Kristin Shields Quiltmaker

Mission Accomplished!

It's a wonder what a full day alone with no appointments or interruptions can do for one's productivity!  See the previous post for more details.  Doing the happy dance here!  

Oh My Stars!

I am working on my challenge quilt for the Central Oregon Modern Quilt Guild.  The theme is Ohio Stars, but I couldn't just do regular Ohio Stars. These are created like I would make any liberated star, but with the center diamond.  I then put them on point for more interest.  I also made these with an asymmetrical 9 patch, so I added a few extra points because some of those long stretches looked like they needed something.  After making the 5 stars above, I felt I needed to have just a bit more in the empty spaces and came up with the idea of changing the proportions of the block.  The large blocks have large centers and shortened star points.  The small stars have small centers and lengthened star points.  

I really like this composition even though it looks almost traditional.  I hope to get the top together today and get it ready for quilting asap.  The finished quilt is due next Tuesday.

PS- This quilt is Ryan's new graduation quilt.  I started one for him last year. It was a similar idea with lots of liberated stars, but something about it was bothering me and I ended up using some of the stars in something else.  The idea languished, but when I asked Ryan if he liked this one and if he noticed anything interesting about it, he said, "Yes!" and pointed out the trucks with the dogs.  Gotta love that kid.  He earns the quilt just for notcing that!

PPS- You may have noticed the log cabin centers here.  When we chose the theme for the challenge, we all put names of our favorite blocks in a basket and one was to be pulled.  The first one pulled was log cabin, one of my favorite blocks to play with, so I was very disappointed when someone said that log cabins were boring and had been done to death and then they kept picking until they got to Ohio Star.  That didn't seem fair to me and I would have loved to see all the great variations of Log Cabin that might have come out of it.   Anyway, I couldn't help but put the log cabins in the quilt anyway, just because!

PPPS-  Look!  My studio is featured on the COMQG blog today!  

Friends

Don't you love it when a friend really "gets" you?  Last week was so busy and I was truly exhausted by Friday.  That evening there was a Mom's Night Out with some of my homeschooling friends and I was almost too tired to go.  I am so glad I went though.  In addition to a wonderful evening with friends (oh, wow, the food was amazing, as was the laughter and friendship), I was gifted with a ratty old shirt with holes.  

Now, you may be thinking why I would be so excited about that.  I had been recently bemoaning the fact that I have no old, worn Pendleton shirts in my stash.  These 100% wool shirts are reknowned around the Pacific Northwest for their high quality, made-in-the-USA fabric.  And, they come from just a few hours away in Pendleton, OR.  I really wanted to have some of this old fabric to play with and Myria was on the lookout!  I was thrilled and she was tickled to be able to contribute to my creativity and thriftiness.  Isn't this a wonderful color combination too? I promise to use it well!

On the Design Wall Today

Here's a sneaky peek of what's on the wall this weekend.  I am puzzling together a collaborative quilt made from liberated blocks that my Undercover Quilters peeps made in January.  This quilt is very special because it will be one of the calendar quilts for the next Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show's Men Behind the Quilts Calendar!  This quilt will be raffled off at the Calendar Premiere Party on July 9, 2014.  It's exciting that we were invited to do this, but also a little nerve wracking!  The proceeds for this quilt will go to the local chapter of Habitat for Humanity so we have a house theme going on here.  More to come, soon I hope!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Look who's joined the studio owl team?  Isn't he adorable?  This is Willy Hootle, a spun cotton owl made by Vintage by Crystal on Etsy.  I had never heard of this technique before, but it's a traditional German craft. 

These photos were taken on Monday, when we still had some snow.  Today is grey and rainy, but my owls are still watching over me and making me smile!

Three Quilts*

Las VentanasBright Lights, Big City

Cape Cod Memories

I found out that these three quilts were accepted into Fabrications: The Art of Quilting!  This is a local art quilt exhibit in the month of March here in Bend.  It is the only juried exhibit of art and contemporary quilts in Central Oregon.  The first year I entered, none of mine were accepted.  Last year, one was accepted.  This year, three!  I got the call yesterday, but then heard last night that they may have miscalculated the exhibit space and may not have room for all three.  If not, I think the last one will be left out.  I'm okay either way.  It's a wonderful exhibit and I'm proud to be a part of it!  If you are local, the exhibit is in Franklin Crossing in downtown Bend and the reception is First Friday, March 7, 5-8 pm.  The quilts will be up for the month of March.  

* I'm sad to say that Cape Cod Memories will not be in this show, but the other two will and that's pretty fine!  I hope that Cape Cod Memories finds an exhibit at some point.  I think it's a really neat quilt and it is the sort of thing that you need to see in person and up close to get the full benefit.

Puzzling World Finished

A 21 year old who's home from college is just right for holding quilts.  No need to get out my rope and clothespins.  Also good because it was freezing today!

I discovered this Riley Blake chevron comes in large widths for backing!  

I'm really pleased with how this one came out.  It feels nice to cross something off the list.  I will be bringing this with me to the Modern Quilt Guild Sew Down in Portland this weekend.  Should be fun!

21!

My first born turned 21 today.  I'm feeling a bit nostalgic for the baby that once was.

We've all changed over the years.

Chloe has changed the most, but hasn't lost that determination to do it all.

Happy Birthday Chloe!