rag time

For some reason, any time I sew, I end up hearing my pup Dexter, talking to me and trying to get me to stop sewing.  And when I say talking, it really sounds like he is trying to convey a message to me, and no barks are included.  Always brings a smile to my face and makes me laugh.  But really, who could deny this face some attention??  :)

Part of my to do list this year, is making some baby quilts (well toddler quilts) for a couple of friends that recently had little ones in the last year or two. I thought a rag quilt would be a cute quilt, filled with fun fabric.

  I used regular cotton on the top and flannel on the bottom for coziness.

And one of the best parts of rag quilts is that over time, they get cuter, as they get more and more raggity.  :)

Linking up to Finish it up Friday!

back again:) the new Janome

Long time, no write.  And what a busy several months it has been with moving into a new home, getting engaged, and then my machine crashing.  But looks like things are starting to finally chill out.  Thank you!  I am ready for a relaxing summer.

My original sewing machine died when the timing device stopped working correctly.  I went to a local shop to have it repaired, but found out it was going to cost $100 to repair a machine that, frankly, has seen better days.  So I took the plunge and purchased a new fancy sewing machine.  I ended up with a Janome Horizon from a great little sewing store around the corner.  I have to say, I feel like I got the cadillac of all machines with this bad boy.  And after sewing on the machine for a week, I have to say I am quickly getting spoiled.

 After purchasing my awesome new little machine, I have managed to finish another one of my favorite rag quilts.  I used smaller squares of regular cotton the front and flannel on the back. I did this quilt for a friend of mine who had a little one last year.  I tried to gear it towards a boy and the parents love for Virginia Tech

  I will admit the squares did not get sewed together evenly. I was quite perplexed why nothing was lining up consistently.  Then it dawned on me.  The straight stitch option I used on my new machine was to offset slightly to the left of center.  DOH.

It was a great learning experience, and I still think the rag quilt is cute.
















The second quilt I started and finished on my new machine. I cannot believe how quickly it came together on this new machine! Granted this is a smaller quilt (again a baby/toddler quilt size), but I have never finished a quilt with such ease!  I chose to go with HST as a chevron pattern.  And look how cute it is!

I also learned how to free motion quilt with this quilt; and I have to say, I am in love with FMQ.  It is like a giant maze in which you try not to overlap any lines.

I am very pleased with how this one turned out. I cannot wait to finish another quilt I have started.

Busy Busy week, more quilts!

Been busy this week starting projects, and about mid way thru a couple of them.

I decided I loved the offset pattern of a square with just 2 colors.  Me loving scrappy, included a variety of fabrics in same color.  This has been a super quick sew thus far.   The back portion seems to be taking me the longest. Next time I try to piece something together, I am going to try to be methodical about it and not just randomly piece together.  It just requires too much thinking.

 And yes, the pups love checking out the new items that are being modeled.

I have also started a rag quilt for per request from a friend of mine.  Hence the fabric selection.

 Yes, you see it correctly, hello kitty!

A few pieces sewed together at initial stage of sewing into final piece.  I think it will come out really cute in the end.

I am hoping these pieces to be finished this week (doubting for Friday as I do have to work all day tomorrow and haven't figured out how to sew and work all day).  But this weekend is looking promising :)

Linking up to Lee at Freshly Pieced  :)  Have a great rest of your week!

Lisa

Rag quilt finish

Okay, you have a ton of sewn together rag quilt sandwiches, now lets finish. (especially since Kate jumped forward and finished)

Now take those sandwiches and trim them all down to the correct size.  If you started with 9-inch squares, you will be going down to 8.5 inch squares, and if you started with 6.5-inch squares, you will be trimming down to 6 inch squares.

after making several rag quilts, I have finally invested in these plexiglass like measuring squares you can purchase at sewing stores. I used cardboard squares previously, which worked, but gradually got smaller and smaller over the course of many quilts.

Next!
Take all the squares and throw them into a pile

 Grab 2 and sew them together.  The plan here is to make rows of them.  If you are doing the 8.5-inch squares, you will need to sew 6 rows of eight squares together.  If you are doing the 6-inch squares, you will need 10 rows of 12 squares sewed together.  I used to lay all the squares out in the pattern I wanted to achieve, but found it works just the same to just grab and sew because with the rag quilt, perfection is whatever you finish with  :)
When sewing the quilt from here on out, you will be matching the back to the back, so the fringe will be on the front.  ALso, allow for 5/8inch seam.  This way, you will have room to make the cuts for the fringe.  Below is my rough attempt at demonstrating this.

The front with demonstrating the part that will be the fringe












The back of the quilt
So now you have your rows, time to sew those together, again with the same parameters

Don't forget to sew a seam around the entire quilt!
Alright, you have the entire quilt sewn together, now make it rag style.  To do this, you need to cut/snip all of the those edges.  I typically snip every inch or so and make sure you do not snip past the line you sewed it together with.  This will take a while, so be patient.

Wash the quilt and admire your masterpiece.  You will find lint from the quilt in the washer and dryer as it rags up.  It will take a few washes to get this to subside.  So be warned.  But the more you wash it, the cuter it gets!

 and yes, Dexter is helping check out the quilt!


