Scarf--Tenth Finish 1st Quarter FAL 2019

Scarf folded and ready for trimming

A number of months ago, I saved a television episode of "Fit To Stitch." The moderator, Peggy Sagers, demonstrated making a capelike scarf out of a square of fabric. The process looked interesting. I loved the way the scarf draped on the model.  I loved how little sewing was involved to achieve the effect.

 I had a gifted piece of fabric from my mother that would work so I had a "go" with the project. I first cut the fabric so it was as wide (about 60 inches) as it was long (also 60 inches.) Next I folded it in quarters and then I folded it into a triangle shape. I made my triangle smaller by folding it in half one more time.

One of two circle scarves

Folding it smaller made it easier to trim the fabric to a gentle curve at the top of the V.  Next, I opened the fabric so that it was four layers. Measuring from the fold, I made a cut that was six inches away from the fold and was six inches long. At that point, I could have called the project finished because the fabric didn't ravel.

Instead, I decided to stitch a narrow folded hem at the bottom edge as well as around the cut edges. It took some time to adjust the serger to stitch on this lightweight fabric. I found applying some tension to the back of the fabric helped it lay flatter.

Two infinity scarves

Then I tried it on. Although I could get my arms in the holes, it wasn't easy to put on. So I cut off the stitching and made the slits longer. I tried it on and although easier, it still wasn't great so I cut the slits longer yet! In the end, I lengthened them two inches.

It still was a bit fiddly to get on; but, I liked how it looked. I don't know how easily my mom could get it on though. I tried putting my head through the slits and found that could work too. It even worked to put my arms through the slits like I was putting on a t-shirt. My mom could handle that movement. I did like the drape of the scarf once it was on my body. The following day, I tried the scarf on over a thin knit top and it was easier to put on and off.

March embroidery lesson

I wore it to the guild quilt show to see how it felt. I experimented with two different methods of putting on the scarf. Both methods worked great. This would make a great item to pack for a trip because it is lightweight and it could easily dress up an outfit.

I decided to make a second scarf. I shortened the stitch length when I stitched the hem. I liked that effect better. I also decided to stitch two infinity scarves out of the remaining fabric. I've a few more gifts for giving and four yards less fabric in my stash! I have now sewn 39 yards of the 57 1/2 that were my goal to sew this year. I have 18 1/2 yards left to meet my goal. On my 1st Quarter FAL 2019 list, this scarf project was goal number 23.

I also completed the March software embroidery lesson which was lapped and overlapped designs. I have clean up work to do on the initial exercise; but, I have an idea of how to use it. The wreath was fun to create. I think it will make a great future quilt label.

This is the end of the month so I'll share that I trained five lifeguard instructors and 25 participants in basic life support CPR.

My March goals were to: finish the dog quilt, make the flannel potholders, stitch the scarf, sew K's and J's knit outfits, complete the March embroidery lesson, give a lecture to the North Star Quilt guild, brainstorm ideas about sunset, sew the green shorts, and finish the gold flower project. I completed all but the last three items. I feel good about my progress!

Potholders--Ninth Finish for 1st Quarter FAL 2019

The 7 inch squares that are pockets

Since the death of my friend Martha last July and since the repurpose project of her sewing/quilting supplies, I've been trying to use items that I brought into my space. At least once a month, I make an effort to finish something that she started or to pull some of her scraps into a project that I'm trying to finish from my WIPs.

The last time I was at her house, I picked up a bag of what I thought were flannel scraps. I was in a for a surprise when I opened it because the bag was a chenille potholder project. I saw three seven inch flannel chenille squares on top. I didn't delve further in the bag. Going through her patterns one more time, I also had picked up the pattern for this project so it was serendipity to reunite the pattern with the started project.

Stages of the process

Martha made a number of flannel quilts using this layer and slash/chenille technique. She called the quilts, "Curly Quilts" because of how the edges frayed and curled after washing. She loved how cuddly and soft that style of quilt was. I'm not surprised she started this project. She probably thought these would make great gifts as well as a way to use up some of her leftovers from the past quilts that she had made. For my 1st quarter FAL list, I decided stitching four potholders was doable and it became goal number 19. After all, three of the potholders just needed binding.

