Over the Kitchen Counter: Angie's Place for Cooking and Crafts

WALK by Jacquie Gering

I was excited to see WALK: Master Machine Quilting with Your Walking Foot, a book by Craftsy instructor Jacquie Gering, recently released. Even though I have all three of Jacquie's CRAFTSY CLASSES, I love to have a printed, beautiful book in my hands as well. The topic of walking foot quilting beyond stitching in the ditch is well covered in this awesome publication. It starts with the basics, a primer 101 chapter explaining how the specialty foot works, how to use it properly, and there are some easy exercises so you can become familiar with your particular machine's model and its markings. I'm going to be using my Janome 1600P and I've actually never used the walking foot with it before so it was good to review. There are great tips on preparing your quilt top and setting up your work space for maximum efficiency and comfort. Then it's on to the fun stuff!

There are chapters on lines, gentle curves, marked curves, decorative stitches, reverse, and turning designs. Finally a gallery of gorgeous examples of what stitching with a walking foot can achieve. This all came at a perfect point for me since I had already decided on a couple of these quilting methods for my latest quilts. Even though I had them in mind and have watched my Craftsy classes again, there were a few details that I needed to study and practice before I could begin. The book allowed me to refresh my knowledge of the walking foot particulars and gave me some great tips for the designs I wanted to stitch. Of course, that meant practice sandwiches and they proved to be extremely worthwhile. I have now eliminated some of the choices and made a final decision as to what path I'm going to take. In quilting, figuring out what you desire is (for me) 99% of the challenge of the 'quilt as desired' part of the process!

I spent the day testing yesterday and here are some of my swatches. Keep in mind that I stitched over previous designs to maximize my small quilt sandwich and I definitely won't be using blue thread on my white quilt. I will, however, be using that lime green thread on the blue quilt but it won't be nearly as stark a contrast. The practice stitching is also not a task requiring tidy starts and stops or precision marking so ignore the messy appearance!

Test Drive to determine width btwn needle & edge, puckering problems, pivoting

 

Radiating Lines

 

Gentle Curves & Ribbon Curves

I decided to quilt Opposite Corner Radiating Lines on my Circle quilt because I liked the way they looked galaxy-ish. I needed to make sure though so I took plunge #1 and quilted it on my rough mock-up of the planet quilt. Everyone seemed to like it so that's what I'm going to do. I imagine it will be much more difficult on a large quilt but hey, it's only fabric and if I mess up it's not the end of the universe! (Get it?)

 

Pattern Free Quiltmaking

*** I'VE BEEN MADE AWARE THAT THE LINK TO JOE'S CLASS IS BROKEN. I APOLOGIZE AND AM IN THE PROCESS OF FIXING IT. THANKS!***

I love that you own purchased Craftsy classes forever. Obviously, so you can refer back to them, but also because sometimes you register for a course and discover the timing isn't quite right to work on a class project. PATTERN FREE QUILTMAKING with Joe Cunningham was released a couple years ago and I was so intrigued I signed up right away. It was great to watch the lessons but I never got around to delving deeper into the idea of improv quilting or pattern free design. I took other classes, made many quilts, and really improved my piecing skills and knowledge. Now that I'm a confident quilt MAKER I feel ready to be a confident quilt CREATOR. The Down the Fox Hole improv quilt I shared a couple days ago is my first attempt at designing my own pattern free project and I think I'm smitten with the improvisational process. What did I do next? Buy books, of course, (but more on that in a later post) and check my Craftsy classroom for relevant instructional lessons. Enter Joe the Quilter.

Joe is the perfect teacher for this topic. He's a free-spirited, wacky kind of guy (and I mean that in the most complimentary way) and his style of presentation reflects that. He shares four 'techniques' for beginning the pattern free process but they provide a very loose guideline where any and all desired changes can be made along the way. Basically, he is tricking us into starting. His outlines for making the different types of quilts are jumping off points meant to awaken the improv bug in us. The construction is relaxed and the actual finished projects are unknown at the start of the exercise. I love that this class gives me a way to begin and fresh ideas to expand upon.

Of course, there is no right or wrong when it comes to creating one's own quilt and Joe's Lesson 6, Managing Your Crazy, is a great reminder that you can take what you've learned from a traditional quilting history and make it modern. That means not just figuratively, but also physically taking a previous, perhaps dated, quilt top and reconfiguring it to become something completely modern and different. There is even an exercise Lesson called The Wheel of Pattern where you follow 3 or more 'suggestions' to create an improv quilt step by step. For instance "add two triangles" or "insert a strip" are the ideas to follow and you do those things with the fabrics and units you have. It's a really fun idea and makes the process random yet structured, especially helpful if you have a rule-following personality like I do!

