Quilting is a Dangerous Hobby

About three degrees of separation, but I blame quilting for my car now being without a headlight and that there’s an injured deer out there somewhere.

Today was a “mini-retreat” for my quilting group.  A few of us spent the day in a church basement working away on our favorite hobby and generally solving the world’s problems by chit chatting about everything under the sun.  My joy of life daughter Ana came with me and we had a wonderful 2 days together.

I do not have a lot of space at home to lay out quilts.  I may have nearly 3000 square feet, but the house is 100 years old and full of small rooms.  I save up finished quilt tops and lay the out at these mini retreats.  This one was no exception.  At about 6:45 tonight I finished piecing a large quilt that I’ve had the blocks finished for a long time.  I had the backing for this quilt, and the blocks, in my “immediate” project box and they took up a lot of room.  I was very motivated to get the quilt all pinned out and ready to quilt at home.   The quilt is all blocks, no border.  It’s pretty simple – a using up of 6 inch squares and 2 ½ strips from the scrap pile.  There is no border.  That’s important….

I had my roll of “Warm and Natural” batting with me, so I was prepared.  I laid the quilt out on the floor and took out the tape measure…..

UGGGGGHHHH…..

92 inches by 101….

Ugggg

Have you done the math yet….?  Warm and Natural is 90 inches wide….. The quilt has no border, so I cannot get 2 inches back…

There’s a Jo-Ann’s about 10 minutes away.  I have my coupons in my purse (Always!!!).  Ana and I hopped in the trusty minivan and raced up there to get a batt.  I could have pieced a strip onto the rolled batting, but at King sized, I really didn’t want to.  There’s a little thing to note here too, we were on a huge time crunch.  We had 10 PM tickets to a special screening of a movie at Orchestral Hall.  We HAD to leave our house by 9:15 to make it, which meant leaving the church at 9, and we still had cleanup and other things.

We got the batt, and went back.  It’s now 7:15.  I iron my backing (108 wide fabric, no piecing).  That took time, it must have been near end of bolt –it was quite wrinkled.  I laid it on the ground – I love using commercial carpeted floors for layouts – then finished the sandwich and pinned it all out.  There were 132 blocks, and I pinned each in the center.  I actually counted down the pins as I went… 129…128… 34…33… etc.

At 8:45 I was done and ready to pack, vacuum (it’s a church basement and used on Sunday mornings – we clean up well).  By shortly after 9, everything was in the back of the van and we headed out.  About 2 miles down the road, I decided to stop for some candy for the movie.  As I was getting out of the car, two things happened simultaneously… Hubby called and I realized I didn’t have my purse.

I panic… that’s me…. I pull together quickly… but I need that rude to everyone, shut up, let me think moment.

My husband is a saint….

As I was blustering to him, and getting worried, Ana kept a level head, called the church, got a hold of someone else who was just leaving and sure enough, they had my purse.

We turned around and headed back.  We now have assured ourselves that we will be running late to the movie….

I picked up the phone and call hubby as I’m driving.  Don’t rail on me, it’s allowed in this state, and I’m pretty good at watching while driving.  I have speed dial, voice dial and am not looking down as I dial. 

I talked for about 45 seconds, and I’m doing the scanning the road thing.  I’m approaching a light, so I’m looking more ahead than directly in front of me.  It’s a major city street, but pretty empty.  We are driving through a block that has cemetery on both sides. 

All of a sudden….

Ana lets out a shout….

I see a flash of beige that’s obviously an animal…..

Crunch….

Not a big thump, or a lot of force, but a definite sound of breakage.

I say into the phone “I just hit a deer”….

Poor hubby, I think he’s going to stop calling me; I think he’s starting to feel pretty helpless.

We stop, Ana puts on the hazards as I walk down the street and sidewalk looking for the deer.  There was a guy on a bicycle as this happened.  He saw it and told me it was a doe and that it was by the fence.  We looked as I called 911 but never saw the deer.  The emergency operator assured me that I could leave as long as the road was clear (it was); no injuries (no) and that I didn’t need a damage report.

The minivan is 13 years old, has 231K miles and numerous rust patches.  All that was damaged was the lens and bulb for the headlight.  Also, I think the fact that I was on the phone and not tensed really helped with there being no whiplash or that type of injury.  The blow was so light, that it didn’t stop the car immediately – and that by the time I realized what was happening, the deer was gone so I didn’t slam on the breaks, but came to a gentle stop.

