It’s surprising how having such a list serves as inspiration for both new projects and old.

Looking at the works-in-progress brings me back to the way I felt when I began them – in love with certain fabrics, anticipated pride in getting it done, and the imagined joy of the person I intend to gift with my creation. Like you, I also have projects that don’t feel quite as inspiring and fun as they once did but are still much too nice to stay unfinished. And don’t we all sometimes feel that we’ve started things that turn out to be overly ambitious?

I’ve had that apprehension for a few months. It can be a nag. I really wanted to learn a new skill but wondered if I had gone overboard.

I kept at it. This past week, I was able to finish piecing an art quilt that I started last October in a workshop. In the beginning of the workshop, I had that “satisfying burst of creativity”…then the serious work began. At the time I left the workshop, my pattern, laboriously drawn and cut and tacked to a foam-core board, was only partially covered with a few dozen fabric pieces. The instructor had sent us packing with several rather challenging directives: don’t sew anything until ALL of the pieces are cut and pinned, and also, sewing it all together would be the easy part.

By the time I finally got all the fabric cut and started sewing one section (that had only 4 pieces), I discovered, to my amazement, that I was going to be able to do it, one section at a time. Not all the fabric choices are perfect, and there is a certain undulation in the background (I think it gives it a nice watery feel, don’t you?), and I still have to quilt it. I’ll be moving it to the long-arm shortly, getting my design wall back, and thinking about what I want to continue to work on next.

I think it will be both something old, and something new, and something I can cross of the list.

Happy spring!

Susan

March 8-17, 2019- Quilts around the Bay Shop Hop
Various shops along the Eastern Shore
https://www.facebook.com/QuiltsAroundTheBay/

National Quilting Day, March 16, 2019
https://quiltalliance.org/nationalquiltingday/

Quilt Expo – Baltimore Heritage Quilters Guild, Mar. 23, 2019 – Mar. 24, 2019
https://www.visitmaryland.org/event/quilt-expo-baltimore-heritage-quilters-guild

AQS QuiltWeek, March 27-29, 2019, Lancaster County
Convention Center.
http://www.quiltweek.com/locations/lancaster-pa/

The Lancaster Quilt Show, March 27-30, 2019. Double Tree
Resort. https://www.lancasterquiltweek.com/

Second Annual Needlework Emporium, March 30, 2019.
Women’s Club of Bethesda, 5500 Sonoma Rd, Bethesda, MD
20817 https://www.facebook.com/needleworkemporium/

Homemaker’s Country Quilters, Blooms of Spring, April 5-6,
2019. Penn State Extension Building, Collegeville, PA
http://homemakerscountryquilters.org/2019-quilt-show/

Harvest Quilters, Sharing the Quilts XXXVI, April 6, 2019
Scotch Plains, NJ
http://www.harvestquilters.com/quiltshow.htm

Ocean Waves Quilt Guild, Bird’s’ Blooms and Butterflies Quilt
Show, April 26-27, 2019. Sussex Academy, Georgetown DE.
https://www.oceanwavesquiltguild.org/quilt-show

Penn Oaks Quilters, For the Love of Quilting X, May 3-4, 2019.
Griffith Hall, Ludwig’s Corner Fire House, Glenmoore, PA
http://www.pennoaksquilters.org/

Quiltfest Lancaster, May 9-11, 2019.
The Lancaster Resort & Conference Center (soon to be the Wyndham Lancaster)
2300 Lincoln Hwy E (Route 30) Lancaster, PA 17602
https://www.quiltfest.com/upcoming-shows-and-events/quiltfest-lancaster/

Three Rivers Quilters, May 9-11, 2019
The Meadows Racetrack & Casino in Washington, PA (near Pittsburgh)
http://www.threeriversquilters.org/quiltshow.html

Quilters Unlimited, Sea to Shining Sea, May 31- June 2, 2019.
www.quiltersunlimited.org/quilt-show

Quilts by the Bay, June 8-9, 2019
At Annapolis High School
Annapolis Quilt Guild
http://annapolisquiltguild.org/quilt-show/

Looking for something fun and interesting to do this summer?  Visit Fort Hunter Mansion in Harrisburg, PA for their Needle Art Exhibit which runs now through June 17.  In fact, some works by our very own Kathleen Kellar are on display!  For details, visit https://forthunter.org/events/needle-art-exhibit/

That age old question (pun intended) among quilters and sewists. Is it ok to use your old thread? Read the article here by Bluprint Is Your Old Spool of Thread Still Good to Use? about this very topic.  Thank you to Sherry Burkins for submitting this article idea to repost here.

My Old Thread Collection

What do you do with your old thread?  I don’t mean thread you bought 3 years ago for a class at the quilt show. I mean REALLY old thread. Thread that has a history.  Like some of the thread shown in the picture at the top of this post in my 2 gallon ziplock old-thread collection, which is just a portion of my old-thread. So yeah, I hang onto it.

