Christmas Countdown - Hit or Miss

A Look Back....My Christmas Projects.

You have your hits and you have your misses.  You can chalk this one up as a miss.
It's done but the finished product doesn't look exactly like I saw it in my head.

Originally it was intended for the church-ladies brunch, but it is just too ugly.  Instead it will find a new home with my son's family.  They think A Christmas Story is the funniest movie ever.  It will  at least give someone a good laugh, and for the right reasons.

And, it did not end up in the UFO pile.

Glorious Hexies, The Perfect Traveling Companion

After a summer of working from my home office, this Fall has been travel, travel, travel.  What's a girl to do?

 

About three years ago my quilting friend, Charlotte-the-Tall, and I embarked on a project that we thought would be oh so fun!  And, honestly, it is fun.  But, it is not a FAST project.  We got off to a good start:  July 18, 2016.
After that, it has been spotty at best: May 20, 2017.

When I'm traveling for work I've been known to drag along Miss Ellie (my 1951 Singer Featherweight) or my Ukulele to give me something to do in the evenings in the hotel and keep me out of trouble.  But for the past few months I've been focusing on Hexies.  They are the perfect traveling companion.  They take up very little room, I don't have to feed them and they don't talk back.

At 30,000 feet

All laid out on the tray, including some
Snappy Tom sans alcohol.

Carter Conlon on the iPad
(he's a preacher at Times Square Church)

Done

Working on Hexies is a good conversation starter, also.  "What are you making...?"
Who knows, perhaps I've help bring another quilter into the fold.

Packing my bags:

I could carry this on, but I generally put it in checked baggage.
The rotary cutter needs to be in checked baggage either way.
Cheap packing cube from the Dollar Store

Cutting and Hexie preparation

What I carry on
Bag by RuMe

Everything I need fits perfectly.

Making Progress

I am currently in Edmonton, Alberta and working on Hexies in the Hotel in the evenings (it is 9 degrees farenheit outside.)  I'm preparing to return home today but have a quick, 3-day turnaround back to Canada.



I'm ready to fly away again.



Making your own:

Visit Paperpieces.com.  Paper Pieces Search New Hexagon.  You can purchase everything you need in one neat package.  AND, it's on sale.

Santa says: "Only 82 More Sleeps"

Well, mostly... if you are of a certain age it is debatable as to whether or not you'll actually sleep... just sayin...

Every year in January, without fail, I make my "Christmas Quilt Gift List" for that year.... 358 days to plan, fabric shop, cut and piece to be all ready for Christmas Quilt Giving for that year.  And every year, about this time of year, without fail, I find myself racing the clock.  (Don't judge.)


Here is what needs to be done and in the mail or gifted in the next 82 days...or about then, anyway.

Church ladies brunch silent auction. Due October 31st  (but needs to be delivered before I leave on a business trip so make that October 13th.)

As you might guess, this is the one I am furiously
working on this very moment.

Designed in EQ8

Son's new-baby quilt. A Girl.  (YES!  I am going to be a g-ma again!  This time to a sweet girl.) Due for the shower October -- Oh wait, it has been postponed...again.  I don't actually have a shower date, but the baby is due Christmas Eve.
(OH!  They should name her Christmas Carole! I'm texting Matt right now!)
  

Mommy & Me

Niece's baby quilt.  It's a boy. Quilt is due for the shower October 13.  (But I'm not attending the shower because I'm leaving on a business trip so she will get it before the end of the year.)

As you can see, it has a way to go.

Designed in EQ8

Niece's older-daughter quilt.  Different niece, but she lives in the same city as the above niece (the babies will be cousins).  I'm planning to send them together, sometime before the end of the year.


























My Brother's and Sister-In-Law's scrappy lap quilts.  And, HALLELUJAH,  the brother's is COMPLETELY done and the S-I-L top is done.  I'm going to tie the S-I-L top on my up-coming business trip.  They may be the only two who actually receive their Christmas Gift Quilts for Christmas!

