Americana Florals: Final Sneak Peeks

Happy Monday, my Friends! I hope you are doing well. I finished quilting my Americana Florals, and shipped it by Express Mail to the editor. The applique blocks are very “Kansas” – they are the Topeka Rose blocks.

Instead of the regular fabric flower centers, I opted to use asymmetrical heart buttons for the flower centers. I thought the buttons give the blocks a slightly different look, with a hint of primitive Americana!

If you look closely, you can see that I have quilted heart floral motifs in between the floral sprigs to match my heart buttons:

If all goes well, this quilt will be featured in the January 2011 issue of The Quilter magazine. That’s all the sneak peeks I can afford to let you see at this point until the quilt is officially published.

Thanks for stopping by. I wish you a lovely week.

Ladybugs in Polka Dotville: Part 1

[If you are just now joining the Quilt-along, please click on the button above for preliminary and additional information.]

Hello Everyone,

Let’s get down to this business of polka dotting, shall we? I am so excited about this quilt-along, and am even more excited about my dear friend Wanda who currently lives thousands of miles away from me is joining the fun!

I know that most of us have more than one quilt project going on at any given time. So, I have tried to split up the construction of this quilt into easy to manage portions (I hope!). I will be showing you exactly how I construct all my quilt tops. There is no one correct way to do things in quilting. So, feel free to use whatever method you like.

Part 1: We will be constructing the main playground for the ladybugs in the first part of the quilt along:

You will need for the multi-color colorway –

You will need for the pink/purple colorway –

Or fabrics of your choice!

**** please note that my instructions are for the multi-color colorway, you will have to adjust the fabrics for the pink/purple colorway****

Step 1: I pre-wash all my fabrics prior using Orvus. I know there are different schools of thought on the topic of pre-washing. My quilting teacher drilled into my little pea brain to always pre-wash my fabrics. That’s why I do it.

Step 2: From the green polka dot fabric, cut 60 2 1/2″ squares.

i) I would fold my fabric matching selvage edges, and trim off the fuzzies. Notice how I lined up my bottom edge against the markings on the ruler.

ii) After I trimmed off the fuzzies, I gingerly flipped the fabric over so that the trimmed edge is on my left hand side. I then cut the fabric widthwise four 2 1/2″ x 42″ strips.

iii) From the strips, recut 60 2 1/2″ squares.

Step 3: Use your ruler to draw a diagonal line across the wrong side of the green polka dot squares. Notice how one of the edges matches up with the 45 degree line on the ruler.

Step 4: The cutting process will be the same as mentioned for the green polka dot fabric. So, I shall not belabor the points. From the multi-color big dots, cut lengthwise three 4 1/2″ x 48 1/2″ strips, recut into 30 4 1/2″ squares. This cutting scheme is for continuous border strips.

If you are piecing your borders, you would cut your fabric widthwise four 4 1/2″ x 42″ strips, and recut the strips into 30 4 1/2″ squares.

Step 5: Line up a green 2 1/2″ square, right sides together, with the corner of a multi-color square. Pin on both sides of the drawn line.

Sew on drawn line.

Step 6: Open up the green polka dot triangle to match the corner of the multicolor square, and finger press. Then press with the iron to set the shape.

Step 7: Flip the triangle back. Trim 1/4″ away from the sewn line. Now you are half way there.

Step 7: Repeat Steps 5 &6 at the corner diagonal from the one you were on to complete the block.

Step 8: Take a break and enjoy the following Ladybug Fun Facts!

Ladybugs are cold blooded, and they hibernate during the winter season in clusters to conserve heat.

Ladybugs are a great natural pesticide as they eat nasty bugs like aphids.

Ladybugs are the state insect for Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Ohio, Delaware and Tennessee.

Step 9: Make 29 more blocks. Sew 5 blocks in a row, make a total of 6 rows. Sew rows together. And you will be ready for Part 2!  Meanwhile, mosey on over to Facebook and become RJR Fabrics’ friend, would you?  They also have a Flickr page for you to share your progress pictures.  I look forward to seeing your work.

Thanks for being my quilting buddy. I hope you will have fun making these. I would love to hear your thoughts. Have a great weekend.

Fruit Of The Vine in THE QUILTER (October/November 2010)

So I was going to take pictures of my “Fruit of the Vine” quilt outdoors, and it rained on me. I am not complaining because we need the rain. Anyway, I am very happy that “Fruit of the Vine” is featured in the latest issue of The Quilter:

I had to make 135 circles fruits for this quilt. I thought I would never get done while I was working on the circles.

