The Everest of Quilts (a personal tale)

I have completely finished the top of my Heron quilt (aka: The Big One).  If you haven't read about this specific headache of mine before now I will catch you up to speed; I promised a quilt to my mother which I had no idea how to start, never mind complete.  My last post was two weeks ago, at which time I made a phone call to my mother which went basically like this:

Me: "So do you care about the quilt being square?"

Mom: "Well..."

Me: "Do you want a proper size quilt or a square one!?!"

Mom: "I think I should say... proper size?"

Me: "Good." (insert crazy voice) "Cuz you know it's visually square." 

I had a wicked jog in the background which was causing me no end of frustration, and it seemed the more I "squared" the quilt, the weirder everything got.  I ended up just taking the bloody thing apart and fixing the jog (it really wasn't as hard as I'm portraying, but I have no friends here yet so I have to make my own drama).  Then I told my husband that unless he helped me make my quilt properly square he wasn't going to benefit from my services... of making dinner.  So anyhow, now I have a perfectly square background to work with.  Once you go square you won't ever go back... to... not square.  O.K, lame joke, but you know what I mean.  I'm not sure how other people would square their project like this but obviously I used painter's tape and a husband to do it.  So it was time to start the applique and, quite honestly, I was ready for something I knew I could do.  With both my husband and my father vying for the credit of coming up with the silhouette idea, I've decided just to take all the credit and say that the idea was brewing in my mind from the first. 

I did the applique using freezer paper cut-outs and turning the edges under (turn applique?).  It's stitched down using clear thread and a blanket type stitch.  The wind kinda blew the quilt a bit during the photo, and I couldn't push my husband any further into helping me, because taking a picture is soooo much work... I'll leave it at that, he's a pretty good sport. So you can imagine my elation of having the hard part over, or at least it seems that way when you finish the top... kind of like having a baby, it's so beauitful and wonderful.  Then it starts to cry, and you realize the work as just begun (I wonder if this quilt is enough for my mom?).  I have no idea how I'm going to quilt this, yet.  But before I get into that I need a border, or three.  My foray into the quilt shop left me reeling with consumer's remorse and abject terror that I was going to ruin my hard work with a terrible border choice.  At the same time, I ALWAYS feel this way so I just bit the bullet and tackled the borders.

96" x 84"

I'm pretty happy with the results of the quilt top.  I have my backing and batting ready to go so I can baste this behemoth whenever my courage returns.  Plus, I think I'm going to need some time to really think over what kind of designs I should quilt this thing in.  I need to keep in mind that the quilt is meant for a bed and so the quilting cannot be too dense, which is a shame because I would love to just quilt the hell out of this thing.    On a side note, I finished this little quilt for a friend's new little boy.  I'm also linking up to The Needle and Thread Network. http://needleandthreadnetwork.blogspot.ca/

Background Complete

So I have been working like a maniac trying to make some progress on 'The Big One' , which is a project I committed myself to with no understanding as to how complicated such an undertaking could possibly be.  But with extensive research, Suzanne type help, and trial and error.  I am proud to say that the hardest part is complete.  I present the 'as good as it gets' background. So the background measures approximately 54x64 inches and has a little jog in the thing, but lies what I like to call 'visually square', hahaha.  As previously mentioned in a passed post my camera isn't the best and it's hard to see the vast array of unlikely patterns that make up this thing.  I would like to verify that all clashes or mind boggling colour choices may be chalked up to my mothers unique style as this quilt is being specifically made for her.  I personally like posts that are photo rich, so here is a little photo diary of how I put this bloody thing together.

Cut our water pieces from freezer paper template

Ironed pieces from template onto selected fabric

Cut out around selected fabric, note to self; leave larger allowance around template pieces

Clip valleys of fabric for easy and smooth turn

I used a paintbrush to brush on some spray starch to help hold the turn

I used a comination of small applique iron and larger hot iron to iron seams over

Once all pieces were turned and pinned up to design wall, time to put them together! 

here are some of my pieces lined up on the fusible stabilizer stuff (I think the stuff you  would us in collars of shirts?), I found it at my local sewing shop.  It's only fusible on one side. 