I really like Joe and I've followed up on his website to learn more about him. Some students asked about finishing the edges of the quilts and Joe uses a 'facing' instead of a traditional binding. I wanted to give it a try since I'm out of fabric for my Fox Hole quilt and will still need to finish the edges. My scrap of thread play fabric was the perfect way to experiment with the technique and now it is finished (and saved from the scrap bucket). I didn't fuss too much with it and I just glued down the back instead of hand-stitching, but I certainly got a feel for how the procedure would work and how it might look. It's an invisible finish that lends to the infinity of the quilt top but I'm still not sure if that's how I'll proceed on the actual quilt. Here's the video Joe put together to explain how to use a facing to finish a quilt. Don't forget to check out his CRAFTSY CLASS if you'd like to get started with improvisational, PATTERN FREE, quiltmaking.

Wonky Log Cabins & Improv

I knew my next quilting project had to be something that would work with my vintage machines. They haven't been sewn on in about a year so this was something I wanted to correct. While I get a gorgeous stitch on any of the old gals I find it difficult to get a precise 1/4" seam allowance. I can get really close using the guides on the needle plate or an after-market 1/4" foot, but not the kind of perfect 1/4" that is necessary for a really fussy patchwork piece.

What better way to make use of an antique machine than to create a modern quilt piece. After making several detailed quilts in a row, requiring accurate cutting, measuring, sewing, and following a pattern in detail, a free-form, spontaneous improv quilt seemed like a nice change. Of course, I still did my research! Letting go of rule following is really tough for me so I needed to make sure I had guidelines to at least structure my thoughts and loosely plan my course of action.

I started with the two things forming the backbone of my quilting knowledge: books and Craftsy. Create Your Own Freeform Quilts by Rayna Gillman, has been on my shelf for a few years now but I've never done more than flip through it. After reading her easy process for stitching strips of fabric together in mindless meditation and then cutting them up again and again, I was inspired to use up old stash and abandoned quilt blocks. There are no unfinished quilt tops in my cupboard but several experimental test pieces are definitely waiting to find a forever home in some form or another. Next, I turned to the INSPIRED MODERN QUILTS Craftsy class in my library, with instructor Elizabeth Hartman at the helm. I've done several lap quilts from the class and love her modern and tidy style. While Elizabeth is known for her organized piecing of many units of patchwork and currently has gorgeous woodland animal patterns in her on-line shop Oh Fransson!, she does offer several Lessons on Modern Crosses, Improv Pods, and Wonky Log Cabins. The latter was just what I was looking for and my starting point for my project.

I am also a member of QNN.tv and a fan of Quilt Monkey. On it, co-host Nick shares his Liberated Log Cabin blocks so by combining what I've learned from all 3 sources, I was ready to dive in. I chose to base my quilt on a curated tote of fat quarters and yardage. That will give me plenty of fabric to form a core of blocks and background and then I can raid my stash for an extra pop of colour and print with some favourites I haven't used as of yet. My 1957 Featherweight was the first vintage machine to get a crack at the improvisation and even though she is 60 years old and hasn't been sewing in over a year, she purred like a Featherweight should right out of the cabinet. I have never made any project on this particular machine so I was excited to put it through the paces and see how she behaved after her initial test drive.

I think things are going well and these are the blocks I have completed so far. Of course, 'completed' is 100% up to my whim and I may end up adding more or leaving some out when it comes time to put the whole quilt together. I like what I see on the design wall already and have a few ideas of what direction I might go - while still keeping an open mind about the process. According to Nick at Quilt Monkey, we aren't supposed to overthink things as we go, and as I said, that proves easier said than done for me personally! I'll keep going, zipping strips under the needle and see what fun results I end up with. I'm enjoying the process and it's very addictive not having to worry about cutting accurate sizes and achieving that perfect seam width. I don't need to know what piece goes where or which print matches; so much fun it's hard to stop!

Curved Play Quilt Top Done!

I am SO glad I didn't give up on this project. It was super fun to do and I am very pleased with the results. Now just to decide how to quilt it! Strip Your Stash is an awesome Craftsy class and I just love how creative and relaxed the process is. I can't wait to do more with my stash and scraps!!!!

Circle Play Quilt

I am having so much fun with the Circle Play quilt from the STRIP YOUR STASH Craftsy class. As I wrote in this post, I had made the Batik stripped fabric way back in August but only got around to using it now. I don't know why I waited so long because the curved piecing wasn't too scary at all! 

