All the Things I am (not)

My friend Ruth posted a lovely message (with a million links) about how blogs can make us feel bad....and how to nip that in the bud.  She challenged us to write a similar type of entry glorying in our less than perfect selves with all our mess and bother.  I don't think anyone reading my blog/FB would get down on their mothering etc, since I am not sure that too many people actually read it, and besides, it is not as if I post about the organic homemade popsicles my perfectly coiffed, fashionable children are eating while using polite language to describe all of their fun extra-curricular activities.  hehehe okay that visual just cracked me up.  THAT is the first thing: Most of what I do is purely for my own entertainment.  And I despise popsicles.

I won't number these because they are all nested.....like the last two.  Besides, that kind of order requires a certain level of parallel structure that I really think I am incapable of managing.

I can't blow my nose.  Seriously.  Well, that isn't really true.  I have developed a system to get my sinuses clear, but the whole use a Kleenex?  Nope.  It makes my ears plug up.....and I always get mucus everywhere.  (Here is a nested one:  My kids say mucus.  We are geeks.  sigh!  At least it makes everyone else laugh. heh!)  I remember when I was little fighting with my mom over blowing my nose, and I suspect my rejection of it is due to the ear thing, but I can't be sure.  So as a corollary, I am also a sniffer.  I also can't sneeze only once.  It has to be like 27 times in a row.  (That really happened once.)  And my last nose related thing: I do NOT like it when people touch my nose.  This was tricky last week when my boy went through a touch noses phase.....

My housekeeper had to sneak in to my office to clean while I was in the States.  She is the greatest lady, but I often wonder what she thinks about me.  I am incapable of keeping my house clean, and what is more, I don't want to do it.  I guess the truth of the matter is: I am capable, I just won't.  Part of the issue is that I like having stuff OUT.  Especially true in my office, but not only there.  I really don't like having to go get my "eating" book.  When I sit down to eat, I want my book on the table.  I KNOW the table is not a great storage place, but if I always want it when I sit down?!?!  Did I mention that I almost always read while I eat?  Even when my children are at the table....sad, I know.  My daughter also reads at the table.

(This is all linked but seemed like the paragraph is getting too long to read easily online! hahaha)
Back to the issue of having things OUT, my husband is always buying storage systems for me.  He is alarmed by the stacks of fabric everywhere in my office.  He thinks that it is because there isn't someplace else for it to be.  There is:  it is on the floor....where I want it. heheh  A Large part of my creative process involves seeing things over a period of time.  Fabrics are often stacked in coordinating groups based on color, while my "storage" is by fiber.  This means that if I put it AWAY I can't use it as a palette to inspire me.  I also never know when the need is going to strike me and I will start work on it.  Having said that, I must admit that I have one palette that has been gathered and waiting since Hawaii...so more than 3 years.

I have no tolerance for pretending to be animals.  I like to believe that I am the kind of person who wants her children to be creative, but this is a creativity I can not abide.  The boy is a dog these days.  argh.  It is especially irritating when he tells me that dogs don't use the bathroom.  I usually point out that they also don't talk and he had better get in the bathroom. 1....2.....3.....4.  Penalty.

In my house we count to 4 when people are on their way to getting in trouble.  It is my favorite number, but it is getting a bit over-used of late.  We also have a penalty rather than a time-out.  It sounds more ominous.  But then I start getting worried that people will think I am going to beat my children when I ask them if they need a penalty.  And I do ask them.....and the boy usually answers yes.

And the last thing for today?  I can not manage to call to make a reservation for childcare.  I am incapable of making a phone call at the appointed half-hour.  sigh!  All the other things on my list are all things I have made my peace with.  They are a part of who I am, but this one drives me nuts.  I am trying to make a change, to exercise.  (because I find I make too many apocalypse jokes about me and exercise so something has to change.)  I signed the boy up.   I even paid already, and I simply can not get my act together at 5 p.m. to call for a reservation.  It doesn't help that the class I want to attend is the only one it fills up for.  I want to think of myself as a person who can make this happen.  I am not sure I can.  sigh!  If you are reading this around 5 p.m.  can you give me a call and tell me to go make a reservation?  please.

So take Ruth's dare and tell us all about the stuff under your bed or the junk in your trunk (hah) or whatever.  Be happy. k.

"Not a Wallflower"

When I started with Cursed Quilt we did a little block.  The fancy version of this block is the pocket on the bag featured here.  I decided to use the same block simplified as an example of how different a block can look based on fabric placement.  Of course what do you do with 2 mostly coordinating blocks?  Why make a quilt of course.

I decided (almost as soon as the blocks were finished) that I needed to make a quilt for S and that this palette would be a good transitional one for my girl....you know, not too little girly but still fun and lively for my eventual teen.  The black sashing goes a long way towards that effect I think.

The floral fabric was purchased on a Dongdaemun trip with Darsha.  We saw it and absolutely had to buy some.  I believe the baby blanket Darsha made (with the purple) belongs to Carolyn, sometime poster on the Cursed Quilt Blog. :)  I made Darsha give me all of what she had left over...and you will see why at the end of this post.

So this was the plan:  I would make pairs of blocks, one purple, one green.  Each block I chose has a little square in the center on point.  You can interpret this all sorts of ways....each one has a diamond in it's heart...I like the idea of imprinting my someday teenage girl with the idea (at least subconsciously) of keeping a little "square" in your center. heheh  You also don't have to be just exactly like your friends to go together. etc.  You get the idea.  You can see some of the pairs in the picture.  Most of these blocks come from the fabulous site "Quilter's Cache" which features the work of Marcia Hohn and is one of the best block collections I have ever seen!  I modified most of them to fit my needs, but she deserves the credit for all the inspiration.

The main central panel is my first ever applique' piece.  I was very pleased with myself, even if all those curves and inward points was perhaps not the BEST idea I have ever had for a first project.  I even gave the flowers on the panel a bit of a trapunto effect (a thin layer of batting between the applique' and the panel to puff it up a bit.....a tiny bit.  I wasn't THAT ambitious!)  That turned out to be quite hard to quilt through, although the effect is kind of interesting.  If you look closely at the pic of grandma you can kind of see the puff on the green one...)

Once I had it constructed (in March or April) it sat around.  I am too chicken to try to machine a piece this large but have absolutely no place to put a quilt on (frames) in this house (that wouldn't involve crawling under it to get in and out of the house!)  Luckily I planned to spend a good part of the summer at "Grandma's House."  Grandma being my dear mother Jean Johansen Hunt.  She is an experienced quilter and works very quickly so I knew we could get it done during the trip.  Perhaps it wasn't what SHE was hoping to do during our visit but..... hehehe.  My own "Grandma Hunt" (Phyllis P. Delange Hunt) was an insanely fast quilter.  I used to be amazed at how much she could do in a day when she lived in our "back yard" one year.


