House for Rent

Our worm (and bug) rich back yard attracts a variety of birds who delight in nesting in our yard, or chowing down on their way to somewhere else. Last spring we bought a regulation birdhouse  and mounted it according to the instructions. The "For Rent" sign went up too late for bluebirds, so an entertaining couple, Mr. and Mrs. Swallow, signed the lease. They were very happy in our bird rental, and it was a hoot watching the babies grow up.

Well, this year, a couple of weeks ago, a delightful couple, Mr. & Mrs. Bluebird, were hanging around the place, obviously shopping for a new apartment. The handsome Mr. Bluebird stuck his head in a few times, but never went inside. The Mrs. seemed to really like it from the outside, so she began to gather nesting material. But before she could start building her nest, the Mr. gave her his famous "not-on-your-life" look. She dropped the nesting stuff, and they flew off. Curious.

This last week, both the Bluebirds and the Swallows hung around it, checking it out again, but as yet, we've had no takers. DH cleaned it out last fall, so we really didn't know why no one seems to want it. Doing some research, we discovered that in addition to removing the abandoned furnishings, we should have hosed it out. Guess what the DH discovered during the hose-down. A WASP's NEST! Yikes! No wonder the house has been rejected!  Now it is REALLY clean. Hopefully we're not too late.

News from the Studio

The Green Thing

Another quilt by Kay, the free spirit designer. She's making quilts for all of the grandkids. She says she has another dozen or so to go. Again, I used the Bolero panto.

 What Knots

This is Theresa's finished What Knots quilt, designed by Sue Jones. I love the rich colors. I used an allover leaf meander on this one.

Petals of Wisdom

Isn't this a darling quilt? Tricia machine appliqued the petals, and I love her color choices! The quilting pattern is a feathered hook.

Tips and Techniques

Quilt Top Preparation:

A well-constructed quilt top will make it easy for your longarmer to do her or his best work for you, and possibly save you money on your bill. One of the most important things you can do is to make sure every seam is secure. Partially open seams, seams that don't catch all of the fabric layers, and seams that un-sew themselves take time to fix at best, and at worse can cause damage to your quilt or to the longarm machine.

If a longarmer is working a pantograph from the back side of her machine, she cannot see the top at all. Even from the front of the machine, she may not notice an open seam before the machine runs into it. The result could be a torn quilt top, a broken needle, or major repairs to the machine.

It is really easy to avoid this problem forever:

1. First secure each seam start and stop as you go. Here are some options to pick from:
   a. Start and stop each seam with an extra-small stitch length that extends a few stitches inside the seam line.
   b. Start and stop each seam with a quick back-stitch.
   c. Use a smaller stitch length all the time. The smaller the stitch, the less likely for the seam to come apart on it's own. This approach is especially useful when chain-piecing.
2. Check seams as you piece. Inspect the seam as you are setting it with the iron, and pressing the seam to one side, or open.
3. Clip ravels rather than just pull on the threads. I've seen seam allowances ravel past the sewn seam. 

That's it. Make these precautions just a natural part of your piecing - and un-secured seams will be a thing of the past.


Have a wonderful week! Now let's go get new nose pads on my glasses and you go quilt something!

 

The Butterfly Effect

Happy New Year everyone!! Monday, January 4 officially marks the end of the holiday season and the return to the normal routines of life. Have you made any resolutions this year? I stopped making resolutions years ago because they were usually either guilt based, fear of something-based, or just wishful thinking. So I encourage you to examine where your resolutions come from. If their basis is any of the above - rethink them.

The best, and most successful resolutions are about relationships, friendships, and joy. Here are some suggestions:

Batiks, Etc., Wytheville, VA

• Reconnect with an old friend and stay in touch.
• Invite 3 people you want to get to know to lunch (one at a time, of course).
• Invite a new member of your guild to your home for a private "sit & sew".
• Holler "Road Trip" at your guild meeting! (I do this when I'm planning a trip to Batiks, Etc. in Wytheville, VA.) No telling what fun you will have giggling all the way to the quilt store.

