October 2013 – Page 2 – Artquiltmaker Blog

Scrapitude Triangles

The newest clue for the Scrapitude mystery quilt has to do with triangles. The idea is to cut 5.25″ squares into quarter square triangles before sewing.

I didn’t, yet, do all the cutting as instructed in the first clue, partially because I wanted to see if I could find a better way, more preferred way to cut. I also didn’t want to delve into my stash completely yet. I still wanted to try and use as many scraps from my scrap bin as possible. Some of the drawers are getting pretty full.

In order to cut from my scrap bin, I had to be able to cut from smaller scraps. I don’t have a lot of 5.25″ scraps laying around. It occurred to me, as I was thinking through this process, that I had a ruler that would make cutting the quarter square triangles a bit easier. I found the EZ Triangle Companion Ruler (I think I bought this for the Easy Street Mystery quilt) and the Fons & Porter Half & Quarter Triangle Rulers. Neither had been opened (ooops!), so I examined them and, for no particular reason, chose the Fons & Porter to try first.

I cut one 5.25″ square the way Charlotte suggested so I had a sample. I used that to determine the size I needed to to cut using the HST/QST ruler. The directions on the Fons & Porter ruler tell you to cut a strip size of 2.5″ to get the size QSTs I needed. This cut off the tip of the triangle at the top (see that tiny black triangle at the tip of the ruler in the photo below?). I wasn’t sure why I would want to cut off the tip since it didn’t create the bunny ears. This made me wonder if that ruler would work. I didn’t want a hole at the point where those triangles intersected with other piecing. Nobody was around to answer on Twitter, so I cut the strips 2.75″ and used that dimension as a guide for cutting additional triangles.

“Strips” is a bit of an exaggeration as I was using scraps. I tried to find scraps that were at least 2.75″ wide.

Fons & Porter Half/Quarter Square Triangle Ruler

Using this ruler took a lot longer than cutting already cut 5.25″ squares into quarters would, but I was able to use a nice variety of fabrics and I was able to clear out my scrap bin a little more.

I found that I had to have a nice straight cut line on which to line the correct cutting line.

One confusing thing, which I have found with other rulers, is where to put the fabric under the ruler. Some of the lines, including the one I needed to use, were quite thick. Do I line the ruler on top of the fabric with the bottom of the thick line even with the cut line? Or something else?

I just decided to be consistent. I can always trim.

If you haven’t done the triangle step of Scrapitude, I hope you’ll try using one of these rulers to vary your fabric selection.

Scrapitude Posts

Inspiration Tuesday

I saw this design at the Alden Lane Quilt Show somewhere. I have always liked the tin ceilings and faux tin wall treatment seen in many Victorians in San Francisco. I thought this example would make a particularly nice quilting pattern. Perhaps modifications would be required for machine quilting, but hand quilters could use the designs as is.

Fabric Combinations?

I don’t always chastise myself very vociferously for making a big mess in my workroom, because happy accidents happen with messes.

I found a new Philip Jacobs print at Roxanne’s in Carpenteria (you really MUST go there as soon as possible). The tan background isn’t really my color, but I love Phil and those mums are to drool for.

I was unpacking stuff from my trip and the Philip Jacobs flowers were flung onto my cutting table temporarily. They happened to land near this Lori Wisburn print from several years ago. It is from the Tufted Tweets line. I don’t know why it was in the pile, but it was a good thing it was, because I saw the two together and thought “hmmm, that could be the start of something”.

Not sure what.

But something. Something interesting for sure.

Alden Lane Nursery Show part 3: Inspiration

See part 1 and part 2.

I dream of a beautiful garden. I find green things and flowers so attractive. Sadly, I don’t want to do the work required. Periodically, I get a bug in my ear and do some work on one part of my yard, feel great and then do nothing for months until the next bug gets in my ear.

Sigh.

One of the things I loved about the show was the non-quilt inspiration I got there. Everywhere I looked the employees had gone out of the way to make the gardens attractive to look at. Even the tables filled with flats of flowers and other plants looked wonderful. This place is no Home Depot; it appears that the owners and employees actually care about their work.

