Design Wall Monday---10-22-12 edition

 I declared my part of the great fall clean up detail done after the kitchen floor was mopped.    Then I decided I was going to sew anyway and vacuum it up again if I made too big of a mess.  After all, my friend Cindy knows I sew.  Threads happen!

My design wall shows where I left off last night.  Notice that I did clear it off a good bit and filed the display pieces away for the most part?   I can drag them back again when I'm ready to sew on Christmas stuff.

I got the 12 block assembled for my Hopscotch pattern and moved on to the pieced sashing last evening taking into account that this is directional print.  This pattern is from my fav designer Terry Atkinson but is no longer shown on her website.  You can still get copies if you search them out, however sometimes in the secondary market on ebay.  The link goes to Virginia Quilter who has a good representational group of Atkinson Designs.   I know Norma found a mother lode of her patterns at a different site but I cannot find the link at the moment.   My design wall shows where I left off last night.

This bunch is pinned and ready to feed into the machine.  I don't know how much more of this I will do today.  I had planned to work on it at the sew-in day on Tuesday but I also have two other kits pulled should I exceed my expectations.  There is a small pieced square border so I know I will have to make a few more strip sets for that deal.   Borders, period, are not my favorite part of the deal to begin with but I'll keep plugging till the top gets done sometime this week.  A long time kit will be completed to something usable for a young person which is the most important part.  OR it could be a comfort quilt for Friendship Quilters as well.   Think that peach looks too girly so it is not as unisex as I had hoped?

And sew it goes---------

Design Wall Monday

This was yesterday's view.  No sooner did I set up to machine quilt and wind some bobbins then you know who was piling on the quilt.  I had to look high and low to find that new cone of thread that I had ahem, "put in a safe place".  Skyler was taking up residence and of course, I wanted him to decide to leave on his own (he bites!) rather than me make him get down, off the quilt, whatever.

 I even went so far as to put the regular sewing foot on the machine and started laying out Hopscotch sections only to find out I had lost 2 of the HSTs.  Thankfully I found a bit of the background fabric up in the bin as it was NOT in the kit box for some reason.   After I had those whipped up he decided to vacate to the window perch for a nice long nap.  I got all the locking lines done and half the motifs I had put on the top so will finish that up today.

The Design Wall
Honestly I need to take some of this stuff down
 and put it in the Christmas pizza box.   It is looking too cluttered and there is no such thing as "design" going on.   I will be cleaning and straightening up by week's end anyway so this will be part of it.   I was trying to figure out if I even like that 2nd twister block on point----answer:  no I don't, LOL.   The two blocks on the bottom (Bed of Roses and Lazy Girl Butterfly) go into an abandoned block project.  And see the little GFG rosette that Brenda gave me?  The purple and peach fabrics will be perfect in my FWIS.  Just need to applique it down to a base and pop those little plastic templates out as I stitch, she said.

Secondary design space.

I would like to get the twister wreath quilted up if I have time this week.  There are two more quilts, slightly oversized, in the pro bono pile but maybe by Thursday or Friday if all goes well.

"Boo" could go back in the BOM box but I may leave it out since Halloween is coming.  I switched out a few wall hangings already that were more Halloween themed than fall so why not?  Eventually it or a re-done version of "it" will be in a real quilt.

This last picture is for my pal at lefthanded quilter.  I was admiring a little foundation pieced floral wall hanging she had posted.   Get this, her 1st attempt at foundation piecing and she gets a 2nd place ribbon!  She mentioned that if she were doing it today, she might have used a different sashing that than pink-rose tone on tone.  I commented that I thought I had the same print but in a yellow-gold colorway in the Hopscotch kit.  So what do you think, my friend?  Same or just similar?   I'll get back to this but it might not be till next week at the Belles sew-in.  I have two other kits pulled as well as I am Friday and Satuday day tripping at the guild retreat next week too.

