WIP Wednesday

by Karen on February 22, 2012

in quilts

I’ve been so busy lately I haven’t linked up to Lee At Freshly Pieced for the works in progress Wednesday.  I thought I would before I forgot about!

Last night and again today I will work on attaching my diagonal row on the Joseph’s Coat quilt – right now it is about a third of the way done as I just haven’t had time for it!

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This is where I got up to last night when I quit for the evening.

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I also stitched a little bit on Star Crazy yesterday afternoon and will get to that a little bit today for some relaxation time.

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Both of these projects will be worked on today and the triangles will be worked on this weekend when I go back to my mom’s.  We will start boxing things for Goodwill on Saturday – haven’t a clue if I will even get around to sewing but maybe in the evening when it will be just mom and I.  It looks like her move will be at the end of the month – times flies when you busy.

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More on Triangles – A tutorial

by Karen on February 21, 2012

in English Paper Piecing, English Paper Piecing - triangles, TUTORIALS

I have been asked how does English Paper Piecing work with glue sticks?

1 – Cut out your shape – I am using  my rotary cutting that is on the turntable so I can leave in place and keep the fabric in one spot.  I put my template on a small stack of fabric

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2 – put your ruler over the fabric and the templates, leaving a 1/4 inch seam allowance on all sides.

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3 – place your template in the center, leaving the seam allowance.

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4 – I use Fons & Porter wash out glue stick – (refills available in 2 packs)

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5- Run your glue stick lightly on the edge of the template or on the edge of the fabric – it works the same no matter which area. Then finger press your seam over the template.

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6 – all 3 sides are pressed over – leave the tails on is what it says in the book.  I imagine it is ok to trim slightly but you don’t want too much cut off – they can be taken care of later -

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7 – Get enough back in my box to have enough to work on next time I run out of town Smile  I also have in my plastic work bag, my rotary cutter, the glue and refills, pins if needed.   I also have my sewing needles, threader, the paper templates, scissors and the ruler.  Right now I have about 30 or 40 neutral triangles cut out and about the same in the colors with more colors stacked up to be cut.  I need to go through scraps and find some more neutrals to put in there as well.

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Seeing as I really don’t have that much idle time at moms I’m sure this well be enough once again on the weekend.  Now when we travel again I will make sure to have a lot of pieces cut in advance I think so it would be enough to keep me busy for weeks on end and also have a second project for variety.

I hope this little demo helps those that asked.  Now if you want to thread baste instead – find someone else Smile  if you use the glue though – use it lightly and shouldn’t be a problem!

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Triangles

by Karen on February 21, 2012

in English Paper Piecing - triangles, family, quilts

Well I am back home once again after 2 days up at moms.  I had time to work on the triangles but not a lot.  As you might remember my mom had surgery recently.  It has been a hard recovery for her as she also has Rheumatoid Arthritis and severe Osteoporosis.  She had a very bad flare up of pain recently and came to the conclusion that she needed to finally move to assisted care living.  We have been trying to get all that arranged for her.  We have tons of paperwork to fill out of course but it looks like we have a place for her and will be able to move her in a week or two if all works out well.

I will be going back and forth in the meantime to spend more time with her and start to go through things weeding out her her clothing and all the things we tend to accumulate over the years that we do not need.  The assisted care facility has much smaller apartments for the tenants than her current apartment so much has to go.  I will be back up there on Friday and/or Saturday for another day or two. One of my sisters will meet me there and we will help mom go through things.  The triangles will most likely go with me Smile

I managed to get a little done in between things -  the triangle quilt grew!  Not a lot but a start.  I was able to take the templates out for the center 3 triangles.  Someone mentioned that she had used glue and that her fabric “warped” and to be aware of trouble.  I don’t know what that persons glue choice was – maybe it wasn’t fabric glue?  I don’t know.  I used Fons and Porters fabric glue stick and I had no problem with it.  I gently peeled the fabric seam away from the template and it came right off.  After I had loosened all three sides I stuck my fingernail under the template and it came right out – no “warping” I’m not even sure what warping meant to the person that left the comment.  No distortion?

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The back—I have not heat pressed the seams or the little “points” where they all come together though because of the glue and also because this will be such a long work in progress that it would keep getting wrinkled anyhow.  I have never used heat on fabric glue and intend to rinse the whole quilt top several times before it would be quilted to remove glue. The “points” can be trimmed slightly at that time.  If any of you have experience with heat and fabric glue let me know.

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I have used fabric glue for many years and have only had a problem once or twice with a dot or two of Roxanne Glue Baste It glue leaving behind a spot or so on the fabric that didn’t come out.  I have never had that problem with a Glue Stick have you? The glue is different.

