Fabric Tuesday Wow

I've been working on quilting 20 squares in a 72 x 90 quilt for my daughter in law since January.  Participating in the 2012 FMQ Challenge and the FMQ Project has given me the patterns to use in the square.  Well, DDIL's birthday has come around and I finished it , handed it off to my Mom, she bound it and we gave it to her last Sunday.  This is the biggest quilt I've quilted on my domestic sewing machine.

Close-up of quilted squares

Thank you Leah Day, Becky Goldsmith and others for the inspiration to try this.
I'm linking to the FMQ Project, the 2012 FMQ Challenge, Connie's FreeMotionby the River, and Esther's WOW. Go see all the goodies there.

Not Sure Where this is Going, or If?

I'm behind on my UFO challenge now by 3 quilts!  And what do I do - start another charity quilt.  What was I thinking to start a new project??  But these are some fabrics given to me for St. Anne's baby quilts. Seem more suitable for a toddler.  So what kind of border, I'm wondering - it will only measure 27 x 33.  Solid green?  Same green leaf fabric if there's enough? Clueless.

And that's my fabric story for this tuesday.  Go to my sidebar to see what more "planned projects" others have at Fabric Tuesday at Quilt Story  and Linky Party Tuesday.  My co-madre (Sean's mother) broke her arm again(!) and this time needs surgery, so I've got Alan all day to help out Sean and Em during this emergency.  Off to get ready.

Fabric Tuesday/Wip Wednesday

Yesterday was a fun day.  I got to spend 4 1/2 hours with my friend, Bette, doing a workshop at her house! We were working on a Karen Eckmeier's Accidental Landscapes project.  Bette is ahead of me by two projects and is working on her third, so she was able to guide me as to what I was doing.  She's a great teacher. Here's what my book looks like.  

So I started on the practice piece Karen recommends one do before starting on a project.  Here's what fabrics I picked to start with:

 This took a loooooooooooong time to decide what to include. Phew - it took us all the way to lunch time.  Then one has to decide what silhouette your going to use for each piece.  Since this was my first attempt - that took a long time, too, So I decided to generally follow what Karen had done in her practice piece.  I found that amazingly the landscape shapes will be pretty much determined by that first cut. 

Who would have known?

So after much dithering and checking values with a red disk, here's what we came up with:

Mind you this is just laid down right now on a design board.  And I'm thinking the lake has to be smaller so that the mountains don't seem to be floating. Aye de mi!  Off to dither some more.

Since I was tied up most of the day yesterday, I'm posting this as a fabric Tuesday, Linky Tuesday, and a new WIP post today. Go on over to my sidebar and visit those blogs to see what others are up to.

Fabric Story - FMQ Challenge

I'm participating in Leah Day's FMQ Project.  This week I was to quilt a whole cloth to practice traveling.  I wasn't at first quite sure how this was FMQ, but Leah explained why traveling is one of the skills a free motion quilter needs to know.  So here's what I did.  Leah wanted us to practice on a whole cloth block, but I didn't want to start a new project.  Instead I pulled out my DDIL's quilt that I am slowly quilting for her and made the quilting pattern Leah provided as the pattern for one of the blocks.  This is a big quilt - there are 20 blocks and they measure 15" square.  I had to modify the pattern to fit.  I did this by taking off the outer side of the feathers.  My other problem was how to mark the pattern.  I couldn't put it up to a window and trace it as this quilt is sandwiched.  I decided to use freezer paper as I did for my UFO - see last tuesday's post.  Here's how it went.  I assembled the pattern from Leah's pdf.  I then traced it onto a piece of freezer paper where I would have a nice edge around the pattern.  Then I found the center of the block and marked the center of the fabric.  Before I ironed it to the square, I cut out the center and the inner hearts.  I then ironed the pattern onto the top of the block and followed Lean's suggestions for quilting the center.  I chose to break the threads between the small hearts.  Here is the center done.  I then loosened the pattern around the hearts and cut out the dead space between the intersecting square.  Picture 1

Following Leah's suggestions for how to travel around these, I then moved onto the feathers - again cutting out the dead space and cutting around the feathers down to the spine but not along the spine. In the photo you can see what it looked like - all frilly. I then reironed it flat and proceeded to do the feathers.

Once the feathers were done, I cut off all of those pieces and got ready to do the first outer line.  It wasn't as easy as Leah showed us because I could not turn that huge quilt as easily in all directions, but slowly it got done.  Then did the same for the outmost line of the spine.   

