Almost Log Cabin

I finished this top on Friday - the log cabin block design is by Judy Martin; I designed the secondary block and the quilt layout.

This will be a table topper for our dining room - we have a living/dining room combination, and I don't much like our dining table - putting a pieced quilt on it, rather than a table cloth, brightens up the room quite a bit.

An oops turned good

I finished piecing the centre of the Sally Post quilt yesterday. This quilt design was made available to quilters from Gayle at Sentimental Stitches - I believe the pattern will be again offered as a free download later this year, or as a purchase all at once.

The original pattern called for 36 blocks, set 6 x6 with sashing including an outersashing. I wanted a rectangular quilt for the church donation, so I made 30 blocks and set is 6 x 5. I've ordered the border fabric and hope to quilt it by early September.

My son is holding this one for me - but he's still not as tall as his Dad (!) and I couldn't get the whole quilt into the picture.

The oops? - well here you go. I had already sewn 18 of the blocks, complete with sashing and corner squares set to the right side and bottom. When I went to cut out the sashing and squares for the last 12, I decided - wrongly - to not look at the pattern and merrily cut then 3 1/2" wide. They should have been 4" wide! Grrr.. Meanwhile, I was thinking about the border and binding, and decided to go with the peach colour, same as the sashing, but a tone on tone instead of solid, and the red floral for the binding. The order was sitting on my computer while I was cutting. When I realized what I did, I thought, well thank goodness I hadn't press send yet because I can order more sashing fabric if I've run out because of the oops. So I recut and thankfully I had enough and pressed send on the order.

The next day, while sewing the blocks together, I realized I didn't account for the outside sashing! I should have ordered more solid, and now the order has been processed and its on its way (this shop is fantastic - Fabric Shack - excellent service and help when you need it). Back to EQ to look at how I can fix this and I discovered that it looks way better with just the border and no outer sashing - I had never even thought of this as the original doesn't have a border and I had just kept the outer sashing on the design when playing with the finishing ideas. So all's well that ends well.

I'm just about done the Almost Log Cabin...so back to the sewing room.

I finally finished all the applique machine sewing on the Sally Post blocks and I'm well on my way to completing the setting piecing. The Almost Log Cabin has almost all the blocks done, and then that will be another top complete!

I've done little work on the applique - Mike's been interested in a tv series, Mad Men, that is starting its 2nd season this weekend; he found that all twelve of last season's episodes were being shown in a marathon this past Sunday, and pvr'd (is that a word?) all of them. So we've been watching this series the last couple of evenings, and I can't do applique and watch something I'm actually interested in, at the same time (no commercials, either!)

The little I've done, I'm not happy with - because, yes, I've decided the background is too busy. And being me, I can't just choose another background, I'm rethinking the pattern I've settled on and revisiting some of my other choices - partly because now that I think I've got a good handle on backbasting, I'd like to try it with a pattern that's a little more complex.

A little rant about supplies

Yesterday morning I thought I was all set to start tying At Home and Away. I have several different types of yarn, perle cotton, tatting thread, heavy thread, and floss - here they are all lined up.

So I chose a few of these and experimented with using each to tie a sample sandwich. I began to feel like Goldilocks visiting the three bears - the yarn was too easily breakable with a good pull, and I could not thread it through a needle, even if I pulled it apart to two strands; the light blue perle cotton was too light, it felt that it wouldn't hold the knot, the red "thread" was perfect - but no label remained on it so I didn't know what it was.


Now here comes the rant - I'm only able to drive myself about ten minutes from home, as I have to account for the time spent at the destination, and then the return drive home. That leaves me with all of two places to do any kind of live in person shopping for quilting/sewing supplies - Walmart and Michaels. Walmart is discontinuing all their fabric - which I used to rely on for emergency, tests, and ideas; their notions and patterns are slowing shrinking as well. When Michaels move into the neighbourhood, I thought well maybe this will help me out.

