Category: machine quilting

hand dyed fabrics and #2

On By alwaysquiltsIn Hobbies, Home and Garden, machine quilting, quilts, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Thanks to those who responded to my question about which quilt they liked better. I do like them both but I decided to go with #2. I’ve been busy dyeing fabrics for it. I’ve dyed 11 different colors. I’ll only need 8 of these, but I figured that I could choose which colors I wanted after they were all dyed. I dyed 4 shades of each color and they all came out different. Some look more marbled, some came out dark to light and a few came out just barley a lighter shade different than the other pieces. Oh well, I had fun dyeing all the fabrics. I used cotton sateen  this time.  Here’s how they look.

Now I just need to find the time to make it!!

Have a great day!!

Theresa

technology…what an amazing thing

On By alwaysquiltsIn Blogroll, Hobbies, Home and Garden, machine quilting, quilts, Uncategorized7 Comments

It really is amazing that I can travel down the highway, read blogs, check my e-mail and be connected to the internet all while in the car! I love this. I decided to bring my laptop along on our roadtrip so that I could get caught up on few things. This is nice!

Anyway, I’ve been quilting as much as possible this last week. I finished 5 customer quilts. I also designed a couple of snails trail quilts on EQ. I did 2 different colorways and I like the way both of them look, but I’ll only make one, so which one do you like better?

This is #1

Here’s #2

I’d like to dye the fabric for it, so the colors will be different that what is showing, but I hope it will come out looking similar to what it looks like here. I used 4 shades of each color, going from dark to light.

What do you think? 1or 2?

Let me know your thoughts…………PLEASE???????

Theresa

BOM and baby quilt

On By alwaysquiltsIn Hobbies, Home and Garden, machine quilting, quilts, Uncategorized1 Comment

This year I decided to do the first Saturday BOM at my LQS. I’ve been keeping up with getting the blocks done each month. Yipee!! Sometimes I’m making them the night before they are due, but I am getting them done on time. Here’s the blocks so far.
They showed the finished quilt today, but I’m not sure if I will use their finishing kit or do something different. Anyway, I’ll figure that out later.

I also bought a baby quilt panel today. It’s a new one that they just got in. Made of flannel. I have to go to a baby shower tomorrow, so instead of buying a package of diapers on the way home today, I decided that I could come home and quilt it and have it ready for the shower tomorrow!! Yeah for me………It’s done!!!! I just meandered it and put the binding on and it’s ready to go.
Here’s the fabric on the back.
That was my day for quilting.

On another note, my DH planted an apple tree last year. This year it produced 1 lonely apple. Anyway, we picked it today! It’s not the best looking apple I’ve ever seen but it’s our first!!!

That’s if for now. Have a great day.

Theresa

Festival pictures on Webshots

On By alwaysquiltsIn Blogroll, Hobbies, Home and Garden, machine quilting, quilts, UncategorizedLeave a comment

I finally got around to uploading some pictures on my webshots page, so if you’d like to see more pics of the quilt show and some that I took at the festival grab a cup of coffee, sit back and enjoy the show! I think I put 103 pictures of the village/quilt show in the album.
you can see them at

http://community.webshots.com/user/alwaysquilts

Enjoy!!

Theresa

Italy quilt show

On By alwaysquiltsIn Hobbies, Home and Garden, machine quilting, quilts, Uncategorized2 Comments

Whew! What an enjoyable week I had in Italy! The quilt show I went to was held in a small village in the mountains. Talk about beautiful!! The town was so old and you could look between the houses and see mountains. The quilts were hung outside in the little courtyard and some were out in the open area of the town hanging on the sides of the buildings.


The last 3 pictures are of Pam and the quilt that her 94 yr old Grandmother had made, me and my white wholecloth and one of Pams underground railroad quilt. We were really surprised that so many people in Italy knew the story of the underground RR.

I took lots of pictures so slowly I will get some of them put on my blog and tell about some of my adventures.
I am behind on my quilting so I better get back to work on my customer quilts. I’m suffering with jetlag so I’m moving slow. It’s worth it though after the fun week I had.

Have a great day!!
Theresa

Guild opportunity quilt and packing

On By alwaysquiltsIn Hobbies, Home and Garden, machine quilting, quilts, Uncategorized3 Comments

My guild makes a quilt each year to raise money. I quilted last years quilt so another lady was going to quilt this years. Well……she hurt her foot (bad) and hasn’t been able to quilt, so I was asked if I could get it quilted before our quilt show. I said Yes! Anyway, here’s how it looks.

I wasn’t sure what to do with it, I stared at it for along time and finally just started quilting. I like the way it came out.

If you’re close to the Leavenworth, Kansas area, our quilt show is Friday Sept 12th (evening time, I’m not sure of the exact time it starts, 4 or 5 o’clock) and then Saturday Sept 13th from like 9 to 6. Come on by our quilt show! It’s held in downtown Leavenworth on Delaware street. One block east of Quilters Quarters quilt shop. You can see the quilts at the show and shop at the quilt store. What a great way to spend a Saturday!!!

Oh well, I’ve been packing this weekend and trying to get everything done before I leave Wed. I’ll get back just in time for the quilt show. Speaking of quilt shows, Jill in Italy has found out that there is another quilt show going on while Pam and I are going to be there!! It’s in another small town and I guess it’s more art quilts. Anyway, Jill called the lady in charge of the show and told her that Pam and I would be visiting Italy, so we’re going to have lunch with her and go to her quilt show. That will be on Friday and then Jill’s quilt show is on Sunday. Jill’s show is held in a village where they hang the quilts outside in like a courtyard area. Doesn’t that sound neat?

