Rag Rug, and Other WIPs

The past few days have been productive, and I'm especially pleased to share my finished braided rag rug. I started this in a November 27 virtual workshop with Ilka White (in Castlemaine, Victoria, Australia) and concluded the workshop on December 4. I finished the rug yesterday. 

Using several techniques Ilka taught, my rug includes spirals, different widths - weaving up to 12 braids at a time - and color changes. We learned in the second workshop how to reduce the number of braids to end the rug. Mine finished at about 33" in diameter.

I would have made the rug larger except: 1) I used all of the damask tablecloth, and part of a bed sheet; and 2) I didn't have any piece of old clothing or tablecloth or sheet to use for braiding darker aqua that I wanted around the outside. I resorted to using several solid and print quilting cottons. Because the quilting cotton is thinner (than the damask), a definable "lip" appeared between the light center and that edge. 

Also, I wasn't happy about using stashed-for-quiltmaking fabrics in a rag rug. Next time, I will shop at a thrift store more knowledgeably - looking for a broader range of clothing and home decor items to tear up for braiding.

It was just as much fun meeting my classmates as it was learning to braid! These are my mates, two of whom had to leave early. Ilka is in the top row, second from the left. One other person is American (in California); one is Canadian. The others are Australians.

We each had opportunities to talk about our rugs. Some made a round rug and some made an oval rug. It was nice getting acquainted with everyone, and a couple of us are now following one another on Instagram.

Central Florida MQG has set a 2021 chapter challenge, due in March. Using fabric scraps, we're to design a modern quilt with negative space. The quilt can be any size (I always go big), and should include one of three suggested characteristics. This is my 14½" trial block pieced with scraps, and cut using a Classic Curves ruler. 

Being enamored with the new-to-me Siddi method of making a quilt (learned in a virtual workshop with Sujata Shah), I decided to try something completely different. It's India meets Ohio! I'm using my (Ohio) grandmother's vintage fabric scraps to make a 16" X 23" Kawandi. Hmm. Scrap fabrics are hand-stitched to a backing and batting, working from the outside in.

I'm in the process of soaking, rinsing, and drying more of Grandma's scraps to give me more variety in the prints. I have no idea how good or bad this will look when it's finished!

Here's an updated picture of Italica, my patterned improv quilt top. It's 72" high by 71" wide, so I've decided to add another top and bottom row of pieced improv, similar to the "track" piece at the top, to make it more rectangular than square. 

Book Recommendation

I have a real recommendation to make: The Midnight Library by Matt Haig. I've never read any of his books (apparently there are quite a few), but enjoyed this one about Nora Seed. In her late 20's, Nora believes her life is too pathetic and unremarkable to continue living. So, on the last day of her life, she finds herself in an enormous library with shelves of books about her life that "could have been." Reading through all her life's regrets - not continuing to swim; not going through with a wedding; not performing with a rock group - the librarian explains that Nora can visit those regrets to experience her "could have been" lives. This thought-provoking story will give the reader pause to consider how lives might have been lived differently, while helping us appreciate where we are now.

Linda's score: 4.3/5.0

Sunday afternoon, FedEx delivered my prize from an Instagram win sponsored by Brewer Sewing. I am certain the eight items total well over $100 worth of merchandise! 

1 - 27" x 36" piece of cork shot with gold metallic

2 - "Cut It Out" zipper case for holding rotary cutters

3 - 14" X 14" wool pressing mat (the second wool pressing mat I've won through Instagram giveaways!)

4 - 6½" X 6½" ruler

5 - the book Create with Cork Fabric, by Jessica Salle Kapitanksi @sallietomatopatterns

6, 7, 8 - enamel charm, and two needle minders (magnetic).

I've also lately received purchases: the new, updated version (paperback) of The Encyclopedia of Pieced Quilt Patterns; and a turquoise Oliso mini project iron.

I bet you know what you can find me doing! Yep. Having a good play! Linda

A Braiding Week

During all my free time this week, I obsessively worked on my braided rag rug. I can't tell you what a delight it has been to work on this.

This is where I was after last Friday night's workshop.

A couple days later, it looked like this. All the blue/yellow/white light-colored fabric is torn strips of a damask tablecloth. Yes, it is fraying. When I introduced a couple prints into the braid - note that red-orange dot from my quilting fabric stash - a design began to emerge. At this point I had increased from four braids, to six braids, to eight braids. 

