Preparing the Templates for Sedona Star

Well, I had a busy weekend.  I finally started Sedona Star!  Hard to believe, I know.  :)

Saturday night I put together the templates.  What a tricky job!  I have a feeling this was probably the most fiddly bit of the whole quilt.  But, if they are right, everything will go smoothly, so I didn't rush it.

The grey gridlines were a huge help.  I ended up cutting the templates just a millimetre or two away from the outside gridline, and butting them up against the edge of my Olfa mat, which I used as a ruler.  This allowed me to make sure that the overall measurement was 12" for the inside template, and 18" for the outside one.

I am using the Ricky Tims Stable Stuff for my templates.  As designer Sarah Vedeler suggested, I used Lite Steam-A-Seam 2 in the 1/4" width to hold them together.  It was pretty convenient to use, and held the pages together well.  Before I tried it I was worried about it adding bulk to the quilt. I found, however, that there is almost nothing to it, so added weight is not a worry.

There were no gridlines for Template 2, which is the ring with the appliqued circles.  To make sure that it would fit properly inside the outer ring, I used the assembled Template 3 as a guide:

I carefully lined up the solid stitching lines on each template (not the cutting lines!).  Template 3 has convenient marks for each section of Template 2, so it is easy to lay it right in place.  I worked my way around the ring, ironing each section to the previous one as I went:

I am not ironing the two layers together, just using the bottom layer as a guide.  Once it was finished, I knew it would fit into the outer ring perfectly.

Hopefully, with these tricks in my toolbox, assembling the templates in future months will be less painful.  Fortunately, the paper piecing on Sunday went really well.  I'll show you tomorrow!

Inspiration for Sedona Star, Part 2

Sedona Star

For those who have been dying to get a good look at the official Sedona Star photo, here it is, photographed by Gregory Case.  Click the photo to see it full size!

Yesterday I told you about the great synchronicity between Valerie Giles' version of Sedona Star, inspired by the colours of The Red Centre in Australia, and the colours of Sedona, Arizona, which are both very spiritual locations.  It seemed to me that there is a lot of potential for synchronicities in the design, with its reference to Sedona, and the repetition of the number nine throughout the quilt.  I have speculated about the potential meaning of it all previously, but I thought it was time to get the real story from the designer herself, Sarah Vedeler.

I asked her about the significance of "Sedona" in the title, and what was up with all the nines?  Here's her reply:

Sarah Vedeler

"In January of last year, Ricky sent me an email saying "We need to talk!". It wasn't until March until we eventually connected - March 16 to be precise, the Wednesday in the middle of Spring Break, and I was just about to get into the car with my daughters to drive up to Sedona for a couple of days. Having had the conversation with Ricky, I spent the entire 2 hour drive up to Sedona thinking up ideas for what the quilt would look like - and started to design it in Corel Draw when we got there (after taking the girls for a hike - which was the purpose of the trip!). So the quilt has always been associated with Sedona in my mind.

"As for there being 9 of pretty much everything... I created 2 initial designs (very basic outlines) that I submitted to Ricky and Alex to see what they thought. One had 8 points, the other had 12 points. The 12 point one was too big - so I started to shrink the design and play with the number of points to see what would work. 9 points did the trick!

"So there's really nothing very mysterious about it!!!"

LOL!  Isn't that great?!  I guess when you send your design out into the world, you never know what meanings people will give to it.  Thanks Sarah!

Like Valerie, my colourway also developed a lot more meaning for me than may have been originally intended.  I am 100% in favour of pretty things whose only purpose is to make you happy when you look at them.  However, I also think that if your design develops additional meanings, be they spiritual or simply happy memories, that can only add to the overall joy in the quilt.  For me, joy is the only reason to make a quilt, and anything that increases that is a good thing!

I know it is ridiculous for me to keep talking about a colourway no one has seen yet, but I really am still waiting for fabric!  Although I didn't change my mind about the colours, I did change my mind about the fabric, so that is the reason for all this delay.  But, with so many TQS members managing to finish each month in a few days, I don't think I am that far behind.  I'll be caught up soon enough!

