FMQ Friday - Practice, Practice, Practice

Friendship Braid Prayer Shawl

This week started out like any other week - a full week of work - with a little quilting thrown in.  As I got started on the week working on the backlog of work from being gone the better part of two weeks, I filled in some time teaching myself a new FMQ skill - feathers.  I really want to use it on my sister's gift. 









I took little bits of time - while waiting on hold, or while puzzling out some great bookkeeping mystery - to sketch out what I was trying to do.

I've never done feathers before and really wanted something special for the large center square on the braided shawl.  When I finally felt like I had the motions down, as time allowed I started to practice on the machine.

Practice #1



Practice #2



Practice #3



Practice #4
 

I figured I was getting pretty good at this - the feathers are almost the same size, the travel stitching is fairly consistent, and I was feeling pretty good about my efforts. Just when I thought - by Jove She's Got it - my machine decided it didn't want to wind bobbins any more! YIKES!  I can't wind bobbins?  What is going on here?  What the heck am I going to do?

I put Sis's present aside for now.  I guess I wasn't ready for this challenge just yet. 

Because I had a number of white bobbins already wound up, I picked up the Christmas stockings I'm making for deploying soldiers as part of a group over at Missouri Star and started quilting on the outside pieces.  Basically doodling around.  Because the stockings are going to be fully lined, I quilted on the top and batting only.



On set is swirls and loops



The other set is outlined and loops

As I was quilting the second set with the outlined stars the machine was jamming and breaking thread.  I used every trick in the book I knew to power through the last half of the last one. 

 My trusty Elna is now at the machine hospital for diagnostics.  I sure hope it can be fixed!

Linking to Leah Day's FMQ Project

Oklahoma Quilts finished and sent

I have been away from home and my computer for a couple of weeks.  When I returned last week, Southwestern Wisconsin was under heat advisories for much of the week. 

While I was away, I was able to present my Dad with his quilt: Bowtie Hugs & Kisses.  He was thrilled with the letter, telling me he was saving it in his treasure box.  I also finished up the two quilts I was working on for Oklahoma.



Bright Days and Smiles

 

Bricks of Love

Bricks of Love Label

Each of these quilts included notes to the recipients telling them why I made the quilts, and closed with the following words:  "As the pieces were being stitched together, I prayed for peace and comfort for you and your loved ones.  Please find comfort in its folds and know that you are loved."

The process was somewhat cathartic for me.  I've always wanted to help people and didn't know what to do or where to start.  I was put into contact with Janice Grimes of Quilts of Compassion, who told me of her ministry to people affected by the Tornadoes of Joplin Missouri and Moore Oklahoma and surrounding areas.  These two quilts were shipped out on July 15, 2013.

I will continue to make quilts for others because it feeds my soul.

Does it need a name?

I guess there are two schools of thought about naming a quilt.  One is that you give it a name, and the other is that you don't. 

I adapted this quilt from a picture I saw on Christa Quilts.  She called her pattern the Jolly Jelly Roll Quilt.  Since I didn't use Jelly Rolls but 5" charms, I don't want to call it a Jelly Roll quilt - right?  Usually when I create a qulit, it is for a specific person, for a specific event or milestone.  This one was created specifically as a way to give love and comfort to someone who was affected by the tornados in Oklahoma after reading a blog post over at Quiltville.

I dove right in to my 5" charms and starting sewing them together.  I sorted out the brights from the more sedate colors and came up with this cherry little quilt.  My hope is to bring a smile and some comfort to a child.

 

I quilted it fairly densely in an all over loopy pattern with spirals in the first border and attached a bright binding. 

So I'm back to my original question:  Does it need a name?  What would you call it?

Linking to Leah Day's Free Motion Quilting Project FMQ Friday

An Open Letter to My Dad

In a previous post, I showed a quilt I was making for my Dad.  He will be 78 years old this December, and is in failing health.  I'm grateful to have him in my life.  Even though we live so far apart, he is never far from my mind.  I have the opportunity to present this to him in person over the 4th of July weekend.  A fitting time to spend together, with Mom, our son and his family.



Bowtie Hugs and Kisses

 June 2013

Dear Dad,

I remember the first time I met you. It was 1972, and I was just a little girl when I answered the door that day at Nana and Papaw’s house. There you were in your Dress Blues with a bow tie. How handsome you looked! Later, the story goes, you were taking Mom to the Ball.

We had our ups and downs as all Dads and Daughters do and through it all, some part of me always knew that I was loved.

