labwriter (Becky) makes a DWR quilt in 2016

My "Aunt Grace" fabric stash out of boxes and drying on the line.

I'm so glad to have found this group and doubly glad to see some quilters here. I'm Becky, a recent transplant from Missouri to Colorado. When my husband retired, we said, "What are we still doing in Missouri?" and moved back to where we both grew up. That was in November. I had ZERO plans to unpack all my quilt supplies, since there are so many things I want to do around the new house. But we can't always plan these things. On Christmas Eve, we learned our son was engaged, and my mind immediately went to the Double Wedding Ring quilt I had always thought I would make for him.

I was a quilter for about 20 years, and I put everything away for the past 10 years to work on other things. I ALMOST gave away my huge fabric stash when we moved, but I just couldn't do it. I spent a week or so getting it organized and found that all of that fabric brought back wonderful memories. I'm so glad I moved that stash one more time.

I made a lot of quilts in those 20 years, and I gave away most of them, although I have a few that I made for myself. My favorite patterns tend towards scrap quilts. I was semi-horrified to find so many quilts that I started but didn't finish. Some are worth revisiting; some need to be let go. I normally piece on the machine and quilt by hand. Six years ago when I made my niece a baby quilt, I bought a new machine that will do beautiful machine quilting if I want to learn how to do it. I might just.

Has anyone in the group made a Double Wedding Ring quilt? If so, what technique did you use? I've been watching the Eleanor Burns YouTube video about the DWR quilt. Her technique makes a lot of sense to me. I tried it out on some practice blocks, and they were going together beautifully as individual blocks until I ran into trouble when I put four of them together. After deconstructing the problem, I realized that Eleanor left out a step or two in the video {{rolls eyes}}. I decided to regroup and order the acrylic template for the arc pieces from the Quilt$mart people.

Anywho, I'd love to hear from anyone who has made one of these quilts, thought of making one, tried to make one, etc. I'd love to hear from anyone--ha.

Welcome, Becky! So glad you DIDN'T give away your stash!!! The last hand quilting I did was in 1993, I think. I will machine quilt small quilts (and relatively simply) but send out anything larger than a lap quilt or if I want something a bit nicer. As mentioned over on Betty's thread, I've thought I'd make a Double Wedding ring and bought a pamphlet to do so decades back, but never did it. I will post a photo of the little pads I made for a wedding. Based on making 8-10 of those, I think the templates were a good idea!

LOL, I just found a set of DWR templates in my stash! Guess I've never stopped toying with the idea of making one.

Does your "Aunt Grace" stash come originally from Aunt Grace? If so, how cool.

>3 avaland: Hi Lois. Thanks for the welcome. "Aunt Grace" was/is a 1930s reproduction line of fabric put out by Marcus Fabrics and designed by Judie Rothermel. It looks as though she's still designing. I collected fat quarters from her collection all through the 1990s. In Missouri I lived in a house built in 1929, so I was drawn to making the 1930s-type quilts. I have stacks of Aunt Grace fabric, and this Double Wedding Ring is just the project to use them on.

Here's a picture of some Aunt Grace fabric for sale right now at eBay. I would love to buy this collection, but I'm a recovering fabric collector and really trying to use up what I already have.

I'm currently using the dining room table for this double wedding ring project. We've only been in this house since November, so we have a ways to go with getting the rooms finalized. I have a nice office that could be a sewing room, but then I would have my genealogy work on the dining room table. You get the picture. We have a finished basement, so I'll probably eventually use a corner of that for sewing.



So here's my start on the DWR project. As I said earlier, I'm using Eleanor Burns's technique. Instead of needle-turning the arcs, she uses fusible interfacing and then turns the arcs inside out so that the interfacing becomes a backing. Then you just press the arc onto the piece you've cut for the quilt block. Easy-schmeasy. I've done my share of needle-turn applique, and I think this interfacing technique is far easier. I'm going to hand-sew the arcs to the backing with an applique stitch.

This technique is quite different from the original where you cut the separate pieces between the arcs and sew them together. One of the pitfalls of the original technique is that it tends to give you rings that are a bit "squashed" or lopsided. Eleanor's rings are perfectly round. Here's an example of what I mean by lopsided.



The rings aren't terrible, by any means, and if this technique were easier I would go ahead and use it and not mind. But I really do like the way Eleanor makes this quilt. I only wish she had been a bit clearer on a step or two in the video. There are a couple of places where you feel she ought to have added, "And then a miracle occurs...." Ha.

There's a website called Quiltsmart (http://quiltsmart.com/) that sells the acrylic template that Eleanor uses in the YouTube video. Her book, Egg Money Quilts has the cardboard templates needed for the technique she uses, but I've gotten spoiled using the acrylic templates. So I broke down and ordered one of those from the Quiltsmart people. They also sell printed fusible interfacing so that you don't need to create each interfacing piece using a template. I thought that sounded like a wonderful idea, until I realized that each piece of printable interfacing costs $4.50--and makes only one block! They also sell "packs" of interfacing for each quilt design, but I would have ended up spending about $80 just for the book, the one template, and the interfacing. Really? I decided to buy one piece of it to see what it's like, and then use the cardboard template for the interfacing that's found in Eleanor's book. I also ordered their instruction pamphlet for the DWR quilt so that I will have a better idea about sizes of the quilt and the amount of fabric I need--plus I'm hoping they fill in the gaps from Eleanor's YouTube video. I've been waiting, quite impatiently, for over a week for these things to come from the Quiltsmart people.

Does anyone else have these kinds of issues when they set out to make a quilt? When I first started quilting, I would just bomb ahead and hope for the best, and then end up spending hours trying to fiddle with the parts that didn't fit just right or whatever.