Today though----finish quilting hearts in the open spaces of this flimsy.  Get done with that?  Start quilting another one----Bridgecreek Blossom or this modified Criss Cross/Prairie Window are both in the stack waiting.  All from 2011.  All this provided that Skyler doesn't take up short term residence, LOL.

And sew it goes-----------

today's tip

Often you will read pattern directions that say something like "layer the two strips right sides together and cut x many squares something and 7/8. Keeping the two fabrics together, sub-cut into x many half square triangles by cutting on the diagonal line. Do not separate them as they are ready to chain into the machine"

Yes, that is how it is done all right. Of course you could also do cut the strips a tad wider than needed and then use thangles or triangles on a roll and let the paper stabilize it while you sew, especially if you have a lot of them to do for your project but that is not the tip.

That direction might work for half square triangles but I will mess up the placement on quarter square triangles every time if I leave them stacked like this.  There are two possible sides to sew on so which one is it??  Okay, I grant you that there are three sides but I DO know not to sew on the longest edge---yet.  That is the edge that joins the pieced unit I am going to create to the larger half square triangle. If I sew on the "wrong side" does it change the fabric placement in the block?  Probably but maybe not?  I don't even want to test that theory and un-sew.   I had enough re-do's LAST night, thank you very much.

Do yourself a favor and lay the block out just like the picture in the pattern shows.  Look-- and look again-- to see that they are in the "right" spot.  Pick one color or the other up in the same sequence, make sure it is the one on the top on all four of them and place a pin on the side you mean to sew  You will have to rotate a couple of them in your hand to pin them because this is a pinwheel block and it spins.  I'm going to put the teal over the feed sack as it is easier to start sewing from THAT end as I think it will be less chance of chewing the fabric.  But I could be wrong about that.

Also do yourself a favor and make yourself a little design board.   This is a tip I got from my pal  and quilt mentor Joy who had a lot of other good ideas that I follow to this day.  It is just a piece of cardboard cut big enough to put in the bottom of a pizza box and covered with some quilt batting.  (Actually I have two of them---one with a black felt background but this one was closest.)  The batting holds the pieces in place unless a nosy kitty comes along and it is portable.  When it is time to play with the blocks you'll probably need the design wall space but for one block, this works fine.

Cheapie vinyl tablecloths that are flannel backed work fine for design walls.  You can pin to them if you have to because you are not likely to actually use if for anything else once you get it string covered anyway.  Got a tricky placement of a whole quilt or you want your block placement to stay put but no time to sew??   Pin it on, roll it up and put it away till you are ready.  The Belles and I did that to a bed sheet at a quilt meeting in someone's home one day as she would not have us standing over her shoulder till the project was done.

I used to clip mine to the shelving unit and then roll it up but now I sew in that space.   I have a little design wall space but has other stuff all over it, some things that need to be kept handy making it more like a bulletin board , come to think of it.   Since it was the only available wall space in my room, it is not ideal--some areas are hard to get at to pin, even if it were not covered.  Oh well!  We do what we need to do to make our spaces work for us, right?

And sew it goes----more about this block, pattern etc later.  Hope things go better than they did last evening!   More on that later too when I post the blocks.

Design Wall Monday

 You know you have done little sewing when the only things on your design wall have been up there for quite a while including this little #77 Seasons (Album Cross, really) variation that will go in my FWIS.   I have got to come up with a better way of taking my FWIS pictures before I post them on here or the yahoo group (or Flickr group).

BUT that stack of 4 triple rail blocks were what I whipped up last night and only to check where to line up the presser foot on the "new to me" Kenmore to obtain a 1/4 inch seam allowance.    I tell you---this thing is right on the money!  Once pressed the entire center seam measures exactly what it should mathematically!   Color me "thrilled"!  This might be perfect for sewing the 6 inch blocks especially since a single hole needle plate is suggested when sewing such small pieces.  My Brother, while I love the way it sews ordinarily, is known to chew the edges of the fabric a bit sometimes because I cannot necessarily see where to line it up   That is a pain when you are trying to chain piece.  You must hold on to both threads before you start sewing too which is no big deal but you pay for it with a thread snarl if you don't.  Erik the Red doesn't do that and sews just fine "in the air"

I had a horrid headache much of the day yesterday.  Woke up with it and no meds I threw at it seemed to be helping.  You have got to love the cooler nights but between the cool night air from outside, fall pollens and fans constantly blowing on me, I paid for it.  I was glad that I had run the grocery errands on the way back from the sew-in on Saturday as I sure didn't feel like it yesterday!  As it was I missed going to a friend's 60th birthday party.  Much better today, thankfully.

