Lessons With The Clam Flowers

The Kyoto Kimono quilt is finished and now it’s ready for binding. I had originally wanted to quilt the top with a Gingko leaf motif, but I didn’t like how the leaves looked once I began quilting it. A hard lesson was learned when I had to rip out machine quilting stitches on a quilt that was loaded onto a longarm frame. I spent a day with my new best friend — Ye Trusty Seam Ripper! Lesson learned: think twice, stitch once….

After I had convinced myself that I realllly didn’t like the Gingko leaves I’d been quilting, I searched online and I found a pantograph called Clam Flowers which had an Asian flair. I bought it, along with a few more pantos, to use instead of trying to quilt those Gingko leaves. Since the store was on the left coast, I learned another hard lesson while I waited for the pantograph to arrive in the mail. Lesson learned: Be prepared for downtime….Note to Self: Maybe it’s time to buy zipper-leaders just-in-case I have a stumbling block again.

When the package arrived, I was super anxious to start quilting on this Kyoto Kimonos, and after 4 rows of quilting, I realized that I really didn’t care for the dark navy thread on the pale yellow background. And I also didn’t like how the sharp points of the Clam Flowers design seemed TOO sharp on this quilt. At this point, though, it was too late because I was NOT going to rip out 18-inches of longarm stitches again.

Now that it’s finished, I can at least admire the Clam Flowers quilting from the backside of the quilt. Even through my longarm inadequacies, the design looks great — it’s definately Asian and works so nicely with the Asian prints on the back.

Sheesh…..Another lesson learned: Be sure that the pantograph design will look appropriate for the quilt TOP. Note to Self: Remember that the panto repeat-design widths are not necessarily the same size as the block size and if the width doesn’t align properly, the overall quilting design will not be positioned correctly when quilted.

My lessons with the Clam Flowers have been learned. Class over!!

Like Stacks Of Coins

I’m calling this strippy-string quilt Stacks Of Coins.

The finished Stacks Of Coins top measures 48″ x 72″ and is made with 5 sections of 6-inch wide pieced strips set with 4 sections of 5-inch wide plain strips. I originally pieced 6 sections of strips for the top, but laying it all out, I saw that this setup would make an almost-square quilt — too wide for a lap quilt. Not wanting to waste the remaining pieced strip, I sliced it in half and added it into the border along the top and bottom.

See our tomato plants in the photo? I pinned the top along our vegetable garden fence this morning to get a picture and didn’t clothespin it very well. After this photograph, I had to hang the top up to dry. Yesterday evening we had a downpour and I got the bottom wet taking the photo.

The plain cotton print used in between the strips and as a border is now gone, except for a few small scraps. Stashbusting!!

The backing will be another pieced backing — don’t know what yet….I will need to go shopping through my stash and rummage for some fabrics that will work with this top.

I plan to quilt this Stacks Of Coins top on my new longarm as soon as I finish the Kyoto Kimono quilt that’s loaded now. I need to learn more free-motion techniques, and working with functional quilt tops like this Stacks of Coins gives me the freedom to explore while learning. (And I also need to practice, practice, practice, too!)

Here’s an antique Amish Coin quilt that looks quite contemporary. Made with solids, the interplay of the strips is very graphic, isn’t it?

Another Coins quilt that I found in my books is this crib size quilt. This design would be a quick gift for a little tike!

This Amish Coins antique quilt is striking — the use of fuschia with orange is bold, and very appealing!

Another antique Amish Coins quilt. The triangle border is rather unusual.

Each of these Coins quilts uses the same overall pattern design, yet they are all different. Just one of the reasons why so many people are passionate about quilts!

Note: From here on, I have decided to eliminate references to the traditional pattern name “Chinese Coins”. I have major issues with China and each time I even think about this traditional pattern name I cringe, so I’ve just decided to reference the design as Coins from here on. (Sorry China….Maybe if you can get your collective-act together and think-green-not-red and work hard to get-the-lead-out, I’ll revisit my position. In America, we have the freedom to do stuff like this. So there!)

Strips By The Half Dozen

Yesterday I managed to stitch all six of the Chinese Coin strips for a quick strippy-string quilt. Each strip measures 54-inches long and 6-inches wide. This is a simple foundation piecing process (using a cotton foundation fabric with flip-and-sew stitching). Sewing a half dozen strips was fast and easy.

The string-strips I was using varied in size — I worked with the strip widths as they were originally cut, only trimming to the width of the foundation fabric of 6-inches. Random piecing the strip widths as-is made piecing these sections a fast process. When I’ve finished this top, I will write up the instructions with some photographs to illustrate how quickly this quilt can be stitched together.

In my stash, I found a perfect length of fabric for the long sections that are sewn between the Chinese Coin strips. The fabric is in the upper right portion of the photo. It’s a Cranston cotton print that I bought many years ago and have only used it in a small wall quilt. I’m happy that I’ll use it up with this quilt. Every piece of fabric I use up helps me use up my stash.

Speaking of my stash….the plastic tub filled with strips doesn’t even look like I have made a dent at all. In fact, it looks like there are more strips now. How’d that happen?!

The I-Spy Box

There is a very large plastic tub that is overloaded with scrap strips in my studio. This tub sits on top of two other plastic tubs and gets taller and taller all the time.

Having returned from a long weekend trip yesterday, I was too tired to get involved with my regular sewing and quilting. Instead, I cut some 6-inch foundation strips and began a flip-and-sew strippie quilt top made from the scrap strips in the plastic tub. I’ll make it a lap-size and give it away to someone in the family.

Some flip-and-sew projects are very simple, and the one I’m making, Chinese Coins, certainly is. This sort of piecing is so quick and easy, it’s completely mindless — it’s all about sew, flip, press, repeat….

…Until you begin pulling out strips that jog your memory or remind you of a project you finished a year ago or 5 years past.

That’s when you mind-travel beyond the process and even choose certain fabric strips because of what they mean to you. That’s when you realize that the plastic tub of fabric scrap strips is really an “I-Spy Box” and you are caught up in the game.

Sometimes we quilters act just like little kids, don’t we?

Bag It!

I’ve been making a mess…. I’ve been making tote bags to sell, so my studio is a total disaster-zone. I have all kinds of things laying around, floor to almost-ceiling. You know how it is when you are being creative and productive all at the same time. Yikes!!

The tote bags I’ve been working on are from my own pattern. I’ve made a number of them before, and you can make 2 or 3 of them in almost the same time as if you are making only one. Organized assembly-line mentality helps speed up the process.

These are all machine quilted (front and back) with an inner lining. The totes are without inner pockets. The purses have a top closure and inner pockets. I make them in several different sizes and like so many crafted goodies, sometimes you can’t stop with one.

I love the bag made with the batik sea turtle print, and thought of keeping it for myself. But I won’t do that, I will make myself something with the small bits of remaining scraps.

Today I’ll take them over to Mountain Mystic Trading to sell. Then I’ll jump back into the mess and I’ll make up the next bunch.

These vintage-repro fabrics will become the next bags — they’ll be purses, with inner pockets. Do you like some of the vintage-era buttons and belt-clasps I’ve gathered from my button jar? I can’t wait to make this next group of bags so that I can work with these vintage goodies.

See the three square Bakelite buttons on the right? I have six of them! I’ve been hoarding them for years!