Inspiration for Sedona Star, Part 1

Valerie Giles, whose Month 1 photo of Sedona Star I featured a couple of weeks ago, has already finished Month 2 as well:

The Red Centre - Month 2

It was not my intention to follow Valerie's quilt every month, but I've been learning more about the story behind her inspiration for her beautiful colour scheme, so I had to post about it again.

I didn't realize that The Red Centre is actually a place - the area in central Australia around Uluru, or Ayer's Rock.  When I asked Valerie about her inspiration, she wrote me this: 

"I guess my inspiration comes from the trip we made in 2010 to Alice Springs and Uluru.  The emotion I felt at seeing the Rock was overwhelming.  The colours change constantly and the textures are so beautiful.  I absolutely love all our indigenous fabrics and at Uluru we got to see the ancient rock paintings, so my aim is to get as much of this into my very first block of the month."

I love that story!  Thank you, Valerie.  And I also love that the colours of central Australia are very similar to the colours around Sedona, Arizona:

courtesy of  www.dailyventure.com

I was so impressed by the synchronicity between Valerie's quilt and Sedona itself, which are also both significant spiritual locations, that I finally contacted Sedona Star designer Sarah Vedeler to find out what her inspiration was.  She sent me a great reply, but you will have to wait until tomorrow to read it!

Alternatives for Sedona Star

I know that I had a string of posts last month with no pictures at all, for which I deeply apologize!  I'll try not to let it happen again!  Given that I still don't have any Sedona Star photos of my own to show, I did get permission from a couple of TQS members to show theirs.

I chose both of these because they are dramatically different from Sarah Vedeler's original design.  First up is Susan McFarland of Oxnard, California.  She has gone completely scrappy!

Scrappy - Susan McFarland

I love scrap quilts, and you can already see that this quilt is going to be amazing.  Just by repeating a few elements, like the red circles and green outer borders of the points, Susan has been able to go completely random with the rest.  I know I would never deliberately choose some of the combinations here, but it all works, and I bet it is a blast to make!

Next I have the work of Valerie Giles of Mt. Barker, South Australia.  She is using her collection of Australian indigenous fabrics, which is certainly an advantage.  But the thing that struck me was her log cabin points:

The Red Centre - Valerie Giles

Valerie is the only one in the Show & Tell so far who has used a traditional light and dark log cabin scheme on the points.  This gives them a more three dimensional, architectural effect, if you will excuse the pun.  What great out-of-the-box thinking!  I have to tell you, I am very sorry that I didn't think of this myself.  I also love the warm colours, so it will be great to see where this quilt goes next.

Big thanks to both Susan and Valerie!  The other reason that I chose to show these quilts here, is because both of them strongly tempted me away from my original plan.  I love those scraps, and those points!  I think that my Month 1 will actually have the distinction of using the fewest number of fabrics.  But for now I will stick with my plan.

In any case, I have decided to abandon the Kaffe Fassett shot cottons, and use Kaufman Kona Solids instead.  I was disappointed with the shot cottons, they were not as interesting as I had hoped.  The Kona solids will give me a better range of colours, and they are heavier so I expect they will be easier to use.  So once again I am waiting for fabric to arrive.

My idea with the solids is that they will allow more scope for creative quilting.  How the quilting will be done is still in the air, of course.  I called a local Bernina dealer for a quote on the 820 and 830 today.  Holy crow!!  I had no idea.  Well, I still have year!

Martha Schellingerhoud

Martha Schellingerhoud was the speaker at our Rouge Valley Quilter's Guild meeting last night.  As soon as we walked into the hall we all saw this quilt hanging up on the stage.  Click the link, it is really gorgeous!  She told us that it has been chosen to represent Canada at a quilt show in France this fall.  I think it is a great choice.

Martha did her trunk show for us.  The thread of her narrative was how she has developed different techniques for machine quilting large quilts in sections on a domestic machine.  I immediately began to pay close attention!  She showed us several quilts based on square blocks, and described her technique of joining pre-quilted sections together with sashing, and then quilting the sashing after.  All this time I am looking at that big circular design up on the stage and thinking about Sedona Star.  I could see how the concentric rings could be pre-quilted and then joined with those flying geese rings.

