Christa’s Quilt Along 2.6 – Baby Bricks Option 2 FMQ

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I love adding free-motion quilting to my quilts whenever I can. That is why I chose to enhance my girl version of Baby Bricks with some decorative double loops.

Baby Bricks - Girl VersionStep 1 – Securing the Blocks

Before getting to the fun part, the quilt needs to be secured with a little stitching in the ditch between all of the rows. This anchors the piece for more decorative quilting later.

Beginning the RowsStitch in the DitchWhen stitching to the end of a row, pivot and sew along the side to get to the start of the next row. I used my walking foot with an “open” toe so that I could clearly see where I was quilting.

Step 2 – Quilting the Loops

I quilted all of the white “negative space” with random double loops. To do this design, first quilt a row of single loops. I changed the direction of each loop for interest – think of stitching e’s & o’s in an alternating fashion.

Single LoopsWhen I reached the end of the row, without stopping, I went back the other direction, echoing the flowing lines between the loops and filling the inside of the circles with another loop. This created a ribbon look which I really like.

Double LoopsFor the FMQ, I used Isacord polyester thread in a Vanilla color which I bought from Leah Day. This was the first time trying that thread and I really like it. I need to get more colors!

Step 3 – Quilting the Blocks

At first I had planned on adding more free-motion quilting to the rectangular blocks, but then decided the quilt needed some geometric looking quilting instead. So I got out my ruler and washable marking pen and added registration marks, crisscrossing the blocks.

Add Registration MarksHad I planned this out more, I would have marked the quilt before I basted and probably quilted the straight lines first. But it just goes to show it’s ok to change your plans during quilting and it will still turn out great!

Straight Line Echo

With my walking foot and pink thread, I quilted lines 1/4″ away from either side of the marked lines. Then I spritzed the lines with water. (I will completely soak the quilt later.)

I marked an “x” design going in both directions on the center row of the quilt. Then each of the rows to the left and right accentuated the direction of the straight line quilting.

Quilting Detail

I pieced the back using some pink and green scraps from my stash. I like how much the quilting shows up on the back. (I used wool batting to give the quilting some body.)

Pieced Back

Here is the schedule of tutorial posts for my Baby Bricks do-it-yourself quilt along:

Christa’s Soapbox – Why I Quilt

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I have been thinking a lot lately about why I quilt.

From the moment I made my first quilt I was in love with this craft! That was almost 18 years ago, but I feel like I’ve barely scratched the surface of what I want to do!

I’ve read that to truly pursue your passion, you need to find your “voice.” I am still searching for my voice, but I do know that I have two different quilting personalities. The competitive side of me wants to make beautiful, knock-your-socks-off award winning original quilts that take hundreds of hours to complete.

The teacher side of me wants to create simple patterns that even the most novice of quilters can make in a weekend. So can I have such a split personality when it comes to quilting? I guess the answer is yes, because it makes me happy.

Sometimes I just want to finish a project in a hurry for the mere satisfaction of completion.  Other times I enjoy the ooh’s and ahh’s of my friends and fellow quilters when they admire my intricate machine work.

That is the beauty of quilting – at different times in my life I can go in totally opposite directions. But above all, it satisfies my need to create. That is why I quilt!

Christa’s Quilt Along 2.5 – Baby Bricks Option 1 Straight Line Quilting

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I finished up the quilting on my boy version of Baby Bricks while I was at a quilting retreat last weekend.  I brought along a few items to sell so the weekend paid for itself!

Christa Quilts!

Step 1 – Quilt the Marked Lines

This quilt was so easy to machine quilt. It was just a matter of following the marked lines! I timed myself and it took less than 2 hours to machine quilt the top. Start with a large area for quilting so you have room for the quilt. A drop in table is best but as you can see here, I quilted this just using the surface available on the bed of my machine.

Gripping the Quilt SandwichI started on the very edge of the quilt with the first marked line. I scrunched up the quilt under the arm of the machine and used Machingers quilting gloves to grip the quilt making it easier to push through the machine.

I used a walking foot to quilt the straight lines with my feed dogs engaged. I set my stitch to a longer length (4 out of a max of 5), and quilted with 50 weight variegated light blue cotton thread on both top and bobbin. I used a new Topstitch needle, size 80/12 for the quilting.

Quilting Straight LinesI quilted about half of the quilt from one direction, turned it around and then quilted the other half. Because my marked lines ran from one edge to the other, I did not have to tie off or bury my threads. The ends will be covered by the binding so they will be secure. I left the basting pins and Pinmoors in the quilt and removed them one at a time as I quilted.

Step 2 – Remove the Markings

I used a spray bottle to remove all of the marked lines. I will soak the quilt after binding to block it and remove any excess marks. (I advocate prewashing all the fabrics first to be sure they don’t bleed. This gives me piece of mind when I completely soak it later.)

Spritzing the Quilt

It’s all quilted now and ready for binding. Next week I will show how I quilted the pink and green girl version using more advanced free-motion quilting techniques. You can use either option on your quilt, or combine them!

