Just for my Grands!!



Nothing like a (sort of) tidy sewing table to set off my urge to stitch. 

That is likely the real reason the studio never gets a complete do-over -- as soon as I get some open space on the tables, I take a break and stitch!! 

I'm part of one of Alison's Stash Bee groups -- the awesome Hive #7 -- and during July everyone made me funky birds based on this tutorial over at Block Lotto (tutorial is HERE)!  

 

I've made quite a few of them myself and with a camping trip on the horizon with my two grandchildren, I decided to use two of my blocks to make each of them a drawstring backpack. 

I enjoy all the tutorials that are shared over at Sew Can She and it didn't take long to find one for the bags.  You can find the full tutorial HERE.

I picked a bird for each, trimmed them up, and read through the instructions. 

First step was to frame up the blocks to the size needed for the bags.

I scaled the size of the bags down to fit my grands -- my beginning rectangles were 14" by 12".

I happen to be a long-time birder myself and have studied how American birds were named at one point.  So part of creating these birds has been "naming" them!!

This one is for my granddaughter and the bird's wing has a scrap from an outfit I made for her a couple years ago.

The Bashful Catbird is for my grandson who insists he "hates" catbirds (they rob the berry bushes in his yard).  And our native gray catbird is NOT bashful at all!

I'm always thankful for my years of experience making garments -- like turning the corner with a couple diagonal stitches to help make a sharper corner when the bag is turned.

And this is a trick I learned to helped guide the seams allowances into an "opening"  when it's turned to the inside making stitching the opening closed easier after it's turned. 

I was not looking forward to making the straps but the photos in the tutorial reminded me that I might have a bias trim maker tool.  Sure enough, there it was in the bottom drawer of the sewing table -- my designated storage spot for all seldom used tools!!

Of course, the instructions have disappeared so it took a bit of experimenting to remember that cutting the end of the strips on the diagonal and using a big corsage pin to encourage the strip into the tool works quite well. 

Once it's the strip is threaded into the tool, the pressing goes well and soon I was ready to stitch!!

Here are the results of a happy afternoon in a tidier studio!!

 I packed them with small journals and pencils to use during our 3-day camping break!

They were both delighted with the results and wore them for every hike and outing that the three of us enjoyed together.

This is one of my favorite pictures -- of course I want everyone to be a birder, too!!

The instructions and photos in the tutorial for the backpack are clear and easy to follow.  I loved working out of my fabric stash to create them and they just make me smile every time I look at them.  I'll be making more of these -- there are some moms and aunts with "backpack envy"!!

 

Mary Huey

 

Linking up over at MAIN CRUSH MONDAY!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The "tidying" continues!!

 The "tidying" in my studio continues in spite of all the temptation in the garden.

I've tackled this pile of fabric on the floor because it always in the way (blocks creativity).

Most of it is BIG HUNKS that I hoarded during my years as a quilt shop owner.  I whittle away at it for borders and backings.

I moved it all onto the (cleared off) cutting table and sorted it by color pulling out a few pieces to donate to my charity quilt making group for backings.

It lived on this shelf for a long time before taking temporary refuge on the floor (my son is replacing windows in the studio), so I was happy to have it back in place and out of the way.

Doesn't it look neat and tidy??

Turning around, I decided to handle these floor piles as well -- a combination of UFO's to be repurposed and fabric that hasn't been put back into the "floral" collection.

In the process, I uncovered this hoard of random strips that I used for a charming little string-pieced kaleidoscope quilt.  I'm not sure why I haven't let the leftovers go since I never do the same thing twice.  You could help me out with this!!  There is at least 1 1/2 yards in the assortment and if you'd like to use it, you can have it for the cost of postage -- just leave me a comment -- first one wins!!

My magazine hoard is also housed there and I let go of some and have plans to let go of more as the month progresses (we'll see??), but I found this article and set it aside for a closer look!! 

Perhaps we could use that information??

So that corner of the studio is much tidier!!

At this point, I decided I had earned a stitching break!!  This wall hanging is on my third quarter 2015 Finish Along list and I decided to try out "pencil" quilting on it.  It's 29" square and a teaching sample from the triad color scheme lesson in Quilting From the Heart by Gai Perry.

