Grace Graduated

 And you know what that means?!?

Grandma made her (another) quilt!

 I've had this quilt top finished for a year and I knew when I was making it that it was for Grace but I put off quilting it until the deadline was bearing down hot and heavy.

The pattern used is Exploding Hearts and I made it with a layer cake. 

More about that HERE.

I layered it on May 7th and 8th.

As I was motoring along with the quilting one morning last week, I considered "why was I waiting" to quilt it?   Stop and think!  I actually did try to come up with a quilting plan when I first finished the piecing.  I looked at Pinterest and Instagram for ideas -- nothing!

And so as is often the case for me, how to quilt it was my "bump in the road" and I put it off until the last moment!?!

Thankfully, the looming deadline was the big motivator!! When I sat down to actually start the quilting I took the simplest approach and used the same "grid" idea from the last Mississippi Mud top I quilted!

Brilliant!!

The quilting lines are about 1/2" off the seam lines and (this is awesome) they avoid all the lumpy seam intersections and don't call attention to any of the "not quite perfect" intersections!

My lines aren't perfectly straight but when looking at the piece as a whole, that's not obvious!

I did this on my APQS George with a straight line tool and follower foot, but it could just as easily be done with a walking foot on any sewing machine.

BONUS -- since all the lines begin and end at the edges of the quilt, there were very few thread ends to bury -- just where the bobbins ran out!!

Plus I finally was able to use this gorgeous floral print that I've been hoarding!!

On May 20th, I bound the quilt and labeled it by stitching a dedication and my name right into the quilt with my computerized Bernina's lovely script alphabet using the memory function to write out phrases.

Of course, it's been so long since I did that sort of thing, I had to get out the manual -- thank goodness I organized all my machine supplies a few years ago and the manual was easy to find!

Grace is my oldest grandchild and as I stitched out her name, I recalled the moment her mom called to say she was expecting and my excitement!

She did very well in school and is headed off to college in the fall perhaps to become an engineer?  Here we are in front of her "baby tree" as she calls it -- a Japanese lilac seedling from my garden that I gave her parents the year she was born.

Look at all those cords and medals?!?

Time to start thinking about the next graduation quilt so I stay ahead of the game!!

And if you like this quilting idea, go ahead and copy it on your next project!!

Mary

Scrappy Quilts for the Win

 Another long pause from me -- I'm thinking I might be about finished with my blogging career if that's what its been?  I've always created my posts with a goal to teach or share something useful to other quilt makers but having stepped largely away from the more active part of the quilting world, I have few ideas to share that seem new to me.  I feel like I've said everything I can about finishing projects and working with scraps and using tools effectively and staying true to your own creative energy.

The current "sewing with scraps" interest continues for me and yesterday I happily began to assemble the scrappy log cabin blocks into a large throw.   It will take a couple more sessions to assemble it completely -- an hour at the sewing machine is my current time limit (thanks arthritis!?!).

I'm so pleased with the results -- the quilt has so much sparkle (it's the turquoise and orange scraps).

 I estimate it used 4 3/4 yards of fabric even though the 1 1/2" strip box is still half full . . .   

. . . and there are still pre-cut logs on the mat.

Perhaps there needs to be more log cabin blocks pieced -- maybe a couple wheelchair lap robes?

And bonus!!

All the hourglass units are pieced for the next quilt top -- I used them as "leaders and enders".

They aren't quite as consistent in size as I  had hoped -- turns out the starter charm pak squares weren't actually 5" square so the accurate 5" squares I cut to fill out the assortment are bigger making for some lopsided hourglass units.  

Do you know how much I dislike trimming???

A dozen years ago, I started using UFO's as "leaders and enders" and that strategy worked so well and I finished so many piecing UFO's that now I have to start new projects so I have productive "leaders and enders".  By the time, I finish piecing one quilt, I often have most of the units done for a new quilt (although it makes for a very messy cutting table?!?).

The little scrappy star quilt top is all set together -- it is suppose to be a charity quilt but it hasn't been donated yet -- well, it's not finished.  

Am I delaying because I like it a little too much???

I also pulled out a very old UFO and got it quilted this past month.

