Hand Quilting

Several weeks ago, I took a hand quilting class focusing on consistent stitches.  I think this pillow cover turned out pretty well.

The pattern was drawn on muslin using a Pilot Frixion ballpoint pen.  On the pen, it says "remove by friction" and is being advertised as an erasable gel pen.  However, on fabric, ironing the finished piece will remove traces of the ink.  Worked great!

Now, back to work on the turtles......

Turtles

I know I'm supposed to be getting ready for the holidays and I have a kabillion things to do.  But I've gotten sidetracked on a new project (of course!)  

It's another Hawaiian Applique', but it's a little different from what I've done in the past.  It uses two fabrics where the applique' fabric is laid on top of the background and the unneeded parts are cut away as I appliqué' thus exposing the background.  The pattern says it is designed for machine, raw-edge, or hand appliqué.

It's called "Herd of Turtles" and is created by Nancy Lee Chong of Pacific Rim Quilt Company.  At the same time, I got several spools of their Aurefil 50 wt cotton thread that is an absolute dream to appliqué with.  

And this one is my first using batik fabrics which made me a little nervous, but seems to be working out ok.

The rest of my Christmas shopping can wait until tomorrow.

Orchids Finally Finished!

I've been working on this Hawaiian Applique' off and on since May.  It's a wallhanging and  finished at 42" square.

I gifted it to a senior officer I work with.  He's been greatly supportive of my quilting, but, in a good natured way, always commented that I should be making him a Hawaiian quilt never once thinking I would actually do it!  At any rate, he was stunned when I gave it to him but he loved it.  Sometimes giving them away is the best part of making projects like these.

 I'm slowly getting better at consistent stitches and the points on the appliqué'.  But I have LOTS of work to do to improve the "valleys".

Now I have to find another project to do!

Pineapple

Of course, I had to take Sandy's other foundation piecing class, Pinapple blocks.  I think I like this method of piecing!  Here's some of our results today:

It was a long day and I'm tired!  (Actually, I think we all look tired.)

Dresden Fans

Sandy Corbin was vacationing on Oahu as she and her husband do twice a year.  She always takes time out from waterskiing to teach several quilting classes.  She is great fun and we thoroughly enjoy her.  Last weekend, I attended her Dresden Fan foundation piecing class and had a great time.  Here's one block:

One of the other students, Donna, took three of us (Sandy, Carol, and me) to the monthly Hawaii Quilt Guild meeting.

Orchids

I've been working hard on this Hawaiian Applique'.  I have the echo quilting around the border left to do and the binding.  This one is a wallhanging approximately 42 inches square.  I love doing this type of handquilting.  I just wish my stitches were more consistent!

When I get this one finished, there's about 3 other Hawaiian Applique' projects waiting to be stitched.  My aunt and I had a great time choosing batik fabrics for appliqué' when we visited Kapaia Stitchery in Lihue, Kauai, this summer.  Wonderful store!!

Puzzle Box

I haven't posetd in awhile, but I have been busy!  One of my favorite patterns is the Puzzle Box and I finished two of them to set them aside as gifts.  I left part of the binding unfinished so I could put labels on later.

Yarn Winder

Found myself a new/old toy.  It's a little yarn winder.  My mother had one just like it and it found a home with one of my sisters.  I've been looking for years for another and found it on eBay the other day.

My mother was an expert knitter and this yarn winder brought back many warm memories when I was a child helping her wind yarn for her projects.  All of us always had sweaters, mittens, hats and, of course, lots of slippers.

Now I have to find a proper belt and clamp for it.  The rubber band has just a little too much stretch!

Today was a good day.  Isn't it cute?

Batiks

I needed a projected the other day and pulled this kit out of the closet.  I had never worked with batiks before and it was one I'd purchased from eBay months ago.  I was a little disappointed with the kit because it didn't look like anything close to the photo.  It was supposed to contain "moss" and "grey" tones, but there were a lot of blues, blacks, and maroons in it.  So I had a hard time trying to arrange the colors.  I finally went with a "light" and "dark" arrangement.  Here's the result.

After I got it done, I kinda liked it!

