An update on my current project and repairing my Bernina gripper rings

Hi everyone!  I am currently working hard to complete my embroidered/appliqued tree of life quilt so it will be available to enter into the Mid Atlantic Quilt Show.  The deadline is January 23rd for the entry.  I have to have it finished in time to get it photographed.

Progressing

Sew I have got the top done, and the quilt is finally sandwiched and basted.  I have figured out how to quilt the centerpiece, which I am very pleased with so far.  The borders are more problematic because I am going to quilt it with flowers and leaves and paint them after quilting.  I have done a couple of samples to see how the borders will look with the centerpiece and concluded that the flowers and leaves are too big and the paint colors are a bit off to complement the centerpiece.

So today and yesterday I have been working on coming up with a new flowers and leaves quilting design that does not overwhelm the beautiful centerpiece.  I came up with two possible designs and will make more samples complete with painting.  I ordered some new paints to try to make the colors work better, and they have not come yet.  So I am going to make some new stencils and new practice squares this coming week.  I am pleased that I have a new video (currently being edited) showing and talking about the advantages of making such samples when you are making a special quilt.  Indeed, my first samples have given me a lot of quilting practice and show clearly that the original designs don’t quite work.  We will see what my new designs look like.  I think they will work since I printed out the designs and laid them by the quilt…the size seems right this time. I hope I can get the painting right this time.I’m waiting on the order of new paints which should come this week too.

Repairing the gripper rings:

I love using my Bernina Gripper Rings, but after years of a lot of use the gripping cork or whatever it is was coming off.  The cork was not torn or anything and the rings were still like new otherwise.  So I asked Bernina, using their contact form on the website, what glue did they suggest for repairing the rings.  Here is what they answered:

“Dear Betty Jo TatumThank you for your inquiry.  We have received the following recommendation from our LongArm staff:I would use the 3M Super 77 adhesive. This is a very good adhesive and is not lumpy but very tacky.  We hope this helps!

So I got the adhesive and successfully repaired the rings.  They are like new.  The adhesive is a spray, so I wore a mask, had my ceiling fan on, and wore disposable plastic gloves.  I totally removed the cork (or whatever it is) that was still slightly attached.  I covered my workspace completely and laid the detached cork flat and upside down and lightly sprayed it.  The adhesive does have a small bit of overspray, especially since the cork pieces are really narrow, but not much.  I managed to get them placed onto the rings without any real problem.  One of my cheap plastic gloves broke while I was working and so I got a little of the adhesive on one of my fingers and it kind of stung and was sticky.  I washed my hands with warm water and put lots of hand cream on them…that worked…in time…after about three tries and some time.  It was just a little spot, but it clearly would have been bad if I had not worn any gloves.  That was a week ago and I have just left the rings alone upside down for days and now they are fine…no sticky anywhere…the cork is smooth, flat, and properly in place.  So I will be able to use them while quilting my next sample for the border decisions and I will have a chance to use them before quilting the quilt itself just in case.

Interestingly when I mentioned this on one of my online groups many people responded that the cork had come off of theirs too, and some had used other adhesives.  The rings are made by Martelli, and the cork comes off of their black ones too.  I’m very glad I got mine fixed and hopefully the cork will stay on.  I have had them for about five years and the cork started coming off (it would stick back on for a little while) about three months ago.

Now I have a can of excellent spray adhesive that claims to work for many other things…even fabric.  I wonder what else I need to glue.  LOL

Sew happy everyone.  Stay safe and have fun in your studios. Wear the appropriate protective gear when working with adhesives.

 

Using My Free YouTube Classes

Hi everybody. Did you know that my website, blogs and YouTube channel have multiple projects that fit together like Legos to create complete virtual classes?

I just created some playlists in my YouTube channel to make navigating through these projects easier.  Sew if you would like to explore this:

  1. Start by opening my YouTube channel with this link
  2. That takes you to the home page.  Look for the “Playlists” tab and click on that.
  3. Find the subject you might be interested in and you will see the choice below each playlist picture “View full playlist”. Click on that.

I have tried to make sure that all the videos per project are in order.  For instance, if you are interested in the KingFisher pillow in “B.J.’s Wool Applique by Machine” you will see there are two videos for that project.  So start with the first one “NewWool Machine Applique Project:  The Kingfisher”.

Kingfisher decorative pillow

Once you click on the video you like, you will see that below the video is the information box, but it is incomplete until you click on “more”.  “More” opens all the information I put there, including links to things like equipment, fabrics, threads, batting, etc.  Some of these links take you to one of my affiliated links, where, if you buy using that link I will receive a small percentage.  Many of the links are not affiliate links though, but all of them are things I like and use myself.