It's a Mary Ellen Hopkins log cabin idea using the six colorways of the print I colored for Kings Road Imports back in the mid-1990's. I challenged one of my quilter clubs to make something using all the colorways and this was my friend, Laura's make.  A few years ago, she was having a "thin-out" and gave the top to me.  Now it's hanging in my sewing room where I can see it from the sewing machine!

 I need to focus on quilting tops for a month now -- they are piling up a bit more than I like at this point.  This afternoon, I'll layer the Exploding Heart top I made last winter for a graduation quilt for my oldest granddaughter. 

I shared it in this post last March (HERE).  

Graduation is in 2 1/2 weeks -- yikes, Mary -- cutting it a bit close aren't you??

I'm not even mentioning all the normal distractions of spring here.

This gorgeous fellow and three side-kicks have been here all day -- foraging in the oak tree and taking turns sucking up sunflower seeds from the feeder.

Rose-breasted Grosbeak.

And I can hardly tear myself away from the back windows with a clear view of the yard!!

Time to get that quilt layered.

I hope spring is settling into place where you are!!

Mary

One Thing Leads to Another . . . .

 . . . . . unfortunately?!?

 At least, that's what is going on here the past couple of weeks.

Does the whole world know that Northeast Ohio (my home base) was in the totality path of Monday's eclipse?  Family members from the east and the west came to experience it and so I was cleaning and preparing for a short spurt of houseguests which requires three sleeping areas.  I have two guest rooms but to make the third space, my sewing room had to host a cot.

To make space for the cot, I needed to fold down one end of my big cutting table so not only did I need to clear out the supplies that live under that end of the table, I had to clear off at least that end of the table.  While that isn't a difficult task the combination of dealing with a messy box of scraps and the temptation of having that cutting mat cleared off (30" by 36") was more than I could resist.

You guessed it!!  Pro-quiltinating was triggered because tidying up the scraps coincided with a couple of ideas that merged into one project and now seem to be spawning another project.

Here's how it went.  It all started last summer when Robin Pickens introduced a new fabric line -- Wild Blossoms which featured a stunning edge-to-edge print.  In her blog post in March 2023 (click HERE), she shared her ideas for some table runner layouts using that print and a group of 3" blocks she was piecing for the Moda Sewcialites 2 sewalong.   When the fabric became available, I ordered a yard intending to do the same.  

But the 3" blocks weren't happening -- just looking at the tiny pieces put me off.  Then I came across Terry Rowland's colorwash scrap quilt on Instagram (click HERE).  Her blocks reminded me of little single-round log cabin blocks -- so much simpler than tiny piecing!!  Out came my Marti Michell 1" finished strip Log Cabin*** ruler and the box of 1 1/2" cut strips and I was off.  I have finished setting the strip of 3" log cabin blocks in between strips of pale greens and the Wild Blossoms print.  It's around 84" long and 16" wide -- yes, I have a long table.  Now for a backing -- can I do that without leaving the stash??

Have you used one of Marti's Log Cabin rulers -- there are four?  I have to admit I scoffed when she first introduced them but since I was working as an educator for her products at the time, I had to learn to use them and teach with them.  

It took one block to turn me into a reformed log cabin fanatic!

As I was cutting the colorwash blocks for the runner, I realized I had an overflowing box of strips that needed used so why not start a new quilt at the same time?!?  Everything I needed was at hand!!

The cutting is progressing in 20 minutes sessions as I clean up the pile of scraps (and a forgotten box full found under the cutting table) but I'm not allowed to start piecing until I get this star quilt top set together.  (Well, maybe just one block to see how it looks . . . )

After all, it will be a perfect leader/ender project while I piece these 280 hourglass blocks I cut last week???

That project started as an attempt to use up a 5" charm pak of 30's prints but of course one pak doesn't yield very many hourglass units so I had to get out the 30's stash and cut another 156 5" squares!?!  

It's okay I tell myself -- I'm sewing my stash, sewing my stash!!

Besides, I need one block on the design wall to use as a guide for which direction to travel through the piecing . . . . right?

Justified!!

