Misc July 26th Poolside Chat

packyderms_wife

Neither here nor there.
It's been too hot and humid here to do anything the past couple of days. What are your plans for this weekend, other than trying to say cool?
 

packyderms_wife

Neither here nor there.
I was encouraged by Faroe, IIRC, hexie project so am digging out my mini hexies and some fabrics I hand dyed to start a mini project for days when even my eyeballs are sweating.
 

Pebbles

Veteran Member
I over did it yesterday (as usual) so my back is hurting. So I think I will take it a bit easy today and spray paint my wicker furniture. It is hot but I can do it outside in the shade.
 

Faroe

Un-spun
I was encouraged by Faroe, IIRC, hexie project so am digging out my mini hexies and some fabrics I hand dyed to start a mini project for days when even my eyeballs are sweating.

I think you will have fun with them. If you find basting through cardboard to be a drag, try the SewLine fabric glue pen. Pricey, but I think worth it. I have the blue glue insert; most videos on the topic recommend the pink as being less goopy. Sue Daley (spell?) videos show the technique for applying the glue - just YouTube search for her name and English paper piecing.

I think little is good. I ordered 1 1/2" on the side, and anything bigger would be awkward to get my hand around. I don't hesitate to fold the nearby ones when that makes the stitching easier.

I also really liked the results of hand strip piecing on a light wt. muslin foundation (straight, secure, tiny stitches, and a back stitch every third). Both types of blocks have a fun, scrappy compatibility. I cut the foundation larger than the intended block, and drew the block size in ink on it (didn't want that mark fading away, mid-project. Also, I needed to see the lines from the back side when I cut the finished block). You can find several videos where people lay down and sew the strips on the diagonal of either a square of paper, muslin, or batting. A five inch block stitches up fast, even by hand (and I didn't have any materials organized for this). Unlike EPP, the strips require ironing with each one added for best results.
 

marsh

On TB every waking moment
Quilting: Continuing Natalia Bonner's youtube stitch a day year long ruler work tutorial. All the quilt sandwich blanks are marked and finished

I started a feather class on Bluprint with Patsy Thompson. I have bump-back and the regular feather technique down - looking for variations. It is a good class. I need to make more blank quilt sandwiches for practice. I am using a newsprint tablet to practice for muscle memory. I bought a computer sketch pad and software for my other computer, but have yet to be able to set it up successfully. Then I can just practice over and over again and erase it.

Have started the computer/overnight bags for my daughter for her new teaching year.
 

Deena in GA

Administrator
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I worked our farmers (and craftspeople) market this morning. It's always enjoyable and I get to visit with lots of old and new friends! Then hubby and I went to lunch and I came home and have been working on the order of 50 crocheted hemp washcloths that I'm hoping to finish this week.
 

packyderms_wife

Neither here nor there.
Quilting: Continuing Natalia Bonner's youtube stitch a day year long ruler work tutorial. All the quilt sandwich blanks are marked and finished

I started a feather class on Bluprint with Patsy Thompson. I have bump-back and the regular feather technique down - looking for variations. It is a good class. I need to make more blank quilt sandwiches for practice. I am using a newsprint tablet to practice for muscle memory. I bought a computer sketch pad and software for my other computer, but have yet to be able to set it up successfully. Then I can just practice over and over again and erase it.

Have started the computer/overnight bags for my daughter for her new teaching year.

which sketch pad did you purchase?
 

Faroe

Un-spun
Quilting: Continuing Natalia Bonner's youtube stitch a day year long ruler work tutorial. All the quilt sandwich blanks are marked and finished

I started a feather class on Bluprint with Patsy Thompson. I have bump-back and the regular feather technique down - looking for variations. It is a good class. I need to make more blank quilt sandwiches for practice. I am using a newsprint tablet to practice for muscle memory. I bought a computer sketch pad and software for my other computer, but have yet to be able to set it up successfully. Then I can just practice over and over again and erase it.

Have started the computer/overnight bags for my daughter for her new teaching year.

Long arm? Other people talk about "frames." Same? I was watching a YT yesterday put up by a woman who works professionally with a computerized machine. She had an antique double wedding quit for a client - it was pretty, but frankly, a mess. She was able to quilt out all the extra poofyness with only minimal tucking. I have mixed feeling about machine quilting antique tops, but can't imagine anyone trying to save that quilt by hand quilting - I doubt hand quilting could have fixed the warping, and probably no one with the skill to do so would have wanted to put the time into that piece. It looked great when she was done.
 

packyderms_wife

Neither here nor there.
Long arm? Other people talk about "frames." Same? I was watching a YT yesterday put up by a woman who works professionally with a computerized machine. She had an antique double wedding quit for a client - it was pretty, but frankly, a mess. She was able to quilt out all the extra poofyness with only minimal tucking. I have mixed feeling about machine quilting antique tops, but can't imagine anyone trying to save that quilt by hand quilting - I doubt hand quilting could have fixed the warping, and probably no one with the skill to do so would have wanted to put the time into that piece. It looked great when she was done.

