Friday, February 26, 2016

Still Flipping Rooms....and thanking God for IKEA


Happy Weekend!

I’m still working hard on my quilt room.

I’ve nearly completely cleaned out my old quilt room bagged and tagged four bags of trash, stacked books into three piles – keep, give to my guild, these gotta go to Goodwill.  See this?
 
I’ve discovered I have a thread fetish as well as a ruler fetish.  And these are all either piecing or machine applique thread spools.  I don’t have nearly as many spools of quilting thread.
Here’s how my new room looks so far…
Yes that would be a wine glass next to the computer...it's been a hard week.

I’ve still got to hang some quilts and I need to purchase a portable design wall thank God I’m going to the Lancaster AQS show in three weeks. 

The fabric that was a yard or less has been wrapped and pinned around comic book inserts thank God for Amazon.com.  The yardage that is over a yard  has been flat-folded.  They’re all sorted by color, except for the Feed Sacks and the Thirties Reproduction fabric I have.  It’s been sorted according to color and put in boxes by themselves – keeping the real Feed Sacks separate from the “fake” ones. 
I’m not ashamed to admit, I have almost five hundred pieces of fabric that have been folded around the inserts.  My stash is tame by some folks I know.  Storage is now the issue, and I did see some closet organizer that popped up on my Facebook feed that would work perfectly.  Each section has three baskets that pull out  and each basket would hold three rows of the inserts.  I believe a trip to IKEA is in my near future so what if we just went last weekend?  And if I can’t get there, they do ship. As soon as this dilemma is taken care of, I will post more pictures of “the room.”

In the meanwhile, I’ve still managed to get a few things pieced.  Here are some more blocks for my Farmer’s Wife Quilt.




 

And here’s the first block of Purrfectly Pieced.  I still need to add the buttons for the eyes and some whiskers.
 

I can only clean out so long before I have to work on my quilts.

Love and Stiches….

Sherri
...and Sam
 

Friday, February 19, 2016

Make Room for Me...


I am late posting this week, but I have a very good excuse. 

I got my "new" quilt room.

See, there is this room in our house that has had many “personalities.”  When we first moved here in 1995, it was our den, because well…it was a den when we saw the house.  My daughter was in fourth grade and my son was in first grade back then.  As both of them got older, it became the “rec room.”  We had gaming systems and a big TV and lots of stuff for the kids to do in it.  When my daughter left home to go to college, my son claimed the room for his bedroom.  It was one of the largest in the house, next to the kitchen, and had its own deck.  It was perfect and big enough to be his “man-cave” and bedroom.

Later, after Matt left home, my DH claimed it for his man-cave and it looked like a store room for Bass Pro Shop. 

Now somewhere in all this shifting and kids growing up, one thing remained the same:  my quilt room was the smallest room in the house.  When we moved here, that made sense. The kids were in school, I was working, and quilting hadn’t taken over my life then the way it has now. 

But now is now and then was then.  And somewhere along the way, resentment had built up.  I walked into the DH’s man-cave one night and claimed it for my own.  After all, he had a two level Leonard Building in the back, a bedroom, and two other smaller rooms for his fishing and cameras. 

Frankly, it was my turn.  After he recovered from his surprise and my scorn, he agreed.

Reluctantly, but he agreed.  “Have the Direct TV changed to the small den and we’ll get you set up.”

So he said. But nothing was done…no new floors, no better lighting, no removal of man-cave furniture and fishing rods.

About a year later, my daughter and son-in-law and the two grand darlings needed a place to land until they could find an apartment.  So the room became their home for six months.  It was wonderful to see the grand dears every day, but they left last weekend and moved to Oak Ridge.

As soon as their last load left the driveway, I moved my machines and tables and fabric and projects into the room faster than a New York minute.

No one is taking my room again.


View from Front and Back
 
All my project boxes (notice some are empty, so I do finish some things) and batting
Initial set up -- there have been quite a few things added since this picture was made.  Look for updates soon!
 
First "real" sewing cabinet I ever had -- Mom and Dad gave it to me almost 25 years ago.
 
Sam has found his spot.  He likes hanging out with me in our quilt room.
 
I cleaned out as I moved things into my new quilt room and discovered I evidently have a ruler fetish... Who knew?

Wednesday, February 10, 2016

The Understudy


We’ve been talking a lot about finishing projects. While not completely done with some ideas about tops and piecing, I did want to talk about another part of finishing your quilt or your quilted project – the batting.
 

Batting – or wadding as it’s called in England and Australia – is the “understudy” in the quilt play.  It’s not seen, but the correct choice is oh, so very necessary in order for a command performance.

