June 2023 – tierneycreates

I was randomly thinking about this memory the other day and thought I would re-post it. If you’ve been following my blog a very long time (at least since 2016) you might remember the post – The Ladies Friendship Circle (1931).

In 2013 I facilitated the completion of a quilt started in the 1930s and given as a gift to someone 80 years later (who was alive when the quilt was first started). Here is the story:

THE LADIES FRIENDSHIP CIRCLE (1931)

82 years ago in 1931 (note this post was originally written in 2013) my friend’s MJ’s grandmother and her group of friends made a quilt top for MJ’s mother (the new baby in 1931). The quilt was never finished. MJ wanted to finish this quilt for her 82 year old mother who had kept it packed away in a chest for 80+ years and surprise her for Christmas.

After searching several quilt shops, MJ and I found the perfect backing and binding fabric at one of our wonderful Central Oregon quilt shops. Then we had the quilt professionally longarm machine quilted.

MJ and I spent an evening sewing down the quilt binding to finish it. We were both snuggled under the quilt as we each worked on sewing down one end of the binding. MJ planned to surprise her 82 year Mother with the mind blowing Christmas gift of a lifetime – a quilt top put away since 1931 that has been turned into a quilt!

Something very special about this quilt: MJ’s Mom is the only person living from this time period of this dear group of family and family friends – so when she gets the surprise quilt for Christmas she will see the names of the long-passed very dear people she grew up with.

I warned MJ – when you hand your Mom the quilt at Christmas, it is going to be a “blow out the tear ducts moment”!

MJ presented her mother with the quilt for Christmas in December 2013 and yes there were many tears of joy. Imagine receiving a completed quilt that was started when you were a child, by people who loved you and are now are long gone.

MJ’s Mom passed away in mid 80s and I am so glad she got to enjoy this quilt before she passed.

Quilts are love (as most quilters know) and this quilt contained the “spirits” of the departed loved ones entwined in the quilt’s hand embroidered stitches. I liked to imagine these “spirits” being very pleased that their quilt was finally finished and given to the intended…even if it took 82 years…

A Crafter Needs to Eat, A Crafter's Life, Agriculture Report, Fabric Scraps Obsession, What's on the Design Wall

Bunch of Random Updates

June 27, 2023October 25, 2023 tierneycreates: a fusion of textiles and smiles

I had a couple brief updates and I thought I would spread them out into a bunch of brief blog posts but I am lumping them all together.

GO BOLDLY

An update on the quilt (which might end up more wallhanging size) that I mentioned in the post What I’ve Been Up To and What’s on the Design Wall, which I named “Go Boldly“:
I am now sewing the blocks together. There are 64 blocks and each need to be sewing into blocks of 4 to make them into 16 blocks to then sew together.

I am currently debating whether to make the quilt larger (I have enough leftover blocks to make 1 – 2 additional quilts or wallhangings) or leave as it is. I think I am going to just sew the 16 blocks (4 mini sections to make a block) together and then decide.

OH SCRAP – IT’S NOT JUST BLACK AND WHITE

A little update on the freeform (or wonky as some say) log cabin quilt I discussed in this post – ScrapHappy June 2023: “Oh Scrap – It’s Not Just Black and White!” :

The longarm machine quilter (Sew Colorado Quilting) has finished quilting it and sent me some photos, here is one of them.

I actually picked up the quilt today from her and will do a post on it with more photos once I get the extra backing and binding trimmed (I like to do my own trimming) and decide on a binding. I am thinking about doing a “facing” on it (like you would do with an art quilt) as I plan to hang it on the wall.

COLOUR WHEEL

A quick follow up on this post The Colour Wheel Quilt is Done, about the color wheel quilt I made to use as a teaching aid when I give a workshop next year (September 2024).

By the way I will share more information about that workshop including the venue once that venue gets ready to publish its online catalogue listing the workshop. If that doesn’t happen before October 2023, then I’ll go ahead and share as I’ve shared it with the Quiltfolk article writer for Issue 28 that comes out in October so it will be publicly revealed then anyway!

I had put the quilt away until next year for the workshop but then I decided to find a place for it in my studio so I could enjoy it before then – here it is now on a wall in my studio that I rearranged to make room for it:

VARIOUS RANDOM INFORMATION

John who loves to cook, tried making Ramen for the first time the other night and it came out pretty good!

