Hand Stitches used in Applique'

    I mentioned this morning that I would be back with some info on the Blanket Stitch, also known as a Buttonhole Stitch.  I could talk for days on how to do the stitch, but really, seeing is better.  And there are a bunch of people out there who have put together really good examples of how to do it.  So I thought I would research and find some of the best videos and share them here with you.  But, if I were to do just that, this post will have at best a half a dozen sentences, followed by some links.  So, I decided to instead try to highlight more of the stitches used for hand applique' and hand embroidery.
So... without further ado...

weighing Pocketbook and What's Right

Coyote Lap Quilt

Update on the Coyote Quilts.  All the blocks are together, and the borders have been cut.  Either today or tomorrow, I will start putting the borders on, then it's just a matter of finding the right backing, deciding how I want to send these to the LAQ (Long Arm Quilter) and sizing the backings to match decision.  Oh and choosing the LAQ.  The one closest to me has an automatic 2 month wait time.  I can cut that in half by driving up to Loveland (about an hour and a half each way).  But there is another LAQ I know online that I am tempted to at least look into... She does some of the most amazing work I have seen, but I have no idea what her lead time is or what she is charging per inch.

On pins and needles

    I want to make some pincushions.  Not sure why.  I could use a couple more, sure, but I am seeing LOTS of pincushions I want to make.  It would help, maybe, if I had quilting/sewing friends other than online.  You'd be amazed at how hard it is to stuff a pincushion into an email!
Links to free pincushion patterns

    Another thing I really want to make are needlebooks, or needle keepers.  I could see needing 3 or 4 of these, but again, I am wanting to make LOTS.  Of course I could expand on these and make chatelaines and sewing kits... Crap!!  There goes my mind off on a tangent again!  Could someone grab that little bouncing brain and send it back here?
Links to free Needle Keeper Patterns

Yesterday's post featured a picture of the first quilt top I made last year... Notice I say quilt top.  Yes, this is the 1st of my "Dragging UFOs into the light of day" campaign.  What does this top need to be finished?
Measured
Backing cut and sewn to match top measurements
Top sewn to backing
Quilted.
No batting, or only a layer of flannel...this is to be a summer quilt.  Why isn't this quilt finished, cuz it's only for me and so can wait.  LOL

One box seems to have arrived empty... LOL

Borrowed from an email I received today:  This e-mail is a natural product made from recycled electrons. The slight variations in spelling and grammar enhance its individual character and beauty and in no way are to be considered flaws or defects. 

Hot Cross Blocks

    Ever used one of those "Pop it in the microwave for 2 min" heat packs?  Ever ended up with a bigger pain from trying to keep that hot, wiggly bag o' seeds where you need it?  This is an old gripe of mine.  As someone who generally has lower to mid back problems there is just no way to get that sucker to stay where you need it.

    But, if you know me, you will be aware of how I seem to think around corners rather than following from A to B. LOL, I am more likely to be thinking "A, B, 4, 7, Zebra, macaroni"  My plan/idea/design is still in the paper and crayon stage, so I don't have anything much to show you yet.

I have 4 quilt designs that I am thinking about for this project, and have decided to try a poll and let you guys pick which one I should do.  Here are links to look at samples for each design, then over to the left is a poll.  Vote for the one you like best!



1) Garden Twist Snowball Quilt
2) Thinking outside the Block  You'll have to scroll down a little bit to see the quilt... there are 2 pics of it
3) Friendship Star  It is the second quilt laid out
4) Warm Wishes

I will probably make all 4 of these eventually, but wanted to see what y'all thought.

Ok, See Y'all Later!

Baltimore Album Quilts... What's Up With That?

   First, a disclaimer: My understanding comes from having only scratched the surface on this subject.  I am sure I will not get every detail right, I will try to keep the errors to a minimum.

    Baltimore Album Quilts, or BAQs have a pretty unique place in the world of quilting.  They are one of the few styles that can not only be pinpointed to a time period, they have a small original location, and an even smaller group of original designers.
    Current patterns are innumerable, and available in many formats.  There are books, printed patterns, online patterns, BOMs, groups and clubs, the possibilities are endless.  Many BAQs are now designed with a theme,  including several Christmas and Halloween. BAQs ranging from the simple, to the very intricate.


