Sharon Schamber Classes

I recently took 3 classes from Sharon Schamber. The Pensacola Quilter's Guild brought her in July. Wow! What a wealth of information. I subscribe to her website and watch classes all the time, nothing can compare to having her right there with you. We learned "pieclique", advanced machine applique and dancing domestic feather machine quilting. I have been an applique queen since the class. Her techniques give razor sharp points to your applique. I have now completed 4- 16" x 16" blocks of my Becky Goldsmith quilt "Aunt Millie's Garden". It is so quick to complete with her extra tiny zigzag stitching, making the machine applique go sooooo fast. You wash and block each square PRIOR to stitching the top together and it looks like hand applique. It is amazing. The lesson on machine quilting feathers was invaluable. My feathers now look a lot like hers with my own personal variations. I am now so busy completing UFO's that my blogging has suffered terribly. More to follow.

I ribboned!

I actually finished Bailey's Space Odeyssy and "Friends in the garden of life" quilts and they were entered into 2010 Pensacola quilt show. Both earned ribbons, "Honorable Mention". Not bad for a newbie quilter and first time show entry. I was so thrilled!
Iam looking forward to the next show.

Have been gone awhile, but it was worth it!

Have you wanted to learn free motion quilting on your domestic machine, only to be told it will take 100 hours of quilting to get good at it? I was told just that. I am a busy working single mom. I want my beautiful quilt tops turned into quilts...NOW! I started taking classes right from the beginning, many quilt tops created in those learning classes. To pay someone to quilt them custom, the way I visualized them quilted, was not in the budget. I took a beginners quilting class on my old domestic machine. It was a frustrating disaster. My old white machine pieced like a dream, so why would'nt it quilt my practice sandwich? In the past year I have figured out quite a few things to answer that burning question. First and foremost, you must STARCH your backs AND your tops. I cannot stress this enough. Your fabric must be as stiff as paper, DO NOT use sizing. Allow the starch to "sink into the fibers", I use non aerosol Niagra that is twice as cheap for double the amount, it comes in a pump type spray bottle, I then add 1 TBS of liquid blue laundry starch to the purchased bottle and shake well. Spray your fabric from the back/wrong side of fabric, and iron from wrong side, this prevents shiny spots and starch flaking, especially if the starch has adequate time to "sink in" prior to ironing. Do not prepare top or back this way until ready to quilt. Bugs like silverfish are attracted to eat your fabric due to the starch which is made from vegetable byproducts like potatoes and corn. I wash all my fabrics to be used in applique and piecing, then starch, prior to cutting. It improves accuracy and sewing stiff verses floppy fabric minimizes stretching and puckers. Second, I baste my quilts the way Sharon Schamber taught me, I use ultra thin crochet cotton to herringbone baste my 3 layers together. I use 100% cotton batting, I am going to try bamboo and wool soon. I have been told by a few people the bamboo batting has an odor when it gets wet. If anyone can elaborate on this feel free to offer your comments. Now with a stiff as paper backing, you should have zero puckers. If you are lucky enough to have a frame system to machine quilt, this can still help with keeping your back straight and square on the frame, minimizing distortion after quilting is done. Third, Machingers quilters gloves are the bomb! I have 2 pair sizes xs and sm.
These grip the quilt so well, yet they are light weight and very cool and comfortable. They are thin, stretchy with tips encircled with a gripping substance. This encircling allows you to flip your gloves over and use the other side, TWICE THE WEAR! A bargain in these lean times. Fourth, Sharon Schamber's quilt "Halo", this ring is weighted (less pressure the quilter has to apply) coated with a gripping substance, it grips the fabric so well, your Machingers grip it, giving total control of the quilt top. These two together gives you such unbelievable improvement in your quilting and stitch length regulation. I say those alone take 60 hours off the 100 hrs I was told to practice. Fifth, Sharon Schamber recommends Bobbin Genie silicone washers, you put a smidgeon of sewing machine oil in your bobbin case then lay a bobbin Genie washer into the bobbin case then your actual bobbin. These allow you to take tight turns and sharp points without your machine jamming or producing ugly and frustrating "birds nests" in your work. That happens from friction and sudden tension changes from fast moving shape changes. They are worth their weight in gold and a package holds 15-20 I believe, share a bag with your buddies and they will love you. Remember to use tiny dot of oil with them. Sixth, I highly recommend the Super Slider mat that you place on your sewing machine bed. It sticks by itself, but I always, always tape mine down with Scot's Magic tape. I pushed so hard on my top one day, that it moved the Slider and I sewed it to my quilt. I bought a new one, and now I tape both to my machine bed for even easier manipulation of my quilt. That knocked another 20 hrs of practice off my learning curve. I went from never having quilted in my life, to very good intermediate quilter in just one lap size quilt using all the above in congruence with each other. By my third quilt, I was an advanced machine quilter. I create my own designs, and use some I purchased from Sharon Schamber's website: www.sharonschambernetwork.com. She has recently announced she can cut you a SuperSlider any size you wish. I am going to get a new one cut the size of my Brother QC1000's large quilting bed with a one inch lap over on 3 sides to make taping down the sides smoother. Don't use painter or masking tape, they both have rough texture, and can cause surface tention and hangups. The magic tape is flat and slick, doesn't leave a sticky residue on machine bed. Last but great tip is...Do Not sew/quilt with an old needle, I change to a new needle every 8 hours of sewinhg roughly. Use high quality needles,
cheap or poor quality needles cause grief. ONLY USE SINGER NEEDLES IN A SINGER MACHINE. They have a special mark on them that cause them to fit poorly in any other brand. I threw away all my poor quality and singer needles the day I brought my QC1000 home. I recommend Schmetz titanium needles in various sizes. Use a thin 60/8 on tightly woven batiks, a 60/8, 70/10, 75/11, 80/12 for monofiliment and machine applique (my next blog will be on some cool applique techniques), piecing cottons and applying borders, 75/11, or 80/12, you need strength to go through multiple layers and not flex or break, 90/14 for piecing (washed and pre-shrunk) flannel, denim, duck cloth, canvas and embellishing with decorative threads. Please read my previous blog note on how to "follow the lines" quilt with very intricate designs. You'll look like a star machine quilter from the get-go! I also "play" quilt by using the above without thread in the needle to "get the feel of the movement" and figure out if I need to re-bunch the whole of the quilt to allow for easier movement and smoother quilting. Go slow until you get the feel, then speed up. Mock quilt on the lines for as long as it takes to get comfortable or quilt a bunch of different designs on squares and create a "quilt-as-you-go" quilt to mark your journey.
Hope this helps. Add your comments, suggestions or requests for future help blogs.
Have fun,