Upon closer inspection of the "parts," I chuckled. No, I laughed outright!!! The seven inch squares that I thought were potholders needing binding were actually a pocket for a larger potholder!  That bag contained enough units to make seven potholders.

With some effort, I thought might be able to make an additional three potholders. I had also picked up a few chunks of flannel scraps from her stash so I could make the 7x10 inch larger pocket.

I'm sure she had a plan for which parts went together. I have no idea if I followed her plan; but, I did put as many parts together for a potholder as was possible. Sometimes, I needed to cut a piece of binding. Sometimes, I needed to machine sew the binding to the pocket and for sure, I needed to finish attaching the binding to the pocket. Martha always

Potholders before washing and drying

preferred to machine stitch her binding because it was faster. She was all about fast!

I did make several attempts to machine stitch the binding; but, I wasn't happy with the results. I pulled out a hand sewing needle and got to work. I was surprised how easily my needle went through the flannel. Once I had bound the pocket edge, I added a loop and the outer binding. I cut outer binding pieces from the flannel leftovers for three pockets that she had placed in the bag. Then I discovered the black flannel binding she had cut for the project! I used that binding on the remaining potholders. (She had cut just the right amount!)

Potholders after washing and drying

NOTE: Hand stitching the binding was a great activity to do while watching the NCAA March Madness Basketball games. My husband and I make our brackets and it is a hoot to see which, if any, of our teams actually make it to the finals!

After I had completed the stitching, it was time to wash and dry the potholders. I added these to my regular load of towels. This is where the magic happens because all those slashed edges fray and fluff! Of course, I also needed to clean the lint trap from the dryer! These are now ready for gifting.

Take note of that potholder on the far right. I missed cutting some of the channels!!! I've sliced those last sections and will rewash and dry that potholder. In the end, it will work great too! I actually made five potholders. The other five potholders are ready to have the binding hand stitched which will be a good take along project for next quarter. I have some leftover pieces that need a purpose; but, I did a great job of making a dent in that project bag!

I used 2 1/2 yards of fabric. My goal this year is to use 57 1/2 yards of fabric from my studio. This finish means that I have sewn 35 yards into projects and I have 22 1/2 yards left to stitch before I meet that goal. This is my ninth finish this quarter.

Knit Dress #2 For A Grand #2--Eighth Finish 1st Quarter FAL 2019

Miss J's pattern choice

Finishing Miss K's dress meant that I needed to get Miss J's garments stitched. Miss J picked this pattern because she liked the ruffle at the bottom of the skirt as well as the ruffle on the jacket.

I needed to cut carefully so I had enough fabric for all of the pieces. It was a tight fit; but, I was successful! Miss J is also taller than the pattern measurements so I lengthened the pattern pieces. The way this tissue pattern was printed, it was easy to make the adjustments without disturbing the sizing. Most of the time, I could fold the pattern on the line that I needed.

Finished jacket

I used a piece of green bias tape to finish the neckline of the jacket. The tape was from my grandmother's stash. She taught me to sew, so I have many memories of the two of us stitching outfits for me.

I did pick a pink ribbon that I could add to the jacket if Miss J decides that she would like the jacket to close. It took me a long time to make the simple jacket because I had a hard time understanding the directions for the neckline.

Finished skirt

The ruffle at the bottom of the skirt is a piece of tulle. I pulled out the rolled edge hem foot for my serger and hemmed the edges of the ruffle. It has been many years since I used that option on the serger. I was thankful that I had written the tension settings in my owner's manual because I didn't have to take a lot of time experimenting! I like the extra dimension the tulle ruffle added.

I used one and a half yards of fabric in this project. My goal this year is to use 57 1/2 yards of fabric from my stash. This finish means that I have used 32 yards and have 25 1/2 yards left to stitch before I meet that goal! This was goal number 21 on my 1st Quarter FAL list. It is my eighth finish this quarter.

I look forward to seeing Miss J wear this outfit.

Crayon Doodle "DOG" Post 3--Seventh Finish of 1st Quarter FAL 2019

Some hand stitching and center quilts

At the end of my last post on this project, I was ready to layer and baste it for quilting. I stitched in the ditch for every stinking seam. I also stitched on all the black lines on the dog motif. For the background, my original thought was to stitch some vertical and horizontal lines that would represent the lines that happen when the paint dries. Then, I decided that I would stitch swirl shapes reminiscent of Van Gough's Starry Nights painting.

