Living In Stitches ...

Starting Anew

2012-02-06T18:24:00.000-05:00

Earlier today I started to write a post, then read the last post I wrote back in April and had to take a break for some sadness. As many of you know, my dearest Howard passed over in November, and my life has been totally upside down since then. BUT the good news is that I'm working on putting my sewing/quilting room back together after my move -- along with the rest of the house, of course, but, hey, "I got me priorities!"

I've given myself two weeks to be able to sit at my sewing machine again -- it's been lonely since last spring! And my poor neglected longarm has been waiting even longer!

As I sort through "stuff" hanging around on tables and on shelves and baskets where they have "rested" for months, I think inspiration will strike me!

One of the biggest things I had wanted to do last year, and I'm going to give it a go this year -- 50 quilts from my stash by December 2012. If you want the challenge, I'll be posting patterns each week that will make this goal possible ... just hang on for a few :)

Life Challenges ...

2011-04-12T22:23:00.000-04:00

Each time I think we're on the "go" path ... another challenge comes in my door. In my last note I was hot set to go on several projects -- first was a 50 quilts from stash this year ( which just about amounts to one per week!) and then there is the outstanding Shakespeare in the Park quilt parts that I'm so behind on ...

And you know what, when you're facing the life and death of your one true love, it all takes a back seat.

In February my darling husband -- truly the love of my life -- was diagnosed with small cell lung cancer -- with good success rate -- but the cancer spread to his liver and his bones before we had a chance to breathe.

Tomorrow is his second series of blood tests and second round of chemo. At the best they have given my husband a few months to live ... I want to make it as quality of life as I can. I cannot bear that he might leave me on this earth alone.

Florida is Joy

2011-02-05T11:28:00.000-05:00

As ambivalent as I was about making this move to Florida, it seems to be a good thing! We are loving the weather -- even though there have been some downright "chilly" days -- overall it's pleasant and we can sit outside most of the time. We've even been picking oranges from our own trees and I'm squeezing my little heart out keep up with making juice. It's all a good thing!

Jenny and Sophie came from Texas mid-January and wow did they help me finish organizing the sewing/quilting room! Everything is labeled; all the toys ... er tools ... are in place and I've actually been sitting at the sewing machine doing something!

One quilt is almost loaded on the longarm and once I get to stitching on that I'll feel like I'm home :)

So ... come on and visit! Welcome to Florida and Feathered Flamingo Quilting!

Linda

Starting Over ...

2010-12-29T09:43:00.000-05:00

I'm sure you recall my angst back in September when I spent hours and days getting my sewing room into workable shape! ... If you've forgotten, there's some blogging about it hehehe And now, here we are in Florida and guess what? I have to figure this space out all over again! I KNOW!! life is cruel sometimes lol!! But tote by tote and box by box here I am again trying to make order out of chaos! Sounds like an MI5 task! Where's my shoe phone??!!

See you when I surface from this mess!

50 Quilts From Stash -- Can it be done??

2010-10-28T18:17:00.000-04:00

Oh, you betcha!! Can I make 50 quilts from my stash?! For sure! How long do I have? as long as it takes! But I'd sure like to see it done in 2011! So that would be a LOT of quilts in 14 months! hmmm when I look at it like that, can I really do it??!! YES, I can! Can you?

My Assistant?

2010-09-20T11:02:00.000-04:00

Under a little pressure to finish a quilt yesterday, Howard offered to help. But he had to get all his gear on in order to do a proper job of it!! This man cracks me up! The sun glasses are not because of the bright lights -- they are his safety goggles!!

Start New Projects!!

2010-09-16T22:51:00.001-04:00

Did that title make you blink? Here I am for the past few weeks studiously working on cataloging and organizing my UFOs -- unfinished objects -- and stewing about what to finish next and what to do to get things finished by the end of the year. And then I encourage you to start something new!!

I haven't lost my mind!! I promise!! And finishing up these things is still really, really important to me! But you know, sometimes just working on "old" things can be downright boring!! Where's the fun in looking at new fabrics and patterns that inspire you if you can't focus on how much fun that new project will be. Talk about a "downer"!! And what about that new technique you saw your friend using? Or the new ruler that your local shop is carrying?!!

Do you feel like a hostage to your UFOs? Are they overwhelming you? Follow some of the tips offered in earlier posts and then get your creative juices flowing again. Got a pattern you have fallen in love with? What fabric to use? what color choices? How can you resist the call of the new project?! Your UFOs are still going to be there, and you can still work on them ... but give yourself a break and have some fun with a new project!

Guilt is a terrible thing to waste -- so save it for something besides those unfinished objects that are sitting around. Remember that you'll get to them eventually, or they'll find new uses and new homes eventually. Focus on having some fun!!

I'm off to cut fabric for my new Saturday mystery class -- maybe it will be a UFO someday, but in the meantime, I'm having fun choosing fabrics from my stash!

Bonus view!

2010-09-15T16:16:00.000-04:00

Even though I hadn't scheduled it for today, I also went to work on my sewing station. Here it is (even found the scissors that belong to this space!) all ready for me to work. The little pile of fabrics to the left of the machine are the "Potato Chip" bags that were a work-in-progress before my room exploded!

So tonight is probably hand-sewing, but look out tomorrow! When that sun comes up, I'm ready to go to town in my sewing room.

And lest you think I'm done .... there's one more space in the sewing room that I haven't tackled. Here's what's waiting for me ... This is the big double closet in the sewing room.

But I'm going to close the doors and think about it another day!

There is a light ...

2010-09-15T16:10:00.000-04:00

You probably didn't believe me when I told you that my sewing room was a disaster ... but here's the proof!! I not only couldn't cut on this cutting center, I couldn't even find a pair of scissors or a rotary cutter! So my primary goal for today was to find my cutting mats under all this, and actually have a place to work again!

With a couple of stops along the way to do some "normal" housework and have some lunch, I can show you that four hours later, I really have a cutting station ready to go!

The red Folgers coffee container is what I throw my bits and pieces in while cutting. And the basket that is kind of overflowing at the far side of the table are scraps that need to be cut into strips. I've even got my mystery group notebook out to cut my pieces for this month's class which is on Saturday. Oh, wow! It's not even Friday and I can cut my pieces!!

How do you count UFOs?

2010-09-15T12:13:00.001-04:00

Another good question someone sent me yesterday!! And the answer is: Any ole way you want to count them!! lol!! The real answer is that YOU get to decide when a project is finished!

Is it finished when all the blocks are done? Or when you've made enough blocks? Or when you decide you really don't want to make any more blocks and you'll use what you've done for something else?

Many people count a UFO if it is a project that has already been started. Others decide that a UFO is a work in progress, even if it is only in your mind! Is an idea a UFO? It is if you think it is!!

Here's how I count UFOs:

It's a UFO if I've cut some fabric for the project and want to continue with that project.

It's a UFO if I have a pile of blocks and I know what I'm going to do with them.

It's a UFO until the blocks are together and it's "officially" a top! Once it's a top it's really a completed UFO unless I decide I'm going to quilt it myself. Then it becomes a new UFO (but the original one comes off the list). Before I had my own longarm, a finished top was a completed UFO. These days I add the steps to quilt and bind before it gets off the list.

It's a UFO if I have all the fabric and the pattern together in a package -- for me it means I'm close to working on the project. But I always have the option of returning the fabrics to my stash and putting the pattern away and PRESTO! I no longer have that UFO on my list!

After you decide on your UFO definition, and it scares you to pieces (eeeeeeeeeek!!) you can make different lists!! lol!!

Make a list of PIGS (projects in grocery bags)
Make a list of PIMMS (projects in my mind)
Make a list of PIPS (projects in progress)

And before you know it -- you won't have any more UFOs!!

I'm off to tackle the cutting table today. Wishing you a sew wonderful day!

UFOs -- Can't live with them ... Can't live without them ...

2010-09-13T17:58:00.002-04:00

Or can we?

Recently there has been much discussion on managing our UFOs, particularly when they reach the volume that causes undue stress, often immobilizing us by the sheer numbers! Can we avoid this trauma? never have a UFO? huh? You mean, start a project and actually finish it before starting the next one? While I know many people who have the ability to do this, I sure can't wrap my head around it, never mind developing the restraint to avoid the next shiny ball that comes through the Internet! but if you get too carried away, your space could look like this!

What to do ... what to do ... Here are some things I've tried in the past:

About 10 or 12 years ago, a friend who is very organized came to my house in Virgina all the way from Michigan. Her mission -- help me get control. Did it work? She was totally awesome! But it was too traumatic watching things going out the door for donations or tossed somewhere ... Yes, my sewing room was definitely more organized, but I still mourn some of those projects that found new homes hehehe ... Wouldn't do it again!

Another idea that I tried was picking the top 7 projects from my list or piles and make a page for each in a small notebook. Each day, whatever amount of time I had allotted to working on quilts I would work on the quilt for that day. So, I started out budgeting an hour a day to sewing. If I ended up with more available time, I could spend it on that day's project OR I could work on another day's OR I could even choose anything else I wanted to play with -- new or old. I used this system for a long while -- it gave me freedom to start new things, or focus on something for longer time and I found that things were getting finished and off the UFO list. It was good, really! But then somewhere along the way I decided it wasn't "perfect" for my needs, so I haven't used it in a while.

Have you tried the "bobbin method" of project management? This was my own little idea a while back. Wind up a bunch of bobbins in colors you might need for various projects. I happen to use only a selection of neutrals for piecing, so I had white, ecru, grey and black bobbins. I start with a full bobbin and the first project. At the end of the bobbin, I switch to the next project. Keeps me from getting bored hehehe ... and again, frequently by the end of the first bobbin I'm in a zone and keep working on that one project. But I have given myself options for switching off. Sometimes I still fall back on this method!

