Antique Sampler top done!

 

 

[caption id="attachment_1205" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Antique Sampler, top only[/caption]

I just love this quilt!  The pattern and quilt designed by Sue Daley was one of those quilts that I wanted to make exactly as the original...no design tweaks, no changes of colour scheme or types of fabrics, no block substitutions, no size change, nothing!  I did the quilt as block of the month from Quilter's Paradise (Califorina) and they did a terrific job in their fabric choices.

I enjoyed every bit of sewing in this quilt...all hand applique and english paper piecing.  The only machine stitching was to stitch the blocks together into the setting and to stitch on the borders.

Sunflower Block...geesh!

 

The Grandmother's Choice block this week was one heck of a challenge.  The sunflower block had three main sections...the petals that form a circle, a centre circle, and background that went around the petal section.

I chose to hand-piece the centre petals.  I then thought I would machine sew the surrounding background ...I guess my handpiecing wouldn't win any awards, as I realized that I hadn't quite formed a circle with the centre flower and my background was flopping all over the place in weird folds.  Hmmm...  So I decided to applique the background on top of the petals...I cut a square an inch bigger than the block size, cut out the  circle and carefully laid it on top of the centre so that the points would be pointy!  That worked out okay, and I was able to trim the block to a 8 1/2" square shape!

The centre circle had to be made a bit smaller than on the pattern...if I used the original size, some or most of my inner points would have been cut off.  By making the centre circle smaller, I kept my points but did end up with some points that didn't quite reach the circle.  Better that I think than lopped off points!

 

[caption id="attachment_1201" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Sunflower Block, Grandmother's Choice b.o.w.[/caption]

Jane's Path...top done!!!

Jane Stitckle sat on her porch sewing the little blocks from scraps of fabric.  I imagine Jane getting restless, waiting for news or visitors, walking up and down the porch and thinking of the events of the day.

[caption id="attachment_1196" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Jane's Path, 85 Dear Jane blocks, 84 alternate cross blocks, 72" x 72"[/caption]

Solved it myself!

I think all of us enjoy a trip to the sewing machine mechanic about as much as trip to the dentist...or worse!  My experience, and I'm pretty sure this has happened to many of us, is... take the machine to the mechanic and explain the problem with samples.  He then fiddles with the machine, cleans it, might make an adjustment or two (likely not the ones you expected) and returns the machine to you  ( in a week or two or three) with the words "it worked fine here; no problems found; must be something you're doing".  Arrggghhh..  And a $100 bill to boot!

So with that in mind, I was determined to figure out how I can fix what was my happy machine back to its good working condition.  I played with adjustments again all Tuesday morning.  Then gave up with a sigh that yes it will have to go the shop.

That's when I found the Craftsy class on sale, the one I've had my eye on for a several days, Design It Quilt It by Cindy Needham.  All I can say is wow!   In the second or third lesson she covers tension, and as I'm accustomed to a vertical bobbin, I was happy to have some good visuals on adjusting a drop in bobbin.

My problem with my machine, it seems, was the bobbin tension was not near tight enough.  Even though I had been adjusting the spare bobbin case, I hadn't yet tightened it enough to really solve the problem and once I did, voila!, thick threads, thin threads, my regular Aurifil, all making lovely free motion stitches with just slight adjustments to the top tension! I have no idea why the bobbin tension became loose over time, but its fixed as far as I'm concerned!

[caption id="attachment_1182" align="aligncenter" width="300"] front of quilt, photo adjusted to try to show black thread quilting on the dark fabric[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1183" align="aligncenter" width="300"] back of quilt, showing nicely formed stitches[/caption]

Just another word about Craftsy...I had signed up a for a different free-motion quilting class and quickly discovered that there wasn't much new for me in that class.  I contacted Crafsty about their class guarantee, and they refunded my money, no fuss no muss!

Mis-behaving sewing machine

I've been so very happy with the Janome 7700, but the last few quilting sessions it has been giving me grief.  I keep getting a broken top thread, and/or loose tension on the stitches.

I've tried using a second bobbin case with a tighter tension (leftover from my old janome 6600); different needles, different threads, different top tensions...nothing is giving me good results.  Before I go completely  nuts, I'm going to take it in for service and see if there's something that the tech can find or adjust...then I'll know if its something I'm doing wrong!

