Block Construction

Welcome to week 3 of the Scrap Basket Quilt Along! It's finally cutting and sewing time!

I apologize that I'm posting so late in the day. I was away on a quilt retreat all weekend (yay!) and I spent most of the day driving home. The good news is I had time to make my blocks for the quilt along over the weekend. It was FUN! (AND the perfect retreat project.)

For today's installment of the quilt along, I will show you two simple ways to make a rail fence block.

First, gather your fabrics based on the color scheme you chose last week. I've added a few more navy fabrics to my stack and I'm much happier with it. Sometimes you need to tweak as you go along...and that's ok!

Fabric requirements and cutting:

If you are using yardage, you will need 3.75 yards. Or 15 fat quarters. Cut 99 strips 2.5" x 21" from various colors, prints and solids.

If you are using scraps, cut 297 pieces that measure 2.5" x 6.5".

To construct a block from scraps:

 Layout 3 scraps that measure 2.5" x 6.5" each.

Sew strips together with a 1/4" seam allowance. Press seams toward the dark fabrics. The block should measure 6.5" square. Make 99 blocks.

To make blocks from yardage:

Layout 3 strips 21" x 2.5".

 Sew the strips together with a 1/4" seam allowance.

Tip:

Make sure that your stitch length is dialed down, so your stitches are on the short side. All sewing machines are different, but on my JUKI I have it set on one click less than #2 stitch length. You will be cutting the strip sets apart and if your stitches are too large, the pieces will start to separate during layout and construction. That is the number one reason why I hated strip piecing for years. Split seams are a huge pain in the hinder, and they should be avoided at all costs! :) A short stitch length helps a LOT.

Press the strip set well. They are prone to curving, so I find it best to hold the strip down on one end (with the iron) and gently tug with the other hand, pulling the strip set taut. Press from left to right. Use a bit of spray starch if desired.

Trim the strip set into 3 6.5" squares. Set the scraps aside or discard.

Make 33 strip sets. Cut into 99 blocks.

I did a combination of both techniques for my blocks, because I used some yardage and some scraps.

Next week we will lay out the quilt and talk about construction and quilting. If you are on a roll and you want to work ahead, the layout is 9 blocks across by 11 blocks down.

If you have any questions, I'll try to answer them in the comments. Otherwise, have fun making your quilt blocks! (I had so much fun making these, I'm kind of considering making another!!!)

Happy Monday to you!

a divided basket, finally!

Welcome to finish it up Friday!

The divided basket pattern has been on my to-do list for a L O N G time. I had difficulty selecting fabrics for it, so I went with my default: scrappy! I'm so glad I did.

It's certainly not perfect (and the patchwork made it difficult to assemble at the end) but I really, REALLY love it! I'm fairly certain this is the first of many divided baskets I will make. It's a well written and FUN pattern. (Pattern is by my lovely friend Anna and it is available for purchase here.)

Guess what! It's scrap project # 75/101. Woo-hoo! I'm glad I finally branched out into a new type of scrap project! :)

Please link up your finishes for the week. Thanks, as always, for joining me. Happy Friday to you!

Machine Quilting 101: Working your way around the quilt

Welcome to the next installment of the Machine Quilting 101 series! Today we will be talking about how to work your way around the quilt, where to start, and how to manage the bulk. Fun stuff!

 

Roadmap to Meanderville:
(I can't take credit for that genius sub-title. Cindy came up with it at retreat a few years ago and I'm finally getting around to using it!)

The most commonly asked question when it comes to free motion quilting is: Where do I start?

I always start about half way down the left side edge of the quilt. (No, I do not start from the center and work my way out.)

I've shaded and numbered the sections to illustrate how I work my way around the quilt. I certainly don't mark the sections before hand, I subconsciously break it down into sections as I work.

When painting a wall "they" say that you are supposed to keep a wet edge. I say the same thing applies to free motion quilting. Keep working side to side, back and forth in small sections. Fill in the empty spaces as you go. Avoid leaving a big un-quilted section in the center, or in any section, for that matter, or the potential for puckers is high. You don't want puckers!

I also have observed over the years that it is easier for me to quilt from left to right rather than from right to left. I do quilt every which way, but things seem to flow easiest when working from left to right. (Probably because I learned hand writing that way.) If you look back at the diagram, at the quilt as a whole, I basically work my way from left to right in one big oval.

