Tag: Amy Newbold

Gumdrops Quilt: Done and Hung

Turkey Tracks: June 6, 2020

Gumdrops Quilt: Done and Hung

I have enjoyed making this quilt so much.

Tara Faughnan of The Color Collective, Season 2, designed these blocks (there are 6 different ones to use and combine), assembled her own quilted version, and curated the color palette. The block pieces are printed on to cardstock, cut out, covered with fabric, and sewn together with English Paper Piecing. With each project, Tara makes a video to show us up close how to make the project, and I have found the videos to be really helpful.

There will be a Season 3, starting in October. The online class is hosted by Amy Newbold of Sewtopia, and Amy mails each month’s fabrics to class members. Plus, Amy discounts any extra fabrics one needs if members’ projects start to get bigger. (If you go to Tara’s web site, you can join her newsletter and get details on this class when details are available.)

I quilted with matchstick lines, which I have never done before. And I have to say that I think this quilting gave the quilt a lovely texture. I’ll be doing this type of quilting again, for sure.

The backing was in my stash. The print is an older Carolyn Friedlander fabric that I had left over from another quilt. It’s PERFECT for this quilt.

I hung my Gumdrops downstairs in the room where my tv lives. (My quilt room—which is where I do most of my sewing—is off this room and houses my longarm, design wall, and another sewing machine.) This space where Gumdrops is hanging had a bookcase, but remember from recent posts, I cleared out most of my books a week or so ago. I plan to house my Janome, on its Sewezi table, permanently in this little nook. It’s all set up with a walking foot ready to put on binding or to quilt a quilt I want to grid in some way. I also often use this machine for making knit fabrics as well, and I have two dresses cut out and needing to be sewn together.

I thought a long time before moving a machine to this spot and keeping it there. But most of the time I am here by myself, and I would like to be able to sew at night some times. I can see the tv from this spot, and I actually quilted Gumdrops at night. Usually I hand sew at night, but I was out of handwork at the moment, and there are three quilts in the pile that will need to have binding sewn down.

Everything’s a bit of a mess right now in this spot because I’m quilting another quilt and things are spread out. I can use the back of the couch to help support a quilt as it runs through the sewing machine. I hung the quilt high so it would not get knocked accidentally. (That’s not my kitchen you can see to the left—it’s a laundry sink. My kitchen and living room are upstairs.)

Here’s my view:

So, I’ve now completed four of this season’s 7 quilt projects. Two of the remaining projects will be wall hangings for me, and one will be a lap quilt. The block for the lap quilt was designed by Denyse Schmidt as a guest designer for the seventh month, but was made by Tara with fabric she curated for us.

I have more than these Color Collective projects going on. I’m doing the Sugaridoo QAL in TWO different versions. (Whose idea was that?) And I’ve been catching up with making blocks that will go into an improv quilt one of these days. These blocks are my real Play Time. And, somehow, there is a flying geese project growing on my design wall. Sometimes projects just will NOT leave me alone, and this one is one of those.

But, Tara’s Bedrock quilt is all lined up and ready to be started.

Galactic Quilt Done and Hung

Turkey Tracks: May 22, 2020

Galactic Quilt Done and Hung

I LOVE THIS QUILT.

Tara Faughnan designed this quilt block and chose the color palette for this project in her online class hosted by Sewtopia, The Color Collective, season 2. How we used the colors was up to each maker.

I hand quilted with the Wonderfil GlaMour rayon/metallic 12 weight thread that Tara Faughnan also used on her Galactic quilt. I used 5 different colors—and justified that cost by the fact that I have a smaller block version that I’ll quilt with it as well. And…just because we all need some treats in the middle of a pandemic where we are “staying home.” I also used a Tulip Sashiko needle (found online easily)—the thin, coated version.

I knew from the beginning that I wanted a wall hanging for a wall on a stairwell landing between two floors. Galactic replaced these duck prints—and it’s so nice not to have to think how I can make these pics hang straight anymore:

It’s hard to get a good picture of a quilt hanging in a stairwell, but…

Galactic just draws one right up those stairs.

Thanks, Tara Faughnan, for this one!

Now, on to the next project in this class.

Turkey Tracks: May Monday Morning

May 14, 2020

Look at my beautiful cold frame lettuce. It’s still growing—as it has been so cool here in Maine this spring. But I gathered some lettuce—thinning the clumps to give some plants more room to grow—for my first cold-frame lettuce salad.

