I did a fair amount of that this weekend. You know, doing the busy work of a home…some laundry, some dishes, a bit of cooking and so on.
The laundry and dishes are the same for us all. And pretty much so is the cooking, but over the weekend I did some batch cooking so that I’d have a few things for later in the week. There was a huge stockpot of vegetable beef soup that bubbled away for an afternoon. And some Keto snacks for us to have on hand when the urge to nibble makes its appearance. A favorite for the man of the house is Key Lime Cheesecake Tarts, and for me it was Lemon Poppy Seed Scones. Other menu items were Keto Stroganoff, a Chicken Tortilla soup, and Baked Salmon with a Parmesan Basil Crust. Left overs and snacks to get the week started. Can’t get any better than that.
And a bit of this happened.
Buster got this little stuffie from one of my student this past week. I was really proud of him too, because this little green toy stayed stuffed for 3 whole days before losing its fluff. We retrieved the squeaker that’s laying towards the upper right of the picture. But once the fluff was out for all to see, the work was done.He wasn’t shy about owning up to it either. Now, our little green friend is re-stuffed and ready for the next time the oven goes on. Access to the fluff will be a bit easier, as the small hole won’t be sewn shut. A repeat de-stuffing hole is much easier on us both. Besides, I’d had to think that there would just be another hole and another until one day, poor green stuffie would look more like swiss cheese than an anxiety management tool.
You could call it murder on the dining room carpet, but we just call it a de-stuffing. And the culprit sat right there to be caught. Buster doesn’t like the oven, so whenever it gets turned on, he gets wound up and super nervous. We’ve found some “calming treats for dogs”, which only work so-so. But sometimes, the bugger gets a bit more anxious which ends up in a floppy toy on the floor. I just gathered up the stuffing and put it back for the next time he gets antsy.
I did get some sewing time in. This is what my desk looks like when I’m working. Kinda messy…but it’s all part of the work I love.
Love working on all these different projects. It’s a restful place for my thoughts when it’s quiet. But for today, I had my TV on and was streaming the series “White Collar”. I use a Roku, and it works really well in my studio.
I also started laying out the blocks for this quilt. It’s another Moda Bakeshop like what I’ve written about before. This one uses a #5 Recipe card, and the quilt that I’m laying out is called “Ganache”. Only about half of it is on the design wall right now. I’ll lay the other half out tomorrow and then rearrange anything that might need it. This design actually has sashing between the blocks which I’ll add into the construction once I’ve decided on the final placement. It would just be too large for the design wall if I put them in now. But, the jury is still out…I might just go ahead and call this arrangement good and add extra borders to reach the size I want. I dunno…it’s a process.
This is a pretty cool little layout. Reminds me of a Jacobs Ladder, but also has some “X’s” and “O’s” movement to it. Got some pondering to do…
So, that’s pretty much the weekend for me. Kinda restful, kinda busy…..but mostly…. Just puttering. Feels good to go a little slow for a couple of days. Makes the merry-go-round of the regular week that much more fun.
Are you in a bind? Well, I mean…are you binding? I am. Today I am putting on a binding to a sweet quilt that has been hanging as a store sample at Clubb’s Fabric Store in Delta. I retrieved it for a class and then brought it home to put a binding on it.
I simply love this quick and easy pattern. The batiks remind me of the beach, so I’ve named it my Beach Bear Gingerbread quilt. It’s the second time I’ve done this same pattern, and I have a 3rd set of blocks in this pattern made with rich mulberry and green batiks with cream background. Looking forward to seeing how that turns out too!.
This is a Moda Bakeshop, by It’s Sew Emma Patterns. Bakeshop? Well, let me give you a quick run-down on this clever pattern set-up. The “Bakeshop” is built on layer cakes. You have an instruction book called “The Cake Mix Quilt Book, Volume One”, (the “cookbook”, aka the instruction book). All these patterns utilize “layer cake” fabric collections plus some amount of yardage for backgrounds, borders and binding. Genius!
This is such a great pattern book! The instructions are written with clear and concise directions, and has lots of graphics and pictures to help in construction of the project.
And you have “Cake Mix Recipe” cards like this.
