Summer is not the best time

Summer just is not the best time to work on a quilt. Too many other happenings. A wedding to go to. Tomatoes to can. Peaches to freeze. Grandsons to watch over. Still...I'm managing to cut a few blocks at a time on my scrappy shirt quilt. This will be the first quilt I have pieced exclusively on a treadle. Pedaling that machine and watching it efficiently piece seems oddly more fun than using my "like-new" Singer 403 (a machine from the 1960s.) LOL.

Pat, your vintage Singer handcrank with the sphinx decals is gorgeous. I wonder if Singer ever had "official" names for their decals.

JudyPete

Thank you, Judy

Thank you Judy, for your help in figuring out my backing measurements. I don't know how you did it, but you were right on the money. I haven't actually cut the fabric yet--have to get ds off to college this week--but I did cut out the paper pieces and they were exactly right.

I appreciate that you took the time to figure out what I needed. Was rather surprised that no one else hopped aboard. But I for one appreciate Sue & Eric for providing this forum. A lot of quilty things get answered here!!!

I used to use the Classified pages A LOT & wish they were also still operable. I've gone to the new page, but have no clue how to use it or if anyone actually is buying or selling on it.

Anyway, I just wanted you, Judy, to know that you are appreciated!!!

Newest machine

This is the machine I got on eBay just before going to MI to visit family, quilting buddies, and fellow machine collectors last month. It's a Singer model 27 with Sphinx decals in decent condition, with the old-style hand crank made for machines without a motor boss. The hand crank is U-shaped and fits on over the shaft, with the hand wheel down in the U. Isn't she pretty? I drove to Austin, TX to get her. I hope I didn't put her pic on before, can't remember. Anyway, it was a nice day trip, around 8 hours of driving total because of a lengthy detour around where an 18 wheeler carrying blasting caps had turned over in the road during an accident--could have blown that county right off the map, and took a long time to clear up.

Pat in Rockport, TX

Lavinia's quilt

What a lovely quilt. I do hope you'll continue to enter it in shows--try Paducah and Houston.

Pat in Rockport, TX who will be celebrating her Mom's 87th birthday all this week, while she's visiting. Turns 87 on Monday. I got her a nice pair of Gingher shears as a prezzie.

Appalachian Spring~To God be the Glory

Lavinia's Quilt

Judy and everyone else - on another forum someone posted pictures from the quilt show as well as the venue:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/terrihk/sets/72157601199368988/ Lavinia's quilt is the third one shown.

Okay, editing this post to hopefully give you the link directly to L's quilt:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/terrihk/1001113023/in/set-72157601199368988/

Lavinia and her Lovely Quilt

Lavinia, I went to The Quilt Show to see if you were a member there and I could not find anyone named "Lavinia" when I did a search. There are 19,660 members at www.thequiltshow.com and you are not one of them and so (deep, pathetic sigh) I could not see a photo of your quilt posted in your profile. I think I remember that you posted a photo of your quilt for us to see before .... or was it a link to another site? Or am I imagining things?

Anyhow, now that Jane has told us that you've won another ribbon, I think I speak for other BBers when I say "Hooray!" and "Good for you!" and "Where's a photo?"

Judy

Well, Jane's in Fine Form Tonight!

Yes, Jane, my local Wal-mart's fabric department is unchanged despite all the gloom and doom I have read online about the axe falling in Wally stores all over the USA. This store was remodeled five or six years ago (I think) so it could carry groceries; the fabric department was moved from one corner of the store to the other but once that change was made nothing has been altered. Sometimes we have to wait until a person can be found to cut fabric but today there were two people there stocking shelves in the craft area ...

I hear you about the fragrances in so many products but sometimes if you buy something like this Best Press and leave the cap off the fragrance frequently dissipates (or at least it weakens enough that I don't sneeze). It doesn't always work but it's worth a try and it makes our garage "sweet" when I leave things out there. LOL

Judy

JUDY

You mean to say your Wally World actually has a fabric dept? No such luck in most places. That dept. has gone by the boards. I have either to go on line or drive 38 very mountainous miles to buy a damned needle!!