My yellow rose bush in my front garden is finally taking off and here is one of its lovely roses:

And finally, here is Mike and his “cousin” Goose both trying to via for John’s laps (Goose won) when John was visiting his Dad the other day.

Hmm, I just realized that technically Goose is Mike’s “uncle” not his cousin – ha!

A Crafter's Life, Quiltfolk Issue 28, Special Events

Quiltfolk Magazine Photoshoot, Part II

June 26, 2023October 18, 2023 tierneycreates: a fusion of textiles and smiles

As I shared in Part I (if you are just joining us, see Quiltfolk Magazine Photoshoot, Part I), I was invited to be part of Issue 28: Colorado in the October 2023 issue of Quiltfolk Magazine.

I had an amazing Zoom video chat the previous Friday with Dr. Sharbeon Plummer, one of the Quiltfolk Magazine writers who will write the article about me; and then a very fun photoshoot inside and outside my home with the Quiltfolk Magazine photoshoot team.

I thought I would share some “behind the scenes” photos from the photoshoot that I took while the photographer was getting set up and/or the stylist was doing her styling magic.

Inside My House

The photo above is not a grouping of quilts to be photographed together, but rather a selection of quilts the photographer wanted to do individual close up details on. The first photo in the series of images above shows some of the photographic equipment they unpacked for the photoshoot.

Outside My House (Front & Backyard)

So that’s about it for now about this incredible opportunity.

As we get closer to the release of the October 2023 issue of Quiltfolk Magazine I’ll have some type of “social media” package with a preview of photos from the article I can share as a teaser and a discount coupon to share on my blog and Instagram for followers who would like to purchase a discounted copy of the issue.

The photographer and stylist set up some really cool photos and I cannot wait to see the outcome of the photoshoot. I also cannot wait to read the article of course!

If you’d like to see some additional behind the scenes photos check out the Instagram feed of the stylist @kimberleezacek (see her “Quiltfolk” reel) as well as the IG feed for Quiltfolk Magazine – @quiltfolk – which has a reel called “Issue 28” showing the amazing road trip by the photographer (Melanie) and stylist (Kimberlee) as they travel through Colorado meeting with quilters and photographing their homes and studios (as well as the beauty of Colorado).

A Crafter's Life, Quiltfolk Issue 28, Special Events

Quiltfolk Magazine Photoshoot, Part I

June 25, 2023October 18, 2023 tierneycreates: a fusion of textiles and smiles

Here is the follow up to my recent post: What I’ve Been Up To and What’s on the Design Wall.

I was invited to be featured in the October 2023 issue (Issue #28) of Quiltfolk Magazine.

On Friday June 16 I had my Zoom interview with one of the Quiltfolk Magazine writers; and and on Thursday June 22 I had a photoshoot at my home with one of the Quiltfolk photographers and one of the stylists.

So where do I begin? How about with a little background/history?

Quiltfolk Magazine is a quarterly magazine which features interviews and stories about quilters and quilting communities in a specific US state or region.

I’ve been reading it and subscribing to it (on and off when I feel inspired to pay the annual subscription fee) since it’s first publication in October 2016 – which featured quilters and quilting communities in Oregon, the state I lived for 14 years before moving to Colorado.

First issue, image credit: quiltfolk.com

And I’ve been working on a quilt similar to the one on the cover since 2016! This cover inspired me to try out English Paper Piecing (EPP).

(I now have around 68 rosettes done, so I am getting close to the 99 to finish the EPP quilt.)

I love Quiltfolk Magazine, I have collection of past issues and each one feels like a beautiful ode to the art of quilting.

Check out this link to see the beautiful covers on these issues – Archive – Quiltfolk.

Okay so with that background perhaps you can imagine my shock, surprise and honor to have received this e-mail from the Editor in Chief of Quiltfolk Magazine on May 24, 2023 (excerpted and text condensed):

