Snow Globe Quilts

I've been out in California for a week while it

continues to be winter in Kansas.

We've had a lot of snow these past two winters.

Hard on the shortlegged...

And the short tempered.

But if you have snow, make snow globes.

Here's a quilt by Marie Schmidt

using the snow globe pattern in my book

Sew Into Sports.

She found Christmas prints, winter scenes and other themes important in her family life.

The quilt was made for her grandson.

It's a good project to use with the Let it Snow

collection from Laundry Basket Quilts for Moda.

Beautiful batiks.

See some sports-themed snow globes at this post

http://siputflash.blogspot.com/2010/09/time-to-start-thinking-about-snow.html

Football Around the World

Pieced Pigskin by Deb Rowden,

Quilted by Lori Kukuk, 2009, 25" x 25".

A gift for Deb's Dad

Deb's Dad Walt in 1950

Me and my brother about the same time

I watch a lot of football on TV. The one thing that fascinates me is how they put that colored line on the field digitally.

You can see I am a big fan.

But I do enjoy seeing how quilters turn sports images into quilts---either using sports-themed prints or  piecing or applique.

Football or Futbol

Here's a soccer quilt pattern pieced by Veline. See the pattern at The Pattern Company

http://www.thepatternco.com/products/soccer-quilt.htm 

  

Fleurette in South Africa posted some views of a quilt show on the theme Images of Sports held during the World Cup in July.

See her posts here with images of some clever sports designs:
http://fleuretteellis.blogspot.com/2010/07/images-of-sport-quilt-show.html
http://fleuretteellis.blogspot.com/2010/08/images-of-sport-quilt-show-part-2.html

A pattern for Deb's Pieced Pigskin is in my book Sew Into Sports: Quilts for the Fans in Your Life.
Morna McEver Golletz recently reviewed this in her email newsletter Professional Quilter Online.

Quilt historian Barbara Brackman is not a sportswoman, but that doesn't stop her from making sports-themed quilts for charities and for her nieces and nephews. She points out that the raffle quilts that brought in the most funds were autographed sports quilts, noting that combining the sports fans and quilt fans really multiplies your audience. One potential problem for quiltmakers is the sports fabrics, and here Barbara says to "think defense" and manage "your players." She includes eight projects suitable for the sports fans in your life. And, if you are interested in a charitable project, she's included tips for gathering signatures. I loved the "Slam Dunk Shoe Quilt" with its hightop basketball shoes and autographed soles.

See more about the International Association of Professional Quilters by clicking here:
http://www.professionalquilter.com/

Lebowski Fest

Lebowski Fest

Designed by Barbara Brackman, Appliqued by Jean Stanclift,

Quilted by Pam Mayfield, 2006

Lawrence, Kansas 46"x 46"

Courtesy of the VanHougrau Collection

My neighbor asked if we could make her a quilt for her husband. The result:

Lebowski Fest.

We had a lot of fun designing and appliqueing bowling shoes, pins and balls.

For those of you who do not know what we are talking about here:

The Big Lebowski is a movie by the Coen Brothers about

 mistaken identity, slackers, White Russians, a rug and a bowling alley.

Above, Jeff Bridges, Steve Buscemi and John Goodman trying to figure it all out.

At Lebowski Fests people watch the movie,

drink cocktails made of vodka and non-dairy creamer and occasionally bowl.

The quilt makes an excellent backdrop for the party. One could say it "Pulls the Room Together."

The Dude does not officially endorse this quilt.

The pattern for Lebowski Fest is in my new book, Sew Into Sports: Quilts for the Fans in Your Life.

Click here to read more about it:

https://www.pickledishstore.com/productDetail.php?PID=1196  

While I was Photoshopping the Dude above I redesigned the quilt digitally. There are many possible ways to arrange bowling shoes, balls and pins.

Vintage Sports Quilts

Jayhawker by Thelma E. Humphrey, 1934-1935

Thelma collected signatures of sports stars at the University of Kansas where she worked in the athletic department. This block features James Naismith's signature.

Naismith invented the game of basketball

When Deb Rowden and I began thinking about doing a book on sports quilts we looked around for vintage quilts celebrating teams, athletes and games.

