Quilty Pleasures

Just in Time

2012-01-30T07:00:00.004-05:00

Several years ago at Quilt Festival, the Handi Quilter booth was across from the Cherrywood Fabrics booth. I wanted one of everything that I saw! That was one expensive quilt show for me. If you haven't seen (or touched!) Cherrywood Fabrics, then you haven't lived.

I bought as much fabric as my luggage could hold.

Recently, I was invited to a party and wanted to wear something different than my one black dress. I chose to wear my one black dress with a new colorful wrap made out of Cherrywood fabrics:

I finished this wrap at 6pm and had to leave for the party at 7pm. Why was I worried?

Oh the weather outside was frightful

2012-01-21T17:17:00.004-05:00

This morning I was scheduled to teach a home-machine quilting class at the Quilt Basket. It was snowing and my students called to cancel. I found myself awake, showered, dressed and facing an unexpected full day at home.

What's a girl to do?

Wanting to squeeze as much as possible into my first snow day of the season (I was out of town for our big snowstorm last October), I:

made French toast from my home-made wheat bread (no photos, but yum!)
cleaned out the refrigerator and freezers
made five dinners for the freezer for hubby to eat while I'm teaching out of town
made Pho Bo (a Vietnamese soup) and veggies for lunch

finished a present (photo will be on the blog after the gift is given)
finished listening to Crossed by Ally Condie (meh)
played with my sweet Sweet Sixteen

A simple overall leaf pattern will finish this quilt nicely:

I'm not a huge fan of winter, but I do love a snow day!

Orange You Glad?

2012-01-20T13:27:00.000-05:00

Last fall I taught a tablerunner pattern online for Patchwork Posse. I chose bright and fun colors:

It was so much fun teaching for them. They have some other wonderful classes online that you should definitely check out.

As always, I had extra fabric from the tablerunner. I actually had a lot of extra fabric, so I decided to make matching cloth napkins:

After I was done with the cloth napkins, I still had some fabric left, so I decided to make some Potato Chip Bags and Wonder Wallets:

These have been gifted to some lovely young ladies. I hope they love them!

_________________

Weird fact about me: I love dishes. I constantly struggle to not buy dishes. I lost my battle when I saw these:

C'mon. You couldn't have resisted them either.

Design Wall Monday

2012-01-16T10:51:00.003-05:00

I love winter! OK, I do hate being cold and I do miss the sun, but in the winter I don't travel much to teach quilting and have time to stay home and sew!

The proof is on my design wall:

The blocks on the left are from a Block-of-the-Month at the Quilt Basket.

The block on the right is a variation of Sugar Pop N Change from Moda Bake Shop. The variation is because I read the directions wrong.

Head on over to Judy's blog to see how everyone else is doing.

The Gift That Keeps On Giving!

2012-01-10T09:14:00.000-05:00

Last summer, I made myself a Christmas bedspread and pillowcases and shockingly remembered to put them on my bed in December.

I had some fabric left over. Isn't that always the way?

Moda Bake Shop posted a pattern for a gym bag a while back. I made the bag, but used cotton instead of PUL.

It was a great pattern and I will definitely make another one.

But, I still had fabric left.

I pulled out my Potato Chip Bag pattern that I've been meaning to make for a few years:

While I was at it, I pulled out my Wonder Wallet pattern and made a matching wallet. How cute is that?

I have to put all of my Christmas fabric items away, but I can't wait to get them out to use again next December!

Just wow.

2012-01-04T20:04:00.003-05:00

This morning, a friend let me know that I was on Quilt It! on QNNtv.com.

If you are a subscriber, the show can be viewed here. If you are not a subscriber, consider becoming one. There are so many wonderful quilting shows to watch!

Hurry! Hurry!

2012-01-03T19:40:00.004-05:00

Make curry!

Curried Tofu with Rice, that is.

I'd invite you for leftovers, but there aren't any.

for Hannah

2012-01-01T09:51:00.004-05:00

My blog has been sadly neglected for a while, so I am pleased to post a finished quilt:

And a scrappy back:

I started the quilt sometime last year, quilted it in November/December, and recently finished the binding. The quilt has been shipped off to baby Hannah (born last fall) and I hope she loves it!

Dear Isa

2011-12-28T21:46:00.004-05:00

Isa, why did I ever doubt you?

When you told me that chick pea gravy could be "lick your plate" good, I scoffed.

It doesn't look like much, but that plate was CLEAN when I was done.

When you told me that TVP & mushroom burgers would become a household favorite and my children's friends would invite themselves to dinner if they smelled them, I chuckled.

Best. veggie. burger. EVER!

But when you told me that Jerk Seitan would have my family fighting over second helpings and the dinner conversation would center on "when will you make this again?" I would have called you a liar to your face.

Not one single drop was left. (The coconut jasmine rice was ah-ma-zing too, just like you said it would be.)

I am now a believer, Isa, and will listen to you from this moment forward.

________

Note: I try to eat like a vegan about 80% of the time. I try to eat like a vegetarian 95% of the time. The other 5% of the time, I indulge in bacon cheeseburgers. For me, food is not really about a philosophy; I simply feel better when I limit my meat and dairy intake. Oh, and I lose weight too. That is pretty fun.

What a difference a day makes

2011-12-12T12:23:00.002-05:00

Where I was yesterday:

Where I am today:

There's no place like home, I guess, but today I'd still rather be in The Bahamas.

Expect more blog posts soon. I'll be spending the next several weeks hovered over my computer keyboard trying to stay warm.

Oh Baby!

2011-11-16T01:50:00.003-05:00

I made a mistake. A serious mistake. I composed a list of gift quilts that I intended to give that I have not yet finished. Let us just say that it is a very long list. Apparently I know a lot of people who had babies.

I am in a hotel this week and have some time to sew in the evening. I overpacked terribly, but one of the projects I brought was a 8 year old bag of quilt blocks. I sashed them, sewed them into rows, and added borders.

This will make a nice baby quilt for someone. When I go to Patchwork Plus tomorrow, I will buy a backing for this. It will be completely ready to quilt when I get home.

One step closer to crossing a quilt from my gift quilt list!

Another productive evening

2011-11-14T23:37:00.002-05:00

I am staying in another hotel this week, this time in Virginia. I will be teaching 11 classes at Patchwork Plus in Dayton, Virginia. Stop on by if you are in the area!

I got a little bit of sewing done tonight in my hotel room this evening:

I bought this kit several years ago and finished the top tonight. I will quilt it this winter and hopefully have it done in time for Mom's birthday. She definitely needs another tablerunner.

An exciting Friday night in New Hampshire

2011-11-11T23:29:00.003-05:00

Last night, my foot pedal broke on my sewing machine. I have used this poor sewing machine for years and it owes me nothing more, but I packed a lot of sewing and now no machine. Nashua Sew and Vac to the rescue! Ruthie hooked me up with a new foot pedal and I'm back in business!

Look at what my new foot pedal accomplished tonight:

I finished a wedding quilt top for my sweet Alexis. She has been known to read my blog, so no photo. Sorry.

Another project started:

These are parts of a tablerunner from a kit I bought at least five years ago. Since I already have Mom's Christmas present (yay me for being early!), this may be for her birthday in the spring. I'm not afraid of a photo here: Mom doesn't go online... ever.

That's it for me tonight. Time for bed.

To help you dream quilty dreams, this is the carpet in my hotel hallway:

Wouldn't that make a great quilt?

It's always rainy in New Hampshire?

2011-11-11T07:26:00.003-05:00

Yesterday afternoon, I drove to new Hampshire. I was last here in August, during Hurricane Irene. The heavy rains yesterday made it look as if I had never left!

Since it wasn't fit for man nor beast outdoors, I hunkered down in my hotel room last night to sew. I brought along a bag of well-aged quilt blocks (circa 2000). They are now pieced into a quilt center.

I'll find some border fabric the next time I'm home.

If you are near New Hampshire today, come visit me at Nashua Sew and Vac. I am teaching two classes there today.

Quilt Therapy

2011-11-09T07:00:00.001-05:00

Do you ever have a day when you need to hide in the sewing room and just make something? I had one of those days this week.

I decided to try and thread paint the applique design from this quilt:

I grabbed some thread:

The threads are Accent, Konfetti and Tutti, all from WonderFil.

I sat down at my sweet Sweet Sixteen (my new sewing machine) and tensioned it to run multiple threads:

(I took the time to get it just right.)

I started filling in the shapes:

Suddenly, a flower appeared!

A short time later, the thread painting was complete:

Next it needed to be quilted:

(Now you know my secret: I watch Law & Order dvds on my laptop while machine quilting.)

The inner circle was quilted:

I added some simple quilting in the border and bound it:

This 14-inch square quilt was finished at the end of a day of quilt therapy.

I felt much better!

Design Wall Monday

2011-11-07T13:38:00.004-05:00

I've just returned from a tour of North America:

Quilting With Machines in Huron, OH (teaching 4 classes)
Machine Quilters Exposition in Portland, OR (working for Handi Quilter)
Central Sewing in Edmonton, AB (teaching 10 classes)
International Quilt Festival

I loved being in all those different places and meeting all of the quilters, but I also couldn't wait to get home and start quilting something!

Last summer, I designed and made this quilt. The fabric is Blue Skies from Paintbrush Studios.

This quilt (and I) will be on Quilt It! on QNNtv.com in January. The quilt is currently touring Europe and Asia with WonderFil Threads.

I wanted to see what that same applique design would look like done in redwork (or green-work).

I stitched this from the back side of the fabric using a triple-stitch on my sewing machine. It's a little ragged, but it was fun to just play! Has anyone else done redwork on their sewing machine? Any tips to keep it smoother?

Head on over to Judy's blog to see how everyone else is doing.

Toonie or not toonie...

2011-10-29T22:13:00.002-04:00

... that is the question.

I just finished teaching 10 quilting classes at Central Sewing in Edmonton, Alberta. I met so many amazing quilters and had a fantastic time here!

Since I am flying directly to Houston tomorrow, I asked at my hotel about laundry facilities. The desk clerk, Nicole, said, "It is coin operated, but we have loonies at the front desk." Um..... ok..... huh? There are likely loonies at the front desk of many hotels, but they don't proudly advertise that fact. After thinking for a while, I bravely asked, "Are loonies coins?"