An I Spy quilt with fabrics from
many, many previous projects
for my Brother

Crazy Quilt Blocks from Scraps for my S-I-L

 
  
I think I'm going to call in to work sick for the next 80 days....

National Quilt Museum

As I do a couple times a year, over Labor Day I traveled to Paducah, Kentucky to visit my family.
Paducah is known for the BIG quilt show every April (and now they've added a show in the Fall), Hancock's of Paducah, and the National Quilt Museum.   My baby sister and I made a visit to the Museum. (I meant to post this pictures then....) 

On exhibit were some amazing collage quilts by Danny Amazonas.

My Favorite

I have completed two collage quilts to date:  Laura Heine's Cat and the Piggie Quilt in memory of my mom and my quilting Auntie, Nyla. They are not as easy as you might think.  Choice of fabrics and getting the colors and shades just right is the trick.  Danny Amazonas is a very talented artist, to be sure!  Google his name.

Laura Heine is probably the most recognized name for collage quilts.  She is a featured speaker at a lot of guild meetings across the country and she makes a presence at quilt shows. (I was introduced to her patterns at the Road to California show.) But here is another option, The Collage Quilter. I LOVE her Adoration quilt.  I also found a a collage quilt tutorial.  While not exactly the way I would do it, it was pretty good.  This has kind of given me 'the bug', again.

Spinning Out by Helen Remick of Seattle, WA - My sister's favorite display.

P.S. While we are talking about the Quilt Museum, they also sponsor a BOM* every year.  Last year's blocks were part of the exhibit. The blocks were very imaginative and very good, but not out-of-this-world.  Don't be intimidated!  At the bottom of the BOM page, click through the blocks. They do an excellent job of giving you all the tools for creating the blocks. Check it out!  YOU can do it!

*BOM:  Block of the Month

Don't Wear White Shoes After Labor Day

Labor Day is the official (unofficial?) end of summer.  School for my g-sons starts tomorrow; football season has started
(Boy has it ever....I'm the foober* driver for Wednesdays and Thursdays...) and I think we can squeeze in one more quick trip.....

Tomorrow Miss Ellie and I will board a Southwest flight for Nashville.  Off to see my baby sister and the B-I-L in their new home "in town." (My dad is now living with them instead of next door.)  She asked me to bring my sewing machine to make curtains for their new home.

"Really, sis?" 

Miss Ellie.  1953 Featherweight.

     But, this is what we do for those we love. 






      So last night I gave Miss Ellie a spa night and she is now all de-fuzed,
      oiled up and shined up... ready for her trip. (I will admit, I did have to watch a few 
      video's from The Featherweight Shop on how to un-assemble and 
      reassemble a Featherweight.)



     (I have flown with Miss Ellie in the past....no one blinks.  
     She may get swabbed for bomb dust.)







I will get my quilting fix, however.... their new house is only a few miles from Hancock's of Paducah! 

 And The National Quilt Museum.

My April 2019 Kentucky Trip.
The official sendoff...breakfast at Cracker Barrel

*foober = football Uber

Row, Row, Row Your .... Boat?

The internet is a WONDERFUL tool, no?  You can find and order just about anything on the internet from Aurifil thread to Zippers and everything in between.  If Amazon doesn't have it, it will be out there...somewhere.
(FYI, Amazon sells Aurifil thread and zippers.)

With all the internet shopping going on, there is understandably less traffic in the shops.

How to get quilters and sewists back into the shops..... hummm ... By jove, I've got it! 

Make a game of it.... have a contest .... win prizes!

Row-By-Row Experience.  

What IS it?  Row by Row was started 8 years ago.  The purpose is to get people off their computers and back out to the quilt shops and fabric stores.

Every year there is a theme.  Individual quilt shops pay a fee to participate and they design a row according to the theme. Beginning in June and running until sometime in September, when you visit a participating shop you'll see a display of that shop's row and you can pick up a free pattern.  Often the shop will make up kits  for purchase with all the fabric and embellishments you'll need for their row.

