My Quip – Learning The Longarm – Day One – Lessons

Good Day,

Today is the day.

One-arm Andy is taking the challenge of teaching me to use our Longarm Quilting Machine. We have a Baby Lock Jewel monstrosity which sits in the quilting/sewing room. It is such a large contraption that I had to have the north-side wall, albeit the window knocked out. We had French doors placed in so that we could traverse the distance around the perimeter of the rack. Positive note… we live in the South and do not have to worry about snow-drifts barricading us in.

The first step of my education is to learn to prepare the fabric and batting for loading. Understand, that this portion of my lessons does not involve using an already constructed quilt top. That is another whole lesson plan. My goal is to learn to use the Longarm as a freeform tool. I am learning to draw, albeit sew with thread.

Using muslin as the top and the bottom, I learned to attach both to leaders which are in turn attached, velcroed to two of the three cross beams of the rack. First I measured the two pieces of muslin and then pinned them at about 6-inch intervals to each individual leader. Guess what? I did not stick myself with a pin. Successful accomplishment.

The batting was added in-between the top and back and then the quilt sandwich was prepped into place. All done, and now set for lesson two – learning the on and off buttons, and determining regulated and manual stitching.

And that is lesson one... and Andy is the patient one.

Enjoy,

Jim

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My Quip – Flying Monkeys – Healing Carpel Tunnel

Good Day,

The work on our quilting has slowed down a wee bit… Andy’s surgery went well, and as far as I can see he still has all four fingers and one thumb on his right hand.

We have finished the design and top to a new little quilt, Flying Monkeys. The idea for the design was inspired by the Half Rectangle Triangle Tutorial found at The Modern Quilt Guild site.

The approximate size of Flying Monkeys will be: Length – 48” (122 cms) and Width – 34” (86 cms). The three fabrics are of Moda’s Funky Monkey collection designed by Erin Michael. The Half Rectangle Triangle is a technique that certainly lends to a fast construction of the top.

We have decided on the quilting… and either I learn how to use our Longarm… or Andy’s wrist heals bloody fast, whichever comes first.

Our images are just a peek into the completed top but… I can tell you that we are both extremely pleased at the current result.

And now for the Quilts SB business part…

If you are interested, and would like some more information of available quilts, regarding costs, shipping, and insurance, please check our Quilts SB Etsy shop.

Keep up-to-date of all Quilts SB news. I have added a “Follow By Email” capability at the bottom right of each posting under The Grid. You can also become a Follower of Quilts SB. Click on the “Join this site” to follow Quilts SB. I’ve added another means to follow the images of our quilt creations via Pinterest.

Check out my alternative format of Quilts SB, Quilts SB Test. Certainly would appreciate your feedback.

To see previously posted quilts, there is a visual Grid presentation at the bottom of the Quilts SB page. Move your cursor over any mini-picture found there and click to see an enlargement. Move your cursor to the "Q#" link to see the quilt's details. If the quilt’s title is highlighted in yellow or in red, it has found a home in a collection and is no longer available.

If you have any questions and/or comments please feel free to get in touch with me via email.

Enjoy,

Jim and Andy

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My Quip – Evolution Heads to MQX West 2012 – Portland, Oregon

Good Day,

Evolution, is all packed and now on its way to Portland, Oregon to MQX West 2012.

Evolution - 25 + 1 Quilts. They are traveled on tour from the Tampa in the Southeast, to the East coast and Providence, Rhode Island.  Next stop to the West Coast and Portland, Oregon… and then return home to Florida. An approximate total of 8,805 miles.

After two CTunnel surgeries and recovery and the completion of, all things-being-equal 20 new quilts, we will be leaving The Pack, in capable hands, for a while and heading up to MQX West in Portland, in October. Certainly would like to see you there.

Here is the list of our Quilts and Wall Hangings that will make up our
Evolution. It is our visual and creative history of our short involvement into the fascinating world of quilting.

