Binding finished on my favorite U.F.O.!

This is BABY BUNTING...the quilt pattern was presented in pink, white, and pastel scraps a few years ago in either Quiltmaker or Quilter's Newsletter Magazine.  I knew at once from the size of the scrappy wedgies that it would be perfect for using up some small scraps.

Each of the 16 big blocks (finishing 19.75 inches square) is made up of 16 smaller block units. I both hand and machine-pieced the curved seams after chain machine piecing all the little wedgies together (I cut out all those 1280 little suckers with scissors!).

I chose the two green fabrics very carefully because I felt the need to calm down the "noise" of the scraps a bit, and I chose the white tone-on-tone background because I thought it would make the brightness of the scraps "pop."

When piecing this quilt, I always dreamed that I would hand-quilt it...that's how it ended up on the missing projects list.  But I am a woman on a mission to clean up as many U.F.O.'s as possible before 2010.  Thanks to Rhonda Loy of Dexter, Michigan for the machine-quilting.

In stitches,
Teresa  :o)

A boring (for some) hand-applique tutorial...

I want to respond to an "anonymous" comment from Teresa in Illinois about the "glue-stick method "of doing hand applique (I didn't see an email posted for you).  I am a novice at this technique, but have gotten some really good results using it already on blocks from the "Civil War Bride Quilt."

I learned everything about this from my friend Mary Liz (ML), but hopefully she won't mind me passing along a very crude tutorial.  I've been doing hand-applique for years by another method.  I'm taking her class at the local quilt shop next week, where I hope to learn even more fussy little details.  Perhaps then I will work up a tutorial to add to this blog.  I'm finding the technique very liberating, and maybe others will as well.  I'm on a crusade to make the word "applique" cease to be a dirty word!

MATERIALS:

* freezer paper
* glue stick (there are MANY out there - "Elmer's Washable Glue-Stick-Disappearing Purple" - ML likes these because they aren't too sticky, they are cheap, easy to find, and the temporary purple color helps you see where you've glued.  There are more expensive ones, made by quilting folks like Fons and Porter, but the Elmer's works great for me.)
* toothpicks, a stiletto, or bamboo skewer(s)
* plastic square ruler, piece of template plastic, or piece of plexiglass (the glue washes off easily, won't hurt ruler)
* iron
* assorted scissors (paper, fabric, and small snips that are sharp to the point)
* Roxanne's Glue Baste (other washable glues may work)
* light box, or flip-up Ott Light and piece of glass or plexiglass
* needle and thread - use a slender, long, sharp needle like a straw needle and silk or cotton thread

1.  After tracing applique shape on the non-shiny surface of the freezer paper, cut the paper tracing out on your tracing line with paper scissors.  Iron this to the RIGHT side of the fabric (your applique won't be reversed with this method).  Using fabric scissors, cut out shape leaving a 1/8 inch allowance.  After cutting out, I press again to make sure the freezer paper is well-adhered to the fabric...I don't want it flopping around while I'm gluing.

2.   Snipping not quite to the paper, put little cuts in the glue-under allowance to ease inside curves or inside corners.  It's hard to see in this picture, but I made 2 little snips in the side inner curve of this pear.

3.  Working on your plastic ruler or piece of plastic, apply glue to a small area at a time, just on the edge.(I like to work from "snip to snip").  The disappearing purple color comes in handy here.  Make sure to replace glue stick cap after gluing...they dry out fast!  ("Click" on the picture below to enlarge so you can see the glue!)  Remember, you are gluing on the wrong side of the fabric - the right side has freezer paper stuck to it.  The paper will be your guide for turning under.

4.   Using a toothpick, stiletto, skewer or fingers, fold the allowance over to the wrong side, making tiny pleats when necessary, poking with implements or pressing with fingers to stick.  The glue allows you to pull up an area, if needed, to re-position.  I don't press really hard until I'm happy with my curve/side.

 

5.   When I get through with the shape, I turn it over on the work surface and press all the way around with my fingers.

6.   Important:  The pear shape that I used in the pictures above stands alone - no part of it is under another piece.  That means it was OK for me to glue under the allowance all the way around.  The edges that are tucked under other pieces remain not turned under.  Sometimes, when cutting out the shape, I allow a little more "allowance" for these not-turned-under edges.  If I am unit building, I can trim excess allowance away before adhering the unit to the background.

7.   After preparing all pieces, it's time to lay them out.  I use a light box, or my opened-up Ott light, laying on its back under a piece of plexiglass to facilitate this.  I lightly masking-tape my pattern to the clear surface, center my pressed, untrimmed background over it, lightly making-taped (ML likes to starch the background slightly), then peel off the freezer paper to the pieces and lay them out on the background.

