Bags by KZK

Wrapping Up Christmas Gifts

2012-01-29T12:01:00.000-08:00

Ha ha ha. I crack myself up sometimes. (Please see title of this post...)

OK... so where was I? I sent my sister a very cool table runner I had made. I decided she needed a cool fabric basket to go with it, too. Years ago, when I lived in Korea, one of the other wives went to Thailand for Christmas (?) and brought home the CUTEST fabric baskets for the rest of us. They laid totally flat, but have ribbons at the corners to tie ... and when you do, it becomes a cool basket. I've used mine every year since for Christmas cards. I thought I could mentally dissect it and make one for my sister to go with her runner.

I call it a "Thai Basket". Ha! Get it? Thai - Tie? I know ... I'm easily amused. It was so easy to mail, too. Very cool. Of course, the whole thing would have been MUCH easier if I had found this tutorial (look for Morning Call Table Toppers) BEFORE I made the one for my sister ... but hey! It was a good mental exercise figuring it out myself. Right? Yeah...

So ... remember the Santa table runner I made a là Magic Nine-Patch? I finished that before Christmas ...

...and decided it should go to my Mom. It almost stayed here.

I love how the quilting came out:

I made sure to label everything - I've been getting way too slack about that lately!

In the background, you can see another table runner I showed you a while ago. Here - let me lay it out on the table for you ...

Doesn't it look at home in my dining room? Oh... and see that tree in the background? That's our patriotic ornaments Christmas tree. Makes the table runner seem even more at home, doesn't it? I thought so, too. So did the hubster. So... um... Merry Christmas to us! Hey, why not, right?!?

Hope you find some inspiration in all of this! Thanks for reading!

Gift Card Holders

2012-01-28T10:10:00.000-08:00

I think I'm going to have several more "Christmas Gift" posts. I love giving hand-made gifts and did so as much as I could this year. Still... sometimes there's nothing like getting a gift card to Beth Bath and Beyond (❤ that place!) but I wanted to do a little something extra to go with those. I found a great tutorial for little gift card holders here and had to make a couple! Here's what I came up with:

Mmm... coffee...

Just large enough to hold a few cards; easy to throw into your purse or stuff into a pocket!

Great way to use some cute scraps and a cool button!

I was really happy with how they came out - thought the tute was very easy to follow! I will definitely make more of these!

Thanks for reading!

Runner and a "Basket"

2012-01-25T08:57:00.000-08:00

Ever have one of those fabrics that you just don't want to cut into small pieces? (Let's not talk about the ones I don't want to cut at all...) I've been toting around a LOT of fabs like that, to include a great Christmas fabric in lovely mauves and teals and golds that I bought in Korea. In like ... 1994 or 5 maybe? I was saving it for JUST the right project!

Anywho... a friend of mine (thank you, Bobbie) described how to make a fun table runner that would allow me to keep a good piece of the fabric intact - and I just thought it would be perfect! Take a look:

The colors aren't as harsh in person as in that photo. I paired it with a white with gold metallic fabric that really lets the ornaments shine! I just think it's gorgeous!

Click here for instructions for a very similar way to make your own. It's REAL close to how I made this - except for the 10-minute part. Please. 10 minutes? I don't think so. It takes the Guide Dog for the Color Blind and me that long to choose fabrics, let alone a coordinating quilt thread! But that's pretty much how I made this one.

I thought the colors were a good "fit" with my sister-in-law's decor, so I decided this should go to her and my brother! I had some fabric left and thought it would be fun to make a little fabric basket to go with it:

Perfect to hold Christmas cards, ornaments, greenery and lights ... ANYTHING!

Really, really fun to make! I hope my s-i-l and brother enjoy them!

Thanks for reading!

Golf Anyone?

2012-01-24T09:40:00.000-08:00

So... yeah, I know. Let's dispense with the "where have I been"s and just get right to the post, OK? Let's go!

My husband is an avid golfer and has a great collection of golf hats from all over the place. Oh, not a "sit them on a shelf" type of collection, he wears them. And wears them hard. I mean - he golfs when it's over 100 degrees out there, so yeah, they get kind of funky. So I wash them, he wears them ... and I wash them, he wears them ... and before we know it, they really have out-lived their usefulness. But some of the logos are just SO COOL - so what to do? I thought long and hard on that for a while, then it hit me. If I can cut logos out of t-shirts and make a really cool quilt, can't I do something with golf hat logos? ...except that they're quite crunchy and hard and embroidered on thick, thick canvas ...

So how about a bag!?!?

I cut all the logos out, grabbed some heavy-duty canvas, and started playing around.

Seriously, some are just way too cool to toss out.

I stitched them onto the canvas, grabbed a cute golf-themed cotton fab for a lining, and made a drawstring bag:

Mike thought it would be great to hold "range balls". I'm not a golfer myself, so I only have a vague idea what that means, but that's OK! I was just thrilled to have a purpose for the cute designs! :)

After I had the bag together, I thought it would be convenient to have a D-ring at the top, so Mike could hook it to his golf bag with a carabiner clip. It would have been better had I come up with that idea an hour earlier than I did ... but it all worked out.

I did some ripping, inserting, then re-stitching. It was worth it - the D-ring is very handy.

When I inserted the D-ring, I also inserted one of my KZK tags. Upside down.
But if it's hooked to your golf bag, and you look down on it ... it's right-side up. Right?
ARGH!!!

I used some cording and one of those cord-lock things from an old backpack. I think it's a great touch - I think I need to buy some of those; I like them!

Thanks for reading!

Infinity Scarf Tutorial

2011-12-24T11:58:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas to all! I know I've slacked off on posting again. I've been busy finalizing Christmas gifts, etc. - so I hope you'll forgive me! I've made a few really cool infinity scarves this year and thought I'd do a little "how to" tutorial for all of you! They are so fun, easy and really spruce up an outfit -- and/or block the cold from coming down the neck of your parka!

It all started when I posted a pic of the flannel infinity scarf I made to FaceBook:

Warm, fuzzy and my favorite colors! That led to requests for everyone's favorite redhead to model it.

He's a pro. Seriously.

That started a "how do you..." and "I'd love one" and ... etc.! I made a bunch more, then thought I'd put together a step-by-step so you can make your own. The following one is made from a quilt-weight cotton, but you could use cotton, flannel, fleece ... whatever! I'm a visual learner, so there are tons of pix.

You'll need a yard of fabric. Cut said fabric 30 x 36". Fold that so that it's now 15 x 36" -- right sides together. Like so:

Sew that long side, using 1/4" seam allowance, forming a long tube. Iron your seam open and give everything a good pressing. It should look like this:

Reach into one end of the tube, and bring that far end inside the tube, matching it to the other end.

You now have a folded tube with the right sides together. Sort of. Line up the seams --

Instead of pinning like that, twist that inner part of the tube that you grabbed a full 360 degrees!

It looks like a mess, but it'll be OK. Match the seams back up and pin.

Get the two raw edges nicely lined up all around your tube and pin.

Pins are your friends. Just don't sew over them. Sew all along your opening, leaving a gap for turning.

I like to mark the stop/start of my gap with double pinning, so I won't forget. (And yes, I was sporting a band aide. I scraped the daylights out of the back of my hand when I moved the stove to clean behind it. Oops.)

Now... reach into that gap you left open and turn the scarf right side out!

Because I love pins, pin the gap...

... then sew shut using a blind stitch.

Here's your scarf!

I made that one and a couple more for a friend. You can see the others here and here. The possibilities are endless - as is the scarf. Ha ha, I crack myself up sometimes!

I also made a flannel one for my husband that is half as wide (cut 15 x 36") just to tuck into his parka to keep the chill out. Nothing poofy or girlie about it at all. Then my friend Shelli (AKA the Macon Bag-a-holic) asked if they could be made with two fabrics. Great idea! Why not!?! Cut two coordinating fabrics 15 x 36", sew together ... etc.! I made one for her and think it looks darling!

I let my Siberian Husky stuffie model it instead of one of the boys - I like to send things out as Sibe-hair-free as possible - even though Shelli has two Sibes and a kit-cat who would have been happy to bury their noses in Zim and Dave's fur!

Here are Sitka and Shelli with the Infinity Scarf!

Beautiful! (Both of them!)

Let me know if you have any questions on the tute! Note: Be careful if you use a directional print! Make sure it will go the way you want it to! Good luck and I hope you'll give it a try!!

Thanks for reading!

Laura's Sitia Marie Tote!

2011-12-07T12:09:00.000-08:00

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know. It's been a while. Miss me? I have lots of projects to show you - I just need to find the time to do so! Let's start today with a bag I made for a wonderful friend of mine - Laura!

Laura is probably one of the coolest people I know. Seriously. And now she's going to have her first baby!!! She didn't have the perfect diaper bag lined up, so I asked her to pick one of my designs - and I'd turn it into the bag of her dreams. Or something like that. We opted to go for a black, white and red color scheme to coordinate with her stroller! (I had help, of course.) Let's get looking at pix!

Here's the front!

Polypro handle, pieced outside, nice long pocket (the Eiffel Tower), and a big, black button.

I love the look of the bag in my bare tree. I have no idea why I didn't shoot the back of the bag that way, but I didn't. It's 20-something degrees out right now, so I'm not re-shooting. I did shoot it up against the house:

There is another pocket on the back, as you can see. Shallower and easy to grab whatever's in there.

I love these big, black buttons! I sewed it on with the same variegated black and white thread I used to quilt the bag. It's an Aurofil thread. Isn't it lovely?!?

Detail shot of the front pocket and tag. Just because.

I thought Laura would need nice, deep pockets in her bag, and decided to pretend I knew how to make pleated ones to add depth:

I think they work! Here they are in the finished bag:

Oh... yeah. That one didn't have a cuff at the top initially, did it? Cute touch though, right? I mean ... it's not like I did that because the pocket came up too high and would have been sewn shut when I top-stitched the bag together.

...

OK, that's exactly why it has a cool cuff. Creative solution, don't you think? Oy.

I put more pockets on the other side of the bag, too:

You can't have enough pockets, can you? Actually, that's a divided pocket with another pocket on top of it.

I also thought I'd throw a Huffle Duffle Bag in there -

For a clean outfit for the baby? Or to house diapers, clean or otherwise? (The Huffle Duffle can be tossed in the wash - cold water wash, machine dry on low.) Or ... for whatever Laura's heart desires!

Here's a peek inside:

I have to say, I totally love working with black and white!!!

And red. It needed that touch of red, didn't it?

Laura, your bag should be there any day now. I hope you can feel the love that went into making it for you and your baby girl!

I'll post more projects soon! Thanks for reading!

Christmas Table Runner - Santas!

2011-11-08T14:50:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone! A couple of posts ago I showed you one of the "UFO"s (unfinished objects) that I'm working on - a Christmas table runner. How about a closer look?

I quilted my twisting ribbon/rope/whatever that I like to do in the interlocking black rectangles. In the Santa squares, I did 1/4-inch in, twice, for two boxes. It's not super creative, but that print is so wonderfully busy that it doesn't need much.

I marked a general arch to twist through in the black rectangles using white chalk - mostly so I'd remember where I was going. I have a super great tool to remove the chalk marks:

Oh, sure. It might look like an old toothbrush I ran through the dishwasher a time or two ... but ... well, OK. That's exactly what it is - and I haven't found anything that works any better. (It's an extra-soft, in case anyone is wondering.) Just a light brushing - no floss required. ☺

Here it is, all quilted and ready for the binding:

As you can see, my Guide Dog for the Color Blind was extremely helpful in the process.

I would have loved to use the green for the binding, but alas, I only have a few small scraps of it left. I went with black - which I also used for the back.

Once I get it hand-sewed to the back, I'll be spending some quality time with a tape roller, removing errant husky hairs. (Black?!? What was I thinking?!?)

Love how the runner is coming out - it's a "Magic Nine-Patch" block (or Disappearing Nine-Patch) ... with a little special lay-out employed. Very fun and easy!!!

Thanks for reading!

Half-Square Triangle and Flippy Squares Tutorial!

2011-11-05T10:39:00.000-07:00

There are all kinds of great tutorials out there about quick-piecing half-square triangles (HSTs). Most involve sandwiching two squares of fabric, drawing a ling down one diagonal, sewing 1/4" on either side, then cutting the two HSTs apart on that drawn line. That's how I normally do mine - or did. Now I'll be doing it my friend Pam's way!!! Here's what she's got for us!

Actually, let me back up a little. Just to be clear ... there are TONS of quilt blocks and borders that use HSTs - they make up the block or part of the block. Look at this part of a Bear's Paw block on one of my quilts:

See how the "points" are actually little squares made up of two triangles? Like this:

In the center of the block above, you should see that it's really a square... made of HSTs. That's what we're after! I made that years ago, when I was in my "miniature quilts phase". Those "squares" are just shy of an inch across. Yes. I may well have been crazy, thanks for asking. Oh, how I wish I'd known Pam's technique for making those babies! Let's get to it!

(Pam's photos used with permission!)

First, take two fabric squares and line them up, right sides together. Now get some masking tape!

Cut two small pieces and tape to your sewing machine bed. (Take care not to tape over the feed dogs.) Have them meet exactly where your needle comes down! Measure and mark exactly 1/4" to either side of where the tape meets.

In her example, Pam used 4" squares of fabric. No need to mark that diagonal line! All you have to do is line one corner of your fabric squares up with the line you drew down the left-hand piece of masking tape. The other corner corresponds with "the last nick in the quilting foot". (Pam sews on a Bernina and is using a #37 foot.)

How long have I been sewing HSTs and never thought of this?!? And never noticed that the corner would line up with that little notch?!?! Ha! OK... moving right along...

Pam said to "just trust your judgement for a few mm's [millimeters - Pam's from South Africa ☺ ] until the corner is in line with the marked line. On smaller squares you do not have this problem." Keep going ...

... and see how they line up? Love it!

Now Pam says, "Turn your square around and do it again or carry on chain piecing with a new square."

All that's left is to cut apart on the diagonal (just line your ruler up with the corners!) and you have two perfect HSTs!

I use flippy squares a lot. They are such an integral part of my quilting repertoire that they are second nature to me. I used them a lot during construction of the Gettysburg Battle Flag Quilt -- check the Cotton Boll block at this link. It's basically marking a small square of fabric on the diagonal and sewing it to the corner of a larger square or rectangle so you get a triangle. (Scroll down in this post in the Quiltville blog until you see "Flippy Corners" - same-oh, same-oh.) Pam has a way for us to tackle flippy squares without marking the center diagonal, too!!!

Here's another of my minis; this one was made using flippy squares:

Those dark triangles were actually squares (flippy squares) in the construction phase.

I love using this method - it's so easy ... and now Pam makes it even faster and easier! Here's how she does it!

"Line your corner up with the centre mark on the tape," says Pam --

Keep sewing ...

"Now doesn't that beat having to draw lots of lines????" YES!!!

I can't wait to try this out. Love the idea - especially when you're doing a lot of HSTs and/or flippy squares, all that marking can really be a drag.

Pam, thank you so much! Your photos and descriptions make the process so very clear! Easy, quick and accurate - just perfect!

Thanks to Pam - and thank you for reading!

Lots To Cover!

2011-11-04T09:38:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! Yes, I know ... I need to get better about updating this blog! Things have been sort of busy here - but I have managed to get some sewing done!

Before I get to my latest projects, I am THRILLED to announce that one of my friends has entered the sewing/quilting blog world! Please check out her blog One Little Birdie. She's an amazingly talented artist and I know you'll just love seeing her latest creations. Would it be too corny for me to say that a Little Birdie told me she'll also be selling some of her items? (Go ahead and groan...) Very exciting!!! Good luck, my friend, and welcome to the quilty blogosphere!

I finished all of the bags I was making for the Beads of Courage program that I told you about in my last post!

They're in the mail, heading out to Tucson. It was really fun making them, playing with fabrics I don't normally work with. If one bag or one fabric brings a smile to the face of one child in the Beads of Courage program, then I'm a happy camper.

After I finished the bags, I decided to grab some of the webbing I ordered a while ago and make my boys some new collars and leashes!

Zim in his new collar and leash!

Dave's new collar and leash

I think these are my favorites so far. Maybe. They're cool! Dave's doesn't photograph well from a distance. Guess it's good camouflage. LOL!

I was thinking of putting up a tutorial for the limited slip collars. Would you all be interested in that? I always love reading and following other people's tutes and think I should try doing one. Any interest? Please leave a comment or email me! (Or FB me!)

Speaking of tutorials! My friend Pam in South Africa has put together a great one - how to do half-square triangles quickly, easily, and accurately - and flippy squares, too! I'll be sharing that with you tomorrow or so. She makes it all so clear!

As per right now, I'm quilting a Christmas table runner that I pieced a long time ago. I'm trying VERY hard to wrap up some "UFO"s, and this one was first up!

I really like it! I hope a family member agrees... hmm...

The boys also helped me reorganize the Studio a bit. I'll post pix eventually, either here or on their blog. We did some moving around in the living room, and I "inherited" a tall, glass-shelved unit. It's perfect for stacking projects, finished and "un". :)

Thanks for reading!

