Here, after a considerable absence, is an update on what I've been doing. I took an extended break from quilting over the summer to take a trip to the Yukon and Alaska, (I know, that doesn't account for the period from my last post to this one), and, the only explanation I can give is that it seems I either have time to quilt or time to blog about it, not both. One of the things I have been playing around with is T-shirt quilts. It's popularly believed that it's necessary to fuse some form of stabilizer to t-shirt knits to make them manageable, and sashing is required for the same reason. I was looking around the 'net for ideas and came across a site "Too Cool T-Shirt Quilts". Andrea Funk has made hundreds of quilts using a unique method,which uses neither stabilizer nor sashing, and has written an ebook that's available to purchase. I did so and couldn't wait to try it out, and the attached photo shows the result. It is challenging to work with the knit fabrics, but I like the result. It does take more shirts using this technique, but a definite plus is the ability to use different sized motifs to advantage, rather than, say, put a 4" picture into a 12" square block because all the blocks are that size. The sashing method allows a few blocks to look like more, if the number is not enough to make a usable sized quilt.

I just finished quilting this one for my Niece's 25th birthday! As it happens, her 25th was last year, Feb.20,2012. Thus the label!! Her Mom, my sister, really wanted it in time for her birthday last year but we all know what can happen. The back is a beautiful wide batik that is part of the same collection as the greenish one on the front. We wanted a label, but as the quilt is quite reversible, it had to be subtle. My friend Brandy made a thermofax screen and screen printed on a scrap of the backing. It's there in the lower right corner but it doesn't mar the look of the one piece back.

This photo was taken with the local high school textiles class just before Christmas. Their teacher, Marnie Mennell, called and asked if I'd be willing to quilt the class project, a quilt meant for the Women in Need Society. I said "absolutely!" I love to encourage the younger generation to take up quilting (creating with fabric in any form) and this was a great way to contribute.