MaryQuilts - Making Scrap Quilts From Stash

2010-03-05T00:05:00.002-06:00

I'm no longer updating this blog but I'm still blogging and you can find me here:

http://blog.maryquilts.com/

Don't forget to update your bookmarks!

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Have you updated your bookmarks?

2009-08-31T13:26:00.002-05:00

This blog has moved to http://blog.maryquilts.com/

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I'm moving the blog

2009-08-24T09:40:00.002-05:00

Please update your links and visit me at:

http://blog.maryquilts.com/

I'll be playing with the layout and adding in the rest of my links over the next week or so but from this point -- all my posts will be there.

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Design wall Monday

2009-08-24T06:53:00.004-05:00

I don't have all the blocks done yet (just 16 more) but I've made progress. Once I have them all finished, I'll distribute those secondary red diamonds more evenly through the quilt.

So what's on your design wall this week? Share the link at Judy's site

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Finally!

2009-08-23T22:10:00.001-05:00

I've been asking Keith for shelving units in the garage that I can put storage bins on and while these aren't the built in ones I'd really like, it's nice to actually have this stuff a little better organized -- I even have empty bins so I can move some of the other stuff I don't have room for out there.

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Did you miss me?

2009-08-23T09:36:00.007-05:00

Yesterday I attended a HeartStrings sew-in held in Roberts, WI. We had the best time and got a lot accomplished! I pulled out some of the Chinese Coins I still had from a previous HeartStrings project and worked on assembling this top (still needs the top borders). I used the Easy version posted on my site.

Kathy and Rhonda worked on our new Diamond String blocks and others worked on our regular HeartStrings blocks.

But most of the people attending worked on assembling Happy Blocks. Carol even took the rest of the blocks home to finish assembling them into tops and I brought two of these home with me to quilt -- the blue and the pink & green ones in the front.

You can see some other photos from our day in this Picasa album.

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What a difference a day makes

2009-08-21T14:47:00.003-05:00

I'd intended to finish up the last 16 string blocks I need for my current project but woke up feeling like I needed to focus on the quilts needing bindings. So I sorted, and trimmed, cut and made binding, and machine stitched it on a couple quilts and now things are under control.

Of the 9 quilts here:

2 were set aside to be sent to Maine for binding and donating
3 were trimmed, binding was cut, and they're set aside for me to take to the sew-in tomorrow. Sheree has come to my rescue again and will bind these 3 for me.
2 got bindings made and machine stitched - these are ready for me to hand stitch now.
That just leaves 2 in the stack that needs attention -- much better than 9.

I know some people get confused when I mention machine stitching binding but just to be clear, I machine stitch all my bindings to the front of the quilt and then fold it to the back and finish it with hand stitching.

Now, I'm working on getting my stuff together for tomorrow's HeartStrings sew-in.

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Another binding done

2009-08-21T00:38:00.003-05:00

You might remember this quilt from a couple months ago. It was pieced by Barbara in FL and it's been in the binding stack - did I mention that the binding stack doesn't seem to be getting smaller? This is the 4th one I've done but the pile is getting larger with all the quilts I did a couple weeks ago not smaller.

Quilted with a simple wavy grid using the piecing lines.

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I'm a hermit

2009-08-20T18:57:00.001-05:00

Just had to get out for a while. Dinner and coffee and the rain held
off so I didn't get wet.

Poor Chesty

2009-08-20T03:51:00.003-05:00

He just doesn't know what's going on around here....I finally headed up to bed around 5PM after getting about 6 hours sleep in the last two days but woke up at 1AM. Had to get up to walk Chesty (yes in the middle of the night!) ate a bowl of cereal, cleaned out my inbox and now I'm going to check in on a few blogs and then upstairs and see if I can't sleep a couple more hours.

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I'm losing time here

2009-08-19T13:44:00.004-05:00

In updating my MaryQuilts.com site, I've been searching for the perfect Wordpress template that I can customize and well, it's just not to be found so last night I downloaded a software program that allows me to build my own theme, customize it, and then upload it to Wordpress.

So after setting my my site, I decided I would redesign the HeartStrings site -- only that one is hosted on Yahoo and I had one glitch after another so I decided to move it to BlueHost.com which is where I host my site. It was a bit of a challenge to transfer the domain over BUT the good news is that I can host it using my current space so in the end I'll save about $150 a year. I'm also going to combine the blog and the website into one. Who knows, if it works well for HeartStrings, I might just do the same for my blog and my MaryQuilts.com site.

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A binding trifecta

2009-08-17T22:01:00.003-05:00

Of all the quilts I have here to bind, I didn't necessarily set out to bind 3 Happy Block quilts in a row but that seems to be how it worked out.

Today's finish is one pieced from donated blocks at the HeartStrings Nebraska sew-in.

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Another binding done

2009-08-16T17:31:00.003-05:00

Making a little more progress on the binding front -- this twisted Happy Block top was pieced by Deborah and uses different cat fabrics in the block centers -- very cute!

Instructions for the twisted Happy Block quilt can be found on my MaryQuilts.com site.

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Pineapple Quilts

2009-08-16T14:16:00.003-05:00

I taught Mom to make the Pineapple quilt from the Quilt in a Day book using their 12.5 inch ruler and this was her 3rd one.

I pieced mine a couple years ago after Sandra from Stashbuster showed me the book and how she makes the blocks. She suggested 1.75 inch strips (they're trimmed down) which is what I used. I'm just waiting for Accuquilt to come out with a 1.75 inch strip cutter for the GO cutter so I can make another!

I really recommend this method for making them.

