This Year's Bear

 Hello All,

As some of you may know I usually make a cq bear for the the Chinese auction for the retreat.

Usually the are quite blinged out. Not this year!! I kept myself under control. There is not one single bead anywhere on this bear. All the seams were done in a variegated threads ( some of which I dyed myself) with a coordinating solid. All the fabrics were black, with a few black/colored prints thrown in for good measure

For me this is quite a departure. I love my beads and bling

 This little guy took me about 80 hours to do. I've been asked how much I would charge for a bear like this. I'd say the "bear" minimum would be $300-$400. Why should I value my work for less. If I was getting minimum wage ( which I think I deserve more than) it would be over $580

 I really liked how it turned out. The black background makes the colors POP

This bear got to go home with Helen Thorkleson

Next time I hope to show my progress and the saga of the great color disappearing pink quilt

Later,
Lauri
PS  a BIG thank you to Connie for all the pictures! She is a much better photographer than I am

Stacies Gypsy block

Hello All

Stacie stated she would like a gypsy wagon and horse. So I did some slips of those. Then I added the chain stitch loop seam treatment which is now  fairly obscured

But the slips just looked out of place wherever I put them. So I added a couple trees. Then I got stuck, then I had a brainstorm to add the road, as Stacie had mentioned the wanderlust. Then I needed more trees. Naturally making them each a different season came next

I enjoyed doing this block a lot. Maybe my creative mojo is finally back!

Later,

Lauri

added 8/8/11     too bad my writing skills seem to have disappeared when my creative mojo came back!!

Missing Quilts

Re Printed with permission from Kerry's blog


Please be on the look out. This is one reason I have been reluctant to enter contests and exhibits. It doesn't happen often, But more than you think.



Missing Quilts!





















CT Publishing has recently announced that a few quilts, in their guardianship, disappeared after Spring Quilt Market. They've done everything they can do to find these quilts and are now asking for our help to find 3 cover quilts and a table runner.


The quilts have gone missing from a quilt show. Please take a good look at the photos, and watch for these turning up somewhere. CT Publishing, who had these quilts in their possession, has offered a $4,000.00 reward for the return of the quilts. If only one quilt is found, the reward will be pro-rated on the appraised values of the quilt.


It breaks my heart that Allison Aller has lost her beautiful crazy quilt especially. This quilt is such a work of art from Allison's heart and hands, and is definitely irreplaceable.
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 These quilts that are missing are not something you can replicate or replace.

I hope you will help increase awareness of missing quilts and help in the effort to get missing quilts back into the hands of the creator and/or respective owners.

Pink

Hello All,

Once  again I have been struck by an idea that hits me  in the middle of the night. These ideas come to me full formed and relentlessly. I call them "Athena" ideas
So I get the bright ideas, then I piece them , then there they sit. I WILL get this one done
I have been struggling with an easy idea to have done in time for the County Fair, this isn't it
Lately I have noticed how many ladies are afraid of pink. "Oh you're so brave to wear pink at your age!'  What the heck?  You can wear it any age you want and just because you like pink and like being a girl does not mean you are a pansy. Believe me. I love pink and no one pushes me around
This centerpiece is MUCH brighter than the photo shows. Embellishments will include lots of lace, beads( of course)and GIRLY things.
I will live with it pieced for a day or two to see if anything needs changed up.
See NuMom I can do monotone, It's just a very bright monotone
Comments are always welcome, so let's hear it :)
Later,
Lauri

She's HERE!!!

Hello All

As some of you may know. I've been trying impatiently to wait for the birth of our first grandchild.
She finally arrived May 31st
Astryd Samantha  weighed in at 6lbs 11 oz and 19 inches

Now I just need to figure out how to live in 2 places at once

Later,
Lauri

Alice's Gypsy Treasure RR block

Hello Ladies

Here's my finished work for Alice. I hope she likes it

Later,
Lauri

Gypsies

Hello All

Wow. I'm impressed. You figured them out. I am more than a little happy that you could tell what he was. I am always afraid my little sketches don't look like what I think they look like

These little guys are 2 inches tall. I have a couple more I need to do before I add then to the block.

First I draw out my design on paper, then using a light box and a mechanical pencil I transfer them to my fabric ( in this case white Kona)

I usually then use crinoline behind them when putting the design into an embroidery hoop

Most of the stitching is done using DMC floss, 2 strands. sometimes I will use Wildflowers varigated if it is a larger piece

Next do all your outline on the pencil marks. Usually black , either a back stitch, tight stem stitch or tight chain stitch.

