Winter Blues Quilt is Complete

Finished this gorgeous quilt in time to still use it this winter!

I did a simple 2-inch grid pattern, using the walking foot.

 

Here's a photo of my set-up for quilting on a domestic sewing machine.

I have a quilt lift system that takes some of the weight of the quilt off the table, reducing drag and friction on the bed of the sewing machine.  

It helps, but it's still a very physical task.  

Here's a detail of the clamps used to hold onto the quilt.  They are easy to open and re-clamp.

They are suspended from a rod over my sewing area with bungie cords, so they give and take as I work.   Read more about it here: 

Free-Motion Quilt Suspension System and Other Pain-Free Quilting Modifications

I used a Brilliant Blues  jelly roll and the Fuzzy Logic pattern comes from Brenda Henning's Strip Therapy booklet.  It's become my go-to pattern, because it is so easy and so satisfying.

I had to look up the instructions for joining the ends of a binding again.   This one simple task is still troublesome, even after so many years of quilting.   Last time, I found this great video that simplified it -- no odd angles or math.   No over-thinking with this method.   Here's the written version of this method. 

 

The label in one of the corners.

I have anew printer now, and I'm not sure I can print to fabric anymore.  That's something I'll have to experiment with -- including what fabric sheets, or treatment will work best with the type of printer I have now. 

Since I used a silk batt in this quilt, I had to look up the care and washing instructions.  The last task of making a quilt is washing it.  I'm convinced it brings the stitches, fabric, and batting together as one cohesive unit:  It makes them a team!   In this video from Hobbs, the manufacturer of the silk batt I used says to wash on delicate, limiting agitation and NO HOT water.  Then you can put in it the dryer on delicate or air fluff. 

Farmer's Wife Blocks - 11 Broken Dishes - 16 Calico Puzzle - 21 Contrary Wife

  Block 11 - Broken Dishes

I think this one is my favorite this week. 

All scrap fabrics.  I decided to use the HST method where you sew around the edges of 2 larger squares right-sides-together, and then cut a criss-cross through the middle, yielding 4 smaller HSTs.  That seemed the most efficient way to get all those HSTs done this afternoon.  The resulting HSTs were over-sized, so I needed to trim them down.  That also cut down on the wonk factor.  None of them were stretched out or abused -- Yes, I'm getting better at pressing those sensitive bias edges.

Those greens came from some of the very first quilts I made over 15 years ago.

 

Block 16 - Calico Puzzle

The blocks this week only took a little over 2 hours.  I felt like I got a break -- no paper piecing!   And it was a welcome break from the news this week.

 

Block 21 - Contrary Wife

Not so sure about the color combos in this one.  Those purples in the corners are not quite right.  I think the neutral cream would have worked better than the silver snow.  This one may be a candidate for a re-do some day.  But not today.

 

Tutorials from Handmade Karma for Week 17.

See Handmade Karma's full set of Farmer's Wife blocks and tutorials.

 

Farmer's Wife Blocks 15 Buzzard's Roost - 31 Evening Star - 87 Star Gardener

Block 31 - Evening Star

 My favorite block from this week's set.  I used some leftover fabric from another project and the long leftover pine fabric.  I love chickadees, so why not feature them on The Farmer's Wife quilt?

This was relatively easy to construct with the flying geese tutorial.  [No paper piecing!]

 Block 87 - Star Gardener 

This one looks like a royal pain-in-the-pattootie to do with so many little pieces, but it wasn't really all that bad -- No paper piecing!

Slow and steady and it came together.  Choose the color layout.  Then start with the flying geese blocks, then the half-square triangles.  Don't mash them too hard at the pressing stage-- and it's done!

Block 15 - Buzzard's Roost

Here's the ugly duckling in the set.  This block looks gangly and awkward to start with.  Just doesn't quite come together right.  I did my best to make it look better with the choice of colors -- the blue batik dresses it up nicely, but it's still sort of like lipstick on a pig, so to speak.  You can tell there were a few mishaps with this one -- I put it down to my frustration with paper-piecing.  The fabrics I cut didn't quite fill the spaces they were intended to, so I pieced in some extra fill-in fabric, hence the extra seams, and a tuck.  I was running out of time on the weekend (My Christmas vacation) and didn't care about it enough to fix it properly.   Just wasn't feeling it with this one.  Enough said ...

