What Kind of Clothing Can I Use In a Quilt?

Well, you might be surprised!  I get a lot of questions about types of clothing that I can use and whether or not they will work together in a quilt, and I am happy to say that my list of clothing I have used is long…and I do not think it is exhausted yet!

My list of Clothing I have used in quilts includes:  T-Shirts, sweatshirts, jerseys, sports shirts/shorts, uniforms, polo shirts, dress shirts, blouses, skirts, flannel shirts/pajamas, pants, baby clothes, hats, socks, canvas shoe parts, canvas bags, underwear (clean of course!), closely knit sweaters, blouses/clothing with lace, gowns, wedding dresses, linens, ties, scarves, bandanas, leotards, swim suits, denim/jeans, spirit towels…I could go on and one…

Some of the more interesting items I have used is tiny baby knitted hats or bonnets and socks that I have appliqued onto a quilt.  I have used a leather letter jacket in a quilt, and last summer I made a Memory Dog from a beloved pet’s toys…it is so cute…I even used the squeakers from the toys!  As I have said before, my customers are awesome, and they trust me with the most interesting and creative projects.

Image shows a dog stuffed animal about 18” high with various fabrics taken from dog toys, beds, and favorite bits. His ears are from the lambchop toy provided. And his arms, legs, and torso contain squeakers from the toys, too.

The picture shows the back of the stuffed dog, which features Santa’s face from a toy, and bits from a favorite Kong ball.

Honestly, I am open to trying a lot of different fabrics, and I have no problem saying I cannot use something—usually I will let you know when we meet, but if you are mailing your items, then you can send me a picture of the piece, so that I can tell you what I think.  Don’t hesitate to ask because I say yes far more often than I say no!  And if an item is especially important to you, I might have ideas about how to use it.

Sending Quilty Love,

Ginger

Things I worried about this week: The gutting of the voter rights act described as pernicious, and I find that an apt description.  Insurance and return on that investment.  Prices…gas, food, everything.  The staggering numbers of dead or missing indigenous women in NC…the list of worries, too, feels unending, but I am getting good honest, unbiased, fact based reporting from WUNC and NPR.org.  Please spend some time listening, so that you can be well informed and make good decisions when you vote. 

Reading this week:  I’m still reading Louise Penny’s A Rule Against Murder, and I am still being soothed by it.  The descriptions are so good.  Thomas Wolfe is good, too, but uncomfortable in parts…which is good in reading in its own way.  The host of characters in You Can’t Go Home Again is growing, too, reminding me of Dickens. What are you reading?  I would love to know!

Hand-Guided Quilting: Free Motion and Custom

Happy Friday and Happy May!

Picture shows a raw edge applique Beagle-like, brown, black, and white dog with a ball wall hanging with up close details of the quilting done to secure the pieces and highlight the details of the dog. The moss green background is quilted with open swirls. The ball is shades of peach and also highlighted with quilting. My customer Bev is an artist with fabric and paint, and her dog wall hanging is so life-like!

Whew, where did April go? Alas. This week I would like to talk about quilting. I often refer to everything I do as quilting and I call myself a quilt artist, but quilting, the term, actually only refers to what happens after the top of the quilt is finished. Once the top is finished it is layered with batting and a backing, and then the whole stack is quilted. As you know I really like all of the parts of “quilting": collaboration with customers, choosing fabric, cutting, piecing, and the actual quilting and finishing. Quilting is special, though, because it is important for the wear and life of the quilt, and the quilting can highlight or provide texture. Good quilting works with the quilt; it doesn’t over power it.

All of my quilting is hand-guided using my APQS Lenni Longarm. I do not have a computerized component to my machine. For T-Shirt Quilts, I usually use a medium meander edge to edge design, which is excellent for avoiding any areas that cannot or are not going to be quilted—I use buttons, pockets, and zippers sometimes in my work, and avoiding those areas during quilting are important. Buttons and zippers, especially the metal ones, will break the needle and possibly damage the quilt, and I like to leave pockets open for use in the quilt. I feel like pockets are fun texture, useful, and give a nod back to the original use of the textile.

The image is of the NC Quilt bottom right corner, showing meander quilting in the blue outer border, and a feather design in the red and blue inner borders. There is also outline quilting in the orange Carolina Lily block with the white background and green leaves. The bear claw block is also visible with special swirls inside the pad of the foot and outline for the nails.

Memory Quilts are similar in that I usually choose an all over edge to edge design (meander loops or swirls or flowers!) unless the quilt calls for specific quilting. For instance, the tree and cone flower quilts received outline work, and an applique barn I recently finished received outlining and ruler work to highlight its details.

The image shows the corner of the quilt folded over, so that the blue and white floral backing can be seen with the custom embroidery label with the letters, “TAL.” The custom quilted gray barn made from clothing is custom outlined and ruler work has been done to highlight the structure of the barn, roof, windows, and doors.

A close up image of free motion hand-guided quilting on a linen hand embroidered floral quilt The quilting is meander loops, and the embroidery is not quilted over.

