How’d you do that?

I have been getting e-mail asking how I did the lily on “Modern Lily”. I used a technique called “Bias Applique”, which was developed by Debbie Grifka of Esch House Quilts. Debbie will be teaching this technique at Quilting Unlimited sponsored by the Greater Ann Arbor Quilt Guild at Washtenaw Community College on Friday, August 2, 2013. QU classes are open to non-members. Check it out! But, you better hurry. Classes are filling up.

Modern Lily is Done!

My Modern Lily quilt is finished and on time. This is a wedding gift for Nephew Number 3 and his lovely bride. They are getting married the first weekend in June. I showed it to the ladies at the Ann Arbor Modern Quilt Guild and at the Greater Ann Arbor Quilt Guild and received some very positive feedback. Here are some photos. I hope you enjoy them!

A full view of the front

From the back

The label close up

Close up of some of the quilting

Close up of the quilting in the border

More of the quilting

Spring

I feel Spring coming on! The crocuses are blooming. The blood root is showing its tiny little fingers. To celebrate I thought I would share the following quilts with you.

These were all made between 1930 and 1950. All of these quilts are from the private collection of Julie Hacala.

Decisions, Decisions

Using my walking foot, I finally finished the outline of the grid in the big white inner border of Modern Lily.

Deciding that it looked sparse compared to the heavy quilting in the center, (See my post from March 3 for photos of the quilting in the center.) I started doodling some ideas for filling in the grid.

I made this practice piece and decided I like the little circles and hearts best. My darling husband pointed out that the little circles looked more like blobs than circles.

I find practice is usually the best solution to most of my quilting problems. The top row is my second attempt at quilting little circles. The bottom row was the third and final attempt. Notice how much rounder they are now. I think I am ready to start working on the actual quilt.

Sewing Machine Lament

I have worn out the motor in my sewing machine. This is the opinion of my machine dealer/repairman. The loud screech I described in my previous post, was the motor giving up its last bit of life. It will take about 2 weeks to get the parts, so, for now, she is in the shop and they don’t allow visitation.

I miss my Juki. We made some beautiful quilts together. We made a couple of dogs too, but that is the way all relationships go. Whether it is a person, pet or machine, there are good times and bad, arguments and love fests. When she sews, she makes a soothing humming sound. I think that sound makes a difference in my free motion quilting. The Viking I am currently using makes a ‘clank clank’ sound. My free motion with this machine is not as ‘free’ as it is with the Juki.

To repair or replace her was a very difficult decision. I am surprised at how attached I have become. But, maybe not so surprising, given that I spend so much time with my sewing machine. With a new motor she should make it for at least a few more years. I want her back so much.

Quilting Modern Lily

I have spent all my sewing time over the past couple of weeks quilting “Modern Lily”. Here are some photos of what I have accomplished, so far:

After sewing about 2 hours Friday night, my machine suddenly made a loud screech and then the motor seized. I dropped it off at the shop Saturday morning, but I won’t know what is going on with it until Monday afternoon. Luckily, I have a spare machine. It is not my favorite for doing free motion. The opening is too small, but since I am working mainly on the outer borders, there isn’t a lot of bulk to push through. It will do for now.

While I was at the shop, I took a quick look at some of the new machines on the sales floor. Interesting! I shall make no further remarks on the subject of new machines for now.

More on Modern Lily

I am making progress on “Modern Lily”. The top is finished and quilting is in progress. For the lily, I used the bias applique technique developed by Debbie Griftka of Esch House Quilts with a lot of hands on help from Lynn Harris (of The Little Red Hen). Thank you both so much.

Lessons Learned

This beautiful 1930′s Rose Applique quilt belongs to my friend Julie.

The quilt had been badly soiled before it came into Julie’s possession. I convinced her that cleaning it up a bit would add to the quilt’s value. It never occured to me that pink dye would run.

Julie just soaked the quilt in cold water and dryed it. The resulting big pink blotches on the white fabric were an awful surprise. I brought the quilt home and tried everything in my bag of tricks to get the pink dye out, but nothing worked.

First, I washed it in synthrapol and cold water. This made no difference at all.

Then, I applied the synthrapol directly to the spots using a small sponge and soaked the quilt in cold water over night. This helped a little, but not enough to repeat the process in hopes of getting out more dye.

Then, I made a paste of “Oxy-Clean” and lemon juice and applied to directly to the spots. I let that set for about an hour and then soaked the whole quilt over night again in cold water. This helped some, but not enough to risk damaging the fabric any further by trying again.

I really wish I had kept my mouth shut.

I did not take any ‘before’ shots. Here are some closeups of a few of the pink spots taken this morning. There are still several spots all over the front of the quilt.

Does anyone have any suggestions? I am concerned that any further treatments could damage the fabrics. They are over 80 years old.

Modern Lily

I hope everyone is having a really wonderful holiday. I have some time off work. So, I have been spending some quality time with family and friends and some quality time in my sewing room. My current project is “Modern Lily”. This is going to be a gift for Nephew #3 and his bride for their wedding scheduled in June. The finished size will be about 87 x 98.

I saw this picture hanging in a restaurant back in September. I thought it would make a great quilt, so I had my daughter take a photo with her phone. The lighting is really bad, but good enough to get the idea.

I am currently constructing the top. This is part of the center.

This will be the border.

These are going to be the lily parts.

Sweet Potato Casserole

I am pretty busy today, getting ready for Thanksgiving tomorrow. I thought it would be nice to share my favorite sweet potato recipe. I make this dish every Thanksgiving. Over the years, many people have asked for the recipe, so I thought I would share it here.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

Sweet Potato Casserole

5-6 medium sized sweet potatoes (should make about 6 cups when mashed)
½ cup sugar
2 eggs
1 Tbsp vanilla
½ cup milk
½ cup butter or margarine

Peel and cube sweet potatoes, boil until soft. Drain water and blend together with sugar, eggs, vanilla, milk and butter. Place mixture into a 9 x 11 baking dish.

Topping:
1/3 cup flour
1 cup brown sugar
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1/3 cup melted butter or margarine
1 cup chopped pecans

Combine topping ingredients and crumple on top. Bake at 350 for 45-60 minutes.