More Placemats!

2011-10-08T13:33:00.000-07:00

Remember a while ago I showed you some coffee-themed placemats? Hmm... I had great excuses in that post for not having posted for a while, too. Hmm. I notice a trend. Anyway, I finally got the other coffee-themed placemats done - in the brighter colors.

I conceivably could use the four of them together. They have a few of the same fabrics as the other ones, but bolder, splashier ones, too. Here's a close-up:

The pinwheels in each of the placemats are left over from a quilt I made for one of my wonderful nieces. They just either didn't have enough contrast or something - but they work just great for our placemats!

What a fun way to use up some scraps!!!

Here's a cool tip for you! You know those sleeves made of nylon netting that you get at the grocery store? They hold tomatoes or grapes or other produce? Save them! They are GREAT for holding interfacing onto tubes or for holding cording onto their spools!

Isn't that great? Love that stuff! Very handy!

As to what I've been working on - you can see lots of my "mess" spread around the background of that photo. I'm making bags for the Beads of Courage program. If you're looking for a great way to contribute to a really worthwhile cause, please follow the link provided and check them out. I'm having so much fun picking out fabrics I think kids would like!

Also in the design stages of a new bag. I've gone slightly past the "sketch it in the fogged-up shower door" stage, but not much beyond that. I'll keep you posted!

Thanks for reading!

The Other Fabric Baskets

2011-09-28T12:06:00.000-07:00

I know - "define 'a day or two'", right? I got side tracked.

So... I loved following Ayumi's tutorial, as I said the other day. The basket came out so cute and I will definitely be making more! I wanted to make some larger fabric baskets, too - so I sort of followed the tute at this link. More or less. Give or take. I may have colored outside the lines...

In the little basket, I just used cotton batting. For a basket that size, it was perfect. For a larger basket, I knew I'd need something a little stiffer, to help the basket hold its shape. For the large basket, I used some Soft & Stable my friend Donna sent me! (Thanks, Donna!)

The pinning stage

It was perfect! Easy to work with, soft to the feel, but even with this pretty tall basket, it looks GREAT!

Instead of turning the basket right-side-out through a hole in the lining, you stuff the lining in, turn the lining down 1/2 an inch, turn the outside down 1/2 an inch, then do some top stitching.

That photo gives a good look at one of those times I "go reeeeeally slowly", as mentioned in the previous post. I made great use of my #8 denim foot, a 90 needle, and my leveling bars, for those of you playing along on the home version.

I was posting little snippets of what I was doing on FaceBook as I worked, and mentioned batiks about ... a million times or so. Give or take. That led to a great question by my cousin Jill. She wanted to know what exactly is a batik? Is it different from regular fabric? I'm cutting and pasting my answer in, because I really can't come up with anything much better. LOL. "Batiks traditionally are from Indonesia, though they're made in other areas now. They have a higher thread count - a tight weave, if you will - and have almost a silky feel to them. They're traditionally hand-dyed, using a wax resist to add pattern. Usually are saturated colors... really, really gorgeous." That covers it pretty well. I thought I'd see if a photo would help show the difference! One of these is a batik; one is a hand-dye -- pretty, but not a batik.

Keeping in mind what I said above, can you tell which is the batik?

Dave, Guide Dog for the Color Blind points out the batik

Way to go, Dave! He knows the blue fabric has a tighter weave, a silky feel and is saturated with color! Dave has great taste, doesn't he? He was ~~sleeping~~ doing something important when I chose the fabs for the large basket, so I didn't use any greens. (Greens are my hardest colors to differentiate.) He did come down to the Studio when I was putting the medium one together, so I let him choose some greens for me.

Pretty cool. I do love the green in there, I just can't tell which one/s go or don't go.

For the medium basket, I decided not to add the handles - basically so it would fit on the shelf easily! I used batting on the outside and heavy interfacing in the lining. I think both were good choices for a basket this size - and frankly, this lining came out best of all three baskets. So there you go.

I did a little more quilting on this basket than the others.

I'm not sure why. I could do that twisty thing all day, though.

I love how it contrasts with the double line of top stitching.

I had a blast making these baskets and they're all hard at work on my new shelf. I will be making more for sure - I think they'd make great Christmas gifts!!

Thanks for reading!

Fabric Basket!

2011-09-25T12:25:00.000-07:00

Readers of my Siberian Huskies' blog saw a little fabric basket I made the other day. I followed a wonderful tutorial over on Pink Penguin; Ayumi's directions and photos were great and I had a cute basket in no time at all!

As I was putting it together and doing a little quilting on the outside...

...I thought back to a question Trace asked about how I get my squiggly lines so even. I just "eye ball" them, using the presser foot or some other visible mark (like a seam or a mark on my sewing machine) to keep the spacing about "right". The lines themselves are not the same, nor do I want them the same (it gives more movement to have them in kind of random squiggles). Check the back of what I was sewing on above:

See what I mean? The squiggles were placed at seam lines, but I didn't give a lot of thought or care to how the squigs were squiggling. Does that make sense to anyone out there? I may have lost myself on that one. Let's move on.

When I do want straight lines, I just go reeeeeeeeeeally slowly, using the presser foot and the edge of the fabric or the line of stitches as guides.

Some people use a double needle (twin needles that plug into your machine) but I have only used a double needle once (in my "How To Use Your Bernina" class) and I wasn't terribly comfortable with the process. I'm not sure exactly what the problem was, but I just don't have any double needles and can do the double top-stitching without it... so there you go.

Ayumi has you leave an opening in your lining, so you sew the two "sides" (outside of the basket and the lining) together completely, then turn it right side out through that opening.

Don't text and sew.

Oops. Yes, I sewed it together wrong and my lining was inside out... but that's OK; I was having fun texting with a friend - and that's why God gave us seam rippers.

The little basket came together in no time at all. My trusty Guide Dog for the Color Blind helped me choose the fabrics (I will NOT use green unless he comes to the Studio to help me!) and was pleased with our joint effort. He posed with the basket and I did a little special effects on the pic:

We're a good team!

I've since made a couple larger fabric baskets. I have a new shelf in my bathroom and am using the baskets for storage on it. I'll show you those in a day or two!

Thanks for reading!

Fruit Stripe Gum

2011-09-20T08:41:00.000-07:00

I more or less made this up as I went along, using a roll of 2.5" strips my cousin Jill sent me. I had a vague idea in my head and went with it. I think the blocks only took a few hours to put together.

I sewed the blocks together into the top yesterday afternoon:

CUTE!

In the back of my mind, while I worked on it, was a gum I used to love when I was a kid. I could picture it, but couldn't come up with the name. My hubby Googled it for me last night - Fruit Stripe Gum!!! Remember that?!? See the connection? Ha! I love it! Maybe I need to put some zebra stripes on there somewhere. Maybe the back.

Speaking of which... here's what I'm probably using for the back:

The pink, the green, the purple, and frankly, probably some of that green, too. Oh. And I'm binding using the pink and blue. Because... yes. I used the whole roll of 2.5" strips for the top, so I have no more of any of those fabs. Oops. Maybe these new fabs would blend in better if I did throw some of the zebra stripe in...

Thanks for reading!

I'm As Shocked As You Are!

2011-09-18T10:10:00.000-07:00

I am. I STILL am, even though I finished this little project several days ago. Why so shocked? Because not only did I do pleats again, I put in a ... brace yourselves ... zipper. That's right, I said it - the "Z" word! (Insert audible gasps here from those of you who know me.)

I decided to follow this great tute for a Pleated Pouch; I saw it quite a while ago and it's been hovering in my InstaPaper queue pleading with me to make it. I finally forced myself to try it ... and wow. I did it! I put in a zipper!!!!

Look! A zipper!!! And I lived to tell about it!!!

Yeah, OK, I did insert a zipper once before, but that was years ago and was sort of one of those "OK, I've done it, now I don't ever have to do it again" things. Sort of like inset Y-seams or mitered corners. LOL! Just kidding. (Kind of.)

The tutorial was very well-written and well-photographed, so the little pouch came together in no time at all!

Totally cute and totally wild batiks and I love it!

There's a chance I'll be trying this again. I can't believe I'm writing that. About a ZIPPERed pouch. Wow. Shocking!

Thanks for reading!

Batik Braid Tutorial

2011-09-15T12:12:00.000-07:00

Thanks for joining us, everyone! I have a special treat for all of us today - my friend Donna is my first guest blogger! Donna and I "met" over the internet about 10 years ago through our common love of Siberian Huskies. I'm happy to report that she has caught the quilting bug lately (yea!) and has also joined the ranks of Bernina converts (yea! again). It's been so fun seeing the quilt spark catch fire in her - and wow, her skills already blow me away!

One of Donna's recent projects is a VERY cool table runner. Along the edges, she used a Batik Braid she made from half hexagons. I just smiled like crazy when she told me she was watching a TV show about the process... and was already dissecting everything in her head with the "I could figure out how to do that". ☺ She made the table runner for a fund raiser for Harnessed to Hope Northern Breed Rescue using her technique - and wrote up a tutorial for all of us along the way!!! Without further ado, here is Donna's tute!

*****

Batik Braid Made from Half Hexagons

Used on Batik Dog Sled Table Runner

Donna Gazda

Note: I saw this braid made on a TV show. I thought it would be perfect for a table runner.

I made the above batik braid strip using the 2-1/4” half hexagon template from the Marti Michell Set G template set. Her templates already include the ¼” seam allowance. There is also a 1-1/2” half hexagon template in the Set G package, along with full hexagon templates, along with other templates.

Below is the Batik Dog Sled Runner with the batik braid:

I used 10 different batik fabrics for this braid and used the 2-1/4” half hexagon template. I cut 2-1/4” strips from each piece of fabric (the strips were cut crosswise grain – selvage to selvage edge). Fabric was folded in half (selvage edge to selvage edge). Using the 2-1/4” template, I was able to get 5 cuts of half hexagons for a total of 10 half hexagons.
Alternate the template (as shown below) to cut the half hexagons.
By using an even number of fabric strips, when they were sewn together, the same 5 fabrics ended up on the same size. I think if you use an odd number of strips, the half hexagons will alternate on both sides of the braid strip.
I took the template and laid it in the manner in which you will lay out your pieces and sew them together. See first picture below. The second picture shows all the fabric hexagons that I used.

Lay piece 1 onto piece 2 as shown below (right sides together) and sew using ¼” seam allowance. Press piece #1 down.

Lay piece #3 across pieces 1 and 2. Stitch as shown. Press piece #3 up with seam toward pieces 1 and 2, as shown below:

Lay piece #4 across pieces 2 and 3. Stitch as shown. Press piece #4 up with seam toward pieces 2 and 3, as shown below:

Lay piece #5 across pieces 4 and 3. Stitch as shown. Press piece #5 up with seam toward pieces 4 and 3, as shown below:

Lay piece #6 across pieces 4 and 5. Stitch as shown. Press piece #6 up with seam toward pieces 4 and 5, as shown below:

Keeping sewing your half hexagons together until you get your desired length you need for your quilt. Square off the bottom and top of your strip, then sew onto your quilt.

Finished length should look like this (above).
Squaring off bottom and top of strip….see below.

And a look at squaring up the top:

(Note from KZK: Hmm... something tells me Donna has already started ANOTHER braid!)

Here is a look at what the back of your braid should look like, prior to squaring it up:

*****

Wow! Donna, thank you so much! You really made it look so "do-able" and I can't wait to try it out!

Now, for those of us who don't have Marti Michell's templates, Donna says you can really use any size of half hexagon and any size strips. Just remember that if you use a whole hexie -- add the 1/4" seam allowance beyond that "half way" line. Hopefully this photo will help explain:

See there on the right, how the "half hexie" extends an extra 1/4" beyond the center of the full hexie?? That's what you need to do! And you can ALWAYS order a set of your own Marti Michell templates at this link. Donna used the "G" set for her runner!

For another great tutorial on this technique, please check out Jenny from the Missouri Star Quilt Company's video tute at this link.

If any of you try Donna's tute out - let us know how it goes for you!

Thanks again, Donna - and thank you for reading!

Checking In and a Special Announcement!

2011-09-14T10:18:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! Sorry it's been a while since I've posted. It's been a little crazy here! I've finished up a couple things (will fill you in eventually!) and have just sort of played around a bit in the Studio. Remember the second of the two blue and white table runners? It's finally all set to go.

I think this one is my fave of the two. Oh, I know - the fabs are identical on the front --- but I did squiggly-like quilting on this one and I think it adds a certain flow. Or something.

Don't you think? Compare it to the photos of the other one found here. Just a matter of preference.

Here's a look at the back, too:

This one is more "me".

Speaking of me - or not - I have a SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT to make!!! I've lined up a guest blogger!!! A friend of mine who professes to be a "beginner" quilter (ha! yeah, sure, she just started, but my WORD, she is already doing amazing things!!!) made an awesome table runner using a "half-hexagon braid" technique. It's just STUNNING! She put together a great tutorial for all of us that I'll post tomorrow! So grab your friends and come on back - I can't WAIT to try her technique!!!

Thanks for reading!

Let's Eat!

2011-09-02T12:32:00.000-07:00

I haven't been sewing lately (still working on sewing the binding on those two other placemats) but I have spent some quality time in the kitchen. Some of my friends asked for the recipes after I posted a picture on FaceBook ...

Broccoli, Na'an, South African Yellow Rice, Chicken & Peanut Curry

... so I thought I'd write the recipes up for all of us. Ready to get cooking? Let's go!

We'll start the rice first. This takes pretty long, so give yourself lots of time.

South African Yellow Rice

The intro to the recipe I sort of follow reads: South Africa's oldest rice dish is vendusierys (auction rice) which was later known as huweliksrys (wedding rice) or begrafnisrys (funeral rice). It is simply yellow rice with raisins.

My version of the ingredients/amounts are:

6 1/3 cups water
1 3/4 cups rice
2 1/16 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 Tablespoons yellow sugar (I use brown sugar)
2 1/16 teaspoons turmeric
3 cinnamon sticks or 3 piece cassia (I use 1 teaspoon cinnamon)
8 cardamom seeds (I use 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom)
1 1/16 Tablespoons naartjie peel (orange peel), cut into strips (I didn’t have any last time I made this and never missed it)
4 Tablespoons butter
1 cup total: raisins mixed with sultanas (golden raisins)

Here are the directions. Now, seriously. I’ve tried omitting a step or two and the rice just isn’t as good. Could you cut back on the amount of water and skip step 5? Could you skip the last part about steaming the rice? Sure. But it won’t taste the same. OH. And your house won’t smell as divine as it does if you follow it to the T. I’ve tried, so trust me.

1. Heat the water to boiling point in a large saucepan.
2. Rinse the rice, and place it in the boiling water.
3. Stir in the salt, sugar and saffron, and add the cinnamon, cardamom and naartjie (orange) peel.
4. Cover, reduce the heat and then simmer for 20-30 minutes.
5. Remove the saucepan from the heat and pour off the water. This doesn’t work for me, so I pour it all into a big colander. One with SMALL holes. Really.
6. Put it back into the saucepan (if you did my step with the colander). Add the butter, sultanas and raisins and stir to blend.
7. Spoon into a colander. (See? You were going to get it dirty anyway.)
8. Put an inch or two of water in the saucepan you used for the rice.
9. Heat to boiling point.
10. Place the colander of rice on top of the boiling water, cover and steam until the rice has swollen and the raisins are soft and plump.

Chicken and Peanut Curry

1 Tablespoon oil
1 medium onion, chopped
A packet of Golden Curry mix (see photo at right!)
water
3-4 chicken breasts, cut into chunks
1 can "lite" coconut milk
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
1 Tablespoon lime juice
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1/2 cup peanuts (I do not chop them)
1/2 cup or more pineapple chunks
About 1/4 cup or less dried basil

1. Heat oil in the largest skillet you have.
2. Add onion; stir fry for a few minutes.
3. Add the chicken that you've chunked up.
4. Break up or cut up the Golden Curry mix; add to skillet. Toss in some water while you're at it. Maybe 1/2 a cup.
5. Add in coconut milk, soy sauce, lime juice and brown sugar.
6. Bring it to a nice bubbly stage and let it all have fun together for about 15 minutes or so - until your chicken has cooked through.
7. Stir in peanuts, pineapple and basil.
8. Cook until heated through.
9. I like to lower the heat, then cover my skillet with a piece of the really wide foil (I don't have a lid that big...) and let it simmer for a while. You still have broccoli and na'an to deal with.

Broccoli

Throw broccoli in a Corning Ware casserole dish. Add a couple Tablespoons of water. Cover with lid. Zap it in the microwave until it's heated through but still nice and crunchy. Drain and sprinkle with lemon juice.

Na'an

Here is my secret recipe for na'an. Keep it between us, OK?

Send The Super Shopper to Dillon's (grocery store) earlier in the week. Ask him to please bring home some na'an. Thank him profusely.

