Take a risk, Take a chance, Make a change

I am back from a whirlwind long day at the Maine Quilt Show. It's only 75 minutes for me to drive to Augusta, but I left at 7am and did not get home until nearly 8pm. Next year I will need to plan on coming an additional day if I opt for a class. I took an all day applique class yesterday from Karen Kay Buckley. The class was fast-paced and really good. It was my first official quilting class, ever (hard to believe). I have always learned things on my own or by doing research. This was a nice change to have someone else tell me what works for her. Though my applique piece is far from done, it is looking nice technically. I have an entire new dream list of gizmos and threads I need too! But...because of being in a class all but 2 hours yesterday, I did not get near as much time to just stand and stare at all of the quilts as I'd like. Likewise, I had to pass on shopping at all the quilt shops too.

It was really great to see both of my quilts hung amongst the competition. I am so proud of how they both looked. I was kind of upset because I did actually find out from my mom later on Friday evening that they both had 3rd place ribbons. I really wanted better. But to see them hung was confirmation enough that they looked really good. The demarkation between 3rd and 2nd place is a hard one to define. Many of the 3rd place quilts were very impressive, while I saw a couple 2nd place ones that I had to roll my eyes at. I am anxious to receive the judges comments in the mail this week to see how they really did, by the numbers.

"Summer on the Beach" surprised me. I thought for sure this would score like a dog turd, but for some reason judges like it. I guess it just has SO many triangles that they didn't look long enough to find the ones I chopped to make it all go together. I'm not sure all of you can access this link, but it's worth a try. Here are more pictures of this quilt, as are some here. This quilt is officially retired from it's brief show circuit to take it's new place on my bed.
And here is my newest quilt "Primavera", also sporting a 3rd place ribbon. It's not inconceivable (depending on what I hear from the judges comments) that this quilt may make an appearance at another show next year. It looked so fantastic hung under the show lights. The crystals on it (all 700 or so) twinkled beautifully. And seriously, it hung between two really nice quilts, both with yellow ribbons. I just LOVE that hibiscus flower quilt.
My mother, the so-called-photographer, didn't get such great pictures of me with either quilt. I look stoned, drunk or just looking the other way in most of them. Lovely!
Here's a few detailed pictures of these...The back is so textural. Partly this is from using 2 layers of batting (poly and wool), but partly from the amount of quilting.
The borders which I initially worried about the Rainbows thread, actually looked really good. I'm sure a judge will have something to say about that lime green flange that I stitched down though :-)

The experts at MQResource gave me such great advice on my quilting plan. I'm really glad someone suggested doing the radiating lines. It was a little bit of a pain since I drew them on with a compass and a ruler (rather than the specialty and $$ rulers that do exist), but it was worth the time.

This brings one event in my life full circle. A year ago when I went to this show, and entered my first quilt, I also tested all of the longarms. At that point, I only dreamed of being able to own one. It never dawned on my I'd be able to quilt as well as I do. By September 2009, I knew I was buying a machine, but I still had personal doubts about whether I could make a home-business successful. How long would it take to get up to speed? How would I attract clients? The rest is history now. As I left the dealer that last time (after testing the HQ Fusion), I heard a song on the radio. Now I am by no means a Kelly Clarkson fan, but the words spoke to me. I found the encouragement and motivation to "Take a chance" in this song. Most ironically, as I was getting on the highway last night to come home, this very song came on the radio. I felt like an angel was watching overhead. Follow your heart. Follow your dream. Take a chance.

I'll spread my wings and I'll learn how to fly

I'll do what it takes till I touch the sky

And I'll make a wish, take a chance, make a change

And breakaway

Out of the darkness and into the sun

But I won't forget all the ones that I love

I'll take a risk, take a chance, make a change

And breakaway

An MQX Ribbon!

