Category: Ramblings

A Blunt Question to Ponder

Melani is right about doing a little planning. A little planning is all about loving and taking care of those we love after we’re gone. I have quite the collection and I know my hubby wouldn’t do it justice, nor would it be fair to leave the mess to him to deal with if I were to go before he does. Quilting is just not his thing. I’m 100% sure I’d be better at dealing with his horses than he would be with my quilt hobby collection. So, I must thank Melanie for this reminder… to write a letter and include it in our disaster folder.

Melanie McNeil's avatarCatbird Quilt Studio

Do you have a plan for your stash? Not for while you’re using it, but for when you are not?

I’ve heard the old joke, “She who dies with the mosts stash wins!” But it’s not really true, is it? At some point, all of us will be done quilting, whether that comes because of a loss of interest or ability, or due to death. Be prepared for that day.

Will your family look hopelessly at your shelves, cupboards, closets, bins, and tubs, full of fabric and kits and unquilted tops, wondering what to do with it all? I have read too many stories of people whose stashes were discarded because family members were not interested and had no idea of the value. Sewing machines are expensive. Here again, family members may have no idea of value. Would you like your $1,000 sewing machine sold for $75? It might be able…

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Forgive and Remember

While our biological drives haven’t changed or evolved, our learning and culture has. We can choose to remember and not repeat the past. We can choose to forgive those who came before and remember what came before so we don’t repeat it. But we have to CHOOSE and ACT to not repeat it.

The craziness of what is going on in the U.S. today is on my mind. What got me started specifically was the public lynch mobs rioting and protesting who want to punish people who are not guilty of any crime.

I’m a biologist by education. I accept that evolution occurs. However, biologically there isn’t much evolution or change that can occur in a large population of organisms. Humans are living organisms. But at least in humans our learning ability allows us to have a culture do and can change. This also got me to thinking about a plaque I saw on a wall once. It said “forgive and remember”. I think I get it now.

Regarding the past. Be angry, be mad, that is okay, so long as you move forward from it, forgive yourself and forgive others, just REMEMBER IT! Do not repeat it. It is, what it is. It can’t be changed. You don’t get to go back and “do over” on things that already happened. You do get the chance to make it different the next time a similar thing comes along. YOU can choose to react differently, choose to make a different choice, choose to participate or not. Lots of folks think history is stupid, learning it is a waste of time. I don’t. Why? If you don’t know what led up to stupidity (or greatness) how can you avoid stupidity or not avoid greatness in the future.

Anyway, back to the original thought line… thinking of history in terms of years is pretty unbelievable. If I say in 800 A.D. xxy happened or in year 10 B.C. zxy happened it doesn’t seem too real. But I knew my grandpa and he saw and told me about things that happened when he was young, that’s easy to believe. What about his grandpa, and his, and his, and that chain of people is much easier to comprehend. And you know what? in that chain of grandpa’s, suddenly we are at a time when something very important happened. The government at that time bent to a lynch mob of public will and executed a guy who wasn’t guilty of any legally defined crime. That government created a situation that transformed the world and led to the demise of their own country and affected the entire world for ages to come.

We certainly can learn from history.
While our biological drives haven’t changed or evolved, our learning and culture has. We can choose to remember and not repeat the past. We can choose to forgive those who came before and remember what came before so we don’t repeat it. But we have to CHOOSE to not repeat it.

Think about this. Look at this guy’s theory on if one elderly person alive touched and transferred their wisdom to a younger person before they died. Follow the chain of people backwards in time. Time is much smaller than you think.
13 Generations

I lost my hair, stubbed my toe and decided to write a letter to Santa… and Neal of Innova Longarm.

Oh Santa! Did you know shouting curse words is very difficult while pouring anesthetizing agents down your throat? I actually choked. Yes, Santa, I CHOKED! Please give me an undo.

Dear Santa,

Since my younger cousins are feverishly writing to you, I thought that possibly you wouldn’t mind if I wrote you a short letter too. I know it’s been years since I sat on your lap. Well there was that one time at that party last year… and you suspiciously looked like that guy I sleep with every night.

