Moving in to March

It’s time for our monthly UFO check in! How are you coming with yours? I am still plugging along and will be really happy to get this one off my list of things to do! You may remember me talking about this one in previous posts….it is a flower of the month series with fabric designed by Ro Gregg and patterns by Nancy Mahoney. I might have that backwards, but that is where I am going to stay. These came in kits with instructions and are from 2008….yes, 2008. I thought it would be easy to do one kit a month. After all they are small and while not terribly simple, they are not overly complicated. Trouble was that I was still working a full time office job, had a baby that October, and we were running the shop in the evenings and weekends. What time? What was I thinking? At the very least I did make it in to my local quilt shop and picked up each of the kits and have had them waiting. Because if you have one you should have them all! Right? You are with me on that right? Well, I thought it would be nice to hang and be able to change out each month. I’m much closer to that goal now!

Since they are a flower of the month, there are 12 kits. I had thought I was being smart and gathered those kits and read the instructions and got all the fabrics cut so I could work on them at retreats. Then Covid and no retreats. The fabric was still cut and waiting for me….but I now have to read everything again to make sure I’m doing the right thing. It slows my process down a little bit. In February I pulled them out thinking, great! This is a big project to get completed and I can wait to move this off my list or at least move it into the queue for quilting!

I’m lumping them all together rather than thinking of them individually because I really just want to get them done and it has been a long time. At the beginning of the month I had 4 of them ready to be quilted and one ready to be bound. But (of course) I added in an extra step. The fabric cuts for these kits were very generous so I kinda added a layer of difficulty. There was also a panel that went along with these fabrics and patterns. Of course I picked one up and kept it with all of the mini kits. With the cuts being so generous, I have enough fabric to complete an extra center block to put with the panel. Curious about the panel? You can find it here. I will say I did not realize that it was for stitchery and I thought it was something to be colored….either way, I have it.

In February I was able to finish 5 of the tops and have one more partially complete with the last one waiting in the wings. Even though I should be moving on to something else, I am going to stay with this one and get those last two finished. Most of the UFO’s on my list for March were new things to start (like kits I’ve had waiting or patterns I’ve matched up with fabric to create) and rather than cutting something new and creating a whole new UFO, I think I would be better off this month to finish these lovelies and look at the the UFO’s I didn’t get finished in January and February to see if I can finish up anything else like that cardinal cross stitch….. Progress is progress right? It sure is!

So, here are the ones that I did get ready this month….I didn’t worry about photographing the second center blocks because they are just going into another UFO. Originally I had thought that I would border the panel with these blocks, but now I am not so sure. It might be something that I scrap entirely or use the center blocks in some type of setting and incorporate the panel into the backing. I think that will need to percolate a little while longer before I make a final decision. Here are 3 of them….Lily of the Valley, Narcissus, and Cosmos.

The last are Cosmos (again), Aster and Rose. The last two to complete are Daffodil (which is almost complete) and Chrysanthemum. I might have miscut things on the Rose as I had to piece together some things and the green in there is not the green from the kit….I can’t seem to find that so I either lost it (most likely) or never had it (unlikely).

I wish I had more to show and I really was on track to get those last two completed but I got a little confused on some of the instructions. I should also admit that I fell down a rabbit hole with my kids as we have been playing a lot of Minecraft…I know…it’s a video game. However, they are now asking me to play with them and we can all hang out together while doing it and that is important. Since we are all playing together, it’s kind of like working on a group project and we can talk about ways to work together in a group which is another great lesson to learn. They can take the lead on most of the game because they know more than I do (for now) and can do things more quickly than I can (for now). But they are learning that we each have our own skill set and for them I am the Queen of Resources. Whenever we go adventuring I always make sure I have extra food, supplies, whatever needed for all of us which has come in handy many times. One of them is very good setting up farming and taking care of animals while the other is good at trailblazing so the rest of us have an easier path to follow. They still need to work on communication and not being bossy, but we will get there and hopefully have some fun while we are doing it. It has cut into my sewing time a bit, and I’m okay with that because I’m not sure how long this will last and I am starting to look forward to this time with them and being a part of their world.

If you are not terribly familiar with Minecraft…it’s too much to explain here, but I will say that it has the most convoluted series of tasks that you have to complete in order to battle the final foe (or Ender Dragon) that I have seen. However, battling the final foe is not a necessary goal of the game and one could spend an inordinate amount of time creating and crafting and building in their world.

Anyway, I think I am now off to google some Minecraft quilts to get some inspriation as that just might have to be a thing for Christmas…..maybe a wall hanging for their rooms with their favorite things from the game.

