Dear Jane Patiently Waiting

I was just walking through the hall to the quilt room when I chanced to see this sitting patiently in a pile. I had given a 15 minute presentation of  my quilt journey (which actually began 40 years ago) at my local quilt guild last week and I took DJ off the wall. She is not going back up there again until she is completely finished.  I put the suitcases away but there is still a pile of quilts waiting for me to return them to their proper places, like on beds.

What is it about seeing all these little blocks sewn together neatly with sashing that makes  me smile? Not the same feeling I had looking at it on the wall. It hung on the design wall for 2 1/2 years as I added blocks once in a while. I could sit here and look at it by the hour, enjoying the accomplishment, seeing the errors, plotting how I will teach it next time which will be in September.

At lunch today, I was just reminiscing about the fall of 2009 when I started making this quilt that was supposed to take 2 years. I had just returned from 3 weeks in India where we had dedicated the school for orphan children that my husband and I had donated, spoke at a women pastor's conference, dedicated wells and a lot of other interesting activities. The day after our return (my 13 year old red headed, blue eyed niece and I) house guests started arriving for our son's wedding. After all the guests left, I returned to fall classes for my second year at seminary and some routine blood work. My husband flew off to Wisconsin for a cattle show and the boiler on our furnace cracked as we joyfully started our first 10 DJ blocks. The doctor suggested that I might have had a heart attack since my heart enzymes were over 2000 (whatever that means). The following week was Thanksgiving and a major cattle show so I had to  milk cows morning and night for 5 days straight, had 6 new babies, broke 2 milking machines and I was judging the junior exhibits at one fair and canning at another. And it rained and rained. My husband flew out to visit our daughter and I had one assignment (among many) due  for New Testament History and Literature on how the author of the Di Vinci Code used sources to portray the historical Jesus in his novel. Needless to say, every time I picked up a book to read, I started crying - no idea why.  Went back to the doctor and she suggested that I should reduce stress in my life since my blood pressure rose for the first time ever from 102/70 to 139/86 whatever that means. So, I dropped out for the rest of the school year, slept for a week, eventually put in a new furnace, saw a cardiologist and a rheumatologist who both politely told me I was fat and so I took a Baltimore Applique course.
I have started 11 big quilt projects since then and only completed 2. Guess I should get busy. I could play the mind game of planning to complete 1 quilt this year - no wait - how about 1 per month - no - the ADHD will kick in and convince me that I could complete ALL of them this week . . . and its only Friday . . .

I milked cows this morning for the first time since mud last fall and I am feeling a bit giddy . . . the temperature SOARed here today to a sunny high of -17C and frozen water pipes.
Spring is only 20 days away.
Blessings,
Chris

CCCQ #19

This arrived into my inbox today a couple of days early so I have it prepped and ready to needleturn by hand. I like doing hand work even though it takes a while to get a block done.

CCCQ #19

I like to take several blocks along when I travel. That will happening in less than 3 weeks from now when I fly out to the east coast to visit my daughter for 2 weeks. Before then, I get to babysit both of the little girls together at the same time for several days. Not done that before. I usually get them one at a time. Devan is 9 months now and she comes over 2-3 days a week and Elly just turned 2. She usually comes to the farm if she is sick, otherwise she goes to day care every day. But march Break is coming and the daycare will be closed. I wonder if they are ready to try out the 2 antique toy sewing machines that I have here in the quilt room? Am I ready to bring either of them into the quilt room? Ava started "quilting" on the toy Singer machine when she was 3. She is now 6 and using the Bernina since it has needle down and 1/2 speed as well as fun embroidery stitches. She is going ice fishing with Daddy. She loves that. Got her own fishing poles. One for ice fishing and another for summer fishing.

Blessings,
Chris

Ben Biggs Block #2

This is the Benjamin Biggs Wedding Quilt originally made in the 1850s. It is being offered as a free Block of the Month by Sentimental Stitches and Dear Jane for the next 2 years.  It will not be a fast project, but I am doing it by machine applique so it will go much more quickly than doing it by hand. This will give me lots of time to make it since I have several other big projects on the go.