I also quilt tops for anyone who needs a quilt top finihsed and it requires custom quilting. I can even put already finished quilts on my frame or add machine quilting to already finished hand quilting. Custom quilting is when different parts of the quilt top receive different quilt designs, ruler work, thread color changes, or outlining. Custom quilting really adds character and can highlight details in the quilt. Applique is a great example of a quilt top that benefits from custom quilting.

The image shows a scrappy basket or basket-like flower blocks quilt with outline quilting for the white blocks and baskets and figure eight quilting in the green sashing and borders.

I usually enjoy both edge to edge and custom hand-guided quilting, and my customers always bring me beautiful projects through which I get to utilize my creative quilting mind and hands. I often say, “If I can draw it, then I can quilt it. Stay tuned to see what I get to draw with my needle next! And please let me know if you have any questions about quilting!

Have a beautiful week,

Ginger

I know the world is heavy right now. I like to turn to NPR for my news and an unbiased perspective. Kindness is everything.

Currently Reading: I finished both of my books from last week…The Lord of the Flies was still gut wrenching and heartbreaking. I’m so sad. That book is so timely, and I wish it wasn’t. The Death of the Heart ended the way I thought, so that was no better. I picked up You Can’t Go Home Again by Thomas Wolfe (I’m enjoying its heft…reading is like quilting, a tactile experience for me! Wolfe is good with descriptions, too.) and A Rule Against Murder by Louise Penny, which were both on my list to read. I’ve read several Louise Penny novels…not exactly cozy mystery, but Armand Gamache is a truly comforting character and Penny’s writing is so, so good. Her descriptions are beautiful and right. And the sprinkles of French make the book a sumptuous read. What are you reading?

Memory Quilts can be Art.

Memory Quilts or T-Shirt Quilts do not have to be uninteresting or ugly. I remember being surprised by a relatively well known modern quilter talking about how quilts do not have to be like that weird t-shirt quilt you stuck in the back of your closet. Sometimes a customer will hire me to make a t-shirt or memory quilt because someone they love wants one, but they will be careful to say they think it is going to be ugly. I am always happy to dispel their preconceived notions of what a t-shirt or memory quilt is and how it looks.

Sometimes theme makes a t-shirt quilt really special!

Honestly I don’t make a quilt unless I know it will be beautiful, and I do still surprise myself with how lovely a simple t-shirt quilt can be! And I have interesting, adventurous clients who let me explore art with their clothing.

Differences in construction can also add interest to a t-shirt quilt.

Cone Flower Memory Quilt. The flowers are made from clothing.

Tree Memory Quilt.

I recently finished a pair of memory quilts (the cone flowers and tree above) that are decidedly art, and the art enhanced the memory and tactility of the clothing itself. My customers were so pleased, and at the delivery meeting their joy and wonder at the memories aroused by the quilts reminded me why art and the recognition it provides are so important. Virginia Woolf, when talking about the art of literature in “A Room of One’s Own,” discusses integrity…that writing is art when it makes a reader say, “Yes, that is right.” The work provides integrity to what it is describing, and I think t-shirt quilts and memory quilts do the same thing. They are tangible examples of integrity…the reality of a human life and their loves and preferences translated through clothing and stitch. Art.

The quilting is just lovely with the Cuddle back!

Sending Quilty Love,

Ginger

Currently Reading: I’m further along than last week in the same texts, and I only have one story left in Anne Monroe’s short story compilation, and it is called “Too Much Happiness.” Maybe it will be happy. Don’t get me wrong, the stories are excellent in a very Flannery O’Conner Way. I keep thinking of “A Good Man is Hard to Find”…Ohh, a little Faulkner, too, definitely “A Rose for Emily” vibes. I’m also still on the island with the boys in Lord of the Flies—of course this is a reread, but it doesn’t stop me from hoping it ends differently, and Elizabeth Bowen has me intrigued, but I still think the end is going to be bad in The Death of the Heart and not because of the title either. I hope you are reading something that brings you joy or tickles the best parts of your brain. I think I may need a cozy mystery next.

Happy Spring

Hello and Happy Spring; I hope you have had a great start to your new year! The views from the studio are wonderful right now: azaleas, dogwoods, and camellias are in bloom, and the birds are in full color. We put our bird bath right outside the studio window, so I get to see all of the lovely bird activity as I work around in the studio.

The studio has been a busy place, and I have been so excited with the projects in the works and waiting there. I made a special table runner and a NC Quilt that is simply gorgeous. Of course t-shirt quilts were happening, along with very special custom memory quilts.

A table runner made from vintage aprons and kitchen towels was created in the studio

The back of the runner…isn’t that fabric so beautiful! It was lovely to work with in the midst of a cold winter.

The NC Quilt used all of my piecing skills, including applique and fussy cutting.

The NC Quilt was wonderfully fun to make! I’m going to make a few pillow shams to go with it!

Custom T-Shirt Quilt

Cone Flowers for this lovely memory quilt.

These are just a few of the pieces I was and am working on! The studio is still busy with custom quilting, memory quilts, t-shirt quilts, and quilt finishing.

I am hoping to share more in depth blog posts about special projects and get more posted to Instagram. I am very cognizant that the world is on fire, but I hope my little studio can bring some needed joy to both me and the world. Everyone is welcome here. Kindness is everything.