How can I ever begin to remember all the lessons you taught me? Do you remember teaching me to drive that very first time “keep it between the ditches, kid”? Or how about “don’t panic on the first enlistment” when I’d get my feathers ruffled? Or “I’ll always be proud of you. If you want to be a ditch digger, be the best d*mn ditch digger you can be”?

I grew up strong on the lessons I learned from you. I was able to choose a husband who is the love of my life and raise a son who is also proud and strong like you; all from the lessons I learned from you. He will make a good husband and father one day, just like you.

The lesson that sticks with me to this day is, “You have to look at yourself in the mirror”.

Today when I look in the mirror, I see a loving daughter, wife, and mother; a warrior and worrier; and a strong, proud woman who is creative, courageous, caring and grateful to have you in my life.

I regret that we live so very far away from you that we don’t get to see you very often. I created this quilt for you as a reminder of how much I love you. The pattern is made from Bow tie blocks, and it is set in an X and O pattern. I hope that when you wrap it around yourself it will feel like being wrapped in hugs and kisses from us.

I love you Dad.

Moving right along!

Bowtie Hugs and Kisses is finished (almost)! 

The binding and label are on, so all that is left is the handwork.  I'm very pleased with how it came out. 



And it got the "Sassy Seal of Approval!"

Next up my list is the Tossed Pinwheel quilt.  She's all ready to be basted and quilted.

But, wouldn't you know... the backing is not wide enough for the the width of the quilt.  I worked out a plan to use up some of the remaining charm pack to piece the back together.  I'm hoping my friend will be pleased with this gift.

Also on the design wall is a quickie that will be for a special child in Oklahoma.

 
The bright and cheery colors make me smile.  I had a whole box of 5" charm squares, and this is what I did with quite a big stack of them.  Of course there was a lot of sliver trimming to be done.

I wonder what I can do with all these teeny tiny pieces...  Ideas anyone?  

Practice, Patience and Progress

But not perfection...  



I finished up the final quadrant on my Dad's Bowtie Hugs and Kisses last night. 

It's supposed to be a lap (I call them nap size) quilt, but turned into a monster size 58" x 72".  It is by far the largest quilt I've attempted to free motion quilt.   It was a bit tricky making sure I didn't catch the 3D centers of the Bowties when quilting, but I managed to keep away most of the time.  Only a few times I caught my darning foot in the fold and had to take the machine apart to get it free.

It wasn't until I was about half way through the first border that I realized I forgot to change the top thread back to the variegated thread I had used through the first three quadrants of the quilt.  Oops.  I'm sure no one will notice. 

This morning I finished the inner red border and started on the checkerboard.  It's coming along nicely.

I'm stuck for what to do with the two blue borders, so I'm going to link up to Leah Day's Free Motion Quilting Project to see if I can get an idea or two.  I love Leah's blog!  It has helped me learn so many things, and given me the confidence to quilt my own quilts rather than send them off to a long-arm quilter to do for me.  Thank you Leah!

I think I'm going to take some more of her advice and "GO QUILT".

On my Deisgn Wall

I'm working on several projects, like most quilters. 

On the wall right now is a variation of the Disappearing Nine Patch with pinwheels called Pinwheel Toss by Clover & Violet. I used a few charm packs (maybe 3?) from Missouri Star Quilt Company by Nancy Halvorsen called Basically Nancy.

Also on my design wall is a special request from my son for one of his former West Point roommates who is due to be deployed soon.  This one is called Fourth of July and the pattern is by Bonnie Hunter.  I used Red and Blue homespun, and neutral star fabrics.  I really like the way this one is coming together.  I will look at it a while, and move the blocks around so it doesn't look too matchy-matchy.



I'm working on free motion quilting a quilt for my Dad. I've used homespun for the bow ties and the pieced border. I'm still learning, and my quilting isn't that consistent yet, but I'm proud of the progress I'm making.  This is a 3D bow tie set in X and O pattern.  Dad's health is declining, and we're far away.  I want to remind him that we are thinking of him, and wrapping him in Hugs and Kisses.

Bow-ties and Hugs and Kisses - On rhe design wall

On the Sewing Machine now

Close up of quilting in progress

And, I just finished the binding on "Tea Party" one I've been working on for a while.  This one is using 1930s reproduction fabrics I've had in my stash for a bunch of years, set in the Broken Dishes pattern.  I watched a tutorial over at Missouri Star Quilt Company.  This one is for a nice lady at a nearby nursing home whose family is far away.  It should fit very nicely on her lap.



"Tea Party" with the Sassy Seal of Approval.