Category: Quilting in South Carolina

Well! How fun is this quilt?

Super fun.

This mystery was designed by Bill Kerr and Weeks Ringle of the Modern Quilt Studio. No quilt in this mystery is going to look identical to anyone else’s quilt.

We all chose our own palettes while considering our field/background fabric—and there were really helpful videos for all the steps along the way. I’ve quilted for decades, and my current quilts are now numbering in the low 200s. But I learned a whole lot from Bill and Weeks with this quilt.

There were 6 weekly releases of blocks—and each week we had 4 sets of 2 blocks to do, BUT we would chose ONE of the two blocks in each set to make.  In each set of two blocks, one block often would be more complicated than the other.  So there was a nice range of difficulty.  Sometimes there were extra blocks we all did—or maybe we also had to manipulate further an earlier block. We made something like 20-30 blocks each week.

There was, also, a choice of three sizes of quilt to make and three different ways to create one’s final top.  I chose the middle one.  I was tempted by the more difficult one, but kept coming back to the one I did. And I love how it came out.

Those participating had a closed Facebook group where we could talk–and I so enjoyed the support, but also the fun–the sense of humor–that permeated this group. There were lots of posts describing which “cabin” they were currently in, that ranged from enjoying after-quilting eating/drinking pleasures in the “party” cabin to someone presently occupying something like the “thinking too hard” cabin. On and on it went and often sent me into chuckles of amusement.

The pattern for Summer Camp will be for sale on the Modern Quilt Studio web site–and you can also see there the other assembly versions and the quilts others have made.

This quilt is the second mystery quilt Bill and Weeks have designed. You can see the first one (“New Day,” made last winter) on their web site. That pattern is for sale now. And there have been hints that they will do another mystery quilt.

Would I make another mystery quilt with Bill and Weeks?

I’d be tempted. For sure.

The Charleston regional quilt group is The Cobblestone Quilters, and yesterday morning I went to meet them–having joined online a few days before Saturday. The doors open at 9 am, and the meeting is from 9:30 to late morning and is followed by a lunch a member can purchase–or just attend with one’s own lunch. Classes can and do happen in the afternoons.

The CQ quilters meet in a church in Hananan, which is west of Mt. Pleasant and about a 25 minute drive. The WAZE app took me there without incident–though just as I got on the 526 interstate highway, the heavens unleashed a gully-washer downpour of sheets of much-needed rain.

I had made contact with the CQ membership chairperson online, and I met her immediately as I came through the door. And she introduced me to nearby gracious lovely women who, in turn, introduced me to other gracious lovely women. To say I was welcomed is an understatement.

This group of about 75 members is super well organized. The large room was lined with all sorts of tables filled with events and activities for members to participate in or just enjoy–each manned by member volunteers. This group does a lot of community out-reach, from making donation quilts for various charities to supporting another group’s filling and packing Christmas boxes for lonely sailors who arrive in the Charleston harbor over the holidays. Next time I will do a better job of taking illustrative pictures. I was kind of in shell-shock at the amount of goodness I saw displayed I think.

The large room was filled by the time the meeting started. And I started feeling a bit woozy with all the chemical smells that a packed room with lots of people causes me to have. But I made it through to the break before knowing I had to take Benadryl or I had to get some fresh air. The worry here is whether I can drive safely if I don’t make a change. So I made my apologies and, regretfully, left.

Why didn’t I take pictures of the part of Show and Tell I did see? There were amazing and gorgeous quilts of all kinds displayed by these excellent quilters. I have definitely found a great quilt group. For sure.

There are two Cobblestone “splinter groups” that meet here in Mt. Pleasant later in the month: the Patchwork Gals meet monthly in the morning at the Wando Library, about which I recently blogged; and the Indigo Quilters meet in the early evening not far from me. I met women who go to the Patchwork Gals at the CQ meeting. I will attend both of those meetings later this month.