I live near the centre of an old town with a main street - I'm sure that once there was a needlecraft shop there, but the town has grown into suburbs and big box stores.

I had already had a good look at possible tying yarn/threads at Walmart - that's where I got the yarn. That's it - that was pretty much my only choice.

Off to Michael's yesterday with my little practice in hand, knowing I'm looking for something the same weight and feel of what worked. Well, of course they too have limited colours, limited weights of floss, cotton crochet yarn, and tatting thread. Not just limited weights, but limited colours too. In the cotton crochet yarn, I got to choose between a 3 weight and a 10 weight - one way too fine, the other I suspect too thick, but brought home a navy (not my first choice) #3 weight anyway.

The navy was thin enough for me to thread a large embroidery needle, but then I couldn't get the needle pulled through the sandwich with a pair of pliers! Not good.

So back to mail order for me. I ordered some perle cotton size 5 from Herrschners.ca - and I sit and wait, again. I'm also waiting for a box from Connecting Threads with some batting and backing fabrics to start quilting Folk Art Finery, and a couple of others that are ready to go.


Basket Applique

Now that I'm waiting to start tying, I got another basket block ready. I think what was wrong with the first block was that the greens were too light, maybe....so I've tried a brighter green on this one.

Here are pictures of the back and the front of the block, with the leaves basted in place. This block may not be the best example, and best use, of the back basting technique as there isn't a very set pattern, but I'm still going to work with the technique. Lots and lots of small berries on this one, marked with an x - which I will do entirely by needleturn, not prepping them at the ironing board first.

Basket Block

I actually completed an entire applique block and stuck with the colours I chose - this one is a basket from a pattern by Kim Diehl in her book "Simple Blessings". I really like how Kim drew these baskets and "bloomers", using the stems as representation for the basket handles.

Here are pictures of the front and the reverse of the block while in the basting and sewing stage

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And the finished block:

I think the background might be too busy, but I do like it. I'm using mostly the Magic Vine fabrics from Eleanor Burns. I got a selection of half yards on a great sale price back in January - I like the bright colours of 30s and 40s fabrics, but I don't much like the novelty prints in these lines. The Magic Vine line has the colours, but more subtle prints. I used the fabrics in the Sally Post applique quilt, but I'm fairly sure that quilt will be donated to my church, so I've decided to use the remainder in a quilt for our family - or maybe as a gift to my niece who will soon be in her own first apartment.

I finally got up the gumption to baste the At Home and Away quilt, so now its time to start tying it. Now that I've finally got the applique pattern/fabrics/technique figured out, it looks like I might have to put it aside for a while.

Backbasting revisited

I learned to hand applique using Ellie Seinkowicz' book "Applique 12 Different Ways" - this was an excellent introduction to the many different ways that one can achieve needleturn applique.



As mentioned in previous posts, I then discovered the Piece O Cake ladies, who use templates for the applique pieces but these templates are made from a kind of laminate paper available at Walmart and business supply stores; also they use a plastic overlay for the entire design so that you can place the pieces where needed on your block. I loved this method, and successfully sewed up my first large wallhaning - the new Applique Sampler, and also went on to Lori Smith's Simple Pleasures using the same method.



Then along came back-basting. First there was a little discussion about it on a few applique lists - I think that an applique pattern b.o.m. by Apple Blossom Quilts was the first to start this off. Over the past year or so there seems to have been an explosion of back basting converts - those who have learned it, spread the word and the technique - which has a lot of postives such as no templates, no overlay, no pins!! And absolutely accurate for achieving the piece's shape and placement.


Well, I gave it a try, about a year or so ago, and felt it was just not my thing. It felt awkward, too much work, etc etc. Then this past month or so while I've been literally goofing around with patterns and fabrics, I decided to give it another try.



