"FOOD FRENEMIES" is completely finished!

Done, done, DONE!  The hand quilting is finished on "FOOD FRENEMIES," 48 x 48 inches!  It was quite the marathon...hand quilted in a week, and a week that was busy with other things.  

The deadline for getting it entered into the August AQS Show in Grand Rapids, Michigan was midnight on Friday, April 13 (how appropriate...Friday the 13th).  I filled out the form, uploaded pictures, and pressed "send" at 10:30 PM.  

Whew!  WAY to close for comfort!

Sometimes I think I "use" quilt shows to motivate me to finish things rather than add to my pile of UFOs.

The nine center squares are quilted with cross-hatch design.  I also outline quilted around the motifs with some quilting on the motifs to bring out details or add fill on larger pieces.

It is not done for this picture, but I quilted a small fish in the shark's gray belly...maybe it should have been another Hershey's Kiss.

I basted the quilt sandwich so severely, especially the outer border.  I wanted to make sure nothing on the outer border shifted or stretched into a "wave."

That sucker was completely flat and square as a flimsy, and I wanted it to stay that way!

For the first time in my life, I quilted the outer border before the middle border.  Again, I wanted to get the binding on and guarantee flatness and squareness before using my hoop to quilt the green middle border.

I will show you how I made my quirky outer border design.

Notice how my old sad irons keep the quilt perfectly still and stable while I design and mark...especially good to keep the quilt, which is hanging off the table, ON the table.

Also sad irons weigh down my rotary rulers nicely while I mark.  Good investment of $20 bucks total for the three of them.

First I find the absolute middle of the quilt border, and weigh down my longish rotary ruler with as sad iron.  Then I line up the center line of my homemade template **.

Next I spread out identical templates to one side of the center at a time and work to get them properly spaced.

To keep them from moving as I start tracing and marking, I weight them down with my vintage pattern weights.

I use a very light pencil line (0.5mm lead) to trace.

Then I use one of my Perfect Circles (Karen Kay Buckley), marking the seam line and center, to line up with my triangles to form an arch.  (I use a write on/wash off marker on the plastic circles.)

Then I marked echoing lines for both shapes.  I usually do more echoing on the rounded arches, but I was afraid I was making things too busy behind my arrow-fleeing M&M guys.  

I may go back and fill in more quilting later because I am not completely satisfied with the unquilted spaces on that outer border.

I've done this outer border before.  Here it is on "ALL AROUND THE TOWN" (base pattern by Sue Garman...I miss her...).  It is a little hard to see the outer border quilting due to the business of the fabric, but you can just...make...it...out.

To make the quilting quicker and more enjoyable, I thread 20 needles at a time and wind/load them into my quilt domed needle holders (Clover Domed Threaded Needle Cases).

Everything is like a little assembly line...I cut 20 lengths of quilting thread first.  You can tell I am near the end of this spool of YLI Glazed Quilting Thread by the tight little coils.

Then I sit in very good lighting, curse a lot, and finally get those tiny little quilting needles threaded (sucks to get older...).  

They say not to knot the thread before winding in the domes, but I find I can if I load and wind the needles in order, 1-10, in the pre-numbered slots, then use them in order as I quilt I don't usually have a problem.  Maybe that is due to the thread glazing.

Even if I get a tangle, there is an easy way to open up the holder to correct things.  I love these domes!  I found I was going through 20 threaded needles pretty fast, so I ordered another two domes!  

Forty needles should do me for a while! 

(Twice the cussing and threading, but also twice the serenity-filled hand quilting...priceless.)

There was so much linear, geometric quilting in the rest of the quilt that I decided to add something rounded and softer for the middle border.  I did this the same way I did the spiky outer border, using half circles of waste plastic, tracing with one of my smaller Perfect Circles marking a center line before cutting the waste plastic in half.

I love Perfect Circles!

I'm sure someone has thought of this simple border design, but I have not seen it.  I will definitely be doing this again...I really like the results.

