Another lady done...

I've now finished 9 blocks for the Ladies of the Sea quilt I'm making for Mr. Quilting Bug.  This one is called the Greek Galliot. 

 The Greek Galliot

This quilt was designed by Sue Garman, who I believe is an amazing designer.  I also have the patterns and kits for her quilt 'The Night Before Christmas', but don't expect to get to them for at least the next couple of years.  One of the things I love most about her designs is how detailed they are.  However that also means they take quite a long time to make - especially if you do them all by hand.  But I figure each one is an heirloom and I hope will be passed down.  I'm going to start on the next block (#10) now.  It's called the America and has a cornucopia at the base of its wreath.

On the home front, it looks like Rocky is coming to the end of his short life.

Rocky

I took this picture tonight and since then, his upper and lower halves have split.  He still has all of his squeakers though and Gabriel has so much fun playing with him.

Until later...

Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. 

Psalm 139:23-24 (NIV)

Stash Report Week #28...

I mentioned last week that my stash report was going to take a hit this week.  And it has.  Although not quite as bad as I anticipated.  Hancock's of Paducah is having a great sale on some pre-cuts and I ordered a couple of Fat Quarter bundles and a jelly roll.  Unfortunately, they ran out of one of them - Bar Harbor.  I'm a little bummed about it because I was so looking forward to making a quilt using it.

Oh well.  I shall persevere because my Park Avenue bundle and Martinique jelly roll both arrived today!

Martinique and Park Avenue

Because Park Avenue by 3 Sisters for Moda just came out, I was surprised to see it half off online.  Pleasantly surpised of course.  There are 40 Fat Quarters or 10 yards there.  And the jelly roll adds another 2.75 yards.  So that's 12.75 yards.  For this week.  I have another package arriving tomorrow...

And I also had a couple of finishes this week as well - Job's Troubles and Purple Mountains.

I used 1.25 yards for Job's Troubles and 2.5 yards for the backing and binding to Purple Mountains.  That's a grand total of 3.75 yards.

So...
Purchased-this-week: 12.75 yards
Used-this-week: 3.75 yards
Purchased-to-date: 155.25 yards
Used-to-date: 285.25 yards
Net used: 130 yards

And did you know the term 'jelly roll' is trademarked by Moda?  I just learned that this week.  For you non-quilters, a jelly roll consists of 2.5" strips of fabric.  Usually one of each fabric in a particular line (or around 40).

Until later...

Unless you are faithful in small matters, you won’t be faithful in large ones. If you cheat even a little, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities. 

Luke 16:10 (NLT)

Purple Mountains...

is now complete!  I put the final stitches in it around 11 pm last night.  (I had a midnight dealine, so I just made it.)

Purple Mountains

 I entered this quilt as my project for a UFO challenge.  Each month you can enter a new UFO (unfinished object) and you have one month to finish it.  You have to send pictures of the completed project by midnight of the deadline to be eligible for a prize.  Although finishing another project is enough of an incentive!

 I really didn't think I was going to make it, but after some long hours yesterday, I managed to finish.  And guess what...  It turns out I won the drawing!  Woohoo!!!

 The pattern for this quilt is "Sew What Quilt Mystery" by Debbie Caffrey.  I just made mine in a smaller size.  It finishes at 44" square.

 I quilted various fans in most of the light purple background and echo quilted around each star.  I was a little uncertain what to do in the outer border, but my friend, Susan, suggested some straight line stitching.  I took her suggestion and think it works well here.

 Again for this quilt I used YLI 100 wt silk thread in purple and red for the top and Aurifil thread in the bobbin.  Although I matched the bobbin thread to the backing, I think next time I would choose a contrasting thread.  I like all the quilting on the back and it would be great if it showed more.

 There were places on the quilt (where I did the large fans) that I kept coming to the same point as many as 20 times.  With the 100 wt silk thread, I had no problem with thread nests or buildup.

I don't know if you can see in the picture above, but there's a very slight waviness to the edges.  The quilt top was perfectly flat when I basted it, but I think the edges got stretched some during quilting.  So I'll block this quilt as soon as I have time.  Once it's dry, it should be fine.  And then I think I'll hang it in my entryway so I see it whenever I come home...

And I wanted to share a new tip I learned from The Quilt Show.  I bought a piece of plexiglass 28" x 30" from Lowe's.  I taped the edges with painter's tape and use it as a sounding board for my quilting designs.  Just lay it on top of your quilt and draw your designs with either a dry-erase marker or vis-a-vis marker.

Plexiglass sheet and possible quilting designs

Just don't forget to tape your edges because you don't want to accidentally draw off the edge and onto your quilt!  I also used a disappearing marking pen for the first time (but not the last).

