Virtual Retreat 2016

[E.M. T.]

Thanks, Cindy....Nancy...I will try the tricot...but haven't had the best luck with the fabric types...trouble with them
separating unevenly later after construction ! looked bad ! Sample, sample sample !

[Geneva C.]

I'm using Pellon 931TD. I also bought the next heavier up from that for other projects. But the 931TD is perfect. Just enough body but not stiff at all. I use a medium warm iron and my Goddess sheet. When I sew little pieces together, I don't get clumps of fabric/stabilizer that won't lay flat.

Thanks Nancy, I will stabilize the Dupioni just like I did the kimono silks.

geneva

[Jules M.]

Oh dear Heather, your mini quilts turned out great!! I don't know the guidelines for what you started to do but I'm glad you did this anyway. Great idea to frame them for your sewing area!!

[Jules M.]

I have stabilized silk dupioni with a lightweight fusible interfacing. Maybe I missed it that you are using this for appliqué, hence the need for steam a seam.

[wendy w.]

Heather your mini quilts are special. Lovely idea

[Annis C.]

I cut all of my leftover red and white fabrics into 6" x 21" strips, getting ready to use my Studio 2 fabric cutter this weekend to cut them into 5" pinked squares for some giveaways at an Open House for my retreat center that I hope to have next month. This will be my first time to use the cutter that I've had since last September. I hope I like it. I feel kind of wasteful as 1" of every strip will be wasted (that's 6" out of every yard of fabric!) and I could probably cut them almost as fast with a rotary cutter, but I want the pinked edges and the pinked rotary cutter blade from my past experience doesn't cut through many layers, gets dull quickly, and damages the edge of the ruler.

I used the 24" x 36" Quilter's Select cutting mat and it still looks good after cutting all of those strips. I wanted to say I liked everything about it, but that's not the case. It seems all of those 1/8" markings on all of the lines are very distracting. Kind of like when you are trying to read a news article and a video is talking at the same time. And the numbers are quite small. I would prefer they were larger so I would spend less time looking for the one I need. It did cut nicely though and when cutting batting it didn't leave fuzz in the cuts as some mats do. I will save it for my retreaters to try and get a different one for my upstairs sewing room. The gray doesn't look that good in the room so I will probably go with white. I'm leaning toward the Big-Mat by Sew Easy Products. Still trying to make up my mind. In the meantime I have a green one that's still in good shape.

[Annis C.]

Hi Annis, fun to hear what's happening your way. Sounds like you've been busy, I think pinked edge give-a-ways sound perfect even if you cut a 1" waste every strip, I bet you'll find a use for the 1" wasted strips.

Interesting to hear your thoughts regarding the cutting mats. I agree 1/8" marks on every line would be distracting I prefer measurement markings on the outside line only.

Barb :-)

[Geneva C.]

Hello everyone,

I took Sybil in to spend some quality time with Mr Fix it last week. We are traveling and I don't like to leave Sybil alone as she might encourage the other appliances to revolt. What a mess that would be!

I'll be back at the end of April.

Hold down the fort while I'm gone!

Geneva

[karen f.]

Good thinking Geneva! Who knows what kind of trouble she could get into while you're gone.

[Carol G.]

I took a Bonnie Hunter workshop last month. Spent several hours today finishing the top. This is Cathedral Stars, with different colors as well as smaller than hers. I have some older tops that need to be quilted, so this is going in a drawer for a while. :P

I'm more into controlled scrappy than completely scrappy.

[Jules M.]

Oh, Geneva that is hilarious! Now if I'd get a vacation, y hat is a good idea to send the machine in for spa treatment while I'm gone.

Carrie, I love your quilt! Beautiful!!! I like both... controlled or not. I've done both and will be doing more scrapping as I haven't made a dent yet.

[karen f.]

That's beautiful Carol!

[karen f.]

Great quilt Carol!

Barb

[wendy w.]

Beautiful quilt Carol, love the soft blue.

[wendy w.]

Carol,
Lovely quilt