More than just stitches.

Today was very busy getting ready for upcoming classes.  I needed to make samples for kid's camp and a new sample for the beginning quilting class, as well as demo step-outs for the quilt club and for another class.  Most of it was accomplished.

 I am usually in my studio sewing when my husband comes home and he comes down to the basement to say hello and we always talk about what I've been working on and I ask him for feedback on what I've done.  Today our conversation also turned to what prompted the fabrics I chose and what makes me decide what to work on.  It got me to thinking about this passion for quilting.   Every quilt that is made by skilled and caring hands has a story to tell and so does the person making it.  They say love turns a house into a home and I think that love also turns fabric scraps into a quilt.  We make quilts for family members, charity, soldiers, friends and a variety of reasons.  A lot of thought, time and planning goes into each one and we cherish the finished project and so does the recipient.  I do love fabric and I find joy in making a quilt but the passion for quilting is because of the people I teach, I sew with and spend time with.  Love and friendship draws me to this thing called quilting.  I miss my old quilting friends terribly but am learning to love and appreciate the new ones entering my life.

The pictures below show the kid's camp purse we will be making on Saturday and the other is the beginning sampler.

May your love of quilting flourish and blossom,

Dee

May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us;

establish the work of our hands for us-

yes, establish the work of our hands.

                                                                   Psalm 90:17

It's a fabric kind of day....

The store where I've been teaching has had a big sale going on which has brought out the quilter's looking for bargains.  Working was so much fun today because so many of the ladies shopping were wanting to find fabrics for all kinds of projects.  I love the hunt for just the right fabric that puts a smile on their face.  I think there were a lot of happy shoppers today!  I even found a few fabrics I couldn't leave in the store. :)

Where do you start when choosing fabric for a quilt?  I believe the pattern dictates some of that.  How much contrast or blending fabrics do you need?  Is there a fabric that is more predominate than the rest in the pattern? You will want your fabrics to have contrast, without it your pieced design will disappear.

Start with the color you want and then move to the value you need, how light or dark your color in the fabric is and what your pattern is calling for.  Fabric character is next, does it have movement, dots, stripes, swirls, geometric designs, etc.  Now you can find that one fabric that you absolutely love and is in the color family you want and need.  From there you can find those character prints that support and contrast with your main or theme fabric.  Remember to pay attention to value as you choose.  I find a color wheel and a ruby beholder help me choose my fabrics to create that stunning quilt.

Friendship is like a warm, cozy quilt -

stitched with a thousand threads of joy.

Have a colorfilled day,

Dee

It's Wednesday!

Looked out the window this morning and lost all motivation.  Snow was falling fast and furious.  The weathermen keep promising this is the last of it.  I hope sooner than later that they get it right.  I putzed away a good part of the morning and then a friend called and asked if she could come over and get help with a quilting project she wanted to undertake.  This changed the whole outlook on my day.

I'm convinced quilting is a community endeavor.  Quilting bees were important to our grandmother's and I think our own form of bees are important to us too.  They provide time to be together, share stories, ask questions, talk about life and families and laugh together.

Su brought over some blocks her grandmother had made but did not finish.  She is not a quilter but an accomplished sewer so it didn't take long for her to be happily piecing away.  It will be fun to see how the quilt turns out when she is finished.

Can anything be sadder than work left unfinished?  Yes; work never begun.

Christina Rossetti

May your day be filled with sunshine and friends,

Dee

It's Your Choice

Finished up a project today.  It always feels good to be done.  This quilt has quite a few half square triangles positioned in different directions.  To keep them straight I chain sew them in rows and keep the rows attached with the threads so I don't get them out of order.

In the first picture you can see the threads between the rows where I have kept them attached.  The seam ripper is pointing to the attached threads.  In the second picture I have my next row laying to the right of my sewing foot in the order that I removed them from my design wall.  As I sew each row to the next I finger press the seam either to the left or right as I go so that it is easier to press with the iron when I have completed all the rows.  Once I have finger pressed I will add the next square and stitch and so on....