Happy quilting and we hope that you are also making progress on your UFO’s! I’m hoping that I will have those flowers complete and ready for quilting by the end of this month and who knows what else I will be able to accomplish!

Happy Quilting!

Happy February!

Since it’s the first of the month, let’s talk about those UFO’s shall we? In case you were wondering, I did complete the latch hook complete with rug binding. Just don’t look too closely at the binding. That part is not really done well and I am thinking that at some point I will need to redo that binding.

Ta-Da! It has also been given to my son where it graced his floor immediately. One done only about a million to go (or so it feels). It is time to move on to February! One of the projects that came up was a project I bought from a quilt guild garage sale. In case your guild hasn’t done one of these, it’s pretty freeform. They set aside one of the meetings to do this once the business portion is complete. You can bring in items you wish to get rid of and sell them. So there are usually books, kits, fabric, notions, really just kind of anything. You get a little cash with the added bonus of getting rid of things you don’t like or didn’t work for you.

I came home with this:

Look at all the batik! And then it sat because that pattern looked hard. However, I have now done my own similar mandala without the fancy pieced block in the middle and figured why not! Since it’s number cam up, I should at least get it out and see what’s what.

Lots of precut strips so I can make more strata. Not necessarily my colors, but it still has some potential.

There are a good amount of wedges cut and just waiting to be sewn together. So, I figured my first step was to press everything and take it one step at a time.

Some leftovers that I can use in other things – bonus!

I thought it would be easiest to just do the things that were obvious and so I have sewn the wedges together and pinned it to what I think was intended for the background of the mandala. There are not any strips cut from the brown so that is my best guess. It doesn’t look too bad on there, but it does feel a little blendy to me. The more I look at it the more it grows on me and I’m not complaning. After all this was a quilter yardsale item I probably got for $10 or less and it’s all batiks!

If you are not familiar – this set of strips sewn together is referred to as strata. Althought maybe it should be stratum….I of course had to go look things up just to make sure that I really was using the correct terminology (Stratum: one of a series of layers, levels, or gradations in an ordered system). Either way, I started to work making my own strata and got my first couple of wedges cut. All should be good in the wood, right? Spoiler alert…there was Trouble with a capital T. Take a good look at the picture below.

Did you take a good look? Do you see what I see? I bet you do. It’s fairly obvious. The two wedges to the right are the ones that I added. You can see that things start out looking pretty good, and my strips are all in the the correct order but something has gone awry. I measured my seam allowance on the back and her seam allowance and we were both at 1/4″. The cutting was already done so that was all done by the same person. All I can really think is that it is the differences in our machines somehow….If you have suggestions or know what could be going on, please drop a comment.

I am not comfortable going on with this project as there will be a very obvious shift and I’m pretty sure that even if I shift up a little, things are not going to line up well although I am willing to give that a shot next. Thinking I could pin at each seam intersection, but I’m not certain that will be enough to bring our wedges into alingment.

So, then what? We punt. It’s pointless to put it back in the box as I will still have the same issues the next time I try to work on it. At this point, I am thinking that I will take the wedges apart and kinda flip flop them so they are more of a straight line. I think that brown might make a nice sash of somesort and I could turn this into more of a table runner without having to cut more wedges. The rest of the strips and strata that has already been cut will most likely be used up in smaller projects like table runners and mug rugs that will end up on our Etsy store. No guarantees, I might be able to figure out what is going on, but I’m not going to invest a ton more time in trying to make it work. My goal is to complete something with it and if that ends up not being the pattern it arrived with, then so be it. Fingers crossed something works!

This was also on my list…omg, it’s almost done. Can anyone explain to me why I didn’t finish it? No? Me neither. What it is lacking is the outlining stitching in black. Yep. That’s it. No, it’s not very big so what do I do with it?

Here you can see what the finished project looks like. There is not much outlining at all and I have the instructions and materials to finish out the framing of this. I’m thinking this will not take very long at all and my other son has a love of cardinals so I will pass it along to him, if he likes it.

I have some other things on my various UFO lists that I may get a chance to work on depending on how these two things finish out. One of those is to practice crocheting with crochet thread. It’s not something that I have worked with very much. I did attempt a snowflake ornament a while ago, but the smaller hook sizing feels different to me and there are different weights of cotton thread. So, I have been sitting and practicing my tension and soon I will try the little snowflakes again to see if I can raise my comfort level. I’m not sure I want to try anything larger than an ornament at this time, but maybe that will be something I can look forward to once I gain some proficiency.

How are things going with your UFO’s? I did get my sewing area mostly cleaned up….I really should finish clearing my ironing board (although I do need to get a new cover for that…) and my cutting space. It’s just little stuff that I need to find homes for and I have procrastinated about that a bit… That’s okay though, It will all get done eventually. *fingers crossed*

Hopefully you are also making progress on your UFO’s or whatever project you are working on.

