Experimenting with a different technique . . .

Many of you know I love foundation piecing, with a twist . . .

Instead of sewing fabric to paper, which gets torn out when the block is completed, I used slightly-starched muslin that I've stamped my design on.  Call me lazy, but what's the point of going to all the trouble of teaing out all that paper??

I love foundation piecing because of the accuracy and consistency of the blocks.  I sometime enlist my dad's help in constructing quilt blocks.  With foundation piecing, it doesn't matter who constructs the blocks; they'll all come out the same.

Of course, I have a fair bit of prep work upfront to make up for the paper tearing at the end:  I must pre-shrink the muslin; cut the muslin into strips; soak the strips in a starch/water solution; press the strips before cutting them into squares; and then print my design with a rubber stamp.  WHEW!!

I found a product that I blogged about previously that let me run foundation sheets through my printer:  June Tailor's "Perfect Piecing."  It is non-woven, and feels like a slightly stiff paper; it can be either left in the project or torn out.  Well, I left it in the project, but it leaves the projected sorta stiff and it has the sound of paper crinkling . . . ERK!!

Back to the muslin . . . If I could just find a method that didn't have so many steps . . .

Years ago, I tried something I mentioned on my "Simply Quilts" appearance.  Instead of pinning fabric to the right side of the muslin foundation and sewing along the printed lines on the back, I tried sewing the fabric from the front.  It should be possible to use the sewing foot as guide.  I decided to give this another try.

Unfortunately, I have half-inch seam allowances built into my templates.  To remedy this, I attached a quilting guide at the half-inch mark, as shown below.

Then, I pinned my fabric to the muslin foundation and sewed it, using the quilting guide as guide for my half-inch seam allowance.

The jury is still out on the results:  the fabric pieces go together well enough, but the trimming of the finished square leaves something to be desired. The squares are exactly seven inches square, and I'm using a half-inch seam allowance to assemble them, but the accuracy is off; my points just don't seem to meet as perfectly as before.

I may go back to rubber-stamping my muslin, and sewing from the back . . .

"Winter Blues," part 4.45

Yesterday, I called in sick (actually, I told the office manager Monday afternoon that I wouldn't be in) . . . I had an entire day of Nyquil, megadoses of vitamin C, echinacea, liquids, and a little quilting. I added another column on the right and another row on the bottom. I have 3.5 columns and 1.5 rows to go!!

"Winter Blues," part 4.26

After I finished sewing the squares for the "Winter Blues" quilt, I was eager to start assembling the blocks . . .

This is as far as I got, this weekend . . .

This represents 26% of the entire quilt . . . there's more to come.

A tutorial on foundation piecing . . .

Today's post was written by a guest blogger . . . ME!!

Years ago, on another blog (long-abandoned), I wrote a lengthy post outlining the steps I took prepping, and sewing a foundation-pieced square. Rather than "reinvent the wheel," I decided to link to that post from that one.

Foundation piecing, part one . . .

Foundation piecing, part two . . .

I hope these are of help to you . . .

Thank you for reading my blog . . . please leave a comment, and "follow this blog!!"

The Rockford/Hinsdale '09 Tour is over!! . . . (was it all a dream??)

My feelings of euphoria faded fast when I woke up this morning in front of the computer terminal in the office--a pile of files beside me, and a line of people with requests in front of me (ok, maybe that's an exaggeration . . . the people in front of me at least asked, "how was the vacation??" before they asked, "could you do this for me??" and handed me another file).

Did I dream it all??

Last Thursday, I repacked my rental and drove north to Willowbrook, IL, a southwestern suburb of Chicago. I had time to check into my hotel, shower and change before leaving for the Hinsdale Community House for my lecture. I got a little turned around, but managed to arrive five minutes before the guild meeting started. A woman pointed me toward the stage at the front of the crowded room (there were about 200 women there), and pointed to the digital projector. "You can just plug your laptop into here," she said.

Um, er, I don't own a laptop, and I have a carousel of slides. "Don't you have a slide projector??" I asked. "I'll go ask," she said and bustled off.

I set up my display stand with my "Mardi Gras Men" quilt on it . . . I set up my framed magazine articles . . . I laid out my business cards . . . I unpacked my "trunk show" quilts . . . all in plain view of my expectant audience.

My contact, Terri, came up to me and said, "they don't have a slide projector . . . can you punt??" I said, "I guess I'll have to, won't I??" I sat at the foot of the stage while the guild conducted their business meeting . . . my mind was working a mile a minute. When Terri introduced me, she said that through no fault of my own I'd be unable to show my slides (there were audible moans).