Pressing tip:  There are different camps as to whether one should use steam or a dry iron when pressing your pieces.  I am from the dry iron camp.  The steam makes the block wet and wet fabric has a lot more play and room for stretching or distorting.  Pressing a half square triangle can be tricky especially if you have the urge to iron (that back and forth motion) instead of press.  To keep a good square with no distortion I run the tip or side of iron along the seam and set or press the iron flat on the square for a couple of seconds and it will be wonderfully flat.  That is my reasoning, but steam or dry is your choice for the best results.

What should my new project be?  That at times is a very difficult choice for me.

Enjoy your days and may you be showered with love.

Dee

Road Trip

Today was a bit of a journey back in time. My husband had a work event south of Ft.Wayne, IN this weekend and I joined him.  It was good to spend uninterrupted time together and talk about just about everything.

Our route took us through part of northern Indiana and the Heritage Quilt Trail (barns painted with quilt blocks and gardens designed to look like quilt blocks).  We also stopped in the Amish community of Shipshewana.  What a fun place filled with Amish crafts, furniture, ambiance  and a myriad of quilt stores.  I was able to pick up a few things :).

Looking through the shops I kept thinking of the helpful ways certain antiques and collectibles could work in my quilting space.  Steve and I discussed the pieces and how the items I have there are like surrounding myself with favorite friends.  Each piece carries with it a special thought or memory. Gifts from special friends are like having them there with me sewing.  Quilts, furniture, Knick-knacks, sewing machines and miscellaneous items from my mom, mother-in- law,grandmothers all make my space a wonderful place to be.

Live life! Share it! Find the good in it!

Dee

"Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.". Picasso

Proper Lighting

Today was spent mostly in the dark.  Severe Thunderstorms with lightning, thunder and high winds played havoc on our electricity.  Trying to sew was a bit challenging with no lights on but I took my hand work and moved closer to the windows and did OK.  I did notice my eyes tiring faster than they normally do and realizing how important good lighting is when I work.  Natural light is always best and using light bulbs that mimic natural light are preferred.

Having no electricity gave me time to organize patterns, change my sewing machine needle, replace my rotary blade and catch up on a few magazines I haven't had the time to look through.  I even had time to call a friend and chat.  It was good to catch up and keep connected.  Feel free to call anytime, I would love to hear from you.

Sewing machine needle tip:
     Universal needles are ok for machine piecing but for a better result use a Microtex needle.  The point of a universal needle pushes the threads apart as it penetrates the fabric.  A Microtex needle pierces the fabric which doesn't leave a hole.  I tend to use 80/12 Microtex needles when I piece.

No longer in the dark,
Dee

Fabric Painting and Dyeing

Fabric dyeing has always intrigued me and today I had the chance to experience some new methods of painting and dyeing fabric to make fiber art pieces and art quilts.

This is a sample of what I did today.  It needs to be finished with some embellishment, mounting and framing.  Working with The Perfect Paint acrylics from USArtQuest made it fun and easy.  I learned a lot and as I play I hope to put those new learnings into future quilts.

Lighting, thunder, peanut m&m sized hale and rain were on the docket for today.  The heavenly display was quite enjoyable.  I just wish I had gotten more of the garden ready to receive all this wonderful rain.

Remember to play a little from time to time.  Happy Spring!

Dee

Beautiful Music

Yesterday it was snowing and today the birds were out and singing for joy over the 70 degree weather.  I spent a good portion of the day outside cleaning out flower beds and finishing up some hand appliqué I've been wanting to work on.  Great day!

It's time to start working on the summer quilt retreat in San Juan Bautista.  For me this is a fun process, especially once I know what my gift to the participants will be.  It is giving a piece of myself and things I love to the ones I love.

What has been a favorite gift you've received at a quilt retreat or event?

Listen to the birds and be uplifted and enjoy your day.

Dee

Math Rash.....

No! No! N0!  I woke up to snowflakes and cold windy weather.  What is going on?  It's mid April.

It was a good day to stay inside and quilt.  I am working on a new pattern and I am taking an old block and making it a bit more contemporary.  I was happily sewing along until I had to figure out the size of quarter square triangles.  Having done the math I started putting the block together and discovered I did not have the math right.  Figured again, and you know it....wrong again.  Off to my quilt resources and my husband who is better at math than me and found a formula.  This time it worked and my math rash is starting to fade.  For those who would like the formula I found, here it is:

To cut quarter square setting triangles take the finished size of the block and multiply by 1.414.  Add 1.25, round up to the nearest 1/2" and cut that size of square.  Cut the square twice on the diagonal.

