Tag Archives: quilting

A Return to Redwork

By

I haven’t worked on my redwork since 2014. We had a lot going on in our lives back then and I couldn’t give it the attention it requires. So, I folded it up and put it away. Fortunately, I had the good sense to put the redwork fabric, embroidery thread and supplies all together in a bag and there they stayed in the drawer for the past 4 years. Having the supplies altogether sure made it handy for me when I decided to return to it.

I went back through my blog posts and read about my redwork. I’ve changed a couple of my plans for it. I’m not going to dye the fabric and I’ve cut the blocks apart. I plan to add a small print red fabric border on the blocks. As it turns out, planning to use a border and cutting the blocks apart was a good move for me because now I only have a few blocks to go, whereas when I had the fabric in one large piece I needed like 16 more pictures to embroider.

This morning, in an effort to try to arrange the blocks in some sort of order, I laid a sheet on the floor and began to lay out the blocks. Shelibean decided that what the blocks needed was for him to test them for comfort. He found them to be quite comfortable and napped there for about 20 minutes. I didn’t mind, he was cute sleeping peacefully and I was busy going through my coloring pictures and trying to choose some for the last few blocks.I’m glad to have my redwork as an active work-in-progress once again. My Redwork is the perfect example of my starting a project and some times needing to leave it alone until the time is right for me to finish it. It doesn’t really bother me having unfinished projects, matters-a-fact there’s a strange sense of comfort in it for me. Although, from time-to-time I need to finish my unfinished projects before starting new ones. Now that I’ve got my redwork going again, I hope I can keep up my motivation and finish it before the Summer is over, that would make me so happy.

Have a happy weekend.

*Related Redwork Posts

.

Farm Kids Quilt (2)

By

q00
0rangespacer2

Repost from –> August 31, 2011 (edited)
My Farm-Kids Quilt is finished
How I quilt a quilt on my regular sewing machine

August 31, 2011 –> I finished my farm-boy & sunbonnet sue quilt today. I’m pleased as peaches with it. Especially since it was the first queen size quilt I ever made. Originally I made the quilt top full-size to fit our bed. I decided to change it to a queen-size because someday we’re going to need a new bed and I figure we’ll buy a queen-size instead of getting another full-size. Because of the extra-added size, I ran into a few issues, but I managed to work them out okay.

I want to share the method I used to quilt it. I’m lousy at taking quilt photos because I can’t get a really good angle, but hopefully, you all can figure out the gist of what I did.

q11) Lay backing on the floor wrong-side up

q22) Lay batting on top of backing

q33) Lay quilt top right-side up on top of batting.

q44) Starting from the outer edge, Use safety-pins to join the top, batting & backing together.
Put safety-pins every so many inches all across the quilt.
q4aI roll the quilt up as I go because it makes it easier to handle.
q5

q65) After it’s pinned all the way across,
unroll quilt and spread it out flat.

q76) Starting at outer edge, roll each side to the middle

q87) Carefully slide the quilt under the pressure foot.

q98) Starting in the middle, Sew in the seam (ditch) or near the seam.
Be careful and remove the safety pins as you go and don’t sew over them.
Unroll the quilt as you go.
After you finish the first half, flip the unrolled half around and place the quilt back under the pressure foot and continue until you reach the outer edge.
*The main idea is to start at the center of the quilt and work your way to the outer edges.

q109) Here’s the finish quilted quilt
It’s 90″x93″ inches

q1110) Above photo is the middle after it’s quilted.

q1211) Here’s what the back of the finished quilt looks like

q1312) Here’s a close up of the back of the finished quilt.

All-in-all I think it turned out quite well.
It’s soft and snugly and will be warm this winter.

0rangespacer2

Today, January 24, 2015

q00After I finished the quilt I didn’t like the squared corners, so I rounded them off.
Also, originally, when I made this quilt we didn’t have a queen size bed. I guessed at the dimensions.
We got a queen size bed this past fall and I was surprised delighted to see my quilt fit perfectly.

