Relay for Life Quilt #2

The second Relay for Life quilt is now on display and raffle tickets are available. It's much fancier than the Man Quilt I was part of assembling, and they took the time to handquilt! Crazy, but it is beautiful. They went all patriotic with a red, white, and blue theme, too. I will buy a couple tickets next payday.

Very nice quality but it's not as fluffy as the other one :)

Time for the Blanket Show

Ice cream eaten, movies watched, and it's too late to start anything else. I forgot to post one more pic with the previous post. I had an epiphany about how to remember the sizes I was supposed to cut with the Jeff Quilt fabric: I wrote the description of the fabric, and how many of each size I was supposed to cut.  I posted the note on the closet door at eye level so when I'm standing at the work table it's right there to remind me. It sounds simple, but it's gonna save me lots of frustration and wasted fabric! I posted one note at a time so I didn't have to search for the fabric I was cutting. I just glanced up and then measured and cut. No big whoop and it was done.

So simple, and yet so brilliant (not being serious of course).

After the Great Debacle of 2011...

On Sunday I went to JoAnn Fabrics for a few items that were on sale, and then I started working on my projects. I assembled the 5 Maple Leaf blocks and then laid them out to see how the colors look together. I have fabrics I haven't even cut yet to make more blocks. The Maple Leaf quilt will be at least a full-size quilt, and I'm not set on the pattern that I took a pic of for this blog. That won't be determined until I make more and more blocks and just see how it looks! I'm also thinking of using sashing, or a border or two... it's not the best laid plan but at least I'm making blocks in the correct size!

I got a wild hair and decided to make one sample block of each of the 4 blocks for the Jeff Quilt. First I sat down and pondered how to use the colors I have, and figured out that I don't have enough of most fabrics. Doh. That happens when you just start shopping like a crazy person because fabric is on sale and you didn't take the time to figure out how much you need!


Mad scientist calculations to make a Jeff Quilt.

 I have enough of each fabric to make a sample block (and more), so that's what I decided to do. I ironed out the wrinkles, measured and cut, pinned and sewed, and pressed the seams. It was fast, easy, and a rousing success after the Saturday night debacle.

I stayed up too late, scared my dog and cat by wearing shorts and a tank top to cool off - the lights, computer, and iron in the room sure warm the place up - and was very happy with the results of my efforts. I think of this quilt as happy colors, and it's a cheerful quilt, which is something I joked that I wouldn't do.

I said I would "quilt for the Dark side," thus avoiding the use of shiny happy colors. Now I'm in love with color and want to just make more quilts! Right now, I like to assemble the quilt tops. I'm not sure when I'll be more interested in the finishing aspect of quilting. Maybe when I learn how to handquilt with more accuracy and speed! I am going to make mini quilts with leftover batting and scrap fabric to practice. I need to learn the running stitch to make my life easier.

But tonight I have two free Redbox movies and I'm going to eat ice cream and watch them. If I have time after the movies I shall work on handquilting or maybe cut more fabric for blocks. I did have enough of the dog print for the required number of rectangles. If I don't have enough red, I may have something else I can use from my stash. That's why crazy quilters have fabric stashes!!

A Tale of Epic Failure

I'm sorely disappointed and embarrassed by the mistakes I've made tonight working on my projects, but this blog is to chronicle learning how to quilt, including mistakes. I think I would have been better off lying in bed with Sir William, reading a zombie book, than to start working on quilting projects.

I began by making the backing for the Man Quilt. I measured and apparently cut one side shorter than the other so it barely matches the ends of the border. I will refrain from repeating the colorful narrative used tonight with each failure but I assure you it sounded like a house of obscentities tonight - even if it was mostly said in my head. Then I laid the backing, batting, and quilt top together on the floor in my bedroom, the only room where I can close the door and escape from my pets. William is a brat about attacking quilts on the floor, burrowing under them, and using his claws to grab at the fabric as it's floating through the air. I began to baste the layers together and felt pretty good about what I was doing. And then I realized I was basting the layers to the plastic table cloth (to protect them from the critter prowled-upon carpet) beneath them. Yes, first obscene word muttered out loud. There wasn't really enough space for me to work on the quilt so I tried using the safety pins. The same problem occurred, catching the stupid table cloth beneath. I tried lifting the layers enough to not catch the table cloth and it seemed to work.