The quilt is coming together nicely and I'm about half-way done joining the blocks. The circles went really quickly after I did a few test blocks (to make sure I could stitch them without going crazy) and started chain piecing. There is not even that much pinning to do: one in the middle, one on each end. It took a while to set the blocks since I always take care to balance the tones, prints, and visual weight of the fabrics and these quadrants of colours proved challenging; I must've shuffled them 20 times and taken black and white photos of each variation.

I think I will use some of the leftover fabric to make the border, even though there will be even more seams to keep from flipping. This has been a great project to work on and I feel good following through with my original plan. After Circle Play is quilted and finished, and Piece of Cake 2 is assembled and quilted...my UFO pile will be gone!

Make Even More from Your Pressure Cooker

I frequently check out the NEWEST CRAFTSY CLASSES and they always seem to be on the 'cutting edge' of what's current. Not only that, I feel like they have a window into my life because Craftsy never fails to mirror exactly what I'm currently focusing on! (Maybe that means I'M on the cutting edge too!!). Once again, I was delighted to discover the Make Even More from Your Pressure Cooker class. Bruce Weinstein & Mark Scarbrough share pasta, seafood, grain, breakfast, and dessert ideas in this fun and recipe-filled series of lessons aimed at getting plenty of use from your pressure cooker.

I hadn't realized that this is the second class from this pair of chefs so I must have missed the first offering, Make the Most of Your Pressure Cooker. Both classes are currently ON SALE! I really like that the guys demonstrate on both a stovetop cookers and electric models, including my Instant Pot. I love when instructors are using the tools or machines that I'm using - it makes it super easy to follow along.

I was anxious to try out several of the recipes right away and just had to start with the good ole' mac and cheese. Their version is made with 4 different cheeses and is out of this world delish. It's more like my traditional mac and cheese compared with the 'quick and easy' one I shared in THIS POST and you can even add a yummy cheese and breadcrumb topping and quickly broil it in the oven (it just requires transferring the pasta to an oven-safe dish).

I have already gone out and bought all the ingredients to make a steamed Christmas pudding. I have ALWAYS wanted to make one but was totally intimidated with the steaming part. In a pressure cooker, it will be a breeze...and FAST! The recipe from the class is so easy too, made with simple dried fruits and a quick batter. I will definitely let you know how it goes!

My recent posts have hopefully conveyed my love for the Instant Pot and I hope if you have one you are using it too! This class is a great addition to Craftsy. If you're new to pressure cooking, check out Make the Most of Your Pressure Cooker and if you're ready to move on, Make Even More from Your Pressure Cooker could be just what you're looking for.

Quilter's Daily Buzz & More!

Craftsy has a cool idea for the next 4 weeks: Quilter's Daily Buzz. In it, they offer savings on classes and supplies, plus a quick video tip from the Craftsy quilting pros. I love this!!!! Not only do you get access to a fun deal, you get a neat treat in the form of a video. I'm a Craftsy geek so this is right up my alley!

You can access the Daily Buzz page with the link above and check it out EVERY SINGLE DAY!!!! for the next four weeks! Have fun! :)

Also, there are still two days left of the BUY ONE, GET ONE Class event. Just like it says, purchase one Craftsy class and get another Craftsy class of equal or lesser value for free!*

(*Excludes classes from Mastering in Minutes series and classes from Craftsy partner, The Great Courses. Limit one per user. Cannot be combined with any other offers. Expires January 15, 2017.)

Finally, the new BLOCK OF THE MONTH has been released for 2017!

Now Live! Celebrate “tradition with a twist”! Craftsy's newest Block of the Month features a spectacular Blazing Star pattern, Boundless fabric and online lessons with designer Nancy McNally.

The BOM is what started it all for me quilting wise so I'm a huge fan. Sometimes I don't end up making the whole quilt but there's always something to learn. This year's quilt is stunning, by the way! Check it out!

My family album scrapbooking is now officially all up to date and that means I can jump right back into sewing. I always find inspiration from Angela Walters and all the other amazing instructors at Craftsy. I have some dedicated workshop time carved out with my sewing machines and I can't wait to get started!

Black Friday at CRAFTSY!

This BLACK FRIDAY SALE ON CLASSES AND SUPPLIES lasts all weekend!

$17.99 USD or less on all Craftsy classes and

• Up to 70% off Quilting and Sewing project kits & supplies
• Up to 60% off Knitting and Crochet project kits & supplies
• Up to 50% off Cake Decorating supplies

Now is the time to start holiday shopping for gifts or yourself!