Woven Scraps; Nova Sun; Beige Bargello; Warhol’s Marilyn; Betty Davis Tribute; Primary Twister; Twisted Lightning; AD I; AD II; Rainbow Glass; Patience; V-Bricks; Provence; Café au Lait; Kanzashi; Noël Diptych; OP Ornament; Coral Steps; Mauk I; Born This Way; Twisted Basket; Civil War Re-Enactment I or CWR I; Tetrishead; MEM911; Colored Windows II; and Blue Diamonds.

You can see images of all these quilts and wall hangings on The Grid at the bottom of any Quilts SB page. Just scroll down to get to The Grid.

And now we’ve got more quilts to make.

Enjoy,

Andy and Jim

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My Quip - 20 Quilts Pending - And Carpel Tunnels

Good Day,

We’re keeping ourselves busy… and with two pending CTunnel surgeries within the next few days and in a couple of weeks, we are trying to tie up loose ends, so-to-speak.

Doctor’s comment to Andy regarding the surgery and rehabilitation period… “If you can go through open heart surgery last year, these will be a piece of cake.” And I will be the chauffeur for a couple of days, each time…

And an imminent list of the quilts and wall hangings that we are currently working on –

- Blue Memories – Final stages of construction
- Savanna’s Memories – Final stages of construction
- Amulet - Top completed
- Joseph’s Coat - Top completed
- Joseph’s Ladder Pants - Pieced and in design
- Astro-Physics - Pieced and in design
- Kumquat – Fabric prepared
- Flying Monkeys – Fabric prepared and in design
- Chambray - In design
- Blumish - Pieced and in design
- I Really Love Lucy – Designed
- Who Did Desi Adore? – Designed
- Gunta Stöltz - In design, fabrics chosen
- Mauk II - In construction
- Eagle Mosaic - In design
- Rán - In design
- Orange Peel Indian Summer - Top completed
- Just Trees – Background completed
- Batique OM I – In progress
- Batique OM II – In progress

If you are interested, and would like some more information of available quilts, regarding costs, shipping, and insurance, please check our Quilts SB Etsy shop.

Keep up-to-date of all Quilts SB news. I have added a “Follow By Email” capability at the bottom right of each posting under The Grid. You can also become a Follower of Quilts SB. Click on the “Join this site” to follow Quilts SB.  I’ve added another means to follow the images of our quilt creations via Pinterest.

Check out my alternative format of Quilts SB, Quilts SB Test. Certainly would appreciate your feedback.

To see previously posted quilts, there is a visual Grid presentation at the bottom of the Quilts SB page. Move your cursor over any mini-picture found there and click to see an enlargement. Move your cursor to the "Q#" link to see the quilt's details. If the quilt’s title is highlighted in yellow or in red, it has found a home in a collection and is no longer available.

If you have any questions and/or comments please feel free to get in touch with me via email.

Enjoy,

Jim and Andy

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My Quip – Savanna’s Memories T-Shirt Quilt – Traditional-Variable Style – Progress Report

Good Day,

As such I would venture to say that there are many experienced quilters out there in Interland that will state that there is only a specific way, albeit their specific way, of creating a T-Shirt Quilt. And when one does a Google search on T-Shirt quilts you may get almost 5-million image results…

Well, I fib, I got 4,990,000 hits. That’s one lot of memories… and I think that’s great.

When presented with the number of t-shirts for Savanna’s Memories, we decided that we did not want to cut any of the logos to fit a fixed size block. Our decision was to create blocks, that is 24 blocks that each sewn would result in a 13 ½” by 13 ½”, (34.3 cms by 34.3cms), squares. The 24 blocks aligned in four columns of six each appears to conform to the Traditional style.

The center column is 18”, 45.7 cms, wide sewn. It is the display panel for the smaller and the extra-large logos. This creates the idea of a Variable style. The borders, on the t-shirt blocks that have borders, are also variable.

All-things-being-equal, the final dimensions of the Savanna’s Memories will be: Width – 84” (213 cms) and Length – 94” (239 cms). This approximates the size of a queen-size quilt.

Next step is the quilting. Stay tuned to see what that decision is.

