Seasonably Inappropriate

I feel silly posting something so seasonably inappropriate on Easter week. I am not working on anything springy at the moment though. Lily's Easter dress from last year still fits and the baby has too many dresses that fit to justify making a new one right now. I have been wanting to start this project and since it is cold and miserable still, it seems rather appropriate actually! I am making a scrappy string spiderweb quilt with all Christmas materials. I tend to like darker reds, ivories and deeper greens for Christmas best. Many of these fabrics were used while making our tree skirt and stockings and have been accumulated over the last dozen years. I am planning on making it four blocks wide by four long (about 40" square give or take). Since taking this picture a few days ago, I have accomplished quite a bit more. I am hoping to finish the paper piecing in the next couple of days and then I can assemble the quilt top! My apologies to anyone hoping for tulips, spring dresses and chocolate bunnies! If you missed my tutorial for a bunny bag or bunny and carrot hairclips last year, take a peek if you have time for a last minute project for a little girl!

Potholder Pass Round 3

We are wrapping up Potholder Pass Round 2 this week. It's been a lot of fun! Interest is such that I am going to host one more round beginning May 1. Potholders must be mailed by the end of May. You have the month of April to sign up if you would like to join.

The rules will be the same as last time:

1. Potholders should be a minimum of 6", preferably 7-8".
2. Please use insulated batting in the potholder-at least one layer, preferably two.
3. Try to accommodate your recipient's color requests and their taste.
4. Send a set of 2 potholders. They can be identical or coordinating.

I will also add:
5. You must adhere to the deadline for the swap.
6. You must join the Flickr group and respond to group posts, etc. because good communication makes the swap work so much better.
7. Please mind your manners and promptly thank your partner when you receive your potholders.

To join, you must send me an email message with the following information:
Your name
Mailing address
Color Preferences
Email Address
Blog Address (not required to join swap)
Flickr Account name (A Flickr account is required for Round 3)
Will you ship internationally? Yes or no.
Do me a favor and include all of this information in one single email so that I can cut and paste it onto my list. Please don't make me hunt you down because it takes too much time!

It will be a secret swap which means that you will not know who is sewing for you. Participants can post mosaics of potholders that they like on Flickr for inspiration but it is not necessary. Sending along extras with your potholders is of course permissable but also not required. This is intended to be a fun for all, stressfree swap!

Grab the button in my sidebar for your blog and join the Flickr group where you will post pictures of the potholders that you create.
Come join the fun!

Bunny Finger Puppets

Bunny Finger Puppets
Originally uploaded by AFriend2

This morning I saw these bunny finger puppets and had to make them for the kids. Marie Grace found the tutorial here but made some modifications because she was making enough for her daughter's entire class! Though I was only planning on making a mere three, I liked her modifications. I too used scraps of batting for the outer layer and fabric scraps for the inside and held the two layers together with fusible webbing. I just used a quick straight stitch on my machine to attach the two sides of the bunnies, French knots for their eyes (because I love French knots), embroidery floss stitches for the noses and some knotted thread whiskers. It was a fun little project for a rainy day spent at home with a sick baby and a preschooler in need of a little Easter fun.

What a Hoot!

I just heard from one of the members of the first Potholder Pass and she still hasn't received her potholders! It has been over a month since the deadline and her potholders were not travelling far. I am not sure what happened. I am trying to get in touch with her partner to see if she was unable to meet the deadline or perhaps they were lost in the mail. Either way, I decided that she had waited long enough.

These little owls are heading her way today and she should have them by the beginning of the week. Her colors were denim blue and yellow and among her inspirational images was this little hooty potholder. I never like copying something exactly, so this is my version. I have to add that she was very sweet and told me not to worry about it. She joins swaps to meet people and was happy to meet her partner and me. Everyone gets sad when they don't get the fun mail that they were expecting though. I wanted to do this for her.