 



 



 

Blue and White Dear Jane

Yesterday I finished up the 84 setting blocks for my Dear Jane quilt.  I had been making these blocks in "batches" during the summer.

 

I had got to a certain point in the Dear Jane quilt when I decided I just didn't want to make any more blocks!!  I had looked through the Dear Jane book at the various settings others had done, searched for pics on the web of various Dear Janes, and realized that some of the Janes I liked best weren't the ones that used all the blocks in the original setting.

So I got to work on an Electric Quilt file of what I might do with the 90 ish blocks I had.  My favourite turned out to be using this "x" block as an alternate block.  I drew it in EQ, using various widths for the X band, and tried it both with the white band, blue triangles and with blue band, white triangles.  I played with various colours and arrangements.    Once I was happy I had to figure out how to sew the block!  I used the EQ rotary cutting directions to determine the cutting width of the X bands, and the dimensions to cut the triangles.  I did end up having to cut the triangles a little larger, and I cut the X bands about a 1/2" longer than necessary so I could just trim the block into square later.

When I finished sewing the block, I marked a line down the centre of each X band and use my newest cool ruler to square up the block.  I bought this Tucker Trimmer ruler last spring, not so much to square up half square triangles but to square up blocks that has two diagonal lines.  I love the clear markings on this ruler!



 

Once I got those darn setting blocks finished, this morning I had to see what a few rows looked like!

Works in progress

Keeping up with Just Takes 2...here are the blocks so far for the third quarter...I think this quilt is going to be a stunner!

 



 

And, just six more applique blocks and some star blocks for Stars and Sprigs.  I'm pretty sure I'm changing the setting.  The original has a marvelous applique border.  But since I like my quilts to be mostly useable, I don't think that the border would be all that practical.  So I finally came up with the idea of embroidering it with an outline stitch; then, I came up with the idea of medallion setting with the applique border on the inside of the quilt; then I thought maybe I'll embroider that inner border.  So still thinking.



 

 

[caption id="attachment_1162" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Stars and Sprigs by Kim McLean[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1163" align="aligncenter" width="300"] EQ sketch of Stars and Sprigs medallion[/caption]

 

 

 

 

Templates and Set-in Seams!

This weeks Grandmother's Choice block presented me with the one block making technique that I really don't like - set it in seams!

This is the method for preparing templates for this type of block, it's what I've discovered work best for me.

First print the templates onto regular printer paper.  Rough cut and clue on to the paper sided of freezer paper.

Starch or use best press on your fabric.

I can accurately cut four pieces of fabric at once with this method, so I fold the fabric to a layer of four, or stack four rought cut rectangles...be sure to be aware of mirror image pieces to make sure you end up with the right pieces with the right side up!  Press the freezer paper to the fabric stack.



Cut out with a ruler, I line up the 1/4" mark on the ruler with the solid line so that I can double check the 1/4" seam allowance.



Once the fabric pieces have been cut, I use micron pigma pen to mark the seam allowances at all corners...on the wrong side of the fabric.



I used to rely on the 1/4" mark on my presser foot, but I found that I just didn't get good results.  The good line I've drawn tells me exactly where to pin, where to start and stop sewing.

I also use a very very small stitch, 1.2 or so, as I approach or leave those set-in seam corners.  This gives me a good tight seam without having to backstitch (set in seams do require a bit of pushing and pulling on sewed seams, and I don't want anything coming apart!)

 

[caption id="attachment_1156" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Amethyst block, Grandmothers's Choice[/caption]

Quilts to consider

 

I thought I'd share this link to Sue Garman's blog where she shows off her new quilt, Afternoon Delight.  Scroll down until you see some wonderful applique pictures!

 

And here's a link to the Caswell Quilt.  Corliss Searcy has drawn a pattern for it.

 

I've been busy with hand applique over the past few days.  I completed  two blocks of  Jacqueline's Album first row.

[caption id="attachment_1146" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Jacqueline's Album first row[/caption]

 

 

 

 

[caption id="attachment_1137" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Georgia Lotus Clark, born September 6, 2012
10 lbs. 11 oz. (really!)[/caption]

 

 

 

 

 

Waiting to be a grandmother!