This spiral affect appeared when I deliberately positioned light and dark braids in the weave. By now I was braiding with ten weaves, and the rug is about 25" in diameter. 

I'm up to 12 braids now, and want to start gradating into darker aquas. 

Oh how I'm lovin' this! It's been so hard to put down! I'm already anticipating making another rug which means more shopping at Goodwill for used home goods or clothing. It's too expensive to keep using quilting cotton. I think the next rug will be oval-shaped. 

Tonight's 8:30 PM "Braided Rag Rug" workshop with Ilka White of Castlemaine, New South Wales, Australia, is part two of two sessions. I'm looking forward to seeing what other students have done!

Two pieces of happy news...

First, I learned I won an Instagram giveaway sponsored by Brewer Sewing @brewersewing. All I know is that I'm one of five people who won a box of goodies!

And... in September, I sewed clothes that I blogged about here. One of the pieces I made was a Sienna Shift dress, using embroidered fabric yardage found on the sale table at JoAnn's. In the month of November, on Instagram I entered a Sienna Shift competition #siennashiftdresscomp sponsored by @sewthispattern.

So, my second piece of news is that three judges chose first, second, and third-place winners, and added a fourth place that was awarded to me! I'll be getting a $50 voucher to the online fabric store Mood Fabrics, and a free PDF clothing pattern. I'm sure pleased! See first, second, and third-place Sienna Shift dress winners here. 

Hours spent braiding gave me an opportunity to get back into an audiobook groove, listening to a completely trite and happy-ending Christmas-time story It Happened in Scotland, by Patience Griffin. This is my 60th audiobook this year!

American widow Rachel, wanting her five year-old daughter Hannah to meet her gran-da, takes her to Scotland for Christmas. They go to the small seaside village of Gandiegow, where her deceased husband, Joe, grew up. Though an outsider, Rachel captures the attention of several townswomen because she's a quiltmaker. Rachel begins teaching at Quilting Central, a quilter's retreat cottage (lots of recognizeable quiltmaking terms are used - and used accurately!) while finding herself once again attracted to Brodie, Joe's cousin. If you like Hallmark-type romances, you'll like this book.

Linda's score: 3.5/5.0

Shared on Instagram by a friend - it's funny because it's true!

Jamie Lynn on Instagram @purejoycreative is an artist who shares and sells Christian artwork, including free coloring book pages. Last week she offered this picture, which I made my cell phone home screen. It's such a nice reminder of the season. 

These days, every uplifting moments is appreciated. Linda

WIPs and New Braiding

Since finishing three quilts in the past week (ah, such a good feeling), I've turned my attention back to WIPs. 

The first one I started working on after retreat is Italica, my second patterned improv quilt that's a result of my "Linear Blocks" virtual workshop with Maria Shell @talesofastitcher. 

Italica is pieced with six large "Old Italian" blocks, but at 45" X 72" it isn't wide enough to be a completed quilt top. So after browsing further through Maria's book Improv Patchwork, I decided to make herringbones (pages 72-73 in the book) for each side. Each herringbone block measure 8½" X 11½" unfinished, and I need nine of them for each side. 

This patterned improv continues to be a very messy effort - meaning that I end up creating more scraps every time I cut a strip of fabric to piece. Though I've even pieced a few strips, I don't know how I'll ever use-up all the scraps I make! I wonder if Maria thinks this is a problem... and what she does about it. 

Peg loom weaving my 67-yard ball of stripped, pieced and bias-tape-folded yellow fabric into a chair pad was quick work after stopping at JoAnn Fabrics to buy a second ball of Wool Ease for the warp.

This is the fourth of four pads for our dining room chairs that used up a total of approximately 9¾ yards of stashed fabric. We have two more chairs, which are seldom-used, but I may make a couple more sometime down the road.

Friday evening's virtual workshop with Ilka White was great! Ilka teaches how to turn old fabrics like clothing, tablecloths, sheets and other clothes into a beautiful rag rug. I was so excited about learning how to do this, and I wasn't at all disappointed. Ilka is a skilled and patient instructor, who definitely knows a lot about braided rugs. Once you know the basics, the possibilities are endless. I wish I could share all the pictures she showed of different rugs - color combos, zig-zag designs, and patterns. Just fabulous! 