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Mail

2009-08-15T12:21:00.002-05:00

Lots of fun stuff in the mail today. First, a pineapple top pieced by Mom. I'll quilt it and we'll donate it at Christmas along with another one we've already finished.

These two tops are from my friend Cecile - I'll quilt these and donate them (they're both so cute!)
And from Nancy, a stack of backings already pieced for my HeartStrings quilts. I can't tell you what a huge time saver it is to have backings pieced for so many of the donation tops. Between Sheree, Tish, and these ones from Nancy I'm in good shape and I'll be sending some of the backings to Maine next month for the quilts we're going to tie at the sew-in.

Now I need to go write thank you emails and let everyone know their goodies arrived safely.

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And for my finale

2009-08-15T05:40:00.004-05:00

I pieced batting, loaded, and quilted this HeartStrings top pieced by Sue and her Oroville/Chico California group using a line type meander from Patsy Thompson's DVD.

You can see it drawn out in her free download -- page two is the version I tried. Click on the photo and you might be able to see the quilting better.

This one was a bit of a challenge because the strings are flannel and there was a lot of bulk. There are a couple more flannel ones in the group they sent and I'm leaning toward taking those to Maine next month and tying them.

This was the first time this summer I wrote down a *to do* list and I checked off everything (and more) with a couple hours to spare.

piece some more diamond string blocks - check
piece and machine stitch a binding -- Three done not just one
finish up instructions for the diamond string blocks - done and posted
load and start quilting a top - pieced the batting, loaded, and quilted

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Bindings made and stitched on

2009-08-15T02:13:00.003-05:00

Not one but three bindings made and stitched on - - of course, they're just kids/lap size quilts but you're still impressed right?

More of the green stripe binding being used here on Deborah's top -- I just love quilting tops from her, they're always so cute.

A little break from sewing is need so I'm going to do a little computer work before heading downstairs for some quilting. 2:15AM and still going strong!

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Are you a speed piecer?

2009-08-14T23:54:00.002-05:00

I'm not. I piece blocks in sets, throw them up on the design wall and admire them for a while. See those bright reds? They were scattered across the top but kept distracting me so I put them to work creating a secondary diamond.

40 blocks done, I need to make a decision about borders soon. I usually don't border my string quilts but I think I want this larger without having to make it 2 rows wider.

On to binding for a bit.

First hour

2009-08-14T22:35:00.002-05:00

I'm starting with trimming and cutting. Two small quilts trimmed and ready for binding, muslin foundations cut, and thanks to the Go, a bunch of center strings cut and I'm ready to start piecing.

Ready for an all nighter?

2009-08-14T22:01:00.002-05:00

In case you hadn't realized it -- I'm back on a night schedule but with Keith just home for the weekend again I don't want to sleep the days away so I'm going to work all night and then we'll go out for breakfast, run some errands and come home and watch some golf -- at least that's the plan. Keith just headed up to bed so it's time to get to work.

On tonight's agenda:

More diamond string blocks

piece and machine stitch a binding to have it ready tomorrow for hand stitching

finish up instructions for the diamond string blocks

load and start quilting a top.

I'll report in and let you know how it's going.

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A finish

2009-08-14T00:19:00.002-05:00

Amid all the computer drama yesterday and today I did manage to make a few more diamond string blocks AND I finished binding and labeling this HeartStrings quilt.

I love how this turned out, the looks of the grid, the fact it's really soft and cozy, and the striped binding was just perfect.

I have more work to do but my brain is tired - I think I'm going to head to bed with my book.

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How did I not know this??

2009-08-13T18:31:00.003-05:00

Sheila is my new BEST friend! She suggested I google the page and then click on "cached" which is beside the linked address and it worked -- they're all there so I can even go back in and check the ones I reloaded last night to make sure I didn't leave anything important out.

I'll still have to reload the photos and cut and paste the text in but I keep all my photos used in a tutorial in their own folder already resized for the page so it won't be difficult.

Thanks to everyone who checked their files for me - you can bet I'll be more carefull about keeping copies of ALL the pages.

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Can you help?

2009-08-13T09:46:00.004-05:00

I worked all night and half of the morning too but most of the site is back up. Even with all the time spent uploading all the files again, I think it's going to be worth it as the upgrades make the site easier to manage/write.

MaryQuilts.com

I only have 2 more pages to redo and they're the most difficult. Did ANYONE save the files below to their computer and would you be willing to email them to me? Most of my documents are in PDF format but for some of the tutorial pages I type directly onto the page and I don't have a copy of the verbage I used to describe the photos. I can rewrite like I did several other pages but it would be easier if I had the original file. The ones I need are:

Pillowcases

How to Tie a HeartStrings Quilt

Obviously, those are the two pages that aren't up on the site now too but I hope to get them done soon esp. because they're both frequently used.

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Rebuilding MaryQuilts.com

2009-08-13T04:50:00.002-05:00

I managed to wipe out my entire site when updating Wordpress so I'm in the process of rebuilding it since unfortuantely the backup I downloaded didn't work either.

For the most part it will be just tracking down and uploading files but there are some pages that I built the instructions on the site rather than in a PDF file and those will have to be completely redone.

I'm saving the main pages with the same file names so those links will work if you've bookmarked them but if you bookmarked the link to the PDF files, you'll have to update them because they have new link addresses.

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Doing what I want to do

2009-08-11T19:33:00.004-05:00

I'd intended to quilt another top today, but decided I wanted to play in my strings. I sort my strings by color in the bins to the right but as you can see from the bin in front and the strings on the floor I haven't sorted recently -- that's where all the bits and pieces get tossed while I'm sewing.

