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Well, quilting a custom quilt is so labor intensive that I HAVE TO break up the quilting with something more free. So, opened up my Electric Quilt 8. I updated it long ago but this is the first time I’ve actually looked at it since then. WOW has the face of this program changed. Love […]
Well, its Thursday so I think Thursdays would be really good to tell you about new tools or materials etc. that I have discovered. This week I will concentrate on you appliquers! I have found, and tried, a new foundation paper for those who use a foundation meant to partially disappear when soaked only leaving the fibre content..great for giving a little dimension to your applique. It’s not really so new, I just got around to trying it. The foundation is made by Floriani and is called Stitch N Wash Tearaway Fusible. The interesting part is the fusible. It is a very, very light fusible and you MUST read the directions for it to work. Unlike other fusibles this one takes a very limited amount of heat for a very limited amount of time. You need to use the SILK setting on your iron and press from the fabric side or use a press cloth! If you heat it too much it will not stick. Be sure to follow the directions. (Ask me how I figured that out!) It feels much lighter than the Sharon Schamber paper we have been using. I cannot pick a favorite but they are definitely different. I do like the idea of not having to add that extra glue to place the template. Give it a try. Here are a few pics of a quilt that I finished not long ago. It was totally done with fusible and what a fantastic job!
What a great baby quilt this is. I used a whimsical dragon fly for the quilting motif and love the way it came out. Baby is due tomorrow so Grandma will be binding quickly I imagine! Great job!
A charity quilt that just came off the table. Really nice, I know someone will really appreciate Jennefer’s work on this one!
On the table now. A gigantic batik quilt. A great birthday present for a Bonnie’s wonderful son! He surprised her by picking batiks and bright batiks at that! Hopefully it will be finished today.
Happy Quilting…bee happy! Karen
When you watch the Olympics or see ads on TV, keep your eye out for all of the patchwork designs incorporated into the logos and advertising. Yes, even TEAM USA is dressed in patchwork. Quilting is widely popular in Russia. Here are a few of the logos being used. Notice the fantastic colors and patterns included by the designers.
Now isn’t that just too cool! Quilting up in space and quilting at the Olympics!!!
Bee Happy…Karen
Well, getting ready for a great guild retreat next Monday thru Thursday – can’t wait. I will be teaching a quick free half-day class on this super easy way to do a landscape quilt. Being so close to the Gulf of Mexico I thought it would be fun to do a beach scene, and, I had to add one of the Lorelei beach ladies to my scene. My studio bathroom is decorated with them so guess where my little quilt will eventually end up. The quilt needs to be quilted yet, and, of course bound, but it’s moving right along.
Well, if the above picture is titled “Sexy Lady at the Beach” it stands to reason that this one should be called “Sexy Paula With Her Quilt! It is so much fun to deliver a quilt and see the big smile!!! Good job Paula!
Off to the Coastal Prairie Guild meeting tonight to learn all about broderie Perse…should be interesting. Always fun to see so many quilters in one space having a great time.
Until later..BE HAPPY
Karen
Well, I really had a great time yesterday playing with my first landscape quilt. I’ve been wrestling with something to do for a fabric challenge and hated my first project, sew…here is the beginning of my second try. I have been collecting landscape fabrics for quite some time so now have a big pile to fold and put away again. The roof of the old house is the challenge fabric. Lots to do yet, it is only glued together so far. Trees need foliage (thinking Angelina or snippets), thread painting, quilting, and embellishment. It has turned out to be a fun project!
I love red and white quilts. This one belongs to Paula and I just quilted a lovely edge to edge design onto it. It was a pleasure to quilt, nice and crisp and square!
Hope to get more accomplished on my landscape later today, although I have “the worlds biggest quilt (at least that’s what it feels like) on my table and quilting it. Sure glad it wasn’t an inch bigger. Actually it is a bedspread with extra fabric and is about 120” across and five yards – yes 5 – long….sigh! Pictures later.
BE HAPPY…..Karen
I have been working on customer quilts and have a few pictures to show. The first “pile” of yellow 
is left over strips of fleece that I braided into pull toys for dogs. I will give them to family dogs and take the rest to the shelter. They were just the selvage edges that I cut off before finishing the edges of the blankets for a dance team. The second picture is a delightful wall hanging, meant to hang on a high wall in a stairwell. Joyce did a great job of designing this. The last is a quilt made by Mary. It has the cutest embroidered blocks. Back to work for today. I have a king size quilt on the long arm, 102″ x 96″
BE HAPPY…Karen
This is the neatest, easiest way to hang a quilt I’ve ever seen. Too bad I’ve had it in my house for close to two years and never used it. I wanted to hang my surprise win quilt in my entry way and, of course, had no one to help. This took about two minutes. I found a stud and put a nail in the wall. YES, one nail. The small rod fits into the pocket and a small magnetic clamp with a nail hole in it clamps, by it’s magnet, thru the quilt and onto the rod. Just centered it on the rod. One Nail…it is perfectly level and fantastic! I highly recommend these things and they are guaranteed for life and they come in various sizes. www.hangitdangit.com Again, WOW. This is one happy customer!