The hand quilting plan was simple for the blocks: stitch in the ditch.  My mom quilted ALL the blocks themselves.....while she did that I did about 7 inches of the sashing!  sigh! 

While the quilt was on I realized that the "name" of this quilt was "Not a Wallflower."  And as such, the sashing was going to have to be quilted in flowers.  I decided to try to make them individuals so I drew them all by "hand."  That said, there are a few repeats.  My tools for the drafting of these flowers included every size of plate and bowl my mom's cupboards had to offer, an advil bottle, the bottom of the thread spool and my own thimble.  The first few that I drew aren't much to look at....I even contemplated picking the quilting out on one that I really don't like anymore.  After a while I got the hang of them though and they are very interesting.  Of course, as you may expect, the more "interesting" a hand quilting is, the trickier it is.  The effect was more than I could have hoped for though, so it was all worth it....wasn't it Mom?!?! hehehe

Many of the flower designs are supposed to echo the styles of the floral fabric.  There are also a few hearts sprinkled throughout to echo the other black and white print used, and the applique'd hearts on the corner blocks (which are sadly not visible in any pics.)  Most of the flowers are too large for the space so their edges are all tucked underneath as you can see in the picture.  I teally like that effect.  After we started quilting, I realized I should have planned the center so that the sashing and central panel could be continuous in the hand quilting....but the planning of THAT would probably been the demise of the design and it would never have been quilted. :)

I still haven't figured out how to tag this one.  I wanted to do a long embroidery on the binding but my machine is in desperate need of servicing so I had to give it up or risk more swearing than perhaps is good for my soul.  This is what I WANT on the tag:

"Not a Wallflower"
Spring and Summer 2010
for Senneth Anne Hartvigsen
Designed by Kimberly Hunt Hartvigsen (her mother)
Quilted by Jean Johansen Hunt (her grandmother)

You can see that is a mouthful....pageful? most of the binding?  I think I will probably make some more printer fabric and just print a tag so it will be small and attach it on the back.

You can see in the top pic that I made S some matching pillowcases.  This last pic was taken after that project was completed.  This represents ALL the floral fabric there is left.  ALL.  I had to piece together some of the triangles to get the pillowcase border I wanted!  The other pillowcase  has the backing fabric and black on the edge.  (That is the green and turquoise floral you can see bits of.  This was purchased at the quilt shop in Lyons, CO where mom likes to shop sometimes.  Not the cheapest place around, but when you NEED something wonderful they always seem to have it.  We had several options picked out and this is the one S liked best.)

SO there, I actually finished a thing.  Hah!  As you can see, it has even made it on the bed, although it is still too hot to sleep with it I think.  The binding was ALL attached during the days off from school for the typhoon "Kompasu."  How is THAT for a story?  Now go sew something. k.

Building With What We Have

As you know I am actually rather enamored of the idea of the Quilts of Valor Foundation.  This is partially because I have been feeling the need to do more "good works" and quilting is a way to do that and still be doing what I want!  (Perfection is still a long way off, I know...)  I also feel more of a connection to the soldiers in question and have thought a great deal about the healing that all of the deployed soldiers need, not just the physically wounded ones.  N. has many patients who need all the support they can get as they struggle to put their lives back together.

So this is my first design and it is almost ready for presentation! 

The design is a Split Log Cabin, that is, a Long Cabin Block that is cut in half and joined to a different block.  In order to do this and have them be square the center is actually a rectangle....the square plus seam allowances through the center.  I saw a quilt done like this online and really liked the look of it.....especially since I had a jelly roll to do it with.

The quilt is actually a bit more than one jelly roll in size....the lighter colors come from a different roll.  It was so easy to put the blocks together with the pre-cut strips. 

The hardest part to put together was the border on the side of course, but I really wanted to give it a sense of being a work table....and that the process of rebuilding is ongoing.  It has all sorts of crazy bias and making things look "random" is actually very tricky.

N. recommended alternating the direction of the blocks, and I really like the way that turned out.  I even tried to set each split square with one going each way.  Of course, many of the squares aren't actually split....they were made as a half as I got down to smaller and smaller pieces that would go together.  The outer row is actually just slightly longer than the 42 inch strip on a full split block.  If you look close, some of them have slightly different colors on the outside of one corner.  Others have matching centers but not matching outsides.  It all worked out though.

The back is also black and has little stars on it.

After a day of trying to figure out why the picture of the quilting (by the lovely Debbie Younkin of Fort Collins near mom's house) I have given up.  Some day I may have the presence of mind to figure out why everything else works but that pic won't.....sigh!  You are just going to have to trust me that it looks GREAT!  It is a whirlpool style all-over design and it works really well.

And so we don't get too bogged down in things I OUGHT to be doing, here is the last pic of the "Presentation Case" which is simply a coordinating Pillowcase.

All in all, this has been a great experience that I plan to continue.

Now I need to go bind "Not a Wallflower" and if I am really ambitious I will post pics of the pillowcases I made for the 1,000,000 Pillowcase challenge (and you can find info about that HERE!)

In the meantime, make something that makes you smile even if it is a mess (or some order, if that is more your style.....mine is mess in case you were wondering. heh) k.

Building a Temple

As part of Darsha's Summer Challenge for Cursed Quilt I decided to make a block of the Seoul Korea Temple.  It is a fairly odd shaped building, so I was a little worried that it wouldn't convey the sense of the building but I really think it does.  Not bad for my first representational block design.

If you don't know what this is supposed to look like click here There are lots of little details that could be added in, but as maybe you can tell, my favorite part is the cool wavy bushes in front.  (After my time teaching here in Korea, if you had asked me to describe the temple, that is perhaps the only detail of the exterior that I could have given....well that and the super steep street you have to walk up to get there.
The structure of the Temple is done with "foundation piecing" and that was an adventure to figure out.  The great breakthrough for me (although why it took me so long to imagine it that way I haven't any idea) was to divide it into columns around each pillar.  The tiny pieces that make up the doorway were pretty tricky too, but despite my lack of experience, applique' with the machine is really pretty straight forward.  I was emboldened to use the tiny tiny pieces after watching my mom make some dainty little bugs for Miss Emily's flower garden quilt....The wavy bushes are also applique' and are a little hard to see in the pic.  Sorry.

