A great set up

 I thought I'd share the way I iron seams when I'm piecing small pieces.  I've done this for years and it saves from having to get up and down going to the ironing board.  This Dritz mini iron is 18 years old.  I bought a new one 3 years ago thinking this one would conk out eventually.  But this one keeps working!  

I found a June Taylor mini press n' cut that fits nicely next to my machine.  I love this set up!  Unfortunately, they stopped making the mini press n' cut.  I found one on ebay and that's about the only place where you can find one now.

Important

 

Cute little bag

 I'm blessed to have several friends I meet with, send texts a few times each week and we get together once a month or so at a nice restaurant to catch up with each other.  Now that I've given these out, one to each of my friends, I can share this nice project.

I made each of them a Bitsy Box.  The pattern is by Ticklegrass Designs.  The Bitsy Box is a 2"x2" little bag that is perfect for storing Wonder Clips.  In fact, I filled the little thing with about 50 Wonder Clips before I gave them out.

If you're looking for a nice project to give as gifts, this one fits the bill.  They come together quickly due to their small size and are easy!

Embroidery Machine Upgrade

 I decided to upgrade to another embroidery machine with a larger hoop size.  I bought a Janome Memory Craft 500E embroidery only machine.  I've been getting to know it the last couple days and I really like this machine!  The largest hoop size is 8"x 11".  I have a couple projects to work on after the Christmas rush is over and both have larger embroidery designs in them.  Here is one of the designs, a double hooping creates this design:

I also worked on two quilt labels for a customer and I am very impressed with the quality of the stitching.  I made a good decision getting this machine.

Under my needle

 Winter has finally arrived in NC.  On this cold Sunday this is under my needle.  I began it last night and plan to finish it and 2 other small quilts today!  The pantograph on this quilt is called Bossa Nova and it's a favorite of mine.  

This is one of the other quilts I need to finish for a customer.  It has a travel theme and I'm stitching campers on it using my robotics.

A new kind of rotary cutter!

 There is a new type of rotary cutter available and it is wonderful!  Much different than the usual rotary cutter, it has ball bearings in it that make it so much easier to cut.  You don't have to press nearly as hard to get the blade to cut.  And the best thing is our cutting mats will last longer! 

Another benefit is for people who have arthritis in their hands or shoulders.  With less pressure placed on the cutter there is a bit of relief from pain while using a cutter.

It's sold only at Missouri Star Quilt Company.  

How to avoid twisted binding

This video has a very good tip for joining the binding.  She folds the binding over at one point and this tip has certainly helped me.   I used to end up with twisted binding about 50% of the time, but with this folding idea, no more twisted binding!

Under my needle

 I have a customer quilt on the frame tonight, I'm working late.   On the wall are 2 quilt tops I made over the summer.  I haven't had time to longarm my own tops lately but I'll have more time after the Christmas rush is over.

Quilt Retreat Packing List

 I am headed to a quilt retreat next month in the North Carolina mountains.  I made a checklist for myself and thought I would share it with you!  

It's a free download, click here!

Ode to Sewing Machines #46

 Many of you follow my "Ode to the Sewing Machine" posts.  We've all seen the ads on craigslist, ebay and elsewhere.  The clueless sellers give those of us who sew a belly laugh, or two!  Here's installment #46!  

That's a new way to thread a machine!

All you need is $150 and a tetanus shot for this pile of junk.

Ewww!  No wonder it's been listed for 9 months with no takers, even for $10.

Dye has bled on your quilt - what now?

When a quilt with red, black, purple or dark blue fabric has bleeding of colors it can ruin a perfectly good quilt.  Synthrapol is a solution to fixing the problem!  

The first thing I'd like to do is have you watch a youtube video by Rob from Man Sewing. 

This video teaches how Synthrapol works, and it's important to learn this before 

you try using Synthrapol the first time.

Note: I have you starting the video in the middle.

Synthrapol is a neutral detergent.. The neutral pH means it is good for taking care of the excess dyes.  All laundry detergents and dishwashing detergents, such as Dawn, are high pH and as a result you need multiple cycles of washing to get all the excess dyes out. They don't work all that well, frankly.

