Sew Everyday

I'm making good progress this week on Evie's quilt.  Evie is my adorable four year old granddaughter.  Her favorite color is pink, and she needs a warm flannel quilt for her big bed.

When last seen on this blog, her quilt looked like this.  All the pieces were cut, and it was stored in a basket, waiting for its turn to be pieced together.

As you can see from the first photo, it's a Bricks quilt.  In order to work out how many pieces I needed from each fabric, I had to make myself a chart.  I had to be careful working this out, because some of the fabrics were just scraps.

Once I had it graphed out, I made this color chart.  The fabrics are labeled A through N.  I cut a small scrap from the leftovers of each fabric and taped them to the page.  (Not an original idea, of course;  Eleanor Burns had this is in all her books.)

As you can see, I alternated light and dark fabrics.  I had to repeat one of the lights.  Fabrics F and N are actually the same.

Once I had the charts done, I laid the piles of rectangles out on an old card table so I could keep things straight.  Then it was just pick up and sew.  This quilt is done in rows, instead of blocks.  I made 18 rows.  Odd numbered rows have 14 rectangles each.  Even numbered rows start and end with a smaller rectangle.  If I had planned it out differently, the smaller rectangles would actually be squares.
I cut my pieces 4.5 in. wide and 6.5 in. long.  Before borders, the quilt will be 72 in. wide by 84 in. long.  There is nearly an equal amount of fabric used for each print.
All of the rows are pieced, and I only have 4 more to sew onto the top.  Then it's time for borders (probably only one).
You are not going to believe me, but I only had to buy ONE of these fabrics in the store.  The rest were in my stash.  Which just says how ridiculously huge my stash is.

So that's the main event in the sewing room this week.  In other news, I'm binding the Star Blossoms quilt.  I'll be sending it to its new home by the end of November.

One of my favorite modern quilting blogs is Crazy Mom Quilts Crazy Mom Quilts Blog.  She has a regular feature she calls Finish It Up Friday.  I don't have any quilts finished today, but here are some things I actually got done this week.

I knitted a hat for the Mittens and More project of Milwaukee Public Television.  I still have to knit the mittens to go with it.  I knit for this project every year, and I feel it is really worthwhile.  I can't stand the idea of kids enduring the Wisconsin winter without mittens or hats.  The deadline is fast approaching:  Oct 23rd is the last day this year.  For more information, click here:  Milwaukee Public Television Mittens and More 2015

Yesterday, I canned six pints of beets.  My husband won't eat them, but I'm fond of them, and six jars will be about all I need this winter.

I had to dig out the pressure canner instructions, since I mostly use the water bath canner for fruits and jams.

Here's what  I should be working on right now!  It's a half bushel of Cortland apples, destined to be pies and crisps this winter.

In spite of all the fall things to do this time of year, like canning and baking and going out to Holy Hill to look at the leaves, I am trying to make time to sew every day.  It really shows in how much I can get done, and how happy and productive I feel.

What are you working on this week?  I hope you have time to sew every day.

Focus!

This was my sewing room last Friday.  At first glance, I counted 4 projects in progress scattered around the room.  Two of them were laid out on the floor.

Walking through the room, pieces stuck to my socks.  There wasn't even room for my chair.  Anything resembling progress had ground to a halt.
How did this happen?
The room started out clean after I finished the wedding quilt.  With all the craziness of the wedding and a quick trip to New York City with my husband and grandson, I just didn't do any quilting.  Then all the company went home, and I went a little crazy.  I cut out quilts, tried out blocks, and took a class.  It was all good fun. 

I know this dates me, but I can remember watching movies at school on a projector like this one above.  If the opening shots were blurry, we all shouted "Focus!" until some hapless teacher adjusted the knob. 
I was thinking about that this week.  If I'm going to get any quilts finished, I need to adjust myself, and focus.

First things first.  Which projects are closest to being done?