But most importantly it has a link to “Pattern with instructions”.  If you click on the blue typeface there it will take you to the place you can obtain the downloadable pattern with any accompanying files at my shop on my website.  The Kingfisher project happens to be a free pattern…some other projects have a modest fee.  You just add it to your cart and checkout like you would if it had a price only you don’t have to pay anything for the Kingfisher.  You do have to fill in the customer information and complete the “purchase”.  This enables you to download the pattern to your computer.  Now you can print out that and follow along on the two videos to learn how to make the Kingfisher wool piece.

If you have a question you have two options…you can just place a comment below the video, which is monitored for spam.  I check these daily and will reply as soon as I see it.  Or you can email me privately at bjfabricartist@gmail.com and I will respond.

I am trying to keep my video classes basically free, but I do try to make a little money on the sale of the accompanying patterns and workbooks, or not if they are free. If you use my affiliate links to purchase some of your supplies (I get lots of clicks and almost no purchases this way) I might get a small percentage.  If I ever get enough viewing hours by my subscribers  and thumbs up “likes”, then YouTube may pay me a little for the videos, but you won’t have to pay anything.  I’m not there yet. YouTube uses a combination of number of views, number of subscribers, and number of hours viewed for this. So just watching the whole video helps me a lot.  The current average view is about 20 percent of a video.  We (me and my family helpers making up my “production crew”) try to have some relaxing music along with all the stitching and so forth so it is pleasant to finish the whole video.

Sometimes I also talk about the projects I am doing or provide techniques discussions in a blog here.  I also love hearing from you in the comments here and at the YouTube video.  One of the nicest things is to have people respond with comments because I know what you think, enjoy your ideas, and you can even send me pictures of your own projects in the email bjfabricartist@gmail.com.

Sew happy everyone and have fun in your studio.

 

 

Test Samples Provide Significant Help

Current practice piece

Hi everybody,

For my work, I have found that test samples are indispensable when I am making a significant fabric art project or quilt.

Test and practice piece for my first wool applique by machine project

For my work, test samples are indispensable, especially when I am making an important fabric art or quilting project and I highly recommend them for your work.  I have had some of my students object to the use of the fabric, thread, and time that they take, sew I will tell you how I use mine.

I sandwiched two 24 x 25 inch test samples using the fabric on top that I am using in my main project.

Here is a sample test of borders for my quilt Out of Mom’s Workbasket

The point of these samples is to help me with the borders.  I have divided the sandwiches into three sections and then one of the sections on one of the sandwiches into three blocks, since my border has corner stone blocks.  I expect these two sandwiched samplers to help me do the following;

  • Practice my quilting so I am at my best when working on the finished project
  • Decide on the quilt patterns I want to use on the borders and corner blocks
  • Decide on the best way to mark them
  • Decide on the background stitching I want to use
  • Decide on the thread color, weight, and needles I want to quilt with
  • Decide on the stitch settings I want to use
  • Practice painting the designs to polish my painting skills before using it on my finished quilt, determine if I want them painted at all, and what paints to use.
  • Help prevent problems and mistakes on the main quilt.

If you finish the edges with a binding or serging, they make wonderful pet presents, knee guards for working on your knees in various chores, a sitting pad for a rest on an outdoor bench or step outdoors, and reference aids in your studios.

Here is a stitch out sample of the upper left corner of my quilt Pendragon. I digitized the outline of the ancient design, which needed a lot of fixing, so I had to do a stitchout before putting it on the quilt. I also wanted to try the painting to see how that would go. So I just stapled the sample into the book with notes.

Sew happy everyone!  Try using test samples if you don’t already.  They are worth the time and supplies they take. Have fun in your studios!

 

Welcome Fall with Fun Projects

I don’t know about you, but September always seems to be the beginning of the sewing/quilting season to me.  I get kind of excited wondering what I can make and share in my studio.

I was looking at some of my already published YouTube projects, many of which also have workbooks and patterns available on my site store for little or no cost.  There are several there that will make wonderful Fall and Winter celebratory additions to a home or to make as gifts.

Fall Table Runner

Last year, with the help of my family production team, I made a fall table runner, but we did not get it out until mid November, which was clearly too late.  We realized it, but published it anyway for people to enjoy watching at least.  This year, you might want to look at this, purchase the workbook/pattern/digital embroidery (all in one package) and make it for your Fall celebrations.  It has three how-to videos linked below and the downloadable workbook package below that.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Workbook/Pattern Package

Machine Wool Applique Sampler

Here is the finished wool applique by machine sampler.