Get the idea?

News from the Studio

Joyce came to pick up her beautiful quilt, today. The DH took the picture for us. Ain't he sweet? She has quite a story about this quilt. Joyce told me that from the beginning it was a challenge, fraught with discouragement and exhaustion with the whole thing. But when quilted with the meandering leaf pattern, it went from a sluggish, all-consuming caterpillar, to a beautiful butterfly of a quilt. It's now full of life, infused with Joyce's love, and will look great on any bed. She is still working on a name for her quilt. One option she came up with: Never Give Up!


Joyce is also an accomplished knitter. When she came to pick up her quilt, she brought me these very nice (and warm!) hand warmers. Great job, Joyce and Thank You!

Frogging

On another topic, every quilter is an expert at frogging. When you have to "rip-it, rip-it, rip-it" - you are frogging. Here I am, engaged in that very activity. When I finished Joyce's quilt, I examined it thoroughly and found a place that had a boo-boo in the quilting. So it had to come out. Re-stitching the area was simple enough and now it's good as new.

Learning for the Week

I didn't learn anything this week. I'm still trying to recover from the Christmas pancakes. (See the Dec. 27, 2015 blog post).


Now, let's get back to the sewing room!

'Tis the season - hug your sewing machine

I hope you are enjoying the Christmas season! After several years with no Christmas decorations at all (due to various circumstances) this year we put up a little pre-lit tree. Think we have it all decorated yet? Of course not, but it's up along with our usual clothing gifts to each other from Land's End. Of course, Santa has something up his sleeve, especially for the DH. Hmmm, I see that the table looks a little cock-eyed...

News from the Studio

This week, I finished quilting a What Knots quilt for Robin. A member of the AHQ guild, she made this quilt in a workshop we had last May. Robin is a wonderful piecer and her quilts are a joy to work on. Nice job Robin!






   

Robin chose the Poplar pantograph. It is perfect for this quilt!

New Pantograph

 Poplar: This is lovely, and a very versatile design. I love it.












Now, I know you are busy with Christmas activities and obligations. Include some time with your sewing machine or longarm, too. If you just don't have time for that, this month, at least give your machine(s) a hug and let them know you haven't forgotten about them!

Have a beautiful week! Now let's go quilt something!

Grab your rotary cutter, it's quilting season!

Wow, how did we get to September already? It was just May last week, wasn't it? The calendar is getting busy with all sorts of different activities and responsibilities. Yet, priorities are priorities. If your heart's passion is quilting, make sure you spend as much time in your studio or sewing room as you possibly can! And, get the guild meetings, quilt shows, workshops, and retreats for the year on your calendar right now! We all have important priorities in our lives, and we often have even more "false" priorities. Guard your calendars from things that may be a priority for someone else, but not for you. Remember, "No" is a real word that some people actually use, it is not a curse word, it is a complete sentence, and "no" requires no explanation.

Now, here's a "quilty" opportunity! The Gray TN guild's (Appalachian Heritage Quilters) annual retreat is scheduled for Sept. 18 - 20 and you can join us! There is still room available, so contact me right away if you are interested. (Bring a friend!)  Use the Contact Me form on the right and be sure to include your phone number.

News from the Studio

This last week,  I finally found some time to spend piecing, and finished this top called Headed Home.  Now I just need to decide how to quilt it.

I used the TQM Binding Tool, and half & quarter square rulers to cut the strip pieces and triangles. It took about 50-60 2 1/2" strips and a little yardage. Using the tools made the blocks go together easily, and there was very little left-over  fabric when it was all said and done.




Now, go load up your rotary cutter with a fresh blade, move the pile of junk mail from your sewing table, and

let's go quilting!

A Quilter's Heart

A friend and I went to the Smoky Mountain Quilters Quilt Show on Friday, in Maryville, TN. What a wonderful show. Lots of quilts, great vendors, and a lovely bed turning of antique log cabin quilts. The area Quilts of Valor group, did 3 presentations of Quilts of Valor to 3 service members. Although, I was not able to attend the presentation, I have attended several. What a wonderful way to present a service member with tangible evidence of our deep appreciation of their service and sacrifice. Get more information at www.qovf.org.

