Spring!

Central New York finally got a clip of nice weather this past week. Happy flowers seem grateful for the sunshine. Soon lots of flowers will burst forth and the earth will smile again!

With splashes of color arriving one little patch of flowers at a time, it seems appropriate for some uplifting quilted projects!

"Chunky Elizabeth" is another in an on-going series of original 'chunky' quilt kits made from big bold prints matched with only the slightest bit of piecing to keep things interesting.

I just love the fresh, spring-like combination of blue, green and yellow. And this project is no exception. The fabric collection is "Elizabeth Anne" by Alex Anderson for P&B Textiles and the kits are available for purchase from Calico Gals in Syracuse, NY.

The lap-sized quilt is so fast and easy to sew together, you can have yours all ready - quilted and bound with an extra-wide binding - in time for the cool spring and summer evenings to come. . .


Welcome Spring!
Joan

Distractions

It certainly has been a while since my last post. My, how time flies when things get busy!

"Busy doing what?," you might say. The next two ScrapTherapy patterns are due to arrive in quilt shops very soon, and it seems there's always a frenzy of activity just as the patterns are about to be released. Here's a 'sneak peak' of the Series 10 patterns, Dog Gone Scrappy and Framed! Take a look at the ScrapTherapy website for more details.

Both projects are just too much fun to make. Dog Gone Scrappy is a machine applique pattern, based on a traditional Scottie dog motif. Use the new Dog Gone Scrappy printed interfacing by Quiltsmart to make the scrappy-dog applique. So cute! Tons of scrap fabrics disappear into this quilt.

Are you headed to a graduation party this spring and need a gift? Maybe you're invited to a summer wedding and you're scratching your head trying to think of something unique to bring. Perhaps you'll enjoy making Framed! This scrappy picture frame uses Texture Magic to make the puckery-framed border. Perfect for a special occasion! You can even use the scraps from the grad or wedding quilt to make this perfect go-along.

As always, you can find ScrapTherapy patterns, classes, and gadgets at participating quilt shops listed on the website!

Enjoy the new projects!
Joan

Joan-Sock Sunday!

I used to knit all the time. Norwegian sweaters were my favorite to knit - all the fancy snowflake patterns and bright colors. Challenging and fun!

Once I took up quilting, it seems there's never enough time to work on the bigger knitted projects with all the charts and graphs to follow.

Socks are hot! About ten years ago, the yarn manufacturers started making self-striping yarns in sport weight colors and durable wool-blends. Perfect for socks. So I set out to find a simple pattern that mimicked a commercial sock - a long rib at the ankle, and seams at the heal, not bulky flaps. At the time, I couldn't find one (now that type of pattern is fairly common), so I made it up. And started knitting. . . . and knitting. . . and knitting . . . socks!

I always have at least a half-dozen socks in progress. They are portable too! Since the pattern is so straightforward, you can pick it up anywhere and not worry about details in a complex pattern.

Then I started giving my socks away to friends and family. And folks asked me how I made them, could they have the pattern. . . I don't use a pattern, really. So I started teaching sock classes. Social and laid back, once a month on a Sunday.

Here's a couple of fun new items from Knitcellaneous, a mini sock blocker key chain and dog tags with a quick review of the Kitchener stitch.

Lotsa fun!
Joan

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