Needle Book Tutorial on Off the Wall Friday

So, this week, I once again got after hand quilting Rain, Rain.  It dawned on me that it’s nearly 80% done and I could actually enter it in this year’s community fair if I finished it.  Well, as you probably

know, restarting a project is harder than it looks.  I had all these supplies – needles –
pearl cotton – needles threaders – thimbles and no idea which one I had finally decided on using.  Luckily, I had left the needle in where I last worked, and I could match the thread.  From there I found a great video that taught me how to figure out what type and size needle I was using.

This is my first attempt at Big Stitch Quilting and the transition from traditional quilting was not as easy as I thought it would be.  I think the hardest part for me was there was no must use size needle and thread.  It seems like everyone had different preferences.  So, for the record  - after much trial and error –  this is what worked for me

Mary Arden of England Embroidery Needle Size 7

Pearl Cotton Size 8 or 12

DMC Needle Threader – the blue plastic 3 head kind

Thread Heaven Wax

a hand quilting thimble

Once I figured that out, I thought wow, there must be a way to organize your needles, so you don’t forget.  Of course there is….A needle book.  Genius!  Oh, I needed one of those and looking on Etsy they were about $15-$25 each.  Hmmmmm then it dawned on me that at the recent Sewing Expo, I was taught that my sewing machine will do more than make quilts.  It actually will make other things!  So, I’ll make one or two … I mean how hard could it be?

I pulled out some prints I bought in a fat quarter pack from Hancock’s at Paducah cheapie.  I’ve been waiting for just a project to use them.  They are from Windham  Fabrics Alfie and Free Spirit August Wren collections and got to work on coming up with how to make them.

Here’s the tutorial – the pictures are for 2 because if you’re making one – you might as well make two.  They would make a nice gift!  (Yes, I do realize that what started out to be a day of quilting ended up being a day of me making two thread books … but that how my life goes!).  If I wasn't typing out the directions, it would take under an hour to make.

Needle Book Tutorial

Prep

1. Choose two coordinating fabrics that have some kind of body …  Quilt Cotton, Cotton Duck, Med Weight Home Dec Fabric (The cotton duck and home dec fabric shouldn't need interfacing)

2. Cut to desired size… I’m cutting mine to 4” by 5 ½ ”.  Cut 2 of the cover fabric and one of the coordinating fabric for the pockets. Finished size was about 3 ½” by 5"

3. Depending on your choice of fabric you might need to cut 2 pieces of iron-on interfacing to give the book a little more structure.  These should be just a scant smaller than your fabric rectangles.  Cut one piece of batting about 1” smaller than your cover pieces (mine are 3” by 4 ½”)

4. Cut 2 pieces of felt or felt like fabric about ½” smaller than your fabric (mine are 3” by 4 ½ ”)

5. Cut 1 piece of ribbon about 6” and one button of choice (if you chose to close your book with just ribbon  - then cut one long piece 12” or so)

Construction

1. Take your cover fabrics – wrong side up.  Place your interfacing onto the fabric with the rough glue side toward the wrong side of the fabric.  Iron per directions.

2. Take your pocket fabric – fold it length-wise with wrong sides together.  Press.

3. Lay one of the cover pieces right side up.  Place one pocket rectangle on it with the raw edges aligning with the bottom of the piece.  Pin 

4. Take your ribbon and center it along the right side edge. Pin.

5. Take the other piece of cover fabric and lay it right side down.  Pin around the edge leaving about a 2” opening at the bottom.  I used different color pins to remind me.

6. Sew around the edge with a ¼” seam allowance – remembering to start at the beginning of the opening and ending at the other side of the opening.  

7. For my example – red pin to red pin.  Leave the needle down while turning the corner.  

8. Clip the corners (make sure you don’t clip the stitches).  Turn it the right side with some kind of turning stick (I use a chop stick).  Remember you are turning the layer of the cover and the pocket.  Press your book flat.

