LaVieEnRosie

Lab work...

Nope.  Not that kind of lab work... nothing medical, though this did involve needles.  Sutures - stitching.  And I'm sure some anxiety and pain was involved... though not on my end of things.  

I'm referring to the Scrap Lab projects for Quilts 'n More magazine.  

This one.  This is the most recent issue - Fall 2014 - and yes... Used with permission from Quilts and More magazine. 2014 Meredith Corporation. All rights reserved.

If you don't already know, the Scrap Lab projects started almost four years ago with Camille Roskelley of Thimbleblossoms and Joanna Figueroa of Fig Tree Quilts as the lab techs - the "designers in residence".  They were at the helm for two years - eight issues - and I was invited to participate for what would be their last issue.  I'm sure that's just a coincidence.  

After that issue, Jill Mead - the then-editor of Quilts 'n More - asked if I would like to be part of the new "design team" with the amazing Patty Young of ModKid Boutique.  Heck, yeah!  Sign me up!  (I have a bad habit of jumping into things without realizing exactly what would be involved.)  Not too long after our first couple of issues together, Jill moved to another desk at American Patchwork and Jody Sanders took over the helm at Quilts 'n More.  I'm sure that timing is just a coincidence too. 

While we were originally asked to be the team for a year, Patty and I wound up doing seven issues.  The task for each issue was the same - Patty and I, and a "guest designer" were sent a fabric "packet" and we had to use it for our projects.  We couldn't add any fabric to it - except for a backing or lining that wouldn't show.  We didn't have to use all of the fabric sent, but what we used had to be a "representative" of the packet.  There were a few other "suggestions" - no zippers and any embellishments had to be easily obtained by anyone wanting to reproduce what we'd made.  Oh, and you had to make something different from what the other two were making, and from what you'd made before.  

In case you're thinking this sounds a lot like "work", you'd be wrong.  It was one of the most enjoyable things I've done.  If there is one thing I could change about it, it would be that we didn't get to go to the Quilts 'n More offices at Meredith Corp in Des Moines for a day to hang out and sew.  Jill and Jody are smart, funny, amazing women, and seriously awesome quilters.  Patty?  Genius - The "guest designers" over the seven issues were Shea Henderson of Empty Bobbin Studio, Valori Wells, Monique Dillard of Open Gate Quilts, Lori Holt of Bee in My Bonnet, Allison Harris of Cluck Cluck Sew and I'm forgetting someone.  (A pox on me for that oversight.)  Wouldn't you love to sit and sew with these ladies?  

The thing about all this is... I really dropped the ball this last year and never shared what we'd been doing.  

This issue was with Lori Holt's beautiful Gracie Girl fabrics...

I made a bag!

When I was a teenager, I made lots of bags but somewhere along the line, I stopped making them - I blame Cole Haan and Coach.  I love that out of the eight projects I made for Scrap Lab, two of them were bags.  

By the way, this issue is also terrific for the giant Log Cabin quilt on the cover.  It was made by Moda Lissa using Floral Gatherings and Floral Shirtings by Primitive Gatherings.  I made a "version" of that quilt - that means I just started cutting and sewing strips and "loosely" followed the pattern - using scraps and pieces from several Bonnie & Camille collections.  I'll show that to you next time.)

I also made a bucket... it was on my "bucket list".  :::snort:::

Shea made the cute quilt on the wall and Patty made that awesome backpack.  Metro Ovals - we were sent seven fat quarters of the Metro Ovals and a 1/2 yard of Kona Cotton in Ash.  

I made a pillow...

This was with Valori Wells new fabric - we were sent a charm pack of the prints and a 1/2 yard of the background.

The newest issue - shown above - had Patty, Monique and moi playing with batiks.  We each received a Tonga Treat in Boysenberry - 20 strips measuring 6" x 44". 

I made all three of these framed pictures using about 1/4 of my strips and half-triangle squares of the same size.  All three frames are standard size, easily found at any "big box" craft store, Target and Walmart, and frame shop like Aaron Bros.

Framing blocks and "quilt-y" things is one of my favorite things to do.  

And again - all pictures are "Used with permission from Quilts and More magazine. 2014 Meredith Corporation. All rights reserved."

The last project will be in the Winter 2014 issue that comes out in November - I think.  Patty, Allison and I were given a fat quarter bundle of Allison's beautiful new O Clementine fabric - coming out next month, September.  And I made a quilt.  Finally!  It's pretty cute - it measures 64" x 64" and all you need is a FQ bundle... just saying... should you want to plan ahead.

