A Couple of Finishes

Claudia was over yesterday for some help with finishing her Summer Breeze quilt. After beginning her blocks here back in January, she had finished her blocks on her own. Then she sewed the blocks together and decided she wanted to finish it with piano keys which she had prepped on her own, as well.

Claudia wants to use this quilt on a daybed in her house, so she needed only to put the piano key border on two sided. So we put the light blue inner border around the entire center, and used the piano keys on two sides. She got the top done and it is ready to go to the quilter.

While Claudia sewed her borders, I brought my own Summer Breeze down and figured out how I would finish it. I had 7 blocks completed. Not a particularly conducive number for quilting purposes, right? I could have just used 6 blocks to make a small lap quilt, but I still had bits and parts, so I put my thinking cap on. With a couple of remaining 2.5-inch strips I managed to get an 8th block made. Then I took 4 of the leftover strips which had a 45-degree cut edge. The pictures below show how I utilized those leftovers - as the center block  in a square 3x3 block quilt.

The jelly roll I used was a Three Sister's line called Park Avenue. When finished, I think I can see this being used as a table topper cloth.

That's all for today, Peeps! Gotta' lotta' grading to do!
Happy Quilting, Friends!

My Students Are Flourishing

Sigh. One of the great things about teaching is that eventually your students don't need you any more! That is becoming the case with both Claudia and Denise, students I have worked with for a few months. Claudia came to sewing and quilting as an absolute newbie; Denise had some background but lacked confidence in certain areas. Today I will show you a few of the projects they have worked on all by themselves. I appreciate their sending pictures and keeping me updated on their progress.

First, let's take a look at a couple of Denise's projects. First, her Summer Breeze quilt top is finished and looks fantastic. She worked on this quilt with Claudia and me back in January and made the entire finish on her own, right down to the piano key borders. What a fresh, airy quilt.

 Another project Denise has begun all on her own is an Edyta Sitar pattern called Trail Mix. Here is the picture she sent, with the following note, "about 100 more diamonds to go." Gives one an idea of how much piecing will go into this quilt!

Now let's see what Claudia has been up to. First, we will take a look at her version of Summer Breeze.

 She was here today for some work on finishing this quilt, and I will bring you that finish along with my own Summer Breeze activity tomorrow. Today, we are focusing on the progress of these two fantastic students. More from Claudia...

Above, Claudia has figured out a way to cover a basket she uses regularly - she keeps "cow ears" in in for her dogs. Clever gal!

One of the last times Claudia (and Denise) were over for sewing, we did a little paper-piecing project. Click here to revisit those wonky pine trees. Well, Claudia thinks that paper-piecing is a technique she could totally get into, and she went ahead to try other patterns like the one shown above. The picture is supposed to be blue denim inside a range of pink prints. (I think it looks orange and black, but maybe that is just my computer screen.) Claudia intends to use this as the side of a bag.

This house block is another of her paper-piecing efforts. I think she is getting more and more confident all the time. I believe she mentioned that this block, too, may become part of a bag.

The other project we worked on back in January (link above) was the snappy bag; Claudia took the pattern for the bags we made, adjusted it to fit her iPad, and added handles! Look at how inventive she is!

And one last doggie accessory - collars. Claudia and her husband are "dog people." They raise and train Shelties and Border Collies. Dog collars are forever getting chewed, she says, so she has figured out how to make replacements herself. Again, she is inventive. That willingness to risk making mistakes and to problem solve is proving fortunate for her, wouldn't you say?

Well, that 's enough for this post. As I said, Claudia and I sewed together today, and she finished the quilt top of Summer Breeze. I worked on mine, too, so I will bring you those updates tomorrow.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Summer Beach Class

On a frigid, snowy day with temperatures plummeting to zero, Claudia, Denise and I met for some summer fun. Denise found this pattern on Craftsy - for free - and wanted help making it. We made great progress.

Denise came with her strips already sewn together, so her progress was most impressive.

After sewing the strips together then cutting on the 45-degree angle of the ruler, you end up with blocks that look like the two shown above.

