Learning to McTavish

First of all, if you don't know what on Earth I am talking about when I say "McTavishing", go HERE. No really. Go now! Pay special attention to the gallery & McTavishing links. Then come back here :)

If you don't know this about me --- well, you weren't paying attention, were you?! I love to quilt. But more than that - I love to finish a quilt. All that stuff after basting but before binding is my absolute favorite. No sending out to a LAQ for me, no siree. I could probably be happy if I never pieced a top again and instead had piles of basted quilts waiting for me to slide under the needle.

{Aside from the fact that I have too many ideas of tops to make, too many unique pattern ideas to test, too many fabrics crying to be used ..}

In any case I love finishing and I am always looking for things that will help me improve my custom work. McTavishing has been something I have wanted to practice on, especially since I have started making applique quilt tops like Hop To It and Spirit of the Northwoods.  Errr ... both of which are tops, waiting backing & basting. Did I forget to mention that somewhere on this blog? Oops.

So I bought this book:

 

And let me tell you - it is glorious. It is a free motion quilter's bible, in my opinion. The book has a quick how to section [I haven't even gotten to the DVD yet!] and then page after page of examples. Full colour photos give you close-ups for every kind of quilt - pieced, applique, hand quilted, trapunto, whitework, wholecloth  --- as well as the artist's quick run down of what machines and thread they used. I think it is pretty cool that so many different quilter's projects are featured in the book, and not just Karen's. It just adds to my impression of her as a totally cool chick!

I practiced a little on a tree skirt this summer, but I think the real test was the quilt I finished today. It is a charity quilt I picked up at the Oakville Quilter's Guild meeting last Thursday. They always have tops that need finishing (and less finishers than toppers, which is a quilting tendency ...) and I almost bounced out of my seat when they held this one up.

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It was made and donated by a lady named Dorothy Baker and her applique is truly astounding. Somehow all those little circles and scallops are turned edge and sewn with the tiniest zig-zag I have ever seen. In fact, I couldn't see it at all! She also used clear monofilament in the top and cotton on the back. Every stitch is precise - I couldn't find a mistake anywhere as I quilted. No tiny little wander or anything!! Here is what it looks like now that I am done with it:

I'm really happy with how it turned out!

This summer ...

Mmm, feathers!

This summer flew by - unfortunately it seems they all do! Things went in this kind of pattern: Claire & I hid inside in the air conditioning while Gord went to work during the week. We quilted and coloured and napped and read Dr Seuss and did laundry. Sometimes we made it to the YMCA for playgroup and sometimes I was a wimp and only left the house for groceries. I had about half a dozen customer quilts to keep me busy: all of them were done with custom/heirloom quilting on my Babylock.

Here are some pictures:

The second of this pattern I quilted for a customer

Purple spirals - sooo fun

Some McTavishing practice

One day, one day I will be a LAQ. Until then I'm a QW - quilt wrestler.

Every weekend was an adventure! Early Saturday morning was almost always spent on Lake Erie for perch or bass - to the great delight of my stomach :) Miss Claire went out with us about half the time, ordering us around like a true captain and making sure we caught fish for her. Gord gave me a compliment of the highest order -- "Honey, you fish like a man!"

Captain Claire

Daddy's bass is approved!

And of course we let our little fishy swim in the pool at Uncle Don & Aunt Shelley's after fishing adventures.

I don't think life gets much better, do you?!

Farmer's Wife Quilt

Farmer's Wife Quilt, originally uploaded by sailbit.

I finished it!!!

Jelly Roll Bargello

Bargello, originally uploaded by sailbit.

I love bargellos. Love love love em -- so it was inevitable that I get around to making one. Ta da - mine is made from an island batiks jelly roll in "sweet pea" by Hoffman. This is a nice picture of part of the top - right now it is kinda long and gangly looking until I figure out what I want to do for borders.

When the bargello obsession hit I went and researched how they were made. It makes for interesting reading, loaded with eye candy. On warning I read over and over was "do not attempt in batiks!"

The basis of the bargello is that the fabrics you use are predictable from one segment to the next in order to carry the wave pattern you are creating. With batiks - especially batiks that vary -- the whole thing gets VERY tricky. Since I wanted to go with a soft watercolor palette in blue and purple, things got tougher. Sometimes I really am my own worst enemy.

Oh wait, it is gorgeous isn't it? I guess I'm not an enemy to myself after all :)

Quilt Helpers 101

Quilt Helpers 101, originally uploaded by sailbit.

I'm sure you have seen this delightful quilting notion in use before --- but this might be a new task for yours.

Eliminate tangling of your piecing chains by using the elevated surface of the tool to stack the sewn pieces. If your quilting tool (also called a CAT) is well trained to help you in your fabric adventures, he won't move at all until he is completely buried.

Happy Quilting! =^.^=