Sweet Home Quilt Co.

Number 52 made by Leiann Heid!

Congratulations, Leiann, your blue and gray quilt is truly beautiful. Leiann wins a $50 SHQC gift certificate. And congratulations to everyone who completed our Debbie Caffrey Mystery Quilt project. I found it so interesting to watch the mystery quilt process unfold — some people truly loved the challenge of the unknown, while others struggled with it, or in some cases gave up and opted to wait until all the clues were delivered! Just goes to show there’s no “one size fits all” when it comes to quilting!

You can see all of the completed entries on our Pinterest Mystery Quilt board if you didn’t get a chance to see them in person. The photos obviously don’t do the quilts justice, but you’ll be able to see how different they all were just based on fabric choice alone.

Stay tuned for details of our next Debbie Caffrey Mystery Quilt program to be announced soon.

Melisa

Saturday was the last session of the Tossed 9-Patch Class, which is a fun and easy pattern that looks totally different just with placement of fabric in the design. Everyone still has a little finishing work to do to add their scalloped borders, and the quilts are all just beautiful!

Barbara chose to use batiks in Caribbean colors…love the orange!

The white background Gay chose really makes the fresh colors pop!

Kathy is a girl after my own heart with her choice of black and white and pops of red! Her border is a really unique graphic print in black, white and gray!

Nancy’s pink, blue and lavender prints resulted in a really soft and romantic quilt! Her borders will be two complementary shades of pink.

Great job, ladies!

Melisa

Second installment…this is the good stuff! I said before that this was the most productive retreat group I’ve ever seen and I wasn’t kidding!

In addition to all of the projects they brought with them, they were compelled to watch the demos I did throughout the weekend. Here I’m demonstrating how to insert a zipper using Terry Atkinson’s Sweet Zip pattern, and we had quite a few tackle zippers for the first time with great success!

We played with selvedges and made heart-shaped pincushions…

And Gwen made great progress on a queen-sized selvedge quilt…

Her plan is to do two blocks a week until it is finished and she figures she’s about ten weeks ahead of the game thanks to this great start!

Sew Simple Pineapple was another popular demo…

Here’s one Millie whipped out from a couple of fat quarters after seeing the demo…I love the effect of the stripes!

Sometimes you just need a friend to help out…Debbie’s pastel Popsicle Sticks went from this…

to this in no time flat! Debbie has a real hard time with “scrappy” so this was a bit of a challenge for her! Great job, Debbie…

Diann finished this Underground Railroad Sampler which will be a gift. She had to make a few extra blocks and then sash everything and get the borders on…it’s a king-size quilt so she had a ton of work to do to get it finished! Beautiful…

Donna finished this bright pink and black quilt…the black prints have fun smiley faces, chili peppers, etc. and although you can’t see it in the picture, the pink fabric has a texture that makes it look like chenille. Every single person reached out to touch that fabric only to be surprised that it wasn’t really chenille!

I think Gwen was the first to finish a project…a work-in-progress for a couple of years. This quilt is simply amazing and far more beautiful in person!

Jane whipped out not one…not two…but three (!!!) of these cute baby quilts in no time flat! Not to mention the fabulous neutral and gray quilt she’s working on for her son…unfortunately, she ran out of a key piece of fabric and now we’re on the hunt to track down enough for her to finish it up!

Marsha completed her Footprints in the Sand quilt…a fun Instant Bargello technique!

Millie finished her rail fence quilt made from Bowood House by Robyn Pandolph. She had to do a bit of maneuvering with the borders due to a shortage in the kit she had purchased, but it all worked out!

Peggy put together this fun quilt for her grandson. Her joy turned to agony when I pointed out that she had several of the same fabrics touching…why didn’t I keep my mouth shut???

After a bit of wailing and gnashing of teeth, we figured out that it was just one section (and thus one L-O-N-G seam!) that was reversed. An easy fix…thank goodness!

I lost count of how many pillowcases Peggy made after Gwen taught her the Magic Pillowcase method!

Ruthanne was a chain-piecing machine…

resulting in this beauty! Doesn’t it remind you of sea glass?

Vicki finished this great patriotic quilt (after a quick trip to SHQC for a different border fabric!)

This was our Mystery Project…Happy String Flowers…a fun wallhanging or baby quilt!

I know I have more pictures somewhere (note to self: don’t use the iPhone, iPad and camera to take pictures!) but I’ll have to find them…something else for you to look forward to!

Melisa

Nancy R. has finished her Comfort & Joy quilt just in time for Christmas! She used a darker tan background than the original, and it gave the quilt a warm, cozy feeling! This was our 2011 Block of the Month that finished in August…and this is what happens when you keep up with the blocks month by month!

Melisa

Lots of show & tell to share with you today…enjoy!

This is Josie’s second quilt, made for her friend, Monica. Beautiful, bright colors!

Joyce shared her first quilt, Bugs, made for her granddaughter! I love it when new quilters are fearless and jump right in!