These are 3 inch triangles, I hope to use up a lot of my many many scraps with this project – but I bet I won’t notice a dent in those scraps for some time to come – I really think I have enough scraps for several queen size quilts using all those little bits and pieces.  Today I will get some more pieces ready to have in the box for the next several weeks of running back and forth as I imagine another night or two will be spent at moms until her move.

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My New Project!

by Karen on February 20, 2012

in English Paper Piecing - triangles

(written on Sunday and scheduled for Monday morning because I know I will be too busy to post Smile )

Ok, you have heard of” hexies” right?  Alright what is the nickname for working with triangles?  I don’t know – is there a nickname or do I need to make one up?

I bought a small package of English Paper Piecing pieces several years ago and never used them – 3 inch triangles. What better way to make a little headway on these boxes of scraps than planning on a queen size quilt to use them up?  Connecting Threads recently had another book sale and I saw this one and thought – go for it. I have watched my friend Regina work on her hexies for years now so basically I knew how to do it.  We can all blame Regina for me starting this project Smile – just teasing Regina!   Turns out she was thinking of getting this book too.   This book shows a different method though and I thought I would try it.  Glue sticks!

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I knew I would be spending a couple days with my mom and I thought I had to get something ready to bring with me to work on while we sit and talk.  So I got busy and decided to give this a try and see if I could do it.   So this amount of work was done on Saturday.

The front!

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The back – seam lines are glue basted to the cardboard pieces – yes I know you can make your own with freezer paper or whatever, but I had this package already cut out so I thought I would give them a shot.  When it comes time to peel the cardboard out the book says you just loosen up the fabric and they come right off – I guess I will find out Smile  Glue basting goes so fast! lickety split and it is ready.  As you can see I am going to do alternate colors – white/beige scraps alternate with color.

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Boxes and boxes of scraps to go through

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Looks like a mess while I was organizing -

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But I got my sewing supplies down to this box and the small orange bag – plus my light of course.  This project is not meant to do quickly – keep in mind I plan to be working on this for several years – I will show progress now and then.  I think this project will go well when we travel don’t you?

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So head on over to Judy at Patchwork Times and see what everyone is up to today!

How big did this project grow on Sunday while I was visiting with my mom in between cleaning her apartment?

This big – doubled it at least! doubt I will get any more done tonight or tomorrow – so much more to do LOL  soon I will be able to start peeling templates off of the back.

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Off For a Visit

by Karen on February 19, 2012

in family

I am off to my mom’s for another visit.  I have a brand new hand piecing project that I am bringing with me that will most likely take years and years of work.  I will reveal it on Monday Smile

I needed something small for bring along projects when I visit my mom.  I discovered last visit that the apartment is just too warm to quilt even a small quilt.  The lighting isn’t great so I am bringing my sewing light this time.  Joseph’s Coat is getting too big to bring along as that gets draped all over me as well.

So no photo today – but I will post on Monday and show my progress on my brand new project.

 

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The Back of Star Crazy

by Karen on February 18, 2012

in quilts, Star Crazy

I finished up another area of Star Crazy and have given the rollers another cranking and will start another new area of quilting later today.

I had forgotten and I am sure a lot of you did too – just what did the full center of this quilt look like and where is the half way point for sure.  I know I forgot.  I had to go back to look for a photo of the quilt before I put it on the quilting frame. This is right before I added the last  2 cream color borders with the aqua strip running along it.  So it does look like the row with the very middle row is where I am at now.  That is the section I will begin on today – the lower edges of that area anyhow – so one more time all the way across the quilt and then the next time I crank it I will be half way done and 2 months into the quilting right now.

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I was curious as to what the back side of the quilt was looking like.  I got down on the floor, laid down and put the flash on the camera and took some shots.

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this is the section I just finished, the ends are loosened up so it might look a little wrinkly on the ends but that is just because it had been tight and now loosened.

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Now it’s break time Smile the house is clean and I’m going to go outside for some fresh air – it really isn’t all that nice out, very cloudy – but I need a breath of fresh air.

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Another Finish

by Karen on February 18, 2012

in quilts

Well another quilt top finished that is – no more quilt tops for awhile.  I have to stop making tops and concentrate on quilting for awhile.   I will still be piecing my Joseph’s Coat of course by hand and soon I will start to do the needle turn applique for the border of the Red and Green quilt. Both of those tops should satisfy my creative outlet for awhile.  They have to! I have 2 large tops waiting in line to be quilted on the 3-roller  and two smaller tops waiting in line for the hoop.  Plus those two big quilts that I am working will soon be put in the to quilt pile as well.

