Update on the baby quilt

I just wanted to update you on my baby quilt progress and show you a few more photos of how this "Sticky Template" quilting idea went.

The follow photos show the sticky template as I used it on the quilt. The first photo is just the cat, the second photo shows it after I stitched it, and the others are my meandoring around the shapes.

I am not sure I like how the meandor looks near the paw prints and they seem to get lost. I wish now that I had only done the cats. Or used a grid in the background of the paw prints. I might have been better offer by stitching an outline for each block area (where I folded the fabric) and then I could have done meandor for the cats, and grids for the paws.

More photos to come next week as I finish this small baby quilt off. The quilting is going pretty fast now, so I expect to be done in a day or so. Then I can get back to the Fibanocci project.

Sewing Sunday Progress 3/28/10

Sunday Progress for 3/28/10 was working on a Baby Quilt for charity.

My guild puts together kits for members to finish off for donation. This month I took a baby quilt to practice some free motion quilting on.

When I got it home I found 2 pieces of fabric and a polyester batting. The top was a yellow and white check and the backing was plain white cotton. Pretty boring I thought. So what to do with this?

I decided that I wanted to try something new. I recently purchased something called "quilting templates" from June Tailor. These are small shapes that are made of fabric with a sticky back to them. Not sure if they work well or not, but that was my challenge today, to see how well they work.

The concept is simple, you place the sticker onto the quilt, and the stitch around it. This allows you to make simple shapes without marking! Sounded good and they say they can be used 50 times each. This I had to see for myself.

The kit I tried out was animals. I chose the paw print and the cat shapes to work with. First I divided the quilt top into equal sections (like blocks)by folding and pressing lines. First in half one way then in half the other way. I kept doing this until I got 16 equal sections. I then drew with chalk over these fold lines so I could see them better. Once I had my sections done I traced the paw prints on every other block. I traced these as there were 5 pieces that would have made me nuts to stick and then re-stick each block. The shape was simple enough to trace and stitch.

But then it was time for the cat! I stuck it on one block and stitched around it. Not to bad for the first attempt. But then it was time to peel and reuse it on the next block. Came off pretty good, and also stuck again. I can tell the adhesive is not as strong now that I have done 3, I do not see this lasting to 50 times!

So an idea came to me while do thing process. A cheaper and maybe better method. (Sorry June Tailor)But why can't I just trace the shape onto freezer paper, press it to the block? I could stack several pieces of freezer paper, staple them and trace on the top one. Then cut them all out at once. I could make several of the same shape that way. Or I could do one, and reuse it if I don't mind getting up to press it each time.

So now my quilt top will have paw prints and cats on the 16 sections I created. Once I get all the shapes quilted, I will then do a meandor or stipple around the shapes to fill in the background. This way the quilt will have some design elements even if it is just a solid piece of fabric.

I know you want to see photos, but I haven't taken any yet. Sorry, you will just have to use your imagination, and hope that my descriptions are good enough for now.

Sewing Sundays, are about sewing not photographing. Maybe I can start with Sewing Sunday, and then move to photo editing Mondays and posting Tuesdays.........but that sounds like work, this is supposed to be for
 fun!

 

Added photos out of guilt for those who need the visuals of what I was doing. 

  As you can see in the first photo, I have a few cats and all the paw prints done now. The trouble with this kind of idea is there were a lot of stop and starts with the stitching, especially with the paw prints. I found that frustrating as there were more thread bobbles or knots than I would have liked.

The second photo shows a close up (or as close as I care to share) of the designs. you can see the folds and light chalk marks that defined my areas for quilting. Once I get all the cats done, I will just meandor around these shapes and not actually quilt a grid. That way if the cats or paws aren't centered (and they aren't) it won't be as noticeable.

I welcome your comments or thoughts on this quilt as always. If I remember to take a photo with the sticker on for the cats I will post that on my next up date, which should be next Sunday. (hopefully)

Sewing Sunday Progress 3/21/10

I guess I am late with this post. As it is time to write the post for Sunday, 3/28/10.

Sewing Sunday Progress for the week of 3/21/10 those keeping up with me was all about finishing off the Fibanocci Quilt blocks.



I started with 4 sets of 4 fat quarters. From each of these sets I made 9 blocks which contained 12 pieces in each block (See first photo for actual block). I then sewed each of the 4 sets of 9 blocks into 4 nine patch larger blocks.Which as you can see were all a little different due to the colors of fabrics, or placement of the fabrics used.

