Still Learning

 Students are often surprised when I mention a class I am taking or recently completed. They wonder why, after almost 40 years of quiltmaking, I would still take classes. Don't I know everything I need to know by now? The answer is NO, there is always something new to learn. 

Here is a good example. This little quilt is a pattern from the Temecula Quilt Company blog. It is called "12 Days of Christmas", the patterns are still available free and I have made several of these over the years. The first block has 1 fabric, the second block has 2, the third, 3, etc. Adorable, fast and fun:

These blocks were made last year, and stored with the border and binding, just waiting to be completed. So I cut the green sashing and used it as a "leader/ender" project while working on other things. 

Usually, I quilt these very simply, stitch in the ditch along the sashing, something simple in the border and call it done. This time, I wanted to try something more. The idea of micro-quilting in the white fabrics occurred to me as it would make the red fabrics pop. 

The current show on The Quilt Show features award-winning quiltmaker Kumiko Frydl, who demonstrates how she micro-stipples on very small quilts. I watched the show and was game  to try it. 

First, I did stitch in the ditch along all the sashing seams, using a dull medium green Microquilter thread. This provides the "bones" and lets me play in each block next.

Using white Microquilter thread on top, a 100 wt. polyester thread, and  light tan Bottom Line thread on top, 60 wt. polyester, both by Superior Threads, I was on my way. It was fun and easy, just slow, which took a bit of time to learn. Going slow is not my usual speed. 

Then I added simple quilting with red Microquilter in the red fabrics. Without it, the quilt didn't look done. In the busy border I knew no stitching would show up so I quilted one of my go-to border designs, a leaf vine, that I can do quickly and easily, with no marking, it's just great practice: 

So watching Kumiko's show gave me the knowledge and confidence to try a new technique.

Another quilter I enjoy learning from is Natalia Bonner of Piece n Quilt.com I have several of her books and have taken a few classes and watched lots of her videos. Recently she had a free class on quilting designs, 9-Patch Along 2.0, similar to her 9-Patch Along last year. I made a simple 9 Patch quilt and followed her instructions for a different design in each block:

The Back

About 50" square

Natalia encourages you to change up her designs if you like and I did on a few blocks, adding more lines where I wanted more quilting. 

I used wool batting because it is easy to quilt and adds great dimension. After machine washing, I laid it out on a tile floor for a couple days to dry.

For the sashing, I played with her rulers to come up with a design I liked. The outer border was a good place to practice a curvy feather vine--I used her Guide to Feathers book for ideas. I may still add some more lines in the largest feathers--a few of them still look empty to me. Or maybe not. Finished is better than perfect, right?

So, there is always something to learn from every class you take, even if what you learn is "I don't ever want to do that again!"

As I look forward to all the things I will teach for the 2022 Block of the Month quilt, Garden Party Down Under, I hope those who are afraid of applique or think it's too slow, or just haven't enjoyed it in the past, will give it a try. It will be a "Sampler of Techniques"--try something new, you just might like it. Lots of options for machine work if hand applique isn't your thing.

Let's quilt.

Barbara

QUILTING--By Hand, Machine or None at All?

Tops are done, it's time to quilt.

Recently, I finished machine quilting Foothills on the Bernina Q20 Sit-Down Longarm:

I adore this quilt and have written about it before:  The Quilt A-Long, and Changing My Mind as well as a few other times--use the Search box in the upper Left for Foothills to find them all.

The quilting designs I came up with please me and, overall, my free motion and ruler work quilting are getting better. Binding is almost done, sleeve is in place and the label is ready to attach.

Hand quilting is also something I enjoy though I do less of it now than I did years ago. My older hands feel the strain of such repetitive motion so I save it for special quilts.

This year I was fortunate to get accepted into the doll quilt swap run by Needle Thimble and Thread on Instagram. It is a small group swap and those who participated the year before get first chance at signing up for the current year. If there are any open spots, a couple new folks might be added.

