The Eggs Came First: Rubber Stamping a Quilted Chicken "Thank You"

A weird thing I've discovered living just ten miles from downtown LA is that loads of people keep backyard chickens! If you drive through some neighborhoods early in the morning, you can hear the cock-a-doodle doo's! 

The urban farmers include one of my DH's colleagues; he and his wife regularly gift us with a dozen beautiful eggs, in assorted sizes and colors. I truly never knew a plain old unseasoned egg could taste so good. 

This is my thank you gift to them. The message is one they included in a note that came with one of their kind deliveries. They adapted it from milk commercials. It reads, "Happy Chickens Lay Great Eggs." 

I rubber stamped the words onto vintage bias ribbon. Rubber stamping is incredibly easy to mess up, so it's a good idea to stamp out duplicates, just in case. Here's how they looked right after stamping. 

 

Both versions came out okay, except "chickens" in the third strip down has a shadowed "I", so I didn't use that one. To prevent ravelling at the ribbon ends, I dripped a bit of 'Fray Check' on each. Once it dried, I hand-sewed them in position with thin thread and a running stitch.

I also did a little hand-quilting with perle cotton, wending my way through the raw eggs (above) and the fried ones (below).

The chickadee on the right is from a vintage border fabric that I suspect is from the 1960s or 70s.

I used the ink pad below, "Crafter's Acid-Free Pigment Option Pad," by Color Box. In theory, after heat setting, it should be permanent. 

I've had the pad for  years; and I keep it stored in a sealed plastic bag - so most of the colors still stamp out quite well. (Can you buy the same thing today? I searched but couldn't find this particular configuration online - but I did find very similar pigment stamp pads from Color Box, one of them with the eight colors arranged like a flower.)

For the letters, I used these tiny, quarter-inch, adorable stamps. 

(I accidentally stamped the wrong end of the "E" into the pad, and it may never recover.) The brand is Studio G, and they still make these! 

The green chicken is from a fabulous African fabric gifted to me by my friend Alexandria (Thank you!) The back of the piece shows what it looked like before I surrounded it with eggs! 

So which came first, the chicken or the eggs? In life, the eggs came to us first, but in this wallhanging, I started with the chicken in the center, so I'd say the question is still up in the air!

Pandemic Porch Quilt Show Day 34 - 35: My Two Weirdest Quilts in Two Days

Day #34: Blooming Cactus
Choosing an eye-pleasing color palette did not come naturally to me, and here's the evidence. Let's breathe slowly as we approach this bed-size quilt, so as not to trigger sea-sickness. 

It's slightly less terrible when you get very close,  thanks to the blue oasis. 

Longtime quilters will recognize this pattern immediately, as a Blooming Nine Patch, from the bestselling 1996 quilt book 'Traditions with a Twist' by Blanche Young and Dalene Young Stone, still widely available (used) online - and sooooo worth it, just for this one pattern. 

Sure, I knew that the orange and brown were awful, but I believed I was on a mission to prove ugly fabrics could be beautiful. Specifically, I wanted to redeem this crackly orange and brown batik, which I cut from a designer hippie halter-top-and-bell-bottom set that my extremely stylish mother wore in the 60s or 70s  (probably purchased at Filene's Basement, in downtown Boston). 

In hindsight, this fabric is irredeemable. (Except: As a faux Halloween pumpkin.)

The fabric I most love on this quilt is near the center, and also on the back - an African wax print. It looks really great when not in eyeshot of brown and orange.

But despite the chaloshes (terrible) colors, I learned more from making this quilt - as a new quilter - than any other quilt. Specifically, I learned how much fun it is to make gradual color and value shifts that create movement across the quilt. I still find this activity utterly thrilling (especially because I now use better colors.) 

The print that follows the halter top, and that forms the appliqued flowers, was cut from a different garment, a batik Indonesian shirt. The outermost blue fabric (which is also in the center of the quilt) is an American cowboy sky-themed fabric. The international diversity of these fabrics makes me laugh! 

And no quilt is complete without buttons. (They're in the middle of the flowers.)

