a pirates bounty

Basting and Quilting

2011-04-30T14:23:00.003-04:00

I am always curious how other quilters put together their 'quilt-sandwich' and basting process. I was lucky enough to quilt my sister-in-laws quilt for her and mid-baste remembered to take pictures to show the process!

I lay out the quilt bottom and and pull it very taut and then tape it down every 3-4 inches with painters tape. Every few strips I reinforce the tape with another piece crossed over. I think getting the bottom part as stretched out and tight as possible is the key to a pucker-free quilt. I try lining one edge up against the grout line on my tiles, but i'm not too stressed about this on the bottom (more concerning if you are perfectly matching a backing design to the top design)

Then I lay my piece of batting on top (i'm highly partial to warm & natural batting in cream. I like it because it is thinner and very soft (not that you feel the batting but I still like the idea). I make sure to leave about 1-2 extra inches on the quilt bottom and batting. I have found that my quilts don't shift much and I usually end up cutting this off, but it is a safety measure.

Next, I lay the quilt top on top of the batting and center it leaving the 1-2 inches of batting / backing and if I have done any piecing on the back (which i usually do) I try to match it up where i would like it to be (i.e. center, etc). Then I cut off the extra batting around the quilt. i should mention that I like to buy my batting in bulk off the roll. It comes by the yard and is about 120 inches tall (i think) - I can usually get it around $6.00 / yard at Jo-ann's with a coupon. The extra leftover is perfect for baby quilts or smaller projects.

Once I have trimmed the batting, I smooth out the top and start pinning. This is not fun on the tile floor so I try to go as fast as possible! I pin in rows about 2-4 inches apart and go from the center out. The more pins the less chance of puckering.

After the pinning ceremony is completed I start working on the lines for quilting if needed. I chose a lattice design for this quilt crossing through the squares. To be exact i decided to lay down chalk lines. I do this is a very scientific way: I go to the garage and get my husbands 60" ruler from his construction days and lay it across the quilt matching corners as best as possible and using my chalk tool I draw lines. I have realized that once the quilting is done it's hard to find the crooked lines, so I guess it really isn't all that scientific at all - but I do find it extremely helpful to have the chalk lines as guides. Once this is done - it's off to the sewing machine with my walking foot - a must!

A Finish!

2011-01-08T14:52:00.004-05:00

I did manage to finish 'Rocketboy' in 2010, just didn't get to post the pics. I was waiting for someone a bit taller to help me take pictures, but that never seemed to happen with good light outside. I think you can see the different parts with all the pictures and my sweet 7 year old holding his quilt!
The pic above is the back of the quilt and shows the back of the squares that i quilted in my variation of the 'square in square' method.

The rest of the quilting was straight line quilting anywhere from 1/4" to 1 1/2" apart. Mostly horizontal with vertical lines between the squares.

The front of the quilt! I still absolutely love the colors on this as it came together. Gray is probably my new favorite color and I've paired it with 2 shades of orange.

I know it's impossible to tell, but i did go bold on the color of quilting thread. Inside the 3 blocks I did an aqua blue and for the rest of the quilt I did an orange. I did stick with gray on the backside.

The picture above shows a good look at the square in square quilting on the frontside, inside the big square blocks.

I love how the binding turned out and the orange dots matched perfectly. I love combining different fabric lines for great combinations!

Finally, there was no pattern for this quilt. I found much inspiration from 3 particular blogs: Tallgrass Prairie Studio - Jacquie is my go-to for modern ways to quilt the quilt

Film in the Fridge - Ashley has the best ideas for modern pieced, quaint backings

Red Pepper Quilts - Rita gave me the original inspiration for the front of the quilt with the 3 big blocks - then i branched out from there - ironically my front inspiration came from one of her backings, which you can find a pic of here!

My goal was to only use items from my stash and mostly solid fabrics. I only had 4 fat quarters in the pattern (1 FQ per pattern). I did cheat and buy the binding. Everything else i had! Yippee!

love to quilt...

