A Flexible Border Quilting Design to Draft

Earlier this week, I shared my finish of the English mosaic hexagon quilt and said I would share the border design I drafted.  I wanted to get it all documented for myself because it is a flexible design that can be adapted to lots of border sizes.  This is my original draft.

This morning I sat down with my 11 by 17 pad of graph paper and my colored marker set to do that and I'm taking you along with a series of step-by-step instructions. 

My pencil lines represent the border width -- from the seam where it joins to the quilt top to where the binding attachment seam will be (if all goes as planned).  The first step is to divide the length of the border less the corners into an even number of segments -- for example 10, 12, 14, etc.  An odd number of segments makes turning the corners with a consistent motif impossible.  The actual length of these segments doesn't matter.

Here you can see yellow dots dividing the length of the border into an even number of segments and pinpointing the center of the design area as well.  I put my dots (using a chalk pencil) 5/8" (approx. 1.5 cm) from the seam line and the outer dots 7/8" (approx. 2.5 cm) from the raw edge of the border.  The third (center) row of dots is midway between the first two rows of dots. 

This is all the marking that needs to be done!!  Now you are ready to quilt!

I work on a stationary long-arm machine (the APQS George) and use a plexiglass straight edge (from www.accentsindesign.com) with my edge following presser foot to stitch straight lines.

The complete design takes 10 individual lines of stitching and I go all the way around the quilt with each line but you could chose to stop at the corners, tie off and do the next line, etc. until you have one side finished.   I'm going to go through all 10 border lines and then at the end I'll show you the corner but I stitched continuously through the corners on my quilt.

The first line is represented by the green dashes.  It begins at the midpoint dot just before a corner (see the last photo).  I set my straight edge tool 1/4" (more or less) to one side of the dots and line up across the middle of the design area connecting to the dot on the opposite side of the border. 

Stopping in the dot at the end with the needle down, I pivot and align the straight edge to the opposite edge of the border.

Once that line is completed and tied off, I add the second line.  As these first two lines cross at the center, they create the diamonds that are the basis of the design.  The size of the diamonds will vary from quilt to quilt but they will always be evenly proportioned.

The third and fourth lines echo the outer edges of the diamonds to define them.  I used the edge of my presser foot to measure the space between them -- it's a bit more than 1/4" but the consistency is more important than the measurement and I can maintain that easier by using the edge of the presser foot.

You may have a different strategy but that doesn't matter as long as the spacing between the lines is consistent.

The fifth and sixth lines are straight lines that touch the tips of the diamond echo lines and are (hopefully) an even distance from the seam line of the border and from where the seam line of the binding will be when you finish the quilt.  If you do a test of this design, you may find that you need to move the dots in the first step towards the center a bit to make a personal adjustment for your tools and presser foot. 

Once these six lines are stitched, you could actually do anything you wanted in the diamond and triangle spaces.  As I'm looking at this picture, I'm thinking it would be fun to stitch assorted tiny buttons where each of the center dots are in the diamonds!!

I used the pumpkin seed motif to fill in my diamonds and triangles.  I am confident about stitching "arcs" so it's enjoyable.  It took four lines to complete the pattern.  I hope the lines and little arrows show you the path I follow clearly.

These lines can be done in any order.

The size of the diamonds determines the scale of the pumpkin seed motifs and the dot in the center of each diamond gives you a target for the arc.  Generally, I do one arc, stop, reset my hands (and brain), do the next arc, repeat.  However you proceed, I advise that you stop at the ends of arcs, not in the middle of an arc -- it's easier to camouflage a start-up jog in a corner than on an arc!

As I stitched the final line of the pumpkin seeds, my brain was practically shouting "yahoo" outloud as I got closer and closer to the finish!!

Turning the corners is easy though my strategy didn't yield a perfect diamond.  The dashed blue and green lines in this diagram represent the path I followed to connect the side diamonds and get around the corner. 

This diagram shows the first pumpkin seed line turning the corner.  The second line inside the diamonds will complete the remainder of the pumpkin seed motif in the corner diamonds.

If you are concerned about that wonky looking corner diamond -- if they are all the same, consistent shape, that's good in my mind.  The issue for me would be if they weren't the same, but you may be able to come up with a different solution that suits you better.

Here is another look at the design from the back side of my quilt.

Finally, when I trimmed the edge of my quilt before adding the binding, I measured from the last line of the quilting design so that when the binding was added the distance from the binding seam to the outside line of the design was consistent.  Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture so I hope that sentence makes sense.

So print this out or bookmark it and give it a try the next time you are stumped for a border design!  I'd love to hear how you use it.  I know I'll be using it again!!

I hope you get to do lots of stitching this weekend!!

Mary Huey

Trusting the Quilting Muse

Over the past month, I've been machine quilting a masterful reproduction of an English-style hexagon mosaic quilt which I pieced by machine to exhibit how well the y-seam method I teach works.

