February 8, 2019 by mulberrypatchquilts

Project Quilting 10.3: EQ8 and French Inspiration

This is the third challenge in Season 10 of Project Quilting, and the only rule is that it’s “Bigger than a breadbox” … Wikipedia says they’re usually 16″ x 8″ or so, and that’s the MINIMUM size for the completed piece to meet this week’s challenge” … OK, I can do that.

I’ve been wanting to challenge myself by:

Using a small French linen printed panel I bought at the Madison Quilt Expo
Improving my piecing ability
Designing it completely on EQ8 (Electric Quilt software)

First I got out every red & beige fabric I could find from my stash. I love the fat quarter pack I recently found at the Craftsy site (which is now Bluprint), called Boundless Ruby Rue. Isn’t it beautiful fabric?

Next I opened up my EQ8 software and created a quilt the size of my center panel (finished 6×6 inches) and experimented by adding one border after another until I reached the required size. EQ8 lets you import pdf images from fabric companies (I found my Ruby Rhu online & downloaded) so I could “paint” the blocks on my pattern draft with my actual fabric! And could scan the panel so it shows ad well. So cool.

I printed out a first draft the quilt (full color & one just outline), and rotary cutting instructions (see above & below).

After adding the first two borders (above), I did a little tweaking on the pattern to get the next borders right.

Piecing 4-patches this tiny isn’t easy. There are so many seams, even a slight error on piecing really adds up to a disaster! I found it helpful to “square up” each tiny 4-patch before continuing to piece the row.

It helped enormously to do some checking every step along the way! You wouldn’t think it, but even a sliver makes a difference (and I can use all the help I can get).

Almost there! All I need is one more border. I had just enough of the light rose stripe to finish the last row of 4 patches…so I’ll need to choose a different fabric for the last border.

Here’s the final draft of the pattern for my wall hanging done on my EQ8 software…

And here’s the actual wall hanging…it ended up to be 20 inches square.

I couldn’t bare to part with it, and I think I found the perfect spot for it on my kitchen wall…next to my Cappuccino maker.

But first…coffee! LOL. (My sister brought me this sign the last time she visited…my morning for sure!)

I’m entering this wall hanging in this week’s Project Quilting Challenge Season 10, challenge #3. Stop by their website to see this week’s entries and to vote for you favorites (hope one of them is mine, #25 hint, hint).

Voting starts Sunday afternoon, Feb. 10 -& runs through Friday, Feb. 15, 2019.

HOW TO VOTE: Just go to the link above, scroll down to the bottom until you see the thumbnail photos of the quilts. Then click on the heart in the upper right hand side of the photo of the entry you want to vote for ❤️ and it’ll fill the heart in & tell you how many votes you have left. If there are over a hundred entries, you’ll get 10 votes. Enjoy!

UPDATE: Voting has closed. Thanks so much for your votes!

I didn’t win, but a very talented quilter, fellow Etsy Quiltsy Team member, and good friend Sally Manke did! Very well deserved. congrats Sally! Mine came in at #29 of 136 entries

Until next time, HAPPY QUILTING!

Jane

Mulberry Patch Quilts

January 10, 2019 by mulberrypatchquilts

Project Quilting Inspiration

It’s that time of year again! The holidays are over, and it’s time for Kim Lapacek of Persimon Dreams to begin the first week of the Project Quilting Season 10 challenge.

When I saw the first challenge phrase, “Hope Springs Eternal“, I instantly thought of a photo my son & daughter-in-law sent us of our sweet little granddaughter looking up in awe as she “helped” decorate their Christmas tree.

Isn’t she a sweetie? She’s just between 1-1/2 & 2…So this is the first time she’s really enjoying the tree. And that look on her face is just full of wonder and hope for what’s to come.

Not only does it represent the hope of things to come for her, it represents our hope of flying half way around the world to see her soon. I’m so grateful that I live in an age where we can video-chat online weekly and get instant photos every day, but it’s just not the same as seeing them all in person. I can’t wait to give her a hug and play together.

