Another sewing marathon completed

 

Phew! I did the impossible. I am READY (well, almost) ready for the classes today. I had one last night, and everything was prepped for that. There are three today, and while I didn't quite get all the sewing done, I got enough to show what we're doing. There are a few more pictures to take this morning and add to one of the presentations. 

I decided NOT to do the demo live. Nope - I took a bunch of pictures and videos yesterday. And I was on a work call for nearly three hours - that consumed a lot of precious time, but it was worth it. 

It started to rain in the afternoon, and well, I was busy, and I didn't get out for the second walk yesterday. That's OK - I have a few extra miles banked, so I'm still on track to meet my 6-month goal. 

If you've read John Cleese on creativity, he's big on how your subconscious solves problems (hence being creative), and I couldn't agree with him more. So I was out walking one of the girls two days ago, and in the middle of the forest, it HIT me. I knew where that missing quilt top was. I had tried to find it for my color class last month, but it wasn't where I thought it should be. 

Then I realized - it must be in the boxes (2) of quilts that need borders or backing or binding made before they get moved to the "to be quilted" pile. I came home, and sure enough - there it was!! The backing is with it - so that's probably why my brain thought it was in the "to be quilted" pile. 

I took a picture which I'll share with you tomorrow. I guess it's not as bad as I originally thought, but it's not my favorite!

There's been no time to work on more backgrounds for the art project, but it is Virtual Retreat tonight and all day tomorrow, so maybe that will happen. I also want to finish off the bits and pieces that have been hanging around the sewing table for months. I'd be a happy person if I could get that done, as well as what's hanging out on the cutting table. I'll have a few weeks of breathing time - well, not really, the next big writing assignment is fast approaching. 

So let's talk about Urbanologie. This is the curved piecing quilt that we're working on. OH -- before I get into the show and tell, here's a dilemma. I'm using a layer cake of Tula Pink fabric. I checked her website, and the collection was called Elizabeth. Hmm - I don't know what year it was printed, but let's say that it's long gone. 

Tula Pink Elizabeth collection

I did a Google search, and Oh boy -- I doubt that I'll be buying any of it either. RARE  and OOP (out of print) are descriptors of this collection. And guess what that means? Yep - the prices are sky high!! I'm not that desperate to get more. Unless someone out there has some of it, feels sorry for me, and is willing to sell at a reasonable price. I'm not even sure if I'm going to need more, but I have a feeling I might - or my last couple of blocks are going to be totally mixed up with fabrics, and I guess that's OK. I might pre-cut the rest of the blocks to see where I stand. 

I guess a half meter for $23 isn't bad if you REALLY want it. I don't think I want it that bad!

I don't know where I got this layer cake, but I'm not fond of it! Oh well -- a lesson learned. Never again. I'm using a cream with it, which helps to tone it down, but seriously - this is such a hodgepodge of prints. No offense to Tula - the collection has merits, but well - let's leave it at that. 

I must be having a year with my color selection! This is a block from SchoolGirl Sampler - another ongoing project. Two colors don't have much contrast in this block, and I was OK with that. But I decided to use the dark fabric as the sashing, so this one needed to be made over. 

Schoolgirl Sampler block

I don't think my new block is any better. I'm using my scraps, and well - I'm running out of options. Thank goodness, there are only 20 more blocks to make. I may end up remaking it, but I doubt it'll make a difference in the quilt in the scheme of things, so I'm leaving it like this. It's all a learning experience anyway. This is what happens when you do things fast! I did buy some lighter backgrounds, and I should have used one of them. 

The same block - still not enough contrast

Do you want to see my new toy?? Actually, I had purchased this a while back and never got it out and used it. Do you know what it is???

Mini-photo booth

It's a mini-photo booth. There are colored backgrounds you can put inside - I'm using the white one at the moment. There's a ring of lights around the top opening. You turn the lights on and then insert the camera lens into the opening and take the picture! Oh my -- ZERO shadows on the pictures. I'm in love with the darn thing. I have a few more pictures that I need to retake, so I might play with that a bit this afternoon before the virtual retreat. 

Oh, shoot- I'm going to save Urbanologie for tomorrow. 

So I'm working hard at getting these medals for the Virtual Challenges, but where are the medals for the sewing marathons? I want a medal for each time I get my crazy assignments completed. And every time there's a class, I'm supposed to be sending out homework. I need to try and clear one or two up this afternoon. 

