Radium Girls Plan--post 1

Project fabrics

Goal number four on my October list was to document my plan for the book Radium Girls by Kate Moore. As I read the book, I thought about passages that could inspire a quilt project. This was a tough listen; but, a good listen. 

I hang book quilts in my home. As I make them, I ensure that each contain a positive vibe. A tough listen, makes finding a positive vibe more challenging! 

Thumbnail sketches

As I listened, I noted words and a few thoughts on a piece of paper. I've already shared that I purchased a fabric with watch faces for this project. I kept telling myself that I was looking for a modern design.

Next, I drew a few thumbnail sketches. In the book, the dial painters had a tray of either 24 or 48 watch faces to paint with radium. They did this with a lip, dip, paint method, meaning they slipped the end of the paint brush into their mouth, dipped it in the radium and then painted. They swallowed the excess radium,

Looking on line, I learned that the girls sat at long tables or in desks in long rows when they worked. Drawing number one and two were based on the girls sitting in their rows.

Drawings three, four and five were based on a smaller tray. I thought I had settled on drawing three as my project.After a few days into my recovery from knee revision surgery, I wanted to flesh out more ideas.

Drawing my pattern

I looked online to see if there were photographs of alpha and or gamma rays. There were not. I thought about purchasing a panel with a skeleton and stitching it in glow in the dark thread. 

Then, I drew a more modern layout of a few circles. I then thought about the watch face fabric. What if I used a chunk of it rather than looking at it to be appliquéd in
circles? What if the center fabric was a dark fabric representing the unknown result of the lip, dip, paint process? What if the right fabric was a green fabric that represented the radium? What if curves were larger in the foreground and smaller in the background! Thumbnail number nine brought about so many questions, that I decided to make a pattern.

I've begun the process of making a pattern. Once I have refined the pattern, I can transfer it to freezer paper and use the freezer paper to cut out my shapes. I can either hand or machine appliqué the pieces. I'm also thinking about quilting possibilities.

Prewashing

Fabrics to prewash

Goal number three on my October list was to prewash and starch some fabrics for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. In the photo were also background and accent fabrics for the Marigold Mystery.

Since my knee revision surgery on September 14, I've been working on standing and sitting. I've also been working on flexing and bending! I had a set back last week. I'm working through the pain and hope each day will be better than the last. So far it is a toss up whether I'm making forward progress or not! I am approaching this recovery with patience and persistence!

Black fabrics ready for starch and pressing

Generally, I test each fabric for color fastness so that means a separate hand wash for each item. I knew I didn't have the ability to follow that protocol for all those black fat quarters. I--gasp--broke protocol and washed all of them at once in the machine! These fabrics will be used to make a border for my Rainbow Scrap Challenge project.

I did wash the yellow and brown yardage separately and by hand. Neither fabric had a color fast issue.

Instead of using the heavy starch process I often use, I went with a gentle spritz of Best Press. I did manage to iron all of the fabrics the same day. I did take several breaks; but, I was able to stand and press without causing more pain or swelling to my recovering knee.

Ready to be added to a project

In a day or two, I will try again to sit and sew at my machine. Fingers crossed that my body is ready for a little stitching actions! Linking to Oh Scrap, Sew & Tell.and To Do Tuesday.

Quilt Show Entry Recap

The Quiltfest Northwest Quilt Show, which is put on by the Clark County Quilters, happened October 8-10, 2026. I had six entries. Members were limited in the number of projects we could enter. Kudos to my friend, Rosanne, who took my quilts to the show and picked them up for me. I had dropped them off at her house before my knee revision surgery. My husband picked them up at her house the day after the show. Also, kudos to Rosanne for videoing the various quilt show categories so it felt like I saw the show! I truly couldn't have participated if it weren't for her!

Story

My Temperature Quilt 2022-2023 was a project that I hand pieced, hand appliquéd and quilted it on my domestic machine. I entered it in the hand pieced category. Seeing a photo of it hang was awesome, because I don't have that perspective in my home. I was surprised at how great it looked!

2022-2023 Temperature Quilt

The judge's comments were:

Hot and cool colors well positioned to indicate change in temperature. Generally, good piecing technique. Quilting direction well done to indicate dimensionality of block. Excellent binding.

Story

I had two entries in our Thread Tales exhibit. The first Sashiko and Roses is a small quilt. It was for the book, "The Stories Clothes Tell." It is hand appliquéd and free motion quilted on my domestic machine. It was my first attempt at Sashiko stitching.

