Virtual Scared Stitchless Class is LIVE!

Something I've been working towards for several years has finally happened. My first online class is now LIVE and ready for students to sign up! The first virtual class is Scared Stitchless to Quilt Your Quilt: An Introduction to Free Motion Quilting on Domestic Sewing Machines and/or Sit-Down Quilters.

The information included is extensive with lessons covering machines and accessories, needles and threads, batting choices, and so much more! Before you're done, there are lessons on preparing your quilt sandwich and creating your own first free motion sampler. As long as you can either drop or cover the feed dogs on your machine, you can free motion quilt on any machine. The sampler on the left below was quilted on my Singer Featherweight, while the log cabin block sampler was done on my Brother sewing machine. You'll practice a variety of designs that can be stitched out on a simple grid to start. Then you can move up on your own to practicing with stencils and more complex designs once you're comfortable with the basics. 

 

I've been teaching Scared Stitchless (previously Introduction to Free Motion Quilting) since 2015 to full classes, including at the 2017 and 2019 Kansas City Regional Quilt Festivals. Everything I cover in a single 6-hour day in-person class, is now available to anyone online for up to 6 weeks so you can work at your own pace. 

 

My own need to learn to free motion quilt came out of necessity. When I first learned to quilt around 2006, I didn't have the budget to send my tops out for quilting by a longarmer. I was working part time while caring for my aging father. Signing up with my friend Marsha for a free motion class at a local shop got me launched. Several months after that initial class, I attended a week-long FMQ camp in Southern California where I quilted from 9am to 6pm every day for a week. I went home with so much more confidence, lots of knowledge about how to prepare a quilt for quilting on a domestic sewing machine, and most importantly information about the things I needed to know BEFORE I even sat down to the machine. Hence, the lessons about machines, needles & threads, batting, marking tools, etc., were as important, if not more so, to the time spent at the machine. The information included would be valuable even if you own or are considering owning a longarm quilting machine. I hope you'll join this journey to quilting your own quilts!  

You, too, could own a Hexified Panel Quilt!

We are just a couple of days away from June 1 already. This year is flying by too quickly! Our garden is loving the rain! We had over 3 inches earlier in May and yesterday had another 2.5 inches with more expected tonight. 

Most of the flowers have already bloomed--the iris and peonies in particular were lovely. The daylilies and Asiatic lilies, along with a few others, are open now and there are many seeds in the ground that will soon provide a whole new wave of colorful blooms in coming weeks. 

The newest Gypsy Dreamer Quilts (GDQ) update is there are more items being added to the Quilts category on my GDQ Etsy shop, unique quilts made by my husband and myself, as well as vintage blocks, tops, and quilts that have found their way into my stash. 

As my trunk shows continue to evolve, some of the early quilts are no longer in the rotation. Plus there are new quilts Les is making for the challenge that he has encouraged me to list for sale. Every quilt deserves to be loved, cuddled with, displayed, and not hidden away in a suitcase or closet. Our quilts are all unique, many of them from the same technique--the Hexified Panel Quilt/One Block Wonder variation; although, even our non-HPQ/OBW quilts are still unique! 

There are vintage items listed that came to me from antique shops we visited along our travels, estate sales, and random bags that have been handed to me at guild meetings. The vintage items I have posted so far have been popular, with many of them already out the door to new owners. Although my ideas at the time they came to me were wonderful, there are too many projects for me to make or finish, so more of those from my stash will be added soon.  

Howling at the Moon, a unique Hexified Panel art quilt that my husband Les made, is the first larger quilt we have listed, along with a few of the wall hanging size quilts. More are being readied for their glamor shots and written descriptions before being posted in coming days. 

As I get ready to post one of our finished quilts, I have to take into consideration that these are, indeed, unique art quilts. Not only is the cost of materials considered, but also the amount of time it takes to create a unique layout that is pleasing to the eye, often allowing the central panel to disappear within the hexie layout, but also the hours it takes to custom quilt them. I've seen art quilts priced at $1.00 per square inch and simple patchwork quilts priced as low as $0.10 to $0.15 per square inch that barely cover the cost of the materials, not to mention the maker's time in making and quilting the finished quilt. I hope my pricing makes them worthy of their cost while still being affordable. 

