Psychopath and Narcissist Survivors Support Group

[NancyCT]

Shadey Lady, I'd love to hear about your quilting project. The project I had planned to work on tonight is a small (40" square) log cabin with autumn leaves, scrappy, in autumn colors, mostly batiks. I made two identical ones, one to give away and one to keep. I gave one to my friend out west when I went to visit. Mine is almost finished. I am machine quilting it, meandering swirls between the leaves to give the impression of wind, and a structured pattern over the log cabin blocks.

I like to say that I am in my "log cabin phase" because they are so quick and easy, so much fun, and so much can be done with the pattern. Also great for scrappy, and I am scrap-happy.

Here's a picture of the one I gave away:



I'm also working on a king-size bed quilt, scrappy batiks. It's basted and ready to quilt. Don't know if I can actually maneuver it in my very basic machine. What was I thinking?

Also finishing up a wall-size bargello in pinks and greens, still needs borders, and another bed quilt from a quilting retreat I attended last year, still in pieces.

I also started a mystery quilt, but it's no mystery anymore. I was too slow, and now have the full instructions with graphics of the finished quilt. I'm doing it in orange/purple/green batiks.

What are you working on? Do you do machine work or by hand? I know some people are purists, but I love machine quilting. I love the process. It's like doodling, and the results are instantaneous. Also sturdier than handwork. I can wash and dry my quilts without any problem, so long as the fabric is of good quality and colorfast. I am a stickler for 100% cotton, though. In both fabric and batting. I favor polyester thread, because I've seen old cotton thread become brittle with age. I wouldn't want the quilt to fall apart just in time for it to become an heirloom.

[Shadey Lady]

Nancy

Wow. I like your color combinations for your pictured quilt. Very nice.

I am (actively) working on a "nickel quilt". It is made with mostly 5" squares, which are used whole, or pieced together to make half square triangles or hourglass shapes. The pattern is from a book " More Nickel Quilts" by Pat Speth and is named Mystery Flower Garden.

I have an entire store of fabrics as my stash I have told myself I can't buy any more fabric, although I can buy patterns to use up my stash. I don't follow my own rules, so occasionally some fat quarters find their way into the house...LOL I will need to make a million quilts to use everything up.

I have several tops that need to be quilted. I made a Texas star quilt using blues, purples and periwinkles, that I really want to hand quilt. I have two quilts that are pinned and ready to quilt- one is with the Provence colors of blue and yellow and the other is a scrappy quilt. I just need to find the time. Normally I machine quilt. I use a cotton thread with a polyester core and I too like a cotton batting- "Warm and Natural" is my favorite. I have taken some quilts to the fair to be judged. It is interesting to hear the judges comments. I agree that machine quilting allows for some espression- large swirls with larger stitches to indicate wind or movement, and smaller more precise stitches for more meticulous outlining. The judges here tend to like very even stitches in geometric shapes, so I have to decide which quilts to take.

The most fun I had doing a quilt was when I made one for my daughter. It had pieced flowers on it. I outlined her hands in the corners and then quilted around them. It was just inspiration at the time, but now I can see how little she was at one time. Then I free hand quilted little flying garden critters- butterflies, dragonflies, bees and made their "flight path" part of the all over quilting.

The worst problem I had was with "The Quilt From Hell" which I named, signed and dated on the back of the quilt. It really is pretty- Christmas stars with fussy cut centers and colors of deep Christmas red and green. I had made a table runner for a lady and I liked the way it turned out. I decided to make a quilt for myself using the same fabrics and pattern. I had been using scraps and ran out of one color part way through the quilt. I tried in vain to find the same fabric, and when I couldn't find it, I put the quilt away for a while. I had always made aprons for my Grandmother for Christmas and when she passed away, my aunt sent me back the aprons. Lo and behold, there was the fabric I was looking for in an apron I had made. I got back to work and made more squares. I put the quilt together- at first it was going to be a wall hanging. When I put the squares and sashes together, it was too busy. So I took it all apart and offset plain white fabric with the squares and put it back together as a large lap quilt. As I was ironing it, my iron fell over onto a plastic clothes basket, and melted the plastic onto my iron. I didn't realize that, and when I ironed the quilt top- right side up- I smeared melted plastic over the quilt top. Sigh. ( actually I said enough swear words to make a sailor blush) I took the quilt apart, removed and replaced any damaged pieces and sewed it together. Again. I was scared to death to start quilting, but the rest of the quilt went together rather uneventfully. However, it still deserved the name " The quilt from hell".

I made a Log Cabin flannel quilt. I found some fabric with colonial houses on it, and fussy cut them for the centers of the log cabins. The center squares were 5 or 6 inches big, so it wasn't a traditional log cabin. Then I used all kinds of flannels for the rest of the rails. I like flannel, but it is harder to work with because it stretches. Also, by the time I used a flannel backing, it is one heavy warm quilt.

I will try to see if my daughter can help me do pictures on this site. It is something I haven't mastered yet. It is fun to share.

I have been fighting the flu- ache all over, headache and fever, so my plans for sewing have been on hold for a few days. I really had planned to sew a lot for a few days. So much for plans... besides, I don't want my head to explode all over my fabric, which is what it feels like.

Later, (cough, cough) Shadey Lady

[NancyCT]

In contrast, I try to keep my stash to a minimum. I have so many fabrics that I know I'll never use, I'm happy to give it away to someone who might use it. I like to design the quilt, then buy the fabric for the project. I have some terrific patterns to help use up the random scraps. One is called Mile-a-minute. I've made two whole bed quilts totally out of leftover scraps. I also have an entire shop of fabrics - the quilt shop down the road - and it's better stored there till I need it than stored here.

Instead, I've been buying books. Fat quarter quilts. Machine quilting designs. Paper-pieced vegetables. Can't have too many books.

I've been using Quilters Dream batting, and like it very much. There are several choices of thickness and widths, and wool and polyester to choose from too.

I've never entered a quilt in a contest. I'd hate to have someone looking for the mistakes. I prefer to show my quilts to non-quilters who are awed by my handiwork, rather than someone who will recognize my clipped points and uneven stitches.

I loved your quilt from hell story! Who hasn't had one of those? Although I don't think I've ever actually spread melted plastic over one of mine. LOL!

Your daughter's quilt sounds delightful. I've often said that the nicest thing about making a quilt for someone else is that you think of them with every stitch. I would be less able to tell you what my quilt looked like than to tell you who I made it for and why, also what music I was listening to while I worked on it. Each quilt tends to have a theme song.

Sorry to hear you're not feeling good. Hopefully, you'll win the battle against the virus.

Happy quilting
Nancy