Stitch Stitch Stitch!

So, here we are again, back to the hopes of Spring! The last couple of days have surprised us all, and I've even had the windows open! It rained a bit last night, and I see sprouts of green in the grass, even! So it won't be long, I think.

I've passed off my Round Robin starter block, and now I have my round sitting patiently on the design wall for ideas. This will be the last time I am able to post anything about the Round Robins, though, as we are keeping them secret until the final reveal. Our group has decided that "anything goes". My Round Robin is going to be a traditional center block that they add borders to....or not. I told them they could add 2 sides or 3 sides, or whatever they felt it needed. The one I have now (Nancy's) is based on the grid method. Each of us will complete the equivalent of 10 (6") blocks. They may be separate, or they could be any combination of 6" blocks such as a 12" block which would be equal to 4. I have an idea simmering, but I am going to wait another couple of days before beginning.

What's in My Garden?

This past Saturday was the first 2011 birthday stitch day with the Amazing Quilt Babes. We give each other a day of stitching for a birthday gift, with the Birthday girl preparing the blocks to be sewn, and serving birthday dessert. We divide up the year with those special stitch days, and even though it might not be your birthday or even your month, we celebrate the day as if it was. It was my day to celebrate, and celebrate we did.  

It helps to have a rosy outlook on life!
Vicky, Ibby, Sharon, Shirlee and Carol

We worked on Star Whimsey, and I think I am going to love . love . love . this quilt when it's completed! I pilfered used Ibby's leftovers from last fall for some of the blocks. She works in Colonial colors which are difficult for me to choose on my own, so shopping in her scraps made this quite perfect!

Star Whimsey

One of the things I love about working with a group of quilters is that I always learn something. This Saturday I learned an easy way to mark half square triangles. I've used Thangles, and I've used Fons and Porter's methods and just about every other technique there is. The most perfect HSTs for me are when I mark the diagonal, then sew about a thread's width away from the line, then press it back and trim off the background and the extra triangle. If I make larger HSTs, I save those trimmings and make smaller HSTs to store away for a rainy another day. Amazing Quilt Babe Carol, helped mark the squares for this project, and here's what she did:

An emery board has multiple uses!

She pulled out an emery board and marked those squares lickety split! I have a sandpaper board, but it's always lost in another place where I can't find it readily. With this method, the square stays put, you have a straight edge, and it's small enough to store in your machine tray along with your seam ripper. Too cool! Thanks Carol for sharing this little tip!

Life is getting back to normal, or what will be the new normal here at Quiltgranny's Shoe. And life is good. All I need is a quilt, a cat and a dog to make me smile!

Mayo and Clyde sharing a warm spot on "Stars over Cambria"

Newsy applique

Today is the big day for football lovers. Me? Not so much, but it's nice to spend it with hubby: he watches the game and I sew and watch the commercials. Our chili was made yesterday and is heating up nicely for dinner later tonight. This afternoon, we'll take in a bit of culture by attending a Mozart and Smetna symphony as a belated birthday present for Hubby.

Our 13" snow waves

Thanks to all of you who sent emails wishing us well while we were at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. We were able to get everything taken care of nicely, and Hubby is doing ever so much better now. We have a short term and a long term plan in place to keep him going, and he is already feeling tons better. We went up a day earlier than necessary to miss a storm that moved in, and then we came home the Friday before the big storm hit Monday night and Tuesday. Even with the bad weather, Hubby's meds arrived via UPS air, and we were grateful for that. We'll get a shipment each week, as this new plan is being administered out of Mendota Heights, MN. What a wonder the age of technology is!

Mayo the Wonder Dog testing how deep it might be!

While we were on the road, I found two products that I have absolutely fallen in love with. When I travel, I like to pack light and then do laundry if I need to. The only problem with that is taking laundry soap can be a real problem. I generally use liquid soap at home, so that's out of the question. This is what I found at the store in Rochester, and not only is it convenient to travel with, but it's also a great product.  

