A Cute Apartment

The Twist is a nice apartment building right in the middle of old downtown Palm Springs.

On My Way for Days of fun in the Sun

What could be better that Palm Springs and Blue Skies and sunshine? It is located approximately two hours east of Los Angeles. The city is also famous for its mid-century modern architecture and design elements. Something I plan on exploring.

First stop was the Tramway Gas Station. The building, with its distinctive, cantilevered, wedge-shaped canopy (referred to as a hyperbolic paraboloid on a historic marker mounted on the building), was built in 1965 and was designed by Albert Frey and Robson C. Chambers. It is considered to be a prime example of modernist architecture.

The station had closed by the mid-1990s, and its fate was in doubt until its purchase by a private interest, who erected a wall around the property and converted it into an art gallery. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2015. It is now operated by the Palm Springs Bureau of Tourism as the Palm Springs Visitor Center.

Quiltcon, Pasadena , 2018

I am just home from Quiltcon presented by the Modern Quilt Guild, QuiltCon is the largest modern quilting show of its kind. Each year, thousands of attendees come to see over 550 modern quilts on display, including 360 juried in from MQG members around the world. The conference features four days of workshops and lectures led by leading designers and quilters, and the show floor has dozens of vendors and exhibitors for days of shopping and fun. Next year: QuiltCon 2019 FEB 21-25 | NASHVILLE



Lots of quilts!

The raffle quilt - Full Circle designed and pieced by Hillary Goodwin Quilted by Rachael Dorr

Dixon by Kathleen Riggins

Ohio Snowball by Christine Perrigo

My favorite was one in the youth category:

Twitter Tantrums by Carina Cabriales

made during Stitch.Resist.Stitch. program the Social Justice Sewing Academy.

Words!

Words are a simple addition, too, and there are a variety of ways to add them to your Eye Candy Quilt. Hand stitch them, use your sewing machine lettering program or purchase them straight from a craft store. You can even write directly onto buttons using a sharp-tipped permanent marking pen.

'Ruler' Work

I also learned that in many cases I could use a cutting ruler with the walking foot. I usually mark straight lines with tape. But it is soooo much faster if I can use a ruler.

A New Skill

I have been practicing with long arm quilting rulers. I must say I see the possibilities, but some, or maybe a lot of practice is needed. I found the I had the best results if I held the ruler firmly but did not press down too hard. I could free motion quilt next to the ruler with success. Please note that I am using a foot made to be used with the long arm ruler. This is very important. If you try this with a regular foot, you run the risk of making a big mess if the ruler slides under the foot.

Thirty Three Days to SPRING!!!

Spring and "springtime" refer to the season, and also to ideas of rebirth, rejuvenation, renewal, resurrection and regrowth.  Often, cultures have locally defined names for seasons which have little equivalence to the terms originating in Europe. Spring is the time when many plants begin to grow and flower.

 

Happy Valentine's Day

Primrose Path

The Legend of St. Valentine. The history of Valentine's Day–and the story of its patron saint–is shrouded in mystery. We do know that February has long been celebrated as a month of romance, and that St. Valentine's Day, as we know it today, contains vestiges of both Christian and ancient Roman tradition.

It's All About Pink

Imitation is the Greatest Form of Flattery

Heather Osterman sent me a picture of one of her paintings.I just love the way the painting was put in a large quilting hoop!

Starry Night

Enlarging & Reducing Photocopy Chart

I am working on a quilting design for my latest quilt. I drew the design just the way I wanted it. But wouldn't you know that it was too small. Here is the chart I use to make it just the right size!

	1”	2”	3”	4”	5”	6”	7”	8”	9”
1”	100%	200%	300%	400%	500%	600%	700%	800%	900%
2”	50%	100%	150%	200%	250%	300%	350%	400%	450%
3”	33%	66%	100%	133%	166%	200%	233%	266%	300%
4”	25%	50%	75%	100%	125%	150%	175%	200%	250%
5”	20%	40%	60%	80%	100%	120%	140%	160%	180%
6”	17%	33%	50%	67%	83%	100%	117%	133%	150%
7”	14%	28%	43%	52%	71%	86%	100%	114%	128%
8”	12%	25%	37%	50%	62%	75%	87%	100%	112%
9”	11%	22%	33%	443%	55%	66%	77%	88%	100%

Locate your current block size down the left hand column and then across the top find the size that you want your new block to be. Follow the column down and the row across till they meet and this will give you the amount you either need to enlarge or reduce your original pattern.

Example
To enlarge from 5" to 7", from the left column find 5", look across to 7". The percentage is 140% .
To reduce from 6" to 5", from the left column find 6" and across to 5". The percentage is 85%.

Sewing Scraps

Patti A. this one's for you!

I'm home and just want to sew. When this compulsion is the driving force in my life, I 'make fabric' otherwise called string quilt blocks. Some of you will think I am crazy, but I use the resulting fabric and love to make it! No rules, no exact 1/4" seams, what can be wrong with that?
I keep all the scraps that are less than 1 1/2" but more than 1" in one place.







When I want to sew, I sort them by color.

On my sewing table I sort them into small, medium and wide widths, sewing the short sides in each group together.







I sew all the similar with strips short sides together.

 Then I start sewing these funny strips together. When I first started doing this I realized that the pieces would be easier to manage if I arbitrarily decided to make everything one width, so mine are the size of the my sewing machine side to side. Before my new sewing machine 18", now it's about 24". Remember there are no 'rules' but be sure that all the edges are caught in the seam.

I press the seams open, this distributes the bulk and eliminates the need for a foundation.

I call this 'free fabric'

Things you should know about thread

1. Cotton is the only 100% natural fiber thread made especially for sewing machines. It can be a bit linty, so clean your machine frequently when using it.
What to look for: extra long staple thread that is very smooth with-out bumps on the spool.

2. Rayon thread has a high sheen, and is both soft and heat resistant. Unfortunately, it’s not colorfast and neither as strong nor as durable as polyester.
What it does: 30 wt. is intended to show and 40wt. has a subtle sheen.

3. Metallic: There is a huge range of quality of metallic threads.
Best when: used with a polyester bobbin thread, a Metallic needle and a lower than normal bobbin tension.

4. Polyester: is strong, durable and is available in a broad range of colors. Sizes range from very thin to very thick.
Advantages: strong, durable and color fast, with either a matte or a sheen finish. Most are virtually lint free.

5. Silk: Great thread!
What to look for: 100% pure filament silk.

6. Monofilament: Use only polyester monofilament. It will not yellow over time or melt easily.
What to look for: comes in clear and smoke colored.

Inspirations

 I can tell what interests me at any given time, by what I am doing. Right now it is quilting a quilt. I'm always on the search for interesting quilting ideas. These are a few photo's from my collection of ideas.