I decided to work on a rectangle string quilt -- similar to the one I have instructions posted except that one was color coordinated to the border I was using and this one has everything but the kitchen sink. I also cut my black center strings narrower (1.5 inches versus 2).

My favorite tool when I'm making string blocks - my rotating mat for squaring the blocks.

I'm trying very hard NOT to think about what I should be doing (quilting tops, binding, finishing Adam's top, starting Keith's flannel quilt, and assembling the brown/pink Stars and Pinwheel blocks). I can't quite manage to do what I want guilt free but I'll keep trying.

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Still quilting

2009-08-10T17:46:00.003-05:00

Since I had lime green thread on the longarm from the Happy Block top I quilted last night -- I decided to put another one on and use the same thread.

This top was pieced by LizA and is quilted with a pantograph - Bubbles. It's one of my favorites for kids quilts.

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Playing with photos

2009-08-10T13:05:00.002-05:00

I love the view from our back deck and I photograph it often (different times of day, different seasons).

My class assignment was to use 4 of the techniques we'd learned to create a page - probably why this wasn't working for me since I was just working with a single photo.

In the end, I kept playing and while this doesn't really fulfill my assignment - I like it better than anything else that I was coming up with.

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More easy quilting

2009-08-09T23:43:00.002-05:00

This is a HeartStrings top that I pieced at the MN/WI sew-in that was held in May -- the blocks were made by other members and sent in for group quilts. It was a really popular project and we had tons of blocks to work with.

I quilted an easy wavy line grid over the quilt using the piecing lines for spacing.

And look at this cute backing -- it was pieced (you can't see the framing fabric) by Sheree from fabric donated for HeartStrings backings.

I'm so thankful for all the people who participate in HeartStrings -- there are so many ways people help out from making blocks, to assembling tops, quilting, making backings or donating fabric. Can't you picture how much a child in need will love this quilt?

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I'm no artist

2009-08-09T20:42:00.002-05:00

version 2 -- I think I like this one better with the gold stitching lines breaking up the brown background.

version 1 -- beaded flower centers on this one. I also tried a decorative stitch on the outside and didn't like it that much so went back to the zig zag on #2.

I have more puzzle pieces but I think I'll get back to quilting tomorrow. Playtime is over for now.

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Postcards

2009-08-09T00:34:00.001-05:00

Keith's just home for a couple days so I'm not doing much quilting but
I have been working on postcards.

a couple photos from my class

2009-08-07T10:00:00.000-05:00

It's a good thing I have unlimited access to these lessons even after the class is over because after a while all the techniques run together. Being able to refer back to the videos is a big help. Both these lessons were on creating frames but we used two different techniques.

This was a black frame but it didn't show up against my photo so I changed it to white. Not sure why it's showing with the outline -- I expected it to blend into the blog background like the one above.

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Do you procrastinate?

2009-08-07T00:18:00.004-05:00

I'm very lucky that I have a few people who help me out by making backings for HeartStrings tops but I still have lots of them that are either smaller or larger than our standard quilts and those are the ones that wait for me to piece backings.

I was very good tonight and pieced 3 backs. Between these and the ones pieced for me -- I'll have plenty ready to load for the next couple weeks (assuming I keep waking up with the desire to quilt!)

So what have YOU been putting off doing?

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Yes, another one

2009-08-06T16:52:00.002-05:00

Yep, I got another top quilted today. This is one of mine -- a Happy Block quilt that I made when HeartStrings was doing a special project earlier this year.

I'd thought about quilting a grid on it but realized that there were flowers and hearts just like my Wandering Dasies pantograph that was still on the table from quilting Lindsey's quilt so I used that one.
Chesty doesn't usually spend much time with me downstairs because there's not a window he can look out but he's been missing me this week and came down to visit for a while today.

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Want to have fun?

2009-08-05T16:12:00.002-05:00

I always enjoy quilting the designs from the Pajama Quilter DVD. Maybe it's because Dawn tells me to have fun or maybe because they're quilting patterns that don't need to be executed perfectly to look good.

Today I quilted this HeartStrings top pieced by Sue from blocks donated to the group and I used a version of Dawn's Dwirling. I tried to keep my lines spaced out so the quilting isn't too dense.

I really need to branch out and try a few other designs from the DVD -- I'm stuck on Wonky Feathers, a flower, and Dwirling and go back to them time and time again.

The quilts needing binding are piling up but I'm still determined to work on what I want to for the entire summer rather than what I feel I need to work on and right now that seems to be quilting and playing with hexagons!

My Jinny Beyer book came today and I'm pleased to read that she completely supports just eyeballing the seams for sewing versus any type of marking. I'm having really good luck with the pieces fitting together well and between the quick cutting with the GO Cutter and not marking it's really a fun, easy project.

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No Rhyme or Reason

2009-08-04T20:23:00.003-05:00

Freehand Baptist Fans going every direction just filling the space. Can you believe I've actually finished quilting a 2nd HeartStrings top today? This one pieced by Sue and her Oroville/Chico California group

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HeartStrings

2009-08-04T18:02:00.003-05:00

I'm sure you've noticed I'm working at a slower pace this summer and spending more time on my own quilting projects but I'm still working on HeartStrings quilts too. This one was pieced by San (Gypsy Quilter) and her group and is freehand quilted with allover leaves and curls.

It's one of those that you start quilting and realize quickly that you might have made a mistake -- the top is so busy (and my thread was very blendy) that I had a hard time seeing my quilting lines so I worried the entire time about my spacing.

Luckily when I was done and pulled it off -- the spacing is just like I like it -- not too tight so the quilt is soft and cozy but no big gaps left unquilted either.