I am loving Helen Godden's new class Escape the Ditch: Empower Your Quilting. I've been watching Helen for a long time on YouTube and have always loved her funny Australian humour. She is relaxed about the process and so encouraging. This class is the perfect one to expand your quilting creativity and gently teaches you to think outside your feed-dog driven stitches. There are so many great techniques shared and lots of tips on achieving great stitches, maintaining the machine, and finding inspiration. As I mentioned, Helen uses the HandiQuilter Sweet 16 to demonstrate (great for me because I have one and love to see it in action) but of course, all the information translates to a domestic machine as well. This is yet another fun class with an amazing instructor!

Have fun shopping and learning!!

 

Meeting Goals & Escaping the Ditch

Hello! It has been a busy few weeks around here with 3 work events and a trip to Vegas. I am so pleased that I reached my goals before the social season hit and I was able to head into vacation feeling great! We had a wonderful time walking a zillion miles a day, seeing shows and eating at the restaurants we love. No trip to the southwest would be complete for us without visiting In n Out Burger and Johnny Rockets - both offering burgers, fries, and shakes yet different in their own ways. Very enjoyable! We also splurged on the gorgeous Vic & Anthony's in the Golden Nugget and relaxed at the Italian Trevi restaurant at the Forum Shops in Caesar's Palace. We were very disappointed with the change at the fried chicken place we'd found on a previous trip, now more of a loud club than a restaurant. The menu was different and we couldn't hear ourselves over the 'music' so we left. Overall, we ate well but burned off most of it taking the stairs and walking for miles. I came back as healthy as when I left except for a nasty head cold. Whether that came from socializing before or handrails in Vegas (despite good hygiene and sanitizing), it kind of sucks to be sick now with so much to do.

As far as entertainment, Celine Dion was the highlight of the trip and her concert was phenomenal. I'm not even a super fan but appreciate her talent. She did not disappoint! We were very lucky because she had cancelled the previous week's shows due to illness. We saw a broadway review show, Showstoppers, that was excellent, a female impersonator show that was...interesting (!), and on a spur of the moment fluke, were able to get tickets to see an evening of 'sit-down comedy' with Eric Idle and John Cleese of Monty Python fame. It was a sweet and funny couple of hours with two performers from my childhood and it brought back such fond memories of watching the Flying Circus with my parents.

Before I left on holiday I attended the sewing machine class I'd scheduled. As soon as I sat down and the instructor said we were going to learn to wind a bobbin, I was a little dismayed! We went through a few stitches and feet and how to clean the machine, made some samples to include in the binder of information, and discussed thread and needles. Overall, nothing new to me but for those who do not enjoy working through a manual, it was probably a good overview. Since I have a basic model one class was plenty and I don't have to go back (it's a bit of a drive and I don't enjoy moving my sewing machines!).

Speaking of machines, I saw a couple locations of a store in Vegas that has vintage sewing machines in their display windows. Like, many, many machines. Now I know where all those unwanted machines end up since I'm sure they have hundreds in their larger store. I had to stop and look at them, of course, but I never did get inside to see what the store sells!

I didn't completely forget about quilting while away, snapping this photo of the carpet at the buffet. I spent my time in line tracing the design in my mind and decided it would be an excellent free-motion quilting design! I am taking a new Craftsy class, Escape the Ditch: Empower Your Quilting, which uses the Sweet 16. I am so excited to learn some new sit-down techniques and I'll be sharing more about this class - and the amazing upcoming Black Friday sale - later this week! Please come back for all the crafty details!! I still have a couple UFOs to finish so this design - and Helen Godden's class, will be perfect.

Hey, Craftsy Classes are ON SALE!!!

Oh, I almost missed it! Craftsy classes are ON SALE right now and there are still a couple of days left to take advantage. They are offering 50% off most classes until September 5th... You can use the SALE BUTTON to the right of this post to go straight to the sale page.

The kids are almost all back to school now and while everyone else helped one of them move this weekend, I cleaned the house like crazy! It was a ton of work to get it back into shape after the summer but it feels so good now that it's done. I even got some of the windows cleaned!

I am now ready to get back to my crafting. My trip photos are spread out and I've got the first set of Pre-Designed pages finished. I'm on hold while I wait for another 2 packs of refills and some Designer paper to match. How did I think 800+ photos were going to fit into one set of pages????

Tomorrow I'm going to quilt a little on the Social Butterfly. I have almost finished half of it and once those last few rows are stitched I can rotate the quilt and work on the second half. I'm really looking forward to the hand binding for some reason and getting it done and gifted.