Batiks

I needed a projected the other day and pulled this kit out of the closet. I had never worked with batiks before and it was one I'd purchased from eBay months ago. I was a little disappointed with the kit because it didn't look like anything close to the photo. It was supposed to contain "moss" and "grey" tones, but there were a lot of blues, blacks, and maroons in it. So I had a hard time trying to arrange the colors. I finally went with a "light" and "dark" arrangement. Here's the result.





After I got it done, I kinda liked it!

Thief!

Look who's stealing the cat's food outta the garage!  He lands on the broom handle, then onto the table saw, then onto the basket of scrap wood, then to the bowl where he grabs a chunk and flies off to share with the wifey waiting patiently in the plumeria tree.

Meanwhile, the cat just watches knowing that there's more food in the house.  Lazy darn cat!

Japanese Jigsaw Puzzle

I finished the Japanese Jigsaw Puzzle tonight.  It will be a gift for a coworker who is retiring in a couple of weeks.  Although I thoroughly enjoyed making this quilt, I probably would have liked it better if I had chosen different fabrics.  The first border was WAY to busy so I cut most of it off and added the green.  I think it turned out better.  I hope she likes it!

(P.S.  I gave to her this morning -- She loved it!)

Happy Mother's Day!

I received this in the mail the day before yesterday from my stepmom, Marge, in Great Falls.  She found it in a silent auction at a quilt show in Great Falls, Montana, and thought of me.  Bless her heart!

Isn't it great?  Happy Mother's Day, Marge!  Love you, too.

Letty's Bag

I thought I'd try something different.  I attended Sandy's other class -- the Letty's Bag.

I ride the bus every day and regularly use an oversized bag for the necessities like a sweater when the bus is too cold, an umbrella in case it rains, a book or two, and the new iPad2 I'm having fun learning to use.  (The iPad really came in handy last night.  Our normal 40-minute commute was stretched to 3 hours due an accident causing multiple lane closures.  So my friend and I passed time by watching a movie that I had loaded on the iPad.)

Back to the bag....

Somewhere in a very safe place is a pretty black button that is supposed to be attached to that blue flap on the outer pocket.  I know I'll find it someday.

Attaching the grommets was interesting.  In a perfect world, they are supposed to fit together like a Tupperware lid.  The first five went together as designed.  However, the last three would not stay together no matter what we tried.  So I corrected that problem when I got home and SuperGlue'd them together.  Worked like a charm!

Japanese Jigsaw Puzzle

Sandy Corbin is a quilter and teacher from Southern California who comes over here to "vacation" several times a year.  However, we are always prevailing on her to teach a class or two during her visits.  And we always have great fun with her.  This time, it was the Japanese Jigsaw Puzzle.

None of us were able to finish the top during the class, so Sarah offered to host us at her home later in the week.  We all met on Thursday evening ready to finish our projects.  In addition to 4 children, they have 3 dogs of varying sizes, two birds, and a potbellied pig, all who had free rein in the house!  Interesting household but so much fun.

As we were packing up at the end of the evening, the power went down and it was pitch black.  The funniest part was that all of us immediately reached for our cellphones and downloaded free flashlight applications so we could finish gathering our stuff and finding our way to our cars.  Seems someone hit a power pole two blocks away and the entire neighborhood was in the dark.

Back to the quilt.  I really enjoyed the jigsaw part, but I'm not too fond of the borders.  Maybe they'll grow on me, but I'm going to look for a bigger print on the outer border....

One Block Wonder Finished!

It's done!  This one was fun to put together, trying to decide where to put the blocks, and matching all those seams.  But nearly every step of the way, it tested my patience.  From my earlier posts, the tradewinds played havoc with my design wall.  Then the problems with my sewing machine!!!

Two of my favorite blocks:

Now on to the Japanese Jigsaw puzzle.....

Quilting Frustration

I got my blue One Block Wonder on the frame a couple of weeks ago.  I managed to quilt a couple of rows and then things went to heck in a handbasket!  The top thread started shredding and breaking every 12 inches or so.