Note: In my Northern Virginia regional quilt group of 20+ years ago, now called Quilters Unlimited, the small groups that met outside of the regional guild meeting were called “bees.” And in Maine, actual local groups formed that were group members of the Pine Tree State guild–like The Coastal Quilters that met in Camden, Maine. Our other group in Camden, Maine, The Mt. Battle Modern Quilt Guild, which I helped start , belonged to the Modern Quilt Guild, which is a different “parent” organization than the Pine Tree Quilters Guild.

So, I came home energized, but sad I had to leave early, and hungry–and to find that my neighborhood did not get more than one drop of rain. So, today I will need to water outside.

I took “Bonanza” off the longarm early evening last night.

And, WOW, she is beautiful.

I called her “Bonanza” because she is made with leftover solid scraps from my fabric stash. The backing was there too–bought two years ago with birthday money from my younger son and his sweet wife. I would also like to say that “Bonanza” was inspired by designer Tara Faughnan’s recent work with half-square triangles. She has a new pattern out featuring them–which you can see on her web site.

I am fascinated with the secondary patterns that emerge with the use of light/dark half-square triangles. And that’s how this quilt got to be 83 inches square.

Here’s the backing:

You can see how the colors support the quilt top:

The pantograph, sewn in light grey thread, is “Bayside.” I wanted a pattern that would just lay down solid coverage that wasn’t too intense. “Bayside” is always a good choice.

Here’s a pic of the texture Bayside provides.

And here’s the quilt from another angle. The light is not great in the room where my longarm lives–especially when it is getting dark outside. But I have great light on my longarm from its light bar. And I can drag in other light if needed, but so far, I have not.

I am going to bind in the same dark “midnight” blue/purple used (Kona Nightfall) in the sashing. I have enough of this fabric in my stash, and I’ll cut and make that binding today–after I trim “Bonanza” on the back of the longarm. I’ll likely go ahead and install the binding as that will stabilize the edges of this quilt.

Meanwhile, the Summer Camp mystery quilt blocks are going up on the design wall. When I get them up I’ll let them sit for a bit so I can move around blocks as I see what needs moving. I’ll prep “Happy’s” backing (the quilt from hell) and put her on the longarm to be basted for hand quilting. And “Red Positivity” awaits her turn on the longarm–so named by a blog reader who noted the plus signs in the middle of each block.

As summer draws to a close, my summer quilty work is also gradually finishing up. It’s been a good summer.

And it is HOT and dry here. We really need rain again. So, my watering duties have increased. But the new Crape Myrtle tree seems to be doing ok. I’m hoping the daily water when needed will help this new tree develop a good root system and will get it through the summer heat.

Lately, these little rain/tree frogs are in my garden–and around other neighbors’ houses. They are so cute, so vividly green. There is a darker brown version too. I haven’t tried to catch one to see if s/he has suckers on the feet, but it sure looks like they do. The downside: they have huge poops that they leave on the sides of our houses when they seek shelter away from the vegetation.

I googled and now believe these little frogs are American Green Tree Frogs, so yes, there are suckers on their feet. If you want to read more, here is a link. Yes, they can also have a darker brown color.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_green_tree_frog

I finished all the blocks for the big red quilt yesterday, with 18 extras which can be used for a smaller lap quilt. I have some extra fabric as well, so I could have 20 blocks down the road. I’ll cut the violet sashings today–Kona Thistle. The blocks are 10-inches finished, and the sashings will finish at 1 1/2 inches, so this quilt will be 90 1/2 finished. I’m still thinking about wide-back backings–the reds seem an overkill and too traditional. Also, one has to think about thread quilting color when choosing a backing, and I don’t want to quilt with red thread. I’m now wondering about something in the gold tones. Or a darker grey. Or, one of the newsprint backings. I’m going to bind with the Kona Thistle so I have to think about that too,

I have not had a working oven since August 1st. Ugh! The control board on my Kitchen aid froze somehow, and I was unable to turn it off. I had to turn it off with its breaker, in the garage, which also turns off the microwave. This oven is a gas/electric oven. The Whirlpool repair man has been here twice now, and we have the oven on, but locked, which allows me to use the top taps. (Yeah, I can make espresso coffee again.) But on the last visit the oven techie discovered that both bottom sides have damage that one wouldn’t notice until the oven is pulled out. The damage impacts the bottom warming drawer which doesn’t slide in and out properly–and maybe is a factor in the control board, which definitely needs replacing. There will be paperwork from Whirlpool soon.