Take lots of walks and enjoy the lovely weather,

Sending Quilting Love,

Ginger

Current reads: I finished The Sirens by Emilia Hart, and I highly recommend it. I am currently reading The Death of the Heart by Elizabeth Bowen and Alice Munroe’s collection of short stories, Too Much Happiness. And of course, I have piles of books waiting for me, too…the bookshelves are slowly coming together!

Pixelation Quilt

It was all–the continental drift reversing direction, the folding of rocks like ribbon pasta in the earth’s warm ovens–as challenging to belief as the most fantastic dogmas of religion, but accepted by everybody sane in the modern world.  The weight of evidence accumulated all the time, like all those protective shells contributed by tiny creatures as keen to live, as self-important and ultimately insignificant as she.  Alexandra’s relation to Nature had always puzzled her; she leaned on Nature, she learned from it, she was it, and yet there was something in her, something else, that feared and hated it.

The Widows of Eastwick

John Updike


The quilt in its new home!

T-Shirt quilts and memory quilts are predominantly what I make in my custom quilt making business; however, I do have clients who want non-clothing related quilts made as well.  Most recently I have been working on a special project for one of my quilt-loving clients.  This particular client loves looking at quilts and enjoys having them in his home. He usually texts me and says, “Hey–what do you think of this quilt? Can you make something like this?”  So far, I have been able to say a resounding “Yes!” to his queries, and I am never disappointed!  He always brings me exciting, interesting ideas, and he loves to pick out fabrics, too.  

His latest idea, besides a few clothing related projects and one dog quilt (Yes, a quilt for his dog.) is a pixelation quilt.  I found the pattern Pixelated by Sedef Imer at www.lovepatchworkandquilting.com.  But he had particular fabrics in mind, so I really designed the placement of the colors myself and pieced the top the way I wanted to piece it!  I read through the pattern and the instructions are well done, and I think anyone could use their own scraps to create a similar quilt with that pattern.

I have to say, this quilt has taken me a long time! I’ve discussed my creative process here before, and this quilt needed some time to foment.

First, I ordered the fabrics from Cherrywood Fabric (https://cherrywoodfabrics.com/).  I ordered several of their 12 step bundles and several yards of the solid white fabric, which gave me a good variety of colors to use along with the “background,” and they arrived bundled and bursting to be cut and pieced!  I let the idea of the rainbow and the placement of the colors sit for a little while— the fabrics sat on my big studio table, so that I could see them everyday.  I washed the fabrics and I began to plot placement.  Dark to light?  Rainbow order (ROYGBIV)? Or follow the inspiration picture?  Light to Dark?  Even before cutting anything, I moved fabrics around and organized them in different ways.  Always the color pattern was slowly emerging in my mind.

Then I had to decide on scale—1” squares? 2” finished squares?  How would I piece them? Do I want to use an interfacing foundation to expedite piecing?  Plus I wanted to lay out the whole quilt before I began piecing it.  So while my brain worked on the construction side of the quilt, I began to work on the cutting.  I decided on 2” finished squares, so I cut all of the fabric I ordered.  I used 1600 squares in the quilt top, and I had some left over from the layout—I cut extra to make the layout easier.  Luckily, I could stack and whack.  I stacked a family of fabrics together up to eight layers and cut strips and then squares.  Those piles of colored squares were so satisfying!

I decided using an interfacing foundation for the piecing would also be beneficial for working on the layout.  I could lay out the squares of interfacing, which is already marked with 2.5” squares, and then lay out the squares.  Then the interfacing squares could be carefully stacked.  The layout would be easy to maintain through piecing that way. I also labeled the interfacing squares with numbers on the back, so that I could better keep them in order, too.  I used twenty-five interfacing squares, with sixty-four two inch finished squares in each.  Each row had five interfacing squares, so the quilt finished at 80”x80” with a total of 1600 two inch squares!

One row…

After I worked on the layout and the steam pressing, (I am lucky enough to have a steam press, which made this process so much easier!) I began piecing the quilt top.  The sewing of each interfacing square took less time then sewing individual squares together, but it still took me several weeks to piece while I was also working on other bits in the studio.  The result is well worth the labor, though; the finished top is stunning! 

I used Kona White 108” Wide for the back, and I spent some time trying to decide how to quilt it.  Did I want to change threads?  Would one color of thread suffice?  How dense did I want the quilting?  What quilting design would best compliment the pixels?  I finally settled on a lovely wavy lines quilt design, and I decided to match thread to the colors in the quilt top.  I used corresponding colors in the bobbin, so that the back has a rainbow pattern, too.

Needless to say, I am so pleased with this quilt, and my customer is beyond excited.  He sent me a picture of the quilt hanging over his upstairs railing, and it is even more beautiful in its home!

Do you have a quilt you have been dreaming about?  Let me know in the comments below!

Sending Quilting Love,

Ginger

Coming Next Time: Maybe Elongated Stars?

I am Reading: I have been reading The Foundation Series by Isaac Asimov…I have finished the first three books, and I finished The Widows of Eastwick by John Irving.  I am reading Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner at the recommendation of my oldest son.  I am also reading several nonfiction pieces and the New Yorker Magazine.  What are you reading?

