Projects and more

Still here - just busy with projects, perseverance and a little procrastination.  I'm yakking a lot today!

This kaleidoscope was supposed to be a hand-quilted project, a calming, introspective, thoughtful time of my life.  Nope - wasn't happening.  Problems with manicured hands and long nails,  trying out a Grace stand-up quilting frame, no-fitting or lost thimbles, out-of-practice me, 10 thumbs getting in the way, running out of time, all happened, and this morning after another 2 hours of hand quilting and being unhappy with the result, I am changing my mind and will machine quilt it -- not sure of how,  but I find it quite soft and pretty, with an amazing border, and the circles show up well, due to choice of values. It's a good size (about 70" x 85") and I want it D-O-N-E.

Below is a recent QOV presentation to a well-deserved Navy veteran.  His wife was just beaming with pride.  I donated the top, it was machine quilted by another and friend Tina did the binding.  It turned out beautiful.  Note the similar pattern to above kaleidoscope above, using a 45 degree wedge ruler.  

Below is a recent All Day Sew event and I (on left) brought a much loved string quilt for Show and Tell, made mostly of REAL 30s prints.   I DID hand quilt this one years ago.  Janice had come to visit our group.  Take note of the design because ...

Below  (Rocky Road to Kansas or Virginia Bound) is recently made from mostly scrap blue, purple, greens, turquoise, reds  that came from my discards scrap basket.  I DID have to add more lights to the final collection of scraps.  There are several more rows to assemble, (4 x 5).  Inspiration was Bonnie Hunter of Quiltville.com - from one of her many delicious quilt books.  I absolutely LOVE the strings in the diamonds - this is where a person can add "glow" and I used a few turquoise and pinks that makes it SING!  It has more "bright and bold" in person.

It is laid out on my ta-da-da-da-da- daaaahhhh - NEW carpet/Design Floor!  This carpet /living room improvement project has been on hold for 2 months due to various delays, but the end result was worth the wait.  Wallpaper down, walls repaired and painted, drapes gone and wood blinds installed and a lot of corners cleared out!   Another project almost completed - I just have to move all the chatskees back into the curio/china cabinets.  

Laughing at myself - written several days ago.

I had spent hours basting a quilt, the Kaleidoscope, in prep. for hand quilting.  Just doing the basting is a humongous chore in itself, moving the heavy table inside, wiping it down, setting up, layering.  I gobbled down a handful of granola before attacking the job, not even bothering to put it in a dish.  Got that unpleasant basting job done, gathered all my hand quilting tools, set up a little work table, used a big hoop I still like, found several thimbles, even tried the expensive $22 thimble, tried them all, but they all were falling off, rolling away, or lost in the pile of quilt in my lap.   I am no longer thrilled with attractive long nails that Senior-hood has afforded me - they are causing finger fumbling!  This job has now become tedious, not relaxing which was the goal.   I spent another hour taping my finger, losing the thimbles as they rolled to the floor, or under the chair and finally found ONE thimble that worked the best, but then it also fell off and rolled ... somewhere.  Moved furniture, shook out the quilt top, checked pockets, shoes, under the chair cushion, but eventually gave up with impatience.   In frustration and impatience, I set that quilt top away for now ...  hours later I felt some of that granola that I had spilled down the front of my-shirt and was feeling itchy and  uncomfortable - dug around in my underwear ...  I found the granola crumbles ... also found the thimble.    

More on Frixion Pens, and DONE with "Heinz 57"

Hand quilted!!!  D O N E!

My last post included info on using the hair dryer to whoosh all the Frixion lines away.  I misspoke  - many of the lines reappeared later, where I had used the hair dryer.  Oh dear, PANIC time, but then I followed directions (!!!) and used my iron.  I had resisted the iron because my blocks had been marked with the traditional  blue pen - you know, the ones where you absolutely CANNOT use iron on them -  and I was afraid of some possible error.  I used the Frixion only on the border gridwork, and they disappeared with the iron.  Whew!

This quilt is called "Heinz 57."  It's 74" x 84".   There are 49 blocks in the top and 8 leftover (equal 57 varieties) that I'll put on the back - kinda late in the plan but .....  The blocks were made about years ago, and I remember the absolute delight making them - using 1.5 inch and  2.5 inch  leftover pieces.  The blocks are each different.  Each one was put together little regard for "matching" other than light and dark placement, and I LOVE how even "mismatched" blocks look great and present new color combinations, previously not considered.  The dark green border on each block gives continuity.  I'm remembering I could not stop making those cute blocks!!!! 

I did not continue the grid quilting to the edge.  It seemed 4 lines was enough.  This is a country-like quilt, all hand quilted.  I have a small hole in the back to repair, and another on the top, where seams pulled apart.  (Check those seams, Elaine!! before basting it).

Finally, thank you Ms. Victoria, of Park Hill Farm blog, for helping me figure out to make "My Blog List" on my page.  I will add more.   

Quilt Convention, and Kaleidoscope #2

I recently attended our State 4-day Quilt Convention, held in Chadron, Nebraska. We stayed in Student Dormitories. The facilities were excellent, cafeteria wonderful, attendance great, 54 classes available, and the summer heat in the upper 90s, was uhhhh… normal.

