2013 Quilt Photography Workshop

Hey yall! Beth at Plum and June is hosting a quilt Photography workshop to help all of us bloggers improve our photographs. Our assignment this month was to take pictures of a stack of fabric.  I think I am like most of us and really enjoy taking pictures of fabric and quilts almost as much as I like buying fabric and making quilts. But, I sure am better at buying than photographing! So I hope to learn a few things to help improve my photography skills.

First, I use a simple point and shoot. It is a Nikon Coolpix. You can't adjust anything much except you can switch between Automode and Easy Automode. (lol) Which is probaly good for me since I run in automode most of the time anyway.

Most of my pictures I take outside. 1. I don't have alot of natural light in the house. 2. I am usually outside during the day anyway.

This picture is ok except the background is so busy it detracts away from the jelly roll to me. So I moved it to a less busy area.

This looks a little better. I could have edited it and cropped out some of the background and lightened it up some, but I haven't really learned how to do all that yet! Most of the time the color winds up wonky so I try not to edit. I have so much to learn. I am just now starting to get a little friendly with this computer but maybe I can tackle photo editing before our next assignment.

This one is ok except it is dark. I was blocking light as I leaned over to take the photo.

 Slightly out of focus and too dark.

Out of focus again and yall this is all in Automode and Easy auto mode. Maybe I was shaky?
The wind was blowing.

We've been in the hayfield since Wednesday so I've played more with yarn than fabric.

Even with taking pictures outside, I think it helps to limit the background. This is laying on an outdoor table on a piece of offwhite fabric.
I took 21 photographs of which I used 11 to write this post. Sometimes I take more sometimes less. If I have time, I go in and look at them on my computer and see if I have enough decent photos to share, if not then I take some more. But usually I take as many as I can the first time around.
I am not sure what our assignment will be next month. I've read a few of the link ups and have already learned some very helpful tips. I can't wait to read the rest of them. We all love a pretty picture! Especially when it involves fabric! Here is the link so you can check out all the other blogs participating in the workshop. The 2013 Quilt Photography Workshop hosted by Plum and June.

Now we are headed back to here today:

62 more to haul home before it starts raining! And I will try to be back Monday with the winners of the mini charms. If you haven't entered , you may do so here.
And here is the view from my camera last night when we left the field:

Sometimes it does pretty good as a point and shoot . Talk to yall soon.
xo jan

Ring around the Rosie....... and giveaways!

Hey Yall! And welcome to the last day of the "Be a Hexie Queen Blog Hop!  I have to say that this has been one of the most inspiring blog hops I have participated in. We have had hexagons made just about any way you want. From the traditional hand sewn to machine stitched and even glued! They've been made in all sorts of sizes and colors. They've been going round and round in circles, made into flowers and we've even had them made into a christmas tree!  I have made a few over the last few months, but I too am new to this type of hand sewing. 

I must say that I have had a hard time trying to decide on how I wanted to use my hexagons. Things have been so busy around the farm with three new baby calves and 11 new baby chicks. But with time running out I new I better come up with something! So the other day I was playing around with some gingham hexies and my hubby walked by.  Well his jaw fell open and he started shaking his head! He said" Uh-uh , no way are you doing that!" Well I looked down to see what he was talking about and I realized he thought I was going to sew them on this shirt this way. I laughed till I cried.

    

 Well he stormed off , still shaking that head so hard I thought his hat was gonna fall off. He turned back around and said" You better stop monkeying around and get busy on your project"!

So I did!

Well this earned me another good shake of the head . I think its kinda cute! Sometimes he drives me bananas! (just kiddin)

Anyway, I guess I better show yall what I finally came up with:

I call it "Ring Around the Rosie".  Yall, this is the hardest quilt I have ever tried to photograph!

I think it is hard to photograph because of the gray background with tiny yellow dots. It measures 42x54" and I used a combination of Happy Go Lucky precut hexagons and some Briar Rose Fussy cuts.

 The hexagons are hand sewn and then machine appliqued onto the quilt TOP. With the exception of the center flower. The center flower is hand sewn and then appliqued to the quilt AFTER I sandwiched it to the back.  Here is the back so you can see the difference. The large flowers do not have the hexagon quilted shape like the center one does.

 Each hexagon is one of the large flowers going around the small flower in the center. Therefore, Ring Around the Rosie. I really experimented with some free motion quilting designs for the first time and I love it!

