,

Terry

 

Monday Design Wall with a New Addition

We have a new arrival in our family.  A week ago, my son and I drove to "just look" at some Yorkie puppies.  We looked at three puppies, one 11 weeks old and two nine weeks.  The one really stole our hearts and we brought him home.  Some of you may remember that I  had an almost 4 year old Yorkie, Rascal, that died last October.  I have been heart broken over his lost.  Even though we have three other dogs, its not the same with out a little "tucker" around.  I call little dogs "tuckers" because you can tuck them under your arm and away you go.  So this little boy came home with us.

Welcome Tucker to the Johnson family.  11 weeks old, weighing in at 1lb. 10 ozs.

                                                At the kennel.                                           

 

Tucker and Aaron at home, just relaxing.

 

This was a picture during a little one on one time with me.  I am thankful after the first couple of days he is sleeping through the night.  He is very smart and will potty outside but also uses potty pads in the house.  Potty pads have been a blessing with the rainy weather this weekend and the cold weather we are starting the week out with.

Today I am working on my blue log cabin quilt trying to get the center together.

Above are the first five rows layed out on my couch.

 Above are the final rows layed out on my dining room table.  Now to sew the rows together.  On Friday, I will be a sew day where it will be easy to lay it out on the floor and measure for the borders.

What are you working on? 

Its not too late if you want to join us for Libby Smith's visit.  Here is the information:
 

 I am excited to announce that Libby Smith will becoming to Princeton, IL, to give her trunk show on Stenciled Quilts on Friday, June 5th at 7pm at the Evangelical Covenant Church on South Main St.

On Saturday, she will be teaching the Log Cabin Star Table Topper from Not Your Grandmother's Log Cabin book.  Libby is a certified Marci Baker instructor and we are excited to have her share her quilt stories.  If you are interested in joining us the class fee is $25.  You may email me for further information at quiltcrazie@msn.com.  I'm so excited about this class.  I have completed a tumbling blocks quilt in the past and love the quilt on the front of the book.  I am looking forward to learning the technique on the Log Cabin Star Table Runner before attempted a bed-size quilt.

 

Libby will also be teaching at Susan's Calico Creations in Fulton, IL, on Sunday, June 7th.  At Susan's she will be teaching Fireworks, another pattern from Not Your Grandmother's Log Cabin book.  You contact Susan to join her class at 815-589- 2221 or email at susancalicocreations@hotmail.com. 

 

Today I am linking up with Judy at Patchwork Times.

 

Yours in quilting,

Terry

 



Work in Progress Wednesday

Hello everyone!  How's it going out there in blogland?  It certainly has been busy here.  I know, I know I haven't been writing regular.  Honestly, I don't know how Bonnie Hunter accomplishes all that she does.  I wish she could bottle her energy and share it.  I just run out of steam by the end of the day. 

I have been having trouble with my cell phone.  I took it into Verizon to change some settings and the phone quit talking to my computer.  That created a problem with blogging because I couldn't retrieve my pictures for the blog without emailing each picture separately to myself and then downloading them.  It was too time consuming with everything else going on here at home.  Finally, I have seemed to resolve the issue.  Hopefully, things will work seamlessly again and I will have pictures to show.

The last three Fridays, my friends and I have had sew days.  I am working hard to finish my friend, Kelly's quilt.  The first Friday I worked on finishing assembly of the blocks.

 The second Friday  I finished the layout of the blocks and started adding sashing.

The third Friday, I continued to add sashing along with hosting the sew day in my dining room.

Even the sashing is added Log Cabin style.  It is coming together nicely. 

I have five of nine rows laid out on the couch.  I have six rows sewed together, three more rows to add sashing to.

Here is the quilting pattern we are planning on using.

Kelly raises purebred Shetland Sheep, thus the sheep pattern fits.  Also, in the fabrics there is a Moda fabric with sheep on it.  I will be happy to complete this lovely quilt for my dear friend.  She is a woman of many talents but she doesn't quilt.  It is so much fun making a quilt for someone who appreciates what goes into the making of the quilt.  You can read the story about buying the pattern and fabric HERE. 

 

Today I will be linking with Lee at Freshly Pieced.  Come back tomorrow and Friday, I already have those blogs planned and partly written.  We have a new family member and I will be introducing you to him tomorrow.  On Friday I have an announcement about an upcoming event with Libby Smith, a certified Marci Baker teacher, will be teaching and lecturing in Princeton at my guild.  Stay tuned for more information or email mail me at quiltcrazie@msn.com

 

Yours in quilting,

Terry