What to do with the binding

Someone said to roll up binding on an empty thread spool. I have two spindles on my machine so using the second one with the binding spool is the best way to go. I no longer have a twisted up bunch of binding while sewing onto the quilt; this way the binding unspools as you go along perfectly!

Australian-ish stars

This quilt is made for my co-worker, Australian obviously, who's husband was ill with leukemia and passed away earlier this year. He was a lovely man--they are all a lovely family--and i hope that this quilt will give them some small comfort.

Green and yellow/gold are not my favorite color combinations but they are the national colors of Australia. the Australian flag also features 7-point stars which is possible to paper-piece but i can't even imagine regular piecing those! i also wanted to finish the quilt sooner than later so i picked an easier block.  here's my interpretation of Australian Stars. i didn't notice that i had misplaced one blocks until i took these pictures--oh well--humble blocks :-)

i didn't give them the quilt 'til Christmas but i had been hoping to make it fast and in the middle of making this quilt, i really felt the slowness of quilting. this isn't a hard block to make, and i actually had pre-cut yellow strips from another quilt, but this seemed to take forever because i had a self-imposed deadline. 

i quilted words onto the quilt which makes me think that would be a really cool quilt pattern for a smallish quilt (this was just barely doable because you have to quilt from left to right (like writing) which would be hard to do on a domestic machine with a queen size-quilt (though if you had a long-arm, that would be really easy i'd think). i wrote out the words, "And these three remain, faith, hope and love. and the greatest of these is love" from 1 Corinthians.

A friend asked if the back was supposed to be a representation of a sewing machine or a house (on the side). and no, it's just leftover scraps :-)  i think this is the last of the Crate & Barrel fabric that i bought close to 20 yrs ago now(!) for a dollar a pound.

Clipped Seams

When seams get too bulky, i clip the seams in the middle--especially useful for flying geese. i got this tip from Carrie Nelson's blog (or book?) of Miss Rosie Quilt Company fame. you need really sharp tips for this--i use Fiskars scissors that has the micro-tip (see below for a photo of the scissors). Carrie says it hasn't affected her quilts and so far so good for me as well.

Ironing help

I'm pretty sure i got this tip from the late lamented Siimply Quilts--when ironing a several of the same unit, iron the first one, then off-set the next unit on top and press that--the extra heat will help the 1st unit--and so forth.

what i also find useful, is that if i have a lot to do, and i need to smooth out the following units, i get out the ironing pad (a thick silicone pad--it came with one of my irons but i don't remember which one) so i can just leave it face down in-between picking up the units. saves on the wrist action.

First blocks

start of a new quilt

finally done quilting that stack of quilts and now to the fun part--cutting into fabric for a new quilt!

this is Strawberry Fields (Fig Tree for Moda).

and as the concurrent leaders-and-enders project, i'm using up the 1800's scraps for a courthouse steps block.

yawn...

i have two more borders to quilt (a new-to-me simple design of leaves and flowers) and then i'll be done with this batch of quilting. this one is my 3rd bed-size quilt (2 queens & 1 king)  and i also did two baby quilts (those took less than half an hour each). can't wait to get started on a new quilt--sewing is my favorite part, quilting, not so much.

i did an all-over pattern of simple flowers and stippling on this quilt--i get inspired to do more than the normal stipple when i start (this is a really busy pattern so i wasn't looking for anything fancy) (not that i really know how to do anything fancy) but get bored 10 minutes into it but then think it's too late to change my plans.  i also always think the quilting is turning out terribly while in the middle of it, but when i'm finished and looking from afar, it always looks pretty good to me :-)

Brother PQ1500s

If you are searching for a solution to skipped stitches for the Brother PQ1500s while free-motion quilting (FMQ)--here it is:  STRETCH NEEDLES!! (also keep your stitch length to 0 and lower your feed dogs--that helps a lot)