When I first started quilting, my choice of batting was pretty easy -- whatever was the least expensive or on sale. And at that time thick, fluffy polyester batts ruled.  There wasn’t a cotton batt to be found.

Time has passed and there are now more brands of batting and they are comprised of everything from cotton to recycled goods.  Before we move into what kind of batt is needed for a certain look, there are some universal ideas that need to be kept in mind no matter if you're purchasing Hobbs or Mountain Mist.
 

Size – Keep in mind that your batting (and your backing) need to be at least three to four inches larger than the quilt top.  These extra inches are to allow for some “shrinkage” during the quilting process. 

Packaging – There are lots of battings available that are pre-cut and labeled according to size.  If one of these is used, be sure to let it “relax” before quilting it on your domestic machine or by hand.  When a prepacked batt is taken out, there are lots of creased folds in it.  Lay it out somewhere overnight so that most of this can fade away.   All the folds won’t disappear, but they will relax a bit, so that when the quilt is pinned or sprayed to keep the top, batting, and back together, wrinkling won’t be as big of an issue. 

If the quilt is going to the long arm artist, check with her or him about this step.  Quite often this step does not apply if the top will be quilted on a long arm.  As a matter of fact, some long arm quilters prefer to use their own batting.  Quite often they purchase batting in rolls and keep their favorites in stock. 
 

Use – Most quilt tops use some sort of “standard” batting.  Fiber content and loft (thickness) can vary, but they usually don’t require some special type of batting.

However, if you’re making some of those bags you bake potatoes in the microwave or the microwave bowl holders, then you need this…
 

And not regular batting. 

Likewise if you’re constructing quilted bags.  With those need a lower loft, stiffer batting that is fusible. 

So now let’s consider the fiber content of batting.  I know this sounds like really boring minutia, but months are spent making a quilt top.  Hopefully during this process you have a vision of how you want your completed quilt top to look.  Choosing the correct batting will allow this vision to become reality and content is key.

Most batting is either cotton or polyester or a combination of the two.  Wool, silk, and bamboo are also used for batting and there is a batting that is made out of recycled material.  There are also batting that is completely organic.
 

Each type of batting gives a different look.  If a flatter, more traditional “puckered” look is desired, then a cotton batting is the best choice.  These are generally thin and can stand up to the heavy-duty quilting that gives that antique “puckered” look on quilts.  If you want a traditional look, but want the quilt to be a bit thicker, use two layers of cotton batting.

If the quilt is probably going to see the inside of a washing machine quite a bit, a polyester batting may work best.  If you started quilting in the  1970’s or 1980’s I know what you’re envisioning – those thick, fluffy polyester battings that were almost impossible to quilt well, whether you were machine or hand quilting.  Polyester batts have come a long, long way and are nothing like that now (although the thick batts are still available if desired).  A quilt, such one for a child, that is going to be laundered a lot, would be a great candidate for a polyester batt.  Those battings hold up well to heavy-duty play and heavy-duty washing.

Is the quilt a “show quilt?”  If the quilt has a show in its future, careful consideration should go into the batting.  If a more “traditional” look is required (that antique puckered look mentioned earlier), a cotton batting would be a great choice.  A cotton batting will show off the piecing more than the actual quilting.

If the quilt is heavily appliqued and the quilting outlines the applique pieces, a good choice is two battings – regular cotton batting against the backing and wool batting next to the top.  The wool batting can stand up to that type of heavy-duty quilting and the combination of the two batts make the applique “pop” off the quilt top.
 

What’s the temperature? – If the quilt will live where it’s really cold, consider a wool batting.  It’s light but the warmest there is.  Likewise if you’re living where it’s kind of balmy in the winter, a thin batt would be best.

My favorite kind of batting for a quilt that’s going to be on my bed or given away is the 80/20 blend.  It’s 80% cotton and 20% polyester.  It looks really good and holds up well. And it's easy to quilt.

All of the types of batting discussed so far work pretty well if you’re quilting on a domestic or mid-arm except the thick polyester battings.  Those are bulky and can be difficult to fit in the neck of the machine.  However, they make wonderful tied quilts. 

What if you’re planning on hand quilting?  I’d pick a polyester batt.  They’re just easier to needle.  If you have to have a natural fiber, pick the lowest loft available.  Cotton batting is needle punched to keep the fibers together and this makes hand quilting a challenge.  The lower the loft of a cotton batt, the less needle punching is on the surface.

Silk batting is the best choice for hand quilting, but it is expensive and requires some special consideration.  Silk doesn’t cling well, so additional pinning is usually needed. 

Quilt color – Usually the cream/beige/ecru color batting works well with just about anything.  But if the quilt’s background fabric is white, white batting should be used.  If the background fabric is dark, black batting is the best choice.
 

