WMUTeach

Finished my #5 and here it 'tis. The border looks to be blue but is green. ZuZu is relaxing after a final inspection for thread tails that have not been tucked and snipped.

This quilt is made of a set of reproduction fabrics that were donated to me. The original quit is in the Shelburne Museum in Vermont and prints are unique from one another but they do play nicely and match my living room beautifully. I am guessing they were dress and shirting fabrics in the original quilt made in the 1980's. Loving it immensely on do many levels.

Now on to #2 which is ready for layering and quilting maybe later this evening or tomorrow.

AprilM

WOW, WMUTeach… that is a GORGEOUS quilt! Not only the colors and pattern you chose, but also the quilting - did you quilt it yourself? If so, DSM, longarm, or ??? Even though i have been quilting for 30+ years im ALWAYS looking to learn from others cuz i have to admit that sometimes i get “stuck” in familiar ways to finish projects.

Lena1952

WMUTeach, your quilt is beautiful. I love the colors. And your kitty makes a great accessory.

WMUTeach

April the quilting was on my domestic. The cream squares has nothing more than medium/tight meandering, the wine color is a zigzag that i marked with a bit of tailor's chalk and the wide border is straight-line stitching using the widest foot on my machine and adjusting the needle to make the spacing wider or more narrow. Honestly, I have a limited budget for having my quilts sent out. If I can do the quilting myself in some manner, I do so. I quilt all of my donation quilts, which is most of my work.

Thanks for the compliments.

AprilM

WOW, WMUTeach… knowing that you did ALL OF YOUR OWN QUILTING ON YOUR DSM IS EVEN MORE FANTASTIC TIMES A HUNDRED!!! 🤩

Like you, i do all my own quilting - at first it was because of the expense of having someone else do it. But as i took time to ponder the bigger picture i realized how important it really was to me that i finished my own stuff from beginning to end. Its an investment in hours of time and something else that i cant adequately describe in words. Something that happens when all that work finally becomes a quilt top. I thought about the passage of time and all of the things in life (good and bad) that somehow got worked through while i was otherwise occupied with the fabric, thread, and the hum of the machine with the solitude i needed to listen for that still small voice which reminded me that everything would be ok. So, for me it came down to the idea that i just BIRTHED THIS BABY and found myself unwilling or unable to entrust its care to someone else - i guess thats the Readers Digest Condensed version of why i choose to do what i do - lol!

These thoughts are NOT AT ALL TO MINIMIZE the efforts of the longarm community or anyone fortunate enough to see their quilt creations come to beautiful fruition in the hands of such gifted artists! I have admired so many beautiful quilts at shows and here on the Quilting Board and am TRULY AMAZED AND INSPIRED BY EACH OF THEM. Meanwhile, i have no illusions… the work of my hands cannot even come close to holding a candle to such beauties! But im not a competitive person and i take joy in everyones efforts and have learned to even appreciate my own even in its imperfection 💜

For the longest time i quilted on my DSM and still do. Before i retired i gifted myself with a sitdown longarm. Its mechanical only with no bells or whistles. I can maintain it myself and it cost only a fraction of what a regular computerized setup would cost. The machine i bought was in my budget - and because i enjoy FMQ its perfect for me. It is set into a huge table and the head of the machine is oriented toward me at the front. As i get braver i practice ruler work, but i need more work in that!

You mentioned TAILORS CHALK… something i SHOULD HAVE USED 😵‍💫 - on another thread here i asked for some advice for making a cover for a Composition Book - you all came to the rescue and THANK YOU! I was going to wait until next week to try out the pattern, but couldnt wait! So, i am almost ready for the binding - except for the fact that i foolishly used YELLOW CHALK LINER to mark a few lines on the back cover. Now i cant get them off! The back was the only place where i marked anything. I was at my machine and couldnt locate my white chalk or an erasable white marker - the yellow was there and without thinking of the consequences i used it 🫣 on a medium gray print fabric. I tried a magic eraser but i can still see the yellow on my gray thread. I am so disappointed cuz this will be a birthday present. Any advice?

WMUTeach

My 2 cents about chalk, I have a terrific pen from Dritz that produces a fine line of white chalk. It works well and I love it. Now do you think I can find it? Nope only the refill of the little chalk leads . So I had to use a chip of yellow tailor's chalk. I did try to use it lightly. Have you tried a damp cloth or a spritz from you water bottle and wipe up the water and chalk with a microfiber cloth? It has worked for me, but everything depends on so many little factors such as fabric, time and how heavily it is used.

Went searching and this is a link to the Dritz refillable pen I have and love. Dritz Fine line refillable Chalk pen I got mine at JoAnn's but ....no more.

AprilM

WMUTeach - thank you for the recommendation on the chalk pen - will have to order one and then hide the YELLOW one so that i dont ever use it on the top fabric 🥺 the yellow is useful for other things, but obviously not in this scenario!

After using the Magic Eraser, your suggestion of water & microfiber cloth, baby wipes, and a Shout Color Catcher i have gotten most of the yellow chalk out. Who knows whether it was one thing or a combination of all i used - its gone and thats all i care about! I really had to work on it.

Thank you for all of your help!

WMUTeach

Yea, AprilM!! Glad the yellow line disappeared. Still hoping some of the other UFO team have ideas to help you and the rest of us too. Have a splendid quilty day.

Lena1952

I have the same Dritz fine line chalk pen and it's my go to for marking a multitude of items. I originally bought it for marking wools and it works great for that. But I now it use it for marking almost anything. I only have the white chalk but it also comes in blue and pink chalk. I'm not sure about yellow. I heard several complaints about the blue chalk in pounce pads so I've not used anything other than the white in the fine line chalk pen.

As an FYI, I have a sit down longarm, no bells or whistles, just the head fixed on a large table. I have often used examination paper, the type used on a physician exam table, to draw my quilt design. Sometimes I will use a stencil and sometimes I just free hand a simple design. I make as many pieces as I need to cover the quilt top but only attach one width of paper using pins to the quilt. Once that "row" is quilted, I add the next row of paper and quilt that row. Repeating as many times as necessary. Designs that do not have sharp points make removing the paper much easier. I don't find it difficult to remove the paper but if I have a section that doesn't want to cooperate, I simple use a paint brush with water and dampen the paper and it comes right out. I learned, the hard way, not to use a pencil to trace the design as it transferred to the fabric when quilted. Not horribly but visible in the lighter areas.

Julienm1

This week taking a break from UFOs and started a new project using charms. I think this will be my fav quilt to make. Fast, easy and lots of different ways to lay out the HSTs and 4 patch blocks.

(10520) The 2 Most Amazing Quilts I've Ever Made Using 5 x 5 Inch Squares - YouTube

Scroll through to the end to see finished quilt.