Historically speaking, BAQs were designed and produced in Baltimore Maryland first in the 1840s.  Hence their name.  Best knowledge says there were 3 to 5 designers.  Yep, thats right only 5.  They would draw each block and others would sew them, then all the blocks would be joined to make the finished quilt. For the most part, a BAQ would be made by a group of women who regularly quilted together.  It's purpose was a gift, often to a member of clergy who was leaving for a new posting, or retiring.  I am sure there were many others made for other reasons, but so far, this is the most common reason I have found.

This is a computer generated picture of the finished quilt I should end up with 15 months from now following along with the BAQ BOM I am starting on.




A few links with examples and more in-depth info:
Appliqué with Elly
Buckley Album
Baltimore Album Quilt: Elegant Sampler Quilts
I hope I have answered a few questions and piqued interest in learning more.
Want to join me in this BAQ BOM?  Here's a link to all the info!
BAQ Block of the Month Club

OK!  See Y'all Later

easypeasy grandma: Do you feel like a cupcake?

This is just too cute and easy to not share!

easypeasy grandma: Do you feel like a cupcake?: "I had this idea to make some cup cake pincushions after seeing an idea of making a felt cake pincushion. I have been working with lots of fe..."

Rosie the Riveter is a Pain in my back!

    No post yesterday.  Have spent the last 24 hours or so taking tylenol and applying moist heat to my back.  Lifting, twisting,  and moving 41 lb. around seems more than my back would like me to do.  So, poor Rosie will probably languish in her case until I run across a good cabinet for her to live in.  The perfect option had she been a 201K rather than a 201-2 would have been to find a good treadle cabinet and convert her to treadle power.  Unfortunately, that is not an option with this model.  Something will present itself when the time is right.

    The question was asked in the comments, What is a Baltimore Album Quilt?  I will work up a response for this today, and post it this evening.  I want to give a more in-depth answer, rather than just off the top of my head.

    I am trying to work up a routine of sorts for this blog.  One where each day of the week, the subject matter is a given.    I would love some feedback on what you would like to see here.

Here is what I have come up with so far:
Monday:  The Drawing Board.  Ideas and plans for future projects
Tuesday:  ??  Maybe an accountability day?  A bringing to light UFOs that need finished, projects that need started...
Wednesday: Look What I Found.  New, neat, or intriguing tools, tips, websites, gadgets, you name it.
Thursday: BOM updates.  Progress on my different BOM blocks.
Friday:  ??
Saturday: Techniques, Q&A, etc
Sunday: Other Crafts day.  What I may be working on or planning in knitting, rug Hooking, Spinning, etc

Anyway, let me know what you think in the comments, and OH!  I added a feature that puts check boxes at the bottom of each post, so you can mark Funny, Interesting, Cool, Informative without having to actually post a comment if you want, or do both!  I can add or change any of the checkbox options, so if you think of any other descriptors I should add...
That's it for now
See Y'all later

You Dropped a BOM on Me...

A Block Of the Month, or BOM can be a great way to try new techniques, work with different fabric palettes, or simply stretch a little from your comfort zone.  Right now I am doing 2 BOMs.

    One, a Buck a Block, is a pieced block sampler sponsored by Thangles.  The whole thing starts out with a yard of background fabric, a package of Thangles, and a single strip of contrasting fabric.  Each month you sew 2 blocks that are positive and negative of each other.  Think white with black background and black with white background.  In jan we got the 1st block pattern and contrast strip.  We sew the blocks that month and take them in to the LQS and pick up our next strip of contrast (different from the last fabric) and block pattern for the next month and pay a buck (lol, Plus Tax of course).
    The second BOM, is the applique flowers I posted about last week.  There are a total of 13 flowers, but I'm not sure if I will stick with through the whole series.  Some of the flowers I just don't care for, and the layout plans I have for these would work much better with only 6 or 9, so we'll have to see.

Center Block

Cornerstone (4)

    Which brings me to my newest BOM.  I just signed up for it even though it started in Feb.  I am 2 blocks behind on it, expect that really I am 5 blocks behind because March's block is the 4 cornerstones.  This is where the stepping out of my comfort-zone comes in... It is a Baltimore Album quilt!  Granted, it's not one of the fancier ones you would see at a quilt show probably, but still...

