I made this chevron quilt for my friend’s firstborn niece!! I used this tutorial by Elizabeth Hartman and expanded the number of HSTs from 36 to 100! Finished size is 40” x 40”.
Do you do the actual quilting? Do you use a machine, hand-stitch or use a long-arm service?
I do the actual quilting!! Depending on the size of the quilt, I will either use my home machine (BERNINA Aurora 440 QE - which is a discontinued model, they replaced it with something fancier), or if it’s larger than a small throw, I rent time on a quilt frame. I don’t know your location, but I use the quilt frame at Modern Domestic in NE Portland, OR.
I finally got my beloved little precious sewing machine baby back from the BERNINA hospital today. It’s been gone for three (count ‘em, three) weeks and it’s still not completely fixed. Being away from my machine was worse than any heartbreak I’ve ever gone through, so in its absence, I cut out a million projects that have pattern pieces!
I’ll stop with the italics when I stop making such profound statements!
I never make something that requires careful pinning and cutting around a pattern piece. Ick. But I had all this time on my hands…
First project mission: completed
I made the Folklore Bag from One-Yard Wonders by Rebecca Yaker and Patricia Hoskins. Check it out! Fully-lined with a pocket and!!! a magnetic closure! I’ve never used a magnetic closure before and my experience was awesome.
I love my bag and I will make the pattern again. If you make it, just remember to add the interfacing to your top pieces because the pattern omits that step. That’s all!
Guess what I did today!!! I took my scrappy rainbow quilt to Modern Domestic in NE Portland and rented their quilt frame! I free-motioned a large meandering stitch and finished in 2 hours! Now for binding!!!
My Rainbow Baby Quilt is done and ready to be shipped to the Hawaiian Islands! It was inspired by the ‘Gumdrops’ throw in Sew Scrappy Volume Two by Better Homes & Gardens. I must admit, I didn’t follow the pattern in the magazine but I think mine turned out very similar, only much smaller (and after browsing the instructions in the magazine, my block construction and sashing were much different).
Some notes for quilters: I used 2.5 inch squares for my nine patches and separated them by color with a white center square. I have oodles of scrap fabric (I keep all scraps that are at least an inch wide and a few inches long) and didn’t cut any fresh yardage (except for my backing). Also, the magazine recommends that you press your seams open - I pressed mine to alternating sides so I could nest them - it’s much easier to match corners that way.
For the batting I actually used Robert Kaufman flannel (in ‘snow’) since the quilt is for an infant in a warm climate. Let me tell you, I washed the flannel prior to use and after I washed it, it was the softest flannel I’ve ever touched. I’m sure angels actually invented it - I’ll never buy any other flannel again. (If you’re in Portland, OR, you can pick some up at cool cottons on SE Hawthorne.)
I free motion quilted a meandering stitch using my BERNINA Stitch Regulator (BSR) and did the binding by hand. If anyone has any questions on the construction - feel free to ask me :)
January 2012
It’s been a busy month! I’ve already plunged into two New Year Resolutions and crossed an item off my bucket list (I went to my very first NFL game - the NFC championship game in San Francisco)!! Here is a full report detailing the progress of my resolutions:
1. Join the Portland Modern Quilt Guild
Okay, this doesn’t seem like a difficult resolution to most, but I’ve been thinking about going to the PMQG meetings since mid-2011. I don’t know why I was so intimidated but I “forced” myself to go to the first meeting of the year! I was too chicken to stand up and introduce myself but I enjoyed my time as a wallflower. And wow, talk about talent. All of the quilts that I saw were beautiful and the work was incredible. I feel out of my league but on the same token, I’m extremely inspired. I went home and signed up online to be a member. I’m looking forward to the rest of the year and will blog my continued effort to fulfill my resolution.
2. Attend a Binky Patrol Chapter Meeting
I stumbled upon Binky Patrol when I was looking for volunteer opportunities in the Portland area, back in November. The organization is nationwide, and I stole this tidbit from their website because I think it clearly explains their mission:
We are an all volunteer, national, non-profit organization making and distributing homemade blankets to children born HIV+, drug-addicted, infected with AIDS or other chronic & terminal illnesses, those who are abused, in foster care or experiencing trauma of any kind.
The Portland Chapter is made up of knitters, crocheters and quilters; ergo, I qualify. Not to mention, I have several quilt tops that are completely pieced but just need to be quilted and bound. I can’t imagine better motivation to finish these quilts and get them to children and families in need.
Below is the first quilt I made for Binky Patrol. I made up a Lone Star pattern, which was my first (and last?) time piecing diamonds. Originally, the pattern I thought up for this quilt was much more ambitious, but after the Y-seams I was ready to call it quits. I machine-quilted it on my Bernina 440QE and hand-stitched the binding on at the chapter meeting. I’m super pleased with how it turned out and I hope it brings warmth and comfort to the recipient.
In the works: listing items on my Etsy shop, and getting ready for the Crafty Underdog on Feb 12th at the Mission Theatre!
This is my old sewing machine! A Bernette 60. I purchased it my first term as a freshman at the University of Hawai’i back in 2004. I remember calling my mom, probably my first month in the dorms, and quite miserable because I wanted to sew and didn’t have a machine. My parents bought it in Oregon and shipped it to me because it was still cheaper than buying the same machine in Honolulu. This machine lasted me during my 2.5 years at UH and then for 2 years at UO. It is currently set up at my sister’s and about to be used to do some paper piecing. I love this machine even though it sounds like a freight train.
My sister Emily took these photos of my quilted potholders to submit with my Crafty Wonderland application! I use two layers of insulbrite (heat resistant batting) and have flaps on the back to protect hands. I also sew the hangers (I use foot #10 on my Bernina 440 QE to enhance the edge stitch) and hand sew the binding (none of that stitch in the ditch nonsense). Each potholder is unique; I make them up as I go!
