FINDING MY VOICE

I started quilting a long time ago.  My first little pieces were quilt-as-you-go place mats in a log cabin style that I found in a Woman's Day magazine.  The next ones were some pillow covers in another women's magazine in the early 1980s.  I did not think I could attempt a really big quilt then.  It wasn't until the late 80's that I made a bed size quilt for my daughter and son-in-law from Eleanor Burns pattern called "Love Knot".  This quilt was queen size and I quilted it in straight line quilting on my home sewing machine.

I am a self-taught quilter and it wasn't until sometime in the 1990's that I finally took a class or two to learn what it was I had incorrectly taught myself. (smile)  I have continued quilting since then.  I was a hobby quilter for about 5 years and then decided to expand this into making a little money and I began teaching classes.

Recently, I was invited to do a special exhibit for AQS QuiltWeek Chattanooga and share about 30 of my quilts in "Finding My Voice".  It was a wonderful experience and I was thrilled to meet so many great quilters who came by to see my work.

In the next posts I will show the quilts from my exhibit.

-sandi

SHARING IS FUN

It has been a while since I entered a blog.  It is a very busy time for me.  The second year of AQS QuiltWeek Chattanooga is coming next week and I have been very involved with this QuiltWeek.  More posts to follow with those activities.

I kicked off this busy week by travelling to Smyrna, TN to do a Lecture and Trunk Show on the Modern Aesthetic for the Friendship Quilters Guild.  What a super bunch of ladies (and one gentleman)!

We met in the library of the neighborhood school and the ladies had lots of questions and discussions about the characteristics of a modern quilt.

Sharing and talking with quilters is so much fun!  






                                                     -sandi

TALENTED FRIENDS

I have some mighty awesome friends.  Many of them are fiber artists, quilt artists, and painters.  Recently I came across a small collection of works that I decided to display together.  This is a very eclectic group of artists all in one corner of my family room. 

 Situated directly across from my favorite "sitting" chair where I do all kinds of hand work and reading, each time I glance up I am inspired and appreciative of these wonderful artists.

Folk Art painting on tin by Linda Meck

Painting on silk nature series by Christine Sandow

Mixed Media by Jackie Cory

Textile Art by Denise Ohlman

Acrylic painting by the late Alice Mosely

Love my gallery of "friends"!!

-sandi

JUST A PILE OF SCRAPS

Sometimes I become a procrastinator.  Do you ever put off doing things you don't like to do?  I have lots of deadlines coming up and I need to do a major cleaning of my home.  But, I wandered into the Studio to find my phone and about two hours later I came out.  This is what happened while I was in there,

 I came across a pile of scrap blocks and extra cut pieces from another project.

  These are pieces that are still leftover and I will try to work out more projects using them.

I took the first set of scraps and started playing.  It seemed that stars were happening but then I did not have enough pieces to make complete stars and I wanted to use up as much of the "stuff" as I could so the "tesselating" stars started developing.

So, how many stars can you find???

Let's take it another step and rotate the piece 45 degrees...

Maybe I like this orientation better.  What do you think?

Now I will decide how to finish this out.  This medallion is about 23 inches square.  I would like it about twice that size.  

Will post more as I add to it.

Now, I will have to get on to those deadline projects and some housekeeping.....


                                       -sandi

JUNE AND JULY WORK

It has been so long since I have posted anything on my blog so today I am going to do a quick recap of things I am working on and/or have finished.

Straight line quilting on a piece called "Spring Gardening".

Hand piecing hexies for my upcoming class I am teaching at QuiltWeek Chattanooga in September.

Finished the quilting on the "Leftovers Table Runner".

Quilt As You Go Valance for my breakfast room.

Lots of straight-line quilting on little projects for my Trunk Show/ Lecture coming up in September.

Finally finished this queen-sized bed quilt in Improv and Quilt As You Go techniques.


                                               -sandi

QAYG

QAYG - I remember the first time I ever saw these letters.  I was browsing through blog sites and came across "The Quilting Edge" blog and there was a tutorial for QAYG.

I scooted over to the tute (www.thequiltingedge.com) and therein began my love affair with the more modern day Quilt As You Go technique.

I have used this method many times and have made some changes to suit my way of working.

The first QAYG that I did was this little Rainbow Ticker Tape Quilt which I re-named Lady Aubergine! for the block in the upper left corner.

Lady Aubergine!

This is the back of Lady Aubergine!

Still doing QAYG as often as I can.  I will be teaching a class in this at AQS QuiltWeek Chattanooga on September 16, 2015  

-sandi

PROJECTS FOR APRIL AND MAY

I have had so much fun the last two months getting projects completed and starting a few new ones.