Purex 3-in-1

The second product I just happened to find when I was looking for a small bottle of dish soap to use in the hotel suite. These are soap impregnated sheets that suds up when you wet them. We were there one week, and I only used one. I kept it in a plastic baggie between uses. Now, of course, all I washed was my popcorn bowl, a knife and fork, my drinking glass and Mayo's food bowl. But, I think I would like to have these on hand for all my travels!

If you stayed with me this long, NOW we can talk about my applique. In my last post, I showed you the different ways I like to do applique. Since then, I've had a few emails asking me what kind of thread do I like to use. Now, this subject can be as touchy as whether to pre-wash your fabric or not (I don't). Let me first say that I have no affiliation to any product or brand of anything I talk about on my blog. If I ever do, I will be sure to tell you about it. Wouldn't it be nice if some thread company wanted to give me free thread so I could talk about it? LOL! So back to business. I say use what works for you, just as you should use whatever applique technique works for you, and this is only my opinion.

My version of a folk art design (18/5" square) with Karen Kay Buckley circles, freezer paper birds and back basted pot.

My favorite thread for hand applique is DMC machine embroidery thread. It comes in luscious colors, and I can always find one that is just right for my work. I actually like the special DMC packs that I can only find one time a year, which happens to be now. Otherwise, I use the smaller, shorter spools. The flash makes it look shiny, but it really has a matte finish.

Two version of DMC machine embroidery thread

So you might be asking, "Why don't you use silk thread?" About 10 years ago, I happened onto the silk thread for applique thread (no pun intended) on-line and promptly bought some and started using it. I didn't like how slippery it was, but I have to tell you that I DID love how it melted into the fabric. AND, everyone seemed to be saying that it WAS the applique thread to use! About a year later, I took several classes with Nancy Pearson and she showed us how silk thread stretches, and then breaks. She said she would never use it for that reason. Made sense to me, so I gave away my silk thread and started using Mettler cotton thread. That was nice, but I happened across the DMC and have been a fan ever since. In a pinch, though, I will use Coats and Clark and Auriful.


And of course, the most important thing to help you applique is a 17 lb. cat named Clyde.  All you have to do is sit down, and there he will be, giving you hugs while Mayo the Wonder Dog supervises!

Do you know the way to Applique?

Well, the snow is flying like crazy around here.  6.5" the other night and another 2"-6" expected on Sunday.  Too much snow for my liking for sure, and the temps are quite cold too.  Brrrr!  Here's Mayo the Wonder Dog checking out the snow at night.  It's a good thing I've got her on a string to reel her back in when I get too cold!

Can you see the happy faces above her head  (not photo shopped!)

I find myself doing applique the way the project calls for it.  There is no one right way.  You should do it the way that works for you!  And I use all different ways:

For circles, I love Karen Kay Buckley's mylar templates that can be used again and again - and they are just perfect, perfect, perfect circles!  You baste your fabric over them, pull it up like a yo-yo, then press them to put a crease in.  Here's where Mary Ellen's Best Press comes into play for me.  It doesn't leave a residue like starch, but makes a nice stiff crease!  (Not a paid commercial for either product!)

Circles, circles, circles

Sometimes, the applique just calls for a freezer paper template like these leaves I am making for my guild Round Robin.  I press the freezer paper to the wrong side of the fabric, then baste them together.  Most of the time, I don't take them out, but just stitch the applique piece down, and at the last inch or so, I take the freezer paper out.  There's one out already, because I didn't want to make another one.  So it got Mary Ellened and taken out to re-use again!  This is also a good car passenger project to do.

Freezer paper templates

Here is Clyde making sure that I don't forget about the amazing Babes quilt project. He's on the focus fabric which is a Christmas fabric from the Moda line.

Clyde and my selection of background fabrics

Because the central block has big sweeping pieces, I like to back-baste these, so they don't wrinkle and move around a lot. It also make the project much more portable and easy to work on because there are no pins. You mark your fabric on the back, place the applique fabric on the front (right side out), then baste on the line. I trim the extra fabric off, but not to the 1/4" line. When I am ready to applique, I then trim it to the right seam allowance, and needle turn under. I think that the basting stitches that have pierced the applique fabric make it a bit easier to turn - maybe it gives it a little memory?