OH - before I go - you need to mark on your calendar a Facebook LIVE event. It's June 29 at 7 PM EST. Carla, Claire, Paul, and I are chatting about our experience with the Spectrum Quilt a Long. Even if you didn't do the QAL, come and check it out!!! I'm sure it'll be entertaining. 

And here are the links for the Virtual Retreat this weekend. 

Virtual Retreat - Saturday, June 26, 6 PM -- 9PM

Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89254233911?pwd=VGQrTnFybW1HMWpleHA4M2Q2NGVwZz09 Meeting ID: 892 5423 3911 Passcode: 982797

Virtual Retreat - Sunday, June 27, 10 AM - 8 PM

Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87246635892?pwd=VGY1cUUyLzRaRi9VUVV2ZWFINXc2dz09 Meeting ID: 872 4663 5892 Passcode: 440473

And on that note, I'm out of here to start the Zoom marathon!!

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!!

Quilt backings

 You know how you have a project that just seems to go on forever? This current magazine quilt appears to be that quilt. I'm happy to say that the top is completely together and is waiting on the long arm to be loaded later this morning. 

There are many colored little squares in it, and I swear, the more I tried to keep the colors separate, the more they gathered together. I didn't change any of the squares around, and actually, something interesting appeared because of this. Sorry - I can't share it with you. I should take pictures and then share them once the quilt gets published. I just said, "let it go," and left it the way it was. I noticed in one spot that the SAME fabrics were side by side, and in another, I had THREE fabrics in a row that matched in color. Now how did I do that when I was supposed to check it all before sewing? 

I even stuck a pin in the top left corner of every block so they wouldn't get turned. This is a common thing to happen. I had a good chuckle about it and got back to work. 

So I needed to prep the backing for the quilt. I was hoping to do that last night, but I had another presentation, and there was no time. If you've been reading the blog for a while, you know that I have a stash of backings. 

With the labeling system that Ronda and I did quite some time ago when I had to move things around, it's so easy to find exactly what I need without rummaging through baskets of fabric. 

The neatly organized quilt backings

You may not have as much as I do, but the fact that it's all folded neatly and the yardage is marked on all the pieces makes it so easy to find something that works. 

I still have FIVE pieces that won't fit on the backing shelf, but each time I remove one backing, one of these pieces takes its place. I'm super excited. Isn't it strange that the smallest of things can make us happy?

Five more backings to fit on the shelf

And then, once that pile is on the shelf, I think it's going to be time to search through the baskets of fabric to find other HUGE yardages that could be used for quilt backing. I did go through the orange baskets a while back and found five or six pieces that were larger than 3 ½ yards that could be used for backings. I suspect there is more in other baskets. With it being on the backing shelf, it's actually getting used—no need to go shopping for quite a while. 

Each time I use up something, there's a slight glimmer of hope that YES, one day, all this fabric will be used up! 

Diane dropped off three more quilt tops that she has pieced, which means that I'm going to have to find backings for those quilts one day. So I may have a major depletion happening at some point. We'll see how it goes. 

Do you see how those pieces are somewhat folded nice and neat? OK - so they are nice and neat, but one stack might not be quite as wide as the other. The "organizer experts" would say - fold your fabric around a ruler and then fold it in half and put it on the shelf. My thoughts on that? If you're a quilter and can determine if a "square" is out by 1/8" of an inch? I don't need a ruler to fold my fabric. All of this was eyeballed. Life is too short to have things so perfect that you're afraid to use them. Nope - fast and easy is the way for me. Besides, I'm a lazy quilter - if I can get away with eyeballing something - I'll do it in a heartbeat. And I'm a Virgo, and we're usually very meticulous with detail. And yes, I am, but you have to pick the details you want to stress about. Folding quilt backings is NOT one of them. 

We haven't done a lot of decluttering in a while, but this is a good task. If you have large pieces of fabric that aren't measured, get yourself in your studio, measure them, and label them. You'll be happy you did. And you can't tell me that you don't have this stuff. You know you do - you bought it on sale, and now it's in a jumble, and you're not using it. Why? Because you have no idea what you have! Get it measured and neatly folded!!!

This is the fabric that I used for the backing of this quilt. 