Rob gave very good information about how to use Synthrapol.  (The first half of the video talks about how to use Retayne, it's good information too!)  But he doesn't give information on how to remove excess dyes from a big 'ol quilt.

For a top loading washer:  

Add the quilt and the Synthrapol.  Use one teaspoon for every gallon of water... 1/2 cup (4 ounces) will go into 20 gallons, which is the typical amount a washer holds.
The water in the washer must be hot, raise the temperature of your hot water heater temporarily so it's plenty hot.  Let it run through a cycle, agitation is important here... and use a warm water rinse. A second warm water rinse wouldn't hurt.

Check the fabrics to make sure the dye was removed.  Do not dry the quilt in the dryer until all the excess dye has been removed.  If you still see excess dye, simply repeat the wash cycle again.

For a front loading washer:

Because of the small amount of water used in a front loader, a front loading washer is not recommended.  You should go to a laundry mat in that case, or visit someone who has a top loader.

Note: this post was originally posted in 2019.  It's being repeated now since it's good information!

Fabric and patterns galore

 

Quilt of Valor Foundation

 I longarmed a Quilt of Valor for the National Foundation last January and they sent a photo of the ceremony. It was awarded to Army Veteran Specialist Allan Gentry who served from 1974 to 1977. His duty stations were in Ft. Eustis VA and Schauenburg Germany as a truck driver. His quilt was awarded at the Delta Area Senior Center in Delta PA where he is a member. His wife was present along with many other Senior Center members to thank him for his service to our country.

Barn quilts

I've seen many barn quilts in my travels around Iowa and North Carolina.  I decided to put one on my house.  My husband did a great job of hanging it!  Do you have a barn quilt on your property? 

Sleep in Heavenly Peace

 What are you having fun doing this fine Sunday? I am longarming a quilt top that I made a year ago and I’m just now getting around to longarming it. On Monday it's going to be donated to a charity called Sleep in Heavenly Peace - NC, Durham so I better get off the computer and get busy! I finish the longarming today and will do the binding tomorrow.

Sleep in Heavenly Peace builds twin beds and donates them to children who have been sleeping on the floor.  It's a great way to give back to the community.  They have a nationwide building day on Sept. 14th in cooperation with Lowe's, who donates much of the wood used that day.  My quilt will be given to a deserving child on that day.

Under my needle today

 I've been busy this week, trying to catch up with my longarming schedule.  I'm a bit behind!  This is the quilt on my frame this afternoon, a king size made by a customer.  I have 8 more lined up and I'm having fun!

Artist in background

My view this Saturday morning

 

Juki DX-2000QVP sewing machine

I bought a new machine and thought I'd share a review.  If you want the features of the machines that cost thousands, you can find them in this machine and it was only $1,599!

 I've been sewing since I was 13, that's 50+ years and this machine has the most precise feed I have ever seen. It's the easiest and quickest machine to thread of any I've used. And the thread cutter is wonderful. Push a button, both threads are cut and you don't have to hold the thread when you begin sewing again.

 The operation is incredibly intuitive, especially considering how robust the features and options it has. The stitch quality is perfect, and the machine produces consistently well formed stitches. The foot hovers when you stop or pause sewing, a great feature for quilters like me.  You can also program the machine to turn this feature off if you need to.

You can program the foot control heel action to do what you want it to. I programed mine to sew a 1/2 stitch but you can program it to cut the thread, sew one complete stitch, raise or lower the foot and others I can't remember right now.

And, wow, this feature is fabulous!  By pressing the float button, you can sew with the presser foot slightly raised. By raising the presser foot to float you can sew fabrics without pushing layers or creating uneven seams. And you can sew thick layers without using the walking foot! This is effective when quilting and sewing appliques. The height of the presser foot can be set from 0 to 2.5 mm in increments of 0.1 mm.

The feed dogs function extremely well to move the fabric over seams and variable thicknesses. It makes beautiful button holes that are very easy to do, and perfectly sized by placing the button in the spring loaded holder in the buttonhole foot. Its buttonhole-making features are easy and produce the best buttonholes!

