After much thought and flip-flopping on my decision, I'm making the commitment to this challenge. So...
I, Mair (known more formally as Maryann), a quilter of reasonably sound body and questionably sound mind, do commit, for the month of February, 2013, to spend at least 30 minutes each and every day doing some quilting, piecing, cutting, ironing, or some other activity that will bring me closer to having one or more of my current projects completed. I am planning to work on completing the hand quilting on my Florabunda quilt (which needs 12 more blocks quilted), adding borders to the S-Charm quilt (which will then complete the top), and preparing the backing and basting the iris quilt. I may not finish any of these projects, but seeing them get closer to completion will be a huge accomplishment.
If you want to enter, take a look at Beth Helfter's rules here, and her blog here. Beth (AKA Quilting Hottie) is a funny, talented quilter and designer who is hosting this challenge for the second year. Take a look to see what everybody has pledged to complete.
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Completed Socks
Fresh off the needles. I enjoyed making these. My knitting experience is limited and the rib stitch for the leg was just complicated enough to keep me interested but not so complicated that I needed to keep checking a chart. This is only my third pair of socks and I'm still not totally confident in the heel and toe. I think these socks will be very warm.
The next socks will be another over-all pattern on the leg and top of the foot. But, it's time to get back to quilting. This was a good diversion and now I'm itching to get back to hand quilting.
The next socks will be another over-all pattern on the leg and top of the foot. But, it's time to get back to quilting. This was a good diversion and now I'm itching to get back to hand quilting.
Thursday, January 17, 2013
New Socks, New Car?
I have decided to give into my restlessness and start a pair of socks. I started them on the 8th and finished the first sock last night and cast on the second. I figure it was like a craving - if I didn't give in to the urge, it would build and build and I would have spent more time looking at knitting and not gotten anything done on anything else. At least that's my justification.
I was toying with the idea of delaying the second sock while I did some more quilting, but I want to do the second while the pattern is still fresh in my mind. Another justification.
The other thing that is now occupying my thoughts is a new car. My '97 Taurus turned over 200,000 miles in October and it was my plan to start looking for a new vehicle once I reached that milestone. The car body is getting rusty and every time I take it to my mechanic he clicks his tongue and says " ... it's awful rusty under there...". He's assured me it's still safe, but parts are getting fused together and it's getting harder and harder to repair.
This is the most miles I've put onto a single vehicle and, after having owned this for nearly 14 years (I bought it used), I've got to find something else. The question is, what? I've narrowed it down to small, 4-door sedan. I took a trip to the library today to check out Consumer Reports and have a list of 4-6 cars that I need to check out. I guess I'll go and do some test drives this weekend. Honestly, the whole process of buying a new car doesn't excite me. I'm hoping a test drive or two will help.
I was toying with the idea of delaying the second sock while I did some more quilting, but I want to do the second while the pattern is still fresh in my mind. Another justification.
The other thing that is now occupying my thoughts is a new car. My '97 Taurus turned over 200,000 miles in October and it was my plan to start looking for a new vehicle once I reached that milestone. The car body is getting rusty and every time I take it to my mechanic he clicks his tongue and says " ... it's awful rusty under there...". He's assured me it's still safe, but parts are getting fused together and it's getting harder and harder to repair.
This is the most miles I've put onto a single vehicle and, after having owned this for nearly 14 years (I bought it used), I've got to find something else. The question is, what? I've narrowed it down to small, 4-door sedan. I took a trip to the library today to check out Consumer Reports and have a list of 4-6 cars that I need to check out. I guess I'll go and do some test drives this weekend. Honestly, the whole process of buying a new car doesn't excite me. I'm hoping a test drive or two will help.
Monday, January 7, 2013
I'm Getting Restless (a small rant)
I've been quilting on the Florabunda quilt since March and I'm itching to do something else. I have the center block and all the sashing around the center complete, and 6 outer blocks and all the sashing around those complete. I figure I'm 2/3 - 3/4 done with the hand quilting. The fractions make me feel better - I usually count my quilt progress that way. But, I'm getting really restless to do something else. However, I know that if I take my attention off of this to start something new or work on some other project, I will put Florabunda down for quite some time. (As an aside, I really need to come up with a real name for this quilt.)
