Focal Point (TSS 006)

Another block completed in The Splendid Sampler quilt-along.  I'm loving Natalia Bonner's Focal Point - can you believe it's only 6" finished?!? 36 pieces with most of them measuring 1" finished. I had to pull a few tricks out of my hat for this finished block.

Pressing not pins

For the smaller piecing, I prefer not to use pins, if possible, to avoid distorting the fabric. As I'm piecing cotton on cotton, I will align right-sides together and press them together. The cotton will hold in place during sewing.

Take steps to avoid the shred.

Small pieces versus feed dogs can shred easily, but there are certain steps you can take to avoid this. 

Swap out your throat plate with the oblong opening to one with a round opening. As you sew, it's harder for the fabric to get pulled down/pushed down into the bobbin area and shred. 

Use a scrap piece of fabric as a "leader". I will feed this leader at the beginning and ending of all chain piecing. It keeps the threads taut, and you can use it to guide the pieces as you sew.

Don't start sewing from the tip of the small square towards the center.  Reverse that. Otherwise, it's much easier for the tip of the fabric to get pulled down into the bobbin area and shred. 

Trimming and pressing.

Notice how I trimmed below. I don't cut the background fabric before pressing. That way....

... if the flipped fabric (the blue one in the image below) comes up short, I can use the background fabric as my guide when I align the next section for joining.

Look how beautifully this 1 1/2" x 2 1/2" section went together! Like others in the group, I'm an advocate for using starch (personal preference Mary Ellen's Best Press) for these small pieces. One thing I would warn is to be careful when pressing. Especially when wet, press and not iron - you don't want to stretch these tiny pieces out of shape. 

6 inch finished = 6 1/2 inch unfinished.

That seems to be the confusion in this quilt-along. When pieced into the larger top, the blocks will be 6 inches. Unfinished, however, there is a 1/4" seam allowance all around. Many quilters have been trimming their unfinished block to 6" and then have to remake or add a border. To prevent this mistake, I keep my 6 1/2" square ruler nearby. I know never to trim a block smaller than this ruler. Personal note: I prefer this brand and it has little grippers on the underside of the ruler to keep in place while trimming. 

For the free pattern, visit The Splendid Sampler website for Natalia Bonner's Focal Point.

+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

That's a lot of pieces!

I've decided to keep a counter at the bottom of these posts to track them. 

The totals are based on the original patterns and not on deviations.

Hearts Aflutter = 9

Wings = 46 

Lots of Love = 48

Happy Happy = 11

Simple Simon = 12

Focal Point = 36

Total to Date: 162 pieces

Pressing Matters

Standing over my ironing board, I realized this is a topic often overlooked in beginner classes.

An ironing board should not be called an "ironing board" but a "pressing board" in the quilting world. To iron cotton fabrics can stretch them out of shape. Instead, we press.

Here are a few other tidbits I have picked up over the years:

> When pressing many pieces, set a timer near the board. Bent over, performing a repetitive motion, in an action that causes stress to your lower back can be harmful over time. Give yourself regular breaks - stop and stretch.

> These breaks will help your pressing, too. Your iron cools with continued use. Taking regular breaks will allow it to re-heat to optimal performance temperature.

> I've used many brands of irons over the years. Even following their using manuals (use only distillers water, empty after each use, etc) they all tend to leak. I currently have two irons I use on a regular basis, and I don't add water to either. If I need steam, I keep a spray bottle handy. To press wrinkles (depending on what I'm using the fabric for), I will use water or Mary Ellen's Best Press or Mahic Sizing (for a stiffer hold).

> I'm not sure if this is an Old Quilter's Tale in regards to pressing units. I was taught to press the units closed along the stitching first (to set the seams) and then open the joined pieces and press the right side. It seems to work for me.

> When pressing paper-pieced units, I use a fat quarter of muslin to protect my ironing board cover (prevents the transfer of ink to my board). I'll also use it on top of the blocks if I'm pressing the back sides of the blocks (to prevent transfer of ink the the iron).

> If I do get ink or adhesive on my iron, I rip off a square of kitchen wax paper and iron it. The gunk transfers to the wax paper and polishes my iron plate.

