Intricate, Long Piecing Projects

I have a friend who doesn't like to make the same block over and over again, but as quilters, it's hard for us to get away from doing that unless we want to fill our homes with samplers. Still, I think most of us get bored making the same block again and again, don't we? Over time, I've found ways to sort of fool myself and cope with the tedious repetition.

The pieced border I'm making for the applique basket quilt is one of those projects that are designed to induce boredom--29 fiddly little pieces in each block, and I need to make 36 of them. ARGH!

I find that the best way to tackle a project like this--a project that is repetitive and one that will take a long, long time to complete--is to make a manageable number of blocks at a time. That way, I get a little semi-instant gratification every so often.

By making several blocks at a time, I've managed to finish and attach two of the floral borders to the applique quilt. Want to see part of one of them?

I think it's coming along nicely, and I'm certainly glad I didn't first cut all my pieces, and then sew all of the blocks A to blocks B, yada, yada, yada. Of course, I still have 18 blocks left to piece, so I'm only half way there and it took the best part of the weekend to get this far.

When I start a project that I know will be this long, I'll start by cutting what seems like a reasonable number of pieces--I don't really count them except maybe a few of the main pieces; for the smaller pieces, though, I'll cut a strip and then subcut it into squares and get started. (When I get closer to the number of blocks I need, THEN I'll count how many pieces I'm cutting.)

In the photo below, you can see mostly a lot of piles of cut pieces with a few of the individual sections already put together. That's another little thing I'll do--work on subsections once I've gotten bored with cutting fabric.

Here are some of those subsections I've put together--these are the center of the flower:

Next you'll see a photo where the petals have been added to the centers. And when I have a block like these floral chain blocks where there aren't any parts to really line up, I find the blocks go together best if I trim each subsection after sewing them like this--that's why the rotary cutter is in the photos.

Sometimes with a piecing job like this, I think it would be quicker to just do more applique instead, but I think it's looking good so far with the pieced flowers. This week after work, I've been cutting more pieces and making more subsections, and I'm nearly to the point where I can sew enough blocks together and then join them to make the third side of this border.

What do you find works best for you when you take on a long project like this?

Climbing Into Bed Now and Pulling the Covers Over My Head

Gosh, I'm feeling grumpy and anti-social this evening. If you don't want to read my whining words, you'd best click on out of here right now. I'm still bummed about yesterday's cabinet doors incident. And I KNOW they're just a couple doors, and on one level it's not a big deal, but consider how you'd feel if someone felt free to do whatever they wanted with something of yours without asking. For instance, on that same trip to Oregon, same store, Hubby bought a globe from an old street light, and I wouldn't even THINK of taking it for my own use. (Until now, anyway.) I know it's HIS treasure. Sheesh! Enough of that, though. I'm kind of hoping to move past it soon, so there's no point in dwelling.

Besides, I have other issues to complain about. I had to work late again tonight--we're still involved in that trial. I really don't mind staying late and I know it's necessary, but some of the things we've had to work late on lately are just silly--things we've had to revise over and over again because no one seems able to agree. The other attorney doesn't have a secretary, so I'm it. Even the judge faxed me a couple of handwritten documents to type up today. And it's all just been dragging on and on, partly because the attorneys can't agree on anything and partly because the other attorney keeps claiming to be ill--with various different diseases and ailments which seem to change from day to day. Since I'm not in the courtroom, I don't know how much of that kind of thing the jury sees, but I've got to think they're at least pretty bored by now because the case is going so slow and it's just not all that interesting.

What else? My burns. Remember the egg roll incident? A couple of the burns are kind of bad, especially one on my thumb. The last couple of days, the dead skin's been peeling off and the new skin is tender. I feel like a leper. Or a snake. I think I should wear a bag over my hand so I don't gross anyone out. That might also get me out of revising trial documents over and over again since it's hard to type with a bag on your hand. Hey, maybe that's glint of sunshine on the horizon--or the silver lining of a rain cloud!