This is a fun little project that uses mostly circles and decorative stitching to make a little wall hanging using wool.  It is very like what some of you may do by hand, but is all done by machine with some specialty threads.  I had so much fun doing this and I think you would too.  You can choose your own colors.  It does not have a pattern, but if you watch all three videos you really won’t need one.  You can probably tell it was inspired by Sue Spargo’s fabulous hand stitched wool pieces.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Kingfisher wool appliqued pillow (by machine)

 

This project results in a really delightful decorator pillow for your living room or bed room.  It would make a really nice gift for someone.  Truth be told, I made it with mostly the leftovers from the wool sampler above and a pillow I got from Amazon.  It does have two how-to videos on YouTube and a downloadable  FREE workbook/pattern on my website shop. Links of all below.

Part 1

Part 2

Workbook/Pattern

Sew I hope you will take a look at these projects and even make one or more of them.  It would really help me if you subscribed to my YouTube and watched the projects.  I don’t currently get any money from these on YouTube and very few people have gotten the workbooks/patterns.  It would be fabulous if you did watch them all the way through and provided me with comments and suggestions.  I will also answer your questions along the way if you decide to make one or more of these projects.  Together they are like a virtual class where the instruction is free and the patterns are either free or modestly priced.

Some of my videos are simply sharing my work with you and are there for your viewing pleasure.  I am working on one like that now where I am currently making a new show quilt and showing bits and pieces here and there as I do so.

Sew happy everyone!  Have fun in your studio!

 

 

The Positive Value of Studying Our Machines

Hi everyone! Today’s machines often have wonderful features that can advance our sewing and quilting in ways we may have wished for but may not even be aware we already have such features.  Some of these machines, even the mid-level ones, require actual study, testing, and practice to bring the full capacity of what is available to owners of such machines.  Such study, practice, and testing can result in wonderful pieces that can enhance our lives dramatically.

Now I retired at the beginning of 2012 to work mostly full time as a fabric artist/art quilter.  Sew my nicely outfitted studio is a great joy to me.  Remember as you read this, that I started with a basic machine I purchased from a hardware store and sewed on my kitchen table for years, but worked my way up over the decades.  I am currently 76, have been sewing since I was about five, and plan on sewing as long as I am physically able, which may be many years from now. I know of a quilter who makes baby quilts for charities on her domestic machine and she is over 100!

I traded up for my Bernina 880 plus about three years ago and recently concluded there were things my machines would do that I did not know how to use sufficiently.  Sew, over the past year plus I have spent a good part of my studio time in studying and testing the ins and outs of my sewing machines.  Now I am a long time sewer, tailor, and quilter.  I was a professional clothing designer/maker in my mid twenties to mid thirties, and have owned high tech machines for years.  At first consideration, you might think I would not need to do this.  I have had quite a few machines and worked my way up over the years to my current fleet with trade ins, sales, and so forth and now I have a great fleet, each of which have their own uses in my sewing life with a wide range of machine complexity.

NOTE:  I will be talking about Bernina machines, since that is what I have, but I do know that other major brands have similar things available today.  You need to look in your manual, check out available online videos, and consult your dealers to find these.

My Bernina 880 plus, one of the top of the line machines they have, has the reputation for being “finicky”.  I disagree with this assessment though I understand it.  I find it extraordinarily useful and easy to use now that I have spent the time to learn how.  Does it require careful threading?  Well yes, it does, especially the bobbin, but once practiced and learned it is not difficult.  Do you have a multitude of things available so you have to sometimes look things up?  Absolutely, but Bernina also has a lot of tools available to help with that built into the machine.  Do you have to clean it and oil it carefully and on a regular basis?  Yes, you do.  Does it have many many feet that aid in doing things that require some learning?  It does, and the more you can get the more you can do or more refined your results will be.  And, in fact, Bernina has a book for that The Big Book of Feet.  It also has many videos on YouTube available to show the use of these feet.

Why just this week I learned how to transfer stitches I found in the Bernina design software for in-the-hoop embroidery to be placed and used in the sewing side of the machine!  I added a handful of additional stitches that look like hand embroidery. I plan on adding a lot more.

I very recently completed making a machine-embroidered central focus part of a new show quilt.  I worked for about six weeks designing and digitizing the centerpiece of my current project and it took me a week and a couple of days to embroider it. I ended up with an interconnecting design that required six jumbo hoopings that had to work together to meet at all the right places. I was a lot nervous that they would not match when I started out, but they did!!!! All the embroidery is wonderful and the handful of in-the-hoop appliques also came out wonderfully. I concluded from this that the Bernina 880 plus (the only Bernina that uses the entirety of the jumbo hoop) and the pin point placement that it has is a great advance for high-end in-the-hoop embroidery. So the middle section is ready to piece in and I think it is wonderful. It is on black silk dupioni and I used 40 weight trilobal polyester for the embroidery. There will be beads and buttons on the finished quilt.