The Straight and Narrow:

Straight line quilting (if you are a perfectionist) isn't easy. I think it's harder than FMQ in some ways.

The most commonly asked question I get when it comes to straight line quilting is: Do you quilt in one direction, or do you alternate directions with each line of stitching?

To that I say, it depends! (Just what you wanted to hear, right?)

It depends largely on how your machine behaves. That means you've got to do some testing on your machine and see how things go....even if it's just on a larger scrap. If your machine feeds the layers through the quilt evenly, then you can quilt in any direction that you choose.

The biggest pitfall when it comes to straight line quilting (besides wavy lines) is what I call the "unattractive V". You've seen it, I'm sure. It's that unsightly phenomenon when the fabric is pulling in opposite directions away from the stitch line, forming a V. I've done it more times than I care to admit. (There are a few more examples in this post. Cringe, cringe.) This can be caused by a variety of things and usually it's not just one factor at play. (In this case I was trying to straight line quilt with a medium loft batting...not a good combo. But I plan to delve deeper into that subject at a later date!)

Drag is a part of straight line quilting. If it's subtle, it can be dealt with by quilting the entire quilt in the same direction, from the top down. The down side is that at some point all of your quilt will be in the harp space. If your quilt is large, that's a whole lot of bulk to wrestle though the harp of your machine.

I did that very thing on my checkerboard quilt back in 2011. It was a struggle, because this quilt is 80" x 88". I felt it was very important to avoid the V, so I took it one slow line at a time. That's right, I had ALL of that quilt in the harp space when I was quilting the rows on the far left hand side. Twice, actually, because I quilted straight lines side to side and top to bottom. I still remember how happy I was when I was done quilting it. There was more than one huge sigh of relief!

One other thing I've learned over the years when it comes to straight line quilting is that not all machines do it equally well. My Janome feeds the quilt through much better than my Juki. (Oh, the irony...my straight stitch only machine doesn't straight line quilt that well!) I've written more about that in this post.

This quilt was quilted on my Janome last summer. The even feed foot does such a great job of moving all the layers of the quilt through at the same time with very little drag. And for that, I am so very thankful!!!

Also, remember to adjust the presser foot tension on your machine to the lowest setting possible. That will help to ease the drag factor.

There is so much more that I could cover, but hopefully that helps a little!

Managing the bulk:

When machine quilting, whether free motion quilting, straight line quilting (or spiral quilting, as shown in this photo) having a good support system is key.

I quilt on a small desk or table, so I use an ironing board set to a similar height to my desk to support the weight of the quilt. Sometimes I will use a tray table (or two) to help support the quilt instead. I usually end up holding a good portion of the quilt on my lap, too! The main goal is to have the quilt well supported so the weight of the quilt isn't pulling on the needle and so that the section you are working on can move about freely.

There is no way around the bulk, because quilts are just that...bulky! One thing that helps it to pool the bulk, don't roll up the quilt! It's so much easier to rearrange and maneuver folds rather than trying to wrestle one big quilt log through your machine.

Ok, so I've worked on this post until my eyes crossed. If I missed anything, I'll try to answer the questions in the comments. I hope that this post has been helpful to you!

If you would like to refer back to the previous posts in this series, I've added the links here for easy access:

Week 1: Introduction
Week 2: Pre-Basting Prep
Week 3: Basting
Week 4: Practice, Practice, Practice

color inspiration

Welcome to week 2 of the scrap basket quilt along!

 

I looked at the calendar last week and discovered there are actually 5 weeks in June (figures, doesn't it?) so here is the revised schedule....including dates, this time!

June 2: Introduction
June 9: Color Inspiration
June 16: Block Construction
June 23: Quilt top assembly and Quilting Ideas
June 30: Alternate ideas and link up to show your progress

Today is just going to be a quick post....I pulled different color combinations to give you inspiration. It was really fun! I pulled from my scrap bins for these photos, so please forgive the stray threads and odd wrinkles. Thanks! :)

 orange and gray (this has been my oldest son's favorite color combination for years!)

 

 black and white, gray, cobalt, navy and purple

black, red and gray (my younger son called this one licorice...yum!)

 lime and black and white

 cobalt, lime, black and white

 orange, aqua and lime

 same as above, but with the addition of gray (I LOVE this one!)

And this is the fabric pull I have chosen for my quilt. It's looking a little plain after all the pulls above, so I just may add something else to it.

I could have went on and on if time weren't an issue! I'm curious...which one catches your eye? Do you have a favorite? What color scheme will you choose for your QAL quilt?

