Stitchin' Therapy

Updates

2012-02-17T13:48:00.001-05:00

Bag is done...... as you can see, it can fully stand by itself! I think a little adjustment / refinement of the technique is needed. Note the button I used is one I picked up in Alaska.....made from deer or moose antler.

I used basic tote bag construction. I made 2 sections, one for the back and one for the front.
Size of each section was 14" across and 13" high---this would give me a bag that finishes up about 11" by 11" and 3" deep.
Mistake #1: Using my usual technique of making the handle straps for the body that I showed before. I like a double layer of batting in the handles, but NOT here! So, I will modify my technique and use a single layer of batting when making them for bag #2.
Mistake #2: I cut out the corners at the bottom--like I usually do-- to eliminate the triangular flap when creating a square corner for the bottoms.

I ended up with a very thick and exposed edge that I do not like. Here's a link that shows how to stitch across the corner to square off the bag, and you have a triangular flap. I will keep the flap / corner triangles on bag #2, and just tack them down. That will give me all covered seams.

Joining the side seams: No zigzag stitch here.....I just straight stitched very close to the finished edge. In the photo I joined 2 narrow yellow strips for the side seam. No problem with this for me.

The inside: The bottom seam of the bag was covered with a folded strip of fabric and top stitched down. Again, thickness was a challenge here, but the finished edge looks good. I only added one pocket---again using folded strips on the raw edges and top stitching in place.

Finishing the top edge: Usual technique worked fine. I used a strip of fabric 2 1/2" wide, folded it in half. I stitched it to the wrong / inside of the bag over the handles and the loop to close. The folded edge comes over to the outside and is top stitched down.

I know I have sent you over to The Nifty Stitcher before. But please go again and check out her video as she stitches her feathers.....especially if you are on the fence about trying this month's free motion challenge. She makes it look so effortless that her video deserves a look.

Another stolen quilt.....click here to read Bonnie's post .
I am just back from being smashed, squashed, squished, poked and prodded......you get the idea. The radiologist did find a small dense area and a biopsy is scheduled. I still have the other procedure to endure next week, so please remember me in your prayers. Happy stitching.

Out of the trashcan

2012-02-16T10:10:00.002-05:00

I spent a great day on Tuesday with The Fiber Friends in Landrum / Tryon area that meet at The Tryon Arts and Crafts School . I shared my journal quilt challenges and in return enjoyed seeing their projects---fabulous silk dying (shibori), a beautiful jacket done with shasiko stitching, a series of wall hangings based on a photo and everyone was different. They have a series of challenges planned that will be fun to follow. Thanks for all the wonderful inspiration, ladies.
One quilter was carrying her items in a tote that really caught my eye, and me without a camera! On close inspection, I realized it was constructed like I make the handles for tote bags and purses. The finished "handles" were stitched together with a zigzag stitch much like the clothesline wrapped bowls and bags. That means the inside is finished off like the outside---no lining---and the bag itself has structure and does not flop over. Oh, the possibilities!

While putting everything away yesterday, I found trimmings of batting in the trash can from a few dolls quilts I had finished up. Shame on me! I could turn them into a bag. I cut the batting waste into 1 1/2" strips and 1 " strips, and began making "handle" pieces last night.

Technique to make finished "handle":

Strip of fabric (3 1/2" wide) is placed wrong side up and 2 1" batting strips are placed on top down the length of the strip of fabric. (Or use a 2 " wide strip if you have scrap batting that wide).
You can see I used all the scrap / waste of batting! Just butting the ends up to each other.
. Then press the long side edges over the batting---about 1/2 on each side.

Then fold down the center matching the long edges. Press well.
Stitch along the long side about 1/4" from the edge to secure in half.

Now join the finished pieces using a wide zigzag stitch. Be sure to catch both pieces as you stitch.

This is the first small section that I put together last night. I used whatever leftover short strips I had and pieced them together if the strip was too short.
I also mixed the width size of the fabric strips. There are 2 1/2" strips (with 1 1/2" strip of batting encased), that finish at about 3/4". And the 3 1/2" strips (with the 2 1" strips of batting encased) that finish at about 1".

Since this is an experimental project, I am winging it with the measurements. I figure I need about 28 of the finished strips to sew together to make the 2 sides of a small bag. I plan on binding off the top and adding a couple of pockets to the inside.
Happy stitching.

Feathers round 4

2012-02-12T08:22:00.003-05:00

The month is not over yet....so feathers are still in the works. Feeling brave about the free motion feathers, I gave it one more round. I tried a feather on a mug rug. This one was drawn with pencil. I am still not good on the outlining.....I like the swirls better. :) How about a plain simple feather?

Next round, was done free hand....I only drew the spine on for shape using chalk. No outlining here because this is on a doll quilt and I did not want the stiffness of the micro stitching. Plain is good!

I was very pleased with myself and took way too many photos! I know I am not approaching being really good at this---I've seen some absolutely great blogs at the challenge --- check out the Nifty Stitcher . But what a great feeling to finally catch on to it. I think I had a serious break though in muscle memory and the tear drop shape.

Insight: I can quilt feathers! Big improvement comes with lots of practice.

And remember the heart shaped leaves from last month.....I combined them with a flower to quilt up this doll quilt. Guess you can tell I am doing a happy dance with all this new "variety" in my quilting motif ability.
I will do more practice on plain feathers....I want them fuller and more curvy.
Happy "feather" stitching!

Progress

2012-02-09T15:47:00.000-05:00

Lots of new little quilts have been posted to Get Your Mrs. Claus On Flickr group album. Check them out and enjoy the variety. Nicki has been great about sending me photos as she receives the quilts from the group at the HGTV board. She has it so organized and makes it all look so easy. A super big thank you to her and all the Mrs. Clauses who are helping make this year so great.

I got the rows sewn on the water color, but it looks very muddy to me.....the border just blends too much. So I tried a bit of cording to create a separation, but it was not distinct enough. Right now I am debating on using the narrow strip of black bias. The photo below just has the bias pinned to it.

I will live with this one on the design wall for a few days to be sure I like it before finishing it up.
Happy stitching.

Knockout in Round 3

2012-02-07T14:57:00.003-05:00

You decide. Is this a KO in round 3?
I went with a darker fabric--very old scrap--and lighter thread to see what I was doing better. Not perfect, but I did figure out a couple of things that work for me. This one is only 8 inches square.
This technique requires lots of thread and stitching to make the plumes look good. Lots of thread and who notices the bobbles anyway?
I got tired of outlining and reverted to a few swirls and curls to keep me interested. Outlining is like coloring within the lines and I was never good at that.
My stitching lines are not as close as the tutorial suggested. But this is the distance between stitching rows that I am comfortable with. I can live with it.
And finally, the feather police should not be allowed anywhere on the planet earth and will be "stitched" to smithereens on sight!

Recap:

Round 1 was drawing and trying to follow the drawn pattern.
Round 2 was gaining control and movement.
Round 3 was understanding what I was doing and finding my way to doing this technique.

I had lots of comments about my tries yesterday.....and lots of encouragement. Thank you all. I also realize that this tutorial is scaring a few as well as frustrating many of us. So that is why I am sharing my 3 rounds with this---the good, the bad, and the ugly--(I used to have a Clint Eastwood poster on my wall). Remember this challenge is about improving our skills and that only comes from trying. If I didn't quit, neither should you. I plan on at least one more round, using better fabric, before I call this done.
Happy stitching.

Doing battle with feathers

2012-02-06T12:47:00.001-05:00

Before I forget.....do you like to read? Do you tend to use a slip of paper to mark your place like I do. Take a look at these really special bookmarks at Juanita's blog. She does beautiful art quilts, and until recently all by hand--no machine! She has a series of landscape book marks that are beautiful, and for sale. Drop by and say hello.

I have been drawing feathers, and drawing and drawing for this month's tutorial by Diana Gaudynski at SewCalGal . This is about the 10th page of practice and I thought I finally had a hand on it. So on to fabric and thread. I set my machine like she suggested and started. Go slow and try for tiny stitches, no gloves, and keep the batt straight--as in North and South with no flipping it around.

This is round one. First the thread kept breaking. I tried a new needle and re-threaded everything. It is hard to see white on white, so I switched to a red thread so I could see where I was going and had been. Oh, boy...that was awful Back to tan thread and another feather. And trying to outline was even more frustrating. She does not recommend gloves , just bare hands for FMQ, but I don't have control without them. I was not pleased at all with the effort. I don't like micro stitching. I put it away....almost in the trash can. I quit!

This is round two from this morning. I decided that I would give it one more shot, as I am not a quitter by nature. This time I set my machine up as I usual do. I also drew the feather onto the fabric with a pencil before stitching. You can still see some of the marks that I did not get erased completely. I don't have or use the blue disappearing marker---one very bad experience and I threw them away. Anyway, on with the gloves, adjusted my speed and tension and started on the feather spine. Up, down, and onto the plumes......I did much better overall and even managed to almost follow the drawn lines and the outlining sort of consistently. I did not try for those tiny stitches, but instead achieved even stitches.

Insight: Practice creates muscle memory for drawing and free motion stitching. When you get frustrated, stop! Try again later.

So, if you are taking the Free Motion Challenge, I wish you great success with feathers. I have a long way to go with them. Happy stitching.

A new addition

2012-02-03T12:46:00.001-05:00

I love pen and ink style art work. The one on the left was done by my daughter of the window in the cottage where her Grandfather grew up in Philadelphia. The top one is of The Chapel on the Hill at Copper Center, Alaska where my husband's parents were first stationed. The tree is a winter view of an oak---it is actually a photograph---that we bought on a trip to Virginia. And the newest addition arrived yesterday. Here is it's story....
Last month I read a blog post on The Quilt Rat about a project Jill was collecting items for, including a thrift store wool coat , threads, and beads. I was intrigued with her re-cycling idea and offered Jill some antique silk threads that I have had stored away for years. And that began a series of emails and a trade.
So what did I want in exchange? A zentangle from her hand. Do click over and see her collection.

I think it is exquisite! So perfect for me as the cardinal is my chosen symbol of hope. I love that she chose to include the swirled branch, as well as the other swirls, which is my favorite motif for free motion quilting. I just can't stop looking at it and admiring the detail. Thank you, Jill.

Happy stitching.

Finding comfort

2012-02-02T12:37:00.001-05:00

The calendar may say Groundhog Day--and 6 more weeks of winter, he says---but it feels and looks like Spring. So if this is Winter, the daffodils (and 70 degrees) must be wrong!

I thought I would change out a few wall hangings today, and ran across this early small quilt of tulip blocks. It is one that is full of memories and gives me much comfort. I "learned" to stipple on this one....my first attempt and full of stops and starts. And then I attempted leaves and stems in the border areas.....really not very good, but after many years of washing, who can tell?

The blocks were won at guild in the mid 90s. A quick glance at the fabrics should tell you that! I finally put them together in 2002, as Forgotten Tulips. This was considered an unusual setting at that time---our quilting ideas sure have changed in 10 years.
Two of the blocks were made by dear ladies who have passed on, and I do treasure them. They give me comfort and make me smile.
Insight: Surround yourself with comfort---especially found in a quilt. Your path will seem easier.

Water color update: This one is fused but not sewn. It is pretty large right now--about 40 inches and 50 inches, but that will change when the seams are stitched.
After the HVAC guys finished their work yesterday, I had to rework part of it because many pieces ended back up on the floor! They were more in a panic than I was, but I knew I needed to get it fused down.
So how did I get it fused? Small travel iron and pressing while still on the design wall. My design wall is construction insulation and the foil covering is placed to the inside, so it will handle the heat from the iron. I begin pressing at the bottom and work my way to the top. I just need to press enough to hold everything in place to get it off the wall. Then I can move it to the ironing board for a solid and final pressing to fuse each piece well to the interfacing. Off to start the seams.
Happy stitching.

Marking photos

2012-01-31T08:20:00.003-05:00

There were lots of questions about marking your photos yesterday. Your photo editing program probably has a feature for adding text. I use Picasa , which is a free download program, for my basic photo editing. It is user friendly and allows me to crop, straighten, correct the lighting, change to black and white. Those are the main things I use on it.

There is also a feature for adding text. It took me several tries to figure it out, so you may need to play around with the feature. Basically, I select the photo and save a copy. That way I have one as an original with no marking.

On the selected photo I select "add text".
Then type in what you use as a mark.
Next select the font and size.
Then click the color selector and hold it down until the color chart pops up. Then click the color you want the font to be. Not every photo can be marked in black or gray and still be seen.
Once you have text as you want it, you can move it around or change the angle for placement.
Be sure to save the changed photo!

A little research gave me some ideas about placement and why. Placing the text at the bottom or top (like in the border of a quilt---wrong!) allows for cropping and removal. Placing text on a solid color area (sounds good to me---wrong!) allows for air brushing and removal. The mark should be noticeable, but not interfere with what you are trying to show. As an example, I added a mark to the heart. I made it faint and offset the placement. The mark could be larger and through the center.....what ever you choose to do.

The internet and digital age has made blogging possible and greatly enhanced our lives in so many ways. And then on the other hand, it has made pirating easier for anyone with a computer. There is always and good side and a bad side. Insights: For me, I will chose to live by the Golden Rule. I will ask to share someone else's photo or even to use it for inspiration. I will give credit where credit is due. I hope they will do the same for me.

Happy stitching.

Musings.....

2012-01-30T13:23:00.001-05:00

I know I have been busy, but feel I have little to show for it. Where did my quilt muse go? Could be she is hiding under all those squares on the floor of the sewing room. I keep getting sidetracked onto other things. It is time to find some focus.
While looking for inspiration, I ran across the book Tile Quilt Revival at Amazon. The mosaic effect is very intriguing to me. With my stash of floral fabrics, wonder how it would work?

I tried a small design.....my technique needs a little work to get it spaced evenly---and not chop off vital edges! Each piece is fused and machine appliqued with a buttonhole stitch. The background that shows between the pieces creates the grout lines. This is only 8 " by 12" and I think a larger design overall would work out better. But it has potential for at least a small quilt, or a border. Come to think of it I have a box full of 5 inch squares that I could use up this way. I think a second try would be work the effort. OK, inspiration found. Now, maybe I will be motivated to complete what is on the design wall....remember all those squares?.....so I can try something new.

Insight: A new beginning can be a powerful motivator to complete a current project. Remember the rule to avoid UFOs.