I began the workshop at 8:30 PM with these supplies: A tablecloth and king-sized sheet from Goodwill (for about $10); a clipboard; crochet hook; and fabric scissors. That's it!

When the workshop concluded at 11:35 PM, I was so pumped up from the fun of realizing "I can do this!" that it was after 1 AM until I fell asleep. When I woke at 6 AM, my first thoughts flew to the wee rug I've begun. The clipboard is meant to hold the fabric and keep the piece flat as braiding begins. 

Working on it this week will be a treat, as I expect to add more colors and more rags to braid six, then eight, then ten rags (and more) at a time. When the 15 of us in the workshop meet again next Friday night, I'm looking forward to seeing everyone's progress, and will be ready to soak in more information about this enjoyable craft.

Interestingly, only two of us are from the US; the other person lives in San Francisco. One attendee is Canadian. The rest are Australians, and you know how I love listening to a beautiful Aussie accent... I "reckon" you do! 😄

If you're looking for a virtual workshop - one with a fabulous instructor (she knows Zoom and how to utilize her camera), and minimal supplies (fabric!) - I highly recommend Ilka's "Braided Rag Rug" workshop. It's definitely worth two late nights.

Book Recommendation

My pace of audiobook listening has slowed since quilt retreat and finishing a Netflix series. But I finished Commonwealth by Ann Patchette. Actually, I sort of slogged through it. Though fans of Ann Patchett give her high marks, this book didn't resonate with me.

The story is about two couples in California, both with children. The husbands are acquainted through work. One husband is attracted to the other's wife; divorces ensue; families split between California and Virginia, and consequently shuttle between the two places; and the children each have tragic and sad experiences and emotions to deal with. The author focuses in turn on each of the adult children who replay their childhoods and attempt to determine how and what went wrong. So it's about sisters and brothers and step-sisters, and the dynamics and problems of mixed families.

Linda's score: 3.7/5.0

It's time to go braiding! I hope you have something fun to spend your time on. Linda

Kawandi #2, and Happy Thanksgiving

Several weeks ago I shared my attempt to self-teach how to make a Kawandi (quilt), Siddi-style, following a YouTube video - the only video I found on the topic. That Kawandi turned out okay.

Kawandi #1, 15" X 25"

So, many evenings find me in my aqua chair, under my Slimline floor lamp, doing handwork - hand piecing a Starfish quilt, English paper piecing, or lately, indulging in my new Kawandi/Siddi quilt obsession Hand work just feels good!

I learned a lot more about Siddi quilts after taking @therootconnection 's virtual workshop on November 6. With Kawandi #2, mistakes in Kawandi #1 were corrected (not enough fabric contrast), and additions were worked out (adding "fula" at each of the four corners, and accessorizing with "tikli," tiny randomly-placed squares) .  

Kawandi #2 is made with solid scraps. Only fula at the four corners are prints, from a folded square of fabric.

The fabric I selected as backing is from Christina Camelli's "Moongate" collection. Choosing the back fabric is the first step in making a Kawandi which is assembled completely in reverse from a regular quilt. All the piecing/quilting is worked from the outside edges toward the center. I used Quilter’s Dream Poly Request batting, and Aurifil 12-weight thread in off-white, #2000.

 

Since our kitchen includes a colorful array of Fiestaware dinnerware, this Kawandi looks good on our dining table.

Finishing this Kawandi means I'm mostly caught up on projects, except for the Maria Shell-style patterned improv quilt I started a few weeks ago - the one I've named Italica.

"Caught up" is good because this Friday, November 27, I'll be taking another virtual workshop. The instructor is Ilka White who lives in Melbourne, Australia! She teaches a two-session workshop called "Braided Rag Rug," that uses old tablecloths, sheets, and clothing. Looks like this is how we get started, using a clip board to hold the work.

Since our time zones are flip-flopped, I'll be starting my workshop at 8:30 PM. It's three hours long. I'm hoping my excitement about it will keep me going until it ends at 11:30 PM! Then, the following Friday, December 4, I'll do it all again to attend the second three-hour workshop session.