That being said, I finished a charity quilt last night. I picked up the package with a pieced top, batting, backing and cut binding from my guild in August with the idea that I would practice some free motion quilting. It got tucked away until the whole ordeal of new carpets on the main floor was complete. Then I felt guilty for having this for so long (not that the guild minds). Mostly it was an excuse to do some machine work. Now that it is complete, I'm remembering how much I enjoy my Pfaff, and that I would love to spend some time working on my treadle machine making something beautiful.
And, I find myself browsing patterns and completed projects on Ravelry. I've got yarn to make three more pair of socks and I'm dying to do those.
It's not that I'm not enjoying hand quilting. It's just that I'm at that part of the project (and this happens on most projects) where I can envision what it will look like and it's not happening as quickly as I would like. We all only have so much leisure time and I have to learn to spend it wisely.
So, I think it's time I stopped looking as pictures of other people's knitting projects and start working on my own. I will still work on Florabunda, but I will cast on those socks and stop wasting time on the computer.
There, I feel better.
That being said, I finished a charity quilt last night. I picked up the package with a pieced top, batting, backing and cut binding from my guild in August with the idea that I would practice some free motion quilting. It got tucked away until the whole ordeal of new carpets on the main floor was complete. Then I felt guilty for having this for so long (not that the guild minds). Mostly it was an excuse to do some machine work. Now that it is complete, I'm remembering how much I enjoy my Pfaff, and that I would love to spend some time working on my treadle machine making something beautiful.
And, I find myself browsing patterns and completed projects on Ravelry. I've got yarn to make three more pair of socks and I'm dying to do those.
It's not that I'm not enjoying hand quilting. It's just that I'm at that part of the project (and this happens on most projects) where I can envision what it will look like and it's not happening as quickly as I would like. We all only have so much leisure time and I have to learn to spend it wisely.
So, I think it's time I stopped looking as pictures of other people's knitting projects and start working on my own. I will still work on Florabunda, but I will cast on those socks and stop wasting time on the computer.
There, I feel better.
Thursday, December 27, 2012
Book Review, Quilting Update
Sally Palmer Field may not have been a nationally known quilter, but she was certainly a local celebrity. Nearly every quilter in New England has heard of Sally or experienced her influence. Judy Buswick's latest book, Sally Palmer Field, New England Quilter, is a biography of Sally detailing her life from visiting the textile mills in Lowell where her father worked to her quilt store, the quilts she made, the classes she taught, the creation of the New England Quilt Guild and her influence in creating the New England Quilt Museum. Sally had a passion for quilting that was contagious.
Judy's book details the quilting life of this energy-filled woman who insisted everybody learn the basics of quilting using cardboard templates and hand sewing, but also encouraged creativity as she urged quilters to explore their own designs and color schemes. It is an interesting read of how one woman helped the resurgence of quilting as a craft and art form.
Sally Palmer Field, New England Quilter is available on Amazon.com or local quilt shops.
Other than finishing this book, I continue to work on the hand quilting on the Florabunda quilt. I've completed the center and 5 of the 12 surrounding blocks. I didn't expect the quilting to take this long, but I guess since I'm doing a 1" grid, it's pretty densely quilted. So far, I'm quilting around all the applique shapes and doing the grid on the background and checkerboard sashing. The only additional quilting I did was more grid quilting on the center basket since that was a large area to leave unquilted. I'm toying with adding embroidery to some of the leaves and flowers as an accent. I'm waiting until all the quilting is done. I'm afraid that I'll get started on the embroidery not like it, or like it a lot and have to do a lot on the quilt. First, I have to finish the quilting!
Judy's book details the quilting life of this energy-filled woman who insisted everybody learn the basics of quilting using cardboard templates and hand sewing, but also encouraged creativity as she urged quilters to explore their own designs and color schemes. It is an interesting read of how one woman helped the resurgence of quilting as a craft and art form.
Sally Palmer Field, New England Quilter is available on Amazon.com or local quilt shops.
Other than finishing this book, I continue to work on the hand quilting on the Florabunda quilt. I've completed the center and 5 of the 12 surrounding blocks. I didn't expect the quilting to take this long, but I guess since I'm doing a 1" grid, it's pretty densely quilted. So far, I'm quilting around all the applique shapes and doing the grid on the background and checkerboard sashing. The only additional quilting I did was more grid quilting on the center basket since that was a large area to leave unquilted. I'm toying with adding embroidery to some of the leaves and flowers as an accent. I'm waiting until all the quilting is done. I'm afraid that I'll get started on the embroidery not like it, or like it a lot and have to do a lot on the quilt. First, I have to finish the quilting!
