Thursday, February 2, 2017

The Latest Rounds of Canadian Women Blocks



 150 Canadian Women

The one quilt-along I couldn't turn down was this one. Not only is it 3 blocks a week issued each Tuesday, but each has a historically significant woman at the center of its design. So, a story with each block, and I'm enjoying the idea. While I spent January elbows deep in charity quilting, I vowed not to do any personal sewing or quilting. When February rolled in, I needed to catch up. I made 15 blocks yesterday and this morning.

Sunday, January 29, 2017

Linking My Inner Squirrel to the DrEAMi Party


January: The Month for 
Your Inner Squirrel


Did you hear the song, "Everybody's talkin', there's a new squirrel in town"? I meant 'girl.' Or actually a new link party? Sorry, so much squirrel talk these days with Sandra from mmm!quilts. Sandra has a new link party starting this weekend, and it's all called DrEAMi, and there's nothing confusing about it. It means... 

Drop Everything And Make It!

Friday, January 27, 2017

Coastal Mist Blog Hop & Giveaways



Coastal Mist Blog Hop & Giveaways

Last summer Tammy Silvers at Tamarinis blog asked if I would like to make a project for Island Batik using their new Coastal Mist line. Surely, I did, and set to work to design something to showcase its wide range.

Thursday, January 26, 2017

Two More Tops Nearly Done



What a Difference Good Lighting Makes!

After bemoaning the lack of light in the studio, I made a trip to IKEA. I bought 2 standing lights with bright bulbs, and it was like summer again just using one of them.  I decided to move the mess I'd accumulated by sewing in my living room back to the studio. It took most of the day to get things back into order, and clean up.

Monday, January 23, 2017

A Lesson In Value & Fabric Choice and a Hop




Using Value to Create Brilliant Blocks

Thursday, January 19, 2017

Fabric Challenges: Charity Quilts Day 19



"There's No Such Thing As Ugly Fabric"

Has anyone ever told you this? And did you believe them? Well, I beg to differ. I'm usually attracted to the one-offs, and not what everyone else likes, and I'm okay with that. We all have personal tastes toward color and pattern, and all it takes is looking at your own stash if you don't believe it.  For me, I am attracted to both stripes and flowers. Put them together in a 1960's-1970's print, and I am over the moon! Isn't it just gorgeous?!

Tuesday, January 17, 2017

Packing Charity Quilts for Shipment: Day 17



Do you remember me telling you the MCC Connections Store and warehouse was like a well oiled machine? Well, a machine is only as good as its parts, and today I have another example. Two brothers team up to make sure the donated comforters that arrive in the warehouse are properly packed for shipment around the world. I stuck with them from start to finish, and so can you to see how it's managed.

Monday, January 16, 2017

Accidental Volunteer: Charity Quilts Day 16


Simple, Yet Spectacular!

I made a trip back up to the MCC Connections Thrift Store and quilting room in Kidron, Ohio today. I went to ask a long list of questions related to charity quilting, and one person who could answer most of them was there working today. Not wanting to waste her valuable work time, I tried to help along side while she explained things.

Saturday, January 14, 2017

15 Stars 'Til Midnight Done: Day 14


"15 Stars 'Til Midnight"


Kids have the best sayings. They mix up parts of speech, and combine sayings. Several of ours were genius at it, and this would be something they would come up with. 

It's together at last, and measuring 72" x 91". Again, winter light makes for poor picture quality, but let's just say the dark blue borders gave this quilt new life. It was a pale gal without them.

Another one done, and ready for quilting.

Come on, Doxie girls.
Let's go sew.


Friday, January 13, 2017

Free Easy Charity Quilt Pattern : Day 13



Close Up of Variation of a Nine Patch
"The Houses On Cherry Ridge"

Our kitchen table has been covered in these fabrics for a few days. I cut and sewed, cut and sewed all day. These are all fabrics donated to me this week, and I've added a few more from my own charity pile. My goal was to take a chunk out of the pile while testing out some new ways to configure a nine patch. This one is simple to cut, and simple to sew.

Thursday, January 12, 2017

Follow the Charity Quilt Process, Part I: Day 12


Comforters Made by Serging

This past week I popped up to the Mennonite Christian Committee's Connections Thrift Store in Kidron, Ohio. To say it is an impressive operation is an understatement. More than 300 volunteers rotate through the month to assist in the many ongoing projects housed there besides the thrift store. Many help daily. The back of the store where donations were being sorted was teeming with people when I arrived. There were departments for electronics, books, clothing, shoes, furniture, home goods, plants, decorations, toys, sewing machines, and on and on. It was a cross between a small city and Santa's workshop, and everyone was genuinely glad to be there. 

