S-L-O-W Quilt

You've heard of slow food.  Well, I'm doing slow quilt.  Or maybe I should call it slow applique.  I'm making progress; the heart is sewn and I started on the first flower.  But I did not have much quilt time this past week nor will I for the next couple of weeks, what with work (three business trips in three weeks, not to any place interesting) and Miss Main Street's school activities (she had a part in the school play so I went to see two of the three performances, and then went to "parents' day" on Saturday). 

I'll report back soon, when I have some interesting quilty stuff to share.

What A Difference The Fabric Makes

Pennington Quilt Works, my local quilt fabric shop, holds an annual Holiday Open House at which they unveil their Christmas and winter-themed projects and kits.  I usually end up buying at least one pattern or kit, if not more.  The quilt that grabbed by attention this year is this one:

Each block used a different neutral fabric plus a green fabric for the very narrow bars (only 1/4" wide finished!).  Neat for Christmas but can be used year 'round.  Here's the kicker:  the quilt was made using this pattern called Ripple.

It looks so different!  The original for the pattern was made using blue and green batiks.  Now, I don't always make patterns exactly as shown, often coming up with my own color scheme.  For Ripple, I might come up with different color combinations (purple and fuschia, green and brown) but I doubt I would think to make it in quite so different a fashion.  This is something I'd like to work on, seeing expanded possibilities for patterns and blocks I like.

Of course, I bought the pattern!

Ripple is from Blue Underground Studios.  Check out their website, where they showcase their "cutting edge patterns for the modern quilter."

Applique Gadgetry

Several of you chimed in to tell me how much you like Aurifil thread too.  I'm really loving it; it is definitely worth a try if you haven't experienced it yet.

I am making progress on my applique project.  The house is completely stitched down, as is the vine on the left side.  The vine on the right is partially stitched, partially pinned and glued.  My leaves are a bit blob-like but the stitching part is going fine. 

I've discovered that there are a few gadgets that make applique easier (naturally!).  Lynn Wilder, designer of the pattern I'm using (The House on Edgewood Lane), recommended using bias bars to form the vine stem.  I'm sure they work well but I already had a Clover bias tape maker (1/4" size) so I tried that and it worked great.   

From the top, Fiskars Softgrip scissors, Sewline fabric glue pen, Clover bias tape maker, Perfect Circles

The Sewline fabric glue pen is handy for securing the edges of the smaller pieces; I use it when I turn the raw edge of the fabric to the underside and also to hold the piece in place before I sew it down because some of the pieces are too small for pins.  This glue pen is made to use on fabric plus the tip is smaller than a conventional glue stick. 

Perfect Circles are perfect for forming a circular shape (the centers of the flowers for this project).  I just cut the fabric slightly larger, run a basting thread around the edge, then gather it around the plastic circle of the size that matches the pattern piece and press with a little spray starch.  (Remove plastic circle before sewing down.)

I've had the Fiskars scissors for a long time.  They are great for cutting tiny applique pieces because the blade is short so is easier to maneuver them around small pieces plus they are sharp and cut all the way to the point.  Yet the handles are regular size, unlike most small scissors. 

I'm enjoying this applique so much, I'm already thinking about a future project!

Friday Find - Aurifil Thread

I have converted!  I have long been a Coats & Clark Dual Duty thread user.  My old sewing machine preferred the Coats & Clark spool shape and I never experienced a problem with the thread.  As a bonus, the brand is often on sale at Joann's.  Well, I just did not know what I was missing. 

Recently, my LQS switched to selling Aurifil thread.  I had to buy a few spools in colors to match the applique project I'm working on.  Wow, is this stuff ever fantastic!   I am using the 50 wt. size which comes on an orange spool.  It is quite fine and disappears into the applique shape, even with my beginner appliquer less-than-perfect stitches.  I want to try it for piecing as I suspect it will make for flatter seams and help increase size accuracy.

Before trying Aurifil, I did not think thread could make much difference in the final result.  Now I am a believer!

P.S.  The Aurifil thread company doesn't know who I am and did not solicit this post.

McCall's Quilting Holiday Issue

I just got the latest issue of McCall's Quilting.  They call it the Nov/Dec issue (on newstands in Oct - must be magazine industry nomenclature).  It usually has some good holiday quilting ideas, along with non-seasonal projects, and this issue did not disappoint me.  Though actually, my favorite project in the issue is not a Christmas project.  It is from the prolific Gerri Robinson and is called Summer Memory.  Click on her name and you can see it on Gerri's website.

I always find something in this issue that has to go on my quilting "list."  I've saved the Nov/Dec issues of McCall's Quilting from 2007, 2009, 2010, and now 2011.  What happened in 2008?

I Started To Applique

I started to applique and the house is being built. 

So far, I'm enjoying the stitching part; the cutting of small pieces, well, not so much.  And the burnt thumb, even less!  Yes, I managed to burn myself on the tiny Clover iron.  They really need to re-design the iron so it has a more effective guard over the hot parts. 

The house, with mostly straight lines, was not hard to sew down.  I think the challenge will come when I get to the floral vine that wraps around from the bottom.  That will be a post for another day.

By the way, Lynn Wilder, designer of the pattern (called The House on Edgewood Lane) dropped me an email message to say that the red version of Edgewood Lane will be in a booth at Pacific International Quilt Festival in Santa Clara, CA. I think it is the booth of the store In Between Stitches.  They will have kits made using the Grace fabric line from 3 Sisters/Moda. Then this quilt is going to be traveling on the east coast with The Christmas Shoppe, where it will be in a trunk show of three of Lynn's quilts.  (I think this store is in New Hampshire.)

Turning to Applique

My Tiny Stars project has returned to UFO status.  I just couldn't summon sufficient interest to keep working on it.  Other ideas are calling to me.  So I packed it up and stored it away with my other UFOs, waiting for the day it interests me again.

This is what has been calling to me:

It is a pattern designed by Lynn Wilder called The House on Edgewood Lane.  I saw this quilt on Lynn's blog a while back and bought the pattern but was intimidated by the central applique block.  I have very little experience with applique.  But lately I've been inspired by Thelma.  Thelma has been learning to do needleturn applique, working on a rather ambitious project but taking it slowly. 

I think as long as I don't delude myself into thinking I can get this done in a weekend, I'll be fine.  I'm planning to make the central applique block with the house as per the pattern directions.  But I'm going to modify the pieced part of the quilt so I can downsize it to a wall hanging.  I'll be using part of this Beach House bundle, the part left over from the Tiny Stars project, plus some odds and ends from my stash.

Wish me luck...and patience!