I also have a Bernina Q20 longarm machine set up as a sitdown quilting machine.  I could put that on a frame, but I do not want to.  I learned to free motion quilt on my Bernina 830, which I traded for the 880 plus, and I enjoy it. Plus I enjoy sitting down to quilt (I am, after-all, getting a little creaky now that I am in my mid 70s).  Besides, I seldom make a quilt larter than 60″ wide or so.  This machine is really a simple one designed for primarily being maintained by the owner.  It is powerful and can use all the free motion Bernina feet available (so I can share them between the machines), domestic sewing machine needles (also shareable within the fleet) so you have many types for needles for various threads, and it will accept many types of quality threads.  I use it for free motion embroidery as well as quilting so the thread acceptance is really important to me.  I have an astonishingly large collection of quilting rulers…they just appeared in my storage drawers somehow LOL.  I can’t imagine how.  I think they must have had babies because the collection really grew over the past six years I have owned this machine.  LOL  Using rulers at this machine is a pleasure.  I love this machine.  It has two features that are particularly wonderful…a double built in stitch regulator, and an additional pinpoint laser light attachment that shows just where the needle will come down.  It’s stitch quality is beautiful.

And I have a little Bernina 350 that is a basic machine and not too heavy.  If I were just starting out and making mostly clothing, or looking for a machine to take to college with me, this little machine would be a very good option.  I have used it for travel, but I also find it has exceptional value as a piecing machine with solid stitching and a smaller 5.5 mm width that makes it easier to sew more accurate quarter inch seams than my big wide 9 mm 880 plus.  I also have several attachments I use exclusively on this machine…like a needle punch attachment that is remarkably wonderful for a fabric artist, and I don’t worry about the roving messing up its easy to clean bobbin area or my big machine.  I also have a walking foot that came with it.  These make it great for sewing and quilting retreats, or sewing in one’s hotel room when attending a conference, or just taking along on a vacation.  I once used it to make a fast quilt for a member of my family that had unexpected surgery when my big machine was out for service. It was a lap quilt, and I would not have wanted to make a big quilt in it, but it did a great job with the lap quilt size.

Additionally, I have a basic Baby Lock serger my daughter in law gave me.  It does everything I need in the way of serging and completes my studio nicely.  It not only serges edges and makes wonderful seams for stretch knit items, but since I purchased all of the four additional feet for it  there is much more it will do.  For example, it enables me to quickly make  covered cords for pillows, bags, and other things.  After watching some videos on serging on YouTube, I am sure Ineed to spend more time learning what I can do with it.  It does not do a cover stitch, but if I use a double needle in either of my domestic machines that will take the place of a cover stitch.

Sew have fun in your studio and study your machine whatever level it is.  Do some testing and make some samples.  A stitch library of all the stitches it will make is a great idea and very helpful.

Pages of my stitch library

 

 

Working on an Embroidered Quilt

Hi everyone! I have been sooo busy lately, and I have been having fun.  I am working on an embroidered show quilt significantly inspired by Jacobean art from the early 17th century.  It is also inspired by my quilt Canterbury Silk, although it is different colors, mostly different flowers, and mostly embroidered with just a few appliques.

Canterbury Silk

I worked for about six weeks designing and digitizing the centerpiece of my current project and it took me a week and a couple of days to embroider it.  I ended up with six jumbo hoops that had to work together to meet all the right places.  I was a lot nervous that they would not match, but they did!!!!  All the embroidery is wonderful and the handful of in-the-hoop appliques also came out wonderfully.  I concluded from this that the Bernina 880 plus (the only Bernina that uses the entirety of the jumbo hoop) and the pin point placement that it has is a great advance for high-end in-the-hoop embroidery.  So the middle section is ready to piece in and I think it is wonderful.  It is on black silk dupioni.  There will be beads and buttons on the finished quilt.

The remainder of the quilt includes a gorgeous dark hand dyed green silk ribbon that is 2 1/2 inches wide and will be sewn in with quarter inch seams producing a 2 inch sashing dividing the centerpiece from the fairly wide black silk/cotton radiance borders.  I have about three ideas on how to quilt and possibly also paint the borders, so I will be making two sample quilting sandwiches to work out which one is best.  One will be divided in three border-like lines that I will work out each idea and one will be for working out how to deal with the border corners once I decide which border style I will use.

I had hoped to complete this quilt by mid August so I could enter it into the Pennsylvania National Quilt show but I instead have moved my deadline to January of next year for entry into the Mid Atlantic Quilt Show.  This gives me enough time, I think, to take the time to make it truly a masterpiece quilt.  It’s fun and exciting for me to work this way.  I am videoing most of my work on this to produce a fun YouTube video that is not intended as a tutorial, but a look into the making of a show quilt for your enjoyment.

So what else am I working on?  Well I have a handful of simpler, shorter, how-tos that show techniques and methods of working with advanced machines like my Bernina 880 plus, and my longarm Bernina Q20 sitdown machines.  These will be a nice relaxing thing for me to work on once in a while for my YouTube channel and I think that people will get a lot from them too.  My family editing team is also pulling a few shorts from my videos to highlight some of the nice things already out there.

