This is a static export of a blog I put on ice many years ago, that still has personally relevant content. No promises can be made around linkrot, styles, or working functionality.
Iām a bit jealous of my 1812 Quiltāitās getting to do quite a bit of traveling over the course of the next year. Itās one of 25 of the ~130 quilts from the show that was chosen to go traveling to various shows and museums.
This coming weekend, it will be in Upper Canada Village for their Fantastic Fibres and Quilt Show weekend. Iām kicking myself for never renewing my passport/getting an enhanced license to go across the border, as UCV is a reasonable day trip for us (and I loved it when we went there before these pesky new requirements were in effect). (more…)
I have a few projects going at the moment. Itās a bit ADD of me, but I blame all the wonderful inspiration I keep getting from everywhere. Really, Iām just letting you know that itās going to be a while before I post about finished projects.
The first one Iām working on is a challenge for my quilt club. It has to be done by our end of the year banquet on June 18. Unfortunately, this is one of those projects that is looking better in my head than in execution, but I still have work to do. (more…)
One piece of advice I see in or on just about every quilting blog, forum, magazine, bookāyou name itāis that if you care at all about your quilting (which you obviously should), you absolutely have to buy āquilt shop qualityā (QSQ) fabric. If any rule can be broken in quilting, I think this one can once you have some experience under your (piecing) foot.
Itās difficult to explain to a new quilter what good quality fabric feels likeādrape, good weave, and hand are hard concepts to describe with words. So blanket rules may save some heartache, but that limits the rest of usārule breakers, experimenters, or just people with a solid grasp of the craftāto a fraction of the fabric that is out there.
Reasons why not to buy big-box fabric
There are valid reasons why not to buy big-box fabric. (more…)
Over the past few weeks, Iāve posted about trying twodifferent Cathedral Window techniques. The first was a technique that actually constructs a four-patch with the window sewn in to the seamsāyou can see a video demonstration here. The other was the traditional quilt-as-you-go technique (one of many online tutorials can be found here).
The final project Iāve dreamed up canāt use the traditional method, and will require an absolute ton of calculations for the other method, as Iāll be making different sized windows placed in a somewhat arbitrary manner, so I needed to come up with a way to make a faux cathedral window that can be appliqued on wherever I want it. Hereās how. (more…)
Iāve been working on a handful of projects at one time lately, so I havenāt finished anything, but there has been progress in my sewing room in the past couple of weeks.
First, I tried a second technique for Cathedral Window (the quilt-as-you-go one that doesnāt require batting or backing). Iām not a big fan. Itās just fiddly in a way that doesnāt inspire me. Now I have to figure out something to do with this odd little rectangular orphan:
I mentioned early on that I wanted to try drafting a bifurcated skirt out of a period tailoring manual. Iām still doing that, sort of. Except, Iām also kind of cheating, because I realized that if I enlarged this one:
ā¦so that the front measurement (line C-G) was the right length for my models, it worked out that the waist was also right (in other words, the measurements I needed to draft to are pretty much correctly proportioned to the bookās draft). (more…)
Since I first posted about making the Steampunk costume, my plan has changed a small bit, but also really coalesced into something I think will be great when it is finished. What is helping me stay focused and not go too far out there (or grow this into something too large) is to focus on a couple themes. If an idea doesnāt suit the themes, then itās taken off the table.
With my sisterās graduation coming up, I realized that I need something dressyāyetācasual, and nothing in my closet fit the bill. So, since I loathe clothes shopping and love fabric shopping, I decided to make Simplicity 2245, view Aāa Lisette dress. (more…)
I found myself in need of a pair of small storage bags this evening. With a few charms of Etchings (that I donāt actually remember buyingā¦ hmmm.) and a couple of inches of Velcro, I managed to fulfill that need very quickly (in under 20 minutes, I think). Hereās howā¦ (more…)
I think head-in-the-clouds Rae has won out (was there ever a question, really?). Iām making a Steampunk costume over the course of the next nine months. I even ordered some fabric, so now I have to make it.
My muse hasnāt stopped singing about the costume in the past week. It came up with a whole backstory and character for this costume, and who am I to deny it? Now that itās in my head, I canāt get past the character (who is about 18 years old) so this wonāt be a costume for me. Luckily, I have two younger sisters with similar body types (to each other, not me. Brats got all the tall genes)āhereafter referred to as C&Kāto exploit, and theyāve agreed to let me dress them up at Christmas for a photo shoot.
So, paired with their measurements, a dress form I donāt yet own, and only a single chance to fit a mockup or two in person in less than a month (unless they come visit me, which is doubtful, since theyāre on college-student budgets and Iām on a recently-bought-a-house-and-am-making-a-big-costume budget), I will be creating a costume that fits them (in theory). Luckily, they have more pattern-ready bodies, so fitting should be simpler than if I were to make it for myself, I think.
I canāt really sketch, but hereās a bit of my idea on paperā¦ (more…)
