Drum roll please…..

For the first time I am selling some of my quilts!   The first one I’m listing is this Hopping Rabbit Folk Art Quilt.  It’s  entirely hand sewn, cotton fabric and cotton batting.  It measures 13″ x26″

It’s for sale at my Etsy store:  http://www.etsy.com/listing/84867289/hopping-rabbit-folk-art-quilt

This is a one of a kind quilt.

Mischief Quilt Detail

  In this months issue of Selvedge magazine (Jan/Feb 2011), on pages 78 and79, they have a small article about a display of Red and White Quilts at the American Museum of Folk Art in NY.    There is something very striking about a red and white quilt. 

Vortex Quilt, United States, 1890-1910

Seeing this article made me think that I wanted to do a red/white quilt.    Using the techique from my last tutorial, I made a small, 20″x20″, quilt that I call The  Mischief Quilt.

The character in the middle is a imp, not Old Scratch.

The only embroidery I used is the blanket stitch around the edges of the applique. 

The Mischief Quilt by Andrea Zuill

 Like always, this quilt is totally hand quilted and took about 4 days to complete (not working solid, but on and off).

Valentine Quilt Top

   Recently I was asked to do a tutorial.  I had never created a full tutorial on my quilting techique.  Let me tell you I thought my brain was going to explode!  There are so many details!  So, instead of giving up on tutorials I decided to practice creating them. 

The first thing I did was change how I attached my applique shapes to my quilt top.  I found a tutorial on Youtube (I can’t find the tutorial anymore on Youtube, sorry!) that was a break through for me.  Everyone that reads my blog knows that I like to hand sew.  I rejected the use of fusible webbing on quilts because it left a hard stiff feeling to the fabric.  The new method (at least for me)  that I discovered is using the fusible webbing  just along the edges of the applique shape.   Here is the basic idea of the techique:  instead of making the entire applique shape covered with webbing glue, you apply the webbing glue just around the edges. 

So here is my tutorial.  Please feel free to critique and edit. 

The fabric I chose for this quilt top is quilters cotton from my stash.  I thought the fabric prints I choose looked good for valentines day.  The fabric  kind of fit together but they also fight a bit too.   The design is based on folk art.  I like art that is a bit primitive.

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SUPPLIES

Fabric for the applique –   The size should be at least a bit bigger than 8.5″x11″

Fabric for the quilt top -  Must be at least a bit bigger than your applique.  I used  a piece that was quite a bit larger that the applique because I wasn’t sure what I would like for a finished size.

Fusable Webbing  ( NOTE:  I just tried Steam-A-Seam 2 Double Stick fusible Web and I worked better for the the Steam-A-Seam Lite)

Scissors

Sewing Needles

Pins

Embroidery Needles

Embroidery Hoop

Embroidery Floss

Valentine Quilt Top Pattern

 Click on pattern to get the full size image and to print out.

 The Applique Pattern:   I designed the applique pattern to print out easily on a 8.5″ x 11″ piece of paper.

print out and webbing

 Fusible Webbing:  (The truth is I don’t know a lot about webbing.  I’ll tell you what I used but you may want to experiment on your own.)  The fusible webbing I used is Lite Steam-A-Seam 2 by The Warm Company.  I used it for the following reasons,

 1)  It comes in packages of 5 –  9″ x12″ sheets.  I didn’t want to buy a whole roll if I didn’t like the results     

  2) It said right on the package that it is used for applique   

 3) Also on the package it says that it is permanent   

  4) Lastly, the webbing I chose had a slightly tacky back so once you get it into place on your fabric you don’t have to pin it down before ironing.  It did create a small problem of being hard to place because of the sticky back sticking to it’s self and such.

Transferring the design onto the fusible webbing:  The Webbing I used was transparent.

1) I laid the webbing on top of the print out/ drawing and traced, with pencil, the design onto the webbing.

2) Now you are going to draw one more line.  This line will be following the design on the inside.  I drew this line about 1/4 inch from the design lines.

Drawing the line inside of the design.

 Cutting the Webbing:

1) Cut only the inside line of the webbing.

Cutting at the inside line of webbing.

 2)  Your webbing should look like this :

Webbing with the design cut out.

 NOTE:  Notice the flower at the bottom of the design.  Since the center of the flower wasn’t attached to the rest of the design I had to cut it out separately.

 Applying the Webbing to your applique fabric:

1)  Make sure that your fabric is ironed.

2)  The webbing I  used had a lite tackiness to it that when press onto the fabric by hand it stayed in place.  But, with a simple design you shouldn’t need anything to hold your webbing in place.  If you need to pin the webbing down, place just enough pins hold it in place.  Don’t iron on top your pins.  Remove the pins at the point right before you iron a specific area.  Leave whatever pins you need to hold the rest of the webbing down. 

Iron the webbing onto your fabric as per the manufacturers instructions.

Masking sitting on the Fabric

 Finish cutting the applique piece:

1) Cut to the outside edge of the appliqued shape.

Cut to the edge of the applique shape.