Because I know someone will ask, how many yards of fabric will we need? I'm just estimating off the top of my head, but I would guess it will probably be between 3-4 yards.

Thanks again to those of you who will be quilting along with me! Happy Monday to you!

Malena's quilt finished

Welcome to finish it up Friday!

I pushed hard this week to finish my niece's quilt. Since it was in progress so long, the finish was all the sweeter! (I got about 1000 mosquito bites while trying to photograph it. That was not so sweet.)

I used my Go! baby to cut out the circles, then I appliqued them (without fusible) onto solid gray background squares using a blanket stitch on my Janome. After all the applique was done, the top went together super fast!

I used leftover pieces of fabric from the front (plus a little extra stash fabric) to piece the backing. It's like a big puzzle and it takes awhile, but it's so rewarding to bust the stash in this manner. Plus, it makes the back so interesting! I really love how this one turned out.

I stippled the background and quilted free hand swirls in each circle. (I used Aurifil #2600....it is THE most perfect gray thread ever!) The quilting on this is far from perfect, but I reminded myself over and over to let go of my perfectionist tendencies and just do it!

Binding fabric is from the Wild collection by dear Stella. Isn't it so fun? It matched the colors of the quilt so well and I thought it was a sweet way to finish the quilt.

This is my favorite detail of the entire quilt. That piece of white binding is only about 1 1/4" long. Eeeep! Makes me smile!

The quilt measures about 60" x 75". Hurray for a finish!

 

Thanks for your feedback (last week) about whether or not to run finish it up Friday through the summer. Based on your comments, I plan to keep up with it as much as I can. I love that it helps me stay motivated. I can ALWAYS use the push to get things done. :)

 

Now it's your turn! Please link up your finishes for the week! Thanks, as always, for joining me for finish it up Friday!

Machine Quilting 101: Practice, Practice, Practice

Welcome to week 4 of my Machine Quilting 101 Series! If you'd like to check out the previous weeks, click away:

Week 1: Introduction
Week 2: Pre-basting Prep
Week 3: Basting

Today we will be talking about practice. Not a very popular topic, I would wager, but there really is no way around it. As much as you (or I) would like, you can't buy experience!

There are two kinds of practice that I will talk about today.
1. Practicing on a swatch before each quilt or project.
2. Practice, in general, that helps you improve your skills.

Before you start quilting your main quilt (or project), make a test swatch. Make a small quilt sandwich out of the same exact materials that your quilt is made from, including the batting. This is the perfect place to try out your quilting design, marking tools, thread color, tension, stitch length...all of it.

This is the little swatch I made before I quilted my shimmer feather pillow. It doesn't have to be big....this one is only about 6" x 7.5". This swatch was so important because I went out on a limb by using purple thread and I used a new to me chaco liner in BLUE. I didn't plan on washing the project after it was finished, so the test swatch was crucial. It also allowed me to test out my stitch length. If you are free motion quilting, this an excellent time to check your tension. Making a practice swatch only takes a few extra minutes, but it's invaluable.

Now, let's talk about practice, in general.

My husband is a musician. Last Tuesday night when he and I went out to dinner with some other musicians we were talking about "putting in your 10,000 hours". (Studies show that 10,000 is the amount of practice time one must put in to become an expert at any given skill.) I dug up this article on the same subject. Very interesting, isn't it? I'll be mulling that over for the next several days!

Ok, so my advice...

Start small and work your way up! You can practice quilting on so many different items. Think of it as a 12 step program, if you will. :)

1. Coasters or pin cushion
2. Mini Mat
3. Placemat
4. Purse
5. Throw Pillow Cover
6. Pillow Sham
7. Wall Hanging
8. Baby Quilt
9. Lap Quilt
10. Twin Quilt
11. Queen Quilt
12. King Quilt

(I added the links just for fun.)

As you build your confidence, increase the size of your projects. Or else you could make a million quilted pin cushions. Ha!

Practice on ugly fabric and use strips of leftover batting in between. No pressure whatsoever!

Practice writing. Practice doodling. Practice new-to-you designs. I tend to use the same practice piece over and over. Change the color of thread to make it more interesting. (It's also a great way to use up some leftover bobbins in odd colors. I only have 10 bobbins for my Juki, so this is a problem sometimes.)