To remind, I set up this cold frame in the fall with new compost and seed and cover it for the winter. Left alone, it does its own thing when the longer daylight hours return. I’m still covering it most nights—remember that it SNOWED all day last Saturday, with no accumulation, but…

Here’s my first lettuce, rinsed and headed for the lettuce spinner.

I’m making a lunch salad, of course. And the protein will be one of the cube steaks I keep on hand. These steaks have a lot of flavor, defrost quickly, and cook in a very few minutes—just about two minutes a side, or less, in a hot cast iron frying pan.

Here’s my beautiful salad:

Lettuce from cold frame, sweet red pepper, roasted beets, cucumber, leftover asparagus, carrot, spring onion, red onion, apple, leftover forbidden black rice, cubed steak, olive oil, salt, and dried dill.

The daffodils this year have been glorious. I’ve planted so many now, each year choosing more and different varieties. Some of them are so frilly—they look almost like peonies.

I bring some inside to the kitchen window and so enjoy them there. Here’s the most recent selection.

Tom Jackson’s crew came and cut up the GIANT ash tree that fell over the stone wall property line last fall. It is a monster. I tried through the winter to donate the wood to anyone who would cut it and take it, but had no takers. It is just in a very difficult spot where getting the wood out would be way too hard.

There is a wetland below the stone wall and the tree, which would not allow for any equipment to come in that way.

I really need to get a picture of the daffodils in the little meadow this year. They are so beautiful and continue to naturalize over this area. They brighten the heart and soul, and I look forward to seeing them each year.

I finished hand quilting the big block Galactic wallhanging last night. I’ll trim and put on the binding/hanging sleeve/label today. And yesterday I finished the smaller block version—just two rounds. I love this block and could quite easily go down a rabbit hole with making the big block in a different palate. But I need to move on to the remaining three projects in The Color Collective, season 2, each of which look exciting to make.

And, today, which is THURSDAY already, is going to be much warmer. It is a bright, sunny day with little wind. I’m eager to get out into it.

Turkey Tracks: Wonderfil Glamour Thread

May 2, 2020

How did it get to be May already???

Wonderfil Glamour Thread

I’m handquilting the Galactic wall hanging quilt now with Wonderfil Glamour thread, as shown by Tara Faughnan on Instagram. The Galactic quilt is a project in Tara Faughnan’s season 2 online class hosted by Sewtopia (Amy Newbold) . Glamour is a 12-weight rayon thread with a metallic strand.

These are the thread colors I’m using for this project. The orange one was risky—it’s so hard to tell real colors from an internet picture—but it is working out well I think.

I saw a magazine ad for the Tulip sashiko needles and wondered if they would be a good idea for this heavier weight thread in a quilt. I found them online (Fat quarter shop). And, yes, I think these needles are a good idea. However, I did find I needed a learning curve to handle the needle and the fabric to get smaller stitches. This is the THIN coated needle, and you can see the bigger eye helps NOT to fray the thread.

Here, you can see that my stitches started out bigger and gradually begin to get smaller. I don’t mind as there is a certain funkiness about this quilt anyway. And I do like the way the thread shines in the quilt.

Here, you can see the progression starting to go from big stitches to smaller ones. See the bottom rows in this picture. My first rows were…BIG stitches.

Now, look how pretty. I am just keeping the quilting simple—straight lines on a diagonal.

I hand quilt at night while watching tv. Someone thinks it’s time for him to go outside to drop his britches. Afterwards, he will decide that it is time for us to go to bed—all of which involves teasing wallowing on me.

Turkey Tracks: Social Distancing: Ongoing Sewing Projects

Turkey Tracks:  March 20, 2020

Social Distancing:  Ongoing Sewing Projects

I’m ok.

I hope you all are all ok too.

I am social distancing.  AC and I go every possible day to the woods, to the beach, and to the grocery store as needed.  I am connected to friends and family a good chunk of each day via technology.  Except for worrying about getting the virus in a serious way, about family or friends getting it and not faring well, and about my seriously diminishing stock portfolio, I am peaceful.  I am enjoying all my sewing projects.  It’s good to see ongoing planned projects getting finished.  And working with my hands is, as always, soothing.

I am reminded that life is what it is, that we have to take it as it comes, and we can do that with joy and purpose and some laughter, or we can just let it all overwhelm us.  That’s a spectrum, of course.  I’m sure I hit the highs and lows of it every day, but mostly I’m…ok.

