Tuesday, June 5, 2018
DRESDEN PLATES PRODUCTION FINALS
For a couple months now I have been making Dresden Plates and Geese for a quilt. I needed 24 of each. I'm down to the last production line of the 6 largest Dresden's. Normally I made them somewhat one at a time, except for cutting out the blades. These last six I started pretty much a production line.
I just started sewing their tops together. And ended up with this pile after a bit of time.
They are chain pieced so at least I have each plate all on a string ready to go.
Yes, the results. No center yet or background. I actually cut out all the matching centers and have them with their adhesive ready to go.
I am using heavy weight Heat and Bond. I do not want the centers to be all stiff and heavy so I only bond about a quarter of an inch around the edges. The heavy weight really holds well so I can blanket stitch around the edges of the center, but they will be soft and pliable. Plus I do cut out the backing fabric once they are sewn down to remove that extra layer of fabric.
And now one all ready pinned down to sew around the blades ends and put the center on.
To add to my distractions this week my old studio TV decided to give it up. Now I don't really watch TV when I am sewing, but a food/cooking or animal planet program are nice background noise. I have a sewing machine on each side of this corner center so it in a perfect area to see while sewing. It is a bit of a clutter sometimes in this area, but it works. There is an attempt to keep me on track with my little chalkboard and a bulletin board with more information that anyone really needs. I probably should do some reorganization in this area.
Friday, June 1, 2018
QUILTING STUDIO UPDATE
Occasionally my quilting studio gets really messy and things are hard to find. Occasionally is probably not quite the proper term, since this happens frequently.
I have a peg board that my husband put up for me years ago that has worked very well, but on a trip to a local hardware store I discovered lots more possibilities of improving that storage space.
Hooks now come in longer versions and those little blue baskets are really handy. I did a complete overhaul of that space and was able to rid myself of lots of clutter on my cutting table.
On Mother's Day one of my daughters gave me this metal basket with candles and pretty kitchen tools in the divided areas. Hmmmm, I thought the perfect area to toss all those odds and ends into it and get them at least in one area. I think I need another to replace that plastic storage bin that houses my starch, Best Press, and Downy Wrinkle Release spray. By the way that Downy works great for releasing that fold lines in fabric. I still have a bit more reorganization to do on this work area, but things are better.
With things cleaned up a bit I finally finished off the last four runners for my guild's quilt show Boutique. These two used up the last of my Valentine fabric scraps.
I love this binding for them.
And this one of two runners made from fabric leftovers from a number of years ago. Nice to get this done and out of my stash, makes room for more new things in the future.
I have a peg board that my husband put up for me years ago that has worked very well, but on a trip to a local hardware store I discovered lots more possibilities of improving that storage space.
Tuesday, May 29, 2018
CRICUT MAKERS
My friend Brooke at Silly Mama Quilts was lucky to receive a Cricut Maker. She will be doing a number of posts on her blog over the next few weeks and months showing all the wonderful things it can do for quilters and crafters.
I have eyed the Cricuit Makers from time to time, but having never seen how they work and given the cost of them have not taken the plunge. While visiting Brooke I did get a chance to observe how it worked and play with it a bit.
We had a chance to put it to work on a project Brooke will be making not only to post for the Cricut people, but it will also become a cute gift for her grandson.
This project has numerous fabric cuts along with two different stabilizers. Normally lots and lots of cutting of different sizes. Cricut did it in a very short time, plus numbered the pieces to go with the pattern and even provided registration marks for applying fusible stabilizers.
We also played with making a table runner that required three different rectangular cuts with multiples needed for each. A simple task of putting in the size and telling the computer to tell Cricuit how many you want. You can even save them to do more later.
Fun to watch the fabric go into the machine and the pieces come out all cut and ready to go.
I am still not convinced I need a Cricut, but do see the advantages they provide. Plus it was a ton of fun playing with it.
I have eyed the Cricuit Makers from time to time, but having never seen how they work and given the cost of them have not taken the plunge. While visiting Brooke I did get a chance to observe how it worked and play with it a bit.
Friday, May 25, 2018
SHOPPING SPREE
In my area we have very few quilt stores. So when I do my annual trip to Minnesota I take advantage of two of their just wonderful quilt stores to do a bit, lets face it a lot of shopping for fabric. Yes, there is online shopping, but there is nothing as good as touching it and seeing it in person.
My first two finds were this wonderful Alison Glass Diving Board fabric. It is a linen fabric that is so much fun. I picked up Uncorked to go with it. I love the gold with the blue.
This batik has a graduated dark to light print. I plan to use it for a water background for another set of fish placemats or a table runner like the ones in my Featured Post this week.
This particular fabric is called Fade Out. It is a soft cream with this light blue/grey patterning. The fabric is printed with an array of different motifs. A wonder fabric to use in place of solid whites or creams in projects.
Biscuits and Gravy, an odd name for this particular line. So cute, now what to make with it.
Indie Folk by Pat Bravo Art Galley. I bought fat quarters of this entire line some time back and made a quilt with it using up every last square inch of it. I loved these two pieces in that line so picked them up to use someday in something else. Stash building!
Last but not least. Again some white or off white/cream fabrics to use as backgrounds. So hard to find them, so I grab them up when I see them.
Tuesday, May 22, 2018
MINI PLACEMATS AND IDEAS
I have been visiting in Minnesota with one of my favorite friends and quilters Brooke for this past few days. Working on someone else's projects is such a nice break from your own. Brooke has an order from her sister-in-law for 25 mini placements to give her co-workers at Christmas time. Yes, I know Christmas is months and months away, but we thought to get started.
I love to fussy cut various fabric prints when they lend themselves to a fun project.
And this Into The Deep fabric was a perfect one to do it with.
These little mini placemats are 8.5 by 11 inches. So cute!