The backing for my current project

My criteria - the colors. It works for me. I swear some people get fussed about the backings, and yes - I try to have something on the back that correlates to the front, but seriously?? I don't fuss. If the color is somewhat the same - that's good enough for me. I used to NEED something that matched "perfectly," and well, once I saw what I had for backings - I changed my tune rather quickly. 

This M&M fabric was purchased years ago - I probably saw it on sale, and I bought YARDS of the darn stuff. I have enough for the backings of two more quilts! That obscene!!

I can't say enough about these presentations that I'm doing for my day job. I've learned so much! More than I could ever have done on my own. I get some amazing questions from the students, and there are a couple in my current software class that - well, I swear they are testing me! Can we do this? Can we do that? I LOVE IT!!!  So if your local sewing machine store (PFAFF or Husqvarna Viking) hasn't run one of our series, you should encourage them to do so. There's so much information packed into each session, and I'm constantly adding more as I make a new sample or learn something new. 

The more that I play with the mySewnet Embroidery Software, the more I'm hooked. I love this software and the things you can do with it? Well, it's so darn flexible that you can do ANYTHING. Now to find the time to play more! 

The same with the software for the long arm (Quilt Path). I know that it's capable of a lot more than I use it for. I had a Zoom call with Sandy yesterday just to chat and to compare notes. Funny, with all the Zooming, I've not had a one-on-one with someone who wasn't for a specific reason. You know what? It was great!!! I should do that more often with people. Once we can get back together, some people are just too far away, but keeping in touch with Zoom would be awesome. 

You know what they say - two heads are better than one. So imagine if you have someone who is just as curious as you are - comparing notes can be a HUGE thing. This is what I'm learning from the clubs (EQ8, Machine Embroidery) that I'm running. I learn as much from the students as I do on my own. They push me without them realizing that is happening. Luckily I can mostly answer their questions, or I do the research to find the answer. 

Look what I purchased the other day. 

KONA color card

Yes -- this is the KONA color chart. They have an amazing array of colors. This can be an amazing color tool that can help you choose colors for your quilt, not just for solids. I didn't get mine in time for the color theory class the other day, but I'll add it to the mix for the next session. 

Look at that range of colors!

Look at all those colors!!! Doesn't that make you want to order a bolt of each (OK - maybe not a bolt) and make something with graduated colors?? Oh yes --  I want it all!!! There are 365 colors in there. That's HUGE. What's really nice about the KONA line of solids is that they have most of the major color families covered off with shades, tints, and tones or whatever you want to call them, so you can basically go in any direction you want. I think it's well worth the $45. I bought it from Thimbles and Things in case you want one for yourself. When you purchase one, you also get a bit of a break on the price of KONA solids. 

I've got two nature pictures for you this morning. I love seeing the rays of the sun peek through the trees. I wasn't sure I could capture that on camera, but it turned out not bad. We aren't walking too much in the forest in the morning - the mosquitos are out!!! I hate wearing bug spray, so we take a shortcut through the forest, but we don't linger. Murphy is NOT a lingerer, so I don't mind walking her in the forest. Lexi is a lingerer and has to sniff EACH and EVERY tree - I don't walk in the forest with her. I'd get eaten alive. 

The rays of the sun through the leaves

The hot temperatures and humidity have brought some spectacular cloud formations. This one looked much more threatening and dramatic in real life. But still pretty to look at. 

Cloud formations

Here are some dates to keep in mind. 

Quilt Canada is NEXT week. If you haven't signed up yet, you should. It's all taking place online. It costs $10 to "get in." That gives you access to the Awards Ceremonies on Wednesday night, as well as the ability to see all the quilts. That's pretty good entertainment value for $10. PLUS check out the door prizes. There are two TOP-OF-THE-LINE sewing machines to be won. That's nothing to sneeze at - if for no other reason than to get your name in the draw for those TOP OF THE LINE machines, I'd sign up!

The next VIRTUAL RETREAT is coming up on June 26 and 27. That's going to be the evening of the 26 and all day on the 237th. Stop by and say HI. If you haven't joined a virtual retreat yet, you should - I think that even when we can all get together again, these retreats aren't going to go away. I know that it's super easy for me. I don't have to clean up the studio space, MORE people can participate, there is NO cost for anyone, the weather isn't an issue, and people from all over the world can participate. I'm not sure that I'll go back to having a real sewing day at my house. It's too chaotic at the moment. 