That is where I got stuck. I didn't know if I should just join the 4 larger nine patch blocks and the add a border and be done. OR should I separate them with sashing first.

The blocks are similar, but yet different using reds, pinks, greens and touch of blue. It has a very organized scrappy look to it. Which for me is hard. I can't just sew randomly and make scrap quilts usually. I spend too much time with the layouts.

I need graphic appeal to my quilts, and can not stand just sewing together scraps in random order. Do you have this same problem? How do you over come that?

Anyway, I need to take a few photos to show you were I am now and maybe you can help me decide what to do next.

Hopefully I will post the photos tomorrow as I am a bit tired tonight. (Went out Friday and Saturday to listen to a couple of local bands and didn't get home until 1:30 am Friday, and 2:30 am Saturday)

Updated with photos, 3/29/10 (As you can obviously see!)

The funny part is all 3 of my kids were home before me, so I had to park on the street as there isn't room on the driveway! We have 5 cars to fit there, so the last one in gets the street, and this weekend it was me both times. They all thought that was pretty funny and strange. (Mind you my kids are 25, 21, and 18)So you know they are out late on the weekends too now. So for me to be out later than them, was strange.

 Now I need your help to figure out what to do next. Sew them together as is and add a border? or separate the four sections with sashing? And if I use sashing how large should it be? If my blocks are 8 inch, the the only Fibanocci numbers I can use are 1, 2, 3, or 5 or so that is how I think I understand this numbering sequencing thing.

Here is a picture of the fabric I bought for either borders or sashing. Since the only fabric that was consistent through out each block, was the pink floral one, I decided to find something with that background pink color.  not sure this picture shows a true idea of the actual color, but you get the idea. (And no I don't have any more of the pink floral print or I would have used that) Remember I took fat quarters from my stash, which were purchased years ago. 


I would love your opinions and comments now on how it looks so far, and what you think I should do next. 

Sewing Sunday Progress 3/14/10

Sewing Sunday progress was more about finding the right space to work.  I have had several attempts at making a great sewing space and have had to settle for less than perfect.

This is one area that I know many quilters struggle with. So I thought I would share insights into my attempts.

First off, I have a decent size home, but with small rooms, 3 floors but no real space to call my own as I also have 3 kids still living at home. We have 3 bedrooms, and and a partially finished basement. My son's room is in the basement. When we bought the house this room was an office (which would have made a great sewing room) But we could not afford a home with 4 bedrooms so sewing room had to wait.

Now my husband and I share an area of the basement that is not finished. There is an area for storage, the furnace and the water heater. His office area was a workout room for the previous owners. There is a partial wall separating him from me (I share the space with the storage shelves) Not pretty but usable space non the less. This is where I started and where I eventually returned after a few years. LOL

Let me explain: My oldest daughter moved out at 18, which made me very excited, not because she moved out, but because now I had a spare bedroom! I moved up in the world and into a room that had a window instead of a cement foundation wall!  This worked well for about a year. And then.............I got her back as a Christmas present last year. LOL Things weren't going well with the room mates and her finances. She dug herself into serious financial troubles and needed my help. So what was a mother to do?

Back to the basement again. Now I had to find a way to make this work again. And so I did. What does a person need to sew or quilt?

1. Table
2. Lighting
3. Iron / Pressing surface
4. Cutting area

That is it right? The real key here is setting up the proper height of the table and chairs to avoid back or neck problems.

One way to solve this is to get a table that is adjustable. I found one for under $40.00 this table is not large in size but the legs allow me to create the perfect height for sewing and cutting! There are 3 settings on this table, the lowest they call "kids table" which it really looks like, is the perfect height for sewing! Most sewing machines sit several inches above the table and unless you are lucking enough to afford a cabinet that allows your machine to be lowered and flush, you need to lower the table.

Of course you need to have a chair that lowers as well to meet your table height. If you use a table such as kitchen or dinning room, or even most standard banquet tables they are too high. Even if you raise your chair to the maximum height. (I know, as I did that for years and was not comfortable). Ideally you need to have the table and chair sitting so your arms at a comfortable 90 degree angle and feet are flat on the ground.

I had my chair raised to the max, then added a chair pad to raise me up enough to get that 90 degrees, but then my feet would dangle! So then I added a box on the floor (or a phone book) to raise my feet. What a hassle. But this did work until I discovered the adjustable table.

The other great thing about the adjustable table is when it is set at the maximum height, it becomes counter height perfect for cutting! No more bending and lower back troubles for me now!

Over head and task lighting and I am set.