I was sure I was a complete longshot. I was pretty positive that with the caliber of quilts that come to a competition/show like MQX that I'd be the laughing stock. Still, I went with the advice of one much more tallented than myself. She suggested I enter this quilt (my first personal quilt to be longarm quilted my me) in MQS in the Rookie division. I thought perhaps she was just being kind, but looked into it anyways. In a more than insanely crazy moment, I sent in the registration for it. Only, to my ignorance, I sent it in to MQX not MQS! After a sequence of emails with her, she told me it's still good experience, but that MQX is harder competition. What the heck, I thought! So since I didn't have in my head that this was a show quilt while it was being quilted, I didn't second guess every stitch. Probably for the better since I am doing that now with a quilt needed by July for a show. After the binding ws done, I put it back on the frame and fixed a few boo-boos in the quilting and a section I apparently just forgot to do!

With all that has happened with Sophie this last week, I just hope to get to MQX on Saturday as planned. I'm very psyched to see all the awesome quilts.

In an update...we took her in to see her regular Pediatrician this morning. The chest infection is not gone. She's better, but still wheezy. We have a home nebulizer for her and Rx for antibiotics & prednesone. Please...let this clear by Friday. She really needs her casts changed, and I have no idea when the next possible time might be.

Ta ta!

Summer Quilt is Finished

OK, well I think that the quilting is finished of my Summer Quilt. That point of absolute certainty does not come quickly when I am doing my own quilting. For some reason I have to overthink my own projects way more than I would anybody elses. So how long do you think it took me to quilt???... Not counting pinning it to the frame, 22 hours. That is frightening! Summer Quilt, and it's February??...Not sure where the name originated, as it has seen at least 2 summers in it's life thus far. I think that the soft sandy and aqua/teal colors reminded me of the beach.

So here is the top, or as much of the top as I can show given the fact that it is 100" square (and my hallway is NOT!). Am I happy with it?...You betcha! I love it, or most of it anyways. The curving bands of feathering are fantastic (even when you consider that some of those feathers are more like "hot dogs" and "potato chips" - Suzanne-isms from my Feather Bootcamp class). I am stoked to get the binding on in the evenings, once I get a little bit more applique completed on another quilt.

Here's a closeup of the feathered star. I didn't really use a pattern on this...that is why some of the pieces do not come together exactly as they probably should. Still, I think the design is pretty decent considering it was ad-libbed, one block at a time. I wish I had recorded how long this quilt took me to make. I vaguely remember each of the 18" blocks (and there are 9) taking 2-3 hours to construct. I was pretty anal about maintaining every point.

As I said previously, this was the quilt I sent to Carla to quilt whisper as a part of the MQResource QW class I did last month. Look back a post or 2 to see a link to what she drafted up. In hindsight, I probably could have quilted what she drafted, in it's entirety, but I decided to meld my favorite designs for the quilt with the ones she proposed that I liked best. I did not do quite as much SID or ruler work as she may have proposed. Frankly, I hate ruler work, and it is not my best thing! Also, I decided I loved the slightly more lofty look that the wonderful wool batting gave, so I opted not to "quilt the heck" out of it, even if the design was magnificent! None the less, I am grateful to her for her great ideas for the piece; many were incorporated. I'm curious what she'd think of the finished project!

This is the center of the feathered star. I still have a couple of bits of stitching to take out in the pebbling, so ignore that for now. I love how the curved cross-hatching looks in the block backgrounds. I am still having a hard time loving the curved stitching in the triangles, because this is an area I should have used a template and not freehanded it. It could look better, more consistent, and I know it. Problem is, it was stitched integrally with the CC, and removing it will mean that the CC might come unstitched too. Yuck! I can live with it I have decided. And I know how I will do it differently next time. The learnings are half of the battle. I dithered on how to quilt the feathered part of this star (above), and in the end opted to go with Carla's fancier design. It is, afterall, the center focal of the quilt and should not look under-quilted.

It is time to tahe a damp cloth to remove the rest of the purple marking pen. It's funny how the feathers around the blocks show up for the pictures. They were practically nonexistent while I was quilting them - to the point where it felt like I couldn't see the stitching whatsoever. I didn't know if I'd backtracked properly. Happliy, they all look pretty decent.

I absolutely love the feathering in the outer border....the way they surround the stars is one of those great finds that happened purely by chance! And while I was quilting it, I really could not wait to see the back. It's all stitched with an aqua Bottomline thread, so nothing but the texture shows. I am definitely investing in more Bottomline - I love it.

And the stripe around the periphery of the back of quilt miraculously ended up just about where it was supposed to. It may be a quarter of an inch more towards one side, but who's measuring???