8.   Because I sometimes cut away behind my hand-applique, I tend to build small units of the whole picture.  I like to use Roxanne's Glue Baste to layer pieces and adhere to the background for sewing.  It takes very little glue.  Like my buddy Ola would say, "dot, dot, not a lot."  By this she means, tiny little dots of glue, about the size of small pin heads, spaced out.  I usually put these tiny dots of glue on the glued-under allowance.  It holds REALLY well, and it is much easier to soak/wash out after stitching (before trimming up) if you have not over glued.

9.   Here is an example of how I build small units.  In this picture of a flower with leaves from one of my Civil War Bride blocks, first I would applique the purple center on the yellow flower, then, using the pattern as my guide, I would tuck the leaves under, secure each with 2-3 tiny dots of Roxanne's Glue Baste, allow to dry (it's fast!), then applique to the flower.  I trim the tucked-under leaf (raw edge), if necessary, then I move on to building the next "unit."

10.   I use silk thread for hand-applique once everything is lightly glued down...it is slippery thread (like sewing with human hair!), but I love the end result (the stitches melt into your work and are hard to detect).  If you use more traditional thread, match the color to the piece, not the background.

11.   After everything is stitched down, I soak the block in a small tub of cool water, agitating and replacing water now and then.  Be careful here if you might have a fabric that is not colorfast!  When I use a light background, I can usually see the white dots of glue baste throught the wet back.  I soak, hand agitate, and change water until I don't see the dots of glue anymore.  Then I roll the piece up in a small towel and squeeze (not wring!) to remove most of the water. Then I place a dry towel on my pressing surface, lay out my block right-side-down, smooth it out until it looks square, then press gently with a hot iron to mostly dry the block.

12.   Now I trim/square up my block.

Ta-da!!  Not bad, huh??  I felt a little awkward at first with this method, but after a little practice it gets less clumsy.

In stitches,

Teresa  :o)

Addicted to "The Civil War Bride" quilt...

Well, I have finished my third block of this quilt now, and I am totally addicted!!  It is a great project and I am totally loving the applique technique I recently learned from my quilting friend (thanks again, Mary Liz!).  I had heard of this technique (glue stick) before, but wasn't really tempted to try it because I have gotten so fast over the years with my baste-under method and I thought that the glue stick (and later glue baste) would be messy and add extra steps.

Well, the more I try the new way, the faster I am getting.  I am finding flaws in my technique and fixing them (like making sure I soak the completed block long enough to dissolve the glue before pressing it dry and trimming - and making sure I change the water in the container a couple of times and aggitate gently with my hand).

I'm looking forward to Mary Liz's class next week so that I can see what I am leaving out (...knowing me, something really important and useful!!).

All of you know that I am a "nutter" (crazy, nuts, elevator doesn't go to the penthouse...), but there are so many leaves and other things on this project that I am going to start keeping a running tally of things I applique down as I go.  Here is my list after 3 completed blocks:

   leaves - 95
   pieces of fruit - 9
   flowers/buds - 23

 Here is the picture of the whole quilt (from the pattern).

There are 20 total blocks in this quilt, plus the awesome borders.  I have already decided to leave a block out so that I can insert a groom block of my own design.  But which one to leave out and how to re-arrange the remaining blocks so that things are balanced?  This has been puzzling me, and now I came up with a tool to help me decide!

I made a color copy of the picture on my computer printer, cut the blocks apart, and now I can play with the arrangement.  This is important to me as I plan colors for blocks...I want things to be balanced when I finish this long process!!

 

In my "spare" time, I have been planning and painstakingly cutting out a hand-piecing project to work on that is totally portable.  I love to have something mindless and easy in a big baggie right by the door so that I have something to do in meetings, while waiting for appointments, and anytime I am chauffering (and waiting for) my daughter.   :o)

Ta-da!!  Here it is...all reproduction fabrics in every color and a lovely bubblegum pink to set the large stars with after they are made.  I found the pattern in this month's "The Love of Quilting" (Fons and Porter - the one with a fall quilt on the cover).  I LOVE scrappy - no pesky fabric choices to make - I can use them ALL (although I did have to decide on a bubblegum pink for the setting squares, etc.).  All the pieces (1000+) are in a project box, and I will place a few triangles at a time in a baggie with little scissors, a thimble, thread and a needle.  I find I listen much better when my hands are busy (it keeps me from daydreaming), and since I'm happily piecing away, I'm much less hostile if the topic is controversial.  :o)

I am still progressing on binding my three latest machine-quilted U.F.O.s - maybe I can show them next time.

