Books quilts and sewing

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02 Jun 2012

My Struggle with Appliques

Applique sewn on with Husqvarna Viking Sapphire

Eating carrots as a child was always a chore at the dinner table. My parents knew they were good for me and would not injure me as I thought they would. Likewise, although quilts can contain any number of different techniques from paper piecing to string art, one of the most popular remains that of the applique.

I set my sights a couple of times on trying this out and it has been a disaster, my technique is horrid. I am okay (read not thrilled) with mistakes in the quilts that I make. But there comes a point in time where giving up on a technique seems really compelling. Luckily for me, unluckily for my wife, I’m stubborn. I will ruin 20 pieces just to become adequate at its creation.

Why would my wife become unlucky? Because I will plead and beg her to stop her projects to work with me on mine, asking her questions nonstop, and criticizing our work until I’m satisfied with the result. She is a real trooper but has politely suggested that I join a quilting guild so I can learn more.

My confession… is that everything I do has been self-taught through trial and error, although at times (many times) I have come across wonderful people who’ve shared their videos of how to’s on the web. (Thank you from the bottom of my heart!!) I know I should be trying to work with more experienced quilters, but it’s difficult while working a full-time job. That doesn’t even mention that I’m a guy and a lot of experienced quilters in my area are women… married women whose husbands probably wouldn’t understand why their wives were spending time quilting with another man!!

Kay and I do go to quilting events when they’re in town and plan on going to the quilt show in Houston this October. that is normally where I am able to connect with other quilters and ask the questions that are giving me fits.

Until then, I would love comments from anyone out there on the best way to do appliques on quilts. I’ve seen them with a satin stitch, a zig-zag, and have seen them done by hand. But would love to know what your favorite way is…

Until then thank you for all your support and keep sending the comments!

Posted in Block of the Month, Daily and tagged applique, block of the month, blogging, crafts, Fabric, joann, Joann Fabrics, learning, quilt, Quilting, Quilts, Review, Sew, sewing, Viking | Leave a comment

01 Jun 2012

3 Comments

Works of Art a.k.a. Labours of Love

I love piecing together a quilt it’s my favorite part of the quilting process. Designing is fun and I love binding the quilt, but watching the top coming together is the most rewarding to me. I feel a sense of accomplishment when I’ve laid the top onto the bed and think about what it will look like fully quilted.

Kay and I will interrupt each others work to show our progress and chide each other with “have you taken a picture of it yet?”. This came about because while quilting at one point I was nearing completion of a quilt without having taken a single photo of it yet. There would be no way to know how it had gone together or what it had looked like while it was still in process. We both had wanted to document the process long before we started writing about it. The main reason though was to share this process with our children.

We’ve been together for 16 years and have seven children between us. Yes, I said seven… though all of them are out of the house and in different states, we’re lucky enough to have frequent visits. We thought at some point a few of the children might wonder how these fantastic quilts that made it into their hands had manage to come together. This inevitably led to writing about the highs and lows, successes and challenges of making a quilt.

At times we become frustrated trying out something new and having to undo it for the third time. Having those photos from the past showing where we started and how far we’ve come have really helped us stretch our ability and has driven us to try harder. Using advanced techniques makes for a more challenging quilt to be sure, but it allows us to grow in our abilities while making more elaborate works. Don’t get me wrong, there are times when putting together something less intense feels just as rewarding. I think it’s the sense of accomplishment of having completed a work of art, which is how I view all quilts… works of art. There is no machine that does all the work, just a person or three and a lot of hard work.

Which part of the quilting/crafting process is your favorite?

Posted in Daily and tagged beginner, blogging, crafts, Fabric, learning, project, quilt, Quilting, Quilts, Sew, sewing

31 May 2012

4 Comments

UFO’s and how to complete your least engaging projects

So many times I plan on doing a project and get caught up doing something else, like a site I read that had the same subject “buriedinscraps.wordpress.com. So this evening I was looking at some of my unfinished projects and knew that I needed to get a move on to finish some. I decided to start with my old block of the month project from Joann Fabrics Arbor Lane.

Has anyone else out there worked on a project and as it was coming together felt their stomach drop through the floor? As soon as I started I realized that the measurements were all wrong. I was texting my wife and letting her know how disappointed I was in this, but that I was persevering in the face of adversity!!

“I AM going to complete this quilt” I keep telling myself, all the while thinking about the quilt I really want to be making. It’s not turning out horrible, but some of the blocks do NOT match up.

What do you do when things go wrong with your projects? This UFO isn’t complete yet, but by the end of this weekend it will be. I think the best way to complete these unfinished project is the same way you do anything else that’s overwhelming like eating an elephant… one bite at a time. After all, it really isn’t the rabbit that wins the race, it’s the turtle. Steady and with perseverance, at least that’s my .02 worth.

So as far as ease-ability of putting the Arbor Lane quilt from Joann Fabrics together?? 2 out of 5 stars. We’ll revisit once we’re completely done.

Posted in Block of the Month, Daily, Reviews and tagged Arbor Lane, beginner, block of the month, blogging, crafts, Fabric, joann, Joann Fabrics, learning, project, quilt, Quilting, Quilts, Review, Sapphire, Sew, sewing, Sewing machine, Viking

30 May 2012

7 Comments

Persian Plum Block 2

This is the second block in the series for Joann Fabrics Block of the Month “Persian Plum”. This block was a little more technical and has you sewing triangles together prior to joining the halves to form a square.

