"Yellow Star on Blue" Wall Hanging

Last time I talked about this project was April when I completed the top and basted the layers together. Then I left it hanging on the display board.

I really can't remember over what time period I worked on the quilting, but by January 7 of this year, I had the center portion quilted:

.

I marked all of the lines with disappearing ink and free motion quilted it.

I repeated the back and forth lines on the outside of the star in the center as well, except I made the lines wavy to match what was going on with the fabrics. (This piecing was an improv technique learned at the class where I originally made the center star.)

I can't say I think it looks great. Now I know.

In the yellow part, I did curves from point to point that are similar to what was done in the yellow areas of the wall hanging I have been trying to match.

The only thing left to quilt was the outside border, which would be done in a "square in a square" pattern. I thought if I put the binding on first, I could make sure the points lined up exactly on the edge. But I didn't want to tackle the binding because it included piping and that was just a step to far at that point. So it was left hanging again.

Two things pushed me to pick it back up:

1. It was listed on my UFO (UnFinished Object) list in the Ravelry quilting group. I hadn't participated in the UFO Club in the summer and fall, but signed up again in January for the winter quarter, and even signed up for the "send" group. That means, if I finish a project, people would send me a FQ!! (FQ=fat quarter, a quarter yard of fabric. Well, never mind, it's fabric!) One member went so far as to tell me she had one that she had been saving for me--she knows I like elephants so I have reason to believe I'm going to like that one! ;)

2. Joy at the Joyful Quilter issued a "Table Scraps Challenge", with extra kudos for including the Rainbow Scrap Challenge colour of the month. Although I was making this project as a wall hanging, it could easily double as a table topper. And the colour for February was yellow!

Last week, I pulled this star off of the board and took a look at what it needed. Fortunately I had cut all the remaining pieces because without them, I would not have remembered my plan at all. I chose to use blue piping instead of yellow, in part because I just didn't have any more of the bright glaring yellow that I had used on the other one.

I pulled out my Piping Hot Binding book and tool and applied four strips of piping around the edge in pretty short order.

Then I realized the difficulty with quilting the outside border. The piping is designed to lift up--it's only sewn on one side. So do I line the points up with what was visible? Do I line them up with the actual seam (which was under the piping)? Further complicating it was that if I pulled the piping far enough back to not cover any of the points, the edge of the quilt wasn't going to be caught up in the binding seam. /big sigh

I just did the best I could, balancing the need to capture the raw edge and not covering up too much of the little squares.

After that was done, I trimmed the quilt and applied the first two sides of the binding. Then, thankfully, I tried to fold the binding over the edge to see how it would look...it was too small! It also happened that the binding lined up so that a seam would land exactly at a corner--not good! Obviously, I was going to have to remove it and try again.

On another day, I gave my seam ripper a workout and removed the binding. I trimmed the quilt with the smaller setting on the tool and started again, making sure to shift where I placed the binding! No seams landed at the corners and all was good.

I gave myself one more problem before I finished...when I cut the binding to attach the end to the beginning, I measured perfectly and then cut the angle the wrong way. So instead of the two edges aligning,

they made a big empty triangle. 

Did I throw up my hands and walk away? No, I did not. I sewed in a short piece of binding to fill in the gap, thus giving myself more opportunities to practice the skill.

Then it was done. Oh wait. No. I had to sew the binding to the back, which I did by hand. That was done during daylight hours considering it was dark blue thread on busy fabric.

As with the first wall hanging, I sewed two triangles on the top corners for hanging:

You slide the ends of a dowel under the triangles and it holds the quilt up. On smaller pieces, it's a nice way to avoid having to do a hanging sleeve along the entire top edge.

And here are the two pieces together:

I have to admit I didn't really like how the blue and yellow in the outside border lined up on the two of them. (I have no memory if that was a conscious choice or if that's just the way it turned out.)

But when I displayed them side by side, I liked it a lot more:

There were several design things that went wrong on this latest piece. Some I corrected and some I left. Now that's it's finished, I think it would have been a stronger piece and a better match to the first if the light blue area around the star was filled in with dark blue squares instead. But when I made the original block,

I didn't know this was what I was going to be doing with it! :)

It was an interesting challenge to try and make a match to the first piece a few years later. I still had some of the same fabrics, but had to find substitutes for others. Some things I had to piece together to have enough (like the backing) and other things were solved by a combination--did you notice the narrow yellow border is different on the second one? I had to find a second fabric to have enough to go all the way around. I ended up piecing the fabrics together so that the original is in the  middle of each side and the new fabric is in the corners. (You can see it in the detail pictures of the piping above.)