I had a great visit with the window salesman. I set up the table in the gazebo, and we talked windows. And I got a quote. I knew it was going to be high. But WOW -- I could buy a car or a top-of-the-line long arm with software for the price of that quote!! But I knew it was going to be high. And guess what? The price of windows has increased by about 30% because of COVID, and they WILL NOT be reduced once the pandemic is over. I'm sure that's going to be the same situation in every industry. This pandemic is just a good opportunity to raise the prices, and now how could they possibly lower them. Nope - higher prices are here to stay.  

Is it Friday yet? I swear the thought of things opening up on Friday has me breezing through this week. I have a feeling that it's going to be total chaos tomorrow. Let's hope it's not, but I'm doubtful. There's a pent-up demand for patio dining. 

OK -- that's it for me today. So you've got work to do - measuring all those big yardage pieces and signing up for Quilt Canada. 

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!!

Molas

I get so much good advice from you!!!  Order ONE pair of shoes and if they fit, buy two more instead of buying three at once. OK -- I NEED to order that first pair today. My current shoes are way past the expiry date. I won't lose the extra pairs - they go in the hall closet. Ordering those shoes HAS to be on the list of things to do today. I see my Windows Explorer windows all shut down last night, so I need to find the shoes again.

I am terrible about closing the windows at the end of the day or when I'm done. OK -- so I never seem to finish with the links; they are open because I haven't had a chance to fully explore that website yet. I'm bad. OK -- I finish with websites and close them, but I also leave many open at once. 

It was a bit of an intense morning as I finished the prep for the Color Theory class. It was two hours long, which I thought would be tough on the participants and me. It was a LOT of information, and it might be better over two sessions, but WOW -- so much great information. I impressed myself!! I'll be rerunning it in the fall. And NO - I haven't uncovered that darn missing quilt. I'll try to find it later today. I  swear it's in those tubs of "to be quilted" stuff. 

Here's the sad thing about those bins. Looking at all those tops brought back some great memories of fun times sewing them. A class or a special thing for me. Now to squeeze in some time to get to work on them. Wouldn't it be great to get ONE done a week? That would take me over five years to clear that mess! I do have about 5 that are on the current list for quilting, and I haven't got to them yet. BUT, I plan to take some time over the summer, and I'll work on some of those. 

I'm just going to have to retire to find time, but I'm not ready yet. There's still a class or two within me. 

I did get some sewing done last night, but I needed a break yesterday, and I enjoyed the backyard quite a bit while I finished my book on The Pursuit of Endurance. How fitting! While that book was about walking long distances in a short period of time, endurance applies to anything. You have to put your mind to a goal and go for it. 

It was windy yesterday, so these chimes were ringing merrily, and it was glorious. If you don't have a gazebo, you should test it out. I probably wouldn't spend nearly as much time outdoors if I didn't have the gazebo. I thank the previous house owners for leaving that. 

The wind chimes

In my sewing, I managed to empty another mini-design board. I'm getting there, slow and steady! Remember, I'm the turtle, not the hare!!!

One more mini design board - EMPTY

Gosh -- don't forget that Quilt Canada is NEXT WEEK!!! The last day to signup is June 15 (I think), and I need to get that done. TODAY!!

So yesterday you saw that I rescued a book from someone who was cleaning their stash. I've rescued more than a few books over my time, as well as magazines. I know there'll come a day when I've got to cull, and I'm not sure how I'll deal with that. But I'll figure it out when it's time. It's not time yet. 

I quite frequently go through my baskets of fabric. I definitely have a new style of what I buy that's evolved over the years. That doesn't mean I won't use what I already have - it's just different. But I got a chuckle when I was going through the blue bin. I swear I purchased these fat quarters (and there's one more just like it) almost 20 years ago. And the elastic has never come off!!! But I HAD to have it. 

Never opened fat quarters

I think I'm going to have to go through the bins with the plan of making a quilt with just polka dot fabric or other schemes. And I used to be very sentimental about the fabrics, but not any longer. I feel that many of them will just get cut up into small pieces and made into scrap quilts as they really aren't my style any longer. That doesn't mean I want to part with them yet. I have the room to store them, and I'm not adding to the mess. But when it comes time to downsize, those prints will be the first to go. That won't happen for quite some time, so I get the joy of looking at them each time I sort through the baskets. 

OK -- so I received an e-mail a while back, and would I like a Mola? Hmm - I already have some, but I decided that I would rescue this one as well. 