I am trying to remember to add my blog mark to the photos.....I should have been doing it all along. Why? You never know where they will end up. I had an email from someone who saw one of my quilts on Pinterest and they wanted the pattern. Pinterest? I haven't gone that route, as I have enough going on. Whoa! I was very surprised at to find lots of my quilt photos on there. The pinned photo shows my blog as the source, but the photo could be used other places with no source. Just a word to the wise to remember to mark your photos as well as your work.

Do I need to vacuum?

2012-01-27T17:21:00.000-05:00

When Sir Old Man asked if he needed to pull out the vacuum, my heart stopped. No!!!! Not because he offered but because I was in the middle of creating......and a mess. I mean it has to be important if I turned down an offer to clean, right? So, as embarrassing as it is, this is part of what he was offering to "suck" up in the vacuum.

All my cut 2" squares of fabric that are very artfully / usefully/ carefully scattered along the base of the design wall. Yes, this is often how I work on a watercolor. If a piece doesn't blend.....to the floor. If I need a certain value....look on the floor or in one of the trays. It is there, somewhere.

This is what is on the design wall right now..........my first start of the new year. I have really not felt like starting a big project so far, so this one will have to do.

It has been great to just play and blend squares for the last couple of afternoons. I started with the outer border and decided to use a 3 square grid to create it--- blending from dark to light. I am not happy with the bottom half of the outer border, so I will rework it when I get more going in the center.

Just keep that vacuum out of sight until this one fully develops.

Happy stitching.

Finishes

2012-01-25T06:30:00.000-05:00

What do you do with your ugly, oops I mean, less lovely fabric? It is the stuff you want to get rid of, but is too big a piece to trash can, and you know it will not make it into a quilt. How about the back of a quilt......yes, I did. That calico print has been around for too many decades, and what looks like a tan is a tiny green and beige plaid. I pieced them together for a backing for Scrappy Coins. I only have small pieces of the unlovely fabric now that can hit the trash can! The coins quilt is bound and ready for donation next month.

The strip pieced watercolor quilt, More is Better, got finished up too. The setting is the barn raising layout. I used a white on white fabric for the backing. After washing it is so soft and cuddly. this one is a keeper, for sure. I quilted it in my favorite overall swirl. Old favorites are hard to let go of.....

So while I was finishing up these two, Sir Old Man was doing a different type of finishing. His latest venture was a beginning wood turning class at the guild. His first project was a simple bowl about 6 inches wide and finished with walnut oil. I love how it brings out the different grains in the wood. This one is done with dried wood---much harder to turn, and he has another that was turned "wet" and is in the drying stage.

Yes, Sir Old Man was proud of this finish.

He even "labeled" his work....guess he has been listening to me about that! Sign your work.

When we went to vote on Saturday, we noticed a pile of small logs by the parking area from a recently felled tree. Wood on the side of the road for a wood turner is like free fabric in a giveaway to a quilter. So a few logs found their way into the van. And I am thinking I might get a turned bowl for holding leaders and enders scraps or safety pins, or thread tails, or ....you get the idea!

OK, now I am ready for a new project.....time to cut into some new fabric. I need a break from scraps. Happy stitching.

What a hoot....

2012-01-23T08:00:00.000-05:00

A cold and rainy afternoon just fit the bill for some experimenting....not the chemistry kind but the stitching type. I worked up the owls into a line drawing for a pattern, which I traced onto fusible. Then fabric selection....fun and fast and not too picky. Blue tones for one owl, and purple for the second.

And boxes of thread....cotton, and rayons, and polyesters.

I love the crazy eye fabric on this owl. I took a little liberty with the leaf arrangement and spread them out some what, and extended the branch to reach the edge of the background. I believe this one is a professor...note the puffed out chest on him.

And this one is a probably a cheer leader with the flirty wings and the scalloped shaped eyes.
I put them both on a pieced background of odds and ends of fabric that worked together, and covered all the edges with a zig zag stitch. Not quite sure about the border/s yet, but I think the heart shape leaves will work for the quilting.

Experiment results: Relaxing, and really satisfying because I did not have mile high expectations. Just some quirky time interpreting photo / drawing to fabric. A time let my inner voice speak through the fabric.

So if you are interested in the line drawing pattern for these 2 .... here's the link to Owl patterns .
Enjoy and send me a photo if you use them.
Happy stitching.

Fused mosaic technique

2012-01-20T19:55:00.003-05:00

What a great technique for a quick art project! It is from Terri Stegmiller this month. She offers a great list of tutorials.
I am doing a talk for the fiber art group next month in
Tryon . I have the stack of journal challenge projects to show and hopefully inspire them. And now this new little heart creation to also share.
Hint: All those small triangles and ends that tend to accumulate from piecing and trimming are perfect for this. I toss mine into a small bin to use as leaders and enders. That's where most of this fabric was found.

This heart is only 8" by 7" and trimmed out with a cotton lace edge. The fabric bits and snips are fused directly to the batting, and over lapped just the smallest amount. Then you stitch and stitch and stitch to hold everything down. I did trim a few dog ears that over lapped first. Careful stitching is required.....avoid getting the FMQ foot caught in the loose edges. Ask me how I know. I did not use a binding, just a length of cotton lace wrapped over the edge and a wide zig-zag stitch to hold it down. And I do believe there is really more thread on this than fabric, but fun anyway!
I knew the tissue box owl would be a hit for a few of you that love those critters, but what a lot of email I got about the inspiration. I heard from those who are checking the cabinets for tissue boxes, designs on napkins, and patterns on paper towels and so on. Great fun....so be sure to share your hidden design finds with us. I am working on a pattern, slightly enlarged, based on the owls. Probably by Monday I will get it together to share.
Oh....and I wanted to share a link to a really good tutorial on cathedral windows by Shelia. She is doing a lot of stash and UFO busting right now, but took the time to share this. I snatched her photo of her progress so far. This technique is done partly by machine, takes lots of fabric, requires no batting, and finishes as you go along. Check it out.

Happy stitching.

Tissue box inspiration

2012-01-19T13:58:00.000-05:00

Is there such a thing as too much quilting? For me, yes. At least in the physical sense.....I needed a couple days away from the machine after quilting the 2 quilts I had pinned, and practicing those leaves. Now there is just the binding to do on the quilts and I have the leaves firmly embedded in my brain.

I also finished up 2 more snack mats over the weekend....swirls and leaves motifs for quilting.
These are just so quick to do, and I love the batiks.

Anyway, what did I notice first thing this morning on the tissue box. Huh? Just look at the graphic design on it...teardrops and curls. That would make a neat quilting pattern. And then I checked the box in the bedroom and found a great applique pattern.

He is the cutest owl of the 4 on the box. I've got to make a master pattern of him to keep for a future project....like maybe on a doll quilt.
Insight: Take a break when you need one. Open your eyes to see new designs for inspiration.

Happy stitching.

Snack mats for practice

2012-01-13T17:23:00.001-05:00

. A little bit of practice on the leaves with curled element this week....and extra curls added in. The little "tweets" are a thread sketching technique where you basically just are creating an outline drawing. Then you get to have fun and highlight and color with Prismacolor pencils.
On the second one I used the fold over backing for the binding---ugh. I don't like it, and won't be doing that again. But these are just snack mats for fun. Lesson learned!

I also worked a bit on some updated samples for the Crazy Quilting program I am doing for guild next month. I wanted to focus on and show a couple techniques for different embellishments. So I dug into the stack of journal quilt samples from last year and came up with a few that will be great. I'm so glad I did that journal challenge.....it was a great experience. To try a technique, and accept the results, both good and bad, and learn from it. And end up with a "library" of journals to use as inspiration for later. I do believe it will miss it this year.
Happy stitching.

And I thought Christmas was over....

2012-01-11T20:54:00.000-05:00

Maybe it is the gray and rainy weather, as I have gotten little done this week. The winter blahs, or just facing the extra testing this week, whatever it is I haven't been able to get moving. So I was happy to get an email and photos from Nicki at the HGTV Quilt Board.

The cutest lady bug fabric was used on this doll quilt donated by Shawkl.

This one is from STinMT......but check out the back.

She embroidered "Made with Love in Montana" as a label. A very clever idea.

And 2 coming from wiley. She is Mrs. Claus in Arizona.

These ladies are so excited about the doll quilt project...and it is only January! And I so appreciate their help and enthusiasm, as it makes my load so much lighter. I am --- or trying to keep up with --- posting of all their photos on the Flickr site for Get Your Mrs. Claus On and to list each state they are representing. So if I miss one, please leave a comment or let me know by email. I will be letting the elves at the woodworker's shop know that they better get very busy to keep up. Thank you all.
Happy stitching.

Calendar / Journal cover

2012-01-08T11:31:00.000-05:00

I wanted a fabric cover (I really hate those plastic ones) for my small calendar that I carry in my purse. And there are lots of tutorials for journal covers. The part I hate is turning the whole thing inside out and then closing off the hole used for turning. Mine seems to always look uneven and wavy. And then the batting in the flap areas create too much bulk. So I looked for an easier way to finish it off.

I measured the cover to determine the size of the piecing for the cover and added 1/4" to that measurement to allow for some ease for turning. To each end I added wide strips that would become the end flap. I made these about 4" wide and hemmed the outer edge. *Note: the end flaps will end up about 2" in the finished project. The flaps have no batting--just 2 layers of fabric---to reduce bulk.

On the back side I pinned a piece of batting cut to the exact size of the cover. Mine was 7 1/2" by 8". The end flaps will not have batting between the 2 layers of fabric. Then do a little quilting to hold the batting in place...this is a good place to practice some free motion quilting, or straight lines even.

Now to put it together.....quilted cover is face up. One one end, fold the end flap extension wrong sides together and bring the edge that is hemmed to meet the side seam of the pieced cover. Now fold the folded end flap towards the center of the cover ---right side to right side of fabric. Cut a piece of lining fabric to the exact of the cover unit you created. Place lining fabric right side to the cover right side. Pin at the top and bottom.

You have created the sandwich of quilted cover with the end flaps folded to the center, and topped with the lining fabric. Now turn this sandwich over, pin if needed to hold it all in place.

Almost done....just 2 seams to stitch. Stitch along the top and bottom of the sandwich you created. Stitch 1/4" from the edge. The batting will not be caught in the seam.....it won't matter because it is already quilted.

Slide your hand between the lining fabric and the cover from one of the open ends.

Now turn the whole thing inside out.

Press. Once turned inside out, this is what you see.

Now turn the end flaps back towards the lining. Done!

The lining ends are hidden and no opening to finish off, or bulk in the seam lines to trim away.

Add a closure if desired. I just stitched an elastic hair band to the back edge at the center point. When closed the band can be easily stretched over the cover to hold it closed. A ribbon and button could be used, too. Add calendar---got to keep all those doctors appointments, exams, and meeting times straight---and a small notepad in the back, if desired.
Journal covers can be done the same way, just be sure to measure the journal and add about 1/4" for ease to your measurement. A great waste not, use up the small scraps project. Actually, these would make great gifts and stocking stuffers for next Christmas. Got to add these to my gift list.
Happy stitching.

2012-01-06T07:30:00.000-05:00

Before I even thought of sewing I decided to do something with the pile of batting scraps from the 2 quilts I pinned. Waste Not---- I used a 3 step zig zag stitch to join the strips by butting the edges together. So now I have enough small batts----3 for placemats, 4 for snack mats, and about 6 for mug rugs. Now I can work on piecing the small tops at night and have plenty of things to practice on for the FMQ Challenge.

Then I cleaned the machine and got rid of all those dust / lint bunnies and put in a new needle.....it's a new year, so a new needle for quilting made sense.

I quilted the doll quilt ---number 1 of the year---using the meandering leaf design. My leaves are more heart shape on this one. I had a few bobbles along the way, but think I got the hang of it. I will try it some more and work on controlling the shape at the top to make it smoother rather than a true heart. Now on to the big ones....happy stitching.

Update: More leaves to come because Frances Moore put out a new "element" for this months FMQ design. And here I was thinking, I can do this quickly......ha, ha, the joke is on me!

FMQ Challenge

2012-01-04T15:19:00.000-05:00

I practiced a few leaves and vines this morning after watching a short video for the FMQ Challenge. I only had 2 small practice batts ready, but they worked for this. I started on paper and did a couple pages of leaves. Then I read Leah's post about memorizing quilting patterns.....great info on using a doodle pad with lines to practice designs.

The coins quilt and the water color quilt got pin basted today. I stretched the backing snugly to the kitchen island and taped it down. Then layered the batting and top and got to pinning. It takes a while, but worth it to keep the folds/tucks/wrinkles at bay. I can do about 1/2 the quilt at a time, and un-tape and shift everything to do the other half. I know that some quilters thread baste--I won't use the spray stuff because the fumes give me a severe headache, but I have had more luck with the pinning process. I really think the secret is to get the backing fabric secure and smooth before you layer the rest onto it, no matter which method you use. If the backing can't shift, then you won't have a problem.

Pinning distance....my general rule of thumb is the hand span. For me that is about 3 1/2" to 4" apart, and a little closer along the edges. Several years ago, Sir Old Man was helping me pin a quilt, and he commented that I needed some new pins. Why? "Because most of your pins are bent." ****giggle, giggle**** I finally told him, they came that way for a reason.....just a little help when pinning. The pin tip just naturally comes through the layers because it is bent up. I got more bent pins that year for Christmas.

Happy stitching.

Fabric gremlin attack

2012-01-03T14:39:00.001-05:00

I thought this was going to be the year of free motion quilting with the FMQ Challenge at Sewcalgal and Leah's special tutorials on Wednesdays......but maybe it will be a whole lot more. Or am I just under an attack by the fabric gremlins?

You know the fabric gremlins that live in your stash closet/bins/boxes....they must send out text messages or something to their pals that live in other quilter's stash. They say things like "use me!" or "cut me next" or "when is it my turn?", or "Stitchin' Therapy doesn't have ufo's. Let's get her." :D

Barbara at Catpatches is hosting or instigating a new challenge this year.....in reverse. Each month you are to begin a new project, no finishing required, and post about it at the end of the month, and wind up with 12 UFOs in December. I wonder who told her I was the perfect candidate for this! I know I am crazy for even thinking about this one, because I worked too hard to clear out those UFOs about 5 years ago.

Here is my philosophy/insight to no UFOs---or at least how to keep them under control.

