Nine Patch Twirl

My husband left his full-time job with Intel last month and has been going full blast ever since helping out with canvassing and phone calls to encourage folks to vote this cycle. I am definitely more shy talking politics with people I don't know, but I've been helping out with writing letters. Other than these efforts, watching what is going on in the world is stressing me out so I've decided to go hide in my sewing room until the election.

Late last month, I decided to find a new scrappy pattern. I just wanted to try something new. The threaders on both of my regular sewing machines weren't working so I took the opportunity to bring them in for service. While they were there, I thought I would try sewing with my Pfaff Grand Quilter. I struggled to get the tension set properly, and I just didn't have the patience to figure out the correct settings. 

I spent one day sewing together this Nine Patch Twirl pattern, designed by Carolyn S. Vagts (from the Nine Patch Panache book). It is an easy and quick pattern. You make a pile of nine patches, cut them into quarters and then shuffle them into the final setting. 

The process was straightforward, but my choice of fabrics—a clearance batch of Flowerhouse Wildflowers fabrics by Debbie Beaves—didn't turn out as well as I'd hoped. After assembling the blocks and laying them out, I realized the dark blues in the mix just aren't working for me. I suspect I would be happier if I'd stuck to just the light and medium fabrics. To be clear, the fabrics are pretty, I just didn't like how I laid them out.

Rather than unpick or redo the project, I've decided to finish quilting it as is and donate it. It might not be to my taste, but I'm sure it will bring comfort and joy to someone else.

Linking up with:
Design Wall Monday
Monday Sew & Tell
Monday Musings
Tuesday ToDo

Mini Retreat

At the end of July, a friend came to stay with us for a week, and we dedicated three full days to a sewing marathon. I was incredibly productive!

During that time, I managed to finish quilting the last two quilts for Quilts Beyond Borders. I didn't get great photos of the quilts as I was rushing to get through them so I could quilt a quilt for my friend.

Quilted with Abbie 3 E2E

Quilted with Zen Roses 1

I also tackled the binding on the last of my quilts. Handling large quilts in my sewing space always feels like a bit of a wrestling match, which might explain why I often procrastinate on finishing them. But now, I’m thrilled to report that I’m completely caught up!

Last Saturday, we also attended a local guild fabric sale where I picked up some small pieces of fabric. By then I had finished my binding project so these finds prompted me to whip up a quick scrap quilt. I opted for the familiar Broken Bricks pattern. I considered trying something new, but the ease of this pattern—no need for complex calculations or meticulous matching—made it the perfect choice.

I quilted this one with Modern Stars E2E (rounded edges).

I've nearly finished sewing on the binding on this one. It should be finished tomorrow.

Some Unpaid Gigs

Last week, I happily took on six quilts from Quilts Beyond Borders, thanks to the coordinator, Susan Schmidt, who graciously dropped them off. This charity provides a 108"-wide piece of backing, wide batting, and two lap-size quilts for each project. If your frame isn't large enough to handle them side-by-side, you quilt one first and then the other right below it.

I've spent the past few days working on the first four quilts. It's been a great chance to test out some new pantographs and use up those partially-full bobbins.

Quilted with Avril E2E.

I'm a little disappointed with this next one. The thread color blended too well with the fabric, making the pattern hard to discern. A different thread color, perhaps a light blue, might have highlighted the design better.

Woodlands B2B

I was tempted to use a nautical-themed pantograph for this shark row quilt, but unfortunately since I was stitching it on it's side, it would have looked odd stitched perpendicular to the fabric's rows.

Quilted with Marion Rounded E2E.

The last quilt in this batch proved quite tricky. It was serged with mismatched seams and uneven edges—truly wonky, as we say in quilting. Despite its imperfections, I continued working on it because I had started the batch and these quilts are destined for refugees who might just be thankful for a warm blanket, regardless of its flaws.

