On the road photos & Quilt dedication

Here are the final photos from our recent vacation.  The first set is from my favorite city - Pittsburgh, PA.  These were taken from the passenger seat in a moving car.  Not too bad.  The second collage of photos is from the quilt dedication.  It was funny to me how small the quilt looked on the wall.  However, it was the smaller of the two completed and this is what was chosen.  It even made a few seconds on the local news that day.  Have a great day!


Thanks for stopping by!  
~*~Trish~*~

Great Weekend - Two Quilts Completed & Photographing Quilts

Yeah!!  I completed the bindings on both Breast Cancer quilts!  I also re-added the bobbles that were removed for quilting.  Finally, I added the last of the ric rac trim to the second quilt.  I really enjoy working on these quilts but I also enjoy finishing them.  It's a sense of relief knowing I am completed.  Now, I just need to package them up and send them out.  First, I'll contact the coordinator.  I may need to add a hanging sleeve so I may have one more step to go.





Photographing Quilts

How do you photograph your quilts.  It's hard to find an area to get a good photo of my completed quilts.  I currently hang them over the entry way banister however, it adds a bow in the center when the quilt goes over the carpet floor that extends under the banister.  I've tried photographing them on the floor, but, then you get a a very large angular photo. Unfortunately, I do not have the room to create a design wall.  Looking forward to hearing your tips!

Thanks for stopping by!
~*~Trish~*~

First Breast Cancer Quilt top Quilted

I quilted the first Breast Cancer quilt on the ProStitcher this weekend.  I was able to complete it there because there were not too many bobbles added to the quilt blocks.  However, I managed to hit one rhinestone with the quilt machine.  Luckily, nothing seems to be damaged.  After that rhinestone, I had a little bit of difficulty getting the pattern lined up again.  When the ribbon should have been higher, it was lower, and vice versa.  So, one band of ribbons is out of synch.  You can't see it too much on the front but I know it's there (not in the photo below).  Here's a section where you can see the quilting pattern that was completed.  Now all it needs is the binding and it's ready to go.


Thanks for stopping by!  
~*~Trish~*~

Entering Pets on Quilts contest - Pomeranian Memory Quilt

This is my favorite memory quilt that I created.  It was for friends that always loved their Pomeranian dogs Hopper and Bandit.  They wanted a way to remember them and here is what I came up with.  The layout was just something that came together without a pattern.  It was also my first applique using the dog paws.  I hope you like it for my entry into the Pets on Quilts contents sponsored by SewCalGal  The contest runs until August 21rst. It will be my first contest entry.


Thanks for stopping by!
~*~Trish~*~

Layout Change - Breast Cancer Quilts

I'm not a square quilt kind of person.  When the measurements add up to form a square, I do everything to add more height.  Add it to my list of quirks.  But yet, when I see other people make square quilts, I like them.  Go figure. 

I tested out the breast cancer quilt with the horizontal spacer rows between every 4 rows.  Well I did one and then used graphics software to crudely add in the other solid fabric strips.  I did not like how that turned out.  So, since it was digital, no seam ripping needed. 

I went from there to a totally random layout of all the blocks.  I shortened the width from the center panel shown in the previous quilt and added more rows.  Thus, I got the rectangle I was looking for.  Here are all of the blocks out on top of the bed quilt before I started sewing.  I'll show the completed quilt top in a day or two vertically so you can see all the fantastic blocks and sayings!  One more quilt top to lay out.  I think I'll go with the same layout since there are so many colors in that bag of blocks as well.


Thanks for stopping by!  
~*~Trish~*~

Gone Fishin - Quilting Completed

I finished my Gone Fishin quilt over the weekend.  I combined two different quilting designs to the quilt. One was a repeated single fish that came with the free designs of the HQProstitcher and one that a friend (Hi Linda) made for me of a few random bubbles.  I quilted the whole thing with the fishes first and didn't like the "space" between the fishing poles and the fish above.  So, I asked my friend to help with digitizing a few bubbles.  I did not want lines between the bubbles so I asked for jumps between them all.  I knew that meant a lot of snipping threads between each bubble on both front and back.


