Star Bright (using foil)...

I finished another small quilt this past week.  But as it was a gift for someone, I couldn't share pictures until after she'd received it (which she has).  This was another project for the group I'm in called The Twelve of Us.  The gist of it is that every couple of months someone chooses a new technique/theme and we make each other something with it.  I have to say this one has been the most challenging (so far).  The challenge was "to make a project using fabric foils from Laura Murray designs".

I'll admit I've never done anything like this and had no idea where to start.  I perused Laura Murray's website and ordered supplies and then scratched my head.  She has some beautiful pieces as examples, but I couldn't just copy one of hers.  That would defeat the whole purpose of trying something new, wouldn't it?  Without knowing what the end project would be, I decided to just try foiling some fabric.  If any of it turned out, I'd figure out something to make with it. 

Step 1 of foiling involves applying some type of adhesive to your fabric.  I used the glue that she sells on her website and some rubber stamps I bought from JoAnn's.  I brushed the glue onto the stamp using a foam brush and then pressed it onto my fabric.  It took a number of tries to figure out what the right amount of glue was.

Fabric stamped with glue

The glue looks a lot like Elmer's School Glue in that it's white and dries clear.  It's difficult to see it on the fabric when it's wet and pretty much impossible when it's dry.  You have to let your glue dry completely before moving on to the next step.  I waited overnight on these pieces.

Step 2 is the actual foiling process.  You lay the foil over the glue and then burnish it with a back and forth motion using a hot, dry iron.  This step involves a little bit of elbow grease to get the foil to adhere well.  After it's cooled, you can peel back the foil and see what's happened.  If it didn't stick well enough, no biggie, just put it back down and try again.  The foil will only stick where the glue is and you can even try to apply multiply layers or colors.

Applying blue foil to my fabric

I didn't have quite enough of the blue foil, so I had to keep repositioning it to cover my fabric.  I ended up 'decorating' 3 pieces of fabric.  I finally decided to use this fabric for a paper-piecing project.  I got my pattern from Carol Doak's Mariner's Compass Stars book.  I made #23, Sweden.

Fabric cut out and ready for paper piecing

I pieced the star block and added a border to make it a little larger.  The whole piece finishes at 17" square.

Star Bright - 17" Square

I'll admit that until I completed the block, I never thought I'd use this technique again.  It wasn't a lot of fun and was kind of messy.  But once I saw the block, I changed my mind.  Granted, it's not something I'll do frequently, but it's a great effect and I could see using it again some day.

Star Bright

At first I was just going to stitch in the ditch to quilt this.  But then I considered what a great opportunity it was to practice some free motion quilting.  I traced the basic shape of the quilt onto some Golden Thread's Quilting Paper and started doodling...

Ideas for quilting

I didn't follow the drawing exactly when I quilted it, but it gave me a good idea of what I wanted to do.  It easily took me as long to quilt this small quilt than it did to piece it!

Back of Star Bright

In the end, I'm glad I put the extra time into the quilting.  It adds a lot more to the piece than just stitching in the ditch would have.

Close up of quilting

Here are the stats for this small quilt:

• Size: 17" square
• Fabrics: Mostly batiks - from stash
• Batting: Warm &White
• Thread: Aurifil (piecing), Bunch of different ones for quilting
• Pattern: Sweden from Mariner's Compass Stars by Carol Doak
• Quilting: Custom
• Started: May 2011
• Completed: June 2011
• Recipient: Lynn - The Twelve of Us

Now on to the next project - which happens to be a Stained Glass quilt.  I've actually been really interested in trying this.  I'll have to put my thinking cap back on to come up with an idea though.

Until later...

“It is in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for … part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone.”  

Ephesians 1:11 (MSG)

Some quilty goodness...

Last month I mailed a batch of quilted greeting cards to a friend.  We're both part of a group called "The Twelve of Us" and this was our latest project.  If you're interested, you can see the cards I made as well as the other projects we've done so far here. 

Just the other day, I received some in return and wanted to share them with you.  She went in a completely different direction than I did, but then again, I have a feeling she knew what she was doing.  I, on the other hand, relied on a Google search to give me some pointers.

Aren't they pretty?

It was a great project idea, but I really don't see me actually mailing any of them.  And if by some chance I do, know that I must think you're a very, very special person if you get one.  Here are some close up pics.  This first one is my favorite...

I just love the butterfly charm and his flight path!

Aren't they beautiful?  Thank you Amanda for all your effort on my behalf.  I really appreciate them!

Until later...

A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person's strength. 

