Category Archives: General Quilting

En Provence Mystery Step 2

In the midst of piecing several other projects, I got 100 v-block units put together and pressed for Step 2 of the En Provence mystery! Then I realized that I wasn’t planning on making the full size quilt, so I’ve overmade blocks. Oh well - I suppose i can always make the size quilt I want and then throw the leftovers into another project.

My colors are a little different; rather than magenta I’m using a pinkish/coral color.

Check out some of the other Step 2 results in Bonnie’s linky!

HtbaS - Episode 279

The Stitch – Episode 110 Audio Only

This month, Pam and Lynn talk about how to cheat at quilting, taking online classes, and class etiquette.

This is the audio-only version of the video on YouTube. See show notes, photos, and more available on The Stitch TV Show page!

NOTE: This audio-only version of The Stitch is replacing my usual weekly HtbaS podcast; I’ll be back solo next week for the usual geeky fare!

Play

Sunday Stash - Favorite Things

This week I finished a birthday present and a commission project for a catheter bag cover. Lots of other sewing happened with catching up on the Favorite Thing BOM blocks and finishing a king sized quilt top. I’m torn on quilting it though- I know how I want it quilted but don’t think I have the longarm skill to do it, and it’s too big for my home machine, I think.

Perhaps I’ll bite the bullet and do it at home anyway.

  • Used this Week: 1.5 yard
    • 0.75 yd for wreath
    • 0.75 for catheter bag
  • Used Year to Date: 93.5 yards
  • Added this Week: 3 yard
    • 3 yd for Sparkling Gems finishing kit
  • Net Used YTD: 40.75 yards
  • YTD Used for Charity: 41.25 yards (45% of total used)

See more stash reports at Patchwork Times!

HtbaS - Episode 263

It’s the no backsies podcast! Context provided within the podcast.  This week I talk about 10 minutes up front on Cat Chat (Nina had surgery on Wednesday, but she’s fine), then some guild show and raffle quilt talk, and then finally the dirt on what I got at the Super Bolt sale last weekend.

Books reviewed in order of preference this week:

Play

HtbaS - Episode 259

This week I talk about what’s coming up in the next few months for me (and how collaboration is forcing me out of my quilting rut), working on the Bonnie Hunter Allietare mystery, doubting choices you make in quilting, and why I shouldn’t binge watch some TV shows.

Here’s the tutorial for the hexagon caddy from this picture of Nina and my Allietare blocks.

Play

Every Comment on Every Quilt Blog Ever

Every Comment on Every Quilt Blog EVERI was inspired by The Toast’s post on recipe blogs and my own experience. You’re welcome, CoralQuilts!

  1. Did you make that yourself?
  2. Is that modern?
  3. I don’t want to spend the money on the book you used for the pattern. Could you write up a tutorial on that?
  4. OMG how do you finish so many quilts? I never have time to sew, so I’m curious how other people get so much done.
  5. Didn’t (famous quilt blogger) already make this?
  6. Would you sell that to me? I can PayPal you $50! (ed. note: obviously from a non-quilter!)
  7. I tried this pattern, but all my blocks came out to 11 7/8″ instead of 12 1/2″, except for the one I did on my mom’s machine which came out to 13″, so I think the pattern is wrong.
  8. Did you label it?
  9. I’ve never heard of a half-square triangle. Did you invent that?
  10. I just started a fabric diet, so I’m hoping you can tell me how to make it this bed quilt with 3 fat quarters and half a jelly roll. Do I really need the background fabric?
  11. I only work in orange.  Could you re-write the pattern and tell me what Kona colors I should buy?
  12. I made this pattern, too, but swapped out the values and made my stars wonky and eliminated the sashing and used burlap for the binding.  The quilt isn’t very attractive, so I don’t recommend the pattern.
  13. Could you show me a picture of your cut pieces? I’m not sure I got the count right.
  14. What does the back look like? I made the top, but the pattern didn’t include instructions for the back and I’m out of fabric, so I guess I can’t finish the quilt.
  15. I only use 110% organic certified batting made from the dreams of baby llamas.  There’s only 1 yard produced per year, so I don’t think I can make this quilt.
  16. Did you press your seams open? I think if you press the seams open, it releases the quilt chakras too quickly and it disintegrates within 3 washings.
  17. I can’t believe you pressed your seams to one side. That totally creates bumps and disrupts the quilt chakras.
  18. I hope you pre-washed your fabric.  The sizing causes cancer.
  19. Where do you buy your fabric? You must be rich to have such a fabric museum in your house!
  20. I ran out of background fabric partway through so I substituted another fabric and my quilt looks a little jacked up. What would you recommend?
  21. Could you post instructions for making this a crib quilt?
  22. Could you post instructions for making this a lap quilt?
  23. Could you post instructions for making this a twin quilt?
  24. Could you post instructions for making this a full-sized bed quilt?
  25. Could you post instructions for making this a queen-sized bed quilt?
  26. Could you post instructions for making this a king-sized bed quilt?
  27. Could you tell me how you basted it? I tried using Nice McQuilter’s method, but instead of 1″x3″ boards, I had to use twigs I found in my yard.  I also didn’t have basting thread so I used some twine from the kitchen we use at Thanksgiving to truss the turkey. I wouldn’t recommend that basting method.
  28. How long did it take you to make it? Three days?
  29. Spray basting causes cancer and shreds the hopes of small children.
  30. I had a bad experience on a road trip through Ohio, so I can’t make any Ohio stars for any quilts. I wouldn’t recommend this pattern.
  31. Oh, it’s too bad your fabric isn’t the same as the picture in the pattern. I guess you could donate it to charity.
  32. The pattern says the border needs to be 64″ long, but I don’t have a ruler that measures 64″ so I couldn’t finish the quilt.  Where did you find a 64″ ruler?
  33. I tried to cut the pieces for this pattern, but my rotary cutter kept leaving little bits of fabric connected when I cut them. I don’t think this pattern is very good.
  34. I only had a size 70 needle to quilt this and my machine kept skipping stitches. The pattern writer should have told us this would happen.
  35. Could you make me one?