I took the stage, opened my slide carousel, and held up the first slide. "This is my first quilt," I said, "and here is my third," holding up another slide. There were chuckles in the audience. I replace the slides in my carousel. Slides?? Slides?? We don't need no stinkin' slides!! I talked off-the-cuff and off-the-top-of-my-head for 45 minutes about how I started sewing; how I taught my father to sew; how I started quilting; and, I told stories about some of the quilts I've made (punctuated with, "I wish you could've seen THIS quilt!!"). I answered questions as I went along (instead of saving 'em for the end). I had volunteers hold up and parade the quilts I'd brought with me. Then, I dropped the bombshell--all the quilts had been made from the same set of templates, which segued into a talk about my design system and construction techniques. Several volunteers passed out my free design tiles, but ran out (I'm gonna have to send 'em some more before their next meeting). At some point, I asked if they'd heard enough of me, and the audience burst into an emphatic NO!! LOL!!

After my talk, I sold plenty of books, templates, and muslin foundations; many also took my business card, eager to get online and see what all the fuss was about!! Many agreed it was the best slide show they'd never seen!! I was in my element!! It was a great night!!


I had a small class on Friday morning for the design workshop. We had a fun day of coming up with new patterns. I had my copier with me, so the students could make copies and color 'em in. They were eager for Saturday's construction workshop. I asked Terri if she knew how many had signed up for Saturday and she told me 14. FOURTEEN?? I didn't have near enough muslin foundations for 'em all. Friday night found me in my hotel room, stamping muslin foundations to beat the band!!


I had a pattern in mind for the students who hadn't taken the design workshop. Students bought templates and muslin foundations and cleaned out my inventory. I walked 'em through my sandpaper-back templates: how to cut 'em apart and how to use 'em to cut their fabric. Everyone fell to cutting out fabric, some quicker than others. I walked 'em through the muslin foundations: where to start and how to sew 'em. Several students who hadn't taken the design class HAD taken the free design tiles at the lecture and came prepared with their own designs. For the rest of the students, I had to bite my tongue--once they sewed enough of the squares, they started designing patterns that were not the pattern I had in mind. I gave them free reign.


I couldn't have been happier as I drove back to St. Louis . . . not because I was leaving Hinsdale behind, but because of the great people I had the pleasure to work with, and the great input, feedback, suggestions, and ideas we all shared. My only regret was not having another guild lined up for NEXT weekend, LOL!! As usual, my partner, Ed, was glad to have me back home (Rambo and Sambo could have cared less) . . .


Thank you for reading . . . please leave a comment and follow this blog (there's more to come) . . .

The Rockford Files . . . a report and a reprieve

The trip to Rockford was a rousing success!!

The drive north was mostly uneventful (emphasis on "mostly"). I was listening to "Nostradamus Ate my Hamster" by Robert Rankin (read by the author). It was an interesting listen involving time travel, a subliminally-charged movie that literally converts the world, and Adolph Hitler (who gets his head bashed in to put him out of his misery). Unfortunately, I was so intent on hearing the end that I missed my exit (and the tollway). Several locals got me back on course, and I arrived at my hotel around 9:00 p.m.

I gave two lectures on Thursday, one in the afternoon and one in the evening. There were about 100 people at the afternoon lecture, and 50 people in the evening (the cold, rainy weather may have affected the evening attendance). Like at my lecture in Flint, MI last month, I gave away free copies of my design tiles to the guild members. I sold a dozen copies of my book and donated one copy to the guild library.

There were eight people in the design workshop Friday morning. Colleen, one of my students, told me her elderly mother had been in the audience the previous evening and took my design tiles home with her. Colleen said her mother was busily playing with the design tiles that morning. She thanked me for coming up with something to keep her mother occupied!! Do you think I should target nursing homes next??

There were five people in the construction workshop Saturday morning. I gave each student one set of my sandpaper-backed templates and sixteen pre-stamped muslin foundations. They asked if I had any muslin foundations for sale, and bought about a dozen bundles of eight foundations!!

I got some great feedback, suggestions, and ideas from the two workshops. I have a lot more material to add to the book later this year. Since the patterns are basically shape-driven, I've come up with a change of the design tiles for emphasis. There's interest in more products (templates, stencils, and muslin foundations) for sale.

I returned to St. Louis early Sunday evening. My partner, Ed, was happy to see me (the cats could have cared less). We had a relaxing evening . . . end of report.

