Done and Done!

I have now completed all of the challenges I plan to do as part of the SewCalGal 2013 FMQ Challenge. With the deadline less than a week away, I can breathe a sigh of relief!
I had only planned on doing one more, but you will see that I succumbed to two!

"It's All About Borders" was a challenge provided by Patsy Thompson. Her challenge in Dec. of 2012 was what I was working on last year when feathers finally started to click, so I have a soft spot in my heart for her. : )
For this challenge we were to create a quilt, table runner or wall hanging with 8-10 borders. In each border we were to quilt a different design, with at least two of them coming from Patsy's 2012 tutorial. We could design it in any way we wanted. Here is my finished piece.

Hard to see the quilting in that photo. Here are some close-ups.

The back side.

The fourth and eighth borders were from Patsy's tutorial. The third border was a variation on one of those designs. The first, second and sixth borders were made using stencils. The fifth border was based on Sarah Vedeler's Spiral tutorial in the November 2012 SewCalGal FMQ challenge. The seventh border was my take on a border design from LuAnn Kessi's sketchbook.
I had a lot of fun putting this together and choosing and quilting the border designs.

The last challenge I chose to complete was Quilted Postcards by Janet McElroy. We were to create one or more quilted postcards, with the option to participate in an organized exchange.  I dug into my batik scraps to make these four postcards, using Janet's tutorial.

This gives you a little better view of the quilting on them.

 These were fun to create, but more time consuming than would be practical any time I want to send a postcard. : )

They are all now addressed and ready to send off. Hope to get them in the mail tomorrow. I am not participating in the swap, but am sending them off to mostly unsuspecting recipients. What fun!

This is about all the quilting that has happened around here this month. Prepping for our trip to NH, taking our trip to NH and recovering from our trip to NH took a good chunk of the month. Then I spent a couple of days sick, and finally, on Tuesday I looked out my kitchen window to see my MIL lying in her driveway (she is my neighbor, across the pasture). She had tripped and fallen, breaking her upper femur and lower hip. So I have spent many hours this week at the hospital. I have been stitching on my little house blocks there. Maybe I'll share those next time.
Until then,
Janet O.

Bordering on Insanity

Does canning season make anyone else crazy? Boxes and buckets and bushels of ripe produce needing immediate attention, but life doesn't have a "pause" button while we take care of it all. So this week while jams and sauces were put in jars and pies and frozen veggies were crowded into the freezer, all I have had time for in the sewing room is borders!
This was a sampler made from Cheri's blog. It is a little thing--the blocks are about 3 inches. I'd link you to the instructions, but all of the photos are gone from her posts for it. However, she is starting a new fall SAL on Monday, if you want to join in.

Then I got the border on my version of Pam Buda's Nabby's Dowry.

I think I am going to name this Mahana (aka The Eight Cow Wife). Kind of a reverse on the dowry theme in Pam's title, and plays along with the tropical feel of the fabrics I have used. It is from a 1960s movie called Johnny Lingo, that is iconic in Mormon culture. It was based on a short story that appeared in Woman's Day magazine way back when. You can read about it on Wikipedia here, or even find the 30 minute movie on Youtube.

These 4-patch blocks had been getting shuffled around my sewing room for years. I don't even recall when or why they were made, but a few weeks ago I sewed them into this little quilt and this week I bordered it, too--why not? I was on a roll! This one may need tea dying.









I put another round of borders on this little piece that I made from scraps of Old Glory Gatherings recently. I thought it looked okay when I was doing it, but when I saw the photo, I wasn't crazy about it. I was thinking of binding it with a blue stripe cut on bias. Maybe that will help it. Or maybe I will just have to take off that outer border and try again.

The final border project really is insane. As my last project for this year's SewCalGal FMQ Challenge, I am doing Patsy Thompson's border challenge. You have to make a piece that has 8-10 borders for practicing a variety of border designs. It has to be finished by the end of October, and so far all I have done is select fabrics. This is what is piled on my cutting table waiting for inspiration to strike. More batiks!

I will be on the other side of the country for 8 days of October, and probably recovering from that trip for a few more afterward. Something had better come to me soon.

There was a very slight dusting of snow on the mountaintops this week, but whenever I thought about getting a photo they were shrouded in clouds. I love the contrast of white topped mountains when there is still fall color dressing the slopes. There wasn't enough snow this time to provide much contrast. It looked more like someone had sprinkled a little baby powder over the peaks, but I'm sure that will change soon enough.
Until next time,
Janet O.

Small Talk

Just another bunch of small quilts here. I really do have some bed quilts to work on, but it has been too crazy busy this summer to focus on them.
I need to post this last batch of AAQI quilts for the sake of the SewCalGal FMQ Challenge deadline. They have been inundated with a bunch of quilts right at the last minute (like mine). These are not available to purchase yet. I will post when they are listed on the "For Sale" page.

Flowers For Market--#15,501 This is dedicated to V. N., a long time acquaintance who raised a very large family and supported them literally with the work of her own hands. Even after this disease had begun its inroads into her mental abilities, she would cut the flowers from her garden every Saturday morning and have her caregiver help her take them to the local Farmer's Market to sell.

