March 2010

[Honeylioness]

Sharing the Simple Lifestyle - 03/09/10 08:11 PM

Honey, [/b]

how IS your state bird quilt blocks coming along young lady?

um...I did find it all today! There's Idaho, right on top, waiting to be sketched, then to have the little tracing paper patterns for the small pieces. Tell me you want to see the blocks completed by May 15th and that will put some hustle where I could use it!


Sharing the Simple Lifestyle - 03/10/10 06:57 AM

Alrighty! I have "Idaho" in front of me and my pencils. I hardly remember how to proceed. However, I am a woman with a mission. Or should I say "mentor" in the person of our Miss Honeylioness?


Honeylioness - 03/10/10 10:12 AM

Alrighty! I have "Idaho" in front of me and my pencils. I hardly remember how to proceed. However, I am a woman with a mission. Or should I say "mentor" in the person of our Miss Honeylioness?

Okay *pulling out my calculator* - so if you are going in strict alphabetical order you have completed 11 squares thus far which means through Hawaii. That's only 39 more to go unless you are including any of the territories .... mmmmm.... divide by 4 carry the 1 .... hmmmmm. If you do two states a week that would be 31 states - bringing us to New Mexico .... How about you aim for getting through New York by the Philly trip? Just so we don't leave one of the "new" states hanging out there.

[Honeylioness]

In late January I received a message on my Guild's Yahoo group from another Guild member:

Posting for my friend Beth Helfter, owner of EvaPaige Quilt Designs, who is looking for embellishers to help promote her new book.

Wanted: 8 or more quilters who love embellishment to make a 12" block for me (using directions and a shape to machine applique that I will provide for you) and embellish the heck out of it, then let me take all of these blocks to Quilt Market with me as part of my Schoolhouse. You can have them back after that (early June). Any takers? More directions provided once I hear from you!

So I thought "What the heck, might be worth at least looking into" - so I sent her an e-mail


From: quiltinglioness
Sent: Monday, January 25, 2010 2:05 PM
To: evapaigequilts
Subject: Re: Project

Hello Beth,

Thank you for getting back to me so quickly! Yes I see where I did a
"hiccup" in one of the e-mails I sent to you. See what happens when you don't get enough caffeine in the morning?

Can you let me know what your time frame is for completing the project - I believe it is only one block? Additionally, any restrictions on what kind of "embellishing" I am limited to - or does anything go. I ask because I am not sure if you have a specific focus for your embellishing.

Look forward to hearing from you soon.

~M*****
aka quiltinglioness



RE: Project
From: evapaigequilts
To:quiltinglioness
Mon, Jan 25, 2010 05:24 PM


Yes, that didn't work so well!

Attached are the directions for what I need you to do. Let me know if you have any questions and NO, there are NOOOOOOO limits on embellishments. I want it as insane or not insane as you want it!

12” Embellished block project

Thank you for your interest in participating. The directions are pretty simple, but if you have any questions, please be sure to contact me at [e-mail].

You will be making a 12” block using any piecing method you like (i.e. 4 patch, 9 patch, random strips, diagonal triangles, or even a plain square is fine) for me which will feature a machine appliquéd shoe shape on it, which you will then embellish in any manner you so choose. The block can be quilted and bound, or can be left as a “top”, the choice is yours. I do suggest that if you are going to quilt it, do so before you do any embellishing that will involve items hanging off of the block or sticking up too high on it – ribbons streaming, beads, etc.

The purpose behind the blocks is to help me demonstrate an idea for shops to use featuring ideas from my new book “Once Upon a Time: Fairy Tale Puzzle Quilts” which will be making its debut at Spring Market. I’ll be doing a schoolhouse at market, and these blocks will be part of my presentation. After I return from market, I will be happy to return your blocks to you.

Basic directions and info:

• Create a 12 ½” (unfinished) square block background using your favorite piecing method. I recommend using fairly tone on tone fabrics for the background so that your shoe can stand out and be fancy all that much more.

• Enlarge the shoe shape 200%, and machine applique the shoe using your favorite machine applique method to the background block. The shoe can be oriented with the toe going in either direction on your block.

• Now go to town on embellishment! Buttons, beads, bows, silk ribbon flowers, crystals, ribbons….. the sky is the limit! There is no wrong way to embellish, just make it a shoe Cinderella would give her eyeteeth to get a chance to leave behind at the ball.

• When your block is done (quilted or not, it matters not at all), please mail it to me, along with a SASE big enough to mail it back to you if you want it back,

• Deadline for blocks to be postmarked is 3/31/10


From: quiltinglioness
Sent: Friday, March 05, 2010 9:29 AM
To: evapaigequilts
Subject: RE: Project

Beth, I just wanted to let you know that I am working on two blocks for you - one the embellishments are done - the other I am working on. I am considering a third if that is okay, and I will probably quilt them and want them back so I will note that when I send them to you.

~M



RE: Project
From:evapaigequilts
To: quiltinglioness
Sent: Fri, Mar 05, 2010 01:04 PM


Well don't let me stop you! You go girl!


*************************************

I bet you can see where this is going - coming off the positive feedback I got from my Accidental Peacock I was in embellishment mode.

So I made some blocks. this is the white shoe block I made to start with:



And after some embellishments ... I think I will call it "Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes"




And my finished product:




And here is the red shoe I started with:



And after more embellishing ... I am thinking of calling this one "Too Hot To Handle"




The finished block:





And here is a green one - still working out the type of embellishments I will be doing here







On March 28th I went to a book signing by Beth Helfter and gave her the two blocks I had made. Actually I lent them to her as I told her I will want them back after her demonstration. This is a picture of the author at Quilter's Way in West Concord MA

[Honeylioness]

16 March 2010


I saw this in today's edition of an electronic quilting newsletter I receive and want to give it a try soon.