But what about Easter? Are YOU ready? I got out my Easter and spring quilts last weekend, but that's as far as I've gotten with the decorating. Thank goodness it comes so late this year--I still have a few more weeks. We've been invited to a BYOE party the day before Easter, so I hope I'll be in the mood by then. What's a BYOE party, you ask? Ah, it's a Bring Your Own Eggs party! We'll all dye Easter eggs and eat, drink, and be merry. Or at least everyone ELSE will be merry. If I don't snap out of it, I'll be there doing my best Eeyore impression. I think I'll go to bed now.

"Why, what's the matter?" "Nothing, Pooh Bear, nothing. We can't all, and some of us don't. That's all there is to it." "Can't all what?" said Pooh, rubbing his nose. "Gaiety. Song-and-dance. Here we go round the mulberry bush."

You're Kidding Me, Right?

Some years ago, Hubby and I took a vacation trip up through Oregon. While we were in Portland, one of the places we visited was the somewhat famous Hippo Hardware. Have you heard of it?

Hippo Hardware is kind of like a hardware thrift store. They collect and sell vintage and antique hardware and architectural restoration pieces. For instance, if you have an old home and you need a glass doorknob to match your other doorknobs, Hippo Hardware just might have what you're looking for.

When Hubby and I were at Hippo Hardware, one of the best places I searched was the basement. I was half thinking I'd like to find an old multi-paned window or something like that to bring home, but they were asking more than I wanted to pay. Instead I found several old cabinet doors for around $5 each. Really cool! I had been thinking for awhile about building a cabinet for the kitchen; in my imagination, it would have an open upright spindle-type plate rack and a cabinet above that to store my cookbooks. I figured I could buy two of those antique cabinet doors and work them into the cabinet to make it look like an old piece, so I bought them, packed them carefully into the trunk of my car, and carried them home to Sacramento where we stored them in the garage.

So far, a couple years have gone by and I haven't gotten around to building that cabinet yet. I've talked about it with Soccer Son, who has experience in woodworking and building kitchen cabinets. He also has the tools he'd need, but so far, we've just kicked around a few plans.

Tonight Hubby told me he'd come across those cabinet doors recently and decided to take them to a friend to have them stripped; he wanted to know what kind of stain I wanted. Really? Are you kidding me?

At this point, if I could beat Hubby with patina, I think would, but all the patina I had has been stripped away. I swear I'm never going to let him watch Antiques Roadshow again--it's simply wasted on him. ARGH!

Process This

When I last talked about the progress of the applique basket quilt, I had resized and made a block of the floral border pattern. I hadn't, though, put the block up on the design wall yet to see how I liked it. When I did, this is what I saw:

Too small, right? I thought the block was dwarfed by the rest of the quilt and the appliqued flowers. So I resized the dimensions again, and this is what I came up with next:

Ah, that's better! See how the size of the pieced flower more closely matches the size of the larger appliqued flowers? I thought that size block would provide a better balance to the quilt. And just in case you can't really see the difference by looking at the two blocks individually, here's a photo of them side by side--I think you can really tell the size difference here:

So when I was doing this--remaking the block after the first one didn't turn out as I envisioned--it occurred to me that some of you might be interested in seeing how I make blocks a different size to better meet my needs. Interested?

Here's what the pattern looked like--at least the part I was working with:

When I made the first (smaller) block I decided I'd make piece 3 (see the numbered squares?) finish at 1/2", which meant I needed to make half square triangles that measured 1" (which included the extra fabric for the seam allowance). Piece 4 would measure the same. Then I decided piece 2 would be twice as long as pieces 3 and 4--so it would be 1" x 1-1/2". (Really, in the drawing, it looks like it's not quite that long, but this is what I decided to do on mine. I like to try to keep measurements fairly simple to work with if I can.) And that gave me the measurement for piece 1--1-1/2" square. After that, I fiddled around with how big to cut those little 2a and 1a pieces. And then you can see I've written some measurements on the pattern in pencil for the leaf sections. (Again, my proportions are just a bit different from the drawing, but I think they work.) All of those calculations, in the end, gave me a block that measured 5-1/2" x 2-1/2", which was half the size of the original block in the pattern.

