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14 Jun 2012

A Million Questions

There are a million questions I had when I started quilting.  Some of the information needed was readily available, other info… not so much.  I still do not consider myself anything beyond a beginning quilter and find a VERY happy place there.  I’m still in the honeymoon stage of being delighted and frustrated over the simplest things at times.

While I was working on a quilt top two nights ago, my wife walked in on me staring at the two halves of my quilt top.  She asked what was wrong when she saw me staring.  The quilt top was one that you have to assemble diagonally and I was trying to figure out which side needed the piece of fabric that I had left.  Unlike some projects, having a piece left over when you know you’ve cut the exact number does NOT work in quilting.

This brought me to realize how many question I still have and how many I have had that I was lucky enough to find or be given answers.  Some of the questions I was faced with involved personal choice:

What scissors should I use?

How large of a cutting mat do I need

Which fabric brand do I buy?

Where is the best place to buy this stuff?

This evolved into more questions:

When using a rotary cutter should I try to stay straight, or cut at a slight angle?

Should I pre-wash my fabric?

How do I get the points to look good in this pattern?

No matter where I looked people seemed to avoid answering questions where personal preference was concerned.  My take on it is that if someone has asked, give them your personal opinion but do not be broken-hearted if they end up going a different way.  I had just wanted a place to start from.

I’m sure at any stage we all have questions that need answers.  Some of these answers we get from a book or a magazine, some we seek from our fellow quilters/mentors, others we plunge into headfirst and after our 20th redo, find the answer ourselves.  Wherever your answers come from, just remember that all of us at one time or another has had the same questions.  Don’t be afraid to ask the questions… and support those that are new and try to help with the answers.

If you are looking for answers, post comments, go to quilt shows, read magazines, examine other quilts, get involved in a quilt swap.  There are so many outlets for you to find out those burning questions.  Until next time, keep quilting…

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11 Jun 2012
1 Comment

Free Persian Plum Block 7 Give-A-Way

Believe it or not I happen to have an extra Joann Fabrics Persian Plum block 7 that I am going to send to some lucky bistroquilts.com follower.

How to Enter:

1. [Required] Leave a comment on this post. What would you do with your Persian Plum Block 7?

2. [Required] Be a follower of this blog.  It only takes a moment to click the follow button.

2. {optional} Like BistroQuilts.com, and then leave a separate comment letting me know you did {or that you do already}.

If you are reading this in your email or feed reader, please visit the actual blog post to enter. Email entries, Facebook comments, and Twitter messages will NOT be counted.

Prizes:


At the end of the week on 6/16/12 I will randomly select a lucky recipient to send this prize to.  This is not restricted to the U.S., I will send anywhere in the world.

Posted in Giveaway and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
11 Jun 2012

Five quilts in nine days… well almost

It was ridiculous of me to think I could have finished everything, I mean five quilts in nine days?  I was on a mission to be sure and ready to take up the challenge.  To be fair, two of the quilts (Arbor Lane and the School House) were in their final stages of completion and since have been taken to my long arm quilter along with one of the Sage Garden Patch quilts I made here.  So, in a way  that doesn’t make it sound like I’m cheating, I finished off the assembly of two quilt tops, put two entirely new quilts together and have one nearly across the finish line.

“I kept complaining that although I have made a few quilts, I really hadn’t kept any for myself.”  

Just in case you were wondering and hadn’t read any of my previous posts, I have been suffering from separation anxiety regarding the quilts I’ve made. It might have something to do with the fact that every time one of the children stops in for a visit, I end up one quilt lighter . Three out of seven children have a quilt made by me or by my wife and me. We’ve come to the conclusion that we should just make one for each and call it done. This means of course, we still have four other quilts to make and give away which is tough to do when you want to stock pile quilts for your own personal use and enjoyment. Trying to complete five quilts in so short amount of time isn’t anything that I’ve done before.  I have to say that nine days ago when I started this I wouldn’t have believed I would have accomplished this much.

My vacation is over and I am back to work again. I will most likely finish the fifth and final quilt tonight as I have already started to sew the strips together.  To be honest, three of the quilts are of the same pattern, with only varied fabric selections to make them look different.  I chose to make a few for its beautiful, yet simplistic style and each quilt only calls for three colors. Having  never assembled a quilt the way this one goes together, I also wanted ample practice getting those points together with minimal space between or losing them to the border.  All three turned out far better than my expectations!!

So, what are you making?  What goals have you set for yourself this summer?