A Canadian doctor-friend on Instagram @kupitis, has been especially busy during this pandemic, and posted this to her Instagram feed a few days ago. It speaks volumes about the inconsiderate behavior of many people, and how worn out health care workers have become. 

Everybody I know continues to stay at home, and wear masks and sanitize when they must go out. As we should.

Dan and I will be at home by ourselves for Thanksgiving. He's doing all the cooking except for my job of making a salad, and pumpkin pie and whipped topping. There might be some after-dinner gin rummy or Rummikub game action too.

I hope you, and those you're self-quarantining with, have a blessed day. Linda

Color Block Postage Stamp Quilt

In my September 18 blog post I shared a picture of my finished postage stamp quilt top, pieced during early spring pandemic days. Each of the 72 blocks are 8” x 8” (finished) and made with 64-1½” square scraps (unfinished) from this never ending basketful. (Some of you who've been around for a while may recognize my Longaberger basket. It's the 1992 "Season's Greetings" basket.)

I also intentionally cut squares of solids for each block. Not that I'm counting - though I am! - this quilt has 4,608 1½” X 1½” pieces!

My 2019 plan was to take prepared patches with me to 2020 sew days and retreats for slow sewing. Coronavirus changed those plans  

Color Block Postage Stamp Quilt, 66" X 74"

When piecing blocks, I used the web method - the same method I use and shared in a web tutorial for piecing a quilt top. I made two blocks at a time so I could continuously chain piece from one block to another. Web seams are pressed one way, changing with each row, for nesting; and final seams are pressed open.

The first seams (columns) were finger-pressed to one side. Second seams (rows) were then nested in opposite directions. When piecing the quilt top, a lot of pinning happened, to get block-to-block seams to match as closely as possible.

Finally, I snipped all the chaining threads and pressed seams open with an iron. Both the individual blocks, and the quilt top were pieced according to this web method.

With all the seams, this is a pretty heavy quilt. Batting is lightweight Quilter’s Dream Cotton Request. 

I managed to quilt this while away from home last week. Quilting is an all over ruler work clamshell design done with a Fine Line 2" Half-Circle template by Accents in Design. 

I quilted the first clamshell on the diagonal, at a corner, building clamshells diagonally across the quilt to the opposite corner. 

Backing fabric is a wide-back from my friend's Etsy shop: Moda Grunge "Hits the Spot - Pool." She gives a 10 percent discount to MQG members.

As usual with a scrappy quilt, binding is a black and white stripe applied with the No Tails Binding: Mitered Corners by Machine method. This stripe is printed on the diagonal, so I only needed to cut it on the cross-grain to get binding with a spiral effect. I love that!

Here's the now-obligatory photo of my Color Block Postage Stamp quilt hanging in our front yard Bismarck palm. I adore this palm! #quiltinabismarckpalm

Linda

Maze Quilt

I began making Maze in a Saturday, November 7 virtual workshop offered by South Florida Modern Quilt Guild, of which I'm a member. The Maze pattern by Malka Dubrawsky can be found on the MQG website, free to members. 

I modified the pattern to make it larger by cutting fabric strips 2½" wide, rather than 2" as Malka designed it.

Last week's retreat gave me ample opportunity to work on it. I finished piecing half of the quilt top, put it together, and pin-basted it on the bathroom floor.

Though quilting isn't an ideal retreat activity due to limited surface space for supporting a large quilt (I have such a wonderful set-up at home, it's tough to match anywhere else) I determined to quilt anyway. One of my friends caught me in action. 

I'd taking along a covered TV tray, for pressing fabric, and used it for quilt support along the back of my table. For quilt support on the left side of the table, I used a lamp table! I made it work. 

Quilting was with a walking foot and free motion foot.

Each color band is straight-line quilted with a matching color of Aurifil #50 thread. The navy blue maze is free motion quilted in a ribbon pattern.

Maze, 46" X 65"

Finishing with binding.

From this photo, you can see how the quilt crinkled-up after washing. I don't usually wash a quilt after finishing it, but this one was out of alignment. Washing helped, likely due to shrinkage from the Hobb's cotton (80%) - wool (20%) batting.

So here's my obligatory #quiltinabismarckpalm photo. I think Maze will make a nice donation quilt.

Linda