Pieced Garden

I was perusing the lasted issue of Fons & Porter's Love of Quilting magazine and look what I found.

Ginger's Flower Garden
Designed by Keri Duke and Ginger White.

I think I might just have to make myself one. It's quick, easy, fun and would look great above my TV in the living room.

I like the fact that the designer used her embroidery machine to quilt it. Just one more reason why I need to get an embroidery machine.

Leave me a comment and let me know what you think.

Quilt Along Block of the Month

I thought I would share with you my BOM (block of the month) that I had made to teach in a class. Each block will teach you different quilting techniques. I am enclosing the total amount of fabric need for the below pictured quilt messaging 69 x75. A great lap size quilt. Great for the beginning quilter or someone looking for a fun project or even a gift. If you need or want the quilt larger you may e-mail or leave a comment and I can help you with that too.



5 total colors plus background and border fabric.

• Background Fabric (white): 2 yards
• Color 1 (green): 1/2 yard
• Color 2 (red): 1 3/8 yard
• Color 3 (yellow): 1/2 yard
• Color 4 (orange): 3/8 yard
• Color 5 (blue): 1 1/8 yard
• Outer border(multi): 2 yards

Its always safe to buy more fabric than you need than to run out. You never know when someone might make a mistake. We are human after all.

I will post blocks every so often and in no time at all we will have a finished quilt.

Still Waiting...

I got an iron back this week



and look what they sent me. Does not look a thing like the one I sent them. (Look back a few post to see the one I sent them.) It does not have half of the features the other has. I was PISSED. I called them up and after being on the phone for 20 minutes I get to keep the above iron and they are sending me a new iron that is one step below the one I had because they no longer make mine. Could it be because it keeps telling you to clean it every two hours? The new one should be in the first of next week.

I will do a picture update on the green pinwheel quilt this weekend. I have all but 2 of the blocks sewn together. I would say I am about 60 percent done.

Machine Binding

Binding: the fabric that's used to cover the raw edges of a quilt after it's quilted.

I was asked if I could share some of my "best practices" about machine binding. Thought I would share them with all my readers. Never know when you might just learn something from the one who thinks he is mister know-it-all. Is it getting deep in here? :-)

If I have to put binding on anything I always do it by machine. I never do it by hand (which it typically is). Hand is a four letter word that I do not like and have never learned.

I like to use polyester monofilament thread often called clear or invisible thread most monofilament thread is made of nylon, not polyester, and is the same substance used in fishing line. The advantages of polyester monofilament are numerous:

• Polyester has a much higher heat resistence than nylon.
• Polyester monofilament does not go brittle over time.
• Polyester monofilament does not discolor or "yellow" over time.
• Polyester is softer and more pliable than nylon, meaning it will lie better on and in the fabric.
• Has low stretch, making it wonderful for use in the bobbin.

I like to use monofilament thread from Sulky or Superior. Both of these are polyester and can be used in the bobbin. Nylon if wound on a bobbin could stretch and heat up causing the bobbin center to shrink and not pull off your winder. If this ever happens you must throw out that bobbin.

I always sew my binding to the back of my quilt first. This is the most important part of doing machine binding. Some people tell you to use a walking foot (even feed foot) when doing binding, but I never have and mine turns out just fine. Check to see if it is feeding properly if not adjust the pressure oif the foot (if you can) or use a walking foot.

Once you have it sewn to the back of the quilt you can start on the fun part of the biding. Fold your fabric to the front of the quilt, lining up just to the right of the stitch line and press. It makes it easier to sew. Then I snap on my left edge top stitch foot. I place the fold at the red mark. Then stitch the binding in place using a hand look applique stitch or blind hem. Remember you want the left part of the stitch to be right next to the binding and the right part to bite into the binding just a little bit as shown in the pictures. Pictures from left to right are: Blind hem stitch, and hand look applique stitch and back of quilt using hand look applique stitch.

The key to good binding is practice, practice, practice.

For more on machine binding check: Quilting Arts TV:113 All By Machine Binding

Every Two Hours

About a month ago I got a new iron. I had been researching for two weeks and found The One. Brought it home and fell in love with it. It's one of those irons that heats up in 30 seconds and it even beeps to tell you when it needs to be cleaned. I was like WOW! Love it! Last week I had to send my new baby back because it was having some problems. It kept beeping at me and telling me every two hours that it needed to be cleaned. Now, if it really was a baby, I could understand it needing to be cleaned that often. So last week I had to cut the cord off my baby (literally, they only needed the plug end) and send it back, but I could not bring myself to cut the cord so I had my man do it. Great news is my baby is coming back to me on Friday. Woot!

I was telling my BH (Better Half) that we needed some new pictures of our nephews and was told that I should send out an e-mail asking for more, but guess what, I did not need to. When my BH looked in his mail box he found a picture.


Yay, Grandma. Sammy sure does love his cars. He is so cute. Looks just like his mother.