 

Tutorials from Handmade Karma for Week 16.

See Handmade Karma's full set of Farmer's Wife blocks and tutorials.

 

2 More Quilts Sandwiched and Pin-Basted and Taking Stock of UFOs

I got the Winter Blues Quilt sandwiched and pin-basted on New Year's Eve Day.  I can't wait to get this one finished and ready to use.  I LOVE the colors!

I was hoping to have this one pin basted back at Thanksgiving when I had a week off of work, but the backing fabric hadn't been delivered in time.  Mail deliveries have been slow due to Covid, and political machinations.  It was worth the wait -- snowflakes.

My first thought for batting was to use the fat wool batt we got from The Courtney Woolen Mill (Appleton, WI) back in September.  But when I opened it up, there was a lot of debris and vegetable matter in it.  More than I was comfortable enclosing in a quilt to be used on our beds.  I should have opened it in the parking lot before I left, but I didn't ever think it would be an issue. I've never had a problem with wool batts like that before-- and I've used about 5 or 6 so far.   I think I'm going to take it back there and ask for an exchange for a cleaner batt.   

I was very disappointed and had to completely change my plans.  Using a fat batt like that requires a different technique -- enveloping a quilt is a different process.

I looked at what other batts I had in my stash:

• Hobbs 80/20 Cotton - Not appropriate for a winter quilt who's purpose was warmth and a higher R-value.
  
• Hobbs Wool - A good option (blessedly CLEAN compared to the Courtney batt).  Not quite as thick, but it needed some time to relax out the folds from being bound up in the bag it came in.  It was better the next day. 
  
• Hobbs Silk - YES!  This is the one I eventually used on the Winter Blues Quilt.  It's creases fell out with a little time in the dryer.  It's supposed to be nice and warm, but light, which means, I should be able to stitch it.  I won't have to tie it as was the original plan.
•  
  

 The Copper Canyon Quilt

While I was at it, I sandwiched a second quilt.  This is the same pattern as the Winter Blues above, using a jelly roll with 2-1/2 inch strips in coordinating colors.  I love this pattern so much, it's becoming my signature go-to pattern for patchwork. 

I used the Hobbs wool batt on this one. It looks a little wrinkled still.  I decided to add more pins at the corners of the purple sashing to help hold it in place until I can get to stitching it all down.  

 

Here's a detail shot of the pin basting. 

 

Here's a shot of the back side where you can catch a glimpse of how the quilting might look.

I think I'm going to be be very happy with this Hobbs Wool batt. 

 

 In case you are wondering: Is my dining room table really that big?

No -- My husband brings up a 4-8 foot sheet of plywood that gets laid over the table specially for the task of sandwiching quilts. Then I top that with a vinyl backed table cloth large enough to cover it all.  This protects from slivers and snags, and allows the fabrics to slide easier on the plastic during the process.

 Here's another one I sandwiched back on the summer -- maybe around the 4th of July?  Still waiting to be quilted and finished.

I think this was also Hobbs wool batting.

And The Ugly Stashbusting Quilt, made when my mom was still around last spring. Not such a priority -- until someone gets sick and needs support during treatment.

There are other quilts that still need to be sandwiched:

 

Holly's Christmas Quilt 

I need to get an appropriate batt for this one.  Cotton isn't warm in winter. Maybe a twin-size wool batt?

 

 

The Twilight Lagoon Quilt

I made this scrap quilt while my mom was dying last summer.   I don't have the heart to look at it now.  Give it some time.  I'll get back to it some day ... with time and distance and perspective.