Chapter 2

We were late to the movie, but had a good time.  Ana left our house about 1 am (we got out of the movie at midnight, home at 12:30, but then had to do the Minnesota goodbyes for 30 more mins… J ). 

She headed home to Wisconsin….

On a major highway leading out of Minnesota….

On the Saturday of Halloween weekend…..

At bar time….

In a car with outstate license plates…..

Doing a few miles over the speed limit….

Yes, she got pulled over.  The officer asked her if she had been drinking.  She said she hadn’t (true) and that she’d come from a Quilting retreat.  I think the obvious sobriety and the quilting supplies packed obviously in her front and back seats was a good confirmation.  She was let off with a warning.

Conclusion

Two days of sewing in a church basement equated to: 

·         3 broken fingernails (me)

·         1 pretty nasty cut from pin (Ana)

·         1 smashed up headlight

·         1 speeding warning

·         1 husband who is probably afraid to answer calls from me least another issue occurs.

I did lay out and sandwiched seven quilts.  Most were already done; I had to border one, assemble one, fix a wrong block on another and piece a couple backings.  I really did very little actual sewing, but I feel like I accomplished so much because I lowered the level of my to do bin and have a pile to quilt on the Juki now. 

I also made a run to Twin Cities Quilting and got a border for my Irish Mist quilt.  I’ll have picture of that later – after I get the border on.  It’s a cool pattern.  I don’t often make quilts fully from a pattern, and I did with this one. 

I go to a lot of quilt shops and find that the service and expertise varies greatly.  I do both very traditional patterns/blocks and also very artsy things.  I make up a lot of my own patterns as well as putting some interesting twists on existing ones.  I like to think that I’m an artist.  I have a real knack for color.  My “adopted” daughter-in-law, Brandie, who is a true artist, as well as many others, have confirmed to me that I have a way with color schemes.

That said, I have found that the owner and staff at TCQ are both helpful and on the same level with me on the color thing.  However – and this is very important – they are also very helpful and patient with the more basic, traditional customers.   I don’t often ask for help with picking out fabric, but I’ve decided that TCQ is my place to go when I need help finding the perfect fabric for a special piece.  I could probably find the right fabric somewhere else – even Jo-Ann’s – but the opinions and eye to eye camaraderie means so much more.

95% of my quilts are me playing around with color, scraps, pattern, etc., and wind up being donated, gifted or traded.  It’s that 5% that I collect fabric for, have a special pattern, etc., that I want to make just prefect that bring me into TCQ.  I’ve been there twice in the last two months for the perfect border for a special piece and both times walked away with the perfect piece. 

Last and NOT least

I have to call out my wonderful daughter now.  She’s 24 now, and been quilting since high school.  Although she’s quite skilled, between school, work, boyfriend, and being a young adult, she has not produced very much.  A few years back, I bought her a pattern “Chocolate Covered Cherries” at a quilt expo.  She raided my stash for small pieces (the pattern is fairly scrappy) and has been working on it in spurts since then.

At our quilting retreat a few weeks ago, she finished the blocks (30) and today, she finished assembling the top.  We’ve picked out borders, but she hasn’t completed them yet.  Here’s a picture of where she’s at right now.

And yes, the border fabrics also came out of my stash…. I’m just so happy to have a daughter sharing my interests that I don’t minds the stash swiping… (Hands off the 108 wide batik, the 1 yard cuts from the Nancy’s notions show and the Cherry wood bundles though!)

I’m going to quilt it for her – a simple meandering stipple – but she’ll have to hand stitch the binding herself…. She HATES hand stitching…. I’m going to have fun watching her.

Another last… but more least than the last last….

I didn’t take a picture, but I have to call out my birthday present to my daughter.  Her REAL birthday present was given to her a couple weeks ago at retreat – a Viking mechanical sewing machine, but I had to make her something small to celebrate the actual day. 

I found some fabric at Mill End.  It’s pretty crappy fabric as a whole (loose weave, lots of sizing, rough texture), but it’s an old fashioned McDonald’s print – Hamburgler, the purple guy, Ronald, etc.  Ana works as a Crew Trainer at a McDonald’s.  I figured a good – but useable – joke gift out of the fabric would be perfect.  I bought a yard.

