Cue Strings!

Scratching a few itches for me at the moment is the String Fever Quilt Along hosted by Rachel at Stitched in Color. It's giving me a chance to eat into my massive box of neutral scraps, make my first quilt from a more traditional block, and have a project focused completely on playing with line and colour, and not connected to sewing for custom orders or gifts.



I rifled through my big collection of low value scraps, found all my strips, made some more and put them in this bamboo bowl. My main goal for this quilt has been to relax. At first that meant making one block at a time, enjoying the choosing of prints and the slow pace. When that was no longer fulfilling, I started 'chain' piecing blocks like this:

I'm just choosing a long string, gradually adding my incomplete blocks and then at the end of the strip, I add more strips or little scrappy squares to start new blocks. Once the blocks get to over 8", I trim them with my fluoro yellow 8" square. (I'm sorry manufacturers, but WHY forest green and fluoro yellow??)

Making them this way has my little pile of log cabins growing really quickly even thought I'm only doing little bits at a time. And because I'm always starting new ones, they don't all look the same despite being put through the machine together on the one fabric strip. I'm thinking, just for fun, I might make a collection of 4.5" blocks and one big 15.5" (have I done the maths right?) block, to mix it up a bit. What do you think?

saying thank you

I recently bought a bunch of books to say thank you to the wonderful, generous ladies who helped run my little shop in town while I was sick.  I had such a beautiful, relaxing experience flicking through them all with my cup of tea, I wanted to share it with you.
I love blogging and reading blogs for its interaction and community, but there's something about a book that makes me feel a kind of solitude and peace that I don't get with a screen. And the experience of going back, finding new things, being inspired feels a little less overwhelming in something that's complete and static. Maybe it's the way my eyes can settle on a page that's not always scrolling.
I especially loved the above Playing with Books and Anna Maria Horner's Needlepoint Notebook. They were so full of new ideas for me. A world of creativity and expression I hadn't yet explored, of things that take time. And Sunday Morning Quilts was was great resource for thinking through how I wanted to sort my scraps.
I hope my photos contain enough information that you could look them up if you want to. Feel free to ask for more in the comments. xx

Blocks and Bees

When my friend Helen asked if I wanted to be part of an online quilting bee, I knew I would be terrible at it. I am not one of those ordered, organised types.  But I said yes, hoping I would prove myself wrong. It did sound like fun, it included members with blogs I already followed, and it only involved one block a month. As someone prone to procrastination, I couldn't get that far behind with that little work, right? Wrong. In almost 12 months, I think I've made, umm, four.
So now that I've finished up at the shop, I'm aiming to correct that.

I decided to start with Lucy's Feather block. It was one I'd wanted to do for a while. I thought I'd make 2 for Lucy (with one side of each feather a whole print), and 3 for me, which I thought I would then appliqué on to linen to make a wrap skirt. Helen had warned me that she made a mistake about 4 times with this block, getting the direction of the feathers mixed up. I thought, "Yep, noted. Cut one side one way, and flip the paper pattern over for the other. Easy."
This is what I got:

Oh, Ok. Gotcha. So I discarded the side that had the lines going the wrong way and made an opposite side from this scrap of Garden Party.

Now time to cut the white bits. I have quite a few shades of white scraps, so I brought my feather shapes over to the ironing board to compare in natural light which would look nicest. (I love that this bee doesn't require you have certain shades of solids.) I chose a cream that I think looked best, started to cut around the pattern and made the ultimate boo boo.

I cut into my feather. Ugh. (And somewhere along the line I have ironed my scissors. I never noticed until now!)
I was not going to be swayed from my goal of getting this done before the refrigerator repair guy came. I went back to my scrap of strips left over, added some more strips and cut out another feather piece, this time making sure the lines were heading the right way.

I cut it at slightly the wrong angle. But by this stage the fridge man was due any minute so I sent off a little "Hope this is ok, Lucy!" into the air and continued on.

Here is is finished. One block, not 5, a little wonky and 6 months late. :)
I actually found all the other template pieces too small. I don't know if that's because the printer got it funny, printing to Aussie dimension paper (A4) or because the strips end up on the bias and you need to be careful when piecing the rest of the block. But next time I would make them all too long, then trim to the right block size. In the end this one was about an inch smaller than Lucy specified, but when I went to the Flickr discussion about the block, many others had had the same experience, and Lucy didn't mind getting them as they came and trimming or adding. Go Lucy!

