Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Lazer cut Applique Cross Quilt Dec 4, 2013

December 4, 2013
Cross Quilt
I bought a Laser-Cut Cross but then searched forever for just the right fabric to fuse it onto. I found it in a Pittsburgh quilt store. It has little Christian fish on it. But i had asked to go to 2 quilt stores on my bday and only got to one. In the end, I had to buy the border fabrics at Joann's. They weren't quite what i wanted, but oh well.

The Cross, instructions, base fabric, and 2 border fabrics
The Base fabric plus the 2 borders.
Very fragile, and even then a little off side, I didn't really notice until i was doing the echo stitching. Bad Diane.
The Cross applique pressed on
Backing all taped on, taut
top and batting all taped down , centered on the backing
pinned and ready to be quilted
HMM, about then i decided this was going way too slow, and started stitching further away by an inch, not half an inch. AND  realized i was hitting the side on one side, OOPS
A little lopsided?

COOL!!
Binding sewn at 45 degree angle, and rod pocket.
Binding all stitched together, ready to press in half

Binding pressed in half, ready to sew on. Rod Pocket pinned on. Will catch it as i sew on the binding
Back of the quilt, with rod pocket sticking out
Hand sewing on the rod pocket, binding all done
ALL DONE!!
 Sorry i kept taking pictures, and just couldn't get the lighting correct. Best i could do.

Thursday, October 3, 2013

Quilted Vests Oct 3 2013

Hello, a while ago i had bought a pack of Fat Quarters, and chopped them up and sewed together the pieces.  I added some pieces of lace, piping, trim, rick rack, and using the fancy stitches on the machine, WA LA!!
 Actually these were made before the MACHINE, i was using Gramma's old Singer, or Kathy's. Kathy's had fancier stitches.
  I just meandered around with the stitches and  trims.

 I loved the combinations of colors.

I had a bunch of Debbie Mumm Halloweenie prints. Chopped them up and sewed them together.


WILD and CRAZY Lining print. I used a velco closure, bought some wooden Pumpkin buttons but never was brave enough to make buttonholes on this.
I made a real fancy vest  for someone, wanted $100 for it. But my sister asked her, How much do YOU think it is worth? Lady said, $50. I put a ton of work into it too.

Bunny Quilts Oct 3 2013

Hello  I did these Bunny Quilts some time ago. I used the Fusible web to attach the pieces. I did some painting along the edges, and sewing around some.

 This one is a bit bigger, i did appliques in the corners.
CUTE !!

ASUS Tablet Case Oct 3 2013

Hello Oct 3 2013
I got a COOL ASUS Tablet at Staples. It was on clearance. Later I got a Transformer 300T Keyboard Dock through Sears.com.  I had it delivered to Sears, picked up there, that way didn't have to pay shipping.
BUT i made the Quilted case before i bought the Keyboard Dock, so it is now too small. I need to make a bigger one. Plus, i bought this plastic case for it, and even with that on, it no longer fits. :(

 I added piping to the bottom and top edges. I rounded the top edge, kinda using a dinner plate as a guide.

 
 I quilted around the Paisley motifs, and used the walking foot to sew up the straight edges of each row.

 I sized it up with the 10" Tablet.

Inside out to sew the edges together, and show off the quilting. I didn't need to do the piping the whole way along the edges.

It does fit, before the Keyboard dock, and Plastic /rubber case thingy i had bought, after i dropped it on the tile floor at CHP.

COOL!! Needs a  closure of some kind now.

Wednesday, September 11, 2013

What would the difference be??