Projects either get finished, or given away....even if it is the trashcan who gets it.
There are 3 big projects at a time allowed in the sewing room. Stage 1 is being cut and pieced. Stage 2 is sewn and ready for borders. Stage 3 is ready to quilt.
If I am piecing a project, I do not cut or begin a second one until the current project is sewn together. This motivates me to keep sewing and piecing, etc. and get to the next stage.
A new project may consume me and move beyond a prior project that is waiting for borders or quilting. But the rule is still only 3 big projects at a time.
Small projects---like mug rugs, or doll quilts, or small gifts--- that can be finished in an afternoon are an exception. They can jump in the mix anytime.

So reviewing the philosophy, I think I can work in a few months to participate in this one.....I have a few projects on my scheduled list and the rules don't say I can't finish....so I'm in.

And one more to consider.....from Stitched in Color. Rachel is hosting a scrap quilt along with the top to be finished by March with weekly tutorials. I'll have to see if the coin quilt I am ready to quilt will qualify for this...could be a little bit of a cheat.

Happy stitching.

Finishing the loose ends

2011-12-31T09:59:00.005-05:00

In between things this past month, I made long rows from the leftover short strips of all sizes, every color....just throw it all in to the mix. Pretty scary, huh? I just wanted to use up those short pieces and empty a container. These rows are 6 1/2" wide and about 60 inches long. Makes a great waste not project.

Yesterday, I put it together into a coin quilt. I used 3" wide bands between each row, and added a 5" border on all sides. So it is now ready to pin and quilt and become a donation quilt for my guild Habitat for Humanity project.

And to fulfill my promise for a doll quilt for each project finished, I did a small one that is also ready to quilt. These strips were too short for the big one....the rows are 5 inches wide with a 2 inch band in the center.

Since I was on a roll, I added a border to the strip pieced water color that I never finished. This is the one I put together during the strip piecing tutorial. It is a small lap throw about 45" by 60".

So 2 + to quilt and finish. No UFOs hanging around here. The design wall is bare. Nature abhors a vacuum, and that means I will be putting something up there soon.

Hint: It could be time to pull out the gridded interfacing.

Happy New Year and happy stitching.

Bring on the new year!

2011-12-28T13:14:00.001-05:00

2011 in review......I began doing journal quilts to explore new techniques, I tried a few small landscapes, and tackled curves, and fell in love the the easy bargello technique. I made a graduation quilt and one for a wedding gift, and found my comfort zone for machine applique. Wow, 2011 was a great adventure and I proclaim it the year of exploration for me. Why did I wait so long to try some of these things?

Free My Spirit:batiks and curves; bargello; Higher Hope: scrap braid: art project and a landscape

Vertical strip quilt; Cobblestone Lane: batik scraps; landscapes;

Heads Up: watercolor with applique; graduation quilt

String me Along: scraps and applique; Coming and Going: watercolor art quilt;

English Window: watercolor;

art projects; Summer of Love: scrap quilt a la Bonnie Hunter; My bargello

I don't do resolutions. I won't stick to them. I know that much about myself. Instead, I review my insights from the last year and hopefully learn a thing or two. From 2011, my best insights to me.....

Be inspired to find your own way.
Step back and look at things a second time. They just might look different a few days later. If not, leave it on the design board or find the trash can.
Give a UFO a face lift, or a re-do.
Free motion quilting is like a signature.
Not every thing turns out the way it was begun. Live with it and learn. A good life lesson in this small project.
Fabric is expensive. Leftover blocks and strings = $. Find a reason or way to use them. Somehow... that means I saved money!
Some things are to be enjoyed from a distance. The true worth and beauty lies beneath the surface. So stitch some Heart into your quilts and don't take things too seriously.
Seeing someone I love snuggled under a quilt I made for them, just priceless.
Exercise the body, relax the mind, release creativity!
If you see a need in your community, step up and offer to help. When others ask for help, lend a hand. And when you need help, ask for it. You might find that Mrs. Claus lives near you.

So what's in store for next year? I have gone through my inspiration and ideas files from magazines---and added a few more pages. I ran across things that I set aside to work on for this next year. I put these into a separate folder to keep by my work area just in case I need motivation. I am also renewing the process pledge to myself and to you to share how and what I do.

I signed up for the Free Motion Challenge at Sewcalgal . 12 different teachers...one each month to share their expertise....work at your own pace. I need to get some practice batts together.
More color talk on the way. I am working on a guest post on chosing a color scheme. Wish me luck with this one.
Watercolor wall hangings......I have a couple of ideas to explore, and several new packs of fusible intrfacing to work with. Now if I can just find a bit more wall space to hang them on.
At least one scrap quilt I have promised to make. I have an inspiration...and lots of new fabric.
T-shirt quilts.....Justin left me 2 huge piles of T- shirts to work through.....help!
Doll quilts....of course. One for every project I complete.
Ideas and a list made for gifts for next year.

I think that's enough to get me rolling. So, what do you have planned?

Happy stitching.

A memory gift.....

2011-12-26T11:39:00.000-05:00

Do you know your love language? A love language is what speaks the loudest to you and tells you that you are loved. Some people need actual gifts, others need words of affection, or touch. Mine is the gift of quality time and service, and that is the type of gifts I prefer to give as well. Guess that explains why I love to give quilts as gifts, and see Christmas dinner---lots of time and service there---as a gift to my family.
So Sir Old Man and I came up with the idea of giving a special memory to Remy for Christmas. He has a few small things to tear open, but we hope this one is what he will remember. Remy loves to play with tools....drills and hammers, and we thought about a toy tool bench. But plastic tools just don't hit the mark when you have Mom's cordless drill to figure out, and see all Dad's big tools. But, what if you got to actually build something and hold the drill and set in the screws, and actually work in the wood shop? Now, this has possibilities, don't you think?
The wood pieces are cut, the holes are pre-drilled, and Uncle Russ, his Dad, and big brother will be the mentors in the shop. I made up a picture card to go with the wood pieces.

The afterward: Unfortunately I am having trouble loading the photos of Remy with the drill....just take my work for it, he put in all 16 screws and smeared/spread the glue in all the joints. So much fun to watch his concentration as he worked. I think the adults enjoyed it more than he did.....that's OK by me.
Update...photos!

I did manage to get 2 photos added.....see the intense concentration and hard work!

So after all the gifts were opened, and the wrappings cleaned up, and dinner was shared, I took a few moments to watch all my loved ones interact yesterday. The moments that took my breath away.....that I will hold so close to my heart.
Peter and Trey touching the blocks that their mother made which I turned into quilts for them. I barely held back the tears as I watched.
Deana hugging her yarn....."Strawberry Shortcake" dyed sock yarn and then watching Trey be the yarn tree as she wound it into a ball later.
My brother and Russ cleaning up the kitchen and washing dishes. A wonderful gift to me!
Peter on the floor with Natalie as she learned to string the beads and make jewelry with them.
Remy in Justin's lap playing Wi......Cars racing game.
Jen figuring out......"You make all this food so they can take home leftovers."
Nothing like a family day to make you realize what matters the most in life. The time we share together.

Location, location

2011-12-22T14:48:00.001-05:00

Yesterday we cleaned, and cleaned, and then I tackled the sewing room. Disarray is not a strong enough word, it was a disaster zone. Books and fabric, batting scraps and fusing scraps......enough already. I want to start off the new year with an organized area, so I don't spend --make that waste---time looking for something I need. I need the energy for creativity.

Now all the books, magazines, sketch books, and printed patterns and ideas are in one location. That means you won't be tripping over a stack of books on the way to the stash closet.

I moved the small stand with the thread drawers.....now all the thread is in one location, and by the machine where it is used. That makes more sense than having to trip over the stack of books to find the right bin on a shelf.
I am sensing a pattern here.....location, location, location. Works in real estate, I think it's a good idea for the sewing room.

Then there was the stash closet that I re-did last spring. It really just needed a bit of straightening up. I tried the "push on the walls" to break free---like in the TV commercial. Take my word, it doesn't work like that in the real world, so I used a crowbar to wedge in the new fabric I bought.

But there was a serendipity.....I found a really neat piece of fabric that I had acquired for free. Not cotton, but a challis print. I love the swirly, loopy print. It is a great inspiration print for quilting. I think I will keep a piece handy and practice sketching it.
Anyway, I had another sort of inspiration too. I turned it into a 15 minute project for a "me" gift. A long drapey scarf with bias ends. I cut a piece about 72" long and 18" wide, folded it in half, cut the ends on an angle, stitched, turned, pressed and stitched the edges. Done!

My family begins to arrive tomorrow, and I will be baking apple pie and pumpkin cheesecake. I am right on schedule.....happy stitching.

Waste not project

2011-12-20T11:44:00.000-05:00

Bigger than a mug rug, and smaller than a place mat.....maybe a snack rug? By any name, I think these turned out cute. Just using up scraps and a few saved motifs for applique---fused of course---for a waste not project.

These should be perfect for us.....love the dancing reindeer and cardinal. I need to start earlier this next year and make sets of these for gifts.
Happy stitching.

Hoping for a better cut

2011-12-18T12:33:00.000-05:00

It was time. The old mat died, or at least I proclaimed it dead. I've always used the Olfa green mat, you know the stinky, smelly ones, that need to air out for about 6 weeks before you can stand to use them. The large 24" by 36" has been used and abused, I guess, for too long. It quit "self-healing" a few years ago, and developed some flaked and chipped spots --on both side--that I tried to avoid. It put many a ding in the rotary cutter blades. I thought these things lasted a life time, and it was only about 20 years old. Then it literally cracked---yes, a long 3 inch crack appeared.
So a little research and ......

This is the mat I chose....Gingher cutting mat . I waited till I had a 50% off coupon, and thought it was a good deal. It is thick....at least 3 times as thick as the old one. And lots of line, angles, and shaded grids to help with squaring up. The other side is a different color way....in blues. I use the lines for fabric and ruler placement...not for the accurate cutting. I like the grids for a quick eyeball on keeping things square. And maybe my blades will last a while longer now.....they now slice thru fabric like butter.
So if you need a new mat, or have a gift card, or just deserve an improvement....consider this mat. The old mat is being relegated to a paint/stain/glue whatever work area cover up. I couldn't find a decent size area to salvage for a small mat....just too many flaking areas. Yes, it was time for a better cutting surface.
Happy stitching.

Yeasty aromas

2011-12-16T10:44:00.002-05:00

Fabulous aromas filled the kitchen yesterday as I pulled the cheese filled bread from the ovens. I love that yeasty smell of fresh bread. I wrapped some for the neighbors and then filled the freezer with the rest for next week---and one especially for nephew, Justin. He does love bread.
I used my basic herb bread recipe for the bread machine. I make the dough in the machine---or rather the machine does it for me---then I divide the dough, pat it out and fill with a cheese blend and roll it up for the pans. This year I used cheddar and Gouda.

The last item is crossed off the list---so I can breathe easier now. That gives me a couple of days to sew a bit and get that fabric washed up and put away before the family begins to arrive. Today is a veteran's pinning and recognition ceremony at the nursing home where Russ' Dad is. We pulled out his old photo albums of WWII to take to share. I hope he is having a good day and will enjoy it.

I created a flickr group for Get Your Mrs Claus On photos . I have a few photos up and will be adding to it. Feel free to add your own photo of your doll quilt to it. Those quilting angels at HGTV quilting forum are on a big roll already. Every state is taken on their list! And I heard the first one is on its way....so awesome.
Happy stitching.

I must have been good because

2011-12-14T09:56:00.002-05:00

...because the birthday angels arrived with sewing items in tow. There's so much fabric here, that I think I should put it under the tree and pretend I didn't open it! OK, I didn't need it, but it was on sale and the colors are glorious and the prints were fabulous.....I am making excuses for the excess. I did sew up a lot of strip scraps yesterday.....now I can make more. Thank you fabric angel!

And the woodworking angel did not forget me either. I got thread spindles! Do you think he was inspired by the knitter? Or maybe he was just tired of hearing me fume when the large cone would not fit on my machine, and sitting on the table it would dance its way off onto the floor. I had tried the tall plastic spool holder----a total waste of $----because they are too light weight and flimsy. The cones are too large for a mug or jar, so I was forever complaining. I do believe he solved my problem.

HGTV Quilting Forum update.....all but 2 states are committed to for the doll quilts for 2012! What a very special gift today to read that. One third of the project is covered before the new year starts. I finished up one top yesterday while sewing strips and strings for a coin quilt. So I know I have 51! Thank you, quilting angels at HGTV Forum.
The bread is rising and I need to grate the cheeses....happy stitching.

Batches of cookies and a treasure

2011-12-13T12:28:00.001-05:00

Seven batches of cookies fresh from the oven. Oatmeal and fruit bars instead of fruit cake....which no one would eat, except Sir Old man and me. The sugar cookies are our knitter's favorite.

Both of these ornaments were from Deana.....the dove she made in kindergarten when she as probably 4 or 5. The knitted stocking she gave me a couple of years ago. But the ornament that takes front and center every year on the tree, and the one she wishes I would lose is........

I have ornaments on the tree that are costly, hand blown glass, hand carved, and very beautiful. But the humble one, simply made of felt, grabs my heart every time. Thank you, we love you.
Insight: The dearest things in life are the simplest ones from the heart.

I'm not always so sappy, sometimes I turn into the grinch during the holidays...especially when it is time to pull out all the "stuff". I was so glad to realize someone gets this way too, so if you missed this post at Butterfly quilting, go read it. I needed to laugh at myself over this.
Tomorrow is bread baking day. I'm off to the sewing room for a couple of hours to tame some scraps and start on strips for a coin quilt. Happy stitching.

3, 2, 1....and 50?

2011-12-11T12:45:00.001-05:00

No peeking, if you are family...I mean it.

Three carved Santas. Discovered at the bottom of the greenery box and not seen in a few years. I feel like they are new.

Two finished gifts, labeled and bound. Salvaged blocks are finished for son in law and his brother.

And a completed prototype......a yarn spindle.

Sir Old Man has been busy on his list of projects and this one is almost finished. It is a 2 piece spindle--for the knitter in our life--- that turns as you pull the yarn from the skein. I tested it out and it works great. The top portion spins smoothly and the base is weighty enough to not tip over.
This week is baking time.....cookies, and breads. And just maybe I will get the sewing room floor uncovered between batches of cookies. What am I going to do with all these strings and scraps? Probably a doll quilt or two! Over at the HGTV Qulting Forum, I heard that Mrs. Santa from Texas has begun organizing a plan for next year's Get Your Mrs. Claus On already. Their goal is to have a doll quilt from every state to donate! That's the 50! What an amazing group they are.

