Lisa Loves To Quilt

April SewCalGal Free Motion Qilting Challenge

Where did the month of April go? Here I am posting my picture at the last minute for the SewCalGal Free Motion Quilting Challenge. This month the tutorial was provided by free motion expert, Don Linn. I loved the tutorial and found it very helpful. I now look at quilting motifs in a new way. I can't wait to see tomorrow's tutorial when Leah Day will be the guest free motion expert. I already know it will be great. 

Alzheimer's Priority Quilt Creative Workshop

 

 

Deb's reversed applique quilt.

Perhaps, workshop is not a very good word to describe the class I taught recently at Shiisa Quilts in Bloomington, IN. There was very little work and quite a bit of fun. After a short discussion about the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative and how one goes about making and purchasing these great little quilts, we spent the next 6 hours in fellowship of creating, sewing and of course eating.

As everyone introduced themselves, the question was asked, what made you want to come to this class today? It was no surprise that everyone there had been touched in someway by a loved one who had or currenty has Alzheimer's disease. 

We fused, we painted, we played with threads and fabric. There was lots of sharing of ideas and techniques. 

These three talented ladies, Mary Lou, Marsha and Linda, are from Brazil, IN and drove for almost an hour to attend. They are planning to share with their sewing groups what they learned today. I think there might be a Registration Goddess somewhere in that picture.

We were so fortunate to have Gulzhan from Kazakhstan in the class that day. She and her husband are post doctorate students at IU. She was so nice about giving everyone suggestions on how to make their quilts better from an artist's perspective. Her quilt, pictured above was still a work in progress as I snapped the picture. Her quilt is dedicated to her mother-in-law.

Kathy looks like she is really working hard here. Working hard at having fun. She created some beautiful poppies with Paintstiks rubbings. I didn't realize she had them covered up with her hand when I took the picture.  Now, you will have to wait to see her art quilt on the AAQI website. 

Lots of love went in to those quilts that day. The AAQI has lots of quilts made with lots of love for sale on their website and one hundred percent of the profits goes to Alzheimer's research.  Wouldn't an Alzheimer Priority Quilt made with love make a nice gift for your special loved one?

Pretty In Pink

This little quilt measures 9 x 12 inches and it is my very first, whole cloth, painted quilt. The border fabric is a batik but the rest started out as a rectangle of white fabric. The fabric was painted with Shiva Paintstiks and then quilted. I frequently hand sew a few beads to my art quilts to give them a little bling.  It will eventually find it's way to the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative and sold to raise funds for Alzheimer's research. 

Sometimes Quilts are Like Christmas Lights

It happens in every neighborhood. You pass a house in the middle of summer and notice the Christmas lights still hanging on the porch. You wonder, how can the homeowner ignore those lights? Are they extremely late or early with their decorations? How does that relate to a quilt? 

This quilt is a collaborative effort of the staff at Shiisa Quilts , where I work. The owner, Jan, gave us a traditional pattern and asked each staff member to make a block using a few selected fabrics that she had chosen. Facebook fans of the shop voted for their favorite block. My block is in the bottom corner with the eyeball in the middle. I didn't win. 

Again, how is this like Christmas lights? So, last July, Paula Reid came to the shop and taught several classes. One was on free motion quilting and I needed an unfinished quilt for the class. I worked on this quilt during class and didn't get it finished at that time. I brought it home and took it down to our TV room in the basement and folded it neatly on to the back of the sofa to remind myself to complete  the quilting. I puposely put it on a sofa that I sit on almost everyday so I couldn't ignore it.  Somehow, I managed to ignore the quilt for nine months. It was just like the homeowners ignoring the dangling icicle lights on their front porch in the middle of summer. I found it to quite easy to avoid the red quilt on the back of my white sofa. That is why, unfinished quilts are sometimes like Christmas lights.

Why did I avoid it for so long? I think it was because of my thread choices. The quilt has a red back and I chose a very lightweight, Invisifil thread for the bobbin. I chose a 40 weight, cotton, varigated brown thread for the top. The thread combination seem to cause some issues. Often, when I would sew across a thick seam, and believe me, there were plenty of thick seams, the bobbin thread quit sewing like I was out of bobbin thread, except I wasn't.  I changed needles, I fooled with the tension, I consulted my husband on the problem, I prayed and I cursed. Nothing seemed to help. I feel so great now that I pushed on and completed the project.  Except, now my arm is sore from patting myself on the back.