I was making great progress when I realized that I hadn't checked the back for tension issues. Sigh. . .there were tension issues. . .I ended up ripping out all that I had stitched. It wasn't hard because the bobbin thread was laying on top of the fabric; but, it did take some time!

Stitching that didn't work

I changed the needle and changed the tension. I did a test on another quilt sandwich. I stitched a little on the project and checked. . .all GOOD. So I continued restitching the background. I used a cream colored cotton thread from Superior Threads Masterpiece line.

Quilted top

Next, I concentrated on quilting a combination of pebbles and stippling around the letters. Sometimes, I pebbled inside the letters and sometimes I stippled. In some areas, I used a shade darker cream thread. From a distance, one probably wouldn't notice. If one were studying the quilting, it might be noticed. So. . .one might ask, why would I take the time to mix it up that way? Because, small changes like that make the project more interesting to one's eye. One might notice something different and one might want to take the time to figure out what the differences were!

I added vertical lines to the sides of the embroidery at the top and bottom of the art work. I liked the look of leaving some spaces without quilting. Then it was time to quilt the left side of the project. I thought that I needed some purple thread in that area. I stitched a few lines. I tried a different approach. It didn't work. The lines detracted from the wonky paint pots.

Label and view of back

The big question of what to do came next. I was stumped. When I am stumped, I call a friend. I also take a look at what fillers I've already quilted. The phone call and reviewing what I had quilted worked. I considered repeating some quilting designs. Repetition is a great method to unify sections of a quilt. I repeated the pebble filler in each side of the paint pot squares. I also decided to quilt straight lines in the areas adjacent to the pebbles using the diagonal line as a reference line. I had planned to again use different background threads; but, decided I liked using the lightest thread the best.

Two fat quarters make up the back. I chose the black and green fabric because it reminded me of Mis J's original lines in her crayon doodle. The sleeve is the lime green fabric that is also behind the label.

I used two yards of fabric in this project. My goal this year is to use 57 1/2 yards of fabric fro my stash. This means that I have used 30 1/2 yards and have 27 yards left to stitch before I meet that goal! This was goal number ten on my1st Quarter FAL list. It is my seventh finish this quarter.

Reading the "Art Forger" by B.A. Shapiro inspired me to finish this piece. It was fun to work in the spirit of a master artist and even more fun to team with Miss J. Actually, I'm a little sad to have finished; but, I suppose that means the two of us need another project!

Previous posts regarding this project can be found below:
Post 1
Post 2
If you want to revisit!

Finished front

Red, Black and Mice All Over

Hole blocks

In 2007, our book club read "Jump Off Creek," by Molly Glass. The story is about a female homesteader in the 1890s that settles in southern Oregon. I was inspired by the passage in the book where she arrives at her cabin, but, finds two men squatting in her dirt floor shack. (She definitely was sold a different bill of goods!!!)

She kicks out the men, pulls in her bedroll to sleep and it rains. Water drips on her because there are holes in the roof and there are mice running all over.

I had won a couple sets of blocks through the guild. One set was "holes" and the other set was mice. Even better, the colors were red, black, and neutral. Of course, there weren't enough blocks once I figured out a layout; but, it wasn't hard to make a few more!!!

View of the quilting on the back

The mice blocks are cute. The ears are three dimensional and I embroidered each tail. I made a bunch more of these blocks. I purchased the black fabric. I used scraps for the rest of the project.

I only had a fat quarter of the flower print; but, I managed to use it all! I used it because the character planted some flower seeds outside her cabin.

Label

I did purchase a yard of green fabric that had tree trunks on it when I was getting inspired about what to stitch. That fabric didn't make it into this quilt; but, I did use it as inspiration for the quilting.

In the story, the character expects to find timber on her land. . .well, the previous owner logged most of it and left huge stumps behind. She labored to remove the stumps so she could grow vegetables.

I chalked lines to represent the tree trunks and used a light thread to quilt it from the back. I did have to plan carefully so that I didn't stitch any mouse ears!

I made piping and inserted it into the binding. I finished this quilt in 2008 and it is "modern" enough to appear that I could have finished it more recently.

It was a fun way to use those blocks that I had won and it was the first time that I combined white background blocks with creme background blocks.

