Playing with Aurifil... first time fpr pebbles

I just finished two major projects and haven't had a time to just sit and play at the machine for awhile.  So I did so last night.  Boy was it fun!

I decided to cut a piece of fabric and play with my free motion machine quilting.  I have a couple of designs I use over and over again.  But working on Raven's piece (yes I know I owe you guys a finished picture..  just need the right light.) I decided I needed to add to the designs that I do without thought.  I also decided that I needed to play with the Auriifil Thread I have, as I have really only used the 40wt cotton.

So this is what I came up with....

I love the little leaves in the center.  This was one of the designs I picked up from 365 Days of Free Motion Quilting.  I thought it was pretty.  DH loved the spins in each of the leaves.  Not sure mine really look like hers, but I like them anyway.  I love the way they swirl, so decided to add the circular design around the leaves.  Isn't it interesting how this makes a nice little center design for a circular piece.  I will definitely need to remember this the next time I work on a circular project.  Next I decided to play with free form feathers around the circle.  I have a hard time doing feathers with a spine first, then adding the feathers.  I can always make the right side look great, but can never match the look on the left.  If I start on the left, the feathers on the right are ok, but they don't match the look on the left.  So I practiced making feathers without a spine.  Wow!  what difference it made for me.  My free form feathers took on a totally different look and feel.  It gave me the freedom to turn them any way I wanted and my feathers looked more natural as I wasn't always trying to hit the spine at the right angle :-). 

As I got closer to the edge of the piece of fabric, I decided to try my hand a pebbles.  I always like the tight look and feel they have and the added dimension they give the feathers...  contrasting the big and free feathers with the small and tight circle of the pebbles.  Take a look... 

I really like the way the pebbles frame the other quilting.  Having never played with the pebble design before, I experimented with making them all the same size and then mixing the size.  I also had to stop doing them all in a line and change up on how I circled back over the stitching line to move in a different direction.  I didn't like leaving a gap, so I had to figure out a way to ease smaller pebbles in between larger existing ones.  Fun...  I think I will start adding pebbles into my work, but will have to be careful to make sure I have even quilting across the top, so it doesn't warp the piece.

Now onto the thread.  I used Aurifil 50 wt with a Topstitch 90/14 needle.  On my Bernina 830, I dropped my tension to 1.5, which is typical for what I use with other threads.  To be honest, I wanted to use up bobbins, so there is a mix of bobbin threads.  Well to my surprise, I had NO tension problems.  I ended up using three different bobbins, with three different threads and each stitched as nicely as the last. I have never been able to do this with any other brand of thread....  NEVER!   Oh yeah, these was also almost NO LINT in the bobbin area.  Wow...  what a shock.  I usually have to clean out the lint in the bobbin area after an hour of quilting.  Not with Aurifil :-) 

I did not use the BSR functionality, I just used my round open toe applique foot and had at it!

Here comes one of my 'inquiring minds' questions....  How many people use Aurifil thread?  Do you like it?  What weight do you find works best for free motion quilting?  Do you find one needle size or type works better than the other?  Do you use the same thread in the bobbin?

Let me know.....

Pelham Quilter's 2010 Round Robin... progress report...

As promised, here are the pictures of not only the round robin top I have been working on, but also the other two tops being done by the group.

I will start with the one you have seen already....

If you remember, this top was started by Cheryl, with the black/white and red center, with curvy sides.  We were all anxious to see what the next person would do with those sides.  Well, Donna added the wonderful women appliqued onto to the grey background.  Each women has different jewelry that was created using a thread painting technique with silver metallic thread.  Next, Jean added the bold black/white/red boarder using Drunkards Path as it's design inspiration.  I like the way she added the corner stones.  I think the curves of the Drunkards Path compliment the curves of Cheryl's original 'square'.  This group is ahead of schedule, as it already has it's final boarder added, which was done by Evelyn.  Evelyn enveloped the piece nicely with the grey narrow boarder, followed by the red wide boarder.  I think it was a perfect finish, as it said, ok...  this top is DONE.  Nice job ladies!

Next is a piece that I don't believe I have showed any pictures of, as I wasn't at either of the meetings where it was passed on.

