Circumspect - the Quilt

I'm sharing this photo of Circumspect's quilting in process

for those who aren't clear about how Max works.

(Max is my APQS George sit down longarm)

The machine head stays in one place while

I move the quilt sandwich under the needle.

(Max has a 20" throat area)

At the same time, I control Max's speed

using a foot pedal that is slightly larger

than the one for my Bernina.

My chair is normally where the bulk of the quilt

is draped over the front edge of the table,

meaning Max is oriented like a domestic machine.

This is the stack of pieces and parts that Cherie gifted me in 2018.

The two-block and four-block groupings were taken apart

to create the maximum number of individual broken dishes blocks.

Then I used the stacks of unsewn die cut HSTs 

to make enough additional blocks to total ninety.

Combined with 90 alternate squares 

cut from two different but companionable greens,

I came up with this layout inspired by

a quilt in one of the Temcula Quilt Co. books.

After due deliberation I decided to keep things simple.

Liberated orange peels stitched with

Glide thread in Warm Grey 4.

I'm glad I gave up on the fancier ideas -

simple quilting was just what Circumspect needed.

Final size -- 48" wide by 60" long.

After so many design changes,

I'm very happy with the way Circumspect turned out.

One last photo taken outdoors

just for color comparison.

Quiltdivajulie

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“Listening to something is an act of surrender.”

Brian Eno

Meanwhile On the Other Side of the Room

Max, my sit down long arm, 

lives in the sewing studio

along with my Bernina and my pressing table.

I never intended to add "bling" to Max

but somehow the time just seemed right.

The Mind over Matter sticker is 

such a good reminder when I sit down to stitch on Max . . . 

and the power tool sticker makes my family laugh.

These are the other new stickers . . . 

If you supersize the photo, you'll be able

to see the name MAX on the boat's hull.

Great visuals that remind me to relax and enjoy the process.

(I named my machine for the character Max

in Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are)

So this is the new look Max is sporting.

That's Jingle Bells peeking through Max's throat area.

I'm hoping to get it quilted  this week.

Since I've leader-endered enough segments to make

all of the blocks for Dumpster Diving 10 - Do Tell,

I have pulled out Gerful as my next leader ender project.

Gerful means wild and wayward

which is a most suitable name for a quilt made with

scrappy brights on blacks and assorted colorful prints.

My original design called for a mix of 6" and 3" HSTs.

After the larger blocks (above) were sewn together,

I changed my mind and decided to go with all 3"

 using the tried-and-true "depression" block instead.

Truth be told, I have several HST quilts in the works.

I used my die cutter to prep a variety of projects

during the early months of the pandemic.

(you can read about them near the bottom of THIS PAGE)

Since the case count in our county 

is now increasing by 300-800 a day,

we're quickly reaching levels for

restrictions to return once again -

which means it is time to make some

 "wintery" masks to supplement our summery ones 

for the few times that we do go out of the house.

Quiltdivajulie

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“Put your ear down close to your soul and listen hard.”

Anne Sexton

 

Shifting Gears and a Grandson Update

Max (my APQS George sit down long arm) at work

Wilkommen has been sandwiched

and marked using Barb's Baptist Fan stencil.

As I quilted the first couple of rows,

it occurred to me that I hadn't shared

Max's revised/upgraded set up.

DH hung two light bars overhead.

Older tracking lighting pieces/parts

updated with a fresh coat of paint

and new not-hot lightbulbs

definitely reduce eye strain.

We also designed an extension table

hinged from the back of Max's table

and supported by two fold-up legs.

(the extension section can be folded down flat 

against the back of Max's table when not in use)

That additional space and support

for the quilt behind Max's stitching area

makes a huge difference.

(the unit near the front of this photo is Max's bobbin winder)

After watching Christina Cameli's Craftsy classes,

I tried her idea to remove the thumb and forefinger

portions of my quilting glove.

SO much easier to pick up stray threads,

remove basting pins / Pinmoors,

and change the bobbin/thread the needle.

Still some more quilting stitches to complete

but I hope to have a finish ready to share next week.

Mr. Adorable holding his daddy's finger

And now for an update on our grandson --

Mr. Adorable is 2-weeks-old today.

His IVs have been removed

and he's beginning to gain weight.

