Autumn Chains is in The Final Issue of QQ

For the past few years, I have been fortunate to write an article called "Does It Work?" for the Quilting Quarterly which is the member magazine for the National Quilting Association.  In addition, two of my quilt patterns have been featured.

Recently, the NQA announced that it is disbanding, so the Fall 2015 issue is the final one to be published.

For the first couple of years, the "Does It Work?" articles featured products that I tested and reported the results of the test.  It was fun and I learned a lot.  The last two years, I have worked with a panel of 6 quilters from across the United States to do the testing, reporting their results to me. Then I compiled the results of the 6 testers into an article combining the comments from the testers.  Some times they agreed and sometimes they did not which made it very interesting. It was fun to work with these 6 quilters and get to know them through our correspondence as I had only met one of them in person.

Barbara Polston, a talented quilter in her own right has been the editor of the QQ for several years and was a delight to work with. Click on her name to go to her web site and see the exciting things she is doing.

The final issue of the magazine contains the last "Does It Work?" article. Our testers reported on basting glues.

This final issue also features my pattern Autumn Chains.  This quilt is a scrap quilt as most of mine are and is based on Single Irish Chain, a traditional block.  This past weekend, Autumn Chains started living on my bed for the next couple of months for that Fall feeling in the room.

You may remember that I began this quilt at one of the mini retreats at my friend's cottage in the woods a while back. You can see some of the progress here.  You may notice a glimpse of the quilting here.  The back is pieced and I shared that with you here.

The blocks are on point, so the setting triangles to complete each row are made up of half blocks giving the illusion of a border before the final border.  It is a huge quilt -- 100" x 100" and was quilted on my Bernina.  Huge quilts seem to be my default and are not easy to quilt on a domestic machine!

This photo was taken when the quilt was on the guest room bed.

While I am sad to see the end of the National Quilting Association and the opportunity to write articles for the Quilting Quarterly, it does mean that I can pursue other avenues of quilting and writing.  I do plan to start sharing with you some "Does It Work?" articles.  Some may be things I've already tested and I'm thinking of some other products that I might like to test and report on to you.

It is finally cooler in Arizona this week, meaning it's under 100 degrees, so let the Autumn begin even if it's later than the rest of the country!

Until Next Time

xoxoXOXOxoxo

Lois

Quilt Backs Can Be Beautiful Too!

There have been no idle hands in my house.  It seems there is always something waiting to be done.  In between painting about 150 clothespins for "birdie" legs and cutting out 220  birdies and 220 birdie wings. (Yes, I'll show you the final project one of these days.) I've been busy machine quilting.

I can only show you the back for now, but after it is published, I'll show you the front, too.

 

You have seen this back before it was quilted.  The bobbin thread is just a neutral ecru color since there were so many different pieces and colors of fabric in the back.  They do not match up with the blocks on the front so neutral was the way to go.  You can see the quilting better on the darker fabrics.

 

 

But I do like the relief you can see on the light sections, as well.

 

What I do not like is the border.  It is the rolling part you see on the lower edge of the above photo.  I think it is going to come out.  I know!  Hours of quilting, but before I put the stippling that was planned in, I need to be happy with what will be highlighted when the stippling recedes and the curves "pop".

 

What would you do?  Leave something you don't like or spend more hours picking it out?

 

 

You may see part of the problem with the border looking at this closer up photo of the dark blocks.  The border quilting is too small a scale now that the center is done.  I'm also not happy with the quality of the quilting in the border.  The border was quilted first because I thought it was what I wanted and I was still undecided on the interior.

 

Once the interior was finished, I decided the border just didn't cut it at all.

 

Can you see why now that you are looking at it again?  Yep, just not the right scale.  Sigh!  Where is that seam ripper?  I'd better get started.  Have I ever mentioned how much I dislike "unstitching" something?  It's my least favorite, but it's necessary sometimes.

Hope you are all beginning to experience some Fall weather.  Unfortunately it's still 104 degrees here today.  Won't be needing to use a quilt for a while yet!  Have an absolutely fabulous day!