Artsy-Fartsy chix

www.Itunes.com Music and Movies

www.Itunes.com Music and Movies What a great site pass it on,pay it forward.

Mary Engelbreit is one of my favorites

I have been working the past few days (real job). I have also been working on my quilt "Friends are the Flowers in the Garden of Life" by Mary Engelbreit. This is just for me to snuggle under so I am being a little persnickety about the whole quilting process. (I don't want to mess it up). I have made a few discoveries about quilting and myself along the way. We all must grow right! First, never quilt when you are tired, never quilt before your morning tea, kick everyone out of your sewing room before you begin, (such a fun place to gather, but seriously people, Get Out! after all it is MY sewing room) dog can stay, unless he whines, oh right he is a stuffed animal, never mind.. Practice for 15 minutes on pancake quilts (more on these later) before starting on the real McCoy, MAKE ABSOLUTELY SURE the correct thread is in bobbin and top BEFORE stitching, especially if you have been using wash away or fusible thread since last quilting. I used the Curve Master foot attachment to do the half circle petal prairie points. It was soooo easy and fun and they turn out perfect without a single pin used in the process. I free motioned loose circley squiggles around the girl, I outline stitched the girl in black careful to follow the print lines, then free motioned her hair, dress, bow ribbon and sunflower. The outer most border will have a different Mary Engelbreit saying on each length, the borders between panel and green "petal points" will have the feathered flower w/ swirls design pictured here, using printed design on foundation paper and stitching right through it following the lines carefully. This is for me, the "Queen Mother", "It is Good to be Queen"! "The Princesses of Quite A Lot" have been eyeing this one but have had their fingers slapped. LOL The binding is cut, pressed, rolled and ready so I have to get it done by Saturday. We have an ALL NIGHT, yes ALL NIGHT sew in twice a year. We eat, laugh and sew in vain attempt to get UFO's and WIP's completed so we can justify buying all new stuff! Works for us!

Nikki
Artsy-Fartsy chic

Stars on The Beach challenge

I finally finished "my star" block for the challenge set forth by Chilly Willy chic. All the "Wicked Chix" had to create a star block of their choosing with an approve seashell fabric. I chose a batik fabric. The background had to be the "light sand" fabric, no matter what other fabrics you chose to coordinate. This block is paper pieced from Carol Doak's design called "Africa". We each made 7 blocks to give one another. We have yet to see Slicey Dicey chic or Jama Mama chic's blocks. tsk tsk ladies. Salsa chic was first to complete her 12 1/2 inch blocks! The center block will be embroidered with the title "Stars On The Beach
Wicked Chix Challenge 2008" We can assemble them any way we wish, quilting as desired. I can't wait to see the completed quilts and will post pics as they are completed. Happy 4th of July everyone.