3 lbs. 7.5 ozs. at birth,

he dropped to 3 lbs. 6 ozs.

but is now at 3 lbs. 12 ozs.

(That's a tiny feeding tube in his nose -

he manages a little breast milk from a bottle

but the rest is fed through the tube)

Evenings are devoted to 

cuddle time with his parents

so we visit during the late afternoon.

NICU is an amazing place.

Quiltdivajulie

The Crosscut QAL - And Grand News

Photo by Sujata Shah

A few weeks back,

Sujata shared this photo

from her teaching trip to Ann Arbor.

Not long after that,

Debbie from A Quilter's Table

announced her week-long 

Crosscut QAL on Instagram.

One + One = Inspiration!

This is my finished quilt.

An Elephant for Darcy

measures 30" square.

I chose to leave my large blocks uncut

in order to use them to frame 

the center block's machine appliquéd elephant.

(NOTE:  This is NOT a political quilt!) 

After far too much dithering,

Max and I quilted this using Glide thread and

a scrap piece of Tuscany wool/cotton blend batting.

(Max is my APQS George sit down long arm)

The quilting features lots of long curving lines

that cross over each other randomly.

Here's a look at another of the crosscut blocks.

I used the very last of the 

tossed elephant print for the backing.

All photos will supersize if double-clicked

So what am I going to do with this fun little quilt?

The name might have given it away . . .

. . . but if not, 

here is photographic evidence 

of the quilt in action.

This is Darcy (our grand-dog) and her 

beloved pink Kong elephant posing atop her 

quilt-covered zebra-striped burrow bed.

Darcy spent a long weekend at Camp Sefton

while her people were busy at the hospital.

Why?

Our grandson

 was born just after midnight

last Thursday (August 4).

(3 lbs. 6 ozs. and 17" long)

He will stay in NICU for a while

since he was born nearly 7 weeks early.

So far he is doing well

and so are his parents.

* * *

To see process photos for Darcy's quilt,

visit my Instagram feed

by clicking HERE.

(there's also a link to my IG in the sidebar)

To see lots of photos by the others,

click HERE to visit 

the QAL's IG feed.

Quiltdivajulie

My Scrappy Table Runner

 

Anyone who knows me well knows that I'm pretty organized

but I'm also very impatient when it comes to learning new things.

I want to leap in and swim the distance

instead of practicing the dog paddle in the kiddie pool.

When I decided on cross hatching for the table runner,

I waited just long enough for my new rulers to arrive

and then I dove in head first.

No practice samples were used . . .

just a scrap of Hobbs 80/20 batting

and my new cone of purple Glide thread.

I am quite very pleased with the results.

Max and I had some issues with bobbin thread breaks,

but walking away for a couple of hours,

unthreading and re-threading the machine,

and switching to a different bobbin solved the problem.

Here's a look at all 36" of the runner.

Yes!

* * *

Now about that practicing part . . .

I have joined the 

Sit Down Free Motion Quilting group on Facebook,

printed out Lori's Doodle tutorials from The Inbox Jaunt,

and signed up for three online classes.

(two with Christina Carmeli and one with Bethanne Nemesh)

My goal is to doodle at least 15-20 minutes a day

following Lori Kennedy's doodle tutes

AND 

the motifs that are part of the FB stitch sampler.

(most of the FB group is on lesson 4

and I've not even started on lesson 1)

I've watched the intro sessions

for all three of the online classes,

but the rest must now sit and wait 

until I work my way through the doodling

and stitch sample exercises.

I need to give myself time to find my own style

and build some usable muscle memory.

I also need to remember that just like my scrappy quilts,

working a little along DOES add up!

Quiltdivajulie

Studio Part 1 - Blame It All on Max

Max's arrival in the studio has had quite a ripple effect.

(Max is my APQS George sit down long arm)

One of the big changes is that my Bernina 153 

moved from the design studio down the hall

to the recently-vacated closet opening in my sewing studio.

You can see it in the heavy rolling cabinet above.

DH being who he is, 

agreed that the remodeled-three-times cart was indeed

clunky and not very user friendly.

So he designed a whole new table with larger work surfaces.

This table has adjustable fold-up legs and wheels 

AND it fits in the back seat of the car

for weekend or week long classes.

(it does need a two person carry up and down the stairs)

I added a bulletin board

to keep track of my projects and ideas.