And indeed, she told us that had been her plan, but then on this quilt she changed her mind and quilted the whole thing in one piece!  Sigh.  She was worried that it would not lie flat if quilted in sections.  So that idea went out the window!

But the trunk show was excellent, and her miniatures have to be seen to be believed.  There was one with over 700 pieces!

In any case, I still have a year to figure out how I will quilt Sedona Star.  I'm sure the right idea, or better equipment, will come along!

Status - Sedona Star

Once again, I've been thinking hard about Sedona Star this weekend.  There's been a heck of a lot of thinking considering I haven't done any sewing yet!

The whole kerfuffle with the way the templates don't print properly on some printers, including mine, has somewhat got my back up.  I had to ask myself if I should do the quilt at all.  I wanted the quilt to be a stretch for me, but chasing down technical fixes wasn't exactly what I had in mind!  I've only bought about a third of the fabric so far, which could always be used somewhere else.  But the thought of not doing the quilt felt like going backwards, so I knew I still had to do it.  Quilters are resourceful, right?  My drafting skills are pretty good, and I think I will be able to draw in the parts of the templates that don't print.

So, I'll be doing the whole thing by machine.  I'll use the Ricky Tims Stable Stuff, and leave it in the quilt until the end.  I'll use Beth Ferrier's method of turned edge applique by machine, and use her fusible wash-away applique sheets, which should also help stabilize the lightweight shot cottons.  I can see the whole thing will be much quicker this way, and even though fast is not always a priority for me, it will give me more time for other projects as well, which also feels good.

Of course, the Stable Stuff and the applique sheets will have to be bought, which will have to wait until February.  But, that gives me three weeks to work on my other quilts, which I think will be a very good thing!

Another Change of Plans

Yesterday I was sitting and looking at Edward's quilt, which I had laid out with its border options, and thinking about my plans for quilting it.  I've gone through several different plans over the year that it's been a UFO.  Most of them involved some basic free-motion quilting.  Recently though, I decided to back it with a flannel sheet so it would be warmer and hopefully more practical in their cold basement where they watch tv.

The flannel sheet, though, will make the quilt sandwich much bulkier, and I doubted my ability to free motion quilt it in my old machine with it's 7" throat.  I decided to use the walking foot instead and quilt it in diamonds, which is a slightly industrial look that I quite like.  Looking at the top, I felt pretty confident about fitting it in my machine.

But then I started to think about Sedona Star, which is projected to be 88" square.  I really want some fairly elaborate machine quilting on it, I think it just calls for beautiful swirls and feathers.  I was prepared to do the practice needed to bring my skills up to par, but looking at my machine today I think I will be expecting too much.  A small quilt, sure, but not 88".

So, I have folded and decided to send it out for quilting when it's done.  There is a really good long arm quilter whose work I've seen in shows west of the city.  I will have to look into how much it might cost for her to really take her time and do a nice job.

This also means that putting myself in knots about doing the applique by hand is no longer necessary.  I guess I will be reconsidering my approach this weekend!

Kaffe Fassett Shot Cottons

Well, I have already hit the first bump in the road on Sedona Star.  In the ring around the centre star I planned to use a dark and light purple.  I ordered the fabrics, Kaffe Fassett shot cottons, from two different stores, which I now see was a mistake!  You can't compare values in photos from one online shop to the values in photos from another.  Here is what I ended up with:

When you see them in real life there is even less difference than in the photo.  Somehow the photo makes the one on the left seem lighter, which is probably what happened to the website's photo too.

Anyway, it won't do, so I am going to try again and add a couple more purples to my next order.  One way or another, I'm going to get enough contrast there to make the piecing worthwhile.  But it means that I can't start that band, or all the little appliqued circles, until next month.  Argh!  But months 3, 4 and 5 will be pretty fast, with just the paper pieced stars, so I am counting on catching up then!

But I can do the middle star and the log cabin points, which will be in these fabrics:

Apologies for the grainy photo, but the colours are reasonably true.  It has been very interesting to see the Kaffe Fassett shot cottons in person.  They are quite lightweight and a somewhat loose weave.  I was afraid they would ravel like mad in the wash, but they were pretty good.  They do come out of the dryer, though, looking like those broomstick skirts that used to be popular!