Garden art - Alden Lane Nursery — Garden art – Alden Lane Nursery

One part that I liked were the random sculptures. I don’t know if they would fit the ‘official’ definition of sculpture, but I thought the displays were sculpture.

I really liked the one on the side of a shed that looked like windows. I suppose a person could make something similar with 1x1s and some larger wood for the outside. It might look nice hanging on the back of my house in some pleasing arrangement. It would require some work, though, and I don’t know that I am up for it.

Part of what was so great was the weather. It was a beautiful day: sunny and not too hot. Not only did the wonderful weather make it pleasant to walk around, but it also made gorgeous shadows, which added to the look of the non-quilt ‘art’. (The shadows on the quilts was a little bit frustrating.)

I am sure Alden Lane is serious about their plants, but they have a sense of humor, too, which was exhibited at the entrance.

It made me laugh. I am not sure I would put it in my yard, but given the right space, I wouldn’t count it out either. I love the humor and wonder if it says something about the owners? Perhaps a worker has a good sense of humor on which the owners capitalize? In either case, I think they should do more.

I might like a tub like that in my bathroom, though…

TFQ loves coleus. I saw this arrangement and thought of her.

It is a particularly appropriate arrangement, because we write letters back and forth. I can’t see her putting a mailbox like this in her yard, though.

I think TFQ was on my mind, because she was planning to visit that weekend and I thought it would be fun to go to the show together.

In looking at the color of the coleus and the color of the mailbox post, I wonder how the arrangement would look with a blue post? Red and green are opposites on the color wheel and the success of the look might hinge on that relationship. Still, it would be interesting to see a series of tableaus like this in different colors.

I think often of the type of outdoor rooms or living spaces that I see in glossy home and garden magazines. I know they wouldn’t really be practical for me because I would be able to use the “room,” maybe, four weeks out of the year. Still, a girl can dream.

Nice outdoor living! - Alden Lane Nursery — Nice outdoor living! – Alden Lane Nursery

I do dream about them when see an arrangement that includes a chandelier outdoors. I can’t imagine that this one would work, but in my imaginary house set in an imaginary place that has the perfect climate, mine would work and cast a soft glow over my perfectly cooked kebabs.

Sigh.

Good thing dreams are free, right?

And from the Excellence in Marketing Department:

If I – the reasonable and authoritative side of me – didn’t know that my yard needs a lot of work before it will be at the stage where I can buy flowers to plant for a few weeks, I would have bought pots and pots of flowers simply because of displays like this red window box. Doesn’t it make you think that your life would be more beautiful if you had such a thing at your house?

Nice sales display - Alden Lane Nursery — Nice sales display – Alden Lane Nursery

I promise Alden Lane is not paying me. 😉

Alden Lane Nursery Show, part 2

See part 1.

There were two Featured Artists at the show: Sandy Klop and Susan Else. Sandy Klop is the designer of the American Jane patterns and fabrics lines. While I am not completely on board with her color choices, I don’t hate them either and her patterns are fabulous – not the easy stuff. You have to think about her patterns.

Pretzel Party, the interlocking beauty on the right is my favorite of her quilts, though there are many that I like.

She also has something or everyone: applique’, piecing, squares, hexagons, straight seams, partial seams. She also has different skill levels. Her designs, with the confines of piecing and applique, vary widely, too. She uses interesting borders, panels, and has a quilt depicting classic game boards- playable game boards! If a person cannot find something to make, I don’t think it is because of Sandy Klop’s lack of trying.

Sandy’s quilts were everywhere. I estimated that she had 80 quilts on view. While her color palette is slighty dusky (e.g. she uses gold vs. yellow), I wouldn’t turn down most of her quilts if offered one. Her patterns are bold and bright and either are complex or look complex because of the fabrics.

I loved the diamond border in the Sowing Seeds quilt. I like the combination of pieced and whole diamonds. I also like the way the pieced diamonds fade in and out. It adds interest and made me look at the quilt a bit longer.

The picture of the Starry Crown quilt shows the benefits and frustrations of an outdoor quilt show. The blue sky, the beauty of the tree bark and the greenery all make an outdoor quilt show pleasant.

