Knitting Progress This Week

In my mind, I spend hours and hours knitting each week.  But this is all the knitting I have to show for this week.  Of course,   I've knit for hours in my dreams.  And I've probably spent too much time on Ravelry.com looking for more ideas for additional sections in Sweet Teen's legwarmers.  I'd like her to have these before it gets too cold--not sure that will happen since it's already dipped into the mid 20's here at night.  Furthermore, yesterday lots of us in my little town scraped a lot of ice off our cars--ice that we expected to arrive as rain or snow.

I accomplished a lot at school this week, and most of us had the opportunity to chat with many, many great parents of great kids.

I also walked into Costco and got a great buy on a new laptop--I'm hoping my old one stays alive until I learn Windows 8  and get a lot of files saved.                                                                                                                       
 Sweet  Teen  is enjoying  Homecoming Weekend at her university. My plans include our Victory Prayer Quilt group   as well as a potluck and Pet Blessing Service. 
Happy quiltmaking...and knitting,...

What Was On the Bed

Time for a different quilt on the bed, so before I removed it, I took a couple pictures.....

This quilt was published (minus the borders) in a Better Homes & Gardens craft magazine of some kind in the late 70's.  Quite possibly it was one of their issues of gifts to make for Christmas.  At the time, I was teaching in an inner city school in Peoria, Illinois and having to search diligently to find fabrics that were 100% cotton.

This quilt was completely hand pieced (the old fashioned way) from 60-degree diamonds with two-inch sides. I don't think I had any knowledge of English paper piecing at the time. And, let's face it, traditional piecing was much easier for diamonds this size.

Within a couple of years I had moved to Tennessee, and while I had the templates [made from Shrinky Dink plastic], patches and some fabrics close to me, the pattern/magazine was hidden in a box somewhere.  I remember going to the library at Lee College and looking the magazine up on microfiche to see how the quilt was bordered. It turned out none of the photos showed the borders; neither were they included in the instructions.

I decided this would be my "millennium quilt,"  meaning I'd be happy to finish it by the year 2000.  When sometime in the 1980's, a group of us had founded the Cherokee Blossom Quilt Guild and affiliated ourselves with the Tennessee Valley Quilt Association, the state organization brought Ginny Beyer to Knoxville to conduct a series of workshops.  She invited us to bring quilts for which we needed borders.  Another Cherokee Blossom member and I were lucky enough to attend her workshop.

She helped me come up with a way to finish the edge of the layout with half-stars and helped me design the border that contains the triangles.  I remember working to piece this border section onto the quilt when I was sitting in the Albuquerque airport waiting for a friend to get off work when I came to interview for jobs in New Mexico.

 I quilted it on my hand quilting frame sitting in front of a bay window in the house we rented in Gallup and was quite happy when I finished it twelve years early!

Many of these fabrics were gathered from a wide variety of merchants, including Calfee's Grocery on Spring Place Road on the south side of Cleveland, TN, which had a fairly large fabric department because Mrs. Calfee liked to sew and make quilts.  (At least, that's what I was told.)  So much of the fabric has faded because the fabric companies saw no need for more than a few hours of light-fastness.  Obviously, they were clueless about how many yards of fabric could be sold to quiltmakers for stash enhancement.

I also taught classes at Chandler Fabrics, and remember when Bill Chandler came back from a large industry show remarking how so many fabric merchants were all doom and gloom and that the only happy people there were the people who owned quilt shops.  Compared to the huge numbers of fabric lines today, we were in a fabric desert back then!

Lots of memories in this quilt.

Happy quiltmaking.....

Mary's Missing Quilt!!

Mary would love to have this back!

Mary's quilt has gone missing.  She posted about it here. Lots of lovely piecing--and a hope that she could give it to a grandchild in the future.

When I lived in Tennessee, one of my small Ted E Baer quilts went missing at a quilt show, and a few months later, someone delivered it to a local fabric store, and they gave it back to me.  It would be wonderful if Mary could get her quilt back--especially since hers is much nicer than mine was!

For those of you who are sewing,
Happy quiltmaking.....