They call them "shot" cottons because the warp and weft threads are different colours on some of them.  The bottom fabric in the photo above looks like this up close:

The lengthwise warp threads here are lime green, and the crosswise weft threads are magenta.  If you are a painter you know that red and green mix together to make brown.  This fabric is called "ginger."

I like the way the weave gives some added dimension to the solid colours.  I am a little disappointed that the top two yellows and the rust don't have the same contrast between warp and weft.  I am concerned that the colours will be flat.  I am also concerned that the fabrics themselves won't be flat - they are awfully wrinkly.  Well, I will start with the log cabin points and see how it works out!

The black background fabric, by the way, is also part of the quilt.  Five yards of it!

Still Waiting...

I am still waiting for my fabric for Sedona Star, and I have to say it is making me very grumpy!  I placed my order with Glorious Color in early January, and I got it last week already.  I placed my first order at eQuilter on December 26, and it has yet to arrive.  I do know that it is on its way, but for whatever reason the mail from Colorado is a week slower than from anywhere else in the U.S.

I know very well that working on another project while I'm in this mood will just end in disaster, so I've been trying to find a way to lighten up.  My Nordic Needle catalogue arrived today, which is usually a fun read.  Today, though, I saw a lot of projects I'd like to start, but which I know I shouldn't start, so it's just more frustration.

As I write this, I think the only way to shift this mood will be to start a completely new project and get the energy flowing again.  I think I'll go check out my stash.

Choosing Colours for Sedona Star

You may be wondering, when I keep talking about how inspired I was by my hand-coloured copy of the blank Sedona Star pdf that took me two days to do, why I have not posted this work of art yet!  I admit that I am hoping to create a bit of mystery about my design.  But I will talk about how I chose the colours.

I had two main principles in mind when I started.  The first, from various art classes over the years, was to put high contrast around the features that you want to stand out.  The second, and more important one, from interior designer Ray Staples, who always tells it like it is, that not every piece in the room (or in this case, quilt) can be the star.  She compares it to a Broadway show, with one or two stars, one or two supporting actors, and the chorus.

I was very struck by this when I heard it, because until then my philosophy had always been "more is more" -- more fabrics, more patterns, more colours.  I realized that too much noise can reduce the clarity of the message, and I wanted my Sedona Star to have a strong message.

I sat down with the uncoloured page and asked myself what the story was here.  What elements do I want to make stand out?  For me, it was the heart appliques first, and the nine Mariner's Compass blocks second.  So, the heart appliques will all be the same fabric, and that will be the only place I use that fabric.  To tie them all together so they tell a consistent story, my plan now is to do the Mariner's Compass blocks with just a few fabrics in a high contrast palette.  I say "my plan now," because this the area where I have the most doubt at the moment.  Will it be too boring?  The only way to know for sure will be to stick to my guns until the end.  I'll try to be strong!

Everything else followed on from that start.  I noticed the repetition of "nines" throughout the quilt.  I know nine is a significant number in many mystical traditions, so I'm hoping designer Sarah Vedeler will share more background on her inspiration.  I usually think of the nine planets in the solar system (if you still count Pluto). If you are a science nerd (which I kind of am), you know that the number nine has many interesting properties. Are there nine energy vortices around Sedona? 

This colour-enhanced image of the moon is not my palette, but it is kind of pretty, isn't it?  Anyway, most of the features on my quilt will be done with solid colours, a combination of Kaffe Fassett Shot Cottons and Kaufman Kona Solids.  The parts that I want to blend together will be prints.

I can't wait to show you my fabrics and get started!  If only they would get here!

Sedona Star - Reading Month 1

The instructions for the first month of the 2012 BOM Sedona Star were posted on The Quilt Show website yesterday.  After giving them a quick read I proceeded to think hard for several hours!  I knew I was going to have issues just from reading the Introduction last month, but I wanted to wait and read the first month before I finalized my plans.

The thing is that I have very basic equipment.  Nothing will be done "in the hoop" on my twentysomething Janome that even then was marketed as a basic machine.  It does eight stitches.  But I don't mean to complain about my machine, because it does very well.  For me it all comes down to designer Sarah Vedeler's coy instruction to "applique using your preferred method."  My preferred method is needleturn by hand.