I made her a large tote bag.  It has a suede and Timtex box bottom and is lined with warm and natural.  I found some polyester (ugg) webbing in my stash that matched for handles.  I take a lot of pride in my workmanship, but I wasn’t going to spend an hour making handles for a joke bag.  I know it will get used, but I’ve made her several other bags, and this one isn’t the most fashionable.

I thought it especially funny that the guest she brought to lunch on Friday was her manager from McDonalds.  He liked the bag too.

Block of the Month

A lot of quilters like to do Block of the Month programs.  Why?  Well, there’s a lot of reasons and they vary from person to person.  The two reasons that rise to the top for me personally are:  Social opportunity and personal challenge. 

Social

I’m socially clueless.  The Asperger’s is what makes me a good quilter; I’m methodical, can focus greatly on things that interest me, etc., but it’s also what prevents me from reading social clues and being able to make friendships the “normal” way.  So, I circumvent that by going to classes and clubs.  There, I automatically have a subject to talk about and can jump start some of that initial awkwardness.  I really like sharing and giving.  When I’m in a quilting group, there’s always an opportunity to share fabric, thread and patterns without putting a burden upon the other person.

The social awkwardness also prevents a lot of standard girl outings.  I really don’t know how to enjoy happy hours and sitting with a group of woman, talking at dinner daunts me.  However, when I go to a quilt retreat, I find it very easy to chit chat and have silent moments, with a group of women.  We are all there for the same thing, and enjoy working away on our own projects.  Quilting events are a place to be very individual, yet be in a group.  Yes, group sports in school were awful for me…..

Personal Challenge

Aka – thinking outside the box.  When left to my own devices, I would make everything in purple and probably use the same sort of pattern every time.  When I do a block of the month program, I can’t do that.  I’m forced into a pattern not of my own choosing, and even made to use colors and patterns I wouldn’t normally pick in fabric!

One block of the month that stands out in my mind was the first Scrap Tamers program that I joined.  The project was a mystery.  Since I had no idea what the finished product would look like, I threw all caution to the wind and went with a color palate that I normally didn’t touch – fall colors.  I actually really liked it when it was done! 

Current

I’m currently doing three block of the month programs.  One is a mystery and two were shown before starting the program.  The mystery is also the only one of the three in which I get to chose my own fabrics.  The overall result is that I’m doing a lot of things – color use, fabric pattern use, design – that I wouldn’t normally do.

Mystery:  This is another scrap tamers and I decided to black and dark reds.  My choice was based solely on looking at my shelves of smaller pieces of fabric and deciding that I had a lot of smaller pieces of various black background pieces.  I then sort of did a mental “enie, menie, miney” and settled on red for a complement. 

Paper Piecing:  I love paper piecing and I saw that a local quilt shop had a block of the month that was all about paper piecing.  The group is using a Carol Doak paper piecing book which was another big plus.  The book is called “300 Paper-Pieced Quilt Blocks”. 

I was initially chagrined at having to purchase a $30 book for a group I joined for social outings.  However, I now cannot speak highly enough about the book.  It comes with a CD of the blocks… but not just a CD of patterns to print out – there’s a small program that’s really quite helpful.  It allows you to select a block and print it in ANY size that you want.  No more standing at the copier trying to get the size just right or redrawing it in Visio (graphing program) to get it perfect. 

Of course, that also means that I’ve now selected about a dozen other blocks and projects I want to do……

Pieced Blocks:  Last and not least at all, I’m well past the midpoint with a block of the month at Twin City Quilting.  This is my favorite for many reasons.  There were two choices for the fabrics for the quilt – Batiks or the Troy line (I keep hearing the name said, but have never seen it in writing, so I hope that’s right).  A pack of fabric is handed out each month.  Each person gets the same fabric (in the choice they’ve chosen), but they can chose to buy more, make the blocks in different schemes, etc.  I do like it when some of the choice it taken away, yet room is left for independence outside of that basic choice.  I also like having the fabric picked for me – I am forced to think outside my box, but still have a chance to make something different that the rest.

The best part about the whole program is how the shop owner has organized it.  It cost one fee to join initially. I can’t remember, but I think it was $25.  Each month, we meet, have a mini class, see what’s new in the shop, show and tell, etc., all the standard stuff. 

