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I am starting a new whole cloth quilt and plan to use only 2 threads-one on top and one in the bobbin. That makes each thread choice pretty important. I’m firm on my bobbin choice of Superior Thread’s Kimono silk, but I still need to choose my top thread. I want a thread that behaves well and has enough presence to show my design from afar. I’ve worked through rayon, 100 wt silk and a thick cotton thread-none were right. In the running are two 50 wt cotton threads: Aurifil and Superior Thread’s Master Piece. When I sew I always put my…
Recently a former student sent an e-mail to me with this in the subject line: “Was I supposed to take it out of the package first??“. She enclosed the following photo (the packaging you see in the photo is for the “Supreme Slider” which makes quilting easier):Her explanation follows: “I had to share this photo with you because you always say you’ve made every possible mistake…I bet you haven’t made this one! Because I am very bad about cleaning up my sewing area, this item accidentally slid under the piece I was quilting – now I’ve done similar things before…
Yes, I know it sounds odd, but for any major new project I create a simple Mission Statement of sorts. A Mission Statement provides a framework that guides my decisions, a kind of philosophical blueprint that keeps me on track. Otherwise I get lost in the detail! And really, the statement just captures what is already in my head anyway. So as I work my way through the twists and turns of creating, it’s helpful to remind myself what I was trying to accomplish in the first place. Here are some of the things that I might include in a Mission Statement: -I…
To me this is big news: a marker that marks clearly, precisely and removes fairly easily. It’s a marker that’s been around for awhile-Morgan’s-and some of you may have already tried it. I rediscovered it in Houston at the vendor’s booth. I probably even have an old one somewhere in the catacombs of my quilt paraphernelia! I am curious if any of you have used this before and what your impressions were of it, whether good or bad. I put it right to the test after I got back and marked a grid in graphite on WHITE silk dupioni, so…
I’m sharing “Two Tiny Tips” today-things that will make your quilting life just a little bit easier. Burying thread ends Sometimes you want or need to bury your thread ends instead of securing the end of your quilting line with tiny little stitches. I do this on my competition pieces or anyplace where the end of my line of stitching is very visible or I want all the stitches the same size. But sometimes this is a little hard to do. When I’m working with super thin silk thread (100 wt) and I’m taking tiny stitches, it’s difficult to get the…
This month’s Free Motion Quilting Challenge at SewCalGal‘s site was provided by Sarah Vedler and it was all about spirals. Sarah is a quilt and block-of-the-month designer, an embroidery designer and also free motion quilts. So our challenge was to learn to do spirals. Well, I did two rows of spirals, and then I thought, well these could also be rectangles. And then I did some squares, and finally some triangles.It’s a pretty versatile concept and I could see it as a background fill. We’ve got one more month to go in the challenge and it has been a lot of…
The annual River City Quilters’ Guild Show was held last weekend in the Scottish Rite Temple in Sacramento, Ca. They always have a great collection of traditional, contemporary, art and applique quilts as well as wearable art. I did not come away with many great photos as the light is pretty low and I just couldn’t seem to get a good photo off. “Red Chair” by Mary Upham. This Best of Show greeted visitors as they walked in and it’s a stunner. Mary worked from her own photo and started this piece in a Ruth McDowell seminar at Asilomar. So…
It’s the Fall Quilt Show Season! The Pioneer Quilt Guild Show moved to more spacious quarters this year and the quilts showed so much better. I had a great time at the show, spent too much money at the boutique and got some photos to share. I have to say upfront that my photos are not the best. It’s a combination of strong light from the skylights, crowded aisles, operator error and I swear my camera is doing weird things with color.“Baskets For Mom”, by Mary Hammarin. This caught my eye right away. Sometimes a quilt really sings when you…
Final installment!“Prairie Fire” by Ruth Powers depicts the early spring burning of the Flint Hills. And that is pieced, not fused-stunning in person. “Brink of Sunset” by Hanne-Grete Brink of Norway was made to honor her ancestors who lived “at the brink of land between mountains, the sky and the sea”. It was constructed on a long arm! I can’t get away from this one-it continues to hold my interest. “Ephemeral Elegance” by Deborah Grifka. Deborah wondered what “modern applique” would look like and this was her answer. She used bias strips to create this original design. “Down Pat” by Pat Budge. There was an interesting…
Continuing on… Cecelia Koppmann of Buenes Aires, Argentina. Cecelia used improvisational piecing to create this interpretation of the Biblical Tower of Babel. I really enjoyed this piece for its use of color, value and whimsy. “Ear of Rice” by Sachiko Sano, Japan. Sachiko used her Mother-in-Law’s old kimonos to create this quilt which represents stacks of rice straw. This quilt just continued to hold my attention. It was beautifully constructed and quilted of course, but the use of the fabrics in this quilt was extraordinary. “Aeki” by Tineke van Heuvelen of The Netherlands. I love the European influence in this show! Tineke used IKEA images…