Visiting Bonnie Hunter in Des Moines

I had such a treat two weeks ago....which in reality feels like a lifetime.....with our much loved sister of my Silver Fox dying last week.......more of that coming later.

I really hadn't planned on seeing Bonnie when she came to Des Moines......the DM guild, I heard them say had waited 5 years on their/her calendar to schedule her coming.  To say Miss Bonnie is very popular would be a gross understatement. 

To be honest I have no idea when I started following her, but it has been quite awhile, probably 10+ years.....she is known for her scrap quilts recycling fabric, like men's shirts for example.  She also loves string piecing, sewing on vintage sewing machines, using leaders and enders to work on a secondary project....and if that is not enough came up with a very usable scrap saving system.  All of these things can be found at quiltville

Low and behold.....here she was lecturing twice on Jeff's day off that week.....so it was a possibility that we could go.  The Silver Fox fired up for a day trip and we even managed to find him a new pair of shoes for work.  So what a special treat to get to hear her again.  I have heard her before, in Tucson, 3 years ago.  She happened to be in AZ while we were in Phoenix.....but I really never dreamed I would get to hear her again.

She is an absolute delight.  I love her scrap saver system.....I was doing some of it, but she had taken it farther and thought through the math more than I did.....so it is much more usable and workable.  I use it all the time.

See that crazy pineapple quilt hanging behind her......I think I need to make one of them.....another one with tiny pieces.....what can I say.....the smaller the pieces the better I like 'em!

Then for an added bonus while there, I ran into two quilt friends from back home, Mary & Nancy!  What a hoot!  And I was able to see my friend Carolyn who lives in West Des Moines too.  We sat together and caught up a bit.

Bonnie had such nice things to say about the DM Guild.....they are a very active bunch.  They ended up with 2 openings, one in each workshop.  My younger self would have been all over one of them.😏 

You can check out her blog posting about Des Moines here.

I made my grandson Gabe's HS graduation quilt from one of her patterns called Easy Street.

I loved working on this quilt....but it is a biggie......I think close to "100 x 100."

Close-up of the quilting and some of the fabrics.  I wouldn't know how many different fabrics are in it, but a bunch. The more the better, I say!

 Can you see one that looks like penmanship class and writing on lined paper?  Remember doing that?  I do.

I generate most of my quilt labels on my computer and print them on treated fabric.....then you can add photos to them and say whatever you want.  I like the ability to plan it out on the computer screen.

This quilt came from the book More Adventures with Leaders and Enders.

For those who are not familiar with leaders and enders......when I am typically working on piecing a quilt, I try and chain as many similar units together as I can.  Meaning, I do not lift my presser foot between each unit and continue to feed one unit after another under my presser foot with small chains of stitches between each unit.  Years ago someone came up with the idea of using a "waste square" or I have also heard it referred to as a "spider nest", but a piece of fabric you had under your presser foot when you began stitching, then you fed your first unit after that.  At the end of your stitching you would go back to that beginning scrap or spider's next and clip it off and add it to the end of your stitching and it was ready the next time.

The thought was you were not wasting so much thread pulling out each unit and clipping your threads and you saved time too.

Somewhere along the line and I heard it from Bonnie first, she talked about leaders and enders, where you were piecing a secondary quilt/project or piecing units as your "waste" beginning and ending.  Except these were not waste pieces, you were actually working on your next project or whatever while you were doing your primary quilt top.  BRILLIANT, I say!  I have been doing this ever since.

The next piece I did in what I would call the Bonnie Hunter style was using the hour glass block (it was a part of a leader ender challenge, she does a new one each year)......also lots of string piecing something else that Bonnie and I both never tire of.  I bought several pieces of fabric for this in AZ that winter before I made this.  This is my own pattern and it was made for our granddaughter, Lizzie's HS graduation.  She wanted red and gold, the colors of ISU, but not Iowa State fabric, which made for a very happy and fun quilt.

I machine quilted it in red thread.

Graduation Quilt 2017

Behind the scenes and other projects going, I have been working on Lizzie's graduation quilt for several months.  She told me she wanted a red and gold quilt to represent Iowa State University, but not Iowa State fabric.  So we deliver!