Later this summer I will be going through our totes of sets of seven panels that we have purchased together over the last nine years--I believe there are close to 60 sets of seven. We will be culling them, as well, considering which ones we really want to make into finished quilts and which sets of seven panels we will pass along through the GDQ Etsy shop to those who would like to make their own HPQ/OBW quilt. Watch for those to be posted soon with options to purchase as a kit, with the ruler and pattern, or as panels only. 

 

As a quilter who grew up with a sewing background, I also have numerous patterns and another entire tote filled with English Smocking design plates, patterns, and even a pleater. These treasures from the 1980s are still popular in some sewing circles and will be posted in due time as I sort through it all. 

 

It's never too early to start looking at all we have collected on our journey through life. Who has tea cups & saucers? Book collections? Coins or stamps? Even Mom's or Gramma's china dishes with enough to serve 12! Obviously we can't take any of that with us at the end. Why not share with like-minded others now? Having close friends who have passed away, leaving extensive stashes of patterns, fabrics, and so much more behind for their families to deal with, I'm doing my best to be proactive now so my children don't have to deal with it later. There will always be some quilts that will remain with us that were made for special reasons and are precious to us. Gifting special quilts to family or friends who admired them along the way is always fun, especially when the gift is a surprise. Plus, every year a surprising number of quilts are blessed and released as donations to local charities or fund raisers. UFO's, random projects, and even fabrics I haven't used in 15+ years of quilting are added to donation tables at guild meetings for other quilters to enjoy. However we do it, sharing what we have that is taking up space or hiding in a closet is a blessing to ourselves and to those who will face the challenge of dealing with it all after we are gone. 

Reconnecting with the Universe

After a long absence from writing blog posts, I'm beginning the journey of staying in touch once again. I'm also figuring out how to link these posts in a newsletter sent out from my website to those who have signed up at trunk shows or online. I promise not to overwhelm you with lots of emails. At this point I'm hoping to send something quarterly and, IF I get into a rhythm, it may be monthly. 

After a slow start and a late freeze, we are finally enjoying the gorgeous peonies lining the north and west sides of our yard, along with more iris than we expected after that freeze. I'm taking some time to play in the garden and am planting shade loving perennials in the backyard where nothing has grown in years. Between the tree that shades that corner and the shed that was there when we moved in and was removed after a big wind storm, along that fence is bare ground. As I told my cousin today, I'm mostly spreading packets of seeds as it's cheaper to replace a seed packet than buy more plants. My thumb is not always green, but I have hopes the plans will come to fruition with a lovely wildflower perennial area near the bird feeders where we can relax and enjoy time on our patio with a more colorful view. 

In quilting news, I've added another topic in my list of available trunk shows, added a couple of new classes, and have an online class that is now ready for signups! I'm also continuing to create new quilts, do my own FMQ, am learning to quilt pantographs on one of the machines at Quilters' Paradise, and have several patterns that will be released (hopefully) soon. I guess there is plenty to share and talk about.

First Finish for 2025

Happy New Year and I hope your holiday season has been filled with blessings!

Turns out my previous goal of adding posts more often slipped off the radar rather quickly. I see that my last post was in January 2024 and here it is January 2025. Such is life when you spend your time living it instead of spending hours documenting it. A lot has happened since I posted last. There were lots of trunk shows and classes, including a 10-day trip to teach/speak to two guilds and a shop in Ohio! I spent plenty of time in the sewing room and at the quilting machine, although not enough according to the quilt police in my own mind. I'm working on that one... There was wonderful family time with family in Kansas and in Mississippi, for which we are always grateful, and so much more. 

