Where does time go? When you are in a pandemic, it moves incredibly slow while you are living it and incredibly fast in retrospect.  Since I last wrote, I have finished five more quilts and started four others,  Today was "appraise the finished quilts day."  Jan Rodgers, my talented appraiser, got nine quilts done.  We have maybe four more to do but that will have to wait for another day. 

Who knew dragging quilts out to be appraised, the appraisals, and then putting them all away…

See the finished quilt on our Show and Tell tour of quilts and stained glass projects in Ann's home. https://youtu.be/7GO7rnX78GI

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I have not been on this site for a long time. My son I cared for, passed away after a 25 yr battle with cancer, then I got hurt and had 2 years of recovery and now my husband is very sick. I have not made any quilts for quite awhile, but I did get 11quilt tops I had sewn to the quilters and now just have to bind them. I will post pictures later. This Covid 19 has been hard on alot of people! I am sorry if you have been ill or lost loved ones to this awful. virus. The Presidential election is…

The global nightmare which began in March continues into summer as you all know and those of us in the good ole US of A, if we are paying attention and minding our Ps and Qs, have been sticking around home alot.  While this is a real bummer for those of us with kids and grandkids, parents and siblings, and friends in general far, far away (like more than a few hours' drive), it is a good thing for getting things done around the house and in my quilt rooms in particular.  Over the summer, I…

Remember my Floral print quilt challenge I gave myself the year we were remodeling the attic and I was stuck making quilt tops in the dining room in summer 2018? I wanted to prove that design is EVERYTHING in quilting; that…

When I was a young bride the first time around in the early 70's, I started out making quilts from scraps of material left over from clothing sewing projects.  The first ones were patchwork and tied, not quilted and quite honestly, pretty ugly.  I have pictures of all of my quilts and from time to time, I look at them to understand the process and the progress of change in my ideas and my quilting ability.  I actually enjoy looking at them but one in particular always leaves me with a…

We are in the weeds of the Bird of Paradise flowers. Complex designs present different challenges but everything is possible with "No Sewing Until You Quilt It." For more info visit annholmesstudios.com

https://youtu.be/2q38VitCOqY

Just finished the quilt top for the "Fox in the Christmas Hen House" and I am pretty darn pleased with it.  Turned out to be bigger than I originally planned (it's approximately 80 x 94 inches) but I always believe the quilt decide what size it will be, not me.  The back will be the same chicken print as the fussy cut chickens in the final border.  I do not…

My daughters, Jamie and Becky, have insisted I have a thing for chickens ever since the 2013 - Year of the Christmas Quilt project (see prior blog posts for details) and yes, I did make two chicken quilts that year and yes, this is my THIRD chicken quilt but, damn it, the fabric is just so darn cute!  How can I resist chickens with knit Christmas scarves and…

https://youtu.be/X33SVsN1_ng

It is cooold in the Blue Ridge Mountains this week, and we are dreaming of warmer days while we work on the sides of our Bird of Paradise quilt. This "No Sewing Until You Quilt It" project is build in 5 sections with the left side, right side and bottom panels all using the same center flower pattern. In this video, Ann walks you through how to begin a panel and how to prepare your work when reusing freezer paper patterns. For more info visit annholmesstudios.com…

How is it already 2020?! We are back at work and wanted to share a couple odds and ends tips from around the studio. In this video we demonstrate replacing a label that took on dye in the wash including how to print a mirror image from your computer! Ann also shows you her favorite quilting tool she discovered this year. Oh! and it's a good time to change your rotary blades before you begin your 2020 projects. For more info visit annholmesstudios.com…

Would anyone be interested in doing a pineapple block swap. These would be real looking pineapples. For example. 

This is a quilt with a history and not all of it is happy, just like life, right?  I started making it in summer of 2018 as a wedding gift for my German AFS foreign exchange son, Atilla and his bride.  They were married in 2016 and my husband and I were so lucky to be with them in Germany on their special day.  As is usually my habit, the wedding quilt gets…

As you may remember from my last post, two of the quilts I made and gave to my mother were presumably lost in her household move from Oceanside, CA to Robinson, IL.  I am happy to report that "The Old Man's Log Cabin" (shown above) has been located.  Apparently the quilts were not in the same box but in two separate boxes and one was with their household…

We are continuing to work on Bird of Paradise and have posted two new videos about it. You can see them on our YouTube channel "No Sewing Until You Quilt It" or at these links 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q51pbsTFYQ0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDb7Tu0AzXk

With "No Sewing Until You Quilt It" it is easy to edit your quilt pieces be they background or foreground. Watch our video to see how. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TM9bO38aqVI

A fall 2019 project that we will finish in early 2020. Our most challenging No Sewing Until You Quilt It project yet. We made this design originally in stained glass and adapted the pattern for a queen size quilt which we are making in 5 units. Watch the video below for a sneak peak. 

https://youtu.be/DKg66M65iVw

I am asking for your help with this post.  My mother recently moved from Vista, CA to Robinson, IL.  She packed the two quilts I made for her in a box and had it placed in the moving van coming east.  They did not arrive.  Here is the first one, a Boston Commons quilt with a Card Trick border.  it is approximately 100 x 100" and is signed, dated and dedicated…