Who We Are

Thursday, July 19, 2007

Ask the Ao4 XX - Quilt Inspiration!

Woo, everypuppy. Dave here, Guide Dog for the Color Blind! We got a really great question the other day from our dear friends Jazz & Dixie. They wrote in, "We have a question about your mum's beautiful quilts - how many has she made and how does she keep coming up with all those great patterns?"

Jazz & Dixie, first Mom said to tell you thank you so very much for your kind words on the quilts! If you two didn't already have my mom wrapped around your little paws, you sure do now! Woo!

Mom has been quilting since about 1987 or '88. She started making small quilts (wall-hangings and miniature quilts!), has helped piece and hand-quilt many large group quilts for various charities, and just within the past couple of years is venturing into machine quilting large-sized quilts. She said that's thanks to her Bernina and wouldn't be able to do what she does now without it! Anywoo, she says she lost count, but has enjoyed each quilt she has worked on!

She said inspiration comes from everywhere! She gets great ideas from fellow quilters, from catalogues, magazines & books, and from going into cool shops. And from just looking around! Here's a picture of me, laying in - I mean working in the inner room of our Studio. See the tall shelf in the corner? That's full of books; that's where a lot of Mom's ideas come from.


I always help with the colors and fabric choices. We just started working on a new project; we're making a quilt for Sitka's mom! (I'm sure it's really for Sitka herself, though!) Sitka's mom left the color choices up to me - woo! Mom thought she had decided on one group of fabric, but then I saw these and I really liked them and thought they'd be PERFECT!

Mom, really! We need to pull from this stack! These are perfect! Trust me - I'm your Guide Dog for the Color Blind!

She wasn't convinced and said she was planning going to go red, beige and blue. I showed her this next picture, and said that's where my inspiration came from!

Sitka in repose

I got a cookie. And we're going with my fabrics. Ha woo woo woo! I am Dave - Guide Dog for the Color Blind!

So... Jazz & Dixie, I can't really tell you how many quilts Mom has made, but it's lots! And she says inspiration is all around us! The quilts range from quite large like this Americana Quilt:

(Mom is currently sewing the binding on this one!)

to minis like these:

The appliquéd hearts on the miniature quilt the bear is holding are about the size of a biped woman's fingernail. Woo. Here's my favorite micro-mini, done in the style of Hawaiian quilts:


The grid the quilt is laying on is inches; the ruler numbers are in inches, with fraction marks. Mom calls this one "Don't Try This At Home". I think we can all understand why. Woo.

Thanks for asking, girls! Maybe you can inspire your mom to do some quilting!

Luv,
Dave

19 comments:

  1. Anonymous11:52 AM

    woo Woo Woo Dave.. Jazz and Dixie sure did come up with a great question for your post. Your mom is so talented. That American quilt is bea-woo-tiful! Wow! Oh Dave... my mom got excited when she looked over my shoulder and saw the fabric pieces. Oh my dogness, she LOVES it. She is prancing about the room saying that it is all hers and I won't get to lay on it. Humm, I will show her. It is for me, I know it, You know it, and our friends know it, ha roo roo roo!! Dave, do you get commission for all of the assistance you provide to your mom or is the cookie all you get?

    Hugs,
    Sitka

    ReplyDelete
  2. That's so nice of you to make Sitka (or her mom) a quilt! I bet your mom's hands hurt after making the "don't try this at home" quilt!

    Steve

    ReplyDelete
  3. Those are some really great quilts. Your Mom is so lucky to have your help. I bet Stika is going to love her quilt.
    Kaos

    ReplyDelete
  4. You sure are a great fabric picker! Those will look great for Sitka! I know I love the one I have! Especially the mini one with you eyes that are always watching me!

    Hollybollyboo!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Mom and I absolutely LOVE your quilts...I'm sure Sitka's Mom will absolutely adore hers! Dave did a great job with picking the colors!

    Marls

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hi-woo Dave,
    You & your mom make a very talented team. Beautiful work!
    -Cosmos-

    ReplyDelete
  7. Wow, your mom's quilts are BEAUTIFUL! My mom's mom quilted for years, she did a Baltimore Album quilt kind of like your American quilt.

    Such talent and patience your mom has, I think it's wonderful.

    Does your mom prefer to quilt by hand or machine quilt - or both?

    ReplyDelete
  8. Bewootiful for sure! you and your mom are an awesome team! Our mom has a started quilt once upon a time, in a closet far, far in the back. She's too into her yarn stuff for that - and the fact that the dog hair is just flying way to much and we don't have a seperate place for her to go like you mom does.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hi Ao4!! Wow Dave, you & your mom are so talented! All of those quilts are beaoooutiful!