This is so clever. The mixing bowl shows the number of the recipe card. And the black and white pictures on the covers show the variations of how to set the block that each of the recipe cards can make. You can make them all the same, or a combination of any shown.
These “recipe cards”, (printed like a tablet that you can tear off, one page at a time), are numbered 1 thru 8. In the “Cookbook” each recipe card has two different quilts from which to choose. For instance, the quilt I’m working on is from Recipe Card #1. I made this quilt, named the Gingerbread Quilt, but I could have chosen to set the same recipe card into a different quilt named the Sherbet Quilt. Totally cool!
I have used these Bakeshop patterns several times, and love them as a quick gift or easy “take-along” project where I know I’ll be talking a lot or have lots of interruptions. It’s a perfect retreat project. It’s also a terrific introduction to paper piecing. And it would be an excellent project for a younger aged 4-H youth project.
Then, because I had nothing else to do with my time, and because I can’t stand to throw away fabric that I think can be used for something else, I took my scraps from a couple different Bake Shop quilts and threw these blocks together. I know, just a tad OCD, but definitely cute. I’m sure that I’ll be doing something clever with them before too much longer….stay tuned.
These little gems were done in a weaving method…much like kids do with paper strips. I used fabric glue to keep things together, nothing is sewn yet. They vary slightly in size and the tapered ends still need to be trimmed, but I think there will be more coming. It won’t take many more to create something else to add to the “tops to be quilted” pile hanging out in the long arm pile.
But let me get back to the task at hand…binding.
I don’t know about you, but binding can be a pickle. Some quilters love it, some don’t. Some even avoid it at all costs. But let me tell you about a method I found while I was surfing around Facebook one day. Or rather, it surfaced in my Facebook feed as a “suggested for you” type of item. Usually, I don’t follow those bunny trails, but for this one I did. And boy howdy am I glad I did.
This is the link to Karens Quilts, Crows and Cardinals of the Redbird Quilt Company. This has been my saving grace for peaceful bindings! (Pardon my pun). https://karensquiltscrowscardinals.blogspot.com
If you follow this link you will go to her home page. You’ll want to click on the “My Tutorials” tab and scroll down until you see this topic.
The flange binding that is in the title of the blogpost is what caught my eye. After reading her post, I saved it and was determined to give it a try. Fast forward a few months and bingo…I had a quilt I wanted to try it on. It turned out wonderfully well!! And I’d love to show it to you, but of course the quilt was gifted away with no pictures taken before it’s departure.
But even more than the flange binding, I want to tell you about her method for joining the beginning and ending of the binding. THIS is THE –best—method—ever! I kid you not! Before I read this blog, it would take me a huge…HUGE…amount of time to do this one step. Binding prep, attachment and finishing are all a breeze to me. But the sewing of these two ends always eluded me. I wrote myself directions, drew pictures, cussed, cried, and cringed…always wanting to master that elusive mitered seam ending. (Totally not cool when I can do sooo many other, and much more technical sewing tricks.) Then the stars aligned, the angels sang as the clouds opened to rays of sunshine and I followed a bunny trail to this beautiful blog about binding. (Yes, it’s a bit overly dramatic, but when the lightbulb finally goes on, it’s a glorious thing.)
Putting all silliness away, I want to share with you this method. It is most definitely not my idea. She gets all the credit and the kudos for putting together a fantastic tutorial. Throughout her blog tutorial there are lots, I mean LOTS, of pictures of every step as well as excellent instructions showing you exactly how to make a flange binding AND how to join the two end together.
I can’t tell you how many hours I’ve saved using this tutorials’ instructions. And with all the projects that I have ready to bind, and those waiting for the long arm, I’ll be using this binding method even more. If you follow no other links that I share in my blog…go to this one and at take a look. I’m telling’ ya…it’s so worth your time. And while you’re there, take a peek at the rest of her blog. Gobs of interesting things are waiting there as bountiful treasures!!
So, without further ado, I’m off to finish up this binding. Hope you enjoy the tutes!
Such wonderful things happened this weekend! I’m so pleased with the progress of my students over the past two days.