(edited to add: stretch needles are NOT needles for stretchy fabric (those are ballpoint needles). stretch needles have a longer scarf which helps to avoid skipped stitches (but i don't know why)

i just have to write this down for posterity 'cos the journey to this point was heart-breaking (well, to me it was).  for years now, i've been sewing on a Bernina (i think it's 150 or 160)--a mid-level Bernina which i loved and had no complaints about except that 1) the arm was normal sized which meant it was hard to stuff a queen-size quilt under it to quilt, but i did and 2) it broke down after 10 yrs or so. it was repairable but it would also cost $500!!!!  my friend reminds that i had 10+ yrs of amazing precision and lovely sewing but i'm still a little bitter that it broke down when it was such an expensive machine and also because i did bring it for yearly (or so) maintenance which was pricey (because it was a Bernina).  as much as i admire the machine, i'll never get another one (unless i win the lotto).

right before the Bernina broke down, i had already been looking around for a new machine. a long-arm was out of the question (though i still dream of getting one).  i also knew that  i rarely used any of the fancy stitches on the Bernina and i straight stitched 99% of the time. some bloggers were talking about their Juki straight stitch machines and that seemed like an ideal solution. googling around, i also learned that Babylock and Brother had comparable machines.  i went to visit a Juki dealer (who no longer is one) and specifically asked for the 2010 model. the dealer did her very best (and succeeded) in talking me out of the machine. i still can't figure if she was inept or if she was hoping to just sell me a more expensive model because i literally went in and said i wanted her to order one for me to purchase and she told me how Juki's are now made in China and are no longer reliable. it was very odd. 

in the meantime, i had tried out the Brother at a quilt show and it worked great. Babylocks are sold by a LQS that has a shady reputation so i wasn't that interested in buying from them  (that same LQS is now the Juki dealer). i did find a store (30 miles away so not too close) that sold Juki's, tried it out, and it seemed comparable to the Brother--so at this point, price was the only issue.

the Brother was anywhere from $200-$400 cheaper than the Juki! i got it for $600 on-line. i felt a bit guilty because a local dealer sold the machine as well but their asking price was $200 more and they wouldn't budge on the price. i have to say though, they have been nothing but kind when i've brought in the machine under the warranty.

the good thing about buying the machine online was that, even though it sews great out of the box, like any machine, there are quirks and learning curves--and if i had  bought my machine from the local dealer (they're about 1 mile away from my house), i would've been bringing it in every other day because of questions i had--instead i had to figure it out myself. little things like learning how to use the automatic needle threader, or cleaning out the bobbin area & case frequently (little dust balls will cause skipped stitches when piecing). 

piecing is lovely on the Brother--absolutely no complaints there. i was in love (and so happy with  my bargain price) for months--until i had to FMQ my first quilt on it. it was absolutely awful. skipped stitches ALL the time. i could hear and sense the machine when it skipped a thread but there was nothing i could do about it except go over it again which looks awful. the worst was right next to a seam--going over a bulky seam was possible but not when sewing right next to a seam.

so i would just have to go back and forth on the skipped part and hope for the best after washing it--but it looks terrible! i'm not a professional quilter but i've quilted all my quilts on the Bernina, so i know it wasn't user error--but a machine problem.  it also made me sad to think that even though i'm not selling my quilts, that i couldn't sell them with that nasty looking quilting on it. 

i brought it back to the local dealer (twice!) who checked the machine and said there wasn't nothing wrong with it. now the technician is also one of the owners of the store, and i could be wrong, but he has this honest vibe about him--i didn't think he was lying to me, i just thought this machine, this "Brother" just couldn't handle FMQing like a Bernina could. 

i googled endlessly to see if there was a solution out there. a blogger with a juki said she sometimes had problems with skipping but using a heavy top-stitch needle helped, so i went and bought some 100/16 top-stitch needles--nope! the dealer suggested titanium needles because they slip in and out a touch faster and this is a timing issue (but since it sews two pieces of fabric together perfectly, it's not really a machine problem) but that didn't help either. so frustrating.