Heat oven to 400. Put na'an on some no-stick foil and sprinkle with a tiny it of water. Bake for 2-3 minutes. Flip it over, sprinkle a little more water on top, and bake again for 2-3 minutes. (It's also great thrown on the grill, but I'm averse to grilling on my west-facing deck when it's 108℉ in the shade. Of which I have none at that time of day, so it's actually a million degrees out there.)

When the na'an is hot... it's time to eat!!!

Let's eat!

I'm happy to announce we're having leftovers of this tonight.

Until next time - bon appetit and thanks for reading!

First, You Take an Old Tablecloth...

2011-08-23T13:29:00.000-07:00

Here's another project I wrapped up recently. It was pretty fun and I learned a few things along the way!

I started with an old tablecloth of my grandmother's. My mother has sent me a bunch of old family textiles - hankies, doilies, tablecloths, etc. They're all really cool; I have quilty plans for the fancier ones and "small" pieces that will go to my nieces. Some of the tablecloths are really more "every day" type of linens, so ... what to do? Naturally, a bag came to mind. Right?

I intended to follow the tute at this link - the DIY Dish Basic Handbag. Apparently watching the video once and jotting down some illegible notes isn't quite the way to go if you want to exactly follow their plan. Close enough, though ~ and I have a cool bag for my sister.

It looks at home on my dining room table, doesn't it? Getting back to its tablecloth roots, no doubt. I think it covered a larger table surface in its previous life.

I'm calling this ... the Market Tote!

I can see my sister carrying home a bunch of fresh produce from the farmer's market in this baby! There is a ton of room in there!

Check out the back:

That's right - pleats. Along the whole top - inside and out. Are you impressed? I've never done pleats before!!! That was one of the things I learned!

Here's the inside:

I added a nice, roomy pocket. To my sister - in case I forget to tell you - there's a gravy stain on the inside of the pocket. I left it there, thinking it was kind of a cool reminder of dinner at Grandma's. :)

I did a lot of the sewing on the bag on my Pfaff!!! Shocking, isn't it? After I made Mati's Memory Quilt, I gave my Bernina a good cleaning and oiling. It needed it badly. So then I went to test it ... and it was SLOW!!! I mean, pedal to the metal and I wasn't getting anywhere in a hurry! I did everything the trouble-shooting guide in my manual said to and... nothing. I knew it was over-due for a servicing... so I waited out the weekend, then made a call to a shop in Topeka to set up a time for me to drop it off. I had a LOVELY chat with a very helpful person who ... ahem ... asked me if I'd inadvertently hit the speed toggle switch on the front of the machine. The wh....

Oops. Well, at least I hadn't killed my Bernina. I still need to take it in for servicing, but at least it's not an emergency now. And it was nice to give the Pfaff a good run! So ... pleats conquered AND I've been reminded about the speed toggle switch. Two great lessons. :)

Where was I? Oh, yeah. I did do the handles the way the DIY Dish girls said to:

I think it looks really cute like that! I'll have to do that again. Perhaps with something that isn't quite as thick as Grandma's tablecloth.

Oh - check the texture:

Don't you love it? I hope my sister does. She's coming to visit in a week and a half (!!!) and I'll get to give it to her in person! I think Grandma would like us re-purposing her tablecloth!

Thanks for reading!

Coffee-Themed Placemats

2011-08-22T09:58:00.000-07:00

Sorry for disappearing for a while there. It's been a tad busy here - partly with the boys, partly with other stuff. Stuff like ... painting. Oh, not like painting...

I mean like painting...

You know ... as in Ask Sherwin-Williams. In my opinion, my painting leaves a bit to be desired, though my husband was incredibly complimentary of my efforts. Almost frighteningly so...

Anyway, I have finished some quilty stuff. Let's start today with some scrappy placemats. These were just to do something constructive with coffee-themed scraps - check out how cute they look on the kitchen table:

I love how they came out! (Please ignore the mess out on the screened-in deck; we have some work going on out there!)

Both mats are different:

Fun, aren't they?!? I did a "quilt as you go" deal on them and really had no plan other than to use my scraps! I made them a bit wider than most placemats, just to give the table a bit more coverage.

I used the same fab on both backs:

As you can see, I also used scraps for the bindings! Why not, right!?! I made two more placemats that are from the same scrap piles, but are a bit more colorful -- I'm still sewing the bindings on them but will share once I'm done!

Tune back in again soon to see what else I've been working on!

Thanks for reading!

Mati's Memory Quilt - The Blocks!

2011-08-10T17:02:00.000-07:00

I'm back! I was going to break the blocks from Mati's Memory Quilt up into two or three posts, but I figured I'd share them all now with BRIEF (ha!) explanations about each. Ready to take a look? Let's go!

We're starting in the lower left-hand corner, then zig-zagging up through the quilt. I'm not sure why. Here's the first block:

It's the design from one of Mati's "Life is Good" t-shirts (the Family Tree) with part of the inside of one of the blue "Life is Good" tees. I love the "Optimism can take you anywhere" sentiment. I used a few of those inside parts in the quilt!

Next up, another "Life is Good" design -- most of them are!

The OD green got a tad lost on the darker denim, so I added a swatch of one of the lighter t-shirts underneath - and a "do what you like, like what you do" tag from inside a "Life is Good" tee. (From here on out, "Life is Good" will be LIG.)

Loving puns as I do, I got a kick out of this next LIG design:

The light blue design is from the inside of a LIG tee.

Here's a Black Dog design:

The light pink got a wee bit lost, so I backed it with part of a tie-dyed t-shirt.

This was one of the larger logos:

I couldn't incorporate the writing into the block, but I think it's a good "stand alone".

Just up from that block is another LIG design:

The smiley face is from the back of another tee - on the outside. I backed the larger logo with another tee again - it helps accent things.

Moving to the left, we have one of my favorite blocks:

Mike wasn't sure the Dell logo would fit in, but I think it's perfect. And I'm not just saying that because I love the US Army and the color OD green. Or ... maybe I am. Doesn't it go great with lime green?!? Who knew!? My Guide Dog for the Color Blind approved, so I think I'm good to go!

Next up:

It's another favorite. It's a long story, but YEARS ago when we had a family emergency, Mike stayed in our home and took care of one of our first Sibes - Lucky - for us. Really like "spoiled her to pieces" kind of care. This block made me think about that a lot!

Moving on...

KSU! I could NOT fit the Wildcat logo in without it completely taking over the whole quilt. I think it's enough purple flavor as is. I backed it with some blue t-shirt fabric!

Next up was a creative solution:

A cute LIG logo and part of the back inside tag ... backed with part of one of Mati's beds. Mike asked me to incorporate part of it if I could, and I thought this was the perfect way.

Just up from that ...

...another LIG design! Did I mention that I stitched about 1/2 an inch outside each fabric? That will help hold the blocks together and gives even more dimension to everything.

To the right:

The LIG dog riding in the car, with a smiley face from the back of another tee. The dog riding in the car is the only "duplicate" design, so I think Mike must really like this one. And I imagine Mati loved going for rides!

I told you in an earlier post about using Mati's towel in the center block:

I was unsure about how that would work, but I think it's perfect. As a friend on FaceBook said about the quilt in general, "Divine intervention again." She's absolutely right!

The next block:

Very cute LIG horse - and a LIG logo from the inside of a different tee.

We're more than halfway there. Honest.

Another LIG logo with the inside back of another one.

Next up, a pink snowflake from another LIG t-shirt:

Pink goes well with OD green, too, doesn't it? :)

Here's the next block in the line-up:

Another non-t-shirt item Mike sent along was a yellow blanket with a "raining cats and dogs" design on it. I cut out a few of the dogs/cats and used them sort of as a back-drop for the block. Again, it gives the flavor of that special blanket without having to use a lot of it!

Up next:

My favorite color again. I used the other side of the bed Mike sent as an accent there. I really like how it came out!

This next one is the first block I did:

See how much different it looks after just one washing? I love the fuzzy edges!

Next to it, one of the non-LIG blocks:

Aesthetically speaking/writing, I like the clean, crispness of the block.

On the top row (!) we start with this block:

The Frisbee-playing LIG dog design is from one of Mati's most special t-shirts, so I thought it should have top billing. It was the last shirt Mati wore. I backed the block itself with a tie-dyed t-shirt - you can see it clearly in the pix of the reverse side of the quilt.

I think it's fitting that the block next to it is an embroidered logo from her hospital:

Yes, Mati had her own scrubs to wear - and I cut the logo from it to use on the quilt. Mike always has such kind things to say about the wonderful vets and staff there; they seemed to treat Mati as one of their own!

I like the main design on this next one:

The "Star Struck" by LIG. A guy with his arm around his pup's shoulders. Just really beautiful. I wanted it in the top row, too. Why the Black Dog inside label and the Good Karma tag? I'm not sure. But Mike also won over our "Black Dog" (Booter) way back when - and Booter only took to certain people. He loved Mike - and that told us volumes about what kind of man Mike is. :)

Next - the LIG dog going for a ride "repeat":

Oooh. More OD green up there at the top! See? Doesn't the Dell Army Team logo fit right in? LOL!

And lastly ...

... the LIG guy with his pup. And a reminder that life IS good.

Mike, thank you so much for entrusting me with this very special project. I hope you're pleased with how it turned out and that it brings you sweet memories of your very sweet girl.

And thank you for reading -

Mati's Memory Quilt

2011-08-06T08:58:00.000-07:00

I started telling you about Mati's Memory Quilt yesterday. Do you remember the center block with the embroidery and another swatch from Mati's towel appliquéd on it? Here's how that looks after washing:

See the added dimension? And fuzziness?! :) That will all only improve with subsequent washings!

I'm probably doing these posts backwards - today's and tomorrow's - but if you're like me, you want to see the finished quilt... right? Let's just zip ahead to that, then tomorrow I'll show you each of the blocks. Deal?

Like the wonderful, supportive fellas that they are, my boys wanted to come out with me for the photo shoot. Who was I to say no? Here is Dave, checking out Mati's quilt:

I'm not going to say that he or Zim knew what I was working on, but they could sense that it was something special. I think I worked through a lot of my grief for Stormy and Amber as I stitched this together for Mike - and I know they sense my emotions.

Dave and Mati's Memory Quilt

My Guide Dog for the Color Blind approves!

Mati's Memory Quilt

The reverse features all the colors of the t-shirts!

It's so soft and comfy! Wrap yourself up in it and feel the warm fuzzies! (And remember, it gets better with each washing, so don't hold back!)

Does Dave look worried here?

Fear not! I gave the quilt a second washing after the photo shoot.

...or maybe he was looking for cats. I'm not sure.

Zim wanted to pose with Mati's Quilt, too.

Zim and Mati's Memory Quilt

I'm fairly certain he's thinking about when we'll get to next see Mike - and about the nose poke he's going to deliver to him. (He only does that to people he likes!)

Until next time - thanks for reading!

The Start of a Memory Quilt

2011-08-05T13:18:00.000-07:00

I'm way overdue in posting about my latest quilt. I think I've been dragging my feet posting about it because I want to say everything just perfectly - and I've been holding off mailing it to my friend because I wanted to box it up perfectly, with the perfect note in the box ... and perfect just isn't me. I think, I hope, the quilt will speak for my heart.

The short version of the story is that my dear friend Mike lost his dog Mati not long after we lost our girls. Mike is one of those special people who we (my husband and I) regard as family. Because I knew his cousin first and she always referred to him as "cousin Michael", he's sort of OUR cousin Michael. :) ANYWAY... when Mike called to tell us he had lost his Mati to her fight against cancer, I was just heartbroken. The love he showed to Mati and to his Rocky was so very special - I could listen to him talk all day about either one or both of them. I wanted so badly to tell him how much I understood and how deeply I empathized with him - and hopefully I choked those thoughts out through the tears. Then he asked a question that just blew me away. He had saved Mati's shirts that she wore (to cover tubes/tube ports and to keep her from "troubling" things), her beds and her towel. Would I be willing to make something from them for him? I was touched beyond explanation that he'd ask - trusting me with those precious items and giving me creative license to do "something"?!?! To say it was an honor is an understatement, but it's the best I've got.

Let's take a look at the start to Mati's Memory Quilt.

The shirts were clean, but stained and re-sewn to fit her and to accommodate her medical needs, so I was dealing with smaller shirts with smaller "usable" areas. The logos were also small (for the most part), so I thought rather than do a "traditional" t-shirt quilt that's basically a sea of logos ... why not cut the logos out and appliqué them to something? And maybe use part of the t-shirts as ... something. I didn't know yet. Then it hit me - what goes better with t-shirts than blue jeans? I saw a fray-edged denim quilt idea taking place in my head -- with the logos appliquéd to the denim. I liked the thought of something fuzzy. Like Mati. :)

I cut up a bunch of jeans (I do this periodically and stack them up in various sizes...) then started figuring out how best to cut out the logos. They were all different sizes and shapes - so I thought I'd let the logo dictate how it wanted to be cut out. Here's the first one I did:

The CD was just the right size to cover the logo - and going around it SLOWLY with a rotary cutter worked famously!

After carefully cutting out the logos, I realized I had enough of each t-shirt to use as a back to the quilt! Perfect!!!

Here's how that first block came out prior to assembling the quilt:

I appliquéd both the logo and a cute tag from one of the other t-shirts. It seemed to round the block out.

After I stitched around every logo, I went in and snipped every half-inch or so. I don't have a photo of that part, so use your imagination.

I was able to work in pieces of the blankets as accents (you'll see those in a future post) AND because I set the squares 5 blocks by 5 blocks, there is a center square. The "logo" I used there is none other than the embroidered name from Mati's towel:

Can you see it in there? Here's another look at that block, as I was starting to sew the quilt together:

I ❤ my Bernina and its denim foot

I'm so happy that I thought to use denim as my "base" - I don't think a lighter fabric would have accommodated the embroidery from the towel like that.

I've never sewn on t-shirt fabric, so that was new to me. I confess, I wasn't looking forward to that part, based on what I've heard and read. Maybe appliquéing it to the denim helped, but I really didn't think it was bad to work with. I did use a lightweight, iron-on stabilizer for the first few blocks, then realized I didn't really need it.

Over the weekend, I'll get more pix posted. The snipping/fraying/washing/drying completely transforms the whole look of the quilt!

Thanks for reading! And to cousin Michael - thank you for entrusting this project to me!!!

Gettysburg Battle Flag Quilt!

2011-07-25T10:07:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I'm writing this - and so soon. I'm FINISHED! Yes, the binding is on, the label is made and it's actually sewn on! DONE! I do believe I've set a personal record on this.

Before I show you some pix, let me say a huge THANK YOU to all of you who are reading for your encouragement. The comments left here, on FaceBook, and sent via email have been appreciated more than I can express. You all make a big difference!

I'm also not sure how to say this but as I've said a few times, I had no plan when I started this other than some vague ideas and block size. The fact that I completed the project so quickly and that it came together as it did tells me God had a strong hand in leading me. Truly. It couldn't have happened any other way. So thank You, too.

Let's look at the finished quilt!

Different reds, different blues, some purple ... it just all came together.

Different sizes and shapes ... they just "work"!

Three different kinds of triangles, two blocks in one 9" block, squares and rectangles ... they all play together nicely!

Now... let's step back and look at the whole quilt:

I couldn't have done it without any one of you. (And really, I still plan to answer all of your questions!)

As to who this is going to ... it's actually a birthday present for my hubby - and I'm EARLY!

Thank you for letting me share this special project with you! I have a set on FlickR containing all the pix of the quilt; you're more than welcome to go through the photos there.

Thank you for reading!

Gettysburg Battle Flag Quilt - the Blocks!

2011-07-20T12:13:00.000-07:00

Today I am showing you each of the blocks in the Gettysburg Battle Flag Quilt - in no particular order. Just a little bit about each one. This is as the blocks were, prior to quilting and prior to the borders being added on.

Ready?!!? This is reeeeeeeeeally photo-heavy, so please bear with me! Oh! One more thing, before I get started ... if anyone would like to add any more info about a particular unit or has any corrections on my research, please leave a comment or email me at bagsbyKZK@gmail.com. Thanks! Oh! And just a reminder that anything in a different colored font is a hyperlink; please click for more info!

First up - a Brigadier General's flag:

Click here to see an example of one of these flags in a historic photo. These flags were the precursors to the General Officers flags in use today.

I added some miscellaneous fabrics around it - and a little saw tooth border there on the left, to echo the shape of the pennant.

Next up, General JEB Stuart's flag:

As I mentioned, it was the first block I made for the quilt. Fitting, as the first high school I attended was named in honor of the Confederate Cavalryman. I seem to have an odd connection to him - he attended West Point, I lived there as a kid when my dad taught there; prior to the Civil War he was stationed out here at Fort Riley, I've lived there 3 times (once as a brat, twice as an Army wife); the high school connection and living in Virginia; and during the War, he burned the town of Carlisle, PA down -- the second high school I attended was in Carlisle. Just an interesting way of following a historic figure. (I do not condone the burning of Carlisle, by the way...)

OK. I added a few "logs" around the flag. I was just warming up my creative spirit with that one.

Next, the 4/4 Cavalry!

For more info on the 4th Cavalry, please click here.