 

 

Loon Lake

Still needs some work picking the stabilizer out of the back (though I'm starting to think that might not be necessary in a wall quilt), adding dragonflies, and choosing an appropriate batting since it will likely be hanging on a wall part of the time. I need a batt that won't sag while it hangs.  Will wool work for that?   [Leah Day says yes.]  I am not a fan of Warm n Natural as there is zero loft to it.  I want the stitching to stand out, and puff the layers and give some definition, but not too thick.  WnN won't do that.

 

 

 There are multiple other quilts still on the pile already sandwiched and needing to be quilted, or otherwise finished:

 

The Morningstar Quilt

Made to celebrate my 20th wedding anniversary (now it's 2 years later!)  The center star is all done, but I stalled on quilting the black backgrounds on surrounding the center star.  It just feels like I spent hours on those backgrounds, and I don't seem tobe  making much progress.  And it's hard to push such a large quilt around -- very physical work.

 

 

Hollyhocks Around the Barn

This one has been waiting for more than 10 years!  I have since added a nice chicken wire border.   I keep toying with the idea of possibly including some yoyos for added dimension. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Black Jack Quilt Top

A Log Cabin quilt kit from Connecting Threads years ago.  I've been stuck as to WHAT to quilt on this one.

 

 

Oceanica made with In the Beginning fabrics designed by Julie Pashkis.  I love her folksy / fairy tale / storytelling style.  I got this years ago as a kit and worked it up in 2011.  Apparently this fabric and the kit were quite rare.  I saw just the unfinished panel selling on esty for for $60!  Sometimes, I'm at a loss as to HOW to quilt something.  I guess I'd just trace around the main characters here ...

This concludes the inventory of quilt sandwiches on my To Do pile.  Not quite as bad as I thought!  Since my husband set up a magic quilt lift system for me, I really have no excuse NOT to work on these.  Except that it's very physical work pushing around these quilts and it can't be done in the summer when it's too hot.  And I haven't been to the YMCA to lift weights since last March.  I am week, but we'll see how it goes.  Baby steps!  I am motivated to work on the Winter Blues quilt.  

Now get cracking!

I explained the process of using basting boards in these previous posts:

From the Deli : Board Basting a Quilt Sandwich

From the Deli : Board Basting a Quilt Sandwich Revisited

A Few of My Favorite Weaving Hacks

Most of these appeared in the various weaving FaceBook groups I belong to.  Thank you to everyone who shared these ideas.   I don't know who you are anymore, but I am grateful for the hacks. They've made my weaving life much happier and productive. 

1) Online videos and classes for weaving. 
This has been a total game changer for me.  I acquired my first little table loom in 2007 (or so).  I took a class in a local yarn / knitting / weaving store (now closed).  But for several years after that, I still needed a teacher/mentor present to help me warp the thing.     Books are fine, but if you can't remember what's what, or the movement required, it isn't so helpful.   By the time the online classes came along (Craftsy and Tom Kniesley), I felt like I had a -guide-at-my-side, and for the first time in my life, I warped my Kessenich floor loom by myself a few years ago.  Who-hooh!

• Beginning Weaving with Tom Knisely $40 on Longthread Media
• Weave a Good Rug with Tom Knisley $40 on Longthread Media 
• Floor Loom Weaving with Janet Dawson  $40 on Craftsy
• Craftsy is currently having a YEAR-END CLEARANCE: 65% OFF WHEN YOU SPEND $40 OR MORE!   USE CODE BYE2020 AT CHECKOUT

2) Beads to help keep track of treadle sequences.  Another game-changer for me.

• I posted a video about this.
• See the previous blog post about it:
  

  Brilliant Bead Markers Hold your Place in a Pattern Repeat

 

3) Cheap tarp clips from Lowe's and empty spice jars serve as a weighted temple.

4) Ribbon with inches marked out help me keep track of how much cloth I've woven.  I've also used adding machine tape -- These can be found cheap at the thrift stores now.   If you have the right kind of tape measure, that could work, too.  But the ones I have from sewing are too thick to put a pin through.    The ribbon works well because I can measure out a certain length, which is helpful when you have a target to shoot for ...  Works great for rugs or scarves, etc.  

