Kaleidoscope – Dreams do come true

Kaleidoscope – Dreams do come true

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this looks like a hot mess, and in a way it is. what you can’t see is the ever growing pile o’holyscraps over there ———->
I’ve wanted to make a kaleidoscope quilt for a long time. Even designing one in a program but not quite getting what I needed out of it. So Sizzix comes to the rescue. After pressing some* of these batiks I started cutting.

*some were from a 5” charm square pack I had from teaching some time back.

I wasn’t quite sure where this where this was going color placement wise, and quite frankly I’m still not. I know  you’re not surprised by this either.

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I made the choice for this one fabric to the be the background, realizing that I didn’t have enough I found this glorious orange. I ripped several pieces off the yardage, pressed, and figured out how to cut each strip to get the pieces I wanted.

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I’m using Superior’s MicroQuilter 100 wt polyester for the piecing. No distortion here.
Tip number two for the day, I put my iron on the lower middle setting for the cotton. Wow! what a difference this is making as I can press for longer periods of time and not burn my fingers. The bigger difference, the fabric isn’t warping. Good golly I’ve been quilting for over twenty-four years you’d think I would have learned this by now, right? Not so. Sheesh.

Now I have another idea for this same die.

I need to set this aside for a few days while I work on some other stuff. Stay tuned.

Saturday I’ll have another installment of the Quilted Block of the Month.

center square
Center square

Stay

August Block of the Month An Original

August Block of the Month An Original

Technical difficulties sometimes present big problems. Other times they are opportunities for learning. Something went screwy a while back, causing something to happen to the version of Microsoft Office installed on my computer. I have an open source that I can use for documents, power point presentations, and graphics, it’s simply not as intuitive as Office. I could use the desktop but that requires a few back flips. I’m hoping by the time I get this posted I’ll at least have a line diagram that makes sense.

line draw d

Oh rejoice with me friends it worked!!! Hallelujah. You’ll notice later on that the line that is in the squares around the perimeter are not stitched. The motif that gets stitched in there is so fun. Want to see from the back?

Quilted Happiness Quilted Block of the Month #terilucasquilts #schmetzchrome #superiorthreads

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The outer box is 12 inches. I’m using the Quilters Select 12” x 6” ruler. I’m digging these as they grip the fabric so no shifting! I use the twelve inch side to draw the outer lines. The 6” side helps me to keep the ruler straight marking the next line. Why not use a 12” ruler? Well the ruler I currently own has a chip in one corner. That’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it.

drawing the outside square

drawing the block mark the center poings
Marking the center points on all four sides. I used a hash mark, a dot will suffice.

Measure in from each side 1 1/2 or 2 inches, this will create the inner square. See the diagram above.

drawing the outside square hold pen 45 angle
Tip: hold the marking pencil at an angle along the ruler. This will help keep your lines straight, and consistence.

Now to make the smaller squares: connect the dots. Place the ruler from hash mark to has mark on an angle. Draw a line from the dot, to the inside line.

drawing the inside triangle

Finally connect the inside lines. august quilted block of the month line pdf shows the start stop points.

finished block

For August we’re exploring how quilting looks on a highly patterned, very colored fabric. As a newer quilter I would often let the fabric do the work for me using simple motifs or stippling to accomplish the work of quilting, I daresay this is common among quilters, and it’s perfectly fine. Whatever gets the job done.

Batting
I’m using two layers of a cotton wool batting by Hobbs. I do love multiple layers of batting, this is something I started doing on competition quilts after Tilde won it’s ribbon. The first (back) later might be cotton, or bamboo to give stability to the quilt; the top layer is wool, or silk for great stitch definition. On the rare occasion that I make bed quilts one layer of wool or silk is perfect, as they breathe, and keep a body warm.

When Hobbs debuted this cotton/wool blend I thought I’d died and gone to heaven as it provides the stability I want with good stitch definition. Bonus!

Thread
The where and how will be over the next several weeks.
Superior Metallic – 40 wt. and shiny. Interestingly it’s quite subtle.
Superior MicroQuilter – 100 wt polyester this is a new must have in my thread collection for everything from stitch in the ditch, to the intense quilting I’m passionate about.

Backing
Is a striped batik from Robert Kaufman Fabrics. I’ll share that on Instagram later this week.

Happy Quilting!

Teri

Instagram: @terilucas
Twitter: @terificreations
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Lucy’s Nickles

Coming right up!

BTS general

Sam Hunter of Hunter’s Design Studios gathered the teachers This is going to be so much fun. I do know what I’m going to do, and I know when I’m going to do it. For right now let’s just say I’m going to tackle a long standing quilting tip.

A friend of mine told this six minute story. I cried.

