Modern Quilting Topic

We currently have TEN members of our Modern Quilting ring now! Yeah! (I am not counting myself because I could have a party all by myself right here, but how much fun would that be?)

What inspires your quilt designs, where do you get your ideas?
How has Modern design has influenced your quilting, is there a specific style?

Me?

I luvvv Mid-Century Modern architecture and home furnishings. The look of the 50's and 60's. Women's fashions from then. My color choices are influenced by that, my lines and compositions are too. Interior design from that time was unlike anything before it.

I also have always loved abstract art where the piece is broken down into its base elements and become all theory. I can't help but be influenced by my times as well and would like to think that my designs are updated versions for Modern.

A few catch words come to mind...
Eames
Ranch Houses
Danish Modern furniture
A-Line Dresses
High-Healed pumps
West Elm
Asian Influence

Saturday AQS in Nashville

I went to Nashville on Saturday to enjoy the AQS quilt show. My quilt was there as a group entry with my guild. We went together on a bus and it was fun to be there with my quilty friends.


While there one of the vendor was giving away a free quilt block, it uses Eleanor Burns' fusing technique. Once I had it ironed down I could take it to another booth and try out a Baby Lock sewing machine to sew it down.


While there Eleanor Burns herself showed up! So I asked her to sign my block and pose in a picture with us. She was so sweet and nice and more than happy to hang out with us.


What a fun day.

I only purchased on 1/2 yard piece of fabric. But I did stock up on six more spools Superior Threads, my new love...

WIP Weekend 8-26

I finally got the top done, the border is a little different than I had first imagined it. I sandwiched it together and am ready to start quilting it.

Also am working on my Timon quilt at a feverish pace again! I am glad I am inspired to keep going on it.

I now have two more of these areas filled in and currently working on Timon's left eye

36!

I like that number, it is divisible by so many things. Saw this on Cat in the Batt and had to play...

Pholph's Scrabble Generator My Scrabble© Score is: 36. What is your score? Get it here.

WIP Weekend 8-19

This is what I've been up to. Last weekend I decided I needed to get going with my projects again. After all it is a billion degrees outside and I certainly didn't want to be out there!

One of my routines while I am sewing is to use canned air to clear out the dust bunnies from my machine, I like to do this when ever I change a bobbin. So that's what I started off doing. Except there was this one particular tough bunny I couldn't blow free. I could see that I might be able to reach it better from the bottom of the machine and preceded to flip it over. Lo and behold, there is a cover on the bottom of my machine! Now, I consider myself more mechanically inclined than your average bear, but I never noticed this detail of the machine I've been sewing on for the last fifteen years! "Okay, this is easy" I said to my self, eye balling the two little screw I would need to loosen to take the bottom off.

Can you image my surprise when I got the bottom off!?!?!?! I was amazed to find a nether region of my machine that I had never explored! Many times I have fearlessly taken the top plate off to oil the mechanical workings for my machine. I have total confidence in my ability to service my own machine! How could I have possibly missed this very important area???

This is the HORROR that I found from years of neglect!

So I spent only about thirty minutes completely airing out this nastiness....

Gorgeous! This area will be on my list of areas to maintain, that's for sure!!!

Okay, so I finally settled into my projects and found that I really have misplaced my Pin Ring, again, for good I think. So I couldn't just make one, I had to make eleven. My plan is to use them as quilty crafty gifts for my friends that lean that way.




Oh yeah! I did work on my Happy Retro Modern quilt top for a while too, the border is almost on if I can keep myself from being distracted even more.

Paper Piecing Thoughts

I've been working on my New Timon quilt for nearly five years now. As I sat this morning while watching my favorite weekend program, Sunday Morning, I was carefully taking out the basting and paper from the completed squares. At that time I realized that I have handled each little square several times while assembling this project.


I suppose that is why people are amazed and shocked when I tell them what I am doing. Some just shake their head and mutter under their breath that I am crazy. Other quilters tremble at the awesome task I've taken on. Since I have no deadline I feel none of these things. The process is a means to the end I am trying to accomplish - a painting in fabric. It is my most complicated and biggest project yet using English Paper Piecing.

So, let's see how many times does each tiny square get handled?
Mental handling:

• Developing the picture (at least 15-20 versions are created)


• Seperating the seperate colors


• Picking the fabrics that will go with each swatch

The physical handling:

• Cutting the fabric out


• Pinning each piece to a paper layout


• Cutting the paper backing


• Ironing fabric to paper


• Basting each piece
  
• Pinning the basted square down on a layout board


• Sewing the pieces together


• Removing the basting


• Removing the paper

Final Assembly (yet to be completed)

• Sewing on a border


• Creating a Quilt Sandwich


• Hand quilting the quilt


• Adding the binding


• Taping off all the cat hair


• Adding the label

So far I've counted 18 individual handlings of each piece of fabric, including the assembly. Nine are just for the actual squared of fabric. That's 18 x (count of squares) = a jillion times I have done something with quilt.

Not that I am appologizing for how long it takes or making excuses, but doing this count sure puts the process into perspective!


Stay tuned to when I count how many I've actually made.....

I did it!

I finally bought a quilt book. Amazon offered me a five dollar coupon for pre-buying Harry Potter, so I treated myself to the book I've been looking at for a while. Modern Quilt!


Now that it is hotter than the sun outside this weeked (suppose to be the hottest this year) I will be returning to the sewing room again. What will this afternoon be like for me? I am not sure that I am ready to start a new project, but I sure would like to work on the ones that I have. I'm feeling the itch again.

Oi! Eat My Shorts!

I've had a pair of shorts cut out ready to sew in my sewing room for about a year. I've been wearing the top all along. I said to myself that I need to finish the shorts before the top is worn out.

Good grief, it was like I was drugged or something. I couldn't remember how to sew them up! First I sewed the pocket on in the wrong order, but it was recoverable and I wasn't going to rip stitches, so I plowed on and got that part fixed. Then I sewed the waist band elastic in with a twist. Take out the stitches and fix that. I still have the hem to go. I can't believe I did so badly on them. I've made them before!?!?!

I wear the purple ones all the time, love them, made the pattern from another pair that fit well.

Well! I am just going to have to write instructions to myself next time. They should be presentable enough to wear in the yard, which is their purpose and they won't be worn further than that anyway. I certainly won't win any awards for this sewing job!

Wip Wednesday 8-01

Oh! I wish it were truely a WIP Wednesday. I haven't sewn much all the month of July. Now I am uncertain of which project to dive into again. I need a warm up project. I need to cut up fabric, I need to hear the sewing maching, I need to sew....

Sunday Mom and I sat down and went through my bead stash (a collection I've been accumilating for the last twenty-five years) and made some wine glass charms. We figured they are big enough to be used as coffee much charms too. They are very elaborate and special and we hope she will be able to sell them at Christmas time at her crafts fairs. I am hoping they will do well since she lives in the wine country and they are wine related.



We want to sell a set of four for about twelve to thirteen US dollars. What do you think? Would you pay that for wine glass jewelry made from exotic and hand blown beads? (I blew the beads myself in a past life) I looked on eBay for reference and there a lot of cheaply made sets and a few nicer sets. Mine are on wire, many used memory wire. Some of the nicer ones were going for what I want to charge.

PS, Mom and Dad headed hom yesteday morning. It was a wonderful month having them around!