Those three blocks on your table look nice. I bought a pack of Quiltsmart interfacing for a pattern I think was called lazy Susan. I used a few to make a table runner and I still have a bunch. They have a pattern for a patriotic New York Beauty that I'd like but the interfacing pieces are expensive. I think I should be able to draft my own pattern. But, in answer to your question - yes, I run into that all the time. It's hard to be patient when you want to get going - RIGHT NOW!

>4 labwriter: This makes me want to visit the local fabric stores, and I do NOT allow myself to buy fabric...at least, not until I start using up what I already have.

It reminds me of my grandmother (officially titled "Granny") who made most of her clothes from flour sacks, and used up the scraps in her quilts. I can see at least two or three in that row, alone, that make me want to have them.

Well, my eyes went a little cross-eyed at the technical quilt talk (I'm still very much a beginner when it comes to quilting), but it definitely looks lovely so far!

>4 labwriter: I wasn't doing much quilting in the 90s and probably wouldn't have paid much attention to 30s reproduction fabrics. However, those are particularly nice prints. One of the shops a few towns away is very much into 30s stuff.

>5 labwriter: I've never heard of that technique! Fascinating! I cut and pieced mine.

I want a stash! And I want all the beautiful fabrics. Not necessarily to sew with either. Just looking at them would do!

>7 dudes22: Betty, I'm still waiting for my package from Quiltsmart. It's been over a week, so I'm increasingly unhappy with them, especially since I paid top dollar for shipping. I'm simply gobsmacked at how much they charge for their interfacing. When I first saw the "packs" for the Double Wedding Ring pattern, I thought--well, $80 isn't bad for that quilt, thinking they were including fabric for the top. Nope--just interfacing. I wanted to see what it was like, which was why I bought one sheet for $4.50. I feel confident that I can replicate their printed sheets myself and save a boatload of cash.

>8 Lyndatrue: Lynda, I really like the Aunt Grace line. I had a great-aunt named Emma (Auntie Em from Kansas--ha) who made 1930s-type quilts out of feed sack material. My mother thought quilts were old-fashioned, so she didn't ask her for any of them. I have a feeling that Emma's quilts sold for 25 cents apiece when her sons cleaned out her house.

>9 scaifea: Thanks Amber. I'm very much a self-taught quilter. I'm the kind who learns better from a book than from someone showing me how to do something. Most people could probably know everything I know by taking a couple of classes. But you know how it is--sometimes you learn more from your mistakes than you do from doing something right. In which case, I guess I'm brilliant--haha.

>10 avaland: Lois, I was interested to see that Judie Rothermel is still designing fabric. I checked out what she's doing on the internet, because I'm 'way behind the curve these days on fabric available in the shops. I'm quite sure I haven't been inside a quilt shop for over 10 years. JR has a new line she calls "Gracie's Schoolhouse Classic" which looks very similar to the colors and small prints of the Aunt Grace line. She also seems to have branched out with a line that looks like Civil War era fabric--"Judie's Album Quilt."

My favorite website for reproduction fabrics is this one:

http://www.reproductionfabrics.com/

Eleanor Burns started years ago (early 1980s?) with "Quilt in a Day" books. The first technique of hers that I tried was for the Log Cabin quilt. I think some of her early stuff looks sort of chintzy, if you know what I mean. So in a way I was surprised to find that I liked her construction technique for the DWR quilt. I guess she's evolved--maybe I have too and I'm meeting her somewhere in the middle. Ha.

>11 judylou: Ha! Judy. Actually, there are probably plenty of fabric "stashes" for sale on eBay.

I learned a new term today when I was looking at the class descriptions offered at our little quilt shop here in town. "This class is a real stash buster." Love it.

So I'm reporting in on the non-progress of my DWR quilt. Sigh. I'm still waiting on my order from Quiltsmart. When it was over a week and it still hadn't shown up, I called the company and got an answering machine, inviting me to leave a message. I did--and didn't hear back.

So the next day I found them on facebook and sent a private message to the (owner?) of the company. I heard right back from her.

"Hi Becky, my apologies. We're a very small business with one customer service gal. I will forward your order number to her and ask that she check on this for you."

That was at 8:00 a.m. At 2:30, she sent me this:

"I'm still waiting on the order update and will be in touch as soon as I get the necessary information."

THE NEXT DAY, Wednesday, at 6:30 p.m., I received another "update":

"Becky, I got an update on your order.. It is scheduled to arrive on Friday. . . . it sounds like there were some unusual incidents in the office this week that may have contributed to the delay."

It sounds to me like my order was processed and sent on Wednesday, do ya think? And had I not found her on facebook, it would probably still be sitting on someone's desk. I "probably" won't be buying anything from these people again. I think her solution should have been to overnight my order and refund my money--and eat the loss.

At least I will be able to work on the quilt this weekend--assuming that the order gets here when she says it will and also assuming that what I ordered is going to work for my quilt. That's a lot of assuming, but hey, I'm a wildly optimistic sort of gal.

Well that's a cautionary tale for me. I'm still looking at one of their patterns that I like, but I may try to draft something myself.

>13 labwriter: There are bound to be better quilt shops online. Ugh. Bad customer service. #1 pet peeve, hands down.

That's unfortunate. I think I'd steer clear in future as well!

So nice to have more activity here! I can't wait to see your progress on the double wedding ring quilt, it's so a beautiful, pleasing design.

My Quiltsmart order finally came. I'm happy that I held out for the template, because I would always prefer to use an acrylic template over cardboard or one made from thin template material. Someone is going to have to tell me how it was possible for the Quiltsmart people to get a copyright on a shape.

