That will put starch in your shorts...

I have learned WAY more about the anatomy of a pair of boxer shorts than I initially thought necessary while working on this little project called "Boxer Rebellion."  (If you are just joining me here, click back 2-3 posts to get the skinny on this one.)  When you cut away the elastic waistband and the ridiculous little trap door in the front, you get three main pieces of fabric.  The piece pictured above is the rear panel (literally), then there are two larger pieces that make up the sides and fronts.  I had no idea they were so complicated, even though I have folded them hundreds of times after doing the laundry! 

Due to age, and a little blended polyester, the fabric is really thin.  Frankly, I don't know what was holding some of these together!  Next time I plan a sassy little project, I should check out the quality of the ingredients first!  I am having to use spray starch to stiffen these up a little in order to piece the blocks that will accompany the three applique squares.

Then I needed to audition some "neutral" pieces of light blue from my stash...most of the boxers are really dark.  I am also going to throw in some bright orange just to shake things up a bit.

Here are the first two pieced blocks for the project, "Contrary Wife" and "The Dandy."

After the starching, the plaids are even wonkier than they were before...I guess that will just add to the charm.

The quilt will consist of 3 applique blocks and 9 pieced blocks, all finishing to 7.5 inches square.  I'm thinking the pieced blocks will be sampler style, with no two block patterns being the same.

I popped in at the Saline Community Fair this week at the Washtenaw County Fairgrounds.  I entered a couple of quilts for exhibition.  Michigan no longer has a state fair, due to budget concerns, but this community fair continues.  I love walking around the exhibition building and seeing all the lovely things that people have entered...quilts, sewing, knitting/crocheting, flowers, food, photographs, antiques, collections, animals.  It's a great slice of America that is slowly dying, I'm afraid.   

"All Around the Town" continues its winning streak taking Best of Show.

"Wickedly Liberated" earned a second place ribbon...with the limited hanging space, it wasn't the best quilt to enter.  It was probably hard for spectators to get my full meaning with half of the words folded away, out of sight.  It is a big quilt!

I had to visit the baby animal barn.  Just look at this sweet little baby horsie.

And this handsome character is either Chip...or Dale.  They weren't talking...

These two porkers were awaiting the judging.  They prove that there is someone for everyone.

T

hey were all scrubbed and looked ready for Sunday School.

The judging for the flowers took place a day or two ago, but many blooms were still beautiful.

I'm sure this sunflower looked better for the judges...I took a picture of it because that's how I feel sometimes, LOL.

I picked a good time to go...the booths making deep fried butter-on-a-stick and funnel cakes were not cooking yet.

In stitches,
Teresa  :o)

Last of the 2011 Sauder Village show...more detail of my quilts...

To address a couple of emails (and to appease my far flung family) I am posting more details of the two quilts I entered into the Sauder Village 2011 Quilt Show in Archbold, Ohio...then I promise, off to other things in the next post!! This quilt was just too big to get a good picture of it the way it was hung at the show, but here are more pictures of "Wickedly Liberated," about 93 inches square.  The space was cramped and it was hung a little crooked (downhill!), but it was my best opportunity for pictures.  This quilt was never supposed to get this big, and there's no way to photograph it in my house and get all of it in the frame.

I did a liberated lady block swap with 16 of my closest quilting friends.  Mary J made witches for some of her blocks, and I was lucky to get one in my set.  With a 13-yr-old daughter who is ga-ga over the musical "Wicked" and the movie "The Wizard of Oz," I knew I had to come up with a quilt putting all that together, with the witch in the middle of it all.  This represented my first attempt at Tonya's free pieced letters (Lazy Gal Quilting)...they are so much fun to make!

Each person in the swap made 17 ladies, then we swapped.  I received some additional ladies and decided to make the liberated doggies...the quilt just got bigger and bigger.  I decided it needed a house that had fallen on a witch.  I had a tub of small-scale bright florals that I decided to use because Oz had such pretty flowers in the movie (I even had some poppies!).

Marilyn Lange of Ypsilanti, Michigan (who also participated in the swap) machine quilted it for me.  I love how she quilted "bow wow" next to the dog shown below.  Using a Pigma pen, I wrote the name of every person next to the legs of their offered block so I could always remember their beloved contribution.  I sew with some fantastic women, and it is nice to have a quilt containing their blocks.

Even though I wanted it to appear random, I worked in five rows, using fabric and free pieced trees to fill needed spaces.  All the lady blocks were different sizes.  Everything came out of my stash except for the background used in the word border (and the backing).