A little part of me is a bit sad that it's over as I really did enjoy every single challenge and project.  There were times when I was absolutely 100% certain that I would never.ever.not-in-a-million-years.ever get an idea for what to make.  And that was part of the fun of it all.  I know!  It sounds crazy... but I read once that having limits and restrictions force you to be the most creative - they push you further outside of your comfort zone because you have to find a way to make it work.  

So thank you to Jill and Jody for inviting me to play along.  

And I'm sorry that I was a little bit late sometimes.  

(That was where the pain and anxiety part of this story came in.)

I'm back tomorrow with an "around the world" sort of thing.

(I know.  I won't believe it until it happens either.)

 

Passion Project? Project Passion?

They're trying to confuse me on purpose.  

I saw something on Instagram about the ladies at American Patchwork doing something called "Project 48".  Because I'm a naturally curious - as opposed to nosey - sort, I investigated.

I could find Passion 48... okay, that sounded very interesting.  Forty-eight hours of passion?  Is Sting involved in this somehow?  No, but it was what I was looking for, that was the original title.  Though can I just say that in their effort to really confuse me, the URL calls it Project 48.

Whatever it's called, here's the gist of it - For one hour each work week, "we" all work on a project of our choosing.  "We" get four weeks off in case of vacation, sickness, or just being too busy. 

That's not the royal "we", it's the "we" that means Carrie's invited herself to join the ladies at APQ on their neat little idea.  

I've had this fabric for years and years... Daiwabo Taupes.

I love these fabrics.  I have seven packs of Fat Eighths, 8 pieces in each pack.  Each pack has a combination of printed fabrics and textural wovens.    

The hitch for me has always been trying to figure out what to make with them.  I knew I wanted something relatively simple, something that wouldn't detract from the gorgeousness of the fabric.  A "charm" sort of quilt was what I had in mind.

Something like this...

So this is my "Project 48" quilt to start the year.  

I am going to commit to working on it one hour a week until it's done.  I'm including my "prep" time at the start - I'm going to starch the fabrics before I cut them.  

The biggest challenge is seeing if I can make this without changing something... well, other than making it completely scrappy.  Since I'm cutting strips from a Fat Eighth... I may cut my strips a skosh wider...

Any guesses on how many weeks it will take me to finish?  

I'm hoping to have a nice lap-quilt by next Fall... wish me luck.  

Quilt-along little Rosie...

That would be moi.  Rosie mostly naps while I sew.  And snores.  

Do you remember this?

Lissa Alexander's gorgeous Tone it Down quilt from the February 2014 issue of American Patchwork & Quilting - on newsstands now.  

There's a whole group stitching along.  Lissa is leading the way... Now Jennifer, now Camille!  Now Sherri and Jane!  On Amy!  On Kimberly! On Anne and Lisa B.!  

Since I'm bringing up the rear blog-wise, that would make me the chubby and plump, right jolly old elf!  It would also make Lissa A. "Rudolph" as she's leading the way... except she's also "driving the team"... hmmm...     

While greater minds than mine try to figure that all out, let me get back to the quilt.  This is what I started with:

An assortment of French General fabrics - mostly Rouenneries and Rouenneries Deux, with some Christmas collections thrown in.

It might surprise you to know that while I love the reds and pink-reds in these collections, it is the gray prints that have always been my favorite part of the French General collections.  They're unusual, dramatic, subtle, elegant... and they are an amazing accent for the red and pink-red prints.  So I wanted to highlight the gray - make that a focus of my quilt.  

My second objective was to take a different approach than Lissa by reversing the "scrappy" parts of the block.  Each block would use a single background and the chains - the mediums and darks - would be scrappy.  An assortment of the darker red prints would be used for the "X" across the middle of the block and the lighter pink-red prints would be used for the "O".  Except I would reverse that on a few blocks... just to be different.  The gray prints would be used for the sashing - either in large pieces or pieced, I would make that decision when the time came.    

This is one of my blocks - one of those with the pink-red prints for the "X" and the darker red prints for the "O"...

As you can see from the block above, there wasn't much difference in the two shades when the block was finished.  At first, I was very disappointed by that and I considered making a change - starting over again - to use the gray in the block.  But as I looked at my block - blocks... plural - I decided not to.  I really liked them the way they were.  

So I made more.

Even though each block uses a single background, I am using eight different background fabrics.  And because I love the "make it do" aesthetic of old scrap-quilts, I am not using the same amount of each one.  There are three blocks each of two background fabrics, and two fabrics are used only once.  The remaining four fabrics are used twice.    