I worked on an almost literal "million things" this summer and have tried to take pics as I went, but that means I have a terrible backlog of  reporting.  I intend to put them all up, but we know all about good intentions and where they lead!  The projects include tie-dyeing 39 shirts, hand quilting a whole lot (Grandma Hunt did MOST) on "Not a Wallflower" for Senn, a whole cloth butterfly hanging for Mom's Birthday etc.  I also made pillow cases to go with Wallflower, went windsurfing with no wind, prepared my first "Quilt of Valor" submission, and contemplated but still didn't bind the tree.  Poor neglected tree.

Happy sewing, reading, cooking or whatever else it is you are doing.  Be happy. k.

Uproar in my Head

Not so much "work" or "play" lately.  Just one of those internal times I guess.  I have several projects that call out for finishing, a whole lot of mess that calls out for organizing and a whole lot of sitting and just contemplating that seems to be the only thing happening. :)

Yesterday Isaac and I ventured out to the Sejongno Immigration Office.  To my dismay last week I discovered that many things were set to expire while we are home on our family trip.  The most important of which was a little stamp in our passports.  I (of course) just missed the convenient "on post" way to get that taken care of so I had to go down town. 

After all my online research, trying to figure out just what this was going to involve I had worked myself in to quite a state....so I geared up for spending the day waiting and waiting.  I even made plans for how I was going to get Senn home form school if 10-2 was not enough time to get the job done!

We were done in less than an hour.

That made me happy.

So now I really need to get packing for the trip, need to wrap up some of those projects and do about a million loads of laundry (complicated by the fact that it is super humid and stuff will never dry.  I wonder how bad it would be to pack my laundry and wash it at mom's. hehehehe

There has been a lot of mental drama too, but as that eases off, I find that I don't even want to explain.  I need to just let it wash over me. :) k.

My "New" Toy or Anthropologie Catalog here I come!

Recently, I asked for a new toy.  It seemed like a good idea at the time.  Like all interesting ideas it was quite expensive and hard to come by.  A good deal of arranging had to take place but my dear husband always seems to come through.  Now all this talk of gifts, you may think this was a birthday gift...but alas, this treasure has been sitting on my desk unused since Christmas.

Perhaps it doesn't look like much to you but this, Dear Reader, is a ruffler foot and not just any ruffler. This is a ruffler for my serger.

I have had my serger for a good many years.  (I bought it in DC....yeah, a good many!) I don't really end up using it all that much.  The edge is too wide, too bulky, too too too....for boxpleat doll work.  (In general...I have been trying to use it more lately to good effect as it really is quite a good machine and more versatile than I give it credit for. :)

So while this little "thing" isn't going to change the world, it certainly has facilitated some fun.

Here is what I spent the day Friday making:

The fabric is a very soft shirting weight..... chambray maybe?  It is 100% cotton, a pleasing color and I got an extra 1/2 a yard for free because there was a spot I thought would wash out.  (It did!)

With the ruffler foot on the serger this went from strips of fabric to skirt in a remarkably short time.  You see, this foot gathers what it finds on the bottom and leaves the top smooth....so really all I did was hold the fabric lightly and sew straight lines.

Well okay, it was a little trickier than that.  In fact, I think it will probably benefit from some practice.  It is a little tricky to hold the fabric in place without putting any real tension on it.  If you put any traction on the bottom layer it doesn't feed at a regular rate and you end up with straight patches instead of even ruffles.  In some sections the serged edge is not fully over the edge of both fabrics...but like I said, I think both of those problems are easily addressed now that I know what to watch for in my technique.

The one tricky thing I still am not quite sure how to solve is the problem of estimating the tiers.  When making a skirt like this the traditional way...with lots of pins and gathering stitches...you just take your two very differently shaped pieces and pin the centers, divide and pin again and again until you can pull the gathering threads and have nice even gathers that make it all the way around.  When I worked on this skirt I ended up having to add another piece to the bottom ruffle because, as much as I had, it was simply not enough to get to the end.  (That will be partially solved by decreasing the differential feed....ie the ratio of bottom gathering for every smooth stitch on top.)  I am sure there is a way to do this with math + patience but I haven't quite figured it out yet.

Once the ruffled tiers were put together... (Oh, I used the high tech measuring system of holding the first tier around my hips, adding a bit and there you go!) I plain serged the top and bottom edge.  The elastic is a half inch wide and reminds me of the kind of elastic stretchy belts were made of in the 80s!  It is fairly firm and will stand up to a lot of stretch while maintaining its  shape.  The top of the skirt is just rolled over the elastic (edge of elastic and serged edge line up.)  I put 4 rows of stitching over the top (sewing while it was stretched of course) and I will never have to worry about the irritating twist in the elastic that haunts all my casings. hehehehe  You will note that this skirt has a boxpleat tag in it.  This is the first full sized piece of clothing to bear my label.  Not that I haven't made anything for myself before....just that I always thought of boxpleat as my "Doll Business" but really it is just me and if I made it, it should have my tag. 

I chose a "fancy" stitch for the top stitching and hem.  I wanted to do it for the waist also, but I chickened out because the decorative stitches move so much back and forth I figured it would be too hard to maintain the tension in the elastic without pulling the stitch our of shape.  The fancy stitch took FOREVER!  I had forgotten that one of the reasons it is nice to do doll sewing is that you never have to do the same thing for too long.  I like the way it turned out...and that is what made me think of the catalogs of my college days.  The thread is a variegated rayon in blue gray and white, so the color progresses as you follow the stitching.

Once the skirt was finished I threw it in the washing machine.  I was perhaps a little zealous, not knowing what to expect from my little toy and the skirt was BIG....like Square Dance big.  After a wash, I twisted the skirt and then left it to dry.  The resulting shape appears neither too full, nor will ever have to be ironed...in fact, it really shouldn't be. hehehe (You know you like the sound of that.)

My only real disappointment with it is the hem.  After the wash, there is a bit of cupping....I think because the rayon thread may have shrunk.  Not sure how I would get around that in the future.  It isn't really a visual problem on this skirt with all the crinkles, but something to wonder about.  Anyone out there have any ideas?  I probably needed to have some stabilizer in the hem....sigh!

So go make something.  It will make you happy (even if you hide it in the back of your closet and no one else ever sees it. ;) k.

Mastery

It is an interesting thing to watch children pursue mastery...but I should say that it is also fun to watch (or be) an adult in the pursuit of it as well.

For my birthday I bought myself some quilt books...all filled with spiky things. Quilt Mavens and Mariner's Compass.

So this is what I have been playing at the last day or so. The fabrics are from my friend's "Quilts of Valor" challenge for Cursed Quilt (which really is cursed by the way....I was supposed to go fabric shopping with a member and my son announced that he was going to be sick. Hasn't yet, but I am not going ANYWHERE in the car. ;)

 In order to use this book you have to either know how to do foundation piecing (paper piecing) or be a bold adventurer.  Either way she has some great designs in here and...even better...some good instructions on how to make your own!  You can see my sketch here with the book.  Not super complex or even as spiky as I am inclined to be, but it is my first effort.

