Thursday, July 21, 2011

I got my picture taken with my. idol...

 I have spent my wad, 4 pieces of   Ricky  Tims fabric, a book by Ricky, a book by Alex, and some machine embroidery needles.  I did get my picture taken with Alex, didn't even think to take it with the cell phone. I will post all the pics of the quilts tonight.  Things start in about 10 minutes.

Just Another (very excited) Quilter

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

It’s Finally Here

I don’t think that I happened to mention that I am going to the Ricky Tims Seminar.  This Extravaganza also includes Alex Anderson and Libby Lehman.  It starts in our area…….tomorrow!  It has been a 2 year wait.  Our local quilt guild has been working to bring us this show for….ever!  One of my buddies called today asking if I was going.  I am looking forward to seeing her there.  I can’t believe that we are going to get to spend almost 3 days together.

I really learned how to quilt from watching Alex for so many years.  My children would go out to the bus stop and could watch them get on the bus from my seat in front of the show.  I was very consistent about watching it.   I learned more from her than any other quilter.  I have at least 2 VCR tapes of her shows.  I still put them in occasionally.  The techniques still are pertinent even years later.

Check in is at 2:30 pm tomorrow and the programs run until Saturday afternoon.  The church ladies are coming to the house in the morning to start the “Christmas Traditions” quilt.  I have been frantically cleaning.  Usually we meet at the church to work, but I didn’t want to have to haul the sewing machines in and then unload the car before I head into town to go to the quilt show.  So the house needs to be picked up.  DH is out of town until Friday night, so I better do the cleaning now so that I don’t have so much to do later.  He should arrive home while I am at the seminar.

It will be a weekend of quilting fun!  OOOHHHH.  I better get the camera out in the car now!  Thanks you all for reminding me.

Just Another Quilter having some fun….quilting.

Sunday, July 3, 2011

Two Color Binding

I love this technique.  It allows you the have the binding match both the front and the back of the quilt.  It also lets  you stretch some of your fabric.  For the 3-D Mariner’s Compass Quilt, I had very little for the paisley print left.  I could get by with the 1 inch strip for the perimeter of the quilt.  I also could cut up whatever for the back of the binding.  I didn't have a lot of choices as I was at retreat.  This white on muslin print I thought was pretty safe.  I finished the binding in the traditional way by hand tacking it. 
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For the table runner, I had plenty of fabric but I wanted it to match either the batik side or the Christmas side. 
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The paperwork I have is from Dorothy Hook, photographs by Marcia Cameron.
This link is a visual of the technique.  I am sure there are other links.  This link has good pictures.
http://www.instructables.com/id/Two-Tone-Quilt-Binding/
7 Easy Steps
1. Cut strips according to the table.
2. Sew the strips together if necessary for proper length around the perimeter.
3. Sew the 2 different colored strips together w/ right sides together. Try not to have the above seams line up.
4. Press (I pressed mine toward the front binding fabric, it gives the binding some good body.  Some talk about pressing open.)
5. Press in half lengthwise wrong sides together, matching raw edges, as you would any other french binding.
6. Sew on binding (w/appropriate seam allowance--see table) being sure to miter corners at the beginning and end as in other french bindings.
7. Roll to the back and finish sewing binding down (by hand or machine).
The paperwork I have includes the following table:
Seam Allowance for sewing binding onFinished Front BindingFinished Back BindingCut Front BindingCut Back Binding
1/4" Seam Allowance3/8"1/2"1"2"
1/4" Seam Allowance3/8"3/8"7/8"1   5/8"
1/4" Seam Allowance1/2"3/8"1"1   5/8"
1/4" Seam Allowance3/8" 1/2"7/8"1   7/8"
3/8" Seam Allowance3/8" +3/8" +1   1/8"2"
3/8" Seam Allowance3/8"3/8"1"1   7/8"

I like to choose the back binding larger than the front binding, if I am finishing the quilt by machine.  The extra 1/8” lets you top stitch the back binding nicely, and not stitch through your binding on the "front side".  Also keep in mind front and back are relative terms.  You choose what side you want to role the binding onto for the final sewing.  This might be the front.  (I kinda think of the batik side as the front of the table runner, even though, when I was layering it, I pretended it was the back--bottom of the sandwich.)  Sooo, if I am going to machine sew the binding down, I like the back of the quilt to be the front binding (in the table), and to roll that (back) binding to the front of the quilt and topstitch it down.  This topstitching will just look like a row of quilting on the back of the just 1/4" around the perimeter of the quilt.  NOW, if you understand that you have had your coffee for the morning!

I think a sit n sew group put all the information together and did a little class one day.  I missed the class, but a friend grabbed me a set of the paperwork.  I keep just such stuff in a 3 ring binder with clear sheet protectors.  I keep different patterns or techniques in there that I will or just might need in the future.  I like to be able to pull out the information get the binding done and slide the paperwork back into the sheet protector when I am done.  I am terrible about sitting the paperwork for something like this down and then it getting shuffled into some other stack of papers.

Enjoy the family this holiday weekend!  More about the day with my brothers' family on the next post.

Just Another Quilter

Friday, July 1, 2011

Another Completed UFO!

Yeah!  I completed another UFO.  I have checked off 4 projects this year now.   This is the latest completed projects.  The table runner is on my cedar chest under the television.  I usually have the pictures of the girls on either side of the box.  This box was a gift quite a few years ago.  It holds many votive candles.  It is the inspiration for the Hoffman diamond quilt (it is the challenge for July).
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I really like how it turned out.  The bonus part….it is two sided.  It has a Christmas runner on the other side.DSC00436-1_2_1I made 2-sided binding.   I will have to find the site my directions are from.  I printed them out several years ago.  I like the directions I have because it gives cutting directions for several different versions and includes pictures.

Next….#2 was drawn (Hoffman Turquoise Diamond Quilt).  That is the quilt that was inspired by the box above.  I work on this quilt back in February at retreat.  I have the quilt sewn into rows already.  It shouldn’t take much to finish up the top.  That is the goal.  I may see if I can get it layered.  This is an old picture of the quilt.
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My brother and his family arrive tonight….actually tomorrow morning very early.  We will enjoy a day on the lake tomorrow.  The temps are well into the 90’s and the humidity is high.  Only real place to be is in the water.
I also had an old quilting friend come over today.  She moved a couple towns away about 5 yrs. ago.  We had a great time, just it was too short.  We vowed to make it happen again.  It was almost 3 years from the last time we saw each other.
Have a Happy 4th of July. 
Just Another Quilter