Here, Piggy, Piggy (a quilt)

The last time the Victory Quilters met, we went through some bags of donated fabric.
Six little piggies were in those donations.

 Two of the piggies were large one-inch checked spring green gingham.

The other four were this plaid that looks like it could be 40 to 50 years old, maybe more.  Just the pigs, no background.  We're guessing someone was going to make a quilt and changed her/his mind.

 Just looking at them made me smile. I'm wondering if the pigs were published in something like Woman's Day or Family Circle back in the 50's or 60's.  They just have that air about them. Sometimes the Farm Journal published sewing projects, but I think these were probably too big for their publication.

Of course, I volunteered to quilt them if someone would applique them and make a quilt top, so Ruth took them home to do just that.  (There is an additional border at the top and bottom, but I didn't catch that in my quick photo.)

Ruth added what looks like pieced sashing, but it's cheater-cloth left over from some other project.  I just love the appliqued eyes, tiny ric-rac eyebrows, and frayed braid curly tails she added.  I'm not a "brown" person when it comes to fabric, although I do like to eat chocolate sometimes, and am thrilled that this is such a happy quilt.  I don't know if I'm going to quilt piggy tails all over the pigs or, maybe, traveling feathers!  I also have not yet decided what color of Fil-Tec Glide thread to use.  Maybe gold!  Gold thread certainly gets a work out on my quilts, but I find it just enhances so very many colors and styles.

The really nice thing is that either Ruth or Judy also basted the quilt, so it's ready to be quilted. There are more hogs all over the back of this quilt--a really fun fabric I'd never before seen.  I'll show it to you when I make more quilting progress.

Happy quiltmaking....

Eliminating a Fold On the Back of a Quilt

Major fold fixed--sort of....
Here's the post about the horrendous fold as it originally occurred. 

After a shockingly large investment of time, here's what it looked like. I was still adding quilting at the point this photo was taken.

Yes, I know the solution is hard to see.  Here's what I did:
Using a very fine, thin polyester thread (I used light grey from Fil-Tec's Bobbin Line) I ran rows of running stitches 1/2 to a little over 5/8 inch apart across the bubbly area.  I did not go through to the front of the quilt; however, since I "snugged up" the stitches as I stitched, I didn't worry about catching my small needle in the batting.  In fact, I now think catching the batting probably helped.

Because the fold was originally so deep (nearly 1/2 inch at it's deepest), I ripped out the quilting over a fairly large area.  I did the running stitches over that entire area (just a peek shown above). 

I would suggest a size 7 or 8 sharp or between needle for this kind of corrections, although I'm sure other sizes and styles of needles could be made to work. I began with a really huge quilters knot that I left on the surface of the fabric, tugged out the fullness in the fabric and tied another really big knot at the end of each line of stitching so the stitches would be easier to remove after the machine quilting was done.

 The creases you see in the backing above are there because I first attempted to steam the fabric to get it back into shape.  Steam didn't work because the backing is one of my own hand-dyed backings and it had already been laundered before and after dyeing.  I did the stitching in many horizontal rows and then put in a couple of rows vertically.  I'm still hopeful that laundering and drying the finished quilt in the dryer will eliminate some more fullness, but at least there are no tucks present now.

Of course, without decades of experience making clothing and doing other hand work, I might not have realized there was a chance I could make this work, so I'm definitely glad for all that sewing I used to do.

Sweet Lurline of Lurline's Place assures me she's seen some tucks on the backs of some prizewinning quilts. I've not seen very many prize winning quilts, so I'm taking her word for it.  However, I hope this never, never happens again.  Way too many hours of angst and anxiety, and my correction doesn't look nearly as nice as Karen Marchetti's!  (And I'm sure Karen handled her little error a lot better emotionally than I handled my big one!)

I think I need to take a break and put in at least a few minutes on another project!

Sharing this on Connie Kresin's Freemotion By the River Tuesday Linky Party and Esther's WIPs on Wednesdays.

Happy quiltmaking.....

Quilt Progress & Back to Work

 I managed to get these strips and squares cut over the weekend.  I'm hoping I counted correctly.
This is the best these fabrics have smiled for their photos yet.  Taken after dark in the light of an Ott lamp. No, it's not a design wall--just some stacks of fabrics.