 

My sweet husband, Les, who as you know is also a quilter, designed and made this amazing Old World Santa quilt, finishing the top in 2019. In the process of making the quilt five years ago, Les had purchased two of the snowy chapel scene panels, stitched them together to make the wintry scene window and trimmed them to match the width of the hexie Santa panel layout. After I zigzag stitched them together and they were secure, we clipped out the excess fabric from the background panels to reduce bulk once it was ready to quilt. This is the piece we cut out.

Today's post is prompted by the fact that we have our first finish for 2025; although, it's been a journey getting here! As with most quilters, our own projects fall to the bottom of the pile when it comes to quilting--we take care of customers and commissions first, not to mention my classes and traveling for trunk shows & workshops. I also seem to get myself all worried about what type of quilting Les will want, thus continuing to procrastinate taking on his quilt tops. I need to turn off that darn quilt police in my mind and just get on with it! 

At our local quilt guild meeting recently, there was a call for holiday/Christmas quilts to be brought to the local arts center to be displayed for December. Les mumbled under his breath something about, "Maybe next year...", clearly commenting on his Santa quilt not yet being quilted. I went home from that meeting, pulled it out, promptly got it pinned and ready, and began quilting. It only took a few days and by our guild Christmas party, Les was able to show his quilted and trimmed Christmas quilt during show & share. There were still a couple more steps to be completed before it was done, but it was close! 

Last week he got out the fussy cut appliques he had saved from the extra fabric and placed them where he wanted them on the quilt and I went to work stitching those pieces down to complete the process. He then got busy binding and stitching the hanging sleeve down, finishing the last stitches on New Year's Day 2025. He immediately put it in the wash with some Synthropol to release any excess dye and a few color catchers to catch it, and when done we pinned it to the design wall, carefully measuring as we pinned to be sure it was as square as possible, and let it dry to block it. 

As we were pinning it to the design wall, I started spotting the various animals from the ark in the hexie blocks! The quilt had become an "I Spy" quilt without realizing it. 

We are excited to get it outside for a photo in the sunshine before we roll it up for the season. It will certainly be shared at trunk shows this year and will come out to hang this coming Christmas. 

Keep on stitching...

Liz

Perfect Quilting Weather

Saturday, January 13, 2024--Currently in Baldwin City, Kansas, it's -4 with a wind chill factor of -24 degrees! We have 10" of snow on the ground that will be here for some time as we don't expect to get above freezing for at least the next 10 days. For us, it's perfect quilting weather! We are cozy inside with our hot tea or cocoa, homemade potato soup, and plenty of necessities to get us by for several days. 

Looking back at this blog, I see it's been nearly a year since my last post. Well, shucks. Let's just say that 2023 was a mixed bag with about 6 months of hubby's medical issues that needed to be addressed, plus some fun times as well. Several trunk shows were either cancelled or rescheduled. There weren't as many finishes as I had hoped, but lots of starts and a few finished tops. 

   

Starting off with a new goal and hopes for a much better year overall. My goal for 2024 is to work through more UFOs and do my best to begin to catch up with the 30+ tops we have either waiting to be pinned & quilted or partially quilted and left abandoned and needing finished. 

So far, I'm off to a good start. I have already completed quilting two, got them both bound, and already washed. The patriotic quilt was pinned and dried on the design wall to block it before labeling. It's now ready to gift to my husband's best friend of 40+ years. The Fancy Nancy minky-backed quilt was washed and tossed into the dryer and will go to my granddaughter. 

   

Up next is the 2013 Bonnie K. Hunter Mystery--Celtic Solstice. I collected the clues and started sewing on January 1, 2014. I finished piecing the top fairly quickly, but after getting the stitch in the ditch nearly complete, I was asked to make a second one for the Maple Leaf Quilters' Guild in Baldwin City, KS, as their 2015 opportunity quilt, which I custom quilted. It has long ago been gifted to the owner of the winning ticket. Once it was complete, I had moved on to other projects and folded up my original one and put it in the closet. Today I finished the ditching on Solstice Moonrise and started the fun parts with the first thread color change. It will get finished this year for sure!

