Quilt applique, and lousy photographs…

Posted on December 29, 2012 by quiltify

Have you ever been so involved in the stitching that you’ve lost track of the equipment?  On my forth ‘snowflake’ style appliqué I apparently was so mesmerized from guiding the appliqué under the needle that I had no idea I was running out of thread.  Halfway through my last appliqué the top thread ran out.  Whoops, it is 5:00 PM.  The thread store is closed until tomorrow…assuming they still have this color in stock.  Here is what I have been working on:snowflake applique

I was told the buttonhole stitch works well on appliqué so I took that route.  I do like the tightness of the buttonhole stitch much better.  Once I got the hang of it, generally you can’t tell the edges are raw because they are completely hidden.  With a little more practice, I might not bother to learn the correct way to appliqué!  I used my point and shoot camera for these pics, which I need to stop using, so I am hoping you will use your imagination here.

snowflake 2 This is a little better angle.  I like the bit of motion in the middle.  So now I will put this quilt top aside for a bit until I locate more thread.  In the meantime, I need to think about the design I will use to free motion quilt this area of the quilt.

You might be happy to know that I am going to stop being so lazy with my photographs.  I will make myself use my DSLR.  Now, if I’m not in the mood to THINK and adjust the DSLR, I run to my point and shoot camera.  However, shortly I will be taking a two day DSLR camera class at a local art college so that I can more easily pick up the camera and start taking good photographs immediately.  Then I will artistically position my quilts and have a lovely history of my endeavors.  Well, that is the plan anyway.

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Cutting table

Posted on December 16, 2012 by quiltify

A funny thing happened on the way to the farm.  Well, actually, after we picked up our monthly winter share box from our CSA.  We were headed to Alfredo’s to buy some fresh lasagna pasta sheets, when we found ourselves in the wrong lane.  We were pointed to Ann’s Fabrics, where I originally thought I would go to check out the Christmas fabric discounts, but had decided against it.  All this was internal conversation unknown to B.  So as we were pointed that way anyway and because B is such a good guy, fabric shopping we went.  I only found one piece of Christmas fabric that I liked.  B found two fabrics that he brought to my attention, so I bought those as well.  I was done.

But then, there it was, and 40% off.  I have been cutting my fabric on a married harvest table; a mistake due to the married part. Always look a piece over at an auction.  Nonetheless, it has been regularly used through the years, one leaf to the wall!  I digress.  This harvest table stands on bed risers to make it the correct height for cutting, and the leaf shakes as my rotary blade crosses from the table to leaf.

I’ve been planning to eventually purchase a true cutting table, but wasn’t in the market for it now.  BUT, there it was, on sale.  A cutting table, which is the right height, folds away, rolls, has draws for storage, and has a large top.  So, having just received a Christmas bonus…I spent it on this!  Or almost this, mine is deluxe with draws and shelves, and double supports for each large leaf, but I can’t find it on the internet to show you.  As I have gotten over the thrill of lugging heavy furniture, I am having it delivered, so I can’t take a picture for you now.  I will when it arrives…after Christmas.  I am excited to have a sturdy work table at last!

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On my design wall (floor)

Posted on December 9, 2012 by quiltify

Here is the quilt top, mentioned in my last blog entry, in pieces on my design floor.  I’m not in the mood for symmetry, but I want balance…so I am not sure where to place  my snowflake appliqués. _MG_9108  This is a poor picture of the stars, washed out.  I will show you a close up of the material, but I want you to see the layout as it would be seen from the foot of a bed.  I also want a lot of negative space so I can practice a quilting design to stand on its own.  I am thinking of using the multicolor blue material in the border.  I do not want to overwhelm the yellow stars, so I want fewer appliqués than stars.  What do you think of the placement of the blue appliqué?  Where would you place the appliqués?

_MG_9112Here’s an angle that shows the stars a little better.

_MG_9113Here’s a close up.  The stars are already sewn into their rows, so I can’t move those around at this point.  So…where would you place the appliqués?  Would you have more? Fewer? Move them around?

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Snowflakes

Posted on December 6, 2012 by quiltify

I have been experimenting with appliqué for a quilt I’m working on.  My experiment is part paper snowflakes and part Hawaiian quilt.  I started with paper, made my diagram and cut.

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I moved on to the ugliest fabric that I have in my stash, and handled it in the same manner, as if it were a piece of paper.  I cut the same design. Image

Then I applied the ‘snowflake’ to another ugly material from my stash to make a raw edged appliqué.  I never appliquéd before so any suggestions are welcome.  Here’s the result.