I am having fun in my studio, and I wish you too will have fun in yours.  Sew happy everyone!

 

Updating a blog about Interfacings and Stabilizers

I just saw an ad for what is probably a great class with Threads Magazine on interfacings.  It appears to be focused around interfacing for clothes making.  It made me go back an read what I had said in an earlier blog about stabilizers and interfacings and I decided it needed just a little bit of tweaking and updating, so I am providing the update here.  Mine is focused mostly around fabric art and quilting, but not entirely and it is just a brief capsule of this large, sometimes bewildering subject.  Even after my many years of sewing and quilting I have almost certainly missed some new developments and uses for this important part of my craft.  Anyway, see the edited and updated version of that original blog below.

********************

A friend of mine asked me about the use of interfacings and  stabilizers and what was the difference. I consider interfacings and stabilizers both indispensable in fabric art creations of various types.  They make the difference between a successful project and a lackluster or even failed piece. Understanding them is one of the basic skills for everything from fashion sewing to quilted art.  I can fully understand her need to know more about them and this is a quick and dirty rundown of the subject.

The Byzantine world of stabilizers and interfacings can be very confusing,  because there are so many of them and they all have different uses.  Adding to the confusion is all the different brands that are out there and may be named something different and what do they mean by “lightweight” anyway?

The Back Wall of Home Dec Fabrics at G Street Fabrics

First of all, let’s discuss her question of what is the difference between interfacing and stabilizer.

  1. Well, for one thing, stabilizers do not always stay in the project, but sometimes they can.  They are largely designed to assist in making machine embroidery work both in the hoop and free motion thread painting.  They are also useful for decorative machine stitching.
  2. What makes this confusing is that interfacings can also serve as stabilizers but they are designed to remain in the project and interfacings often look like stabilizers.
  3. You may need both or even two or more for specific projects.
  4. You can even use spray starch or other spray products like Terial Magic to work as stabilizers.
  5. And then there are those clear plastic looking stabilizers of varying weights made with corn starch or similar ingredient that washes away.  They have a variety of interesting and helpful uses in the fabric artist’s studio in addition to stabilizing…you can mark on them and use them for free motion embroidery on the top of your fabric, then wash it away for instance.
  6. Interfacings provide stability for fabrics that have a tendency to disintegrate, spread the stitching in an unattractive way, or simply need a heavier hand for the project you are making.  They help to properly shape clothing, and are particularly required for any high-end sewing like fine couture sewing, tailored garments, wedding dresses, simple dressmaker jackets or vests, and shirts with buttons and collars.  I use interfacings extensively in both my clothes making and art quilting to make my wide selection of fabrics work together or my pieces hang right.

Sew I am focusing this discussion by using popular brand names  just because it is easy to identify and I know from using them they are a good product, but there are other brands that are also fine and some that are just terrible (shrinking, bubbling, disintegrating, wadding up with use). The lesson is to buy a good grade of these products, and test it too so it will be successful for a long time.

I have a handful of interfacings stabilizers that I keep stocked in the studio so I have them when the need to sew or quilt hits me in the middle of the night.  Does that ever happen to you? It also helps to save lots of time.  Also by stocking, I can save a lot of money by buying them when a good sale goes by.

Interfacings

I try to keep at least three yards available of the following four weights of interfacings on hand and replace when I use them. I buy the first two of these by the bolt when they are on sale because I use a lot of them.  They are usually much cheaper–three or four times cheaper–by the bolt, and even more if you hit a good sale.

