Heart of Gold

I’m excited to share that one of my quilts, Heart of Gold, will be on display at QuiltCon in Pasadena, CA from February 22-25. QuiltCon is a modern quilting showcase presented by the Modern Quilt Guild, and I am a member of the Austin chapter. It's my first time to have a quilt in this show!

Heart of Gold 

39" x 50"

After taking Tara Faughnan’s Double Wedding Ring class I started to discover an affinity for solid color combinations. While working on that quilt, I saved every scrap trimming because I knew they needed to find their way to a new home. They came to life in Heart of Gold using Yoshiko Jinzenji’s shadow appliqué technique I learned in her class at QuiltCon 2015. The multi-colored scraps represent imperfections and varied experiences that we bring to our hearts - sometimes messy and jagged, but when brought together with care and kindness, we nurture a good spirit and cultivate a Heart of Gold.

Here is a bit more about my inspiration for the quilt:

My close friends know that I love to collect idioms. In fact, I keep an entire journal devoted to them because I love to reflect on their varying meanings. One of my favorite idioms is a really popular one - Heart of Gold. One might use this expression to speak of someone who is kind, compassionate, and generous.

Additionally, I’m intrigued by the heart shape. Whether we send an emoji heart to a friend or draw a broken heart, we use this symbol to communicate emotions that represent some form of love - whatever that might mean to you.

Last year (2017), a special leader and educator whom I had the opportunity to work for passed away after battling some serious health issues. You would never have known the obstacles she was facing because she understood how to bring people together through optimism and grace. At her celebration of life, all the dots connected for me - she truly lived life with a heart of gold.

So, I was inspired to create a quilt that would be a visual reminder for me to live life with more kindness, compassion, and empathy for others. I’m so grateful for my friends and family that challenge me and show me how to be a better person through their actions.

Here are some photos of how I constructed the quilt:

Using a large piece of gold lame as the background, I arranged the scrap trimmings so together they would form a heart shape.

I placed a sheer layer of fabric gently over the scraps and carefully pinned everything in place.

A bright pink fabric seemed like a good fit for the back.

I basted my already heavily pinned top to form a quilt sandwich. This quilt sandwich had 4 layers - the backing, batting, gold lame with scraps, and the sheer top.

I quilted vertical straight lines with white thread and each line was about a centimeter apart from each other.

This quilt is hard to photograph. I do love a little shimmer.

FIVE Ways to Hang a Quilt!

There are a variety of ways you can hang a quilt and these are my top 5 - in no particular order. Since there are so many approaches, my advice is don't stress and make do with what you have around the house! Soda tops, yard sticks, rulers, scrap fabric, old sewing machine needles....make it work!!!

1. The Hanging Sleeve

A D-sleeve is the standard sleeve for hanging. The "D" shape allows the quilt to hang flat and provides "give" in the sleeve.

Hanging Sleeve Tutorial (Part 1) by Jacquie Gering

Hanging Sleeve Tutorial (Part 2) by Jacquie Gering  

2. Corner Pockets

Another method of making a hanging sleeve for smaller quilts is to use two charm squares. Simply fold each charm square diagonally, wrong sides together. Then pin one charm square to the back of the quilt at the top left corner and the other charm square to the back of the quilt at the top right corner, aligning the raw edges of the charm squares with the raw edges of the quilt. After the binding is applied, the raw edges will be encased and a dowel can be slipped into the charm square “pockets.” The dowel can rest on two evenly spaced nails in order to hang the quilt.

Charm Square Video Tutorial by Beth Ferrier on Craftsy

A Girl in Paradise Tutorial

I used a yard stick to hang this quilt. It only cost me 98 cents!

3. Curtain Rod/Hanging Loops

If you have a decorative rod, such as a small curtain rod, you can use that to hang your quilt and you won’t have to worry about hiding the rod behind the quilt.

4. Soda Tab

Hand stitch a soda tab on the back of the quilt and use a nail to hang it! Great for oddly shaped quilts such as a triangle or irregular polygon.

This is silly really, but it illustrates the point that you can use anything. You can also purchase small plastic rings. I hear that Austin Creative Reuse has them for CHEAP!

5. Clear Fridge Clips

Command Fridge Clips are a flexible way to hang your mini quilt because when you are getting tired of looking at your quilt...you can simply change it out. Thanks Kimberly Schneider for the great idea! If you can't find these clips at a local store, you can order on Amazon.

MORE!!! Other ideas/resources:

5 ways to hang a quilt

7 ways to hang a quilt

Here are some other types of materials you can use to hang quilts:

Dowel rods Yardstick Ruler Craft Wood - 1/4" x 1"- 2" Curtain rods Circle loops Soda Tabs

Command strips Nails Tacks Screw eyes Old Sewing Machine Needles Hang It, Dang It

What's your favorite way to hang a quilt?

My Last Quilt of 2014...A Baby Boy Quilt

Happy New Year!!! 

I realized this week that the last few months of 2014 were so hectic that I didn't have a chance to post my last quilt of 2014. It was created for my cousin and her new baby boy, Mitchell. Using 5 inch squares and 2.5 inch strips, I organized fabrics around on the design wall until I felt the colors were balanced.

The finished quilt was about 40 by 44 inches. My favorite part is the sweet little bunny fabric I picked up at The Cloth Pocket here in Austin. It is called Furry Tales in Minty from the Littlest collection by AGF Studio. I coordinated the rest of the fabrics with that special print and I love how it came together from using fabrics I collected the past few years.

Some of the fabrics I used were: Carolyn Friedlander Hand Drawn Stripes in Charcoal, Alison Glass Sunprint Feathers in Teal, Joel Dewberry Wood Grain in Vintage Yellow, and Kona Silver.

Using leftover scraps, I dreamed up that Bunnyfish creature and two little crinkle sensory toys. I'm told by my cousin Nicole that babies loves those things. I think my cat would love a smaller version.

For the backing fabric, I picked out a teal minky fabric. I originally chose a dark gray but once I had the top sewn together I changed my mind. On the quilting, I did semi-random straight lines. Overall, I think the finished quilt is soft and sweet for a little newborn baby boy!

That closes up my quilts for 2014...can't wait to see what is in store for 2015!

Giveaway!

I am guest blogging over at My Cuddle Corner today, the Shannon Fabrics blog! If you follow me on Instagram (@bettinadanger), you might remember a few photos my Fraction Remix Quilt. Check out the link above to see some more photos and get a few tips on sewing with Cuddle Fabric.

Some of the fabrics I used in the Fraction Remix Quilt were from this kit and here is your chance to win it!!!

http://www.shannonfabrics.com/fresh-picked-fabulous-5-brcuddle-kit-p-6167.html

To enter to win this cuddly kit, tell me what you would make with it in the comments below!

Winner will be announced Friday, Sept. 19th at 5pm. Best of luck!