Check out this facebook vid by Sarah Fabian of the Quilt Basket. There are a few spaces left in “If the Foot Fits use it” I’d love to see you there.

Debby Brown has a new tool! Check out this Postcard Trimming Tool. Not only is this the right size. there are centering lines for the design.

So, do you follow me on Instagram?

Maybe you saw this:

Here's the next block #quiltedblockofthemonth

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or this:

Saturday is the day! Part one of the August block. I designed this block based on a window I saw somewhere in lower Westchester county.

And today, I’m grateful for friends.

Happy Quilting,

Teri

Pins + Needles – Kit in a Box! Wooty Woot Woot Woot!

It’s really too bad the Christmas, and my birthday only come ’round once a year. Because getting boxes in the mail is F. U. N. Fun! 100 years ago my sweetie and I subscribed to music, and book clubs. I probably would have subscribed to a stationary club if they’d designed one just for me. Because paper, pens oh my.

Pins+Needles Kits is owned by Kellie Rushing and her daughter-in-love Brittany. Kellie is a BERNINA Educator, (my dream job or one of them) I’ve met at quilt shows. The classroom educators are some of my favorite people. Ever! They know stuff about machines, and are incredibly patient with me. Because I’m such a diva in the classroom.

pins needles box top

So Christmas arrived this box arrived in the mail a couple of weeks ago. I love getting boxes in the mail. I’m just getting around to opening it. Don’t have any clue what else has been going on that delayed this kind of goodness.

pins needles box side

This is fun. Handcrafted by You. This is the important stuff.

pins needles polka dots

And anybody who uses tissue paper with purple polka dots has my attention. Because purple, and shiny. I’m going to have to add this paper to my inspiration wall in front of my sewing machine. My precious.

I got so dang excited about the dots I nearly forgot to show you the project!

pins needles project card

Just in Case by byAnnie.com. I heart Annie Unrein, she’s wicked smart and has great projects, products and directions.

pins needles important info.Since this project uses vinyl, they’ve taken care to put some tips for sewing with vinyl right in the kit. Sweet! the lightweight tissue paper is right in the box, unless you’re going to hang it on your wall too.

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And then it gets better because orange zippers! Kellie and Brittany put orange zippers in the box. It’s like they know me or something. Purple, orange. Oh my.

Te kit comes complete with thread, and stabilizer. Yahoo!

pins needles fabric zippers vinyl

The fabric line here is Moda’s Stay True to Yourself. Well yes. Listen to this beautiful wisdom. It’s time to get stitching and make a thing.

Happy Quilting!

Teri

Oh oh oh I nearly forgot! Thanks for reminding me!!

 

*facepalm*

Yeah, I’m kind of annoyed with myself at the moment. I got so excited with the IDEA that reading the rules fell through the cracks. GAH!

Can I finish in time? #cherrywood #cherrywoodchallenge2017

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Let me back up a bit. When Karla announced the 2017 Cherrywood Challenge I sort of lost my mind. First of all Cherrywood. Cherrywood. Second, van Gogh *deep contented sigh*.

Over the weekend the Mad Dash to Completion started.

Backs are cool

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In spite of a few moments when the desire to run from the sewing room nearly overwhelmed me the going was getting good. Teeny tiny stitches were forming well under the needle creating pleasing designs across the surface of the quilt. YaY Me!

And here it is

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And here is where I paused for a moment, grabbed the Challenge Information Sheet that came with the fabric and – get this – I READ it. Yes, dear ones, I read the instructions. Upon learning that my quilt did not meet the requirements of 75% use of the challenge fabric the drama exuding from my person may have qualified me for an Emmy, or an Oscar, either way you go.

In fine fashion I kept stitching for a while see:

Turned the corner

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A little metallic goes a long way. That’s a post for another day! I found just the right copper in my stash, and shockingly it’s not Superior.

So, in a few weeks I’ll finish the stitching along the “frame” then write a blog post on the character of the quilt. ‘Cause it totally has some character.

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happy quilting!

Teri

Ribbon Candy

Kathy of Quirks Ltd messaged to remind me that Ribbon Candy is on my list of follow-ups with the July Block of the Month. I could draw it out. My friend, Debby Brown is one heck of a machine quilter, and quilting teacher. She has great vids on YouTube. Check out her ribbon candy on a home sewing machine

Head on over to her website for more amazing quilty stuff…including some off the hook thread!
Yvonne porcella quilt

Just signed a contract to teach in November. I’ll share where and dates as soon as it’s live on their website.

This quilt is on it’s way home soon. It’s been an honor to be part of the Live Your Brightest Life exhibit. See all the quilts here.

I have some of this fabric left over…I think I’m going to use it for the August Block of the Month. Stay Tuned.

Happy Quilting!

Teri