As this was for the challenge I actually drafted this twice.... the foundation in the picture is only 8 1/2 inches.  Since the blocks are supposed to be 12 1/2 I realized that I had better just draw it again and not be lazy. hehehe

The trickiest part of this whole process is figuring out how to divide the design and decide which section has to be done first.  I could see there were several ways to do it, but everyone was going to require one of my shapes to be split.  Here you can see it as it is so far...

I like the look of the circle in the center of compass designs but I am not so sure I really want to do any applique' hehehe.  (I also am not sure I know what color it should be when I do it...) The fabrics for the Challenge are the two dark prints.

As for my Mavens Book...this block makes me feel cool.  Yes I know I am a terrible quilt geek...and that it may not go with all the rest of my blocks that I designed for the challenge quilt.  But I LIKE it.  (Note: this is a pattern from the CD that comes with the book....and it was 9 inches, thus the borders...but I even like those.  The inner fading border is from a  fabric I got for my "How I Spent My Summer Vacation" which is still just a top in my work box.
Yeah, I know.  Quilt Geek.  You can't have any idea how I agonized over getting the lines of little dots in the middle of that spike.  Surprisingly hard.  But worth it I think. heh.

This style of block is sometimes called a "New York City Beauty" and other variations on the theme.  That appears to mean that it is a spiky 1/4 circular pattern.  That is actually how I found the books I bought....searching for that type of Art Deco block with the arcs in it.  The books I ended up with are better than any of the ones purporting to be about actual "New York City Beauty" blocks.

Do something that makes you happy today.  It doesn't even have to be spiky! k.

And Another Kind of Work

As you may be aware, the boy loves trains in all their many forms.  For his birthday he got trains, of course.....and so nearly every day I have a new kind of work.

The picture on the top is today's creation. I like the spiral levels but we simply don't have enough corners. hehehe (You can see the wimp out raw edges in the center of the pic.)

The second picture is actually from several weeks ago when I meant to write this entry. I was particularly pleased with this one as there are no raw edges to be found and I believe all track can be traversed in a single loop.

For the record these are GeoTrax and the best price I have found is actually from the FisherPrice website!

The trouble with making fun train tracks is that i doesn't get that I don't actually want to PLAY trains. He is only moderately interested in the building process and I am not so interested in making things go around and around and around...

In addition to the fact that he will regularly state that he just doesn't like this one...I have somewhat mixed feelings about this new work of mine. (He also regularly tells everyone that his dad bought him all these trains, despite the fact that all but the very first small set have been acquired by me. hehehe N is lucky he has such a great assistant to make sure gifts get ordered, make travel arrangements and do the laundry. hah!) In any case the work continues....

A Cleaning Day?

As you can probably see, the office is even worse than usual.  The reason?  Well I actually did some things. hehehe

Yesterday I sent out several boxes.  I sent 13 yards of sequin fabric to my dear friend Pam Seeman of Paint Box (She designs doll clothing like I do.)  We met at my first Doll Convention because some customers just can't keep Paint Box and Boxpleat separate. hehehe  She graciously offered to take some of my work with her when she goes to the Final "Official" Gene Convention in June, so I spent the first part of the week sorting, pricing and packing the odds and ends that I had.  I told her I had a few pieces but was surprised to find that I had more than 100.  Not all of it is "never before seen" but there is quite a lot.  The best part about this set up is that I don't have to take pictures!  I will say this: I sent a Large Priority Flat Rate box and it was entirely filled to the brim.  I hope some of my customers will find some things they like and will remember me fondly.  Gene was my first convention.

In the meantime, you can see the state this has left my office in.  I also sent away the large box for hte Humanitarian Aid Center....16 pounds of wall hangings and new clothing for the Orphanage Modules they make.  I figured with the big earthquake disasters we have been having lately, the stocks are probably being depleted.

I am feeling a drive to do more, to use my hands to make and build....but first I need to get organized in my own head, and thus I need to organize my own space.  Here's to a clean office and an orderly mind.  Happy day to you. k.

Always a Quandry...

Ooops, in the throes of my Anti-picture post I forgot to do my office pic.  Maybe I had better just give that up as an affectation.  What do you think?

This is what I have to present for today....and my quandry.  (Sometime I will get back up to speed with all the other adventures I am having, but it is good to start small. :)

This is a little piece I put together with one of my Brand-Spanking New Accuquilt GO!  (I think the exclamation mark is part of the trademark. heheh)  It is a pretty snappy little thing and works well for what it is.  What is that you may ask?  Well it is a die cut system designed for fabric.  Accuquilt Website  You buy a cutter (called a die) for each specific shape you need.  I have the small version (GO!  Be sure to note the exclamation mark.) which will precision cut up to 6 layers at a time.  (The Studio version is a little heavier duty at 10 layers.)

Now those of you who know me well may be perplexed.  This is a great product for people who like to do the same thing over and over again....which as you know I do not. 

I still think that it will be a useful product in my office, but I am going to have to work at it a bit.

Cutting the Apple Cores was actually fun....fun for Senneth.  As the dies are foam with the blades buried inside they are safe to handle; so I prepared the fabric pieces and had S. crank the handle that forces the die between the rollers.  She reported that it was great fun and was disappointed when I announced that we were done for now.  What you see above are some of the pieces we cut.  The curved edges have the notches in the die so the centers of those curves are already marked.  I still had to snip the concave edges when putting them together but the results were fairly easy to achieve.  I didn't take a close up but the corners set in beautifully.

My difficulty is this:  Now that I have this cute little piece, do I wrap it up quick as a wall hanging and put it in the box going to Humanitarian Services (I even have left over red bias tape to bind it with!) or do I find some blue and do the whole primary color thing in an actual quilt.  I have more yellow but not more red....well except for the bias tape.  (Wow that yellow is hard to read.  I see why good web designers don't do colors very often. hehehe)

What do you think?  In the meantime I think I will go back to working on the Circles piece.....

Go Check out the Cursed Quilt Blog.  I posted the pics of the Wall Hangings we have ready to go.  Be sure to comment on the ones you like best.  There are a few more that didn't quite get finished, so there may be more pics later. :)  Have a happy day. k.

Okay, so I think I am avoiding my own blog.  How sad is that?!?!

Part of the reason I had to take a break from doll sewing is that I despise the taking pictures thing.  I am not that good at it, it is time consuming and not as much fun as ALL the other aspects of my work....which means I let it pile up until there is a mountain of it which is simply just too tall to climb.

