Lemon Tree Tales

Blogger's Quilt Festival

It's that time of year again, when all the fabric and pattern designers rush off to Houston for the big International Quilt Market and Festival and everyone else gets to ooh and aah from the sidelines. Thank goodness that Amy of Amy's Creative Side started hosting her own virtual quilt festival, the Blogger's Quilt Festival for all of us to share our quilts with each other. I hope you make time to go and visit all of the lovely quilts out there in cyberland. Then vote for your favorites. I'm entered in the Home Machine Quilted Quilt category.

This year I wanted to showcase my favorite quilt that I've made so far. It was the first time that I had put my FMQ class with Jill Schumacher lessons to work.

Aurora Borealis Picture taken by Marilyn/Spiced Coffee who now owns this quilt in CA

Quilt Size:  approx. 18" x 26"

Piecing Techniques: paper pieced

Quilting: on Bernina Aurora DSM (domestic sewing machine) using Aurifil thread and monofilament

 

Detail of the quilted 'N' for North from the back

 

Another shot of the back quilting ... I used a monofilament to SID (stitch-in-the-ditch) around the NY Beauty round. I think that next time I use a white or light color backing I'll double the batting so that the top fabrics don't show through. Either that or double up on the backing fabric.

 

The reds/oranges of the NY Beauty round needed a bit of balance on the quilt. That's why I did a tiny part of the binding in one of the solids to bring a bit of the warm side of the color wheel to the left of the quilt. I know that a famous modern quilter does this as her signature, I wasn't trying to mimic her per se, just needed a touch of that color.

When I was designing this piece I tried different ideas on paper before I decided on this particular one. As I'm looking at my designs I know which one I really want to make next. That's why sketchbooks are so important to keep and to refer to them occasionally.

 

After I drafted the flying geese ribbon (quick tutorial here) and paper pieced it, I then had to figure on the background. As you can see from the sketch, it originally was supposed to be a gradated background. I experimented with different options until the solid white won out. (I've saved those black/white triangles for a future project.)

Too harsh!

Not bad but my swap partner had mentioned that she didn't like black and that it was too stark for her walls.

This white fabric is fairy frost but I ended up using a solid white on white mini dot (the local quilt shop didn't carry solids and that was the closest thing to a solid white that they carried). This gave me more freedom for quilting designs. I ended up using most of the fillers that our teacher had demonstrated for us.

At the end I had to name it and the colors against all that white reminded me of snow (plus we had snow here in Cheyenne at the time that I quilted it) and the rainbow of colors made me think of the Northern Lights, thus Aurora Borealis it became. Also my trusty Bernina Aurora helped me piece and quilt this little gem. Yes, I'm so very happy with how this one came out.

In the end I was so very happy with the FMQ work that I did on this quilt and was very sad to see it go away in the mail. Finally I started drafting a new version, a bit larger, horizontal rather than vertical and with two flying geese ribbons. This one will be for our house and I'm so excited about it. So far I've only got the geese and the NY Beauty round done but it's getting there. Do you see how much quilting space there will be in this one? I'd better start practicing.

 

Thanks for visiting me on your tour of this year's Blogger's Quilt Festival. I hope you have fun on your virtual tour! And if you like my quilt, please vote for me in the category of Favorite Home Machine Quilted Quilt.

Halloween Witch Hat

When I decided on making the Halloween 241 tote, I couldn't resist making a witch hat as an extra in the FliRTS 3 swap on flickr. It's a machine embroidered lace pattern from Urban Threads similar to the fascinator hats that I made years ago, here, here, here, here, here and here. Wow, guess I have made quite a few of these hats!

This time I used a black rayon embroidery thread. After I rinsed out the water soluble stabilizer I had to starch it a few times to get it back to a nice pointy and stiff shape. Next was decorating time! I used ribbons, feathers, a sew-on rhinestone as well as paint and glitter. What fun! Finally a glue gun to attach it to a black headband. It's a fabulous way to add a little Halloween dazzle when you don't have time for a full costume. Hmm, maybe next year I'll make one for me too.