On Monday morning, I bought and prepped more muslin . . . while I was washing the muslin at the laundromat, I met the part-owner of the video production office next door. Did I ever tell you about the DVD of my lecture in Flint, MI?? The audio was terrible!! The camera had no direct-feed microphone, so there was an echo-y quality to the sound, and you could also hear every cough, scraped chair, etc. in the room. Ryan said his company could fix that. He said they had studio facilities to film other presentations as well.

If you think my quilting is "out-of-the-box," just wait till you get a load of my videos!! I'm thinking/dreaming of lectures and workshops on DVD for those who would never see me otherwise. Just think: individual classes on the design tiles, block construction, and color theory you can watch again and again!!

I'm writing (and designing) copy for "packaging" for the templates and muslin foundations. I cut an additional 450 muslin foundations to stamp, but I may leave that for something to do in my hotel room.

I had been rushing around to get ready to leave Wednesday, but late Tuesday I learned that my hotel in Willowbrook is booked for Thursday, not Wednesday . . . a reprieve!! Now, I have additional time to make the sandpaper-backed tempates, bundle muslin foundations, redesign the design tiles for the workshop, etc., etc., etc. . . .

I'm a little busy at the moment . . . later, sweet taters!!

Thank you for reading this post . . . please leave a comment and follow this blog!!

I'm almost ready for Rockford, IL (but, are they ready for me??)

In case you're wondering, all that's left to do on my "to do" list is write and copy the handouts for the two workshops and glue card stock templates to sandpaper for the construction workshop. Yeah, I got it all done, YAYY!!

This morning, I scanned all my printing to make PDF files of everything, and emailed it to FedEx/Kinko's for copying (including the book). I got design tiles (for "freebies"), templates (for the construction workshop), and enlarged tiles (for demonstration purposes) printed on card stock.

As for the book, I got a glossy card stock for the cover (the front cover IS color, after all), and a heavier paper for the interior pages (so you can't see through it). It cost a bit more, but I'm very pleased with the finished product. Yes, it's worth every bit of $20 . . . you'll be able to get YOUR copy middle of October, once I get these next two weeks outta the way.

I'm setting up a staging area in a corner of the apartment so I have everything I'm gonna take with me. They'll think I'm moving in to stay at the hotel . . . sewing machine, cutting mat, rotary cutter, acrylic rulers, fabric (I'll assume there's an iron and ironing board in the room), quilts, books, muslin foundations, etc. Well, it IS an Extended Stay America hotel, after all), LOL!!

I don't know about internet access (I have no laptop) . . . maybe there's a "business" area where I may be able to post about the trip. Otherwise, you'll have to wait until my return next week.

Thank you for reading this post. Please leave a comment and follow this blog!!

"He's making a list, he's checking it twice . . ."

Don't worry, the only one "naughty" around here is me (in a nice way) . . .

It's the "Countdown to Rockford," my lecture/workshop gig this week, and there's so much to do, I've made a list (and added to it) to make sure I don't forget anything.

1. Rent car. I did this Friday . . . it'll be cheaper to rent the car for two weeks instead of renting two cars for two different weekends (I go to the western suburbs of Chicago the following week).

2. Complete foundation squares. Yesterday, I stamped and heat-set (ironed) six hundred 8" muslin foundation squares . . . it sure beat the hell outta stencilling 'em all (which is what I used to do). I like the new stamping ink I got. It's thicker, so while the ink does bleed through the starched muslin, it doesn't wick outwards, making thicker lines. Also, the ink gives off very little smell; the ink I had before gave off a harsh chemical smell that permeated the apartment (even with windows open and fans blowing).

What's left to do??

3. Buy rubber stamp cleaner and a fabric marking pen at ArtMart. There are some muslin squares where the ink didn't bleed through enough to be seen on the back (I want these squares to be reversible) . . . I intend to draw in the missing lines where need be.

4. Finish book. I need to design front and back covers; insert running feet and folios (page numbers); insert Table of Contents. Then, I'll run off a copy to scan in the office tomorrow and turn into a PDF file. I'll email the files to FedEx/Kinko's for copying/binding. I'm optimistic--I'll print 75 copies for my first printing.

5. Assemble design workshop materials. The other day, I had an idea: I'll enlarge the design tiles to 8", then copy 'em. I have a cheap bulletin board that will fit on my easel. I'll stick a pin through the center of the tiles and attach 'em to the bulletin board. Then I can rotate 'em for the entire class to see!!
I need to create a handout for the students. I'm pulling the tables of possible blocks from the book. FedEx/Kinko's can copy the handouts and design tiles (on card stock and regular copy paper).

