Lots of Creating ...Rogue Stampers April

Rogue Stampers met three weeks ago, but I haven't had a chance to post all of our card swaps. I have been fairly busy, but my main focus has been on finishing up my Cherrywood Hand-Dyed Fabric Challenge entry. I am happy to say it will be done on time. More on that later. 

Our theme this past month was the saying Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, and Something Blue. Not so much as a wedding card, but rather how many can you include in a card. It found most of us borrowing a stamp or die cut from another Rogue Stamper. 

Make and Takes

Next challenge is "Bling." Expect the sparkles next month. 

Rogue Stampers - March 2024 Easter/Spring

Kim set our theme "Easter/Spring" as we were meeting just a week before the holiday. As usual the Rogue Stampers didn't disappoint in their creativity. 

Before I show you the rest of the cards exchanged, I will share my Spring Garden card. Of course I had to make multiple color options. Though I think my favorite it is the Sunflower. 

Here are the cards we all came home with this month. 

 

 

Cindy had fun out doing us all with a bunny on the back as well. 

And a few make-up cards from friends that weren't able to join us the past month or so. 

As we left with our new card stash, the joke/challenge was would these Easter cards actually make it in the mail this year? Well, I can say mine definitely did go out today. 

Project Quilting 15.6

The last Project Quilting Challenge theme of the year was announced last Sunday, the 17th. So, naturally it was I an Irish Chain theme. The traditional Irish Chain is typically a play on a nine-patch block. 

Simple Irish Chain

I chose to head down a more Celtic style chain. My talented husband has been sketching an intricate chain design since he was an early teen. It started as a design on wallpaper in his doctor's office and morphed into an intricate design.  

The shape of the larger chain and the design inside the outer arms  is the simple version of what he had created.

I have wanted to try to recreate his design as a quilt. I pulled out several shades of green from my Cherrywood Fabric stash, cut a stack of 2.5" squares (keeping the traditional block in mind) and built. I loved quilting the ribbons with different textures.

 

Although some of the proportions are a bit off, I think it is a pretty good first try. I have a few ideas on how to improve the piecing. So be on the lookout for another Chain quilt in the near future. 

Project Quilting 15.5

 As I said in my last post, I have been going in many directions the past week or two. I had to skip Project Quilting challenge 15.4, Hourglass. I had some ideas running around in my head. But by the time I had a chance to jump into that project I just didn't have the time to really complete it. Oh well. 

Challenge 15.5 is a Wearables theme. We could choose to make something to wear, or incorporate a wearable into what we create. I have had a few projects on my mental list of things to make or try for quite awhile that fit this category. I choose to start with the one that has been sitting in my sewing room the longest, an Patty upcycled shirt using a pattern from Paganoonoo. I purchased this pattern 4 years ago at Road to California Quilt Show. I even had a few shirts sitting in a drawer for this project. 

I really thought the pattern was going to be a lot more complicated, but it really wasn't. I chose to go a bit rogue on the design by inserting some of the main shirt back into the inset pieces. I like the way it turned out. Just sad I waited so long. The shirt doesn't fit at the moment. 

Rogue Stampers February 2024

 I am a bit late posting this. Seems the past week and a half has been busy. Finally had a chance to take photos to share with everyone. 

Our theme this last month was Congratulations/Graduation. It seems several of the Grandmas in the group have multiple graduations this spring. 

Our Make & Take projects were adorable. 

On to our card swap. Love the creativity in our group. 

I chose to you the "Hey Chuck" and "Hey Birthday Chic" for my card. I made them in 3 colors.

The inside says "Something to Crow About."

Project Quilting 15.3 & Weekly Summary

It has been a grey and wet week or so here in California. Which meant lots of time to sew, or at least a few days, since I spent some of this time recouping from a cold. Got to love being retired and no commitments. Hang out in my comfy chair with my cat and a book, instead of working sick or fighting to get coherent sub notes done for a sick day. 

But now the sun is out again, and I am back to mostly normal. I have had a fun few days of creativity now that my brain isn't fogged. I took a class on creating Foundation Paper Piecing (FPP) patterns with Caroline Carpenter. I created a potted succulent pattern in class and have been having fun playing with other designs. 

The Project Quilting 15.3 Challenge was Inside Out this week, which naturally took my brain to the Pixar film. I started to design a FPP pattern for this but found myself fighting the head cold and not really thinking straight. So, in the end I ended up making my entry as a raw-edge applique rather than fighting to get rid of the odd Y-seams .... I love playing with all the shades of Cherrywood Hand-dyed Fabric. 

Friday, the Acasia Quilt Guild's Art Quilter Group got together to play with stencils and various paints, inks, and pens. 

Lastly, today I spent the morning with Trudy Cleveland learning some tricks to photographing quilts. Learned some valuable tips and tricks. Can't wait to put these new tools into action. Here are a few of my edited photos and vignettes.

Quilting Project and Project Quilting 15.2

To say that the theme of the past two weeks has been quilting would be an understatement. I had the pleasure of attending four classes during Road to California Quilt Show two weeks ago. Each class focused on a technique I wanted to learn or brush up on. 

Monday, I took a class on applique with decorative machine stitches, with Linda Sullivan of Colorwerx. Learned some great tips on how to pick stitches that work best for applique, and tricks to make them work even better. My quilt top is finished. I just need to layer and quilt now. 

Tuesday, I had the pleasure of taking a half-day class with Grace Errea on a heat set raw-edge applique technique. It was great fun reacquainting myself with Grace's style of applique, with the newer heat set bit added in. I had previously taken a class with her in which I made this beautiful Eagle. 

My project from Tuesday's class is ready to be added to a background. I branched out on my own with this one by using only Cherrywood Hand-dyed Fabrics, instead of the typical batiks. 

I also took a quick course on how to use my Stripology Ruler by Gudrun Erla. This ruler is great for making multiple cuts and accurate points. I am happy to say that I have completed the quilt we started in class. 

Thursday, I spent the day with Andrea Brokenshire diving into her Confetti Backgrounds. I have always loved the look of this technique. So glad I had the chance to take her class. 

Friday, Hubby and I went back out to the convention center to spend the day at the show. As always there are so many amazing quilts on display. Of course, my most asked question is, "How did they do that?" Here are a few of my favorites from this year's show. 

Cherrywood Fabric Challenge

Saying hi to my Cherrywood Fabric Challenge entry.

Then Sunday, it was off to my quilting friendship group, Bits and Pieces. We have been meeting together for almost 22 years. We spend the day working on projects and catching up on each other's lives. 

This week I have spent as much time as possible working on various projects including my entry in the Project Quilting 15.2 challenge. The theme this round is sky color. I tried using Cherrywood fabric to make a confetti-based quilt depicting Aurora Borealis. After I finished laying out the fabric, I realized it looked like the sound I remember Northern Lights making when we experienced them in Banff.