I did get the plants watered before dark--but I may have some dyeing pansies.

Today was my first day back at work.  I had to deal with headaches and nausea all day, but I also had lots of hugs from students who were so glad to have me back.  They are still putting more students in my class.  Probably one of the best things that happened to day was that one of those new students told me how much he likes the class already.  Their schedules are a mess.  I'm supposed to be teaching reading, writing, and math at the same time several times each day.  The kingdom is ruled by the "Master Schedule" and with students in first, second, third, fourth, and fifth grade (I hear a sixth grader is coming), there is no doubt that the Master Schedule overpowers common sense and assuring that the programs are delivered with fidelity.  (Guess I should just chill since the teaching materials have disappeared.)

Anyway, I don't think I'll manage even 15 minutes of sewing today since I need to get the various conflicting schedules into one color-coded data base so I can find some solution to the scheduling issues. I'm hoping the job goes quickly because I also need a relaxing bath with a couple of cups of Epsom salts to see if that might help the awesome headache.

I'm going to link to some parties, because who knows how much time I'll have to blog now.  (It was almost 6 p.m. when I got home after having to stop to pick up a few groceries and a prescription. Tomorrow I'll probably have to drop by the neurologist's office because I still haven't received a copy of their release for records, and I need the records.)

For more quilting goodness from other bloggers, stop by to visit Judy at Patchwork Times and Connie at Free Motion by the River.

I'm thinking I'll probably start being late linking up with other blogs--sometimes too late to link up at all.  That won't break my heart--but I definitely will not be so happy about not reading and commenting so often! Also, I love the new-to-me blogs I discover through linky parties, so three hours or so each day commuting will definitely impose some unwelcome limits.

Happy quiltmaking.....

Barbara Brackman's Block Base Now Available

I wanted to share with quiltmakers who may not have gotten the word, that Barbara Brackman's Blockbase is once again available.

Even better, right now Electric Quilt is shipping for free.  (Free shipping ends August 20, 2012.) You can order it here: http://www.electricquilt.com/Shop/BlockBase/BlockBase.asp

Here's my original copy of her Encyclopedia of Pieced Quilt Patterns.

 The pages came punched with three holes but loose.

 The right side page had little handmade drawings of the blocks while the left side listed names and printed sources of the blocks.  (Obviously, some blocks had even more names, but Barbara was documenting only printed sources.)

I'm excited because when it was available in the past, I was not able to place an order.   Over 25 years ago, my Tennessee quilt guild, the Cherokee Blossom Quilt Guild in Cleveland, TN was able to bring her to town.  The information she shared has served me well for over a quarter of a century--and she continues to learn more and to share more.

In the quiltmaking classes I taught for a chain of fabric stores (at a time when there were only a handful of quilt shops in the entire state), class participants learned to draft all categories of blocks in a twelve inch size.  (How often do I make 12 inch blocks now?....Not very often!)..Not that it matters, since the drafting skills they learned can be used to draft any size block.

I love this encyclopedia, but it lacks some of the functionality that eases our lives in the computer age.
Barbara shares some of the advantages of Blockbase in this post on one of her blogs.

Want to know the really cool part?...With all its increased functionality, the computer program sells for about the same price as the encyclopedia did back in the '80s!  In fact, with the offer of free shipping by Electric Quilt, you can purchase it for less than the cost with shipping over 25 years ago!  What a deal!

Happy quiltmaking....


P.S.:  If you came here looking for my tutorial about how to quilt on a treadle, you can find it here. Readers have left some lovely comments; I'm glad to know that even some people without treadles have picked up some helpful information from the tutorial!

Mid-Week Quilting Progress

I am so sad that it is already August 1st!  (At least we have a couple of weeks before school starts. I understand most of the Tennessee kids had to go back to school today!)
Here's one of the quilts I'm working on:

 Judy R. pieced and layered it and didn't tell me what she's calling it, so I'm calling it Tropical Vacation!

 Judy said she used a pattern she found on the internet, but I didn't think to ask where.

 I'm practicing lots of different kinds of feathers and fillers.

