Off the Wall Friday

 So finally this week, I am back at my quilting frame slowly but surely getting my "Rain Rain" quilt hand quilted.  I've gotten the hang of using Pearl cotton 8 and 12 but I wouldn't say I absolutely love it like I've heard from so many others.  What I do love is that the quilting line is bold enough and rustic enough to go with the quilt.  I'm just going  to keep plugging away at it.

I'm finally starting to feel more at home at work.  It's the kind of job where it's so much fun and interesting that it's hard to turn off when you're home.  

So What Are You Up to Creatively?

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Homeward Bound VII - Applipops - on Off the Wall Friday

Homeward Bound Month 7

Applipops

Okay, I'll admit it.  Even though this project is a lot of work, I am a bit obsessed with it.  I know
Sarah Fielke designed it and hundreds of quilters are making it all over the world, but it feels perfectly unique to me.  I'm always a little shocked when I get a section done.  Shocked by what I learned, how much better I am at the end of the month than at the beginning, and how it looks totally different from everyone else's. 

This month wasn't any different.  Well, it was different because it took a bit longer than the other months.  With July, we have entered the 3-month phase of hand appliquing the main border.  I've never did a border like this - where you have to get the placement close to right on all 4 sides.  Plus I'm still honing my hand applique skills.  

Use drafting templates to cut the right size circle

The skill this month was learning how to use my new applipops.  Since this month had 28 little 3/8" circles to do, I finally called uncle and bought a set of these little metal washers that help you form fabric circles perfectly.  From the directions and the many, many videos on YouTube they looked easy enough to use. Right?  Well of course not.  Like anything else, there was a learning curve. (I'm sure it didn't hurt that I had to start with the smallest of small circles). 

Flat side against flat side

Tips that Helped

Use Sta-Flo liquid starch full-strength

Apply with a stiff brush but not sopping wet

Leave a 1/8" seam allowance for small circles

Place the fabric between the flat side of one ring, sandwiching the flat side of another ring

Let them cool completely

Give one final press

Finger shape with full strength starch & Iron

By the time I did my last little circles, they were coming out great.  I really liked spending my time prepping the circles rather than trying to needle-turn them into shape.  

I'm really glad I bought the applipops.  I like how they come in a nice microsuede pouch, organized with a nice wire hanger.  I bought two sets since it takes a good 10 min for the circles to cool, but you can even buy custom-sized sets if you want.  I can totally see myself prepping up circles and using them as a take along project.

40 hours later, Month 7 is done and onto Month 8...I figure sooner or later I'll get caught up.  Really, hand applique is one of those things that can't be rushed!

(Linking with Kathy's Slow Stitch Sunday)

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BOM - Month 5 on Off the Wall Friday

Helen's EQ8 mock-up

Under the wire, I finished up May's section of the Quilt Show's Block of the Month quilt.  I won't lie, it was a struggle.  This month's section was the flying geese that surround the elaborate medallion center.  I spent a good 10 days hmmmmming.....hawwwwwwing on exactly how I was going to handle the color placement of the geese.  When I spoke up about these concerns on the quilts forum, Helen W used her EQ8 to come up with a quick mock-up (Cool right?).  Several quilters were going with solid flying geese and they really seem to anchor the piece.  With a little more thought though, I decided that I would use prints and value changes to give a bit of movement.  I decided the corner sprigs would anchor the borders.  Problem #1 solved.

Next, I spent 2 - yes 2 - weeks struggling with getting the half square triangles right.  After 30 years you'd think I would have the skill down pat, but no.  I had to remind myself more than once that the reason why I was doing this piece was to hone my traditional skills.  Apparently, this was going to be one of them.  I did stick to my rules and used the designer's method which I actually found pretty user-friendly.  About 70% of them turned out right.  The first set, no lie, I probably did 3 times.  By the last set, I flew through them.  So the old adage is true...practice makes perfect.  As Rebecca Grace says, "Getting them just right is SO SATISFYING!"  She's right too.  It gave me a Victory Rush!  Problem #2 solved.

It's now the last week of the month and only the little applique sprigs to finish.  Easy right?  Ya

< know, I want to preface this with I have an engineering degree with many, many years of math behind me.  Somehow, I missed the fact that 4 borders have 2 sprigs each that had 4 leaves each and that would add up to 32 leaves.  Let me repeat that 32 leaves to hand applique.   At about 15 minutes each that is 480 minutes or 8 hrs of hand applique.  Oh and lest I forget the 8 little circles that went on the end of the sprig.

