Grooving

I'm so excited to show you my Grooves quilt.  I finished the border while watching General Conference this weekend.  In fact, I got a second quilt bound as well.  Good times.

I'll be sending this quilt off to my mom.  A nursing home in Syracuse asked my mom if our church would make 200 quilts for them.  It is an inner-city home where people who do not have any family or any insurance live, so you can imagine that the need is very great for anything of that sort.  They particularly wanted lap quilts for those who are wheel-chair bound, so when I saw that the baby quilt size of the Grooves pattern was the right size I knew this was the quilt I wanted to make.  I intentionally used all blues, so that this quilt could be for a guy.

 I love all-solids quilts, but have never made one myself, so this was a lot of fun.  It really made quilting this a joy, because the emphasis could be on the quilting and not on the patterns of the fabrics.  I almost love the back as much as the front, because the quilting stands out so much on the navy back.

This quilt was also part of my UFO goals for the 2012 Finish Along (original post for the 4th quarter here).

Finishing Up Month of Paisley

It's the last week of Paisley designs with Leah and I have to say that they have really grown on me.  I like the look of this week's Pointy Paisley a lot.  The only draw back that I've found is that straight lines are not quite as forgiving in terms of hiding flaws.  A squiggle can fluctuate, but it's pretty obvious when your line's not straight.  I think the triangles look really cool though.

I also quilted the last section of my Grooves quilt using a large scale Stipple.  I'm so excited to finish this quilt.  Hopefully, I'll have it bound and ready to show you next week.  In the meantime, Happy Quilting!

Final Quarter Goals

I've been trying to finish up UFOs (Un-Finished Objects) this year as part of the 2012 Finish-A-Long.  My only problem is that I keep starting more projects, so my list of UFOs is actually longer than it was at the beginning of the year.  I got 2 of 3 done this past quarter, but once again I didn't even touch the infamous Christmas quilt that has been on my list for all 3 quarters.  Oops.  Since Christmas is drawing nigh maybe I'll actually be motivated this time around.  So, here is my list of UFOs to finish before the new year:

1- Christmas blocks:

2- Roar Quilt:  (I'm half way done quilting this one)

 3- Cupcake quilt: (needs to be quilted still)

4-  My husband is going to shout hallelujah over this one:  I've decided to pull out the old Halloween wall hanging that I started over 2 years ago.  I put it together and couldn't decide how to quilt it, got mad at it, proclaimed my extreme dislike for it, and shoved it in the bottom of my UFO bin.  It has been there ever since.  Maybe I'll even try to get it done before Halloween.  I know, I know - what a concept!

5- Blogger's BOM quilt:

6- Last but not least I need to finish my Grooves Quilt.  I'm trying to finish up the quilting on it this week.

Wish me luck and some serious productivity vibes, because I'm going to need it if I plan on getting this all done before the end of the year.

Last BOM

I squeezed in September's Block of the Month the very last day of the month.  It's entitled Lucky Last since it is the last block in the Blogger's series.  Next month we'll be deciding how to put all the blocks together.

 Here's a look at all 13 of my blocks:

I also finished the Sewing Machine cover, but I'll wait until it's safely in the mail on its way to my swap partner before I show any pictures.  :) 

I'm linking up to BOMs Away on this fine Monday morning.

More Quilting

This week's design was Snake Paisley, and I liked it a lot.  It kind of reminds me of flames.  I was also looking for a fun and easy filler design for 2 more sections of the quilt and I found Spiral Knots in Leah's archives.  I had a feeling I would love this design, because it's very similar to Loopy Lines (one of my favorites).  It's definitely a great choice for quickly filling an area with the ability to space the quilting out a bit. 

Quilting Options

Tonight I'm teaching a class for some basic quilting options.  I thought I would give a run-down of some simple techniques for the beginner.  I think it's always good to see what other people are doing as well, so check out some other posts that are great from Alyssa here and here.  If you really want to go to a fabulous source I suggest Leah Day.  She is so talented and has so many wonderful tutorials/videos.

I decided to categorize some quilting options for you the way my brain works.  Disclaimer - I'm pretty sure your brain works different than mine and that's probably a good thing, but I needed a way to organize my thoughts: (Remember that you can click on any of the pictures to make them larger)

Straight Lines: 

• Stitch in the Ditch- It is just what it sounds like; you sew along the seam of the fabrics, so that the sewing is not seen.  The most common use for this is to stitch around squares and blocks as an outlining tool.  If done right you should really only see it on the back of your quilt.

Notice the outlining of the octagon and center square of the block on the back of the quilt

• Straight-Line Echoing- I've also seen it referred to as Outlining.  You sew a set distance away from the seam (usually 1/4"), and it brings attention to the shape you outline.  You can also do multiple echoing:

• Parallel Lines- Straight lines down the length or width of your quilt.  You can vary the distance or keep it the same distance between lines.  This particular quilt is parallel lines.  It looks wavy, because I used a decorative stitch at it's longest stitch setting, but it was created the same exact way you would make straight lines.

• Perpendicular lines: Straight lines on the diagonal forming diamonds.  Sometimes the lines go in the direction of your blocks and sometimes it's fun to make the diamonds running through the straight, square blocks.

• Straight-lined designs:  You can also create really cool effects simply by using straight lines.  In this case I chose an echoing diamond:

Organic Lines:

• Parallel Organic Lines:  It's the same idea as Parallel straight lines except you use a walking foot and randomly let the line wiggle as you travel down the length of your quilt.  Again, you can vary the space between the lines.  They can be very close together or several inches apart depending on the look you are going for.

