Sunny October Saturday

Today's post is just a nice photograph of my favorite close nearby side yard landscape--- the pond by my house.  It is from a sunny Saturday about 2 weeks ago.

Kai's Fuzzy Quilt

Here on his daddy's Ju Jitsu mat, is a fuzzy soft quilt made for Kai Brinkley.  The fake fur looks wrinkled, but its actually colored and napped like that.  This was a joyous fun campy utility quilt, made in the spirit of grandmothers of days gone by, who would piece together warm flannel scraps with no particular pattern.  This one, I've seamed on the outside.  After washing, these seams will fuzz up and add a bit of loft to the quilt.  Then if it is laid on Baby Kai with the cozy flannel side down, it will give a little bit more room for an air layer.  It is larger than crib size, smaller than a sofa throw, and designed for playing on the floor or snuggling at night.

Note:  Shopping for fabric I noted that 3 of the most popular main chain stores are selling novelty prints with childrens' themes in fabrics that say "Not suitable for sleepwear."  You may have to look on the bolt end, the selvedge or inside the flat card to find the warning.  Don't use such flannels for quilts because they are flammable, even if these stores seem to theme the flannels for childrens' bedwear and bedding.  In my opinion, these should be removed from the shelves or the warning should be prominently displayed.

Making Flat Trim

Flat Trim is a dressy, crisp 3-D insert that will give your quilt some interest.  It looks hard to do but it is easy.  See my hand under this striped piece?  There is also a flat trip piece on the other side of the turquoise strip which can be lifted up.  It is as easy as Prairie Points, only easier.  Here's how:

1.  Get a length of fabric and square it up by doing this:  Snip and rip off the selvedge.  Now go to the fold and snip it about an inch from the edge.  Rip.  This should peel off any bad angles.  You can always do it again if you can't rip all the way to the end.  Tip:  Always rip fast and hard with plenty of Oomph.  This will prevent warping the weave.

2.  What Size?   Whatever size you want your trim to be, double that and add the width of your seam.  So, if you want a 2 inch trimpiece, make each strip 4 inches wide plus as wide as the seam will be.

3.  Measure, Rip.  Measure your distance at the fold.  Snip in an inch.  Measure your distance at the fold.  Snip in an inch.  Repeat.  I just save the last strip in my 'bone pile' as it may be crooked, yet I have it if I am running shy.

4.  Seam Them.  Gather up all those strips and sew seam, sew seam, sew seam.  I don't even bother to cut the thread each time.  I cut all threads after I've sewn the seams.  See?  That's how they do it in the factories, so they don't spend so much time.

5.  Fold and Iron.  Or Not.  I am not much of an ironer.  So, I just foldover the OUTSIDE showing, and zigzag down the whole long snakey trim piece, at the edge.  Just like store-bought!

6.  Now you're ready to sew your trim to the border.  You can either take a minute to actually sew it on before sandwiching the seam, or try to hold it all together.  Tip:  If you are just sewing some lightweight piees together, skip sewing down the trim as a first step and go straight to the sandwiching.  But if you are working with 2 pieces of vastly different weights (ie, a big quilt top you have fabricated already), then sewing the trim as a first step will give you a neater outcome.

Thereya Go!  These flat trim pieces are so tailored and smart-looking for a custom artisan look.  And they are easy enough to make, that they're great even for a beginner's quilt.

How To Make Prairie Points

Prairie Points are these showy little triangles peeping out of the seam on a quilt.  You'll find them most often along the edges of quilts.  Unliked scalloped edges, these are easy to make.  Here's how:

Select your fabric.  A dramatic contrast or stark stripes might give your project some punch.  If you choose something that 'matches' too closely, your prairie points may seem like a lot of work for very little visual impact.  (Here, I've used birch tree trunks, with batiks and a festive print.)  You can buy and yard and go back if you need more. 

Snip and rip off the selvedge piece with the fabric's name on it.  Now rip a straight line...  You do this by finding the fold of the fabric, and snipping about an inch in from the edge.  You will rip it from the middle to the edges in both directions at once.  Now you have a true straight line.

Cut Strips... Using a tape measure or the ruler on a cutting board, snip in about an inch on the fold, every 4 inches.  When you get to the last one, it might not be square if the fabric was not cut precisely, so I always throw the last piece into the 'bone pile' in my sewing room floor.  You will have it there if you need it, and if not you may use it later for potholders or pillowcases.

Make the Strips Square... Lay your strip longwise and make a snip every four inches, then rip each into a 4 inch square.  Tip:  If you are precise, lay 2 or 3 strips atop each other and cut multiples all the way thru instead of ripping. 

Stack and Fold... Stack them up on your ironing board.  Get one.  Fold into a triangle.  Fold into a triangle again.  Iron.  Stack 'em in a finished pile.  Repeat till all are done.  Tip:  If you use a stripe, you *might* prefer to fold them with the fold going the same direction.  If you're making horizontals and you get a vertical, turn it over.  Its magic!