But, here’s where it’s different.  Unlike the other programs I’ve done, she actually holds us up to our commitment to “block of the month” and checks up!  We have to show our completed block before we can get the fabric pack for the next month.  If we don’t do the block in time for the class, we then have to pay $5 for that pack – a penalty! 

Conclusion

So, at this time, I have three blocks of the month to do each month – two are the first week of the month, and one is the second.  I am currently planning vacations around being in town for those important commitments.  I am up to date on all my “homework”.  

Scrap Taming

I mentioned before in this blog about the “Scrap Tamers” club (similar to a Block of the Month club) that I went to at a local quilt shop.  Well, I’ve joined the group again this year (I skipped a couple years) and I have some new goals!  The club itself has also morphed a bit.  When it started, the format was to meet each month and get a new clue for a mystery quilt.  Each month’s clue would encompass a different technique and a mini class would be taught focusing on that. 

This year, the club is Scrap Tamers and Marti Mitchell tools.  There is a mystery, of which we get a clue each month and also a second section focusing on a Marti Mitchell tool.  Along with the tool tutorial, we also receive a pattern that uses the tool.  (Note:  the patterns can also be done with standard quilting techniques – the tool is an aid, not a necessity). 

Since my scraps and small pieces are getting a little out of hand - Ok, I’ll be honest – ALL my fabric is getting out of hand – I’ve decided to personally challenge myself as well.  Instead of simply making the mystery out of fabric on hand, I’m going to make something out of each pattern each month.  My strict rule to myself is NO BUYING anything for it.  This includes backing and binding as well.  I can, however, use recently purchased fabric.

The Mystery

Status: 

Clue #1 – Complete (except for background)

Clue #2 - Complete

Clue #1:  This year, I’ve decided to do the mystery in black and red.  The first clue was cutting all the fabrics.  I finished cutting the reds and blacks, but I’m waffling a little on the background.  I am really thinking white.  However, clue number two didn’t dip into background, so I’m going to wait until clue three, or later.  I’d just like to get an idea of how things are looking.  I don’t consider that cheating with the mystery; I’m not peeking ahead at anything, just being a little flexible as things progress.

Clue#2:  This clue had us sewing together 2½ strips and then cutting them into three color rail fence blocks that are 6½ inches square.  Nothing too taxing there…. The clue used up all the longer pieces of fabric cut, so I’m guessing that the rest of the blocks will be a little more complicated.

Monthly Project #1

The monthly pattern given for the first month was for a quilt in sizes ranging from runner to queen using blocks that are basically two triangles.  One side is strips of color and the other is a solid triangle.  I chose to make a runner and to actually use scraps from cutting out all the pieces of my mystery.  I also used small pieces of black from my stash to fill in the triangles.

A black and red runner isn’t for everyone.  My mother dislikes it.  I think it’s rather striking.  Next steps are to pick out backing, quilt it and bind it.  I’m thinking black for the backing and then use pieces from my rolled scrap strips for a scrappy binding in reds.  Keeping with the “scrap” format of the club, I’m also going to piece my bat for this quilt from my scrap basket of batting.  Warm and White/Natural stitches together quite nicely and lies just as flat as fresh pieces from the roll.

Monthly Project #2

The second month’s pattern is fairly tradition in its blocks and layout.  Traditional really isn’t me.  I have decided to address that by going very wild on the fabrics.  I have two recent additions to my stash that have been lying in the “must do something with” bin.

First, the pattern calls for a floral focus fabric that is used in the center of the blocks in 4½ squares.  I just bought ½ yard of a black background with very bright circles and rings on it.  They are all high impact colors.  It’s also got a border design along one side.  I’m going to cut my squares from it and then use the border piece for something… not sure what yet.  I’m going to make the quilt in the table topper/wall hanging size so I have a couple ideas.

Idea One – incorporate the border on the backing as a sort of label.

Idea Two – use the border pieces (and some filler as I only have 18 inches) as an additional row on the bottom, beneath the actually pattern.  Maybe pull it to a point or something like that.