Benjamin Biggs Wedding Quilt

I am using a water soluble fusable web called Florianni. This is the first time I am using it and have to figure out how to iron it on and keep it there until I am finished. It will dissolve inside after it is washed.
I used it on block #1 and tried to machine applique the raw edge but, it was fraying noticeably and the florianni did not adhere to the fabric nicely. I first tried to do it with a polyester invisible thread but that was a disaster. Then I tried using a matching cotton thread using a narrow blind stitch. It still frayed. So, I got my machine cleaned and oiled and decided to start over. 

Ben Biggs Block #1 - Apple Pie Ridge Block

This is block #2. I am making it by machine applique since I want to master that technique. Having said that, I am learning that there are many ways of approaching machine applique. This time I turned under the edge and glued it under. It takes more time than raw edge, but has a nicer finish. I am taking a page from Sharon Peterson and using a very very narrow zigzag stitch in matching Coats dual purpose thread. So far it looks good.

Ben Biggs Block 2

So why am I making this absolutely stunningly beautiful reproduction quilt by machine you may ask? Because the Beyond the Cherry Trees Quilt pattern from the same site went on sale and I paid out real money for it and I plan to do that one by hand applique. It has more colours and I just love the name: Beyond the Cherry Trees. Sounds kind of romantic sort of. Will I start on it anytime soon? I do have enough fabric in my stash (except for the greens) and found no less than 5 bundles of background fabric that would be suitable.

I think there are over 300 cherries and 200 grapes in it. That might take a while. But I think I can use my GO cutter to short cut some of the cherries and leaves. Just saying . . . 

Blessings,

Chris

Custom Dies

I have been asked about  my custom made dies. I bought the Accuquilt GO Baby cutter 2 years ago with the starter set of dies. A year ago I discovered the swag die and decided to invest in a gzillion more applique dies and figure out how to do a complete Red and Green antique type sampler top in a weekend. Life has a way of intersecting our plans and I am still working out this crazy plan.

Once I got started cutting out the shapes, I got frustrated trying to cut out just leaves from around the various sizes of flowers on a board and responded to the the ad from            www.CustomShapePros.com
This took a few days to sort out as I was designing 3 separate dies that cut only leaves in small, medium and large sizes. I wanted to have them do double duty so that I could cut out pre-fused fabric shapes for raw edged machine applique as well as for fabric for hand applique. Each smaller leaf size nestles inside the larger  so that I can cut the smaller shape out of freezer paper or wash-away foundation and the larger one out of fabric and then iron the 2 together then turn under the seam allowance for hand or machine applique.

The whole idea was to spend less time using scissors which hurt  my arthritic hands. As I was working on this order, I was also considering reproducing my own version of an antique quilt and had the scathingly brilliant idea of doing this using the GO dies.

So, I then had a special die made up with 3 sizes of natural leaves that could be used for this 1814 applique quilt. More on this when I have some progress to show. The thing that has slowed me down here is trying to figure out how to do the stems.

The order took a few days for us to get the right shapes figured out then they made them and shipped them out within 5 days. The dies each cost between $60 -$80 US plus shipping. It cost $40 US to ship them to Canada, or so we thought. Canada Customs has a way of intervening though. This package arrived at out door by UPS and we had to pay an extra $102 Cdn to receive it. Now I do not mind paying customs charges on international purchases. I shop across the border often and seldom have to pay the extra. However, it is the $48 brokerage fee on the order that gets me. As dairy farmers with a  high profile herd of Guernsey cattle, we often transport livestock across the border to and from the USA. We are no longer able to just load a cow onto the truck and drive across with the appropriate health documents required. We now have to hire a trucker/broker and pay the trucking fees as well as the $600 brokerage fee.

I am putting this on hold for a while until I get caught up on some farm paper work, doctoral homework and writing. . .  Sigh. . . . I love quilting.

Blessings,
Chris 
  

GO not so Fast

On the wall in no particular order are the blocks I have so far. 

GORF Takes a break

But, alas, it is that time of the year when the bookkeeper and the accountant want my attention and I still have 2 months of filing to complete last year and have not started this year's file box yet because I have been having too much fun quilting. And I am way behind on registering our calves and am going to the East Coast next month to spend 2 weeks with my pregnant daughter who is on bed rest for another 4 months.
March break (school winter break) is coming in 2 weeks and I get the 2 tiny little girls for 4 days while their dad takes the 6 year old ice fishing.  They went last year and she ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT so they are going again. Mom does not get a break because she is just off maternity leave.

