Category Archives: quilting

Label Your Quilts to Preserve the Moment

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Quilt label for my son's quilt

Quilt label for my son’s quilt

I have a confession.  I am not very good at remembering to make quilt labels.  Yet I know just how important they are and how much character they add to a quilt.

And the thing is, I love to make labels.  The one pictured above is digitized (I knew absolutely nothing about digitizing at the time) from a picture of my son when he was 4 years old.  He was blowing a dandelion.  I made him a quilt that year, from fabric that he loved, and I wanted it to be a remembrance of that time in his life.  It includes his name, the date the quilt was finished and of course, “Made with love by mommy.”

Right now, I have at least 3 quilts which need labels.  I can no longer remember exactly what year I made the quilts. (Sometime in the last 5 years).

I am especially guilty of not labeling anything that I make for myself or for our house.  When giving something away, I am a little better at the labels.  A little.

It seems irresponsible to make a quilt, put it out there in the world and not give it a label, an identity, a reason, a meaning.

At work, a customer told me she never puts on the binding of a quilt until after she adds the label.  I think that’s a good recommendation.  We all know that the last stitch of binding means we’re done. Complete. Finished. Put it away.  But making sure that label is in place before the binding is on, is a way to trick ourselves into getting it done.

So let’s agree to make the effort.  We never pass this way again.  My son will never be 4 years old again. But we can capture that tiny little season, and wrap ourselves up in it with a cup of hot chocolate on a cold October evening.

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Bernina Embroidery Software 7 – It’s Here!

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sftware73I’ve been in training the past couple of days learning Bernina’s new embroidery software…Software 7.

Here’s the verdict.  I love it.

And believe me, if I didn’t love it, this blog would be about something else!

My first impression was that the new interface with its bright colors and larger icons made the software feel remedial — like entry level stuff — when we all know this digitizing software is probably the most complete consumer embroidery software on the market.

As I played around, I found all my “usual” icons in places that are far more intuitive than they were before.  I think beginners will have a much easier time understanding all the capabilities of this software.

A few general highlights:

–More single run lettering capabilities and fonts which will be perfect for quilt labels, recipes etc.

–Micro lettering, which will allow tiny satin stitch fonts

–A “Paint Bucket” which allows you to change colors in small parts of a design very quickly

–Easy-to-use, intuitive navigation…lots of little surprises here, but all good

–Improvements in slow redraw, including being able to redraw in artistic view

–Ability to change from Metric to US measurements with the click of a mouse

–Ability to add an article of clothing in the background of your design to calculate position, sizing

–“Quick trace” ability in Artwork Canvas (turning a bitmap into a vector)

–Stumpwork, trapunto, and raised satin stitch capabilites

Overall, the improvements were easy to figure out and to use.  That’s the hallmark of good design…when you “get it” right away.

I was able to load Software 7 on the same computer as Version 6, but most of you will want to simply update.

I can’t wait to spend a little time working on projects.  FYI, Bernina’s Software Sampler will continue to focus on Version 6 until the end of the year, at which point everything will be focused on Software 7.

Here’s a video provided by Bernina that will give you an overall idea of their new Software 7.

 

 

 

 

Singer Featherweight in the House

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Oops I did it again.

I bought a sewing machine.

But this one is cute.

1934 Singer Featherweight

1934 Singer Featherweight

This one has a beautiful straight stitch, comes with its own case and accessories, and similar machines are owned by millions of people.

But this one is from 1934.  That’s one year after they started making them in 1933.  These crazy little reliable sewing machines were made in virtually the same design from 1933 to sometime in the sixties. They can be looked up by date by checking their serial number on the bottom.  Older Singer Featherweights are worth a little more, but a lot depends on the condition.    This one has some wear and tear from use, but I would guess that’s to be expected.  I have some wear and tear from use and I was not born in 1934.

Featherweights really still hold charm in the eyes of many sewists.  Without any gimmicks or heavy duty electronics, these little machines just keep going.  And going. Parts for them are readily available on the market.  Resale value still holds.  Collectors are all still interested.  Some things just never appear to lose their value.

Adding Some Sparkle

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metallicI’m teaching a class at Sew Generously in November about using metallic thread for machine embroidery. The look can be absolutely stunning, perfect during the holidays or special ocassions.

Or it can make you want to throw your thread against a wall and storm out of the room.  (Ask me how I know.)

But some basic tips can go a long way.  Troubleshooting is another issue, and is exactly the reason I offer a hands-on class.  Until you try and fail, you will not know what works and doesn’t on your machine.