Well, I better get to bed. One more day of work and then I’m off to Italy!!!!!!!!!!

Have a great day!!

Theresa

pictures

On By alwaysquiltsIn Hobbies, Home and Garden, machine quilting, quilts, UncategorizedLeave a comment

I finally got around to putting more pictures on my webshots page. I hadn’t updated it since the MQS pictures I put on there back in May. Before that I think it was April and those pictures were of the Lock in. I was looking at some of the quilts and a couple of them, I don’t remember quilting, but I know I did! I see so many different quilts that it’s hard to remember. I try to take pictures of all of them after I quilt them, but I don’t always get that done. I have a lot more to upload, hopefully I can get those done soon. You can check them out at

http://www.webshots.com/user/alwaysquilts

I’m trying to get things ready for next week. Pam and I are sooooo excited about going to Italy!! I can’t believe it’s almost time to go!!

I still have a few more quilts to quilt before I leave so I better get to work.

Have a great day!
Theresa

I dyed again

On By alwaysquiltsIn Blogroll, Hobbies, Home and Garden, machine quilting, quilts, Uncategorized1 Comment

Well, I tried dyeing again. I’m not as excited about this batch. I figured I would try using some muslin this time and cut it into FQ’s. I don’t know why some of them came out looking textured and  some came out almost solid. I was trying to put them all in the containers the same way. See the difference? The first picture shows how some look almost a solid color and the next one shows how some look more textured (which is what I was trying for). I don’t like the muslin.  It doesn’t have a high thread count so it’s not as nice feeling as the Kona I used last week. I’m not sure if that had anything to do with how the colors came out or not, but I know I won’t use it again.

I measured out the dye for 12 colors this time and just poured the left over dye solution in the other containers that I had ready. I put a little of this and a little of that, so some of the colors are real similar. I dripped some in one (on purpose) just to see what would happen to it. Sure enough, I can tell where the color landed on the fabric. It’s the 3rd one from the left.These all came out kind of greenish except the turquoise one.

These are yellow/orange.

And here are the pinkish ones. They almost all look alike!

I didn’t get the variety of colors like I did last time. I’ve been using the 3 colors and mixing them but I think now I want to just order the colors that I want to have instead of mixing the yellow and red or the blue and red etc. I’d like to have certain colors. I guess I’ll keep working at this dyeing stuff. It is fun!!

Well, that’s it for now.  Have a great day!

Theresa

Oh….. on the last post I saw an animals face ( dog was my first thought)  and a tin man character!!

my first dyeing experience

On By alwaysquiltsIn Hobbies, Home and Garden, machine quilting, quilts, Uncategorized8 Comments

Well, I did it!!! I dyed some fabric. I jumped in with both feet and learned a lot! Most of what I learned was what NOT to do.

I wasn’t sure what colors I was going to get, so I decided to do the 24 shades.  I had all the containers marked by number and I started putting all the red dye in first. I went down the list and put the correct amount into each one. Except the last cup because I ran out of red dye. so it just got a few drops. Then I  put in the yellow. No problem,  except on cups 8 & 9 I think I mixed them up. Anyway, had lots of yellow left over so it went in to the last cup with the red drops. Then I went to blue and filled each one with the blue, putting the left over in the last cup. So I didn’t actually get color 24 which I believe now should have been a shade of purple. Anyway, after that I took and put in the fabric. Well, I didn’t do that right because some of the pieces came out looking like tye dyed. Here’s all the colors I got.

I didn’t think about the fact that I was doing the dyeing using directions for fat quarters and I was putting in half yard cuts. I think I should have used more dye. That would have helped, I’m sure. I did get some pretty  fabric anyway.

I was ironing the fabric and I see something on these 2 pieces. I took closeups,  do you see anything?

Well, that’s it for now. I will file this experience as a learning one. Next time maybe the fabric will come out looking more like I want it to look. LOL!!  although, I do like this. Maybe I should make a turning twenty or some other quilt that uses large squares.  hhhhhmmmmm.

Oh well, have  great day!

Theresa

not much new, just staying busy

On By alwaysquiltsIn Hobbies, Home and Garden, machine quilting, quilts, Uncategorized2 Comments

Sadly, today is my last day of summer vacation. BOO HOO!!! We went and picked up buses Monday so the big yellow fellow is back in the driveway.  I am ready to see all my kids, just not ready to go back to getting up at 5:30 in the morning. UUUGGHH!! I get my schedule turned around during the summer and stay up till 2:00 or so. No more of that!!!!

I finished quilting the next Patchwork party quilt for my LQS yesterday. I love the fabrics they used this time.  I don’t remember when it starts but it will be soon. Now I need to get a couple of customer quilts done for our quilt show in Sept. I’m running out of time!

On another note……do you know what it’s like to wash (2) 10 yard pieces of fabric in the washing machine? I’ve never seen such a tangled up mess in my life! LOL!!!! I bought a bolt of fabric to dye and I didn’t want to cut it up so I just cut it in half and washed it in synthropol. Hopefully I will have time to dye it soon. I’m anxouis to try it. I’m not sure what the best size is for dyeing fabric the first time. FQ’s, 1/2 yards or full yards?  Any suggestions from you that dye?????

I think I better go get something done. Something productive anyway!!

Have a great day!

Theresa