Have a listen!

with framing…

without framing…

And Jane – I love that you have a pic of yourself labeled as the ‘quilt geek.’  I have long considered myself a quilt nerd/geek.

And Gretchen’s beautiful finish:

How do I enter the fabulous Quilter’s Newsletter subscription contest?

Enter the contest in up to three ways:

*leave a comment here on the blog

*leave feedback at itunes, then leave a comment about your feedback here (because I can’t be sure I’ll be able to contact the winner if it was an itunes entry otherwise)

*join the Pioneer Quilter group over at the Big Tent - it’s easy & free.  You will have to join the main Quiltcast Supergroup before you can join the Pioneer Quilter subgroup.  Come check it out – lots of other quilting podcasters are there, too!

Challenge: MAY MAYHEM!!!

What is May Mayhem?  That is the title of my May challenge for listeners.  I have decided to challenge myself to perform a quilting or sewing activity every day for at least 15 minutes for all of May.  Would you like to join the fun?  Head on over to the Pioneer Quilter group at the Big Tent.  All you have to do to join is leave a reply to the forum topic entitled ‘May Mayhem’. 

Then  once a week I will post a new forum message for you to log your progress at.  I will have mini podcasts each week to discuss the progress and whatnot of the challenge.  Consider joining up today!

Enjoy the show!

Thank you to the many listeners leaving comments!  The Husband especially likes your feedback

In March I had the opportunity to see Patricia Knoechel of Quilt-in-a-day fame speak and give sewing demonstrations.  It was well worth the $3.00 entrance fee and the 1/2 day of vacation!  She was promoting her sister Eleanor’s book, ‘Quilt Blocks on American Barns’. I bought a few things and had a great time.  I am glad I took the time to go.

Hurray!  I finished The Boy’s quilt.  Sorry, we are having technical difficulties with the camera so no photos yet but I wanted to share the awesomest finish on the binding I have seen: the ladder stitch!  I heard someone mention it on a podcast – I am thinking Annie Smith but honestly it was months and months ago so I am not sure who it was.  So I googled it to find a tutorial.  I found this super-clear and easy to follow tutorial at Turning Turning.  Check it out. 

Head on over to Big Tent to join the Pioneer Quilter group!  You will need to join the main Quiltcast Supergroup before you can join Pioneer Quilter.  Signing up will get you entered in a drawing to win a year of Quilter’s Newsletter!  You can also enter by leaving a comment here and by leaving feedback on iTunes (and then notifying me of your feedback here.)

Have a listen!

Goals for this year:

• 18 episodes for a total of 34
• Back, quilt, & bind The Boy’s quilt
• Embellish, back, quilt, & bind the Round Robin quilt
• Back, quilt, & bind the Sunburst quilt
• start piecing something new!

What are your goals for the year?

Click to listen!

There is a new addition to my wishlist:  a tile quilt!  See an example at Barbara Brackman’s website.  If you don’t follow Barbara’s blog and you are in to historical quilting facts…get with it and subscribe to her blog!

On to frugal quilt projects – piecing a potholder!  In episode 8 I talked about all of the pieces you would need to cut out.  I am sure you have them at the ready!  Here are the steps we will take now:

1) Take a light square and a dark square and place them right sides together.   Point a pin right at the upper left hand dot that you marked on the piece facing you.  Now push the pin through, and flip to the other side.  You are looking for the pin to exit from the upper right hand dot on the back piece.  If they don’t line up, adjust the placement of the pieces until you can get the pin to pierce both dots.  Then slide the pin into place.

Pin two pieces corner dot to corner dot

2) Now thread your needle.  Tie a small knot at the end of the thread.  Then, like with the pin, insert your needle in the upper right hand corner dot of the piece facing you, and get the end of the needle to puncture the dot on the back piece.  Then you will rock the needle to the side and take a small stitch.  Pull the thread through.

Make a small stitch right on the upper right hand dot

3) Re-insert the needle in between where the thread originally went in and came out – you are taking a backstitch.  Then work the needle in and out to load several stitches onto the needle and pull it through.  You want the stitches to be small…no larger than an 1/8th of an inch.  Whenever you pull the needle through, start again by taking a small back stitch.

4) When  you get to the pin, pull it out.  Don’t sew past the dot.  Your last stitch should go through the dot.  I do a small backstitch and pass the needle through the loop and pull it tight.  Then snip off the excess thread, leaving a small 1/4 inch tail.  I then finger pressed my seams toward the dark color.

5) Now add a third square to create a row.  You will create three rows – two with your first fabric at the ends, and one with your first fabric in the middle.

A whole row sewn together

6) To pin two rows together (make sure you pin the right two rows together…remember a nine patch has a checkerboard effect) lay the two rows right sides together.  Pin the upper left dot as we did for sewing two squares, then also pin the dots that are where the pieces meet.  If you finger pressed the pieces all correctly the seams should lock into place against each other.  Then sew across, just like for the single squares.  When you get to a seam allowance, don’t sew it down.  You are going to push the needle through to the other side of the seam allowance right on the dot and continue sewing.  Take back stitches on either side of the seam allowance.

Pinning two rows together

 7) End it just like a single piece – on the dot, with a loop knot.  Then open out the pieces.  To reduce bulk at corners you’ll want to flare out the seam allowance, as below:

Flare the corners out to reduce bulk

Now sew the other row in the appropriate place.  Look for the checkerboard!