Edited: I’m closing comments on this because instead of being a fun banter, there are starting to be some blocks in a bunch over hurt feelings and general unloading on unsuspecting targets.

WIP Wednesday - On Time and Under Budget

Oh, hey, finally got a WIP Wednesday post up on Wednesday! And actual progress to report, too!

The #LDSI Labor Day Sew In was pretty productive for me.  I got two quilts bound, a top pieced, made a new purse, put finishing touches on some luggage tags, and made the top for my official Panel Challenge piece for the Atlanta Modern Quilters Guild.

This is the (unpressed) panel I’m starting with.  It’s very tempting to just add a border to it as it and quilt it, but I was thinking through where I’d like to put it. I didn’t have a spot in my house just calling for this quilt to be hung on a wall, so I went another way.

A way that involved a lot of geometry and angles and bias edges.

Anywho, the top got pieced (after much swearing and sighing) and sandwiched and I started quilting it last night. I’m doing custom quilting on it and using a number of different thread colors to match.  Here’s a close-up of some of the quilting in one of the sunflower centers.

Autumn Serenity - Quilting Detail

Painting for Illusion with Esterita Austin

I had the privilege of taking a class from Esterita Austin today through the East Cobb Quilters Guild on “Painting for Illusion”;  I wanted to take it because my art quilting skills could use a little improvement; wait, that’s a lie. They could actually use a LOT of improvement, and I’ve always wanted to paint better.

Esterita is an excellent teacher and I would definitely recommend taking a class from her if you get the chance; she is entertaining and charming and very knowledgeable about techniques and theory behind design and painting on fabric. Also, she invented MistyFuse, so she’s smart, too.

Anywho, our class project was a still life of three pots, which were fussy cut from her hand dyed fabric.  The goal was to have light value on the left and dark value on the right to mimic a light source somewhere on the left.  Here’s a picture of my piece after fusing, but before painting:

UntitledWe then worked on painting using some ProChem paints Esterita provided and learned about blending, tints, shading, and all sorts of Fancy stuff. And voila!

Painted Pots - After Painting

 

I’m happiest with the pot in the middle - the leftmost one is still a little jacked up.  On the rightmost one with the handle, I’m happy with the painting I did on the lid to give it definition.  Esterita was impressed the skinny dark line was done with paint and not a Sharpie marker.  A+ for skinny line drawing!

I’m done with the painting, but I’m not sure if I’ll quilt it.  The colors are not something I’d normally decorate with, but if I do quilt it, it would be with some sort of humorous background to depict the psychedelic nature of the color palette of the pots. And possibly play off the word “pot”, if you catch my meeting.

HtbaS - Episode 185

A jam-packed episode with feelings, cooking, books, and charitable sewing!

Play