While here we also were able to take road trips to two wonderful quilt stores. I snapped this photo of this cute three fabric table runner to try at home.
One can make it easily wider or longer as desired. Sometimes finding a pattern that only uses two or three fabrics is a challenge. This one works so well.
Yes I did do a good deal of shopping while here. I'll give a peek on Friday's Blog of that shopping spree.
I love to fussy cut various fabric prints when they lend themselves to a fun project.
While here we also were able to take road trips to two wonderful quilt stores. I snapped this photo of this cute three fabric table runner to try at home.
Yes I did do a good deal of shopping while here. I'll give a peek on Friday's Blog of that shopping spree.
Friday, May 18, 2018
OTHER PEOPLE'S PROJECTS
Why is it that someone else's projects always look so much more interesting than our own. I am visiting my VBF Brooke
at Silly Mama Quilts this week. I took a minute to take a look at her design wall. Oh my, so many interesting ideas.
I love this gold color combination. I am not a fan of butterflies normally, but these guys are sure interesting. It is a new print by Carrie Bloomston called Wonder.
I really like this star burst look with the curved piecing,
I think this might be one of Maureen Cracknell's first blocks project. I see some Alison Glass and Tula Pink fabrics in it.
Cork, I have not tried it yet. This one has a wonderful metallic gold in it. Brooke has made a wonderful bag with it using the cork for the bottom of the bag and the straps. Mixed with some fun prints it is really pretty.
So our week together begins with a shopping trip to see what fun fabrics are out there to add to the fun.
at Silly Mama Quilts this week. I took a minute to take a look at her design wall. Oh my, so many interesting ideas.
So our week together begins with a shopping trip to see what fun fabrics are out there to add to the fun.
Friday, May 11, 2018
FRIDAY'S MUDDLE
Things are in a bit of a muddle here. I am getting ready to take a week off and visit my VBF Brooke of Silly Mama Quilts and I have so many projects in the process that right now things just seem out of control.
This week I took a detour and pulled some baby fabric out of my stash for some relief of making Dresden and Geese blocks. I have not used this fabric, a left over from my grandson Noah's baby quilt, in 12 years. Yes, he was 12 in April. Still cute as ever, the fabric and the grandson.
I have some pieces all cut and ready to make into star blocks with my Tilda Lemon Tree fabrics.
This mess is all the strips cut to add to do my braided quilt blocks. This project sort of got set aside while I moved on to others.
More partially made Geese. I have all I need cut and I am making good headway on finishing them off.
Well at least a bit of progress has been made. Three more Dresden blocks ready for just the centers sewn down, and 16 of the 24 Geese I need complete. Some progress was made in this rather disjointed week.
Friday, May 4, 2018
GEESE ADDITIONS
I have been working on a Dresden plates quilt for a few weeks now. One size for the entire quilt of 30 blocks seemed boring, so I mixed it up and added a larger size, and then a smaller size with fewer blades. Somehow there was still something missing. Maybe the idea of making 30 of them, although I hate to admit that. Never the less, I have decided to add flying geese blocks.
This is my new smaller Dresden block, paired up with two of the new flying geese blocks. These might not set next to each other on the final quilt, but it began to make me interesting in continuing making some more geese to start with anyway.
And another Dresden with these flying geese.
So are the first five flying geese blocks I have made are beginning to look pretty good, and the idea seems to be taking shape.
Just to break up the Dresden and Geese dilemma, our Yorkie Ginger got a new doggy scarf. At lease one project got done this week.
Friday, April 27, 2018
HOT AUGUST NIGHT CHALLENGE
I promised myself when I cut back my work schedule from three days a week to one and occasionally two per week that I would get more involved in my quilt guilds challenges. Now by the end of May I am finally completely retiring. So lots of extra time to get involved.
My guild has a family social and a challenge every year the first Tuesday in August. This year the challenge is to make a 16 inch square mini quilt.
Several years ago I made this little wall hanging. It is too small to use in the challenge, but I liked at the idea.
So I pulled some batiks out and stated a new vision.
Larger flower petals. I have increased the pattern size to 200%.
And a nice layout of the pattern.
Once adhered I sewed around all the petals and leaves very close to the edges with closely matching thread colors.
And now for some out lining with 12wt threads on leaves.
And petals. I do need a very small circle of gold fabric in the center of the petals and lots of thread work to make a fuzzy little center. After that some quilting, probably straight lines diagonally in both directions on the off white background. I do have a pretty patterned batiks to use for a small border or maybe a wider binding that will serve as border and binding. Its not complete, but well on its way in plenty of time for the August event.
My guild has a family social and a challenge every year the first Tuesday in August. This year the challenge is to make a 16 inch square mini quilt.
Several years ago I made this little wall hanging. It is too small to use in the challenge, but I liked at the idea.
Monday, April 23, 2018
SOME DRESDEN BLOCKS SHUFFLE
After getting all my quilt show boutique items complete I finally had time to get back to my Dresden blocks. I've been looking at my first five blocks and got to thinking about how boring 30 of them would be without mixing it up a bit. I decided to try a different size with a larger center to see if that might add some interest to the whole idea.
This was my first one. I still have to get the center sewn down, but have had to order some 12wt thread. I tried a dark pink thread idea, but it just blended in and didn't provide any contrast. So I have order some goldish tan thinking it will provide the accent I want.
As you can see there is a good size difference. Maybe something in between these two in size. I will just have to see how things go as I move along with the different fabric combinations.
In the mean while I put together another one of the larger blocks. It needs to sew down the blade ends with a blue thread; I didn't have anything in my thread stash to match well. A trip to JoAnn's just didn't appeal to me on Sunday afternoon, so it will wait until later today. I will sew the center down with a 12wt blue to match the flowers and blue blades.
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