A record of Ceri's Quilts

High praise indeed

2007-12-24T21:22:57Z

The snowball is washed and de-linted and tagged and boxed and wrapped. I went to my Grandmother today.

She called it a "show piece", and "perfect" (!!!), and I believe "masterpiece" worked its way in there too. She spent some time looking for a big stitch and informed me that she couldn't find one (perhaps she did not look too hard, for I know there are a few where there are some bulky seams).

And then she got out her ruler and found a straight patch so she could measure my stitches, and pronounced 16 stitches per inch on the quilting in the center of the snowballs.

Yes, that *is* a lot. It's probably an upper limit, not an average, since the block outlines will be considerably less where I had to sew over seams. And she seemed very pleased with the evenness of the stitches, though I think I can do better.

However, after that I almost don't want to give it away. It *is* the nicest quilt I've ever made.

Okay, now on to the next one!

All over but the washing...

2007-12-09T01:31:16Z

The binding is done! Four steps left...

1. Give the quilt a thorough lint brushing.
2. Wash the quilt to remove the blue quilt line markings.
3. Add the quilt tag to the back.
4. A final pass with the lint brush, before the quilt is wrapped.

Excluding all the admiring and photographing, of course.

This quilt is all over nubblies and I've figured out why -- I tried a new cotton batting this time around. I was blaming the cats for all the fuzzies, but it wasn't them. It's the darn batting that shed everywhere. I've *never* had a batting do this, and I will *never* use this type again. I usually use Quilter's Dream Cotton and it really lives up to its name -- I'll be going back to that for the next quilt.

And now I have to decide whether to continue on the double pinwheel, or sit back with the crochet hook and work on some bunnies....

Survey

2007-12-08T14:49:54Z

Okay, I would like your input on this. Take a glance at this picture of the snowball quilt top and tell me, your overall impression, what colour is most prominent?

ie. If you were to say that "The colour there is most of is {x}", what colour would {x} be?

Update: Since some of you asked -- I mean exclusive of the white snowballs. I'm trying to figure out something about colour balancing in the patchwork.

It's okay if the answer is that nothing jumps out at you as being "most".

Save. Me.

2007-12-06T19:49:24Z

I have another idea for a quilt.

*headdesk*

Revising Deadlines

2007-12-06T11:59:54Z

The binding is made. I'm about to go sit down with the quilt and start sewing it on. I have a rant in my head about the instructions for making bias binding that are in one of my quilt books, but it won't make any sense if you've never made bias binding, so I shall spare you. They're good instructions, but they miss a step. That made the process take longer than it should have.

I don't know if I'll get the double pinwheel together by tomorrow night. It's been a busy week and I might decide to take the evening off and relax instead.

I want to spend the weekend making crochet bunnies.

17 of 17 complete!

2007-12-03T02:33:24Z

Quilting done.

*collapses*

I'm sure it looks gorgeous, but I've lost all sense of distance. At 15 1/2 blocks I felt like it was all downhill from there and it would be no problem to finish. at 16 1/2 blocks I started going on sheer determination, rather than momentum.

And it's done. And my fingers are sore. And I'm really tired.

I'll gloat properly tomorrow. G'night.

Plotting

2007-12-02T14:15:15Z

This morning, while sitting and quilting, I plotted out my next two quilts, not just one.

Of course, the way these things work, there's no guarantee that the two quilts in my head will be the next two I make. But the possibilities are very interesting.

Incidentally, just a reminder that if you'd like to see all of the quilting posts, most of them are locked due to their gifty nature. If you'd like to see what I'm working on, drop me a note and I'll friend you so you can see everything (unless it's for you).

Snowball and Ninepatch: 14 of 17

2007-11-26T12:12:01Z

It's not as far as I wanted to get this weekend, and I have a bunch of stuff going on this week that will probably prevent me from matching last week's pace, but there's still plenty of time before Christmas, so I'm not worried.

The goal this week will be to keep at it and finish at least one block. If I could take a day off - a whole day where I didn't have anything else planned - I would likely finish the fershluggener thing in one go. As it stands, I'm still in the so-close-yet-so-far-away stage where I want it to be done, but it just doesn't seem to be getting there.

Next week.

The quilt mocks me.

2007-11-23T12:13:02Z

I have 5 snowballs left to quilt. FIVE.

The quilt is mocking me. It will take as long to do those snowballs as it did to do any other five (and that's somewhere in the neighbourhood of 7 hours, if I'm calculating right), but it's enough to make my brain say "Almost done!" And then I finish another one, and it isn't done. And another, and it isn't done.

Five is just enough to seem not very many and at the same time seem insurmountable. And the whole time the quilt just sits there in its unfinished state. Looking forlorn ("Oh, won't you please finish me?". Or smug ("You'll never finish me! Neener, neener!).

Uppity thing. I have a good mind to go quilt it just to show it who's boss!

Goal

2007-11-21T00:35:32Z

Average 1/2 of a snowball block quilted every night this week, for a total of 2 1/2 snowball blocks finished by the end of the week.

Current total: 1/2 block done. But I haven't started quilting this evening...