Sept 30 2013
Through the years, i have slowly been finding out more and more about ME.
Once in doing a search i found this list::
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/archive/20061212/mesh/jablonski/syndrome_toc/toc_a.html
Multiple congenital anomalies. WOW!! SO many?
Why not a list without those with Mental retardation syndromes too?
Recently, in doing some research i found another type of list, Multiple Chronic Conditions!
http://cmcd.sph.umich.edu/managing-multiple-chronic-conditions.html
WHAT WOULD THE DIFFERENCE be between the two??
Congenital VS Acquired?
This has some ideas::
 http://www.hhs.gov/ash/initiatives/mcc/index.html
"pose a significant and increasing burden on the health of Americans"
"" Chronic conditions are conditions that last a year or more and require ongoing medical attention and/or limit activities of daily living.3""
"concurrent chronic conditions""
Well, they both sound VERY alike to me!
Ok, Diabetes, Cancer, Alzheimer's, Arthritis, Osteoporosis, Heart Disease for a few.
As opposed to, Heart Defects, Lung Defects, Osteopenia, Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension, Hemi-Vertebrae Scoliosis.
Drugs that are $6,000 a month.
HMMM??
I was told
"The difference is that "chronic" conditions may exist at the time of birth but they may also acquired later in life. So, a congenital condition may be considered a chronic disease but not all chronic diseases are congenital.
SMH!
Sounds to me like, More of them, so they are funded.
Hospital systems should have Departments for those with MCA! The PCP has a hard time keeping up with ALL of our issues.

Monday, September 9, 2013

SEWING IS DANGEROUS !!

Hello,
Twice recently i felt, i REALLY need to use Safety goggles to sew. A few months ago, while sewing the bottom corner of one of the purses, i broke a needle trying to sew through, around 9 layers.
Today, i was using the Button sewing on foot, to sew on a Snap. I ALWAYS hand crank it, and i must have forced it down too hard, and i heard SNAP!!
The big piece of the needle was still screwed in, the smaller piece was hanging by the thread. BUT A SLIVER had hit me, by the bridge of my nose. That could have been EXTREMELY PAINFUL< and i could have been blinded.
I have no idea which came first, it landing or i closed my eyes.
Picture of the Button sew on foot:
http://www.sewsing.com/buttonsewingfoot.php

I guess, i never learned the lesson of keeping your fingers away from the needle, either. They must have taught it in 7th Grade sewing class. I was home bound tutored that year, and only had English, Spelling, and Math. Of course, my grandmother and i did a lot of sewing, previous to that.
Once while sewing the elastic to the waistband, on an elastic undergarment, i was stretching the elastic, and the finger got a LITTLE too close to the needle.
OUCH!!!
Ma came running, and couldn't figure why i was pulling the thread out from the edge of my finger.
THANKFULLY it hadn't gone through at the nail.
THANKFULLY it wasn't my machine, with the needle in the DOWN position. It would have been EXTREMELY Painful to have the needle stop DOWN IN MY FINGER. AND I WOULD HAVE HAD TO HAND CRANK IT BACK UP!!
But as i sat there, pulling the thread, it finally came to me, i was pulling the thread as it came out of the spool. After i CUT it, i was able to pull the end of the bugger out and apply some pressure to the wound.

BE CAREFUL OUT THERE!

love diane

Sunday, May 26, 2013

Lazer Cut - Appliqued Quilt

May 26 2013
Hello
Every year my sister goes to the Houston Tx International Quilt show. I had asked her to buy me a laser cut nativity, a cut out, that i had seen in a local quilt store. I even sent her a link to the item.
When she went to the show, she instead found, and bought a kit for a cut out nativity quilt. The kit included a magazine, Quilt It For Christmas 2003, which had an applique designed by Dilys Fronks. It also included instructions and the pattern for the nativity. It came with orangeish batik fabric, which i did not care for, but i had some beautiful blue batik fabric.
This worked out MUCH better, i could make a few.
First, i needed lots of fusible web, black fabric, and tiny scissors.
Using the rotary cutter, rulers, and cutting mat, i cut the fabrics and fusible webbing to the size i needed, with some extra. (always add extra for around the sides, the fusing isn't the best on the edges) I had to tape sections together, because the webbing was not big /wide enough.
I traced the nativity pattern onto the paper side of the fusible web. I had "colored in" with my pencil the sections which would be the base, So i did NOT cut that part out.

Cut out the white portions.
Following the fusing instructions of the web, i fused it onto the wrong side of the black fabric.
Holding my breath,  took my scissors and cut into the fused fabric. 
The magazine instructions called for 3 sections, but i only did two, and straightened off the top, to make it easier to hang.

