Out damned spot! Out I say!

I had an interesting experience with a Frixion Pen that you might find helpful. 

I know that it is advised that we just don’t know what the pen will do to fabric in the next 100 years since it was never developed with archival properties on fabric in mind.  And while we don’t know what will happen in the next 100 years, there are some things we do know now.

We know that friction will remove the marks (friction causes heat and it is the heat that removed the mark) but that extreme cold will bring it back.  So we now know NOT to mark a quilt with quilting designs, remove the marks by heat and then send our quilts off to a quilt show to be judged in the dead of winter.  The marks must be washed out to be truly out.

I found out something even more drastic!  I made a small quilt with the plan to send it into a magazine for publication.  As I completed all the appliqué and piecing I contemplated the quilting design.  My quilt top was made with commercial batik fabric from a reputable fabric company, quilt shop quality.  I marked a quilting design in the border of the quilt top but when it was complete I decided I didn’t like the looks of it so I ironed it away.  Only it didn’t go away!  Where the markings had been there was now no color.  The chemicals in the pen had bleached the dye away from the fabric.  I was left with a faint white “mark” that was now permanent.  (Fortunately for me there was enough random white in the batik that the offending “marks” did not show too badly.)

Alarmed, I decided to see what the Frixion pen would do to hand dyed fabric.  I found the same results on Cherrywood fabric and my own hand dyed fabric.  Then I got to wondering what the Clover White Pen did under the same circumstances.  My mark on the Cherrywood turned from a white mark to a black mark.

I now use both pens to trace my appliqué shapes only.  I really like the fine line both pens produce and I have no problem with marks not disappearing inside the seam allowance.  So I will continue to use the pens freely there.  I don’t know what pen/marker I will settle on for quilting design marking, but before I use anything on my future projects, I will test-test-test…no matter what the fabric.

I Am Determined to Become a Machine Quilter!

As a quilter, one of the best ways to spend a weekend is on a quilting retreat, and did I ever have a terrific weekend recently!  There were seven of us who gathered at The Creative Place retreat center in Spring Hill, KS.  We had plenty of room to sew and a wonderfully quiet room in which to sleep.  We spent all our waking time in a large studio, chatting, sewing and eating, everyone having her own projects and goals.   Some of us arrived bright and early Friday morning while others arrived throughout the day and then we spent our time sewing like madwomen until late Sunday afternoon. What a pleasure to simply concentrate on quilting, having the time to sew without the interruption of laundry, vacuuming, cooking, or dishes.

I will admit to being a frustrated machine quilter.  Well, I can’t even call myself a machine quilter, just frustrated.  I can’t recall how many machine quilting workshops I’ve taken, trying to master this technique, but it has been many.  I feel like I know the mechanics very well and I have even been known to machine quilt a project or two using my BERNINA #50 Walking Foot, but I have never felt like I could call myself a Machine Quilter.

While most quiltmaking techniques and hand appliqué are what I teach, I admit that machine quilting leaves me frustrated. I think I know the mechanics well.  It is the rhythm and artistry that escape me.

Armed with Lori Kennedy’s new book Free-Motion Machine Quilting 1-2-3:  61 Designs to Finish Your Quilts With Flair (Martingale), a basket of thread, batting scraps, muslin, and my BERNINA 740 I set out to get a handle on machine quilting and I was hoping to finally begin to master the techniques. My plan was to go through the book and try to stitch each of the designs to gain control of the machine.  The step by step photos and excellent descriptions in Lori’s book guided me through each design. Lori encourages quilters to begin by doodling, by drawing a design over and over on paper to get the feel for it. I must admit to being amazed by how much this step helps.  I drew the design, going over and over it until I was comfortable with it, then off to the machine I went with my quilt sandwich.  Again, using a technique Lori uses, I drew parallel lines on the quilt, giving me a defined space in which to stitch, just as quilt blocks or the space between appliqué motifs might.