I bought some fabric at Craftsy.com. Has anyone tried their online store? I decided to buy some new fabric for the Double Wedding Ring that's going to my DIL & son. I love the Aunt Grace fabrics, and I collected them for about 15 years, mostly in fat quarters. I'm not so sure DIL is in love with that fabric. I'm getting to know her better, and I found a collection of fabric that I think she will love: the Moda Farmhouse collection by Fig Tree Quilts. I think this palette has a contemporary feel. In fact, the home page of the Craftsy website looks as though they might have taken their colors from this collection.

I bought 2 Jelly Rolls of the fabric. "Jelly Roll" is a term that's new to me, since I've been away from quilting for about 10 years. It's described as 40 pieces in 2.5" x 43" cuts. I bought 2 of them since they were on sale, hooray! The acrylic template was originally designed for 3.0" strips of fabric, but the Quiltsmart people have adjusted the instructions for the quilt so that a 2.5" strip is used. I couldn't figure out why they would do that until I found these jelly rolls for sale in so many of the online shops..

Pretty? What's the verdict? I can imagine a pretty DWR quilt made from these fabrics.

I really like that mix of fabrics! I think it's a nice blend of contemporary and classic.

>18 labwriter: Oh, yes, lovely! I've never ordered from craftsy - I'll have to investigate...

Beautiful colours. I have a hard time buying fabric on line. I feel the need to touch and see! I'm always looking but never buy!

>18 labwriter: I bought a couple of these prints from Hancocks at Paducah at the end of last year (during their sale) to go in the pile for my daughter's quilt. I bought the first one 3rd row down, and the 7th one over on the 2nd row.

>21 judylou: That's why I do both. It's about an hours drive to a quilt shop that I find truly inspirational, though I can usually find some useful fat quarters in any shop. I admit though that I love getting fabric in the post. Mind you, I buy fabric for the stash without a project necessarily in mind. I use quiltshops.com (a website that features many, many shops) if I'm looking for something specific... Their search engine is good if one is looking for purple striped or large florals or chickens.... (so over the years through them I have ordered from quilt shops all over the country and I like patronizing smaller shops). I also get the Hancock's catalog (that catalog gets me through long, cold winters...) and order enough from them to keep getting it :-)

Thanks for your thoughts, everyone.

I got sort of used to buying fabric online years ago because of a place called Reproduction Fabrics (http://www.reproductionfabrics.com/). I've been buying the Aunt Grace line from them for years. They understand good customer service--they've been in business for years, and I highly recommend them.

>20 scaifea: Amber, DIL is the one who told me about the Craftsy website. She goes to that site to drool over their yarn, since she's a knitter.

>22 avaland: Lois, the Hancock shop in Paducah is one of my favorites. When we lived in Missouri, I would get there occasionally, especially when we were driving to northeast Tennessee. It required real negotiating to get my husband and son to stop on the way--ha. I still get the Hancock's catalog--it's a lot like a seed catalog for quilters.

I was on the Craftsy.com website yesterday, ordering my jelly rolls. Because of my order, they gave me access to an online class for free. I chose the one about making creative quilt backs. (BTW, these look like great classes, for anyone who is interested--they're for all skill levels.) But one thing they said in the intro to the class was so strange to me, something like, "Let's use up that leftover fabric so we don't end up with a stash." ???? I'm like Lois--I buy fabric for the stash all the time, or at least I did when I was quilting all the time years ago. I do that because I love to make scrap quilts, and if you don't have a good stash of fabric from over the years, then you end up with "matchy-looking" scrap quilts.

The truth is, I would never make a quilt for myself from one fabric line (well, Aunt Grace is an exception) like the one I'm going to make for my DIL. I don't think I've ever bought all of the fabric for one quilt at the same time. That became a very popular thing to do when quilting really took off in the 1980s, and IMO people ended up with some very boring (pretty, but boring) quilts.

I broke the news yesterday to DH that I'm saving the Aunt Grace fabrics and making a DWR quilt for myself and buying this other fabric for DIL. "So now you're going to make two quilts?" he asked. One of my other hobbies is cooking, which he of course is very happy about. But cooking sometimes suffers when I'm 'way into a quilt. "Go fishing, dear heart," said I. "That's why we moved back to Colorado." Haha.

>23 labwriter: I get the seed catalogs, too! (I only order from two regularly, but that doesn't stop getting one from everyone)

I have also never made an entire quilt from one fabric line. I came close when I made a quilt titled "Vintage Violets" (I think) for my mother's Ladies Auxiliary group to raffle. I bought a majority of the fabric line but substituted at least two of the fabrics just...well...because!

I'm not a very creative or enthusiast cook, but oh, I can bake. And I married a man who will never say no to baked goods. My hubby would never even ask that of me. He knows I've always got several going at once.

I don't buy all the same line for a quilt either. The closest I came was the graduation quilt for my granddaughter. But I still mixed in other fabrics. Sometimes I'll buy 2 or 3 for the same line, especially if one fabric is for the border.

I love this fusible interfacing technique (you sew the two pieces together and turn them--then just press the arc onto the backing). These arcs are fine--they fit the interfacing arc the way they are supposed to. However, yesterday I made enough arcs for two blocks, and the arcs turned out to be just a smidgeon too small--which means my 1/4" seam is just a little bit too big. I think I've always quilted using a generous 1/4" seam. Usually it doesn't matter that much, as long as the seam is consistent. For this quilt, however, that 1/4" needs to be spot on. I'll probably move the needle over just a touch rather than change the way I'm sewing the seam. Right now this quilt is driving me mad, but if I can get it right, it will be worth it.

For what it's worth, I've never been a great technical quilter, but usually I'm at least able to put together a quilt that is "good enough"--one that pleases me.

Hooray, success! I spent yesterday messing around with the needle position for my 1/4" guide presser foot (this project is the first time I've used that particular presser foot). I had the needle set at 3.5 (a setting on my Brother machine). I made arcs using the 4.0, 4.5, and 5.0 settings. Third time was a charm, and now the arcs are just the right size.