Joyce paid us a visit last week just after she’d picked up her quilts from her longarm quilter, Ardis Young. Love the stars…and that’s a LOT of flying geese!

Another one from Joyce, funky log cabins with a fun patriotic border!

Breathtaking…that’s all I can say! Beautifully pieced and embroidered, and Ardis did a great job of quilting it with snowflakes!

This quilt didn’t photograph well, unfortunately, but it, too, is a beauty. The center features a black and gold sparkly print, and the outside borders are a fun snowman print. Joyce pieced the back, too, so it is really reversible!

Here’s another one that didn’t photograph well (I really need to work on my photography skills!) Julie’s Crazy Quilt is really fun with pre-printed vintage postcard prints used in the centers of the blocks. I really, really want to make a crazy quilt…

Lynn made this quilt for her 11 year old granddaughter for Christmas. The striped fabric was her granddaughter’s “favorite” fabric in the whole shop! The green and orange/red really set off the stripe, and Elaine Poore did a great job with the quilting. Lynn gets to mark this one off her Christmas “To Do” list!

Shirley brought in her Queen and Her Court quilt to share, and it is beautifully appliqued…by hand! This was a BOM we did two or three years ago.

Last but not least, here’s Susan showing offer her project from our Beginner quilting class. Doesn’t she look happy? She should be…she did a great job, and even started a second quilt of the same pattern for her mother.

We love seeing your projects…stop by and show us your latest finish!

Melisa

Pretty quilts to share with you…

Annette made this great Snowball quilt for a family friend.

Cathy was on a roll during her summer break and finished off these great quilts that will be gifts for friends.

Joyce shared this fun quilt made with the Polka Dot Garden collection from In the Beginning Fabrics.

Margo shared this fabulous swap quilt that she made with her quilting group, The Crows! I know the Crows and they all do the most amazing work…this quilt was unbelievable!

Another block swap quilt from Margo.

Sally brought this quilt in to show me because of how much I love working with wool. This quilt was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! It is a Primitive Gatherings pattern, but Sally had truly made it her own with little personal touches, and her stitchery was to die for…words just can’t explain how marvelous this quilt is! Here’s a close-up of the zinnias block…my favorite flower!

Don’t they look real!!!!

Melisa

I was cleaning up some photo files this morning and came across a few customer projects that I haven’t yet shown you…enjoy!

Annette shared this beautiful, queen-sized scrappy neutral quilt. The pattern is Graham Crackers. Annette only makes queen-sized quilts because she uses them on all the beds in her home.

Jackie shared her scrappy Civil War Mini Trio. She said her husband was really concerned that she was sewing such itty bitty pieces because she has a tendency to sew her fingers, too! No mishaps this time, though.

Mary B. worked on this quilt during our Jingle Bell Workshop Retreat last year, and finished it in time to give it to her sister for her birthday last November. Mary says this was the first quilt she’s given away and “it didn’t even hurt!”

Mellie’s youngest son recently got married and this is the quilt she made for their wedding. Each block has special significance to the couple and the quilt is hand quilted!

Miss Bea’s granddaughter recently got married and she made this Double Wedding Ring quilt for her in the granddaughter’s favorite color — purple!

Thanks for sharing your beautiful projects, ladies. We love show and tell so bring your projects to share with us!

Melisa

I’ve mentioned my friend, Louise, on several occasions, and the wonderful creative projects she does – remember the Christmas cards? Not only is Louise a wonderfully talented lady, she has a rich family history that she loves to share. She is a very entertaining storyteller, and often has me laughing hysterically at the antics in her family.

Louise is also fearless when it comes to quilting and loves tackling unfinished projects that others have left behind. She is passionate about preserving her family’s history and diligently documents the stories that go along with these projects. Louise called me a while back to ask for my help with a project that her 96-year-old aunt had passed along to her. This is the story of what we began calling the “Mutilated Scottie Dog Quilt.”

Mystery of the Mutilated Scottie Dog Quilt

The Scottie Dog quilt pattern used for the blocks of this strange quilt was ordered from the Sears Roebuck mail order catalog in 1933 by 14 year old Evelyn Lilly. She planned to make a Scottie Dog quilt for her 4-H Club sewing project. Evelyn’s mother helped her complete her quilt and she exhibited it at the West Virginia State Fair. She sold this quilt at the conclusion of the exhibit.

Returning from the fair, Evelyn decided she would like to have a Scottie Dog quilt of her own. She collected fabric and hand-pieced her blocks during high school and college. While teaching at Fayetteville High School, in Fayetteville, WV, she met my uncle, Oscar Blake. She told me she thought this might be a lasting relationship when he asked her to meet his mother, Helen Smith Blake, my grandmother. By then, 1943, Evelyn had finished hand-piecing her Scottie Dog blocks using pre-World War II cotton fabrics. She did not own a sewing machine of her own. Oscar had told her that his mother sewed a lot and owned a sewing machine. She thought she would take her Scottie blocks to show “Grandma” and impress her prospective future mother-in-law. Grandma said she loved the quilt blocks and since she owned a sewing machine, she would be happy to sew the blocks together for her. Evelyn had no intentions of sewing the blocks together on a sewing machine — after all, she had spent years hand-piecing them. Not wanting to offend Oscar’s mother, she reluctantly left her blocks with her.

