A bit of help ...

.... goes a long way.

This little girl was helping me by keeping the backing taut while I was taping the outer edges to the floor.  Such good help is so hard to find these days!  LOL

My quilt top has been all marked up.  I use Crayola Washable Markers (the fine tip) and they do wash out.  Sorry, this is all that you will be seeing of this top for now.  This is another secret that I've been working on.  I don't like secret quilts as nothing can be shown until the time is right.  Oh well, you will see it later this year.   The time has come to get it quilted up.  I will be doing both machine and hand quilting for this quilt.

Someone has been peeking while I've been hand quilting.  Miss Ashes, remember you have to keep this a secret!  She has a spot to snooze on top of my stash bins.  She just peeks out every now and then to see what is going on.

More wildlife has been spotted on our hill.  These two young deer were taking a snooze and spent most of the afternoon in this spot.

Well, back to more hand quilting.

Have a great day!

Pecfectly Pink Pony

This quilt was finished and gifted to my soon-to-be 4 yr. old niece.  She got it early instead of having to wait for her birthday.

This is how the hearts were quilted.

The center portion with the pony.  For the pony, I was stumped on how to quilt it.  So, this is very artsy with the circles and I love it.

Now, I wanted to show what this quilt looked like before washing.  Can you see all the meandering lines that were drawn using Crayola Washable Markers.  It looks like such a mess, doesn't it.  They all came out in the wash.

This pillowcase is perfect for her new quilt.

Quilt details:
Pattern Source:  go here for a free pattern by designer Marinda Stewart
Size:  52" x 81" (before quilting size:  54-1/2" x 82-1/2")
This quilt has a combination of hand quilting and machine quilting.  Whatever quilting I could do well by machine was done by machine and the rest was done by hand quilting.  I've done both quilting types on the same quilt before and it works for me.

So, how long did it take me?  It was started on Apr. 2, 2015 and finished on Mar. 17, 2016.  Just shy of a year.  It was on the go for 10 months (sitting mostly in a bin) and then quickly finished in 5 days and 1 hour.  The 5 days was for the quilting and sewing down the binding and the 1 hour to finish up the embroidery.  Thank you to the reader that left me an interesting comment!  Let's put the time frame into perspective, eh!  :o)

This is what we spotted in our backyard last week.  A pileated woodpecker.  It was huge and it was odd to see it jumping from rock to rock looking for seeds.  They don't walk, they jump.

 A closer look.  It's red head stood out so well against the white snow.  Beautiful.

I'm linking this post to:  http://needleandthreadnetwork.blogspot.ca/.  Go and check out what other Canadian bloggers are talking about this week.


Have a great day.

Going around in circles

I want to thank all of you who sent me comments about my blog and your advice.  So, I will be testing the waters over the next month to see if the spammers come back or not.  In the meantime, changes will be permanent on my blog.  From this point on, my posts will be truncated and no comments will be permitted.  99% of you are wonderful and so supportive.  It is the 1% that are abusive and take advantage of honest bloggers. 

There is still a lot of information in me that I do want to share and I'm not ready to give up my blog just yet.  A number of you have asked how to do certain things and if one person wants to know, then there are others who want to know as well.

So, today, I will be talking about circles and how mine turn out so good.  It took me a while to figure out a routine and it works for me.  Here goes ....

Using cereal or tissue cardboard boxes and a green plastic circle template (bought at an office supply store), whatever size of circle that are needed are made and cut-out, the size is marked on each one and put into an individual baggie and stored away until they are needed.

I use Crayola Washable Markers (Ultra Fine) for marking my circles on the fabric (here for cutting them out and directly onto my block that will have the applique sewn onto it).  Just be sure to NEVER, EVER use a permanent ink marker with your plastic green template.   I do like to have about an 1/4" of fabric all around the cardboard circle.

A running stitch gathers up the fabric and once tightened, forms a perfect circle.  I used to use the same colour thread as the fabric, but  not anymore.

Once a whole bunch of circles have been made, then to the ironing board they go for a good pressing.  Use a hot iron without steam.  I like to tighten the thread and place it under the iron and keep a good grip on the thread while pressing down on top of the circle with the iron.   I just don't want the thread to loosen up and the circle to become wonky.

 Someone is paying very close attention to my instructions.

 Perfect circles all in a row.

 Let your fabric and cardboard cool before removing the cardboard.

  On my fabric block, the actual size of circles that are needed are drawn onto the fabric using the green plastic template and Crayola Washable Markers (Ultra Fine).  This is the exact place where my circles are to be sewn.

 

 

After my circles have been made, the cardboard circle is removed and a cut in the gathering thread is snipped.  There is a reason for this and the next photo explains why.

When my circles are being pressed, there is a chance that the fabric will shrink.  Some of my red circles did shrink and they did not fill the drawn circle.  It wasn't noticable at first but as I stitched around the circle, suddenly it appeared to have shrunk on the last section of the circle.   Since the gathering thread had been snipped, I take my needle and ever so gently move out a bit of the red fabric towards the drawn circle line and finish sewing the last bit. 

