A Star Is Born

I've started working on yet another new quilt, and no, I haven't finished the last few quilts I've written about. Things change in one's life, so now that I have less access to being able to easily use my sewing machine, I've decided to start hand piecing a quilt. I made a sample block which I'm calling Imperial Star. I was inspired by an African American star quilt, called Royal Star, and I tweaked it quite a bit, so now it's all my own. Yay! I invented a new block! I designed the quilt using the EQ5 software, and I couldn't have done without it.
This is a photo of a sample block I stitched together, just to see how challenging the block would be to piece. I would rate it very challenging, but I'm satisfied with the result. These are not the colors I will be using for the finished quilt, which will be much brighter. I showed it to one friend who told me I was crazy, and I cannot disagree. I told the lady in the quilt shop that I would bring it in in four years when I finish it. We shall see!

Pressing Matters

I usually try to press my quilt from the front, using a dry iron. This helps to eliminate the little creases you sometimes get along the seamline. "Setting the seam", or pressing the seam as it has been stitched, before opening the piece out helps to maintain the integrity of the shape. Many times a seam can become stretched out while sewing. Pressing from the front also has the advantage of seeing exactly how the piece looks. I always pull out any little threads which have made their way out from the seamline. If you do this every time you press you will end up with a quilt which is free of those little annoyances. You will save yourself a lot of time and frustration if you take this very small step.
When a quilt top is completed I will generally go over it with the iron one more time and use a bit of steam if I need to, to smooth out any creases or coax the quilt into a more squared off shape if needed.
We generally think of quilting as sewing, and often don't think too much about the art of pressing correctly, which is every bit as important for a successful quilt.
Besides, now that I'm living in a household with others, I realize that pressing is quieter than digging out the sewing machine. I have to plan my time much more carefully these days. No more waking up and running to the machine first thing in the morning!

The New Presser Foot

I recently mentioned that I had bought an after market quarter inch foot for my sewing machine. I have used it recently and of course it's not the same quality as the Bernina foot. I noticed that if I want the needle to be centered in the middle of the foot that I will have to adjust my needle position. I haven't done a real test for accuracy, but for right now this will suffice. I'm not currently working on a project which requires total accuracy in the seam allowances.I will probably break down at some point, if I don't manage to locate the original presser foot (not too likely) and buy a new one from Bernina. I've been informed that they are now combining some of their feet, such as the 57 and the 37. The 37 is the one I like, a simple 1/4" presser foot. The 57, on the other hand, has an extra guide, or "rail", which I do not care for, and neither do many of the quilters I know. I feel that this is a case of a company not listening to their customers, which I think does not make good business sense. These customers are paying a lot of money to buy a high end product, and they should not feel as if their needs are being ignored.
There, I've said my piece.

A Loss

After my recent move to a temporary abode, and the necessity of having to put most of my belongings into storage I decided that it was time to make a new quilt for myself. I would not have done this if I had a suitable one for the bed in which I'm now sleeping, but I needed a new twin sized quilt. Sigh! Anyway, I decided that I will not have permanent ownership of the quilt, and that it will be passed along to someone else at some point, so I let the inner child pick out the cheerful fabrics. Imagine my chagrin when I finally had the sewing machine set up once more (after about a month or so) and I couldn't locate the quarter inch presser foot. Shock, anger, denial! It's my favorite foot! I had tried so hard to organize all my sewing things when I was packing them up, but this was the one thing I failed to account for. After looking and looking, and finally starting the quilt using another foot I found one online for a pretty good price. I received it in the mail yesterday, and of course it's what is known as an after market brand, but with any luck it will work for me. I've yet to try it out, as I'm at the pressing stage, but I will let you know. That's one thing about owning an expensive machine. The parts are expensive too.
Oh yes, I "adopted" my machine five years ago on July 3rd. I hope it's been as happy with me as I have with it.

New Things

As I mentioned, I have recently moved. I didn't have to go too far from my old place, so the neighborhood is still familiar. I'm living with relatives for the time being and of course there are always challenges with that! I've put many of my belongings into storage, except, of course for the Bernina. More on that later.
But one of the things I really love is being able to hear a mockingbird singing in the mornings, something I've been missing for many years. He's quite a cheerful little fellow, and I can often see him on a lamp post, or flying through the yard. If you're not familiar with mockingbirds they are a species which will sing a series of changing songs seemingly endlessly. The males do this to attract a mate, and will often sing late at night, although perhaps the lady mockingbirds don't appreciate this so much. They are a medium-sized grey bird, and when they fly by you can see a white stripe on their wings. They can be quite fierce too, and I have often seen them defending their nests against much larger crows.
We all have daily challenges in our lives, and seeing and hearing even a tiny bit of beauty can only help lighten our load, if only a little.

No, I haven't fallen off the face of the earth!

I know I haven't posted in months. As John Lennon famously said in one of his songs, "Life is what happens when you're making other plans." I stopped writing during the illness of a family member, during which time I also received notice that I would have to be moving from the place I have lived for nearly eight years. And a bunch of other stuff. Anyway, Happy Fourth of July to anyone reading this the first Monday of July. It's always been one of my very favorite holidays, and this one will be a scorcher!
Oh yes, the person who was ill is doing just fine now, so that's good, and there has also been a wedding in the family. Said wedding resulted in the bride becoming the owner of a Bernina as a gift from her groom. I couldn't be happier for her.
Anyway this was just a short  post to stay in touch, and for those of you in the Northern Hemisphere, have a wonderful summer. To those of you down in the southern regions, try to stay warm!

Quilters' little bit of the blues

I'm not talking about the color blue. When I was younger, in my teens I was privileged to see many rock and roll shows, at Winterland in San Francisco, as well as other venues.  There were  always musicians on the bill besides the headline acts, and sometimes they would be well-known blues artists. When I was fifteen or so, I didn't get their music at all, and I just thought it was too sad. As I matured in life I realized more and more how much these songs and tunes meant, and spoke to me directly. I saw the great blues guitarist Albert King as a youth, but didn't "get" him. Now I think I understand what he and others were saying.
 I realize that there are many messages in old quilts, if we choose to see them and try to understand them.Beginning quilters might not be able to see those messages, but they're there if we take the time to study and learn from them.

