What! Another project?

Yes, I'm jumping all over the place with quilt projects. I think it's the time of year (yeah, sure), but I seem to want to drift my attention here and there on things. So I got the t's off the design wall, after measuring and mapping their layout. I didn't pack them away; otherwise I don't know when I'd dig them out to make into a top. I used the design wall to put up the center medallion of gaggy 30's flower vases; I really need a different name for this quilt or it will go down in history as the gaggy 30's quilt. Somehow 'gaggy' may make it onto the label. Then I laid out the paper piecing templates above the medallion. I have my birthday Friday off, and I want to see how many of those elements I can get done. Then I pulled out this fantastic copy of an original piece of work my nephew Mitchell made. Here it is:

My plan for this was to use Cynthia England's technique to paper piece this in fabric. After working with her technique though, I'm reverting back to using Sharon Malec's technique of gluing together pieces. So I stopped the straight line drafting and converted it to the more fluid lines below:

You can see the black and white, gridded version of the photo above, and how I've put the major lines of the picture in the larger draft. Here it is a bit clearer:

 

Since taking this photo, I've added some colored pencil shadings to help me see how the fabrics may go on. Since I can't shade this with fabric as well as Mitchell did with his medium, I worry the transitions will be too harsh. I won't know until I've tried a section of the picture. If the sections end too abruptly, my plan is to then abandon the Malec style and go with raw edge fusible. Then I can clip furry edges. Plus I know I can quilt in some of the light or shaded details later. 

More t-shirt progress

I did the cropping of the stabilized t-shirts from Tom R. This is the layout below. I'm not sure if this is the final version. Next I measure the length and width of the layout and decide if it needs to be longer and narrower. Then I'll measure each piece and do a rough map. At that stage I decide how the top can be broken up into 5-6 units that will go together with the minimum (or no) set-in pieces. I've already set myself up for some set-in of the blocks with that large black piece in the upper right. I think it will be worth it to be able to keep that piece in the top. Soon I'll be at the fun stage of picking fabrics to use to border each piece. I'll be sure to use some that were in the first Tom R. t-shirt quilt-don't know why. It just seems right to make them have something in common.

T'shirt progress

Well, I'm actually posting two days in a row! I often find that post-retreat I make reasons to get downstairs for quilt work, and this is so this time. I still haven't totally unpacked the retreat goodies, because I really wanted to get the t-shirts off the design wall. So last night I carved out an hour to press the stabilizer to the cut t's. I'll see if tonight I can make myself continue the trend. I'd like to cut them to size. If time allows, I'll do my measurements and draw the schematic layout to use as a guide for the piecework. If not, I'll aim for Wednesday night. It would also be good to unpack the machine and supplies soon.

We had snow last night, and expect more this afternoon/evening. Plus winds will keep it interesting. So school was out for my daughter today, and that means less homework for her tonight. Less homework for her = less homework for me. I'll probably make up a sample math test for her to work on to prepare for a test she has Wednesday or Thursday (this snow day will complicate the schedule). Otherwise I think she can spare me for at least an hour tonight. Some day in the future, my daughters and I will appreciate these times together :)

The retreat high

Just returned from 3 days (about 26 hours actual quilting time and 2 1/2 hours quilt store time) retreating at a B&B in Chrisman IL with 5 quilting buddies. I worked on 3 projects. I did nine more units on the Cynthia England cat-on-a-quilt wallhanging (so 13 done, 19 more to go), and these two mini quilts from  Laura Wasilowski patterns. Sunday I did one paper pieced unit from an original design that will eventually frame the flower vase blocks done in gaggy 30s I posted earlier. Really wish I had another retreat day, but I always say that.

The shopping netted the fabrics for the wall hangings, and two fabrics needed to complete a 17 year old baby quilt project for my 16 year old daughter. More on that when I get it further along. It's a quilt-as-you-go project that now will mean more work than I anticipated to get the finished blocks set with sashing. I also did some consideration of just how to create a mini-ruler tote/case. I think I'll work that project into the larger guild retreat I'll go to in May.

Finally, I can't resist posting a photo of our cat Alice, who recently found the bed with the down comforter to be just to her liking. I''m hoping to adapt the England quilt to reflect her cool split face coloring. I'll get a picture of her buddy George posted soon.

Looking on the bright side

I really need to stop posting what I think I'll accomplish. I rarely meet the mark. So all I've done with t-shirt projects below is cut the stabilizer pieces for the rough cut t's on the wall. No more machine quilting done on Dad's t-shirt quilt. I did instead finish stripping and repainting a small table, and got that out of the center of the workspace, and upstairs where it belonged. I also had a Sunday sewing time with friends at the local quilt store, but I took along my detailed Cynthia England cat quilt kit to work on. Now there are 4 of the 30+ units done.

Last night I dug out a 17 year old project that was to be a baby quilt for my youngest DD. Found 12 quilt blocks ready to be set, all hand quilted in the quilt as you go method. I'll get her blessing on how to do the setting squares and triangles (it's set on point), and take that to the retreat in 9 days (9 DAYS ONLY!)

I'll also pack along the t-shirt quilt I'm quilting (no way it will be completed though), the England cat project, and my Mitchell's cat drawing I'm still drafting for piecework. For fun I'm also bringing a project for developing a kit that will hold all the mini rulers most quilters get.

Maybe I'll get the t's on the wall stabilized soon. Maybe not. I'm enjoying just sitting on the comfy couch down there, wrapped in a quilt with cat Alice, and perusing patterns and books that inspire me. Lately I've considered trying my hands at dying fabrics with cool surface designs. Not sure if I'll really take the plunge.

First, some photos of the first Tom R. t-shirt quilt top, next on my list of things to quilt.

It's just a bit larger than twin bed sized I think. 

I started laying out the second set of t-shirts from Tom R. This is how they look so far. Next step (this coming weekend?) will be to trim and stabilize them with fusible interfacing. Then they go back on the wall and I draw a diagram of the quilt with rough measurements of each piece, with space for block borders. Then I audition border fabrics, and come up with at least a dozen I'll add to each block. Next, I start adding borders and fitting blocks into chunks that are self contained sections of the top that will hopefully be put together with no set-ins.

For next weekend, I'll settle with stabilizing the blocks. Perhaps by the 3 day weekend I'll take a day and get the top assembled.

I have a retreat coming up Feb. 5-7, and I'd love to have this t-shirt quilt top pieced, and much of my Dad's t-shirt quilt quilted, by then, so I don't feel obligated to bring those projects with me. I'd love to bring other quilts that require large chunks of uninterupted sewing time to the retreat.

This is a quilt finished in 2009 that is usually done with black and white and a pop of color. I tried that at the class with the quilt designer (pattern is Slap Happy by Kay Capps Cross) but didn't like it, so tried my color preferences. Added a border to get it large enough for snuggling, and put a flannel on the back. Because of the foundation layers, lots of seams with the skinny strips, and the flannel, it was hard to quilt and keep puckers off the back, so used strategically placed labels to mask such mishaps.