Wishing you all happy crafting.
t6001
spgrnbgln

Farm Kids Quilt (1)

By

frmkds1

Repost from –> July 11, 2011 (edited)
Weekly Photo Challenge: Old Fashioned

The topic for July 11, 2011 week’s photo challenge hit right in sync with what I’ve been up to lately. I get nostalgic from time-to-time and try to find or make something from the past to reconnect with my memories. Gardening season is particularly nostalgic for me because my parents planted a big garden every year. My Mom loved it and spent as much time as possible tending it and harvesting the scrumptious veggies. I’m thankful I live where I can have a garden because gardening makes a special connection of so many treasured memories for me.

This year along with my thoughts of Mom’s joy of gardening came the memories of her joys of sewing and quilting. These thoughts put me into the quilt making mood. I wanted to make one like a sampler quilt of the ‘old fashioned’ designs that were Mom’s and my favorites.  Mom made many beautiful quilts. In the early years all her quilts were to keep our large family warm and snug at night. In later years after we young’uns were grown and in our own homes, she’d make quilts and donate most of them to charities, but a few she gave to family. I have a couple that she made me and I truly treasure them.

I’m having to make the patterns from scratch and it’s not been an easy thing to do. I look online for the closest design and then I take paper, pencil and ruler and make them like I remember Mom’s to have been. I’ve a great admiration for my Mom and the way she would whip through making a pattern by grabbing a piece of paper and scissors and just cut it out freehand with no measuring. After she finished a quilt top, she would either quilt it on her sewing machine or do the tacking method. Mom was a talented seamstress and could sew up most any design of quilt or clothing or anything else without a store bought pattern. She was truly an artist with fabric.

When I started making my quilt blocks I wanted a couple of them to be farm kids. My Mom had a farm-boy quilt top that she made when she was a teenager. She also had an incomplete unfinished farm-girl quilt top. I always loved the quilt tops and wish she had of finished them into full quilts. Every so often, she would take the farm-boy quilt top and lay it out on the bed and speak about it in such loving nostalgic tones. It was just wonderful. Mom hand sewed each applique into place. It must have taken her months of dedicated work to get them all together. I recall that some of the fabric pieces had their own story of where she got them. I wish I could recall everything she’d said about it. The farm-boy squares were pieced together with red fabric borders (that’s the color I remember it to be.) It was such a fun and cheerful quilt top.

I don’t know where Mom’s quilt tops are now and I didn’t have them to go by. I had to create the farm-boy from memory. I couldn’t find anything online that resembled him. There’s a Sunbonnet-Sam but he isn’t like Mom’s farm-boy. It took me a few days, but I finally managed to design what I think is a close rendition of him. The farm-girl was a bit easier, she’s known as Sunbonnet-Sue. She has many variations. I wish I had better memories of her but Mom didn’t get her quilt top out but just a couple of times. I’m lucky I even recall her at all. I think my farm-kids look okay. I cheated and used the sewing machine to applique them on. I’m too lazy and impatient to hand-sew them on.

Anyway, at this moment I have all my blocks made and will make a post on the quilt top when I get it all sewn together. I think Mom would be proud of my efforts. I remember how much she enjoyed when I made quilts for my son and grandson. I sure wish I had her talents for the ease of design and making the quilts. Mom was truly a wonderful homemaker: sewing, cooking, canning, gardening, yardening and so many other things.

Do you ever get in nostalgic moods and try to find or recreate a something from scattered bits of memory? How did it go? Are you like me and fairly satisfied with the results of your efforts?

Wishing you all good old fashioned down-home fun times of making memories and carrying on traditions.

0rangespacer2

July 25, 2011

I’m happy to report that
I found time today to finish my quilt top.
I think it turned out pretty well.
quilt-2011
My husband looked at it and told me, “That’s pretty. I feel warmer already.” lol
I hope I get it quilted before winter so we both can feel it’s warmth. :p

0rangespacer2

Today, January 23, 2015
Check back soon for the last post of the
quilting and finishing of my Farm Kids Quilt.