Free Motion Quilting with the Stars

   I was asked to give a short talk on the topic of free motion quilting at my local quilt guild. I had many ideas on what I could talk about but decided to focus on trying to inspire members who have never tried to FM quilt and to encourage those who have tried, but became quickly discouraged.

   I started FM quilting about four years ago and immediately fell in love with it. I have tried many hobbies in my life but came to the realization that I was born to quilt. I get anxious and crabby if I spend too much time away from my three sewing machines.

   The best advice that I can give anyone who would like to learn how to FM quilt is to take as many classes as you can and take advantage of the many resources on the internet. You will find pearls of wisdom from each and every instructor. Some of those pearls you will treasure and find helpful and other ideas and advice you will want to dismiss as not being right for you.

  Here are a few of my favorite websites with links that will help you," quilt with the stars".  There are many more terrific sites out there but I am limiting my list to three.

  First up is Leah Day, http://freemotionquilting.blogspot.com/ Leah offers a wealth of information, free videos and free quilting designs. It is of my opinion that Leah is responsible for the recent popularity of FM quilting today. Tour her blog and take advantage of her free motion tutorials and challenges.

SewCalGal, http://sewcalgal.blogspot.com/. When you visit this website, go to the FM Quilting Challenge button at the top of the page.  The project, which started in January, features a well known, free motion quilting instructor of the month.  The project will continue through to the end of the year. I am participating in the challenge and have found it very informative.

Patsy Thompson, http://www.patsythompsondesigns.com/. Go to the education button at the top of the screen and this will take you to free downloads and videos. Patsy is an excellent video instructor and I own several of her books and videos.  Patsy taught me how to stitch feathers and how to use POT, the power of thread. 

Here are just a few important tips to get you started on your  FM quilting journey.

1. You need a sewing machine in good working order and you need to know how to use it. Keep it clean and oil when needed according to the manufacturer's instructions.

2. You need a designated place to sew. If you have to get your supplies out and set up on the kitchen table, you will not be motivated to sew.

3. Don't get hung up on perfection and rules. When starting out, if you try to rip out all of your non-perfect stitches, that is all you are going to be doing. It takes practice and you will improve with practice.  The great artist, Salvador Dali, once said, " Have no fear of perfection, you'll never reach it".  I think that quote is very liberating.

4. Use quality needles, thread , batting and fabric.  Select a topstitch needle in a size that is recommended for your thread choice. This will save you a lot of frustration and heartache.  

5. When quilting lap size quilts or larger, set up two sewing tables in to an L-shape in a corner of the room. Larger quilts will have lots of drag and pull while quilting. You want to be able to stop them from falling off the front and left side of your table. If you do not have an extra table, in a pinch, I have put a bar stool on my left side to help hold the quilt. Try silk batting, it will eliminate some of the drag and pull because it is very lightweight and drapable.

6. If your sewing machine does not set flush in a cabinet, I would suggest investing in a large acrylic table to help eliminate the drag and pull of the quilt. 

7.  Invest in a pair of quilting gloves such as Machingers or Batt Scooters  to give you some traction while quilting.  You can find these items at your local quilt shop.

8. Keep your quilting density consistent throughout the quilt or your finished quilt will not hang evenly. 

9. When deciding how to quilt your quilt, do not look at the quilt as a whole but divide your quilt in to smaller sections. Once you start looking at smaller areas , a quilting motif will often emerge for that particular section. 

10. For thread balancing issues, it is desirable, when starting out, to use identical top thread and bobbin thread. Later, when you want to start experimenting with threads, you can use a lighter weight thread in the bobbin with a heavier thread in the top, but not vice versa.

Most important, do what works for you. Don't get too hung up on what one expert says versus what another expert says.  Often it is conflicting advice and they are probably both right. There is no right or wrong. ( maybe in a judging competition, but that is a different topic)  Find what works for you and have fun quilting.

 

March Free Motion Quilting Challenge

For the month of March, the SewCal Gal's,  Free Motion Quilt Challenge, guest quilting artist is Ann Fahl.  Ann provided us with a great tutorial with tips on how to be successful at free motion quilting and included some designs to practice. I chose one of my favorite fabrics, Benartex's Fossil Fern, to practice on. It is very difficult for me to practice on a piece of fabric and then set it aside. Once again, I turned my practice piece in to a Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative quilt. Since the maximum size for an AAQI quilt is 9" by 12", I had to stitch small scale designs.  I thought the star design did not quite fit with my quilt theme so I practiced the stars on a separate piece of fabric.

