Hommage to Libby Lehman by Ricky Tims, 2014 

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In April 2013 one of my dearest friends, quilter and quilt teacher extraordinaire, Libby Lehman, suffered a brain aneurysm. During recovery from surgery she had a massive stroke and was unconscious for about four months. It was a devastating time for all of us who loved her. The medical bills pilled up and we urged quilters to contribute to a medical fund. Another event that transpired was an invitational auction, to make a quilt and have it auctioned to raise additional funds for her therapy. 

 

This is the quilt I made to help. It uses many of Libby's techniques and designs. It is happy and cheerful and hopefully will make you smile, too. One of my favorite techniques in recent years is sewing on yarns and cording with the Bernina free-motion quilting foot (#43) which is a foot that was conceived by Libby and implemented by the Bernina engineers in Switzerland.

 

Libby no longer quilts nor teaches, but her recovery and fine quality of life is nothing short of a miracle.

 

Hommage to Libby Lehman detail 

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 TRY THE JIGSAW PUZZLE

Choose your own difficulty. Click the 9-patch grid to change number of pieces. Click the circle arrow to make the puzzle pieces rotating instead of stable orientation. Also, there are tips under the "?" on the upper right of the puzzle. If you'd like a full screen version, click the button below. Have fun!

 

2021 52 Week Challenge Class

52 Week Challenge Class: Dreamscapes
Photo by Tammy Shockley

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Tammy says:

The playroom is open for business! These toys have been in Covid-19 lockdown but have come out to play again. Post-vaccination means finally getting to entertain the grandchildren. I used dreamscape method 2.

2021 Smart Phone Challenge Group

Challenge: Scissors
Photo by Suzie Davis

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Suzie says:

I inherited this funky pair of scissors from my grandmother after she passed away in 1984. I only recently discovered what they were for. Anyone want to guess? I thought it would be fun to photograph this unique pair of scissors, and then I found this fun sewing fabric in my stash, and played with the layout. 

 

2021 Critique Group

Challenge: Gloves
Photo by Barbara Larsen

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Barbara says:

Me boxing with my hot pink boxing gloves. Why do I use hot pink boxing gloves? Because I can, and because they make me smile!

 

Ricky's Challenge Photos:

Challenge: Gloves
from the 2021 Critique Group

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Ricky says:

I've done a bit of yard work and planting the past week - but then off I went to Chicago. The security folks wouldn't let me photo their gloves - and I was away from anything that resembled a glove. But I remembered I left my gloves on the porch when I left, and knew they would be waiting for me when I got home. So I'm 6 hours late for this photo, but there they are - right where I left them.

 

 

Challenge: Scissors
from the 2021 Smart Phone Challenge Group

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Ricky says:

I wanted to do a shadow - so I used a flashlight for the beam of light - I stuck the tip of the scissors into the crack of a wooden box and shot the shadow, but not the scissors. This is one of the "Alpaca" Prisma filters with some adjustment.

Mi Cabina by Ricky Tims 

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A few years ago I wanted to make a fun, weekend quilt project using something traditional, but also shake it up to create something new. I decided to make the log cabin courthouse steps variation and then cut all the blocks into quarter blocks, and rearrange them. This became Mi Cabina and it's been fun to see all the different versions that have been made from this pattern. You could make it in coastal/sea colors and use flamingos, or rustic earthy colors and add pine trees. For this one, I chose desert Southwest colors and spirit bears. What will you make?


 
 
 
 

 TRY THE JIGSAW PUZZLE

Choose your own difficulty. Click the 9-patch grid to change number of pieces. Click the circle arrow to make the puzzle pieces rotating instead of stable orientation. Also, there are tips under the "?" on the upper right of the puzzle. If you'd like a full screen version, click the button below. Have fun!

 

2021 52 Week Challenge Class

Critique Group Challenge: Golden Hour
Photo by Sarah Carpenter

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Sarah says:

Edgartown Lighthouse at dawn. Fun to be there without the hoards of people one would find there in the summer. I cropped the shot, and lightened the lighthouse.

2021 Smart Phone Challenge Group

Challenge: Stripes
Photo by Ellen Lindow

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Ellen says:

We played tourist today and took a boat ride out to Anclote Key. One of the other people on the boat had this bag and hat and allowed me to take a photo. It was a beautiful day. More photos from the trip can be seen at https://www.flickr.com/photos/ellenceleste

 

2021 Critique Group

Challenge: Hearts
Photo by Ruth-Ellen Flanagan

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Ruth-Ellen says:

I have wanted to try this technique for awhile so thought this was the perfect time to try it.

I used my wedding ring and The New American Desk Encyclopedia turned to the Heart page. I used a glue dot to hold the ring in the gutter area and used a spotlight to create the shadow. I don't know why the round ring creates a heart shape but it does!

I brought the image into PS and used a brush to color insside the heart. I added two heart textures that I got from Jai Johnson (Daily Texture). I used one of her spatter textures in the corners and added a Katie Pertiet border. I took the image to Topaz Studio 2 and applied the Golden Purple look. I added a white border in Color Efex Pro (Nik).

Kevin and I have mirror image rings. They were custom made.

Ricky's Challenge Photo:

 

 

 

 

 

Challenge: Stripes
from the 2021 Smart Phone Challenge Group

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Ricky says:

One of my shirts - I had fun with a "toon" filter in BeCasso

Dreamweavers by Ricky Tims 

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Dreamweavers detail 

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Hello, Everyone! I'm Toi and I work for Ricky. Before I knew Ricky as my boss, I knew him as Ricky the Quilter, and before that I knew him as Ricky the Musician, and before all of that he was known to me simply as Uncle Ricky. We have traveled many, many miles together. 

I got married in June of 1996 (25 years ago...how?) and moved from Texas to St. Louis, Missouri, where Ricky was living at the time. My husband and I bought our first home in 1998, where we lived exactly 7 minutes from Ricky, which was so nice because Ricky and I were the only family we had in St. Louis. Everyone else in our family remained in Texas.

Not long after we moved into our first home, Ricky gave us this quilt, which we hung behind the couch. He picked up the center batik piece (shown in the detail pic above) at the quilt show in Paducah and at the time he was beginning to explore his now well-known Caveman-style of quilting. This is one of his first pieces in that style. There are metallic threads running throughout the quilt, which makes it really beautiful when touched by lamplight or sunlight. 

We left St. Louis in 2000 for Florida and have since moved again to Tennessee. This quilt has gotten to travel the world with Ricky to shows and to be photographed for magazines and books, but it always finds its way back home to us and the wall behind our couch. It is the backdrop for many a Christmas morning photo, birthday photos and is usually visible if we are in a zoom call. It has also 'seen' our family grow by two magnificent boys and many, many (husband says maybe too many-ha!) animals over the years. Anyone who has ever visited our home knows this quilt well, and our long-time friends know that our house isn't a home without it hanging behind our couch. 

Ricky and I no longer live 7 minutes from one another, but this quilt behind our couch keeps the thought of him close to us at all times. 

 

 TRY THE JIGSAW PUZZLE

Choose your own difficulty. Click the 9-patch grid to change number of pieces. Click the circle arrow to make the puzzle pieces rotating instead of stable orientation. Also, there are tips under the "?" on the upper right of the puzzle. If you'd like a full screen version, click the button below. Have fun!

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