Information on the back of the package

Like a lot of things, batting has its own special vocabulary.  Here’s a quick rundown of some terms you need to be familiar with:

Quilting Distance --   The maximum distance between rows of quilting needed to keep the batt in place. 

Scrim – Term used to describe the light layer or grid of woven fibers added to some cotton battings.  It stabilizes and holds the fibers together.  If you’re planning on keeping your quilting lines close together, you can use cotton batting without scrim. 

Bonded – These are battings made with glue or bonding adhesive.  When laundered, some of this bonding may wash away, leaving your batting loose.  If using a bonded batting, plan on really small quilting distances.

Bearding – These are wispy fibers from a batt that creep out through the top of a quilt top.  This can completely ruin the look of a quilt.  Bearding usually occurs when a cotton batting doesn’t have scrim or when using  polyester batting (because the fibers are so thin they can migrate through the top).  The best batting companies manufacture their product so that this doesn’t happen with either cotton or polyester batts.   Buy accordingly.  The least expensive batting is not always the best choice.

Fusible – This means that the batting can be ironed into place and will not require either a spray adhesive or pins to keep it where it needs to be.  Fusible batting works really well for small projects, but it’s harder to use on large quilt tops. 

Lastly, don’t throw your batting scraps away.  Larger pieces can be joined with either the iron-on quilting adhesive tape or butted together and zig-zagged.  Smaller pieces work wonderful on a Swiffer sweeper! 
 

So, as you’re finishing projects, don’t scrimp on the batting.  It’s the unseen part of your quilt, but it’s just as important as the top.

 

Love and Stitches…

 

Sherri

Saturday, February 6, 2016

Whispers from the Past


I quilt for a lot of reasons.

Sanity is the primary one.  I work with numbers and men. 

All. Day. Long.

Demolition and environmental work isn’t exactly heavy with female workers.  I deal with primarily male workers and executives and then Quickbooks every day. 

And I’m married to the boss.

So yes, sanity is my primary reason I keep quilting.  When I come home and am able to hole up in my quilting room even for 45 minutes, I find I’m a lot calmer person and have much more clarity. 

Creativity is the second reason I quilt.  When I was younger, I was always drawing and creating with paint and paper.  Eventually this translated over to fabric and a sewing machine.  Quilting gives me a creative voice in my life.  Choosing fabrics and patterns uses parts of my brain that numbers don’t use.  And I love changing patterns up to suit what I want to say or even designing my own.

But there’s another, even more subtle, reason I quilt. 

According to what I can find researching my mother’s side of the family, I am at least a fifth generation quilter.  I’m an Ancestry.com junkie and I have traced my mother’s side of the family back for many years.  When I come across some of these women’s obituaries, I find the quilting bee they belonged to listed right alongside the Sunday School class they attended.  Putting needle to fabric lets me hear the whispers of voices from the past: Cora Perry Forbes.  Annie Elizabeth Wolfe Perry. Susie A. Holaway.  Isabella Nelson Perry.  Celia Hatfield Perry (yes…those Hatfields who are forever linked in a feud with the McCoys). Susie Holaway even lived in the same town I now reside in.  I pass the street her house was on almost every day driving home from work.

Is quilting in my DNA?  Maybe.  Is it something I just naturally had an inclination to do because I saw a lot of my female relatives do it?

The answer to that would be no.  I don’t ever remember seeing my grandmother quilt.  I have watched my mother quilt, but that was after I had started quilting myself.  I do have a quilt in my possession that my great-grandmother made.  It was that quilt that started the process in me. 

The burden…the need… to continue an art that has not only supplied my ancestors with warmth, but the women with an ability to express themselves during a time when that was somewhat frowned upon, is another real reason I keep needle to fabric in my spare time.  It’s my fervent hope, that as my daughter’s and my daughter’s-in-law lives progress,  that they will also turn to quilting.  And that their daughters do, too.

An art such as quilting is always and only just one generation away from extinction.

If I could go back in time and talk to my grandmothers, I would ask they value their work.  Preserve those quilts.  Put a label on them with dates and tell who they were made for and why.  Hand them down to family members that would love and respect the quilts and take care of them.  So much love, sweat, and even tears go into a quilt.  It pains me to see them carelessly discarded and overlooked.

I think that as we are piecing and quilting, we need to remember those that have done it before us.  I’m sure if Susie Holaway could visit me today, she would be amazed at rotary cutters and mats and all these computerized sewing machines.  She used scissors and templates and a treadle machine.  But I’m also pretty sure that she’d encourage me to keep the art moving ahead, even if though I’m using drastically different methods and have the money to purchase fabric specifically for a quilt and no other reason.

This week, I encourage you to keep the past a part of your present.

Love and Stitches,

Sherri