Long Term Projects Number 4

 Maybe blogging should be included in my long term projects.  Good grief, it's been almost 2 years since I've been in here and posted.  Instagram and Facebook make things so much quicker and easier, but when there is a good back story, blogging is the place for me to go.

 

This is a project from McCalls in 2005.  The binding was finished in 2006.  It was my first project that I was going to cross hatch on my longarm.  I always have practiced new things on my own tops before a customer top and wow, did I learn alot.  

First up.  NEVER use FrayCheck when machine quilting.  "Someone" told me to stitch up to the applique, go back and forth a few stitches, then put a drop of FrayCheck (aka glue) on that spot to keep the threads from coming undone.  This was so I didn't have to bury threads.  YES, this was in a class that I paid money for.

Needless to say, it sat in a pile, a corner, and bin and on the bottom of a shelf.  I loved the fabrics (Holidays in Paris by In the Beginning) and I loved the pattern so much I just couldn't stand looking at it or putting it out at Christmas.  Finally in about 2019 or '20, I started ripping out the machine quilting and with tweezers, was able to get the little threads that were all glued around the appliques.  I finished the hand quilting on it this week, gave it a bath and now it's with my Christmas things, just waiting to be put out this December. 

Here are two of a potential 5 full, 4 1/2 blocks and 4 1/4 blocks.  This finishes at around 12".  I've been hand piecing them and have used the stamping method to mark the diamonds for the stars.  The marking goes fast, the hand piecing, not so much.  But I do love them and once the pieces are prepped, it's a great 'grab and go' project.  

Hexi fever struck when I got a package of fat 8ths from Two Thimbles.  I knew the little collection needed to be used all together and the colors and prints were so sweet.  1" hexis and fussy cutting gave me some very cute blocks.  However, a few of the prints wouldn't give me 6 of the same motif, so I alternated.  I wasn't going to be that fussy.

Using PinDot in color Lighthouse for the backgrounds, I thought the little flowers really looked pretty.  There was a gorgeous stripe in the collection and I wanted that for the outside borders and I wanted the stripes all going in one direction.  I ordered a bigger piece and appliqued the finished hexis to the fabric and cut out behind.

It's been layered with silk batting, and a striking big pink plaid for a backing and the hand quilting has commenced.  I'm using a very light pink YLI  for the quilting, it's simple straight lines that ended up looking like a hanging diamond instead of cross hatching.  

And then there is this.  One of 4 blocks.  I've got three all pieced, and the 4th one is getting close.  Only one has the setting squares and corner blocks, and the outside diamonds.  It's a big of a twister as this is all the colored diamonds that I used, but it will be a square when I'm finished.  I'll save that for another blog post.

So keep on stitching, don't give up on the long term projects.  My last post was about my Sarah's Revival.  It's in the same state.  I need a full day and a clean table to move onto the next chapter of stitching and that's my goal for the summer.  I want to bring her to Arizona in the fall as I do a lot more hand piecing there than at home.

Sharon

Long Term Projects Part 1

I was chatting with another quilter about how to keep the mojo going on these long term projects, and thought it would be a good thing to blog about. Some quilters literally crank out tops at a rate that could make you dizzy.  Other quilters work on projects that take years to finish.  Both kinds of projects are great, that's the beauty of quilting.  There is something for everyone.   I tend to fall into the "years to finish" category, and yet, I can crank out a top in a hurry when needed.  This wasn't one of them.

Hand pieced Judy Newman Pattern

 

With most quilts that I make, I tend to break down the project by PROCESS.  This pattern has only one block, so the first process was making the templates.  Since I would be reusing each piece, some over 120 times, I knew that freezer paper, even the heavy stock, would not hold up to repeated use.  Once I had templates made, I started picking fabrics for each block.

The second "process" was pulling fabrics for the first few blocks.  Once you do a fabric pull, the next step is to get out your marking pencils, sandpaper board, cutting tools etc.  Start marking out one block and get it on the design wall.  Mark 3 or 4 more, and this will set the tone for your future fabric pulls. 

Keep going until you have all your blocks marked, cut and on the design wall.  Once you decide on your layout, then photograph your top.  Next, photograph each block, create a folder on your phone and move all the pictures there. Tackle one block at a time.  I take the pieces off the wall, layer pieces that get stitched together first and pack it in a zip lock clear bag.  Now you are ready to "grab and go"

Hand piecing is a perfect project for your purse or carry on bag.  You can get little bits of blocks put together without sacrificing any "sewing time".    I use a zip pouch that contains a few zip bags of pieces, needle and thread, small snips and my tiny pin cushion.   We rarely go anywhere without our phones, so having the photos of each block gives me a road map to the layout of fabrics.

At this point, all your fabrics can be put away, and you don't need anything but a zippered pouch to carry this around with you.  Those moments waiting for appointments, watching kids at sports games, going to the grocery store with someone else driving, relaxing with family in the evening are all opportunities to move these blocks forward.  It takes up virtually no space as you only need to have one or two little zip lock bags in your pouch. 