i started dreaming of buying a juki after all. fortunately/unfortunately that shady LQS is the only juki dealer in town now so that stopped me. also this machine was only a year old--not crazy expensive like my Bernina, but not one to just throw away either. i thought about re-selling it, but felt uneasy about selling it to a fellow quilter knowing that it couldn't FMQ satisfactorily. if you're only planning to sew straight stiches and to FMQ, only 50% of the functions were working!

i don't remember exactly how i heard about it, but i got wind of a Brother 1500 yahoo group so as a last-ditch effort, i joined to the group. looking through the archives, this was one of the first topics to pop up--skipped stitches!! and the solution was so easy--STRETCH NEEDLES! it almost seemed too easy but i went out immediately and got a pack of them and that was it--not a single skipped stitch afterwards. (well, one or two, but after adjusting the stitch length and remembering to lower the feed dogs, all is well). 

it's almost too good to be true--but it is true! i had to write this all down for catharsis--but also hopefully to help other Brother owners out there who are googling for help. i just finished quilting two queen-size quilts and in the middle of a king-size one and it's going perfectly--i'm remembering how peaceful it is to just sit and FMQ. hooray!

Six Degrees

Never say never. i remember thinking that i didn't like medallion quilts but here we are. Pattern is by Carrie Nelson of Miss Rosie's Quilt Collection, called Six Degrees. the pattern book is older, published in 2005 but the patterns are still ones that i want to make.  i used a FQ bundle of Vintage Modern (Bonnie & Camille for Moda). originally the center star points were the same aqua blue as in the outer border but when i had the quilt on the basting table, the star points were just not standing out enough. there was no way that i was going to rip up the center of the quilt, so i appliqued the triangle points onto the stars--up close you can see a tiny sliver of the original aqua underneath but you would have to squint!

Hullabaloo

made with a jelly roll - Hullabaloo by Urban Chiks. pattern is Summer Breeze by Kim Brackett (Scrap-Basket Surprises). i made one of my first quilts for this friend around 20 yrs ago(!) and now this is for her baby. she does NOT like loud colors so this fabric line seems subdued enough for her (it's not about the baby--it's about the mother)

Christmas sewing 2013

as little gifts to friends, i sewed up these Christmas ornaments (over 30 of 'em) using the selvedges from a FQ bundle--Vintage Modern from Bonnie & Camille for Moda. pattern from Ellis & Higgs blog.

At the kids' school, i teach sewing to the 4/5th graders in A's class. found this super easy tutorial to make stockings, to use to teach the kids. i told my co-worker about it and she mentioned that one of the charities she works with, gives out stockings to homeless Veterans filled with toiletries. the kids didn't want to participate, but i ended up making 13 of them to give to her. (only the top one is patchwork, the others are just plain fabric.) can't find the link/blog name for the pattern--i like how the pattern is somewhat reversible or at least without exposed seams.

Beloved Two

finally! here's Beloved #2. i started this whole project back in january and i finally finished #2 and both have now been mailed to Pascha who heads up this project. (just finding a box that would fit two quilts and going to the post office took a few weeks!)


i love the bright colors in this quilt. back in the day, these saturated colors were the ones i collected but i have to admit, they look a little 90's to me now--i'm more into the kaffe fassett brights currently (though in 10 years, they'll look a little '00 to me :-)



the triangles are almost all from the Lakehouse Baskets quilt. and the white is from my stash. the back is fleece--though if i make more of these quilts (and i would like to), then i'll have to check in with Pascha about that--these quilts are going to SE Asia and i think fleece might be a bit too warm.


i would like to continue to make more of these quilts --maybe one for every 2-3 quilts i make for myself?...