Proverbs 17:22 (NLT)

Quilted Greeting Cards...

I'm in an online group called "The Twelve of Us".  Every six weeks or so, one of us picks a project we'd like everyone to try.  Each member executes the project in their own way and mails it to another.  To date we've had the following challenges (what I made is on the left and what I received is on the right):

Challenge #1 - Purse/Tote with Yoyos

Challenge #2 - Quilted and Embellished Sketchbook

Challenge #3 - Crazy Quilt Art Quilt

Challenge #4 - Wool or Wool Felt Project

Challenge #5 - Nancy Halvorsen Christmas

And the latest challenge was to make 6 Quilted Greeting Cards.  I had never done this before but found it was actually very easy and quite fun.  Although by the time I was done, I had little scraps of fabric everywhere!  Here are the cards I sent to Amanda.  She likes Greyhounds, nature and gardening, so I tried to make my cards to match her interests.

This last one was actually based on a tutorial I found online here.  It was the first one I attempted, so I could get a feel for how to do it.  It would be so easy to make a coordinating greeting card for someone with the leftover scraps from a project.  I'll definitely keep that in mind the next time I make a quilt for someone.

I'm trying a lot of things in this group that I normally wouldn't do and it feels good to go outside my comfort zone.  The remaining projects still to come are: Fabric Foil, Stained Glass Fabric, Schnibbles Wallhanging, Sewing Hussif, Victorian Pincushion and Soft Sculpture Jewelry.  I honestly have never tried any of these, so it'll be very interesting to see how they turn out!

Until later...

The LORD is my light and my salvation - so why should I be afraid? The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble? 

Psalm 27:1 (NLT)

Now I can share...

So now that Christine has received her package from me, I can finally share pictures of it.  This is what I made for her for the Nancy Halvorsen/Christmas challenge.  This challenge is the most recent in a series of ongoing challenges for a group called 'The Twelve of Us'.

 
I made her 2 tea towels - the top one that says 'Bless Ewe' and another one with a dove in a tree.  I've looked through my pictures but can't find any closeups of them.  I finished them quite a while ago and thought I'd taken individual pictures, but if I did, I don't know what happened to them.

The main part of her package was the Christmas wall hanging.  The letters are fused on and then blanket stitched around with coordinating floss.  The words are embroidered and the people are supposed to be buttons.  At least that's what they are in the book.  However, the individual button pack was over $50 with shipping and I decided to see if I could recreate them in fabric.  Here they all are before I added the details to their faces and such...

I should have put a quarter next to them so you could an idea of the scale of them.  Each figure is probably about an inch tall.  These were some teeny tiny pieces to cut out and I couldn't have done it without my tweezers.

I was really pleased with how it turned out although I won't be quick to try it again.  I spent probably 5 or 6 hours making those people.

Nancy Halvorsen makes some very cute and whimsical designs.  I think all of her things have a very distinctive look to them.  Considering this was actually Christine's project choice, I wanted to make her something she would hopefully like.  The patterns for the stitchery and tea towels are in the book 'Tidings'.  All of the fabric in this wall hanging are the same as those in the book.  I also included all of the leftovers in her package as well.  I only needed a small amount of most of the fabrics so there was quite a bit left.

Considering she likes her work so much, I'm hoping she can use them for other projects too.  So now on to the next project - Quilted Greeting Cards.  This is yet another project I've never tried.

Until later...

"Give yourselves completely to God - every part of you ... you want to be tools in the hands of God, to be used for his good purposes." 

Romans 6:13b (LB)

And my package arrived...

I just finished sharing the wool project and towels I mailed out to Carolyn and what should appear on my doorstep today, but my package from Lynn.  To be honest, when I saw it on the stoop I couldn't figure out what it would be.  Until I looked at the name.

I have to say that this package coming today was an example of God's perfect timing.  I was really struggling today.  It's cold and wet and I'm hurting.  I've been very depressed and couldn't seem to snap out of my funk.  But Lynn's package was like a spot of sunshine.  When I opened it and read her letter, I could see how much thought she put into making things just for me.  She knows my faith is a strong part of who I am and she made me this cute little candle mat.

It's on my table right now.  She also included a candle holder and flameless candle.  It's another perfect provision because I can't use anything with an open flame around my cats.  Jack is a budding pyromaniac and is seduced by fire.  It's too dangerous to let her near one.  But this candle has an on/off switch and is perfectly safe for them.  I've had it on all afternoon and have caught each cat exploring it.  I tried to get pictures of them with it, but they were a little spooked and ran off.  Lynn also included several other goodies in my package...

