Using Extra Blocks

I'm Working On It

These blocks were created as demonstration pieces as I taught this original sampler class. It took me over 20 years to use them in the following quilt.

Although it may not seam I am working on this now, deciding how to quilt it is one of the steps in creating a finished quilt. That is where I am on my journey right now

Why I Blog

What Do I Get From Writing My Blog? Part 1

I really get a chance to observe what I am doing and think about why I have been doing it for almost 10 years.
It gives me a chance to think about priorities and what is important for me.
For me it is my personal diary that I share with all of you.
It also gives clarity to things that happened long before I started this.
My blog post yesterday was about the quilts, both finished and works in progress.

It is not a race to see how many quilts I can make. Each one has served a different purpose from the very first quilt from a Lee Wards kit I made to those I am currently working on. There is little similarity from first to last other than the fact that they all use fabric.
It is my passion and since I no longer teach this is one way I can share my work with you. I would be remiss if I didn’t give credit to all those students who I have had the pleasure to share sewing and quilting with. They kept pushing me for more, more, more and 
No, I very seldom do tutorials, but there are a few.

My Block Printed Quilt

 

Hand Carved Block Prints

About a year ago some friends and I got together and carved our own blocks to print.
Then a few days later we met again and practiced printing with them.
I brought a variety of fabrics with and experimented with different paints, brushes and rollers, and how they worked on the different fabrics. I was bound determined I was not going to purchase any other paints or supplies.
I was semi pleased with most of them. Robbie kept telling me they were good prints.

All of the fabrics had been shibori over dyed with black or red dye.
Fast forward to last week when I decided to cut them up and make something. 
The irregular spacing made it a time consuming process to fussy cut and get the most useable prints, I used 30 of the 34 I was able to cut.
I spaced the block I had most of every other space, filling in with the others.
I cut narrow strips for the border from what was left.
My favorite part creating this quilt was doing the spiral machine quilting. It has become a feature in my recent work

Broken Star,Quilt

 

Broken Star With Special Hand Quilting

I shared this quilt on a hand quilting list and everyone is going crazy over it.
The background fabric has these swirly line printed on it so the quilting follows those lines. 
The fabric also has an ombre effect which I used to advantage.
It was acquired by collectors of my work.

Granny Loves To Entertain

A1

I often refer to it as my studio in the tree tops and this is the view as I sit at the machine and sew. Granny is right there keeping me company.


Granny loves to invite her girlfriends over to visit.

Grand Finale

 

Two Quilts In One–My Masterpiece

If you look at this quilt from the left this is what you will see. 

When you look from the right this is what you will see. The view changes and blends as you look and walk from one side to the other.

When you are at the center this is what you see.

It was a very challenging piece to create.
I spent several YEARS trying to figure out how to assemble it so it would allow each side to stand on it’s own.
I felt like I had to climb inside the quilt to sew the sections together.
The last part had me stumped. I could not make the armatures myself to fill the sections.
Off to my favorite gallery . 

Starting The Journey From Wearable Art To A Qullt

 I spent about 6 hours today taking apart this jacket.

All I removed is this one small section of quilt blocks,

When I make something it is never going to fall apart and that is why it took so long.

The journey has just begun but I am anxious to see the result.

Small But Mighty

 

Mystic Movement- A Favorite Of Mine

                        Mystic Movement   18.5 x 15.5 inches   $

I love strong graphic images. Mystic Movement definitely fits that description.
I started this by simply sewing together some carefully chosen strips I had cut with no idea what was going to happen.
This happened and I couldn’t be happier with it.

It is another one of those pieces that will work in any decorating scheme with any colors.
Machine quilting enhances the design and gives the sharp edge necessary for strong graphic images.

I Am Trying A Variation Of Something I've Done Before

 

This teaser will have to keep you until this is finished!

It might take a while but I've sure been having fun so far..

Double Irish Chain Miniature For St Patrick’s Day

 

The Smaller They Are, The Longer They Take To Finish

I started this miniature double Irish Chain quilt at least 20 years ago. It measures 11 x 11 inches.
I got ink on one border and took it off to replace it.
I replaced it and finished the quilting in the border a year ago.
The binding didn’t look good so I took it off.
It only took me until 366 days later to replace the binding. I am very pleased with it now.

Each of the tiny squares is 1/4 of an inch.
I actually quilted this one myself. I am sharing this closeup so you can see how tiny my quilting stitches were back then. They are so small I can’t even count them but I think they are between 20 and 24 stitches to an inch.

