Machine Quilting A Special Motif

Why is it a good idea to carefully press the quilt top and pick off any excess threads?
Because those threads will come back to haunt you...especially on a white piece!

Tools of the trade: a pin and the teeniest crochet hook possible

Yes, it is better to deal with them before you have spray basted the quilt layers!
I thought it was nasty to fish them out back in the days of pin-basting...but I am here to tell you, there is no place to go once those layers are glued together!!!
Sometimes I just pretend they are not there, but on this quilt I had a place to do a special quilt motif...so of course, it had to be were there was a big dark thread. But now it is gone!
You gently wiggle the hook between some threads in the fabric, and then attempt to snag the intruder. Once it has been removed, rub the hole, 
and the threads should close up again. This is one reason for using 100% cotton fabrics, as silk or polyester will not close up again!

I wanted to put some Korean Wedding Ducks on this quilt, because they are on the wedding invitation.
A pair of decorative ducks are often given to a couple when they marry. The ducks are on display in the home, and when the couple is happily getting along, the ducks are facing each other. If things are not going well, the ducks are looking the other way! What a great visual clue. I think everyone should have ducks to tip off their guests, in-laws and maybe even their spouse!

The invitation and the quilt motif

I found a nice duck image and then copied it and reversed one so I'd have the pair facing. They have patchwork wings, too! So I drew it all onto TearAway stabilizer and pinned it on the quilt in the spot I had planned.

Happy ducks!

Next I free-motion stitched around the shapes, and then pulled off the stabilizer.

Duck on the left still has stabilizer

After that I echo quilted in some more water ripples and added the cloud-like motif from the other sections as sky.

It worked!

I am rather pleased with this little touch. The fact that the Sharpie I used for tracing seems to have transferred a bit onto the fabric actually helps. We'll see what happens after I wash the quilt!

Join me tomorrow for Quilting Fudge Factors, or This Has Happened So Often I Just Go On Ahead Because I Know What To Do!

3 Rules of Machine Quilting

While there are many books, videos and classes about quilting by machine, in truth the only way to learn is to actually do it. I will share with you the three rules of machine quilting, mainly because I need to constantly remind myself!

In the ditch quilting to stabilize it first

# 1: Slow down!
It is not necessary to go as fast as possible. Somewhere is a balance between moving the quilt and the speed of the needle...it's your own combination. Is quilting by machine faster than hand quilting? Yes, but it still takes a long time. And since it's harder to take out "mistakes", I tend make many more assumptions that "nobody will see that!"

# 2: Get your shoulders out of your ears!
Concentrating on the quilting design can cause some tension. Remember to relax. In an ideal world, your arms bent straight out at the elbow would be the height of the machine bed. I hope someone out there can be set up that way, but for most of us the machine is too high. Some day I will get a box to put the foot pedal and my left foot on, so I can pump up my chair to the correct level. Until then, I just have to remember to get my shoulders back down!
And while we're at it, being nearsighted, I tend to hunch over, too! Do you? I have actually had the take-up lever hit my forehead (more than once). My Janome 7700 has an enclosed lever, so that hasn't happened recently.

# 3: Breathe!
A problem caused by concentration or fear, if you are holding your breath your brain is getting starved for oxygen, and nothing good can come of that. 

All three rules could be summed up by saying RELAX.
How easy it is to give that advice to others!
Really, you are doing OK...compare your work to mine (below) and you will see.

INQUIRING MINDS WANT TO KNOW:

What is that quilt are you working on?
This is one of my "Heirloom UFOs" from my mother. I thought it was fabric and some cut out pieces when I took it to a retreat, so I'd be forced to complete it. I was surprized to find it was a finished top with backing! Mom had said this would be for my brother & his wife, and since their oldest son is getting married in June, I asked if they would like me to quilt it for D. & E.
Here's the pattern Mom used:

"Twisted Ribbons" ...and only $2.95!

What's going on in that first picture?
I am stitching in-the-ditch to stabilize the entire quilt, and using the even-feed (walking) foot set up for my machine. Since I'll be doing free motion designs later, this was just along the diagonal lines, but not around every piece. It was not too much work to pivot at each corner.  There is a little hunk of paper safety-pinned where I will start the next line down...it is easy to get confused about where to go back.

What happens when you switch over to free-motion?
I need to put on a darning/quilting foot, and test the thread tension. When I forget the test, I am always sorry. 

This off-set foot really helps me see where I'm going!

