The one quarter inch seam and other quilting challenges

Today, I put all the blocks and sashes together for the chemo quilt I am working on.  I have some light green I will use for the first border, then some dark blue with small pink flowers for the second border.  I have some very sweet pink flannel for the back.  I think I will use the green for the binding, as well.  This is not going to be a really big quilt, but it is for a little girl, so it doesn't have to be.  It is a wonder, however, that it has come this far.
I have been sewing these blocks for a while.  That means that I sewed many seams before I solved my quarter inch seam issues.  Today, I tried to work around that issue, but it was pretty tough at times.  I ripped a few seams and used my steam iron quite a bit.  It is still a bit wonky, but the over all look is pretty nice.  I will square this up before I attach the first border.  That should resolve all remaining issues.  At least I didn't have points to match.
Now that I am quilting much of the time, I am discovering several things about quilting I never realized before.  First of all, fingers have to develop tough skin on the tips to withstand heat from the iron and jabs from the occasional pin or two.  Second, I need a better chair that will support my lower back.  It does get sore after four or five hours, even though I am constantly up and down going to my ironing board in the other room.  Third, my hands get so dry from constantly handling fabric, being near the hot iron, and just generally putting them out there.  I am glad I have good lotion to put on at the end of the day. All of these things may deter the less hearty soul, but I will keep on quilting.
After I pieced the above top, I spent some time making three more blocks for the border of my intuition quilt.  I am getting near finishing this quilt top.  Maybe next week.  Joyful quilting, everyone.

Plaids, polka dots, and stripes

Today, I didn't have tons of time in the studio, but I did want to work on creating new blocks for the latest challenge over at 15 Minutes Play. Victoria has asked us to create two blocks each using plaids, stripes, and polka dots. Fortunately, I have lots of that in my stash. I couldn't begin to use all of it in these two blocks, but I had fun making a dent.

I love all the beautiful colors. I think there are plaids in all colors. I have red, orange, green, tan, blue, and all combinations thereof. After I made a pile of scraps on the cutting board, I started grabbing pieces and sewing them together. I just kept sewing them together and the new fabric kept growing. I tried a set-in corner, but it was a struggle. I really need to figure out how to do that without so much stress. I thought about creating some curves, but elected to save that for another project.

Tomorrow, I hope to spend much more time in the studio. I want to get the chemo quilt all pieced and onto the quilt frame. I think that is doable. I need to get it done so I can deliver it Sunday evening. I will post progress photos tomorrow.

New Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative quilt

This one is called Honolulu Sunset. When Tom and I first moved to Hawaii, we lived in Honolulu, right across the street from the beach. I loved watching the sunsets. They were always so beautiful. I decided I wanted to recreate the moments in a small quilt.
It amazes me that it takes so long to create a 9" by 12" quilt. I started with a very rough sketch. Then, I looked through my books and online for a foundation pattern for a blazing sun. Of course, I couldn't find one, so I had to design one. That was a challenge in and of itself. Once I got the design done and the parts numbered, I dug into my stash for just the right fabrics. I had a few problems with the foundation piecing, but eventually worked it all out. I love the fabric I found for the sun's reflection on the water. I used a gold thread to quilt it to simulate sun on the water. I am going to bind it in a dark green, then send it on its way to be auctioned off.
I also wanted to share a photo of Isabella with her very own stash. She developed a love of fabric when she designed the quilt for her Grandma Edwards. That same grandma gifted Isabella with the fabric she was making yo-yos with. Isabella has a wonderful time with her fabric, and today she informed me she needs more fabric to put up on my design wall for a new quilt. Oh dear, what have we done.

Happy Valentine's Day

This is the mug rug I made for Tom for Valentine's day. I used a foundation pieced pattern by Carol Doak. I really like the way this little heart turned out. The heart block is 6". I added strips to make it 9", just the right size for Tom's favorite mug and a small snack.

Today was a finishing day. I finished quilting the D9P for Mary Ann. I have the binding machine attached and will hand sew it down this evening. For a photo of my pin cushion while I was unpinning the quilt from the frame, check out Tom's Facebook page. I really like the colors in this quilt. They don't show up well in this photo, but it is a very warm quilt. I also finished up this months preemie quilt. My intuition quilt is still on the design wall. All the blocks for the chemo quilt are pieced and the sashing cut. The blocks for the new D9P are partially stitched together. I have begun putting together the fabric for my Coming Home quilt (a new design of mine), my tea party quilt (another design of mine), and the American Hero quilt. I have the design done for the February Alzheimer's Art Initiative quilt. There is never enough time in a day.

