Gold Metallic Thread quilting

 Hand quilting using a gold metallic thread.  So far no major problems - just using shorter thread than I normally cut.  I put a post on Celebrate Hand Quilting facebook page for some advice and getting some good suggestions.  Also was told by several that they have had no problems with washing the quilts quilted with this type of thread. 

I am really enjoying this process, although must admit it is taking me a lot longer to do than with regular hand quilting thread....but just looks so pretty when it sparkles.

This will be  a wall hanging rather than a bed quilt.

Michelle May workshop

My guild sponsored a lecture and workshop with Michelle May of The Raspberry Rabbits quilts.    She is an absolutely delightful, interesting and entertaining speaker.  She will be at the Houston International Quilt Festival if any of you are lucky enough to be going this year.

Her projects are simply amazing and fun.

Our workshop was to make a pincushion and this is the one I made.   I see that little wild thread in the picture, now how did I miss that before??? 

It was fun day at the workshop!

Feathered Star Quilt

 

Just a picture of the finished quilt.  I have shown it in process many times.  Only thing left to do is the label.

Dear Jane

 My Dear Jane quilt is finished! 

This quilt has taken my almost two decades to complete, but from 2006 until 2019 is rested in my hope chest waiting patiently to be completed. 

This is how I finished off the corners, which is a little different from the original Jane Stickle quilt.  I generally finish of scalloped borders with a right angle  - just my preference.  Jane Stickle's quilt continued the scallops to the corner and then put a little knob in the corner.

A view of how I quilted the scallops.  I purchased this green backing fabric in Paducah, Ky many years ago and happy it finally found a quilt to call home.

My signature block.  The original quilt stated "In War Times" as Jane Stickle made it during the Civil War while her husband was away serving in the Union forces.   I decided to call mine "In Turmoil Times" as I feel our country has been in constant turmoil over the last two decades.  I completed my first block on September 10,2001, just one day before that awful day of September 11, 2001.  Since that day, our turmoil has included the search for Bin Laden and then Sadam Husein, terrorism attacks, ISIS,  the school and other place mass shootings, Black Lives Matter movement, Me Too Movement, economic disasters, political fracas, international and at home disasters of hurricanes, tornados, earthquakes, fires --- the list just goes on and on.  I guess that has been the way it is has been for many years, but my heart and mind yearn for days of peace. 



Pemberley - Heart Flower Block #1

Yea..finished it.  My favorite block so far. But then, each time I finish one, I think the same thing about the newly finished block.

Pemberley - Heart Flower Blocks

Today for my Slow Sunday Stitching I decided to work on the Heart Flower Blocks for the Pemberley quilt.  My husband surprised me yesterday with a new "toy" to use in my quilting and I was anxious to give it a try.  I had been saying for awhile now that I wanted a clapper, he finally asked what I was talking about and I showed him a picture in Nancy's Notions.   Well, he ordered it and it arrived yesterday.  Such a nice surprise, and today I wanted to give it a try.

My first step in the Heart flower block was to prep the pieces for applique.  These are the pieces for one block  and there are four of them in the quilt, one for each corner. 

For applique in this pattern, Katrina Hadjimichael (designer) recommentds English Basted Method.  This was new to me, but I have been English Paper Piecing for years now and decided I would try out this method on these border blocks.  I traced and cut my paper patterns Friday  and cut the fabrics yesterday.  Today I basted fabrics to the papers for the gold Heart Flower block and pressed them flat using my clapper.  I must say, it does a great job.  If you are not familiar with a clapper, you simple place it over a pressed seam or edge right after you take the iron off.  The board somehow helps set the seams flat. I use a hand quilting weight thread in a contrasting color to baste fabric to the paper...makes it so much easier to see the threads when I pull them out.

If you notice the straight edges on the gold hearts, this is where you join the hearts. I used English paper piecing and joined the hearts before I removed the papers.

I always make a small tack stitch along the side to be stitched to ensure the points line up correctly prior to whip stitching the two edges together.  You cant see the tack stitches I made because the thread color closely matches the fabric, so I placed pins where each tack stitch is, just so you can tell what I do.  I generally place them about every inch or so across the seam. 

I use Coats and Clark dual duty 50wt thread for English Paper Piecing as I find it to be the strongest.  Here are the four hearts, English Paper Pieced  together.  At this point, I remove the papers, once again press the seams flat and pin the hearts to the background for applique.

Once I have the gold heart pinned in place, I have to place the leaf in place.  It much be appliqued first as the gold heart will overlap the leaf.  I line the leaf us with the joining seam, and had measured on the pattern that the leaf should extend beyond the heart  2 1/2 inches.  I pin it in place and then tuck in under the gold heart.  When appliqueing the leaf, I pin the gold fabric out of the way and use a running stitch to secure the leaf to the background which lies behind the gold fabric.
 So here is how far I got today on this flower block.  I may finish more tonight, but needed a break  for now.  Hopefully, tomorrow I will finish this block.

Getting quilts done

The last couple months I seem to be energized to finish up some projects.  I did complete the Hunter Star for my Son-in-law, a string quilt for my son and best of all my Dear Jane Quilt  - picture to follow in a later post.

This morning I finished piecing the backing for my grandson's Big Boy quilt - his name is Titus.  His mom suggested a quilt with cars and trucks as that is his favorite thing.  Well, I really did not want to make a little kid's quilt, although he is just 4 years old, but also wanted him to love his quilt.  So I found this fabric and panel and used it to make the quilt back.  Tomater is his favorite character in the CARS Movies.

 

The front of the quilt is made using the LOTUS ruler.  I tried to use all the colors in the back of the quilt.  Wonder which one he will lay on his bed as the top side?  HAHA - I think that is a no brainer. 

I also got the blue Feathered Star quilted and sewed on the binding.  Have to share this very rare occurrence.  I made the binding many months ago, when I first started working on this quilt.  When I sewed it on the quilt, I was getting a little nervous as I approached the last corner, knowing I had to go midway down the last side.  Binding was getting short, I thought dagnabit, I am going to have to add a little more.  But it was exactly the right length - I was stunned, when I went to join the beginning to the end, I had an exact 2 1/4" overlap, just the amount I needed.  



Here's the quilt laying on my dining room table.  I spritzed it with water to make sure I had all the blue quilting markings out and left it there to dry ( just slightly damp).  Now to get it hemmed, but until then, I love going into my dining room and seeing it there.  It is such a soft cozy quilt as I hand quilted it in big stitch.  I will start hemming it this afternoon :)

Slow Sunday Stitching - Pemberley

Here it is Sunday again, they seem to roll around in a blink of an eye.  Comes with retirement I guess, as the weekends seemed to take forever to get here when I worked , and then went by so fast.

Today I will be completing the applique on my fourth Dresden Plate for the Pemberley quilt.  Its all pinned and ready to go.   I took this picture and realized I have a couple of the leaves off center, not to mention three missing.  I took this to a First Friday sew-in that my guild sponsors each month and pinned it all together there - hmmmm guess I better go find those missing leaf pieces.

 

These are the three I have completed so far:

A picture from the pattern - just a reminder of what the quilt looks like.  The dresdens go in the center of the borders on each side.