Peas In A Pod

More Progress on Meadow Breeze BOM - Thoughts on Steam-a-Seam 2 and Heat 'n Bond Lite

Hi Everyone,

Today I thought I would share a little more about about my Meadow Breeze project and some things I discovered and learned about the fusibles I am using.

First, let me show you what I accomplished on Sunday:

I got all the rest of my applique shapes cut out, fused, and stitched on.  Again, if you look back at yesterday's post, you can see that I messed up a little on my vines, but I think it turned out okay.  My biggest concern is that at the top, my vines ended up higher than they were supposed to, so I had to let one flower run into the outer border.  But I think that will be okay.  I also have a big white space where the vines didn't cover like they were supposed to at the top, because they are so high up.  I guess I could either add more appliqué shapes or--what I thought might be a better solution--save that area for some pretty quilting.  I hope you think it looks okay, too.

Now, for what I learned on this project.  Remember yesterday how I told you I was having a lot of trouble with thread breakage?  I knew it wasn't my thread, because I'm using the same thread throughout this project and I have had no trouble before.

The only thing I changed on this section was I used Steam-a-Seam 2 as my fusible web.  Pat Sloan recommends Heat 'n Bond Lite for this project.  I have been using the Heat 'n Bond, but when I went to pack up to go to my Friday night sew-in, I couldn't find it.  Go figure...  So, I grabbed the Steam-a-Seam 2 to use instead.  I figured it would be just as good, and I do like how it's sticky so you can stick your appliqué pieces to your fabric, carry it to the ironing board, and everything sticks on till you iron it.  I thought this would actually be an advantage when working on this piece, because the vines covered so much area.

As my thread was breaking, I tried a lot of things to deal with it.

• Thought I was sewing too fast maybe.  Slowed down.  Thread still broke.
• Thought maybe my bobbin case was in wrong.  Checked it, cleaned any lint out.  Thread still broke.
• Thought maybe there was something wrong with the needle...like maybe a burr in the eye.  Put in a new needle.  Thread still broke.

This was getting annoying.  So, I sewed slow and tried to watch what was happening.  Huh?  What's that little speck on the needle?  Rubbed it with my finger.  Sticky.  Aha!  That's it!  The Steam-a-Seam 2 was gumming up my needle, and I think that caused all the thread breakage.  So, every several inches, I cleaned my needle with rubbing alcohol.  That seemed to help, but what a pain!

I had all my shapes traced (e.g., flowers, leaves, berries) on the Steam-a-Seam 2, but I hadn't had a chance to put it on the appliqué fabric yet.  Good thing.  I threw it all away, and retraced my shapes on the Heat 'n Bond, which I found as I was doing some pressing and looked on my shelves.  There it was, sitting there plain as day.  How did I miss that the day before?  Geez.

As I applied the shapes with the Heat 'n Bond, I had no thread breakage, except where I had to sew over the vines again.  Otherwise, no breakage.  So, I think the Steam-a-Seam 2 gummed up my needle too much and caused the thread to break.  This might explain why I sometimes have problems with thread breakage on my embroidery machine, with which I use Steam-a-Seam 2 for doing applique.  I may have to rethink that in the future.  (Still, the sticky nature of the Steam-a-Seam 2 really helps when you're doing appliqué in the hoop.)

So, I'm pretty sold on Heat 'n Bond, at least if I'm going to sew over it.  Here are features I like about it:

1. It doesn't seem to gum up my needle.
2. The paper is nicer to trace on, and the fusible isn't as bumpy on the back.  So, it's easier to write on.
3. The paper pulls off nicely after fusing.
4. The paper stays on while I am cutting out the shapes.  (I have trouble with the Steam-a-Seam 2's paper coming off as I'm trying to cut out the shape.)

The only difficulty I have with the Heat 'n Bond is that the bond is pretty light.  Sometimes my appliqué pieces fall off before I get it to the sewing machine or as I'm sewing on other shapes.  I think I might heat it too much.  From my inspection of the fabric, it seems that the glue has melted right into the fabric.  Maybe I heat it too long or too hot.  I need to play with that a little more to completely figure it out.  Have any of you had that problem?  Solutions?

Hope this is helpful information to you!  I am so happy to have completed this section of the BOM.  It was the most labor intensive part so far (and from what I've seen of the upcoming parts as well).  Getting past this step has been a real albatross for me.  It was holding me up from getting moving on this project.  The next few steps aren't that big.  I am optimistic that I can get caught up this month if I stay on task with it.  That might be hard for me to do.  You all know how long my attention span is...

Until next time,

Mama Pea

More Progress on Meadow Breeze BOM

Hello All,

As you know, I had a Friday night sew-in with my friend, Cheryl, and her buddies.  It was a really good time, and I met some nice gals there.

We were supposed to bring some food to share, so guess what I brought...

Yep...I brought that bean and corn salsa I gave you the recipe for a while back.  It turned out pretty good.  Funny thing, Cheryl brought the same thing, but her recipe had avocados in it and was a little creamier.  I like it a lot, too!

