Barn Dance, finished!

Finally got around to taking some pictures yesterday.  Here’s my “Barn Dance” quilt hanging on the clothesline.  It was a bear to quilt, but it’s finished!  I have to say that I’m quite pleased with how it came out.

The next picture is of my “Rail Fence” quilt.  I like how the lights and darks zig across the surface.  It’s quite a lively quilt, with a lot of movement.  Not bad for just sitting down and sewing a pile of strips together!

I’ll get them packed up this weekend, and in the mail to the Hopes and Dreams Quilt Challenge for ALS on Monday.

Rail Fence Scrap Quilt

I went up to Alley Kat’s Quilt Shop yesterday.  All the fabrics were 30% off, including white PFD (prepared for dyeing) mercerized cotton.  Such a deal!  I got five yards for less than $18, including sales tax.   Ben Franklin is having a sale this weekend, too.  I have a 40% off coupon, so I think I’ll run over there this morning, and get another quilt batting.  With all the quilting I’m doing right now, it’s nice to be able to save a few bucks on batting.

Now that I have some white fabric to play with, I may do some dyeing today.  Fabric Dyeing 101 has lots of great tips for dyeing fabric.  I especially like her directions for making batik-like fabrics with gel glue.  I’ve dyed a lot of yarn, and even tried my hand at some socks last fall, but haven’t done any fabric yet.  Since I already have the pro mx dyes, soda ash, and everything else I need, I’m ready to go!

I also took a look at Fusing Fun!  Fast Fearless Art Quilts by Laura Wasilowski yesterday afternoon.  I am hooked!  What a fun book.  I even have an idea for my first fused quilt, once I get a few fabrics dyed.  I need to pick up some fusible web while I’m out today, too.  I have some Wonder Under around here someplace, but since I don’t want to tear into my closet, I’ll just buy some more and wait for it to surface, which it will, eventually.

Haven’t done any sewing the past couple of days, and don’t know if I’ll get any done today, but hopefully I’ll get back to it tomorrow for a bit.  Right now my brain is so full of stuff that I feel like I may explode.

Thill's Fish House, at the Lower Harbor in Marquette, MI

One last thing:  Marquette, MI,  my hometown, is one of the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Dozen Distinctive Destinations for 2010.  Here’s what it’s all about:  “Since 2000, the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Dozen Distinctive Destination program has recognized cities and towns that offer an authentic visitor experience by combining dynamic downtowns, cultural diversity, attractive architecture, cultural landscapes and a strong commitment to historic preservation, sustainability and revitalization. In each community, residents have joined together and taken action to protect their town’s character.”

Between now and February 28,  anyone over 18 can vote for their favorite, as often as they want.  Marquette is trailing behind Rockland, Maine, and we can’t let that happen!  So please click the link, register (they just want your name and email) and vote for Marquette, MI!  Vote early and vote often!

Yay, Andrew made it home safely last night, around 12:30.  He was tired, but wound up, so it took a little while for both of us to calm down enough to go to sleep!

So of course nobody was up early this morning.  I slept til eight, which is late for me.  I let Andrew sleep til 9:30 before I woke him up.  I hated to do it, but I know he would have trouble sleeping tonight if I let him go too much longer.

I did manage to get some laundry done, but other than that, the day was a wash.  And there’s nothing wrong with that, either.  It was nice to sit on the couch with my honey and look at the pictures he took in TN and just talk.

Mary from Making Scrap Quilts From Stash was nice enough to send me a link for Mile-A-Minute Quilts.  This sounds exactly like what I’m looking for.  The idea is that you piece a long strip about 20″ wide, and then machine quilt the strip.  Then you join the strips. The strips are much smaller and easier to handle than a full-size quilt.  Love it!

I was tempted to order it, since I can get it for less than $5, but shipping always adds up.  So I ordered it inter-library loan!

Speaking of which, the first three books I ordered last week came in yesterday.  Of course, I had to walk right down to the library to pick them up.  Liberated Quiltmaking, Liberated String Quilts, and Fusing Fun! Fast Fearless Art Quilts are MINE for the next three weeks!  And I also have Thinking Outside The Block by Sandi Cummings and Karen Flamme on order, along with Mile-A-Minute Quilts.

Liberated String Quilts is great!  I’ve already gleaned lots of ideas from this book.  I need to make a few notes so I can remember them later on. I can’t wait to get started on my next project now!

