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

Just in Time for Valentine's Day

Vintage is quilted! Just in time for Valentine's Day, this red and white "Kiss" quilt (I see the letter x and therefore a kiss, as in x's and o's) is technically reversible. I added 3 extra blocks to the back of the quilt and now I realize either side could be 'the right side'. The Sweet 16 delivers such fabulous stitches, both on top and from the bobbin so the quilting looks just as great on the back as it does on the front. I'm really happy with how the quilting looks and FEELS. I've done a loop-de-loop on a pillow but I don't believe I've ever quilted a full-size quilt with this easy and fun all-over design. There are some lovely spots of puff where I quilted large circles and that makes for some super texture, especially once it's washed and dried.

I'm considering my finishing options and thinking about a black binding. I thought it would really frame the quilt and be a stunning compliment to the red and white. It's a little daring and I have to audition some fabric, but even hubby said it would be something different from what I usually do. I also pulled out my Happy Endings book by Mimi Dietrich and have pretty much talked myself into adding some flat piping between the quilt and the binding. When I added the large rickrack to the HASHTAG QUILT I loved the resulting look so I think just a hint of colour under that stark black binding would be really cool. Once again, I'll lay out some samples first but off the top of my head, I might try a pink strip that matches some of the prints in the quilt. So many fun things to try with quilting so I want to make sure I play when I have the opportunity!

Quilting Vintage & Finding Joy Again

Whaaaat? What's this big machine and bunch of fabric? It has been almost NINE MONTHS since I made the backing for the Vintage quilt and even longer since I started the whole project. Instead of piecing a new quilt I thought I'd better get this one off the UFO list. I've had the Vintage quilt staring at me in my workshop for so many months and even though it was already basted and ready to go, I just wasn't in the right frame of mind to quilt it. I have been watching videos recently, like THIS free-motion quilting one by Stephanie Palmer (of the Quilter's Planner). Stephanie uses a Sweet 16 in this series and just hearing the sound of it got me wanting to use mine. I was intimidated to begin and spent a day or two cleaning the studio, getting my Sweet 16 cleaned, oiled, and threaded and also did some practice stitching. Funny, it's like riding a bike and I was able to get right back in the groove.

I'm about 1/3 of the way done and it's going quickly because I chose to keep things fast and simple and do a loop-de-loop design. I debated creating some custom quilting on the blocks, perhaps outlining the 'Xs' and densely stippling the white background to make the Xs pop, but you know, in the end, my kids hate my quilts that are densely quilted. They tease me that they are like cardboard and those quilts don't get used. I have plenty of 'show off' pieces with lovely quilting but the ones that get pulled onto the couch are soft and cuddly. At this point in my creative sewing journey I feel I have proven myself to myself and I really just want to enjoy the process, have fun using the machines I love, and utilize the quilts I make.

I am down to 2 UFOs sitting on a vintage machine cabinet in my room, the beautiful strip piecing I did on my Featherweight way back in March and the Piece of Cake {2} quilt top from April (I have backing fabric ready but it's not been pieced). I will still have finishing to do on the Vintage and much to tackle with the other two projects, but I feel like I'm 'back' and motivated after my months-long break from sewing. Sometimes creativity needs rest to rejuvenate itself and the mind needs to be in the right space to free itself. It has been a year with sadness for me, reflection and change. I'm starting to emerge from the old 'normal' to this new phase of my life and finding joy once again in those activities I love. Once I get over that initial inertia and start anew, whether it be getting caught up with scrapbooking, experimenting with cooking, enjoying fitness, or stitching on a beloved sewing machine, I'm enveloped with passion and enthusiasm, excitement and drive to keep going! 

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.

Frivols Pillow & Zip It Up Class

I shared my Moda Frivols tin in THIS POST and here is the finished project. I wasn't happy with how the Album blocks were finishing up for the whole Kindred quilt so I turned the 4 I had finished into a pillow instead. I adore the hello darling fabric from Bonnie & Camille so I certainly wasn't about to waste the completed blocks. Now I have a sweet pillow for my bed and a bunch of extra fabric to use in a quilt somewhere.

Once the album blocks were joined and sashed I layered them with some batting and scrap backing. I quilted the pillow sandwich using my Sweet 16 and Aurifil thread. I just did a simple loop-de-loop all-over pattern; the curves of the free-motion quilting balance all those straight lines in the piecing design. It was absolutely blissful getting back on my Sweet; free motion quilting while some music is playing is probably the most relaxing thing I can do for myself. I love it!