We had a long conversation about American money and Canadian money. Apparently paper money in Canada starts with the five-dollar bill. They have a one-dollar coin called a "loonie" and a two-dollar coin called a "toonie." How did I not know this?

Thanks to one of my students, I am now the proud owner of a toonie:

Thanks Bill!

Nicole is the proud owner of an American dollar bill. She seems as excited as I am!

I'm a little sad to be leaving Edmonton, but I'm thrilled to be heading to the warm weather of Houston!

Finally Finished!

2011-10-23T13:59:00.002-04:00

After a long break, welcome to part 9 of the Stop, Drop and Roll Quilt Along! I am hosting this for the Old Red Barn Co. Flickr group.

Week 1: We made our blocks.
Week 2: We assembled our quilt tops.
Week 3: We basted our quilts.
Week 4: We practiced some straight line quilting patterns.

Week 5: We practiced some C curve quilting patterns.

Week 6: We practiced some loopy quilting patterns.

Week 7: We practiced some S curve quilting patterns.

Week 8: We practiced some spiral based quilting patterns.

I finished the quilting last week, and last night I finished the binding. THE QUILT IS DONE!!!

The quilt will go to my son's brand-new niece. Welcome to the world, Lena.

For Kathy N.

2011-10-19T22:14:00.004-04:00

At quilt guild tonight, Kathy N. was bugging me about not updating my blog enough so I promised I would post JUST FOR HER. Everyone who isn't named Kathy N., stop reading now!

Kathy,

On Sunday I flew from Portland, OR to Pittsburgh, PA to visit my family. I took my mom to the zoo on Monday and then had some serious binding to finish before I could drive home on Tuesday morning.

My sister's birthday was in May, so I made her the bottom tablerunner (the same one I made for my mom for Mother's Day). Yes, it is late.

My mom's anniversary was in June, so I made her the top tablerunner.

I finished binding them both in time to drive home on Tuesday morning. I was relieved.

I hope you liked your blog post.

Debby

It's been a while...

2011-10-09T21:24:00.003-04:00

... since I made Mom a tablerunner. I just fixed that:

This was a test for the pattern I am teaching on Patchwork Posse. Check out the other cool patterns in the Rugs and Runners online workshop!

Too sweet!

2011-10-02T13:20:00.003-04:00

Take a look at this sweet little baby quilt I just finished:

I showed this quilt at the Latest in Longarm Quilting class I taught yesterday at the Quilt Basket.

If you want to know the secret of turning corners on borders, I will be teaching Turn Those Corners at Quilting With Machines in Huron, Ohio later this week. There is still time to sign up!

Design Wall Monday

2011-09-26T22:34:00.002-04:00

That new project I just started? I finished the first block:

Good thing it is only a tablerunner; this one is going to take a while!

Head on over to Judy's blog to see how everyone else is doing.

Sometimes you just need a new project

2011-09-21T05:18:00.002-04:00

I have plenty of half-finished projects that I could be finishing, but I felt the sudden need to run to the quilt shop yesterday to buy the makings of a new project.

The purple on the left is wool and I will be hand-appliqueing it on the cream fabric. I am on my way today to the Sewing Expo in Novi, Michigan and thought this would make a fun travel project.

I am using the project from Patchwork Posse's winter tablerunner. It seemed fitting since the sweltering weather smacked directly into "too cold" here. What happened to autumn?

Stop Drop and Roll, part 9

2011-09-19T15:27:00.002-04:00

Week 5: We practiced some C curve quilting patterns.

Week 6: We practiced some loopy quilting patterns.

Week 7: We practiced some S curve quilting patterns.

Week 8: We practiced some spiral based quilting patterns.

This week, I am finally quilting the quilt!

The machine:
I used my Janome 6600. I used the darning foot on the machine and I dropped my feed dogs.

The thread:
For the top thread, I used Tutti from WonderFil, color TU01 Sunny.
For the bobbin thread, I used Konfetti. by WonderFil, color KT403 Yellow.

Today I started the quilting!

One block down, 35 to go!

I've been blogged!

2011-08-24T08:55:00.001-04:00

John from Big Rig Quilting gave me a mention on his blog. Check it out!

Someone is quilting...

2011-08-18T22:54:00.003-04:00

... but it isn't me!

Natasha has been following my quilt along and used one of my designs in her border. Check it out!

What did I do today instead of quilting?

I saw another waterfall:

And a bear:

And another bear:

I actually saw nine bears and an uncounted number of waterfalls today, but sadly the upload speed on the wireless in my condo won't let me show them all to you.

Tomorrow, I don't think I will see any more bears or any more waterfalls. I leave before sunrise to fly to Utah to film Quilt It! I promise to take photos and share them with you.

An adventure + a give-away!

2011-08-18T08:43:00.006-04:00

Remember my love of all things tablerunner-ish?

This new series is my cup of tea!

I am thrilled to announce a new fall pattern series:

Starting today, there will be a give-away for 2 free workshops.

· Start date: August 18th Thursday
· End Date/winner announced: August 21st Sunday

Go to Patchwork Posse and leave a comment on the post on the front page for one chance to win.

Want more than one entry? Leave another comment to let us know you tweeted.

· Winner can be from anywhere worldwide since it is an online workshop!!

So, what are you winning?

· Who are the designers?

· Becky's blog: http://patchworkposse.com/blog

· Wendy's blog: http://ivoryspring.wordpress.com/

· My blog: http://www.higheredhands.blogspot.com/

· Kari's blog: http://freshcutquilts.blogspot.com/

· Rugs & Runners Online Workshop. For 4 months, a new pattern for a Table Runner + an adjustment for a Mug Rug will be posted. These are exclusive patterns by super talented designers! Each month the patterns will feature a different season. The workshop site is available 24/7 allowing you to sew on your own time and in your own home. Besides the patterns you will have access to a gallery to post your photos, a forum to ask questions, and a community of worldwide members. Don’t miss out on these great patterns by your favorite designers!

I will be teaching my pattern in November. To whet your appetite, check out the lovely fabrics I will be using:

While you are entering and posting and tweeting, I will be hiking somewhere in the Great Smoky Mountains (vacation-- whee!!!) and seeing more lovely sights like the waterfall below:

(The child in the photo is not one of mine: he just happened to get caught in the photo)

Design Wall Monday

2011-08-08T20:14:00.003-04:00

I actually have something on my design wall!

It is a dreary rainy day here in NY, so the photo is not great. Sorry!

In a few weeks I will be filming an episode of Quilt It, a longarm quilting show on QNNtv.com, and these are my samples. I just finished the applique and piecing and will start quilting them in the morning.

How will I qulit them? Stay tuned.

Head on over to Judy's blog to see how everyone else is doing.

Please check out my free-motion quilting videos.

What are you doing today?

2011-08-05T11:26:00.003-04:00

Did anyone else sing that as a choir warm up exercise? We did the mi-mi-mi-mi-mi-mi-mi and he-he-he-he-he-he-he and then added words.

I'm on some serious deadlines and not getting much sleep so my brain goes weird places like 4th grade choir rehearsal. Sorry.

But, What am I doing today?

I have all three longarm machines fired up.

On the Gammill:

It's a super-secret project I promise to show you later. I am adoring every second of it and will have to make another one just for me.

On the HQ 24 Fusion:

It's a semi-secret project I promise to show you later.

On the HQ Sweet Sixteen:

It's a scrappy, messy, thready project that I hope to spend a few minutes on tonight if I finish the super-secret quilt and part of the semi-secret quilt in a timely fashion.

Now tell me, what are YOU doing today?

Stop, Drop and Roll, part 8.4

2011-08-03T09:08:00.005-04:00

Welcome to week 8 of the Stop, Drop and Roll Quilt Along! I am hosting this for the Old Red Barn Co. Flickr group.

Week 1: We made our blocks.
Week 2: We assembled our quilt tops.
Week 3: We basted our quilts.
Week 4: We practiced some straight line quilting patterns.

Week 5: We practiced some C curve quilting patterns.

Week 6: We practiced some loopy quilting patterns.

Week 7: We practiced some S curve quilting patterns.

This week, all of the free-motion quilting patterns are based on a swirl.

The machine:
I used my Janome 6600 for this video. I used the darning foot on the machine and I dropped my feed dogs.

The thread:
For the top thread, I used Tutti from WonderFil, color TU31 Evergreen.
For the bobbin thread, I used DecoBob. by WonderFil, color DB501 Evergreen.

The video:
Today's free-motion quilting pattern is inspired by the view from my sewing room. The entire hillside is covered with ferns. This design combines the fiddlehead and the fern.

Grab some scrap fabric sandwiches and practice this design:

The finished pattern:

The hints:

When I need to stop the machine, I stop in a corner or where two patterns overlap. If I stop in the middle of a design, the stop/start will leave a visible jog.
Even though my first machine quilting teacher told me to "quilt fast and don't stop," I quilt rather slowly. I set my machine to the speed I want to quilt, and then put my pedal to the floor. This helps keep my stitches a consistent length.
I stop frequently while quilting. This keeps me from getting a sore neck, allows me to reposition my hands, and gives me time to figure out where to place the next design.

That was the last design! Pick a few and quilt your quilt!

Stop, Drop and Roll Quilt Along, part 8.3

2011-07-23T07:00:00.000-04:00

Week 5: We practiced some C curve quilting patterns.

Week 6: We practiced some loopy quilting patterns.

The video:
Today's free-motion quilting pattern is a spiral feather design.

Grab some scrap fabric sandwiches and practice this design:

The finished pattern:

The hints:

When I retrace, I don't try to retrace my lines exactly. I like the whimsical look of crossed lines.
When I need to stop the machine, I stop in a corner or where two patterns overlap. If I stop in the middle of a design, the stop/start will leave a visible jog.
Even though my first machine quilting teacher told me to "quilt fast and don't stop," I quilt rather slowly. I set my machine to the speed I want to quilt, and then put my pedal to the floor. This helps keep my stitches a consistent length.
I stop frequently while quilting. This keeps me from getting a sore neck, allows me to reposition my hands, and gives me time to figure out where to place the next design.

Check back tomorrow for the final swirl design!

Stop, Drop and Roll Quilt Along, part 8.2

2011-07-22T07:00:00.000-04:00

Week 5: We practiced some C curve quilting patterns.