Update, Wednesday Morning: HA! Sewed almost a whole block last night to bring the total up to 1 1/2 blocks done since Monday. That means I'm at 11 1/2 blocks complete. Go me.

Snowball and Ninepatch - 10 of 17 Complete

2007-11-19T12:22:12Z

That puts me at double digits, and means I hit my goal for the weekend.

Of course, my brain gets ahead of me, and it wanted 4 blocks done on the weekend, which would have put me at 12. MUCH closer to the finish line. I always have "secret" goals like this, where my brain says "And then you can do four more!" The bit where that would mean not eating or sleeping for the entire weekend seems not to occur to that part of my brain.

Quilting also takes quite a toll on my fingers, so I have a nice callous forming on the index finger of my left hand (the hand that the needle hits on its way through the fabric). Had I done more this weekend, I think it would have been very, very sore.

I'm still enjoying the quilting a lot (except for the brief period on Saturday where I had to re-trace one of the designs because it looked like it was originally traced by a drunk monkey -- it's fixed now), and yet I also wish there were less left to do.

I have a feeling that as soon as I finish the quilt I'm going to zoom around on the binding like nobody's business, finishing it in a day or two.

As near as I can figure, I'm still on track for finishing this for Christmas.

Snowball and Ninepatch: 9 of 17 complete

2007-11-17T23:12:13Z

And as that puts me at the halfway mark for the snowball quilting, I've decided to upload some photos. These were taken back at Thanksgiving, so you'll see that there are only four snowballs finished. But you can see what the detail looks like on both the front and back, and what one of the blocks looks like when it has the design traced on but not quilted.

First, the front. Note that the blue lines will wash out later.

Second, the back. I LOVE how this looks (but then, blue is my favourite colour)

And finally, an overview of the whole thing.\

Snowball and Ninepatch - 8 of 17 Complete

2007-11-17T14:20:24Z

It progresses, though I'd hoped to do more in the evenings this week, it hasn't happened. Oh well.

My goal for this weekend is to finish at least two more of the snowballs. That's what I managed last weekend, so we'll see.

I'm enjoying the quilting but I sort of feel like I'm quilting and quilting and quilting and not getting anywhere -- and then I remember that 2 weeks ago I only had 4 of the snowballs finished, and I feel a bit better.

Snowball and Ninepatch - 7 of 17 complete

2007-11-14T12:11:50Z

Well, I was hoping to make a triumphant announcement on Sunday night/Monday morning to the effect that I was half done (or more) the quilting in the snowball blocks. In my calculations, being up to block 11 would not have been unreassonable.

The weekend had other plans, unfortunately, including the worst migraine I've had in a long while, resulting in me losing most of Saturday to sleeping, and then Sunday erand running took most of the day.

On the upside, I am now working on the 8th snowball, and loving every minute of it. I love watching the pattern come together - how the pattern I've drawn on the fabric gets that slightly puffed, slightly crinkly look as I quilt it, how the level of detail is really making the quilt pop when I step back to look at it. I'm stepping back after every block or two to give the quilt lots more love and admiration. I find myself wanting to take just a few stitches more, just a few stitches more, because I don't want to put the quilt down, and that's a fantastic place to be.

This quilt is being gifted at Christmas. I'm determined, now. I've extended this deadline too many times.

Snowball and Ninepatch: 5 of 17

2007-11-08T16:36:00Z

Finished quilting another one of the snowballs this morning. Then had a few minutes of panic as I couldn't find the stencil to mark the next snowball. I did find it though, so work on that should continue tonight.

Only 12 left to go...if I think about that too much I get a little nuts. I've changed my idea of when this quilt will be finished so many times. I REALLY want it done in time to gift for Christmas.

I have other quilts to work on. It's not that I dislike this quilt -- in fact, I love the design and the quilting -- I'm just a little tired of working on it and want it to be done.

Dear Quilt Gods,

2007-10-20T16:58:17Z

And ye spirits of piecing and cutting...

I would like to know where my fabric scissors are. I know they must be around here somewhere, but I don't know what drawer, what fabric box, what dusty corner, they have chosen to languish in.

If you could let me know, that would be great.

Snowball and Ninepatch - 4 of 17 Complete

2007-10-20T14:57:59Z

What was I thinking when I said I was going to quilt this within an inch of its life?

What was I thinking when I made the quilt this big?

Still and all, it looks AWESOME. I finished outlining all of the blocks with stitching, and now I'm putting my chosen design in each of the snowball blocks. I'm hoping this will finally be ready to be gifted at Christmas. (And about darn time too, since I started the darn thing in late March, finished the top in late April, and have been quilting ever since.)

A quilt in my noddle

2007-08-26T15:32:26Z

Okay. Take this apple core quilt. Apple cores are traditionally just a mishmash of different colours combined, but this one uses "squares" of four pieces of a like colour to good effect.

Now, in your mind's eye, take that idea and turn it into a stash patchwork, like the snowball-and-ninepatch I'm working on. So you'd have a block of four red, four green, four dark brown, four creamy colours, four yellow, kinda randomly around the quilt. OR. Say, a border of red, an inner ring of blue, and inner ring of green, yellow in the center, or something.