Please Santa the one thing I really wish I could have for Christmas this year is …

UNDO

The reason I really need UNDO is to save my hair. And my marriage. Probably in that order. My husband really likes my hair. I like it too.

Last night was I working on this crazy wonderful project that I have maybe 150 hours into already. Being the geek that I am, I decided to use the masking feature to mask out my appliques from a stellar cloud pattern background. I plan doing some awesome freehand work in the spaces. So I set about 1250 push pins around this shape. It’s curved, thus it requires more pins. I saved my project, thinking it would save my pins too. Then I joined the pushpins to create a shape for masking. It’s a really cool Innova thing. I messed up and lost my push pins and had to do it all over. No problem. It only took me and hour the first time. The push pins weren’t saved by the software. So I did it again… ALL of it… All … over … again. ALL OF IT! Have you ever been so frustrated you pulled on your own hair? ARGHHH!!!

Oh Santa! An UNDO would be a really really awesome thing for Innova Autopilot and Navigator to have. It also would mean I would stop stomping through the house flinging open the bar cupboard and pouring gallons of anesthetizing agent into my stomach while gurgling unintelligible curse words. Did you know shouting curse words is very difficult while pouring anesthetizing agents down your throat? I actually choked. Yes, Santa, I CHOKED! Or maybe it was the hopping up and down while doing all the above. Anyway… if I had an undo after I accidentally clear 1250 push pins while I was joining them to make a pattern on my Innova Autopilot… then I wouldn’t tear all my hair out. And a bewildered husband wouldn’t come up on a gurgling choking wife with frazzled hair and a bleeding scalp in a heap on the floor whispering repeatedly, “if only I had an undo… if only.. undo….”

Please Neal, Please Mike, I’m sure Santa wouldn’t mind if you delivered this early so he wouldn’t have to go to all the work with his elves.

Sincerely,
The girl who stubbed her toe when she fell in a heap while gurgling, “if only I had an undo”.

Most Unlikely of all Sewing Aids is Sex Lube

I like a challenge. One of my friends told me that I spend too much money on “Sewing Stuff”. So I set out to find alternatives to things I can buy in a quilt shop. This is the first in a series I plan to write about those alternatives. I decided to start with something that would make her eyes pop.

I like to free motion quilt with metallic thread. My machine handles it really well if I use the correct needle, turn the tension down a bit, and lubricate the thread.

Bernina’s Thread Lubricator Guide is fantastic. The guide comes with a tiny vial of silicone lubricant. You put a single drop of silicone lube on the felt pad, stick your thread in the groove and thread your machine like normal. The wee itty bitty bit of lube really makes a huge difference. However… the Bernina and thus its included guide fall into the spending money category. I had to find an el cheapo alternative for ‘any’ machine. Someone suggested mineral oil.. but hey that stuff smells, I’m not sure I want that around my fabric.

Before I got the fancy schmancy thread guide for my Bernina, I would buy Sewer’s Aid thread lubricant and put a thin stripe on my spool of metallic thread. This stuff is between 6-9 bucks for a little half ounce bottle. And, it’s made of liquid silicone. I also know for a fact that the Bernina lube is silicone. So here is where does the “sex” comes in.

Well… I couldn’t find that little bottle of Sewer’s Aid and it was 8 bucks so I really didn’t want to buy more of it being that I was on the “Cheap Challenge”. What did I have around that was silicone and liquid and cheap?

Image of a sample size of ID Millennium Lube
This sample size hold .1 ounces of lube. Perfectly safe for no leak carrying and ready when you are (for lubricating your thread that is).
A funny elf put a cute little sample size of ID Millennium lube in my Christmas stocking. Millennium supposed is incredibly good for doing the deed in a hot tub because it is liquid silicone and doesn’t dilute or wash off in the water. I was really hoping I was getting a hot tub for Christmas. But, alas, that was not to be. Hoping to have a hot tub tryst at some point in the future, I kept that little packet in a drawer. Knowing it was liquid silicone, now was the time to pull it out. Honestly if I’m not going hot tubbing with the hubby, a little late night experimental quilt action fulfills some of my needs pretty well.

A teensy dab of ID Millennium lube on my spool of thread and wa-la! It works!