Fabric Organization

So, how do you organize your fabric? If you aren’t a quilter, how do you organize your crafting supplies?

I’m sure that there are some of us who are super organized and while I would love to be one of those people, I’m afraid that it just is not in me to be one. That being said, I do have my fabric somewhat organized. My method is fairly simple. I have some drawers and anything that is a fat quarter to a 1 yd cut is uniformly folded and sorted by color. Anything smaller than a fat quarter is moved to scraps. If it’s a multi color fabric, I decided on it’s dominant color and put it with similar.

There are some exceptions, because of course there are. I keep all my batik fabrics together. They follow the same rule about 1yd cuts and under being folded, but instead of going into the general color section, they all hang out together. The same applies for my civil war reproduction fabrics as well as any fabrics that I have collected with a certain project in mind.

What about those that are more than 1 yd? Well, those go on shelves and I have them wrapped around comic book boards. You can find those on Amazon here. If you don’t want to shop Amazon, you can check out your local comic book store and see if they have any on hand or that they can order for you! I did purchase mine from a local shop and it was an interesting dicussion on why I needed so many. For me there are a few benefits. The first is that I can write in pencil on the edge of the board what yardage I have. It makes it a little easier to make sure that I have the appropriate amount when I shop my stash for a project. The second thing is that they are acid free so I feel like it is fairly safe storage. The last beneift for me is that I then get to store them standing up like library books. I like the look of that better, it allows me to have a double row of them on my shelves, and they are still neat as well as easily accessible. Whether or not that works for you is up to you. The things I don’t like about them is that they are bendable and I wish they were a little more rigid. I suppose that I could have used 2 boards at a time, but I really didn’t want to double up and need twice as many. It has been fine so far. I also wish that they were a little taller. Since fabric typically comes folded selvedge to selvedge, I find that I need to fold that fold down to the selvedge edge for the fabric to fit. It is a minor inconvenience and since I am measuring the fabric anyway, it’s not too much of a hassle to fold it again in order to wrap around the boards.

Once they are all wrapped on their boards, they line up on the shelves each with their color family. Batiks stay together and civil war reproductions stay together and if I have yardage earmarked for a project, I might jus go ahead and pull all the fabrics and wrap them up together.

See, simple! You could totally go crazy with organization like novelties here, and multi fabrics here and and and…..and depending on your style of quilting, that might be a good idea! For me, keeping it simple is where it’s at. I keep them in Ikea drawers so that I can pull them out and look at them anytime I want to.

Lastly we come to scraps. What in the world do you do with yours? Do you cut them into uniform sizes? I have found that left me with more questions than answers. How do I know what sizes to cut? Do I cut more of the smaller sizes or cut the biggest size first? Do I organize them by color or just put all the like sizes together? Will this be a system that works for me. Turns out not so much…

So, that brings me back to the scraps. I toss them in a box. Then, when I need something, I go through the box. Not very original I know. What do you do with yours? Do you send them to friends who do more scrap quilting than you do? Do you use your scraps a lot for scrap quilts? Maybe you use them for smaller projects like placemats or wall hangings? I fall more into the camp of using them for wall hangings. I have one scrap quilt project that is in progress, but most of the time I pull out those scraps when I need to make a test block, or something small.

So, where does that leave you? How are your supplies stored? Do you have a favorite method that you haven’t seen anyone else do? Is there a trick you learned from a trusted friend that helps keep your stash organized? Be sure to leave us a comment and share!

So, what do we do at the shop anyway?

How are you doing with your Ufo’s this week? We will just keep our updates/pictures to the first week of the month so that we aren’t going on and on and on about them, but I will say we are still making progress!

We thought we would take a little time and talk about the shop today. Some of you may be new to us or maybe you have a shop like ours in your area! We are not your typical quilt shop. We do not carry fabric or notions or batting. What we do have are 3 quilting machines. Two are considered mid-arm length and one is a true long arm. We teach long arm quilting on our machines and rent time on them so that you can quilt your own projects.

There is a class that we require you take to learn how to use our machines before you are eligible to rent time on them, but that benefits both of us. You get a chance to see what all happens on a long arm and learn if that is something that you will enjoy. We get to show you the ropes so that you can be successful and not damage the machines. It’s a win-win!

We also do long arm machine quilting for others as well as quilts on commission (such as t-shirt quilts). If you are cleaning out grandma’s house and find unfinished projects we can help get those completed as well as some repair work on quilts you may have in your home. T-shirt quilts are very popular both for kids heading off to college and as memorials to loved ones lost. Our machines are not computer guided so we (or you!) are doing the quilting.