The wind, however, did not make for easy picture taking. I finally just took the photo, because the wind was not going to die down even for a minute for me to take the photo. Also, I was really just interested in the piecing of the block and the interplay of fabrics Sandy used. Both of those are covered in this photo. This isn’t a quilt with a complicated border, so I think I could replicate the layout, if I wanted. The bonus is that the wind gives you a view of the back and front at the same time.

TFQ and I saw Susan Else at the Road to California show a few years ago. I really enjoy looking at her 3D pieces. I wouldn’t necessarily include figures in my own work, but i love looking at what Susan has made. She is very willing to talk with people, too. Her stories aren’t prominent in the show, but I had her tell Mrs. K and Vicki the story of her Lifeboat piece, because it rings so true with me.

Susan explains that she, metaphorically, kept inviting people into the Lifeboat and serving them soup until her husband and daughter suggested that it might capsize. It is, for me when looking at the piece, a statement about women and how we try and take care of everyone.

Susan’s pieces are large, which is also appealing.

Susan Else's Chess Set — Susan Else’s Chess Set

Susan’s pieces are also hard not to touch. I really wanted to pick up a chess piece and feel it. Fortunately, Mrs. K asked so I didn’t have to surreptitiously stroke a queen or a rook! The people in Susan’s pieces really have a lot of life. I kept looking at them thinking about the giant chess set in the Sorcerer’s Stone and how all of those pieces moved. Susan’s chess pieces deserve to move!

Creative Prompt #229: Magenta

Do people use the word magenta anymore? It doesn’t come up that often, but I really felt an Autumn-ish word was required. Since we are scraping the bottom of the barrel on words magenta was the closest I could get. Orange, Autumn and leaf have all been used. Even stem, branch and tree have been used. What’s a girl to do?

Definition: “Magenta (ma?gen?ta, /m??d??nt?/) is a purplish-red,^[1] purplish-crimson,^[2] or purplish-pink color.^[3] It is a primary color in color printing which, combined with cyan, yellow and black in various combinations, can be used to create all other colors. The name comes from the dye magenta, originally called fuchsine, discovered in 1859, and renamed after the 1859 Battle of Magenta near Magenta, Italy where the French army defeated the Austrians and helped secure the unification of Italy.^[4]” (Wikipedia)

The color magenta means universal harmony and emotional balance. It is spiritual yet practical, encouraging common sense and a balanced outlook on life. (Empower Yourself with Color Psychology.com)

Magenta – The leader in Pro AV signal switching, extension and distribution over category cable and fiber.

Magenta Labs

Magenta – character from the Rocky Horror Picture Show

Magenta Theatre Company – Vancouver, Wash

skateboards

Magenta Boutique – Leavenworth’s newest fashion boutique specializing in the latest goodies for the fashionista at heart.

Hotel Magenta, Florence Italy

Magenta Agency is a social strategy and marketing agency based in Los Angeles California.

Magenta is Blue’s best friend from school who serves as a recurring character in Blue’s Clues.

Post the direct URL (link) where your drawing, doodle, artwork is posted (e.g. your blog, Flickr) in the comments area of this post. I would really like to keep all the artwork together and provide a way for others to see your work and/or your blog.

We are also talking about this on Twitter. Use the hashtag #CPP

The Creative Prompt Project, also, has a Flickr group, which you can join to post your responses. I created this spot so those of you without blogs and websites would have a place to post your responses.

Alden Lane Nursery Show, pt.1

The Quilting in the Garden at Alden Lane Nursery 2013 was held on September 28-29, 2013. It is held this weekend (last weekend??) every year. Alex Anderson comes every year and I saw that she taught classes this year as well. My understanding is that she had a hand in starting the show.

I have been to Livermore, which is miles and miles east of me, only a few times. Most recently I visited In Between Stitches, which is a great store with a great space, when my SIL was in town a few Christmases ago and we went on a shop tour.

I took the train and Mrs. K and her cousin, Vicki, picked me up from the station. It was nice to sit back and be driven around. They go every year to look at the quilts and shop for plants.