BUT I did cut a few more blocks for the FWIS reaching 25 to stitch, for a start.  (Originally I was going to cut 10 and just kept going.)  I made such a huge mess of the fabric bin that I pulled everything out, separated it out by color, pulled some more strips and such out of the Popsicle Sticks bin too since I was yanking from there too.  What doesn't fit in the dedicated FWIS bin went back in the leftover PopStix bin anyway.  At least that one is not bulging at the seams, LOL.  I had already placed the half yard pieces of the selected Vintage Modern in the bin.  Next to it you see some of Theramae's vintage looking fabrics that will go in there at some point.   Well, the orange and blue one on top isn't hers but it still looks vintage to me!    There are a couple others in the peach/orange bins too but trust me, I would be back to bulging if I stuck them in there.  I know they are there if they are to be included down the line.

This morning I fiddled a bit more on the machine to test out the zig zag and decorative stitches,   I found that I could adjust button hole stitch down to a size that is similar to Erik the Red's version---smaller bites into the fabric and the same "1-2- swing, 1-2, swing" spacing.   I didn't actually sew it to a shape or try the blind hem but I think it will be fine.

 I do need to track down some Class 15 bobbins if what I use on the Jem and Brother is NOT a class 15.  There was only one metal bobbin included in the machine but the manual suggests using the "clear plastic lightweight bobbins when stitching at high speed with the widest and longest stitch settings."   The Singer Stylist 6548 from Lois' mom uses plastic bobbins all right but they are way flatter.  Viking has it very own and one side of them is kinda slanted or bent looking.  Sheesh!

This is also a high shank machine.  The machine bed is actually tilted just a tad I guess so you can see your work a little better?  Any help in that area would be good since these days I often have to put my readers on!   I just wish it had come with the walking foot as I know there is more space under there than my Brother.    The space for a quilt may be a bit bigger too----up about 4.5 inches and maybe 9 across?  I can't just slap on a generic walking foot because there is nothing to attach it too.  The foot is permanently attached to what holds it on the machine.  BUT I did look on the sears online parts site and apparently they sell the manufacturer's equivalent to that part number.  Something to think about anyway.

Well, it's Monday and there are a few errands to run.   Bama Belles meets tomorrow and I have a few things to tend to for that and pack up the car.   I am going to sew at least one block of my sampler today though and see what I think of using it for the subsequent blocks---all 110 of them (the design wall one is done).  Best get to it!  Daylight's burnin'.  Till next time and thanks for stopping by.

this and that on a Friday

DJ went out as the sun was lowering behind the tree line and discovered that the UPS driver had left me a box.  I'll tell you, my mom knows how to stuff a shoe box, LOL.

Not sure what I will do with this stack as it sort of depends on how much is left of the fabric---there is a blend-y sort of thing going on though with a few of the pieces.  Naptime, maybe??  If not, there are a few nice pieces of neutral background.  I think Mom may have added two pieces that I did not have set aside but that's okay too.   Some re-arranging of boxes on her end left had her wondering, she said.

That lovely, cheerful floral on the left is a  Hoffman "Country Side Collection" piece.  I'm thinking it might make up into a 4 patch posie??  Isn't that the fun part of quilting to pull out fabrics till you find a combination that will work together?  Already I am eyeing a blue tone and tone on the shelf, LOL.    Lois had recently used some 4 patch posie elements as block centers of one of her tops.  I'll point that out when it is turned in because I did not get a picture at the time.