It really is a fairly simple business – and we welcome questions and people stopping in to talk and learn. We certainly aren’t perfect quilters, and we are constantly learning new things ourselves, but we try our best.

If you have been wanting to learn how to use a long-arm or quilt your own quilt, stop in and see us! If we aren’t local to you, check your area to see if there is a shop that offers similar services. You might be surprised!

If you are new to the scene for long arm quilting I would tell you this. It isn’t for everyone. That sounds mean doesn’t it? I don’t mean it that way. If you get a chance to take a class using a long arm (and I don’t mean the 5 minutes you spend at a quilt show driving a floor model), take that opportunity. You will learn a lot about quilting. No, your machine quilting won’t be perfect the first time using the machine and it’s a different process from hand quilting and quilting on your domestic sewing machine. However, it’s not really about perfection. That comes with time and practice. It’s about the process. Is it a process you enjoy? Is it something that you can see yourself getting creative and relaxing into? It is something that you feel comfortable doing? Those are the things you should think about. It won’t be perfect the first time and that’s okay! If it ends up being something that you do not enjoy, that is also okay! There are lots of times that we think we should like something, but when we actually try we may find out that we don’t. Taking a class is a much smaller investment than buying a machine and we recommend that whoeheartedly!

That being said, I feel like everyone should try it. You never know what you will enjoy (or be good at) until you take that step. So why not?

If you have any questions about our shop or what we do here, please feel free to send us a message or leave us a comment and we will be happy to answer! If you are local to us and just want someone to talk to about quilting stop in and say hi!

Tip of the Iceberg.

We talk about the tip of the iceberg at home a lot. How icebergs are tricky things…that you can only see a portion above the water while the greater mass lies below the surface. We talk about how the tip of the iceberg represents our final product; the result of our work. The mass below represents the work that it takes to get the result, or the part of the iceberg you can’t see. The boys wanted to start a podcast – so they are learning a lot about the work that lies beneath the surface.

A couple of weekends ago they also got to watch us go through a bit of that as well. They helped to load items that we had lovingly crafted and packed them into our vehicles so we could unload at show one. They came to see our end result where we had our items unpacked and displayed. At show two they had the opportunity to see how we turn a stack of boxes and crates into a shopping display, talk with shoppers, and then dismantle it all into packing boxes and load it all up once again. At this point all I have to really say is, “Think of the iceberg”, and they know.

Our quilting is like icebergs, people enjoy the finished product but don’t always understand the work that goes into the creation. There are seemingly unlimited pattern and fabric choices and combinations. Then there is the money for supplies which always seems to be increasing. Lastly (and possibly most importantly) is the time we dedicate to the creation. Some of us have projects that are really large icebergs. We hope you keep plugging away on those – we know the effort you are putting into things!

A lot of the time when we talk about icebergs, we are talking about how no one really cares about the part that is below the surface – the unseen work that needs to happen. That is until that work isn’t done. Everyone likes to focus on the part that can be seen. That’s our Wow! Factor.

Previous to opening QBY – we both worked in a law office and occasionally I would bring in a finished project and my boss would always ask the same question, “How many hours did that take you?” I didn’t really get it at first because it was my creative outlet and the hours didn’t matter. However, to him where hours are billable, he was attributing a value to it in way that I never thought of that also gave credit to the effort I put into it. A lot of people take our finished creations for granted so it was nice to have recognition for the time put into things.

There are countless memes or posts about how much fabric costs, hours totaled, the monetary cost of other needed supplies like thread and batting and finally adding up to a grand total showing why quilts can cost so much. Honestly, I think that type of thing just gets passed around by and to most of us who understand and gives us a way to commiserate with each other.

Hopefully you don’t find yourself having to field these kinds of questions regularly, if at all. Maybe a better way to start explaining things is to talk about the iceberg. After all, we know how the Titanic turned out!

Happy quilting – and don’t give up on those projects that have a larger iceberg!

It’s Craft Fair Time!

It doesn’t really seem possible that it has been a year since we were last at a craft show. We know that the last year (well, year plus) has been a difficult time. Many of us weren’t able to do many of the things that we normally would. We missed out on school, work, vacations, and memories. It seems to be a slow slog to get back to our normal. Each step we take toward normal feels exciting and sometimes scary at the same time for many of us. Some of us are more than ready to completely return to normal. No matter where you stand, we all have to make our own way based on our own individual circumstances.

Don’t worry, this is not a sermon on how to behave during a pandemic. I’m sure you can find that kind of thing elsewhere.

Last year all of our craft shows and such were cancelled and we weren’t sure what this year would bring. Would there be any craft shows? Would we want to or be in a position to be a vendor?

