It's Electrifying!

If you've been reading this blog for awhile, you may have noticed my many posts complaining/worrying about my Davis Vertical Feed treadle.  It is a wonderful machine, and we have made many quilts together.  However, it has just been impossible to quilt on lately.  With a big backlog of quilts both for charity and just for fun, I finally did the unthinkable--I bought an electric machine.
This was a big step for me, and I didn't take it lightly.  I've been using people-powered machines exclusively for over twelve years, and I love them.  There's just something about the combination of history and function, the beautiful iron ladies, the wood cabinets, and that tick-tick-tick sound when they're sewing.  I'm not giving that up!  My piecing will still be done on my treadles.  And I'm confident I'll get the Davis going again eventually.  But I've got a lot of quilting to do, and this new machine will help me do it.
As you can see, I bought a Pfaff.  This machine is a Select 4.2, which is a mechanical machine, not an electronic machine.  The main reason I chose it was the built in walking foot.
My first projects while learning this machine were some baby quilts for charity that I had already pieced, layered, and basted.
Here's what I've got done so far.

This is the first quilt I worked on with the new machine.  I came home, set it up, and went right to it.  Unfortunately I didn't read the directions first.  Even though I had worked with the machine at the shop, I didn't realize that you had to engage the automatic dual feed.  The quilting was a nightmare of tucks and pleats.  I'm not even going to show you how bad it is.   I don't think I can donate it, it's just that awful.

The next quilt was better.  Most of this one was quilted already.  I had unearthed it from my seriously old UFO pile.  You might be able to tell from the fabrics that I started it more than 20 years ago.

I did the quilting on the heart blocks with invisible thread using a different electric machine, back in the day.  I was almost done with the quilt when for some reason I lost interest in it.  Maybe it was when we were moving?
Sadly, this is another fail.  I'm not sure if you can see the reddish discolorations in the blue border.  Those are rust stains.  Yep, I left the pins in it for all those years!  I've tried a couple of rust stain treatments, with no luck.  So I can't donate this one either.  Sigh.

Finally, success!  Well, mostly.  There are a few little pleats in this one, but nothing truly terrible.  I saw a picture of a quilt like this somewhere in the vastness of the internet, and figured I could make one like it.  I think I made it a lot harder than it needed to be. 

I used 3.5 in. squares (cut) to make 4 patches, and made the square in a square blocks with white squares cut 6.5 in. and more 3.5 in. squares on the corners, sewn on the diagonal.  I had to make half blocks for the sides and top and bottom.  If I was doing this again, I'd just make stars.

The back is a dinosaur print.
As I was quilting these quilts, I found that the new machine is really not as good at quilting as the Davis.  I almost never had any pleats or tucks with the Davis, no matter how I basted.  I think this is because the Davis is sort of unique, with not having any feed dogs and just the foot advancing the fabric.  Some things were definitely better in the old days.

I bound this one day before yesterday.  The pattern is one I call Evelyn's Quilt (named after my granddaughter), and you can find my tutorial for the pattern at this link:  Evelyn's Quilt

I quilted a 2 in. grid on it, about half with a decorative stitch.

Who knew decorative stitches were so much fun?

Here's a little rail fence, to finish up the pile.  I'll be squaring it up and binding it later today. 

The blue print is the binding.

Overall, I'm satisfied with the new machine, at least so far.  On the plus side, it's really fast.  It takes me about an hour to quilt one of these little quilts.  And you should see how many bobbins came with the machine!  (I only have 4 for my Davis.)  It's fun to have a few decorative stitches, too.  One of the best things is the foot--it's the same size on either side of the needle, which is great when you're using the presser foot as a guide.
On the other hand, it's loud!  I had forgotten what sewing with a motor sounded like.  I'm learning to have more control with the foot pedal, but it's not like the control you have with a treadle.  I was warned at the shop to plug the machine into a serge protector like a computer so lightning strikes can't fry the pedal, which is something you never have to worry about with people powered machines.  If anything goes wrong with the machine, I am going to have to take it to the shop.  With the treadles, I can solve many problems myself.  There's just less to go wrong.
I hope all my friends in the treadling world won't think I'm a traitor.  I'm considering myself more of a hybrid.  A blend of old and new, to get the job done.
Happy Quilting!

