Crafty Sewing & Quilting

Monday, January 6, 2014

String Along with Me --- Project Quilting Season Five Challenge ONE

The first Project Quilting Challenge is posted. I have until Jan. 12th, Sunday at Noon to completed a quilted project based on the challenge. But I tell myself I have until Friday night to complete the project. Click here for the details of the Quilt Challenge.

Here's how I make it happen - 15 minutes at a time:

I read the Challenge at Noon on Sunday Jan. 5th. I think, I brainstorm, and I sometimes sketch out a design. But most importantly, I dream....

Later on Sunday or Monday, I gather fabrics.

When I take breaks from my customer's quilting, I press/iron and starch the fabric and cut it. All the strips are assorted sizes from 1 inch to 1 1/4 inch to 1 1/2 inch to 1 3/4 inch to 2 inches.

I am used phone book paper for my base to stitch on the strips.

Next, I started stitching the strips diagonally onto the paper.

I chose to place the solid green on the left side on all of the blocks and any light print on the right.

Press/Iron so the strips lay nice and flat.

I stitched a striped strip on the side next to the light strip and any light print next to the solid green strip. I want it to be scrappy, but have somewhat of a pattern using the solid and striped print to do this.

Press/Iron the blocks again.

Add more light print strips (Then Press/Iron) and then I added solid green for the last strip on the corners. Press/ Iron again.

Press/Iron and then the blocks are ready to be rotary cut into 6 1/2 inch squares or whatever size you would like.

At this point, I tear off the paper. I like to take is off and give it a good press/iron and square them up if necessary. Some quilters wait until all the blocks are stitched together.

See how the striped print strip and the solid green create a pattern. Not sure if I will stitch them together like this. I have a couple ideas that might look really cool!

That is it for today... more tomorrow --- only 15 minutes at a time. It takes me longer to write this post!

I am saving the scraps in a jar and I will label it "PQS5CH1 Strings".

Hop over and check out Project Quilting and join in the fun!

Enjoy!

Marcia

String Along with Me PQ CH ONE

Getting Up Close with My Quilting - Special Area Quilting

I quilted this snowman quilt in December for my customer so she could hang up for the Holidays! Or display it on the guest bed.

Every year, about this time, another one of my customers finishes their Snowman quilt. It was a block of the month several years ago at Picket Fence in Prairie du Chien.

Special Area Quilting gives details and dimension in just the right places.

From wiggle lines to swirls to bubbles to spirals...

I took up close photos of each block in the snowman quilt for you.

I wiggle line quilted the tree to give it look 3 D.

Using white thread, I quilted swirls and spirals on the snowman and on the white backgrounds too.

I changed threads with every color.

Double Bubbles in the thin border and Paisley Swirls in the outside border.

Circles in the mittens for texture and stripes in the background.

Wavy lines in the hat and the window frame.

Some photos at an angle.

Here's some photos of the backside too.

See how the backside really shows you the the details of Special Area Quilting.

Special Area Quilting makes it fun and whimsical.

Rolled up and ready for my customer.

Another full view of the front.

And a full view of the backside.

Enjoy!

Marcia

Friday, January 3, 2014

Rejuvenate and Quilting Plans for 2014

My word for 2014 is rejuvenate!

Last year's word was create - Click here for the post from last year.

Why did I choose rejuvenate?

The definition of rejuvenate is:

1. To restore to youthful vigor or appearance; make young again.
2. To restore to an original or new condition: rejuvenate an old sofa.
3. a. To stimulate (a stream) to renewed erosive activity, as by uplift of the land.
b. To develop youthful topographic features in (a previously leveled area).
Definition from the Free Dictionary - definition of rejuvenate.

I chose rejuvenate,

because ...

I want to complete several old projects. I may not complete them as originally planned. I will rejuvenate them into a new quilted project and give them a new look!

I want to create more this year with vintage fabrics.

I want to "up cycle" clothes, vintage linens, pillowcases and hankies into new quilted projects.

Last, but not least, I want to continue to be challenged by my quilted projects.

And I will continue to share it all here!

-----------------------------

Sharing Plans for my Blog for 2014

I will be sharing a block for Kim at Persimon Dreams Blog for the 52 Blocks Quilt Along. I am going to share a simple block with a twist --- Twisted Rail Fence Block on April 30th.

I will be sharing prizes again this year for Project Quilting. It starts on Jan. 5th, Sunday at Noon CST.
Hop over and check it out!
Join in on the fun! Create with a new enthusiasm!

Each week, I will be sharing a $30.00 Quilting Gift Certificate.
The first week, I will also be giving away my Easy to Sew Quilt Pattern. It's the quilt that looks different every time you make it.

Want to see more photos of the Easy to Sew Quilt? Check out my Photo Gallery.

May for Me 2014 will be an entire month of celebrating taking time for you.

In August, I will be sharing prizes for Pets on Quilts. See link in the sidebar. Join in on the fun in 2014 with Snoodles and Padsworth and DragonDrop over at LilyPadQuilting.

I am working on 37 Sunflower Quilt Blocks for a Quilt Block Exchange that I signed up for last year, through facebook. I will be sharing the instructions for my Sunflower Block here. I have to complete them by the first week in February. I will be sharing the instructions this month.

I will continue to share posts about "Getting Up Close with My Quilting" on Mondays.

Want to see some posts, right now about Getting Up Close with My Quilting? or Click on the sidebar links.

I will be sharing my Project Quilting quilt projects as I create them.
I plan to do all of them!
Remember, I quilt full time 5 days a week for my customers, I post as often as I can on my blog, and I sew and quilt 24/7 when I am not quilting/working. Therefore I sew and quilt all the time.
All of my Project Quilting projects are created in 15 minute intervals, on my breaks and at the end of my work day. I will continue to share lots of photos with tutorials and step by step photos.

Want to see some of last years projects? Click on the links in my sidebar.

This was one of my favorite projects from 2012. Link in sidebar.

I have had fun sharing posts about Sunday's Scraps and will continue to share more this year. Some of my 2014 rejuvenation projects I have planned will fall into this category!