The Aurifil thread looks amazing for the quilting and my machines just love it. While I was quilting away I had to stop and place an order for a few more spools to add to my display. I bought some purples and pinks, which were glaringly missing, an orange, and another black so I never run out! Mari Lyn at ByTowne Threads always answers so quickly and indulges me by sending out my order right away. I may not need those colours imminently but I'm happy knowing I will have them there should they be required and in the meantime, they'll look so beautiful added to my stand. I love that Aurifil works on all my babies - from the vintage old gals to my uber modern Sweet 16!

After the pillow was quilted I added the back panels (which I already had ready to go, thank goodness), and stitched around the perimeter. For good measure, I also serged the edges for a nice, clean finish. I added the 20" pillow form and voila! The pillow is done and on my bed. I wish I had remembered to round out the corners to avoid that pointy-corner look but it's ok, I'll do it next time.

That's one more UFO off my counter. I only have the quilt to sandwich and spray baste when the weather is warmer and the garage is cleaner. I have to set my tables out there with the doors open to spray the 505. I'll work on some more piecing until then and I want to start some cute bags using zippers from the incredible Craftsy class Zip It Up: Easy Techniques for Zippered Bags. Joan Hawley is an awesome instructor and she has great techniques for working with scary zippers. I already bought a bunch of 12" zippers in every colour (because I wasn't yet sure what fabric I'd be using) and some fusible fleece to stabilize the bags and give them some structure (which was lacking a bit in my Serger Exposed Zipper Bag). I can't wait to make Joan's version!

Here are some close-ups of the pretty fabric and my free-motion stitches...

Simple Table Runner

The top

The first project on my Featherweight is this table runner, the class project for Amy Gibson's Learn to Quilt Craftsy series. I had a lot of fun chain piecing the HSTs and joining the rows to make the runner. I also pieced the backing using strips of co-ordinating fabric.

Once I had a chance to get in my workshop and start quilting, it went very fast. I tried using the 221 for the quilting portion of the project but didn't have much luck. With my first attempt I ended up with micro stitches as the walking foot got bogged down in the layers. I had a piece of insulbrite in between my quilt sandwich so I figured that was the problem. I painstakingly picked out the tiny stitches and then removed the heat-resistant layer. Next try, still no luck! I'm not sure if I got a defective walking foot, the machine is not powerful enough, or it didn't like my poly batting. The batting is the good stuff from the Warm Company and isn't much thicker than cotton but I switched it out for my regular Warm & White and switched to my Sweet 16.

Sweet 16 Quilting

I love using the Sweet 16, it is so comfortable and fun! It took no time at all to finish the quilting although I did choose a basic meander to get it done. This is a table runner and is going to be washed and used a lot so I didn't want to get too fussy with the quilting or spend a lot of time on it.

I had the binding ready to go and finished up the runner by machine. I stitched it first on the back and then topstitched the binding down on the front with pretty good results. I have a bit of wave in the edge so I'm not sure if that is just the way I pieced it or the fact that the 221 machine has no 'needle down' or 1/4" foot with guide (either way, I guess it's operator error!).

Currently I'm working on a tote for my machine and have cut and quilted all the pieces of the pattern. I still have to assemble everything but my workshop gets ripped out a week from Monday and things are crazy around here. There is so much to do for the move so I doubt I will get it completed before then. It is going to take me a few trips to get my machines all settled at the new place and then they can come out to play next month! I am really having a lot of fun with these new old machines!

Marmalade line by Bonnie & Camille

Piecing on the old gal

The back

A Day Off...

Guess what I did today? I'm so excited - I sewed!!! DH was out of town, kids were working/busy, mother is doing much better, and NO home showings so I felt I could take the day "off". The first thing I wanted to do was sew. The buyers have scheduled their home inspection for the weekend so we are really close (knock wood) to finalizing all of this and even though I need to keep things tidy I threw caution to the wind and made up a little bear paw block before doing any chores.

This was one of the 'shop hop' kits I picked up last summer and never got around to making. It was the perfect little project for my two hours in the sewing room; the fabric was provided and the simple block was easy to piece. Of course, there were no cutting instructions so I managed to screw it up and had to patch together some background fabric to make up what I needed. I probably won't even do anything with these tiny blocks so it wasn't a big deal. I really just wanted to turn on my machine and stitch. It felt awesome and relaxing to go between the cutting mat, pressing board, and sewing machine. The block came together nicely and my seams matched well. I have three more kits to put together and hope I can steal a bit of time next week to do so. I might see if I can make a little quilt out of them when they're done.

