The woodworkers guide to quilting carries on. I discovered the usefulness of tulle fabric. I draw the quilting design I want to use onto tulle, then pin the marked tulle onto the quilt top. Then I use a washable pen to draw over the design on the tulle, remove the tulle and then I can quilt over the marked lines. It works really well. Pete watched this process and declared that he could make a better tool to accomplish the task. He took thin strips of wood and made a frame, laid the tulle overtop the frame and added four more strips of wood to make a tulle sandwich. I now have a solid, permanent rose vine template to use on all manner of quilts. What a guy!
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Off to the Dutchess County Fair today. It's the first day of the fair, so I hope it isn't too crowded. There will be lots of quilts to view and craft vendors selling their wares. I will sew on the way to Rhinebeck. I am making a Grandmother's Flower Garden table runner, all hand work. Pete made the frame for the Flower Garden clock I made. I just have to buy the clock works. I can't wait to put it together. Time will tick by in my quilting world then.
I just completed a table runner with fabrics from Benartex. It is so bright and lush. The fabrics are just stunning. I used Heather Thomas' quilting doodles, which are spot on for a project this size. Pete, my woodworker, continues to give me tidbits of advice. The latest:: it will take you far less time to sew that by machine. But Grandmother's Flower Garden will go all askew if I do that, I instruct him. I have to tip the table once in a while, don't you think?
Hansel and Gretl; He leaves a trail of woodchips to tell me where he's been and where he's gong. He counters: You leave a thread trail. What fun! I am in the midst of putting together a fower basket quilt. I used button hole stitch (by hand) to applique the baskets onto the square of Moda two-tone fabric and cut all the sashing strips. It's half-way there. With the bright blue sashing and gold corners to frame the baskets, it's quite cute. Can't wait to get it together.
I have a tendency to put the pedal to the metal when I machine sew. "I can fix that," said Pete. So he cut a little piece of wood and attached it to the foot pedal - instant speed controller! Now I only have to think about the speed of my hands when I sit and quilt. When I stand and quilt, I have the Grace Speed Controller to help me. Who would have thought a woodworker would mean so much to a quilter?
Make a template for those feathers, he says. I try with tracing paper and template plastic. He takes it to the scroll saw and, voila, I have a nearly indestructible feather temple. But wait, I also have the hole created in the wood, which works just as well. What would I do without him?
Today's lesson from the woodworker: "Measure twice. Cut once." If only I'd listen to Pete, I wouldn't keep running to the fabric store, hoping they haven't run out of the material I cut too short. Of couse, while I'm there unexpectedly, I pick up some bargains I wouldn't otherwise have had the opportunity to purchase. An empty pocketbook is what I'm going to have if I keep this up.
Quilting Time! I am working on a quilted clock! Pete will make the frame. It's very cute in the grandmothers flower garden design. Instead of using hexagonal blocks (that would be too easy) I used octagonal blocks with 1" squares connecting them. All hand work, it's been very time-consuming, appropriately enough.
I started up my etsy store today. I hope people find the items useful and cute!
I sold a quilt, wallhanging, table runner and tea cozy at the Vermont Quilt Festival. How exciting! Going live today with my weeble website, too! Life is good! Thank you, Peter for all your help. I should call this site "The Woodworkers guide to Quilting."
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July 2015
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