I’ve put in a warranty ticket with the builder for a replacement oven. It’s clear that it was damaged when it was installed.

This past week, to cope, I bought an Air Fryer to join my grill and my Instant Pot. So, there is now a new learning curve–and most of you know I kind of like learning curves. I have been tempted by friends loving their air fryers for several years now.

When not in use, this appliance can fit in this spot in my kitchen, which was vacant except for Alexis, which I never really use. I like clean counters that don’t have a lot of appliances on them, and the storage in this house allows me to store appliances I’m not using every day. But this one is getting used every day.

I cooked this first meal in 25 minutes right after I unpacked it and read all the instructions. The corn was delicious, and the chicken drum sticks were moist and browned. I cooked the asparagus in the microwave in 3 minutes. (I am not a fan of microwaves, but necessity now makes its use needed.) I cooked 4 ears of corn and took the kernels off the other two ears for use in salads.

I can’t wait to try some handcut French fries with duck fat as the fat, rather than the bad veggie oils on the frozen fries in the grocery store.

Prior to the Air Fryer’s arrival, I used my Instant Pot to cook a whole chicken. I added more liquid so I would have some good broth–and with some of the meat, the broth, some frozen veggies, and some cooked veggies in my refrigerator, I made a whole pot of soup.

The soup was nourishing and made for two days of easy meals. The extra meat I used to vary the soup with some fresh salads.

I am making progress on hand-quilting Traverse, which I’m very much enjoying. I got in a lot of sewing time on it this past week while waiting downstairs for the electric and Whirlpool techies to show up. (Upstairs I can’t hear the doorbell.) I sewed and listened to my favorite music one day and an ongoing book another day.

My stitches are getting better with Tara Faughnan’s quilting method, and the back of the quilt is starting to look interesting. I like my strategy of keeping thread colors quiet on the front since I don’t want to take away or hide the patterns or colors in each row. So far I have most of the right colors for the colors in the quilt.

I’m happy. And now, hungry. It is time to organize my dinner and make my supper salad. I’m going to try roasting some cauliflower and carrot in the Ninja Air Fryer.

Sorry to be absent these past days. A niece I have not seen in 10 years visited.

Hello Traverse!

I’ve started hand-quilting her as the last work on the quilt from hell (“Happy”) is done and it is ready to be basted on the longarm to prep it for hand quilting.

I treated myself to an online class with Tara Faughnan about her method of hand quilting–she pretty much hand quilts most of her quilts. And like me, she uses thicker threads and bigger stitches. But, her stitches are so much better than mine–back and front.

I’m starting with the orange stripe in the middle of the quilt. I want the hand quilting to be present for texture, but I do not want to overwhelm the quilt so that I take away its charm. So, I’m sticking to keeping thread color as close as I can to the fabrics that are being quilted.

Already my stitches are so much better. I’m practicing new skills, so my fingers have to relearn what they used to do. And I have a sore finger from feeling for the needle. So, soon, I hope, it will be “hello callus.” That’s a size 6 Embroidery needle made by Tulip. Right now it seems perfect. I have some smaller sizes (which have bigger numbers, LOL), but the Artisan shot cotton in this quilt is heavier than a lot of fabrics, so the bigger needle feels better.

And my back stitches look SO MUCH better now.

I’m using a mixture of threads that are all 12-weight cotton. Over the years I’ve collected a lot of these threads (Sulky, Wonderfil, and others), so I have a great selection of colors. The Wonderfil is thicker than the Sulky.

For these heavier threads, I think Tara Faughnan is right about using Thread Magic as a conditioner. It is heavier and stands up better. For thinner threads, like the 50-wts and smaller, which I would use for binding, I do like the Sew Fine better. It just seems to tangle less with the thinner threads.