On top of all that, I wrote this blog post -- guess who doesn't like to clean??

Pro-quiltinating rules!!

Mary

P.S. The eclipse was pretty amazing!!  And the first thing I did when everyone left on Tuesday was open the cutting table back up!!

***EDIT April 2025

Marti Michel closed her business in late in 2024 and while some shops may still have a stock of her templates, you can also find them on Ebay and Etsy. 

Quilts to Share

 Sometime in the late 1980's, my husband, youngest child and I were on a short weekend camping trip to Western Pennsylvania.   As I recall the two of them were out, perhaps on a bike ride and I was on my own for a bit -- maybe birding, maybe walking, maybe stitching??  I was in a reflective mood triggered by something I no longer recall, but what I do remember is deciding that if I was going to continue to "work" as a quiltmaker/shop owner/teacher I needed to start being more generous with my skills.   I loved my work and did it mostly for myself, because it was so enjoyable - but I felt at the time there needed to be more than personal enjoyment.

And so began a new commitment to sharing quilts as often as possible.  Over the past thirty-plus years, the count of "quilts to share" that I've either produced myself or organized a group of quilters to produce is a lost number but I'm sure there have been hundreds.

Last week I shared a couple batches of wheelchair size lap robes - an easy size for me to handle in spite of the increasing restrictions of my arthritis!   I can experiment with ideas and block designs in a small way and quilt them without crippling myself -- that means I can keep stitching!

Today another quilt I donated to Homegrown National Park went up for auction!!

It's my version of Pamalamajo Designs Whirly Weeds quilt.

Even though I don't enjoy machine applique, I did enjoy making this quilt since it merged my enjoyment of nature and making and sharing quilts!

I donated it to the first Homegrown National Park Auction which began today and ends on March 17.  The quilt is item #26 of fifty-two (really great) items.

Anyone can bid -- HERE IS THE LINK.

UPDATE - 3/19/2024 -- the quilt sold for $400!!

If you are one of the growing number of native plant gardeners in the USA, you may already know about the Homegrown National Park movement triggered by the books of Doug Tallamy, a professor at the University of Delaware.  His book, Bringing Nature Home, has opened the hearts and minds of thousands of Americans about the dangers of diminishing natural diversity.

The Instagram account @homegrownnationalpark has almost 70,000 followers.

The Facebook page has 22,000 followers.

And the website is full of native plant resources tailored to every region of the USA.

HERE IS A LINK to my favorite Doug Tallamy talk -- I hope you'll listen if you haven't already heard him speak -- his ideas are compelling and doable and lots of other folks agree!!

Bring nature into your backyard or patio or balcony!

And then "get on the map" -- my 60' by 200' suburban lot is part of the 5000 acres in Ohio where homeowners have started to rejuvenate natural biodiversity by planting native trees, shrubs, grasses, and forbs.  I'm on a mission to pass the 75% native plants mark in my own yard by the end of this summer.  My casual observations of native insects -- bees, wasps, beetles, and butterflies -- has increased over the past three years thanks to native flowering plants which makes my yard more fun.  I have more fireflies in summer and more birds year round than adjacent yards thanks to the changes I'm making in my gardens and yard.

Homegrown National Park is a rallying platform for this movement so check it out!! 

Mary

 

Ancient UFO Averted!!

 Have you ever started a quilting project only to realize a short way into it that you aren't enjoying it?  You are frustrated from the starting gun with some aspect of the pattern?  You don't like the color or fabric palette?  You don't like the construction process?

It just happened (again) to me!

I have admired Jen Kingwell's Wensleydale block since she introduced it in her Quilt Recipes book several years ago so when a friend lent me the templates for it, I dove right into piecing some blocks to "get the feel" of it.  I needed "leaders and enders" as I worked on the final assembly of my Summer Garden quilt top so putting together a few Wensleydale blocks seemed a "win-win".  I've also been trying to tame this jumble of scraps laying in the middle of my cutting table, so I began the blocks by pulling from it.  "Win-win" again -- dealing with scraps.

(Leaving the scrap pile in the middle of the cutting table isn't a great solution but it keeps my goal of dealing with the pile front and center instead of ignoring it in a basket underneath the table.)

