Happy Valentine's Day and 3rd Anniversary

 Happy 3rd Anniversary my love.

A postcard.

 Set of four placemats.

 Mi Amore.

My valentine themed projects.

Antiquing via quilts

I have to start off by sharing the pride of the week when I was told by a former colleague that I should to go to SuperOneFoods in Walla Walla, WA and see some of my former engineering students with their new product--a bread baking machine that the public can watch as the bread is mixed and baked right before your eyes. Two of the designers were part of the engineering program where I was the Assoc. Dean of Engineering a few years ago. I was the advisor for one of them on their senior project. Check out the story of the bread baking machine created at Wilkinson Baking Company. Every 3 minutes a loaf is ready. It takes 96 minutes from start to finish for one loaf to be made. It smells wonderful!

I'm so proud!!!!





I was also awarded --twice no less, a 'Versatile Blogger' award. So honored! Thank you to BEAQuilter and WhataHootQuilts for naming me in your list of 15...you would each be in my list if this came from someone else!!
The Rules:

1. Add the award to your blog.
2. Thank the blogger who gave it to you.
3. Mention seven random things about yourself. (see below)
4. List the rules.
5. Award to 15 bloggers.
6. Inform each of those 15 by leaving a comment on their blog.

So the 7 random things....

1. I grew up on the coast of California --I so miss the ocean.
2. I come from a family of award winning teachers--I try ;-)
3. My California vanity plate at one time was MBASISE.
4. I feel like I'm into my 3rd career (typically have spent about 10 years in each or had a major transition at the 10 year mark each time).
5. Didn't marry until in my 40s.....but God was working on both of us. Everything in HIS timing!
6. Although affection is my #1 love language (thank you Gary Chapman for helping everyone understand this)...quality time is a close second.
7. I'd prefer to just design quilts and be able to hand off the concepts to a team of fabricators! 

I award a Versatile Blogger award to:

1. Lee @ Freshly Pieced -- she got me going in a major way with the on-line community through her Supernova Quilt-a-long.
2. Becky @ Becky's Blabber--met through the Supernova Quilt-a-long and only lives about an hour from me. We've gotten together several times--so fun to meet up with another quilter.
3. Anne Henrie @ And Sew It Goes--a fellow McCalls 2011 Quilt Design Star challenge 1 finalist.
4. Shirley @ Sewing Obsessed! --a fellow McCalls finalist and round 2 winner!
5. Mary @ Quiltin' Grandma's Blog --a fellow McCalls finalist...and in the next town from me! 
6. Carl @ 3 Dog Design--a fellow McCalls finalist.
7. Megan @ CanoeRidgeCreations --host of {Sew} Modern finishes on Mondays.
8. Leila @ Sewn -- I'm enjoying the Skill Builder Sampler with the Rosie the Riveter/We Can Do It quilter button
9. Melissa @ Sew Bitter Sweet Designs--a fellow Pacific NW Quilter
10. Chrissy & Linda @ SewLux Fabric & Gifts --have gotten some great online fabric deals here.
11. Leona @ Turbo Quilter - a very talented long-arm quilter and part of the Outlaw Quilters!
12. Diane @ A new tradition in quilting - beautiful machine quilting
13. Sierra @ The Bee Keeper's Wife - one of the first bloggers I ever met.
14. Suzanne @ Suzanne Thompson Photography -- my SIL...an aspiring photographer who has an eye for it! I wish she lived closer so she could photograph all my quilts.
15. Vegan Sisters - some wonderful looking food can be found here!

So...here is my intended subject for the week!

Opportunities this week saw me looking at several antique quilt tops and figuring out what to do with them.
The 1/4 Dresden Plate design, resulted in me doing a completely free motion design, the background inspired by Irena Bluhm. I figured out a continuous path to go from left to right on the quilt on each row without stopping. yee haw!