Saturday our Wedding Ring Class met with the goal of laying out their finished piecing and seeing for the first time what their quilts will look like. We had such a great time! Over the course of the last 6 months we’ve been meeting, using the Quiltworx Wedding Ring pattern and its variations as a Block of the Month. There have only been a couple months we weren’t able to meet, but that happens even without a pandemic going on. They’ve all made wonderful progress and each step of the way there were oooh’s and aaaah’s as we shared our progress each time we met.
And we all learned something…including me! Some things I learned because I was asked a question I didn’t know the answer to, and others because I needed a creative solution to help them obtain a goal or to make it easier to continue their work.
The latest solution was what to do about a design wall! In the pictures, you’ll notice their units (or block pieces) are being laid out on sheets. It’s a curiosity, but a solution that I suggested and they agreed to with enthusiasm. Neither of these lovely ladies have design walls at home. My goal was to find a way for them to layout their units without: 1) having to take copious pictures with their phones; 2) disassemble what they laid out; 3) transport everything back home; 4) reassemble it all and lay it out only in small portions either because of space or foot traffic concerns, and then hope they were getting everything together correctly They jumped at the idea! So, after handing them each a flat sheet, we got busy.
Here is Shirley laying out her units. After each row across there was a happy dance of excitement and a “Boom-chicka-boom-boom” coming from her as she saw things coming togetherAnd here is Jean working on a table doing the same thing. From her came “mmmm-mmmm-mm-mm-mm”. For Jean, we worked out a number chart for her to follow as she laid out her units. It worked like a charm!! Another teaching aide that will go into my files for the next time I teach this class.
As they laid the units out, each one was pinned to the sheet. And at the end of class, each sheet was gently rolled up and carried to the car with the confident knowledge that each time they went to work on their project they could just go right to work without the time spent on trying to find their place in the process.
Dottie was also with us and she brought her AccuQuilt Cutter to make quick time of cutting the 2 ½” strips for her project. I’ve never seen one of these in action, and I must say, it was so cool to see how they work.
I’m thinking this may need to be an investment for some time in the future. They sure are slick little machines that make quick work on lots of repetitive cutting
It was an awesome day full of great friends, fun and lauging, and tremendous progress!
Sunday was much the same for the ladies that joined me at Clubb’s in Delta for our Judy Clubb. The Judy Clubb is an open sew kind of class where anyone working on a Judy Niemeyer pattern is welcome to come and sew for the day, and I’m available for as much or as little help as is needed
The entrance to our classroom. Our class area is the furniture store. And the fabric store is right next door, always open for us during class and ready for anything we need. It’s a terrific arrangement!
We have a wonderful work area at Clubb’s where a terrific cutting table and ironing area are provided. Lots of beautiful lighting and abundant room is provided for us to work our magic.
These stations are sooo nice! Plenty of room for multiple people to work at the same time.
Take a look at what was worked on!
Cheryl is working on putting the binding on her Impatiens placemats. Her color choices are simply beautiful! And one of the best helps I could give her was to show her the UTube videos by Judy Niemeyer on that very subject. It’s amazing that we have the ability to carry an iPad, secure an internet connection and tune into a free, on-line video and then help the student to utilize the same resource at home. When Cheryl had a question, we worked through it together finding a few additional helps for her to use at home. She’s doing a marvelous job!
I love Cheryl’s color choice on this project and she is so precise in her stitching. What a lovely project she will have when all finished.
And here is Jean, using a sheet as her backdrop on the design wall to pin her Prairie Star to. Her goal for the day was to get one quarter of the quilt on the wall and assembled and marked with notes on how to complete assembly for the rest of her quilt when she’s back home.
The quarter section of Jean’s quilt is nearly put together. She’s added some little yellow notes for her to follow when she gets home so she can get this project all finished up. How exciting!Jeans pulling a few more papers off the back of a unit before assembling the next section. Making great headway.
All in all, it was a very productive, and rewarding weekend. I think one of the things I truly love about this work that I do and the quilters that start out as students and then become friends, is that I get to help them reach their goals.