The photos above and below show the end results.  It's always difficult for me to photograph the quilting. I hope you can see it a little.  In addition to the fishing pattern and bubbles patterns, I also placed random singular bubbles everywhere.  One other thing, of course I did not line up the patterns and had extra space at the bottom of the quilt.  So, I added some water waves at the very bottom for the fishes.

I have had this quilt top for a while.  It is a memory quilt of my brother's TShirts.  He loved to go fishing down on the Outer Banks.  He especially loved going over to Ocracoke Island and hanging out at Howards Pub.  If you are ever down at Howard's Pub, tip one for "Mike". 

Thanks for stopping by!  
~*~Trish~*~

Trish's Tools - Joining Batting Pieces with Batting Tape - Part 2

I spent the day yesterday quilting up a T Shirt quilt that I have had the top for a long time. I'll share photos of the full quilt sometime later in the week.

So I quilted through the "Heat Press Batting Together" tape with my HandiQuilter.  It worked like a charm.  No thread breaks that were out of the ordinary.  No gathers where the tape is located.  I give it a thumbs up, A+ and I'll surely be using it again.  Saved me from having to buy more batting for a smaller quilt.  

Here's some photos.  If you stare long enough at the one with the green box, you might convince yourself that you see the tape.  Really, I can not pick it out from the front or back of the quilt.  Only where I can see the ends sticking out waiting to be cut off.  To see more detail, click on the photos to enlarge.




Thanks for stopping by!  
~*~Trish~*~

Trish's Tools - Joining Batting Pieces with Batting Tape - Part 1

When I first read about this "Heat Press Batting Together" I thought what a great idea.  I hurried up and bought a few rolls since I have so many batting pieces that I said "someday" I would make potholders since they were not big enough to complete another quilt with.  I have some rather large pieces that would be perfect for my lap quilts if I could piece them together.  

Once I got the protective cover off of the roll, it was as simple as prepping the batting but cutting straight edges and ironing.  First, I found two large pieces of batting.  I'm using Hobbs Heirloom cotton batting.  I placed the two large pieces together and cut a straight line (OK it wasn't perfectly straight) so that the ends will butt up together. I then placed them end to end on the ironing board and then placed the Heat Press Batting Together tape down on top of the batting in a small section at a time and then pressed the tape with the iron.  


Seemed to be holding so I continued down the full size of the batting.  Looks pretty good.  However, i decided I wanted the tape on both sides for "extra" insurance since it was for a quilt.

I flipped over the batting and added a second strip of the tape and ironed every couple of inches as I laid the tape down.  Once I was done, I was very impressed.  It seemed to hold tightly (I was so tempted to pull on both sides but I thought that would be pushing my luck.  I gave it a light tug and was holding well.  It seemed to be even with the rest of the batting so same height.


Next steps is to load it on the quilting frame and machine quilt over it.  So, stay tuned for Part II.
Thanks for stopping by!  
~*~Trish~*~

Cute Gypsy Quilt Kit

Sometimes I think the Joann coupons I watch for and save are costing me more in the long run.  Although I save a lot on purchased items (40% and 50% off), I tend to buy more.  So, I ask you, who makes out better?  Joann's or me.  hmmm..

Last stop, I came across this new kit I had not discovered before.  It was a cute boxed lap quilt kit called Gypsy Quilt Kit.  I love the fabrics in the kit.  They are so bright and fun!  Would be perfect for a young girl. It comes with 13 FQs and 1 piece 1/2 yard for binding.  The retail is $39 but never pay retail is my motto!  I'm trying to keep myself from going back and getting the queen size version with another coupon.  It has detailed instructions inside the box.  Who knew that a random pieced quilt would require such detailed instructions.  Now comes the fun part, following the directions.This will come in line after I finish my Santorini Lap Quilt and start/finish my Royal Menhi fabric Quilt!


