What Are Quilters Blogging About Today?

Happy New Year!  Wishing you health and happiness in the new year.

I’m not one to recap the prior year, but I did finish more projects than I expected.  Now I’m ready to look forward. 

For my own benefit, I’m taking stock of what is in process and what has been neglected.  If you don’t know where you’ve been, how do you know where you’re going?  That, and a year from now I won’t remember where I started.

In have two stitch pieces in progress, Fairy Tales Live on Roofs (RTO kit)

and ...

No fabric in this week.

I finished the test piece, named Fields, for a litttle fabric out. It measures 9” x 12”.

There is hand stitching in the sky, and the motifs at the bottom are embroidered. The fusible did not cause problems with hand stitching, but the cotton batting made it harder to embroider.

I plan to try different battings until I find one I like better. I’m not fan of polyester but will try 80/20 and wool. I have a some bamboo batting I can also try. The AQS show this week should have all the ...

No change in the numbers.

I worked mostly on Simply Charming this week, quilting it and making binding. I also worked on the test piece (Fields).

I did a bit of research this week because the process used for Fields didn’t check all the boxes for me. I watched videos by The Collage Quilter, Susan Carlson and Art Fiber Stitch. Susan Carlson uses fabric more effectively than anyone I’ve ever seen. Amazing. Art Fiber Stitch exclusively hand stitches. As much as I like hand work, I do enjoy sewing by machine too. I stopped watching after that and ...

We are half way through the year already. Are you happy with your fabric usage to date?

I’m pleased with how much went out this year. I haven’t added fabric since August 2024. I’ve made an effort to buy less this year, and I feel a lot better about creating in general because of it. It may not work for everyone, but it works for me.

I finished the Laundry Day Tee last Sunday.

I’m happy with how it turned out. It fits well through the shoulders and bust, which is usually a problem area for ...

No change in the numbers.

It was one of those weeks. For my own sanity I retreated to the sewing room. A lot. That led me to start a small test project before the larger quilt project I had planned.

I’ve seen comments by artists that it’s a good idea to make small studies when trying new ideas or techniques, or using new materials. It makes sense. I figure they ought to know.

Here’s the beginning of the next collage project, which I intend to stich like I did the boro bag.

I’m not sure I ...

No change in the numbers.

I finished stitching the boro piece.

I used both #12 pearl cotton and DMC embroidery floss for the stitching. I found I preferred the pearl cotton for the look and texture. Although I don’t mind raw edges, I didn’t like the really frayed ones. In hindsight, I wish I’d trimmed them before layering. I also found the hand basting a distraction when stitching. Next time I’ll do something else, either glue or misty fuse.

I see more projects like this in my future.

Fabric In: 0

Fabric Out: 16.75 yards ...

My November OMG was to finish the challenge quilt, which I named Love Inspired. This was my inspiration for the quilt, just a small portion of the quilt passed to me.

And here is my finished quilt.

I had a lot of fun tucking fabric motifs in the letter collage.

I think the santa is my favorite.

To see all the other OMG projects, visit Stories From the Sewing Room.

At the beginning of each year I make a list of projects I’d like to develop. Of the six projects on my 2023 list, I’ve done two, and have started work on another. My overall goal is to use up my silk fabrics. Somehow, however, rogue projects muscle their way in and get done before those waiting patiently on the list.

The two recent line cutters are my Clare Youngs tea towel and my bedsheet birds. Neither took much arduous planning and both were more like a snack between meals. The tea towel took a bit more time ...

A flash of inspiration birthed this quilt.  It celebrates the wedding of two of my daughter's super super good friends.  

They married last fall with a destination wedding in Italy, a gorgeous setting.  This quilt is my rendition of a photo taken on The Day.  

Then I started choosing the fabrics.  The right ones just flew into my hands.  I made only one edit!

That's a pretty good omen, don't you think?

Construction details ...

Infrastructure has been in the news lately, with the ongoing federal efforts to fund overdue repairs. I certainly want safe roads, dams, bridges, etc., but I confess to a tendency toward ruin porn. I find a strange beauty in dilapidated, … Continue reading →

A few weeks ago I showed my progress on a fabric collage of a cloudy sky. At that point I had quilted the sky in place and overlaid a fence on it. The fence is now sewn down and shaded, … Continue reading →

After I finished “Shattered” I realized that I had finished everything I was working on except my unknown family photo piece. Since I abhor a vacuum in my production line I had to line up new work. I browsed my … Continue reading →

Ever since I took Tansy Hargan’s “From Sketchbook to Wall” course I have wanted to use painted fabric on a larger scale than 10 inches square, with a lot more glue, and maybe even forget about thread. In essence I … Continue reading →

No fabric in or out this week.

With the big quilt finished, I was able to pull out Open Dialogue and finish the top.

The embellishments and quilting will add a lot, although I haven’t figured that part out yet. No doubt there will be more than one discussion about what comes next. Some quilts are just fun like that.

This one always seems to have a lot to say. Right now it’s asking, “What do you have in mind?”.

Fabric In: 17.75

Fabric Out: 21.625 yards

Net Fabric Out: 3.875 yards

How did you ...

One of this year’s experiments has finally come together into a finished piece I’ve named “Suspended,” which I hesitate to call a quilt. I think fabric collage is a more descriptive term. More and more I’m using this big piece … Continue reading →