Small Half Square Triangles!

“It was an act of courage to take the scraps of life provided and stitch them together, wrestling the chaos into order, taking what had been cast off and creating something from it, something useful, beautiful, and strong, something whose true value was known only to the heart of the woman who made it.”

The Secret Life of Bees

Sue Monk Kidd

Happy Friday, Everyone!

I hope you have had a lovely, productive week.  I had sewing machine issues this week, but I have rectified those---just in time to bring the week to a close.  Alas.  Well, I did manage to be productive on Thursday, and I will likely work this weekend--I will make up time that way!

I did cut all of my solid 5 ⅜” squares for my small half square triangles for  the Anniversary quilt this week...I didn’t have to sew anything to cut those! :)  I needed 128 4.5” half square triangles, or 64 of each solid for the interior part of the quilt.  I needed 34 squares of each solid for the border half square triangles.  So I needed a total of 98 squares.  I cut 103...giving me five extra so that I have more options when I am thinking about the layout of the blocks.

My stacks of solid squares…now I have to cut the scrappy squares!

Now I will start cutting my scrappy squares...I need the same amount as the solid squares, and I think as I cut those I will begin to piece them, too.  I think breaking up the piecing will help make the process easier!

How far did you get this week?  Remember, I would love to see your work.  Leave me a comment, tag me on Instagram, or send me a DM!

Sending Quilting Love, 

Ginger

Coming Next Week:  More small half square triangles...I am so excited!

I am Reading:  Elantris by Brandon Sanderson and Man in the Blue Scarf: On Sitting for a Portrait by Lucien Freud by Martin Gayford, and Emma by Jane Austin.  New Poetry didn’t happen...I will find time soon!  I am addicted to Emma.  I thought I knew what was going to happen, but maybe I don’t.  Now I have to find out!

Large Half Square Triangles for the Anniversary Quilt: Complete!

Happy Friday!

Today’s quotation comes from Tuck Everlasting, by Natalie Babbitt, and it is a description from “the homely little house beside the pond,” and the busy sewing spot of one of its occupants:

“...patches and scraps of bright cloth; half-completed quilts and braided rugs; a bag of cotton batting with wisps of its contents, like snow, drifting into cracks and corners; the arms of the sofa webbed with strands of thread and dangerous with needles…”

I love this quotation and think of it often when I am sewing!  When I hand sew at night, I invariably stick my needle in the arm of the chair, while I fetch some thread or move my hoop.  Of course, I don’t leave it there, and I should probably get a needle minder, but “the homely little house beside the pond,” really holds a lot of charm for me.  I think the house’s “eddies of dust” and “the silver cobwebs” speak to the importance of priorities...yes, read the book, and you will see what I mean.

I have been feverishly trying to keep my priorities in strict order this week, and I think I have accomplished a lot.  I finished another quilt and two pillows...I will share those on Instagram soon.  I also completed all of my 8” half square triangles for the Anniversary Quilt...for both quilts!  Don’t worry if you haven’t finished your squares yet...we are all working through this at our own pace, so no need to rush or feel hurried!

Kona Meringue and Kona Geranium with my scrappy fabric squares.

I cut 16  9 ⅜” squares of each solid fabric and 32 9 ⅜” squares from my scrappy fabric.  I started by cutting four 9 ⅜” strips from each solid fabric.  (By the way, I am using Kona Meringue and Kona Geranium for my solid fabrics for my two quilts, and I am in love with both!) Then I cut four 9 ⅜” squares from each strip. 

When I cut my scrappy fabrics I decided to stack and whack them. I stacked them to cut the strips I needed and then to cut the squares.  I specially picked these scrappy fabrics for these larger half square triangles because I like the patterns, and I remember the quilts I made with them.  The fabrics will also be the first ones I cut for my smaller half square triangles, and then I will supplement with other fabrics in my stash, too.  We have a lot of 4” half square triangles to cut, so I think variety will be good.  