Patience, Concentration, and Precision

“…But this novel reminds us that narrative refuses to stay put, and that the effort of telling stories only pins things down so far. In the end it is language itself that is the problematic container, it holds too much and too little at the same time.” Translating Myself and Others, Jhumpa Lahiri discussing the novel Ties


A Custom Quilt!

Whew! I would say the studio has been hopping, but honestly it has been steady, methodical progress. Lately I have been reminded of how slow the stitching process can be, never mind the creative process. And I don’t mean to say my creativity is slow, but it does have a rhythm. I like my work best when it is unhurried, consistent, and interesting. I usually have no problem with the interest because my clients bring me the best projects, and I can truly say they are all unique. I may be making a classic t-shirt quilt, but the shirts and fabrics vary. The stories of my customers are unique for certain!

I feel stressed probably twice a year—graduation season and the holidays, but I am working to build calm into those seasons, too. Everything I do requires time, patience, concentration, and precision, and no amount of need or deadlines can rush that process. As a matter of fact, I find that when I am in a hurry or feeling harried that I make mistakes and create longer, more difficult work. Sewing should never be frustrating, tedious, or maddening, and my studio is rarely—and I mean rarely—any of those emotions. I tend to laugh at my mistakes, probably because I have the skills to fix them and because I know some mistakes are leading in to a better solution.

I have talked/written before about how I like to have a variety of orders on the go. In a particular day, I don’t want to spend the whole day on one task. I try to plan different tasks to pay attention to my body and allow time for thinking and digesting a project. For instance, I do thinking tasks, like layouts and planning, when I am fresh in the morning. I try not to sew all day or stand all day, so I plan a prep of shirts (cutting, interfacing, and steam pressing) and the piecing of a quilt top for the day. The prep I know I can finish in a few hours or less, and the piecing can spill into the next day if needed.

I try to pay attention to my creative desires, too. I usually have three or four things on my “to-do” list, and I let my desire for the day dictate the order. I do try to remain cognizant that, like everyone else, I can try to avoid a certain task, and I will usually do that one first! Then I get a reward—doing the thing that is burning in my mind or making my fingers tingle—yes—my work is often a physical desire—and I am happy to be able to sew and create at will. I am also lucky that I really like all of the aspects of my job, from pressing freshly washed fabric to binding finished quilts. I do find a quiet joy in all of those activities.

One more row to go on the pixellation quilt…now I just have to decide how to quilt it while I work on that row!

Lately the studio abounds with colorful squares for a pixellation quilt (I’ll do a blog post for that process!) and a double-sided t-shirt quilt with a certain vision desired by the client. Pillows and custom quilting and sweet custom quilts are in the works, too. Also, I have been meeting with clients with new projects and of course graduation quilt projects! The studio is a lively place, where the process may be slow, but the product is always worth it!

Sending Quilting Love,

Ginger

Coming Next Time: Pixellation? Memory Quilts? Is there anything you would like me to write about?

I am Reading: I am still enjoying The Old Curiosity Shop by Dickens, and I am reading the second novel in the Chief Inspector Gamache mystery series by Louise Penny. I am also reading several nonfiction books and books of poetry, as usual. Do you have reading recommendations?




Catharsis

In the doorway, the artful Dutchman didn’t move.  Harry knew better than to move. Hannah was wrong, Eddie knew.  There are moments when time does stop.  We must be alert enough to notice such moments. 

A Widow for One Year

      John Irving

A College Graduation quilt!


Graduation season is quickly approaching.  My queue usually fills for graduation by mid-March, and this year I already have four graduation quilts waiting to be made and a few others awaiting meetings with clients.  If you want a graduation quilt this season, then get on my list!

Graduation season is always so exciting and bittersweet, and last season a parent reminded me, as I was working on her daughter’s quilt, that the process is a cathartic one.  She said going through shirts with me, picking fabric, and discussing designs brought back so many memories and punctuated the end that graduations signal.  For her, she had already sent her daughter off to college–we made her quilt during her daughter’s freshman year of college.  My client said working with me to make the quilt really helped smooth and nurture her process of letting go. 

The front of her daughter’s double-sided quilt!

Graduations themselves are bittersweet for graduates and parents.  They mark the end of something, while nodding to the uncertain future.  Old ties are loosened and newness abounds, and graduation quilts reflect that friction.

As a mother I have two high school graduations completed, and I am enjoying my new freedoms and the boys’ bright futures.  My oldest wasn’t interested in  a t-shirt quilt, really–I made him one in middle school, and I just prepped my youngest’s t-shirts for his quilt.  He picked out his shirts, and he helped me pick fabrics.  I think my personal process is less cathartic because he left home for his Senior year of high school to attend UNCSA, but I was reminded, as I worked on his shirts and layout recently, of the dichotomy of emotions inherent in graduation season.

I made her daughter a bear, too, and it is pictured here on top of the quilt.

With both my boys in college, I see and feel the joy and expectations of the future, and I am so pleased to be able to work with parents feeling the pain and anticipation of graduation.  I read often for catharsis that I don’t even know I need until I find it in a text, and I hope my graduation orders help my clients find cleansing catharsis, too.  They will have a quilt that embodies so many memories and emotions, and a quilter cannot ask more from a quilt.