Savanna’s Memories is a made to order quilt. If you are interested, and would like some more information of available quilts, regarding costs, shipping, and insurance, please check our Quilts SB Etsy shop.

Keep up-to-date of all Quilts SB news. I have added a “Follow By Email” capability at the bottom right of each posting under The Grid. You can also become a Follower of Quilts SB. Click on the “Join this site” to follow Quilts SB. I’ve added another means to follow the images of our quilt creations via Pinterest.

Check out my alternative format of Quilts SB, Quilts SB Test. Certainly would appreciate your feedback.

To see previously posted quilts, there is a visual Grid presentation at the bottom of the Quilts SB page. Move your cursor over any mini-picture found there and click to see an enlargement. Move your cursor to the "Q#" link to see the quilt's details. If the quilt’s title is highlighted in yellow or in red, it has found a home in a collection and is no longer available.

If you have any questions and/or comments please feel free to get in touch with me via email.

Enjoy,

Jim and Andy

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My Quip – We Venture Out To The Depths of The Unknown – Our First T-Shirt Quilt

Good Day,

Thirty-five logos and symbols from a number of t-shirts… How does one (albeit two) turn them into an eye-catching queen-size quilt? T-Shirts representing a school career; teal and sable, the favorite colors.

How do you cut the memories of the circumstances and events of each and every t-shirt? Very carefully. And how does one stop the t-shirt material from stretching every which way as they are cut and sewn together to compose a special memory quilt?

Fusible interfacing… Each cut logo and symbol had to be backed up with fusible interfacing to prevent it from stretching.

Our design appears to be a combination of both, what experienced quilters may call Traditional Style and Variable Style T-Shirt Quilts. And so, Savanna’s Memories is our rendition of a Traditional-Variable Style Quilt.

The top is finished and we are now mounting the top, batting and backing on our Longarm rack. Stay tuned for updates.

Oh and by the way, yes, I know the images show the backside of the top. Savanna's Memories is a surprise gift, a graduation gift. Shhhh, it's a secret.

If you are interested, and would like some more information of available quilts, regarding costs, shipping, and insurance, please check our Quilts SB Etsy shop.

Andy and I are moving at a steady pace with our quilt and fabric wall hanging work. Keep abreast of all updates. I have added a “Follow By Email” capability at the bottom right of each posting under The Grid. You can also become a Follower of Quilts SB. Click on the “Join this site” to follow Quilts SB. I’ve added another means to follow the images of our quilt creations via Pinterest.

Check out my new experimental format of my Blog, Quilts SB Test. Certainly would appreciate your feedback.

To see previously posted quilts, there is a visual Grid presentation at the bottom of the Quilts SB page. Move your cursor over any mini-picture found there and click to see an enlargement. Move your cursor to the "Q#" link to see the quilt's details. If the quilt’s title is highlighted in yellow or in red, it has found a home in a collection and is no longer available.

If you have any questions and/or comments please feel free to get in touch with me via email.

Enjoy,

Jim and Andy

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My Quip – Blue Memories In Progress – The Quilt Top is Done

Good Day and Happy Mother’s Day,

Thought you might like a gander at the completed top of our latest quilt, Blue Memories.

It is one large king-size quilt, and all-things-being-equal it may be used, when completed, as a king-sized bedspread.

We are very pleased how the arbitrariness of the placing of the squares of the 46 fabric fit and present a very nice composed and comforting feature. The sewn 6”and 2” squares are set to our original design.

The quilting of the top, batting, and backing fabric continues, and we are excited that this will be, albeit a huge one, a well-treasured quilt.

Here are some more images of different angles, that I took on a King size bed. Check out the overhanging sides…

Keep tuned to Quilts SB to follow our progress of Blue Memories.

If you are interested, and would like some more information of available quilts, regarding costs, shipping, and insurance, please check our Quilts SB Etsy shop.

Andy and I are moving at a steady pace with our quilt and fabric wall hanging work. Keep abreast of all updates. I have added a “Follow By Email” capability at the bottom right of each posting under The Grid. You can also become a Follower of Quilts SB. Click on the “Join this site” to follow Quilts SB. I’ve added another means to follow the images of our quilt creations via Pinterest.