Whether you use ugly or beautiful fabric (and today I courageously recommend the latter), planning a Blooming Nine Patch takes you straight out of your left brain, and deposits you happily into the other side. I had such a ball working through the color shifts, that I felt like I could make nothing but Blooming Nine Patches for the rest of my quilting life and be perfectly happy! 

Day 35: Necktie Archeology, 80" x 99"

Poundwise, this is my heaviest quilt, and one of my longest. My porch ceiling isn't high enough - in the photo above, the bottom of the quilt is folded on the floor. It holds 68 appliqued neckties, most intact, plus a whole lot of vintage buttons, all dating from the 1950s to today. They were gathered over many years, from flea markets, thrift shops, friends and relatives.

On the right side of the quilt they’re chronologically arranged, from bottom to top. The oldest necktie, a sleazy narrow grey number which runs horizontally along the bottom, features a bathing-suit clad pinup girl hidden in the lining. I think it's from the late 50s - but one viewer told me that it could be a reproduction (Google it - there are lots of old pinup girl neckties, as well as reproductions, sold online.)

Above that come the 1960s ties, with ultra wide psychedelic paisleys;

Then upward to novelty neckties: Elvis, the Wizard of Oz, a giant trout, beer, photography, golf course, space shuttles, warplanes, Forbes Magazine, laptop computers, Tabasco Slurpees (?), and so much more. My favorite tie is the brown and gold “how to tie a tie” tie that I wove vertically through the middle.

In the lower left of the quilt - as a nod to the tie’s role as a phallic symbol - I placed the neckties related to love, sex, marriage, obstetrics and babies - including in the center, a blue-and gold necktie with the word "Viagra" repeated on it, again and again. (Presumably that tie has extra interfacing.)

Almost all the ties on this quilt are intact, and sewn in place with relatively large stitches. I did move most labels from the back to the front (on the narrow end), for documentation, but other than that, in theory, someone could cut the ties off, steam them, and wear it! See more photos in my blog post, here. This quilt is looking for the right home, ideally with a passionate necktie afficianado, who has at least one blank, strong, high wall, and it's on sale for only $4000 (negotiable, I'll throw in shipping!)

Road to California, 2020, Part 2: Shopping!

Last week, I showed off some of my favorite quilts from Road to California 2020 show. Now let's get to the fun stuff: Shopping! Disclaimer: If you click on these links, I don't make any money. But you might lose money, because this merchandise is (often) thrilling!

If there's one attribute that unites Road to California quilts - whether the top is pieced, appliqued, embroidered, fused, stapled, and/or mutilated - it's this: dazzling, immaculate, professional-grade quilting - the stuff that holds the three layers together.

That's why, every year, I walk out of juried show. and into the vendor area, thinking, "Gosh, I urgently need to buy a $46,000 computerized robotic laser-equipped longarm quilting machine, because otherwise I will never get another quilt juried into Road!"

And every year, the only thing that allows me to resist that urge - besides the price and the divorce - is that I would then have to learn how to use the damn thing.

Well, a girl can dream. There were longarms galore in the vendor area. Smallish longarms...

Medium longarms....

And longarms so long that you can operate multiple machines on them.

It's always scary asking prices, but the Innova booth should be lauded for their transparency. The machines they refer to in the bottom poster really are robotic, computer-controlled, and laser-equipped! For less than $20,000!

If you can't afford a longarm, you probably can afford an old standby - a Flynn Quilt Frame. (This is not an endorsement, I haven't tried it.) The show price was a mere $150. (That's just a little more expensive at the Flynn Quilt Frame website.)

Here was my favorite sign from the show (in front of the Aloha Quilt Shop.)

And here's my favorite couple. They run Rochelle's Fine Fabric. Look very closely at their heads....

Wait, I'll make it easier for you by whiting out the background:

I told them they're not normal, and they heartily agreed. It will not come a surprise to you that Rochelle's specializes in conversational (aka novelty) and licensed prints, including the broadest collection of sports team fabrics that I've ever seen. They were also well-stocked with one of the newer fads in the quilt world - giant panels, that you quilt in one piece - great for beginners or quilters in a rush. Find Rochelle's fabrics (but not the headgear) at http://www.rochellesfinefabric.com/fabrics.html. 

The colors in many of the booths were intoxicating. Here's another of my favorites - from the shop 'Applique After Hours.' 

