Pin basting

 

Three quilts pin basted and not folded with care because I have machine quilting to do. No time to savor each finished step of the process except to put my feet up and give my back a little rest.  Ann

Quilt basting/ pinning

It took me all week to baste/ pin four quilts I must be getting old or maybe lazy or easily distracted. The first quilt went on the frame without a hitch I just had to be very conservative with the backing and batting because if I was careful I could get two quilts across, it worked numerical. The second quilt was tight, I had to stretch the batting about an inch and a half. Then I pinned it and it was time to make supper. The next day I unpinned it because it wasn’t square to the world. Line things up better and do it right. So much better, I was on a roll sew the backing for the third. No problems. Fourth quilt should I add a border??? Audition some fabrics, consider the possibilities and more important the yardage, time to make supper again.  Day three bible study, lunch with a girlfriend, dentist appointment just a cleaning and the day was shot it was also very nice outside so I sat on the deck can’t forget to enjoy the moment. Miserably hot and humid again good day to sew add the borders,  could have fussy cut this subtle stripe but I think I will use it for binding. Sew the backing and get it pinned to the frame, spread out the batting ugh it needs to be pieced.......that really didn’t take that long to zig zag a chunk. Spread it out again then the quilt top......you guessed it time to make supper.......next day finally pinned and off the frame and frame and chairs all put away. I’m ready for some power sewing.  ~~Ann~~

A basting day

 

I had a quilt basting day over the weekend.  I pin I don't really baste because it is easier to take pins out as I machine quilt than to untangle the foot from the basting threads.  This sky scape is the backing for the splat quilt DD picked it out and it was not what I was expecting when I unfurled it.  A New York City skyscape with sky.  And the piece of fabric was so big I had no place to spread it out for a picture without a lot of work, so you will just have to take my word for it until it is machine quilted.  I crawled underneath because I had to get a good look at it and then my mind wandered to when I was a little kid making forts out of quilts and blankets and chairs and tables and my kids making forts then I thought about how someday my twin granddaughters will have fun playing under the quilt frame as I am basting them and then making a complicated fort with dozens of quilts and the quilt frame and chairs and moving the table and..............--Ann--

Quilt basting

 

Four quilts basted and added to the stack on top of one I basted last summer.  It snowed all day Saturday, I get so much done on snowy days. I finished sewing blocks and sashing then pieced 4 quilt backs. The snow just fell without making a sound and then it just lay there not moving.  That doesn't happen often here. Monday there was just enough wind to blow the snow from the rooftops making it look like a blizzard outside.  I had another quilt top to  baste but decided to measure it before I started pinning it to the frame and I need a king size batting which I do not have.  It will still be there the next time I baste quilts.  I'm ready for some free motion power sewing. --Ann--

pin basted

 

I pin basted 5 of the 7 quilt tops that I have pieced since March and then my fingers got sore they were actually sore after the 3rd quilt but I took a couple breaks for lunch and coffee.  I need to tidy up the table before I can start machine quilting.  Almost all those fabrics were in the stash some of the batiks were new and the white and black prints and the paw print was new, but everything else including the backs were from the stash.  And I barely made a dent.  On to the next step.  How shall I machine quilt these?  --Ann--

What day is it

What day is it?  Does anyone else have that problem?  One day is pretty much like the last with no activities going on. Everyday felt like Saturday when hubby retired but I finally got used to that but now...................  Anyway 2 quilts basted I didn't baste the bright pinwheel quilt top that I just finished because I didn't have the right fabric for the back and there is no rush on that one.  There is no rush on these either.  Just spending peacefull time in the sewing room.  Quarantine Quilting.  --Ann--

Quilt basting

Five quilt tops basted and it took me two days.  I use staight pins because they are easier on the fingers but still my fingers were sore so I quit after 4 then made supper and finally mid afternoon the next day I finished the big one, I did have places to go and people to see that day.  It was good to let the batting relax after being crammed in the bag.  Quilts are basted now on to the power sewing.  Link to quilt basting and frame.  No borders on some of these quilts does that make them modern?
--Ann--

quilt basting day

 It was another dreary day on Monday but a great day for basting quilts.  I pin basted quilts until my fingers hurt.  I really miss the fatty pads on my fingers that I had in my younger days.  The phrase work your fingers to the bone didn't make any sense until the last 8 to 10 years.  Anyway the stack is basted and now let the fun commence with the machine quilting.  click  post on basting quilts and quilt frame.  --Ann--

quilt basting and power sewing

I basted two quilts over the weekend.  The first challenge was to find the four old kitchen chairs that I set the quilt frame on.  Two were in the guest bedroom and one in the closet but where was the 4th????  I looked in every room of the house twice and no chair.  So I made the rounds again there it was in plain site in the family room downstairs with the fan positioned to hit the elliptical.  I use it everyday well I did take a week off because I had a cold and just didn't have the energy.  I finally found the obvious.  After putting away all the chairs and frame parts it was on to power sewing.  It is warming up here temps in the upper 20's and 30's  I'll have to go for a walk outside today.  --Ann--

basting day

I had a big basting day over the weekend.  Three new tops sewn and five quilt tops basted in an afternoon.  It goes pretty fast if I only have to set the frame up once.  (click) to Grandmas quilt frame.  Next a couple days of power sewing!  Ready to roar --Ann--

Design Wall Monday

 I stayed away from the computer last week because I needed a low tech week. Sometimes pointing and clicking brings no happiness.  Finishing the borders of this quilt was my top priority.  I went even lower tech by tossing the calculator.  Then everything started falling place.  I worked on the design wall, I worked on the floor, I worked on the table.  I was going so low tech I forgot to take pictures as I progressed.  Sorry.