To start the challenge, I printed an outline of the photo on paper and used my Cutterpillar light box to lightly trace some of the important features onto white muslin with pencil.

Next I sandwiched the white muslin on top of batting and backing and started thread sketching (which also served as free motion quilting) with black cotton Aurufil thread and my Bernina BSR foot.

I decided to thread sketch everything…her sweatshirt, hair, and even the needles on the branches of the Christmas tree. And it helped to look at the photo of her beside me on my computer as I sketched in all of her features, starting with her eyes.

I’m so glad I’ve got a nice selection of variegated cotton Sulky thread! I think they really help add depth…

my granddaughter has the cutest pink cheeks (just want to kiss them!), and I couldn’t get the effect I wanted with thread…so broke out my stash of Derwent color pencils and started coloring… adding a bit if color to her lips, her hair, and some shading.

Now that’s a bit better!

A little more shading, and then I added a double border of batik fabrics.

Here’s some close up photos…

I started so late on this challenge, … I wasn’t sure I’d have enough time. But once I started, it just came together and I loved every minute. You really CAN do it in a week.

Participating in PQ is so much fun, because it forces me to try a new technique or idea and actually get it done. I don’t have time to worry about failing or to quit and start over. It is what it is. And I can’t procrastinate when it HAS to be done from start to finish in only one week!

The voting starts this Sunday afternoon (January 13, 2019). Come vote for your favorites…but of course I’d love your vote!

VOTE HERE. Be sure to scroll down to the end.

I believe the voting is open January 13-19 and the winners announced Jan. 20.

Until next time,

Happy Quilting!

Jane

Mulberry Patch Quilts

December 10, 2018 by mulberrypatchquilts

Infatuated with Mosaic Quilts

Over and over again, I’m drawn to quilts that incorporate tiny bits of fabric into mosaic patterns. They create such interesting designs, I can’t get enough.

Recently I was thrilled with an episode of Quilting Arts TV that featured a mosaic quilt technique used by Heidi Proffetty. I was so blown away by her talent, that I wanted to share some of her amazing work with you.

Her quilt “Daddy Hold My Hand” (below) is a great example of her mosaic fabric technique.

“Daddy Hold My Hand” by Heidi Proffetty

I found this wonderful article from Superior Threads about her:

https://www.superiorthreads.com/feature-mosaic-art-quilts

Heidi says she begins with an inspiring photo. Using her computer, she reduces the colors and transforms the photo into a mosaic drawing. Using her iPad and a vector app, she creates a .SGV file that she can upload to her digital cutter to cut all the individual tiny pieces (like tiles) of fabric for the mosaic quilt. After assembling the tiny pieces onto a background fabric, she free-motion stitches them all in place.

Here’s a more detailed step-by-step article about her process:

https://www.superiorthreads.com/feature/mosaic-art-quilts-step-by-step

Heidi recently won First Place (People, Portraits, and Figures) for her quilt “Is She Ready Yet?” at the 2018 Houston Int’l Quilt Festival. Isn’t it stunning

Close-up (quilt by Heidi Proffetty)

You can see the free-motion quilting in the closeup. And you can readily understand how a digital fabric cutter could be helpful in cutting each and every one of these unique shapes. Just the thought of cutting them all by hand is overwhelming.

Although I’d love to try her technique, I don’t have access to a digital fabric cutter, so I’d need to cut the individual pieces by hand. Wouldn’t it be fun to give this technique a try in a small scale project. Something a bit smaller…for example, try it on just a section of an inspirational photo?

I’ve tried a similar technique doing mosaic art quilts like my Lady Liberty, but the mosaic fabric shapes used were all squares. Using all these individual and unique shapes adds so much depth to her work. It would be fascinating to try.

This will take some experimentation, but let’s see if I can come up with something…

Until next time, HAPPY QUILTING!