    I am planning to use all batiks on an off-white Kona cotton background.
Needless to say I will be playing catch-up for a while on these as they are at the bottom of the queue.

Speaking of queues, I need to figure out how to add one on here, so I could list my WIPs, along with how far along I am...  Might push me to get them finished, instead of allowing some to become UFOs.

Guess I better get busy... See Y'all Later!

Update on Rosie

Rosie the 201-2 is finally home.  She has a few nicks and dings to her enamel on the hand-wheel, and a couple places where her decals have been worn off.  But she sews a great straight seam, and can sew through almost anything.

I will probably be looking for a cabinet for her eventually since lifting her up to the table and back down again all the time could easily keep me from ever using her.

I still need to find the extra feet that originally came with her, and want to get some good oil and gear grease for her before I start a project with her.

Memorial To A Family Cornerstone

Late summer/early fall 2010, while I was at the height of my quilt making frenzy, a picture of some coordinating fabric I had picked up was sent to Wylie Coyote.  He really liked the collection.  Now, Mrs Coyote is a quilter of some reknown, so it pleased me to no end that he liked the fabrics I had put together.  After all, he had surely seen lots of really nice fabrics and quilts go together.  I decided that I would use the fabric to make matching lap quilts for Mr and Mrs Coyote.  I set a spring timeline for working on these quilts and added the fabric to my queue.


Fast forward to Dec.  The last of the quilts I needed made for Giftmas were complete, and I was finishing the binding on the last ones.  I pulled out the Coyote Quilts fabrics and started designing.  One fabric had lovely pictures that would lend themselves well to fussy-cutting.  Because these were directional pictures, the design I finally settled on was a Disappearing Nine Patch (D9P).  This fabric had 9 different pics on it,) and since each D9P block would use 4, placement was going to be fun.  Finally I had all the fussy-cutting done, and the other blocks figured out.

Fast forward to Jan.  Time to put this project to rest because we were leaving in a few days to travel east and visit family for Giftmas.
The 2nd day into our trip I got a call that Wylie Coyote was in the hospital, gravely ill.  This may sound horrible, self-centered, but my mind immediately started re-planning the quilts.  Of course my mind and heart were focused on all the Little Coyotes, and the Grand Coyotes, but the fiber wielding portion of me was disappointed that he wouldn't get his quilt.  Should I make Mrs Coyote a larger quilt incorporating all the blocks into one?  Should I split each quilt in half to make small quilts for Mrs Coyote and the 3 Little Coyotes?  After counting blocks and playing with lay-outs, I finally decided that Mrs Coyote would get a lap quilt of 12 blocks, and each Little Coyote would get a 5 blocks-on-point wall hanging.

Fast forward to Feb.  All the fabrics have been cut, and the blocks are all ready for that double slice that makes D9Ps magical.  Cut, sew, cut, sew, now we're ready for corner and side triangles.  Have I mentioned how much I dread side and corner triangles?  No?  Well, suffice to say I dread them.  Cutting them out is a nightmare because my table is too small to lay the fabric out and just cut them.  Luckily, my LQS is managed by an Angel.  She told me to bring the fabric in and she would help me cut the triangles.  15 corner triangles with 2 bias sides each, and 15 side triangles with 1 bias side each later, I am heading home with not only the Triangles of Doomy-Doomness (TDD), but also the 1st border cut for Mrs Coyote's quilt.  The plan at this point calls for the TDD to match the 1st border so as to tie the quilts together.  For being the shortest month of the year Feb certainly has felt long.

Now it's March.  I have stared at the TDD until I am pretty sure they will behave.  I lay out the 1st wall hanging on the bed because I do not have a design wall.  OMG it sucks.  Remember me saying the pictures were directional?  The problem with putting directional pictures on point is they lean 45 degrees to one side.  Now with lots of small pictures this is less of a problem since you can alternate the side they lean to and "even out" the whole.  But these aren't little, each picture in the block is 4", and there are only 5 blocks so you can't set them up to alternate.