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08 Jun 2012
1 Comment

Sage Garden Patch Quilt or Two day quilt

As a teaser for the book, I’m posting some pictures of a quilt from a book Quilting a Patchwork Garden that I did a review of.  I completed this quilt in two days, although it could have been done in one day.  I changed up the borders from what the book called for because I wanted it to be a little larger and liked the added flair as well.

Outside block

The block above is as hard as this quilt will throw at you.  It is important however that you pin all the panels when sewing them together!!  When I was telling my wife about this quilt and sending pictures to her as it was coming together

She thought it was really nice and had a clean look to it.  In my earlier post of the review for this book I mentioned that it had a garden theme, and as the first quilt you come to in the book the Sage Garden patch quilt didn’t disappoint.

And this is the point when I decided to change-up the borders and add my own bit of flair.

And not satisfied with just a white border on the outside, I added a green square to all four corners.

In closing I’ll say that it was a blast to put this together.  The funnest part was when my wife came home to see this sitting on the couch and said “WOW!  We need to go to the fabric store so I make this quilt this weekend.”  The pictures that I took do not do this quilt justice.  If you’re looking for a beautiful quilt to make for a loved one or friend that won’t take forever, then this pattern is for you.

For the serious quilting I will mention two facts that we had discussed while I was making this.  This can easily be pieced together in one day.  Kay had asked me if I was working on it all in one sitting for both days and I have to confess that I goofed off for a large portion of  both days, rather than keeping at it.  Second, there is some minor changes in a couple of the measurements that I would suggest.

It is already at the long arm quilter (trying someone new) and I’ll post another picture after its bound, but before it goes off to its lucky new owner.

Contact me if you are making this and would like to hear about the changes I would suggest.  Until next time…  quilt on!!

Posted in Books, Daily, Reviews and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , ,
06 Jun 2012
5 Comments

Joann Fabric’s Persian Plum Block 3

I’ve just completed block 3 from Joann’s Persian Plum which is called the “Quartered Star”.  This was a little more difficult than the previous two, made more so by the fact that I put three pieced together that didn’t belong.  Isn’t seam ripping fun???

The block is beautiful when finished and I’m very excited to put all of these together to see what the whole quilt will look like.  Here are some pictures of the block going together.

Here is the finished block

Posted in Block of the Month, Daily, Reviews and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
05 Jun 2012

Flannel

The first quits I ever made were flannel quilts.  Probably because the first quilt I ever remember having was one from my Aunt Clara and it was a patchwork flannel.  There wasn’t anything fancy about it, the pattern was blocks arranged haphazardly on the quilt top.  The underside was made from one piece of fabric with warm autumn colors throughout.  I don’t recall now if there was the possibility of batting between the top and bottom, but it already felt heavy enough.

I remember the weight of the quilt anchoring me down on those cold winter nights and in the spring when the rain would come and we’d tunnel into our quilt every time the lightning lit up the night sky.  When it got real bad we’d be called into the front room with our quilts in tow for a cup of hot chocolate to calm our nerves.

When my wife and I were discussing which quilts we were going to be keeping and which ones to send off to family members we realized something…  We currently have a springtime quilt and Kay is finishing a Summer one.  I’ve just completed an Autumn quilt which just leaves a Winter quilt to complete the set.  Much to my wife’s chagrin, I suggested that since I was the one to make it, that I would make our Winter’s quilt out of flannel.  She complains if the weight of our covers isn’t enough and I figured that having a flannel top and bottom with a warm and natural cotton batting in the middle would do the trick.  She was a little put off by this because it would be the only flannel quilt in the set.  I’m also worried that my long-arm quilt person will freak out with the thickness she’ll have to quilt through.

I’d love to hear you opinion on flannel quilts… where do you stand?

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04 Jun 2012
2 Comments

Finished with the Appliqué

Ready for the quilterI was under the impression that I would have finished with the appliqué on the Arbor Lane BOTM quilt and moved on to the double quilt I’m making.  Alas, I spent the entire weekend finishing up with the center block and the four side panels.  Then I spent most of today sewing the rest together instead of posting.  The good news is the quilt top has been assembled and I went out this weekend for Joann Fabrics sale and bought the backing for it.  Now it will be sent off to Candy who performs miracles with her long-arm machine.

Today, I get to start the double quilt.  No, there isn’t such a thing in reality, I just call it a double quilt because I’ll be making two quilts with minor variations for two different people.

Finally I’m able to show the quilt top for the Arbor Lane.  A skeptical decision regarding the backing fabric turned out to be a fantastic decision.  I really love how this quilt turned out.  I will be taking it and the schoolhouse quilt for some long arm quilting and I’ll post the pics after it’s finished.

Posted in Block of the Month, Daily, Reviews and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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!

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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 , , , , , , , , , ,
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 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

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