Just started looking at Liberated Quiltmaking this afternoon, but didn’t get too far before I  nodded off.  I’ll look at it some more tomorrow, but it looks it’s full of great ideas, too.

I was going to take some quilt pictures today, but just didn’t do it.  Oh well, tomorrow is another day, as Scarlett O’Hara says.  I need to walk up to the little quilt store in the Village tomorrow since they’re having a sale, so while I’m outside, I’ll pin the quilts to the line and snap away. I know, going into a fabric store when they’re having a sale is dangerous, but I’ve already decided the only thing I will buy is some Wonder Under and maybe a couple of yards of white material to dye.

Molly perched on the arm of the couch

I’ll close with this picture of Molly.  She was so funny last night.  While Andrew was gone,  I usually went to bed around 11:20, after watching the local news and weather.  Last night, of course, I was going to wait up for Andrew, so I didn’t go to bed like I usually do.  Poor Molly was just having a fit!  She started jumping up on the back of my recliner around 11:25 pm, and was obviously agitated over something.

I got up to see what her problem was, and she led me straight to the bedroom!  I told her we were going to stay up and wait for Daddy, but she wasn’t convinced.  She finally did settle into my lap for a bit before Andrew got home.  Poor kitty.

Moon peeking through the tree branches. Andrew took this one, don't know where or when.

My last post was about new beginnings.  Well, a new beginning is in progress around here.  No, I’m not pregnant!   I’m 55, and my baby days are through.  However, I’ve had an epiphany of sorts…

Machine quilting, at least with my current set-up, sucks!  No kidding, huh?  After spending three fun-filled days machine quilting “Barn Dance” and “Rail Fence,” change is definitely in the air.

First, crawling around on the floor pin-basting a quilt has got to be a recipe for a trip to the chiropractor.  When I’m done, either my knees hurt, or my back hurts,or my wrists hurt, or my neck hurts.  Or all of the above.  Plus I’m going to rip up that nasty old carpet next summer, and put in laminate flooring, so there won’t be anything to pin the quilts to in a few months.

Second, repeatedly horsing forty inches of quilt, batting, and backing through an eight-inch opening on a sewing machine  is REALLY not fun.  Also, it makes it very hard to have any semblance of control over the quilting, even if  your quilting is composed mostly of what is supposed to be reasonably straight lines.  I doubt my sewing machine enjoys this process much, either.  After all, this isn’t what she was built for.

Third, if my goal this year is stashbusting, I gotta get a lot faster at making these quilts.  Selling them is my eventual goal, but if they’re time sinks, making a living is impossible.

So, what are my options?  Investing in a machine quilting system?  I have considered this, but most of those systems are pretty pricey, and they’re geared towards people who want to do it as a business.

Paying someone to machine quilt donation quilts doesn’t seem too cost-effective, does it?

Soooo, what’s the answer?  Quilt-as-you-go, also known as QAYG.  This involves sewing the strips or pieces directly to the batting and backing that’s already cut into block-sized pieces.  I’ve tried this in the past, but having to join the blocks by hand is a long and time-consuming process.

I should have known that someone would come up with a way to join the blocks by machine.  Here is an excellent tutorial detailing how to do this.  Quick and easy!  I can’t wait to get started.

Most of the QAYG blocks I’ve seen involve strips.  This is good, but I want to do something different.  There will be a joining strip in between the blocks, so I need to take this into account and use it as a design feature.  I’ve been mulling this over, and I think I have come up with a design that will utilize some of the the nearly 200 four-inch squares I’ve got on hand.  I’m pretty excited to get started on this.

My fisherman is heading home today! I sure have missed my sweetie. (If you want to know, I think that's a king salmon on the left, a lake trout in the middle, and a coho salmon on the right.)

My big news is that my honey is on his way home today!  He may make it home tonight, if he feels up to driving through.  Today is a good travel day, as there’s nothing major on the radar between here and TN.

It’ll be good to have him home.  I’ve kept busy, so the week has passed reasonably quickly, but I’m ready for him to come home.

Found another quilt challenge.  This one is from Julie Bagamary, and it’s called More Blessed To Give.  She is challenging everyone to make one item a week to donate.  The best part about this one is that you don’t have to be a quilter.  No matter what you do, whether it’s knitting hats or crocheting blankets, or even making soap or jewelry, make one item a week to donate to a good cause.