Longarm Rental Time

Yesterday was my third time renting time on the Gammill longarm quilting machine at Jukebox Quilts in Fort Collins, CO. They're always so nice and helpful there. It had been a while since my last time and I completely forgot how to load a quilt. Well, that is something that I'll have to practice at because it just seems so complicated .. which way to lay the quilt backing and which bar to go up and over or under.

I tried a different pantograph this time .. Popcorn by Willow Leaf. It wasn't as easy to get into a rhythm with that one as it was with Chestnut Swirls but it did turn out okay.

I really like piecing the backing from the leftover fabrics. This time I used 1/2" seam allowances so that they would be a bit stronger for the pulling on the frame. It did mean that I had to be extra careful when loading in on the frame so that the seams wouldn't twist and lay flat.

Lessons learned:

1. Check your bobbin every once in a while otherwise you'll have to replace it in the middle of a row
2. Maybe wait to use variegated thread until you're more experienced
3. Baste the edges closer than 1/4" otherwise you may catch the edges when quilting
4. Double check your tension every once in a while
5. Try to keep curves round and not flat
6. Remember which direction you're going when you come back to quilting after checking the front ... oops!
7. No matter what, always have fun  ;-)

This quilt just needs a binding and then I can mail it off to the CA quilting bee so that the rabbi can hand it out to someone who's ill and needs a bit of comfort and love. That is a nice thing about charity quilts .. you know that the recipient will get a smile on their face.

 

And this is what we woke up to this morning:

Halloween 241 Tote

Yesterday I finished sewing a 241 tote bag by Noodlehead using Halloween polka dots. Have you ever sewn a 241 tote from Noodlehead's pattern? It's very easy to assemble and allows for lots of fabrics and possibilities. I chose to use Urban Threads Halloween embroidery patterns for the side pouch pockets. They're made with glow-in-the-dark thread so hopefully it'll have a nice ghostly glow at night.

 

At first I sewed the Halloween fabrics in HSTs and thought that it would make a very colorful front section for the tote. However I kept having problems matching the points with the way I laid out the HSTs. I pressed towards the black fabrics and no matter how often I pinned, that thick section was giving me fits. I finally set it aside as a failed piece of patchwork. Maybe I can resurrect it and cover those horrible points with buttons for another project? Wouldn't that be cheating? I'm determined to figure out a better way to sew it again.

 

In the meantime I opted to sew a few of the fabrics at an angle and sew in a center strip that matched the straps and sides of the tote. That worked much better. Also it was a bit more sophisticated and reminded me of the colors in the vintage Halloween decorations.

 

The lining is made from those two big polka dot fabrics for a lot of fun. I also raw edge appliqued a "stitch witch" from a Halloween print for the interior patch pocket.

 

Overall the 241 tote by Noodlehead (Anna Graham) is a fun and easy pattern to sew. I would wholeheartedly recommend it to you. The only difference I'd make going forward would be to use a much sturdier interfacing for the exterior pieces. Also perhaps I'd opt to sew a zippered closure rather than the magnetic snap. This particular tote is going in the mail next week as part of the FLIRTS (Fab Little Random Treasures) swap on flickr. Right now I'm working on a fun extra to go with it.

Zion National Park

We took a detour on the way back home through Zion National Park a few weeks ago. It was well worth the time spent looking at the gorgeous mountains. The roads would have been too tight for the RV so it was an opportunity we couldn't pass up. We had the dogs in the car so we didn't get on the free shuttle that tours the side canyons but what we did see was amazing. Lovely colors and the textures on the mountains were unusual ... definitely inspiration for quilting patterns.

 

 

 

 

If you ever have the chance go and see Zion National Park. The colors are divine.

Adventures in Cross Stitch

Last year, on one of our scouting trips to Cheyenne to find out if we'd like to move here, I discovered a little shop called Ewe Count which specializes in cross-stitch. I've never tried that but figured that it would be a nice thing to do in the evenings. Of course I couldn't begin with a true beginner's project, no could I?! I wanted something interesting and would learn as I went.

This is the pattern that I opted to get, Golden Watercolor Butterfly by Rosewood Manor, designed by Karen Kluba. The only thing is that I wasn't fond of the original pattern colors so with the help of Penny, the shop owner, I selected flosses that were my favorite shades of blues and aquas.

