Wednesday, August 29, 2018

Looking for the September Desire to Inspire Challenger! Busy Bees by Nidhi Wadhwa



This super sweet "Busy Bee" collection by talented fabric designer, Nidhi Wadhwa is what the challenger will have for September!

Is it you? 

Please send an email to vanessa@jaftex.com if you are willing to step up, get this fabric, and make projects in September for posting on our blog. We will choose a winner on Friday, so we can get the fabric on it's way for you to have a whole month! 

Not a lot of rules here, you just have to complete your projects, send in a bio, and lots of fantastic pictures before the month ends. 

Are you inspired? 

Desire to Inspire - August Challenger shows off Glow in the Dark "Chills and Thrills" collection

Meet our August Desire to Inspire Challenger - Miriam Saye

The collection she used is called Chills and Thrills by Shelly Comiskey. This collection is in quilt shops now! 


After my morning yoga practice, I head for my sewing room.  It has large windows and views of my humming bird and bird feeders as well as one of our ponds and pasture.  Sometimes I’m rewarded with deer wandering through to get a drink or an occasional coyote bounding across the prairie.  We also attract various ducks and Canadian geese throughout the year.    My husband and I along with our three rescue dogs (a/k/a The Hooligans) feel like we have our corner of paradise on our farm.  Between us, we have his three sons, my daughter and their various spouses, 9 grandkids (some with spouses), and grand- and great grand-dogs.   

My quilting inspiration comes from my mom, who at 99, is still making quilts and also sewed our clothes and is a tailoring whiz.  Her mother, my grandma, also quilted and sewed.  Some of my favorite dresses were made by her from her chicken feed sacks.  Various aunts and great aunts also were quilters. 

My Henry Glass fabrics are beautiful!  I love the quality feel and the fact that the panel is printed perfectly with the grain—no steaming and tugging with this!  My piecing is accomplished on my Featherweight, and I’m learning free-motion quilting on my Pfaff 4.0 that I purchased pre-owned through the mail from Prairie Quilt in Hennessey, Oklahoma.  My favorite quilt shop is The Quilters Patch in Edna, Kansas.  The girls there are all friendly and helpful.  Their shop is an oasis for quilters in this area.  The Quilters Patch is my “local” quilt shop—a 60 mile round trip.  All I have to say is “Road trip!” and the Hooligans ride along in my little red truck and wait patiently under a big shade tree while I shop for my fabrics.





At The Quilters Patch I purchased the charcoal with black polka dots fabric.  It’s made by Blank Fabrics, sister company to Henry Glass—both under the Jaftex Company umbrella.



The VW van pillow is Coastal Cruiser, a free pattern by Tula Pink.  It’s for my daughter who loves all things VW.
 

The table topper with 12 hexagons around the perimeter is Merry-Go-Round by Atkinson Designs and one of my favorite patterns.  



The star table toppers are based on my recollection of a workshop I attended about 18 years ago with Billie Lauder.  To the best of my knowledge, the rest of the projects are my own designs.  





I thought the selvedge design was worthy of leaving intact on the tea towel. 

 I had fun with the hexagon candle mats and throw. 





The treat bags will be full of chocolate chip cookies and caramel corn that I make the day before Halloween.  Unlike when I lived in town and had several hundred trick-or-treat seekers, out here we have only a few little ones who really want to come see us at the end of a dead-end road and up our lane. 

Because their parents make the effort to bring them here, I like to give them fun treats.  I know they will love their glow-in-the-dark bags! 


I use mainly Aurifil thread, although the neon thread is from American and Efird (neon yellow).  It’s black light sensitive, and I thought it was a fun compliment for the Halloween fabrics.  I purchased it on a whim; this was a great time to use it!Sewing these fabrics has been so much fun!  I’m appreciative that although I don’t have a blog that I was chosen to inspire.  The lovely fabrics made it easy to desire to create, and I hope I’ve done justice to the Chills ‘n Thrills collection.  I haven’t run out of ideas—just time.  I’ll be making several additional pieces before moving to Christmas sewing.  Meanwhile, I have to address the envelopes for our grandson’s wedding invitations in my calligraphy handwriting. 


Our granddaughter helped me with the photography.  I think she did an awesome job!  She also had fun with the glow-in-the-dark and black lights.

 

Since Henry Glass has a Christmas collection featuring an antique red pick up truck, I felt it was only appropriate to feature our ’50 Chevy in Allis Chalmers orange—perfect match for Chills & Thrills!  I hope next year to see a Henry Glass Halloween or Thanksgiving collection featuring our orange truck!

1950 Chevy in Allis Chalmers orange—perfect match for Chills & Thrills!


Again, thank you to Vanessa and Karen at Henry Glass for selecting me to participate in desire to inspire this month!  I’ve had a blast and would love to be chosen again. 













Pumpkin Patch and Goodie Bags that glow in the dark. 




A ride with Chills and Thrills! 










Monday, August 6, 2018

August Desire to Inspire Challenger get Chills 'n Thrills




Miriam's Chills 'N Thrills Fabric Arrives




The package was delivered while I was in town having lunch with Mom and talking over her new little quilt.  It was on the bench on the porch when I returned.

I would like to give a shout out to my husband and give him credit for the bench.  He cut down the cedar (tree) from the timber in back of the farm, milled it here, and constructed the bench.  The back of the bench is a ’49 or ’50 Chevrolet pick up tail gate from an old truck abandoned in the hedge row by the former owners of the farm.  I hope you think the bench is as cool as I do.


Friday, August 3, 2018

Welcome to August - Meet the Challenger Miriam Saye

 

Meet Miriam Saye from Kansas! 





My husband and I have approximately 200 acres of pasture, hay meadow and timber out here in rural Kansas.  The timber has trails for riding ATVs and we have ponds for fishing.  We have cows, calves and 3 rescue dogs. 

I'm a retired university secretary.  After years of sewing garments for myself and my daughter, including her bridal gown, I found the quilting bug and never looked back.

I raised this orphan bucket calf, who is now 12 years old. She is my big baby.


Miriam in her non-quilting hours feeding stalks to her favorite cow.



Miriam with her mom, who is inspiration for quilting and who is 99 and still quilts! 




Wednesday, August 1, 2018

Desire to Inspire July Challenger - Meet Amanda Wallace, talented teen.

Amanda Wallace





This month's challenger is a sewing newbie! She had such an earnest desire that of course we wanted her to be inspired!  Please comment below on her projects for this month's challenge to encourage her sewing journey! 


Meet Amanda Wallace

Hi! My name is Amanda Wallace and I am so excited to take part in this challenge! I have been sewing for a year now and I love it. I started sewing because I wanted to learn something new and sewing is a very useful skill to have. For the short time I have been sewing I have made a few projects that I am very proud of. I made a Yankees themed quilt for my dad, a cat themed quilt for myself, embroidered T-shirts for my two young cousins, and pull-string bags, that I loaded with goodies, for each of my teachers as a 'thank you' gift. I highly encourage other teens to join me in learning the art of sewing and also experienced sewists to teach the younger generation. It is extremely useful and a great experience.