Scrappy Saturday

Horse panel quilt top

I have been working on creating quilts for my guild's charity quilt project -- A Quilted Gift. Among the donated fabrics for the project was a large bin FULL of Western/horse/cowboy prints which I have been creating quilts (and kits) from. My latest finished top is super scrappy with lots of 3.5" squares. This design is a variation on a pattern from Cut the Scraps. 

The next top I am putting together will use lots of scrap strips to frame some western-themed panels. I will be using the same design I used for the Pink & Green Scrap Quilt Lisa and I made last June.

Linking up with Scrap Happy Saturday and Oh Scrap!

OMG January

Lavender Geese, 1/2/2021

 I am not setting any sewing goals or signing up for any year-long challenges in 2021, but I am going to try to set (and meet) a one-monthly-goal  along with Elm Street Quilts each month this year. 

My #onemonthlygoal for January is to finish all 40 blocks for my Lavender Geese quilt. This will be a lap quilt which I plan to use as a throw in my bedroom during the spring and summer. I have this exact same quilt pattern made up from a coffee-themed jelly roll which I like a lot and I decided I wanted another one in a lighter palette for the warmer months. The pattern is called "High Flying Geese" and is from Layer Cake, Jelly Roll and Charm Quilts by Pam & Nicky Lintott. I followed the pattern for the first one except that I used a slightly different border. I plan to do the same thing this time. All the pieces are cut, some of the geese units are assembled, and 8 blocks have been made so far.

Machine Quilting Monday #3

Ribbon quilting

This week's new-to-me machine quilt patterns was Ribbon from Modern Machine Quilter (p. 63). It is done free-motion (with a darning foot and feed-dogs down) and I don't think it is one I will use. 

You quilt a swirl with loops in it and then you go back a short distance from the lines of the swirl to turn it into a ribbon. My test used variegated thread without a lot of contrast to the fabric and it was very hard to follow the first line as I added the second. The variegated thread also weakened the design. Really big loops and a really narrow space between the two lines looked better to me than where the lines were further apart. I did a second try at this with more contrast which was better. 

More contrast worked better

Machine Quilting Monday #2

Continuing my Monday reports on testing some new-to-me machine quilt patterns with matchstick quilting. This one came from Modern Machine Quilter (p. 40) and is another walking foot pattern. The book said to quilt straight lines across the area you want to quilt using the edge of your foot for spacing then to fill in half-way between each line, then to do it again to get lines about 1/8" apart. 

Using my walking foot edge I ended up with lines 1/8" apart after only 2 passes. I like how this came out, but it was tedious to do and you end up with a very stiff piece of quilting. I think this would be good for bags and maybe wall hangings. I did realize (part way along of course) that pin basting parallel to the lines I would be sewing was the way to go so I could keep the pins in place to hold everything steady longer. 

Book Report: Mr. X Stitch Guide to Cross Stitch

The Mr. X Stitch Guide to Cross Stitch
by Jamie Chalmers
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I have been cross-stitching sporadically most of my life, so most of this book was review for me. It provides very good basic instructions with clear illustrations and some modern looking projects. The detailed analysis of how a pineapple project changes depending on size, count, and number of colors (adjusted with design software like PCStitch) was extremely illuminating and clarified the implications of these choices in a pattern. My main quibble is that he describes a "laying tool" in the gadgets section (which I have never come across before), but never explains how you use it to do what he describes. If you have never cross-stitched this book would be a good place to start. His website is www.mrxstitch.com
I first heard about this book on Following the Thread.

Book Report: Gingham Aprons

Gingham Aprons of the '40s & 50s: A Checkered Past
by Judy Florence
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book is primarily a gallery of gingham aprons from the authors vast collection. Most include embroidery (like cross-stitching, but using the squares of the gingham for the grid) and many have rick-rack as well. If you happened to have a large quantity of rick-rack on hand there are numerous ideas here for how to use it in apron designs. Many of them have the rick-rack attached with embroidery floss which creates an additional design element on the rick-rack. I didn't find this entirely appealing. When it was done with tiny rick-rack the stitching makes it look like a twisted ribbon which was very cool.
Looking for more apron books? Check out this goodreads list: Sewing Aprons

Book Report: Scrap Quilts

Scrap Quilts: The Art of Making Do
by Roberta Horton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I found this book very inspiring. It isn't a pattern book at all, it is about how to create your own scrap quilts. Horton explains the factors to consider when choosing what fabric will go in a particular composition. She also analyzes several scrap quilts in detail which really helped me see what choices had been made in each and the design impacts of those choices. There is also a section where Horton walks the reader through her process for designing "Corroboree," a quilt that features an large-print Aboriginal fabric in a Goose Chase setting. I found that process extremely illuminating as well. I borrowed this book from the library, but it is definitely one I want to add to my own collection.