I entered this quilt because it was original, fun and different...I never dreamed I would receive a second place ribbon in the Bed Quilts: Large Pieced-Machine Quilted category.

"All Around the Town' (pattern by Sue Garmon) was hung on point, but I tried to get some "square" pictures...it wasn't easy!  (made me dizzy!)

After all that effort to get this sucker absolutely flat and perfectly square, the Sauder folks hung it on point, so it looked a little tortured.  LOL!!  I guess that is good for my perfectionism and teaches me not to take things too seriously!  It is a light-hearted quilt, after all.

I'm not sure the redneck block played very well to a northwest Ohio crowd.   I'm not sure they "got" the vehicle up on blocks and the bra, boxers, and overalls on the clothesline.  My folks down south would get it...they'd think it was a hoot!

It was fun lurking near my quilt and watching people discover various things...especially the ones trying to read the skinny border where I quilted, in order, every street, town and state I've ever lived.

I was surprised and delighted to receive the Best of Show Wall Hanging award for this quilt.  It was fun to make and allowed me to let my hair down and have fun.  Now to sew on four sleeves and get it on the wall (I intend to rotate it from time to time, revealing a new "up" each time.

Now I promise, on to other quilts and projects...

In stitches,

Teresa  :o)

Sauder Village 2011 Quilt Show - Part 1

I am shocked and humbled that "All Around the Town" (pattern by Sue Garmon) took Best of Show Wall Hanging.  Here it is, hanging on point, at the show.  I will get some better pictures tomorrow when the show is not so crowded...I want to get one that is oriented "right side up" so that it looks square again, also some close ups.  Some of you know what I went through to get it square, LOL!!

My "Wickedly Liberated" took a second place ribbon in the Bed Quilts: Large Pieced-Machine Quilted category.  It was custom machine quilted by Marilyn Lange of Ypsilanti, Michigan, a friend in my stitch group.  Again, hard to photograph on a busy day...I will do better tomorrow, I hope.  It is about 93 inches square, so it is hard to photograph when you can not back up enough!  (And definitely hard to photograph in my little house).  It took two pictures at the show to be able to read the borders!

 

This free-pieced adventure was the result of a liberated lady block swap in my Friday morning Sit and Stitch group.  My friend Mary J made witches, so I knew I had to come up with a quilt that incorporated my daughter's love of "Wicked" and "The Wizard of Oz."  I came up with some free-pieced doggies, a few trees, a witch hat, and a house fallen on a witch to round out the theme.  Then I tried Tonya's free-pieced letters in the border (Lazy Gal Quilting).

 

My friend, Cheryl G (no blog) took two first place ribbons.  The first one was for "Labor of Love/Double Wedding Ring" in the Bed Quilts: Pieced-Hand Quilted category.  She made this for her daughter as a wedding gift.

Her second win was in the Bed Quilts: Small Pieced-Hand Quilted category.  It is called "Solace," and it was custom machine quilted, again, by Marilyn Lange.

Mary J (no blog) took three ribbons!  Two were Honorable Mentions in the Bed Quilts: Mixed Technique-Machine Quilted category.  This is "It's a Dog's Life," which incorporates redworked pooches with pieced diamonds and a paw print border.  Ola R (no blog) drew additional doggie patterns to make this quilt bigger and bark to life.  It was quilted by Rhonda Loy of  Dexter, Michigan in an allover doggie pattern.

 Here are a few of the lovable pups - Mary is an excellent stitcher.

 

And the border...

The second HM ribbon in the same category went to "Mulligan Stew" (the Hobo quilt).  It was machine quilted by Rhonda Loy of Dexter, Michigan.

Here is the back, where she used a train to display some additional information about the life of hobo's.

This is Mary's third quilt, which took a second prize ribbon in the Bed Quilts: Appliqued-Machine Quilted category.  It is called "Tidings," a design by Nancy Halvorsen.  It is custom machine quilted by Marilyn Lange of Ypsilanti, Michigan.

A couple of the blocks...she does really nice raw edge applique with machine blanket stitch...

My friend Margit McPhee took a second place ribbon in the Bed Quilts: Small Pieced-Machine Quilted category with "Buggy Barn Baskets."  This was custom machine quilted by Marilyn Lange as well.

I have so many more pictures to share with you!  Stay tuned for LOTS more eye candy in my next few posts.

In stitches,

Teresa  :o)