Image

On the quilt top, for which I am experimenting, the appliqué will be blue on a white background.  The thread will be the blue of the appliqué so it will not show up like the prototype.  The quilt has stars and quite a bit of negative space, so I thought I’d experiment with my version of merging Hawaiian quilt technique (a loose definition of it) and  paper snowflakes.  Hopefully, I’ll be able to show you some of the quilt top in a few days.  Of course, I’d probably save myself a lot of time if I just watched some videos to learn how to appliqué, but that would be too easy…and not as much fun.  Suggestions?

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Quilts are Everywhere

Posted on December 2, 2012 by quiltify

ImageSo I thought I would not have any quilt related activity this weekend because we went to Stockbridge, MA for a Christmas Concert.  However, low and behold a log cabin quilt was draped across the bed in our room at the Inn.  Beyond that, look at the texture, color, pattern in this room!  

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The Embroidery War

Posted on November 27, 2012 by quiltify

I have been having a battle with the embroidery module to my Bernina 440 since the outset.  We have a love-hate relationship (my machines are alive) since I bought it.  You see, I don’t like to embroider.  It is too passive for me.  I like to sew and free motion quilt. I like to use some creativity, not just watch a machine work…when it works…  So I don’t use it very often, but I would like to be able to do some limited embroidery for labels, monograms and such.

The Bernina prefers to speak with Windows and I have a Mac.  So I have added Parallels and Windows to my Mac.  Still, sometimes Mac and Bernie give each other the silent treatment, as they did last Friday…for the entire day…  I almost resorted to buying an inexpensive laptop or netbook just to run my embroidery module, but that just added more questions regarding computer compatability requirements.  So I went back to the old plan and updated Parallels to match my Lion update, and it worked.  They were talking again.  I could finally get into ArtDesigns and set up a couple of patterns.  Then, of course, it took a bit to get Mac to really cosy up with Bernie, but finally it happened!

My mind tends to wander while Bernie is embroidering.  I get distracted, wander off and forget to listen to what Bernie is saying.  Inevitably, I hear the call for help too late.  The problem is sometimes too far gone for me to backtrack…although this practice helped me to figure out how to backtrack to the last decent stitch to avoid gaps and complete flops.  I thankfully had a project to complete for a friend, so that made me keep at this, figure it out.  Now next time perhaps it will be easier, and then the time after that, etc.  However, I would recommend to others to not buy a sewing machine that embroiders if they like embroidery, because it is a somewhat time consuming to add the module, computer, etc.  And a machine solely dedicated to embroidery would do a better and faster job, than the module.  AND you could sew while the machine was embroidering.  But…I think for labels and the odd piece of embroidery this module should be just fine…and that is why I have continue with the battles, and hope to win the war.

This is a sample of the project, one of 25.  Merry Christmas bandanas for ‘let’s go pets!’ four footed clients.    Again, an embroidery machine would be much faster!

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‘Studio’ organization…

Posted on November 24, 2012 by quiltify

Someday I will turn C’s bedroom in to a real studio.  In the meantime, I borrow her room when she’s out of the country.   Consequently, I need versatile sewing equipment.  Versatile as it needs to be removed, and versatile for sewing versus quilting.

This is my working set up. The tables behind the sewing machine hold the quilt when I am free motion quilting so the weight is off of the portion being quilted.  I have three Elfa tables on wheels so I can change the arrangement to suit the project.  When C. is returning, my sewing disappears into closets.  Until now, C. had no idea of the degree of my takeover. Here is a partial breakdown, so you can get the idea.  The sewing machine drops down and the wheeled cabinet folds up into itself.  The two tables have draws for storage and they easily wheel into closets.  The third, higher, wheeled Elfa table, holds my laptop as it is sometimes, if rarely, attached to my embroidery module.   And then there’s my fabric storage-plastic men’s shoe boxes, generally, easily hidden away with the foldable shelves.  So there it is, my ‘studio’.

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Tools

Posted on November 18, 2012 by quiltify

I bought a new foot for my machine this weekend…a #66 hemming foot.  Sometimes new tools really aggravate me.  I bought this foot as it was supposed to save me one step when hemming linens and things (sounds like a good name for a store).  It is supposed to curl the material under in one step and stitch, leaving no ends to fray.  I have no patience when a new tool does not automatically do what it is supposed to do…in other words needs some assistance from the operator.  However, as I know myself fairly well, I have put the foot aside until I have time to play with it and conquer it.  In the middle of a project is no time for me to try something new.  Does anyone else become frustrated easily with new tools?  While I have so much more sewing patience than in my youth, I still hit walls on occasion.  I’m sure when I don’t have a project that I want to finish, I will play with this foot, figure it out and love it.

