New Bed Mate – Diagonal stitching on a Rocketeer

It’s not what you think!!!!!

I love my husband dearly.

It’s about my new diagonal stitch guide set up!

How many HSTs do you supose you make in a year?
When you consider every snowball [aka “stitch and flip”], plus every binding you do is the same corner to corner technique, it adds up to a lot.

Now, I realize many people have only one [gasp] sewing machine, but I have been blessed to find quite a few. Which is great because having a Butterfly brain, I often flit from project to project. Mostly because some projects get moved up into the que due to some event – like babies. Yeah, lets blame other people!

With my last project, I decided I needed a better diagonal seam sewing set up.

I tried to “finger press” a fold to follow, [unsuccessfully] but I ended up just drawing the line corner to corner. Then I decided I didn’t want to waste all those corners, so I sewed a 1/2″ away. You can see where I had to draw another line 1/2″ away from the first line of stitches. I use disappearing ink, so I have to sew quickly. This is probably why so many people toss these corners after clipping them.

Since my Rocketeer was handy, and I’d been doing my binding on it for awhile now, I decided to use that.  It’s really too awesome of a machine to completely dedicate it to such a menial task, plus having a top loading bobbin, I needed a way to make it removable, that wouldn’t take a bunch of time to set back up.
I already had “The Angler II” but it hangs over the bed of the machine, and you need to use the “key” to align the needle every time you place it on the bed. The bobbin lies under it, so we know what’s going to happen, right?
If I had the kind of patience required to line up the needle every time I changed the bobbin, I could just draw lines on every single piece I wanted to sew like everybody else.
but I am not like everybody else. When I get bored, I start thinking about ways to make my tasks simpler, or at least easier.

I got some cardboard, and traced around the bed. I included the back for more space for the pieces to land, and to make it a tight fit, so I wouldn’t have to line the needle up each time I used it. I then placed The Angler on the bed, and measured how far I wanted my Bed-Mate to extend, and gave that template to my wonderful husband. I can make stuff with wood, and have for years, but in my experience, men like to feel useful and loved, so I “let” him make me stuff.

After he made it, I used the key to line up the needle, and taped The Angler down with painters tape.

and you know what?

It’s as wonderful as I thought it would be!

Even sewing binding is easier.

When I ran out of bobbin thread, I simply removed the Bed-Mate by sliding it out, filled the bobbin, slid the Bed-Mate back into place, and alakazam! Back to sewing! Just like magic!

Not only does The Angler have diagonal stitch lines, it has 1/4 stitch lines on each side of the needle!
I added pink glo tape to get a half inch mark, for sewing the other side of Snowballs, and get some FREE HST’s.

The first project, and inspiration for this, was a lot of snoballs, and even though these were only made from 2.5 squares, I had to test it, I stitched another line a half inch away, and made tiny HST’s!

Really tiny HST’s

So tiny that I bought the 1.5 Bloc-Loc for them.

Cuz if you think I’m gonna try to line up the seams to trim all those tiny squares, . . . then it’s like you don’t know me at all!

Now what am I gonna do with all those tiny HST’s?

Well . . . another problem I seam to have is that I go to these all-day-sew events every couple of months. I love looking at other peoples projects, machines, fabrics, all of it.
but . . . I never know what to bring with me to sew. I often think as I go, sewing a bit, standing back and looking at it, stopping to do some figuring, having a look-see at my stash, check out my quilty friends on facebook, ect. All of which, I secretly fear would make me look like a lunatic to the other ladies at the sew-in. I need a project that is portable, and planned out, or at least that doesn’t require thinking.

I may have just the thing!

 

#Bedmate #TinyHSTs #WhatToDoWithTinyTriangles #Rocketeer #Singer500

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Bag Of Kisses

What do you do with 2 left over blocks?

Make a bag full of kisses of course!

This bag will hold the Baby Kisses Quilt when I gift it. Yeah, some people buy gift bags.

You will need 2 blocks, of course, some batting, backing, and some left over strips to make it bigger.
The poka dot sashing will actually be the sides when I stitch the bottom corners of the bag to make it square-ish.
3 strips for handles and trim for the top of the bag.
Scraps for a pocket.

I also used some HeatnBond, and some of that sticky stuff for applique since I bought a bolt of it before I discovered I don’t like it.

To start, I sashed the blocks, then quilted them with some extra orange fabric.