Since I’ve been on a roll lately as far as stashbusting goes, I thought I would look for a local group here in the Upper Peninsula that might be able to use some quilts.  And I found the Marquette Women’s Center, a shelter for domestic violence victims.  I sent them an email this morning, and hope to hear back from them next week as to what size quilts would be best for them.  I have enough blocks on hand for probably two more lap or crib-sized quilts, so I can have a couple ready pretty quick.

I’ve  been working away on my Rail Fence quilt.  It may have looked easy, but I’ve had more trouble with this particular scrap quilt than I’ve had with any project in a long time.  Do you think I could keep my pattern straight?  Noooo-oooo.  I swear, I sewed things together backwards and upside-down, and I still think there’s a mistake in it someplace.

I pieced together a batting from leftover pieces that have been banging around in my closet forever.  That was a challenge, but I finally got it done.  Then when I started the machine quilting, I messed it up, and wound up having to pick out two LONG rows of stitches, diagonally across a 50″ by 60″ quilt!  Sigh.  At least they were long stitches.  I messed up on my second try, too, but this time I had enough sense to stop before I got too far.  More stitches to pick out.

The third time was the charm!  I think I may actually finish the quilting this morning, but I don’t want to be too sure of myself!  If I manage to finish it, then I’ll get a backing and batting together for my Barn Dance quilt, so I can get that one done as well.

Andrew is still in TN.  Now they’ve had an ice/snow storm down there.  Hope they still have power.  I haven’t heard from him since yesterday, so if he doesn’t call me, I’ll give him a buzz later to see how things are going there.

It’s been COLD here, in the single digits during the days, below zero at night.  I think the temperature might have struggled up to 11 degrees yesterday.  Since I was out of milk, bread, and half-and-half (essential to life around here), I got brave and bundled up in my long underwear and down coat (a Goodwill purchase in MN) and walked up to the store.  I have to say that the right clothes do make a difference!  The only part of me that got cold was my nose, and I pulled my scarf up to protect my face.

Molly looking cute

Still no camera, so I’ll close with this picture of Molly.  She loves to sit on the table and watch birds and squirrels out the back window.  She’s been a lot of company for me this week, although she thinks I should spend more time playing with her, and less time quilting!

Nora's Big Girl Quilt

While the Liberated Quilters have been having their virtual quilting  retreat yesterday and today, my own private retreat took  place over the weekend.  And it will continue this week, since my husband is headed for TN today.

I spent Saturday and Sunday basting and quilting and binding, and I have TWO quilts to show for it!  Here’s a picture of Nora’s big girl quilt.  I had to hang it sideways on the clothesline to keep it out of the snow.  (How many people do you know who wear snowshoes while taking pictures of their quilts?)  You can click on it for a close-up.

I wound up quilting it in a diagonal grid.  Since time was of the essence, I needed to something fast, and this worked out well.

Brody's quilt

Here’s the quilt for Andrew’s new grandson, whose name will be Brody.  I quilted it in a diagonal grid, too.  Not real original, but it looks good, and it’s finished!  This UFO had been banging around in my closet for a couple of years now, so I’m happy to have it done and on its way to its new home!

Andrew will be heading out shortly.  We’ve were concerned about the big snowstorm, but we think we have a route planned that misses most of it.  At least we put new tires on the truck last week, so that should help him if he does hit a lot of snow someplace.

Brody will hopefully be born tomorrow.  They’re inducing Jenny in the morning.  She wanted them to wait until Andrew was there, so that’s why he’s leaving today, even though the weather isn’t the best, instead of waiting til tomorrow.  So be sending good thoughts and wishes Jenny’s way!  And also for Andrew to have a safe trip.  (He has ankylosing spondylitis, and is a chronic pain patient, so these long trips are hard on him.)

My hubby will be gone for a week, so I intend to quilt my brains out!  The weather has turned off COLD, so I probably won’t be taking any real long hikes this week, unless I’m feeling especially brave.  The extent of my travels will probably be to walk up to the neighborhood grocery store for milk.  I stocked up on cat food and frozen dinners yesterday, so Molly and I are ready for our girls’ week together.

I want to quilt my Barn Dancing quilt, and get going on some more stashbusting quilts.  You’ll be happy to know that I actually went into a fabric store yesterday and didn’t buy anything but a quilt batting and a needle threader!  I practically had to cover my eyes and not look at anything in the store while I made a beeline to the batting area.  But I did it!  And I had a 30% off coupon, which made it even better!