FMQ Swirls

2011-12-07T19:33:00.000-05:00

More comments and questions on the swirls. From an email this week....... Nicki wrote.... "I just wanted to show you a pic of my first attempt at free motion swirls. WOW, it looked a lot better on paper than it does on the fabric... :) I still have stippling in my head when I'm doing this so this is going to take practice, practice, practice. The back side had TONS of those little "eyelashes" all over it. I'm not sure what to do to correct those......."

She prompted me to really give some details on this FMQ of swirls. First, eye-lashing is usually from moving the fabric too fast. The bobbin thread is pulled too tight and thus pulls the top thread to the back and the curves have "eyelashes". How to correct this: Slow down. Slow down your machine speed and slow down the movement of the hands and the fabric. You don't have to creep or crawl along, but just going wide open, pedal to the metal is not working here. An explanation from Leah Day at 365 Days of Quilting ---she controls her speed of the machine by using a light touch and "feathering" her pedal. At some points she speeds up and at others she goes slower.

A slower and steady movement of the fabric equals better control. Practice is the only way to achieve this....no pain, no gain....practice. I use music when I FMQ to keep a steady rhythm.

Start on paper. Try to copy this design to practice. This is a design from Wendy at Ivory Spring.....she's a amazing fmq expert! Pay attention to your hand movements, and note where you naturally pause and when you move faster. That's the hint for how to stitch the pattern. Like driving----slow in the curves, and more speed on the straight way!
I'm not the total guru, but I think I've figured this pattern out. You will still find that my stitches are not always perfect, but I try to be consistent. Sometimes I don't get a perfect curl, just keep going because it's a big quilt. And the quilt police or detectives are ~~shot~~ ~~poked with a long needle~~ escorted out the door on sight!

Here's my Step by step guide:
1. Begin with a curl that is at least a 3/4 circle that almost closes.
2. Pause to create a good point before you circle back.
3. Gradually increase your width and spacing as you curl back around to create the first swirl. Note that your return curve should bring you back in line or close to the tip or point of the curl---like the large swirl at the bottom of the page.
4. Then create a curl in the opposite direction.
The deeper tighter center in the curls really look the best.

That will give you a fleur-di-lis effect that is the basis of this open FMQ design. I enlarged my photo to really show this part of the pattern. (And you can see the curls are not perfect!) The spacing on here looks huge, but really the area between stitching is 3/4" to an inch at the widest section of the swirl.
    Add swirls--single and in pairs--in different directions. Throw in an "s-curl" for interest and to change direction. I use the curved line that looks like a scallop  to move to a new area. I had worked myself into a corner and needed a way out----so a curved line moved me out into the open.
   Now you know my secrets. And in 2012 you will have a chance to learn from the real experts through the Free Motion Challenge at Sewcalgal . Check out what will be happening soon.

   Happy stitching.

Deliveries to be made

2011-12-05T21:27:00.001-05:00

Toys on display tonight at the Christmas Dinner for the Greenville Woodworkers Guild.

And the little guy in the sleigh matches the quilt he is displayed on!

These are a great sampling of the trucks and cars that the elves made this year.

Big trucks, and fast cars with speed stripes and daisies! See the little gingerbread men on the side of the sleigh? And the 2 cradles below.....the free hand painting was so beautiful.....are being delivered to A Child's Haven in the morning. There will be some very bright eyes when they see these!

There were lots of wonderful praises to all the Mrs. Clauses......Thank you, from all the elves.
Freda, Mrs. Claus in NC                                    Kathy, Mrs. Claus in Ohio
Mary, Mrs. Claus in Texas                                 Dana, Mrs. Claus in Florida
Nancy, Mrs. Claus in California                        Bea, Mrs. Claus in France
Michele,Mrs. Claus in Canada                           Andrea, Mrs. Claus in Ohio
Sandra, Mrs. Claus in California                     Claire, Mrs. Claus in New Hampshire
Theresa, Mrs. Claus in California                      Cheree, Mrs. Claus in Kansas
Nicki, Mrs. Claus in Texas                                Sio, Mrs. Claus in Georgia
Kathy, Mrs. Claus in North Carolina                 Janet, Mrs. Claus in Utah
Sandy, Mrs. Claus in South Carolina                 Ann, Mrs. Claus in South Carolina
Valerie, Mrs. Claus in New Jersey                   Beth, Mrs. Claus in Tennessee
Teresa, Mrs. Claus in Indiana

   I could not have done it without your help. Merry Christmas to all. And to all a good night.
I am tired.....happy stitching.

Crossing things off the list

2011-12-02T12:29:00.001-05:00

I'm a list maker. I need to have a list in front of me to get things done...1. so I don't forget and have one of those awful senior moments and walk in circles 2. because I love the sense of accomplishment when I can cross something off!

I get to cross off small gifts for 6 people......that leaves 4 more to do. I can get that done.
Cheese ball and bread made for Production Team party tonight.....cross that off.
Tree up and decorated......tree is up but not decorated. No check mark there yet. Tomorrow for sure.
Mrs. Claus project.....doll quilts delivered to guild, emails sent to Mrs. Clauses everywhere. Mark it done!....the Christmas dinner is Monday night, so look for the final photos on Tuesday, I hope.
Finish the 2 lap quilts for gifts....they are quilted and just need to be bound and labeled. I will finish them! Can't show the fronts, but here is one of the backs. I really worked on the swirls on them. Try as I might, I can't get my swirls to look like the ones that Wendy at Ivory Spring does. I decided to just concentrate on the spacing and keeping it more open and even.

Insight: Free motion quilting is like a signature. My vines, leaves, or swirls are an expression of how my brain speaks through my hands to the fabric and thread. I've never been able to follow a drawn line, so how can I expect to duplicate someone else's pattern! So take heart if you are learning to free motion quilt.....find a pattern, practice on paper, then practice on fabric until you make it your own.

One final thing.....do you applique? I won this pattern and package of applique needles and want to pass it on to someone who will put them to good use. Leave me a comment about your last applique project, must be a follower, and December 4th at 5 pm. I will pick someone to send this to.

Back to the list....happy stitching.

Update and a frame up!

2011-11-28T12:06:00.001-05:00

The last and I believe final batch of doll quilts made by Mrs. Clauses across the country, Canada, and France......they will be delivered this week to the workshop for the elves to match to a doll bed, stroller or cradle. I did some quick calculating and figured out that I have quilted enough of these in 3 weeks to equal at least 2 full size quilts! ;0) Happy dance, and lots of hugs to all who helped make this project a huge success in MHO. Final number, you ask.....83!! Not one too many, not one less than needed, but exactly the number those elves needed to fill their orders. Now, doesn't that give you goose bumps? I can't say thank you enough.

I have 2 lap quilts ready to quilt for gifts, but I have been looking for something small that I could give everyone as gift from my hands and heart.
I ran across a neat little project at Bejeweledquilts that would make quick gifts for Christmas. So here's the first attempt at the photo frame. I used narrow cording instead of ribbon to hold the photo in place. I tried a second one, and decided the cording is a plain pain in the neck to get it placed just right.
Light bulb moment!!! How about corners like in a regular old-fashioned photo album? The first try and I got the corners a little too large, One more time and I do believe I figured it out.

One the top one I used 2 1/2" squares folded on the diagonal, and the bottom photo of fur-kids---and Deana holding Phoebe--- used 2" squares and worked much better.

My second change to original pattern is to use interfacing to give the center some support for the photo. The first one I finished with batting and just a few lines of straight stitches for quilting. It seemed just a little floppy. A little interfacing does make a big improvement.

Fabric Photo Frame....

Measure your photo to be sure of the center size. I used 4" by 6" photos.
Cut center rectangle fabric the size of photo plus 3/4". Mine was cut 43/4" by 63/4".
Cut medium weight interfacing to photo size. Mine was cut 4" by 6".
Fuse interfacing to the back of the center fabric, centering the interfacing and leaving seam allowance clear on all sides.
Cut strip of fabric 2 1/2" wide by the full width of fabric. If you are using scraps, piece them together to get 4 sections at least 10 inches long. ( A great waste not idea!)
For the folded corner holders....cut 4 squares at 2". Press in half on the diagonal.

To the right side of the center square place a folded triangle in each corner matching the raw edges. Pin in place. (Note: The shadow area you see in the above photo is the interfacing on the wrong side of the center rectangle.)

Place border fabric right side to the right side of the center rectangle.....the corner triangles are sandwiched in between the 2 fabrics. Stitch together using a 1/4 inch seam. Press open. Repeat for all 4 sides. Press and square up to the size you desire. Make sure the corners are square.

Now create your sandwich to quilt and finish off. I did 2 the regular quilt way and used binding to finish the edges. A quicker finish is to do the pillow edge finish. I did a short version to explain this when making the doll quilts....here's a little more detail.

I make a sandwich of batting on the bottom, the backing fabric right side up, and the front fabric face down. The batting and backing are cut oversize--about 1 inch or so. I press all three layers together and pin with a few straight pins.
Then stitch around all 4 sides, leaving a 3 inch opening for turning. The batting is against the feed dogs, and the front fabric is face up and is my guide------just stitch 1/4" from the edge.

Then turn the sandwich over and clip away the excess batting....right up to the stitching line. Keep your scissors flat and against the fabric and cut the batting away.
Then trim the extra backing even with the front fabric.

Clip the extra fabric from the corners.....you can get really close. Now turn the frame right side out....poke out the corners with a turner or chopstick---it works for me.
Press....press well. I use steam and press first from the back, making sure the seam is on the edge and not tucked inside.

I then also press from the front and make sure the opening is even. Stitch along the edge about 1/8" from edge to close the opening. Quilt it with a few straight seams.

Questions...let me know if I wasn't clear.

Here's the group I finished up today.

I love matching the fabric and style to different personalities.....I know the purple one is going to Natalie, and the batik one will go to Justin.....yes, Deana, you can have the Abbey Road fabric one.

Oh, yeah....how to hang them up???? A strip of adhesive magnetic tape on the back and they can go on the fridge. Or just a pushpin and onto the corkboard. A ribbon loop and they can hang anywhere. Just a great small gift, stock stuffer idea.

OK, got fabric, need to quilt....happy stitching.

P.S....before I sign off.....please be careful out there on-line. Run your virus scan daily. Be careful about opening emails with no subject....and don't click those links in them. Just a word to the wise.

'Tis the season

2011-11-26T13:02:00.000-05:00

I really felt the need to create, to try something new this morning after cleaning up the mess in the sewing room. I still have the last 2 doll quilts from Mrs. Claus in Indiana---thank you---to finish up. But a little play time beckoned.

Scraps of deep reds and greens on white.....a little bit of "bottled" Christmas to make a candle mat. I am sure you have seen the bottled rainbow quilts around blog land....with just random scraps grouped by colorway set in mosaic style on a bordered background. They are usually done in the quilt as you go style by stitching directly on to the batting for each block and then joining them. Since this one was to be small, I just created 3 panels, stitching the scraps--raw edge covered with a zig zag stitch-- to the white. Then I added borders in the usual way. I even got to use my new Sewline glue pen....yes, I do like it a lot, not messy and easy to hold.

I decided to trying some pebbling for the quilting in the border. Tiny pebbling......I love the texture it gives, but my circles are all different sizes and uneven, and boy, does it take a ton of thread to do. This requires practice. I think I will leave that for another day. Happy stitching.

Holiday tradition

2011-11-23T12:00:00.000-05:00

Update on Get Your Mrs. Claus On: An email from Richard "the Elf"..... The first delivery of doll beds and cradles went to St. Anthony School. "The sight of all the blankets bowled her over. She was most appreciative. Thank you again on behalf of the kids." A few more quilts arrived......and I got 6 more finished up. I will get photos of the latest group this weekend. Thank you again, to all the Mrs. Clauses.

It's going to be quiet Thanksgiving here--no cooking! no leftovers, yay!... so I thought I would get a jump on the December preparations.
There are always one or two things that bring back memories of past holiday seasons. For me it is when I pull down---or rather ask Sir Old Man to get down ---my Mom's old dish pan. It's an old enameled oval one with dings and dents, white with black trim, and the size of a turkey roaster. It's just the size for a triple batch of a family tradition.....Chex Mix! And you thought I was going to say cookies.

This pan has been filled with cookie dough, snapped green beans for canning, strawberries we picked for jam, and so on. It resides on the top of a kitchen cabinet now. But once again, this year is brings forth the memories it holds.

My mom used to make batches of her Chex Mix and give it to the neighbors, the mail man--he would wait each year for his bag--and then bring up huge gallon size jars filled for the family to devour over Thanksgiving or Christmas.

One year I made my mix and used Emeril's Bam seasoning and got it toooooo spicy. I have since learned that too much Bam is not a good thing.
And last year, Remy was introduced to this snack. He quickly figured out which pieces he liked best, the cheez it crackers, and then he would try to put back the pretzels and nuts!
My triple batch version is simple:
1 box each of corn, wheat, rice, chex cereal
1 box of cheez it crackers
1 large can or jar of honey roasted peanuts (slight sweetness to balance the salty)
1 bag of butter flavor pretzels
3 sticks of butter melted
7 Tbsp of Worcestershire sauce
3 teaspoons of season salt
1/2 teaspoon of garlic
Combine all the cereals, nuts, and crackers and pretzels. Combine melted butter with seasonings. Drizzle over the dry ingredients and toss well to coat. Spread onto large cookie trays and bake at 250 degrees for 1 hours and 15 mins. Stir every 15 minutes. Cool and store in air tight containers.

Now it is time to wash the dish pan, dry it well, and store it back on top of the cabinet. Do you have something that holds wonderful family memories?
I am thankful for all the wonderful things in my life, and all the trials. I am thankful for projects begun, and projects finished....and all those scraps. I am thankful for sunny days, and misty mornings, and moonlit nights. I am thankful for hands to hold, friends to call, and those who touch my life along the way. These are the moments that take my breath away. A happy and blessed Thanksgiving to you all.

A photo finish

2011-11-22T06:00:00.000-05:00

80 + doll quilts........

OK, I still have 6 of them to finish off completely, but the end is in sight. Now, that I see them all I know why I have been so tired. I know I could not have managed this without so many who helped. Thank you.