I like to quilt leaves and frequently do them with loops but I was flipping through the book Machine Quilting Solutions and decided to add some curls this time. I like that she takes the same quilt and quilts it 3 ways according to the quilt's purpose - dragger, keepsake, or showstopper. Lots of ideas for allover designs as well as sashing, border, and block designs.

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Another online Photoshop class

2009-08-03T20:51:00.000-05:00

This one on Photoshop brushes from JessicaSprague.com. In today's lesson we started a card but I decided I'd try the techniques on a photo from this weekend.

I love stoking the edging around the photo and then going back and deleting it where it's crossing the text and the butterfly. (The butterflies are a photoshop brush)

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Sidetracked

2009-08-03T14:22:00.007-05:00

I've gotten lots of great comments and suggestion for handpiecing the hexagons. Inklingo seems to be a favorite BUT, I have the GO hexagon Die which is so quick and easy that I'm using it to cut mine.

Other people suggested marking the sewing lines or but I'll admit I'm lazy and am just eyeballing them - it seems to be working OK so far. I've ordered Jinny Beyer's book on handpiecing from Amazon and it should be here tomorrow or Wednesday and I can't wait but in the meantime I'm playing. I made a 2nd red flower which turned out well.

I found a cute little table topper pattern but it's made with 1.25 inch hexagons and I have one and 1.5 inch ones so I'm not sure what size I want to use if I decide to make it. In the meantime, I drew up a mini quilt in EQ6 so I could play.

One of the best comments was from Jay suggesting that I assemble the hexagons in rows. Well after doing the first flower below with the smaller 1 inch hexagons, I decided to try it and it's much easier (at least so far). I was lucky to come across a link from the Quilter's Cache demonstrating it after reading Jay's comment. And yes, I am handpiecing these but I've been sitting at my sewing table to do them.

So while I have quilting, binding, and piecing to do on other quilts, here I am sidetracked by hexagons.

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Do you hand piece?

2009-08-02T14:12:00.004-05:00

I went looking for my first quilt book to see if they had a section on hand piecing hexagons -- unfortunately I couldn't find the book which is really frustrating! I'm going to have to keep looking for it.

I'd ordered the Hexagon die for my GO Cutter and wanted to see if I could hand piece hexagon flowers with a goal of creating my own Grandmother's Flower Garden quilt. I've done these flowers by English Paper Piecing before but I know it will be much quicker to just learn to hand piece them.

I did find a few photos in one of my other books that showed me how to turn the corners so I made a test block. It's not too bad but if you enlarge the photo you'll see one corner is messed up but the others all look pretty good.

Once the block was pieced, I wasn't sure how to press so I let the seams go the way they wanted to go.
The only other quilt I've hand pieced is my first one. I'd never used a sewing machine and decided I'd hand piece it and then flew from my home in Florida to visit Deb in Virginia and she showed me how to use her machine and quilt it in straight lines. The binding was also sewn by machine. I came home from that trip and bought myself a very basic Singer sewing machine from Walmart which I used for the first year and a half I was quilting.

I've ordered Jinny Beyer's book Quiltmaking by Hand but does anyone else have other suggestions? I'm specifically looking for information on hand piecing Hexagon quilts -- but NOT English paper piecing.

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Minneapolis

2009-08-01T22:47:00.003-05:00

Keith will be gone all next week so this weekend is *together* time rather than quilting time. I just love this city we live in. Between a meandering bike ride this afternoon all up and down the river and then dinner outside with live music, today was just wonderful. It didn't hurt that it was an absolutely gorgeous, breezy day....we couldn't believe it was the first of August.

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Heading home

2009-07-31T14:52:00.003-05:00

Our flight is delayed so we're waiting in Atlanta for the flight back to Minneapolis. I somehow managed to forget to take a photo of Lindsey with her quilt but she seemed to like it. We had a nice visit and are looking forward to seeing the boys and Becky next month.

Keith, Mary, & Adam at Amicalola Falls.

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Still in GA

2009-07-30T13:39:00.000-05:00

We've been up at our condo in Big Canoe since Monday. It's been rainy
but I'd forgotten how beautiful and peaceful it is. I'll be home
tomorrow night.

Do you Wii

2009-07-26T20:16:00.003-05:00

Baseball anyone?? The first time I tried I didn't hit a single ball but trust me I kept trying until I could hit a home run!

Another toy? Chris has a netbook that he was eager to show me so of course I had to run out to Best Buy and get one for me. I love it! A lot smaller and lighter than the laptop but much easier to use than the phone.

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Getting ready to leave

2009-07-24T15:05:00.002-05:00

We're heading to Georgia tomorrow so today is busy with laundry and getting Chesty's things ready for boarding. We're going to spend a couple days with Chris and Becky in Marietta and then the rest of the week at Big Canoe where Adam and Linsey will join us on Tuesday and Wednesday. I'm going to try and get by Tiny Stitches and Little Quilts if I can talk Keith into it on Monday morning on our way to Big Canoe.

I probably won't get any sewing done before I leave but I did finish up these postcards last night -- I'm even early since the deadline isn't until the 25th of August.

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What could be better?

2009-07-23T17:57:00.001-05:00

Chesty, a glass of wine, and a good book all on the deck while I'm
waiting for Keith to get home from Nashville.

I just love this

2009-07-23T14:12:00.002-05:00

edit: I'd posted this before but I should repeat it here. While I didn't use her instructions, this quilt was definitely, unmistakenly inspired by one of Sandy Bonsib's quilts on the cover of this book. (I love her quilts and this book!)