More Blocks

i was bummed--i had finished my jelly roll sampler block #7 in time but forgot to upload it in time for the drawing--oh well, next time. this photo is too dark but doing the auto brightening makes the colors completely untrue.



this is block #8. you should check out the flickr group --this block in particular looks completely different with each fabric choices--pretty amazing.


the latest in my own BOM. i'm really enjoying making these sampler quilts--making one block at a time is time-consuming but i'm don't feel overwhelmed in making these intricate blocks either.


the kids have started summer vacation but this week they're in VBS in the morning (truly a hallelujah is needed!) so lots of sewing going on! i'll try to take some photos soon.

The Four Backs

i had such a clever title planned for this post--"the four tops" but the photos of the tops were blurry and two of them are already basted, so here's a pix of the four backs instead.

i gotta say, if i was rich, i would buy those 108" backing fabrics and send out all my quilts to be quilted--i hate this part of the process--so tedious. but alas, i'm not, rich that is, so i pieced together all 4 of the backs and am in the midst of basting them. two of them are a nice size (70" wide) but the other 2 are monsters over 90" wide--i'm not even sure if they'll fit in my living room floor to baste!

i do think though--there's a lot of value in piecing the backs--that i'm almost glad i'm forced to do it. the backs are so much more interesting when you piece them together and you get to use up miscellaneous bits of fabrics that are nice, but not good enough to actually use for the top. i have had the odd experience of someone preferring the back of my quilt to the front--not sure how to take that!

the top backing (the yellow & white one) is made of fabrics that over 10 years old--they are marimekko, which i bought from crate & barrel. C&B had an outlet store where they had a barrel full of fabric scraps and sold it for like $1.oo/lb. one of the first quilts i ever made was with scraps from that barrel (i have a non-digital picture of it somewhere--not very exciting though). these scraps are ones that i've carried around (3 moves since then) and in fact, last year, i gave them to my mom. she however, is about to move, so had a box of scraps to give to my sister, who was going to take them to her daughter's school for crafts. so i rescued them and am finally using them!

so yes, i guess it's good to be forced to do the boring parts of quilting :-)

Farmer's Market

i bought this as a kit from PIQF 2008 and am finally getting around to it. the pattern is called Contra Dance from the Straight to the Point series (QuiltWoman.com Designs) --where you piece in straight rows, cut the top; resew it and voila--you get an on-point setting for the quilt. it's a really clever idea though i'm not sure how in love i am with the project. (i'll reserve my comments for until the quilt is completely done and i show it).

so here i am, merrily cutting away (i use iron-on interfacing for the cutting line--which helps the bias edge to not get stretched out) when....

yup--you probably guessed it, i cut another block accidentally. AARGH!!!


here's another shot. sigh. it comes from not spreading out the fabric carefully and trying to rush the job.

luckily the block was 1) at the side, and2) was one of the big fabric blocks (no piecing) so it wasn't too hard to fit it back in. and also luckily, the kit was very generously cut so there was plenty of fabric to squeeze back in.

all done (again). it's added to the stack of quilt-tops ready to be basted and quilted.

Jelly Roll Sampler #6

i think the hardest part of this quilt-along is downloading the photos in a timely manner (which is also why i'm not a very good blogger). this is #6 and designed by Nanette who has the greatest blog --i always love her fabric choices.

Merry and Bright Packages

i had to search around my blog for when i first wrote about this block--go figure, it was under the Happy Thanksgiving heading (?!) despite the obvious Christmas connection. i finally finished the quilt a month ago--ta daa!


this is Sandy Gervais' Merry and Bright line--i really like how it doesn't scream Christmas but uses other colors--like the turquoise and gold--and makes it a fuller line. and i like how the pattern doesn't scream "presents" but gives the illusion of wrapped packages.

and even more excitingly--this is the first quilt i've ever sold!