My husband's Family Life students are coming for dinner tomorrow night so there won't be any sewing going on.  In preparation I have been learning how to cook for people who are on gluten free diets and who have celiac disease.  I'm hoping I got it right.

May your day be math free and filled with joy and love.

Dee

The Old with the New

Woke up to lightning, thunder and heavy rain.  What a lovely change from the "wintry mix" .  Rainy days usually inspire me to sew and get things done. Not today, I was using my seam ripper more than my machine and couldn't make the math work.  So on to something else-   I started choosing fabrics for a new project.  It's great that I am using up stash but who doesn't like to buy some new fabric?That is why I decided to use some fabric from my stash and buy some new to give my project a fresh feel.  So I started with a theme or feel I wanted. I decided on a vintage pattern and figured out how to give it a new look.  Then I picked my color scheme based partially on what I found in my stash and  then added some fun from the local quilt shop.

Hopefully tomorrow I'll be more inspired to work.  In the meantime reading is a delightful rainy day activity.

HS Triangles

It's a rainy day here.  A great day to start a new project.  After a couple of long days teaching this weekend I had my evenings to sit and design.  My new project has a number of half square triangles in it.  Below are some pictures of the method I decided to use to make them today.

I chose my two fabrics, cut them into 8" squares and drew an X on the lighter fabric diagonally twice.  These will become cutting lines but first I need to sew 1/4" on either side of both lines.

Here are the drawn lines and my sewing lines.  As you can tell I have not perfected my picture taking ability.

I will now cut the block through the center of the diagonal lines both ways and then cut apart on the solid diagonal lines.  This will produce 8 HS triangles.  They may or may not need to be trimmed to size.

I was making 3 1/2" unfinished triangles so I cut my squares at 8 inches to get the size I needed. 6" squares will produce 2 1/2" unfinished squares, 7" squares = 3" unfinished,  and so on.....

Friends from college are coming over to watch the basketball finals, Michigan U vs Louisville tonight.  As you can imagine the city of Ann Arbor is pretty excited.  I think I'll make a quick and easy dessert to have on hand.  

Cherry Dump Cake

Spread two cans of cherry pie filling into a 9x13 pan.  Sprinkle a yellow cake mix on top of the cherries.  Drizzle 2 sticks of butter over cake mix and sprinkle chopped nuts on the top.  Bake at 350 for an hour.

May your day be filled with laughter and love,

Dee

Serendipitous Opportunities

I had the opportunity to visit USArtQuest in Grass Lake, MI yesterday.  What a fun and inspiring place.  Once a month they hold an open studio where you can join other artists and spend the day creating and learning.  It was fun to learn an easy way to dye my own fabric and use mica for embellishment on my quilts.  I'll definitely be back.  My brain is full of ideas.

Today was spent preparing for the four classes I'm teaching the next two days.  The picture below is one of the UFO's that needed finishing for one of the classes. The ladies in Quilt Club will be so glad to see it has borders on it finally.

Enjoy the spring days and may you finish a few projects you need too and be inspired to start some new ones.

Dee

I am a flitter...

When working on a project I usually like to have at least two in process so that I can go back and forth between them as I create.  It's hard for me to stay focused on only one project at a time and generally I am dreaming or planning for my next creation while working on the one I am doing.

Today was definitely one of those days.  I had to get a quilt completed to mail tomorrow and I had made a few mistakes and wanted to flit to something else but had to force myself to keep working.  I am happy to say the quilt is completed and I have cleaned up the studio and put everything away from the project, vacuumed the floor, wound my bobbins, cleaned my machine and changed the needle for the next project.  Do you flit from project to project or do you focus on one at a time?  How do you manage to keep your focus?

Have you been sewing and made a mistake and wanted to erase what you have done instead of picking it out?  Well now you can-check out the new stitch eraser app that Alex Anderson demonstrated on her Website, thequiltshow.com or at this address:  http://www.youtube.com/watc.  This is amazing!!!!!!!!!

Spring is teasing us here in MI.  We had a beautiful 50 degree weather Easter Sunday and today it is cold, windy and snow.  I hope that your day is filled with sunshine, love and laughter.

Blessings,
Dee