Sashiko and Roses

The judge's comments were:

Excellent contrast between dark background and white sashiko thread which visually pops. Strive for less visible appliqué stitches and smoother curves.Triangle points shout meet accurately at binding. Borders frame and unify central quilt well. Pebbles and quilted ovals create a good background and frame for the roses.

Story

The second entry in the Thread Tales group was Grow which was inspired by the book The Secrets of Sunflowers. It was a Sew Along that Preeti Harris led. I used only scraps for the leaves and a batik for the background that had lived in the stash long enough! I quilted it on my domestic machine.

Grow

The judge's comments were:

Good use of light and value in each block. Good use of prints for variety of prints for visual interest and texture. Excellent piecing technique. Creative use of machine stitches in background. Good contrast between the circles and the straight line piecing and quilting. Excellent binding.

The quilt was award a red ribbon in the Thread Tales category and Best Quilting Domestic/Longarm Stationery Head ribbon.

The fabrics

I had two entries in our Amigas challenge which was using three Kaffe prints. We had few rules to follow. We could add as many fabrics as we wanted, use any design--made up or commercial. Use any technique. We had to use a recognizable amount of each fabric. It was a good challenge for my brain!

Story

Scrappy Kaffe was originally destined to be the back of Dash; but, it decided that it wanted to be a front so I listened and let it! It was a great way to use the Dash leftovers. In the end, I had little to put back into my scrap saving system!

Scrappy Kaffe

The judge's comments were:

The choice of quilting design showcases the fabric collection well. Print and solid fabrics are distributed well throughout and create good visual balance. All-over floral design compliments the geometric piecing well. Good piecing and binding techniques.

Story

Dash was the project I had initially made for the challenge. It was a challenge to use those three Kaffe fabrics in the same project. I quilted it on my domestic machine.

Dash

The judge's comments were:

Direction change of purple inserts creates excellent visual movement. Concentration of solid fabrics in specific areas is very effective. The combination of stippling and curved quilting complements the overall design. Excellent binding technique.

It was awarded a blue ribbon.

Story

My final entry was for the guild challenge. We were to use red, white, blue and gold fabrics. The piece needed a star and a stripe. Additionally, it could be no more than 24 inches wide; but, there was no limitation on the length!

Divided

I used scraps to make my entry! I quilted it on my domestic machine. There were 23 entries for viewers to vote. The results of this contest will be revealed at the November guild meeting. It was a great show! I look forward to being able to attend next year!

Linking to: I Quilted This, Finished Or Not Friday and Patchwork and Quilts.

Piecing the Back for Lala's Chain--post 3

Leftover scraps from the project

Goal number one on my October list was to document piecing the back for Lala's Chain. You can make your own top after visiting Melva Loves Scraps sew along page. First I gathered all of the leftovers from the project. There were quite a few scraps! Yet not enough for the back. I looked in my stash and found a striped fabric.

Beginning the planning and piecing process

Laying the top on my bed to ensure I made the back big enough, I began laying out the chunks and cutting some pieces of the stripes to make the back. I do try to set the smaller pieces toward the center of the back.

Completed pieced back

Piecing a back takes some time. I spent a day piecing this one! In addition to the interest a pieced back brings to the quilt, I love that I've used the leftovers. These were all pieces that did not go into my scrap saving system. I count that as a double win!

Ready for the longarmer

The top and the backing were at the longarmer. I chose a panto of bicycles. This week, I received a call that it was quilted! My husband picked it up. I look forward to binding and finishing it as soon as I can sit at the machine again! I used fourteen and a half yards in this project. Much of the fabrics were scraps and all of it came from stash! That is a total win!

I won't count the yardage until I finish the project. Not counting the yardage is another incentive to finish the project! Linking to Oh Scrap, Sew & Tell, and To Do Tuesday.

Rug Weaving--post 2

First Happy Thanksgiving to all the Canadians! 

Goal number two on my October list was to document my rug weaving process.  Last April, I took an online course from Ilka White, a fiber artist from Australia. I posted about my experience. Since then, I've worked on growing this project!

Torn strips ready for weaving

I start with 10 strips of the navy sheet and the light blue flannel sheets. Sometimes, if I'm close to the end of the sheet, I'll rip the remaining bit. 

About to add three flannel strips

As the strips become too short to act as the weaver, I'll add another strip. Ilka recommends keeping the strips about 18 inches. I decided not to cut the strips into those lengths. First, it meant less times to add a strip and second, less strips mean less knots. The longer length didn't bother me with the weaving.

Weaving one pass

It is't difficult to weave this design. the weaver and the strips are the same color. It is an over and under process row after row!

Inserting the crochet hook

When I reach the end of the strips, I insert a crochet hook into a nearby finished loop. 