I really like the strong contrast of black and white with the scrappy colours, don't you? I have never used black in quilts before, ever. The only reason I had this piece is because it was leftover from a custom cushion order.And I love how BIG the feather is. (This block is 17" long) You don't get that impression from the pictures in the pattern. It makes me want to make a baby quilt from it. Though maybe not this morning! :)

I really appreciated this post from Lily's Quilts about virtual quilting bees a while ago. And while I hate being that person she talked about in the 'cons', I'm also very thankful for a very relaxed and understanding bee. I have had to unpick and start over nearly every block I have managed to finish, usually due to it not being the right size. So it's a very different sewing experience than what I usually enjoy. But the finished block always makes me glad I gave it a go.

Are you part of a quilting bee? What's your experience been like? Do you think they're only suited to certain personality types? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

xx

Meet Red.

It's always a bit strange getting back into 'normal' blogging after a tragedy. And a sewing machine review? It feels a bit crass. A bit shallow. But really, there's only so much depth one can take all the time. And in real life, I'm going well and thinking about normal, mundane things like quilt making and tidying and whether I'll plant winter veges in the garden this year, most of the time. And there are still other moments of remembering and reflecting and feeling sad or getting cranky at the kids. And this is my blog about real life. So sometimes I'll tell you how I'm feeling and sometimes I'll show you what I've made. And one doesn't devalue the other. (I'm talking to myself more than to you.)

And buying a new sewing machine at time like this? I questioned that too. (Can you tell I think way too much about the 'right' way of doing things?) Part of this whole experience has been learning to free myself of unexamined expectations and just be myself. And when you're in limbo for 2 weeks, waiting for final scan results, and after the bad news, you wait for 2 weeks before 'It happens' and then that takes another few weeks, you end up online a bit, filling in the time, planning for when you feel well again, dreaming, and shopping. So my new machine has felt like a wonderful gift, like a "Welcome Back!"



So this is my Janome Horizon MC7700QCP. Or "Red." I got her second hand, locally for a great price. I spent a lot of time reading about the kinds of things people liked and didn't like, found out about warranties on second hand machines (Janome doesn't honour them!) and asked questions on the Janome 7700 Yahoo group before I went and looked at her.

I was very, very tempted by the Janome 1600d, a straight stitch only semi-industrial machine (I would have loved a Juki, known for their reliability, and these Janomes are apparently made in the same factory, but easier to buy in Australia), but in the end, I decided that my old machine, my first ever given to us by my mum as a wedding gift (thanks Mum!), was so past it (constant tension issues, a buttonholer that has never made a button hole longer than half an inch, etc, etc) was just no longer enough to use as my back-up machine when I wanted to stitch something other than a straight line. And so far, I've only used the fancy stitches to play, but I really wanted to machine I could grow into, to learn to sew with textiles other than quilting cotton.



What I like:
I like the big plastic table that give me extra room for hiding fabric scraps and pins. (a dumping ground that doesn't impinge on the sewing!)
I like, like, LIKE the inbuilt walking foot. I couldn't ever get a walking foot that fit my old machine. In the photo above, it's sewing through about 12 layers of fabric and it didn't think twice. In the photo below, this was my first ever experience of not having to constantly pull and flatten and guide and unpick. Even with my hasty basting, I didn't get one pucker. And it was so fast!




So far the auto tension has been near perfect.
I don't use the thread cutter all the time, but I especially appreciate it when I stop sewing mid quilt.

What disappoints me:



I have had no problem with patchwork piecing or quilting, but rolling under an edge? It just did not like it! I changed feet 3 times to see if that would make a difference, but it kept eating the fabric and pulling it off to the side. I feel a bit sad about this seeing as these drawstring quilts are one of the things I make most often. There's about 12 of these little hems! The first to feed through were always the worst, and then if I chain pieced, it improved, so maybe I'll need to resort to feeding through a scrap? I hope not!

