Those Pesky 1/4" Seams

My tip of the day show how I handle 1/4" seams.  While I know that there are oh so many ways out there -- this works for me.  If finding that perfect 1/4" seam is a challenge for you as well, give this a try.  It is shown here on Barbara - my lovely featherweight - but works the same on most machines.

I use a combination of a seam guide from Bonnie Hunter and the seam guide that came with the machine.  Using the green guide, lower your needle into the 1/4" hole and lower the presser foot to keep it in place.  Then slide the other guide right up next to it and tighten into place.  Remove the green guide.  Voila --- this will give you a scant 1/4", thus enabling you to have an accurate size square after pressing.  (I should have cleaned the machine before this picture -- ah well, live and learn.

A New Facebook Group

Okay -- so I bit the bullet and started another Facebook group.  I know, I know -- do we really need another one?  Well, I am hoping that we will use this group as a learning spot -- sharing tutorials (so many groups won't let you link anymore) and ideas as well as our "ta-da" moments.

It is called Our Quilt World and please feel free to join -- it will be monitored well -- and let's all learn and grow together.

Here is your link:  Our Quilt World

May Quilt Update

Previous 2014 posts:  First of year quilt update  (There are individual class posts for 4 Bonnie Hunter classes as well if you click on Feeling Crafty label and go to older posts.)
                         End of January quilt update
                         February quilt update
                         March Quilt Update
                         April Quilt Update
Goals:

Quilt Retreat:

Bind Ryan's Log Cabin (LC) yes, Bind Bekah's Stacked Squares (SS) yes, CS blocks put together into a top yes X2, borders nope - still need fabric for neutral inner border and don't have the pieced border assembled yet , Finish Bargello top nope = didn't even get to take it out, Bobs Rectangle Squared (RS) yes, top/back/binding

Home:  I have girls for a week in addition to my retreat so need to be wise in my goals this month.

Roll Quilt - Nope
CS blocks - Finish before retreat yes
UFO - Tea Towels - 1 finished
Quilt and attach binding Ryans LC yes, Bekahs (SS) yes
Hand quilt baby Ashton's  Dancing Nines (DN)- yes
Quilt and bind Bob's RS yes
BOM blocks yes
Mark Applique quilt for quilting - nope

1st - It is a new month AND it is my birthday month.  Yay me.  It is also the last high pressure month, I hope.  I have a few deadlines this month and then perhaps things will slow down a bit.  One can hope anyway.  After tea with my sweetie, I set about cleaning up the office from the previous quilts.  All the scraps from the black/white/red/grey quilt are cut as well as starting on the prints from squaring off last month's thrift store binge and put into the system.  I then look at the stack of minky I have leftover and my brain takes over and moves into play mode.  Apparently I am not feeling the pressure today.  I have a few blocks leftover and I put those together into a large square.  There are still scraps left so I set to piecing them into 4 1/2" blocks and then into another large square.  Now I have two and no idea what to do with them.  I use CS blocks as leaders and enders and add another 6 to my stack.   It hasn't been an overly productive day, but I have certainly had fun.  Quilt Guild night.  Played with minky leftovers from baby quilts.  I know -- I have work to do but checked out for awhile.  AND I had fun, so there.

April Quilt Update

Previous 2014 posts:  First of year quilt update  (There are individual class posts for 4 Bonnie Hunter classes as well if you click on Feeling Crafty label and go to older posts.)
                         End of January quilt update
                         February quilt update
                        March Quilt Update


Goals for April:

Hand quilt tricot for baby, bind, deliver to Cass - yes
3 Tops - Log Cabin (LC) Ryan yes, Dancing Nines (DN) baby  yes, Bekah yes
3 Block Of Month's (BOM's) current - yes
Quilt, bind, finish Scrappy Mountain Majesty (SMM) - Zyra yes (need April), Scrappy Trips (ST) - Malea yes (need May), Bricks and Stepping Stones (BSS) - Elena yes (need May)
Celtic Solstice (CS) - 20 blocks - yes
Roll Quilt - not happening this month -- I spent too much time hand stitching the other two quilts.
Swap Blocks yes
UFO -- work on blue afghan yes and finished it

SMM, CS, ST, DN, and BSS - all are Bonnie Hunter patterns and are available free on her website at www.quiltville.com 

1st - It is April Fools and I am not playing any tricks.  What's up with that?  I do decide to start the month off right though.  There is a possibility that my daughter will be here on Thursday and I would like to give her this quilt to take back to Utah with her.  Can I do it?  Let's find out.  Mister helps me set the frame up in the den and with a movie on the laptop, I set to work.  I quilted for about 6 hours (yep, 3 movies) to get to this point.  I also prepared the swap mailings and put the international ones in the mail.  I still need a few more envelopes to finish my 2 1/2" square swap.