Positioning the crochet hook
to pull the tail through the loop

I pull the tail of the weaver through that loop. 

Beginning to pull the tail through the loop

Usually, the loop I'm using will be the same fabric. 

The strip almost pulled through the loop

I do try to fold the edges of the strip so the right side of the fabric is out.

Once the strip has been pulled through the loop, I go back to adjust the tension in each of the strips. This process takes a little time too; but, the result is worth the effort.

Detailed view of the strips

At the end of September, my rug measured 31 inches in diameter. I have torn all the bottom sheet and have started tearing the top sheet. I am past the half way point of this project!

31 inches of woven rug

My husband asked if I knew how to finish this project. I said that although Ilka had told us how to decrease the strips and had included the directions in her class handout, the answer was no! The class was too long ago to remember what she said so I hope that when I get to that point, I'll be able to achieve the finish!

34 inches of woven rug

I've been working on the project during the times when I am working on my sitting ability. (I had knee revision surgery the middle of September and I'm not ready to be seated in front of a sewing machine yet!) I was surprised to measure the rug before snapping the latest photo to find it is about 34 inches in diameter. Now that the rounds are larger, it takes longer to gain those inches! Note that it is almost as wide as my kitchen table!

This isn't slow stitching; but, it is a handwork project so I'm linking to Slow Sunday Stitching. I'm also linking to Finished or Not Friday and Patchwork and Quilting.

September Recap and October Goals

Surface view of rug

My September goals were:

✔1. Document making a special pillow case for the youngest granddaughter.

✔2. Document the activities the youngest granddaughter did during her visit.

✔3. Piece the string blocks for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. This month the color is purple.

✔4. Share what I did at the summer virtual retreat.

✔5. Share my progress on the book club quilt Garden Flowers.

✔6. Make progress quilting the butterfly.

Strips ready for weaving

✔7. Make progress on my rug weaving.--Post surgery, I started with three  one hour sessions of PT to work on sitting. I've spent 45 minutes of each session weaving my braided rug. The second week, I was up to 45 minutes five times per day. I have torn all the flannel strips of the bottom sheet and they are attached to the rug for weaving! The rug is now too big to fit on my sewing room workspace. It is on the kitchen table. 

Every time that I think I'm feeling comfortable with the process, I note an issue trying to happen. I can see that I need to add more stitches as the rug is trying to curl. I am loving the results so far! It now measurers 31 inches which is six more inches than last month!

✔8. Make progress on Lala's Irish Chain.

✔9. Determine what to do for the next book club quilt. We are reading Radium Girls by Kate Moore.

Thoughts of a project for Radium Girls

--I drew some thumbnail sketches. Picked one to pursue. After thinking about it, I decided to come up with a different design and use the main fabric. I even chose different fabrics. Now to make the pattern. .  .

✒10. Do what I can to make progress on the Magnificent Mystery and Floral Baubles sew alongs.--I didn't work on Floral Baubles. Sitting is still not all that comfortable.

✔11. Recover from knee revision surgery--Because 23 months after knee joint replacement surgery, I still have pain and loss of mobility. 

Focus fabric for the Radium Girls project

It was another terrific month in spite of spending half of it outside of the studio rehabbing my knee! I hope to feel like sitting at the machine to piece and quilt in October! I do feel like living life is just around the corner for me!

Fabric Accounting:

Current Month:

Fabric in: 8 yards

Fabric out: 0 yards

Net gain for the month: 8 yards 

Year to Date:

Fabric in: 57.25 yards

Fabric out: 124.75yards 

Net loss: 67.50 yards 

Fabric purchase this month. Fat quarter 
bundle for string project.
Yardage for Magnificent Mystery project

Best Book of the month: The Forty Year Grudge by Liza Tully. This is the second book of the Merritt and Blunt mystery series. It's a cozy mystery. A murder occurs during a small gathering of sorority sisters who are together for their 40 year reunion. I thought I knew who did it and why; but, I was wrong!

My October goals are:

1. Document making the back for Lala's Irish Chain.

2. Document my rug weaving process.

3. Pre-wash and starch some background fabrics for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge.

4. Document my plan for the project for Radium Girls.

5. Make a Memory Bear. I cut out the pattern pieces from the flannel sheet that I'm using to make the woven rug.

I'm listing a few goals because this may be a difficult list to achieve. I sure hope that I'll be stitching. Three weeks into my knee revision recovery, however, my body is not ready for sewing. My last PT session set me back. I've returned to using the walker to get around the house. No position is currently comfortable. Sigh. . .I so want to be doing other activities!