Jane

Mulberry Patch Quilts

March 9, 2018 by mulberrypatchquilts

Project Quilting Stitch in Time Entry

So…I thought about the challenge for Project Quilting this week…A STITCH IN TIME SAVES NINE. And nothing came to me for several days. I thought this would be the week I just didn’t enter.

Then, as I was thinking about the time change this Sunday…and about having more daylight, …the sun was shining (even though we did get more snow a few days ago)…and the birds were singing outside. They weren’t singing their usual winter chirps, but their special beautiful spring time songs! Then I thought about how I should be saving bits of colorful ribbon, yarn, and little strips of fabric and putting them outside so the birds could use them because they’ll be building their nests soon. And the idea for the challenge came to me…

I started to equate “a stitch in time” with the little birds getting their nests “stitched” together with bits of string and twigs. And then I started to visualize nests made out of fabric selvages and bright fabric strips. And the idea started taking shape!

I used scraps from my stash to flip and sew the background, and fused the appliqué shapes on top. Then cut up a bunch of my selvedge edges I’ve been saving and quilted them down to create the nest.

I even found the Stonehedge fabric selvage from their fabric called “a stitch in time”!! What are the chances? Totally unplanned! How cool was that?

So here’s my entry for Project Quilting Season 9, Challenge #5 “A Stitch in Time”. I hope you’ll stop by the website to vote for your 10 favorite entries. Voting starts after noon (Wisconsin time) on Sunday, March 11, 2018 and I think it runs through Friday, March 16, 2018.,

Until next time…HAPPY QUILTING!

Jane

Mulberry Patch Quilts

February 19, 2016 by mulberrypatchquilts

Project Quilting Challenge: Vacation

This week’s Project Quilting Challenge is “I NEED A VACATION”. My favorite vacations are traveling to a beautiful spot, finding a cabin or home to rent, and relax by the lake, river, or ocean and just take in the beautiful view. We might do some day trips in the area, like hiking or going out for lunch, but always coming back to the serenity and beauty of the surroundings of the spot we’ve rented.

I found a photograph I had taken this past summer when we ventured up to one of our favorite spots near Bayfield, Wisconsin. A short walk from the back of our cottage is a rocky private beach with a spectacular view of Lake Superior, with Bass Island and the rest of the Apostle Islands, in the background…it was breathtaking! I loved walking down to that spot with a cup of coffee every morning to take it all in. So when I heard “I need a vacation” as the theme, this is where I’d want to be.

My first step in creating the scene was to find fabrics that had the same feel as the photograph (and my memory of it), and cut a piece of batting and backing to the size I wanted to serve as the backdrop “canvas”.

Then I cut and positioned the background and shoreline onto the batting. I had just purchased something new—a Fons&Porter glue pen. It worked great to keep everything in place. I found it a lot less messy than the regular glue stick.

Bit by bit, auditioning fabrics–some that didn’t work, and others that did, I continued adding to the scene.

I thought the trees and bushes needed a bit more depth, so I got out my soft pastels and went to work, shading the foliage…

And adding some depth to the water and rocks…

I’m glad I purchased the set (on sale). I used a blending stick to blend it in.

The sailboat is small in the distance, so I decided to create it by thread painting…

After quilting, I wanted to add a border…so I auditioned several different fabrics and came down to three possibilities…

I didn’t care for the dark blue-grey, it seemed too dark and gloomy.

The blue batik was interesting, but the black piping was too harsh…

I felt the brown brought out the color of the rocks, so I went with that…

Here the borders have been added…along with more batting and backing.

And here’s the finished art quilt…

With a close up of the water…

and the thread painted sailboat in the distance.

I hope you’ve enjoyed the journey, and that you’ll stop by Persimon Dreams website PROJECT QUILTING and vote for your favorite quilts!

The voting begins February 21 and runs through February 26 (2016).

UPDATE: The voting has closed. I came in #3 of 39 entries–no prize, but no bad!

Until next time, HAPPY QUILTING!