Here are some of my ongoing sewing projects:

The Galactic wall hanging top is finished, layered, pinned, and waiting for obtaining some Wonderfil GlaMour thread—a rayon with a metallic strand—that designer Tara Faughnan used and loved.  Marge Hallowell at Mainely Sewing is going to carry this thread.  I am hoping she can mail me some.  I LOVE this quilt and this pattern.  Tara Faughnan designed it and curated the fabrics in THE COLOR COLLECTIVE online class by Amy Newbold’s Sewtopia.

I am also playing with a two-round smaller version with the extra fabrics I have.  I have no idea where this project is going.  Play without a goal is important too.

Here is Gumdrops—another Tara Faughnan project from The Color Collective.  The blocks are English Paper Pieced, and we learned how to use a cardstock that one’s printer would take to make the six different patterns.  I’m making a wall hanging with this one too—probably about 30 wide by 30-40 long, with three staggered rows.  I will, of course, move blocks around a whole lot more as each combo gets finished.  I hand sew at night while watching tv.

I’ll be layering and pinning the solid scrappy trip/granny quilt from Then Came June (Checkered Garden) today.  I want to diagonal grid quilt it on a domestic, but will pin it on the longarm.  I loved Then Came June’s version and thought it would be a good use for the solid scraps I have.  It’s bright and wild.  And maybe that’s it’s name?

I cleaned and oiled my serger over the holidays—and replaced the knives.  There’s a blog post on that project.  It’s running like a dream.  But I’ve been having so much fun with quilty projects that I have not circled back to making garments.  There is a pile of knits to be used.  I cut out two tops this week.  Here is the Linden Sweatshirt from Grainline.  I made this top a while back and wear it a lot, so will enjoy this one as well.  This top can be hacked to make other interesting tops.  There is a short-sleeved version as well.  I wear it both layered with a high-neck t-shirt and all by itself when the weather is a bit warmer.  This particular jersey knit is so, so, so soft on the skin.

Be well!

Take care of yourselves!

 

 

 

Turkey Tracks: “Stacks,” A Wedding Quilt

Turkey Tracks:  March 8, 2020

“Stacks,” A Wedding Quilt

The wedding is in May.

And this quilt got mailed last Monday and is now in the hands of the bride, who lives in Colorado.

Tara Faughnan of Sewtopia’s The Color Collective online class designed the block and curated the fabrics.  I added more greens as I had them on hand.  The quilt is called “Stacks.”  I think it looks a bit like a modern, graphic version of stacked mountains.  And I love the lines of triangles that form between the rows.  I freehand quilted in a medium grey.  I wanted lots and lots of movement—like winds blowing and moving air currents.

I knew thia fabric was my backing fabric the moment I saw it.

Yummy!

And here it is, in the hands of the bride, where I hope it will hug and cuddle and warm this special couple.

February 15, 2020: Camden Public Library Quilt Show

Turkey Tracks:  February 15, 2020

Camden Public Library Quilt Show

Coastal Quilters (Camden, Maine) president Tori Manzi got a call from the Camden Public Library asking if we could mount a quilt show in February since the “show” for that month had cancelled, leaving the library with no show to hang in their Picker Room.

Tori stepped up, with help from president of the Mt. Battie Modern Quilt Guild (Camden, Maine) Lynn Vermeulen, and many quilters from both groups, many of whom belong to both groups.  Special thanks to Sarahann Smith, who has hung many shows and knows what to do.

I contributed my “Radiating Log Cabin” quilt from Season 1 of The Color Collective, hosted by Amy Newbold of Sewtopia.  Tara Faughnan designed the block and chose the color palette.  The rest was up to each individual quilter.

 

I could not get a picture of the whole room as about 6 people were setting up for an event.

I did try to take pictures of the two traveling quilts that we did in Mt. Battie Modern last year.

Here is Lynn Vermeulen’s:

I did the top/right border, the word “joy,” and the little churn dash blocks over the word joy.  I also sewed the bottom third of top together, connecting remaining blocks to the top 2/3, and that arrangement remained as I came near the end of the “traveling.”

Here is Becca Babb-Brott’s traveling quilt, though I could not get the bottom due to the tables being set up.  Becca’s “saying” was “The more I wonder, the more I love.”  I think that came from THE COLOR PURPLE novel.  Becca did the words—as we all did—so we “travelers” worked in lots of motifs, etc.  I did some stars, the fabrics under the first  “the,” some flying geese (on the left), and near the “I” at the bottom, the girl figure—which copied that motif from a quilt Becca made some years back.