People, non-quilting people, frequently remark to me about how this is nice and all that, but what’s so special about a quilt…. it’s just a blanket after all. And my knee-jerk reaction is that they just don’t get it. And they don’t. But what I say to them is that quilting is a tool. It’s a tool, or a means to reach a huge plethora of outcomes. Quilting is a creative outlet, which is a crucial aspect of our mental and emotional health. Quilting is a skill-building tool that enhances our cognitive and deductive reasoning utilizing color theory, math, planning and organizational skills to just start the list. And one of the very most important things quilting does is to both create and revive memories for those making the quilts as well as those receiving the quilts. Quilting as an art and a skillset is something that has a huge ripple effect on all those around us quilters. And no…these are not just blankets. They are works of love.
And I….me…I get to help these lovely people create and fulfill their goals.
Sitting at my desk this morning, I pondered what to blog about today…and it struck me the while I’ve been showing pictures about my work, and that of my students, I’ve not expanded much upon how I came to this adventure and the tasks this journey requires. Making samples of patterns for my portfolio is just the tip of the iceberg. A beautiful one to be sure, but there is so much more to the whole endeavor. Come along with me while I share a bit more of the journey.
Let me start by telling you how I came to love the patterns that Judy Niemeyer designs. The first time I ever saw a Judy pattern was in 2005. I was at The Great American Quilt Factory (which is sadly no longer open) just poking around and checking out the store. They had a red version of this on display and no joke, I stood there staring at it for 15 minutes! I was spell bound. And I HAD to have the pattern. I bought it with the thought that s-o-m-e-d-a-y I would be good enough to make this. I had never seen anything like it, and I knew nothing about Judy’s method of paper piecing. I had taught paper piecing before, but nothing to this degree. I went home and dreamt of this pattern many times for a number of years.
Here it is…the one that started it all. The store sample was of the red color way. Red just happens to be my favorite color, so of course it caught my eye. It was a love at first sight that still captures my heart. 2021 will be the year that I bring it to life. A 16 year love affair is long enough to wait.
Fast forward to 2015 when I was perusing the pages of the April edition of American Patchwork & Quilting and lo and behold…there was the Paddle Wheel. Another Judy pattern! I said to myself, “If it’s in the magazine, it must surely be easy enough for anyone to make! I’m going to give it a try.” I did, and following all the directions, and the pictures (which are always worth a thousand words), I gave it a go. And I was hooked.
Here is my Paddlewheel, fresh off the long arm from a few years back. Isn’t it silly that I’ve still not taken a picture of the finished one with the binding on it?? I used colors that reminded me of the ocean along the Australian west coast when my husband and I vacationed there for our 25th wedding anniversary. Both my paper piecing and my long arm quilting have improved greatly since then.
I decided to check out their website Quiltworx where I learned about Certified Instructors and retreats in Montana with Judy Niemeyer herself. I was intrigued by what I was reading and the idea began to percolate on my back burners. Over the next few years I made a number of different patterns and really found my groove. I finally found what I wanted to be when I grew up! (You can click on the underlined word and the link will take you to their website.)
In 2018 I bit the bullet and decided to attend my first retreat in Montana to venture into the world of becoming a Certified Instructor. It’s challenging to be sure, and it should be. To date, at my last count I’ve complete about 25 different patterns with an undisclosed number currently still in progress, lol. (Not everyone needs to know the extent of my fetish, heh heh heh.) There are some that I’m very happy with, and some that make my buttons pop. Here are a couple pictures of one of those.
This is my Vintage Compass, made from my stash of Asian fabrics. It’s the second pattern I attempted and attended a class with a certified instructor. My goal was simply to learn the techniques of the pattern. I had low expectations of how it would turn out due to the fabrics as I’d never seen an example made with non-batik fabrics. Imagine my amazement when I saw the finished product.And here is the back. Don’t mind the wonkiness of the picture…IT is straight, quilt hanger (me) had a wonky time of it. This is also my long arm work using Quiltworx digitized patterns. I’m super proud of this one. I won my first ribbon at a quilt show with this one. Red is a good color, (it IS my favorite after all). Hoping for a blue and maybe even a purple some day.
So along with making quilts and learning patterns, there are a number of things that a CI-in training must do to reach certification. Things like teaching and getting in front of groups for trunk shows and demonstrations; learning about and introducing others to Quiltster and it’s amazing capabilities to literally color a quilt to see what your ideas for color and placement actually look like BEFORE you buy one inch of fabric! It even gives you the yardage requirements for each color in the quilt, as well as how to sub-cut it for the proper size needed in each component where it’s used. I’m telling ya it is genius! Go check it out at Quiltster You’ll be so impressed! Here’s a few pics to show what you can do.