While not impossible to get the tips perfectly lined up, I would suggest pinning for best effect.

At the end of the first round of sewing you should end up with eight half squares.

Joining these together forms your four multicolored squares.

The finished square is well designed and I’ll say once again a beautiful set of colors. Look me up in another week where I’ll be putting block three together.

Posted in Block of the Month, Daily, Reviews and tagged beginner, block of the month, Fabric, joann, Joann Fabrics, learning, project, quilt, Quilting, Quilts, Review, Sew, sewing, Sewing machine, Viking

29 May 2012

On Coffee, Rain, and Spring

Four days of work left until my week off and I’m eagerly anticipating the projects I’ll be working on. It’s very late in the Central time zone as I write this and all I can think about right now is having a delicious cup of coffee and working the binding for a quilt while listening to the storm rage around me outside. It’s at times like these when I know I should be asleep to rest up for the day ahead, that I enjoy life the most.

I’m not a caffeine addict, but thoroughly enjoy a great cup of coffee while I’m working or just relaxing. At 10PM however, I know that my sleep will be affected. But tonight… the rain is coming down in sheets, my beautiful wife is working on a new quilt, and I can understand that the rain is telling me that spring is nearing its end. I pause to enjoy some of life’s most beautiful moments and as midnight rolls around know that some of the happiest times for my me were while drinking coffee with our children out in the rain as it poured down in the spring here in Texas.

Posted in Daily and tagged coffee, Quilting, rain, spring | Leave a comment

28 May 2012

1 Comment

Book Review Quilting a Patchwork Garden

Product Details One of the books that I recently received was Quilting a Patchwork Garden. As I found time to open it up and review its pages, I came across the first quilt Sage Garden Patch. Wonderfully inspired I would highly recommend this pattern for a beautiful and easy project that will win over a beginner or an advanced quilter.

But quilt aren’t the only thing this book has instructions for, pillows, table runners, wall hangings, napkins, and more. The last 17 pages of this book have helpful hints and suggestions, it even has quilting designs. I recommend this book with 4 out of 5 stars.

Quilting a Patchwork Garden

Posted in Books, Reviews and tagged amazon, beginner, crafts, learning, project, quilt, Quilting, Quilts, Review, sewing

28 May 2012

3 Comments

Move Day… Continuing…

The closet didn’t deserve pictures as it was chock-a-block full of camping gear and Christmas gear.

We spent our entire Saturday with the movers and rearranging the furniture. By the end of the day I could barely stand up straight anymore. The walls are still more-or-less bare, but the room now has a television/game systems, book shelf for quilt and other types of books, filing cabinet for patterns, and organizing unit for quick access to fabric squares.

The closet has been completely reworked to include all the fabric bins and craft bins, plus some of our quilts. We brought our old dining table in to continue to use as a surface to sew on until our new sewing tables arrive. here’s a look at some of the transformation.

Posted in Daily and tagged beginner, crafts, Fabric, learning, moving, project, quilt, Quilting

28 May 2012

Daughter is leaving

As you may know my daughter has been on vacation and staying with us for the past three weeks. Her quilt top is still almost finished, her panels are sewn together and she’ll be taking it with her back to Kansas to finish it. We tried to find the border fabric she had selected but will end up buying it online.

I’m sad to see her go, but proud that she was able to accomplish so much for her first time quilting in-between relaxing and spending time with her parents. We sent her off with a cutting mat, rotary cutter, fabric scissors, and some new fabric. I hope this will spur her on to take her sewing machine out of the box and finish up her quilt. Maybe she’ll even want to start another afterwards.

Posted in Daily and tagged beginner, crafts, daughter, Fabric, learning, Quilting, Quilts, Sew, sewing | Leave a comment

26 May 2012

Move Day 1

Well… the movers didn’t show up yesterday which would normally be a bad thing, however I ended up working late anyway on a project that was supposed to take one hour (read noon until 1pm). The movers called and said they were delayed at another site and wouldn’t be able to make it until tomorrow (which would be today) and it actually worked out well since I would be at work until almost 7pm!!

My wife had done all the preliminary work of getting the storage facility to clear out the house and boxed everything up that would be going to the storage facility. She even with our daughters help, made a trip to storage after loading both cars up.

I stopped off on the way home and brought dinner which we ate and then relaxed. So, no work was done last night but I’ll be posting pics tonight or tomorrow of the before and after. Speaking of pictures… Here is one of the completed quilt top for my Amish Quilt!! I’m so excited to be quilting this one myself…

Posted in Daily and tagged Amish, beginner, Fabric, learning, project, quilt, Quilting, Quilts, Schoolhouse, Sew, sewing | Leave a comment

25 May 2012

2 Comments

Time to move the sewing out of the dining room

We have decided to get rid of the guest bedroom and furniture in favor of a sewing room/media room. I’m not looking forward to the move, as I don’t look forward to a move of any kind. I am excited about the result however. We are replacing our sofas and dining set with a nicer one. This means we’ll be moving the old table into the guest bedroom until we can replace it with a sewing table for two.

It’s musical furniture this memorial day weekend, I’ll try to post some pics for the new sewing room once we’re done.

Posted in Daily, Uncategorized and tagged moving, Quilting, Quilts, room, Sew, sewing