Two of My Quilts Won Ribbons!

I entered 2 quilts in one of my quilt group's quilt shows (Palo Verde Patchers).  I love to quilt because I love the creative process, and enter quilts to support the shows of the groups I attend, but it's a nice bonus when you they award you a ribbon for something you'd be making anyway.  The 2 quilts I entered this time both won ribbons.  My Home Sweet Home Baltimore Album quilt won 1st place in the Lap Quilt Category and also an Excellence in Machine Quilting Ribbon.  Quite a shock since I struggle with machine quilting and am still a reluctant longarm quilter.

 

The second quilt won a 1st place in the Miniatures Category.  The quilt I entered is the second of two quilts I made that are very similar.  I made the first one as a comfort quilt for my mom when she was struggling with cancer.  I called it Heart of Gold Miniature Baltimore (it has gold colored hearts in the swag border).  Then I decided to make one for my own wall to remind me of her, and that's the quilt I entered - it has fleur de leis in the swag border, the blocks in it are also slightly different than the ones in my mom's quilt.  Both quilts are 22" x 27".  Here's the quilt I entered:

What a Happy Surprise

Last night I did a search on the internet for the steps to fold a quilt on the bias to store it.  I selected the Ann Fahl site to get the directions.  What a happy surprise when I saw a picture of a quilt of mine shown on the side panel that was posted on someone's blog.  It was my "Heart of Gold" Mini Baltimore Album Quilt.  I had just won a ribbon on it at the AZ Quilters Guild Quilt Show.  This is a quilt I made for my Mom when she was fighting cancer so it means a lot to me.  This site said some very sweet things about my quilt.

Here's the link if you'd like to go to the site:  http://quiltinspiration.blogspot.com/

Here's the excerpt that refers to my quilt.  They even listed my blog address.  Not sure where they found it but am sure pleased that they posted it and this nice blog post.

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Excerpt from quilt inspiration blog:

Friday, April 5, 2013

In Full Bloom: Floral Album Quilts

Album quilts, which show a variety of blocks, are on almost everyone's list of favorite quilt patterns.  They provide great visual interest and are often a valuable source of inspiration for your next project. Here are some album quilts which really caught our eye at the recent 2013 Arizona Quilters' Guild Show. 

Heart of Gold - mini Baltimore Album, 22 x 26", by Linda Puttmann

Second place winner in the Miniature Quilts category, Linda writes, "I made this needle-turn applique quilt for my mom to comfort her during her fight with cancer. She said it made her so happy."  We really like the cheerful color combination of the sunny yellow, gold, and coral orange hues combined with the soft sage green tones of the foliage.

Close up, Heart of Gold - mini Baltimore Album by Linda Puttmann

Here's a wonderful example of  Linda's excellent applique skills on a block that is only 4" wide. We imagine that this quilt must have been really fun to make. For more information, please check out Linda's blog, Sew Many Joyous Things.

My quilts at the 2013 AQG Show

I entered two quilts in the the 2013 Arizona Quilters Guild show.  I was so happy to win second place on one of them - my Heart of Gold Miniature Baltimore.  This quilt means a lot to me because it's the quilt I made for my mother to hang by her bed while she was incapacitated by cancer.  She told me she loved looking at it and it made her feel good. Here it is hanging with it's ribbon at the show.

Here's a picture of the other quilt I entered hanging in the show.  I call it Home Sweet Home Baltimore.  It wasn't a ribbon winner but has a lot of meaning for my family because it depicts the house where my children grew up and memorable representations of things from those years.  This isn't a great picture because I couldn't move back far enough to get the entire quilt in the picture.  There are other pictures of it here in my blog though if you want to see more of it.

 

It's Finished - Home Sweet Home - Baltimore Album Style Quilt

It's time to celebrate!  My second Baltimore Album Style Quilt is finished.  Actually last Wednesday morning I completed the last few stitches on the binding.  My goal was to get it done in time to take to the Foothills Meeting.  It's always nicer when you can share a major accomplishment like this with your quilting friends.   I'm so pleased to have it finished.  Here it is................

Home - Baltimore Album Style Quilt

Last week after I finished preparing the 3 projects for our upcoming Foothills meeting, I also decided to pull out a Baltimore Album Quilt I had started, and finish it.  The blocks were already completed so I had only the sashing and borders to do.  Made me wonder what I was waiting for.  I think the darling rabbit quilt I quilted for Joy inspired me to get busy and finish it so I could quilt some more feathers - I just love doing feathers.  Anyway, here's a picture of the top before I started quilting it.  When I'm finished with the quilting, I'll post another picture so you can see how I decided to quilt it (expect a few feathers).  The center block on this 9 block quilt is a depiction of our family home in Colorado.  Rick & I and the kids all loved that house and there were so many good memories made there.

I still need to decide on a name for this quilt.  Maybe something with "home" in it.  Ideas welcome.  The lettering in the last row reads, "Every house where love abides and friendship is a guest, is surely home, and home sweet home, for there the heart can rest."