I am writing to you today because our team is currently in the process of planning an upcoming release, Issue 28: Colorado, and we came across your name and amazing work. We would like to know if you would be interested in being featured in our next magazine issue? First, a little about us: Quiltfolk is a 164-page, ad-free, print-only quarterly publication for quiltmakers and quilt lovers. We are a travel magazine as much as we are one about quilts. We go on the road four times a year to find America’s quilt stories, covering one state per issue. I’ve attached a PDF of our most recent release so that you can see how dedicated we are to producing a first-rate magazine for the national quilt community that we love. We were founded in 2016 and have been steadily growing ever since, now reaching tens of thousands of quiltfolk across the country. If you are interested in being featured in Quiltfolk, Issue Issue 28: Colorado, (and we hope you are!) please confirm by responding to this email. Then, next steps are as follows: One of our writers will reach out to schedule an email, phone or Zoom interview with you within the next three weeks. We will also be in touch to coordinate an in-person, socially distanced photo shoot with our crew. (The photography team consists of one photographer and their assistant. Occasionally, a writer may join them.) We are currently planning photo shoots between June 19th – 28th.

I stared at the e-mail for quite a while before my brain fully registered all the words! Quiltfolk Magazine, friggin’ Quiltfolk Magazine, which I’ve loved and read for years is inviting me to be in it!

Of course I replied “Yes”!

More to come in Part II…

A Crafter's Life, What's on the Design Wall

What I’ve Been Up To and What’s on the Design Wall

June 23, 2023July 21, 2023 tierneycreates: a fusion of textiles and smiles

I’ve been behind in writing blog posts and reading blog post. I’ve been prepping for my first magazine photoshoot! For now I’ll need to keep you guessing but soon I will reveal what publication and what issue.

I had a Zoom interview last Friday with the article writer and yesterday (Thursday) I had a photo shoot with the photographer and stylist. I made them some homemade shortbread cookies, fruit, coffee and tea for their morning photo session with me:

The photographer and the stylist were so awesome and it was a fun (and a little tiring) morning posing for photos and helping them style what they wanted to at my home. Photos were taken inside and outside my house and lots of quilt photos. I have some “behind the scenes” of the photoshoot to share once I can reveal the publication. If you follow me on Instagram (@tierneycreates) you’ll probably find out first as I am just waiting for the stylist to post their behind the scenes photos to Instagram.

The “What’s On The Design Wall” part of this post is related to the photoshoot.

A day prior to the photoshoot, the Editor in Chief of the publication informed me that they liked to photograph any “works in progress”. I’d just finished Scrappy Autumnal Splendor (see post Scrappy Autumnal Splendor Back from Professional Quilting) and It’s Not Just Black and White (see post ScrapHappy June 2023: “Oh Scrap – It’s Not Just Black and White!” ) so I had nothing on the Design Wall!

But the set of circle blocks that my friend D sent me a couple years ago (see post What’s on the Design Wall: Pride) for a colorful quilt she began in a class but decided not to finish, came to the rescue!

I started making the existing blocks into a quilt in summer 2020; and making additional blocks from the pattern and templates she gave me. I was going to name the quilt “Pride“, but I got distracted by other projects, took the quilt off the design wall and put it away.

Now it is back up on the design wall, just in time for Thursday’s photoshoot:

Yes it’s a little wrinkly but I was short on time before the photoshoot to re-iron the blocks before putting them up.

As part of the photoshoot I even sewed two blocks together, so I guess I better now work on sewing the whole thing together!

I changed the name of the quilt to “Go Boldly“. It is going to be wallhanging size and I do have enough leftover blocks to make a second wall hanging or even a quilt if I use up the extra fabric D also gave me to make more blocks (I have very generous quilting friends!)

Oh a quick update on Scrappy Autumnal Splendor – the binding is on and it is sitting in its new home in my home library. I was happy to get it back from the long arm machine quilter and get it bound (or “binded”? SpellCheck tells me that is not a word, ha!) before the photoshoot.

And I will close out this post with a couple photos of John (napping) and Mike enjoying the new hammock (actually intended for camping, it is a portable and fits in a small bag) we picked up on clearance at a sporting store. We got a break from all the rain we’ve been having in the Denver Metro area and they got to enjoy some hammock time!

Fabric Scraps Obsession

Scrappy Autumnal Splendor Back from Professional Quilting

June 18, 2023 tierneycreates: a fusion of textiles and smiles

A follow up to the post What’s On the Design Wall: Scrappy Autumnal Splendor.

I picked up Scrappy Autumnal Splendor from the longarm quilter on Thursday, I’ve sewn on the binding and I am working on sewing down the binding and then the quilt will be finished!

