Thanksgiving, school props, and painting (Adam's finish)

Lots going on in the Marcotte lot. Firstly, we celebrated Thanksgiving in grand fashion with two meals on Thursday. One for the parents at noon because Papa can't handle too many people. About three is his limit, so we cooked a second meal for the kids for supper. 

That also gives the boys a chance to visit with their wives' families, and they can drop in on their grandparents a few at a time. No one gets left out this way. It's lots more work, but worth the extra effort since it means making things easier for the aging parents and it helps the kids arrange holidays with their families. Of course, there's nothing left of the food. By now everything has been eaten as leftovers or put in the freezer. 

Saturday and Sunday everyone just tried to rest and do a few things around the house. Adam and Richard had a special project going on. They built props for an upcoming school play. Can you guess which one? If you said A Charlie Brown Christmas, I'd have to agree because these are definitely CB props, but the real truth is that no one has really told me anything except to come see the cuteness. And, well, it is all kinds of cute.

Even better everything is made from left-over wood from a job or previous project. Even the mailbox is recycled. We replaced ours a few weeks ago and it had not found its way to the trashcan for pickup. Apparently we generate more trash in the fall, when we tend to purge the most, thanks to the cooler weather.

Adam retrieved it from somewhere, banged the dents out (it had been run over by a tractor) and mounted it on a freestanding pole. Then he painted it a very bright yellow. The flag was missing, so he even built a wooden flag that moves up and down. 

And now we're on to my current project. I'm working on another cotton painting. It's much like one in neutrals, beige and brown that I wrote about here. I also painted two in blues and wrote about those here.

I didn't like the beige one until it grew on me, then it became my favorite. I planned on painting a few using a green background but that hasn't happened. I supposed green needs to be higher on the list. At any rate this one is still a wip. 

The cotton bolls are still too dark and I need to add to the stalk. Cotton plants, you see, have many sharp limbs that do not bear unless the earliest flowers or seed pods are lost--as in eaten by a cow or destroyed by a storm. Then the plant is poised ready to put out new seed pods as soon as the early ones are lost.

It's interesting how much you can learn about a subject when you begin a "little" research just so your art is more authentic. Anyway, I'll show pics when the painting is complete and the frame is complete, and I pair the two. That may be a week or so, since my husband insists on making frames as though they will be seen from the front of the artwork. They are not but he's a perfectionist. And I am asking for a favor, so I guess we'll wait for a perfect frame.

In case you missed the pictures I took at IQS, all the posts are here:

Houston 2018 International Quilt Festival {page 1}

Houston 2018 International Quilt Festival {page 2}

Houston 2018 International Quilt Festival {page 3}

Houston 2018 International Quilt Festival {page 4}

Houston 2018 International Quilt Festival {page 5}

Painted and Quilted and Framed...Oh My a Finish!

I'm not sure which should be listed first, since I both paint and quilt these pieces at the same time. In fact, sometimes I paint then quilt too soon. I can't seem to wait when there's something in my head wanting to get out. 

I've discovered that not waiting can be a bad thing: the needle picks up the paint and the thread dredges through that small, tiny little drop. You can't imagine how much paint can get carried from one stitch to another and another and another.

In other words, it makes a mess. Take the stitches out, right? 
That requires touching the paint and spreading it around via the seam ripper. Bigger mess, that. Okay, so let it dry. Ha! removing stitches that have been stitched and painted on...let's just say it ain't easy and it sure ain't fun!



Honestly, the best option is to stay out of the paint while it's wet. And since it's rough on the needle once it's dry, it's probably a good idea to stay out of the paint altogether. Such a difficult idea to stick with.


But handling the paint and the needle just right means creating a three-dimensional effect, which I really like. On this painting, the largest cotton boll has a high relief that protrudes from the background plane, but it also has a sunken relief caused by the quilting process.  

My goal is to learn more about how to create a variety of reliefs and to learn how light plays on the piece as a result of the quilting and relief work. 

I experimented with the quilting by creating interlocking circles and then echo quilting the shapes that these circles created. I also experimented by playing with size. This one is 12" X 20" and my sweet husband made the frame for me. 

At first I didn't like the piece. I thought the background and the painted sections blended too much. But now that it's finished, it seems to be growing on me. I honestly believe that seeing through my camera lens is what changed my mind. Somehow it has a different look and mood. 
Definitely it has improved my mood!

Thanks for visiting. Please make suggestions and leave comments. I'd love to know what you think.

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My Quilt Infatuation

Confessions of a Fabric Addict

Quilted Scrap Basket ~~ Tutorial

I got a couple of emails asking me to expand on the idea I wrote about in the "Scraps into Buckets" post on Friday. So I thought about writing a tutorial. Be warned this tutorial is picture heavy and rather long. But I think I've included every detail. If you're a seasoned sewist, you may want to read through and then go do your own thing. 