Next – the rest of the fabrics in the quilt (except for background) are meant to complement the focus fabric.  The other piece in my must use pile is orange metallic/batik like fabric.  It’s patterned but truly reads as a solid.  I think it will really enhance the wild print.  Now I just have to dig for a couple other bright fabrics for the other parts.

Last – background…. I’m a little stuck here.  Do I use black since my focus fabric is black background?  Or will things just blend too much?  Do I use white for a stark contrast?  Or do I use a light shade of one of the high impact colors in the focus fabric? 

You’ll just have to wait and see!!

Small bits and pieces

I am exhausted from a long week, and it’s already quite late; however, my daughter pushed me into this blog, and I feel guilty if I don’t do at least one post a week.  So, rather than something witty, or a long story, I’m going to cheat and do a show and tell this week.

There will be two subjects today:

1.        I’ve talked quite a few times about using my scraps.  I will show a few of the projects and details about them.  My goal is to show that everything can be used and provide some inspiration to others.

2.       Test pieces – Most of my quilts are planned and executed as a single piece.  However, when I create a piece for a challenge, I like to plan it out far more thoroughly.  Many times, I create a test piece that is either a smaller version, or a part of the planned piece. 

Using the Scraps

Piece One:  Green Scraps

If I have small pieces of fabric (smaller than a quarter yards) left over when I am and done piecing the top, I cut those pieces into standard sized squares and into 1 ½, 2, 2 ½, 3, etc., wide strips.  The strips get rolled up with same sized strips from other quilts according to color family.  Additionally, when I am done quilting a quilt and I trim the edges – the overage from the backing also gets cut up.

This large table topper / crib sized quilt/ large wall hanging piece is a result of my green and beige/tan/brown strips in a variety of sizes and some 3 inch squares of green.  These scraps are all from a variety of quilts.  The binding is also scraps from my color rolls.  This is what is called “scrappy binding”.

Piece Two:  Purple Scraps

This narrow table runner is also from a variety of quilts.  I took a pile of patterned purple scraps and made “quarter square triangles” with them.  Each square has triangles from four different fabrics.   I set those squares on point (diamond) and took solid purple scraps - some are left whole, other are cut in half - and used them to fill in the spaces.  The binging is a scrap, even though it is all the same fabric. 

Piece Three:  Strip pieces

Now we shift a little.  This small table running is made from leftover pieces from a large quilt.  In that quilt, I made “strip sets” of beige-lighter green-dark flowered green-lighter green-beige.  The strip set is 6 ½ inch wide.  In the larger quilt, I cut 6 ½ squares from the fabric strips.  This piece is made from the narrower left over bits.  I staggered them a little, trimmed the edges at an angle and put a border around it.  Ta Dah!  Looks planned, doesn’t it?

Piece Four:  Strip pieces deux

There are two things going on here.  My friend made the same quilt that I mention above (with the strip sets) but in different colors.  It was actually a class I taught in my quilt group.  Her strip sets were white-pink-black-pink-white.  These are here scraps.  Also, I liked the strip set idea so much, that I made another quilt for a friends and used grays and blacks for a strip set.  The pieces in the center are left over from that.  The small print white fabric with black and pink was a piece from my stash and matched all perfectly!  The binding is black left over from another project altogether.

Piece Five – boxes

I made a large quilt where I cut 2 ½ squares and framed them with 1 ½ inch pieces.  The fabric in the center of one row was then used as the outer in the next row.  Here’s a picture of the finished quilt: 

I made five or six runners and toppers from the leftover pieces – including at least two fabrics that I decided not to use in the finished product, but had cut up already.  The binding is from my stash.

Practice Makes Perfect!

Piece Six – black, white, which one?

My challenge piece for my quilt group this year, which I discussed in my last post, was this quilt:

I was only allowed black, white, pink and purple for the challenge.  I knew that either black or white was going to be the background, but just couldn’t picture it in my mind.  I decided to make the center part of the quilt with each background and then decided.  Obviously, I went with the black (you’ve seen the finished quilt twice now).  However, while I wasn’t enamored of the white background, I thought I did a fine job with the piece, so I finished off the center, and quilted it.  It’s a nice sized table topper or wall hanging.