Check out my new experimental format of my Blog, Quilts SB Test. Certainly would appreciate your feedback.

To see previously posted quilts, there is a visual Grid presentation at the bottom of the Quilts SB page. Move your cursor over any mini-picture found there and click to see an enlargement. Move your cursor to the "Q#" link to see the quilt's details. If the quilt’s title is highlighted in yellow or in red, it has found a home in a collection and is no longer available.

If you have any questions and/or comments please feel free to get in touch with me via email.

Enjoy,

Jim and Andy

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My Quip – Blue Memories In Progress – How Many Stitches?

Good Day,

Blue Memories Quilt top has been pieced and completed. It is now ready to be quilted. We have learned one valuable lesson… One cannot load a quilt on a Longarm frame that is wider than the width parameter of the Longarm rack.

After one row of horizontal quilting, we counted just fewer than 1,700 stitches of quilting. That is, 1,700 stitches to almost traverse the width of Blue Memories.

And we have calculated that there will be more than 220 rows of horizontal quilting. In another words, that is, 382,000 stitches. This of course does not include the border quilting or the binding. Now we’re talking about 400,000 stitches. That is one heck of a lot of thread.

Keep tuned to Quilts SB to follow our progress of Blue Memories.

If you are interested, and would like some more information of available quilts, regarding costs, shipping, and insurance, please check our Quilts SB Etsy shop.

Andy and I are moving at a steady pace with our quilt and fabric wall hanging work. Keep abreast of all updates. I have added a “Follow By Email” capability at the bottom right of each posting under The Grid. You can also become a Follower of Quilts SB. Click on the “Join this site” to follow Quilts SB. I’ve added another means to follow the images of our quilt creations via Pinterest.

Check out my new experimental format of my Blog, Quilts SB Test. Certainly would appreciate your feedback.

To see previously posted quilts, there is a visual Grid presentation at the bottom of the Quilts SB page. Move your cursor over any mini-picture found there and click to see an enlargement. Move your cursor to the "Q#" link to see the quilt's details. If the quilt’s title is highlighted in yellow or in red, it has found a home in a collection and is no longer available.

If you have any questions and/or comments please feel free to get in touch with me via email.

Enjoy,

Jim and Andy

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My Quip – Altered Logs II – New Home, Asheville, North Carolina

Good Day,

Well one of our quilts, Altered Logs II is now making its way to its new home in Asheville, North Carolina…

Altered Logs II is a derivation on the very familiar pattern, Log Cabin. It was our inspiration based on the fabrics we used in our C&N Series.

The dimensions of Altered Logs II are: Width – 60” (152 cms) and Length – 60”(152 cms). All fabrics, batting, backing, and thread are of 100% cotton.

A series of close up images can be seen at Q46 – Quilt – Altered Logs II.

If you are interested, and would like some more information of available quilts, regarding costs, shipping, and insurance, please check our Quilts SB Etsy shop.

Andy and I are moving at a steady pace with our quilt and fabric wall hanging work. Keep abreast of all updates. I have added a “Follow By Email” capability at the bottom right of each posting under The Grid. You can also become a Follower of Quilts SB. Click on the “Join this site” to follow Quilts SB. I’ve added another means to follow the images of our quilt creations via Pinterest.

Check out my new experimental format of my Blog, Quilts SB Test. Certainly would appreciate your feedback.

To see previously posted quilts, there is a visual Grid presentation at the bottom of the Quilts SB page. Move your cursor over any mini-picture found there and click to see an enlargement. Move your cursor to the "Q#" link to see the quilt's details. If the quilt’s title is highlighted in yellow or in red, it has found a home in a collection and is no longer available.

If you have any questions and/or comments please feel free to get in touch with me via email.

Enjoy,

Jim and Andy

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My Quip - Blue Memories In Progress - Piecing

Good Day,

Well, we are working on the construction of Blue Memories... This is gonna be one big quilt.