I still have baskets to make, but the problem is that I've already pieced and quilted the scraps. So we'll begin this tutorial with the idea that you've made a quilt sandwich of at least 16 inches square. I should mention that all of my basket fabrics were densely quilted using many motifs as this is a great way to practice your quilting.

At the cutting table. Cut your quilted fabric to 15 X 15 (photo 1).  I used a Frixion pen to draw lines in each corner indicating where I will cut (photo 2). The yellow ovals indicate where quilting pins are to stabilize the pieces since I cut two baskets at a time using my large titanium scissors. (Rotary cutters are difficult to control in corners.) The lines in step two above are 4½ " long for a medium size basket. (Please ignore what I see now looks like appears to be a bad cut on the bottom, that's a photo manipulation error.)  Photo 3 shows you what the piece looks like after cutting. 

On to the machine. Fold the cut piece on the diagonal so that you can match the two edges of one corner (photo A). When sewing these baskets, I make a straight seam ¼" from the edge, then add a zigzag seam on the inside (see my crazy drawing in photo B). This is to strengthen the seam in case the basket is used to hold heavy, bulky items. Once both sides of the basket are stitched, you can refold the basket to sew the other two sides. This is a little difficult because the basket does not want to fold flat (photo C); use a couple of pins and avoid pushing the center of the basket since that may warp the seam. Again sew a straight line and a zigzag line against the edge.

Binding. You should now have a box shape (well, sort of anyway) and are ready to finish off the top. I have tried a couple of ways to do this, and believe me, I have some messy baskets to prove it. I've finally settled on one technique that works well for me. 

Cut a strip of binding 1½"  X 16". Turn the basket so that the seams are on the inside and pin the binding around the top edge (photo A). TIP: Now is a good time to add your label. Double check your binding to connect the ends: there should be a 1½" overlap. Anything over needs to be cut off. Fold and pin as in photo C. Cut the excess and finger-press the seam open (photo D).  You can now sew the binding completely around the basket. TIP: Take your time, stop often and readjust. Otherwise, the basket will catch on everything in its path and derail your stitching. 

Once the first part of the binding is sewn, turn the basket so that the seam side is out. Flip the binding up (photo A); then fold it in half (photo B) and in half again (photo C). Pin well and edge stitch (photo D). TIP: Take your time and try to make a neat seam as this one will show. All Done!

Squaring up. I spent a great deal of time trying to get my basket into square shapes. It was one of those things that I had to prove to myself. So I pressed. Then I sprayed water and pressed. I used steam. I tried sizing. Finally, I had an idea! 

My secret: weight. (No, not mine but I considered...) I digress. 

First you have to press with the iron to set the lines. Use the seams to figure out where the fold lines are at the bottom of the basket. Fold and press from the bottom end  of one seam across to the seam on it's side (corner to corner). Do all four bottom lines; then do the side seams. 

Now you can fold the basket into a box shape. Think of a paper bag fold. First push the sides inward (photo A); as the sides fold, the bag will collapse in on itself (photo B). That's a good thing, so hold it if possible. Check that the edges are straight and pin (photo C). Then put something with weight on top of the basket (photo D). 

I leave the weight on the bags for a day or so. I also stack several bags on top or beside each other and use the same weight. Of course, heavy books will work, but I've been using a plastic container of fabric (really anything heavy but clean) and I'm quite satisfied with the result. 

This nesting stack shows the difference between the two that have been weighted (as opposed to pressing with an iron) and the top one which has not been weighted.

Nest your baskets. I used an easy formula to create my nesting baskets. I cut all of my quilted fabric the same 15" square. The corners are where I made the changes. I started with the 4½" and then cut the next one 4" and the last one 5½".  The changes are very subtle but it's just enough to do the job. 

Thanks for visiting and making it to the end! I hope you enjoyed the tutorial and that it answers all of your questions. If not, please let me know in the comments. Do you plan to make a few quilted baskets or have you? I'd love to know how they turned out!

Linking Up with the Party Queens

Crazy Mom Quilts

My Quilt Infatuation

Busy Hands Quilts

Confessions of a Fabric Addict

Brag About It @ My Husband Has Too Many Hobbies

Scraps into Buckets...double-dipped finishes

I didn't have as much time this week for sewing as I had hoped, but on Wednesday I played hookey from school, which helped very much. Last week I started work on a new project using the blue scraps and left over scraps from other projects. 

I really should not post these but they are so cute, and I'm desperate for something to write about. Aww, it'll be okay. 

But, I can't tell you anything about what they are for, of course.  I thought you might enjoy the eye candy though. I guess it's okay to call these eye candy...I plan to use the smallest one to hold candy so there's that. 

 There are many. Lots. A whole lot. Seven right now. But I still have some of the quilted fabric. So guess what? Yes indeed. There will be more. We'll see how many. And what sizes. 