Now if we could only get some pictures of the nephew formally known as Benjamin (a.k.a Jason). To me he will always be Benjamin.

UPDATE: (Green Pinwheel Quilt)

I tried my hand at paper piecing and it was disasterous. My piece was as stiff as a man just waking up in the morning. This is not a bad thing expect if used for a quilt. Mine had lots of layers behind it and I was unsure how to remove these. I will have to take another stab at this technique later or maybe take a class. You can see the one paper piece block I did in the photo below. I found another way to piece these without the paper. Yes, they are 2" squares. Very small and I need 72 of them.


I now have the triangle in a square done for the sashing of the quilt. Next, I just need to sew the pinwheels into 15" square blocks and then add the sashing. I will be done in no time. Maybe next week sometime. Here's hoping.

Until next time.

Giveaway

I read this morning about a longarm quilt blogger who is offering a chance to have one of your quilt tops professional quilted by her, just for guessing in her contest. So go to Jackie's blog and check it out!

June 15 at 5:15 pm

It's been a few days since I have updated this. I get home from work and all I want to do is eat and watch t.v. Not doing much of anything else. Thank God for having a job to where I can sew.

My manager from work is at the International Husqvarna Viking Convention waiting for the new top of the line sewing and embroidery machine to be unveiled direct from San Antonio, Texas. On Sunday Jane 15, here will be a LIVE web cast unveiling at 5:15 pm ct. To watch this web cast click here and join over 20,000 other people as we get to see this new machine for the first time. I have the alarm on my phone set so I do not forget. Please no phone calls between 5 and 6.

While the manager is away I get to play "boss". To me it is just more work for no more pay. Plus it can be a pain in the ass at times.

O.k. it is time for an update on the pinwheel quilt for my friend. I have all the half square triangle sewn into pairs and all the teal ones into pinwheels. I just have to finish the brown ones. It looks like a lot of small pieces and there is (120 pinwheels in all), but I enjoy this. Just to see the look on his face when I give it to him will be worth all the hours that I have put into it. He does plan on keeping this on his couch in the living room. With this quilt I will get to do some paper piecing for the first time. I am looking forward to this. I've always thought about trying it, but never jumped in till now. I have tomorrow off (not sure how I manged to get Father Day off, must be a guy thing) and I plan on getting a lot more done to this quilt. My other half is working all day. Yay I get the whole house to myself.

Two weeks ago I was talking with my better half and he told me that it would be nice if we could give a quilt to the couple of the wedding that we had to go to that next Friday. I had wished I knew of his idea a bit sooner. I racked my brain to see what quilt pattern I could come up with and would not talk a few years to finish (seeing how all the people at his work have a bet going that their marriage will not last more than four months). I was able to come up with a good quick pattern and I had all the fabric right in my own stash. I knew all that fabric would come in handy one day. It only took me about 6 hours to get this one done. It's called Yellow Brick Road. Quick and easy as you can see. I love all the rich golds in this quilt. Not bad for throwing a quilt together in only a week and having with a week left over. Damn I'm good.

I am already planning my next two quilts out. I have the fabric for one of them and the other I am just waiting for the quilt shop to get the fabric in so I might get it. More on those another time.

Till next time.

It Must Be An Old Thing...

My father loves to enter a contest. Anyone he can get his hands on he will enter. He did win $1,000 last year from one.

Today when I was over he got to talking about some of his contests and told me he can not enter some because he needs a computer. With that said he hands me a piece of paper with a web site to win a new Toyota Tundra Truck. He said if you win and don't want it you can always sell it (with the price of gas I just might). I guess when you get old and have nothing else to do, but watch court programs on T.V. you pass the time with a few contests.

I am not one to enter contests because I do not want my name on some snail or e-mail list and this time will be no exception. I get way to much mail now. No thank you!

I'd Do Anything For Love...

and I should have said, but I won't do that.

I went out in the monsoon we are having to get my partner a bag of Doritos. God I must love him. The rain was coming down sideways in sheets and the wind just about took my umbrella more than a few times. Maybe I should get one of these for the next time that happens.


Don't you just love the best of list that you can find on the 'net like 100 best songs of the past 25 years? I found this list and then had to make sure I had all the songs so I could make my own list. There are some other great lists on there as well, and this was a nice find.

I got a great start on the pinwheel quilt I am making for my friend. I got 96 of the 244 half square triangles done. Only 144 more to go. Guess I had better get back to it.

Until next time

A New Start

Thought I would jump on the band wagon of blogging.

I've been working on a quilt for a friend in St. Louis. I have the fabric all picked out and hope to get a great start on it tomorrow. I am planning on using the Green Pinwheels pattern.

Also, I have another quilt I need to get the borders on and sent off to the quilters. I will post a picture of it once I have the borders on.

Please post and let me know what you think of my fabric choice for the pinwheel quilt.