I've successfully sewed zippered pouches, 2 tote bags with recessed zipper, also a ByAnnie tote bag with front zipper pocket.  I'll use this machine mainly at quilting classes now.  It's a wonderful machine and I really should say that this would make a fabulous 'every day' machine, and it's a shame to only use it for travel!

Flower Girl Quilt

 

I finished a little quilt top over the weekend.  It's a Jolly Bar quilt, from the Fat Quarter Shop. When you buy a Jolly Bar a free pattern comes with the package.  A Jolly Bar contains 40 5"x10" strips of a fabric collection.

2 QOV tops to longarm

 I'm longarming, and on my frame will be 2 Quilt of Valor tops.  Both are for the national Quilt of Valor Foundation.  This was the first one...

I love QOV quilts.  I attended our group's last awards ceremony where we awarded over 25 quilts to deserving veterans.  The man I gave my quilt to gave me 3 hugs because he was so grateful.

If you would like to serve veterans in this way you can visit the QOV Foundation website to find a quilt sewing group in your area. There are groups all across the country! 
https://www.qovf.org/about-qovf/whos-in-my-area/

 The search function on their site doesn't work very well if you enter a zip code.  You have better results if you zoom in on your location using their map.

Here's the 2nd one...

Yesterday, I cut out the pieces for a small wall hanging I plan to hang in my foyer/hallway.  It's a Jolly Bar quilt, from the Fat Quarter Shop. When you buy a Jolly Bar a free pattern comes with the package.  A Jolly Bar contains 40 5"x10" strips of a fabric collection.

A solution to leaking irons

I see complaints on the sewing boards about leaking irons and I thought I'd create a post about spray bottles.  Back in the day our grandmothers used a shaker bottle filled with water while she ironed. Of course, they didn't have steam irons back then so they used what worked.

We have better choices than what our grandmothers had back in the day.  The bottle I use happens to be a spray bottle used by hairstylists.  It has a fine mist that doesn't saturate the fabric and it sprays continuously which is a great feature when you have a large area of fabric.  If you have a leaky iron try using a hairstylist spray bottle, there are even some available in quilt themes.

 
There is a new type of iron that is available.  I bought one and in 5 years it has never leaked or sputtered.  It is a steam generator but without the tank of water you'd expect with a steam generator. I highly recommend this iron!  

Reliable Velocity 240IR 1800W Steam Iron - Compact Vapor Generator Home Steam Iron. 

1.   There is an override for the auto shut-off if you want to keep the iron on. 
   
   
2. The Reliable Steam Generator has a sensor in the handle that knows when you are touching the iron.  It runs the steam as long as you're touching it. The steam results on even my most challenging quilt blocks is amazing.  
   
   
3. The steam works really well, and it's conservative in it's water usage, which makes it last longer.  And not one sputter or drip!!  You can turn the steam off, of course, and use it as a dry iron as well.

Ode to Sewing Machines #45

 

Many of you follow my "Ode to the Sewing Machine" posts.  We've all seen the ads on craigslist, ebay and elsewhere.  The clueless sellers give those of us who sew a belly laugh, or two!  Here's installment #45!  

It's the rust that adds to the price of the machine.

You Go Girl!

  I have the coolest family tree!  Full of rebels!  Mercy Jones, born in Massachusetts in Sept. 1654 was arrested at age 19.  Court records show the following:

The colonial laws regulated the subject of extravagant dressing.  In September 1673 the court recorded:“Diverse women at Springfeild presentd at ye Courte in March last for that being of meane estate they did weare Silkes contrary to Law vixt Goodwife Labden , Goody Colton , Goody Morgan , Goody Barnard , Mercy & Hephzibod Jones , Hunters wife ; Daughter ;Abell Wrights wife, & warned to this Courte the six former app’ring in Courte they were admonisht of their extyravagancyes & dismist.


