Quilt for Sweetie

Earlier this summer, right around the fourth of July, I started to get the itch to make another quilt.  This time a shirt stripe box quilt.  Or some riff on that idea.

I sourced fabrics from three different shops because no one seemed to have all of what I was looking for.  So annoying, because don't they know it's all about me? I mean, come on people!

And if I were a better blogger I would have posted daily with my progress.  With lovely snaps and witty commentary.  My lovely pile of fabrics.  Little pieces and blocks along the way. Ha! 

But unlike a hundred other projects I've begun this year.  I finished it!  How utterly astonishing is that?

We (me and the sweetie) went to Fisherman's Terminal to take a few snaps on a hazy morning in August.

This is a working terminal.  Not too many pleasure boats here.  It was very nice of the heron to pose for me.

And the back of the quilt.  A smidge less busy than the front.

I used a combination of linen, ticking, shirting, dress, and quilting fabrics on the front. 

I took over the floor in the sweetie's office laying this out for the better part of a month.  He carefully tiptoed around it as it grew larger and larger.

And looking at it everyday, he decided he liked this one and asked if it could be his.  Not one of the pile of all purpose quilts lying around the house for anyone to use.  His.

Of course!  It is just the right size to wrap up in to sit at the computer, read a book, or take a little snooze.

Ta dah...the sweetie's quilt.  And wasn't it nice of him to hold it over his head until the blood drained from his arms for the countless photos I took!  You betcha.

Chair Covers - Part 4

This never fails.  I have a plan.  Let's call it Plan A.  And in my mind it's wonderful - sometimes for a few minutes, even sometimes for a couple of days.  Then there's a new thought that creeps in and before you know it, there's Plan B.  I love Plan B.  It's better than Plan A.  And then another thought or suggestion creeps in... and you can see where this is going, right?

I am still working on seat covers for the dining room chairs, but the plan seems to have changed a tiny bit.  Here's the first image (which is right in line with my original sketch).

Then the Sweetie says, "Are you goin' to make them all the same?" 

"Sure.  This is what I sketched out, remember?  It's mimicking the wallpaper. Remember?"  Little did I know that the Plan B seed had been planted.  Sneaky little bugger.

I began to lay out the leaves for the second seat cover... and I start to think, "It might be boring to work on this project if all of them are the same."  Whammo!  Plan B!

Plan B was all sandwiched together and I begin the third.   "Hmm, should I do two patterns or three?    I have two different chair styles so two patterns would work.  Or... I have six chairs.  There could be two of each if I do three patterns."  KaPow!!  Plan C!

Now you know that can't be the end of the story.

Plan D.  Bamm!

Plan E.  Zammo!  (I have no idea why Blogger has decided this image should be Portrait rather than Landscape.)

Plan F.  Crash!

I may need a cocktail when I finish quilting Plan F.  This one certainly has more twiddly, fiddly little pieces than the others.  And none of the pieces connect.  Heck, I might need one just for cutting out all of those twiddly, fiddly pieces.

Now should anyone ask why I have six different chair covers I will reply, with my readers low on my nose, "I decided to explore the pattern possibilities using a simple shape and two colors.  They are simple repeats, based on the original idea of 'wallpaper'."   Gah!  What a snob! 

But we will all know the true answer is has more to do with the power of suggestion, a short attention span, and boredom with Plan A.

Chair Covers - Part 3

So I got to thinkin'.  Perhaps I should try machine applique before I cut out a gazillion leaves.  Some times a tiny voice of reason sneaks in over the din.

I had some scrap squares from a recent project.  I thought I could make a quick drink coaster.

Here's the front;

And the back.  All of the directions I've read, say to go over the applique piece two or three time.

How about a close up view?   Not so good.  Thank goodness this is a practice piece.

My first attempt.  My stitching is all over the place!

My last attempt.  Things are starting to improve a little.

I think this is going to take a little more practice before I begin on chair covers. 

A set of Wonky drink coasters anyone?