Thanks for stopping by!  
~*~Trish~*~

Western Stars Quilt Completed with Bold Binding

During my weekend, I was able to finish up the Western Stars quilt by sewing on the bold binding.  I love it.  It adds just the right amount of color.  I liked the fabric so much, I went back to Joann's and bought more for any future black fabric quilts.  I love black with bright colors in a quilt so I'm sure I'll use for it in future as well.  I also have learned to love sewing down the binding.  It really goes fast when watching TV.  Here are photos of the finished quilt and the backing. As always you can click on the photos for larger views.



Thanks for stopping by!
~*~Trish~*~

Bears, Borders and Beans

I had a busy busy Sunday. I whipped up a second bear using using a new pattern.  This time I used McCall's Craft's Pattern M5605. It was easier than my first but I am not too fond of the pointy nose. It only had 4 pieces instead of 10.  This time I used real teddy bear eyes. Each time I'll get better. Not sure what I'll do with all the experimental bears along the way. This one is 8" tall.

I finished the border on a T-Shirt quilt I am working on for a friend. The T-Shirt quilt has a band of squares in the middle that are made up of swimsuits. I just backed them with interface like I did with the T-Shirts and they cut well without stretching. The person was a synchronized swimmer. I blurred some of the TShirts because there were names on them. I used an offset corner block design for the corners.


Finally, I made Chili. That's a big feat for me. I am been frequently visiting a certain fast food chain for their chili. I thought, a similar recipe should be out on the internet somewhere. I found this recipe for Wendy's Chili (oops, I spilled the beans) on the internet. I bought diced tomatoes and chili's in a can. I used 1 & 1/2 cans of them instead of the tomatoes. I also added a small extra can of diced green chilies. It is really good. Tastes pretty close to the original. However, it made a large pot. I'm going to have to freeze some of this!

Thanks for stopping by!
~*~Trish~*~

Bold Binding - Simplicity's Bias Tape Maker Review

Well the votes are in and the bold binding has won. I cut all my strips and joined for approximately 290"+ of 2.5" strips. I pulled out the purchased, but not used yet, Simplicity's Bias Tape Maker. The directions weren't fantastic but they got me through. I rolled my strip on to the spool but realized the foam bottom was hitting that much binding so I took it out.



My biggest issue was trying to get the fabric into the biding clip to feed under the iron. I tried using the "window" to pull through, but, I could not get it so I was going to give up. Then I got desperate and taped the fabric to a thin piece of cardboard and fed it through. Worked like a charm for me but I was concerned the tape would come off and stick inside the binding clip.



I was able to test out the process with a single 2.5 in strip. When I got it set under the iron cover and then replaced the cover and pressed start on the machine. I had to hold the iron cover to get the strip to feed. Here it turned out I did not pull the iron cover left into locked position. Once I did that, the real binding strip fed through so fast!. I am in love with this machine now. Wow, that was fast!. Here's a little snippet I took. Also, here's the video from simplicity. Just click on the video tab, I could link directly to it!





Here's my quick video of how fast this item works. Not the best quality but will do. Enjoy!




Thanks for stopping by!
~*~Trish~*~

Turning Twenty Quilt Finally Completed

It was such a rainy, rainy weekend here.  One that makes you want to stay in and complete a project at home.  I made the best of it because it gave me a chance to finally finish the my 2 year old Turning Twenty quilt.  I had forgotten how big this quilt was! 82" long and 68" wide.  DH had to stand on the couch and hang the quilt over the banister to get a decent photo of the quilt.  You can see a little of the banister in the bottom right.  Here's the finished quilt and a close up of the Moda binding.  The binding has such a great tone on tone pattern to it.
Thanks for stopping by!
~*~Trish~*~

Finished Blush Lap Quilt Top

I added the solid white inner border to the Blush Lap Quilt that uses the "In A Jiffy" pattern.  Previously, I was not sure I liked all the colors mixed together.  Now, I like it a lot more!  The difference in the pattern,  I added a 2" (1.5 with seams) white inner border to match the white fabric on some of the blocks.  Here's the completed quilt top just in time for Valentines Day.  Happy Valentines Day to all my blogging friends out there:
Thanks for stopping by!
~*~Trish~*~