AAQI Auction Continues

Mom, is this a new pillow???

 

Oliver is back ruling the house, now from his new pillow that quite possibly could become a horizontal scratching post as it is needlepoint and the texture is exciting all his scratching sensibilities.   He has his tail up, he is running and squeaking and doing all his cute routines. 

 

The purple pillow was purchased by moi because I did like it, but it shows my Celtic Bubbles designs done in concentric circles with a small satin stitch.  However, the building of the design, the overlapping circles, is exactly how I teach mine.  Very pretty!

 

I am doing much better, have had lots of time off resting and getting better, and tried a very tiny bit of quilting the other day and it went well, although my machine needs oiling for sure and was a bit noisy starting up after several months idle. 

 

I have an Ask/Answer column at the very last page of each issue of American Quilter Magazine, and just wrote a column for the March '13 issue about "Where is the Puff?"  so had to try and quilt some samples where the puff disappeared. 

 

This was not easy.  I have worked so hard to get the right combo of quilting ingredients to create puff that I had to scrounge around my recently purged sewing room and find a scrap of a flat batt to use, and really it was not nearly flat enough.  However, that and a few other tricks made the puff go down substantially, and it was fun to get it back again with all the right techniques on a flat batt.  When I quilted on Pellon Legacy Wool, wow, the puff was back again :-)! 

 

I did get a flatter look even on wool batt by doing some things wrong on purpose, so I hope this column will help all of you who are looking for more filled very small designs.  Not easy to accomplish.

 

 

 

It is dreary here in Wisconsin.  I believe November is the month with the most cloudy days, and it is also cold and wet.  Oliver looks for anything at all moving in the quiet yard outside the windows, and even a small bug will interest him for awhile.  Then there is always a nap to fill the day.

 

Thanks for the incredible support for my little quilt on the AAQI auction page, it truly is overwhelming to see bids come in to support this great cause.  To see all the quilts, go here.  There are a few days left to call one of these special quilts made by very special quilters your very own.  Good luck everyone, and thank you.

 

Diane

 

 

Labor Day '10

A holiday weekend, finally some cool weather and Fall is in the air.  I found this doll bed, above, while cleaning the odd corners of the house, and also found an old whole-cloth stencil I quilted for a class sample years ago, wedged behind a bookcase.  It seemed a fortuitous pairing, so I made up the bed with the tiny quilt, and am enjoying it for awhile.  I think it shall go to a better home with visiting granddaughters and lots of use eventually, but for now it is dandy in my front hall.

Haven't been quilting much at all, just enough to keep my machine moving well, sort of like old bodies, thinking about upcoming classes at the National Quilt Museum in Paducah, KY.  Wisconsin Quilt Expo is coming up and I hope to get to that and be inspired.  It has been a long miserable summer, and seeing some lovely quilts and good friends will be perfect.

I am always on the hunt for good questions to answer in my one-page column in American Quilter Magazine.  The upcoming issue has a great thread chart for you to clip and save that helps with weight of thread and style of quilting pairing, and I also have completed the January one.  I've had great questions emailed to me through the AQS website, http://www.americanquilter.com/ for those articles, but need more.

If you have one about machine quilting that would be useful for many to see answered, send it in! 

I'm home alone this weekend with Oliver, who is definitely changing now that he is turning from kitten to cat.  He sleeps more, and is getting bored with former activities that would keep him happy and busy for hours.  I search for entertainment, but really, I warned him he was coming to live with two old, boring people and he'd have to make the best of it.  I'll probably stop at the pet store and look for a fun new toy for him.....

Meanwhile, I do hope your quilting is progressing well, you are doing the quilting on your own quilts, and seeing results in actually quilting tops, not just practicing. 

Keep quilting....your work gets better every day.
Diane

My Blog List, and Followers

Detail, OESD design for Mega Hoop

I do have a very short  blog list here.  When I started this blog about a year ago, blundering around in the blogger instructions, I added a few I knew about, and didn't think too much about it.  I like that it is there, that you can see what's going on elsewhere with exciting quilters. 