You've seen me posting about it before HERE and HERE and HERE.

I love the top and as usual was hesitant to start the quilting.

What if I ruin it???

But it's not actually a quilt until it's quilted, so . . . . . I started the process.

I began by studying lots of photos of finished hexagon quilts -- not much inspiration there.

Either the quilting was too plain or too fancy.

In the end, I went back to a vintage Grandmother's Flower Garden that I machine quilted two years ago -- you can read about it HERE.

I spread it out on a bed and studied all the motifs picking the ones I liked best. 

There were lots of experimental designs, some not so successful, but I finally settled on this one with a prettier center and it became the basis for all the motifs in my mosaic quilt.

I decided to draft out several hexagon grids on scrap fabric at the same scale of the quilt (1" hexagons) and used those to practice the stitching motif and experiment with a filler design for the background. 

The thread color I chose was unconventional -- it is a variegated palette of colors that I hoped would blend nicely with all the reproduction prints I used.  It's a 40wt. polyester from Madeira and I'm pleased with the results.

Since I had three sizes of rosettes, the basic design evolved with each round of hexagons.

I marked the center hexagon's midpoint before beginning.

Then I began at an outside intersection and arced gracefully to an inner intersection, then back to the outer edge and so on until the first three arches were complete.

At that point, I worked part of the center hexagon's pumpkin seed flower.  I stopped working on that part of the design when I reached a point that hadn't been touched by an arch, did the remaining three arches, and returned to the same "corner" of the center hexagon to finish the flower -- one start, one stop!

These are the smallest rosettes and here's a look from the back side. These next few pictures are a bit blurry -- poor light for photos but really showed up the quilting -- and a shaky hand.

For the medium size rosettes, I added a second ring of arches and outlined the entire rosette shape.  The background quilting added the second outline of the rosette.

While experimenting on my stitching samples with marking pens, I stumbled onto this expansion of the design that makes the largest rosettes look like snowflakes from the back of the quilt.  It's not so apparent on the front.

And this is the large central 6-pointed star motif.  The little pumpkin seed flowerets at the tip of each point are my solution for filling that empty space. 

and once they were done, I realized I could repeat the motif in some floating clusters of hexagons.

Here is one from the front.  I used the size of my presser foot to stay centered and stop at the same point on each hexagon.

As I proceeded, my confidence grew and then the center of the quilt was finished and I hit a bump -- no plan for the borders.  After two days of sketching and rejecting, this is the border design I settled on.  I was able to repeat the pumpkin seed elements in diamonds.  I think this design could be adapted to many border sizes and I'm working on another post detailing how to rescale it. 

It took 10 passes along the borders to complete the design, but being completely made from straight lines and pumpkin seeds, it was easy to achieve a professional look.  Here's the entire quilt from the back -- the lighting was perfect for catching the shadows of the designs. 

I got lots of experience using my "Fine Line" Quilter's Ruler for all the background quilting.  There wasn't a consistent pathway to accomplish the grid and it took longer than I anticipated, but in the end I love the way it sets off the rosettes.  The consistent pressing strategy I showed you HERE also was a great benefit during the background quilting process because when I needed to stitch in the ditch it was consistent all the way across the quilt!

And here is the finished quilt!!

Finishing this quilt crosses off one of my six Finish-A-Long goals for the first quarter of 2016.  Now to maintain the momentum -- that's always the tricky past isn't it??  The original list is HERE.

Happy Quilting!!

Mary Huey

Quilting Immersion!

This morning's post is a little late, but I have an excellent excuse!

Early January, every year, it's the same story as I quilt my annual entry in our regional quilt show.

Total immersion!! 

Me and George (my APQS machine) and Pandora and a lot of strong, sweet tea!

I'll show the final results next week, but as I've been listening to the "relaxation" channel on Pandora non-stop for days, I've also been recalling many of the machine quilting pointers I received from master quilter, Sue Nickels.

 

Around the turn of the century (don't you love being able to use that expression?), I was part of a small group of shop owning teacher disciples of Mary Ellen Hopkins.  We met up for a week every summer and swapped workshop ideas and talked about everything.  One year, we had two days with Sue focusing on machine quilting skills.  It was a turning point, break through experience for me.

 

We spent one day working on a technique sampler and then executed this 18" piece which I finished into a pillow.  Sue's is not just an expert technician, she is a professional teacher with the ability to clearly explain and encourage students.  I never look at this piece without a sense of awe that I actually did this.

Do you want a closer look?

The feathers and cables were marked before we started and we had practiced maintaining consistent density of background quilting.

So here is a quick review of the three pointers I learned from her that come back to me whenever I machine quilt.

 

First, she compared machine quilting to driving -- when you drive, you are always thinking about where you are going -- it's subconscious, but without that focus you won't get there.

So when I'm quilting arcs that I hope will be graceful, I'm focused on the end point and thinking about stitching a graceful arc.