I also changed the way I was squaring up the block, which I think is going to make those points in the center blocks fit together much better. Now I'm looking at all the fabric I used for those practice blocks. Argh. If I weren't so stubborn, I would take a Double Wedding Ring class, but I honestly learn better from a book on my own (or a YouTube video that I can watch 20 times) than from someone showing me how to do it. That's just my personal learning style.

>27 labwriter: Oh, I agree - I learn much better teaching myself! I can't wait to see more progress photos on your quilt!

>28 scaifea: I feel like I've literally gone back to Square One with my quilting. When I started quilting 30 years ago, there was no such thing as online classes. All of my quilting knowledge came from instruction books since I didn't have the time or the inclination to join a class. Fast forward to today. I like online learning, so I decided to try it with a quilting class. I'm happy to hugely recommend the online classes at Craftsy.com. Not only is the content excellent, but you can take and save notes while you're viewing the class; you can comment or ask questions (and receive answers) from the instructor and other students; and you can upload pictures of finished "homework" from each lesson. Once bought, the lessons with notes, questions, and comments are available "forever."

I decided to try a beginning class, "Piece Like a Pro." I've only watched two lessons, but already I've picked up several tips and tricks that are going to make my quilting easier and more accurate. I'm really sold on this website.

Also, I bought those jelly rolls of fabric from Craftsy. This morning I have a message, posted on the home page of the site, that says my package has been shipped--and they've included a link for tracking the package. These people are great!

Interesting about classes. For me I have discovered that most academic things I learn best on my own and then follow up with discussion/debate with others. However, we all read instructions differently, so that for certain manual things, it is helpful to have someone who may look at things completely differently to grasp the idea. For this reason, I like online and especially in person classes for things like quilting where I definitely need help. The other thing I have discovered with these classes is that the people always have useful tips for something I might have been struggling with which is so simple in concept that nobody thought to include it. We can spend a lot of time alone in our respective sewing areas trying to reinvent the wheel.

With rug hooking, one of my primary areas of handiwork, I go to classes once a year just for the inspiration of seeing the work of others and to push myself with colour and design, not so much for the actual techniques.

On another note, has anyone use Renée Nanneman's fabrics? http://www.needllove.com/ They look so beautiful but I have never tried them.

>30 SassyLassy: We can spend a lot of time alone in our respective sewing areas trying to reinvent the wheel.

How true!

>27 labwriter: Also agree. I have only ever taken one quilting class, a private lesson in machine quilting, and when I arrived I realized that I had forgotten my machine!

>30 SassyLassy: Oh, rug hooking! I remember as a child visiting my great aunt & uncle, and there was always both a rug hooking and a braided rug project in process at their house. It was Uncle Harry, not my Auntie, who did the hooking and braiding!

Love your fabrics. And watching you progress with those complex patterns will be very entertaining for me. I never used a curve in a quilt!

>32 avaland: In the 1950s, my mother used to get together with the neighbor ladies. They seemed to always be learning a new kind of craft. I remember that one of the things they did was to make braided rugs out of wool scraps. I was very young, but I must have been interested in what she was doing, because I remember the tools she used to fold the scraps into braided strips and also the flat "needle" she used to sew the braids together. My mother was very talented, but she didn't have the patience to stay with anything for long.

One of the things I've learned about my own quilting technique from the class I'm taking is that I don't pay enough attention to "perfect" pressing. I must have spent a couple of weeks trying different strategies for getting the 1/4" seam just right. It's critical when making the arcs for the DWI quilt that those seams are exactly 1/4". Otherwise, the blocks don't fit together right and the "rings" get distorted. But what I also realized is that it's really critical to press the seams just right as well. I wasn't "pulling" the seam enough, so even though my 1/4" seam was accurate, the arcs were still just a little too small. Once I figured out the pressing trick, my arcs were spot-on.

So here's the fabric I chose for this quilt. It's "Farmhouse," by Fig Tree / Moda. Moda is a Korean manufacturer. I would prefer to use fabric manufactured in the USA--just because. But I didn't realize that Moda was in Korea until I received the fabric from Craftsy.com.



I wanted to find some other patterns that use those same colors, just for variety, but the quilt shop in my town didn't have any fabric that would have been appropriate. So I went back to the Fig Tree website and found a few different patterns using those same colors, which will come in the mail sometime this week, I hope. Yikes, this quilt is driving me a little bit batty. Me and my great ideas--ha!

So for better or worse (good grief, I hope she likes these colors!), here are the first few blocks. I haven't sewn any of them together yet, but just eyeballing the corner points, I feel pretty sure that the blocks will fit together OK. I wasn't sure I would use the black, but I think I like it--it makes the other colors "pop."

It *is* very pretty. I really love the corners as well. I've never had the patience for quilting, not even for a lap quilt. I think this will be lovely when it's finished.

That print and color mix is SO lovely.

Very pretty colors and the corners look spot on.

Beautiful work. I have not attempted curved pieces before. They sort of frighten me! Perhaps one day . . .

>35 Lyndatrue:; >36 mabith:; >37 dudes22: Thanks for your kind words.

>38 judylou: I think this curved arc is a good place to start with curved pieces. I don't know anything about the traditional method for making this block, but the fusible interfacing technique that I'm using gives you a pattern made from the interfacing that lets you know that the arc is the right size (>26 labwriter:). I estimate I made enough practice arcs for about 20 blocks before I was happy with my technique. I'm not normally so patient with breaking down the steps of a quilt pattern, but I could see a potential for so many places in this block where being just a little bit off could make the whole thing go wrong.