Yep. Totally making it.

Not right now of course. Gah. Do you think I don't have enough to do?

But yes. It's an attractive idea.

Proud

2007-08-23T12:14:10Z

*crossposted from my blog*

I forgot to mention. On the weekend I went over to see Karine's new house. We got the grand tour, including a stop in Samuel's room, where she has the boat quilt I made prominently on display. She's bought clips for it and made it a wall hanging/focal point at the end of the room.

I'm quite bowled over by it on two levels. One of which is that the gift is very obviously appreciated and loved. Two is that, damn, did I ever do a lot of quilting on that thing. And it looks pretty darn good!

Snowball and Ninepatch Update

2007-08-07T23:35:54Z

I haven't been working on this one much because it's summer and it's hard to sit under a quilt when it's warm outside. Two weekends ago I sat down and got a decent amount done, but there's a LOT left to quilt still, even before I get to the part where I have to quilt inside the snowball parts.

I love the quilt, though. It's now sitting in my back bedroom, and every time I walk in I admire how it's going so far. I also want to sit down with it, but the weather and the temperature inside the apartment just hasn't allowed for it. We had a few cool nights recently but no cross-breeze, so while it was cool enough outside, the living room and bedroom were still too warm to justify sitting under a blanket. I might have finally managed tonight, but the weather is now humid again and not as cool. Such is summer in Montreal, but it's frustrating because I really do want to be working on this project and I can't. Plus I want to have it finished and delivered during my trip to Halifax in September, and that becomes less and less likely with each passing heat wave.

Rgh.

On Friendship

2007-05-10T13:39:29Z

I know there are some of you out there who are reading this journal occasionally, but don't necessarily want it on your friends list. However, if I haven't friended you, you're actually missing a lot of the journal posts.

I keep posts hidden on this journal not out of shame for my work (part of the point of this journal is to show off, actually) but so people can't see the quilts I'm working on for them.

If you'd like to see the hidden posts, mostly about works in progress, sometimes with pictures, leave a message here and I'll add you to the friends list, so they're visible to you (unless the quilt is for you, of course, and then you're out of luck).

Update on quilt and needles

2007-05-03T14:57:21Z

Progress on the snowball quilt has been slow. I'm trying to do a little bit a day but not always succeeding. I still love the quilt. It's going to be so beautiful when it's done.

I'm having needle issues again. I think the ideal size for me may be a #10. I tried a Unique #8 that was way too big, and the #12 is nice, but not sturdy enough -- it's bent after 18" of stitching, and that's just a no-go for me. I can't use a new needle every time I cut thread.

My stitch size is still uneven. I really need to work on that more, as evenness of stitching is more important than stitch length (though more important to whom is probably a good question to ask at this juncture.)

And away we go again!

2007-04-28T13:28:42Z

Right. I'm back to it. Took the quilting out, took the backing off, washed the new backing, pinned it on, started quilting.

The difference is amazing. NONE of my stitches are pulling through now, though I'm having some problems losing stitches at the corners because the bulk of the material is so thick that I'm not getting the needle all the way through before bringing it back up.

It looks fabulous, but my quilting is really going to show on this one as it's white on dark blue -- I must be careful to keep it as even as possible.

So, notes on a few things:

1. Buy expensive backing fabric, the best you can afford. This will save headaches, if only you can find nice solid-colour backing fabric at your local quilt shop (something Maison de Calico, falls short on, for all that it is a lovely shop) I also have to learn to identify cheap vs. not-cheap fabric, which I usually have difficulty doing until I get home and start sewing with it. In this case, price is generally a good indicator (but not always).

2. Spend the extra dollar or two and get nice safety pins. I got stuck while I was in Halifax and used a bunch of dollar store safety pins to hold Samuel's quilt together. If I'd held out until I could go to the fabric store, I would have gotten sturdier pins that glide through the fabric. I would have been working with the tools, instead of having them work against me. I can feel the difference between the two types when I'm pinning.

Both of which can be summed up as "You are not saving money. You are creating headaches. Buy the right thing the first time."

Taking off the backing

2007-04-25T11:49:48Z

I've decided. I can't deal with this backing and I'll be unhappy if I don't unpick my quilting-thus-far and switch it out. Also the quilting-thus-far has been decidedly uneven, so we'll just call this good practice and move along.

Part of the reason I was so reluctant to give up on the backing is I'm so enamoured with the idea of that rolling star that I don't want to use any of the fabric associated with it for a different quilt. Despite the fact that the fabric will never be used for a rolling star as there's not enough of it. Despite the fact that I'm sure I can find another similar fabric easily.

Really, you'd think I wouldn't get so darn attached. It is only fabric after all.

So. Unpicking today or tomorrow, followed by washing and pressing the new backing, followed by re-pinning everything, followed by quilting. I should be back to the quilty bits by this weekend.

Picture!

2007-04-25T02:42:31Z

Scott took some pictures of the full quilt top with his new camera. This is a pared down version, but the actual-sized picture is so clear that you can see everything in the quilt, right down to the points I pieced accurately (and the ones I didn't). Yikes.

I really like how colourful it is.