Quilters' little challenges

I believe that quilters have always, throughout time, challenged themselves.We often participate in quilt challenges now, where we are given certain guidelines or restrictions to follow.I can imagine a woman living in decades past, who would have time for sewing some patchwork in the evenings saying to herself, "I think I can make one of these blocks in an evening. If I need 63 blocks, I should be able to make all of them in two month's time." That would have been her challenge to herself. Another type of challenge would have been to make the thirteen quilts which would have traditionally been a goal to have finished before marriage.
Here is a version of the Le Moyne Star which I referenced in my post The Quilt Show (March 9, 2011). I drafted it last week, for the challenge of doing the math, and figuring out the angles. I've decided I wanted to do a hand-piecing project, and this is perfect. I will need to tweak the size of the triangle at the top of the star, but otherwise the pieces seem to be fitting together pretty well. This type of traditional block is very much better suited to hand piecing because of all the short seams. Only 62 1/2 more blocks to finish! And no, I certainly don't expect to have them done in two months.

Make one quilt block first

If you're using a new quilt pattern for the first time, try making up one quilt block first, before you commit yourself to a lot of fabric and time.Make a block out of scraps you have on hand, to see if there are any problems with the instructions. If you have drafted the quilt block yourself, or are getting the pattern from a book or magazine, you want to make sure that the entire thing fits together as it's supposed to. One other consideration is do you even enjoy putting that block together? If it's frustrating, or too time consuming, or you simply don't like it for whatever reason, chances are that you will not be finishing that quilt.I've just drafted a new block for myself, even though I have the pattern in a book. I wanted to give myself the challenge of doing the math. Now I'll cut out my pattern pieces and try to figure the best and fastest way to cut them out. I can also figure my yardage. But before I commit to buying any more fabric, I will cut and sew one block. Hopefully I'll enjoy the process.

Meanwhile, here's another little pink flower for you to enjoy. Notice the ragged little blossom in the corner. Less than perfect, yet it still has pretty colors.

Quilts as a tool for healing

Quilting and quilts can be a powerful tool for healing. We can make and give quilts to those who have suffered a loss, and we can also benefit from the very actions of sewing and planning a quilt to help ourselves in times of need. Hand piecing can be done simply while waiting in a hospital or doctor's office, when some quiet work and reflection can help to reduce feelings of anxiety or sorrow. As someone who favors the sewing machine for most of my work, I still do love to be able to sit and hand piece quilt squares. It's amazing how much you can get done in a relatively short amount of time.
Making and giving a quilt can be a way to deal with feelings of helplessness during times of crisis.
The pictures I'm showing here are of a quilt called "Ode to Oz", which was sent to help with Australian bushfire relief a few years ago. It wasn't hand pieced, but made rather quickly, to be sent overseas.

Tools of the trade

Here are some of the tools I use to draft quilt blocks. This is something which I really enjoy doing, and can be an extremely valuable tool for re-creating old quilts for which there is no pattern. Included are a 2" gridded ruler, protractor, triangles and a mechanical pencil, which can all be found at office supply stores. The 12 1/2" square ruler is an indispensable tool, not only for drafting, but for cutting quilt pieces. The 45 and 60 degree lines are useful as well.And of course, very few quilters can work without chocolate. In this case it is locally produced Ghirardelli, one of my own personal favorites. If you ever get to San Francisco, or bring visitors there, be sure to visit Ghirardelli Square, and the chocolate factory (http://www.ghirardelli.com/), where you can see the chocolate being made.

I usually use graph paper on which to draft my blocks, but if the block is going to be larger than 8 1/2" x 11", then I will often use a large piece of newsprint paper or vellum.

The Quilt Show

Last Friday I helped to hang some of the quilts for our guild's show. I was assigned to work with a member named Diane, to hang the quilts which needed special handling. The first was a group of small quilts which had been pinned to a piece of black felt, part of a group challenge. Diane got stabbed with a straight pin, so I set off to find a bandaid for her. Let this be a lesson! No straight pins!
Other quilts we worked with were small ones, which needed to be pinned to a sheet. First a sheet had tob be hung up, as you would a  quilt, and then the quilts had to be pinned from the back. This was definitely tricky to do, and getting them straight was a real challenge.
We also hung another group of small quilts, with a water theme. These were cleverly joined together with safety pins which had beads strung on them, so that all you saw were the beads. Diane informed me that this was from her small quilt group, and I was able to ask her how she did her block.
The afternoon was fun, and it's always nice to be able to help out. I found time to see most of the quilts in the show, and got to have a close up view of a quilt from the mid 30's, which seems to have been made by the members of a ladies softball team in Nebraska. They each embroidered their names on the blocks, and some even included a date or the position they played (second bace was one, and that's just how it was spelled). Back in the thirties every factory and workplace would have had a baseball or softball team, so that employees could have some socializing and sport after work. This particular quilt was part of a collection from the San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles How lucky we are to have this great museum so close by!
The softball quilt was a version of the LeMoyne Star. It took some searching but I found the block in one of my books, America's Favorite Quilts, by Leslie Linsley. I finally figured out how to draft it, and might try to make a version some day.

Santa Clara Valley Quilt Association Show this weekend.

http://scvqaquiltshow.org/
 Here's the link to our guild's upcoming show this weekend. I hope if you are in the area you'll try to make it out there. It's a wonderful show, with many vendors, a boutique, and door prizes. There are guest quilters, demonstrations, and a bed turning. For those of you who may not know what this is, a number of quilts are piled on a bed, and then shown one at a time as a couple of people turn back each quilt. It's a charming tradition, a way to see quilts close up, and on a bed, as many were meant to be seen.
As I've said previously, I will be going to help hang the show on Friday. I've never done this before, and am looking forward to it. We were told to be sure to have clean hands!