In stitches,

Teresa  :o)

Getting out the fall quilts and decorations...

The temps dipped down to 34 degrees here last night and we had a light frost in southeast lower Michigan.  Seeing how it is October 1, I guess it is time to get out the Autumn-themed quilts.  This wall hanging came out of an Alex Anderson book several years ago when I was teaching a hand-applique class.

                    Fall is my favorite season - I love all the purples, oranges, golds, reds, greens, and browns together, especially the purples.

This is a sample I did for the shop this fall called "NO CROWS" by P3 Designs.  I loved how all the pumpkins were in segments so that I could use lots of different fabrics (Teresa Rule #1:  The quilt with the most fabrics wins!)

 

P3 Designs also came up with this wild pumpkin table runner that I did a couple of years ago...it is in desparate need of some TLHQ (tender loving hand quilting). 

 

I also found some fall apples that need to be quickly hand-quilted as well, along with a wall hanging I made for my best quilting buddy, Ola, for her birthday (it's called "THREE PUMPKINS AND A CROW") ...it's actually finished!  I'm putting the last quilting stitches on a Halloween wall hanging for the door.  I seem to get a lot more hand quilting done in the fall and winter...we keep the thermostat on the furnace pretty low, so it is nice to have a big project spread out in my lap for warmth.  Of course, I have to quilt around the cat (Weasley), who is drawn to quilts like a duck to a pond.

In Stitches,

Teresa  :o)

Thank you, thank you, Mary Liz!

Thank you, thank you Mary Liz for introducing me to your glue stick method of hand-applique!  I just finished block #3 from THE CIVIL WAR BRIDE (my second finished block).  I was a little nervous about dunking/soaking it in water to dissolve the glue stick and the Roxanne's Glue Baste upon finishing all the hand-stitching...but I'm a fabric washer, so there were no surprises, like fabrics running. After all that work, I would have died on the spot if colors had bled!!  I'm still going to take your class in a couple of weeks, but I'm getting more confident with each little bit I glue!  This project is so special for me and I am enjoying the online quilt group that is kind of like a little stitch group.

I should finish the binding on two quilted U.F.O.'s, then I will work on another "Bride" block.  There are so many frickin' leaves in that project!!

In stitches,

Teresa  :o)

Next stop on my U.F.O. mission...

Hey, remember these??  120 eight-inch scrappy log cabin blocks, all piled up, waiting for a little attention from me.

I found a little time to bang them together, and Rhonda Loy (Dexter, Michigan) did the machine-quilting.  Now I just have to find a little more time to get the binding on.  (I need either a house with more floor space for taking pictures or to work on smaller projects.)   :o)

  

 

 

It would have been fun to have hand-quilted it, but sometimes a girl just has to be practical!  I'm working hard to get some of these big U.F.O.'s done so I won't feel so guilty when working on my new projects (like Civil War Bride - hmmm).  Still working on the binding of another large scrappy quilt...maybe I can share that one later in the week.

Even with cutting strips for this big project, I didn't put much of a dent in my blue and neutral scrap bins (I've got some of your scraps in this quilt, Mary Jones!!).

Scrapiness rocks my world!! (AND keeps me from having to make picky little fabric selection decisions!!).  And it is great therapy to fiddle around with all those little scraps.

Question of the day:  Which is less expensive, cotton therapy or real therapy??

In stitches,

Teresa  :o)

Tough choice for a devotee...

My 12-year-old daughter, Riley, is a HUGE Harry Potter fan.  She has been ever since we read the first book together when she was 4-5.  I made this "HARRY POTTER" quilt for her when she was 5-6 years old (I designed the blocks and drew some of the applique motifs...the others came from The Quilting Season in Saline, Michigan).  I don't remember who made the wizard fabric that I used for the borders, but at the time it was perfect (even looked a little like Dumbledore...).

Don't get me wrong, she is still a huge Harry Potter geek, but now her number one love is HORSES.  She picked out all the fabrics for "ALL FENCED IN" ("Poker Run" from Buggy Barn).  It is my first Buggy Barn effort, even though I have been collecting their books and patterns for years.  (I want to do the one with the cats and flowers next!).  I had this one machine-quilted by Rhonda Loy of Dexter, Michigan in a simple, small stippling pattern...there are only so many hand-quilting hours in the day (sigh).  All I need to do is sew on the buttons for the eyes (they look strange with no eyes...).