Here they are .... all done. 

Have a great day!

Hand quilting .... tips

Every now and then, questions come to me about my hand quiltng. So, to help explain some of my methods, here are a few photos of my pumpkin quilt that is currently being worked on.

When I'm quilting around an item (my pumpkin and leaf), always work in a clock-wise manner. This way the pumpkin and leaf get puffed up and they look like they have been stuffed (but they are not).

Once the outside of the pumpkin has been hand quilted, then move onto the right hand side of the pumpkin and start hand quilting (see black arrows) beside the embroidered lines going from the top to bottom. Start at the far right and move towards the centre. My quilting will be on the right side of the embroidery lines. Then, quilt the next two embroidered lines (see green arrows) with the quilting being on the left side of the embroidered lines.

Follow the same procedure for the leaf (blue arrows). This photo shows my quilting beside the embroidered lines. Can you see how the centre portion is nice and puffy? Remember, clock-wise will make my pumpkin and leaf puffy.

For the grid work, there is also a pattern for quilting those also (see black arrows). My quilts gets marked up using Crayola Washable markers (the fine tip markers). If you want to read more about these markers and how to work with them, just go here and scroll through the posts.

All of my pumpkins, leaves and grid lines will be done in this manner. This way, there is nothing that gets distorted and looks odd after all the hand quilting has been done.

Hopefully, this post will help clear up some of your questions.

Have a great day!

My Sweet Klosjes

Let the celebrations begin ..... my klosjes spool quilt is done ... done .... done! This quilt is now gracing our dining room wall and DH and I are admiring it greatly. There was a lot of work in the making of this quilt. Hand piecing, hand applique, hand quilting .... oh yes, lots of work ... but so worth every single stitch! :o) A number of you were scared that the markings that I put on my quilt using Crayola Washable markers would not come out. Well, they did and on the first washing. We have a front load washer and it worked just fine.

I thank Valentina and all the other ladies for inspiring and challenging me to join in making a spool quilt. Just look what happens when we inspire and challenge each other!

The spool block comes from Block Base for EQ programs and is #3571 (The Spool of 1966). The flower border was made by me after being inspired by a pattern that was purchased from The Rabbit Factory. The pattern is #RF151 Blooms All Around.

Quilt size: 88" x 95-1/2" (top size before quilting was 92" x 98-1/2"). After washing and drying there was a loss of 4" on the height and 3-1/2" on the width. I always, always make my quilt at least 4" bigger so that after drying, the quilt will fit perfectly on our bed. All my fabric is pre-washed and 4" works for me.

Block size: 6" x 6"

Border block size: 6" x 7"

Design Source: EQ6 and Block Base software programs.

Time frame: Quilt was started on Mar. 21, 2010. The top was done Aug. 9, 2010 and finished being quilted on May 30, 2011. Just over one year for a hand pieced, hand applique and hand quilting. Now, that is not bad, eh!

I'm having a great day ... how about you?

Hand work

So, what do you do when the power goes out for a few hours (as it did today)? Why, pull out some handwork and sit back, wrap yourself in a quilt and sew. That is exactly what happened to us today and this is the project that was worked on. It has taken me a long time, but I think I have finally found my niche .... scrappy quilts. This is what I enjoy doing the most... that and old time patterns and hand piecing. Just can't get any better than that. These blocks were made using the English Paper Piecing method and they are all done by hand. Yumm .... To Geri in SC, you asked about my markers that I use? Go to the left-hand side of my blog and scroll down to the LABELS section and scroll down some more to MARKERS. Click onto MARKERS and read all the posts for do's and don'ts. Have a great day!

Times are busy

More circles and leaves have been prepped ..... ... to do the final 3 blocks .....

.... as well as marking up this challenge UFO for machine quilting. Oh yes, times are busy around here.

To my American neighbours .... Happy Thanksgiving!

Have a great day!

Pumpkin time

These pumpkins were the fastest applique job that I have ever done! I just can't believe how quick they were to do! Once my blocks were done, I sewed the blocks into rows and then the rows got washed to remove any markings (Crayola washable markers). I just did not want to tempt fate and iron those markings. Once the rows were dry and ironed, they all got sewn together. Usually for me, this is where borders and procrastination come into play ..... .... but with Miss Ashes cheering me on .....

.... those borders got done! :o)

.... then with the help of Miss Hank (she always shows up when I play on the design wall and sits on the chair), the leaves got pinned in place and the vines for embroidery were drawn .....

.... and this is where my top is at today. The leaves have all been appliqued and some of the vines embroidered.

Here in Canada, today is our Thanksgiving holiday and we have so much to be thankful for.

So, to my fellow Canadians ... Happy Thanksgiving.

Change ....

Do you remember this hanging from a few posts back? Well, there was something in the large star that was bugging me and I decided to make a change. Better now than later. Below, do you see those two pieces with the flower pins .... I've decided to take them out and replace them with other fabrics. Since the backing behind the star circle has already been cut away, it is a bit more complicated and I will show you how it was done.

First, I took my Crayola Washable marker and where you see all the arrows, I traced the edge so that when I applique the new edges together there will be a line to follow.