I am so pleased with how this one turned out -- I hope Lindsey loves it as much as I do. Into the wash it goes and then I'll take it with me to Georgia on Saturday.

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Do you label?

2009-07-22T22:19:00.006-05:00

I'm really bad about labeling personal quilts and gifts but my new goal is to not let any quilt out of here without at least my initials and the year (and I actually put them on the front of this quilt NOT the back). The binding is done and tomorrow I'll take and post a photo of the quilt out on the deck.

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Still binding

2009-07-22T18:41:00.002-05:00

I'm still working on binding but I took a break and started a postcard for our family exchange. I'd been wanting to use my GO circle die to make Yo Yo's and found some inspiration the other day looking through Sew Sommerset magazine.

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Crap!!!!

2009-07-22T15:43:00.002-05:00

Am I the only one getting spam comments even WITH word verification on? Yesterday there were about 30-40 of them that I had to go in and delete today there are hundreds!!!

I'm going to go to comment moderation until they get tired of messing with me.

Why don't you little spammer shits go somewhere else??

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Stormy

2009-07-21T17:36:00.000-05:00

Looked a little scary when I headed out to a neighborhood place for a
late lunch/early dinner but I didn't get wet (yet). Hopefully, I'll be
as lucky on the walk back home after my coffee.

It's nice to finish something !!

2009-07-20T21:13:00.002-05:00

Tonight I finished the binding on a HeartStrings top from donated blocks assembled by Sue.

Freehand quilted with my favorite flowers from Dawn's Pajama Quilter DVD. Clicking on the photos will enlarge them.

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On my design wall

2009-07-20T18:51:00.002-05:00

Or maybe the title should be On my design wall AGAIN since this is Adam's quilt that I was working on back in May. I got a 12 x 12 block section assembled before I ran out of room on the wall and this one needs 3 more rows of blocks and then a border.

What's NOT on my design wall are the Stars and Pinwheel blocks -- I finished assembling the last one and set them aside for a bit since I was getting pretty bored with brown and pink.

My tasks for the next few nights will be to finish the binding on the HeartStrings quilt and then hand stitch the binding on the quilt for Adam's girlfriend -- I got it made and machine stitched on this afternoon.

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Aquatennial

2009-07-18T17:37:00.002-05:00

An Aquatennial event along the river this afternoon.

My last two digital editing lessons. The first is a collage probably easier done in Picasa although you certainly have more options using Photoshop.
In this lesson, she used three different photographs of her daughter, I chose to cut one photo in 3rds and to enlarge the center.

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Don't be shocked...

2009-07-17T15:52:00.003-05:00

I actually dusted off the longarm and quilted something. We're visiting the boys in Atlanta in a week and I would like to have this quilt finished so I can take it to give to Adam's girlfriend. It still needs binding and washing but I should be able to manage that.

The pantograph is Wandering Daisies

and while some people wouldn't dream of doing a pantograph on a quilt with applique, I think as long as the motifs are small and the thread is blendy it can look good. All the photos should enlarge if you click on them.

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Selective recoloring

2009-07-16T15:55:00.003-05:00

I've used this technique a couple times before (here and here) and it's a great way to draw attention to something in a photo.

A photo of the boys messing around with me in Vancouver last summer.

Remember me telling you a few months ago the wine store in the neighborhood had closed ...guess what? It opened back up under new management a few weeks ago. Oh happy day!

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How easily do you get bored?

2009-07-15T22:26:00.002-05:00

With a quilt like this with lots of the same block -- I like to get a bunch layed out on the design wall and then take 15 minutes here and there to sew one or two of them at a time. I know it would be quicker to sit down and sew them all at once but I have a low tolerance for boredom in my quilting.

I'm puttering along with my binding too - I can't believe how slow I'm working these days.... in fact, I can't quite figure out where the days are going.

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More donations

2009-07-15T16:31:00.004-05:00

From Sue and her Oroville/Chico California group, these 9 HeartStrings tops that will be finished by me and other volunteers in the coming months and donated to those in need.

Today's photo editing lesson combined a number of previous lessons. I chose this photo taken in April on our Ireland trip. It has some of the things I loved best about Ireland - the water, the green grass, stone walls and ruins.

I love the wrinkled old fashioned look the textures give it -- appropriate for a photo taken in the country my grandparents emigrated from.

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More photo editing lessons

2009-07-15T00:28:00.003-05:00

The edge burning effect is subtle but effective at making the center of this photo - the tree - really pop out from the background.

In this lesson, a texture was applied to the photo using overlay blending mode and text was added.
The challenge is finding the right photo for the technique -- or rather, finding the right technique to enhance the photos. Luckily, I'm able to access all the instructions for the techniques even after the class is over so I can refer back to them as needed.

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Some days

2009-07-14T17:33:00.002-05:00

Some days getting up and dressed is about as much as I feel up to accomplishing but I've found that getting outside for a little bit each day helps. Today, a walk around the neighborhood, lunch out, and a cup of coffee with my book and now I'm ready to head upstairs to sew a bit.

To see my neigborhood up close -- click on the collage to enlarge!

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Design wall Monday

2009-07-13T22:25:00.002-05:00

One lone block waiting for me to finish the half square triangles for the last 5 brown star blocks. Are you tired of this quilt yet?

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I was upstairs sewing this afternoon

2009-07-12T22:00:00.003-05:00

When I was upstairs finishing all my pink pinwheel blocks this afternoon (yeah!) I got to thinking about my process. I tend to work in a particular way with my scrap quilts -- it's not necessarily the quickest way but it works for me and it goes something like this....