Week 6: We practiced some loopy quilting patterns.

The video:
Today's free-motion quilting pattern is a border spiral design.

Grab some scrap fabric sandwiches and practice this design:

The finished pattern:

The hints:

When I retrace, I don't try to retrace my lines exactly. I like the whimsical look of crossed lines.
When I need to stop the machine, I stop in a corner or where two patterns overlap. If I stop in the middle of a design, the stop/start will leave a visible jog.
Even though my first machine quilting teacher told me to "quilt fast and don't stop," I quilt rather slowly. I set my machine to the speed I want to quilt, and then put my pedal to the floor. This helps keep my stitches a consistent length.
I stop frequently while quilting. This keeps me from getting a sore neck, allows me to reposition my hands, and gives me time to figure out where to place the next design.

Check back tomorrow for another swirl design!

Stop, Drop and Roll Quilt Along, part 8.1

2011-07-21T07:00:00.000-04:00

Week 5: We practiced some C curve quilting patterns.

Week 6: We practiced some loopy quilting patterns.

The video:
Today's free-motion quilting pattern is an overall spiral design.

Grab some scrap fabric sandwiches and practice this design:

The finished pattern:

The hints:

When I retrace, I don't try to retrace my lines exactly. I like the whimsical look of crossed lines.
When I need to stop the machine, I stop in a corner or where two patterns overlap. If I stop in the middle of a design, the stop/start will leave a visible jog.
Even though my first machine quilting teacher told me to "quilt fast and don't stop," I quilt rather slowly. I set my machine to the speed I want to quilt, and then put my pedal to the floor. This helps keep my stitches a consistent length.
I stop frequently while quilting. This keeps me from getting a sore neck, allows me to reposition my hands, and gives me time to figure out where to place the next design.

Check back tomorrow for another swirl design!

Guess who I met?

2011-07-20T10:21:00.002-04:00

LEAH DAY!!!

Oh yes I did!

I was working at the Handi Quilter booth at the AQS show in Knoxville and Leah came by to try out the Handi Quilter Sweet Sixteen. She was probably at the show to see her quilt which won "best machine quilting." Yes, her quilt was that awesome.

What could be better than that? She mentioned me on her blog.

Stop, Drop and Roll Quilt Along, part 7.4

2011-07-20T08:02:00.003-04:00

Welcome to week 7 of the Stop, Drop and Roll Quilt Along! I am hosting this for the Old Red Barn Co. Flickr group.

Week 1: We made our blocks.
Week 2: We assembled our quilt tops.
Week 3: We basted our quilts.
Week 4: We practiced some straight line quilting patterns.

Week 5: We practiced some C curve quilting patterns .

Week 6: We practiced some loopy quilting patterns.

This week, all of the free-motion quilting patterns are based on an S-curve.

The machine:
I used my Janome 6600 for this video. I used the darning foot on the machine and I dropped my feed dogs.

The thread:
For the top thread, I used Tutti from WonderFil, color TU20 Storm.
For the bobbin thread, I used DecoBob. by WonderFil, color DB302 Royal Blue.

After filming, I realized that the darker blue thread did not show well on the black fabric. Sorry!

The video:
Today's free-motion quilting pattern is called Elements. I used this design on my son's friends' graduation quilts. Those boys loved to have bonfires (with parental supervision, of course) and the design reminds me of flames.

Grab some scrap fabric sandwiches and practice this design:

The finished pattern:

The hints:

When I need to stop the machine, I stop in a corner or where two patterns overlap. If I stop in the middle of a design, the stop/start will leave a visible jog.
Even though my first machine quilting teacher told me to "quilt fast and don't stop," I quilt rather slowly. I set my machine to the speed I want to quilt, and then put my pedal to the floor. This helps keep my stitches a consistent length.
I stop frequently while quilting. This keeps me from getting a sore neck, allows me to reposition my hands, and gives me time to figure out where to place the next design.

Next week: swirl designs!

Stop, Drop and Roll Quilt Along, part 7.3

2011-07-11T12:19:00.002-04:00

Week 5: We practiced some C curve quilting patterns .

After filming, I realized that the darker blue thread did not show well on the black fabric. Sorry!

The video:
Today's free-motion quilting pattern is leaves.

Grab some scrap fabric sandwiches and practice this design:

The finished pattern:

The hints:

When I need to stop the machine, I stop in a corner or where two patterns overlap. If I stop in the middle of a design, the stop/start will leave a visible jog.
Even though my first machine quilting teacher told me to "quilt fast and don't stop," I quilt rather slowly. I set my machine to the speed I want to quilt, and then put my pedal to the floor. This helps keep my stitches a consistent length.
I stop frequently while quilting. This keeps me from getting a sore neck, allows me to reposition my hands, and gives me time to figure out where to place the next design.

Stop back tomorrow for another S-curve design!

Stop, Drop and Roll Quilt Along, part 7.2

2011-07-07T08:24:00.002-04:00

Week 5: We practiced some C curve quilting patterns .

After filming, I realized that the darker blue thread did not show well on the black fabric. Sorry!

The video:
Today's free-motion quilting pattern is a fancy fern.

Grab some scrap fabric sandwiches and practice this design:

The finished pattern:

The hints:

When I need to stop the machine, I stop in a corner or where two patterns overlap. If I stop in the middle of a design, the stop/start will leave a visible jog.
Even though my first machine quilting teacher told me to "quilt fast and don't stop," I quilt rather slowly. I set my machine to the speed I want to quilt, and then put my pedal to the floor. This helps keep my stitches a consistent length.
I stop frequently while quilting. This keeps me from getting a sore neck, allows me to reposition my hands, and gives me time to figure out where to place the next design.

Stop back tomorrow for another S-curve design!

Papillon, part 5

2011-07-07T08:13:00.003-04:00

The current issue of Fabric Trends has the pattern for Papillon, a quilt designed by my good friends at the The Quilt Basket. I quilted their sample and thought I would show you how.

Last week, I showed how I quilted the background of the butterflies. This week, I will show how I quilted the white border triangles.

I pulled out my Quilter's Preview Paper to see what design might look nice.

Maybe a swirl?

Yes!

Let's quilt:

Sources from the video:

I quilt on a HQ 24 Fusion
I used Tutti thread TU 37 (shell) and a size 16 needle for the swirls
The kit for this quilt is available from the Quilt Basket

Next week, I will show how to quilt the brown sashing. Be sure to come back and check it out!

Sunday Stash Report -- another wedding quilt finished!!!

2011-07-03T13:19:00.003-04:00

My Sunday Stash Report:

fabric purchased this week: 0
fabric purchased this year: 36 yards
fabric used this week: 9.5 yards
fabric used this year: 198.75 yards

Stash reduced by: 162.73 yards

I finally finished a quilt this week. It was finished 40 hours before the wedding!!! That must be some kind of a record.

Head on over to Judy's blog to see how everyone else is doing.

Please check out my free-motion quilting videos.

In Solidarity

2011-07-03T13:03:00.005-04:00

A dear friend of mine is having some health problems and has been placed on an extremely restricted diet. The hope is that this can reverse the problem and avoid a lifetime of medications.

Since I am (mostly) a vegetarian, I offered to show my friend how tasty vegetarian fare could be. I decided to cook some vegetarian meals that they could replicate and thought you might like to read about them, too.

Lo Mein for two

Start with some noodles:

I cooked up one bundle and set them aside.

Now chop the veggies:

Saute the garlic and ginger in a little oil:

Add the carrots, celery and onions (sorry for the steam in the photo):

Add the mushrooms, broccoli and snow peas:

Add a few tablespoons of water and cook until veggies are somewhat tender. Add in the noodles and some sauce* (and some sesame oil if you have it):

Let cook for a few minutes until the sauce thickens.

Serve:

Enjoy!

*sauce: I mix one cup of veggie broth with 2-3T of soy sauce, 1 T of rice wine vinegar (optional), and 1 T of cornstarch. I only use maybe 1/4 cup of this sauce for this amount of lo mein.

Stop, Drop and Roll, part 7.1

2011-07-01T20:00:00.004-04:00

Week 5: We practiced some C curve quilting patterns .

After filming, I realized that the darker blue thread did not show well on the black fabric. Sorry!

The video:
Today's free-motion quilting pattern is a simple repeating S-curve.

Grab some scrap fabric sandwiches and practice this design:

The finished pattern:

The hints:

When I need to stop the machine, I stop in a corner or where two patterns overlap. If I stop in the middle of a design, the stop/start will leave a visible jog.
Even though my first machine quilting teacher told me to "quilt fast and don't stop," I quilt rather slowly. I set my machine to the speed I want to quilt, and then put my pedal to the floor. This helps keep my stitches a consistent length.
I stop frequently while quilting. This keeps me from getting a sore neck, allows me to reposition my hands, and gives me time to figure out where to place the next design.

Stop back tomorrow for another S-curve design!

Papillon, part 4

2011-06-28T22:22:00.003-04:00

The current issue of Fabric Trends has the pattern for Papillon, a quilt designed by my good friends at the The Quilt Basket. I quilted their sample and thought I would show you how.

Last week, I showed how I quilted the background of the star blocks. This week, I will show how I quilted the center butterfly square.

I pulled out my Quilter's Preview Paper to see what design might look nice.

Maybe a star over the block?

No! Maybe some continuous curve over the block?

No! Maybe some cross-hatching over the block?

No! Maybe some swirls over the block?

No! Maybe swirls behind the butterfly?

Yes! The Preview Paper saved me from a lot of un-stitching. That stuff is worth it's weight in gold!

Let's quilt:

And a view of the finished block:

Sources from the video:

I quilt on a HQ 24 Fusion
I used Tutti thread TU 37 (shell) and a size 16 needle for the swirls
The kit for this quilt is available from the Quilt Basket

Next week, I will show how to quilt the white border triangles. Be sure to come back and check it out!

Stop, Drop and Roll Quilt Along, part 6.4

2011-06-24T07:00:00.000-04:00

Welcome to week 6 of the Stop, Drop and Roll Quilt Along! I am hosting this for the Old Red Barn Co. Flickr group.

Week 1: We made our blocks.
Week 2: We assembled our quilt tops.
Week 3: We basted our quilts.
Week 4: We practiced some straight line quilting patterns.