This pattern is Clockworks. You start out with a black and white version.Next…you begin to color by selecting different fabrics.Then, you can make slight changes, or big ones, to arrive at a version you like best. For this quilt I chose to make my first rendition. The white of the sashing in this version was just too much. I felt the darker sashing of the first attempt was more cohesive and allowed the colors of the New York Beauty circles to shine more. Would love to hear your thoughts on this!
Other things include developing an on-line presence. While there are many, many ways in which to do this, I’m starting with this blog. I’ve wanted to do this for a while, and have tried my hand at it a couple times, but never really got in a groove. They say to really do well and find inspiration you should write about what you know. And that’s how I got this little blog going again. 5 days in and I’m loving it. They say it takes 21 days to create a habit, but I think for this…it’s already stuck. I’m craving my blogging time.
There are more things on the “To-Do” list of the CI-in training, which I’m sure I’ll be sharing about as time goes on. But I wanted to touch on the highlights that are happening for me right now. Covid has thrown more than just a monkey wrench into the mix on trying to accomplish some of these things, so being creative about how to keep going forward is an important part of this whole adventure as well. I’ve always been a firm believer that it’s better (not easier, just better) to start with the hardest part of anything you want/need to do. After that, everything gets easier. But if the hardest part can whoop you, it’s worth finding that out sooner rather than later. This hard part–the Covid hard part–has jumped into the middle of my equation setting me to dig in and really work through it. IT will not be the deterrent it could have been if I were just beginning this journey.
It’s a big thing when you figure out what you’re meant to do in life. I’m not about to let a pandemic get in the way. Detours and alternate routes are definitely in order!
So hang on Vera! We’re gonna blast our way through this and get to the other side squealing and laughing the whole way through. Quilting really IS my life!
What’s under your needle today? Are you piecing, or planning? Laying out blocks to complete a top? Are you quilting or binding? I’m so curious as to what’s under your needle!
Today, after my morning chores, a few phone calls and emails and a couple hours of standing at my long arm, I’m piecing. Paper piecing to be more exact. It’s what I love to do…in fact I crave my time at the machine, working on several different patterns at a time.
I’m sure there are many people who think I’ve got a screw loose, and they probably aren’t far from the truth. But my passion for creating quilts is super focused on paper piecing. And Quiltworx patterns by Judy Niemeyer are the highlight of my quilting world. I find my mind and my heart breathe a sigh of contentment when I sit down at my sewing desk to work on the current projects. It is definitely my happy place.
Becoming a Certified Instructor for Quiltworx is something I’ve been working towards since my first trip to Montana in April of 2018. It’s January 2021, and I’ll be finishing up this adventure a year from now. It’s a huge time commitment. And in every way, in my humble opinion, equal to a Bachelor’s degree from a college. Each of the patterns that I complete is easily equal to the cost of a college class and it’s required books. Especially if I only buy the newest fabrics for each of my projects.
Don’t get me wrong…I love, LOVE all the gorgeous and newest fabrics, but I’m also quite budget conscience. I’m especially proud of the fact that I have been able make several of my portfolio patterns directly out of my stash. Out of my STASH!!! I’m over the moon about that. Here are a few that I’ve been able to do that with.
Here is my version of Lincoln Log Cabin. It’s 31″ square and a super fun and fast project to make.
I love my Twinkle Star! It was sooo much fun to make. And at only 38″ square, it’s a great size for gift giving too!
Next is a summer color way of My Two Baby Sisters placemat. Another quick project with endless color options.
This is Star Baby…waiting for her turn on the long arm. I LOVED putting this together! Another sweet little wall hanging.
And here are Tea Time Placemats, also waiting to be quilted. This pattern is awesome! And comes with enough papers to do a set of 4 for your table. Can’t wait to make some in autumn colors too!
Golly! There are more than I thought that came from my stash. Actually, there are even a few more, but I’ll save those for another time. Using from my stash is something I’m pleased with . And it’s also something I think will be a helpful to encourage my students to do. Of course…when my students are shopping for fabric I’m only a phone call away to ask a question, if I’m not already there helping, guiding and suggesting options to add to their selection process. Who doesn’t like to shop for fabric??