Here is my traveling quilt, which I did not hang in this show, but which I love so much.

 

 

Turkey Tracks: “Rolling Stars” Quilt

Turkey Tracks:  February 11, 2020

“Rolling Stars” Quilt

It’s done!

This quilt basically copies Tara Faughnan’s “Small World” design, which is the first project of Season 2 of The Color Collective, hosted by Amy Newbold’s Sewtopia.

I fell in love with this design the moment I saw it. AND, it’s made with the freezer paper method, which I really like to use.

To remind, each month Tara Faughnan gives us a new design AND a 12-piece Bella color palette from which to make the design.  I added the darker, fern green, as I had some on hand and felt the need of green.  Tara also suggests an additional 12 color Kona choices one could add, and the brighter red/orange was in that secondary set of colors.

I put a hanging sleeve on this quilt, as it really wants to hang.  But I don’t have another logical spot in my house at the moment, having already hung a few of these Color Collective projects.

I quilted on my domestic with a 1-inch straight line pattern.  I did not want to take anything away from the quilt pattern so kept it simple.

The backing is “Confetti” from the Ruby Star Society, and I liked the soft look of it for the backing.

These “stars” really do roll!

Thank you, The Color Collective.

I’m so happy you are planning on doing SEASON 3.

Turkey Tracks: Improv Inspiration

Turkey Tracks:  February 6, 2020

Improv Inspiration

When I’m stressed, I feel soothed when I am doing something with my hands.

Here’s what happened while the Impeachment process raged:

These blocks were inspired by our Mt. Battie Modern Quilt Guild’s challenge “Bee Inspired”—which itself was inspired by the quilters who make up the “Bee Sewcial” improv project.  (You can see their work on Instagram and the blocks for each completed prompt on Mt. Battie MQG projects on Facebook.)

My prompt turn will not come around until next November, but I had a workshop with Amy Friend on foundation piecing curves this fall.  And, I have two books which I love and used to play with making these blocks.  Nicholas Ball’s INSPIRING IMPROV and Sherri Lynn Wood’s IMPROV HANDBOOK FOR MODERN QUILTERS.  I have specified solids with clear colors—though some of the colors above are darker than I specified.

Yesterday I made myself take my sample blocks off the design wall.  But between now and November I can’t guarantee that I won’t return to this kind of play again.  It is kind of interesting that my prompt does come in November…

I have returned to putting binding on two finished quilts, setting up the Galactic and Gumdrops projects for The Color Collective online class I’m taking, and finishing up making blocks out of extra materials left over from other projects.  More on that later.

Here’s what’s on the design wall now:  Then Came June’s Checkered Garden Quilt made from leftover solids as a leader/ender project.

The blocks are 14 inches.  I don’t know.  I think this one needs to be 5 blocks by 6 blocks (70 by 84).  Right now it’s 56 by 56.  Thinking on this…   Hmmm.  4 by 5 would be 56 by 70.  That’s a good lap size too.  Will try that next.

And of course I’m still moving blocks around…

 

 

 

Turkey Tracks: Best EPP Tip of the Year!”

Turkey Tracks:  January 31, 2020

 

Best EPP Tip of the Year

 

I’ve been working on this English Paper Piecing project for about a year.  It’s the “36-Ring Circus” pattern by Jo Anne Louis.

It has been VERY slow going, and I realized I am avoiding it whenever I can.

Why?

The curves are really hard to manage, especially when sewing a block into the rows of six blocks.

 

Tara Faughnan in THE COLOR COLLECTIVE, from Sewtopia, to the rescue!

Tara taught in a recent month’s project to use ARTIST TAPE on the FRONT of the block to hold the seam placement firm.

Artist tape is used to mount watercolor art to mats in order to frame them.  The tape is heavier and stickier than something like the blue tape one can when painting a room.  Though blue tape might also work—but maybe wouldn’t be reuseable???

After one places the tape, one then does a flat back stitch on the back side of the piece—and it works best to just keep that line of stitching very narrow.

Wow!  Now this project is going much faster, with much less stress.

And the tape worked well to insert the block into the row as well.  Two more blocks, and I’ll have two rows of six done.

Here’s an image of what this quilt will be like when done—though I am attempting to use Cotton+Steel/Ruby Star Society fabrics for the centers and solids for the rest.