I free motion quilted circles in the flower centers.

I then free motion quilted a large petal in each hexagon and a small petal between two hexagons.

On the outside of the circle of flowers, I free motion quilted a meandering vine with flowers and
leaves. 

 I love the look of the quilting on the outside of the circle of flowers and I left the inside of the circle
blank except for the small flower with the bees.

I think the non-quilted neutral space in the center looks like a large snowflake.

I love the grey background with the yellow dots. It looks like drops of honey from those adorable bees.

I just had to take a picture on my Butterfly hook! I used the same yellow from the flower centers for the binding.

The binding is machine stitched to the front and stitched in the ditch on the front grabbing the binding on the back . The back is a green bias plaid flannel!  I love the look on the back and these adorable bees are carrying honey in their aprons.

Yall I really loved making this quilt! It makes me Happy, Happy, Happy!

I hope my "Ring around the Rosie" quilt made you happy today! I am sad to say that I did not get to use my gingham or monkey hexies this time. I've had a little bout with carpal tunnel in my right arm and figured I better give it a rest for a few days. But those hexies may just be for an upcoming  blog hop! ssssh..
    Now, I would like to say thank you to Mdm Samm of Sew We Quilt. She is our reigning Queen and continues to inspire us all ! Also a huge thank you to Debby of Debby Kratovil Quilts for leading us all toward the crown! She has truly been a fearless and tireless leader!
And please visit these other ladies that share today with me. They have been hard at work on their hexagon projects and are ready to share their talents with you:

Day 7: Wednesday, August 28

  

Adventurous Quilter 

Scraps of Life 

Sew and Sow Farm

Kwilty Pleasures

Just Sew Quilter 

   
Marjorie's Busy Corner   

NitaDances

Pig Tales and Quilts 

   
Quiltscapes

Livinbluequilter

Sew We Quilt 

 Yall , I would also like to give a very warm welcome , as I hope you will,  to two of my newest friends and followers:
Terry Straubel of Quilting Time and Dora Farrier!  Welcome to the farm ladies! I am so happy to have yall plowing along with me. Please feel free to grab my tractor on the right sidebar for your blogs.
Oh, I almost forgot, I do have two little giveaways if you've stayed with me this long. One lucky reader will get two Moda "Juggling Summer" mini charms and another reader will get two Moda "Metropolitan Flair" mini charms.

Just leave a comment below and be sure and tell me which you prefer. Also if you would like a second entry you can sign up to follow my blog and leave a comment letting me know you did or if you are already a follower!  This giveaway is open to everyone. I will ship international.
 Now yall I hope you have really enjoyed visiting with me today! I hope that something here brought a smile to your face and warmed your heart! And speaking of smiles, what exactly is that little guy up there that is wrapped in my quilt, doing on my front porch? Well that my friends is a story for another day!   So until then, I hope yall have a quilty kind of day and get out and see if you can find some honey dropping bees!
xo jan
              

eeeek! 10 and counting!!

Oh my goodness yall! She has finally done it. This sweet hen started going broody in MAY! We thought something had gotten her because we let them free range during the day and put them up at night. She was missing a few days and we finally found her sitting on a nest full of un-fertile eggs.

 We tried unsucessfully twice to break up her nest so she would quit sitting. We do not have a Rhode Island Red Rooster. The only roosters I have are small little Bantams. So therefore unfertile eggs!

She was so determined to have babies that it broke my heart and I was finally able to find  her some fertile eggs from a friend. He gave me a dozen that were from both Rhode Island Reds and Barred Rocks. Barred Rocks are black and white!
So 21 days ago we slipped the fertile eggs under her, took her bad eggs out and my hubby built a pen that we lowered down over her. She never even got off the nest when we were putting the pen over her.

She is determined to hatch those last two eggs! The chicks are so sweet and seem to be doing well. They were already eating and they were just born today! I will try to get some better pictures tomorrow. I just couldn't wait to share these sweet peeps with yall!