I did some framing around the guidon and added a few Hourglass blocks above. Like with the General Officers Flag, I like how the shape of the Hourglass repeats the "V" notch in the guidon.

Next up, the 22nd Regiment, Arkansas Infantry:

I found some great info on this unit here. The names of the battles in which the unit fought would have been added most likely after the War - certainly a good deal of time after they fought those battles. Today, rather than embroidering the names of the battles won on the flag, units are awarded battle streamers.

I added the checkerboard beneath the flag and the equilateral triangle border around the corner of the flag. Note the change in the light blocks in the checkerboard. Did you notice before I mentioned it?

Here is the guidon for the 11th Corps Headquarters:

According to my research, General Orders 10 of the Army of the Potomac instructed that all headquarters flags were to be changed to blue swallow-tailed guidons with white Maltese crosses and the corps number in red numerals in the center.

This block is actually one of my faves. I added a couple strips of fabric underneath the guidon, plus that "triangle of triangles" in the lower right-hand corner. Those parts were left over from the Hourglass Blocks up in the 4/4 Cav block. Above the guidon are some Fence Rail blocks. They're so messed up - and I think that's why I like them. For any other quilt, I would have tossed them, or at least ripped out the stitching and started over, but I like them "wonky" for this quilt. My thought with adding Fence Rail blocks was to represent the Split Rail Fences so often seen on the Civil War battlefields. And... if you think about it, those fences certainly got a bit wonky, so err... that's why my blocks are. (Is anyone buying that?)

Here's the mystery flag:

I've simply put it as an unknown unit guidon. "Guidon" because of the notched "V". "Unknown" because neither my husband nor I can find it anywhere. I have my doubts about this being an actual battle flag, but that's the cynic in me ~~talking~~ writing. If anyone can help me out here, I would greatly appreciate it!

I added some "logs" and the checkerboard at the bottom. And yes, I cut the checkerboard off over on the left because. I was going to make it to fit, but this actually pleased my inner schnigglefritz.

Next up is a small Confederate battle flag:

In my research, I found the following about the Army of Northern Virginia Battle Flag or Confederate Battle Flag: Because the colors that different commands and regiments carried on the field were a major means of identification, local commanders designed special battle flags to distinguish units during battles. The most famous of these Confederate Battle flags was that of the Army of Northern Virginia. The famous "Southern Cross" design was born when Southern Congressman William Miles suggested the design to General Beauregard, who took it to the army's commander General Johnston. The first battle flag was made in September of 1861 by Hettie, Jennie, and Constance Cary of Richmond.

If I had a Bloodhound or perhaps even a Basset Hound, I would have to name him Beauregard. I just thought I'd let you know.

I added a little 4-Patch above the flag and over to the right some Cotton Boll blocks, as I mentioned in an earlier post. I like the connection between cotton and the South - plus the "X" in the Cotton Boll block repeats the Southern Cross.

This was General Lee's Headquarters flag:

This flag was used between June of 1962 and the summer of 1863. It has an unusual star arrangement that was believed to have been designed by his wife Mary to reflect the Biblical Arch of the Covenant. The original flag was allegedly hand-made by Mary Custis and their daughters. Very cool! It is similar to my "unknown" flag above ... so I wonder if that one is a guidon for a Southern unit? Hmmm...

Simple borders around that flag - including my favorite bird on the right. The look on his face makes me smile.

I totally mis-IDed this one at first:

I thought the crescent would represent a unit from New Orleans (The Crescent City) or maybe from South Carolina - they used the crescent and Palmetto a lot in their flags. But no! It is the flag from the 4th Missouri Infantry Regiment - also known as the Van Dorn flag. According to my research, when General Earl Van Dorn was assigned a Corps in the Army of the West in the trans-Mississippi theater, he personally designed this type flag for his command. Known as a "Van Dorn flag," it saw use until after the fall of Vicksburg in the west. When General Van Dorn became Commander of the Army of the West in 1862 his flag came with him. Arriving too late to fight at Shiloh, Van Dorn's troops began adopting this flag in June, with the first issues (with slightly different star pattern and fringed edges) going to the Missouri Brigade. In August, the rest of the army received these flags which first saw use at Iuka and Corinth where some examples were captured. The crescent is taken from the Missouri state Coat of Arms was was designed to inspire Missouri troops as they crossed east of the Mississippi River.

I added an Indian Hatchet block under the flag (on the right), some strips of fabric going every which way, and then in the lower left-hand corner, a Dutchman's Puzzle block. You know - the name Van Dorn and "Dutchman"? I get very strange ideas when I'm on the treadmill sometimes.

Just look at the center and right side of this photo (I should have zoomed in closer!):

That's the flag for the 47th Regiment of North Carolina Volunteers. There is some great info about that regiment at this link.

That has the honors of being the last block I made for the quilt. By that time, I was trying to work in little bits of some of the fabs that needed repeating. I balanced the deep purple and the brownish prints with the medium blue and the light checked - I didn't want it to be too heavy of a block! The lighter prints are playing together in the upper right-hand corner and came together as tiny Hourglass Blocks.

This flag represents the 9th Massachusetts Battery.

There is a little info on that Artillery battery and some photos of monuments erected in its honor at this link.

I added some stripes to the left and top of the guidon - and Cannonball Blocks at the bottom. Yes. Cannonballs. Because it's an Artillery unit. Blame that one on the treadmill, too, if you must!

Here is the flag from the "Florida Independent Blues":

There is a great unit history of the 3rd Florida Infantry, Company B at this link. I found the postcard at the Haversack Store extremely interesting. It so closely resembles the flag printed on my fabric that I have to wonder if that's the image they used in the printing process. Right down to almost cutting the unit motto off at the bottom.

I put a row of Flying Geese along both the top and the bottom, and sprinkled in a little checkerboard along the right-hand side.

Does anyone else need to take a break? Maybe go grab some coffee? Iced Tea? Diet Coke with Lime? How about some jelly beans? OK, I'll settle for Iced Tea. And I'll try not to be so verbose.

What's next?

It's the 2nd US Artillery Regiment. Here is a link to some great photos; the first one is the Regiment at Gettysburg!

I put an Ohio Star in the upper left corner. I wanted something a little larger, as the flag is so small, and I wanted to work an Ohio Star in here somewhere, since my hubby is from Ohio.

Here is the guidon for the 1st US Cavalry:

Underneath the guidon, are two Kansas Dugout Blocks. Since nearby (to me) Fort Riley was once home to the US Cavalry School, I thought it would be nice to group a Kansas-y block in with a Cavalry flag.

Let's move on. Here is the battle flag for the 20th New York Volunteer Cavalry:

To read more about the unit and its service in the Civil War, please click here.

I built a Variable Star around the flag, then put a saw tooth border off to the right. A tiny, baby-tooth saw tooth border. What was I thinking?!?!

More artillery!

The flag above represents battery in the 1st US Artillery. It looks like L Battery to me, but in reading the history of the unit, it doesn't look like L Battery was at Gettysburg. Don't get me started.

I got caught up in the "L", so I thought I'd repeat that form in the way of saw tooth borders. On the Left there.

This next block contains two flags. They are unrelated, except that they're both from New York units. I just had to double up on one block -- you know, 19 flags don't really make for a good layout, but 18 blocks do.

In the upper left is the standard for the 13th New York Cavalry; beneath that is the battle flag for H Company, 1st Engineers, New York State Veteran's Volunteers. To read more about "veteran volunteers", please click here.

The Cavalry flag has stripes off to one side. I thought I should build something around the 1st Engineer flag, so I used it as the center in a Log Cabin block. I thought it was a good fit.

This LAST block (is anyone still out there?) is built around the flag from the Commonwealth of Virginia:

Many units used their state flag to rally them into battle - as in this case! Who was at Gettysburg from Virginia? Maybe a better question would be "who wasn't?" Click here to see a laundry list of the units there; you'll see what I mean! That flag could have represented any of those units.

I told you a bit about this block in an earlier post. The flag itself is surrounded by saw tooth borders and there is a partial checkerboard along the bottom. Call them 4-patches if you'd like.

SO! Those are all the blocks and either links to more about the units behind the flags or a little info about them. Sorry to cram it all into one post, but I thought I'd save up and just put it all out there in one felled swoop! Any more info, corrections, or comments are welcome!

To those readers I haven't lost - many, many thanks for reading!

Gettysburg Flag Quilt Miscellany

2011-07-19T09:55:00.000-07:00

I'm still sewing the binding on the Gettysburg Battle Flag Quilt. I love doing hand work, but it's slow-going. I am plugging along on it, though - fear not!

See? I'm getting there.

I also spent a good deal of time yesterday IDing all the units that go with each flag or guidon and digging up links to more information on each. Basically, putting all the research I had done in one place. I was putting everything directly into my FlickR photo album, which seemed like a great idea. Saving as I worked would have been an even better idea... and, oh, let's just say I lost it all and had to start over and really felt like my head was going to explode. A good reminder to save as you go - and it did remind me of the "old" joke about "Jesus vs. Satan":

Jesus and Satan have an argument as to who is the better programmer. This goes on for a few hours until they agree to hold a contest with God as the judge.

They set themselves before their computers and begin. They type furiously for several hours, lines of code streaming up the screen.

Seconds before the end, a bolt of lightning struck taking out the electricity. Moments later, the power is restored, and God announces that the contest is over. He asks Satan to show what he has come up with.

Satan is visibly upset, and cries, "I have nothing! I lost it all when the power went out."

"Very well, then," says God, "let us see if Jesus fared any better."

Jesus enters a command, and the screen comes to life in vivid display, the voices of an angelic choir pour forth from the speakers.

Satan is astonished. He stutters, "But how?! I lost everything, yet Jesus' program is intact! How did he do it?!"

God chuckles, "Jesus saves."

Love that one. Anyway, I'll post all the blocks tomorrow. In the meantime, let me field a few questions! I do save all the questions (there's that word again...) and will eventually answer them all! My friend Patty asked in part, "What are the layers of a quilt? What is the batting made of? How thick is the quilt and are all quilts about the same thickness? Did you decide not to tea dye the quilt or was that a passing fancy?..."

The layers are the backing (in this case, a lovely quilt-weight cotton), the batting, and the top (what I've been sewing together). My preference for batting, unless I'm making something I'd like to be poufy (like a dog bed or perhaps a throw for a baby) is to use cotton. It has a low-loft to it (loft being "thickness" - or pouf, if you will ☺) and is a joy to quilt through - be it by hand or machine.

See how thin that is? Just to the right of my thumb are threads hanging down. That should give you a good idea of the scale.

Check out the batting:

It is 100% cotton with the thinnest of the thin polyester scrim to it. That scrim basically helps bind the cotton together and means you don't have to quilt it every inch - you can space your quilting lines/design 4" or more apart and not have it fall apart when you wash it. And wash it, I will, once it has been bound. The batting will shrink a tiny bit - and will add the loveliest antique feel to the quilt! You'll see! If I had to give you a thickness to the quilt ... I'd guess 1/8". Maybe.

All quilts are not the same thickness! Batting comes in many different "lofts" (thicknesses) and is made from all sorts of things - right now, cotton or polyester are probably the most popular choices on the market. It also comes in wool, bamboo, and there is even an eco-friendly batting made from recycled soda bottles. I'm fairly certain they didn't have that one available during the 19th century. Ha ha ha. ... or the polyester ... or the bamboo. They certainly had wool or cotton available.

Here's a trivia question for you: you see two antique quilts made around the time of the Civil War. Knowing nothing more about them, you see that one is thicker than the other. Where would that thicker quilt most likely be from - the north or the south?

When I first got into the whole realm of Civil War quilts, I guessed "the north". It's colder in the north, they'd need that extra loft to keep warm! Right? (insert buzzer sound here) Not right! The fluffier, thicker quilts were actually usually from the South! Then it hit me - they had the cotton. ☺ See... NOW it makes sense, right? That's your Fun Fact of the Day.

The tea dying! I keep thinking about it. I'm very tempted, but my husband voted against it and I think I'm being swayed in that direction. Basically, and I ~~might~~ will post more on this another time as Trace did ask about it, tea dying is just that - dying the quilt with tea. You make a really huge batch of strong tea, then soak your quilt in it for a while ... then rinse, heat set with your dryer, and wash & dry. That's the Cliff's Notes version of how I do it. It is sort of like "instant antiquing" - but I'm not really sure this project needs it.

And here's something I probably should have posted at the very beginning of this project - the fabric that started it all:

Yes, of course I bought more than one panel! This is the "spare". You know ... in case I REALLY messed up or if I couldn't get all the flags cut out of one panel. I have no immediate plans for this extra fabric.

That's it for today! Thank you so much for comments, questions and for reading!

Gettysburg Update!

2011-07-16T09:58:00.000-07:00

I've been working away on the Gettysburg Battle Flag quilt! My target was to finish quilting it by the end of the week - and actually (grab this!) I'm already sewing the binding on!!! I'm so stoked! Let's do a little miscellaneous photo flash back, OK?

First up, a few pix of block parts that I especially like.

It's all about the bird. He makes me smile.

I like the sawtooth border meeting the little checkerboard.
I'm not sure why.

In many old quilts, you'll see similar colors/fabrics substituted in some of the blocks - like in the background of these Flying Geese:

Background change

It was usually because they were working off scraps and just plain ran out. For me, it was partly that -- but also because I think it adds depth.

Another background change

Don't you think? It's just more interesting, too! Like with using variegated thread, it is similar to light playing across the quilt.

As I worked on the quilt, I got caught up in each and every one of the flags or guidons. I thought about the unit, its history, and as an Army wife and Army brat, felt a certain connection. Look beyond my machine in this next one:

2nd Infantry Division (2ID) Division Support Command (DISCOM) colors

When my husband relinquished command of his Brigade (2ID DISCOM), he was presented with "miniatures" of the colors that constituted the units under his command. This set hangs in front of my machine. I loved looking up at it while I worked on the colors from Gettysburg! It was great inspiration!

That shot is from when I was in the process of sewing the borders on. After that, it was time to choose a quilting thread.

Dave, Guide Dog for the Color Blind, supervised the thread selection

As I mentioned earlier, I went with a King Tut variegated thread -- 920, Sands of Time for those who might be interested. As much as I love some of the bold, richly saturated, vibrantly colored King Tut threads ... the shades in this one are equally exciting. Think of all the colors in a desert - or in a latte. Seriously. That yummy.

After I chose the backing and binding, it was time to baste the quilt layers together. That means securing the backing, batting and top together so they don't shift while you're quilting. Traditionally, this would have been done with long basting stitches ... maybe pins ... but for me ...

505 Spray and Fix

Yeah. If women in the mid-19th century HAD basting spray they would have used it. At least for smaller projects like this that they would have machine quilted. Don't you think? Umm... and masking tape, too, for marking those long quilting lines.

I used masking tape (it leaves no residue!) a little bit to mark the lines - especially in those areas where my chalk just didn't show well enough. But for the majority of the lines, I used my chalk wheelie thing.

Instagram app shot:

I was about 85% done when my wheelie thing ran out of chalk. I could have sworn I had a refill somewhere but couldn't find it. I was very happy that I have a spare wheelie thing in my hand quilting basket. Whew! (And yes, of course after I no longer was in the throes of a panicked "where is the refill?!?!" state, I found not one but three refills. ☺ Of course.)

The quilting went faster than I ever would have imagined, and before I knew it, I was DONE!!!

Yea! Quilting completed!!!

Next up, sew on the binding!

I machine sew my bindings to the front, then trim off the excess batting and backing. After that, I bring it around to the back and start the hand-sewing process:

Sew... a needle pulling thread
(Sorry. I was forced to watch way too many musicals in my childhood...)

I find this part very soothing. Slow, but soothing. I love doing hand sewing!

Oh! And two things of note in that last photo: First - you can see my backing. That's another Civil War reproduction print. I really like it. I wish I had used some in the front, but I didn't think that far ahead. Second - I left about 1/8" of the batting beyond my 1/4" seam allowance. I wanted the binding a little more "filled", if you know what I mean. Just to add a little more dimension to it.

So... that's where I am! I'm also starting a new project - a very special quilt for a very special friend. I'll keep you posted!

Thanks for reading!

Utility Quilting

2011-07-11T15:22:00.000-07:00

I'm quilting! Yes, the Gettysburg Battle Flag quilt is coming right along. If all goes to plan, I should have it quilted by (no one is going to hold me to this, right?) ... let's say the end of the week. Just to be on the safe side. Then it's time to cut the binding and stitch that on. But first...

I was going to show you each of the blocks prior to quilting. And I will show you how they looked - I took a mighty good shot of each one - but I really want to finish researching each flag first. That post will come. Let's look at the quilting instead.

Action shot! (Not really; I had to stop to take the picture.)

I decided to go with a variegated thread. Oh, I know ... they didn't HAVE variegated thread back then. On purpose, anyway. I mean... if they left a spool or two in the sun they would have gotten the same effect. (Besides, if they HAD King Tut thread, they would have loved it every bit as much as I do.) The variegated thread (this is all sand-like colors), is giving me a faded look - and adds a little play of light across the quilt. (The Guide Dog for the Color Blind helped choose it; he'll be happy to handle any complaints.)