I use a scrap of fabric (preferably from the quilt top) and lay it on top of the excess batt & back along one edge of the quilt. Then I'm sure the tension is right for the materials at hand. It's easy to flip the edge over to see the back and make any adjustments before starting in on the real work.

Do you draw the design on the quilt top?

Heck, no! That would double the time it takes, and I am already really bad about time management.
Free motion to fill a background can be like doodling or drawing with the needle. This is HANDMADE, so it's not supposed to be "perfect". 

Just a circle with three "bumps"

Sometimes I mark off an area to quilt inside, but often the piecing defines a section to work in. Guidelines can be helpful for long parts. Use something for marking that can be rinsed or removed, and no one will ever know if you followed a shape right on the line or not!

When I get to the blue fabrics I'll switch threads and just do some simple lines, maybe a flower in the center square.

What happens on the back?

OK, I'm gonna show you...don't say you weren't warned!

Sins revealed?

I chose white thread because I think it's better to match the top, which is more important than the back. So there will be dark blue threads here, too, when I get to the rest of the quilting. It is easy to see where I doubled over, didn't exactly match a line, etc etc etc. This is not going to a judged show, and it will be washed before it's wrapped up... you'd be amazed how the nice texture from washing helps conceal the boo-boos!

Yes, I think  you should do as best work as possible...but also that there can be different criteria for various projects!

I'll be back in a couple days with the rest of this quilt...including the one place where I will draw a special design for the married couple and quilt it in!

Quilting with a cat

Many quilters also have a cat in residence...or are owned by cat, since we know who really runs things!
So any project that takes more than an hour to quilt is going to be a major Cat Magnet, if you leave it in place at the sewing machine.

Working on "Brightest Jewel" ...pattern soon to be published.

Shayla loves to sleep on a quilt!

Totally snoozed out

Not moving even though she hates having her picture taken

So when you have to leave the quilt, my advice is to turn the back side up.
You won't lose your place on the quilt, and the cat fur will mostly be deposited where it's easier to remove.
I'm going to wash the quilt anyway!

A Bright Idea for Quilting

One of my favorite quilting supply sales is when the Big Box store has 50% off the Notions Wall. That was the case last weekend, when Cherry-Cherry & I found a really good deal: the Dritz Flexible LED Light. I had not expected to see something like that on the Notions Wall!
After you reach "a certain age" (yes, and even before!) having good lighting at your sewing machine is a real help.

I like the way this light can be mounted on the end of my machine. It will slip out of the holder if I want to use it someplace else, but the 13" flexible neck allows me to direct the light exactly where I want it.
It runs on 3 AA batteries, and will work for 10,000 hours before it dies completely...according to the package.
There is another similar and more expensive light on the market. It has the advantage of running on a cord you can plug in, so it's not considered disposable. I can't handle another electric cord in my sewing room, though!
So far so good...the purple color pleases me (CC got the turquoise one, and it also comes in magenta). But I think I like the 50% off price best!

Oh, yes...the quilt I'm working on...not hard to guess it is another UFO! I have been meaning to finish it and write the pattern for about, ummmm....10 years? It's pretty bad when you can't even remember!
As usual, a deadline is a great help, so the plan is to have this ready for QuiltFest in September.
But I promise you will get to see both the quilt and the pattern here first!

Quilting Black-on-Black, Part I

Black thread on black fabric seems like a good choice at the time. Then you realize you can't see where you're going, and how-the-heck are you going to mark any lines?

There are 4 corner triangles and 12 side triangles to fill in the Roxanne's Honeymoon quilt.

This is a totally different version of a Mystery Quilt from back in January

Yes, the one that was supposed to be finished in January! (hey, it's only 8 months later...)( the top was done in January!)
It is entered in the huge "local"quilt show, so it has to be done by Sept. 12 Turn-In Day. And do stay tuned for more of my blatant insanity, as I have another unfinished entry, too!

I started in a corner with a loose meandering, and that really unravelled my brain as I decided to do fancy side fillers! Usually one goes from complex to simple...I have to be different!
I wanted Celtic designs (at this point I cannot account for my thought process, other than I have always wanted to do this) but how to get them onto that black fabric?

I couldn't just go free stitching, as the black makes it impossible to see where you've been....and don't you hate that un-quilted puff in the middle of everything after you think you are through? (you know what I mean!).

So my Big Idea was the draw the designs freehand on some special paper:
Cherry-Cherry gave me this Golden Paper, one of her favorites.

