So we moved...

So we moved, 94.5 and an hour and a half away. From a new-ish house with ample storage to a smaller, older, house without. This is a rental, very dog-friendly, in a GREAT neighborhood. We can walk to the local park which has an off-leash area for dogs. The neighbors are amazing, I already feel as if we have made life-long friends! The drawback? Trying to cram my sewing/quilting studio equipment into a 10' by 11' room.

I went from this:

to this:

to this:

The tiny room was designed to be a bedroom. I grew up in a room just like this. It was perfect as a child. But for a quilting space it has been challenging. I had a mini-melt-down earlier in the week, which considering the situation was really good. I do have space for a design wall. But books, notions and backing fabrics haven't yet made it in here. Probably won't.

We are renting, since we do not know the area, and fully intend to look for an appropriate place to buy once our other house sells, so I know this is temporary. In the interest of maintaining my sanity, I have made it work and yesterday whipped up this pillow:

It is for a fund-raiser at work. Just half-square triangles, but it feels good to be making again.

decamping

The movers will be here in 1 week. Instead of freaking out, I am trying to just do stuff. They will pack everything, except my quilting/sewing stuff. I will do that next weekend. In the meantime, and when in town, I have been doing therapy sewing (isn't it all therapy?).

Finished this:

Pattern is Moon Dance by Villa Rosa Quilts. These are the little postcard patterns. I can not resist them. Fun, well-written, easy, wish I had thought of this?
A detail, mostly Carolyn Friedlander fabric, with this little goldfish thrown in for fun.

I think it makes a great gender-neutral baby quilt to have in my stash.

On my wall, I am designing this:

Can you tell I like orange? This winter has been tough so I am gravitating toward the bright colors. Orange, red and pink just make me happy. And with my traveling for work, I have a lot of time in the to think about quilts. While I appreciate ALL quilts, I realize each of us has a different aesthetic, and for me, I love scrappy! This one is coming along nicely, if I had a batting, I would get to quilting!

Finally, I have done some quilting for hire. Here is a detail of what I recently finished:

A Downton Abbey themed quilt for a friend, she always lets me do what I want. This beautiful quilt really wanted feathers. And it quilted like a dream.

Next post may be from our new abode. Fingers crossed for a smooth move!

Catching up/year end 2014

The day job keeps me so busy. Traveling is fun, the job is too (most days!). But blogging has taken a back seat to Instagram (follow me: kheliwud). BUT as this is my way of journaling my exploits, here is a catch-up since the last post:

I quilted for hire (3 for this lady, a sweet friend of mine!)

This is also for a dear friend, May Chappell, and this quilt went to Quilt Market (more photos and read about it here) in Houston!:

I made a Brickyard by Bearhug Quiltworks 

(great pattern, goes really fast, designed by yet another awesome friend!)

 I made a leglamp pillow for my son (matches one of his tattoos), from this source

Lunch bags from this awesome tutorial

Made 6 sew together bags (4 shown here)

Did some low-water immersion dyeing

Hosted a private FMQ class (and had so much fun with these ladies!)

Did some Christmas presents form this tutorial (May Chappell ROCKS!)

Joined this mini quilt swap:

 

And quilted the TMQG QuiltCon 2015 quilt:

I am off until Jan 2, so more sewing is happening! 

I hope you have been enjoying a wonderful Holiday Season and I hope all the best for you, and for Peace on Earth in 2015!

Don't forget to check out my Free Motion Tips tab. Feel free to email any FMQ questions as well, I love to help!

let's wrap this year up

A few finishes not yet blogged:

Daily News, 63" by 80", my own random piecing:

 I used all stash for the front, prints and batiks.

Quilted using different motifs, and some ruler work.

Why "Daily News?

Remember the silly riddle: what's black and white and red all over? The newspaper!

Photographed at the beautiful Bethabara Park, in Winston-Salem, NC.

And my small stuff:

A 16" by 20" Christmas pillow cover. I free-handed the lettering using the satin stitch on my Sapphire. Then random piecing in red and teal (love this combination!)

And another:

A 24" square snowflake. Fusible applique, free-motion swirls. Leaving this out all winter.

My winter table scape featuring the 22" Poinsettia block from sew kind of wonderful:

Leaving this out all winter, too! So happy 2014 to all of you!

