The Christmas Reindeer Quilt 12-23-11

This is a repost of my reindeer quilt, which I like more every year. 

"Teenage Reindeer" Del Thomas 1993 27" x 31.5"

A friendship group I belonged to in 1993 did a challenge where we had specific steps to prepare for the meeting where we started our projects. I'm not sure this is the order, but we had to take to the meeting a fat quarter of definitely Xmas fabric in a brown lunch bag; a half yard of red or green fabric rolled and tied with a ribbon, and a white fabric wrapped in Xmas paper and tied with a ribbon. We could add whatever we wanted to create a Xmas quilt. No size restrictions. At the time I was teaching a class based on "One of a Kind Quilts" a book by Judy Hopkins of Alaska and this challenge fit perfectly into my need for class samples.

This little reindeer was part of the design on the Xmas wrapping I received.

Look familiar?  I posted this quilt before at: 

http://delquilts.blogspot.com/2007/12/christmas-quilts-12-22-07.html

Collecting Secrets Revealed 12-22-11

I don't know if there is an instruction book for starting a collection, of quilts or anything else.  Perhaps, like me, people don't think they are starting a collection.  There is a saying, "Two are a pair, three is a collection."    I bought one quilt.  A few years later I bought another.  And then another.... until I had to start organizing records and storing everything.  I am up to 180 quilts of many different sizes.  Right now they are stored in several different places in my house, but the twelve inch square quilts are either on a wall or in an archival box - each encased in a mylar sleeve.  They are the easiest pieces to store, fitting well into one of the 13"x13"x6" boxes in the pictures below.   I have been working to get them all in order for a special exhibit of forty 12" x 12" quilts from the Thomas Contemporary Quilt Collection at Visions Art Museum in San Diego that will open on February 3, 2012, at the same time as the SAQA exhibit "Art Meets Science".

When I first started using these boxes I hadn't thought about carrying the them around, but it turned out that I needed to do that.  The only large sturdy bag with handles I could find at the time was this one from California Pizza Kitchen.  Since that day I have thought often of making a fabric bag to fit the box, but that job is way down on my "To Do" list.  As long as this one holds out I have no incentive.  When not being carried somewhere the boxes sit nicely on a shelf and don't need a bag or a handle.

The archival boxes come flat with all the scoring and cutting done.  One just uses the archival tape to put the boxes together. 

 

Each box holds twenty to twenty-four quilts - the quilts are different thicknesses and I don't want to squeeze them in too tightly.  In this picture some of the quilts are in the plastic covers that SAQA uses for their auction quilts - I did not have enough Mylar sleeves, but have recently ordered more.

Larger quilts are rolled around a "stuffie" or a covered pool noodle for storage on shelves.  And the REALLY large ones are generally flat on the guest bed.   I also have larger archival boxes to store those pieces that cannot be rolled or that have fragile bits that need special protection; although I no longer buy quilts that require special boxes or storage.

The reception for the exhibit is February 3rd from 5pm to 8pm at the VAM.  It is open to the public.   http://www.visionsartmuseum.org/

The archival boxes and Mylar sleeves are from http://www.talasonline.com/
 

Wordless Wednesday - Berries 12-21-11

Blog Break! 12-20-11

Just a bit in the doldrums and can't think of single thing of interest to say.  Hope you are all getting caught up with your Christmas business.

Be safe.  Keep well.  Love, Del-at-home

Monday Browsing 12-19-11

Roadrunner (Geococcyx californianus, meaning "Californian Earth-cuckoo") 
Nov. 26, 2005  -  Lake Havasu City, AZ.

In Memoriam – Clotilde died November 29th.    http://www.clotilde.com/clotilde.html

Several artists in the Twelvex12.com group are offering online lessons …

http://almastoller.blogspot.com/p/register-stitched-workshops-2012.html

Sale on charms   http://www.softexpressions.com/software/beadcharm/EVFabricards.php  

Free holiday gift tags    http://thepaperseed.com/?p=2948

Collecting words   http://www.smallworldofwords.com 

It is cooking season!   http://hungarianhousewife.com/    http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2010/11/nantucket-cranberry-pie/

Fun with Google:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/17/let-it-snow-google-easter-egg_n_1155462.html?ref=mostpopular

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/07/google-easter-eggs_n_1080217.html

Angel Quilt #2 12-18-11

This is the second of the three angel quilts I own.  I will post the third one next Sunday.

When I was still celebrating Xmas my favorite tradition was handmade ornaments and I made hundreds over the years.  I particularly enjoyed doing angels and still have a box labeled "Angel Supplies" - maybe I will be moved to create more angels sometime in the future.

"Angels We Have Heard on High"  Donna Bensey - Charlottesville, VA  2009

Cotton fabric and batting.  Hand appliqued, machine quilted.

 

Purchased at an online auction to raise funds in support of the Virginia Quilt Museum.  Supporting quilt museums is important, no matter where in the world they are located.  If I know there is an online auction to raise funds I look to see if there is a quilt I might add to the Thomas Contemporary Quilt Collection, to my personal collection or as a gift for someone I think will enjoy it.

 

Donna has done a very nice job of the applique - all those sharp points and inside corners done well.

 

A nice printed label with a machine stitched edging.

Almost Winter Soltice 12-17-11

Sunset was squeezed between two layers of very dark clouds (about 5pm). This is the intersection where we turn to go walking at the 1065 building.


 
We were driving out of my favorite Starbucks.

Before we arrived home it was dark and the Christmas lights were aglow.
And before midnight we had more rain.