Thursday, March 22, 2012
My barn quilts have now safely arrived at their new home in Hillsboro, IL. Now they are Linda's barn quilts and have been hung on her garden shed and the front entrance to her home. It's a strange feeling to see something that you've created being displayed, in all it's glory, for all to see. Both barn quilts look fantastic with the red background. If you would like to drive by and see them, they are located at 733 S Oak St, Hillsboro, Illinois.
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Spring has arrived!
Spring has arrived in Southern New England. The temperature has been in the high 70's for the past several days and may reach above 80 by Thursday! The buds are swelling on the trees and shrubs and the birds are beginning to build their nests. With perfect weather like this it's hard to stay indoors and not enjoy it. However, the sacrifice must be made, as there are new barn quilts to create.
In my last blog I showed you a picture of the Double Star barn quilt that I made for Linda in Illinois. She also wanted a 1' x 1' Mariner's Compass to be displayed at the front entrance to her home.
The Mariner's Compass pattern is one of my favorites. I have made three so far. One is hanging on the side of my garage and the other, as you can see from the photo, is an old sign plaque that I repainted and made a smaller version of the one hanging on the house.
I am now making anything Mariner's Compass barn quilt for a lady at work. It will be similar to the one above, except that the red points will be solid red and not the two-toned shown above.
I also have several more orders in the works from several people to make barn quilts for them.
It looks like it will be a very productive and busy Spring in the basement! However, I have to make sure that I spend some quality time outdoors and enjoy the Spring weather!
In my last blog I showed you a picture of the Double Star barn quilt that I made for Linda in Illinois. She also wanted a 1' x 1' Mariner's Compass to be displayed at the front entrance to her home.
The Mariner's Compass pattern is one of my favorites. I have made three so far. One is hanging on the side of my garage and the other, as you can see from the photo, is an old sign plaque that I repainted and made a smaller version of the one hanging on the house.
I am now making anything Mariner's Compass barn quilt for a lady at work. It will be similar to the one above, except that the red points will be solid red and not the two-toned shown above.
I also have several more orders in the works from several people to make barn quilts for them.
It looks like it will be a very productive and busy Spring in the basement! However, I have to make sure that I spend some quality time outdoors and enjoy the Spring weather!
Sunday, March 11, 2012
If the last two weeks are any indication, I have a funny feeling that 2012 will be a very productive year for me, as far as, creating barn quilts. When I received my copy of Suzi Parron's book, 'Barn Quilts and the American Quilt Trail Movement, I brought it to work with me to show. As a result, I have an order for two barn quilts. My sister in law, Darlene, contacted me and asked if I could make her a 4' x 4' Mariner's Compass. She and her husband, Ivan, are avid sailor's! She told me that she would get back to me with her color choices. Last week I received an email, through my website, from Linda in Illinois asking me if I could make two barn quilts for her. She liked the Double Aster that I made several years ago for my neighbor and wanted a 2' x 2' that was similar. She also wanted a 1' x 1' in the Mariner's Compass pattern.
If you go to my website and read my front page, it indicates that I will not make two barn quilts the same. I would either change the color pattern and/or shading so that each barn quilt is unique and one of a kind for it's owner. That's what I did for Linda. Below is the Double Aster that I made for my neighbor.
I used 'Fiesta Red', 'Bright Yellow' and 'New Bud' (green) for the double aster. The border was done in black. So, to keep Linda's pattern unique and one of a kind, I made several subtle changes to her's. This is the result of those changes.
The red that I used for Linda's barn quilt, is a blend that I created using Fiesta Red and pink, which lightened the shading. I used 'Mayan Gold' to replace the yellow. For the green shading, I used 'New Bud' for the lighter green and a blend of 'Hunter Green' and 'New Bud' for the darker green. I then changed the black border to a 'Royal Blue' border. Linda was so thrilled with her barn quilt that she told me that she is spreading the word and trying to get other's in her area to order barn quilts from me!!
It's gratifying to me knowing that I've brightened someone's day with a barn quilt and I'm humbled by it. I am proud of the fact that my barn quilts are being displayed on home's in Connecticut and now Illinois, for all to see. I hope it continues!!
If you go to my website and read my front page, it indicates that I will not make two barn quilts the same. I would either change the color pattern and/or shading so that each barn quilt is unique and one of a kind for it's owner. That's what I did for Linda. Below is the Double Aster that I made for my neighbor.
I used 'Fiesta Red', 'Bright Yellow' and 'New Bud' (green) for the double aster. The border was done in black. So, to keep Linda's pattern unique and one of a kind, I made several subtle changes to her's. This is the result of those changes.
The red that I used for Linda's barn quilt, is a blend that I created using Fiesta Red and pink, which lightened the shading. I used 'Mayan Gold' to replace the yellow. For the green shading, I used 'New Bud' for the lighter green and a blend of 'Hunter Green' and 'New Bud' for the darker green. I then changed the black border to a 'Royal Blue' border. Linda was so thrilled with her barn quilt that she told me that she is spreading the word and trying to get other's in her area to order barn quilts from me!!
It's gratifying to me knowing that I've brightened someone's day with a barn quilt and I'm humbled by it. I am proud of the fact that my barn quilts are being displayed on home's in Connecticut and now Illinois, for all to see. I hope it continues!!
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