The thing is I've been double-dipping, of sorts. First I sewed the scraps together, then I quilted it, then I turned the quilted fabric into baskets. Second, one of the "patterns" that I'm using requires that I cut the corners off the fabric. Those corners, it turns out, can be sewn together. And if sewn together correctly, five of them will make a small basket.

But wait! There's more! (Sounds like an "As Seen On TV" ad, doesn't it?)  Two of the corners make the bottom of a long basket. So I'm using scraps to make scrap baskets; then I'm using the scraps from the baskets to make more baskets. 

How cool is it that by the time I'm done, I'll have created and used every scrap of the fabric I made from scraps? 

          Linking up with these favorites:

Crazy Mom Quilts

My Quilt Infatuation

Busy Hands Quilts

Confessions of a Fabric Addict

Brag About It @ My Husband Has Too Many Hobbies

More of the Little Things ~~ Finishes

As I was sewing earlier in the week, this mess kept getting in the way. When I had to rip out a perfectly good seam because a scrap had attached itself into the seam, I decided that enough was enough! 

I had to do something about the scraps that were spilling over the edges onto the floor and now into my sewing. I thought about finding a bucket in Richard's shed, but that would have required lots of cleaning and washing. Nah. I'm not one to wash a ratty old plastic bucket when I can whip up one in very little time. 

And, of course, since it's to be a scrap bucket, I made it from scraps. Some of those very ones that were bugging the heck out me by getting in the way.

I really wanted a bucket. One that would hold its shape and sit up straight and tall so that when I'd toss scraps in the right direction, I'd get it into the bucket. Maybe the ugly plastic one would have worked after all. But this one is much prettier.

To make it sit up straight and tall, I used four layers: the backing (which doesn't show in this picture) a layer of heavy Pelon interfacing, a layer cotton, and my stitched together scrap fabric.

I quilted it lightly using a wavy stitch that now looks as though it goes around and around the bucket.

I tried to keep the inside clean and low key so that I wouldn't be grabbing at a fake scrap--one that was sewn into the bucket. Instead, the inside is a light gray and off-white. It's pretty big also, this dark picture show what a pack of needles looks like inside--small.

 One of the things I like most about using scraps for projects is that I end up with a fun, changing design. Every time I turn or move the bucket, there's a different design and color, despite that I used some fabrics a couple of times.

One reason to use fabrics two or three times, is to give the bucket a cohesive look in the overall design. I really do like this little project. 













 Doesn't it look good on my sewing table? Now I have a large scrap bucket on the worktable and a small one on the sewing table. I wonder if I really have that many scraps...

This did not make a dent in the scraps! Well, not much even though I used scraps for every bit of it, including the batting, Pelon and backing fabric. 

Because there are so many scraps, I thought I'd make a few more pincushions. I know, they don't use up much scraps, but I am working on a large project and didn't want to get too far away from that. So here are some pictures of the pincushion that did get finished.

I know, that's lots of pictures for a little pincushion and a quilted bucket, but I like them so! What do you think? What projects are you working on?

Linking up with 
Crazy Mom Quilts  
Sew Fresh Quilts
Confessions of a Fabric Addict  

More "Glitz" Snap Purses

After making the snap bags last week using Michael Miller "Glitz," I liked them so much that I decided to make a couple more this time using some of the black and gold fabric.

I liked the size of the bags but wanted to experiment with different dimensions. 

 I like the black at least as much as the white ones, maybe a little bit better. Well, maybe.

Now for the big decision: who gets these cute little bags? And the other question: do I want to make more since there's still a bit of fabric left?

Hmm, I wonder...

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Quarter Inch from the Edge

Crazy Mom Quilts
Lizzy Leonard Vintage Sewing
A Quarter Inch from the Edge

Modern Feathers: Yellow Bag

Back in September I began a new work, which I thought might become a quilt using feathers.  I found the Anna Maria Horner tutorial and played for a while, but you know I had to do my own thing!  I began playing differently and eventually figured out a few things of my own.  I wrote about how I went from the Horner tutorial to my own feathers.  See that post here.

Anna Maria Horner tutorial feathers

All's great when you're having fun, but when you get stuck...

Mary Marcotte applique feathers

And did I get stuck!  The first block looked great, but it  did not play well with the second block.  The yellow background is the same in both blocks, so obviously my colors are off in the pictures, but my real problem is that the feathers are so different I just didn't feel that they could work in the same quilt.  

I did what I generally do when I get stuck--set the blocks aside. My brain needs lots of time to process problems.  In the end the feathers sat on the edge of the work table for almost a month.  

I finally decided that I had to do something with the two blocks and chose to make a quilted book tote.  It's large enough to hold several books.  Plus, the long, durable straps can hold whatever weight I might put in and are a perfect match for the yellow fabric.  

I took these pics yesterday afternoon and used the bag today: quite happy to report that it works as well as I had hoped.  
Love yellow? Make a feather bag.

Linking up with

Crazy Mom Quilts--go check out her half inch HST's!