Here’s my new thimble–note the raised top. And I mark for the most part with a Hera marker.

I did purchase Tara’s Wonderfil 12-wt, 3-ply, “Spaghetti” thread collection from her shop. These colors are ones she uses a lot, and they are in the quilt.

Here’s a recent picture. I’ve almost completed two rows. I’ll do the yellow row next so I can better practice the running stitch.

So, I’m off and running with this anticipated project!

I finished the half-square triangle quilt made mostly with solid scraps–at least it started that way. But soon I did have to cut some fabric from my stash of bigger pieces as I got picky about balancing colors around the quilt. And don’t laugh, but I did order a few colors I felt I needed when some ran out. The colors in this quilt are way more vibrant than I am able to capture on my phone and in a room where it is tricky to get light where I need it for pictures.

The blocks are 9 inches finished, so it will measure out about 82 inches square. I am thinking of naming it “Inspired by Tara Faughnan,” since that is the truth and since I adore her quilts. She just released a lovely pattern made with solid half-square triangles–but without internal sashing. However, I was drawn to my idea below by a quilt that hangs behind her on some pictures and videos.

I am totally in love with the secondary patterns that form, depending upon how one places these half-square units. Dynamic designs are totally possible–and that’s without getting to color choices beyond just light/dark units. I had such a good time with this one. It tantalizes the eyes.

I will likely put it on the longarm pretty soon as I have a backing for it that I like a lot. I have no idea about a binding. Maybe the dark midnight purple of the internal sashing, a Kona color I love, but whose name escapes me for the moment.

Then, YEAH!!!: here is the FINISHED QUILT TOP FROM HELL. The dark border just makes this quilt–in part I think because it draws out the internal dark shapes that repeat.

Here’s a close-up–the quilt is about 73 inches square when finished. And it has not been pressed since I took out the paper templates (except for the border). I’ll press the border really well and then remove the final paper templates. Then I’ll press it again and likely baste it for hand quilting on the longarm–maybe before “Inspired” gets quilted as basting on a longarm does not take up much time.

I started this quilt in June 2018 and there are, literally, a hundred thousand or more tiny stitches in it. The prepping of all the templates also took many, many hours. Five years, and she isn’t totally finished yet. But, soon… And she needs a happy name–maybe even “Happy”–as in “I’m happy this one is finally over.” I’ll put on a hanging sleeve before I bind her. And she is the last of the handmade quilts for my seven grandchildren. Now there are seven of these handmade quilts.

Big Red (that will NOT be its name) is now on the design wall. It’s hard to get the color red to show well in my pictures. This quilt made from Kaffe Fasset prints bought in a kit many, many years ago. The reds are vibrant and not at all muddy. The lavender (Kona Thistle) will be the 1-inch sashing and the binding. The 8-wide 10-inch blocks will go right to the edge, so using the same-color sashing fabric for binding will pull everything together. Right now it would finish at 87 wide, but I might go at least one more row long so it wouldn’t be square. I’m not planning to use corner stones between the rows, but you never know what will happen. And of course I’ll move blocks around like crazy as I add them.

I’m so excited about putting the Modern Quilt Society’s “Summer Camp” mystery quilt blocks on the design wall–so I’ll likely do that as soon as this red top is all together. That mystery quilt reveal for the public will be September 1st, which will arrive pretty fast, given that I have so many projects happening.

I brought Traverse downstairs yesterday, and I’ll start hand-quilting it as soon as I have the paper templates out of “Happy”–which may happen tonight.

I’m so looking forward to trying out new hand-quilting skills gleaned from Tara Faughnan’s online hand-quilting class. I have a thinner backing (Cotton Couture), a thinner batting (Dream Cotton Request), a new thimble with a ridged top, some new needles, some of those little finger guard circles for the finger under the quilt that has to meet the needle point, some new thread conditioner, some new thread, and a whole lot of excitement.