Report from the 2024 EAA Quilt Show

At the EAA Quilt Show yesterday, my Cathedral Windows ("Stars in My Eyes") quilt won a people's choice 2nd-place ribbon in the long wall hangings category.  Thank to everyone who voted for it!

I heard a few people comment that they liked the idea of stuffing the colored patches with a little batting / fluff to make them puff out.  Normally, Cathedral Window quilts have no batting layer, and are heavy and flat.

If you want to try making a Cathedral Windows quilt yourself, there are lots of tutorials out there.  This is the tutorial I used -- mostly by machine. 

I love that quilt because all the patches are leftover scraps from other projects, so it's kind of like a trip down memory lane for me.

 

Mary G., one of the guild members made the ribbons on her embroidery machine.  It's neat that the ribbons are also made and not just generic / purchased ribbons.  Every year is different.

I also bought a new bag from my fellow Guild member, Pat Schneider.  She does excellent work!  This is not the first bag I purchased from her.  And saves me oodles of time in struggling to make one myself. 

 

I also got a little bling-y quilted heart from the Boutique to dress it up a bit. 

And YES, the registrations, keeping track of everyone's quilts and returning them at the end of the day all went very well.  Just a few glitches which we will prevent next year.

Entries for the EAA Quilt Show 2024

The EAA Quilt Show is this week!  Come One - Come All!  It's FREE!

I am managing the registrations for the entries in the show.  It's a chance to use my data management skills.  We'll see how it goes!

Here are my entries in this year's show:

The Sugar Plum / Plum Pudding Quilt

 

Stars in My Eyes Cathedral Windows Quilt (Wall Hanging)

Made with scraps and sewn mostly by machine.  It does not have a traditional batting, but the colored stars do have a teaspoon of batting behind them.  So it does have a little bit of "puff."

I love how it puckers like an antique quilt.

 

Clyde the Octopus - Embrace Your Curves Quilt Challenge

 

Mountain Cucumber Woven Coverlet (Bed Turning)

This is not a quilt, but quilt adjacent.  It's a hand-woven overshot coverlet made on a 4-shaft floor loom, made in 4 panels and sewn together.   I was given permission to enter it in the bed turning.  ;-)

Cathedral Windows (Bed Turning)

I didn't make this one, I bought it on eBay and appreciate the handwork that went into this beauty!  I think it was made in the 1990s (or so).  It was unfinished.  The row along the left side was pinned, but not sewn.  I finished that row so no one would be stabbed by pins in the bed-turning.

Watercolor Newfie and the Call of the Sea

Sophie at the Water's Edge

Photo by Christian Long

[Photo processed with the Waterlogue App.]

Bobbin Winding Options for Weavers

Bobbin Winding with an old drill.

I've been using a cordless drill with a pencil to hold the bobbin.  But some thinner yarns take longer to wind, and even though it's automated, my poor thumb and fingers get fatigued holding the unit for the duration.   I have 2 rechargeable batteries for it, so that when one runs out of juice, and I'm in the mood to wind bobbins, I can switch out to use the other fully charged battery.

Some weavers use a hand-cranked bobbin winder like this one.  I always thought that would be tiresome, and never went that route.  Plus, I don't feel I'm coordinated enough to make that method work well.

The obvious choice (which I never thought of until this week!) is to use one of my spinning wheels to wind bobbins.  It just never occurred to me that I could put those tiny bobbins on the spindle, but the big bobbins that come with the spinning wheel are just oversize versions.  I'm going to see how this works on my Louet S90 with Woollee Winder.  If this works, I'll go with this option--because I already have a spinning wheel.  ...  Turns out the 6-inch bobbins I'm using for this project are just too long for the spindle on my spinning wheels, though it may work for the shorter bobbins.  Save this idea for some other project where I can use shorter bobbins.

I was considering getting an electric bobbin winder for weavers -- until I saw the prices on those.  $250 or $300?  Yikes!  Why are they so darn expensive?   There's really nothing to it!

Someone in one of the weaving Facebook Groups suggested getting a sewing machine motor (variable speed) for $27 on Amazon, along with the shaft kit for a single end bobbin winder (hand crank) for $21, use some scrap wood already in stock for the base and voi la!  A serviceable bobbin winder for a fraction of the cost!  

This is the DIY version we made at home for about $55.  It winds bobbins in about a minute vs. 10 minutes on the drill!  It's fast!  It will take a little practice to get the yarn wound evenly.

 

Here's a little video about how to wind weaving bobbins properly.

1800s Red Wool Coverlet

Yep-- I bought another lovely antique coverlet.  These days, I just buy what I like -- If it's pretty, or has an interesting pattern, if it's something I want to study, or a pattern I might want to try making myself.

I'm not sure what pattern this is, but it's so darn pretty and pleasing!  It's heavy which makes me believe that it really is as old as the seller says it is.

Here are the photos from the eBay listing for documentation's sake:

 

eBay item number:166849616679

 

$125 (plus sales tax and S&H)

Item Description from the Seller:

Antique 1800s wool overshot coverlet, ***colors may be slightly different.*** In good condition for age, along the bottom a few black half dollar stains along with a few scattered smaller ones. Please refer to photos. May be more noticeable in person.

Measurements: 59 inches by 85 inches 

Item Specifics:

Condition: Pre-owned: An item that has been used or worn previously. 

Brand: Unbranded

Type: Coverlet

Size: non standard

Color: Red

Style: Antique

Material: Wool

Progress on the Wandering Vine Coverlet

 

Weaving The Wandering Vine Coverlet - In progress

It's coming along!  I tend to do 2 of the pattern repeats per wkd which is about 10 or 11 inches of woven cloth.  It takes about 45 minutes to do 1 pattern repeat, which translates to about 90 minutes of weaving for the 2, with a break midway through.   It's only about half the marathon that the Mountain Cucumber Coverlet was.  Because it's a larger loom, it's a slightly different experience -- A little more extension side-to-side.  Heavier treadles (still manageable).  

I have about 46 inches woven on the first of 2 panels that will be about 100 inches long--So almost halfway on panel #1.

It's fun to see the pattern building and the cloth rolling up underneath. 

Scrappy Spider Web Quilt Top

 

Scrappy Spider Web Quilt Top.  Mostly made with scraps, although my scrap pile does not seem to be going down much!

The black stars make the colors pop!

This has been on my bucket list of quilts to make in my lifetime.   Check!