Turnover Quilt / Christmas Lemonade Quilt

In last week's blog was titled Making Lemonade,  I wrote about the four turnovers I bought that wouldn't work for the project I bought them for. I said I was going to make lemonade or in other words find a way to use them. I had thought about doing a disappearing something. Well, this week I started on this. I think I will call this quilt Christmas Lemonade.

matched up triangles

In fact this week I worked on this quilt (or another project) every night but one. First, I sketched out a few block on graph paper to be sure I was going to like how my ideas was going to work out. Then I started with matching up light and dark triangles. This was a little difficult because there were definitely dark, medium and light tones and not equal amounts of all three. So some medium tones got put with dark tones and light tones. But eventually I got it worked out.

chain piecing

Then it was on to sewing the triangles together. For those who have never chain pieced, Try It!!!. I love to chain piece. There is something very soothing about just running one piece after another under the presser foot.  I makes things go fast and all the pieces are in a chain when you are done. You just snip them apart and go to pressing.  Here is a picture of one turnover chained pieced.

one chained turnover

 I did one turn over a night for the first three nights. However on Thursday I only matched up the triangle of the fourth turnover. I worked a 12 hour shift that day and was rather tired. Like I have said before, tired and quilting aren't a good combination. Plus we had the missionaries over for dinner and that is always a good time.  I didn't get to the final turnover until today. But in one week I have sewn and pressed open all four turn overs.

all four turnovers

This week I hope to trim and start cutting these squares in fourths.
I will only have enough finished squares to do a throw. But that is okay. I don't usually do holiday themed bed clothes anyways. The throw will work out for the grand kids to cuddle under or lay on to watch TV. Or maybe I will give it to one of my siblings for Christmas. Who knows right now I am just enjoying the creating process.



Goal up date: This is the first week I did something quilt/sewing related every day but one. If it was not on the quilt then it was cutting pieces for another quilt. The one day I didn't sew, I did spend with my husband doing errands, looking for shelves for the studio and then being with the kids. I have not done any more on organizing the studio but I will this week. I am still looking for the shelves I want for it.  I also need to get the studio measured and sketched out so I can lay the studio out for the long arm machine. I have also scheduled the time to go to the APQS roadshow in Jacksonville, FL in February. So I am still working on the goals.

How are your goals coming?

Making Lemonade

A while back (like 10 years) I saw a beautiful quilt hanging in Mom's Crafts and Fabrics in Delta, Utah. I don't recall who made it but they did a wonderful job on it. The quilt was stunning! It was simple, half square triangles in rich colors with a simple all over quilting design. Nothing complicated, yet it captured my attention.

I have on a couple of different occasions tried to do something similar. Every time I ended up going in a different direction because I couldn't get the look I wanted. I finally decided that the reason I liked that quilt so much was the colors. It was made from rich Christmas colors, Reds, Greens and Golds. The fabric choices were spot on. They went together flawlessly.

Fast forward to a couple of weeks ago. I found a great deal online. Christmas Turnovers for $4.00. I thought I will get those and make that quilt. I won't even have to cut the fabric. So I ordered them. They are Christmas Pure and Simple from Benartex. Since they are comprised of 80 - 6 inch half square triangles I ordered four them. The site I looked at them on did not show all the different fabrics in the collection but Hey they are Christmas fabrics so I should be good, Right? Wrong!

While they are Christmas fabrics the colorways don't all speak Christmas to me. There are a lot of very light colors in this collection. While the darker shades are what I expected, the light shades just don't do it for me. I don't really call neon green, powder blue and grey Christmas colors.

I separated one turnover into different values. I made a pile of dark, a pile of medium and a pile of lights

 I spent most of the week trying to make the layout work. I just couldn't get the results I wanted with this collection the lights are too far off for the design I wanted. There was too much of a difference in values. Plus these aren't the rich colors that made the inspiration quilt so stunning. So now I have 4 sets of these half square triangles to make use of.  What to do with them?

I thought about just using the dark and medium value pieces but that leaves about a third of the fabric to sit in the scrap bin. I find that kind of wasteful and contrary to the origins of quilt making.

