It’s Baby Week at the Mosey Household

Who doesn’t love a baby?  They are so much fun to hold, snuggle, sniff, kiss, hug, cuddle…

I’ve had the pleasure to cuddle and love on four Mosey babies so far:

   

 

But on Tuesday around noon, we are getting another Mosey baby to add to the mix – another adorable grandson!  We’re so excited, so pardon me if I don’t post as frequently this week – or if I post a whole lot more with baby pictures.  Sometimes you just can’t help yourself, you know!

Feathered Cheddar Goes to Blogger’s Quilt Festival

Visit the Blogger’s Quilt Festival and see this year’s quilts!

Hand appliqued

Hand quilted!

In the four-block style, a two-color quilt…

It’s called “Feathered Cheddar” by Caron Mosey

at Michigan Quilts!  c 2011

Final Lap of Hand Quilting Spools

PROGRESS UPDATE:
I’m wrapping up the border of quilted Baptist fans, and headed into the outer blue border and final row of spools!  I love the scrappy look of this quilt… and it’s been (mostly) fun to quilt.

I have done most of the quilting while watching  listening to the television.  It helps make me feel like I’m being more productive rather than a lazy lump.

I have really enjoyed getting all the emails from fellow hand quilters around the world since posting Hand Quilters, Unite! on October 21st.  My goal is to compile a list of bloggers who are primarily hand quilters on the sidebar so that we have a whole list of them.  You can help call attention to this project by putting the Hand Quilting button on your own blog!
To add the hand quilting button:
If you are using Blogger, go to your Blogger dashboard and to the DESIGN area.  When you get to the page that says Add and Arrange Page Elements, you want to add a gadget.
Choose to add the  HTML/JavaScript gadget, and on the right side of this blog page, copy the code that you see under the hand quilting button.  Paste that into the gadget, save it, and you’re good to go!

More Hand Quilting

Each hand quilter’s stitch is a little different than the next person’s.  Hand quilters have been practicing their skills for hundreds of years, and each person approaches the stitch slightly differently.  If you want to learn how to hand quilt, you can go toYouTube.com and do a search for “hand quilting" tutorials” and watch as many quilters show how they accomplish their stitch.

This photo is from the County Fair in Wolverine, Michigan in 1910. It was probably difficult to count the stitches per inch on these quilts, as they were hung from the rafters. But it’s a good idea for hand quilters to look carefully at their stitches and analyze their work.
I know my stitches have changed through the years.  A person’s quilting stitch will vary depending on the type of fabrics used in the quilt, the type of batting, the weather (yes!), and the health of their hands.  The quilt shown below, “Jack in the Beanstalk,” has quilting stitches that are spaced further apart than I would have liked.  I used a thicker batting for this quilt. and it was a real bear to stitch. 

I like to compare my stitches using a common tool – a penny.  The quilt below is my Tumbling Blocks quilt.  I  used Mountain Mist polyester batting in this quilt, and it is quite thin.  It has, on average, 10 stitches per penny width.



Made in 1986.

Rail Fence was also made during the same time period and has 10 stitches per penny width.  It was also made with Mountain Mist polyester batting.


Quilt judges look for stitch consistency on a quilt.  That means that each quilting stitch is about the same width, and has about the same distance between stitches.  My consistency on Tumbling Blocks is much better than on Rail Fence. 
If you quilt for your own enjoyment, then you’re not as concerned about what a judge thinks.  I used to enter just about every quilt show I could afford to enter “back in the day.”  Now, I rarely enter a quilt show, and when I do, it’s just so that someone other than myself can see the quilt “up close and personal.”  I like to watch my stitch status for my own purposes, not to impress anyone else. 
I am now using Hobbs 80/20 batting, and my stitch count is not as good as it used to be.  However, the quilts shown above are from 25 years ago, and my hands are older and the batting is thicker.  I could probably achieve the same 10 stitches per penny if I switched to a thin poly batt, but I like the look the Hobbs gives me.
How about you?  When was the last time you really inspected your stitch?

Saving Quilts You Like

 

I used to keep track of quilts I liked by saving a picture of them in a folder on my computer. The problem with that was that I could save the photo, but not information ABOUT the photo.  Things like who made the quilt, where it was taken, etc.  I’ve changed how I do things now.  Using Pinterest, I still save pictures of quilts I see that I fall in love with, but I can now save a link to where I originally saw the quilt, the name of the quiltmaker, or the quilt show, or the fabric line, etc.  Have you tried Pinterest.com?

