Gardening

Joy and Woe
Intrigued by the coloring of this small sunflower, I decided to grow it in my garden for the first time this year.

Caught in the act! These horned tomato worms and their buddies did an enormous amount of damage in only three days. Obviously I plucked them, and turned them into a beautiful green mush on the cement.

Adventures in gardening continue... ~K

Organizing 101

That's a start! Hopefully it works on a dailybasis. ~~K

Ketchup and Mustard Garden

And many more fun kid-theme gardens were enjoyed recently at BG’s Simpson Gardens.

Hopefully the pictures tell it all: water barrels, potting shed, kayak planting, view the roots, tea, tires, veggies, etc.

Besides these whimsical gardens, Simpson has a healing garden, scultpture garden, water features, tree alley, and other areas under development.

Check it out sometime if you are in the area. ~~K

SRM Quilts

Progress Report 2

Lion quilt says, "Grrreat, I'm finished." I had a lot of fun with that challenge and am pleased with the finished look provided by the pink and white stripe binding.

The “Cars” were on the back burner for about a week – I just couldn’t come up with a quilting plan. By reading every free-motion quilting library book I could get my hands on, practicing on paper and without thread, I gained confidence, inspiration, and perhaps even became a bit cocky. Free-motion script writing for the first time didn’t turn out too bad!

It’s hard to see in the small yellow squares, but there’s a simple outline of a car that I felt added to the theme. There's just a simple medium/large meandering on the book pages. It all came together in the finished product.

Baby Einstein needed some sashing material, so I bought some mottled grass green fabric at Hobby Lobby. I originally thought I would use yellow for the small square as I did on the cars quilt, but I didn’t have enough. I used a blue and white fabric that will also serve as the backing- purchased for $1 at the local Goodwill Store.

Piecing is finished, but, it’s back to the drawing board to decide how to quilt this one. Any ideas?- ~~K

SRM Quilts – Progress Report 1

WOW! What a stuffed bag of goodies to use for practice quilting – and piecing.


I know the grey/hippo quilt top should have been addressed first, but the Cars book was calling my name.


For some reason the moment I saw it I knew exactly how I wanted to put it together. First there was quite a bit of trimming and squaring to end up with twelve 7” x 9-1/2” rectangles. Cutting the 3-1/2" sashing and small squares was then quite easy. It’s not finished yet, but here are the blocks as they look on my kitchen floor:

Due to the rectangle proportions this needed a landscape layout, so it is a bit non-traditional in appearance. Unfortunately these Cars haven’t told me what quilt design to use yet.


But the lions were rumbling, “work on me” – instead of calling it the hippo quilt top I call it the “lion” one since I seem to see more lions than hippos.

Free-motion quilting is what I need to practice and the lions were agreeable. It was a challenge getting the top “almost” square and laying flat. A piece of V’s quilt batting seems to be a low-loft polyester and is fine for this Quilt for Kids. Quilting isn’t finished yet, but here’s a sampling:

More projects in the SRM bag will have to wait until I finish these two – unless an inspiration for their completion hits me and can’t be quelled. ~~K

Love the Library

Internet Junkie? Of course I am. But I’d have a rough time without the library. I still love the printed word that I can hold in my hand. At times, it even awakens me as a book drops to my chest when I’ve fallen asleep reading in bed.

My latest endeavor – machine quilting – has put my library system to the test. My local library has a limited selection; my county library is a bit better; but the state system of cooperating libraries is fantastic. Searching “machine quilting” let me choose from 287 books! Here are some I’m currently perusing:
As long as a book is not on the hold list and I’m first in line for the request, I usually can pick up the book at my local library in about three days. It sometimes surprises me how many other people have requested the same book before me.

I’m a visual/tactile learner and need the true feel of a book so I can “absorb” the information.
After reading until I have a good grasp of the concept, I “air” practice – you know, like air guitar playing – I even tell my students “air keyboarding” is helpful typing practice.


Next comes a simulation – such as machine quilting on paper. Then on to the REAL DEAL!


Each new pattern requires me to step back and go through my learning process again. Time consuming? Sometimes. But usually very rewarding.

Go check out a library book! ~~K

Squeaky Wheel Gets the Oil

Free Motion Quilting Part 4 of ?

So it wasn’t a wheel – it was my sewing machine! I had probably used my sewing machine 6 hours this week and after 30 minutes of use the other day it started squeaking LOUDLY. I couldn’t tell exactly where it was coming from – I thought it was the hand wheel area at first, then I wasn’t sure.

I continued sewing about 10 minutes and then decided I had better check this squeak out before I caused some real damage to my old White. A good cleaning and oiling was in order and I’d take it from there.