Piece Seven – New Challenge

I’ve talked about Ranae Merrill’s spiral quilts in the blog before.  I’ve also mentioned that I’m doing a new challenge.  This is another one where I get a few colors – black, white, black and white, and dark green.  I’m not going to show the pattern I’ve designed with Ranae’s spiral templates yet, but I did decide to do some testing and figured that I’d make the test piece pretty colorful.  This is the eight pieces (four squares made of two triangles each) that will make up the center of my challenge.

 And here's a close up of one section

 

Out of My Comfort Zone

What is Quilting to Me?

When I talk about quilting to most Americans, I preface the conversation with “I am a fabric artist” or something similar.  Why do I do this?  Because the word “quilting” brings up prairie dresses, polyester fabrics (60s-70s), lumpy quilts tied with yarn, and other cheesy elements of “crafting”.  People raised here in the states seem to have a negative image of handmade and handcrafted items.  Sure, there’s a small percentage that make money on the art, and things like Amish quilts are sought after and valued – monetarily as well.  However, my art (fabric) rates below painting, wood crafting and even jewelry making. 

I tried to sell quilts at craft shows a couple times.  I had some small pieces (crib sized) that were six inch squares, some embroidered, and they were quilted and bound – quality pieces.  The fabric was all 100% cotton, the batting was “warm and white” cotton batting and I use good thread.  If I were to buy all the materials retail, I estimated $40-50.  I priced the quilts at $60-80, depending upon how much embroidery and other touches.  Basically, my labor was at a couple dollars an hour.  These were fun pieces that I’d made and I was more interested in testing the market and building a following than anything else.

People looked at them and acted shocked at the price.  One woman even told me that she could get a whole crib set at Wal-mart for $40!  That’s what my hand work was compared to – sweat shop labor created goods at a big box store.  Never again.

Recently, I discovered that one of my Indian friends from work was reading this blog!  I didn’t expect a non-American male to have any interest.  He referred to my pieces pictured here as “thread work” and some other more art terms.  This was fascinating to me; this gave me an ability to take a step back and even look at my own work with a different eye.  I’m jaded from the “cheesy homemade look” perception of quilting and I needed that fresh perspective to get out of the rut.

So to answer my question – quilting to me is an exercise to try and get the creativity I feel inside me out to the world in a visual form.  I have a style, but I don’t have a style.  I remember art class in High School.  I went to a private school, so we actually had art classes that taught techniques.  We were constantly given new ways to do things, and strict rules on colors, shapes, etc., to force us to work outside our paradigm.  The lessons held well with me. 

Challenges

I love quilt challenges…. I seek them out.  They are the best way to work outside my box and do something I would not normally do.  I’ve done four (five if you count scrap tamers) and am currently working on a fifth/sixth. 

Number 1:  This was a fat quarter challenge* from my quilt group.  The theme of the challenge was “reach for the stars” so I made a double/queen sized quilt that is all stars.  It is an original pattern.  The fabric given was a gold and black fabric.  (see closeup)

* In a fat quarter challenge, you are given a fat quarter and you can do ANYTHING with it – any size piece, quilt or other item, and use any other fabrics.

Number 2:  This was another fat quarter challenge from my group.  This time I made a purse.  This was another original pattern.  The challenge fabric is the black fabric with all the little pieces/jewels/etc., on it.  I also made a wristlet and a key fob to out of my scraps!

Number 3:  This is the debated one, and the only one I don’t have a picture of.  I gave it to my father, so I just need to go over there and take one someday….  This wasn’t so much a challenge, but a mystery quilt.  Each month, we were given a block or several smaller blocks to make and in the end put them all together, along with some sashing and bordering, to make a lap sized quilt.  I actually added another row all the way around and made mine up to a small double bed sized.  The challenge part of it for me was that I used fall colors – a palate of brown, orange, rust, etc. – that really aren’t my colors at all.  I was pleasantly surprised at how nice it turned out.  It matched nothing in my house, but my father has orange as a primary color in his living room so I figured it would be a great couch quilt for him.

Number 4:  This was yet another fat quarter challenge from my group.  I made a twin sized quilt.  The challenge fabric is the black/red/grey wavy fabric in the center of some of the squares.