The filling is done by chain or stem stitch depending on the size of the open space.

Then using clear nail polish go around  all the edges sealing the fabric and edge stitches completely

When this is dry cut very carefully NEXT to your outline stitches. You can add wonder under to the back before trimming if you wish

Next place it where desired then using clear thread going through your outline stitches sew it down.
Once in a while you might want to add another row of stitching right next to the outline, using one strand of matching embroidery floss

Back to the gypsies!

Lauri

What is it?

Hello All

Any ideas  what this is going to be? Hint...it's for a RR I am in

Hey Ann

Ann
I am so sorry! It's been so long since I posted that when I got your comment ( the first one for this post) I accidentally deleted it. I don't know what I was thinking
I am so sorry!!
No offense intended I assure you:)

Ahhhhemmmm

Hello All

I am sorry to have been absent so long.

As usual the winter blahs got me and that got me really early last year.

Then when I finally got my act together I have been so busy that I couldn't find the time to post.

Let's see what has happened?

I found out that Hubby and I are to be grandparents, she is to to make her appearance in about a month. So I have been busy  crocheting baby booties, blankets and sweaters. Sewing quilts and clothes and many other baby doodads

Then in April I went to the CQ Adventure in Connecticut. Which I enjoyed greatly. I met a lot of ladies I have only known through my cq groups and met some ladies who are new to CQing. Hello Janis, Carole and Sandy!!!

There is also a secret special project that I  can't tell you about right now. But the ladies who went to the CQI Retreat in Colorado last year know what I am talking about. When it is in the hands of the recipient I will post lots of pictures.

Before going to the CQ Adventure I decided that I needed a new hussif. So a 3 day project turned into 14. As usual for me :)

I see that I don't have pics of the whole completed project. I will need to do that soon

This is the bear I did for the Chinese auction at the Colorado Retreat

This new blogger will take me a bit to get used to.

Thank you all of you who have stuck around. I do promise to attempt to do better at posting

Later
Lauri

The Winner is....

Hello All

Well it's seems we actually only had 3 who were interested in joining in. So I will print out 1 more page and ALL of you get one.
Please send me your snail mail address and I will get them out to you ASAP!

Thank you for wanting to play along

Lauri

Something Different

Hello Ladies

The other night I lay in bed wide awake. Then I was hit by a brainstorm for a new CQ project. It will be entitled either "Live Famously" or "Live Infamously". I am leaning towards the second.

We have
Amelia Earhardt
Eve
Cleopatra
Queen Elizabeth 1
Marie Antionette
Mata Hari
Helen of Troy
Queen Victoria
Joan of Arc


I experimented with 2 different printers and settings. So I ended up with 3 sets

Here is the challenge. I will have a drawing for the 2 extra sets. Then in 2 months we will compare our blocks and see how different out interpretations are. You only have to have 1 done by then

Since the margins are small you may want to use some wonder under to keep them in place. This works for me as my silkies are the first thing I put on a block

Feel free to let others know about this drawing. Entries will be accepted through Midnight August 21

Let the fun begin!!

Lauri

What I've Been Up To

Hello All

Well it's been awhile! I have been trying to load a new post but Blogger is being screwy. I can't get my pictures to load

So I loaded a bunch of photos to my Flikr site. There is a link over in the sidebar. While there you can click ( or double click) on the photos to make them bigger and see the detail better

This is what I have been obsessed with. I have looked at it every day for over 2 1/2 months. Some days something clicks other days it doesn't. This purse was to be done for the contest on CQI but I am just now almost done

Now to the part I hate. The assembly. I am trying to be very careful and meticulous about assembly. I want to enter this into the County Fair and don't want the finishing details to kill my chances

As you can see it is quite colorful. I can't seem to do monotone or tranquil. What do you think of it NuMom? Enough colors?

It's also quite heavy, maybe 4lbs?

I know some of you would like more commentary . I will try. I am just not a very talkative person. If you have any questions please feel free to ask. I will do my best to answer them

I have decided to go to the Adventures in Crazy quilting Seminar in Glastonbury, Connecticut in April so I am sure I will see some of you there.

Hope you enjoy this piece of obsession!

Later,
Lauru

May 25