I was surprised when we got close to the nursery as it is right in the middle of a really nice suburban neighborhood. It was at the equivalent of the end of the end of my street. I thought it was an odd place for a nursery, but realized that the houses must have been built up around it.

Parking karma was with me (us) and we got a space on the premises. We didn’t have to park on the street and walk for miles. Yes, I know it is good for me, but ….

Quilting in the Garden at Alden Lane Nursery 2013

I got excited when I walked up. The whole front of the place displayed quilts. It was a feast for the eyes. It was beautiful.

Once we walked in, everywhere I looked I could see quilts. There were, mostly, outdoor spaces, but there were a few buildings that had quilts hung up along the walls. Where quilts were not, were other gorgeous displays of plants, pottery and other inspiration worthy displays. I took so many pictures! I have included, as you can see, a few here, but there is a whole Flickr Set for your enjoyment as well.

After entering the facility (no entrance fee!), the first thing I saw was a table where Alex Anderson and hubby, John, were sitting and chatting with people, selling their wares, including The Quilt Show DVDs, and signing books. I was glad to see them and don’t know what I was surprised, but I was a little surprised. She is a such a big star and I am sure she has better things to do than sit in the sun all day and answer the same question over and over. Still there Alex was and I have to say that I was impressed!

I did not stop to chat. The clear space through which I took the photo was the only one I saw the whole time.

The nursery has giant, old oak trees on their land and the quilts were hung with clothesline and clothes pins from the trees.

The quilts look like they are low to the ground, but they weren’t, for the most part. The quilts were hung so that viewers could easily see the front and the back. Mrs. K really liked looking at the backs and we had fun discussing blocks, trying to figure out how to make the quilts, etc.

One of my favorite quilts was a turquoise Dresden Plate. I really liked the turquoise on chocolate and something about the ratios of turquoise to chocolate was very appealing.

I would have thought that all of that color, all of that complex piecing, all of the different fabrics would have been an overwhelming riot of color, but I have to say that the green of the other plants really softened the whole effect. The quilts were framed nicely by the trees and plants. Perhaps it was all of the dusty greens?

If I didn’t say, the day was gorgeous. There weren’t any clouds, but it wasn’t too hot. At one point I really needed to sit and there was a lovely patio near the pavilion with the featured artist and near the food vendor.

I was exhausted from a week away, but I am glad I went to the show and glad that Mrs. K kept nudging and encouraging and made it so easy for me to attend.

If you have thought of going to the show, but never made it, now you have a little more info to consider!

Look for part 2, which is coming soon.

Russian Rubix: Test Blocks

Russian Rubix: Pattern, Piecing, Process

I had a feeling about the background drama and decided to make a couple of test blocks using my top two background fabrics.

I am glad I did. A couple of observations:

the Russian Rubix blocks have a lot of seams
the seams seem to be in weird places, even though they make sense based on the design of the block
the fabrics I chose as potential background fabrics make the seams look very prominent.

In the photos, the backgrounds look like either would be fine. In real life the dots look better. The movement in the batik isn’t as good as I thought it would be.

These blocks are not difficult even though they look complex. The pattern is written so there is a lot of trimming. If you join in, definitely get the templates from Richard. It makes the cutting and trimming easy and painless.

Russian Rubix posts:

Tuesday October 8, 2013: More Background Drama
Saturday October 5, 2013: Russian Rubix Backgrounds
Saturday September 28, 2013: In a Clear Space You Can See Across the Room
Wednesday September 11, 2013: Chosen Colors
Thursday August 26, 2013: Russian Rubix Templates
Susan: Tuesday August 20, 2013: History Quilter Podcast Episode 39
Monday July, 22, 2013: Russian Rubix

More Background Drama

I thought I would have been able to choose a background from the previous post, but it wasn’t to be. It occurred to me to think about what I wanted. I do want the background to be a player. I don’t want it to just fade into the background, so to speak. I also don’t want it to overshadow the foreground fabrics.

So, I spent some time on Sunday pressing greys and trying different greys with my octagons. It meant that I didn’t sew, but it also meant that I was carefully and deliberately engaging in the process.