So, The GO Real Fast Quilt is taking another time out for good behaviour. I am seriously planning to make another one in a different colourway and prove to myself that I really can get it done in a weekend (might be a long weekend) now that I have most of the details figured out . . . and then I plan to hold some weekend retreats and invite others to join in on the GO Real Fast fun. Not the quilting of course.

GO Real Fast Quilt Progress

Now to quilting.

I did not get much more done on the GO Real Fast quilt since the weekend. Monday was Family Day, a holiday and I babysat little girl grand babies 3 different days and we all know how  much quilting we can get done then. I got 12/16 blocks prepped and all the green and some of the red is appliqued so far.

I finally decided to use silk thread for the machine applique. It is working very well so far. 

Grapes

I am not sure if I got this green wreath right. I cut out the circle and ironed it down then tried to center the leaves using a press and cut mat with lines and circles. I started out appliqueing this with polyester invisible thread but it was so fine it kept breaking so I switched to nylon but it was rough so that's when I switched to dark green silk. The idea was to have the stitching disappear. 

Green Wreath

However, I wanted to high light these flowers so used some creamy variegated long staple cotton by sulky. So now this really shows up and looks very nice. But what do I do with that green wreath?

Roses

 These look more like corn cobs than tulips.

Tulips

It is fun working with all the wavy stems GO has available. Maybe if I ever order any more custom dies there should be some stems only.

Different Roses

 This one looks a bit skimpy. Should I add more leaves and if so where?

More Roses

I tried to center the designs and put a pin at the 12" mark in each corner to keep the designs from falling off the block. This one seems a bit scarce in the bottom right corner. I have not yet stitched it down and plan to highlight the flower petals.

Poinsettia

 I wonder where this pomegranate shape came from? I do not recall them looking like this in the orchards of India that I have visited. I added some cheddar here for dimension. I like it. 

Pomegranate

Again, working with curvy stems has been interesting.

Laurel Leaves

 More cheddar. Should I have a bud here or another leaf? 

Wonky Roses

Oak Leaf and Reel

These last 2 were quilted up last week. I forgot to switch the presser foot for the waking foot so the quilting looks a bit poofier on the Lancaster Rose block.

I took the liberty to cut out some of the leaf center so it would not be quite so much dark green. and I see that I only used that red with gold print in this block so have to make sure I get it into several others.

Lancaster Rose

I do not want to start on the border until I have 4 blocks completed, quilted and joined together then I can balance the swags and whatever other flowers I put on them. 

to be continued . . . .

Blessings
Chris

CANADA WOMEN'S HOCKEY WIN'S GOLD

 I only got to see the overtime part and it was stellar!! Canada was behind 2-0 to the Americans until the final 3 minutes when they tied it up and went into overtime. So Canada's women's hockey team wins Olympic gold for the 4th time in a row.
I was on a long distance call with my daughter in New Brunswick making plans to fly out to see her next month and she gave me a play by play of the last minutes of the game. She does not play hockey but has been on bed rest for 2 months with nearly 4 months to go in her first and high risk pregnancy. My son on the other hand, had his whole yard crew watching the game at work. His family and in laws all play hockey and I babysit every Sunday night while they play. He also referees several nights a week.
Come to think of it, my husband played hockey for years after we got married. Our kids grew up playing outdoor pond hockey. I grew up watching Hockey Night in Canada in the '60s doing homework. 
Why is hockey so much more important to Canadians than most any other sport? Canada has already won gold in women's curling, men's snow boarding and women's bobsledding but who's counting?
Hockey is a Canadian sport. End of discussion.

 

Red and Green GO Real Fast Quilt

Two years ago I decided to invest in the GO Baby cutter (half price) and later the GO cutter (60% off). But when I discovered the scalloped swag die a year ago, I was totally in to get lots more applique dies and see if I could make a full sized sampler quilt in a weekend.