So here we are again, only it is the quilting I need to do pics of.... :(  time for doll sewing again? heheh  A dear friend has offered to take some of my work to the last Gene Convention in June so I am feeling a bit tempted to make a few spectacular bits just to have some income without all the PICTURES!?!? 

Things I should be posting about over the last month include:  The Hexagon Placemats, the Butterfly Garden experiment, my Strip Hexes and Modern Art, and let's not forget the Foundation Stripped Asian experiment....there is also the Unnamed Circle project on the floor (needs borders before I can inset the rest of the circles.)  Oh and there is a new fabric palette here on one of my bins crying out to be something....but only after the Micheal Miller "Lagoon" gets to be something (I like those so well I am feeling a little chicken to cut in to it! hehehe)  AND I have yet to even try out my Accuquilt GO! cutter (I plan on doing THAT today.) And I suppose on a final note, I just found out that the Yongsan Quilters Group has a Statler Stitcher?!?!?  $35,000 of longarm computer amazingness that is available for use.  Of course, I can't find anyone to tell me about it (or how to join if you hae to be a member...NEED to work on that.)

So there!  No pictures, but not short on Work or Play. k.

My Hex Tutorial

Here it is. (click this...it goes to the Cursed Quilt Blog)  This does not include their final status as placemats, but gives a step by step on how to sew those tricky Hexagons together with your machine.  (Sorry for no Office Picture....I know you are all anxiously wondering whether anything will ever get put away... :)

k.

This morning I finally finished the "Prize" for the Cursed Quilt Group Challenge I issued when we first started.

It took me so long not because it is a hard project but because I was slow to find the black tote bag to put it on. heh.  Dongdaemun came to the rescue of course.  What will I do when I move back to the States and can't go to one place to find the makings of (incredibly) ANYTHING I could ever imagine. hehehe

So this is a super easy thing you can do with a loose quilt block or any size....

The Basic Instructions are in Courier and the optional details are in my regular font.  If you just want the easiest way, read only the Courier....but even the optional details aren't hard, just more time consuming.  Be a bold adventurer. :)

First make sure your block is pressed out nicely.  It will be easier if everything lays flat and behaves itself.  Choose a fabric for the back and cut to the exact size your block is now.  For mine I choose the bright red Chinese print, as that was the color I wanted to highlight out of the block.

If you have some experience or are a bold adventurer, add the piping now.  If that freaks you out, skip to the next Courier section.....Okay, so only the bold ones are with us still?  Great, custom piping is actually super easy.  It does require a few additional steps but will strengthen the edge of the pocket and impress people even more when you tell them you made it. hehehe  Cut a strip of your fabric: it needs to be 1+ inches wide and at least as long as the block you are doing the edge on.  

Are you ready for the secret?  All piping is just a piece of cord in a fold of fabric.  Traditionally, the piece of fabric is cut on the bias, but for an easy straight application like this, I just used a straight cut.  The cord?  I just used some thick yarn I have.  When I have made piping for application to some of my doll work I have just used crochet thread.  So all you do is lay your cord down the center of your fabric strip and fold it over.  I stitch it using my zipper foot (which is the skinny one with the needle spaces on the side rather than the center...be sure to remember to move the needle over to the side.)  I guess I need a picture here, eh?  I will work on it.  Now just sew right along the edge of the cord through both layers of fabric.

Still Piping....keep skipping if you aren't doing this part. :)  Now trim the fabric raw edge on your piping to 1/4 inch (from stitching to raw edge, don't count the cord) or whatever your seam allowane is going to be.  Pin it with the raw edge right along what you choose as the TOP edge of your pocket and stitch right over your previous stitching.  When that is finished, fold the little corners of the piping back a little to get them tucked in and away form the seam allowance for the next step.

And finished with piping.  If you want to make a plain elastic button loop, you need to put that in now.  That is just a loop of elastic about the right size to go over the button you want to use.  Be sure to leave some good long edges that extend over your seam allowance so the elastic doesn't just pull out when you use it.   Pin it in place with the loop laying over the top of your pocket and the edges pointing up. (That way, when you turn things right side out the edges are inside and the look outside.)  You should probably measure if there isn't an obvious landmark for the center of your block....unless you want it off center - which is fine as long as you mean it. hehehe.

Instructions for the fancier loop I did, are at the bottom.

Now, with right sides together, sew straight along your seam allowance for all the sides, leaving a gap that is a little wider than your hand in the bottom.  I usually backstitch just a few at the edges of my opening to keep it from coming apart as I manhandle it right side out.  If you cut the corners at an angle just outside where your stitching crosses, it is easier to get the corners to be pretty.  Don't cut too close though or it will come apart and you can't blame me for your swearing, okay? :)

When you have it turned right side out, press it.  Make sure you fold in the edges of your opening when you press and then pin it shut.  You can hand stitch it closed at the point or just be careful with the pins still in.

Before you put it on the bag, top stitch along the top of the pocket to give it some strength and to help it keep a crisp edge.  This goes for you guys with piping too.   Now is also the time to put some machine quilting on to your block.  Like the top stitching, it will help strengthen your pocket and keep it from looking saggy.  On mine I went around the "squares."  You don't need to do all of the block, but you want it to hold together well.  I didn't even put the feed dogs down....just sewed along the lines.

Once you are finished with the top and machine quilting, pin (or baste)your pocket in place.  Stitch right along the edge (making sure to backstitch at the top opening edges as they will be facing the greatest strain.)  If you leave your needle down when you get to the corner you can carefully turn your bag and stitch along the next side without ending.  The hardest part about this project is keeping the rest of the bag out of the way while you stitch it on. :)

And guess what?  You can be done if you want to be....

If you want to try the fancy loop I did, cut yourself a long (12-18? inch) bias strip that is 1 inch wide.  (I looked for a bias tutorial online but they are all a LOT more than we need.)  Mine has a seam in it so I didn't have to cut it out of the center of my fabric.....Mom used to hate when I did that!  Once you have your strip, fold it in half and sew (leave a long tail of thread, don't trim it yet!)  If I want my tube to be 3/8 inch, I start stitching slightly wider than that and move to my desired width in the first inch of sewing.  It makes it a little easier to get started when you are turning it inside out.  Sew to the end.