I have some Christmas panels that are of the Nativity Scene. I thought about using them to border those. Then I rethought it. The panels are all rich tones and the lights would again be left in the scrap bin. I have fabric that suits those panels better.

So I decided to make lemonade. I am going to try my hand at the disappearing block technique. Basically I am going to sew the triangles into square blocks. Then cut the blocks apart and rearrange the order and sew them back into a block. This should be an interesting experiment. It will not be the quick project that I thought it would be, but it will be a learning experience. I will have to keep everyone abreast of how it is going.

Next time things are not working out the way you wanted, how will you make lemonade?

Irish Chain Lessons

Today, I finally finished my Irish Chain quilt top. I started the top last spring when I wanted to do some sewing but didn't know what I wanted to do. I had this jelly roll I had bought on eBay that was tonal batiks. The seller called in forest meadow.  The only problem was this seller made up their jelly rolls from yardage and they only put 20 strips in a roll. They also didn't have another one. When I bought these about 6 years ago I didn't really know much about jelly rolls and how to use them. I thought I wanted to do some Jelly Roll Races and didn't realize I needed 40 strips. So I had this really pretty half a jelly roll that I didn't know what to do with.

I knew I could do something with strip sets. So I go to thinking and decided I could do and Irish chain. I bought some white fabric and went to work. I think it turned out rather pretty.

It is also the first quilt I have done on point. I bought Fons and Porter's side setting ruler for making the side triangles and I feel it was well worth the money. Tatianna also made an Irish Chain as well as a Trip Around the World Quilt using it. It makes things so much easier.

The title of this blog is Irish Chain Lessons. So I will get on to the lessons I learned doing this quilt.

One-check the size of your pre-cuts. I took for granted that the strips were 2 1/2 inches. What I came to realize later was they were actually about 2 5/8 inches. That made my measurements off. So some of the little squares are not quite square.

Two-when squaring up your blocks, if you don't do it all at once mark them with a pin or something. I had about 7 blocks that were not 6 1/2 inches when I was trying to assemble the quilt. It threw the alignment way off. While I don't mind the points not meeting exactly, but a 1/4 of an inch off is too much. I ended up ripping out a whole strip and squaring up the blocks

When using tone on tone fabric, take the time to stack the pieces with the right side up. Tatianna did this because she is a little OCD. But as I was sewing this quilt in the evenings, I was having trouble telling the right side from the wrong side on the white fabric. Fortunately it seems I figured them all out.

I didn't plan out this quilt very well, I basically made the nine patch blocks and then figured out how many setting blocks etc. I had 62 blocks so I went with a 6 x 10 setting and well it was a lot longer than it was wide. My son Killian is holding this quilt up. He isn't terribly small. I set it on my full size bed and it hung over the ends and barely covered to the sides. I should have done a 7 x 8 setting but that would have left me with 6 extra blocks.

Am I going to tear it out? Nope. I may add some borders and make it a full size or I may just finish it as is. It will be way long for a twin size bed but I bet it will make a great snuggle quilt for a young couple or maybe I will keep it for myself for cold winter evenings. Tatianna's finished with a 7 x 11 setting and it doesn't seem nearly as bad.

So I learned a few things which I really like. It think each quilt should be a learning experience. I will probably make another one in a year or two. I do like how it looks but I have so many quilts that I want to do that I am going to move on and come back to it.

One thing I am proud of is that I resisted starting another quilt for me before finishing this top. I am trying to decide whether I am going to do my star quilt next or do a prairie flower quilt. Probably the star since I am using pre-cuts from Missouri Star Quilt Company. Plus Tatianna has hers all planned out and most of the fabric cut. It is fun when we take the same idea and make it our own.

What are you working on this week? Have learned anything new?

Not Off to a Great Start

New Years resolutions are generally forgotten way too soon. Great intentions give way to real life circumstances. Sometimes we hold out until March but usually we give up before the end of January. It is rare that New Years resolutions actually are followed through. Of course that doesn't mean everyone gives up, sometimes resolutions are replaced with more realistic goals, sometimes it takes us a little longer to get moving on those resolutions, and sometimes change just isn't worth it at this time and place.