Week 5: We practiced some C curve quilting patterns.

This week, all of the free-motion quilting patterns are based on a loop.

The machine:
I used my Janome 6600 for this video. I used the darning foot on the machine and I dropped my feed dogs.

The thread:
For the top thread, I used Tutti from WonderFil, color TU19 Lavender.
For the bobbin thread, I used DecoBob. by WonderFil, color DB314 Lilac.

The video:
Today's free-motion quilting pattern is pebbles!

Grab some scrap fabric sandwiches and practice this design:

The finished pattern:

The hints:

To keep my loops round, I stitch over one and under the next.
To get from one place to another, I retrace the pebbles.
When I need to stop the machine, I stop in a corner or where two patterns overlap. If I stop in the middle of a design, the stop/start will leave a visible jog.
Even though my first machine quilting teacher told me to "quilt fast and don't stop," I quilt rather slowly. I set my machine to the speed I want to quilt, and then put my pedal to the floor. This helps keep my stitches a consistent length.
I stop frequently while quilting. This keeps me from getting a sore neck, allows me to reposition my hands, and gives me time to figure out where to place the next design.

Stop back next week for more free-motion quilting designs!

Stop, Drop and Roll Quilt Along, part 6.3

2011-06-23T07:00:00.000-04:00

The video:
Today's free-motion quilting pattern is a loopy border pattern that would also make a great block pattern.

Grab some scrap fabric sandwiches and practice this design:

The finished pattern:

The hints:

Even though my first machine quilting teacher told me to "quilt fast and don't stop," I quilt rather slowly. I set my machine to the speed I want to quilt, and then put my pedal to the floor. This helps keep my stitches a consistent length.
I stop frequently while quilting. This keeps me from getting a sore neck, allows me to reposition my hands, and gives me time to figure out where to place the next design.

Stop back tomorrow for another loop design!

Vermont Quilt Festival

2011-06-22T07:35:00.001-04:00

I'm on my way to the Vermont Quilt Festival. I'll be teaching seven classes on longarm and machine quilting, so my car is very, very full!!!

I'd love to see you there!

Stop, Drop and Roll Quilt Along, part 6.2

2011-06-22T07:00:00.001-04:00

The video:
Today we are ~~doubling~~ tripling our free-motion quilting fun with triple wandering loops!

Grab some scrap fabric sandwiches and practice this design:

Could you hear my cat in the background? His name is Spike. I was quilting outside (it was too hot in my house!) and he was complaining about being left inside from the screen door.

The finished pattern:

The hints:

To keep my loops round, I stitch over one and under the next.
I start the second and third loops where the first one crosses.
When I need to stop the machine, I stop in a corner or where two patterns overlap. If I stop in the middle of a design, the stop/start will leave a visible jog.
Even though my first machine quilting teacher told me to "quilt fast and don't stop," I quilt rather slowly. I set my machine to the speed I want to quilt, and then put my pedal to the floor. This helps keep my stitches a consistent length.
I stop frequently while quilting. This keeps me from getting a sore neck, allows me to reposition my hands, and gives me time to figure out where to place the next design.

Stop back tomorrow for another loop design!

Stop, Drop and Roll Quilt Along, part 6.1

2011-06-21T09:25:00.004-04:00

In person, these threads are luscious and purple, but they look nearly white in the photos.

The video:
Today's free-motion quilting pattern is a simple wandering loop.

Grab some scrap fabric sandwiches and practice this design:

The finished pattern:

The hints:

To keep my loops round, I stitch over one and under the next.
When I need to stop the machine, I stop in a corner or where two patterns overlap. If I stop in the middle of a design, the stop/start will leave a visible jog.
Even though my first machine quilting teacher told me to "quilt fast and don't stop," I quilt rather slowly. I set my machine to the speed I want to quilt, and then put my pedal to the floor. This helps keep my stitches a consistent length.
I stop frequently while quilting. This keeps me from getting a sore neck, allows me to reposition my hands, and gives me time to figure out where to place the next design.

Stop back tomorrow for another loop design!

Papillon, part 3

2011-06-20T14:12:00.003-04:00

Since I know that you have the latest copy of Fabric Trends and that you are making the Papillon quilt (scroll down) designed by my good friends at the The Quilt Basket, I will show you how I quilted the sample.

Last week, I showed how I quilted the outline of the star blocks. This week, I will show how I quilted the background of the star blocks.

I pulled out my Quilter's Preview Paper to see what design might look nice.

Let's try some arcs:

I like it!

Let's quilt:

Sources from the video:

I quilt on a HQ 24 Fusion
I used HQ Half-Circle Templates for the arcs
I used Tutti thread TU 37 (shell) and a size 16 needle for the arcs

Next week, I will show how to quilt the center butterfly block. Be sure to come back and check it out!

Stop, Drop and Roll, part 5.4

2011-06-17T07:00:00.001-04:00

Welcome to week 5 of the Stop, Drop and Roll Quilt Along! I am hosting this for the Old Red Barn Co. Flickr group.

Week 1: We made our blocks.
Week 2: We assembled our quilt tops.
Week 3: We basted our quilts.
Week 4: We practiced some straight line quilting patterns.

This week, all of the free-motion quilting patterns are based on a single curve, like the letter "C".

The machine:
I used my Janome 6600 for this video. I used the darning foot on the machine and I dropped my feed dogs.

The thread:
For the top thread, I used Tutti from WonderFil, color TU10 Roses.
For the bobbin thread, I used DecoBob. by WonderFil, color DB209 Raspberry.

The video:
Like yesterday, today's free-motion quilting pattern could be considered a holiday pattern. I quilt holly in borders, blocks, and as an all-over design on many Christmas quilts.

Grab some scrap fabric sandwiches and practice this design:

The finished pattern:

The hints:

I usually pause in the corners to allow the machine to take an extra stitch. This makes my corners nice and sharp.
When I need to stop the machine, I stop in a corner. If I stop in the middle of a design, the stop/start will leave a visible jog.
Even though my first machine quilting teacher told me to "quilt fast and don't stop," I quilt rather slowly. I set my machine to the speed I want to quilt, and then put my pedal to the floor. This helps keep my stitches a consistent length.
I stop frequently while quilting. This keeps me from getting a sore neck, allows me to reposition my hands, and gives me time to figure out where to place the next design.

Next week's designs will all be based on loops!

Stop, Drop and Roll, part 5.3

2011-06-16T07:00:00.002-04:00

The thread:

For the top thread, I used Tutti from WonderFil, color TU10 Roses.

For the bobbin thread, I used DecoBob. by WonderFil, color DB209 Raspberry.

The video:

Today's pattern can be considered a Halloween pattern, but I quilt spider webs on other types of quilts, too!

Grab some scrap fabric sandwiches and practice this design:

The finished pattern:

The hints:

I usually pause in the corners to allow the machine to take an extra stitch. This makes my corners nice and sharp.
When I need to stop the machine, I stop in a corner. If I stop in the middle of a design, the stop/start will leave a visible jog.
Even though my first machine quilting teacher told me to "quilt fast and don't stop," I quilt rather slowly. I set my machine to the speed I want to quilt, and then put my pedal to the floor. This helps keep my stitches a consistent length.
I stop frequently while quilting. This keeps me from getting a sore neck, allows me to reposition my hands, and gives me time to figure out where to place the next design.

Visit again tomorrow for another single-curve free-motion quilting design.

Stop, Drop and Roll, part 5.2

2011-06-14T23:00:00.000-04:00

Welcome to week 5 of the Stop, Drop and Roll Quilt Along! I am hosting this for the Old Red Barn Co. Flickr group.

Week 1: We made our blocks.
Week 2: We assembled our quilt tops.
Week 3: We basted our quilts.
Week 4: We practiced some straight line quilting patterns.

This week, all of the free-motion quilting patterns are based on a single curve, like the letter "C".

The machine:
I used my Janome 6600 for this video. I used the darning foot on the machine and I dropped my feed dogs.

The thread:
For the top thread, I used Tutti from WonderFil, color TU10 Roses.
For the bobbin thread, I used DecoBob. by WonderFil, color DB209 Raspberry.

The video:
I love today's pattern! It looks like a fern and I use it as an overall design, a block design, a border design, or anywhere else I want to see a fern.

Grab some scrap fabric sandwiches and practice this design:

The finished pattern:

The hints:

When stitching the fern, keep the bottoms spaced a good distance apart on the stem. If the fern is very narrow, it will "fall over."

I usually pause in the corners to allow the machine to take an extra stitch. This makes my corners nice and sharp.

When I need to stop the machine, I stop in a corner. If I stop in the middle of a design, the stop/start will leave a visible jog.

Even though my first machine quilting teacher told me to "quilt fast and don't stop," I quilt rather slowly. I set my machine to the speed I want to quilt, and then put my pedal to the floor. This helps keep my stitches a consistent length.

I stop frequently while quilting. This keeps me from getting a sore neck, allows me to reposition my hands, and gives me time to figure out where to place the next design.

Visit again tomorrow for another single-curve free-motion quilting design.

Stop, Drop and Roll Quilt Along, part 5.1

2011-06-13T19:00:00.000-04:00

The thread:

For the top thread, I used Tutti from WonderFil, color TU10 Roses.

For the bobbin thread, I used DecoBob. by WonderFil, color DB209 Raspberry.

The video:

Today's pattern is a simple flower. I have used this as an overall design and also as a block design. It is simple and it looks great. I love that combination!

Grab some scrap fabric sandwiches and practice this design:

The finished pattern:

The hints:

I usually pause in the corners to allow the machine to take an extra stitch. This makes my corners nice and sharp.
When I need to stop the machine, I stop in a corner. If I stop in the middle of a design, the stop/start will leave a visible jog.
Even though my first machine quilting teacher told me to "quilt fast and don't stop," I quilt rather slowly. I set my machine to the speed I want to quilt, and then put my pedal to the floor. This helps keep my stitches a consistent length.
I stop frequently while quilting. This keeps me from getting a sore neck, allows me to reposition my hands, and gives me time to figure out where to place the next design.

Visit again tomorrow for another single-curve free-motion quilting design.

Papillon, part 2

2011-06-13T12:02:00.004-04:00

If you have the latest copy of Fabric Trends, you, of course, want to make the Papillon quilt (scroll down) designed by my good friends at the The Quilt Basket!

