Changes and Dodging a Bullet

This is a quilt I made almost 25 years ago. It is an off-center Log Cabin, begun in a workshop with Jane Hall in 1995, finished in 1997. It's about 30" square:

The other day one of the Sunday Sew and Sews asked about it as it has been hanging on a rod in my studio for about 20 years.  I took it off the rod to show them and it was SO DUSTY! Embarrassing! This baby needed a bath.

After pulling a big collection of fabrics for a new project, I thought I'd better pre-wash the darkest ones. Here is the complete collection, give or take a few: 

Here are the darkest fabrics, after pre-washing:

What is the problem, you say? I washed the quilt in with these DARK fabrics and FORGOT to add a Color Catcher! I only realized that after the load was washed and I was putting everything in the dryer. I quickly grabbed the quilt and studied it for signs of bleeding fabrics on the white logs of the quilt. 

I must be living right because there was no bleeding anywhere and all the fabrics and  the quilt look fine. Sheesh! I won't try that trick again.

 I enjoy writing this Blog--begun December 31, 2011. It serves as my Diary/Journal and a way to teach what I know how to do to others who want to learn that stuff.

We are approaching 3200 followers. Most of those follow by email--using the built-in email subscription service that came with Blogger, the base platform for blogspot.com blogs. Recently, we were notified that in July 2021, Feedburner, that subscription service, would be going away. 

Thousands of us who use Blogspot.com to publish our blogs are looking for solutions. Some come at a cost to me--something I don't want to use. I have not monetized this Blog, so there are no ads for you to close or skip past, and I don't want there to be. But if I had to pay $50-100/month to provide access to an email subscription, that money would  have to come from somewhere.

So, at the moment, this is what I know are your options if you currently follow this Blog by email:

1. Use Bloglovin.com to follow all the blogs you like to follow. I use this and have been very happy with it. Daily I get an email showing me a few of the blogs I follow that have a new post. I go to My Feed on bloglovin.com, an account I set up there, and can read through any new blogs that are posted. I can see the info in a simple format or open the Original Post to have access to all the sidebars and Comments section. Free to me and the bloggers. I have a link right here for you to use to go to Bloglovin.com. Currently, almost 740 of you follow this Blog that way.

2. Use Feedly.com--the same process as Bloglovin'. The free version allows you to have 100 blogs in your account. I have not used it but almost 100 of you do.

3. If you have a Google account, like if you use Gmail.com, you can follow with Blogger--there is a Follow link right here for that. Currently, over 270 of you use this method. I don't know much about it but am guessing it's very similar to the two methods above.

4. OR you could remember to come to this Blog every Wednesday and Sunday, when I usually post, to read the new Blog. Personally, since I follow at least 50 blogs, that would take me a lot of time to do. Some of those post daily, some weekly, some hardly ever. Most I would forget to go look at and would surely miss a lot of quilt-related information I don't want to miss.

As new solutions become available, I will let you know about them. Until July, those who follow by email won't see any change. After July 1, POOF!--I might be gone from your inbox and I would truly miss you. 

Any of you who know of solutions to this--which will effect many thousands of Bloggers who use Blogspot.com, please Comment Below with your suggestion. Thanks!

Let's quilt.

Barbara

Pre-Houston Rush

Everyone who works at Market and/or Festival is in the pre-Houston rush stage. Just look at #quiltmarket on Instagram to see a bit of all the great stuff that will be revealed soon.

For me, it's getting clothes and paperwork ready for 13 days at the Hilton Americas, a great hotel I love staying at. The staff is wonderful and I really look forward to seeing so many of the same people year after year.

Yesterday I taught two classes, 3 hours each at two different shops, 21 total students. First, was a Creative Log Cabin class, using the Creative Grids 8" Log Cabin Trim Tool. It was a fast-paced class, helping all 8 students learn the basics and the easy but specific steps I've come up with to make these blocks fast, fun and accurate. Success!:

Class scenes:

Rhonda with her Featherweight and Quilts of Valor fabrics

Sharon's contemporary strips

My Class Sample:

At noon, 5 of these students and I hustled on to the next location for our Monthly Long Time Gone session. This was session 2 and I was thrilled to see the great blocks 13 students had made this month. Did I think to take a photo of the design wall covered with all those blocks? No... Next month. Here is my Section 1:

My Section 2:

We meet for 3 hours once a month for 6 months. I give tips and tricks for that month's section. The students take notes, ask questions and play with their fabrics--no need to bring a sewing machine for only 3 hours when I have so much to teach for each block. They are making wonderful quilts!