 Number 5:  Another challenge from my group, but NOT a fat quarter challenge.  We were given two color crayons, and could use fabrics matching those and black and/or white fabric.  I was rather disappointed in the challenge overall because I feel that strictness of guidelines was not adhered to.  Me, I took it quite seriously!  My color crayons were pink and purple – two colors I would NOT put together much, especially with only each other and black and white.  I also used both black and white fabric.  I quilted with black and white threads (in different spots) and used white batting, instead of the natural color I usually use!  The pink is pretty visible in the pictures, but the purple is sort of hard to see.  Trust me, it works well.  This is not an original pattern. 

Number 6:  I signed up for and bought the challenge pack from the Minnesota Quilter’s guild.  I’m scared.  This one looks harder.  There are two fabrics, both black and white fabrics, in different amounts.  You have to use “recognizable amounts” of each in the quilt top.  You can also use black, white, black and white and one color fabrics.  The color I got, which is represented by a fabric marker in the pack, is a darker green.  AND – here’s the rub – you have to use that fabric marker to embellish the quilt.  Ok, that’s the part that has me quaking… I don’t do free hand anything!

I’ve started working on an original pattern and I’m doing a test of it with different colors.  I’ve got the center piece done, and it’s going well.  I think I need to reduce the scale however – the quilt may turn out too big to work with for a challenge.  I’ll post later about it.

Other Current Challenge to Myself

Last in today’s diatribe is a self challenge that I’m doing.  My guidelines to myself are to 1. Use a fabric I bought at Nancy’s Notion’s show in a predominant manner and 2. Buy nothing (2a is use up smaller pieces in my stash that I won’t use for anything else.

First – the main fabric.  This is a batik that I bought at the show.  I don’t normally care for batiks much.  I don’t find them as fascinating at some do, and I think that they are generally too expensive to do much with.  I also tend to make quilts with lots of little pieces.  Batiks are pricier and much of it seems to be lost when you chop them up small.  However, when I was perusing the fabrics at the show, this gorgeous piece of fabric just called out to me… it also was 108” wide… and almost $20 a yard… *sigh*.  I bought a big chunk of it and then brought it home, stared at it, and said “what now?”.

I dug into my stash and pulled out all those fat quarters, skinny fats, half yards and a yard piece or two of fabrics that I’ve wound up with from gifts, sale lots, etc., that seemed to be complimentary to the focus fabric.

Here’s where I am so far: (sorry, the pictures are awful - taken with my ipad, on the living room floor, late at night)

The blocks are 14 ½ inches (14 inches finished).  I’m also making a bunch of smaller blocks – same design – where four of them will square up to a block the same size (14 inches).  I’ll them randomly put them all together into a quilt that will be 84 x 112 inches.  I’ll post pictures when I get it done.

Checklist:

·         Focus fabric very visible?  Yes, 6 inch blocks and 2 ½ inch strips allow it to be seen

·         Lots of purple?  Yes

·         Scrappy look?  Yes

·         Not a cheesy home made look?  Yes

·         Outside my normal paradigm?  Yes (all batiks)

·         New and unique design for me?  Sort of – all batiks is new, but the block design is not.

·         Stash reduction goal achieved?  Yes, used up several smaller pieces in stash

The Haunted Machine

Some definitions/background: 

It seems to me that just like computers users – there are some big buckets that sewing machine users can fall into.  For the purposes of this post, I am going to define two:

·         Automation:  These are users who buy a machine with many, many, stitches and functions.  They push buttons to do what is needed, including adjusting tension, setting a stitch, etc.

·         Mechanical:  These are users who adjust everything on their machine by turning screws, moving knobs, etc. 

Me and Wearing Out Machines

I fall into the mechanical definition.  While I have two very nice and fancy Viking machines that do beautiful work, I much prefer a machine that requires manual adjustments.  I am a power producer with embroidery and quilting and wear out expensive machines.

1.       The Viking Rose:  my first embroidery machine.  I power used this and it started to have tension issues after about 9 months.  This was within the Viking trade in period and the Rose was a 4 x 4 (small) embroidery field.  In those 9 months, I had moved from novice to advanced intermediate in embroidery and wanted MORE… so I traded to the Platinum with the large embroidery field.

2.       The Viking Platinum:  after 15 or so months, I had outgrown the large domestic embroidery field and wanted MORE.  Additionally, the machine was starting to really have tension issues and other things.  When I took it in for services, I was informed that the stitch count on it exceeded machines that had been in service for ten or more years… oooppps…

3.       The Viking Quilt Designer II.  Wonderful machine, larger throat, and I still use it.  However, after about 2 hours of continuous use in stippling a quilt, it WILL blow a fuse.  It is not meant to be used solid for hours.  I can piece on it all day, but stippling… no.