I thought I would use a turquoise thread since that is the dominate color, but at the last minute decided to audition a variegated gold thread as well.  In the end, that was my choice primarily because it didn't contrast so strongly with the background fabric.

I used the edge of my walking foot to measure the distance between the lines.  I started at the center of quilt and worked out to each side.  The lines became somewhat "organic" -- why can't I quilt as straight as I piece??  Not sure why, but it is what it is this time.

I love that there are no thread tails to tie off when I am done with the quilting since all the lines went from raw edge to raw edge!!

I need to learn how to keep the line spacing more uniform or else do this as whimsical lines in the future, but I like the look and the flatness of the finished piece. (The wonky upper right corner is the camera angle, not the quilt!)

 

I spent the evening stitching on the binding and adding a casing to the back so it's all ready to share with someone.  I've decided to call it Cactus Flower for no other reason that it seems like the right name. 

 

I'm feeling good!! 

A bit more of the studio tidy and another UFO finished!!

Next???

 

Mary Huey

 

Linking up over at PINK DOXIES!!

 

 

 

A Third Quarter Finish!!

One down, seven to do!! 

My list for the 2015 Finish Along is HERE.

As I was working on this quilt, I was reminded of my first "major" machine quilting effort.  I had been quilting by machine for over 10 years, but I decided to enter a local quilt show so I needed to do an extra special good job -- no more "this is just practice"!! 

 

As I tried in vain to move around the appliques carefully and retrace these curly-ques, I made a decision!  It looked whimsical but not perfect.  As always, I was in a time crunch, no time to have a meltdown about lack of skill.  

Solution??  Ever since I have described my machine quilting style as "whimsical". 

Identifying that aspect of my style released me from all the pressure of imitating the style of more detail oriented, skilled long-arm machine quilters. 

 

So I engaged in a little whimsy to quilt all the flowers in this quilt.  I took some photos while quilting the borders to share with you.

 

I meandered along the borders and after some experimentation discovered it was best to approach each cluster at the base of one of the leaves.  From there, I traced around the outside edge of the flower (I'm much better at that these days).

Next, I zig-zagged around the "petal" area of the flower -- random whimsy! 

And at some point when I was against the center of the flower, I outlined it. 

Arriving back at the outside edge of the flower and the base of a leaf, I then outlined the leaves and echoed them.  From here, I continued to meander through the border to the next cluster.  An expert could tell where I started working on the border because my "design" evolved a bit as I progressed, but the quilt isn't for an expert. 

I've used a "wonky" diamond cable many times as it eliminates the need to calculate the "lowest common denominator" of different border lengths.  Since acquiring a "Fine Line" Quilter's Ruler and my ruler foot, it's so easy.  Just plop the ruler down and follow it!!

I go all the way around the quilt doing one side and then the other, then come back and echo the first lines twice.  That safety pin is to remind me that I have to tie threads off there. 

Six trips around the last border and the quilting is finished!!  Gasp!!  Just in the nick of time, too.  It's hard to see in the picture but that is the end of the thread I have in my fingers.  Another 12" and I would have been irritated!!

Isn't the backing wonderful?  Oddly, I had picked out the backing for this quilt (an old sample from my shop) as I was closing in 2005.  It was only as I was binding the quilt that I realized just how perfect it was for this quilt.

The gal who now owns the quilt is a dear friend of my daughter.  We were very sorry to see her move out of our town and church but so happy to be able to send her off with a memento to celebrate the friendship we hope will survive the distance.

On to the next quilting task.  It's layered, the thread is chosen, the quilting ideas are flowing!!

 

Mary Huey

 

 

 

Monarch Butterfly Season Again

The studio "tidy-up" continues at a slow pace.  Our weather is drawing me out into the garden and it's that interesting, exciting time of the year when fostering up monarch butterflies becomes one of my primary activities.

I've managed to find a few eggs on the undersides of my common milkweed plants.

This year, I've left them on the plants watching every morning for this -- the tiny hatchlings eating a hole for their first meal. 