Lucky me!

At our guild meetings each month we are fortunate enough to have a raffle drawing. The prize baskets are wonderfully assembled by a group of ladies, who manage to make them especially appealing each time. Well, one of the baskets offered last night had a pink theme, and I gladly parted with three dollars for three chances to win. And I won! Included were books, a magazine, soap, gift cards many lovely fat quarters and some Ghirardelli chocolate. Wow. Now, what to do with all that lovely fabric? I'll keep you posted.
And yes, I shared the chocolate with friends.

The color yellow in quilts

When I was selling sewing machines a few years back, I worked in a stand-alone department inside a busy fabric store. I was able to work on quilts between helping customers, and I always enjoyed interacting with people, whether they were interested in my wares or not. I had many lively conversations with other quilters, and heard many stories I wouldn't have had access to elsewhere. One of the items of interest I heard more than once was that you should never use the color yellow in a quilt. One lady told me that her grandmother had said it was considered bad luck. This surprised me greatly, as I've heard other quilters say that you should always put some yellow into a  quilt.
I had also heard that the Amish never used yellow in their quilts, but of course that's not true.
I think that many people are not sure how to use yellow, and can be intimidated by it. It is, after all, a very strong color, which can denote many things, among them warmth, and summer.  Used well, it can bring sparkle to a quilt. It can be fabulously paired with a clear blue for stunning results. On the other hand, it can get lost if paired with white.

 I believe the study of color is critical for successful design. Color can be used to express emotions and feelings, and the knowledge of the effects of color on one's psyche is an invaluable tool with which to work. Learn whatever you can about color, and you will no longer be intimidated by it.One of my very favorite books is Joen Wolfrom's The Magical Effects of Color. Joen has written a number of books on the subject, and she has so much great information to offer.

A quilting bee

One of my cousins tells the story about how my grandmother had some of her friends over for a sort of quilting bee. My aunt prepared luncheon for the ladies, and then they set about their work, sitting around the stretched-out quilt. Before too long one of them dropped to her knees on the floor. Oh no! Was the food served at lunch a problem? Then another did the same. Now it was time to panic.

It turned out that they were simply interested in inspecting the stitching on the back of the  quilt!

A basket quilt

 I was inspired to make this by copying an old quilt which was my maternal grandmother's. The original quilt was much bigger, and the sashing was that great bubble gum pink. The story was that each of her friends had made a block and signed their names. Even though each of the squares looks as though it was made by a different hand, I found no signatures at all. The flowers in the original were all hand embroidered.

When I decided to make this quilt I had originally intended to use pink sashing.The only problem was that I picked out the fabrics for the flowers and baskets, and there was no way it was going to work with pink! That's when I decided to go with black, for which I have the greatest fondness. I've never seen this exact basket pattern anywhere, so I've named it Grandma's Baskets. I've seen blocks which were similar, but not quite the same. I fused the basket handles (cut on the bias) and the flowers, and then used a machine blanket stitch to sew around each raw edge. If I made this again I would probably use wider borders, but I'm quite pleased with it nonetheless. The binding is made up of strips cut from the remains of the fat quarters I used for the baskets and flowers. I must admit that I sort of "borrowed" the flower shapes from Diana McClun and Laura Knownes' book Quilts, Quilts, Quilts.

My Camera

The camera I'm currently using is a Canon PowerShot SX130IS. The list price for this is $249, but I paid $20 less, and I've seen it at an even lower price. (There is also an SX30IS, which is about twice the price.)
This is a point and shoot camera, as opposed to a digital single lens reflex. DSLR cameras are much more expensive, due to higher lens quality, and separate chips for auto focusing and the photosensor. With a point and shoot there is a lag time between when you push the button and the actual picture is taken. I don't want to get too technical, but I've been very happy with this camera, in spite of some limitations, and I've been able to get some really good pictures. It's very lightweight and convenient to use, and I like the fact that I can just take a couple of pictures of a quilt, and put them into my blog posts.

I will upgrade to a higher quality camera at some point, just as a beginning quilter would want to upgrade her sewing machine. It's not necessary to have all the bells and whistles when you're starting a new hobby, but with practice and experience you will learn which features are important to you. Plus, if you spend a lot of money when you start out, you might find that this isn't for you. It's your skill level which you want to improve, and that can be done with even some very simple equipment. Do the best you can with what you have, and be happy with your accomplishments.

An old quilt top

 Here are some pictures of an old quilt top I purchased at our guild boutique a few years ago. It was hung up on a wall, and an announcement was made that this and another old top were for sale for $10 each. When I spotted that black and white star from across the room I knew I just had to have it.
I think it may have been stitched together mid-twentieth century or so (Depression Era, perhaps?)but I really have no idea. At some point, probably in the 70's some chunks were cut out of one side, presumably to make pillows or some such.

 I was unable to find this exact block in any of my books, including Maggie Malone's book, 5,500 Quilt Block Designs. I did find a couple of blocks which were close, one called Anna's Choice, and another called Margaret's Choice, so I've named the block Ann-Margret's Choice.
This is a very beautiful though humble quilt, and one day I'll pay proper tribute and make a copy of it. For now it awaits, neatly folded, among other textiles in my cupboard.

The blocks are machine stitched, and the maker sewed four blocks together and then put the pieced pink and white sashing around them. The pink and white is very near and dear to my heart, and reminds me of my grandmother.

Where do I purchase my quilt fabrics?