Last week, I showed how I quilted the stitch-in-the-ditch. This week, we are quilting in the outline of the star blocks.

I pulled out my Quilter's Preview Paper to see what design might look nice.

Let's try some ribbon candy:

I like it!

Let's quilt:

Sources from the video:

I quilt on a HQ 24 Fusion
I used Tutti thread TU 27and a size 16 needle for the ribbon candy

I love it!

Next week, I will show how to quilt the background. Be sure to come back and check it out!

Stop, Drop and Roll, part 4.5

2011-06-10T07:00:00.002-04:00

Welcome to step 4.5 of the Stop, Drop and Roll Quilt Along! I am hosting this for the Old Red Barn Co. Flickr group.

Week 1: We made our blocks.
Week 2: We assembled our quilt tops.
Week 3: We basted our quilts.

Finally, we quilt! All of the quilt patterns this week are practicing this week are based on straight lines.

The machine:
I used my Janome 6600 for this video. I used the darning foot on the machine and I dropped my feed dogs.

The thread:

For the top thread, I used Tutti from WonderFil, color TU01 Sunny.

For the bobbin thread, I used DecoBob. by WonderFil, color DB131 Dark Gold.

The video:

Today's pattern is similar to the first pattern we quilted this week. Instead of quilting horizontal and diagonal lines, I quilted lines in all directions.

Grab some scrap fabric sandwiches and practice this design:

The hints:

When I chalk a grid, I use a template and Quilter's Pounce powder. It goes on fast, and the powder irons off when the quilting is done.
When I retrace a line, I do not worry if I do not retrace it perfectly. I think a little daylight showing between lines adds some character to the design.
I usually pause in the corners to allow the machine to take an extra stitch. This makes my corners nice and sharp.
When I need to stop the machine, I stop in a corner. If I stop in the middle of a design, the stop/start will leave a visible jog.
Even though my first machine quilting teacher told me to "quilt fast and don't stop," I quilt rather slowly. I set my machine to the speed I want to quilt, and then put my pedal to the floor. This helps keep my stitches a consistent length.
I stop frequently while quilting. This keeps me from getting a sore neck, allows me to reposition my hands, and gives me time to figure out where to place the next design.

Stop, Drop and Roll Quilt Along, part 4.4

2011-06-09T07:00:00.002-04:00

Welcome to step 4.4 of the Stop, Drop and Roll Quilt Along! I am hosting this for the Old Red Barn Co. Flickr group.

Week 1: We made our blocks.
Week 2: We assembled our quilt tops.
Week 3: We basted our quilts.

Finally, we quilt! All of the quilt patterns this week are practicing this week are based on straight lines.

The machine:
I used my Janome 6600 for this video. I used the darning foot on the machine and I dropped my feed dogs.

The thread:

For the top thread, I used Tutti from WonderFil, color TU01 Sunny.

For the bobbin thread, I used DecoBob. by WonderFil, color DB131 Dark Gold.

The video:

Today's pattern is a little different. I chalked a grid over the quilting area so it would be easier to keep my free-motion quilting evenly spaced. I consider a chalked grid a "quilter's little helper" and often use this little trick.

Grab some scrap fabric sandwiches and practice this design:

The hints:

When I chalk a grid, I use a template and Quilter's Pounce powder. It goes on fast, and the powder irons off when the quilting is done.
When I retrace a line, I do not worry if I do not retrace it perfectly. I think a little daylight showing between lines adds some character to the design.
I usually pause in the corners to allow the machine to take an extra stitch. This makes my corners nice and sharp.
When I need to stop the machine, I stop in a corner. If I stop in the middle of a design, the stop/start will leave a visible jog.
Even though my first machine quilting teacher told me to "quilt fast and don't stop," I quilt rather slowly. I set my machine to the speed I want to quilt, and then put my pedal to the floor. This helps keep my stitches a consistent length.
I stop frequently while quilting. This keeps me from getting a sore neck, allows me to reposition my hands, and gives me time to figure out where to place the next design.

Check back tomorrow for another straight-line design.

Stop, Drop and Roll Quilt Along, part 4.3

2011-06-08T08:26:00.002-04:00

Welcome to step 4.3 of the Stop, Drop and Roll Quilt Along! I am hosting this for the Old Red Barn Co. Flickr group.

Week 1: We made our blocks.

Week 2: We assembled our quilt tops.

Week 3: We basted our quilts.

Finally, we quilt!

All of the quilt patterns this week are practicing this week are based on straight lines. I learned how to quilt on my home machine after I was a longarm quilting teacher. Weird, right? When I first tried to quilt, I felt like I was fighting the fabric. I could not get my stitches even. None of the designs I was so good at on my longarm machine would show up on the fabric! I started to train myself to work with the fabric. I started with straight lines. I told myself that maybe I could not make beautiful feathers, but that I could probably make a series of line segments.

The machine:

I used my Janome 6600 for this video. I used the darning foot on the machine and I dropped my feed dogs.

The thread:

For the top thread, I used Tutti from WonderFil, color TU01 Sunny.

For the bobbin thread, I used DecoBob. by WonderFil, color DB131 Dark Gold.

The video:

Today's pattern uses horizontal, vertical, and diagonal lines. It makes a great overall design and I actually used just one line of this design as a border on a quilt for a customer on Monday.

Grab some scrap fabric sandwiches and practice this design:

The hints:

When I retrace a line, I do not worry if I do not retrace it perfectly. I think a little daylight showing between lines adds some character to the design.
I usually pause in the corners to allow the machine to take an extra stitch. This makes my corners nice and sharp.
When I need to stop the machine, I stop in a corner. If I stop in the middle of a design, the stop/start will leave a visible jog.
Even though my first machine quilting teacher told me to "quilt fast and don't stop," I quilt rather slowly. I set my machine to the speed I want to quilt, and then put my pedal to the floor. This helps keep my stitches a consistent length.
I stop frequently while quilting. This keeps me from getting a sore neck, allows me to reposition my hands, and gives me time to figure out where to place the next design.

Check back tomorrow for another straight-line design.

Papillon, part 1

2011-06-07T16:58:00.005-04:00

Have you seen the latest copy of Fabric Trends.? You should go buy it right away!

And then you should go make the Papillon quilt (scroll down). My good friends at the The Quilt Basket designed another fantastic quilt!

I am going to help you out with making this quilt. I quilted the sample in the magazine and filmed while I was quilting it. Each week during the summer, I will post another video clip showing how I quilted this quilt. Sound good?

You have two jobs this week:

1. Watch the video (below)

2. Buy the latest issue of Fabric Trends!

Sources from the video:

I quilt on a HQ 24 Fusion
I used InvisiFil thread and a size 14 needle for all of the stitch in the ditch
The tool I used is called a Versa Tool

Stop, Drop and Roll Quilt Along, part 4.2 (straight lines)

2011-06-07T15:41:00.005-04:00

Welcome to step 4.2 of the Stop, Drop and Roll Quilt Along! I am hosting this for the Old Red Barn Co. Flickr group.

Week 1: We made our blocks.

Week 2: We assembled our quilt tops.

Week 3: We basted our quilts.

Finally, we quilt!

All of the quilt patterns this week are practicing this week are based on straight lines. Free-motion straight lines. If that scares you, think of them as straight-ish lines, or lines that are "mostly" straight (for the Princess Bride fans).

The machine:

I used my Janome 6600 for this video. I bought it at my favorite quilt store, The Quilt Basket. I have owned this machine for about 2-1/2 years, and the honeymoon is not over. This is a fantastic machine for piecing and also does a superb job of quilting as you will soon see. I used the darning foot on the machine and I dropped my feed dogs.

The thread:

For the top thread, I used Tutti from WonderFil, color TU01 Sunny.

For the bobbin thread, I used DecoBob. by WonderFil, color DB131 Dark Gold.

The video:

Today's pattern is all horizontal and vertical lines. I think this looks like the pipes and pathways that the Mario Brothers are always running through in those Nintendo games. (Yes, I am married to a gamer.)

Grab some scrap fabric sandwiches and practice this design:

The hints:

I usually pause in the corners to allow the machine to take an extra stitch. This makes my corners nice and sharp.
When I need to stop the machine, I stop in a corner. If I stop in the middle of a design, the stop/start will leave a visible jog.
Even though the first machine quilting teacher told me to "quilt fast and don't stop," I quilt rather slowly. I set my machine to the speed I want to quilt, and then put my pedal to the floor. This helps keep my stitches a consistent length.
I stop frequently while quilting. This keeps me from getting a sore neck, allows me to reposition my hands, and gives me time to figure out where to place the next design.

Stop, Drop and Roll Quilt Along, part 4.1

2011-06-07T14:39:00.004-04:00

Welcome to step 4 of the Stop, Drop and Roll Quilt Along! I am hosting this for the Old Red Barn Co. Flickr group.

Week 1: We made our blocks.

Week 2: We assembled our quilt tops.

Week 3: We basted our quilts.

This week, we are going to quilt! Are you excited? I certainly am!!!

I live in the woods and lighting in my house is always a problem. I decided to move my sewing table outside to gain as much natural daylight as possible. Along with natural daylight, however, come noises such as birds, airplanes, and lawnmowers. I felt the the benefits outweighed the drawbacks, so enjoy the quilting videos -- and the sounds of my yard.

The machine:

I used my Janome 6600 for this video. I bought it at my favorite quilt store, The Quilt Basket. I have owned this machine for about 2-1/2 years, and the honeymoon is not over. This is a fantastic machine for piecing, and does a superb job of quilting as you will soon see. I used the darning foot on the machine, and I dropped my feed dogs.

The thread:

For the top thread, I used Tutti from WonderFil, color TU01 Sunny.

For the bobbin thread, I used DecoBob. by WonderFil, color DB131 Dark Gold.

Yes, I use different thread on the top and in the bobbin. No, the quilt police have not arrested me yet.

The pre-quilting video:

To check my tension, I quilted some circles and some points. If my stitches looked bad, I would have adjusted the machine until I was happy with the look of my stitches.

I am going to post each video in a separate blog post, so keep checking back.

Sunday Stash Report -- on a Thursday

2011-06-02T17:55:00.002-04:00

I hope to get back to my regular posting schedule one day, but I fear it will not be soon.