Based on all the 6-inch and 2-inch blocks, this king-size quilt may top at 114” by 114”; 290 cms square. Thus far there are 292 6-inch and 661 2-inch squares. All squares have a ¼” seam allowance.

Blue Memories is a very different experience for us. There is something of a transcendent experience, a je ne sais quoi as we work on this quilt. The top is coming together in a way that we are very, very pleased. And now to just complete this undertaking.

And it will be quite a large quilt that will fit almost to the boundaries of our longarm, when we start the quilting.

If you are interested, and would like some more information of available quilts, regarding costs, shipping, and insurance, please check our Quilts SB Etsy shop.

Andy and I are moving at a steady pace with our quilt and fabric wall hanging work. Keep abreast of all updates. I have added a “Follow By Email” capability at the bottom right of each posting under The Grid. You can also become a Follower of Quilts SB. Click on the “Join this site” to follow Quilts SB. I’ve added another means to follow the images of our quilt creations via Pinterest.

Check out my new experimental format of my Blog, Quilts SB Test. Certainly would appreciate your feedback.

To see previously posted quilts, there is a visual Grid presentation at the bottom of the Quilts SB page. Move your cursor over any mini-picture found there and click to see an enlargement. Move your cursor to the "Q#" link to see the quilt's details. If the quilt’s title is highlighted in yellow or in red, it has found a home in a collection and is no longer available.

If you have any questions and/or comments please feel free to get in touch with me via email.

Enjoy,

Jim and Andy

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My Quip- Quilts SB QR Code

Good Day,

Quilts SB now has a QR Code, aka a Quick Response Code.


Smartphones "have put a barcode reader in everyone's pocket". Users with a camera phone equipped with the correct reader application can scan the image of the QR Code to display text, contact information, connect to a wireless network, or open a web page in the telephone's browser. (From Wikipedia.)

In other words, Quilts SB's URL address http://quiltssb.blogspot.com is embedded in the above QR Code. With a Smartphone and a QR Reader App, all one has to do is point at the QR Code and click/snap and electronically you're transported to Quilts SB site. And now you do not have to remember the actual URL address.

There are at least 260 iPhone Apps 260, at the iPhone/iPad store that one can load on her or his Smartphone.

And here is the QR Code for our Quilts SB Etsy Site.


And for our Quilts SB Facebook Page. You will have to log into your Facebook account.


Try each out and enjoy,

Jim

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My Quip – Blue Memories in Pieces

Good Day,

A steam iron, a rotary cutter, a black and white grid design, a color facsimile, and a mathematical computation are the first tools in the preparation of Blue Memories.

After going over a couple of draft designs, we have decided on the final scheme for piecing the quilt top of Blue Memories. As simple as it may seem, there is some work in creating the top design that eventually will be comprised of the many, many blocks. And each block must be cut from the prepared fabrics.

All-things-being-equal, and I haven’t made a computational error, I think, there are 953 squares in this king size planned quilt. I still have a bit of job getting my mind to understand that an odd number of squares will come out evenly… but we will just have to wait and see.

The beginnings of Blue Memories and a number of other of our previously finished quilts all began with someone checking out The Grid of our Quilts SB portfolio and then asking us “Can you make such-and-such type of quilt?”

If you are interested, and would like some more information of available quilts, regarding costs, shipping, and insurance, please check our Quilts SB Etsy shop.

Andy and I are moving at a steady pace with our quilt and fabric wall hanging work. Keep abreast of all updates. I have added a “Follow By Email” capability at the bottom right of each posting under The Grid. You can also become a Follower of Quilts SB. Click on the “Join this site” to follow Quilts SB. I’ve added another means to follow the images of our quilt creations via Pinterest.

Check out my new experimental format of my Blog, Quilts SB Test. Certainly would appreciate your feedback.

To see previously posted quilts, there is a visual Grid presentation at the bottom of the Quilts SB page. Move your cursor over any mini-picture found there and click to see an enlargement. Move your cursor to the "Q#" link to see the quilt's details. If the quilt’s title is highlighted in yellow or in red, it has found a home in a collection and is no longer available.