There are a few trunk shows and workshops scheduled for this year. First up on Tuesday, February 13, I'll be speaking to the Prairie Quilt Guild in Wichita, sharing my Confessions of a Quilt Starter: UFOs, Orphans and More talk. They hold two meetings--1pm and 7pm, at the Pleasant Valley United Methodist Church, 1600 W 27th St N, Wichita, KS. 

Other presentations will be in Colorado, Ohio, Oklahoma, Nebraska, and a few closer to home. I'll be adding those to the calendar on my website as soon as all contracts are signed and dates confirmed. 

Looking forward to being more in touch this year. 

Stay tuned for more stitching fun!

Liz

Simple Ways to Hang Quilts

It's been too long since I lasted added a post to this blog. It seems Covid and the changes we all went through over the last few years has had an effect on my interest in writing. With the new year just beginning, I'm planning to add more posts without such a long stretch between. 

As a quilting teacher, I've found that making small quilts as samples is very useful. They're much  easier to store and transport. Many of them have become favorites that I display around our home, changing them out by season or theme. When I inventoried my quilts during 2020, I discovered I have over 70 wall-hanging size quilts! 

Since we rarely change out the quilts on the beds, keeping the number of large quilts to a minimum also influences this trend of making small quilts. There are some quilts with sentimental value that come out on occasion. Some are strictly used as samples for classes or are part of trunk shows that stay in the various go-bags. But a majority of them are fun to pick from to display and also include in a recently added trunk show, "Think Small for the Wall" that is available in person or via Zoom. Around the house, my husband prefers that I not put more holes in the walls, so I've come up with some pretty cool and affordable ways to hang large and small quilts. 

Regardless of the size of the quilt, I nearly always add a hanging sleeve on each quilt. I do this not only to make it easy to hang them at home, but also to meet the requirements if I enter them in the county or state fair, or regional quilt shows that require sleeves. Even when I use them on the bed, having a sleeve on them doesn't make them any less useful as a quilt to cuddle or sleep under. 

 In our home, there is a long wall that extends from the front door in the living room to the back door in the kitchen. The doorway to the hall leading to the bedrooms is about in the middle. This entire space has a vaulted ceiling, so there is lots of high open space to display quilts! For these, we have two 80" long decorative curtain rods installed permanently and use custom PVC poles that my husband fashioned that we can easily lift the rods down and back up to change out the quilts. At our ages, getting on ladders to do so just isn't safe anymore, not to mention the furniture that is in the way of getting the ladders close enough to reach the rods.

My favorite way to hang most wall-hanging quilts involves block magnets, 5 lb Command strip refills, and steel strapping, all of which you can get at your local hardware store (think Home Depot, Lowe's, Menards, or Ace Hardware, etc.) and a couple of hair ties. At a quilt show several years ago I saw a product to hang quilts with magnets, but they were quite expensive! I was sure my husband and I could come up with an affordable way to do something similar. Our trip to the hardware store was successful indeed! 

 

The first thing to do is cut the steel strapping in half. I've used both the 36" pieces for small to medium quilts and 48" pieces for the medium to large quilts. I wrap the ends with 2" wide blue painter's tape to keep the ends from snagging the quilt when it slides through the sleeve. I take two hair ties and double wrap the two pieces of strapping. The two bands keep the pieces straight and only when one of the bands breaks, which does happen on occasion after adjusting the width several times, does it cause a problem. The two bands allows me to adjust the width of the strapping pieces to fit the various quilts. For wider quilts they get stretched out, but always have an overlap with the two hair ties spaced out. When I hang the smaller quilts I slide the strapping pieces back together with the hair ties at the ends. It's nice to have them adjustable when swapping out wall quilts of different widths.