Stacking fabrics to make cutting easier! 9 3/8” strips ready to cut into 9 3/8” squares.

After I cut my squares, I stacked them, marked them, sewed them, pressed them to the darker fabric, and then I trimmed each square to 8.5”.  I used my 9.5” square to trim each one.  I just lined the square up on the 8.5” mark, making sure the diagonal line matched the diagonal in the half square triangle.  Then I trimmed and trimmed! Whew!  Don’t forget there is a tutorial for half square triangles in the June 5, 2020 blog if you need it.

All of my finished 8.5” squares…now on to the 4.5” squares!

Don’t feel like you have to do everything at once, though.  You can break the process up for yourself, and you only have 32 squares to make!  I am making two quilts, which is why I made 64. 

I would love to see your work...leave me a comment or send me a DM on Instagram.  Or post something to Instagram and tag me!

Sending Quilting Love, 

Ginger

Coming Next Week: Progress Check in...hopefully some 4” half square triangles and maybe a few words about how versatile half square triangles are!

I am Reading:  Elantris by Brandon Sanderson and Man in the Blue Scarf: On Sitting for a Portrait by Lucien Freud by Martin Gayford, and Emma by Jane Austin.  I read more of the same poetry this week, but I think I am craving some Middle English...a little Chaucer maybe...hmm...yes.  I’ll let you know what I read next week! I’m thinking a visit with Dorigen and Arveragus in “The Franklin’s Tale” is needed... those black rocks...I love to read it aloud.   Have I told you I love the smell of books, yet? Well I do...love the smell of books.   My copy of Emma is a copy from 1957 that I bought at Reader’s Corner in Raleigh, and it smells just like that book shop.  My Elantris copy is new, and it has that beautiful newsprint smell.  My Chaucer book has a lovely smell, too.  Yes, smell is a part of my love of reading, and yes, I am aware how weird I am.  But I am also unashamed to admit that I have taught my boys to be weird about book smells, too!

Half Square Triangle Check-In and Some Readerly Stuff!

“There is much more to Abby than the making of a quilt.  She is a woman much like you and me: a wife, a mother, happy, lonely, tired, eager--we are all made up of conflicting emotions.  Perhaps these very conflicts within herself are what led to the creation of the Log Cabin block.  One side of the block is generally light and the other side is dark.  Contrasting values in fabric make a distinctive pattern, much as our own conflicts give us dimensions, warmth, and realism.”

Log Cabin Quilts: A Brand New Story

Karen Murphy

“To sew is to pray.  Men don’t understand this.  They see the whole but they don’t see the stitches.  They don’t see the speech of the creator in the work of the needle.  We mend. We women turn things inside out and set things right.  We salvage what we can of human garments and piece the rest into blankets.  Sometimes our stitches stutter and slow.  Only a woman’s eye can tell.  Other times, the tension in the stitches might be too tight because of tears, but only we know what emotion went into the making.  Only women hear the prayer.”

Four Souls

Louise Erdrich

Happy Friday, Everyone!

I was so busy working on last week’s tutorial that I forgot to give you a stitchey quotation, so this week I gave you two!  Both books are worth a full read; I really enjoy the history of the Log Cabin book. Louise Erdrich is a prolific Native American author, and I love her work.  The boys and I read her Birchbark series over several summers, and I absolutely love her novels...beautifully written, haunting, and timely.  

By the way, so far all of my quotations come from quotation books that I keep as I read...yep, I am an utter nerd and a former English teacher...so I love beautiful quotations and I like to write them in notebooks.  You would be surprised how often my notebooks have come in handy!

Some of my notebooks…no, I wasn’t kidding!

Well this week is basically a check in to see how your half square triangles are proceeding.  Mine still need to be cut and sewn!  I have been busy this week with graduation orders and other time sensitive work, so my cutting and sewing had to wait.  However, I am planning on cutting and working on  my 8” squares this weekend and next week. 