The back of her daughter’s quilt was filled with pictures I printed to fabric and hand appliqued “confetti” strips to add interest.

Memory quilts of any kind are a process, and I probably need another blog post to cover the ways it can be beneficial and possibly painful. If you have memories you want to keep, though, a quilt is a brilliant place to store them!


Sending Quilting Love, 

Ginger

Coming Next Time:  Patience, Concentration and Precision


I am Reading: I finished Mirror Lake, and now I want to find the other books in the series…I just ordered myself some new mysteries yesterday!  I will look at my local used book shops for the other Mirror Lake books.  I am fifteen chapters into The Old Curiosity Shop, and I love Dickens.  His ability to paint a scene and characters is superb.  The Old Curiosity shop is my daily lunch companion!  I have other books on the go, too…what are you reading?

Earl Grey and Creative Mind Marination

“Rummaging through the cupboard like a wartime surgeon frantically searching for the right bandage, Peter swept aside Yogi tea, and Harmony Blend, though he hesitated for a second over camomile.  But no. Stay Focused, he admonished himself.  He knew it was there, that opiate of the Anglos. And his hand clutched the box just as the kettle whistled.  Violent Death demands Earl Grey.”

Still Life

Louse Penny


Over my lovely winter break, I had the opportunity to read more, as evidenced by the quotation above, and I was enormously pleased to find that gem in a mystery I was reading.  Earl Grey is my nightly respite, and I think it is perfect for all of life’s ills, though we all hope to avoid violent death…one cannot drink Earl Grey if one is dead.

Finished Christmas Quilts ready for delivery!


My Winter break was more than lovely, it was a much needed rest.  I worked every day of the first sixteen days or so of December–I completed at least nine quilts, and I am so pleased with all of the creative sewing.  I’ll be sharing those quilts on Instagram soon, and I will try to update the gallery here on the website, too.

I finished my Christmas Queue on December 16, and I had all of the quilts delivered by December 19, just in time for gift giving.  I always feel like Santa during December deliveries, and this year was no exception.  Special quilts were taken home as special gifts, and I was honored to be a part of so many family celebrations!

After deliveries, I cleaned up the studio, but before I closed the studio for break, I decided not to move new orders into my work baskets.  You see I have pending orders in stacked containers that move into the baskets when I start to work on them physically.  

Baskets ready for orders!

I had at least six orders to start in January, and I moved those into the baskets when I returned to the studio on January 2.  I enjoyed leaving the baskets empty in this way because it felt like a pause for rest.  I was also excited to move the orders upon my return to the studio, so that  I could let those orders start to work in earnest in my brain.  I think not filling the baskets gave my brain a rest, too; it didn’t pick up the orders and try to tease and niggle ideas in the back of my mind.  Of course, those orders were already filed neatly in my brain because my creative process begins with my first contacts with clients.  I make notes, sometimes before I meet the customer in person, or before I receive an order in the mail. Certainly once the materials for an order are in my possession, my creative brain is weighing options and making plans, even when I am not physically working on the order.  I know my mind does this work since ideas for orders will pop into my head at interesting times—in the middle of the night, on my daily walk, when I am stitching something else.  I’ve decided my creative process definitely includes pondering time.  Orders have to marinate in my creative juices.  Those “aha” moments are a lot of fun; they allow me to celebrate my own creative self!  Ha! By the way, everyone should celebrate and congratulate themselves, even for small ideas and victories!

New Year and orders ready for sewing. Under that batting is a quilt already pieced and ready to be quilted!

I’m back in the studio now, and my creative brain is fully cogitating.  I have meetings with eight or nine clients for new orders in addition to the ones in the studio.  I am excited about the possibilities.  My clients bring me the best projects!  Thank you!

Sending Quilting Love,

Ginger

Coming Next Time:  Hmmm…I have not decided yet, so you will have to come back to see! If you have an idea, then let me know in the comments below!

I am Reading:  I just finished A Widow For One Year by John Irving…so good!  I picked up a mystery Sam gave me for Christmas called Mirror Lake by Juneau Black.  Sidney gave me a new illustrated copy of Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein, so I have been giggling over that.  I am also reading Make, Sew, and Mend by Bernadette Banner…a birthday present from Sidney.  Lee gave me books, too, and I am excited to read those!   My boys know me pretty well, don’t they!  I think I will start The Old Curiosity Shop by Charles Dickens, too, while I am reading Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen…oh, I have so many things to read it makes me feel so warm and snuggly!  A cup of Earl Grey and a book…lovely!

A Quilt Exhibit, Quilt Along, and Book Club...Yes, I am Excited!

“Whether made for public display or for intimate private use, quilts provide a window into their era and visually narrate often-invisible American experiences.  Within a quilt’s fibers, materials, patterns, and decoration are embedded larger stories of industrial production, politics, social change and communities along with the personal stories of families.  Some live on the surface of American life and some are embedded deep within community history and tradition.”

Fabric of a Nation: American Quilt Stories

Director’s Forward

Pamela Parmal, Jennifer Swope, and

 Lauren Whitley

Happy Friday!