Quilt front

Lecture--Complete

Some of the quilts chosen

 The North Star Quilters in Ridgefield Washington, invited me to speak to their guild on Thursday, March 7. Their president, Carol, said the group was going to participate in their first challenge. Since it was their first time to do a challenge, she said it would be helpful for people to get an idea of what to do. She said they had had a fun activity in receiving a page out of a magazine and the challenge is to create a 20x24 inch quilt inspired by something on that page.

Having participated in a few guild challenges and having completed a number of book club quilts, I decided I could share examples of quilts that I had completed and the inspiration behind them. We decided my topic, "Finding Your Artist," would fit well with the group venturing into the challenge. She asked me in December to be their March speaker. Right away, I completed an outline of what quilts I wanted to share and I wrote an introduction. At the beginning of January, I rewrote a good portion of the lecture.

Suitcase loaded for the lecture

Mid-February, I started pulling my quilts. I looked at my lecture notes.  I was surprised that I had 45 quilts from which to choose! Miss J helped me choose the best options. We pulled about 20 examples for the talk. In the evenings after my husband went to bed, I'd practice my talk. My practice sessions were awful. I was so nervous!

In one of my work life positions, I used to "get" to do TV interviews. Gosh, I'd be so nervous!! Practicing for this lecture brought up those old feelings. I've taught CPR type classes for many years and I was president of a quilt guild with about 400 members so I've had a lot of practice with public speaking.

Example of a Vikki Pignatelli  inspired facing

I completely rewrote my talk. This time, I approached my subject as if I were the first time challenge participant listening to me! I wrote note cards to use to keep my presentation on track.

I practiced holding my quilts and talking about each one's story. The note cards weren't working. I decided to rewrite the lecture AGAIN. This time, I would share a story and then show an example. I removed most of my explanation about what techniques I used. The nervousness eased a bit. I packed my quilts into a large rolling suitcase. I printed my lecture. Still, that "I need to tweak this talk a bit," feeling lingered.

Example of letting the fabric do the work

Driving the hour to my friend's house, I realized it was my delivery that needed the tweak. As I finished showing a quilt, I would share a point that would encourage or at the least give the participant another possible approach to their idea. I felt a calmness. I was still nervous; but, more of a buzz than outright jitters! A buzz, to me, means I'm nervous because I care and not because I haven't prepared well enough.

Back of "linen" quilt

I fully intended to take photos; but, I forgot so I'll get to rely on my memories of the evening. One smart move I made was to set the timer on my phone for 30 minutes into the talk so that I would have another 30 minutes left to pace myself. In my case I needed to speed up which really surprised me because when I practiced I was much slower!

The hour flew. I felt great while I was speaking. People were quiet while I spoke; there were oohs and giggles in the appropriate places. People appeared to be engaged the entire time. I received good comments after I finished. I watched people take photos of many quilts. I listened to a

Front of the linen quilt

few participants tell me what their page had on it. I answered a few questions of how would I approach the project if it were me. A couple people shared their first thoughts about their plan for their project. One person said she was new to quilting. She felt overwhelmed. I encouraged her to find fabric that had what she needed. . .like a panel or to use a fabric color to represent the object. The guild president e-mailed me the following day with great comments. I understand my passion for quilting showed. I call my experience a grand slam!

In preparing this lecture, I have even more respect for the speakers that I have heard in the past. A ton of thought and preparation goes into those presentations!! I also realized that I haven't documented many of my early quilts with photos and a story. Well, some of those quilts were documented in my old blog. Perhaps, a few times a month I'll write a post about a past finish.

I was surprised that so many of my projects included appliqué. Had I been asked about my quilting style before the lecture, I would have reported I was a piecer! Maybe if I were viewing all my work together, there would be more piecing. Also, I realized that in every project, I tried a new technique and/or I improved a technique. Often in a project, I had used several of each! I didn't realize how much I enjoy exploring possibilities and techniques!

If you were to ask me if I was an "Artist," I'd reply that I'm continually exploring possibilities and that exploration has helped me become an artist. I do plan to visit the group when they reveal their responses to their challenge. I look forward to that meeting!!!