The first block was ugly -- not enough contrast to suit me.

The second block was marginally better.

And by the time I finished the fourth block, I was beginning to sort out better value choices.

Color and value schemes can be corrected by paying attention to what didn't work on the previous block and experimenting as I go.

Now the  only problem was that I wasn't enjoying the piecing process and that my friends, signals the beginning of an ancient UFO in my experience!?!

So this is where I left things Sunday afternoon -- four blocks laying on the floor beside my machine.

Happily, my sub-conscious designer brain thrust an idea into my conscious maker brain the very first thing Monday morning (a rare but wonderful experience) and after breakfast, I headed to my sewing room, grabbed my 2 1/2" strip box, and eliminated that potential UFO in a burst of sewing!!

Three sewing sessions later and the four blocks have been saved from the orphan block box and turned into a cheerful little wheelchair size laprobe!!  

Today, I'll layer it up and add it to the little pile I'm quilting through this week.  I could make it bigger but right now this size charity quilt is my new solution to UFO's -- this is the eighth one I've made since early December!  It's an easy size for me to quilt -- usually two of my 40 minutes quilting sessions has one ready to bind.

Now to get all those 2 1/2" strips back into their box?!?

(And no, a bigger box is not the solution!!)

Morale of the story -- if it's not fun, change direction!

Enjoy your week!

Mary

Revisiting Pressing Matters

Apparently I've been blogging for just over a decade?!?  As I was working on a couple projects during our gray typical January the past couple weeks, I recalled writing a blogpost about "pressing".  When I went back to revisit it -- there is actually a series of three posts.  

I think good pressing habits make for better piecing and while the tips and techniques I shared in these tutorials aren't the only best practices, they certainly have served me well over the past 30 years of piecing.

The first one deals with the basics that apply to any piecing project.  

 https://maryhueyquilts.blogspot.com/2013/10/my-first-tutorial-pressing-basics-for.html

Over the past couple weeks I've been turning a layer cake into the sampler blocks from the 2021 summer time Moda sampler -- thirteen of the fourteen 12" blocks are pieced along with four 6" blocks and two 4" blocks.  I have to say the wool pressing pads that have become so popular are a game changer! 

One thing you will notice when reading that post is I don't press seams open.  It wasn't a "thing" back in the "old" days when I learned to piece and I have tried it off and on over the past couple years but I'm not a fan.  My piecing skill depends on a side-pressed seam too much.

\All that is left of the layer cake is this pile of scraps!  I was lucky to find a couple of the prints which were released in 2019 to fill in some gaps and make a binding.  I was wise enough to purchase a two yard length of the large scale print from the collection so that will be the borders!

The second tutorial in the series shares tips I learned from teaching mentor, the marvelous Mary Ellen Hopkins.  That woman could stream line any process which fit right into my work ethic.  Chain-piecing was new to me when I started taking workshops with Mary Ellen and this tutorial shares some of what I learned from her about pressing.

https://maryhueyquilts.blogspot.com/2013/10/pressing-basics-for-piecing-part-2.html

I have a side-project going as leaders and enders making these cute scrappy star blocks inspired by a pattern shared by The Stash Bandit (Diane Harris) in the August 2022 issue of American Patchwork and Quilting.  The fabrics are being sourced out of my 2 1/2" scrap stash -- squares, triangles, and strips.  No idea yet how large this quilt will be or what it's destiny might be once finished -- I'm just having fun piecing the blocks!

The third tutorial has applied to this scrappy project -- it is my "go-to" method for edge-to-edge block settings regardless of whether the blocks are an even grid or an odd grid -- the method always applies!! And I find it especially useful for those patterns where the designer never mentions "how to press" the blocks!

https://maryhueyquilts.blogspot.com/2013/10/pressing-basics-for-piecing-part-3.html

I'll bet you have some go-to tips I've missed when it comes to pressing -- share them in the comments so we can all learn more!

Looking forward to more guilt-free gray winter days of piecing!  

Mary

Flourishes BOM Update

As promised, here are all twelve finished blocks from my 2023 year-long BOM project.