   While I was stitching the stars, I was thinking, wouldn't this design make a great border for a child's quilt using a glow in the dark thread?

More Alzheimer Art Quilt Initiative Quilts

This little frog looks a tad unhappy. That is why I named the quilt, Waiting for a Kiss. I'm sure if a fair maiden would come by and bestow a kiss on the warty little guy, he would turn into a handsome prince.

I made this quilt to demonstrate for my local quilt guild how to add prairie points to a quilt in an unconventional way. The name of this quilt is Morning Stretch. The white dot at the bottom was unintentionally left by me while I was using a new software program to enhance my quilt pictures. I need more practice.

Tangled and Fuzzy is the name of this quilt. Alice Ridge at Shiisa Quilts digitized a design for a Bernina Software Class that she teaches. I took her class sample home, with her permission of course, added borders, a few beads and quilted it. You don't think that I would just steal it do you? Why, what have you heard?

Terry Pate, who also works at Shiisa Quilts, designed this one. It is called, A Long Way Home. It is constructed with batiks and couched with decorative yarns. This picture does not do it justice.

There are those white dots again. This quilt was designed by Pam Burns. I love the free motion stitching. The title is Lost. I don't mean I lost the title, I mean the name of the quilt is, Lost.

Again, the white dot is not suppose to be there. I need to read my manual. Pam also designed this one using free motion stitching to create the butterfly. The name of this quilt is, A Glimpse of Color. Thanks everyone for donating to the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative. These quilts will be for sale in a few weeks on the AAQI website. Please check out my AAQI quilts in the March auction. It is held from March 1st to March 10th. I have five quilts in the auction, numbers 9161, 9162, 9163, 9164 and 9165.

 

Hawaiian Gecko

I finished another Alzheimer Art Quilt Initiative quilt. This one measures 9 x 9 inches. I was inspired by a website that showed how to create your own Hawaiian stencils.  The green area was created by micro stippling with green thread.  Cutting out the stencil with an Exacto knife was a challenge.  Cutting out those tiny little gecko feet was especially difficult. After viewing this quilt, are you thinking of car insurance?

SewCalGal FMQC

 

I feel the need for full disclosure. I have been quilting free motion feathers for a couple of years now. I usually quilt free form feathers with an implied spine.  I learned how to quilt free motion feathers from Patsy Thompson's videos and books. While I think Patsy is the, " Queen of Whimsical Feathers", I think that Diane Gaudynski is the, " Queen of Formal Feathers". I want to thank Diane for the wonderful, detailed and inspiring tutorial she has provided for the Sew Cal Gal, Free Motion Quilting Challenge. I found that I was pretty comfortable making the feathers, but my real challenge was the echo quilting and sewing an even spine.  I seldom echo quilt and perhaps now, I will do it more often. I quilted the feathers on hand dyed fabric using silk threads and wool batting. I decided to take the advice of Janet Mease, at Shiisa Quilts,who posted recently on the FMQC, Facebook page. She suggested turning a practice quilt sandwich in to an Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative Quilt. The result is, My Garden Has Been Bugged. 

I was inspired by Ellen Anne Eddy's new book, Thread Magic Garden.  From the book, I learned how to create a visual path in my design. Ellen also included wonderful tips on how to use white flowers for a moonlit scene and tons of information on color.  I give this book four stars. It is a must read for thread addicts, like me, who like to create appliques and thread paint.

The timing was perfect last week, when my friend, Kathy, dropped by a huge container of silk ribbons for me to play with. That resulted in silk ribbon fireflys.  I added a touch of Shiva Paintstik, in the color gold for the firefly glow.  To accent the feather, Tsukineko, All Purpose Ink, in Champange Mist, was diluted with water and then brushed on the plumes and spine for an ethereal look. How about it? Anyone ready to make an AAQI quilt? It's a great cause.

Alzheimer's Quilt

I have been following along with SewCalGal's, Free Motion Quilting Challenge and was inspired to stitch out this leaf for the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative.  So far, I have not come up with a name for the quilt or an artist statement.   The dragonfly did not photograph well. I used Angelina film, which is shiny and translucent to create it.  Any name suggestions?

After a good night's sleep, the name of the quilt came to me at 6:00 am this morning.  A Soft Place to Land, is the chosen name. Recently, I was visiting my daughter and son-in-law, who live near  Atlanta. My son-in-law and his family were busy making the difficult plans and preparation to move his grandmother to a Memory Care, facility.  As with all Alzheimer patients, grandma needed, a soft place to land, and get the care and support she needs.