Plaid Memorial Quilt: My Favorite Blocks

 You can tell so much from pictures and clothes.  Here is a gentle man with a kind soul.  I've never met him but I am sure I would have liked him.

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Plaid Quilt

Given to a Fireman

Montgomery TX

2014

©Debra L. Dixon

Plaid Memorial Quilt: Mock up and Prepwork

The general idea

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Plaid quilts remind me of 9 patch quilts.

9 Patch Quilt

Private Collection

Montgomery TX

2014

©Debra L. Dixon

Plaid Shirt Memorial Quilt

The pictures I have been waiting to receive are now on my studio table. The backing has been pieced already. I'll start sewing the log cabin styled blocks today. It's going to be a lovely quilt. I can feel it.

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Detail, Children's Sampler

2013

Montgomery TX

© Debra L. Dixon

What goes around . . . .

 

Is double knit back? 

 Here's a current dress from Loft.  Double knit shift styled dress with bust darts & back zipper.

 I swear I wore this in the 1970s.

Tell me it ain't so! 

Boro Patch & Raw Edge Shawl

When I bought my 1st embroidery machine I thought it might be fun to embroider scarves.  I had a faux pashmini scarf I wanted to wear to an event.  I envisioned a nice scroll design across both ends.  As an inexperienced embroiderer I didn't realize how thin and fluid the scarf would be in the embroidery hoop.  I stitched the scarf but it didn't look great.  Then one day while in a hurry I scorched it.  Not to be undone by my experiences with the scarf, I decided to take another run at it with some raw edge strips. 

The flimsiness of the scarf didn't work well with the longarm either.  It began to noticeably draw up on the sides.  And I began to think I was wasting my time.  So it went in the UFO pile.

Yesterday I remembered it and decided to have another go at it! 
This time I used a very thin batting and multi patched backing. 
One lesson I've learned about raw edge work is that it is good to have a liner between the strips and the batting.  In the beginning I was composing directly on the batting and sometimes I would find gaps & always after I had taken the piece off the longarm, it seemed.

For this project, the gaps are a good design element.  I want the aqua to show.

I decided the scrolls would have to go.  I also couldn't envision a whole scarf of black strips.  I expanded the color palette to my favorite colors and added patches with the strips.

I love the progress so far!

I'm pleased I took a 3rd attempt at this scarf!  Between the time I scorched this scarf and today I have purchased about 8 more colorful faux pashmini scarves.  They are about $3 at the thrift store.  Maybe they would like to become fanciful patchwork shawls too. 

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Detail,  Bulletin Board of Life

2012

Private Collection

Houston TX

©Debra L. Dixon

Vintage Cross Stitch Quilt

A friend from my dog rescue days called me to ask if I could finish her husband's grandmother's quilt so they could display it on a bed.  As luck would have it, the grandmother had not hand quilted the border.  I was able to cut the quilt off at the last cross stitch border and use the 3" side fabric for the binding fabric. It came out splendidly and the quilt is still large enough for a queen sized bed.

My friend didn't have a date for the quilt.  My estimate is 1970s.  What do you think?

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The fact that I remember this style of quilt and have one in my family reminded me of this fun poster from Pinterest! 

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Patchwork for Paws Fundraising
2013
Montgomery TX
©Debra L. Dixon 

Improv Quilts, no. 7 & 8

Just a gloriously sunny day outside so I was able to snap a few pictures of Improvisational Quilts, no. 7 & 8.  Very pleased!  I love how the colors sparkle against the blue background.  They remind me of little pieces of wrapped candy.

These are a few of the improv strips I sewed  Saturday.  When I had a layout in mind, I sewed 3 more narrow strips.  Doing that put a good dent in my small sized scrap pile.  Once I trimmed up these two improv quilts, those trimmings went into the pile so it's never ending.  But I do feel like I am making headway.

So much loveliness!  I feel blessed to be surrounded with wonderful colors! 

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Improv Quilts

2014

Montgomery TX

©Debra L. Dixon 

Improv Quilts, no. 7

This quilt turned out really well!  So pleased with how the blue stripes separate the rectangular patches. 
The blue fabrics have been waiting a long time for their 15 Minutes of Fame.  My friend gave them to me and attached with a straight pin were the cutting slips dated 1998.  :-)  Goes well with my 1990s decorator prints that are many of the rectangular pieces.  To me, fabric is fabric.  If it works for the overall design, I use it.

Improv Quilts: Stitch and Flip Tutorial

Here are very basic instructions for the Stitch and Flip Method of constructing quilts on the longarm.

It's very, very helpful if your longarm has channel locks.  I use the horizontal channel locks for this method.

1. Attach the backing and batting to the machine in the regular method.
2. Sew the first strip.

    *I eyeball everything about this method.  If you have been sewing any length of time, it's easy to train your eye to measurements.  I don't get too hung up about the small stuff.

3. Stitch to the bottom edge of the strip.  How close you stitch to the bottom is your decision.  This stitching line is important!  Don't skip it.

*I stitch fairly close to the edge.

4.  The 2nd strip will be aligned with the last stitched line.  This keeps everything straight.

**Even though it doesn't look like it in the picture, I align the bottom edge of the new strip with the last line of stitching on the previous strip.
If you are a little wide, no big deal.  If you are a little shy, that can cause the seam allowance to be too narrow.  Err on the side of wide.

5.  Once the strip is sewn, flip it down.

** I pull very carefully from the top and pin at the bottom.  Some seamstress might want to lightly press that newly sewn seam.  That would not be me.  I can finger press and pull enough that the strip is straight.

6. Quilt across the strip. 

**You do not have to quilt straight lines.  You can fill the space with any design.

7.  Sometimes the bottom row is not perfectly even.  That last row of stitching evens all the edges.

8.  Continue to sew, flip, quilt to the desired length.

If you have a longarm with channel locks, I hope you will try this method.  It makes scrapbusting fun and fast!  Once you've stitched a few quilts, you'll begin to see how you can adapt the idea for other projects.  It's very useful.  

Improv Quilts: Street Quilts 3 & 4 -- Strippy Lengths

I am so happy!  I am staying true to my pledge to use the scraps as they are created.  Saturday I pulled all the scraps the last couple of improvisational quilts have produced and sewed 72" lengths of strippy patchwork.  I have enough sections combined with the long single strips I also sewed for 2 quilts 70 x 84 inches.

By Saturday evening I was thinking this must be an addiction.  I just wanted to sew, sew and sew some more pieces together.  It was really thrilling in a very satisfying way.  I'm so pleased I started this series.  It's liberating to pull fabrics, make a few basic design decisions and then go for it!

These 4 strips (above and below) will go together in a quilt.  These are all heavy weight drapery type fabrics.

 These fabrics (next 2 photos) are quilting cottons.  I am debating whether they will be suitable for the street.  What do you think?

I've had a request to show how I sew these into a quilt on the longarm.  I'll try to photograph my steps while sewing one of the next tops and post.

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from Practicing Extravagant Generosity by Robert Schnase

Christians give because they serve a giving God -- the giver of every good gift, the source of life and love.

"How can I repay the Lord for all his goodness to me?" ---Psalm 116:12

Improvisational Quilt

2012

Full Size

Private Collection

©Debra L. Dixon