The next quilt was a lightweight fabric crazy quilt, put together in four pieces backed with 10 lb sugar sacks. The embroidery stitches at the seams were all the same design, but in different colors. Any ideas on how to appropriately quilt this? Right now I'm thinking it should just be tied with 28 wt cotton. What do you think?

The last is a medium weight fabric crazy quilt, put together in blocks with lots of different embroidery designs over the seams, but not on the square block seams. With additional fabric from the client that went with the thinly weighted border, I intend to finish up the borders to make the piece complete. After much research, I decided that I just should quilt the square block seams and leave it at that. Any other ideas? What type and color of thread should I use? The backing is a taupe background with dainty red flowers occassionally--looks very period. Do you see the pink initials stitched (left side)?  There is a date that includes '97 also stitched in it elsewhere. We're thinking it is 1897.

ok...a lot accomplished in this blog...hope you're still with me.

If anyone is still deciding about Ireland...NOW is the time to make that decision. I've heard that some options are filling up. C'mon let's go!

Have a wonderful Valentine's Week--its my 3rd wedding anniversary on Valentine's Day! I've got dough rising to make special heart shaped cinnamon rolls in the morning.

WIP

Completed
Zoe---'Summer School' --for a great review and some lessons learned, check out this blogpost.

2012 Finish #7
















Progress

• Skill Builder Sampler Block #6, 7, 21

I've put the first 6 together with the sashing that I have come up with. Carefully fussy cut both the sashing and cornerstones. Hoping for creating the effect of rivets (they are buttons printed on the fabric for the sashing) and a square washer at the cornerstones in red with a grey center.

• McCall's Mystery - Part 2 (both versions), it might be a couple of months before we get instructions for part 3 which should include the final assembly.

• EQ7 BOM layout, today is piecing day! Can't reveal this until March 1

Also awaiting quilting:

• Charmed Network v.2 - Eva
• WWVQG 2006 Basket BOM

'Til Next Time

• Oddie's Wild Nature (O.W.N.)
• Alaska's 2007 Shop Hop (block 1 is done....next up in February)
• Out of the Darkness (block 1 is done...next up in February)
• Rose of Sharon Bird Block (hoping for a finish within February)
• Snowflake/Blizzard Quilt
• Irena Bluhm coloring samples

2012 STATS
Completed: 7
In Progress: 11
To start: 3 (Peace Park, Shop Hop the Blues 2007 & 2009)

Are you going to Ireland in June? New pricing available for the 'tour' only, i.e. do you have miles you can use to get there? Join me!! Pay by check by March 7 and get a 3% discount.

More WIPs at the linkup on Lee's Freshly Pieced blog. Happy WIPping ;-)

{Sew} Modern / Design Wall / BOM's Away Monday

For my {Sew} Modern Monday - Finish, I did another version of 'Zoe' I'm calling 'Summer School'. I wrote a 'Lessons from Zoe' blog post on Friday that I hope you'll check out if you're interested in learning from some of my own experiences. I've included many other versions of mine as well as clients. It is a fun review!

On my Design Wall is the first row in my Skill Builder Sampler quilt-a-long organized by Leila @ Sewn. More blocks will be revealed in Wednesday's WIP blog entry. About three times a month Leila posts a new block. I didn't start this until very late, so it is a weekly installment quilt for me with several blocks to finish in order to catch up, but I am hopeful that I can with my new plan to get the blocks done even with key assembly points along the way. Excited to see the first row with sashings all put together.

For BOM's Away progress....here is version 1 and 2 of Part 2 of the McCalls Mystery.

Also on my Design Wall.....  I can't show you :-) I'm working on the EQ7 2011 BOM Layout contest....reveal to happen by March 2 weekly blogpost.

Some new pricing options have been posted for the trip to Ireland. Check it out!! Got miles you can use...get there on those, but still be on our tour. It is going to be a great experience!