DSM, Table-top LA, LA on Frame: a comparison

My dear friend Phyllis, asked me which I preferred for quilting: my domestic sewing machine (DSM), a sit-down long-arm (the HQ Sweet 16 I test-sewed) or a long-arm on a frame. I replied, in a perfect world, ALL 3!


So how about a comparison? I will start with the DSM.
PROS: Well, I already own 2 Viking Sapphires, which have a large throat for FMQ. They are portable (while really heavy) can be used anywhere, and stored away (as if I would do that!). Needles and threads can be easily purchased. The DSM can be used for a variety of sewing. I am very accustomed to these machines!
CONS: Even with a larger than normal throat, the area around the needle is short, and visibility is not great, I have a variety of tables arranged to hold my quilt as I work on it, but the quilts can still be heavy to move. Quilts need to be basted.
STILL: I like the ease of moving my fabric to create my stitch paths.

On to the Sit-Down long arm. These are the new "it" machines in the Quilting world. Gammill is bringing theirs out this year. Handi Quilter makes the Sweet 16, and Baby Lock has the Tiara (which are actually the same machines with different name badges). Bailey, Tin Lizzie and APQS have sit down machines as well. I have used both the HQSS and the Baby Lock versions. And WOW! I love the visibility!
PROS: The LED light ring around the needle, coupled with the height of the arm means you can see very well. That additional height and the width of the arm mean there is plenty of space for your quilts. These machines come with a custom table and do not take up a tremendous amount of space. For me, the quilting is the same as on my DSM: I move the fabric under the needle, so the learning curve of quilting on this is minimal.
CONS: table extensions (which are needed to hold your quilt) cost extra; these are specialized machines and the learning curve can be steep. You have to learn how to maintain the machine as well as learning how to operate it. Some can be adapted for use on a frame, others can not. Quilts need to be basted.
STILL: the movement of fabric is the same as with the DSM, so that is a plus!

The long arm on a frame. My line is: I will have a long arm when I grow up!
PROS: quilts are pinned to the frame, so any size quilt (depending on the length of frame rails) can be quilted easily, longer and higher throat to accommodate quilt bulk and enhanced viewing. Most come with optional stitch-regulator which can keep your stitches even as you learn. CAN use pantographs (pre-marked stitch paths)
Quilts can be basted on frame if needed.
CONS: Take up a lot of space, NOT cheap (although prices range from maker to maker and with or without bells and whistles), completely different from free-motion with a DSM or Sit-Down machine as you move the machine over the quilt. Learning curve for pinning on frame, tension, moving machine is steep, not impossible, but it does take practice. Needles, threads and supplies may not be easily and/or locally available.

The stitching on a long-arm on a frame vs. the stitching on a sit-down machine are distinctive, while they accomplish the same goal, the appearances are different. As a quilter, I really enjoy the quilting as well as the piecing, but it has taken years to feel confident with my FMQ. I know that going to a long-arm will frustrate me as I work to master the movement of the machine over the fabric, however, I still want one. We have a king-sized bed, and although I have FMQed king-sized quilts, they are heavy and basting on the floor is hard on my body.

I am planning on attending a quilt show in a few weeks to test drive as many as possible. Hope I will be adding a long-arm to my stable in the near future!

Please share your thoughts and experiences! I really appreciate the information!

some catching up

This post is going to all over the place, and of course quilting (or lack of) will be mentioned!

I spent this past week in Guilford, Maine. The company I work for has a facility there, and I was up to participate in customer visits. Some highlights:

Local brews, (top, L to R) Sea Dog Wild Blueberry Ale, just a hint of blueberry taste, and quite refreshing! Geary's Pale Ale, love the lobster on the label, hearty taste. (bottom, L to R) Shipyard, quite nice with fried haddock and scallops, Goose Island Honker's Ale, another nice brew.

My first, and second, visits to Moosehead Lake. This place is magical, truly beautiful. The photos do not do it justice. Suffice it to say, I am planning a visit with my hubs for some quality time here!