Chair Covers - Part 2

One focus of this blog (aside from being a socially acceptable means to talk to myself) is to try new things.

For the chair project I am using batiks, khaki, and machine applique.

Many fabric stores have big sections devoted to batiks.  Lot of quilters are devoted to these fabrics.  Until now, they really have not called my name as I walk past.  But here's what I have recently learned.  They are a tight weave.  They hardly fray at all in the wash.  No, snarly gob of threads at the cut ends!  They appear to be the same on the front and back unlike most print fabrics.  Hmmm, all of these folks have figured something out and I am just late to the party.  Typical.  A blue and green found their way home with me from the shop.

Next, I am using khaki.  Not one of my go-to colors - which is blue, for all things.  I'm not even sure I own a pair of khaki colored pants - or if I do, they don't fit.  But this Carolina Chambray was just the right color for the dining room.  I'm game, I guess.  I was cautioned that this fabric does fray and I would be wise to do a quick fold over hem to keep that under control.  Good advice.  I will also zigzag around each piece before I start quilting as this is my base fabric.

Next, I've been wanting to try machine applique.  I've been eyeing some of the cool quilts and pillows at the Don't Look Now blog.  She is a master at this style of quilting and her stuff is seriously cute.  She offers a tutorial on her blog, but I was chicken to start this technique on a big project.  A chair cover is not big, so it seemed like just the right sized project 

Next, I had to lay out my design and figure out how many leaves I would need to applique.  Um about a gazillion.  No, seriously.  By my math, there are 96 leaves per chair, time six chairs.  I think I may be ready to be institutionalized at the end of this project!

Check in for the next installment for the answer to "Is she working from home or the local funny farm?"  I can assure you the Sweetie thinks I should already be tucked into the funny farm!

New Quilting Project - Chair Covers

Hi.  Me again.

I've recently begun a new project to create seat covers for the dining room.  When the Sweetie asked if they should be called chair cushions.  I said, "Sure, but I'm not sure how much cushion there is."  The Sweetie is skinny and may be looking for cushions.

We have ladder back chairs we purchased shortly after we moved into our house 20+ years ago.  They have rush seats, which is essentially twisted grass.  Surprisingly, they lasted 20 years.  But after the Kidlet, cats, many dinners, and years of homework at the dining room table, they were starting to wear out.  It would be really bad to have someone fall through (pause to visualize), so we had them re-rushed (not sure that's a word, but I'm goin' with it).  The cost to have them repaired was nearly as expensive as the original purchase. Yikes!  I have no plans to do that again any time soon.

Yes, we know we have two different chair styles.  Our decorating style can (ahem) be best described as eclectic. But I digress.  Hey, but don't those  new rush seats look nice!

The Unusually Helpful Helpers (Jupiter and Max) discovered shortly after the chairs returned from the shop that these were fantastic scratching posts.  I just don't think so.  Our short term remedy (um, nearly a year now) was to place old napkins over the chairs.  Presto!  This worked.  The Unusually Helpful Helpers weren't interested in them once the rush was covered.

The napkin trick worked, but once you leave the table they frequently look like this:

And more frequently like this:

Not exactly projecting the swanky high class establishment vibe we've been going for.  Just kiddin'.  

So I drew up a design (I just love graph paper!), which is loosely styled after the wallpaper above the chair rail.  I calculated the yardage needed. 

And head off to the fabric store where these lovelies were just waiting for me to pick up and take home.  Funny how fabric just jumps into your handbag!

I'll keep you posted on my progress.

Pluggin' Away

I am pluggin' away again on the City Tracks (with a link to the blog) quilt.  I have taken over the dining room while the Kidlet is home. 

I pieced together a back.  The primary color is black.  The batting is a bamboo/cotton blend.  (More on the materials when I finish the project.)  And of course the pieced top.  I am doing straight line quilting this time using two variegated threads.  I thought they might look cool on the back.  I haven't decided if I like it or not.