 I had 35 of these flannel blocks sewn before I realized I didn't want to use them in my granddaughter's new winter quilt.  They would make a nice sized baby quilt for charity.

 Here's how I laid them out (after clearing the floor of the other quilt parts).

And here's the finished quilt!  I call this one Flannel Boxes.  The blocks are 6 in. finished, and are mostly made from scraps of flannels I've picked up at flea markets over the years.  The backing is flannel, and the batting is needlepunched cotton.  I did mostly ditch quilting, which should hold it together very well.

Some of the prints are kind of weird.  Check out the purple cats!

So, one done!  What's next?

This one is called Star Blossom.  There are 5 rows of 4 blocks each, and I'm quilting them one at a time, quilt as you go style.  Fifteen of these blocks are done, which only leaves 5.  I also need to join the rows.

Star Blossoms comes from this book, Scrap Basket Beauties, by Kim Brackett.  I love this book!  This is the second quilt I've made from it.

Here's what the block looks like.  It's a great scrap buster.  You need 18 different rectangles for each block.

It was easy to quilt these blocks on my lovely Pfaff.
The rows are quilted!  Now I'm just joining them on the machine, and sewing the backs down by hand.  When that's done, I'll bind it, and Bob's your uncle.

I thought there were only 2 more projects in the mix, but I found a third one!  This is kind of ridiculous.

This one is at least nice and neat.  It's all the pieces, cut out and ready to sew, for my granddaughter's quilt.  I think she'll like this one.  For now, I'll set it aside until I can get the rest of this stuff under control.

This is my project from the class I took.  It's called Upstairs Downstairs, and it was taught by my friend and neighbor Nancy P.  The rows are all sewn and labeled, so they can come up off the floor and go in a basket.   I'll be able to work on sewing them together as time permits.

These pieces are for a Falling Charms quilt, made from white strips and 5 in. squares cut from scraps.  It will be a charity quilt when it's done.  I'll use it as my leaders and enders project while piecing the Upstairs Downstairs top together.  When choosing projects for leaders and enders, I try to use something simple, especially when I'm putting a top together.  It's just not a good idea for me to try to do two complicated things at once.

Here are the pieces for the Falling Charms quilt, ready for action.
By the way, here's a link to a tutorial on Falling Charms, from the Missouri Star Quilt Company:
Falling Charms Tutorial

I've also got some 5 in. strips plus other pieces of the scrap fabric ready to cut as needed.

It's taken a couple of days, but order has been restored.

 My objective is always to leave the sewing room ready for action, with a plan in mind for the next time I can be there.  This way, I can make the best use of my time.
So what are you sewing this week?
Keep calm, and keep quilting!

At Last

At long last, I am adding a new post to the blog.  You won't be surprised that I've been busy, when I tell you my youngest daughter is getting married.  This is the wedding quilt.

Here's what it looks like on a bed.  The wedding colors are pink (my daughter's favorite) and gray and white.  The bridesmaids will be wearing a hot pink color the bridal shop calls Begonia.  The groom and groomsmen will be in charcoal gray.

I adapted the pattern from an old book by Trudie Hughes.  There are two blocks:  Bright Hopes (Brackman #2571) and Snowball.  Trudie's quilt was set on point.  I set mine on the straight.  I pieced the blocks on my Singer treadle, and quilted them one at a time on my Pfaff Select.

When the blocks come together, they form interlocking rings in gray and pink.  I quilted hearts in the white centers.  This was easy to do because I was only quilting one block at a time.

After all the blocks were quilted and set together, I added the borders.  They are quilted with a 4-strand cable.  I love cables.

I hope to finish the binding today.  Then it will be ready for the wedding guests to sign with permanent ink.

All of this wedding stuff has made me remember this Bride's Bouquet quilt top.  I bought it at a flea market several years ago.

The blocks are four Bride's Bouquet blocks set so the handles come together in the center.  Setting them this way also let the quilt maker put them on the straight, instead of on point.

