Tag Archives: Quilter’s Garden

Purple Maze – Purple Haze

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I recently retired from a government/county job and let me tell you, retiring through the system is like going through a maze. So as I was perusing through the American Quilting Society (AQS) magazine, I found a pattern that caught my eye.
pattern

I ordered the pattern was happy to see “NO Y SEAMS”. Yea, my favorite term in quilting. To do a “Y” seam, you have to stop 1/4″ from the end, tweak the fabric and then sew it to another piece. I’m not fast at it and my seams end up a little wonky. So, it was off to the Calico House for some fabric. Sometimes I will use fabric out of my stash but this one needed to be selected from the store. I love purples and found 3 fabrics for the maze. bulk fabric maze All I needed was some black.

The cutting instructions were super easy and fast. I cut, separated into piles and then pinned so they wouldn’t get messed up when my cats jump up on the table. Cut maze. The other great thing mentioned is it is a “Two Block Wonder” meaning there are only two types of blocks to make. I just needed 5 of one type and 4 of the other. I finished up this top on Sunday, was able to take it to my guild meeting (Orange Grove Quilt Guild in Garden Grove) on Wednesday and will quilt it in a couple of weeks at Quilter’s Garden on the long arm.

So here is the finished top. unquilted mazeThe actual pattern name is Labyrinth Walk, designed by Christopher Florence and is published at The Guilty Quilter in Portland, Oregon. It is 84″ X 84″ and I can’t wait to get it on the long arm machine. You can check out more patterns at http://www.theguiltyquilters.blogspot.com. I also purchased Christopher’s other pattern San Marco Square which I will do in greens. More on this one later.

With retirement, I am no longer relegated to just weekend sewing. Thanks for reading about the quilts I have made.

Red and White

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Red and white

This pattern was in one of the quilt magazines. I do have an electronic reader but I prefer to have the magazine in my hands, a good cup of coffee and my feet up.

Now sometimes you can order a kit which is an easy way to start the project. However, I love to shop in a small store, get some personal help and be able to show the end result to those that helped me. Two of the ladies at Quilter’s Garden assisted me by pulling together 8 fabrics for this quilt. We spent about 45 minutes deciding which fabric would go next to each other.

Saturdays are known as “Shop Small Stores”. Yes, the internet is great and I occasionally order items, but reall prefer to shop and touch the fabric. Today I took in 5 tops to get backing and more thread and was able to book one of the long arms.

Please keep shopping in the small stores, take some classes, and maybe even join a guild. You make some awesome friends.

Thanks for reading.

Italian Marble

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Italian5

Sometimes you see a bolt of fabric and just have to purchase a couple of yards. You think to yourself, “I don’t know which pattern I’ll use, but this is something I have to have.” So you buy a few yards – with me it is usually around 4 yds. I the main fabric at Center Diamond in Cannon Beach, OR.

This pattern is called “Twist around the Garden”. I think the designer called it that because they used a large floral print and used green to frame it. My main fabric looked like it belonged in an Italian palazzo so I named my quilt “Italian Marble.”

Previously I have made this same pattern with cowboy fabric and the addtional fabric was done in bandana farbic and some with horseshoes. The accent (which would be the dark green in this picture) had fabric that looked like hay bales. It makes a cute kid quilt. If you use “baby” type fabric, use Minkee as the backing – makes it super warm. I used the longarm Gammil quilt machine at Quilter’s Garden in Anaheim to finish off the top. Someday, I will take the plunge and use my Bernina 440 – but that’s another story.

Thanks for reading.

It’s been awhile and I apologize

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Spring and summer are quite busy for me with my regular job – I had 6 commercial high rises to inspect and 3 residential high rises.  This just means my weekends are a little busy and I don’t get a lot of quilting done.  And of course, there are the times I am on firework shoots (most fun and most dangerous).

But while shopping in Quilter’s Garden in Anaheim, I found this great fabric and I immediately thought “I could do another Magic Slice and Dice”.