Back to the drawing board.
Plan B would be lose one block from each wall hanging, but then you lose a bit of the over-all look too.
Plan C would be to steal 3 blocks from Mrs Coyote's quilt, making it 3 rows of 3, and add 1 block to each wall hanging making them 2 rows of 3.
Decided to go with Plan C.  This is where we are now.  Am hoping to have update on these next week.

Seeing Red... Work that is

   Yesterday I mentioned Redwork.
   Redwork, or redwork embroidery is what we would now call line art, stitched in a single color (usually red, although more modern examples come in any color), using stem, lazy daisy, backstitch and french knot stitches.  If we look in Hogwarts, A History... Er I mean Redwork, History we find that redwork first became popular in the 1870s thanks to a process that allowed for the manufacture of a boilfast red cotton thread. What does boilfast mean?  First, you have to remember that in the 1870s washing clothes was done by hand, in a large tub, outside, generally over a fire, near or next to the clothesline.  A skillful worker would be able to use the right amount of wood in the fire to have it last just long enough to finish the week's washing.  White clothing and linens were washed first while the water was the hottest, perhaps even boiling. Then would come the darker colored clothing, last would be the darkest cloth.  The water was not changed between loads, nor generally reheated.  
   Now, back to our thread.  Stitchery was almost always done on white cloth, and so would hit the wash water first.  Prior to the production of Turkey Red cotton thread, running, or bleeding of color from the thread was a constant concern.  By 1920 or so other colors would begin to be offered that were boilfast, or as became more common to call them- colorfast.  By the 1930s redwork would start being replaced by piecing as the main means of producing quilt blocks, thanks to the colorful feedsacks marketed to the farmer (while aimed at his wife).  A topic for another day.
   The last SBS is finished, and now it is time to start seriously looking at layout for the redwork quilt.

These blocks are ready to be put into a quilt top along with the 4 applique Sunbonnet Sues which will be the corner blocks.  Since there are 7 redwork SBSs, getting everything lined up and centered could prove interesting.  The applique blocks will be left as they are, these will have a trapunto element to them.  More on trapunto when this quilt is further along if anyone expresses an interest.

Cool Link of the Day:  American Quilter's Society

The Stitching's The Thing...

   I have a tendency to procrastinate.
My WIPs (Works In Progress) become UFOs (UnFinished Objects) because I seem to stall out at the last step.
The BOM (Block Of the Month) flower blocks for the last 2 months are excellent examples of this.
All the prep work- done.
Fabric cutting- done.
Applique- done.
All that is left to do is the embroidery embellishing.  If I would just take the time, I could probably have both of these blocks finished in one day.
What's stopping me?  Confidence.
Confidence in my own ability to choose the right color threads.  The first 2 blocks included the embellishing threads.  I'm not sure why the last 2 didn't.  Unless it's simply because I had purchased a selection of threads and so it was assumed that I preferred to choose my own?

   So now I am tossing this out here to try and guilt myself into finishing these blocks before I go in for next BOM class on April 5th.





   I also have 3 pieced blocks that need to be done this week. These are for a Buck-A-Block at my LQS.  Good thing about them is I can do all 3 at same time and probably finish them in about an hour.

   Then there is the Country Garden project... I would like to have this one ready for the LAQ before Tax Day.

   Plus the SBS project, although that one is almost finished.  The redwork blocks are done, and the last SBS went Under The Needle yesterday.  She will probably be finished this evening.  Then comes laying out and designing the connections.  More on that tomorrow.

Cool Link of the Day:  http://www.quiltingboard.com/

See Y'all Later!

Sunbonnet Sue visits the Acupuncturist

Is  it just  me or does it ever feel just the tiniest bit weird sticking pins into Sue?

  This is the fourth and last Sunbonnet Sue for a quilt that will have the 7 days of the week SBSs in redwork for the main body, and applique SBSs in the 4 corners.

  Each Sue represents a classic quilt block.  This Sue on the left represents Attic Windows.  Which is a pattern I have on my Quilty Bucket List.

The next Sue is the Dresden Fan block.  I may make one, but cleverly disguised as the tail on a turkey!  This is the Sue from yesterday's post where you got to see the back of the block.  She is my thinnest SBS, as they seem to all be gaining weight as I stitch them.

