Debra: Adding Quilting & a Discovery!

Adding the machine quilting to this t-shirt quilt really is moving it into a cozy state of being!

Last Thursday evening I went to the Open House at the store where I have my merchandise for The Good Stuff Company.  Some of the other vendors were there too; including Emil.  During the course of our conversation, he told me about this chest of drawers he bought.  Apparently, he's a bit of a celebrity!  He'll also be on a spring installment of Antiques Roadshow.  We've been exchanging emails and phone calls & I expect to see him again soon.  :-) ♥

Debra Who?: From Strips to Totebags

In the last few months I've started a business with a new local friend called The Good Stuff Company.  We are manufacturing home goods such as quilts, pillows, totebags and aprons.   We are doing our best to keep the sewing machines running.  We have a handful of fall festivals & retail space where we are selling our products.  Toward that end I have been developing ideas to work through the massive stash of supplies I own.  As we all know, scraps abound!

I sent some to Angela who kindly agreed to sew them to a base fabric.  I decided that totebags will be more profitable than quilts so have sewn them into 18" wide units.  I stacked the units one after another and quilted them.  I recently purchased a stack of felted "blankets" that I believe are moving pads.  It is working splendidly as batting.  The backing is reclaimed cotton shower curtains.

My plan is to make a totebag that uses the quilted fabric without a lining (hence the pretty backing) and I'll cover the seams with binding.  I'll try to post pictures when a totebag is finished.

In other news, I've been single in my Houston house a year now.  August 21st was when I returned. Sadly, that is also the day I wrecked my Corvette.  Ironic, eh?  Still waiting on the final verdict.  Pray it isn't totaled.

:-)

Debra: Machine Quilting

Nothing but straight lines for me for a few days!

I have a seriously large stack of quilts to get quilted.  

Debra: Men's Shirt Quilt

After a frustrating day yesterday trying to stitch the Baptist Fan with templates, I felt I had to stitch something I could handle successfully.  I have a sneaky feeling when I finish this quilt I won't want to give it away.

I learned recently from a new quilting friend that the leftover sheeting on rolls is called "butt rolls".
I bought this butt roll from the thrift store probably 5 years ago and have been steadily working it down. Like my own butt rolls, it just never seems to budge!
It's great for foundation piecing.

Most of yesterday was spent trying to understand and stitch the Baptist Fan.  I did improve by the evening but I still have a ways to go.  It's getting presentable (if stitched on very busy fabric) but nothing near where it could be with more practice.

It would be nice if my free motion skills transferred as easily to ruler or template work as I wanted it to do; but, it doesn't.  Just because I can do one with some proficiency, doesn't mean the other comes easily.  New muscle memory, working with specific shapes, measuring-it all works into the equation.  It reminds me of trying to stitch CQ seams freehand vs. template drawn; lots of similarities.  And, probably good to know how to stitch both.

Debra: Machine Quilting

It's time for me to machine quilt some quilts!

My friend, Yvonne, and I have been steadily working through the bear panels I have for baby quilts.  There are 12 panels & we have 8 of them pieced into 45" quilts.  Susan has 2 & I have 2 more to finish.  Then, Deborah gave me 3 tops this weekend to quilt for the Family Promise family graduating in December. 

I pulled out some thrifted bear panels & gave them to Yvonne who reverse appliqued them to fabric.  These 6 bears will be the focus of tomorrow's neighborhood sewing group at my house.  My hope is that by the end of the day, we have 6 tops pieced (or close to pieced). 

These quilts are really using up my scraps. No complaints there! Working improvisationally is the way to go!

ALSO:  If you know anyone who would like to join Tuesday Stitchers in 2014, let me know.  We will add new members in January.  So far, there are 2 ladies who have asked to join; both with yearlong projects.
And, if anyone is planning to leave, let me know too.  I don't want anyone to go but I certainly understand.