Baltimore Album Style Quilt

Here are close-ups of the individual blocks:

Papercut with Flower Center

Paper Dolls

Lyre and Ruched Rose

Filligree Heart

Home Block

 Strawberry Wreath

Rose Wreath

Fleur de Lis with Poem

Fleur de Lis

Mini Baltimore

I finished a mini Baltimore album quilt for my Mom.  By way of a bit of background; since we moved away from Colorado I don't get to see my Mom very often.  When I last saw her I was working on the blocks for my queen-sized Baltimore Album Quilt and she couldn't seem to take her eyes off them.  She really made me feel good with all of her kind words about them.  Well they're now made into a quilt and I'll get to take the quilt back to show her when we go later this month.  When I found out she has been diagnosed with cancer, I decided I wanted to make her a comfort quilt and take that with me too.  After pondering what I would make, I decided on this mini Baltimore album quilt.  I call it Heart of Gold Baltimore Album.  It's just 22" x 26" and is made of hand-dyed fabric and marbled fabric.  I used wool batting and really like how the wool makes it look.  I think she'll be pleased to have a Baltimore of her very own to look at and I hope it will make her smile.

I know myself well enough to know that after spending the countless hours it would take to make a Baltimore album quilt I just might have a tough time parting with it - kind of like letting one of my babies go.  Especially after all the time it takes "birthing" a Baltimore.  I thought that it couldn't take much more time to make two of each block as I went along, right?  So I started by making a second block of the few I had already made and then made two of each from then on.  I only wanted one quilt with the hearts of gold in honor of my Mom though, so I put Fleur de Lis in the borders of this second one.  I also put an eagle block in the one I'll keep because it makes me think of my grandson who is currently serving in the army.  I quilted each of them somewhat differently.  My Mom's has more feathers and the border quilting is different also.  Here's the one I'll keep.

Hand-Quilted Baltimore Album Center

After a lot of hours of deliberation and advice from a number of quilting friends, I finally decided how to quilt the center block on my first Baltimore Album Quilt.  I had previously quilted it in two different ways on my longarm but wasn't happy with either result so tore them both out.  This month I finally decided to try hand-quilting the center with a diagonal single cross-hatch.  I finally feel like the quilt is finished and I can celebrate the huge accomplishement involved in making this special quilt.  Here is a picture of the completed center.

Here is a picture of the quilt hanging on my dining room wall.

Am I Really a Baltimore?

Here it is.................my completed Baltimore Album Quilt.  I call it "Am I Really A Baltimore?"  I'm so happy to have it all quilted, bound, and ready to hang.  I was intimidated to begin a project of this magnitude but am so pleased that I stuck with it and got it finished.  I didn't keep track of how long it took me to make all of the blocks, the border, and to assemble the top, but I did keep track of how long it took to quilt it - 92 hours.  Whew!  Truly though, I really did enjoy making this quilt.  I spent many contented hours doing the needle-turn applique and the dimensional flowers on the blocks.  The inkwork was scary but once I got started on it, it was kind of fun too.  It was so rewarding to see the personality developing in each block.  There is so much special meaning in this quilt for me and for my family.

Here's a close-up of the center block:

And here are pictures of the individual blocks:

Here's a close-up of the border:

My Baltimore Album Quilt Top is Finished

After hours and hours and hours of appliqueing, my Baltimore Album top is finally finished.  It was a very windy day last week when I tried to snap pictures, so I wasn't able to get a very good shot, but.................here it is.

I've started quilting it and it's much more labor-intensive to do custom quilting on a quilt this size than I had imagined.  I'll post more pictures later - need to get back to quilting.

Baltimore Album Quilt - Month 11 - Wreaths

My block for this month is a strawberry wreath.  I've always loved strawberries and really liked the look of this wreath block pattern.

Here is the second wreath I made - a lyre wreath.  I designed this block by incorporating pieces and parts of a number of lyre wreaths I like.  The large rose is rushed - my first time to try that gathering method.  Fun! 

Baltimore Album Quilt - Month 10 - Baskets

Holding this spot because my basket isn't completed yet.

Baltimore Top - only borders to go!

I couldn't wait to get up this morning so I could put all of the blocks together on my Baltimore.  I already had the sashing around the blocks so this morning all I had to do was sew the rows together.  Now on to the borders.  There will be another small gold border around this (I think you have to click to enlarge this view to see the first small gold border) and that will be followed by an applique swag border.  I hope it won't take too long to make that........I'm looking so forward to getting it finished.  Here it is with only borders to go...........

Baltimore Album Quilt Center Complete

I'm sooooo excited - I just completed the corners on the center block for my Baltimore quilt. 

Tomorrow I can put the blocks together and then start on the borders.  I'm so excited to get this quilt so close to being finished.  It's taken many, many hours to applique all of the blocks and I'm so pleased that it's almost there.

Baltimore Album Quilt - Blocks and Inking Complete

Here are all of the blocks for my first Baltimore Album Quilt.  The Center is on-point and a picture of it is in the previous post. These are close-ups of the remaining blocks with their inking completed.

Block 1:  North, South, East, West; Home is Best

Block 2:  Friendship

Block 3: Courage

Block 4:  Love, Marriage, Home, Family

Block 5:  Faith, Hope, Peace, Love

Block 6:  Our Three Sons

Block 7:  Gratitude

Block 8:  Gather Blessings

Block 9:  Bend to the Patterns of Life with Grace

Block 10:  Abundance

Block 11:  Joyous

Block 12:  Do What Makes Your Heart Sing