Book Report: Modern Selvage Quilting

Modern Selvage Quilting: Easy-Sew Methods 17 Projects Small to Large
by Riel Nason
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Super cool designs and very clear explanation of how to use selvages in constructing the blocks. Some of the designs, the crooked picket rail fence in particular, could also be used for string quilting. I'm going to need to start saving selvages (with at least 1/4" of fabric left on them). Lisa reviewed this  recently at bibliographic manifestations.

Forward Progress: October Start

The number for October is 4which makes my forward progress project for the month my Christmas Sunny Lanes quilt. This was intended to be a lap quilt, but like most of the quilts in the Nickel Quilts books it is huge. When I made my list I had cut the 5" squares. During the year I have been chipping away at this project and at the start of October I had a finished quilt top.

Sunny Lanes Christmas Quilt Top, 2017

The next step is to choose and purchase backing fabric for this. I am hoping to quilt this 72" square quilt on a friend's long arm machine, so additional progress beyond getting the backing ready will depend on her schedule.

LSC: Something Wicked This Way Comes

The Literary Sewing Circle kicks off at Following the Thread with a reading of Ray Bradbury's Something Wicked this Way Comes. 
I have read this novel before (and blogged about it), and am looking forward to rereading it.  
The LSC will be reading and discussing this book, and projects inspired by it, over the next 10 weeks. 
The idea of creating something based on a work of literature seems a bit scary, but I am going to take this quote from the novel as encouragement:

"Too late, I found you can't wait to become perfect, you got to go out and fall down and get up with everybody else."

I borrowed a copy of the novel from my public library and have started thinking about what to make. I have been wanting to try a technique I saw (I can't remember where) that took a photo and cut it into pieces then made a quilt by creating each section of the photo and putting them together. That technique using one of the many cool covers for this novel might be a good match. Not committing to this particular project idea yet, but definitely considering it.

Book Report: Pattern Making Templates for Skirts & Dresses

Pattern Making Templates for Skirts & Dresses: All You Need to Design, Adapt, and Customize Your Clothes
by Alice Prier

I'm not ready to jump into making my own patterns yet, but when I am this book is where I will start. I did learn a good bit about pattern design terminology and how a pattern is constructed. I recently began experimenting with modifying store-bought patterns and I think I will do more of this based on the concepts explained here about where the adjustment points are. I also found a few variations I want to try:

• putting a ruffle into a seam (think side seam of a pencil skirt)
• adding a wrap (contrasting maybe?) to the front of a skirt
• using two threads (the same color--or maybe different) in your sewing machine needle for topstitching

Definitely an inspiring and educational book.

In the Company of Women

In the Company of Women: Inspiration and Advice from over 100 Makers, Artists, and Entrepreneurs by Grace Bonney
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I enjoyed this peek into the lives of women business owners. Nearly all of them are artsy/creative businesses which I was a bit disappointed about as more diversity of endeavors would have made the book more interesting. There was a lot of inspiration here. My take-aways:

• "Winners are losers who got back up." -- Jodie Patterson
• "Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can." -- Arthur Ashe, quoted by Thelma Golden, director of the Studio Museum.
• If I visit Austin, TX I want to check out Liz Lambert's hotel.
• I want to eat at Anita Lo's NYC restaurant, Annisa. It sounds great.
• I want to read the blog Justina Blakeney started despite the advice she was given that blogging was over (The Jungalow)

Convergence Quilts by Ricky Tims

Ricky Tims' Convergence Quilts: Mysterious, Magical, Easy, and Fun by Ricky Tims
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A friend of mine made one of these quilts which I just loved. The technique is fairly simple and looks like it could be used to create some very interesting designs. There is a long (for a quilting book) introductory section where Tims tells us about how he came to this design and maps out the process and tips for design and assembly. He has a very friendly entertaining tone that I liked and built the process in a logical way. There were several variations to try and lot of inspiring pictures of quilts made by different people using these techniques. I really loved the ones where the convergence was used as a background for an appliqued design.
I put together the first "exercise" in the book in an evening and the directions in the book were clear and easy to follow (lots of pictures and exact step=by=step). The only place I ran into a little trouble was the cutting of the first set of strips. Tims tells you exactly how to place the unit on your board (fabric 2 on top, seam at the bottom) and what edge to cut from. When I was laid out that way I couldn't cut the strips from that side, but I rotated the mat to the seam was on top, cut the strips, and rotated the board back before I picked them up so it worked out ok. I didn't love how my convergence came out, but now I have a better idea of what fabrics will work well. I may not put borders on this one, but it took 4 12-inch squares from my stash so no great investment was made in trying out the technique.

