Serving Up Some Leftovers and Other Stuff

As I was cleaning off my cutting table today (long overdue), I was putting some bonus HSTs into my "parts" bowl and decided to get a few little quilts laid out from some of the leftovers there. I pulled out three design boards and soon these were born. I only let myself work with stuff from the cutting table, in the "parts" bowl, or the scrap baskets.

They will be leader/ender projects as I work on the last few deadlined projects for this summer.

I have to admit that feathers have become a favorite for me and Gidget. After trying hyper-quilting recently, I had to do more. I selected a few more batiks and got one of them sandwiched up and quilted. I had to try Fall colors this time because when I go out to work in my garden in the mornings now, there is that nip in the air, even though the daytime highs are still in the 90s. This is in the process of being bound (obviously).
Can't decide whether to do the deep plum or bright orange next.

I wanted to share with you something DD#1 did while she was here. She liked the hexie flowers I did in that little AAQI quilt and wanted to give it a try. When it was time for her to go home she was starting to applique the flowers down and had chosen sashing and binding fabrics.

I am so excited to have a new Koala sewing chair. It is wonderful. I have had lower back trouble since I was about 10 and the lumbar support of this chair feels so good. I saved my pennies (well, dollars, really) for a few months and I have had it for a week now. I think it was money well spent.

Another new arrival is my latest AAQI purchase. When I first saw Jean's little quilts I knew I wanted the R/W/B one. I had read the description, but the size escaped me and I was unprepared for how small it is. This makes me love it even more. You know me and minis! : )  It is now proudly placed in its new home. See it in the lower right-hand corner of my small quilts wall? So cute!

I have volunteered at the county fair Home Arts building for years, and I have usually entered baked goods, or soap, or even some sewing, but I have never entered in quilting. My Mom, who enters a quilt every year, has tried to talk me into it many times, but I have always resisted. This year I decided that Black & Blooms was worth entering. You can see the top of the blue ribbon it received in the bottom of the photo.
Now that looks like a bigger deal than it really is. Everything gets a ribbon in our county fair, so a blue ribbon is good, but there are LOTS of blue ribbons given out. I do feel good about it, though, based on the judges' comments on the judging sheet. They had nothing but good to say.

Another rambling post. Wish I could bake cookies or something for everyone who sticks it out to the end.

Until next time,
Janet O.

That "A" Word!!

Oh, the things we will do for a worthy cause!

This is the flimsy for my next AAQI quilt--and yes, it includes two techniques I normally go out of my way to avoid; hexies, and...APPLIQUE! (Did you just fall off your chair, Karen?)

I try to tie the quilt in somehow to the person to whom it is being dedicated, and this one needed flowers. I had wanted to get permission from a designer to use parts of one of her wool applique patterns (that kind of applique I enjoy), but with the registration deadline looming and a family camping trip taking several days between now and then, I realized I had to start something immediately. I caved in and bought the 1/2" hexie papers, made the flowers one evening and appliqued them down the next. And in case you are wondering, I did not learn to love either process!! : )

Now on to my quilting problems. If any of you have advice for me concerning these issues, I would appreciate it. Remember in my last post I shared my discouragement with the back of my red feathered piece, and in a previous post I had told you how my attempt at machine quilting Black & Blooms (bottom of linked post) had twisted threads in the black fabric and left white parts of the fibers exposed. Well, both things just keep happening, but randomly.

Yesterday I quilted  this. It doesn't show well in photos, but there is batting popping through in many places of the back. This was Warm and Natural batting. Some people have told me this is a problem with this batting, others have told me it has never given them such a problem. It was an 80/20 batting that gave me such grief on the red feather piece, so I thought I would try the Warm and Natural. I put in a new needle and used the Aurifil thread on this, because on those feather samples from my last post, I had no batting coming through on the back of the one using Aurifil.

I am through quilting on dark fabric with dark thread at night.
The backtracking on these feathers is atrocious! I could not
see what I was doing!

I also got some of that "white thread" issue in the dark navy border. This is not the batting coming though, it is fibers of the fabric twisting and exposing undyed areas. It isn't as bad as it was on the Black & Blooms, but it is there.

 I am quilting on an HQ Sweet 16 midarm, which I have had for about 1 1/2 years without noticing these issues. This summer they are plaguing me. Maybe it is the heat. Do you think? : )
If you have any suggestions I would be happy to hear them.
Janet O.