I also found out a couple of drops of ID Millennium silicone lube is a great substitute for a Supreme Slider. Two drops of sex lube on a piece of batting, rub it around on my sewing surface and wow… It lasted a long time too. It isn’t icky, slimy, smelly, or any of those things. I priced a 12 ml tube (just under half ounce) and it’s about two bucks. At the one or two drop at a time rate I’ll use it, it will last practically forever.

Now about that tryst… I’m still holding out for a hot tub.

Thread Weights and Needle Sizes for Free Motion

You may hear a lot of things about what is the best or the only weight thread to use for free motion or longarm quilting. Personally I don’t think there are any rules. As long as you choose your thread, evaluate your fabric and then choose the appropriate needle for thread-fabric combo AND are willing to tweak your tension settings, you can free motion with almost any thread. Your machine just has to accept it. Some machines can be finicky about weights of threads or even material the thread is made of. Often you can tweak or adjust your method to help use it.

Quick Guide to Thread/Needle Size
Thread Wt Needle
40 wt 90/14
50 wt 80/12
60 wt 70/10
100 wt 70/10
12-30wt 100/16
MonoPoly

(Invisible monofilament)

 70/10

Normally I go to a 50 weight cotton or polyester trilobal thread. I really like threads by Superior Threads, though I am not married to their products. Using a 80/12 Topstitch needle works great with their King Tut, Manifico and Fantastico lines. I have found that as long as I use the same thread in top and bobbin of my machine, I do not have to adjust tension at all.

Note: Superior Threads note on their spools and cones which tell you which size needle is recommended for that particular thread.

If I want a thicker line of thread to show, I will use a 40 weight thread. There are free motion people out there who do not like this thread. But I believe that if the look you want requires a 40 weight go ahead and use it. A 90/14 needle works great.

Thick threads have smaller weight numbers, while bigger needles have bigger numbers. Thread and needle sizes run in opposite directions.

You can even free motion with a 30 weight thread if you want, however, put it in your bobbin of your machine. Thick threads do not work in the top of a domestic sewing machine and will shred or mess up your top tension discs. So in the bobbin it must go. This is often called “bobbin work”. The process is the same, you will just have to work from the back side of your quilt so the heavy thread in the bobbin shows up on the front. If you think your machine could handle a 30 weight thread,  you would probably use a 100/16 needle.

Thinner threads than 50 can look really neat. Using silk 100 weight thread for example can have a really nice look. Some of the top free motion people who win shows use silk almost exclusively. I would try a 70/10 needle for this.

Monofilament is also an interesting choice. Typically it is almost colorless. It will really “disappear” into the quilt so the texture is really evident and the thread is almost unnoticeable. There are two types, nylon and polyester. In years past, monofilament, which was made from nylon, got a bad rap because in the early days when it was invented it was very stretchy. So it was difficult to use. You would have to go very slow and have very low tension settings. Nylon also melts at lower temperatures than other fibers. Lower temperatures mean more stringent rules for care of the quilt, you can’t iron it, must wash on low, etc. Newer polyester fiber is in several brands of monofilament. My experience has been with Superior’s Monopoly. It requires a couple more ‘numbers’ lower on the top tension and I do tend to go slower with it. But it really has a nice look, washes on medium heat, and can be ironed. It’s great for trapunto too. Monopoly is slightly matte and that helps it disappear too. It comes in a light/clear and smokey clear for using on darker fabrics. I don’t hesitate to use the light monopoly on dark fabrics if I do not have the smoke available. It really is fun to use.

Francis Ford Coppola Claret

Just popped a cork on some Francis Ford Coppola Claret, the black label bottle with the gold wire wrapping. YUM! I love this stuff. When I’m looking for a smooth robust red just for sipping. Or to pair with some tenderloin with some of my homemade passilla chipotle steak rub. I’m getting yearnings for meat and wine right now just thinking about it.

Whine on the Porch

Whine on the porch is about… wine on the porch! Big old south Texas homes generally have a porch of some kind. You can tell a lot about the people who built that home. Homes built by people who are friendly and like to have friends over have bigger deeper friendlier porches. This blog is about what we talk about on the porch with friends over a glass or two of fine wine. Something magical happens on a porch with fine company and wine in hand.

