Aurora Aura top done!

Finally, after 1 1/2 years, I finished the Aurora Aura top that I started in a class with Karla Alexander. Now, I have to buy some backing and batting and finish the whole package. I love the colors. My sewing ability has improved since I started when I did not know how to sew curved pieces. I used Elmer's washable school glue to hold the borders in place instead of pins, and boy, does it lay a lot smoother than when I used pins. I have been using the glue for bindings as done by Sharon Schamber- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2hWQ5-ZccE and get great results every time.

Actual colors are much clearer and bright, but it is a rainy day here in Buffalo.

Case found for the 99!

I finally found a case for my Singer 99 that I had received in a broken jumble. I was able to reassemble the 99, but the case was smithereens. I found a Bentwood case on ebay and it was packed great! The case is really dirty though. Elizabeth recommended Murphy's oil soap and so I scrubbed it with straight soap on a sponge and a toothbrush. I kept rinsing the sponge and changing the water. It is not gunky anymore, but will need some kind of finish. When I get it all cleaned, I will post a photo of it and the 99 in it.

Wonderful packing job!

Pretty grimy.
 The handle was removed for shipping, but I can easily reattach it after I clean it.

New projects!

    I am not a seamstress. I never learned how to fit something 3D. I wish I could have. When my daughter was looking for bridesmaid presents, I suggested clutches with gift certificates inside. Then I found a great pattern (no zippers) from sewmamasew.com called Simple Party Clutch. I had a lot of false starts because I misinterpreted directions. We bought the home decor fabric on sale at Joanns. It uses heavy duty interfacing and regular iron on interfacing as well as magnetic snaps. Because I am a quilter, working on small 3D shapes was a challenge. But, I did get them done. I sewed them flawlessly on my new vintage Singer 301 from Elizabeth, http://www.sewingmachinemagic.com.

  Also, I sewed a quilt called Arcadia, mountainpeekcreations.com  for a baby shower for a girl to be named Lydia. The purple sashing is for her namesake- Lydia in the book of Acts was a dealer in purple cloth. It is pin basted and I am going to quilt big flowers. This was also sewed on my new 301 with its flawless stitches.

Pin basted

On the Design Wall

What is on the Wall?

I have a lot of different projects going and the wall is getting crowded.

In process, scraps sewn on heaving interfacing by sandwiching water soluble interfacing over the scraps before free motion quilting, then dissolving the interfacing after sewing. I have some spots to touch up where there are gaps. I am undecided whether to finish this with a facing or mount it in a shadow box. It is about 12" x 12"

These colors did not turn out well photographed- please come back sun! This is Aurora Aura that I started in a workshop with Karla Alexander in September 2011. I have to sew all the columns together and choose border colors. This uses the stack the deck method.

This is Acadia, making this as a baby quilt for a friend. I don't know whether I like the color arrangement yet so I am pausing to think about it. Again, the colors are not great on such gray days and a flash wipes them out. Will show progress.

These are two samples of Liberated Stars from Gwen Marston's book. I don't know why these are so hard for me to make. I am undecided if I will make a quilt of these as I find the stars very confusing to make.

New treasure- parlor cabinet treadle!

    After many years of looking to find a treadle like Grandma's, I found one on Craiglist even though it was almost a 2 hour ride. The cabinet is spectacular, and the machine sews like a dream. I have to clean it yet, so these are the before pictures. I ordered some parts to improve it also- some feet, a marked throat plate, new belt and more Tri-flow oil! It is so awesome to sew on this machine.
The lighting is not great as it has been very gray for days and I don't want to wait any longer to post this.

Doors open to access treadle, but I am 5'8" and it is a little tight

Side door opens to view treadle wheel

A Singer 15

I know the whole bobbin winder needs cleaning

I can't believe the gorgeous metal work. If it wasn't so big, it could be jewelry.

Back of machine

Screen print steps for Christmas Card

    Every year I create a handmade card for Christmas, back to 1976. This year, I gained inspiration from a photo I took at a tree farm in Boston, NY where we cut our tree down last year. The beautiful tones of the snow and clusters of evergreens invited me to make a print. Capturing God's creation was a daunting job. While I am not convinced I achieved what was in my head, I share this with you.
    I hope the steps help to visualize the process. The Color 1 blue is actually lighter than in photo. Color 2 has a metallic sparkle. The card is 5" x 7" on white card stock.

Photo of Boston, NY tree farm

Sketch of composition

Color 1

Color 2

Color 1 and 2 printed

Black, (color 3), printed

Finished card, all three colors

Finish quilt with facings tutorial

  Working on an orphan block challenge for my guild and inspired wildly by Rayna Gillman, http://www.studio78.net, author of Create Your Own Free-Form Quilts and the video, Free Form Fabric Art, I realized that I needed to use a facing instead of a binding on my art quilt. 
  I had some bad attempts on other pieces, so I searched around and Cathy, from my guild, had a method of attaching facing that looked great. She gave me a copy of some hand drawn instructions. To help me along, and to help you, I took pictures of the steps and am posting them here. I was very pleased with the facing. It let the front of the quilt lie flat and the edges were fairly crisp to view.
  So, here we go!
1. Cut 4, 5" Squares for the corners
    Cut 4, 1 1/2" wide strips for the sides, minus 7" less than the length of the side. I cut mine long, and then trimmed later when pinning. I hate measuring and subtraction.
    This fabric can match the backing or be completely different.

2. Once the quilt is trimmed and squared up, take the squares and measure 2" from the bottom and left of the square. Fold the square on the diagonal so the 2 marks meet. Draw or eyeball a curve from the marks to the fold. Cut. Press under 1/4" on curved and the two short legs of the sides.

4 corner squares cut with curves

Corners side leg and curves pressed 1/4"

3. Place a curved piece in each corner of the quilt, right side of quilt to right side of curved square and match the corner of the facing to the corner of the quilt. Pin in place. 

4. Pin the 1 1/2" strips, right side to quilt right side overlapping the corner facings. If you subtracted the 7", you are all set. I trimmed my strips here, making sure they overlapped the corner facings. 

Corners pinned, strips overlapped and pinned

Facings pinned, right side to right side

 5. Sew around all four sides with 1/4" seam allowance. You may have to use a walking foot. I have a slant needle Singer 301 that sews flawlessly through this with a regular foot.

Corner and strip sewn

6. Trim excess batting and fabric on the diagonal at the corners (about 1/8" inside the corner). Do not cut away top facing.
7. Turn the corners, poke them out nice and sharp. Fold facings to the back and turn the edges under, press a crease and pin closely. 

Turn corners to back. Poke out corners sharp.

Pin corners, fold under long strip edge, pin

Whole back pinned

 The strips should now be about 3/4" wide. Hand stitch all the edges down. 

Hand stitch detail

Hand stitched back

 Turn over and enjoy your work.

Final Quilt with facing using two orphan blocks and Rayna's thin strip method

If this seems complicated, it is because I did not explain it simply enough. It is simple and looks great. Let me know if you have questions or suggestions!