Zigzag them Down... Sew these down onto your sashing or border strip using a zigzag stitch.  You'll hide that when you sew the quilt top seam.

Finish and Admire... Now lay your border strip under the quilt top.  Eleanor Burns, author of Quilt In A Day Series, gives this tip and it makes your project move more smoothly in the machine.  Quilt your regular size of seam.

I love these!  This is my first quilt with Prairie Points and they're so easy plus fancy.  When you quilt your top, you may wish to seam along whichever side you wish in order to lay them up toward the top of the bed, or down toward the edge of the quilt.

Tuscan Memories

Here's a sassy bright big quilt top that I made to match those new plaster and glaze terra cotta walls.  And its easy.  Pick out 9 pieces of fabric that pick up the colors in your room. 

Tip:  Shop some place like a quilt fabric store, so you'll get square cuts.  Often the bargain and discount stores are rushed or don't have employees trained to cut fabric on a square 90-degree angle.  Why does that matter?  You'll want to rip some strips, and you will lose the use of a lot more than just an inch if the cut is off.

Get a half-yard of fabric from each bolt, and get thread. 

At home, snip the selvedge and strip that off of each piece.  Now go in about an inch from the edge of fabric, and snip it at the fold so you can rip right down the edge to give yourself a true and straight ripline.  Measure four inches in, and snip/rip again.  Measure four inches and snip/rip again.  Do this till the last one... it might not be square.  Start yourself a "bone pile" in the corner of the floor in case you do need part or all of it later.

Repeat this step for all 9.  You'll end up with a bunch of piles of strips, so sit down at the machine and randomly seam them together, about as long (or about as wide) as you want your middle "bricks" to be.

Do you want bricks going across?  Or down?  Choose your direction and start sewing the strips together.  You'll end up with a rectangle about the size of the middle 'brickey' part of this quilt.  If your edges are not square, trim those neat.

Now go back to the store.  Pick 4 contrasty colors.  I got 3 yards, 2 yards, 1 yard and 1 yard, but that's too much.  Why did do that?  Because 3 yards is longer than any quilt stirp and saves me from having to seam the longest pieces.  Call it lazy.  Or call it 'adding to my stash of fabric.'  You never know when you'll want to make matching pillow cases.

There are 2 tricky advanced techniques on this otherwise super quick and supersimple quilt....
1.  Prairie Points
2.  Flat Folded Trim
You can skip these if it is your first quilt, or read tomorrow's blog for more "how to."

Have I given you enough basics to set yourself free to just start sewing pieces together till its big and beautiful?  That is how I quilt... with little regard for standard sizing.  I want a quilt big enough to cover the edges when we are snuggled in on a cold winter day.  I want a quilt that is not so very long that its weight would pull or work its way to the foot of the bed if we're underneath it.

These are basic instructions for a quilt top in a day or two.  More later on the details, such as batting, backing, binding, etc.

Making Do

Plaster and Glaze Wall Treatment

Since 2005, we've lived in this small country cottage in rural Adair County, Oklahoma just outside town from the county seat of Stilwell.  Stilwell has under 5,000 residents.  Our bedroom walls were done in 1970s wood veneer panelling of fine quality.  But there is something about those panelling stripes that made us feel like we were sleeping in pinstriped pajamas.

Last week with the help of a friend, Dave Holbrook, we plastered over the panelling with plaster-looking texture, and primed it with a pinkish terra cotta colored paint.  We added a dark green glaze to knock down the starkness.

This photo shows one of the finished walls.  It was taken under incandescent light, and has an amber tint to the photo which is actually more salmon or peach in color.

I was happy to 'make do' with new texture and color rather than moving to a bigger newer house.  We paid off our mortgage this Spring and do not have a hefty mortgage payment burdening us during these uncertain times.  Sometimes little pleasures are the best.



Sweet Gracie Piddlewhiskers

Sweet Little Gracie Piddlewhiskers, Selkirk Rex Breed

Sweet Gracie Piddlewhiskers has an announcement.  She will be having some darling little grey blue curly babies, about the second week in December.   Gracie is registered with CFA and the father is Route 66 King Arthur of Piddlewiskers & Snugglesworth.  He's a big lilac British Shorthair of international grand champion ancestors.  This is her first litter, and she's sort of clued-in to the fact that something is brewing in her tummy.  She's very affectionate.  She's always looking for yet another nest, and has about 5 ideal suitable locations scoped out for December.

Kittens will be sexed and typed by Christmas, but will be ready to leave home around Valentine's Day.  If you would be interested in a show, breed or pet kitten, contact me at ktibbits@lrec.org , so I can let you know more as the news develops!