I then cut out the inner hearts from the larger hearts in the corner and reironed them back onto the quilt - I had labeled them to get them back to where they were.


 

And here is my finished quilting using Leah's pattern.  I'm glad I thought of cutting the pattern up as I went (of course leaving a little bit attached so the integrity of the pattern would remain), and the margin of the freezer paper helped to keep the pattern in place.  The paper was a cinch to remove. 

I'm linking to Leah's FMQ Project, Connie's Linky Tuesday Party, Fabric Tuesday by Quilt Story and Esther's WIP Wednesday.  You'll find the buttons on the sidebar.  Do visit them to see how others are doing and their wonderful eye candy.



1st 2012 UFO Done!

My January UFO as part of Judy's UFO Challenge is done.  LOL - I know, it isn't Jan any more. This just took longer than I expected.  Here it is where I left off in 2011:
I was making this QAYG, so I had to add the borders one by one to get the pattern I wanted on the back.

Em chose Thimbleberries fabric for this one.  I should mention she made eleven of the blocks and I made one.  She had all the fabric needed to finish it off.

Here it is at last finished:

and the back:

I did get it done on time to show at guild.  We're having a UFO challenge there also.

I'm linking to Fabic Tuesday by Quilt Story and Linky Party Tuesdays and the 2012 UFO Challenge. Go on over and see some beautiful eye candy.  You'll find the buttons for them on my sidebar.

Fabric Tuesday 1/31/12

Progress is being made on my UFO, but it will be in February before I'm done.  It's been good to practice my FMQ on.  Here's one block - you can see I practiced Leah's edit of sewing straight lines and stippling.  If you click on the photo you can see an enlargment.  I'm using a 70/10 sharp needle, 100 wt Wonderfil Invisifil, my feed dogs up with my stitch length set to zero.

And here is a photo with a closer look:

Go to my sidebar and click on Leah's FMQ project and Quilt Story's Fabric Tuesday.  Happy stippling or straight line stitching!

Fabric Tuesday - First P&B BOM block Done

Now I can take it slow with this block out of the way.  Here it is and as instructed with sashing added on one side.  This block is the first of Jenny of Elefantz's 2012 BOM.  You can go and see her lovely BOM at the button in my sidebar.  Look for the little blue bird.

Now I have some questions for you embroiderers.  What do you use for marking the fabric?  Is there a good way to center a design on the block? 

I'm linking to Fabric Tuesday at Quilt Story.  Pay a visit and read their stories.

Just Takes 2 #7

And this is my Fabric Tuesday tale.  See more at Fabric Tuesday at Quilt Story on my sidebar.

WOW -Fabric Tuesday 12/13/11

The Two Color Challenge is done!

I was beginning to think I'd never get it done.  So glad I was wrong.  Am very happy with it.  Thank you Deanna for working on this with me.  I found this block which I fell in love with in a Fons & Porter quilt project (well, it was in their mag) and came up with the setting.  She made the machine embroidered bouquets, provided just the right red material when I was cutting all the pieces, pieced the squares so I could sandwich and quilt them, and helped with the hand work.

 If you click on the photo you can see an up close view of them and the quilting motifs.   Measures 51" square and was made using a QAYG method.  Here is the back:

We won 2nd place in our Guild's Two Color Challenge.  We still have to go the quilt store for our winnings, Deanna - LOL. 

This quilt is why I've been thinking of other colors for Esther's Red December present.  You should hop over to her WIPs on Wednesday (WOW) and see what others are doing with her wonderful patterns!  And don't forget to go to Quilt Story's Fabric Tuesdays to see what other eye candy is linked there.  Both are in my right sidebar. Enjoy!



Fabric Tuesday 12/6/11

You're probably tired of seeing this one, but I have to post something, and my other WIPs are too big for me to photograph without DH, and he hasn't been around at good time to shoot outside. So this is still on my design wall; it's my fabric story for this week and one of my WIPs in progress. Maybe tomorrow I can get him to hold that big one I want to finish soon!  I've gotten a little bit further on my Jubilee Album block.  Just a few more pieces to baste and I can machine applique it.

Go on over to Judy's Patchwork Times, Fabric Tuesdays by Quilt Story, and Esther's WIPs on Wednesday to have your own show and share for now.  All those button are on my sidebar.  Enjoy!