Here is the water all fused together and ready to reveal the fabric.  I know there are other ways to do this so you can see what you are doing but I really enjoyed a little mystery. 

Sorry about the fuzzy photo, but here is the idea of stitching the pieces down, I used an invisible thread and a blanket type stitch. 

Go little Brother machine! This is the machine I use mostly. 

Ta Da! 

I have learned so much during this process, and if you want to make a background like this I recommend that you plan, plan, plan, and then scrap that plan and plan again (that's what I did and it worked out OK).  Anyhow I hope to have the applique heron ready to go in the next week, but I just may take a break instead and quilt a quilt for a couple of special little babies that I didn't get to hold because of my moving from British Columbia to Saskatchewan this summer :(.  I wish I could meet you Zoe and Trent.

A Wonky Finish

Most of my week was spent outside camping and finishing up the binding on my wonky blocks quilt.  I'm not entirely certain if I like the quilting I did on this quilt.  First it's hard to see what the quilting is, and second I'm not too happy with the way the variegated thread looks, I wonder if I should have gone with something solid that blended in... Oh well, I'm sure the little baby that this quilt is for will grow to like it (hahaha no pun intended :).  But before I show you the completed quilt I thought I would share a photo of my little hooligans...

Jordan and Payton

Yeah they actually look like that more often than not...  Anyhow here is that finished quilt!  Yeah  FINISH!

Here are some photo's of the back of the quilt... funny now that I see it in pictures I like it more hahaha.

Well that's about it, just a finish (I love typing that).  So onward and forward, time to focus some serious energy onto "The Big One" (see previous posts  http://quiltingcurve.blogspot.ca/2012/05/big-one.html and  http://quiltingcurve.blogspot.ca/2012/07/working-curve.html for details of this ambitious project for a novice)

I'm linking up to the Needle and Thread Network 

The Working Curve

Works in progress mostly this week.  I started quilting my wonky squares quilt, with an excessively complicated butterfly design.  This was the first time I actually marked the entire surface of the quilt.  I'm not entirely happy with how it's turning out but I think it may have something to do with how messy the top looks with all the lines drawn on it.  Here is a photo of the finished quilt top before marking.  I explained how I made this quilt in my post last week.  Any how onwards and forwards.  I'm missing my guild like only a quilter can.  I have so many things I would like to bounce off them!  My husband is as nice as they come but still a poor substitute for the ladies.  Gwen (a woman from my guild in Dawson Creek) gave me some 5" squares a couple months ago saying she didn't really have a plan for them and if I would use them I was welcome to them.  I totally jumped on the opportunity like any good vulture and squirreled them away with thoughts of a disappearing nine-patch brewing in my flighty little mind.  Well I saw my opportunity and went for it.  The photos are not that good (my camera is one of those indestructible ones that mostly takes utilitarian photos, since I literally break everything).   But you get the idea here.

All of the squres that Gwen gave me were of a bright baltic nature. So I paired them with a straight black and, ta-da, instant coolness. I love how it looks a complete mess. The great thing about doing this type of disappearing nine-patch is that even if none of the seams really line up it doesn't really matter. I did however read in the last while that some quilters always iron their seams open. I decided to give this a try... Although I haven't quilted this yet I can tell that, bar the wrinkles in the photo, the quilt does lay flatter. Is this worth the pain of pressing the seams open, and watching that they don't fold EVERY TIME YOU SEW ANOTHER SEAM?!? I'm not too sure. If I may pose a question to anyone reading this: Do you iron your seams open? Why? Any suggestions for a quilting design?

I have also decided to start working on 'The Big One' (dun dun dun) again. Here is a link to the first post of this ridiculous, "eyes too big for my plate" project http://www.quiltingcurve.blogspot.ca/2012/05/big-one.html. Due to our moving across the damn country (well two provinces over), I had to restart drawing the background. I'm happy redoing this though because I feel that I have learned so much more about quilting in the last couple months that a restart was needed (not boding well for a couple months down the road is it?). Anyhow I approached the project with fresh eyes, and new bigger, better ideas! Oh crap I'm so in over my head... Anyhow the idea is to have a Heron standing in water surrounded by water grass and dragonflys, with the glorious sunset behind it. Not too original but a pretty picture no less. Step one: build background out of freezer paper.