As it stands, we will be vending at two shows this weekend which means we have been in a flurry of activity at the shop. If you aren’t sure what kinds of things we will have at these shows, you can check our our Etsy shop but I will say that we have some new things that we haven’t listed on Etsy so you should come to the shows and check us out!

If you are comfortable going to such events, you should. It really is a great way to help support small businesses and keep your dollars in your community. I know, it’s a soap box topic. As we move in to holiday season, these craft fairs and small businesses are a great way to do some holiday shopping and not have to worry about shipping and whether something will arrive on time. I know, it’s October and holiday shopping might not be on your mind, but you never know what treasures you might find for yourself.

You can find the shows where we will be vending on our our Facebook or Instagram! We are doing our best to keep things up to date.

This one is a little on the short side, but we are working our little fingers to the bone to make sure we have enough things for back to back events. Stop in and say hi, walk through and see what cool items are available, pass the word on to all your friends. We will be looking for you!

Happy Quilting!

What to do if….

You lose your quilt.

Well, I am certain that I don’t have all of the answers for this, but a quilt show just wrapped up in our area and we were talking about how quilt pick up can be a bit chaotic and it would be easy to lose track of one.

Before I get too far, if you are a victim of quilt theft there is a bit of an online network out there. There’s a group on facebook and some websites where you can post pictures of your quilt and hopefully someone will see it and help it return home to you.

Okay, if you are a non quilter you may be thinking how do you lose a quilt? Or maybe even what’s the big deal you can always make another! You might even be a quilter and have these questions. I get it. How do you lose a quilt? It seems like that would be one of those things that would be hard to lose and who would want to steal one anyway?

There are lots of stories out there about people who are cleaning house and someone takes the wrong pile to the donation bin. There are also lots of stories about quilts going missing in transit to or from quilt shows. But still, what’s the big deal. You can always make another.

Well….sometimes you can but often you can’t. Why? You won’t be able to get the same materials to make it an exact replica. Most of the time fabric is a limited print run and when its gone its gone. You most likely have some blood, sweat, and/or tears in that quilt and your sweat equity is valuable. You may not even have the pattern anymore. If you had it professionally quilted that’s another expense on top of materials to shell out just to recreate what rightfully belongs to you. Sometimes we have detailed patterns that are one and one…once we have done it we don’t want to have to do it again.

Some of the quilts that we have acquired may have come down to us from our quilting foremothers. These are the vintage or antique quilts and would be impossible to replicate. Just the fact that some of these survive in amazing condition is a testament to our quilting history. These types of quilts are a part of our family history and may have been created with fabrics left over from home made clothing. They may have names or dates embroidered in them to remember important family historical events. So, no we can’t always just make another one.

I’m not even going to address why taking something that doesn’t belong to you is wrong. It just is. You should know this. If you don’t, taking something that doesn’t belong to you is wrong so don’t do it. For the the people in the back that may have not heard me the first time TAKING SOMETHING THAT DOESN’T BELONG TO YOU IS WRONG SO DON’T DO THAT. Okay. Moving on.

Value. I know, it’s a “blanket” what possible value could it have? Well, aside from the sentimental or emotional or historical value, there is a monetary value. Sure, there’s the cost of materials plus time invested. Often at shows there is an option to have your quit appraised. (I can just hear the non quilter’s heads exploding…quilts? Appraised? What?? It’s a fancy blanket.) Value can depend on the workmanship of the quilt, quality and age of fabrics, and condition of the quilt. The most expensive quilt sold for $264,000! You can see it here. Granted, we aren’t talking about millions, but if you have quilts where you have used quality materials or it has had some amazing quilting done or you have done it all by hand, don’t be surprised if your quilt is valued over $1,000. (I’m totally lowballing on the estimate here.) Yes, that fancy blanket COULD be work a little bit of money. If you are a quilter who has a stash of finished quilts, it could be beneficial for you to have them appraised for insurance purposes. We have had folks come in talking about quilts they have had appraised for over $5,000. I’m not an appraiser so I can’t say that what you have is worth that kind of money, but it does add up. Plus, its kind of nice to know that your work has value just because of what it is.

So, what can you do?

Photograph your quilt before taking it anywhere. Then if the worst should happen, you at least have a recent picture to share. A close up and a full view are nice so we can get a good idea of what it looks like. Keeping a quilting journal where you can store the pictures and information about size/color/fabrics/quilting is also a good idea.

Sew a label on to the backing. Preferably into a corner where the binding will cover two sides. Making the label hard to take off should hopefully make it easier to identify as yours.

