Isn't the combination of blogging and the internet just the most amazing thing? It is incredible to realize that people around the globe could turn on their computer and see what Nanette in little Alpine Utah recently made! It is almost magic. It is hard to imagine that the first pattern I recently sold for Dreaming Princess was to a quilter in Sweden. It is like bringing the world into my sewing room.

Two international experiences recently came my way:

Last year I had an email from Tineke, the editor of a quilting magazine in the Netherlands called Quilt & Zo. Tineke asked me if I would provide the magazine with a photo of my String Spool Quilt and let them publish the tutorial for the quilt in the magazine.
Quilt and Zo is a fantastic magazine with wonderful projects. I was very flattered and happy to have my quilt published in the Netherlands for people with interests the same as mine.
They did a lovely job with a full page color photo of my quilt and then instructions on the opposite page. It is written in Dutch, of course, but you can access my tutorial here.
I really love this quilt. This quilt is one that I thought of in the middle of the night. I hadn't really had exposure to string quilting before I made this quilt years ago. I just had the picture in my mind of what I wanted to make and that I wanted to use my scraps to make it.
It is an easy quilt and very dear to my heart. I remember my mom, Freda, having some olive green wood spools of thread in her sewing room that I thought were really pretty compared to the natural wood spools. My quilter, Wren, did an amazing job quilting it. I think this quilt is 6 years old or so.

My 2nd international experience is shared with several women from all over the world and was sparked by Ayumi from Pink Penguin. If you haven't been a follower of Ayumi, you simply must start. She's an amazing, lovely girl (and newlywed) with a fantastic eye and boat load of talent.
Ayumi and I have a love of fabric that overlaps. We like much of the same types of fabric including Suzuko Koseki fabric. You can read about Ayumi's project that she involved me in here. Ayumi asked me if I wanted to group with other women and make coasters to give to Suzuko. I also blogged about it here.
This is the photo from Ayumi's blog where she talks about the wonder of meeting Suzuko and seeing her talent first hand. You've got to go read about what is going on in Suzuko's studio.

It is incredible to me to have my coaster living with Suzuko in Japan and the photo and tutorial to my string quilt in the Netherlands. Fantastic. Isn't life full of surprises?

-nanette

Read More

I'm so incredibly excited to be teaching this year at the Panguitch Utah Quilt Walk Festival. Panguitch is one of my very favorite place to teach. The women are so incredibly nice and talented. I feel so at home there and welcomed as a teacher. I really am crossing my fingers that my classes fill up and I hope you'll consider coming to sew with me in Panguitch. I'm teaching Friday and Saturday. Take a look at the classes here. There are so many fun projects to choose from.
I'm teaching Freda's Flowers. This is the retreat class I taught at our family retreat last summer. It uses a jelly roll plus background fabric and border. You can make it any size you want.\
Everyone probably has a jelly roll they need to use. I have several! It is an easy class and you can make a lot of progress on it during the class time.
You can make it scrappy too. I'm excited to use Lori's fabric when it is released this spring in making another.
I'm also teaching a butterfly tutorial class. These have been everywhere and I loved making mine so much that I'm anxious to make another quilt. Again you can make it any size you want.
The class will be spent making as many butterflies as possible then class members will take them home and decide how to put them into a quilt project. I'll have lots of photos and ideas. It is a quick and easy block to make and we'll have a great time in class making them.

My friend Jan took my Mixed Bag class last year at the Quilt Walk and she has a blog all about what is going on at Quilt Walk. Go to her blog to see about teachers and classes. She's posted about ME! It is such a sweet post. Thanks so much Jan. I simply can't wait.

-nanette

Read More

When I was a kid I loved Valentine's Day. Getting that pack of store bought valentines and my "class list" was so exciting. I would sit at the kitchen table and paw through the valentines picking out valentines for each classmate that matched my friendship or feelings for them. Ahhh. Good times.
Valentine's Day is pretty low key. I love red and love those vintage valentine images. When my kids were little we'd do fun things with them and for them on Valentine's Day like red scrambled eggs and new underwear.
I did make some cookies for Mr. Hive and a friend brought some over for me. Mr. Hive doesn't like sugar cookies and prefers plain oatmeal. So that is what I made.

I think my valentine this year is Allison. She's such a sweetheart.

-nanette

Read More

Whew what a stressful few weeks we've had. I hate to get negative on my blog but life happens. I won't go into details but I'm certainly ready for a change of luck and praying for blessings.