So now you know, why I only managed to finish June 1.  But why am I stressing you ask?  Because the minute you fall behind on a BOM it's HELL to catch up.  I've learned the hard way, that the best way to get a big project done is a chunk at a time on a strict schedule.  

And it's done.

On to Month 6.

Enough about me....

So What Have You Been Up to Creatively?

(I'm linking this week up to Kathy's SlowStitch Sunday)

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A Quick Update! BOM Month 4 on Off the Wall Friday

 

Attempt 1 - I just thought the petals were too BUSY!

Wow!  Spring is crazy around here.  It's like all the ladies across the country woke up and thought, "Gosh, it's spring.  I need some new clothes!"  So you'll forgive me if this is a short  I did manage to get in a bit of applique this week and when I say a bit....I actually mean a bit!  

I am working on the fourth month of the Homeward Bound Quilt from the Quilt Show website.  It's the month when we finally get to put all the months together and applique the top of the flowers on.  Doing it hand applique just takes longer but I'm enjoying the process,

Well, I was enjoying the process right up till I did one cornflower.  I made the fatal mistake of not following the directions (video AND written) about tracing the pattern out onto the fabric.  As they would say in Pretty Woman, Big mistake, HUGE!  Apparently, you can't just "eye it in".   By the time I got to the end of all 6 petals, I realized the top center piece would not fit on properly.  sighhhhh THEN when I was taking a picture of  it ('cause all mistakes need to be immortalized, right?) I was thinking the prints didn't work.    The color was working but the prints, not so much!  The prints were just too busy even though they are a tone-on-tone, those prints have a LOT of movement in them.  The cornflowers were meant to anchor the blocks since all those circles (hollyhocks) are so darn busy!

See I think this works better!

So I bit the bullet, took an hour to pull it all out, and pulled out some hand dyes.  I also pulled out my light box to trace the pattern on tracing inside the line so it wouldn't show and sat down to do it all over again.  By the time I was done, I was all happy!

So really it was actually a fortunate mistake, 'cause I don't know if I would have had the discipline to re-do the whole fabric just because the fabric was a bit off!  I know other people do, but when you're looking at re-doing 3-4 hrs of work, it's just hard!

I have one and a half done and it's the  21st!  I better get after it!

(Linking to Kathy's Slow Stitch Sunday Linkup)

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Quilting Trends for 2023 on Off the Wall Friday

Me stitching in my studio watching the Mentalist...again

Okay, let's face it.  I'm not one for following trends.  I'm the type that decides what is good for me and mine and then goes in that direction.  I do, however, keep track of trends, just because it's good to stay informed.  I recently got Timna Tarr's latest newsletter and it mentioned that handwork is becoming more of a trend on the national scene.  That I can see.  You hear of handwork everywhere these days.  First English paper piecing made a resurgence with the Millefiori Quilts and Grandma Garden quilts leading the way.  The Daily Stitching Groups online have gotten quilters from all over stitching a little every day.  Plus every where you look you'll see quilters trying Big Stitch hand quilting.  On top of that, Sarah Fielke's Homeward Bound (the BOM designed for the Quilt Show) is bringing hand applique back in a big way.  I've read so many times on the BOM forum that there is a whole group of quilters that this is their first attempt at hand applique.  (For that matter there is an article on needle turned applique in the current issue of American Quilter).  

Personally, I think it was inevitable.  Normally trends are cylindrical right?  Caryl Bryer Fallert-Gentry broke the quilt world into machine quilting by winning Best in Show at Paducah for Corona 2: Solar Eclipse.  back in 1989 (Click on that link to see how she designed it - wow super fascinating)  It just went from there.  The internet really helped with youtube videos showing everyone how much they could push their domestic machines.  THEN came the advent of long-arm quilting which gave quilters an easy way to get all those quilt tops finally quilted.  BUT thirty years later, there is still a segment of quilters that love the slow methodical feeling of handwork.  It's cheap, it's portable, and it's soothing.  Plus there is a whole generation of quilters who haven't tried it.  So now it's back.  

This brings me back to the point that apparently I am officially "In". Who knew?  I do want to mention that when I started quilting in 1992, it was basically mandatory that you learn hand skills including hand quilting and applique. But I really loved it since I came from a cross-stitching background.

This month my work has been all dominated by handwork, so much so that my hand ached after a 10 hr day of it.  

I finished up my foray into appliqueing circles by completing this month's section of the Homeward Bound Quilt.  I want to say that none of the circles came perfectly circular but all the stitches were definitely invisible.  That 100-wt Invisafil thread is The Bomb!  I do think that if I ever do more applique circles, I will invest in the Applipops 'cause I want my circles to be perfectly circular.  

