New to me!

When I first tried it, I didn't like hand applique very much.

Needle turn. All that basting. My blocks had puckers and distortions. And never laid flat. Never.

Maybe I wasn't ready for hand applique. It's so mysterious.

So I tried machine applique. That's okay, but . . . sometimes you want something that doesn't require a sewing machine.

Then I found the 'starch method' to do hand applique. Loved it. Pieces were nice and flat. BUT, there's quite a lot of prep work with freezer paper and liquid starch. Then you have to rinse the block so the starch doesn't attract critters from three adjoining counties.

I recently found my 'new' favorite applique method. It's not really 'new' - but it's new to me! It's described in Vintage Journey by Jo Morton. Jo references Jeana Kimball who calls it the "template-free" method of hand applique.

I won't go into too many specifics here, get the book for all the dirty details.

Basically, start on the back of the base fabric with an outline of the applique. With heavy thread and a bigger needle, secure the applique piece to the front with a running stitch along the drawn outlines. I used YLI cotton hand quilting thread (one of my favorites!), a size 7 sharp, and I kept my stitches really small. Now, I'm not so keen on basting, but I do love running stitches!

With the applique secured, let the block set a while. Later, work on the front with a smaller needle and your favorite matching applique thread (I like YLI Soft Touch). Pull out the running stitches, a little at a time, and turn under the allowance. You'll find that the heavy needle and thread have created enough perforation in the fabric to allow the fabric to turn under neatly.

Here's a couple of my blocks from Moda's Greenpiece block of the month pattern. The butterfly applique is done, the block just needs cornerstones. The bird block is in progress, if you look closely, you can see the running stitches on the wing.

 This applique stuff isn't so mysterious, after all!
Joan

Thread with Attitude

So, I've been making an effort to get better organized. I recently added a spacious cabinet to the sewing studio, so the time seems ripe to purge and compress.

Everything was moved out of the studio to the adjoining room temporarily. Now that the carpet is installed and the cabinet is in, one by one, items are finding a home where they belong.

Except for that drawer full of thread. . .

Where on earth did all this thread come from? That old drawer was full to overflowing and tangled with unruly loose ends sticking out everywhere! Some spools new and untouched, some with just a few yards wound around the sorry center.

Roll up the sleeves, time for a thread attitude adjustment!

First the near-empty spools. Found a cardboard basket and in they go. They'll be the first to go when I'm piecing something scrappy. Ahh, feels better already!

Next, the 'ugly' colors. Oh, I know, "I might need that color . . . someday." If I haven't used it - or thought about using it - in a year or more, it's got a target on it. Into the piecing basket it goes.

Finally, the unruly threads. Now this is cool! Hugo's Amazing Tape. Have you seen this stuff?? It doesn't stick to anything, except itself. Wrap it around the spool capturing the loose end, and VOILA! It's clear, so you can see the thread color. Comes on a huge roll - so there's enough for those of us who have lots of thread, a-hem! And it works on other stuff too, like electrical chords (can you say, 'computer spaghetti?').

Ask for it at quilt shops and craft stores - I got mine at Calico Gals. It's about 2" wide, but it can easily be cut in half to fit nicely around a thread spool. Shops can order it from distributors, like Brewer Quilting and Sewing Supplies.

Problem solved. Well, sort of. Let's say problem's improved!

Joan

Fresh Air

This past weekend, I headed to Minnowbrook Conference Center in Blue Mountain Lake in the Adirondack Mountains, about 15 miles north of Old Forge, New York. About 25 quilters gathered there for a quilting get-away.

The conference center is a perfect spot for a quilting retreat - there's plenty of room to sew and, back up at the spacious, rustic lodge, lots of time to socialize over a glass of wine or a tumbler of Bailey's (with a hint of carmel!).

Despite frigid temperatures, on Saturday, the clouds cleared away, and the sky turned a brilliant blue - perfect conditions to venture out for some fresh air.

You can only imagine the hidden summer treasure that sleeps below the surface of the Blue Mountain Lake ice.

A couple of white-tail deer greeted me along the path. They decided I presented little danger. They were right!






On my short 'adventure,' I met the property caretaker and chatted with him. He mentioned he had a pet macaw. We conversed about our mutual interest in birds, and he invited me inside his cabin to meet Cara. She is a beautiful Catalina Macaw and keeps him company inside the cabin while the snow falls just steps away outside the cabin through the winter.

Back in the conference center, Donna worked on her first quilt ever! Welcome to the world of quilting! Great job, Donna, can't wait to see what's next!

Do you have a mid-winter get-away planned? You never know who you might meet!

Joan

Defying Gravity

In December, I decided it was time for a little change. The sewing studio is getting a bit of a make-over. New studio equipment on order, new carpet. Exciting. But. . .

I think the panic set in for real when the carpet guy said I have to clear out the room for the installation. Obvious, right? Now, picture that movie, "The Blair Witch Project" - the woman with the flashlight at her chin, scared out of her socks over what might lie ahead. Funny, that's what flashed through my mind when Steve said, "See you on Wednesday!"

No, I'm not going to bore you with the 'before' pictures of the sewing room. Suffice it to say, the Scrap'Therapist' is doing a little self-help these days! (Where did all this stuff come from??) Will keep you posted on progress.

In the meantime, as long as half the country is currently enjoying chilly temperatures, I thought I'd share a couple of frozen images, right from my own back yard.

We've had a bit of snow here in Central New York. That's nothing new. But it's not how much has fallen, it's how it landed that seems to defy gravity!

Stay warm, and make more quilts!
Joan

Not again!

