Carpenter's Star for Lori's Mom

Lots of Lessons Learned on this Carpenter's Star.
This quilt is for Lori P's mother. Lori wanted a custom job with a light touch. She wanted to see the design I was planning to do. She wanted to see what I planned to put in each segment. I always plan my custom quilts. I carefully look at the size and scale of the quilt and figure out what design/pattern looks good on it. I draw a rough road map (quilt map) so I know which techniques I will be using. I find that when I have to walk away from a quilt before finishing it, I don't remember the details that I have already quilted. Since the quilt is already rolled, I would have to unroll it to see how many lines I used or what direction the swirl went or what areas I used SID, etc. The quilt map helps me. This design phase can be time consuming. I learned the hard way that you don't try to do a custom quilt on the fly. It comes out disjointed and unprofessional looking.

Most of my customers just give me the quilt and let me decide what to quilt on it. The only information I need is:
-- who will be getting the quilt (age, sex, lifestyle)
-- rough idea of the feeling they want to convey.

Lori wanted to have a more active roll in this phase and she wanted to approve the design elements before I started thee quilt. That meant that I had to produce a clear (not draft-quality) quilt map and segments, scan them into a file, upload the file to the internet and draft a blog post with the scan shots of the pattern so Lori could make her decision. It was like writing a bid proposal. This step took me an additional 3 hours. I will remember that next time. I didn't find out that she wanted to approve the design until after I quoted a price to her. I need to factor that "post time" into my price.

Who will be using the quilt
Knowing who will be using the quilt helps me decide the treatment, thread, and batting. A dorm quilt is not a crib quilt. It is like the difference between a kids dragger quilt that will be used and washed frequently and a quilt that a senior citizen will be using to chase away the chill. Though you want both of them to last, one will be used hard and the other will be handled gently.

So many threads, so little time
The thread content and texture is almost as important as the color. You wouldn't put glittery thread in a kids quilt. Flashy fabric like Fairy Frost seems to go flat when you use a pure cotton thread with it; it needs some sheen just so the quilting does not distract from the fabrics used. I typically puddle several threads on top of the fabric to audition them. Then I start to eliminate the ones that "just won't work", followed by the "right color/wrong shade" threads. Then I make my choice from the remaining threads. Some colors seem to give me more trouble that others. Brown is the hardest for me. I have a tendency to go to the dark side for brown. I have to get help from the local quilt shop to get pulled back into the light. LOL.

Not all battings are created equal
It is also necessary to consider the batting to be used. I like to put cotton in a crib quilt. It isn't as warm but it is predictable. The poly batting gets a bit warmer but has a nice puff. Quilter's Dream makes a fire-retardant batting called Dream Angel. It is a very light poly. QD's poly deluxe is a very dense batting that holds it's shape. A quilt with QD deluxe poly would be good choice for a dorm quilt for a student in a cold climate; It is a bit heavier and of course, durable. But if the student is going to college in Florida, the quilt would be too warm. Warm and Natural Poly is a good choice for most quilts. It gives good definition and is not heavy. Quilter's Dream Puff which is so light and fluffy and is 1.5 times warmer than down according to the package. You can stitch up to 10" apart on this batting. It is as light as a feather.

The Carpenter Star is a very recognizable pattern, two nested segmented stars with background squares, setting triangles and corner units. Lori put 5 different borders in this quilt with a big 8 inch border of the rust color fabric with the gold and rust hearts. The stars were made of 8 different fabrics, from greens to rust and each star piece was the same fabric. Some Carpenter Stars put 2 different fabrics in each star piece. Makes it more scrappy. Lori chose hers to be more formal. The backing is the same rust fabric used in the large border on the front.

Once I figured out the batting and the thread, I started working on the design. I liked the look and feel of Sally Terry's Fleur De Vine pattern pack. The patterns consist of leaves, flowers and hearts. The stitching is light and airy. I thought it was perfect for the quilt. Since it was to be custom, I knew that both stars had to be stitched in the ditch (SID) on the outside so the star pattern would be the focus. The patterns in Fleur De Vine lent themselves well to placement in each segment with a minimum of resizing.

I used Isacord Thread for the first time. It was the perfect shade of rust(#1312 Burnt Orange). I also used a PolyTex Natural #747 in the background segments. I used Superior So Fine Ginger #426 which is a rust color in the bobbin. The tension was no problem, thank goodness.

I am so pleased with how the borders came out. I tried a couple of new techniques. The first border is a 3-inch scrappy border which I quilted with dancing leaves using the Isacord thread. Border #2 is a 1-inch Fairy Frost; I left this unquilted. It is essentially a "stopper".
The third border is 2 inches and is same as the background fabric. I used a stencil with scrollwork in it and the natural thread. The large 8" border is the focus fabric. There are 8" hearts (with leaves) on each corner and also in the center of this border. These are hard to see because the flash on my camera bounces off the metallic gold in the fabric print. I put in a big long "S" between each Heart shape and then used my Circle Lord to put in diagonal stripes in the border leaving the big "S" puffed up. The 5th border is the background fabric and I used a dart stencil in this one. The stars are the primary pattern and the secondary pattern is a an on-point square made by the straight lines. She plans to use the rust fabric for the binding.

Turn-around Time:
In: 20 March
Out: 10 April

Carleen's Quilt for Dad

Carleen made this quilt for her father, a firefighter, who will be retiring April 2, 2007 after 32 years of service. Carleen used some beautiful photos to show his life as a father, friend and firefighter. She used Robert Kaufman's Firemen Badges in both the red and black colorway.

