Watch It Wednesday: Feathers

Last year, I pieced Pterodactyl One.  Since I've been living in an active construction zone this week, I decided it was time to reward myself by quilting this quilt!

What could be better a better reward than quilting fun feathers on the center medallion of this quilt?

I put on my quilting gloves, threaded my machine with DecoBob, and sat down to enjoy myself:

Have you ever tried quilting with 80 weight DecoBob?  It adds this beautiful texture without showing the thread.  I use it 100% of the time in my bobbin, and it's just as fun in the needle!

In Search Of: Sanity

Nearly 6 months ago, my house was destroyed when a tree fell on it.  We've been living in chaos ever since, waiting for the insurance to come through, the contractors to be available, and the stars to align.  They finally did, and my house is HOPPING!

Since the insurance company couldn't match our damaged, faded, 1974 powder-blue aluminum sidingk (who knew?), my house is now green, shutterless, with fresh white trim.

I now have walls and ceilings.

I picked out paint last night.

To keep sane through this chaos, I'm quilting.  I pulled out my Squared Away Cutie Pattern and a pack of orange fat eighths.  I'm ready to piece today while they (maybe?) start framing a door for my sewing room.  Happy Birthday to ME!!!!

Which background would you choose?

Feel free to suggest something that I haven't shown, as well.

Ollie

Did you know that sometimes I make quilts that have nothing to do with work?  That sometimes I buy a quilt kit just because I like it?

Several years ago, I bought this Ollie Cutie Quilt Kit from the Quilt Basket because I needed this quilt in my life.  I pieced it last year and recently I finished quilting it:

Please remember that dreary winter months in New York make for awful photographs.  This quilt is richer in normal daylight.  Spring, please come soon!

I had so much fun quilting this quilt!!!  I used several Full Line Stencils to help mark the blocks.  I posted not one but two tutorials about how I quilted the borders. I didn't film a tutorial of the block quilting, but I made this fun little boomerang for you:

Every time I glimpse this quilt, I fall a little more in love with it. 

I'm keeping this quilt.  The only person who will get this quilt from my hands is a grandchild.  Until then... I get to look at this quilt as often as I want!

Isn't it amazing how simple quilting with only one thread color can make a quilt sing???  The wool batting doesn't hurt, either.

Watch It Wednesday -- How to Layer Quilting in a Border

This Cutie Pattern is named Ollie and it's for ME!  The solid burgundy spacer border is a perfect place to quilt to impress!

I chose to use only one color thread (gray/green) and it blends well with the prints and with this border.

I used my 2-inch Circle Grid Stencil and Pounce Pad to mark the center of the border and layered some beautiful quilting.  Watch below!



This border looks complicated but is actually a few simple designs layered together.

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Watch It Wednesday -- Loopy Ribbon Candy Using a Stencil

This Cutie Pattern is named Ollie and it's for ME!  OK, it will be put aside for any future grandchildren, but it will live with me for a while.

I chose to use only one color thread (gray/green) and it blends well with the prints and with this border.

I used my Ribbon Candy Stencil and Pounce Pad to space the ribbon candy, and then enlarged and embellished the border.  Watch below!



Doesn't that make a plain border look like something special?

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"Up All Night" Quilting

Yesterday I had one of my periodic infusions to keep my Relapsing Polychondritis under control.  The drugs work wonders and have given me back a somewhat normal life.  The side effects of the meds are moderate but acceptable.  The steroids that they give me with my drugs, however, are pure evil.  I understand why I need them, but I hate them.

Accepting things that I cannot change, I pre-cut fabric for a steroid-fueled sewing binge while I'm not sleeping.

Here's how last night went:

My first quilt finish was Squared Away with a Red and White Cutie Pack. 

In my war against scraps, I decided to use the extra blocks and scraps of leftovers immediately after finishing the quilt.  All went well until it was time to bind the placemats and potholder:

D'oh!  I twisted the binding when I sewed to together.  No problem!  I'll just pick it out and fix it:

Steroids keep me wide awake but sadly, they don't make me smarter.

Normally, at this point I'd say "Time for bed!"  Well, since I am physically incapable of sleeping, I'll just keep at it until I get it right.

It's just not getting any better!

Seriously????

It was all worth it in the end, though:

Still wide awake, I started on another pre-cut project:

This is a Bowl of Cherries Cutie Quilt made with on-hand brown fabrics and hot pink accents and I totally love it! 

I'm off to make myself some dinner since I couldn't eat at all yesterday.  Then maybe I'll try to rest my eyes for a (please oh please let it happen) nap.

Happy Quilting!