I do have commercial plastic quilting templates, but sometimes it is just quicker to do something like this rather than trying to make the template repetitions fit my border size.

I love keeping the the quilt on the table using my sad irons.  VERY helpful while applying binding to keep the weight of the quilt from pulling while hanging off the table (also great when applying borders to flimsies).

I quilted this sitting at a table, and the sad irons were so helpful.

The quilt is off by UPS to NW Ohio for the Sauder Village Quilt Show next weekend.  I have exhibited quilts in that show for many, many years.  I am hoping to keep up the tradition even thought I have moved south.  

It is a very nice show, placed in a historical tiny village that also contains the Threads and Traditions quilt shop, small vender mall, and the Barn Restaurant, out in the middle of nowhere in a farming community...one stop total enjoyment!  They display hundreds of quilts.  There are two nationally known quilt teachers every year.  This year, one of them is Edyta Sitar. 

I need to learn NOT to save the making of the my labels until the last, frantic moment.  I've gotten better because I have been trying to incorporate them into the binding.  This label was very hastily designed...no descriptive messages.  I was going to doodle a small yellow M&M on it, but ran out of time (he is my favorite...even though I tried to kill him).

I can't center writing on labels to save my life (astigmatism), so I select an easy-to-trace, easy-to-read font on my computer, type, and print.  I use that as a guide.  

I also iron freezer paper to the wrong side of the label fabric (cut larger than needed) to stabilize things as I trace.  I use my light box and it works great!

I still need to make a second one of these quilts for someone, but I already have the second set of blocks made and sashed.  Next I will applique the letters and M&Ms.  I have also got other projects going, maybe not as crazy as this one was.

I think this "FOOD FRENEMIES" quilt won't impress the serious major quilt show judges, but I am still going to send it off to make the show rounds...maybe it will give some people a chuckle as they relate.

In stitches,
Teresa   :o)

**Some of you with a science background might recognize the source of my blueish template waste plastic.  Back when I was younger and childless, I worked in biomedical research.  I ran "gels" with radioactivity to separate proteins, then would develop them on large format sheets of film to see what the isotope revealed.  

There was always waste developed films, usually resulting from being loaded incorrectly, in the garbage of the shared darkroom, sometimes resulting from work with fluorescent markers that weren't radioactive.  I would check them out with a Geiger Counter, and take home the ones that weren't dangerous.

Waste not, want not.  I still have some pieces after 20 years!

  

"FOOD FRENEMIES" is a completed top!

Well, the deed is done.  "Food Frenemies" is done and ready for basting and hand quilting.

It is now thread basted and ready to get into a hoop.  For some reason, it took me forever to get this thing basted.  It is only 48 x 48, but it seemed slow.  

I was careful to do a lot of extra basting on the outside six inches of the top.  I do not want this to get pulled out of shape.  The binding is to be a bright black/multi stripe, which will really show from a distance if it is not square.

The pressure is on...

As I am trying to spend more time in my quilt space, I decided to set up two folding tables in there for the thread basting.  It was a bit of a tight squeeze, for sure.  I am still trying to get that space to feel more like home, so it was worth feeling claustrophobic for a while.

It was very cozy in there basting away and re-watching Masterpiece Theater "Endeavor" DVDs (I have a major crush on that dude, for sure).

I have gotten the first square almost completely hand quilted.  Now to pick out some more DVDs to watch while quilting...some discs where I am not staring and drooling at the main character, LOL!

Maybe "Endeavor" was the reason it took me so long to get the basting done.

I always enjoy the repetitive process of the hand quilting.  Very enjoyable to revisit each square up close while bringing it to life in 3-D.  

But, I am getting a log jam of things needing to be quilted...I need to find a custom machine quilter I am comfortable with to catch me up.  

I guess that is another difficult thing about moving...new dentist, new doctor, new custom machine quilter...oh bother!

In stitches, 
Teresa   :o)

TAKE THAT, you cute, tempting little devil!!