Perhaps I should caveat a few things.  I have love/hate relationships with my projects. 

I love the project that lives in my minds eye.  It is perfect. 

I love the pattern - if I draw one out.  My projects frequently never make it that far. 

I love the fabric once selected.  Stacked together I think they are gorgeous. 

Things are generally good in the piecing process. 

Laying out the quilt can go either way - love or, well not usually hate, but often less in love. 

Sewing the blocks together  - not love.  At this point I begin to have serious doubts. 

I love pieced backs.  They are made from left over pieces or fabrics from the front.  The pattern is much simpler, usually high contrast. 

Quilting - again, I love the picture in my mind's eye.  The process, not so much as this is a point where doubt begins to creep in again. 

I enjoy binding.  Don't ask me why, it makes no sense, I just do. 

Then a little bit of clean up - stray threads, burying start/stop points.  Finally, the finished project and I am back in love.

So this current project is right on target in the love/hate cycle.  I adjusted the quilting pattern a bit as the un-quilted center of each block seemed too large.  I wasn't sure how well it would hold up to wear and washings in the long term.  Added additional rows a bit off center.  I'm not certain I'm finished with this idea yet.



I love the high contrast of the back but I'm not going to reveal all of my secrets just yet. The thread color is showing off the quilting pattern nicely, but I'm not sure about it being variegated.  The trying new things part of this is fun though. 

I may have also reached the limits of my point and shoot camera.  This may also be factoring into the love/hate quotient.  Even after fussing with the settings this image is not accurately reflecting the depth of color in the backing fabric.  It is a rich, deep black.  Flash on.  Flash off.  Natural light. Overhead light.  Low light setting.  Indoor light setting.  Auto setting.  Nothing seems to capture it just right.  I even read the manual. Of course, the grey Northwest day would not be a contributing factor.  Of course not.

 
The batting is creating fuzzies everywhere.  Perhaps this always happens and I am only noticing it on dark, solid colored fabrics.  I ran the lint roller over this before I snapped my pic.  This is not a quilt for a home with a cat named Snowball.  Just sayin'.

Pluggin' away...  I hope to have it finished yet this weekend so I can photograph it.  This is a two person quilt - too big for just the Sweetie.  I have checked with the Kidlet and he is willing to help hold the quilt for it's big reveal and he helped with some location ideas.  There is a deadline as he needs to head back to school no later than Sunday.  Monday, the new quarter begins.  It has been nice to have him around.  We might not see him again until June.  That seems like such a long time.

Maui

Life's a beach.

Several months ago the sweetie booked a trip to Maui.  The trip has finally arrived.  We have been to Hawaii several times visiting most islands (except Molokai and Lanai).  It's been a few years since we were last here and I can tell you it's as wonderful as always.

The first couple of days were rainy.  No worries, because there are a lot of things to do in the rain.  Besides 75 to 80 degrees in the rain is so much better than the weather on much of the northern mainland.  No complaints here.

View from just outside where we are staying looking over to Molokai.

The 'Magic Bus' at a swap meet.  It was more Farmers Market, Craft Fair than real Swap Meet. 

There are more and more 'wild' chickens and roosters on Maui.  Not nearly as many as on Kaui, but more than years past.  We even saw them at the rental car place.



I'll post the name of this location as soon as I find it.  Don't happen to have it at my finger tips as I sit in this deck chair.  Rough life. ('Iao Needle)  There was a famous battle fought here.

The clouds parted just long enough for this fabulous sunset taken from our room.

I finished the City Tracks quilt top before I left home, but I can post pics any time.  I also finished the Japanese Flower Scarf - yesterday.  Still need to take pictures.

I will post about all of the whales around the islands when I have some photos.  You can see them playing with their new babies and the boys showing off trying to attract girls right from the beach.  Pretty amazing.

Aloha!