Congratulations! You've got a nine patch.

Next time we’ll talk about quilting it!

Guest shot of Krypto the dog:

Krypto!

I took a break from the frugal quilting series because I wanted to release something.  We’ve been super busy trying to get our house ready to put up for sale.  I know – it’s not a great time to sell but our circumstances don’t care about the timing!  The Husband makes a (surprise) guest appearance.  

I mentioned 4 books in this episode:

• The Civil War Love Letter Quilt by Rosemary Youngs
• The Quilter’s Catalog – a comprehensive resource guide by Meg Cox
• Material Obsession – Modern quilts with traditional roots by Kathy Doughty and Sarah Fielke
• American Quilts and Coverlets in the Metropolitan Museum of Art by Amelia Peck

I finished a Round Robin round – applique!  I do have a picture of it but of course I haven’t downloaded it from the camera which is AWOL somewhere in the bowels of or house.  (update: found the camera!)

Me & the latest addition to someone else's robin

I’ll be at the NQA show June 19th.  Stop me and say hello if you go!

HOT NEWS!!!  The Clues in the Calico is available as an ebook for $19.99.  This long sought-after book was out of print.  Thanks to the miracles of science we can all download our own personal electronic copy.  Yippee

‘Quilting with Machines’ will be held in Aurora, Ohio from October 22nd to the 24th (2009).  If you are interested in learning to machine quilt using any type of machine – domestic, short, mid, or long this is the place for you!  And some famous quilters will be there too.

On to frugal quilting.  We’re making a hand-pieced potholder.  What fun.  (And here’s a frugal point – it’s “fun”ctional!)  What you’ll need:

1. Fabric – 3 coordinating cotton fat quarters should suffice; or you could do it frugal all the way and go scrappy with lights/darks for design contrast
2. cotton thread
3. cotton batting (just say no to poly!!!  It will melt in this case.  Same goes for the thread.)
4. template material – plastic, cardboard, whatever.
5. Printout of the template

Create the template – cut the paper copy out and tape it on your template material.  Trace around the edge and cut out the template on the line.  Then poke holes at the four corner dots and transfer the arrow onto your template material.

Using the template – lay fabric right side down on a rough surface, such as a piece of sandpaper.  Put the template down on the fabric.  Carefully line the arrow on the template up with the threads in your fabric…the arrow and the threads should appear to be parallel to each other.  Trace around the edge, mark the corner dots through the holes and cut it out. 

Cut – 5 squares using the template from one color and 4 from the other color for the front.  You’ll need a 10 inch x 10 inch piece for the back, and a 38 inch binding that is 2.5 inches wide.

That’s it!  You are ready for next time.  Have a great day!

Click here for episode #6

There are finally some signs that spring may be on it’s way here in Ohio.

 And the giveaway winner is….Brye Lynn!  Check out her blog and podcast at sewstitchcreate.com.  I can’t wait to hear it myself – it is downloading to the ipod now. 

Thank you everyone who joined in the giveaway commenting.  I know you were visiting to enter the contest…but your nice comments were very much appreciated!  Quilters are the best.

Alex Anderson is coming!!!  Abigayle’s Quiltery is hosting Alex for two lectures in the Cleveland area this May.  Click on the ’special events’ button at the Abigayle’s site to see details.

Goal updates -

1. Round Robin – round one is complete!  That’s The Husband peaking over the top. 
2. Winter coat is complete!  The Husband managed to take my photo in it without revealing my flood pajama bottoms hanging out.  Ha!
3. Sunburst block - the second block of six for the year, complete!  No pic – just look at the last one.  They are all the same. 

Today’s main topic is my wishlist.  There is probably some blogging word for it that I don’t know, but I am defining it as a list of techniques, materials, blocks, patterns, etc. that I would someday like to work with.  In most cases I would create an entire bedsized quilt for an item on the list.  What is on my list?  You’ll have to listen to the show to find out!!  What is on your list?  Leave a comment or blog and leave a link to your blog entry.  I’d love to know!

Happy quilting everyone!  Welcome to Spring

As mentioned in the show, I have one goal for the podcast: twenty fifteen minute episodes in 2009.  Can I do it?  We’ll see!  1 down, 19 to go.

My personal quilting goals – I have four goals for the year.  Complete a guild crayon challenge quilt, complete a guild round robin (top only), complete 6 blocks from my hand pieced project – the Sunburst blocks from the Christmas in July project of the August 2007 Quilter’s Newsletter, and complete the Moulin Rouge quilt from the book Quick Colorful Quilts for The Boy.

I am a member of NQA and I spent some time talking about the benefits of membership & the SHOW!!  I can’t wait for the show, June 18-20, 2009.  I will be attending at least one day this year.  I hope to see you there

Hello all you pioneer quilters out there!  This marks the beginning of my jump into podcasting.  I’m really excited to bring a spotlight to my favorite aspect of quilting: handwork!  In this episode I talk a little bit about my goals for the program, as well as the types of things I’d like to talk about and the format I’d like to use on the show. 

In this episode, I mentioned the book that I initially learned quilting from,  Fons and Porter’s Quilter Complete Guide.  I still use it and it has sadly fallen apart.  They have a hard-cover version for sale on their website for only $20.  I think it is well worth the price.

If you’d like to send me some email, my address is kelley at pioneerquilter dot com.  I hope you enjoyed my first show!