I was getting sore fingers cutting, it took me a long time
ALL DONE !!
 Now the final trimming, then audition it against the batik fabric.

Reverse side
I have done several of these for family members. They are SO beautiful! But a lot of work.

BEAUTIFUL!
At one of the quilt classes i had taken, the teacher said, unless you are doing a binding around a curve, you do not have to do bias binding. BUT on this, the cut work binding is SO beautiful, i have to do it that way.

Need Blue-Black-Blue sections, and Black-Blue-Black sections, to alternate.
Two segments, one blue- black- blue, and one  black- blue- black. Cut at a 45 degree angle. The instructions called for some strips to be cut at one inch wide and some at 1" and 1/4" wide, i did them all the same at, 1+ 1/4".

45 degree angles. at 1 and 1/4 " inch wide
measure twice, cut once ?

Pieces all cut
 Need to sew them together alternating the segments, sewing them together at an ANGLE.
Need to sew them together at an angle
You eventually get the swing of things in sewing them together, and needing to leave a little point sticking out.


Pinned the bottom section, and ready to sew the top to the bottom, together as one through to the Backing and Batting.
First I stitched the middle strip to the top part.

Sewing the top section, to the bottom, as I sew it all through to the Batting and Backing.

I turned the top part down, on top of the bottom, and sewed the two pieces together, through all the layers.
After pressing the top section i pinned it to the Batting and Backing.
First stitching was the other side of the middle strip.
I Sewed with a straight stitch all around the cut outs, through all the layers. I did try to work from the inside to outer edges.
I Sewed with a straight stitch all around all the sections, through all the layers.
Next, adding the binding.

Adding the binding.
 Trimming away the extra batting and backing.

Make sure the corners are well tucked in.


I had a slight mishap as i trimmed away the extra. I hadn't made sure the folded binding, in the corner, was out of the way, and snipped it a tad. Thankfully i was able to fix it.
I added 2 loops as hangers as i sewed on the binding.
Two years later, WHEW! 
BEAUTIFUL!!

Love Diane

Daisy Purse two

May 6 2013
Hello Ok, i was wrong, it was not Timtex, but Peltex. It is an Ultra Firm Stabilizer. I cut the pieces short on all sides, so really didn't have any problems, until i went to turn it inside out. OUCH!!.
The first one didn't have outer pockets, and i decided i HAD to have outer pockets.
I put one big one in the back side of the purse, and quilted the front section.

Peltex interfacing/ stabilizer

Front (on right) is quilted, Back has a pocket, bottom is its own piece.
I cut the Peltex in from all sides, making it a bit easier to sew the seams. It is a bit thick!

I didn't have enough fabric to do the bottom as one with the front. I had to make it its own little piece, which is what i hated about the purchased patterns. It took me a while to figure how this was going to work with the corner treatment, but it worked out just the same.
You are supposed to steam heat the Peltex into shape, it only worked soso. I used my Tailor's Pressing Ham and curved it with that.

Pressed under the top seam allowance, where i will turn it under.
It is a little curved. It is enough for me.
I cut the Peltex in, about a half inch or more, and sewed the seam allowances between 1/4 and 1/2".  The Bernina doesn't like bumps, and this way I didn't have trouble sewing with one side of the foot, on a sidewalk kinda issue.

The Lining i did as i did the other one, adding inner pockets, and extra interfacing where the magnetic snaps would go. The lining bottom i sewed into one of the lining sides, so it is one long piece.
This also caused me some issues, as how to do the bottom corner. But it all worked out ok.
The strap i did a little narrower, because i didn't have as much of the fabric.
Lining and straps






Bottom worked out ok.
 The pieces sewn together.

Holding it's own shape.
The BIG problem was sewing around the top, sewing the lining and outer part together. I had to fight the Peltex. If i had had the energy i would have pushed the machine into the upper position on my cabinet, then I could have sewn it using the free arm.
AND boy i had a struggle turning it inside out.
But it looks GREAT!!  I have even gotten a few compliments.
COOL!! SO CUTE!!
 Oh the goofy camera, when i take out the memory card i must hit the battery and the date resets. I did NOT make this in 2009.

Love ya!!