Once that block was put together I plugged in my Sweet Sixteen and continued work on my graffiti practice sandwich. I switched to gold Magnifico thread and even though I think my stitches looked a little weird tension-wise, the overall effect was pretty cool. If one looked closely it would be evident that it's all a bit of a messy dog's breakfast but from a distance, the dense free-form design is rather interesting. It definitely needs to be taken as a whole...or as a whole experience in that it is so fun and freeing to just let the thread land where it may and enjoy the process.

It has been an extremely sad and difficult week as we learned of and shared the passing of two wonderful individuals who are unfairly gone far too early. Of course, such news is always devastating and difficult to process, making the big picture of life take front and centre. The stress of the last few weeks has definitely caught up with my and I am perpetually exhausted but very grateful for the health of my family, the slow recovery of my mom, and the blessings in my life. Please stay well....

First Graffiti Quilting

I started my first practice graffiti quilt. I used the only cone of OMNI thread I had, which happened to be a cream colour. It actually shows up very nicely on the black fabric but I wish I had more colours to experiment with.

Graffiti designs are meant to be spontaneous and Karlee Porter herself has no plan or prior sketch to follow. She lets the design flow freely from her mind and through the needle to allow for a densely stitched expression of creativity. This is a pretty big departure from traditional quilting and I must say, very relaxing and enjoyable. It is fun to let go and just relish the lack of parameters. I stitched away while watching the quilted area expand and radiate from the centre starting point. The only time I stopped was when my bobbin was empty - I had no problems at all with my lovely Sweet 16 and it felt awesome to really test her out with different shapes of stitching.

I am pleased with how the quilting came out and the more you quilt the fewer "mistakes" stand out. I didn't worry too much about stitch length and my tension looks good, especially since I matched the top and bottom thread. In order to achieve the thick lines I had to go over the lines of stitching many times. I wasn't sure how many to do but Karlee indicates in her QNNtv appearance that it can be 7 or 8 passes. I would definitely like to try a rainbow of colours in this technique but I am not going to buy any more thread before we move.

Speaking of which, we have accepted a conditional offer on our home and keeping our fingers crossed that the myriad of dates for conditions to be met, closings to finalize, and movers to be booked, all gel together. We are getting closer and I am trying to look forward to getting my new studio in order, my frame back in use, and my machines humming again. The whole family is so excited to start this new phase in our lives!

Sweet 16 Dust Cover - Part 3

To finish off my Sweet 16 dust cover I decided to make a name label and add it to the side panel. I named my machine Rosebud so I chose a pretty arc of roses from the built-in designs on my 350e embroidery machine. I used the on-screen editing feature to add the lettering under the arch and make sure it all looked the way I wanted it to before pressing start.

Choosing the thread colours was challenging since I only had a small picture of the design to go by. The machine lists Janome thread shades (which I don't have) so I wasn't sure whether 'meadow green', etc. was light or dark. There are 12 colour changes in the design and I wanted my roses to be shades of orange so I just did the best I could with what I have. Some of the shading is off and some colours are so close you can't even tell I changed threads, but overall I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out.

It took about 46 minutes to stitch out the whole design, which is very nerve wracking! You don't want any thread breakage or tangles at minute 38! I didn't run out of bobbin thread and the machine didn't stop for any errors so I was happy about that. It stitched out beautifully!

One thing that I wish I hadn't done was trim away the cut-away stabilizer from around the stitching. It shows through now on my background fabric and I can see the shadow of where I cut. I used a machine blanket stitch to attach the label and now my dust cover is complete.

I'd like to extend a big THANK YOU to Jasmine at Quilt Kisses for the tutorial, all the helpful emails, and her patience with me as I worked through the pattern. Please check out her wonderful blog and if you have a sit-down mid-arm that is getting dusty I highly recommend you make a cover for it using Jasmine's design. I am very satisfied with how mine turned out and I think it looks awesome.

Sweet 16 Dust Cover - Part 1

Ever since my Sweet was delivered I worried about not having it covered. If there had been a dust cover available for purchase from Handi Quilter I would have shelled out more money for it but for some reason they don't offer one. I don't like the idea of my machines, especially ones with electronics attached (like the control touch screen), being exposed to the dust, lint, and dog hair that float around my workshop. I have been throwing a sheet over the front end of it until I could figure out a better solution.