I squared the blocks to 19″x19″ and made a large pocket 19″ wide and 15″ tall, but I recommend only 14″ tall after having sewn it.

For the pocket, I used 2 more 10″ pieces of the fabric line that I didn’t use in the quilt, and added sashing to bring it out to the width of the bag pieces.

There are many ways to make a pocket, and for this one, I used heavy interfacing [to help the bag stand up] and made both sides pretty. Then I quilted it, and finish trimed both top and bottom eges.
Turns out I made mine about 1/2 inch too tall. 5 inches shorter than your bag blocks is best.
* If your machine can’t sew through the pocket, bag, and trim, then you want to sew the top and bottom of the two pieces right sides together, [like a tube] turn them wrong side in, press at the seams, insert your interfacing into the tube, then quilt it. This will eliminate the added finish trim pieces, and lessen the bulk.
*You could also make the pocket less wide, finish all 4 edges, and stitch it on the sides and bottom to the inside of the bag. Then you won’t have to stitch through both sides of the bag pieces and the pocket as well.

After adding trim to the bottom of the pocket,  I placed it 2″ above the bottom of the bag piece, on the inside sewed along the bottom of the pocket. The sides of the pocket get sewn along with the sides of the bag.  Then I zig zag the edges.  I could have trimmed the inside of the bag seams with binding after, but I didn’t. It’s just a simple bag, right?

 

After sewing the sides and bottom of the bag, I flattened out the corners, pinned and stitched across them to make the bottom square.

Handles – two 2.5″ strips cut 27″ long each.
I used a 1 inch strip of 2 sided sticky stuff [for applique] to stick down a 1″ strip of cotton quilt batting right down the middle. I hate that stuff, and am trying to use it up. I just don’t have the patience to peel the paper backing  that often.

Then I ironed over one side, and before ironing the other side, I turned the edge under about a quarter inch. Then I stitched down the middle with a decorative stitch plus once down each side with a straight stitch.

Trim piece for the top of the bag is also a 2 1/2″ strip.

With the bag right sides out, wrap the top trim around the bag, and mark where it meets. Then do a diagonal [or straight] seam to make a ring. Make it a tight fit because it will stretch when you sew it.

Press a 1/4 down on one side, and use a strip of HeatnBond [3/8 size] sliced in half [make it skinnier] tucked under, then press to make it stay.

Center and pin the handles on leaving an inch sticking up. Then place your trim ring on and pin it. Sew around the trim ring at 1/2 inch. Then zig zag around it to make the handles more secure.

With the bag inside out, turn the ring to outside, pin or clip it, and sew it around the top and then around the bottom edge, and if you do it right, the bottom stitch line should catch the bottom of the handles.

 

There’s a few things I would change when I make another one, but I like that I can quilt the outside to the lining and have a nice invisable handle attatchment.

I hated the thought of sewing the handles to the bag, and having those stitches visable. and if I made the pocket smaller, I could french seam the sides of the bag, too. but this one’s done, and I’ve moved on!

So that’s my tip on sewing a simple quilted bag without having the handles messing up the look of the quilted blocks.

#BagOfKisses

Baby Kisses Quilt

I started out with a quilt that looks like flowers in my mind and made a drawing in EQ.

I am sure this isn’t completely unique, but I called it Baby kisses, cuz it’s sweet, and has that X design often referred to as Kisses. Who doesn’t love kissing a baby?

MSQC fueled my imagination with a Daily Deal for a lovely 10″square pack with large florals by Snow Leopard Designs aka Philip Jacobs, who is one of the Kaffe Fasset Collective designers. There are colorways of both pinks and blues, and this was to be for twins. I planned on using Kona’s color of the year [Flamingo Pink] strip roll for the sashing. Easy, peasey.

When it arrived, the Flamingo just didn’t work. I continued on with the plan for the time being, and selected 12 pieces of each of the colorways I was to use.

I sliced them into four 5″ squares, and began snoballing them in 2 oposite corners.

I would think about the sashings later.

When the idea of different quilts occurred to me, I put this project aside to bring with me when I had an all day sew event to go to, and began making the twins very different quilts. I finished those last summer.

Oh well. Life goes on.

and new life begins. Another lady at work was due in Jan, so after my return from the Christmas party crashing at my Sisters, I got out the blocks I had started, and began some serious testing of my newly manufactured Bed-Mate.