Although I don't spend a lot of time browsing the internet and other blogs at all, maybe once every month I see what quilt shops are featuring.  Or I might click on one of you Followers, because you have so many fantastic blogs, quilts, activities, as well as lovely information and photos.

Last night I clicked on our Miss Ivory Spring and noted she did a wonderful post about quilting with Aurifil #50 cotton thread and YLI #100 silk thread, my personal favorites for my particular style, but of course not the "only" choices for machine quilting.  Please go to her blog, now on my list at the right, and check out this entry and her beautiful work.  Thanks Ivory Spring, your quilting and designs took my breath away. 

Also related to threads to use, in an upcoming column for American Quilter Magazine I answer a question sent in by a reader about thread weights and style of quilting.  I even devised a chart for you to clip out and save.  I believe it is for the November issue, but will let you know.  Yes, we work way way ahead of publication dates.

Questions arrive all the time about thread.  It is such an important choice for you when quilting, as it determines the look and style of the quilt as much as perhaps the fabric choices and design.  Well, maybe not as much, but it is very important.  That's why there are zillions of threads out there now.  And more on the way.  There is the right thread for every person.

I'll be writing more on threads in the future.  Basically, you need to know what thread weight and color will express the style or mood of a piece the best.  Yes, you do have to get some experience, quilt out some prototypes, buy a bit of thread to experiment.  Believe me, some day even if you don't use a spool for that project, it will come in handy.

Back to my blog, and for some reason, every time I type that word it shows up as "blot" instead, maybe some subconsious thing I have going on, who knows.

Anyway, I was showing my husband my blog last night (he wanted to see Oliver on the book)  on his delightful new laptop, and showed him if you click on the squares by "followers" you get a nice big sample window of all the little personalized icons for each and every one of you.  It is like a patchwork quilt, just beautiful. 

You can scroll through and get a new "quilt" with each click.  It's beautiful, you are all wonderful.  I want to thank all of you for being a "follower" in your very busy lives, and for participating in the comment section.  It keeps things interesting!

Truly this creates an incredible connection, a 'web' of quilters and information for all to share.  Click on any one of you and a new adventure can begin.

Hope you have a great weekend, take some time for quilting if possible.  I love seeing what you are doing.

Keep quilting, your work gets better every day!

Diane

Happy Memorial Day

Yes, that is Oliver on his dad's laptop, trying to update my blog as he knows I have been way too busy!  He wanted to tell you all to take some time to enjoy the weekend, and remember those who have served our country so well, so bravely.  He tried really hard to post this comment but somehow he only changed all of the settings on the computer, much to Dad's dismay.

Was it fate, irony, or Oliver's doing that right after this event the laptop died a fast and furious death, and we had to pick out and set up a new one, shiny blue and oh so wonderful for poor Dad.  He is happy.  He remembers to close the lid now when he is not using it.  Note his coupon magazine nearby.  You will get an idea of life at our house while I am busy upstairs at my machine.

Above, the center portion of the Mega Hoop design in my new OESD collection.  I did a small wall quilt with the new designs, but of course they are quilted free motion from the traced designs.  The center is a Cherrywood bright mustard fabric, really lovely to work on.   I used gold silk thread for the quilting and quilted it as it will look in the digitized version.  I can't wait to get mine and try these out.  We are hoping for a September '10 release.

Above, the sleeping cat design with lovely wings on each side, in a 7" border, so you can get an idea of size. The designs can be resized and the computer will compensate, add or subtract stitches, etc.  They will look great quilted with fine thread as I do, or used as outline embroidery in a heavier colored thread.  For example, the cat on the bib of a child's overalls.  I would have loved it, maybe stitched in soft rose embroidery thread.....

Thanks to everyone who signed up for my 2011 Empty Spools classes - you do know how to put the pressure on a teacher!  There are many fabulous classes available so take a look at all the offerings at http://www.emptyspoolsseminars.com/

And for this year's June class, please email me if you have questions or concerns.  I am getting things organized for it over this weekend.  I like to sleep at night, so try to have things ready.  I do have my plane ticket and a new suitcase.