So as far as my sewing progress is it was minimal, I only worked on a few of the "Fibonacci blocks" which I will show you next week. I am on the last 2 blocks, and will need your help in deciding how to layout the blocks!

Sewing Sunday Progress 3/7/10

Sewing Sunday wasn't as successful as I would have liked this week.  I did commit and do a little sewing work, which I would like to share with you today.

The first project I worked on was finishing off one of my UFO projects. I received a piece of lovely rust dyed fabric as a gift. It wasn't a very large piece and I had no idea what I was going to do with it. So it sat in the drawer for several months.

I then took an online class, for thread painting. Something that has interested me for some time, but was never able to find a live class to take on this subject. I joined an online learning group from yahoo, and that is where I found this class on thread painting.

My first lesson was to make a rose bud, with a stem and leaves. Which I thought came out pretty well for my first attempt. But again, now that I had this rose bud what was I going to do with it? And so a few more months passed with this thread painted rose bud and my piece of rust dyed fabric.

Then one day it hit me, and I started to work on my art pieced which I titled "Fallen Rose". I cut out the rose and appliqued it to the rust dyed fabric and then proceeded to quilt the background.

I started by quilting the top half, (Sky area) with a meandor and then I outlined the spiral (Sun)

Next the area where the rose was put, I thought looked like dirt or the ground. And by laying the rose on the ground it was where I got the title of "Fallen Rose" from.

I wanted to be sure I liked  the design before I stitched it. So I took out a piece of tracing paper and with a marker drew a line around the rose so I knew what was left for stitching. Next with a pencil a tried out several designs. If I didn't like one, I just traced the rose and tried again.

I liked the one you see here and it was what I used. for the final design. I removed the paper and after tracing it several times on my dry erase board I was ready to go to the machine. Using a dry erase board is a great way to practice machine quilting designs. Do them several times until you feel comfortable with them. This exercise helps train the brain, or imprints it into the brain.  You can do this on paper, but then you waist a lot of paper. 





I also used a heavier thread for the ground work. I liked the look of this gray thread. I would tell you what it was, except the label is gone!  LOL

Once I finished that I added the beading. Now I need figure out what to do with the borders. I am thinking of appliqued vines or leaves, but not sure yet. I might just quilt the vines, I guess it will stay on the wall for another few days, weeks or maybe even months before I figure out what to do next. And that is ok. I like to work on more than one project, and by putting it away until I get the next idea allows me to just let the quilt speak to me. Tell me what to do next.

Here is the piece as is it is today. Waiting for my next moment of inspiration. If you have any suggestions for finishing this piece, I would love to hear your ideas.

Thank you for visiting and I hope you enjoyed reading about my Sewing Sunday. Stop back next week to see what happens next Sunday!

Sewing Sunday Progress 2/28/10

I noticed I didn't post my sewing Sunday progress yet. And here it is Thursday already. Almost time for another sewing session!

My last sewing project was for our charity group from my guild. They put together kits and members then take them home to quilt, and bind these little quilts. Some are for shelters for children, and some were to go to an animal shelter. Not sure which one I was working on. LOL the pattern looked like a child's quilt, but the material was more like canvas than soft cotton. So I think it might be for the animal shelter. I will have to ask at the next meeting.

I am still working with my BSR as you can see by this photo. This foot is supposed to keep my stitches even as I quilt. I find that sometimes I still get wonky stitches, but for the most part they are pretty even no matter what my sewing speed is. That is good as I can floor the pedal and not worry about it.

What I had trouble with this time is moving the fabric. Since it was a canvas material both top and bottom it made this piece very stiff. It didn't glide nice at all. I had the extension table on the machine giving me more support which helped but still was difficult.

Anyway I did some more of my machine quilting practice on this piece. It was just a meandoring (which is a large variation of stippling) My husband calls this "the puzzle piece" design. Which is more fitting I think.

When I work with a quilt, I like to start in the middle and work towards the edges. This help with disbursing the bulk, and prevents some of the puckers. Because this was just one piece of fabric (no blocks or piecing lines) I divided it up into sections. Which is why you see the chalk lines in the photo. By dividing it up like this I can take small sections at a time and focus on them without worrying about the entire quilt. With an all over design like the one I did, I just worked the stops and starts to the meet at each section and as you can see they overlap the lines slightly too.  This kept it from looking too planned makes it hard to see the beginning or ending of a stitching line.