Spider Mum The 100th Current Post

 

Spider Mum not really a scrap quilt

Spider Mum is a quilt I started with the cuttings left from other fused quilts. I soon found out I needed a lot more pieces and still more and still more. I ended up cutting at least 6-8 times as many pieces as I started with. 
The focal point that looks like it might be an eye is really a flower center. This is all done with commercial printed fabrics. The background is Gutcheon polished cotton. I stockpiled quite a bit of this fabric and I am so happy to have it since it hasn't been available for years. The quilt is heavily machine quilted.
If you click to enlarge this photo you can see the quilting better.

I Don’t Think Most Of You Knew About All The Races I Ran

 

Beach Run and Stitch and Share

No matter what the weather during the week during the seminar on Friday at 4:30 the rain would stop, the sun would shine and hundreds of seminar participants were on the beach for a one mile run. All those who completed the race would be rewarded with T shirts with the Jinny Beyer Seminar logo in the "Color of the Year".

I participated every year. I have a collection of pristine T shirts that fill a whole drawer. You see, it was the thrill of the chase to get a T shirt each year, but I never wear T shirts! 

One year I cut the bottom off mine, added that to the sleeves and attached fabric to the bottom to make a morning dress. I threw this on every morning when I got up while I stayed on the island to work on my quilts the following week.

After we received our T shirts we would change to our regular clothes, have a lovely dinner at the hotel and then gather our supplies to attend "Stitch and Share". This is a very relaxed function. Some sit and stitch and others wander around seeing what everyone else is working on or has brought to share.


In this photo I am admiring Carolyn's work. She attended more seminars than just about anyone. Her work is absoutely fantastic - both the workmanship and the way she uses color.


I am sharing my Japanese quilt with Diane in this photo. Each year Diane made it a point to take a photo with me in it and have it waiting for me the following year.


I developed a method of making miniature quilts with 1/4 inch or narrower strips using graph paper as a base. Here I am sharing them with Kathryn who also made precious and precise miniature quilts.

Stitch and Share was always one of my favorite parts of the seminar as it was very laid back and gave you a chance to see the work of the other participants up close in a way you could really appreciate it. You even got to touch it!

Koeper Siblings

 

Rubik’s Cubes

 

My Favorite Rubik’s Cubes

I enjoy creating fun things from my quilts.
The first two are miniatures and the last one is a wall quilt

A Genius Way To Hang A Quilt

 I just had someone ask me how I hung this quilt on the wall in my great room.

Sometimes we don’t even realize it when we come up with and earth shaking idea.

I have used the wood slats from window blinds to hang my work for quite a while as I have a lot of blinds we no longer used. They make a great flat device to put in the casing/rod pocket. 
Each piece I finish has it’s own slat that is labeled. No more trying to find a metal hanging bar from an older quilt that fits! There are small holes in the end of each slat to hang it. I had always used nails.

BUT THE GENIOUS IDEA HERE HAPPENED WHEN I COULDN’T FIND NAILS THAT WERE THE PROPER SIZE.
I LOOKED IN A DRAWER OF ODD ITEMS AND THERE WAS A CONTAINER OF T PINS.
We tried it and they were the perfect “nail”!

I will be using these from now on. 

This Is My Favorite Before Felting

 

Knitted Bowl Ready For Felting

This is the largest bowl I have ever knitted. It currently measures 18 inches long and 16 inches (32 inch circumference) across.

I used a variegated yarn with a long color change for part of the yarns in this. The color changes in the yarn dictated to me what size to make this. 

It will be greatly reduced in size when it is wet felted in my washing machine.

Do not expect to see the felted bowl soon as I wait until I have 5 or 6 pieces to felt at once.

One Last Post Of my current felted Knit Objects

It's always fun to see what happens when you felt the items you have knit. 

I've also felted purses and totes in addition to containers and art objects.
 

Simultaneous Creation, A Century Apart

 I created this quilt about 25 years ago. Do you see the inset shape of the fabrics turned around?

It took me several tries to get a design that worked. It was truly original.

My friend Kathy Cray posted this antique crazy quilt recently. It you follow the shape of the white stitching around the center section you will see the almost identical shape.

I had never seen this before several days ago. 

I have had more recent episodes of simultaneous creation, but never anything about a century apart.

I hope you can see the shape in both quilts.

Dyed And Over Dyed Small Fabrics, Waiting For Inspiration

 This was an ongoing project to dye and overdye these smaller pieces of fabric. 

Some only have two layers of color but some have many more.

I am taking my time deciding how I will make the best use of them.

Weekend Visitors

 My granddog Oliver came to visit and quickly took possession of his favorite chair next to me.

Since I forgot to take a new picture of all of them this is one I took last time.

Julie spent time learning to knit, something she has wanted to do for a long time.

You can see several of the yarns here that I gave her. She is doing great.

A Coordinated Group of Knit And Felted Things

 I'm sharing this group of red, aqua and teal felted vessels with one of my Olympic quilts that didn't make the deadline.

It's Finished-The Biggest Recent Quilt

This is the biggest quilt I have finished recently. It is 49 inches wide and 72 inches high.