On a side note, I thought of a new way to add a hanger to the potholders that is very simple but effective. I attached a piece of ribbon diagonally across the corner of the potholder as I stitched down the binding.
My sewing machine update: It quilts through two layers of batting and two layers of denim effortlessly! I haven't mastered free motion quilting yet. I gave it a try and the tension is a problem so I ended up using the walking foot to quilt these. I will try to practice that some more over the weekend. I am still in love with the thread cutter. I have found that the thread sometimes slips out of the tension and requires rethreading. That is a nuisance and I am hoping that it is due to my improper threading and as I get better at it, the problem will go away.
Edited to add: With my new sewing machine, there is an extra lift position for the presser foot that you use when attaching the dual feed foot. I found that it was helpful to put the presser foot in the extra lift position to slide the thick potholder underneath, and then put it into the normal position for quilting. It was much easier than trying to jam the material under the presser foot and upsetting the placement of the layers!

Sock Monkey Fun!

My nephew is turning four this weekend. The kids and I went shopping and quickly agreed that we wanted to get him a sock monkey. We've been noticing them everywhere lately and my nephew is a real stuffed animal fan. I know that there are some great tutorials out there for making them but there is only so much time in a day! We bought the monkey but I made a matching tshirt for him. I used the store bought sock monkey as my model and sketched this design. It took three stages of painting and drying to complete. First, I cut out and painted the brown shapes. Once they dried overnight, I did the same with the red, and lastly the black. I hadn't done this in stages before and was nervous about ironing the freezer paper over previously painted surfaces but it worked just fine. I hope it loves it. If not, if fits his cousin Lily just fine (she was my model here)!

Marilyn's Tablerunner

Look at those nice stitches! I am very pleased with my new sewing machine so far. I had a birthday gift to work on this weekend and was able to try straight line quilting on this machine for the first time. It was effortless and the stitches are nice and even. My old machine had been giving me trouble for quite awhile so this is so refreshing!

This is what I made. It is very simple but the recipient, my daughter's godmother, doesn't care for scrappy or patchwork type items. I know, can you imagine? I kept it very simple and streamlines with a simple raw edge applique. She just redecorated her kitchen but we live in MA and she is in GA so I asked her to send picture so that I would know where to begin! She has a breakfast nook that is a greenhouse style with lots of glass overlooking her garden and hummingbird feeders. Her table is glass and her seats are covered with a natural colored material with green leafy patterns all over it with a color running down some of the stems that I picked up in the border of this runner. I think it should fit her kitchen and tastes. I hope it will!

When Life Gives You Lemons, Make Lemonade

I live in New England and about a week or so ago, we had several days of torrential downpours and strong winds. Our old house (circa 1840) began leaking in places where it doesn't during regular rains. I was up in the attic checking on the major leak, down one of the chimneys, when I noticed that I had a particularly good view of one of my perennial gardens from the attic window! Following the rain, we had a few beautiful sunny days and I got out there during quiet time to clean up the garden. I took this picture from the attic and plan to take pictures as the season progresses. It sure isn't much to look at now but it has great bones! The layout was inspired by a book on the gardens of Colonial Williamsburg. My husband built the rock wall and laid the brick paths for me. Many of the bricks were found on our property. He also made the obelisk in the center, several years ago. I filled up the garden beds with soil/manure from under the barn and planted perennials that I spilt and took with us when we moved here about 3 years ago. The garden is still young but it was doing fairly well until some burrowing critter moved in. He caused some trouble last growing season but really outdid himself over the winter. There are tunnels and piles of dirt in many spots in the garden and he ate and killed four Liatris plants and a sedum. There is probably more damage but the plants are still too dormant for me to tell. I think I am dealing with voles. We have two barn cats who hunt for them but apparently they are not doing the job. Does anyone know of an effective way to get rid of voles?