So, leaving the bunny trail that took me away from my original question…What’s under your needle? This is what’s been under mine for the past several days. I’m working on just a few patterns all at once. It’s a skill set that I’m honing and finding it to be quite productive. It can be a bit confusing at first, but it only takes a little while before it becomes second nature. I love working on my projects this way.
I have two 4 foot tables that I use for my pattern staging. Here’s the first one. On the right is my version of Clockworks, which is a Quiltworx Cut Loose Press pattern. And on the left is Color Spectrum I have nearly all of these blocks completed…next will come setting the blocks to make the top.Here is the second 4 foot table. I’m working on my Dinner Plate Dahlia here. Granny Sassy Designs put this kit together for me, and she does an AMAZING job! I’ve loved this color way since the first time I saw it. I’m over the moon about this beauty!!This is how I stack my projects as I work on them. Each time I go through the stack I do the same step to everything regardless of the project. For example, each layer will get ironed all the way through the stack, then on to trimming and placing the next piece, then sewing them together, repeat.Here is what the stack looks like exploded out layer by layer. I know what each of these belongs to, and where they are in the process by just looking at the top layer. Oh! And there’s an Impatiens placemat in there too. That’s 5 patterns across these 8 layers. Not everyone wants to work in this way, and that’s the beauty of it all…we all get to enjoy our own process with no judgements.
For me, it breaks things up enough to keep me from being bored if there is a lot of repetition (as in a large quantity of the same thing). It also lets me make significant progress on a project if I employ the same method on a single pattern. Yep…there must be a screw loose in there somewhere. But boy to I have a good time with it! Yippeee!!
I hope you are having a stitch filled day with lots and lots of enjoyable moments and a sense of accomplishment in being able to put needle to fabric.
What a fun day I had today. Just as much fun as I had yesterday. I love working with my students to help them create the living version of what they envision in their minds eye.
Today I helped another student layout her blocks for the quilt she’s making as a gift. Kenda is also working on a wedding ring pattern by Quiltworx, titled “Flowers for My Wedding Ring”. She selected the “Taffy” strip set byTimeless Treasures to create her arcs, and this is how they turned out.
Here is Kenda with the first rendition for setting her arcs. It’s looking really good so far!
There are several things to consider when setting the arcs for this pattern. Things like color placement and sequence across the quilt, corner stone placement for where the arcs connect to the next block…not to mention number of completed circles that go across and then down the piece to complete the layout of the body of the quilt.
Here’s the finished version of how Kenda set her blocks. She decided to add another column in order to have 5 circles, or rings across and 5 down. Now to sew them all together.
Once all this is sewn together, it will create the center of the quilt. After this comes a “Flying Geese” border, followed by a large outer border where she will place appliqué flowers. Every step of the way, her work becomes more and more of what she envisions of the end product.
We also spent a little time working on the turned edge method of appliqué that she will use for the flowers, leaves and stems needed to finish this beauty. I couldn’t be more proud of her progress!
Like everything in our lives these past several months, it’s been a struggle to find a way to continue moving forward. I’m so pleased that between us, Kenda and I have found a way to stay connected and continue making progress on her project. It’s been a struggle at times, but completely worth the effort. It’s definitely no small thing to be able to have a face to face class like we did today.
If you would have told me a year ago that some of the most important tools in my teaching arsenal would be my phone, iPad and laptop, I would have humored you and given a nonchalant nod. Now…they are vital tools.
Today, I use text messages and pictures to pinpoint a question area for a student. Phone calls and coaching happens several times through a project. And for those who either live too far away, or just plain feel more comfortable at home, services like Zoom and Google Meet have become necessary and common place to stay in touch and in front of each other. This is a skill set that I never expected to acquire. But in all honesty, it’s a good one to have and be comfortable with. I’m not really a “techie”, but Praise Be that I’m married to one who knows how to interpret my questions and help me fulfill the needs of both my students and myself. I’m grateful and appreciative these avenues are available for the everyday person to utilize in order to do the things we love.
Someone once said that if you do what you love, you will never work a day in your life.