Back basting

Then, here is the last project that has come out the box.  It's my "birthday quilt" that the Amazing Quilt Babes will be working on for me in February.  That's our gift to each other, sewing time - and my birthday isn't until April, but it will be my official Babe birthday!  LOL!  Oh, I see what's wrong with this picture - it's not applique!  Ha!  A girl has to do some sewing machine time too!

Last applique project

And you know your puppy is growing up when she can't fit in her favorite chair the way she used to! I LOVE THIS DOG!

Mayo the Wonder Dog

Don't worry if you don't hear from me this next week or so on the blog. Hubby is going back to Mayo Clinic (yes in all this snow and cold weather), but all will be well. We're going to get some stuff straightened out for him that will require a stay in the hospital. Mayo will get to go to Leads and Leashes in Byron MN and play the day away, and I'll be coach and "private nurse" while he's in the hospital. During the day, I'll applique then back to the apartment at night to sew on that "not" applique project.

Until later, and show me the way you applique! Or better yet, leave a message directing me to your page of projects. It's great eye candy when I'm away from home!

On my way back to Slow Cloth

The health issues that were plaguing our family continued to be problems through the end of the year. Today we are at Mayo Clinic in Rochester MN to see what can be done to get Hubby around the corner and through the woods, so to speak. It's been a rough start to a new year, but there's always hope for the next day, isn't there?

In the meantime, as I was spinning my wheels, getting this house ready for the market I dugout located this antique leaves and vines quilt top from the thirties in a "safe" place in my closet. A friend of mine located this in Shipshewana, IN a few years ago, and I absolutely fell in love. This is something I've always wanted to do, but since I don't do hand applique so much anymore, this will be the surrogate!  

It's king size, which is unusual for that time period.

I want this year to be the year of "slow cloth" as defined by Elaine Lipson. I plan on getting this tiop basted, then start the hand quilting journey with it through this year. Will you join me in slowing down and enjoying the journey? I've put Elaine's list of 10 qualities of Slow Cloth below my signature, but it can apply to just about anything you might "do", and I think it will enrich my daily life!

10 QUALITIES OF SLOW CLOTH,BY ELAINE LIPSON

• She defined Slow Cloth several years ago on her blog. Read the original post which is beautifully written. (Copyright Elaine Lipson 2007-2010; all rights reserved).
• Joy
  Slow Cloth has the possibility of joy in the process. In other words, the journey matters as much as the destination.
• Contemplation
  Slow Cloth offers the quality of meditation or contemplation in the process.
• Skill
  Slow Cloth involves skill and has the possibility of mastery.
• Diversity
  Slow Cloth acknowledges the rich diversity and multicultural history of textile art.
• Teaching
  Slow Cloth honors its teachers and lineage even in its most contemporary expressions.
• Materials
  Slow Cloth is thoughtful in its use of materials and respects their source.
• Quality
  Slow Cloth artists, designers, crafters and artisans want to make things that last and are well-made.
• Beauty
  It's in the eye of the beholder, yes, but it's in our nature to reach for beauty and create it where we can.
• Community
  Slow Cloth supports community by sharing knowledge and respecting relationships.
• Expression
  Slow Cloth is expressive of individuals and/or cultures. The human creative force is reflected and evident in the work.

I'm back!

(And I just can't figure out why my returns are giving me double spacing - so please bear with me while I investigate what to do. Anyone with a quick answer?)

I'm back now, so full steam ahead!  

We had some problems with Hubby's hydration issues which took us to the local hospital a couple of different times and then up to Mayo, Rochester, Minnesota for a week. For those of you who don't know, he survived a major blood clot in his small intestine almost 13 years ago (causing surgeries that left him with about 40" of small intestine), which then caused a cascade of other problems over the years. 6 years ago, he got a new liver, and 5 years ago, his brother gave him a wonderful gift of one of his kidneys. All is well now, or so we hope, and we go forward, as always looking for the sunshine after the rain.