 

The next step is to clean the magnets with alcohol so they will stick well to the Command Strips. I also clean the wall with alcohol where I'm going to place the magnets. The 5 lb Command Strip refills seem to work the best as they are designed to carry a heavier load. I place 3 magnets on the wall so the weight of the quilts is distributed to hold them securely. I use a level to make small pencil marks for the placement of each magnet to make sure they are straight across so my quilts hang nicely. I leave the magnets, stuck to the wall with the Command Strips, to set for ~24 hours to let the adhesive settle before I hang the quilt. Once I'm ready to go, I slide the strapping into the sleeve and voila! The strapping grabs to the magnets through the sleeve and my quilt is instantly hung! And there are no holes in the wall!

I have quilts hung this way in several rooms of the house and love being able to change them out and enjoy them year around. The set of 3 magnets hanging near the front door have been in place for several years now and are still holding strong!

 

Another way I hang mini quilts (up to ~20" wide) is with these cute little wooden quilt hangers. These were made locally and sold on commission through an area quilt shop. The wood rosettes on either side have mini clothes pins under them that grab the quilt at the binding and hold it in place. There's a picture hanger on the back and a small nail in the wall easily holds them. Again, once I decided where these would be placed, I can change out quilts without adding additional holes in the wall. Just a single small nail for each hanger (I have 3 total--one 18" and two 12"). These hang in my sewing room, by the front door, and in the kitchen.

     

 

Whether you're hanging large quilts on decorative curtain rods or small quilts with decorative hangers or magnets, there are many ways to hang them without too much damage to your walls. I especially like the magnet idea for smaller quilts in dorm rooms or apartments where putting holes in the walls is frowned upon. 

 

I hope this has been helpful for you! 

 

More tidbits from the sewing room soon...

Liz

Binding Tip for a Quick Finish

More and more on the wall hangings or samples for my trunk shows I'm sewing the binding to the front as usual, wrapping it over to the back and gluing it down, and then stitching in the ditch from the front to secure it. Only special quilts are getting hand bound at this point. Stitching in the ditch from the front to finish your binding requires finding a way to secure the binding on the back to hold it in place until it is stitched from the front. Several quilters have shared various techniques or even sewing the binding to the back and wrapping it around to the front to stitch down, sometimes with decorative stitches. I've taken what I like to create a technique that works for me.

My preferred way is to still sew the binding to the front, then use either a glue stick or my Roxanne's Glue Baste-It squeeze bottle to run a bead of glue along the stitching line on the back and then wrap the binding over and set it with a hot iron. It works like a charm!

On this Sashiko FMQ sampler, I will be hand stitching the binding, but I still did the glue technique so I could be sure the binding was even and secure before taking needle and thread to it. I find I can get much better mitered corners this way and my machine stitching from the front always catches the binding as I make sure the binding is slightly overlapped beyond the stitching line that attached the binding to the front. A piped satin flange was added to this sampler, increasing the layers, so I tried to take extra care with it. After the binding is hand sewn, the hanging sleeve will be hand stitched on and the quilted wall hanging will be blocked. 

I love the Roxanne's Glue Baste-It squeeze bottle. Unlike many of our "use it and throw it" supplies, this little bottle is refillable.You can purchase refills of Roxanne's glue or you can do what I do and refill with original white Elmer's Glue.

The white cap that the pink piece is screwed into actually comes out. I use a small pair of pliers to get it loose and re-secure it once the bottle was refilled. It's so easy to hold this little bottle in your hand, squeeze just the right amount out of that small tip, and fold the fabric with my other hand. Finding the right tool that works for you is amazing!

This is the same glue applicator I use when making applique pieces that need to be secured to their templates. For the petals of the Dresden Hearts I glued the templates cut out of Ricky Tims' Stable Stuff Poly, a leave-in stabilizer that washes away, directly to the wrong side of the fabric, and then glued the folded tops of the fabric to the stabilizer to hold them in place until sewn. 

There are many times a dot of glue is helpful and the Roxanne's Glue Baste-It squeeze bottle is what works best for me. 

More snippets from the sewing room soon,

Liz