 

There are still three quilts waiting for me to bind them, but I have to say that all I want to do is work on "Civil War Bride Quilt" blocks.  I guess I should pace myself, but it is hard not to be thinking about fabric choices and dreaming of the groom block that I am making up in my head.  (Check out my blog list for a link to a group of very talented quilters from all around the globe who are working on and sharing this project journey together.)

In stitches,

Teresa  :o)

The Civil War Bride journey begins...

Here is block one of "THE CIVIL WAR BRIDE" quilt, adapted by Corliss Searcey of Australia from the civil war era "Bird of Paradise" quilt top, located in NYC in the Folk Art Museum.  Check out progress of people making this quilt (and also see pictures of the adaptation and the original) at http://thecivilwarbridequilt.blogspot.com/.  There is a link on this blog to The Threadbare Quilt Shop, if you are interested in emailing and ordering the pattern.

It is challenging, but really makes my heart sing.  Maybe it will be Riley's wedding quilt...let's see...she's 12 years old now, so maybe I have10-15 years to finish it?!?

Fall, my favorite season, is in the air in southeast lower Michigan!  On my way to stitch at The Quilting Season this morning, I passed this fantastic tree on Textile Rd.  Just one or two branches have turned.

I don't know that I have ever seen a tree like this depicted in a quilt...hmmm.

Time to get out all the fall quilts and house decorations!!

In stitches,
Teresa  :o)

Bottom layer on my design wall...

I removed some things from my design wall, and guess what neglected project I found??

I had forgotten all about these cute little guys! This pattern is called "BUNNIES PREFER CHOCOLATE" by Anne Sutton of Bunny Hill designs.  I only lack doing the hand applique on 2 or 3 of them, and a little embroidery on most of them. That shouldn't be that hard!

I wish I was the kind of person that started something and worked on it until it was finished. But I tend to layer my projects...lots of things started that are at various degrees of being finished. I don't know if that shows that I have a short attention span or if I'm easily bored. I try to be pretty organized...each project in a bin or box until the mood (or a deadline!) strikes me. Some days I don't feel like piecing...then I hand quilt, or cut, or bind. Sometimes I'm too tired and it is too late to do anything more than just stack stash fabrics together and "pet" them (dream, plan, scheme, etc.). Is that nutty or what?? (I bet some of you are nodding your heads in agreement. See...I'm not the only one!!! :o)

I think I just need a 3-D design wall.  Or maybe at least a REAL design wall...I am using an old thermal blanket that was purchased in 1978 for me to take off to my freshman year at college.  I thought it was awful then, and those feelings have not changed.  But it is sturdy and I didn't think twice about stapling that sucker to the sill.  The sturdiness allows me to keep pinning projects on projects and the design wall does not sag from the madness.  Did I mention that it used to be hot pink?  Now I just call it "not-so-hot" pink.

Now comes the dilemma...finish the bunnies or start the "bride" blocks...hmmm.

In stitches,
Teresa   :o)

Back to Blogging...

Yeah! Summer is over and my daughter is back in school...maybe I will be better about posting!  On my first posting, I included of a block from "BIRD PARADE," an original quilt I made for my newest niece, Eliza. After some questions about what the rest of the quilt looked like, here it is...

I had to come up with a design to match the colors and the bird theme that had been chosen. It was a fun project, although hand-quilting all the little curly-Q's in the backgrounds behind the bird blocks nearly drove me insane!

This summer, I have been trying to finish some UFO's. Although I am a hand-quilter, I had to face the music and realize that I had something like a "log jam" of tops that needed quilting. I decided to have some machine quilted by Rhonda Loy, of Dexter, Michigan. I am trying to get the binding done on those, then I will share them.

One very large quilt that I've finished the binding on is called "1930's Windmills." I pulled the pattern from a quilt magazine some time ago, but resized it down to make smaller units (and use more scrappy 30's fabrics!!).
























I love scrappy! As far as I'm concerned, the quilt with the most different fabrics wins! The added bonus is not having to make eliminating decisions concerning fabrics...they all work for me.

I am very excited about the new blog and buzz concerning The Civil War Bride quilt. The site was started by Lizzie McMahon and supports creative people making this beautiful quilt, adapted from a US civil war quilt top by Australian quilter, Corliss Searcey.

Lizzie's blog site has only been up about 6 weeks, and there are already many beautiful blocks posted by some very talented quilters. So far, I've managed only to pick out my background fabric (very important and more difficult that I thought it would be!!) and trace some patterns on freezer paper. Check it out...you, too, might be bitten and just have to make this quilt!

In stitches,
Teresa :o)