Finally, here is the UFO I started about 30 years ago. The lace is from an old dress. The center piece is from a dress made in the Roaring Twenties. The beaded piece on the lower right is also from an old dress. I cal this piece For Madame. I obtained all the embellishments from a very good friend who went by Madame. She collected and sold vintage clothing and jewelry. When there was something that was not otherwise salvageable, I bought them for my collection. If I was to do it all again, I would use a different fabric for the third border, but I will work with what I have. I think I have found some fabric for the next couple of borders. I think it may end up about 36" x 36".

A Quilting Day

I finally got the D9P on Priscilla. I decided on a line and loop quilting pattern. I tried to do feathers at the top, but they were a disaster. I will decided tomorrow whether to rip them out or just hope Mary Ann knows they were done out of love. Someday, I will get them right.
I used Superior Threads King Tut thread for this quilt. Who knew thread could be so wonderful? It gave me the best tension I have had with Priscilla (my Juki and Little Gracie Frame, for those of you who may have forgotten). I love the look of the variegated thread. I am going to have to take a more serious look at thread. This is all so new to me. I am so thankful for my online friends who have pointed me in this direction.
I nearly finished the quilting on this lap quilt today, but had to stop to go watch Bella. Tomorrow morning, I will finish the quilting. By tomorrow evening, I should have the binding atached and stitched down. Mary Ann's birthday is at the end of the month, so I am planning on getting it into the mail on Thursday or Friday. I really like this quilt and hope she enjoys it, as well.
First thing this morning, I made a little valentine surprise for Tom. I will post a photo of it tomorrow. Until then, joyful quilting.

I had a great time visiting my sister the past few days in Bremerton. On Friday, we visited a couple of quilt shops nearby. I really liked Material Girls in Silverdale. When you first walk in the door, you are greeted with a stunning selection of really beautiful batiks. There are wonderful quilts on all the walls. The fabric selection is just the sort of stuff I really like. This shop also carries Bernina sewing machines. My sister is looking to purchase a new machine, so she did some research while we were there. I also looked at the 350 and the 380. They are just what I would like to have, but I just got a new quilting machine and frame, so my old Honey will do just fine.

One of the things Honey needs is help sewing straight lines. I wanted to buy a foot that had a 1/4" guide to help me, but it was $45.00. My sister has the same model of Bernina (old 831 from 1972), so she let me look through her feet. She didn't have the one I wanted, but she did have an open front foot, another one I wanted. It has a hole in the back of it. When I got home, I pulled out my box of accessories and found a piece that goes through the hole, and creates a 1/4" guide. Wahoo!! Thanks, sis.

Another wonderful surprise is two more bins of fabric from Merlyn. I am so excited. There is one bin of creams and whites, and one of browns and incredible paisleys. I am so lucky to have my own quilt angel. Thank you, Merlyn.

The photo above shows the progress I am making on my grab bag quilt. I found the prettiest flannel to back it at Material Girls. It should be ready to quilt in the next few days. I just have to get two other quilts done. One goes on the frame tomorrow morning. It is going to be a busy quilt week for me. This is a good thing.

Friendship Stars by the dozen

Today, I spent the time in the studio creating these wonderful friendship stars. I used all scraps that I have been using for the intuition quilt and for my D9P. I really like this little stars. They are 6.5 inches and will be used as part of the next border on the intuition quilt. It is amazing how long it took to make these beauties.

I got two wonderful packages of fabric in the mail today, and a fantastic envelope from Victoria at Bumble Beans filled with beautiful cards she made with photos of her quilts and other great stuff. I saw a quilt at Harbor Quilts in Gig Harbor that I fell in love with. It is very simple, but they didn't have the fabric. Then I saw that they were putting together kits, so I asked about one. I ordered one and it came in the mail, and it is very wonderful fabric. The other package contained two Moda Rhapsody charm packs. I am going to use these to make another D9P for a friend. I am also getting close to finishing the blocks for the Grab Bag bonus quilt. That will be going to a little girl who was just diagnosed with a brain tumor and can use it to wrap in during chemo. All in all, the studio is a rockin' place these days.