I will tell you about the 3 classes in which I participated.

The first was an all-day class with M’liss Rae Hawley, and we worked on a Kaleidoscope Quilt, based on her just-released book, M'Liss Rae Hawley's Scrappy Quilts: Let the Fabric Tell Your Story. The main part of her class was learning to sort our scrap fabrics, no matter what color, from light to dark VALUE. When using ALL fabrics, this is a bit more challenging than using fabrics in just one color family. I had already constructed a Kaleidoscope quilt (previously posted, see below) BEFORE the convention because as I pulled fabric in preparation for the class, I became sooooo inspired, the top was DONE before even receiving her brand-new book. But, fabrics on my too-early project, while quite acceptable, did NOT blend, which was the point of the entire exercise.

So YES, I did start another one (below) in her class, with better understanding of VALUE blending, from light to dark and visa versa.
All the fabrics are from my stash. I am very pleased with this second kaleidoscope. But I DO need to SHOP for the perfect border.

The second class (half-day) was “How to Improve your Hand Quilting Stitch” with Ami Simm. She brought 40 different battings with her, gave us each a size 10 Colonial-brand needle, and we each had a very short time to practice on each of those battings and rate them as to how we liked them. The sandwich was made of the same fabric top and bottom on each hoop, but with a different batting. It was not easy to give each sample more than a minute or two, but there were definitely differences. We rated them on a spreadsheet. When time was up (too soon!) she provided us the key – a wonderful tool! Some of us liked one and disliked the next, but the next person might be totally the opposite. We did NOT practice on bamboo, a new product on the market, but we DID try a Corn blend, which was OK. However, the instructions on the Corn blend said “Do not Iron.” I WILL take this information with me for the next shopping trip I make for batting.

I am almost totally convinced the variables have mostly to do with the batting, although heat and humidity, fabrics, and my own attitude also influence my stitches.

The third class was a trunk show given my a state teacher, Bonnie Kucera. What a great bunch of quilts, so unique in many ways, and most of them made with small – really small – pieces. What I liked best was that her fabrics were ‘regular’ (not the latest and greatest or most expensive) fabrics. In other words, she WAS using up the older stuff but THAT did not detract in the slightest.

Now, I knew Ami Simms has a humorous side to her personality, and looked forward to listening to her presentation during one evening dinner program. However, I was not prepared for her delightful skills as a comedienne. She had the almost-400 diners practically rolling on the floor with her stories! So much cackling and guffawing, and hooting from the audience! What fun. If you have the opportunity to hear her Life with Quilts presentation, I urge you to sign up.

Another one bites the dust!

This one is DONE! Well, it needs a label, and one corner needs about 15 quilting stitches. Tomorrow is Quilt Guild Day and it's going to be "Showed and Telled".


Here's a close up (wow, REALLY close up), closer than I'd like, of the quilting. It's doesn't look so great from here close up. Oh well, the eye Dr. said I need cataract surgery, so THAT's an excellent excuse for not good stitches! BTW, I'm going to put THAT off for ... a while, anyway.

(Blogger is not playing well today - hope this makes it!)

Being Busy Busy

Three bloggers have e-mailed me to see if I'm still alive - yeppers! Just sewing a lot, and then 'life' kinda kicked in for a while.


I've been working along on this interesting pattern (above) and have made about half of the required blocks for a lap quilt. As the pattern suggested, putting a little yo-yo in the center where the 'flowers' meet seems like a good idea. I've pressed the blocks with a bit of starch to tidy them up. My 'real' colors are more subtle than this photo.

My sewing has included a lot of hand quilting, and I have a very sore thumb. It's not sore from hand quilting - it's dry and cracked from handling fabric, and I cannot even pick up my pins! Poor me. 8-(

I'm making good progress with hand quilting my Easy Peasy Scrappy Spool Quilt (whew!, what a name!). The entire center is quilted, the triangle setting triangles are done with hearts, and most of the first border is done with "egg and dart" pattern, and about one side of the squares-on-point are quilted. My hand quilting is nothing to write home about, just routine and utilitarian on this quilt, about 6 stitches to the inch, but the process is restful and keeps me from getting impatient with DH during episodes of remote-control-clickamania.


And look at the backing! Isn't it just perfect?


These are my hand quilting needles - the best I've ever used. Before finding these, I was sold on English needles, named something like James, but they bent right away. These Japanese needles are VERY sharp, and they do NOT bend. They DO break, but I've only used ONE NEEDLE on this Spool Quilt. A previous quilt required about 8 needles as they broke, but the package is not expensive. I use size 8 or 9. There are so many variances with hand quilting; fabric, needle size, thread, batting, my own attitude, humidity, and most of all, patience and determination. I lapse on the last two requirements.

Being busy!