Look for plans for the 2012 campaign in September of next year. I plan on making a doll quilt from the scraps of each project I finish during next year to have a head start for then. I hope you will join me and become a Mrs. Claus, too. One more time......... Thank you to each and every Mrs. Claus who helped make this project a success this year. Blessings to each of you.

Happy stitching.....Debbie

A little hope in the mail

2011-11-19T08:49:00.001-05:00

Have you ever been so busy, involved in a project, just going on adrenaline, that you hit the wall and wonder how to finish? It is day 14 and I am almost out of steam. And just when you need it most a little something comes along and lifts you up.............for me, it was a doll quilt top.

This arrived from Mrs. Claus in California . A cardinal featured on this one! A cardinal....my heart lifted when I saw it.....is my personal symbol of hope. It reminds me to cherish all the things in life. I use a cardinal in my quilts, either on the front or back. It symbolizes the gift of my heart and who I want to be...energetic, one who loves life, and helps others when I can. Even in the darkest of times, there is hope.

So thank you, Teresa, for giving me a lift.

The stack is higher....it reminds me of the "Princess and the Pea" fairy tale! New quilts added from Mrs. Claus Quiltnanny and Mrs. Claus City/Sandie from the HGTV Quilt Message Board. Thank you so much. And a big hug and thank you to Mrs. Claus from Gray Court that spent the afternoon with me yesterday finishing up the dozen tops in the workroom.

Happy stitching.

The quilt tale of Mrs. Claus continues

2011-11-17T10:26:00.001-05:00

Mrs. Claus did a drop in visit to the toy shop today and caught the chief toymaker, Tom, painting a few doll strollers. See the cradle drying (on its head).....a volunteer artist had been by to do some special painting for the elves. A peek into the small room and what did she see? Doll beds, and cradles, and strollers in all stages of assembly.

Then back home to find packages on the door step.....full of little quilts. The stack is growing!

Wonderful little quilts from Mrs. Claus in Texas--Nicki from the HGTV Quilt board, Mrs. Claus in Florida, Mrs. Claus in Georgia, Mrs. Claus in Kansas . Thank you all so much......

The phone rings......What? Yes, I think so.

It's that pesky elf again.....the one who is making toy deliveries on TUESDAY!!!! Yikes, he wants 35 quilts. Quick do a count, do I have enough for Tuesday? 1,2,3,.....................53 finished quilts! Yes, we can.

Just to let you know, no quilt turned away, all loved, and all are needed. The toy makers are pulling out all the stops and working in shifts to fill the toy wishes of little ones across the area. The first delivery is to The Children's Hospital. The Ronald McDonald House has sent in a list too, now.

This Mrs. Claus has lots to do before she rests--10 more to finish in the workroom, but she wanted to share her thanks and appreciation to each and every one of you--I am trying hard not to overlook a single one of you---- for helping in this project. Can you tell I am excited? Hugs and happy stitching.

Still got your Mrs.Claus on?

2011-11-15T12:08:00.001-05:00

The growing stack! That's my husbands childhood chair under all the doll quilts....31 finished doll quilts. Six more yet to be finished in the workroom. And I got a note from Bea in France that she put a doll quilt in the mail today. Visit her blog, say hello, and enjoy. She does wonderful scrap quilts a la Bonnie Hunter.

Before the weather changes tomorrow--rain--I wanted a couple of outdoor photos.

The doll quilts are so colorful, and such variety in the patterns and fabrics. I kind of went over board on some of the quilting I did on the unfinished ones. Do you remember that I like swirls?

These are just the right size for practicing on. A great way to learn to free motion quilt. I used YLI soft touch thread for these.

If you still have your Mrs. Claus on, check in with Shelia at her blog and read about her pillowcase project for Shriner's Hospital. I hope to get a couple made to help.

Happy stitching.

A quick tutorial--raw edge

2011-11-14T14:09:00.000-05:00

Thank you all for the votes and support.....Remembrance won the in the weekly contest! So awesome.....

Update: The mail truck arrived while putting this together.....and she wanted to know what was going on!! Packages from Mrs. Claus in Kansas, Texas, Utah, and North Carolina arrived today. Photos and details tomorrow. Thank you so much. I am so excited. Now, to the tutorial.

Among the emails this week, was a question about raw edge applique like I did on the French Roses quilt. That sparked me to do a doll quilt--what else?--with this technique. This hasn't been washed yet, but the edges will fray and fluff up when it is.

So here is a quick tutorial for this simple technique.

For the background I sewed 4 3-inch strips together to get the width and length I wanted. If you want to do this in a block to block construction, cut your background block to the desired size.

Find a pattern of a flower, or draw your own onto freezer paper. This is a single layer flower with a center and leaves. The shape is slightly curved, with shallow curves. You need one flower, one center, and one or two leaves for each applique.

Cut out the pattern and press it on to the right side of the fabric for the applique. Cut out the fabric by the pattern.

Decide on placement for the applique.

Remove the freezer paper from the fabric. To the wrong side of the fabric, dab a little glue in the center of the piece to hold it in place. I used lapel stick----a little too much here, but I wanted it to show :)

Then place the pieces onto the background fabric.

Note: You can just pin the appliques in place, if you prefer. If you are using multiple layers, then pin and do not use glue.

Then set your sewing machine to a small stitch, about 20 stitches per inch. I used white thread so my stitching would show up. Normally I would use a matching color.....but once the raw edges fluff, the white will not be noticeable. Stitch about 1/4" inch from the raw edge all the way around each applique.

Note: If you are using 2 or 3 layers on top of each other for the flower, then cut away the background fabric inside the stitching line before adding the next smaller layer. Add the next layer, stitch and cut away the underneath fabric each time. This eliminates the bulk from so many layers of fabric.

That's it....easy, quick, and so cute. OK, off to finish up some things. Happy stitching.

Reporting from the workroom

2011-11-13T11:00:00.000-05:00

Day 7..................This is the final assembly set up in the workroom in South Carolina. Doll quilts ready to quilt, doll quilts sandwiched and ready to stitch, stack of backing pieced, stack of batting ready to go.

I met Mrs. Claus from Greer and added her 2 cradle quilts to the growing stack.
Then the mail arrived and Mrs. Claus in Ohio sent in 10 tops for the project.
Visit Mrs. Claus at The Morning Latte and see her wonky stars! So cute.
Then drop in to see Mrs. Claus in Utah at The Rogue Quilter.

It was like Christmas here when I opened the box from Mrs. Claus in NC a couple of days ago. She included some backings and batting and the nicest note with the 12 tops.
Please visit these Mrs. Clauses and leave them a comment, say thank you....you get the idea.

And one more reported via email from Quiltnanny on the HGTV board.......so cute and colorful. I can't stop saying thank you.

The stack is growing.

Did you note...day 7. Only one week Yes, so much response and help coming in....I do believe we are going to accomplish this!!!
Two more Mrs. Claus signed up this morning......I will update as things arrive. Thank you to all for the help.
Back to stitching.

For all our Veterans

2011-11-12T07:57:00.001-05:00

Remembrance......Poppies standing tall in the sunshine to honor our veterans.
Bea, my lovely friend from France, emailed me to remind me I did not post about this. ( I only entered it in the weekly contest at Quilting Gallery at the last minute when Michele asked for entries. ) I figured I had enough on my plate to do with the doll quilts!
The background for this wall hanging is partly a watercolor that I blended with light colored batik cobblestone blocks. The poppies, standing proud in the sunshine, were machine appliqued and accented with a little thread painting. There are several older posts about the design processs...here and here, too .
The symbolism of the poppy---from Flanders Field poem ---touches us all. Many gave so we might live free. Thank you.

Quilt Tale #5

2011-11-11T07:28:00.000-05:00

I have a dearly loved quilt made by my grandmother for me. There are patches cut from my old clothes among the pieces. It went with me to college and is well worn, and stored away now. Many of us have one of those, or have made quilts from our father's ties, old blue jeans, and thrift store shirts. I ran across this story on the Bloggers Quilt Festival and received permission to share it with you. It's a great story that reminds us why we quilt, and not letting go.

This is a tale of recycle and salvage. The quilter planned her design around the idea of using a pile of blue fabrics from her stash, and included some fabrics from work shirts belonging to her husband, some old jeans and a bunch of non-standard quilting fabrics.
Let me add here, that the pattern caught my eye first. Of course, it would. It's a bargello. And I do have a thing for bargello patterns.
But, read on.

The quilter says, "Unfortunately, one of those fabrics in particular did not work out as planned. .... It was a Chinese brocade made of polyester/nylon. I knew it probably shouldn't have gone in the dryer, but... well... sometimes these things just happen. And sometimes they happen more than once. I didn't realize when I made it that it would become the house favorite and greatly abused. It has been used as a picnic blanket, a throw, a dog bed, it's gone camping...... but the dryer has destroyed that brocade and, clearly, it needed a rework."

Yes, repair was needed. And her first thoughts were to replace those worn patches. But here she gets very creative and has a light bulb moment!

Patches equal applique! This quilter salvaged her family's much loved quilt by appliqueing hearts over the worn and frayed patches. And it lives on for another season of family fun and love.
So...recycled fabric and clothes makes quilt the family loves. Time and use causes wear on some fabrics. The symbol of love rescues the quilt for the family that loves it. Recycle and Salvage.

Moral of this quilt tale: Salvage that family quilt with love. It has more adventures to go on!

Quilt tale is from Cecily at Craftopotomus (click here to read her original post and get the details on how she accomplished this salvage). Thanks so much for allowing me to share your quilt tale. It's a great story to remember.
Happy stitching.

And the winner is.....

2011-11-10T04:00:00.000-05:00

First, let me say thank you to you all for commenting and helping me celebrate. I wish I had 2 dozen wall hangings to give away.

So to the number generator and the winner is......

Number 9----Lynne

Yes, that was the number that came up..... Lynne has been my behind the scene supporter this past week with daily emails and encouragement for the doll quilt project. One last look before I pack up the wall hanging and send it off to Australia! Glad it will have a good home. Congratulations!

This Mrs. Claus did some sewing on 14 doll quilts today! The little cuties are ready to be turned, pressed, and quilt.
Check out what Mrs. Claus at Seeing Stars is doing. Thank you.
Happy stitching.

Update on Mrs. Claus

2011-11-09T06:00:00.000-05:00

Bang the drums and clash the cymbals......I think the number is 60!
   Great notes to find in your inbox.....................
From a quilter on the HGTV Quilting Board:
I will be sending 6 quilts for the project around the first of next week. I just wanted to let you know the count so you have an idea how to plan. Mine that I send will be finished little quilts (top, batting, backing & quilting already complete & ready to go).

From a quilter--I have no idea how she found out about this:
I have five tops ready to go in the mail...just send me your address! (see how easy this is!)

From a quilter, who happens to live in my area:
Last night, while blog-hopping to see the quilts from Judy Laquidara’s Design Wall Monday, I came across your request for doll quilts/tops for the Woodworkers Guild’s Christmas toys project.
I have just finished 2 very scrappy tops. One is the cradle size and the other is the bed size.

So when I say the number is 60, I could be very wrong, and wouldn't that be a good thing!  I know there is still a lot of stitching to be done on my part, but what a lot of wonderful help I discovered in blog land.

   Insight: If you see a need in your community, step up and offer to help. When others ask for help, lend a hand. And when you need help, ask for it.   You might find that Mrs. Claus lives near you.

Update: Want to see some little quilts..check these out.
Wonky stars at The Morning Latte by Cheree
Kathy's been very busy

Thanks so much, everyone has been so wonderful. Happy stitching.

Score: 2 wins, 1 loss

2011-11-08T08:15:00.000-05:00

Thanks for the votes over the weekend on the travel quilt. No win, but a very nice third and lots of wonderful comments. I saw a Moose is a very special quilt to me, and I've never shown it except on this blog.
The first win was from Joan at Moose Stash Quilting for the software from My Memories!

It is really a scrap booking software program, but has lots of capabilities like photo editing and banner design, and I bet it will create fabulous label designs that can be printed! I haven't had any play time with the program yet, but I am looking forward to it. Thank you, Moose Stash Quilting and My Memories.

The other win was from Dana at Stormy Days during the Ghastlie Blog Hop. I won a shopping trip to I Have a Notion . Dana laughed because I bought.....Quilter's Grid 2" fusible interfacing ! Of course I did. I might need to make another watercolor after all this rush to relax, and maybe give one away?

I digress...Thank you again, Dana, and Kelly at I Have a Notion for being so helpful.

Maybe I should count Get Your Mrs. Claus On doll quilt project as a win too. My tally stands at 49 doll quilts or tops promised! The goal was 50----if those pesky elves don't get carried away and work all night! Thank you all who are working on tops or already have them on their way. I'll be posting as they arrive.
Now off to get some baking done before I begin the stitching.

Get Your Mrs.Claus On

2011-11-07T14:24:00.001-05:00

Just a few cuties being made that I know about.

From Imperamagna...this group is some of her 12! Freda just jumped right in and got this project moving. As an aside, she is thinking of doing doll quilts for her granddaughters, too.

This is from Mary at Hill Country Quilter. She decided to finish hers up and do binding.

And a big thank you to Cheree for naming this project....

Get your Mrs. Claus On!

The total right now is 47 doll quilts made or promised! Wonderful....and in less than 2 days!

And....don't forget there is a giveaway that ends on Wednesday. I will announce a winner on Thursday for the watercolor wall hanging.

Thank you all for helping me celebrate my blog anniversary in such a great way.

Happy stitching.

Doll quilts--part 2

2011-11-06T18:23:00.002-05:00

Update: Monday at 11 am:   Thank you to all. I am still getting responses and offers of doll quilt tops. The estimated number at this time is 44 doll quilts or tops. I had an email from the Head Elf for the toy project, and he and the team are awe struck at the response. Each and every doll quilt recieved will be greatly appreciated and used in their project.   So...as Cheree at The Morning Latte says, Get your Mrs. Claus on!

What a whirlwind ....the response to my cry for help was just wonderful. I fielded about 40 comments and emails....can you imagine what Madame Samm dealt with for the Wantobe Campaign?
Quilters--and blogging quilters are over the top---are such warm giving people.  I am looking forward to some very special packages soon to help me complete this project of doll quilts.

I finished 3 cuties yesterday and cut battings and backs for a lot more. This one was done with the short pieces from 2 others. Two panels of 6 inch strips were joined with a pink sashing.

Two others were string pieced --on the diagonal-- to a piece of batting that was cut to size of 12 1/2" by 181/2".
Once the batting was covered, I trimmed the ends and placed the backing fabric right side together with the front.