Molly the watchcat

Molly was watching me out the window yesterday as I was taking pictures of the quilts.  She looked so cute that I couldn’t resist taking this picture!  Kinda makes up for when she gets up on the table and knocks everything in the floor!

Girly-girl quilt for Nora

Like most quilters, I have an amazing stash.  I’ve taken a vow not to buy any more material until I can make an appreciable dent in what I already have.  This was put to the test with a quilt I’m making for my step-granddaughter, Nora.

I never got around to making a baby quilt for Nora when she was born a year ago.  Since she’s 13 months old already, Granny decided to make her a  big-girl quilt instead.

I already had a bunch of four-patch units I’d made up using the leaders and enders technique from Quiltville.  I went through my stash of pinks (which wasn’t huge to start with; I’m not a pink person!), and cut them up into 4-1/2 inch squares.  I had to piece some of them!

And here’s the result!  It came out really cute.  I made it bigger, about 51″ by 60″ so Nora will be able to use it for quite a while before outgrowing it.  All the pinks really work well together with the scrappy four-patches.  It’s a really girly-girl quilt!

I cut extra pink squares because I had planned to sew them together for the backing, but I’ve changed my mind on this.  I’m racing the stork to finish this quilt, along with another one, so that Andrew can take them with him when he goes to TN to see his new grandson (when he’s born).  So I think I’ll find a bigger piece of material in my stash to use as a backing instead to save time.

The leftover pink squares will find a home in another quilt, probably a baby quilt to donate.  And I’ve still got plenty of the four-patch units left for another quilt, probably a second one for the Hopes and Dreams Quilt Challenge for ALS.

Little footprints in the snow

The weather has been quite pleasant lately, cold but sunny, so I’ve been getting out for walks in the afternoons.  When you sit in front of a sewing machine for hours, it’s good to get out for some exercise!

It was warm enough to walk along the beach yesterday, which is my favorite walk!

Here are some little animal tracks I found in the snow by the Coast Guard station.  I found the little hole where this critter lives,  and I followed his tracks as he meandered through the pine trees.  The little footprints cross here.  I think these were from a second critter, since they came from a different direction.  A friend or relative perhaps?  This made me think of a superhighway in the woods!

Well, I need to get busy.  I have to get a backing together, baste this quilt and a baby quilt, and get them machine quilted and bound.  So you know what I’ll be doing for the next couple of days!

Sarah’s quilt is nearing completion!  I just have one block left to quilt, and then three border sections.  Then I can bind it, and give it a much needed trip through the washer and drier before mailing it off to my baby.  Woo-hoo!  I’ll take pictures when it’s done so I can show it off.

So now the question is, what’s next?  I started a scrap quilt last year and made 30 blocks.  I’m somewhat challenged when it comes to making my blocks the same size.  No matter how carefully I cut and sew, they still seem to have a mind of their own!  The blocks were supposed to finish at six inches, but they range from five-and-a-half to five-and-seven-eighths.  Sigh.  This is why I love improvisational quilting so much!  No need to worry about this sort of thing!

The quilt from hell

I had tried sewing the blocks together into a top for a lap quilt, which was a bit of a challenge because of the size differences in the blocks.  I managed to get 25 of them sewn together, but I was disappointed in how it was coming out, so I abandoned it in my Closet Of No Return.

I was digging around in there the other day and unearthed it.  Since I hated the way the top looked, I spent a couple of hours in front of the TV taking it apart.  This isn’t a bad thing to do while watching NCIS reruns.  (Mark Harmon is a hottie, and Ziva David (Cote de Pablo) is one of my favorite TV characters, so I watch this show a LOT.)

OK, back to square one, or should I say block one?  I laid the blocks out in the floor and took a picture of them.  What should I do with them?  I could use them as the center of log-cabin type blocks and sew strips around the outside edges (like what I did with Sarah’s quilt).  This would make them bigger, and I could square them up, too.

Another option is to cut each block in half diagonally and add an inch-wide strip to the diagonal cut.  Then I could sew a half-square triangle to it, and make an entirely new block.  This would certainly tone them down a bit, especially if I used the same fabric for the new half-square triangles, while still keeping the diagonal movement.  After squaring them up, I could arrange them in a barn-raising pattern.

Or I could cut the blocks into quarter-square triangles, and make pinwheel blocks by sewing them to solid color half-square triangles.

Anybody have any other ideas?  Leave a comment, and let me know what you think!