Glue Pinning

I learned a wonderful trick... Glue Pinning! Kathy, a quilter that took a couple of my classes recently taught me a cool trick! Using an inexpensive water based white glue like Elmer's in place of pins. Part of the trick is setting it quickly with an iron. 

99.9% of the time I don't use pins when piecing. I find they distort the pieces. Up until now have always used a stiletto in place of pinning and rely on opposing seam allowances. While working on my Amaretto Cottage blocks with lots of triangles I decided to give Kathy's trick a try and it worked! 

I have to say that I was surprised that it worked so well and I used a dollar store glue, not even Elmer's. Here goes adding two more triangles to the center of the block... 

With the smallest dots of glue carefully added to only the seam allowance of one side, lined up the triangle over the block center, laid down the triangle and snugged it into place...

Next, set the iron on (press, don't iron! :0) lightly with only the weight of the iron, set at a medium heat and no steam... (don't laugh at my weirdly pressed seam allowances, as a longarmer bulky intersections drive me crazy and this block has allot of them :0) Note: not always a good idea if you plan to quilt with a SID.

It only takes a moment to set the glue. Below I am holding up the block and you can see that the glued on triangles stayed in place... 

while I took them over to my machine to stitch a 1/4 inch seam...

It was very nice to only have to pay attention to the seam allowance! The triangle stayed in place, no shifting! Mind you these triangles were easy because they are made with twice cut squares so the long side of these triangles are straight of grain. Below is the block with all four of its corners glue pinned and stitched. Pretty good...

Will try this again with the next set of triangles made with one diagonal cut and the long side of the triangles are on bias. I didn't have time to add the next set and promise that I will let you know if glue pinning works just as well in that situation. Until then...

Enjoy your week, make some time to take a few stitches!

Groetjes, Jo

Getting back to goals

Amazing how fast quilting can get out of control! Starting new projects is so easy, finishing, not so much :0( The pleasure is in the process and it's all part of the process, right!?! :0) Time for a progress review now that it's August already! Wow.

With a good start followed by a stall and a new book full of distractions, time to get back to setting monthly goals. My goals for August...

1) Make progress on a BOM ~ Amaretto Cottage that I am working on with Janie. The layout of the center made with all of the 6 inch blocks, it's a medallion sampler style quilt... 

Center pieced with mitered border added

and our latest block...

Eight different fabrics just in this 10 inch block. 

I have 3 more to make for a total of 4 of this block then on to the next 10 inch block. It's cut out and an easy one, all HSTs. Yea! There are five different 10 inch blocks with 4 of each one for each of the corner units. Janie is just as far with her version made with the original fabrics from the designer, Marianne Elizabeth ~ Classically Home for RJR fabrics.

 2) To quilt my geometric brights quilt made after a Kim Diehl pattern...

I am waiting for a variegated lime green thread I just ordered. Once quilted there will be machine applique added to the borders, something I've been wanting to try... adding applique to a quilt after it's quilted!

3) Get back to this quilt top, Cactus Flower started in April...  

4) More blocks for Vintage Spin from the new book, Adding Layers... which plays into the goal of stash busting...

Notice that my projects have taken a radical turn from 19th century repros! to quite the opposite, some VERY bright brights! Maybe it's because I needed some cheering up. All work and no play has left me grumpy! And it's summer. These projects should do the trick!

Looking back at my goals made in January, I'm actually in pretty good shape with all three goals that I set. The New Year's Day Mystery is a finish, my Tree of Life top is a flimsy and I've made progress on Amaretto Cottage. It's nice to set goals and keep track of them on a blog, it's been a good way to stay focused. 

Stay cool and enjoy your weekend. With another day of triple digits, my plan is to stay indoors, finish clearing out my little sewing room and sew with the cooler humming.  

Jo

Up, Up and Away!

Members of Annie's Star Quilt Guild will know exactly what this block is intended for... but for now it's a secret! Shhhhh... :0)

It was fun going thru my stash and found each of these fabrics in one box or another. YES! Even used a ribbon remnant to embellish the balloon. The colors were a match. Love it when that happens!