So here I am in all my glorious 'I've been at home for three days' wardrobe. I had to tape the freezer paper together to get the size I need this darn thing to be. Yes, I realize this is industrial freezer paper, but my town hardly has 5,000 people and this stuff was hard enough to find. Anyhow, here is a close up so you can see how small and frustrating these pieces are going to be. Oh well, as Willy Wonka once said, 'Little surprises everywhere but nothing dangerous".

The next design hurdle I have to jump through would be the Heron. A bird of awesome grace and hilarious gawkiness, I'm going for grace...
After hours of forcing my control- impaired hands to draw, I came to this final design for the Heron... Yes, there is a body and legs but I like the head best.

Which finally brings me to the end of my current progress. I told my lovely husband as much when he arrived home from an excessively long day at his new job... He replied that he thought that the whole thing was going to be too busy and I should just put the heron, grass, and dragon flies in silhouette. Well, why didn't I think of that? Oh yeah, because Mom (for whom the quilt is for) wanted it to be in colour. I promptly called mom and told her my husband's smart-ass idea. She responded with a irritatingly open-mind saying "That might be nice". So anyhow, I haven't dropped the idea of having a full colour, detail-rich Heron, but I thought I would ask for your opinions on the matter? I will continue to build the background and post photos when it's done, but what do you think? Colour or Silhouette?



Linking up for the first time ever since I just figured out how to do this... I hope

http://needleandthreadnetwork.blogspot.ca/

Endless Skies

The land of endless skies has eaten my family.  We all finally arrived safe and sound in Saskatchewan and things are finally settling down into a normal life again.  I was disappointed to learn that the guild in town doesn't meet up during the summer.  I have more poking around to do but at this moment I'm one lonely quilter.   I bought fabric for yet another baby quilt.  I drew up a pattern on my trusty graph paper trying to see if I could build a wonky blocks type quilt.  Here are the plans I drew up.  Its hard to see in the photo but

basically nothing lines up.  I used each little square on the paper like it equals 3 inches then I broke up the area of the quilt into squares in the multiple of 3's, then added half and inch to the finished block for seam allowance.  Here is my breakdown:

Blue (17) - 3 1/2 x 3 1/2
Purple (6) - 3 1/2 x 6 1/2
Yellow (7) - 6 1/2 x 6 1/2
Dk Green (1) - 6 1/2 x 9 1/2
Red (9) - 9 1/2 x 9 1/2
Lt Green (6) - 12 1/2 x 12 1/2
Orange (4) - 15 1/2 x 15 1/2

Center Black Squares (33) 2 1/2 x 2 1/2
Center Black Squares for Blue (17) 2 1/4 x 2 1/4

Easy right!?! Nope not that easy....

I honestly don't mind drawing up patterns and seeing if I could make something like this work, remember I'm new to this whole thing and I'm still training my brain to think like a proper quilter (Ooooh I want to make one of those...).  Anyhow the hardest part for me was figuring out how to make such a complicated quilt with the limited amount of fabric I had.  Black center of the block easy, but otherwise I had only 6 other patterns to work with.  Well there is nothing to be done about it because like heck you can get me to go and buy more fabric (I panic when I enter a fabric store... it's a wonder I actually bought this stuff).  Well whatever I decided just to jump into it and get 'er done.  Well to save myself from an embarrassing amount of swear words at this point of my post I'll just let you know that as deceptively simple as thus quilt may appear it's not.  Here is how I made the blocks.  First I cut 2 1/2 inch

step 1 

step 2

step 3 

step 4 

strips from my selected fabric, then I sewed the black square to the strip, I used a pair of scissors to cut the piece off to from step one.  Sew another piece onto the other side, iron.  Sew the remaining two sides of the black square.  Now depending on the estimated size of the finished block the size of    the strips may change.  For this project I used a combination of 2 1/2 inch strips and 3 1/2 in strips.  Because once you get a finished square in step 4 it measures approx. 6 1/2 inches square, and now it's time to make the square wonky.  I highly recommend having a 'square up' type ruler for this project.

