Replies

1. 
   rodezzy | Jan 17, 2008 10:53pm | #1

   I have six quilt tops to finish as soon as I can bring myself out of the yarn mode.

2. 
   jnct14 | Jan 18, 2008 12:25am | #2

   hahahahahaha!!!!!!!!!Ok - just finished one baby quilt for a colleague in France just before Thanksgiving. Then proceeded December 1st to do a full size quilt for my best friend for Christmas. Finished that the weekend of the 6th of January and am now in process of piecing a quilt for my sister. After THAT I have do make one for my niece who is getting married in June. THEN I have to make one for my nephew who just moved into a new apartment. I did have visions of making some quilted PolarTec capes with vintage collars but why do I think that when I finally get those started, it will be too warm to wear them????

   I also wanted to make some of the knit tops featured in this month's Threads, but unless I clone myself it ain't happening. The only thing saving me right now is Georgia Bonesteel's lapquilting techniques - at least I can quilt and see the family rather than be locked in my sewing room!!!!!!

   
   

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   Edited 1/17/2008 4:26 pm ET by jnct14

1. 
   damascusannie | Jan 18, 2008 12:30am | #3

   I treated myself to a quilt top for me, piecing a slew of exchange blocks into the ugliest quilt top ever. 8^) Seriously, this is a quilt only its mother (me) could love! The blocks are all from treadle sewing machine collectors and I didn't want to buy any fabric for it, so I sashed it with an amazingly busy print of old Singer sewing machines. From a distance the sashing and borders actually strobe a little. But, I've had this fabric for a couple of years and wanted to use it up. I got it from a collector friend that is like an aunt to me and I always think of Cindy when I look at it. There's just enough left to bind the quilt when I have time to quilt it and I do love the blocks in it. Annie

1. 
   mygaley | Jan 18, 2008 05:29am | #4

   Please show us a picture of this wonderful creation. I am very sentimental and use fabrics, crocheted pieces, etc. in places that suit only me. My grown children have begun to recognize this habit and now when something is weird-looking, they just say "Alright, Momma--tell us the story"! God bless you Galey

1. 
   damascusannie | Jan 18, 2008 04:42pm | #6

   My digital camera is on the fritz, but I'll definitely take some pictures and post them when I get that sorted and the quilt is finished--I still have to do the quilting. I need to get it done before the quilting retreat here at the house in February because I'm going to need it for bedding. That's a good incentive! Annie

3. 
   MaryinColorado | Jan 18, 2008 06:57am | #5

   I'm designing a quilt for my 16 yr. old grandson but am procrastinating.  I was going to make him a bed quilt (his favorite color is green and blue and he made a pillow of Vincent Van Goh's Starry Starry Night so I thought that would be a great theme). 

    Then I decided to make him a sports quilted throw with embroidered bulldogs, runners, and basketball references in his high school colors of red and white.  I am in a quandry about the colors bleeding and stains as he would take it to cross country meets to sit on. 

    I also have emb. designs of a game wizard at the computer that would be fun.  But he also loves archery and music and and ......and.....chaos and confusion ensue every time I try to work it out.  I enjoy symmetry and calm so the thought of putting it into one "high school memories" quilt boggles my brain!  Maybe a CRAZY quilt is the answer?

   Does anyone have any suggestions on how to FOCUS my madcap Muse and help me move forward?  Mary

1. 
   damascusannie | Jan 18, 2008 04:55pm | #7

   Colors bleeding: Do you mean in the fabrics? I ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS prewash my fabrics in the hottest water from my tap in my white sink. I keep changing the water and the soap until the water runs clear. I've heard shop owners tell purchasers that the new dyes are colorfast, but it simply isn't true and I've seen new quilts bleed even in cold water. I'm a professional quilter who finishes tops on a treadle sewing machine and I can always tell when I get a top with unwashed fabrics because the loose dyes will stain my quilting gloves.Suggestions for your son's quilt: Make a sampler quilt using your embroidery machine to make blocks with the various motifs. Choose main colors for the sashing and borders between the blocks. Since his pillowcases are "Starry Night" and his favorite colors are green and blue, I'd suggest a dark blue narrow border for each block and a green from the pillowcases for the main sashing and borders. I often use black as a neutral unifier in a sampler quilt and I think dark blue would work much the same way. If you could find a way to use the red from his school colors in at least a third of the embroidered blocks, it will add just a bit of punch to the over-all quilt, without overwhelming it. He sounds like a well-rounded young man, btw!AnnieEdited 1/18/2008 8:59 am ET by damascusannie