Oohh...lovely texture. My bed definitely needs a new bedskirt to match these soft tans and aquas, but I'm not sure I have time yet. I must attend to some lack of attention I have been giving Feather Bootcamp, and load on some scrap fabric and practice feathers for Suzanne!! Because I have several customer quilts arriving next week that need my attention :-)

Have a good week! I'll post pics from a client's quilt this weekend. It's enroute to her as I type in California. It was fun and turned out great too.

So, ...if you like this quilt, just remember, I can quilt for you too - just email me! msolomo1@maine.rr.com

More Pics after about 12 hours of Quilting

Sadly, I think I have to revise my time estimate for this quilt from 18 hours to about 24 hours! I have just made it more complicated than initially thought. The ditch stitching and constant stopping and starting is very time consuming. I am, however, very pleased with how it is looking. These pictures are from Saturday and Sunday.
The first two of the eight feathered star points are done (above). I waffled as to whether I wanted to leave them a bit more poofy or go with what Carla Barrett had designed. In the end, I decided to trust her judgement, in hopes that the center focal of the quilt really pops.

There are 2 stars like this on either side of the center medallion star.

I am not convinced that I love the pebbling, despite thinking that I really wanted to do it. There are a couple places I need to pick out where the arc was not in exactly the right location (disregard that!). I am considering putting the pebbling in the star centers and perhaps in the teardrops (see 1st picture above) that are just outline stitched so that this quilting is echoed elsewhere on the quilt. Thoughts??? I am definitely known for overthinking my own work more so than I would something for another person.

And yes, in case it seems as though I am not making progress...here's the amount which is no longer on the floor! Here was 2 days before... Currently, there is only a foot of quilt beneath the belly bar (the end is in sight, and may be realized on Wednesday or Thursday!).

Long Time in the Waiting

I have been wanting to have this quilt top quilted for over a year now. I initially thought I'd send it to the Amish to hand quilt last summer, and then the plans for getting the longarm started falling into place. I held off quilting it in the earlier months for fear I'd ruin it. Afterall, I spent 8-9 months with the intricate piecing, and did not want to blow that. Additionally, I have had grandiose plans for how I wanted the quilting to be, and I had to actually learn how to quilt that!
Right now, I have about a dozen quilt tops about to be sent or brought to me, so I am taking advantage of the lull to get my quilt on the machine. The backing has a 3" band which I hope will be centered around the periphery of the quilt. This is next to impossible to do hand basting, but on the frame seemed much more doable. The back is a soft aqua Andover dimples, and that stripe is a dainty and old-fashioned small flower (and not just taupe as it appears).

The first bobbin of aqua bottomline is coming off the winder. Please overlook the rest of the mess on that table. Some housekeeping really needs to take place soon...

Viola...1 hour in and the top and backing are on, and basted at the top and sides. I am taking "quilt top floating" for a trial run with my quilt. I figured that with all of the blocks on point and set in seams, this quilt is likely not to be as square as I think it is. I am also curious what all the hype (good and bad, but definitely vocal) is all about regarding "floating" or "partial floating". So far, after 4-5 hours of quilting I can say it is a bit of a pain because a TON of batting and top hang in an area I like to have clearer. There is no easy access to see underneath to the backside. Also, with this technique, you have to pin the quilt often, and access is restricted.

I have incorporated design features from Carla's Quilt Whispering class. Scroll down and you can see what she drafted for the quilt! It's gorgeous and aggressive, and more at her ability rather than mine. I took ideas and some patterning from her design and merged these with what I drafted for the quilt. So far I am tickled! Above is a continuous-line pattern I designed for the quilt's outer 4" border. One of my requirements with quilting is to limit the stops and starts, as they waste too much time and thread. And below...the design partially marked on the border...

...And then sewn all across one side. One other thing I have done differently with this quilt is to test out a Hobbs Heirloom wool batting. I have heard that it is just lucious to quilt with and that it gives the best definition to the quilting. And boy, are the rumors right. I just love this stuff! It is not cheap, but for special quilts, it is worth the cost. Consequently, since I love the little bit of "poof", I modified Carla's design so that it does not yield such an over quilted (and flat) quilt. FYI...I found the batting at www.heartbeatquilting.com for only $35 (king sized) and this was a good $10-15 cheaper than anywhere else.