So what happened when I decided that block was too small? I started over again, but this time I decided the half square triangle piece would measure 1-1/4" instead of 1". And just making everything that little bit larger meant I ended up with a block that measured 7" x 3". Perfect, really, for my needs.

Whenever I need to make a block a different size, I start my calculations with one of the smallest pieces or elements and go from there. Most often, I'll use scrap fabric to make up a sample and see how it will look--unless I have plenty of my "good" fabric and I'm reasonably certain my calculations are correct.

After that, it was just a matter of figuring out how long the sides of the quilt were at that point and how many floral blocks I needed. I figured out I needed to make 9 blocks for each side, and that would allow me to trim a bit of that excess cream fabric away before adding the border.

I think I figured each block has 29 pieces of fabric. VERY slow and labor intense! I also thought I'd talk about how I like to tackle that big a project--but it's bedtime now, so I'll have to tell you more later. Thanks for visiting!

Both Sides Now

I'm not sure I ever got back to it in yesterday's post and made the point, but I'm not a Turning Twenty snob anymore. Heck, I've even made one! Granted, it was one I'd finished on behalf of a friend who had passed away, but still, I made one, and I was kind of surprised that it wasn't quite as simple as I'd supposed. But then nothing ever is, is it? I think you just have to try things out to see what they're really like before deciding whether they're for you or not.

There was a time when I was secretly (or maybe not so secretly) snobbish about the quilting part of making a quilt. I tended to think less of those who sent their quilts out to be quilted by someone else. After all, to me that was part of the whole process, and having someone else finish my project--well, that didn't seem right. I also knew, though, that there were quilters out there who believed a quilt wasn't really of much value if the quilting wasn't done by hand. Eventually, after meeting and talking with more quilters and learning along the way, I came to realize that quilting means something different to each of us. Some people send their quilts out to be "finished" because they just don't enjoy that part of the process or, for whatever reason, they aren't able to quilt their own projects themselves. And I've come to realize it really doesn't matter, does it?

Someone commented yesterday something about knowing their own limitations. Part of me wanted to scream, "No! You HAVE no limitations! Push the boundaries! Try more!" But then the other part of me reasoned that perhaps this person quilts for relaxation and enjoyment, and the idea of working outside the box is stressful. What value then is there in pushing the boundaries? And then again, the use of the work "limitations," may not have even been meant as I interpreted it. But in any event, we all do what it is in our nature to do, eventually.

I read something on one blog this week that encouraged us bloggers to talk more about the PROCESS of quilting and less about the results. Interesting. Hard, but interesting. I was lolling around in the bathtub a short while ago, and when I got tired of picking lint out of my navel, I started thinking about how to blog the PROCESS. It's a little like explaining the PROCESS of deciding what to make for dinner. It's an intricate series of considerations of various elements.

What's in the refrigerator? What can I make with what's in the refrigerator? Would I need to stop at the grocery store? Do I have the energy? Then there are the compromises and calculations to be considered. Elements that need to be factored into the equation are hunger, time, and effort. Should I spend an hour making a really stunning gourmet meal, or should I throw some Kraft mac and cheese on the stove top while I change clothes, tidy up around the house, shovel down dinner, and run into the Sweat Shop?

I think talking about the PROCESS of quilting is a really good idea and I'll try to give it a shot. I'll try to remember to talk about why I make certain design or color choices. I'll tell you what problems I run into along the way and what mistakes I make in my decisions or in the actual construction of blocks. Much of the process, though, is about personal choice, and you might get tired of hearing about what I chose and why, but maybe you'll get something from it. Or maybe I'll get bored. Or maybe by tomorrow I'll have forgotten I was going to try to talk occasionally about the quilt making PROCESS anyway. But know this: my attempts to explain MY process don't mean that I think mine is the only way to do things. There's no wrong in quilting--only what each of us feels isn't right for ourselves.

My Quilting Journey

I started quilting about 12 years ago--sometime in 1999, although I can't really recall what time of the year I began. Two of the secretaries I worked with were beginning quilters, and I was interested in what they were doing. They told me what equipment I'd need and where to go to sign up for classes. I bought the class book ahead of time and started messing around a little bit with piecing before I even started the class, and once the lessons began, I loved it.