I know there are fancy tools for turning tubes that you can buy but I have never gotten around to actually buying one. hehehe  This is what I do:  The long tail of thread from the top that is a little wider right at first?  That goes through the eye of a really big needle (and I mean big like for needlework on plastic canvas!)  I loop the thread through it several times so it won't slide.  Then I just fish the needle through the loop, pulling very gently to ease the edge down in.  It may take some time and patience, but you can do it.  Don't pull too hard on your needle or the thread will break and you won't be able to get it turned inside out afterall.  (Trust me, I have done that A LOT....but usually when I am trying to make tiny tiny bias cord....like 1/16 inch :)

With your tube in hand, make a loop shape that is pleasing to you.  It can have any number of loops in it, they can be the same or different sizes.  Your ends will need to END in the center so they can be hidden.  Once you have a shape you like, tack it together at all the intersections so it will hold its shape without you.  Once that is done, you can tack it on the top of the pocket, lining things up so they please you.

I will go back and take some pictures of some of these steps as I can see my explanations, although perfectly clear to me, may need some additional support. :)  I guess I had better go get another bag and start again. hehehe  Maybe N will get his Skull Fabric Church Bag after all. hehehe k.

The Manifesto

Perhaps it was the change in the weather, perhaps it was just time, but yesterday I wrote the Manifesto.  I guess this is the first blog entry about my REAL work...which is mom-ing.  So here is how it happened:

My kids are smart and clever and usually very good....which is why I don't have any skills I guess.  They drive me nuts some times.  Yesterday, as we are dragging ourselves out of the Valley of the Shadow of Virus, it was more than I could bear.  S was playing a game that is so engrossing it allows her to completely ignore everything including i, which is saying something.  Instead of saying something he decided that throwing things at her might work.  So all I hear from the other room is the continuous racket of her game + "Mom, i is throwing stuff at me!" in super-whine mode.  Then he is blocking the view then....you get the idea.  When I emerged from my office (in full bear mode) I made her pause her game (the day before when this happened I actually turned it off) and announced that it was off until the whole living room was cleaned up.  Pouty throwing things in a bin, while perhaps calculated to show Mama how irritated you are, does VERY little to win Mama's favor....and so I found myself saying the same thing for the third day in a row: You can put things away right once, or you can keep putting them away until they are put away right.

And after the third day of that I realized that she doesn't really believe me.  Things need to change.

I retreated to my office once the room was clean....and it got clean all right with a great deal of pouting...and decided that girl needs some rules!  And that boy too....and a little more humbly...and that Mama.  Sigh!

Here are the s rules:
I can put things away properly one time or I can continue to do it as many times as it takes.
I understand that my attitude determines how long things will take.

I can be kind to others while I play.  If I can not be kind while I play something, I will have to stop
playing.  I will receive 1 warning.

If my toys or games lead me to make poor choices or to be disobedient (or sassy) they will
be placed on the refrigerator or in the trash.  I will receive 1 warning.

I will do as I am asked the first time.  I do not have to like it or agree, but I can obey to show
that I know how to handle myself and my responsibilities.





And the i rules:
I will not throw toys at anyone.
I will clean up when Mama or Daddy says “Clean Up!”
I can be obedient to show I am a BIG BOY and can make choices for myself.
If I disobey with toys they go on the refrigerator or in the trash.

And the Mama rules:
I will be patient and give specific warnings, reminding each child of the consequences.

I will come the first time when I am called politely.

I will listen patiently to explanations.  I do not have to listen to excuses.

I will give hugs and kisses whenever I am asked with NO delay.

When the Manifesto was presented at Dinner s said I needed to add "I will not yell." Sigh!

So we reviewed the Manifesto at bed time and I had s read her own out loud.  I read i his and then I read mine.  I think it will work......

And at bus time this morning, before morning prayer, we did it again.  S read hers out and when I tried to read i his, he grabbed the paper and said a few things about cleaning up and the trash.  I think he gets it.  Now I need to be better.  I can be, I just know it. k.

This is a pic of today outside (since my office pic can't capture it!)  In the pot there is a tough old beet that is the only thing that survived of the Summer Garden trial......and three new potato plants that are reaching for the sun.

Resting My Hands

After the tree, I was so excited about machine quilting and how well it was going that I worked on i's quilt....which is also going very well....and now my hands hurt.  I have been resting them for several days but progress is irritatingly slow because, well, I have to keep using them.  Sheesh!  I have been working on wall hanging ideas for the March Challenge for Cursed Quilt Group.  They are turning out cute so far (trying to use all the many sea creature fabrics I keep buying) but they both are crying out to be....wait for it....machine quilted.  Sigh!  I actually need to decide on backs for them before we get there, so I suppose that means Dongdaemun again.  Hooray.  I love it there.  (I ought to do an entry about that place so all of you can feel jealous....all two of you!)

I am not going to show what I am up to as they are for the Challenge....but I have been wondering about "ideas" and ethics in quilting.  For one of the designs I did, I used a FISH block drafted from scratch using this design I found at Lazy Girl and here is the designer's page Far Flung Quilts.  It is a good idea.   I used it somewhat differently than in the quilt, but I suspect that is quibbling.   So should I pay $8 plus shipping for a pattern I am not going to use because I already used it?!?!  You see my trouble.  I don't need the paper, I don't want to pay shipping.....should I email the designer and send her some paypal cash because it is a great idea but I don't want her pattern?  Sigh!  Almost any quilt design falls in to this category because if you look at enough quilts it is easy to see HOW to do what they are doing.

...time passes...literally I did this live. :)

So I just emailed the designer and explained the situation and offered to paypal her some cash, and asked how much she thinks would be appropriate.  We shall see what response we get....in a few days.  Being off timezone from most of my online community is a little strange.  I will edit the post when we hear back.

My only other similar experience is when I emailed Dreamweaver Stencils to ask if it would be okay to use her stencils on boxpleat products for sale.  Her email response was gracious and made me want to send business her way.  It also made me feel virtuous to get permission and do things properly.  Of course "Properly" in my current case probably means buying the pattern of the fish.

I had better go take my office pic for this entry.  Sorry there won't be any other pics, although you can probably guess what at least one of the projects looks like now...at least in part.  The other one is a "stack and whack."  What you don't know won't hurt you....at least in this case. hehehe k.

...more time passes...

And once again, doing the right thing wins! I just received a gracious email from the designer, Carolyn Griffin saying she was pleased to be an inspiration. So one of you guys (April? heheh) go buy one of her patterns. :)

Yea, Nourish the Tree as it Beginneth to Grow

Alma 32:41 But if ye will nourish the word, yea, nourish the tree as it beginneth to grow, by your faith with great diligence, and with patience, looking forward to the fruit thereof, it shall take root; and behold it shall be a tree springing up unto everlasting life.

Although the prophet Alma is talking about the "Word" and our testimonies, I have always thought this was an excellent metaphor for marriages and families. This project has seen all that and more!

Here it is in all its unbound glory. I will give details after the pics.