-Lisa

How many is to many?

I have a rule for myself that I can have at most 3 quilts in progress at any one time. For me, "in progress" means actually being worked on RIGHT NOW. So the lurking half-square triangle behemoth hiding in my front closet awaiting the day when I decide to finish the hand quilting, & the black & white strip quilt top that I don't know how to finish don't count. Neither do the projects that are as yet only sketches or piles of fabric. (Really, it's stupid I haven't finished that half-square triangle monster. I'm so close to done. I'm annoyed with myself just thinking about it, but I'm also not getting it out to work on any time soon. I feel like you have to be "in the mood" to hand quilt, & I'm not. But that's a whole different post!)
Anyways-- my magic number is three. I feel like that gives me enough variety so I don't get bored, but not so much variety that I'm overwhelmed. My current three WIP's are:
1- My ongoing Christmas quilts. (I'm making one for each of my aunts this year, so I need 6 total.) The first is a scrappy trip, & I have half the blocks pieced.
2- I'm doing this quilt along.
I love the pattern, but couldn't afford the pearl bracelets that Lee is using, so I'm using a mix of solid fat quarters I had.

I also switched the background to black (Kona pepper, technically.) My intent was to have my lightest values be the spokes & the darker shades take the place of the lighter triangles Lee used, since on a dark background the light shades will jump out the most. In a total dolt moment however, I followed her cutting direction so exactly that my dark shades are the spokes & the lights are the backgrounds, just like on Lee's original white blocks. (I hope that all made sense!) By the time I realized my mistake, it was too late to correct it, so I'm rolling with it & hoping it will still look ok. We'll call it a "design choice" & hope for the best!
3- Until today, the rag quilt project Lisa & I were working on was my #3, but I finished it while my littles were napping! Snipping & all! (& boy, was that snipping the seam allowances brutal! I don't think I'll be making another rag quilt any time soon, especially since I know Lisa will whip them up for me. Right, Lisa?) I don't have any pictures, since it's currently buried under children & is in need of a wash, but I'll post some later this week.
My new #3 is going to be a bed quilt for my folks. My mom has been asking & I think it's time!

I'm posting for Lisa today too, since one of us actually has to leave her house to work. (& since I'm still in pajamas, it's a safe bet that it's not me!)
Lisa is a mom to 3 giant doggy fur-babies- Dexter, Dakota & Draco. (You've probably seen Dex lurking in some of her photos.) They're all rescues & Lisa loves a good cause, so she is donating one of her rag quilts to her local SPCA auction. She's got some super-cute puppy fabrics in there, & I can personally vouch for cuddliness of her quilts! Hopefully she gest it done in time & it brings in good money for a good cause!


Linking up to WIP Wednesday!

Rag Quilt: Making the square sandwich.

Its a day late, for finish it Friday, but it was completed on Friday...

And behold, rag quilt finish.  This is one of the rag quilts I am working on for the rag quilt tutorial.  (next installment for it is below  :)  )

That would be Dexter dog hiding behind the quilt trying to figure out what I was doing while these pictures were taken.  The first picture is the back, which is made out of flannel.  And the 2nd picture is front which is made from typical quilt fabric

And without further wait, it is step two of the rag quilt

So you have gone through and cut up your squares.  Please note, I yet again noticed a typo in the total number of squares (please forgive me, this is the first tutorial I have done).

Now you are going to take your squares and make a sandwich with the batting in between the 2 pieces of fabric.  To start this process, I like to take all my squares and batting and lay them out.  This way I can mix and match to make sure I get a lot of variety throughout the quilt.

 Then I make the sandwiches, with a piece of batting in between the 2 layers of fabric.  I stack them up as you can see below.

Next you sew them together.  I chose to make a simple X in the square to secure them together.

And you keep sewing and sewing until you have a stack of all your batting sewed in between 2 pieces of fabric.  Please keep in mind, if you are doing 2 different fabrics,( like I completed in the above finished rag quilt), make sure to have one of those pieces of fabric be the back (i.e. flannel) so the finished product will come out correctly.

 

Linking up to Crazy Mom Quilts for Friday finish and Kelly at The Complete Guide to Imperfect Homemaking, for being my inspiration/guidance to this rag quilt tutorial

WIPs & some quilting therapy

Never would have I imagined that I would be  using quilting as my creative outlet. It has become my therapy to self reflect, relax and just get back to the basics.  I used to always use a good work out, a great book, or just an awesome nap.  But now I find myself after a stressful day of work, looking forward to coming home and just sewing.  My choice of therapy this week, my crazy quilt.

It is still a work in progress, but the therapy is has provided over the last several days has been priceless.

I hope to have the top part of the this crazy quilt finished this week, and will be working on the back this weekend.   But, of course, I have about 5 other projects also lined up for the weekend.  Good thing I have a few days off work coming up.
Lisa

It's Kate here, I'm jumping in at the end of Lisa's post to add on my current WIP! I finished piecing my Star Wars giant X and + quilt top this week & spent yesterday basting while one of my boys cheered me on ("Go, Mama, go! You can do it!") from the couch. I'd like to think he was excited about quilting, but more than likely he was cheering for Star Wars. Whatever-- I'll take a cheering section any day! Made basting (my least favorite part) go much faster.