I stitched around all 4 sides....leaving about 4 inches open for turning. Before turning, clip away the batting in the seam line at the corners. This will eliminate bulk and create a nicer corner. In the photo, you can see a finished edge on the right. I learned this years ago as a "knife edge or pillow" finish.

Turn right side out and poke out the corners. Turn under the opening edges, and press well. Then just top stitch around the quilt about 1/4" from the edge.

On the string quilts, I just did a few straight lines of stitching for the quilting.
Update:

At this point I am expecting 25 doll quilt tops and quilts to be sent to me for this project.

Isn't that amazing? I am just blown away.
I have a lot to process and get done. And I still have to go shopping with my winning from the Ghastlie Blog Hop!
Happy stitching.

I think I need help....

2011-11-06T10:53:00.000-05:00

Santa's elves at the Greenville Woodworkers Guild have been so busy making toys for several charitable organizations......see all those doll cradles. Well, I found out there are doll strollers and doll beds also in need of "covers". Covers? That's what a southern woodworker calls a quilt!
   I have 3 done and 2 more pieced, and batting cut for about 8 more. What was I thinking? I gave up my Wonder Woman suit a while back, and this was a big project to fulfill by the first week in December. That's when they begin distributing the toys......... over 50 doll beds, cradles, and strollers....Yikes.
And it is hard to have a quilt for some, but not enough for each one.
   And then an angel appeared.  She sent me an email to offer to help make a few tops for the doll quilts. Freda, the imperamanga, gave me the nudge to ask for help in blogland. And before I could get this posted, a second angel arrived with a similar offer. Cheree at The Morning Latte wants to make a few too. Ladies, you are so special.
Here's what I need:
One top for a doll quilt---size 12" by 18" for the cradles, and size 14" by 18" for the doll beds.
   So I am asking for tops---string pieced or made from orphan blocks are just perfect--- that I will finish with batting and backing--no binding--just a plain edge. If you want to send a finished one, that would be wonderful, but not expected.
Leave me a comment and I will send you snail mail info. Encouragement is always welcomed. And pop over to thank Freda and Cheree, too, for me.
Thank you , Lord, for scraps. They keep me humble and pieceful.

Doll size quilts

2011-11-05T10:50:00.000-04:00

I've been cleaning and clearing things out, and not much sewing has gotten done lately. But my husband was telling me about the toy project going on at his Woodworkers Guild. Richard is heading the toy project up this year, and has 32 doll cradles--besides all the trucks, cars and planes-- ready for distribution in December. These will go to Shriner's Children's Hospital, and to The Meyers Center for Development, and the Police Departments, among other places. And guess who opened her mouth about doll quilts? Never mind, you know I did. I probably won't get 32 done, but I hope to make a few more.

These 2 are very bright and colorful. I found the 2 center blocks in the orphan stack and added strips around the block to get the size I needed--12" by 18". No binding on them either, just sewn and turned right side out and quilted. I don't have much assortment of kids fabric, so bright and cheerful will work for me. I am piecing together batting scraps for a few more. I think I will do "sew and flip" strings for the next ones.

If I make a few more, do you think I will make a dent in my scrap boxes?   Nope, I don't think so either.

Thank you , Lord, for scraps. They make me pieceful. Keep paying it forward.
Remember the giveaway....ends on Wednesday. Happy stitching.
Update:   This post was pre-scheduled (we are off to the mountains today), but wanted to add a bit of good news I got today.
I'm a Ghastlie Winner from the Ghastlie Blog Hop!   Dana at Stormy Days sent me an email that I won a gift cetificate from I have a notion. Yay!!! Thank you, thank you. Knock me over with a feather.

Three years of blogging!

2011-11-04T12:22:00.001-04:00

I just realized I've been here 3 years....and the benefits have been great. I connect with people all over the world, learned a lot of new techniques, improved my computer skills, and had fun along the way. So/sew it's time to say thank you.
This is Summer Glory II....a watercolor wall hanging that is 21" by 22". It the second in a series that I did in 2008. And I am giving it away to celebrate this anniversary.
Requirements are easy.
1. You just need to leave a comment. (No-reply bloggers will be eliminated, so be sure your email is available in your google profile.)
2. And ...if you want a second chance.
Go to Quilting Gallery weekly contest and vote for my quilt that is entered there--until Sunday. Then leave a comment here with the name of my entry. (I know a little shameless self-promotion.)
3. You must be a follower to win.
Winner will be selected on Wednesday, November 9 and announced on Thursday.
Help me celebrate....happy stitching.

A quilt tale #4

2011-11-02T08:43:00.001-04:00

I love blue and white/tan quilts and this one caught my eye during the Bloggers Quilt Festival. I read the story, noted the label she made ----and you know I am a stickler for labels----and asked to share this as a "quilt tale". The story begins:

This lovely quilt uses two alternating blocks of broken dishes and the snowball block. Scraps in shades of blue from light to dark were used . It was especially made for the quilter's step-father, a veteran who served in the Korean War.

"This quilt hung in a Veteran's Day 2006 quilt show before it went on to it's final home. For reasons I am

not clear on, it was hung upside down.......I made a label with photos of him in the service & more recently fishing & a blurb of how he spent his time, specifically building quonset huts during the Korean War. I don't usually go in for such elaborate labels, but this was a special case. "

It was made by Marybeth at Useless Ranch, click for the original post. Marybeth explained that this photo is the only photo she has and it was snapped as the show was being taken down. She spent the entire time at the show...."wait for it....teaching people how to do documentation for museums and historical societies". She says she would have flunked her own workshop :)

The moral of this quilt tale: Take photos of your quilts, whether you keep them or give them away. Documentation is important, and memories are priceless.

Thank you, Mary Beth, for allowing me to share your quilt tale as a reminder to all of us--me too--to document and take photos.
I love quilt stories and I'm still collecting them. If you read a good one, let me know or send me the link.
Happy stitching.

Another scene

2011-11-01T10:29:00.002-04:00

Mary at Hill Country Quilter   asked a good question about thread painting and made me realize I probably need to explain just a little more about this. I am not great at drawing or painting, but I do try to sketch. More like scratching with a pencil on paper to give the impression of something, not an exact representation.   And these little vignettes just give the impression of what is there---or not there.
Do I draw on the fabric or how do I transfer the sketch to the fabric?
I usually have a photo, a note card, a saved greeting card, or something torn from a magazine that I work from. I will sketch/scratch on my sketch pad a little to get the shape or size that I will work for.    I usually just use a few pencil lines on the fabric as an indication of where the horizon is or the shape of the rock or motif I am trying to create. If you need more than a few lines, try using the Saral transfer paper, or dressmaker's transfer paper. It is used like a carbon paper so you can trace over the lines to transfer them to fabric.
Finding a piece of fabric that creates the illusion of sky, water, sun, land or etc. really helps in creating the illusion. That way you are half way there before you begin. And thread....lots of different values of thread. Adding a dark in the foreground will push everything back and create depth. A little bit of light in the mid area and background creates distance.
   This little scene is only 5 inches square.

The fabric was from some sun painting last year and just naturally looked like a landscape. I drew lines for the tree placement and a few horizontal lines for the path. I stitched the path first---just straight stitches and 2 shades of brown thread.
Then the illusion of a tree clump in the background using a medium and a light green. I just followed the blend of the color on the fabric as the horizon line.
The small foreground stems and grass where done next in medium and dark green. And then the tree was done with at least 3 shades of brown using a zig zag stitch here because it fills in faster.
The perspective is not perfect, but it gives the illusion of what I was going for. Just squint a little and see where it takes you!
Thanks for the question, Mary.
Happy stitching.

Thread painting vignettes

2011-10-30T10:58:00.002-04:00

I wanted to test out a couple of stabilizers to use with thread painting....I'm in that mode right now for something small. By far my favorite is Totally Stable Solvy. It is an iron on and tear away type, and for really small projects doesn't require hooping. There is still a small amount of distortion from the concentration of thread, and that just seems to come with the technique.
Machine is set for free motion stitching with a #14 top stitch needle. I like to use decorative threads with a sheen, like sulky or embroidery threads. Go slow to avoid breaking and snapping the thread.

I chose a couple of pieces of sun dyed fabric to experiment on. I lightly penciled in a few lines to get started. The stabilizer was ironed to the back of the fabric. No hoop, just hands. Just be sure to keep the fabric flat against the bed and the machine and not loft it.
First, I put in some green straight stitches for arching stems and then began to lay in the color for the mound/rock.....whatever it is. On the rock I used a zig zag stitch to put on the first layer of color. I worked across the area keeping the stitched rows parallel to the base.

Then I changed to a slightly darker thread color and began to fill in along the base and one side.

I am using a zig zag stitch....but I am moving side to side (not back and forth towards me). This type of motion will fill in quickly and blends well.

Extra green stems, darker grasses at the base, a few red buds....all free motion stitches either straight or zig zag. Russ says it looks like an island in the sky.

One more...just for the season. I began with a penciled in shape, filled with base color, and then added extra colors and details. I got very little distortion on this one. The stabilizer tore away easily and left no residue.
I think I'll try a few more...just don't ask what I will do with these.....just practice for now.
Happy stitching.

Just Go With The Flow

2011-10-28T07:00:00.000-04:00

It's Blogger's Quilt Festival! I did a mad dash to get this bound and finished up for today.

Just Go With The Flow

My adventure with this bargello style quilt began with the need for a gift for a wedding. I was so pleased with the result that I wanted a similar one just for me.

Along the way, I posted about my design process and how I planned it all out. I based it on the Quick Quarter Trip found in the book, Quick Trip Quilts by Eleanor Burns. The technique is easy and the sewing goes fast. My favorite part of this technique is the no cross seams to match.

I finished it off with a "leftover " pieced border to use up the remaining 4 inch strips pieces from the top.

This bargello style quilt finished up at 68" by 53".

And the name----Just Go With the Flow. This is admission time....it is named for the goof, the mistake made in sewing the rows together.

In this post I revealed that I sewed the first two rows together in reverse and how I revised by plan to keep from un-sewing.

As I was quilting it, I was trying to come up with a name. I was zipping along quilting swirls in an all over pattern, and realized I was going with the flow. Light bulb moment.....design change from a mistake, and relaxing from a stressful week by FMQ equals just go with the flow.

A big Thank You to Amy's Creative Side for hosting the Blogger's Quilt Festival. Drop by and see what bloggers have finished up to show. Thanks for stopping by and happy stitching.

From the workshop

2011-10-27T12:46:00.000-04:00

It's done......the library cart for our quilt guild!

Yes, it has been in the works for a couple of months now, and today it got it's final coat of sealer. Sir Old Man really did an outstanding job on it. And see the big rolling wheels on the bottom. That means it will move easily and I won't have to worry about breaking another one off.

I love the 2 tone stain and the molding lip on each shelf. Just a couple of handles now and then I can get it filled up with our guild's collection of books.

Great job, honey....Thanks.

Free Motion Quilting tips

2011-10-25T16:06:00.000-04:00

Love questions and comments, but it's impossible to reply and answer when you post as "anonymous"..... so, please include an email for an answer. Or the easy way is to go to blogger.com (set up your blogger profile or blog), click on your dashboard. Select Edit Profile. Check the box for "Show my Email Address." Save changes. Done!
The question was about using a new needle and type of needle. Yes, I put in a new needle before I begin to FMQ. Why ask for problems before I begin....a small burr can cause tons of trouble. I generally use a size 11 or 14 sharps quilting needle with the Isacord thread. Exception to this rule is when I am FMQ on all batiks.....I have had to go up to a size 16 at times to avoid skipped stitches. Some batik finishes have a lot of residue from the waxing and the weave is generally tighter, so a 16 is sometimes needed I find.
Also, the needle depends on the thread type. I am now using the polyester threads to quilt with--usually-- and have much less problem with breakage and skipped stitches. If I am doing straight line quilting, I may use cotton quilting thread (40 weight) and use a 14 needle. The heavier cotton thread is not strong enough for some of my FMQ moves...by that I mean changing direction, like in the swirls. Red Rock Threads has a lot of great info on their website about threads and quilting. Research a little to solve your problems.

Best tips I have for FMQ: These have worked for me, and I'm sure there are lots of others.

Practice, practice, practice. First on paper. Draw the pattern over and over. Wendy at Ivory Spring blog has some great thread talk posts on this.

Then go to a practice sandwich. A few years ago, I must have quilted a thousand yards---not really, but it felt like it---of fabrics for my daughter to turn into knitting project bags. I did meandering, swirls, teardrops, hearts, leaves, loops.....all kinds of patterns. This really helped me find the rhythm and learn to control my speed and motion.

Start small and then try a larger quilt. Nothing like trying to quilt a bed size quilt the first time. It's a disaster waiting to happen. Learn the technique on smaller pieces. They are easier to handle and maneuver around the needle. I don't roll my quilt sandwich....rather I bunch and scrunch it up on the machine bed. I focus on the area where my hands are, not the entire top. If that area is flat I am fine.

Use machiner's gloves. There are several brands on the market that are light weight and have rubbery tips on the fingers or palms to "grip" the fabric.

Take frequent breaks. I will stop about every 20 minutes or so and stretch. Get up and move around.

Find your speed. It does not have to be wide open, flat out, or all the way to the floor. Faster in this case, may not be better----unless you like to rip out stitches. I would rather go slower and be in control.
Put on some music. It works! The music soothes and makes the stitching better. Me, I love The Righteous Brothers or Rod Stewart singing the classics.

Finally....I don't look for perfection in my stitches. I don't have a cruise control or speed regulator. Just me and the foot pedal. I like it that way.

Happy stitching.

De-stressing

2011-10-24T17:14:00.000-04:00

After all the packing, my brother and the packed truck are off, the renters are in, and all the extra bags and such have been dropped off at the donation center. I got thru one closet---4 bags of clothing donated, and one cabinet cleared out of all kinds of junk. A day full of errands and I need to relax.
The best way I know to de-stress is machiner's gloves on, new needle, and a sandwich to quilt....then go for it! An hour and a half later, I come up for air. See the dish full of pins ---I'm half way done!

This is the bargello that has been sitting and waiting for a couple of weeks. I'm using an all over swirl ---my favorite. It goes fast and seems to blend everything well.
I picked up a couple of different types of stablizer a couple of weeks ago for thread painting. I plan on some practice pieces to see which one I like best. I feel the need for some smaller projects for a while.
Happy stitching.

