From Bits and Pieces

I was cleaning out and tidying up the other day and I ran across a bin filled with pieced four inch sub-units from a multi-session course that I attended a few years back, offered at my LQS. The course was "Tucker University" and we used  Studio 180 tools and technique sheets to make basic units: half square triangles, quarter square triangles, combination units, shaded four patches, square in a square, flying geese, high-low blocks, sidekick blocks, corner beams, little houses and pickets. At the time I chose the focus fabric (dk. blue multi print) and pulled the coordinating scraps from the stash for a controlled (sort of) palette. I blogged about it here almost three years ago. I never stitched any of the blocks together, simply bagged the sub-units together and put them, and the background and focus fabrics, together in the bin. I've had SO MUCH FUN this week arranging them, changing them, taking them apart, rearranging the components and putting them back together again on the design wall-- like quilter's building blocks. The beauty of using these tools is the precision achieved after the trim down step; everything fits together perfectly, they're completely interchangeable! I was surprised (and tickled) to realize that I had enough pieces to put together an entire sampler-style quilt top! 😲 I'll sash it up with the focus fabric and put the leftover pieces (yes, this was a loaves and fishes bin!) into the scrap basket to run through the die cutter. All this time at home is yielding lots of happy benefits. What's lurking in your closets?

Life is Good!

In The Loop

Now you can be IN THE LOOP!

I've learned a new trick for burying threads while quilting that is so slick, it needs to be shared. Remember in my last post that I commented about quilting without stopping unless my bobbin ran out? Ah,yes; well, it happens! This photo, left, shows where the bobbin thread ran out and the teeny, tiny needle tracks where yours truly kept stitching before I realized it. It happens to us all. So, in the past, when it was time to tie off and bury those pesky thread ends  I did so with a self- threading needle which I keep handy at the frame. 
I used these with varying degrees of success; sometimes drawing the quilting thread through the top of these needles would shred the thread, causing more of a headache than the thread running out! But, I persevered. I would usually "unquilt" an inch or so, draw the end of the bobbin thread to the surface, tie the top thread and the bobbin thread together, pull these through the self-threading needle and slide them down and into the batting until I could feel (and hear) the knot bury itself inside the batting layer. Then, I would clip the threads at the exit location, flush with the surface of the quilt; done. Replace the bobbin and begin again. My life changed last week when Quiltkeemosabe showed me a new trick; this is too cool to keep to myself, follow along with the numbered photos below and you'll be in the loop too.

She demonstrated this technique using a crewel needle because it has a large eye and a sharp point,  a needle with a large eye is required to accommodate thread which is thicker and stronger (she demo'd with tatting thread). The tatting thread, pictured here in red, is doubled. Notice in photo #3 how the thread's loop is positioned right at the knotted top and bobbin quilting thread; that loop (red thread) is where the quilting thread tails are placed so that the loop will gently pull them in and under the quilt's surface, following the needle, directly down into the batting layer! The threaded crewel needle is then slipped out; it now replaces those finicky self-threading needles at my frame! The next time that you're confronted with burying thread tails remember this easy-peasy trick; you'll be happy that you're in the loop!

Life is Good!

Up next: Progress and Pet Peeves

 

Born and RAISED...

My Mom made me this snazzy new basket to hold my toys, all of them! It's great, and was worth the wait. Sometimes I have to be very patient. ~sigh~ She posted last week about the basket being born, she had to go to the store and buy more thread; plus, wrap more clothesline to make the sides higher and higher. ( I have a LOT of toys!) In fact, I think there's room inside for even more, I am going to ask her to take me to the toy store... CAR TRIP! ~wag, wag, wiggle, wiggle~

Oh, yeah... there's plenty more room in here...
Life is Good!

A Basket Is Born, SLOWLY...

I've been working on a floor basket for Hannes' toys. After the previous basket "flop" (more of a flared-edge bowl than a basket) I have, sort of, caught on to what I did wrong and am figuring out the straight sides concept! I thought I had more than enough fabric-wrapped clothesline, it seemed like miles to me; boy, was I wrong. My requirements for the basket are 16.5" in diameter and 10 or 11 inches deep. Since I was making this up in my own head I had no idea how much clothesline would actually be needed.That's how far the basket has progressed with the line I had ready, that's 170 feet and the basket is only about four inches deep, groan. I'm hard at work again, back to wrapping more. Based on my own crack calculating skills I will need another 80 feet; but, to be on the safe side, I will wrap a full 100 foot length. Hannes was a little disappointed that he didn't have a new basket for his toys after all that activity. I told him we could finish it up right there but he'd have to get rid of about half of his stuffed animals and squeaky toys. He decided to wait it out! It's a good thing he's a patient pup, the basket-birthing process is a s-l-o-w one.

Life is Good!

Row One Is Done...

Row one is done, I'm having fun.

And then came two, lots more to do...

Stitched them together, the more the better.
Stay tuned for more, rows three and four...

All of this and a BONUS, too:
While doing the piecing, above, I am putting another top
together at the same time, leader-ender style:

Meet "Miss Alaynee" (as in the noun, meaning "a collection of miscellaneous things"),

she's half done. (The pattern is a version of "American Spirit" from the book Cookies 'n' Quilts by Judy Martin. From my scrap bins I used 2.5" and 4.5" pre-cut squares

and combined them with 2.5" X 4.5" bricks.)

Life is Good!