  • For stabilizing (there’s that word that helps make this all so confusing when talking about interfacings) such fabrics as silks, very light weight cottons, dupioni,  satin polyesters, unusual specialty fabrics, and some light wool or wool-like tailoring fabrics, I stock a woven fusible lightweight interfacing like SF101 Shape Flex by Pellon. This nice woven interfacing does not have much affect on the hand of the fabric and, if quilted, it helps the fabric to drape better and to be smoother and more attractive. It can be used for shirt making also, but you may want to use a heavier weight for more tailored parts of some shirts.
  • For an even lighter hand (fabric drape and feel) backing up fabrics that need a little help, such as silk dupioni or cotton lawn I like one of the nearly sheer nonwovens, such as Pellon 906F sheerweight.
  • For a little heavier interfacing that you might want to use for crisper collars in tailored shirts, or costumes, for instance, I like Pellon 931td.
  • For bag making or some such with leather (artificial or otherwise) or heavy upholstery fabrics when you want to quilt it I use Pellon’s naked foam. I thank the illustrious Nina McVeigh for alerting me to this product on her fascinating The Quilt Show show (if you aren’t a member, you are missing a lot).  I layer it with the leather or heavier upholstery fabrics and add a cotton backing fabric.  This is approaching a batting discussion that will be a future blog post, but I felt it fits well in the interfacing discussion too.
  • For high-end or couture tailoring, especially with wool  or raw silk projects like coats and jackets I usually, but not always, move away from Pellon and toward Hymo.  I will say that tailoring interfacings are a broad subject and there are more types one might use for this, and sometimes multiple types in the same project.  Note that I have already run a few blogs about tailoring coats, and plan on making a wool slacks suit and a raw silk tailored jacket for fall and winter and will blog the making of those, since I have some beautiful fabrics on hand that I should use before they age out.  You can easily obtain high quality and varying weights of these from tailoring supply houses online.  I generally buy these by the project.  So you will want to first consult your pattern or a tailoring book to get the right thing.   Here is a link to a good source for tailoring interfacings B. Black and Sons a wonderfully supplied company where I buy most of my tailoring supplies.  You can even get coat front interfacings all prepared and precut for use.
  • And B. Black also has these lovely canvas/cotton interfacings that I have used with success for lighter wool, linen, or light summer tailoring:  Canvas/cotton.

Stabilizers

I use several different stabilizers for my fabric art projects and even for embellished clothes.

  1. The primary stabilizer I use for my in-the-hoop embroidery and free motion thread painting for my quilted art pieces is either OESD’s Ultra Clean and Tear Fusible or Madeira Cotton Stable, which I have a slight preference for but it is increasingly hard to find and has gone up in price. Both of these stabilizers give the fabric enough stability to take a higher amount of stitches than most of the stabilizers will do and they both tear away easily after stitching while remaining in place when you are stitching.
  2. A heavier film wash away stabilizer, such as OESD’s Badgemaster,  and a slightly lighter film stabilizer Madeira Avalon is especially useful in the studio.  I use both Madeira and OESD film stabilizers.  Washing it away can be interesting.  It’s like a science fiction slime creature at first.LOL.  I just soak it in clear cold water and then rinse it well in running water.

I really like OESD’s Aqua Mesh Washaway, that looks like an interfacing, works well for marking designs on,  and is easy to use for stitching a free-standing thread motif, applique, or free standing lace.  In such cases I will almost always add a layer of black  or white nylon tulle on top and a double layer of Aqua Mesh Washaway.  Then when you rinse it away, your piece will hang together and you just cut closely around the veiling, which basically disappears to the eyes on the fabric you applique it on to. Black veiling or matched to the background veiling works well for this. It is especially useful when you are embroidering or even free motion couching cords and yarns to build a heavy design to make them free from the main project and applique them on.  It helps deal with the pull and keeps your main project nice and flat (after a little pressing upside down on a wool press mat).

I embroidered this freestanding lace star on blue nylon veiling with a double layer of wash away stabilizers and then appliqued it on.

Fusibles can sometimes act as a stabilizer/interfacing

When you are making a fused on applique for a wall project, for instance, you may wish to keep the fusible whole rather than windowpane it (cutting out most of the middle of the fusible leaving just the edges) if you are going to do a lot of heavy stitching on it later.  Then it serves for a combination interfacing and stabilizer that does not get removed from your project.  So you have to give some thought to how you are going to complete the project and how it is going to be used.  Be sure to use either a needle that works well with fusibles such as Superior Titanium top stitch needles or Schmetz nonstick needles.

There are several high quality fusibles on the market and everyone seems to have their own preferences.  I really like steam-a-seam 2 lite with the two sides of paper.  One side has one inch squares on it and that’s the side that you draw your design on, cut roughly around the design about 1/4 inch away, peal off the plain side, stick the side with the grid and the drawing onto the back of your fabric, and cut it out. After that you remove the paper and you have an applique with a lightly sticky side that you can move around until you have it just right before hitting it with a steam iron that glues it in place ready to stitch.

Recently I have been using Heat N Bond Lite fusible when I cut things with my Brother Scan and Cut.  It is nice and lite, adheres easily with a small amount of pressing, and stitches well.  It does not, however provide a sticky side you can move around until you have it where you want it.  It does stick down nicely with just a light touch of the iron. Both types of webbing have their uses.

Sew happy everyone!  Have a wonderful time in your studios!  Feel free to ask questions. I might know the answer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Using Decorative Stitches for Quilted Textures

It is possible to accomplish some amazing quilted textures and designs using a variety of stitches with your feed dogs up.  This is particularly the case if you are blessed with a machine with 9mm wide stitches and even more-so if your machine will do sideways stitching for extra large motifs. I was recently reminded of this in my recent presentation at Suzzie’s Quilt Shop in Manassas Virginia where I showed and talked about my quilts.  For that I pulled out my two architectural quilts where I used decorative stitches and straight line walking foot quilting a lot.