Of course there is quilting in Maine! I finally got a chance to visit the Cotton Cupboard Quilt Shop in Bangor. It is close to the airport, but I have never been able to get by there when they were open, until this trip! What a beautiful shop! Lots of fabrics from Modern prints to batiks to Civil War to Maine inspired. Tons of patterns and an amazing selection of books. Oh, and the sweetest little Boston Terrier: Gracie!  The other shop pictured is Crazy Moose Fabrics in Greenville by Moosehead Lake. I couldn't get there while they were open, but am planning a visit when I can! And the Sunbonnet Sue? One of my quilting buddies that works for us, Carol, made her. We quilters are everywhere and seek each other out! Carol is a member of the Pine Tree Guild, Maine's statewide quilt guild, as well as another regional guild. There are many amazing quilters in the wilds of Maine.

So, home this week, should be able to sew, again, finally!

Obligatory lobster shot, we had our customer dinners (and all meals) catered by the fantastic Pat's Pizza in Dover-Foxcroft. They did our lobster boil dinners for both sessions of visits and did an amazing job in a gorgeous space!

Darma Sunrise

I got a little carried away with the quilting on this one.

Darma Sunrise 46" by 36"

I started the border first on this one. One of our LQS, Sew Original is hosting a "Solids Challenge" and this was originally going to be my entry.

I love how the border looks. But originally I wasn't loving the dark gray I used in the center.

So I decided to lighten it up with quilting. And I quilted a lot. 

Feathers, fronds, swirls, oh my!

I believe this will serve nicely as a teaching sample for a while.

 

The backing is a batik I had in my stash, and the colors worked perfectly.

reconnecting

Bonnie and I grew up attending the same church. There was a slight age difference, she is 3 years ahead of me, that when you are younger seems greater.
Our parents have remained connected, but life happened and we each grew up going our own ways.
Last year, at a local quilt show, we ran into each other. "I didn't know you quilted!" we both said. And we were delighted to start talking quilting. We exchanged email addresses with a promise to get together.

Life happened again, her mother fell into ill-health, her father passed away.
We ran into each other (yes, at another quilt show!) and again, promised to get together. Well, this time, we kept the promise to each other.

Last Sunday, I paid her a visit (we only live 15-20 minutes apart!). I arrived, and when I next looked at a clock, I had been there 4 and a half hours!

I feel like I have been given a huge gift! It is so great to reconnect and feel the love and the commonalities of deep friendship.

We talked quilting, of course! Bonnie has been sewing and quilting like me, but she had taken the plunge and purchased a sit-down long-arm, an HQ Sweet 16.

She invited me to play on it.

Ya'll (as we say in here in the South), that machine ROCKS!

Bonnie also shared with me, her summer hobby, marquetry. Look at this beauty:

She quilts with wood!!!

What a great Sunday!

 Neat coincident: she and her husband attended an event this week, and met my husband.

a quilty Saturday, and I didn't even sew

But the day was devoted to quilting!

I started Saturday morning attending the quarterly meeting of the Carolina Longarm Association, which was held at Sewingly Yours. This was our Machine Quilting Bee meeting for this month and it was so informative.

Next, I traveled to deliver all my mini-quilts. They are going to be on display and offered for sale at Statesville's Downtown Art Crawl, this coming Friday, April 19 as part of Taproot Artisans. I met Janet (from Taproot), at a Barn Quilt workshop. There were 4 people there, painting their own barn quilts! If you want a barn quilt of your own, contact Taproot, they can help you! They also lead barn quilt tours through Iredell County.

Brand-new barn quilts, just born!

Then on my way back home, I stopped by Carolina Quilt Market, where I am teaching on May 4. What an amazing place! Jean sells quilts on consignment, as well as holding classes.
Quilts were everywhere, sorted by size and theme.

There is a great group of Christmas quilts and wall hangings, as well as an amazing group of vintage quilts, at great prices. She also had a large selection of handbags, as well as quilt books and some fabrics she was selling from the estate of a quilter.

There will be sewing tomorrow, but this was a day filled with inspiration.

little projects

2 cute quilts.

Churn Dash 14.5" square

A mix of patterns.

 

An 8-pointed star, 12" square.

Kona Snow and Kaffe prints.

I have been invited to place some small quilts into  craft shop in Iredell County, so I have been working on these and several others. The shop owner gives barn quilt tours and sells barn quilts so she asked for traditional quilt blocks. I am having a lot of fun making these!