BLOG'S NEW LOOK! "AUSTRIAN FLOWERS"

Hi, all, Thought it was time to "change the scenery" of my blog! Sorry I've been so negligent in doing that; but, it doesn't seem to keep you all from coming to see me here quite often! I have had an idea that might interest you! I am going to start "showcasing" all of my quilts that I have made in the past 20 years. Some of them, some of you have never seen! I have been very stingy with them, as I know that some day my ch

ildren and grandchildren will be old enough to appreciate all the work that has gone into most of them. Most of my quilts are all done by hand and have taken me 3 to 5 years to complete. I'll also tell the story of the quilt that is being exhibited. That might be of interest to you. I would like to say a big "THANK YOU" to the many of you that check my blog at least once a week. This is what keeps me going with this project. The quilt you see today is called "Austrian Flowers." A few years ago I took my grandson, Sean and my son, Pat on a trip to Germany/Austria/and Switzerland. We had such a wonderful time. The quilt you see here is my own design. I had cut out many of the blocks and had them "wonderundered" to the background black fabric ready to button-hole stitch while riding the tour bus. This was great fun, as so many people would ask me "what in the world are you doing?" It makes for a great conversation starter. When we returned home, I put the quilt top together and started appliqueing on the borders. There is a great picture of the 3 of us that I put on the back of the quilt along with the label. You know how I fuss when you don't do this. In a month or so, I'll be putting another one of my quilts on this blog, so check back often. I've quit putting quilts in shows, as it is so much trouble, and I'm always afraid that one will get lost in the mail to or from the show. Thanks for being my "blog friends." You can post a comment anytime at Thimblena14@gmail.com HAPPY DAYS!

Care and Preservation of Fine Quilts

If you own a quilt, consider yourself fortunate! If you know the history of your quilt, consider yourself even more fortunate! Any known fact about the quilt will be a treasure to your loved ones even a century from now. So.....here's how to protect your quilt and document its history. The best place for a quilt is on a bed, under a coverlet. If you hang a quilt on a wall for a decoration, make certain that it does not receive the glare frm the sun or any bright light. If you want to keep the quilt folded and in a closet or drawer, NEVER put it in plastic or zippered cases or cardboard boxes. Never let a quilt come in contact with wood, suach as in a cedar chest! Put the quilt into a pillowcase just as you would a pillow. Remove the quilt often and refold to place the creases in different locations. Quilts will "dry rot" on the creases. "Air" the quilt once in a while just by placing it on a bed. Don't hang it on a clothesline as grandma used to do. They don't like the moisture in the air, nor the bright sunlight or ultraviolet rays on cloudy days. How to clean a soiled quilt: Most quilts will benefit from a light vacuuming to remove dust. Using masking tape, tape the edges down to a large table. Use a hand-held attachment to vacuum the quilt. Remember that most old quilts have a coon batting between the lining and the quilt top, and extreme cleaning will leave the quilt "limp as a dishrag." Washing an all cotton quilt will usually wash out all of the old batting, and leave you with just the quilt top and the lining. YOu must determine the type of fabrics used in the quilt before cleaning if you are not sure that a quilt is all cotton, test a couple of threads of fabric by touching a lighted match to the threads. COTTON burns rapidly and smells like paper. WOOL burns slowly and smells like scorched hair. POLYESTER and RAYON threads melt. Please remember that REDS usually fade. If the quilt is basically red, don't even consider washing it. I don't advise dry-cleaning quilts for any reason, since cellulose is not soluble in drycleaning fluid. If the quilt has a shiny cotton look, it is probably chintz. Do not wash chintz, as it will lose its shiny look. Use care in cleaning mixed fabric quilts, such as silk/wool or cotton/wool. Spot cleaning is preferred. WASHING A QUILT... Once you have determined the fiber content, and decide that it is safe to wash, get Quilt Soap at a quilt shop and follow the directions explicitly. I usually lay a sheet in the bottom of a bathtub, run cold water to cover the quilt and useing the quilt soap, squish the quilt up and down. Remove the water, and rinse thoroughly. Lift the quilt out of the tub by lifting on a sheet. This keeps the threads from breaking from the strain. Don't wring the quilt. Squeeze gently and roll the quilt in beach towels or just lay it out flat on a sheet on the grass out of the sun and let air dry. DON'T put the quilt in the dryer. You won't ahve a quilt left. Don't hang over the clothesline, as it puts too much strainon the threads and the batting will sift to the bottom of the quilt and be lumpy. TUrn the quilt freqently while drying and change to another sheet if possible. A mattress pad is good to put the quilt on to dry. Later I shall tell how to spot clean a quilt and restore a quilt. Stay tuned to this website! HAPPY DAYS!