Start to Finish

Yesterday, I finished a quilt.  It's a small quilt, about 38 in. x 44 in., but it's quilted and bound and ready to donate to a child who needs it.

I got the pattern out of an old Quilt magazine.  It was pretty easy to do, just 4 patches made from 2.5 in squares for the centers, and triangles cut criss cross from a larger square (I think it was 5.5 in. or so) in either solid white or solid red, and sewn to the sides of the 4 patches.  I just love the print on the back.  I don't know what I've done with the magazine, so I can't check the measurements.

Until Monday night, when I decided to finish this quilt, here's where it lived:

Feel free to gasp.  This is supposed to be my on-deck projects pile.  Some of these quilts have been added recently (you might see the Celtic Solstice top in there) and some have been in progress for literally years.

But wait.  There's more!

This is the view across my sewing room.  In the foreground, beyond my awesome Davis VF, is a small pile of baby quilt tops (3 of them) that need borders.  I've even selected the border fabric.  They've been sitting in the on-deck pile for months.
Beyond that, folded on the table, is a layered baby quilt, complete with backing and batting, spray basted and ready to go.  On the ironing board is another baby quilt, also complete with backing and batting, that might get worked on today.  Behind the ironing board is a quilt rack, with my recent feedsack Flying Squares quilt in pieces.  The pieces are quilted, they just need to be joined together, bordered, and then I'll quilt the border.
We're just getting started.  Here's what I've actually been working on the last few weeks:

Two projects here, the string quilt (being sewn) and the pinwheel blocks waiting for their turn, leaders and enders style.

Finished string quilt blocks, plus some triangles for corners.  I have 65 blocks so far.

The little pinwheels, 5 in. square finished, in bright kid fabrics.  I have 56 of these done (and 12 more waiting by the machine).

And last but not least, the top I started at Debbie's house.  The blocks (224 of them) are done and sewn together, and I'm auditioning these two fabrics for borders.

If you're feeling guilty about having too many projects started, you're not alone.  Most of us struggle with it.  You can probably tell I'm not struggling too hard.  Why is that?  It's because I surrendered.

Quilting is my hobby.  It's not my job.  There are lots of things I have to do in my non-quilting life that must be completed in a reasonable time frame--paying bills, grocery shopping, cooking meals, cleaning bathrooms, feeding the dog and cat.  But when it comes to quilting, I'm the boss.  If what I really want to do is piecing, then that's what I do.  I know that eventually I'll be in the mood to set the blocks into a top, choose, cut and sew on borders, and quilt.  Quilting is an artistic pursuit, even for those of us who don't consider ourselves artists.  At its best, it's a flow experience that relieves stress and gives us joy. 

Eventually, the giant messy pile does start to bother me, especially when I've just been piecing and not finishing anything for a while.  That's why I pulled the baby quilt top out on Monday night.  I thought it would be a good test of the Davis, which has had an uneven track record lately.  It worked nicely this time (hurray!) so I'm hoping to get some more quilting done this week.

But what if I have more projects started than I can finish in my lifetime?  (This is a real possibility.) 

Then, honey, don't miss my estate sale.  There will be something for everyone.

You don't have to finish everything you have started.  But you CAN'T finish if you don't start.

So start something!

And think spring, like my little Gerbera daisy in the window.

It's blooming away, even though it looks like this outside:

(The orchid is looking for some sunshine, too.)

Wishing you sunshine and stitches.

Celtic Solstice Mystery Quilt Part 4

Part 4 is four patches!  This has been one of my favorite clues, mainly because I have a real thing for this simple block unit.  I arranged all 120 of them with my Davis Vertical Feed (nicknamed Angela--anybody else remember the '70s?).  Angela and I do the machine quilting, after I've done the piecing on other machines.  That is, when she's not acting up.  I think she just needs a vacation, I've been working her hard for years.

I don't know if you can tell from the photo, but I ran out of orange!  I only had one piece left, and this clue finished it.  I used 5 different greens for the blocks, but all the same orange.  Not very scrappy.  If we have more orange in the next clue, I'll have to break down and buy some.

Now my basket is completely full: half square triangles, pinwheels, chevrons, triangles in a square.  Good thing I'm only making the smaller size.

While I wait for the next clue (and get ready for our family gatherings), Lorena and I started a string quilt.  Lorena is my nickname for the machine pictured below, a Singer model 12 made in 1876.