So overall, I'm about 85% happy, effected mostly by my experience making this quilt. I'm really enjoying my making being so much faster. (Especially with a head so full of ideas!) I'm loving the option to machine quilt well. I look forward to decorating little pockets and hems with the pretty leaves and funky helicopter stitches! And I hope there's someone out there that can advise me about my hems.
I can't tell you all how much it's meant to me to have this place to share, and you to share with. It's been so important for me to process and express in writing. From that first day in the scan room, I was forming words and sentences in my head. It's helped me make sense of it all.
There's sometimes talk in the online crafty world about how much to share. If you're interested, and have time, I recommend this TED talk about vulnerability. It's helped give me courage to care for myself and share as I need to.
So glad to be here,
Jodi. xx

Homecoming

                    

I'm home. And I have been so cared for. I had my miscarriage at home, just Tim and I. The kids were away camping on a weekend planned months ago. And while awful, it was a relief to be alone, to not need the intervention I've had with my other births, to be given space to trust my body.

I'm learning that grief is a waiting game. 

And that the loss of a child (or the hope of one) is not the only grief, but the loss of a routine and direction and identity. 

Don't get me wrong. I'm not completely without direction (or the other things that make me me). And I'm glad for the choice to come home. Excited even. I'm just continually surprised at the seemingly chaotic mix of hopeful, sunny days and acutely-aware-of-the-change-of-plans days.

I've enjoyed reclaiming our front sunroom as my new workspace. With the cooler weather approaching, I look forward to spending sunny winter days in here. I enjoyed unpacking my fabric into this wall shelf that used to be full of Tim's hoarded electronics. I think it's happier with these colours!

I've sorted most of my scraps into these bins. They are all full from 4 pillowcases of fabric. I still have 2 pillowcases left! But I've put these away in a cupboard for when these bins empty a little.
And do you notice my new friend? I got her second hand, hardly touched for a fraction of the cost of a new one. I'll introduce you properly later. But for now you just need to know we are getting along like a house on fire, and I've called her "Red".

I've started on some scrappy quilts, building a lovely pile of works-in-progress while I give myself time to just make whatever tickles my fancy.
And I've set up my iron under the window facing the tree. When it's not raining, this is where the winter sun comes through.
I'm looking forward to those days.
xx

A brief visit.

I think I knew the moment the sonographer put his little camera to my belly. But I still waited for him to say, "Oh, yep. There's the head, there's his little heart."
There was no such chatter, just a long silence as we both looked at the screen which showed only a small circle, silent and still.
He let me leave out the back door. "I'm guessing you don't want to wait for the prints."

Our brief little visitor was a surprise one. First met with fright and insecurity, and then with courage and freedom to make room for him, to let some things go, then confidence, and excited anticipation. And then grief.

I decided to keep this quilt for myself, because I couldn't face anything related to work, no matter how relaxing. I finished the binding, left the rest of the quilting for another day, and rested beneath it. And for now, that's all we plan to do.
We've decided to pack up my space in town, and bring the colours back home and wait and see.

a cheeky quilt

Some quilts, while just lovely on the outside, are secretly scheming on the inside to throw you off kilter. Take this one, for example. Made with just 8 prints, each 2.5" strips. I sewed them together with white strips, cut those, sewed those, (one day I will show you in pictures what I mean), counted, did the maths, kept sewing. When suddenly, all sewn together, I had one very long, but beautiful strip of colourful squares. It was more the shape of a wide table or bed runner, tha a baby quilt. But I would not be deterred. I chopped off the top, sewed extra wide strips on either side and ended up with this...

 I have to say, I was fairly chuffed with myself. I had even remembered to make sure the finished top was the same as the usual width of fabric so I ddn't have to piece the back. I used a beautiful Japanese linen/cotton blend for the back, basted and hand-quilted.
After several hours of hand-quilting (ie, several hours of the West Wing), while nonchalantly snipping pearl cotton threads, I snipped a small but sinister hole in the quilt top!
I have 'patched' this up with some zig-zag stitching and you can't tell when you look at the whole quilt. But I was still devastated!

Then, while merrily sewing the binding on (in the shop, listening to Slava Grigorian. Have you heard of him? Best sewing music ever), of course, a big fat seam landed right on the 3rd corner, making it almost impossible to bind neatly. I perhaps would have been more tempted to unpick the binding and start again had I not already cut a hole in it, and if I hadn't broken my quick unpick trying to get a hook off the wall (that's a story for another day!), but I pressed on. This cheeky quilt will just have to be proudly handmade, imperfections and all.

On a happier note, I did put my very last sewing machine needle right through this baby, only 30 minutes into my day. It would have been a sad tale if that had snapped too!