We settled on a price, and I went to pick it up. When I got home, I realized that there were THREE Molas in the bag. Yikes - I stole them. Oh well, she wasn't clear what it was she was selling. This was a lady who was downsizing and wanted to get rid of them. 

These are the three that I got. I've seen the small ones before, same for the middle size, but I had never seen the larger size. 

Three new Molas

That meant that I had to dig the ones out that I have. There are all different styles, it's totally fascinating. If you're wondering what a Mola is, they are handwork done by the Kuna Indians in the San Blas Islands, near Panama. The ones done on the burgundy fabric are many layers of fabric, and the technique is reverse applique. The large one and the smaller ones are mostly appliqued on the surface, not reverse, and do not comprise multiple layers. I think those are the ones geared to the tourist trade as they can make them faster. 

The more elaborate ones were made for their blouses, like this one below, which still has some trim attached to the top. OH MY GOD -- thank goodness I write a blog. I forget everything. I couldn't remember where I got this Mola. I searched my blog and there it was!!!! The story on how I found this one. If ever you want to find something that I talked about, just put the search word in that big white bar at the top and if that word appeared in a past post - you get the posts!!!  It seems that I have other books on Molas as well! Ooops. 

A MOLA with the top trim still attached

This is the first one I ever bought. I bought it from a teacher of mine, and she charged me a HUGE amount of money, but I didn't know any better at the time. 

Elephant on the Mola

Then somewhere along the lines, I've acquired a few others, and they are absolutely stunning. The workmanship is amazing. 

A MOLA bird

Here's what the back of the pieces looks like. The orange is the back of the bird above, and that orange that outlines the bird is the multiple layers cut way back to the backing. The other one is just an ugly piece of fabric that doesn't show to the front. 

The backs of the Molas

Here's the one with the four little motifs that I rescued. 

Four small motifs

And here's one with two motifs. I didn't realize until I pulled them out how different all the styles were. 

Two panels

And here are two of the simple motifs that I've acquired over the years. I know - excessive!!! 

Two simple Molas

Here's a close-up of the one that I rescued. Hey -- it's me - the turtle!!! Slow and steady!!!

A simple turtle Mola

And here's the large one. 

A huge Mola

As I was going through the bucket of black fabric the other day, look what I found! A MOLA print. That's hilarious, but it would make a perfect backing for these pieces. 

Mola printed fabric

OK -- so it's time to get at least one of these things made into something. There's not enough room around them to stretch on a frame, although borders could be added to make that happen. I do like to showcase textile art around the house, and this would be awesome. I might try that with one of the large ones; actually, it would be great to do with one of each size. I should try that with one of the little ones. 

Then I think a journal cover would be great to make with one of the small ones. That's easy to stabilize and stitch into place. Now to put my thinking cap on to see what to do with the others. 

Of course, I have a book. WAIT -- I have TWO books on Molas. I've left them out so I can actually browse them. The books are gorgeous and filled with HUNDREDS of different styles. 

The Mola by Edith Crouch

Magnificent Molas by Michel Perrin

I just started reading a new book called The Art of Gathering, which is hilarious since we can't gather at the moment. But the concept is pretty interesting - why do we gather when oftentimes we don't want to. Or we get nothing from it. How many useless business meetings have you attended in your life? How many guild meetings did you go to and didn't get anything out of them? Etc. The intent of this book is to have gatherings, but be very MINDFUL of the purpose of that gathering so that people will walk away refreshed and excited! 

I think that's going to be an important thing as we go forward. I don't mind gathering, but do NOT waste my time with something that can be done differently. I hate rehashing the same old - gather the data and make a decision. So I'm going to be VERY careful with how I give out my precious time in the future. Well, I hope I will. 

The book was written in 2018, so before the pandemic hit. This book is from the library, and I NEED to stop using the library - I have a ton of books that I've purchased, and those should be my priority!!! Not only is there a ton of books downstairs, but I have books in the office, as well as in the family room—time to read them and then get rid of them. Or make them into journal covers, as my friend Katheleen is doing. Her work is STUNNING. 

On that note, I'm off to get the day started. I have two classes this morning and the afternoon is free. As if I could just take the afternoon off. Well, I just might - it's going to be an action-packed week, and I need some downtime just like everyone else!!

I listen to pop radio, and why does it seem that every fourth song is Justin Bieber??? What's with that? The guy has so many top songs right now. 

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!!