Book Bee: Savor Each Stitch

March 7, 2015April 30, 201519 Comments

I’m participating in a Book Bee with a few members of the Houston Modern Quilt Guilt. We’re using Carolyn Friedlander’s book, Savor Each Stitch. I learned of this group from the blog, ModQuiltMom. They meet in Houston, Texas the first Saturday every other month, and they were gracious to allow me to follow along using a Google community page. Our goal: to share pictures, links and thoughts about our book bee.

The first chapter was Lines:

I took a literal approach to this design challenge. Sometimes I help my husband (football coach) paint the lines on the football field. The initial setup for painting the field is like laying off the foundation for a new home. It involves stakes, string and measuring tape. From that experience, I sketched my idea for a small quilt, called “Date Night.”

One evening while we were painting the field, one of the players and his mother drove by the school and his mother suggested her son volunteer to help us. After speaking with my husband, he came back to his mother and said, “No. He doesn’t need help. It’s ‘Date Night.'” The player’s mother enjoyed telling us this story. That’s just downright funny and the perfect name for this quilt.

From there, I started sewing from my “green” scrap bin, except I had about a half yard of kelly green.

My husband suggested the “end zone” needed blue accents. I like how the “end zone” is very liberated and the rest of the field is linear.

Carolyn Friedlander uses dense free motion quilting in many of her quilts. I wanted to try that:

I used high loft batting to give the grass some texture. I’m debating if I should quilt the white lines and if I should quilt in the name of the quilt on the front rather than on a label on the back. I’m going to let it stew for awhile and when I come back to this quilt I should know how I feel about doing that.

I’m enjoying this Book Bee and seeing what the other quilters are doing. The next chapter is Contrast. Initially I wanted to make a small quilt for each chapter in the book, but I’ve learned making Date Night that all the elements of thoughtful design were used in making this quilt. My desire to make multiple quilts was unrealistic. I always have lots of ideas and not enough time to turn those ideas into actual quilts.

CF writes in her book about sketching ideas over and over until you find the essence of your idea. I feel I rush through that process and taking the time to get out the “stakes, string and measuring tape” should improve my design process. At the same time I like just fiddling with fabric and seeing what happens when there is no plan. It’s a tough balance.

Update: Here is the finished quilt:

Oh, Starch.

March 3, 2015April 27, 20152 Comments

BUY IT. WASH IT. PRESS IT.

Each time I bring home fabric, I wash and dry it, then I press it, but not with starch. I use Mary Ellen’s Best Press. I spray on the back, then flip it over and press on the front of the fabric. I use a dry hot iron and I let the iron do the work!

Then I fold and store. That way I know it’s been pressed when I get it out to use it.

Why do this?

It stabilizes the fabric and it doesn’t stretch. You get more accurate results.

OH, STARCH. I STILL NEED YOU.

I use regular starch for applique. Spray a small amount in the lid of the Starch, then use a brush to apply to the applique, then press.

These hexagons, which I’m making for my hexagon applique quilt, were made by pinning the fabric to the paper with silk pins, letting them sit for a few days, then starching them. It’s faster than basting them. I haven’t tried this method with English Paper Piecing, but it might work.

LIQUID STARCH. JUST ADD WATER.

I don’t use liquid starch that often. It is good for making paper mache or attaching fabric to sheetrock walls. It’s great for renters. You just peel the fabric off when you move and wash the wall. And, if you have any old doilies you might notice they were made sharp with liquid starch.

Staying sharp,

Wanda

2015 Pantone Quilt Challenge: Marsala

February 24, 2015February 26, 20151 Comment

2015 Pantone Quilt Challenge: Marsala

Pantone chose Marsala as the Color of the Year. The bloggers at Play Crafts and On the Windy Side are hosting a quilt challenge/competition to use this color in a quilt.

I pulled some fabric:

I did some sketching and that didn’t inspire any ideas. I looked through a few quilt books and got the idea to make some paper “snowflakes”, which turned out square:

I cut navy “snowflakes”, 15 by 15 inches, with marsala-inspired blocks as the background and vice versa:

It seemed heavy. So I ditched the navy and went all out Marsala:

I liked the background but that was it. I started over. I went back to my sketches and found a design called The Three Bears with three Bear’s Paw blocks. I took that idea and created one, oversized, Bear’s Paw block I’m calling, “Mama Bear.”

I made a practice block to see what thread I wanted to use and to practice my free motion. I recently purchased the book, Shape by Shape, by Angela Walters. Using her book as a guide, I tried a few designs:

I didn’t like the pink thread and chose the wine color, Aurifil No. 2460, Dark Carmine Red, 28 weight, which looks more like the marsala color:

This is the quilt, under construction. I had the idea to create “footprints” with pebbles filled in. So far I’ve quilted one of Mama Bear’s paws. I’m going to need more thread. The 28 weight goes fast, but I really wanted the stitching to stand out. By the way, Angela Walters uses Superior Thread So Fine in 50 weight in most of her quilting.

***My concern is that it won’t be “marsala” enough but too berry wine. I’m also concerned it won’t have the graphic impact I want. I’m too far in now to change Mama Bear’s mind, though.

Now that I recognize Marsala, I see it everywhere. I could see this blouse, seen on FleurBonheur’s site on Etsy.com, interpreted as a Marsala quilt:

Flamenco--romantic embroidered blouse, top, textile collage, wearable art, hand dyed, hand beaded details,