And yes, I already have about 12 inches woven on the "new" green circles scarf.  It's coming along nicely!

 

5)  Old film canisters are great for weighing down a repaired warp thread.  You can add or subtract weight--like pennies--as needed.  If you can't find the old film canisters, bead bottles also work well.  I've also used spice jars, too.  But the glass can be heavy to start with.  You could even use old prescription bottles. 

6) iWeave It App for the iPad.  This is helpful for many tasks related to weaving -- from figuring how much yardage you need for yarn, to designing a weaving, to threading to treadling.  I bought the add-ons for even more useful tools.

 7)  My warping mill was another game-changer.  I absolutely hated running a warp on the too large warping board that came with my loom.  It hurt my back.  The tension was never right.  I didn't really have a good place to hang it to use it, nor to store it.  Then my husband made me a warping mill -- It was a joy to use, ran so smoothly.  The kinesiology of using it was smoother -- more like a dance -- gentle transition from up to down and then back up, not side to side as on the warping board.  And the tension problems were over.  Thanks to DH for building this for me. ;-)

 

8) A simple counting app for my phone helps me keep track of how many warp strings I've run.  My husband also engineered a simple little holder for my phone at the top of my warping mill.   Every time I'm at the top of the mill, I can easily touch the screen to register a new line or two. 

 

 

9) Tom Knisley's method of running a warp in color blocks also took a lot of hassle out of the whole process for me.  I could run as many lines of a particular color as needed, without stopping to start a new color for only one or two threads.  Don't worry, it all straightens out in the end.  The reed combs it all out and keeps it orderly.  It's pretty amazing how it all works out!

 

 

10) Tension Device (Angel Wings) at the back of the loom helps to keep tension even.   

Read more about it.

 

 

11) Color coding the heddles on each shaft makes it easier to keep track of what heddle you are threading --This can help prevent threading errors.

In other words, all the heddles on
     Shaft 1 are clear (not colored);
     Shaft 2 are Blue;
     Shaft 3 are Green;
     Shaft 4 heddles are Red.

I used Sharpie Markers.  If I ever want to remove the colors just above the heddle eyes, it's easy enough to do with a little rubbing alcohol on a cotton ball.  I colored only as many heddles as I needed for the standard set-up for rugs, which will make it easier next time.  There are more heddles on each shaft than I'm using currently, and more can be added or removed in future.

Farmer's Wife Blocks - 18 Century of Progress - 46 Hill & Valley - 109 Windows

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Block 18 - Century of Progress

 

Paper-pieced.  After all this time, if there's a way to put it together backwards or upside down, or guestimating how much fabric I need to cover the space after it's flipped, I've done it.

I guess that's one way to learn.

Block 46 - Hill & Valley

This one was NOT paper-pieced, although it looks like it could have been.

Because it was NOT paper-pieced, it is my favorite block this week.

The triangles were all cut from a large block, cut on a diagonal.  

 

Thought you might also be interested in seeing the color map, so I know what color to put where as I'm building the blocks.

Block 109 - Windows (aka Duck Blind)

A simple block to finish up this week's set.  The grassy border makes me think of a duck blind.

I'm getting pretty good at the hour glass and half-square blocks.

 

Tutorials from Handmade Karma for Week 15.

See Handmade Karma's full set of Farmer's Wife blocks and tutorials.

 

Back on the Weaving Saddle Again : Beginning the Evergreen Circle Scarf

Starting the Evergreen Circles Scarf

At long last! I am weaving again.  It's taken me a few weeks to get up the gumption to tackle the threading error I knew was there.  I have to wait for the weekend because I work during the week, and need the natural light to assist with clear vision.  Black warp is hard to see ...

Turns out I was missing 1 set of 4 threads and heddles on the left side.  That's why the circle in the first sample looked a bit off.  Hail to sampling and testing!   That also let me see that the yarn with a gradient wasn't going to work for this very precise pattern.  It took a good part of the afternoon to set things right -- and just a little bit of swearing, but ...   Now we're back on track and I love the way this looks so far. Whoo-hooh!  It is a very satisfying pattern once everything is set up properly.