I know many quilters who will only buy fabrics at quilt shops, but I'm not one of those. I realize that when you pay $8-$10 a yard for fabrics (or more sometimes) you will expect to be getting the very best quality fabric. I frequent some of the larger chain stores as well, and I often buy small pieces of fabric at the monthly boutique at my quilt guild. I realize that the quality will not always be the same, but I haven't run into too many problems doing this. Sometimes a manufacturer will print the same print onto very different quality greige goods (the term for the un-printed, un-dyed fabric), so unless you're looking at the fabric with a magnifier you can't be sure of the thread count. You can usually tell what kind of quality you're getting after the fabric is washed. If you find you lose all the body in the fabric once the sizing is gone, then you may want to reconsider using it. I've also found the opposite problem, which is when the fabric remains very stiff even after washing. These are just some of the many things you must take into consideration when selecting fabrics.
I once used a beautiful print for the border of a quilt which faded dreadfully after the second washing. It was from what I would consider a high-end manufacturer, and I was hugely disappointed. Luckily for me the  quilt was not a large one, nor one that I had given away. I ended up appliqueing another fabric over the top of the entire border, which was quite a bit of work. I still sigh when I think of how beautiful that first print was!

The joy of African American quilts

When I saw the quilts of Gee's Bend in an exhibit at the de Young Museum a few years ago, I was most intrigued by their exuberance. I saw great spontaneity and joy in so many of those quilts, and I have to say that I was not a little envious of the creativity with which these poor rural women created these works of art. How I wish I could allow myself  to express my work so freely! And yet, they had almost nothing with which to work. By that I mean that they used up every scrap of fabric and thread that they had, and many of those quilts were made from old work clothes. Need I say that those were my favorites?
The ladies of Gee's Bend, Alabama quilted to keep their families warm, and nothing else. Many of the quilts were burned when they were deemed to have reached the end of their useful lives. 
I feel so privileged to have been able to see these wonderful works of art.

An early quilt

 Here is a quilt top which I started making some time in the early 70's. I put some of the blocks together a few years ago, with this being one of the results. These were "orphan" blocks which have been around for many years. This is truly a scrap quilt, with fabrics from my high school dresses, costumes from plays, and a couple of ties made for a close friend.This still needs to be quilted. What I'm trying to show is that even the most primitive quilts can have their charms.

 As you can see, I knew about fussy cutting before I knew it had a name. Nice selection of fabrics! (?) I have no idea where that bright blue floral came from, but it wasn't mine.

Here's a detail of an embroidered design. I used to do quite a lot of hand embroidery, and I wish I still had some of my best work, which unfortunately was given to a somewhat unappreciative boyfriend.

Quilting designs from nature

Here is how I go about creating new quilting designs from leaves I've collected. After gathering and pressing the leaves (usually by just sticking them in an old phone book) I trace around the shapes onto a piece of card stock, lightweight cardboard or other stiff paper. Here I've re-used the cardboard from a box of tea.

I trace around the shapes, and sketch in the veins as a reference.

After the shapes are cut out I trace them onto the dull side of freezer paper. After these are cut out I can press them onto the quilt top, and stitch around them. I don't worry too much if I stitch through the paper. The pieces are then pulled off, and the veins can be free motion stitched.

I'm so embarassed!

With previous posts about deadlines and quilt show entries, I'm embarrassed to say that I have missed the entry deadline for my local quilt guild show next month. I kept meaning to get around to it, but never did until it was too late.I thought about deleting one or two relevant posts, but this will at least keep me honest.
Sigh!
We all make mistakes. I have signed up to help set up the show, so at least that will be a chance to hang out and meet some new people.
The Santa Clara Valley Quilt Association show will be at the Santa Clara Convention Center (same location as the Pacific International Quilt Festival) March 5 and 6. For more info, here is the link: http://www.scvqa.org/

Baptist Fan quilting design

The very first quilt I ever saw in my life was quilted with a design I came to know as the Baptist Fan. I was always intrigued by it, and finally used it on the border of a quilt I made some years ago. When I saw an exhibit of the quilts of Gee's Bend, I realized that most likely this was a sort of naturally-occurring pattern. If you hand quilt a curve, leaving your elbow in one place, you will achieve an arc. It's just that simple. The ladies of Gee's bend did not seem to mark their quilt tops, and many of their quilts are quilted with this pattern.
This is also sometimes known as a Methodist fan.

More color choice tips

One of the easiest ways to choose a color scheme for your fabric is to use the little dots of color which are sometimes printed along the selvege edge of the fabric. You can easily see the entire range of colors in a particular print, which may have as many as 10-14 colors. You probably wouldn't use them all, but it will give you a starting point for some lights, mediums and darks. As I've said previously, contrast can be a very important element, so keep that in mind. If your fabric doesn't have the color dots, try using a large scale print for color inspiration. You might not end up using that print in your quilt at all, but if it has colors you're really passionate about you will likely have some success.

A gift from a friend

My friend Mary Jane gave me a most beautiful book yesterday, Show Way, by Jacqueline Woodson, and illustrated by Hudson Talbot. It tells the story of the ancestors and descendants of an African American girl named Soonie. Quilts feature prominantly in the story, and M J said she just had give it to me. From the minute I opened the cover I was in love with the book. I'm savoring it, and even though it's a children's book I haven't gotten all the way through it yet, except to look at the pictures.
I have to say, upon reading some reviews that the book is not without controversy, but I think that just adds more interest. Find it, if you can, and I think any quilter would be delighted to have it in her library. One of the things I most enjoyed was that the story was told through the lives of the women.I also found myself picking out various quilt blocks in the book and finding the ones I've made.
Thanks, Mary Jane!
I've always said that the best gifts are ones which reinforce the recipient's own personal belief about who they are.

How I named this blog

I decided years ago that if I ever had a website that I would call it The Quilt Is My Delight. I never guessed that I would be blogging under that name.I was inspired by an old Scottish bagpipe tune called The Kilt Is My Delight. My maternal grandfather was a Scot who learned to play the bagpipes after he and his family emigrated to Australia. My mother has told me many stories about him, and he must have been quite a character.
The national garb of Scotland is the kilt, a pleated garment shown partially at the left. Don't ever call it a skirt. Most kilt-wearing men are armed, though not necessarily dangerous!
This is a cropped photo showing a man in evening dress, which I think is a most becoming attire.Worn correctly, I cannot think of anything more dashing.