Meanwhile I sure hope everyone had a great and safe day. I’m still adjusting to the time change. Did you know that there are 8% more accidents and 10% more heart attacks on the day after a time change? Maybe we need to rethink the need.
Cleaned my studio today. Way too many UFO’s! Oh well…the life of a quilter!
BE HAPPY….Karen
Great little quilts from this weeks quilting schedule. The fourth picture is not QUITE a quilt yet but is on my list for the upcoming weekend. These are blocks from all over the place. There are 42 total blocks donated by Mary Kay from Arizona, Evelyn from Canada, Jaynie from Texas, Mary Pat from Wisconsin, Rebecca from Utah, and Lisa from New Zealand. I will build these into a wonky quilt pattern and they will be sent to E-Quilter to be distributed to the people who went thru Sandy, the horrible storm on the East coast. So many are still without homes! It really feels good to give back to people in trouble. I hope to piece, quilt and bind this quilt and get it into the mail next week. Watch for a finished picture.
I had a wonderful time at my David Taylor class last weekend. One of the tips I learned, which I think is fantastic, is how David keeps his quilts perfectly square. Get twill tape (1/4″) from your local fabric store. Measure your quilt carefully and pin a piece of twill tape from exact corner to other corner. Do opposing sides as step 1 and 2. Be sure to pin the twill take carefully, ends, then middle, then split the difference as many times as you need to. Sew with a straight line stitch making sure the tape is right along the edge and does not extend into your quilt where the binding will not cover it. Then, measure the other two sides, excluding the first tape, pin as you did the others and stitch. THOSE EDGES AREN’T GOING ANYWHERE ANYMORE AND WILL ALWAYS BE EXACTLY THE SAME! No more uneven edges to bug you or quilt judges!
BE HAPPY…..Karen
A big Valentine hug to everyone! Hopes for lots of candy, dinner out, and especially quilty stuff! A great pattern for hearts is a free download on Sarah Vedeler Designs site. She is the designer that has designed the BOM for The Quilt Show for 2013. She has made hers out of the Dupioni Silk fabric mix that is available in quilt stores (at least thats what it looks like to me). It is very nice, modern, and very colorful. Take a look at her site. www.sarahvedelerdesigns.danemcoweb.com/ Click on the SHOP tab and scroll down to the Free Downloads pic, click there and you’ll find the heart quilt. I love color!
New tool – to me! Well I finally stopped by the closest Harbor Freight in Sugar Land. Forever I have been wanting to stop by and pick up some 18″ long magnets that help hold the quilt tops I am quilting. I did manage to get several and really like them. BUT, as important, hanging right next to my magnets was a small magnetic wrist band. It has wide elastic with a velcro closure and is advertised to hold screws, etc. that one might be working with. HOWEVER, look how wonderful it is to hold a small pair of thread snipping scissors as well as pins. FANTASTIC…this way I always have my scissors, don’t always need a pin cushion handy, and don’t have a pair of scissors poking me in the “girls”! Whoo Hoo! What a find. I love both things! Probably only longarmers would use the magnets but the wrist band is super! I have researched and find that the claim of a magnet near our computerized machines not being good is a false assumption.
My fantastic new find – the wristband. It is truly comfortable!
Until Later…BE HAPPY ….Karen
Well I’ve finally recouperated from a fantastic retreat. Got lots done and had a ball. Also had way to much Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla! Check out the crew with the fancy cow – all ready for partying. On Wednesday evening we had to have dinner at Goodson’s Cafe in Tomball – well known for their Chicken Fried Steak – and it was “sew” good.
When I got home I was able to stay on track and quilted Judy’s two quilts. The first is gorgeous and has soft colors in teals and corals. The picture really doesn’t do it justice and is way off in color. I think I need a photography lesson!! The second is a sweet little baby quilt done in blue and yellow with butterflies. Some baby will smile over that one.
A picture of my completed red bird block. I started over and got it right this time. Soaked it and it definitely works..you cannot see the machine stitches at all! Very cool. This is a technique I will continue to use.
Lastly, on the way home Sally and I stopped at the Galleria in Houston for a luncheon for Bo’s Place. Our guild has been working for four years with Bo’s Place. It is a grief counseling facility and part of their counseling is having the participants make quilt squares. We have been putting them together and they hang on every wall in the building. What a great group!
Been making lots of fleece blankets today for my daughter’s dance team. The are gold with the name of the team “Golddusters” embroidered in green. It takes 31 minutes to sew out the name since it is rather large. The edges are finished with a wave stitch in green and gold (from the Babylock Evolve). They look nice but…only 26 of them!.
Until later
BE HAPPY…Karen
Karen The Quilter 