Check out other {Sew} Modern finishes at Canoe Ridge Creations
Design Walls at PatchworkTimes
BOM's Away progress at WhataHootQuilts

Lessons with Zoe

This week I was working on a 'sample' adapted from my 'Zoe' pattern. I used up leftovers from a layer cake with reds and blues and a few black and white fabrics that remained and a bit of additional yardage some purchased from stash for the purpose of making this quilt and other yardage purchased on sale from Sew Lux (online store) before Christmas. All of this fabric is called 'Punctuation by American Jane Patterns Sandy Klop for MODA". Although the contrast levels of the fabric aren't like my original design, the scrappiness of it makes for a happy retro quilt suitable for a boy or a girl. I've decided to call it 'Summer School'.

I learned some lessons that I hope you can learn from me the easy way!

1. I loaded the backing with selvages between the rollers instead of ON the rollers. The stretch left to right was 'ok', but I think I should have done it with the selvage ON the rollers. (see photo in #3 below) Remember, the selvage does not stretch at the same rate that the rest of the fabric stretches. When using it at the roller it seems to be ok, but when stretching it between rollers there is a difference.

2. I contemplated putting it on the long-arm machine horizontally, but wasn't exactly sure how I wanted to quilt it. After getting into the quilting, I wished I HAD loaded it horizontally. I knew what I wanted to do in the border, so got it loaded and started quilting. I ended up quilting it with straight vertical lines, around the circles and then went back and added different punctuation marks, symbols and an 'A' and a 'Z' inside the circles. The vertical lines seemed to keep a retro theme of the fabric style.

Look:

If I had loaded it horizontally, I could have stitched each line across the quilt without stopping!

3. I used my new side clamps. Normally the batting would be part of what is clamped, but I was using some 80/20 scraps for this sample and it just wasn't wide enough for that. Given the close quilting that I was doing at the edge of the quilt, these clamps worked really nice to keep me from hitting the clap with the bottom of the sewing machine. These clamps are sold by Renae Haddadin. They are a separate purchase from  her Red Snappers which you can also see in this photo being used to attach the backing.

4. The border quilting I would typically SID (stitch in the ditch) w/ my channel lock on, but I did the fill at the same time. Just take it slow and it works out pretty good.

5. To do the binding, I wanted it to be exactly at the edge of the ticket on the fabric, so chose to sew it on the front first. Using a 2.25" strip folded in half lengthwise and knowing how far between the raw edge and the edge of the ticket, I could stitch the binding down with confidence. I had trimmed from the inner edge of the border consistently all the way around. Folding the binding around to the back, I then SID from the front. I wanted to use these new clips 'Wonder Clips' from Clover for holding the binding down. Generally this worked pretty well. I learned that you really need to push the clips in snuggly around the binding so that it stays tight. There were a few spots I had to re-do because the stitching didn't quite catch the binding on the back side of the quilt. But, for a completely machine sewn binding--I'm happy!

Here are other versions that have been made of this pattern. The original one (below left) made for our friend's daughter 'Zoe'. I put minkee on the back. I was really pleased with how it turned out. The second (below right) was made mostly with the fabrics used when designing it in EQ and as a store sample that has now been returned to me. This is headed to a baby born a month ago and they named her Zoe, so I just think it is the perfect way to now put this quilt to use. Most of the fabrics are 'Giselle'.

These are made with a pre-cut layer cake (10" squares) and some yardage from the fabric line 'Punctuation by American Jane Patterns Sandy Klop for MODA'. I split up the layercake by colors with the green and orange and accents of yellow in the first, then the reds and blues in the second. Black and white fabrics are used throughout as the highlight fabrics. The sizing in these are a bit different because of using a layer cake which also makes it scrappy. The retro effect of the fabrics prompted me to do the quilting in a more simplistic traditional style. Left has a cross-hatch in the background and curved cross-hatching in the circles. Right has vertical lines in the background and punctuation symbols and letters in the circles.

Client versions that I got to quilt include these from Crysta:

 

And this version from another client, Hildred. This was her first quilting project with an assist from me ;-). A beautiful light green minkee with alphabet letters is on the back. Made for her first grandchild. On the day it was finished my peonies were blooming beautifully in the yard, so had to include them with this photograph.