After researching what type of quilting they would have done in the mid-19th century, I opted to go with a double criss-cross style of utility quilting, as you can see in the photo above. Utility quilting is an overall pattern with no thought given to the pieced quilt. They would often use double or triple lines. This process has already given new appreciation for being able to sew a straight line (that is a challenge for me!) - and then to repeat it a quarter of an inch away. (What was I thinking?)

Here's a shot from today:

Can you tell I'm making lots of headway!?!? I may be setting a personal record for getting a quilt done.

Here's another close-up:

That's a good example of how you don't pay any attention whatsoever to the quilt "pieces" in utility quilting!

More in the next day or two! Thanks for reading!

The Top is Finished!

2011-07-10T11:26:00.000-07:00

Sorry it's been a while! I've been busy with the garden, the pups, and working on the QUILT!!! The top is finished, the borders are on, and I'm actually quilting right now! I've taken a ton of pix, so I'll start sharing some of those with you now. Let's cut the chit-chat and get to it!

This block came out kind of ... wonky, shall we say?

11th Corps HQS

But I really like it and I'm leaving it that way!

Here's another block in progress:

I was trying to figure out a way to add in more navy, but in a small punch. Here's what I came up with:

Yes, it repeats the shape of the Kansas Dugout blocks, but on a smaller scale AND when put together as I have it laid out there, it's a Cotton Boll block. You know ... cotton and the South? And the "X" shape echoes the Confederate flag. ...moving right along...

I tossed these other blues in while my Guide Dog for the Color Blind was sleeping:

Since the whole concept is for this to not look like a collection of 8.5" blocks but an over-all collage of blocks and the battle flags, I thought it would work. They will look like different blocks - and frankly, Dave, if you snooze, you lose.

Here's how it looks all together:

It works, don't you think?

Here are the completed blocks, up on my design wall:

And here they are, all stitched together!

Husband accessory not included

I auditioned some border and binding fabrics and this is what I came up with:

The inner border has both blue and grey in it - I like that! And the binding will add a nice zip at the end. Edge. Whatever.

Before cutting my borders, I measure very carefully at each end and in the middle:

I average those numbers, then cut. It helps control those "wavy" border issues. That's my tip du jour.

I played around with a pic of one of the blocks with the Instagram app on my iPhone:

It really has me considering tea dying the whole thing when I'm done. Instant antiquing!!!

I'll post more tomorrow! For now, thanks for reading!

Only Three More To Go!

2011-07-01T09:22:00.000-07:00

I'm getting seriously excited now! Putting these little battle flags together has been such a great learning experience! I'm stretching my imagination and creativity and am just having a blast. Your encouragement, suggestions, questions and compliments have helped me tremendously along the way. Seriously. Thank you!!!

Sharla left a great comment the other day: "It is coming right along nicely! What do you mean by what size "extras" to add to keep a good balance? Does that mean you'll be adding a border between the squares or is it something to do with the squares themselves?" Thanks, Sharla! What I mean by extras is anything other than one of the flags! That can be just strips of fabric or pieced blocks! Here's an example of both:

That's an Ohio Star quilt block (my husband is from Ohio and this is a great, traditional pattern -- I "had" to work one in!) and a strip of blue print fab added to the left. They were added to a 9" piece of paper (LOL!) with a battle flag ... just to round the whole thing out. I thought I had a shot of just that block but I don't. It is the one in the upper left-hand corner here at this link.

There will be nothing between the blocks - the idea I had was for those "extras" to all play together nicely and sort of disguise the fact that the wall-hanging is made from 18 9" blocks. Hopefully, and time will tell, it won't be overly obvious to see where one block stops and the next starts. Hopefully.

Here's another example of a completed block:

The unit guidon is in the upper right-hand corner. I added a few different strips of fabric around it - then a sawtooth border along the left side and Kansas Dugout blocks at the bottom! (We live in Kansas - had to work that in, too!) (OK... the KS Dugout block is officially from the 1930s ... but I'm sure those little pieces existed in some fashion in the mid-19th century. Maybe. They COULD have.) So everything there except for the guidon I consider "extras".

Putting everything up on my design wall --

-- helps me see where certain colors might dominate or I might need more of a certain color. I want to avoid the "Wow... I sure put all the dark blues right there, didn't I?" scenario. I'm also trying to spread out larger scale blocks or my little sawtooth borders - things like that!

In the photo above, you can se that I started changing things around a little from the previous day's layout - and have decided where certain colored fabrics "need" to go to achieve a little of that balance. It will most likely all get changed, but that's part of my personal challenge -- staying flexible!

The Commonwealth of Virginia (that's "Vuh-gin-ya", suh!) is one of the states I call "home", so I wanted to do something special with the VA flag:

I really can speak with a lovely Tidewater accent when I choose to. ☺ Moving right along...

My plan was a sawtooth border above and below the state flag, to add in some of that sort of clamshell-looking navy & white print, and to involve a deep red. Part of the balance. That was the plan. Here's how it came out:

Yeah. I didn't really need the clamshell fabric - it's right next door there on the right. I just needed some navy ... so I used it in the sawtooth borders and in a little strip along the bottom. The brown and blue ditsy-print fabric 4-patches were left over from another block (second from the left in the top row in one of the pix above); instead of running them vertically as in the other block, I ran them horizontally. Works for me!

By the end of the day yesterday, here's how I was doing:

Only three more to go!!!!!!

Thanks for reading!

I'm Getting There!

2011-06-29T10:40:00.000-07:00

I decided I really needed to rig up a design wall for the Gettysburg Battle Flag blocks. I usually tack a piece of cotton batting up above one set of my closet doors (the down side of having window-filled studio space - lack of wall space!) but since these are on paper foundations ... the blocks won't "stick". Normally the cotton fabrics will grab the batting well enough to stay up long enough for me to play around with the blocks and visualize everything coming together - but not paper! I couldn't come up with a better way to see my blocks together, though, so I just pinned them up. Here's what I have so far:

I'm totally excited!!! It's really starting to come together.

Having the blocks up where I can see them will help me chose the "right" layout, get a handle on what fabs may or may not be dominating the quilt, and know what size "extras" I should add to keep a good balance. I'm so excited!!!

Trace asked another great question. Have I told you all how much I love questions? I do. I have a couple more I'll get to, also, but Trace asked, "Y seams?" Why not? LOL. Sorry. I had to write that. Y seams, or inset seams, are basically where 3 seams meet. Like mitered corners (picture a frame). Many people (like whoever wrote the info at this link) will tell you it's simple to do, just mark well, take your time, blah, blah, blah - but really: they're evil. Especially if the "frame" part is pieced like the equilateral triangle border I put around that one flag. And in semi-miniature. Like so:

What was I thinking?!?!?!

All the seams involved in the border didn't help, either, but now that I've done it... it's done. Won't do it again any time soon. And I mean it.

Thanks for asking, Trace! And thank YOU for reading!

PS: And many, many thanks for the kind comments left here, emailed and posted on FaceBook about the Flying Geese and Booter! He was one very special pup-friend!

Flying Geese

2011-06-28T07:02:00.000-07:00

I made great progress in the Studio yesterday - completed one block in the Gettysburg Battle Flags quilt AND did some over-due cleaning. Yea! Today I thought I'd follow up on the Flying Geese block. I had promised to show you some pix of the Flying Geese quilt I've made. Here's a look:

I dyed the background fabric - it's sort of mottled greys and blues, to replicate the Kansas sky in Fall/Winter. The geese are all bright colors, representing the sun hitting their lovely feathers and making them shimmer and shine.

I even added a half-square triangle sawtooth border:

Here's the kicker ...

Did I mention I used to do a LOT of miniatures? This one may have pushed me a tiny bit beyond sane limits, but I really loved doing it.

And here's the back:

And here's the story behind it, for those who are interested...

Booter 1987-2001

In July of '88, my husband, our two Siberians Lucky and Jesse, and I adopted an 8-month old Australian Shepherd/Lab mix named Booter. Booter came to us with some behavioral "quirks" - distrust of men, the desire to jump into any tub full of water he saw, and ... as I found out one Fall day, a fear of geese. We were all standing out in front of our house; my husband had the girls with him on their leashes and I had Booter. I think we heard and saw the geese at the same time - a low flyover with lots of honking! The instant I began to marvel at the beauty, I had a 50-pound dog jump straight up and into my arms! Clearly he was scared, and clearly there was some reason behind it. I know his former owner tried to turn him into a hunting dog. You have to understand that Boots was a perfect mix of his breeds - and while the Lab in him was so very eager to please and thrilled to retrieve, the Aussie in him wanted to protect. And bark. With respect to hunting, his instinct (from what I pieced together) was to protect the flock of geese ("Look out! He's got a gun and he's willing to use it!") and I have no doubt this tried the former owner's patience. I am certain there were some unpleasant eruptions from the former owner - and that all led to Booter connecting honking geese with ... eruptions. I can't tell you how touched I was that he trusted ME enough our first Fall together to seek comfort in my arms!

We eventually worked through it all with him - and seeing geese fly overhead remind me to this day of my sweet Booter, his ability to overcome his fear and the trust he showed. The Winter we lost him (to cancer), there seemed to be more geese in our skies than normal. Maybe I was just tuned in to them a bit more - but it seemed like they were paying tribute to him - like a military flyover. The Miniature Flying Geese - Flyover quilt represents all those dear memories. And that is why the Flying Geese block is so special to me!

Thank you for reading!

The Battle Rages On

2011-06-27T08:29:00.000-07:00

Yeah, I know. I couldn't come up with a good title for the post and I'm way behind on showing you where I am with the Gettysburg Battle Flags quilt. This is going to be photo-heavy and hopefully not-too-wordy. You heard it here first!

I've kind of lost track what block I'm on, so here are some snippets, suggestions and comments. For one of the blocks, I decided it would be a good idea to paper piece a sawtooth border.

Paper piecers! Do you have one of those little wooden irons?

They are great for pressing down the tiny pieces of your paper pieced blocks - so you don't have to keep popping up and running over to your iron. They can be used right or left-handed (THANK YOU!!!) and just have such a nice feel to them!

Highly recommended. Use one, and before you know it, you'll have a nice little line of saw...teeth?

I did a couple rows and put them with this artillery flag:

I moved on to some simpler things after that.

Yes, like totally trashing my sewing table! Exactly. I need to find a way to put the blocks up on a design wall of some sort. Quickly.

My overall aim is to use fabrics and blocks historically accurate to the Civil War era. Well... reproduction fabs, but you know what I mean! I decided to toss in an Indian Hatchet, so to speak.

I showed the block to my husband and asked him (with no hinting) to guess the name of the block. He came up with "Battle Axe", so I think it must be pretty well-named! I also made some little Cannon Ball blocks...

and incorporated them into a block with one of the artillery battery guidons.

Get it? An Artillery guidon with Cannon Ball blocks? Call it "quilt humor meets Army wife/brat humor".

Since the sawtooth border came out so well, I thought I should try my hand at equilateral triangles:

Not a bad idea, per se ... but then I thought I should turn the corner with them. Here's a look at the completed block they live in:

See the upper-right corner? That's as close of a look as you're going to get. I ripped it out three times before deciding to leave it. As I posted to FaceBook, three things to remember: the Alamo, to be careful with food processor blades and to avoid inset Y-seams at all cost. What was I THINKING?!?!? Yeah, OK, it looks pretty cool, though. From a galloping horse. And at least I haven't forgotten the Alamo.

Today's goal - a small Ohio Star to put with ... something. And to come up with a design wall.

Thanks for reading!

Back to Gettysburg

2011-06-23T08:40:00.000-07:00

Or at least to the battle flags!

Block 4.5 that you saw yesterday is now completed and has therefore become Block 5. Here's a look:

I'm very pleased with how it came out. My goal is to have it scrappy (check) and to break up most of the blocks into smaller sub-blocks (check). Very happy with this one!

Trace asked what Flying Geese are - great question! See the red triangles in Block 5 (above)? That quilt block is called "Flying Geese" - a very popular pattern that has been around since the 1800s. You can imagine looking up at the sky and seeing the "V" formation - or does one triangle represent the wings of one goose? I'm not sure, but I think the block was aptly named. I've made a note to shoot pix of the Flying Geese quilt I made a few years ago; will share that soon.

Adding fabric around one of the larger battle flags resulted in this:

See the bird by the lowest red stripe? That sort of thing just cracks me up. No, I didn't plan that, but YES I'm leaving it in! I ... have to!

I've been researching the flags as I put this quilt together and hope to have a short synopsis of what unit each flag represents and maybe a little history by the time I'm done. I love doing that sort of "work"!

Here's what I had as of close of business yesterday:

Blocks 1-7! This isn't how they'll be arranged for the final wall-hanging; it's just so I can see my progress! Right now, the plan is to go with 6 blocks across and 3 down. (That's why I turned 19 battle flags into 18 blocks!)

Thanks so much for reading!

Progress Report

2011-06-22T10:30:00.000-07:00

I'm humming right along on those Gettysburg Battle Flag Quilt blocks! Well, not really, but I have made some progress! Here's what I accomplished by Monday evening:

The first four blocks - using 5 of the battle flags. There are a total of 19 flags on the panel I cut up, so I put two together in the same block. I'd rather deal with a layout of 18 than 19.

I still don't have a plan, but over-all, I'm adding in little pieces of traditional quilt blocks that were popular during the Civil War - or I'm centering the battle flags within a block - like in Block 3. Look down in the lower left-hand corner - the 1st Engineer flag. I built a Log Cabin block using that flag as the center.

Yesterday, I made some mini "Flying Geese" to incorporate into one of the blocks; the block is only half-done, but here's a look:

Ummmm... yes! I decided to use paper foundations. Oh, I KNOW! But since I really don't have a game plan, it's making it easier; I'm just adding until I fill the 9" squares. This was not the best idea I've ever had, but it's not the worst, either. I mean - it's not going to be a huge quilt... so paper removal won't be a major issue.

This leads me to a great question Trace asked: "Don't you get little bits of paper stuck in the stitching?" Yes, you certainly can - and that makes it harder to remove - and harder to remove without damaging your stitches! When using a paper foundation, it's really important to decrease your stitch length. That helps prevent the paper from getting stuck - since it's a tiny, tiny space! - and acts almost like perforations, making the paper easier to tear off. The key is actually remembering to decrease the stitch size. Ahem.

Thanks for reading!

To Wash!

2011-06-20T08:43:00.000-07:00

I know I should finish a few things first... but I can't help it. I started a new project. ☺

I got some fabric in for a special project I'm making for my husband - a wall-hanging using small, reprinted battle flags from the Battle of Gettysburg. (Key battle in the US Civil War, for my international readers!) One of the fabrics is a large panel of the battle flags - and I also bought some coordinating Civil War reproduction prints in a "layer cake" -- 10" square pre-cuts. My plan was to cut the battle flags out separately and turn them into quilt blocks to then sew back together. I decided to throw the flag fab in the wash. Then I thought... with as unevenly as things shrink, I really needed to wash those layer cakes, too. I wasn't choosing a pattern that called for precise 10" squares anyway (actually, I'm not using a pattern, I'm making it up as I go along ... but that's our secret!) so I really thought it would be wise to wash the squares. Best to have everything in the quilt either pre-washed or not pre-washed -- not to mix!

I threw the layer cakes into a little mesh bag, ran it through the washer and dryer, then took it down to the Studio to iron it all. Remember the post I wrote not long ago entitled "To Wash Or Not To Wash"? These two squares both measured exactly 10" prior to washing:

"To Wash!" is the answer!

Imagine what that kind of shrinkage differential would do to a quilt! Yikes!

I put my first block together yesterday afternoon after I finished removing all the paper from the Frenzy Quilt!!! (I'm halfway done with Season 2 of The Rat Patrol, in case anyone is interested!) All of the blocks will be different, but here's Block 1:

I thought it only fitting I would start with J.E.B. Stuart's flag, as the first high school I attended (of three) was named in his honor! LOL! Also, this is the longest of the flags; I want to do the longest and the tallest first. I'll keep you posted!

Thanks for reading!

Paper Foundations

2011-06-18T09:52:00.000-07:00

This would be the downside of paper foundation piecing:

Pick, pick, pick!

Yepperz... that's where I am. And where I have been. And where I'll be. And what was in my dreams last night... LOL! It's kind of addictive, though - sort of like popping bubbles on bubble wrap. "Just one more block, then I'll go make dinner..." ☺ I've been watching episodes of "The Rat Patrol" on Netflix to stay entertained. It's not supposed to be a comedy... but... well... it is. And it helps pass the time. Of course, the process would also be going faster if not for an encounter with the blade of my food processor... but hey, things happen.

I've received some great questions about the paper foundations - mostly "why?" Paper foundation piecing does a couple things for you. First, it stabilizes your fabrics - so depending on what block you're creating, you can get crisp points, sharp, straight lines ... or basically stops your fabs from swimming around. The center piece of each of my Frenzy blocks is a chunk of BDU fabric from my husband's old uniforms - the summer weight kind. It has a life of its own and moves around as you touch it. Starch can help, but so can a foundation. Basically, sewing it to a piece of paper holds it still. That was one of the key reasons I chose to use foundations for this project.