There is some thread in there that I don’t want to part with for sentimental reasons. There is thread in that bag that my grandmother gave me YEARS ago, and it was old then.  I am thinking some of the spools are well over 50 years old.  Some of it is from stores long since gone, like Woolworth’s or G.C. Murphy.

I have old spools in my collection that I can recall exactly which project I made with it, like that peach sundress I made to wear for my son’s first Easter (who is now 23, by the way).  There are even a couple of spools from when I made projects to wear in the 4-H Fashion Revue when I was 11 years old!  Seriously.  And I am not going to say how long ago that was, but suffice it to say, it was a while ago.

Now for those of you wondering what’s the big deal and why wouldn’t you use it, I will point out a couple of points for consideration. Old thread is made of cotton, and the integrity of cotton degrades with time. Therefore, it’s not as strong as it once was and your stitches may give way.  Also, the older the cotton, the more lint it’s going to cause in your machine and that’s not at all good for your machine. Still, as mentioned in the Craftsy article Is Your Old Spool of Thread Still Good to Use?  above, it’s fine for certain applications. Don’t toss it, just become more discriminating with how you use it.

I don’t actually use my old thread anymore. It just sits there for posterity. Getting older.

As you can see from my new thread collection, I love thread.  I mostly stick with the new stuff, but I love the old stuff too.

What do you do with your old thread?  Post your comments below.

Round Robin—ANYTHING GOES!

This coming year, 2019, we will have a Round Robin, that you will choose your own type of exchange!

Choice 1, Traditional Robin: You can do a block (no larger than 16 ½”) to exchange with group. The members will add a border (4 sides) each time the box is exchanged.
Choice 2, Row Robin: You will make a row ( 60” maximum width) The members will add a row each ex-change.
Choice 3, Two Quilt blocks (16 ½” is the maximum size): The mem-bers will make two blocks according to your specific directions.
Choice 4, Half Row Robin: You will make a block (16 ½ “ is maximum side). The members will add only borders. on 2 sides, these sides must touch.

Each Participant must include a JOURNAL This Journal must give rules and instructions to give guid-ance for the participants for each exchange. This is where you will state what you want!

Here are a few questions that you might want to include in your journal:

• Do I want a specific technique for each round? (Triangles, squares, 3-d piecing, appliqué, or quilters choice) if so what are they?
• Do I want the members to use only the fabric given or can they add their own fabric?
• Do I want embellishments? (buttons, ribbons, etc.)

Each Participant must have a box with handle. This box should contain:

• Journal
• Your starter block or row
• 1-2” yards of the background fabric, and a variety of fabrics to be incorporated in your quilt. You will decide if you want to allow only your fabric or allow the participants to add their fabrics.

Measure, Measure, Measure and use a good ¼” seam and use your best sewing skills. Work on another person’s quilt, as you want her to work on your quilt!

If you find yourself at a loss for ideas, search on Pinterest for Row Quilt Ideas, or call a quilting friend for some inspiration! You can always give me or Terry a call if needed.

This should be a fun activity! Let your creativity sparkle!

Points of contact:
Jean Berk
Terry Ruby

Photo Credit:
Seasons quilt submitted by Bess Scheid. While the quilt is owned is by another quilter, Bess made the Christmas row, Jeanne Kehl made the daffodils row and Johanna Roll made one of the rows in this Row Robin.

Photo Credit:
This Row Robin quilt photo is submitted and owned by Johanna Roll. The rows in this Row Robin were made by members of Quilting On the Line Guild.

Johanna Roll, Susan Stiles and Ellen King took our beautiful 2017 raffle quilt to the Annapolis Quilt Guild to sell raffle tickets. Our trip included a visit to Cottonseed Glory Quilt Shop

While at their guild meeting, we got to learn about some of the projects they do and how their meetings and staff are organized. Great ideas for us! Then we stayed for their guest speaker, David M. Taylor, an extraordinary appliqué artist whose presentation was wildly entertaining and unforgettable.

A wonderful evening. NOTE!!  The quilt is available to road trips! It’s really fun to visit other guilds and help raise money for our operations in the coming year. Join us!

Article and photo submitted by Susan Stiles

Getting Your Quilt Tops Ready for Machine Quilting by a Professional Longarm Quilter

By Susan Slattery, Reprinted from Threadworks Quilting

Not all professional longarm quilters have the same preparation requirements or preferences.  The following is a list of guidelines that I provide to my clients.  Check with your longarmer to see how they would like for you to prepare the quilt, which may differ from what you see here:

To prewash or not to prewash? Whether to prewash your quilt top and backing or not is a preference – there is no right or wrong answer. You should, however, be consistent and wash all or nothing, including the batting. Because unquilted batting is difficult to wash without damaging it, I generally prefer not to prewash. Here is a helpful article with points to consider: http://www.connectingthreads.com/tutorials/To_Prewash_or_Not_to_Prewash__D85.html

The quilt top Remove all loose threads. Inspect carefully for open seams that may have come loose during handling, and repair them if necessary. If I don’t notice them, the computerized quilting system could catch them and damage the quilt.  (Note:  Not all longarm quilters use computerized system as I do. Many hand guide the quilting patterns. Open seams on the top should be repaired nonetheless.)

