Quilting | Threads

SO, I dont know a lot about thread. Period. So, I have gone and done some research. Where is the best place to start? the fat quarter shop! They should have a good selection right?

I learned that there was a 12 weight labeled finishing thread.
There is an 80 weight labeled applique
and there is a 50 weight. (which I am not sure what it is for yet).

Hand quilters use 8 weight . Is this perle cotton?

Then there is the 6 strand embroidery floss that doesn't have a weight, but I am assuming it is like the regular embroidery floss that shows up everywhich way.

Now the yardage of thread seems to be important too from a value and "distance or time on the machine" perspective?

I found out that it actually it correlates to a size of spool - the big ones and the little ones - duh why didn't I clue in to that?

There seems to be packaged in packs, cases, single, bundled with fat quarters and in "a box"  phew. If you are not overwhelmed yet I sure am.

All of my thread is thrifted except for a couple of cones and small spools (like 2).  I am curious as to how one finds out which weight each of the spools are?

I am finding that the thread makes more of a difference than the needle when I start to have trouble with my stitches. What about yours?

I really want to start hand quilting some quilts. I am pretty sure I have a large quilting needle somewhere. I cant wait to show you all an update!

Linking with Finished or not Friday because I am definitely not finished learning about threads!

Until next time
Stay Smooth

Sarah

Quilting | Lovely For the Set of Three

Hello Everyone. It is after the summer and it seems to be "back to it" after the summer boom. If the seasons and their various levels of busyness were described in economic terms then the summer would be a boom and the winter a recession (where we get cozy and use everything we gathered in the boom)

This summer was a busy one for sure! we renovated our house, sold said house, bought a larger house, planned a wedding and got married at the larger house aannnd now we are heading to the UK in two weeks.

I have managed to carve out time to get in the sewing room, I now have a sewing room!!! i am soooo loving it so far!


I have almost finished up the piecing for this quilt for a client. it is the first in a series of three. The three do not look alike one being a swoon quilt and the other a bird quilt.

The lady I am making the quilts for made me some hand made cold pressed custom scented soaps. soooo yummy. every time i shower it smells milky and real, not chemicalyy and perfumy! thank you Rebecca!

 This weekend is harvesting the garden before we go to England! Linking to Finished or not Fridays , Off the Wall Friday , and Can I get a Whoop Whoop  , Needle and Thread Thursday


Until next time,

Stay lovely

Sarah

Quilting | A Rohen's Finish

I Finished It. It only took four months.... To get back on track

Rohens Quilt is reversible, with the large pieced stars on the one side and the patchwork improv on the back. And he totally loved it, a big genuine smile and a real tight hug. I love that guy :)

 The quilting was one of my favorite parts! this is one of my first quilts that I have quilted designs all over instead of stitching in the ditch!

I have been watching Angela Walters on the midnight quilt show. it is such a treat to see a new episode!

Angela and the Midnight Quilt show has inspired my quilting this summer see...... Thanks, Angela!

Here is the quilting of the star showing through onto the scrappy back

looking back it seems really amazing to see all of the pieces come together from smaller scraps. 

I am totally inspired to keep going! In fact, I have two more scrap quilts on the go. I am excited to show you next time.

Until then, stay scrappy my friends.

I am so happy to link with finished or not Friday!  It has been such a long time.

Quilting | Cabin HST the Duvet Cover Quilt

This is the Cabin HST. I think it needs to be bigger! lol.

The fiance wants me to make more scrappy HST's to fill it out.


I have a confession: I laid out the design and stacked the squares, numbered them, sewed them together in rows and sewed the rows together... in the wrong order. :/


I think I am going to leave it.

And I am thinking something different than more HST's around the edges. Something that mimics the placement on the bed if you know what I am meaning.

Yes, that is my side of the bed, I am alway freezing cold at night and pile on the blankets... on my side. 

It may be ok to leave it this size so it can just cover me on my side of the bed. 

But, it would be nice to create a cover for that duvet though. That counts as quilting right? a duvet cover quilt?  