 Rather than measure the quilt and border parts because the math just wasn't working for the mathematically challenged.  I folded my quilt in half and pinched the edges together and matched seams and low and behold the parallel sides were exactly the same.  I sewed five bulls eye blocks together for the long side then laid it on top of the quilt pinching the edges together as I smoothed the fabric. The bulls eye blocks were 2 inches longer than the quilt top.  I would need a narrow border, half of 2 is 1 plus 1/2 inch for seams.  Cut a 1 1/2 inch strip to go around the quilt.  Measure, pin, pin, pin and sew. Perfect!!!

The short side border would have 4 bulls eye blocks and I knew I would need to add something to make it fit.  The word program on the first computer we had had a "make it fit" button so if I was typing something that went a couple lines into the second page I could push the "make it fit" button and it would reduce just enough to fit on one page.  I really miss the "make it fit" button.  It could be so useful for so many things............ like quilt borders.

Anyway I though about strips of fabrics for the spacers but then I saw the pile of unused flying geese units.  They would visually extend the flying geese into the outside border.  Perfect!!!!  Not quite.  The border was about an inch longer  than the short side.  Oooopps.....................

Time for coffee  and knit a few rows.  Knitting is so contemplative I have solved so many problems in my head while knitting.  I could clip the wings of all the geese.  No.  Ah ha pinch in the seams of the bulls eye blocks.  I resewed the 3 seams by about an eighth of an inch.  Now it fit!  Sew the corner blocks and pin, pin, pin to the side of the quilt and sew. 
Everything fit just right using only a tape measure and math I could do in my head. 
Lovin' low tech days.  
Now it is basted along with another quilt so I am off to my sweet 16 machine for some power sewing.   Linking to Judy's Design Wall Monday.  --Ann--

Basting day

A snowy day here and a great day to baste quilts.  I'm still very intimidated by this new computer and learning how it works.  The only way to learn is to try things, the trick is remembering what I did to make it to do what I want it to do.  So many challenges............hope you are staying warm--Ann--

Design Wall Monday

The borders are on and it has been layered and pinned ready to machine quilt. I could do it the easy way and just do a wavy line up the tree trunk and swing arcs in each tree and background triangle or I could do a variety of lines such as diagonal, vertical, horizontal, cross hatching etc. in  each tree and maybe scrolls in the background and diamonds or curves in the plaid sashing. Any ideas???  I like easy but that doesn't push me to creative free motion quilting.

While the wind was howling over the weekend and it was just howling because we didn't get more than a dusting of new snow I finished machine quilting the border of my Glorified 9 Patch. I'm getting brave and tried a free motion feather. well half a feather and figure 8 ovals.  My brain and hands did not always want to swing the arc to the left then right, my habit is to go right then come back with a large arc to the left from years of doing the concentric tear drops on quilts. Now just trim the edge and sew on the binding.  Check out all the quilts at Judy's Design Wall Monday and be inspired.  Temps just above 0 here. Its a good day to quilt --Ann--

Quilt Frame

Reposted with updated photos.
I have read so many blogs by quilters who are still crawling on the floor to layer and baste or pin their quilts. It is time to rise up off the floor and get yourself a quilt frame! I watched Footloose the other night Whether you find one at an estate sale or go to the lumber yard and buy boards to make one, a serious quilter needs a quilt frame.

 I have 2 quilting frames, this one was my Gramma's, the boards are 3/4 inch x 4 inches wide and are 86 and 101 inches long. It will frame up to a full size quilt. It has holes drilled every 4 inches, pieced strips of denim are nailed to each board for pinning the backing. The holes are for dropping large nails through to square the frame. Then she used C clamps to keep it tight.  Gramma used the frame to hand quilt. She would sit on one side and quilt as far as she could reach then remove pins and 2 nails and roll the quilt onto the board and then drop the nails through the holes again  and clamp with C clamps to keep the frame in place and the quilt taught on the frame. She had short stanchions with holes for the corner nails so the quilt was at a comfortable height for quilting.
The other quilt frame that I have belonged to the Grandmother of one of my dearest friends and if she ever starts quilting I will return it to her. It is made of 1 inch x 2 inch boards that are 96 inches and 120 inches long.

I set it on my dining chairs, a good height for pinning, its a little higher than kitchen counter tops. I put the nails in the holes then measure across and lengthwise at the corners and diagonally to be sure it is square.

Then I pin or staple the backing to the frame. Stapling is quicker to put on the frame but pinning in much quicker to take off and there is no scarring the fabric with pins.

Lay the batting on and smooth it out.

Lay quilt top on and smooth it out

I pin with straight pins if I plan to machine quilt it. I baste if I am going to hand quilt with my lap frame.

Buy boards that are knot free you don't want it oozing sap on your quilt.  And  don't let the guy at the lumber yard sell you warped or crooked boards that contractors have rejected. Straight boards are a must. Clamp or tape the boards together in pairs so you are drilling holes through both boards. Measure and mark every 4 inches. Then take your hubby's cordless drill and drill holes big enough to accommodate the 4 great big nails you bought with the boards.  Mine are mismatched 3 1/2 and 4 inch nails. If you are a pinner sew long strips of denim and fold in half then tack or staple to boards. If you prefer to staple quilts to the frame skip that step. Use a light weight staple gun  with 1/4 inch staples  you want them to come out easily. I tilt the staple gun slightly so the staple does not go in all the way and leaves a space to pry it out with a flat edge screw driver.

Save your knees! Save your back! Get a quilt frame! Sweet talk your hubby into one for Valentines Day or get him a cordless drill.

 Happy Quilting,

 Ann