Next I read about someone who assigned dollar values to each of the steps involved in the quilt all the way to finishing. And she paid herself for her work! Now, that was a good motivator for me!! I promptly opened a special savings account and made a list of steps for the UFOs that looked sort of like this:

Assessing the state of the project
Completing the blocks
Putting the top together
Fixing the backing
Quilting
Attaching the binding
Binding
Labeling

Each step was worth $1 ... then I added some more monies:

Each week I didn't buy fabric was $5
Each quilt that I quilted was $10
Binding was worth $2
Each bobbin was $.25 and each spool of thread was $.50 (cones were more of course!)

There's probably a few other things in there, but it works really nicely! At the end of each month I tally up what I've done and put that money in my ever-growing little pot. I'd love to buy a new sewing machine some day with the money ... but I guess I have to finish up some more UFOs before that can happen!!

Today I was entering a list of UFOs into one of my list databases because I wanted to participate in the UFO Challenge for the rest of the year. Though I stopped at Number 80, I easily could have kept going, and even thought of a couple as I went along (so much for thinking I've got it under control), and of course I didn't include any of the six projects I just printed out over the weekend. What I did do over the past few days, though, is make some priorities to the projects on my list in the hope of finishing a number of them as Christmas gifts. My initial intent was to choose the top few, which unfortunately turned into the top "many" but, hey, I can do the best I can do! I've taken those top projects and broken down the steps I need to complete each one ... then I went one step further and really did cull off the top 5 to work on. I put these projects on index cards that are now sitting beside my sewing machine along with the projects. Presto!! I no longer felt overwhelmed!

The rest of the UFOs are in their tidy little bags in the tidy little closet, and I feel like I can function again. Here's my after shots of the little closet in my sewing room ... One space done, three to go!

Does it Make Sense?

2010-09-03T07:09:00.004-04:00

"I don't see much sense in that," said Rabbit.
"No," said Pooh humbly, "there isn't. But there was going to be when I began it. It's just that something happened to it along the way."

I think I feel like Pooh when I look around at my current (and not-so-current) projects and the state of my sewing room. Don't worry, I'm not going on a self-discovery journey here to determine how I got into this mess! I'm just once again feeling overwhelmed by the sheer volume of "things" and the chaos that spreads the more I ignore my sewing space ... And what did I do recently that put me into this slump? I just bought five, FIVE, new quilting books and I want to make every quilt in every book ... and I can't even see space to open the book!

My list of "things to do" this week didn't get much attention as I pretty much just stayed drugged and asleep after my hernia repair surgery on Monday. Topping that list is a note to give some attention to the sewing room so that I feel happy to go in there again. Right now I just turn my head away when I walk by! And though I really haven't had any vim or vigor to attack the room, I've spent quite a bit of time thinking about it (hey, that counts!!) and hope that this weekend I'll take some steps. I can see that you've perked up now that there might be some actual activity taking place here, so here's my plan.

1. Make a list of Christmas gifts for this year -- you do realize that Christmas is just a few days away?

2. Update my inventory of unfinished projects. Identify 6 of the oldest projects and/or the ones closest to being completed tops. Set them aside in their own project drawer (I have a small collection of those storage units on wheels that aren't being used right now -- perfect for this!!) If there is anything in that UFO pile that fits in the list made in Item #1, put it in the top drawer!

3. Clear all surfaces in the sewing room (that includes the floor!!). I find myself making piles everywhere -- a fabric group for a project; a stack of fabric that are all coordinates; a bag full of something I was working on. Put it ALL away somewhere ORDERLY so I can find it again and use it again! No "stuffing it" allowed! All parts of a "work in progress" need to go together in those big zipper storage bags (don't you love those??!!) and the projects need to be put on the shelf, not the cutting table! Maybe then I'll have some room to work!

Well, that should take me the rest of the weekend to accomplish. When I can walk by the sewing room and actually look in and smile, I'll consider it a "job well done" and can move on to Phase II.

Breast Cancer Fundraising Idea

2010-08-28T08:16:00.001-04:00

There probably isn't any one of us who hasn't been touched by breast cancer -- personally, family member, or dear friend. I'm sorry to say that I've worked on many quilts for women fighting the good fight to survive. Yesterday I read a message from a Stashbuster (group list on yahoo) about these fantastic cup holders that she and a friend had designed that could be used at a fundraiser for breast cancer awareness and research. I thought you might love the idea .. And if you want to make some and don't know where to send them, let me know!!

The pattern can be found on Judy's blog Loose Fibers

Cleaning up the sewing room ... again!

2010-07-26T18:35:00.000-04:00

I have the never ending love/hate relationship with my sewing room. Once it is cleaned up, I love my space -- and I really do know how fortunate I am to actually have an entire room devoted to my sewing!! -- but then I spend a day or two ... or an hour or two ... in there and it invariably begins to look like a tornado has blown through there.

We're getting ready to go on vacation, and one of the things I love love love is to come home to a neat, clean and orderly house. The only way that can happen is if I leave it that way to begin with!! And after two weeks of playing in the sewing room with Jenny and Sophie, it really really needs some TLC!!

I had a playdate with my friend Bonnie today and we were laughing that I had sent Jenny home with a whole suitcase full of fabric and my sewing room doesn't look a bit different!! And I still couldn't find that piece of light pink that I wanted to use today!! So my project tomorrow is to arm myself with a box of jumbo zipper bags to organize the pattern/fabric piles that are everywhere and maybe I'll end up with some if not all of the surfaces in my sewing room visible,

And I will rest assured that it will stay that way until I get home with a head full of NEW projects!

Summer Vacation Project

2010-07-22T22:10:00.000-04:00

Is this the cutest wallhanging??!! I've been saving up this block of the month from Angie's Bits and Pieces since the first of the year and when my darling niece, Jenny, saw them she flipped!

We went to work right away choosing the background fabrics that we wanted -- that took two days lol!! Then we put our trees together, which was another three days because this is big!!

Finally we were able to start on our owls, but what decisions we had to make! Each one of these little guys had our full attention as we put together, heads and bellies and feet and wings. And as each one developed we found that we had to give them names! We're only halfway done with the year, but for now say hello to Stu and Bert and Bonnie and Tweet lol!!!

SITP - Notes from Steve

2010-07-21T20:41:00.000-04:00

Going through some files I found some notes from Steve Bennett of Judy Martin Books. Steve has been a huge help and supporter on the Shakespeare in the Park project. Here's some tips from him!

1. Make a sample of each type of block. Far better to work out any misconceptions or errors before everything is cut!

2. When making the Snail Trail block, the center 4-patch should measure 3.5" before the next round. After the second round, the block should measure 4.75" NOT 5".

3. The listed sizes for the blocks in the quilt (12 inches and 6 inches) are finished sizes, so sitting on your design wall the two blocks should measure 6-1/2" and 12-1/2 inches.

4. All of the patch dimensions in the book are correct. The C triangle is cut from a 3-7/8 inch square. The F triangle is cut from a 2-3/8 inch square. The geometry and the math for these patches are correct.

5. The G patch is a quarter-square triangle. Four G triangles are cut from a square that is cut 4-1/4 inches. You cut along both diagonals of the square before separating any of the patches.

6. The I patch is correct, but most people are unfamiliar with whatJudy was doing. She presents such patches differently now. Judy still cuts things like the I patch just as she presents in the book. It enables her to cut the long side of each triangle on the lengthwise grain.

For simplicity's sake, however, she would today tell you to cut quarter-square triangles from squares that measure 7.25 inches. You'll end up with 4 triangles that measure 7.25" on the long side and 5.125" on both short sides. When finished in the quilt, they'll measure 6" on the long side and 4.25" on the short sides.That might change the yardage a little, but it shouldn't make a difference in the listed yardage requirements.

7. The large flying geese units will be 6-1/2 x 3-1/2 with their seam allowances and 6 x 3 without. The small flying geese units will be 3-1/2 x 2 with their seam allowances and 3 x 1-1/2 without.

Let's Do IT ... SITP updated

2010-07-21T19:32:00.000-04:00

Today I learned that the yahoo group list for SITP has been dissolved, Quite a few folks have written me asking for the files, and I'm sorry to say that the list was not mine and therefore I do not have the posted files :( But what I do have is a strong desire to help my quilty friends with this awesome project that I started back in August 2009. Wow! does that make me cringe at yet another UFO sitting there for a year.

So, here's the deal ... some introductory posts are on the blog already and also the first three or four weeks of assignments. I will work for the next two months to get all the way through the project for those who would like to continue or to start this remarkable quilt designed by Judy Martin.

Go check the archives here and let's get started! Pass the word that Shakespeare is on the move!! hehehe ... email me with questions (mtviewquilts@cox.net) or post comments here.

Here's the link to get you started!! http://livinginstitches.blogspot.com/2009_08_01_archive.html

Clean Sewing Room!

2010-03-31T21:12:00.000-04:00

Woooohooooo!!! I worked all afternoon on my sewing room! Put project parts all together, found good stuff, emptied tote bags that were storing "stuff" and cleaned off the cutting table and the sewing table!!! Now I'm ready to work! Got everything in nice little sections on my sewing table and tomorrow will be a sewing day! One of my group lists is having an online retreat for the weekend and I do believe I have enough things ready to sew and sew!!

My plan for tomorrow is to fix the backing for a (very very old!) UFO and get it loaded on the machine (pictures to follow when I actually get it on there!!), and put the borders on a strip quilt. then I have bits and pieces waiting to be worked on to complete a few other projects ... AND I am going to get the cutting done for two upcoming mystery projects!

I'm loving the good weather and my increasing energy level!!

Awareness

2010-03-31T11:59:00.000-04:00

A couple of weeks ago I was searching for some project parts and ended up having to remove two shelves of fabric from my closet, only to find that the project was neatly stored in its little container where it should have been. Sheeeesh ... how did it get there??!! While removing the fabric and replacing it I realized that this was a huge burden -- I couldn't find some small pieces that I needed because there were so many yards and yards of fabric sitting in the way!