> Finally (I just read this today - Reader's Digest, I think - and have yet to try it), here's a trick when pressing really wrinkly bits of fabric. Tear off a length of tin foil and place it under your ironing board cover. As you press, it will heat the tin foil and your fabric will be treated to heat from both sides.

Hope this helps. Now, back to my 80+ units! If you want to see a really cool idea for a traveling board, visit my post here: http://scrapcat-scraps.blogspot.com/2011/04/gadget-time-travel-ironing-board.html?m=0

Happy stitching!
Elisa

Yearly Inventory

Well, it's getting to be that time of the year. Making Christmas gifts are winding down and the resolutions rear it's ugly head.

I've spent the last 2 years making Memorial quilts for others and am working on the last one now. Soon, I'll get back to my own work. And with this bitter winter settling in I should have plenty of time.

These are some of my "in progress" (not "unfinished") work. I'm always working on several projects simultaneously (because you can get a lot done @ 15 minutes a day!).

Each box contains fabric, patterns, my special design notes, special tools and/or copied instructions for special techniques. Each are setup where I can pick any box, any time and work a little more on the project.

I'm thrilled with the progress of my Texas log cabin. That's my I-have-15-minutes-and-need-some-mindless-chain-piecing project. As I work on other projects, I cut any leftover fabric into 1.25" strips. Then, when I have time, I sew them into 12" log cabins. I just checked - I have 20 completed blocks. Just 4 more to go to complete my center.

Happy stitching!

31 Days of Geocaching: Day 26

So, I find myself pulling off in the oddest spots to grab a geocache.  In Ohio, there was no parking at the end of the Wabash Cannonball Trail.  In Auburn Hills, there was a set of nature trails behind their civic center.  I also stopped in West Bloomfield, where I walked around a public lot (at the end of an exclusive residential street).

I ALWAYS make sure parking is allowed - I never trespass or park in No Parking zones, etc.  But still... neighbors are vigilant and wonder why a strange car is parked in their neighborhood. And I'd hate to get towed.  So, I made and laminated this sign for my dashboard:

In a stroke of (I think) genius, it's reversible. The flip side, in bold red letters, reads I'M IN TROUBLE - CALL 911.  I hope to never need that.

I've really learned some safety skills in this sport.

Take care and happy caching!

Elisa

Tool Time: That's Using My Head!

I love tools. I love using everyday items to improve my life, and I'm always giddy when I wander the aisles of a hardware store. The other day I was working on the binding of a quilt (sewing black on black) but was having a hard time seeing where to stitch.

I have plenty of light, but it hurts my eyes having to turn everything on to see my work. I have a table and a floor Ott lamp - but I do have to contort a little to avoid shadows and get direct light. Then, I had an epiphany! Some of you may recall that I'm a geocacher...

The other day I bought new headlamps! It was an impulse buy at Home Depot. I bought a set of 2 headlamps (each with an adjustable tilt, 4 settings, and batteries) for $10 total!

And, also on impulse, while working on that same binding, I put it on, and it worked like a dream!

I wish I had a better picture, but I took it late last night. One word of advice, though.. Don't wear it in front of the front picture window... Passerbys might give you a weird look!

Happy caching! .... Er.... Stitching!

Quilting during a Michigan Summer

I saw the coolest thing today (wish I could’ve taken a picture!). 

A woman walking her 2 dogs and 1 cat in the park at lunch!  Yes, I said cat, and “Martin” was the only fur-baby not on a leash.  It was so funny to see him bouncing after the dogs like Tigger on pixie-sticks!  Martin followed the trio the entire perimeter of the park, fur flouncing in the breeze. He was only distracted once – by a very pretty yellow butterfly.  Not making this up!

As I’m sure you can tell I love summer in Michigan.  It’s so blue! And yellow! And orange!  I took this one walking along Meadowbrook road yesterday.

I can only see two downsides to summer: the heat and the distractions.

Heat. Very recently, we’ve experienced 95+ degree weather. Really hard to enjoy a large, very warm quilt draped over one’s lap while quilting.  I find that I’ve timed most of my projects to work around this.  In the Spring/Summer, I:

• Make small gifts for the holidays.  See some of my favorite tutorials here.
• Piece or embroider my blocks.
• Work on making bags and purses.
• Organize my UFO’s – love the index card method.