2010-11-23T17:01:00.002-05:00

here is a sneak peek at the quilting on the rocketboy quilt....it all started with a little square in a square..
here is square number 2 up close.

i love to straight line quilt with my awesome walking foot!

another view -

i think i just finished debating how to finish the small top portion and then the larger bottom portion - overall the quilting has gone fairly fast - i think i started about 3 days ago, but my quilting spurts are short and limited. A sick child at home today helped me get in a good couple hours. hoping to finish over the holiday weekend!

the finale...

2010-11-19T17:06:00.002-05:00

This is the final chapter on these placemats - they are finished and shipped off...a complete set of 5 times 2. I had fun making them and especially trying my hand at new quilting styles that I had been wanting to try. I think hands down my favorite is still straight line and the square within a square quilting method - both to do and look at.

Flower pattern

Square pattern (see the chalk lines?!)

More squares, or rather funky rectangles...

Simple, straight lines

I'm forcing myself to get down on the hard, tile floor and baste together the Rocketboy quilt after I finish this post. I want to quilt it, just dread the basting! I'm also working on starting a Christmas table runner that I hope to get done before the holiday!

Finishes...

2010-11-15T16:10:00.005-05:00

I finished the fall table runner I was quilting for my mom last week, binding and all. I realized about 1/3 of the way through that I picked a rather 'over-zealous' quilting pattern as usual and it seemed to take forever to finish in my short spurts of free - time.
Up close you can see that I quilted a maple & oak leaf and then a tree pattern to match the shapes in the fabric.

I used a burnt orange color thread and a chocolate corduroy for the binding - Love Love Love the binding - I am going to do this more often - I really like the added texture it adds!

The backing may be my favorite part - I really like the pattern and I had to cut it to get it to fit the length so i added a little personal patchwork touch to it! I hope she likes it!

the entire back

I think you could easily reverse it and do both sides - i used a flannel remnant as the 'batting' so it is nice and then for the table - which i think gives it a more modern look and feel!

Placemat progress

2010-10-23T11:36:00.002-04:00

I must say i'm a bit over sewing with this fabric....and i'm sure you are too! Hopefully this is the next to last post on the placemats! I have the final four quilted and waiting on binding. I do love how the quilting turned out though and because the placemats are 12"x18" it isn't a perfect square pattern..

I have consolidated my strips into this jar to keep them together and off the cutting / work table. I have added some solid strips from my scrap pile to give a little more diversity in the blocks. I'm not sure how many blocks i'm doing yet, but i have a feeling i may run out of this fabric stash - which really is the end-goal! I'm working on blocks 8-12 on these and have been doing them in group of 4 for no reason in particular...

One final strip to sew on the bottom of the rocketboy backing then on to the basting. Also piecing a backing for a table runner i'm quilting....hope to do today before the harvest festival...if i can get a certain little one down for a nap...happy sewing!

Rocketboy Update

2010-10-19T17:36:00.002-04:00

My lovely quilt top all folded nice and neat with the binding fabric placed on top waiting for me to finish piecing the back (which i'm heading over to now)

A sneak peek at the top....

a close-up...

and the finale! i love this one and can't wait to quilt it - i think i know what i'm going to do...just need to pick out the thread color.....bold or subtle?

will work for fabric....

2010-10-18T17:11:00.003-04:00

Guess what came in my mail today? A new stash addition of Anthology Fabrics High Society Bundle in Clay from Hawthorne Threads compliments of my mum! I have been wanting this bundle ever since it came out.....and lucky for me my mom needed a fall table runner quilted and bound...so we traded - what an awesome trade, right? The best part - she ordered this on Friday and I received it in the post today - wow! The 3 below are my favorites - if I had to pick favorites....

I already have plans for the fat quarters - I'm going to cut them into 4.5" squares to best utilize the size of the quarters and mix and match with some kona solids to put together a quilt front. Our living room is a mixture of taupes, chocolates and warm neutrals so it will make the perfect replacement for an old throw.