Also tomorrow is the last day to  vote on the 2013 Pets on Quilts contest. For every vote you get a chance to win one of the giveaways! There are alot of great prizes! I entered the photo of two of the kittens that I found on my Giant Churn Dash Quilt.  I also made a blankie for the Padsworth Project. And if you make one and leave a comment you will get two chances for the giveaways! I would love to have your vote. I am Cat#84 and you can also vote for Dog, Other Pet, EQ Designed, Art Quilt and Pet themed Quilt. Some people have had trouble voting and have had to enter their choices more than once before they showed up.   And just in case you missed my last post, all the kittens that I found are now in their forever homes and the mama has been spayed and is in a foster home!

And remember Monday continues the "Be a Hexie Queen" Blog hop! Yall I never knew there were so many ways to make and use hexagons.! There have been some fantastic projects. So if you need some hexie inspiration be sure to check out the "Hexie Hop"!  You will also be eligible for some great prizes from our sponsor Connecting Threads. My day is the 28th and I have alot to do to get finished up! There is definitely something hexilicious going on around here!

Thank yall so much for stopping by and checking out my peeps! I can't wait to get some more pictures to share of the new peeps, the new calf and we are waiting on another heifer cow to have her first calf any day now!
Also I would love to give a warm welcome ( and I hope you will too) to two of my newest friends and followers:
Heidi of Grizz and Dove 
and
Jacqueline of Buzzing of Bees.
 It is so great to have you ladies plowing along with me. Please feel free to grab my tractor on the sidebar for your blogs.
                                                          Friends, I hope yall have a quilty kind of day!
                                                                I'll be back with pictures of my peeps!
                                                                                      xo jan

Hexie Hop, Pets on Quilts and giveaways!!!...

So here is a little sneak peek of what I am working on this week and for the last few weeks! These are for the :

Here is the link for the entire schedule: Debby Kratovil Quilts. Miss Debby is our Queen Bee and all of us little worker bees are busy cutting and sewing our honeycombs! Hexagons are the hot ticket right now. You should check out ALL the different ways these Queen WannaBees are using up hundreds of hexies! I have never seen so many differnet projects using hexagons. And there have been loads of giveaways! If you would like to check out all the fun - click on Debby's link above and you can see the entire schedule and still visit and enter the ones you've missed.

Also, I have great news! All the kittens and the mama cat that I found several weeks ago have now all been placed in forever homes except the mama and she is in a foster home! And my kitties are glad to have their control of our house back! lol... They are so persnickerty! Also,  I have entered two of the kittens that I found in The Pets on Quilts contest! And I would love to have your
vote! And you may have to RE-VOTE. There are some problems with my kittens receiving their votes.
I am #84 Homeless No More and you just have to leave a comment on the Voting Page. stating you vote for Cat # 84. And you will also have a chance at all the great prizes being given for the voters too.

There have been some problems with people voting on my kittens. So if you think you have already voted please check to see if you vote is in the comments. Some people have had their votes just disappear or never show up. Some have had to enter them 3-4 times before they would show. I am not sure what is wrong, but I certainly appreciate your extra effort to get your votes in! This contest is linked to the Padsworth Project which I think is a great cause. The Padsworth Project makes blankies and beds for pets in Rescue Shelters.

I've only had time so far to make one blankie. This one is made with leftover fabric from Benjamins quilt.  back and a terry cloth towel. It just has a single layer of batting and I just sewed a couple of straight lines through the middle and machine stitched the edges. This blankie is going to the Humane Society that placed the mama cat in her foster home. It will be given to one of the little chihuahuas that they have and will go to a new home with them when they get adopted. I plan on this being an ongoing project for me! I picked up some really fuzzy minkee fabric that I plan on making into blankies for some kitties! You can check with you local rescue shelter or Humane Society and see what needs they have. Also if you make blankies and enter them on the Padsworth page you are entered into that drawing as well!
And I just wanted to share this picture of my Missy, she is a rescue Chihuahua and my biggest helper!

 She loves her new bonnet and has been sticking pretty close to me since her run in with a skunk the other day. Poor baby that was the first time she didn't get to sleep in the house! Even after 3 baths!
She's sitting here watching me sew hexagons and watching the cows! Oh and we have a new baby just yesterday!

That handsome farmer hubby dude was working yesterday, so I spent the day watching over this cow and making sure her baby got up and got its first milk! She is a very big girl! She was up within the hour. Of course the mama picked the furthest corner from the house to have her baby in. So I traipsed out there every hour or so to check on them. And I had plenty of company, that got tired and I had to carry her heavy butt back to the barn! There was a hawk circling so I couldn't let her walk that far by herself!