So far I'm making this quilt block by block. I know it would be more efficient to break each block down into steps and make enough for 10 or 20 blocks at a time. I'm afraid to do it that way, though, for fear that I would be "off" somewhere on one of the steps and end up with blocks that don't fit together right. I can finish one block in a day, but that's pretty much a maximum. I don't see myself being able to keep up that pace.

What do all of you think about size? I'm figuring maybe 7x8 blocks for a King-sized quilt. I might end up making a Queen, since I don't like to make huge quilts. I also like the look of having a quilt that is just big enough to sit on the top of the bed--or maybe one that drops over the sides of the bed a little bit. This is a little applique quilt I made a long time ago that ended up being one of my favorites. It is now the "Winter" quilt for my guest bedroom. I'd like to make 3 more quilts this size to go with Spring, Summer, & Fall.



If I make a King-sized quilt, and make it the standard size to fit a King, then it will be too big for a Queen if maybe my DIL would like to use it in a guest bedroom in the future. Plus, it will make for an enormous project. Maybe big enough to fit the top of a Queen and drop over the sides about 6" or so?

I like about a 6" drop on the sides and the bottom when I make a Queen size, but it depends on the footboard of the bed and I think it would depend on if she's going to use it over a spread of some kind or if it's going to be the spread.

I like your winter quilt. I can see using the same design with different patterns in the blocks and different colors.

Interesting story about your mom.

I know what you are saying about the 1/4 seam and the pressing. I went for decades "eyeballing" that 1/4 seam (and then fudging what wasn't accurate), but I love the 1/4 inch feet that I have now.

I think the decision about size is in your hands. I've liked generous overhangs and a pillow tuck with my large quilts. Mattresses are so thick these days. And there's nothing worse that climbing under some covers and feeling there's not enough on the sides, if you know what I mean.

>41 avaland: Lois, I did exactly the same thing with the 1/4" seam--like you, for decades, I eyeballed, fudged, and then fiddled. I was pretty sure that strategy wouldn't work well with the DIW quilt, which is why I bought the little 1/4" foot for the machine. The more I use it, the better I like it.

ahhh the 1/4 inch foot. What a wonderful invention!

Gardening is worming its way into my quilting time. I bought a 1956 ranch-style house this past year that has NOTHING but grass--literally, no gardens or flower beds at all. I love to garden. The gardens I left in Missouri that I spent 25 years toiling over almost make me weep when I think of them, looking at my huge expanse of grass here in CO. Although I think once I can get my hands into some dirt here, I'll be fine. I want to get this DWR quilt onto the quilting frame (I'm a hand-quilter). There are no concrete plans for the wedding, just yet, since the darlings are $$ challenged. They're not children (35 and 30), so they'll figure it out. They want a house. I suggested that they might think about trading a wedding for a house. Am I a horrible person?

>44 labwriter: Nope, not horrible - smart. Tomm and I went bare-bones for our wedding, spending as little as possible, because it seems just totally silly to shell out so much money for one day instead of investing it into the life you're starting together. House over ceremony any day in my book.

Trading a wedding for a house sounds sensible to me! We did my sister's wedding so cheap, and with only two months to prepare - still the best wedding I've been to! Having a simple barbecue or potluck with friends and family seems like the best way to me.

My son and his fiancée are really working to keep costs down, and they both have well-paying jobs. They also cannot see the sense in spending so much for a single day! They would rather invest the money instead of spending it on the wedding.

They have even asked that, instead of gifts, the guests give money to a charity, which I thought was rather magnificent! They registered at one place just in case a guest was more traditional and didn't like the charity idea.

>44 labwriter: We shall have to have a gardening thread in this group for those of us who like to play in the dirt. I ordered most of my seeds before surgery and have a few more to order.

My middle daughter gets married on Labor Day weekend this year. They were not going to spend much but it has grown, not so much in size, but in the choice of vendors.

>48 avaland: Oh, PLEASE come join us at the Gardens & Books group! http://www.librarything.com/groups/gardensbooks

So son & DIL-to-be had dinner with us yesterday. So good to see them. I get the feeling from having a conversation with them that they want some sort of a public ceremony. They've chosen the person they want to marry them. They're getting "advice" from all sides. Money is an issue, mainly because she has a huge amount of debt from Vet school, and they also want a house in a town where the market is a completely insane sellers' market. It's so sad. Here she has a wonderful job, and it pays well. Yet by the time she pays her (interest only, so far) school bill every month, she makes less money than the Vet Techs she works with. What a stupid system. I simply don't have any answers for her. If the system doesn't somehow change, I wouldn't look for anyone to be going into Veterinary Medicine in the near future.

Good news about the DWR quilt. I was worried about the colors. Sunday DIL showed up wearing the EXACT colors found in the quilt--the aqua, the sort of pumpkin color, and black. I showed her the quilt blocks that are finished, and she was thrilled. She kept saying, "It's perfect. It's perfect." Hooray.

My SIL also only quilts by hand. I'm glad to know she's not the only one keeping that art alive.

I definitely say skip the big wedding. I plan to do that myself. I prefer a minister over a J.P., but I'm totally okay with skipping big fancy weddings that put people in debt (or further in debt).

You mentioned over on Judy's thread that you have changed the fabric in your DWR quilt and I'm curious what you have changed it to.

>51 avaland: Hi Lois

I'm using the "Farmhouse" collection by Fig Tree Quilts, Moda Fabrics. My DIL-to-be is a redhead whose favorite color is the aqua found in the collection. The collection features polka dots, which she also likes. Using this collection is a shortcut for me. I would probably rather use my stash, but this way I can be more confident that I'm making a quilt that she'll like rather than using my 1930s repro fabrics or my stash that's heavy on the 1980-1990s fabric.



I'm making pretty good progress on the Double Wedding Ring quilt. I have about 16 blocks finished, and I'm happy with them so far. I'll post a pic when I get some time.

