"...for we put the thought of all that we love into all that we make" ~ J.R.R. Tolkien

Friday, April 17, 2009

Blogger's Quilt Festival

And, even cooler than the International Quilt Festival, is the Blogger's Quilt Festival!

Here is my "entry"...

"The Be Attitudes", pattern and fabric by Nancy Halvorsen. Hours and hours and hours of tracing, cutting, fusing, hand embroidery, blanket stitching and quilting by me!

I first saw this quilt on a postcard that came to the quilt shop I worked at at that time. I fell in love instantly!! I HAD to make it.

I worked... and worked and worked and worked at this!! I thought I'd never get it done... but I focused on the "Be Patient" block and kept at it. I cut out, pieced, fused and appliqued one block at a time, usually one a week until they were all done. Then- I had to quilt it.

Quilting quilts is NOT my forte. If I can't do it with straight lines on my little machine or a pantograph on my GrandQuilter, I ain't doing it! That's what people like Paige are for :) But this quilt didn't lend itself to either option... and I really wanted to be able to say I made the whole thing myself.

So, I hauled my little machine to the dining room table, where I'd have more room. I quilted this little guy first:


I wanted to free-motion around each applique piece, and I had never done anything like that before, so I practiced on something small first.

And that's how it's quilted! I stitched in the ditch for all of the background, and then each and every applique piece, no matter how small, is stitched around, to help make it stand out.

It hangs in my entryway to remind Hubby, me, and everyone who comes to our house about the attitudes necessary for happiness!

Please head over to Park City Girl's blog and look at the ever growing list of people participating! There are links to almost 100 blogs already... and it's the first day of the festival!!

19 comments:

  1. oh i love the be attitudes quilt.

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  2. Love it! Great job!
    Beth
    http://cornerhousequilts.blogspot.com

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  3. That quilt is SOOOOO sweet!

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  4. What an incredible quilt! It's fantastic! Well done...Ann :)

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  5. I love your quilt; it’s so country!

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  6. so lovely!! what a great quilt!!

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  7. Oh! It so sweet! Love it, and the fact that you quilted it yourself. Great Job!

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  8. You do beautiful work, I love it.

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  9. Sew sweet! I love Nancy's patterns, books and fabric.

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  10. I am so impressed that you stitched around all those tiny pieces. It is a great quilt.

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  11. Lovely quilt! I remember seeing that pattern and thinking how neat it would be to have that hanging up--but not neat enough for me to tackle it myself!

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  12. Love your be attitudes - everyone needs a daily reminder :) the details in there are impressive - I've yet to venture into applique but I've been more tempted the last couple of days! Thanks for sharing Jennie.

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  13. This quilt has personality plus! Great job
    Enjoy the festival

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  14. What a sweet quilt. I love the colors and design.

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  15. What a special quilt. Wouldn't it be a lovely world if we all kept those things in mind everyday. Thanks for sharing.

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  16. I love it. It's a beautiful quilt.

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  17. What a wonderful quilt. I love that pattern. Just adorable!!

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