Some of these are wool quilts. Their equally thrilling web shop is here. 

Another huge trend at this show - maybe all shows - are backpacks, bags, totes, zippers, and purse hardware galore. 

Here's the 'Sew Many Creations' wall of patterns. 

For bag making, the cork fad rages on, as it has for several years. The cork keeps getting more interesting.

'Sassafras Lane' displayed a yummy rainbow of cork wallets. 

And there were a whole lot of bags made from Kaffe Fassett Collective fabrics. I think this booth was ByAnnie.com

Speaking of Kaffe - his fabric was ubiquitous.AllaboutcolorQuilting.com carried only Kaffe collective fabric. 

Villa Rosa had some of the best prices for Kaffe fabric (the sign below says $10.96). But for the most part, fabric of all descriptions at this show ran $12.00 a yard and up - often, way up.

As an antidote to all those brilliant colors, there were more booths than I expected selling primitive/country style quilt stuff. It's not my thing, but clearly plenty of quilters love it. Here's the One Sister Designs booth. 

Liberty Homestead: 

At The Cottage Rose/Debb Eggers booth, I saw this adorable game board. (I would make it in jewel tone batiks.)

Carriage Country Quilts showed off these embroidered creatures - the pattern is "Forest Friends" by Kathy Schmitz. 

The Primitive Gatherings booth had a different take - instead of browns, there were shades of black, grey, and navy blue.

The serene quilts in front of their booth drew admirers. 

And speaking of blues, there were several booths dedicated to Japanese arts, including fabrics, threads, and quilts. Here's a fabulous sashiko quilt on display at Kimonomomo LLC.

Shibori Dragon's wares included patterns for fascinating small Japanese bags. They sell a vast array of Japanese fiber art delights from their website. 

There were several booths selling African fabrics (and other stuff). This booth was AfricanEverything.com. They specialize in baskets as well as textiles.

And there were South American fabrics and wearables. Kuna Prints Mola Shoes sold shoes, boots, backpacks, and more, crafted from gorgeous molas that were created by the Kuna Indians of Panama and Columbia. More here.   

I forgot where I saw these. My kind of swimming pools. 

And for the quilter who thought she had everything, the shop 'Classy American' had something I don't - light sets that you push through holes in your quilt. These can be plugged into an outlet, or battery operated. The photo doesn't show that both these quilts are covered with twinkling lights. Snap your light sets up at their website, here. (This company primarily sells roll-up design walls.)

I learned that 'Quilt in a Day' is now working closely with Accuquilt.  From what I could see, 98% of the merchandise in the QIAD booth was Accuquilt Go appliques and supplies.   

When I got home I checked QIAD's website - thankfully, the company still sells books and patterns. (It was an Eleanor Burns' book - "An Amish Quilt in a Day" - that turned me into an enthusiastic quilter, in one day. Finishing the Amish quilt took a little longer than a day.) 

There were Singer Featherweights everywhere - that is, Featherweights belonging to people doing sewing demonstrations. There weren't a lot of them for sale, but one booth (whose sign I forgot to photograph) had stunning, custom-painted machines, including this glossy patriotic number.

 Continuing the red-white-and blue theme (plus black): 

The 'Spirit of the Artisan' booth sold this intricate applique tape, made in Thailand

Boxes of luscious silks:

Next, their "Chiffon Pintuck Ombre Polyester."

I don't know what you do with it, but it looks awesome! (I cannot find the Spirit of the Artisan website - if you know what it is, let me know.)

My second favorite place to shop is thrift shops. So it was not surprising that I was enthralled by 'Paganoonoo' - a pattern company that shows you how to cut up old shirts, jeans and such, and turn them into funky new wearables. I watched one show attendee look at their mannequins, shake her head and declare, "I don't get it!" For me, on the other hand, it was love at first sight. Find their offbeat eco-sensible patterns here.

Another unexpected booth, Chenille-It, focused completely on chenille quilts. I have always associated chenille with bathrobes, until I saw what they'd made. 

Especially this: 

So there you have it! A teeny fraction of the shopping sights at Road! Once again, my tour of some of my many favorite quilts is in the last installment, here.