On to Fabric Friday. I am almost done with my checkerboard for the Game Board Quilt. If you want to sew along or follow, see Syd's blog at Alpine Quilt Retreats. It is going to be a fun and unusual quilt to make. (I swiped some of my photos from Syd's blog, go see her quilt for more pics.)
I was auditioning sashing for my block. And I decided on the green scallop inside with the stripe outside. If you notice I solved the mitered corners problem by using a stop blocks in the corners. It worked out great and I love the look and will probably take that into all my blocks.
I used some interesting striped fabric and fussy cut it for the shashing. I made a mistake when I sewed the outside strip but I'm not fixing it. I didn't notice it until days later so I figure it is okay. At least I did the same thing on opposite sides. Oh well. Mistakes happen and sometimes add character. I like how the stripe makes it look like I stitched several fabrics together for multiple sashings.
I'm trying to decide now on the very last border for the block. I wanted a kind of bias twist to the very edge cut very narrow so it kind of looks like that outside tape they put on the edges of a game board. I like this fabric above for the edge.
I also like this fabric from Sandy Klop. I've had this waiting for the perfect project. I love the tickets too. Maybe I'll incorporate them somehow into the quilt as well. This fabric is on the bias but it might be too wide for the very edge.
The nice thing about this Sandy Klop fabric is that in this 1 yard cut there are 4 different fabrics to choose from. I love bonanza fabric like that with several prints in one. I'll make a decision today on what to put on the very outside of the checkers block but I'm leaning towards the first one.
I'm starting to plan my other blocks as well. I have the same bird fabric Syd used in her Hi-Ho Cherry-O block background. I might use that. I have another fabric I've ordered that hasn't arrived yet. So I'm kind of undecided about the background still. But this is the next block we are making so I'd better decide.
I am going to use this cherry print above for the trees. Syd used wool for her trees. And I understand why - so she could punch holes in so the cherries would stay. I'm not sure yet how I'll do mine but I really want to use this cherry fabric since I already have it. I think that check on point/bias will make a nice sashing for this block. I guess if I just laid the cherries on top of the trees that wouldn't be so horrible (with no holes). Any other suggestions?
I'm thinking ahead to Chutes and Ladders. I'm going to use wool for the chutes and ladders like Syd did for sure. That looks like the easiest path.
I want to really make the game board choppy and piecey (not a word) so I'm going to use several fabrics. I had this fabric above for another project I'm working on (will post eventually about that). It is a Riley Blake fabric and the colors are perfect for fitting the baby quilts I'm making. So I think it will look okay if I fussy cut the numbers and use them with.....
these number fabrics. I'm going to fussy cut the one on the left. I'm not really into sandal and swim suit fabric but I love the fact that the numbers will be easily fussy cut. The smaller number fabric I'll have to see how it works into the project. It may really very very piecey.
I haven't thought about the Parcheesi block yet. We've never been big game players so I have to tell you I've never played Parcheesi, even as a kid. I wonder if I could make a Candy Land block? Hmm. What do you think? That was a game I loved. It would be typical of me to just add my own thing. I'm going to just make a bag for the game board pieces and put them all into one bag. I think that will be easier than attaching them to the quilt.

Have a nice weekend everyone. Shelbie and I have Allison today. So it will be a fun day for us. I hope to get some sewing done this weekend. And hopefully things will turn around and life will be more sunny.

-nanette

Read More

I really loved our 2010 Alpine Group Quilt Project designed by Jina Barney. I am really proud of myself for keeping up with the project and completing the quilt in a timely way.
I love how it turned out. We started the quilt in the center and every month added blocks onto it. I kind of backed myself into a corner when I started the quilt with that black dot border in the center. But it worked out when I chose the big dot for the outside border.
The quilt is really huge. So big (long) that it needs a California twin bed! But I love the life in the design and love the colors. The blocks were incredibly fun to make.
I hung it on this wall to photograph only. You can't really see the bottom but I love the stockings laying on the floor. I'm not sure where I'll use it because it isn't the size of quilt wall hanging and we don't have twin sized beds at our house anymore. Everyone has a full or larger. It really was one of the most fun quilts I've made.

-nanette

Read More

Years even before I started making quilts with relish I started a tablecloth collection. When I was growing up we only had a few tablecloths but I loved the ritual of taking the tablecloths out at holidays and setting the table with special dishes. I have 2 tablecloths from my mom (Freda) and they bring out wonderful memories when I get them out. Even the gravy stains are remembered. I thought I would show a few of my tablecloths from my small collection.
Most of you know I'm from Pennsylvania. I love everything PA Dutch. This is a table cloth I bought in the 80s while on a trip to Pennsylvania. I've never used this but I should.
My favorite hex sign is the clover. All hex signs have meaning. I'm not really sure what the clover means.
This is another PA Dutch table cloth - vintage. I purchased this one used/thrifted. The table cloth is full of PA Dutch (German) sayings. This one in the heart means "Home is where the heart is". I didn't take 13 years of German for nothing. Well from 4th grade to college. The sad thing is I really don't remember much.
You can see Fastnacht in the kitchen pic above. There are so many spellings for Fastnacht. They are delicious donuts made this time of year (was yesterday Fasnacht day?). We always celebrated it in Pennsylvania. The last one up on Fastnacht day was the loser. I don't know much more but they were delicious. If you are interested, here is the recipe for Fastnachts from the county where I grew up.
This is tablecloth I get out at Thanksgiving. The cloth is Early American but a little PA Dutch, too, I think.
I love the needle point look of it. This one is vintage, too.
This pink and navy cloth is vintage too with several stains and even a tiny hole. But I love it anyway. It is also a little harvest themed.

I hope everyone has a great weekend. I cleaned my sewing room this week and I'm ready to sew and make it messy with projects.

-nanette

Read More

This year's Alpine Quilt Group project quilt is Syd's idea: Game Board Quilt. You can read about her ideas for this quilt here. Syd will post the instructions each month for this quilt. You can make this along with us.
Here is a photo (from where I was sitting) of the quilt top. Here are better photos of the quilt. In the quilt will be checkers, Parcheesi, Hi-Ho Cherry-O, and Chutes and Ladders. Even though my family isn't really game players I'm excited to make this quilt. The blocks look a little complicated but I'm excited to make it.
The back of the quilt will be twister.
Here is Syd presenting the quilt to our group and showing us the first block.
I am going to keep up with this. I started by sewing the red and black strips together.
Then I stitched them together. In the photo the dots are a little blinding but I don't think it is that horrible in real life. I'm auditioning borders right now. I think I'll use this stripe as one border. But this means I will probably have to miter borders. EEEK. I don't like doing that. Maybe I'll look up a tutorial on YouTube or something because I forget every time and there have to be some tricks.

I think this quilt will really be fun to have and make.

-nanette

Read More