 

I started out eagerly but was a bit disappointed that it was looking wrong. Turns out that I was skipping a hole so that each cross-stitch square was surrounded by a thin line of linen. Oops! Luckily it didn't take too long to rip out all those stitches.

Round two began fairly well but then I realized that I hadn't centered the linen fabric and wouldn't have enough room for the design if I continued that way. Rip, rip, rip, out went those stitches.

Round three was off to a really good start and then I discovered that I started one line too high. This time I only had to rip out that line. That's when my friends told me that I should photocopy the pattern so that I can take a highlighter and mark off the stitches as I went. Duh! That would make it easier to pick up where I left off instead of the intense study every time I picked it up.

So now, after a year (most of which did not see any time stitching) here's my progress:

I noticed that the linen is leaning a bit towards the left side. Hopefully that will become straight once it's blocked and framed. Of course at the rate that I'm stitching that won't happen anytime soon. Think of this as one of my SLOW projects. It is nice to work on something while sitting next to Steve in the evenings. What slow projects are you working on?

Starting a Vest

I've started another project but this one is especially important to me. Steve wants a vest to wear over his button-down shirts but we couldn't find a nice one in the stores or online. Well there's more than one way to skin a cat, or in this case clothe my husband. I went to Britex in San Francisco and found a lovely navy blue wool. That wool still has to sit in its paper bag because the first step is to make a muslin. I did that the other day and tried it out on Steve. It wasn't too bad but I need a few corrections. It'll probably be a total of three muslins before I can cut into that gorgeous wool. It's been a while since I've sewn a welt pocket so that'll be fun.

Here's the first muslin along with notes on it:

Whirlwind trip to CA and back

We took a whirlwind road trip to CA the other week. First we went to the bay area so that Steve could work a few days at the CA office. While he did that I ran errands but that Monday I was able to drive to Berkeley to meet a flickr friend, Marilyn/Spiced Coffee. We forgot to take pictures but we did go to three different fabric shops, Stone Mountain and Daughter, New Pieces, and A Verb For Keeping Warm. We also had lunch at a little grill near the New Pieces shop. It was lots of fun and always nice to meet someone you've only known from online groups. Marilyn is the recipient of my Aurora Borealis quilt from the Fab Little Quilt Swap.

Here's a couple of interesting fabrics that I got at Stone Mountain and Daughter. Marilyn had found the bunny fabric and I had found the dots fabric. They looked so good together that I just had to get a little of each. I'm thinking they'll make a fantastic tote bag. I just need to find a fantastic grey to go with them.

 

A Verb For Keeping Warm is mostly a yarn shop with a nice selection of prints. They dye their own yarn so if you're really into knitting/crocheting go check them out. The thing that I was most thrilled with was the small swatch of pre-stenciled cotton jersey so that you can practice the Alabama Chanin technique. I can't wait to try this out!

 

At New PIeces I found the perfect white to grey ombre fabric to use as the backing for my Aurora Borealis II quilt that I'm working on. (Yesterday I finished the last flying geese ribbon!)

 

The dogs loved being back in Sunnyvale, mostly because they got to play in the backyard and got to visit with their cairn terrier friends from the neighborhood. We then drove down to LA so that we could visit Steve's aunt who's in a convalescent home recovering from a few weeks in the ICU. We didn't have much time to stick around and sped off towards Vegas and then home. Nope, we didn't stop to gamble in Vegas but we did let the dogs play at the dog park for an hour. (They were getting so cooped up in their crates.) We're fortunate that the dogs are good travelers but next time we'll bring the RV instead of the car. It's hard to find hotels that will allow dogs and they're not that cheap anymore. It would have probably cost the same if not a bit less to have our RV even with all the gas it takes. Lesson learned. We did get to take a quick detour and drive through Zion National Park after Vegas. Gorgeous!! Pictures to follow soon.

So now we're back in Cheyenne. We got one more week of temperate weather to recover from our trip, but this morning we awoke to snow. Yes you read that correctly, snow!!! I guess summer is beyond being over in this part of the US.