Funky Self Portrait

Let's have a little

FUN!!!

We went to Disney in Sept.

Rain

was predicted each day...ugh!

And,

it 

RAINED!

And

RAINED!

And 

RAINED!

I prepared a project 

for us to do

on one 

rainy

day...

Yes...

Funky Self Portraits!

We all had so much 

FUN!!!

Here is mine!

I'll post my kids and husband's

as I get them quilted.

Wouldn't it be 

FUN

to display these on a wall?

Our 

Funky Family...

I mean...

Funky 

 Self Portraits of our Family...

Our Art Bee group 

is displaying all who

have made 

a

funky 

self 

portrait, 

at our quilt show

next weekend!

(That's why mine's finished! LOL!)

Our quilt show is 

at the 

Mobile Civic Center

Expo Hall

Fri. & Sat

April 17 & 18TH

Come join us!!!

All kinds of demonstrations

each day!

(I'll be doing a 

free motion quilting demo

both days at 1:30!)

Sew the pieces of life together...

They make a BEAUTIFUL quilt!!!

Nina

Fantasia Too! coming along...

The quilt is

 sandwiched,

pinned,

all seams are stitched in the ditch!

Whew!

Looks much like the last picture I posted...

But,

zoom in on the picture,

you'll see I've also 

crosshatched the center of each block!

Guess when this has to be completed by?

April 14th!

HELP!

(It doesn't help I'm behind due to a back injury

that had me out and not able to move, 

nor breath well,

for 2 weeks.)

Now, I have to get into

HIGH gear!!!

Finally decided on a design for the background!

This was HARD!

I wanted to do feathers!

I 

LOVE

FEATHERS!

BUT...

this quilt would 

NOT

let me do feathers!

Any kind of feathers

drawn,

It never looked right!

So...

Here is what is going in the background...

This is an outside diamond

This is a middle diamond

I just LOVE this design!

There will also be some crosshatching

on the boarder area.

So...

I haven't deserted you...

 just trying to get this 

quilted,

bound,

labeled,

hanging sleeved

before 

April 14th turn in...

Will it get completed?

We'll see....

PLEASE
PRAY

 FOR
ME!

Stitch the pieces of life together...

They make a BEAUTIFUL quilt!

(And TOTALLY YOU!)

Nina 

TA DA!

LOOK!

LOOK!

LOOK!

(Feels like I'm saying 

Mommy!

Mommy!

Mommy!)

The top is complete!!!

Don't you 

LOVE

this quilt!!!

The paper will come out today...

The sandwich will happen tomorrow...

The quilting will then begin!!!

This quilt is

72x90.

This will be quilted in my usual way...

ON

MY

DOMESTIC 

SEWING 

MACHINE!!!

You can do it!!!

It takes some squishing

of the quilt,

but you can quilt 

ANY

quilt on your domestic machine!!!

The largest quilt I've ever quilted

on my domestic?

108x112!!!

This is a super sized king quilt!

If THAT could be quilted on 

a

DOMESTIC 

sewing machine...

ANY

quilt is fair game!!!

LOOK OUT!!!

I see a LOT more 

DOMESTIC sewing machine

quilters

being born!!!

Sew the pieces of LIFE together!

It makes a BEAUTIFUL quilt!!!

Nina Clotfelter 

Is it Champagne time?

Not yet.

Now we have to put it all together.

The background is 2 shades of dark blue...

won't that make these blocks POP!?!?

WOW!

Talk about a good feeling of completion!!!!

ALL

12 

BLOCKS

ARE

 DONE!!!

Block 11

I like this one!

Block 12

Another of my least favorite.

But it looks really cool!

WHEW!!!

They're ALL done!!!

Let's get excited!!!

Let me tell you,

these were so much 

FUN

to do!!!

I sure do hope 

you join me with this 

Block of the Month

starting this July!!!