9. Now slide the piece of batting into the inside, being careful it all lays flat.  I rolled the rectangle sides together to the middle and then put the little roll inside, then unrolled.

10. Top stitch 1/8th from the edge – remember use color coordinating thread.  Iron again.

11. Place the two pieces of batting centered in the middle of the pocket facing book.  Pin or clip them in place.  Measure and Mark the center line.  Sew.

12. Press closed.  I used my new press weight to get it really flat.

This is a HEAVY hunk of steel my husband made for a Christmas present - Cool Right?!

13.   Sew your favorite button to the top as a closure. 

Tin of Buttons I bought at a garage sale when I was 28 for $5

14. Decorate, label and personalize!

I still have to think about how I want to label mine.  In the excitement of coming up with a pattern for the needlebook, I forgot that the reason I did it was so I would remember what needle was what!

So, What Have You Been Up to Creatively?

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UFO's 101 on Off the Wall Friday

Paul:  Nina what are you doing?

Me:  Nothing?  Well, playing a game.  Why?


Paul:  Because its 2 o'clock on Saturday and you've been
          laying there since  11.  Weren't you going to sew?

Me:  yawnnnnnnn, yeah but I don't know.
         Maybe I'll take a nap.
Paul:  Maybe you should go sew.


You know, I knew there was a reason I married him (well besides that he's really cute!)  Now that I've woken up from my blue period, I'm really not sure where to pick up on my creative journey.  I mean I have so many false starts in my studio I feel kind of overrun.  So I thought before I started anything else I would start finishing some stuff!!  But.... What to finish??  And How???

That brings me to a video I recently watched Karen Brown, at Get it Done Quilts which really hit the nail  on the head from what was holding me up getting some of these things done.  I liked some of her ideas but wanted to give my own spin on....

ART QUILT UFO 101

A Remedial Course

So most of us are experienced quilters and have plenty of UFO's to prove it!!   Here is a quick course on how to organize them and get them off your To-Do list forever.  I plan on going into my studio over the long holiday weekend taking this course myself! 

Step 1:  Organize

Go into studio (aka your sewing room) and pull out ALL your UFO's.  I suggest you make two piles...Your LOVE IT or LEAVE IT.   Any piece you absolutely love goes obviously in the LOVE IT pile.  Any piece that doesn't speak to your heart goes into the LEAVE IT pile.  Now, like old boyfriends,  just because you are leaving those pieces doesn't mean you hate them.  Its just that they aren't a good fit for the person you have grown into.  Its really YOU not them.  So you can give themScrap Blocks Box"  If you don't have a Scrap Blocks Box yet, you should get one.  This is where all the odds and ends from projects go that had merit but no real use.  Someday though they could  repurposed into something else.  (Like I said - its you .... not them)

away, throw them away or take pieces out that you like and they go into a "

Now this is important....Any project that is put into the LEAVE IT pile should not be revisited.  This is final kiss goodbye.  You are also saying good bye to the guilt of not finishing it.  If you like some of the ideas with the project itself....get out your journal and write them down or better yet ...do a blog post on what was good about the project but what ultimately made you decide that he  it wasn't for you! (Note to self: this is a good idea for another post!)

Step 2:  Evaluate

So now that you just have  the pieces you love, its time to take a closer look at them.  Where did you leave off on each one.  Do you have some that just need binding/facing/labeling? (Stage 4)  Do you have some that need quilting?  (Stage 3)  Which ones are still in the piecing phase? (Stage2)  Which ones didn't make it to your sewing machine (Stage 1) (yes I have some of those ....pathetic I know)  Put them in piles by STAGES.  (If you are a list girl...like me...make a list of each stage!  Those get put on your design wall or bulletin board)

Step 3:  Make a Plan

My suggestion start with Stage 4!  Pick one day a month for binding/facing/labeling...pick a good movie or audio book to help you get through them.  This is a good time to make sure the hanging sleeve is on too!

With the rest....I suggest you pick 2 or 3 that really are calling to you.  Maybe they have specific deadlines ....maybe its an idea that you think is really working....maybe its one that is nearly to the binding stage.....whatever.  You commit to work on those projects.  