My minds eye wanted poka dots with big floral prints. I love poka dots! They are just so bright and happy looking.

After all the snoballs were done, I sewed 24 of the poka dot pieces to pair up all the units.

There seemed to be too much pink, so I auditioned some other fabrics for the cornerstones and borders. I wanted lots of color, so I chose orange.

 

I sewed the remaining 24 poka dot pieces to each side of 2.5″ square orange pieces.

I sewed the pairs together to finish the blocks, and arranged them on my portable design wall.

I will use some more pink in with the sashing, and use up some FQ’s. I don’t know why I have so many. I rarely use them. I guess I liked this color when I bought 4 of them.

The quilting was a bit of stitch in the ditch, and a lot of serpentine. The serpentine stitch works well with the poka dots.

I don’t know what the baby’s room looks like, but I think I nailed every color!

 

The result was 41.5 wide by 52″ long.

The backing was a 1 1/2 yard cut of fabric. No seams, but no huge overhang either. That’s why I used only 2.5″ for the top and bottom borders.

The recipie:
12 Floral Layer Cake Pieces [or 10″ squares] cut into 4 – 5″ square pieces each [48 – 5″ squares total]
1/2 yard White background sliced into 6 -2.5″ WOF strips, then subcut into 96 – 2.5″ square pieces
1/2 yard Poka Dot sliced into 6 – 2.5″ WOF strips then subcut into 48 – 5″ long pieces
1 yard pink floral for sashing and binding. I used 4 FQ’s sliced into 2.5″ strips and pieced them diagonally end to end. Yes, even for the binding. I don’t use a lot of FQ’s [yet] and it was a way to get rid of them.
1/2 yard* of Orange sliced into:
3 – 3.5″ WOF strips for side borders.
2 – 2.5″ WOF strips for top and bottom border.
1 – 2.5″ WOF Strip subcut into 12 – 2.5″ square pieces
* The orange must be EXACTLY 18″ wide after squaring it up. If you’re a bit short, you can make your borders all 2.5″ or buy 5/8 yard.

One baby gets a kiss, and one UFO has moved on!

There is [if you’re counting] another colorway to be stitched up yet, and the units are all snoballed, just waiting on another amorous couple.

#KissTheBaby

 

 

Pre-Cut Yardage – How Charming!

Many people know that a jelly roll or strip pack contains about 3 yards of fabric. Even I know that I can cut 14 strips per yard, and that’s about it.

What if they don’t make a pre-cut in the collection you like? Or the collection you like is  sold out, or you only like some of the fabrics in the pre-cut collection? What if you are trying to reduce your stash, have a fabric you love already, and just want to cut your own to make that really cute pre-cut pattern? How much yardage do you need?

I have many, many precuts [all bought on sale of course] and many of them need background fabic. I know they make almost every Moda solid color in a layer Cake pack, but I happen to like my backgrounds to have a little bit of pattern to them. So because I hate doing that math more than once, here it is for everyone.

Pre-Cut Yardage Chart

Note: My calculations are based on 40″ of usable width.  Yardage inches are in [parentheses] so you can see how close you are – add more for uneven edges, mistakes and the occasional “clean up” edge cutting after several cuts.

Layer Cake pieces – 10″ Squares

4 pieces = 10″
8 pieces = 20″
12 pieces = 30″ – 1 yard [36″]
16 pieces = 40″
20 pieces = 50″
24 pieces = 60″
28 pieces = 70″ – 2 yards [72″]
32 pieces = 80″
36 pieces = 90″
40 pieces = 100″ – 3 yards [108″]
44 pieces = 110″
48 pieces = 120″
52 pieces = 130″
56 pieces = 140″ – 4 yards [144″]
60 pieces = 150″

Charm pieces – 5″ Squares

8 pieces = 5″
16 pieces = 10″
24 pieces = 15″
32 pieces = 20″
40 pieces = 25″
48 pieces = 30″
56 pieces = 35″ – 1 yard [36″]
64 pieces = 40″
72 pieces = 45″
80 pieces = 50″
88 pieces = 55″
96 pieces = 60″
104 pieces = 65″
112 pieces = 70″ – 2 yards [72″]
120 pieces = 75″
128 pieces = 80″
136 pieces = 85″
144 pieces = 90″
152 pieces = 95″
160 pieces = 100″
168 pieces = 105″ – 3 yards [108″]
176 pieces = 110″