Second, when you feel "lost",  just stop.  Get your bearing and then continue.

Third, stop with the needle down and then start each line slowly. 

Be ready to move along when you start the machine to prevent stitch pile-ups (which show more on the back where you can't see them until it's annoyingly late).

 

Finally, she introduced me to "self-threading" needles and how to use them to bury my thread ends.

Leah Day justed posted a video that illustrates the method perfectly HERE.

 

The kettle is whistling, so it's time to go back at it -- two more days, I think. 

Focused on the borders -- have a design planned based on elements from the center of the quilt.

I will get this done!!

 

If you aren't familiar with Sue -- HERE is a link to her website where you can get acquainted with her books, review her teaching schedule, and get inspired.

 

Remember we can't use these quilt tops until they are quilted!!

Mary Huey

 

2016 Finish-A-Long -- First Quarter Goals

Three months -- six projects!

Seems reasonable doesn't it?

Here we go!

 

#1 -- quilt and bind my hexagon mosaic quilt!

#2 -- finish my Glitter teaching sample -- lap size -- 60 blocks!

#3 -- make a second teaching sample using at least six of the Dresden Star blocks (this is the first sample) using a new assortment of bright prints.

  #4 -- have fun creating a quilt with the wonky bird blocks from my 2015 Stash Bee swap blocks! 

 #5 -- make a twin size quilt from my (extensive) blue stash using the "plus" design that I see so often and love -- to be donated to a good cause!  I plan to take this one and #6 to my annual winter stitching retreat at the end of January and get all the cutting for them done while there!

#6 -- make a new quilt using a simple design and this assortment of soft greens for my daughter's redecorated guest room.

That should keep me busy for a few months!

Now I think I'll head over to one of the link-ups and see how crazy everyone else is getting with their goals!!  You can check it out too by clicking on the logo for the 2016 Finish-A-Long in the upper right corner of this page.

 

I hope you'll find as much time to stitch as you want this weekend!

 

Mary Huey

 

UPDATE:  Here's a link to a very helpful post about participating in the 2016 Finish-A-Long!

http://www.shecanquilt.ca/2016/01/joining-finish-long-answers-to-some.html?showComment=1452359821120#c6674596361404807484

 

 

A Special Quilt

This Rose Wreath quilt which I estimate dates to the 1870's was given to me by a lifelong friend and mentor, Gretta, who passed away a year ago at the age of 96.  She gave it to me about six years ago and since then I've used it on my bed during the Christmas season. 

I met Gretta at Girl Scout daycamp during the summer of 1958 -- she was my unit leader and we bonded quickly -- she knew so much about birds and plants and I was just beginning to stalk birds.  She began to include me on many hiking and birding adventures and until the day she died, the first topic we discussed whenever we met or talked on the phone was what birds we were seeing.

So it was a great honor to be given this quilt that was made by her great-grandmother, Sara Elizabeth Young Lee.  Sara was born in Morris, NJ in 1831 and lived in that area throughout her life.  Her husband, John's occupation was listed as a "watchman" in the 1880 federal census for Newark, NJ.  They had two daughters, Augusta and Ida.  Ida married an architect, Thomas Cressey who immigrated from England in the 1870's. 

Their oldest surviving child, Clare was Gretta's mother.  Clare married a young chemist in the early 1900's and together they moved to my home town in Ohio to begin a new company in 1917.

Almost immediately, Gretta's father, Charles Shipman became one of the outstanding naturalists in this area.  One of the most significant legacies he left our region was Gretta who herself was an eager naturalist and conservation activist.

The quilt must not have been used very much and I think I might be the first person to have laundered it -- that was a scary experience but everything was fine!!   Using it once in a while has expanded my appreciation for the quilt and led to some little discoveries I thought you might enjoy.

Since I can't tuck quilts in at the foot of my bed, I often lay quilts sideways.  Here you can see the view from the bottom edge of the quilt.  There is no border across the top edge.  When I have it out, I go over it carefully looking for wear and tear and make small repairs such as spots where the appliques have come loose.

This year as I was going over it, I realized the wreaths have an up and down?!?

See how the leaves are arranged?

Except for this one which sits at the upper right corner of the quilt.  As I look at this picture, the leaves in that wreath look "plumper" and I wonder if that block was made later or if it was the first block and she modified the pattern a bit?  We'll never know.

Last year, I came across some loose threads along a seam in the lower left corner where the lower border was joined to the quilt.  I went hunting for a pair of scissors and needle to tie them off or trim them.  But when I looked more closely, I realized they were basting stitches that served as a guideline for the cross hatch quilting she did.  What a brilliant idea!!

I decided to leave the loose threads -- it gives the quilt a special touch. 

This week, I'm finishing up a label for the quilt that will include the family line from Sara to Gretta so that no one looses track of the history which has been carefully documented by four generations.

What an honor to own this special quilt from a woman who had such a big impact on my life!!

Mary Huey