Before I go further, I need to point out that the shelves in this double closet hold fabrics that I don't have room for in either the 10 cabinets or second closet! This is HOARDING!! I spent a week really fretting over all this fabric, asking myself what on earth I was doing! Why was I holding on to all of this??!!! Finally, after a few sleepless nights and days of anxiety and distress I realized what a ninny I am!! (I know, to some of you this is not a revelation!! hehehe)

I have been holding on to some of this stuff for years just waiting for the "right" project or the "perfect" special occasion .... HELLO!! It occurred to me (again, not news to most of you!) that I can use up a lot of this fabric for many things -- quilts for friends, quilts for charities, fabric for donations ... and the list goes on. I would so much rather give a quilt to a friend "just because" than to leave this world with piles of fabric sitting here!

So I came up with a plan! I made a monthly list of people I want to make quilts for. I've been asking folks for their favorite colors and adding to the list. And if I give them a quilt this year, I may even give them a quilt next year! Or they may get two quilts in one year! I don't have to wait for weddings and Christmas. I can give quilts JUST BECAUSE I can! After coming up with my plan I told my husband who was happy to hear that I'm ready to use up fabric.

And at the sewathon this past weekend, I only came home with 10 more yards!!

I'm striving for progress ... not perfection!!

Retreating is so fun!!

2010-03-08T18:25:00.000-05:00

Went off to a quilt retreat at my favorite local quilt store this weekend ... What's Your Stitch 'n Stuff in Virginia Beach ... and had so much fun! They hold the retreat quarterly, starts on Friday evening, resumes Saturday morning and runs until midnight, then all day Sunday until about 6 p.m. Lots of the meals are provided, and groups go out for others or take-out orders come in. And it's hours of sewing and companionship and tons of laughing! I was totally exhausted when I came home last night, but had a blast!

I worked on several projects while there, but the most fun was a baby quilt made out if strips of mostly 1930s reproduction fabrics. Then I put in a few rows of chenille -- my first time using chenille by the inch! -- and some words for babies (eat, sleep, play, repeat) and it's just the cutest darn thing! When I finish the top this week I'll post some pictures for you.

At the "closing ceremonies" I was totally blown away to receive an MVP award from my teammates!! Actually brought me to tears! I'm sure that the chocolate dessert I brought contributed to their good feelings towards me, but no matter -- I was touched :)

Great weekend ... now back to sewing!

An Internet Quilt Along!

2010-03-05T11:39:00.000-05:00

On one of my Yahoo lists some folks were posting pictures of a block they made using jelly rolls -- now, how many jelly rolls do you have stashed away waiting for THE BEST project??!! -- so I went on a quest to find out what they were doing! What I found was a great blog "Moose on the Porch" where Konda has started the Jelly roll Sampler Quilt Along 2010! It just started this week, so you can easily jump in! A new block will be posted every two weeks, and she's even got prize drawings!

I'll be back later after I sort through my jelly rolls!!

Pillowcases are fun!

2010-02-17T23:31:00.006-05:00

As promised, here's some instructions for the pillowcases I made this weekend -- super easy!!

Begin with three pieces of fabric cut the width of the fabric
27" x 42" for the body of the pillowcase
1 3/4" x 42" for the accent piece
11" x 42" for the cuff of the pillowcase

Here are my choices ... I'm making this for a young friend of mine who has a birthday coming up next week!

The first thing to do is take your accent piece and fold it in half, wrong sides together and press so you have a nice even folded piece to work with. Open up your pillowcase body so the selvedges are on each side (working across the width of the fabric) and pin the accent piece to the right side of the fabric.

Now take your cuff piece and open that up so the selvedges are on each side and working across the width of the fabric, pin this on the WRONG side of your pillowcase fabric right along the edge where you pinned your accent piece.

Good so far?

Lay your pinned pieces out and roll UP the body of the pillowcase, and bring the lower edge of the cuff to the front, so you're sort of stuffing the body into the cuff.

Pin this all the way across so you end up with a big of a fabric "sausage roll" ...

And take this over to your sewing machine and put in a 1/4" seam across that entire pinned edge.

All of this should have taken you maybe a half hour to 45 minutes.

Here's the next fun step! Choose one end of your tube and reach in to find the pillowcase body. Begin to pull it out, turning the cuff right side. It's almost like birthing a quilt (only way smaller and easier!).

Once you have it all turned right side out, take it to the ironing board and press your cuff flat. Back to the cutting board and fold your pillowcase so that your selvedges are on the right and the left. Trim off the selvedges and any uneven edges so that both sides are completely even with each other.
With WRONG sides together, fold your pillowcase and stitch down the open side and across the bottom USING A SCANT 1/4" SEAM. Yes, you're reading this correctly -- sew this with wrong sides together. When you're finished, trim off the two bottom corners. I generally put a pin at the point where the accent pieces match to be sure they are totally lined up with each other, but it's not required.

Turn your pillowcase inside out.
Back to the sewing machine and stitch those same two seams, only this time use a 3/8" seam allowance. You want to be sure you catch the first seams in this one. This is going to give you a beautiful closed seam on the inside so you'll never have little threads tangling up inside there. Once again, trim your corners so that they form nice crisp edges when you turn your case back right side.

And here's my finished pillowcase just in time to send to my little birthday friend!!

I'm back ...

2010-02-16T23:32:00.002-05:00

I was shocked at the date on the last post ... a much longer hiatus than I had envisioned, and my apologies for the delay in continuing our Shakespeare In the Park journey! I'll resume the class later this week, so thanks for your patience.

It's been an "interesting" few months, culminating with my gastric bypass surgery in January -- definitely a life changer! But it's all goooood :) As my weight goes down my energy level is going up, and that is definitely a positive exchange!

I spent the past weekend on a quilty retreat at my favorite local quilt store, What's Your Stitch 'n Stuff and, as always, had a blast! It being Valentine's weekend, I spent a little bit of time working on a gift for my darling husband, Howard -- special pillowcases for the day :) I learned a great new way (for me) to make these little quickies and tomorrow I'll post a little tutorial on how I made them. It's a good excuse for me to make some more!!

See you tomorrow! Hope you are keeping your sewing machines warmed up! I've got a small pile of tops ready for the longarm ... are you a topper or a finisher? lol!!

Linda

Shakespeare in the Park - Assignment Week 3

2009-10-13T01:38:00.002-04:00

This week's assignment:

1. Make six more variable star blocks in the opposite colorway ... these
will be dark background with light stars.

The finished blocks should measure exactly 6.5"

Have a good week!

Assignment Week 2
Assignment Week 4

Shakespeare in the Park - Assignment Week 2

2009-10-13T01:28:00.003-04:00

This week you are going to be putting blocks together. As you look at
the components of the Y and Z blocks, how would you suggest putting them
together?

What method(s) did you use for the Flying Geese? and why did you choose
that method?

Are all your flying geese measuring the same? If not, what difficulty
did you have?

And your assignments:

1. Cut patches A, H, F, G (F and G depend on chosen method of Flying
Geese)

2. Put 6 Star Blocks together

Your completed blocks should measure 6.5" square. If they don't, check
your seam allowances and check that you cut pieces A and H accurately.

Assignment Week 1
Assignment Week 3

SITP ....And we're off.......or things I have learned so far

2009-10-09T16:46:00.004-04:00

Today Linda and I got together for a sew in. I wanted to start the Shakespeare in the Park project and as always I wanted her sage wisdom. I am so glad I talked with her before starting, and I wanted to pass on some of the things I learned today.

1. WHAT??? SLOW DOWN???

As anyone who knows me can attest, I have 2 speeds: on and off. I have the personality that wants to get things done yesterday. Today with this project I have hit a much needed personal speed bump. I have decided to follow the pattern as the book has presented it. Sure I have 15 different ways to make flying geese, but Judy Martin has a way of making a quilt block that is pretty dam close to perfect. Her philosophy is (as stated in the book) why trim it down, why fuss and force a block, just make the block right from the start. I did not know this. I think I started with that let's whip out another quilt attitude.

If you use her method, cut precise, sew precise then the blocks will come together perfectly. No need to trim or pull. This method requires a little extra time. This is the reason that Linda has broken it down into so many lessons, so we don't throw our machine out the window, snap at our significant others or mainline espresso in our attempts at perfection.

Lesson one - no Nonja, you are not finishing this quilt tonight - SLOW DOWN

2. Measure, Measure, Measure..

Again - What? Measure after I sew .... are you sure - I just measured when I cut the fabric....

Yes -You need to check your blocks. I was having some issues and realized that I was not using the scant 1/4 inch. Use a "scant' 1/4 inch seam. What is a scant 1/4 - I wanted to be right in my definition so I goggled it - How surprising 7,500 hits - Basically it is a little under a 1/4 inch. How best to achieve it? If your needle moves on your machine - just move it over one to the right - If not this is the best way I have found was on the web from Patricia Margaret and Donna Slusser:

You are very wise to be concerned about your 1/4" seam allowances. And by using that term, right away you can get in trouble.

If you use exact 1/4" seams, you will find that your blocks will be a little small. The reason for this is that some fabric is lost in the turn of the cloth when you press the block. We need to learn to sew and use scant 1/4" seam allowances.

To do this you will need to place a marker on the throatplate of your machine. Don't rely on a special 1/4" sewing machine foot. Always determine that scant 1/4" mark for yourself.

Cut a strip of four-squares-to-the-inch graph paper. Trim it along one of the lines. Place the graph paper under your presser foot and pierce the paper just shy (by a couple of threads of fabric) of the first line. Place a piece of masking tape or adhesive-backed moleskin right along the edge of the graph paper. That will give you a scant 1/4" seam allowance.

So today I have learned that I do not need to mainline espresso (but I can if I want to). This quilt will be broken down so that we all can do it in little pieces, so I plan on doing it right. I vow to cut slowly, measure and recheck after every block. I will not throw my machine out the window (I just got it out of the shop) I will take my time and I will ENJOY myself but I might still yell at my husband - just for good measure!

