Tag: terificreations

Sunday Social

Tomorrow evening I leave for Knoxville for training on Floriani Total Control U and Floriani Quilting software. In the meantime I have a version to start exploring. I created a monster that I’m now (for today) using as my profile picture on facebook. life-9.jpg

Then there is this. Even when life has been a bit challenging it’s still good. Something like this will be part of a sample that I make as I learn the software and begin teaching. There’s a lot to learn but I’m so game.

I get to meet with Kathy Sawyer Tuesday night. We met in Knoxville the first time I taught with AQS.

The August Quilted Block of the Month posted yesterday. The space in this particular block is filled, I have a plan for Saturday.

block complete

I’m participating in the Back to School Blog Hop hosted by Sam Hunter of Hunters Design Studio. Start on Sam’s post, she’s posted a video tutorial showing how to spray baste a quilt.

Day 2 – August 16 – Mandy Leins: Thread Dread: removing stray bits after quilting
Day 3 – August 17 – Nancy Stovall: The Sweet Creamy Filling
Day 4 – August 18 – Ebony Love: 7 Indispensible feet for your sewing machine Day 5 – August 19 – Michelle FreedmanMichelle Freedman: Machine throat plates
Day 6 – August 20 – Teresa Coates: Edge/Under/Top stitching
Day 7 – August 21 – Kelly Cole: Ten ways to regain your sew-jo
Day 8 – August 22 – Megan Dougherty: Choose to Fuse: tips for working with fusibles for applique
Day 9 – August 23 – Kim Lapacek: Tricks to being productive while hauling your kids around
Day 10 – August 24 – Yvonne Fuchs: Circuitboard quilting on Domestic and Longarm Machines
Day 11 – August 25 – Sandi Hazlewood: Chain Piecing Quilt Blocks Tips
Day 12 – August 26 – Juliet van der Heijden: Paper-piecing with children
Day 13 – August 27 – Maddie Kertay: Fabric folding for any storage solution
Day 14 – August 28 – Cath Hall: Working with Lawn fabric
Day 15 – August 29 – Tracy Mooney: Tips for the perfect seam
Day 16 – August 30 – Teri Lucas: How to bury thread
Day 17 – August 31 – Debby Brown: Securing machine quilting knots
Day 18 – September 1 – Flaun Cline: How to put some sparkle in your fabric pull (part 1)
Day 19 – September 2 – Jessica Darling: How to put some sparkle in your fabric pull (part 2)
Day 20 – September 3 – Trish Frankland: A bigger blade really IS better?!
Day 21 – September 4 – Lynn Krawczyk: Build a simple design with hand stitching
Day 22 – September 5 – Jane Davidson: How to make scrappy HSTs
Day 23 – September 6 – Linda Pearl: Low cost tips for organizing your sewing room
Day 24 – September 7 – Christa Watson – Top 10 tips for quilting on a domestic machine
Day 25 – September 8 – Sarah Nunes: To Starch or Not to Starch
Day 26 – September 9 – Suzy Webster: Testing fabric for bleeding
Day 27 – September 10 – Sarah Goer: Machine bind your quilts like a pro
Day 28 – September 11 – Vanda Chittenden: Beginner paper-piecing tips
Day 29 – September 12 – Cheryl Sleboda: Needle threading tips
Day 30 – September 13 – Kim Niedzwiecki – Different thread weights and when to use them
Day 31 – September 14 – Sandra Healy: Conquer Your Fear of Machine Appliqué
Day 32 – September 15 – Sandra Starley: The Basics of Antique Quilt Collecting

Here’s a link to my upcoming teaching schedule.

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Quilt Coach more on this soon.

Have a great quilterly day,

Teri

Fabulous Friday

Well. This is a bit of a surprise.

And it is totally fab-u-lous. Over the last ten months I’ve been searching for a day job. I’ve had a few interviews that led to continued looking. Looking is good. Interviewing is a bit challenging. It’s weird, I can talk quilts all day long and not get remotely freaked, but talking about me. Weird right?!

So in just ten short days I will be heading to Knoxville, TN for a couple of days of training.

I am going to be working as an Educator for Floriani.  I’ll start out shadowing several teachers, work my way to team teaching, and eventually on my own for the events. I’ll get to do the traveling and teaching that I love AND BONUS, I get to learn more! I’ll share this stuff in all the usual places, including scheduled events as I get on the schedule.

I am staying with Generation Q Magazine. So no worries there. 😀

Happy Quilting!

Teri

 

The Best Postcard EVER!

2017-08-07 11.59.47

Debby Brown and I started 1000 Postcards for Peace while at Quilt Market. Something challenging was going on in the quilt world, we wanted to, in our own small way, send some peace out into the world. Debby has since created a postcard centering tool, and put together kits with postcard making supplies. We’ve both been sending postcards, and sharing on the facebook page as needed. I have a couple to make very soon.

Much to my surprise I received a postcard from Debby. I laughed out loud.

2017-08-07 14.05.27So I posted this sneak peek the other day. It still makes me laugh out loud.

2017-08-08 21.19.30

Debby and I chat with each other on, and off all day in between the other things that we’re doing. Now mind you…there is a reason I said that to Debby in our chat. I really wanted her to make a postcard like this:

2017-08-07 14.02.22 (1)

You can read more about that on her blog.

This will occupy a special place on my inspiration wall. Thanks Debby.