I can't wait to get started on these! I am feeling pretty good about finishing up some WIP's this week. The last 4 placemats are stacked neatly ready for the binding, the robot quilt front is finished waiting on the piecing of the back, and i finished 4 more strip blocks for a total of 8 and started on 4 more. Yeah! What are you working on this week?

be back soon...

2010-10-01T17:16:00.002-04:00

I haven't been able to post lately because I just got back from a short, but much needed vacation! The first in over 7 years without our boys to be exact! I have been working extra before and after to catch up - so I'm hoping to be back at it next week....enjoy the pics!

sailing on the hobie - something we never have a chance to do without the kids - although it's fun with them too!

welcome aboard!!!

chillin on the island!

formal night! somehow i still fit in that 'perfect black dress' from college!

the cruise ship!

I took my machine in for annual service yesterday - hoping to have it back by tomorrow - I guess you get extra fast service in Florida before the 'birds' fly down! wowsers!

quilting flowers

2010-09-22T17:27:00.003-04:00

i decided to really step outside the box on this one and do flower quilting. I had seen the idea on this blog - which also just happened to be posted on my birthday of quilting big, loopy flowers!

I know the pictures aren't the best but the sunlight helps show the flower with the dark thread. I absolutely loved doing these and I seem to be a lot better at flowers than stippling...

I think I may try this on a bigger quilt if i take the chance and do some bright, fun fabrics even though i have a house full of boys! It went fairly fast too. It does definitely use more thread and by the 3rd or 4th loop the center of the flowers become stiff with all of the stitches. I would like to try this in a variegated thread on a child's shirt without any extra fabric, but just the stitches as the pattern - hmmm....

rocketboy

2010-09-21T16:26:00.003-04:00

here is an up-to-date picture of the quilt in progress named 'rocketboy'. i have the main blocks done, I am going to add another strip of orange to the outside of the row to complete this part.

one of my favorite parts of making a quilt has become choosing the binding and putting it on. I love coordinating this part of the project....so i'm happy to say I made a stash-addition and ordered this awesome print for the binding. It is amy butler's lotus full moon polka dot tangerine and I found it at Pink Chalk Fabrics. This is an older print and becoming harder and harder to find.

I took a couple shots testing it out as 'binding' - I think it's gonna be fab-u-lotus!

Originally, I wanted something w/ red in it to bring out the bit of red in the blocks, but I couldn't find the lotus in the red color anywhere, so i thought tangerine would be the next best option.

can't wait to finish so i can get this binding on there....must finish placemats first!

not for the faint at heart

2010-09-20T17:24:00.002-04:00

Do you drive in the left lane, when deep down you know you should be in the right lane? Do you tap the brakes often? Do you run out of patience easily?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, then stippling might not be for you! I finally dove in head first with a set of the place-mats I'm making and tried my hand at stippling. It isn't my favorite quilting pattern, but some people do it and make it look really nice and easy. i read several people say it goes much faster than straight line quilting, so i wanted to try it.

I thought I'd put my pride aside and show you my first attempts - and they are rather ugly i tell you! The entire time i was doing this i kept thinking of sea anemone or bad maple leaves. The hardest part was getting my foot to work with my hands and get my stitch length adjusted.

I found this explanation of stippling: Stippling is a common form of "filler" quilting. Either done by hand or by machine, it creates a pattern of closely-sewn, roaming lines that fill background spaces on a quilt.

I dove in without a real plan as to which way to go or how to fill in the space other than the few online tutorials i had watched. Looking at it now....i think i can do better and practice will make 'better'! I had some 'harsh' edges when i wasn't sure where to go, but the faster i worked the better off i was.

My stitches started really long so i needed to get comfortable with the pedal more depressed and working quicker. It did go quickly and I did remove some of the really bad stitches that were too long.

I think i'll try it again, maybe on some pot-holders or another small project - i think it would be a great skill to have and develop as well as an addition to my quilting options! Tell me your story about learning to stipple!