Above is a batik that I bought at The Granary. It has a bit of blue in it. I thought it wouldn’t work, but I do like it. It gives movement to the background. The dark grey bits remind me of swirling fog.

It isn’t directional, which is a bonus. The blue doesn’t show up very well in the photos.

This background goes with the blue flower in the upper left of the photo above. It is from the same line. I may even have bought it at the same time. It is a true background, in the sense of it doesn’t add anything.

Again, has a directionality, but I wouldn’t say it is directional — or the directionality wouldn’t look weird if the pieces were cut different ways.

Dots are always a safe bet. This dot is the right size not to interfere with the other dots, even the red ones.

Not directional.

I am not sure why I bought the amount (2-3 yards) of this. I think I was expecting the color to be a little different. Since I was pressing greys anyway, I decided to press this, but I don’t think it is appropriate for the project.

Very directional. I don’t want to worry about the way I cut so that the lines of dots lined up. I am not sure I would want to worry about that.

Lots of movement. If the pearl bracelets don’t interfere with the foreground, then the fabric adds a lot of movement. I would err on the side of this being too busy for the piece, which is a little busy anyway.

Not really directional. I only have a yard of this and would have to buy more.

I have a boatload of this fabric, because it is a good background and I had the foresight to buy plenty.

Not directional.

Between the the choices above and the previous choices, I think my favorites are below:

Of the three above, I think the batik is the most likely. I don’t have enough of the Happy Go Lucky, and can’t get anymore so that doesn’t seem to be a real option.

The grey dot is perfectly fine, but doesn’t really add anything to the piece. If I decide I don’t want to add the movement I discussed above, then that fabric would be a good option.

That leaves the batik.

My SIL commented that I only showed the light blue on one of the backgrounds. This time, I used the same octagons for all the different backgrounds. I did rearrange them, however.

Russian Rubix posts:

Saturday October 5, 2013: Russian Rubix Backgrounds
Saturday September 28, 2013: In a Clear Space You Can See Across the Room
Wednesday September 11, 2013: Chosen Colors
Thursday August 26, 2013: Russian Rubix Templates
Susan: Tuesday August 20, 2013: History Quilter Podcast Episode 39
Monday July, 22, 2013: Russian Rubix

Process is messy.

Loaner Machine

It is kind of funny how we come to feel about our tools. As I mentioned, I have a loaner machine. It is also a Janome, so my feet fit. It is a smaller model with a fewer number of stitches and no knee lift. I don’t know the model; there doesn’t seem to be a number or anything on it.

This is, generally, a nice machine. It sews quietly, the stitch is nice. It fits my 1/4″ foot, is easy to thread, has the needle up/down feature.

It isn’t my machine, though and it buzzes. It makes a loud-ish, electrical buzzing sound all the time. It sounds weird, but that might be part of why I felt out of sorts on Saturday. The machine was off most of the day on Sunday and I felt fine.

It also doesn’t fit well into my table, so I moved the pneumatic lift platform up to table top height and put the machine on top of it. I worried that my hands were going to hurt , but that didn’t happen.

Why You Should Care: It is always good to have information about different machines when you are going to buy a new one.

Scrapitude: 112 4 Patches

I spent the day Saturday doing laundry and working on four patches. I had really looked forward to a day in my workroom and, while I got that, I felt out of sorts. I am not sure why, but it just wasn’t the relaxing sew day I thought it would be. I sewed, but I didn’t enjoy it as much as normal.

Still, I made progress. I finished the 112 four patches that were part of the first sewing step in Charlotte’s Mystery quilt. I had started them last week or the week before, so about half of the halves were sewn. I needed to do the rest and I had to cut enough pieces to make them.I alternated cutting and sewing. It works better for me.

I have to figure out how and where to store these. I don’t have a good sense of when the next step will happen.

As you can see, my background fabric is dots. I figured I would use some of the dots I have been collecting sinc they are just sitting there waiting for a project. As I mentioned, I had to cut much of the background from yardage. I rummaged through my scrap bins as much as possible. Now, I am pretty much left with weird shapes and smaller than 2.5″ squares in many of the colors.

