From Sublime to Ridiculous

Beth's quilt top is sublime for it is a very, very lovely creation and it shows you can make something beautiful to cover a bed in a reasonable amount of time. You don't have to struggle for months to create beauty ... choose the right fabrics and a simple pattern can make the process quick and easy.

I just read about something "ridiculous" that I will offer here to amuse you. If you go to http://vintagericrac.blogspot.com/2007/06/crafty-week.html and scroll down almost to the end you will see a small mini quilt made of selvedges. Yes, you read that right .... someone saved selvedges and pieced them into a small "quilt" which I assume she did for a joke or a dare ...

Judy

Ta-da!

t
I got the disappearing 9-patch top all put together and wanted to share my results! I think it is marvelous in its complexity and as you can tell from when I started it to when I finished it, SOOOO easy too!!! (And I wasn't working on it 24/7 either!) This top measures about 52 x 87 and is what I would call a twin size coverlet (without any borders). I started with 5" squares and made 28 total blocks and assembled 4 wide by 7 rows. I like Judy's idea of wavy ski lines down the diagonals for quilting motif and will probably add a spiral squiggle in the middle of the beige "crosses."

For Judy in Ar .... Diagonal Squiggles

A quilting idea that I would use on Beth's Diagonal 9-Patch that she shared in her photo would be what I call a diagonal squiggle. Imagine that you were going to just do diagonal cross-patch kind of quilting on Beth's block starting in that red square in the upper right and stitching diagonally across the block. But .... straight lines would be boring so imagine sharp squiggly back and forth wiggles (perhaps only one or two in the small square) like drunken skiers schussing down the mountain. Depending on the size of your squares you could keep those diagonal squiggles inside the theme fabrics. Variegated thread could add some excitement. My idea for quilting on Beth's block would leave her cream fabrics untouched; the quilting stitches would be on the brightly colored fabrics.

Judy

quilting ideas?

Oh--I forgot to ask, can any of you suggest quilting patterns that would highlight this design? I am NOT a fan of stippling and prefer not to tie it, even tho it is for a child. I would like something simple enough I could tackle it on my sewing machine.

TIA
Judy in AR

more disappearing 9 patch

I, too want to thank you all for posting the disappearing 9 patch directions and especially the pics. I love the black and red block. I had some fabric that I wanted to do in a "square" pattern but couldn't decide. The disappearing 9 patch was perfect and I have spent the 4th of July cutting and sewing up a baby quilt in turquoise and yellow moda marbles with a sunshiney focus print in a planned format rather than scrappy. It has been over a year since I actually worked on my quilts so this was just what I needed! Thanks everyone. (and I actually figured out how to post again)

Judy in AR

Disappearing nine patch

I have to add my comments on the disappearing nine patch. I really enjoyed doing it. I finished a small quilt for a child. Great for using up my scraps. However my scraps keep multiplying while in the cupboard.
Hope you all enjoy your Independence Day Celebration. I may make another nine patch. Marge

Attachments

I really haven't played with attachments much at all. I don't do much sewing beyond quilts and an occasional mending. One of these days.....But there seem to be pretty good directions for using them around. I haven't checked it out, but I'm told that the Singer website has little videos on a lot of them.

Pat in Rockport, TX

Disappearing 9 patch with a new name

I love this new disappearing 9 patch, but woke this morning thinking of a new name for it. Not that the current name is bad, but I imagined changing the setting. After you have cut and resewed the 9 patch you could put small lattice strips around it . Then put 9 of them together with bigger lattice strips and call it:
Suduko on Drugs
Honey, Where Did My Suduko Go?
Suduko and Tequilla Don't Mix
9 into 16 Does Work
Suduko Gone Array
Etc.
I guess this just proves that I shouldn't start thinking when I first wake!
Enjoy the day, Phyllis in Minnesota who doesn't do suduko

Vicki in SW PA and Pat in Rockport

Vicki, I am indeed old enough to be a GGM to an 11-year-old....but I've cheated. I married a very nice man ten years older than myself and on our wedding day umpteen years ago I became an instant grandmother to four. After umpteen years the family has expanded and there are now 6 DGGKs age 11 and younger. But I love it when someone makes the comment that I am toooo young to be a GGM and so I think you for giving me a little chuckle. LOL.

Pat, yes, the attachments came with the Singer 66-1. A quilty friend in Ohio gifted me with Elizabeth Redeye some years ago and she was very careful to tag all the attachments with their various names and uses. It was great fun rummaging through the five drawers to find the attachments, some small sewing items, and the original instruction booklet. She had named this vintage treadle after one of the grandmothers in her family. Since my grandmother's name was Elisa and my aunt was Elizabeth, I have continued calling this machine Elizabeth Redeye.

I know that you have many more vintage machines than I and I am wondering....have you played with the attachments. If so, please tell me which were your favorites and for which use?

I wonder if owners of NEW sewing machines give them names? Or is it only owners of vintage sewing machines who have this silly habit?

JudyPete

Trouble clicking on "Comments"

Is anyone else having trouble when they click on the "comments" to a post? On some (not all), the comment page keeps blinking and trying to reload. I found that if I double-click on the "comments" link then everything's okay. This started a couple of days ago - never had a problem before. NancyH

I tried it too!

I just loved the disappearing 9 patch idea that Judy posted, so I am giving it a whirl. Got all my blocks cut and assembled the first patch block. I can't wait to get a laptop quilt put together in this pattern!