Finished Quilting

Here is the schedule of tutorial posts for my Baby Bricks do-it-yourself quilt along:

Machine Quilting Tips from Cory Allender

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Award-winning quilter Cory Allender visited my guild’s weekend quilting retreat and shared some of her beautiful quilts with us. Cory’s quilts have taken top honors at my guild’s show (Desert Quilters of Nevada) and she has gone one to win numerous awards at prestigious venues like Road to California and HMQS. Her work will also be exhibited at International Quilt Festival in Houston later this year.

Daisy by Patti VanOordt and Cory Allender

Daisy, pieced by Patti VanOordt and quilted by Cory,  was shown during Utah Quilt Fest.

Daisy Quilting DetailsGorgeous, isn’t it? Here are a few more quilts showcasing Cory’s beautiful machine work:

Southwest of Michigan by Cory Allender

Southwest of Michigan by Cory Allender

Detail of Plan B, Pieced & Quilted by Cory

Detail of Plan B, Pieced & Quilted by Cory

Northwest Passage, Top by Diane Johnston

Northwest Passage, Top by Diane Johnston

Noel Detail, Top by Diane Johnston

Noel Detail, Top by Diane Johnston

Are those quilts breathtaking or what? Diane’s exquisite applique is enhanced by Cory’s impeccable machine quilting. I do believe that quilting makes the quilt! Here are a few of Cory’s favorite machine quilting tips and secrets for making show-quality quilts:

  • Use a double batt – Cory likes to use two pieces of batting like Hobbs 80/20 with a layer of wool on top, or a combo of bamboo and silk. It can get a little pricey but the double batting gives the quilts some extra body and makes them drape beautifully.
  • Block all quilts after applying binding – Cory soaks her quilts and forces them into shape, then lets them dry on large pieces of foam core board. If needed, she will “spray block” the binding to help control any hills and valleys.
  • Use the same color thread in top and bobbin – this is also one of my favorite techniques!
  • Use a colorful or busy back – again, something I also advocate to help hide mistakes. When using lots of colored threads on top, this also helps them blend into the backing.
  • Never use dark thread on a light background – this will accentuate every mistake and make all the stops and starts much more obvious!
  • Draw and quilt every day. Cory compared machine quilting to learning to play an instrument. You don’t start off playing a concerto piece the first time you sit down to a piano. The same thing applies to quilting – you must constantly practice your free motion quilting skills to build your muscle memory.

Christa and Cory

Cory, thanks for the great tips and awesome inspiration!

Utah Quilt Fest

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While my friend Stacy and I attended our weekend quilting retreat in Mesquite, Nevada, the timing coincided with the Utah Quilt Guild Show, so of course we had to check it out!  Here are just a few of the fabulous quilts we were drooling over:

Karen Andrus' Indian Pueblo

Karen Andrus’ Indian Pueblo

Helen Butler's Applique

Helen Butler’s Applique

Pat Peters' Halloween Baltimore

Pat Peters’ Halloween Baltimore

I have a thing for applique, don’t ya think??

We had the best laugh over these adorable signs posted throughout the show. Clever girls!

Do Not Touch 1Do Not Touch 2Do Not Touch 3Do Not Touch 4Do Not Touch 5

Quilting Retreat and UFO’s

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I am having a blast this weekend hanging out with my “quilty ladies” at my quilt guild’s weekend retreat. I am getting a lot of quilting done as well as renewing friendships and making new ones. There are about 100 ladies (out of our 400 member group) attending!

Quilt Retreat 2012

I brought along two UFO’s (Unfinished Fabric Objects) to work on: My Busy Hands quilt that is taking forever to quilt, and my Baby Bricks quilt.

Busy Hands QuiltIt’s been super fun giving spontaneous quilting demos to whomever walks by and I am feeling very productive. I finished all of the straight line quilting on Baby Bricks and now all I have left to do is the binding. Whoo hoo!

Baby Bricks

I am attending the retreat with my BQF (best-quilting-friend) Stacy of Farm Road Quilts. We met about 12 years ago when we were both pregnant with our sons and have been attending the retreat together ever since. She’s getting quite a few projects done, too!

20120922_stacybricks Stacy's Dresdens

Our whole weekend consists of sewing, eating, talking and sewing some more. There are no dishes to do, meals to prepare or loved ones to care for. Our food has been catered and our retreat committee has decorated each table with quilts and bouquets that will serve as door prizes at the end. I hope I win this one!!

Quilt Centerpieces

Sew and Tell Friday – Finished Jelly Roll Quilts

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I am so excited to see that people are finishing their Jolly Jelly Roll quilts. This was my first ever quilting tutorial and it gives me great satisfaction to see that it was a success! You can click here to see all the tutorials. (I still have a few Jolly Jelly Roll kits available, too!)

First, we have Joanne P. who made her quilt from fabric she got from me plus scraps from her stash. She picked a bright white inner border for a little “pop” and then bound it in blue.

Joanne's Jelly Roll Quilt

Joanne quilted a wavy grid effect by starting the quilting in her piano keys borders and continuing across the surface of the quilt  from top to bottom and side to side. You can see the neat effect it gave on the back of the quilt. I am so glad she “did-it herself!”