I whole heartedly agree with this sentiment. And these past two days have been evidence of that…because I call this playtime…..at MY office!!
Here is my happy place! It’s my temporary happy place. Many of you know that we are building…and living in a lovely 5th wheel on the property. It’s a long process and one that I cannot survive without my happy place. I have 16’x20′ of creative space, and I use every inch I can find to hold as much as it can to feed my creative juices.
Come inside! And enjoy the tour.
What greets me when I open my door.
Every time I enter, my design wall greets me with the current project. At the moment, I’ve got a pieced batting hiding what’s beneath it…something to be revealed at a later date.
Two of the three most important work areas! Quite tidy finally after the last whirlwind that landed in here.
Looking to the left after coming through the door is my cutting table and sewing area. The desk has a terrific keyboard area that slides out, which allows me to have my machine at the perfect level and great space behind it for all that passes under the needle.
The cutting table. Not a lot of space, but the table, and everything under it fits perfectly between the door and the window.
While standing in front of the third most important work area, I turn around and can reach the cutting table and the tools stored away inside that dark brown box. Thread and patterns and books and bolts. All within reach.
Here she is! My Pfelicty Pfaff long arm. The third work area.And here’s more of her.
She covers a lot of floor space, but oh my do I ever use up every bit of storage I can beneath her. Yes, I name my machines. Pfelicity Pfaff has big shoes to pfill, and she hums away quite nicely.
These pictures were taken several days ago, and my cute happy place looks much different as I work. I am in truth what is know as a “messy”, not a “tidy”. I believe creative people truly are “messies”. It’s what allows our brains to search outside the box, so to speak. I need that freedom to make a mess in order to find the groove, to reach beyond what might be hidden away and discover or uncover the next thing that will inspire me. It’s like opening a present or reaching to the bottom of a drawer or box to find the perfect “next” facet of my idea. Sometimes I feel quite like Mary Poppins and her carpet bag…reaching all the way in with my fanny up in the air grabbing for the potted plant in order to see that perfect shade of green and the perfect curve of the leaf in order to bring that into the top I am creating or the quilt I am long arming. (Isn’t the minds eye a marvelous thing to explore!) And then…before I know it…the project is finished and it’s time for the next one.
Every time I start a project, regardless of whom it is for, I clean up and put things away from the previous project. I have to. I don’t currently have the space to simply let things lay and work around them. I wouldn’t be able to find anything! When everything is back in it’s place, the trash emptied and the floor swept, I can begin again. It’s what makes my brain happy. I know where everything is, and have just enough room to work. I need to begin with a peaceful and organized space. Then, as the whirling dervish that I am, my creative self takes over and my carpet bag moments begin again. A clean and tidy work area is like a new canvas to me. A place to bring out the fabrics and threads and patterns, put them up on my design wall and audition things, and a way to imagine how to bring things into being from an idea.
What is your happy place? What is important to you to have at your fingertips? Do you like certain sounds, or smells or colors to inspire you? Do you listen to music, or audio books, or television to keep you company or to have something in the background as your creative self plays in the foreground? Are you a tidy or a messy? What brings you joy??
For me—I use my laptop to connect me to Amazon Prime, or Netflix, or Britbox or Acorn TV. I use it to play DVD’s or audio books or music. And I use a wireless headset so I can hear both what is playing as well as my machines. Each machine has a specific sound that I’m in tune with, because when they aint happy, they let you know toot sweet! Right now, I’m working through all the seasons of JAG. But NCIS and Stargate and Downton Abbey and Poldark and all of the Star Trek TV spinoffs have been recently viewed. It’s an eclectic mix to be sure, but that’s me to a tee.
It’s important to know these things. I believe that once you find your happy place, regardless of its size, dimension or place, you find an inner peace that will radiate to others. Your happiness spills over to others, and they become inspired. It’s a gift we all can share. It makes me continually happy, and I find great satisfaction in living my life this way.
Thanks for stopping by and taking the tour! What is your happy place? I’d love to hear about it!
