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.

Linking to Finished Or Not Friday and Patchwork and Quilts.

Garden Flowers Is A Flimsy--post two

Progress mid July

Warning: this is one long post with many photos! Grab a cuppa! 

Goal number five on my September list was to share my progress on the Garden Flowers project. The last time that I posted about this project was July 22. I had moved from the plan of orienting the flower blocks like photos on a wall to arranging them around a center medallion.

Adding the sawtooth border and beginning to fill in the background 

I had raided the parts department for the leftovers that became the center star, points in the outer string border, half square triangles that I had incorrectly cut for the last Bonnie Hunter Mystery and an arm/hand I had made for a previous book club project.

Changing the position of the hand/arm

I had about a yard of yellow fabric to use for the background. This was a scrap from a previous project. I knew I couldn't make cutting errors because of the limited quantity! When I was creating the center medallion, I planned ahead so that the sides measure a full finished inch so that I could piece the sawtooth border. 

Adding a tiny spacer

When it came to inserting the flower blocks into the sawtooth border, I decided that I didn't want to cut into a HST to piece in the flower blocks. There would be too many seams and the design would get lost. I pieced a larger white triangle in this area. My goal was to piece as few Y seams as possible. Sometimes I had to add a spacer to make the pieces fit. it was like working on a jigsaw puzzle! If my flower blocks had finished to six inches, I would have caused myself less figuring!

Adding more background

For the most part, once a piece was in place, I left it and worked to piece one section at a time. I did consider eliminating the top flower; but, decided that it added to the overall design.

More background in place

It was scary to watch the remaining background fabric diminish. It was exciting to see the piece take shape with every addition so I was encouraged to keep going.

Flowers in place, hand/arm in place

While I would have liked to have had the top flower closer to the group, I was over Y seams! I pinned the hand/arm in place and began constructing the borders.

Beginning to add the background borders

Truly, the background chunk was down to a few pieces. I decided that I should take another look at perhaps adding a different shade of yellow as the borders because I didn't think I had enough.

Auditioning alternate background border fabrics

One look at the existing yellows with this project and I knew the current background was the only option. I did more math and measured the existing scrap. It was possible that I had enough if I didn't have math errors!

Determining the best use of the remaining background fabric

The reality is I have math errors. I measured twice. I measured twice again and cut once. With each slice of the background fabric, I said a silent prayer that I my math was correct!

Background borders added

In the end, there was enough background fabric. I breathed a sigh of relief! 

Leftover background

There had been enough background fabric after all. Although, the scraps remaining were little!

Auditioning more sawtooth HSTs

I liked what I had created! I began auditioning the string borders. I allowed my brain to think about quilting motifs in the open background spaces. It was then that I felt the design was lacking some spark. It was too plain.

Cutting more HSTs

There were a few remaining HSTs so I placed them around the flower blocks. I considered stopping with adding a few here and there; but, the center didn't feel finished. I made more HSTs. I auditioned them  almost encircling the center.

Piecing HSTs strips into the background

I liked the effect as it felt more finished. Then, I had to psych myself up to piece those HSTs into the top. I had sweaty palms and heart palpitations removing the borders and cutting into the finished top!

Half of the HSTs added

Because of how the flower blocks are inserted into the center medallion, there is no way that the HST strips would line up. I decided I was okay with a little jog!

An HST border added

Inserting the second half of the HSTs was challenging. I spent about two days adding this border. I did use a few of the remaining background scraps to fill the spaces. The repetition of the HST border was a good addition. Now the center felt finished! 

Adding the upper string border

I added the upper string border and smiled! 

Finished flimsy

I added the lower string border and smiled some more! I'm glad I challenged myself to add those HSTs! I did find a pink print for the backing and have layered and glue basted it. It is ready for quilting which will happen after I recover from my knee surgery.

Linking to: Finished or Not Friday and Patchwork and Quilts.

Quilting the Sashiko Project --post 2

Backing fabric

Goal number four on my June list was to prepare the project for quilting and to figure out the quilting. For two weeks, it hung on my design wall. I didn't hear what it wanted. One day, I decided to pick a scrap fabric for the back. I bought it for a project in the early 1990s which I gifted! Scraps from this fabric have made their way into several projects since. 

Auditioning pink

As I began to measure the scrap for piecing, it struck me that the handwork piece was too plain. I felt it needed a border. I pulled pink strips for a border. While the pink brightened the project, it overpowered it. Next, I auditioned dark strips. I even auditioned a scrap of the sheet that I''m weaving into the rug! I wasn't "sold" on my options. 

Auditioning a dark border and half square triangles

Then I remembered I had some half square triangles (HSTs) in the parts department. These finish at one inch so they were the right size. I had used pink and white fabrics. While the idea was good, the white wasn't right. Gertie, my inner squirrel, decided the project needed white.

White border added

I cut an inch strip of white fabric from my white scraps. After squaring the top, I stitched the white border to the top. I auditioned more dark strips. I decided the white would not make it obvious that I didn't have enough of the background fabric for an outer border. I also decided that a dark blue and pink HSTs in the border would be a great add. The HSTs remind me of rose thorns!

Ready to be layered

I almost cut the border strip at 3/4 of an inch; but, decided that the inch border was better. Now, I'm second guessing my decision! In person, the border looks great.