As for the spray, the ads say that the stuff comes in a choice of scents. Dammit! Why in the world to they have to make everything spell like cheap perfume??!! That's right up there with most public buildings forcing bad music on us. Most of those hideous scents smell like what we called in my high school days in the fifties, a French whore house. See Rosey? I've sunk to your level. Well, okay, I've always been on your level or worse. We are sisters in our annoyance about things over which we have no control. Anyway, Febreeze is a hideous example of what I'm writing about. I'd rather smell wet dog than that stuff. If it is killing odor why do they have to stink it up? I believe most of those things just cover one bad odor up with another.

Someday I'll tell you all how I really feel about it.

I'll catch up on my news after I calm down (I've been in a snit for hours about other stuff but I won't bore you with it.)

I had a great time with the DGSs and shed a tear or two at their departure. More detail later.

Oh, by the way, LAVINIA'S beautiful log cabin, flower applique quilt of Pigeon Forge fame won a third place in her category at the Asheville Quilt Show this weekend and that's a far superior show to Pigeon Forge any day. There were certainly many more quilts in her category too. CONGRATULATIONS TO LAVINIA!!

Jane in NC, having a hissy fit tonight.

Feeling Like a Kid at Wal-Mart

I've been reading about a new product called "Mary Ellen's Best Press" which is something you spritz on fabric as a starch substitute. Online reviews have made it sound hassle-free, flake-free, etc. and you can buy it online at www.maryellenproducts.com but I thought I had read somewhere that you can also buy it at Wal-Mart. So rather than pay for the costs of shipping a bottle of liquid stuff I thought I would check out my local Wally store but no luck ... it was not on the laundry department shelves and I asked the ladies in the fabric department but they had never heard of it.

Since I needed some new graph paper and pens I moseyed on over to that department and found myself knee-deep in kids hunting for school supplies. Oh, my .... what glorious pens and such are on the market these days!! I waltzed out with a package of twelve Sharpie Ultra Fine Point permanent ink pens! Almost forgot to look for the graph paper because I was so excited about the package of pens in so many lovely vivid colors .... talk about simple things for simple people. LOL

So, has anyone seen "Mary Ellen's Best Press" for sale at a store? I'm just reluctant to pay shipping on a product that is mainly water with some goo added to it.

Judy

Bridge Collapse

Tonight my heart goes out to anyone in Minnesota affected by the bridge collapse. My son attends UW-Stout in Menomonie, WI, just 40 minutes from this bridge that he uses to visit friends on the UM-St Paul campus. Also, my best friends father in law had driven a Ryder 18 wheeler truck over the bridge this AM. What a nightmare....

Hope the worst is over and MN can get ready to rebuild.

Shelli

Crummy Fabric

Crummy fabric is always a problem, but I have found that a small amount of spray starch can sometimes help "save" a fabric when appliqueing small pieces--also works when using pieces of handwovens in piecing or applique. Of course 95% of my applique is done by machine so that may be the reason.

So glad to see you made it Anna!

Shelli

Quilt Pro

I'm not crazy about getting the upgrades for these programs. They don't add anything I can't live without and you have to get used to them. I have been satisfied with Quilt Pro but Electric Quilt would have been fine. You have to spend time getting into them. I have used mine a lot and love getting the fabric estimates after I have decided what I want to do. I never learned half of the things I could have like the original blocks and applique etc. but have found it useful for traditional quilts.

Quilting Software

Well, Judy confessed that she does not use her Quilt Pro software. I have a confession too. A few years ago I bought EQ4 because I thought I was going to retire. Due to my husbands health problems I ended up working longer and I just retired in May. Thus, EQ4 sat on the shelf because I had no time to figure out how to use it. Since then I downloaded an upgrade for EQ4 and took the time to read the manual and play with it enough to use it. Yes, I know EQ6 is out BUT since I never had time to figure out EQ4 I felt I needed to use that. It was neat to be able to play with the quilt blocks and see what the quilt would look like before I began working on it. The down side of it is the time it takes to be able to do that and will I remember how until I plan the next quilt. I just put this one on the frame to hand quilt. I was just wondering how many of you out there actually use quilting software to plan quilts and what program you think is easiest to use and worth the money spent on it. I'd like to know if the BB members plan quilts the old fashioned way or are you using the computer software?