Thoughts on Show Your Work!

Show Your Work!: 10 Ways to Share Your Creativity and Get Discovered by Austin Kleon

This is a thought provoking collection of ideas (both Kleon's own and other people's) about sharing your creative work with the world. If you are doing creative work (or want to) this book and Steal Like an Artist, Kleon's previous book, are worth reading.

Here are the bits that struck me:

• "On the spectrum of creative work, the difference between the mediocre and the good is vast, mediocrity is, however, still on the spectrum; you can move from mediocre to good in increments. The real gap is between doing nothing and doing something." This comes from Clay Shirky's book Cognitive Surplus. 
• A quote from Dave Grohl: "I don't believe in guilty pleasures. If you f---ing like something, like it." This comes up a lot with books and I totally agree with Grohl, if you like something, own that. You have no reason to feel guilty for your taste. Also, liking something at some moment in time doesn't define you for all eternity.
• "Tell good stories" is one of the 10 things and there was a lot of useful insight for me in that section. The illustrations of various story structures were really clear and the variations gave options for telling different types of stories. There is a page that is several triangles (identical to each other) with different captions on them (mountain, tortilla chip, etc.) which was an amazing way to point out that the caption defines the image for the viewer. 
• A quote from John le Carre: "'The cat sat on a mat' is not a story. 'The cat sat on the dog's mat' is a story." 
• Improvisation (in theater) is about saying yes to every situation that is presented to you. Kleon posits that growing as an artist is about saying yes to whatever opportunity that will let you make work you want to make comes your way. This makes a lot of sense to me.

I have one complaint about the book: there are a bunch of images in the book that aren't explained (where they were actually taken, etc.) until you get to the end of the book where there is a list of info about the photos. I wondered about several of them as I came to them and was annoyed that no info was there. It would have been nice if the details were with the images or if there were something to tell you to look in the back for more info about the image.

Book Review: Steal Like an Artist

Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative
by Austin Kleon

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a super quick read as it is an illustrated expansion of a speech. It is full of good advice about nurturing your creative side (no matter what you do) and is charming and insightful. I highly recommend it and expect I will go back and re-read it. It would also make a great gift for someone whose creativity you want to encourage.

Linda Hahn at AQG

Last night my quilt guild, AQG, hosted a lecture and trunk show by Linda Hahn. She talked about the experience of writing and publishing her book, New York Beauty Simplified.

Linda Hahn was a wonderful speaker, very funny and very informative. She is teaching a class for AQG on Saturday, but I said I would judge a beer competition that day, so I can't go. 

Here are my take-aways from her presentation:

• The backs of her quits tell a story -- often about cocktails -- using great novelty fabrics. I love novelty fabrics and this is a great use for them. She also makes the sleeves match the backing, so they just blend in.
• The titles of the quilts seem to reflect the mood of the quilt rather than anything about the actual pattern (Soho, and Cosmos at the Copa). I want to work on better, more interesting names for my quilts, and this is a good approach.
• Quilt book publishing works on a 6 month cycle and all the quilts in the books are made using current fabrics from manufacturers, which apparently the manufacturers give the author (probably through the publisher's contacts, Linda Hahn didn't really go into that and I didn't think to ask). 
• There are a lot of quits to be created from the basic NY Beauty block. I liked some of the settings in the book a lot more than others, but I loved the idea of mixing and matching different sizes and fabrics in the quilts to create different patterns. Her next book, NY Beauty Diversified, mixes the block with others to create different patterns.
• She showed a quilt which is in the book, but isn't that exciting in the photos. It was fabulous in person. The quilt is called "Midnight in Manhattan" and the background fabric is a subtly sparkly black fabric to which she added hot-fix crystals after quilting. The sparkle doesn't show in the book, but in person it looked exactly like the sidewalks in Manhattan (the ones on Park Avenue at least) which sparkle like they have diamonds in them at night. When I was a kid I thought those sidewalks were the coolest thing and this quilt brought back memories of walking there.
• I think a NY Beauty block could make an excellent front flap on a handbag. The trunk show included a clutch bag with a half circle NY Beauty on it which made me think about how the quarter curve could make the front flap on the little purses I make.
• It was great to listen to her talk--I haven't heard a speaker with a solid NY accent in a long time.
• I bought a copy of her book so I can learn her simplified technique--only one pin!--for this great block (and be inspired by the beautiful quilts she created).