This piece was started by Joanne M. with the center block composed of a blue/green/teal star.  I am not sure what the pattern is called, but I like the way it also has the appearance of a circle.  I can imagine a couple of these blocks linked together..  should create an interesting secondary pattern.  Anyone know the name of the center star?  Anyway, next Joanne S. added the light grey/powder blue/teal boarder, giving a nice frame to the star.  Lorraine, our guild President, added the outer round.  I like the way she brought the fabric from the center star out to the third round, while also introducing a new complimentary fabric.  The burgundy in the batik introduces the opportunity for the next quilter to add another color into the final boarder.  Can't wait to see what Cathy comes up with as she works on the last round....  anticipation.  Guess I will have to wait until May just like everyone else!

Last, this is the top I worked on.  You will remember my challenge to figure out how to treat the piece.  it kept talking circle to me....

If you followed my earlier posts, you will remember that Teri created the fused center with diamonds creating a starburst outlined with the blue stripe on a black background.  We all loved the center, but had no idea of where to take it.  Doris added the print pieced boarder and black fused boarder that used both circles and diamonds. So my quandary was what to do next...  we had a square with diamonds in the center, then outlined with more diamonds and circles.  So, I decided to follow where my heart kept taking me...  put the square center into a circular hole.  And to do so why not add another shape, so I added triangles via circular flying geese.   I decided that I needed to add orange to the center of the piece, so I used a thin orange piping around the square from Doris, before adding it to the lime green circle.  Then I felt it needed the print brought from the center, so I found a similar print and added another thing piping before adding the flying geese.  Lucky for me, Teri and I have similar tastes, so I had all of the fabric she used in the starburst in my stash.  WooHoo!  Anne gets this top next.  Funny thing is she said when she saw the top after Doris, it screamed 'circle' to her as well.  Now the question is, will she leave it as a circle....  Hmmmmm....  I wonder?

Well that is the current status of our 2010 Round Robin.  Stay tuned....  all three tops will be finished by our May meeting.  We will draw names from those who worked on each top for a 'winner' of the top.  Then we ask each quilter to come back in September with the top quilted for us to gaze at and enjoy the completed process....

Oh yes, then it will be time for Pelham Quilters 2011 Round Robin...  boy does time fly.... 

Man, Male, Dude, Guy, Bro.....

No, I am not one of these, but....  Man these Dudes can QUILT!

I know of Matt Sparrow from the APQS forum.  I have never met him, but any couple (his wife is a quilter as well) who have 8 kids and still find time to quilt....  well just say, my hat goes off to them.  But after reading on the forum that Matt now has a regular column in Quilters Home, I decided to find his blog.

Scrolling thru it, I read a post about a space he created to see how many 'man', 'male', 'dude', etc...  quilters he could find.  I think last count was 87, but take a look at their work here.

My or My....  These Men can Quilt!!!

Feeling Good!!

So last week, I promised to bring you up to speed on what I have been up to. 

First, I finished my round on the Pelham Quilters 2010 Round Robin.  Remember, this is what I received.  I can't show you what I decided on just yet, but I promise to post a picture after guild meeting Monday night.

Second, you have seen me working on Raven's wall hanging for awhile, actually since early November.  My poor daughter has had to wait while I finished two Christmas presents, then I worked on hers while I also worked on the Round Robin.  Well it is all quilted and blocked.  Here is a picture of it being blocked on my only rug, in the front porch.

I changed quilting designs as I moved throughout the piece, which was fun, as it didn't get boring.  The top is still wet in this shot, so you can see some of the seams, but here is a close up of some of the quilting.

But to be honest, I am not sure I really like the thread.  I searched and searched for the right thread and while I like the variegated green, with it's subtle color changes, I think it is too heavy.  I used Sulky Blendables 50wt, but think I should have used a finer thread, so that it sunk into the top a little more.  Maybe if not finer, than a little lighter....  but, too late now.

Since this will be a tryptic, I now have to decide where to cut it.  Raven wants the center to be bigger than the side pieces.  It will have to hang a few days and give me a chance to stare at it, before I decide.  Then I will use the technique my friend Elizabeth Rosenberg taught me last week for facing a quilt without corner seams.

I hope to have it done by Monday night to take to guild for Show and Tell and then ship down to Raven in Miami.

The juices are flowing... what about yours?

I had a great night quilting last night!  My round robin is coming along nicely.  I really like the fabrics and colors.  The design says Renee!  Can't wait to show it to you...  but that will have to wait until after 7pm on March 1st....  that's our next guild meeting.