unfortunately, like most school districts in California, our school district is facing a huge budget deficit this coming year and as one of the many cuts, the school board decided to lay-off over 100 teachers and get rid of Class Size Reduction (CSR) which meant that Gr 1-3 would go back up to 30 students/class instead of the 20/1 ratio right now. this is a huge blow to our kids' education--even without studies (though studies do prove the point), it's obvious to any parent that a young child would do so much better in a smaller class where the teacher has the time to really get to know a student--my oldest is in 1st grade and i can see it for myself.

so anyways--long story short, a bunch of parents in our district, and especially at our school, banded together to raise money to save the teachers and CSR. due to union agreements and a massive effort by parents, we've almost reached our goal and it looks pretty sure that we'll save our teachers--hooray!

our school had a silent auction to raise funds--and the teachers graciously gave of their time and energy (one teacher auctioned a quilt class :-) and raised $3500. the parents in turn gave of their time and resources and we held a 2nd auction (results not yet announced)--so i donated this quilt and it sold for $120 :-) there were 2 parents who bid on it (coincidentally both from my son's classroom) --so i feel better that it wasn't necessarily "pity bids" but someone actually wanted it :-)

it's sad that we have to work so hard to raise money to educate our kids--but on the other hand, we're so blessed to have the resources to do so. i better get going on another quilt for next year--i don't think the budget crisis will be fixed by then :-(

Blocks of the week

Sunday was a nice day of sewing (and doing laundry) while paul takes care of the kids outside!


First up, was block #5 of the Jelly Roll Sampler. i'm really enjoying this quilt-along and am now more confident of joining others!



then #8 (i think) of the BOM i'm doing. it's a little faded out in the photo but the colors are pretty in person.

3-1/2 pounds!

i finally finished piecing the top of my Dotty Dresden Plate quilt today--and since i don't like showing just quilt tops--i like showing the finished product--here are just some peeks.

the quilt is the cover quilt of the book Material Obsession and i decided to forego the red circles in the middle--and instead put prairie points on the border to mimic the blades of each plate. i think it turned out cute and it was fun to do prairie points which i hadn't done before.

but oh my, this quilt turned out to be a monster. it literally weighs 3-1/2 pounds! and measures approx 88" square (i also changed the setting from 6x4 to 5x5). it's extra heavy because of the applique work and the prairie points--so it's pretty much double the amount of fabric you would normally use for a quilt this size.


it's huge! i'm not looking forward to quilting it (with batting & backing it might be closer to 10 lbs when finished) but it's gonna be a beaut when done.

Jelly-Filled

as in up to the gills in jelly rolls. sigh. i'm a sucker for sales and i found these jelly rolls online for great prices. shall we take a look?

after Nicole of Sister's Choice Quilts blog pointed out that Martinique goes really well with the French General fabrics, i had to get some. it doesn't hurt that i'm a huge fan of 3 Sisters/Moda either. oh yeah, got a layer cake as well.


i've been seeing Verna (Kate Spain/Moda) all over blogland and this would make a pretty baby quilt. (one of my best friends in high school had "Verna" as a middle name and we would all make fun of it--too funny if it's becoming a hip name these days)


i've been eyeing Oz (Sanae/Moda) for a long time but couldn't commit -- so a jelly roll (on sale!) made perfect sense.


another 3 Sisters line, Aster Manor--i think it'll go nicely with their other Christmas-y lines.


i ended up buying 2 Rural Jardin (French General/Moda) rolls from two different stores--because i was worried that one store was saying it was in stock but really was out of it--and i also figured i could & would use both of them :-)


this is Blush (BasicGrey/Moda). i also have a layer cake of Sultry that i bought awhiles ago--they coordinate really well together. not that i know what to do with them.


sigh. all that shopping was fun! but i guess i should actually use some of them. i'm also blaming the Jelly Roll Sampler Quilt Along for (re-)stoking my love of jelly rolls! something about that package of fabric brings a smile to my lips!

and on a practical level, i find that it's really useful to use a lint brush and press it over the tops & bottoms of the jelly roll. there's so much lint on them--it takes several sheets to really get the fuzz off!