 

Have you made a 'Zoe' quilt? Send me a photo! I'd love to add them to the collection of how people interpret the design.

The red/blue sample finished this week is now on display @ Stash in Walla Walla, WA.

I'll be teaching two classes there in the upcoming months -- Charmed Network in Feb/Mar and Elephant's Play in May. Contact them directly for details on the class.

If you're considering Ireland--it is time to make a decision! 3% discount if paid in full by check before March 7. Details for booking on my tour click here. They have recently posted additional fare options, i.e. make your own airfare reservations --got miles? and just book the local part of the trip w/SewManyPlaces.

WIP

Progress
Zoe - another one! (READY FOR QUILTING really hope to have it finished today--we'll see) This is using part of a layer cake and some yardage from the 'punctuation' line of fabric by American Jane for Moda. Using the red/blue blocks and a few black/white blocks and a bit of the multi-print black and red yardage to get the tickets for the border and some circles. I was able to get some yardage on sale from Sew Lux before Christmas which gave me a bit more of the white fabric with the punctuation marks and a backing for the quilt. The layer cake makes it very scrappy. I think I like the orange/green/yellow version that I did better in terms of contrast and values, but this is one I've had sitting around waiting to be done. The original pattern was only from 4 pieces of yardage, so this scrappy effect is quite different but I tried to keep the reds as 1 fabric, the blues as the alternate fabric, and the black as the darkest dark and the 'white' as the large motif (if you're looking at the pattern). I did get to use the compass rotary cutter from Olfa to cut most of the circles--loved it! Some of the circles were leftovers from a prior quilt (cutouts from the back) so were sized a little bit smaller. I machine appliqued with a blanket stitch all of the circles and then cut out the fabric behind them. For locals--Stash one of our LQSs, has a lot of fabrics in this line. This quilt is headed there as a sample. With the red/white/blue theme it almost makes me think of 4th of July fireworks!


Skill Builder Sampler Block #5 - I tried Eleanor Burn's Quilt-in-a-Day method when needing 8 alike HSTs. This meant that the outside edges of each 2.5" unfinished block did NOT have bias edges. Her instruction page that comes with her ruler (which I don't have), help explain the concept and give a math chart for various sizes of finished blocks and what size squares to start with, etc. I've added it to my resources tab on this blog. I'm very happy with the points on this and so quick to stitch the HSTs!









And Skill Builder Sampler Blocks #22-24 --all about curves. I jumped ahead and did these so that I can participate in the giveaway going on this week. I feared these curves. It wasn't as bad as I thought it might be, but it still took longer than I prefer ;-) Glad they are done though. I think I have a new strategy so that I can finish when everybody else does too!

Progress now on Oddie's Wild Nature with the addition of an Eagle block.
Just have to show you the latest pattern testing progress -- here is test #2 on the MiAmore quilt--no applique applied and different border treatment, but a fun interpretation to see! The tester made this for her husband. I especially like the use of the stripe in the border and binding. I've got one more test coming in.

EQ7 BOM layout, fabrics have been assembled and a strategy identified to create the background fabric, my binding(s) will be decided after the center is complete-- Can't reveal this until March 1.

Also awaiting quilting:

• Charmed Network v.2 - Eva
• WWVQG 2006 Basket BOM

'Til Next Time

• McCall's Mystery - ready for Step 2
• Alaska's 2007 Shop Hop (block 1 is done....next up in February)
• Out of the Darkness (block 1 is done...next up in February)
• Rose of Sharon Bird Block
• Snowflake/Blizzard Quilt

2012 STATS
Completed: 6
In Progress: 11, do I add what I started in a class last week (see below)?
To start: 3 (Peace Park, Shop Hop the Blues 2007 & 2009)

If you have a minute- go to my 'older post' from Sat. night and read about what I did in a class last week!

Are you going to Ireland in June? Join me!!

More WIPs at the linkup on Lee's Freshly Pieced blog. Happy WIPping ;-)