One thing Sarah clued me in on was how handy a sandpaper board is for tracing on fabric.  I did save the $20 and had Paul make me one with fine grit sandpaper.  It really does smooth out your lines when you are writing on fabric!

You can see how my circle templates came in handy...again.  If you don't have a set of drafting circle templates ... BUY some!  I can't tell you how many times I used them over the years for all sorts of things.  

Plus I'm still quilting on my Rain Rain quilt.  I have switched to a Size 5 crewel needle and it works fine.  Not only is it MUCH EASIER to thread but it's much stronger than the size 8 or 9.  I also pulled out some of my #12 pearl cotton to get a bigger color range.  I love the added line the quilting adds.  Normally with hand quilting, it's all about adding texture.  But with Pearl cotton, it actually adds an element of line that wasn't there before.   If you haven't tried big-stitch quilting, try it!!  Haven't you heard?  It's in!  (grin)

see, the pearl cotton makes it look like it's raining!

The News of the Day

After much hmmming and hawwwing, I picked out my annual creating vacation.  I'm going back to Marc Adams School of Woodworking to take Timna Tarr's Stitch Mosiac Class again.  It was so much fun last year, that once I really started thinking about it there wasn't anything else I'd rather do. 

You can read all about how much fun we had last year ... here .   It was so much fun two of my classmates are joining me to repeat the class.  If you haven't heard, Timna has a new book out on her very approachable technique of creating a mosaic pictorial quilt.  

If you are looking for a fun way to spend a week, please consider joining us in the class.  It runs July 17-21st of this year.  Also, there is affordable housing offered by the school OR hotel rooms are close by that are pretty inexpensive too.  Indiana as a whole is an affordable friendly place to visit.  I mean, gosh, this is what I made last year....

So is anybody else getting back to handwork?

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Works in Progress on Off the Wall Friday

Really I have no idea where the week has gone!  I've been working all day and then stitching for a few hours every night.  One thing I can say is that being this productive really doesn't make for really interesting blogging!  (sorry!) So I thought  I would just show you the progress I've made on my three main projects!

Project I - Homeward Bound BOM  Quilt - Month 2

OMGoodness!!  How could it take me this long to hand applique these little suckers?!?  When I first started quilting (BT - before Tessa), I would do hand applique blocks in the evenings and just slowly work my way through them. Now I have a deadline though and I need to get them done by the end of February.  I'm over halfway through and little by little my circles are getting smoother.  It's all in the way you press them AND the way you hand applique them.  But I do like how it's coming and I was sooo right...changing the color palette sure gives the quilt a different mood!  You can see the original palette here!  And this is my palette - eggplant, turquoise, red-orange, yellow

Cool Right?!?

Project II - Big Stitch Quilting Rain, Rain  

Putting my quilting frame in the little den off the kitchen (also known as Tessa's den) was one of my

better ideas.  Whenever I have a little block of time, I sit down and get more quilting in.  Plus I put the old TV  in there and have been watching favorite shows as I quilt at night.  It's fun.  It's out of the way but not too out of the way so I feel isolated.  In the past, I would set it up in the family room and it always seemed in the way.  Now it has its own spot.  I mean why own a 14 room victorian if you can't give your quilting frame its own room right?  Anyways as you can see my big stitch quilting is really "In-between" quilting.  I've given up totally trying to retrain my stitches to a quarter inch and just let them go naturally a bit bigger with the choice of pearl cotton and a bigger needle.  It's fun to see how the line of quilting really has a big impact on the quilt. Now the quilt finally seems like it's raining!   Plus,  it's super satisfying when it's time to roll the quilt because I finished another whole line.

Project III - Dressing/Fabric Room

This really isn't my project....it's Paul's. But GOSH!! What a difference!!  It makes me think why didn't we do this earlier.  He's so sweet though.  He includes me in the plans.  So when he started talking about how much the new shelving wood would cost, it was in the same conversation about how the big old church pew was in the way of his woodshop.  The pew came from his home church and they were going to throw it out so Paul rescued it.  I suggest upcycling it to become my new shelving.  The wood is so gorgeous, already finished, and of course heavy duty!  So that's what he did.  He cut up the pew and it's going to make the nicest shelving!  I love upcycling.  So we are getting closer and closer to putting everything back in.  (This dressing room sits in the once attic of my house - off the master bath that is up there.  It's accessed through stairs in my master bedroom)

The Before:

The So-Far!

 Yes, the Sayre's have been busy!!

(Linking with Slow Stitch Sunday since I'm doing so much stitching!)