I'm using muslin foundations cut in squares. I could use paper foundations, but I don't like tearing the paper off, plus this is poor quality muslin that I need to get rid of.  It's been well washed so it won't shrink, and cut bigger than I need.  I'll trim it down as I finish each block.

The strips are having an avalanche out of the hat box they're supposed to be kept in.  It's fun to use up these pieces.  I'm even using some of the strings cut from making this mystery quilt--see the yellow and the orange in the block on the left?
Happy Holidays to All!
To  return to the link up, click here:  Part 4 Link Up
To go to the Celtic Solstice Mystery site, click here:  Celtic Solstice Mystery Quilt

Flying Feedsack Squares--Block by Block Quilting Tutorial

I am having so much fun making this feedsack quilt.  I finished all 42 blocks on Thursday, and Friday I started washing feed and flour sacks for the backing.  Here they are on the clothesline.

I decided to quilt this one block by block.  It's my favorite way to quilt.  It may not be very efficient, but I actually like the process, and it goes pretty quickly.  Many people don't like all the hand work necessary, but I actually enjoy it.  For this project I will have six seams on the back to sew down by hand.  Each seam will be the width of the quilt.

 I cut squares of cotton batting, one for each block.  I keep a (large) bag of batting scraps and these squares were cut from the scraps.  Did you know you can rotary cut batting?  I use a different rotary cutter for this, so I won't dull the blade for cutting fabric.

 I cut the batting squares slightly smaller than the quilt blocks, since I really don't need the batting in the seam.

 Next I ironed the clean flour sacks, and cut them into rectangles for the backing.  I cut them 10.5 in. wide and 11.5 in. tall.  This gives me more fabric to work with on the back when I'm doing the hand sewing.

 Here are all 3 pieces, block, backing and batting.  For the first block of a row, I just layer the pieces together and quilt.  It's like making a pot holder.
When I add the second block, I sew a five layer seam--the top, batting, and backing of the first block plus the second block (on top, right sides together) and the backing for the second block (on the bottom, right side up).   (Note, no batting for the second block yet).  Here it is lined up and ready to sew.

 Sewing the seam on my Davis VF treadle.

 I press the seam at this point.

 Then I open it up like a page in a book and add the batting square.

 Then I smooth it over and press it again.  You could baste at this point, but I don't.  The cotton batting stays put as I quilt.  Plus I like to live dangerously.  And I hate to baste.

What I'm doing here is often called outline quilting.  I'm sewing along the seams, using my presser foot for a guide.  I do all the seams in one direction, and then all the seams in the other direction.  I've worked out a system for this block so I don't have to break the thread until the block is quilted.
WARNING:  Don't quilt close to the top and bottom of the block.  This is where you'll join the rows, and you need to have at least half an inch of space so you can pull the backing out of the way.  See below.
(You can quilt close to the SIDES of the block, because you'll be sewing a 5 layer seam and you won't need to pull the backing out of the way.)

 I've got 2 rows done so far.  The yellow post it notes are my row markers.

 When I sew the rows together, I pull the backing and batting out of the way, and sew a 2 layer seam, matching the seams between the blocks.

 Above, the seam is sewn.  Now I'll trim it carefully, pin, and hand stitch it down.

 Here I've started pinning the seam.

After the seam is sewn down on the back, I'll do more machine quilting where the rows come together.

Only 5 more rows to go!  I like doing this so much, it's hard to stop.  I'll add borders when I have more rows together.

Have a lovely quilty day.

In Which I Tackle the Basement

There is a sequential vortex of cleaning.  If you clean one area and remove the clutter, some of that clutter will go to another area and need to be put away.  This leads to noticing the clutter in the second area, and before you know it you are sorting and dusting and wondering what possessed you to buy all this stuff.  That is, if you are me.
The picture above is the junk pile I have accumulated after two days of sorting.  This doesn't even count the trash, or the crate full of stuff to go to other areas of the house.
I have not done this thorough a clean out in years.  I am blessed with a large huge basement room, which I share only with the furnace and hot water heater.  I have just about filled it with fabric, projects, sewing machines, and LOTS of miscellaneous.
It has gotten to the point of being actually stressful.  I am happier working upstairs not just because the spare room has sunny windows (which the basement does not) but because the upstairs is far less cluttered.  All this stuff is making me crazy.  I need things to be organized.  I need some empty space.  And clean would be nice, too.
These last two days I have made a good start.  I didn't take any before pictures (way too embarrassed), but here are some of the afters.  Well, after two days of hard work.  There is lots more work to come.