Fabric Story 11/15/11

Here's the back of the quilt from the previous post.  If you enlarge it you can see that I've quilted it. Off to bind it and I'll be able to take it to the guild meeting tonight.  What I liked best about these last two charity quilts is I was able to use up a bag of batting strips.  Using fusible interfacing I pieced two 32" squares of batting for part of the sandwich for each of them.  Something else out of my quilting room!

Go on over to Fabric Tuesday by Quilt Story [button on left sidebar] and see what others are doing.

Fabric Tuesday 10/25/11

I made these last week in a few mintues between events - my sanity savers of those days.  I wish I had had more time to make others, but I am going to have to put the crumb along on hold until I am back from Houston.

Here are two log cabins I finished.

Are you playing with fabric? Click on Fabric Tuesday by Quilt Story and see what others are doing.  And click on the Crumb-along and see where Jo is taking the crumb makers this week - both on the left sidebar.  Enjoy.

Fabric Tuesday 10/11/11

My fabric story this week is on the crumb along blocks I'm making along with all the others at Jo's crumb along.  You can see her progress by going to her website .  I thought I would be emptying those crumb drawers lickety split.  Not so - seems I make more crumbs as I go.  I've got to learn to let go!!  Also the smaller the crumbs I use the thicker the intersections become.  This quilt is going to definitely be done by machine.  Here are my latest 9 blocks I made since last tuesday.  This week we were suppose to make blocks with trianges.  Ithink I managed to put at least one triangle in seach of these.

How have you been playing with fabric?  Go on over to Fabric Tuesday by Quilt Story on my left sidebar and be ready to be inspired.

Fabric Tuesday 9/13/11

Here is my funky owl.  Really - I know he looks like an alien who ran into an owl and tried to imitate it to blend in, then got caught in a flashing light one night and looks dazed - but hey, I followed the pattern of this shop hop block - LOL.  Those ears were the hardest - you had to take a one inch square of fabric and fold it three times on the diagonal -phew!  The directions were clear but I sure could have used a center point or a full size block pattern to place the owl where it belonged.  Took me two 15-minute sessions to raw edge applique it.  At least it was piecing and applique!

Go on over to my left sidebar and click on Fabric Tuesdays at Quilt Story and see what more fabric stories..  Or if you want to see what others can do in just 15 minutes, visit Life in Pieces.

Fabric Tuesday 9/6/11

The Soldiers' Angels quilt is back from the quilter. She did a fine job - sort of a ripple effect and some stars.  As soon as I finish sewing on this label, it will be ready to go as I have already bound it in the same fabric as the outside border.  No, those dashed lines you see in the red is not the binding seam, just lines in the fabric.  Deanna has been a professional embroiderer for many years and out of the goodness of her heart makes all these labels for the quilts.  She's made over 200 in the last three years, I believe.  Thank you so much, Deanna!

And here is the finished quilt:

Bound for soldier overseas so he won't be forgotten - if you'd like to know more go see http://www.soldiersangels.org/

Go over to my left sidebar and click on Fabric Tuesday by Quilt Story and see what others are sharing.

Fabric Tuesday 8/30/11

Our latest BOM for our LQG is very simple, and  we're all looking forward to the drawing because on sew day (the saturday after the guild meeting) we're going to make a darling table topper.  And it only takes 4 fallen dish blocks and four 5" light squares.  Here's my two that I will enter into the drawing to win 4!  If I don't win, I'll just make four more - they are easy peasy.   Our prez calls them fallen dishes because they are the broken dishes block pattern using fall colors, thus Fallen Dishes.  If you'd like to play along check out our newsletter at
http://raincrossquiltguild.blogspot.com/p/newsletter.html  Now click on the August 2011 issue link and it will take you to the newsletter.  On pg 2 you'll see the table topper and the directions for the blocks are on page 3.  Enjoy.

Want to see other fabric stories?  Just go to my left sidebar and click on Fabric Tuesday by Quilt Story and you'll see what others are doing.

Fabric Tuesday, 8/16/11

I'm here to report on the good, the bad and the ugly - yes, all three.  First the good: 

I soaked this square in cold water and all the mark-be-gone blue marks came out - even though I had ironed over them in constructing the block.