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Homeward Bound BOM Month 2 on Off the Wall Friday

 

Ya know, even though I don't put much belief in astrology, I can totally see myself fitting nicely under

the sign Gemini.  It's like two people living in my head.  This week it was totally pointed out to me...again.  For the last few years, I've been busy in my quilt studio designing original work and creating it with my Janome.  This month, I've become totally obsessed with the exact opposite.  I have two, yes count 'em two, pattern quilts going at once both mostly done by hand.  Well to be fair, Rain, Rain started out as a patterned quilt and grew into a scrap monstrosity.  Plus, I'm fully committed to the Quilt Show's Block of the Month quilt, Homeward bound.  

So what I learned this week....

FINALLY, I learned how to thread 8 pearl cotton into a #9 crewel embroidery needle.   After much experimentation, I've been using the method I learned from Spruce Crafts.  You pinch the thread between your pincher finger and thumb with just a bit of thread showing.  Then you lower the eye of the needle onto that little bit while you push up the thread.  It doesn't work 100% on the first time,

photo from Spruce Crafts but it shows exactly how I was able to do it.

but it's been working better than anything else has!  I don't know how people can thread their #8 Pearl cotton so easily but I've had a hard time.  I also decided that my favorite needle is Colonial

embroidery needle #9.  It's sharp and thin enough to hold about 3 rocking stitches but I can still thread the eye.  I've been quilting 1-2 hrs a night and I'm still on my first needle so that's saying something. 
I'm quite sure what I'm doing is not really considered big stitch quilting but it's not little either.  So I guess it's in between quilting.  I do like getting my needles from the Colonial site because they have a great selection to choose from! I don't know about you, but I've had a hard time finding good quality needles anymore in the stores! BOY!  I've really been enjoying being back at my frame.  I'm working my way through the Mentalist (again).  I think tonight Patrick will FINALLY get Red John. 

For my studio time, I've been working on the block of the month quilt which apparently is all hand applique.  I finally have mastered Sarah Fielke's method of making bias stems.

Then today I tackled making circles using templates and tin foil.  I don't think I've ever made real templates in my whole 30 years of being a quilter!  What I ended up doing was using Kay Buckley's perfect circles to make cardboard templates.  Then you trace the circle on the wrong side of the fabric and cut an approximate quarter inch around it.  

Then you make a tin fabric-cardboard template sandwich wrapped in tinfoil...and press.  

  Now when  Sarah does it they come out perfectly.  As you can see I am going to need a bit of practice. Actually, the last ones came out better than the first ones.   I think part of the reason is my cardboard templates are perfectly circular so I might have my husband try recutting them for me.  With something like 130 circles to go I should get in some practice!

The thing that is working is Wonderfil's 100 wt invisafil thread.  I've been using light and dark grey and it disappears into the fabric.  Plus it stitches up nicely without tangling.  LOVE IT!!

So the traditional side of this Gemini was hard at work this week....

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Big Stitch Quilting on Off the Wall Friday

WoW!  What a busy week.  When I haven't been working at my day job, I've been working in my studio.  I decided once and for all to get "Rain, Rain" onto my quilting frame.  It all seemed a bit daunting because I haven't taken my frame out since the mid-2000's.  Then out of every task in quilting, basting a quilt is the one that I hate the most! Plus I finally wanted to try out big stitch quilting. So needless to say, I've been putting this off.  

I started with the basting.  I watched a handy video by Erica Arndt on how she to spray baste a large quilt.  I've been using spray basting on my smaller art quilts for years but never did a large one.  So, once I sewn together the backing and ironed it, I taped it to my floor.  (My studio has the original victorian floors from 150 years ago so a little tape is NOT going to harm it),  I layered my batting

(which had relaxed out all of the big wrinkles) and sprayed down the layer like Erica described.  Even with knee pads on it was exhausting. (How did I get to be so old!)  Paul took pity on me and did the top layer.  All in all, it took about 3 hours but it was MUCH faster than pin basting.  I used about 3/4 of a can of basting spray and it was not at all smelly so ventilation wasn't a problem.  Also, there wasn't much overspray.  

We put it on my quilting frame, which is a Hinterberg QX-2000.  Ya know, I had no idea how extinct
quilting frames have become over the last 30 years. Just as a lark, I started looking to see what is out there now...wow....barely any!!   Paul bought this for me early in the 90's as a surprise Christmas gift and I love it.  Because it has only two rails, you still have to baste the quilt, BUT it's super adjustable so you can flatten it out to quilt with friends or keep it at an angle to quilt by yourself.  Plus even after all these years, it's as good as new.  It also came with two sizes, 60" and 96" rails so that is handy.  I love to hand quilt so I'm hoping a resurgence in popularity is looming!