This week has been a busy one in the studio...working on two vintage quilts (repairs, new binding, etc.) and two custom quilts have been in the works!  I also had the pleasure of perusing my copy of Fabric of a Nation: American Quilt Stories that I ordered.  The book is a companion to the exhibit now open at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.  For more information about the exhibit you may visit here: https://www.mfa.org/

This exhibit is so exciting and the publication is a feat in itself.  I listened to Jennifer Swope discuss the exhibit and the book on the Quiltbuzz podcast, which you can find here: https://quiltbuzzpodcast.com/podcast/episode-040-jennifer-swope-of-the-museum-of-fine-arts-boston  She discusses how the book is an extension of the exhibit because the exhibition space only had a limited space, but the book allows for more exploration of the themes of the exhibit through many more examples of quilts.  The book is beautiful!  I will share more as I read through it.  I am participating in the SuzyQuilts book club, and we will begin discussing the book this week, I think!  I should check what I need to have read!

The companion book to the exhibit of the same name at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

I am also participating in the MFAQAL (Museum of Fine Arts Quilt Along) put on by Amanda @broadclothstudio.  She enlisted the help of some wonderful pattern designers to help her put together the blocks in the quilt.  Each designer chose a classic quilt block found in the exhibit and “reimagined” it and gave it their own “modern spin” (quotations per the MFAQAL pattern!).

This week we are working on the Water Lily block and the Courthouse Steps block...I have been cutting the fabric for my blocks.  I will piece them this weekend.

The MFA Boston is working on putting together a virtual exhibit, so if you cannot get to Boston, then you may be able to see the exhibit anyway!

So much of my work is honoring memories and people’s lives, and I love the quotation at the beginning of the blog.  I am honored to be a part of this vibrant, important community!

Sending Quilting Love, 

Ginger

Coming Next Time: Thread...

I am Reading:  I am still reading Wicked by Gregory McGuire, but I finished Tightrope by Simon Mawer this week. I am working my way through Let Your Creativity Work for You by Heather Allen. Also I picked up the third Witcher book, Blood of Elves.   I am still reading bits of poetry, and I have stacks of things to read, which always makes me happy! Of course I am reading for my quilty book club...I will share as I go along!



How Long Does It Take to Make a Quilt?

“Just when I was settling down to it, Lettice Protheroe drifted in.

I use the word ‘drifted’ advisedly.  I have read in novels in which young people are described as bursting with energy--joie de vivre, the magnificent vitality of youth.  Personally, all the young people I come across have the air of amiable wraiths.

Lettice was particularly wraithlike this afternoon.  She is a pretty girl, very tall and fair and completely vague.  She drifted through the French window, absently pulled off the yellow beret she was wearing and murmured vaguely with a kind of faraway surprise.

‘Oh, It’s you.”

The Murder at the Vicarage

Agatha Christie

Hello and Happy Friday!

Last week I promised you a discussion of how long it actually takes to make a quilt. Of course, you might guess that I am going to say the time depends on a lot of factors.  The type of quilt, the size of the quilt, availability of fabric, and the time of year all contribute to the length of time it will take to have a quilt made.

Cutting lots of strips!

Cutting lots of strips!

The actual making of a quilt usually takes me anywhere between one to three weeks, but you should keep in mind that I tend to work on at least three projects at a time.  For instance Wednesday and Thursday of this week I made a bear, finished a tie quilt, and pieced a Classic 25T in addition to creating a pattern for a pillow case, researching classic patterns, emailing and talking with customers, and writing this blog.  The Classic 25T took me about five and a half hours to piece once I had prepped and cut the shirts and washed and cut all of the fabric.  That does not include the time it took me to piece the back and make the binding.  I can quilt and bind a Classic 25T in one day, but I often split those tasks up into two days because of the physical demands of that work, which is one of the reasons I work on more than one project at a time.  Sitting and piecing for six to eight hours is not healthy, so I break my day up into tasks.  I might work on piecing a quilt in the morning for three hours and prep the next order in the afternoon.

Cutting Fabric for sashing and borders.

Cutting Fabric for sashing and borders.

The type of quilt is a huge factor in how long it takes to make.  Classic quilts are the fastest to make.  Custom quilts are more complicated, so they take longer.  Memory quilts or special custom quilts can take the longest because of the pattern and fabric being used.  But I love having a variety of orders in the studio at once, so that I can easily make my tasks diverse

Time of year can also play a role in how long it will take me to make a quilt.  By mid-October my queue is full for Christmas orders, so if I take in an order after my Christmas slots are full, then that order will likely be the first order of the new year. 

I really try to be honest about my work load when I meet with customers, and I try to plan accordingly for anything that might arise to foil my plans.

Would you like to see a “Day in the Life” blog? Maybe I will do that next week!

Sending Quilting Love, 

Ginger

Coming Next Week: A Day in the Studio with Ginger, and maybe I will layout a week, too.

I am Reading:  I am still reading Wicked by Gregory McGuire and Tightrope by Simon Mawer, and I am working my way through Let Your Creativity Work for You by Heather Allen. I am still reading bits of poetry, and I have stacks of things to read, which always makes me happy! I am also waiting on my copy of Fabric of a Nation: American Quilt Stories from the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston’s exhibit of the same name...I’ll put some pictures in the blog once it arrives!




Still Speaking the Same Quilty Language!