Check off another challenge...

...in this year's SewCalGal FMQ challenge. 

This completes the 2013 FMQ Challenge #3 - Feathers, by Joanne of Thread Head.

There was a lot of experimenting with different feather styles before completing my projects.

All of the finished pieces were created using the bump-bump feather method, which I find most comfortable. But I don't stitch my spine first. I prefer to draw it lightly, then start my feather lobes at the bottom, using the line I have drawn as a guide. I work my way up one side to the tip, and then I stitch back down on the spine to the bottom and start the other side. This method eliminates one layer of thread in the spine and I like it better with the threads I am using. I'd really like to get some 100 wt. thread to try, but I can't find it around here, and I really don't like to choose colors online.

This one has multiple background designs, the tips of the feathers are different shapes, and the spine of one feather has the pebbling. This was quilted with Aurifil thread.

I put the same tip on each feather in this one, and used one design over the entire background. I also did an echo around the feathers to give them a little more definition from the background. This was quilted with Mettler thread.

In looking at dozens of examples of feathers online, I decided I really like the look of feathers that fill the space completely. So I decided to give it a go, with the help of Sharon's and Debbie's notes, to which I referred in my previous post. I randomly put a curl in the tips of some lobes. This was quilted with Isacord thread. 

I purposely made this one within the size requirements for an AAQI quilt, because I thought if it turned out well I might use it as such. I was pleased with the front, but when I turned it over my heart sank. The back had so many places where the needle had pushed bits of batting through, and that only happened on this one. I worked with my needle to try and stuff those bits back in, but it doesn't look good to me, so I wouldn't feel comfortable donating this. The other two look fine on the back, but they aren't within the size requirements, and I'm not as happy with the feathers on those anyway.

I appreciate SewCalGal and Joanne making this challenge available. I do believe it has helped me a great deal in improving the quality of my feathers. I never did find my first feather sample, but I did come across some early attempts from the SewCalGal challenge in February 2012. Look at the one  peeking out on the right. I've come a long way, baby!

 One last thing. My small quilts corner has a new addition. I bought another AAQI quilt--this time by my friend, Annie Miksch (no blog). The little appliqued wreath in the upper left corner is my sweet new quilt (those are all AAQI purchases along the top row). Annie made the beautiful appliqued piece on the lower right side, as well, and surprised me with it months ago. I am thrilled to have another quilt made by her hands.

That's it for now. Not much sewing happening here this week, other than the feathers.
Until next time,
Janet O.

Lots of Little Finishes

This has finally been bordered and bound, according to popular vote. I'm calling it "Piney Stars". The stars are the handiwork of Karen Beigh (Log Cabin Quilter blog), and I did the other stuff.

 I used stencils for the quilting. Though I love doing FM overall designs, for more traditional looking quilts I lean toward stencils.

I surprised myself by getting this little thing completed and hung the morning of the Fourth--just in the nick of time! This has been dubbed "A Fleeced Fourth." I'm glad Lisa included striped fabric in her Old Glory Gatherings because I love making striped bias binding.

 Stripes aren't bad on the back, either. Like Lisa's quilt at her trunk show, I used the Valdani floss to "big stitch" around the wool appliques. On the other four blocks I used a Terry Twist (Sally Terry) stencil.

I have finished up another AAQI (Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative) quilt, but I won't be registering it until I get at least one more finished. Have to have them registered by August 1, 2013. There are still hundreds of little quilts available for sale, with more being added regularly. Some of them are even priced under $20. Check it out here to support a great cause. This all ends December 30, 2013.


The quilting process began with stitch-in-the-ditch with my walking foot along the color changes. I like quilting "furrow" type layouts with a diagonal pattern, but my stencil choices this size were limited. I used my favorite "rope" stencil in a large size on the furrows and used a smaller stencil of the same pattern in the border. Those corners are the "fast finish triangles" for hanging, recommended for AAQI quilts, in case you are wondering.

Okay, Kathie, you nudged me and I did it. I made a 2" log cabin ornament (not a great photo of it). After making that little thing, going back to the 3" log cabins in the AAQI quilt was a breeze! I left the opening a little tight and it stressed the seams when I turned it inside out, so this will stay with me, but I think I see a few more of them in my future, with some possible modifications.

We are cooling off today in our high mountain desert valley--instead of hitting 99-100 degrees, we are only supposed to reach 90 today. It will feel chilly (not really).
Janet O.