The far left column is for "waiting to begin" 

and/or "seriously stalled" projects.

I really like being able to see this list at a glance

because it has already cut down on my

"I could do that" responses.

(sometimes known as the "Squirrel!" response)

The second column is for "Work in Progress"

which includes my RSC projects and others.

The third column is for tops/backs 

waiting to be quilted with Max.

The final column is for "finishing" details

like binding, photo shoots, reveal posts, 

and Quilt Album entries.

I have notes for everything in binders,

but having a comprehensive visual out in the open 

helps keep me on track.

(out of sight = out of mind)

There has been a LOT of doodling lately.

I'm working to build muscle memory

for free motion quilting designs.

(Max does not have a stitch regulator

so whatever happens stitch-wise depends on 

my being able to stay steady)

Quilts need batting . . .

I was delighted when I figured out that

the roll of Hobbs 80/20 fit perfectly

underneath my large drafting table.

(Gotta love DH's all-from-his-stash

pipe, rope, and carabiner suspension system)

As of Saturday's mail,

I now have two of Jamie Wallen's straight edge rulers.

(I want to break them in with some cross hatching on the runner)

Notice those Baptist Fans on the sample under the rulers?

I've doodled pages and pages of them

but these were the first batch I tried stitching

without any kind of marking.

I am quite pleased.

And this is also known as happiness in a box.

Twelve colorful cones of Glide thread.

These will make Max happy, too.

* * *

p.s.  

Check out the gently used books

that need a new home

by visiting my Possibilities blog.

Quiltdivajulie

Choosing a Name

I am not in the habit of naming things

like cars and sewing machines, 

but I don't want to keep referring to 

my new APQS George as "George."

(not to be confused with DH's good friend 

George who lives near Atlanta)

After considerable vetting of names,

I have settled on Max.

Why Max?

REASON NUMBER ONE

Max was a large Siamese cat

who moved in with DH's family

back when DH was in middle school.

I first met Max over Thanksgiving break

during my junior year of college

when I went home with DH to meet his mother.

Important Notes:  

DH grew up with cats.

I grew up with D-O-G-S.

After a 10+ hour drive

from Michigan to Pennsylvania

I left my suitcase open on the guest room bed.

Later, when I stepped back into the room,

there was Max, sleeping in my open suitcase.

- I - totally - lost - it - 

"THERE'S A CAT IN MY SUITCASE," I shrieked.

DH and his mother fell over laughing

at how nonplussed  I was.

Max raised his head, flicked an ear,

washed a paw, and went back to napping.

Turned out that Max was ever the gentleman cat

who loved nothing more than fetching a small paint brush

that had been tossed down the basement steps.

Those memories of Max still make me smile 40+ years later.

REASON NUMBER TWO

Need I say more?

Quiltdivajulie

New in the Studio

Hooray!  

The truck is here!

(and thankfully it had stopped raining)

There it is!

These people definitely get it.

The bow is such a fun extra . . .

(I wish all the boxes we receive could arrive in such good condition)

Table set up - check

Machine unpacked - check

Box of pieces and parts ready to open - check

Let the learning curve begin!

Photo will supersize if double-clicked

THIS is why I needed the empty space in my studio --

for my new APQS George sit down long arm machine.

* * *

For the record, this was not a spur of the moment decision

since I've been looking at long arm machines 

off and on for a couple of years now.

So why did I choose the APQS George?

This machine has a full 20" throat

(compared to the much smaller throat on my Bernina)

and offers plenty of room for me to grow as a quilt maker.

The thread path and controls make sense and

I do not feel intimidated by the scale of the machine.

The George is oriented like my Bernina and, 

by turning the foot pedal around,

it also drives like my Bernina.

Assembly was simple and straightforward --

I was stitching within 2 hours of delivery,

and that included a break for lunch.

* * *

This is my first very messy 12" practice piece.

I did lower case cursive letter e's and c's, 

pebbles, lines, a couple of zig zags,

and a lot of swooping and swirling.

The second practice piece was a bit more organized.

Same Aurifil 50 weight thread and same size muslin squares,

 but with a flatter batting scrap and a bit more confidence.

I need to practice more before I start quilting an actual quilt,

but I can see some quilting-for-real 

happening sooner instead of later -- 

and that makes me very happy.

Quiltdivajulie