6. Assemble construction workshop materials. I need to print templates on card stock, then glue 'em to the backs of sheets of sandpaper. I have no idea how many students in either workshop, so I'll prepare for twenty-five, just in case.
I'm supplying each student a template to cut out, and sixteen foundation muslin squares, enough to make four 4-patch blocks. They can either make a 2 ft. sq. wall hanging or a 4 ft. long table runner. If I have time, I'll write the handout as I go; I'd like to make a sample to show.


Um, er, if you'll excuse me, I've got work to do . . .

Thank you for reading this post. Please leave a comment and follow this blog.

Prepping muslin foundations . . .

Last evening, I began prepping muslin foundations . . .

Previously, I had bought several 1.5 yard lengths of 108" bleached muslin, which I pre-shrunk in hot water (and hot dryer). I folded the fabric widthwise and laid it on my cutting mat . . .


I trimmed off the end and cut the fabric in 8" strips along its length . . .

I ended up with a stack of sixteen 108" strips of muslin . . .

Next, I prepared a solution of liquid starch and water. The bottle gave a formula of one cup liquid starch to six cups of water for "light" starch, and one cup liquid starch to four cups of water for "medium" starch . . . I used one cup liquid starch to five cups of water (heavier than "light," and lighter than "medium"). When I first started using this method, I used a 50/50 starch/water solution: the muslin came out as stiff as cardboard, the sewing machine needle made a "pock, pock, pock" sound while sewing, and I noticed little puffs of "starch dust" (which can't be good for the machine). I quickly learned to dilute the starch even more.

I starch the muslin for two reasons: the starch adds stability to the muslin, making it less likely to stretch when sewing on the bias; and, the starch keeps the ink from spreading too far when I stamp the squares (I don't mind the ink bleeding through to the other side, but I don't want the lines too thick).

I poured the starch/water solution in an aluminum roasting pan (they're not just for turkeys, you know). While wearing latex gloves, I added strips of muslin until all the solution was soaked up, then I'd flip the entire pile over, kneading the solution through (and out of) the strips, then let it get soaked up again. I did this several times to make sure ALL the strips were soaked.

Next, I covered my worktable with a plastic tablecloth. I wrung out the excess starch/water solution, then spread the strips on the table to air a bit. I do not let the strips dry completely because it's difficult to iron out any wrinkles. Instead, I let the strips air until they're just slightly moist to the touch (this varies depending on temperature, whether there's a fan blowing on them, etc.).

Then, it's time to iron the strips. The heat from the iron removes the last of the moisture and gives a smooth, clean finish to the strips.

I layer the ironed strips on my cutting mat, trim off the selvedge, then cut the strips into 8" squares. There is usually a piece left over that's less than 8", but too big to throw away. That's ok: I have a 3" stamp I'll use on them.

Here you have one hundred ninety-six 8" squares and sixteen "remnants."

Today, I ordered some new fabric ink from Dharma Trading . . . the ink I had been using is toxic and gives off a strong chemical smell. I'm hoping the new ink will be friendlier. I bought a bottle of yellow and a bottle of blue. They should arrive Friday . . . now, back to the studio to make more starched muslin squares.

Thank you for reading . . . feel free to leave a comment and follow me.

HAMMER TIME!!

I have ten days to get the following things done before I leave for Rockford, IL and my 3-day lecture/workshop gig:

1. Complete book and get copies printed (a la FedEx/Kinko's) . . . at this point, I need to write front matter, and add additional material to two sections.
2. Extract material from the book to turn into handouts for students (the students do not get a free book).
3. Cut, starch, and stamp muslin squares for the construction workshop.
4. Write handout and prepare templates for construction workshop students.

At this point, I'm a little hindered by the fact that the guild has no idea how many students I should expect. I'm sure my contract states the maximum number of students per workshop . . . we'll see . . .

The following week, I have a 3-day gig in the western suburbs of Chicago. They have no idea how many students to expect, either . . .

GRRRR (and, not in a good way) . . .

Small pieces quilted . . .

Tonight, I finished quilting the three smaller pieces (pics to come) . . . they all still need to be bound.

I experimented with different quilting angles on these pieces. On one piece, I quilted parallel rows at a 45 degree angle . . . one another piece, I quilted parallel rows one unit wide and two units high (think of a diagonal line through a 1 x 2 rectangle) . . . on the third piece, quilted parallel rows one unit wide and three units high (a much steeper angle). The quilting lines coincide with angles within the piece, so I'm happy with 'em.

Now I'm debating whether to design and start a new quilt to use up more of the fabric swap fabrics, or "go scrappy," and clear out some leftover squares and cut fabric from old projects . . .

Mardi Gras Men quilted . . .

Last night, I finished quilting my Mardi Gras Men quilt . . .

