Commentary about works in progress, design & creativity
BAMers made fidget quilts at the last Sew Day. I was there as I was in Portland celebrating the YM’s graduation.
I was really impressed with Peggy’s preparation and for all the work that went into these pieces that will help people with dementia and other memory challenges as well as kids who need something to calm their restless bodies.
I spent a couple of days working on the Red Improv donation top in between the Chubby Charmer and other projects. I am getting towards the end (perhaps one more row along the bottom?), but making the rows takes time, because they are made from small bits of fabric that have to be sewn into larger pieces.
I have done a good job clearing out the red scrap drawer. There is definitely a lot less left. I do have a couple of pieces that were already sewn together that I may not use in this piece. I am thinking about cutting some blocks out of it and making a multi-colored donation top when I am done with all the colors.
As mentioned, I have been working with red scraps. As I dived into the drawer, I found several pieces of fabric that had already been made from scraps.
Since I have a few Miquelrius journals that need covers, I decided to use some of the scraps to make a journal cover. It was fun to look at all of the made fabric and decide which pieces to use. I felt like I was picking out commercial fabric. It was nice to have a choice.
Because I had already done the hard work of making the fabric, I just had to make the piece large enough to fit the journal. (Sizing info can be found in the journal covers tutorial). It went really quick, which was great, because I was in need of a quick finish. I am pleased with the chair print on the front as well as the disbursement of dot fabrics.
I use flannel instead of batting for the center of the journal covers. It gives the cover a little bit of body, but doesn’t make it bulky. I’d like to just use ShapeFlex, but it doesn’t stick very well to made fabric because of all the seams. If I am using a favorite commercial fabric and there aren’t a lot of seams, then I will use ShapeFlex.
I always cover the batting the another cotton fabric, but I forgot to do that this time, so the flannel serves as batting and backing. It is on the inside and doesn’t show much, so I think it will be ok. I haven’t been carting my journals around as much as I have in the past, so I think the flannel will stay clean. I am glad, however, this is just for me. I think I will need to read the tutorial again before I make the next one.
I finally finished the Chubby Charmer I started making for myself a few weeks ago. I am really pleased with how it turned out. I started filling it with supplies for the Jelly Roll Rug class almost as soon as I had finished with it.
I used a violet batik for the handles and I am pleased with the choice.
I also did a few different things with the inside pockets. I didn’t make smaller pockets or slip zipper pockets. I even forgot to add Shapeflex to the pockets, but I did add a lobster clasp and a special pen holder.
My idea for the pockets had to do with the pouches I discussed when I made the All Rolled Up Tote. Yes, there is no D-ring like I discussed, but I didn’t have a D-ring that would fit with the lobster clip. I have a lot of those lobster clips. I will need to get some D-rings to go with them, but at this point I thought a lobster clip could still be clipped to a lobster clip.
Looking at the pictures now, I might just make a pouch to go with this Chubby Charmer as well.
I started my Jelly Roll Rug, finally. I started on Wednesday by watching the official Jelly Roll Rug video. As I watched, I made a list of to do items and also of supplies I needed. The first item on the to do list was to find the pattern.
I also had a brief exchange with Gretchen. She has made a few Jelly Roll Rugs and is a good support for me. She has a post that includes a different video from the “Official video” linked above. Having different videos gives the maker different perspectives.
There are differences in the two videos. One suggests using batting tape to join the strips of batting. The other says just to butt them up together. I threw some batting tape into my bag just in case, but intend to butt the pieces up against each other.
I used a video I won in the Libs Elliot class I took at QuiltCon in 2018.
After watching the first part of the video, I decided to sew the strips together and get a bit of a head start. For some reason I didn’t want to do the sewing at Sew Day. I think I wanted to maximize the time I have there. I won’t be able to sew on Sunday, so time this weekend is important. I have to admit, also, that I am much more confident sewing in my workroom where I have everything I need and can concentrate.
It took me awhile, but I sewed the strips together and then cut off the triangles. I sewed the strips diagonally positioning the strips perpendicular to each other (in an L shape so my strips) so i could sew them together with a diagonal join, like I do binding.
I normally wash even jelly rolls, but decided to take a chance since there was very little ironing. I didn’t have a reaction when I pressed the seams open, which was a good thing.
I don’t think this project will take me very long once I really get going. Stay tuned.