Here we are, it's New Year's Eve and it's that time . . . again! A new year, a new decade. . .  where did the time go?! What's your New Year's resolution?

I don't know about you, but I still have holiday sweets leftover in various hiding places. A few more cookies in the tins on the kitchen counter, that box of yummy chocolates from Esther Price on the coffee table, the package (or three!) of Gertrude Hawk smidgens in the family room, the homemade sugar-coated pecans right here on my desk (mm-m-m, yum!). If I start a diet tomorrow, that means I gotta eat everything in the next few hours ('cause you know I'm not going to throw it away!). That doesn't even sound appealing.

So here's a thought. This whole ScrapTherapy program . . . those leftover scrap quilting fabrics, tossed in a bag, in a bin, or in a corner. This could be interesting! It's time. Organize them. Use them. And have fun with your favorite hobby in the process!

Spending time in the sewing studio, using up perfectly wonderful leftovers (fabric that is), is so much more fun than spending the next week coming down from a last-minute New Year's Eve sugar high!

Speaking of scraps, here's a variation on Fly Away, one of the newest ScrapTherapy patterns. Even this baby size quilt uses up lots of scrap fabrics, plus, I've been dying to use those delicate blue and green prints in something

And, then there's Sue's project. Sue started the Something Fishy quilt during a workshop this past fall. So that she could finish all the piecing in time for holiday gift-giving, she alternated fish blocks and background blocks for a great variation on the pattern, simple as that! These aren't just ordinary fish, however, they are happy fish and they now have a happy home. I'm told, four-year old Sean just loves his new quilt, made with love by cousin Sue! Terrific, Sue!


By the way, I'm already busy working on the next ScrapTherapy projects. Watch for them in a couple short months. So exciting! And so much fun!

Here's my list of resolutions for 2010 - Sew something everyday, use up scraps, and have fun sharing and spreading creative energy!

Have a Wonderful, Safe, and Happy New Year!
Joan

A True Story

With Christmas only about a week away, I thought you might enjoy this variation on a familiar theme. The "Sgt. Ford" referred to in the poem is, in fact, my husband and this really happened to him last year. Enjoy!

Joan

'Twas the night before Christmas

And all through the mess hall,

The soldiers were restless

Planning many a phone call.

The deployment was over,

From Afghanistan, they'd come,

But a holiday with family

Simply could not be done.

To Fort Bragg they'd arrived,

All safe and all sound.

Paperwork, physicals,

And meetings abound.

Before they could fly home,

Via military transport,

They had to check boxes

On forms and reports.

When out from the office,

Did the Commander shout clear,

"My family's in North Carolina,

And we have no reindeer!"

"Sgt Ford, you're selected!

To bring Santa's sleigh

For the party this evening

and the kids who will play."

"Here's a box with a suit,

It has a hat and red trim.

Get dressed for the party,

And be wearing a grin!"

To the barracks Ford went

To don the suit from the box,

Just in time to discover

It was missing the locks.

The suit was all there,

No boots, but who cares.

The red coat and red hat,

But no facial hairs!

With the feast in one hour

There was no time for passes.

It was off to K-Mart

On Christmas Eve with the masses.

To the back of the store,

And the front of the aisle,

No beard or hair-do

Would be found for a while.

A call to the Commander

To deliver bad news,

"Christmas with Santa, it seemed,

Just could not come true."

Commander to children,

Tucked in the back seat:

"You don't mind that St. Nick

Had to shave to be neat?"

"Security is tight,

On military bases, you see,

So to reveal his identity,

Santa, clean shaven, he'll be."

The kids both agreed,

"Santa's Santa, no matter.

The beard is no issue.

Let's get on with the clatter!"

So Santa arrived,

No beard on his face,

And he sat down to visit

With Tommy and Grace.

The humvee was parked

Outside the front door.

The reindeer, he told them,

Waited for the grand tour.

With all satisfied,

Santa went out to his deer

For his trip to deliver

Lots of toys and good cheer.

And as he drove the humvee,

To catch up with the sleigh,

He wished, "The best of the Season,

And a great Christmas day!"

Festive Finishing!

A few years ago, my sister gave me a bunch of cross-stitch pieces. Beautifully done. Colorful. Several of them with quilt blocks incorporated into the cross stitch patterns, holiday patterns, florals, and hearts. There were probably about a dozen rolled up canvases, all different, ready to become 'something.'

My sister, who doesn't sew, requested: "Make something out of these, no rush." She did the work on them when her daughter, my niece, was taking ballet lessons. You know the drill, mom in the background, waiting during rehearsals, reading, knitting, stitching while they wait to provide the ride home. My niece is thirty-something, now. Got married this summer. Doesn't need a ride home from ballet lessons anymore.

Every once in a while I pull out the cross stitch canvases. Get inspired. . . or not. A few have become pillows. Others wait their turn. Waiting to become something.

Last week, I ran across those canvases again, while moving fabric from one part of the stash to another. Decided to play. Pulled out some scrap fabrics (I have a few of those!), bought some fabric (I love doing that!) and dug in. During a workshop last Friday, Eddie suggested that I make some quarter-square triangles to mimic the X in the stitchery (good idea!).

And then the project had a life of its own. Sew. Test. Cut. Sew some more. Play. Sew. Trim. Turn. Quilt. And voila! Add a few jingle bells and a door. A project started in 1989 (the date on the stitching) is complete a mere 20 years later!

Here's a challenge for you: Do you have something lurking in your stash, waiting to become a gift this holiday season? Skip the mall! Shop in your stash instead.

Now, what do you think I should do with these?
Joan