Wednesday, January 11, 2017

A Two Top Finish: Day 11



Scrappy Trips Around the World
& Effy Helps

The past two days have been icy with both periods of snow and rain. If you didn't have to go out, you didn't. I stayed in as much as I could and finished tops. I also started another quilt or two, and have been piecing in front of the t.v. The dogs have been good company, but muddy feet and quilt tops do not mix. Effy sneaked onto the quilt as I stood on a stool to snap this shot. Thankfully she was clean. Around here we always say, "Effy helps." She's always there in the middle when you want to do something. 

Sorting Cottons from Man Made Fibers: The Fire Test Day 10




Unknown Fiber Contents:
Fabric Samples Above and Below

I've gotten some fabric donations, and like all the rest it went through a wash and dry cycle. It helps me to know fiber content before using the fabric, and paying attention to it during this process gives me clues.

Shake out a piece of polyester or nylon blend fabric from your washer, and it smooths fairly quickly. Cotton tends to stay bunched together, and usually has more wrinkles.

Pulling it out of the dryer is an even bigger clue because man made fibers tend to have fewer wrinkles. Notice I said tend because that's not always the whole story. Some cottons are treated with chemicals that make them wrinkle far less now. It's just hard to tell so sometimes I do a burn test to know for sure.

Monday, January 9, 2017

Herding and Bordering Flying Geese:Day 9




Rows of Geese
I made these flying geese with a method that produces bias edges on all sides of the original HST. Check it out HERE. After turning them into flying geese strips, I was left with just a bias edge on each outside edge. These will all be bordered with fabric so it won't be a problem. 

Sunday, January 8, 2017

The Cost of Charity Quilts: Day 8



I believe most quilters are free of heart and hand, and love the quilting experience along with the actual quilt. When we are hungry, we are reminded of those who have no food. When we are cold, of those who cannot get warm. We want other people to have at least the basic things we ourselves appreciate, but all families struggle themselves at one time or another. Let's talk about ways to keep the cost of giving quilts at a reasonable level.

Saturday, January 7, 2017

Don't Fear Bias: Day 7




Yesterday's post, Bustin' the Scrap Piles with Easy HST, brought up a good comment. The comment mentioned that the HST method I had used would produce HST's with 4 bias edges. True! So many quilters hear the word 'bias', and they go into a sort of panicked frenzy--not everyone, of course, but particularly new quilters that have been warned about the dire dangers. Let's talk about this to bust the myth.

Friday, January 6, 2017

Bustin' the Scrap Piles with Easy HST: Day 6



HST the Easy Way

Even after yesterday's Scrappy Trips Around the World quilt, I still had a big pile of 5" squares left over. Sticking with my new theory of dealing with scraps as they happen, I took control. There is a terribly easy, no stress, low attention way to turn them into HST. (I say this because I plowed through the stacks all day while hanging with the dogs, and catching up on some t.v., and still didn't screw it up. I like that kind of sewing!)

Thursday, January 5, 2017

Scrappy Trips Around the World: Day 5



Using What You Have


I've been reading every book I can about the history of quilting. Some things are surprising. In recent centuries, even fabric scraps were too precious for some people to come by. Many countries depended on textiles solely as an import, and had few raw materials to produce their own fabric of any kind. That's hard to imagine for most of us, isn't it? But as textiles mills became more plentiful around the world, so did fabric, and those who couldn't afford new fabric did find scraps or salvaged their own used clothing. Not all parts of clothes wore out at the same pace so pieces were cut from them to recycle into something else like a quilt.

Wednesday, January 4, 2017

The Human Element of Charity Sewing: Day 4





Julie Stocker, 2014

January for Charity: The Logic
Behind the Project


1. I am storing too much fabric.
2. People need something with which to cover themselves.
3. I will make them quilts.


How simple is that? Deeper down, it's far more complex. You have to appreciate the Devil is always in the details.

When we think about making charity items, there are things to consider:

Tuesday, January 3, 2017

Sawtooth and Variable Stars: Day 3 of Charity Quilts




1980's-1990's Fabrics

I was blessed with a sister-in-law who gifted me her stash when she decided she was no longer interested in quilting. That was over a year ago, maybe longer, and it's been hard making a dent in the tubs. The fabric is still in beautiful condition, but a little harder to use because it looks dated. I've been looking for ways to use it so the overall quilt doesn't look like it's from the 80's.


16 Patch Sawtooth Stars with 4 Patch Variable Stars