City Tracks Quilt

The City Tracks quilt is coming along.  I laid it out yesterday and man alive it's bright.  Much brighter than I anticipated.  Don't know why really - especially since I have a coat in the same color which I love.  Perhaps it's a scale thing.  My coat does not take up as much real estate on the living room floor.  Yes, I vacuumed first - grudgingly.

I like the layout.  I walked around it.  Squinted my eyes looking for color gaps.  Looked at it upside down and sideways.  I walked away and revisited it again.  Did I tell you how bright it is?  Once I settle on the layout I use little bits of painters tape to label the columns with a little arrow indicating which way is up.  I have screwed up the piece directions in the past.  This is followed by long sessions ripping out seams, muttering under my breath the entire time.  Best not to repeat that fabulous experience if it can be avoided.  Just sayin'.

It's trimming time.  No matter how carefully I cut the original pieces or stitch them together I need to true them back up before I run them into long rows.  I made a quilt for the Kidlet's birthday recently and didn't trim.  What a big mistake.  Nothing matched up - no nice seams coming together (wait for it) seamlessly.  By my original calculations it should have worked out perfectly.  D'oh!  I did figure out a solution but it resulted in a different quilt than what I originally had in mind.  Still all good, just different.  The Kidlet said he liked it and it matches his sheets at school.  Whew!

The City Tracks quilt is designed to result in 6.5" pieced blocks.  I wished I had cut my strips a smidge larger so I would have room to trim.   I am now trimming to 6" which will result in 5.5" finished blocks (see above paragraph).

I have my fingers crossed that there will be a finished quilt top by the end of the weekend.  In the back of my mind though, I know I am completely delusional.  It always takes longer than anticipated. 

Changing topics.  The snow 'event' turned out to be a non-event.  Great news really - at least in the Seattle area.  A couple inches of snow, no wind storm, no thundersnow (bummer).  Once the snow finished falling, a blast of cold air came through and it has been really cold (from a Seattle perspective anyway) for the last couple of days. 

I have my fingers crossed that all those new shoots and flowers I photographed last week have not been nipped by the cold.

So Close

Sometimes the karma gods do not smile in your direction.  Ever have days like that?

I was zooming along on my free motion quilting project.  I had just over a quarter or so yet to go when Kablamo!  My shiny new free motion quilting foot broke - the one I had purchased just a couple of days ago.  The little metal thingy that rests on the needle screw broke in half.

So I take it back to the store.  Wouldn't you know it, that was the only one they had in stock.   Karma.  They need to email other stores in the area to see if one is available.

The nice young women assisting me asks if I brought in my machine.  Karma whammo.  No I did not.  "Well,' she says, 'if you bring in your machine we can see if another foot might fit."

Back home.  Pack up the machine.  Back to the store.  The same young women helps me again, trying on a number of different shanks, feet, and what nots.  Alas, the only one that fits is the one that broke.  It's special order time (karma), if none of the other stores has one in stock.  They will call me.

I have a Husqvarna 150E.  Not known to be a high powered quilting machine.  It is nearly 22 years old and has seen it's share of use.  I'm not ready to give it up just yet.  I'd need to research and test drive new machines and figure out a way to justify the expense to the Sweetie (who is beginning to think this is a very expensive hobby).  Also, this one was a wedding present.  It has sentimental value and works reliably much of the time.  I guess though, it is becoming increasingly difficult to locate parts and accessories 'for these older machines'.

"Older!?  What does that make me!?", she says is her most outraged, indignant voice.

Arrgghh!  I was so close to finishing.  And now I am so disappointed.  Karma.

The silver lining is I had cut out pieces for the City Tracks quilt, by Cherri House, yesterday.  This quilt in her new book, City Quilts, is variations on red, black and some purples.  My fabric selection is more in the blues.  I love the simple almost Amish quality to a number of quilts in her book.  For me the blues fit into that aesthetic.

I'm not sure if the apple green or yellow work just yet.  (I just love apple green.)  I'll just have to see how it plays out.  I think I might have lunch and test the patience of the karma gods with this new project....