My Sunday Stash Report:

fabric purchased this week: 0
fabric purchased this year: 36 yards
fabric used this week: 7.5 yards
fabric used this year: 189.25 yards

Stash reduced by: 153.25 yards

Head on over to Judy's blog to see how everyone else is doing.

Stop, Drop and Roll Quilt Along, part 3

2011-06-02T15:49:00.006-04:00

Welcome to step 3 of the Stop, Drop and Roll Quilt Along! I am hosting this for the Old Red Barn Co. Flickr group.

Week 1: We made our blocks.

Week 2: We assembled our quilt tops.

This week we are going to baste. There are many good ways to baste a quilt. If you baste a quilt differently than I do and it works for you, THERE IS NO GOOD REASON TO CHANGE WHAT YOU ARE DOING!!! However, if you have never seen how to spray baste a quilt, I took photos while I basted my Stop, Drop and Roll. Follow along:

First, I find no reason to bend and crawl on the floor to baste a quilt. I borrowed a kitchen table (my table is too small!) and laid out my backing. I pieced the backing from a bunch of bright squares leftover from other projects.

Using the ever-popular blue painter's tape, I taped the edge and sides of the backing to the kitchen table. I let the leftover fabric hang off the edge.

I laid my batting over the backing and smoothed it in place.

Then I rolled it to the edge of the table and grabbed my basting spray.

After I lightly sprayed the backing fabric, I rolled the batting back on, smoothing as I went to make sure the batting had no bumps in it.

Next I centered the quilt top over the batting.

I rolled it back to the center and once again grabbed my basting spray.

I lightly sprayed the part of the batting that would be covered with the quilt top. If I had sprayed all of the batting, the extra batting would stay sticky, and that is not good! Next, I rolled the quilt top in place, smoothing as I went.

I then removed the tape and reversed the quilt. I taped the other half of the backing to the table. Then I rolled the quilt top back to the center and next rolled the batting to the center. It was then time to grab the basting spray again.

I lightly sprayed the backing of the quilt and rolled the batting to cover, making sure the batting was smooth and had no bumps in it.

Next I prepared to baste the last half of the quilt top in place.

I sprayed the part of the batting that would be covered with the quilt top and then rolled the quilt top in place.

I removed the tape and inspected my basting job from the front.

There were no bumps or pleats of fabric. Had there been any, I would have been able to gently peel the fabric back and re-stick it in place.

Next I turned the quilt over to inspect it for pleats or bumps. There were a few tiny ones, and I simply rubbed my hand over them and smoothed out the backing.

Now that the basting is complete, I can roll the quilt up and prepare for quilting!

It actually took longer to write this blog post than it did to baste the quilt top.

Good luck!

Next week we get to start quilting!!!! Yay!!!

Friday finish -- Bags!

2011-06-01T07:00:00.001-04:00

For Gina's birthday:

For Karen's birthday:

For Diahne's Florida vacation:

For Alexis's honeymoon:

For Sasha's birthday:

I forgot to photograph Valerie's bag and Jacqueline's bag. And many other bags, too! Oops!

Sunday Stash Report -- and Nicklene's Christmas present is done!

2011-05-26T10:01:00.000-04:00

Even though Sunday came and went, I still want to post my Sunday Stash Report.

We have some friends from the Netherlands who host a wonderful Christmas dinner party every year. Nicklene decorates with Christmas china, Christmas candles, and a Christmas tea set. Last Christmas I decided that she needed cloth Christmas napkins:

My Sunday Stash Report:

fabric purchased this week: 4
fabric purchased this year: 36 yards
fabric used this week: 4 yards
fabric used this year: 181.75 yards

Stash reduced by: 145.75 yards

Stop, Drop and Roll Quilt Along, part 2

2011-05-25T07:34:00.000-04:00

So how did you like last week's block directions? Did you make any blocks?

This week we are going to put the blocks together into the quilt.

Again, it has yet to stop raining here in New York, so the photos were taken inside and are full of shadows. I am explaining but not complaining, as my heart goes out to the latest victims of the series of heartbreaking tornadoes in the United States.

Instructions:

Lay out your blocks in 5 rows of 5 blocks.

Sew the 5 blocks from the first row together, alternating the long borders so no seams match.

Sew 5 rows together, alternating the blocks so only the corners have matching seams.

Helpful hint:

Press the seams from your first row in one direction (left) and the seams from the second row in the other direction (right). When you join your rows together, your seams will line up nicely.

Giveaway Winner

2011-05-24T21:38:00.002-04:00

It is time for the Stop, Drop and Roll Quilt Along giveaway..

A number was randomly selected (by my husband) and the winner is....

At 2:29 AM, Celeste said…

This looks like tons of fun. I love your brights for your sample.

Celeste, I don't have your email address. Please email me (link through my blog profile) and I will mail out your lovely thread!

Stop, Drop and Roll Quilt Along, part 1

2011-05-18T08:00:00.002-04:00

*** This giveaway is now closed***

Welcome to the Stop, Drop and Roll Quilt Along! I am hosting this for the Old Red Barn Co. Flickr group. Come and join us!

The first step for the quilt along is to gather your materials. To make a 42-inch square quilt, you will need:

for the block centers:
25 charm squares or 2/3 yards fabric cut into 25 charm squares (five-inch squares)

for the block borders:
75 charm squares or ten ¼ yard cuts cut into 75 charm squares (five-inch squares)

for the backing:
2 2/3 yards

for the batting:
throw sized batting

for the binding:
½ yard

The block finishes at 8 ½ inches. If you would like to make your quilt larger or smaller, note that each block requires one center charm square and three border charm squares (or six half charm squares).

Before I show photos, I need to mention that like a great deal of the United States, New York is, has been, and will apparently continue to be cloudy and rainy. My photos are quite dark and dreary. Sorry! We are under a flood watch, but nothing like the devastation in other parts of this country. I will take new photos should the sun ever decide to grace us with its presence again.

I gathered a few charm squares into groups:

Instructions:

Keep each center charm square whole, but cut each border charm square into two pieces, 2 ½” x 5”.

Select a center square and six rectangles for each block.

Once you have arranged your block, you are ready to sew.

I recently (last week) discovered my new favorite piecing thread:

It is DecoBob. by WonderFil. I have used this thread for quilting before, but the man from WonderFil told me to use it for piecing. Well, I came straight home and did just that! It is a beautiful 80-weight polyester thread that is thin and strong. I pieced for several hours with it and am absolutely tickled!

I think you will be tickled with this thread, too, and that is why I am giving away those two spools of thread to one lucky commenter. Leave a comment below between now and Sunday and I will pick a name on Monday morning.

Once you have picked your sewing thread, sew a rectangle to the left and right side of the center square. Press seams toward the rectangles. Sew two rectangles together (2 ½” x 9 ½”) for the top and bottom borders. Press seam to one side.

Center that seam over the center of the middle square. There will be approximately ¼ inch of extra fabric on each side. Stitch top and bottom border to the block. Press seams toward the borders. Trim the block to 9 inches square.

I think this is a simple little block that will work great with those charm squares you have been collecting.

Next week I will post instructions for joining the blocks into the rows and joining the rows to make the quilt top. After that, we will dig into the free-motion quilting!

For a sneak peek, I made this quilt top from a variety of bright charm squares that I had on hand:

Is this darling? When you are choosing your fabrics, try to make blocks of different colors or different color values so they stand out when placed next to each other. I know that you will blow me away with your creativity. I cannot wait to see your photos!

Come on over to the Old Red Barn Co. Flickr page and post photos of your fabrics.

Don't forget to leave a comment for a chance to win two spools of DecoBob thread.

*** This giveaway is now closed***

Always Believe -- Feathered Scalloped Border

2011-05-17T06:50:00.004-04:00

Grab your copy of Mark Lipinski's Fabric Trends and turn to Always Believe, designed by my friends at the Quilt Basket.

The Quilt Basket put a tutorial on their blog of how to scallop the border and I filmed a video of how I quilted it.

First, the details:

I used Konfetti from WonderFil, color TU 37 shell. It is a gorgeous variegated thread of subtle pinks and creams.

I used a size 16 needle.

Now, the video:

The next series of videos I am filming will focus on free-motion quilting on your home machine. Check back often!

Design Wall Monday

2011-05-16T17:10:00.002-04:00

As shocked as I am to admit it, I actually have something new on my design wall:

The block is for a quilt along I am hosting for the Old Red Barn Co. I will be posting a tutorial and videos weekly for the next several weeks. Check back often!

The applique is a border for Pat Sloan's Meadow Breeze quilt. Someday, I hope to actually finish that quilt!

Head on over to Judy's blog to see how everyone else is doing.

Sunday Stash Report -- and Marla's quilt is finished!

2011-05-15T06:30:00.000-04:00

Last week I had the honor of attending the wedding of my dear friend, Marla. She was a beautiful bride and has a handsome husband. I gave them a quilt and hope they think it is beautiful, too.

I pieced the top in my hotel room in Virginia last week, in between the tornado warnings. I quilted it when I got home and finished the binding with hours to spare. (Yay me!)

Close up of the block quilting:

I found the perfect back at Patchwork Plus in Dayton, Virginia:

The quilting may show better from the back:

My Sunday Stash Report:

fabric purchased this week: 5.25
fabric purchased this year: 32 yards
fabric used this week: 12.75 yards
fabric used this year: 177.75 yards

Stash reduced by: 145.75 yards

Head on over to Judy's blog to see how everyone else is doing.

Be sure to check my blog later this week. I am hosting a quilt along for Old Red Barn Co. and will be posting a free pattern and tutorial as well as videos on free-motion quilting on your home machine. I hope you join in the fun!

Always Believe

2011-05-10T08:26:00.002-04:00

If you haven't yet purchased a copy of Mark Lipinski's Fabric Trends, run out and do so immediately. My friends at the Quilt Basket designed a quilt for that issue. It is GORGEOUS! It is so hard quilting for publication because I fell in love with this quilt months ago and have not been able to tell you about it... until now.

The Quilt Basket not only designed the quilt and wrote the pattern, but they put a tutorial on their blog of how to piece the block. In that same spirit, I filmed a video of how I quilted the block.