New banner, update, and a giveaway

2011-10-18T17:41:00.001-04:00

A few days ago I decided to play around with a new banner for fall. Blogger really has limited options for this, and I have been using Picasa and Picnik for the last year. I noticed a new banner at The Quilt Rat and it made me realize I should try something in my greeting card program. That's where my banner was created and converted and saved as a JPEG. I was surprised that it worked, but glad it did. Now I can put together banners for different seasons.
Now I read at The Quilt Rat that she is doing a giveaway for the program she used to create her banner and other things on her blog. It's the My Memories Software. It is really for scrapbookers, but works great for blogs, too. And I bet it would make wonderful quilt labels, too.

Jill is hosting this giveaway for the next week, so click over to read and see all the things she has done so far with it. She has a big list of ways to enter, so be sure to comment and get entered for this neat giveaway.
Update: I cleared one shelf in my laundry room by giving away my pressure canner and boiling bath and etc. I might actually have room for things that belong there now. On to my closet next.....I must be ruthless. It is packed with things I do not wear. And I might need the space for fabric storage!
Happy stitching.

Coming or going?

2011-10-18T08:51:00.002-04:00

I ran across this small wall hanging yesterday while putting things away and stopped to just look at it....it's exactly the way I have been feeling this past week. I had named it Coming or Going----it depends on how you view it. And the muddy, blended area in the center is where I am at right now.    I need to get this one hung up.
   So where have I been? Sorting and packing a mountain of boxes at my brother's house. He put it off, now the house is rented, and the renters move in this weekend.....so the stuff he left has to GO!!! Maybe you can sense my frustration. I have learned I do not make a good surrogate landlord, but right now that's where I am.
I know we go through periods or seasons for a reason....but I never seem to learn.
    Insight: I have too much stuff!
Everywhere, just too much. Do I want to burden someone else with having to sort and move it out someday?   The answer is No. So, what will I do about it? Give it away, donate it, sell it, whatever it takes......if it has been stuck in a corner, closet, or drawer for a year and not used, find some place else for it to reside. I will be starting with the closets, and I will be ruthless....or at least I will try to be ruthless. Wish me luck with this.
Happy stitching.

Yellow combo prize

2011-10-09T07:42:00.001-04:00

  I am not usually awake before my second cup of coffee, but this morning I only had two sips when Sir Old Man said I had an email from Pat Sloan. OK, I know who she is. Then he said it's something about being a winner.
Eyes popped open and off to see the message.   Yes! I won one of her giveaways for the yellow combo. Fabric....isn't it beautiful?
   So excited, and now off for that second cup of coffee.
Happy stitching.

Finally Fall

2011-10-07T19:58:00.002-04:00

Finally Fall!

I've enjoyed the cool mornings and today I spotted a hint of color on my favorite maple trees. I pulled out this wall hanging from several years ago for the kitchen. It's only 16" by 24" and took forever to stitch around all those leaves.
Tomorrow is "working in the yard" day.....lots of trimming and weeding and mulching to do. It should be beautiful to be outside.
Just a quick thank you for all the input and ideas on my struggle. I have only done a bit of scrap piecing for the sashing using some stripes and shirting prints, but I am very happy so far. I do think it will tone down the mauve and anchor all the blocks of different sizes.
Happy Thanksgiving to my Canadian friends, and have a great weekend to all.
Oh...a reminder about the Wantobe Giveaway. The next and final 3 weeks are open to everyone, everyday....so Madame Samm says to stop by, leave a comment to enter for the last Big Prizes.
Happy stitching.

Dilemma

2011-10-05T20:02:00.000-04:00

This is such a struggle for me to do......not my colors---from the 80's, or fabric style. These are the blocks I managed to salvage after washing and pressing. I found myself crying while pressing, for a stitcher I never knew, who wanted to make a quilt. How much of ourselves do we stitch into our projects? Does it linger in the threads and fibers?
I believe it does, I felt her dreams in these blocks.

A few are the same size, most were uneven, which I trimmed, and a lot were stained with age.    I need to come up with 2 small lap quilts from these. My first idea was to use an asymmetrical layout on the denim blue background. I think the blocks fade out a lot that way. So I found a much lighter blue gray ( very old Jinny Beyer fabric ), but I'm not sure  that's it either.     I tried scraps of the dark blue to border the blocks...whoa, that won't work. Forget the mauve, and there is already too much gray, and the red/burgundy is strong.
   So I am throwing this out to blog land......HELP!   All ideas are wanted, and just maybe one of them will give me the right inspiration on how to make this assortment match/work/go together for her boys. Thanks.
Happy stitching.

Update and additonal information:   The blocks range in size from 7 1/2" to 11 1/4 ". See my problem? That's why some must have a frame/border added to them.
Tried black....everything looks morbid. Just white or muslin and everything looks dirty. But a mix that includes a little black and muslin could be the way to go. I am leaning right now towards a vetical strip setting and making it more scrappy. Freda suggested ticking stripe.....maybe even some shirting prints would help. Thanks for the ideas....love the input from everyone.

Who me?

2011-10-04T20:19:00.000-04:00

Award? Yes, I am red faced and embarrassed to admit I forgot to mention and thank Linda at alottastiches blog for passing The Versatile Blogger Award onto me. So Thank you, Linda, and forgive me for the delay. So what is The Versatile Blogger Award? A way to spread the word about blogs you enjoy and share a little extra about yourself. Here are the guidelines.

1.You must give credit to the person that has nominated you and create a link to their blog in your post.

2.You must create a list of 15 blogs that you enjoy most and link to those as well. Then you must go and tell them you have nominated them. That means if you do not have 15, you cannot do this step. If you do not complete this step, then you cannot claim this award.

3.Finally, you must create a list of seven things about yourself.

And I am about a week late on number one, but do drop in on Linda, who does fabulous crochet--Ripple of the Week-- and knits and loves yarns and reading about quilting too. Now, for the number 2 part. Here's the start of my list. You might just want to drop in for a visit with some of them.

Cheree at The Morning Latte

Mary at Hill Country Quilter

Pattilou Quilts

Dana at Stormy Days

Seven things about me.....
1. I wanted to be a writer but ended up majoring in biology and chemistry. I went through an internship after college and became a Medical Technologist and was in charge of a lab in Orlando before getting married.
2. I began sewing when I was 12 years old. Betty was a surrogate Grandmother to me and a wonderful seamstress. I am so indebted to her.
3. I love flowers and working in the garden, but have developed horrible allergies over the years. Spiders and small ants are deadly to me.
4. Cooking is another love. I have cookbooks and kitchen gadgets for everything. So, why does my family always ask for the same old things? Country Fried Steak is the all time favorite and pure comfort food. The one time I changed the holiday menu, they all turned up their noses at the new stuff! My nephew said that it wasn't Christmas without Grandma's salad. I learned to leave the menu alone.
5. I am sentimental, and sensitive, yet analytical, love chocolate, cherish friends and my family, know a little about a lot of things, enjoy silence and watching the sunrise, need that first cup of coffee in the morning, find pleasure in the routine, abhor being rushed or pushed into something, and long to be a real artist.
6. I love to read. Books take me places I have never been, and teach me more than I can ever use.
7. Finally, love fabrics, making quilts, giving quilts away, designing quilts, playing with color, and the biggest thing I love to do is inspire others. It makes my day complete when I can share and inspire.

Happy stitching.

A quilt tale to be

2011-10-04T08:00:00.000-04:00

    While helping Trey and Deana clear out and move items from a storage unit last week, Trey found a cross stitch that his Grandmother had done. His comment was, "What do you do with something like this? Just trash it. "   Such pain and emotion in those few words.   I put it with the 2 bags of fabrics and partial quilt blocks that he had saved which his mother had never finished.
    The quilt blocks are from the late 80's.....polyester batting and all. It has been in storage for about 12 years and needs a good airing.

Trey asked me to finish the section that his mother had put together. Not because it is lovely, but because it is something her hands worked on. The stitches are large, and there are tucks and irregularities. So I will finish off this section----it was lap quilted by block and needs to be finished on the back and have a binding added. There are other blocks that have only been pieced. From these I will make lap quilts for each brother.
So I am putting my projects on hold for a bit. I feel this is way more important ---maybe not as much fun, but so very important---than quilting my current projects.
The first morale of this continuing quilt tale: If you are a quilter, pull out those UFOs or PIGs and complete them. If you don't like them any more, give them away or trash them. Please don't leave them for your children or family to throw out.   I have a great son-in-law and my heart was in pieces seeing him want his mom's handwork, but not in this unfinished state.

2011-10-03T07:30:00.000-04:00

So a couple hours of sewing, and here's the completed top.

I wanted to show movement, and that's what I got. I repeated "my mistake" from the beginning 2 rows again just before the end by going up on 2 rows and then back down. So, now it is on purpose!
Before I get lost in just looking at the colors, let me finish up with the technique.  From this full shot, you can see that the color pattern at the bottom disappears and then seems to wrap to the top. So a few things to remember......
    1. Strata is created with 4" strips. The number of fabrics in your strata will determine the over all finished length. Example: 18 strips times 3 1/2" (finished size) equals 63 inch length.

   *Note: Sew strata together with a small stitch, so the strips will not come apart when sub-cut.
   2. If using cuts of 20"-22" wide cuts from fat quarters, you will need 3 cuts of 4" for a small lap quilt that is about 45-49 inches wide when finished. For a wider quilt, use 2 full width of fabric cuts and a minimum of 20 fabrics in the strata.

3.   Bridge fabrics help you transition from one color to the next. Use 3 or 4 values of a color to create a blended wave of color.
4. The first 5 to 7 fabrics start at the top left and work down and across to the right. They will probably not make it to the top corner and be repeated.
5. The first fabric and the last fabric will end up next to each other and need to blend or play/work well together.
6 . Pattern movement comes from the wide strips--they flatten out the movement, and from the very narrow strips---that move down the quilt quickly and almost create an angle. If you like that, use a lot of them, and if not, then only 2 or 3 will create variety.
   If you have any questions about this technique, let me know and I will post details for all. A couple of borders on this and I will be done.
The weather turned cool this weekend, and  last night was 45 degrees. So you won't hear me complain for the next few days. In fact, I will probably have to put another quilt on the bed tonight. Luckily, I have a couple to use!
Happy stitching.

Slicing and dicing

2011-10-02T10:30:00.000-04:00

Continuing bargello saga: All that planning and here's where I am.

Once the rows are sewn for the strata, and you sew the bottom piece to the top piece.....you get a tube. All that is easy, the slicing it up takes a ruler, a sharp rotary cutter, and bravery! I find it the scariest part to slice up the tubes for some reason. But I can go no further if I don't.
So I slice and pin to the design wall. I use 3 1/2" width, 3" width, 2 1/2" width, 2" width, 1 1/4" width for my cuts. I knew I wanted about 5 to 6 very wide cuts, and at least 7 narrow cuts, so those were my first ones. I ended up with 3 at 3" instead of 3 1/2" as I was running out of fabric. Not really a problem as I didn't have a plan written in stone.
This was pinned up according to my original plan with the dark green as the #2 fabric. The strips are still as tubes, so this is one half of the whole design. I liked it, but.....I didn't love it. The drama was happening in the corner not in the middle.

So I began rotating the tubes to change the position of the fabrics and re-pinning to the wall. Zing! That was it, much better. I made notes on the swatch card of the change in number position----but the order of the fabric stayed the same. OK, ready to sew.
Before I get to the serendipity thing that happened, here's the rest of this technique. On the odd number rows the piece at the top is a full piece. The even number rows have half drop pieces at the top. For the odd rows you cut exactly on the seam line between the fabric you want at the top and the last one....or cut the seam line of #1 and #18. #1 goes to the top and #18 to the bottom. For the even number rows, you will cut the piece for the top exactly in half---that gives you the half drop. It is very easy to do by folding the piece in half and matching the seams in the sewn tube and make the cut. I only cut the rows I am sewing right now....remember I get interrupted and confused too easily. Then sew rows together in correct order. Remember Eleanor Burns' book, Quick Trip Quilts, has all the details.

Note the upper corner at the left in the above photo, and look at this one. Guess what I did? I sewed the first 2 rows together in reverse. Pattern is going up instead of down in the second row.

Repeat after me, the first row goes on the bottom and the second row goes on the top.

Since I absolutely hate to unsew, I looked for the serendipity of the situation. Found it, too. A little change in the design plan, and realized this was exactly what I wanted in the first place.

So I am sewing and sewing. The top will take about 2 to 2 1/2 hours . Back soon.
Happy stitching.

Bargello plan and sewing the strata

2011-09-29T09:23:00.010-04:00

I spent some time with EQ7 and developed a plan for the bargello. The first row is "half-drop" pattern and the second row is "pieced block pattern", and the third returns to "half-drop" pattern. So working from left to right, each row drops 1/2 from the previous row.

Then I played with the width sizes of each row. One thing I discovered was to step away from the computer screen about 6 feet. It made a big difference in seeing the pattern. I colored it in a couple of different ways---time consuming! One colorway has the wave coming from the top left, and the other has the wave moving up from the bottom. I am still deciding which I will use.
Sewing the strata:
First make a swatch card, or some type of guide that shows your color plan layout. I can't stress this enough. If you can't get to the linked card, email me and I will send you the pdf. It is that important.
Because some of my fabrics were from fat quarters, I go ahead and cut the full width of fabric cuts in half. It is really easier to work with the shorter lengths, but you will have some waste. I leave my palette pinned to the design wall and only remove 3 at a time. It is over whelming to me to have 18 different fabrics on the table and keep them in the correct order. Three at a time works for my old brain. And if I am interrupted or take a break, three is not too confusing.

Sew the group of 3 together in order. ( I chain piece like I would when I make 9 patch units.) Then set them aside, and remove the next 3 fabrics and sew in order. Repeat until you have all fabrics joined in groups. Your table will look like this---that's why you need the swatch card as your guide.

Then join the groups of three together in order according to the swatch card. And you will get a strata that is in order. Press all seams away from the #1 fabric. I press on the back first and then flip the strata over and press from the front, too. I am notorious for tucks at the seam line, but I try to avoid them.
At this point, most of my time has been spent picking fabrics and planning the color placement. Cutting takes maybe 30 minutes so far, and the sewing time is probably about an hour to make 3 sets of strips sewn into the strata. Pretty quick, huh? The second part goes quickly too, just more pressing that tends to slow you down.