In traditional paper foundation piecing, you can make intricate designs that would be incredibly tricky otherwise - for a good explanation of that, please check this link. I didn't have a pattern... just a method... so that wasn't really a factor for me here. Bear with me!

The other big benefit of using paper foundations, and the chief reason I used them for the Frenzy quilt, is that you don't have to stop and measure. Most of the time, quilting is a very precise process - one which totally appeals to me as a "Type A" personality. Some blocks, however, are very forgiving, freeing, and can just be "squared up" before you sew block-to-block. See this link, for example! I have baskets of scraps - again, being a Type A, they are organized; basket one starts with 3/4" strips (I used to make mostly minis!) and going up by increments of 1/4", the last basket holds 3" strips. This is a great way to use a BUNCH of them. I just grabbed fabric strips from all baskets that fit with a Patriotic theme (I had to have some unifying factor) and started going into a frenzy. So to speak. You can see how the blocks are constructed at this link. I just rough cut (if necessary) a strip to about the right length... and sewed. No measuring, no muss, no fuss... just whack it about right and go. That really sped up the piecing process! Once the phone book page was covered, I squared the block to 6.5" - and I was good to go. Everything neat and tidy.

Why the phone book? Well, they make all kinds of foundation papers - lots pre-printed (as was the case with my Pineapple Log Cabin), some to go through your computer printer, some quite translucent so you can trace a pattern ... but I didn't need a pattern, other than the 6.5" square. A friend recommended cutting up my phone book - the paper is very lightweight, so easily tears off ... and they're free! ☺ What beats free? Besides... along the way you see things like this:

"Woo-xer!"

My Siberian Huskies appreciated the page heading as much as I did! ☺

I hope that made things a little clearer! Please keep the questions coming - I just love them!

Thanks for reading!

Pineapple Log Cabin

2011-06-15T09:18:00.000-07:00

I spent an hour or so in the Studio yesterday, but all I did was sew about 1/8 of an inch in, all around the Frenzy Quilt (as per a very helpful suggestion by Desi!) just to secure things a little better -- then started picking paper off. Not much to show you, just a bag full of "schnitzers" as my Grandma would have said, so today I'll follow up on that promise to show you my Pineapple Log Cabin quilt. Interestingly enough, this was paper-pieced, too!

I think I remember swearing I wouldn't do a full-sized quilt using paper foundations after this one ... but I jumped in again with the Frenzy quilt, didn't I? Oh, well.

Here's a look at one block:

This one does have a reddish center - can you see how it's a log cabin?

I also love how that close-up shows how horrid some of the fabrics are. I mean REALLY bad, dated prints ... but they all come together to make a great scrappy pineapple!

Doesn't the swirl-y quilting just "make" it?!!?

My friend Kris did the quilting for me! I like the combination of the sharpness of the pineapples with the soft swirls of her quilting!

Here's the label:

Yes, there's quite a lag time and a whole continent between when I pieced it and when it was finished. What can I say?

The back is scrappy, too:

So is the binding; can you tell from this shot?

I mean ... if you're going to go scrappy, why not go scrappy?!?

Thanks for reading!

PS: I will put a post together to answer some of the great questions you all asked about the Frenzy Quilt! Please stay tuned!

I'm Done!

2011-06-13T07:29:00.000-07:00

With the piecing, anyway!!!

I had limited time to work in the Studio yesterday, so I wasn't sure I was going to make my self-imposed deadline of having the Frenzy top pieced by dinner time. I had my doubts when I was right about here:

I think that's 32-sies into 64-sies. Can someone tell me why phone book pages are so small? I mean ... 6.5" blocks just don't go real far real fast, if you know what I mean!

I kept plugging along, though ... and before I knew it ...

Ta-da!!!

I love how it came out! All that's left is to remove a billion tiny pieces of paper, then to quilt and bind it! I can definitely see using this method of piecing again. Perhaps using something for the foundation that doesn't have to be removed... but I enjoyed the "free-form" feel to it all!

Thanks for reading!

Back to the Frenzy!

2011-06-12T10:15:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd give you an update on the Frenzy Quilt I mentioned in my last post. Here is a look at one block:

I'm using phone book pages cut to 6.5 inches as my foundations - then I just pieced in a scrappy, free-form style on those - started with a center piece of BDU fabric, added scraps of various patriotic fabrics, and trimmed them even. Very fun. Except perhaps for picking all the paper out ... but that can be sort of cathartic, in its own way.

I sewed them into "two-sies" and went through sewing the "two-sies" into "four-sies", except for the last row, which is sewn into "three-sies". I have a total of 110 blocks, so ... well ... they have to be grouped just right to fit the final layout. Does that make sense to everyone?

Here I am, sewing the "two-sies" into "four-sies":

This is like the framing stage of building a house - you can see lots of progress! I love this part!

Go, Frenzy!!!

I did lay the blocks out on the floor at one point yesterday, so I could match "four-sies" together - and put "six-ies" (that last row) together with other "six-ies". Here's a look:

Hopefully by late this afternoon, I'll have the whole top together. Did I mention I'm NOT putting borders on this baby? ☺

Thanks for reading!

Lots of Progress!

2011-06-06T14:16:00.000-07:00

I've made great progress on a lot of projects in the past couple of days! As I mentioned the other day, I finished piecing the modern Log Cabin top - here's a look at it:

That was very enjoyable and I will definitely do a "free-form" quilt again! Perhaps soon!

Over there on the left-hand side of the photo, you can see the "Dancing Stars" quilt on the shelf behind Dave. I mentioned that I needed to put borders on it - perhaps my least favorite part of this whole thing. I have a serious hang-up with large or long pieces of fabric; I'm not sure why. Anyway, this is now called "Wind Farm" (with thanks to my husband!) AND I actually have the borders on it!

Messy, messy, MESSY!!!

The inner, thinner border is the same purple used in that one little accent star. Once I measured for that, I realized I didn't have enough of any one of the black and whites... or the aqua... to do a second border! GASP! But I wanted one ... so I set it on the back burner for a day or two and worked on sewing the binding on that second blue and white table runner. I promised to show you the clippy things I use; here you go:

The hair clips hold the binding on as you sew - without poking you! Yea! And if you buy them as hair clips rather than quilting clips, they're a ton cheaper. They come in black finish or plain nickel.

And they come in small and regular. I have both - the small ones are great for minis. Or for holding your hair back while you're sewing.

Now about the borders for "Wind Farm" ... since I didn't have enough aqua or one of the black and whites, I improvised!

"Wind Farm"

Sometimes improvising gives me better results than the directions. I'm seriously happy with how it came out! And if my sister re-paints her bedroom, it could be hers!

I'm also back to working on my "Frenzy" blocks! You can see what I mean here! And here! And ... oh, my! I've posted a lot about it. Just enter "frenzy" in the search box at the top of my blog if you're interested! ☺

Pix on that soon! Thanks for reading!

Pillowcase Pattern Tutorial

2011-06-04T07:08:00.000-07:00

I was going to email my tutorial for this simple pillowcase to a friend, but since I just followed Tia's very cool tote tute, I thought I'd share with everyone. It's so quick and easy, but an awful lot of fun. You can change the look of your own room or guest room, or make a bunch and donate to a worthwhile charity to warm someone else's heart!

The tute is in two parts - first, how I was taught to make the pillowcase, then how I actually do them now that I threw the rules out the window. Let's get to it!

Pillowcase Pattern Tutorial

by KZK

Sibe Tested, Sibe Approved
Thank you, Zim

Fabric Requirements/Cutting:
Body of pillowcase: cut fabric 25 x 40”
Cuff of pillowcase: cut fab 11 x 40”

Step 1: Take the large piece of fab and lay it flat, right side up, in all its 25 x 40” glory. Take the cuff fab* and fold it in half LENGTH WISE, with the WRONG sides together. (So you have a longer, skinnier piece of fab, with the right sides showing.)

Step 2: Place the long cuff piece and place it along one of the 40” sides of the main fab, lining up the raw edges. Pin in place. Using a ¼” seam allowance, sew the cuff to the pillowcase body. Overcast the seam. (Meaning, do a zigzag stitch to prevent fraying.)

Step 3: Fold the pillowcase in half, right sides together. Pin along the “bottom” seam and the side seam. Sew along those two edges using a ¼” seam allowance. Overcast those seams, too. Turn right side out - you’re DONE!

That’s a simplified version of how I learned. I’ve changed how I make mine; here’s what I do!

Follow the directions above up to the * in Step 1. Take the hem fab. Put the SHORT sides together, RIGHT sides together, and sew that short 11” seam. Use a ¼” seam allowance. Set it aside.

Sew the body of the pillowcase as described in step 3 ... you just don’t have the cuff on it. Once you’ve done that, grab that cuff. It’s already a “tube”, basically, but now you want to fold that tube in half, WRONG sides together - instead of an 11” wide tube that circles around 39.5” (40” minus the two ¼” seams...), you want it to be 5.5” wide, forming that same circle. Make sense?

Now pin that around the unfinished top of the pillowcase, matching the side seams. Put right sides together, sew, using a ¼” seam allowance - and you’re done. What I like about this method is that the inside of the cuff looks more finished! And I don’t do any of that “overcast the seams” stuff.

Good luck! Let me know if you give it a try!

Thanks for reading!

A "Very Simple" (but cool!) Tote

2011-06-03T09:39:00.000-07:00

So there I was, browsing through some of my favorite blogs the other day, when I hit Camp Follower Bags and Quilts and read Tia's tutorial for a "Very Simple Tote". I just love Tia's work. I followed one of her tutes a long time ago and couldn't WAIT to try this one out! Only...

Ooops. Yeah. No room on the cutting table. I finished putting the Log Cabin blocks together first (will share soon!), moved that aside, then got started!

I grabbed a BDU pant leg that had a fairly good cargo pocket and followed along with Tia's tute on my iPad.

Man. That's a pretty crummy-looking flap on the pocket, isn't it? Seriously. All worn through where the button hits - a clear sign that instead of ironing her husband's uniforms herself, someone sent them out to the Quartermaster laundry. What a ~~laz~~ oh, wait!

No. This is one of my husband's old uniforms. Never mind. (I ♥ the QM Laundry!)

Under the pocket was a pleat of some sort. In order to keep everything nice and squared up, I stitched it flat.

Why, yes. That IS pink thread. Variegated pink - King Tut 926, Red Sea. I liked how it looked on the camo, so I did this, too:

I couldn't help myself. Did I mention I decided to line mine? In hot pink camo? Tia's tute was so easy to follow that I thought I'd make it more complicated for myself. LOL. Even with that, it was a piece of cake!

For the interior pocket, I decided to use a chest pocket from a BDU blouse. I backed that, too - in a zebra print.

Inside pocket; SGT Zim in the background, standing guard

Why not, right? Then I thought I should do some pink quilting on that, too:

It seemed like the right thing to do.

For the binding, I used the zebra print. In this next photo, you can see that pinned in place - and can get a look at the inside of the tote:

Oh, yeah. I added the heart (a fray-edge appliqué) to cover up that area over the button.

Instead of making fabric straps, I used a black polypro. I also decided not to tuck them into the binding like Tia did but added them after I had the binding on.

Tell me that doesn't look totally cute! And hey, I knew making "strong boxes" on dog collars would come in handy in other endeavors!

I thought I'd add a side tab from the uniform as a closure thing. I'm not sure why.

I think because I liked it so much on Patty's bag!

I sewed the button on with the pink thread, too. I used my Grandma Z's thimble. I'm not sure what she'd think of this project, but I think she'd like that I was thinking about her!

Also note the nail used to secure the button at the right interval. I wanted a little more "give" to this than normal - a longer shank, if you will - since the BDU fab is thick.

Here it is, all done!

And a look at the back:

And now... a look inside:

Isn't that cool?!?!

Tia, this was SO much fun! Your instructions were great! Photos where I needed/wanted them, and enough verbiage to explain it all in the simplest terms! Thank you so much for sharing your VERY cool tote!!! I can see making this again SOON, and adding even more little extras!

Thanks to all for reading!

Questions 67 and 68

2011-06-02T10:54:00.000-07:00

Not really. But Trace asked a couple really great questions on the other day's post and I wanted to field them today. In trying to come up with a clever title, I got the old Chicago song stuck in my head ... so there you have it!

Trace asked: "Why is it called log cabin? And why do you need gloves for machine quilting? Inquiring minds want to know!" Great questions (I love questions!) - let me answer them in reverse!

Those quilting gloves with the rubber-tipped fingers are for machine quilting - they help you get a more secure grip on your quilt as you maneuver it through the machine. I don't like a lot of fuss and muss, but really have found these worth wearing. It boils down to better and more consistent control.

The Log Cabin block! It's one of the oldest, most traditional patterns out there, but wow, is it versatile and a ton of fun to play with! If I HAD to pick a favorite block, this would be it. I have a set of pix on FlickR of some of my Log Cabin quilts, if you'd like a little tour. Basically, in its purest form, the Log Cabin block starts with a center square, then "logs" (strips of fabric) are sewn around that. Traditionally, that center square was red or a derivative of red to represent the hearth of the home. Strips were added to one side, then the next, then the next, then the fourth side, going around that square. See these instructions as an illustration! The best example I have of a traditional Log Cabin is here:

Traditional Log Cabin quilt

The center squares are all red or pink. That layout is referred to as "Barn Raising" - you can see more traditional layouts at this link. In that FlickR set of mine are a lot of non-traditional settings, as well.

In addition to the traditional Log Cabin, where the "logs" are added sort of in a circular pattern (side 1, 2, 3, then 4, if you will), there are other derivatives. The modern Log Cabin I'm working on is a Chevron Log Cabin - where the "logs" are added to two adjacent sides of the center square only -- creating a chevron pattern. I did a mini-Chevron Log Cabin years ago and set the blocks on point (stood them up like diamonds):

Chevron Log Cabin mini

If you look at the first picture in Tuesday's post, you can see some of those modern blocks under construction -- there on the left. You can maybe see how I'm sewing those "logs" around the two sides of a center square. I refer to that quilt as "modern" because I'm varying the size of the "center" (or "off-center", in this case) square.

Another variation of the Log Cabin is Courthouse Steps. I haven't made one (and perhaps need to do something about that...), but you can see an example here. Basically, you add your "logs" to opposite sides of the center square, then to the top and bottom. You can get some really cool interlocking patterns with that version!

Yet another traditional Log Cabin block variant is the Pineapple! I need to either take a better photo of the one I've made or find one that I know I have ... but for now, here's what mine looks like:

Dave and Zim, looking totally innocent

It's over on the chair at the far-left of the photo. You can see the center square ... then the "blades" of the pineapple! I'll take a better pic later!

There are a ton more variations, but those are the main ones. Thanks for a great question!

And thanks for reading!

Rounding the Corners

2011-06-01T10:36:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned yesterday, I shot some pix of the blue & white table runner as I put the binding on. There are all kinds of great tutorials on the web about how to cut, piece and sew on your binding and a bunch of different approaches. Do a web search, try out some different techniques, then settle on the approach you like best. Here are random thoughts on binding:

Binding/corner on a quilt I made for my mom

I never cut bias bindings. Never. OK, I did it once in Korea, when I co-taught a class with a friend of mine. She was demo-ing how to do it, so I tried it out. I just didn't care for the stretchiness and that it seemed to waste fabric. Personal opinion only. I like nice sharp, crispy corners ... so I avoid bias. But I did try it - which is good!

Next thought - I cut my bindings anywhere between 1 3/4" to 2 1/2" wide, depending on the project. I used to do a lot of mini work, hence the thinner binding. I wouldn't be surprised if I went smaller than that a time or two, but it's nothing I recommend. LOL! My "go-to" size is 2 1/4". Once that's folded in half, stitched to the front, then folded and hand-stitched to the back, you've got a nice little accent. That's all I'm looking for. Well, that and finishing off those raw edges.

I did a video for a friend on how to start and stop your binding. It was really, really bad; filming yourself and explaining as you go isn't as easy as you'd think. I insert the end of my binding into the beginning - and hand-stitch. (OK, fine... for comic relief, click here. It's not my finest hour, but Donna knew what I meant!!! ...and I swear, my voice isn't like that!)

Now about those corners! They are NOT hard! And though I avoid mitering borders and "block parts", you can get lovely miters like this...

You're sewing the binding on, humming down that first side. Stop 1/4" before the corner. Take the quilt out of your machine and turn it to come down the next side. Flip the binding away from you, making sure the raw edge is in perfect alignment with the edge of the quilt. Like so:

I don't cut away excess batting and backing until I have my binding on. I'm not sure why.

Bring the binding straight down toward you, making a sweet fold right along the raw edge of the side you just sewed --

See that beautiful 45 degree angle under the ruler? Gorgeous!

See where the ruler is? Fold the fab right over that!

Perfect! Take the ruler out - then stitch straight down this side!

So that's the 90-degree corners. But what about those pesky greater-than-90-degree corners!?!