I titled this post "Not Off to a Great Start" for a reason. Real life has gotten in my way of my quilting sewing goals. I have been at work for 10-12 hour shifts this past week because it was needed. I did not sew daily or even at all. I did work on the studio, though not nearly enough. But I have not given up on my resolutions.

My computer desk is cleared off and usable. I am struggling to keep it that way. It is way too easy for flat surfaces to be come dumping grounds for things. Especially if they don't have that proverbial place where they belong. Then too clear off that surface so I can use it, I too often dump everything in a box or basket or on another surface. So I need to find that mythical place for everything and everything in it's place.

Much of my studio time has been spent trying to figure out how to set up my studio. I look at wall space and think what can I put there. I looked at the space above the windows and thought should I put a shelf there? I have come to realize that I really need to draw out the space and plan out the storage. For example I want rulers I use all of the time easily accessible, but rulers I use only occasionally don't need to be in easy reach but still need to be accessible. Replacement blades should be near rotary cutters but don't need to be on a peg board next to them. I am finding myself rethinking storage and display ideas right and left. This may take a little longer than expected.

So where am I with my goals?

1. Complete at least 3 quilts for family - can be ones already started.  Not worked on but I do have a few started and planned
2. Buy a long arm machine before the end of June.   I actually have worked on this, I have signed up to go to an APQS road show in February, in Lake City, Florida
3. Organize my studio before the end of February.  I have worked on this but not as much as I needed too.
4. Sew/quilt at least 20 minutes a night. Did not do this at all this week. I hope to do better.
5. Work fewer unpaid hours at work so I feel up to quilting. This didn't happen at all this week. I am trying to work on that but training takes more time than I would like.
6. Write in my blog weekly. So far so good.
7. Document my quilts and who they were given to. I have never done this mostly because it is hard to give them away so I do it quickly. Like ripping off a band aid to avoid the pain. But I am going to do better
8. Start signing my quilts using labels. I have not finished one in the past week. I used to think that this was silly. But after Mom died, my siblings didn't know where a lot of things came from and while they would never discard something as valuable as a handmade quilt, they know it means more to some of us than others. Knowing that the quilt on my parents bed was made by Mother in Law let that quilt come to me and my family. It means more to me and my husband than it would to my sister.
   

I guess it isn't too bad for a week in. I have worked on a few things. Have I made the progress I want to? No, but any progress is better than none. Most importantly, I have not given up. Here is to next week and doing a little better.

New Year, New Challenges, New Expectations

Every December 31st, we stay up to welcome in the new year as a family. Every January 1st, we sleep in, watch movies, take down Christmas decorations and generally hang out together as a family.  We are kind of lazy but still we are together. As a family, we generally don't make any plans or goals or even discuss what we want to accomplish during the year. This year was no different. But on my own I do reflect on what I liked about the year and what I want to do different. Nothing formal, no written goals or plans, just what was good (positive), what I didn't like (negative), and what I would do differently (change). Since this blog is about quilting I will only list my quilting reflections.

Negative - This past year, I didn't sew/quilt as much as I would have liked. I did buy lots of new gadgets, fabric and books though. I am real good at accumulating supplies and making plans. I am not so good at enacting those plans and finishing things. Now in fairness, it takes less time to shop for supplies than it does to make the projects. I can come home from work, spend 20-30 minutes browsing the web and load up on things.

Change - I could sit at my sewing machine for 20-30 minutes a night instead of  browsing the web and shopping. I would get a lot more done during the year. It is time to learn from Aesop's fable "The Tortoise and the Hare". I am planning on working on a project every night after work for 20-30 minutes. A little every night is going to get more done than a long day every other weekend. Plus I will reduce some stress by sewing/quilting.

This is going to be harder than it sounds. I currently commute to work an hour each way and lately my work days have been between 10 and 12 hours. So I am gone for 12 -14 hours a day. I generally leave the house at 6:00am and get home sometime after 6:00pm. So understandably, I am rather tired. Tired and quilting don't usually work out that well. But hopefully things will be turning around at work very soon. We should be about fully staffed in a couple of weeks and that will make it easier to work 8 hours and still be fresh enough to quilt in the evenings.

Positive - I was able to bring cheer to someone battling cancer. I feel very strongly that Heavenly Father guided me in that whole process. I am not a religious nut case, but I am a spiritual person and I have to give credit for the design and execution of that quilt to the Lord. I am grateful I could be an instrument in his hands.