She included a Christmas ornament which was also perfect timing.  After having skipped it the last several years, I've been talking to Mr. Quilting Bug about putting a tree up this year.  And I've been looking in the stores for new ornaments to go on it.  This will definitely be one of them.  She also included a quilting magazine and a chocolate bar.  The chocolate bar is dark chocolate with caramel in the middle.  It's delicious.  I have to confess that I've already eaten half of it.

Lynn's package arriving today was so awesome.  It gave me a lift when I really needed one.  Thank you so much Lynn!

Until later...

"You were chosen to tell about the excellent qualities of God, who called you." 

1 Peter 2:9 (GW)

Wool table mat...

How do you send packages?  Do you wrap it up, address it and bring it to the post office?  That's what I used to do.  But now that the post office has the Priority Mail flat rate packages, that's how I mail most of mine.  I can calculate the postage online, pay for it and print out the mailing label.  I can even schedule my postal carrier to come pick it up from my house.  And because the postage is cheaper online than at the post office, in many cases I find it cheaper to ship Priority Mail than regular parcel post.

You may be wondering why I'm raving about this.  Believe me, I'm not a paid spokesperson for them.  It's just that another great benefit of doing it online is they'll send you an email when your package has been delivered.  And that brings me to this post.  I recently mailed the latest Twelve of Us package to Carolyn and I just received confirmation that she's gotten it.  So I'm free to share it's contents here.

Wool Table Mat and Embroidered Towels

The last project for this group was a CQ block.  I went on and on about the one I made here.  Seriously though, that project felt like it took forever!  The challenge this time was to make a Wool or Wool Felt Project.  It could be anything you wanted - a candle mat, table mat, small wall hanging, etc. - as long as it was made out of wool.  Having worked on a few quilts that used a lot of wool, I was really looking forward to this one.  And it was a relief to make something that didn't take much time.  I made this table mat out of dark blue wool because I know that Carolyn is really into blue.

It measures about 13.5" x 12".  I blanket-stitched around each piece of sunflower and every berry and then added the tendrils using a stem stitch.  Finally, I cut another piece of blue wool the same size and attached it to the back - again using a blanket-stitch.  Here's a closeup of my stitching...

Closeup of Blanket-Stitching

I had an entirely different idea in mind when I first heard about the project.  I even bought a pattern and some wool in July at the Quilt Odyssey show.  It was going to have a black background.  But when I learned that everything in Carolyn's house is blue or blue and yellow, I had to change gears.  I didn't want to make her something that she would never use.  Then I remembered a quilt that I made last year.  It's called 'Garden Gatherings' by Lisa Bongean.

Garden Gatherings by Lisa Bongean

See the Sunflower block in the upper left hand corner?  I used the same pattern for Carolyn's just with a blue background.  BTW - I have yet to quilt this quilt.  But I still really like it and would love to finish it someday.

I also embroidered 3 towels for Carolyn's kitchen.  Her kitchen is decorated with Blue Willow so I hope they fit right in.

I heard through the grapevine that my wool present is on its way to me right now.  I'll be sure to share pictures when it arrives.  And then I'll have to find a nice spot for it where I can admire it, but it will be no danger to Mr. Quilting Bug as he's very allergic to wool.

Another duo picture with Gabriel and Jack.  It's a little hard to see, but Jack is rubbing her head against Gabriel.  

Jack rubbing against Gabriel

I've seriously never met a cat that likes to be petted more than Jack.

Until later...

"We are sure that He (God) hears us if we ask Him for anything that's according to His will."

John 5:14 (GNT)

Charlyn's Sketchbook...

Charlyn has finally received her sketchbook from me, so now I can share some pictures.  As a reminder, the challenge was to make a quilted and embellished cover for a sketchbook or journal.  I knew that Charlyn likes bright colored batiks, so this is what I came up with...

Charlyn's Sketchbook

It's bright, isn't it?  I designed the background in EQ7 so I could get the proportions and colors right ahead of time.  Note - I'm so loving the Electric Quilt software.  It's makes auditioning different designs and fabrics  so easy.

Sketchbook design in EQ7

This design uses 32 Hunter's Star blocks that finish at 2.5".  There aren't a lot of pieces to each block, but the pieces are small.  With all the points to line up, I would have had a hard time making the blocks using anything other than paper piecing.  And that's when I discovered another fabulous feature to EQ7.  You can print your foundations to any size you need. 

