Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving Day to all my quilty friends!  

I am thankful for all the Lord has given me - my five senses of sight, hearing, touch, taste, smell, all my abilities, my creativity, my relationships, the friends he surrounds me with, my health and a sound mind, a warm house, abundant food and so much more.  Oh how He loves us!  Yes, we are blessed.   

Baby Quilts

Here are a couple sweet baby quilts made by Marge M.  So simple, but very charming.  She found the Beatrix Potter fabric five years ago and saved it to use for her first grandchild.  Some things never go out of fashion!  Patterns are from the book Sweet & Simple Baby Quilts, by Mary Hickey.   

 Quilted edge to edge with Paisley Playtime pattern.

 Quilted edge to edge with Popcorn pattern.

Retreat

October is my get-away month.  I go to Homestead Cabin Retreat for a couple days and work on some piecing.  This year I brought a basket block exchange that I had participated in earlier this year.  I had 9 basket blocks and added a couple more, setting them in an on-point setting, using Sharyn Craig's book Great Sets.

Okay, this was my experiment quilt.  The book states that all colors go together.  I originally picked a soft pastel blue and brown to tie in all the blocks.  My basket blocks are a variety of colors including soft pastels.  Then, in a quilt shop on the way up to the retreat, I found more fabric (smile) and changed to a more vibrant blue and brown combo.  I liked the colors together and thought it added some zip to the quilt.     

Well, I made all the blocks and put them together but it's not my favorite quilt.  I should have kept to my original color scheme.  It will have to do.  I'll get it finished for our quilt show in March 2012.  It was good practice to figure out the math on the side triangle and corner blocks! 

 

I also finished a wall hanging that I had started in a Kim Diehl class.  I just had to finish the border.   So nice to finish those projects.  I used the design wall the choose which way I wanted the border blocks to go.  

Option A

Option B

Here is our workspace.  There were 17 quilters there that weekend.  So much fun.

Outside the front door.  Her chickens and roosters roam the property. 

Halloween Weekend

Even the window in the bathroom is decorated for Halloween. 

A fall quilt on display.  I love this scrappy quilt!

A couple deer head keep you company in the cabin.  I took this picture from the loft.

Patsy's quilt top. 

 

Chris Daly made this top from her hand-dyed fabrics.  Love the colors!

This is the back of the quilt.

Snowball Blocks

This is such a warm quilt!  All the colors go together so nicely.  Pieced by Roberta C., the body of the quilt is made from simple snowball blocks.  The vine and flowers were appliqued. 

 

I stitched-in-the ditch around the vine and flowers.  Small background stippling makes them pop.

 The "flowers" are made out of yo-yo's.  So they have a rounded dimension to them. 

Fun Quilts

Here are a couple fun quilts!  Kathy M. pieced this Black White and Yellow quilt for her daughter.  I think she'll love it.  Quilted with "Popcorn" pattern. 

Tracie J. made these fun, bright quilts.  These girlie quilts were quilted with flower patterns.

 The edge-to-edge pattern for this is called Daisy Swirl.

I like the borders and corners on this one.  Good way to use up some fabrics!

 Cute brown and pink quilt!  Quilted with a simple flower edge-to-edge pattern.

Ten Exercises for Quilt Makers

I thought this was worth passing on.  You can print out a one-page PDF and pin it up in your sewing room, as a reminder.   

http://www.quiltviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/exercises_crop_300_2.pdf

Many hours of cutting, sewing, and hand or machine quilting can take a toll on your body. According to medical sources, good posture and certain exercises can help relieve stress and prevent problems associated with repetitive quilt-related activities.
Learn these ten exercises for happy and healthy stitching, republished with permission from Lourdes Hospital in Paducah, Kentucky.