So far so good - I had a great time today - Thanks Linda!!!!

Here are my flying geese and my colors - Pink, Chocolate and Cream

Shakespeare in the Park - Assignment Week 1

2009-09-29T00:13:00.004-04:00

Each week (except for over the U.S. holiday weeks in November and December) we'll have steps posted for working on different parts of this beautiful quilt. I started with a small block, Evening Star (Variable Star), so we get the feel of the fabrics we've chosen and how the pieces start to go together.

We are making Blocks Y and Z from The Creative Pattern Book. The first component is the flying geese and you can find three methods of making this here on the blog.

The first week we are making blocks with dark "sky" pieces (the small side triangles) and light (background) for your geese which is the large triangle.

Your tasks for the week are:

1. Square up your fabrics and make sure you are cutting on the grain.

2. Make 24 flying geese units with a light goose and dark sky. This will be part of 6 Y/Z blocks.

Have a good week!

Assignment Week 2

Straight of Grain - what's up with that?

2009-09-29T00:07:00.002-04:00

One of the things I found interesting in the fabric cutting for the Shakespeare in the Park project was that the measurements were broken into 18" widths -- fat quarter size! I had not thought much about it until I realized how much easier it is to find the grain line in a piece this size! On page 25 of The Creative Pattern Book, there's some good information on why she cuts lengthwise on the grain, and I thought it might be helpful to have a little lesson on grain lines in fabric.

For all you old hands at sewing, none of this is going to be news :) but I think some of our newer quilters might not have a clear idea of how to use the grain of the fabric to improve their blocks!

The grain refers to the crosswise and lengthwise threads that make up your fabric. On the printed side it might be a little harder to determine where the threads run, so turn it to the wrong side and give a look ... from selvedge edge to edge is called the crosswise grain and
the length of the fabric is the ... right! lengthwise grain! Any cut off those two grain lines will have a bias edge to some degree.

The crosswise grain generally has a little more "give" in it than the lengthwise. If you cut a small square of your fabric and pull on the top and bottom you will see a bit of stretch, where if you pull on it side to side it is less "wiggly". The lengthwise grain is more stable and that's why it is often called for when cutting borders and sashing -- where you want the most stable pieces to frame and square-up your work.

In cutting your fabric, you want to make sure you are cutting with the grain. How?

You can eyeball it by following the threads (easier to do with a fat quarter in front of you!),
Take one ruler and line it up to a crosswise thread and one ruler perpendicular to it on a lengthwise thread and square up that end. Or you can actually pull a thread on many fabrics ... if you get hold of a thread and inch it along to pull it out, much like you were gathering
something, you will have a perfect line to follow when cutting strips.

Why is the grain so important?

Cutting your fabric squares with edges along the straight grain will minimize stretching during measuring, marking, cutting and sewing. Straight grain edges helps to ensure that your blocks don't stretch or become distorted. Triangles, without exception, are going to have at least one bias edge to them. If you make sure that the straight edge is the outside edge of the block, you will find a nicely pieced block. The method of cutting a square and then making two diagonal cuts will put the straight edge on the outside edge of the block.

That's all I have to say about the straight grain of fabric :)

Design Elements -- A Challenge for YOU!

2009-09-28T13:19:00.012-04:00

And now for something completely different.... (but related I PROMISE!!!!) If you have completed the flying geese for the Shakespeare in the Park quilt and need something to keep you busy this week -- try this one for size!

I have recently gone back to school. This is one of the reasons for my slack in the posting department. I love quilting so much that when I was presented with the opportunity to go back to school I wanted to do something that would enhance my art, so I am going back for Graphic Design. I am learning so much and wanted to share this with you. Not only am I learning about color and value, I am learning about design.

Design is such an important aspect to art -- including quilting -- and I think we tend to overlook it sometimes. Many times we have so many things presented to us that we get in a cut and paste mentality. We fall into a feather/stipple/crosshatch rut. For me it was hard to come up with my own ideas, when I could look at everyone else’s ideas and they seemed to come so easily.

To help break us out of that rut and to help us approach design with a new eye, I present to you a challenge to look at your world and the design elements in you’re every day. When you take the time to look at the design elements around you, I promise you, you will look at your quilting differently.

Your challenge for the next week is to look at the natural elements that are around you every day and take pictures of them. Photograph what you see -‐focus on seeing things differently; a new perspective or something you haven’t noticed before. Look from different angles, different position, see the subtle and not-so-subtle shadings.

Take pictures of Line, Color, Texture, Pattern and Shape

Look for signs, text, symbols, color and pattern. Use both nature and man-made objects. Do not set up something, but capture the element "in the wild" so to speak. Challenge yourself with interesting compositions, experiment with emphasis through focusing the lens The trick here is to stay AWAY from the craft/fabric room. Get out there – Looking at the elements of design in your everyday world will help you out in so many ways. It will inspire you, help you out of a rut, and let you see the art all around you. Take as many pictures as you would like, but please only send me the top picture in each category. E-mail them to us at nonjay@gmail.com. Have them all in to me by Monday the 12^th of October. Linda and I will pick the winner out of all the submissions Wednesday the 14^th of October. As incentive for your challenge I have a Moda Honey bun and 2 charm packs for the winner. Here are some examples that I took when I had this challenge presented to me.

TEXTURE

COLOR

LINE

SHAPE

PATTERN

Good luck and REMEMBER TO HAVE FUN!!!!!!!!

Really quick note - Have to add - these have to be YOUR pictures that YOU took
No snagging pics off google!!! :)

Flying Geese - Method Three

2009-09-27T16:36:00.004-04:00

This method will give you four flying geese when you’re finished

Let’s revisit our formula for flying geese: A finished block is half as tall as it is wide ... so a 3 width on my block will have a 1/5 height. But you can use this formula for any size flying goose It will always work for you

In this method we’re going to cut a large square and 4 smaller squares. The large square is again going to be the finished width of the block plus 1.25 . You’re also going to cut 4 smaller squares that are the height of the finished block plus 7/8".

Large block is 4.25" (3 + 1.25)
Small squares are 2 3/8 (1.5 + 7/8)

Put one small square in the upper left corner of your larger square, and one small square in the lower right of the larger square.

Draw a diagonal line through both small squares. This is your guide line/cutting line.

Now, stitch a scant 1/4 on each side of your guide line. Cut apart on your cutting line. Press open with the seams toward your little squares (the sky piece).

Now take another little square and place it on the left upper corner of your sewn piece and draw a diagonal line.

Stitch a scant 1/4 on each side of the diagonal line, cut apart, and press open.

And here's your four flying geese units!

Fabric Postcards

2009-09-25T03:02:00.005-04:00

Have you received these little postcard gems from your quilty friends and now you want to send one back? Have you marveled at how lovely it is to receive a miniature piece of art in the mail -- instead of just another bill? This set of instructions will have your imagination running wild as you create fabric postcards for any occasion. Believe me when I tell you that there is no one method for making these little postal gems ... what you see here is just "my way" so adapt it as you wish!

First up is a supply list. On my cutting table I've gathered my Steam-a-Seam (fusible stuff), a roll of Timtex, which is a very stiff interfacing like what you find in baseball caps, for example. I also have a little supply of Halloween fabrics and some pieces that I'm going to turn into applique pumpkins. This, plus an iron and a sewing machine, and you're good to go!

The Timtex is the foundation of my postcard ... it's stiff, I can fuse fabric to it, it keeps the card nice and neat as it travels through the mail system. Some people use batting, heavy interfacing, wool pieces ... whatever works for you to give you the texture you want. I just prefer the stiffer "card". A postcard measures 4" x 6" and less than 1/4" thick -- if any of these dimensions are exceeded, you can still mail your treasure, but you'll pay more in postage. I frequently have Postal Clerks whip out their little template to make sure that my cards fit the requirements, so best to not fudge on the sizing. I'm cutting it into 6" strips and then cutting across into 4" x 6" rectangles.

I'm going to be working first on the "design side" ... that way, any stitching I do will be covered up by the fabric applied to the message/address side. I took some fabric bits and applied the fusible film to the wrong side, following the manufacturer's instructions. Remove the paper shield and place the fabric on one side of your foundation. Heat with the iron to apply it. Here's my first rectangle with the fabric on one side. I trimmed any extra fabric from around the edges.

Now I need some things to decorate my postcard. I found a picture of a spiderweb and spider in a coloring book and traced it onto the fusible paper ... also in my little stash of stuff was a paper-pieced candy corn that is just the right size for a postcard. The little pumpkins and bats (which glow in the dark, by the way -- can you see a post office employee late at night with my postcard??!!) I cut out of an apron pan or something and I've applied fusible to the wrong side of the fabric.

Then I cut out the appliques, remove the protective backing and arrange the pieces on my postcard. One of the reasons I really like Steam-a-Seam is that it is repositionable before you press it into permanent place. It's good for me because I frequently go between upstairs and downstairs carrying my little projects and this way the pieces don't blow off.

Up in my sewing room I rummaged through my thread boxes and found some great funky thread to use on my postcards. Then I had an idea that I could write a little message with thread using the letters on my machine -- a feature I've never used! So, I programmed in BOO and HAPPY HALLOWEEN and did some decorative stitching on a few of the cards.

To finish off the applique pieces, I'm using a great orange thread (Superior Bottom Line is my best friend) and just stitching a little buttonhole stitch around the pieces. The fusible will keep it pretty well in place, but the extra stitching around it really sets it off. You can use any stitch you have -- zig zag, satin stitch, even leave it as a raw edge piece! With the top finished, I have two more steps.

First, I need to apply the message/address side to the postcard (which is going to cover up my stitching, too).