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I finished the Red Chunk Donation Top and back on Monday morning. Hooray!
I am pleased with how it came out. I thought the border was rather perfect. I would have preferred to have enough fabric, so I didn’t have to have different corners, but it looks nice, so it is all good.
Another top for the BAM Community Quilt Project and another 3 yards used up this year.
I wanted to look at these three quilts together. I can’t actually see them since I don’t have them anymore. I am interested in the differences in these tops as well as the similarities.
These tops display one reason why I love quiltmaking so much. Essentially, these are the same pattern. They, however, look very different. They don’t look so different that you can’t tell they are the same pattern, but they still look different enough for the viewer not to be bored.
Last month, the guild had another class with Sarah Goer. As you may recall, I took the Planned Improv class with her and really enjoyed the process as well as the end result. I also really like seeing people be excited about a class project.
Due to travel (did you see the Thimble Towne and Calico Mermaid reviews?), I wasn’t able to sign up. Although I was home, I would not have had time to pack for the second trip and I needed a bit of a breather. I still was able to admire the work of the other students at the guild meeting on the 18th.
Last year I let you know what projects I entered into the fair. I saw the post by accident and can’t really believe another year has gone by. I didn’t wait until the last minute this year. Cyndi was kind enough to collect a bunch of entries at the BAM meeting to take to the fair. I gave her mine since it is much easier to have someone else drop them off. I think I’ll have to give her a gift or take her to lunch, because she really does save me a lot of time and energy.
I didn’t enter as much this year as I only wanted the free tickets. I know it is pretty callous, but it is true. There are so many quilts in the pieced-by-one, quilted-by-another category that I have no hope ever of winning for a quilt. I can usually win in the paper category, but didn’t finish the piece that I started with Nancy and Maureen.
SIL2 figured out that the embellishment category was the least populated so we had the best chance of winning, thus I had incentive to finish Under the Sea.
Under the Sea was entered.
Since Metroscape is pretty unusual, in that I haven’t seen a lot of finished quilts using the Quick Curve Ruler, I thought I might have a tiny chance, despite it being in that overcrowded category.
I really ended up liking the Aqua-Red Sampler. It is a striking quilt. Though I have no hope of winning anything with it, I wanted someone to see it and entered it anyway.
We’ll see what happens.
Finally! After, what seems like, years, I finally finished the City Sampler.
This is the product of the Tula Pink’s City Sampler: 100 Modern Quilt Blocks.
I started it in 2014 with high hopes of having a fun joint experience with Julie. Of course, it was fun to work on it at the same time, but the whole experience was not that great. I had problems with my seam allowance. Coupled with the small pieces in a lot of the blocks, many of the blocks came out the wrong sizes. I think of myself as a competent piecer, so this problem was extremely frustrating especially when I couldn’t diagnose the cause of the problem.
Also, I do not like log cabin blocks. I don’t know what it is about them, but I don’t like them. This book had a ton of log cabin-like patterns. They just felt like torture to me.
I finally decided to suck up the suffering and get this off of my list. As you know, I worked on it at the CQFA Retreat and that event provided the hours I needed to get over the hump.
What makes this quilt is the quilting. Colleen outdid herself with masterful work. We have a true collaboration and it shows in this quilt.
You can find more posts about the making of this quilt by clicking on the City Sampler tag.
The other day I wrote about the Calico Mermaid. The second shop we visited was Thimble Towne. It was closer to the hotel, but we went to it second. I think SIL #2 was right in going to Porterville first. It was a long drive and I might not have done it if we had visited Thimble Towne first.
Thimble Towne is a large shop. They sell BabyLock sewing machines, have a large amount of fabric, embroidery designs and projects as well as notions and tools for both quiltmaking and embroidery.
It is nice to see shops with lots of fabric. Again, I didn’t buy anything, but I was tempted by some Kaffe Fassett Collective fabrics.
I did like the embroidery patterns and projects. They had a number of ‘in the hoop’ patterns. I no longer have an embroidery machine, but I like the idea of embroidering something that can be immediately made into a project. The projects were small like key chains and change purses. I might like to have an embroidery machine available to me to make projects like this whenever I felt like it. I don’t want to invest in a machine, though.
The shop had a fair number of batiks. They didn’t have as many solids as I would expect, but, perhaps, they are not following trends like the Bay Area shops do. I saw a wide variety of fabrics and think that they do a good job catering to different types of quiltmakers.