1. pull a lot of fabric in the colors I plan to use and then sort through and refine my selection. I tend to lay them on top of each other with about an inch or two of each fabric showing and remove any that I don't think will work -- with my scrap quilts -- more fabrics are better.

2. start cutting enough of the different fabrics to begin to make several blocks.

3. piece a few blocks and put them on the design wall to evaluate how my fabrics are working.

4. make any necessary adjustments -- sometimes this means removing or adding fabrics to my mix.

5. continue to cut a while then piece a while -- I NEVER cut one of my own scrap quilts out all at once.

6. when I get down to the last *set* of blocks I make sure I've got a good mix of fabrics cut for them -- I hate getting down to just one or two more blocks and having to cut more.

7. once the blocks are made and up on the design wall, I decide if I need any changes to my planned setting -- this could be more blocks or occasionally sashing or a twisted setting or a change in borders.

8. once the blocks are pieced together I usually reassess the plan for borders again -- does the quilt need them? is it the right size already? pieced or plain? I love quilts without borders so this always gets a lot of thought because I only add them if I feel the quilt needs them (or if I got tired of making blocks and it needs to be bigger).

On my current quilt I'm up to step #6 with just 5 more brown star blocks to piece -- but first, I'll have to cut and sew more half square triangles.

For me, my most successful quilts are those where I'm willing to be open to making changes as the quilt takes shape.

So, what's your process? Cut all and THEN sew? Cut and sew together? Start with a plan and stick with it? Start with a plan and modify it as you go along?

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Mail and a finish!

2009-07-12T14:13:00.003-05:00

Look what the mailman brought! Six pieced backs for HeartStrings quilts....I can't begin to tell you how helpful it is when I receive backs already pieced and ready to load on the longarm -- it saves me a lot of time and I really appreciate Tish sending me these.

And I finally have a finish! I've had a stack of quilts waiting for bindings....kind of unusual for me because I usually keep up better with my binding. This little top was pieced by Cheryl and now it's all ready to wash and donate.

I also wanted to thank everyone who commented on my post the other day. I've written many of you back but in some cases didn't have email addresses to respond to others.

I'm quilting at a slower pace this summer than is usual for me and I found it interesting to read how strong the committment to quilting is for many us....surviving a lack of time or even periods where we don't quilt at all but always drawing us back in.

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Still working

2009-07-11T15:50:00.002-05:00

I'm piecing the last few pink blocks for the Stars & Pinwheels and then have 6 or 7 more brown Star blocks ...I'm ready to get this top finished and move on to something else but I do love how it's turning out. For instructions and illustrations of the quilt in other colorways see my MaryQuilts.com site.

My photo editing lesson today uses a technique to simulate a photo taken through the viewfinder of an old camera....here's my original photo taken one evening on the Mississippi River.

And here's the desaturated photo with the texture applied.

Keith and I were out this afternoon on our bikes along the river, we rode over to the bike shop to buy saddle bags for my bike, then to a farmers market and back across the river to sit in the park and sip some iced coffee -- just a gorgeous day that makes me thankful for the beautiful city I live in.

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Textures

2009-07-10T22:41:00.003-05:00

Today's photoshop lesson was textures. While it's nothing special, I've always liked this photo of Adam with his cousin taken through the window at Mom's house.

I tried two different techniques -- the first one is more subtle but the texture shows better in the 2nd version.

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Another photo

2009-07-10T07:02:00.002-05:00

This lesson was on using a clipping mask to distress the edges of a photo. I took the photo in Florida a few weeks ago and while it's very monochromatic, I like it.

Again, for anyone wondering -- I'm taking the class at JessicaSprague.com. It's one of several I've taken there and have learned a lot about using Photoshop Elements.

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Have you ever wondered....?

2009-07-09T18:18:00.003-05:00

I finally spent some time in the sewing room yesterday but while I was up there I wondered what I would do if my interest in quilting disappeared completely.

Don't panic -- it's not happening but as I putter my way through the summer without the drive I usually feel to be quilting, I thought about all the money I have invested in this hobby that I expect to hold my interest for another 30 years and what a waste it would be if I just stopped quilting one day.

I've been quilting for almost 9 years now and if I live long enough ... I expect to be quilting well into my 70's like my Mom. How about you -- do you see yourself quilting for as long as you are able to or do you see your interest wanning?

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I'm going up to sew

2009-07-08T16:54:00.003-05:00

I spent all afternoon running errands while Chesty was being groomed -- he looks so skinny! Now, I'm going to go up and make at least 2 blocks on the Stars and Pinwheels quilt and fill in those two holes on the design wall.

But first, I'll share the results of my digital editing lesson for the day -- desaturating an image, adding a sepia tint, and framing to create a softer, more vintage look to a photo.

Keith & Mary 2002

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Photos lifted from Chris

2009-07-07T14:29:00.003-05:00

I didn't take many photos this weekend but Chris had his camera and I borrowed these two from him. The first one is of Keith and I and the second one is of the McLaughlin's - my brother Pat who was the one getting married is next to Mom.

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Photo Editing

2009-07-07T02:01:00.004-05:00

I haven't played with my photos in a while so I'm taking a free photo framing class at JessicaSprague.com to ease back in. I've also been lazy about taking photos the last few months of anything other than quilting projects so I'll be looking back through old photos and maybe heading out with the camera some too.

I use Photoshop Elements 7 for my digital editing but also like some of the editing tools in Picasa 3 (it's free) if I'm in a hurry to make a few changes to a photo.