As you know I’d been “quilting” on paper which I knew would generate some dust. I pulled a surprisingly thick wad of “dust” from under the throat plate by the feed dogs. Proper oiling in the bobbin area didn’t eliminate the squeak.

Upon opening the side panel, there was less dust than I expected (based on the throat plate area). Oiling the specified points seemed to lessen the squeak, but it was still prominent.

I don’t recall when I had last removed the top cover so I continued to that stage of maintenance. Again, not THAT much dust. But, after each point was oiled I manually turned the wheel and there was a lessening of the squeak. By the time I had finished following all steps for cleaning/oiling in the user manual, the squeak was gone!
Hopefully I’ve solved the “problem” and haven’t set myself up for a future shop repair. Online I read you should clean/oil your sewing machine after every 8-10 hours of use, and others suggest as often as every-other bobbin. I’ve been remiss! If I continue machine quilting (and I intend to) I’ll be doing this cleaning/oiling routine often. My past piecing, clothing construction, and reupholstering did not have as much continual “running” of the sewing machine as I’ve been experiencing lately while doing the “free motion” machine quilting.

Live and learn! ~~K

Third Time’s the Charm

Free-Motion Quilting Part 6 of ?

Finally, I successfully machine quilted in true free motion technique that meets my standards. On the third Quilt for Kids I used a continuous curve in the four-patches and medium stippling in the larger squares and outer border – and all without any marking on the fabric! All that practice was worth it.

Final size after washing; 39.5" x 34.5"

What a time-saver by not having to pre-mark the fabric! I’ll admit there are quite a few “quilted” 8-1/2 x 11 sheets of paper in the recycle bin. Visualizing the “pattern” and then doing it on paper at the sewing machine seems to give me the confidence and necessary muscle memory. Every activity seems to need its own specialized warm-up session (running anyone?).

Now I want to start practicing some other free-motion designs – perhaps connected hearts, maybe even loops.

Anyone have a pieced top I could use for practice? I need to get busy piecing, but I just want to “quilt”! ~~K

2nd Quilt for Kids

Free-Motion Quilting Part 5 of ?

Again I traced on the back, but used a larger stipple pattern. Actually I was hoping this would quilt quicker and use less thread. It did use less thread, but I ended up not saving any time.

Looking at what I thought was the finished project I realized I wasn’t careful enough with the quilting placement. I saw a puffy stripe down the middle that I eliminated by adding a squiggly line of quilting. I also added more stippling along the sides since I originally left too much empty space near the border.



I forgot to sew on the label before I made the sandwich, so I improvised the border quilting with a stylized diamond design. It’s quite a contrast to the free-motion quilting on the rest of the quilt.
Despite all of the missteps I am pleased with the end result and looking forward to the next quilt. ~~K

Fresh

On the way back from picking up D’s 6-speed 2-seater (about 100 miles away from our house – and on a weeknight!) I “splurged” and stopped at a fruit and vegetable market I had seen on one of our earlier car-shopping excursions - Joe Randazzo’s in Dearborn Heights.


Fourteen “items” for $11.27! I had to keep reminding myself of how much available refrigerator/freezer space I had available. Items I didn’t purchase but was very tempted by included bulk portabella mushrooms for $2.99 a pound, bean sprouts at $0.49 a pound, etc.


Best deals I did buy were seedless grapes (I forgot to include them in the photo) for $0.89 a pound, strawberries for $0.99 a container (after getting home I realize they are from Plant City, Florida where a blogger had a great time at the Strawberry Festival), parsley only $0.34 a bunch, and so on – look at that receipt!

Having been influenced by others’ blogs I couldn’t resist buying a yucca root for $0.69 per pound (had no idea if that was a good price or not) – we enjoyed it with stuffed green peppers (made 8, ate 3, 5 in the freezer for another day) for supper this evening. Even D agreed we should have these baked fries again.

I need to check out some of the markets in west T-town. Hopefully they can match those prices! ~~K

Steep Learning Curve

Free Motion Quilting Part 3 of ?

My current machine quilting is free motion only in the sense that the feed dogs are down – I’ve resorted to drawing on the fabric before sewing! I had a “design” in my head I could follow on small practice sandwiches, but now that I’m on a child size quilt I find myself getting lost.
Thanks to a new flow point on my wood-burning tool I was able to burn a puzzle-like stippling continuous line on an overhead transparency (another use for silicone baking mats). I then traced the pattern lightly onto the quilt back with a pencil, but found it too light to follow successfully. It is a soft lead so I’m going back over it in smaller sections just prior to quilting. That’s more work than I anticipated; especially since I originally thought I wouldn’t even have to “draw” a quilting line.
After finally getting a “pattern” technique developed, my next frustration is pulling the bobbin thread up to get started. I divided the quilt into 10 sections, hoping I would only have to do this ten times, but I realize now how much thread this project is taking as I frequently run out of bobbin thread. At least I preloaded the four empty ones I had available.