Her sister was arrested as well, and with her name I can imagine she needed to do some fancy dressing to get beyond that moniker. What a cool family!  Besides Mercy Jones, my ancesters include the following:

• King Edward I, aka Longshanks, my 21st Great Grandfather
• Patrick Henry is my cousin, 8 generations ago
• Charles Martel (born in 676 AD) 39th Great Grandfather "Were it not for Charles Martel perhaps the interpretation of the Koran would now be taught in the schools of Oxford, and her pulpits might demonstrate the sanctity and truth of the revelation of Mahomet. . . . From such calamities was Christendom delivered by the genius and fortune of one man." Edward Gibbon: History Of The Decline And Fall Of The Roman Empire, Volume 5, page 156 - 157
• Hugh de Courtenay IV, Pirate of the high seas in the 1460s, my 16th great grandfather
• My 37th great grandfather, Charlemagne the Great
• Princess Diana, 21st cousin by marriage
• Prince William and Princess Kate, 22nd cousins by marriage
• Vladimir "The Great", Grand Prince of Kiev is my paternal grandfather of wife of grand nephew of the wife of my 30th great grandfather.
    (note to self: you might need to take a break now...time to step away from the computer...)

After King Edward I, my family tree follows a line through his daughter, Princess Elizabeth, who married Humphrey De Bohun, Earl of Essex.  The royal blood line thins as it reaches the 1700s and then I find I'm related to commoners after that.  When it gets that far away from Royal blood, at some point, does it turn into a rumor? Anyway, I think I'll send an invitation to Will and Kate for the next family BBQ.  They must have, what... a mere 540,000 22nd cousins?

Glow-line tape

 I found a great product to help me see the lines on rulers quickly and easily. I used Omnigrid highlighter tape called Glow line tape on my ruler.  I love this tape, really helps to see the lines on the ruler at a glance. It comes in 3 colors, pink, orange and yellow.  All 3 colors come in the package!

This quilt is called Diamonds & Pearls.   The top is made using a ruler called the Split-Rects and it really makes a nice quilt.

Fons & Porter made a tutorial on how to use the ruler to make this quilt.  The video is on YouTube:

Under my needle today

 I'm working on a large quilt today, 116" x 93"!  I haven't sent a post lately about what I'm working on in awhile.  I have my new wall hanging where it can be seen easily.  

If you're visiting my page looking for information about my services, I would love to help you finish your quilt!

Star Block wall hanging

 I have had fun creating a new quilt this week!  I bought Electric Quilt 8 earlier this month and started working on a quilt right away.  I saw a quilt hanging in a quilt shop and I tried to buy the pattern for it only to find out it wasn't being published any longer.  So I set about making one of my own.  This is the result!  

Click here to download a copy of the pattern!  It's a PDF file, a step by step tutorial and it is recommended for intermediate quilters.  The letter Q would be a bit daunting for a beginning quilter.  If you are a confident beginner I say "Go For It!"

Star QUILT Wall Hanging
by Christine Chamberlain

I do!

 

Electric Quilt 8

I purchased EQ8 a week ago and wow, does this program do a lot for relatively little money.  I've been using tutorials on their EQ blog, which has many, many lessons and tutorials!  You can use this program to make t-shirt quilts which have different sized blocks depending on the t-shirts that are used.  I used this tutorial to make my first quilt, a small wall hanging.  The program gives me printouts of the yardage and rotary cutting instructions, and I use those to then write the pattern.  The process to write the pattern takes a lot of time and thought but it is so much fun!

The wall hanging will be 17"x 24" when finished.

I finished the quilt in EQ8 and went right to the fabric shop to buy fabrics to make the quilt!  I'm busy writing the pattern this week.  As soon as I make the quilt, testing the instructions I've written I plan on making the pattern a pdf file and will post it here on my blog as a free download.  

Update April 24:  I have finished making the Star Block!  It measures 15-1/2" x 15-1/2".

Update April 25:  I have assembled my wall hanging!  I woke up at 1:30AM thinking about this wall hanging and was writing the pattern in my head.  I decided to get up and work on it since I couldn't go back to sleep anyway.  The pattern is written, all I need to add is a photo of the finished wall hanging. I need to longarm and bind it now.

Update April 26:  I've started longarming the wall hanging, here's a closeup of the quilting on the block...