Janome Memory Craft 6600

Here it is, my final decision. I purchased a Janome Memory Craft 6600. All my saving up for the last few years was well worth it. I assume that this will be my last machine purchase for a very, very, very long time!
Thank you everyone for the time that you took answering my questions about your sewing machines. It really helped me to narrow my search quickly and isolate some key features that were important to me. Sewers seem to be very loyal to their brand of machine so I am certain that some of you think that I made a poor choice, while others are thrilled. I think that in many ways, I really couldn't go wrong with any number of choices.
I heard the best things about Pfaff, Bernina and Janome machines overall. Pfaff doesn't have a local dealer and that was important to me. I have also been told that they have a steep learning curve. Right now, with young children, time is so precious to me that I wanted to spend my time sewing, not learning to use my machine. I heard only good things about Bernina except that they were on the noisy side and costly. This Janome has all the features that I wanted, for much less money than a comparable Bernina. And the dealer is 10 minutes away. And they were having a sale this week. On top of that, I really haven't heard anything bad about Janome and learned that Janome even makes components of both the Pfaff and Bernina.
The key features that sold me on this machine were the AcuFeed layered fabric feeding system, the 9" x 5" bed space, 163 stitches (including lettering so I can make great quilt labels), and then all the nifty little bonuses like the knee lift for the presser foot, the speed control, automatic thread cutter and needle threader, 7 buttonholes, etc. The machine seems really intuitive so far and the manual is very clear and helpful.
My trusty Viking 350 sewing machine is being repaired. I will have it back in about a month. It needs a good cleaning and new feed dogs. Apparently, Viking feed dogs are aluminum and can wear out over time. I think mine have been badly worn for 3 years now but the last person that I took it to did diagnose it correctly.
In the meantime, last night was a Friday night sew in.

I didn't get anything sewn, much to my dismay. I bought myself some peppermint patties and lemonade and settled down at my machine to try to figure it all out. I have it straight stitching well but when I go for the decorative stitches, my tension is a problem. I have 2 hours of training coming to me so I will figure this out soon enough. I am sure that I am just missing a little something.
I hope to sew tonight! I have some birthday gifts for the month of April that need to be made!

Little Folks Voile

I am just in love with Anna Maria Horner's Little Folks line printed on voile. The material is just fabulous. It feels so nice and drapes well and is such a refreshing change from quilter's cotton for garment sewing. It's been a long time since you could find attractive, high quality material for clothing! I am thrilled and wish I could buy it all up! Instead, I just purchased a little over a yard each of Little Folks Baby Bouquet in Dusk for the outer layer and the solid River for the lining.

The skirt is view F, Simplicity 4138. I think it might be intended to be a little more fitted than I made it. I was concerned about miscutting the voile and ruining it so I cut a few sizes too big and started taking it in a size at a time! I quickly got tired of ripping out seams and decided that this was close enough. If I make another, I will take it in a bit more so that it doesn't gather as much on the top. The skirt is sewn with French seams and they add such a nice professional look to it. I really like using French seams and will have to incorporate them into more of my sewing.

As I was finishing up this skirt, my daughter asked if I would make matching skirts for the two of us. I am very excited about the prospect and now I need to find a good deal on more voile pattern and coordinating solid as I will need at least 2 yards of each to make us matching skirts!

If you are wondering how I sewed this after lamenting about my machine, my mom let me borrow her Viking.

Thank you to everyone who commented on my sewing machine post. Please keep adding your thoughts. Lots of important things have been brought to my attention and it is really helping me to narrow my search. I appreciate all the help!

Help me buy a new sewing machine!

See these cute little fabrics? They are waiting to be made into adorable little outfits for my littlest but I am pretty sure that my machine has had it. I have been struggling with it for months now. The tension has been terrible and the motor doesn't seem like it can handle pulling the fabric through any more. I plan to call my LQS tomorrow to see when it can be serviced. I'd like to keep it for a spare at the very least. In the meantime, I would appreciate help narrowing my search for a new machine. Fortunately, I have been saving for one for awhile now, but I haven't done my research. My current machine is a Viking. The only perk to sticking with the Viking name is that I could keep the presser feet that I have purchased for it.
My LQS sells Janome machines but services all machines. There are also Pfaff and Bernina dealers that are not too far away. I know that my current machine was not up for quilting. When I started to quilt in earnest, it started to fall apart. I need something intended for quilting that can stitch through bulky seams and stand up to hours of quilting. I also want to be able to continue sewing clothing. Embroidery is not important to me.
What do you use? What would you recommend? Do you have a dream machine? Help!