We knew of two that we featured in the book Sew Into Sports: the Jayhawker quilt above and the bowling shirt quilt top below.

This odd item is an unquilted top, possibly pieced of bowling shirt backs from about 1960.

We are guessing it's from Mason City or Chicago.

Or it may be a sampler of the kind of work an embroidery company could do.

The Club Ki-Yowga in Calumet has fortunately changed their logo since then. For 75 years they've been sponsoring kids' sports.

We found some quilts made of tobacco flannels that featured sports premiums. In the early 20th century tobacco products included cotton collectibles in the packaging.

Flags are far more common flannels than baseball stars.

As you can imagine the baseball flannels are more valuable than the flags.

We found a few other sports quilts pictured in online auctions.

Those are probably not actual Yankee autographs on this quilt dated 1941. Just a list of players.

This one is also easy to date. Is that a rose or a ball?

Clara Schmitt Rothmeier was the queen of sports quilts.

Her baseball quilts were auctioned earlier this year.

See more about the quilts here by clicking:

http://baseballsportsmemorabiliaauction.com/

Stan Musial pointing to his portrait in 1973

It is surprising how few sports quilts made before 1975 we found.

It's time to make up for it.

SEW INTO SPORTS

I have a new pattern book hot off the press.

Sew Into Sports: Quilts for the Fans in Your Life

is on its way to quilt shops.

I had a lot of help from friends whose kids are Sew Into Sports.

Jean Stanclift made this quilt for her son Cody

who is going into high school this fall as a terrific baseball player.

Cody S. a few years ago

Lori Kukuk quilted it. Her son Cody Kukuk is a senior and also quite a player.

When he was little he thought I was famous because he saw me on TV once.

Cody K. after pitching a perfect game

He's a lot more famous now as a high school pitcher than I'll ever be as an author.

If you have a baseball prodigy in your family you'll want to start on a baseball shoe autograph quilt to remember his teams. The pattern (and many others) are in the book.

Click here to read more about the book at Kansas City Star Books Pickledish website.

https://www.pickledishstore.com/productDetail.php?PID=1196

Our Imaginary Booth at Market

Once again our Sunflower Pattern Co-operative is having an imaginary booth at Quilt Market. The semi-annual tradeshow for quilt shops will be in Minneapolis May 20-23.

Everyone else in the quilt business is packing wicker chairs, garden gates and 200-pound ceramic pots to decorate their spaces.

I photoshopped a picture of the Royal Brighton Pavilion in England and put Karla, Deb and me on the porch. That's a virtual quilt design by Susan Stiff  done in Arnold's Attic fabrics in the virtual booth. 

Last year we built an imaginary 2/3 scale model of the Taj Mahal. This year its the Brighton Pavilion. Maybe the Royal Crescent at Bath for next year.

That's probably too big.

Were we to have an actual booth at Market we'd be showing a few things that will be coming out in the summer.

One is Arnold's Attic, an 1890s reproduction fabric collection for Moda.

Another is a book for Kansas City Star Books called

Sew Into Sports: Quilts for the Fans in Your Life

Here's a page from Sew Into Sports with Deb Rowden's Pieced Pigskin wall quilt

I'd tell you to stop by our booth at market in Minneapolis---but you just did.

OUCH!

My Brackets Below

I live in Basketballburg USA, Lawrence, Kansas

You may not know that we lost a big game last weekend.

I wouldn't even bring it up, but I had big plans---

Deb Rowden and I are working on a book about sports quilts featuring Jayhawk basketball quilts.

Deb found one from the 1930s with James Naismith's and Phog Allen's signatures on it.

We made one with signatures of former coaches and players.

How could we have lost?

The show must go on and the book will be out in July.

Why didn't we feature Northern Iowa?

Everyone is upset. Check out this youtube video to see a Hitleresque rage:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3uejv2zz6bU

Look in your quilt shop in July for the book with the tentative title of Sew Into Sports: Quilts For the Sports Fans in Your Life.

I could probably photoshop some Northern Iowa Panthers onto those shoes