I bought the rest of the bolt of the background fabric at the Quilt Farm in Boston, New York at a retreat last April.
Then, I spent an entire day in May preshrinking, ironing on heat-n-bond-lite fusible web (half price at Fabricland) and cutting out all the background blocks, borders, backing blocks and batting in preparation for making this 16 block applique sampler quilt with borders in a hurry.
In July I researched designs for antique Red and Green quilts in the 35 books on antique quilts I have on my shelf. Well, I bought a few after reading some blogs about antique quilts in June.
I took a month (19 days) off from quilting in Aug.
In Sept I got some custom dies made up for cutting just leaves so I can cut lots without having to work around all the other shapes that are crammed onto most of the dies. Pricey, but I an SO happy with them.  

This week I finally got going on the Red and Green GO Real Fast Quilt.

 

I finally figured out that I needed the iron pad/cutting mat with the grid and circles so I could pin the background, center and lay out the pieces and then iron on the pre-fused applique shapes after running them through the GO cutter. I find that a dressmaker pin is perfect to reposition and hold those little bits before ironing them in place.

 

Last week I took my Bernina in for a cleaning and even took along the zigzag foot, #80 metallic needles and the invisible thread to make sure everything was going to work right. I was told to drop my top tension down to 0. Then I prepped the first 2 blocks and finally took the plunge and started appliqueing by machine using monofilament thread and . . .
                                         . . .  that was a disaster . . . The polyester thread is so fine it breaks too often. So I switched to a different one that was heavier but it leaves a thick rough ridge. Sigh.
So I switched to silk since I have so  much on hand that I never got around to use way back when I bought it for something else. 

Yesterday I spray glued the backing and batting together for all the squares. For the backing fabric I bought the whole 15 yard bolt for $2.50/yard a few years ago. For the batting, I bought the whole bolt of warm and natural king size at half price. Never know when I might impulsively finish a quilt and need some batting to quilt it. Well, almost if I didn't actually quilt the thing until later.

However, I decided to quilt as I go and then connect the blocks with strips later when I figure out how. I was planning on using painters tape to mark the 1 inch lines but it kept tearing as I tried to unroll it. So I switched to plan B and had to locate the blue marking pen bought back in the fall. It took almost as long to draw the cross-hatching grid onto the square as it did to quilt it.

I love sewing with my Brother machine. This quilted up so quickly, then I spritzed it with water after I found a spray bottle with a straw inside that actually worked. And then after all this, I realized that I had  missed several lines and had to wait until it dried to remark the lines so I could finish it.

 

So, the quilt in a weekend project is still in the developmental stages and I will keep posting my progress. And Dear Jane has been patiently pinned on the design wall wonder when I will get around to spending some quality time completing her.

Blessings,
Chris

CCCQ # 16

Yeah . . . I completed a block . . . This one is for Wanda . . . This is the first block exchange I have ever made a block for . . .
Now to find her address and figure out how to write my name in that nice . . . white . . . center . . . with out messing up . . .

In the  mean time, I am getting ready to present my quilt journey at our local Ancaster Quilter's Guild. It appears that blogging about some of my quilt journey has been preparing me for this 15 minutes of fame.
I have decided to share about 10 quilts. Five of them are works in progress but this is about the journey.

I turned the treadle machine I have sitting by the wall in the living room so I could put a wooden chair beside it, a lamp on top of it and my project box so I can sit and watch the Olympics and American Idol with my Sweetie and stitch away in comfort.
Blessings,
Chris

Commenting on Blogs

It is now 5 months since I started blogging and am really loving it.
I love the writing, the editing, the pictures,
but especially connecting with quilters and bloggers around the world.
However, as I am still quite new to all this,
I am wondering why I can post a comment on some blogs and not on others.
I have tried to reply to comments made on my posts
and to read the blogs of those posting,
but cannot leave a comment so often.
Sigh.
Two friends were telling me the other day that they read my blogs
and have tried posting a comment
but were not successful.
What do I need to correct all this?
I know that I am a no-reply blogger
because I asked specifically in a comment I made.
I have tried following the directions to change that but have not been successful so far.
In the meantime,
I will continue posting 2-3 times a week,
although I would love to post 2-3 times a day,
but alas,
I have stuff to do other than blogging.
I have discovered that I have actually gotten more quilting done
since I started blogging.
Is it because I have an audience encouraging my efforts?
Or is it because I have an audience to boast about my efforts?
Blessings,
Chris