Stained Glass Windows; A Cathedral Windows Quilt

It's finished! I met my goal and finished "Stained Glass Windows" last night. It measures 44" square and will be a wall hanging. I have a pocket attached to the upper edge along the back. We hung it in an open double door in our house and let the sun shine through from one side while we photographed it from the other. It's a great effect and I wish I could display it that way!

I have talked about this quilt plenty in my blog already, so I will not repeat any of the specifics here. If you are looking for them, click on "cathedral windows quilt" on the list of labels on the right side bar. That will bring you to my earlier posts with progress shots and list of materials and the tutorial that I used.

Thanks for all the encouragement along the way! I am ready to move on to the next thing now. I have some spring garment sewing up next.

Last One

Do you know what is so fabulous about this block??? It's the last one I will show you before I show you the finished quilt! My "reach goal" (my husband's company uses that term a lot so I like to use it too in order to tease him) is Saturday, Sunday at the latest.

Potholder Pass 2 Completed Potholders

I am excited to have something to show you other than my "in progress" quilt! These are the potholders that I am packing up and sending off to my partner for the Potholder Pass Round 2. I caught the Dresden plate bug and attempted my very first here. I really want to do more! They are fun and not as intimidating as they seem. I just quilted around the outside edge of the design.

I have also noticed all the little house and tree blocks popping up all over Flickr and wanted to give one a try. I made this little evergreen with a raccoon sitting beneath. It was fun to quilt, sort of following the outlines with straight line quilting.

And here they are together! I left off the loops because they are a bit on the large size to accommodate the Dresden plate. My partner may choose to use them as hotplates and therefore, prefer no loops. At least I know she is a sewer so she can add some if she wants! I am including extra backing material in her package.

Edited to add:
I was asked about the template I used. I printed it on a PC from this site: http://www.quilterbydesign.com/lessons/dresdens/dresden_templates.gif
If you print it from a Mac, it will be bigger. From a PC, it yields an approximately 8 inch Dresden plate (maybe slightly smaller).
As for pressing, I pressed the seams open, both the ones inside the petals and those holding them together.

Textile/Quilt Storage

I was chatting with Krista and mentioned that I worked with art collections in museums as a collections curator prior to staying home with my children. I worked at two different museums and both had textile collections that I rehoused in order to better preserve them. She thought that it would be interesting for quilters to learn more about textile conservation and storage. I will give it a go and you can see what you can apply at home.

Generally speaking, the biggest dangers to quilts in a home are light, temperature and humidity, pests and other materials. You can try to display quilts out of the direct sun (especially heirloom quilts or quilts that you would like to become heirlooms). You can draw the shades, hang quilts on walls that do not receive direct sun, or install UV filtering glass in a window that shines on a particularly precious quilt. Temperature and humidity extremes can damage textiles. This is why attics and basements are not the best storage areas. You should try to achieve a consistent temperature of about 70 degrees in the winter with a relative humidity of about 30-35% and 75 degrees/50-55% rh in the winter. This, of course, is the ideal and not always practical in the home but think about what areas of your house come closest to achieving this goal. Pests are pretty obvious. Good housekeeping and careful monitoring can keep them from damaging your quilts. As far as other materials are concerned, you don't want your quilts in direct contact with wood, plastic, paper/cardboard or painted surfaces (for the first two weeks after they are painted especially) because these materials all emit chemicals that discolor and degrade fabric.