That is great progress!

Oh hum. My progress on this quilt has slowed. The two young darlings have bought a house, and now they want me to help paint, and--wait a minute! I have a life too, you know. It's funny, but I don't remember in my 30s thinking I had to have EVERYTHING right NOW. They want the house to be move-in perfect. Silly me, I thought they would be thrilled just to have the house. Feeling grumpy.

So I decided to get over my grump and get back to my quilt. I had to take down my sewing machine, etc. because it was on a table that Mr. lab uses for making sausage. We made a 30# batch of Slovenian sausage for Easter. That's done, so now I can have my sewing table back.

Here's the Double Wedding Ring quilt, so far. Mr. lab is going fishing today, I have my Monday soup already made, so I think it's a good day to get back to the quilt. Have a good Monday, everyone.

Looks good. Love the colors.

>55 labwriter: that looks terrific! I'm glad you decided to get back to it.

That looks great. Wonderful color combination.

>55 labwriter: I love your quilt so much. A while ago, I was at the local quilt museum, and thought of you the moment I saw this quilt (it's circa 1930):





Here's a close up of the edge:



...and the description:



(It's a bit blurry, but I hope it's still readable.)

The quilt is looking so gorgeous! I'm another who loves the colors and the balance of them.

>59 Lyndatrue: What a gorgeous quilt! The quilting is stunning. I'd like to make another DWR using my 1930s repro stash. I like the colors of the quilt I'm making for DIL-to-be, but to my eye they're too uniform--and of course that's because they're all from the same collection. It makes a pretty quilt, but I prefer a more scrappy look.

I started making sure I had a piece of black in each block. I notice there's one block without it, and it sort of stands out. I might just leave it.

>60 mabith: Thank you! I do love the colors in this, and my DIL is over-the-moon about them--so that makes me happy.

I plan to hand quilt this one, since that's what I do with all my quilts. It might end up being straight-line quilting, since I think that would compliment the rings. We'll see. I don't want to do anything too complex, because I do want to get this done before too long. The wedding plans are still up in the air, however, since they decided on a house first.

>55 labwriter: Oh, it's lovely!

>55 labwriter: Oh, that is turning out really well!

Awfully quiet over here. How goes the DWR quilt? Betty (dudes22) and I saw a couple of DWRs at the Sewing/Quilt expo we met up at.

>64 avaland: Oh, I know--not much activity on the quilting front. I'm spending most of my time getting my vegetable garden started. This is my first year of planting seeds on a large scale, plus it's my first year in this house and there wasn't a SINGLE garden plot--just dense, dense grass. I do the hand sewing on the blocks at night--sewing the arcs with a blind stitch to reinforce the fusible interfacing. I've got about 20 blocks completed.

My son and his fiancé have just bought a house. They were living on the 3rd floor of an apartment complex with two dogs and two birds--and paying more in rent than their mortgage will be. The Denver area market is nuts so there is a shortage of rentals. I'm so glad they're moving (May 1), and of course we will help them. DIL-to-be wants the rooms repainted before she moves in. I'm the go-to paint person in our small family, so of course I said I'd help. I'm trying to manage her expectations of getting ALL the rooms painted in a week--pick two, dear heart, because that's doable. Not all.

I thought the wedding was put on hold because of the house. On Monday they called and said they'd found the "perfect" place to hold the wedding, a place that just happened to have Aug. 21 available--so guess what we did, Mom? I'm not good at this stuff. I'm a major introvert who likes to cook, garden, and make quilts. Also do genealogy when I have the time. And reading? Where did that go? I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed. (grin)

I'm so fired up today about this Double Wedding Ring quilt. The snow and cold outside are keeping me from my garden, so until the sun comes back again, I'm working on my quilt. My DIL-to-be told me about the Craftsy.com website, which I simply love. That's where I found the fabric for this quilt. Today you can purchase 1 class for $19.99 (about half the price of a regular class). I got the one on Hand Quilting with Andi Perejda. Wow, she's a whiz, and she makes the most gorgeous quilts. I have always hand quilted, but I never took a class. These Craftsy classes are excellent--professionally produced with downloadable materials (in this case, quilt designs) and the ability to ask the instructor questions, get feedback from other students, and post your projects online.

So while DH is fishing (it's sunny out but cold after our snow yesterday, but he doesn't care), I'm going to learn the in's and out's of hand quilting.

Happy crafting, everyone.

Busy, busy! Glad you checked in. I haven't hand-quilted since the early 90s. Interesting about the classes. I sympathize about the wedding, my daughter's is Labor Day weekend in Maine. They are planning most of it themselves, thankfully, but there is still plenty to do (and now she wants the chevron quilt to hang at the wedding).

I know the siren call of the gardens. I'm not doing veggies at all this year (I live in a town full of farms...) and am going to plant tall flowers in what was the veggie garden (except for where the asparagus and rhubarb come up). Yesterday, I installed shelves on my obelisk for all the pots, mugs and pans that I plant in. I also picked up a few new drill bits to make drainage holes in the containers that don't have them. Will post on my thread later today (for lack of a better place).

I am a painter of walls as well. Even finally got around to rag-rolling (with burlap, no less) one area—something I've wanted to do for eons. All of my rooms are vivid, sing-to-me colors, except my husband's office, my sewing studio, and the family room (cathedral ceiling, needs re-taping....), which all remain white. I bless the day someone invented that edging tool as I'm not fond of taping. I have some wallpaper that needs doing once the gardens are taken care of.

Glad you could give us an update.

I spent the day yesterday with the hand quilting class. My technique is somewhat different than hers. She picks up the needle between her thumb and ring finger. She also uses a different kind of thimble, and I think that might be the basis for the success of the stitching technique that she uses. This is a Needle Art Guild raised edge thimble. I found one to buy online with a google search.



