Quilt clamps...

What kind of quilt clamps or clips do you use, if any?  I have tried several methods of holding a quilt in a roll while pushing it through the throat opening when you are machine quilting.  I started many years ago with this:

This kind always got caught on the table edge, or something else, and either distorted the quilt stitch or the clamp just fell off and went clanging along the floor leaving the quilt roll to expand.

An improvement was a similar kind of clamp except it is round instead of oval.  While it was a better tool, it too often caught on the machine cabinet or the table I was using to 'catch' the quilt as I pushed it through the machine making my stitching uneven.

Next came this little plastic gadget.  I found some of these at a vendor's booth at a quilt show.  I have never seen these since and lost track of who I bought them from.  They were great...until they broke.  They are a bit too rigid.  I only have one left.  Anyone else ever see these?

Last year I found these to try...the metal oval bicycle type clamps with a rubberized coating.  The coating makes a big difference as far as snagging on table edges and staying attached to the quilt roll.  But it wasn't a 'love' notion.

And finally I just found these at a local quilt shop.  I LOVE these.  They don't want to snag on edges and once you put them on the quilt roll, they stay put.

They come in two sizes which is nice for both baby quilts and the larger lap and bed quilts.

:o)

Disclaimer:  As you know if you read my blog, I am not involved in the 'business' side of quilting.  I purchased all of these clips in various places over several years and was in no way compensated for my opinion.

A birthday present...

My mother-in-law will be 90 in June.  There are plans for a big celebration on a riverboat on the Ohio River that docks in Louisville.  I am planning on making her a lap size quilt using these fabrics.  Blue is her favorite color...not one I often use.  I am looking forward to playing with these fabrics.

:o)

A little fabric love...

I picked these fabrics up recently on a quick trip to Seattle.  I love these colors and designs.

The orange flower print fabric reminds me of fabric I might have used to make an A-line dress for myself in the late 60's or early 70's.  Except these prints were usually found on cotton/poly blend dress weight fabric.  I only remember calicoes and country type fabrics being used for the quilts I saw then.  We've come a long way since then to our current quilt fabric choices, haven't we?!?

:o)

The process...

I have heard people say you should listen to your quilt and go accordingly.  This is really starting to sink in for me...duh, FINALLY.  So I spent a fair amount of time 'communicating' with this fabric.

The quilt is for someone special so I want it to be nice.  After a lot of thinking and sketching, I was sure I had a plan.

I began cutting...lots of fussy cutting.  The prints are this quilt are quite large and the repeat is wide as well. So I wanted to catch the cuteness of the fabric and begin with big fussy cut squares in the center of the quilt.

But as I started to put these squares up on the design wall to see how they looked, I realized that the two borders I had planned (one from a print that was really too large to be a border print and one that was 'piano keys' style) were going to take away from the quilt.

So now I am going simple squares with simple straight line quilting and let the fabric do the talking.  I love this look and am always inspired by Rita at Red Pepper Quilts who can make magic with simple squares.

:o)

Starting something new...

One of my best friend's son is having a baby girl in June.  Time for a baby quilt, right?  I found this cute fabric called Storyboek 2 from Birch Organics and it's so sweet.  I love the softness of the colors.  So off I go...

Top of the Morning to You!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Another finish...

I finished the strawberry/purple themed quilt for my sister-in-law.  I was able to deliver it to her this past weekend in Indiana.  She immediately wrapped up in it as she sat in her recliner.

Here is a view of the overall quilt top.  I don't think the photos do it justice.  It is hard to photograph lavenders on a grey day.

This is a close-up before washing.  I might have 'missed' with the modern design for the top.  I noticed she had some more traditional quilts displayed on her walls.  (I hadn't been in their home for some time.)  She especially liked the strawberry backing though.

This is the back.  The quilt measures 60" by 70".  The batting is Dream Wool.  The quilting rows are 2 1/2 inches apart as I wanted to maximize the loft of the batting.

Here, it is washed, fluffy dry, and ready for snuggling.

:o)

It's coming together...

I love playing with this fabric.  Most of it is Riley Blake and Michael Miller dots and such.  I have a plan finally!  :o)

Playing...

I don't have a grand plan...

It's evolving...something risky for me.  But I am learning a LOT.

:o)

The beginning...

I am starting a new quilt with these fabrics for my sister-in-law who is very ill.  (She had an aneurysm leaking near her brain stem in October resulting in brain surgery.  It's been a long and tough process of recovery but she's moving forward.)  Her favorite color is purple...any shade of purple.  And she has this 'thing' for anything with strawberries on it.  I found a Moda batik with strawberries that came in a colorway that included purple. Score!

Then I am adding a variety of prints I have been longing to work with.  Here are some samples.

Can't wait to begin.  :o)

Stitch length

When I grew up (back with the dinosaurs), the stitch length indicator on a sewing machine indicated stitches per inch...8, 10, 12 etc.  When I got my first Bernina, back in the 80's, the numbers were different.  I remember thinking 'it must have something to do with metric and I don't do metric.  My machine's default is 2.5 so it must be about the same as an old Singer 10' and I eyeballed it from there.  Well, duh.  There is a pretty simple explanation about stitch length numbers that can be found here.  I can't believe it has taken me over 25 years to finally get this straight in my mind.