Linking up with the Joyful Quilter February Table Scraps Runner/Topper Challenge, and

Quilting is more fun than Housework Oh Scrap!

Project summary

Started: Center block made June 21, 2018; wall hanging started February 23, 2020

Finished: February 19, 2021

Size: 18"x18"

Pattern: my own

Material: 100% scraps, almost all cotton quilting fabrics

Cotton batting.

Walking foot and free motion quilting on my Viking Sapphire.

All blog posts about this wall hanging: link

Quickly about Quilting

I'm going to try to keep this short because Troy says it's my bedtime, but I can't wait to share this news....I finished the grey and orange quilt!!

Now backing up just a little, a couple weeks ago I was splitting wood on a Saturday morning when the sky got very dark (black). I finished up what I was working on, scooped up everything and made my way into the house quick. Less than 10 minutes later it was pouring. So I told myself, that's it for splitting wood today--go quilt a quilt. And I did.

Ok, faster, faster. I followed the seam with the foot while putting the needle to the far side of the opening:

 I did this on both sides of the zig zag stripe.

Then I put the needle in the middle and sewed in between the previous two rows.

In this way I sewed three stripes on each zig zag and ended up with quilting about 1" apart across the quilt. I did all the orange in the same light orange thread and all the grey/black in a light grey thread.

I got the quilting done that same day!! It was quite a long day, but I did take breaks. (But not long after stopping, I would look at the quilt and think, "I really want to get that done." And off I would go again.)

Then it was time for binding. I had purchased an ombre fabric which went from light grey/white at each selvage edge to grey/black in the center. I cut strips selvage-to-selvage to preserve the gradation and pieced them together with a bias seam:

With the splotchy colours, you can hardly find the seams. It's great. (I even managed to match the stripe colour when I sewed the beginning to the end when attaching it to the quilt!)

Once the binding was sewn onto the quilt, it was time for the hand sewing.

I got to try a new thimble I bought (if we're being honest) because it was less than a dollar and came in really bright fun colours. The colours went by sizes so I didn't really get to pick (since I had to pick the one that fit), but they were all fun so that's ok. Anyway, it's a plasticky, rubbery thimble and you would think that I wouldn't like it for that reason, but it worked really well. Soft enough and hard enough at the same time.

I really wanted to take the quilt with me last weekend for the drive to a family campout, but there was no room in the car. (Seriously no room.) So I finished it up this week. Last night, actually. Then I washed it and dried it and here it is!!

I'm just going to throw out some pictures because I'm sure you can figure it out. Front, back, detail shots, etc.

I am so excited to have this done and in time to enter it in the county fair!

Really Late or Really Early

I had one mitten left to make in order to have a pair. It doesn't matter if you think getting them finished in June is really late or really early; either way, I have no need to wear these now, but I'm ready for winter!

I'm also ready for the fair. I wasn't feeling well the other day and stayed home from work. With a day on the couch looming in front of me, I started to think what I could work on.

My skirt was done (another thing I won't have need for until winter!) and I didn't have much going on.

But I remembered the lonely purple braided mitten that I finished and then abandoned at the beginning of 2014. I remember delaying the start of the second one because the band was so uncomfortable to knit. Doubled wool on very small needles.

But I pushed through it and got the band done. Then I had to convert the pattern for the other hand and ran into some difficulties. Somehow I couldn't get the detail of the band to lie in the opposing position--it landed in the same place as the other mitten, making them identical instead of symmetric. And there they sat for more than a year.

Well, I picked up the mitten, tracked down the patterns (I was merging two patterns together so I had to find them both and my notes), ripped out what was there and started at the band again. And this time, it worked out so well I don't know what the problem was before.

I knit most of the day. The cat, fortunately, slept for a good part of it, but there were many times she pounced unexpectedly right on my lap. She loves the string. (And the needles. And the ball. And the knitted fabric.) When she wasn't sleeping, I persistently put her on the floor and eventually she got the idea.

And I got the mitten done in one day!! It was amazing. And very gratifying.

The mittens fit a little tight across the top of my fingers so when I blocked them, I used my blocking wires to stretch them slightly side to side. Now that they're dry, they fit very well.