TIA
Linda in AZ

Thank you

Thank you for spending so much time on my project. I figured I would have to square up the center somehow, but wasn't sure exactly how. I have plenty of fabric since I originally planned to back the quilt with the focus fabric. However, it now dawns on me that though the piece is 65" long it is only 44" wide at most. I was thinking smaller width crib quilt when I bought it. I guess I will have to reverse my process to now find out what size square to start with for the triangles. For the center itself, I knew the square size possibilities to figure out the diagonal. Now I will know the diagonal, but not the arms -- I was picturing having to come up with a triangle with extended side to accommodate the top and bottom margins.

I haven't bothered with quilty software either, tho I am intrigued by the planning possibilities. I figure I spend enough time on this stupid machine. Time spent on quilty software could be time actually making a quilt! I dropped one of the lists I was on and found myself with enough more time to actually read a couple books this summer and now make this small quilt. Considering we have been gone almost every weekend transporting kids somewhere or another, that is an accomplishment for me. I was expecting lots of free time with empty nest this fall, but middle ds has moved home to go to school locally. That's o.k.

Thank you again. It looks like I will be spending a few more hours on this!!!

Backing For That Cute Quilt

The sophisticated quilt planner uses quilting software like Electric Quilt 6 or Quilt-Pro but I am not patient enough to learn how to use the software. (I am ashamed to admit that I own Quilt-Pro but I grab my graph paper instead.)

Anyhow, Judy in AR, here's a quicky run-down and *approximate* guess at what you would need as I sketched it out on graph paper: one large piece of fabric larger than 20" x 40" as the source of four triangles to attach to your lovely on-point square (pieces A, B, C and D). Two strips larger than 4" x 40" to attach beside this completed on-point square (pieces E and F). Two pieces larger than 13" x 48" for the top and bottom (pieces G and H).

What I have plotted out here is not going to be any larger than your quilt front. My main goal was to show you how to get your on-point square filled out so it would become a square again. IMPORTANT!!! None of this planning is exact and none of these dimensions are precise!! I did not plan for seam allowances!!! This is only a rough sketch to help you figure out if you still have enough fabric so please don't come after me with a rotary cutter. LOL

Actually, it might be easier to buy an entirely different fabric for the backing and applique your on-point square in the middle of it. :-)

Judy

Help please with backing

I am horribly math challenged and hope some one of you will be able to help me figure out what size/shapes I need to finish the back of my disappearing 9 patch. I didn't want to do a plain backing, and decided to "blow up" one 9 patch block, cut it, reposition it then place it on point for the back. I am posting a picture so you can see how it looks centered on top of the wrong side of the front.

The big block is a square. The quilt top is rectangle. The side points are at the junction of the front and border. The vertical points are about 5-6 inches shorter than than the top inside the borders. I want to use the focus fabric for everything around the medallion block and will bind it in the blue. If I make big setting triangles, there will still be a gap between the top and bottom.

One question I have is--if I use a big strip of the focus fabric across the top and bottom, will simple triangles fill in the leftover space? How would I figure out what size triangles I need?

Or would I need to cut big squares and sew them on like square in a square? I don't think I have enough fabric to do that.

I really like the idea of using the block this way for the backing, but I have no idea how to get the rest of the fabric to fit--how to cut it, what shapes, what sizes etc. Seriously, I thought today about going back to college to take geometry again!!! It's been 40 years since hs geometry. My ds helped me figure out how big I could make the squares of the nine patch without it being too big for the backing after turning it on the diagonal.

I will appreciate any assistance anyone can give!!!! TIA

disapearing 9 patch

Thanks Judy Pete, The table cloth is a good idea. Storing small wallhangings and flags. We roll them on wrapping paper rolls and store on end; no creases. It is great to see Anna in Spain back on the chat page. Vi

Wallhanging storage

Hi
I'm looking for some ideas on storing seasonal wallhangings.
Thanks.
Janell

Red, White and Blue

Vi, that is a wonderful RW&B quilt! I clicked on the photo to get a closer view and the thought came to me that this would be an easy way to make a 4th of July tablecloth! Thanks for sharing your pic!
JudyPete

Disappearing Nine Patch

This was made red and blue interchanged on the outside corners and white in the center. Fast and fun to do.

VI