I don't have a long arm, or a frame to turn my Janome 6500 into a mid-arm machine, I simply do not have the room to set that sort of thing up.
 

Faroe

Un-spun
I don't have a long arm, or a frame to turn my Janome 6500 into a mid-arm machine, I simply do not have the room to set that sort of thing up.

No space here, either. I have an antique treadle, but the top remains folded down, and the machine un-refurbished; I need the table top space more than I need the machine.
 

marsh

On TB every waking moment
I have a Brother PQ 1500, which is a domestic (not-"long arm") machine. It is geared to the higher speed demands of quilting and it has a larger "harp" or throat to accommodate more scrunched up fabric. It goes backwards and forwards but does not do any fancy stitches.

"Domestic quilters" have translated the ruler work that has long been done by long arm quilters into a method for their domestic machines. (Instead of moving the machine around, they move the fabric under the machine using a slick "slider" surface under the quilt and special gloves or grippers that provide greater contact with the fabric.) The rulers for domestic quilters usually have little silicon discs placed underneath so they are less apt to slide on the fabric. A special "ruler foot" is used and the ruler is extra thick so it doesn't slide under the needle. You use the ruler to guide the foot in straight or curved lines at measured intervals. This can provide a divided place for free motion quilting (like a circle, diamond, arch,) a motif or a grid.

Here is a good video by Amanda Murphy (Bernina) using ruler work on a domestic machine in a sampler project. https://weallsew.com/bernina-rulerwork-quilt-along-part-1/

I quilt on my open cabinet with one of those long folding tables behind the cabinet. I have a clothes hanging rack between the cabinet and the table and one to the side. I have big clips suspended from bungee cords I use to clip on big quilts to reduce their weight and drag when I quilt.

I also have a frame, but I am not using it now. I used to run my Juki PQ1500 mounted on a little platform along a track to quilt on it. I found it very confining as to the space it exposed for quilting and precision of range of motion. Threads and needles broke quite a bit. I guess the memory of all that frustration is why I brought the Brother version.

The drawing pad I purchased is an Inspiroy H610PRO v2 from Huion. I have a light box with cutting and pressing surface from them that I like. I also got Painter Essentials 6 software. I run on Windows 10. It is not interfacing right so I have put it aside in frustration until I have a day when I feel like being patient with it.
 

Melodi

Disaster Cat
I am about half-way up the "Mindless" hat pattern (k2p2) husband likes them long in Winter so he can fold 3 or 4 inches over his ears.

I hope to finish it in the next day or two and get back to the baby sweater, I also noticed we are getting low on socks again (they get lost, the husband will wear them without shoes, etc) so I can probably tag-team socks, baby clothing, hats, and mittens while it is warm and I need project to carry about.

I am also hoping to get the sewing machine set up upstairs and/or weave a few pieces for World Con (but that may not happen, it is in three weeks).

I have never quilted myself but my cousin in Washington, that I met with last month has won so many State Fairs and the like they have her as a judge now most of the time.

It is a wonderful craft, just not one I've ever done much with, simple patchwork interests me a bit because I like the effect - we shall so - so many crafts so little time - I want to learn my Passup Knitting machine first.
 

Faroe

Un-spun
Back to knitting the gator - it's easy and I don't get obsessive about it. Still have most of the house to clean (at this point, it's more disorganized than before I started)....but the bird room got a complete overhaul, and looks fantastic. No one has even pooped on the floor yet. Was going to re-arrange some of the snakes into there, but had second thoughts about putting a 5 foot rat snake (Patheropis emori - spell?) in the same room with the canary. He might lunge when I take him out. The baby boa is graduating out of his ten into a 35 gallon tank - something's gotta give, space wise. Everyone just ate last night anyway; I'll figure it out tomorrow.
 

Broken Arrow

Heathen Pagan Witch
Still no fibery things going on here. Got the farm on the market for sale last Friday. Hoping to get some showings this week.

Watching one of my rams at the moment. One of our heifers is in heat and decided to ride him on Saturday. I think she stepped on his foot in the process. He doesn't want to bear weight on it. I don't feel anything broken or dislocated, and there is no swelling. Got him on banamine at the moment for pain/inflammation. Think that heifer is going to get turned into hamburger. Shes a runt who we cant breed, born premature and we had to tube feed her for 2 months before she would take a bottle. We had hoped she would get to full size, but at the age of 2 years, she's smaller than her 1 year old half sister. I'll have to think on this, it would break my heart to send her to freezer camp after doing so much to save her life.
 

Melodi

Disaster Cat
Suggestion - does anyone else like the idea of a room/thread to post patterns, materials, techniques etc?

I was thinking of posting directions to my "Dead Easy" hat but didn't want them to get lost in a larger thread, such a section would also be great to post links to "how too" videos, sewing machine reviews, etc.