And as a helpful resource, I have some books:

I'll give you a list in Part II..there is one more!

And to hold the paper down without a lot of pins tearing at the paper as it is quilted, I thought of basting spray!

Some pins, some spray

CRITICAL TIP: just a little spritz on the corners & center! All that paper has to come off, and I have some tiny areas in these designs!

Sometimes the paper has to be adjusted as you go to keep the design inside the triangle

Large open areas are no trouble at all, but that little double line (a very important part of Celtic designs) would be tricky to get the paper out of.
I realized if I just used the paper for the main design areas, they would be broken into smaller sections.

Stitch the outline, then work in one area at a time

I could fill those in by eye, drawing with the needle according to the sketch I made.

Keep the torn off section for a reference

The main thing to remember is that you are following a line...sort of...but that line no longer exists once the paper is gone (or blue line is washed out, or chalk rubbed off, etc.). Your stitching becomes the line, and it cannot be compared to how "on or off" it is!

There are several leaf shapes in there somewhere!

So that worked out pretty well, until I got tired of scraping off all the little paper bits.
TIP: Scratch with your fingernail going the same direction as the sewing line...it won't pull against the stitches and stretch them. (OK, I know you will really pick at them any direction possible, because I did , too! But they might wash out as well.)

Now let's add insult to injury and discuss my bad choice of quilting thread.
I have a lovely salmony pink that matches the back...what was I thinking? Of course it shows up on the BLACK top!
And how many times have I said I will sacrifice the back to make the top look good? Hmmmmm????? The chickens are coming home to roost!
I am sparing you a picture, because A) it's really not that bad unless you are up close, and B) I can't take a picture that close.
I am using a very thin black thread and liking how that looks on the black fabric.

Those who know me have been asking this question: How long did you stick with your drawing & quilting on paper?
You know me so well.
It's true, after 3 paper triangles it was too much work, and I have now resorted to blocking out areas with a chalk marker!
The less you need to mark, the more freedom you have

It's easier to do the fill-in patterns free-hand after you've followed several sketched out ones. This will be a flower, the Welsh Rose, with it's big decorative leaves.

Check in soon for Part II, when I have the last of the side triangles done!
There's quite a bit more quilting to do on this, but as long as I have the black thread loaded, I'll launch into The Black T-Shirt Quilt!

With a Very Big Thank You to Cherry-Cherry & Rita who helped me baste TBTSQ this afternoon...a nasty story that will wait for another day! (Hint: "vintage" polyester "black" batting!).

Machine Quilting Free-Style (almost)

It's time to reveal some of the truths about machine quilting.
Or, as Harriet Hargrave likes to say, "Hand quilting with an electric needle".

In this case, I am quilting on a top that was made by someone else, although I have only myself to blame for the basting.

You have to choose your own priorities, and mine is to sacrifice the back if it will make the top look better! So my first job was to wind some bobbins with thread to match the top...but I was out of bobbins!

When that happens, something has to go.

This pink rayon thread has been retired!

I found two bobbins that were less than half filled, and removed the thread. I worked really fast, and was able to throw this in the trash before my PackRat genes engaged and made me create some sort of craft project.
The quilt is red, white and blue (though not patriotic) so I wound a bobbin of each color.

I like to do any in-the-ditch quilting first, though there is none on this one, due to the way the seams were pressed (something I could have fixed, but did not...a terrible vice on my part!).
Instead, I thought I'd quilt 1/4" inside the seams. That was nice, using the regular foot and feed dogs up. All I had to do was pay attention to some odd angles when making a turn.
Straight line stitching will pretty much stabilize the quilt all over, so then you can remove pins (if you basted with them) and free-motion one area at a time.
Then I spent 3 days thinking about how I was going to quilt down all the white background without doing any stippling!

This is going to be a very puffy quilt!

I went for the easy part first, the little square in the center.
Using a blue washout pen and a ruler, I made a dot right in the center.
Starting at that point, I made a big loop into each corner. Then I made another loop toward each side. Suddenly, I had a flower!
OK, now I'm on a roll.....I figured how to do the same thing for the other white areas (the hexagon? the lozenge?).

The blue pen! I can see it! I can take it out!

I like the blue washout pen....you might, too, but follow the directions! COLD water only to rinse it out, don't leave it on for days & days, NO SOAP the first time you wash the quilt.