Linking to Oh Scrap, Sew & Tell and To Do Tuesday.

Machine Embroidered Monogram Pillow

Trial stitch out 

Goal number one on my September list was to document the pillowcase that I made for my youngest granddaughter.

She was moving to a loft style bed and her mama wanted to decorate her daughter's new bed with a monogramed pillow containing her initials. I have Bernina embroidery software which I hadn't opened in a couple of years. It was time to reacquaint myself with the program.

I played around a little with the fonts and liked at the library of monograms available. I decided I wanted to make my own monogram. My software included a few templates. I used one of the templates. I picked a font that felt a little Asian since I had used a scrap of panda fabric. 

It was fun to play in the software. I found that I needed to refresh my skills because I had forgotten a TON!

Then it was time to choose thread and stitch a sample. People often think that you pick a pattern and the machine automatically stitches the design perfectly. Not so!!!

In the trial stitch out, I could see that I needed more stabilizer, better alignment and a tension adjustment. I also decided to leave the cut away stabilizer in place around the smaller motifs. When I cut away the stabilizer in the second sample, I nicked the threads and had some of the motif unraveled.

Third sample

By the third sample, I had figured out the alignment. I had determined the best tie to cut the jump stitches.  I determined that I liked the colors and the order I stitched the colors. 

The monogram on the pillow case

The fourth time I stitched the monogram, was for "real!"I made the pillow case and topstitched the monogram to the pillowcase. I like how it turned out. My daughter liked it so much that she asked for a second pillow.

Two days later, I embarked on a second pillow. This time, when I went to embroider the monogram, the machine wouldn't recognize my hoop. I hadn't changed any settings so I didn't know what that was about! I took some time to research what could be going on and tried a fix through my settings. It worked,

Stitching the design, the thread broke and the program wouldn't allow me to restart the machine to finish the stitch out. I had surgery and when I'm ready, I'll poke around and see if I can figure out what happened. It likely is an easy fix since it was working great before!

Linking to Finished or Not Friday and Patchwork and Quilts.

Quilting the Butterfly--post 10 and Knee Revision Update

Warning: A short update regarding my knee revision is included at the end of this post. Knee photos follow the close up photo of the butterfly quilting. Stop reading the post at that point.

Examples of free motion quilting
in green and batik  fabrics

Goal number six on my September list was to make progress on free motion quilting my butterfly quilt. My plan is to stitch around the motifs and to take advantage of any "filler" type prints used in the design. I also plan to match the thread to the fabric so the quilting provides texture. Over the years, I've learned that plans change so I'm going with how I feel.

Stitching on pink fabrics

This project has been made with lots and lots of small scraps. There is a variety of fabrics used too. Some of the fabrics are: fashion fabric, swimwear fabric, batiks and quilting cottons. Many of the scraps are from my friend Martha's strip and crumb inventory.

Stitching pink thread on a motif

The photos represent about eight hours of free motion quilting. I believe I've stitched the black fabrics and most of the bright green fabrics. I had planned to quilt using one thread color; but, decided to quilt areas of the quilt instead. Quilting areas will allow me to keep the density of the quilting more even.

Overall view of project

I'll admit, I was getting into quilting this project. The closer the day of my knee surgery became, the less I slept so I was doing a lot of stitching at the beginning of the month! I hope to make more progress next month!

Close up of over all quilting and texture

My post surgery recovery is in full swing. I'm beginning to feel a bit of knee pain/tightness. Most of what I have felt has been muscle tightness. It's been a long time since I could extend my knee to walk so those quadriceps and hamstring muscles are protesting that I'm asking them to stretch and contract in ways they haven't. They loved their vacation!

Close up view of the spongy bandage and 
wound vac tubing

Between the wound vac system and the ice machine system, I have had little swelling and bruising of my leg. The swelling in the photo is a little less than I had before surgery. 

Bandage compressed against wound via the wound vac machine

I'm sharing a photo of the bandage as well as a photo of both knees. I'm moving forward faster than I did with my first knee surgery. 

The spongy bandage puffed up after the wound vac machine battery life ended.

Friday, the surgeon removed the spongy bandage and I returned the portable wound vac machine. I was surprised to learn that parts of the machine are recycled; but, that is thrown away. It benefited my healing process.

Steri-strips in place

The wound looked good. The edges had come together nicely. I now have steri-strips supporting the wound. The strips will fall off as the wound continues to heal. The purple lines are registration marks that the surgeon uses to close the wound. Once the wound has healed, I'll be able to try swimming. Only six more weeks to wait! Life is good!

Linking to: Oh Scrap, Sew & Tell, To Do Tuesday and I Quilted This.