Thanks for stopping in again to continue the story about the making of this remarkable quilt. Today, I’m going to share the second half of creating a quilt…the quilting. Now, for those who live outside the quilt world, you may not realize that there are two distinct types of work involved in creating a finished quilt. The first step is called “piecing” which is when multiple pieces of fabric are sewn together to create what is called a “quilt top” or “flimsy”. It is not yet an actual quilt. The second step is when a “top” is added to additional layers. These are the “batting” (middle), and the “backing” (what is seen as the reverse side of a quilt). These three layers are then sewn together. That process, where these layers are sewn together is called “quilting”. So we quilters are all piecers, lol, and then we are quilters—either we quilt it, or we quilt by check! But any way you slice it, we are quilters. Back to the story…..
This quilt has sections of computerized quilting, but the majority of the work is free motion. Those terms are fairly self explanatory in that with the computerized quilting, a computer program makes the machine quilt by itself, and free motion means that a person drives the movements of the machine head. What is not as well known is that these two skill sets are quite independent of each other. They both take a lot of practice and skill to learn, and neither is as easy as it sounds. The results of each can be quite remarkable in their own way, and are even more stunning when used in concert with each other. Let’s take a look as some of the highlights of this piece.
The beginning of the quilting process. The feathers are a digitized motif. As the quilting is laid down, you can begin to see shapes coming to life across the open areas.The free motion fill that is outlining the embroidery motifs.The texture of the surface is quite pronounced here. A blending of both computerized and free motion.And finally, a view of the back of the quilt. You can see quite clearly how the quilting allows for shapes and motifs to be highlighted. It becomes a completely different creation when you look at the back.
The computerized quilting motif used for the feathers is a Quiltworx design that I already had in my digitized library and it just begged to be used here. If you are looking for some amazing and well made designs, particularly for anything made for a Judy Niemeyer pattern, visit their website and look through what they offer. They are well designed and stitch out with ease. https://store.quiltworx.com/SearchResults.asp?Cat=1841
I couldn’t have completed this quilt without the offerings of Angela Walters and her Free Motion Challenge. You can also follow this link to find out more about what she is doing to inspire multitudes of quilters on their journey to grow their skills. http://www.quiltingismytherapy.com/2018/02/07/free-motion-challenge-quilting-along/
My last bit of info to pass on to you all concerns the batting I used. If you look back at the pictures, you will see how the stitching that is laid down begins to bring more pronounced texture to the surface of the quilt. There are a lot of different ways to bring this about, but suffice it to say that the batting is the biggest helper to this and works in concert with the density of the stitching. One of the more popular methods to attain this look is to use a double batting. By that, I mean you literally use two battings to give the loft to the areas not as densely quilted. Typically an 80/20 poly/cotton blend for the bottom layer, and a thinner 100% cotton or even bamboo or other fiber content batting is laid over the first. I personally don’t like the double batt. My first experience in using this method was not as enjoyable as I’d hoped. Plus, I found the weight of the quilt to be significantly greater than I anticipated. Not to say at all that it shouldn’t be done! I’ve seen lots and lots of quilts made this way that turn out simply beautifully. I just didn’t enjoy the process very much.
Instead, I opted for this product.
This my fav! I love it. Hobbs hit a homer on this one. If you want to give it a try, ask your local quilt shop if they can get it for you. It’s worth the effort!
And I must tell you, I am sold! Any quilt that I want to give noticeable depth and texture to will have this as the batting. I love the feel of the batting, the drape of it and the way it stitches throughout the project. But even more importantly… the weight of it. It is lightweight, has just the right amount of loft….and it’s washable. Wool breathes and is appropriate in both warm and cool climates. Yep—it’s my favorite!
Thanks for coming along with me on this two-day installment post. It’s been fun for me to reminisce and share. I hope you’ll share your thoughts with me about this project.
If you would like to share your thoughts with me directly to this post, make sure you are on my blog site, rather than FB. If you followed the link from FB, just look to the upper right side of what you see and under the caption “Recent Posts” you’ll find the listing of my posts. Click on the one you want to read and follow through to the end of the post. At the bottom you will find comment boxes where you can share your thoughts. Either place you post your comments, I’ll see them, but one flows through FB and the other through my blog site. Please feel free to “Share” things you like through FB! It helps me reach more people every time you do. And thanks for bearing with me as I learn the ropes of blogging…and the proper “blogging etiquette” too.