I'm also getting a little bit ahead of myself.

Getting Started.  Some of you already know that I like pressing with steam.  Lots and lots of steam.  While Color Catchers can take care of dye loss and colors bleeding, they can't really do much for fabric shrinking due to the application of moisture and heat.  So I "prep" my fabrics before I start cutting.  

Any starch will do, or any sizing.  I prefer this Niagara Non-Aerosol because I like the scent.  The whole objective is to get the fabric wet - or damp - and press it dry with heat.  And steam, if desired.  It's a bit time-consuming but the end result is worth it - for me!  This is a personal preference - it works for me.  Because of the crisp, flat smoothness of the starched and pressed fabric, I am more comfortable stacking and cutting four-to-six layers.  If you'd like a "higher authority" for why this is a good thing... Lisa Bongean is a "starcher" too.  And she makes lots of spectacular quilts with lots of itty bitty pieces.  

Stripping.  Because of the scrappy reds and pink-reds, and the single background in each block, I could only strip-piece a little bit of each block.  Using short-ish strips - about 10" long, I strip-pieced the units for the four-patches in the corners.  The upside is that, with the addition of a 1 1/2" background or medium/dark print square, those pieced-segments could also be used for the nine-patches.  So while I couldn't do much strip-piecing, I did do a lot of chain-piecing.

I will tell you that while it might take a little more time to piece the parts - and blocks - this way, the blocks still went together fairly quickly.  It's the kind of sewing where you can be listening to music, a movie or a book while you work.  There are a few places where concentration is required - getting the squares aligned properly in the nine-patches - but most of the construction is easily done.  As a friend said, this is the perfect sort of sewing for this time of year as you can do a little bit when you have time and it doesn't require your complete, focused attention.

When it comes to making the block parts/units, I think it helps to keep in mind that you need four of everything - or a multiple of four.  That applies to the cutting, the pieced segments and the pieced units - except the center, you only need one of those.  Four four-patches, four nine-patches, four side pieces... four large background rectangles, eight small background rectangles, etc.    

In an effort to "keep it real"... I tend to keep "stacks" of pieces on my worktable.  There are the stacks of plain background pieces for three blocks - each separated with all the pieces for a single block.  The pieced units for the blocks are also stacked - not with any real plan in mind.  I try to keep the individual print fabrics somewhat distributed among the three blocks but I'm not obsessive about it.  

This means I'm ready to assemble three blocks.  

Block Assembly.  That's the easy part - once the pieces are done, there are five rows of five parts.  I do recommend laying the parts out on the table next to you - it's easy to get a four-patch or nine-patch turned sideways.  Yes, been there, done that... un-sewed that.  

Pressing is easy for the rows - to the plain background rectangle.  Pressing the seams joining the rows has three options - to one side.  Open.  Or clipped.  The first two work perfectly well but I prefer clipping seams because it lets me press each part of the seam in the direction it wants to go - toward the background rectangle.  

I clip right next to the seam allowance - a 1/4" away from the seam junction.  If you're not a "clipper", there are only a few cautions to mention.  First, use only the tips of the scissors.  It's better to have to clip a second time to go a little deeper than to have to re-stitch a seam or worse, replace pieces, because you've clipped too far.  Second, because of the first requirement, you need to use scissors that are sharp at the tip.  Test your scissors on something else before you try clipping seams.  Some really good scissors don't do a great job at clipping seams while some "cheapies" do a terrific job.

If you're wary of clipping seams, I understand.  Really.  I was very skeptical - it goes against everything "quilters" are taught.  The "light-bulb" moment for me was when Jo Morton reminded me that garment-sewers clip seams all the time.  Well, duh.  I clipped seams on collars and sleeves, and not once did I ever have a seam or fabric come apart where it had been clipped.  Given the more frequent washing and the wear-and-tear put on a collar or sleeve, I decided to start clipping seams.  In the five years or so that I've been clipping seams on quilts... not once have I ever had a seam or fabric come apart where it's been clipped.   

So there you have it... for now.

I'll give you a heads up though - I'm not going to wind up where I thought I was going.  While my blocks have not changed, my plans for the sashing has.  

But I'll tell you about that next year.  For now, let it suffice to say that I've made a change or two to the original sashing.  

Oh well.  It isn't like Lissa and Jennifer didn't already know that I make a habit of doing that sort of thing.  