Mini Charms or 2.5″ squares

17 pieces from 1 strip = 2.5″
34 pieces from 2 strips = 5″
51 pieces from 3 strips = 7.5″
68 pieces from 4 strips – 10″
85 pieces from 5 strips = 12.5″
102 pieces from 6 strips = 15″
119 pieces from 7 strips = 17.5″ – 1/2 yard [18″]
136 pieces from 8 strips – 20″
153 pieces from 9 strips = 22.5″
170 pieces from 10 strips = 25″
187 pieces from 11 strips = 27.5″
204 pieces from 12 strips – 30″
221 pieces from 13 strips = 32.5″
238 pieces from 14 strips = 35″ – 1 yard [36″]
I hope you never need more than 238 pieces, but if you do, you can use the Jelly roll chart below, and just know that you’ll get 17 pieces from each strip.

 

Jelly roll pieces or 2.5″ strips

1 strip = 2.5″
2 strips = 5″
3 strips = 7.5″
4 strips – 10″
5 strips = 12.5″
6 strips = 15″
7 strips = 17.5″ – 1/2 yard [18″]
8 strips – 20″
9 strips = 22.5″
10 strips = 25″
11 strips = 27.5″
12 strips – 30″
13 strips = 32.5″
14 strips = 35″ – 1 yard [36″]
15 strips = 37.5″
16 strips = 40″
17 strips = 42.5″
18 strips – 45″
19 strips = 47.5″
20 strips = 50″
21 strips = 52.5″ – 1 1/2 yards [54″]
22 strips – 55″
23 strips = 57.5″
24 strips = 60″
25 strips = 62.5″
26 strips – 65″
27 strips = 67.5″
28 strips = 70″ – 2 yards [72″]
29 strips = 72.5″
30 strips = 75″
31 strips = 77.5″
32 strips – 80″
33 strips = 82.5″
34 strips = 85″
35 strips = 87.5″
36 strips – 90″ – 2 1/2 yards [90″]
37 strips = 92.5″
38 strips = 95″
39 strips = 97.5″
40 strips – 100″
41 strips = 102.5″
42 strips = 105″ – 3 yards [108″]

 

Now, again I want to emphasize to buy a bit more than you need because you will have to clean up your edges first, and then again every so often, and we all make mistakes.

Yes, I dug out some of my stash for a photo op cuz it’s pretty, and after doing all that math, I needed something pretty to look at.

#PreCutYardageChart #HowManyYardsDoINeed?

 

 

Starburst Unsquared

A few things got me excited this week.

Not because it was -15  degrees on one day, 55 degrees the next, and 20 degrees with brisk winds and snow today. Nope, not that kind of excitement. Something about harsh weather that relieves you of responsability, and frees you up to play. Work was slow and I only had to work my 4 ten hour days, then off to stay in my jammies for the next 3.

I got to play with my new Tula Pink Rotary Cutter. I like it, and it’s pretty!

I got yet another 36×60 cutting mat. I now have 3 of them lined up under my bedroom rug to make a 60×108 cutting surface. I normally used two of them together to square up quilts after quilting and before binding, but I’ve been wanting to add another, and of course I had a coupon.

My local Quilt shop got in some Kaffe! It’s not a HUGE selection BUT they had the very one I needed 3 more yards of, for my OBW!

There has been a sudden intrest in my Jenny’s Starburst Quilt Enlarged layout post, and a request for directions make a rectangular one.  For a little added fun,  I did 3 Starburst Unsquared layouts in Kaffe! I updated the page, so they’d all be in one spot.

Enjoy!

#StarburstUnsquared

2017 Recap – Happy New Year!

One year ago today, I started a new job that would give me more time to tickle my creative fancy.
I am in several FB quilting groups, and have seen women who have made dozens of quilts in one year, and a few who have made one quilt in a dozen years. I don’t know how either of those people did it, but I chose not to be intimidated by them. It’s not a race. It’s a journey – and what a journey I’ve had!
Lets see, I have made 11 quilts, all but one [Sunbonnet Sue] of which I gifted.

An Exploding Block quilt for Hubbys Grand Daughter

Minne Mouse baby quilt made from Strip sets.

A pinwheel with crosses quilt made entirely from remnants for a special lady

Same strip sets made with same fabrics resulting in very different quilts for a set of twins:

I call this one “Stripped Pin wheel”

and  this modified Arkansas Traveler which is NOT paper pieced.

