THIS AND THAT - ODDS AND ENDS

These lovely tulips were brought to me on Saturday by a friend and neighbour - very timely - we're all longing for spring!

I have been too busy lately - and have neglected to post as often as I should. I'm embarassed to say, too, that I still owe you all another instalment on the Sea Creatures tutorial, and promise to work on it this week. I have some new ideas there for you - we'll look at finishing it in two possible versions - each very different from the other.
In addition to quilting like crazy on the Flying Geese quilt, I have been taking inventory on all the good stuff I have squirreled away in Rubbermaid totes. I now have a good idea of how much is too much on the fabric front and also am about ready to make a list of all the various vintage kits I own, and set prices on them - my daughter will not be a happy camper if this job eventually falls to her, so there's no time like the present to get on with it. Spring cleaning is in the air!
On top of that myself and a co-conspirator are drafting a policies and procedures manual for an organizaton we both serve as members of the board of directors; and as well, I am writing some of the editorial content for another local organization's revised website. Not enough hours in the day and I must get the flying geese quilt finished as soon as possible.
I've also been trying to keep abreast of all the blogs I follow and checked back to
Jeana Kimball's website which also has Jeana's blog and her "Sewing Room" link.
She has a lot to tell us that she has clearly thought through very carefully - she talks about hand quilting and hand applique, the current popularity of art quilts, machine quilting and applique and fabric painting and embellishment.
I have been thinking along these lines recently too - about fads and fashions and where it leads me as an artisan and artist.
I had jumped on the stashbusting bandwagon and to the extent that it helped me to look at my collections of patterns and fabrics and vintage stuff - this is very good. On the other hand I went for a couple of months there, not looking at new fabric lines, not window shopping and definitely not buying. It didn't work - I fell off the wagon bigtime and purchased in the last month quite a lot of new fabric and patterns. I have come to the conclusion that in order to keep my creative juices flowing I need to have actual new fabric under my hands and on the table to play wih. I will make a bigger effort still to use some of what is in my stash - that far is another good goal!
I also realize that even though I haven't had this blog all that long, I need to rehab the site a bit and update here and there. Another entry on my to do list!
Will try to return much sooner this time and forgive the long, long post!
Cheers!

My "Ironing Corner"

I decided to play with Libby http://www.simplylibby.blogspot.com and so I'm posting a picture of my "ironing corner" above.
As I told Libby, I am the original "barefoot quilter", preferring to keep things very simple, so if I can't use my thumbnail or my $10 iron with a bath towel spread on my work table, it ain't gonna happen. Works for me!

Where does inspiration come from?

I'm writing an article about sources of inspiration for quilters designing their own quilts and want to run a few ideas by my readers at this blog.
This is the view of the "big blue cupboard" I have from my worktable - there are lots of other things on the cupboard, but two of the big sources of inspiration for me are the jewel box or modified jacob's ladder block which was orphaned from a project a couple of years ago because the client did not care for pink in any form. It constantly reminds me of the importance of accuracy in piecing and the fact that with several not necessarily totally fetching fat quarters and scraps you can make a very compatible whole.
The framed print is by a local and lesser known folk artist who, I think, is very under rated. It is the view of Hall's Harbour that I have as I come down my road and enter the village from the west side. Someday I will ask Marjorie for permission to make a quilt out of that painting.
Where else do I find inspiration? Lot's of times from the sea - that's a given with Nova Scotian artists, but also a lot of time from pictures and layouts in magazines, from websites - the International Quilt Study Centre in Nebraska is high on that list, and of course from bloggers' pictures, from online fabric stores and from the large stores that still send out actual printed catalogues - I think I have every one put out by Hancock's of Paducah, Connecting Threads and Keepsake for the last ten years and wouldn't dream of throwing them out. Lately too, as I've been going through my stash trying to get a handle on inventory, I have found a trove of 1.5 inch swatches from Keepsake and a whole bunch of 2 inch ones from the New England Quilt Supply Company. Seems serendipity that at the same time, I have been looking a lot at doll quilts and "Little Quilts"
Let me know your take on inspiration!
And for those waiting for another instalment of the Sea Creatures Tutorial - I hope to have done enough more piecing to show how to put an irregular, scalloped border around the part whoch will have applique by late Sunday or early Monday.

A Learn to Quilt Tutorial

As I get ready to launch my new website Simplequiltmaking.com, I have decided to offer a tutorial on my blogsite http://quiltingwithjanet.blogspot.com
I have just posted the next part of this tutorial which you can follow through all the steps to make my original design: Sea Creatures. In it I show the joys of handquilting, one of which is total accuracy the first time, every time - check it out - I am eager to see your comments and will answer questions for you.
Working very hard just now on several commissions and also on a small vintage quilt kit I am handquilting.

TUTORIAL - Sea Creatures - Part 2

You will have cut all your sets of 3" blocks for the four-patches and are now ready to pin them together before sewing them. Remember that when I say 3" block I mean to draw around a 3" template but cut out with an extra quarter inch on each side for seam allowance - in other words - 3.5"

A REMINDER: you need 24 completed blocks so cut 48 of each of two fabric choices. 96 in all.

Hang Pinning: working with right sides of each piece facing inward, you will hang pin to secure for sewing. Put a pin through the exact corners of two different 3" blocks - line up the pieces exactly and do not bring the pin back through the two pieces - just let it hang. Repeat at the other corner. In the middle, between the 2 hanging pins, line up the markings and hang pin there too. Make sure there are no puckers or gaps. Proceed to pin together all the sets of two different fabrics.

Piecing goes much faster if you don't have to stop to pin each one.