Disappearing Ink Pen / Water Soluble Ink Pen

You just draw your design on your quilt and quilt over it.  The ink will disappear over time (less than a day).  The other end of the pen is the water soluble side.  It will stay on your quilt until you wet it.  Of course, if you iron over the blue side, it's there to stay!

I took this picture of my parents, nephew and Gabriel when they came up to celebrate my birthday.  Gabriel usually feels the need to be the center of attention...

Dad, Gabriel, Robbie and Mom

Until later...

"Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law [the Word]" 

Psalm 119:18

Show me your thread (part 2)...

When I posted earlier about my thread stash, I completely forgot about some of it.  Probably because it's the part of my stash that's usually out of sight.

I used to be a big cross-stitcher.  I learned how to do it when I was in the 6th grade and I picked it up again in college.  My mom and sister used to enjoy it as well.  It's been years since any of us has worked on one though and I think I inherited everyone's collections of DMC thread.

DMC Thread

Although I don't cross-stitch anymore, this thread works great for hand embroidery such as the Camelot Snowmen wall hangings I make my mom each month.

I also have a small collection of specialty embroidery threads that my secret sister sent me last year.

Specialty thread

Most of it is EdMar along with some metallics and ribbon thread.  I have a book on Brazilian Embroidery that uses these threads and I really hope to try it some day.

I have a smaller stash of specialty linen thread and such that I use exclusively on the Ladies of the Sea quilt I'm making for Mr. Quilting Bug.  (The linen thread works great for the rigging.)

So now I think I've covered all of my thread stash.  I can't imagine where I might have more hidden, but if I discover it, I'll let you know.

Until later...

"If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him" 

Ecclesiastes 4:10 (NIV).

More than 100 miles!

Last year for my birthday, my husband converted a spare bedroom into a gym for me.  And my parents helped outfit it with a stationary bike.  Little by little I've been making more use of the gym, especially since I got a Wii Fit Plus for my birthday this year.  And just this past week, I passed the 100 mile mark on the bike's odometer.

Odometer on stationary bike

Woohoo!  What a milestone!  And it just gives me that much more incentive to keep going.  I'm really enjoying working out with the Wii Fit, the bike and a Bowflex (which we've had for 10 years).  Some of the games on the Wii Fit are so much fun, I completely forget I'm exercising.  Here's to my healthiest year yet!

Until later...

Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together! 

Matthew 25:23 (NLT)

Job's Troubles

This year has been tougher on a lot of people I know than many others.  And one of those it's been particularly difficult for is Susan, a friend of a friend.  I won't get into everything that has happened to her, but I will say that she can use your prayers.  She's in the hospital for the long haul and her friend, Lindsay, came up with a great idea to help brighten her stay.  She asked for volunteers to make small quilt blocks or wallhangings to decorate her room.  This is my contribution...

Job's Troubles

It's based on the 'Job's Troubles' quilt block from the book More Biblical Quilt Blocks by Rosemary Makhan.  I liked the look of the block and thought it appropriate for Susan's circumstances.

Back of Job's Troubles

I don't know Susan personally but Lindsay said she likes bright sherbert colors.  I had these fat quarters just lying around in my stash and thought they'd be perfect for her.

Fat Quarter Medley

I used the first 2 and the last 2 in the picture and threw in some white on white I also had on hand.  Because I only had the fat quarter of each fabric, I had to be inventive when it came to the borders and binding.

Mitered Border

I used a 2 color border with mitered edges.  I took several pictures showing how I do my mitered borders.  If you'd like to know more, let me know and I'd be glad to post about it.

Preparing each miter

I prepared each miter before sewing any of them.

I've found this method to be the most accurate for me, although like most things, there are half a dozen different ways to do it.

Back of quilt (and David's feet)

All of the blocks in this quilt were paper-pieced.  There are only 4 pieces per block so it went together very quickly.  If you've never tried paper-piecing, you should give it a try.  It's probably not as hard as you think and very accurate.  I used Fun-dation Transparent Quilt Block Piecing Material for my background.   It's stronger than tissue paper and fairly transparent.  Because this is a wallhanging that won't be washed, I left it in.  If this were a lap or bed quilt, I would have torn it out before quilting.

Preparing for quilting

This little quilt finishes at 17" square so it was pretty quick to quilt it.  I really just stitched in the ditch and did some outline quilting in the borders.  I'm going to try to mail it out tomorrow.

And as usual, David helped me out on this project.  You saw his feet in one of the earlier pictures.  He also helped keep the background fabric warm for me until I needed it.