I had this pile of bright Kona solids and then I paired it with this wonderful text
fabric to make my first ever 
Prayer Flag.

This is so cute.  I want to make some more.  I put a facing on this one instead of a binding.

One of my friends was offering a class in raw-edge applique and this was the pattern we used.
Needless to say, mine does not look like the pattern at all!!

Here was an opportunity for me to use some of my hand dyes and some commercial fabrics to do something very whimsical.

My Modern Quilt Guild has been doing a design series as our programs.  This month was the Drunkard's Path and this is my version.

Should I turn it this way, or, should I turn it this way???

Another fun "sketch" piece I worked on were these lantern shapes using the Quick Curve Ruler.  I think I put these sketch pieces together mostly so I can quilt them.  I love straight-line quilting!

I think this is enough for this post.  I will share more in a later post.


                                          -sandi

PLANNING OUR QUILT SHOW

April and May have been very busy months for me. This is the first of several posts.  Early in April we started work on the 2015 Community Quilt Show, "A 4-Patch Celebration" which will be held for the month of September at Hamilton Place Mall, Chattanooga.  The quilts will be on display in the Center Court for shoppers and visitors to view.
My job has been to get our sponsors together and to get the word out for Call for Quilts.  We have some awesome sponsors of this event who will be providing many door prizes for us to give.

To request an entry form, email me at fun2qlt@gmail.com

Our VIP Block Party is an after-hours event as part of AQS QuiltWeek Chattanooga.  
Last year's event was a lot of fun and this year we will have two Viewer's Choice Awards.
Tickets will be available for a donation to sample tastings from area restaurants.
Donations will be accepted to get tickets for our door prizes.
Our efforts will raise money for The Next Door Chattanooga.
www.thenextdoor.org


-sandi

MARCH WORK

My first finish for March was this little wristlet pouch.  It was fun to make.  I am making several of these with variations.

I tried adding tabs to my zipper pull for this one.  I think it should have been quilted.  

I also made this little pillow.  I simply made the little pillow cover with no zipper or opening to stuff left over bits of batting into.  It turned our really cute.  

More blocks from Vintage Quilt Revival.  


Our first National Quilting Day celebration called STITCH IN THE MALL took place on March 21st.  We had so much fun with quilters coming from all around the region to sew, chat, and sign up for great prizes including a donation for an opportunity to win a beautiful lap quilt to benefit THE NEXT DOOR, a non-profit organization whose mission to help women in crisis.

Quilters signing up for door prizes.

Clothesline Quilt Show

 Quilters demonstrating projects and techniques.

 More quilts on display.

Meeting new folks.

The winner of the Opportunity quilt was Melissa Dumas.

I had a fantastic committee of women who worked with me for this event.

From left to right:  Carol Hooper, Suzan Dodd, Pam McCallie, Sandi Suggs, Linda Meck, and Sandy Rathjen.

Now I will get back to sewing and preparing for the April Retreat.  Until next month . . .

-sandi

FEBRUARY RECAP

This month has been very busy and I have finished a lot of WIPs.  The first thing I finished was a piece that I originally called Farmer's Market, but I have renamed it "Which Way Is Up?" because of the change in the setting pattern.

I still have not quilted it.  There are about eight projects in a stack to be quilted.

Another project that I have been working on about 3 years is this Hexagon Table Topper.

I hand pieced all of the hexagons, but decided to machine quilt it because it will be laundered often.

Channel quilting was very easy to do.

Another hexie project that I finished was this little wall hanging made from a tea towel.

I put the hanging sleeve on the front of this project.

I have not done this before but it was a great way to finish the project so I am giving it a try.

My Art Quilt Guild has been watching YouTube videos on various techniques.  In January we had three to choose from and the one I chose was Jane Davies video on Fusion Fabric.  I made a small sketch piece using tissue, fabric, ribbon and embellishments to make my Fusion Fabric.

Another February project was a sketch piece for Modern Quilt Guild.  Using Half-square triangles and Quarter-Square triangles to make an original piece.  I chose Kona Ash Grey and Supreme Cottons Paloma Grey.  I then threw in some Kona Azure.

I showed you a pile of leftover "strings" of fabric a couple months ago  that I started knitting.

The knitting piece is finished.  I will block it and then decide how to use it.  I have a couple ideas.  Maybe next month will see the finished project.

Another ongoing BOM project from Vintage Quilt Revival book includes a few more blocks I made this month.

Some of these work better than others.  May have to do something about those two blocks with the bright yellow and green.

And, of course, we had our first really deep snow for southeast Tennessee.  About 8 inches for us on our porch and LilBit's first trip into snow.

-sandi