Greater-than-90-degree corner

Just as easy - honest!!! (Check this tute!) For these corners, I do make a mark 1/4" before the edge I'm sewing toward.

Can you see the blue chalk mark in there?

Sew until you hit that, then stop. Or do a backstitch and then stop. That's probably a better idea. Then - it's the same thing! Remover the project from your machine, turn it with that next stretch of non-bound side is coming at you, and lay the binding out away from you -- line up those raw edges!

It looks a little different. Just take your time, don't stretch anything, just let it lay nice and easy. Grab that ruler again!

Line that up perpendicular to the edge you're about to sew and fold the binding over the ruler:

Again, remove the ruler, don't make anything "tight", just let it lay easy, and stitch on down. Piece of cake - honest.

I happen to enjoy the process of turning it to the back and hand-stitching it on. I use hair clips (exact same product they sell in quilt shops as "binding clips" only MUCH cheaper!) to hold my binding on as I sew. I'll shoot a pic and share next time. I'll also field a couple of the great questions you all have left as comments!

Until then - thanks for reading!

A Little of This...

2011-05-31T14:40:00.000-07:00

...and a little of that. That's kind of what I have been working on lately: a little bit of everything!

Busy Studio!

For some reason, I got out some hand-dyed fabrics I bought about 20 years ago and started playing around with them over the weekend. Finally. I've been wanting to have a go at an off-set "modern" log cabin -- different sized "logs", sort of a cut and deal the pieces around as you go type of thing. For whatever reason, I thought the hand-dyes were the way to go. Why not?

Our internet/cable/phones went out Monday morning, so I actually got way more done than I normally would have. Here's a look at the log cabin blocks:

I would not normally put those colors together (that's just an iPhone shot... which seemed to tone everything down a bit) - but it all sort of "worked". And Dave, GDFTCB didn't object, so I figured I was good to go.

Here's a look at how things stood as of yesterday afternoon:

I should have it together in no time! (Except that now that I've seen the inner Studio in this photo, I feel the need to clean and organize....)

Remember the blue and white table runner I showed you a while ago? I mentioned in that post that I had made two. I finally quilted the other one over the weekend, too, and got the front part of the binding sewn on.

Just finished quilting!

That's pre-binding. I shot a couple pix as I was binding it (just with my iPhone - I really need to remember to take the camera downstairs!) and will share those soon. Too often, people make binding a quilt seem WAY more challenging than it has to be, so I thought I'd share a couple tips. Look for those soon!

Oh! And the gloves? That's the tip for today. They are machine quilting gloves, sold in any quilt shop - very lightweight, with rubberized fingertips. You wouldn't think something like that would make a big difference when you machine quilt, but oh, my, yes, they do! You need some. Even though you'll feel compelled to imitate Mickey Mouse when you wear them. Not that I'd do that...

Thanks for reading!

Jill's Super Shopper: All Done!

2011-05-28T10:54:00.000-07:00

Oh, is THIS going to be a photo-heavy post! I'll try to keep the chit-chat to a minimum, but for whatever reason, I shot a ton of photos of Jill's bag and I couldn't decide which ones to leave out ... so here we go!

Here's the front:

On the right, I used one of the panels I told you about (the owl) and on the left, I used another panel (the red skunk that some of us thought was a red fox...) and a little strip of fabric toward the bottom as an accent.

A skunk. Not a fox.

Here's a look at how the button and its loop came out:

I guess I mixed stripes with dots. (I also run with scissors, but don't tell anyone.)

How about a look at that front pocket?

I used red leaf fab and goldish leaf fab; I didn't think there was enough color otherwise. LOL!

I quilted in that lovely King Tut 930 that I told you about in an earlier post and mimicked the leaf design.

I used one of my husband's golf gloves to give me an extra hand showing the pockets.

I couldn't resist writing that.

Here's the side tag detail:

Because I love the thread I chose so much, I did a lot of extra top-stitching. Here's a close-up of that front pocket:

Let's check out the other side of the bag! Back to the Japanese Maple tree:

I used a squirrel panel on the right and another little "breaker strip" (I just made that term up) on the left-hand side. The fabric above the green leaf pocket is one of my faves in the bundle. Check it out:

That's what inspired my quilt design for the majority of the outside of the bag! Love it! (Loopies only made possible with my Bernina Stitch Regulator. I ♥ my Bernina!!!)

Here's my husband's glove giving me a hand with the other exterior pocket:

I did the same leaf stitching motif there (not exactly the same; I free-handed it) and lots of top-stitching and cool fabric as an accent on top.

Let's get a hand inside that bag, too!

The inside of the bag is made from the four leaf prints - green, red, goldish and tan. There are three interior pockets - the little bird you see in the pic above, the plaid raccoon below...

... and the little spotted bug below:

I used very cool buttons on the two larger pockets, so Jill's stuff wouldn't spill out if her Super Shopper gets knocked over!

Jill, your bag is winging its way to you right NOW! I hope you're thrilled with it. It was a gas to make and a delight to get to know you a little better as we went through the creative process together!

Thanks for reading!

To Wash Or Not To Wash...

2011-05-27T09:11:00.000-07:00

...that is the question. There are 1.72 gazillion different thoughts on this (I've studied the issue in depth, can you tell?) but here are mine: I pre-wash my fabrics. UNLESS I'm using a jelly roll, charm pack, or some other kind of special pre-cut. Until lately, I ALWAYS pre-washed ... then I fell in love with charm packs (pre-cut 5" squares that you can have all kinds of fun with!) and now am on to jelly rolls. But the question is "why" pre-wash.

Here's my partial list:

Pre-washing removes excess dye. Don't just think in terms of dyes bleeding when you do wash your finished project, think about skin irritation, too.
Pre-washing removes any odors. (Not to sound picky, but sometimes fabs that have been in a shop a while get a wee bit musty...)
Pre-washing = pre-shrinking.
Since I always let my Guide Dog for the Color Blind check my new fabrics, pre-washing also removes any Sibe fuzz that may have transferred over.
Pre-washed fab feels nicer to me. And I love the smell of fresh laundry.
My top reason: my quilting mentor told me to. Hahahahaha! But seriously, she did and it made sense, so I do. Fabric, except those pre-cuts, is not allowed into my Studio until it's been washed. Here's how I do it!

To help prevent tons of unravelling, trim the corners off -- just about 1/4 of an inch in:

The extremely cool fabs I won from Fabricworm being prepped for the wash

You'll still have a little fraying, but not as badly as if you don't trim the corners. No, I don't count fat quarters as pre-cuts. They get washed. Always. Throw it in the washer and dryer, using normal cycles. Give it a work out! And give it one of these in the wash:

This is an un-paid product endorsement

Toss one sheet in when you wash your fabric -- or if you don't pre-wash, make sure you toss one in when you do wash your project. You'll be so glad you did; the sheets soak up excess dye to prevent bleeding over onto other fabs.

Those are my thoughts on washing fabric. In other news, Jill's Super Shopper is DONE and in the mail; I'll post pix of the finished bag tomorrow!

Thanks for reading!

Jill's Super Shopper: Part Deux

2011-05-25T07:41:00.000-07:00

Where was I with Jill's Super Shopper? Oh, right - I was showing you the inside pockets being fitted with VCBs. (Very cool buttons.) Did you notice the quilting I did on them? Here's another look:

Check the quilting, then check the sort of green striped fab at the top of that photo. It inspired me! Little things like that make me smile.

For the quilting and top-stitching, I'm using one of my VERY favorite brands of thread -- King Tut. I've written a few times (especially here and here) about my love for this thread; it's just a joy to work with and oh, the richness of color! Sigh. For Jill's Super Shopper, I'm using 930 -- Thebes, a variegated blue. It's just incredible!

I decided to make a couple accessories for Jill. Here is a key fob under construction:

Can you see the thread better there? See what I mean? GORGEOUS!

Oh. And yes, I use masking tape to hold my tag in place. It's Tyvek, so it's strong, but slippery. I don't want pins to leave holes... so masking tape does well! Except ... when inserting the tags into the side of glasses cases. There's nothing to tape the tag to - so I try to pin it in. For whatever reason, the zigzag stitch either does very well with the tag ... or eats the Tyvek and makes the tags wonky. On Jill's glasses case, part of the tag was destroyed in the stitching process, so ... I cut it out and initialed the case instead.

If you've had people claim your work as their own, you'll understand my habit of signing or tagging. (Same with watermarking my photos.)

Moving right along ... let's have a look at my least favorite steps!

That's right - boxing the corners. It's just ... awkward!

After I box, instead of trimming those flaps off like many people do, I sew the flaps of the outside of the bag to the flaps of the inside of the bag...

...not to make another awkward step, but so the lining won't pull out of the bag. The hard part is making sure you do it as the bag will lay, so there's some twisting and turning involved to get it like this:

Isn't that attractive?!?! But it means we're almost home! Time to turn it right-side-out, add the straps, and do some top-stitching!

And remember my motto: Pins are your friends. Just don't sew over them.

Thanks for reading!

I Won!

2011-05-24T11:51:00.000-07:00

Well, technically, Dave and Zim won, since I signed in with the Army of Four address... but I'm the one who left the comment! Check it out:

I won the weekly give-away over at Fabricworm! It arrived in yesterday's mail and WOW, I just love it! It's a fat quarter bundle of extremely cool retro 1950s-style fabs.

Dave was so incredibly pleased with our win --

"I think Rastro Jetson would dig these! And so do I!!!"

-- and with the fabs themselves. Of COURSE I let him go through them... he's my my Guide Dog for the Color Blind, so it's the least I could do!

Aren't they a gas?!? I love the fabrics - and the quality is so fine!!

We'll be washing and pressing them this afternoon!

Many, many thanks to Cynthia and everyone at Fabricworm!!! We're just thrilled with our prize!

Thanks for reading!

A Few Tips

2011-05-23T07:33:00.000-07:00

I have some friends who are new to quilting. This is REALLY exciting to me; I love to help people discover the big, fun world of quilting. When I first started quilting - about '88 or '89 - I didn't even know how to change the bobbin on my sewing machine. Let's not even talk about sewing a straight line. Mostly because I still find that to be a bit challenging. Seriously!

Anyway - what I've found along the way to wherever it is that I am, is that there are a lot of "tricks" or methods that many of us take for granted that everyone else knows ... only ... someone might not. (That someone is usually me!) Somewhere along the line, we all have an "Ah HA!" moment. I'll be doing posts now and then to fill you in on some of those "little things" that make life easier for quilters. Or at least for me.

I may have mentioned this before, but I can't for the life of me find it in the archives. When you're sewing a button on, you want your stitches uniformly snug - BUT you don't want your button on tightly or it will be difficult to fasten. I use either a nail or a pin for a spacer - like so:

It's second nature to me now, but I had to learn it at some point!

I try to use a design wall for quilts, to help decide on the layout. However, what I use is just some cotton batting tacked above my closet - so I don't leave it up. It's also not large enough for some quilts, so I use the floor. Since I don't want to leave the quilt pieces on the floor, but I need to remember how they were arranged, I number my blocks - starting at the upper left corner, going across the row, then down to the next row and across... and so on. There are little flag-pin markers on the market, but hey, those cost money, so I tear up scrap paper and do the same thing:

Just remember to use glass-head pins, not plastic, or you'll be very sorry when you hit it with a hot iron. Trust me. And don't ask how I know that!

Moving right along...

Let's talk color. I've had a lot of people compliment me on my use of color. That always tickles me, as I am clinically color blind. Maybe that works in my favor; it's like I have nothing to lose, so I'll try all kinds of combos. But really - just try something! If you aren't sure, leave it on a design wall or put it on the floor in front of your treadmill while you work out. You'll know what works. Just keep trying and changing things around!

Dave, GDFTCB, admiring some Jason Yenter fabrics

Not everyone has a Guide Dog for the Color Blind like I do, but ask your spouse, your friends, your neighbors - use FaceBook! Just make sure you settle on the combo YOU like. You have nothing to lose.

I hope those tips help. Thanks for reading!

Jill's Super Shopper: In Process!

2011-05-22T09:04:00.000-07:00

I'm currently working on another Super Shopper. This one is for my cousin's daughter -- I think that makes her my first cousin, once removed, but don't quote me on that. Let's just call her Jill and know that I'm making a very CUTE bag she can use to carry baby stuff!

I ended up ordering fabric especially for the bag - Amy Schimler's Party Animals 2, by Robert Kaufman. The Fat Quarter bundle came with some big panels of the animals and I knew I'd find a good way to put them to use.

I auditioned a bunch of different layouts, using the prints in various ways, then made my decisions and started cutting and sewing:

The start of Jill's Super Shopper

The outside parts are on the left/front of the photo; the panels out on the leaf of my table are the inside panels (which I lovingly refer to as "bag guts" at this stage).

Jill wanted to be able to shut things to avoid spillage, and expressed interest in big buttons. I had JUST the perfect ones! Here's the plan for the outside:

Front of bag with VCB. (Very cool button.)

I broke up some of the prints on the front of the bag with a few of the panel animal prints and used others for inside pockets! They need cool buttons, too, don't you think?

Bag guts being fitted with buttons and loops

For sure.

This fabric is a KICK to work with! So playful and fun! Hopefully, my playful and fun boys will grant me Studio time this afternoon so I can get back to it!

Thanks for reading!

Patty's Super Shopper, Part II

2011-05-21T10:16:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I showed you the in-progress pix of the Super Shopper I made for my long-time friend Patty. Today ... the finished bag! Here it is, hanging in my Japanese Maple:

If this was going to someone other than Patty, there's a real strong chance it wouldn't have left my house. Seriously.

The front has that BDU pocket on a pocket on a pocket. I love that.

My wavy quilting echoes the shape of the matryoshka dolls, only sideways. That was my thinking, anyway. Here's a look at the back:

I thought that BDU pocket needed some kick, so I appliquéd a narrow (1/4"?) piece of one of the fabs across it.

Here's another look at the wavy quilting on the front.

Here's a detail shot of the top of the bag:

I like how the "fussy cut" matryoshka doll just takes charge. I used another side-tab with button hole from the BDUs as a closure for the bag (like I did with an inside pocket) and tied a BDU button on with some cool orange and yellow and "other" embroidery thread. I also popped the lining of the bag up about 3/8 of an inch and did two lines of top stitching.

Let's check out the top of the straps:

A bit of camo fabric on one; a small matryoshka doll on the other. It's like the doll is the angel sitting on Patty's shoulder.

Here's the bottom right-hand corner:

And now, it's time to look inside!!! Check out how everything came together:

In the line of pockets on one side, I tucked some little surprises for Patty. How about a glasses case?

Maybe now you understand what I mean about the wavy quilting echoing the contours of the dolls! And how about a key fob?

Yes, yes, I did mix gold and silver tones. Hey, if I can mix all those crazy fabrics, why not mix those, too?!?!

The surprise bunnies are tucked into the big BDU cargo pocket:

Patty has now named the bunnies after her granddaughters and herself! She is the bunny with her arms around the other bunnies, she told me. I LOVE that kind of thing!!!

That side of the inside is complete with an American flag patch - because Patty is a patriot in a family full of patriots!!!

Last, but not least, here's how that inside pocket on a pocket came out:

I love everything about this bag - but most of all, I love the special friend for whom it was made. Patty, I sincerely hope you (and the grandgirls!) have a ball carrying and exploring this bag. It was a delight to make for you - and hey, I'm not sure I told you this ... but in that buttoned pocket in the last picture? There are a billion smiles packed in there! Enjoy!!!

Thanks for reading!

Patty's Super Shopper, Part I

2011-05-20T09:44:00.000-07:00

Rarely have I had such a blast making a bag as I had making this Super Shopper for my friend Patty! Patty is a fellow Army brat; we met in our junior year of high school when our dads attended the US Army War College together. From the moment I met her, Patty put a smile on my face - she has that kind of spirit about her. We have gotten back in touch thanks in part to FaceBook; it's been so wonderful rekindling our friendship!!!

On to bag-talk. She asked if I'd make her a Super Shopper - a special bag to carry, one that her incredibly adorable granddaughters would build memories around. (Patty is a writer. I hope she doesn't take off for grammar...) I was SO happy to make her one - thanks for asking, Patty!!!

The fabric we used as our inspiration is the matryoshka doll fab I showed you a couple years ago. ☺ Dave, my trusty Guide Dog for the Color Blind got busy pulling fabrics, and Patty was able to play along with us, again via FaceBook. We found all kinds of fun fabs that would work - and Dave really wanted me to add in some cut-up BDUs (battle dress uniforms). He really liked them. When he gets that adamant about things, I know not to ignore him. He has such better color skills than I do, so it would be foolish not to at least run the idea past Patty. Not only was her dad in the Army, but her brothers are in the military and she has a son and a daughter in the Army. I had to!!! Fortunately, she was game! Yea!!!

Enough talking, let's get on with the photos! Today, I'll share various "bag in process" pix. Let's go!

That's one of the inside panels. I thought I'd put some of the pockets from the BDUs to work. Why not!?!? I used a lovely thread by Aurifil for all the top-stitching and quilting. It's sort of a salmon-y color that brings out the babushkas on the little matryoshka dolls.