New addition to my blog

You will notice that I've now added some advertising to my blog. I did this in the hope of being able to generate some income from my writing. I will be keeping a close eye on this. If I feel this is detrimental in any way, I will remove it.
Thanks

Meanwhile, here are some more primroses.
Sandra

Red and Green

New York Beauty detail

As I've mentioned previously, I love red and green quilts. I have no idea why I'm so attracted to them, but of course I'm not the only one.Red and green quilts were at the height of their popularity during the last half of the 19th century.They were invariably applique, and were mostly kept as best quilts, reserved for guests. Part of the reason for the rise in the use of these two colors was the advent of new and better dyes. My own red and green quilts are pieced. I haven't got much patience for the time-consuming applique, and I don't like to start a project if I don't think I'll finish .(I still have an applique Bicentennial quilt begun in 1976, of which I completed exactly two blocks!) This is a version of New York Beauty, with which I'm madly in love, and never tire of looking at. It was foundation pieced, and not at all difficult to make. In the detail photo, you can see that I used up the scraps from other blocks to create the one on the right. I feel as if this quilt is very strong, composition-wise, and your eye moves around and through the piece, without resting on any one place for too long.

Almost feeling guilty

The residents of the Bay Area in California have been recently blessed with some fantastically beautiful weather. I'm sorry, Connecticut! I apologize to the rest of the East Coast, and to Dallas. And of course, my lovely Australia, which is suffering from too much rain on one end and too much fire on the other. Can't we tip it just a bit, and let the floods put out the fire?

Here is a photo for you, so that you can see that there is hope after all.

San Bruno Rising

Here is a quilt I made to donate after the devastating explosion and fire last October in the Bay Area city of San Bruno.I felt quite helpless as I watched the event unfold on the evening news, and knew that the one thing I could do to help in some small way was to create a quilt for one of the survivors.
This is a simple quilt, with four patches, nine patches and one patches, taken from the book Making Scrap Quilts To Use It Up by Lynne Edwards. The quilt itself was designed by Pat Mitchell.
At 86" square, this is the biggest quilt I've ever made, and perhaps the fastest, taking only one month from start to finish.
And yes, I did use what I had on hand.I only bought one green fabric to add, and was given a chunk of green fabric which I used for the binding. I found a bargain fabric for the back, and got the batting on sale.

Here's a little gift for you

Here's a picture I took the other morning, of a magnolia tree near my apartment. I looked up and saw the shadow of the bud silhouetted on the leaves, and I wanted to share it with you. This reminds me of the inspiration for Hawaiian quilts. It's said that the Hawaiians, who were being taught to quilt by American missionaries, felt it was pointless to cut up fabric for patchwork. Someone noticed the shadow of a breadfruit tree on a sheet laid out to dry, and decided to use that as an applique motif. This may be the stuff of legend, but it makes sense to me. As I've said before, search for beauty, and you will find it.

Is that bare spot on the wall crying out for a quilt?

I have a little wall space in my hallway, where a calendar used to hang, but now that's been moved, so the space seems a tad bare. No so long ago I had no quilts hanging in my apartment, but now they pretty much occupy every vertical surface which isn't already covered by a picture, painting, or print of some sort. I do have a little quilt started, with the top pieced already. It still needs a border before it can be quilted, but....
Well, I'll let you know.

Our harshest critics

Why are we our own harshest critics? What makes us quilters so judgemental about our work and ourselves? I can't tell you how many times, when I've complimented someone on a quilt, that the maker has quickly pointed out supposed faults or mistakes. I think one reason may be that we have it in our heads that our foremothers made only the most perfect quilts, and that we'll never live up to those high standards. But have a good look at some antique quilts which aren't in museums, magazines or books. Look at the family quilts Aunt Betty made. Are they really beautiful? Probably. Are they examples of perfection? Most likely not.
Do artists in who work in other mediums do this? No, not really.
So get over it! Enjoy the process. Accept the adulation. And keep on quilting.

Deadlines

I  set deadlines for myself, as you sometimes must, when making a quilt. Perhaps you're entering a quilt show, or are making a birthday quilt, or a wedding quilt.  I hate to admit, that sometimes I don't meet those deadlines, and have been known to give an unfinished quilt for a gift, to be completed later. I'ts important to set realistic goals, but it may be just as important to set one's goals a little higher, with a greater expectation for what can be accomplished in a given amount of time. By that I mean you might want to tell yourself that a quilt must be done by the first of the month, rather than the fifteenth. This will give you a little leeway, and there always seems to be some kind of issue which comes up in order to finish a quilt, and stitches to be ripped out, or a block fixed, or some such.
And of course, it's important to have balance in your life, between work, family and friends, as well as being good to yourself.
And if I'm making a quilt for myself, it always takes so much longer! Sometimes years.

A park bench

Quilting designs can be found anywhere at all. Here are some pictures of a park bench, and there are a number of elements of the iron work which can be used as inspiration for free motion stitching. I would use these as a starting point, and let my imagination flow from there. Who knows, maybe you'll see these in one of my quilts!

Signatures

Here are a couple of my "signatures", little features which I will try to work into my quilts whenever I can, and whenever they are appropriate. Both photos show borders of the same quilt. The top picture is of the side border, and shows a little sheep print I sometime sneak in. I have a lot of this fabric (from the 80's), so will have it for years to come. The bottom picture shows how I've extended the on-point blocks out into the border, which I believe leads to a more interesting composition.
Try to develop some of your own signatures (besides making a label for the back) and add your own touches to your quilts.
Did I mention that I love red and green quilts?

The importance of contrast

Low contrast

High contrast

I have written before about the differences between high and low contrast in a quilt block. This is the first element of a design which the human eye will see.As you will notice from the two pictures, the design element of the block is somewhat lost in the low contrast square.You can barely see the star! I purposely did this on a quilt currently in progress, to mimic some of the elements I've seen in older quilts. Many times women would use whatever fabric was on hand, and may have had some limited choices. Today we just tend to run out to the local quilt shop, or to really plan each fabric in a quilt, but our ancestresses didn't always have that luxury.
A good understanding of the many elements of design is important to be able to produce a striking quilt. Quilt blocks need't be complicated, but thoughtful use of color and composition can make or break a quilt.
This doesn't mean that every quilt must have high contrast to be successful. It is just one thing to take into account, among many.