Background and curved lines around central motif

To quilt this project, I pulled silk thread for the needle and a cotton thread for the bobbin. I'm using a constant 50 weight blue cotton thread in the bobbin. I stitched around the motif in a dark blue thread.  Silk thread is wonderful. It adds texture and sheen in a subtle manner. I don't use it often because it is expensive!

I stitched a line a quarter of an inch away from the motif so that the quilting stopped before the motif. I framed the motif with three rows of stitching. I used two templates and a chalk pencil to make the placement line. It took me several tries before I had a shape that I found pleasing!

Template combination used to quilt the curved lines

I used a brighter blue thread to quilt the background around the motif with a filler stitch that resembles flowing water. I quilted pebbles around the motif to give the hand work depth. I did leave a quarter inch space between the motif and the pebbles.

Pebbles quilted around the central motif

l did quilt around the "veins" in the leaves and along the lines in the roses. I added a continuous curve to the half square triangles.

The array of threads used to quilt the project

In the border, I quilted straight lines, some horizontal and some vertical. I quilted a line in the middle of the white border. The project measured about 16 inches square. 

View of the quilting texture

The quilting provided great texture. You do need to stand close to see the texture. 

View of quilting texture on the back

The label is yet another that I picked up from the free table. The embroidery motif sure was perfect for this backing! I named it Sashiko and Rose. I bought a book, paid the class fee and purchased the class supplies. I spent about $130 to make this tiny piece! I also have about 50 hours of work into the project!

The label

I needed to piece the sleeve because I didn't have enough of a scrap to cover the width of my project. Other than the class supplies, I purchased nothing for this project. Even the batting was pieced from leftovers.

Sleeve and back of quilt

I bound the project in the fabric that I used for the outer border. I cut the binding at two inches so the binding is narrower than I usually make.

Front view

I'm loving this finish. If you missed the first post, click here. Documenting the finish was goal number five on my July list. Finishing it was goal number 2j on my annual list. I've had ten finishes this year with eight finishes from my annual list! I used half a yard of fabric to finish this piece which reduces my stash overall to 74 and 3/4 yards. I have used one yard of fabric from my stash so far this month!

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

Read--post 2

Project to determine the quilting

Goal number three on my June list was to determine the quilting for Read. I started stitching the center of the ribbon. Eventually, I stitched on each edge of the ribbon. I knew I wanted to do some dense quilting on the book and around "Read." 

Space divided; ghost strings quilted

I was stuck with what to do in the rest of the space. While I pondered, I stitched in the ditch around the strings at the top of the project. I was still stuck. When that happens, I divide the space. This time, I was stuck with how to do that! 

Gertie, my inner squirrel, and I had a conference. I thought, "What is already in the project that I can use as my guide?" My eyes lit upon the strings. I could divide the space into segments the size of the string blocks! Using a chalk pencil, I divided the space like that. 

I stepped back. I liked what I saw. I had some thoughts about what to put into the rectangles. Gertie chimed in with why not create ghost strings? Good idea, I replied. Gertie raced off doing her happy dance.

Filler stitches behind Read

I pulled a grey thread that was similar in color to the background and began stitching lines. I used the lines from the strings as my guide. Except, I matched the lines at the intersections because it lends better fluidity to the piece. It didn't take long to stitch the lines. I did use a ruler and ruler foot to quilt the lines.

Fillers used to quilt the book cover

After the lines, I stitched a couple filler stitch designs behind the word Read. A few pebbles within the word and some swirls in the background felt right. Then, I began quilting the book cover. I quilted pebbles down the spine. I used a darker gray cotton thread to quilt the floral motif. To make the design standout, I stitched over the lines three times. I switched thread to the lighter gray and quilted leaves in the background. I quilted a few pebbles in the space above the book as a fill. I quilted straight lines in the curved small sections at the top of the book to represent pages.

X's were a no go

I had considered hand stitching X's in the bottom four rectangles to represent the people that the character read to during the air raids. I didn't like how the X's looked so I switched to a simple running stitch. 

Back view of the hand stitching

I used one thread of black Aurifil 30wt thread that I doubled so I could begin the stitch without needing a knot. I popped the knot into the batting when I finished a line. I started with a no knot technique. I chalk marked some lines and I used masking tape to mark other lines. I still couldn't manage to stitch straight with either marking method!

Stitching the lines 

The hand stitched lines leave my mark as the maker. I decided the lines represent the text in a book.

The project waiting for facing

I hand washed the project in the sink to remove the glue basting. I blocked it. I was surprised at how wonky one side of the project was! 

The sleeve

After trimming the project, I added a facing. I had enough of the gray fabric to make the facing. I did make an inside mitered corner for the facing. 

Sleeve stitched in place

The sleeve was a fabric that arrived in my stash around the same time as the backing. I had considered using it as a neutral; but, decided it was too busy a print for that purpose.

The leftovers after adding the sleeve and facing

The little bit of gray leftover went into my Rainbow Scrap Challenge tub to use next month! I cut the leftover sleeve fabric into five inch squares.

Label

I added the label. Yes, I picked it up from the free table! Now I have another finish! I realized that this is number seven in my line series. I need to add that information to the label!

Thread used in project

I did give the project a final steam. The project measures 24 x 33 inches. 

View of the finished back

I used one and a half yards of fabric for this project. I have a net loss of 11 and half yards of stash this month!

View of the finished front

Linking to: Oh Scrap, Sew & Tell, To Do Tuesday, I Quilted This and Finished or Not Friday.