 

Treadle Tracking Beads

Once again, the beads keeping track of the treadle pattern have been a godsend!  There are 72 steps to a single pattern repeat on my 4-shaft loom with 6 treadles -- and I use every one!

It's fun to weave once the loom has been warped and threaded--correctly.  It's still not my favorite part of the process, but I've made my peace with it.  If you are going to weave, you have to understand that warping and threading is part of the whole package.    I know enough now that I can fix the problems that come up -- though sometimes I have to sleep on it for a few days to figure out what to do, and the best way to approach it.   Like quilting, weaving is a good exercise in project management start to finish!

 Detail of Evergreen Circle Weave Scarf 

Yarn is alpaca and highland wool, dyed by me.  

 

Warp strings running through the tension device at the back of the loom -- nice and orderly!

Also satisfying!

Farmer's Wife Blocks - 4 Basket Weave - 20 Churn Dash - 111 Wrench

 

Block 20, Churn Dash

No complaints about the blocks this week: No paper piecing!  Just half-square triangles and strip sets.  That's how I like to piece blocks.

The three blocks in this weeks set were relatively simple and quick to piece, compared to other weeks.

The Churn Dash and Wrench blocks are essentially the same blocks.  The only difference is where you put the colors.  That makes all the difference!

The block below looks much bigger than the one above, and the only difference is color placement. 

 

Block 111, Wrench  

 

 

 

Block 4, Basket Weave 

 Another simple block for this week. 

 

Tutorials from Handmade Karma for Week 14.

See Handmade Karma's full set of Farmer's Wife blocks and tutorials.

 

Farmer's Wife - Blocks 7 Birds in the AIr - 13 Buckwheat (Lucky 13) - 19 Checkerboard

 

 Block 7 - Birds in the Air

NOT paper-pieced.  Multiple Half-Square Blocks.  Most of the points came out sharp -- although I see 1 that got nicked off. 

"Lots of sh**in' little pieces" this week, as my Gramma would say, which means extra time to execute.  Up at the ironing board and down at the sewing machine for every little seam.

 

 

Block 19 - Checkboard

Paper-pieced. Scrappy blues and 1 lovely green.

This one went pretty well for paper-pieced.

 

Block 13 - Buckwheat (Lucky 13)

Paper-pieced.  This one must have taken about 4 hours to make.  The colors are not quite where they are supposed to be.  Those dark blues should not be next to each other.  As I was transcribing the color scheme I'd settled on, I must have inverted some of them.

 This block was a royal pain.  I flipped a few things, had to unsew more times than I care to admit because the piece to be flipped up wasn't big enough to cover the area it was meant to,or things were just backwards and upside down. A very frustrating block.  And for all that, not worth doing over again.  I'm not that much of a perfectionist!

      

One neat thing about it is that it looks like a different block if you turn it 90 degrees.

Completely different look and feel with those dark blue points pointing up and down vs. east and west.   Something to do with the flow of this block.

On to next week ... 

Tutorials from Handmade Karma for Week 13.

See Handmade Karma's full set of Farmer's Wife blocks and tutorials.

 

In the Dye Pot - In Search of Evergreen

 

Remember that apple green from the other day?  It was beautiful, but not quite what I was going for.  My heart wanted evergreen.  So I gave it another go in the dye pot-- this time over-dyed with Procion Teal. 

On the left: Teal Blue over-dyed leaf green on alpaca and highland wool yarn.  This one has a nice glow and depth to it -- as I often see with over-dyed items.  The teal blue did a nice job of taming that apple green.  This is a definite contender!

On the right: As an insurance policy, I also dyed another batch of alpaca + highland wool yarn with Procion Evergreen, since I found a jar of it in my stash.  It's a little bit bluer, but still green.

Still trying to decide which one I'll use in the next circle scarf.  I still need to fix the heddle threading.

 

Just as a reminder, here's that leaf green I started with.  Just a little too bright!