Wine on the porch is about whine on the porch and about solving our town’s and our country’s problems. It’s about open discussion and freedom of speech and fine wine. Sometimes we even eat cheese or make wine! But most of all we talk.

[Republished from my original blog Whine on the Porch]

Creatives Worldwide Blog Hop

As you all know, I’m a fan of Rose Hughes and her fast piece applique method. I have all her books and I can’t recommend them enough for anyone wanting to get into art quilting. She is now participating in a blog hop with this . I decided to follow along too.

Four questions to answer and I think it might clarify some things in my mind.

#1 What am I working on?
I’m working on four projects concurrently. The first is my giant rainbow elephant applique that is currently on my long arm. The second is a first time attempt at a drunkards path. I’m a member of the San Antonio Modern Quilt Guild and so I’m using a ‘modern’ ashy grey solid and mixing it with my beloved batik. All shades of blue in this case. I have no idea how it’s going to come out. Currently the blocks are all over my dining room table while I get inspired as I move them around. Hubby calls this “working on your puzzle”. The third thing I”m working on is a “fast piece appliqued” sea-horse art quilt. My friend Carol wanted to learn how to do it and so we each picked out a scene to do. We’ve got the piecing done but not the couching and quilting. I can never be working on just one thing at a time. I love having something arty that needs embellishing around that is portable so I can work on it in the car or on a plane. The fourth thing on my quilty agenda is outlining and making samples for my free motion quilting class that I’m teaching in November. I decided having some sample of thread tension and speed related issues would be nice to show. I think it’s like doing a foot book or a stitch out of all the stitches one’s machine can do. I’m learning a lot. The process of teaching and prepping to teach is very educational to me. It’s making me grow and be a better quilter myself.

#2 How does my work differ from others in the genre?
I supposed I don’t have a style yet. I’m still learning, trying other’s methods and muxing them together to invent easier ways of doing them. So I don’t know that it differs, other than I really mix it up a lot and you’ll find lots of different techniques on my work. Right now, you probably won’t see anything done the same way twice either. I don’t really like rules. So I suppose free form and rule free is more the way I do things. Though my drunkards path quilt now has a lot of straight lines between the blocks. hmm… guess I’m breaking my personal ‘rules’ too.

#3 Why do I create what I do?
Inspiration comes from everywhere. But most of all, I get inspired when I’m told I can’t do things “that way” or “that’s not going to work” or “no one does it that way” or “that’s not art.” Hearing statements like that just fire me up and make me want to prove that it can and is and is possible.

#4 How does my creative process work?
With my career in coding and web design work, I have always had the philosophy “work hard now, so I can be lazy later.” That translates to thinking about things a lot before starting work. I would rather get it right the first time and have a plan for dealing with the problems than get blind sided by issues later and have to apply a lot of bandaids to the code. Do it right the first time, so it wouldn’t have to be redone a second time. Take the time to do it right. That said, my philosophy, while great for programming, can get in the way of art. What ends up happening is that I tend to ponder on something for way too long before I go for it. But I am not fixed once set on a path. I also tend to switch strides in the middle of a plan and morph it into something else, something better.

Pet Post Cards

SAMQG is doing pet post cards as a charity outreach project and the cards will be available at the Houston Quilt Show 2014. I was inspired to make these by a memory of my bad cat who tormented my fish. Actually, I always thought the fish were tormenting the cat. He never managed to catch a fish. Though he did get wet.

My Bad Cat Pet Post Cards
My Bad Cat Pet Post Cards

We made post cards that used all kinds of techniques. My Bad Cats are raw edge appliqué and have a rat tail cord art quilt edging method to finish them off.

The rat tail cord edging is actually pretty easy. First use a narrow long zig zag to seal off the edges of your quilt sandwich. Then widen your stitch just a teeny bit, lay a rat tail cord right next to and touching the edge and zig zag it on the quilt. THEN, widen your stitch just a bit more and change the length so it is not quite a satin stitch. Since you stitched around twice already, there is enough thread already laid down that a true satin stitch won’t be necessary for a neat and pretty finish.

I’ll show in some future post how to make the ends of your rat tail edge meet up nicely.