I have to say that part way through making the 4 patches, I was ready to make some larger blocks and see where I was going. I got a little sick of 4 patches, which is sad, because I really adore the simplicity of four patches. There is a lot one can make with a four patch as a base. I think part of what is going on is that I am not organized in my sewing room right now. I don’t have a good handle on the projects I have going. I know what they are, but I don’t have the steps in my head.

I blame Super G.

If you haven’t been following along, I went down to SoCal for a week and that trip, along with problems with my machine, kind of ruined my flow. I’ll get back into it; it is tough, though. Learn from me: sew or pet fabric every day.

Since I finished the 25 4 patches already as well, I think I am ready for the next step. I don’t see it posted on Sandy’s blog, so I guess I’ll get back to some cutting, of which there is plenty left to do.

Previous Scrapitude Posts:

Wednesday October 2, 2013: Scrapitude Four Patches
Sandy: September 11, 2013: Scrapitude Mystery Quilt First Step (Sewing)
Sandy: September 18, 2013: Scrapitude Progress

Why Should You Care: You can see that it is possible to get work done even if your machine is out of commission and you have a loaner. You can also see that it is possible to create some organization, even in a scrappy quilt.

Russian Rubix Backgrounds

Once again, I am working on the background for the Russian Rubix. I know this seems like more drama than it is worth, but there are a couple of reasons, I am being picky:

White seems like an easy choice
Solid grey seems too boring and I don’t want to be depressed making it
I have to sew octagons together. I don’t want to sincerely dislike the background of a quilt that is difficult to piece
I don’t want the white in the foreground fabrics to bleed in the background and distort the look of the wreaths made up by the octagons.

I finally washed some greys and here are the choices I am contemplating:

In no particular order, I am posting examples of the backgrounds I am considering. I like the movement of the grey on white batik. It does interfere with the light blue (bottom, center right).

Above is the detail of the Grey on White Batik with only a little bit of other fabric for reference.

Painter's Canvas — Painter’s Canvas from Magnolia Lane Collection by Laura Gunn for Michael Miller

This is my second favorite. It adds interest. It doesn’t interfere with the foreground fabrics. It isn’t boring.

Painter's Canvas detail — Painter’s Canvas detail

I wish it weren’t so directional, though I think the directionality wouldn’t interfere with the design of the piecing. I could be wrong.

This my favorite. I love this grey. I have gone on and on about this grey and I am kind of angry that I didn’t realize I loved it when I had the chance to buy 1,000 yards. It is nowhere. I may call P&B and see if they have a bolt they will sell me.

I am worried I am just on the grey bandwagon and will sincerely dislike all of these quilts made with grey in 2 years.

How can you not love this grey?

Russian Rubix posts:

Saturday September 28, 2013: In a Clear Space You Can See Across the Room
Wednesday September 11, 2013: Chosen Colors
Thursday August 26, 2013: Russian Rubix Templates
Monday July, 22, 2013: Russian Rubix

Why Should you Care: you should care because of process. My thought process in the making of a quilt will give you some ideas of what to think about when you are making your next quilt. Maybe.

Happy Face Sad Face

The Happy Face signifies me not being insane.

The Sad Face is because of the ‘missing’ machine. Again.

I posted something similar on Twitter a few weeks ago. I wasn’t worried, because I was planning on being out of town and I could get the machine back relatively soon after I returned.

When I dropped the machine off, I clearly articulated that the machine was running by itself. In the imaginary universe a machine running by itself would be a good thing. You could line up a bunch of patches and go iron fabric while the machine sewed away. I am imagining household management a la Molly Weasley. Sadly, this is not the imaginary universe and, besides, I get a lot of pleasure out of feeding patches through the machine.

I always think it is important to tell the people working on my device or gadget what the problem is. I always thought they might want to know since I was asking them to fix it and they were taking my money for fixing the machine.

When I picked up the machine, the repair person was there and said that had told him about my machine running by itself. He gave me a new foot, assuring me that that would solve the problem. Famous last words, but you knew that was coming, right?