I then spend my Fall/Winter:

• Layering & basting quilts
• Machine quilting (snuggly warm!)
• Sewing down the binding (if on schedule, this occurs normally in the slow January or February months when you have time to sit in a warm house, for several hours, watching TV).

Distractions.  As you can see from my love of geocaching, the Zoo, car rides, family time… I love getting out on a good adventure.  However, I think even 15-minutes a day you can accomplish piles!  If I know I’m going to have a busy day away, I will normally plan 15 minutes first thing in the morning.

• Cut my scraps into charm squares or strips.
• Straighten my work space, clean out the bobbin area of my machine, return my thread to the proper place, etc.
• Reassemble strewn patterns & return them to their plastic sleeve.
• Add another block or strip to my journal quilt.
• Prepare squares of Kona cotton for embroidery.
• Trace embroidery patterns onto prepared squares of Kona cotton.

So, long story short…. Even though I don’t have many “finishes” to share right now, I’m still on schedule! LOL!

Elisa

Cutting! Cutting! Cutting!

OUCH! Back is a little sore. I try not to iron/cut for more than 45 minutes at a time, but I was so geeked about knocking out a few more projects.

So far, a butterfly quilt, a journal quilt, and the next blocks of my Some Kind of Wonderful quilt are on my cutting table.

Taking Bonnie Hunter's advice. I stopped adding water to my iron and am using a spray bottle instead. Hopefully, I can cut down on the annual replacement of the iron.

Because of work and family illness, I'm very behind on my SKOW quilt. I hope to have my December blocks done before March rolls around!

Did you get any quilting done this holiday weekend?

Cheers!
Elisa

Mitered Corners and Glue

I had a spare 15 minutes tonight to quilt so I decided to work on my table runner.  LOVE it - it's a 6-sided table runner consisting of 9-patches made from Civil War fabrics.

Hmmm.... guess it's just me, but, when I bought the pattern, I didn't give much thought to the "6 sides" or how to add the borders.  It's a lousy pattern - especially the instructions for creating the mitered ends!  UGH!

But, I was feeling confident and it worked out!  What d'ya think?

I've never mitered before, and I couldn't figure out their instructions. The pinning thing didn't work, but the glue did!  Teresa from Fabric Therapy had posted some great applique tutorials using disappearing purple school glue sticks so I had some on hand.

Looking at the borders, shifting as I tried to pin... why not?  Glue worked wonderfully, held the borders in place, and were snipped away when I trimmed my seam allowance.

SO geeked!  Both ends look wonderful!  Had to share!

Cheers,

Elisa

Careful Quilting and Cats

Nothing hurts your heart like hearing your baby in distress.

Several years ago I was in a quilt class where the lady at the next table was in distress. Her kitty had eaten a threaded needle. The needle punctured its belly and the thread wrapped itself around its internal organs. After many months and much money, her cat survived.

I try to be as careful as possible, but I've been a little lax lately. Ginger got ahold of a needle (she's okay). This post is as much as a reminder for me as it is a warning for you.

Do not leave threaded needles around.

Do not store straight pins on shirt sleeves, chair arms or pajama tops.

Keep kitty away from moving sewing machine needles (she's enthralled with the up-and-down motion)

Thread Heaven and glues are potentially poisonous or tummy distressing

Rotary cutters

Avoid heavy irons precariously perched on wobbly ironing boards

Bobbins may be fun to bat but small enough to swallow.

What else? How else do we keep our babies safe? 

And can we answer the age-old question..... What is it about cats and quilters?

Cheers, Elisa

Sewline Pencils & Applique Tips

Good evening, friends and neighbors!

Hope all of you had a fabulous Thanksgiving.  I came down with a cold, but that just motivated me to relax for four days - woot!

I did get a chance to practice more applique - all practice but no completed blocks yet.  I've been trying various techniques: freezer paper on top, glue stick applique, regular needle turn, and freezer paper/starch.  I normally buttonhole but am determined to give this a try.

I'm finding that regular needle turn on large pieces and freezer paper/starch on the smaller ones seem to be my thing.  My friend Caroll has a great tutorial on freezer paper/starch applique (makes a darn cute Halloween witch with baggy leggings!).