This SBS represents Flower Baskets.  I am sure I will be doing a basket or two when I start working on my Baltimore Album Quilt.  I'm not quite satisfied with this block... I think it needs some embellishing stitchery.

This last block is actually the 1st of the four I did.  She represents the Spool block.  My spools really could have used a lot of work.  Looks more like she is holding a jar of blue mayo!  I think I will leave well enough alone with her though, since it shows the progression of my work.


Todays Cool Link of the Day: Fat Cat Designs

Taken A-Back...Basting that is...

This is the 2nd block of applique from my BOM class.  Placement was a tiny issue with a couple of the petals, but it gives it a windblown look so I am thinking of leaving it as it is.

This block, along with yesterday's block were done with needle-turn and an overlay to determine placement.  I'm not sure if the issue is static electricity, or just me being fumble-y I can get the piece in it's correct place under the overlay, but cannot seem to get the overlay back off the block with the piece still in place.

There are other methods for hand applique that I have/am/want to explore to see if perhaps another technique might work better for me.

With very few variations, the way we are doing the blocks in class is the "Piece o' Cake" way.  Now maybe part of my problem is we are using thicker vinyl than what they show in their DVD.  I need to find some lighter weight/thinner vinyl and try it to see if I can have better luck holding the piece in place while lifting the overlay back off of the block.

The next technique I learned about in January at the Sewing Expo.  It is called back basting.  I have used it once, and had fairly good success with it, but turned under a fraction too much of the fabric.  When the block was finished, you could see my stitching lines were just inside or off-side of the traced lines on the back of the foundation fabric.  I am learning more about this method and will try it again soon.



That's all I have this morning...
See Y'all later!

Look what followed me home! Well sort of...

 This is my new Centennial model Singer 201-2.
Born on July 26th, 1951 in Elizabeth, New Jersey at the Elizabethport factory.



  As you can see there is a bit of wear to the decal about where your right hand/wrist would rub, but that seems to be the worst spot.


  It will be a week or so before I get to bring this home as it is at the sewing machine hospital right now for a tune-up and, if needed, re-wiring.

  Got a great deal on it I think... $30.00 as is, or FREE with tune-up and re-wiring($79.00)!

Now begins the hunt for feet, bobbins, accessories... oh and a name!  Weighing in at 40 pounds, Boat Anchor has been suggested!

Please feel free to make name suggestions in the comments.

See Y'all tomorrow!

And yet I don't do buttons

Quilting is an amazing creature.

To begin with, you take perfectly good large pieces of fabric and cut them into tiny pieces. Then you sit down and sew all those tiny pieces back into a large piece! Now you have a quilt top. Not a quilt, just the top.

Then you take batting, (which is unmade fabric in the same way that flour is unmade pasta), and layer it under your quilt top. Now you take a really big piece of fabric and layer that under the batting. This is called a quilt sandwich. Next you have to baste your sandwich. Some people use pins, some use a special tack gun, some use a glue spray, and some pre-sew using a big basting stitch. Now you get to sew some more. Yes, thats right, we sewed the sandwich so we could sew it some more. Finally, you have reached that part of the process that is actually quilting. The securing of 2 layers of fabric, pieced or whole, with a batting in the middle, by way of sewn stitches.

Finishing off this whole process is the last step, which is attaching binding around the edges of your quilt. Believe it or not, for many, this is the hardest part. Mitered Corners- the bane of many quilters' existence. I dread them! I procrastinate as long as possible before starting them, sew right up to them and decide it's time for a coffee break. I'll come back, sew the 1st corner and zip right along to the next one and wham! Oh look! I think the puppies want to go out! It takes me longer to do those 4 little corners than it does the whole rest of the binding.

But I'm not at that stage right now. Right now, I'm working on learning to needle turn applique` . Why? because I have a big fancy sewing machine! So, of course I am learning how to make a quilt top without using it.

Above is a picture of my very first applique block. I messed up a bunch of places on it, but I think it's still good enough to go into a quilt top eventually. I have 4 flowers, including this one, done so far for this quilt. tomorrow I will show you the 2nd one.