“She cast around for the right words.  That was the problem with words--they nail the thought down, made it explicit, fixed it, crucified it on the cross of exact meaning.  But life has no exact meanings, only shades of meaning, hints, versions, and contradictions, a confusion of loves and hates, of motives and desires.”

Tightrope

Simon Mawer

Hello!
I hope you have had a brilliant week.  I keep waiting for rain...maybe today!  Last week we explored twelve common words I use when I am talking about making a t-shirt quilt or quilt.   I have twelve more words that I think might be important to the process of making a quilt.

Quilt vs Blanket--Most quilters will get a little irritated at a quilt being called a blanket, but I really see “blanket” as the overall group and a quilt is a special kind of blanket.  Quilts have three layers and blankets usually have one.  I love the word “counterpane” for a quilt, but it is a bit archaic. 

Piecing-the process of cutting and sewing the pieces of a quilt top together.  Piecing is used  most often in reference to the quilt top, but the back of a quilt often needs to be pieced as well.

Block-One unit of a quilt.  For instance a 12T t-shirt quilt has 12 blocks in it.

Quilting-the act of stitching the three layers (front, batting, backing) together, and the actual stitches used to hold the three layers of the quilt together.

Applique-sewing one piece of fabric onto a larger piece of fabric. For instance when I sew a small logo onto another block of a t-shirt quilt.

This sweet little pumpkin block has a skirt appliqued to it!

This sweet little pumpkin block has a skirt appliqued to it!

Heatnbond-an iron on adhesive that helps in the process of some types of applique.

Miters or Mitered Corners-The corners of the quilt are created by sewing the fabric at a 45 degree angle, like a picture frame. (It’s magic!)

A great example of meander quilting and a mitered corner!

A great example of meander quilting and a mitered corner!

Meander or Stipple-the most common type of quilting I use for a t-shirt quilt.  It looks like loose puzzle pieces.

Longarm-the large sewing machine that I use to quilt quilts.  My long arm has a 10” frame.

Me quilting with my APQS Lenni longarm!

Me quilting with my APQS Lenni longarm!

Hand-guided Quilting-the quilter drives the machine as it sews.  All of my quilting is hand-guided.  I do not have a computer attached to my longarm machine.

Free-motion Quilting-A pattern is not being followed and the quilter is in full control of the machine.  

Domestic Machine-a regular sewing machine used at home.

Hopefully last week’s blog and this blog help with the general vocabulary of quilting!  Let me know if you can think of other words I should define!

Sending Quilting Love,

Ginger

Coming Next Week: How much time does it take to make a quilt?

I am Reading:  I am still reading Wicked by Gregory McGuire and Tightrope by Simon Mawer, and I am working my way through Let Your Creativity Work for You by Heather Allen. I am still reading bits of poetry, and I have stacks of things to read, which always makes me happy!  






Speaking the Same Quilty Language

“I am beginning to learn that it is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all.”

Laura Ingalls Wilder

Happy October!

I hope you have had a brilliant week in all of your endeavors!  I promised last week that I would define some quilting vocabulary for you.  Many of my customers are not quilters, which is why they hire me to make things for them, so I usually spend a little bit of time explaining quilting vocabulary, especially when we are deciding fabric.  Often I show them a picture of a quilt and point to the relevant parts as I discuss what parts of the quilt they have to decide in terms of fabric. 


I made a list of the terms I most often explain, and I found twenty four terms.  In this blog post I will define twelve I use most often in meetings with clients, and I will define the rest next week. 

You can see most of the terms below in this quilt!

You can see most of the terms below in this quilt!

Sashing-the fabric around the blocks and between the rows. (The teal in the picture above.)

Cornerstones-the small 2” squares between the rows and the blocks. (There are black cornerstones in the picture above.) Custom Quilt do not have cornerstones because the layout is not in rows.

Inner Border-The border closest to the blocks; it usually matches the sashing. (Teal in the picture above.)

Outer Border-The large, usually 6” border on the outside of the quilt. (Black in the picture above.)

Middle Border-A border between the inner and outer border, usually for a pop of color and is 1”-2”.

Binding-The edge that finishes the quilt. (The tiny black edge on the quilt above.)

Backing-The fabric for the back of the quilt. (Teal in the quilt above; you can see it in the corner that is folded over.)

Embroidery-Custom lettering...names, dates, messages to a quilt. (The quilt above has an embroidered label on the back of it; seen in the folded over corner.)

I interfaced the towels in this quilt to make them less likely to stretch and unravel.

I interfaced the towels in this quilt to make them less likely to stretch and unravel.

Interfacing-Pellon 911 Featherweight is the brand I use, and it is a lightweight fabric that gets steam pressed onto the backs of the pieces of the t-shirt/clothing/fabric.  It allows a stretchy fabric to behave more like a cotton fabric. (In the quilt above, interfacing was used to stabilize the Hurricane’s towels.)

Batting-I use 80/20 Cotton/Polyester blend and it is the layer of wadding between the top (t-shirt block layer) and the back of the quilt.

Hanging Sleeve-a flat ~3” sleeve, usually made from the same fabric as the backing fabric. The top edge is sewn into the top binding and the bottom edge is hand sewn down to the back. A rod or pole slides into the sleeve to allow the quilt to be hung. (The sleeve for the Hurricane’s Quilt would be made from Hurricane’s fabric.)