I'm afraid there are no modeled pics because I thought they would look silly with a tshirt. And I was too warm to put on the matching hat. Yes, I made these to match my hat. Do you remember it?

Now I have a set to enter in the fair this year. I make quite a few hats and scarves (fewer mittens) but I don't always have a set to enter. I have one ball of this yarn left and I thought about making a scarf or cowl to match, but 1. the yarn is too scratchy to wear around the neck and 2. it would be quite a lot of purple all in one outfit.

When I finished this mitt, I thought I had no projects on my needles (and thought it must be a sign of the end times) but then I remembered that I still have my Trimmings in "time out". It needs some readjusting and raveling. In the meantime I will enjoy that I have this once-languishing project done!

Project Stats
Started: 13 Dec '13 / Finished: 22 Jun '15
Pattern: Mash up of Bella's Mittens and Nine Dwindling Cables hat
Materials: Dawn Sock & Sweater Yarn (discontinued), doubled for band/tripled for body, 100g ($1.50)

Big Finish: Big T!

I have a finished quilt to show you today! And not only the finished quilt, but how I finished it.

Last time I wrote about it, I was working on the quilting. And even though it was straight line quilting, I was having a hard time having it come out right. My walking foot doesn't allow for the quilting guide (What's with that!?) and the spacing was a little too wide to eyeball it.

But I found a way, and after months of being neglected, I pulled out the quilt and starting working on it again, this time with the quilting guide:

Much easier! And how did I manage that when the machine wasn't designed for it? Well, I adapted the old adage "Duct tape fixes everything" and attached it to my walking foot with masking tape:

Not the prettiest fix, and not the most secure attachment, but it worked. I just made sure to remove it any time I was not going to be quilting for a while so that the residue didn't have a chance to stick.

After a few sessions over maybe two weeks, I had all the quilting done. It was a happy day!

Then it was time for binding. Usually I make my own, and I make a continue loop of bias binding from a square of fabric. (Sorry, I can't describe how it's done. Even now, I have to carefully follow the instructions to get it right each time!) But, I just recently saw a new idea that I wanted to try out. It uses straight-grain binding instead of bias binding, which at one point I probably wouldn't have accepted. But I've become more relaxed about it. (Bias binding is good for curves--which rectangle quilts don't have--and is supposed to be longer lasting. But I'm just not convinced I need to make my quilts to last 100 years (or whatever).) Ok, in any case, here is a link to the tutorial, and the result is a binding with a faux piping that is really sharp.

First, you cut stripes of fabric, one a little wider than the other. (See the tutorial for details.) Attach all the pieces with angled seams. (This is important for bias binding because it puts the seam on grain. But here it is used for the other important reason of reducing bulk as all the seam allowances don't end up in the same place when you sew it down.)

Angled seams on the binding strips. The black seam has
been trimmed to 1/4". You press them open.

Side note: you can see that I chose to use the dark fabric from the outer border (details here) and a fabric I earlier rejected for the setting blocks (details here). What I found too old-fashioned and wall-paper like for setting blocks works just great for a small piping detail.

Once you have the strips sewn together you have miles and miles of binding:

328" to be exact. That's over 27 feet, or
almost enough for a first down (since
every measurement apparently needs
to be compared to football fields.)

Or, rather, you have two halves of a binding, since you still have to sew them together...along the long side. Once sewn together, you fold it in half and apply it like regular binding to the back side of the quilt. Since one strip was wider than the other, when you fold it, you get a little bit of the contrast fabric showing to the front:

When you fold the binding to the front, you get a faux piping or flange separating the binding from the quilt borders:

On the left is the front side of the quilt with the flange
showing and on the right side is the back of the quilt.

You sew the piping down by machine using a matching thread to the piping so you barely see it. (You're supposed to "stitch in the ditch" of the seam between the binding and flange, but it's hard to do with the seam allowance all on one side.) In the picture above, you might be able to make out the stitching on the wrong side running along side the binding, but with a bobbin thread that matches the backing, it's blends in pretty well.

Of course, it's a little tricky (for me anyway) to keep everything lined up perfectly all the time, and I had a couple spots like this on the back:

Not what I like to see, but it happens.

Oh yes, and I actually remembered to make and apply a label before the binding so that two sides would be sewn and I would only have to hand sew the remaining two.

I was worried the machine stitching of the binding would look bad on the label, but it ran close enough to the binding that you barely notice it. I think you'll see this binding on a lot of my quilts from now on!