Sketchbook cover opened up

There were 256 individual pieces to those blocks.  (If anyone would like the EQ project files for this, just let me know and I'd be glad to share.)

I added a Tiger Lily to the lower right hand corner.  I found a picture of one online and used it as my template - changing the colors to match what I needed.

Picture of tiger lily by Sandy Wager

I ended up making the flower a couple of times because the first one ended up too red and didn't match her sketchbook.  I used raw-edge fusible applique to apply it to the cover.  I then used monofilament thread to outline each piece in it.  There are approximately 4-6 pieces on each petal.  And finally I added some hot-fix crystals to the center for bling...

Tiger Lily applique

I added a pocket to the inside of the back and front covers to hold papers and such.  I used clear plastic vinyl like you get at Walmart or JoAnn's.  My local quilt store, Quilts Like Crazy, had done something similar with binder covers and I got the idea from them.  I just added a binding to the top of each piece of plastic and sewed it like normal.

Inside front cover

I also added another stylized tiger lily to the inside. 

I enjoyed making this cover and I hope Charlyn gets a lot of use out of it.  It had been a while since I had done any paper piecing and I made a number of mistakes in the beginning.  But once I got the hang of it again, it went together fairly quickly.  And you can't beat paper piecing for its accuracy!

Our next project (due in September) is a 12" square nature inspired crazy quilt - something I've never done before.  We'll have to see how it goes...

Until later...

If you wait for perfect conditions, you will never get anything done. 

Ecclesiastes 11:4 (NLT)

My lovely new sketchbook...

I got the nicest present today.  It wasn't unexpected but it was deeply appreciated. 

I've mentioned before that I'm in a group called 'The Twelve of Us' made up of 12 quilters all across the country.  Every 6 weeks we have a new challenge to complete.  The first time was to make a purse or tote bag that incorporated yoyos.  The purse I received from Penny is on the left and the purse I made Elizabeth is on the right.

'Twelve of Us' Purse Challenge

Today is the mailing deadline for our second challenge - a quilted and embellished sketchbook.  I've mailed mine to Charlyn and am waiting for her to receive it before I share pictures here.  But I'm fortunate to live close enough to the generous lady, Thearica, who had my name.  I met her for lunch today and came home, literally, with a basket full of goodies.  This is the sketchbook cover she made for me...

Sketchbook Cover

She appliqued my initial on it and then created a beautiful garden below it with hand-dyed lace, beads and charms.  My pictures really do not do it justice.  On the inside cover, she created a pocket with a list pad.  (I'm a consummate list maker.)

Inside cover

Please excuse the cat in my pictures.  I couldn't keep David off of it.  The inside of the back cover has a place for several pens and pencils...

Inside back cover

She really put a lot of thought into the function of this sketchbook cover.  But what really impressed me was all the embellishments on it.  Check out these details...

I just keep looking at because each time I see something new I hadn't noticed.  I just love everything about it.

But that wasn't all.  She also gave me a hand-made basket filled with goodies.  It felt like Christmas as I looked through everything...

Basket full of goodies

I believe she said the Mennonites made the basket.  Inside was a jar of her homemade pickles (I've heard tales of how good they are).

Homemade pickles

She said they taste best chilled so they're in the fridge right now.  Also in the basket was a ton of things to use for crazy quilting.  Our next challenge is to make a 12"x12" nature inspired crazy quilt and she knew I had never done anything like that.  Look at all these beads, lace and charms...

Beads, lace, and charms for crazy quilting

Here's a closeup of a few of the pieces of lace she gave me.  Won't they work perfectly for a nature art quilt?

Laces

She also included a bunch of pieces of fabric to use for crazy quilting.  Although I have a lot of cotton fabric for quilting, crazy quilting uses silk, velvet and other types of fabric I just don't have.  They're in all shades of green...

Fabrics for crazy quilting

I can't tell you what a blessing these are to me.  There's so many materials involved in making a crazy quilt that I just didn't have and her sharing from her stash is so very sweet and helpful of her.

I had so much fun opening everything she gave me and it's given me such a lift on a day when I really needed it.  I got my blood work back from the doctor today and everything came back normal.  You would think that would make me happy, but it just means that the reason I feel so bad is because of my fibromyalgia.  And there's really nothing I can do to improve it but patiently wait it out.  So thank you Thearica for making me smile and laugh today!

I managed to get a bunch of pictures of David today.  Mainly because he parked himself on my new sketchbook and refused to move!

David on my new sketchbook

Don't his eyes just glow?

Enjoying the sunshine

Until later...

Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised. 

Job 1:20-21 (NIV)