I. Am. Ready

Today is an infusion day.  I have a rare autoimmune disease and it is kept under control with periodic IV infusions.  I will sleep for most of the 6-8 hours I'm plugged in, come home and feel punky, and then either sleep non-stop or be WIDE AWAKE for the following 24 hours or so. 

I have the Law & Order DVD set and many good books on Audible to keep me company.  I'm also well-prepared for mindless quilting:

I've pre-cut a few Squared Away Cutie quilts, one in red and white prints and the other using Jillily's This & That fabric line.  They will be fun to piece today and even more fun to machine quilt later.  Can you say Ribbon Candy?

Do you ever prepare for mindless quilting for sick days or snow days or "just because" days?

Color Blocks Scrap Quilt

It was my privilege to make Color Blocks Baby Quilt for Annie's Creative Studio and I had leftover fabric bits.  They begged me to make them into a little quilt:

This quilt will eventually be gifted to a baby or someone in need of a lap quilt.  I'm sure it will make someone happy.

What made me happy, though, was machine quilting this sweet little quilt.

I've heard some rules for choosing machine quilting patterns.

Them:  "You should quilt round quilting if the piecing is square"

Me:  "Oh yeah?"

I put my walking foot on my machine and cross-hatching this quilt.  I didn't follow the lines, though; I dropped a pair of chopsticks and however they fell determined my quilting lines.

Yes, really that's how I did it.

To make this quilt even more fun, I quilted it using FabuLux Rocking Horse variegated thread, because it just goes with EVERYTHING!

Choosing Background Fabrics

Choosing background fabrics can be tricky.  I have a new red and white print Cutie Collection (16 coordinating fat eighths) in my shop and I want to make a Squared Away Cutie Quilt with them.

But....

Which background should I choose?

The problem is, I like all of the choices.  Yellow is so bright.  White is so crisp.  Black is so stark.  Khaki is a muted choice.

I have another infusion treatment next week and will be Wide Awake from the IV steroids that accompany it.  I want to pre-cut this quilt to piece during my recovery time.

Which would you choose?

Watch It Wednesday: Full Heart Panel, part 1

I'm trying to make the most of my time at home.  When I quilt, I often film a tutorial at the same time.  Win/Win!

I pulled out the Full Heart Panel by Timeless Treasures, basted it together with wool batting, and started machine quilting.

I am filming how to quilt this and will add videos to my Free Online Class as I finish each step.

The first video is on YouTube now:



Join my Free Online Class so you won't miss a step.

Buy a panel and quilt along!

New Online Class: Color Blocks Baby Quilt

When I'm not traveling to teach machine quilting, I film quilt classes for Annie's Creative Studio at home!

I was so excited to make the Color Blocks Baby Quilt:

I'm sending this quilt to my cousin's new baby.  I know they'll just love it!

Here's the intro to the class:

I love that the pattern is included with the class!

Class description:

"Choose coordinating vintage-style prints to make a baby block quilt perfect for a boy or a girl!

In this Learn, Make, Create! video class brought to you by Annie’s Creative Studio, quilting expert Debby Brown demonstrates how to make the classic half-square triangle and assemble a basic 16-patch block.

In this online video class, you’ll learn how to:

·               Make half-square triangles.

·               Assemble the center Color Blocks.

·               Add the borders.

·               Mark off and machine-quilt spiral flower motif to complete Color Blocks Baby Quilt.

Annie's Creative Studio is a subscription-based platform where you can learn from experts (like me!) how to quilt, knit, crochet, and more!  If you aren't a member yet, sign up for a free trial to watch the entire episode.

Dottie: An Ongoing Project

I am trying to finish some old projects, finish everything I start new, and make progress on some long-term projects.  I've previously shown you my Dottie quilt.  I used my scrappy four-patches as a leader and ender project this weekend and made some good progress!

I now have 90 four-patches waiting for an equal number of hand-applique blocks so I can add a few rows to this quilt. 

Stepping Stones Cutie Quilt

I just finished this Stepping Stones Cutie Quilt:

This quilt started out as a pile of scraps from my self-replenishing 2 1/2" scrap bin:

It was a group effort.  I asked for help choosing the background:

I received nearly 100 responses and every single one voted for the gold fabric on the right.  Sorry, brown!

I pieced the top together and had a fun plan in mind for the machine quilting:

I loaded the quilt on my Handi Quilter Forte (named Jason Momoa) and started stitching ribbon candy in the border, as one does.  Then I noticed a problem that made me change my entire quilting plan.  One of the blocks was mis-pieced:

There are four gold vertical strips in each block.  The middle two are wider than the outer two.  It's hardly noticeable (which explains why I didn't notice it) but if I quilted the way I wanted to, it would be VERY noticeable.  

