GETTING ORGANIZED...

GETTING ORGANIZED...The first thing is the work area.  The room is half done and looking forward to changing the rest!  I just wanted to change the curtains to the winter coverage and  kept tripping over things and still not able to reach the windows...enough...thus began the project of change.  It is nice to have the room and tables.  The room space is a rectangle shape and currently only half of the room is presentable. It is time for change when your work space trips you from being productive!  The lighting is now great at night, the storage containers are no longer at my feet while I sew, and the cutting area/work space is now useable from both sides.  I can reach all windows for cleaning and moving geraniums to their summer place.  The winter drafts are now blocked with under the table storage. The true test will be working in the new space...more later.

BEFORE... TWO TABLES TOGETHER FOR CENTER SPACE

AFTER...TABLES IN U SHAPE



NOW THERE IS MORE SPACE TO MOVE AROUND!

 

 

JULY'S BLOCK MAKING MONTH...RESULTS

LET'S SEE THE BLOCKS...

CHRISTMAS SAMPLER BLOCKS



CHRISTMAS XBLOCK

CONNECTING CHRISTMAS STAR

WHACKED PINWHEEL

STRIPS ON A MUSLIN BASE (10"x12" pcs)

GIRLY FARM QUILT (pinwheels/xblock pinwheels)

 

PLAYING WITH LEFT OVERS...STRIPS AND WEDGES FROM THE XBLOCK TRIMS

CHRISTMAS STAR BLOCKS...FUTURE QUILT

A NICE BLOCK FIND..ALL OVER DESIGN

 

 

XBLOCK FUTURE QUILT

SAMPLER BLOCKS FOR A QUILT...THE RESULT OF THE MONTH LONG FOCUS FOR MAKING BLOCKS HAD SOME SURPRISES!

 I was thinking of making nothing but template cut-out type blocks and had things ready to go but

when it came to doing them I found myself using blocks that were cut or made such as the half triangle and 3" / 5" squares.  I ended up looking for blocks that had those type of pieces in them and that did speed things up.  My buckets of scraps did not deplete at all and I realized that the buckets need work to get things ready...like iron, sort by size/shape, and pre-cut the square sizes I use the most of along with strip cutting of different widths for all those wonderful string quilts to make.  The other thing that happened was the search for blocks lead to potential over-all quilt designs.

BLOCKS...BLOCKS...BLOCKS...ONLY 3 DAYS LEFT!

RMB COLLECTION OF PRINTS



A FUTURE QUILT...PHOTO INSPIRATION




200+ BLOCKS...FUTURE QUILTS IN THE MAKING! 

BLOCK TESTING TO SEE WHAT THEY WILL LOOK LIKE

 

 

MY SPACE IN THE SUMMER!

ALWAYS TAKE TIME TO LOOK AT TREES FROM UNDER THEIR CANOPY!  THIS IS A GREAT TIME OUT FROM ALL OF THAT SEWING AND BLOCKS...KIND OF CLEARS THE HEAD AND EYES!

THE STITCHING PILE...GREAT WAY TO MAKE THINGS MOVE RIGHT ALONG.

DIFFERENT FABRIC THEME...SAME BLOCK INSPIRATION ...FUTURE FULL SIZE QUILT

HAND STAMPED FABRIC...XBLOCK PATTERN...ADD EXISTING FABRICS...WA...LA...A QUILT TOP IN THE MAKING!

WHAT I HAVE BEEN USING...PRE-CUT 5" SQUARES...HALF TRIANGLES...3" SQUARES...WA...LA..

PRACTICE WITH CHRISTMAS FABRICS...HAS BEEN ONE OF MY FAVORITE THINGS TO DO...GIVES YOU AN IDEA ABOUT HOW THINGS WILL LOOK ....WITHOUT A LOT OF CONFUSION ABOUT COLOR THEMES.  THE TWO CHRISTMAS BLOCKS SHOW WHAT I MEAN BY THIS COLOR CONFUSION...ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU ARE WORKING WITH SCRAP PIECES...SO MUCH COLOR AND CHOICE...WHAT TO DO?  SO, I SAY...BREAK IT DOWN TO ONLY A FEW CHOICES AND GO FROM THERE.

VICTORIAN SUMMER

THIS IS THE CURRENT VICTORIAN PIECE BEING WORKED ON...SUMMER/OCEAN FOR A THEME IS BEING USED.

WORKING WITH TWO BLOCKS FOR EMBELLISHMENT

THIS IS THE NUMBERED LAYOUT WITH TWO BLOCKS SEWN TOGETHER

VICTORIAN FALL ...