A comment at a local quilt shop

I was in the Prairie Queens quilt shop (San Jose, CA) some time ago when I overheard a customer tell one of the staff, "My husband says I can't buy any more fabric" When she left I told the same staff member, "I don't have a husband. I can buy all the fabric I want."

A very glamorous thread catcher

Here is a stunning (ha!) thread catcher I fashioned from a couple of pieces of cardboard (a Twinnings Earl Grey tea box), some blue painters tape, and a plastic bag. I just sandwiched the bag in between two layers of the cardboard, and taped them together around the edges. Hey, it works!
I've made very nice thread catchers for friends, but this is the one next to my sewing machine at home.
As you can see, this acts as a convenient coaster as well. The beautiful ceramic mug was made by California artist Wayne Duke.

Matched pockets

I'm making a Hawaiian shirt for my brother, Rob, for his birthday. I've given him many shirts over the years, and one of the things I always feature is the matched pocket. If you look closely at the picture you can see the pocket on the shirt, which has been matched up exactly with the print. This is a design feature of the best Hawaiian shirts, and to me it presents a fun challenge to fussy cut the fabric so precisely. He didn't realize that the first shirt I made for him even had a pocket!
If you're wondering about the term "fussy cut", it refers to a precise placement of a template or pattern piece on the fabric, so that a design element of a print is featured exactly where the quilt maker wishes it to be, as opposed to just randomly cutting up the fabric.We'll explore this more at another time.

Choosing thread colors for quilting

Here are my three choices for thread color. I think the green shows up best .

I previously used a lot of monofilament thread for my free motion quilting, but have now switched to using other types of thread. For this quilt I'm using a  selection of Superior Threads (Masterpiece by Alex Anderson). I spent what I thought was a small fortune for five spools, but it's a very beautiful fine Egyptian cotton and now I consider it well worth the cost. I decided some time ago that if I was going to do all the work of free-motion quilting that I really wanted the stitches to show up, and not blend into the background. This quilt has been a bit of a learning curve for me, with every section featuring more detailed quilting, and better color choices. I double-stitched the veins in the leaf, and now I think that double-stitching around the edges would be an improvement. Whether that will happen I have yet to decide.

Here is the quilted leaf design

The Lamington story

Lamingtons are an Australian dessert, made of small squares of yellow cake coated in chocolate frosting and rolled in coconut. I had a chance to take a quilting class from the well-known Australian quilter, Pam Holland, and decided to take some lamingtons to the class as a snack. I had never made them before, but how hard could it be? I made the cake from a mix, and cut up the squares. Easy enough. Rolling them in the runny chocolate frosting (icing in Aussie-speak) and dipping them in the shredded coconut was another matter altogether, but after a rather delicious mess, I had them all done.
Imagine my dismay when Pam mentioned something about a bread allergy. Oh, no, I thought, she can't have them! I was so relieved when she spotted the plate at class the next day and said, "Oooh. Lamingtons!"
I believe most Australian women these days buy theirs and do not make them at home.

Color inspirations from nature

Can one leaf provide color inspiration for an entire quilt?

Can a tiny little leaf provide a brilliant color scheme for a quilt? The answer is a resounding yes! The colors in this leaf range from yellows to deep oranges, to rich burgundies, plus a hint of a spring green. I've interpreted those in Autumn Log Cabin, created in 2005.The only color which isn't really represented in the quilt is blue, so the quilt features the entire color wheel except for the color blue (although there the tiniest specks of it in the yellow center squares.)  The fabric for the center squares features the back of the fabric, to provide a softer hue.Your fabric has two sides, so feel free to use the back if it's more appropriate.

My fondness for leaves

Morning Glory leaves

I'm showing a photo of a quilt I finished a few years ago. It was quilted entirely with a morning glory leaf pattern. I collected the leaves, traced them onto freezer paper, then cut them out and pressed them onto the quilt top.I stitched around each leaf shape, then pulled off the freezer paper and stitched through the middle to the next leaf. The freezer paper shapes can each be used a number of times before being discarded.
 I like using leaves for a quilting motif. I love their natural beauty and variety, their colors, textures and shapes. One thing I really love about using them for quilting inspirations is that they are not all perfect, so if my stitching is a little off, well, that's okay.Sometimes I even add little "bug bites" to the edges of the leaves, as if they have been chewed by a critter.

My design wall

The design "wall"

Here is a picture of the winter quilt which is currently under construction. I call it a winter quilt because of the wool batting I'm using. As you can see, the design "wall" is my living room floor. I don't actually have a studio per se, and sometimes this is the only way I can lay out a quilt that I'm working on.The quilt is a version of the Amish/Welsh, Diamond in a Square, although I believe the Amish call it a Center Diamond.
It would be great if I could manage to finish it while it's still winter. Yes, I know, we Californians don't really know what winter is all about!