Two 2 weeks ago I went on a Guild Bus Trip! Fifty of us headed north to South Dakota, into the Black Hills area for stops at 3 quilt shops. THAT takes one long day, but recovery took me 3 days. I didn't overspend, but purchased some nice stuff! Also, I discovered an incredible bead shop in Rapid City - next to the quilt shop -- how handy! Gals, I don't dare get started on that hobby/vice! Too gorgeous for words! I only spent $10.00 for beads, that I don't know what to do with ...

Last weekend, DH and I (along with 50 other quirky folks) took a bus trip sponsored by NET Public TV/Radio, to see the Prairie Home Companion Radio Show (Garrison Keeler) at the Fitzgerald Theatre in St. Paul. Taking the bus, rather than driving, took the edge off of driving in strange areas, the show was great, the additional tour of the Guthrie Theatre for Performing Arts was incredible, a drive around U of Minnesota, as was a tour of the Gold Medal Mill, now closed, but so interesting! Our hotel/rooms were wonderful. We also stopped in Mason City, Iowa, to see some history on the production of The Music Man.

BTW, what happens to your body on a bus, that your feet and ankles turn into elephant legs? Whew - glad THAT condition went away!!!

OK, as far as quilting. I've been working on my Karen Stone Star, a WIP, so I'll post something I did several years ago.

This was a class taught by Donna Lynn Thomas and was my first introduction to bias squares. My gosh, how did I manage not knowing how to use that technique earlier in my quilting? I LOVE the colors in this quilt, and especially like the colored binding, but using black fabric comes with it's own set of problems. And black is not particularly 'cozy.'
It is hand quilted - and in the border and blocks I used black thread. My stitches turned out pretty good, but I see evidence of bearding. I don't remember what batting I used.

The plain setting squares are also hand quilted with spider webs. The quilting is OK, but again, bearding is happening. I don't use this quilt often. (The photo looks gray in color - effect of the camera.)


I thought this quilt looked like stained glass in an old church. The spider webs seemed to be in keeping with 'old' and the border has a vine going round. The last black border is quilted in a brickwork pattern.

Another Row by Row Quilt

Several of you asked about Row x Row Quilts so I thought I would show you one that guild members made for me. This is my most special quilt.

If you've never made one, this is how we did it. The coordinator grouped 5-7 of us in a group. Each person participating (the owner), starts with a box with 1 yard of focus fabric and 1 yard of background, and then leaves a note in the box expressing preferences, or theme, or a poem, a song, whatever, for inspiration to each person along the way. The owner makes one row to equal 42 1/2 inches wide, and at the next guild meeting, passes it to the next person on the list; at the same time, she receives a box from the previous person on the list. You make a row, hopefully related to the theme, adding fabric from your stash as needed. Timeliness is important, and each person is encouraged NOT TO BE LATE although life has a way of getting in the way!

At the end of the time period, the owner gets her box back with 5, 6, or 7 rows completed. No one tells during this time - all is secret. What excitement to open that box! Now, it's a bit of a challenge for the owner to put it together, in a cohesive manner. Usually, you add the sashing, or maybe another dark row, or light row, whatever the owner feels is needed, as necessary. Some of the rows will end up longer or shorter than 42 1/2 inches, even though we all try to be accurate. It's surprising that an odd conglomeration of rows and colors will end up so beautiful.

My theme on this quilt was "Farm Memories." (I was very lucky to have grown up on a farm, yet have a large city nearby!) I remember what each person said about the row they made and the quilt became very personal. I added a wide border on mine. Because I LOVED it, I decided it just HAD to be hand quilted (not yet quilted in this photo). What pleasure to handle it for 3-4 months for the finished product to appear, loving every step along the way! I may bore you with the story behind each row, but maybe you will read between the lines and hear how dear this quilt is to me.

Top row, by Alice. "Since you lived on a farm, you HAD to have a tractor." Alice put a John Deere tractor in her row -- I never told her my Dad rolled steel for International Harvester tractors!

Tree Row - I actually HAD these in my stash, and needed a place to put them. This represents the orchard and many trees I climbed as a girl.

Hen and Chickens - This was my starting row. Note the extra HST on each end to bring it up to size. My focus fabric was a sweet blue floral.

Paper pieced row, by Sydney. My barn, my house (with the lights on), trees, my walk to school (7 miles, through 9 feet of snow, of course!), and the church next to the school where I was supposed to be changing the hymn numbers, but occasionally played the organ. One time I played boogie-woogie on that humongous old fashioned pipe organ - holy smoke it was LOUD -- neighbors made sure I didn't do that again! I got in Trouble!

Windmill - with ME feeding the chickens, in the center, made by Sydney. And YES, I DID feed chickens. Sydney was a new quilter at that time, but she progressed rapidly.

Hole in the Barn Door - by Vickie - not sure if you can see the details, but in the center of each block is a fussy cut motif or picture, "Some of the things you probably saw looking out that barn door." My gosh, I practically grew up in that barn! How sweet is that!

Garden Walk, by Bonnie - for all my Mother's efforts at gardening on the farm.

An extra checkerboard row by me, just for fun.

Block is called, "Going to Chicago" - by Laura. But I came FROM Chicago, so she changed the direction of the block. Clever?

That's me on the left. 8-) Happy day thinking of those times.