When you have the squares completed, the fun of putting the larger blocks together begins. Denise has selected some gorgeous vibrant fabrics and paired them with white-on-white for a spectacular look.

The resulting quilt is going to be beautiful, for sure.

Claudia had a bag of pink scraps that she wanted to use. Before she could begin sewing, she had to square up the scraps and cut her strips. This set her back a bit, but she did get one block put together and feels confident at using her ruler and the 45-degree line.

I did a bit, too, but have no pictures to share. I am hoping to get back to work on it as we approach the end of this week. Denise and Claudia both have promised to send me pictures of the progress they make on this as they work at home.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Definitely Catching On!

My student Claudia has been making fantastic progress as a seamstress. Last March she enrolled in a hand-piecing and hand-quilting class; then she began coming here to my house for lessons on the machine. We have had several sessions together, and she even went out and bought a fancy new Bernina!

I have had several emails from her recently, and one in particular included a photo that illustrates how far she has come in both her ability and her confidence.

Impressive! The pillow with mostly blue is her first effort. It was made here at my house. The pillow with the red she made all on her own, and it shows how she has come to  understand color placement and contrast. Don't they make a fantastic pair?!

I have 2 more dates scheduled with Claudia this month; we will be doing more advanced things for sure!

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Sewing Class

Yesterday afternoon, a beginning seamstress/quilter came over for some one-on-one instruction. We made a 16" pillow, that turned out to be an 18" pillow. That happened because yours truly didn't read her directions correctly and cut the squares at 2.5" instead of 2.25". Just goes to show you that even when you think you know what you're doing, sometimes you don't.

How embarrassing.

Claudia, my student, is going to try to return her 16" pillow form and exchange it for an 18" one, so hopefully all will work out. She certainly did a good job on her pillow, and we put the too-small pillow form (plastic wrapper and all!) in, just to see how good it looked. What a festive pillow!

Claudia says she likes patriotic decor, so it comes as no surprise that she would make a pillow using patriotic prints. Just check out how neat her intersections match. She is really learning fast and has the desire to do quality work.

On Saturday she was here for the Three Charms Quilt class. Here is her finished quilt top.

See what I mean about Claudia's flair for happy, festive colors? This little quilt (50" square) will brighten any space it is used or displayed.

We are planning one more sewing date, yet to be determined. She has purchased a Mondo Bag pattern, and wants to make it here with me. I have made one, and have the pattern to make another, so I'm all in!

I still need to get caught up on some of the sewing from Monday. I inadvertently omitted pictures of a cute applique project that Terry was working on, and I have yet to share what I was doing!

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Class Is Held

I offered a second class for beginning quilters yesterday. The first class was the 16" pillow with 4 9-patch blocks made into one larger 9-patch block for the pillow front (double 9-patch). Those 2 classes went quite well.

This time around I taught a 50" square quilt top as the project of the day. We used 3 charm packs, and therefore I have dubbed this quilt "Three Charms Quilt." I have made 2 for samples, and started a third one today to demonstrate as we worked through the steps.

In the continued interest of using from the stash, I selected the 3 packs identified above. I think the two line blend very nicely, and gives additional variety.

I got so far as sewing all the rows together. I need to make just a couple of adjustments in placement, but for the most part I am satisfied.

We had a great class. For the life of me, I can't even fathom why it never occurred to me to take pictures, but I didn't. Geesh. The next class is Wednesday evening where we will do the 16" pillow one more time.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Class Is Held

Only two of the three scheduled for class yesterday showed up, but we still had a great time, and the beginners really made quick work of their pillows. What good students!!

Dorothy and Mindy worked hard and fast. They both had picked such gorgeous fabrics.

Dorothy's pillow will go on her family room sofa. That neutral is the exact color of her walls, and this will fit perfectly with her decor.

Mindy  plans to use her pillow on her bed; she was recently gifted a quilt, and chose fabrics that would match. I think she did a pretty darn good job!

 Here's a peek at the quilt, and you can see how good a job she did at selecting fabrics to complement it.