Thursday, November 29, 2012
More Quilting
I'm still here, and I'm still quilting. I'm still working on the Florabunda top. I've got the entire center and three or four of the surrounding 12 blocks all quilted.
I was hoping to get all the quilting completed by the end of the year, but that's just not going to happen. This quilt doesn't have a deadline and I just wanted to get it done this year. I'm trying to complete this before moving onto any other large projects. I still have one small hand piecing project that is portable, but I don't want to start any other large projects that will distract me from completing this.
That being said, I got a "save the date" card from some dear friends who will be married before the end of the year. My first thought was to make them a quilt. This will be the major distraction that will pull me away from hand quilting.
My sewing room is finally getting back in order. Another reason I haven't had any distractions from hand quilting is that my sewing room has been unusable since August. We had all the carpets on that floor replaced this fall. Starting in August, my sewing room has either held furnishings from the other rooms, or was empty because it was that room's turn for carpet. All the furnishings went back a few weeks ago and I'm now in the process of putting all the smaller stuff back; that includes going through years of stuff and deciding what to keep, what to donate and what to toss. I really loved the look of the room when just the furniture was put back. It looked roomy and neat. That is my motivation to get rid of a lot of the little storage bins and other stuff that sat on the floor without a permanent home. That uncluttered feel of the room is what is giving me the major motivation to get rid of stuff.
This is the ceiling of my sewing room. It's covered with baseball pennants. We enjoy baseball and I especially like visiting different baseball parks, both major and minor leagues. When my daughter was little, we started collecting pennants from all the parks we've visited and keep that tradition going today. I love the look of these on the ceiling. The picture makes it look even more like a quilt.
I was hoping to get all the quilting completed by the end of the year, but that's just not going to happen. This quilt doesn't have a deadline and I just wanted to get it done this year. I'm trying to complete this before moving onto any other large projects. I still have one small hand piecing project that is portable, but I don't want to start any other large projects that will distract me from completing this.
That being said, I got a "save the date" card from some dear friends who will be married before the end of the year. My first thought was to make them a quilt. This will be the major distraction that will pull me away from hand quilting.
My sewing room is finally getting back in order. Another reason I haven't had any distractions from hand quilting is that my sewing room has been unusable since August. We had all the carpets on that floor replaced this fall. Starting in August, my sewing room has either held furnishings from the other rooms, or was empty because it was that room's turn for carpet. All the furnishings went back a few weeks ago and I'm now in the process of putting all the smaller stuff back; that includes going through years of stuff and deciding what to keep, what to donate and what to toss. I really loved the look of the room when just the furniture was put back. It looked roomy and neat. That is my motivation to get rid of a lot of the little storage bins and other stuff that sat on the floor without a permanent home. That uncluttered feel of the room is what is giving me the major motivation to get rid of stuff.
This is the ceiling of my sewing room. It's covered with baseball pennants. We enjoy baseball and I especially like visiting different baseball parks, both major and minor leagues. When my daughter was little, we started collecting pennants from all the parks we've visited and keep that tradition going today. I love the look of these on the ceiling. The picture makes it look even more like a quilt.
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Lots of (slow) Quilting Going On
It's been a long time since I posted anything, but lots of stuff has been happening.
I'm still hand quilting the Florabunda quilt. I've completed the center (27") square and am working on the checkerboard sashing.
I do all my hand quilting on a Grace Hoop similar to this and love how easy it is to manipulate to a comfortable position, how sturdy it is and how easy it is to take apart and store when I'm done.
I'm making progress on this and am aiming to have it done by the end of the year. Once fall comes around, I will have more quiet evenings to stitch. For now, I'm trying to use this as my 15-minute per day sewing time. Some days I get more, some days not at all.
I had completed (quilted and bound) the maple leaf quilt to put in my guild's show in May, but I still wanted to do some quilting on the outer border. I completed that this weekend and washed the quilt. I like the machined feather on the border and I love the look of a crinkled, washed quilt. I think I just have to put a permanent label on this one to call it entirely done.