Given that one of Sarah's other key instructions was to leave the paper in the quilt until the end (there is a lot of paper piecing), this created a challenge.  Hence the several hours of deep thought:

• I don't want to use fusibles at all.  I am vain enough to want my quilt to have longevity - at a minimum the 50 years that could be left in my own lifetime.
• I could give up the hand applique and instead use Beth Ferrier's instructions for turned applique by machine.  I pulled out her book - More Hand Applique by Machine.
• Beth's method would still involve some glue, as well as TWO layers of paper to take out at the end.
• I could use wash-away applique paper and leave it in.
• But how will I machine quilt an 88" quilt on my little Janome with its 7" throat if the paper is still in the appliques?
• Then, a new issue occured to me.  Where will I keep the paper lined quilt for the whole year it is in progress?  I don't have a studio where I can leave it on the wall for a year.
• I could keep it in pieces until the end.
• But even then it would be a couple of weeks to assemble it.  Plus, the satisfaction of monthly progress will be greatly reduced, possible jeopardizing the whole project.  I have to be able to put it away each day.
• If I take the paper out I can hand applique, but how will I keep the big pieces accurate enough to sew together neatly?
• When I used to sew a dress or jacket I had big curved pieces that still fit together accurately.  How?  I cut a wider seam allowance and marked and pinned the matching points carefully.
• AHA!  I will make it like a dress and just give myself nice wide seam allowances.

Problems solved.

Happy New Year!

Do you make resolutions for the new year?  Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't.  For the past few years I have been, and for the most part they have been helpful.  Even if I don't finish them, I usually will have a lot more clarity on the issue by the end of the year, and therefore be feeling better about it overall.  For me 2011 was about UFOs, and even though I only finished three, I also threw away several and considerably reduced the mental load associated with all those unfinished projects.

Rather than "making resolutions," I usually "set intentions," which feels less restrictive and more fun.  It's not just semantics when you think about how the two phrases feel.

Intentions for 2012

1. Finish a quilt.  OK, this has actually been on my list for at least three years now, but I really think 2012 will be the year!  I'm much closer than I ever have been before.
2. Keep on track with Sedona Star.  I'll be starting it late, because I can't order the fabrics until I get paid next week, but my goal is to never get more than a month behind with the top.  Quilting it will probably be on the list for 2013!
3. Observe a weekly day of rest.  I don't follow a traditional religion, but lately I have been seeing a lot of value in observing a regular Sabbath or day of rest.  My plan is to switch off the computer, tv, sewing machine, etc., for a full 24 hours, and spend the time quietly with hand work and a decent chunk of meditation time.  I have a habit now of not taking time out until I get sick, so my hope is that more time outs will result in less sick time.

How about you?  What are your intentions for 2012?

Welcome!

I've wanted to keep a stitching blog for a while now, but I've been waffling, trying to find a clever name, and wondering which craft to focus on.  You can see I gave up on both of those!*  Now I am finally inspired to get started, mainly because I've decided to commit to the 2012 Block of the Month from The Quilt Show.  After that huge commitment, a commitment to a blog seems easy in comparison!

The TQS 2012 BOM is Sedona Star, designed by Sarah Vedeler.  She provided an uncoloured pdf of the quilt so that we could design our own colourway.  I immediately felt challenged to create a colour scheme that was meaningful to me, and I spent two days colouring it by hand and choosing fabrics online.  Now I pretty much have to do it!

The quilt design is a gorgeous mandala-type design in nine sections.  You can see it here.  It is WAY beyond anything I have yet attempted.  I usually think in squares when it comes to quilting!  I am still a beginner appliquer as well, so this quilt will be a huge stretch.  But, I think this is a great opportunity as well, to utilize the online resources from The Quilt Show, and hopefully make a quantum leap in my quilting.

Oh, did I mention that even though I've been planning, buying fabric and starting quilts for over 30 years, I have yet to finish one?  It's true.  But 2012 will be the year!

(*Update June 6, 2012:  The original name of this blog was Stitching Journal)