 I'm using some variegated threads from ThreadArt and some Fil-Tec Glide. Both companies give fast service.  I think the color changes on the Thread Art thread happen every 2.5 inches or so.  I've had it around several years.  I knew I wanted to switch colors on different blocks and thought it would be a good chance to use up some of the variegated thread.  (Of course, that didn't happen--emptying any spools of thread, I mean.)

I did load the bobbin with a light pearl colored Glide.  I wanted to see how I was doing on the back and to be sure to keep the tension even, which sometimes doesn't work out so great with two different brands of thread.

 Worked out just fine this time.  And I think in a way the back of this quilt could be a kind of puzzle for someone who is ill and forced not to be active.

 I didn't ask Judy what she was imagining when she bought this fabric where one color flows into the next across the rainbow....

 but it is perfect for a Tropical Vacation Quilt. And, if you look closely, you'll understand why I say I still need to practice.

Yes, I'm quilting it on my Necchi BU Nova in 1919 Singer treadle irons.

Still hoping for rain here.  I was surprised and happy to see some several miles away, but it didn't bless us.  I hope some of my blog readers were able to get their share.

I'm sharing this quilt at several linky parties, parties you can visit to see more quilts and meet more quilters.




Since I've been using this quilt to create and practice some new-to-me quilting designs, I'm also linking it at Melissa's Try New Things party:



Question:  My blog is getting all kinds of hits from "MyHealthScore."  Anybody have any idea what that's about?  Is it happening to your blog too?  (You can find out by checking your blog stats.)


I've also had a lots of visits from members of the quilting board; I hope some of those visitors decide to become followers.  Then I could find some new blogs to follow too.

Happy quiltmaking.......

Finished Quilts: 2 More Prayer Quilts

I thought about calling this post "Quilts, Sunshine, Blue Skies, Fluffy White Clouds."  It is a gorgeous day, although we seem to be headed for the mid-90's.  Right now it's only 90, so I snapped some pictures of the latest prayer quilt completions.

 This is one of the quilts I was debating about how to quilt a couple of weeks ago.

 I thought it would be a good place to do some more flowing feathers.

 This is one of the quilts Judy pieced and handed on to me.

 They show up in these photos thanks to New Mexico Sunshine. I confess that they didn't show up nearly as well while I was quilting them. (Please be advised that if you choose to check on the NM sunshine, you may find a forecast for showers; it's the monsoon season, after all.  However, the showers are missing my house--even when they surround us on three sides!)

 I quilted this entire quilt in a Fil-Tec Glide green that sings of the 1930's, as do these repro fabrics.  Regular readers know that Glide is my favorite thread for quilting; it's a trilobal polyester that maintains wonderful tension (both upper and lower) and is a joy to work with.  (Embroiderers like it too.)

 I tried some different things in the sashing between the strips of pieced blocks.

 I think I made some improvement in my ability to quilt these kinds of feathers.

 This is another Judy and Dora joint project.  When Judy said she wasn't sure how to quilt this one, I suggested she quilt the pieced blocks so I could practice more flowing feathers in the print blocks and borders.

  When I saw this quilt, I knew I didn't want to quilt the entire thing, but I did want to try more of those flowing feathers.

 Judy quilted flowing ribbons in the pieced blocks.

 I quilted flowing feathers everywhere else.

 I used a different color of Fil-Tec Glide in each solid block.

 Sorry, you'll probably have to be close enough to fondle the quilt in order to see the different colors.

 I think the different colors of thread will help hold the interest of someone who is ill and limited in activity.

 Both quilts will go to our church's Victory Prayer Quilt ministry.  Judy will add the label and the binding, and, most likely, another church member will sew it to the back.

These feathers take more time than a lot of the other kinds of feathers I quilt because portions of the tips of the feathers are retraced, and I need to further develop my skill in those areas.

Quilted on Necchi Nova BU in 1919 treadle irons.  I'm wondering if I should do some tutorials on quilting on vintage and antique machines.  People think they must be harder to use, but to me they feel easier to use, and they are much quieter than machines with tails.

I'm linking to:

...where you will find more quiltmakers sharing lovely creations.

Happy quiltmaking....