I have two new books to review soon, so stay tuned.  I was planning on writing another book on machine quilting but have a hunch there are so many out there now it would be a moot point, so we'll have to see about that.

Also, please email questions for me for my column in American Quilter, the aqs magazine, at http://www.americanquilter.com/  I've been getting some very interesting ones, so it really helps the column if you all participate.  And if you are not a member, you should join aqs, as this is a quality quilting magazine.

Meanwhile plant some flowers, enjoy the weekend.  Do a little quilting just to keep your machine happy.

Keep quilting!  Your work gets better every day,

Diane

Things I learned in Class

Oliver helped me unpack from my trip, and has grown since I was away!  I think his fur is getting a little longer too, oh no....  We were so enjoying the very short crewcut style he had at first. 

He has spent this week following me around, first in love and astonishment that I came back home, then in glee and joy, and now he is doing sneak attacks and flying out of nowhere to land on me.  Usually he likes to attack a knee or ankle, but occasionally he lands on my head.  I have a few needle holes in me from these attacks, scars of an ecstatic young cat.  He naps when he can take no more excitement.

What did we learn in our class last week?  Many things, some new to me, some the old familiar discoveries made by students as we progressed through a variety of free motion skills.

One woman said the best thing she learned was to have the quilt move freely, and that was accomplished with a Supreme Slider from Pat LaPierre at http://www.freemotionslider.com/

This tool is invaluable for smooth quilting and even stitches, but be sure and tape even the self-stick ones to the bed of your machine, with at least one piece of tape to the machine itself, not the surround.  Plexi surrounds tend to move in class and then the Slider moves, and you are quilting through it along with the quilt.  Not good for needles.  Or the Slider.

Lower the feed dogs when you use a Slider.  The repeat movement if they are "up" can create a dome around the opening that can be permanent and ruin the Slider.

Another thing that is so important is how the thread is positioned on the machine for the best possible delivery, stitch, tension, no breaking needles or thread. 

Larger cones or spools need to be horizontal so the tension is accurate.  Another good option is a cone thread holder.  One student had one, but not the spindle for the thread cone.  The result?  More problems than one could imagine.  As soon as we had one with a spindle and it was set up properly, perfect stitches.

Many times the thread winds around the little end caps that hold a spool on the horizontal spindle.  My advice?  I never use the end caps and I have never had the thread fall off the spindle.  There is no chance of the thread winding around and getting caught, causing tight tension or broken thread or needles or everything. 

I fixed many thread pathway "issues" and then quilting can progress smoothly.  If you have to stop constantly with problems your quilting will suffer.  Being able to have confidence in your machine and the setup for quilting lets you quilt with freedom and you will improve dramatically.

Thread color was such a big quagmire of indecision.  The only way you will know what looks right on the fabric you are quilting is to try quilting with the thread on a small swatch/sandwich first.  The days of putting a spool of thread on the quilt and saying YES!  are over.  Since I began using fine #100 silk for quilting, all preconceived ideas of color went out the window as I began to explore what worked.

Yesterday I quilted some samples of a new design for a handout and used bright fuschia silk thread on deep brown/purply/mottled fabric and it looked great.  Brown or purple or eggplant also looked fabulous if you want this design to be background and recede around a focal point.  Your thread color choices determine what happens to the visuals in a quilt. 

I also discoverd that most people do have one "better" side for feathers, and it is usually the left side.  Some could do the right side of a vine better than the left, but this was not common.  Work until both sides look acceptable, then quilt the same thing horizontally, at an angle, upside down, to increase your skills.

Batting does make a difference.  Not only in ease of learning a design, but in the final result.  We used wool batting for the extra pouf and dimension, and also were able to flatten backgrounds with more dense quilting. 

Leaving areas of puff showcases your designs and draw the eye, creating great visual dimension.  Do not quilt the life out of your quilt. 