Hat is getting there, but I've got things to do today so probably no knitting until this evening.
 

Faroe

Un-spun
Suggestion - does anyone else like the idea of a room/thread to post patterns, materials, techniques etc?

I was thinking of posting directions to my "Dead Easy" hat but didn't want them to get lost in a larger thread, such a section would also be great to post links to "how too" videos, sewing machine reviews, etc.

Hat is getting there, but I've got things to do today so probably no knitting until this evening.

Those might work in the old Textile Thread. The title, at least is apt. That thread is LONG, however. Maybe a fresh thread with a title including the specifics you listed above would be best, it's a good idea.
 

Faroe

Un-spun
Still no fibery things going on here. Got the farm on the market for sale last Friday. Hoping to get some showings this week.

Watching one of my rams at the moment. One of our heifers is in heat and decided to ride him on Saturday. I think she stepped on his foot in the process. He doesn't want to bear weight on it. I don't feel anything broken or dislocated, and there is no swelling. Got him on banamine at the moment for pain/inflammation. Think that heifer is going to get turned into hamburger. Shes a runt who we cant breed, born premature and we had to tube feed her for 2 months before she would take a bottle. We had hoped she would get to full size, but at the age of 2 years, she's smaller than her 1 year old half sister. I'll have to think on this, it would break my heart to send her to freezer camp after doing so much to save her life.

Back when I kept Shetlands, I was amazed how quickly a small flock of a few sheep turned into a large flock. I hated culling. Loaded a bunch of sweet animals into the van, and cried all the way to the butcher. Never easy decisions, esp. the mis-fits you end up forming a bond with.
 
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packyderms_wife

Neither here nor there.
Suggestion - does anyone else like the idea of a room/thread to post patterns, materials, techniques etc?

I was thinking of posting directions to my "Dead Easy" hat but didn't want them to get lost in a larger thread, such a section would also be great to post links to "how too" videos, sewing machine reviews, etc.

Hat is getting there, but I've got things to do today so probably no knitting until this evening.

By all means start a new thread for your hat, I for one would enjoy knitting a hat that would actually fit my pumpkin sized head!
 

Melodi

Disaster Cat
OK I want to write it down first and make sure it is correct and then I'll post it - it is really more of a set of "suggestions" but the hats fit almost everyone - and if one is way too big (like one I made my husband) elastic or hot water (if wool) is your friend.
 

Faroe

Un-spun
Foundation pieced log cabin.

For some reason, I could never figure out how to do these, but it really isn't hard. I ended up adding counter clockwise - probably not the standard method. I have a 6 1/2" square ruler, so I used that for a block size and marked a piece of light weight muslin at every half inch out from the center, both directions. Tedious to do, but the grid makes placement easier. Several videos suggested using a sheet of fine sand paper under the fabric to grip it. The finest I had to spare was 150 grit; that works well, you could try finer, but I wouldn't recommend coarser. I also just used a cheap mechanical pencil for marking - so nice it never goes dull. You only have to mark and sew one stitching line to set each piece. Today was nothing but annoying interruptions, so didn't get much of it done, but I enjoy the process and like the results. Again, could have used some starch. Watched some videos where people were doing a sort of free-form log cabin. If you don't want to be precise, you can get a rather attractive, more "primative" look. As long as the measured foundation fabric is covered, the extra fabric ends can be cut back to size when done.
 

summerthyme

Administrator
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I love foundation piecing! The results are so precise and perfect every time... I've made a bunch of Mariners Compass blocks (table toppers, hot pads and table runners, mostly, but I've got an unfinished quilt with mariners compass blocks and freeform wild geese that i somehow need to figure out how to set, yet) and they're a lot of fun.

But I cheat... i print the blocks of paper using my computer printer. Ive purchased several software programs over the years with various designs, and they're great... you can scale the blocks from 4" to 14". My only complaint is my Canon printer won't print on "newsprint" type paper (I'm way too cheap to buy the wonderful, but pricey, paper designed for paper piecing). But bought a case of the thinnest printer paper and it works great... tears off easily. If you are hand sewing, i can see tge need for a muslin base block... it would be hard to hand stitch closely enough for paper foundations to tear away without stressing the stitching and maybe distorting the block.

I'll have to see if i have a photo of a log cabin quilt i made for our guest bedroom... it's a rather interesting combination of colors, but it turned out well. I used a thicker batting and tied it, rather than trying to quilt it... log cabin blocks have too many seams to lend themselves to hand quilting, easily anyway.

Summerthyme
 

Faroe

Un-spun
I’ve tried that, still too small. Seems 5he only things I can knit true to size are socks and scarves.

It happens. I once had to knit the same hat twice, and that was after swatching. I think the problem is that we have a different gage in a small flat swatch than we do with the round, esp. if the ratio of K/P's are different. A hundred plus hears ago, size may not have been so critical. Everyone needed hats, and if a hat didn't fit one person in the family, it would fit someone else.
 
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