Fabrics for this quilt are from Benartex’s Sew Chick collection. The little chicks are just too adorable! Somehow it’s hard to imagine chick-related fabrics would turn into a fruit-and-vine themed quilt. But that’s the fun part of quilting – sometimes playing with fabrics inspires quilters to come up with something totally unexpected:

As usual, due to time constraint, I didn’t have time to mark the quilt prior to quilting. Quilting was done free-motion, unmarked and free-hand using YLI Silk 100 thread (color 239) over Hobbs‘ Tuscany Silk Batt.

Again, the quilting is done on my domestic home machine. I want to encourage all the other home machine quilters out there that it is possible to quilt on your home machine!

I really like how it was photographed for the magazine. I was especially excited about the photographer capturing the quilting:

[Picture from www.thequiltermag.com]

Ever since I got the quilt back from the editor, Miss Baby has enjoyed pointing at and counting the fruit. Well, she does the pointing, and I do the counting.

Instructions to make the quilt are found in the October/November 2010 issue of The Quilter. Kits are also available from Quakertown Quilts.

Thanks again for stopping by. I always enjoy your visits and comments. Have a wonderful day.

Sneak peeks of my quilts in The Quilter (Oct/Nov 2010)

I have been checking The Quilter’s website daily to see if they posted quilt pictures for their latest issue… and they are UP today! Two of my quilts are featured in the issue.

[Picture from www.thequiltermag.com]

[Picture from www.thequiltermag.com]

I will be posting more detailed pictures of these quilts in a few days. I think I am going to venture taking the pictures of my quilts outdoors. I have never done that before – so I would like to try that. Meanwhile, click here if you are interested in purchasing kits to duplicate the quilts.

I still owe the editor of The Quilter a few quilts – so I am going back to work on getting the quilts to her. Thanks for stopping by. Have a lovely day!

Smocking for Fall: Part 2

My fall leaves smocking for Miss Baby’s Autumn dress this year is DONE!  The smocking plate is “Leave it to us” by Little Memories.

I didn’t quite know how it would turn out when I only had a few leaves smocked from the last time I talked about smocking this project:

But I thought when all is said and done, things look really autumn-y:

While I was stitching the finishing touches, Miss Baby managed to get a hold of my floss stash and did this to some of the new skeins.  She was just chattering away, and enjoying herself too much for me to take any disciplinary actions.  I thought all those three skeins cost a little over $1, and I can still get the tangles out and wind them onto a thread card – it was worth the little bit of childhood innocent bliss.  So, I caved… and I let her…

Americana Florals: Sneak Peek #3

Happy Monday, my Friends!   Quilting is underway for Americana Florals.  What you see is the quilting for the accompanying blocks.  I am just doing some textured quilting on these blocks because I want the blocks to be just that, accompanying.

I did some smocking, sewing for baby, cross-stitching and reading this weekend.  So I should be able to show you some pictures later this week.   So tell me, what was the highlight of your weekend?

Work cut out for me…

LITERALLY! Miss Baby and I went to my sewing friend and teacher Annelle’s house yesterday, and I brought these home with me – one thing I wasn’t quite expecting was that the pieces looks much bigger than what I am used to – another reminder that Miss Baby is growing up too fast…

Annelle has kindly cut out pieces for Miss Baby’s new outfits for me. I count Annelle as one of the dearest people I know. She has loved and blessed me (and now Miss Baby too) ever since I met her a few years ago. Her devotion and love for her family inspires me. I hope I am half as good of a mother to Miss Baby as Annelle is to her children.

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you have a lovely weekend!  I hope I can squeeze some time to work on those darling outfits for Miss Baby.  Till next week.

Americana Florals: Sneak Peek #2

I thought these turned out looking pretty good…

… if I may say so myself!   It’s been another busy day for me.  I had more designing work to do these past couple of days.  So not much to show on fabrics.  But I am moving right along with Americana Florals — should have some quilting pictures for you soon!

In case you are wondering, these fabrics are from Benartex’s Americana collection.  Take a look at the fabrics in the red colorway – they are to die for!

Ladybuy in Polka Dotville: Housekeeping

Good day, Friends! Are you ready for some polka-dotting fun? Let’s start off with Ladybug Fun Fact #2, shall we? Here we go… A gallon jug could hold anywhere between 72,000 and 80,000 ladybugs. I don’t know about you. I would find that just a little too eeeeky!

