Kristin Shields Quiltmaker

Handmade Holidays Part 2 :: Artful Oven Mitts

When I did my post yesterday about handmade gifts I completely forgot about these!  I have been reading Maria Shell's blog for a while now.  If you have never seen it, go look now!  Her work is really amazing.  

Way back in November 2013 Maria posted about her Artful Oven Mitts.  I was smitten with them and as luck would have it she was offering her mitt pattern to the first 100 people to request it.  I was one of the first to do so and have had the pattern sitting here for way too long.  A few weeks ago I decided to make a pair for a dear friend of mine.  We have decided to forgo giving a holiday gift to each other starting next Christmas, but I wanted to make her one more special thing for this last time.  I had the patchwork partially sewn together in my scrap bin and it didn't take long to quilt them.  I was happy that I already had the thermal batting in the stash as well as a heavy cotton for the linings.  These were perfect and I'm sure they were well received.  Thank you again Maria for your inspiration!

A Handmade Christmas :: 2014 Edition

This Christmas was filled with handmade gifts as usual around here, but maybe not the sort you'd expect.  Above are Chloe's new earrings handmade by my sister-in-law Anna (they match her hair!).  Below is the tiny bit of sewing I did this year- a hooded scarf for Chloe.Chloe's 2014 edition hand carved Santa for me does not disappoint!  This one is so sweet, about 4 inches high.  His beard goes down and curls around the base along with the fur on the edge of his coat.  Chloe's previous hand carved Santas can be seen here.

I had Cheryl's family this year so they got several handmade's including the painted ornament above, a knitted Bandana Cowl for Cheryl, a knitted Turn-a-Square hat for her husband Mark, and a quilted zipper bag for Mark's mom, Marge.  I also made two other hats for my Mark and for Ryan.These next few things were not really handmade by me, but include handmade effort.  I got one of Ryan's old paintings custom framed for him.  He was happy to see this one again!My biggest project this Christmas was making photo books.  I used two services to create the books.  Blurb is my go-to for a fantastic family photo album.  I started with a photo album of our trip to Ecuador last Christmas.  I spent hours and hours (and hours!) organizing and editing thousands of photos.  Over 1300 photos went into this book for Mark along with text from my journal.  I used every single one of the allowed 240 pages too!  Whew!  While I worked on that I thought it would be neat to do a much smaller, simpler book for Ryan.  His is called Ryan's Galapagos and includes his favorite part of the trip, lots of animals.  Shown below is the back cover.  I use Adobe Lightroom to make the Blurb books which always requires a bit of relearning since I don't use it that often.

As if that wasn't enough, while I worked on the Blurb books I discovered another service called Artifact Uprising and wanted to try it.  They offer smaller, more intimate soft cover books that have a great price.  I decided at the last minute to make one for my sister and her husband.  Below is that result.   

First I had to get the photos, so I searched their Facebook accounts and saved the best photos of them and their animals to my computer.  I used Photoshop Elements to square the photos, then used Lightroom to change the color to sepia to unite all these different photos.  This little book is called an Instagram book.  While these photos are not all from Instagram, some of them were and were already square, but some needed to be formatted to fit the square templates in this book.  I think it came out really great and I think they were very touched to see photos of their current 2 dogs and 2 cats as well as some of their previous pets that have since passed.

Well, our family is a pretty creative one and many of you may know that my sister is a fused glass artist.  She had my brother and his family though and I haven't seen any of those gifts yet.  I'm sure they are wonderful.  So, did you have a handmade Christmas?  Tell us about it! 

Indigo Blues

Indigo Blues was made for a very dear friend's 50th birthday.  It includes some true Japanese indigo blues and some imitation indigo prints.  I actually started this project several years ago and had in mind to make her a table runner.  When I went to the cupboard of doom (aka the WIP drawer) this summer I found this project and decided on the spur of the moment to make it into a lap quilt.  I enjoyed the process, mainly 'cause it was nearly done.  The columns of strips were already put together.  I only had to go to the stash to find the appropriate fabric for the connecting columns.  

