Quilting questions?

[Mich]

Jen - mate, you'd BETTER post some pictures, girl. Lovely to hear from you m'dear . Well done on the stipple quilting - I enjoy doing it but I need to get my bottom (or top, I can never remember what the cause is) tension sorted so it doesn't have these little dots of the top thread coming through. Of course, it would help if I used the same thread top and bottom, but easy isn't a word in my vocab, it seems. I've been known to use a micron fabric pen to colour in the dots on the reverse of a quilt before now!!!!

Looking forward to seeing the pics (and yours, too, Rae).
Cheers, Mich.

[swaggie]

i have been avoiding this thread. quilting always seems to cost me more than what I am looking for, but heck its Sat arvo and reading doesn't cost eh!

My neighbour/teacher back in NSW sent one of her quilts away to be finished and a tip I learnt from her was to ask whether it was a smokers household or not.

[Mich]

Hi Swaggie - yep, know what you mean about quilting not being a cheap hobby, but it can be if one has the inclination. Trouble is that there are so many glorious fabrics around, and new ones coming up every day it seems, that one just wants a bit of them all....

I worked on the basis that when I had money, I spent a ton on fabric and supplies (I can't admit even to myself how much I spent). Now that I don't have any money, I have enough stock to last me through gazoodles of quilts. I couldn't bear having no money and no fabric. Nowdays I tend to buy, say, 2-3 metres of background fabric if I need it or a special theme fabric, and use my stash for the rest. Amazing how you can delve into the bottom of the baskets and come across fabric you'd forgotten you had. Or that you say to yourself "what was I thinking?????".

OK - a question. Have any of you quilters out there tried the quilt as you go method? I'm thinking more in terms of quilting pieced blocks, rather than strips sewn on to batting/backing. I got Marti Michell's book on Machine Quilting in Sections but I can't quite figure out from the text/diagrams how it goes. I'd love to try it as a way to save money on sending out for long-arm quilting and the tediousness of trying to manipulate large quilts through my domestic machine.

Cheers, Mich

[swaggie]

Mich I am the same, I have bought the same fabric 3 times and brought it home, washed it and hey there are the other 2.....

I have a good stash as well but its all still packed away in international packing just waiting for things to finish here for me to unpack my sewing gear and books.

I just cannot wait!

[Mich]

...I have bought the same fabric 3 times and brought it home, washed it and hey there are the other 2.....

Swaggie!!!! - you're ADMITTING that??????

Hehehehehe.
Cheers, Mich.

[RaeM]

looking for ideas!! Grandson is into Surf Lifesaving in Tasmania, and now he has made murmers about a quilt that would suit his room!! I woud think that most of it would have to be done with Applique, and the colours are not that easy to get in Quilting places, Grandmothers Gardens did not have a plain yellow, or the orange, red that the outfits are made of? Also looked at Donnas Quilts, so when I get a chance will go out to Spotlight, and fabric warehouse to try to get some material, but the ideas I need are how to set this all out. If he was into cars or fishing it would be easy!! Also as I am a learner with Applique, it will help me to learn quickly. Still doing the Sampler quilt, so looks like I am going to join the ranks of folks with UFOs in their cupboards.. I did get some sea type fabric from GM gardens when I went out there on wednesday, so thought that will help with what ever I decide to do! And his sister is muttering about Butterflies, so looks like I will be busy for a while!! Butterflies can wait as she is only 10 years old, meanwhile I will build up a stash of that type of material towards doing her quilt!

[Hawkspur]

These may give you some ideas:
Surf Lifesaver logo

Tasmanian Lifesaving Cap colours
Do you know which club he is in?

[Mich]

Hi Rae - if you need some 'sand' fabric and can't find any, let me know. I have a decent amount. It has the odd small shell and starfish smattered through it. I had visions of making a seaside-type quilt, but it hasn't progressed past that thought (and probably won't), so the fabric is sitting there.

Cheers, Mich.

[RaeM]

Hawkspur thanks a lot for those two sites! I have printed them off, and will be able to use them. Thanks Mich can we have a talk about the material, and and if you can spare some of it, I am willing to organise payment to you for some of it. I did manage to by a 5 fats from GMs which were sea waves, different shades and types, so that will be able to be used as well. It will have to be applique and will take some doing, but because its for a reason, will be easier than trying to do something just for the making of it. I had a chance to go on to a quilting day, but by the time you buy the 16 fats, and then the pattern, it would be quite expensive, and I did not really like the quilts that had been done with the pattern that they were going to use. Its just how I felt about it, and applaude the ones that decided to go ahead and do the days quilting.

[Mich]

Hiya Rae - of course you can have some of the sand fabric (or all if you need it). I'll put a swatch in the mail tomorrow for you, and if you like it and want to use it, let me know how much you need. Meantime, I'll go measure it, but I think I have well over a metre from memory, so you can choose your size.

PM me with your address again, as I deleted all my PMs recently.

Cheers, Mich.

[RaeM]

Thanks, you will have a PM there!! I managed to get some orange, red, and yellow from Spotlight, $8.99 a metre, so will have a think about doing Applique on it, by the way I have one more block to do for the other quilt I have been working on, as because I brought that really lovely Orential material, we are going to just cut it in half longways, and then incorporate the blocks with it, and off set the two pieces of material, as its too nice to cut up any more!! will deffinatly have a go at doing a picture once its finished.