My Spellbound sample is now on the wall at Huntsville Sew and Vac.  Class is two sessions, Saturday November 11 and Saturday December 2. Any two Jelly Rolls, exactly the same, will work for this simple yet graphically dynamic quilt:

 Today I made the splendid little Stella a splendid little pillowcase for her Splendid Sampler quilt:

I'm eager to see her reaction--this makes a terrific I Spy quilt.

Have I mentioned how much this family LOVES Halloween?!

Lauren, Stella and Andy as Rick and Morty, whoever that might be...

I also quilted and bound the Palmateer Point mystery quilt I made a few weeks ago:

My stack of small quilts is growing by leaps and bounds--I think I'll add a dozen or so to my Etsy shop when I get back from Houston. Most are small, this one is about 25" square.

I probably won't get time to blog much while working in Houston but I'll add photos to Instagram and Facebook regularly. See you when I get back.

Let's quilt!

Barbara

Upcoming Classes

It is almost September when class schedules at local quilt shops ramp back up. I have several new classes and several "back by popular demand" classes to offer this Fall locally.

At Patches & Stitches in addition to two sessions of my long-running Quiltmaking 101 5 week Beginners class, I am teaching:

Super Southern Star:  my "go-to" gift quilt because I can make the top in a weekend. In this all-day class students finish about a third of the top and know how to complete it. Many love it and make more than one. From Calico Carriage Quilt Designs:

About 76" square

Little Handful of Scraps: a variation of a quilt from Edyta Sitar's book. Emphasis on careful piecing and design work will be the focus:

About 12" x 14" 

Creative Log Cabin: who doesn't love a Log Cabin quilt? I've made several with different techniques and rulers. At Quilt Market this Spring I saw a demo on the Creative Grids 8" Trim Tool for Log Cabin blocks and wanted to try it. It worked well, everyone will get perfect blocks:

About 58" square

Another local store I will be teaching at is Huntsville Sew and Vac.

Long Time Gone: a very popular Jen Kingwell pattern. This six month class will meet for 3 hours once a month. No sewing machines are needed in class. Students will bring their book and fabrics and cutting tools. I will demo the steps for the various blocks we'll be making that month and they can get help with fabric selection and cut their blocks out in class, sewing at home. At the last class we will audition various sashing fabrics to select the best.

Spellbound: a pattern from Calico Carriage Quilt Designs, this quilt uses your choice of two Jelly Rolls, both the same, one background and one fat quarter for the center. A great quilt to practice free motion quilting on when it's done:

Flip N Sew Throw: such an easy quilt that makes a fast gift. Start with a back fabric, add a cotton batt, cut a bunch of strips or use a Jelly roll and piece and quilt at the same time, through all layers, 3 hour class:

37" x 41", using a crib size batt

Mug Rugs: another 3 hour class for making fast quilted gifts. Enlarge the batt and back to make placemats:

If you are local, I hope you find something of interest. Sign up soon, spots fill quickly and we want to have all the supplies you will need on hand when class begins.

If you are not local, I have added my Teaching Calendar to the top bar so you can see where I will be. I would love to see you in class.

Let's Quilt! 

Barbara 

Bernina Q20: Ruler Work for Easy Quilting

I've made two quilts this week, both class samples for Fall classes.

The Creative Log Cabin was started about a week ago, using the 8" Log Cabin Trim Tool from Creative Grids:

It's about 55" square and is asymmetrical on purpose. I find that hard to do but really love other quilts that I see done that way so I forced myself to make this one off-center. My husband asked me when I was going to finish it when he saw it on the design wall--"It's crooked."

As I learn to do more ruler work I watch You Tube videos to see new designs and techniques. I came across an Angela Walters video while making the Log Cabin blocks that seemed to be the perfect way to quilt these blocks:

Square Spiral by Angela Walters. I liked how simple it was to execute, no marking at all, and my favorite ruler, The Line Tamer by Four Paws Quilting would work perfectly.