    Ginger

    ReplyDelete
  10. Oh Dave, My Mom says your Mom does beautiful quilting, and her work area is awesome. It's so neat and organized.
    And you get to help in this quilting process too?! Hummm. I dont' get to help with the crafts. I hope she's paying attention at how your Mom let's you help.
    MayaMarie

    ReplyDelete
  11. Wow! I help my mom too! Quilting ia fun. My mom promised me I could tell more about her quilts once the excitement from Mr. Rocky dies down. Come check him out!

    -Kelsey Ann

    ReplyDelete
  12. Hi Dave
    Thanks for answering our question about your mum's wonderful quilts. We can see now that you must have helped with quite a number of them to date. The micro quilts are adorable and that large American one is so beautiful. Mum's grandma has made a few beautiful quilts too. Actually she is in the process of putting the border on a quilt she started for mum when she had a single bed! That was a while back but Great grandma is in the process of finishing off a lot of projects that have been left unfinished for many years.
    Mum doesn't think she has the talent to make such beautiful quilts.
    Licks
    Jazz and Dixie

    ReplyDelete
  13. woah your Mom is so super deee duper talented! sitka is lucky!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Louka the husky here, stealing his mommy's computer and account.

    My grandmom quilts a lot. She just got a Janome machine and she's starting to discover machine quilting. I'm not allowed to help, though because she thinks I'd tear things up. I don't know where she got that idea. Just because I ate a couple of spools of thread when she left me alone for too long and left the door to that tempting cabinet wide open... I was just disapproving of the colour! I swear?

    Oh and my mom wants to ask if your mom ever sells her quilts or if she justs gives them as gifts.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Those quilts are just amazing!

    What a clever Mama you have Dave!

    My Jeannie can just about manage a button sewing session, so she has had to go and lie down in a darkened room after seeing how talented your Mama is.

    love and admiring licks, from your friend Marvin....

    who is a Guide Dog for the Technophobe Blog Lady who I live with! xxxxx

    ReplyDelete
  16. Your mom is so good at quilting.. And all her work are so beautiful...

    ~ girl girl

    ReplyDelete
  17. Hey Dave,
    We just checked out the Kapp Pack's site and what did we see??
    A Dave Mini Me!! Rocky is so cute don't you think? Well of course you are too but we'd probably say handsome now that you are all grown up.
    Licks
    Jazz and Dixie

    ReplyDelete
  18. Hey - think I may need your help with a mission to rescue Boo Casanova from the Golf Championship here in Scotland! Are you all up for it? I will meet you half way!!!! Well I am still walking to Kansas but this deveopment may mean I have to turn back!

    laughing licks, Marv xxxxx

    ReplyDelete
  19. Thank woo, everypuppy, for your kind words on Mom's quilts!

    Sitka: Thank woo! We're so glad you like (I mean that your mom likes) the fabs I chose! My payment is TONS of snuggle time with Mom, cookies, and stuff like that!

    Steve: She said they DID hurt!

    Kaos: Mom chooses better colors when she lets me help!

    Holly: I love that you have some of our quilts!!! We love making them to help rescues raise money!

    Mars Bar: Thank woo. Mom says I'm a good color-picker!

    Cosmos: Thank woo. I like getting to spend more time with Mom.

    Boomer: Oooooh, a Baltimore Album quilt? We'd love to see it!!! Those are so pretty. MOm would love to make one some day.
    Before she got her Bernina a year and a half ago, she did everything except "piece" by hand. Now she's doing a lot more machine quilting! She enjoys both!

    Guinness & Shiloh: Tell your mom dog hair just adds warm to the quilt. Woo.

    Ginger: Thank woo!

    Maya Marie: My mom is clinically color blind. I figured out that if I am her Guide Dog for the Color Blind, I get to spend more time with her! Woooooo!

    Kelsey Ann: I can't wait to see some of your mom's quilts! And Rocky is sooooooooo cute! I think that's what I used to look like!

    Jazz & Dixie: I'll bet your mom is PLENTY talented enough! She should give quilting a go! There is a bee-woo-tiful Japanese form of hand quilting called "Sashiko" that our mom really likes!
    We'd love to see the quilt your great grandma is making!

    Joe: Thank woo! And I can't wait to see Sitka enjoying her quilt!

    Louka: Thank woo for visiting! Our mom mostly makes quilts for gifts, though she used to sell her smaller ones. Now she likes to make them to help raise money for Siberian Husky rescue groups! Do you have a blog? We can't find you!

    Marvin: Guide Dog for the "Technophobe Blog Lady"?!!? Ha woooooo! Good one, Marvin! I think Stormy is one of those,too!

    Girl Girl: Thank woo!

    Jazz & Dixie: Our mom is totally in love with him!

    Marvin: Wooooo, it's Booooooooo! :)

    Luv and thanks again,
    Dave

    ReplyDelete