Contact

 Block Therapy Quilt Shop

4353B Gautier VanCleave Rd

Gautier, MS 39553

228-202-1493

For Block of the Month information

and pricing.

We'll have a LOT 

of FUN doing this quilt together!

Join me!!!

I'm teaching

 a paper piecing class

on April 29th

at Block Therapy!

(If this fills up, 

we WILL have another class!)

This class will get you ready for this 

Block of the Month.

There are a lot of tips and tricks

you'll learn in this class.

Sew the pieces of life together!

They make a BEAUTIFUL quilt!!!

Nina Clotfelter

Fantasia Too!

Here's an update!

All blocks are almost complete!!!

Whoop!!!

Whoop!!!

These blocks are sew much fun!!!

Block 7

A favorite!

And as you can see...

each block is approx. 22" x 18"

Block 8

Block 9

This is my least favorite...

But they can't

ALL

be favorites!

Block 10

Blocks 11 and 12 are almost complete!!!

Whew!

This shouldn't have been entered in my local quilt show!!!

Now,

this has to be totally quilted,

bound,

and labeled,

by April 14th!!!

HA!!!

Since the time table is extremely short from here,

I've been trying to think of how each block

would be quilted as it comes together.

There are also setting blocks

that will need quilting!

There simply is 

NO TIME

to put the quilt top on the design wall and look at it!

Can you guess what I'll be doing this weekend?

I'll keep you updated!

Sew the pieces of life together!

They make a BEAUTIFUL quilt!!!

Nina Clotfelter

How do I quilt this now? (Part 2)

Guess what?

You're ready for the fun!!!

LET'S PLAY!!!

Now is when you draw out any 

ideas you have in your head!

On this Mardi Gras! quilt,

I'm thinking there needs to be a second 

strand of beads.

BUT,

not to fight with the red strand,

the idea was to quilt a strand of beads in 

gold metallic or tinsel thread.

So,

here's the second strand

drawn out.

It needs that!

Watch this strand of beads as you look at 

the rest of the pictures of this quilt...

there are changes in each picture.

That's the great thing about this method, 

using quilter's paper or vinyl,

you can really get an idea of what you want to do!

Made a little change on the beads,

they will now cross over the red beads

and dip into this little opening.

Much better!

Now, 

this is my favorite part...

QUILTING DESIGNS!!!!!

What quilting design/s will look the best

on Mardi Gras!?

The goals for this quilt are:

1. smash down the background

2. this means dense quilting

3. keep it festive and fun!

4. have the background quilting recede

Here are the first 2 background stitch options...

1. The design at the top of the picture is really dense!

I'm thinking a little too dense for Mardi Gras!

(And, it's not festive and fun!)

2. The design at the middle of the picture is cute.

But, for some reason, it doesn't do anything for me.

Neither one of them really work for me!

Let's try another one...

NOPE!

The feathers are festive, but too busy.

(I didn't have to go far with this design to see it was too busy.)

Another try?

This quilt has several little spaces

on the background.

So,  just kept trying a new design

in a different section.

I don't like to erase the other designs just yet...

You might decide to go back to one of them.

Hmmm...

I LIKE this one!

It's the design between the pink and green pin wheels.  

It's a little quirky, unexpected, yet fun.  

It's much like a stipple

(my ABSOLUTE least favorite design ever!!!!

Only because it's so over used.)

But,

if you look closely at the design,

you'll see there are sharp points and swirls!

Is this the right background design?

It's up to you, the designer!

It's your quilt!

I say YES to the design!

Yay!

Cheering from everyone!!!

LOL!

Go with your gut,

 your eye, 

your likes, 

your ability!

There is 

NO

right or wrong!

Only

personal decisions to be made!

Make yours,

stick with it,

(don't ask too many of your friends),

and

LOVE 

it!

Let's take another look at the 3 designs....

Yep!

I LOVE my choice!

Here's confirmation for me!

I erased the other designs!!!