One other tip or hint in deciding the color placement. The fabrics placed in #1 through about #5 will flow across the center the quilt only, while the other places will show up at the bottom and the top creating multiple waves. That's why I wanted the very dark fabrics spread out and not together.

I'll sew the rest of the stratas and be done for today. Off for a couple of days, but next week I'll have something more to show. Happy stitching.

No match sewing

2011-09-27T16:13:00.010-04:00

I only had about 11 inches of width left over from
the quilt strata. But I sliced it up anyway.
The strata is made up of 4" strips of fabric---sewn in the order you decided on. Use a swatch card....very important to use and refer to.
All seams are pressed in the same direction---towards the bottom. Take care when pressing not to stretch or curve the seam line.
Then the strata is sewn into a tube by sewing the last fabric to the first.
Then you slice up the strata tube into different widths. I will give you a general list of sizes later, but I will be playing around with my own first.
For this example because it was so small, I cut 1", 1 1/2", and 2" strips.

This one is sewn together with the color moving upward instead of down. No reason, I just thought I would see what happened.

What I wanted to show was how the pattern develops and that there are no matching seams on the rows. Each row is cut from the fabric strata made with 4" strips that is sewn into a tube before cutting. When the rows are joined, the fabric matches itself at the midpoint---not at the seam line. Look at the brown. Each row that was added moved up to the midpoint of the previous brown. No seams to match! Yes, I like that very much, and that is why this technique goes so fast.
The second thing to notice is the width of each row is not the same. The skinnier the cut, the faster the pattern moves (up or down). The wider cuts slow it down. Several narrow cuts sewn right together make the pattern move quickly, and produces lots of movement.

When I did my first one a few years ago , I followed the directions exactly by the book, and it was more linear, straight line. I think there were 3 or 4 different width cuts for it and they were spread out across the quilt so that the color line was fairly even with only a slight wave. I'm hoping to get a lot more movement in the color line with skinny strips grouped together---so it resembles a bargello. More on that when I get there.

I've got all the fabrics cut into 4" strips. Ready to sew my strata. Happy stitching.

Bargello style color plan

2011-09-26T16:13:00.000-04:00

The inflammation is better after a week off and I am ready to go on the bargello quilt, using a totally new color scheme. I tried and tried to come up with enough fabrics for the original plan, but I just couldn't pull it together. So rather than go buy more fabric, hard to believe I said that, I switched to what I have lots of...........

Blues, purples, and a bit of teal. This colorway is really more me, and will work well in the house too.
This is the layout I plan to use. And it is about the 10th variation I tried---it's not set in concrete till I start sewing! Every time I walked into the sewing room, I switched something around. First time, I had the color run mixed and going from light to dark. That appeared too jumpy for me. I put in fabrics, took out fabrics, so on and so on.

I finally decided to separate the colors, creating distinctly dark areas and light areas. To make the run blend from one color to the next, I needed a "bridge fabric" at certain points. A bridge fabric is one that has both colors in it. The third fabric has both the teal green and purple in it---bridge fabric. The fabric in the center with the bright gold has purple and a bluish tone that bridges to the leaf print on blackish background.

This is the same photo only in black and white......you can really see how the bridge fabrics blend well in value with those fabrics next to them. Plus, I am happy with the dark areas and light areas. I think it should give me the flow I am hoping to create with this bargello style.

Of course, I could be very wrong in that....it is very hard to get your mind around the pattern until it is sewn. The color bands hopefully will create a wave of color, getting thinner and then wider, as it moves up or down the quilt. The cutting and sewing are the easiest part of this technique, and very much by the book. The book being, Quick Trip Quilts by Eleanor Burns. Great photos and detailed instruction included, so I highly recommend this book to all. It covers Trip around the World as well as the Quick Quarter Trip.
I'm going to cut and sew up the leftovers from Rhapsody in B to show how easy it is to put together...with out worrying about matching seams.
Happy stitching.

More color and a quilt tale

2011-09-23T09:12:00.002-04:00

   How about creating a palette from your own photo? Here's the place for that. Upload your photo and click. See your palette.  This is probably the closest to my usual method of working from a "kick off fabric". I could just take a photo of the fabric and upload it to see what happens.
Then over at Color Lovers you can explore color palettes submitted by others or create your own.    Who knew you had help at your finger tips? Thanks to Lynne and Ann Marie for sending me these links....and keeping me up to date.
   These sites are tools to help us as quilters work with color. Unfortunately, they don't offer fabric swatches, only solid color chips.  If you are stuck on selecting a color scheme to work with, browse one of these sites for inspiration.   If you are not sure your color scheme works, browse for a color scheme that is similar and does work together. That's why I say they are a tool, and not a solution to fabric choices.  Experiment with the color choices given by finding fabric in your stash that "reads" the same as the color chip offered.
   One more thing about my fabrics needed. For a bargello style throw, I need at least 15 fabrics, and 18 would be better. Some of fabrics I pulled out are not large pieces and I may not have enough of the fabric for the cuts I need. So, I may need to repeat a couple of the fabrics to come up with the total.
    So how did I come up with 15 or 18?   I will be making 4" wide cuts for strips to sew together as my strata. The strips will finish at 3 1/2".   15 strips will create a 52 1/2" long quilt, and 18 strips will create a quilt 63" long----before borders. So the number of strips you begin with will determine the length of your bargello. If you want a large quilt ---bed length---think 24 strips at least.

A Quilt Tale

   Have you ever notice how some things come back to you or return to their place of origin.....I call them full circle events.   The beautiful hand quilting frame made by my FIL in the early 90's has returned to its rightful place. It is being used at The History Museum in Fountain Inn, SC---which is where he lived before going into the nursing home.
   After much begging by me, Dad made the frame from a pattern kit I purchased. I had it set up in our old house and quilted several quilts on it. That was before my fingers gave out and I learned machine quilting. When we moved, it was stored in our garage.
    I had given the frame to Suzanne a while back, as she does beautiful, amazing, wonderful hand quilting. The frame deserved to be used. I knew she would put it to good use. Through the course of events,  she began helping and volunteering her talent and knowledge for the museum.
The quilting frame is hidden by the wagon wheel quilt, which she made...but it is there.   I am so happy to see it set up and being used. Suzanne--doing the quilting-- shared this photo with me. The quilt is being quilted by Suzanne and volunteers this weekend at the museum opening and will hang in the entry.
     Moral of this quilt tale:   Like each small piece of a quilt, we are part of the circle of life. Pay it forward; you never know how it will return to you.    Thank you, Dad, and thank you, Suzanne.
Happy stitching.

Looking for a color palette?

2011-09-21T18:46:00.000-04:00

I still have that stack of fabrics sitting on my table that I pulled out last month. I have played around with them in off moments trying to decide if I like the blend of colors. My kick off fabric is the tomato red with the blue/teal and tan leaves.

I often use this method to choose a color scheme....find a focus fabric that I like and pull colors from it to expand the fabric palette. It was the method taught in one of the first quilting classes I took years, and years ago. The instructor said that the designer had already done the work for us in the fabric. So if you like the fabric/color/pattern, you have your palette. Sounds easy, right.....unless you are me and prefer the "kitchen sink" style of anything goes!

And then.........I ran across Design Seeds through Madame Samm at Sew We Quilt. And I found these photos have very similar palettes that they developed.

Color confidence! Similar controlled palettes of color that evoke different moods and feelings. I love the worn hues one. There are lots of palettes based on food, flowers, pets, scenes. Just name it. Great inspiration. For a quilter who needs color confidence or direction, this could be a great tool.

So if I use this palette of fabrics for a bargello.....how many more do I need? I need to let it brew a bit in my brain, while I give my hands a rest. The arthritis flared big time this week with the change in the weather. I'll just get the sewing room back in order and maybe plan a smaller project or two.
Happy stitching.

Bargello done!

2011-09-20T10:15:00.000-04:00

Calling this one Rhapsody in B.....for bargello, Brandi and Brent. It's quite cloudy today, but the photos still turned out pretty good.

This photo shows the pattern well.....it is a bargello style variation of the quick quarter trip that Eleanor Burns uses for her Trip Around the World. You are working with rectangles rather than squares, and that translates to no exact matching seams! Each row just drops 1/2 of the rectangle in the previous row. The width cuts vary from 3 1/2" to 1 1/2". I am doing another one of these very soon! Stay tuned and I will blog the process.

Overall size is 62" by 73". I used 11 fabrics, repeating 4 of them, so that I had a strata of 14 bands.

Sir Old Man was helping me decide on the borders. I had the first narrow brown strip on already, but had

a red strip next, and it just didn't work. His suggestion of the gold was just right!

One other thing to note in this photo is the color placement. I did repeat 4 of the fabrics in the overall fabric scheme. When placing the fabrics in order for sewing, decide what fabrics you want to go across the quilt---like the main red, brown, and dark batik combo here. Where you place them in the sewing order will determine whether they are in the center or mainly in the corners. Originally these 3 fabrics were in the lower left and I wanted them to carry across the center area. I ended up adding rows to the left hand side to raise their position on the quilt. This is probably clear as mud.....but it is important in the design.

I free motion quilted it with meandering loops in the center and swirls in the wide border---using gold thread. Sorry, it's the best photo I got. I didn't have isacord in gold, but I tried Poly X 40. It worked well with no breaks, so now I have another option for quilting thread.
I am ready for a break.....or a cup of coffee.....or maybe some chocolate reward!

Happy stitching.

A collection of ...

2011-09-18T18:38:00.003-04:00

Sewing items! A few days ago Cheree shared her photos of silk threads in her sewing room. She inspired me to shared my favorite sewing things.

I started accumulating these items a long time ago,

and even have a few from my grandmother's sewing box. And this lovely old cabinet, was purchased about 10 years ago and is filled with my favorite things. It is really too full, but here are a few peeks inside.

I love the little Kewpie doll. She has jointed arms and is "dressed" with a piece of old tatted lace. All types of needles in packages with the neatest graphics. Old thimbles with advertising on them mixed with crochet hooks and measuring tapes, and you can almost see my grandmother's darning egg in the right hand cubby.

One of my favorite pieces is the high top shoe pin cushion. It is paper mache and it really great shape.

I love the old advertising needle case packs, too. Oh, and the teeny tiny thimbles that looks black was my grandmother's, too. Doreen sent me several of the items here, and some were family bits, and other things discovered at yard sales and such.

The overflow had to go into a smaller cabinet in my sewing room. I love the spools of silk thread too.....so colorful and vibrant.

And what's this?

One last thing is the small wooden box from my mother-in-law. The top is so beautiful with the intricate design. It is marked W and W Wheeler and Wilson Sewing Machines. I have never researched the name, just enjoyed the design. Inside......she had a very large collection of scissors.

Note: Correction made to name.....Thanks Mary, for directing me to ebay. It's the accessory box for the Wheeler Wilson Treadle machine!

I have stopped searching for old sewing items....guess you can see why. But then, every so often, one comes my way. So any one else out there with a notions collection?

Almost finished with quilting the bargello style quilt. I'm so excited because it turned out great. Pix soon.

Happy stitching.

T.G.I.F.F.

2011-09-16T05:29:00.003-04:00

Welcome to this TGIFF party----for recent finishes. Visit Quilt Matters for the other links for viewing other finishes.

A journal cover is my quick finish for this week. It began with a little bit of thread painting on scraps of sun painted fabric. What else can you do with a small piece that is about 4" by 5"? I framed it with fabric using the sew and flip method to cover a piece of batting the size I needed. A little quilting and then I completed the cover.

My summer quilting project was the florabunda blocks that Bonnie Hunter shared at Quiltville.com. The first blocks I completed were strong. It was almost overpowering with that yellow. But I was committed to finish it.

Once it was completed and quilted.....ah, success. The overall quilting soften all the strong colors and prints. Everything seemed to work together. Click here for my final post on Summer of Love.

There's a sew along starting soon for this. ---- just in case you would like to make your own version of the florabunda blocks, which are a variation of Jacob's Ladder. Freda will be following Bonnie's tutorial, too.

My bargello gift quilt is ready for the final press and quilting! I may have a finish next week too.
Thanks for visiting on the TGIFF. Happy stitching.

Quilt Tale

2011-09-15T13:49:00.000-04:00

I ran across this quilt tale on Wendy's blog. She has posted the link to the news article.
After a tornado hit Southern Missouri in 2008, a store manager found a quilt behind his store the next morning. He thought it could be cleaned and given to someone in need in the area. As luck would have it, he contacted a lady who was involved in a quilting group at her church. The lady began a year long search to discover the owner of the quilt. She went so far as to send a photo to a magazine that published the story of the found quilt. Then the story was published in a newspaper, and someone recognized the quilt. It took another week, due to an ice storm, to make contact with the quilter. It was a 3 hour drive to retrieve the quilt, which had been in the family camper. The tornado wrapped the camper around a tree and nothing much was left. Except the quilt--- that was blown around to land miles and miles away. Blessings to that dear quilter who knew the value of that hand made quilt, and what it meant to the lady who lost it. she is once again wrapped in memories of her grandmother making her quilt.
Moral to this quilt tale: Label each quilt you make, or that you own. Include your name, city and state. A small thing as a label could make the difference if it becomes lost.

I love this story. Imagine how wonderful to have your grandmother's quilt returned like that. Quilters are such wonderful people. Got a quilt tale, or story.....I would love to post it.
Happy stitching.

Coming Friday....

2011-09-14T07:53:00.000-04:00

   I'll show mine, if you show yours. Your recent finish that is. Quilts Matters is hosting the Thank Goodness It's Finished Friday linky show. If you have a recent finish, she would love for you to join up. Details are posted, so check it out.
   I wanted to share a short version of a true quilt tale that was shared at guild meeting on Monday.
    A quilter was making a bargello quilt and ran into problems. She contacted our mutual friend to help. Friend goes to the rescue and the bargello quilt is done.   The quilter had used so many different fabrics, that she had lots of leftover strips. The quilter decided to make a second bargello quilt---a smaller version---and donated it to her church to be auctioned in a fund raiser. The mutual friend received a phone call on Monday after the auction. How much was raised by the quilt? $400---no. $600---no. Gasp, $1000----not even in the ball park. The bargello quilt was sold for $10,000!
                            Moral of this story.......leftovers equal money. Use them.

Don't you love this story? If you have a quilt tale, send me the story, I would love to post it.
OK, I got to get busy to finish the bargello I have on the design wall.  Happy stitching.