 

To use Pinterest you need an invitation.  Let me know if you’d like one!

(Make sure I can respond to your request by enabling your email address in the comments)

Hand Quilters, Unite!

I get excited when I see someone hand quilting a quilt, don’t you?  Hand quilters are a dying breed. Visit any quilt show and you’re bound to see that close to  75 percent of the quilts have been machine quilted!   We need to bring attention to the hand quilters of the world and celebrate hand quilting!

I’d like to put a list of quilters on Michigan Quilts! who are predominately hand quilters, but I need your help.  If you are a hand quilter, let us know! 


Find a blog post you’ve already written – or write a new one - that includes a picture of a quilt you have hand quilted.  Use the link below to tell us the NAME OF YOUR QUILT and YOUR NAME, and direct us to your blog post by giving us the address to that post.  This is pretty easy to do – I know you can do it!  I’ll start us off by providing a link to a quilt I have hand quilted. 


Feel free to grab the Celebrate Hand Quilting button to put on your own page as well! 


Check out these wonderful hand quilted quilts, then add a link to one of your own hand quilted quilts.  Please, only one link per person!

There is Gray Everywhere When You're Looking For It

I'm noticing the color gray (grey) everywhere I look lately.  Last night I went to dinner at the White Horse Inn in Metamora, Michigan with my friends Lisa and Marlee. The White Horse Inn, established in 1850,  is the oldest restaurant in Michigan.  I walked into the bathroom and smiled immediately. Had this been fabric on the walls, I probably would have peeled it off and stuffed it in my purse.  Beautiful gray striped wallpaper and floral border.  Yummy!  How many people do you know who take pictures of restroom walls?

I think I have a sickness...

I think I'm in love!

I have been going through a gray phase lately... No, I'm not depressed. I've been drawn to neutrals in quilts, particularly those with gray tones.  And then today in my email inbox I found an email from Pink Chalk Fabrics with this gorgeous line of fabrics.  I do think I'm in love!  Go check it out for yourself.  If you buy something, tell her that Caron sent you.  But please leave some for me!

                                       

Pippi Longstocking Jumper

My adorable granddaughter is in love with the character Pippi Longstocking and wanted to dress up like her for Halloween this year.  Grammy to the rescue!

I took a regular jumper pattern in a size 4, sewed it as directed, then added the necessary patches (in batik prints) to make it look like Pippi’s.  Yesterday I gave it to Samantha and it fit like a charm.  She will add the required pigtails and mismatched socks to complete the look.  You can’t see it, but there are more patches on the back and sides.

 

A happy little girl, looking forward to Halloween!

Bottoms up! A great day for quilting!

Beginning at age 50, both men and women should be screened for cancer and polyps, and a colonoscopy is suggested every 10 years.  Yesterday was my day, and I got it out of the way early.  I left home at 7:30 AM and arrived at the center shortly after 8 AM.  By 10:00 AM I was sitting in my leather chair at home hand quilting my spools quilt! It was easy, quite quick and painless.  I got a little IV poke in my hand, and was out almost immediately.  Other than the little IV poke, I felt nothing.  Absolutely nothing.  The day before the colonoscopy is the most dreaded day of all, as much of the time is spent in the bathroom preparing.  But I looked at it as a way to get some reading done, and that I did!  

Stormie, my cat, was delighted to have me home most of the day.  She laid on my lap or on the top of my chair and watched me quilt for most of the day.  I got a lot accomplished!  As I couldn't drive for 24 hours, there was nowhere to go, so (SHUCKS) I couldn't go in to work.  Might as well relax with some stitching, right?

So if you need a day off and want to get a lot accomplished, have some peace of mind and piecing to do, a colonoscopy is the way to go!  Tell them that Caron sent you.  Maybe they'll give you a discount.

                                       

P.S.  I have a clean bill of health!

A Leaf Tour to Lansing and Back

Michigan.  October.  Eighty degrees outside.  Beautiful leaves to see.  Motorcycle.

Sounds like a trip on the bike is in order! 

