Every quilter needs a quilting cat

 I just can't resist sharing this picture of my quilting pal Sally

Love, love, love, this completed quilt

This morning I woke up feeling proud, accomplished, and satisfied. Last night at 9 p.m., I knotted my thread, cut it, and let out a sign. I finished hand sewing the binding to the back. After 18 months, I finished my quilt.

This one was my favorite—no really. I know I say that each time I work on a quilt, but this one is special. This one challenged me. This one honed skills I didn’t have when I began more than 18 months ago. This one has certainly beefed up my quilting resume.

My only disappointment, and that may be too strong a word since I’m elated with this quilt, is that it wasn’t my own design. I’m not sure why I’m stuck on that element, because I only choose to make quilts from patterns I love and want to complete, but creating my own design is the one thing I want to master. I want to sit down with graph paper and colored pencils, or at the computer keyboard and let my imagination run wild.

I’m not sure this will ever happen. After all, every quilt I make since my first quilt was complete in 2003, is uniquely my own, always one of a kind; it is similar to others, but always different. Despite all the people who have sewn this quilt commonly known as Afternoon Delight, no one has this one. The pattern, designed by the late Sue Garman, will have been made by hundreds, and perhaps even tens of thousands of people. Mine is but one of those, but still, this one is all mine. Though it was Garman’s pattern, I collected all the fabrics. I picked the the colors. I decided on the quilting designs. And, of course, I did all the cutting, piecing, hand applique, and quilting.

I have no way of knowing if I will ever achieve this element of my quilting journey—designing my own quilt. I’ve modified existing designs, which could qualify as making them my own, but in my mind, it isn’t quite the same. I hope I can someday achieve designing, but who knows. If I never do, that is OK too because I love quilting. I love every quilt I’ve ever made.

And the list is long for those I still want to make—traditional patterns—like Grandmother’s Flower Garden, Double Wedding Ring, and so many more. I plan to stay busy as long as my fingers still function and my eyes still see, despite a growing difficulty.

I’d have to go pretty far though to love a quilt as much as this one. I loved making this one. I’m enamored with this quilt. It turned out so much better than I imagined.

Finishing a quilt is always joyful, but this one has taken my breath away. I’ve loved every stitch.

Today is all about flaws, both physical and mechanical

I’ve been nursing a bad knee for about a month. I’m not sure what I did, but it doesn’t seem to be getting any better. It is very painful to walk, even with a knee brace, so it appears a doctor visit may be in my future. That is not something I look forward to because I’m a real wimp about such things. However, I may not have a choice if I ever want to walk normally again.

I recently noted in CH Musings, that I am trying out a new quilt hoop on a stand that I recently purchased. 

I have some good news and some bad news on that front. In the meantime though, I’ve been spending time icing, elevating, and resting my left knee which requires lots of sitting. No worries; that has allowed me time to enjoy my quilting. I’ve always known that quilting provided mental therapy, but now it is also my physical therapy. I am so enjoying working on this quilt. I am making great progress too.

The good news is that I’ve really been enjoying hand-quilting on what I call my mini frame.

The frame itself has three knobs, visible in the photo, which holds the hoop assembly onto the stand. These are adjustable and allow the hoop that holds the quilt to rotate up to 360º. Combined with the other tilt mechanisms on the stand, the adjustability makes for a very comfortable quilting experience.

But the bad news is that apparently, and I’m not sure how or why, but the center knob no longer holds the hoop assembly in place. It is stripped and can no longer be tightened. The hoop is now unstable on the frame and can even fall off if I don’t hold it. That isn’t comfortable.

I’ve written to the company, which seems anxious to help. I hope they can send me a new piece so I can continue using this product. I tried in the interim to quilt on my lap using just a frame as I used to. But now that just feels awkward. I suppose I could get used to it again, but I want to try to make this work.

It is time to hobble into the kitchen for ice for my knee, and settle into an afternoon of quilting.

No quilt police here - Some of my quilting go to’s

My quilting life has taught me many things. With over 25 years, some practices have become habit, and have provided some likes and dislikes. The door is always open though, for there is always more to learn, new experiences yet to have, and so many quilts I want to make.