**An aside concerning the quilt: About a year ago, my quilting friend Terry was making this quilt; Mindy's husband Mike had commissioned her to make one as a surprise for Mindy. It was to celebrate something or other -- a milestone anniversary or birthday, possibly. I even took a picture of it, but I couldn't use it for keeping the quilt secret. Anyway, Mindy has had her quilt for a good while now, so no ruined surprises here. Mindy did call Terry to see if she had any of the scraps left from the quilt; that query was unsuccessful, but it was definitely worth the effort. Mindy's eventual choices work beautifully.

Wanna' know what we had for lunch? I served basically the same menu as the first class.

Chicken salad with grapes and pecans on a bed of lettuce; blueberry muffin, and slices of watermelon and pineapple. Do you think I had a craving for fruit? Served on our screened porch with fountains and birds to serenade us. Very pleasant.

So class #2 is in the books, and I still have a list of folks who want to make this project. It may happen; it may not. I do enjoy it.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Annette's Progress

One of my beginning quilting students from last Thursday posted a picture on Facebook yesterday that is worthy of my entire post today. Annette came into our sewing session last week as a confident beginner, so it does not surprise me in the least that she has made a second pillow on her own.

This is a teacher's dream - to see a beginner understand the basic concepts well enough to apply them later with changes to suit her own purposes. I'm sure you see the way she switched the placement of the blocks. Her first pillow is on the left; she created the second pillow completely on her own. Fantastic! Another quilter is born?? Maybe? Click here to read about the class.

Annette says she will return for a second class, and I am considering options for what to teach. My original thought was to do a bag - call it a back-to-school bag, which would appeal to my teacher friends. Alternative suggestions have been a baby quilt and a table runner. Those are both very doable options. Before that, though, I am going to offer the pillow class again because several gals said they wanted to come, but had conflicting plans.

Way to go, Annette!! Don't stop!

 Happy Quilting, Friends!

Fun Class

The beginner's sewing/quilting class I held on Thursday was loads of fun, and in my humble opinion, a huge success. I had only two students, but for the first time around, I think that was about all I could have handled. I learned a few things for next time, and will be able to handle a few more students when I give it another try.

And I will say here that in the technical sense, this was more a beginning piecing class than a quilting class. As we actually did no quilting stitches at all, and did learn the basics of chain piecing, that is a more accurate depiction. We also learned about rotary cutters, rulers, mats, consistent quarter-inch seams, and pressing vs. ironing. What a lot!

Here are the pillows that my inaugural students went home with. First, Annette used these gorgeous sand and blue colors to create a "beachy" feel. After just returning from a vacation in Florida, I think she might still be in beach mode.

 

Sandy's pillow, below, has a romantic and feminine look. We had to do some finagling to get Sandy's together just right, but in the end it turned out beautifully.

As an instructor, I need to remember to find out just how "beginning" everyone is - while some people think they are beginners, in fact, they may be more skilled than they realize. If anything, they are more reluctant or unsure than novice. I hope the girls had a good time, and felt productive. I sure had an awesome day, and wonder why I haven't done this sooner!

I will be planning future classes, for sure. I have sizable list of names of people who wanted to come Thursday, but couldn't schedule it. Doing another makes sense, and after all, practice makes perfect.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Beginning Sewing Class

I have finally worked out the details of the beginning sewing/quilting class I am offering. I admit to having a fair amount of trepidation at doing this, but really I ought not. I am a teacher - this just happens to be a very different subject than the material I covered in my English and composition classes. Besides, I know piano teachers, guitar teachers, voice teachers, art teachers - all these folks offer instruction, so so why wouldn't a quilter? I think this is a skill people want to learn.

So we shall see.

The day-long lesson will be to make a 16-inch pillow like this. I have made 3 of them this week, and I am confident that any beginner will be able to complete it without difficulty. I will take students through cutting, chain-piecing, pressing and ultimate construction of the pillow. While this pillow is done with a closed back (below), the method I will teach is an envelope back which will allow for ease of inserting the pillow form.

Class is scheduled for next Thursday, and I will be sure to report how everything goes.

Happy Quilting, Friends!