Here are a few very general tips on using metallic thread:

1.  Use good quality thread.

This should go without saying, but you know, I always run into people who will pay thousands for a machine and then purchase thread that is garbage.  Thread manufacturing is a science and it can be made to excellent standards or made on the cheap and, let’s face it, when it comes to thread, you get what you pay for.  I always recommend Superior Threads.  I have used their products numerous times with success IF you follow some of the following tips.

2.  Use a topstitch needle. 

They have a larger eye and that gives the thread some room, so it cuts down on breakage.

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3.  Don’t be afraid to change your upper tension.

Most of the time, you have to reduce the top tension all the way to 1.

 

 

 

4.  Use the correct thread in the bobbin.

I have had some success using OESD bobbin thread, but nothing works better than Superior’s Bottom Line in the bobbin.  It’s a lightweight poly, and is a perfect match for their metallic thread.  Use Bottom Line in the bobbin when sewing with monofilament too.

upright thread stand5. Know when to use your upright thread spool holder.

It may be easy to think this one can be overlooked, but you would be surprised what a difference it makes.  If your thread is straight wound, as this one is, make sure it’s on the upright holder.  If it’s cross-wound, as many other metallics are, you should be OK on the horizontal spool holder.

To learn a little more about horizontal vs. vertical spool holders, click here.

Metallic thread looks so gorgeous during the holidays–on linens, home decor accents, even on apparel…especially on apparel.

Work through your fear and try it!

A Place at the Table

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IMG_1772These placemats are almost ready for a fall table.  The fabric is fused, they are quilted, and I just need to trim them up and add the binding made from some yummy pumpkin fabric.

IMG_1773I’m sure you’ve seen these Craf-Tex Placemat craft packs at your local quilt store, (if not, ask them to bring them in!)  but I am using them for the first time and they are just a dream!  They are so easy to work with, and before you know it, you have beautiful custom placemats for your dining room or kitchen. The fabric fuses on both sides easily without any steam, machine quilting is smooth, and in no time I just add a binding and  have custom placemats for my fall table!  Of course, I could have done some piecing, but I just love this fall fabric, so I didn’t want to cut it up any further…just enjoy it as is!

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For us, these will simply become our everyday mats, as they will carry us through the holidays (they have pine cones in the mix)  A set of four placemats like this sews so quickly and would make a terrific custom-made gift!

I still have to trim them up and add the binding but really…sew simple!!  Find yourself some rich, luscious, yummy fabric and whip these up in no time.

The View from the Second Balcony

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As I have been working on a quilt for my great-nephew, I can’t help but think about my own great aunts — whatever few of them I have known.

They were bit players. In fact, if I am on the stage of my own life, my great aunts were not in orchestra seats.  Not even Main Floor or Mezzanine.  They were in the Second Balcony.  I could barely see them.

But they were up there applauding.

Aunt Julie, my maternal Grandma’s youngest sister was possibly the sweetest woman I’d ever known.  I can’t picture her face without a lovely smile.  I never saw her when she wasn’t smiling — at least at me.  Her daughter died of a heart attack at the age of 27, leaving behind a young daughter of her own. I couldn’t have been more than 5 or 6 at the time.

I also had a Great Great Aunt.  My paternal great-grandmother’s sister.  Very Polish.  She lived near 26th and California and if you know anything about Chicago, you know that even 40 years ago that neighborhood was very old.  Every time we climbed that long wooden staircase above the sidewalk up to the front door, I feared it might collapse.

When she saw me, she smiled and dug into her weathered coin purse to slip me a few coins.

“You get ice cream,”  she said in her heavy accent, smiling as she pressed the money into my hand.

I have tried many times to explain to my son that there are many people in this world who love him, whose names he doesn’t even know. They include extended family and friends,  neighbors, my husband’s father’s wife’s family (it sounds more complicated than it is), our parents’ friends, and on and on.

Now it’s time for me to be the Great Aunt, separated by a couple of generations.  Second Balcony,  here I come.

And I’ll be applauding so wildly I just might fall off.

Color scheme for the baby's room is grey.

Color scheme for the baby’s room is grey. This pattern comes from a new book by Weeks Ringle and Bill Kerr, “Transparency Quilts”.

I Should Be Quilting

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Yes. I should be quilting.  I should be quilting because my nephew and his wife are going to have a baby that’s due in November and I am making them a quilt to match the baby’s room. (I’ll be posting that as soon as I actually begin.)