A peek inside my Studio

2010-09-14T16:56:00.004-04:00

I thought it might be fun to show you a little peek into my studio. I was taking some pictures this past weekend, and it was fairly clean, so a good time to snap some shots! Here is an overall view of the room with my sewing area and cutting table. In our home in Indiana I had turquoise walls, which I miss dearly. This is way bland for my taste, but it works for now!

A different view including my window overlooking the canal.

Some Scrapbooking Supplies / Stash

A jar with my leftover bindings / triangles left

My many colors of thread for appliqueing and the left-over spools...I don't have anything else to fill this jar just yet, and it's somewhat rewarding to know how much you've sewn and used your beloved machine!

Lots o' ribbon for crafting

And that's the tour! As my number of quilting projects grows I may need to find a new way of organizing. Believe it or not my fabric stash is limited to 1 large metal basket housed in our laundry room shelving. I have 1 small bag on the floor inside my cutting table where i throw my scraps. I have only made a handful of quilts (less than 10) so i don't have a need to color sort scraps or organize them further at this point. It has taken much willpower to keep my stash at this level...as you can tell my scrapbooking hobby didn't include the same willpower! I am living the motto 'less is more' and using what i have, as hard as it is!

what i'm working on....

2010-09-13T10:24:00.001-04:00

Here's a look at what I'm working on this week:

I finished 4 of the strip quilt blocks and have 4 more in process, a look at what a 'big' block will look like - do you see the 'X' through the middle that forms when you put them together?

Here is one of the Robot blocks for my bigger guy - he wants a new quilt. It will have oranges, greys and blues. A bigger modern pattern - inspiration here.

And here is a new small system for organizing projects (instead of piles on my cutting table / ironing board) It will work for now. Top row: placemats / sailboat quilt. 2nd row: Strip quilt blocks / fabric. 3rd Row: Pillowcase / fabric backing / Improv quilt fabric.

I have 4 more placemats done and pinned ready for quilting and binding. A bigger look at my studio / sewing space tomorrow!

i'm a winner!

2010-09-11T10:40:00.004-04:00

One of my favorite things about reading blogs, besides the inspiration and friendships, is the chance at a random giveaway. You leave a comment and then cross your fingers all week in hopes that you've been chosen by the random generator. Do you comment first, last or somewhere in-between....what are my chances? I have left many comments and never won a quilt-blog giveaway until about 2 weeks ago!!! Not only did i win this giveaway, but I won something awesome!

I joined the Improv(e) Your Butt Challenge on Tallgrass Prairie Studio's Blog and by completing my weekly goal was able to enter to win part of her scrappy stash. After finding out I was the winner I will admit I stalked the mailbox / carrier for about 10 days and was so excited to find it in the post.

An overall view of my goody bag

A little bit better pic of each fabric. I can't decide what to do with these....the challenge is to exercise more regularly and the reward part was a piece of fabric for every mile completed - forming an improv project / quilt. I thought it would be perfect to use this stash to start my improv project.

My absolute favorite scrap!

The collection of my most favorite scraps out of the pile!

String Quilt Blocks

2010-09-09T10:02:00.003-04:00

I love the look of the string quilt block and how the 4 blocks form a pattern with just the strip in the center. I'm trying to use up the rest of this older Amy Butler Fabric and thought this would be a great way to use up scraps and my remaining yardage. This is my first finished block, although since this pic I finished 3 more!

this is a simple pattern and makes for easy sewing - I used this tutorial from Ashley at Film in the Fridge. The little tiny corners are also a great way to use those little triangles left over from mitering your binding!

These blocks are a tad more difficult to chain piece, for me at least. I tend to get 3-4 projects going and then spend time at the machine chain-piecing, then chain ironing and then re-pinning new pieces and then back to the machine. How do you do it? Do you just do one project or sew one piece, then iron then pin the next piece?

1+1 = 2

2010-09-03T17:33:00.003-04:00

I finished another set of placemats to add to my mom and grandma's collection I'm making them. They already have 1 apiece and now they have 2!