Due to the length, I am dividing this post into sections:

1. Frequently Asked Questions

2. How this Quilt-Along is going to work

3. Finished Size

4. Supplies List for Multi-color colorway

5. Supplies List for Pink/Purple colorway

6. Where to get the fabrics?

7. Miscellaneous

***

1. Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can I use my own fabric choices?

A: Absolutely! Use your imagination! You are encouraged to use the fabrics from RJR‘s Crazy for Dots and Stripes if you are to replicate exactly the look of the original quilt.

Q: Can I work on the quilt at my own pace?

A: Absolutely. You may join in anytime and work at your own pace. The instructions are given out each week in deference to the over-achievers!

2. How this Quilt-Along works

As alluded in the previous section, instructions to piece the quilt will be posted every Friday starting from 9/3/2010 in manageable sections (hopefully). Please note that instructions will be given based on the Multi-color colorway – you will have to adjust the instructions given to the pink/purpler colorway.

Share your progress with RJR and post images on RJR’s Facebook page as you quilt along.

Send progress pictures to me at wendy2@wendysheppard.net so that I can post about your creations-in-progress from time to time. Share your triumphs, trials and tribulations, or just plain thoughts with others while working on this Quilt-Along by commenting on any of the Quilt-Along posts.

Blog about this project if you have a blog.

3. Finished size – 44″ x 48″

4. Supplies list for MULTI-COLOR Colorway (SKU#’s of fabrics are included)

1/4 yard – Black large dots on red (8175-3), Black solid (9617-34), Navy/white dots (8174-51), Yellow/white dots (8174-101), Orange/white dots (8174-111), Red/white dots (8174-41)

5/8 yard – Green/white dots (8174-81)

1 yard – Black/white dots (8174-61), includes binding strips cut widthwise

1 yard (for pieced border) or 1-3/8 yards (for continuous border) – Multicolor large dots (8172-3)

48″ x 52″ backing fabric

48″ x 52″ batting

Paper-backed Fusible for applique

Basic sewing supplies

5. Supplies list for PINK/PURPLE Colorway (SKU#’s of fabrics are included)

1/4 yard – Black large dots on pink (8175-4), Black solid (9617-37), Pink/white dots (8174-21), Yellow/white dots (8174-101), Orange/white dots (8174-111)

1/2 yard – White on green dots (8174-81), Green on white dots (8174-8)

5/8 yard – Purple/white dots (8174-71)

1 yard – Brown/white dots (8172-121)

1/2 yard (pieced border) or 1-3/8 yard (continuous border) – Green/purple large dots (8172-8)

48″ x 52″ backing fabric

48″ x 52″ batting

Paper-backed Fusible for applique

Basic sewing supplies

6. Where to get fabrics

Your best bet is Fat Quarter Shop.

www.quiltshops.com is also a great place to search for the fabrics.

7. Miscellaneous

This pattern is made available for your personal use only. You are free to link back to this site when referencing any information. Please do not reproduce in any way without written permission from me.

I will see you on 9/3/2010! Thanks for stopping by.

The mystery of skipped stitches…

… and the finer points of buttonhole stitches!

Most of my applique quilts for feature in magazines are done with fusible applique, and finished with buttonhole stitches.

For the longest time, I have been plagued by occasional skipped stitches that produce incomplete buttonhole stitches. It drove me absolutely nuts! Well, the skip stitching monster was at it again a couple of nights ago while I was working on the applique on my Americana Florals…

I changed out my needle. That’s what is always suggested – if something is wrong, change out the needle and clean out the bobbin area to eliminate possible factors. Nope, no improvement. I gave up in exasperation, and went to bed.

Then I got this idea that perhaps I wasn’t using the right needle, not the right size anyway. So, this time, I changed out my needle and put in a larger sized needle. I was using a Schmetz Microtex 70S. Since I didn’t have a Microtex 80S, I just used a regular Universal needle in that size. Voila! Problem solved!! I felt a bit dumb telling you this, but I thought if any of you are experiencing the hair-pulling experience of skipped stitches, this might give you an idea to check.

[Picture from www.schmetzneedles.com]

Joan had asked me the settings I use for the buttonhole stitches I have used for my applique. I have a Bernina 640E – the buttonhole stitch on my machine is 329 in the Quilting Menu (might be 1329 for some of your Bernina  machines) set at L = 1.4 ~1.5 and W = 1.4 – I like my stitches small! Stitching with small stitches also makes maneuvering curves easier. Top and bottom threads are matching Aurifil Mako 50 Cotton.

Thanks for stopping by. Come back tomorrow for details on the Ladybug in Polka Dotville Quilt-Along!