In particular, I loved applique because it opened up so many more design possibilities, and by my second quilt (the one right after the sampler I did for class), I was designing and hand appliqueing most of it.

Soon--on that applique quilt, in fact--I learned to do the quilting too. Free motion quilting frightened me to death, but I got over it. I even quilted a face into the sun on that quilt.

I entered many of my first several quilts into the local quilt show and then the state fair--and won ribbons.

Looking back at those first couple years, I guess I practically jumped past the beginning and maybe even the intermediate stages we quilters go through. Now that I think about it, I was pretty fearless!

When I'd been quilting for several years, even though I belonged to one of the local Thimbleberries Clubs, I never made the projects just as they were designed--I always added my own twist. For the life of me, I couldn't understand why anyone would want to make a quilt that looked the same as every other quilt made by all the other Thimbleberries Club members.

Then the Turning Twenty pattern came along--and similar patterns followed soon after. And I thought that any quilter who would spend time and money making Turning Twenty quilts must be an idiot. After all, all they were was simple rectangles stuck together with no points to worry about, no half-square triangles--nothing, in fact, that required much skill at all. Why waste the time? Why waste their abilities?

I can't really say exactly when it happened or why, but sometime in the last few years, I became more tolerant. I got over my "Turning Twenty snobbery." In a sense, I even "regressed" in my own quilt making, turning to the small, fairly simple quilts we made in Jo's Little Women Club, continuing to be interested in Thimbleberries patterns, and whole-heartedly jumping on the Schnibbles and charm pack bandwagon.

Why do I now find value in that kind of seemingly simpler quilt making? Several reasons. Working with charm packs is an inexpensive way to try out different fabrics and expand my comfort level--I don't think I'd buy yards of fabric I wasn't completely drawn to if I was making "regular" quilts. Working with smaller quilts like Jo's patterns and Schnibbles has improved my precision in cutting and piecing. Working with different fabrics and, for example, seeing the Schnibbles parades on Sinta's and Sherri's blogs and looking at how different each quilt looks despite being made from the same pattern has taught me something about color value and visual texture. Seeing the small ways some of the quilters tweek the patterns to make the quilts different is interesting too.

Sure, I still make some fairly elaborate quilts, and they tend to be my long-term projects, like the applique basket quilt I'm working on now. And on occasion, I even try my hand at something kind of artsy. Or I make non-quilt sewing or crafty projects. I already HAVE three or four king-size quilts, so I don't really need too many LARGE quilts anyway--sometimes it's just fun to make a small project. Then there's the instant gratification factor too. Or just knowing I have the ability to make something fairly quickly that will change the look of a room. There's quite a lot of joy in that.

In my life, quilting has been an amusing little hobby at times, and at other times, it's served as an outlet for my creativity and artistic urges.

You may wonder why I'm talking about this now, or perhaps you already know. There's been some discussion this week in the Land of Blog about quilting. There have been some personal opinions expressed about what's valuable and what's not, as well as concern about the direction of quilting and our growth as quilters. I've missed some of it, but I know "the dumbing down of quilting" has been bandied about and what that means to different people. And, of course, I can't go without putting my two cents in too. Personally, I don't think anyone's right or wrong from what I've read. I think we're just all at different parts of several different paths all leading in the same general direction. And I can't help wondering what our quilting past would have been if only Baltimore Album quilts were valued--would there have been any quilt makers in Gee's Bend? In my own journey, I find just as much value in the simpler quilt making I've done more recently, because I'm obviously still learning quilting's lessons--and maybe they're ones I skipped ahead on earlier. But I don't think that really matters. What matters is that I'm having fun and enjoying what I'm doing. I hope you are too.

Thanks!

Remember I showed you where I was on this quilt the other day . . .

