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I like to build fun little projects into my schedule-projects that are quick and are easy on the mind. I’ve wanted to do this one for awhile-use my Daisy Fill to make a table topper. I started with two Kona Cottons-a gray and a pink. I used Misty Fuse to put them together, making a reversible topper about 36″ square. It’s pretty easy to make a table topper. Mark the edges of your topper and lay a line of bubbles down each side. Then randomly put down bubbles and daisies, going over all lines twice using free motion quilting and fill all your…
Sometimes you want a beautifully executed narrow rolled hem. If you have a curved hemline on a circular skirt, or if you are working with fussy, thin or silky fabrics, a narrow rolled hem will give a beautiful finish and add a little body to the hemline, producing that lovely flip of the hem. I think a narrow rolled hem gives a couture look to a garment. I learned this super easy method that does not involve one of those pesky, hard-to-use Narrow Rolled Hem Feet. In fact, all that is needed are three passes of a straight stitch plus one trimming…
While wandering the vendor offerings at IQF-Long Beach, I ran into a booth that had kits to make a shrug from Minky. The shrug was adorable. So I bought the pattern (Kwik Sew K3717) and decided I would be making one when I got home. It takes 1 yd each of 2 Minky’s or a drapey knit. Have you ever worked with Minky? There should be a Fabric Annoyance Level Rating System (FALRS): Minky might be a 10, with velvet a mere 8. In a perfect world, you would have a giant vacuum system built into your cutting table, like…
Today I’m sharing the rest of the photos of my quilt tour at IQF-Long Beach: “Tidal Pool-After the Storm” by Holly S. Altman was so intriguing. Holly used a variety of techniques to achieve this interpretation of a tide pool. Holly was a Marine Biology student (can you tell?) and she tried to portray the fragility of the tidal pool in her work. This was included in the “West Coast Wonders” section. I took many detailed shots-I could have spent an hour with this one and still found new detail. Also in “West Coast Wonders”, “Lombard Street” by Susan R. Lane (California) was gorgeous…
I’m giddy, almost vibrating from last week! I just got back from International Quilt Festival-Long Beach and it was a blast. I met all kinds of fascinating quilters, saw some amazing quilts, enjoyed the balmy beauty of Long Beach and had a spectacular time presenting at the Saturday Night Sampler. The Saturday Night Sampler where I presented was so much fun! There were 15 presenters, each with a unique subject. Participants could freely roam the room and listen to the presenter of most interest to them. My talk was on “Fast Fixes 4 Free Motion Frustrations” and I covered the…
This month’s challenge on SewCalGal’s blog is by Angela Walters, a professional long armer, author and young Modern Quilter. She showed us how to use “tiles” as background fill. I really like the concept and probably will use it in future projects-thank you Angela! I have to admit, I am currently on the cusp of being burned out, so I only did a small section. My Visible Learning Curve is present: you will see in the lower left hand corner I started out using a different motif in each tile. That looked too busy. So I started to use the…
In an act of shameless self-promotion I’ll be giving away a reversible table runner at my Saturday Night Sampler presentation at International Quilt Festival-Long Beach this week. I want to attract participants to my talk about “Fast Fixes For Free Motion Frustrations”.My topic this year is the most common problems that free motion quilters encounter. I’ll be showing some nifty new tools and techniques as well as the best marking tools, how to choose the right batting for your project and more. I’ll also cover the number one most asked about subject-come listen and find out what it is! I wasn’t able to begin the table runner…
Tonite is the opening reception (7-9PM) for the “Masterpiece Medley Membership Show” at the Blue Line Gallery in Roseville, Ca. I’ll be there! There are over 100 works in varied mediums by Blue Line artists from all over the Sacramento Valley. There will also be works by fellow Studio Art Quilt Associates members Priscilla Read , Pam Berry and Sandra Wagner. My piece “Emerge II” will be on display. I wanted to rework and refresh my original “Emerge” that I wrote about here. I used Misty Fuse on the border this time, which created a much better lay of the fabric…
I am at that delightful interlude of life where my boys have left the house and have set their own purposeful trajectory. DH has retired and golfs and volunteers enough to give me the mental space to create my art. I have had casual, aisle-of-the-grocery-store type of conversations with three Moms and a Dad over the last week. They all had a similar theme: we actually like our grown children as people and somehow, we actually helped produce those likeable people! We have led very different lives: financially, geographically, spiritually and politically. Each of us had radically different approaches to…