This morning I started on the 2 rows of wide feathering (only after doing way more SID than I like around the stars and stripes of the border!). I am only now taking a Feather Bootcamp online class, but I am not unhappy with how my feathers look (my repetoire just needs expanding!). The next shot is before I decided that the 2" darker taupe band really did need more quilting.

Because of the odd shape of blocks on point and the fact that they are large blocks, I have to quilt parts of blocks rather than the entire thing.

I know it all looks simple, but I just don't want to overflatten the quilt. Question...Would you do something more with the darker taupe stripe (which currently just have SID and the teardrpos quilted??)? If so, then what?

Much of the first block is quilted now. I don't know that I "love" the larger curves in the teal parts of the star, but that is because I know they could have been done more symmetrically and better. I love the curved cross-hatching though.

16" of quilting done, MUCH more to go!... Probably another 12 hours if I am estimating properly. Maybe this will go faster since I know what I am doing, but it is still slow because of not being able to do a full block at a time, etc.

Tomorrow...quilt the red and aqua blocks, and start on the points of the feathered star. This may be slow, however, because there may be a change of thread colors to a burgundy.

The texture on the back is wonderful. The tension looks great (a sigh of relief!). Thank you Bottomline and wool!

Stay tuned for another update later this weekend and perhaps some more peeks of the applique quilt I showed earlier this week.

My Summer Quilt Flimsy, Completed

I am surprised how long the last 4-1/2" border actually took me. It is heavily pieced with constructed triangular sections. I think I would estimate this border to have taken about 15-20 hours. It seems high and ridiculous, but every time I thought I was going to sew for 2 hours and "finish it up", it still was nowhere close to done.
And a nice blurry closeup.
I am not really satisfied how the corners ended up, with the borders mating together in a somewhat funky fashion. In a perfect world, I'd take this out and do something different. But where it is eventually going on my bed, I am unconcerned/unbothered.

The colors photograph horribly. I may try some outside in the grass today. These fabrics in person are absolutely lovely. The deeper olive has little gold metallic flickers. The large floral that is most of the wider border has hints of aqua too. While it is more subtle and earthy than I envisioned before I actually selected fabrics, I do love the end result. I had never made a feathered star, nor had I ever sewn so many traigles (or cared that I didn't chop off points!). It carries the "Summer" colors I love - the earthy tones to remind me of the sand and dune grass; the turquoises and deep greens that mimic the ocean water, and the hints of red and pink which are our very transient flowers. It is most definitely a cooler version of summer, which again, is most appropriate for me, living in Maine.

I would love to have this hand quilted, but have to wait until one of my quilts returns from the Amish to make certain that this is who I want touching this quilt. I believe that this is square enough to be machine quilted, but even then I am not certain! I'll worry about that come January when all the Christmas sewing is completed.

On Saturday, I brought my 21 quilts to donate to Project Linus at their annual event at the Mardens Discount store. Last year they gave each person 3 FQ per quilt they donate. This year we could select 3/4 yard for each quilt. I left there with about 20 yards of great finds, many in 2 yard pieces. With all my mini's completed, all my larger quilts off being quilted (ie., not needing binding yet), and my dresses about finished up, I am off to my dreamy-quilt land, where I can freely pull fun fabrics and make new Project Linus tops to finish off for next year's donations. I'll show some of what I have been playing with this weekend in the coming days~

Friday Release...

of pent up energy and frustration. I gave a test this morning in my class, so this week was hectic with many hours of prep and grading, and stressing that my students really weren't taking the course seriously. It is, afterall, Thermodynamics...a major weed-out class in the curriculum. I passed only about 60% last fall in this class. Usually during tests, I sit and sew, but today I did prep work for Monday so I can have the next 2 days ALL to myself. YEA!.

While the kiddies were upstairs this afternoon (one napping, the other pretending to be a not-so-quiet monkey), I worked feverishly (thanks to my newly acquired cold) in the basement on my many projects. My sewing space is a mess on acount of too many unfinished projects so I need to complete some things asap or I will be in need of another 6' work table. I just bought one 2 weeks ago (to which my husband raised his eyebrows and said "you need this?"... "Yes, dear, unless you want threads and fabric in the dining room indefinitely!")