Quilting Arts blog

A few days ago when I was in a particularly creative mood, I decided to batik fabrics using a flour paste resist process Jane Dunnewold demonstrated on the "QATV" set last week. It's also a process on her upcoming Quilting Arts Workshop DVD, Screen Printing Sampler: 4 Fun & Innovative Ways to Make Artful Cloth. Of course, I dyed mine in shades of green

This is a simple yet satisfying process. Here's an overview:

1. Mix 1 cup ordinary while flour with 1 cup cold water (not hot, or the paste will be gluey) and stir until the lumps are gone.

2. Pour the paste over the top of your fabric. Spread it over the fabric with a squeegee. Make sure you haven't missed any spots.

3. At this point, you can let the paste dry thoroughly, and it will form a simple crackle. Or, you can use a skewer to draw designs in the paste, then let dry.

4. When the paste has dried completely, gently scrunch the fabric up, crackling the hardened paste.

5. Apply a coat of thinned black (or other dark) textile or craft paint over the flour surface, working it into the cracks (or design) and let the paint dry completely.

6. Wait at least 24 hours for the paint to set, then soak the fabric in warm water until the paste dissolves. Wash in the washing machine to fully remove the paste (you don't need detergent).

7. Dry in the dryer and press with a hot iron. Use as is, add more paint, or over-dye.

For a more detailed description of the process, see the February/March 2008 issue of Quilting Arts Magazine, now available on CD as part of the 2008 Quilting Arts CD Collection, and look for Jane's Quilting Arts Workshop video coming soon.


quiltingarts.com/blogs/quilting-daily/

[Honeylioness]

I LOVE this!!!!!

I saw this link on a friend's FaceBook page and just had to check it out. I think more men should take up a hand craft.


online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704896104575139990857438962.html?KEYWORDS=quilting

[Honeylioness]

Posted on CQG Yahoo Group



Mon Mar 29, 2010 3:31 pm


Hello everyyone,

I have a quilt top and pieced back that have been sitting unquilted for several years in my studio - and I finally decided it was time to get this project finished.

My original thought was to have an allover design done within the borders and then a separate scrolling design that would go all around the quilt in the border. However the last two long arm quilters I spoke to about getting a quote seem either reluctant to do this kind of "custom work" or down right dismissive of what I would like.

So I am asking you for your opinions. One of the reasons I am not thrilled about the idea of a straight side to side pantograph is I feel it will lessen/diminish the impact of the borders and just make them "mush" into the body of the quilt.

It may be that I have had this image in my head for too long of what I wanted the finished product to be that I just cannot let it go.

What do you think?

I have posted pictures of the front and back panels of the quilt here on our board at:

groups.yahoo.com/group/ChelmsfordQuiltersGuild/photos/album/1156082274/pi\c/list#


Thank you in advance for your help. And if you wish to send an e-mail instead of replying to this thread my e-mail address is quiltinglioness@...

~M


***********************

Mon, Mar 29, 2010 03:57 PM


Hi M,

Here's my 2 cents, for what it's worth.

When I looked at the top, I immediately agreed that the borders should be treated separately from the top, and also saw custom quilting to emphasize the piecing in the top. Then I looked at the back, and kinda when oops, I think I need to change my mind. If the back was "plain" (i.e., pieced, but not a separate design element like the tree), then I would stick with my first impression. However, as careful as I try to be when I sandwich a quilt, I never feel I am 100% successful lining up elements on the top and the back. And, if it's off, I'm not sure I would like what it does to the back of your quilt. (did this make any sense?) I'm not a long armer, but I would expect this to apply in their situation as well. So, I would probably vote with them, and say an all over pattern would be safest.

Don't know if this helps, but it's just one opinion!

Sharon


*********************************

Mon Mar 29, 2010 4:22 pm

Hi,

The quilt that is the tree has such a busy border that the special
quilting in the border would not show up. Therefore it is generally
considered not worth the cost to the customer of doing it custom.
JMO, Cricket


********************


Mon Mar 29, 2010 4:59 pm


This quilt has two problems that would give pause to a longarm quilter.

The first is that, for an edge-to-edge center panel, the longarm quilter would need to stop exactly at the end of the inner motif.

This throws you out of "edge to edge" into full custom, in other words, from (relatively) easy and fast, to hard and slow. It wouldn't be just one stop, but anywhere where the seam intersects the design would need careful special treatment. Edge To Edge is normally stitched off the edge entirely, with the excess cut off afterward. Also, the quilter's eyes are on the pattern, not on the quilt, so there's extra complexity there too.

On "Worthy Of Recognition", I dealt with this by doing the "edge to
edge" of the center panel before the borders were added, and adding the borders and border quilting afterward, but that doesn't help you on the back, I still had to be careful to prevent the back from becoming a mess. My problem was simplified by having my edge-to-edge as just channel locked straight lines, so I could have my eyes on the quilt instead of the design. This approach is not really sane (which is why I did it).

Which leads me to your pieced back...it appears it would require careful alignment with the top, and doesn't have the extra fabric needed to load it onto a longarm. Careful alignment with the top is very difficult on the longarm. I've never tried to stabilize an aligned quilt sandwich.

I've thought about what it would entail, but doing it without pleats will be a real challenge. At very least, you'll need to add a temporary extra border all the way around for attachment to the machine.

I like both sides, I'd make two quilts out of it, a matched set, with a holiday print wide back fabric for their backs.

- Jeff

[Honeylioness]

Yet another list that I listen to has been discussing why some thread shreds
when quilting. Then someone pointed to this blog article, which is quite
surprising:


FACT: Thread passes through the needle eye approximately 50 times before it becomes a stitch in the fabric.

blog.sewsara.com/?p=191