David on my ironing board

And on a sad note, my sister's dog, Ace, has passed on.  He contracted distemper in the pound and his neurological problems were too severe to overcome it.  He was only with us a short time but made such a big impact on all of us.

Until later...

The deepest level of worship is praising God in spite of pain, thanking God during a trial, trusting him when tempted, surrendering while suffering, and loving him when he seems distant. 

By Rick Warren

Show me your thread...

Sew, Mama, Sew! is asking for sewers to share our thread stash.  And I thought it would be interesting to actually document the thread that I have.  I know I have a lot, but each thread has it's own unique properties and is good for different tasks.

 Some of my thread stash...

They provided a list of questions and I thought that would be a good place to start...

•  How did you select colors for your personal thread collection?

That's easy.  I buy the colors that match the projects I'm working on.  For embroidery, the pattern usually specifies certain colors and I don't deviate much from their recommendations.  Otherwise, I usually use a neutral color thread if it won't show or I match the thread to the fabric.  Except for machine quilting when I sometimes want the thread to provide a contrast to the fabric.

 White, black, monofilament and neutral colors I keep beside my sewing machine.

• Do you always match the color perfectly to your project?

If I'm machine appliqueing or sewing clothes, I do try to match the color perfectly.  When I'm piecing quilts, I use a neutral color - either gray or tan.  And for hand applique, I use YLI 100 weight silk thread also in neutral colors.  The thread is so fine you can't see even see it and it's much easier than looking for the proper color.

 Most of my embroidery thread (except for the blues)

• Do you ever use contrasting thread?

If I want the thread to add some visual interest, then yes, I'll use something that stands out.  Most often this would be for machine quilting or thread painting.

 Remaining embroidery thread, my collection of Aurifil thread and a little bit of YLI silk thread for machine quilting

• Do you use the same color in the bobbin as the upper thread?

If I'm sewing clothes and I expect someone to be able to see the thread, I'll use the same color in both the top and bobbin.  For machine embroidery, I usually use black or white in the bobbin.  Most often times for machine quilting, I match the bobbin to the fabric on the back of the quilt.  For most other sewing, I just use whatever neutral bobbin I have on hand.

 Serger thread

• What if a fabric has big areas of very different colors?

If a fabric has lots of different colors, I'll either use invisible thread (clear or smoke colored) or I'll use a thread on the lighter side of the spectrum.  In some cases you can find a variegated thread that coordinates beautifully.

 Elastic thread (for clothes mainly)

• Do you have any tips or suggestions about choosing thread?

All thread is not created equal.  So don't try to use embroidery thread for quilting or polyester thread for piecing, etc.   I've recently fallen in love with 2 different kinds of thread.  I really love Aurifil 50 wt, both for piecing and for machine quilting.  My machine just loves this stuff and practically purrs when I use it.  Also it produces much less lint than others I've tried.  And I also love YLI 100 wt silk thread.  I use this thread all the time for my hand applique and I'm using it more and more for machine quilting on the top (Aurifil in the bobbin).  That being said, most of my collection is Gutermann thread.  They sell it at my local JoAnn's.  I think it's a pretty good thread and they have some great sales on it.

 Some of my Sulky 12 wt thread.  It's great for hand embroidery.

• Can you show us a picture(s) of your thread collection?

Yep, I'm including them throughout because there are so many of them.

• Do you ever buy thread because you fall in love with the color (without a particular project in mind)?

Rarely.  Good thread can be expensive (but a spool usually lasts a while).  The only cases where I might buy  thread because I like the color is with the variegated threads.  It can be difficult to find a wide variety locally and if I see one with colors I'm likely to use, I'll buy one.  But I don't have a lot of variegated thread in my collection.

 Mostly machine quilting thread.  My largest selection of variegated threads.

• Do you “invest” in thread?

Absolutely.  It is an investment.  I do a lot more quilting than anything else and I want these quilts to last 'forever'.  To help insure that, I use quality fabric, thread and batting.  When I first started quilting, I used the cheapest stuff I could find, but I quickly realized, you get what you pay for.

 Specialty threads like topstitch, jean, metallic, polyester and 50 wt silk thread.

• What types of thread do you have? (elastic, quilting, all-purpose, wool, etc.)

Sooo many types.  I have embroidery thread, serger thread, 12, 30, 40, 50, 60 and 100 wt thread.  I have silk, elastic, polyester and cotton thread.  I have all-purpose, hand-quilting and machine-quilting thread.  I have invisible monofilament thread in clear and smoke colors.  I have jeans thread and topstitch thread.  I can't think of the others, but I'm sure there are more types.

 More monofilament, all-purpose and 100wt silk thread.

Until later...

“You can tell what they are by what they do” 

Matthew 7:16 (CEV)