. . . and I asked for some suggestions? Well I want to thank you for coming up with some great ideas! The idea that was the most unusual to me was Paula the Quilter's link to a Pam Bono design of a floral chain border. I found I was able to buy the pattern for the border as a download, so it was quick, easy, and fairly inexpensive to try out. I'm still not sure that's what I'll do in the end, but I thought I'd start out by making enough pieces for one border side and see how it will look.

Tonight I resized the pattern ("as is," the blocks were 10" long and I thought the proportions were too large for my smaller quilt), cut some pieces, and made the first block. Remember what you see isn't quite what it will look like once it's pieced together--those pointy petals will be more rounded like the side ones are, for instance, because the points will be in the seam allowance.

I thought that if I decided I didn't like it after I've made a side, at least you've given me several other suggestions to fall back on. I don't know yet what might come next if it turns out looking good. I thought I might either add a larger simple border to finish it off--I have a couple floral prints that would work nicely--or I might add some (empty!) pieced baskets--or maybe a combination of both with baskets just in the corners

Our willingness to offer suggestions and help one another is one of the things I like most about blogging. Thanks!

A Spark!

Rather unexpectedly, our trial did not finish today, but court won't reconvene until next week, so my late-night assistance wasn't required tonight--yay! Instead, I was able to enjoy a dinner out with Hubby and friends at the Cheesecake Factory--do you have one in your area? We've only eaten there a couple times and it's awfully noisy inside, but the food is pretty good, and we managed to be seated in a section that was a little quieter--accoustics or something, I suppose. But really, no matter where you go or what you eat, spending time with people you care about is the best, isn't it?

After dinner, I had to stop by the grocery store, where I came across this--

Have you seen it yet? Now that I'm familiar with so many designers in Blogland, I find I pay more attention to who designs quilt projects for magazines than I used to, and I suspect many of you do too. And, of course, there were a few familiar names in this one. But the best thing was that in looking through the magazine, I felt a flicker of excitement that nearly--oh so nearly--spurred me on and into the Sweat Shop. Not quite, though, and I'll tell you why.

First, I looked at the clock and it was just past 9:30 p.m. That seemed a bit late to wander into the Sweat Shop and start something. I knew I'd probably just sit in there and look around and do nothing productive--because that's pretty much what I've done the last couple times I've gone in there. I need more time. Hopefully tomorrow night will be a good time to sew.

But the other reason I didn't head into the Sweat Shop was that I just felt like being lazy and reading this evening. When I mentioned reading yesterday, there were a couple comments asking what I was reading. Well, I'm reading one of the series of Kate Shugak books by Dana Stabenow, Whisper to the Blood. The series takes place in Alaska and the stories are somewhat suspenseful mysteries. The unusual thing about Dana Stabenow is that she's not afraid to kill off characters you wouldn't expect, so the books are anything but predictable.

Last week I read the new Jennifer Chiaverini book, The Union Quilters. My friend Julie-Julia was reading it around the same time, and we talked just a bit about it while we were reading. Both of us found the book a little bit slow. I love all the Elm Creek Quilters books and this one is no exception, but I didn't find myself caring much about these characters for some reason; in fact, I kept getting a little confused about who was who and what their relationships were to the others. The book just didn't seem to grab my attention quite as much as the previous books, but maybe that was just me. Have you read it yet? What did you think?

I like to buy a lot of my books used through Amazon, and I indulged in a little book-buying spree a month or so ago, so I have lots and lots of promising books to read. I'm sure I'll regain my balance, though, between quilting and reading before too long. In the meantime, I think I'll go take a bath and then head to bed with the Kate Shugak book. What have you read lately?

Such a Dull Girl!

You know what they say about all work and no play, right? Well, that seems to have been written about me. My boss is still in trial (but hopefully will finish tomorrow) and I've continued to work a fair bit of overtime when I'm not suffering from stomach flu or spending the weekend at home. (I don't mind staying late on week nights, but I find I really, really need my weekends off to unwind.)

And I've been singularly unproductive during what would normally be my "play time." I know you've seen some of the symptoms--like my being stuck and unable to decide where to go next on the applique quilt. I also have a small vintage-image transfer panel with an Easter theme, and I've been struggling to come up with a pieced border idea for that to no avail. Quilter's block, I guess you could say, but not in a good way.