The shop had a class sample for a travel notions tote. There was no pattern with it, but I am hunting for one, because it looked like a super useful bag.
I asked about a pattern and the shop owner (worker bee?) said that there was no pattern for sale, but that someone taught a class regularly on making the tote. This is not a convenient option for me, but I might try to collaborate with Lynette to make a pattern of our own. It might be a good bag to give to officers.
I worry that I just like the challenge of making the bag and don’t really want the bag. After all, I have the Tool Tote waiting to be filled. The tote at Thimble Towne has some very useful features, however, including a small pressing mat, many zipper pockets, slip pockets and mesh pockets. It might work well as small project tote – or a tote for various small projects. The tote has features that other bags I have made have. I think the construction may be similar to the All Rolled Up Tote, in part. The slip pockets and other pockets could be customized, but I have made similar ones before.
Thimble Towne also had a large classroom (sorry about the vacuum cleaner! I didn’t notice it until we were already gone). Not only is the classroom large, but it includes high quality chairs. I also saw cutting and ironing stations set at a good ergonomic height. The shop really takes good advantage of the space they have.
Thimble Towne has two locations and I recommend a visit.
Visalia Location:
400 West Caldwell, Suite F
Visalia, CA 93277
Ph: (559) 627-5778
Bakersfield Location:
2841 Unicorn Road, Suite 103
Bakersfield, Ca 93308
Ph: (661) 399-5778
It seems like my donation quilts are coming back from the past. For me, once I give the top and back to someone else to quilt and bind, I am done with them and don’t really think about them anymore. Last week Kelly contacted me about a donation quilt and now another crops up.
The guild meeting was last Saturday and Cyndi was sitting near me. Peeking out of her bag was a quilt with some food fabric in it. I thought to myself, Oh! I used that fabric in the Food Quilts. It turned out Cyndi had finished a food donation quilt that I made in 2016. I didn’t even remember making it, but I looked it up and, yep, there it was. I know I made it to use up the fabric from the three food quilts.
I spent a happy afternoon on Sunday working on the Flying Geese Exchange quilt and the Red Improv Donation Top. The latter has exploded in size from the small piece it was when I last wrote about it to about 30 inches now.
I am thrilled to say that I am seeing the bottom of the red scrap drawer, too!
I used this project as leaders and enders for the Flying Geese Exchange. I wanted to concentrate on that one, but can’t work on it without leaders and enders.
Yes, I think I will call this quilt Flying Around.
I was sort of avoiding this project because it is hard. I had the first dedicated time in 2 weeks on which to work and I just decided to do it. Often I decide to sew two pieces together. Two pieces become two more and suddenly I am in the middle of it and enjoying myself. That is what happened on Sunday.
First, I was thrilled to be at my machine again. I loved the travel, but really missed sewing. I did bring some handwork with me, but just didn’t do it.
Second, I was excited to be making progress and I really felt like the part on which I worked just went together. That is not to say I don’t need to do some ripping, but this piece is difficult because I have an idea and not a pattern. Nobody is telling me how to piece it or which piece to put where. It is an intellectual challenge, but it is difficult.
I have to work on the edge of the upper right hand corner. It is off the design wall, so I haven’t concentrated on it. I will need to do so soon, though.
I love it when I get to see other people’s projects. Recently Mrs. K sent me a picture of her recent scrap quilt.
It looks like she sewed a lot of strips together to make larger chunks or blocks. The many colors makes this very cheerful.
I asked her what was her inspiration and she wrote “YOU were my inspiration with your blue and white 16 block squares and charity quilts. I started doing leaders and enders. One time I was sewing somewhere and didn’t have my little box of squares, so I collected other peoples small scraps and just started sewing them together as my leaders and enders.
I follow a blog called Me and my quilts by Quilt Diva Julie—perhaps you mentioned her—She does bright, colorful quilts. Many are scrappy quilts. One of hers gave me the idea for the solid strips.” Julie has a great design in her May 20 blog post that would be a great leaders and enders project. Bonnie Hunter has a couple of books about leaders and enders, Adventures with Leaders & Enders and More Adventures with Leaders & Enders.
I can hardly believe that she could be inspired to make something as great as this quilt from looking at my 16 patch blocks. It warms my heart and is one reason I write.
Thanks for sharing, Mrs. K!