Wishing you all a happy weekend.
cloudhug
spgrnbgln

How I Coffee Dye Fabric

By

codg00-2015Back in 2011, I made two quilts. On the the first quilt I made, I ran into a problem of finding the right print fabric and I had to improvise. I coffee-dyed a piece of fabric and then cut my heart applique out of it and used it in the quilt.

I posted about it on my ex-blog Enjoying Creating. There was a discussion as to if the coffee dyed applique would hold it’s color in the years to come…
Well, over the years, I’ve washed my quilt 4 or 5 times. And the coffee-dyed heart is still holding it’s color.

This may not work on some fabrics that’s washed every week or month, but it worked-for-me on my heart applique.

Since it’s been a few years, I’m making this post mostly a repost of of my 2011 tutorial blog post (from my ex-blog) to share my method of ‘How I Coffee Dye Fabric’

——————————
‘How I Coffee Dye Fabric’
codg0
I couldn’t find the right fabric for a heart applique for a quilt block, (well, that’s a lie, I did find the fabric online, but I refuse to pay between 9 to 12 dollars for a half yard of fabric + shipping/handling)
I went through my fabric and found some that’s pretty close to what I wanted. The main-color is way too white and clashed dreadfully with the white background of my quilt blocks. It took me a few minutes to think of coffee dying the fabric. I looked up directions and was pleased to discover that it’s not too terribly complicated.
I adapted and adjusted some of the steps and am really happy with the way the block turned out.

Have you ever used coffee or tea to dye fabric? Did it do well? Did the the color hold up fairly well over time?

If you try my method of dying fabric with coffee, let me know how it does for you.
🙂
————
How I Coffee Dye Fabric

codg1
1) Make coffee like
you normally would
codg2
2) Place fabric in a glass dish
Pour coffee over fabric
Allow it to set for 30 minutes
codg3
3) Remove fabric from dish
wring out excess coffee
allow to dry
I put paper towels on top of my fabric square
& paper towels underneath it & ironed it dry

If a darker color is wanted repeat step 2 & 3
I repeated this twice for mine.
codg4
4) I used vinegar to set the color.
I put just enough vinegar on the square to
cover it and then let it set for 30 minutes.
Afterwards, I ironed it dry like in step 3

5) Wash the fabric with dish-washing detergent
rinse & let it dry or iron it dry again
codg5
Here’s the finished dye job

I cut a heart shape out &
appliqued it on my quilt block
codg6
Here’s a comparison to
the original fabric and the newly
coffee dyed applique heart.
I’m real pleased with it.

🙂

—————————
*Here’s some Hopefully helpful hints*
~~~
If you’re going to use vinegar to set the color, ‘DO NOT’ use an aluminum pan.
The first square I made, I tried using an aluminum pan and it was terrible.
The vinegar reacted with the aluminum and turned it a nasty splotchy dark color.
Here it is, on the left side of photo, next to a successful square to show the difference.
codg7
~~~
I froze the leftover coffee in a bowl and added the left over coffee in the pot each morning for a few days to it. Now I have a handy supply of coffee on hand, if and when I take a hankering to coffee dye fabric again.
codg8
~~~

Happy Crafting!
p0109

spgrnbgln

Internet issues update – quilt post plans

By
pcstuph0Our internet & phone issues worsened over the past few days.
Today we had the tech-guy visit and fix everything (hopefully).
He even sped our internet up a bit.
Hopefully, we’re ready for smooth surfing ahead.
compu~*~

IMG_8623There’s been some interest in the quilt in the photo with Sheli & my s-loom. I’m going to make 3 posts about the quilt. The posts will be re-post from my ex-blog enjoyingcreating. Some of the content will be updated or edited as needed.

The first post will be about my method of coffee dying one of the appliques.
The second will be the story behind the quilt.
The third one will be the quilting of the quilt on my sewing machine.

I’ll start posting my quilt posts soon… Unless my internet goes down or offline life needs my undivided attention…

sewmiconHave a dandy of the rest of the week!

graphics-rainbow-260262
spgrnbgln