Speaking of pockets... I used a smaller BDU pocket on the outside of the bag:

I tucked a shallow pocket behind it (topped with the golden mum fabric) and a deeper pocket behind that (with the "autumny" batik fab). Pocket on a pocket on a pocket. Sort of goes with the whole nesting dolls theme, don't you think?!

OK, here's one of the funniest things I've heard in a long time. As I was posting pix to FB, a friend in Scotland complimented me on the bag thus far, but said that she "hates those little Russian dolls -- they're so full of themselves." It took me a minute to get it, I confess, but once I did, I couldn't stop laughing. (You know ... nesting dolls ... full of themselves ... Hahahahahahaha!) Thank you, Nicky!

Moving right along - here's the other inside panel:

That's a long pocket across the bottom, split into compartments (the BDU and salmony floral) and another along the top (multi-fabrics), with another pocket on top. With a side-tab from a BDU top as the closure.

Let's see how the front panel's coming:

That's the pocket on a pocket on a pocket front panel. Up to the upper right is the other outside panel!

Since this is a special "Grandma Bag" for Patty, I wanted to tuck some surprises inside. I posted this picture to FB without any explanation:

Hey, who doesn't keep OD green ribbon around!?! What Patty didn't know until she got the bag was that I was making little outfits for pre-made bunnies!

Does Dave look put-upon? I couldn't resist. He's soooooo good - plus he was on a pretty hefty dose of Tramadol following dental surgery. (He's doing well - thanks!)

Here are the outside (front) and inside of the bag:

I was marking the corners to box. I don't know why, but this is my least favorite part of the whole process!

Sure is a nice "finish" to the bag, though. Check out the front corner:

It just makes it sit so nice!

Patty, Dave, my FB friends and I decided on green straps. I thought they needed a little something, so I embellished a bit:

I couldn't resist! A friend asked (and I need to answer his email!) if those are forceps that I'm using. Yes! Or hemostats. I looked both up and am totally confused as to the difference! Whatever they are, they are tremendously helpful for holding things together and reaching into different spaces! The ones with the slight curve are my favorites, I think; I have three different kinds. I'll have to post about them!

Let's insert the straps:

Pins are your friends. Just don't sew over them.

Wow, I had the BEST time making this bag; I think it's my favorite ever!!

The finished Super Shopper will be up tomorrow! Thanks for reading!

Dancing Stars

2011-05-18T07:46:00.000-07:00

I'm going to have to rename this quilt, because the name is too much like "Dancing With the Stars" and ... well, let's just say it's not a good fit. But the pattern is named Dancing Stars, so until I come up with my own moniker, I'm stuck with it.

It started when I bought my first jelly roll. It's Half Moon by Moda -- a gorgeous black and white group. I ran it past my Guide Dog for the Color Blind first, of course, and he was ready to get to work on helping me pick JUST the right accent fabric. Or fabrics. My FaceBook friends also helped a great deal - and I must say, they made the process extremely fun! (Thanks, everybody!!!)

The aqua was a huge hit with everyone, but it needed an accent. Another popular choice was a purple. Hmm... could I use both?

I don't see why not!

I had to add in a few extra black and white prints, as the jelly roll didn't quite have enough for this size of quilt. That Eiffel Tower print you see up there ☝is one of my additions. I love it - especially because it was sent to me by the Macon Bag-a-Holic. It makes the quilt that much more special to have a little reminder of a sweet friend in there! Thanks for being part of my quilt, Shelli!!!

Time to get sewing long strips:

Sew on...

...and sew forth!

I confess, I found sewing the long strips together to be extremely tedious. I had been thinking about doing one of those Jelly Roll 1600 quilts and I may ditch that idea. We'll see. It helped that I had a movie playing via NetFlix/Apple TV.

A side note here -- I change needles frequently, so yes, I tape the container of whatever needle is in my machine to my Bernina. I think Bernina dealers would shudder to read that, but hey, those tiny numbers on the side of the needle just aren't as easy to read as they once were, so this helps me remember who's at the plate. So to speak.

OK... let's get on to some pressing matters...

...and it's time to cut.

Once I started laying things out, I just wasn't sure about the purple. Did I need it? Would it really work? Hmm...

I cut enough of the purple for a few stars. Just in case.

I sewed points together for one star and laid the blocks on the floor.

My Guide Dog for the Color Blind approved, so I sewed all the aqua stars together. (IF I wanted to add the purple in, I could do that later.) I tossed those on the floor (too big for my design wall) and gave it a lot of thought.

Dave gave it a lot of thought as well. We both decided it needed something. Like ONE purple star.

Just for an accent.

Exactly what it needed. Next step - to cut and add the borders. Right now, the plan is to add a thin purple border, then ... I'm not sure.

Thanks for reading!

3-D Pinwheels!

2011-05-14T07:09:00.000-07:00

Today, I thought I'd share with you a long-time UFO (unfinished object) that I've finally wrapped up. This one is 3-D Pinwheels.

I led an on-line group through how to make this quite a few years ago, quilted it a year or two ago, and just now got the binding on. I can't find the exact tutorial I used to learn the method, but another can be found at this link; it's a fun and easy pattern! The "blades" of the pinwheels are actually prairie points.

Here are a few close-ups:

As you can see, I added in a bunch of buttons - I think I used about 5 or 6 different colors. I didn't feel like my quilting was "enough" and the buttons added yet another dimension. My FaceBook friends helped me make the decision, and I think it was a great one!

The fabric is a very lightweight woven cotton - sort of a madras plaid with a huge floral over it. I bought it maybe back in '89 or '90? I remember my quilting mentor asking if I was SURE I wanted to work with something like that and I assured her that yes, I was sure! I was a sucker for the colors. The fact that it took this long for me to use it and the words I used while using it are an indicator that I probably should have listened to her. LOL! But hey, I still think it's gorgeous fabric!

Let's have a look at the back:

I used on of the same white-on-whites as I used on the front. I know ... it's hard to tell, but I used two different background fabrics on the front, as backgrounds for the pinwheels, making a 9-patch pattern. Check it out in the photo at the top of this post. It's way too subtle. Oh well.

Here's a close-up of the back, just so you can see the print:

I quilted it using a jewel-toned variegated thread by YLI - and tied the buttons on with the same.

It's good to finish up another UFO. It would be seriously embarrassing to tell you how many more there are in the stack -- but I will get to them!

Thanks for reading!

PS: I've edited yesterday's post to include a link to the pattern I used for the table runner.

Christmas Scrappy Table Runner

2011-05-13T13:03:00.000-07:00

I'm pretty happy now with the name Patriot Squares for the quilt I showed you yesterday. (The post is gone; hopefully Blogger will bring it back!) This one needs some work, though. I mean, yes, it's for Christmas, yes, it's scrappy, and yes, it's a table runner ... but what's creative about that name? Nothing. I'm working on it!

Now that I've bored you to tears, let's have a look:

It's another one that I did with an on-line group.

How about a close-up?

This one has many of the same fabrics from my Christmas Wonder! These runners have been great at helping me reduce my "stash"!

I quilted in a nice, warm golden-brown using a free-motion meandering style on the "body" of the quilt, and some outline stitching around the borders.

Here's the back:

Sweet! Not sure who this is for - or any of the runners, for that matter! I'm thinking potential Christmas presents!

Thanks for reading!

PS: Late note: The pattern I followed for this table runner can be found at this link. ...not that I exactly followed the pattern, but that was my starting point!

Patriot Squares Quilt

2011-05-12T12:41:00.000-07:00

Or something like that. I haven't quite decided on the name, but here's another quilt I've recently finished. It took me a long time to finish this one, but at least I did finish! (I started in February of '07 - you can see it in progress here and here.

Before I get to it, let's get caught up with everything else I've been working on. Readers of the Ao4 Digest know I've made new collars and leashes (here and here) for the boys, as well as a new puffy quilt. At that last link, you can see the Patriot Squares Quilt about half-way down.

In that photo, my Guide Dog for the Color Blind and I were discussing what fabric to use for the binding. Or rather, I had picked the medium blue with the WWII military characters on it for the binding - and he didn't like it. Sigh. If I'm going to task him to do a job, I should be prepared to accept what he comes up with ... so I asked him, and he opted for the darker blue with stars.

I liked the medium blue over in some of the blocks on the right side of the quilt here;
Dave liked the darker blue with stars in the lower left.

In all honesty, his choice really DOES tie everything together much better. (Thank you, Dave!)

How about a look at the whole quilt?

Patriot Squares. And my hubby's feet.

It's so wide that my husband had to use tongs to hold it up, as "extenders". The Kansas wind didn't really help out, so I ended up shooting more pix inside.

Let's go in for a close-up!

That star print is what Dave chose for the binding. He's really good at his job, isn't he? The medium blue didn't have that "Ta-da!" factor.

Here's a look at the back, and the GORGEOUS quilting:

Quilting by my friend Donna!

My friend Donna is a long-arm quilter and did the quilting for me. Didn't she do a wonderful job?!?! Ironically, she's the one who also led our on-line group through piecing the quilt back in '07! Interesting that she'd end up quilting mine! I think she said the name of the quilting pattern is "popcorn", but it reminded me of fleurs-de-lis. In a way. OK, really - use your imagination!

Donna, thank you so much for helping make this quilt come alive! The quilting adds such a great dimension to it!

The Patriot Squares quilt is for my husband - who is not a square, but is definitely a patriot! ☺

Thanks for reading!

PS: This post had been deleted by Blogger and not restored. I'm reposting. I'm very thankful it appeared and did not disappear in my Google Reader!

Where Was I?

2011-05-11T10:29:00.000-07:00

Oh, my. It's been quite a while, hasn't it? And I've put off resuming the blog because I didn't quite know how to start back up again, which only made starting worse. So... I'm just jumping back in. Ready to get started? Let's go see what I've been doing!

I just finished binding this little blue and white table runner this morning, so I thought it would be nice to start with it:

Sweet, isn't it? I have one just like it that I haven't quilted yet. The last time I made this runner, I did two in blue and white and ended up giving both away. I really think I need to keep one this time.

I love blue and white.

Here's a look at one of the corners:

I had forgotten how to bind a corner with an angle larger than 90 degrees. I found the tute at this link to be very helpful!

So, that's the latest; I have a bunch of finished projects to show you and about a million things in the works. I'll be back with those soon. In the meantime...

... it really does look nice on my dining room table, doesn't it?

Thanks for reading!

Challenges

2010-08-08T09:06:00.000-07:00

My quilt group is the best! After the project I showed you yesterday, we had a June Challenge! This time, a table runner! OK... the quilt I did as the Christmas Wonder table topper was actually supposed to be a full-sized quilt, but I knew I wouldn't be able to complete that, so I scaled down to the table topper! And it wasn't exactly put out as a Christmas theme and ... I'm sure there are other rules I broke, too -- oh, probably borders ☺ -- but, hey! No one has called the Quilt Police on me yet! Well, so ... a table runner! Very cute one at that.

The original idea was for a Patriotic Runner - check it out here! I loved it, but I pictured it in Christmas fabs, too! Then I realized I had some blue Christmas fabric I had been saving that would be perfect! So ... both patriotic colors and Christmas-themed!!! Yea! Here's my start:

The fabrics are by the late Laurel Burch. I just love her saturated colors and playful approach to design!

I really did start out following the pattern, but I wanted all of my stripes to be red and white. I auditioned both ways (the pattern author mixed some blue in there) and went with just the red and white. Here's the top, prequilting:

I like it, but it needed something sort of "stopping" everything. Or framing it. No, not a border. Heaven forbid. ☺ I knew I could tie it all together with that blue - and opted to bind in that. So here it is, after quilting and binding:

It works!

It might be a Christmas gift for someone. But ... it looks sooooo at home on my dining room table, doesn't it? And each year, I decorate one Christmas tree just with patriotic ornaments ... and ... umm ... I was born on the Fourth of July ... and OH, I just haven't decided yet.

How about a close up?

I quilted in a lovely variegated golden brown thread. I think it adds to the richness. Here's the back!

I just free-handed the waves; I like the movement it adds.

So that's it. I'm still working on the July challenge. Yes, I know it's August. I broke the rules this time, too, and am making mine a tad larger. And Christmasy. I'll keep you posted.

Thanks for the inspiration, Fiber Wizards! And thank you for reading!

Christmas Wonder

2010-08-07T15:27:00.000-07:00

Umm... I'm not sure. Where have I been? At least I changed the header photo. What do you all think? Let me know.

In the meantime, you know the little table-topper I showed you last time? All quilted now and waiting to be given away to someone. Here's a look:

And the label!

Not sure who the recipient will be yet; a family member or special friend!

Many thanks to the Fiber Wizards for a fun project to make "together". Through cyber-space. :) And thank you for reading!

Wow, Look! A New Post!

2010-06-06T11:33:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! I'm out here, really I am. After I finished the bag for the fund-raiser that I showed you on my last post, I started blitzing on a quilt for a family member. (More on that another time.) I realized, as I quilted away, how little time I had for projects like that - and that everything in the Studio other than bag orders had been pushed aside. No time for trying new bag designs, making a quilt for a friend, or trying a new technique! And, frankly, I was having a hard time keeping up with orders. Something had to give ... and so I've stopped taking orders.

I'll still post pix and change the blog over to show you what I'm working on - but it will be my own personal "stuff". :) Gifts for family and friends, experiments, some of my old projects I haven't shown you yet - and maybe a few garden and pup pix thrown in. So I'll be making quilts and the occasional bag, but strictly for fun.

It was a very difficult decision to shut down "Bags by KZK", but it was for the best. I will still kick in a bag for the occasional fund-raiser or give-away, but won't take in orders. Most of you will understand and I thank you for that. I hope you'll still stop by the blog to see what's going on.

In the meantime, here's a peek at what I'm working on right now:

Thanks for reading!

PS: I've gone to comment moderation. I'm sorry if this inconveniences anyone other than the Chinese spammers.

Iditarod Bound!

2009-11-09T08:26:00.000-08:00

Brevity is not my strong suit, but I'll try to set this up as simply and quickly as possible. For me. :) My friend Bonnie (or Bonz) contacted me about a fund-raiser she is holding for Blake Freking's Iditarod run. (Blake will be running an all-Siberian Husky team!) If I would be willing to contribute one of my bags (YES!), Bonz would send me some of the fabric she designed! What a COOL opportunity! I jumped at it!

The auction will start SOON on eBay - I promise to post about it here, on the Ao4 Digest and on FaceBook, so you'll be sure to know when it starts... and can bid on it! Without further ado, let's get to the bag!

From Deeve Bag for Iditarod/Blake Freking Fund-Raiser

It's a Deeve Bag with a coordinating Hold the Phone! Bag. I paired Bonnie's fabric up with a red, deep red, black and white homespun plaid. The strap of the Deeve is a re-purposed, new leash; the strap of the HTP! Bag is a re-purposed, new "little dog" leash, complete with the hook! I used a big, bold, black button to secure the bag.

How about a closer look at the HTP! Bag?

From Deeve Bag for Iditarod/Blake Freking Fund-Raiser

Bright red snowflakes accent the top of the bag, and appliquéd strips of the plaid homespun round it out. I embellished with a few glass beads and a sweet pewter paw print charm.

Here's the back of the HTP! Bag:

From Deeve Bag for Iditarod/Blake Freking Fund-Raiser

Note how the plaid wraps all around! Sort of like... leashes tangling you up when you're trying to walk a few Sibes. :) (Not that my angels would do that...!) You can also get a good look at the leash hardware in that shot!

I put a few surprises in the Deeve Bag itself - like a key fob:

From Deeve Bag for Iditarod/Blake Freking Fund-Raiser

I couldn't resist singling out one of those darling play-bowing huskies! Oh - and how do you like the chipped nail polish? A nice touch, don't you think? I really like it.

And how about a glasses case?

From Deeve Bag for Iditarod/Blake Freking Fund-Raiser

The outside is the larger scale husky print; the inside is the red homespun!

Let's take another look at the Deeve itself!

From Deeve Bag for Iditarod/Blake Freking Fund-Raiser

Not THE Deeve. The Deeve Bag. Sorry.

From Deeve Bag for Iditarod/Blake Freking Fund-Raiser

I quilted in a glistening white - and decided to call this "snow drift quilting". LOL. Use your imagination! :) How about a look inside?

From Deeve Bag for Iditarod/Blake Freking Fund-Raiser

TONS of room to carry everything! And two spacious pockets for your keys, lip balm, photos of your huskies, ETC! Have I mentioned I currently carry a Deeve Bag? It holds more than you can imagine!

And now... one more look at the Deeve. And the husky it was named for: Dave.

From Deeve Bag for Iditarod/Blake Freking Fund-Raiser

Again, I will let everyone know when the fund-raiser starts - please check here, on the Ao4 Digest or on FB. Let's help Blake Freking run the Iditarod! Auction starting soon on eBay. Siberian Husky not included.

Thank you for reading - and Bonz, thanks for the incredible opportunity!

PS: For more views of the bag, or to enlarge any of the photos, please visit the Picasa album I set up. The link is under each of the photos, or you may click here.