GLORIOUS CREATIONS: January 2015

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

A QUILT CHALLENGE: RED, WHITE AND BLUE, FINISHED

LIBERTY'S STAMP 28" X 26"

Taking a deep breath,

Letting out a sigh,

I finished, it's not a UFO,

Oh my, Oh my.

I need to tell you the end of the story before you know what happened in between. I made it to the finish line, which was a challenge in itself.

With our children visiting, and beginning the challenge when it was already more than half over (remember I wasn't going to join this challenge). I only joined because the hostess broke her foot and extended the finishing date. I presumed that translated into me being able to stretch my time too.

Today a friend discussed in an email how she wished she didn't start new projects and could get some of her UFOs finished. I replied, slap my hands and teach me to say no. I don't seem to be able to resist a new appealing project. Especially when it is a "Challenge". What do I have to prove, nothing. I am hoping with each challenge I increase my knowledge of the art of quilting. I have written two blogs on this challenge. If you haven't seen the blogs, here are the links:

Introductory Blog about this challenge and other challenges I have participated in:

http://gloriouscreations.blogspot.com/2014/11/a-quilt-challenge.html

Short blog on my beginning the challenge:

http://gloriouscreations.blogspot.com/2014/11/a-quilt-challenge-red-white-blue.html

"FREEDOM'S NEVER FREE" 25"X 20"

Today's blog is to show what we accomplished with basic fabrics (we means, the participants in the challenge). Using fabrics which were not fancy and had no pzazz on their own. If they were on a table you wouldn't walk by and have to fondle them. They wouldn't jump out with their beautiful designs begging to be touched. They are solids. They are supporting actors, not what you would call major players. These fabrics in the hands of four quilters became show offs, literally shouting, "Look, I'm important, aren't I beautiful!"

The colors spoke to us in a patriotic vein. We have sons, daughters and relatives in the Armed Services. This showed in how we decided to interpret the fabrics. Remember, Toby never said we had to use some of each fabric. We could have made a quilt with only white and another color in the collection. The only rule was to use the fabrics in the collection.

"MADE IN AMERICA" 18" X 18"

"MADE IN AMERICA" This wall hanging is the epitome of the phrase. She not only made the wall hanging but it is made with American produced fabric.

Close-up showing her Red Work skills.

HARVEST TABLE RUNNER 60" X 24" (Wonderful for celebrating the 4th of July)

I recommend you challenge yourself to a project you think you will have no interest in. You'll never know what journey it will lead you on. What great adventure you might have going into uncharted territories. That said, I signed up for another Challenge at guild today. It may be a step into "never never land", the lure of a fantasy trip in my future.

I participated in an on-line Challenge in a yahoo group I belong to. It was a lot of fun and let free some of my inner child. This is the link to that blog:

http://gloriouscreations.blogspot.com/2011/06/scraps-become-utilitarian.html

I will be posting a blog about my inspiration for the "Liberty Fabrics" and how I constructed it. It will contain information about what I learned and what I wish I knew.

Thank you Toby for presenting us the opportunity to get to know these fabrics.

Visit Toby Lischko's on line shop. She has great patterns of her own design.

http://gatewayquiltsnstuff.com/

Toby's blog: She has on-line giveaways of great fabrics.

http://www.gatewayquiltsnstuff.blogspot.com/

more blogs by me:

http://glosgarden.blogspot.com/

Where I have stories of my cats and other pets

a blog about my courtship with my husband,

and a blog about my most embarrassing moment.

A "Soap box" blog where I do air my opinions.

http://organicinstlouis.blogspot.com/

blogs about the wildflowers on our farm

Organic methods we use, some cooking and some poetry,

blogs about Seed sprouting, insects, and garden pictures

Blog about an endangered beneficial beetle

http://pitbulladog.blogspot.com/

Chronicling our adventures with a dumped Pit Bull Pup,

who has become a hidden treasure.

All recipes, pictures, and writings are my own.

I give credit for items which belong to other people in my blogs .

Please do not copy without permission

Tuesday, January 13, 2015

A FROGGING QUESTION, THE QUILTING METHOD

RESULTS OF HINTS RECEIVED IN RED AT BOTTOM OF BLOG
Edit addition in blue

Merrily we quilt along,

Chain piecing as we go,

Sixteen pairs finished,

A froggin' I'll now go.

Wrong edges joined together,

Luckily, stitches were not tight,

But when I went to frog them,

Thread remains, were a sight.

Is there a way to extract them,

Faster than tweezers in my hand,

Any way but this,

Would seem really grand.

For this info you'll impart,

Eternally grateful I will be,

This project's grown interminable,

With the addition of the froggin' I see.

I've never had to Rip out an extensive amount of stitching so the use of seam ripper and tweezers was not a tedious job. This morning I was joining 16 pairs and when I finished I went to press them open and discovered I had joined the wrong edge to the right edge.

I separated the stitches and went back to pull the seam apart and found I had tons of little threads embedded in all the old seams. Is there a quick fix to this dilemma?

An answer from an internet friend in cold Vermont: An old clean tooth brush. A friend who does alterations told me this.

From Nevada Joyce (an internet friend I've personally met): Try some clear packing tape.

Joanne (an internet friend I've personally met): "Seam Fix Seam Ripper", For years she had a quilt store in Montana, she is a very quilt knowledgeable person. She highly recommends this product.

Another internet person, I've personally met (Sharen From Florida) first told me of the product, but didn't have a name for it. I Google'd and found several very good descriptions but can't post the links because I didn't want to play favorites of one business over the other.

Lynn in Missouri (yes I know her personally) didn't meet her on the net. She's a Guild member: She says a Credit card and eraser works too.

I didn't go out and purchase a "Seam Fix Ripper" But I did try all the other methods. I found you literally need a tri-fecta of the methods. For best results this is what I did:

Went over the seams with tape/slash lint roller to pick up extraneous loose threads. Then I tried lightly rubbing some remaining threads loose with the credit card and the eraser.

Went over the seams again with tape to pick up the jarred loose threads.

Then took the tooth brush and back to the tape.

The most stubborn required the tweezers. In any case I needed the tape to follow up as a final step to clean up the threads.

Looks like the only way around frogging is to be a perfect seamstress (Not me). The seam fix ripper might be the new wonder tool for the sewing basket.

The seam ripper which is a necessary help, has another use which doesn't require ripping of any kind. When basting my RED WHITE AND BLUE CHALLENGE I found it is perfect for placing in front of the needle to help it pop back up through the top (a grapefruit spoon works too). I forgot to take a picture to show the seam ripper functioning in a different capacity.