Time passed and the next time she went to Grandma’s house she and Oscar announced their engagement. Grandma told Evelyn she had completed sewing the blocks together and proceeded to bring out the quilt top. To Evelyn’s horror, for a reason no one knows to this day, she had mutilated several of the dogs, cutting them in halves and fourths (not the side blocks and the corner blocks.)  WHY???? It wasn’t as if there weren’t enough blocks or fabric to set the blocks together. Recently engaged to her son, she did not want to appear distraught, angry or ask why, fearing she would distress Oscar and most of all — his mother. She politely thanked her, gathered up her quilt top, went home and sadly put it away. Each time she thought she would finish the quilt she became angry and disgusted all over again and put it out of her sight one more time.

Oscar and Evelyn were married in 1945.  She became my beloved aunt. I was visiting her in 2007, and by now Grandma and Uncle Oscar had died. She brought out the Scottie Dog quilt top, handed it to me and said, “Here, you finish it, she was YOUR grandmother!”

I brought the top home. I thought about how to finish this quilt with all the dogs with their missing parts for over a year. I finally decided to give them back their missing parts in the quilting. I bought 1930s reproduction fabric and added a border to give me room to quilt a complete dog.

Grandma did not sew these blocks together exactly. It is a shame because Aunt Evelyn’s hand piecing stitches are so precise. I decided machine quilting would destroy the integrity of the age of these strange blocks — it had to be hand quilted. My quilting is not the best but I am preserving this quilt mystery as best I know how by telling the story of this strange quilt for our family’s history. Grandma, why did you? Grandma, how could you? will forever remain a mystery. (as written by Louise Hampton)

I hope you’ve enjoyed Louise’s story and the pictures of this strange quilt. As odd as it is, I never tire of looking at the array of 30’s prints that Aunt Evelyn used in her quilt, and wondering to myself just what the heck was Grandma thinking???

Melisa

We’ve enjoyed lots of amazing projects in the shop lately…sit back and take a look!

Carolyn’s latest creation…so much more cheerful in person (it was a gray, gloomy day outside so the light wasn’t the best for taking pictures!)

Debbie shared this wonderful Sampler Quilt that she and her sisters made for a niece…it is breathtaking! The Four Sisters have undertaken to make quilts for all the nieces/nephews in the family…I asked to be adopted!

Jeanette made this Family Album quilt for her aunt and uncle’s anniversary. The center is a panel to which she added the appropriate family names. The story behind this quilt is that Jeanette had the top finished and was giving it a final press before taking it to the long arm quilter; she spritzed it with Best Press, which reacted with the ink and caused all of the names to smear and run…disaster! Luckily, Jeanette was able to order another panel, but she still had to take the top apart and replace the center panel. Even after all that, the quilt is amazing! Jeanette is planning a trip to Arizona to personally deliver the quilt to her aunt and uncle…can’t say I blame her…I’d be too nervous to ship it, and besides, seeing the looks on their faces is the best part of making a quilt like this for someone special! Great job, Jeanette!

This is June’s Christmas Sampler…she used elements from our Christmas BOM, Comfort & Joy, and added her own twist by incorporating other blocks and panels to make a one-of-a-kind Christmas quilt!

I may have already shared Mary Lou’s gorgeous blue and yellow quilt, but I never get tired of looking at it so I hope you don’t mind if you’ve seen it before! The quilt is king sized so it was difficult to get a good picture of it…a masterpiece!

Nancy made this wall hanging for her former pastor. It is actually a signature quilt, but the photo doesn’t show the written sentiments. Nancy used fabrics from the Stonehenge collection.

We’d love to see what you’ve made, too. Bring your creations into the shop for show & tell, or send me photos (info@sweethomequiltco dot com) and I’ll post them here on the blog for everyone to enjoy!

Melisa

Thanks to Carolyn G. and Kathy J. for sharing their beautiful quilts with us this week!

This is Carolyn’s American Trilogy, Tribute to Elvis quilt that she designed for her guild’s challenge. The challenge was to depict an Elvis song with the quilt design…I am wild about Carolyn’s interpretation! She won second place in the challenge, too! Here’s a close up:

The three panels underneath the Confederate panel have the words to the three songs in the American Trilogy…I can just hear Elvis singing those songs! (BTW, I am a huge Elvis fan!)

This is Kathy’s One Block Wonder made with the Lotus panel (if you’ve been in the shop this is the oriental panel in the Grand Central quilt sample that is hanging behind the cutting table.) Kathy had a vision for those panels that I just couldn’t see…but WOW! Great eye, Kathy! Here’s a close up of a few of the blocks:

Beautimous!

Hope you enjoyed the show! We’d love to see what you’re working on, too.

Melisa