Now the bad:  I foolishly trimmed the block before I soaked it and then hung it out on the clothesline in the hot sun to dry and the muslin shrunk!  It is no long 12 1/2" but 12 1/4" square (sort of).  Good thing I am adding sashing next and can compensate that way.

And lastly the ugly.  Remember I used that dissolvable applique sheet to get the lettering on the spine of my book block?  Well, I don't know what I was thinking.  Those sheets are compressed and formed of little fibers that break loose and thus dissolve in the water - but not if you stitch over them three times!  Then they're stuck to the black.  Arrrghhhhh!  Also I didn't read the directions carefully enough.  One is suppose to lightly press the fusible side to the fabric - press it for 5 seconds and it sticks like cement.  Remember here this product is suppose to be on the back side, so wouldn't cause these problems necessarily.  But I've washed this three times in warm water - each time a few more fibers came off.  I even used Goo Gone before the third wash/soak and still some of those pesky fibers were all over the place.  My husband loaned me some very fine tweezers and with the aid of a poweful magnifier, I was able to get some more off.  Then I took a black ball point and made the letter stand out a little more.  All I can do.  I'm not doing it over!  Will just have to be a dusty book in the quilt when I put these blocks together.  So here is the book block completed:

Please visit Fabric Tuesday by Quilt Story to see others' work and their progress.  You'll find the button on my left sidebar.

Fabric Tuesday 8/9/11

My chatelaine redo is done!  I first had to get a pattern for the square - it had to measure 3" square to fit in the space.  Then I had to make a copy of the logo that was 2 1/2" square to be centered in that space.  Fiddled with the logo on Publisher until I got it to the right size and then printed it out.  Then I had to cut it out very careful.  I then found a piece of batik in the color I wanted and ironed steam a seam to its back.  Then taking my template that I cut out, I traced the logo (a raincross) unto the steam a seamed fabric .  With very sharp scissors, I cut out my logo.  I took off the paper and fused it to the center of my 3" square.  Next I ironed a piece of freezer paper to the back of the square to be my stabilizer, and then zig-zag around the symbol with matching thread and bingo I had my square.  I was able to machine stitch one side but all the others had to be done by hand with a blind stitch.  Now I have to decide if I want to put any lettering on it.  I think I'll wait on that and see what others say.  Would be very small.  But our logo is very distinctive and I don't think there are any other guilds with this symbol so may speak for itself.  Oh yes, that's our pin on the right side over my name.

Go on over to the Fabric Tuesday button on my left sidebar and see what others are post at Quilt Story for their fabric tuesday.

Fabric Tuesday 8/2/11

Yeah, one of my goals for the week is done - I finished the rag quilt top for St. Ann's.  My job was to piece it.  I then take it to the meeting and someone else clips it and washes it to transforms it into a rag quilt. This makes the 4th one made. It will go to a nursing home, I think.  A friend gave me all these flannel rectangles, so here is the first batch made into a quilt. Thanks, Deanna!

And now, as promised, I'll show you the placemats the girls made as they learned to use a sewing machine.  We decided to use scraps for them.  The girls learned to sew seams, measure, sandwich, quilt and bind.  I'm so proud of them. 



Megan's Placemat





Lauren's Placemat



The only thing I did for them was straighten edges so they could sew the subsequent straight seam.  I was a little bit hesitant for them to use a rotary cutter.  Maybe next year if we do it again.  Here are the backs: 



Lauren did some free motion quilting.



Megan did a sitd variaion for her quilting.



The girls put them to use for lunch that day.

They later informed me that they were going to use them as doll quilts as they matched the quilts they made earlier - LOL.

Fabric Tuesday 7/19/11

The girls had a great time yesterday planning their quilt, working on a needlecase, and learning about two different stitches and choosing colors.  I was delighted to see them pick complementary colors (Lauren) and analogous colors (Megan)  They're making a simple squares quilt 7 x 9 of 5 1/2" squares.  Then we'll tie them.

Since I'm busy with the girls - not much done that I cans show you for fabric tuesday, but I thought I'd share my progress on my June UFO.  

The center is done and I've added one of the outer sashings - seen on right.  As this is a QAYG - I'm doing it a little different than before so I'll get the effect I want on the back. I'll keep plugging along on this. Don't know when I'll get back to it as my mom is coming tomorrow, Alan in afternoon and Quilt Guild in PM.

Go on over to the button for Fabric Tuesday by Quilt Story on my left sidebar.  There are some great projects getting done over there.  Check them out.