I've been busy, but I can't tell you exactly what has taken up our days. We still have the house on the market and we're dreaming of the new one in a maintenance provided community. It seems our conversations are always wandering back to the new house...what if we moved this wall, what if we change the shelving, which way should my studio face. All good things to iron out before the building begins, right?  

I also finished the client wall hanging that was commissioned a little under a year ago. I thought I would finish it in June, but I just wasn't happy with some of the process, so I kept moving things around, cutting holes and adding just the right stuff until it looked like I had envisioned at the start. The client received it Monday night, and she was sooooo pleased, as was her hubby. I am always on pins and needles before they get their work, and this one was no exception. They have it on their wall, and it looks perfect, I must say. 

The process went something like this:

Selecting the fabrics - all the client said was that she wanted red...

I started the red skies/leaves and the tree trunks

I got extra help joining all the one inch squares

And even more help deciding some of the colors

Collection of scraps (orts) for the leaves

Making the ortwork with Sulky Solvable

Adding the ortwork leaves to the forest

It still needed something, so I decided to define the seasons starting with Spring

Then summer

Fall foliage

And winter delights

Seed stitch embroidery for all the seasons in appropriate perle cotton colors

Beading, beading, beading

My initials are signed in embroidery too

I love the handwork part of it all

And of course, Clyde has to add the finishing touches of cat hair!

And voila!  Forest Seasons is complete!

I hope you enjoyed the process as much as I did.  Merry Christmas to everyone, and to all a good night!

Looking for my Mojo

Have you seen my mojo? Quilting, cleaning, blogging...any of that kind of mojo? If you do, please let me know where it is, and I'll reward you handsomely! LOL!

I promise I'll be back soon and do a nice blog post for all my dear friends. I've been so swamped with some family issues and the holdidays that I have neglected this area - A LOT!

So be patient with me, and I'll get to it soon. In the meantime, calling all mojo searchers - be on the alert for Quiltgranny's mojo!

It's Over

So, it's over. This year's Guild quilt show, that is! Now, what am I supposed to do with my time? LOL!


The quilt show is over, and it was a GOOD one. I don't have much time to fill out this post, so I will let the pictures speak for themselves. Enjoy!

Slideshow personalized with Smilebox

Busy October

I've been pretty darned busy these last few weeks getting ready for the Lee's Summit Missouri Quilter's Guild quilt show that's coming up November 5 and 6th. I'd sure like to have you come see the show (and me of course!). You can find out more details on the guild's blog. It will be at the Woods Chapel Methodist Church at 4725 Lakewood Way, Lee's Summit MO, 9am to 5 pm each day.

I'm the chair for the Boutique, and I think I now have just about everything priced, packed and ready to load on November 4 in order to get set up. We've had a nice showing from national vendors who have generously supplied door prizes. Of course, I had to have help from Clyde who decided to closely inspect everything as I was pricing it. Then he got tired and had to take a little nap!

Clyd'es Boutique

I've also been to a couple of nice quilt shows in the area. I've taken pictures, but since there has been so much discussion about whether they should or should not be posted on the Internet, I won't post them here for now. I think from now, I will share a piece of it. For now, I will share two of my friend Shirlee's quilt - she's also an Amazing Quilt Babe. These were just two of them that she shared at her quilt guild's show. Aren't they amazing?

I never tire of seeing Hubby with the wonder dog Mayo cuddling, taking naps together.  The weather has turned colder here, and the old rag quilt is getting double duty.  I really should make another since I've repaired this one about three times.  It's one of their favorites!

With the change in the seasons, our sunsets have been spectacular.  The wind has certainly been high, so most of the beautiful leaves have blown away, but we can still get that gorgeous fall color just before dark.

About 15 minutes before sunnet

About 2 minutes before the sun is completely down

I hope your autumn brings beautiful things to you, too!