Quilt Crazie: March 2016

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.