One of the most asked questions of new quilters is whether or not to prewash fabric

I’ve read all the pros and cons, but I really do not like to prewash fabric. I think I did it once and when the fabric came out of the dryer, it was a tangled, wrinkled mess. I tamed it with the iron, but I can’t imagine doing that with everything I buy.

I also like working with fabric right off the bolt. I like the feel of it. But I especially like how it looks in a finished quilt that is washed for the first time.

Perhaps I’ve been lucky, but I’ve made many, many quilts now and never have I had a problem with fabric bleeding. Of course, one bad experience could change that, but so far, there have been none. I am a firm believer in Shout Color Catchers, which has for me, been sufficient. I have worked with rich colors in fabrics and even plenty of batiks in my quilts. I have never (knock on wood) had a problem with colors running into one another in my quilts. All this may change one day if I ever decide to work with hand-dyed fabrics or dye it myself which is something I’ve always wanted to do. I’ve never had the space for that, but who knows what the future holds?

Yardage over pre-cuts

There seems to be a real trend toward buying fabrics already cut into strips, squares, bundles, charm packs, layer cakes, etc. I know this can be a real time-saver. It is can also be beneficial to have like colors and fabrics that go together pre-selected, but for me, that takes the fun out of it.   

One of the challenges I have undertaken in my quilting experience is to learn about colors and patterns, contrast and value in the fabric we use in our quilts. Matching fabrics is one of the first decisions in quilt making; it is one I never want to surrender to someone else. Choosing the right fabrics is part of the thrill of making a quilt. And each one is a learning experience.

Hand quilting versus free-motion machine quilting

Neither hand-quilting nor machine quilting is a preference for me because I enjoy both methods. I free-motion quilted my last quilt but I am currently hand-quilting my latest one. Both methods require practice. Each is enjoyable in its own way.

At the risk of sounding like a crazy woman, my experience has shown that the quilt will tell you what it needs. Quilting a quilt as well as the patterns to use, are the kind of decisions that make a quilt uniquely your own.

I’ve often said that I love every process in quilt making but that isn’t quite true

I do love most parts of making a quilt, from fabric selection, to cutting and sewing, to piecing and quilting, but there is one process I’m not fond of—sandwiching the quilt. Putting the completed quilt top, batting, and backing together and basting is not my favorite part. In fact, I rather dread it. I don’t really have a space for it. I’m too old to lay out a quilt on the floor, and at my house, that is a perfect invitation for cats to play on mom’s new quilt. So, rather grudgingly, I use my dining room table. I drag out the heavy leaf to make it as big as I can. And I set out to get the three pieces together without wrinkles as I do laps around the table many, many times. That works well enough, I suppose, but it is far from ideal.

The same is true for basting the quilt. I’ve tried thread basting, but don’t really like that since the quilt is always bigger, in both length and width, than my table. I’ve basted using curved safety pins and I’ve even tried the spray basting method. I have to admit that I was surprised at how well spray basting worked, but I just don’t have the trust in it, especially for a hand-quilting project that takes so long to complete. So, my go to is pin-basting. I rarely use as many pins as I should because I’m too impetuous and just want to get started quilting. And, I admit that one of my favorite quilts has a big wrinkle in the backing fabric. It isn’t obvious because it was densely machine quilted, and just looks like another seam, but I know it is there. And that is frustrating.

Hand or machine binding

I love binding my quilts by hand. Binding is one of my favorite things because when the binding is done, the quilt is done. There is nothing better than finishing a quilt.

Quilting is such an inspiration to me. It is one of the most fulfilling activities I have found. The best part for me, is the challenge it provides. I have no idea what quilt will be next, but I do know I will always be a quilter.

Please feel free to comment. I’d love to hear your quilting go-to’s.

Quilting challenges

Sometimes, hand-quilting just plain poses challenges.

While it may appear that my problem is the snuggly kitty on my lap, that is only half of the story. 

Besides the fact that Ryan insists on commandeering my full attention, something that happens often around here, but my real problem is trying to get used to using a hoop on a stand. I had been quilting on my lap. This quilt, "#Afternoon Delight" is large and a tad unwieldy. I thought a quilt frame might tame it a little.

Hand-quilting is not something I have done for some time. The last time I attempted it was on my most recent project, a lavender Dresden Plate quilt. 