Since the last two small hand projects (the small hand pieced maple leaves in the quilt above and all the applique on the Florabunda quilt), I needed a new small project I could tote around with me. Perhaps a year ago I started hearing about Klosjes. Klosje is the Dutch work for spool. It seems that there was a movement for Klosje Saturday - that you would make small spool blocks on Saturday and report in to some central location or blog, or something. I kept seeing these small spool blocks and resulting quilts popping up all over the place and I was enchanted. But, I put it off because I was doing these small maple leaf blocks and the applique. Now that they're nearing completion, I felt free to play with these spools. So, I drafted up a pattern and started cutting fabrics. I've never made a charm quilt and decided to make each of the blocks with different fabrics. I'm using either white or off-white for the backgrounds and am not worried about duplicating them, but each of the spools will be different fabrics Though one of my guild friends says it's not technically a charm quilt since each block has 3 pieces of identical fabric. I told her it was my quilt with my rules and I could modify my rules as I see fit, I'm happy with this.
I've got 15 blocks done so far, and 50 more cut and prepared. I got that many cut out to take on a long cross-country plane trip, but found myself too tired and the plane too crowded to sew.
My other hand sewing project is the one below. I bought templates from a favorite vendor at the Vermont Quilt Festival in July. Ardco makes terrific metal templates. They are aluminum, have a rough surface on one side so it doesn't slide on the fabric, and is cut out on the inside to let you mark accurate 1/4" allowances. Some of the templates are large enough to use a rotary cutter to slice around. I bought their Tea Leaves template set because I love the pattern. I was torn between the 6" block and 12" block. I figured I could use all kinds of scraps in the 6" block and bought that size. I've gotten this far on one block and I'm not sure I want to continue. They surely are small pieces and not very forgiving if you're off by a little.
I'm still hand quilting the Florabunda quilt. I've completed the center (27") square and am working on the checkerboard sashing.
I do all my hand quilting on a Grace Hoop similar to this and love how easy it is to manipulate to a comfortable position, how sturdy it is and how easy it is to take apart and store when I'm done.
I'm making progress on this and am aiming to have it done by the end of the year. Once fall comes around, I will have more quiet evenings to stitch. For now, I'm trying to use this as my 15-minute per day sewing time. Some days I get more, some days not at all.
I had completed (quilted and bound) the maple leaf quilt to put in my guild's show in May, but I still wanted to do some quilting on the outer border. I completed that this weekend and washed the quilt. I like the machined feather on the border and I love the look of a crinkled, washed quilt. I think I just have to put a permanent label on this one to call it entirely done.
Since the last two small hand projects (the small hand pieced maple leaves in the quilt above and all the applique on the Florabunda quilt), I needed a new small project I could tote around with me. Perhaps a year ago I started hearing about Klosjes. Klosje is the Dutch work for spool. It seems that there was a movement for Klosje Saturday - that you would make small spool blocks on Saturday and report in to some central location or blog, or something. I kept seeing these small spool blocks and resulting quilts popping up all over the place and I was enchanted. But, I put it off because I was doing these small maple leaf blocks and the applique. Now that they're nearing completion, I felt free to play with these spools. So, I drafted up a pattern and started cutting fabrics. I've never made a charm quilt and decided to make each of the blocks with different fabrics. I'm using either white or off-white for the backgrounds and am not worried about duplicating them, but each of the spools will be different fabrics Though one of my guild friends says it's not technically a charm quilt since each block has 3 pieces of identical fabric. I told her it was my quilt with my rules and I could modify my rules as I see fit, I'm happy with this.
I've got 15 blocks done so far, and 50 more cut and prepared. I got that many cut out to take on a long cross-country plane trip, but found myself too tired and the plane too crowded to sew.
My other hand sewing project is the one below. I bought templates from a favorite vendor at the Vermont Quilt Festival in July. Ardco makes terrific metal templates. They are aluminum, have a rough surface on one side so it doesn't slide on the fabric, and is cut out on the inside to let you mark accurate 1/4" allowances. Some of the templates are large enough to use a rotary cutter to slice around. I bought their Tea Leaves template set because I love the pattern. I was torn between the 6" block and 12" block. I figured I could use all kinds of scraps in the 6" block and bought that size. I've gotten this far on one block and I'm not sure I want to continue. They surely are small pieces and not very forgiving if you're off by a little.
It's probably time to set it aside for a while and play with the spools.
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