Jane

Mulberry Patch Quilts

February 12, 2016 by mulberrypatchquilts

Mosaic Pixelated Quilted Wall Hanging

I found this photo of my dad (Harry Haverkate) that I just love. Isn’t he handsome?

I’m not sure of the year, but It was probably taken around the time he was dating my mom (early 1930’s), when he was in his early 20’s. Back in the time when men often wore suits and always wore a hat. I thought dad looked so “dapper” with his hat tilted just right. So I named this quilted wall hanging “Dapper Dad” to hang in our hall in his honor.

I found two websites that will make your jpeg photograph into a pixelated document for free:

One website is pic2pat: http://www.pic2pat.com/index.en.html

The other is http://vam.demo.lemberg.co.uk/interactive/ppm/landing

I scanned the photo, cropped it, and then used the website to convert it into a document with numbered pixels (squares) that I could print out to use as a guide. Next I drew a 1/4” grid (with my ruler and permanent marker) on a piece of light weight fusible interfacing, and placed it fusible side up on my portable ironing surface. I cut strips of my hand dyed brown fabrics just a bit wider than 1/4”, and I sorted/numbered them light to dark.

Using the numbered grid as my guide, I started choosing and cutting individual 1/4” squares and “tacking” them onto the fusible interfacing with my small iron. In areas where more than one square was the same color, I used strips instead. And in large areas with the same number I simply cut squares or rectangles slightly larger than the section.

It’s very much like putting a puzzle together, but you’ve got a guide to help you. It’s very “mindless” and relaxing. I love doing it.

Here (above) are the strips in a bin helping me keep the numbers straight.

You can’t see much of anything as you’re putting the puzzle together (see close-up shot above); you just have to trust that it’s going to work.

But when you back up a few feet, you begin to see the photograph come to life!

Then back up even further, and it really begins to look like something!

After adding the batting (pellon fleece) and a backing fabric, I took the fusible interfacing with the squares completely cover it, to my Bernina and free-hand quilted using similar colors of variegated cotton thread.

After adding a striped 3-D border, brown inner border, and paisley outer border and dark brown binding, it was ready to hang in my hallway. (Sorry for the yellow tint.)

From a distance, you can really see “Dapper Dad”.

Have you tried pixelating in your quilting? If not, give it a try—it’s so rewarding.

Hope you enjoyed reading about the process.

Have you tried pixelated quilts? I’d love to hear how your experience was. Please post your comments below, and include a link to your photo if you can.

UPDATE: I was so pleased to find out the photo quilt got an “honorable mention” ribbon at the Sun Prairie Quilt Show earlier this week!

Until next time, HAPPY QUILTING!

Jane

Mulberry Patch Quilts

October 13, 2015 by mulberrypatchquilts

Class on Landscape Painting with Fabrics at the Quilt Expo

I love attending the Quilt Expo held in Madison during September each year. I’m so lucky–I only live a few miles away! It’s sponsored by Wisconsin Pubic Television and Nancy Zieman, and has a wonderful quilt show, workshops, one-hour lectures, vendors, and much more. I found 3 days last year a bit overwhelming, so I decided to concentrate on two days this year. One day was filled with shopping, taking in the quilt show, and a few one-hour lectures. The second day (Saturday) I decided to take an all day class by Susan Hoffmann entitled “Landscape Painting with Fabric”.

Here’s a photo of Susan at the start of the workshop.

We had about 20 or so students in the class. Susan was so patient and easy to understand. She told us not to be intimidated by the class and assured us that everyone in the class would go home with something they loved. She was right, as you’ll soon see.

We were each given some batik fabrics, fabrics for trees, heat-n Bond Lite to create our landscape, and a Copic marker, blender, and soft pastel chalk to use during class. The other items we brought with us.

Here’s the start to my landscape. Susan gave us great step-by-step instructions on how to piece and fuse the background, and the techniques used to draw on the fabrics with the pastel chalks. We added shrubbery above the sky line, and tree trunks and branches onto the background with the Copic marker. We even drew in a faint outline of a full moon in the sky.