I'm using bleached muslin for these cards -- use anything you have that is light enough to write on. I've used unbleached muslin, pastels, batiks, etc. -- whatever you have at hand. Apply your fusible to the wrong side of your backing fabric and then cut into 4" x 6" pieces. Press it into place on the back side of your postcards.
And now for the final touch -- your postcard "binding" ... today I'm still using my decorative threads and decide to do a close zig zag all around the edges of my postcard. This is doing two things -- first, it's giving my "art" a frame, and second, it's ensuring that all my layers are securely joined and ready for travel. Next step for you -- write a message and address it, take it off to the post office and send it on its way!!

Hope you had fun making these postcards!

Flying Geese - Method Two

2009-09-24T03:40:00.006-04:00

Method Two - Cut four/sew one

This method cuts 4 goose pieces (large triangle) and 8 sky pieces that are then sewn one at a time.

You will need one square cut the size of your desired width plus 1.25" for the geese and four squares the size of the finished height plus 7/8".

Cut the large square into four triangles by cutting diagonally both ways. Cut your small squares in half diagonally.

Because I’m working on the Shakespeare in the Park quilt, I want my large square to be 4.25" and cut into four triangles to make a 3" x 1.5" finished (desired finished width is 3" + 1.25") block and my little squares are going to be 2-3/8" (desired finished height is 1.5" + 7/8").

Take one small triangle and line it up face down with the left side of the larger triangle and sew a scant 1/4" seam. Press open.

Take your second triangle and place it face down on the right side of the larger triangle and sew a scant 1/4" seam. Press open.

Your flying goose should measure 3.5" x 2". Again, make sure you have the little 1/4" seam allowance where the triangles meet. If you don’t then your seams may be off a bit – measure them!

Tip No. 3 : Since your triangles have bias edges, handle gently so they aren’t stretched out of shape.

Tip No. 4: Be sure to read what Judy says in her book regarding the little tips sticking out all over! You'll be glad you did!

Flying Geese - Method One

2009-09-24T03:14:00.009-04:00

This method uses rectangles and squares to create the triangles.

For your cutting: The goose (rectangle) should be the finished length you want plus 1/2".
The sky (little triangles) we’re going to cut squares that should be half of the length of the finished goose plus 1/2"

Because I’m working on the Shakespeare in the Park quilt, I want my rectangles to be 3.5" x 2" to make a 3 x 1.5" block and my little squares are going to be 2".

Cut rectangles 3.5" x 2" Cut squares 2"

Take one square and lay it face down on the left side of your rectangle, aligning it with the sides and top. Stitch diagonally from the inside corner of the square to the outside corner of the square. Trim the excess fabric away and press open.

Take the second square and line it up on the right side of the rectangle, and again, stitch from the inside corner to the outside.
Trim the excess fabric 1/4" away from the stitch line and press both sides open.

There! You’ve made your first flying geese block!

Tip No. 2 : There should be 1/4" of seam allowance where the two triangles meet (see where the tip of the scissors are pointing in the photo). If there is less, you may cut off the point of the goose when joining the next parts.

And what about those cute little "waste" triangles that you cut off (that will also multiply like crazy when you're not looking!)? turn them into half-square blocks and then pinwheels and before you know it you have a table runner or little coffee table mats, or aim big for a wall hanging!

Come Fly With Me!! or How to Make Flying Geese ...

2009-09-24T03:04:00.005-04:00

There are so many things to do with Flying Geese – great borders, wonderful sashing, stunning by themselves, the possibilities are really limited only by your imagination. And they’re pretty easy to do, if you take a few minutes to be really accurate in your cutting and sewing.

Flying Geese are also special because you can make them any size you want, without a lot of math involved, There’s a simple formula:

The finished width of a Flying Geese Block is always twice the finished height ... in other words, a 4" wide finished block will be 2" tall.

There’s a variety of ways to make these blocks and I’m going to show you some of them today. If you really want to eliminate some work, you can always use the Gridded Geese at Planet Patchwork, or you might like to try the Flying Geese Ruler by Lazy Girl Designs (there’s a demo on how it works here http://www.lazygirldesigns.com/blog/?p=273)

But my goal here is to show you a few methods that I know to be accurate. If you are working on Judy Martin’s Shakespeare in the Park quilt pattern, then you already know that you are going to need a million flying geese (well, not really that many – but a LOT!).

RULE: MEASURE, MEASURE, MEASURE

Tip No. 1 : Remember that a finished flying geese block will be half the height of the width.

So go get yourself some coffee and some chocolate, and let’s get started.

Method One - Cut One/Sew One
Method Two - Cut Four/Sew One
Method Three - Cut One/Sew Four

Five Keys to SITP Success ...

2009-09-18T23:16:00.000-04:00

Right from Steve at Judy Martin Books! Thanks for the tips, Steve and Judy!

Let me share just a little about Judy's perspective on making quilts. She believes there are 5 keys to making a quilt go together perfectly.

The first is to start with an accurate pattern. If the math behind the pattern is solid, then when you accurately cut and sew the pattern, it will fall together easily. Shakespeare in the Park is an accurate pattern.

Second, you have to cut accurately. That means carefully lining up the ruler and carefully cutting along the edge of the ruler without having the ruler slip. For most of you I doubt if it's an issue, but I mention it because nothing else matters if you're cutting your 3-inch squares 2-7/8 inches.

Third is trimming points so you can accurately align neighboring patches. The trims at the points should be even with the ends of the neighboring patch when you place them face to face for stitching. The templates in the book have the trim lines marked on all the pointy patches.

Fourth is pinning joints. Judy always pins borders, bindings, and block rows at every joint. It doesn't matter how well you align things if those things get out of whack as you sew them. If you sew a triangle (with points trimmed) onto your Virginia Reel block, and it extends beyond the block, you may be stretching the bias. If you pin the triangle to the block so the trims align with the block, you will see your results improve.

Fifth is getting the seam allowance perfect. This is probably the hardest of all that I've mentioned, but it is the most important.

If you start with an accurate pattern and have mastered the four keys that follow above, it's not an exaggeration to say that you can make ANY quilt you desire.

Good luck to you all.
(Reprinted with permission.)

How ro make an accurate quilt block

2009-09-18T22:01:00.000-04:00

The two most important parts of the whole project are accurate cutting (measure twice, cut once), and making sure your seam allowance is a scant 1/4".

Some folks like to cut pieces a bit larger to give themselves a bit of fudge factor, which is totally fine ... my thought is to strive to get your pieces cut absolutely accurately. I find I am much more accurate when I am focused on one thing, relaxed, and paying total attention to what I am doing. I don't like to redo things or try to figure out how to fix things -- at least in my quilting :) In my kitchen it's a totally different story.

How do you attain a scant 1/4" seam? by measuring over and over until you get it right. A scant 1/4" generally means 1 or 2 threads less than 1/4". The thought might occur that it's only off by 1/16" which by itself would be no big deal. But what if there 8 seams trying to go together. OOOOPS now you have a 1/2" differential and your block really can't come out the right size.

Don't trust that your 1/4" foot really IS 1/4" -- test it out and measure it. Then mark your machine so you know every time where your seam allowance should be. There are many products on the market that make a little barrier you can put your fabric up against, some people put a line on their machine ... I have a strip of blue painter's masking tape on my machines.

Lastly, measure each step of your block for accuracy. Then you can catch any discrepancy before you have a whole block put together and find it's the wrong size. If your block is not the right size, 99% of the time it means your seam allowance is incorrect. So, give these hints a whirl and see how your blocks do :)

This quilt has a lot of angles and seams and pieces that are all made to go together perfectly :) For me, it means I have to work a little more diligently than I might for, say, a Yellow Brick Road quilt, or something else with larger pieces that can be fudged a little. This quilt is a work of accuracy and I believe at the end of the project you will find that you have developed some new skills in the cutting and piecing of your quilts!

Shakespeare in the Park - fabric requirements

2009-09-04T20:28:00.000-04:00

I know that many of your are anxious for your book to arrive so that you can figure out what you need. If you're hoping to pull from your stash, here are some basic fabric requirements for each size of the quilt. Please note when making your color choices that each version of the quilt has the darker color in triangles around the entire outer edge. This not only brings the eye into the quilt, but effectively makes it a "border". So no matter what color choices you make, be sure to think a bit darker for the outer edges.

The smallest is the lap size/baby/throw/wall version ... it measures 59 1/2" square.

Background fabric - 9 fat quarters
Primary dark color - 18 fat quarters
To add a third color, you will need 12 fat quarters of the primary dark and 6 of the third color.
To add a fourth color, you will need 12 fat quarters of the primary dark and 3 each of the third and fourth colors.
For example, black, white, red and gold ... black 12/white 9/red 3/gold 3

The middle size is the twin size which measures 76 1/2" x 93 1/2"

Background fabric - 22 fat quarters
Primary dark fabric - 22 fat quarters
Dark fabric for side triangles - 7
To add additional colors, I would suggest at least 3-5 fat quarters each of your contrasting colors.
For example, my lime and turquoise combinations from the photo below will have a cream background (made up of an assortment of creams), and I will be using both turquoise and plum as accent colors. I have an assortment of limes totaling 5 yards (20 fat quarters), 2 yards of my fossil fern in turquoise and lime (8 fat quarters), and a smaller pile of 10 fat quarters in plums and turquoises. My fossil fern in turquoise and lime will also be my fabric for the side triangles.

The largest size will be the queen sized, which I'm calculating measures about 93 1/2" square. Math isn't my first language so if anyone else has the exact measure figured out, please share it! Making up the queen size is adding another extra row width-wise and you'll need another 25% of your chosen fabrics ... so 5-6 additional background fabrics and 6-8 additional fabrics.

Hope this helps as you get ready for this great project!