Also, per Lisa's request, here is my little stack of flannel waiting to be cut into squares for our rag quilt. I'm not going super scrappy, so it will have a little different look than Lisa's.

Happy humpday & happy sewing!
Kate


Linking up to WIP Wednesday!

Rag quilt: cutting the squares

It is time to start cutting for the rag quilt!

For the smaller quilt you will need:

240 6.5-inch squares of fabric
120 5-inch squares of batting.
(Dexter is making sure the fabric is good to go too  :)  )










                   

                               

 For the large square quilt you will need:
          96 9-inch squares fabric.

          48 7.5-inch squares of batting








As you can see, I have chosen a variety of patterns for each of the quilts.  The larger square quilt includes regular cotton fabric and flannel.  I have chosen the complete the back of the quilt in the flannel and the front in regular cotton.  The smaller square quilt has all cotton squares.

For this step, the initial squares of fabric, does not need to be perfect.  They need to grossly be the aforementioned size.  Later in the project you will be trimming these squares down to the perfect size with your stencils (as noted in the first rag quilt tutorial post).

You can choose what ever kind of batting you like.  I have chosen low loft polyester style.

Happy cutting!  I am looking forward to working on this tutorial with you!  Please let me know if you have any questions.

Linking up to Let's Get Acquaited. Thanks for visiting!
Stay tuned to later in the week for the next installment on the rag quilt tutorial.

It is just about rag quilt time :)

Get your scraps, or just buy cute fabric.  Time to make the rag quilt. 

Two options for square size, 9 inch or 6.5 inch.  Both will be listed
throughout the tutorial on how many you will need of each.  The smaller squares will just require a
little more sewing, as well, there are more squares  :)

Things you will need:

Fabric
if doing the small squares.  The original size of the squares will be 6.5 inches.  You will need 240 6.5-inch squares . 
If doing the larger squares, which the original square size will be 9 inches.  You will need a total of 96 9-inch squares. For one of the quilts I will be doing I plan to have a flannel back and regular cotton top.  But the
other will have cotton on both sides.  So if you plan to split the fabric types per side just split the yardage needed between the two types.
Another note on fabric.  Feel free to raid your stash and make it scrappy.  I have completed all of my rag quilts with lots of colors.  Just makes me smile to see all the colors.

Stencil
Stencil of a square in 6 inch or 8.5 inch.  You can make your own from cardboard (as I have done many times).  But keep in mind, when cutting with rotatory cutter, your square will probably shrink a little.

You can also get plastic ones sold at joanns/hancock,or other fabric places.

Or if you are handy, you can even cut your own out of plastic.

Finished Size
Quilt with small squares will be finished to be size of 57x47.5
and with the large squares of 58x43.5
these are approximates.

Batting
I know I have a ton of scrap batting laying around from various projects, and my wonderful mom.  So I usually resort to that.  If you don't have any laying around a twin size batting roll will be plenty.

Other
And of course will need thread.  I always use white.  But you can choose any color you want.

Check in next week for instructions on cutting your squares.  Please contact me with any questions!  Can't wait to get started next weekend.

This is a great project for any level sewer.  This was the first thing I learned to sew.  And now I am hooked  :)


Linking up to The Complete Guide of Imperfect Homemaker and Do It Yourself Divas

***Please note, I updated the above numbers for starting size of smaller squares and the final size of the larger quilt.  Also, I had my math all wrong, and updated the correct number of squares.  If any further changes please I will let you know right away prior to Monday.  (I normally just do this quilt by the seat of my pants and do not figure out exact numbers and sizes.  So I am doing trial run of both this week.  Please be patient.  It will be worked out, including my math skills  :)  )

Rag quilt intro

As Kate mentioned previously, I love my rag quilts.  They are the first thing I learned how to sew on my machine, and continue to be my go to when I need to make a quick quilt.  Probably one of the best parts is the more you wash the quilt, the better it looks.  :)
When provided enough time, and am not sidetracked with other things, 1 rag quilt can easily be completed in a week.  But when I teach Kate how to make this quilt, we will take a little bit longer to complete.
Below (I hope) are some examples of the quilts I have made.  Please forgive me for any mistakes, this is the first time ever I have blogged.

This is the first one I made.  Yea, it has multiple different stitch types throughout it, because well, the machine had different stitch types.  I had to try them all.  :)  And no, reading the instruction manual was not the ideal option for me.

 Another rag quilt I completed.  This one I hear spends time helping my friend study law.

And this one to the wonderful friend who gave me my sewing machine  :)

and for some variation, I tried random width rows in rag style.  I hear this one is cuddled up with frequently.

These are a few of the ones I have completed.  I have many more planned in the near future, and can't wait to try some variations.

Stay tuned to the end of the month, for instructions, lead by moi.  :)

FYI  the site I learned how to sew with the tutorial at imperfect homemaking linked below.

thank you imperfecthomemaking  :)