But now that my creative mojo is back on track, I was thinking today....  was it really just being with my quilting friends on Saturday that finally got me going?  Almost 6 weeks I looked at the piece and my stash....  multiple visits to quilt shops, multiple conversations with quilting friends on ideas....  nothing.  Then, all of a sudden it clicked.  Now don't get me wrong, I am happy...  actually thrilled that it did, especially since the due date is coming up quickly and I am the organizer of the round robins for my guild.  Surely I couldn't be tardy.  But what would I have done?  Would I have just slapped some fabric on it to say it was done...  without making it mine...  without ?????  I sure hope NOT!

So with this in mind, I have one of the curious questions again...  where do you find inspiration????  how do you get unblocked, when you just can't seem to get going????  Is there a secret you can share with the rest of us??  :-)

Finally Unblocked!!

I have had a mental block for over a month.  I have not been able to find inspiration anywhere.  Yes, I continue work on Raven's piece  (I have even finished quilting it....  I will post pics after it is blocked and faced...I promise).  But, actually figuring out what to do for my round on the Pelham Quilters 2010 Round Robin has been impossible.  I have sketched out four different designs, even got two of them on graph paper.  But they weren't right.  Either I couldn't find the right fabric to get the look I wanted, or the dimensions didn't quite work.

Well after Saturday's workshop with Elizabeth Rosenberg, I came home really feeling good.  I sat down and did the last hour or so of the quilting on Raven's piece.  Then I sat down with my sketch pad again and went back to my first idea.  Still not thinking I could make it work I went to bed.  Well, they say dreams can come true.

I woke up yesterday and knew exactly how I was going to tackle the problem.  I had worked it all out in my head during the night, even seeing the fabric right in my stash.  After a wonderful Valentines Day with my husband, we sat down to watch the Olympics and out came the paper and pencil.  Within an hour or so, I had the pattern done, fabric selected and everything set up for a quilting day today.

Enjoying the three day weekend, I ran errands this morning, came home and made some Wild Mushroom Soup and garlic bread for lunch (YUM!...  even DH surprisingly thought it was very good...  he usually has to have meat in his soups :-)).  Next, I spent the afternoon and evening after dinner working on my round.  It isn't finished, nor can I show you what I am working on, until I bring it to the March 1st guild meeting, but I made great progress and I feel GOOD!

I will share with you the piece as I received it.......

 As a tease...  here are the fabrics I choose....  

Can you figure out what I am doing?

Improvisational Flowing Line Workshop

It has been a long time since I posted.  Almost a month, that is very long for me.  But once again life has kept me going in multiple directions.  The good news is I have been quilting.  I will catch you up later, but for now wanted to share the fun I had today!

One of my favorite people in the quilting world, the person who expanded my quilting from patterns, squares and triangles, to applique, bright colors, batiks and finding my own quilting voice has recently added a new workshop to her list of lectures and workshops. Today, along with 6 other Pelham Quilter's, I had a ball in Elizabeth Rosenberg's "Improvisational Flowing Line Workshop".

No patterns, no rulers, just a mat, rotary cutter, some fabrics that read 'almost' solid, your machine and a willingness to think soft curves and your in.

Lorraine, our guild President, was one of the first to embrace the mantra...

 

It was great to see her smiling so.  She really got into the swing of graceful sweeping curves, no pins...  Just go for it Lorraine!

As usual, Cheryl got down and dirty.  She is a speed sewer.  Cheryl quickly decided to cut her strips early and then get to sewing.  Here you can see Cheryl and Elizabeth discussing placement of her fabrics...

Cheryl decided she was going to make a tote bag.  During our lunch break, you can see one side hanging over her machine and her work on the other side laying down on the table.  Hmphhh...  what to do next?

Millie was also a busy beaver.  She was quick to decide to combine the flowing lines with traditional patchwork cut in.

 I love Millie's colors.  Purple, turquoise and lime green....  yum!  Just look at those lovely pinks in the background.

Here is Elizabeth with the sample for the workshop.    Just got to love her work.  Stop on over to Elizabeth's website / blog and see some of her other pieces.  I just love these.  Take a look at the second one...  omg...  it is to die for!

Ok, here's a picture of the group....  interesting how each piece is so different...  different colors, different curves, totally different vibes.  I really like the yellow slanted inserts in Cheryl's piece.  I think I will have to add that in mine as I complete it.  Thanks Cheryl!

Isn't it great getting a chance to spend a day with friends, doing something you just love!!  Oh yeah, thanks Lorraine for the cake, brownies and other goodies.  I think I am going to go have a slice of your banana cake now with a cold glass of milk.