The last few days I have been piecing the last border for my summer quilt. The piecings are fairly simple, but I am such a stickler for NO CUT OFF POINTS that I am being quite careful. I have managed to make this entire quilt of many hundred triangles and if there is a cut off point, I have not found it yet. OK, that may be an exaggeration, but it is pretty good.

So here is one border piece staged beside the quilt. I have about 80% of the triangles assembled for the other borders. Now they just need to get strung together in a nice, random way. I really love how the border brings out the simplicity of the wider, more neutral border, as well as tying into the very busyness of the central part of the quilt.
I have no idea how this will be quilted. I fear that the Amish would not really want to quilt it how I would want (patterned and not just all stitch in ditch), but I think I will send them a photo to comment on. It has always been my image that this be hand quilted.
Here's a little Unicorn, paper-piecing from Hell. Ha! If I never do anything with this much PPing again, it will be too soon. I am not happy with how the unquilted horse looks, but I can't really decide what to do there. Any ideas??
Tomorrow is my day of sewing for Project Linus. I have three quilts in parts to take. Two just have fleece backs so they should be easy to complete (just tied). The third is made up of 15 of my birthday block swap blocks, and I plan to MQ...just not sure if I will get to it tomorrow. At any rate, it will be a pleasant day away from the noise of my house. We have a weekend of rain in the forecast so the kids will be too energetic inside for my taste. THey also say that we may have Hurricane WhoseIt heading our way too. Batten down the hatches!...

Border added to Summer Quilt

It only took me about a week and a half once I set my mind to actually doing this! Here's what this looked like previously...

I had put this quilt on my back burner since May because I knew it involved careful piecing, 45 degree angles, and some set-in seams. In the end, I am rather surprise that I only made one mistake and it had nothing to do with the set-ins. The 12 stars around the border are tone-on-tone subtle. In hindsight, I wish I had done them using more of the deeper sage, but I selected a scrappier approach since I was literally working with scraps!

I plan to add another narrower border on next to make it large enough for the bed. This border will likely utilize smaller triangles from all of the more colorful fabrics. I want more of the turquoise and teal accents showing.

Also this week, I have returned to that dreadded place: work! I only had two classes thankfully, and no real prepping or grading, so there was still good sewing time! I am finishing up Julie's Fabulous house for the Forum About.com block swap. I hope like hell it is somewhat fabulous, but somehow I think she might be getting something you might see on the other side of the tracks :-) Not everyone gets to live in mansions! This week I have also puttered with my ALQS piece, but I'm not showing sneak peeks for a while.

With great trepidation, I have sent both of my quilt tops away to be completed. One went to the Amish last week. I am a tad upset that the lady there told me that some of my suggestions for heart-feathers were not feasible because of the many seams. I think that's just a lazy answer. I have hand quilted for 20 years, and seams are just a part of quilting. I am sure that it will turn out nice, but it has me feeling sad that I know that they will not be happy about doing my summer quilt (above) - It has ten times as many pieces! I also sent the Simplicity quilt to be machine quilted. Ginger suggested her mother who is a long-armer, and after viewing her blog, I decided she was much more creative than what I have seen my local quilter do. We chatted about my ideas, and I mailed the quilt off yesterday. My December is going to be a frantic month of sewing bindings (65 feet to be exact!), so I'd better get all other things "off the burners"! I have ordered some fabric too to make my daughter a nice holiday dress. It will likely be smocked if I can muster the energy.

TTFN!...
(ta ta for now, in the proverbial words of Sir Christopher Robin)

Another Linus Completion - Ugly Brown Betty

With my impending return to the workforce, I have been feverishly trying to wrap up some of my half-started Project Linus (and other) projects. Since coming back from vacation, I have been a tad pokey, but my table is clearing somewhat.