It is a pretty odd looking foot.  The fabric is supposed to curl inside the center of the foot.  Someday perhaps…

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Longarm Rental

Posted on November 8, 2012 by quiltify

This is what I did on on Saturday morning.  I rented a longarm quilting machine to see if I would like to own one of these big babies.  This is my test quilt.  Originally, I made it with negative space so I could learn how to use my embroidery module on my sewing machine.  What I learned was that I don’t like embroidering by machine.  I like to be actively involved with my sewing, doing, not watching.   So my embroidery will be limited to labels for my quilts, some monograms, that type of thing.  I have moved on to longarm quilting machines.

This is an APQS Millennium, a really nice machine, but it does not fit the budget that I have planned.  It also has more bells and whistles than I need…in the form of buttons…too many buttons. Nonetheless, it is a wonderful machine and I am having fun with it.  This quilting project has no planned design nor is it expected to look nice.  I am just working on getting the feel of the machine…just drawing, doodling, and stippling.  Oddly enough, it’s still looking pretty good, from a distance, when it is off the machine.  Most important, I love quilting on a longarm as much as I love quilting on my sewing machine.  I wasn’t sure I would like it because the process is different.  As you know, with the sewing machine you move the material and with the longarm you move the machine.

Here I was trying to create a grape type image with a contrasting background; ie, circles versus lines.  I think I was pretty successful for the first attempt.  I also attempted depicting motion, but I don’t think I was successful at all, hence no photograph.  What did work really well were some square classical motifs, but again no photograph.  I only had my point and shoot camera with me on Saturday so I apologize for the poor quality of photographs.  I don’t have any idea why the colors on the picture above are so far off the true blue, red and purple of the quilt.

Here’s one more look at this fun machine.  This Millennium is on a 12 foot table.  While I can fit a 12 foot table in the room I’ve chosen for my ‘studio’–I say that loosely and with a smirk on my lips–I am leaning toward a 10 foot table, as I would still be able to work on queen size quilts easily, and possibly king size quilts if I quilted the borders separately, and yet it would fit more easily into the room, allowing ample space for the other parts of quiltmaking.Do I go for the larger table?  Would a less expensive but well built machine, like an APQS Lucey or a Nolting be a good choice?  Or is local service more important than the machine?  If so I might consider a Baby Lock Crown Jewel.   This machine needs to last me for 30 years so it is a big decision.

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More Bandanas

Posted on November 4, 2012 by quiltify

A friend in the pet business asked if I would make holiday bandanas for her clients.  Clothes and quilts are my standard fare, so I would have to figure this out.  Now, you say, ‘a bandana is a hemmed square, how simple’.  Well, yes, but…  To make this a reasonable project, it has to be done quickly, but also well.  The problem for me: the hem.  I hem by hand, just now getting into machine sewn binding on quilts, which are not yet lovely by any means, just sturdy.  I had to figure out how to hem by machine, quickly and neatly.  I had to be able to turn the material over by hand while stitching and leaving no ends to fray.  While the customers are dogs, they like to look their best.  Refer back to Miss Lily for proof of that.  I needed some practice and a prototype.

To do this,  use a blindstitch foot,  the number 5 for a Bernina 440, and set the length of the stitch at 2.4 mm.  Turn the first hem at the center of the foot with just enough fabric to meet the left edge of the foot.  Set the needle at the second from the left position. Make sure you have the correct stitch plate on your machine to move the needle sideways.  Stitch and keep turning as you sew all the way around.  At the corners you need to be careful as you are folding in two directions.

When you are half an inch from the first corner of the already turned material, turn the material again, move your needle to the furthest left position, and repeat.

The second set of stitches should stitch on top of the first set, and the raw edges are sealed in the interior of the hem.

Here is the prototype.  The lovely model is Brooke.

Disregard the direction of the pattern as that will be addressed on the actual product.  The time from cut to completion: 20 minutes.  Take away my pondering and I think they will take 15 minutes each.

HOWEVER, I am embroidering their names.  My embroidery module is not my friend…yet.  That will be another story…

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