This is my bookcase, near my sewing machines.  (My books are on the other side of the basement with the rest of the family books.)  I have my knitting needles, buttons, pins, sewing machine needles (in the Singer tin, of course), hand needles, marking pens, thimbles, etc. handy when needed.

This is my piecing area.  The Singer model 12 is next to the junk pile.  It's the kind that opens out flat (as you can see).  The wooden surface folds up around the machine and locks.  The baskets are string scraps and mending.  The other machine is a Domestic, really a White Family Rotary.

This shelf unit is next to the bookcase.  These bins and boxes house my collection of vintage print fabrics from the 1930s to the 1980s.  The black banker's boxes are labeled, finally, so I don't have to keep pulling the wrong boxes off the shelf.  Right now I have a massive amount of 1950s and 1960s cottons.  I also have a Singer model 12 hand crank on the top shelf.  It's a Frankenstein, cobbled together from at least 3 machines.  It works great.  The yellow at the top of the picture is the insulation--there are no ceiling tiles.

Here's my Davis VF, ready to go.  I've got my wind up clock, thread scissors, and seam ripper, all prepared for a sewing marathon.

Between the two shelf units I have a rolling cart with thread and other notions.  The green library cabinet on top holds my collection of cotton rick rack.  The black tin box contains my embroidery floss.

This shelf unit has mostly boxes of solid colored fabric.  The vintage prints, feed sacks, and vintage quilt blocks work well with solids.  They are sorted by color.  I also have my Accuquilt cutter (which I LOVE).  The floral bin next to it holds the dies and mats, plus Accuquilt patterns and samples.  The red metal thing on top is a snap setter.  I bought it for making cloth diapers.  It's handy for kids clothes, too.
The sewing machine on the end of the second shelf from the top is an adorable hand crank, I'll have to take pictures of it when I get the mess cleaned up.  Her name is Rosie.

Hurray!  I can see the top of the desk!  I've got an old computer in the case, and orphan blocks in the wicker drawers.

I cleaned out all kinds of boxes and baskets, and put all my rulers together (in the basket with the handle).  I also put the instructions with them, for a change.  The round basket in front holds tools, like rotary cutters, blades, and machine quilting stuff.

To the right of the desk, No Man's Land begins.  I have just started work in this area.  The bins stacked here are all full of feed sacks--two bins of print and two bins of plain colored.  The small bins on top are strips and scraps.  According to the calendar on the wall, it's always 1897 in the basement.

On the other side of the room, I've finally got all my strips together.  Some of the quilt items on the shelf unit are soon to be for sale on Ebay or Etsy.  The big brown bin holds my novelty fabrics--guess I'd better not buy any more for a while!  You know this was bad if this is the AFTER picture.

The rolling cart in front holds strips of different widths, similar to the Bonnie Hunter scrap users system.  I modified it a little to suit me.  My strips are 1.5 in., 2.5 in., 3.5 in., and 4.5 in.  I also cut 6.5 in. occasionally, if I think I want them for star centers or Accuquilt pieces.
The white metal cart holds feed sack squares and strips as well as extra Accuquilt pieces.  To the right you can see the "on deck" shelf, where current projects wait for my attention.  Stored below that is my cotton yarn and a box of wool rug yarn.  The yellow bin is stuffed with two large failed knitting projects, to be raveled out for their yarn.

These bins are just for the kid fabrics.  Some are for strips, some for projects.  I can take these upstairs easily to work on.  The cabinet is an old treadle cabinet that needs to be glued back together.  The Domestic machine I use for piecing was originally in this cabinet.

Lastly, we have these 3 dusty sisters.  These are hand cranks.  I plan to dust them off, clean them, and find them new homes.  I'll reveal more about them soon.

I'm not going to show you the rest until I get it in better shape.  That could take a while!  It feels good to get started, though, even though I was ready to fall asleep right after supper.
It's a good thing I'm doing this now.  Tomorrow starts Quilt Show Season!