But the midwestern harvest is coming in and I spent the morning gathering radishes, onions, shallots, zucchini, and cabbage.  The local farm tells me tomatoes are still 2 weeks away here.  I am excited because for the first year in a long time, my tomatoes (knock on wood) are looking good.  Last year I had thousands of cherry tomatoes, but not much luck with heirlooms and plum tomatoes.  This year, all seem to be thriving– God willing, the critters stay away and the creek don’t rise.

So instead of quilting I have been sucked into a cookbook by Ina Garten that I got at Costco.

The book is called “Fooproof.”

IMG_1635Now, let’s be honest, we’re all friends here.  This woman, with her “traditional build,” as Alexander McCall Smith would call it, has got to be a good cook.

I bought a box of her brownie mix once and I remember the instructions (and I’m paraphrasing/recalling):

Take the brownies out of the oven when I tell you. Do not wait until they appear to be done.  By then it’s too late. Just DO WHAT I TELL YOU.

I like her.

Needless to say, they were about the best brownies out of a box that I ever tasted. Ever.

So I went ahead and made the crostini which you can see on the cover of her book.

IMG_1638 Here’s what’s left by the time I got my camera.  My husband is a big fan of bruschetta, but this was more of an elegant appetizer…and between the two of us we polished it off quick.

I was using tomatoes from the French Market in Geneva and some golden cherry tomatoes from HPM Farm in St. Charles. Picked some shallots from my garden with fresh basil and a few other local ingredients.  Can’t say this was the easiest appetizer I ever made, but hands down one of the tastiest.

Please don’t nag. I know I should be sewing.  But it’s mid-July and the veggies are so fresh, and the eating is so good. And thunderstorms at night mean it’s not a good idea to plug in the sewing machine.

Hey-there’s a sewing tip for the day!   Unplug your machine when you’re not using it. You will save yourself a whole lot of heartache if you have a power surge or brown out.  In fact, even when you are using it, you should have it at least plugged into a surge protector, or even better, an uninterruptable power supply.  Either one will sacrifice itself to save your machine.

Think I’ll go bring in my onions which are out drying in the sun.  And prune the roses. Weed the garden.  Fill the bird feeders and go for a little walk.

I KNOW.  I’ll get to the sewing room soon.

I promise.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Introducing Local Artisans

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I love craftsmanship.  I love everything about the details of beautiful work that is not manufactured by some mindless, soulless company.  I admire craftspeople because of their dedication to their craft, and their inability to produce something that is beneath their standards for excellence.

In this country, we see far too little of it, and we are always so anxious to purchase something cheap and fast.  And when it breaks, or simply stops working, we are fine with throwing it away, tossing it into a landfill and forgetting we ever spent our hard-earned money on it.

The older I get, the more I appreciate slow.  Slow food, slow information, slow, thoughtful work.  And by slow, of course, I mean, the things that take a little time to create.  I mean the things that take our hands, hearts, minds and skills.

The following are three local artisans we recently showcased at Sew Generously.  Please take a look at their work and consider purchasing something they have made with their minds, hands and hearts. I’ve met each of them in person (well, I met Bill’s wife) and they are all lovely people with a dedication to quality.

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Robert and Paula Briick – www.bbbriick.com

They make innovative organizers for quilters, including quilt racks and ruler holders, and their design is so simple and clean, I ask myself, why didn’t I think of that?  And of course, that’s what makes them special.

organizers

 

 

 

Robert and Paula Briick

Robert and Paula Briick.  I bought one of their quilt ruler holders for the wall.

 

Email them at builtbybriick@bbbriick.com

or call 1-877-858-5859

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Bill Williams works in exotic woods, and hand turns handles for seam rippers, pens and other tools.  His work is shown here by his wife, Susan.

Susan Williams, wife of Bill Williams, Wood Craftsman.

Susan Williams, wife of Bill Williams, Wood Craftsman.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A close-up of these hand-turned seam rippers. the exotic woods are gorgeous. i bought the one on the left. It was made of the same type of wood that was put into the dashboards of the original Rolls Royce.

A close-up of these hand-turned seam rippers. The exotic woods are gorgeous. I bought the one on the left. It was made of the same type of wood that was put into the dashboards of the original Rolls Royce.

 

 

 

These can be made to order.  For more info call Bill or Susan Williams 630-377-9351.