Some tips on free motion quilting

First of all, let me say that if you wish to learn free motion quilting you will have to be prepared to spend time (dreaded "P" word coming up here) practicing. Yes, it's true. You will have to put considerable time in just doing it over and over, and putting all of that into your muscle memory bank. I taught myself, with the help of the Goddess of Free Motion Diane Gaudinsky (my description, not hers). I bought one of her books and pored over it for many years until I had the right sewing machine to use. You don't need a lot of fancy bells and whistles, but ideally you need to be able to drop your feed dogs, and to have some type of free motion presser foot for your machine. The one I favor is the open toe foot for my Bernina, the #24. I've tried a see-though plastic foot, but I felt that it limited my vision of the lines I was trying to follow. I also found that I didn't care for the stitch regulator on the Bernina, as it also impaired my vision. A good free motion foot will not clamp down onto your fabric like an ordinary foot, but will sort of hover above it. It's up to you to guide the fabric, and this type of foot will let you move your quilt freely as you sew.
I set the stitch length to zero. I've had workshop instructors tell me that this isn't necessary, but I feel that it can put a strain on your motor if you do not. I also use the needle down feature on my machine. It's good to have the needle down in the fabric every time you stop, as the presser foot will not hold your work in place.
There are many ways of marking your quilt top, none of them perfect for every application.I have used the wash away pens, freezer paper cut outs, and a new iron off pen (Ultimate Marking Pencil by Hancy). You need to experiment to find out what will work for you and your fabric.Always do a test, to make sure you can get rid of your marking lines once you have completed your quilting. And whatever you do, do not iron over the wash away pen marks (the turquoise ones by Mark-Be-Gone, Clover or others), because this will permanently set the marks, and can lead to some real heartbreak. It's usually best to mark the quilt before layering the batting and backing. With freezer paper cutouts, however you can do this afterwards.
Start by doing smaller samples, and build up your confidence on small projects like pillow tops, or wall hangings.
 In the words of the great jazz legend Miles Davis, "There are no mistakes."

Piecing the Pieces

One of my little "signatures", which I will often include in a quilt is what I call Piecing the Pieces. If you examine many old quilts you will often see that some of the pieces in a quilt block have a little seam in them. You might not even notice until you look closely, but I have seen this many times in vintage quilts. The reason for this is simple; a quilter might not have a big enough piece of fabric from which to cut her squares, but she could sew together two smaller pieces to be able to cut out her larger one. I do this myself out of necessity sometimes, especially if I'm making a scrap quilt.This is actually a preference for me if I'm making a quilt for charity. Not to be cheap, but I can't afford to spend a lot of money on every quilt I make, so if I can squeeze out enough blocks to make an attractive quilt without having to run to the fabric store, I will always do so. Besides, I think it adds to the charm. I first noticed pieced pieces when I was closely examining a quilt made by my great-grandmother, who lived on a ranch in Montana in the early part of the last century. She certainly couldn't run out to the quilt shop, because there weren't any! Since then I've spotted this little trick in many older quilts.
This is just something to keep in mind, and I can pretty much assure you that no one will notice, especially if you're using a print. And if it can keep you from panicking when you start to run out of a fabric, then so much the better.

Color inspirations

Color choices for quilt fabrics may be one of the most important decisions when designing a quilt. Color is probably the most important factor which will make a successful quilt, and can be used to convey many types of emotions, moods, or feelings. We may want to make a quilt which will be used with the color schemes for a particular room, and we can make our choices based on the other furnishings in that room. Often I will hesitate to make a quilt for someone if I haven't been to their home to see what they might like.
With all that being said, however, I find the greatest pleasure in just making whatever suits my fancy, using the colors which will give me the greatest pleasure. My very favorites are intense, color-saturated deep, bright colors. These kinds of colors can often be found in Amish quilts, and the Amish  are certainly amazing in some of the combinations they put together. One of the most important elements in a successful design comes with a good use of contrast. Contrast is the element of a quilt design which the human eye will first notice.Color becomes secondary, but without the use of contrast, many of the other design elements will be lost.
I was quite surprised a couple of years ago, when I purchased a DVD of Walt Disney's version of Sleeping Beauty, and watched it for the first time in many years. When I was a little girl, that was my Disney movie. Other girls would favor other heroines, such as Cinderella, Belle, or the Little Mermaid. My idol was Princess Aurora. What really amazed me when I watched the movie were the amazing colors, and how bright and vivid they were. Hey! Those are my colors! And that was when I realized what a huge influence that movie had on my color choices, without me even knowing it. Watch the movie sometime, if you can, and you will see what I mean.
Now I notice in nature those same intense colors; the rich blue of an October sky, the amazing hues of the crape myrtle when the leaves turn in the fall, and the brilliant green grass when it starts to come back in the spring.. It's all out there for us to see and from which we can take our inspirations.
You can also start to look around you and see where you get your color inspirations. Study the subject of color whenever you can, and you will find that you will have a better grasp of how to use it successfully.

Letting your inner child pick out your fabric

I try to stay in close touch with my inner child, and let her loose sometimes when I'm picking out fabrics for a quilt . I just set that little seven or eight-year-old loose and let her have her own way."Oooh, look! This is pretty!" she'll say, and then she will put this one with that one, and I can usually get a very sweet look from her choices. Usually it will be some kind of pastel florals, or sometimes it's a bit brighter, but she really does have pretty good instincts.The fabrics in my previously mentioned Sunbonnet Sue quilt were picked out by me, but the combinations in each block were put together by her. I tried to stick to Depression era colors, and of course with a bubble gum pink for the sashing and borders the sweetness really did have a chance to shine.
I also let the inner child pick out the fabrics for the winter quilt I'm currently working on. (Title still to be decided.) The fabrics are few, but simple, with black, a rich pale blue and a turquoise print.And the little girl in me picked out a bright fuchsia print for the binding. Wow! I promise to let you have a look at it very soon.

Giving your quilts a title

Most of the time it may not be necessary to give your quilt a name or title, but if you're entering a show, or if the quilt is for a special occasion you may want to give a bit more thought than just calling it by a block name (Bow Tie, Four Patch, etc.) Sometimes this can present as much of a challenge as selecting the colors, or picking the fabrics for a quilt. Sometimes a name will just pop into my head, and sometimes I "borrow" a title from elsewhere, a song or a movie, or some such. Recent quilts which come to mind are San Bruno Rising, a quilt I made after the disastrous explosion and fire which happened last September. I also named one Ode to Oz, to be sent to Australia for bushfire relief in 2009.
Right now I'm working on a quilt for myself, which so far has the name Winter Quilt. A bit boring, don't you think? I love the colors, and the simple pattern, and the leaft quilting motifs I'm using. Something will come to mind, and that will be it, but for now...well, maybe I'll take a walk and the name will come to me.