A New Free Motion Quilting Foot

I have a new toy!  I am so excited - a new darning foot for my sewing machine.  No big deal, except that my machine was a wedding present oh so long ago and some accessories can be a little challenging to hunt down.

This was my third attempt.  I'm not a huge Internet shopper for stuff like this.  One, I want instant gratification - I had a top all sandwiched together and ready to go after all.  And two, I wanted to know it would fit, and work.  I finally had to take my machine into the shop and try on various accessories.  Almost as good as shoe shopping.  Almost.

I also purchased a walking foot, but need to see if we can track down a longer shank screw.  No instant gratification there, but I already had one new toy that I quickly put to good use.

A half dozen You Tube videos and some practice pieces - which look awful and I was on my way. 

Some observations: 

• Free motion quilting uses a lot of thread - and bobbin.  I learned I cannot wind the bobbin with the darning foot on.  I have to switch to a 'regular' foot first.  I now wind several bobbins at once to save time.

• Walk away when I become tired or it will be do-over time.  My stitch quality and stitch length becomes erratic when I become even a little fatigued.  It's then time to get up and do something else for a few minutes.  I had to rip out quilting three times using the "Oh, I'll just sew a few minutes more" approach.  This almost never works out for me.  You'd think I'd have figured this out by now.  Seriously.

• Breathe and don't hunch.  As with anything new, it is harder and takes longer until I become proficient.  Duh, I knew that.  But while I know this intellectually, in practice I had my nose inches away from the darning foot, holding my breathe and all hunched up.  Between that and yard work, I am a bit stiff this morning. 

Free motion quilting is pretty fun.  It seems to take longer than straight line machine quilting, but I think that will improve with practice.  I'm liking how it looks.  I hope to be able to try (practice) other stitch patterns soon!

Max, one of my Unusually Helpful Helpers decided the sewing table was a nice place to sit this morning.  Right on the piece I am working on!



It was sunny yesterday - on a weekend.  How cool it that!?  It is time to get into the garden before it warms up too much and everything explodes.  My garden is a bit junglely (my Sweetie will snort at the gross understatement when he reads this post!) so I need to get out and whack stuff back before new growth takes off.  I have only a small window of opportunity to get ahead of the game.  It takes almost no time to fill up the yard waste bin to the very brim this time of year.  Here are a few photos from this week:

Hellebore - they are in full bloom right now, with great big flowers. Isn't this gorgeous?

Spirea sending out tiny new leaves

 King Edward VII Flowering Currant.  This is supposed to be slow growing, but has zoomed to full height in only 3 years! (I can't believe I took this photo!)

Another hellebore, white, green and a tiny bit of pink.

Think Spring!

Vacumming

My latest quilt is pinned and ready to be stitched together.  This weekend most likely.

Blah, blah, blah.  Why should you, gentle reader, care?  Because the process of making the quilt sandwich requires taking allergy medicine.

Huh?

Well, the only space large enough to spread out a quilt in our house is on the floor.  Either in the Sweetie's office or in the living room.  I had contemplated the Sweetie's office but I am afraid I am wearing out my welcome in that area.

I've been asking 'does this outfit make my butt look big?' questions.  In quilt speak, of course.  I would never really  ask if my butt were too big.

"What do you think of these colors?" 

"Isn't this block cute?"

"Can you hold this corner, please?" 

"Can you hold this end of the steel tape, please?"

"How come I can't get the color purple to register correctly on my photos?"

So you can see how my recent activities might be testing his patience a wee bit.  Then, taking over his office floor for a couple of hours, or longer, if I get distracted...  It just seemed like that might push him over the edge.  Not a good plan.

Plan B: the living room floor.   Hmmm.  It could really use some vacuuming.  Especially before I lay down my soon-to-be masterpiece.