Our first grandbaby is ready to be born, likely sometime tonight!  I've been nervously waiting for text updates from my son at the hospital...waiting for when we can come!  The hospital is just under an hour away, so he's waiting till things are really progressing before calling in the parents!!  I think I'm beginning to relate to those fathers from years gone by who weren't allowed in the labour and delivery rooms!

I did put together the Garden Fence quilt top...during which I made way too many cutting errors on the borders as my thoughts were definitely elsewhere...but I did end up with a quilt I'm thrilled with!

 

[caption id="attachment_1133" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Garden Fence, 66" x 66"[/caption]

 

Weekend sewing...and un-sewing!

Here's a pic of my first Grandmother's Choice block.  I finally settled on purples, with black sashing.  I find its a good idea to sew the sashing on as the blocks are made; makes less work when your ready to set the quilt together!  I'll be using the same background throughout the quilt...its part of the reason I decided to go with the purple colours.  I bought about 5 yards of this background fabric, thinking it was a lovely tone on tone background blender.  But its got this odd grey hue to it, everything I've tried to put with it so far has just not looked right,...but purple and black seem to be the one colour that plays nicely with this background.

[caption id="attachment_1127" align="aligncenter" width="296"] Grandmother's Choice, week one[/caption]

 

The other project I got accomplished this weekend is getting My Whimsical Quilt Garden blocks sorted out.  I got them separated from the batting, and made setting blocks.  I think I'll be calling this quilt Garden Fence.  There'll be a light inner border and a red outer border.

 

[caption id="attachment_1128" align="aligncenter" width="404"] Garden Fence layout, hand-applique blocks from My Whimsical Quilt Garden[/caption]

Have you heard of Craftsy?  What a great place to take on-line classes!  Great teachers and subjects, and not just quilting but sewing, knitting, cooking...all kinds of things!

My first class that I took was Stupdendous Stitching...I should be writing about that first...but somehow here's a post about another class:  Re-Piecing the Past.  I signed up for this when the class was on sale, because I love traditional patterns, I thought that the teacher , Kaye England, would offer some interesting history about how the block pattern came to be; and, I was hoping to pick up a trick or two about piecing.

The class has checked all the boxes for me!  Kaye has offered a great quilt pattern for blocks and setting; she gives some great facts about the blocks' origins; and I have learned a few new tricks for piecing.  I'd recommend this class for beginners, but you do need some confidence as Kaye does seem to skip over some piecing steps after they've been introduced in a prior lesson.

Here are the blocks I had finished during July and August, followed by a block called Harriet Beecher Stowe.  The block with the flower applique in it is called "Rally 'round the Flag" and should have an American flag in the centre...while I have American roots, I am Canadian and so I put an orphan flower block in instead (although I guess I could have put in a maple leaf!).

 



 

 

 

 

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Would you cut up a quilt?

I did!  I tried to quilt the Whimsical Quilt Garden...really tried!  I put a nice free motion curvy stitch on the skinny border frame, I put some nice doodling loops around the applique after outlining the shapes.  But, as seems to be happening to me too often, lately,  I just wasn't into this quilt...I didn't like it, and as a result my stitching wasn't as good as it could be; my enthusiasm for getting it quilted, that enjoyment of seeing the quilting stitches bringing the fabric to life - - was not there.  Yesterday afternoon I hung it on a hanger and shoved it to the back of the closet.

A few hours ago, I felt that darn quilt calling me again.  Those applique blocks were a lot of work, the effort and thought that has gone into the quilt so far...I didn't want to leave it mouldering in the back of the closet.  I brought it back to the machine, sat down and gave it and me a good talking to - what lovely applique stitches!  the quilting will bring it all together!  someone will really like this quilt when its done!  But shortly after starting, that gloomy feeling returned.

I took a deep breath, flung it on the cutting board, and proceeded to cut it up!  I cut out 13 blocks, enought to re-set it with the ideas I have n mind.  The rest I'll keep to maybe make a mini or something.  There will need to be some unstitching done.

I feel great at having done this, like a weight is off my shoulders.  I can start fresh when I'm ready, and no longer have to think about how to work on the quilt as it was!