Just to recap, I will need to cut 16 9 ⅜” squares from my solid fabrics and 16 9 ⅜” squares from my scrappy fabrics.  Then I will sew them and trim the half square triangles to 8.5” for sewing into the quilt top.  I should end up with 32 8.5” half square triangles.  Would you like to see a video of that process?  Or do you want to see any part of that process again?  Just let me know in the comments, and I will see what I can do!

I am hoping to get all of my half square triangles cut, sewn, trimmed, and ready to piece by early to mid-July....I’ll keep you posted on how that goes!  I will also let you know how my commissions are going, too!  I am working on and finishing so many great quilts!  Be sure to watch Instagram, also.  I will post what I am finishing as I can.  Some of the quilts are gifts, so I don’t like to post them until they have been received by their owners!  The photograph above is a sneak peak of one I posted yesterday!

Please let me know if you have questions or need help with your half square triangles!  I’ll be glad to help, and if I don’t know, then I will help you find out!

Sending Quilting Love,

Ginger

Coming Next Week:  8” half square triangles...I will try to have some finished for you to see!

I am Reading:  Elantris by Brandon Sanderson and Man in the Blue Scarf: On Sitting for a Portrait by Lucien Freud by Martin Gayford, and Emma by Jane Austin (She is still annoying me, by the way!), and I keep forgetting to mention that I read poetry almost everyday.  Honest Engine by Kyle Dargan has been a staple for a while--it resides at my bedside.  Poetry is like a suitcase---it has to be unpacked, dug around and wallowed in...really every word counts.  Seamus Heaney is another favorite poet, Emily Dickenson, Rita Dove, Adrienne Rich...I could go on and on...I’ll try to remember to tell you what poetry I have read or reread each week, too.  Now you see why my reading list tends to take a while! I would love to know what you are reading...

Half Square Triangle Tutorial

Happy June, Everyone!

The weather has really warmed up here in North Carolina this week, and the studio has been a busy place.  I have been working on graduation quilts, and I narrowed down my fabric choices for the Anniversary Quilt.  What sorts of sewing have you been working on?  Did you decide to sew along with me?

This week I am going to discuss half square triangles:  how to sew, cut and trim them.  This tutorial is for finished 4” squares, but you can use the techniques in this tutorial for any size half square triangles.

The formula for half square triangles is side of square + ⅞= the size to cut the squares.  So for instance, we want finished 4” squares, so we need 4.5” squares to sew because of the ¼” seam allowance.  So our formula is:  4.5+.875=5.375 (41/2 + ⅞=5 3/8)  You will need to cut your squares 5 ⅜.  For this quilt we will need 196 4” half square triangles.  98 Solid and 98 scrappy for me.  

If you are going to start with the 8” squares, then your formula would be:

8.5+⅞=9 ⅜, so you will need to cut your squares 9 ⅜”.  For this quilt you will need 32 8” squares, so you will need 16 solid squares and 16 scrappy squares. (When I say scrappy, I mean that I am going to use 16 different fabrics for these squares.)

As I said this tutorial is for 4” finished half square triangles, so I am going to cut strips of fabric at 5 ⅜” wide, and then I will cut 5 ⅜” squares from those strips.  

Once you have your solid and scrappy fabric squares cut, then put solid and scrappy squares right sides together.  Draw a line on the diagonal of each square stack.  For darker fabrics I use sew line chalk and for lighter fabrics I use a pencil.

Draw a line on the diagonal of each fabric stack of solid and scrappy fabric.

Sew ¼” to the left of the line you drew (it will be used as the guide).  Turn the square and sew another ¼” line on the other side of the drawn line. You do not have to backstitch to secure the ends.  If you mark all of your squares, then you can chain stitch them.  Since you need so many 4” squares, you might want to batch them...maybe do 20 at a time?

Sew 1/4” seam on each side of the drawn line.