I needed to cut this square down to a 3 1/2 inch block so I layed the ruler on top, tried to center the ruler as best I could and slice and dice.  This is super fun but a little tricky.  Make sure you check your lines TWICE... yes that quilting curve totally caused some colourful words to exit my mouth.  Turn the block line up your ruler and cut again and tada you got yourself a wicked cool wonky block.  Once you have this cool block it's time to start sewing on the next strip set to give the block a little more depth.  I did

 eventually figure out a faster way to chain piece and assembly line this quilt but unless one was to sit down and plan a lot more (or if you have a huge array of fabrics) it's hard to make this quilt go together quickly.  I was also slightly appalled at how much fabric was wasted (especially the first couple blocks).  But I was able to salvage much of the waste to make the smaller blocks.  Make the big blocks first, and use the scraps to make the smaller ones.  Again because of my limited number of prints my design wall played a huge roll in putting this thing together.

I laid out the quilt on the design wall and proceeded to sew the pieces together that I could, and ended up with this.  Now I knew that I was going to have to do some fancy planning to put the whole thing together but I remember looking as this so happy at how far I had come when I got stumped.  In theory I knew all I had to do was leave a 1/4 in open and put it all together... well but... huh?  I went and had a beer on my back deck and pondered my troubles.  Although it is that simple I found that you want to do things in a certain order otherwise your seams don't lie flat or your will end up with holes.  Well after a little fortification I was able to figure it out but I also found that 1/4 inch wasn't enough space for me I ended up leaving about 1/2 and inch and it was much easier.  Anyhow the top is finished and I have already started on another project.  I haven't decided exactly how I'm going to quilt this wonky blocks quilt but I'm sure it will come to me at 2 am one of these nights.

Pretty cool eh?

Feature Friday

Are two really better than one?  Well my friend is going to let me know when her twin boys are born later this summer.  As I've mentioned in previous posts I'm moving to Saskatchewan at the end of June so I've been working on a couple of cute quilts for those precious little boys that are bound to drive her crazy one day soon.  I did up a very simple block, I'm really not sure what it's called but I know that it does the job.  I actually learned a lot about colour on this quilt.  Originally I was going to have those bright red diamonds be a pastel blue, but as stated by one of the wonderful ladies at my guild 'where is the pop?'.  She I just happened to have some red kicking around so POP!  Obviously there are going to be twins so I had to make a second quilt.  There are a couple of sets of twins in my family and I didn't want to make the quilts the same... but I couldn't resist, so basically where there is green on one there is yellow on the other.  A big department store is going out of business here in Dawson Creek, and there were a bunch of those super soft micro fiber blankets for sale so they are super soft on the back.  Obviously I decided to just give these blankets a quick stipple.  I'm still in the process of stitching down the boarder of the second quilt.

Otherwise with so many babies coming up this summer I have also finished another Care Bear quilt for a hypothetical baby girl my friend may be having (I really hope it's a girl because I don't have a little boy back-up quilt).

I've been working through my 'stash' like a demon.  I suppose it's really not that hard when all my stash consists of is mostly hand-me-downs from other quilters.  But I'm loving working with fabric I wouldn't choose for myself because it forces those creative juices... Although pumping out simple baby quilts is not exactly my idea of a stroke of genius at least it keeps me happy :)

On another really more important note I have titled this post Feature Friday because I have been given the honor of being the quilter selected to guest post for the Feature on The Needle and Thread Network.  Basically the network is a common link up page for Canadian fiber artists.  It's a wonderful site run by truly patient people (yes patient, I don't communicate good sometimes :).  Anyhow here is the link to my feature     http://needleandthreadnetwork.blogspot.ca/   



I plan to post again soon, but life keeps throwing curve balls at me.  Nothing serious, just some day surgery for my eldest daughter and appointments coming out my butt, tiring to get it all done before the move from Northern British Columbia to Central Saskatchewan.  I find life so interesting that way eh, one day you can be peaceful and calm ready for the day and....BOOM!!! This, that, and the next thing are all needing attention right now!  Oh well, I suppose your not a procrastinator until it smacks you in the face eh!  Well make sure to check out The Needle and Thread Network.
http://needleandthreadnetwork.blogspot.ca/p/welcome.html