I began my endeavors using the BERNINA Stitch Regulator, eventually switching to the #29C Quilting Foot, the transparent sole allowing me to see in all directions.  While the BERNINA Stitch Regulator comes with a clear foot, I thought the smaller #29C might be of benefit while I was learning.

I began by stitching loops and then added more and more and then I shifted to scallops.

At times I seemed to have the control I was seeking, but then it would seem to slip away, showing me that the “Practice, practice, practice!” heard from every machine quilting teacher will indeed make all the difference.  My excellent machine quilting friend (and first teacher) says I have to pay my dues – that’s what the practice is all about.  While I dislike practicing I continued with my exercises:

Lori’s designs taught me how to look at the designs and quilt them, giving me confidence to try the designs in my imagination.  So playing around with those became the next goal.  I thought I might work with a design that I actually want to put in a quilt.  Maybe if I could learn how to stitch that design, I could move on to an actual quilt someday soon.   I began by drawing out my own design and worked on that.  My friend also said I would learn a lot of control if I tried quilting my name.  So I doodled, played with my design, wrote my name and tried embellishing my design.  I have a lot of work to do to get to the point my parallel lines are actually parallel!

So I practiced some more. 

By the time I was finished on the third day, I was finally seeing some progress and realized that, with consistent practice, I might just become a Machine Quilter!  Thank you, Lori!

I don’t know if you know this about me, but I am a national teacher and a BERNINA Ambassador, happy to travel the country, teaching quiltmaking techniques – except for machine quilting! – for quilt guilds, quilt shops and BERNINA dealerships.  You can find out a lot about me on my website at www.kathydelaney.com.

Along with other BERNINA Ambassadors, I am participating in a Blog tour.  You won’t want to miss the blogs offered by the following Ambassadors on the dates noted below.

I hope you’ll leave some comments.  Tell me how YOU learned to machine quilt.  Any advice for me?  Any hints?  I look forward to hearing from you!

Kathy

Blog Schedule:

Monday March 20
Lynn Carson Harris
Kelly Ashton
Diane Doran
Melody Crust

Tuesday March 21
Kathy Delaney
Christa Watson
Mandy Leins

Wednesday March 22
Sandy Fitzpatrick
Beth Ferrier
Cheryl Sleboda

Thursday March 23
Annie Smith
Lori Kennedy
Kari Karr
Catherine Redford

Friday March 24
Joanne Sharpe
Cherry Guidry
Jenelle Montilone

Quiltmaking on the High Seas

Last month I went on a quilting cruise.  “What is that?” you ask.

So there is a cruise ship with several thousand people and mixed in is about 125, give or take, quilters and their traveling companions.  Although, there was at least one quilter who came alone, she was quickly adopted and probably never got a moment to herself until in her stateroom. 

The organizers worked it out with the cruise line that there would be a couple of meeting rooms set aside and dedicated to the quilters the whole cruise.  These rooms were stocked with about 20 sewing machines each that the quilters could visit every evening and just sew to their hearts’ content.  On the days we were at sea, the quilters gathered in the machine rooms and three areas of the large dining room and had machine or hand quilting related classes. ( I got to be one of the teachers, teaching applique and Mariners' Compass!)  On the days the ship was in a port, the quilters joined the rest of the ship’s population and explored or relaxed or went on excursions. 

On a cruise you smile all day long.  This is mostly because you are just plain happy.  But, also, every time you pass a person who is a member of the working staff, they greet you with a huge smile and an extremely pleasant greeting, as if you are one of their very best friends.  And they don’t seem “fake” about it!  By the end of the cruise, you look upon all these people as friends because you’ve forged relationships with various members of the staff.  The stateroom steward seemed to just KNOW when I needed fresh ice.  It always just appeared.  And one of the drinks staff seemed to know my favorite lunch beverage was a Mojito!  With all those people to deal with, I was amazed anyone would remember specific preferences. 

For the whole time I was on the quilting cruise, I was pampered and spoiled.  It is rather hard to come back to reality, actually.  But the new friends I maked and the photos I took has left a lasting memory and I can’t wait until I can go again!