Stencils can work for you!  Many who used them had delightful results, a beautiful design and their own freehand work surrounding it or complementing it.  The gingko stencil was particularly lovely. 

Thread tension changed with the pilot. Many times the way a person moves hands changes the proper tension to bad tension, tight threads.  When I quilted at the machine, changing no settings, the right hand movement and stitch length let the tension setting work, do the job, and create lovely stitching.

Larger erratic stitches made for too-tight tension, and diminished any puff in the design.  The correct stitch length for the thread type resulted in perfect tension.  It also needed tweaking for the type of design.  Long soft curves might work at a tension of #3, whereas close small frothy bubbles (in photo below) needed a tension of #2 for the stitches to be perfect.

Remember to reset tension on electronic machines each time you power up.

Smooth, even hand movements are key.  That is one thing I can't help you do.  You have to acquire the mental discipline to keep hands moving smoothly and evenly to achieve those beautiful stitches and smooth designs. 

If you have to lift hands to move them to another area of the quilt, stop the machine, move them, take a brief break for your eyes by looking up and re-focusing, and then begin again with the needle up.  Try to avoid"walking" your hands over the surface of the quilt as you run the machine.  Many do not realize this is a bad habit until I point it out.

Try and quilt a bit every day.  By the end of our 5-day class improvement was amazing and noticeable. 

Yesterday I quilted for the first time in a week, and it felt wonderful.  I also discovered Oliver can now sit on the back shelf of my sewing cabinet and stare at the moving needle and the quilt and become totally mesmerized, almost in a trance. 

Obviously he has never seen this before and is entranced with it.  He has quickly discovered sitting on quilts, sleeping on quilts, sleeping under quilts, attacking quilts, but now he likes to see them being quilted.

Keep quilting  - your work gets better every day!

Diane

Oliver helping me unpack. 

Spring Arrived

While I was away for nine days to the Pacific Coast near Monterey, California, spring has arrived here in Wisconsin.  The snow is gone, it will be close to 60 degrees today, the grass is showing a bit of green.  I leave, and wow, the snow disappears!

I had the most marvelous class at Empty Spools (http://www.emptyspoolsseminars.com/) at Asilomar near Pacific Grove, right on the ocean.  It was serene and restful, and my class of 24 motivated women accomplished great things with their machine quilting.  If you want to take your work to a new level, please consider this 5-day class with me next year.  I'll be there for Session II, March 25-30, and Session V, May 27 - June 1.  There are many other great teachers there in each session, it is a feast for quilters.  And the food is nice too!

So much has happened while I was away that it will take me a little time to catch up.  Meanwhile I will be thinking of some of the things I learned from my classes there and a wonderful 2-day class for the Monterey Peninsula Quilt Guild afterwards.  I was inspired by creative ideas and questions, by problems encountered, by helpful suggestions from everyone.  I will write about it soon and we can all learn.

My new Gingko design was successful, and Apple Core was a hit and looked stunning when everyone tried it on various fabrics and with thread colors that complemented rather than contrasted.  It was FUN.  My students worked very hard, put in long hours, and listened and experimented, and the results were worth it. 

I've also had requests for a continuation of my monthly quilting tips on my website, which I shall try to do once again, but am fighting the old and slow and temperamental computer used for that.  I may have to re-do the website on my new equipment, and if that is the case, it will be a bit of time before the tips re-appear, because I have other commitments right now.  Please be patient.

One of these projects is a regular column in American Quilter Magazine, the AQS member publication, but also available on news stands.  I will be answering your questions there about machine quilting, so watch for the upcoming first column and email me your questions.  I will read them all, choose one topic that recurs, and answer it in the next issue.  Hope you enjoy it! 

Meanwhile, it is time to unpack, play with Oliver who missed me but enjoyed his time with his cat Dad, and get back into my usual routine.  Paducah is right around the corner too.

Get out some beautiful fabric, batt, and thread, put in a fresh needle, and do some play at your machine today and everyday.  And keep quilting, your work gets better every day.

Diane