I make quilts because I enjoy making quilts.  This quilt has no home and will be gifted to someone or given to a charity at some point.  Since the recipient will likely not measure each individual piece, I decided not to unquilt the border, unpiece the quilt, repiece the quilt, and start again.

Instead, I left the ribbon candy border and stitched my favorite edge-to-edge design over the blocks.

I pulled out my pile of green fabric scraps and cut a scrappy binding:

I love the way this scrappy, plan-B quilt turned out!

No one (except any of the hundreds of people who see this post) will ever know the difference!

Seasonal Dining -- Valentine's Day Serviettes

Since my house is undergoing a year-long rebuilding process and we are living in a (slooooowly) active construction zone, I look for little spots of happiness in the midst of my mess.

Since I eat at least once daily when I'm at home, I am trying to make my kitchen table a happy place.  Preparing for Valentine's Day, I made some pretty cloth napkins using my Serviette pattern:

If you want to decorate your table for February, click HERE to buy a kit to make these Valentine Serviettes.

Watch It Wednesday -- Ribbon Candy in Corners

My students often ask how I stitch ribbon candy in corners.  I am machine quilting a sample and filmed how I quilted ribbon candy in one of the blocks.



Quilting on Jason Momoa, my Handi Quilter Forte

I used a Multi Clamshell Tool, the 3-inch side, for the continuous curve.

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Drowning in 2 1/2" of Scraps

Recently I pulled out my bucket of 2 1/2" strips and fell in.  I haven't been able to dig myself out.

I finished piecing the green Stepping Stones quilt I started last week:

and my supply of green 2 1/2" strips doesn't seem to have diminished a whit.

I pieced a future Cutie Quilt Pattern from red 2 1/2" strips and filmed videos of how I quilted the blocks.  Still the red piles are enormous:

I've spent some time cutting up my smaller scraps into 2 1/2" squares.  I'm filling up my sorting containers and need to buy more:

Should I mention the jelly rolls I've recently pulled out of my stash?

HELP!!!!!

What are your favorite patterns that use 2 1/2" scraps and jelly rolls?  

Summer Solstice Shawl: An Ongoing Project

Since I regained some of the use of my fingers, I've been wild for all types of hand work.  Most recently -- Crochet!

I am making a Summer Solstice Stole!

I'm trying to expand the color of my wardrobe and chose blackberry Gloss Fingering Yarn.  To keep my dodgy fingers happy, I am using a cushioned crochet hook. 

I haven't crocheted in decades so it took a time or two to get the pattern figured out, but once I got the first few rows done, I found it was easy to stitch and I'll be able to travel with this without carrying the pattern with me.  I hope to finish this to wear on my quilting cruise in April.  I have great shoes to wear with it, but haven't chosen the right dress yet.

Road2CA: Bad News, Good News, Best News

Bad news:  no place for breakfast in Ontario Airport at 4:12 am

Good News:  Diet Dr Pepper in the vending machine

Best News:  I was able to fit all of my gifted chocolates in my suitcases to bring home. Chocolate is the PERFECT memory of a great quilt show and great students!

New Online Class -- Church Window Medallions (part 1)

When I'm not traveling to teach machine quilting, I film quilt classes for Annie's Creative Studio at home!

I was so excited to make the Church Windows Medallion quilt:

When my house is finally rebuilt, I will find a place to hang this beauty!

I filmed this class in two parts.  Here's the intro to part one:

Class description:

Capture the dramatic jewel tones and precise patterns of cathedral windows in the Church Window Medallion Quilt designed by Carolyn Vagts!

In this Quilter’s Skill Builders video class brought to you by Annie’s Creative Studio, quilting expert Debby Brown demonstrates the techniques to prepare and add applique to each wedge. When finished, this project looks like a beautiful stained glass window.

In this online video class, you’ll learn how to:

·               Prepare freezer paper templates for wedge applique pieces using 30-Degree Petal Ruler or the included pattern templates.

·               Fuse applique to wedges.

·               Stitch appliques in place.

Annie's Creative Studio is a subscription-based platform where you can learn from experts (like me!) how to quilt, knit, crochet, and more!  If you aren't a member yet, sign up for a free trial to watch the entire episode.

Watch It Wednesday!

My students always ask if they can watch me quilt.  Well, my studio isn't clean enough to invite you in, but I decided I could film bits of my quilting and let you watch that way.

I'm machine quilting a sample and filmed how I quilted one of the blocks.



Quilting on Jason Momoa, my Handi Quilter Forte

I used a Multi Clamshell Tool, the 3-inch side for the continuous curve and the 4-inch side for the scallops.

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