Working through the pain. Is it worth it?

Many times we quilters (and other hobbyists, I'm sure) keep working on a project, even though this may be causing us some kind of physical pain, whether it's a sore back, stiff hands, aching neck or something else.Is it really worth it? If we're trying to meet some kind of deadline it may seem so.But I think it's so important to listen to your body, and to take clues from it. When I was doing production sewing, working eight hours a day behind a sewing machine, there was almost always neck pain involved. This was in spite of the fact that I took great care with my posture, and didn't "hunch" over the machine. As someone who quilts for an enjoyable hobby, I don't see the point of continuing on if something is hurting.This is your body's way of telling you to take a rest, get up, do something else for a bit of a break. We can try to make sure that our workspaces are the very best ergonomically-speaking, but working for hours at one task can sometimes take its toll. We are almost always able to switch tasks (get up from the machine for some cutting or pressing, do some hand sewing sitting on the couch, etc.) or even stop completely and go outside for a walk.I don't think it's worth doing possible long-term or even permanent damage just to finish a quilt.
And while I'm on the subject, be sure to take very good care of your eyes. What a great and complex thing our vision is! I came very close to losing the vision in one eye, and am so thankful that I was able to have the very best care and can see clearly once more. Thanks Dr. Kim!

What to enter in the upcoming guild show?

The quilt guild to which I belong, the Santa Clara Valley Quilt Association, is having our every-other-year quilt show coming up in March. Each member (we are 400+, I believe) is encouraged to enter at least one quilt. This is something of a dilemma, not only for me, but for others, I'm sure. It's not a juried show, so that takes the pressure off, and one needn't submit a photo, etc. Nor does the quilt need to be finished until the actual drop-off date. But the problem is this: do I try to finish up one of the many quilts I'm currently working on, and make the extra stress for myself of meeting a deadline? I don't have too many quilts lying around that I would consider truly show-worthy, although they are fine quilts. Some of my best recent work has been given away, never to be seen again. What to do? What to do?

Then I look up from the computer, and I spot one of my favorites, a very tradional Sunbonnet Sue. Yes I think Sue is show-worthy. It's the only quilt I've made which features hand applique, and others might like to see it close up, so I think I'll go with that.
Our guild show is called Heart of the Valley, and will be held at the Santa Clara Convenion Center March5-6. If you're able to, we'd love to have you in attendance.

Loose Threads

I'm currently working on a winter quilt for my bed, which is a variation of a Diamond in a Square, typical of many Amish quilts. It has a number of borders, and I'm doing free motion quilting in each diamond, triangle, and border section. I stititched-in-the-ditch around each part of the quilt, and then I will go back to do my free-motion quilting.I'm matching the backing thread to the top thread, and this has meant many stops and starts. I have been trying to knot and tie off each pair of threads as I complete a section, or several sections, but I invariably seem to find threads which haven't been finished off. This can result in a bit of a mess on the back of the quilt, so I think it's time to sit down with a cup of tea, and really search the back of the quilt for any loose threads. And the top too, I guess.
My method is to pull top and bobbin threads to the back of the quilt, using a needle if necessary, and then tie a square knot, thread both threads into a large-eyed needle, then run the needle about an inch or so between top and quilt backing, at which point I can then finally cut the threads.This has worked well for me, but I'm always open to new ways of doing things.

Perfection? Not from me!

There are some quilters who purposely put a mistake into their quilts, by turning a block the wrong way or some such, but really, do they think that their work is so perfect? Not me. I strive to do the very best work that I can, but there will always be a seam that doesn't  quite match, or a point which is cut off, or something which isn't quite right. In the end none of that really matters to me.If you look at vintage quilts, you will find that most of them are less than perfect, and that's what often gives them their charm. This is folk art, after all, not some mass produced piece of perfection. When I'm piecing, and I can't get a seam allowance to match the way I want it to, I will rip it out once or twice, no more than that. There are some who would advocate throwing out a block at that point, but that's very wasteful in my eyes. Better to just include it in the quilt with the thought that that's just the way it's going to be.And I do not worry about the Quilt Police! Most quilts will not be going into a juried show, and it takes the fun out if you worry about every little detail.
With all that having been said, I did once rip out a block from a quilt which was turned the wrong way.  (I think I even had the binding on at this point) I hadn't noticed it until the very end, and I thought of leaving it in to see if anyone would notice, but it would have driven me crazy, I think, to leave it in.

Musings on the New Year

Just a few thoughts for 2011:
Strive to be happy.
Search for beauty and you will find it.
Make yourself useful to others, whether they are aware of it or not.
Learn at least one new skill.
Don't judge others too harshly.

All that being said, I try not to make resolutions, because they are invariably broken, so why start with failure? But you can always try to improve yourself and your work. Strive to do better in the things which matter most, and let some of the less important things go. There is no such thing as perfection.
I'm sitting at the computer on a cold rainy day, and am quite happy with this weather, when I see that so many others are suffering because of it, from the east and west coasts of the U.S. to the south east of Australia, where they are having terrible floods. So I will gladly settle for a little rain here! I have some Celtic music playing, one of the many Christmas albums I have which are Highland, Scottish, Celtic or what have you. They tend to be a bit New Age-y, but that's very calming right now. I have foregone watching the Tournament of Roses parade from Pasadena, because one of my non-resolutions is to spend less time in front of the TV. we'll just see how long that one lasts! (As I said....) I have told myself that I can't watch any more re-runs, which should be useful. I do love my TV, don't get me wrong, but how many times much I watch the same episode of Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares? Once should be plenty.
I spent yesterday at Hakone Gardens in Saratoga, with my trusty camera, and came away with a few good shots, out of more than 150. That's what editing is for, and there is at least one photo of some fern leaves which will undoubtedly make its way into a quilt.
I will sit down with the sewing machine today, if only for a short while, because if I can't sew on a cold and rainy day, when can I?
So, one more cup of tea, and a bit of Christmas pudding, and a-quilting I will go!
Happy New Year!