The BIG Quilting Catch Up

Resuscitated and Running 
(Whew!)

Are you ready for a montage catch up?
Oh, yeah, baby! Yesterday was a marathon!

Machine Down

I am a Pfaff Lover, and have 2 older machines I switch between. Sticking to one brand provides better accuracy, and they have always been dependable for me. But breakdowns do happen, and they are scary when we depend on our machines daily. This is a front loading bobbin, and the last time I opened it to load a fresh bobbin it would not click in. With closer examination, the bobbin case itself was spinning. I had not encountered this before on any machine, but was not keen on shelling out $80 to fix it. Could I fix something this complicated?

Cabin Under the Stars Mini

New Pattern Work

Goals for 2019 are forefront in my mind already. I have had requests for several patterns this past year, and am working toward publishing them. I have been rather quiet here on the blog front, but a busy gal behind the scenes as I work with an energetic graphics assistant. She is helping me through areas of technical spider webs I cannot get out of, and collaborating is fun with someone who has fresh ideas! Keep your eyes peeled for a fresh look coming soon.

One Patch Cross Baby Quilt

One Patch Cross Quilt

The one patch is my go-to method for creating anything quickly and accurately! I've found nothing to match the design potential with ease and speed of sewing. I spent more time selecting fabrics, cutting, and laying out this design than in quilt top construction. This baby-size top was sewn together in little more than an hour. A quick trip on my longarm with a medium, monster-y meander went quickly, and check out my 3 layer floating method with magnets to secure. (This time I meant to do it!)  Binding was cut from the leftover backing, and machine stitched. 

Three Naked Ladies Blooming Finish

Three Naked Ladies Blooming In the Moonlight Finish

Isn't that a grabby title? I thought so. (wink-wink)

Still dedicated to digging out my languishing UFO/WIP/PUPs, I pulled the Three Naked Ladies Blooming In the Moonlight last week. (This project is 2 1/2 years old.) I'm hoping most of you can't read that. 

Rose-Star Block

Rose-Star Hexagon Pattern 
Attributed to Alice Brooks, 1949

This was my post-retreat recovery project after everyone had packed up, and the studio was strangely silent without the hum of machines. I like to sew in complete quiet or with just a bit of low music playing. Sewing is my meditation.

The Rose-Star pattern was published in 1949 by Alice Brooks, but many designers have published patterns related to it since. Earlier this year I made a quilt for the MCC charity auction based on this one large block. Check out these posts below for more how-to information.

Giant Rose Star Quilt

Giant Rose Star Quilt Finish

QBIR III: Quilter Bloggers' Retreat 2018

QBIR 2018: Quilter Bloggers' Retreat

Left to right: Meta, Irene, Sarah, Tish, Beth

This past week I hosted the third annual Quilter Bloggers' (International) Retreat here in my studio. I hesitate to find the right words now. I don't want to tarnish the memory by defining it. It was like being wrapped up in my most favorite quilt! May I only say I felt warm, accepted, and inspired by this dynamic group of talented women. We rolled together in sync, and that's a rare thing. Each of us brought a unique skill set to the gathering, and shared openly. It was perfect!

Vintage Quilt Top: 9 Patch

I Spy with my little eye....a Nine Patch!

Can you see it?

Do you ever walk by old quilt tops for sale, wrinkled or balled up, and say, "Meh?" There is little interest in only a quilt top I've observed. Casual collectors around here want quilts even if they are what some call cutters. Cutter quilts have so much damage they might only have a small section usable for cutting down into a craft project. Quilt hunter and gatherers will pass these orphaned tops with little more than a second glance. Could that be a big mistake?

En Provence Mystery Quilt Finish

An Adaptation of 'En Provence'
A 2016 Bonnie Hunter Mystery Quilt Along

I choked a little when I had to type 2016 since 2019 is just around the corner, but the truth is simply the truth. Quilts aren't overnight sensations. Some have to age like fine wine.

The quick story of this quilt is it's one of two. It has a twin. I stopped the mystery quilt along before I had all the blocks made, and asked the question, "What can I make with what I have?" Ta-dah! Two quilts. This is the one with the little rogue triangle--upper left hand corner. I have zero idea how it happened, but it gives this one its own identity like most twins.

Cheddar & Mustard Vintage Quilts

Carpenter's Wheel
74" x 74"
Cheddar or Mustard Quilt

I wanted to show this newly acquired quilt even though I have much left to discover about it. The friend who found it for me asked, "Is it still called a quilt if it's tied?" And I replied without seeing it, in general, I would call that a comforter or comfort. "But it's thin not puffy," he said. "Hmmm. I don't know then," I replied. I thought, where do we draw the line exactly? I needed to see this quilt.

Vintage Double Wedding Ring: 1939

Magic Happens When You Hang a Quilt
and Stand Back

Perspective is everything. We can stick our nose in a quilt to look at the fabrics and stitching, but the wow factor is when we see it from across the room. This wows me.

I bought this quilt from a local dealer this week while cleaning out an old farmhouse. I did the nose thing looking at the surface close up, and also smelling it for signs of mildew or funk, but I didn't get to do an overall look until I got it home.