When a hurricane hit Texas, myself and some others sent quilts. Patriotic ones went to the first responders, and other designs were to be handed out as the first responders saw fit.

Rhombus Star

S block, and “Bob and Weave”

Finally Sunbonnet Sue has a home in my quilt as well as my heart

I rushed to make 2 more to gift for Christmas.

[This is what quilting flowers on a stack and whack with a domestic machine looks like]

Of course I stitched in the ditch everywhere else.

In addition to the quilts, I made . . .

A dish drying mat

A cat trap [to keep her off my fabric]

When things got heated this summer, I made 2 sets of “Don’t Call Me A Hot Head” insulated curtains

and sleeveless top made from leftovers

I designed [and had my husband make] a thread stand that beats that plastic one all to heck, with it’s 3 spool holder and pre-tension for when you need a little more control. and of course you don’t have to unthread your machine to wind bobins!

I also designed [and had my husband make] a “Bed Mate” for my Rocketeer that holds my diagonal sewing guide [The Angler], so when I sew diagonally, I don’t have the draw the lines, and when I change the bobbin, I don’t have to line the needle back up with the guide.

I figured out the best way to make Frankenbatts – hint: it’s not the zig zag stitch.

I got better at sandwiching [still looks like a Crime Scene but I’m quicker now] and binding.

Plus signed up for the Sew Sampler monthly box which gave me all sorts of ideas and gadgets to try this past year.

but the best thing about that whole year was I got to spend Christmas with my Sister and Mother for the first time in about 30 years! We weren’t mad at each other, well not really, but they had moved out of the state we all started out in, and we often went years without seeing each other. I have “a thing” – If you move away from me, I am not obligated to visit you, and if you want to see me, you have to come to me. Of course I don’t enforce it – as I hate the “critical cleaning” one must do in order to give the impression we live in a “Better Homes and Gardens” competition home.
This year I didn’t clean much, but not because of working 80 hrs a week this time. Nope because it was my year of selfish indulgence. Oh sure, I did things for others, it’s just in my nature, but I got to do more of “my stuff” and I ended it with a lot of doing for others, which is a kind of self indulgence in a way because it’s makes one feel good.
I traveled – not for Christmas to see my Mom and Sis, but ON Christmas to see my Mom and Sis. Yep I was at the airport on Christmas day. My mom had a health scare and didn’t come to my state this fall like she usually does, so she decided to visit my sister for Christmas. I decided to crash that party. The plane tickets were crazy expensive  but spending Christmas with Mom and Sis was priceless. I had started a quilt when I had bronchitus that I had found pre-cut in a bag of scraps gifted to me by a quilty neighbor, and the more I worked on it, the more I felt like it belonged to my Sister’s Daughter. I was right – she loved it and it was her colors. After buying the plane tickets, I went balls to the wall to finish it plus a quilted table cloth for my sisters Christmas table setting.

I wasn’t alone, though. I had my husband make about 50 pounds of pork sausage, 30lbs of which I brought with us  in an insulated bag inside another insulated bag as my carry on.
Our plane was so late that we arrived 8 pm instead of the 8 am it was suposed to, and the table was already cleared of the dinner we missed, so before taking my bag upstairs while they made up our dinner plates, I said “Wait!” and pulled the table cloth out of my bag and said “This is for you” as gaudy as I knew it would be considering her taste, I tossed it on the table and it fit perfectly.
Her taste in decor had been altered due to the passing of her husbands mother, and the home was now sprinkled with antique glass – something my sister never showed and intrest in – and since I used to sell antique glass on ebay for about 10 years, I recognised many of the pieces. but more than that I realised this was the first Christmas that my Sis and her Hubby weren’t having with his parents. They had both passed away, one at a time that year, and they had always spent Christmas with them.
So my Mom’s visit and my party crashing actually served as a distraction for what would have otherwise been a notable void in the festivities. If they thought there would only be 4 of them this year, they were mistaken.

So, did I finish everything I started this year? Not quite, but I finished the important stuff.
People are important.
Hug your loved ones!

PS, if you can’t be there to hug them, you know what to do – make them a quilt!

I can’t wait to see what 2018 brings!

#WhatchaGot2018! #HugYourLovedOnes

Merry Christmas!