If you have to ship it – use insurance and certified services so that someone has to sign for it (if you can…different shows may have different rules for shipping/receiving quilts). I’m not sure what to say about lost in the mail stuff. Sometimes that happens and sometimes mail from years ago is found and delivered. With what seems to be increased thievery for front porch parcels, you may want to find something more secure for your deliveries regardless of what is being delivered.

If you are picking up in the chaos of a quilt show, make sure you have all of your items before you leave. If you are there to help with tear down or other volunteer duties, collect your items first and secure them in your car. Don’t let them lay around while you are taking care of your volunteer responsibilities.

Report it as stolen. If you have an appraisal of the quilt, that should help along with photos. Your work is worth something.

From time to time take a look at the lost quilts sites. You never know what someone is looking for and you just might be able to help someone reunite with their quilt. A quick search of Missing Quilt or Lost Quilt will give you places to look or check the Lost Quilt Come Home group on Facebook.

It’s a crazy world out there to think that people would steal quilts, but unfortunately it happens. Make sure you photograph your finished creations! Most importantly, don’t stop creating.

Happy Quilting!

Quilting A Show Quilt

I know, we kind of checked out there for a bit. We had a good reason though…we were quilting a show quilt.

I’m sure that many of you have been to quilt shows in your area with amazing quilts and vendors. Many of you have even travelled to larger shows with even more amazing quilts and vendors. You may even be brave enough to hang your quilts in your local shows. Some of you may even be brave enough to have your quilt judged.

I have had one of my personal quilts judged and the comments were pretty much what I thought they would be. Nothing that I was offended by or didn’t expect and while I would have loved to bring home a ribbon, I didn’t. And that was okay.

The last month or two (honestly I have kind of lost track…) has been spent quilting a show quilt. This is not our first one. If you are not sure what I mean by a show quilt – this is a quilt that is coming to us to be quilted and then will be judged at a quilt show. This is our 4th one. The very first one we did captured a Best In Show ribbon. It was very exciting. One of the next two also garnered a ribbon. Now we have one more going home to be trimmed and bound and be made ready for a show that will be this fall. We wanted to be sure to create something amazing and to be honest, we think it looks quite spectacular. I kind of hope that they hang it so you can see the front and the back because I’m quite proud of the work that was done.

I would love to share pictures, but it isn’t time yet.

I would like to take a little time to talk about our experience with quilting this type of quilt. Granted, we are not experts by any means in this category (not even close!). We are hoping to continue to develop our skills and put them to good use though!

The first step starts with the piecer – making the decisions on pattern and fabric. They usually take extra care to make sure that things are a little better pieced and pressed. Backing is chosen and batting purchased and we have a visit with them and their quilt to talk about quilting designs, thread choices, budget, and expectations. Obviously we cannot guarantee a ribbon. We can guarantee that we will do the best job that we can and will take extra care with their quilt.

This discussion is usually a little longer because we all want to be clear on what we are doing. Sometimes pictures of quilting designs are brought along to help ensure we know what the client is looking for and we want to be clear about our abilities. Typically we are talking about more detail emphasizing the pattern design or block motifs in the quilt. This may be a mix of freehand (where we are guiding the machine along using the pattern in our mind) and ruler work (where we use rulers for perfectly straight lines and curves that line up where they are supposed to). These are two very different skill sets.

Next we begin our map of what quilting will happen where on the quilt. This may involve hanging the quilt on the design wall to become familiar with the whole look and to see if there are any obvious (to us) design choices. It is easier to make some design choices while studying the whole quilt. Once it is on the machine we only see a section of it at a time and it can be difficult to envision how the whole thing will look. Which also means we may take a picture of it on the design wall so that we have something to reference.

Do we do this for other quilts that are non-show quilts? We do, but not quite to the extent that we do on show quilts. It might take us a couple of weeks or more to draft out the ideas on paper making sure that we will be able to do what we are envisioning. For regular quilts, we may fall back on things that we know we can do well that will also enhance the quilt. This usually means more freehand and less ruler work. Show quilting takes us our of our box and stretches us creatively. We may even load up a charity quilt in order to practice our ideas before loading the official quilt. (We have also done this for other quilts when we have a new design to try out).

Sometimes we are able to map out the entire quilt (such as when it is a one or two block design). Those are fairly easy to be consistent with, as you have repeating sections. I outlined a section in this block so I need to to that in all the same blocks.

Then we come to sampler quilts where there isn’t always a cohesion to the quilt – the blocks are all different and may or may not have a sashing to separate them. The blocks may be different sizes and are not coming together to form a secondary design as can happen in one or two block quilts. The fabrics provide some uniformity, but with all the blocks being different it’s more difficult to determine how to quilt the whole quilt all at once. However, you do want to repeat elements so that the quilting also brings a cohesion. Most samplers are not as chaotic as our lovely Jacob’s Ladder quilt!