These flowers were made with 1/2" hexie papers and the quilting is just "straight line" around the hexies and sashing.

Furrowed Brow--#15,502 In memory of an old friend E.H., with whom I spent many hours, over many years, doing volunteer work in our church and community. For a time she would recognize me, even after her mind was going. But the last time I visited her before she died, as I approached her wheelchair with a greeting, she looked at me with a furrowed brow and worried expression. It was clear I had become a complete stranger.

The FMQ on this  one is shown here.

                                                                                                                            

Justice & Liberty For All--#15,567 Dedicated to all those who have sacrificed to defend our freedoms. Straight line quilting around the pinwheels, stars and stripes finished this one off. 

 Lost Feathers--#15,566 Inspired by this saying...
“A bird that has lost its feathers can no longer sail through the skies. And a person who has lost her memories can no longer find her way through the world she once called home.”
― Sakura
I wrote the saying on a piece of muslin and sewed it onto the back of the quilt.

Obviously, this one was quilted with FMQ feathers.

Here are two other little quilts (not AAQI quilts) that have been finished lately. My "Winter Warmth", a composite of 3 Primitive Gatherings patterns, finally got bound with one of those great P. G. striped fabrics.

This last one was a product of the SewCalGal FMQ Challenge #3. I had already posted my finished project, but I was anxious to try some hyper-quilting. I pulled out a few batiks that struck my fancy and had a go. I really like the final product. I have another batik in a plum color that I am thinking of trying next. The year of the feather continues!

Until next time,

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.

The Year of the Feather

No, this is not some oriental New Year of some sort. That is what I dubbed this year back in January. I set out to conquer (well, maybe just get more comfortable with) feathers.
I know you can't see them at all, but I just quilted up this little flimsy and put feathers in the border.

To be honest, so far this year I have only become relatively comfortable with two types of feathers--the style I put on the black border above, which you can't see, and shaped feathers for setting triangles. Both of them are more visible in this little quilt that you may recall I made up back in February.

I have occasionally tried other types of feathers, like these little swirly ones...

...but the free form feathers have eluded me. This year SewCalGal is continuing to challenge us in FMQ, but instead of one challenge a month, there have been six challenges presented and we have until the end of Oct. to complete any three. The second challenge I have chosen is a tutorial on feathers by Joanne (Thread Head blog). We are to practice different feather types and find what works best for us. Then we make up a few quilt sandwiches "about the size of a piece of paper" and mark our feather spines and get quilting. We are to quilt background designs around the feathers and then bind the pieces.

I have filled a few sandwiches with practice feathers, but today I got down to the real thing. So far I have finished the quilting on this one piece...

I'm not too crazy about it, but it just needs the binding, and it will be good to have one under my belt.

My second one, below, doesn't have any background yet, but it is an improvement on the feather, I think.  Deep curves are still a challenge.

I'm toying with the idea of only using one or two designs on the background of this one.

I think I'll try one more sandwich after this and get a little more adventurous with the feather style.

I need to give a shout out to two very kind bloggers who quilt beautiful feathers and have gone out of their way to share information on their methods with me. Thank you Sharon (Grass Roots Quilting blog) and Debbie (Stitchin' Therapy blog) for your efforts in sharing your design sheets. I have referred to both many times, studying them, tracing them, and practicing the styles. It has helped immensely.

Just for fun, I tried to find the sandwich that had my first feather attempt from almost 2 years ago. It is nowhere to be found. I must have chucked that one. I do remember, though, that it didn't even remotely resemble a feather.

One other small thing I did this weekend was finish up two pincushions that have been partially made for months now. One is from the Schnibble Tuffet pattern, from Miss Rosie's Quilt Co., and the other was just a way of using up 6 leftover HST from another project. How do you use 6 HSTs? Answer--make 3 faux flying geese and put them into a pincushion. I made both of these into the "box" style cushion as demonstrated in my Tuffet tutorial on the tab above.
That churn dash is only 1 1/2" finished. I'm thinking it would make a great little ornament. : )

That is all for now.
Until next time,
Janet O.

AAQI Quilts

My two AAQI quilts are finally up for sale, if you are interested. You can read about them here.

I was motivated to do these from two sources. Lori, of Humble Quilts, has taken the $1000 Pledge and I have purchased a couple of her little quilts. I had occasionally entertained the thought of doing one myself, but never got beyond the thought. When SewCalGal's FMQ Challenge for 2013 included the option to do an AAQI quilt, that was the nudge I needed.

The FMQ skill from the SewCalGal FMQ Challenge in 2012 that I implemented in the first quilt was  quilting using stencils, which I couldn't do to save me, initially. Practice makes all the difference. Two of last year's challenges involved stencils and by the second one I was starting to believe I could do it. I think it gives a more traditional look to a quilt. The quilt on the left was done entirely using stencils.

On the right I implemented skills learned in Patsy Thompson's challenge about borders. After doing SITD around the pinwheels, I stitched border designs through the sashing and outer border.
I'll be linking this up with SewCalGal's Challenge #2 here.

Early Onset=Early Retirement is available here.  *SOLD*  Thank You!
Role Reversal is available here.   *SOLD*  Thank You!

I'm hoping to get at least one more donated before the deadline. I'l keep you posted.