Now I'm not complaining, exactly--it's more that I want to explain why I don't have much in the way of inspiration to pass on to you right now.

I know that sometimes I go through periods where I want to spend more time reading than sewing, and it may be that I've cycled into one of those times now. Then there's that stomach bug I had last week--who in their right mind feels very creative amid nausea and stomach cramps?

I thought I might be a little more inspired to create on Sunday. I spent a good deal of time over the weekend grocery shopping and cooking meals ahead of time, and I thought once I'd finished that, I'd be able to retire to the Sweat Shop for some quality quilty time, but it didn't turn out that way.

The last cooking endeavor of the day was frying up a batch of egg rolls--my family loves them, I wanted to use up some leftover cabbage, and I've been experimenting off and on the last several months, trying to recreate the egg rolls (lumpia) that a Filipino woman I work with makes. I've almost gotten the filling down; next I need to figure out how she makes the wrappers. Anyway, as I was lifting egg roll number five out of the hot oil with a slotted spoon, it rolled back off and into the pan, splattering hot oil all over my left hand. Ouch! (You're right: That's not really what I said at the time.)

Soooooooooo . . . I didn't much feel like sewing after that.

I didn't exactly go to the doctor for my burned hand, although I DID just happen to have an Ob/Gyn appointment on Monday morning, so I waved my hand in front of the doctor while I was there. I suspect she's more used to rug burns than hot oil burns, but she took a quick look and advised me to cover the burn on my thumb--the one bearing a blister that rivals the size of the thumb itself--with a dressing. Now I look a bit like Little Jack Horner except MY thumb is white and not plum.

Anyway, with the luck I've had lately, reading seems a bit safer, even if it does make me a little dull. I'll try to think of something more exciting to entertain you with, but it will need to be something I can do while wearing a helmet and protective padding, because I don't think I can stand any more physical insults right now. In fact, I think it's time for Tylenol, tea, a book, and my bed.

Did I Mention . . .

Tonight was the monthly meeting of our embroidery club/class, and since Bearpaws & Hollyhocks closed, Gran--the teacher--has been holding the meetings at her home. Well, I think I told you the story of last month's meeting . . . remember when Gran lured me into shutting my keys in the car and I had to call AAA? Tonight went better.

To tell you the truth, I haven't worked on my little embroidery project between last month's class and this month's class, but I've pulled it out again and maybe I'll work on it a little more. It's a little Easter Bunny themed design--

Kind of cute, isn't it? Well, here's a little tip I meant to pass on to you and forgot about. In fact, I wanted to tell the whole class last month but Gran had turned everyone away before I got there.

Remember back in the '80s when all of us crafty folks were transferring designs onto T-shirts and sweat shirts and painting them with fabric paint? Yep, I did that. My poor kids had to wear a lot of dorky T-shirts because of that fad!

A couple months ago, I was at the thrift store and came across one of those transfer books and thought it might have some good embroidery patterns. And yes, there are a lot of dorky images in the book that I'd never use, but there are some nice images too--not bad for $1.50!

The bunny pattern came from the book. Sweet, eh?!

I also don't think I've mentioned that a new quilt shop is opening in Sacramento. Well, I've told a few of you, but not everyone. Guess what? My friend Gran is one of the owners, so we're sure to have a nice supply of embroidery goodies. I'll tell you more as they get closer to opening--which should be in about a month or so.

How's the 11 in '11 challenge going? I occasionally hear from some of you about the projects you've completed, but I didn't really have a way of letting everyone else know who's been doing what, so I thought the best way to share would be to start a Flickr pool where everyone can post photos of their projects. Please join the Flickr group and show us what you've been doing. And please feel free to visit the group even if you're not committed to 11 in '11--because you might find some ideas and inspirations there. You can also leave comments on the photos if something catches your eye or you have a compliment or a question. I've put a slide show in my sidebar--just click on it and it will take you to the group page.

I guess that's all for tonight. It seems like I had something else I wanted to say but I can't remember what it was. Of course, I'll let you know if I remember. Thanks for visiting!