But she is a good girl and gives me plenty of these:

So now yall know why I haven't gotten my hexagon project finished yet! Things are never quite around here when you need them to be!

I hope yall have a great great day! Check out all the hexie goodness going on in the Hexie Queen

blog hop. My day will be the 28th! (thank goodness)

If you get a chance take a look and vote! on all the ADORABLE pets and quilts in the Pets on Quilts contest!

Also try to make a blankie or two and link them up for a chance to win on the Padsworth project page. Those wire cages and plastic floors get so hard and cold. A blankie makes them feel safe! Just like our quilts do for us!

And I would love to give a warm welcome, as I hope you will, to 2 of my newest friends and followers:

Val Spiers

and

Rosemary Dickinson!

I am so glad to have you gals plowing along with me! feel free to grab my tractor button from the sidebar for your blogs!

Thank yall so much for stopping by! I sure do appreciate the company!

Now go out and win something!

xo jan

Pets on Quilts Contest!



UPDATE #2: ALOT of people are having problems when voting. Their vote is not showing up. Some are voting 3 or more times before it shows up if they happen to check before leaving to see that their comment/vote was published. Thank yall for the extra effort! xo jan


Homeless No More!     Vote for us starting August 18th!

   Hi yall! Last night in the wee hours( technically that would be this morning) I found out about Pets On Quilts Contest over at LilyPad Quilting. Pets on Quilts is a really cute contest of well, Pets on Quilts or quilts about pets.  There are alot of awesome prizes being given not only for the contestants with the most votes but also alot of prizes will be awarded by Mr Random drawn from all the voters!! So you get a chance to win too!! I didn't realize until after I had submitted my entry that I was supposed to categorize it - ie Cats or Dogs. So I don't know exactly where my entry will show up. Hopefully Cats. lol... duh me!
   LilyPad Quilting also helps support the Padsworth Project.  The Padsworth Project makes beds and blankies for rescue shelters. Go here to find sewing instructions for making pet kennel beds and blankies.  You see the wire and plastic kennels get so hard after a while so the beds and blankies help kept them comfortable while they are waiting on a forever home. Plus cute little blankies actually make the pets look more snuggly and appealing when prospective owners come to visit.  I hope to make a few in the next day or so but I won't get them made in time to have extra entries tonight. But thats alright, my sweet little rescues
that I blogged about here have all found homes except for the mama and 1 kitten. The mama and the last kitten are gone to the local Humane Society. They are fixin to have an adoption day at our local Tractor Supply and PetSmart in the next town over. Angie at the Humane Society said she thought they would not have any problems getting them adopted plus they were going to have the mama spayed! I am so happy that I was able to find homes for all of the others. It was really hard to give up that last kitten though. I had gotten pretty attached. But I have two kitties at the house already, so I am glad The Humane Society was able to help in finding them homes.
   There are ALOT of entries in the contest. I think I am number #84 - Homeless No More! I have other pictures of other pets on quilts but I really love the one above with those two sweeties on my Giant Churn Dash Quilt!
  I hope that you will take some time to visit the Pets On Quilts 2013 Contest. I think you can vote on as many as you would like and I would love to have your vote too! But even if you don't vote for me, please go by and support this very worthwhile project. And if you can make a couple of blankies for your local rescue shelter and/or Humane Society that would be great. Also,  I know the Humane Society and rescue shelters will take donations of food, pens, bowls , flea protection and of course monetary donations. And Volunteers!  Check with your local chapter and see what they need most.

     This is the last little kitty I had left! Fast asleep on my Strawberry Shortcake Sheets. Yes I have Vintage Strawberry Shortcake sheets on my bed. My hubby has gotten used to it and barely shakes his head at me anymore!
  Yall, I hope you take some time to hug whatever little furballs you have in your life! They depend on us so much! Spend a few extra minutes with them and let them know you love them as much as they love you!
Thank yall for stopping by today! I hope you have a great time visiting all the adorable entries in the 2013 Pets on Quilts! and maybe even sew a few pet blankies!

I also want to give a very warm welcome to two of my newest friends and followers:
Tricia of Handmade Whimzy and Christine Williams! Ladies it is so nice to have yall plowing along with me! Feel free to grab my tractor button on the right sidebar for your blogs.
                                                                      xo jan