I got in! And the rules are simple: no smaller than 14" X 14", no larger than 18" x 18", handquilting only, wool or cotton batt, reproduction fabrics, and your best work is expected. And stick to the timeline. Reasonable requirements. You can see many photos of these quilts in progress on Instagram:  #ntatdqs2020  Many of them are amazingly beautiful and complex!

The day I was accepted, I made my top--from 3" blocks made with the Stay at Home sampler patterns from Temecula Quilt Company on Instagram

I have been handquilting on it this past month, off and on. A few more nights and the handquilting will be done--the binding, sleeve and label are made. I find stitch in the ditch quilting by hand repetitious and boring so was very glad when I got to the outer border and could do a little fancy work:

Later in July it will be sent off to it's new home...

And, then, sometimes, I make a project with no quilting at all. I  saw these silhouette projects while teaching in Texas last year, and bought one. This week I finally took the time to make it:

There was very little time involved--watching the video was especially helpful:  Stirrups and Stitches
There is a wide variety of patterns available, no sewing at all, so this would make a great project to do with an interested kid. Hung in a window, the batik fabric really glows.

So there you have my quilting life at this time. Do you prefer to hand or machine quilt?

Let's quilt.

Barbara

Multiple Projects--All the Time

Recently, a friend wrote her blog and said it seemed very odd to her that she was working on FOUR projects, simultaneously. 

She is an art quilter and teacher of free-motion quilting, so our work is fairly different. I just smiled to myself, because I had no idea how many projects I am currently "working on", but I was pretty sure it was more than four. And "sheltering in place" or "quilters' quarantine" has nothing to do with this--I always have multiple projects going.

Finally got this top finished and I love it. I might not be able to part with it. That just means I have to make yet another Quilt of Valor, the 3rd this year, to be ready for Veteran's Day. The quilt is titled "Sail On" and was published in Easy Quilts Spring 2019. I added the Flying Geese border and outer red border:

77" square

Since I changed the pattern, to my regret, I had half square triangles left over. So, when I was still thinking I would be giving this away, I decided to make a small version, with 6" stars, instead of 9":

At first I thought I would just cut solid strips of the reds and blues instead of piecing them from squares but I really like the look of the squares and I can use up smaller pieces of fabric so I think it will be squares for the red and blue rows. I don't think I will add the flying geese--a simpler pieced border is in the planning stage. There is some interest in this as a class--if the patterns can be purchased, I will do that.

The Stay At Home Sampler from Temecula Quilt Company can be found on Instagram--easy 3"  blocks that use little fabric. I might incorporate a pieced center I made during our great Joyful Journey Retreat in March:

Here are five blocks cut out, waiting to be leaders/enders for other piecing:

Another Leader/Ender project uses the extra Double 9 Patch blocks I made to test the heavy starch method, so I could add that suggestion to one of my blogs about Afternoon Delight--the 2020 Block of the Month Quilt for The Quilt Show. Eventually, this will be a baby quilt and the rows will all be the same length:

At night, while the TV is on, I am handquilting this fat quarter of terrific fabric I bought in Texas last year on a teaching trip. It has wool batting and is a pleasure to quilt, just follow the lines:

Waiting for me in my cozy chair:

When that hand project is done, I will get back to Simple Gifts, a needle-turn hand applique project I started years ago with Mary Sorensen. The pattern and all the fabrics are safely stored in a box and when I dug it out 6 months ago, I knew it was time to get back to it, so I have added a couple leaves recently:

Another project that is floating in my head involves this block, an antique I saw on Pinterest. It is the most "pinned" of all my pins on Pinterest--every time someone pins it I think "I really need to do something with that block design". First, I drafted it--the 12" large block is too large--or maybe I've been working with such small pieces in recent years that it just looks huge to me. The smaller block finishes at 7.5" to keep the math somewhat simple. I like it better:

Every day I see them on the side of the design wall and think about what to do next--make an even smaller one? Change the color plan? Not sure, but this will become something later this year.