All this heavy thinking was a result of wondering what stitch length people use when they are straight line quilting.  I used a 3.7 on my last straight line stitched quilt shown here.  I like the way it looks but wonder about it's durability.   So I have been asking blog friends what they use. My unscientific poll reveals bloggers use anywhere from a 2.5 to a 4.1 stitch setting for straight line quilting.  I suppose what you are quilting makes a difference...what kind of fabric, what kind of batting, what is the purpose of the piece, etc.  I wonder if there is a 'quilt police' rule.

I am finally quilting some tops that have been waiting for a few months.  Here is my Asian influenced quilt.  I am using a 3.8 setting.  What stitch lengths do you like to use for machine quilting?

And a 2013 finish...

As I read my friends' quilt blogs with lots of accomplishments for the year already, I am feeling a little sheepish about finally showing my first quilt finish for this year.  Above is my beach themed baby quilt for a new baby boy born in Bermuda.

I used the Dear Stella's All Hands on Deck fabric for the front and back.  I used Kona white for the binding.  The batting is Dream Cotton Select.  The quilting is 1" straight line with a 3.7 stitch length setting.  The blocks are 6" finished and the quilt size is 42" by 48".

And this is the back which is very simple and I think stands alone as a classic look whole cloth quilt.

Washed and dried crinkliness...

  :o)

Pinned

One evening, two sore knees and three band-aids later...

:o)

This and that...

I forgot to tell you I got this book for Christmas!  I don't have a big library of quilt books.  I hope every quilter gets a chance to read Victoria Findlay Wolfe's 15 Minutes of Play.  This is a book to be savored.  It's like walking into an art museum.  You get on overload fairly quickly as this book just exudes inspiration.  It's yummy!  Victoria has a couple of blogs.  The one I follow is Bumble Beans.

I have been working on the pieced backing for my Asian quilt.

And I just finished this for my littlest grandson.  I crocheted a blanket for him when he was first born.  It eventually became his 'go to' comfort item and has seen some pretty heavy use!  It has been caught in the stroller wheels and repaired.  It has spent many hours mopping the floor as he drags it along from here to there.  It's been washed a hundred times. The little guy is three now and desperately needs a replacement.  He has been watching me crochet this one these past few weeks and lovingly fingers it from time to time.  'Is it ready yet, Grandma?'  Well, now it is and tomorrow it's his!

:o)

Fluffy

I've been writing many blog posts in my head these past few days.  But I have not been getting those words to my computer.  Argh.  Anyway, I had no one fooled on what I was doing with this!  I made very simple tutu's for my two of granddaughters for Christmas.  Here is the youngest of them in action:

And her big brother had to give it a whirl, too:

I have done a lot of sewing this past weekend.  I used my walking foot with the seam guide to quilt the ocean-themed baby quilt I have been making.  The quilting is 1 inch apart and the needle is set to 3.7 on my Bernina machine.  I often wonder what stitch lengths other people use.  No one ever seems to write about that.  I am very anxious to see how the quilting looks after the quilt is all washed and crinkly.  (The baby boy arrived in Bermuda this past weekend...9 1/2 pounds!)

And the quilt below is ready for the final thread trimming and pressing of the back.  I have the binding ready, but there is still the back to put together.

:o)

Back to sewing...

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!  Hope you all had great holidays and are back to sewing.  We had our entire family here for Christmas and 13 of the 14 of us were fighting something ranging from a cough and sniffle to full blown influenza.  It was still nice to be together.  Misery loves company, right?

Here is a little something I was working on before Christmas.  Can you guess what it is?

I have also been working a little bit on this:

And I have started the baby quilt for some friends who are expecting a new child any day.  They live in Bermuda and the baby is a boy.  Can't wait to see his picture!  Here are the fabrics I am using.  It is unusual for me to work with ocean related fabrics since I am a Midwest girl.  I love fun fabrics.

My plan was to lay out the simple squares and then add white corners for a snowball kind of block.

But once I saw this on the design wall, I liked the look of the simple squares and am going with it. I can envisions this quilt on the sand at the beach with the beautiful blue ocean in the background.

:o)

Just thinking out loud...

I had a post all ready to post yesterday and just couldn't do it.  What I am doing in Ohio is so trivial compared to what families in Connecticut are dealing with.  It is going to take some time to process this.  (I have a grandchild in first grade and another in kindergarten.  My daughter is mental health care professional for children.)  It's so hard to think about what these Newtown families are feeling right now and what is ahead of them.

There hasn't been much sewing here this week.  I have been getting ready for my kids and grandkids to come next week.  There will be 14 in house for several days.  If I am not ready for them, who cares.  I just want them to all be here and hear their laughter and get their hugs.

When I do get a minute to sew, here's what I have been working on...

 

 

 

In case you don't already know it, I cherish my friendships with each and every one of you!

My first tablerunner...

I am always inspired by my blog friends who make hostess gifts and little things for their friends.  I finally decided it was time to try a tablerunner as we were invited to an annual holiday open house that's always fun, and I wanted to show my appreciation.  (Never mind that I was sick the day of the party and my hubby went solo with my gift in tow.  I received a sweet thank you note from the hostess.)  I did discover that experience counts when it comes to tablerunners and I need some more experience! 

Here is a peek at the topside of the tablerunner.

And here is the backside which I happen to like the most.

I liked the back so much that I am making a runner for our table with both sides being just like the back of the gifted tablerunner!

:o)