This was a stash-busting goal -- the patterns with fabric kits have been in my stash for over 10 years and before that, they were in my Mom's stash for about the same length of time!?!

The pattern is Flourishes, designed by the Piece O'Cake duo of Becky Goldsmith and Linda Jenkins.  They released it as a BOM with a fabric line at the same time with one of the original quilting cotton fabric vendors, P & B Fabrics.

I worked on one block each month and happily was able to finish each in about two weeks of evening hand stitching.  The pace kept me on track and a week or more break between blocks prevented boredom.

This was the last block I stitched -- #12 in the series and well-placed because by this time, my confidence was solid.  If I'd started with this block, I think all those little circles would have defeated me?!?

Hmmm, why is this picture sideways?

Well, I have no idea -- but I'm blaming Microsoft!  They seem to have intervened and "upgraded" the photo app I use (thanks, so much???) and I haven't figured out how to import my photos from my camera disk.

To get around this issue (which may stem from impatience on my part), I'm importing photos taken on my phone and automatically stored in my Google account.  Actually, it makes this step simpler but I didn't take the time to figure out how to edit them.  Apparently my phone turned some of the pictures sideways and I'm stumped.

But the pictures are clear and the colors accurate and since my mental energy is a bit low this morning, I'm going with it.   

Random thought -- will this make the post more memorable??

The sideways photos, I mean.

I grabbed a light table years ago and have rarely used it until this project.  Every morning, I would trace 4 to 5 pieces onto the prints using the light table.  Then aligning the background block on top of the full size pattern on the light table again, I would position and pin the pieces in place ready for an evening of stitching.

(Upside down, really??)

I used the needle-turned applique method, but one thing I do to make it easier is to finger press all the way around a piece on the (chalk) pencil lines because I find the needle-turning goes more smoothly.  Much to my surprise, I enjoyed not having to make any fabric decisions -- the fabrics in the kits matching the pattern cover exactly! Generally, I like to do my own thing -- picking fabrics that please me but it was a nice change.

Along about September, I began to think about assembling the quilt top and getting it quilted.  These are large blocks -- 20" and in the designers' layout, they are set edge-to-edge on the diagonal.  

We're talking BIG quilt.

So that creates a "quilting" challenge for me -- too big for me to machine quilt and perhaps too much for my hands to hand quilt?  To send it out will be expensive since the design would be "ruined" by an edge-to-edge pattern and would require "custom-quilting" which would be elegant but out of my budget.

Plus who gets the quilt down the road???

The solution I've come up with solves both issues -- make three smaller quilts!

Easier for me to quilt myself and I have three granddaughters, so . . . . 

After laying out four blocks for a smaller quilt, I decided to make three more blocks, so each quilt will have five blocks.  Towards that end, I've been saving all the leftover bits of fabric from the kits that came with each month's pattern.  I chose three of the patterns I enjoyed making for the "fifth" blocks.

This is the first duplicate block.  I've had to do a little stash-diving to substitute for fabrics I used up from the pattern kits but that's not really a problem -- deep, deep stash here!?!

I'm heading off for a few retreat days at the end of next week and the duplicate blocks will be my focus.  My prep work is to applique the stems of each block (my least favorite part) and cut all the applique pieces so I'm sure I have compatible fabrics.  It would be wonderful to come home with three completed blocks but even if I don't, I'll have made significant progress!

Other plans for the retreat include layering a couple large quilts (to take advantage of extra hands that will be available!) and prepping an antique quilt top for a little rework (dissembling and removing basting threads) and perhaps cutting a Moda BOM from the summer of 2022?   

And eating cookies?!?

Are you going to be able to enjoy a retreat this winter?  I enjoy them more now that I've stopped taking my sewing machine.  Focusing on hand-stitching and prep work (layering and cutting) makes the planning and packing easier plus I'm not "nose-down" at my machine for the weekend (i.e., more social time).  If you aren't part of group, organize a couple of your favorite stitching friends and rent a place -- quite a few small retreat venues have popped up in this region and if you have to cook for yourselves, indulge in a few days of eating badly to take the pressure off?!?