 

 

 

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Gretchen Friel is an author who wrote the book, “Coffee Break for Quilters:  A Patchwork of Original Poems.”  She is just a lovely person.  A mom and breast cancer survivor, her poems are inspirational, spiritual, insightful and will resonate in the heart of anyone who sews or works with fabric.

coffee

 

 

 

 

 

Gretchen Friel, author, "Coffee Break for Quilters: A Patchwork of Original Poems"

Gretchen Friel, author, “Coffee Break for Quilters: A Patchwork of Original Poems”

 

 

 

 

 

 

Contact Gretchen at treedeckpublishing.com, or you can purchase the book at Sew Generously in St. Charles or on amazon.com.

Region 3 Complete!

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Alas, we still have 3 more shops in Region 1 before we complete our Northern Illinois Quilt Shop Hop.  

We were able to head out to the Rockford area again yesterday, and frankly, we are getting smarter about these long drives.  Now we pack a cooler with lunch and snacks, we chit- chat about the scenery and the history of the area and also about the shops we are visiting.

With 29 stores behind us, we have some solid knowledge about store layout, fabric availability, and to be honest, we have noticed some major differences in shopability (if that’s a word!)  When we completely finish, I’ll do a summary blog with general thoughts.

For now, let’s get into yesterday’s trip:

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Quilter’s General Store in Rockford

Set in a farmhouse, the quilts, samples and fabrics are laid out in the style of a very charming tour house.  You start in the kitchen, enter the living/dining room area and can even go upstairs into a child’s bedroom.  Near the stairs they had a civil war quilt that finally gave me the inspiration to embark on a civil war quilt.  Generally speaking, not my style, but the accompanying book by Barbara Brackman included the history of every block.  I got pulled in.

Quilter's General Store in Rockford. Civil war blocks.

Quilter’s General Store in Rockford. Civil war blocks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What I bought:  Barbara Brackman’s Civil War book, along with some fabric to work on the blocks.  I also found a hand embroidery guide with instructions for all types of hand embroidery stitches.

Reluctant Assistant comment:  “An old-fashioned quilt shop.”

Quilter's General Store in Rockford.

Quilter’s General Store in Rockford.

 

 

 

 

 

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Quilter’s Haven in Rockford

This shop is set in a little more congested area of Rockford, though only 10 minutes or so from the last shop.  There were a number of shoppers in the store, even though it was a quiet Wednesday.  This store was busy.

What I bought:  Fatquarters

Reluctant Assistant comment:   “No comment.”

Quilter's Haven in Rockford

Quilter’s Haven in Rockford

 

 

 

 

 

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The Notion’s Nook in Rockford

This shop has a tiny storefront, so it was easy to miss.  It is located in the Edgebrook outdoor mall, 5 or 6 stores to the right of the Egg Harbor but before the Annie’s Popcorn sign. (Some day I’m going to have to analyze the number of quilt shops located near an Egg Harbor…we’ve eaten at 2 so far on this trip, and have passed a number of them along the way…smart marketing!)

The shop is under new ownership – this owner has only been there 1 week.  But the shop itself was nicely put together.  They do have a lot of reproduction fabrics and some kids/Halloween stuff.  No shop hop basket yet.

What I bought:  A Civil War book and some stationery.

Reluctant Assistant’s comment:   “Don’t ask the barbecuing guys out front where the sewing store is.  They don’t know, even though they are practically in front of it.”

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Julieanne’s Quilt Shop in Roscoe

A little tricky to get here.  Follow your GPS, but know that they are technically on 251, you just have to pull into the service road to get there.  Our GPS took us round and round in a circle just near the place, but we finally had to call.

The shop has many beautiful reproduction fabrics, including Barbara Brackman.  But they also have some 17th Century French reproductions.  I took note, because I would love to come back soon and take another look.  Since I did not have a plan for that fabric, I did not buy it.  But once I got home, of course, an idea came to me.  They also have some reproduction fabric that gives a portion of the sale to Habitat for Humanity.

What I bought:  Reproduction fabric

Reluctant Assistant comment:  ” Call for directions!! Or you will be going around Clayton Circle for the rest of your life!”

Julieanne's Quilt Shop

Julieanne’s Quilt Shop

 

 

 

 

 

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Before we headed back, I noticed that just 2 doors down from Julieanne’s Quilt Shop, was a little cross stitch shop called Just One Stitch.  I thought, what the heck, we’re all the way out here.  So we stepped inside and found some of the most beautiful cross stitch work I have ever seen!  Everything in the shop was created by a mother/daughter team who must have worked endlessly on these pieces for most of their lives.  Honestly it was lovely, so I am sharing some samples, with their permission, and be sure to stop in when you are in Roscoe.  The work is just spectacular.

Just One Stitch in Roscoe

Just One Stitch in Roscoe

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just One Stitch in Roscoe

Just One Stitch in Roscoe