The Woodworker suggested we take a ride to Lansing and stop at the quilt store and a gallery.  Yes, you read that correctly… it was HIS idea!  Totally!  Now, I don’t know any quilter in her right mind who would turn down a trip like that, do you?  So we took non-expressway roads through the country to East Lansing, home of Michigan State University.  (My apologies to my fellow University of Michigan Alumni…) and we went to Country Stitches. 

I wanted to pick up some additional cream/beige prints for the backgrounds of basket blocks that I started making a year or more ago.  I ran out of them, and have been holding off until I could get some more.  Every block has a different print fabric for the basket, and each background is different as well.

  

So this is what I bought today:

I was only going to buy neutrals, but I fell in love with both of these… The color above is more accurate than the photo below, but I love the print so wanted to share a close-up.  Yummy!

Now I have no excuse for sewing more basket blocks! 

It’s Spring Somewhere

It’s no secret that I live in Michigan (United States).  In Michigan, we have four distinct seasons, each unique in climate, activities, and appearance.  My favorite season is fall (autumn).  I love the colors of fall: the crispness in the air, the scent of the leaves, and watching the animals and birds prepare for winter.

Here are some photos I just took outside while The Woodworker grilled chicken:

The colors of fall in Michigan inspired my Ocean Waves quilt, shown below.  I think this is still my favorite quilt of all that I have made.  It was machine pieced and hand quilted.

It’s difficult to see from this photo, but the quilt has a lot of half-square triangles in blues and greens, surrounded by flying geese patches in the same colors with pieces of gold and burgundy.  The quilt is in the Ocean Waves pattern.

The quilt above is a Bear’s Paw pattern, also with green, rust, tan and burgundy colors.  The quilt is all hand pieced and hand quilted.  I worked on this quilt during the last few months of my mother’s life as I sat with her.  Each time I finished a square, she would put it on her lap and stroke it and say how pretty it was.  It’s my favorite quilt to cuddle with. 

Want to win a free quilting book off my bookshelf?

It’s a surprise title, and will be sent to one person who joins in on the fun!

Here’s what to do:

Write a blog post that includes:

• a picture from outside your own home or area taken during your favorite season
• an explanation of why that’s your favorite season
• a photo of a quilt you’ve made with your season’s colors
• Below, put the title of your blog post...

         then your email address
         then your blog address URL

(example:  http://blog.caronmosey.com/2011/10 favorite_season.html)

I will visit your blog, along with others who will too,  and on October 15th will draw a winner!

 

A peek at some machine and hand quilting

Do you remember the Polka Pots quilt that I made for my granddaughter for Christmas?  I gave it to my friend Lisa to quilt for me.  Lisa is a longarm quilter and does a fantastic job!  I got the quilt back last night, and I’m in LOVE with the quilting that she did!  I told her to do whatever she felt it needed.  I didn’t want it too heavily quilted, so that it would be soft.  Sometimes when you quilt something a lot it looks beautiful but is more stiff.  This is supposed to be a cuddly quilt for a little girl.  It still needs me to put the binding on (which I love doing), but here is a sneak peek:

This is a little peek at the back…

A peek at the front…

A close-up of a block…

And on my Spools quilt I started hand quilting the tan border with Baptist fans…

Hand quilting is perfect while watching the Detroit Tigers and the New York Yankees play ball.

Goooooo, Tigers!

I'm struggling... your feedback is appreciated

This is a question for readers who belong to a quilt guild 

(that is not the guild I belong to):

Does your guild support one quilt shop or several?   By "support" I mean give mention about a shop in your newsletter, in guild meetings, on your website, or include the shop/s in any promotions that your guild might have (advertising in their shop/s for quilt raffles, quilt shows for your guild, etc.)? 

My feeling is that a guild usually represents quilters not just from one community, but from a larger surrounding area.  Owning a quilt shop in these troubled times is a daunting task, as costs are high and the economy is struggling.  I think the more shops there are, the  better for quilters.  Therefore, it is wise to not focus on just one shop, but "spread the wealth."  

What happens when you have one, two or more owners of different shops that belong to your guild?   What does your guild do to not show favoritism? If you favor one shop, it's not really fair to the others to dis them.  But if you are shop-neutral, then the individual members of your guild and the general public will absorb the information that they have and shop where they choose.  

I'm just looking for information on what other guilds do with this issue... and your two cents is valuable!

Note:  Comments for this post are being moderated, as I'd like to get comments from quilters who are NOT a part of the guild I am in.  Thank you for your patience and understanding.                      