I took my Meadow Breeze project to work on.  I am now 4 months behind.  Pat Sloan posted Part 7 the other day, and I am still on Part 4.  That particular block had a LOT of appliqué on it and it came out in May, when I was SUPER busy.  So, I really got behind.

(The lighting on my cutting table stinks for photography.  Sorry.)

Here's what I got done.  I put the next round of borders on, traced all my shapes, put the fusible on the back of the fabrics, cut out the fabrics, and then fused them on the borders.  I had a hard time getting these snaky vines on there right.  Later I figured out why...I didn't lay one down quite right on each side but didn't realize it until it was too late...things were already fused down.

See, here's the one from Pat's instructions.  Those first flowers going up the sides?  Look closely at the vines.  You can see how I messed up.  But I think it will work out fine, and no one will know the difference in the end, because they won't have seen this photo!  :-)

On Saturday, I got the stitching done around the vines and basket.

I had a lot of trouble with thread breakage.  I have some hypotheses about why this happened.  I think I figured it out.  I'll tell you more about that tomorrow, when I show you what I did on Sunday (finished up the rest of the appliqué).

Until next time,

Mama Pea

How can I resist Lucky Charms?

Hello All,

Do you remember the other day when I showed you this little quilt along that Pat Sloan is going to do?

 

(Click on the image to go to the Quilt Along, if you are interested.)

You might remember how I was so strong and resisted the urge to start a new project, even though I thought the fabrics were so cute....

I do love Lucky Charms.  It's one of my favorite kid's cereals.  (Captain Crunch is the other!)

Well, curses!  I've been foiled!

Pat Sloan, herself, commented on my blog and reiterated that it's a small project and I should jump in.  My little brush with celebrity!  Well, now...how can I say "no" to that?!

So....I'm in!  Egad!

Here is how I justified it:

• I've been doing really well and making lots of progress o my other projects.
• This one is quite small and I have a feeling it's going to go fast.
• I'm doing that free motion quilt along, and when I get done with it, I'm going to need some small projects that I can further practice my newly-learned quilting skills on.  If I wait for a big quilt, (a) it will be too long between when I learn the skills and when I practice, and (b) I really don't enjoy trying to shove a big quilt under the arm of my machine.  It's just not fun.  (And I have a colleague who says, "If it's not fun, it's not fun.")  So, this could be a great piece to practice some free motion quilting on.

Not bad, huh?  That last one really works, right?!  So, I'm good.

BUT, I did tell myself NO NEW FABRIC! and I'm sticking with that!  For real!  I started to go to her shop and order the fabrics and I said to myself, "No, you've got plenty of charm packs downstairs you can work with."  Plus, the fabrics she's working with look a little similar to that Designer Mystery Block of the Month thing I am doing with the Fat Quarter Shop.  I'm ready for a little change of pace from that.

So, down to the sewing room I went.  I pulled out the storage tubs and drawers and started rifling through them.  We need one charm pack to start with and then some light fabric for the middle (presumably where the appliqué will go) and some coordinating fabrics for borders and the like.

Hmmmm....

Well, here was one possibility:

This is a layer cake I picked up on a shop hop a couple of years back. It's some Moda fabric.  Totally cute.  Not very Christmas-y, but it could work.  It could be interesting to try to make something Christmas-y (which is what the Lucky Charms mystery will be) out of fabrics that are so---NOT Christmas. 

Also, Pat told me she'll have a non-Christmas alternative for the appliqué if people don't want to do Christmas.

But, still...I"m not really feelin' it with these.  I think I need to keep these for another project.  They just aren't speaking to me right now.

Now, these little guys have been callin' my name for quite some time:

 

This is another charm pack from Moda.  Again, I've had it for a few years.  It's the Chocolat fabrics from 3 Sisters.  I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE these fabrics so much.  I love the colors and textures.  There are homespuns and brushed cottons in here.  So soft.  I think a Christmas quilt that doesn't scream Christmas but is red, green, tan, and light blue would be pretty.  I think this would work great.

Two potential issues:

1. I bought this fabric to make a quilt that has a checkerboard of 100 (1 inch, I think) squares in the center, and the solid red fabric as a border.  There is all this appliqué in the border.  I have the checkerboard done, and the borders are on.  The green plaid is my vines in the border--which are sewn on the quilt, and I think I have one flower appliquéd on.  That's it.  And the quilt has languished for...um...almost 5 years maybe.  (Michelle, where is yours?  Have you finished it?)  Michelle and I did this for a class we took on learning to appliqué.  We were doing needle turn appliqué in the class.  I wasn't enjoying that too much (probably because I'm not good at it yet), so I haven't made progress.  Remember, if it isn't fun, it isn't fun.  But I LOVE these fabrics.  So, part of me wants to go ahead and use them for this project so I at least get to use them.
   Question:  If I want to go back and finish that quilt, will I have enough fabric?
   Answer:  I think so.  I have two more charm packs of this stuff, plus some yardage of some of the fabrics.  I think this charm pack can be sacrificed.  I think I can go get other binding fabric (which is what the green plaid is for) that will go fine.  I'm not even sure why I have so much of these reds with it.  Maybe for the back?  Who knows.  I can get more of something similar later if need be.
2. In the checkerboard piece, I was doing the needle turn appliqué on the homespun, brushed red.  Such beautiful fabric, by a lot of drape.  Hard to appliqué on.  And, I was using some of the homespuns for the applique pieces, too.  Hard to needle turn.  Very floppy.  I think it was a poor choice of fabrics for a real beginner at needle turn appliqué like me. 
   Question:  So, we all know this project is going to have appliqué on it.  I mean, it is Pat Sloan we're talking about here...  Will this be a bad choice of fabrics for that?
   Answer:  I think it will be okay.  First, she said the light fabric will be the center, where we will be doing the appliqué.  My light fabric is a cotton...not a homespun.  That should help.  Second, Pat usually uses a raw-edge applique technique, with fusible web on the back of the fabric, which is then sewn on the machine with a button-hole stitch.  So, I think that will help with the issues I was having with the homespuns before.

Having said all that, I think I'm going to go for it with these fabrics.  I'm setting them aside for this project.  I'll wait for the first set of instructions to be sure.  Pat, if you're reading this, please feel free to put in your two cents' worth!

Will it be "magically delicious?"  Time will tell!

I hope I can keep up without losing all the ground I've gained on my other projects.  More about those as the week progresses.  I'll share with you all the great progress I made this weekend!

Until next time,

Mama Pea

"My God. That's one ugly quilt."

Hi Everyone,

Well, I've been having a very "quilty" weekend.  Papa Pea and Sweet Pea are out of town, so I've been going at it hard this weekend.  I'll have to break it up into several posts so as not to bore you too much.  :-)

I thought I'd start with my progress on the Quilt Along, hosted by Christina at A Few Scraps.  (If you are interested in learning more about the Quilt Along, please click on the button on the right sidebar on my blog.)

The first four steps have been posted, and I've got three of them done so far.

1.  Gather Supplies - Check

 

Got my batting, safety pins, slider, gloves (thanks, Lynn, for the suggestion of how much you like these), some marking pencils and a sketchbook.  I guess we're going to be drawing some designs, etc.  It was fun to finally get one just for quilting ideas.

2.  Piece together the fabrics for the top - Check

Christina gave us the dimensions and told us to piece in these stripes so we'll have some good area to practice.  The big strips were supposed to be the same fabric, but I didn't have enough of just one to do them all, so I did a little of each.

Christina suggested that we shouldn't spend too much time picking out fabric.  She said that we shouldn't pick fabric that was too pretty, because we might then be too scared to experiment and try things.  This was really good advice, and I agreed.  I wanted to choose fabrics that I didn't care about and didn't feel "responsible" for making a decent looking quilt.  Christina said that we would be successful at this step if we looked at our quilt and said, "My God.  This is one ugly quilt."

Well.....MY GOD.  THIS IS ONE UGLY QUILT!

Well, I think I was incredibly successful at this step!  I think I should win a prize for the ugliest quilt.  All these people are posting pretty quilt tops on the Flickr group, saying if they made something pretty, they'll have something when they are don.  I just don't want to feel that responsibility!

Any chance it's so ugly it's cute?

I am not sure what in the world I was thinking when I bought these fabrics.  They are pretty loud!  I was going through my fabric tub, and so many of my fabrics are things I'd really like to use in a nice quilt.  But, when I ran across these three, I thought, "Perfect!  I can get these out of my stash and use them for something purposeful.  I don't give a RIP about these fabrics!"

So, this got me to thinking.  What will I do with this atrocity when I am done with it?  I'm sure it will be even more ugly when I practice quilting on it.

Well, the cats could probably use something out in the cat box that Papa Pea is going to build outside for them for the winter.  Maybe they'll think it's pretty.

3.  Clean out bobbin case - Check

Next, we were to clean out the lint from the bobbin case.  I try to (but am not always successful at) cleaning out the lint every time I change the bobbin.  However, I had a lot of lint in there!  Glad I cleaned it!

Our next step is to pin baste.  I think I'll try to get that done tomorrow.  Let's hope this gets me on a roll with my free motion quilting.  I need it!  I would really like to get better at this skill.  I am hoping to finish some other smaller tops after this for a little more practice.

Lots more to tell you.  Catch you later!

Until next time,

Mama Pea

Pat Sloan's "Lucky Charms" Sew Along - Part 1

via patsloan.typepad.com

Oh, boy. I'm trying to exercise restraint here. This Sew Along looks like a lot of fun. I love these fabrics (as well as her other options). What was my mantra..."No more new projects until I finish one..." Okay. I'm holding up well so far. But you might enjoy it! It looks like a small and manageable project.

Have fun,
Mama Pea