Yahoo!  I have finished the outer borders of my "diet/therapy" project.  And I have finally come up with a name for the quilt..."FOOD FRENEMIES."

A "frenemy" has been defined in the modern lexicon as a type of "friend" whose words or actions bring you down.

I am SO glad I didn't proceed with my FIRST outer border plan...

...I was CLEARLY having a bad day when I did the sketch seen above!  Some of you recommended that I NOT use the sketch (but not ALL of you, LOL!).  

My bad idea TOTALLY crossed the line between destroying inanimate, tempting food objects and killing off sometimes alive fast food mascots, too human for comfort.  

The people playing those mascots in commercials, various public appearances, restaurant openings, and yes...birthday parties (oh boy)...are just trying to make a living, for pity's sake!  They may not even eat the food they promote (the lying misrepresenting jerks).

Peanut M&M's may be my worst frenemy.  They look cute in a nice cut glass or decorative bowl (and really, how often do we actually get the chance to use and display those?).  

It is just so easy to walk by the cute dish, admire it (try to remember which wedding guest it came from), and grab one (a handful) and go (then continually walk by the bowl).  And, you don't have to keep dealing with that pesky twist tie and noisy, crinkling bag.

They melt in your mouth, not in your hand.  The little jewels won't stain sewing/quilting/embroidery projects (or the inside of your pocket - yippee!).  Inside the bra is not recommended...too warm...and too hard to explain the colorful smears on your breasts.

They are easy to "store" (hide) in the weirdest (most convenient) places...like in the pull down tool storage bin on the front of my Genome sewing machine (now filled with plain, whole almonds...definitely not as sexy and alluring).  

Or perhaps tucked into a an underwear drawer or stuffed in the cabinet with the cleaning supplies...places not often frequented by anyone else in the house (we don't have to share EVERYTHING with our spouse/family). 

It is hard not to think of these cute, goofy M&M mascots after a bad day or an unfortunate encounter with someone.  Just look how cheerful and concerned they look!    They REALLY want to make you feel better (then secretly mock you behind your back about the tummy roll and double chin).

Why arrows you might ask?  Well...first, I did not want to repeat any of the other methods of killing off frenemies, although I fantasized about pounding them with a hammer.  But, their small remains would have been too easy to gather and save as a festive topper for my ice cream later.

I love a challenge...trying to aim and pierce their hard, candy shells would be tricky...and archery is a sport, right!  This might actually burn some calories.  BONUS!

And finally, they so nicely blend with your holiday decor...red and green for Christmas, red, pink and white for Valentine's Day, pastels for Easter, etc.  They really go out of their way to please us (yeah, who else does that in our lives, really?).

(Miss Green and Red look so smug, don't they?  What they have not yet realized is that in their moment of ghoulish, snobby triumph, I launched a SECOND arrow at them...mwa-ha-ha)

I will reveal the whole top in the next post...then madly hand quilt it to try and meet a couple of quilt show deadlines.  This won't be a ribbon-winner, but may give quilt show goers a chuckle as they shuffle through the venue.

In stitches (and grumpily munching on an almond),
Teresa   :o)

2018 AQS Lancaster, Ironing, old school...

"Contentment" is having a good time up in Pennsylvania!  It took a 2nd place ribbon in its category this week at the AQS Quilt Show in Lancaster.  How fun!  

It would be cool to be there with all the quilts...and SNOW.  If any of you are going to Lancaster, I would love to have a picture of "Contentment" hanging there.   :o)

There is a mess in the quilt cave, which is a good sign.  There must be some sewing going on in there.

I am finishing up the outer borders for the crazy "diet" quilt.  The bottom border is completely done and soaking in water to get the glue out at this very moment.  The rest of the borders are mostly done.

I am thinking that this wordy border will be the outer border.  I really don't want to do too much with the borders.  I don't want to distract from the applique or message. 