When you get done with those... you pick 2 or 3 more.

Now if you're like me, I'm committing to getting them all done before I start another big idea.  I know that this "All In" plan might not be good for everyone.  For me though, these UFO's are starting to feel like dead wood in my studio when they were meant to bring joy and beauty.  Not to mention as I work through them inevitably I'll be struck with new jumping off points for my next great piece. Another note to self:  Write down ideas that jump into my head while working on UFO's but don't start anything new.

So I know what you are thinking, Nina, that sounds a lot easier than it actually is in practice.  NO KIDDING!!  There will be roadblocks along the way in this process.  I'll need to stay organized and driven to get these done.  

Also, there were some really good reasons why these pieces ended up on the UFO pile.  The biggest of which at one point (probably around Stage 1 into Stage 2) where the design wasn't working.  I mean REALLY "What was I thinking" not working.    So what to do then?

WHEN A DESIGN IS NOT WORKING

1. Decide what is not working
2. Brainstorm ideas of what will help 
3. Add to the ideas cutting up the piece entirely
4. Hang on Design Wall and Make concrete Deadline for Design Decision
5. Audition ideas, Make Final Decision
6. Commit to new idea before Deadline
7. If you love it, continue
8. If you love the piece but hate the idea repeat steps 1-6
9. If you now hate the piece add it to the LEAVE PILE

Step 4:  Celebrate Your Completions!!  

I believe this step is super important.  I love, love, love posting a completed project.  I think I even love more checking one off my To-Do list.  I think I will even love it more seeing my UFO shelf totally empty!!

Now I've posted before about getting projects done on here before but I never had a clear idea on how to actually do it.  Its kinda like losing weight and getting in shape....yeah you know you need to do but if you don't have a plan in place  it probably won't get done.

Hmmmm maybe I should start a group called UFO Watchers.  We could strive to get  for PiecePoints for working on our unfinished pieces!!

I'm really committing to this plan for the next four days.  I hope some out there will join me and let me know how you're doing.  

You can always reach me at ninamariesayre       at       gmail   dot com.

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English Paper Piecing Tutorial - Off the Wall Friday

My parents cabin sits on the bank of a creek

Hi Everyone!!  I want to thank you all for hanging in with me as I had to take a little break from blogging.  I've been up at my parents' cabin in upstate New York helping with the recovery of my father's open heart surgery.  Thank God, he's doing great and is now well on his way to his old self.  Its weird to take a break from your normal life, but I'm thinking, not a bad  thing either. 

Anyways......Here's my story.  So back in 2009, I started another one patch quilt using a trapezoid as my one patch.  The trapezoids were pieced together into tessellating pinwheels.  I thought it was a perfect "take along" project to do by hand using English Paper Piecing.  I worked on it little by little and got it half way done.  Then one day I set it aside and didn't pick it back up.

Wellllll...I would have picked it back up but I lost it!!  I mean when you live in a 14 room Victorian with a ton of storage sometimes things get lost but normally not for very long. This project did though!  Luckily, I recently found it squished way back on the top of my bookcase so I could take it with me to work on here at the cabin.  Its so nice to "find" it again and I've been having fun working on it in my free moments.

This was about as far as I got!  Or Maybe a little farther

So I thought I would do a quick tutorial on how I do English Paper Piecing.  Even though its a labor intensive process, I love the routine of it and its easy enough to do when you might get distracted by what's going on around you. 

Step 1:  Pick your pattern.  Pick your patches.  Figure out what kind/size templates you want to use.  For this quilt, I just drafted the template on my laptop, replicated it into a word document and then I had a master sheet with several of them on it.  The templates needed to be individually cut out.

Step 2:  Cut a patch of fabric (I used scraps for most of this quilt) that is about  1/4" around your template.  You can eye it in - it doesn't  have to be perfect.