Ok, I haven't shown you any of the quilting yet. It was hard to photograph, but you get some idea from this picture:

I did straight lines across the top third or quarter. Then I went up the middle from the bottom and then turned 90 degrees when I got to the previous stitching. I kept doing that so it made a sort of T in the middle with echo quilting.

Here it is on a bed:

And here is the complete quilt:

Final size = 73" x 86"

I finally discovered a place I could hang a quilt in my house and it worked so well. I am overjoyed about it. I had realized at some point that it would be easy to hang a quilt from binder clips if they had screws to hang from. But I didn't have a big enough clear space on any wall to do it. Then I remember that my side porch has a lot of nails running along the top trim--probably the remainder of the previous owner's holiday decorations--and I hung the binder clips from them. It was perfect!

And here is the back:

You may remember it was sewn with pieces I had purchased, which obviously weren't big enough to do the entire backing, and some remnant fat quarters that weren't used on the front. A little eclectic, but I love the two main fabrics so it's all ok with me. :)

The only bad part about all of this is that I couldn't give it to the recipient personally. I sent the package with my sister to our family camp and she had the pleasure of presenting it. His mom kindly sent me a picture and I think he looks pretty happy with it, don't you?

I can't believe it's done! I really liked designing and working on this quilt. I believe I started it in 2011 so a long journey, but that is normal for my quilts. (I think this may actually be one of my quicker ones, not counting the one I put together this past spring.) Working in browns was a new thing for me as it's not a colour I'm overly fond of. But I think I found some nice ones and I like the overall look of this quilt very much.

Lace Tunic: Finished

In early September I finished the main knitting on my Lace Tunic. The back had already been blocked (I was testing to make sure it would block to size before I invested time in the front) so I only had to lay out the front and side pieces after they had a good soak.

I had to pull pretty hard, but everything was made to match the measurements in the schematics. The pulling just opened up the lace and netting more.

Once they were dry and I had some time, I started seaming the pieces. The squares are turned on point and inserted into the seam at the lower edge of the front and back. Then you seam the front and back together above.

That is a wicked-good looking seam, if I do say so myself.

Next I was supposed to seam the shoulder seams so that the armholes and neck could be trimmed in the round. But I didn't feel like working in the round. (The length is just the right length to be annoying: too long for magic loop and too short to work in one loop. And I didn't feel like working with two cable needles.)

So instead, I knit the armhole trim in the flat,

and then seamed one shoulder seam so that I could knit the neck trim in the flat:

Then I seamed the last shoulder. All the trim was knit in garter stitch so the seams were very easy to hide.

And then that was it; it was done!

I'm still deciding on the length--whether it's just right or a little short. I feel like the body could be a little longer, but I don't want the side pieces to come down below my knees. So I guess I'm saying it's good.

I love the cotton for this pattern. When I first bought the sweater to ravel, I just thought it would be a nice light neutral and had no idea what I would do with it. (I don't use much cotton besides for dish cloths, so who knows what I was thinking!!) But it's easy to wear and just right for an extra layer. It feels good on.

It was an interesting lace pattern. The stitch count is not consistent throughout the repeat. I also didn't do it exactly like the pattern, but followed a modification by KnittingAmazon on Ravelry. I didn't compare the two too carefully, but I believe the modification made the pattern more symmetric.

The lace morphs into a much simpler pattern for the shoulder straps and back yoke. It's a bit of a cop out, but I can understand why the designer did it. Such a big open lace on the shoulder straps wouldn't be stable enough and would be very difficult (tedious) to write out for different sizes.

I am very happy with how my neck trim came out. The cast off is just right; not too tight, not too loose. I also worked carefully to leave no holes along the pick up line and to pull in the lace in the center front so it looked good.

The hemline is a nice scallop. It's starting to roll already (as stocking stitch does), but not too badly.

I still think the side inserts are a clever way to get a bias hem line with straight pieces.

If I get tired of them one day, I could easily remove them and just wear the garment as a tunic with side slits.

But for now I have to watch my hands. I catch myself doing this as I walk around

and that is not a good look!

Project Stats
Started: 23 Jun '13
Finished: 14 Sep '13
Pattern: Open Eye Tunic by Deborah Helmke (magazine it was in was $6.99)
Materials: 263 grams of cotton from a Croft & Barrow Sweater ($1.25)