Good Sitting Posture
Good sitting posture allows your back to do its job of supporting you.
Your goal is to keep the three natural curves of  your spine in their normal, balanced alignment.
Neck Retraction
To realign your cervical curve, slide your chin straight back keeping your head and ears level. You should feel like you have a double chin.
Repeat 5-10 times, several times during the day.
Neck Stretch
To release muscle tension in your neck, try to touch your ear to your shoulder. Be sure to keep your nose pointing forward and move slowly.
Repeat 5-10 times, several times during the day.
Shoulder Circles
To release muscle tension in your neck, shoulders, and upper back, circle your shoulders backward in a wide arc. Make several circles then relax.
Repeat 5-10 times throughout the day.
Elbow Press
To release muscle tension in your middle back, bring your elbows out to the side at chest height. Press them gently backward, hesitate a moment, then release.
Repeat 5-10 times, several times throughout the day or whenever you feel stiff or tired.
Middle Back Stretch
To realign your thoracic curve, bend both elbows and press one arm above you.Then press the other behind you to complete the exercise.
Repeat 5-10 times, several times throughout the day.
Abdominal Strengthener

Strong abdominal muscles will help support your lower back and keep it aligned. Sit with your buttocks firmly against the back of you chair and exhale and tighten your abdominal muscles for a count of 10.
Release and repeat 5-10 times, several times during the day.
Backward Bend
To revers the slouch curve and release muscle tension in your lower back, stand up, press your palms on your lower back for support, and gently bend your upper and lower back backward. Hesitate for a moment, then release.
Repeat 5-10 times, several times a day.
Certain repetitive hand activities may put you at higher risk for developing a variety of wrist problems. By learning how to modify how you use your hands, you may be able to reduce the risk.

• Keep your wrist in neutral. Avoid usingy our wrist in a bent or twisted position for long periods of time. Try to maintain your wrist in a neutral (straight) position.
• Rest your hands. Periodically give your hands a break by letting them rest briefly. You may be able to alternate easy and hard tasks, switch hands, or rotate activities.

Gripping

To release muscle tension in your hands, slowly make a fist then stretch you fingers out straight while spreadking your fingers. Hold this position for a second, then relax.
Repeat 5-10 times, several times during the day.
Thumb Stretch
To release muscle tension in your thumbs, stretch you thumb out to the side gently pullingon it with your opposite hand. Hold it in a stretched position for a count of 3, then release.
Repeat 5-10 times, several times during the day.
Originally posted by Christine N. Brown, American Quilter magazine editor-in-chief.

Monofilament Threads

I use many different Superior Thread products in my longarm quilting.  Monofilament is clear thread.  Monofilament thread can be the best choice for some stitch-in-the ditch applications.  For example:  When there are many color changes and it would be hard to select a thread to blend into the background.  The question that comes up - is this safe to use?  Will it hold up?  This is an article written by Bob Purcell, Superior Threads.   

EDUCATION: Monofilament threads I recently received an e-mail asking if invisible monofilament thread is iron safe.  She had heard that it melts if ironed.  That is a commonly asked question and most likely due to hearing sad stories of monofilament threads melting and damaging a sewing project.  Here is the truth.

There are two main types of monofilament threads: nylon and polyester.  Traditionally, most monofilament thread has been nylon.  Nylon is strong but it has some negative properties for sewing thread.  It tends to go brittle over time, discolors (yellows), and has low heat tolerance.  Nylon melts at approximately 400 degrees F. Although most irons do not have a numerical temperature setting, many irons can melt nylon when set at medium or high heat.

The preferred material for monofilament thread is polyester.  Polyester does not discolor, go brittle, or have a low melting point.  Polyester melts at the 480 to 510 degree Fahrenheit range and most irons stay well below this temperature up to the medium heat setting.

Superior Threads offers MonoPoly.  Monofilament invisible thread is 100% polyester, thus the name, Monofilament Polyester.
Another caution:  Watch out for monofilament threads labeled as 100% Polyamide. That may lead us to believe it is polyester but polyamide is the chemical word for nylon. Dishonest labeling? No. Misleading? Yes.

Be safe and stay with polyester when using monofilament threads.