I started the quilting with curved safety pins for basting. After I carefully examined my first section, I’ve included many straight pins between the safety pins and just remove them upon the needle’s approach. That first section had a few puckers that I think will just have to remain as evidence of my beginner’s status.
Due to poor tension in an area that I could “hear” almost as soon as I started a section, I stopped, ripped it out and restarted. I missed an area and went back and quilted in a closed “puzzle piece”. There were also a few “puffy” areas where I left too much of a space between the quilted “lines”. That “school of hard knocks” is quite a task master!

It surprised me how difficult it is to maneuver the fabric and not let it move where it wants to go due to the small surface and the quilt’s weight. Ugly rubber coated work gloves I had never used have proven to be an invaluable help. Who needs special quilting gloves? –Not me!

On the positive side, I’m proud of my stitch length so far – if anything the majority of my stitches are probably too close together. There are a few quarter-inch gaps that have snuck in – but very few.
This quilt still needs several sessions to complete – I find I need to work in short spurts with breaks in between. I’ll keep plugging along – I have another “Quilt for Kids” top pieced and waiting. ~~K

Getting Closer

Free Motion Quilting Part 2 of ?

Having completed 20 paper “quilts” I wanted to try my hand with real quilting on a sandwich. This photo is my first attempt (back side):

I think I’m ready to tackle a “Quilt for Kids” with free motion machine quilting. According to an email I received, my kit should arrive Tuesday. In the mean time I’ve used some scraps and “Goodwill” fabrics to create an “Arthur” quilt top for the charity.

About 3 hours are invested in this so far (including cutting the fabric). I don’t have a backing yet – hopefully I’ll get lucky at a thrift store sometime over the next several weeks.

Back to practice! ~~K

Free Motion Machine Quilting – Part 1 of ?

First Practice –about 30 minutes before school (reading instructions, setting up machine, etc)

I was eager to start so I took an 8.5 x 11” piece of paper and “quilted” it without thread – just to see if I could get a feel for pressing consistently with my foot on the speed pedal and moving the “fabric” so I had acceptable stitch length. I only did one sheet of paper – see photo. Obviously I have a lot to work on – my goal is to keep stitches short (no longer than if I was hand quilting).

I then took a small “sandwich” that I had never completed hand quilting, and again without thread, I attempted free motion quilting on it to get a feel for moving the fabric. I couldn’t see my “stitches” but I think I should do this some more to be able to control the fabric – I think I need to get better at keeping the fabric “square” as in don’t rotate it (I wouldn’t be able to rotate a large piece of quilt) – just move it around – practicing more on paper will probably help me there.

To save money I’ll do some more practice quilting on both paper and “sandwiches” without thread. I know the paper sewing will dull the needle and perhaps get more “dust” in the bobbin area, but I planned on buying new needles anyway and a good cleaning of the machine should take place frequently. FYI I’m using my Jeans Machine by White that has served my sewing/upholstery needs well over the last few decades – when looking in my instruction manual I saw I purchased this new in 1991 – my previous two sewing machines were used Singers.

I think with some daily practice (10 minutes?) for a week I can get a handle on the technique, but I’m going to need more guidance on how to move for an acceptable “pattern” (I’m used to hand quilting over pre-drawn guide lines). I think I’ll next try some freehand drawing on paper – maybe waves.

A nearby quilt shop is offering a 2-hour evening machine quilting class May 6. It mentions using a walking (or even feed) foot – I used a darning foot for my practice. I need to contact them for more information to see if I have what I need to be accepted into the class and if it's “free motion” or straight lines. A quilt shop I visited in Michigan last week also offers a class, but I’m not sure I want to drive over 2 hours each way for a 5-hour class that might not meet my needs.

Back to practice – hopefully part 2 will show some improvement! Any tips would be appreciated. ~~K

Puzzling

After several days of “puzzling” we have a border (minus a few pieces we haven’t located, even though those straight edges should be obvious)!

A few other sections of the scattered matches design have also been pieced together.

I’m so glad we have such nice puzzle boards that can be quickly stowed away in their own carrying case. Hopefully these puzzling activites will help to ward off “senior moments” as well as be a diversion from our “overuse” of computers. ~~K