Just a quick note, to say Merry Christmas!

The pattern “Interweave” can be found in Georgia Bonesteel’s Bright Ideas book.

If you do buy the book to make this pattern, you may want to know I used 21″ squares  where she uses 25″ because 21″ cuts nicer with less waste or at least leaves a more usable size of  left overs. [Her way leaves aprox. 17″  leftover after cutting the 25″ vs My way which leaves 21″ left over which I used, so it’s not a leftover] I also used 2 1/2″ strips because I have a tool for those [when you have an awesome  hammer, everything looks like a nail], and those left overs are also more usable. With 3 borders of  2 1/2″ strips, mine came out to 61 1/2″ square before washing.

I had been ill since Thanksgiving, plus worked a bunch of overtime, so everything got delayed.

but Sunbonnet Sue is finally home!

Of course I made a complicated border!

and my tablet died, so I had to get a new one. I haven’t worked out the bugs to accurately show the colors.

I used 2 layers of 100% cotton batting with a 30’s print flannel backing

and quilted around all the diamonds in the border.

I feel better now, and would love to wish you all the best holiday ever.

Hug your loved ones!

 

 

I want what I want – Color Story

Few things are sew humbling as ripping out stitches.
I wasn’t going to blog this because it’s a fail, and who wants to share their failures?
Then, I realised that some people need to see others failures to learn from it, or maybe just feel like they are not alone when they fail.

I was once at an all day sew, and a lady was making a jelly roll race quilt. You know the one when you sew all 42 strips end to end and then take the two ends of the really long strips and sew them together, and on and on? Well, this lady sewed her first two strips right side to wrong side. About 1600 inches of stitches had to be undone.

I kept this in mind as I unstitched the quilt top I had just finished.
Oh yeah, I said “Finished” but in reality I hadn’t added the borders yet.
Here’s my “OCD much?” story:

 

 

I have been wanting to make a nice lap quilt out of the Sunbonnet Sue blocks I got about 5 years ago. They are all wonderfully hand turned, and I bought them from a lady at her garage sale. She had made them many years ago, and sashed them, but gave up on it. I also bought some of her oil lamps, which I love. She may never know that part of her legacy will be with me in those oil lamps and this quilt – if I ever get it done.
I removed the sashing because I wanted the quilt to be bigger.
On and off for 5 years, I have thought about how to make a quilt out of these blocks.
EQ7 allowed me to make all kinds of alternating blocks, and see them before sewing them.
I finally decide on a block that would complement all the Sue’s, then moved on to the fabric selection.

Oh the fabric selection!!!
Of course I needed 30’s prints, and I auditioned many. I ended up chosing primary colors, because I like them. Yes, not many primary colors in 30’s prints, so what I really wanted was tiny prints, and I don’t care what era they are from.
Yellow was the hardest. I went to my local quilt shop for it, and couldn’t find a suitable small print yellow, but found a darling green with little yellow flowers in it, and a turquoise I couldn’t say ‘no’ to. I bought 2 yard of the darling green, and 1 yard of thr turquoise, then later bought another yard of each incase I wanted them for borders.
I started piecing the alternate blocks, and was fine until I got to the part where I would snoball all the Sue’s with . . . what color? I cut so many possible squares to audition that I could make a whole ‘nother quilt out of them. and I’d have to, because they are 2 3/4″ square and I sure ain’t cutting all those blocks down to a more usable 2 1/2″
I was back to needing yellow. What I had in mind, and the stores, nor my stash would indulge me, was a yellow with a bit of red in it.
So, I finally just picked a tone on tone yellow out of my stash and snoballed all the Sues, then sewed the whole top together. It was pretty nice looking.

 

 

 

 

Then on my way home from work Sat., oh did I mention I was stupid enough to volunteer to work saturday? Why, yes, yes, I was. but there is pretty fabric calling my name . . . .
I decide to double the batting, and to be cheap, I will get a king size piece, and use my coupon. It was already half off, but with a $20 off a $60 purchase coupon, I could increase my savings.
It was there, at a store I’d been to many times, that I found my yellow print.
Oh damn.

I bought it, and the 30’s print flannel backing, and it was probably my slowest drive home.

Sew, while I sit here removing stitches,  lets explore the may ways stitches can be removed, shall we?

There’s the “pick and pull” which I almost always start with.
It is the most gentle, yet the most time consuming, but it does leave the pieces clean, and ready to be resewn.