The Pinwheels with the gray – all finished!!  I will put aside the left over gray that I used and have that for the binding – I think that will finish it well.  This quilt finished at 57 inches x 65 inches.

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Today – house cleaning and quilting — threads are scattered throughout the whole house!! I have neglected the house cleaning this week and it must be done Sad smile

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When In Doubt

by Karen on February 17, 2012

in quilts

When in doubt about color – try two selections!!!  I wasn’t sure with the pinwheel quilt if I wanted the gray border or the light green border that I showed yesterday — before adding the patchwork squares for the outside edge.  My first thought had been the gray – but I thought with all the dark colors maybe a light color would be better –

The green – all the borders are just pinned up there for audition

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The gray:

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I think the color flows better with the gray don’t you?  I had really thought I wanted the green until I started to put the patchwork strips up there to see what it looked like – and then it was like “yuk” – the gray it will be.

I think the binding will be gray also.

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Another Afternoon Sewing & free Kindle Book

by Karen on February 16, 2012

in quilts

This afternoon I got all my blocks sewed together and now I am ready for the borders – the first border is white so that was easy – the second border – color?   This photo has the white border just laying in place on the design wall, not sewn yet.

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With a gray fabric – this border like the white will be 2 1/2 inches wide.

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Or with a pretty green/white print – again at 2 1/2 inches – this one looks light but keep in mind all those dark colors and pattern prints that will be in the patchwork.  Nothing will clash with it.

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Keeping in mind that the final border is patchwork – a combination of most of the colors I have used or didn’t use – this includes at least 4 fabrics that are mainly black – which I really want to include in the patchwork.  Here is the photo of the pattern.  Because of the patchwork using all colors that is keeping me from using black as the border (where in the photo it is green). 

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I will think on this overnight and not get started on any more of this quilt until tomorrow or the weekend.

Last night I got more of the row sewed together for Joseph’s Coat and I do believe I can get the rest of that sewed together tonight and then start to attach the row to what I already have on the main body of the quilt.  I didn’t get any work done on Star Crazy but I did do some quilting on the Farmer’s Wife – that one is coming along nicely and I might do more on that one tonight – or save it for tomorrow to work on at quilt group.  Never a dull moment!

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I thought this one sounded good and I ordered it -

A free Kindle book available on Amazon – always check to see if it is still free when you order!

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But now, as her 50th birthday creeps up the icy Ohio path toward her, her hair has grown back, her energy level is up, and she is officially cancer free. It makes her nervous. After everything she’s gone through, Liv hates the idea of driving on icy roads and returning to work as an O.R. nurse in a local Cincinnati hospital.

Her best friend Hallie knows just the thing to break Liv out of the winter doldrums, while providing a safe haven of warmth, sunshine, and a time to regroup: a holiday in the Florida sunshine!

{ 8 comments }

Coming Along Nicely

by Karen on February 16, 2012

in quilts

I love my log blocks.  It took a little while to decide on color but this is what I have.  This was earlier yesterday afternoon.  Since then I put the design wall back up last night and have all the blocks on the wall.

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The blocks on the wall.  Now today I will try to get the blocks all sewed together in rows and the rows sewed together.  In the 4th row the green pinwheel on the right might get switched with the pink pinwheel on the left side of the 5th row – but maybe not Smile  I’m trying to not have too many dark colors in one clump and divide them up a little.

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Next up – decided on the second border sashing color — I think black but I’m not positive, black will go with the black from the pinwheels– the first border sashing is white.  I’m waiting until I have all of these put together so I can look at color a bit better when I know for sure what size I need.  After the second color is 4 1/2 inch blocks of all the colors that are up here on the design wall – I think I have all of them – other than the red/white dot fabric that is in the logs – that was it of that color.

A name for this quilt is still needed – it hasn’t come to me yet – I will need to give it some thought while I sew all these blocks together!

Temperatures are going back to the 60’s today the weather says.  I do wonder what this mild winter has done to the plants and bugs.  I have a feeling that after finally having a season last year of no aphids on my roses (not one aphid spotted for the whole summer) they will be all over them this year.  Mosquitoes will be plenty as well ticks I bet.  The winter just hasn’t been cold enough to get rid of everything.  We have had plenty of moisture.  Would you believe last week – or was it the week before during one of our warm spells we could hear the frogs down in the pond!  We have had some leaf buds now and then, then we will get a cold spell and they fall off, then grow back on – we will see!

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