PIECING: Thread your needle but do not make a knot. Insert you needle down through where the right hand corner lines intersect and the pin has been placed - this is crucial to accuracy. Remove the hanging pin.

Bring your needle back up a very short distance left of the entry stitch and repeat, then overcast the first stitch and draw the needle through the loop to secure the end of the thread, leaving a loose tail at least an inch long.

Working from right to left, make tiny running stitches and make a lock stitch every 5 or 6 stitches. The lock stitch is simply a stitch going over the previous one and will serve to make repair easier should a stitch break. Keep your work taut(firm) but not enough to make puckers.

Finish at the exact point where the left corners intersect, and again make a double stitch with the needle through the loop to secure - cut thread, leaving a tail of at least one inch.

Repeat this process until you have no pieces left - you should have 48 two-block units.Press all seams to the right - making sure they are all to the same side - either using an iron, your thumbnail or one of those little flattened wooden sticks you can find in the notions department of your local quilt shop. I'm always losing things so I use my thumbnail - it's imposible to lose and always available - smile - and I save money that I can then spend on more fabric!



PIECING THE 4 PIECE BLOCKS:

Next take 2 of the two block units and turn one of them so that the seam to be stitched comes together, with one seam going one way and the other seam going in the opposite direction. This is most important in order to avoid bulky seams, but more importantly to help the two units to almost automatically come together in a perfect, accurate intersection.
Hang pin the two two piece units right sides together, starting with each end first. Then at the seam in the middle, hang pin on one side of the seam, exactly at the point where the lines intersect. Do not put the pin through the seam allowace, leave the seam allowance free. Then place a pin midway between the end pins and the intersection.
Match marked lines carefully.
NOTE: Until you are confident of your stitching, you can start at the central point(intersecting seam), stitch to the end, cut your thread and then flip the piece over and repeat, starting from the middle intersection again.
Note: Never stitch through seam allowances - just up to them, make a lockstitch and then pass the needle through the seam and continue on at the exact beginning of the marked lines on the other side of the seam. lockstitching helps to maintain accuracy at intersections by preventing "creeping".
Yet Another Note: after several stitches, flip over and check that you are sewing exactly on the marked line on both sides, adjust as you go.






Do all 24 four patch units, checking each for accuracy. When satisfied, press each seam to the same side. Never press seams open inless specifically instructed to - always press to one side, and make it the same side with similar units. Try to press to the darker fabric's side to minimize chance of dark fabric shining through from the wrong side. If that happens, carefully trim away enough of the darker fabric so that the lighter covers it, maintaining a safe seam allowance to avoid ravelling.

Laying out the blocks in preparation for piecing into the large central background:

You will have already cut 6 inch blocks (6.5 including seam allowances) of print #3, 9 for the inside squares, 16 for the setting triangles along the edges and 4 for the corners - 29 in all. Later on you will learn how to cut exact size triangles but for now, we'll work with the squares which will later be trimmed or not as you wish - the part to be trimmed is covered by the scalloped border.

Lay your blocks out on your work area or design wall if you are lucky enough to have one - the 4 patch blocks will be turned "on point" and will start out with one in the upper left hand corner, going diagonally across the design, the next row will have a four patch, a solid block, and another four patch. The third row will have a four patch, a solid square, a four patch, another large square and a four patch. Fourth and final row will have the same arrangement : start with a four patch, end with a four patch - carry on until you have completed a symetical 4x6 grouping of 4 patches, interspersed with the solid blocks, working diagonally downwards and keeping track of where the corners will be.

The blocks - 4patch and solid 6"blocks will be seamed as shown and placed back in the design area and the next row addressed, as shown in the pictures.

When you have all the rows seamed, check carefully that you have not "turned" a block and accidently spoiled the symmetry - if you have, unpick and re-do. Press each row toward the solid blocks each time - this lessens bulk and again allows the seams to nestle into each other, making for great accuracy.

Before seaming the rows together, add solid squares to each end and to the for single corner blocks, pressing as described before. Mark with a pencil at the line where trimming will take place (or not take place if you choose that option. Seam each row together checking for accuracy and pressing each seam in the same direction. You will end up with a rectangle if you imagine the top trimmed or actually trim it.

The next installment - SEA CREATURES TUTORIAL - PART 3 will be posted very shortly - on it I will show you how to achieve a wide scalloped border and discuss preparing the applique pieces.

Tutorial, Sea Creatures quilt - part 2 coming soon!

To all my friends who are waiting for the next installment of my tutorial on the Sea Creatures quilt I want to let you know that I have pulled out the fabrics for the quilt top's background using my choice of three printed neutrals for a pieced blocks background;and a second choice using one print neutral for a wholecloth background. The fabrics are shown in the photograph and the border will be the lovely "Nantucket" fabric by South Seas International that I show with it. Bonus: I am busting stash here finally!!! No new fabric will be bought and when the tutorial is finished I will have made two quilt tops, and hopefully started to quilt them too, to add to my studio inventory for the summer tourist season.
Part 2 will consist of piecing instructions and how to add the scalloped borders.
Hope you will find this project fun to do!

FIRST FINISHED UFO!

I finally finished the lovely "Garden Path" queen/double quilt top that I have been handquilting for Ruth in South Carolina. Before I sent it off to her yesterday I
took a moment to get a picture of it on my worktable - I usually do my photos outdoors in natural light, but in the winter my options are very limited - lol! Please excuse the poor quality. I show the hand embroidered label I put on this quilt in the other picture.

Now I can get on with Janie's quilt - a flying geese in very traditional solid colours of ochre, red and dark green, that I have posted here in the past. It is inspired by a quilt in a Pennsylvania museum's collection.
So happy to be making some progress!