When you are storing quilts, the ideal storage is either flat or rolled. Flat is rarely possible due to size. Rolling quilts is a great solution. Museum storage companies sell racks for hanging rolled textiles for a high cost. Neither museum that I worked at could afford those options to I came up with a solution pictured here and above:

I wouldn't think something like this would be all that practical for most homes but I have seen some of the sewing studios that you have and perhaps a wall could be dedicated to storage. The chains and other hardware used to construct these racks can be purchased at any hardware store. Then the textiles were rolled. You can purchase acid free lignen free cardboard tubes from conservation supplies companies such as Gaylord Brothers or University Products. You can also use regular cardboard tubes but to keep some distance between them and your textile, I recommend covering them with Mylar which acts as a barrier. Then you can roll clean textiles onto the tubes along with sheets of acid free tissue. Once rolled, I covered the entire textile with Tyvek which is a great breathable dust cover. You could also used washed, unbleached muslin. If you just have one special quilt, a less elaborate but similar storage solution could be made by purchasing two bike storage hooks and attaching them to your wall with a metal pole (closet pole) resting between to hold your cardboard tube.
Most serious cleaning of heirloom quilts should be done by a conservator. It is a good idea to at least vacuum them at home though. You can use your regular vacuum on low suction and cover the nozzle with nylon window screening (to prevent loss). If you attempt to wash an heirloom quilt, you need to support it properly. One way to do so is by using fiberglass window screening. You should run clear water through the quilt and use a mild cleaner like Orvus paste then thoroughly rinse. Dry flat. Check for colorfastness too before wetting the entire textile.
If you need to fold your quilts, you can help prevent damage by padding the creases with acid free tissue and storing them in acid free boxes. Periodic refolding is a
good idea to keep creases from becoming permanent.
I thought I would give you some examples of how I have applied this knowledge to storing/displaying things that are special to me in my house. My wedding dress is stored in an acid free box with acid free tissue padding the folds. I keep it under my bed, rather than in the attic where the temperature and humidity are extreme. I try to take it out every now and then and rearrange it to prevent permanent creases (which is reminding me to go do this now!).
I am planning on hanging my Cathedral Windows Quilt when it is complete. The quilt will be hung using the standard pocket on the back with a wooden dowel slid through it. I was thinking of covering the wood with a piece of Mylar to act as a barrier to prevent discoloration. The quilt will be hung in my front hall which is dark compared to most areas in my house, thereby preventing it from UV damage.
I posted my storage solution for special dresses and costumes that I am using awhile back. See here if you are interested.
I hope this was interesting!

Fun Mail and Cathedral Quilt Progress

I finally dragged the girls to the fabric store with me on Saturday afternoon after the littlest was up from nap. We got there in about 20 minutes to find that the store was closed! We had a crazy, wild, wind and rain storm on Thursday night and apparently their power was still out. I hadn't even considered that possibility. I have decided to just work on every other part of the quilt that I can until my husband needs to make a trip to Home Depot which is next to the fabric store. He can pick up the Kona white for me! It should be soon enough since we have started the demolition part of our bathroom project. I decided on the final layout and stitched the blocks of the first two rows together and opened out all the empty windows and stitched them down. Boy, it is so much more time consuming than I thought! I thought I was in the home stretch but I really have a lot more work to do. Now I need to attach row one and row two together and open out those windows that run between them. I love how you can begin to see the circle pattern now though. It's fun to see it come together.

I have noticed how all the real quilters name their quilts. I have yet to name anything but thought that this quilt, due to the time it has taken, deserves a name. I am horrible at naming things though. I think I named our kids ok but term papers in school, exhibits at work, these things I always had a hard time with. Does anyone have a suggestion? I thought I could work on a label too while waiting for my last yard of fabric. If no one has a better idea, it will probably just be "Cathedral Windows"! Last night I received these potholder from Tara in Idaho. She sewed for me for Potholder Pass Round 1. She also made the necklace and earring set for me! Thank you Tara!