I didn't have enough safety pins to do a proper job, but I hoped it would hold. I brought my prize into the sewing room to begin handquilting. OMG I want a long arm quilting machine! Actually, once I got situated and into a groove, I was doing okay. I realized there's no way I'll finish this quilt before my brother's birthday, so I thought I'd try using my sewing machine to quilt. NOTE: I was only doing straight stitching along lines, nothing fancy. I thought it would be easy. It might have been, but my sewing machine caught twice, something about the bobbin thread knotting, and that was it. I gave up for the day. I folded the Man Quilt and placed it on top of the bookshelf so William won't nap on it. It looks more quilt-like now, fluffy with substance, since it's been snadwiched. I know William would be sleeping on it right now if I'd left it on the table.



I still love this quilt. It just won't be completed by the deadline.

I was peeved and frustrated, but wasn't going to let the Quilting gods laugh at me. So I decided to work on more Maple Leaves since the fabric was already cut and I was in the mood to quilt. I was moving along, working in a production method, making all 5 leaves at once. I pinned the pieces together and took them to the sewing machine to chain piece them to save time. This is what I did:

Another choice word was uttered when I noticed this "doh" mistake.

For those nonquilters who don't see the mistake, I was supposed to sew two lines diagonally across each side of this fabric. Not down the center (where I was just supposed to separate the pieces after sewing the half triangles together). Not down the middle of the two correct diagonal lines. And I chain pieced this mistake times 5! Actually, I caught it before I messed up that badly. I sewed down the center of each one, and made the three diagnal line mistake 3 times!! I almost cleaned up and gave up for the night, but I decided I'd be tenacious. I got my seam ripper and spent quality time removing unnecessary stitches. The angrier I am, the more determined I am to do something right. I eventually got everything correct and ended up with the material for 5 new Maple Leaves:

And after getting that far, I had to go another step and assemble the stem pieces. I knew I wouldn't be up late enough to sew each block complately together, but I do have them all ready to be assembled tomorrow... after I sleep in to make up for staying up ridiculously late.

I did not square each block, and the stem part especially is not square but ask me if I care tonight... this morning, it's too late to be awake fretting over mistakes I made on a quilt!


What an adventure it's been! I'm going to bed now.

Nostalgia

For the "about me" section of this blog I wrote a brief account of why I am learning to quilt. I thought I'd go a little deeper into that today.

As I mentioned, I did a few sewing projects as a teen. Mom assisted, and I used a basic long sleeve shirt pattern - which I cleverly shortened to 3/4 sleeves because I preferred that at the time. The fabrics I used were a brown, stetchy, crushed velvet type of material and a gray and white camouflage that looked more like cow spots. I loved those shirts and wore them for years. Mom and I bought patterns for more clothes for me to make, and bought the fabric, but they were unfinished, unstarted actually, projects. I didn't know much about sewing and Mom was working hard to support a household of teenagers. I did sew a dress, which is ironic since I have never been one to wear dresses and skirts. I have tried to be girlie and wear those things, but I'm just uncomfortable in them and prefer jeans. The dress was pretty though. A black fabric with little flowers was used, and the dress had an empire waist which is very flattering on my figure. I'll have to research old photographs at Mom's house to see if any pics exist of these projects or me wearing them.

Then one holiday season Mom decided to make quilted Christmas tree skirts and stockings. I think this is where my initial interest in quilting began. I was talking to Mom about this recently and she said she didn't know what she was doing when she worked on those project, but I have seen the results, every year we use the Christmas tree skirt, and I love them dearly. Mainly because my mom made them, but also because they are pretty and remind me of Christmases of my youth. I think I had intended to learn how to quilt back then, because Mom had a Double Wedding Band template kit that she bought around that time. Nothing came from it though, and she recently gave it to me to use for my new quilting obsession.

In 1996 Mom bought a Double Wedding Band quilt at Mervyn's. I coveted that quilt from Day One, and eventually kleptoed it when I moved out. I love the design, the colors, and the feel of the fabric. I still have the quilt on my bed, but it's become ratty and needs repaired or replaced soon - but it will remain on my bed until it's a single strand of thread because I love it so much!! This quilt is another motivator that lit the quilting fire-bug under my arse.

A major contributor to my actual pursuit of quilting knowledge is that I got a job in July 2010 where I work with Quilting Ladies who are willing to teach me what they know. Jamie prefers to be called a "mentor," but I started referring to her and Marcia as Quilting Ladies and like it. I include myself in that descriptor as well, especially when I post pics of our Quilting Ladies Adventures (field trips to fabric stores) to my Facebook account. I am also an avid Google fan and spend way too much time online researching quilting. I find videos, free patterns, fabric on sale, and other quilters who have similar interests as myself so that I can learn from them vicariously. One thing I have found out during my research is that quilters all have their own ways of doing things. There may be a standard method or technique, but everyone tweeks it so that it works for them and their design. I like that and am open-minded enough to not get set in my ways (just yet) so that I can experiment and figure out what I want to do and which methods work best for me.