I won't be posting much until Saturday, as I will be away from the studio for the next four days. Joyful quilting until then.

Sunday in the Studio

Today, I spent much of the day in the studio, but most of what I did was prep for bigger projects. I started designing a Rhapsody Quilt based on Ricky Tim's instructions. I watched part 1 of his show on Rhapsody quilts and got very intrigued. I am not sure how I feel about all the applique that is involved, but I love the look of this genre of quilt. I have designed the basic background for the quilt and some of the applique shapes. So far, I think it is doable. I may scan the design when I get it all drawn in.

I also worked on another 15 minute block for the intuition quilt. These are all going to be 6.5 inches. Yesterday, I thought I would alternate them with some strings I built, but today, I decided I would alternate them with friendship stars. That is the wonderful thing about this quilt. I am just following my intuition.

Section 4 of the Oh My Stars quilt was posted yesterday. This is what it looks like so far. As I anticipated, I ran out of the light color I was using in the other sections, and had to start using something else. I am determined to make this quilt completely from my stash, so I am pretty limited. I don't have much in the way of really light fabric. I have three 4 inch blocks to make to finish this section, then I will put it all away until March.

One of the wonderful things I have discovered about quilting is that it is teaching me real patience. The world just seems to get busier and crazier as time passes. Maybe it is my age, but I feel a need to escape the insanity. When I get into the studio, I feel very peaceful. Not so long ago, I was always in a hurry to get things finished. I wanted to see the end result. With quilting, I really enjoy the process. I can't make it go any faster, or I make mistakes I don't want to have. So, I am just being patient, enjoying the process. It will all get done in time.

Rockin Studio Day!

I got to spend seven hours in the studio today. I finished the section shown below, in a pretty poor photo. It is not this wonky, just my camera angle. I finished putting together the center section of my intuition quilt and playing with border ideas. After playing with all the purples with Bella, I was drawn to them for this quilt. I picked out some of my favorites, and pieced together the first border. I then sewed together strips to create pieces for the second border, which will alternate between created fabric and strings. It will be 6.5 inches wide. At the present time, the piece is 29 x 32. I am aiming for a lap quilt size. I am really enjoying this process.

Here is the third section of the Oh My Stars BOM quilt from Planet Patchwork. The fourth section was released today and I will cut it out tomorrow. I may even get it pieced if tomorrow is anything like today.

A commenter asked me about starters and enders, so I took some photos to explain. In the photo on the left, the starter is just behind the needle to make room for the larger piece I am working on. In the photo at the right, I have finished my seam on the big piece and grabbed a small block from another project I am working on. I will sew that seam most of the way down, then park my needle down. In the last photo, I show the two small blocks for the second project that were done for the seam on the larger project. For each seam I sew on one project, I sew two on the smaller one. I love this method because I always have more than one project going at a time, and sometimes one of them is not as interesting to sew together as the other. I hope this helps explain the way I use starters and enders.

Bella's Quilt

I finished piecing and quilting Bella's quilt late last night. Bella loved the tiny hearts in the mauve fabric and in fun hearts in the red fabric. I decided to use hearts to quilt this small piece. It turned out to be 17"x15". Bella gave it to her Grandma Edwards this afternoon.

While I was putting Bella's quilt together, I also pieced this preemie quilt. I recently learned a great tip about how to save thread, save time clipping, and work on two quilts at once. You know that little piece of fabric you use at the beginning and ending of chain stitching that ends up with serious leggy strings? A quilting pal told me she creates her preemie quilts by using those blocks as the starters and enders on these strings. So, I started doing that. Instead of throwing away thread filled scraps, I ended up with a preemie quilt top. This is a very valuable tip.

Quilting with my granddaughter

My granddaughter, Bella, is two and a half years old. We have been encouraging her to express herself through art and color since she could hold a crayon. She has known all her colors for a very long time, and she is great at shapes. She also holds very strong opinions. It is with all these things in mind, I asked her if she wanted to make a quilt for her Grandma Edwards, who is a quilter extraordinaire. She has a couple of wonderful quilts from that grandmother, so she readily agreed. After asking her what colors she wanted to use and what shapes, I began to prepare for this great adventure.