Over all I was pleased with the results of the quilting. The design was simple so I got into a nice rhythm and had it done in a couple of days. I did use up almost 2 bobbins of thread in the project. This is also something to be aware of when doing your quilting. My machine allows me to wind bobbins without un-threading the machine so it isn't a big deal if I run out. But if your machine requires you to un-thread, then you need to make sure you prepare several bobbins in advance.

Next Sunday I will be working on my Fibanocci quilt. I have 24 blocks pieced and need to cut and piece the last 12. So not sure if I will get to quilting this piece but I will show you some of the piecing progress if your are interested in coming back next week.

Machine Quilting Progress

I recently purchased a Bernina with a stitch regulator. This foot is both a blessing and a frustration.I bought the machine because of this foot and the embroidery capabilities, which my current Babylock did not have.(Yes I know Babylock has embroidery machines).

What I discovered is the BSR will take time to get used to and will require hours of practice. Just like with any machine quilting. Prior to this, my free motion quilting was poor at best on a table top or domestic style machine, and I used a frame for most of my quilting. This frame allowed me to put my Babylock on it and use it in the same manor as you would a long arm. I was comfortable here and had started to expand my designs and skills.(But there were limits here too. As the Babylock's throat was small, and large quilts became a challenge. I had to quilt to the middle, and then remove the quilt and flip it. Now I needed to also be able to quilt upside down depending on the design. Another challenge unless I was doing a stipple or meandering which gets pretty boring. Many of the designs had to be worked horizontally (like border patterns)and my quilting area was around 6 inches or less as the quilt was rolled up inside the throat.

This is what lead me to buy my Bernina. I could have upgraded the frame and bought a machine with a larger throat, yes I know this. But for the same money, I now have much more freedom. I have embroidery, and I can quilt any pattern any size as well as do all the other basic sewing or quilting. The bigger frame and machine would only be used for machine quilting period. One other draw back was space. I found my old frame sitting in the corner collecting dust, as I just didn't want to go through the hassle of setting it up. It took up too much room and then my Babylock was out of commission for other sewing until the quilt was done. Another drawback to using your domestic machine on a frame. Unless you already have more than one machine to use.

Ok, why am I telling you all this? It is because I have now committed myself to learn how to machine quilt the right way. I also wanted a way to record my machine quilting progress. As I learn to master my machine quilting. I can do some basic quilting designs and patterns, but I want to learn more and not be intimidated or limited in my design anymore.

This is how "Sewing Sundays" started in my house. I wanted to dedicate time to improve my skills. The only way this will happen is if I work at it regularly. Now that doesn't mean I can only sew on Sundays, but I will at least commit to sewing every Sunday, no matter what! I will try to fit in more time, and want to eventually get to sew daily. But with my website, 2 blogs, and other life commitments daily is much to big a goal to consider right now.

I would also like to share my progress with you in hopes of inspiring you to work at improving your own skills. As artists the only way to improve our skills is to work at it. Wishing or wanting to improve is not enough, we must take action. We must also allow ourselves to make mistakes in order to learn. Trust me when I say you will make mistakes, but you must continue to move past them. Just keep going! If the finished quilt is just too frustrating to look at, then give it away! Make these practice pieces for charity and there will be no more guilt. 

The photos in this article were from one of my recent Sewing Sundays. This quilt has both straight quilting (with a walking foot) and free motion quilting. I made this quilt for a classroom project but never quilted it. It landed in my UFO pile shortly after I published the class. And then sat there because it seemed too small to bother setting up my frame for, and I was not comfortable enough with my domestic machine quilting. This is a common occurrence for my smaller quilt tops. But not anymore! Look out UFO's, I am going to bring you all back to life!

If you want to know how I made this quilt you can purchase the instructions for it at Quilting Weekly. The class is titled "Go Green with Selvage Quilts". There are actually 4 projects in this class using selvages.

Here is a valuable tip: The free motion quilting I did is a bit hard to see in most places on of the quilt, which was done that on purpose. I did choose a spot with the lightest of the colors so that you could see my design. but if you look at the quilt you can barely see the quilting without going up close. I used this thread which blended into the fabric because it made it harder to my mistakes! When I get more comfortable and improve my machine quilting, I will work with thicker threads and threads that stand out more.

When selecting your threads, do not just lay the spool on the fabric. Pull off a foot or more and lay that over the fabric instead. This will give you a better picture of what the thread will look like when stitched. On the spool the color is much more concentrated and may give an inaccurate impression.

I would love to hear some feed back on my quilt. Take a moment and leave me a comment. And then check back regularly for more Sewing Sunday projects and machine quilting progress.