That brings me to some special sewing. This week I pre-washed these babies so I can get started. I don't often work with solids, not since my days of making Amish quilts, so these will be fun. More to come on this project later:

So there are 8 projects, just the ones it was easy to photograph and show you. There are at least 3 more on the back burner that will move up in line as these above get completed.

How many projects do YOU work on? Only one at a time, or several?

Let's quilt.

Barbara

Getting There

The Red, White and Blue Quilt of Valor is getting there--the middle is now done:

Now it is on to the flying geese border; papers are printed, fabrics are cut:

See the earlier posts about this project:

All Set

What Not To Do

In making the star points from "flip and sew" squares, I generated a bunch of 1.5" finished squares, white and red, and white and blue. So I decided to make a second one of these quilts, with 6" blocks, not 9". And I am making it the easy way. It will be good to have one of these to keep:

In between, I am doing the "Stay At Home Sampler" from Temecula Quilt Company--each day for the month of April, one 3" block is presented on Instagram and shared on the Facebook Page. They make good "leader/enders":
:

What are you working on? I hope it has you feeling creative and productive.

Let's quilt.

Barbara

Quirky Little Quilt Complete

So sweet, the Quirky Little Quilt Along project is done, about 17" square:

Detail of quilting--I love orange peel quilting, so used a full one in the solid blocks, and a semi-full one in the pieced blocks--this allows me to avoid the center of the pieced blocks. This was done with ruler/template free-motion quilting:

It replaced another Temecula Quilt Company quilt I really like, The 12 Days of Christmas--the first block has 1 fabric, the second has 2 fabrics, the third, 3, etc. The pattern is still available Here. I have made several of these over the years:

I am working on more 3" blocks for a special project for next year, all made from a Charm pack of 5" squares:

My husband is now mostly retired from his civil engineering career so has time to be our full-time gardener. Spring is my favorite time of year at our house and here is my favorite spot, around the goldfish pond, with Spring flowers/shrubs in bloom:

And, as if life wasn't full enough, we will get to love on these babies next week when they are here for a visit. Stella is almost 4 and Sam is 7 months:

Let's quilt!

Barbara

Happy Easter!

Now that my husband is mostly retired from his civil engineer life, we have a full-time gardener--and it shows!

This is my favorite time of year in my yard, everything is so bright, fresh and colorful and the temperatures are pleasant enough to be outside to enjoy it all.

Just to keep this quilty--here is my Quirky Little Quilt from the Quilt Along at Temecula Quilt Company, ready for quilting:

May your day be bright and beautiful! Like these two little bunnies:

Let's quilt!

Barbara

Quirky Little Blocks

I just love these little 3" blocks from Temecula Quilt Company. After working on BIG quilts this is just the break needed, fun and fast to finish.

Not sure if this is the layout yet, but these are the blocks:

The patterns are in the book Quirky Little Quilts  by Sheryl Johnson and the inspiration to make it now is on her blog, Quirky Little Quilts Quilt Along.

Next week should be the layout information--there are several possibilities I am eager to try.

Let's quilt!

Barbara

What's Next?

This is my post-Houston get-productive period. That means classes are about finished for the year and I don't have to go anywhere for a while.

I just finished Circa 2016 and am pleased with how it turned out. This pattern is still available for purchase from Temecula Quilt Company.

Now it's time to clear away the clutter from the stuff I brought home from Houston and make a plan for the rest of this year. I didn't buy a lot, mostly thread:

There are a few gifts to sew, quilt and finish--that won't take long. So, I've decided to finish a very long, on-going quilt: Ruffled Roses, the 2011 Block of the Month from The Quilt Show:

A few months ago, I put this on the design wall to inspire/prod me to finish it. Today, when the clutter is stashed away, I will get back to it--my goal is to have the top done by the end of 2018.  

My Lifetime Quilt is almost done too, another Finish I want to complete by the end of this year:

Are you busy with sewing projects now or do holiday preparations take over? I don't like to shop and only do it when I must. The kids won't be here for Christmas so holiday decorating will be limited to a few of my favorite things. There is no reason I can't get these two quilt tops completed.

Let's Quilt!

Barbara