Once again I ask you "What was she thinking?"

So it appears that there was interest in my quilt making journey and how I got to where I am today.  I am not in the least embarrassed to show you my older quilts. I'm proud of the fact that I was fearless and solved problems on my own. I made quilts that had I know how difficult they were, I would not have even attempted to make them! But ignorance is bliss and when faced with a problem I just used the skills and knowledge I had to figure out a solution. Actually sometimes I forgot to use that knowledge as is the case with today's quilt!

For me English paper piecing (EPP) was (and still is) the go to technique for creating complex designs without the need for precision cutting of fabric or marking of sewing lines on the patches. It is how I made the Wagon Wheels quilt I showed you the other day, I'm working away on requilting it and am enjoying the hand work. Polyester batting needles so nicely!

I also use this technique to make my Pound of Stars quilt.

More recently I used it to make Gardens of a King quilt top which is a pattern I tested for Missie of Traditional Primitives. You see, English paper piecing is not just for hexagons!

Honestly, if you want to do precision piecing of virtually any block, English paper piecing is the way to go. The quilt I am going to show you today was made around the same time as Pound of Stars and Wagon Wheels. What makes this one different is that it involved much more complex curved piecing and what I learned in making it was "use what you know". In this case I didn't use what I knew. I was accustomed to sewing clothes and I new about clipping curves (like when you are setting in the sleeves on a shirt) but it never occurred to me to clip the curves when I made this quilt. What quilt pattern is it? Well it was the pickle dish pattern and here is my version of the pattern.

Cranberry Glass Pickle Dish by Karen H

It isn't a large quilt but it has been used extensively over the years and it shows absolutely no signs of wear. For the most part it was stitched with the cheapest polyester thread I could find and I think that the two beige fabrics used where the rings connect might be polycotton! Here you can see both the polyester stitching and the beige fabrics.

One of the things I ask myself is what was I thinking when I used black - it was a nightmare to hand quilt on black. Because I didn't clip ANY of the curves  there were areas that just would not lay flat. So what did I do? Quilt the heck out of them of course! I wasn't entirely successful (actually I wasn't successful at all) but nonetheless I forged ahead and in the end the quilt did what it was supposed to do and that was get used! The second red triangle in from the right on the top curve is a leftover from the red border sashing in my Wagon Wheels quilt. The second red triangle in from the left on the top curve is a piece of the fabric I used on the backing of this quilt. I remember where and when I bought it. It was an older cotton fabric and only 36" wide. It was 100% cotton and I bought it because it was inexpensive!

I still hadn't figured out how to bind a quilt so I just trimmed the backing and batting (polyester of course) down and then turned under the edge of the quilt top (1/4" please) and the quilt backing and I whip stitched the two together. 

If I were to remake this quilt today would I make it the same way? The answer is yes and no. I would probably use EPP to make parts of the top and I would probably still use polyester thread (the quality today is excellent and it is inexpensive) but I would clip curves and make better choices in fabric colours (no more black thank you very much). 

Still, I like this quilt, warts and all. I learned a lot making it and it is yet another quilt that has been loved and used. Really, isn't that why we make quilts?

I don't plan on entering any of my quilts in a juried show because it just isn't my thing. I critique my own work and give myself a pat on the back when it is deserved. For me the most important elements of quilt making are taking pleasure in the process of making the quilt and knowing that the finished quilt gave someone warmth and comfort. My Cranberry Glass Pickle Dish ticks both boxes! 

Thank you for all the lovely comments on the last post. There were a few from No-Reply Bloggers so while I was unable to send you a person note (there is no email attached to your profile) I did read every comment.

Until I post again, happy sewing!

Karen H

The First Quilt Top on the Juki TL2010Q

I've put together the first quilt top on my Juki and the love affair continues. One of the drawbacks on my Janome 7700 is that the presser foot lever is large and low so when I feed a lot of fabric under the machine I find that the lever catches the fabric. This doesn't happen on the Juki! The sewing area is wide open, front and back, so I have an excellent view of my quilt in front of the needle and behind! So far I am more than happy with my Juki TL2010Q.

I also mentioned in a previous post that the 1/4" foot is narrower than the Janome foot so it doesn't catch my pins.

Angie noticed that I pin parallel to the edge rather than perpendicular and she ask me why I pin in this way. I thought that everyone pins this way!

When I first learned to sew I learned to construct garments and that's how I was taught to pin. I simply transferred those skills to quilting. I can sew a seam without removing pins until I've sewn the entire seam. Pinning this way prevents fabric shifting and I don't have to worry about sewing over pins. In this picture you can see how I pin at the end of the seam. I pin parallel to the seam but at the very end I place one pin perpendicular to the seam because it prevents fabric shifting.

My Mom has been making these Lazy Punk blocks like crazy. I've already quilted one quilt for her and she has made enough blocks for two more quilt tops! This is her second Lazy Punk quilt top that I pieced for her on the Juki. The light is shining though the quilt top so it looks like stained glass! Next time I show it to you it will be sandwiched and ready for some Juki love in the form of quilting!

This is the fabric used in the side setting triangles and that will also be used for the backing.

Mom found it at our local fabric store for $3/m! What a bargain!  It gives the quilt a very fresh, summery look. I think it will be very pretty when quilted!

The inspiration for my Lazy Punk quilt was Jen Kingwell's Steam Punk quilt. The block is based on a pattern that was published in the Kansas City Star (KCS) in 1938. The name of the original block is Air Ship Propeller. There is also another version of this quilt shown in the book Cotton Candy Quilts and it it the block is also named Wagon Wheel. Whether it is Air Ship Propeller, Wagon Wheel or Steam Punk, all are pieced blocks but I decided that it would be much easier to applique the propeller blades and hub cap. I figured out a fast, easy way to make the blades with no thread basting required!

A little bit of glue stick is all it takes to make the blades. I then glued them to the background so that they could be hand or machine appliqued . Because it is so fast, easy and a lazy way to make the blocks I called my quilt Lazy Punk! You can find all of the links about how I made my Lazy Punk quilt under the tab Tips and Tutorials. This is the quilt top I made.

I am eager to try quilting my Mom's quilt on my Juki but I'm not sure what I will do. I'm thinking about a simple allover meander. I've never done that before but one of the quilt shops in the Merchant's Mall at Quilt Canada had this quilt on display.

The shop is called Stitch and the owners describe it as "a sanctuary for knitters, quilters and needle artists".  The shop had a gorgeous display of all sorts of treasures big and small including a Steam Punk quilt shown above. It was quilted with an allover meander design and it looked like a well washed, well loved quilt! Maybe I'll quilt some feathers in the side setting triangles as I did with Mom's last Lazy Punk quilt and then just meander quilt the rest of it! I'll make the decision when I put the quilt under the needle! Before I do that I'll sew together the rest of Mom's blocks. She would like the next quilt top to be a straight set rather than on point. That will be a fast, fun and easy bit of piecing!

Until I post again, happy sewing!
Karen H