Since then, I have rethreaded that sewing machine until I can do it blindfolded.  I've cleaned and recleaned it, oiled it, taken it apart and put it back together.  I've tried a myriad of tension settings until I found one that worked.  I changed out the needle 4 times!  Thinking I got a bad spool of thread, I ordered a new one only to find out that the new spool shredded as badly as the original!  Every time I tried something and it didn't work, I'd have to walk away for awhile, do some more research, and then try something else.  This kind of frustration I do NOT handle well.

What was really confusing was that the sewing machine would work perfectly when I took it off the frame and tested it on a table (and I tried that several times).  It just didn't make sense!  And then last night, I thought of something else.  It dawned on me that after trying 4 Janome-brand needles without success, I wondered another brand would work.  Somewhere on the internet, I'd read that the Janome could also use Schmetz needles.  In my Bernina attachments, I found I had several packages of Schmetz QUILTING needles, size 100/14.

I put one on the Janome this morning and the darn thing worked! Yippee!  I finished quilting that miserable quilt this afternoon.  All this "trial and tribulation" was either a test or makes me think if OBW's are not for me!

But now I can look forward to taking the Japanese Jigzaw quilt class next weekend.  

One Block Wonder - Finished!

With my previous projects, I really enjoyed following the steps for a specific pattern and I knew all along the way what the finished product was supposed to look like.  Many people enjoy creating One Block Wonders and I was curious about the process, so I signed up for a class.  Donna, the teacher, was wonderful.  She had lots of ideas, but I think the main thing I came away with was that we have to retrain our eye to look for movement in color when placing the blocks.  Everyone was going to come up with something different.  There was no right or wrong.

Little did I know how difficult it was going to be for me.  I had no problem with the cutting of the "hex's" and sewing them together.  What I had to wrap my head around was the concept that I didn't know what the quilt was going to look like until it was done.  The process of placing the blocks in to some sort of design took me into uncharted territory.

I had the "hex's" on the design wall for weeks, changing a block here and there until I guess I finally just gave up.  This is the finished product and I can still see a few blocks that I "should" have moved.

I feel like I have NO imagination which is why I struggle with these types of projects.  I love putting together kits because someone else has already chosen the pattern and the fabric.  Somebody else's imagination.  I would love to expand into a long-arm sewing machine but the idea of doing free-motion versus using pantographs terrifies me.  Everybody says all it takes is practice, practice, practice.  But for me, it's like jumping off a cliff. 

Anyway, I am glad it's finished and I think I like it.  And, guess what!  I've got a blue one I have to put together now!  Glutton for punishment probably.  But it also stretches the boundaries and that's a good thing.

One Block Wonder - Finished!

With my previous projects, I really enjoyed following the steps for a specific pattern and I knew all along the way what the finished product was supposed to look like.  Many people enjoy creating One Block Wonders and I was curious about the process, so I signed up for a class.  Donna, the teacher, was wonderful.  She had lots of ideas, but I think the main thing I came away with was that we have to retrain our eye to look for movement in color when placing the blocks.  Everyone was going to come up with something different.  There was no right or wrong.

Little did I know how difficult it was going to be for me.  I had no problem with the cutting of the "hex's" and sewing them together.  What I had to wrap my head around was the concept that I didn't know what the quilt was going to look like until it was done.  The process of placing the blocks in to some sort of design took me into uncharted territory.

I had the "hex's" on the design wall for weeks, changing a block here and there until I guess I finally just gave up.  This is the finished product and I can still see a few blocks that I "should" have moved.

I feel like I have NO imagination which is why I struggle with these types of projects.  I love putting together kits because someone else has already chosen the pattern and the fabric.  Somebody else's imagination.  I would love to expand into a long-arm sewing machine but the idea of doing free-motion versus using pantographs terrifies me.  Everybody says all it takes is practice, practice, practice.  But for me, it's like jumping off a cliff. 

Anyway, I am glad it's finished and I think I like it.  And, guess what!  I've got a blue one I have to put together now!  Glutton for punishment probably.  But it also stretches the boundaries and that's a good thing.

Back to Square One (Almost)

Like the rest of the country, we have had weather problems, though not as severe as some areas.  Here in the islands, it's been LOTs of rain along with flash flood warnings.  Compared to many other places, we've been very, very lucky...until tonight.