Sewing for Sanity: Cloth Baskets

Super Easy Sewing: Cloth Baskets

Have you ever thought, "I just need to sew something," while life was falling down around your ears? (Summer has been soooo hectic here!) I know for those of us who think this, it's truly a self-directed therapy. We sense that we need to go to a calm, safe place, and our sewing spaces are often just that. So I sewed five of these little cloth baskets for an upcoming swap at a retreat, and I felt like the weight had lifted. Sewing is my normal.

City Sampler Mini

 City Sampler Mini Finish

While I didn't lose interest, I lost time. This was never going to turn into a full quilt of any size, and no more UFO's for me. I put spare minutes together here and there to finish this up, and in a few days I'll even show you it's been hung. Amazing stuff, huh?

1940's Vintage Log Cabin Quilting Finish

1940's Scrappy Wonderful!

Some of you have watched the slow progression of my hand quilting project over the last year. Some months felt like a ship without wind. It went nowhere. I would like to believe it had something to do with my method of quilting.

Since the 1990's, I have always used a square or rectangular PVC type quilting frame with the snap on grips for hand quilting. My hand quilting projects have mainly been throw size or smaller, and it never occurred to me a twin size would be any different. I was wrong. I was wrestling a monster each time I had to move the frame. I was rolling and pinning huge sections to keep it manageable, and even then it was hard to keep the backing taut within the frame.

UFO Prevention Plan

Tula Pink's City Sampler
100 Modern Quilt Blocks

Gnome Angel is one talented gal at running quilt alongs, and currently hosting 100 Days 100 Blocks. (Dang, I love the hype of them, picking the fabric, etc.!) Adamant not to join yet another, I was on vacation, I had the book, and was sucked in. But quilt alongs for me are like ordering an ice cream cone, size X-large, please, and never finishing. Still I jumped in, and completed 11%, and those 11 blocks hung on my wall for weeks. Sigh. You know the pattern yourself. It happened again.

Cleaning the studio and design walls meant taking the blocks down. This time I decided I would change my habit of packing them away only to become another UFO. Nope, no more! I'm a changed woman after a long year of cleaning up past quilt along indiscretions. I doubted I'd ever finish all 100 blocks so I made a decision on the spot.

UFO Prevention Intervention Time!

Analyzing a String Block

Chevron Block: September 3

Are you following the Kathryn Kerr 365 Challenge? It's absolutely free so follow the link to learn more or sign up. My good friend, Penny, is doing this fabulous sampler so I signed up for email posts each day, too. I rarely make a block, but I can cheer her on as she sews them. Also, there is something fun about seeing a new block each day, and of course, I love to read the construction diagrams. Don't you? Curious quilters want to know this stuff!

Give Me a Season to Sew

Oh, my goodness, it's hot, hot, hot! Well, it's hot here, but I realize not all of you are feeling it. I have friends still freezing their knees off in the southern half of the world, and for you I say, "Send those cool temps our way. We are ready for Quilt Season!" The fall flowers are bursting into bloom so I know nature is ready for it too.

Digitally Printed Fabric/Multiple Madness Quilt

A Multiple Madness Block

A group of my quilty friends loves making Multiple Madness Quilts. When a beautiful line of fabric sporting peacocks came along, they were in in love! (Might I say like peahens?) One finished top turned up at my studio for quilting this summer, and I thought you might want to see how I went about it. Also, I had a major snag hold up the project, and would appreciate some advice from you.

Washing a Vintage Quilt Part II

How I wish there was Smell-o-vision.
You would say, "Oh, yeah!"

It's washed and dried. Let's look at what washing did both good and bad, and then how it was done.

FYI: I snapped these photos under a shady tree today. It's so bright and sunny that it washed out the colors taken in full sun. 

Pros 

• I can put my face up to this quilt, and it smells like fabric not dirt. 
• I've reduced the chance of introducing insects and spiders to my home.
• I'm free to add it to my collection shelving without fear of transferring a mildewy or a dirty odor. 
• It won't trigger an asthma attack. I have a problem with dust mites.
• It's far more pleasant to share at an event.

Note: There was no dye transfer visible anywhere.

Washing a Vintage Quilt Part I

Vintage Tumbling Blocks
About 74" x 90"

When I first set eyes on this beautiful quilt, I longed to take it home with me despite the condition. Today 60 degree pieces cut with an acrylic ruler and rotary cutter require attention to cut exactly.  The pieces in this quilt would have been cut with scissors and paper template. A one patch pattern, Tumbling Blocks is sewn with Y seams. It takes a good eye and practice to match Y seams. I know because I've sweated through it. From what I can see, the majority of this project was done without a sewing machine, but with hand piecing. It was a tremendous investment of time and energy for the maker.

Spiral Lone Star

Spiral Lone Star
at Block Stage

Family has taken priority this summer, but I've still tried to squeeze in some sewing each day. These blocks took a bit over a week to cut and assemble while I slipped in and out of the studio when I had time. While I might not have gotten to blog as much as I'd liked, process pictures were flying back and forth with close friends to get their thoughts. A few said a Lone Star quilt was a bucket list quilt for them, and wondered which method I used. I thought you'd be interested to know as well. All and none.