Crayola Doodle--post 2

Auditioning the words and squares

I've been dreading. . .er. . .ready to embroider the letters for Miss J's Crayola doodle for some time. I practiced. I was concerned that once I removed the stabilizer the fabric would wrinkle. I had little background fabric remaining so I was concerned I would have one try to get it right. I haven't been all that successful to stitch exactly where I want to. So I worked on other projects. I left the doodle on the wall. I saw it every time I was in the studio. It kept telling me to finish it.

It has been almost a year since I last posted about this project. Our doodle reminded me of flying and seeing the landscape below. I asked Miss J what direction should be the top of of the piece. (It didn't seem to matter to my eye.) Miss J, however, looked at me somewhat incredulously.Then she said, "Silly, Gran! That's a dog!"

I turned the doodle a half turn to view it as she viewed it. Then I saw what she saw. I was amazed!! At this time, our book club was reading, "The Art Forger," by B.A. Shapiro.  It was a good read. My inspiration came not from remaking a piece of a master's art into a quilt; but, to make a piece of art in the spirit of a master.

The art reminded me of Pablo Picasso. The dog missing an ear or out of site ear, reminded me of Vincent Van Gogh. (I am a fan of Vincent Van Gogh art.) My plan was to embroider "Vincent Van Gogh's" for the top border, "Dog" for the bottom border and "by Josette" on the art. Van Gogh often signed his art in the art which was new information to me.

Steaming the embroidery 

Later, I decided to simplify the embroidery and only embroider the word dog. I determined that I wanted Miss J to sign her art with her own hand as a way to preserve her hand at this stage in her life. She is five years old.

Originally, my plan was to embroider each section in a different color. Seeing the variety of thread colors next to the art, made me realize using one color--purple--would make the piece feel more calm.

I also auditioned a variety of colors for an inner border because having an all neutral background would make the piece too light. Even though purple was my first choice. I auditioned lots of other colors of fabric. In the end I chose a scrap of purple that had some curved lines that reminded me of the lines in Miss J's original drawing. I thought that this inner border would finish to 1/2 inch. I cut it at 1 1/2 inches though so I could trim it if I needed that purple border larger to fit the embroider pieces. I was glad I made this choice because I trimmed a quarter of an inch and not the half inch!

As I looked at the embroidery samples, I started asking various "What if??" questions. What if I embroidered the word dog in a couple sizes? What if I embroidered the letters of the word so I could piece fabric in-between the letters? I had little background fabric remaining. With careful planning, I embroidered the three sets of the word "DOG." I was able to place the embroider exactly where I wanted it.

Two of the outer borders pieced into position

Hooray! I've been challenged with placement. I'm not challenged now! What helped me was to draw the horizontal and vertical center lines on the hooped stabilizer. I creased the fabric horizontally and vertically. When I placed the fabric in the hoop, I matched the fabric reference lines to the lines on the stabilizer.

I printed the print preview of the embroidery with the grid lines present. I cut out the embroidery, found the center of the design and using the reference lines on my fabric, I placed the paper template. Once I had the template to my liking, I moved the embroidery design in my machine to the place where I wanted it to stitch.  This process for placement worked well for me.

I placed my stabilizer and embroidered the letters. The embroidery stitched well; but, in spite of the stabilizer, the fabric still drew up which made me sad. I found that using a little glue stick on the pieces helped hold the pieces in place better.

I was sharing my project with JoJo and she suggested I use her steamer to steam the embroidery to flatten it. It took some finagling; but, the steamer worked well to remove many of the bubbles. I have no doubt that the remaining fullness will quilt out.

JoJo also explained to me about some different stabilizer options. She gave me a couple samples which I will try the next time I embroider because that was one of the reasons I had so much puckering. I also had too many stitches for the design so another time, I would reduce the number of stitches. I know I need to keep practicing and using the knowledge that I'm learning.

Using the trimmings from another project

In constructing the side borders, I first worked on the right side. The strips represent the artist pulling paint on their pallet. The orange strip is comprised of the skinny pieces left from trimming the sections I made for the Bonnie Hunter mystery--Good Fortune.

It looks like I worked hard to piece those tiny parts together; but, you know the back story!!! I also wanted to use a little green since there was a little dark green in the dog. I like the balance it created to add those pops of color to separate the letters in "DOG."