Some machines provide precise information as to the width and length of a decorative stitch, and are somewhat adjustable. Here is a screen shot from my B880 plus simulator with a flower motif that uses sideways motion to achieve a bigger design.  I learned that it is important to keep a flexible clear plastic ruler with both inches and metric for figuring how to use such motifs.  Here you see 41.6 mm wide (about 1.45 inches) by 72.2mm (about 2.85 inches).  Many of these extra large stitch designs are not adjustable, so in this case, I would probably try to accommodate the design by slightly adjusting the size of the fabric I was going to use if at all possible.  Therefore, it helps to plan out the use of such designs before you plunge in.  I am thinking of making a small whole cloth quilt project of some sort just to show off what can be done.

 

This is big enough to be a nice quilting motif in multiple repeats down the middle of a sashing, for instance.

This would make a lovely quilting stitch down a narrow sashing, for instance, or the center of a larger design.

But I have also used more ordinary stitches in rows, even curved rows (such stitches will curve well, and you can even adjust the width while stitching on my Berninas, and probably other brands) to build up the texture of an area to look like stucco or rock face or some such:

For textured areas, choose geometric patterns that would fit together well in rows sewn closely together.

This method was what I used for some of the walls in this architectural quilt.  Note that I had to curve and narrow the decorative stitch design and place them close together. Also it wasn’t perfect, but still looked nice.

From Perspective in Threads, (the colors are off in this picture, but you can see the stitching) entirely done with threads…some decorative stitching, some straight line sewing using a walking foot, and some free motion — stitched in four different thread weights (12, 40, 50, and 100).

 

This is more detail from the same quilt, and is closer to the correct color than the first detail shot. Look at the wall surrounding the back arch that looks kind of like stucco.  That is rows of decorative stitching.  The shadows under the steps are simply well-placed rows of straight stitches.

If you do landscapes or small pictorial renderings and want a nice field with flowers and grass, for instance a stitch design with small flowers stitched with variegated threads might just be what you need. This is just a 9.0 mm width and a 15.7 mm (.62 inches) length design.  Rows of this spaced closely together would work.

This shows stitch 128 choice.

I did something like this (I don’t remember the exact stitch, but it might have been this one) in the yard on the rendering of the house on “Dad’s House Plan”.

Sew it is possible to get some wonderfully appropriate and detailed quilting on your domestic sewing machine if you are not comfortable with free motion stitching, and even if you are.  Sometimes, it is just the right texture that you need and can obtain with those decorative stitches.

Sew happy everyone!  Try something new with decorative stitches and have fun in your studios.  I plan on going back to a blog every couple of weeks again.  Please comment, pay a visit to my YouTube.  Cheers.

Landscape Quilt Techniques: Mountains and Evergreen Trees

Hi everybody!  I cannot believe it is March already!!!  I am currently working on a small landscape wall art quilt with mountains and evergreen trees that includes the writing of a workbook with pattern, hand cutting or svg cutting files for use with a digital cutter, and a set of videos for my YouTube channel.  I am loving this project!  A couple of family members came up with the concept and I knew as soon as I saw it that I would love doing it and how to do it.  It involves prepared turned-edge applique-piecing by machine, stitched raw edge applique, yarn couching and big thread free motion stitching.  It will be a lovely size for wall art in a home or office–somewhere in the neighborhood of 24 x 20 inches.  I hope some of my followers will do this project once it is available and really enjoy it.

So far, I am about half way through the construction and filming but I am not sure when it will be published.  The workbook and pattern set are also nearly finished and that will be available in my shop on my website.

Way back in May of 2021, I presented the first of my landscape quilting techniques sampler piece and promised more.  I was astonished to realize it has been so long since that was published!!!  Here’s the link for the first of two videos for this project:  Landscape Quilting Deciduous Trees Skillbuilder.  Yes, it was early in my adventure in my YouTube channel and that shows, but the techniques are solid and fun, and the promise was  real.  I believe we (me and my family production crew) have come a long ways in our production of such projects and videos in this time.  This project included stitched raw edge applique, broiderie perse, and free-motion quilting with 40 weight and 12 weight decorative threads. The quilting and decorative stitching is found in the second video:  http://Landscape Art Quilting Part 2  So this will be the second in my Landscape Skill-building series.  I hope to have a few more in the future.