Fabric cut using the drawing on the webbing for a guide.

 Peeling the webbing backing paper off:

1) Peel the webbing backing paper off.  You should be able to see the ring of webbing adhesive) right along the edge of the applique.

Peeling the webbing off of the fabric reveals the webbing adhesive.

 Iron on the applique:

 1) Lay applique shape onto quilt top. 

2) Pin your applique shape to the quilt top.  Don’t put your pins where there is adhesive. 

3) Using the webbing manufacturers instructions iron your applique shape onto the quilt top.

4) Your applique and quilt top should be one*.

*My iron is really old and doesn’t get very hot.  Some of the applique corners came up at the tips.  Just a little though.  Let me know if you corners stayed adhered to your quilt top.

To be Continued in Part Two.

Latimer Quilt and Textile Center, Tillamook, OR

I am also a fabric fondler.

   Part of my recovery program is to visit various fiber places, keeping my hands in my pockets at all times.  I’d been doing well at fabric stores, yarn shops and needlework emporiums.  I just keep saying my healthy fiber mantra in my head,  ”Fabric is good and important, but I don’t have to buy all that I see, or fondle it (in a creepy way), or rub it against my check with a bizarre grin on my face.”

Latimer Quilt and Textile Center, Tillamook, OR

 I’ve  been doing well with the program.  They use the exposure method.  After much practice I’ve really gotten a handle on most fiber situations. 

 But,  then I visited the Latimer Quilt and Textile Center in Tillamook, OR.

Weaving Room

 I handled the front entryway pretty well.  I made small talk with the lady in charge, and signed the guest book. Then I entered the weaving room.

I don’t weave.  But there where these big looms.  And all kinds of pretty, pretty fiber.  And the fiber was strung onto the big looms.  And some of the looms and pretty, pretty fiber was partly woven in to fabric.  There where Niddle Noddys, Shuttles, Beaters, Spools and oh so many wonderful things.  I went to reach and touch a loom with a yummy woven piece on it, but my Daughter grabbed my hand and pointed at a sign taped to the loom.  It read, “Please DO NOT TOUCH!  Work in progress.”   I thanked my daughter for her support, but secretly I thought, “ If you didn’t want anyone to touch it you shouldn’t have left it out for everyone to see, you stupid jerk.”

Class room and display room.

 Next was the Class and Display room.  Oh Lordy,  do you know what they keep in this room!   Vintage Stuff!  They have binders with pages and pages of vintage fiber samples, walls covered with vintage and modern quilt tops, and drawers filled with tatting samples and tobacco silks!  Yes, real unused tobacco silks.   

Tobacco Silks

 Is a tobacco silk really silky? 

Tatting

Does tatting feel, um, tatty?

Unfinished Vintage Quilt Square Samples

Could a drawer full of unfinished quilt squares fit into a green purse that I bought a Target for $12.00. 

I will never know. 

I made it out the building of heavenly, fibery delights.  I was proud.  No fiber was fondled (at least in a unhealthy way),  no drooling occurred.  And,  there was only minor crying,  swearing and chasing people with the fire extinguisher.

If you have a similar problem as I do and have succeeded in conquering fabric stores and such, then take a trip to the Latimer Quilt and Textile Center.  It will give you a chance to see how well your high- priced therapy sessions are working out.

Work Quilt #2 by Victoria Gertenbach, aka Silly Boodilly

     I was innocently thumbing through my current Quilting Arts Magazine, June/July 2010, issue 45,  when I came across a article written by a person named Victoria Gertenbach.  This Victoria was clearly trying to pass herself off as my web friend Silly Boodilly.  After a moment of confusion and deep thought it dawned on me that Victoria and Silly where the same people.  I never remember a persons real name.  I mean, who’s Mama would name their kid Silly Boodilly?  Not a very good Mama, that’s who.  Web names and the names of people’s pets is what I remember.  Real names never.

  So please, if you haven’t already, go get the newest Quilting Arts Magazine and check out VICTORIA’S article, Stitching from the Soul / Laying the past & present.  She tells of her inspirations and goes into detail regarding her quilting technique.

Oh, I almost forgot, I was looking through the contributors of Quilting Arts Magazine and I found the name of another friend of mine, Jane LaFazio.  She is a San Diego based quilt artist, and teacher.  She also beat me at getting into the Quilt Visions show.   I might forgive her for this since she is the one that got me started in teaching quilting and embroidery.

I love name dropping.

  You might recognise the tiger from The Doom Girl print I designed.

  The quilt is unusual for a few reasons.  First, I didn’t have any design planned for this quilt. I just figured it out as a went.  Second, even though I knew what the tiger should look like, I just randomly cut out shapes to create the tiger.  Look closely at the Tiger.  He is in sections.  The sections are oddly shaped.  Third,  the fabric that the tiger is appliqued onto has a crooked grain.  This was okay for a little area around the tiger, but I didn’t want it for the whole background.  So I cut out the tiger with a wide border, then appliqued the whole thing to another piece background fabric.  Fourth,  The line created by the tiger panel being applique onto the new background fabric gave me the idea to put a little pennant banner surrounding the whole tiger.