Happy Quilting,

Teri

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

A post shared by Teri Lucas (@terilucas) on

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

Quilted Block of the Month Part 3

“How do you get from here to there?” she asked. I promised to show her. When stitching on a pieced block, the ditch is your bestie.
qbom ribbon candy peak

The ribbon candy ended at the peak, to start the next wedge there are two options:
stop, tie off the thread, then restart in the next wedge. A viable option, one that I’d give consideration if this were a competition quilt.

travel in the ditch. This is a favorite option as it saves time, and thread. Depending on the weight of the thread it’s possible to stitch in the ditch several times without creating bulk, or warping the look of the quilt.

qbom travel 2

Stitching on the line, or in that ditch is key, however remember it’s perfectly fine if it’s not perfect. Wobbles on quilts add character.

qbom travel 3

I pause here to reposition my hands for a smooth transition.

qbom travel 4

You can see that the stitching isn’t exactly on that line. Yes I’m breaking my own rule for now showing the flaws. It’s my job as the teacher, and I take it very seriously. Yeah. Bridge. Brooklyn. I’ll make lots of money.

qbom travel 5

It’s only a little off, and most people wouldn’t notice it. Starting at the top of the peak let the ribbon candy begin. Next week there will drawings of the ribbon candy in the wedge, and the swirly sun motif in the lower corner.

qbom done

The next bit is NOT picking apart my work at all. overall I love this piece and will be happy to show it at any teaching venue.

Design Decisions happen.

Now I had to set this block aside for a few days. Upon returning I didn’t look before starting to quilt to see what thread I was using. I switched from Superior’s MicroQuilter to Wonderfil’s FabuLux, noticing only when starting the second wedge. I could have taken the stitching out, however I was grooving on the change in look, and the overall feel so I left it.

qbom yellow arrow

While stitching all the straight lines some distraction happened, phone call, meeting whatever – on one of the straight lines I stopped earlier than intended, to “fix it” an echoed circle seemed a great idea. It’s different, eye catching, and helps the eye travel over the surface of the quilt block. Were this a competition quilt the seam ripper and I would have had a hot date.

20170325_084043
One HOT date

I chose to bind front to back and stitch in the ditch, there are a couple of places where it’s not exactly pretty and there’s a wee bit o’fixin’ that needs to happen. Just not today.

Here are links to each one of the posts:

Week 1
Week 1a
Week 2a

Next week will be the final post for this block. If you have questions please ask. I love giving extra information.

Happy Quilting,

Teri

July Quilted Block of the month part 2

Last week we focused on the “bones” also known as stitching in the ditch. When you’re working on a quilt it’s not a “have to do” rather, it’s a good thing to do. When working on something like @play the bones get stitched as these would be the ditch in a pieced quilt top. Finer thread makes this stitching almost disappear into the batting, which is the goal.

NYB tension check

Our post ended with this delightful conundrum, makes you kind of tense doesn’t it. Changing thread weight and color means that the needle, and tension need some kind of adjustment. For the top Wonderfil FabuLux Hush a 40 wt. trilobal polyester (means shiny!) designed by Debby Brown, for the MicroQuilter by Superior, an 80 weight polyester. Finer threads in the bobbin take up less room in the stitch, allowing tighter, closer stitching without skewing the quilt.
Clearly the tension was off in the first few stitches. This is a simple adjustment of the tension.
– lift the presser foot lever
– increase the tension (move dial to a higher number)
– take a few stitches, stop and check
– if the tension is good, keep stitching
– if the tension isn’t good, tweak it

Using the Sewline Marking pencil I placed a dot, about an inch up from the arc, about in the middle. I stitched from the peak of the spikes to the dot, then from the dot to the next peak. Using the same thread, I arced back. Just a small curve from the top of the peak, to the same dot.

NYB corner making thread choices
What choice thread? Lime Green or Orange?

Next up the big expanse, other wise known as the corner. The options are limitless. A long time ago this would have completely freaked me out. Now either there’s something on my brain. Sometimes I wait. This is a time to doodle, write blog posts, articles, walk up and down the stairs for the heck of it. Then there’s the old phone a friend, and the send friend a picture of the quilt.

The thinking led me to straight lines. It’s a basic principle – opposites attract. Straight lines highlight, and help define curves; curves soften the feel of straight lines. General rule. Lots of straight lines can do something dynamic to a geometric, square, block style quilt. Straight lines chosen, because why not.

IMG_20170704_163633

Purple and orange are my favorite colors so I chose the orange Magnifico, another 40 weight, trilobal polyester thread. Stitch, stitch, stitch. Using the edge of the #24 Free Motion Embroidery foot, which measures 1/4 inch from needle center to the outside edge of the foot.

NYB straight lines

I started in the ditch (seam allowance) Next week I’ll show you the finished straight line quilting, including a wee bit of unplanned stitching, and what happened in the corner.

I got a Thank You note the other day

20170701_161450This note is an honest-to-goodness handwritten note card saying thank you for the postcards. I sent two, one to keep and one to give. And honestly, if someone chose to give the postcard I sent, that’d be fine with me. It’s a gift, no strings attached. Oh, perhaps I’d better rephrase that…no expectations of keeping. Getting the card this was an act of kindness that filled my cup just a little bit more mostly because it was unexpected.

Debby Brown, in her Tuesday Facebook Live vid, shared a new product from her website – A Postcard Kit a pack of six – 5” x 6” pieces of fusible peltex, with clear envelopes that will fit a 4.25 x 5.5. This works well for 1000 postcards for peace. This kit is a great thing to keep by the sewing machine to stitch after, or before, or in the middle.

twilight redux
This is the beginning of a journey that requires concentration, choices, and confidence. The next time the quilt make an appearance? Not sure yet.

Have a totally fab day!

Teri

Instagram: @terilucas
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