Typically we begin with ditch work which brings out the rulers. We then move on to backgrounds which may be more freehand. Then we get to the details and that can involve multiple rulers, some freehand and a lot of drawing. Getting into the details often means that we are changing thread colors to best match the customers expectations (matching color or giving a pop here and there). Sometimes I might quilt a section of a block to audition how it really looks and then make a decisions to continue with what I started or take it out and start over.

In a lot of ways, quilting a show quilt is a lot like eating an elephant (one bite at a time!). We are coming up with creative and detailed ways to enhance blocks, or ways to make our old favorites more elaborate. We look for ways to repeat elements for design cohesiveness and we don’t want to tip the scale from just enough quilting into too much quilting.

All of this takes a lot of time and sometimes a lot of thread. Introducing rulers involves bringing a new skill set into the mix as well. Some quilters are comfortable in designing the quilting map before they load and begin quilting. I am more of a “I know what I am going to do here so let’s get started with what we know”. It can mean rolling back and forth on the machine to access different areas. It can mean sitting down with the picture again and again to figure out next steps. It can mean breaking out the plastic and auditioning different designs once the first step is laid out or even before.

We are working on making a special quilt extra spectacular and as we all know, doing something the right way will often take time. This type of quilting also calls on different skill sets which will also increase your cost to have it quilted. We are working hard to translate our ideas and yours to your quilt in the best way possible. After all, this is going to a show to not only hang for lots of others to see, but also to be judged on how well we all did in creating that fabric masterpiece.

Quilting this type of quilt can be terrifying and exhilarating at the same time. At the end, we are exhausted and our creativity temporarily spent. Seeing the face of our customer when they come to pick up this masterpiece is amazing.

In the end, it will be two months well spent. I got to work on a beautiful quilt, explore my creativity, and do some skill building. Now, we wait until it’s show time and see how she does. No matter what, we stand by our work and I’m proud of what went out the door on this quilt.

Show quilts are a different beast. They can turn into truly amazing works of art and each one presents it’s own unique challenge. I’m glad to not have multiple to do at a time, but I am also grateful for the opportunity and trust from our clients to work on the ones we have had at the shop.

April UFO

It dawned on me as we published our last post that we hadn’t talked about April UFO things. My apologies! I know there are only a couple of weeks left in the month, so lets make this an easy thing.

Make 2 practice blocks. Wait what? I don’t know about you, but I am not terribly good about making a practice block when embarking on a new pattern or technique. Char and I have been designing some of our patterns and making a practice block has really been helpful and I’m not quite sure why I haven’t done it before. (Stay tuned because we are getting really close on those!)

So, what is the point? Why do I want to “waste” my time and fabric for a practice block?! I just want to dig in and work on my quilt in my fabulous fabrics!

Well, there are a couple of good reasons why a practice block is a good idea. The first is color placement. If you can make your practice block out of the same fabrics that you intend to use for the quilt, even better. Otherwise using similar colors and values will help you to see if your block (and thus your quilt) will be balanced. If your practice block doesn’t have enough contrast or the fabric you thought would be showcased isn’t, you now have an opportunity to make adjustments before you cut into the yardage for the quilt. Since many of us do all of our cutting at the beginning, this saves us from having a major problem of pieces cut the wrong size or ending up with a quilt we do not enjoy. Let’s face it, sometimes the ideas in our head work out better than they do when we try to put them into practice.

The second reason is to try out that new technique. We all know that practice makes perfect but we don’t always take that time when it comes to new techniques. Many of us expect to just do it on the fly. After all we have been quilting for a while and if it doesn’t turn out perfect it’s okay. While I do agree with the sentiment that done is better than perfect, I also think that it is better to set ourselves up for success. With trying a new technique, we may find that have to do more ripping in order to get things right. While fabric is fairly forgiving, you can only rip so many times before that piece becomes too frayed to use or ends up with a hole. If you are someone who likes to only purchase just enough fabric for the project this could be a problem (and also why buying a little extra is a good idea). You may also find that you prefer a different way of doing things, and it could affect your yardage requirements.

As you go through the process you are going to want to take some notes. Perhaps you are modifying the color layout and need to remember what changes you made. While you work through a new technique you may make modifications and it’s helpful to remember what those are. Personally, I am not terribly good at the notes part and I often remind myself to get better at it. It’s helpful to pick up a UFO and find notes reminding me of where I left off and what I had in mind. It takes a lot longer to sift through papers with seemingly random numbers trying to decipher what was in my mind that day. In fact, if you are not a good note taker (like me) this might be a good time to revisit some of your UFO’s and make the notes they need. Journals are helpful for those projects that are on repeat such as baby quilts and comfort quilts. This makes an easy reference guide for me to know what shortcuts or modifications I have made and lets me get back into a project easily.