I am also getting backings together for three quilts...this one, my Little Treasures top, and the chocolate rabbits.  I also have to get the wordy borders done for the second "diet" quilt (I need to finalize a real quilt name).

You know how I love to use my little vintage pattern weights while doing my version of hand applique?  Well, they are fabulous, but I have found an additional vintage item that further helps me weight down prepped applique pieces after glue basting...

...these are HEAVY!  I found vintage irons that are PERFECT when working on a large border with lots of pieces.  I can either use them right on the fabric, or in combination with a ruler to keep everything flat and weighted until my glue baste has dried enough to start stitching.

They are clean, smooth and totally safe to put right on the fabric.  At some time, I may put some felt on the bottoms, but I am totally digging them "as is" right now.

Some people decorate with these irons or use them as a door stop.  Each one of these cost between $5-6...cheaper than the sets(6) of individual weights I find on Ebay.  Both have their purpose. 

The irons are easy to find in your local antique or second-hand shop.  I've been tripping over them for years and never thought I would have a use for them.

I used to just pile the individual pattern weights on top of each other to achieve the same results.

Thanks for all your great comments and emails.  I have missed all of you over the past three months!

In stitches, 
Teresa   :o)

Back from outer space...

It seems like years since I've posted!  Thank you for the emails of concern about where I was...sorry I did not at least post to say I was OK and would be back soon.  

Truth is, every day I thought I would post the next day.  Next thing you know, it is three months later!

I hate posting without something almost interesting to say about quilting or crafting with actual pictures.  There has been little time to sew.  (But there are actual photos depicting evidence of actual sewing in this post!)

The holidays were CRAZY, hectic and exhausting, as I am sure they were for all of you as well, and the new year has brought joys and difficulties.

Family travel the day after Christmas to the Philadelphia area kept us busy until after New Years.  Riley helped me make cookies in preparation for our trip where we saw Steve's ailing Dad and sibs/families.

And then there were the annual "you've got more stuff in your stocking than I do" pictures from Christmas morning.

We've been finding more deer than usual, and in the weirdest places!

When in PA, we played a FANTASTIC game that I highly recommend!  It is called "Watch Yer Mouth."  You play by wearing plastic 'dental/mouth spreaders' (included) and then try to get your partner to understand the phrase you are attempting to read aloud from a drawn card.  We all looked hilarious, sounded even funnier, and were all sore after from all the laughing.  

After Christmas, I realized there were so many things I needed to get accomplished outside on the property WHILE THE SNAKES WERE STILL ASLEEP and temperatures not oppressive.  Winter is so short here, so it can be really a busy time.  

Blueberry bushes, grape arbors, Dogwood trees, flower borders, etc. were suffering from a few years of neglect and were overgrown with the wrong kind of vines (wild grape, honeysuckle and vines with WICKED thorns!  I may shoot myself if we get kudzu on the property...).   

Two long rows of grape arbor had not been cut back in almost 10 years!  I had to cut back to the nub!  No muscadines this year, but hopefully the arbor will be healthier and produce more in the next few years.

A couple hours of hacking didn't make much of a difference only about two feet.

I finally finished them...I had to cut them back to the minimum...no grapes this year, but they will be productive and pretty next year.

The blueberry bushes (there are over 40 of them) were crazy overgrown and had not been pruned in several years.  Some had "woolly-booger" crowns of grape, honeysuckle, and thorn vines.  I cleaned them out, carefully pruning to preserve as many fruit buds as possible. 

Before:

After:

I am still trying to get the pruning piles hauled to the burn pile. There will be a handful of blueberries from each of those tiny flowers...yum.

The forest will overtake property if you let it.  Dad worked so hard to clear areas that were previously heavily covered with trees.  I will keep battling Mother Nature to preserve their efforts.

I've also been systematically trimming lower branches that whack me in the face when I mow. Thank God only about 30 out of 800 acres of our Treasure Forest are somewhat cleared and get mowed!

We got the chipper working so we can dispense with all the neat piles of branches when the saturated ground will support the heavy equipment without making ruts everywhere.