Positive - I was able to share my talents with the women at church to bring together a thank you quilt for a family that served our congregation for 3 years. I used my talent for teaching to help others learn a little about quilting.

Change - There are others who could benefit from my skills. I am going to try and recognize the opportunity to use my skills to help others. Tatianna and I would love to gather a group of women together to sew/quilt on a monthly basis. The two of us are going to pursue this idea as the year unfolds, even if it has to take place in our home.

Negative - Machine quilting on my sewing machine is frustrating. The throat space is not large enough, it does not have a stitch regulator and so quilting is difficult at best. I can not do what I want to with it. I could tie the quilts but I would much rather quilt them. Hand quilting takes too long.

Change - I am going to go ahead and buy a long arm. I have been hesitant to wipe out my savings for this. I know that once I have gotten some practice on the long arm, I will be able to quilt for others and make a little money on the side to help pay for it or in my case build my savings back up.

I also have wanted to wait until I could get all the bells and whistles. I have decided that I will purchase the basic machine and any of the bells and whistles that can be added later, I will add later. I will not be able to get the computer set up at first. In fact it will probably be a couple of years before I can get it. But once my car is paid off I should be able to afford it.  I will still be able to quilt without the computer set up. I already have some stencils I can use and I plan on doing some free motion quilting as well. It won't hurt me to learn the machine before I get the computer set up.

Do you ever have the feeling if you don't just go ahead and do something, you never will? That is how I am beginning to feel about buying a long arm machine.

I have chosen to get an APQS Millennium. Like I said I can't get the quilt path right now. But I will later on. Bell and whistles will wait.

Negative - My studio has been cramped and cluttered. My supplies are stashed throughout the house. I don't even know what I have. What worse is I have things (tools) that I have never used. They looked handy so I bought them.

Change -  My husband has very graciously moved out of my studio into his own shop. This frees up a lot of space. Tatianna and I have decided to move a table back into the studio until we get the long arm. We are also going to replace a couple of short book shelves with tall ones. We will then figure out what we have and find a way to organize it so we can put our hands on it. This should help in planning and completing projects.

Positive - My husband fully supports me in my pursuit of quilting. In fact he more than supports, he enables me. I have never had to hide fabric or defend a purchase. My husband was with me at a quilt shop that was closing and I was trying to figure out how many yards of a particular fabric I wanted to buy. He told the sales person I will take all of it. I started to protest and he cut me off. He said you love it, you won't be able to get more of it, and it isn't all that much. He then told the clerk to give me all of it. The store's staff were in shock. They told me to hang on to him.  He is actually nagging me to get the long arm and start using it. The reason he moved out of the studio was to make room for it.

Positive - My children support me in all of my crafting. They offer ideas, constructive criticism and praise. They usually cook the meals and clean the house so I can do what I want after a long day at work.

Negative - My children do not have any quilts that I have made. I always think I am going to make them one and never get around to it. Neither do my siblings.

Change -  One quilt at a time, I am going to start making quilts for my children and my siblings. For those of you who don't know that is 15 quilts. Eight for children, seven for siblings. Then there are my ten grandchildren, they will be needing quilts as well. For my siblings, I will probably do throw quilts. Just some thing to snuggle under on a cold night. For my children, I would like to do full size quilts, something they could put on a bed. For my grandchildren, I would like to do twin size quilts.

Expectations - I am realistic enough to know that this is not all going to happen overnight. I need to make some changes to my behavior. I need to balance work and home. I also need to quit taking my family for granted. I am really blessed. I will not get 15 quilts made this year as long as I am working full time. I will however get some done. What do I expect to get done this year?

1. Complete at least 3 quilts for family - can be ones already started.
2. Buy a long arm machine before the end of June.
3. Organize my studio before the end of February
4. Sew/quilt at least 20 minutes a night
5. Work fewer unpaid hours at work so I feel up to quilting
6. Write in my blog weekly
7. Document my quilts and who they were given to.
8. Start signing my quilts using labels.

What are your plans for the year? How are you going to improve yourself this year? What talents are you going to share?