Learning Free Motion Quilting

I started quilting 19 months ago. I started learning about quilting from watching Alex Anderson on Simply Quilts via HGTV during my 3rd pregnancy while on bed rest 14 years ago. I was so enthralled with how they took whole pieces of cloth in different patterns and colors, cut them into smaller pieces then reassembled them into beautiful patterns. I didn't follow through and start quilting until I moved this last time (literally)!
I promised myself as soon as I was unpacked I was searching out the local quilt store and would start with a lesson and learn the proper way from the beginning. I have been sewing since age 8, knitting since age 9, needlepoint since age 11, embroidering since age 12. I am a painter, watercolor, oils, acrylics have been my mediums, I now include silk painting and Tsukineko inks on cloth. I am self-taught. I have an extensive personal library of painting,art,drawing, piecing and quilting books. These come in handy @ 3AM when inspiration strikes and information is needed. Friends don't like telephone calls @ that hour, nor do I believe good (or usable)advice can come from sleepy groggy friends (if I wish to remain their friend). I have learned a
great deal in the past 19 months. I have taken technique classes in piecing designs, paper piecing (my new love), beginner machine quilting on domestic machines @ my
local quilt shop. I am in a private quilt group known as "The Wicked Chix". I also joined my local quilt guild Pensacola Quilters Guild recently, I highly advise this to anyone just starting out, as they have a great library of books and DVD's on quilting to check out for free to guild members and the members themselves are a fabulous resource for help and INSPIRATION! I get ideas bouncing in my brain constantly but nothing compared to seeing how someone else interpreted a pattern or color combo I was considering or quilt motif someone "made their own". Keep your eyes open for inspiration can come from anywhere and everywhere. I keep a mini sketchbook in my handbag for quick notes, loose sketches, sayings (I may want to do a cross stitch pillow with a saying). On the inside cover I may write thread colors I have or need (want!), needle sizes ...basically a shopping list. I am a single mother of three beautiful daughters, 2 are grown and have families of their own, my youngest is 13 yrs old and is making her first quilt albeit slowly, she gets bored easily. She said " I thought quilting was a lot more fun since you and the other ladies get so excited doing it" LOL. Oh well, hard to explain the thrill a new book or fabric can bring on in a 40 something to a teenager of tender years. She did get excited when I said I was venturing into the world of blogging! "Cool Mom, can I write on it too?" was the response. My response was, "I doubt you would stay interested long enough to get a following". I did invite her to create her own and link it with mine if she so wishes.

Now to the quilting mentioned in the title. I had an "aha" moment while quilting yesterday. I was quilting free motion, trying to follow a needle punched design through golden paper and I couldn't see the dot-punched lines well enough, I stopped and reassessed. I tried again after drawing in the lines on the golden paper with pencil. Better but not much. It is an intricate design, tight lines and close lines, so removing the paper was a bit difficult without pulling up stitches and distorting. I was sitting their thinking and looking @ the quilt, spinning like a 5 year old in my drafting chair (great for height above machine, elbows @ the 90 degree bend for free motion quilting, allows for good control and minimizes sore shoulders) when I noticed my paper piecing paper by Carol Doak . I knew from experience it takes a design from ink jet printer without distortion or smearing of ink, it tears away easily after sewing through it without distorting stitches and I didn't have to needle punch it first! Voila! I could just tape (yes! scotch tape) it in position and quilt my inticate design and I didn't have to trace each on over and over. I just ran off 2 copies per page, cut them apart and taped them on and it was so fast and easy I finished the entire quilt in 2 hours! An intricate design in 2 hours! What a break through. I have never read or heard of anyone using this paper for quilting before. Now I feel the skies the limit. A few things I picked up along the way were to pull the quilt up onto my lap and table to "faux" quilt the design 5 or 6 times before actually quilting the motif. By this I mean put on quilting gloves and actually moving the quilt and design under the needle, following the design, but not using the "gas pedal" or needle to stitch. I just moved to get the feel of the actual design following the lines all the way around and by the 5th or 6th go around I found the drag points and adjusted the quilt and could actually stay precisely on the lines and find the speed of hand movement that worked best for me and the design before I stitched and would have to go back and take out what I did very badly. Ask me how I know that one! This "faux" quilting also allowed me to get past that initial "Oh my gosh" fear, loosen up, relax and most importantly breathe that affects us all when first starting to quilt. This is my first full size quilt that I am quilting by machine. I have smaller pieces that were easily managed due to their smaller size. This one scared me, the design scared me and the size scared me. I hope this helps anyone starting out machine quilting or adds another tid bit of knowledge into the more experienced quilters repertoir of tricks.

I have a wealth of knowledge in art to be applied to quilting and there doesn't seem to be enough time in the week to get all my ideas into works as quickly as I come up with ideas. I will be sharing a lot and gaining a lot from and with my quilter family. Quilters like artists share and give from the heart. It is why I love both so much.

Patsy Thompson, Diane Gaudinsky and Carol Doak are inspirations to me. Visit their websites for instruction and inspiration.

Nikki
Quilter at large