The netting shelter is hanging on the back porch with a bouquet of milkweed that gets changed every morning or more often with the gang munching away. 

It only takes about 10 days to go from that tiny creature that is hard to see to these fat ones that are hard to miss!! 

And when they get this size, we know it won't be long!! 

Soon they'll head up to the top of the enclosure. 

Once they attach themselves to the ceiling, they hang for about a day.

And the next time I look -- a chrysalis!! 

There are seven in my enclosure right now and a new batch of wee ones (10) that I discovered a couple evenings ago while watering and peering under leaves! 

Next week we'll be able to begin to release the first batch as they emerge. 

Because monarch butterflies migrate, they get a lot of media attention and their sharply decreasing numbers have alarmed many scientists.  Right now, there is a new initiative launching through the central USA to replant wild summer flowers such as the milkweeds to reverse the trend for monarchs and other insects. 

There's lot of information on the internet but my favorite source is Monarch Watch.  If you are on Facebook, you can also look for the page "Milk the Weed" -- it has lots of interesting links if you are interested in increasing the number of native plants and insects in your yard which will usually lead to more birds in your yard.   And this is a link to a list of native plants that various butterfly caterpillars eat for the USA!!

But you'll have to give up the pesticides and the herbicides -- you can plant the most spectacular butterfly garden in the world and it's all for naught.  I wish more of my neighbors would abandon their green deserts and join me in enjoying the insects and all they do for us!!

Back to the tidying!!

Mary Huey

My hanging enclosure for rearing the caterpillars comes from http://www.educationalscience.com/index.php/

Let August Begin!!

Since I wrapped up a couple big projects (and I need to find something . . . . ), I decided to commit most of August to organizing the studio (again) and getting caught up with some machine quilting.  Hopefully that will put me in good order for the fall upswing in stitching!!

 

I've just finished reading this little book.  My tendency to scoff at such idealism will likely get in the way of the (as I view it) dramatic approach the author advocates but I have gleaned some useful ideas which I hope will help me de-clutter effectively.  

I did the sewing table first and put away quite a few UFO's that have been traveling with me on various teaching gigs this summer. (Happily, the number of UFO's seems to be dwindling!!)

But the cutting table which sits in the middle of the room would be handy to use for the sorting -- what it is about flat surfaces that attract such disorder? -- so it is my current target.

I thought you might enjoy these "time-lapse" photos of my progress yesterday afternoon.

Most of it just needs put away -- blocks from my Stash Bee hive mates, new bits of fabric, tools, leftovers from this and that -- it all belongs somewhere!!

15 minutes later . . . this isn't so hard.  Look at all that space that's been revealed so far?!

Another 15 minutes shows some real progress -- the rulers are all back in the holder, lost things are beginning to emerge, the paper recycling bag is filling up.

But at the one hour mark, the focus has shifted.  I'm cutting up scraps -- 3" or 2 1/2" strips and squares -- and sorting them into the boxes -- needs to be done sooner or later anyway, right?

 

Once I start cutting up fabric, that is a sure sign that my decision-maker is finished for the day.  I've learned to stop and come back tomorrow. 

 

How will I keep on track all month? 

I don't know. 

The author of the "magic of tidying up" urges her readers to only keep what gives you joy and discard all the rest.  Mmmmmm, I wonder if she's had any "quilter" clients. 

There is so much to love in that studio. 

And she advises that you clear-out first and do it in one big swoop -- swoop? 

Obviously, she's never been distracted by the lure of a fat quarter stack.  I have given in so often to the lure of a little stitching to escape the boredom of making decisions, I'm not convinced I can maintain the momentum to do that? 

But didn't I just banter about that -- building momentum -- thus the entire month is needed.

 

I have determined that no new projects may be started during August and that all my stitching time will be focused on machine quilting -- there's quite a stack!! And I hope that will give me the break I need to go back at the swooping.

 

It will be so terrific to thin out the studio and make it tidier and to finish three or four small quilts so I need to soldier on!!

 

Only keep what brings me joy?

 

I wonder how much that is?

 

Back to the studio!!

 

Mary Huey