I machine quilted this one with simple straight lines, about 3/4" apart.  My straight lines are never really straight though.  I mailed this off about a week after her birthday and it's been happily received.  I even have a photo of my friend with the finished quilt and it delights me to see her big smile.  The cupboard of doom isn't completely cleaned out, but I sure did make a big dent in it this summer.  For now I will be working on some new projects so I don't when I'll get back to it.  

The last couple of months have been so busy with taking classes, teaching classes, travel and a nasty cold that I haven't done a whole lot new to show you.  What I have done has been documented on Instagram, so check there if you are curious (see the link in the sidebar).  You'll also see lots of photos from our travels.  I am finally back to the studio this week though and will soldier on despite a lingering cough and low energy.  The weather has turned finally and so there are good studio days ahead, I'm sure.  More to come when I've got something to show!

PS:  Remember I'm teaching Liberated Stars at QuiltWorks next Friday, October 24, 10-4.  Click here for more info.

Greetings!

Greetings from Overwhelmed Land!  Sheesh, it's been the busiest fall yet.  I am so happy to report that I have done the real grunt work in creating the new blog/website for my quilt guild.  Check it out if you're interested.  That took several long days.  Then, I managed to get a few little Christmas goodies made.  These are so much fun to do.  Sometimes, I wish I could spend all my time making little projects like this.  They are so doable compared to the big art quilts I keep getting myself into!

I made a couple of brooches with some new techniques I learned in Art Quilt Maps by Valerie S. Goodwin.  What a fabulous book!  I also managed to finish my actual map quilt made with techniques from this book, but am keeping it under wraps for now.  The technique involves crinoline, textile paint, sheer layers, hand and machine stitching.  So much fun!

These are all for sale in my Etsy shop, except the large rectangle bird and the heart shaped house ornament.  Both sold before I could even get them up on Etsy. Gotta love having very supportive friends!  Thank you Sarah!

So, now I can breathe a sigh of relief, at least about those things above.  Life is further complicated by my hubby's very bad back and surgery that didn't quite fix it.  There are deadlines and a trip to get ready for in December.  So, sorry about the sporadic posting this fall, but I guess that's the way it's going to be.  How's your November going?

Let's Celebrate!

First of all, if you are new to my blog, welcome!  The Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show was incredible this year!  What a fantastic year to be the Featured Quilter.  The weather was picture perfect and my whole experience was incredible.  I talked to so many lovely people and heard many wonderful comments.  It was really one of the most fabulous days of my life.  To celebrate, make your way to the bottom of the post for a little announcement.

My quilts were hung at Ponderosa Properties, just near the Sisters Coffee Company which is always abuzz.  I had a lovely grassy area with quite a bit of shade for most of the day.

When people asked which was my favorite, I always said it is Ryan's quilt.  It was so funny, when Ryan was actually there he kept hearing his name.  He was also very shy about it.

The Lone Star, standing alone, but looking great!

I had several requests for commissions and had to explain why nothing was for sale. Although I had to politely turn them down, it's nice to be asked!

Several comments about the Obama quilt, only one negative comment though.  Someone asked if any president could be in the show!  Had to laugh at that one.  I also pointed out that my quilt was meant to be historical rather than political.

I got photos with lots of friends that made my day.

Jean Wells, founder of the SOQS.

My sister, Cheryl.  I'm so glad she could make it here for the show.

My mom, Carolyn.

My dad, Jim, and Bo.

Janelle, fellow Undercover Quilter.

Cathy and Pris, Mt Bachelor Quilters' Guild friends.

Jessica and her sweet daughter.

Marion, amazing wire sculptor and quilter.

Ryan and Mark

Laurence and Betty Dyer, owners of Ponderosa Properties.  Laurence makes these beautiful wooden jewelry boxes and he gave me one.  Such a special gift!

Tonye Phillips and Sue Spargo.  They did a beautiful job hanging my exhibit and they also took down!

Last, but not least, my dear friend, Sarah.  Sarah took hundreds (maybe thousands) of photos during quilt week.  I feel like I had my own personal paparazzi!  I'm so glad my mom got a photo of us!  

Celebration Time!

And now, to celebrate this auspicious occasion, I would like to offer free domestic shipping on orders over $25 in my Etsy shop (use coupon code SOQS2013).  In addition to the mini quilts and ornaments, I have added the new Inspiration Packs, greeting cards and handspun skeins of yarn for embellishment.  The first 10 orders will also receive a special gift with their order.