I got the machine home and it still ran by itself. I really thought I was losing my mind. I had a stressful week prior and thought that that may be contributing to my obvious insanity.

In reality, the intake person didn’t write any notes on my ticket, so the repair people just did a service on it. Service is great. The machine, you have to know, needed to be serviced in the worst way, but I don’t want the machine running by itself.

As you saw, the problem didn’t prevent me from sewing, but I couldn’t use the needle down function, because that had something to do with creating the problem. It also meant that I had to drive back to the shop, which is 50 miles from my house.

I had yesterday off work, so after a few fun things, I drove the machine down to the shop, then went out to lunch with friend Maureen. I called on Tuesday to tell them I wanted them to look at it right away so I could take it back home with me after lunch. As much as I enjoy having lunch with M, I’d really like to stay home and sew once in a while.

I called again late in the day. They said they couldn’t find anything wrong with it, so I went to pick it up feeling quite discouraged. The repair guy suggested I test the machine in the shop, so we set it up, he showed me how beautiful it was running and invited me to sew on it.

Immediately, I pressed the needle down button and it was like touching the ‘never stop’ switch. The repair guy’s mouth practically dropped open as he watched the machine run by itself. He looked at me and said that he had never seen the needle down sensor affect the running of the machine that way. He said he would have to call the company, so I would have to leave the machine again. Sigh.

He offered me a loaner, which I almost declined, but took at the last second. I don’t know what model this is, but it has a needle down function and uses the same feet as I have. I might just use my Jem. We’ll see if I can get along with this machine over the weekend. Who knows how long it will take to get my machine fixed and I hope it isn’t a $500 repair like it was when I had to have the screen replaced.

Why You Should Care: This is a reminder that you make sure the intake person writes down the specific problem. This is definitely a #firstworldproblem. I know that I am fortunate to have a machine, fortunate to have a backup and fortunate to have been offered a loaner. I am also fortunate not to have to take my machine by donkey to be repaired.

Scrapitude Four Patches

I succumbed to the Siren call of the mystery quilt. Just like Jason and the Argonauts or Odysseus or the sailors passing Die Lorelei, I couldn’t resist their call and am working on the Scrapitude Mystery Quilt.

The Scrapitude Mystery Quilt was created by Sandy’s friend charlotte after the ladies in their guild begged. Sandy put out the [Siren] call and many of The Twilters joined in. I found an already cut batch of 2.5″ squares, so I joined as well. Lame reasoning, I have to say, because there are a whole bunch of other shapes I need to cut as well.

It turned out to be good, though, because I needed something easy where I could accomplish a lot in a short amount of time.

I only had about 3 hours to sew yesterday and was able to finish 25 four patches and make a huge dent in the 112 I still need to make.

One of the first sewing directions was to make 25 four patches out of the foreground fabric (e.g. not the background). I found a container of 2.5 squares I had cut sometime ago and started out with those. I was able to make good progress and finish the first 25 pretty quickly.

The next 112 would be a little harder and I knew that before even starting the sewing. Part of the difficulty was that I hadn’t, yet, picked a background. Fortunately there were enough dots with white backgrounds already cut to sell me on the idea of dots as a background. I toyed with the idea of blacks on whites, but went with the dots. There aren’t enough dots in my life ever. 😉

There were a lot of orange squares in the container, so, periodically, I rummaged through my scrap bins and cut some other colors. A lot of what I was cutting were greens. It is fun delving into my scrap bin. First, I use up scraps, which is always a bonus. Second, I enjoyed thinking about the fabrics through which I was rummaging and the original projects for which they were used. I found a lot of Philip Jacobs prints and joyfully cut those up to use.

Now I have about half of the 112 finished. I have had to use some yardage for the background, but I have plenty of dots, so it is ok.

Sandy has a tutorial on her blog on making 4-patches. Nonnie pointed out a very interesting 4-patch tutorial on the NZ blog, Bee in my Bonnet. I have not tried this tutorial and she doesn’t give sizes, so I don’t know how it works. It looks cool, though.

Why Should You Care: Perhaps you want to join in or use the directions for an activity for your guild?

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