Then for speed, I move on to the “Pull and Poke” where you pull apart the layers, and poke the threads with your seam ripper. One pull after a poke will get you several stitches farther than the pick and pull.

If you place your elbow on the fabric at the edge of a table, you can undo a 45″ row of stiches in about 10 minutes. Good to know, right?

or the even faster, but more dangerous “Spread and Slice” which is like the pull and poke but uses a blade to slice through the threads. If at least one of the fabrics is expendable, you may consider it – at your own peril.

 

They make a tool for this, but I prefer my #2 size exacto.

Most of these leave messy edges.

 

While I am on this subject, do you know what that ball on one end of all the traditional seam rippers is for? It’s to put down in the seam to be able to push with the pointy part sticking up so it doesn’t catch on the fabric. I don’t trust it. I put the pointy part down to pull up the threads I am removing, so that I can see it isn’t catching the fabric.

 

and then I caught a miserable cold, no actually brochitus, which lasts weeks, so things moved very slowly.

Finally, all 48 little triangles have been carefully seperated, and replaced with the better yellow, and now I have moved on to obsessing about the borders . . . .

 

#RIP #SunBonnetSue #AlmostHome

Texas Gets More Love

My  Texas Gets Red Bandanas – and some love quilt was sew much fun that I had to do it again. and again.

“Bob and Weave” seemed like it  wanted a yellow binding,

with a geometric backing.

Stitched in the ditch of course

with a little top stitching on the background to sweeten it up a bit.

The plaid S Block is a Man’s quilt! Ladies and children can enjoy it too, possibly reminding them of their dear ol Dad?

Not a huge fan of pieced backings – unless it looks like it was done on purpose – which this was. The navy has a very nice – soft, yet sturdy – hand to it, and I gave it a cuddle before taking it my friend’s to send.

Straight line stitching in the ditch, where there was one. I first used Navy thread in the bobbin, and after stitching all the lines that had the navy on the backside, I switched to a tan, and then did all those.

Here is our  latest shipment. Both husbands are holding them sideways, but Sue and I, aren’t saying a word.

A Fire Chief gets some love . . .

#BobandWeave #Sblock #QuiltsForTexas

OMG challenge x3

So, here it is, time for the One Monthly Goal again, and this time I am making it in, under the wire.
Sept 2nd, I endeavered to make 3 quilts for Texas. I finished one, and started the other two, and then we have had to work every stinkin Fri to date.

I did a couple things unusual for me: I used a pattern, and I did not alter it. AND I used a good Jelly roll! * Gasp*

Yes I,
#1, successfully resisted the urge to alter a pattern.
#2, opened up the “Hop, Skip and a Jump” Jelly roll by Moda, and recklessly used it!

I know some of you were waiting to see what I would do with some of my “over 50” Jelly rolls, and if I would use any “good ones” since all my previous posts were using up the ugly ones . . .

Of course being me, I did make a very modern design out of 30’s prints, because it’s just my nature to go against the common grain.

Bob and Weave is being quilted right now.

S Block [not M block]  which I did alter, to use only 3 sizes of 2.5″ strips. All done in plaids.

S block is quilted, and awaiting binding. Only the top is shown here. I got creative with the back, which will be shown in another post, since I have only until midnight to get the OMG post done, and I got obligated, through no fault of my own, to go to a birthday party tonight.

and here is one of the [12] Sunbonnet Sue blocks I bought 5 years ago at a garage sale from a sweet lady who made them. She is needle turned applique, and I’ve been wanting to give her a home for quite some time now. I finally designed and started making the blocks that would show her off and result in a nice size quilt to wrap myself up in.

She got shelved back in September, when I embarked on the Quilts for Texas project. Not knowing  who these would go to, I made one patriotic, and wanted to make one girly, and one manly. As soon as those are finished, I will resume these blocks, and Sunbonnet Sue will take her rightful place in my lap – by the end of October!

At least that is my goal. Can I do it? Even if I have to work every stinkin Fri?

The good news is that all Fridays are overtime, and we know what that means . . .  MPF!

More Pretty Fabric!

PS I still have over 50 Jelly rolls because a Kaffe Fasset one went on sale, and I never pass up a Kaffe precut at 50% off.

#OneMonthlyGoal #QuiltsForTexas #MorePrettyFabric