A glimpse at the design wall----mostly leftovers and future projects.  Christmas blocks for the stalled out Oxmoor Christmas quilt.  The strip is a section of binding for my Christmas Patience Corner.  Leftover bowties from the 76 Bowtie QOV--that will work with with the next abandoned block project along with the various other nine patches etc stuck up there.  The plain squares are for quilt labels.  The just finished basket block is hanging for me to see before I put it up with the others and pull another out to stitch.  The two ziploc bags?  One is squares I pulled to make a few "Fight Like a Quilter" blocks for a fund raiser.  I like the blocks so may make more for a pro bono quilt so I did not file the cut squares back into the 2 1/2 inch square container.  Lastly, greens that my friend Pat sent for the paint chip challenge----I see watermelons in their future as in Button Up #8.  

Those foundation pieced flowers were something I started years ago from one of Carol Doak's books, Easy Mix & Match Machine Paper Piecing.  Now this was copyright 1995 and I bought it as a new book at the time.  Yep, old project and I remember stitching on it at Hands All Around Quilt Retreat near Lake Shelbyville in Illinois. I planned to make a wall hanging she showed on the back cover with butterflies, a sun, snails in the grassy area.  Well here is a link to the image.  Once upon a time I had all 6 flowers done but two of them wound up in a row robin for a friend on the old aCozyQuilt Bee list.  I think that the sky blue fabric has been used elsewhere over the years so these four may be "it" and added to another project down the line.

Here I am holding up Lauri's row---bad picture as I had a crappy digital camera at the time.  Lauri had a garden theme going and wanted the bright fabrics she had provided as alternating blocks.  I stitched up the Pieces from My Heart blocks from Sandy Gervais that said ""What Flowers?".  The dragonfly and frog blocks were slightly re-sized from Quilts from the Heartland Nature of Things, I believe it was called.  The lady bugs were also from that book but was actually a wall hanging that I scaled down to a 12 inch block.  And then you see the other two flowers on the bottom.

So back to present day, LOL.   I have not done much but re-organize files on the computer..... and read.  I had picked up a used paperback from Mom's stash Barbara Parker's Suspicion of Innocence for reading on the plane and finished it up  We picked up a couple more of the series at the library the other day.   DJ is reading the first one now.  I also buzzed through Kate Jacob's Comfort Food on Wednesday afternoon and evening.  I enjoy reading but often do not make time to do so.  Some days, it is all I can do to get through the local paper . When I get on a reading jag, it reminds me of summertime and going up to the town library a couple times a week because you had read through the stack you had checked out days before.  


This summer cold and the heat have been energy sapping so the cutting and batting fusing that I had mentioned in my last post did not get done.  I told DJ he is just lucky that I have gotten meals on the table as lousy as I have felt at times.  But the laundry is done, groceries bought-----I am going to live, LOL.  I do hope to get something done today though as I hate wasting time and I hate having stuff piled up in here too.  That action really stifles my creativity when I don't have space to work and need the table or whatever under that pile.

It looks like a good part of the USA lower 48 are going to be in extreme heat situation if we are not already.  I just pray that there are no heat related fatalities with the sustained weather pattern.  I know my parents said it hit triple digits in IL---we were at 96 yesterday but fortunately without high humidity factors.  The a/c can barely keep up even set at 79.  I cooked  on the stove top, grill and microwave last night and still could barely stand to be in the kitchen though by that time the afternoon sun is barreling into the opposite side of the house. Now,even with the blinds drawn it is HOT in the kitchen with the sun on that side.  I am avoiding doing the prep work for the fish tacos with avocado sauce I plan on making for tonight.  The sauce and fresh tomato salsa should be done up ahead of time to meld the flavors a bit so I will go out there and blast a box fan while I do it.  No jalapeno peppers here though and I am putting the fish on the grill.  Skyler also is begging for his 2nd treat bite which he normally gets around noon if DJ does it but I am a softer touch and he knows it, LOL.  

Stay cool the best you can---and thanks for stopping by.