Quilting CloseupQuilted Grid

Kathleen W. was also very productive and finished her quilt, too. I just love the aboriginal prints, don’t you?

Kathleen's Jelly Roll QuiltKathleen’s favorite part of the quilt is her pieced backing. I concur! She did a nice job on the serpentine stitching,  and she even added a label, too. Way to go, Kathleen!

Kathleen's Quilt Back

Christa’s Quilt Along 2.4 – Marking and Basting Baby Bricks

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I finished the pretty pink version of Baby Bricks this week to go along with the baby blue top that I will be basting today.  (Kits are available for both colors for a limited time.)

Before I get to the most fun part of making a quilt in my opinion – the machine quilting – I’ve got to get them marked and basted! Today’s demo will be shown on the blue version.

Girl Baby Bricks

Step 1 – Marking Diagonal Lines

For the boy version of Baby Bricks I am going to quilt straight lines with a walking foot.  I used a water soluble blue marking pen to draw the quilting  lines. (If you are afraid of fabric bleeding or do not want to mark your quilt, you can use low-adhesive painter’s tape instead.)

Straight Lines

Using my longest ruler, I marked straight lines across the surface of the quilt. I started in one corner and drew a line from corner to corner of a rectangle brick. I extended the line so that it goes across the entire quilt including the borders. I spaced them 3 1/2 inches apart.

Additional Marked Lines

I added an additional line half-way in between so that the spacing of the lines is now 1 3/4″.  It took a total of 45 minutes to completely mark the top. Now the quilt is ready to baste.

Step 2 – Piecing the Backing

I enjoy pieced backs much more than plain ones. This satisfies my urge to go a little “wonky” with some improvisational piecing on the back. It took about 1/2 hour to sew together.

Pieced Backing

I put the back together sort of like a puzzle, adding chunks of fabric until I had a large enough piece. For this quilt I used up my the rest of my light blue solid, a few leftover bricks, and some pieces from my stash. It took about 2 yards total.

For more detail on sewing a pieced back, refer to my previous tutorial here.

Step 3 – Basting With Pinmoors

My preferred basting tools are Pinmoors and straight pins. It took about 1 hour and 100 Pinmoors to baste this baby sized quilt. You can read my previous basting tutorial here.

Basted with Pinmoors

I get better results when I use lots of pins and am careful not to pin through any quilting lines. It’s easier to stick the pin in the quilt and cap it with a Pinmoor, than it is to open and close lots of  safety pins. The Pinmoors are easy take out while quilting, but they stay in place until I’m ready to remove them.

I am going to take this quilt with me to my guild’s quilting retreat this weekend. With any luck, I’ll get it finished quickly and can start on the pink one.

Here is the schedule of tutorial posts for my Baby Bricks do-it-yourself quilt along:

Favorite Tools #8 – Pinmoor Pin Anchors

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I love Pinmoors! These nifty little pieces of hard rubbery plastic are my favorite way to baste a quilt. I first heard about them a year ago and it’s taken me that long to try them out and see if I like them. The answer is a definite yes.

Pinmoor Jewel TonePinmoor Sunburst

Now I use them for basting all of my quilts. Both the pin and the Pinmoor rest on the surface of the quilt and are made of silicone that will last indefinitely. Here’s a picture of my Busy Hands quilt I basted, using Pinmoors:

Pinmoor Basting

One of my customers suggested this tip to make them more economical:  cut each one in half and insert the pin into the edge. You can see a whole versus half Pinmoor below:

Half PinmoorIt takes me about 50-100 Pinmoors to baste a baby-sized quilt depending on how far apart I space them. I use regular quilting pins to pin through the layers of my quilt and cap each one with a Pinmoor. I can stick the pin anywhere into the Pinmoor and it will hold nicely.

It’s very easy to remove them while machine quilting; I just drop each piece into a bag that I keep at my table while quilting. I can separate the pins from the Pinmoors with a magnet when I’m all done and they are ready to go for next time!

Bag of PinmoorsPinmoors also come in very handy for putting on a binding. I like to pin my binding around the entire edge of my quilt then hand or machine stitch it closed.

Binding with PinmoorsFor more of my favorite tools, please see my previous post here.

Weight Loss Journey – Taking a Break but not Stopping!

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I haven’t posted about my weight loss in a couple of weeks and rather than giving it up entirely, I’ve decided to take a break from obsessing about it and blogging about it for a couple of weeks. I’m very pleased to have lost 20 pounds but have sort of gotten stuck there.  You can read my post where I show my before and after pictures (or more like before and during!)

I’ve been super busy training some new helpers in the shop, and going out of town for a family vacation. Plus, this weekend I have my guild’s annual retreat to look forward to.

So, while these are not excuses to give up and go crazy with my eating, I’ve tried to simply maintain good habits during this fun but busy time, but not stress about counting calories or stepping on the scale for a little while. This will also be a good chance to see if I can maintain my weight loss without having to monitor it every day!

The scary thing about this is that I could gain a lot of weight very quickly if I’m not careful – but I am NOT going to do that! After all, the weather is finally starting to cool off a little and I can finally enjoy running outside again!