 

 

Auxiliary Patchwork Queue?

That doesn't sound right.

Absolutely Pretty Quilt?  

That fits. But I don't think I've got the letters right yet.  

All People Quilt?  That also works and it's sort of related... but it's still not right.

American Patchwork & Quilting?  I'm getting close but like I always do in horseshoes, I can clank the post but I never seem to leave the horseshoes around it.  Close isn't good enough...

Amazing Patchwork Quiltalong!  (I'm with Lissa... I think it needs to be hyphenated - quilt-along.)

You've already read about this from people who are a little more timely on-the-ball than I am.  But if you've missed anything, here's the short-version of events... ModaLissa made a really gorgeous quilt that's in the upcoming issue.  If you don't have it yet, subscribers will receive it any day now, it will be on newsstands Dec. 3rd, and a digital subscription is available at www.allpeoplequilt.com/getdigital.  This is what to look for - 

It's the February 2014 issue... don't worry, if that doesn't make sense, you're not alone.  

Lissa and Jennifer Keltner - the Goddess Editor Divine of American Patchwork magazine - put their brilliant, genius heads together and came up with an entertaining idea on how to tie the amazing online quilting community - that would be you! - and the print media world together.  Lissa started inviting people to participate and when it came to me, there was much whining, pleading and carrying-on involved.  It wasn't pretty.  To make it all stop, Lissa said I could participate... even though I think she knows I'm probably going to have to change at least one thing.  Just to be annoying different.

So who is already at the party?

The hostesses are ModaLissa and Jennifer Keltner.

These ladies are already set-up and sewing are:

• Amy Ellis of Amy's Creative Side
• Anne Sutton of Bunny Hill Designs
• Jane Davidson of Quilt Jane
• Kimberly Jolly of It's Sew Emma, the Fat Quarter Shop & The Jolly Jabber
• Lisa Bongean of Primitive Gatherings
• Camille Roskelley of Thimble Blossoms
• Sherri McConnell of A Quilting Life

But it won't really be a party unless you decide to join in.  To make it easier for everyone to share what they're doing, the brilliant minds have created a hashtag for Instagram, Twitter and Facebook - #APQQuiltalong.  That will let everyone see the pictures posted by everyone quilting-along.  

If you're on Instagram, new to Instagram or soon-to-be-new to Instagram, everybody is already there:

• ModaLissa - @modalissa
• Jennifer - @allpeoplequilt
• Amy - @amyscreativeside
• Anne - @bunnyhilldesigns
• Jane - @quiltjane
• Kimberly - @fatquartershop
• Lisa - @lisabongean
• Camille - @thimbleblossoms
• Sherri - @sherrimcconnell
• Moi - @carrierosieaz  

While you wait for your magazine to arrive, I'll share a few of the quilt details so you can start planning, thinking, plotting?  Lissa's finished quilt measures 75" x 93".  As for fabrics, the "background" is easy, you're going to need a lot.  Either 20 1/2-yard pieces or at least 7 yards.  The rest is pretty simple - 20 Fat Eighths and 20 10" x 10" squares.  Or a weird assortment of fat quarters, fat eighths, layer cakes, scraps and leftovers.  That's what I'm using.   

This.  A melange (a French word) of fabrics from various French General collections.

Red.  Pearl.  Gray - Roche.  

If this was supposed to be outside my "comfort zone"... uh, oops.  I love these fabrics and I've used them all in quilts.  But here's the thing... the beauty of quilt-alongs is that we don't all have to make exactly the same quilt.  Even when everybody starts with the same pattern or book, the results are always amazingly different.  Even when two people use the same exact fabrics for their quilts, the results are different because of the individual choices.  And the little "interpretations" they make.  (I know, it's a nice word for "ornery insistence on doing things their own way.")

The plan - schedule - is for everyone to check back in on December 3rd when the magazine hits newsstands to give you an update on their progress.  Then there will be regular - but not scheduled - updates through February 1st, 2014 on piecing the blocks, how each of us works with or without a design wall, piecing the rows, etc.  Why February 1st?  That's when the November 2015 issue hits the newsstands.  (I'm kidding!)

And that's it for now!

I will be back tomorrow with "other" stuff.  As in, this isn't the only quilt-along I've done this past month.  I've finished two big-ish quilts the past couple of weeks!  And the last new Schnibbles are coming... and a few kits.  And what else?  I don't remember but I'll make a list.  

I have to go press some more fabric and continue cutting... you didn't think I'd already finished this quilt, did you?  As if!