[quilter]

Hi Mich
Finally have been able to catch up again. Not frowning just grinning.
I started using polyester fabrics and still have the first effort. Then did a class with a lady who had lived in Japan for a few years and came home with a container fairly full of yukata fabics, that started the love affair with Japanese fabric, now have a good friend who sells Japanese fabrics, but I have resisted so far. Then went down the road of making quilts with an African theme, bit of heritage coming out there. Do also do contemporary pieces when I need to. At the moment I am doing as I call them my recession quilts, started with mens woollen suit samples and tied them with buttons, my next effort will be checkered tea towels cut up and re stitched as you do and flour sacks on the back. Am working full time now but try my best to get some stitiching done. Am thinking of starting a group in my area in the evening to keep the creative juices flowing. I do enjoy reading everyone's quilty news

Originally Posted by Mich

Jeez, Swaggie, - I can imagine your face when he told you

So, Rae, have you gone wild with a credit card ordering fabric from overseas yet? It never ceases to amaze me how many gazillions of designs there are out there. Imagine if you had storage to burn, a bottomless bank account and all the time in the world to quilt??? I used to feel guilty (well, sometimes still do) about the amount of fabric I've collected over the years. Tried telling myself that a quilter needs a suitably wide pallette of colours, but even that started to wear thin. Now I just own up to loving having lots of it and seeing and touching it all. My "retirement'" or "great financial depression" collection is my latest excuse. I can see Quilter frowning at me.

Quilter, if you're still watching this thread - you said you'd been quilting for 25 years. I'll bet there have been a lot of changes in the quilting scene since you started. Would love to hear more about your quilting and quilts.

Cheers, Mich.

[Kiwismum]

Mich I have done the quilt as you go method. I made a Celtic quilt as my very first quilt. I took a class and it we sandwiched and quilted the blocks as we went and then joined them all together at the end.

The quilt is now pride of place on our bed, and has stood up to use for over a year now.

[RaeM]

Well have one more block to do then can put my first quilt together, I am looking at flying Geese as the next block. Have just been on google, and found the right sized pattern for the block, now to cut the templates out, using the lovely clear strong plastic containers that my printer inks come in. (you know the type, that even good sissors have trouble cutting so that you can get the inside stuff out of) Then put the whole thing together! I am lucky as the lovely material I managaed to get from Grandmother Garden with the crane birds on it, we have just cut in half longways, and will place blocks above on one side and below on the other side, then once I have it together, will take a photo for all you folks out there waiting to see the finished project. Well! that is without the back and etc.

[swaggie]

I was on a school excursion today to Waihi, went past a quilting shop called something like ..... and cream.

does anyone know of it and is it worth a visit when I get another day off to visit quilting shops south of me?

[Mich]

Hi Quilter, Kiwismum, Rae and Swaggie. Just catching up on stuff after having our mailbox stolen (they came prepared with a crescent wrench, unbolted it, nicked it and replaced the bolts!!!!!) and have been busy emailing, phoning and writing to the world to let them know our new PO Box no.

Quilter, it sounds like you're one of those really really clever artistic quilters. Such an eclectic range of quilts - they'd make a way cool exhibition, I reckon. I've seen pictures of some of the Japanese quilts - they are a knockout. Can you still get flour sacks???? Wow, that would be so neat on a 1930s-type quilt. Just from reading your description of the fabrics you use reminds me of Katherine Morrison's quilts where she uses old (and often worn out) blankets to create prize-winning quilts. Very inspirational.

Kiwismum, thanks for the feedback. Can you describe a bit more about how you joined the blocks? Did you use strips on either front or back to hide where they'd been joined? Was it easy joining the blocks together?

Congratulations, Rae - your first quilt!!!! That's so fantastic. I do hope you post a photo - it seems from your description that you're also going to be a quilter that thinks outside the square when setting their blocks. And so early in your quilting lifetime as well - bodes well for the future

Y'know I've been thinking about this whole creative thing lately. Some people just have the knack for doing the unconventional and it's a skill I really wish I had. My problem is that I always seem to have a quilt on the go for someone else and there never seems to be the time to start with a bare surface, no preconceived idea in mind and no time limit. It's like I'm always trying to make something that I hope the recipient will like, rather than taking a completely fresh approach and just grabbing an idea from somewhere and running with it. I've heard it said that some people find it successful to work in a series, with each new idea building on the last one. Have any of you ever done that, and how did you find it? I just have this need to break out of what I've been doing, but with at least 2 more quilts promised to other people it might be a ways off....

No, haven't heard of that quilt place, Swaggie. That's another thing that bugs me (must have gotten out of the wrong side of the bed this morning, LOL). I'm forever wanting to take time out to go and visit quilt shops. The new Nancy's store in Thorndon, Minerva in Cuba Street, and a few others around the greater Wellington area are all on my "to do sometime" list - just that I never seem to be able to say "OK, today I'm going on a quiltshop trek" without feeling guilty about doing it. Let us know about this new place if you check it out, Swaggie.

Off to start the day...
Cheers, Mich.

[Kiwismum]

Mich there are a number of ways you can join your blocks with the quilt as you go method.

Heres one. Sew the quilt top blocks together in the normal manner. Make sure you don't catch any of the other layers in it. Use some very light fusable interfacing to join the batting, stitch to ensure it stays stuck. Press one of the seams on the back on the block and stitch down by hand.

Another way is to just sew them all together with a binding type fabric strip down the seam. Trim and then hand stitch the binding.

[quilter]

Hi Swaggie
Would that be Patches and cream in Paeroa?
100 Normanby Road
Paeroa

Phone 07 862 8139

[swaggie]

Originally Posted by quilter

Hi Swaggie
Would that be Patches and cream in Paeroa?
100 Normanby Road
Paeroa

Phone 07 862 8139

yes that be it!