Practice on pieced blocks. This is something I've learned by dabbling (ever so slightly) in long arm quilting. Practicing on a piece of muslin is easy. Practicing on a pieced block (or a pieced quilt top) is definitely more challenging.

Ok, so now, as if showing my ugly practice swatches hasn't been revealing enough, here is my first ever free motion quilted quilt.

I wish you could see it in person, because it's so...you know....special. The front isn't TOO bad, but the back...oh, Mylanta! This ought to give each and everyone HOPE that you can become a machine quilter as well, if you just keep practicing!

A few years ago I was tempted to rip out the stitching and re-do it, but I decided that it's good to have a quilt to look back on and see where I started. As scary as it is. :)

Thankfully, things have gotten a little bit better since then!

I hope this has been helpful to you! If you have any practice tips to share with others, feel free to leave them in the comments. I love hearing from you!

down to the wire

Today is my kids' last day of school! I may be feeling a little bit frantic and I may be trying to sew ALL the things this afternoon! Deadlines are good, though, right?

My daughter's teacher had a baby girl about a month ago. I thought it would be fun to sew up some baby bibs for her new little one. (They got finished yesterday because today was the last day my daughter could hand deliver the gift to school. I'm such a procrastinator!) The bibs are a little time consuming to make (about 2 hours a piece) but I love how they came together. It was totally worth it!

For the backing I used some cute Riley Blake fabric from my stash. They are completely reversible, so one side gets stained, she can use the other! :) These are scrap projects #73 and #74.

Here they are all wrapped up. I am not very good at making packages pretty, but I think this one turned out pretty darn cute!

I gave myself a deadline of summer vacation to sew up as many WIPs as I could, so some oldies but goodies are seeing the light of day again. This is my second machine quilting sampler, started back in 2011. Oh, yeah....that's going back. Sadly, this isn't my oldest WIP! I'm making progress, though, and that's what matters. Only 3 squares left to quilt!

 

Hopefully tomorrow I'll be back with a machine quilting post and the answers to all the questions on the quilt along post. Thanks for all of those who volunteered to join me for the quilt along!

 

Now.....I'm going to squeeze in a little more quilting while I can!

 

scrap basket quilt along: Introduction

It has been a LONG time since I've done a quilt along. I just looked back...it's been 4 years. (What?!? That can't be!) This one is going to be short and sweet and for a good cause! If you have overflowing scrap baskets or a robust stash, then this quilt along is for you!

Over the next 4 weeks I'm going to be hosting a quilt along to make quilts for Margaret's Hope Chest. (You can read more about their organization here.) I love them and their heart to share HOPE with people that are hurting. I've worked with MHC in the past and I'm happy to be teaming up with them again and all of you are invited to help! As of last August, MHC has given away over 1800 quilts!

This will be our project for the quilt along....a simple rail fence quilt that measures about 52" x 65". Along the way I'll be sharing ideas for color schemes (my favorite part), block construction in 2 or 3 ways (I still have some testing to do!), assembly and some easy quilting ideas. I think it's going to be a lot of FUN!

The schedule:

June 2: Introduction
June 9: Color Inspiration
June 16: Block Construction
June 23: Quilt top assembly and Quilting Ideas
June 30: Link up to show your progress

The specifics:

I will be sharing how to make a rail fence quilt during the quilt along, but quilts made in any pattern will be happily accepted. The ideal size is about 50" x 60", which will work for all the programs that MHC is currently running. (See below.)
BOY quilts for ages 4-16 are especially needed!!!

The deadline:

Our target date for the quilts to be finished and delivered to MHC is August 1, 2014.

Prizes!:

For every quilt you send to MHC by August 1, 2014, your name will be entered into a drawing for prizes. We will pick a winner for every 20 quilts donated. If you make a boy quilt, you will get your name thrown in the hat twice! As if you couldn't tell, we would really like to encourage you to make boy quilts!

The Programs:

Carin, the director of Margaret's Hope Chest, wrote up a little bit about the programs that they are running at this time.

Prison Giveaway:  For the past 5 years Margaret's Hope Chest has been joining Forgiven Ministries as they minister to children of incarcerated parents. God has made a way for us to actually go into Michigan prisons and see children reunited with their parent for one special day.  We provide a quilt for each child as a gift that from their parent and it becomes a symbol of love and HOPE.  Over the years, we have shared over 600 quilts with these families.  I am also able to give my testimony of forgiveness and HOPE to these fathers and mothers.  I believe this is some of the most important and life changing work that we do.  We are always in need of boy's quilts for this program-we can never enough sport-themed quilts!

