Monday, April 27, 2020

Getting Ready to Roll *Quilter Style*


Miracles DO HAPPEN!  I have proof.
This whole quilter table and machine lived in pieces on this floor since we moved in almost 5 months ago.  Now look at it!!!

Thanks to my fabulous husband who came to my rescue, it works!  
We had lost screws.  
I bought new ones.

The tracks were cracked in the move.
I bought new ones.

I couldn't find the instruction booklet.
I printed a new one.

After 2 days of screwing and lifting and wrenching, 
examining the diagrams, trying wrong sizes of screws....

I got this whole table together and.....

 the dumb machine would not stay on the tracks.


I gave up trying to do it all myself and lured my handsome husband 
into my quilting room with a wink and the promise I'd make it worth his while.

Hubbs pulled out a speed level and tweaked it a smidge 
and the whole thing purred into action for him.  

Show off.


With how many months it had been since I quilted, I started with something small.  
This was a baby doll quilt I made when I was trying to use up some scraps.  

I put minky scraps on the back, batting, and the cute flannel top on top, then started quilting.


Not too bad for taking so many months off.  
Now that I have everything running FINALLY, It is time to get some real quilting done!
Up next, my Popsicle Quilt.  
I can't wait to show you the whole thing when I finish sewing....

Wednesday, April 15, 2020

Sweetie Pie Progress


Just before Christmas Madison asked me if there were any particular projects I wanted to start.  This Sweetie Pie quilt by Lori Holt was at the top of my list.  I had a whole tote full of Farm Girl Vintage scraps and thought the Sweetie Pie quilt would be the perfect way to utilize them.


These Dresden plate "pies" were so fun to make.  I set out to make 2 quilts.  I needed 12 "pies" for each quilt, 16 Dresden shapes for each pie.  Once the scraps came out and I started cutting I just never stopped.  Have you ever lost all track of time and space with your arms buried elbows deep in a box of silky soft, vibrant fabrics?  It is like heaven on earth.

Slice.  Snip.  Dig. Dig.  Slice.  Snip.
Repeat.

Sewn together I ended up with 30 pies!  I only needed 24 for my 2 quilts.  Halfway to a third quilt I hit the scrap pile again....

Slice.  Snip.  Dig. Dig.  Slice.  Snip.

Repeat.

Sew those Dresdens together and.....

ended up with a total of 50 quilt squares :0D 

 Um...enough "pies" for 4 quilts and 2 pillows.
I think I need a support group for my attention deficit overproduction issues.
The things I do when I am not paying attention...


When making one of these quilt blocks all 16 Dresden shapes are sewn together, then the center is cut out to make room for the fruit.  That's how you make "fruit pies" you know.  I haven't decided what I am making with these middles, but aren't they cute all stacked up like this?  

It took a week of my free time hours, but eventually I got all 50 "pies" glued down to the white background blocks, managed to topstich everything down, then sat back feeling pretty accomplished...  

Then I took another look at the pattern...


You see how there are flowers in the corners of all the blocks??? 
Not finished.  4 flowers across, 5 flowers down...that is 20 flowers per quilt. 
 Who let me accidentally expand my 2 quilts to 4 quilts and 2 pillows???

I have a serious "If you give a mouse a cookie" problem when I am elbows deep in fabric.
I contemplated probably 4 days, wondering if I could just not make the flowers.  Do you know how much more background fabric I will need!  And interfacing!!!  Do I even have fabric for the flowers?  I don't want to do that much work!  I will just not do it....  But will my quilts look like there are huge empty spaces???  3 days later...  Fine!  I will make 9 million fabric flowers!


With no other choice but to make 80 flower pieces for my 12,000 quilts it was back to the drawing table, tracing out flowers, flower centers, and white circles to stitch them to.  I did modify the flower shape because there was NO WAY my 80 flowers were going to be made one petal at a time.  

Trace.  
Cut. 
Sew.  
Cut.  
Cut again.  
Turn.  
Smooth with tool. 
 Iron.  

It's finally time to glue!



I heard a bunch of quilter ladies say they used the school glue technique to baste applique to their quilts.  

The idea is you use washable school glue, 
pipe it on your pieces, 
iron the applique pieces onto your quilt blocks right away to set the glue.  
Sounds easy enough.  The glue is supposed to all wash away.

It seemed everyone recommended buying a special little glue bottle to put the school glue in, cost a fortune for a little nugget of a bottle you would have to re-fill often, small nozzle that clogs often... I decided to just try the regular school glue out of it's original bottle.  Bam!  Magic.  It works just fine.  

Last April I started the Bee Happy quilt.  Used my cheap school glue in it's original bottle.  You could see the glue through fabric here and there while I was making the quilt.  I was worried it would be a problem when I quilted everything together, but it wasn't.  Even on spots with 3 stacked applique pieces on top of the quilt, batting and minky backing.  When I washed the quilt the glue completely dissolved in the wash and a gorgeous masterpiece emerged from the dryer.

So, if you have an applique project, I say go for it.  Skip the tiny bottle with tiny nozzle and just use the bottle of glue the way it was meant to be used, lol!


You can see in my photos I put a regular string of glue around the shape, plop the whole thing on the fabric circle...


Apply heat...  Do you love how gross my mat is?  This is my applique ironing mat.  I plan to make a new cover for it, a cover I can take off and wash...but that takes energy and thought at all the right moments, so ...just a messy board that keeps getting used for school glue applique.  It's fine.


After a week of working during all my free hours I ended up with these 2 stacks.  Stack on the right, not stitched down to the applique circle.  Stack on the left...Done and ready to be sewn to my quilts!


These two stacks have been sitting in my craft room for 2 weeks untouched.  I abandoned them to get a few U.F.O.'s finished {Un-Finished Objects} finished.  After that, face masks for quarantine survival!  I think it is time to get back to this and make at least ONE completed Sweeite Pie quilt.  

Feel free to cross your fingers too in my behalf, lol!


Unstitched...


Stitched.  I prefer Mettler invisible thread for top-stitching applique.
Unless you are looking for it, you can't see it.


I am off to bed, but tomorrow begins Thursday Craft Day and hopefully very soon my pile of very lovely fabrics will resemble the quilt above.
Wish me luck!

Novelty Print Quilt Pattern

I have had a hard time finding good quilt patterns for novelty prints the past couple times I purchased them.  I made up this pattern so tha...