As stated in a previous post, My latest favorite quilt is done, I attempted to outline all the blades of the plates, but all the seams coming together made that nearly impossible. At the very least, it wasn't enjoyable. Quilting is not supposed to be like work. So, I finally gave up after looking at that unfinished project for too many months. I took out all the stitches and starting anew, free-motion quilting it on my sewing machine. The quilt is now done and I'm very glad I made that decision.

With this project, I decided to hand-quilt it for a variety of reasons. Much of it was hand-appliqued, as explained in a previous post: Applique--now this is fun. Also I wanted to do less showy quilting because the complexity of the pattern with all its colors deserved to be showcased rather than the quilting. But the biggest reason to hand-quilt this one, was to challenge myself to complete it. 

The jury is still out for me on using this new quilting frame. At the very least, it is good to be able to keep the quilt in the frame rather than a bunched up mess piled on the couch when I'm not working on it. There is definitely a learning curve to get used to quilting this way. I think I'm getting the hang of it. I enjoy getting into the zone. It will take me a little longer to finish this though, because I often have to take time out for kitty cuddles. But that is fine with me. 

CHQuilts to merge with CHMusings

Quilting is my passion  

Since CHMusings reflects my personal story, and quilting is such a huge part of my life, I've decided to retire my quilting blog CHQuilts and to integrate it into this space. 

CHMusings will still contain pictures and stories of my natural surroundings, an occasional rant, as well as news and views to share. 

I began writing about quilting several years ago in this very blog. Those early posts are still accessible by clicking on the quilting tab above. 

On mobile devices, click on the Home tab to open the options. Then, click on QUILTING.

Cats and quilts go together

Pictured above is my beloved cat, Ryan napping while I attempt to quilt.

Ryan loves to make herself comfortable on my quilts. I take her adoration as an extreme compliment.

I guess she fell asleep after wearing herself out stretching, writhing, and contorting herself into odd angles, as cats often do. I realized quilting was futile, so I gave up trying. I decided it was time for a lunch break.

I love quilt making, but I adore my cat, Ryan. She is special, like none other. 

Ryan and her sisters were born 13 years ago on a hot July day on the front porch of the home I share with my husband, John. Her mother is a pretty and petite Calico cat, a stray until she decided to adopt us.  She kept hanging around the house, peeking in windows until we finally gave in and let her come into the house. She wasn’t much more than a kitten. But one day she decided indoors was not her thing. She broke out the screen of an open window and took off into the woods. She didn’t go far, and rarely was out of sight, but it was far enough apparently. One day I noticed her girth had changed. She was a little rounder in her middle. I knew immediately that she was pregnant.

Timi was pretty young to give birth, so I wasn’t sure how well things would go. I was there to help if need be. I read up on what to do before the big day so I was prepared. I had a birthing box ready for Timi, all lined with the latest edition of the local news of our town. Another box was lined with a baby afghan left over from my own kids.

One late morning I was sitting at my computer desk when Timi jumped up to the window next to me. She climbed onto the screen and was clawing in a frenzy and was meowing in a voice I hadn’t heard before. I knew it was time. I met her on the front porch, she jumped into the box and before long I saw the most adorable little gray and white kitten. Timi cleaned it, licking, licking, licking until it was dry and fluffy. She had no qualms about letting me take her kitten. That was my introduction to Ryan and it was love at first sight. I held her gently, talked to her, and kept her warm in my hands.

Timi then delivered another, and another, until there were five. I love them all, but Ryan and I have something special between us.

I was very impressed with how Timi settled into her new role of motherhood. I’m not sure what my role was, but I know it changed my life as much or more than it did hers.

I decided I couldn’t part with any of the kittens, so I kept them all. The last one born lived only 11 days. The third one—Boo—was born with a deformity and weakness on her right side. She was basically a three-legged cat. She lived to be 11 years old and was my second favorite. I still miss her every day. Then there are Kenni and Kasey. There is no shortage of kitty love around here.

This period of my life marked a huge quilting hiatus for me, but once I got back to it, I found I had partners. The girls always love snuggling in a new quilt, or an old one for that matter. Only Ryan likes to be involved in the process however. I guess it started when I did primarily hand quilting on my lap. She learned then how to compete with my favorite hobby. Taking a break from stitching to pet my favorite cat is the best of both worlds.

Life is all about finding the joy. I've found two at a time.