Here's the thimble in use. You can see that she really torques down on that needle using the raised edge. I bought one of those thimbles, and I should have it by Wednesday. Size 10--hope it fits.

>67 avaland: I painted every room in the Missouri house before we moved. The staging book that I was using convinced me that I had to go neutral if I wanted a quick sale. So the green walls in my living room & dining room had to go. Everything looked nice when I was finished, but it was no longer my house. (And, by the way, it sold in 7 hours--ha--so I guess the staging book was right.)

My brother-in-law has painted for a living for 40 years. He (finally) taught me a technique for cutting in a ceiling or edge without using anything but a brush. With a good deal of practice (which I had, painting every wall in the house plus all the ceilings), I was able to master the technique so that I was happy with the results. It's also faster than what I used to do, which was a lot of fiddling around with tape and also different edging tools. You can find YouTube videos that show how to do it--just look for cutting in a ceiling. But if you have a technique that you like--why fix what ain't broke, right?

>69 labwriter: I did not re-paint the walls to sell our house two years ago. I removed all the bookcases, though. :-)

I bought all kinds of little do-dads that were mentioned in the hand quilting class--got them today from Amazon. The size 10 thimble is just a bit big, but I think it will work fine. Probably the 9 would be too small. I bought a pastel grey chalk pencil for marking the quilt--it works beautifully, even on the white background. My big splurge was a light box. I would really like to do something besides straight-line quilting on my blocks, and to make marking a WHOLE lot simpler, a light box is almost a must.

Now I have to finish those blocks!

I went to a local quilt guild quilt show this weekend and the best of show was a double wedding ring. Unfortunately I left my camera home and didn't get a picture. The rings were done in shades of a dusty blue and there were points of orange within the rings. I'll check the website in a couple of days to see if they've posted a picture. I had actually taken a class from the quilter once on making small pins to wear on a lapel.

I went back and forth over whether to order a size 9 thimble or just put up with the 10. I got the 9 and I'm glad I did. This particular thimble is very heavy compared to most. Otherwise, I think the 10 would have worked. I'm keeping both.

I'm having so much fun playing with my new light box. The light gray chalk pencil Andi Perejda recommended in her class, plus the light box, makes marking the quilt a breeze. I'll post a pic when I have one.

It's going to be rainy and cool for the next 5 days, so it's looking like I'll get more quilting done than gardening. My seedlings need to go in the ground next week, but the forecast for this week is lows in the low 30s for the next 5 days. Good grief. Good for my quilt; bad for my garden.

>73 labwriter: I bought a light box some years ago and I'm ashamed to say that I haven't used it since. But who knows....

Glad you are enjoying yours! Our weather sounds the opposite, so less quilting more gardening.

I can't get the hang of using a thimble. I couldn't believe it. So... don't laugh... I am just putting bandaids on my fingers.

>75 shesinplainview: Most quilt shops (and other stores like Joanns) sell these little stick on pads called "thimble pads" that are some protection against sore fingers without the bulk of thimbles. I have some and use them for when I'm handsewing the binding on.
Here's what they look like. I suspect there are a fair number of similar products available under different names.

>75 shesinplainview: I know what you mean. Some people prefer not to use a metal thimble. I have bandaids on my thumb and middle finger this morning after a day of quilting yesterday.

>76 avaland: Those thimble pads look great! I'll have to try some. I use my thumb to finesse the needle, I guess, and wow, is that needle sharp! By the time I'm finished with the quilt, I'll have callouses where I need them on my fingers. But I'll bet those thimble pads would work really well.

Quilt vs. Garden this morning--quilt wins due to snow. Poor seedlings, they're ready to go into the ground!

Here's a pic of my light box. I'm using a practice block. I'm really pleased with how easy the light box is to use.



After messing around with the pattern, I decided to take out the design in the middle of the large heart. Then the negative space will be quilted with parallel straight lines. I figured the curvy quilt patter of the DWR quilt could use some straight lines as balance. That's a sheet of acrylic with the lines cut into it that I've placed over the pattern--it makes very accurate lines, much easier than drawing them in by hand. I'm using a gray chalk pencil to draw the design on the quilt, and it's working very well.

This is my first time using 80/20 batting (80% cotton, 20% polyester). I love it because it's so light and easy to quilt. I prefer the Hobbs brand.

Interesting how you are using the light box. I don't hand quilt anymore, but I've become an exclusive user of the Quilters Dream "Select" batting. I use mostly the cotton, but I do children's quilts and some others in poly (and they have a green poly made from recycled soda bottles...and I like the idea of recycling).

Sorry about the snow. My seedlings are on the screen porch but they aren't on their second leaves yet. I have already put my house plants out on the front porch even though some of the nights since have been very cold. They're somewhat sheltered there, and seem to be surviving.

>78 avaland: One of the types of batting that the hand quilting instructor recommends is Quilters Dream Cotton "Request" brand. The Request is their thinnest cotton batting, so it's the one she recommends for hand quilters. There's also a silk batting (90% silk, 10% polyester) that she says needles beautifully.

For the class she's using Pellon Legacy Wool batting. She says that it's as lightweight as the Hobbs Polydown. It's more costly, but I guess if you're making an "heirloom" quilt, it would be a nice way to go and probably worth the extra cost. I've never tried it.

I can't even get my seedlings hardened off, and I really need to do that before planting because the nights here are cold. I've been opening the outside doors to the laundry room in hopes of getting them used to outside temps, at least a little. Next year I'll know to plant the seeds indoors a little bit later--even 2 weeks would have made a difference. Oh well. It's not like my living depends on it or anything. I wouldn't make a good farmer--ha.