At least I knew that much while we were in Arizona this winter and was able to buy a bunch a fabric at SAS while we were there......at a crazy price of $2.99.  I might have brought home a lot, just sayin!  But I was so glad for what I found, I used ALL of it in her quilt.....didn't use it ALL up.....but it is all in there. Love getting the backing and borders for $2.99.....can't beat that!

I designed it in Electric Quilt after we got home from Arizona, with several variations and Poppo picked the one he liked best....it was a good choice.  I am sharing the file for your personal use only if you have EQ.  This pattern is NOT to be sold.  Lizzie's Graduation Quilt

We did a little video clip when I was doing the final machine quilting.....just for fun.

We gave the quilt to her on Memorial Day!  This is such a happy looking quilt and it is going to a happy girl too!

What can I say.....it is a string quilt.....made with tons of different fabrics.  Just my kind of thing.  I included lots of picture type fabrics.  Also included the satin designer strap from her prom dress, a cute clothing label I had cut out of one of my shirts that said "Living Doll", a seam binding type tape from Moda that wrapped a bundle of fabric......all the things that make a scrap quilt extra special.

We were fighting the wind to get a decent picture.....oh well, did our best!

Machine quilted with red thread for another layer of dimension over the top.  I can see music fabric, John Deere, fruit, frogs, hearts, school penmanship, suitcases.....what can you find?

I did a special photo label for her!

May this quilt wrap you in love from Poppo & Mommo!

I know the plans I have for you......Jeremiah 29:11

Bit 'O Green

Writer's Note:  This was suppose to be posted a week ago.....ugh....not sure what happened to it, I am sure operator error.  The amount of silly things I do or forget to do on some days is ridiculous.  

Top of the morning to ya.....trust me I have no Irish accent and don't drink beer.  But even still, I always felt like I should have some Irish ancestry, but to my knowledge I don't.  I really like Celtic music and enjoy listening to it.  I thought I would share some things of mine that are green.

Here is part of the green stash that is not batik or reproduction or homespun.  I keep most of my fabric in glass covered lawyer type book cases.  It keeps them dust free, but I can still see what I have.  I also fold my fabric in a uniform way so they stack nicely and can always be seen.

 Dear Jane block G-7 Indianapolis, I think it is the only green block in my quilt so far.

 Oh my cutting mat.....could not live without several of them.  I am working on some string piecing of selvages and this narrow roll of muslin type fabric and the other stack are stitched on used up dryer sheets.  These will make great borders or a strippy quilt at some point.

The stash 'o repro's in green, thought you might enjoy the little J & P Coats box too.  I got that from a neighbor of mine and have it full of vintage spools and threads.  It has a floral motif on the top of the lid.

We are enjoying a beautiful week here in Ioway!!!  70-80 every day.....it has been wonderful and the Silver Fox and I have been uncovering flower beds every day we have been home.  It is so nice to have his help.  I planted some new things outside my front door, so am looking forward to seeing how things are going to look as they all come up.

 Hen and Chicks......these are the tiny ones.  I love these things and have them in several varieties, sizes all over the farm.

 A green friendship star.....this is a great block to make and one I have enjoyed putting together over the years. This little beauty is a 3" block finished, so each one of the little squares is 1" finished.  This is from a charm patch quilt, so each patch is different.  You would need to cut your squares 1-7/8" and cut them once diagonally to have the correct size to piece.  You can see the quilting I did with my machine that looks like hand quilting.  I love to do that on small pieces because of all the seam allowances ....hard hand quilting if you ask me.

 Now hear is the whole quilt......  I really like charm quilts, but they are time consuming to cut out.

I kept some of the books from my Great-Grandma W.'s house.  I don't think I have read this one and I should.....I love the cover on it and from perusing the pages it has an Irish theme to the story.  Isn't it a charming cover with the pooch and the shamrocks?

What a lovely shaped pitcher in green of course.....It came from my Grandma K. and I like to put flowers in it sometimes.....sweet!

This little house was on my Grandma K's big gas cook stove and she kept her salt in it.  It is chipped up and has been lovingly used, but it reminds me of her standing in front of her stove making fried, crispy potatoes in bacon grease for me in her big cast iron pan.

Enjoy!!!!