2nd - I started out the day back in the den hoping to finish this quilt today.  I am thinking there is a good chance that I can make this goal.

Movies are back in the lap top and I get all the way around the edge before asking Mister to help me roll the quilt.  I put another movie in and soon the center is finished as well.  It has taken me the whole day and another 3 movies, but my quilt is off the frame.  I just have the edge left to do.  I finish the mailings from yesterday and make a pattern from the burp cloth I did last month so that I have one for future projects.  Good day!

Quilt Ladies

One of the ladies on the Texas Quilter's Facebook page decided to sponsor a "Meet and Greet" with anyone who could make it.  Since I actually can fit it in, I am off to meet them.

We gather at a restaurant and visit for a couple of hours before heading down to the fabric warehouse district to play.  Everyone walks away with at least one treasure and some new friends.  What a nice afternoon and I look forward to getting to know Suzanne, Becky, and Bonnie better.  Thanks ladies.

(It's a bit of a blurry picture that a random guy at the counter took for us.)  Glad we have it though.

March Quilt Update

Previous 2014 posts:  First of year quilt update  (There are individual class posts for 4 Bonnie Hunter classes as well if you click on Feeling Crafty label and go to older posts.)
                         End of January quilt update
                         February quilt update

March goals:

3 quilt tops/backs - Malea, Zyra (need April), Elena - yes (Zyra's is basted and ready to go)
3 Block Of Month's (BOM's) current - yes
Quilt, bind, finish 2 Scrappy Mountain Majesty (SMM) from last month - Caleb (need April), Josh - yes
Bind and Finish Dancing Nines Shirt Quilt (DN) - Jon (need April) - yes
Celtic Solstice (CS) - 20 blocks - yes
Roll Quilt - yes
Swap Blocks and Charms (March and Aprils charms to get ahead LOL That's only 1500 2 1/2" squares) - yes
UFO -- finish edging on burp cloth and small blanket -- crochet - yes
Mark and put tricot baby quilt on frame. - yes

SMM, DN, CS, ST, and BSS - all are Bonnie Hunter patterns and most are available free on her website at www.quiltville.com 

1st - It is a new month and I am excited.  We do not have any travel plans on the calendar and other than spring cleaning, I can focus on my projects.  Woohoo!  It will also be fun to watch the season change this month.  I am ready for spring.  Well, let's get sewing!  I start out the month by putting together my 3 BOM's and a couple of CS blocks as well.

Dallas Quilt Show

Upon waking this morning, I asked Mister if he would like to go to the Dallas Quilt Show with me.  It is my guild's show and I would love to go and check it out.  He readily agrees and off we go.  For the first time at a show, we start with the vendors.  It may prove to be a mistake, but we'll see.

I am always looking to learn new techniques (whether I ever use them or not) and spot this one where they sew a small piece of fabric on top of the blocks and then brush it with a steel brush to create a "chenille" strip.  Pretty cool.

We come across a booth that has featherweight light bulbs, yep need one of those.  Another booth has the seam ripper I bought a couple of years ago -- he has a stiletto point that fits my ripper -- yes, gotta have one of those.  I also find a couple of cute fabrics that are on clearance, so grab those to make a couple sewing machine covers for the machines that are always set up.

However, the bulk of our time is spent trying out various sit-down long arm machines.  Oh and the chairs.  Here are my favorites of the day:  This chair was incredibly comfortable and the Sweet Sixteen is my choice for machine as well.  Now -- will someone please give me five grand so that I can get one?  It would truly make me a happy girl.  Best part is that both the chair and the machine are in the same booth and the shop is really close to home for me.  Yay!