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I'm home

2009-07-06T12:04:00.002-05:00

My flowers look pretty pathetic after 10 days but I pinched off all the dead ones and watered it well so cross your fingers it comes back to life. Geraniums seem pretty hardy and my baskets last year survived all season in spite of neglect when I was traveling so I'm hoping this one will too.

On my design wall this Monday:

Not much progress before I left on the last trip but you can see the Stars and Pinwheels slowly taking form. I continue to make half square triangles and assemble the blocks - hopefully I'll get a couple more blocks made this week. I'd also like to get the Hearts top loaded and quilted but first I have a lot of mail and email to get through.

St George Island, MD

2009-07-04T01:42:00.002-05:00

The wedding is tomorrow. Enjoying the time with Chris and the rest of the family.

Painting Rocks

2009-07-02T10:30:00.000-05:00

When the boys were growing up we always did a lot of arts and crafts and I got a kick out of this kit in Barnes & Nobles the other day because at one time we were into painting rocks. If I'd been home, I would have bought it just to paint a couple to send to the boys.

When I got back to Mom's I was telling her about the kit and she told me she still had some rocks we'd painted on one of her visits.....we can't remember who painted which ones but she had these 4 tucked away in her drawer.

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Travels

2009-07-01T03:13:00.003-05:00

Mom and I are taking the train up to my sister's in Maryland today and then on Friday will head down to my brother's for his wedding, I'll fly home from Maryland on Sunday with Keith so I'll be covering a lot of miles and modes of transportation (train, car, plane) over the next few days.

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2009-06-30T18:23:00.001-05:00

These three made the cut and came home from B&N. You can probably guess by now that the Quilt it for Kids is for Mom!

An outing

2009-06-30T14:48:00.000-05:00

What could be more perfect than an iced latte and a stack of books and
magazines to browse through?

I wonder how many will go home with me?

Baby Quilts

2009-06-30T11:59:00.000-05:00

Mom has made several quilts from this magazine that have been really cute ....including the trains and the rabbits posted yesterday and the baby carriage quilt that Mom has pinned and ready to quilt (sitting beside the stack of quilts from yesterday morning).

Back issues are available at the Fons & Porter site.

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Mom's quilts (as requested)

2009-06-29T20:52:00.005-05:00

Not all of these were donated today but I went into Mom's computer for photos of some of her recent quilts. She really makes cute quilts and as I told BJ, I claim credit for getting Mom interested and teaching her to quilt!

You'll notice that she likes applique a lot more than I do and on these small quilts she pieces and quilts them herself on her Bernina. Her larger tops are sent to me for quilting although Deb does an occasional one for her too.

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Breakfast

2009-06-29T09:52:00.001-05:00

Mom and I are heading out to IHOP for breakfast and then over to Catholic Charities to take some quilts. I brought a couple with me to donate but Mom's been really busy!

Did I mention

2009-06-28T15:29:00.002-05:00

that one of the reasons for this trip was a dinner with friends from high school. I hate to actually call it a 30 year reunion because it makes me sound old but I had a great time seeing friends I hadn't seen in years.

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Pressing

2009-06-28T01:14:00.002-05:00

I tend to do things in a certain way with my quilting but I'm usually open to learning (hence all the books). For years I always used steam to press but in the last 6-8 months I've been using a dry iron and am surprised how much better I like it.

During the piecing of the block I only press with the dry iron but once the block is finished, I give it a spritz of Mary Ellen's Best Press and press.

Another tip I learned a couple years after I'd gotten my longarm was that I didn't need to press my backs before loading them on the longarm. A little spritz of water after the back is loaded gets even the most stubborn wrinkles out.

So what tips for quilting do YOU have to share?

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Cancelled!

2009-06-26T16:02:00.001-05:00

I travel enough that I usually take delays and canceled flights in
stride......

I'm now heading to Norfolk via Detroit and my brother insists on
driving over to Norfolk to pick me up even though I'm getting in after
11pm. He's such a good brother!

Delayed

2009-06-26T13:35:00.000-05:00

Hoping I don't miss my Atlanta connection! Too bad I didn't get
upgraded this flight like we did on the ones last week.

Which would you pick?

2009-06-25T11:59:00.002-05:00

I was talking to Adam the other night and he mentioned again that he'd really like a quilt for his girlfriend so I told him I'd send an email with several tops that I already had pieced and they could choose one for me to finish for Lindsey.

So these were the 5 choices I sent ..... which one would you have chosen?

(Photos will enlarge if you click on them)

They surprised me by choosing the Hearts and Strings top inspired by this quilt by Sandy Bonsib so it's on the design wall for me to measure and pick out a backing. Although I haven't made any promises, the goal is to quilt it when I get back from this next trip and take it when we see them the last week of July.

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Contest winner

2009-06-24T14:00:00.003-05:00

I've assembled the links submitted into a list and posted it on the HeartStrings Blog and used a random number generator to pull a number for a prize. Gypsy Quilter is the winner which is kind of neat because she had sent the string tops in her link to me to be quilted and donated as Quilts of Valor. (Julia in NE helped with the quilting of these tops).

I also added the link to the list on the sidebar of the HeartStrings blog so it will be easy to find for anyone looking for some inspiration. Feel free to send me links as you come across other great string quilts and I'll add them.

After my next trip, I'll be looking through the list again myself to see if I can find inspiration for my next string quilt there -- if I do, I'll award another prize to the person submitting that link.

Thanks to everyone who shared their favorite String Quilts with me!

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Summer has arrived

2009-06-23T15:43:00.004-05:00

It's been in the 90's the last couple days and I almost wish I was back at the beach where we had such nice breezes AND where I could just jump in the water if I got too hot.