I made the patchwork about 20 years ago. I thought I'd never find anything in my fabric collection for a border. I was wrong, this was the perfect fabric for a border and made the quilt this big.

I hope you enjoy it.

This Quilt Is Almost Finished

 I had made the patchwork for this quilt about 20 years ago. I never thought I'd find anything in my fabric collection that would go with this and have enough of the fabric.

Well, I was wrong. This border fabric was perfect and I had plenty of it. I also had a piece of backing fabric that coordinated perfectly and was the correct size.

I should have it finished in the next few days and you will get to see the full quilt.

I Love The Results When I Felt Items I Have Knit

 

To get the ombre color effect on these two large vessels I changed colors of the yarn ever so often as I knit.

I shrink these in my washing machine, After they have shrunk the desired amount I find some bowl or something to stretch them over and let them dry. These are two of my favorites. You will be seeing more of items as days go by. I have found special places to display some of them in our house. 

Another Finished Quilt For 2022

 

This is another one of my time lapse quilts. I think I started it at least 20 years ago.

I enjoyed finishing it. At 26 x 33 inches it is one of the largest of the quilts that used up leftover small pieces of batting. It is also an Olympic quilt that didn't make the deadline.

It is my 10th quilt finish for 2022.

Mardi Gras Quilt Today, Hiding On the Back Of This Quilt

 I needed a wide fabric for the back of this quilt so this was perfect.

It was wide enough so I didn't need to piece it.

I've shared this quilt on the blog before.

Felting Knitted Containers

 

It has been a while since I knitted quite a few knitted containers to be felted. 

This week I spent two days felting all of them. I was very pleased with the results.

In this picture you see the brown bowl in a vignette.

This is a closeup of the bowl. Each yarn felts slightly differently so it is always a surprise.

I will be sharing more of my results.

The Vest Became a Quilt

 

One of my current quilting projects is making quilts from some of my wearable art.

This quilt used to be a vest. This is the first of the 12 pieces of wearable art I am repurposing as a quilt.

I no longer do style shows so I selected these pieces that would make interesting quilts.

Stay tuned to future blog posts as there will be more.

Another Special Vest Designed For NSQG Trip To Paducah

 

Many groups and guilds who attend large quilt conferences have a special piece of clothing they all wear. 

I designed this vest for the Northwest Suburban Quilt Guild for their members who attended the Paducah Show years ago. It incorporates the NSQG Logo and the Dogwood that blooms in Paducah.

I have also used my vest to hold all my quilters pins.

The back of the vest also incorporates the NSQG logo and the Paducah Dogwood. 

I quilted my vest by hand.

Jinny Beyer Hilton Head Seminar Sigature Vest

 

I attended the Jinny Beyer Quilting Seminar on Hilton Head Island from the second year through many more years.

I created this blank vest in 1987 and had everyone sign it. 

This is the back of the vest and I also had people who were on it add a year if they returned in 1988 or 1999.

It was a fun project and I enjoy looking back at the names and remembering the friends I made and many I still keep in touch with.

What Happened To The Green Bay Packer Socks I Was Knitting?

 

I started to knit these socks and the yarn and the gauge didn't work together so I put them aside.

My sewing light has a magnifier as part of it. It is dangerous to have a magnifier where the sun can shine on it as it could cause a fire. I added some more simple stitches and now I have a Green Bay Packer magnifier cover. 

My Latest Silk Quilt Is Finished

 

I am happy to have finished another one of my Olympic Quilts even though it is after the closing ceremony.

I love, love, love the way silk takes color.

The background fabric is one I used in a jacket and the other fabrics came from a bag of hand painted silk I got from Joe Sherman ties in Chicago.

I debated on what edge finish to use and I'm very happy with the zigzag over edge finish.

There Is Always A Place To Hang A Long Skinny Quilt

 

This is a quilt with little quilts on it. It will also have some of my polymer clay work added.

I can think of so many spaces this could hang in.

Another Garment Will Become a Quilt

 This garment is a perfect choice to become a quilt. Stay tuned as it could take a while.

I have a lot of pieces of my wearable art that are becoming quilts.

Creating Quilts From Wearable Art

My newest activity is creating quilts from Wearable Art from my style show.

I no longer give style shows and many of these garments will make great small quilts.

I am still in the process of taking thing apart so you may not see finished quilts for a while.

These 3 Quilts Each Received An Olympic Medal

 

Each of these quilts earned a medal in my personal Olympic competitions.

One received GOLD, one SILVER and one BRONZE

Can you guess what each one received?

These 3 designs are ones that people often confuse with each other. I made them all from the same fabrics to explain the differences.

The top left is Sunshine And Shadows. The bottom left is Trip Around The World. The right quilt is Boston Commons.