I got a preview sent to me by Cara @sew_colorado_quilting (IG page) who did the longarm quilting. Here are the photos she sent me before I picked up the quilt:

I was beyond excited to pick up the quilt and had to take some photos on Thursday when I first got it from her (yes I was sitting in my car, opened up the package the quilted quilt was in, and posted photos to IG, ha!)

Here is the quilted quilt on my design wall and the back of the quilt draped over the chair in my studio:

After I finished fondling the quilted quilt (ha!), it was time to finalize my decision for the binding. I decided to go with a gold fabric that had also appeared as fabric scrap pieces in the freeform log cabin blocks, but I also had some yardage of the fabric.

Then the tedious task of sewing the binding onto the quilt:

And now I am sitting around sewing down the binding to the back of the quilt. Mike the Miniature Schnauzer is keeping me company:

And moved to nest in the quilt when I took a break and left the quilt on the sofa!

Yes, Mike does need a haircut, he gets one on Tuesday; and yes his paws are green as he was playing ball today in the freshly mown backyard and “naturally dyed” his fur green!

Fabric Scraps Obsession, ScrapHappy, What's on the Design Wall

ScrapHappy June 2023: “Oh Scrap – It’s Not Just Black and White!”

June 15, 2023June 13, 2023 tierneycreates: a fusion of textiles and smiles

It’s the 15th of the month and time for my monthly “ScrapHappy” post as part of the ScrapHappy group I belong. At the end of this post I have a link to the other blogs participating in this monthly event in case you’d like to check out their ScrapHappy posts.

Look what is now on my design wall: a sewn together freeform log cabin quilt using my black and white (and some gray) fabric scraps that I introduced in this post – What’s on the Design Wall: Scrappy Log Cabin. As far as the name of the quilt: Oh Scrap – It’s Not Just Black and White! I’ll explain that later in this post.

So I went from this (a crazy box of black, white and gray scraps):

To this (35 scrappy pieced blocks):

To now this (all sewn together):

Here is a close up of some of the freeform log cabin style pieced blocks (if you’d like to see a summary of my method I discuss it in this post – More on the Blocks I Made at the Retreat and a Brief Tutorial).

It was so much fun to piece this quilt and to select interesting (all over the place) scraps for the blocks. As you can see in the images above, it is just a mishmash of scraps! I had a bunch of black and white fabrics scraps with writing as part of the fabric design so I thought it would be fun to work them in.

As far as the name of the quilt (I love naming quilts): Originally the quilt was going to be created only using black and white scraps. Then I decided to work in some gray. Then on a whim I decided to use some scraps that had a khaki brown color in addition to black. I liked the effect of a little bit of light brown in the piece. A pure B&W log cabin style quilt was not aesthetically pleasing to me. The name “Oh Scrap – It’s Not Just Black and White” is a play on the saying (which there are many versions):

Life isn’t always black and white (there is some gray…)

Now I am working on piecing the back of the quilt and I went shopping in my stash like I did in the post What’s On the Design Wall: Scrappy Autumnal Splendor.

And found these three fabrics to use as the pieced backing:

I will reveal the pieced backing when the quilt is quilted. I’ve decided to have a longarm quilter machine quilt this quilt also.

So after making two freeform log cabin quilts in a row I think I will try a different pattern when I am ready to make my next scrap quilt.

By the way here is an update on Scrappy Autumnal Splendor, the other freeform scrappy log cabin quilt: The longarm quilter is done with it and I get to pick up the quilt later this week! The longarm quilt sent me some photos and I am so excited!

As promised, here are the bloggers that participate in the ScrapHappy monthly posting event, check out their blogs linked below for their ScrapHappy posts:

Kate @Tall Tales from Chiconia , Gun @Rutigt – G Adrian, Eva @bambisyr-evaj, Sue @From the Magpie’s Nest, Lynda @Life on the Farmlet, Birthe @Birthes rom, Turid @Den syende himmel, Susan @DesertSky Quilting, Cathy @nanacathydotcom, Tracy @It’s a T-Sweets Day!, Jan @The Snail of Happiness, Moira @The Quilted Snail, Sandra @Wild Daffodil, Chris @chrisknitsews, Alys @Gardening Nirvana, Claire @Claire93’s Blog, Jean @onesmallstitch, Jon @writinghouse, Dawn @DawnGillDesigns, Gwen @Deep in the Heart of Textiles/Textile Ranger, Sunny @The Adventures of Team Wil-Sun, Kjerstin @Quimper Hittys, Sue @Going Batty in Wales, Vera @lifebyacompassnotaclock, Edith @Edi’s Crafting Life, Ann @Ann F Stonehouse Quiltmaker, Dawn @myquiltprojects, Carol @Quilt Schmilt, Preeti @Sew Preeti Quilts, Debbierose @Sew Rosey, Nóilin @Paper, Pen and Mug, Viv @Where the Journey Takes Me 2, Karrin @Karrin’s Crazy World, Amo @View From Our Hill, Alissa @ Snakes & Cranes, Lynn @Tialys, Tierney @tierneycreates, Hannah @quietwatercraft