At the end you may be thinking what will I do with these practice blocks…well, you could make a quilt, or a wall hanging with them. Think about the fabrics that you always seem to have on hand. If you can’t or don’t want to make a practice block out of the fabrics for the quilt, choose a color palette from your stash: red, white, and blue; French Provincial; jewel tones; batiks; reproductions in 30’s or civil war are all viable options. If you have such on hand all the time, use some for a practice block and at the end of a few projects there will be enough blocks for a quilt for you or to gift or to donate. Maybe make some baby quilts or throws or a sampler unique to you. Use one as a quilt to keep in the car to use in winter emergencies or at the park. Maybe you want to practice hand quilting and one of these would be a great place to start learning. If you are making practice blocks from the intended quilt fabric, perhaps a couple of pillowcases from practice blocks would be a nice touch. There are lots of options.

If you are a serial starter, I recommend that you keep your practice blocks and any notes you make with your project until the blocks are completed. Sometimes we have to put projects down and move on to other things that have deadlines. If you are someone who sticks with one project from start to finish, I would still recommend that you keep your practice block with the project for easy reference until your quilt blocks are completed.

Happy Quilting!

Make Time for a Little Self Care

I know, we were supposed to get back to those Jacob’s Ladder blocks. I had a little trouble getting back to them this week so I am not any further along with regard to choosing sashing fabric and getting them sashed. Don’t worry, I am still working on it and we should be able to post about them next Monday!

In the meantime, I thought we could talk about some self care. No, not the mental kind. The physical kind. It’s very easy to get into a groove and spend a lot of time sitting at our machines. Suddenly the day goes by and we have spent the day mostly sitting. I think we all know that this isn’t very good for us. Sometimes getting up to the ironing board feels like an interruption (or maybe that is just me?) and I’m sure there are many of us that keep a smaller table close to us so we don’t have to get up and move to the ironing board or cutting table because we can iron or trim right where we are.

This is not a good idea.

I’m sure we are all aware that sitting too long can lead to DVT (or deep vein thrombosis), and if we aren’t we should be. I’m not going to go into a story about how it happened to me (it hasn’t) or to my cousin’s roommate’s sister’s aunt (I have no idea but I’m betting that it hasn’t). The truth is that while we are spending our time sitting at the machine for hours without getting up isn’t a good thing. Sure, you might have your station all set up so that you don’t have to get up unless you need to use the bathroom and it’s super fantastic and you can’t imagine why on earth anyone would want to interrupt the flow by having to get up and move. Our health is a big reason why we should.

It’s not all about a possible DVT. Check your posture as you sit at your machine. Are you hunched over? Shoulders or back hurt? How is your chair? Do your hips ache and maybe your knees? Is your sewing machine too high or too low? Does that put strain on your neck? What about your eyes, do they feel strained?

It’s certainly not feasible for everyone to go out and get new desks and chairs. However, there are still some things that we can do to help ourselves.

First – ditch the use of that super convenient pressing/trimming space. Not for the end of time, but reserve it for projects where you really might (might!) need it like paper piecing or miniatures. If your ironing board and cutting table are across the room (in front of a window maybe?) you will have to get up and move that body. If you are like me, and can put your ironing board or cutting table in front of a window, it can be distracting to stand there a little longer and watch traffic or birds or maybe other wildlife.

Second- set a timer. Anything is better than nothing so set it for something your are comfortable with (but hopefully at least one time during the course of an hour) When that timer goes off, stop what you are doing and stretch. Walk a lap around the house. Switch loads of laundry. Check on dinner that you put in the crock pot. Go through the mail (no, not email…). Stretch. Stretch your hands, your neck, your back. Maybe get on the treadmill for 10 minutes. Go get something to drink. I know it feels like you are breaking your mojo. I know there’s a chance that you might find something else that grabs your attention and prevents you from going back to sew. However, when you do come back after a short time away, you should feel more refreshed and energized. Plus it is better for your body.

Third – make it a habit. Make it a habit to not chain yourself to your machine. Make the habit to get up and move from time to time. One trip to your ironing board doesn’t count. Move away from your station and clear your mind. If you need to, make notes about your project so you remember the tricky bits when you come back to it.

It always feels so good to have a good chunk of time or a full day to craft! We just need to remember that a little self care can go a long way.

Do you have things that work for you to help keep you moving rather than sitting? Please feel free to share in the comments below or on our Facebook page! Idea of crock pot or easy dinners appeal to you but you need some ideas? Check us out on Pinterest for some ideas!