Hey, everybody, I really finished it!!

 That's what I felt like shouting when I took the last stitch on the binding of Black & Blooms (aka Little Buds from Primitive Gatherings). I still can't believe it is completed. When I took the wool applique class from Lisa Bongean last January, during one of our breaks she pulled out a bunch of quilts to show us. As she held up Little Buds we were all in awe of this tiny wool appliqued piece. I was fascinated by it and felt compelled to order the kit, all the while chiding myself, "Who are you kidding? You won't ever actually make that!"
I love to be wrong in such cases--and it really wasn't as hard to make as I had imagined. Just be prepared to paper piece those HSTs in the border--they are 1/2" finished!

So while we are talking small, these little log cabin blocks will finish at 3" (yes, they are paper pieced). They are going into my next AAQI quilt, if I can get it finished before the registration deadline. I'm tempted to just sew these four blocks together and put a couple of borders on it, but my original plan was for more blocks with a different setting. I just don't know if I have time to make that happen, with other deadlines I have looming. I wonder what it is like to quilt without deadlines?

Thanks to all who cast their vote in my border dilemma. It was a tricky election. At first the candidates seemed pretty evenly matched, but in the end, the red border won by a landslide. I won't be keeping this and I thought a majority vote had a better chance of getting a result the recipient would like, than just going by my opinion.

Finally, my last patriotic project for the time being (Old Glory Gatherings--Sheep Quilt), is all blanket stitched. I'm hoping to get it basted and start on the quilting tomorrow. I doubt it will be displayable by the 4th, but maybe it will see some moments in the spotlight before the fall decor goes up.

I hope everyone in the U.S. has a safe and happy Independence Day, and everyone else--have a good day. : )
Janet O.

Thanks for your support!

This was the donation quilt for my daughter's fundraiser yesterday before we went to the event. Thank you, Doniene, for relieving so much stress from my shoulders by providing a finished top.
This was the quilt this morning when the happy winner, Debby P., and her daughter picked it up. She was thrilled to receive it.

Several of you have asked how you can help in our efforts and some of you have already donated. I have been trying to think of a way for you to be able to participate in our drawing and while I was working on the binding of this quilt I came up with something. When Doniene sent this quilt top she included some of the leftover background fabric. I had backing and binding fabric left, too. As I was stitching the binding I saw the pile of these leftover fabrics sitting nearby. I also saw the Temecula Summer Stars that I have made sitting on a design board. That is when the idea clicked. These lovely fall colors with the Summer Stars blocks seemed to need to come together in "Fall"-ing Stars (get it?).

Today was the culmination of my daughter's first fundraiser. The second and last one for the year will wrap up September 15. Between now and then I will be getting this quilted and bound. During that time any of you that make a $10 donation to help support Dravet Syndrome research on my daughter's blog HERE, will be included in a drawing for this little quilt (It will be about 23"x30" finished). Those of you who have already donated are automatically included--one chance per $10. If your name on the donation is something I wouldn't recognize because it is so different from your blog name, just leave your blog name in the notes or email an explanation to me. I will draw the winner at midnight on Sept. 15th.

I appreciate your patience with me as I spread the word about this devastating syndrome that has my youngest grandson in its grip. I am not begging for money--I am just trying to provide a way to thank those who have chosen to help, and to invite others to participate if they choose. I'm sure if you had to stand by helplessly and watch a precious grandchild repeatedly endure seizures that at times have lasted 30 minutes or more, I think you would want to do all you could to raise awareness and funds for research. The photo to the right is Ben wearing the helmet that helps protect him from head injury when seizures cause him to fall, which can happen many, many times on a bad day.

Two other quick items--I have been making the Temecula Stars in Civil War scraps and had been thinking there would be eight of them. That was before I noticed on the calender this week that there are 5 Fridays this month. I had already been guessing at settings for 8 blocks--in fact, the setting I used for "Fall"ing Stars (above) was my guess. So now I am caught up and will wait for the 9th star before assuming that I know how they will be set.

And finally, I was happy to be able to snag the last of the three AAQI quilts that were a collaborative effort between Lori D. and Kathie H. When I finally figure out where my wall of little quilts is going to be, I will be happy to include this.

Oh, you patient followers (and lurkers) who endure these long posts. Bless you all!
Until next time,
Janet O.