So far, I've been given some great applique advice by different friends (sorry, I'm getting older - can't remember who said what!):

• For the most part, you need to know more than one technique because the same technique won't work in every instance.  I like the flatness of freezer paper/starch on the small pieces, and it's less stressful not having to worry about shredding.  However, regular needle turn on large pieces adds a little poofiness.

• Nobody is going to sit next to you comparing your project to the picture in the book.  Only you will know if you deviated, and, if so, who cares!

• Make yourself an "applique kit" so, when you decide to add applique to your work, you're not scrounging around and trying to remember which needles, marking pencils and pins worked best.

• (This one is from my own previous blog posts) When you do find a technique you like, write it out on a big index card so you can replicate it in the future.  Nothing is worse than having to "reinvent the wheel" each time. 

• Buy a package of round toothpicks from Cracker Barrel.  They are a little thicker so they hold up well if, like me, you store it in your mouth in between stitches (I know - very bad). Wet toothpicks are fab for tucking seams into the right place.

• My friend Lisa sent me one of these Sewline pencils from Maine for Christmas last year.  LOVE them!  They come in many colors, mark crisply, disappear pretty easily, and are very comfortable in your hand.  It wasn't, however, until I took this picture that I realized they are color-coded up near the clicker (the one on the far right is white).

This half-circle was my first attempt at "needle turn" applique.

Well, all for now, tomorrow is a work day, and it starts pretty early.  Do you have any more tips to add?

Happy Stitching!

Elisa

Snagging a Label

I've said that I don't applique.  I really don't - except for quilt labels.  However, I have a little trick.  This method: 

1. Secures the label in the binding (so no nefarious persons can remove it) 
2. Hides the seam allowance of the label so you don't see its shadow from the front
3. You only have to hand stitch 2 sides.

Here's my label - love it!  Notice I added sashing, pressing the seams to the outside.  If you applique the label down without sashing, then you will see the shadow of the seam allowance through the light fabric.

Since I'm adding my label to the lower right corner, I pressed back my 1/4" seam allowance on the upper and left sides of the label.

Align label to lower right of quilt back.  Pin in place, and then sew on the binding.  Notice the stitching on the right and bottom - the label has been "caught" in the binding and is secure.

Applique the top and left side down.  Fold the binding back, and stitch binding down on all 4 sides of the quilt.

Easy trick but very effective.

Happy Stitching!

Elisa

Prickly Fingers

A lady at a quilt retreat told me once the best tool in her embroidery box was a bottle of Neosporin. Weird, right?

Ever notice on certain days (cold weather or constantly washing hands after eating Popsicles) that your hands are particularly dry and/or sensitive? Days like that, as you embroider or hand quilt, your fingertips are sore, stabbed, bleeding? Dab some Neosporin on them and protect with a band-aid. Next morning, your little fingertips will be supple and new.

I was excited today to see Neosporin-treated band-aids on my drugstore shelf.

Happy Stitching!
Elisa

Frugal Quilting Tips, Anyone?

Good morning, my friends!

As some of you may've heard, my part-time job is closing it's doors. Besides the loss of daily interactions with friends & favorite customers, a social community hot spot, enforced exercise up & down the stairs in 4-hour shifts, I'm out some bucks (cash, moolah, greenbacks). My friend Allie has been cheering me up with helpful suggestions to economize my quilting addiction.

Unlike this picture below, I am ready to listen! I thought I'd stop a moment and share a list collected from Allie and other friends; figured in this economy others might have a need, too.

Ugh! Such an awful picture of me! My cohorts in crime are my sister Wikid Kriket and sister-in-law Rockin' Robyn