HERE IS A LITTLE SOMETHING TO ENCOURAGE MEMORIES OF FALL IN NEW ENGLAND.

 This is using foundation piecing blocks...the ribbon work on the border is a method that I love to use now...very simple...basting lines with crewel thread ...then weave ribbon in an out of the basted line and bead work...WA...LA...This is also an anchor for the border edge....notice the pillow slip edge..:)
The fabrics came from my stash...upholstery books stash...and the border fabric was a left over from Rob's upholstery shop...nice stuff...like velvet...but not.

I like to use motifs that you can buy in the store and pile bead work on top of trim.  The fabrics I use also have potential bead work...I am always looking for that kind of thing...it helps with the embellishment process.  Fabric leaves are great...just can not say enough about them...looking at fabric flower petals as HUGE potential!!  As you work with this method of quilting...you get ideas to try...there are some great books out there and will post that later.  Embroidery stitches are also HUGE potential for bead work...buttons are too.  Buttons are great anchors and flower making potential.  The buttons you see are anchors for the 3 layers....muslin foundation, fabrics used, and backing.

CRAZY Q FALL THEMES....

FALL IN NEW ENGLAND IS VERY INSPIRING AND SOMETHING I USE FOR THIS METHOD OF MAKING QUILTS...Here are two samples and snippets of the work.

 This is a close up of the center blocks...each one was stuffed and the button is an anchor for the finished piece.  The star is blurry but one of my favorite things to do with stars...add the rays with beads.  The thread work is done with pearl cotton #8 and crewel embroidery floss.  The bead size does vary...not too large...the larger the bead ...the more times I go through the holes .  I use double thread for EVERYTHING...QUILTING AND SEWING.

The photos show aster flowers with bead centers.  Leaves made out of satin/poly and they are sewn on and bead work. I just love having a digital camera...such a gem for quilters...because it allows us to take photos of work in progress and a picture helps to see things.  This is before the border went on and where I hope to return to soon. This was a muslin foundation piecing method so each block has the same formation.  The fabrics come from my stash and upholstery books that I took apart...corduroys, velvets, cottons were also used.  AND NOW.......HERE IS WHAT THE PIECE ENDED UP LOOKING LIKE...yes...I used a binding...but NEVER AGAIN..this is just not my thing...this method will always have a pillow slip edge..which means...this piece will be taken down to the above picture.  I want to enlarge this piece.  I learned that when you hurry...10 days work here...things happen.  This method of quilt making requires time and patience to complete.

VICTORIAN QUILTING

THIS IS SOMETHING THAT  EVOLVED FROM THINGS THAT FAMILY LEFT BEHIND ....LIKE GRANDMA'S HANDKERCHIEF COLLECTION, LONG NECKLACES, OLD SCRAP QUILT THAT HAD FALLEN APART BUT STILL HAD PARTS THAT  I  USED AND REMINDS YOU OF THE CLOTHING THEY ONCE WORE...BECAUSE THAT IS WHAT THE QUILT WAS MADE OF.  This is a green idea...it works best when you can recycle things and turn it into a memory quilt...which is what I did.  HERE IT IS...

 

It is tradition to have a fan or two in Crazy Q's and this one has beads from Grandma M's jewelry.

 

 apron fabric from France..the large flower area

Egyptian fabric at top and lilac fabric...

taking lace trim and using parts for flowers...

THE THOUGHT WAS TO STAY WITH BLACK AND PURPLE...PURPLE BECAUSE OF THE LILAC BUSHES THAT GREW ON THE SIDE OF THE HOUSE AT THE FARM.  THIS WON VIEWERS CHOICE AT NLQG.  There are pathways on this piece...hearts, french knots and they serve a purpose to hold the 3 layers together.  Crazy Q's need the support...otherwise things will sag in time.  I decided to do spaces instead of every line for embellishment. The binding does not happen with this type of quilt.  I use the pillow slip method which is to sew 3 sides and flip it right side.  The buttons came from Grandma D's collection and serves to crisp the edges so the velvet will not roll.  The lace around the edge represents child scribble.  There are photos transferred to muslin, the couch materials that has memories of childhood reading on the porch at the farm.  The Egyptian fabric represents the gold leafing on Grandma D's treadle sewing machine and where I was inspired by her sewing...mostly mending but my first recall of watching someone sew.  The fabrics came from my stash of things...the velvet was purchased.  There are 2 Crazy Q methods used.  The traditional of random patching and the edges are foundation piecing. The final piece is the bead work which goes around the entire piece...that took a while to do!  NOTHING is glued...it is all hand sewn...each seed bead.  The close up snippets will show what I mean.  :)