Step 3:  Use contrasting thread to fold over that  1/4" seam and sew it to the template - yes - TO THE TEMPLATE.  Remember to fold the corners do they make a nice crisp point.  I do not knot the end when I finish .... I just leave a big long thread.

Step 4:  Take your several one patches to form a "block" or a section.  Figure out the configuration.

Step 5:  Use a running stitch or whip stitch in a matching thread to sew the pieces together.  You need to take tiny tight stitches that go through the fabric but NOT into the paper template.

Step 6:  You can remove the paper now or you can stitch all the blocks together and then remove the paper - which is what I do.

If you look close you can see some of stitches - That's why you use matching thread!!

Doing a whole quilt this way takes a long time, but I find it so satisfying plus its super accurate.  Its a great way to use scraps and when you're done people will say, "Wow!! You made that by hand?!"

Hopefully, I can finish this quilt before losing it again!!  To tell you the truth, I still think that I'm missing some blocks.  Maybe I'll  have to move that bookcase and look behind it!!!

So What Have You Been Up to Creatively?

Taking the Mystery out of Silk - Off the Wall Friday

Although I have 4 feet of snow in my yard and the temperature has not climbed much higher than 20 degrees F in two weeks, I'm thinking spring.  A girl can hope right?  I have an annual habit of starting a  new spring project  and this year I wanted to incorporate silk.  So many times I see how silk is

used in the art quilts and fiber work I admire the most.  Not to mention, I do place orders for a company called Wintersilks.  So it might not be a bad idea if I learn something about this mysterious fabric.

As you might or might not know, silk is harvested from a silkworm's cocoon (really not a worm at all but a larva for a future moth).  That is why silk is a protein fiber rather than cellulose  fiber (like cotton or rayon) and will behave differently when you use your reactive procion dyes on them. You can use the same textiles paints on silks as you use on their cellulose sisters.

So of course, silk is made into all sorts of fabrics with all sorts of weights.  Its a little overwhelming!!  I took the advice of Marlene Glickman and bought some samples from Thai Silks in California.  Its so much easier to put a swatch with a name that it was a worthwhile investment.  Here are some of my favorites!

Organza - sheer open weave fabric that has a smooth flat finish.  It has a stiff crisp hand and comes in a variety of weights that effect its translucence.

Charmeuse - satin weave silk with a crepe back - think lingerie and silk pajamas!

Chiffon - sheer fabric with a soft limp hand to it.  Will drape wonderfully

Habotai  - is a plain weave fabric  - has a "silky" hand (mostly but it does come in crinkle varieties) its soft and lustrous. 

Dupioni

Dupioni - this is a double weave fabric (often with two close but different colors).  Its a substantial plain weave with a nubby texture.  Still has a nice luster to it.

Noil has a nubby feel and a low sheen.  It comparable to cotton in texture  easily sewn

That is only a small sampling but at least it got me started on knowing what I was looking for.  I'm looking forward to playing with translucence and organza this spring.  Its been on my to do list but when I tried with synthetic fabrics last summer I got lack luster results.  So hopefully silk will put me on the right road!

So what have been up to creatively?

Improvisational Piecing - Off the Wall Friday

More than once during my week at QSDS, I was asked about my piecing method.  I never really "learned" it from any place.  Its just something I started doing to create a certain effect.  Since its not hard and  the kind of thing you can personalize with your own style, I thought I would write up a tutorial.

1. Choose Your Palette - Decide what colors you need in the space you want to improv piece.  I do this two ways - I either pull out my color wheel (and all the color theory behind it) or I use a picture that I like to help me pick the colors.  Either way make sure have a full range of values and saturation of the colors.  Lots of times (like with the curves) I do a monochromatic palette adding in just a neutral color (black, grey, brown, white).  Adding the different saturations of color and neutral is important since it will give the piece interest.

2.  Lay Out Your Values and Saturations - I usually make little piles going from Light to Dark and the muddy saturations I keep on the side.  (Red Solo Cup Dye fabrics are perfect for the "muddy" fabrics).  Cut hunks off each pile.  How big the hunks are depend on how big the area you are making.

