More completed projects!

Like most quilters, I have quite the stash of fabrics.  Most are fat quarters, some yardage that was purchased just because, lots of pieces that were leftovers from other projects.  Any time that I make a project using from my stash, I feel like it is a freebie, because I didn't spend any money specifically on that project!

"In the Meadow" table runner was one of those projects!  All the fabrics, batting, and threads were in my stash!  Jana Davidson of Turnberry Lane Patterns created this beauty!  I had the embroidery done on this one, I just needed to make the blocks, put it together, quilt, and bind.

This was a workshop project from a Laura Wasilowski workshop sponsored by Decatur Quilters Guild a few years ago. I had it all done, except for a bit of thread work, quilting, and binding.

I felt like it needed some detail between the center and border.  I had used a scalloped rotary cutter to create the edge of the border, but couldn't think of a hand embroidery stitch that I could accomplish that would adequately accent it.  Then it struck me that I could use a heavier thread and machine stitch an accent!

In my thread stash I had a spool of Wonderfil Spagetti thread (12 wt) that I had purchased when Susan Cleveland had taught at our guild several years ago.  It was the perfect color!  It is the turquoise thread on the left.  The middle thread is Superior Threads Magnifico (40 wt), which I used to quilt the border.  The right thread that is crossing over is Superior Threads Kimono Silk (100 wt), which I used to do the echo quilting in the body of the quilt

. Using the Spagetti thread and the double needle on the left, I created a double line of stitching around the scallops on the inner edge of the border.  I felt like it needed a bit more.  I experimented with some decorative stitches, but didn't like the look.  I decided on just doing a zigzag stich in the double line.  Sometimes simpler has a bigger impact.

I was experiencing major tension problems doing the zigzag.  I was using a #100 Topstitch needle.  Despite any tension changes made on the top, I was getting erratic skipped stitches.  Then I remembered that I could change the bobbin tension by threading the bobbin thread through the bobbin finger.  Voila!  That was the answer!

Modern Mystery Quilt and good news!

Last fall, the  American Quilter's Society in their weekly OnPoint emagazine had a weekly Modern Mystery Quilt designed by Weeks Ringle and Bill Kerr.  I have always wanted to try my hand in the modern quilt movement (which I really think of as more of a minimalist look) so I downloaded the pattern dutifully every week. I did not start cutting and sewing until after I had all 6 weeks in hand.  Yeah, it is kinda like reading the last page of a novel to see how it ends before you start the book (I don't do that!).  But I will say that I had decided from the get go that I wanted to use a light grey as my background or field fabric (as they say in the modern movement) and I wanted to use soft blues and greens, something that looks like sea glass (or what this prairie girl thinks sea glass should look like!)

I had a lot of fun playing with the colors in this quilt!  I also amassed a large number of aquas! Having recently taken a class with Susan Cleveland and learned her Piping Hot
Curves technique, I decided to add red piping to my circles to make them pop!  I think of the circles as portholes!

 

My first thought was to use the open areas to do some intricate quilting.  But the quilt was telling me it wanted something different.  As you can see, I decided to do a sun-type pattern in the circles, with small circles in the central axis.  The rest of the quilt was quilted with long meandering sinewy lines to give the impression of rain trickling down a window!

On to the good news!  I entered two quilt in the Midwest Heritage Quilt Show at the Vermilion County Museum.  This is a judged show that runs the month of July at the museum in Danville, IL.  My miniature "Pieced Baskets" won a first place ribbon!  This quilt was started in a class that I took with Sally Collins. 

Sedona Joy, which was a 2012 Block of the Month through The Quilt Show with Alex Anderson and Ricky Tims, won a second place ribbon! The original quilt was designed by Sarah Vedeler.  After month 6, I started changing up her design.  I had some issues with the set in seams, which then translated into trouble with getting it to lay flat for the quilting.  I am eager to see the judge's comments!

 

 

Piping Hot Macaroni with Susan Cleveland

This week, my local quilt guild, Illini Country Stitchers, had the pleasure of hosting Susan Cleveland for a lecture and three workshops.  I had taken a class with Susan at Paducah, so I knew she was a fun person.  And I have watched her videos on The Quilt Show with Alex Anderson and Ricky Tims!

I was privileged to be a quilt holder during her lecture!  Although you don't get to look at the front, it is great to see a behind the scenes look at the back, and closeup of the binding.  She gives a great lecture, and has the most funny tales to tell!  I was unable to take her Friday workshops on Binding and Mitering, as I had to work.  So that made Saturday's workshop that much more specialer (yeah, I know, bad grammar, but it really was more specialer! LOL!)

This was what Saturday's class was on...Piping Hot Macaroni!  We learned how to make the piping, apply it to the curved macaroni pieces and with precision apply our piped macaroni onto our background piece by careful stitch in the ditch.

One of the secrets to getting all this done perfectly is the Clover Ball Point Awl!  It truly is my newest favorite notion.  It was a breeze to use and made the whole process so painless!

That rounded tip just glides in front of your needle, and made stitching in the ditch SOOOO easy.  I only popped out once!

At the end of class, we were all awarded the coveted  Piping Hottie button!  Because we all were able to finish at least one Macaroni in class!

It was a day full of laughter, and happiness!  No machine mishaps, and good homemade brownies for a lunch treat!

Yes, overachiever Maggie got two done, but so did at least half of the class!  So if you EVER get a chance to take a class with Susan, by all means take advantage!  She is an awesome teacher, and has some terrific tips and points to help make your quilting sing!