  For everyone things are different, life interruptions happen.  Work, kids, parents, home renovations, broken bones and broken machines.  There are so many external factors that can inhibit traction on projects.  Just know you are not alone.  Your setbacks will be unique to you, but hopefully some of my habits may help you jump start a project or prevent you from putting it in a box on the back of a shelf.

The photo above is now a top, and the next steps to moving it forward are to make a backing, choose a binding and get it made and tagged, and decide on how it will be quilted (beyond the decision to hand quilt it)  I'm leaning to a Baptist Fan so once it's marked, I can baste it and start the hand quilting. But it has to get in line, I have several in that slot already.

Keep stitching,

Sharon

Journey to Camelot

This pattern was featured in Quiltmania 111 - 114 in 2016.  Yes, I'm late to the party, but since there is no schedule on starting a new quilt, I'm OK with this.  The pattern caught my eye after I saw it finished. My friend gave me a private bed turning at her home full of quilts and antiques, and I knew I had to make this pattern.

This is block A, stitched but not pressed.  It is also missing the corners that consist of 2 triangles on each side.  I've been cutting them as I go along and will add them once my blocks are on the design wall. Petra's PinDot in Lighthouse was chosen for the background so I ordered a bolt from Reproduction Fabrics and HERE is the page with all the available colors.

Having a cell phone to snap pictures is the  best way to keep things organized.  I have created a folder in my phone and now I have a color road map when I start stitching these blocks. This block as 60(?) pieces that needed to be picked, traced, and cut out....whew!

 

The other advantage of having a phone handy is that you can revisit your choices before they are stitched together. (sort of)  I did stitch the little triangle to my fussy cut Margo Krager gorgeous ombre floral and have since replaced it with a different fabric.  She also has solids in ombre and they are beautiful.  I love the Betsy Chutchian print from Elinore's Endeavor collection for the background pieces.  With a quick search, I could only find the brown or pink colorway, but I'm sure if you searched a bit more the blue might still be available.  This whole line is gorgeous.

 

Being scrappy, it takes a lot of time to pull, audition, press, draw, cut, layout, refold and put back each piece of fabric. I've spent over an hour just prepping each block, but this is the time consuming part.

 

I couldn't resist fussy cutting this block with this paisley.  Having all the photos in one folder allows me to see how the blocks will play together without having to transfer all the pieces of each block to the design wall.  This one will get along quite nicely with all the other blocks.  Oh, how I love a good paisley!

This center fabric has been waiting in the wings for it's place in this quilt, and the center of this block is exactly the right spot! Yellow, navy, pink paisley! Small pieces of these types of fabrics make big impacts.

 

The fabrics in both rings have also been pulled and set aside, waiting for the right block.  I'm super excited to start the stitching.

There is a border of 1/2 square triangles and each block has 2 triangles to complete the square. I've been cutting these as I create each block.  Great tip from my friend.  Since this pattern was published as a 4 part series, these are some details that are good to know before you put all those fabrics away.

 

Along with my photo of each block, I have enclosed a line drawing road map in each block that is bagged up for easy stitching.

 

Yes, this is a messy project.  Believe it or not, I've cleaned up this area several times and it continues to look like a bomb went off.  Oh but it's a glorious mess, one that will result in a beautiful quilt.

 

I hope this post gives you a peek behind the curtain, so when you start to see my finished blocks posted on my IG #grassrootsquilting you won't be thinking "oh my, look how fast she works" These types of projects have a lot of "behind the scenes" work. The slogging through parts, the process parts. The fun part is having pieces of fabric ready to stitch together in the evenings, the early mornings when you are the first one up, the few minutes waiting in your car for your appointment time. This is how these glorious quilts become a reality. 

 From my messy to studio to your home, I am wishing everyone good health, time with family and friends, getting fresh air and activity, and, of course the very best of the Christmas season. Keep stitching, Sharon

Color Collective 6 Pointed Stars

This post could also be titled "Five Star Review" for Sewtopia and their 6 month Color Collective. For six months you will receive a bundle of solids along with a pattern by Tara Faughnan.  The one I'm sharing today is from the first season.  It was the last pattern and I wanted to hand piece these stars.

I made about 65 stars and I pulled fabric from previous months to give me a larger variety.  Here I am contemplating putting a large hexagon between the stars, but the quilt seems to be so large.

I went with using a diamond between each star.  The next part was choosing a color for the setting diamond.

Taking a quick look using the black and white setting on your phone/camera  will help determine dark sections in your layout.

Once I started joining the stars with the black diamonds I realized that piecing the whole row together might be a bit awkward when joining all the rows together.  I decided to work in chunks.  

Here I have the top section pieced into  quadrants.   Putting 4 quadrants together was much easier that working with full rows.  Once this was together, I worked on finishing the edges.

Two hours of pressing resulted in every seam spinning and laying nice and FLAT.  That's the beauty of hand piecing.  You can manipulate your seams. For this reason,  I never press hand pieced units until they are all together.

Oh, the sweet satisfaction of my star centers!