Every evening since I've sat down at my frame to do an hour or two of quilting.  It's been an adjustment.  First of all, I haven't quite figured out what needles I like the best for big stitch quilting.  The ones from Cory Pepper's big stitch quilting pack
seem to be working okay.  Then I have to remember to take a 1/4" stitch and to only load my needle up with 1 or 2 stitches.  After perfecting a 10-per-inch stitch on tiny needles, this seems so strange.  I'm constantly telling myself to take bigger stitches.  And it seems a lot tougher to get the needle through.  I'm not sure if it's the pearl cotton, the batting, the spray basting, the needle, or a little bit of it all.  

I do know that Valdani Pearl Cotton is amazing.  Not only are the colors gorgeous but it quilts up so nicely.  The funny thing is that I bought my two boxes of colors when Craftsy's shop went out of
business for about $27/box thinking I would find a use for them someday.  Little did I know that the big stitch quilting rage was around the corner and the boxes are now going for about $80.  (yes, EIGHTY DOLLARS!)  But after comparing it to 8-size DMC and Presencia, I definitely can see the difference. The hand-dyed colors are seamless and the thread is so smooth.   I still want to try Wonderfil's version but for now, I'm happy to use my fancy Valdani.  

After a week of quilting, my finger has a callus, my knees were sore and I'm still trying to get the hand of getting a big thread into a little hole.  I'm always shocked when people think quilting is an old lady's pastime when it is such hard work!  I'm sure it will get easier!!

Got any pointers for big stitch quilting?

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Rules of Homeward Bound Month 1 on Off the Wall Friday

When I first started quilting, I thought art quilting was beyond my reach.  Through the years though I've taught myself how to make them.  Now, with the Homeward Bound Block of the Month quilt, I'm revisiting my roots.  When I decided to take on this project I gave myself some basic rules (yes, I'm a rules chick):

1.  Follow the Pattern, No Adjusting

2.  Use the techniques taught by the designer

3.  Use a new, controlled palette

4.  Finish each month on time

5.  Participate in the Quilt's Forum

So today I looked at the calendar and it has the 26th staring at me.  And yes, you guessed it, I hadn't started on this month's section.  Now I've laid the groundwork.  I read and printed the pattern.  I watched the 3 videos with the introduction and directions.  I even picked a palette.  Now all I had to do is sew!  

With this being basically a medallion quilt, this month focused on the center cabin.  The thing about the cabin is that it's little...I mean really little....4" finished little.  Which means you need to do some precise basic piecing.  Now normally with something so little, I would have drafted it out and done it using paper piecing but that would violate Rule #2.   So I first watched a Quilt Show segment with Sally Collins who shows tips on how to improve your straight-line piecing and pressing.  She suggested...

1.  Don't push your pieces through your machine, your fingers are a guide only

2.  Iron set seams, then finger press, THEN iron press

3.  Cool the seam after pressing using a weight

4.  Check every seam  for size before going on

5.  Set your stitch length to 1.5

Using these tips, miracle upon miracle, my cabin came out the right size the first time. Getting a scant quarter-inch seam has never been my strong suit. In fact, this isn't quite perfect, but as you noticed getting it perfect was NOT one of the rules of this quilt.   I'm of the mind that imperfections add a bit of character to the quilt anyways!

I did manage to stick to my original planned-out palette...

I also decided that I wasn't going to pre-plan the color layout.  I was going to use some of my art quilting rules:

1.  Make Visual decisions visually

2.  Make one design decision at a time

So that means the color placement will grow as the quilt grows and we'll all be surprised at the end!  Here are a couple of trials for the stars.

#1

#2

When I was first looking at this in the studio, I thought #2 for sure!  But seeing the images, the change in the value of #1 looks really good.  With a project this little, I probably will make two sets and see which one looks better done! 

With the cabin done, I've started making the bias stems for the adjacent blocks.  The quilt designer, Sarah Fielke teaches a technique of cutting her pieces 3/4" wide, scoring them with a Hera marker, then pressing them using the Hera marker to guide the fold.  (Finally a use for the Hera  Marker I bought 4 years ago.  Go Me!)  She made it look so easy.  I am here to say it's an acquired skill. I did manage to make the stems and am in the process of hand appliqueing them down.  I'm using a 100 wt grey thread which is sooo invisible to the eye and stitches up nicely.  I had forgotten how much I love to hand applique and the thread makes it that much nicer.

So since I had to stop to write this post.... this is where I am at...

I promise to finish up the little bit of it before the 31st!!

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