Here's 1/4th of the block.  From the fabrics, I can guess that it was made in the 1940s.  It's machine pieced rather badly, with lots of puckers.  The background fabric is mostly a coarse unbleached muslin.  Some of the fabrics, like these, are in good shape.  Others are rotting or tearing.

As you can see, I didn't pay much for it.  (I took the sticker off after I took the picture.)  My husband often jokes that I'm running a rescue mission for unwanted quilts.  When I bought this one, I thought I could save the blocks and put them in a new set.  Now I'm not sure it would be worth the work.
One of the reasons I bought the top was the pattern (Brackman #4052).  I didn't think I'd ever want to make one of these myself.  There are so many strange shapes to cut, and so many Y-seams to piece.

But look at this!  I actually made this block, thanks to Eleanor Burns.  I had recorded this episode of her show on public television, and yesterday I finally decided to try it.

Eleanor simplified the cutting, and I made the test block with feedsack scraps and a solid green handle.  It's not perfect, but it actually lies flat, which is more than I can say for the blocks in my old top.
I could never have figured this out on my own.  This is genius!
Be warned, however--there are still 7 Y-seams.
If you'd like to make the Bride's Bouquet block, the pattern/directions are in Eleanor Burns' book Victory Quilts.

You can order it from Quilt in A Day Publications  or from any other book retailer.

I'm not sure when I'll be posting again, but I'm not quitting!
Happy stitching today!

Falling in Love Again

This was not supposed to happen.  I am a treadle-onion, one who loves and uses antique and vintage sewing machines, mostly people-powered.  I see them, and my heart goes pitty pat.  I buy them and clean them and oil them and thread them and sew with them.

Like this one.  It even has my name on it!  I sent all the way to England for it.  What could be better than this?  Why would you need anything else?

Well, maybe a sweet little Willcox and Gibbs chainstitcher.

Or a nice old Minnesota A in a parlor cabinet.

I really thought I had everything in a sewing machine I could ever want--until I met my Pfaff.  (sound of harps and angels singing).

 Now, mind you, she does have her faults.  She's noisy.  Instead of the tickety, tickety sound of a treadle, there's a humming motor.  And she is absolutely not portable.  (For portability, a featherweight is best every time.)  As to appearances, she's strictly utilitarian.  No decals, no brass badge, no bent wood case.

She didn't seem to have much personality.  So I tried to think of her as just a tool, like a rotary cutter or a seam ripper.  I pieced on my favorite machines, and did the quilting with the Pfaff.
I wasn't supposed to fall in love with her.  But, like Marlene Dietrich, I cahn't help it.

Time after time, she quilts.  No drama, no problems, no temperament.  The built in walking foot combines with my pin basting and makes the quilting actually easy.
I am almost embarrassed to write this next part (and I should be!).  All along I have been following the instructions I got from the guy who sold me the Pfaff.  I clean and oil the rotary hook area after every other bobbin change.  I unplug the machine when I'm not using it so she won't have a power surge. BUT--last night was the first time I changed the needle since I bought the machine! (face plant)  I just didn't even think of it.  I have quilted LOTS of quilts with this same needle.  And this wonderful piece of German engineering just kept making beautiful stitches. 
So that seals it.  I'm in love.  And now of course I've got an earworm of Marlene Dietrich that just won't go away.

At least my cat is enjoying the Minnesota A.

In other news, I finished making the half log cabin blocks from 1.5 in. strips.  This is a stack of 120 of them.

And here's what's left in the drawer!  At least I can close it now.

I saw this in a shop window on Michigan Avenue in Chicago last week.  It was hard (okay, impossible) to get a good photo in the bright sunlight, but I'm sure you can see it's a Singer Redeye treadle.

Here's another photo, this time with the reflections of my grandson and me.

I hope you're enjoying good weather this week.  We certainly are! 
Make time for sewing.  It's worth it.