Borders As quilters, we have all faced challenges with borders at one time or another. As you check your quilt top to insure it is ready to quilting, lay it on a flat surface, such as the floor or a bed or a large table. Do your borders lay flat or are they wavy? If they are only slightly wavy, I do have a few tricks up my sleeve and I may be able to work with them. Depending on the circumstances, this may or may not require an additional fee. If the borders are excessively wavy, you should remove, resize and reattach them prior to quilting.

Pressing You will want to insure that both your quilt top and your back are carefully pressed and all seams are flat. Using starch or sizing is really helpful (but not required), as it makes it easier to work with and quilt. Fold neatly. I may give your quilt top and back a light press once more before loading onto the frame if needed, but it needs to be pretty well pressed already.

Backing Remove all loose threads. Your backing should be a minimum of 4″ wider than the quilt top on all sides (but need not exceed 6″). In other words, if your quilt top is 90″ x 100″, your backing should be at least 98″ x 108″. Please take the time to square the backing. This is very important for insuring your quilt loads square on the frame. If you will need to piece the backing, you should cut off the selvedge edges on the edges that will be sewn together to make a seam. Selvedge edges are usually a little thicker and bulker than the rest of the fabric, and a this bulkiness will be noticeable in the finished quilt. Also, they shrink at a different rate when the quilt is washed, creating a puckered line. Also, make the seams 1/2″ (rather than than the 1/4″ seams on the top) and press the seam open.

Batting If you are providing your own batting, make sure the piece you plan to use is at least 3″ wider (but no more than 6″ wider) than the quilt top on all sides. That means if your quilt top is 90″ x 100″, your batting should be at least 96″ x 106″.

The quilt sandwich Don’t baste or pin the quilt layers together. Basting will be done on the longarm frame. If your quilt top or backing are directional, mark the top center with a large and obvious note attached by safety pin. Make sure you remember to mention it also.

Here is another list by professional longarm quilter and guild member, Johanna Roll.

Checklist for Getting Tops Ready for Longarming

By Johanna Roll

1. This begins with block construction. Press all blocks as they are constructed. Make sure seams do not have a little folded back part. Press open if necessary.
2. Make sure quilt is square and lays flat. There should be no peak in the center of the blocks or quilt. Trim off excess.
3. Be sure all seams are sewn and clip threads. Trim off dog ears.
4. If edges are on bias, stay-stitch around quilt with shortened stitch 1/8” from edge.
5. If embellishments are used, be sure you know how your quilter feels about them.
6. Keep all three layers separate, do not pin or baste together.
7. Make sure the backing and batting are at least 4-5” larger than quilt on each side.
8. Backing needs to be square or rectangular. Opposite edges need to be the same length.
9. Don’t use a sheet for backing. The thread count is too high and the needle may break threads.
10. Press completed top

One method to put on borders without waves:

By Johanna Roll

1. After all blocks are put together, press entire top flat and measure and write down top width, middle, and bottom. Calculate the average of this number and cut 2 border strips this length.
2. If fabric allows, use lengthwise of material since there is less stretch in this direction. If WOF is used, be careful not to stretch the fabric.
3. Pin these strips on 2 sides of the top. Pin each end of strip to ends of quilt. Fold both together in half and pin centers together. Follow this method until pins are 10” to 12” apart. Sew on.
4. Iron seams and measure the sides that need borders in the same way as above. Cut 2 more strips and pin, pin, pin. Sew on.
5. Iron seams.
6. Call your longarmer and make an appointment to give them your quilt.
7. Enjoy your beautiful new quilt!

5. Develop your own working style
Take bits and pieces from everywhere, mix them together and toss things aside until you have a set of working skills that reflect who you are as an artist.

6. Decide on message
Think about what you want your art to communicate, then make art that fits your purpose

7. Create a thread of continuity
Spend some time developing pieces that are thematically, technically and/or color related; work in a series, sustaining these will yield a consistent body of work

8. Engage in quiet reflection
Stress and art are not good companions, it is important to periodically disengage from the world around you to reconnect with your inner voice

9. Work for yourself
Stay true to your own vision, don’t attempt to create art that you think will be chosen by a particular exhibition or gallery. If it doesn’t come from deep within you, it isn’t your voice

10. Expect your voice to change
Artists grow and evolve and change throughout their careers. As an artist, you must always stretch yourself and challenge yourself to do more; re-think, re-evaluate, and revisit your approach, your themes and your techniques. If you stand still your work will stagnate and become boring. Follow your voice where it leads you. Art is a path you follow, not a place to reach and rest.