3.  Cut the hunks into manageable pieces - usually 3 or 4 sided shapes 4 - 8" big (or whatever - you know how I am - grin).  You want to pay attention to the values here.  If you want an all over chaotic look you can mix all the values.  If you want your piece to have a dark look - choose mostly darks with a few mediums and a very little light for spark.  With a light area I just tend to stick to the lights with a bit of medium.  I always make sure to add in some neutrals and a bit of an accent color.

4.  Pair them together.  Sew with 1/4" seam (or whatever).  Iron.  Trim off any uneven edges  - making straight edges easily pieced again.  Sometimes at this point I will cut a piece in half or on the diagonal  or where ever to be paired with another piece of fabric.

5.  Repeat step 4 until you have a bunch of interesting blocks of varied shapes.  Mine tend to end up rectangles.

6.  Decide how big a shape you need to improv piece.  (If you haven't already) I usually have a tracing paper pattern that I can lay my rectangles out on - piece all the rectangles.  Cut out the shape.  If you're doing it for a background like in Praise ladies - I only pieced the background you could see - then used muslin behind The Ladies.  It took a little thought process but it was a lot faster than piecing a whole background that you wouldn't see behind them.

7.  Press With Spray Starch or some other stiffner.  This is important.  Once you've pieced and repieced and repieced the fabric, all those bias edges get very stretchy.  The spray starch will add some stability and make your life a LOT easier.

A Word About Spray Starch: I've been using a heavy spray starch which has worked great.  But until Mary Jo Bowers clued me in, I had no idea that it leaves a residue.  So now I use my ironing sheet - also I spray and iron on the backside because sometimes the pieces can get shiny ( I do starch with a very heavy hand since I rough edge applique my pieces.)

8.  Cut the pieced improv pieces to the size area you need - using a pattern or dimensions.  Give a final press and final trim.

9.  Important - Save all trimmings except for the itsy-bitsy tiny ones.  Through out the whole process this is true.  All the scraps can be pieced back into blocks which add surprising little gems of interest.  This will create an look of complex piecing without much effort.  At the end,  I save all interesting bits in a baggie by color.

See Easy-Peasy, right?  Things to remember - don't try to be too matchy-matchy.  Mix in the saturations that you normally wouldn't think go together - like the warm greens with the cool greens etc.  Remember the mood you are trying to create.  Do you want a happy mood - use a lot of pure bright colors - sad mood - use a lot of muddy colors.  You can choose a palette of neutrals with a bit of color for a calm mood.  Also - think about scale - you can do this using big hunks of shapes or you can get as complex as your patience will allow.

Please feel free to email me with any questions!  Remember if you have your comments set to "No-Reply Comments"  I can't email back.

So What have you been up to creatively?

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Improvisational Curve Piecing Tutorial

 

Settling back into my fall piece (which I started in October, 2011) has been fun and relaxing.  Its a quiet, easy piece to play with on my design board.  And ya wanna know why???  'Cause - I'm the Queen of my Studio.  Its fun being queen!  You get to make all the decisions and there isn't anybody to over rule you.  You can do whatever you want without any rules to follow.

With that in mind, the next block was a circle which included some improvisational curve piecing.  Now, once again, I can hear you all      -"OMG, I totally don't get how to curve piece!!"  So I thought I would show you how easy it is (since 16 yrs ago, my friend Sandy showed me!)

Improvisational Curve Piecing Tutorial

• Cut two pieces of fabric  - one for the background - one for the curve - bigger than what you want the finish piece to be.  Place them on top of each other  - right sides facing up.
• Using a rotary cutter - cut a gentle curve - nothing curving too high or two low (you might want to just start off with a really simple curve - rather than a "S" curve to start)

• Take the upper half of the curve fabric  - flip it down over the lower half of the background fabric with right sides face to face now.  Put aside the other halves of each fabric for later use.  The resulting piece should look where the hills and the valleys are not matching each other - so it will look wrong - but its really right!
• Match up the ends of the curve pieces of fabric and slowly sew the sides together using a 1/4" seam - just keep matching the edges as you go - no need to pin.  Your feed dogs will move the fabric - your fingers should guide the edges together.  You won't end with the end points matching - that's okay!