Shakespeare in the Park - fabric selections

2009-09-04T20:03:00.000-04:00

In our previous post about colors, we showed you ideas for a monochrome Shakespeare in the Park -- I know many are choosing the blues and whites or blues and creams. GREAT colors!! For those who might not have the book yet, the quilt is made up of 5 different blocks. One of the blocks is a Snails Trail and all of those blocks are made with the light and dark fabric always in the same place. The other four blocks, however, alternate with the light as the background sometimes and the dark as the background at others. This gives us lots more opportunities to use a selection of colors if you want to venture away from a two color quilt.

I spent a few minutes up in my sewing room playing around with some fabrics and thought you might enjoy seeing some different combinations. Click on the picture to see larger versions. If you'd like to show us your fabric selections, just email me a photo and I'll post it here!
Here's a beautiful combination from Donna in New Hampshire ... love that teal with black!

Let's Talk Color - Part 2

2009-09-03T09:29:00.000-04:00

If you've done your homework, you now have a good idea of the colors in your quilting stash, and you have actually thought about how the colors make you feel -- why that is your very favorite yellow or green or blue!

Now we're going to put some colors together. If we start with a single color and we want to stick with that, we are creating a monochromatic piece ... By definition, all shades and tints of a monochromatic scheme are going to go together. A monochromatic scheme is easy to manage, and can be peaceful and soothing -- but it can also be boring without the right "sparks" of your color. If you want to make a monochromatic quilt, be sure to include a wide variety of reds to keep the interest going in the quilt. Here are my strips ready for a red and white quilt and a blue and yellow quilt. Note the variety of shades and how they span the red section of the color wheel.

Imagine what would happen if we added a bit of the complementary color to this quilt! The complementary colors are colors that are directly opposite each other on the color wheel. So for the red, green is it's complement. If you don't have a color wheel handy while you're shopping, take your primary color (red in this case) and stare hard at it. Now close your eyes really tight squeezing them shut and you will see a green spot -- the complement. Try this with a couple of other colors -- you will always see its complement using this little trick. Two of my favorite complementary color schemes are blue-green/red-orange (rust and teal) and yellow-green/red-violet (lime green and plum) ... talk about sparkling!

If I move out of the red zone even more I can turn this into an analogous color scheme by moving into the red-violets and the red-oranges. By doing this, I've also opened up a whole new arena for my complementary colors! But use some caution here that you don't end up with a quilt made up of six bright colors -- In addition to choosing the dominant color, be sure to vary the saturation levels and your values to obtain a pleasing combination.

For Shakespeare in the Park, I've heard many color combinations being tossed about, all of them striking! The particular set of blocks that make up this quilt lends itself beautifully to monochromatic, complementary as well as analogous color schemes. For my quilt with the lime green, I'll be using a wide variety of greens, a smaller amount of the red violets for punch and a cream background that is made up of, again, a wide variety of neutral creams. Think of this as a controlled scrap quilt! If you're using a batik or multicolored hand-dye, you might want to choose the complement to one color to add the punch. The batik or multicolored fabric will cut into a variety of hues and values so no need to add additional fabrics to make it variety.

Click here for a color scheme designer program where you can test your color choices -- or maybe make some new ones!

Let's Talk Color - Part 1

2009-09-02T23:29:00.000-04:00

There's a lot of buzzing going on related to choosing colors for a quilt. And while a lot of our friends are planning on fabrics specifically for Shakespeare in the Park, we thought that a bit of info on colors might make choices easier. Choosing colors is the one thing I hear quilters say most often -- "I don't know how to put colors together." My own experience with colors began during "art class" years, and what I learned there has been applied to how I use colors in my quilts. Not that I still don't get that awful combo (believe me, it happens), but for the most part I end up happy with colors.

Let's start with the basic color wheel. Colors are divided into "warm" and "cool" colors with the colors on the right side of the wheel being dubbed warmer than the cooler ones on the left side of this wheel. We probably all know that the primary colors are red, blue, and yellow, and that all the other colors of the rainbow (and the color wheel) are made up of these colors. We add white and black to the colors to change the saturation of the color, essentially "graying" the color. If we take our primary colors and begin mixing them together, we come up with secondary colors ...

Yellow and Red = Orange
Blue and Red = Violet
Blue and Yellow = Green

Now we're going to mix up some more colors, and we will have our tertiary palette and can begin to choose fabrics. The tertiary colors are a primary color (red, blue or yellow) mixed with a secondary color ... and we now have red-orange/yellow-orange, blue-violet/red-violet, blue-green/yellow-green.

All the colors you see on the color wheel are in their purest form -- they are hues. When we begin to lighten or darken them using white and black, we are changing the saturation of the color. Add enough white to red and you have the palest pink ... which is still a red color, but you have changed the saturation and the value so it is the lightest on a value scale.

The value scale runs in black/grey/white ... the deepest values are at one end and the palest values are at the other end of the scale. In between the colors are called midtones. The saturation of the color in your fabric shouldn't be confused with the value of the fabrics you're putting together. One way to get a good idea of the values of the fabric you have chosen is to take small pieces and tape them onto a piece of paper and put them on a black and white copier.
A quicker way is to take digital photographs of your fabrics in black and white so you can instantly view the value scale you have chosen. By doing this you are removing the color/hue and will be left looking at your fabrics in terms of value -- light, dark and midtones. A striking quilt will have all three levels ... a really nice quilt will have at least two values, and a boring quilt will have only one value -- nothing to make the eye move around. Zee, one of our readers, just took a black and white photo of a quilt she was putting together and realized she had to move some blocks around to better distribute the values.

The colors we choose, whether in decorating a room, buying our clothes, or selecting fabrics for quilts, are not arbitrary -- we are attracted or repelled by colors that hold some kind of personal meaning to us. Here are some brief explanations of the meanings of some colors ...

Red = energy and passion
Orange = happiness and courage (and why do we shy away from orange in our quilts?)
Yellow = wisdom and intellect
Green = growth, abundance
Blue = tranquility, trust (most popular color in quilters' stashes -- how about yours?)
Indigo = knowledge, power
Violet = spirituality and strength
Pink = friendly, loving
Brown = order, dependability
Gold = illumination and wisdom
Grey = dignity and self-control (no wonder there's none in my stash!)
Lime = possibilities and perception (my stash overflows with lime!)
Blue-Green = heart
Black = protection and independence

Your homework: Spend some time with your stash evaluating the colors you collect and how the color relates to who you are. Do some sorting by saturation and value. Think about how you are feeling when you have each of your colors in your hands.

Shakespeare in the Park

2009-08-30T22:01:00.001-04:00

The gorgeous quilt pictured here is by Denise Oldham of Apopka, Florida. It was entered in Indianapolis Quilt Guild's quilt show on October 23 & 24 and we can't wait to hear how she did!!

I know that hundreds of us have looked at this quilt many times with love in our hearts and fear in our brains ... it is so beautiful yet so intimidating! That's why a group has gotten together with me as the coach to put this quilt into perspective and help us all get one finished. If it's been on your "wish to do" list, then maybe you want to play along. So here's the scoop ...

If you haven’t seen this magnificent quilt, here is a link to some photos in lots of different colors.

Make a visit to Judy Martin’s site . On the left menu, click on photos, and then select “Viewer Photos”. Scroll down to the photos from “The Creative Pattern Book.”

Inspiring isn’t it? And don’t be daunted by this quilt! We’re going to break it down into little steps that everyone can do – beginner to life experienced quilters will be happy with the final product! It’s only squares and half square triangles!! You can do this!

Beginning next month (September) there will be weekly postings with directions for the section of that week. You will have a week to finish the step before the next one comes out.

Some more photos if you’re still looking for just the right colors ...

this one uses a Ricky Tims hand-dye
http://www.flickr.com/photos/65592515@N00/1993035914/

another blue and white
http://www.thathomesite.com/forums/load/quilt/msg031300398300.html?23

A really unique variation
http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/quilt/msg0615130211725.html

blues and greens
http://lindahoosquiltjournal.blogspot.com/2009/08/shakespeare-in-park.html

black and gold and red
http://www.apopkaquilts.com/Shakespeare/

gorgeous rainbow
http://www.paxunum.org/desdemona-top-finished.jpg

Before we can start though, you’re going to need a few things: the book so you have the pattern–this is a critical component as the pattern will not be given online; rotary cutter and mat; chocolate; sewing machine (or hand sewing materials if that’s your method); fabric that you love, love, love; a seam ripper (just in case, you know!); chocolate (did I mention that already?); and a little bit of time each week to work on your project.

You’re in luck right now, too, because The Creative Pattern Book is on close-out special on Judy’s site. Hop on it and get your copy! Other sources for obtaining the book:

Amazon.com
http://www.amazon.com/Creative-Pattern-Book-Complete-Intriguing/dp/0929589068

Buy.com
http://www.buy.com/prod/the-creative-pattern-book/q/loc/106/33662687.html

Overstock.com
http://www.overstock.com/Books-Movies-Music-Games/The-Creative-Pattern-Book/949047/product.html?cid=123620&fp=F&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=3173198

Borders and Barnes and Noble can both order this book for you.

There are also sources in the UK and Australia if you Google Search the book title.

What's next? I'll be auditioning fabrics from my stash ... my belief is that "all greens go together" so I'm going to test that theory, with a special emphasis on lime greens that I've been collecting for years. I'll post some pictures when I choose my fabric!

Next steps:
Fabric Selection
Fabric Requirements

Retreat, Day 2

2009-08-30T12:07:00.001-04:00

I have a sad face on writing this report. Very little got accomplished on Saturday. I did get another 15 maple leaf blocks done, and fabrics pulled for the other projects, but mostly I slept! I've been battling sinus infections all summer long, and landed another one this week that has knocked me out! Saw the doctor on Friday and we're now taking more aggressive steps to fix the problem, but in the meantime I'm being a weenie ...