The next few photos show the progression of the project … In this one, I’ve cut and placed fabrics to resemble birch and other trees. The trees are fused down using Heat’n Bond Lite. You can see it’s beginning to look like a landscape, but it’s rather flat.

Now the fun really beings–we started shading the tree trunks with a darker charcoal grey on the right, and a light pencil on the left of each trunk. I chose to incorporate some oranges and browns into the background.

Finally, we added shading using the full moon as our light source. Can you see the difference in how flat the first photo was with the shading in the final photo? It’s really remarkable.

The last step was to have her spray a fixative onto the fabric to set the chalk. Every one of the students had something completely different, yet they were ALL beautiful!

After I got home, my husband liked it so much I decided to frame this piece instead of quilting it (I’ve never done that before). I got out my coupons from Hobby Lobby and away I went. It only took a week or so. And because Susan had the foresight to give us a diagram so the final framing would fit into a standard 22 x 28 frame, it wasn’t as expensive as I had imagined.

I think their suggestion of the rough wooden frame along with the linen-like texture mat brings out the birch trees, and the additional thin black frame helps to stop your eye.

If you ever get the chance to take a class from Susan Hoffmann, I highly recommend it. (See more about her classes at her website here.) Don’t be intimidated, just have fun. It’s a learning experience. I was amazed that I came away with something I like so much. You will too, I’m sure. She’ll be doing another full day class at the next Expo–and I’ll be there!

Until next time, HAPPY QUILTING!

Jane

Mulberry Patch Quilts

February 3, 2015 by mulberrypatchquilts

Amazing Kaleidoscope Quilts

Have you ever seen the AMAZING kaleidoscope quilts created by Paula Nadelstern? If not, you’re in for a treat…take a look at these photos…

Kaleidoscopic XVII: Caribbean Blues by Paula Nadelstern

Kaleidoscopic XI: Snowfall by Paula Nadelstern

And see her quilts and interview on this YouTube video at the Akron Art Museum. Just breathtaking!

http://youtu.be/yOBjVMaE2tk

And here’s Paula’s website, if you’d like to see more in her gallery:

http://www.paulanadelstern.com/

There’s something about a kaleidoscope that’s always fascinated me…the colors, the symmetry. Remember those cardboard tubes with chips of colored stone or plastic in the end? Well, there’s a world of sophisticated kaleidoscopes out there that take my breath away. I love the surprise when you rotate and see a whole new view of spectacular colors radiating in perfect symmetry from the center. So this year, I’d love to make a few kaleidoscope-like quilts that reflected that beauty and wonder.

Although I’d love to take a class or workshop from Paula Nadelstern (please, please, please come to Wisconsin Paula!), she lives on the east coast and the only workshop/class I see on her schedule in 2015 for creating these lovely kaleidoscope quilts is one in Spain and a cruise to New Zealand/Australia. (guess I won’t be taking those!)…

But I did find a wonderful article about her quilts and her process in my copy of American Quilter (Spring 1994, Vol X, No. !), “Kaleidoscopic in Design”. She also has a book on the process–but sadly I think it’s out of print. Anyway, her technique may be a bit too advanced for this quilter, who’s just beginning to get her feet wet! I also found an article by Bonnie McCaffery in the same issue of American Quilter “Creating a Kaleidoscope Quilt” that seems more do-able for a beginner.

But then I found a wonderful YouTube demo by Ricky Tims online showing his version of techniques for creating a Kaleidoscope quilt:

http://youtu.be/HmZ2660K4r0

And knew I had to purchase his book right away and give it a trial run…just to see if I could do it. His technique seemed right up my ally, at least as a “do-able” starting beginning.

http://www.rickytims.com/quiltgallery/kaleidoscope

Ricky gives great step-by-step instructions in his book with lots of illustrations. At first I thought I could figure it out by just watching the quick video—but no, I really did need the book to keep me on track…it was worth every penny!