First, the details:

I used Konfetti from WonderFil, color TU 37 shell. It is a gorgeous variegated thread of subtle pinks and creams.

I used a size 16 needle.

Now, the video:

Next week I will show how I quilted the feathered scalloped border. Be sure to check back!

Sunday Stash Report

2011-05-08T06:16:00.004-04:00

fabric purchased this week: 6 yards

This week's incoming fabric wasn't purchased, it was a birthday gift from a dear quilting friend:

I can not decide which fabric I like best!

fabric purchased this year: 26.75 yards

fabric used this week: 9.75 yards

At long last, I finished my Lucky Charms quilt!:

fabric used this year: 165 yards

Stash reduced by: 138.25 yards

Head on over to Judy's blog to see how everyone else is doing.

Lucky Charms quilting -- The End!

2011-05-04T08:16:00.000-04:00

The last ten weeks have been so much fun! I loved quilting this quilt, and making the videos, and sharing them with you. But now, the quilt is done and it is time to show you the finished product:

The back of the quilt surprised me:

I like the back as much as the front!

Next week I am taking this quilt to MQS in Overland Park, Kansas and the quilt will be auctioned to support the IMQA. If you are in the area, come to the auction and support this great organization.

I will miss this quilt when it is gone, but I am consoling myself by planning the next one.

Check back often! I hope to have a new video next week.

All Lucky Charms quilting videos:

Lucky Charms part 1

Lucky Charms part 2

Lucky Charms part 3

Lucky Charms part 4

Lucky Charms part 5

Lucky Charms part 6

Lucky Charms part 7

Lucky Charms part 8

Lucky Charms part 9

Lucky Charms part 10

Sunday Stash Report

2011-05-01T07:00:00.001-04:00

fabric purchased this week: 0
fabric purchased this year: 20.75 yards
fabric used this week: 10.25 yards
fabric used this year: 155.25 yards

Stash reduced by: 134.5 yards

Head on over to Judy's blog to see how everyone else is doing.

Friday Finish -- Quilt of Valor

2011-04-29T07:25:00.002-04:00

When I fall in love with a pattern, I make it again and again and again. Obviously, I fell in love with Splash because I just finished another one:

I used a bunch of my blue 2 1/2" scraps, but there are still more! The backing was from a pile of fabric a friend "donated" to me. She shoved over 50 yards of fabric in a bag and made me take it home. Fortunately, that was last year and it doesn't count against my stash reducing efforts this year!

I am teaching a class on feathers and am using this as a sample today. Feathers in a block:

Feathers in a border:

I am going to get back at my fabric-donating friend. She doesn't know this yet, but I am going to shove this quilt in a bag and drop it off at her house so she can label it and make a pillowcase and then we can donate it to Quilts of Valor. And since she's a really good friend, I know that she honestly won't mind.

Check out what others have Finished for Friday!

Lucky Charms Quilting -- part 10

2011-04-27T07:00:00.000-04:00

It is the last week for my Lucky Charms quilting videos. I had so much fun sharing these with you!

The Thread: Tutti, a 50-weight multi-color cotton from WonderFil, color TU 28 Lime. InvisiFil in the bobbin.

The Needle: size 16.

The circles in the center of the applique block were too large to leave unquilted so I decided to quilt the center ring.

The finished block:

Next week I will show photographs of the whole quilt, including the back. I am thrilled with how the quilting shows on the back of the quilt!

Stop back next week for my last Lucky Charms post.

Sunday Stash Report

2011-04-24T07:00:00.000-04:00

fabric purchased this week: 0
fabric purchased this year: 20.75 yards
fabric used this week: 5.75 yards
fabric used this year: 145 yards

Stash reduced by: 124.25 yards

Head on over to Judy's blog to see how everyone else is doing.

And check out my quilt videos:

Lucky Charms part 1

Lucky Charms part 2

Lucky Charms part 3

Lucky Charms part 4

Lucky Charms part 5

Lucky Charms part 6

Lucky Charms part 7

Lucky Charms part 8

Lucky Charms part 9

Friday Finish -- sweet baby quilt

2011-04-22T07:00:00.002-04:00

Having finished a few boy baby quilts in recent weeks, I needed to give equal time to the girls!

I used scraps from Christine's wedding quilt to make (yet) another Splash quilt. I had enough leftovers to make nine blocks. I always have a few bolts of white and off-white fabric in my studio, so this quilt was made with fabric I had on hand. I love that!

Sometimes my scrap quilts turn out ok, and sometimes I absolutely fall in love with them. This one is going to be hard to give away. I adore the look of feathers on plain white fabric!

A close-up of the block:

And a close-up of the border:

Check out what others have Finished for Friday!

and check out my quilt videos:

Lucky Charms part 1

Lucky Charms part 2

Lucky Charms part 3

Lucky Charms part 4

Lucky Charms part 5

Lucky Charms part 6

Lucky Charms part 7

Lucky Charms part 8

Lucky Charms part 9

Lucky Charms Quilting -- part 9

2011-04-20T07:00:00.006-04:00

It is week nine of the Lucky Charms quilting videos and I am finally quilting the background of the applique!

I pulled out my roll of Quilter's Preview Paper and drew different backgrounds to see which one would best show off the applique.

I tried pebbles:

and feathers:

and swirls:

and meandering:

Looking at them side-by-side:

I decided that I liked feathers the best!

The thread: InvisiFil in the top and bobbin

The needle: size 14

A view of the finished block:

Next week I am going to add a little bit more quilting to the center, and then this quilt is done!

If you missed the videos from previous weeks, I linked to them below.

Lucky Charms part 1

Lucky Charms part 2

Lucky Charms part 3

Lucky Charms part 4

Lucky Charms part 5

Lucky Charms part 6

Lucky Charms part 7

Lucky Charms part 8

Sunday Stash Report

2011-04-17T07:00:00.000-04:00

fabric purchased this week: 0
fabric purchased this year: 20.75 yards
fabric used this week: 5.5 yards
fabric used this year: 139.25 yards

Stash reduced by: 118.50 yards

Head on over to Judy's blog to see how everyone else is doing.

Friday Finish -- Isaac's quilt

2011-04-15T06:00:00.000-04:00

So about those baby quilts...

I finished another boy baby quilt this week. The recipient of last week's quilt and the recipient of this week's quilt were both born on the same day last November. NOVEMBER!!! That's how far behind I am on baby quilts!

I pulled out my Dream a Little Dream pattern for Isaac's quilt. The quilt is written for Layer Cakes, fat quarters or yardage. I used yardage for this quilt:

And a close-up of the quilting:

I adore this quilt and hope Isaac has many happy snuggles with it!

Lucky Charms Quilting -- part 8

2011-04-13T05:00:00.000-04:00

Week eight of the Lucky Charms quilting videos features the gray triangles.

I pulled out my roll of Quilter's Preview Paper and drew some chevrons in the gray triangles and feathers in the black triangles. I quilted the feathers last week.

The design shows up better when I remove the Quilter's Preview Paper from the quilt.

I am ready to quilt!

The thread: Tutti (50 weight multi-color cotton) from WonderFil color TU-40 Slate

InvisiFil in the bobbin

The needle: size 16

The tool: HQ Right Angle Ruler

Next week I will quilt the background of the applique block. Please come back and check it out!

Design Wall Monday

2011-04-11T07:00:00.000-04:00

I am making no progress on my Meadow Breeze applique quilt. My one-inch nine-patch quilt is coming along a bit.

Head on over to Judy's blog to see how everyone else is doing.

If you have some time, check out my quilting videos:

Lucky Charms part 1

Lucky Charms part 2

Lucky Charms part 3

Lucky Charms part 4

Lucky Charms part 5

Lucky Charms part 6

Lucky Charms part 7

Sunday Stash Report

2011-04-10T07:00:00.003-04:00

fabric purchased this week: 0
fabric purchased this year: 20.75 yards
fabric used this week: 5.75 yards
fabric used this year: 133.75 yards

Stash reduced by: 113 yards

Head on over to Judy's blog to see how everyone else is doing.

Check out my quilting videos:

Lucky Charms part 1

Lucky Charms part 2

Lucky Charms part 3

Lucky Charms part 4

Lucky Charms part 5

Lucky Charms part 6

Lucky Charms part 7

Friday Finish* -- Colin's quilt

2011-04-08T17:17:00.002-04:00

Some things we just know are true.

April showers bring May flowers.

Mayflowers bring Pilgrims.

Last year's weddings bring this year's babies.

I am as behind on baby quilts as I am on wedding quilts, and that is not good!

I am almost finished with Colin's baby quilt (as noted by the *). I am showing it here with the pinky-swear promise that I will finish the binding tonight. No, really I will.

A close-up view of the quilting. I was apparently digging straight lines while I quilted this.

The pattern is Splash by Fourth and Sixth Designs. I've probably made 15 of these quilts by now and see no reason to stop. They are easy and fun and always look great!

While I bind this quilt, check out what others have Finished for Friday!

And while I am still binding this quilt, check out my quilting videos:

Lucky Charms part 1

Lucky Charms part 2

Lucky Charms part 3

Lucky Charms part 4

Lucky Charms part 5

Lucky Charms part 6

Lucky Charms part 7

Lucky Charms Quilting -- part 7

2011-04-06T07:00:00.003-04:00

Week seven of the Lucky Charms quilting videos features the black triangles.

I pulled out my roll of Quilter's Preview Paper and drew some chevrons in the gray triangles and feathers in the black triangles.

It is easier to see the designs when the Quilter's Preview Paper is removed from the quilt top:

I like both designs, but this week I am only going to stitch the feathers.

The quilting:

The thread: Hologram from WonderFil, Navy 8158. This thread is actually a flat ribbon and it reflects the light beautifully!

InvisiFil from WonderFil in the bobbin

The needle: number 16

The tool: HandiQuilter Circle Template, four-inch circle

The shiny thread looks great on the black fabric:

Only three weeks to go! Next week, I will show how I quilted the chevrons in the gray triangles.

If you have not seen the earlier videos, find them here:

Lucky Charms part 1

Lucky Charms part 2

Lucky Charms part 3

Lucky Charms part 4

Lucky Charms part 5

Lucky Charms part 6

Design Wall Monday

2011-04-04T06:00:00.002-04:00

Finally, something new on my design wall!