You then rush home and sew up all your collected rows just as fast as ever you can (neglecting hubby, house work and and all other distractions.) When your R X R quilt is completely finished....quilting, binding and labeling ... be the first to take your finished quilt to any participating  shop and win lots of prizes.  That's it.  It's fun and exciting.

This years R X R is in full swing and the theme is Taste the Experience.  It is not too late to get started.

Here is one winner from Washington State.

                              The creativity of people still amazes me.

Find participating shops in your area, click HERE.

Check out the Inspiration page for more fun, quilty stuff and pictures of other winning quilts.

The last couple of years a R X R Junior has been added to encourage our younger quilters.  And don't stop there.... check out the supplemental patterns for young quilters.... I'm tempted to try some of these, myself.

For the curious folk who would like to see rows and blocks from past years, I found this website, Seams to Be Sew.  Grab a cup of Kicking Horse (or a nice red, depending on the time of day) and take a tour.  There is a lot of stuff on this site.....

If you can stand just one more link, Row by Row Studio on Facebook.  What fun!

The Ties That Bind

Pile-O-Binding

That's right, let's talk about binding.....


After the quilt top has been pieced and completed...
After the backing has been prepared...
After the "sandwich" has been made.... (hold the mayo)
After the quilting has been done (by you or someone else)....
The next-to-the-last step is the binding.

(The very last step is the label.  That is a subject for another time.)










WHAT is the binding?  That nice, finished edge.

Miss Mary, one of my quilting buddies, called me today.  She is fairly new to quilting.  She was asking me about binding....how wide to cut the strips, how do you know how much fabric you need, etc.  So here we go.

Binding Methods:  Determine what kind of binding you want.

There are two camps on binding:  Method one, the RIGHT way and Method two, the FAST way.

Method 1: Attaching the binding completely by hand.  This is the quilter-purist-preferred method.  My quilting-buddy, Auntie would turn over in her grave if she knew I did not attach all my bindings using this method.

Prepare your binding.  Sew the binding to the front side of the quilt, flip to the back and hand stitch the back side down (sitting in front of the TV  with a glass of wine watching some Hallmark movie...because everyone always lives happily every after.)  Watch this good video by  Melanie Kahm.

I use this method for most bed quilts.  I must admit, it is prettier and there is just something more loving about hand stitching your binding. Think of the bragging rights!  "I slaved over a hot needle for 6 hours attaching that binding!"

Method 2:  The Flange Method.  Here is one of the best tutorials I've seen using this method from Quilt Social.com.
The quilt in the picture above is bound using this method.  See the tiny green flange?  This method is fast and I like the look.  I use this method for baby quilts and wall hangings.

But for every positive there is a negative.  For me the negative is you can see the stitching on the back side.  Also, you need to be very careful about your stitching on the front of the quilt, keeping it even and as close to the ditch  as you can.

How Much Fabric: To determine how much fabric you need for the binding (or for the borders, or for the backing)  I love  the website Quilters Paradise to calculate my borders, my backing and my binding.

There are a number of calculators on this site that I find really easy to use, even from my cell phone because don't-you-know I will have forgotten to take my measurements and write it all down BEFORE I went to the Quilt Shop. Just plug in the numbers and away you go.

 

Binding tools:  As a quilter you have most likely already discovered you can spend a TON of money on lots of  rulers, markers and other gadgets.  One that I purchased at a quilt show but could NEVER get to work for me was the Binding Tool Ruler.

I watched video after video on YouTube, but I just don't get it.  If it helps you and if you can get it to work for you (and it does for many) then I say go for it.  I don't feel to bad though, Jenny Doan has a couple tutorials on YouTube for some pretty awesome quilts using this ruler:  Geese in Motion Quilt and the Binding Tool Star Quilt.