1. Pretty obvious but worth repeating: use the stash. Plus, make your own jelly rolls - you have the fabric.
2. (My favorite from Allie) Go to the thrift shops to buy flannel sheets for batting and vintage sheets for backing.
3. (From Lisa - who makes every scrap count!) If you are running out of certain fabrics, start making smaller projects (there's only 1 bed in this house - how many queen quilts do I need?)
4. If you need a certain style or color, swap with friends.
5. (Another from Allie) Enter as many giveaways as possible. There's some great stuff out there and it doesn't even cost you a lottery ticket!
6. Look for alternative tool sources (like amazing rotary blades a Harbor Freight Tools).
7. Sometime it's cheaper to buy in quantity. Buying that bolt of interfacing with my 40% off coupon is cheaper than individual trips for each project (also multiple shopping trips = multiple chances at temptation).
8. Don't have to take multiple trips to the library for books with patterns - seems like almost every pattern is free in the blog-o-sphere. Have you been to quilterblogs.com?
9. Wash your fabrics in batches - not when you need it. That water bill will add up!
10. If you do have to go to a fabric store, check their website for coupons (our local shop posts a new coupon monthly). Make sure you are armed with a photo of the fabric/color swatch and exact size to prevent unnecessary spending.

Ok, ladies... What else? I'm trying to stay positive and motivated!

Elisa

Perfect, Pretty Points

Yesterday was Day 1 of my stay-cation, and I spent it making 9-patches. A friend (hi Lauri!) had asked for my secrets to perfect points and flat blocks. These tips are really useful with smaller blocks & sections. I'm not sure I'm sharing anything new, but here's some of my favorite tricks passed on by quilters I've met over the years.

1. For alternating 4-patches, 9-patches, 16-patches, I always press to the dark.. That way, when I join sections, I can butt the seams together.

2. Do not pin where seams intersect. Instead, with your seams butted together, pin 1/4" before and 1/4" after the seam intersection. This will prevent a gap where sections join.

3. When you sew rows together, do not press your seams to one side (this causes bulky bumps). Instead, use the spiral method. After sewing, slip your finger into the flap in the back center of the block to gently break the threads apart.

Open your block and press the seam allowance into a spiral. Your block will lay flat.

Eventually, I will piece the alternating blocks together to make a new table runner.

What are your best tricks?

Happy Stitching!
Elisa

Gadget Time - Sticky Situations

This blog is called "Bits from the Scrap Basket" because I envision it as a place to compile block patterns, useful tips, great tools, shop reviews, quilt humor, tricks of the trade, etc. All those little "bits 'n pieces" that might interest others but might be handy to have stored in one easy place.



Take this next tidbit. I stopped in at Bits 'n Pieces in Wayne, MI today - lovely shop with a friendly staff and a very loyal clientele. I had came back to buy a Sewline fabric glue pen. Last time I was there they had recommended this (dries clear) water soluble pen for a project I am working on (re: the egg with the missing pieces from several posts ago!)

This group of ladies were all excited for another reason. A customer had shared with them the secret of perfect points. Instead of using pins, which can shift, she uses this glue to hold her fabric in place for perfect points. Well, how cool is that! May need to work on that Lone Star quilt I've always wanted.

This reminds me of an interesting tidbit read in one of my magazines. When piecing a bag or tote, ever have one of those tiny areas where you have to pin AND maneuver your sewing machine? Use that 1/4" fusible tape (like Steam-a-Seam or Stitch Witchery) to hold your pieces together and then sew. Cool, eh?

If your interested in other things you can use adhesives in quilting, check out Teresa of Fabric Therapy and her 3-part tutorial on Glue Stick Appliqué: http://fabrictherapy.blogspot.com/2011/04/glue-stick-applique-tutorial-part-one.html

Thanks for "sticking with me"! (My SIL Robyn, the Pun Queen, would be so proud of that one)
ELISA


P.s. This is my first post using my iPhone and my new iPad app Blogsy - pretty cool!

A Moment Now Will Save Many Later!

Ok, so you're in the shop, and they're about to cut a nice yard or so off the bolt for you.  As you look down, you see a spot (a hole, a misprint, a mark, a stain, a blemish) on the fabric.  Buy it at a discount?  SURE!  I'm a scrap quilter.  But this is only a deal if you're smart about it later!


This is not sale fabric!

When I get home, before I forget, I always mark the defect on the fabric.  Whether it's a piece of masking tape or a garage-sale dot, I cover the blemish.  That way, when I go to cut it that night, next week, next year, I don't forget about it. 

Hard lesson learned?  You betcha!  Once upon a time, in my early quilting days, I cut up an entire cut of fabric only to find I was one block short because... I had forgotten about that hole.  Fabric is too expensive to take chances.

Happy Saturday!
Elisa