• Press carefully with a lot - and than more steam.  You might get bulges and buckles depending on how curvey your curve is.  Just press and press some more till it lays flat (or nearly flat - LOL)

• Now you have a curve seam - and you can stop there cutting the block into proper size but if you feel adventurous - you can can keep going like I did
• Take the upper half of the original background fabric (which had been set aside) - place it on your curve pieced block - right sides facing up.
• Following the original curve outline on the background fabric, rotary cut the curved block. Pick a width that you want the curve fabric to be - thin or thick or whatever
• Now repeat Steps 3-6.

• Ta-Da!!  Don't you feel smart?!  Its good to be Queen!!

As you can see I went on to repeat the whole process again - using another diagonal  curve in the other direction.   Then I cut out the circle from the block using an embroidery hoop as a template (handy suckers they are!)  I had to steam the heck out of this  one - don't know if its 'cause I cut an "S" curve or its the batik fabrics I used but boy they didn't have a lot of give to them.  I wouldn't doubt that the curves will stretch easier if you cut the initial fabric pieces on the bias (that means cut the blocks on a diagonal across the fabric rather than straight up and down) - but since these were Hoffman fat quarters I won at a give-away (nice huh?!) I didn't have that option .

Email me with any questions - hope you have as much fun with curve piecing as I do!

See more great design boards at Judy's Patchworks Times!!

How to Use Your Computer to Design An Art Quilt

A snap of my Word Document

Well to say that Friday's post concerning coming up with 24 different designs for my piece got a bit of reader's response would be an understatement.  It seems everyone has an opinion on how much "Pre-Design" should go into a quilt.  I can answer that - As much as your patience will allow.  Andddd that is one thing I have developed over the years is . . . .patience.

Now that said. . . Do I really want to draw out 12 or 24 designs?  Ahhhh. . . .No!  And why should I when I have my trusty $300 laptop and printer at my disposal!  Lots of times when I'm coming up with designs, I sketch some - I use computer images for others.

I know what you're saying, "Nina, I have no idea how to use one of those fancy pants quilt design programs or the too complicated Photoshop editor"  Yeah - neither do I!!!  What I do know how to use is my WORD program (sorta - LOL!).

So here are the steps:

1. Pick your image.  Edit (if you like in your fav photo editor - I didn't though)
2. Open Word.
3. Drag it onto a new page (or you can use the Insert Image function)
4. Now you can make the image as big or as small as you want (pulling at the corners or sides)
5. Copy/Paste copies of the images as you want - changing the scale of the picture
6. Change the printer properties to "Economical" and Grey scale
7. Print off several copies of your file
8. Save if you want to for future designs.

Now with that done you have several copies of your image  - in all different scales.  Turn on your favorite music or Audiobook, grab some paper scissors and a glue stick (they're really cheap this time of year!) and start playing!

This week, I decided to play around with graphs.  Graphs do bring to mind traditional quilts, but they are really excellent way to organize an art quilt too.

First I use an irregular graph - with different scaled girls.  Notice how cut away the background but kept all the girls.  (I only used 3 last week but thought I liked all 5 this)

 

Next I wanted to play a bit more with a diagonal graph - fracturing it with the 5 girls.

Then I wanted to play with a changing scale graph (for your math people like a logarithmic graph scale)

 

Finally - I tried a totally irregular graph with angles just basically random and place the girls by eye!

 

 Okay - so for you that are keeping track - that's 8!  These are getting hung on the side of my design board to "cook" for a bit.. . . 'Cause you know how it is - the one you like today might not be the one that you like next week.  I didn't put in more ribbons since I'm not quite sure I want to go that route  - just sorta playing with composition  right now.

So do you think you could do this?  Easy-Peasy huh?!