It's Fine

 

I am finally quilting the Benjamin Biggs Quilt.   It has not been without it's challenges.   The plan is FMQ around the applique in white thread to secure the design, then add hand stitching.  My FMQ is not as precise as I'd sometimes like, but considering I'm doing it on a $100 Singer, it's fine. 

My least favorite process which involves crawling around on the living room floor sandwiching and pinning layers.  Cat Management failed to warn me that the batting I had on hand was 5 inches short on one side.  Replacement batting purchased.  Also had an issue with the tape I had available to hold the backing in place.  Long story short, found some wrinkles on the back side. 

This quilt is for me, not for judges.  So I decided the wrinkles were fine.  And will be less noticeable after washing when everything scrunches up with shrinkage. 

I made a template a year ago for a Sashiko inspired center.  Meanwhile I forgot the planned geometry and my first one has some sections that are off size.  If I hadn't told you, you wouldn't have noticed.   It's Fine. 

The first time I went bold and used a highly contrasting thread, I was able to produce tiny stitches (8 per side) because I used a silk batting and a plain cotton backing. 

Due to the combination of cotton batting and 2 layers of white on white fabric these stitches are 6 to a side.   It's Fine. 

Sometimes I get distracted by my marking lines and it helps to look at the back.  These are the organic flowers that I FMQ on the joining corners of the blocks.  

In the end, it's all going to be just fine.

Lupine

 

I rather stupidly included some very detailed flowers into my design.  Because they are my favorite wildflowers.  Made some progress on the lupines.  Had to return to the fabric stash for blues as the purply-blues I first picked, blended too much with the background. 

After I added the leaves, I decided to do a re-design, so there will be a 3rd lupine instead of the leaf I'd planned.  And one this side is done, there's the mirror image for the other side.   But once all that fussing is over, there will be large expanses of stylized leaves that should go quickly. 

Apple Cake

 

Hung out with my 4 year old granddaughter this week end.  We made pillows from some of her art. Every time she says applique,   I hear apple cake.  After practicing this weird new word, it became apple lick cake.  Sounds like I need to develop a new pastry recipe. 

This is her self portrait.  She picked out the thread to match her original. Traced from original with pencil and used a tight zig-zag. 

I found a 12" pillow form someone had re-homed to me.  As we were wrapping it, she decided that she really wanted it for her bed because it's the right size for her. Guess that will be sorted out when it's opened at Christmas. 

Here's her original art. 

I didn't know she could write her name.  We had to practice her age a few times.  I forgot to take a picture, but used the same zig-zag technique to add this to the back of the flower pillow. 

Sewing for me

 
My favorite hobby is buying fabric and patterns for clothing I will never sew for myself.  

My last attempt was 8 years ago.  But my post-menopause body is a different weight and shape from when I had that figured out.  So I'm starting from scratch again. 

I started with this super basic pattern.  Fitted and has a side zip. 

While looking for muslin fabric, I found this shirt, but decided I'd rather wait and make something really wearable from this shirt.  I thought that using the finished hem and button placket would be worth while.   It's also a very nice Brooks Brothers cotton that I got at a thrift store for a couple dollars.

I muslined the pattern with an old mauve bed sheet.  After a full day, I got it looking this close to working like it would fit me. There were still issues with the neckline and hip width.  But I naively thought that would be easy to adjust. 

I was feeling super clever at re-using the buttons so I wouldn't have to use the side zip.  But there wasn't enough fabric...so I had to piece in an arm section for the front bodice.  It worked really well. 

But the front neckline was all kinds of messed up.   I spent hours swearing, tucking, rolling and tacking down. 

After a half dozen extra darts and tucks, I have a shirt that's actually wearable.  And unlike earlier versions, doesn't look like I'm wearing a tent.

Final fix was replacing the functional button with an oversized fixed one. 

Extra thanks to my Buddy Beve who is my sewing spirit animal.  I can send her pictures of my failures and she alternates b/w advice and cheerleeding.  

For Me

 

After a big quilt project, but particularly an art quilt, I find myself needing to tidy & organize the sewing studio.  Fabrics that were in project bins, need to find new homes in the fabric library. 

In doing so, I found some happy fabrics that cross color categories, and decided it was time for new napkins.  22" squares with hemmed edges in 3 fabrics that kind-of go together. 

The hotpads I've been using were actually practice squares for FMQ from years ago.  Now stained and one with burns.  Same color-ways.  3 layers of cotton / bamboo batting scraps. 

Looking forward to enjoying some impulse buy fabrics from my travels. 

Dia de los Muertos

I'm finished with the flimsy for Boomer's Day of the Dead quilt.  

It is full of symbolic details.  Traditional marigolds.  The leaves are different styles of knife blades.  Boomer collects knives.   The funny shaped leaf is a pork chop.  Because of that time on the motorcycle trip before he got hearing aids.  I said I wanted to get to a location in time to get to the Quilt Shop.  He looked confused and said "Pork Chops?  You just ate. "

I love how the lights and blinkers turned out.   And those screws on the spine & neck are normally only visible on an xray. 

He's holding his Heart of Gold.  A Henry rifle and a version of my Pavona. 

His AR and a 44 Magnum

A clown faced skeleton in the tipping the hat pose from his professional clown picture.  Cap has his motorcycle logo on it.  The t-shirt is the one he was wearing the day he survived a Widow Maker MI.  

Now to quilt it.  

 

Benjamin Biggs Flimsy Finish

 

It's been a long time coming.  The applique on the Benjamin Biggs reproduction quilt is finally done. 

My first post on this was January 2014. 

I kept up with the block of the month pretty well for the first year, then other things became more interesting I guess. 

Fall of 2020, I pulled out the finished, or mostly finished blocks with a renewed commitment to finish.  I pushed through and got the blocks finished and sewn together by the end of the year. 

While also working on the monotonous swags, I worked out how I'm going to quilt this, by making a test block using raw edge applique with a clever plan I stole from another quilter to manage the "stupid flowers" that are in the corner of each block. 
 

I've decided on a mix of FMQ and hand applique. 

A friend bought the test sample pillow in exchange for a donation to my favorite charity.

I ordered backing fabric this weekend and found a pure white batting in the stash.  

Last night I finished the very last of the red petals on the swag borders.  I'm not sure how my swags ended up with an extra swoop on the corner from the original.... but adaptation is always good. 

Hoping to get the top marked and sandwiched this weekend!