I did lots of SID and straight lines to hold the photos down without quilting on them. Perfectborders.com had the images that I needed for the borders and blocks. I quilted firetrucks on either side of the large center photo put fire hydrants in the sashing.

The Circle Lord was used to make circular spirals (from the Starz template) in the corner stones, square spirals in the corners of the first border and squares in the sashing to outline the fire hydrants.

I used Signature black thread on top, APQS black prewound bobbins and Signature Scarlet thread to further outline the fire trucks. I really wanted the fire trucks to pop.

Ricky Tims is coming.....

(Photos of Pink Flower Prelude by Ricky Tims; California Celebration by Alex Anderson; Ribbon quilt by Libby Lehman)
Ricky Tims is coming! The announcement came months ago and hit our small local quilt shop like a wild fire. The seminar was to be 3 days long and Alex Anderson and Libby Lehman were going to be speakers, too. And they are going to hold the event at the California Center for the Arts in Escondido, only about 20 miles from our little town.

My thoughts about the seminar:I would have to take vacation time; the price seemed high to me to being with; driving down to Escondido would be a pain. But I got caught up in the frenzy. I could learn a lot from this trio of quilting professionals. When I broke the price down, it compared favorbly with any quilt classes I have taken. The venue was easy to get to, free parking and the folks at the center are so friendly and accomodating. Even after I paid for it, months in advance, I had mixed feelings. As the time drew closer, I began to doubt that I would get anything out of it. I am NOT an artsy quilter. What was I thinking?? Once I agreed to commute with a friend, I couldn’t get out of it. OK, let’s go.

The Setup:
A quilt class… well, really it’s a seminar…. No, it’s a Super Seminar. Whatever it’s called, sitting in a theatre, with 474 other quilters, did not strike me as being a learning experience. The speakers were on the stage, sewing machine (Bernina, of course since they were a sponsor), video camera, computer, and a huge screen at the ready. Registration was well-organized and a snap. The credit for that goes to the Canyon Quilters Guild of San Diego (http://www.canyonquilters.com/homepage.htm) who organized this event.

Rules and books:
The seminar had about a dozen separate topics presented by Ricky (7), Alex (2), and Libby (2). The spiral bound notebook with lots of photos covered e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g thing in the seminar. Timing was strict. Ricky believes in starting and stopping on time. If you show up late, you will miss something. No pictures during the seminar as it is distracting to everybody. And turn off your cell phones. He actually stops speaking if a phone accidentally goes off and waits while everybody turns and looks at the culprit. That is a rule I can live with. He even asked that we not use perfume for the next two days since it might bother your neighbor. It was like he asked me what I thought the rules should be. Thanks, Ricky. There was a gallery and a seminar store but those were closed while the seminar was going on. He wanted the focus to be the training.

The star of the show is Ricky Tims, the cowboy quilter, starts his show with a big “WooHoo”. Lots of energy and enthusiasm. It was contagious. Alex Anderson, a hand-quilter originally, is more about traditional quilting. One of her sessions covered how much of what fabric to buy. Backgrounds, strips, novelty, light, medium, dark, etc. Her method was an eye opener for me. She introduced me to the phenomenon of the bridge fabric. What a concept.

Libby Lehman was a surprise for me. The only thing that I knew about her was that Superior had some thread with her name on it. Libby is a thread artist, a humorist and a computer geek all rolled into one. Her quilts have a foundation of traditional quilt piecing. Then she dresses these quilts up with her thread play. They are stunners. She is a great speaker with a quirky sense of humor. She showed us how to work the magic. I bought her book, Threadplay.



Ricky taught us about caveman quilting which is like the flower piece named Chantelle.(Show and Tell)
Chantelle










He showed us how to make a convergence quilt of our very own. You really have to tear into it.

Convergence



One of my favorites is Nude Shoe Resting. If I remember correctly, it is supposed to be a take-off on the Renoir painting Nude Bather Resting. I love the background colors in the bath tiles and the cute little dachshund curled up on the bathmat. This is such a fun piece.
Nude Shoe Resting








And of course, his Bohemian Rhapsody quilt is so vibrant. I wish that I could have seen this one up close and personal. It won Best of Show at Quilting on the Waterfront in Duluth. There is over 10,000 yards of red silk thread in this quilt.

Bohemian Rhapsody











My favorite? It is the mono-chromatic quilt named Long Way Home. The quilting is done in a spiral from an obscure pieced house on the left center. Look for the roof with a window under it. I just feel drawn into this quilt.


Long Way Home

All of us received our Doctorate of Threadology from Bob Purcell, the owner of Superior Thread. Both Bob and Mother Superior were there. He always gives an interesting and memorable presentation. I saw him for the first time at Innovations 2006. And of course, I love his thread.

One of the sponsors is Bernina Sewing Machines. San Diego's Sew Hut is the premier Bernina dealer. Harriet and her daughter, Ingrid and all their crew were on hand for the seminar. They brought lots of machines to try out. I think all but one were sold during the seminar. My friend, Christi bought the Bernina 640E. It does everything, piecing, embroidery and quilting with the new BSR (stitch regulator) invented by a local Ramona man. Christi loves her new machine. It was autographed by Ricky, Alex and Libby. Hmmm, a collector's item.
Harriet,Christi and the new baby