>79 labwriter: I've probably used "request" at some time in the past. I did not know there was a silk batting! Fascinating!

My seedlings went out early as I was having some problems with mildew (?) on the peat pots, so I wanted that out of the house. Funny thing, they show no sign of it now and most survived the transition. We're in planting zone 5, so cold nights here also.

I'm at the point in this Double Wedding Ring quilt where everything is finally worked out--the size, the quilt design, etc.--and it's time to hunker down and finish piecing the thing so that I can get started on the quilting. I tend to work sort of organically on my quilts (and most other projects as well) in that I don't have everything figured out ahead of time. I'm generally a circular rather than a linear problem-solver. That approach works well when I'm making a scrap quilt. This one is a bit different in that I'm using just one fabric line for the quilt.

So yesterday I made the final decision on size (it's going to be for a queen-sized bed, but it won't be a standard queen size). Now I know how many blocks I need for sure (I need to make 11 more), so I can finish all my cutting. Once I've done that, then I can put my head down and finish those blocks. I like making about 4 blocks at a time. That way, if I'm introducing an error somewhere in my stitching (as sometimes happens when you've been away from a quilt for awhile), then I don't end up with a disaster on my hands. It's much easier to fix just a few blocks (and you also see the mistake sooner).

I don't necessarily recommend this way of approaching a quilt project. Most people would want to know the size right from the beginning and the number of blocks they would be making. I made sure when I bought the fabric for the background of the blocks that it was something I could easily get more of from my quilting store. I've gone back three times for more fabric, and I came within about 9" of having just the right amount--9" more than I needed, thank goodness. I couldn't figure that out ahead of time because I didn't know from the start how big the quilt would be.

Here is my practice block with the quilting pattern (the quilting is about half done). I like this pattern and all is working out well--the marking, the batting, and the quilting. I'll never be a skilled hand quilter, quilting 10 or 7 stitches to the inch. I aim for even stitches and an improved quilting technique. The hand quilting class I took gave me the confidence and know-how to go beyond straight-line quilting, which is the only thing I had done in the past. I really like this feathered heart. It's also fun to quilt.

This is a practice block made from my 1930s reproduction fabric stash. DIL's quilt is made from the Moda fabric.

>82 labwriter: I like that a lot! Nice work.

>82 labwriter: I love the feathered heart. It's eye-catching, and makes me want to get back to my embroidery projects (but that will have to wait for cold weather). I eagerly await the finished quilt.

Very lovely and, yes, nice work!

Oh dear, making the new garden beds and putting in the garden has me so behind on this quilt. It will NOT be done in time for the wedding. I would be happy at this point if I have the quilt top finished. My only defense is that they made a date and cancelled it twice (both dates later than the one they've chosen as #3). I honestly thought date #3 would be put off as well. My mistake. Frankly, I'm just thrilled the wedding is on--quilt or no quilt.

>86 labwriter: It will be an amazing wedding present no matter when they get it. Although I know what you mean about having it done for the wedding.

I am in awe that you hand quilt. I think I missed that along the way. That's...wow. Yeah. That's serious talent!

>88 lesmel: Thanks for your kind words. All of you.

So I'm limping along, getting the piecing finished for this double wedding ring quilt. I don't really know why I stalled out so much on this one. I only have 3 more blocks to sew, which I can do in a couple of hours, and then I need to sew the half-blocks that go around the edges which also is nothing particularly taxing. It's going to be a high of 99 degrees F today, so it's the perfect day to stay in and sew, especially since DH has gone fishing. Happy Saturday, everyone.

OMG, I'm looking at the date of my last post--July 16! I was so overwhelmed at that point with my son's wedding. I was planning the rehearsal dinner, and it was driving me crazy. When Don & I got married, we were both so young that we pretty much just did what our parents wanted for the wedding, etc. My son and his (now wife--hooray!) are in their mid-30s, so I had to walk a rather fine line of planning but yet letting them have their way about pretty much everything. My goal with all of it was to make sure my DIL got the wedding she wanted, but to be as much help as I could. I think it all worked out fine, except they will be getting their DWR quilt on their first anniversary--my new goal.

I'll post pics one of these days. I put the main blocks together sometime around the first part of August. I was going to finish the edge pieces, which I notice in my post at #89 I refer to as "nothing particularly taxing." Well, I ran into a major snag with those (I was off on the size by 1/2", but it took me half a day to figure out what I was doing wrong). Rather than mess with it, I threw in the towel and put it all away until I could concentrate on it after the wedding.

Now all my sewing mess is out again, all over my dining room which is the only place I have to work. I have to finish the side pieces (not a big deal now that I have them figured out) and sew them onto the quilt. Then I have to mark the blocks for quilting. I still haven't decided exactly what the backing will look like. However, I don't want to get too crazy with it because too many seams in the backing will make the hand quilting just that much more difficult. So I'm still thinking about that. I'll make some sort of backing, and then I can put together the quilt sandwich and be ready for a nice Winter of quilting. Hope we get some snow this year! Well, it sounds ideal, but it probably won't work out that way. But we can dream.

I'm glad the wedding stress is over at least! Even the easiest of weddings is stressful. I'd say doing any planning around that is a great wedding gift already, and the quilt will be a wonderful first anniversary present. Hopefully the rest of the quilt will be routine!

Wedding done! Back to quilting! YAY! At least you can not feel rushed on the DWR now.

Can't wait to see the quilt. Glad the wedding went well. Looking forward to pics.

I'm glad you survived the wedding, but I'm sure you had a wonderful time throughout it all! Looking forward to seeing your latest quilt too.

Very glad the wedding went well, as did my daughter's. Also in their 30s, they did all the planning themselves with input from others (a bit of relief, really)

The quilt will be a wonderful gift whenever you give it to them!