   Edited 1/18/2008 9:05 am ET by damascusannie

1. 
   MaryinColorado | Jan 18, 2008 05:27pm | #8

   Thank You so much for your input.  These are excellent suggestions are just what I needed.  I couldn't seem to get past the initial phase for months of trying.   He just might see his quilt finished this year yet. 

    He's my oldest grandchld, born on my birthday.  He has always been the quiet/shy type so we have veen thrilled to see him really blossom  in high school.  He and my granddaughter also volunteer at the Youth/Teen Center as  Councellors in Training. I hope this will be a project we can do together. 

   I do wash all fabrics when I buy them, but will definitely do as you suggested with the red and black.  You "read my mind" on those concerns.  I have heard of using vinegar to set the dyes too, but don't know the method.  Mary

1. 
   damascusannie | Jan 18, 2008 05:48pm | #9

   Yeah I've heard of using vinegar, salt baths, Retayne, etc. I prefer to know that the excess dye is just flat-out gone! And don't assume that only the black and red would be problems, some of the worst bleeders I've come across are blues and greens--especially green for some reason. In fact, I find that most blacks aren't too bad. Annine

1. 
   MaryinColorado | Jan 18, 2008 06:54pm | #10

   I haven't had any problems yet, but being new to quiltmaking I try to anticipate the pitfalls in advance.  It's alot of investment in time and money and love to take unnecessary risks.  I have had great results with Hawaiian shirts in the deep colors but combining them with the whites and lighter colors is the basis of my concern.  Thanks for your help.  Are Kona cottons the best solids to use in a quilt?  Do you have a favorite fabric manufacturer?  Mary

2. 
   damascusannie | Jan 18, 2008 07:11pm | #11

   Do I have a favorite fabric manufacturer? Now THAT's a loaded question! Yes, but many of them for different reasons:Moda for general, reasonably priced fabrics. Good pattern lines and a nice weight for machine quilting.Bali Batiks for batiks. Kona Cottons are excellent. Neither of these are suitable for handquilting because the thread count is so high that they are hard to needle, but a great for machine quilting and hand applique. I'm working on a batik and black quilt with heavily appliqued borders and I love these for this project.Robert Kaufmann, RJR, Thimbleberries, Marcus Brothers, all good. But the real thing I look for in a fabric is the weight and feel rather than the manufacturer. When you've quilted as long as I have, you get a feel for a good fabric. I buy based on pattern, color and "hand" (how the fabric feels when I run it through my fingers) rather than maker. I'll mix and match dozens of fabrics in a single quilt so it's unlikely that they are all going to be from the same manufacturer any way. It's really no different than buying fabric for clothing, you get what you pay for, but you still need use your own knowledge and make wise decisions. Just a high price tag is no guarantee of quality--it might just be that the big-name designer has a better contract with the company than someone else. 8^)Annie

3. 
   MaryinColorado | Jan 19, 2008 02:44am | #12

   Thanks again for your advice.  I was just at a Joanne's store and thought thier quilters cottons seem too lightweight for this particular quilt.  I bought a few fat quarters in red for teststitching the embroidery designs.

   I will be doing it completely by machine as I have arthritis.  I'll check Hancocks tomorrow for the Kona cotton solids and maybe take Vinnie out Monday to see what he'd like to add as far as batiks, prints, or blenders.  The sizes of the pieces will have to vary as some embroideries will be about 4x4 and some will be longer rectangles. 