They each have the same theme of fabric, but I thought it'd be fun to try different quilting on each of the 4 mats. The brown theme is my mom's and the first one had quilted square on it.

This one is my grandma's where i tried organic quilting this time....must say that i *loved* it - no boundaries and so fast! Her first mat had random circles intersecting each other (I just traced a bowl with chalk and went for it with the circles!)

4 more to go!

Camera Strap

2010-08-31T16:39:00.004-04:00

I just love this new camera strap I made. I've been wanting one for the longest time, but haven't sat down to figure it out and just do it. I had a friend request one for her mom's birthday, so I ended up with the proto-type and this one was for her mum.

I found the Cameras in Teal fabric from Hawthorne Threads. It is from the Spring 2010 line by Etsuko Furuya. The fabric was to die for - a heavier weave of linen. Very sturdy with excellent color quality. I can't wait to grow a stash big enough for an entire quilt out from this designer.

The strap is actually a sleeve that just slides over your camera strap, much prettier than the generic one on your camera now - as well as having way more cushion for your neck! This one has a backing of black 'minky' or 'fur' fabric as well as some extra padding for extra cushion.

I just love it and can't wait to make another! By the way - this was my new use for french seams. No exposed frays on the inside of this cover~! I think I may need a few to switch out depending on season and mood!

Pillowcase & French Seams

2010-08-30T15:53:00.002-04:00

I have had intentions of taking pictures and posting since the beginning of last week. But, school started as well as my new, very early and longer hours at work and with the longer parent pick-up lines full of anxious parents my free time was limited.

A last minute project I had before my little guy started preschool was to make a pillowcase for his 'travel size' pillow for nap time at school. I have made pillowcases before, but really wanted french seams on the inside and I had wanted to do the trim between main body and cuff - I finally found a super easy tutorial from Film in the Fridge and adjusted it for a toddler size pillow - we used a 'travel size' pillow from Target - so this would be perfect for car trips as well.

Sometimes when fudging my own pattern I forget to write down measurements, etc. This time I remebered and wrote down the sizes....if you are interested leave me a comment and I will give the measurements for this size pillow. It turned out fabulous and he loves it!

I *heart* french seams and have been dreaming of more ways to use them....I'll show you another one soon!

stash addition

2010-08-12T14:22:00.005-04:00

i just received this in the mail on Saturday to add to my stash. I got it from hawthorne threads which is my favorite online shop. i always envisioned florida having an overwhelming amount of quilting shops, but not so much. I haven't found anything with contemporary fabric and only one shop with a decent but small selection. So, with the price of gas these days it's just as cheap for me to order online and pay shipping and get exactly what i love. I do miss feeling and looking at the fabric up close and personal though; I tend to buy my kona solids at jo-ann's so i still get a bit of matching fabrics in person!

i never know how much to buy, probably bc most times i have no idea what i'm going to do with the fabric. i ended up with a 1/2 yard of this. a lot of times i wish i'd bought more, but I also don't want to tire of it. Do you have a system that you use or does it vary in what you add to your stash??

I'm off to finish binding my placemats and doing a little bit of my 'day' job, you know the one that pays for the stash! i should have the placemats done to show you tomorrow!

a couple finishes and a new stash to start

2010-08-09T13:37:00.002-04:00

I finished quilting 2 of the place mats I have been working on over the weekend. They are gifts I've been trying to finish up. It has been fun because they are 12"x18" and the perfect small size to practice different types of quilting on. I also thought it'd be fun if the set of 4 had different quilting on each mat. The first one is just straight line quilting.

This one I decided to do some organic quilting on. I hadn't done this before, although I'd contemplated it on a bigger quilt. This was a nice small way to figure out if i liked it. I do love just being able to sew any.which.way.you.want with no rules or lines to follow. That also pretty much sums up the type of person I am. Not a leader nor a follower. I don't like conformity much, go out of my way to be something different and unique. I also don't like others following me or my lead...I like for others to also do their own thing, much like the random, free spirited lines. also a good reason i like modern quilting - with little measured cutting or rules to follow - just piece it together, however you want!

