Paper Pieced Stars!

I am the kind of person who can not just sit.  I have to have something to do, even if it's just knitting or reading.   So, last fall while recovering from surgery I  cleaned the library out of quilting books and discovered paper piecing.  Most of the books on the subject were written by Carol Doak, who is a paper piecing queen!  I loved her designs and use of geometry.  While I recovered,  I was able to sit at the sewing machine and learn paper piecing.  I have since reluctantly given the library back their books, and purchased my own.  (I love library books)  The quilt above is table runner size and contains my first 3 blocks.  I'm not sure if all 3 are from Carol's books or from patterns I found online.  Anyway, I now love paper piecing.  When I can't find inspiration or just want to sew and listen to an audio book, I pull out my paper pieces and a box of fat quarters.  I am addicted. 

I've also started planning a whole quilt that uses the concept of paper piecing, but on a grand scale.  I've been saving my over head projector for years, and now I have a cool idea to use it, and enlarge a pattern for a  whole pieced quilt.  I'm still in the drawing phase, but will keep you posted. 

Ok...  it's late here, but my most productive time of the day.  Back to the sewing machine for me!  Nite.

Finished.... finally!!!

Last fall I started this quilt and finally finished putting it together today.  It is a string scrap quilt pieced on a foundation and in the "quilt as you go" manner.  I basically started with a box of batik strips left over from other quilts, 10 inch squares of muslin  and 9 1/2 inch squares of cotton batting.  I started by layering a square of muslin, a square of batting, and a batik strip diagonally -- face up.  Then, I sewed another batik strip face down onto the first strip, thus securing the first strip on one side.  Next, after pressing open the first seam, I repeated with another strip on the opposite side of the first strip..  I continued sewing strips, and pressing open flat until I reached the opposite corners.  Then each block was trimmed to square up the sides to 10".

While piecing each block, I attempted to have colors in surrounding blocks meet to create the squares of color seen in the quilt.  I could have sewn front seams together, then hand closed each back seam by hand, but I just sewed all layers together,  pressed seams open, and used a backing that covered the entire quilt.  I then "stitched in the ditch" with my walking foot to secure all three layers.  This is not a fancy quilt, just an easy way to make something colorful, use up scraps, and cover an electrical panel in my studio.  I will probably make a few quilts this size and rotate them throughout the year.  I'm just happy to have the electrical panel covered!  I'm not sure....  but I'd bet that a man designed this building, because I don't know any woman who would put a panel in the middle of a room!

I'm looking forward to a productive sewing weekend.  Have a good one.   

Sewing machines

This is my favorite sewing machine.  It is a Singer 301, made in 1950.  I actually own 2 of these wonderful machines, the other is black.  I keep one set up for regular piecing, and the other set up for free motion quilting.  Straight stitching with this machine can't be beat by anything newer and quilting with either a walking foot or free motion is a dream.  But the best part by far is the speed -- it's fast!  It can keep up with my brain.  All that is required is a bit of oil every so often.  I've never had one bit of trouble with either machine.  I am a bit unsure how many sewing machines I actually own, but I know there is a Bernina, a Janome, more vintage Singers, a Pfaff and two industrial TacSew machines.  The Singer 301 is the best without question for quilting.

This machine is a Singer 221, better known as the "Featherweight".  I do love this machine, mainly because it's just so cute.  It weighs about 9 pounds and is great to travel with.  It goes with me when we load up the motorhome.  It does everything the 301 does except has a shorter work space.  But isn't it cute!  It usually lives right where it is on my shelf below the vintage wooden spools of thread.

This machine was a Christmas gift from my sister!  Amazing huh?  I have a great sister, I know.  I think she just took pity on me and my old machines!  (not really)  She does beautiful heirloom sewing and needed a new machine, so I gladly accepted this hand-me-down.  It is amazing and does things I never imagined a machine could do.  I'm planning to make some wool crazy quilts and use the fancy stitches.  I'll have to take a few classes to understand the embroidery unit though, it seems a bit hard

Anyway, you can probably tell by now that I love sewing machines.  I do.  I'm still looking for the perfect old treadle machine though.  You never know when the power might go off. 

I'm still sewing...  not quilting yet, but making quilt tops and pillows. 

Close up of quilt I gave my sister for Christmas

I will not recommend this pattern to anyone!  It nearly made me crazy, but she liked it.

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Using up scraps

  

Scraps...  we all have them.  I am a diligent scrap saver, there are ziplock baggies here that are at least 25 years old.  Last night during one of my insomnia driven late night sewing sessions I found a baggie with 1 1/2" strips of Kaffe Fasset prints.  I think they are at least six to seven years old.  I still love them.  So, I cut Kona chartruse squares, and started piecing these simple blocks.  I ended up with 70.  Not bad for a bag of scraps and 1/2 yard of Kona.  I've been auditioning solids for lattice, and like gray Kona the best, but snow is a near second choice.  Maybe I'll make one of each...  5x7 block baby quilt size quilts.  

I like gray best.  If I'm having trouble choosing fabrics I just take a pic.  The right choice is usually crystal clear in a photo.

Best intentions....

I do have them you know.  I fully believed this blog would become a daily or at least frequent happening, and it still might!  But,  I have been sewing quilts.  Completing, well....  not so much. That may come with time.  Currently there are nearly 5 layers on my design wall all completed quilt tops, and at least seven more laying over a quilt rack.  There seems to be a log jam in the process here.

 This is one quilt that I've been hand stitching on for a long time.  Just a bit of quilting here and there.  It was made by my great grandmother.  So, hopefully one day it will be finished.

I've been investigating quilting systems.  They all seem to require  a great deal of space and money.  So far, I haven't decided on which way to go.  Any ideas?

Quilts! No, not quite finished quilts.

Blogland -- it's a whole new world!  Beginning this blog has been quite an adventure in learning.  I usually only use a computer to buy fabric, read other people's blogs and send email. So, here it goes!  My name is Holly Field.  I am a quilt maker.  I have done other things for the last 30 years, but quilting has always been the one  constant.  Now, I quilt everyday.  I am hoping this blog will be a motivator for me.  I need motivation to complete quilts!  Usually there are several (many, many severals to be truthful) quilts in various stages of completion tucked into baskets, shelves, and really everywhere in my studio.  So, hopefully I will be posting  photos of finished quilts very soon.