 

Until next time!

 

xoxoXOXOxoxo

 

Lois

 

 

 

Autumn Chains Quilt Blocks

One question quilters get asked a lot is, "How long did it take you to make that quilt?"  It always makes me laugh a bit because I think about the actual working time versus the time span it took to complete a quilt.  Actual working time is far less than the time span.  If you are a quilter, you understand this.  A design can be in the works for months before it is even drawn.  The fabrics can be cut and waiting for quite some time before a stitch is taken.  It all depends on how much time you have to work on these projects as well as how many projects you have in the works!

Autumn chains was begun at the mini quilt retreat my friends and I had in August.  I told you about that here.  The light blocks were done a bit later and I showed you those blocks on the design wall in this post..  Finally last week, I finished the dark blocks and added them to the design wall.  Now it looks like this.

 

It would be nice if this quilt would be completed by next Autumn instead of joining the quilt tops ready to be quilted and sitting around for ummm, sometimes years!

 

 

Some of the blocks mights be switched as I notice fabrics that are too close to other blocks with the same fabric in them.

 

 

Do you see the dark chains and the light chains going through the quilt? I've been wanting to make one of these forever!  It is really a simple single Irish chain variation which is a traditional pattern.

 

 

Now the next decision is what to do with the setting triangles around the edge.  I haven't decided if I want to do a single fabric which would be the fastest or do string triangles like I did for the Saw Tooth Star quilt that I showed you in this post.  What do you think?  Plain or pieced triangles?

 

I do think I want it to be a light fabric as even the white of the design wall doesn't look all that bad, though it is a bit stark.  I don't think I want dark triangles, though since the outside row of blocks are dark.

 

So, how long does it take you to make a quilt?  Do you start a project and not stop until it is complete or do you have multiple projects going and work a little on this one and then a little on that one.  Or, perhaps, you are just a busy person and stitching time is hard to come by so a project drags on and on.  I tend to just get busy with other things as well as stopping to make other projects. Maybe I have project attention deficit and I need to hop from one to the other to be content.  What do you think? Does that sound right?  Though there have been times when I have stitched long into the night working to complete a project if there was a deadline.

 

Hope you are having a fabulous day and that you have at least a little creative time.

 

 

 

xoxoXOXOxoxo

 

Lois

 

 

 

Frenchy Grain Tray

Sometimes we see an image that we just cannot get out of our mind.  Our creativity goes on overdrive.  That was the case with the vintage look gran label that I used for the Vintage Look Grain Pillow..  I even mentioned in that post that I was having problems doing things right the first time and had messed up the paint on the tray.  First let me show you the good before I show you the bad and ugly, okay?

I have shown you this little corner of the kitchen counter before minus the tray.  I had always intended to put the tray there when I finished it, but didn't have it quite done when I showed you some of the fall look here.

When I was working on the tray, I decided to wax it, but the ink started to run a little.  Thinking I had wiped all the wax off, I tried a spray sealant and this was the result!

 

The paint began to bubble up.  Unfortunately, I touched it and the paint came off.  It seemed like a good idea to wait for a bit to see what happened when it all dried.  That was a good thing.  When I came back several hours later, the paint was still bubbled a bit, but was dried.  Since a vintage tray might have some flaws in the paint, I simply used a little paint and a patting motion to touch up the area where the paint had come off.

 

 

 

Even though the antique glaze is not quite the same in that spot, it really ended up looking okay.

 

Besides, since the pitchers are in front of the lower part where the flaw is, most people won't even notice that the paint is a tad bit whiter in that spot.  Not a bad fix for an Oops!

 

 

 

This tray is actually meant to be used on a desk in an office, but it looks quite at home with the Fall look on the counter.  I just love the wheat motif on this label from the Graphics Fairy.  The next time you see this tray, it might have a chocolat label and be used in a Christmas vignette.  The nice thing about painting things is that they can be changed with a bit more paint!