SAVE THE DATE: RICKY, ALEX AND LIBBY IN MICHIGAN!

It's official! Southeast Michigan has been selected to host a Ricky Tims Super Seminar on May 2-4, 2013. The 2 1/2 day seminar will feature lessons by Ricky, Alex Anderson and Libby Lehman. There will also be an evening concert by Ricky and a quilt show featuring the quilts of the three artists.

Stay tuned for more info!! The Evening Star Quilt Guild in Davison and the Oakland County Quilt Guild in Rochester will be hosting this event. The venue has yet to be decided - so stay tuned!

Hand quilting spools

The Spools quilt is being hand quilted... About one-fourth complete thus far.
Caron Mosey

Michigan Quilts!: http:// caronmosey.com/

How Michigan Quilts! came to be

The blog "As Sweet as Cinnamon" is wondering how people found the name for their blog.  Check out the blog entry at http://dawnhaydesigns.blogspot.com/2011/10/whats-your-name.html and then follow the steps to tell the world how your blog came to be named.  You can even win a a  Moda charm pack!

When I started blogging I already had a URL with my domain name, caronmosey.com.  I was in real estate for a few years, and the domain name was used for business purposes.  But when the real estate market tanked here in Michigan, I decided I'd had enough and quit.  As I had the domain name paid for for several years, I decided to use it for my blog.  I didn't want to call my blog by my own name... that seemed pretty conceited to me.  I know some people do that, but it's just not me.  I'm proud of being a Michigander, and we have a lot of great quilters in our state.  So the name "Michigan Quilts!" seemed perfect.  

Did you notice the exclamation point in the name?  Yes, that's part of the name!  Michigan DOES quilt, and we do so quite nicely, thank you very much!  

How did YOUR blog get named?

                                       

What is a Baltimore Album Quilt?

Baltimore Album Quilts are a very popular style of applique quilts made up of square blocks.  Blocks contain a variety of beautiful designs, from floral, ships, birds, baskets, important buildings, animals, and so on.  This very ornate style of quilt began in Baltimore, Maryland in the middle of the 18th century.   The applique was usually sewn on white or muslin squares, but today anything goes!
In the beginning of their popularity, Baltimore was the 2nd largest city in the United States, and it making a Baltimore Album quilt was a sign of position in society.  Blocks were designed by the maker, and were normally made of new fabric (whereas patchwork quilts utilized clothing scraps, reflecting a lower level of status). After the Civil War, many changes in the manufacturing and dying of fabric came about, and these were reflected in the album quilts.  It is normal to see a Baltimore Album quilt with writing in indelible ink by the maker incorporated into at least a few of the blocks.  Poetry, sayings, the maker's name and date were all popular inclusions. Because each quilt was carefully designed, sewn and quilted, thousands of hours went into their making, thus producing a family heirloom. 
I LOVE Sue Garman’s “Friends of Baltimore” quilt.  This is a perfect example of what a Baltimore Album quilt looks like.

Friends of Baltimore used with permission by Sue Garman

This quilt is available as a Block of the Month:

Click here!

One can't mention Baltimore Album quilts without mentioning Elly Sienkiewicz, who brought about a renewed interest in this beautiful quilt style. Elly's numerous books and patterns are available and will be of great help should you choose to continue practicing your applique with a Baltimore Album of your own!  A few books shown below will help guide you.

    

Reinforcement Through Amish Quilt Exhibit

I recently posted that I had reached an affirming decision regarding my direction in quilting.  I am a hand quilter, no doubt about it, and it’s time that I recognized that fact and dedicated myself to it 100 percent.  That decision was clearly affirmed yesterday when The Woodworker and I visited the Amish Quilt Exhibit at the Flint Institute of Arts. 

All of the quilts in this exhibit were hand quilted, and I was amazed at the tiny stitches and beautiful designs.  The art is not as much in the choice of colors or fancy patterns in the fabrics for me as it is in the quilting itself.  This is what I love. 

The quality of these photos is not good, and I apologize for that.   Taken with my Blackberry so as to not use a flash, they are poor at best.  But I hope it gives you an idea of what is present at the exhibit.  All of the quilts are from the collection of Marsha and Thomas French, and they are stunning.  If you are able, please go see this beautiful collection.

 You can read more about the exhibit here.