Also, filling in additional space with the 

chosen design will help confirm

your decision!

This one really works for me!

LOVE IT!!!

So,

GO PLAY!!!

So the pieces of LIFE together!

They make a BEAUTIFUL quilt!!!

Nina Clotfelter

How do you quilt this now? (Part 1)

How do I quilt this?

This is a question I get asked 

ALL

the time!

Now that you've made this 

BEAUTIFUL top...

what do you do next?

AND HOW?

Let's walk through 

one option

to help you figure out 

what quilting designs you want to use.

(Warning:  This will be broken up into more than one post.)

Now, there are many ways to do the same thing.  

Please know,

what I show you is only 1 option!

Ok!

Let's get ready to play!

UGGHHH...

there's always prep work!

I just want to dive in and 

PLAY!!!

PLAY!!!

PLAY!!!

Here's Mardi Gras!

I've pinned the batting and backing on 

AND, stitched around each pin wheel...

PLUS, I've stitched EVERY seam inside EACH one!!!

YES!

It's a LOT of work!

But worth EVERY stitch!!!

Now, 

there are decisions to make...

Should there be quilting inside each pin wheel?

If so, how much?

Should the background be dense and really 

smashed down?

If yes, how would this effect the pin wheels?

What color thread to use on the background?

So far...

the decisions made have been to

quilt the background densely. 

Not much, if any, quilting in the pin wheels.

Thinking of a cotton grey thread for the background, 

just a shade or two darker than the fabric.

(Why cotton?  Cotton in not shiny, so it will recede.  

This will make the pin wheels REALLY pop out!

I think...)

Also,

when quilting densely, or considering it,

you need to think about the thread weight.

A thick thread, 30 wt., 

will show heavy and be dominant and 

create a lot of thread build up.

All of this creates a stiff quilt.

A fine thread, 50-60 wt.,

will not show heavy and will sort of 

blend into the background 

and thread build up will not be an issue.

Using fine threads doesn't tend to make your quilt stiff.

There is also a 100 wt. silk thread!

This has NO thread build up

and your quilt is NOT stiff at all!

I LOVE this stuff!

Quilter's Preview Paper

This is a thin film you can put over your quilt top,

draw on it to get design ideas,

then you have your road map!

(NOTE: You can also use clear vinyl!

Vinyl will last you for LOTS of projects!  

This preview paper we cut to size, 

will only last for this one project.

There is lots on the roll, though!)

Here's what I mean...

  

I cut a piece of the Quilter's Preview Paper

just wider than my project.

It's not wide enough,

so I cut another piece and taped them together.

See!

Taped them together!

Then, turn it so the tape is on the under side!

Why?

Because you're going to draw on this paper

and the marker will not erase from the tape.

(Ask me how I know...LOL!)

Here is the project with

Quilter's Preview Paper secured on top of it.

Now,

normally you do this on 

JUST

the quilt top.

Sometimes,

I get too excited and go too far...

like I did here!

YES!

I'm telling on myself!

HAHAHA!

How did I secure it?

With pins!

There is a pin in each corner.

For a larger project,

there would be more pins on the sides.

Just make sure your preview paper

is secure!

Use as many pins as you like. 

You will also need dry erase markers.

I usually use the thin ones, 

but they couldn't be found,

so these will just have to do for now...

OH, 

look at the black line just under the markers.

This is on the outer edges of the preview paper to help you 

NOT draw onto you project.

BUT, 

it's NOT on the edge you cut...

so you'll still have one edge without this warning line.

This is why it's crucial you cover your

entire project!

AND...

don't forget your eraser!

I just used a small scrap of fabric.

If you have a real dry eraser, you can use it!

FINALLY!

We're ready to play!!!!

This got LONG...

sorry!

So we'll continue in our next post!

Stitch the pieces of LIFE together!

They make a BEAUTIFUL quilt!

Nina Clotfelter