 

As I mentioned earlier, it is still unbound and the explanation for that is in its history.....

When I completed the machine quilting I went in search (on my computer) for the pattern thinking I might post the pattern as well in case there were any masochists out there. It was the date on the files that surprised me though. I knew I had started this mosaic before s was born. She is 7 so that puts the date at 7+ right. The earliest file date is November 21, 1999....so yeah, I dare you to dig out a project that has been hidden away that long!


The pattern was completed, the mosaic laid out (the grid it is built on is a PELLON product, fusible), and the seams more or less sewn straight. (You lay out and fuse all the little squares and then sew along the grid lines to actually piece it together.) There were a few problems, little edges that weren't fully incorporated etc so I got a little frustrated....and it got laid aside.

The pattern itself is 39X39 inches (before the seams are sewn) which means there are 1521 1X1 squares in 15 colors.  Somewhere is an exact count of how many squres I had to cut in each color but I can't seem to find it.

In addition to the troubles of a few loose edges, I realized that this was going to have to be machine quilted. With such a density of seam, it would be a nightmare to try to do by hand. At some point, several years after the initial creation, I attempted to quilt it in squares using the clear monofilament thread. After about 1/4 of it, I decided I hated it. Eventually that all got picked out. (I didn't have a mcahine I could put the feed dogs down on, so it was bunchy on the back and....well, boring.)
Fast forward several years, the family goods are being divided in to storage and ship. More than half of my fabric went in to storage because, while I can NOT control my purchasing of fabric I do have a good sense of what I am not going to use in the next little while. hehehe. As I was sorting through things, I came across the tree (wrapped with its back and batting still after all these years) and decided I wasn't willing to lose it if the storage was destroyed, so tossed it in one of the Ship bins. ALL my quilting supplies otherwise went in to the Storage stuff because honestly I hadn't quilted in years, being much too busy with Boxpleat.


Now we come to the part that should give you hope for all your set aside projects....as I hae mentioned earlier in the blog, I got burnt out. Feeling unmotivated to sew for my work (dolls) I decided I ought to sew something else, and what's more, I ought to use my sewing skills to encourage my social life. heheh The Cursed Quilt Group comes on the scene....


Suddenly my energy returns as quilting picks up all the slack imagination that has been sitting around bored and we are off and running. I's quilt (see "Trains" below) is going to have to be machine quilted so I get over my reticence and TRY IT. Come to find out I really like it. Of course having a flash sewing machine that obeys my will is part of that success. (Although I have had this machine for years, so that isn't really any excuse....I got it just before s was born.)

After my little square practice, I needed an interim sized project to help me get the hang of managing the fabric bulk.....ah, the TREE. And here we are. k.


Details of the Machine Quilting: Bark, Air, Leaf, Bush, Grass and Stones (in case you couldn't guess what you were seeing.  Sorry the grass is growing sideways!)

The Secret to Surviving February

February has never been my favorite month, and in the depths of our extra cold winter (which is breaking as I finally get around to posting this.....so slow, I know. I will get the rhythm of this blogging one of these days!) I decided that what I REALLY needed was some color. So here it is! (Complete with a pic of what it actually looked like the day these events occurred.)




This first picture was my favorite. Lilies with the tips edged in a sunny yellow, irises and sweet pea for height. The last time I bought irises at the Flower Market they were really expensive and most didn't even open up when I got them home. I had already purchased the lilies and knew that irises would be just the thing so I bought them anyway with the assumption that I would be disappointed. Not only were they much cheaper (slightly more than half what I paid last time) every single one opened up gloriously....if somewhat after the pic was taken. The sweet pea also opened up all along its length, although the lower ones were browning by the time the top ones opened.

This arrangement sucked the water down like crazy. It is in one of my BIG vases and it went dry (seriously) 4 times. I was pleased at how well this one lasted, looking great right up to the end.

The more FALL flavored arrangement was n's favorite. The lilies were dyed I think (as their leaves had a reddish brown tinge as well that was more noticeable as the arrangement faded.) They were so beautiful I couldn't pass them up even though I already had lilies bundled under my arm when I saw them. They were surprisingly inexpensive....which meant what it usually does, that they were little tired and weren't going to last quite as long. Lilies are actually good survivors and will often recover and last longer than other flowers in an arrangement; epecially if you are vigilant and re-do your arrangement after a few days and trim the stems again. I don't know that that is what the professionals do, but it works for me.

The Orange Gerber Daisies were selected specifically to go with the lilies in question. When I got them home I almost chickened out, but they didn't work with anything else I had so in they went. Gerbers are always wired and have plastic cups on them to protect them in the shop/market as they are pretty fragile as far as I can tell.



Tulips are what I think of for Spring so I couldn't resist, even though I have trouble arranging tulips every time I get them. These ended up really floppy when we got them home. With the stupendously UPRIGHT Sweet Pea, I was fairly disatisfied with the result when we finished all the arranging. I knew s would like them no matter what (PINK) so I just tried to balance the droop all around the outside the best I could. After my friend who shopped with me left, and I retreated to my office, a miracle took place. The tulips, newly trimmed, sucked up the fresh water and stood right back up again.

All in all, an excellent trip to the Flower Market. Color that I desperately needed, a gorgeous hot house smell for almost a week and an excellent adventure. All for about $30. I think I will miss Korea when I have to go.... k.

P.S. The opening picture in each post is actually a "real time" image of what my office looks like when the post is being written....well this time when it was inspired, but you get the idea. My creative space is rarely tidy and in fact quite alarms my beloved much of the time. This is why I always get an office when we move around. hehehehe (It was NOT a pretty sight when s in her role as "the baby" came on the scene and usurped my office space as her bedroom back in the day.)

" Trains"

Once I got the Cursed Quilt Group going, I actually made a quilt top for s. first. It will make an appearance here in the next few entries probably, but not yet.

After the top was completed i. started lobbying for his own quilt, not understanding exactly what that means I suspect. So with the boy in mind, I headed off to the fabric market to fined "IT." I was greatly entertained to find a great train fabric for my central theme. The fabric spread also includes a checkerboard pattern, some double-decker buses, bright red and some lively yellow. After the fact I added a textured gray and some blue. I wanted to add some green but I didn't have any and was too anxious to get started.....of course.

So here it is.  I had originally planned for there to be a strip of the yellow right down the center....then I thought of the red diamonds....and then in the shower one morning I realized that I could make and I for i.....and if you turn it on its side it is an H for good measure. :)  How could I not do it after that.....well, it was almost ill-fated.  You can not see it from the pictures but one end of the I is made up of MANY pieces.  This is because I used every last inch of that yellow piece I bought; literally, I trimmed off the selvedge edge and everything else is as you see it.  (I even unpicked some yellow from the ends where I squared things up!)  That also explains why there isn't any yellow in the back, eh?