I am heading out of town on Wednesday, so orders that come in before 8pm PDT Tuesday (tomorrow) will be shipped on Wednesday.  Orders coming in after that time will ship when I get back, the week of July 29.  

In addition to that, leave a comment on this post to be entered into a drawing for a bundle with a selection of goodies from my shop: hand dyed fabric, handspun yarn, greeting cards and maybe an ornament!  Last day to leave a comment is July 28.  I will choose a winner on the 29th.  The coupon code is only for US addresses, but for the drawing, I will ship anywhere!

Thanks to everyone who stopped by to say hi and to those who are just learning about my work.  Thanks to Ann Richardson and all the volunteers who make such a great show every year.  It was truly a dream come true!

**  Photos in this post were taken by me, my mom and Mark.**

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Thank you everyone!  The comments are now closed.  I'll be choosing a winner later tonight.

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My 2012 Santa

Chloe outdid herself for my 2012 hand carved Santa.  This one is amazingly detailed and larger than the previous ones.  It made a difference that we bought a new and larger carving block last December!  Of course, while I knew she was working on this I had no idea what it would look like.  She estimates about 30-40 hours of work went into this one!

I love the face and beard and that adorable little quilt block he is holding!

I also love that he is wearing green instead of red.  Above is the lineup from years 2007 to 2012.  Amazing!

I am a lucky mom to have such a talented daughter.  This year I don't really expect a Santa.  Chloe will be studying abroad in Ecuador this fall and we plan to visit her after the semester ends.  This will likely mean there will be no carving time, but I am so pleased with the treasures I have already.  Thank you so much Chloe!

What Goes Around Comes Around

Today was a "dana" day.  In my yoga class this morning, my teacher talked about the Sanksrit word, Dana.  This word refers to gifts that are given with no intention of reciprocity, or unconditional generosity.  It also just so happened that a friend in my yoga class brought me the gift of this mug today.  She knows I have an Airstream trailer and said when she saw this mug, she thought I ought to have it! Wasn't that sweet?  The best part of the story is that I had already planned to send that fabric to an internet friend in France today.  She is making a quilt and ran out of that print with no way to get more of it.  I was thrilled to send it to her as a gift~ no strings attached.  I love those happy coincidences.  I wish you a "dana" day too!

James's Magic Carpet

James's Magic Carpet is for the newest baby of one of my cousins.  It's been received by baby James so it's safe to publish now. I like the simplicity of this pattern, called Slideshow.  It was quick, but fun to do.  Five of the prints are from the 1001 Peeps line by Lizzy House.  I found one other turquoise (for the border) to go with them.  I used almost every last scrap of fabric piecing the back, so there was little waste.

Now, I'm off to work on some other pressing projects, including gearing up for my Featured Quilter gallery show at QuiltWorks in March.  I'm both excited and nervous about it.  I'm feeling like I need to have some new works to surprise people who may have seen a lot of my work around this area lately.  So I'll be working on those projects, but will keep them under wraps until after the reception. So, maybe there will be a little less sharing here in the short term, but I'll come up with something to post.  Maybe some more duck photos- there's always a need for those!

The Santa Line Up

Tonya asked for a picture of all of Chloe's Santas together.  Here they are from left to right, 2007 to 2011.  I love them all!

Better Late than Never

Chloe finally got her high school graduation quilt just before she left to go back to college.  This is a liberated quilt, but with some structure. She picked out all the fabrics and found a quilt online to inspire me.  She liked the perfectly square squares, no wonkiness here!  I did check that she was okay with little inserts to add some interest.  I really like how it came out. 

I was running out of fabric and ended up piecing the back.  I had this one quilted by a local long arm quilter, Kim McCray, so I had to add a lot of muslin to the edges of the backing to make it big enough for the machine.  She quilted it with a circular spiral pattern, a very nice counterbalance to the squares.

I think she likes it!

This quilt matches her dorm room bedding (come to think of it, her at home bedding too).  She took it back to school to keep her warm on winter days.  Whew!  Another must do quilt is done!  I have one more baby quilt and then will get back to some other projects.  How's your New Year going so far?