Today it rained all day – so what do most quilters do on a rainy day? They tend to stay in and sew like me if they are able to. I did run out to the fitness center and then it was back home to fabric and a book 
I made my vines today for the border of the quilt. I cut the bias strips yesterday and today I prepared that long, long piece of bias that I had sewed together yesterday – all 420 inches of it!! I don’t know what method most of you use but here are the steps I use once it is sewn together. I forgot to take photos yesterday of me cutting the strips and sewing them. To make my bias strips into vines or stems I use the product from Clover – it comes in various sizes. ( I have not ordered from this link given but I linked it to the Clover site) There is a fusible tape that you can use with this tool also and iron your stems and vines down. Sometimes I use it other times I don’t. There has been a time or two when I could see the fusible through the fabric and it didn’t look good. Other times it doesn’t seem to stay ironed on. Most of the time in the last couple years that I have used it I just press it and then when I put it on my quilt top I use the Roxanne Glue Bast It to hold it in place until I stitch it down. In this case I will continue to do my hand stitching as so much of this top already has hand stitching in it (the circles) and also because for me it will be neater!!
this is my bias stem/vine maker. It is by Clover and this one is 1/4 inch wide.
I lightly spray with starch (in BACK of the maker - don't spray the area that has already been pressed or it will open back up), give it a second or two to dry slightly and then start pressing the seams down with the iron as you pull/push the maker the opposite direction. I constantly move the iron to keep up with it to press the seams under. I don't even lift the iron up but a kind of push the maker with the iron as I press.
I cut a piece of cardboard off of things in the kitchen cupboard for winding the vines to keep them neat - in this case a large box of microwave popcorn came into use.
400 inches of bias piled up on the floor
420 inches of vines neatly waiting for me to glue baste in place on the border - maybe tomorrow?
Tonight I have gotten some little 9 patch blocks ready and have some more to make. After that it is more circles – I’m making 2 different sizes from scraps and they will go on the sides of the quilt border most likely on both sides intermittent along the vines.
Yesterday I just about completed 2 Dear Jane blocks for the “Insanity Revisited” quilt, I finished one up this morning. The two done:
Block number 8 from row 10
Block number 9 from Row 10. It seems that at times on this quilt the original maker Jane Stickle must have enjoyed making certain kinds of pieces in this case oval shapes, these two and the next two have them. They are a pain to make in my opinion!
Now I am back to making the patchwork blocks for the border until CSI comes on at 8 – how do you all like CSI lately – I haven’t enjoyed it as much the last two seasons now that they replaced the Grissom character with Lawrence Fishburns character – he just doesn’t seem to go with the other cast members as well I think and also not the same since they killed off Warrick last year, or was that two years ago? Too many changes aren’t good for a show at times!! In my opinion
Posted by Karen
Dear Jane - "Insanity Revisited", Going in Circles, quilting links, quilts, weather
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February 4th, 2010 at 7:30 pm
Karen, Love the tutorial on vine making. It all makes such logical sense when you spell it out. And I whole heartily agree with you about CSI. As a matter of fact, I don’t even watch it anymore. Once Sarah took off, Warrick was killed off, and Grissom left, the characters who were left lost all their pizazz. There is just no electricity between them now. I do watch NCIS religiously as those characters all work well off each other even though they did replace one main actress a while back. And then there was Monk …. oh how I miss that show! I do love the British mysteries like Inspector Lewis, Piorot and some others that have come and gone. Don’t like any of the reality shows. People are too uncivilized in most of those shows.
February 4th, 2010 at 8:31 pm
You are just like me, very organized in the way that you make your bias. If you are not organized, I think it can end up in one big twisted knot. I love the cardboard though. I think I will try that. Also you can use an empty paper towel roll or toilet tissue roll would work too. Love how the insanity blocks are coming along.
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February 5th, 2010 at 6:48 am
Love that red fabric in the DJ quilt!
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February 5th, 2010 at 8:45 am
Do you use that tube method for cutting the bias strips…continuous strip method? 420 inches is a LOT LOL.
I noticed that Jane loved those ovals too.
Crispy
February 5th, 2010 at 8:46 am
Thanks for the vining tips~ yours looks neat! I know what you mean about some TV shows really changing, I used to watch CSI, but it got to a point that I was just bored with their story lines. I do like the NCIS shows and The Mentalist.
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February 5th, 2010 at 11:16 am
That’s how I do vines too and it works great! I hope to get in the sewing room today – it’s been a week.
blessings, marlene
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February 5th, 2010 at 12:56 pm
I love your blog. I haven’t quilted in years but your work inspires me beyong imagining. Thank you for the wonderful tutorials too. God bless!
February 5th, 2010 at 4:37 pm
Thanks for sharing how you make your stems. I have a similar gizmo from when I first started quilting and I’ve never used it and never thought of using it for stems-I’ll have to try it. I either sew tubes and then use bars inside to press them or just needleturn a flat piece of fabric into a stem. Fun to try something new!
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February 5th, 2010 at 7:42 pm
Both blocks are stunning!
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February 6th, 2010 at 8:19 am
You sound like you had a very productive day. Looking forward to following your progress.
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February 6th, 2010 at 11:49 pm
I agree..Jane did love those melons! Too much so IMHO! LOL. I make bias the same way except I store mine on empty toliet paper rolls.
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