Then, do small basting stitches (see long arrows) as these edges need to be stablised for sewing the new patches to them.

I'm doing English Paper Piecing method and my new patches have been sewn together and they are now ready to be sewn to the large star. Where you see the large asterisk (*) that is the point to start sewing. The arrow down the one edge shows the direction to sew.

Below, looking at the back of the new insert, you can see that the one edge has been sewn. I've put an arrow on the back of the insert and also an arrow on the next edge that need to be sewn together.

Next, the new insert has been pinned to the background fabric (navy blue) by following that line that was marked with my Crayola marker. This edge will now be appliqued to the background fabric.

Below, you can see the back of the star with the paper pieces still in place. They will be removed and the process is done.

... and there you have it. The change has taken place. I've started to mark up this hanging and soon will start to hand quilt it.

Have a great day!

Quilting markers

It is time to discuss marking pens for my quilts. Over the years, I have tried different ones ..... and there are pros and cons to every one of them. Currently, Crayola Washable markers are my favourites and this is how my hexagon quilt is being marked. Just simple straight and diagonal lines. Many years ago, I attended a week long class for making whole cloth quilts. My teacher was using Crayola washable markers and I have been a devout fan since then.

My teacher warned us though to don't use red or blue markers and don't apply any heat to the markings.

Me, being the rebel that I am, have used red and blue markers .... they just need a bit more coaxing to come out.

Crayola markers are great for dark fabrics using the darker colour markers. If the markings don't show up well, then I do use the Clover White Marking Pen. I do love the Clover Blue Marking Pen, but have had problems with the marks turning yellow on some of my light coloured fabrics (and I haven't even applied any kind of heat to the markings). The yellow markings do come out, but with a lot of coaxing using Oxy Clean.
One word of warning! If you do use any kind of washable markers, just be careful if you have used a permanent marker with your rulers or stencils.

I make my own stencils and do use a Sharpie permanent marker to mark the lines or design. After cutting out the stencil ..... be sure to clean your ruler or stencils before using your washable markers. To clean, use either nail polish remover or rubbing alcohol and a kleenex. If you don't clean your ruler or stencil, the permanent ink residue (that is left on the ruler and stencil) will transfer onto your washable marker nibs and then onto your fabric .... and trust me, you don't want to go there .... like I did, once, many years ago.

When you use these two chemicals to remove the ink residue, just be careful with your rulers as the chemicals will also remove the lines on the bottom side of your ruler. Just carefully clean the edges only.

To wash out the Crayola markings, use cold water and mild soap. Sometimes, you may have to put your quilt through a couple of cycles to get all the markings out. Some of my quilts have had the markings on for a few years and they still do wash out. If not, then I will use Oxy Clean to coax out the stubborn markings. I don't like to use the pre-soak cycle on my washing machine, just in case some of the dyes tend to run onto other fabrics. My fabrics are all pre-washed anyway, but some dyes still do tend to run a bit regardless.

As with everything else .......... test .... test ..... test .... Crayola Washable markers (or any other washable markers) on your fabrics before using.

Have a great day!

Happy .... eeerk .....happy again

Back on my post of Sept. 24, I showed this UFO that is part of Finn’s challenge. This hanging has been on my design wall for quite some time now (as in many months ...) and I just didn’t know what to do with it. Now, I could have done any appliqué design and it would be fine … but what appliqué design? Lordy me, but I was stumped.

I showed it to Debra, she knew exactly what should be done …. it was staring me in the face all this time. She said (Oh, wise woman) to replicate the fussy cut flower in the 9-patch. Oh, my …. what an idiot I am ….

And that is exactly what I did. I copied the flower and blew up it gazillion of times to reach the desired size. Then, using CLOVER water soluble marker and my light box, the design got drawn onto the large white area of my top.

Merrily, I went doing my appliqué and making some more adjustments to the placement … until finally it was done. How happy I was! Note the ‘was’ word here.

The top was finally ready for sandwiching, but first I drew my quilting lines using Crayola washable markers. I was not happy with the quilting lines, so a quick wash and dry and start all over again was in order. This is where I became a very unhappy woman.

The blue CLOVER marking lines (that should have easily come off) turned from blue to yellow and they would not go away. I tried just about everything. A quick email to CLOVER for help was ignored. It is their product and they should care about problems like this. The Crayola washable marking lines went away just fine …. but not CLOVER.

Finally, I pulled OXY GEN out and using full strength, let my top soak overnight in their solution.

Eureka! It worked like a charm. Those ugly yellow lines are gone, gone, gone! I thought for sure that this top was a candidate for the garbage bin, but not now! :o)

Now, I will re-mark my quilting lines using Crayola and then I can finally get this UFO quilted and done.

Have a great day!

P.S. The same Clover pen was used on my Joseph’s Coat and those lines disappeared just fine. Why? Is it the material that is causing this problem? For my Joseph’s Coat, I used Moda muslin and for this top, I used Kona cotton. Both cottons were pre-washed and dried removing any chemicals. It is indeed, a mystery.