Thursday, March 25, 2010

Signs of Spring

Hey everyone....Doesn't this block just look like spring....A great bunny hopping through a garden! I took it last week at one of my classes...but I almost didn't get the chance. I asked Jan the month before to bring her blocks in for me to photograph but about 4:30 that afternoon I realized that my camera was at home. My long suffering husband dropped by the house on his way home from work and brought it to me. I didn't want you guys to miss out! Sorry it has taken me soooo long to download them and share them with you....

The artist here is Jan Gartland....and artist she is. I am always telling her that my quilt is a kindergartner's compared to hers.....Her stitching is phenomenal. Look carefully at her designs and you'll see what great use she makes of wool roving......


I really like how she added the birdhouses to the garden gate...and just look at those teeny tiny birds...You can just catch a bit of her butterfly garden here...



....and don't you love her nest with the needle felted eggs....she just kept adding and adding to it.





...and how about the detail on her seed packets....and her great bee skep! The next photo is of her entire block....She chose to do seasonal blocks....one spring/summer and another fall/winter. I'll share it in a few days. She is going to border them out and add some other appliques in the border that she couldn't fit on the block.




Isn't it all amazing! I love seeing how she took some ideas from the book and just went with them and kept on going!!!!


At the Country Loft the other day a customer came in to share the crazy quilt jacket she made...she used some of the designs from Wool Crazy but did them all in stitchery...I asked her to share her photos, so maybe someday she will....:)


Gene and I are off to see our grandkids in Portland, Oregon this weekend. It is Nick's birthday next week and so we will have an early celebration with him....He will be 5. His sister Sophie thinks she is too...but is almost 2 1/2! (Of course we'll see their parents too :)))

Bye for now...Jo Ann





Sunday, March 7, 2010

ANOTHER CRAZY FROM THE COUNTRY LOFT

Happy Sunday. I turned on the computer to print some photos for a class...but somehow :) got pulled into everyone's blogs....and then I noticed that it had been a whole week...and more since I had added anything to mine....(blush)
I really meant to get back before now and post some more "Wool Crazies" All of the photos below are of blocks by Kay Fried.....She finished them all!!!!....and even put them all together in a quilt. I love how it turned out. She gave it to her husband for their anniversary...but when he started cuddling with it, she pretty much told him...."look, but don't touch!"

Kay used a lot of Christmas and Fall in this block....
and then moved on to more Spring in this one....I thought the gate she
added to her fence was spectacular!
Check out her fan in this one.....For some reason this block turned
out smaller than her others...so she added the saying on two sides...
She had me write it out one night for her in class....Another great
addition, don't you think???

This one is spring and summer again............



....and fall and Christmas....Don't you like her village on the fan!



I apologize that this didn't turn out as well as I had hoped....
but here is her whole quilt! She used a variety of grays to
sash it.....they all work together so well....



So here it is....Proof that it can be done...:))) I love seeing how Kay took my designs and made them her own....and how she added to it too. Hope you are all having fun working on your "crazies" and that Kay's work will inspire you ....
Well, it is back to working on my class....Hope you are all having a great day.....Jo Ann