FINISHED MYSTERY QUILT EXTRAORDINAIRE

Finished the Mystery Quilt Extraordinaire! Got the baby quilt almost finished. For those who are making this quilt, it is fun to make, and easy as pie. The center block is a turtle, if you are making a fun quilt.....or baby quilt......if not, it can have any block you choose for the center block where the turtle is in mine! Also see the Quilt of Valor made with the same pattern. It is below this article. Since I was making a child's quilt, it made it a little jazzy than plain vanilla. Putting antennae on the butterflies made out of the log cabin blocks using black embroidery thread.......and a few other little things like making embroidery thread ties in Blocks #3 like it is an aviary with birds in it.......and feathers for the geese out of the quilting......and eyes on the turtle and on the geese......just fun embellishments on the butterflies, as well. Have fun with this. Happy Days!

Mystery Quilt Extraordinaire made into a Quilt Of Valor

Wow, now that the first Mystery Quilt Extraordinaire is finished, I am ready to start another one; only this time, it will be a Quilt of Valor done in red, white and blut to be presented to a wounded military person back from Afghanistan or Iraq. Notice that it requires 7 blocks of the #1 block. That makes the bottom row. The setting triangles may be pieced partial log cabin blocks using #1 block pattern, or they may be solid pieces of fabric....your choice. I love piecing the log cabin, so I shall most likely do that for mine. This setting also makes just a nice twin bed size quilt using finished 12" blocks. Unfortunately, my printer ran out of ink as it printed the last row of blocks, but I hand colored it in so you can see how pretty it is. Have fun with this!

LAST BLOCK FOR Mystery Quilt Extraordinaire

HERE IT IS! The TURTLE! This is the cutest turtle ever! The tail and head are sewn into the seams on the curves, after you have stuffed them a bit with a little batting or fiberfil. This gives them a nice touch. The head needs eyes embroidered onto it or buttons if making a quilt that is not for a small child. If making a quilt for an adult, you can put a "star" block instead of the turtle or something that you have appliqued.....or even a picture is nice! Be creative! Enlarge this pattern to fit a 12" finished block. HOW TO PRINT FROM A BLOG: look at my archives on this blog. Find the one for May 10, 2010. Complete directions are given there for pinting this pattern off or any other pattern that you wish...........HAPPY QUILTING! Next week: The Construction of the Mystery QUILT! YEHHHH you'll love it!

Mystery Quilt Extraordinaire Block #3

Wow, how time flies! I think someone else has said that! Block #3 is very simple to construct. Just be sure that you measure and cut accurately. Make 4 of this pattern. One corner should have a very "weird" fabric to make it completely different from the other fabrics. Notice light and dark areas. Be sure that all 4 blocks are exactly alike! Enjoy! There is only one more pattern and it only has to have one block constructed! We're almost there......keep up with me.....and you'll love the outcome. So different from the "run of the mill" quilts.....almost abstract.

Block #2 for Mystery Quilt Extraordinaire

The second block of this mystery quilt looks very easy to make, however, it takes very precise measuring to assure you of ending up with the right size square. I keep forgetting that not everyone has taught math as long as I did. The rotary cutting dimensions for a finished 12" block are as given below: For the background triangles, cut a strip of fabric across the grain that is 4 3/4" wide. Fold the strip in half with wrong sides together.To cut the triangles, measure along the bottom of the strip to 7 1/8". When cut, there is a triangle for the left side and one for the right side. Repeat this process until you have 3 sets or 6 background triangles. For the center "pyramid" cut a strip 4 1/2" long of a light colored fabric. (There will be a pyramid of a medium shade and one of an even darker shade.) Leave fabric single strip not folded. Measure along the botton of strip to 13 5/8" and put a mark there. Not fold the strip in half to find the center of the pyramid. Put a dot on the center fold. Leaving fabric folded, cut from bottom of strip to center dot. Once you have this pyramid cut, flip it over and cut the next 3 pyramids the same way using the same fabric. There will be 4 pyramids of each color fabric, since you must make 4 blocks exactly alike. Sew side triangles to a pyramid using 1/4" seam allowance. When sewing the strips together, sew from the side where you can see where the center point is so you won't lop off the center point of the pyramids.