Andrea Zuill’s Blog

Right on time.  Who’da thunk it?  A nice little Easter Chick for you.  Have fun!

Click on the image for the full size pattern.

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  After getting back from my Texas trip , I was in the mood to quilt.  I decided to create a small quilt.

  This quilt is 15″x19″.  I’m not sure I like this size for my quilting.  It just doesn’t seem graphic enough.  The embroidery seemed too small yet when I made a sample using my typical 6 strands of embroidery floss the stitches where overwelming.

  This is the entire quilt.  I added a bar of printed fabric to the left side, because I needed color. 

  Do you ever get a flash of an idea when you least expect it?  I do. It always happens to me while I’m in the bathtub. 

  While bathing a couple weeks ago the image of a appliqued rabbit popped into my head.  I suppose the idea came from all the vintage appliqued quilts I ‘ve been studying.  I love the old quilts with awkward appliqued animals.

  The idea of one rabbit became five.

  Why are they running?  Because they are being chased by a little girl.  I remember when my Daughter was just a tiny little thing and she liked to cuddle animals like a crocodile just wants to “taste” a baby zebra.  One of my friend’s more no nonsense cats took care of my daughters aggressive petting.    

Just so you know, my daughter is excellent with animals now.  It’s been years since I have seen a fist full of fur.

 Free pattern time!  How many of you guessed that this Be Mine was February’s free pattern? (see previous article)  Due to extreme laziness I wasn’t about to do two Valentine patterns so I got double useage from this design.

As always, click on the pattern below to get the full size image.

   I was reading the magazine Quilt Mania and I came across a new embroidery product called Transfer Eze.  With Transfer Eze you can put a sheet into your computer (like a normal sheet of paper) and print your embroidery pattern.  Once this is done you peel that backing material off then stick the film, with the image, onto your fabric. When you finish stitching your design you use cold water to get rid of the film, leaving just your stitching and fabric. 

   Here is my step by step on using Transfer Eze and the results.

  Using my regular, cheap HP printer I printed my design onto the Transfer Eze.

  I peeled off the backing paper and stuck the image on 100 % cotton muslin fabric.  The Transfer Eze was easy to apply. As you can see I didn’t iron my fabric and the film adhered very nicely.

  Printing on the Transfer Eze was very easy and left a nice, dark and clear pattern.  Transfer Eze feels like a paper fabric.

  No problem putting the fabric and the Trans. Eze into my hoop.  The Trans. Eze feels like having your fabric applied to a stabilizer.

  Very little trouble with stitching.  There is some extra resistance  but probably not much different than using a stabilizer.  I have major carpel tunnel and stitching with Trans. Eze didn’t bother me a bit.

  You can see the texture of the Trans. Eze in this photo.   I tend to manhandle my work so I was glad to find that I had no lifting or releasing of the Trans. Eze while stitching.

  Completed stitched design with Trans. Eze still attached to fabric.

After stitching, peel and cut away extra Trans. Eze. 

  Lastly, after clipping the extra Trans. Eze off I soaked my fabric in cold water.  The directions states that it takes 5 to 10 minutes to remove the film, but it dissolved much faster on my project.

The only problem I had with Transfer Eze is that Trans. Eze film was like having a very thin spacer between the stitching and fabric. When I removed the film my stitches weren’t as tight as I would like to be.  I believe I could improve the tension of my stitches with practice.   Maybe this tension problem happens with stabilizers too?  I just don’t know. 

Remember, if you try Transfer Eze practice on a sample first.  The results I had may not be the same for everyone and every fabric.

The only place I could find Transfer Eze was at Original Creations Quilt Shop.  Here is their info.:

Original Creations Quilt Shop, 16863 Highline Blvd., Cut and Shoot, TX, 77306

phone: 956-491-5650

Email;   jerry@originalcreationsquiltshop.com

Website: http://www.originalcreationsquiltshop.com/home.htm  ,  Their website is a little hard to use.  If you click on Transfer Eze it doesn’t take you anywhere. 

Feelin’ squirrely?  I know I am. 

Here is the free pattern for January 2010.  Have fun!

  I hope you’re not tired of seeing this quilt.

  It’s finished!  Like always, it’s all hand sewn, appliqued and embroidered.  The final size is aprox. 30″ x 30″.  The fabric is all cotton.

  Please click on each image to see the details.

 How does one go about creating a art quilt?  I won’t get into the details about discovering your creative voice, love of fiber, personal symbolism  and bizzare fabric fetishes for now.   I just want to give you a idea of what goes through my mind.

  First I had the creative urge.  Then I fell in love with Jude Hills’s quilt, Hearts in the Wind. This quilt got me thinking about what I wanted my next quilt to be.  Hearts have meaning for me.  They don’t represent love for me, but emotions.  

There is something very primal yet delicate about Jude’s work.  Her work feels personal.  What might be considered flaws for some quilters (tears, holes, loose threads, illregular shapes) are what give Jude’s work soul.

So when I started to create my quilt there where certain elements I wanted to keep in mind.  I wanted to use the symbol of a heart.  I wanted my quilt to scream handmade.  And I wanted the stitches to provide texture and a kind of humanity.

  Then I saw The Silly Bodilly’s Work Quilt.  I just melted for the playful use of colors and shapes.  I personally have trouble dealing with such a large compositions, so I decided to stick with a simple composition.  Like the Hearts in the Wind quilt, this quilt has great texture provided by the quilting.  Bodilly’s quilting is a bit more formal yet she is able to keep the humanity in her stitches.

The color’s Bodilly used are strong and natural.  They convey a strengh that isn’t forced. 

From Bodilly’s quilt I learned that I wanted a quilt that was strong and solid.  I also wanted abstract shapes.  And, like with Jude’s quilt, quilting stitches that add a zesty texture.

   This is my Quilt.  Quite simple.  Not finished yet.  It has a heart.  It is hand quilted with texture in mind.  It has a couple abstract elements.  I believe the colors give a feeling of strength, even though the yellow applique has a softness about it.  It looks very handmade.  It’s small, about 30″ x 30″ since I find that I don’t enjoy doing large quilts.  The fabric is soft to the touch.  There is a small bit of embroidery (clck on quilt images to see the details better).

Sometime soon I will go into the actual steps of how my designs evolve into the finished design.  Just so you know, it took four false starts to get to this design.

Also, did you notice that I was able to use the word zesty in this blog?  I believe that I have never, ever used this word in any of my writing.

Jude Hill’s Blog:  http://www.spiritcloth.typepad.com/

The Silly Bodilly’s Blog:  http://thesillyboodilly.blogspot.com/

I think I want to write a book.  A craft book to be more specific.  But, here’s the thing, I don’t know what kind of craft book. 

Here is what I think I am good at:

Designing. I think that I am pretty ok with designing embroidery and quilt patterns.

Choosing colors.  It took a long time, but I got a handle on it.

Finding a simple, none fussy way to create quilt and fabric art.  This includes how to design, compose and choose colors.

What I am not good at:

Sewing projects like purses, pillow cases and potholders.

Creating projects in general.

Ugh, I need help.  Let me know what you would want from me. 

  Star and Bubble Gum Quilt.  20″x20″, Cotton with hand embroidery and Quilting. 

  Another star quilt.  I’m not sure where this image came from, it just popped up in my head.  I love the candy colors.

  This design allowed me to add more embroidery.  Thank god.  I love my last quilt, but the lack of embroidery made me nervous.

Link to the first star quilt: http://zuill.us/andreablog/2009/11/15/abstract-quilt-called-three-stars/