So what's so great about the Color Collective?  Let me show you.  Here is my own selection of solids that I've accumulated over the years.  Notice how many greens, creams, and cheddars to browns I have?

Here are the untouched bundles of the selections that Tara curated for Season 1 and 2.  Notice all the berries, limes, aquas and purples?  Yup, she pushed me over the edge of my color box.  I have worked with combinations I would never have chosen, and making decisions based on a selection of colors chosen by someone else is quite freeing.  The patterns are definitely aligned with working with solids and you have to up your game as every seam shows. 

I have done hand pieced 6 pointed stars before, so this technique was not new to me.  Making all the centers as good as I could mattered when working with solids.  This series was about was trying new color combos, learning new techniques (as I have with many of the other monthly patterns), and stretching my boundaries.   I've done 2 series, they have a private FB page, video demos, FB chats, IG chats and the pricing is excellent.  Plus members get a discount for the 6 months on any other purchases from Sewtopia.  If you are not familiar with Tara's work, check out her patterns.  They are clearly written, great line drawings and her social media is a wealth of inspiration.

This piece finished at 62 x 64.  When oriented this way, it can look more like Tumbling Blocks.  Any way you look at it, I think it's fantastic.  Once it's quilted, I will trim back the top and bottom edges, I used pre made stars along the border, ones that were extras that didn't make the cut for the center.  Black batting will be used and I am going to hand quilt it.  (who know when!)

Keep stitching,
Sharon

Traveling EPP Stars

My EPP (english paper piecing) project had been completed.  Sleeve and all!  I thought I'd share the details here.   Maybe I will inspire someone to pull out an old project they pushed to the side, or take on a brand new piece. 
I'm often asked "how do you get so much done?" and that always seems to catch me off guard.  I guess when quilting is your job, and I follow along so many fantastic designers, piecers, appliquers, and longarm quilters, I can sometimes feel like I never get anything done.  That is why there is a statement that says, "Comparison is the Thief of JOY"

But enough of that.  Here are some of my tricks and tips on getting things finished.  Make sure you always have those hand work projects ready to go at a moments notice.  This piece traveled from WA to AZ to HI to NY to ON Canada and back to WA.  It also when to doctors appointments, the Friday night Street Legal Drags (yup, my guy is a car guy), and trips into town 20 minutes away.  I think you get my point.  It's very portable and easy to poke away at. The whole piece is hand stitched, from the basting to the piecing.

Here are my pieces in a hotel in downtown Buffalo, NY

When I finally had the stars all together with the setting fabric, I could put my rows together. Staying organized is very easy now with our smart phones.  A few quick pictures and you have captured your layout.

Once I had the center together, I could finalize the colors for the outside edges.  Plus I wanted to use the 1/2 diamonds for the side pieces and they were on order.

Close up finished edges.

Corner edges still with paper in behind them.  I am a thread baster when it comes to EPP.  I've tried fighting working with glue sticks, and for the record, the glue stick won.  So I continue to baste with hand quilting thread.  It does require a bit of time to pull out the threads, but I am pleased with my results so I stick to my method of choice.  Chocolate and vanilla, right?

Once I removed all the papers and got to the outside edges, I finished the process at the ironing board.   As I removed the papers, I gave the outside edge a quick spray of sizing and pressed with a hot iron.  Remember, I said pressed, not ironed.  You really want to make sure it's an up and down motion, not back and forth.  The edges are bias and I wanted to take care to keep a straight edge. 

I did one side at a time.  After it was pressed, I took it to my machine and did a line of stay stitching about an 1/8" from the raw edge.  This does two things.  It stabilized the bias edges, and keeps the seams from popping apart.

Once it was ready to quilt, I decided to quilt it with the KISS method.  Keep it Simple  Straight lines using a beige/cream So Fine thread did the trick. I also kept the binding narrow, and this is a single fold that started at 1 1/4"

Texture.....

Detail...........

Back and binding.  I used a wonderful Barbara Brackman print that I've been hoarding saving.

Another question I'm regularly asked, "How do I get my string fabric for my quilts?"   Easy, I save the trimmings.

See the thread line below?  Cut off the edge where there's stitching from the quilting process and pull the batting off.

And throw it into your strip basket.  That's one of many ways I accumulate various sized strips for later use.

Here are the details of the finished project.
13 rows
7 full stars
6 full 2 1/2 stars
49 stars + 36 stars (510 diamonds) + 12 1/2 stars (24 diamonds + 24 1/2 diamonds)
280 full background diamonds
14 1/2 BG diamonds
16 1/2 diamond triangles
814 diamonds
38 1/2 diamonds
14 triangles
866 total pieces
26.5 x 44.5 finished
Hobbs 80/20 batting
Straight line stitching
single fold binding cut at 1 1/4"

And yes, I've started another portable project.  This next one is 1" hexi's, 7 per block, 1" equilateral triangles as setting pieces, 12 per block, and 3" equilateral triangles as the joining piece for each block.  I estimate I might have that top finished by Dec of 2019.  I'll enjoy the journey!

Keep stitching,
Sharon