Moving to work on the left side of the border, I was ready to work with those squares. The squares represent the paint pots in a watercolor kit. JoJo suggested that since the dog was asymmetrical, that I should skew the squares too. Miss J picked the squares and the strip fabrics after we had finished coloring the dog. I liked her color choices and she finished her fabric selection in about 10 minutes. She is definitely someone who knows what she likes!

Using Sharyn Craig's technique to twist and turn the blocks, I made over sized log cabin blocks which I trimmed at an angle to three inches. I wanted some blocks to tilt right and some to tilt left so I needed to pay attention to how I trimmed the blocks! I like the movement this approach brought to the top.

I've selected a couple fat quarters to make the back and once Miss J has signed her name, I'll layer and baste this project. I plan to use some of the leftover squares to embellish the top; but, that will wait until after I've quilted it! I've spent about 15 hours getting the project to this stage.

Finished top sans signature

An Update on Miss J's Girl--post 2

Headed out for a walk with Miss B

When last we visited Miss J and her stitching project, she was embroidering the hair spikes on her girl. She continued to choose different colors for each area of her girl's hair.

We had a small celebration when we finished stitching the girl.  Miss J likes going for a walk in the neighbored with Bailey, our dog. One of the neighbors that lives across the street decorates a lion lawn decoration in their front yard. It is always fun to see what the lion is wearing!

We also discussed how to fill in the hair. We talked about more hand stitching--this was a NO because it was too hard to do. We talked about paint--this was a NO because it would take too long to dry. We talked about free motion quilting--this was a NO because it was too hard to envision.

Finished girl

We talked about coloring--this was a YES!!! She chose Crayola crayon colors that complimented the thread she used.  As she colored, she decided that her figure's face needed color as did her dress. She also decided she needed a sparkle button on her girl's dress!

She decided that the background was too plain and needed coloring too. She chose black to start and immediately didn't care for the color. We talked about her options. She didn't want to cut her figure out and she definitely wanted to keep going with the project. So we added more colors to the
background and will probably add some more to mute the dark area. She likes the progress we have made.

Girl after colorization

We discussed how to finish the edge. She wanted more fabric and by more fabric she really meant fabrics as in something on the edge. Using fabrics from a variety of colors detracted from her handwork. She opted for orange strings that were leftover from one of my piecing projects.

Girl after painting 

She still wasn't excited about the background so we got out the acrylic paints. She picked the colors. I showed her how to add some white to the orange and to the pink to achieve a lighter color.

She loved blending the colors. She liked experimenting--picking up a dash of the color and adding it to the white all the while watching how she created a different tint.

She employed different brush techniques. Sometimes she plopped the brush and made a dot sort of shape. Sometimes, she drug the brush across the fabric. Sometimes she used a lot of paint. She had fun. Now, she is happier with the results. I think it is ready to be layered, basted and quilted. Let's see if Miss J concurs!

Knit Dress for a Grand--6th Finish 1st Quarter FAL 2019

Beginning steps 

When Miss K was over to work on her mermaid project, she asked when I was going to work on her dress. . . .I decided I'd better get with the program!!! I reviewed the pattern and the pattern measurements with the measurements I had taken of Miss K. She is much taller than the pattern. Rather than cut the tissue pattern, I made a pattern that reflected Miss K's measurements.

I cut out the fabric and started stitching. The knit didn't have as much stretch as the pattern suggested; but, I proceeded. I decided to stitch the skirt and the neck band. I decided a fitting would be smart so I could see if the fabric was going to be a comfortable fit.

Miss J striking a pose

Miss J is about the same size as Miss K so when she was over for a Papa and Gran day, I asked her to be my model. She was a good sport about the request. Before she tried on the garment, we practiced walking the "cat walk." We did some poses and some turns. Playing with her was a hoot. She is a GREAT model. Best news was that the garment fit easily over her head so I could continue with the construction!

Yesterday, I pulled out the pieces and finished stitching the dress. I'm not sure when I'll be able to gift it to Miss K. For sure, I'd better get Miss J's skirt and top cut out and sewn. It would be poor form to gift one grand and not the other!!! I think I have enough fabric to make a top and a skirt out of the same print fabric.

Finished dress

This was goal number 20 on my FAL list and my sixth finish for the quarter. I used one and one half yard of fabric from my stash. My goal this year is to use 57 1/2 yards of fabric from my stash. With this project, I have now used 28 1/2 yards and have 29 yards left to stitch before I meet that goal!