Back basting simply means this -
transfer the entire block pattern to the back of your block fabric, using a light box or a window and drawing with a pencil or washable marker
take the first piece to applique, following the usual order of "underneath" pieces first - for example, a leaf - place the applique fabric right side up on the top of your block fabric, hold it up to the light or use pins to make sure it is covering the drawn shape on the back, then sew it to the block fabric following the drawn leaf line you made on the back - am I making any sense?
now, you can needleturn applique the leaf on the front, following your sewn line as your marked line



here are a couple of excellent tutorials:

http://www.appleblossomquilts.com/tips/backBasting/index.jsp

http://www.thequiltersjewel.com/tips/TemplateFreeApplique.html



My main frustration with backbasting had to do with just not being able see the holes. I've used a large embroidery needle, double thread, and still those holes elude me. So then I figured out that I could simply take my pencil or chalk and draw around the sewing line I've made - that helped, but it seemed to me add to the work. I also sometimes had trouble getting the front piece to line up with drawn lines in the back, without using a piece much too large and wasting fabric - sort of the same problem I have with paper piecing.



I gave up on back basting, again, and went back to a variety of templates; drawing the design on the back and pin placement on the front; and freestyle placement using just the vine placement as a starting point.



A friend on an email group brought up a discussion about a wonderful Canadian applique artist - that is what she is, I think - Katie Friesen - you can see some of her work and patterns here -

http://www.thequiltersjewel.com/kits/originaljewels.html




I thought about back basting, again, and decided to give it another try. I really liked the idea of no pins - they are a real pain when sewing. I came to the realization that I could do the basting with machine stitching. Well, this seems to be the trick for me. Bigger holes, some of which I can actually see - combined with a drawn pencil line over the stitching, my nice big sewing light to help with placement of the fabric on the front, quick - and not at all hard to pick out as I sew. I think I just might be a back basting convert :)

Pictures tomorrow, of my first little block completed with back basting.



The Rabbit Factory - Lydia Quigley


I sent a picture of my Folk Art Finery top to the folks at The Rabbit Factory, to get permission to display it at the Markham Fair as I might be entering this quilt in the fall. They've posted my picture on their blog! I'm very glad that Lydia is happy with the few small changes I made to her design.


For some reason, this site doesn't want to work on Mozilla Firefox, but it does work on Internet Explorer:

http://www.therabbitfactory.com/

Folk Art Finery - top done!

Its quite amazing what can get done when you work at it just a little at a time. I've been unwell the past several days, and have spent much less time than I usually do at my quilting. I had started the scallops on the Folk Art Finery borders this past weekend - and found them quite daunting! I've never worked with such large applique pieces (using freezer paper machine applique), and I chose to do yo yo's instead of circles so that was also something new to me as far as sewing down the yo yo's onto the top. But little by little, I was suprised to discover that I had sewn down the last yo yo this morning, and with some neatening up, the top will be ready to quilt :)

I ordered the backing - a nice purple and gold print that somewhat matches the inner border and yo yo colours, along with an extra couple of queen size Hobbs Heirloom batts.

I'm still working on quilting the Sudoku quilt - mostly because I'm not feeling that well, and also because I'm really in no hurry to have it to someone or to finish it for a particular reason. I'm still going with the idea of using a different free motion design or meander pattern in each large block - two done and I'm liking it so far.

My Mom has taken a liking to the strippy baskets and stars top - although she wants it for her queen size bed. I think if add a wide border to each side, that will make it big enough. I'll have to think about what pattern though, as it has to be interesting enough on its own to be such a wide border, but she does not want any green! - so that rules out any florals. In finally found the pattern reference for this quilt - its called Noel Sampler, Fons & Porter, July/August 2005 (three part series starting that month). My top bears little resemblance to the original!

Of course the downside to not actively working on my quilts is that I find myself actively *thinking* about my quilts! More ideas of designs to make, fabrics to wish for, and uses for UFOS are all bouncing about in my head - but one step at a time. Most important is basting the queen sized At Home and Away top for tying, which is at the top of my list as soon as the weather cools off and as soon as both I'm ready and Mike has time to help.