My husband is a car person and we are both also tool people.  He has a TV repair degree, is a good plumber, and has no problems working with gas pipes in the house.  I used to work with computer hardware and I am a darned good electrician.  One thing that we have full understanding about together is to buy the appropriate tool for the job.

So, when I was looking at trading in my Platinum on a better Viking, to the tune of $2500 plus, and with no guarantee that I could make that last longer than two years at my rate of consumption, we investigated commercial machines.  End result – I have a 12 needle, single head Inbro embroidery machine.

Shortly after than replacement (about 2 years actually), I had mastered the machine and learned to stipple in all the time freed up by not switching embroidery colors as often.  That is when I started blowing fuses on the Viking QDII.  I figured out pretty quickly that I would have to replace / supplement that machine with more commercial equipment as well. 

Sharon and the Haunted Juki

One of my friends from my quilt group bought a Juki 1-2 years prior to me starting to look into commercial sewing machines.  Actually, she and her daughter each bought one.  They bought the same machine, but boy oh boy, they did not act the same.

The one that Sharon got – which she used on a quilting frame – had a tension problem.  In the 1.5 – 2 years that she had the machine, she took it to three or four repair people and it never acted right.  It would lose bottom tension and create big loops on the backside of quilts.  She would not notice until she rolled to the next section on the frame and then have to spend hours unstitching.  The other machine, the one that was her daughter’s, and identical in every way, did NOT act up like that.

One day, rather than lobbing the machine through her picture window, she dumped graciously donated it to me.  She knew that I was a very hands on technician of sewing equipment and figured that she was at least saving herself garbage fees and at most, giving me a new toy to experiment with.  

Success!

I have been using the machine for over two years now and while it cannot fully be called a dream, it certainly is not the nightmare it was for her.  It gives me issues, I curse at it sometimes, but I have produced beautiful work on it.  It is far more mechanical than my Vikings and operates at 1500 stitches a minute.  I can run it for hours at a time and it does not blow fuses.  I have had to unstitch, but I have also learned how to feel if the bobbin is correct or not.  About one in every ten bobbin loads, I have to take it out and snap it back in just right.  It only likes certain threads, and depending upon the weight of the thread, I sometimes put the bobbin into the casing opposite how the manual calls for.  That’s a trick that I learned from my commercial embroidery machine – another way to affect tension.

One of my award winning quilts was quilted on that machine.  Here is a picture:

And here is a picture of a close up of the quilting on it done with the Juki:

The stitching is much smaller than I can do on the domestic machines (works faster and I do not have much patience) and turns out very even.  After having the machine for 6/8 months, I took a class at a local quilt shop – Bear Patch Quilting (shout out to them – great shop!) and learned fancy stipples.

This one is a "snail trail"

This one is harder to see, bad example as it blends into the fabric - it is a flower pattern

The Table

I am not using the Juki with a quilt frame and there is not a table made for it.  Not a worry – remember, I told you, we are tool people here!  I got a 2 x 2 sheet of .25 inch plywood, cut out an area matching the bed/throat of the Juki, cut up a dowel for legs, covered it in sticky backed Teflon and we are good to go.  Another shout out here – AxMan surplus in Saint Paul, MN – fantastic place to find odd things; like sticky back wide sheets of Teflon for pennies on the dollar versus a machine shop.

Now Problems….

Unfortunately, now the poor machine does really seem to be in the need for service.  It started slowing down on me today.  I turned it off and left it for hours.  I figured that it was overheating due to excessive use today and also the weather is pretty warm.  However, when I tried again, it also slowed down within minutes and the hand wheel is not turning well.  I do not know if it has belts, or if I should be concerned about the motor.  Of course, this is all happening on Saturday evening, before Monday, July 4^th, so it will be a few days before I can take it anywhere.  I will be going through withdrawal folks!

I also worry that if it is something serious, it will be too expensive to consider doing.  It is a $900-1100 dollar machine.  It has problems to begin with.  Do I really want to put $200 plus into a flawed machine?  I love the grumpy piece of metal, but I am also a realist.