Stash, as nice as it is to have to pull from, it takes up space that I just don't have any more. I've sold allot at yard sales, donate to the guild and now sharing fabric at Goldie's Scrap happy days. Recently I purchased a new book at Honey Run that is perfect for stash busting... Adding Layers—Color, Design, & Design, by Kathy Doughty of Material Obsession. I was able to pull fabrics in order to make three of the 15 quilt projects in the book! I had fun making a few test blocks and fussy cutting some old brights for one pattern in the book ~ Vintage Spin. A take on a Dresden Plate block. I may call this one Fun in the Sun. A black and white fabric will be added for the center circles as well as the binding.

Following are pix from the book... This is Vintage Spin. This could be made in any fabrics.

All you need are two 9 x 26" pieces of fabric for each block, FQs work with some to spare for fussy cutting.

The patterns can be adapted to both modern and traditional fabrics. Carolina Lilly is a traditional block. The quilt in this book is a bit of a modern version...

There is a giant Churn Dash

also with a modern spin as well as a Sawtooth Star that is very modern. Named Super Nova here it is made into a quilt by Theresa at Honey Run, a quilt sample for Pacific International that she asked me to quilt. Here is a link to Moonbear Designs and Quilting blog with more pix. I actually prefer Theresa's version with her Essex yarn dyed fabric for the background.

 How about this one, talk about scrappy!

It's going to be fun to make a few of the quilts from the book, to play with my Civil War fabrics as well as some Kaffe fabrics, batiks and some vintage favorites waiting to be make into quilts. Oh, but will they be mixed together!?! Shutter at the thought! 

And to the subject of goals... Time to get back to them! Back to my three letter projects (BOMs, WIPs and UFOs) along with the stash busting. I am finally caught up with the back log of quilts after switching from one longarm machine to another. Still have a number to do, 30 plus with another dozen on my list which is why my turn around time is in November.

I would love to get that number down, again, the whole storage thing. I've had to use my personal quilting space for storage. It's my little sewing room that is air conditioned and heated and in the house. My studio is not and in this hot weather is not a fun place to be in the afternoons. I start very early in the morning, literally at the *^#% crack of dawn.

Since I no longer qualify for A Lovely Year of Finishes, I guess I'll have to go it alone!

Enjoy your weekend, take some time to take a few stitches! Groetjes, Jo

Scrap Happy Top almost finished!

This is my top made at Goldie's Scrap Happy Day

There was a great turnout and allot of good food!

The top finished at 48 x 48. I finished the rows and added the borders this morning. Not quite finished with the top as there will be applique in the borders. Kim Diehl's version adds leaves. That was my original plan however since I decided to use geometric prints instead of floral I am going to use a geometric shape.

Jewel is the shape I decided on. These are blue fabric scraps cut out just for a layout. My plan is to use my EPP set that Beckie gifted me (thank you Beckie :0) for each shape and applique them on after the top is quilted. They will be all different colors, not just blue as in the photo. Three per snowball and probably seven in each of the corners. 

The plan is to use a lime green Glide thread and quilt circles and swirls. Didn't quite make it with my background fabric and had to use a different fabric for the corners so now the background is scrappy too! This quilt has been fun to make. A departure from the Civil War fabrics I usually work with. It's keeping me balanced :0) Big plus... all of the cut off corners from the snowballs and left over strips will be used to make HSTs and another block for Faithful!

Above is Lori of Humble Quilts Big Top quilt which was made from traded HSTs and later Lori hosted a QAL to make each block. I made one block (here is my block made last year) and after this project have enough to make a second block for my top. Kind of sounds insane but you have to be a quilter to appreciate the sanity of it all. The pleasure is in the process! AND I am using up allot of stash!!! Below is the first block I made...

The World Cup is done! Yea. I won't say who in case you haven't seen the game. Happy to say that the Netherlands are in the top three! Yea!!! Enjoy the rest of your weekend. Groetjes, Jo

Scrap Happy Day

Last month I joined in on Goldie's Scrap Happy Day at Cathy's Honey Run Quilters and it was sew much fun! A whole day to quilt with friends, share fabric and eat! (It's also a pot luck) The one for July is tomorrow and there are a whole bunch of us planning to attend, Pam too! YEA!!!

I started a scrappy quilt that I've wanted to make after finding it in one of Kim Diehl's books. (love her style) and then again when I saw one Cheryl made, it's on her header.

This is as far as I got last month with finished blocks plus more fabrics up on my design wall auditioning for this quilt. I decided to stay with brights and "kind of geometric"s prints.

That's what I'll be working on tomorrow!

Janie and I also worked on a new block for Amaretto Cottage. 

This is my block and Janie is working on hers.

Groetjes, Jo