I did connect the X in the middle of the red square to the four sides of the red square when I noticed on the back that the X was just hanging there if  I didn't go around the red square. This involved backtracking on one line of stitching the red square and I did that pretty well most of the blocks--one start, one stop for each block:

The back:

I did a simple half circle Amish-style border design, one I enjoy hand quilting too. It was easy to stitch, using a 6" circle template--the only marking was a chalk line down the center of the border so I could place the template correctly. I took no time to figure out the corners so each is "unique":

I put the binding and sleeve on by machine then hand stitched it down on the back. It still needs a label, that is tomorrow's task.

Today I made another sample, a "Flip N Sew Throw", that is pieced and quilted at the same time:

Starting with one yard of back fabric and a crib size batt, I worked from the middle out, laying two strips right sides together, then sewing through all the layers: 2 strips, batt, and back. When both sides of the middle strip were sewn, I pressed them over onto the batt, then added the next two strips, on either side:

The Line Tamer ruler, placed so the needle is 1/4" from the raw edges

By using the Bernina Q20 sit down long arm machine, I had the speed of free motion and enjoyed the 78" of table space I have when both table extensions are in place. It only took a few hours to completely cover the batt/back. Fast and easy.

Working out from the white center strip

I only used pins to keep the strips in place until the ruler was put on top of that area 

This still needs a label--tomorrow. I applied the binding to the back, brought it around to the front, and stitched it in place by machine--fast and secure for a baby quilt:

These strips were cut 2" wide and no additional quilting is necessary--unless I want to add more. Some time ago I did a tutorial for this method, using wider strips because I needed a larger quilt for a relative going to chemo treatments:  Snuggly Cuddly Strippy Quilt. This project is great for charity quilts, baby quilts, wheelchair quilts, any time you need a simple, easy pattern. Just choose the batt size you want to cover, make a back that same size, and cut strips in your choice of width and length, to cover the batt/back.

The delightful Stella came to visit this weekend and we had fun with her. She is 26 months old and strings more words together than just 6 weeks ago when we saw her last, like "No, Pop Pop, no help, I do it!"  And she is a techno-baby:

She knows how to "swipe right", which icon is the Photos file, where she can find Instagram videos, it's scary-amazing. My husband erased 300 "photos" from his phone that she took, she's good with the Burst button. She rarely holds still for a photo with BB but I managed to grab one:

Now I'm on to a bed-size class sample, that's this week's job.

Let's Quilt!

Barbara

Family Reunion

My husband comes from a large family. Both his parents had 13 brothers and sisters, most of whom survived to adulthood. They married and had children, those children have married and now have children and even some great-grands are coming along.

The Wilkins Siblings at Reunion 1948

The Wilkins Siblings at Reunion in 1967

On the Wilkins side, my husband's father's people, there is still an annual Family Reunion held every July in Cullman, AL. When I joined the family more than 40 years ago, it alternated between there and Henry county, GA, where some of the family still remained. In those days it was a two-day event, with at least 125 in attendance. Stories of the old days were shared and the food just went on and on, country food, all homemade.

As the generations expand, attendance has dwindled. All of my father-in-law's generation  have passed now. It's my husband's first cousins and their kin who survive. Now the event only lasts a couple hours. For many, it's just too far to come for lunch--about 30 were there this year.. But for those of us who get to attend, it's fun to catch up, hear a few old stories, eat good country food, and visit. This time two of our nieces are expecting girls, one in August, one in December so the family goes on. It is good to visit family in joyous times, not just at funerals.

The meat end of the table, pork BBQ and smoked chicken, farther down home grown tomatoes picked that day, squash casserole, hash brown casserole, homemade baked beans, homemade potato salad...

One third of the offerings are dessert--go figure

Visiting

One first cousin traveled from the country of Georgia, in Eastern Europe, where he lives and works. His wife is expecting their second daughter this Fall, so there are Wilkins around the world.

We ate our fill and had some extra to take home. Our nephew was harvesting fresh corn later that afternoon and gave us some--best corn on the cob we've had in years. And a sister had picked tomatoes from her garden that day, we got a couple of those too. There are advantages to having relatives who live on farms.

It was a good day of family and food. I hope you get to visit your people like this occasionally too.

Then I got back to class samples:

Creative Log Cabin, just a start, using a fabric collection

A scrappy sample, just a start, 8 blocks thrown on the wall

My Halo Star Medallion is almost completely done, one final border to go. Then it's one to another large quilt.  These dog days of Summer are good quilting days.

Let's Quilt!

Barbara