Overall, I am trying to get faster and better in the videoing and the production of patterns and workbooks.  It’s a stretch but I enjoy having a creative challenge as I reach my 76th birthday this Friday, March 3rd!!!!  I anticipate many years still in this creative endeavor, and am increasingly employing the high tech tools in my studio to help overcome some of my aging factors that make hand sewing, for instance, and other things involved in fabric art more difficult.  Age should not be a limiting factor in creative pursuits.  Here’s an amazing performance of a 100 year old ballerina that highlights my point:

Ballet video:

I have also started making a new deep space show quilt based on a fabulous NASA photo.  At least I hope it will come out good enough to be a show quilt.  This will be my fourth space show quilt.  I am filming some of that as I work through it, but it is not intended for a tutorial, just some fun videos.  This type of quilt is almost entirely made at my sit down Bernina Q20 longarm in free motion.  The galaxy is made from Angelina Fibers and nylon veiling.  I really like this kind of quilting.  It’s like playing and dancing to me!  Here is my third deep space quilt, which won a couple of ribbons in its show life, although these are difficult to photograph:

I am hopeful I will get some good ideas from my “production crew” on how to best video my new space project.  Cameras have a hard time dealing with such reflective sparklies.

And no, that’s not all I am working on, in case you are wondering, but we will chat about these later in the year when I am closer to getting them up and running for you to see.

Sew happy everyone!! Young, old, and in between, have fun in your studios!

 

 

 

 

Studio Fun Begins for 2023

Hi everyone!  I have been working hard lately on pulling together some projects for this year of varying degrees of complexity.  I say “complexity” rather than “difficulty” because I have found over the years that many of even the most complex projects are not much more difficult than some one might call “simple” or “easy.”  They may take longer, but it is mostly a matter of going one step at a time and continuing to move forward in carrying out the project.  This is true for both making quilted fabric art and sewing or even tailoring complex clothing.

Of course, one does need to know what to do at each step and how to do it even for less complex projects.  That can be addressed by reading pattern instructions, testing techniques and products, watching videos, taking classes, talking with other fabric artists, and not getting discouraged when you need more help.

This past few weeks I looked over my stash, and I then added a few pieces of new fabrics to my stash:  a piece of silk dupioni and a piece of Kaufman Radiance silk/cotton to go with it.  Then I also added several pieces of solid colors of Peppered Cotton–designed by Pepper Cory–for some experimentation, demonstration, and fun that go together but I haven’t quite figured it all out. I also have had to buy some batting for future projects for the first time in a couple of years.   I guess I have done more quilting than I realized.  I think I am pretty much swupplied for quilting for the whole of this year.

It has been quite a long time since I bought new fabrics…maybe three or four years.  I used to have a very large stash, but have used up a lot in those years and also found places to give some of my fabrics to lower the volume.  These are fabrics I am not going to use.  Though I loved the fabrics I gave away, they didn’t fit my plans for the next year or so and I needed to empty some storage spaces for future projects.  I gave them to my friend Anita who took most of them and made a beautiful quilt for the quilt drive for Ukraine.  She has a new Bernina 480 and it is a bit small for a large quilt.  The Lutheran World Relief, however, wanted a 60″ x 80″ quilt, which is really quite large for her domestic sized machine.  So she made it by a quilt-as-you-go method, which gave a bit of relief on managing the size up until the last bit. She used the method described by Nina McVeigh in this little Bernina video:

Bite size quilting

 

The back of Anita’s quilt is as fun as the front

The front of her quilt has lots of beauty to discover.

This quilting method gave her the opportunity to learn how to deal with her new machine, practice both feed dogs up and free motion quilting, and make this big quilt.  I understand the last bit was kind of tough to get it through the machine. It might not be big for some of you who have larger machines or longarms on a frame, but for her machine it was gigantic.  She did a great job and shipped it off.  Personally, I think it looks both interesting and comforting and whoever gets it will surely appreciate it. She decided she will probably make smaller charity quilts in the future for other organizations that can use them.  But I believe she managed to keep some of those beautiful Japanese themed fabrics for projects of her own.  Thank you Anita for doing this.

If you are interested in making and donating a quilt for this effort, here is the pdf file with all the instructions. They accept quilts of many levels, but they must be 60″ x 80″.  Please read the instructions before beginning.  5708

Sew the first thing I have done this year is develop a list of projects I really want to do someday, but it was waaaay too long!!!!  So I looked really hard at the list and knocked it down to a shorter list that is still too long.  Then I concentrated on about four longer-project quilts getting all the pieces together drafting the patterns or guide sheets, digitizing some embroidery, and, if needed, drawing up some applique shapes.

I also have about ten short tutorial projects.  All of these are for my YouTube videos.  I am sure I will drop some of these as I work out the logistics and draft the patterns, but it’s one way I have to deal with my over-stuffed idea space in my brain.

idea space in my brain…lol

I also am calling on my talented daughter-in-law, Beth, to help me draw some of the landscape sketches I need for basing some of these.   This should keep me busy for quite some time.  LOL

I’ll let you know what they are when I get each one ready to go.

Sew happy everyone!  Have fun in your studio in 2023!