Quilt by Ricky Tims

Next time, I’ll show you a few photos of my first attempt at his technique! (OK, don’t expect it to look like the photo above!! Remember, I’m just a beginner!)

Until then…HAPPY QUILTING!

Jane

Mulberry Patch Quilts

January 24, 2015 by mulberrypatchquilts

Sunset Art Quilt for Project Quilting Challenge

This week I’ve decided to join in (for the very first time) with “Project Quilting” challenge. It’s a one-week quilt challenge put on by Persimon Dreams, a blog by Kim Lapacek.

I met Kim last year while attending her blogging class at Mill House Quilts, and I’ve been following her blog ever since. Kim was recently interviewed on “Sewing with Nancy” by Nancy Zieman about her “Project Quilting” challenges. I’ve been meaning to join in … I’m finally ready to give it a try.

The theme & rules were given out (in her blog) last Sunday at noon, and the quilted item has to be done and uploaded by this Sunday at noon. This week’s challenge is “SUNSET”, and the rules are simple–it must be made during the week of the challenge by applique, piecing, or 3 layers quilted together. There’s no size restrictions.

The first thing that came to mind was a photo I’d taken last summer when my sister, Judi, came to visit Madison. I treated her to a night downtown at a B&B right on Lake Mendota. We watched the sunset from the pier after dinner–it was magical.

First I dug through all my fabrics (mostly the one’s I’ve hand-dyed) to find the right shades.

And I sketched my photo onto a piece of muslin.

I think this piece of commercial batik will work for the skyline.

Cutting into the stash, I tried to create the right shading for the background of the sky and water with the sunset in mind.

A few extra bits here and there of slivers of fabric cut with my rotary cutter will (I hope) help convey the feeling of the sunset and it’s reflection on the water.

When all the bits are placed (some with glue, some not) it’s all covered with tulle. I used black tulle on the water and white tulle on the sky.

Then I quilted it all with batting and backing on my domestic machine with variegated cotton threads in lots of different colors.

Somehow it seemed to need alittle something more–so (after some experimenting) I added a tree with branches and dark foliage. I’m hoping the foliage looks like the light is sparkling through it–so it’s making it grey and black.

That’s better…

Here’s the finished project (below). I’ve just uploaded it to Kim’s blog site. The challenge deadline is Sunday at noon–and voting starts soon after that! (It would be nice to get a few votes.) 🙂

It’s hard to crop a perfect edge in a quilt–even when it’s nice and square. It all depends on the angle of the photograph. On this one, I tried putting black fabric as a background–but it just won’t do.

This one is better–just shows the black binding.

Here’s a close-up.

This photo has more of the wall showing. Not sure which one I’ll upload for the contest…maybe this one.

Hope you’ll hop on over to Kim’s blog to see all the contestants, and vote for your favorite!

Until next time,

HAPPY QUILTING!

Jane

Mulberry Patch Quilts

January 4, 2015 by mulberrypatchquilts

Quilts are Made Up of Broken Lines, Just like Life

As I look back on the previous year and on to the next, I’m reminded of a wonderful quote from a book I just finished by Marie Bostwick (A Single Thread, 2008):

Quilts are made up of broken lines, just like life. Over and over again, we try to walk a straight path but run into dead ends, sharp corners, and uneven ground that cuts us off and forces us to change direction. Sometimes it’s painful, other times joyful. But it isn’t until you take a moment to stand still, step off the line, and back away that you finally see the truth. Those unexpected turns and startling about faces, the chaotic path? It wasn’t chaotic at all. When you step back to see where you’ve been, you discover the shape, the reason, the intricately beautiful pattern and vivid colors of a life stitched together from what, at one point, had seemed nothing more than mismatched scraps and broken lines. Stepping back, you see there had been a design all along, and a Designer.

At that moment…I turned around and looked up in the sky. “Thanks,” I said. “For all of it.”

Isn’t it true? All life’s ups and downs are like a patchwork quilt. Sometimes it seems like a mess when we look too closely…