Now I can start another pile of limbs!

It was a weird Alabama winter.  Normally mild weather turned extremely cold too many times, with warmer spurts of super heavy rain between.  It is impossible to think that North Alabama could still be in a drought!  We even got a little snow a few times that hung around due to the low temps.

The ground is spongy, causing water to seep out everywhere when you walk.  Thank God we are at elevation!  A lot of people in Colbert County have been dealing with flooding.  It is hard for the farmers to prepare and plant their fields.

Our catfish pond is just an inch below capacity at the dam.  It freaks me out that the fullness may undermine the earthen structure.

The rain has also caused a new pond to develop in a low place on the way out to the fruit orchard.  I've never seen that happen in that location!

Riley was in a play at U of Alabama..."Vinegar Tom."  Of course we had to drive down to Tuscaloosa and see at least two of the seven performances.

Even with all that, I have managed to do a little quilting.  I got the outer borders on my "Little Treasures" quilt.  It is ready to baste and start the hand quilting.

(none of the pictures in this post are this dark or dull...not sure what is going on)

I was experiencing "design constipation" with the continuation of the diet/food quilt tops (one for me, one for my therapist).  Not only was I not seeing how to complete them, I was having trouble choosing fabrics for sashing, borders, etc.  I have one a little further than the other one.

I still don't have my two pieces of design wall mounted...very hard to take good pictures with them leaning and flopping.

Having finally decided upon some hopefully-clever-phrases to put on the next border, I prepped letters for the first quilt and have finished the hand stitching of them.  

I find there are a couple of empty spaces between the phrases.  I have been thinking of additional treats that I can "kill off" without repeating any of the methods already depicted.  It is a little more challenging, as the width of the border is only 4 inches.

You can tell from the following sketch that I have been WAAAAY too bummed out, worried and frustrated by the news and the state of things.  Here I am, killing off "Ronald McDonald," "Wendy," and the "Burger King" by hanging.  WAAAY to grim and evil for a quilt border...I will NOT be using this one!
  

I have a better, cuter idea without picking on these fast food icons.

Meanwhile, my "Contentment" quilt has been on vacation visiting two AQS Quilt Shows, Daytona Beach, Florida and Lancaster, Pennsylvania.  I am not sure how I feel about my quilt getting to go to the beach and Amish country without taking me...sigh.  It won a third place ribbon in Florida and the Pennsylvania show starts next week.

I finally decided to finish my version of "Rabbits Prefer Chocolate" (Anne Sutton) and got the outer borders done and backing chosen and prepared.  It was hand appliqued years ago before I started my current method.  

Of course I changed the outer border...

There are very few smooth curves on those bunnies, chicks and eggs!

And, I am still slowly losing weight...a little over 50 pounds since Feb 2017.  I am also still trying to get situated on the right combination of "happy drugs."  I feel so much better and more energetic with the medications and I think I have been making up for the first two years here when I was too sad to do anything.  

There is nothing wrong with getting a little help, especially after the last four years.

Oh, and my computer hard drive died and decided to take all my files...documents, blog and Internet store stuff, and PHOTOS...with it!  

I nearly had a stroke.  Steve was finally able to recover my data off the old hard drive.  

I had to get a new computer with, of course, all new updated programs to learn.  Steve loaded my old stuff on the new machine and I am slowly finding stuff.  I was without a computer for a while...agony.

Whew!  There they are...all my excuses.  I really didn't think it had been so long since I had posted (until I saw email from some of you, asking about me - thank you!).  

I think being so isolated out here "on the mountain" I lose track of all time.  I should probably go to town more often.  I knew I wasn't sewing much, but I was so focused on outside tasks (I REALLY DO hate snakes...).  There were days I was even working outside in the lighter rain!

I am driving to Huntsville tonight for Quilt Guild, so I will see people...a 3-hour round trip.

Totally worth it!

In stitches,
Teresa   :o)