On Sunday, when she came over, I pulled out the bins with the pink, red, and purple scraps. We took them into the family room/photography studio where she had plenty of room to spread them out and make her fabric selections. It took her a while, but she spread every piece of fabric from both bins all over that room, the dining room, and the entry. She wandered around, looking at the colors and patterns, and then selected the fabrics she wanted in the quilt. I set them aside and told her we would play with them again on Tuesday.

I cut the shapes on Monday, and when Bella arrived on Tuesday, I handed her a basket of pieces and showed her the area on the design wall that was just for her quilt for Grandma. She played with a felt board before, so she knew just what to do. Here she is explaining how she is arranging the pieces. My wonderful husband, Tom, took this series of photos to document the process.
Bella really enjoyed the process, explaining why she put certain pieces next to other pieces. She move them around, and when she was done, she had everything to her liking. My challenge was to move the pieces closer together without messing with her ideas. I did that while she was napping.

The designer at work.

When Bella woke up, I gave her an opportunity to rearrange the pieces, which she did. Unfortunately, I didn't get a photograph of the final layout. After she left, I sewed the HSTs. Tomorrow, I will sew the small quilt together. It is based on 2" squares, mostly. I think it may be a Valentine's day end table topper. Bella can't wait to give it to Grandma Edwards. I will post a photo with Bella and the final piece later in the week.

Short studio time today

Today, Tom and I drove to Gig Harbor to have an artist's date. We visited a gallery, took photographs, ate a nice lunch, and visited Harbor Quilts. I didn't get into the studio very much, but I did get this block made for the Oh, My Stars quilt. There is another block for this section, but it will have to wait until tomorrow.
Tomorrow, I will also have photos of my granddaughter (2 1/2 years old) selecting fabric to make a quilt for her other grandmother. She wants squares, triangles, circles and rectangles. She chose pinks, reds, and purples - about 12 fabrics from my stash, in all. Tuesday, I will have the shapes ready for her to play with on the design wall. Once she figures out a pattern she likes, I will sew it together. It should be a fun project.

Starting the star quilt

Today, I started sewing the BOM from Planet Patchwork, Oh, My Stars by Diane Hundley. In the original quilt, Diane used primary colors with a black ground. That is just not me. I also wanted to make this strictly out of my stash, so I went with teals, turquoise, and golds and a light ground. This first section looks like a bit of a hodge-podge where nothing goes together. I have cut out the pieces for sections 2 and 3, using some of the same fabrics, and hope it comes together better when those are done. I love all these fabrics, so it will be something I like in the end. My favorite fabric in this section is the teal with peach flowers in the lower right flower block. I really wish I had more of it, or at least a manufacturer. I will just have to keep my eye out.

I was going through the bin of teals and turquoises when I found a very small amount of the fabric in the middle of this block. I fell in love instantly with this moth. I dug some more and came up with this white with a small blue print the same blue as in the moth. Then I snagged some scraps from the above project, including the rust corners, and put this together. I am not sure what I am going to do with it yet, but I really like it. It is about 8" square. I think it may become the center in a table topper for my end table. I will post it when I finish it.

Tomorrow, Sunday, I am going on an adventure with my husband. We are going to take some photographs for his stock photo business. Of course, there is a quilt shop on the way. Hopefully, we will have great photos and tales of Harbor Quilts in Gig Harbor, WA.

Thinking About Color

I finally found some time to get back to my intuition quilt. I keep finding wonderful colors and patterns in my stash bins (a gift from a friend) that I want to include in the quilt. Fortunately, the original color palette is one I can add my favorite colors to. I love interesting color combinations. I tend to select fabric in the olive green, gold tone, rusty orange, teal blue, and turquoise families. There are some purples that work really well in this group. I can also add other blues and greens and an occasional touch of bright orange. I really enjoy the happiness and the richness of these colors together.

For the house, I added the orange column to liven up the plain color of the house. I decided to use the golden batik to symbolize a warm sunny day. I found a small piece of the flower fabric on the left and knew I had to use it. There is a bit more of this I will use elsewhere in the quilt. The roof is made from the left over sashing and border of the D9P. In fact, many of the scraps used in this quilt are from the quilts I made last year as gifts for the family. I love having something to remind me of these quilts.

After I made the house, I decided to make some fabric and create another block for the quilt.

This is still a challenge to me. It is like making a collage, only I have to figure out how to sew it together - the challenge part. I chose this block to introduce a little more blue. They are scraps from a challenge quilt I am working on. You can see below how both these new blocks fit into the growing intuition quilt.