• Random Organic Lines:  This quickly became one of my favorites, because it's different every time you do it.  You randomly place lines from edge to edge of the quilt.  I like to arch my lines and make curve shapes for an added effect, but you can also make then wiggly or all straight depending on what you like.  You keep making lines until you like the amount of lines on your quilt.

Free Motion Quilting:
This is where people tend to get crazy nervous.  Up until about 6 months ago I did very little FMQ.  It scared me to death, because I was convinced I would ruin my quilts.  A couple tips that have really helped me. 

1. You need a free motion quilting foot (sometimes called a darning foot).  It doesn't have to be anything fancy, and you can buy a generic one if your machine doesn't come with one.
2. A common misconception is that you have to lower your feed dogs.  It's actually better if you don't and just lower your stitch length to as close to 0 as possible.  When your feed dogs are down your needle punches larger holes in your fabric.
3. There are all kinds of tools out there that you can purchase to help with quilting, but one that I think really helps is to have quilting gloves, so that you have a firmer grip on your quilt and can maneuver it easier.  If you want the whole ultimate package of quilting tools go here, but you can find quilting gloves at places like JoAnns.  
4. Practice is the key - seriously though.  You don't get good at FMQ by sitting and watching other people do it.  I keep all of my extra strips of batting and fabric that I don't particularly like and form my own mini-sandwiches.  I practice using these scraps, so I don't feel like I'm wasting materials.  It's the perfect use for them.
5. I practice on my "sandwich" a little before trying any new design just to make sure my tension is correct on my machine, and then I continue with my FMQ on the desired quilt.  (You don't have to do this, but I find that it keeps me from having to pick out stitches because I realize too late that my thread tension is off).  Play with the settings of thread tension until you find one that works for your machine.
6. When practicing it's often helpful to use a thread that is a high contrast in color from your fabric so you can easily see what you're stitching.

Some really popular designs:  (There are hundreds, so obviously I'm only showing some basic options). 

• Stippling- This is what people generally refer to as a squiggle.  I used to randomly squiggle around on my quilts until I found out there is actually a method to the madness.  I'm not even going to pretend like I can make a better video than Leah, so here is the link to her video that gives a wonderful tutorial on practicing Stippling.

• Loopy Lines-  This is one of my personal favorites, because it can quickly fill a quilt and can easily be adjusted for less density (more space between loops) to make a baby quilt more snugly.  Here is Leah's tutorial on Loopy Lines.

More dense quilting

Less dense quilting

I hope this gets your wheels turning about what you want to do with your quilt.  What's really cool is that there are so many FMQ designs out there to explore and see what works for you.  You can even make an entire quilt with just quilting.  It's a fun experiment to create a wholecloth quilt:

Soccer or Football (Whichever Suits Your Fancy)

I know in most of the world it's called Football, but I'll stick with saying Soccer for now.  :)

Last week Joel and I went to the Columbus Crew Game against Chivas.  It was Mormon Night and also Latino Night.  I'm not really sure how those 2 go together - a lot of Latinos are Mormon maybe??  Anyway, what that did mean is that we got some yummy Mexican grub while watching the soccer game.   The other funny thing was that an entire section was a bunch of Mormon missionaries in suits.  I thought it was hilarious when the drink guy came up yelling about ice, cold beers.  Somebody was nice enough to tell him he was probably in the wrong section since Mormons don't drink.  He came back later yelling about water and Gatorade.  He caught on quickly.  Tee hee.

It was a lot of fun.  The Crew finally scored 89 minutes into the game.  Phew.  They won 1-0.

Basting Your Quilt

It's that time again!  2 months ago I gave some beginners tips for learning how to piece together a quilt top.  For starter tips & supply list go here.  4-patch tutorial is here and Pinwheel tutorial is here.

Next Tuesday I'm teaching a beginners quilting class at my church.  If you're in the Columbus area you should come - it's going to be fun!  First thing's first though - before you learn how to baste your quilt (put the 3 layers together) you need to decide which batting to use in the middle of your quilt.  There are a ton of options out there and it can really be confusing which one to buy.  I personally am a Warm & Natural girl, but that's for you to decide.  Sew, Mama, Sew gives a wonderful guide on all the different types of batting.

Some things to think about when choosing batting:
1- The most common thing I hear is that the batting just seems too thin and won't keep them warm.  It's the loft of the batting that determines the warmth not the actual thickness.  Most lap quilts and such are low loft.  It's what I almost always use, because it's a lot easier to work with.  However, if this is going on a bed and you really want a warm quilt you can use high loft batting.  It's more expensive, but well worth it if you want to be toasty roasty.  High loft means the fibers are woven closer together.  Remember- it doesn't refer to the thickness of the batting, so don't base it on how thick it is in connection to warmth.

2- Keep in mind how you are planning to quilt it when choosing batting.  Notice on the instructions of this particular batting that the furthest apart I can top stitch my quilt is 10 inches apart.   Each type of batting has different needs for quilting in order for it to keep shape and not warp or fall apart over time.  Some batting requires stitching as close as 5 inches, so check the label before purchasing it.

Basting Your Quilt:
There are a couple of ways to layer your quilt.  Alyssa at Pile O' Fabric gives a great tutorial on 3 different methods.  It doesn't really matter which method you use as long as you like it and it does a good job of keeping your layers from shifting.  I personally use Pin Basting.  This is the method I will be showing at the quilting class.

If you want to baste along with me during the class you will need to bring:

• Pieced Quilt top
• Quilt Back Fabric (ironed as much as possible) - It should be the size of the quilt top plus a couple inches around for a little wiggle room
• Safety Pins
• Batting (enough to cover your quilt back)