I am working on a new quilt pattern and on the left are some of the pieces that will go in it. All from stash -- yay!

Head on over to Judy's blog to see how everyone else is doing.

If you have some time, check out my quilting videos:

Lucky Charms part 1

Lucky Charms part 2

Lucky Charms part 3

Lucky Charms part 4

Lucky Charms part 5

Lucky Charms part 6

Sunday Stash Report

2011-04-03T06:00:00.001-04:00

fabric purchased this week: 8.5 yards (it was for a backing)
fabric purchased this year: 20.75 yards
fabric used this week: 14.25 yards
fabric used this year: 128 yards

Stash reduced by: 107.25 yards

Head on over to Judy's blog to see how everyone else is doing.

Check out my quilt videos:

Lucky Charms part 1

Lucky Charms part 2

Lucky Charms part 3

Lucky Charms part 4

Lucky Charms part 5

Lucky Charms part 6

Friday Finish -- wedding quilt

2011-04-01T09:54:00.004-04:00

On the Chinese calendar, I believe that this is the year of the rabbit. I am trying to figure which calendar decided that this is the year of the wedding. I am taking part in fourteen wedding celebrations this year. It is only April and that number could always increase.

I bought the kit for this quilt several years ago. I matched the quilt to the proper bride (this is absolutely perfect for the recipient!). I pieced it in my hotel room while working at NJ Quilt Fest in March and finished a binding it this week. Several of the brides and brides families read my blog, so I will not disclose which bride shall receive this quilt.

Check out what others have Finished for Friday!

Check out my quilt videos:

Lucky Charms part 1

Lucky Charms part 2

Lucky Charms part 3

Lucky Charms part 4

Lucky Charms part 5

Lucky Charms part 6

Lucky Charms Quilting, part 6

2011-03-30T07:00:00.003-04:00

Can you believe we are on week six of the Lucky Charms quilt already?

I was honored to meet up with Pat Sloan at the Empire Quilt Guild Show in New York City this weekend. We were able to chat for a few minutes and get a quick photo taken.

So now I can show you how I quilted the green border on the quilt designed by the lovely and talented Pat Sloan!

First, I sectioned the border into 4-inch segments using chalk. Then I pulled out my Quilter's Preview Paper. I drew one swag in each section of the border. I had a petal idea for the corner and needed to see if it played well with the swags.

It did. I like when I get lucky with the first design. Now I am ready to quilt.

The thread:

Tutti, a 50-weight multi-color cotton from WonderFil, color TU 28 Lime.

InvisiFil in the bobbin

The tools:

Handi Quilter 4" Swag Templates

Handi Quilter Half-Circle Templates

Handi QuilterMini Scallop Ruler

Step 1: The Swag.

Step 2: The Corner.

Step Three: The background.

The finished border:

Doesn't that look great?

Last week, Barbara commented that she used the diamond design on one of her quilts. Has anyone else stitched these designs out? I would love to hear your success stories!

Next week I will show you how to quilt the black triangles.

If you have not seen the earlier videos, check them out:

Lucky Charms part 1

Lucky Charms part 2

Lucky Charms part 3

Lucky Charms part 4

Lucky Charms part 5

Free is good!

2011-03-29T19:34:00.005-04:00

Would you like a free quilt pattern?

My dear quilty friend, Kim, is having a giveaway today. Sign up over at her blog.

Run. Now. Go!

Sunday Stash Report

2011-03-27T05:00:00.001-04:00

fabric purchased this week: 0 yards
fabric purchased this year: 12.25 yards
fabric used this week: 9 yards
fabric used this year: 113.75 yards

Stash reduced by: 101.5 yards

I BROKE 100 YARDS!!!!!! I have over 100 less yards of fabric today than I did on January 1, and I can't see a bit of difference in my sewing room... sigh.

Head on over to Judy's blog to see how everyone else is doing.

Check out my quilt videos:

Lucky Charms part 1

Lucky Charms part 2

Lucky Charms part 3

Lucky Charms part 4

Lucky Charms part 5

Start Spreading the News...

2011-03-26T06:00:00.000-04:00

I am going to New York City this weekend. There are a lot of quilty things going on there this weekend.

I am going to The Empire Quilt Guild Show. I will be hanging out with the folks from the The Quilt Basket. They have a booth at the show. If you are going to be there, stop and say hi!

You should also check out Infinite Variety a huge red and white quilt exhibit at the Armory sponsored by the American Folk Art Museum. I am so sorry to have to miss that one.

Friday Finish -- Happy Quilt

2011-03-25T10:15:00.004-04:00

I finally did it... I cut into my Happy Fabric Collection.

Every week, I work at a different quilt shop or quilt show. As you can imagine, the shopping can get out of control. I try to keep it in check, but sometimes fabric just follows me home. It might be a fat quarter or it might be a yard (or three!). I have a lot of Kaffe Fassett fabrics, as well as fabrics from Mark Lipinski and Joel Dewberry. The fabrics are not made to go together, but since they all make me happy, they have become my Happy Fabric Collection.

A year ago or so, I saw the New Wave patter on the Oh, Fransson! blog and knew this was the perfect quilt for my fabric collection. I started the quilt, and as usual, did not finish it.

Late yesterday afternoon, I realized that I had no finished quilt to show this Friday. New Wave was quilted, but the binding needed to be hand-stitched. I messaged my husband that it would be a great night to watch a movie or something. I stayed up past my bedtime, but this quilt is Finished by Friday:

A close-up of some of the quilting:

I have no idea what I am going to do with this quilt, but it is on display in my living room until I decide.

Check out what others have Finished for Friday!

And remember to spend some time checking out my quilt videos:

Lucky Charms part 1

Lucky Charms part 2

Lucky Charms part 3

Lucky Charms part 4

Lucky Charms part 5

Lucky Charms Quilting, part 5

2011-03-23T07:00:00.001-04:00

This week, I get to show you how I quilted the little green triangles on my Lucky Charms quilt.

First, I pulled out my Quilter's Preview Paper and drew in some arcs to see how they looked:

I like it and am ready to quilt.

The thread:

Tutti, a 50-weight multi-color cotton from WonderFil, color TU 28 Lime.

InvisiFil in the bobbin

The needle: size 16

A view when finished:

Next week I will show you how to quilt the large green border.

If you missed any of the previous videos, check them out here:

Lucky Charms part 1

Lucky Charms part 2

Lucky Charms part 3

Lucky Charms part 4

Design Wall Monday

2011-03-21T19:39:00.004-04:00

My design wall has looked the same for weeks:

I spent all of last week at the AQS Show in Lancaster, PA and did absolutely no stitching!

For your enjoyment, I took some photos of the quilt on my frame today:

Head on over to Judy's blog to see how everyone else is doing.

For more quilting ideas, check out my quilting videos:

Lucky Charms part 1

Lucky Charms part 2

Lucky Charms part 3

Lucky Charms part 4

Sunday Stash Report

2011-03-20T07:00:00.002-04:00

fabric purchased this week: 0 yards
fabric purchased this year: 12.25 yards
fabric used this week: 8 yards
fabric used this year: 104.75 yards

Stash reduced by: 92.50 yards

Head on over to Judy's blog to see how everyone else is doing.

Check out my quilt videos:

Lucky Charms part 1

Lucky Charms part 2

Lucky Charms part 3

Lucky Charms part 4

Friday Finish -- Another Grandbaby Quilt

2011-03-18T06:30:00.000-04:00

A couple of years ago, my friend and I took a quilt quilt class. I finally finished the quilt. I'm quick like that.

My son's girlfriend (who is now his wife) really wanted this as a baby quilt for the future. Well, it's the future. I'll put this in the pile with the other baby quilts. I'm ready whenever they are.

Check out what others have Finished for Friday!

And remember to spend some time checking out my quilt videos:

Lucky Charms part 1

Lucky Charms part 2

Lucky Charms part 3

Lucky Charms part 4

Lucky Charms Quilting, part 4

2011-03-16T06:40:00.001-04:00

Thanks for stopping by today. I absolutely can not wait to show you how I quilted the white border on my Lucky Charms quilt!

I knew I wanted to quilt diamonds, so I pounced one-inch lines in the border using a one-inch stencil and a Quilter's Pounce Pad.

The white powder does not show up very well on the white fabric, but I can see the marks on the green and orange fabrics quite well.

I pulled out my roll of Quilter's Preview Paper to see how single diamonds would look on the side border. I drew double diamonds in the top border. I think I like the double diamonds better.

Don't you?

Diamonds don not turn corners very well. Choosing a contrasting design, I drew a sunburst-type design in the corner. I think I like that one, too.

I am ready to quilt!

The quilting, part 4:

The thread:

I decided to be bold and try quilting with a colored thread on the white fabric. I chose Tutti, a 50-weight multi-color cotton from WonderFil, color TU 28 Lime.

Even though the thread has several shades of bright green in it, it looks almost solid against the white fabric. When I look at the quilting closely, though, I can see the richness of color in the thread. Delightful!

InvisiFil in the bobbin

The needle: size 16

I quilted the first pass of the double-diamond pattern:

Then I quilted the second pass of the double-diamond pattern:

Finally, the corner design:

The white border is finished!

Doesn't it look great?

Is anyone trying out these patterns at home? I would love to hear how the patterns are being used! Link to photos if you have them, please!

Sadly, I have to wait until next week to show how to quilt the little green triangles around the black and white rectangles.

Design Wall Monday

2011-03-14T07:00:00.000-04:00

My design wall looks like this:

I can't see my design wall right now. I am setting up at the AQS Show in Lancaster, PA! If you possibly can, come and see this show. And come and say hi to me at the Handi Quilter booth.

If you can't come out to the show, you can spend some time checking out my quilt videos:

Lucky Charms part 1

Lucky Charms part 2

Lucky Charms part 3

Head on over to Judy's blog to see what everyone else is doing.

Sunday Stash Report

2011-03-13T07:00:00.001-04:00

fabric purchased this week: 0 yards
fabric purchased this year: 12.25 yards
fabric used this week: 11.25 yards
fabric used this year: 96.75 yards

Stash reduced by: 84.5 yards

Head on over to Judy's blog to see how everyone else is doing.

Check out my quilt videos:

Lucky Charms part 1

Lucky Charms part 2

Lucky Charms part 3