We are not Shoes In The House people.  But between the Unusually Helpful Helpers, thread, yarn bits, a house that's been closed up tight for the winter, and gray days, the dust bunnies have become the size of wharf rats.  Living in a coastal city, for those of you who might not know, wharf rats can be the size of a small raccoon.  They can scare the living daylights out of a person.  I'm surprised our dust bunnies haven't started to nip at our heels - they are that big.  Really.

Vacuuming is a necessary evil to me.  Unlike laundry, which I tackle with fervent regularity, vacuuming just doesn't have the same appeal.  Sorry, I know there are some crazed vacuumers out there -  and you are cringing in horror and disgust as you read this.  I am just not one of them.  I've tried... and failed  Besides, you have piles and piles of laundry and I don't.  So there. 

Besides, vacuuming requires moving furniture.  Furniture wrasseling.  It should be an Olympic sport.  Then, after the floor looks clean I realize the cushions on the chairs and sofa could use a good once over.  I have to lift the cushions only to discover, loose change, popcorn and cat toys.  I claim the loose change as mine but the rest?  Yuck.  Gosh, maybe I should vacuum the top of the pictures on the walls. And what about the cobwebs in the corner. I could just touch up the curtains....  Before you know it I have vacuumed for something like two hours and have kicked up enough dust that I'll have to dust... don't get me going on that one.

Dust.  Aah Chooo!! See how that comes around to allergy medicine. You knew eventually I'd get there.

So today, I vacuumed.  And somehow, I managed to limit the task to only the floor.   It took great restraint I might add. Which means I will have to tackle everything else on another day. 

Maybe I can wait until the dust bunnies are nipping at our heels again and asking when dinner's going to be ready. 

Grandmas

 Around the holidays the Kidlet was home from college.  Somehow we were on the topic of a quilt I'd made for him when he was very young.  I believe it was a double irish chain of two colors.  A cream and navy with a blood red binding and back.  It was hand quilted.  Took forever it seemed.  He mentioned that the binding was starting to fall apart from wear.  I thought I had some extra fabric so I said I would repair it if he could find a way to bring it home.

So I set the Sweetie on a mission to find "the fabric".  He rooted around in the basement and attic and came up with a box with fabric.  While the box didn't have what I was looking for it had some other things.  A double wedding ring top hand pieced by my Great Grandma and some dresses that had belonged to 'Big Grandma'.

I came to have the quilt top and dresses following a visit to Wisconsin to visit the folks several years ago.  The quilt top had been pieced by great grandma toward the end of her life.  It was made of scraps and a thick muslin.  The plan was to make needed repairs and hand quilt and bind to finish.  But then I got stuck...

She was getting old and her sight was not great so some of the piecing isn't as carefully handled as when she was younger.  There are puckers and a number of the pieces don't lay flat.  In some cases the fabrics, which may have been clothes, had started to fall apart. 

The dresses were made by "Big Grandma", my maternal grandmother.  They were generally of the same vintage as the quilt top.  Grandma was called "Big Grandma", well, because she was big.  She came from a German family and quite a number of them were tall and solidly built.  Back in the day there weren't plus sizes readily available for women therefore all of her clothes were made by hand from hand drawn patterns.

Even the button holes were stitched by hand.  This dress matches the fabric of one of the quilt squares in the photos above.

I was given 4 dresses to use to repair the worn fabric on Great Grandma's quilt.  This lavender dress was also hand pieced.

The next two are a little newer as they were stiched by machine.  The buttonholes were still made by hand.

On the hanger on the back of the bathroom door these don't look like much.  Washed and pressed, but stored in a box for a long time.  But they weren't shapeless on Big Grandma.  We lived with her and Grandpa for some time when I was growing up, so my sister, and brothers saw her in these dresses or some very similar nearly everyday. For me, these still have a suprising amount of meaning.  She passed away when I was 14.

Now you know why I'm stuck. And have been for a long, long, time.  Should I cut up the "Big Grandma" dresses to make repairs to Great Grandma's quilt top, keeping the fabric all of the same era?  Or should I purchase reproduction fabric to make the needed repairs?  I would love your comments offering suggestions.