Summer in Seattle

The City and sail boats

I've said it before and I'll say it again, I love living in Seattle. I was raised by the beach, and never want to stray very far from salt water, so Seattle works for me! With an estimated 668,342 residents, and a metropolitan area of around 3.6 million inhabitants Seattle offers a large variety of things to do.

Seattle is home to some of the world's best boating waterways. The lakes, large and small, Puget Sound and the Pacific Ocean make boating a joy in this majestic region.

We are regulars on Tuesday for the weekly Duck Dodge sail boat race. The official web site calls it the "The Ultimate Beer Can Race" - Sailing World, July 2008. And it is listed in FODOR's as one of the "TOP 100 Things to do in Northern America."

On the left is a Duck Boat(a sightseeing boat) and the right is a vintage wooden boat.

Feet You Probably Own - The Zig Zag Foot or Straight Stitch Foot

Zigzag Foot
Available with a either a solid or a clear sole. The smooth flat sole holds the fabric firmly against the feed dogs. There is a slight indentation both in front and behind the needle to allow stitching forwards and backwards.










The Sewing 

Zig Zag Foot or Straight Stitch Foot

Piecing

Top Stitching

Attaching Ribbon

Straight Stitching

Parallel Stitching

Decorative Stitching

Double Needle Stitching 

Tucks

Double Needle Pin Tucks

Attaching Ribbon

 

Parallel Stitching

Joining the Blocks: Quilt-As-You-Go Style

Joining the Blocks in a Quilt-As-You-Go Style worked out just perfectly for I quilt I just finished. It is larger that I usually quilt a utility quilt, 80 x 100". Using the technique to join the sections worked out perfectly! The workshop description is "Learn to join pre-quilted blocks using several innovative techniques. Go home ready to make larger machine quilted quilts without all the work of trying to get it into your machine. The Quilt-As-You-Go method allows for more detailed quilting using a standard sewing machine since you're only quilting a small section at a time." I'll be teaching it a number of times at the International Quilt Festival in Houston. See you there!

This is the back! I often use left over bits from the front. The Quilt-as-You-Go note; The white strip on the left is one 'join' the narrow brownish strip toward the left is the second 'join'.

Borders: The Final Chapter

Pieced borders add something special! Bring your unfinished quilt top and we will explore clever ways to add grace, spontaneity, sophistication or any effect you desire. Solve the mystery of designing and sewing borders to fit your own quilt. We will look at potential sources of inspiration, fabric choices, and lots and lots of tips for success!

See you in Houston!

Adding Another Layer with Paint or Foil

Painted Desert

Two workshops one features Paint and the other features Foil.

Painted fabric for border.

Paint Glorious Paint - Come play where the possibilities are endless and rules are few. Fabric paints enrich your projects before you begin sewing—or after. We will use stencils, rubber stamps and finger painting techniques to make ourselves look like a room full of Picassos. This is magic is waiting to happen! Includes a kit with 3 different kinds of paints, nine colors for you to take home after class.

Fantastic Fabric Foiling - Bring your projects to life with instant (and permanent) glitz and shine. We will apply foil using a variety of adhesives and make use of a variety of ideas that make it easy. Traditional and non-traditional quilters will learn how to incorporate foil into real show-stoppers!

The Wizard (foiled)

I LOVE to Embellish!

It's no secret - about me and my shiny stuff. I walk down any aisle at a quilt show, and there I am gaudy jewelry and usually a matching purse. Festival offers you the chance to hear me talk about how I make and embellish my purses! In my Fun and  Fancy; Make a Purse workshop I teach you to create stunning purses that can be finished in practically no time. Make your own in class, embellish it with trims, ribbons, buttons, bows, lace, fabric, found objects and then dive into the wonderful world of beads! Kit choices are: purple, blue and green. We will learn what beads to buy, how to sew them and how to make your own lavish beaded dangles and fringes.

Quilt! Knit! Stitch!

The Pacific NW is slim when it comes to large quilt events. So a friend and I traveled to Portland yesterday to attend the Quilt! Knit! Stitch! show. There were some great merchants, lots of quilts, one of my Bernina Fashion Show Garments, and Open Studios.

Red and White by the Numbers

We were greeted by this wonderful quilt by Barbara Black, quilted by Pamela J. Spencer Dransfeldt.

My beautifully displayed (poorly photographed, sorry) garment Parisienne Rose

And my friend Nancy Goldsworthy doing her thing in the Open Studios.

A Bit About Feet

Admit it. When it comes to your sewing machine feet, you really only use a few of your favorites.

The ¼” piecing foot, your walking foot and your quilting foot. You may have some specialty feet that came with your machine, and while you think they're nice, but you really don't use them.

The more you know about sewing machine feet, the better your sewing projects will turn out. However, if you are like most people, you will figure them out through trial and error and what fun it that? Let's look at some of the most popular sewing machine feet, but before we get started, we should take a brief look at some other stuff, too.

* Viking (Huskvarna) and Pfaff are European  made usually with snap-on feet.
* Most Japanese machines are snap-on (i.e.  Brother).
* All Berninas need a low shank adaptor and use generic low shank feet.
* Singer Slant is for Singer slant machines only. (All other Singers have snap-on or screw on feet.)
* All Featherweights use low shank feet. They are center needle position machines.
* For super high-bar lever-style Kenmore, use a  High-bar adaptor.

What is a Shank and Why is it Attached to My Foot?

Think about your foot. It is attached to your leg at the ankle and has the ability to flex up and down. On your sewing machine, the shank is the leg to which the presser foot is attached. For many older machines, changing a foot involves unscrewing the foot's shank and screwing on the shank with the desired foot.

There are three types of shanks of which you should be aware; High, Short and Slanted. Specific sewing machine brands will have a specific type of shank. If in doubt, check your manual or with your local machine dealer.