This is the quilt after completing the squares and sewing into rows.  There are 2 ladies in the So Calif area that worked out a pattern that when sewn looks like this.  (top pic) Then you make 2 slices, resew just 2 seams and this is what you get. (Bottom pic)

It takes on a whole new look.  It appears that it is sewn on the diagonal with triangles on the sides.  I have made this pattern about 8 other times.  In fact, this is one pattern that you can use the ugliest, busiest fabric and it comes out absolutely gorgeous.  It only took 3 hours to quilt on the long arm.

The back fabric is black and I used gold thread on the back so the quilting would really stand out.  Plus it kind of makes it a reversible quilt.  Who gets this one?  Who knows.  It may be a raffle quilt or a gift.  I just quilt because God has given me this talent.  Plus if my hands are busy, then they aren’t stuffing food in the mouth.

Thanks for reading – have a blessed holiday season.

Long Arm Quilting Machines

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When I started quilting, it was on my Great Aunt Margarite’s 1957 Singer.  It must have weighed about 40 pounds.  Straight stitch and zig zag and a lot of attachments.  I then purchased my first Featherweight (weighs about 2.5 pounds). What a joy to take to classes with the Featherweight. 

To finish my quilts, I just did Stitch in the Ditch.  Occasionally, I added some hand quilting but I really wanted  more.  At a Road to California show, I met a long arm quilter from Astoria (I was a white glove lady-wear white gloves and pull the quilt up so people can see the back).  I took the plunge and asked Linda to do my next quilt.  I would bring it up to her in Oregon when I did my annual trip to Seaside, Oregon.

Linda did a fabulous job.  She is still in Astoria quilting and teaching.  You can see her work at Homestead Quilts on 10th in Astoria.

Back to the picture – yes, I tend to wander sometimes.  I found a local quilter in Orange County. Diane Beachamp, who like Linda did a great job on custom quilting.  Diane opened up her own quilt/fabric store.  She put her Gammill long arm machine in the store and advertised classes on the machine.  If you wanted to rent it, you had to take a class.  I was in the first class and was immediately hooked and frustrated.

It takes time to get use to threads breaking, running out a bobbin thread, finding the right pattern for your quilt, the right thread color, etc.

But once you get the feel for it, it such a treat to watch your quilt just pop.  You the backing on the right roller, add the batting and then the top.  Baste it so that it doesn’t move, add the clips on the side, check for any pins, and hit “Start”.  There is a lot more to it but if you want to learn, find a store that rents the machine and take a class.  I have been very fortunate that Quilter’s Garden has 2 machines and a terrific staff that is there to assist you.

Now when I want to quilt my quilt tops, I can schedule time on the machine, peruse the store for more fabric, meet new people (there is always someone asking about the machine) and just relax.  There are many long arm machines but I really like the Gammill.  You can order one with a computer or without.  Without the computer, it is easier to do freehand quilting.  If you decide to buy a long arm, go to a large quilt show like Houston, Paducah, Chicago, Road to California, Long Beach show and try out all the machines.  The ease of working the machine and the cost vary.

Thanks for reading.  The quilt on the machine is called “Dressed to the Nines” by Lynn Mann.  The top quilt is Road to Oklahoma (I think.  It was made in 2002)

Pink Bow Tie

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It really is pink but when you use auto correct, the colors sometimes deepen.  Anyway, this is a Bow Tie quilt that is 3D. 

I wanted to try teaching a class, charge only $15 and then donate the money to the Komen Foundation.  It was only difficult in typing up the instructions.  I had plenty of pictures (with help from Elwood the Cat) and it was to be a scrappy quilt.  Diane Beachamp custom quilted it for me, Quilter’s Garden donated the fabric, and I offered it on a weeknight and a Saturday.  Unfortunately, there were not any takers. 

The wall hanging is now up in my cubicle – hoping to remind people that 1) this isn’t your Grandma’s quilt, 2) Breast Cancer hits 1 out 7 women, 3) any fabric can brighten up a cubicle.

Thanks for reading.