This top was affectionately named Ugly Brown Betty. Last week it was a bag full of brown assorted pieced squares. I added a few other strips and fillers to get it pieced into a 4' x 5' top. I despise the brown polka dots. They are a pain in the rump to sew...material is thin. But thankfully much of it is out of my stash now.
I played with my machine quilting a little bit (within reason as thread is not free and I did go through nearly 700 yards).
Here's my first feeble attempt at feathers. Not too bad, but I see much practice in order.
And my ruffle-y flowers. I kind of like these.
The fabrics are whacky and ugly and interesting. The rust and red tones keep it from all looking like mud. Anyway, binding is on and it is ready to go to the charity.

Other things...
~I am puttering away on 6" stars for my Summer Quilt's border. Hopefully this will be added by the end of next week (unless teaching Thermo keeps me from this task).
~My ALQS top is done in concept. I have several of the top's larger pieces sewn together. It's very interesting and unique; I think any partner would appreciate it.
~I free-motioned quilted another Linus top. It's binding is ready for hand sewing.
~I have dug out the last of my Legacy quilts (top one in the link) to work on the hand quilting. This is just filler for my evenings.

Legacy Quilt #2 Finished

This is the second of my three Legacy quilts. The first one is shown here.
The colors are still not true, despite these being taken outdoors under natural cloud-light. You get the idea though...a modern twist on the Amish style quilt. The green and purple materials were also in the first Legacy quilt. The idea is that there are some common fabrics between the three quilts, even though the designs are vastly different. This depicts the characteristics of my three children, who are the end recipients of these three quilts...same genes, different personality.

And, is this not just the cutest little girl???!
She's my baby and is turning two tomorrow. Oh, how the time flies. She's the sweetest little girl. And she's pretty adorable in that dress which I wore 40 years ago.

With my oldest starting back to school in 2 days, it's been a hectic week/weekend. Not too much sewing time. Plus, I have been unfocused and unmotivated. I did get two of my Forum birthday swap blocks done this weekend. I think that they are either October or November blocks. Now I can think more about getting my Summer quilt borders done and a couple Linus blankets prepared for a Blanket Day at the end of September.

MY Summer & Catching Up

I have completed my summer quilt. I couldn't be happier. I just love the way it depicts MY Summer. This is what Summer in Maine is all about (minus the black flies and humidity). Oh, and the white beaches too. Our sand is much courser and darker at most beaches. Anyhow, the feeling is here.
Most beaches will have a lighthouse within sight. Our coast line is unforgiving to the boats. It is beautiful and rocky in most places. The light houses save many a lost boat, as going into the main surf is an almost certain death as cold as the water is much of the year.
Half-standing plank fenses litter the beaches. They are truly picturesque additions to what Mother Nature gave us. Lobstering is one of our largest industries, especially in the summer. The fense would be incomplete without some of these. Each lobsterman (or woman) has a registered stripe pattern so that they know whose traps are whose in the ocean.
Here is how I cured my previous problem with the background fabric showing through the white of the chair. I think it works well.
All in all, I am tickled with this summer quilt. It turned into way more than I had anticipated. When I started, I was trying to depict another place (which I cannot say, or my partner will possibly know this is for her). But in the end, it turned out looking like MY home. Consequently, I have dedided that this will stay in MY home. Sigh... So I am back to the drawing board, so to speak. I have decided to make my 4SQS partner a similar quilt with "scenes" from the beach rather than an entire beach landscape. My four scene panels are complete and look good. I will post about this at another time though.
This wild little number arrived this week from Kate. It's her ALQS mini for ME! Wild it is, but I have a secretly kept wild side (hence the Frog in the Blender, which was mailed over an ocean this week). It looks a bit juxtiposed hanging in my very traditional dining room, on this hideously country (he he, country is NOT my thing) hanger I have previously had another quilt on. But my dining room and other downstairs rooms have deep purple and cranberry in the window coverings, furniture and paint, so it does blend in nicely.

The back fabric is radically cool, I must say. This has a metallic printing and is actually one piece of fabric. Many thanks Kate. I do like it. It took a few days to post this as my batteries died and the price of gas here has kept me home until I needed other items.

Next, I mailed this off to my Forum Doll Quilt Partner, organized by Ginger, on Tuesday. It's done with 1930's style happy prints and polka dota. It ought to be received in the mail today, so I will post it this morning.
I hope my partner appreciates it, as I will be seing what she makes in Kate's Forum birthday block swap soon too.
Here's a shot of the back. It's like a flower.