A Mother's Hope: We are in the middle of our second year sharing quilts with mothers who are experiencing postpartum depression. The Mother and Baby Program is a Partial Hospitalization Program. It is a short-term, intensive treatment program for women experiencing significant symptoms of postpartum depression and other perinatal mood disorders. Each participant in the program is invited to pick a quilt to use during and after her time in the program.  Each quilt maker provides includes a hand written note to the mother--we have learned that these notes along with the quilts are a TREASURE to these ladies.

Guatemala's Village of Hope:  Margaret's Hope Chest has a relationship with the Village of Hope in Guatemala which is a unique family-like orphanage for children with special needs (mostly HIV+).  My daughter Anne and I will be traveling to Guatemala for a week in November and we will be able to hand deliver the next group of quilts for the new set of residents! 

If you would like your quilt to go specifically to one of these programs, let us (MHC) know. If a program isn't specified, it will go to the one who has the most need at the time.

-----
If you would like to join me for this quilt along, please leave a comment. I'd love to hear from you!

I'll be honest, I'm a little bit nervous to be jumping into this while the kids are just getting out of school, but I plan to enlist their help!

I'm sure I forgot something. If you have any questions, please let me know and I will answer them in the comments and update the post if necessary.

Happy, HAPPY Monday to you!

Malena's quilt top

Welcome to finish it up Friday!

I'm not sure how I manage to block it out of my memory each year, but I am always so surprised by how CraZy this time of the year is. There is gardening and yard work to do, field trips to attend and lots of other work to do besides. My house is perpetually dirty and my sewing machines have been neglected! All that to say, I'm glad that I was able to sew at all this week....and I'm super happy that I was able to finish this quilt top.

A few years ago I started this quilt for my niece with my niece. She helped me design it and she also helped select the fabrics. I never blogged about it, but I figured out it was the summer of 2012 because we saw the movie Brave at the drive in theater during her visit here. It's good to have a reference point! :) We only had time to make a few circle blocks back when we started it, but I finally found time to work on it again. (I have TOO many irons in the fire!)

The circles were cut out on my GO! baby. I don't use this cutter nearly enough...but it makes QUICK work of cutting circles. I love that it is fast, easy and accurate, too. My kids love to help crank the fabric through, which is a bonus. (It's fun for kids AND adults. :) )

I used a blanket stitch on my Janome to attach the circles to the background fabric. I did not use any kind of fusible web beneath because I didn't want to deal with the bulk (or the stiffness) of the fusible web. I plan to quilt the circles well and the quilt will be so nice and soft when it is finished. The edges of the circles will fray slightly when washed, but I think that's all part of the charm.

The quilt top measures about 60" x 75".

 

Now it's your turn! Please link up your finishes for the week! Thanks for joining me for finish it up Friday! :)

 

Also, do you think it's time to take a break from finish it up Friday for the summer or should we keep on going? I'd love to hear what you think.

the parachute quilt

I'm kind of hesitant to share this quilt today and I'm not quite sure why. Maybe because it feels so different from most of my work? Maybe because I pushed myself out of my comfort zone a lot while making it? I don't know, but I did like the challenge. And I do like the quilt. A lot.

The basic design idea came from a button down shirt. As I was working on it, the quilt took on a life of it's own and it ended up quite different from what I imagined it would be. That's all a part of the fun, though. It's all part of the process. I used a few Kona jelly rolls that I've had in my stash for years. It felt great to finally USE them.

This is probably the hardest "simple quilt" I've ever made. It looks like I just took a few strips of fabric and sewed them together. In reality, I spent a lot of time laying out so the colors until they were just right. Lots of math, lots of photos, lots of rearranging. It makes me smile, though, because it totally matches some of my daughter's recent artwork. The quilt will most likely end up on her bed because she needs another quilt. Ha!

In this photo the quilt reminded me of those great big parachutes we used to play with in gym class back in elementary school. And that's how a quilt is named. :)

The quilt top measures about 78" x 84".

winner

The winner of the scrap giveaway is Alisa!

Thanks to each and every one of you who took the time to comment and enter my scrap giveaway. I appreciate all the great suggestions for summer activities! I also needed the reminder that they are only little for a short time...so for those of you who wrote that, thank you! It's such a great thing to keep in mind on those LONG days. I'm sure I will be referencing the list of activities multiple times this summer! :)