Quilt As You Go, Simply Done

Simply Done

Marguerita’s Blog

Lori’s Quilt for Her Sister

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I posted Lori’s sister’s video in this post, but I wanted to show you pics of the quilt too! Here’s the story Lori sent me

I just wanted to drop a quick note to include some photos of the quilt I just finished for my sister’s 40th birthday using your quilt as you go method!. She loves tie dyed….so I got the idea to do it in a quilt. Took on a pretty huge bite…..don’t know what I was thinking…..no pattern, no real vision….just started cutting, then I started sewing!! In the end, I quilted each block with words that had meaning from her life and then put it all together in the nick of time! Her birthday is today. The first photo is the individual squares (or should say rectangles) laid out on the table. The second one is the finished product. Kinda proud of myself!! Thanks for being the voice on my computer that convinced me I could do it!!

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Meet Susan Wilcox Ingersoll

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We live at opposite ends of the North American continent. She’s from New Brunswick, Canada and she’s an organic soapmaker and entrepreneur.

We’ve emailed a few times, starting with this conversation about the decorative stitch quilting process:

I received Crazy Shortcut Quilts for Christmas and am enjoying the book greatly so far. I am working on my first quilt with this technique. At the first when you start to do the quilting and it tells you on page 93 to bring up the bobbin thread I understand and can do. What I am asking about is what do you do with the two threads afterwards. Do you have to know them together or do you just clip them off.

I love the technique very much and can see become addicted very quickly.

I replied to her that if I am using the decorative stitches, usually that will secure the threads enough that they don’t need to be knotted. Two cotton threads rarely need to be knotted, just clipped but, if I am using a rayon or slick polyester on top AND in the bobbin, I’ll check the line of stitching first (after all the quilting is done to the block) and see if they look like they are going to stay secure. Sometimes if I’ve used a simple stitch then I’ll knot the threads before clipping. I hope that makes sense. I just leave the long tails hanging while doing all the stitching because if you sew over the ends of one line of stitching with another line, that also secures the ends. After all the stitching on the blocks is done, then I go back and clip thread ends. I have a lot of videos on YouTube if you want to check some of them out – especially the one on using a “fat quarter inch seam” when joining/sashing your blocks together.

She also asked about using heavier than cotton fabrics, and we chatted about those options, with each of us deciding that a quilt made out of ANY fabric is better than no quilt at all. We are both frugal experimenters at heart. Then she told me about herself a little more

I live on a small island off of New Brunswick , only 2500 people live here, and no fabric store. So all my trips away to the mainland are usually used up taking family to doctor visits and not much time left to shop for fabric. I have lots of other interests as well as sewing, card making, jewelry making and soap making and stay at home mother, so when I get a hankering to sew I will use what I have on hand and lately that is not much.

We both love writing and quilting! Here are two of Susan’s quilts with her note

I would like to show you my first two quilts using your method. I love it!!!!!!! Thank you.

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Rosie’s Quilts

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Another quilt show!! I LOVE getting photos of finished quilts and Rosie sent me this message, along with pics of her quilts …

I’ve just looked at your web site and would like to say how much I’ve enjoyed your book. I’ve attached a couple of photos of quilts I’ve made. The pastel coloured one is a suduko themed pattern and the other was made for a cat lover – all the fabrics are cat themed.

Cats



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Pastel

Lori’s Quilt

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Lori sent me this message and a short video!

My sister had her 40th birthday party on Saturday in Pennsylvania. I couldn’t be there, but her good friend shot the video for me. I did free hand quilting on each block, writing in meaningful words and images. (Names of childhood pets, favorite teachers, etc). I am including a clip that shows her reaction after looking over the quilt. I had no particular pattern or plan…other than your book telling me how to finish any quilt. I had to make peace with my imperfections (I am a brand new quilter) and remind myself not to stress. In the end, it was Forever a lesson for me…it was perfect….crooked seams, puckers and all!!

Quilting has come to my life at a perfect time for me and your videos gave me the courage to jump in! I have my sewing room set up with Costco tables, styrofoam insulation and vinyl sheets!! I love it!

Lori Z

Click to watch —-> QuiltGift


Alane’s Quilt Story

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Alane was working from my book “Finish (almost) Any Quilt” when she wrote to me. She was working on a quilt for her dad, sitting by his side in the hospital. Alane was hand piecing her blocks but she wanted to quilt them (and bring the quilt together) with a quilt-as-you-go method. She updated me recently with this note and pics of her quilt.

This quilt will always be special to me. I hand pieced it while sitting in the hospital with my dad, and the decorative stitches I used over my seams made me feel confident that my hand stitches would never rip out. I am still working on what to say on my label, but I’ll figure that out in time.

I did learn that you have great tips in the book, and if you don’t do it, you regret it….My quilt is not perfect by any means, I made a lot of errors when I didn’t follow your directions exactly.

I’ve started another quilt using dad’s dress shirts, and will attempt quilting again using your method. Thanks so much!

You might want to add that the entire quilt was free except for thread. Along with calling it my Ugly hospital quilt, I call it my “Green” quilt. I used scrap fabric, an old mis-shaped fleece blanket for the batting and and some old flat sheets for the backing.

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Lorraine’s Quilt Show

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Lorraine and I have been email chatting for weeks. She’s had some issues with her sewing machine, and a few questions. But early in January she sent the first pic and said

“Please enjoy with me my latest project made for my first born, Kevin”

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Then later in January she sent this note and pic:

Had to share my first free motion quilt, not perfect but in my grandaughter’s eyes it was.

Granddaughter's

and in the same email, she was planning her next quilt. She said “I purchased about 12 all cotton blouses from a local thrift store recently with plans of making two scrappy quilts, one for my sister’s birthday in May and the other for a neighbor bedridden with cancer.”

In early February, she sent this pic and note:





Yesterday I delivered a new lap quilt to my neighbor. When I called to let her know I was coming over, she was blown away that I had made her a quilt. That made me so happy.

neighbor's

Lorraine’s still busy, now planning a quilt for her other granddaughter.

The Sweetest Words

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From Linda P. via Facebook “Thank you. You gave me the confidence to free motion my blocks successfully and finish my quilt I started 5 years ago. I love this method!”

Introducing The Quilter’s Calendar

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… a new website to help connect quilters, guilds and quilting teachers. It’s a searchable calendar of quilting events (mostly guild hosted) that all quilters will find useful.

Quilters can easily find events happening in their own (or nearby) states.

Quilters who travel can find events in the locations that they are going to – shows, retreats, guild hosted classes and shop hosted classes.

Quilt guilds will find teachers who are already booked in their states, making it easier to arrange “piggy back” bookings with that teacher and sharing the travel expenses between guilds – saving both guilds money!

Quilt Teachers will have greater exposure for their teaching events, increasing attendance.

It’s a win-win situation for all quilters!

Here’s a short video on how to use the site. Let me know what you think or if you have any suggestions to make it better.