Mary

 

Launching A New Year - 2024

 Yesterday in the midst of a quiet first day of the year, I was contemplating that we are almost a quarter of the way into this century!  Just 23 years ago, we were nervously entering a new millennium with more than a little dread of what awaited us.  But here we are -- still moving forward!?!

My family was together for a few crazy hours last week (although Grandma had to put down her Mom foot -- boy, can young ones get wound up!?!).  I hope you were able to gather with friends and/or family for some holiday cheer!!

I spent New Year's weekend with tea and cookies hiding in my sewing zone -- reviewing my 2023 accomplishments and setting some (okay, perhaps too many) 2024 goals.  In 2023, I set four goals plus I wrote out a list of  potential "new projects" in the hope of being less overwhelmed with all the exciting "new projects" that are thrust into my view (daily) by Instagram scrolling?!?

I've reviewed my progress at the end of each quarter, so today's comments will be brief and focus on my satisfaction.  Suffice it to say that two of my goals were accomplished or acceded -- I let go of more quilted pieces than I finished (yea!!) and I finished another half dozen old UFO's!!  Progress on one more of my goals was moderate -- I quilted three of the five tops made in 2022.  Three of my new 2023 projects came from the list of seven projects (but I did cave to "exciting" ideas from Instagram at least three times -- two of which are completely finished so in my mind, that was okay).  The fourth and final goal was something of a fail -- to deal with all the antique quilt tops.  The only two I "dealt" with were ones I sold -- I didn't touch any of the other seven.  

I suspect lots of folks resist setting goals because they expect to fail based on past performance, but I feel like even modest success makes the "setting" worth the effort.  My annual goals are a guidance system that help me re-center.  I write them down in my daily work journal (which keeps me accountable) so it is easy to revisit them regularly both to look for a "new" project and to encourage focus.

So New Year, New Goals!

1.  Try again to deal with the antique quilt tops!?!  Just had an idea -- perhaps a self-challenge where I "draw" one out of a hat to work on for two months???

2.  Quilt the tops I made in 2022 and 2023 -- there are five big ones and five small charity quilts.

3.  Give away fifty yards of fabric -- this is so hard for me, but I definitely have more than I can use?!?

4.  Still eliminating UFO's -- I must be close to the end of this aspect of my work but five popped up in the weekend tidy-up of the sewing room.

5.  Let go of more pieces than I finish -- this goal reduces inventory for the benefit of my heirs???

And face it, it gives me a reason to keep piecing!!

6.  Not quilting but I need to use up yarn -- so use at least 12 skeins/batches from the stash!

PLUS revisit my list of "already on-hand" projects when I get the itch to start a new one.

All this reflection and sorting and planning and tidy-up always results in impulsive sewing!  Pawing through UFO's triggers me and next thing I know I'm laying out blocks and piecing more blocks, making a plan, modifying for a quicker finish . . . 

. . . now that box of squares and 9-patches left over from the 2013 Civil War hand-piecing workshops during the Gettysburg battle commemorations are a wheel-chair size lap and a large lap robe size quilt tops.  I might even be layering them later today??  And just like that one of the UFO's will be crossed off my list.  It's a good start on the goals list!

The yarn stash got some attention, too.  Now there are two new projects lined up that I enjoy knitting -- a pair of High Desert socks and a Musselburg Hat -- both use bits and bobs of yarns plus most of a full skein!  I've knit each pattern several times and once set up, they are somewhat mindless knits that occupy my hands well during webinars and meetings.  Plus they are great gifts to have on hand!

Both patterns are available on ravelry.com if you are interested in checking them out.

Because "goal setting" works so well for my stitching efforts, I also decided to set some genealogy work goals.  I enjoy the discovery process and have definitely embraced it over the past three years but my curiosity often lures me down interesting rabbit holes that distract me so I end up not getting to the end of a particular research effort.  Maybe goals will help??

Time will tell!

So lets launch a New Year and embrace contentment in our lives

Find ways to use your skills and your passions to support the people around you!

Step up to defend people and the earth to leave a legacy of kindness and respect! 

Be courageous every day.

Happy New Year!!

Mary