Today, the yet-unbound quilt hangs on my office wall (pics to come) . . .

I took down the three smaller tops (36" square) to take home to start quilting tonight . . .

I'll bind all four of 'em at the same time . . .

What is it?? . . . What am I doing??

I primarily use foundation piecing for my quilt tops . . . I sew my fabric pieces to a foundation of lightly-starched muslin. I treat the two layers of fabric as one. When the top is complete, the muslin remains (unlike paper piecing, where the paper is torn away).

I found that using batting and a backing made the resulting quilt too heavy, too hot, too too . . . Now, I only use a flannel backing (and no batting). It can be used year-round ("Quilts aren't just for winter, anymore . . .").

This weekend, I began working on the Mardi Gras Men quilt. I'm sewing parallel rows of white thread at a 45 degree angle (you can just make it out in the pic below). I'm about 3/4 done.

I have two questions for you: is it a quilt (or a coverlet)?? . . . am I quilting (or sewing a lining to a quilt top)??

Channeling Rooney and Garland . . .

". . . Let's put on a show!!"

Three weekends ago, I ran into Scott and Sam, a couple who run an antique shop/art gallery in Ste. Genevieve, MO . . . they asked if I'd be interested in mounting a quilt show in their gallery for an upcoming Art Walk (which happens the fourth Friday of every month).

Two weekends ago, Ed and I spent the weekend in Perryville, MO, not far from Ste. Genevieve, and I had the opportunity to scope out the place.

This weekend, I decided to mount a quilt show the end of August. I need to quilt the following four quilts in five weeks:

The first three quilt tops are 36" square; the last quilt top is 72" square.

What has me psyched is that all four quilt tops were made using the same set of templates, though no two patterns are alike (and there are infinite possible patterns).

More to follow . . .

Stamping muslin foundations

Today, my stamp-pad foam from Dharma arrived in the mail (actually, it arrived yesterday, but I wasn't in the office to get it).

This evening, I cut a sheet of it to size, inked it up, and started stamping muslin foundations. I like the results much better than using an inked sheet of felt. I stamped about 50 in no time flat!! Shown below are the front of one square and the back of another. The inked lines are clearly visible from either side; reversible foundations will come in handy.

Up next: a day in the life of a foundation-pieced square.

New News (not to be confused with Old Olds)

The first thing you may notice is a different look for the blog . . . that's to reflect the launching of my new and improved website (sometime in the next 24 hours)!! Tonight, I pointed my name servers at my old host to my new host. Patrick Baxter at Big Name Brain (www.BigNameBrain.com) did a fantastic job!!

Next, an update on what's happening:

I've cut about 300 slightly-starched muslin squares (more to come).

The experiment with the pigment dye and the sheet of felt-as-stamp-pad was a bust (and a mess). I ordered several sheets of stamp-pad foam from Dharma Trading (www.DharmaTrading.com), which should arrive Tuesday. For the moment, I'm using black indelible marking ink and a sheet of felt . . . I'm getting a feel for the stamping. Slightly starching the muslin squares keeps the ink from wicking outwards, making the lines much thicker than desired. The ink DOES bleed through the muslin, though, making the squares reversible (previously, I had to stencil left- and right-handed muslin squares). I promise to post pics when my results are more uniform.

I came up with a pattern and started cutting fabric and sewing squares Saturday night. I'm sewing them a little differently than in the past. Again, I'll post pics at a later date.

Christmas in July!!

It's been quite a week!!

Monday, I received a bottle of pigment dye and a bottle of thickener from Dharma Trading Co. (http://www.DharmaTrading.com/) . . . I intend to thicken the dye and use it for stamping (but, more about that later).

Tuesday, I did laundry, including 6 yards of 108" wide muslin (but, more about THAT later, too).

Wednesday, I received 25 Fall-themed fat quarters from a fabric swap with some of the guys from QuiltGuy, a Yahoo group of male quilters I belong to . . .

I also received a pair of rubber stamps I ordered last week . . .

Now, the fun begins . . .

Tonight, I begin lightly starching, ironing, and cutting the muslin into strips, then squares for foundation piecing. I bought a small cookie sheet which I'll line with a piece of felt, then wet with the thickened pigment dye. This becomes my oversized stamp pad for the rubber stamps. I'll stamp my design on the muslin squares before sewing fabric to 'em.

I can hardly wait to see what happens . . .

Paper Piecing (Without the Paper)

Today, I ordered two rubber stamps (3-inch and 6-inch square) to stamp fabric for foundation piecing.

I also ordered pigment dye (and thickener) to stamp with.

Everything should arrive early next week.