I quilted this one with the Florence B2B because it had no backstitching and
would be pretty forgiving of my fabric-easing efforts.

This quilt required significant effort to manage, as it wouldn't lie flat. I had to carefully guide the long-arm to ease the fabric and avoid pleating, even sewing down a pleat along one edge to keep it square. It was the most labor-intensive quilt of the lot, but the outcome was satisfactory. I hope it brings warmth and comfort to its new owner.

I still have two more quilts to finish, but I'm taking a short break to recharge.

July One Monthly Goal

I keep trying to kickstart my Quilting Mojo and it just hasn't worked. I think I'm weighed down by the unfinished projects cluttering up my quilting studio so it's time to finish some of them. So, for my July One Monthly Goal, I'd like to finish binding the four quilts that are sitting in a pile waiting.

Flower Paths

Cosmic Cabin

Chocolates and Roses

Broken Bricks

Some of these quilts I finished more than a year ago, so it's time to get them done and out of the pile.

Some Paid Gigs

I've had a few paid quilting jobs during spring that I neglected to mention. Luckily some folks are still being productive!

Catitude quilted with Ada E2E

Quilted with Feather Garden B2B

Flutter quilted with Christmas Paisley B2B

Quilted with the Razor E2E

Quilted with Broken Glass E2E

Quilted with Tiger Stripes E2E

Quilted with Quick & Easy Stars 2

Quilted with Bread & Butter Swirl

Now that I see all these in one post, I guess I did quite a few. Since I've done nothing to promote my business, I'm not doing too bad.

I also took delivery on six charity quilts from Quilts Beyond Borders so I'll be posting those photos as well over the next couple of weeks as I work my way through them.

Making Stencils

I've been playing with creating full-size stencils from stencil catalogs dating from the early 1900s (the period my house was built). I would like to add stencils in my living room and dining room. I've been blogging about it over at my house blog if anyone is interested.

I've already stencilled all the bedrooms upstairs, and now, finally, I'd like to also stencil the main floor common rooms.

I think my current favorite for the living room is this one from the Excelsior catalog from 1924.

I've been enjoying making several different options and once I get started, I'm hoping I'll stencil the frieze in the dining room as well.

My current plan is to pull out my Cricut and see if it will cut the 7.5mil mylar. If it will not, I'll be sending the files to my brother who will cut them with his laser cutter. 

Non-Quilting Project

I seem to have lost my sewing mojo. This happens every once in a while. I'm just taking a break and then I'll be back with more energy than ever.

A week or two ago I saw someone post a miniature sewing room kit (called Lisa's Tailor) they had built and I thought it looked like fun. I managed to find the kit (here it is) and I picked one up for myself. 

This is the manufacturer picture from their website.

But of course, it being my project, I'll be making a lot of changes. I think I'm going to turn my tailor shop into a quilt-making shop. I will definitely be changing all the fabrics. And I've started repainting nearly everything. Yeah, I want my woodwork to look like it's been stained. I'm using some copper mine paint sample paint I had leftover from our home remodel. I don't want blue windows and orange furniture.

I'll likely remove the pillows and dress form. I already bought a couple of quilt racks. I started out thinking I could actually sew a quilt that would fit and designed a couple little ones, but once those 1:24 scale quilt racks came it was clear that wouldn't happen. Wow, they are tiny.

Instead, I think I need to figure out how to print a quilt design onto a piece of fabric and finish it like a quilt. It really needs to be 3" or smaller to fit on that rack. Yes, I could make a 3" block, but I'm concerned by the time I turned it into a quilt it would be too bulky folded up to fit on that tiny rack. I can still use one of the quilts I designed, but it needs to be printed onto the fabric rather than sewn from pieces.

At the moment, I'm just prepping the pieces. I'm hoping this can be a project my husband and I can work on together. His aunt and uncle used to own House of Miniatures in San Jose, CA and he would work there during summers, so I thought he might enjoy working on this with me.