In the meantime, I am just going to make some more of these with my 1" - 1.5" scraps and sort through my epic church sale fabric score! (post and pics to come) 

Stay thrifty my friends, until next time,

Sarah

Linking with
Move it along Monday and Monday Making

Quilting | I Cut Up Your Grandmother's Quilt

My Husbands Grandmother had an estate auction. His grandmother had made dozens of quilts over the course of her years and everyone in the family has one.

I, joining the family at this late stage of her life did not have one, but I valued her craft immensely.


What was a girl to do? But get my hands on anyone I could.


I bought a crib sized quilt from that auction, it was made up of pink and miscellaneous scrap pieces.


The pieces were 3 1/2 by 5 1/2  pieces. It had a chunky cute look, but it was unfunctional to me.


So, I cut up your grandmother's quilt. (gasp!)





This picture is the quilt after I cut lengthways down the strips. It resulted in 1 1/2  by 5 1/2 rectangles which I love!

I dug through my stash and pulled out all of my scraps then, I cut, and cut, and cut 1 1/2 rectangles. I think I cut for as much time as I sewed and ironed totaled.

This past weekend in March the littlest son and his father went to the cabin without me and I sewed and I sewed, I didn't leave that sewing room (AKA the dining room. lol) It was AWESOME!

I still have the borders, quilting and back to do so I am not calling this finished. I am linking this with moving it forward Monday, Lets Bee Social and Oh Scrap! 

Happy Monday my friends and stay scrappy and feisty if that is what you need. 

Sarah 

Quilting| Quilty 365 - February

Life is a journey, and I am ok with that.  Seasons may change, winter to spring, come what may, Life can be many things and so can this quilt. 

These are my February blocks for the Quilty 365 challenge group on Blogger. The idea is to create a circle block every day for the whole year. This is me.

I am so very interested to see how it will turn out, life as a whole is dynamic and beautiful, even with the ugly bits in between. 

The struggle is what makes us real, the appreciation we have when things are in harmony makes us real. I feel this is the beginning of a beautiful journey. Thank you, Quilty, 365! 

Please remember that all of you are good enough! You are smart enough! And you are beautiful.

Sarah

Linking with Quilty 365 by www.daisyandjackhandmade.com  and Oh Scrap because everything so far has come from my scrap bin, which contains all sorts of upcycled and collected pieces.

Quilting | Phase Basting

I upcycle, I do. It fills me with a satisfaction knowing that I have taken something outdated and unwanted and turned it into something more enjoyable. Yesterday I basted Rohen's finished quilt top to an upcycled bedspread. My basting process is probably different than yours, but maybe not. maybe there is an underground movement of phase basters. yes, that is what I am calling it: Phase Basting.

Phase Basting is where the quilt top and the backing is secured to the batting separately. I baste like this because I am impatient, mostly and because I am very limited on space. I live in a Canadian post-war shotgun house with a teenager a 5-year-old a husband, a puppy and a medium-sized lab-mut.

I did come across a lady who was using an ironing board to baste her quilts as she was also short on space and I think that I started with that method then moved to the floor with quilting pins.

Phase Basting allows me to work on the back side of the quilt; being short on space I basically use the back as a design wall! lol

I may be taking a break from this one as I am getting a little sick of looking at it. I've joined Quilty 365! and I am very excited about that!

I am linking with Finished or not Friday

cheers for now,

Sarah

Quilting| Rohen's Chinese Coins

I am working on Rohen's Quilt. I have the big star blocks pieced together with supporting elements and am now working on herringbone Chinese coins.  The quilt is starting to look phenomenal! Nathan says that I should highly value the work that I am putting in on this one and that he does! he also hints that he can't wait to have his own blanket. I have made quite a few afghans and quilts but he has yet to receive his. Patience my love patience. :)

I purchased some scraps from Weave and Woven  on Etsy, a seller from Ontario Canada, and used them to perk up the original color scheme for the stars. I love the scraps and the packaging was so lovely!

I can't wait to show you the top.

Sarah


Linked to design wall Monday  and Oh Scrap