Yes, it does take two lines to find the center.

Usually there are all sorts of lines, corners or other places on a pieced quilt so you can line up ruler. All I am looking for here is the center of this space, to put a dot where I will start and stop. I am not going to draw anything with the pen.
I am going to draw with my sewing machine needle and thread!

Needle down...don't leave home without it!

I started at the dot with some tiny stitches, and then moved down towards the point, made sure to loop through the seam allowance, and then returned to the dot. After that I looped up to the top and cam back down. In the picture, I have stopped before getting back to the dot.
Stopping during free-motion quilting is tricky, and it helps to have "needle down" on your machine. When you start, don't move the quilt...let the needle go back into the hole before you start moving. This will tend to help keep the line smooth, instead of having a little jog in it.
No "needle down"? Just turn the flywheel with your hand for the same effect!
You do not need have to have a fancy machine for quilting, just a nice strong one with a good straight stitch. In fact, many old machines are better than the new embroidery ones.

The quilter's secret friend!

Occaisionally, that white thread jumps right out into the dark blue area! Why can't you see it? Because I have colored it over with a permanent pen.
IMPORTANT TIP: be sure the ink is dried before you do more quilting, or you may end up with a mark somewhere you didn't plan on! I sometimes wait until I'm done for the day, then cover up any stray lines and let the quilt lay flat to let the ink dry. (It may be possible to remove permanent pen marks that have not been washed & dried by using a Q-tip and alcohol).

My pattern for this shape is "Lazy 8s and Lollipops" (just invented today!). The 8s are the loops toward each point of the shape, and the lollipops are a straight line with a circle at the end, and then stiching right on top the line back to the center. That was because I need just 4 more areas to have the seam allowance held down.

OK, let's take a look at the back...and you would know, I chose the worst looking spot for this picture!

I still say the back is not as important as the top...NQA certifed judges would not agree!

The true queen of machine quilting is Diane Gaudynski. She uses a regular home sewing machine, so check out her tips on her website to learn what she does. She does not run the machine at a very fast speed and create a firm line of stitches too tiny to see.
That's what I am aiming at....even stitches that you can see.
My aim may not be so good, but I am getting there!

I also suspect that excellence has to do with the amount of quilting you are willing to take out and do over again.
So check out my quilting if you see my quilts! I will not be winning any awards for excellence!
But it's bound to make you feel much better about yours!

Who needs a quilt?

If we each made a quilt everyday for the rest of our lives, we still could not meet the need that exists for charity quilts.
Almost every guild I've ever heard of has at least one charity project, and many independent quilters give away some potion of their work. Maybe quilters just happen to be people who think of others, even if that only includes people in their own families.

The range of projects is amazing. My guild makes quilts for children who are entering the foster care system (and placemats for Meals On Wheels and several other groups who ask for quilts). It seems like everyone likes making the smaller size kids quilts.
One member has just decided to severely reduce her stash, and asked that we use her donations to make some larger size quilts. So we're going to work on some for the older teens who are leaving the foster care system and have to live on their own.

The Veterans Hospital not far from here always needs quilts...as do many medical places. Remember the last time you had to wait for a doctor, wearing just a paper gown? Or maybe you've been involved with chemo-therapy. They keep those clinics really cold! A lap quilt can mean a lot to somebody, both physically and mentally.

Other great ideas I've heard are making doll quilts to go with beds that a local woodworkers group makes to give during the holidays, or making small quilts for the policemen to carry along for a person in need.

I remember talking with a lady who worked at a nursing home. She was lamenting that they had a closet full of knitted afghans! The problem was the laundry couldn't handle those, so the clients never got them...but a lot of effort had gone into the mading. It's always a good idea to ask before you start a charity project, and be sure what you can give will be what is needed & used. Just because another same-type organization loved getting quilts does not mean the place you might think of can use them.

One of the bravest projects my guild did one year was make utility style quilts to be given to homeless people. We gave them to a shelter, to be given to the people who were turned away for lack of room. Who knows how long those quilts lasted out on the streets...maybe a week, a month...maybe not that long. But they did give comfort for at least one night.

People in the guild are always begging for machine quilting classes, and the truth is that you just have to practise. The best thing to practice on is a charity quilt. It will give you the experience you need with handling a bulky item through your home sewing machine. And in the process you'll be creating something of use.

Any time I can find a "win- win" situation I am all for it!
Who needs a quilt?
Everybody does...for all kinds of reasons!