However on the positive side, the grounds of our townhouse community are lush and green and gorgeous all without any effort on my part!

I'm puttering around with half square triangles and Pinwheel blocks and one by one, more blocks are making their way onto my design wall. I'm really liking this quilt!

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More books

2009-06-22T13:12:00.003-05:00

I recently had questions from a new quilter asking about machine quilting, marking, etc and I thought I'd share these 4 quilting books from my collection. I have LOTS of books on quilting but these are probably the ones I'd recommend to a new quilter.

Heirloom Machine Quilting was my first book purchased that just dealt with quilting and it's a great reference book.

I love all the books from the Rodale Successful Quilting Library and the Fast and Fun Machine Quilting has lots of good information and tips.

The Easy Machine Quilting book is from Rodale too and has step by step lessions and projects to machine quilt.

Dianne Gaudynski's Guide to Machine Quilting also has basic quilting information and lots of great tips although from the cover you might think it was a book just for advanced quilters.

All the links but the one to the Successful Quilting Library will take you to an Amazon page where you can actually look inside the books.

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Vacation is great....but

2009-06-21T23:16:00.002-05:00

It's nice to come home too. I miss Chesty when we're gone and am always eager to get home and pick him up. Keith tossed him straight into the bathtub and he's soft and cuddly!

I love being able to post photos and text directly from the iPhone while I'm gone, I enjoyed sharing my vacation photos and the beautiful sunsets almost made me wish I was living in Florida again. I have to remember we see some pretty spectacular sunsets here too -- they're just not outside my window every night although they used to be. One thing I miss about our apartment are the gorgeous sunsets over Loring Park. This first photo is from the deck we had there.

There are some spectacular sunsets on the Mississippi River too, I just have to be out walking to catch them. This was a photo from last summer taken from the Stone Arch Bridge.
I've started working my way through all my email, I read it on the iPhone while I was gone but didn't sort or respond to much of it. I'm making my list of all the links people sent for string quilts and once I'm done, I'll draw a name from those that submitted them for a prize.

If you had questions for me while I was gone, I'll try to answer them if I have an email address to respond to....so many people still don't have their email addresses enabled in their profiles.

I'm going to try and get some piecing done this week but I head out again on Friday for another long trip - a High School reunion dinner and a visit to Mom in Virginia and to Maryland from there for my brother's wedding. It's a busy summer so far.

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2009-06-21T06:02:00.003-05:00

Do you think Chesty will be glad to see us when we get home?

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One last sunset

2009-06-20T19:07:00.001-05:00

Viewed from our room.

Our last day

2009-06-20T09:49:00.000-05:00

And we're spending it on the beach where I snapped this photo of the
hotel.

Sunset and a storm

2009-06-19T19:29:00.000-05:00

Just another day before we head home and I'm starting to think about
my Stars and Pinwheels waiting on my design wall.

I love storms

2009-06-18T18:09:00.004-05:00

And with everything we need right here we can sit back and watch it.

Minnesota pale

2009-06-18T11:41:00.002-05:00

We're set up for the day on the beach but with lots of shade so I don't burn (more). I'm even wearing a hat today Deb!

Sunset

2009-06-17T19:32:00.000-05:00

Deb and I had a great visit today and since Keith spent most of the
day working I was glad to have company.

Drinks and snacks in the lobby bar tonight and then dinner on our
balcony watching the sunset.

A visit from Deb tomorrow

2009-06-16T20:38:00.001-05:00

She's going to drive down to sit by the pool and have lunch with me.
She wasn't thrilled with the idea of wearing a bathing suit in public
but heck no one knows us here!

I'll even be brave and share a photo of me by the pool today!

I finished up a Sherlock Holmes story -A Study in Scarlet -yesterday
and today have been reading a biography of Victoria and Albert.

Vacation spot #2

2009-06-16T13:09:00.000-05:00

The Ritz Carlton - Naples. We're settling in for the rest of our
vacation.

Driving Alligator Alley

2009-06-16T11:35:00.000-05:00

All we need are two little boys sitting in the back seat watching for
gators!

Books

2009-06-16T04:39:00.002-05:00

You know I'm a reader, right? I try to keep my Shelfari bookshelf up to date with new books I'm reading - most of which are on the Kindle these days but I also have a large (huge?) personal library of 500 to 600 books on quilting with some embroidery, beading, knitting, and crochet titles tossed in there too.

So when I started contemplating how I'm going to bind the irregular edges of my string tumbler and the novelty tumbler quilts I pulled these two books to look for information on binding irregular edges.

And I'm still debating whether my Stars and Pinwheels quilt will get a border -- it really big already but I might as well read up on borders just in case. I just remembered I have another border book somewhere -- will have to look for that one too.

After reading the book I bought in Nebraska about their Quilt Documentation Project I pulled out these 3 to look through them again -- I love looking at these old quilts and reading about the women who made them. It's a great source of inspiration and look at the cover on the Georgia book -- it's a string quilt, I'd forgotten about that one!

I've lived in Virginia, Georgia, and Minnesota so I'm especially interested in quilts from those states but I don't have a book on Florida quilts. We lived there for 13+ years AND I started quilting when we lived in Florida so I'll have to look to see if they have a documentation project book.

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The sun peeks through

2009-06-15T11:42:00.001-05:00

The sky's been dark and stormy looking but with the sun peaking
through I think the rain may pass us by for now.

Yesterday's book was Testimony by Anita Shreve. Today I started
reading the complete collection of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan
Doyle - got to love the Kindle for that!

On my design wall

2009-06-15T05:25:00.002-05:00

Unless I was able to complete more blocks before I left, it will look like this next Monday too.

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