Best in Show

 


The Quilt of Valor group also had a gallery of quilts. I love this one.

This one is my show favorite. Sorry, I didn't get a close up of the quilting. The whole quilt was just so sweet, and the quilting was absolutely perfect for the quilt. And it came with a nice story. It was made by a bee to remember 3 of their members who had passed away. 

 

 

 

News from the Studio

The Amish Pinwheel quilt (from the Craftsy Precision Piecing class) is ready for quilting. But first – gotta practice a bit. Every machine quilter, whether domestic or longarm, needs a practice sandwich to play with. When I was quilting on the domestic, I kept a stack of fat-quarter sandwiches to warm-up the coordination and practice new designs. As a longarmer I do the same thing. I’ve got a growing stack of  well-used practice “quilts” for reference, and one all ready to zip onto the longarm leaders at a moment’s notice. Today, I practiced the border designs for the Amish pinwheel, and now feel ready to get started.  Since the quilt is all batiks, it was important to practice on batik with the same thread I will use on the quilt.  

Key Learning for the Week

Do you ever feel a little inferior or inadequate when you see all of the amazing talent at a quilt show? I do. But I fight the feeling. No quilter is inferior or inadequate – every quilter has a style, things they are good at, things they don’t need or want to be good at, and skills they want to develop. Embrace your style, your joy of fabric and thread, and the fellowship of your sisters of the craft.

Now, let's go quilt something!

What IS normal, anyway?

Is there a normal life? Does anyone ever live a normal life? Sometimes I find myself wanting to “get back to a normal routine”. But usually, it just means “getting to do whatever I want to do, when I want to do it”. Wait a minute – that sounds exactly like my definition of being retired. And since I am retired, why am I not living a normal life? Oh, I know! I haven’t done a lick of sewing or quilting since I put all of those sleeves on all those quilts that you saw in my last post. I think I’m having withdrawal symptoms.

News from the studio

Studio time has been limited to non-sewing stuff. I finally got sick of the larger pieces of batting stashed all over the place, and got them a bit organized. I took a hamper we weren't using and put all the smaller pieces in it - when the bag is full, I'll put them into a clear bag and put them in the guild auction in the fall. The big pieces I measured, labeled, and have found a place for them in the closet.

Sometimes, I like to serge the raw edges of yardage before it is pre-washed. The little, inexpensive serger I have has languished, unused for a few years, so I knew it had to be serviced. I'd prefer to just make it a boat anchor, but in case it could be saved... So, my traveling service guy stopped by the house, spruced 'er up good, tightened up the tension control wheels, and now she just hums along. Just wish she would thread herself!

A visit to the Mead Orchard

Last week, the DH and I drove to upstate NY, to visit my sister and her DH. His family owns a large orchard near Tivoli, Mead Orchards. They grow many varieties of apples, peaches, pears, cherries, apricots, you name it. They also have some acreage in veggies and fruits, like strawberries and blueberries for the summer markets. They have pick your own in the fall, make their own cider, and on and on.

Oh, the DS and I have started our own shop hop in that part of the country. There are NO quilt stores in her area – but if you are willing to drive (and who isn’t?) you can hit a few. We found 2 of them, one in Selkirk (got some batik @ 25% off) and my favorite so far, The Patchwork Co., in Windham. That's one of their blocks of the month. Great store! 

 Back to real life

After all of that, it’s back to “normal” – but the mundane kind: fill up the frig, go to the pharmacy, make dr. appointments, take care of guild business, etc. and still no quilting! Sorry, I just can’t devote my life to the mundane. So, the payoff for all that mundane stuff is to reward myself with studio time!! The goal today is to wash the batik I got in NY and figure out where I am on that Precision Piecing class quilt.

So, do the daily chores with joy, knowing that your reward is waiting for you in your sewing space!

Now let’s go quilting!