  Here is the whole quilt.  I like the loose design, the funky tiger, the texture of the border area and that it is small and was easy to work on.

Quilters of a different style from you often will ask why you quilt the way you do. Your answer tends to cause their heads to tilt like a confused dog. I have found that if you give your quilting technique an official title people back off, because it’s official for gosh sakes!

Here is my list of quilting types and their official titles:

1. Traditional Quilt Crafts Person – TQC Person carries the heavy load of keeping the historic form of quilting alive.  They save traditional quilting from dying out.  It’s a burden they must bare for the sake of everyone.

2. Kit Quilters – Kit quilters not only use kits but love magazines that have quilt tutorials.  Their job is to honor quilt designers by creating their quilts using precision and superb color matching. 

3. Machine Quilter – The quilting culture is a living culture.  Machine Quilters are wise to the fact that their ancestors jumped at the chance to use sewing machines to piece their quilts.  They nod to the past with their precise corner matching and the fact that they can finish a king size quilt in a month without the need of a quilting bee.  Their ancestors would be proud.

4. Hand Quilters – Modern hand quilters practice the semi religious form of self flagellation by stitching everything with needle and thread. To appease the ancient gods of craftiness the hand quilter keeps sewing even when faced with a mean case of carpel tunnel, a bible bump and the beginning symptoms of arthritis. 

5.  Art Quilter – Art quilters use the craft of quilting as a form of self expression.  Weird themes, imagery, colors and materials form the bases for the art quilters artistic voice.  The art quilter is more interested in self expression than perfect stitches.  Art quilters tend to not be able to match corners if their life depended on it. 

6.  Folk Art Quilter- Folk Art Quilters are very close to Art Quilters.  What makes a Folk Art Quilter is simplistic expressive designs and the inability to make even stitches.  Flaws are acceptable, they’re Folk Artists for goodness sakes. 

7.  Outsider Quilter - Have you have ever felt the urge to create a quilt out of tires and bubble gum? Then you know where Outsider Quilters are coming from.  An Outsider Quilter often thinks like this, “Lets see, I don’t have any fabric, needles or thread to create a quilt with, but I wouldn’t want to use those materials anyways because I have a perfectly good jar of peanut butter and a whole bale of barbwire to work with.”  Outsider Quilters are often unaware that other quilters don’t think of kitty litter as being a good batting.

8.  Contemporary Avant Garde Quilter – Same as Outsider Quilter but with an education.

9. Visionary Quilter – Have you ever been quilting with a mouth full of M&M’s and sneezed, only to have the spray from your sneeze create a image on your quilt that looks like Jesus?  If you have then you are a Visionary Quilt artist.  You are also always under the distinct feeling that it’s not you that is guiding your quilting, but God.

Let’s face it, the lines of quilting types are often blurred.  There are Hand Quilters that can match corners and might add a bit a tree bark to their quilts.  There are Traditional Quilters that that will periodically use a machine to quilt their quilts.  What’s great about quilting is the many techniques to explore, the appreciation of  textiles (whether it’s fabric, wood, steel or otherwise), the concept of quilting, the room for play, experimenting and the fulfillment of the need to create. 

I guess what I am trying to say is that all creation is great and if it makes you happy that’s all that counts.

  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. 

Now, questions that need to be answered:

1. Referring to my Transfer Eze post:   Wow! I’ve been looking for something like this. My biggest challenge is finding ways to transfer embroidery designs. Can you recommend any other products or techniques? Thanks for sharing such valuable information!

Here are the most common ways to transfer embroidery designs onto fabric - 

Transfer Paper – You can get this item at any fabric store and Sublime Stitching.

Iron on Transfer Pencil  -these can be found at most fabric stores, like Joanns. 

Light Table  -  Well, actually, using a window as your light table.  If you are using the window method, you will find that taping the design to the back of the fabric or to the window helpful as the design will not slip easily while you trace it onto the fabric. To trace, use a light pencil, chalk, air or water-soluble pen, or even a fine tip permanent marker in the shade of thread you will be using. (This info is from Victorian Embroidery and Craft)

2. Just curious. When you are buying fabric, for not a particular project, how much do you buy? A yard? Fat quarter? 2 yards?

Since my quilts are smallish I tend to buy fabric half yards.  But, if I am head over heals in love with a fabric I will buy 1 to 2 yards.  Other reasons to buy more than half a yard of fabric is hard to find colors, hard to find patterns and great fabric to back a quilt with. 

I have trouble finding a good orange fabric, so if I find one I like I’ll buy a yard or two.  Same with brown.  I am always looking for a good chocolate brown.  The color is not the only thing that is important.  I am very picky about the type of pattern on the fabric .  Everyone has their own needs when it comes to size, design and rhythm of pattern on their fabrics.

When I find a nice feeling cotton fabric that would make a great backing for my quilts, and it’s cheap,  I’ll buy several yards. 

  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.