Here is a little part of my stash I pulled out and I'm finally ready to cut into it. I think I've figured out what I want to do with it and can't wait to start on it!

Subtle Trains

2010-08-06T14:34:00.003-04:00

This is the front of the quilt. A smaller train applique in the bottom right corner. I used felt to piece it together as I wanted a certain subtleness about it, but matching the backing fabric in primary colors.

I haven't even taken a final measurement of it, but I'm fairly certain I started with about a 1 yard remnant. So, I'm guessing it turned out about 36"x44" or so. I did a royal blue flannel binding - note to self - flannel is a bit bulkier binding then quilting fabric so a 2 3/8" width might have been more forgiving in this instance.

peeking out over the top!

My little helper is holding up the front - so proud of his new quilt!

The back is the remnant piece that started the quilt....trains galore!

reveal and remnants

2010-08-05T12:06:00.005-04:00

This quilt started with a flannel remnant. To say that my youngest son is obsessed with trains is an understatement. He absolutely loves them. As soon as he saw this he had to have it! Then came the question of what to do with it. He already has a train pillowcase that I made, but not a train quilt. I thought the pattern was a little busy for the front, so it is actually the back.

I usually only work with flannel when I make long pajama pants for wintertime (not really needed in Florida) but my older guy likes them anyway. So, sewing a quilt with flannel was new for me. I also received the walking foot for my Bernina machine for my birthday at the end of June. We were on holiday up north (Illinois) until mid-July visiting my family, so I've just now gotten to test it out....this has been a long time coming!! The last fuller size princess quilt I made for Project Linus had a lot of puckers and i was so disappointed in the quilting...I knew a walking foot would make a huge difference. I went with a simple straight line pattern from corner to corner creating a diamond shape. There are 2 small puckers on the back which could have been from lack of over-basting, but i'm so pleased with it otherwise.

I must admit binding is becoming one of my favorite parts of quilting....is that so wrong? I love picking it out, cutting it, mitering it and sewing it on - another excuse to use the walking foot as well. I also admit I do not do any handsewing....the few quilts i have look terrible...I just don't have the hand or patience for a perfect hand-sewn blind stitch. Machine sewing looks much better than my hand-i-work. I found the best tutorial from Red Pepper Quilts. It is very clear and concise and it works perfectly - I started my first binding at 2.5" width and realized quickly that was too wide for me. I narrowed it to 2 3/8" and have done this on my last 5-6 projects and finally narrowed it to 2.25" for this quilt and I think it will be perfect - it is an art to make the binding the right width for your personal sewing style.

I have 1/2 of the binding pinned and just need to finish and sew the back down...the rest of the quilt reveal will be tomorrow!

Join the Challenge...

2010-07-30T15:24:00.004-04:00

I decided to join the challenge presented by Jacquie at Tallgrass Prairie Studio - the Improv(e) your Butt Challenge! I already cycle and run and try to do 2 long rides a week and have been slacking in the running department. I thought this might be a good way to get myself motivated. For every mile you log you get to add 1 piece of fabric to your Improv quilt. I have a few ideas I've been wanting to try - so maybe this will help me along.

You can particpate to by going to Jacquie's site and joining the Quilter's Butt team or join on your own on this site. You start in VA, and each mile you log takes your further across the United States, it is very fun! I have already logged my first 30 miles.

where's the fire?

2010-07-29T11:41:00.002-04:00

Just finished packaging up this cutie shirt for a customer. Her little boy is wearing it on his 3rd birthday next month! I love all the detail in this shirt and different pieces.

In fact, my favorite part is how well the actual shirt compliments the fabrics and applique design! I am deciding whether to list a few of the designs on etsy for sale in custom sizes and similar fabrics....any thoughts? I usually use Old Navy t-shirts so I feel the sizing can be fairly universal if you shop there. Off to finish my train quilt - it is in flannels and it has been interesting quilting it versus stiffer quilting fabric.