Started to go to the next step on the maple leaf blocks which is building a log cabin around the blocks. Hit a snag, however, when I remembered that I had changed the size/measurements of the leaf blocks so now had to figure out the new measurements for the log cabin portion. I think I'll make one up in muslin before I dive in to cutting up the fabric :)

Retreat, Day 1

2009-08-28T18:01:00.000-04:00

Since I wasn't able to get in to the retreat at the quilt shop, I'm going to do this on my own, but I'll have you for company! It's 6:03 p.m. Friday, and my retreat started officially 3 minutes ago. I have 3 projects to work on in the next 6 hours -- the maple leaf blocks, my "antique" Y2K quilt blocks, and a new project that was a stay-at-home round robin and I need to make the center block for that, Nebraska, from The Quilter's Cache site. And if you're ever looking for a kind of fast quilt, this block made with 12" sections, makes an excellent good-sized top! See you again at midnight!

Update on Day 1 of my retreat ... I've got 25 maple leaf blocks done, and another row of my Y2K quilt sashed. yippeeee

Need Design Space?

2009-08-27T23:29:00.000-04:00

I do love putting bits and pieces of my projects up on a design wall and then stepping back to give it "an eye" ... or to put it up piece by piece, section by section, watching it grow into its final product. But I don't always have wall space available. I much prefer to see finished projects hanging on the wall instead of bits and pieces ... Here's a really quick, inexpensive design board for you to make ... and there's even enough material to make one for your best quilting friend!

Off to the hardware store where I found an 8' tall piece of foam insulation and it's 4' wide. Mine was blue, but I've also seen it in pink. Color really doesn't matter! There was no way that an 8' tall piece was going to fit in the car, so the nice guys at Lowe's cut it horizontally for me into 2 4' x 4' pieces. I paid about $9 for the whole piece. The first chunk I scored down the middle with my trusty utility knife and added my flannel. After reinforcing it with some duct tape (blue, of course), it was a folding design wall and could be stored anywhere! That one is 4' x 4' and folds down the middle with the flannel inside to keep it from getting dirty.

The second piece of insulation I cut directly in half to make it two 4' by 2' boards. Then I took some white flannel yardage and some extra long silk pins, and tacked the flannel to the board...

And in 15 minutes or less ... my design wall is ready to be put to good use!

How to Make a Fiber ATC (Artist Trading Card)

2009-08-27T14:06:00.000-04:00

How to Make a Fiber ATC

Photo 1. The first thing I had to do with all of them is decide what I wanted to do -- yes, the idea comes first to me -- that way I'm not limited in my mind by what I see in front of me. My first subject is "where the artist dwells" -- and my dwelling was in the snowy mountains of Vermont!

Photo 2. Now that I have an idea, I took myself off to Joann's yesterday and wandered through the fabric aisles. I spotted a lacy bit with little dots that look like snow ... and a white satiny fabric that could be cut into mountains, and finally a white shimmery piece that would be snow close up ... and from my stash I have this lovely night background. I decided to put my house in this little piece, too, so here you see my house fabrics.

Photo 3. For this series I'm going to work with a larger piece and cut it up when I'm finished. Steph showed me how to do this the other day, so this is my first effort. I cut my background fabric into a strip that is 4"high -- giving myself a little extra space to work with -- and 16" wide (I'm going to be cross cutting these into 2 1/2" pieces when I'm finished and this was an easy measurement to work with). Next I cut the pretty dotted lace into a strip about half that.

Photo 4. For the first mountains I took another 3" by 16" strip and just made cuts to look like mountains and glue basted that in place. These are the mountains furthermost from me so they look more "pointy".

Photo 5. The next layer is shinier mountains a bit closer and a bit more rounded ... I wanted them brighter because they are closer to me. I just random cut along the length.

Photo 6. So here are the first four layers of my ATC already in place ... my background (with the blue snow and stars; the "distant" mountains; and the closer mountains. I've put a bit of basting glue on each piece to hold it where I've placed it.

Photo 7. Finally I took the white shimmery stuff and cut a 1" strip by width of fabric. For this I did a very wide random zig zag stitch by hand so that I could gather it up a little bit as I was laying it down to really give it depth since it is in the foreground. Presto!! my snow drifts!

Photo 8. For this demonstration, I cut apart my background to work with one little card and make sure the house was in the right place. The house is simply a little square and a little triangle glued on here -- I'll quick stitch it down later on ... cute, huh?

Photo 9. This is a piece of Angelina fiber -- actually it's two pieces -- green and white. This is a fusible fiber that I've just begun playing with. It's a little like thin weight Easter basket grass and you spread it out on a piece of parchment paper, cover with another piece of parchment and apply an iron. This fuses the fibers together and makes this into a bit of something that can be cut, shaped, etc. I thought I needed a little color in my snow scene, so I made this piece of fiber then cut out little triangles for trees.

Photo 10. Now I've tucked my little tree in place here and it's time to be off to the sewing machine. I loaded a metallic needle and white shimmery metallic thread and my free motion foot to stitch everything down.

Photo 11. Here's my first little ATC all stitched up. Now I'm going to add some beads for glamor and then we'll be putting it together. More to come! Let's make it ready for trading!

Photo 12. Here I'm attaching fusible webbing to the back of my strip. Because there are so many thicknesses of fabric, I won't need any kind of stiffener in between the top and backing. If it was flimsier, I could put a piece of timtax there to make it nice and stiff.

Photo 13. Next I placed the strip on a white background and fused it to the fabric. I cut them to size after the top and backing were together. For a stiffer card, you can fuse the top to a piece of interfacing or batting or whatever you like, then fuse backing to that.

Photo 14. My fabric strips have an application of fusible bonding -- Steam-a-Seam -- fused to the backs. I then fuse a piece of batting or stiff interfacing or timtex. You don't have to use this -- you can put a piece of card stock in there ... I just like them a bit stiffer. Once the "middle" is bonded, I apply the fusible bonding to a final piece of fabric, which then gets fused to the whole piece. My sandwich is now complete. Cut your pieces to size, if necessary; or if you've done them individually, trim them up to the correct size, and apply your edge finishing.

Photo 15. Here are three different finished, but certainly not the ONLY way to finish! On the left is a fluffy fiber; middle is a slimmer fiber, and on the right it is zigzagged. You can also satin stitch, trim with fancy scissors or any other method you dream up. Most of all ... HAVE FUN MAKING THEM!!

Retreat-less

2009-08-26T02:05:00.001-04:00

I heard about a three day retreat at a local quilt store and thought about what I could achieve with designated time for quilting and no distractions ... unfortunately, they were booked solid. Well, I'm not going to let that stop me !! I got DH on board with the idea (after all, staying home will save money hehehe) and he's agreed to provide meals and the appropriate sound effects when required, and I can close myself up in the sewing room and work my way through some projects!

Sitting here in the wee hours of the morning, I'm allocating time to projects, but when it actually comes down to it, this list will probably change ... or I might surprise myself and stay on track for a change! It's broken into three hour increments, just so I don't get too bored on one project -- and there's certainly enough of them!

Friday kicks off at 6 p.m. to midnight -- two projects for the night would be my maple leaf quilt and how about a real oldie, my Y2k quilt...

Saturday could see some major progress on quilts so I'm thinking of things I really, really want to start/work on/finish ... It's a very long day so I can work on 5 things if I choose! ... Daisy Bloomin' Nine Patch (new project), Pink Starstruck from Bonnie Hunter's website (new project), and now my conscience is getting the best of me so back to the UFOs ... Double Irish Chain, Watercolor Garden, and Y2k ... very ambitious of me!! lol!!

Sunday is a 3-project day and I'd really like to end the weekend with some serious progress. Get the following projects ready to load on the longarm: butterfly tabletop; green bathroom quilts; earth-toned dresser top; and the Kansas Troubles quilt. Most of these things just need a little pressing and the back squared up bit before loading. On the sewing side, I'm going to focus on only 1 or 2 projects at most -- maybe bringing something to conclusion! Well, that's my plan as of this morning :)

Inspiration

2009-08-15T09:41:00.000-04:00

Winners of the 2009 Hoffman Challenge have been posted. This annual challenge has been around for 18 years and never fails to inspire quilters around the world. Each year Hoffman designs a spectacular fabric line for the challenge and the finished entries tour the globe for the following year. Wonderful to see ... awesome to imagine ... maybe the next winner will be you!

Really Working

2009-08-14T15:57:00.000-04:00

Looking around my quilt room this morning, I realized that I had a different project on every surface of my sewing room! Starting with my fabric cabinets, which are piled high with projects in my mind

... to the ironing board which is currently storing my autumn leaf blocks. I need 70 of these blocks for Judy Martin's Autumn Splendor quilt -- I have 4 done so far but I did a lot of sewing on them yesterday. Now they need to be trimmed, pressed, and turned into leaves. The stems are interesting to me as they are dimensional! I take a slim piece of fabric folded in half and put it between two triangles to make the stem. I love working with the autumn fabrics. This project was started at my friend Maureen's cottage up in Quebec last autumn, but got put away when the holidays rolled around. Maybe I'll have an autumn quilt this year!

Hanging from the door of one of the fabric cabinets is the center block for The Quilt Show beautiful block of the month. This is the first time I've done a feathered star and I'm pretty pleased with how it came out. Now I'm working on the first round of borders for it. All the fabrics for this project are coming out of my stash, so I feel like I'm achieving some of my goal to reduce the amount of fabric I've been hoarding.

Another of my favorite projects is a radiating star quilt done in reds and creams. Now this one has been a bit of a challenge for me, in that I had to graph it before I could start sewing. Maureen finished one up at the cottage last fall and I just fell in love with it. I asked her if she had the pattern as it is so striking ... and she handed me four 2" squares of graph paper and told me that somehow they made up this queen sized quilt. Yes, I did spit my coffee out laughing! But I brought the little squares home and twisted and turned them every which way to no avail. So finally I sat with my own graph paper and little by little I think I've got the pattern ... here's the upper right hand corner completed ...

I'll let you know of all my progress!