A couple of observations

When reading other blogs I notice that many have difficulty publishing pictures, but always say they will try later. The comments seem to suggest they believe the trouble is on Bloggers end.

Secondly, for Anna who has been trying to get on the chat page. I noticed when I signed in (the same email/password for both) the page that came up allowed me to chose which blog I desired for the post.

Enjoy the Fourth in the USA. I have been celebrating with the construction of mini-flag/star quilts. It's been fun.

Disappearing 9-Patch

I mentioned in a "reply" post to Judy that I had taken this class (Slice 'em and Dice 'em) in Houston. I also took another class the same year from Jackie Robinson called "Strip and Slash". Sounds like a rather violent hobby, doesn't it?? Here is a picture of some of the samples she (Nancy Brennan Daniel) displayed for the class. It's a really cool technique with quick results - looks far more complicated than it is. I had misplaced my book from the class and just recently found it again. I also told Judy that when I drew out her formula on graph paper and colored it in, it looked like a plaid. This was before doing any slicing or dicing - just straight 9-patches - and I liked the look. NancyH

I have pictures!

I just tried opening the chat from google & signing in & I have the pictures!

Now to see if I can post pictures, I'll bet I can.

(love your quilt Kathi)

Yesterday when I wanted to post a picture it was because I had just watched

Fons & Porter & was so impressed with the partial seaming they did on the feathered star.

It was a 2 parter & I missed how they did the HST's . They mentioned Marsha

McCloskey, so I assume they did her method?

This quilt was done by a guild member Susan Simshaw & it was just gorgeous, it has beautiful quilting, trapunto & the little gems for embelishment.

I really want to do this quilt & I'd like to try F & P's method.

JudyPete

What a lovely old Singer model 66-1 Redeye you have. I had a few in the past, but swapped for other decal sets and models. Right now the only 66-1 that I have has the Lotus decals, and it's a hand crank. Do you have the other feet for your machine? I collected a lot of them for my Lotus, including the little metal needle case that came with them when they were new.

I'm working on another quilt top now, feeling slight guilt at having left a couple of others as UFOs for the forseeable future, but enjoying the new one. After all, someone has to make the tops and UFOs for the garage sales of the future, right?

Pat in Rockport, TX

wooWOOwoo

OK, so now I have lost it......I'm not seeing anyone's pictures!
This is so strange....
not able to post pictures or view other's photo's.
I use firfox, not sure if it's the most recent though,
Maybe I will try to reopen from somewhere else.
I never sign in just keep it on my shorties...don't think that should be the
problem since I am able to post OK.
The last pictures I saw were Doris's on the chat page & they were a real
small transparent square & when I high lighted them I got the pictures
to appear.
I'll try doing some clean-up on my puter today or maybe try posting a picture
from my computer at work, although I don't keep personal pictures on that one.
I love the pictures so I'll keep trying,
Thanks for the help , Jill

PS: No one addressed my draft questions, does anyone know if it works as a true draft
feature? It won't for me.

Be sure to click

I save my photos as jpgs and do not seem to have a problem loading them...it does take a few moments, no longer than 20 seconds or so, for the photo to load. While loading, a second window appears with a round "loading" symbol. Check the original posting window, and when your photo appears, you can close this second window.

This is a photo of my 11-yr-old great-grandson (how old AM I, ANYWAY!!!) doing his first machine stitching on my Singer treadle. He made a 9-patch pillow while staying overnight last week. (I don't like to post my grandchildren's faces online so hope you won't mind that I've cropped the photo). DGGS caught on quickly that he needed to keep the handwheel running in the correct direction and broke the thread only once when he lost control of that. When I informed DGGS that this machine was over a hundred years old he found it difficult to believe me for he said it looked like "new" for it is shiny and in excellent condition. He was impressed with how the mechanism of treadle/wheel/needle worked and thought this was a fine machine. LOL

Some BBers might not know that you can click on photos on this blog to see a larger view.

Posting Problems

Sometimes I wonder if posting problems are caused by a person's computer. I know that in my own case my online life seemed to become much easier when I switched from using an old version of Safari as my browser to Mozilla's Firefox. Computers are not created equal and perhaps some of us are using newer equipment that functions faster and more easily with this high-speed stuff. Just an idea that may or may not have merit ......

Judy

problems posting

The reason I haven't been posting lately as I couldn't get in. I keep getting a wrong password or user message and I've used the same ones for years. Tonight I was finally able to get in on the second try, but earlier in the week wanted to comment on someone's quilt ideas and couldn't get it tho I tried for a couple of days.

Now I'll have to go back and see who I wanted to comment on. It was someone telling about a quilt pattern she frequently used and I hoped she would post some pics.

I loved the disappearing 9 patch pattern. I haven't written down the details yet, but would really like to try it. I wish the person who posted about her friend's batik version could post the batik pic. I LOVE to see batik ideas.

I check in everyday, just don't always have something to say. Then like I said, when I did couldn't post. Thanks everybody who does post to keep the site active.

On another subject, maybe this should be addressed to Sue & Eric, but is there any way to clean up and update the state quilt shop pages? Several shops on the AR page have gone out of business. I check the site whenever I travel, but have run into other closed shops. I'm sure there are new ones out there, just don't know how to find them. I'd rather bring back fabric souveniers than any other kind!!!