   I can't wait to get started.  Mary

4. 
   damascusannie | Jan 19, 2008 03:27am | #13

   good idea to take him along to choose fabrics. Be sure to keep us posted on your progress! I'm so glad that you've gone from frustrated to excited!Annie

5. 
   damascusannie | Jan 24, 2008 09:14pm | #14

   Everyone must be busy quilting, right? I've been working on a client's job this week, quilting big feathers all over the surface of a queen-sized top. I'm own to the final borders and I'm hoping to finish them this afternoon and evening. No work tomorrow--it's monthly quilting bee at a friend's house. I'm taking a black and batik project that I'm adding appliqued borders to. Been working on it for three years, but only when I can go to QB and I've missed that the last three months so progress has been VERY slow! I've got one border done, one about half done and two to go so I'm estimating at least three more years before it's ready for quilting. 8^) Annie

6. 
   damascusannie | Jan 25, 2008 05:43pm | #15

   I did get the quilting done so I can go to my quilting bee without guilt! If you have a chance to find a bee in your area, I highly recommend joining. Bees are different from guilds in that they are just sewing days. Everyone brings a UFO to work on and we share new ideas, patterns, tips, whatever. We meet for the whole day and everyone brings a dish to pass for lunch, or some cookies or cake to have with our coffee. Can't wait to see everyone again!Annie

4. 
   meg | Jan 29, 2008 02:00pm | #16

   Yes, we've been sort of meditative rather than quilting out loud. I spent 4-1/5 hours on Sunday looking for a pattern which I'd used last year. (I'd stayed up too late on Saturday night and worked in Slow-Mo!) I cleaned and organized one shelf, and by mid-afternoon I located the pattern. It's from Easy & Elegant Lone Star Quilts: All the Wow without the Work! by Shirley Stutz. I made a super-king-sized wedding quilt for my nephew last year, and now another nephew is getting married. __I promise that this one will not be as large.__ (Please help me stick to that promise! It's tough to manage a 118" x 120" quilt!!) So I'll cut down the pattern~ that ought to help me keep my promise. The focus fabric is The Fire Within II designed by Sherri Kahn for Robert Kaufman; a beauteous, warm pattern of deep orange with some purple, turquoise, and a bit of grass green, with gold accents.

1. 
   damascusannie | Jan 29, 2008 05:10pm | #17

   I hadn't heard of Shirley's book so I googled it. Cool! Just a giant stack and whack. What a great way to get a striking quilt without piecing all those putzy diamond strips. I assume you do your own quilting on a regular machine, right? I agree that king-sized quilts are a pain. I have one that still needs its borders before I can quilt it. Even with my big custom table, I'm not looking forward to the quilting. Annie in Wisconsin, USA
   See patterns, quilting, and National sewing machines at: http://community.webshots.com/user/damascusannie

1. 
   MaryinColorado | Jan 30, 2008 03:41am | #18

   I'm from Wausau originally, it is so beautiful up North.  I have wonderful memories of fishing with my Grandpa until he passed away at 86.  Even the ice fishing was fun.  Being quiet in the boat was difficult to learn, Grandpa was deaf but could read lips. The state fair, riding horses at my cousins ranch, getting to drink at 18, the lakes...so many happy times.  Thanks for bringing it to mind.

1. 
   damascusannie | Jan 31, 2008 01:28am | #19

   I used to fish with my grandpa, too. When he died I only asked for one thing--one of his old cane poles to remember him by. It hangs on one of the beams in our living room. Annie

1. 
   MaryinColorado | Jan 31, 2008 05:24pm | #20

   I'm enjoying making new memories with my grandchildren.  They grow up so fast!  Mary

2. 
   damascusannie | Jan 31, 2008 05:57pm | #21

   I'm still waiting on grand-babies. We have three married daughters, but the first is in recovery from Hodgkin's so their family plans are on hold. The next couple have only been married a year, and the third got married last spring, so it may be a bit longer. The last couple dated for five years, so they aren't planning to wait too long, but Susan is going to China with the University of Wisconsin-Superior choir in March--she's as director of student programs at the college--so I think that they are holding off until after that. I'm only 45 so it's not like I'm getting anxious just yet, but my husband can't wait to be a grandpa!Annie