tierneytravels

The Cliffs of Moher

June 13, 2023February 5, 2024 tierneycreates: a fusion of textiles and smiles

I thought I would return to the trip to Ireland (Dublin, Doolin, Galway) John and I took with our friends K and M in October 2022. There were so many wonderful sights (see posts Guest Blog Post: Beasties Return to Ireland!, Guest Blog Post: The Beasties’ Ireland Travelogue (Part I), and Guest Blog Post: The Beasties’ Ireland Travelogue (Part II)) and I haven’t blog much about them.

Also I noticed that only the tierneycreates Beastie guest post blogged about the Ireland trip, I cannot find a post that I wrote (smile and wink).

One of the spectacular places were visited while in Ireland were the Cliffs of Moher which looked like something out of a movie.

Here is a little background on the Cliffs of Moher from the attraction’s website if you are not familiar with them:

At The Cliffs

One of Ireland’s favourite visitor experiences & tourist attractions, the Cliffs of Moher tower over the rugged West County Clare coast.

Visually spectacular, the Cliffs of Moher sit astride the striking landscape of the Burren on one side and the Wild Atlantic Ocean on the other. Rising out of the Atlantic waters to a height of over 700ft at O’Brien’s Tower and running along the coast of Clare for almost 14 kilometres, or 8 miles, the Cliffs of Moher were formed over 320 million years ago, and today form part of the Burren and Cliffs of Moher UNESCO Global Geopark. The Cliffs of Moher is in a Special Protection Area for Birds and Wildlife. The magnificent Cliffs on the Wild Atlantic Way host major colonies of nesting sea birds and are one of the country’s most important bird-breeding sites. Borrow some binoculars from our information desk and do some bird watching. Enjoy the captivating spectacle of the vast array of sea birds, a delightful way to pass the hours.

It was very very very windy on the cliffs and here are John and I braving the wind:

And here are our friends K and M. that we went to Ireland with, battling the wind at the cliffs:

K’s mother was from Ireland and she still has plenty of family there (some of which we met up with in Galway while we were visiting); and her husband M goes to Ireland all the time so they were awesome tour guides.

I took over 100 photos at the cliffs and I am certainly not going to torture you to them all (or clog up my image allotment on WordPress); so I made myself select a couple of my favorites to share with you the beauty of the Cliffs of Moher:

The photos of course do not do the beauty of the Cliffs of Moher justice – I felt like I was on the set of a movie and fully understood why the call Ireland the “Emerald Isle“.

Here is a little video I took:

There were a lot of cattle grazing in the grasslands area of the Cliffs of Moher and one particularly friendly bovine caught my attention and we took a photo together.

Now I am considering becoming vegetarian again, ha!

Fabric Scraps Obsession, What's on the Design Wall

What’s On the Design Wall: Scrappy Autumnal Splendor

June 7, 2023 tierneycreates: a fusion of textiles and smiles

Follow up to the post What’s On the Design Wall: Scrappy Gold/Brown Log Cabin – Update.

Ok one more post about this quilt before it heads today to the long-arm quilter (I decided to “quilt by check” instead of do it myself!). I decided to name the free-form scrappy log cabin quilt I started during the Scrap Happy Retreat I had in June – “Scrappy Autumnal Splendor” as it reeks of Autumn in it’s color palette!

Here is what it looks like all pieced together:

The border (and lattice) is taupe Peppered Cotton which is a version of a “shot cotton” and there was potential for fraying so I stitched around the entire quilt top 1/8th inch.

After finishing the quilt top it was time to head to my yardage stash and see what kind of backing I could piece together (I was tempted to buy yardage of a single fabric for the back but darn it I am going to use up my stash, ha!):