Scraps/Remnants-Any fabric left over from making a sewing project.  For t-shirt quilts that means any part not used in the block---sleeves, bottoms of shirts, etc.

Next week I will cover words like piecing, applique, and longarm.  Please let me know if you have a question...leave me a comment, and I will try to answer it!

Do you have a term or a part of a quilt or the quilting process that you don’t know how to name or define?

Sending Quilting Love,

Ginger

Coming Next Week: More quilting terms!

I am Reading:  I am still reading Wicked by Gregory McGuire and Tightrope by Simon Mawer, and I am working my way through Let Your Creativity Work for You by Heather Allen. I am still reading bits of poetry, and I have stacks of things to read, which always makes me happy!  I listened to a reading given by poet and essayist Ross Gay this week, and I highly recommend looking into his work.  His talk and reading were so good! 




The Magic I Can Put Into a Quilt!

“She seemed to walk in an atmosphere of things about to happen.”

    Anne of Avonlea

Lucy Maud Montgomery

Hello!

I hope you have had a beautiful week with the advent of autumn and a lovely, round full moon to light our nights!  I promised last week that I would discuss layouts in this blog.  In the quilting world, layouts are limitless...blocks and pieces of fabric can be combined to create endless combinations to lovely effect in innumerable quilts.  

Classic.jpg

For my T-Shirt quilts, layouts can be simpler, especially when we are talking about Classic T-Shirt quilts.  Classic T-Shirt quilts are always in a grid pattern and the blocks finish at 13”.  Who decides the layout for a Classic quilt is completely up to the customer.  Some clients like to create the layout, while others are happy to leave the layout of the pieces to me.  For people who prefer to decide the layout of their shirts, I have provided a grid on the Order page. You can download it and fill it in and give it to me with your shirts, or you can email or text me a picture of the shirts in the layout you like best.

Customers who want me to complete the layout can get a preview of the layout once I get the shirts prepped before I piece the top, or they can be surprised when the quilt is finished.  The way I usually think about a Classic layout is by the color of the shirts (actual color and dark, light, or medium) and the size of the graphics.  I try to mix up the colors and the values to balance the quilt, and the graphics need to be balanced in the same way.  Large graphics that cover a square cannot all be on the same side of the quilt.  I also look at all word graphics and picture graphics as a way to balance the quilt, as well.  I have a giant 6”x6” table in the studio that I usually use to finalize layouts.  I set out all of the pieces and I move them around until I am satisfied!

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Custom T-Shirt quilt layouts are always done by me.  Clients may let me know they want a particular piece centralized, but I create the layout based on the same factors as Classic quilts, while I also change the size of the pieces.  The size of the pieces are based on the shirts themselves, so if you have pieces or graphics that do not fit into 13”...like hockey jerseys...then you might want to get a Custom quilt.  Custom quilt layouts have a more modern look to them, too.  I love creating a custom layout because it is like a puzzle!  Customers can also get a sneak peak at the layout, if they like, before I piece the top.

Memory quilts and custom quilts can also have endless layout possibilities.  The layout for Memory quilts are really based on what the customer is seeking and what will best highlight the fabrics from the clothing and honor the person who wears/wore them.  Custom quilt layouts are often decided by something a client sees or a fabric they have or even a room or place they are planning to put the quilt.  In both cases, usually customers and I look over the clothing/fabric and discuss everything.  Sometimes I draw a possible layout, too, to help them decide. I am currently researching classic quilt block patterns for a special memory quilt coming up in my line-up. 

Pillows and bears are just smaller versions of Custom layouts, which is so much fun!  For bears, I make the fabric for the bear, so I can place special pieces in special places based on the bear pattern...for instance I can place a heart over the heart of the bear.  Pillows can also be customized...sometimes they are made from one piece or several pieces.  Sometimes pillows have a cotton back and sometimes the back is clothing fabric.

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I suppose my point with this blog is to explain my process and thinking for layouts and to show you that customization is the heart of my business.  If you have an idea and you are unsure, then ask me.  I know what I can do and what I cannot do, and if I cannot do what you want, then it might spark an idea in my head that gets us the same effect.  You might be surprised by the magic I can put into a quilt!  

So what would you like to see in your quilt?

Sending Quilting Love,

Ginger

Coming Next Week: Interfacing, heatnbond, sashing...what are all those quilting terms I am using?

I am Reading:  I am still reading Wicked by Gregory McGuire and Tightrope by Simon Mawer, and I am working my way through Let Your Creativity Work for You by Heather Allen. I am still reading bits of poetry, and I have stacks of things to read, which always makes me happy!  I am still thinking about the need for more reading everywhere and the need for reading freedom in schools.  I used to teach Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, and I always felt its relevance and the prickles of fear at its uncanny read of the bent of our world some 63 years on. If you have not read it, then you should.  It is beautifully written and it has the integrity Virginia Woolf says great literature has.  Pores...the book has pores.  We cannot allow Beatty-like philosophies to suffocate our society’s creativity and thought. Are you thinking what I am thinking...yes a reread and some quotations are in order.