The ideal way to protect my investment would of course be a fitted, quilted, dust cover and thanks to the amazingly talented Jasmine at Quilt Kisses, there is one! Jasmine adapted a pattern for the HQ Avante to fit the Sweet 16 perfectly. She also generously made her tutorial available on her blog for all to use - such a kind gesture! I was a little intimidated to make my own cover but with Jasmine's detailed instructions and accompanying photographs, I was able to do it.

I'm not experienced at this kind of assembly sewing but I learned as I went (with several 'help!' emails back and forth with Jasmine!), with a few mis-steps, backtracks and unsewing along the way. The first thing I had to re-think was my initial fabric purchase. I picked a cute sewing themed print but discovered when I got home that a) it was directional (not a good choice), b) I hadn't bought enough yardage, and c) I promptly started to cut it up before realizing I needed to quilt it first! Fortunately, I had some fabric from the Canning Day line in my stash and even though it was not my preferred design, I had enough to make the cover.

The first step is to layer the fabric with batting and backing and quilt it. I thought I would use some poly batting to add some extra support and I had a small bag of Mountain Mist from a trip to Jo-Ann's a year or so ago. I've never used this type of batting before and I don't think I will buy it again. It was difficult to smooth out and I didn't like the coverage. I used 505 spray to baste the layers together and it really didn't hold well on the synthetic batting. I decided to stick with it anyway and use it up for this project which didn't require a soft and cozy batting.

This was the first bigger quilting project I've done on the Sweet 16. I quickly realized that the support tables needed to be re-configured from what I'd used with my domestic sewing machine. While a table in the back of the machine is no longer necessary (because the throat of the sit-down mid-arm stops the quilt at the rear), one to the side of the machine is a great help. I naturally found myself sitting in a 'u' set-up, with support on either side of me, and that worked very well. It was a bit of a change to move the quilt under the needle and I was a little surprised how different it felt. That being said, it was also very comfortable to quilt this way and the visibility with the Sweet 16 is amazing! I felt I had better posture as a result and much less fatigue in my shoulders and hands. However, I did not like the feel of quilting through this batting! I guess I just confirmed I'm a Warm & Natural 100% cotton girl forever!

The quilting went along at a good pace anyway and I had no issues at all. Tension was good using my beloved Aurifil thread and I had no breakage or snafus at all to report. I had the 1-1/3 yard sandwich quilted in no time using an all-over loop-de-loop design as suggested in Jasmine's tutorial. When the fabric is cut into the pattern pieces there is no way to know (without a lot of planning and work) which piece will end up in what direction so an all-over edge-to-edge was definitely the easiest way to go.

So this is part 1 of the dust cover post. I really enjoyed quilting on my Sweet 16 and was sad when it was over. I can't wait to quilt an actual quilt but these smaller projects are allowing me to get comfortable with quilting on a sit-down mid-arm and I'm learning a lot about different techniques along the way. Tomorrow I'll show you the actual construction of the cover and after that I'll share the beautiful embellishment I made for it.

Organizing Sweet 16 Accessories

Now that I have my Sweet 16 and have moved my Grace frame out of my workshop, I'm using the fantastic Ikea Raskog cart to store all the Handi Quilter accessories. I've kept to my system of Snapware containers to house all the small machine parts. In each section of the snap 'n stack I keep extra feet, bobbins, needles, the TOWA tension gauge, and cleaning tools. I have one for each sewing machine and I've labelled the outside with my P-touch so I don't get mixed up. My newest organizing idea is to store partially filled bobbins in small zip-top bags. I write the manufacturer and colour number of the thread on the outside so I can easily find the match. I initially used my label maker to add that info but the labels don't stick well to the bags so I switched to using a Sharpie instead. I find it easier to store the bobbins for the Sweet with the machine accessories rather than with the thread spools as I do for my other machine bobbins.

The snapware fits perfectly in the top basket of the Raskog and I have room for another in the future if needed. Right now I throw in my test sandwiches, current thread spools, and my Machingers quilting gloves when I'm done for the day. The second basket has the basket insert and I've got all my longarm rulers neatly organized in it.

The bottom basket is perfect for keeping my large snapware container of thread. I also have my laminated tension guide from Superior so I can quickly see which bobbin thread tension setting I should have. This storage system has worked out so well for me. I can have all the accessories I need right at my machine and just pull the cart next to me to grab what I want to use.