I've been slowly getting the pink One Block Wonder quilted.  At the same time, I've been arranging the blue one on the design wall.  Every time I walked past it, I changed a block or two.  Today, I'd pretty much decided it was ready to sew together.

We usually keep most of our windows open using the tradewinds to keep the house cool.  Today, it was disaster (a little one).  A rainstorm hit late this afternoon bringing with it a LOT of wind.  It knocked over my design wall scattering quilt pieces all over the entryway.

Now I have about 110 pieces that I have to match up and start over.  Darn it!

Back to Square One (Almost)

Like the rest of the country, we have had weather problems, though not as severe as some areas.  Here in the islands, it's been LOTs of rain along with flash flood warnings.  Compared to many other places, we've been very, very lucky...until tonight.

I've been slowly getting the pink One Block Wonder quilted.  At the same time, I've been arranging the blue one on the design wall.  Every time I walked past it, I changed a block or two.  Today, I'd pretty much decided it was ready to sew together.

We usually keep most of our windows open using the tradewinds to keep the house cool.  Today, it was disaster (a little one).  A rainstorm hit late this afternoon bringing with it a LOT of wind.  It knocked over my design wall scattering quilt pieces all over the entryway.

Now I have about 110 pieces that I have to match up and start over.  Darn it!

I must be bored...

Trying to burn excess vacation time before the end of the year, I've spent the last week and a half at home.  I can't remember the last time I stayed home for such a long period.  Three- or four-day weekends are more my style.  Anything longer than that is usually used to get off this island for a time.

Now that the holidays are over, I've been doing everything possible in order to stay OUT of the refrigerator and not feed my face!  So far today, I've kept busy cleaning house and mucking out my sewing "cave."  I finished a new Tessellating Pinwheels that just needed binding.  That pink/blue One Block Wonder is now on the frame, but we're waiting for the batting to arrive.  It might be NEXT year before I get that one done.  I got out another, smaller One Block Wonder that I have to cut more hex's and it's waiting patiently on the table.

Then I got a wild hair and pulled out my cross-stitching stuff outta the garage and have spent the last hour or so trying to scan the pattern in to the computer.  (I like to mark up copies of the pattern and leave the original as-is.)  Only problem is that we upgraded my PC to Windows 7 not long ago and it doesn't want to see my scanner!  Just now got it to work while updating this blog.  (I love my Mac, I love my Mac).

One of my dining room chairs has come apart so, armed with Scott's staple gun, I reupholstered a new seat cover and put the chair back together.

Oh yeah, and I got back on the WeightWatchers website and started tracking again today after two weeks of playing hookie.  I guess sticking to my diet has to be my New Year's resolution (again), darn it!

And the day's not over yet!

I must be bored...

Trying to burn excess vacation time before the end of the year, I've spent the last week and a half at home.  I can't remember the last time I stayed home for such a long period.  Three- or four-day weekends are more my style.  Anything longer than that is usually used to get off this island for a time.

Now that the holidays are over, I've been doing everything possible in order to stay OUT of the refrigerator and not feed my face!  So far today, I've kept busy cleaning house and mucking out my sewing "cave."  I finished a new Tessellating Pinwheels that just needed binding.  That pink/blue One Block Wonder is now on the frame, but we're waiting for the batting to arrive.  It might be NEXT year before I get that one done.  I got out another, smaller One Block Wonder that I have to cut more hex's and it's waiting patiently on the table.

Then I got a wild hair and pulled out my cross-stitching stuff outta the garage and have spent the last hour or so trying to scan the pattern in to the computer.  (I like to mark up copies of the pattern and leave the original as-is.)  Only problem is that we upgraded my PC to Windows 7 not long ago and it doesn't want to see my scanner!  Just now got it to work while updating this blog.  (I love my Mac, I love my Mac).

One of my dining room chairs has come apart so, armed with Scott's staple gun, I reupholstered a new seat cover and put the chair back together.

Oh yeah, and I got back on the WeightWatchers website and started tracking again today after two weeks of playing hookie.  I guess sticking to my diet has to be my New Year's resolution (again), darn it!

And the day's not over yet!