If you have any questions and/or comments please feel free to get in touch with me via email.

Enjoy,

Jim and Andy

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My Quip – Blue Memories For a King Size Quilt

Good day,

Next on our list is a new and original quilt, Blue Memories…

This is our first challenge of taking a bunch of old shirts and skirts, 46 to be exact, and creating a quilt. We sort of feel as if we have stepped back into time. We are making a new quilt creation of used and well-worn fabric.

We have been requested to create a memory quilt, of our style, of the shirts worn by an acquaintance’s grandmother.

The above inserted images are of the fabric that will compose the top of Blue Memories. All fabric has been prepped and we are cutting 953 squares. The completed quilt is targeted at 108” by 108”, (274 cms by 274 cms), square. All-things-being equal the final size of the Blue Memories will approximate a king-size quilt.

Blue Memories is the third quilt project in the list of 17, which should have been 18, which I posted on My Quip. You must link back time and again to check up on our work and status.

If you are interested, and would like some more information of available quilts, regarding costs, shipping, and insurance, please check our Quilts SB Etsy shop.

Andy and I are moving at a steady pace with our quilt and fabric wall hanging work. Keep abreast of all updates. I have added a “Follow By Email” capability at the bottom right of each posting under The Grid. You can also become a Follower of Quilts SB. Click on the “Join this site” to follow Quilts SB. I’ve added another means to follow the images of our quilt creations via Pinterest.

Check out my new experimental format of my Blog, Quilts SB Test. Certainly would appreciate your feedback.

To see previously posted quilts, there is a visual Grid presentation at the bottom of the Quilts SB page. Move your cursor over any mini-picture found there and click to see an enlargement. Move your cursor to the "Q#" link to see the quilt's details. If the quilt’s title is highlighted in yellow or in red, it has found a home in a collection and is no longer available.

If you have any questions and/or comments please feel free to get in touch with me via email.

Enjoy,

Jim and Andy

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Q98 – Mondrian I – Quilt

Good Day,

We have finished! Mondrian I is one beautiful quilt… and our new original addition to our Rainbow Glass Series.

Inspired by the works of Piet Mondrian and a number of stained glass window artists, we have tried to capture the idea of the sun reflecting through the many panels of glass.

Mondrian I equals 810 double beveled squares and rectangles in 30 “window panes”. Each rectangle and square is quilted individually… on a domestic sewing machine. Each pane is 13”by 13”, (33 cms by 33 cms), square. Within each pane there are 27 rectangles and squares and the dimensions of Mondrian I are: Width: 74” (188 cms) and Length: 88” (224 cms).

Here are images and closeups of Mondrian I.

And we haven’t got a clue how much thread we used… There is a lot.

Mondrian I is now enroute to the Home Machine Quilting Show which runs from May 10 to 12 at the South Towne Exposition Center in Salt Lake City, Utah.

And now we continue with our further endeavors and new quilts. You'll have to check back time and again to check up on our work and status.

If you are interested, and would like some more information of available quilts, regarding costs, shipping, and insurance, please check our Quilts SB Etsy shop.

Andy and I are moving at a steady pace with our quilt and fabric wall hanging work. Keep abreast of all updates. I have added a “Follow By Email” capability at the bottom right of each posting under The Grid. You can also become a Follower of Quilts SB. Click on the “Join this site” to follow Quilts SB. I’ve added another means to follow the images of our quilt creations via Pinterest.

Check out my new experimental format of my Blog, Quilts SB Test. Certainly would appreciate your feedback.

To see previously posted quilts, there is a visual Grid presentation at the bottom of the Quilts SB page. Move your cursor over any mini-picture found there and click to see an enlargement. Move your cursor to the "Q#" link to see the quilt's details. If the quilt’s title is highlighted in yellow or in red, it has found a home in a collection and is no longer available.

If you have any questions and/or comments please feel free to get in touch with me via email.

Enjoy,

Jim and Andy

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