 

 

 

Hope you are ready for Fall.  It's just hours away now!  Hope you are getting some nice crisp days at least once in a while!  We are still plenty warm during the day, but the mornings and evenings are now cooler here in the desert Southwest.

 

 

Happy Fall!

 

xoxoXOXOxoxo

 

Lois

 







Vintage Look Grain Pillow

This will be a busy weekend.  We have a birthday party for our grandson B tonight. Tomorrow our daughter from Tucson will be here with the girls.  We will be going to a wedding shower for our other daughter's oldest, our granddaughter K2 who will be married in October.  What an exciting weekend!  It will be a lot of fun!

Today I was learning humility, though.  I was working on a tray that I planned to show you today, but had a problem with the paint.  Since I had to do some repair work on that with dry time, I came up to work on a pillow that was partially done.  First I thought I had white thread in the bobbin and stitched a hem on the back of the pillow where the overlap will be.  The bobbin had tan in it and it didn't look so great!  After picking that out and sewing again using white on both top and bottom this time, I thought I had it made.  Two mistakes was my quota for the morning, right?  Wrong!  I accidentally stitched one of the overlap pieces upside down with the wrong side of the hem showing.  "Though it wasn't hard to fix, it took time to take the stitches out and stitch again.  Hope I'm good now for the rest of the day!

Here's a look at the pillow.

 

The graphic is from one of the wonderful French Graphics shared by The Graphics Fairy.

 

Using Photo Shop I changed the color from the original black and white image.  I wanted to have it be a little more subdued and more of a brown than black.  Then it was printed in reverse onto a transfer sheet as I often do and ironed onto the fabric.

 

 

It gives that harvest look to the room and is almost exactly the same color as the upholstery in this little French chair.

 

 

Of course, the sheaf of wheat will not stay there when someone actually uses the chair!

 

 

Or maybe it will be used on the blue and white sofa.  I like it there, too.  I tried it in the foyer as well, but did not like it there as much as I like the smaller "Give Thanks" pillow.

 

 

The tray will be ready in a day or so.  I've tried some touch up paint, but knowing how I am, I may end up taking the paint off and redoing the bottom of the tray.  Well, I'll tell you about that when it's ready for you to see.  Let's just say that wax and spray sealer may not mix well!

 

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

 

xoxoXOXOxoxo

 

Lois

 



Partying with:

 French Country Cottage Feathered Nest Friday

The Graphics Fairy Brag Monday

Dixie & Dottie

Common Ground Vintage Inspiration

I Gotta Create

A Little More Fall

Little by little it's beginning to look more like Fall at least inside even though outside we are still in the 90's and 100's and there are no changing leaf colors going on.  September always makes me want to have Fall around.  The smell of apples and cinnamon cooking and a few Fall decorations helps the illusion!

This is the Fall look this year for the bookshelves/TV area of the Family room.

 

This is where the clock face that I made here resides.

 

 

Next to it is a little muffin stand.  I may add some leaves here, it looks like it needs something yet.

 

 

Not much has been done in the kitchen yet, but I do like this little vignette.

 

 

I can't get rid of ALL the blue!

 

 

The living room isn't quite finished either.  I'm thinking that since there is no mantel in this house, the piano might make a good substitute.

 

 

Can you believe this pumpkin as a plastic one?  A little gloss spray paint and the addition of one of the leaves I bleached makes it look more elegant, I think.

 

 

The apothecary jar filled with white pumpkins and gourds will probably move to the piano. It seems a bit tall for the coffee table.

 

 

Here are a couple of the pedestals I made here filled with a candle and faux acorns.

 

 

There are a couple of other things in the works, but I'm not quite ready to show them yet.  Hope you are having fun getting ready for the Fall season.  We are still a week away from the official start of Fall, but it's good to be prepared.

 

 

xoxoXOXOxoxo

 

Lois

 

 

Partying at:

 

The Farmhouse Porch 

My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia 

French Country Cottage 

My Romantic Home

DIY by Design

I Gotta Create

 Dixie & Dottie