Since I have become obsessed with all things quilting, Mom let me pillage her stash of fabric that was intended for clothing. She showed me the quilt she started making out of old clothes that had belonged to her and her sister, and she let me take two 40 year-old quilt tops that were gifted to her and my dad for their wedding. She said the quilt tops were made by my great-grandmother on my dad's side. Mom said that it was "assumed she knew how to quilt" and would finish the quilts but they just sat around all these years. They have damage to them - stains, rips, areas that just need to be replaced - and I intend to repair them and complete the quilts once I have enough expertise to do it without further damaging them. I was so excited to see these quilt tops. One of them is the Maple Leaf pattern, but I wasn't sure what the other was until I did research. The closest I could find to the pattern is the Spiderweb (depending on which pattern you find because there are variations) or the Kaleidoscope.

 

I dig the funky colors!


And most heart warming of all is the sewing machine I'm using. It's a Singer Touch and Sew 604E, which was manufactured in 1964 according to the one blog where I could find this information. I have searched and searched for information on this machine, including the Singer website itself, but have come up wanting. This machine was handed down to Mom from Grandma (I think) and now I'm using it. It doesn't get more sentimental than that.

A very basic machine that does a straight stitch. Made for sewing clothes rather than quilting.

Today I am washing the new fabric for the Jeff Quilt and Grandpa's Big Cat Quilt, so maybe I will find the motivation to work on a project or two. I especially want to sandwich the Man Quilt so I can start quilting. So close, and yet... We shall see what I accomplish once the fabric is dried. Hopefully I will have something else worth posting!

Introduction to my furry children

I'll probably mention them from time to time, since Sir William and Lily Bear are often in the sewing room with me, under my feet, wrestling, the dog barking, the cat hissing, and distracting me enough that I stop what I'm doing to take William to the "cat-friendly zone" on the other side of the puppy gate, I thought I'd post pics of my kids.




Mr. Tiger McKinley - a magnificant speciman of feline perfection.
He joined my family when I was at college in Humboldt County 5 years ago. Hobbies include avoiding the dog, leaving the room when William shows up, sleeping on freshly washed laundry, burrowing under blankets and pillows on the couch, giving me hugs, sharpening his claws on the carpet, sneaking into the basement to explore when I'm doing laundry, begging for treats, and kitty yoga. Favorite movie is "Madagascar." Favorite vice is cat nip.

 

Sir William of Washington - AKA The Brat
He was born on a farm in Washington state and joined my family in 2008. Hobbies include wrestling the dog, sleeping on clean laundry, sleeping on freshly washed/purchased fabric, meowing, picking on Tiger, burrowing under the blankets on my bed, begging for kitty treats, following me around the house, providing much need QC of all sewing projects, and taking naps with me. Favorite cat toy is the pole with feathers at the end. Favorite vice is raging kleptomania - he steals anything from steak knives to avocados to plastic wrappers. 



Princess Lily Bear - the Demon Dog
Rescued from the Minidoka Animal Shelter in Paul last August when she was 5 weeks old. Hobbies include being under my feet at all times, following me, barking at me when I tell her "no," wrestling with William, chasing Tiger, chewing on dog toys and chew bones, playing in water, jumping on people, going for walks, chasing the ball, digging up the tree roots in the backyard, eating snow, and looking very innocent when she's sleeping. Favorite vice is pig ears.

Princess Lily Bear-Beard the Black Lab Pirate!

Project #7 - Grandpa's Big Cat Quilt

I know I've already mentioned this quilt, but I now have all the ingredients - I hope. I bought tiger striped and leopard spotted fabrics today at the Hancock Fabric sale.

 

The pattern I'm using for Grandpa's Big Cat Quilt is from the same Fons & Porter's Easy Quilts magazine as the Jeff Quilt. The quilt in the magazine is called "Cryptogram" and was designed by Diane Nagle. Here is the design:

Similar but subtle difference between this one and the other. I think they are more modern styles, at least I haven't come across any that look like this that are labeled traditional. And finally, these are the colors, and big cat panels I'm using thus far:



Ironically, I didn't buy the giraffe fabric because I didn't realize it was in this panel!

 

  

 

 

 

I think this looks like some kind of thatched roofing.

 



And when will I begin this project? [Shrug and yawn] Definitely not tonight. I'm going to read for awhile. I borrowed copious amount of books from the library and just want to relax and be distracted by the fantasy worlds that are far removed from reality.