A is for Achievement

2009-08-14T15:22:00.001-04:00

Have you read Quilter's Home yet? If not, run out to your favorite book store and get a copy of it. It's not your regular quilting magazine ... it's a magazine for quilters with all our varied interests. I love Quilter's Home ... and Mark Lipinski is too funny.

Yes, there is a link to the title of this blog!

Back in March, Debbie Bates and Liz Kettle wrote a great article on designing your own Grand Patchwork System (GPS). I was rereading the article the other day, and it occurred to me that building my own System using their techniques might be fun as well as educational! It's all about plumbing the depth of our creativity and expanding our horizons. Yeah, I can do that! Using their alphabetic index of positive ideas, I chose "achievement" as my first word.

Sometimes I have so many ideas in my head, on paper, in magazines, tacked on my wall, and streaming at me from the Internet, that I get frozen into immobility. Then I know it's time to take a breath, get out my index cards and break things down into manageable pieces. Each project that I want to work on in any given month gets a card, and I break the project into steps. Ahhhhh now it doesn't look so unmanageable! And each task that gets completed gives me the feeling of achievement -- success -- forward moving. Not only that, but I pay myself for each step that I complete ... yep, $1 goes into my piggy bank for every step that I complete. And when I finally get the binding on a project, a whopping $10 goes in!

Here's an example of the steps to a project -- you can adapt it any way you want with more or fewer steps. This is for a quilt that I just finished that you can see in the Quilt Project show to the right.

Country Garden Checkerboard (started in 1996 and finished this year)
1. Count finished blocks
2. Sew any blocks already cut
3. Put rows together
4. Cut fabrics to finish blocks
5. Sew blocks
6. Finish rows
7. Attach borders
8. Quilt
9. Attach binding
10. Bind
11. Label

So how do you achieve your goals?

Talk the talk

2009-08-01T10:19:00.000-04:00

If you've hung around any of the quilting lists for any length of time, or you're completely new to quilt lists online, you've probably seen lots of acronyms that leave you stymied. So today we've put together a little glossary of terms that come immediately to mind.

DH = Darling Husband (of course there's darling everyone -- sister [S], daughter [D], etc.)
lol = Laughing out loud
rofl = Rolling on the floor laughing

and the best-used quilting terms

UFO = Unfinished Object
PIG = Project in grocery bag
WHIMM = Work hovering in my mind
WISP = Work in slow progress
PIMM = Project in My Mind

Got some to add?

How appropriate!

2009-07-30T09:21:00.000-04:00

After reading Nonja's post this morning, I have been thinking more and more about perfection in quilting, or in anything, really ... and found this quote to share:

"Not a having and a resting, but a growing and a becoming is the nature of perfection in our culture."

That's my thought for the day as I skip upstairs to sew!

Perfection

2009-07-30T07:30:00.000-04:00

Today I am off to Linda's to quilt all day! I am not only excited I am ready to get focused. I have a really hard time with perfection. If my points do not line up, if the seams don't match I freak. It drives me INSANE ~ This is my Achilles heal. As a struggling anthropologist I know the legend of the Spider Woman. The Navajo are renown for their amazing and beautiful blankets. After generations of teaching this technique it would be easy to see the perfection in these blankets but there is a tradition of purposefully weaving a mistake into each one. This is to appease the Spider Woman and to live a life in balance. The legend states that a Navajo woman, Weaving Woman, became a little too enamored of her weaving gift , and as a punishment disappears into her loom, redeemed only when the supernatural Spider Woman pulls out a strand to release her. Since then, all weavers have promised to make "spirit trails" in their blankets, and not to allow "pride to become master of our spirits." Instead of simply studying this legend, I need to take it to heart. When I think of perfection in quilting I think of the new Gammill Long arm machines that have the computer program. I know that a quilt that is quilted with this machine is perfect. There are no flaws. It is a perfect 12 stitches an inch in perfect symmetry, and it is not human. We have learned to achieve perfection and it is no longer our art.
Linda has pointed this out to me as well. She has talked about visiting the museum that housed the Jane Stickle quilt - She was amazed at the mistakes. In her minds eye this was a quilt to aspire to and it was anything but perfection. Life and beauty can be found in the mistakes. So toady I keep in mind Jane Stickle and the generations of Navajo as I quilt and learn. As Scott Adams, the creator of the comic Dillber says ~ Creativity is allowing yourself to miske mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep. ~

I'm not procrastinating!!

2009-07-30T00:45:00.000-04:00

Well, I've had some great success in the past couple of days. YES, the quilt from hell is off the machine, the binding is made and I'll attach it in the morning -- the end is in sight! Also got all my cut up 9 patches put together and tomorrow they should be a table topper -- have you tried that "disappearing nine patch" yet? It is such a great way to use up charm squares (think Moda Charm Packs!!) You make a 9-patch block then cut it down the middle and across the middle ... then you take the pieces and mix them up and arrange them in a pleasing way to your eye and sew them back together. Believe me, NO ONE will ever know that it started life as simple 9-patch blocks. And lastly, years ago I was involved in 6 1/2" 9-patch block swaps -- dozens of them -- every color of the rainbow -- I have the never-ending supply of 9-patch blocks! So, I've had them hanging around and pulled out the green ones about six months ago. I did the "disappearing 9-patch" trick to the little blocks and have turned them into a tank cover and little counter mat for the downstairs bathroom! How cute is that??!!! And more stuff out of my sewing room :) :)

I will not procrastinate ... I will not procrastinate ...

2009-07-28T13:26:00.000-04:00

I'm making this my new mantra. Why? Because I've had one quilt on the longarm machine since the first of the month, and another needing binding put together so I can finish it. What's holding me back? I don't know ... except that sometimes I just lose my verve, that spark, that drive to finish something. Where does it go? I don't know!! My favorite project to overcome the "blahs" is to go play in the sewing room ... fondle fabric ... look at patterns ... the more time I spend in there, the more ready I get for some fun on the sewing machine! So today I'm going to go close myself in there with some music and lovely Scentsy and get motivated to finish some things! We've got company coming next week and the quilt on the machine is for the guest room!! Running out of time! Enjoy the day!

Jelly Rolls ~ Yumm!!!!

2009-07-16T08:09:00.000-04:00

My morning trip to Starbucks has brought me to today’s post – It was all the yummy pastries that did me in … Honey Buns, Cakes and yes even Jelly Rolls. I am addicted to Moda’s Bake Shop. This is the brilliant idea that Moda has come up with. They take a given fabric line and then cut the line into 2 1/2 in strips, 10 in squares and various other shapes. While it has taken me, the perfectionist a little time to find the “perfect” layer cake pattern there is a site that I have fallen in love with. It is www.modabakeshop.com this site is a plethora of ideas and uses for these treats.

My favorite so far is this Easter basket pattern. The best is that they are all free, and you don’t have to use the Moda fabrics. These patterns can be adapted for any fabrics. If you are so inclined to start a project using Moda Bake Shop I urge you to start shopping for you Jelly Rolls on E-bay. I generally find mine for under $20 with shipping, a far cry from the usual $35 that I have seen them for in my local quit shop, plus there is the added bonus of winning something at auction!

I am currently working on a project for my sister from a jelly roll. It is a lone star pattern from the book Jelly Roll Quilts by Pam and Nicky Lintott.

Linda has tried in vain to stop me from purchasing any more books or patterns, I love em and this book is a great investment (used on amazon, save that money for fabric!!) if you find you are loving the Jelly Roll addiction! I do have one beef with here and that is the random switch back and forth from metric to standard – It is confusing…. At one point it called for 3m (meters) of fabric – and although I was stationed in Germany the only thing I had to relate to was a meter of beer!!! So I am off to enjoy a no calorie jelly roll this morning and will hopefully have something to show tomorrow! (besides a messy house!!!)

Good Quilting to you today!

Outside of the box

2009-07-15T09:50:00.000-04:00

There are so many things that I turn to gain inspiration in my quilting. So many of them are visual, the wildflowers in Texas, and the beauty of the beach…. But every so often Im so lucky to be blessed and touched by a person. Linda is one of those people that was placed in my life to give my inspiration and encouragement and I was so blessed to meet another one this past weekend. This past weekend I met Jerry Callender. www.jerrysfabricarts.com He is an avid car (mustang) fanatic and quilter who has only been quilting for a couple of years. I absolutely fell in love with his quilts. Not only are they done with the utmost passion and love, they are so out of the box. Jerry just lets himself go and feel the quilt. Most of which are done for cancer patiets like the one pictured below. There are no patterns, no exact measurements just a vision. He has inspired me to stop feeling like my quilts have to look like the pictures. I can and will start thinking outside the box. I am going back to school this fall to finish my graphic design degree. Thank you Jerry for letting me know you can start at any age and follow your heart!!!!

Jerry and one of his T-Shirt quilt for 7 year old Logan, who is dealing with Ewing's Sarcoma

Today's Inspiration

2009-07-01T11:08:00.000-04:00

I love sunflowers ... there's something so happy about them, bright and yellow, providing treats for little animals and birds. Big and waving in the summer sun. Here's a quilter who has totally captured my feelings about sunflowers! Luann Kessi designed this quilt, then kept a journal of its execution. Spend a few minutes being enthralled by her work!

Floater Update

2009-07-01T08:43:00.001-04:00

I'm delighted to tell you that anchoring the backing on the take-up roller and the backing bar enabled me to quilt this "pre-basted" scrap quilt! The only problem I had was with the thread as it was a rayon blend and very slippery. My machine didn't like it very much, but we did get through it! As soon as I get the binding on I'll post a pic. Yeah! another one off the machine!

Don't Try This at Home!

2009-06-20T11:38:00.000-04:00

Venturing out on a limb with the quilt of the day. I've had a blue scrap quilt basted for a few years and didn't want to unbaste it to load it on the longarm. So I sought out some other longarm professionals for advice and I'm going to give it a try. I've only attached the backing (to the backing bar and the take-up bar) and free floated (more or less) the top and batting. I'm going to give this a try today and will report on my success!