When the quilt is put together I  plan to have bias tape "rails" that run over the railroad ties border.  They are apparently not required for i. though as he chugged around the edge every time he found it laying out on the floor for contemplation.  The math involved in this design from my head was staggering.  Calculating proportions so that the border would fit evenly on the center panel....and then having to recalculate it again when I decided to put the strip down the center....and then a third time when it became an I.  Calculating the size of the triangles was actually made easier by a formula I found on http://www.quiltbug.com in their "learn" section.  They have excellent resources on the site for resolving a good many quilting complications.

The fan shaped corners are curved thanks to my Mom who cuts right to the heart of things.  I was complaining that I wasn't sure how you go about attaching the corner piece to a Pieced Grandmother's Fan (I think they are usually applique'd in place.)  She just laughed and asked why I didn't just leave them rounded.  Brilliant...and a LOT less work.  It was still not  easy though....I even have some secrets about those corners that I am not going to confess to.

 

The idea for the back, since I decided I needed to commit to machine quilting something more than just little sample squares, was to crazy quilt with the train pieces that were left.  (It is hard enough to hand quilt through one layer of "pieced" much less two! - in case you didn't follow my logic there. hah.)  I added the panels of "things that go" which turned out to be a somewhat mixed decision.  I like the way they look but the fabric is not the same quality as the others and stretched almost as much cross-grain as the others did on the bias....which I now have a LOT of experience with.  Argh!  When I smooth the back out on the floor it lumps and bumps its way along.  I tried to get a pic of this effect but it didn't show.  I think it took me longer to piece the back than it did to piece the front, although the sheer amount of math I had to do on the front may balance that a bit.

All in all, I really like it so far.  I am not sure how the quilting will go, or how it will look when I am finished with it (since there isn't any "stitch in the ditch" when both sides are pieced) but it ill be exciting.  This is also my first labeled quilt.  The some of the embroidery is hard to see in the pics, but it says "Trains" "2010" and both our names.  (My great grand kids won't have to look on the internet when they have school projects, darn it!  Sorry Great Grandma Isabel....) k.

Catching Up or Having Fun?

So, being a diligent sort of person, I made a list of things I have been doing lately that would be good fodder for this sort of internal dialog....and then realized that instead of a diligent person, I am really more of a lazy person.  I want to show all the fun things that have started this new round of "Interesting" but backlog is never a good way to start, now is it?

SO here are the things I have been doing TODAY, and maybe once I get the back to blogging jitters out of my system I will be able to give more of the big picture.  (Of course when I say it THAT way it sounds as if I did Oh So Much blogging back in the what, 2 or 3 months I did this for Project Dollway. heh.)

And for a 3rd paragraph that starts with "So," Here is what I did today, not necessarily in this order, and by today I do mean the 24 hour period rather than the calendar sort, as my Machined Whole Cloth piece to the left was actually done last night in the dark of night while I waited for n. to appear on the scene.

This is my first real adventure with Machine Quilting and I am actually surprised at how even the stitching turned out.  Of course it took me about an hour and a half because I was going so slow and being so careful.  It is from a stencil I got at Golden Threads I stitched it out in a variegated thread which was also interesting....and a little weird.  I am sure it is something you get used to, but the unpredictable color change (which is hard to see in  my pics, of course) seems a bit distracting or something.  Of course I am also the sort of gal who likes her "Whole Cloth" on "Plain Cloth" with matchy thread, so who am I to judge?

The Octopus of Doom is my hand quilted sample.  (n. pointed out is really is more of s Squid....sorry, all you taxonomists out there.) In case you were wondering what's up with all the whole cloth, we are having our second official lesson for The Cursed Quilting Group on "quilting."  Sounds redundant I know, but the skills necessary to piece a quilt together are simply not the same as the skills required to actually finish said quilt so it is usable.   A little prep work on the actual quilting is thus in order.....although it may scare everyone off entirely.  We shall see.  (Ladies, if you are reading this, it really is easy....very soothing.  No swearing at all, I promise.)

I didn't spray the markings off because I want to show the process a bit when we have our class...and I suspect you wouldn't be able to see the design at all if I had sprayed it anyway.  I did this as a 12 X 12 block in my lap.  Most of my hand quilting has historically been on frames so it was easier than I remember it. hehehehe  Of course I should point out that the LAST quilt I did was actually finished by my mother and is on the bed as I type.  So my recommendation to all of you aspiring quilters out there....get a Mom who will help you out. :)

Oh, but before I forget, the cool design is from a book called "More than Celtic" I got the same time I bought the stencil..it was on Clearance and the designs are much better than I expected for the price I paid.

The last sample is my first taste of machine quilting as it is observed in the wild. I was surprisingly hesitant to try it, and I am sure there is some deep psychological reason why, but I can't quite come up with it yet....must be suppressed, or repressed...oppressed?

In any case, after reading the free "ebook" from Quilting Arts I was emboldened to try. If you do download the book (well really it is more like a pamphlet but completely worth the "free" price tag!) you will recognize several of the motifs I tried. It will probably be a LONG time before I am ready to fill a whole quilt this way but it was really quite fun. You should try it....yeah, you really should. Right now. Go try it.

Boxpleat and Not Boxpleat

After all this time, I find that maybe I am ready to blog again.  The interesting thing is that "boxpleat" is up to other things.

About 3 months ago I went through a bit of a "bad patch."  Nothing dramatic, just didn't feel well, couldn't get motivated.  I have a mountain of work to be photographed for the Doll Side of my self but it just sits there.  Around the beginning of the year, I decided that I should take THAT message to heart and find some other outlet at least for a while.  The current new outlet for now is quilting (which I had given up earlier when I started expending all my sewing/designing energies on the 12-16" set.) 

Over the Summer when I was in the States with my Mother, I learned some new quilting techniques and that interest has busied my brain a great deal of late if not my hands so much.  I decided to start a quilting group to encourage some of my local lady-friends to sew more, and to feel as if I was DOING something.  After a few false starts care of national holidays and vomiting (yeah, it was a great couple of weeks!) I changed the name to "The Cursed Quilt Group" and we are ready to have some fun.

So here on this blog, starting today and probably on a highly irregular basis,  I am going to try to document a bit of what I am actually up to.  For those of you hoping to see doll stuff, there will be some again sometime soon, but not yet.  For those of you who are interested in the quilting, well, since that is the current thing there will be a good bit of that, at least for a while.  For those of you who just want to join my little cult of personality, welcome. k.