Place a ruler on the drawn middle line and cut.  Press each seam to the darker fabric.  In this case I pressed towards the beige because it is slightly darker than the cherries.

Use a ruler to cut on the drawn line.

Now you have two half square triangles.

Press to the darker fabric. In this case I pressed towards the beige.

Now to trim each one to the 4.5” size we need for sewing the quilt.  I have a 4.5” square I will use to trim, and a square will be very handy!  I will use a 9.5” square to trim my 8.5” squares later.  Lay your square out in front of you with the solid fabric in the left corner.  Place the diagonal on the diagonal of the square and line the sides up with 4.5”.  Trim the right and top of that square using a rotary cutter.  Now turn the block so that the scrappy fabric is in the upper left corner and the solid fabric is in the right corner.  Match the diagonal and 4.5” on the square again.  Trim the right and top of the block.

Beige or solid is in the left corner; match diagonal and trim right side and top.

Turn the square so that the scrappy or non solid is in the upper left corner; match the diagonal and trim the right side and the top.

Congratulations!  Now you have 4.5” squares that you can use to piece your quilt!

So!  In terms of my fabric choices.  I think I am going to use Kona Meringue for the solid in one quilt and Kona Geranium for one quilt...Yes, I think I am going to make two quilts.  I have plenty of scraps!  Here is a picture of my pull so far!

Please let me know if you have questions! Leave me a comment or go to instagram and send me a DM!

Sending Quilting Love,

Ginger

Coming Next Week:  Checking in on half square triangle cutting and sewing!

I am Reading:  Elantris by Brandon Sanderson and Man in the Blue Scarf: On Sitting for a Portrait by Lucien Freud by Martin Gayford, Mrs. Bennett Has Her Say by Jane Juska, and Emma by Jane Austin...Wow Emma should really stay out of other people’s love lives!

Happy Friday and Fabric Information for the Anniversary Quilt!

Happy Friday, Again, Everyone!

I hope your week has been lovely!!  I have been busy working on graduation orders.  I have finished three quilt tops and prepped another for piecing, which means I have had a pretty productive week!  I am excited to quilt today, and I will share some of that in my Stories on Instagram, so be sure to go visit over there this weekend!

Well, I didn’t get any comments or real feedback about my Anniversary Project, but I am going to forge ahead!  I figure there are people coming around the blog to read and observe, people who are not interested in interacting...I tend to be that kind of person myself!  I have several blogs that I follow on a regular basis, but I only rarely comment on them.  So, I will continue to share my project work, and I will try to give you all of the information that you will need to sew along with me if you like.  And if you feel like commenting at some point, then do so!

This week I thought I would try to give you fabric amounts, so that you can be thinking about what you have and what you might want to get. I hope you can use a lot of your own stash for the quilt because that was really the impetus behind this project for me.  I have a lot of scraps left from the quilts I have made over the last five years, and using those scraps will be a great way of celebrating my business birthday!

Anniversary Quilt Layout

I will be using a ¼ inch seam allowance.  The quilt will finish at 72” square including the border.  I will be making 32 8” (finished, so 8.5” before sewing) half square triangles with solid and scrappy fabric for the larger squares in the quilt.  I will be making 196 4” (finished, so 4.5” before sewing) half square triangles to make the four patch squares and the border of the quilt.  

Here it is in non-paragraph form:

32: 8” half square triangles

32: 4 patch squares using 4 4” half square triangles for a total of 128 half square triangles

32: Side border 4” half square triangles (16 on each side of the quilt.)

36: Top/Bottom border 4” half square triangles (18 on top/bottom respectively)

I will need close to 3.5 yards (115”) of the solid fabric I choose, and I will need about 3.5 yards of scraps.  For the back of the quilt, two cuts of 78” (156” or 4.5 yards) should work, especially since I will be putting this quilt on the longarm.  For binding, I will need about 21” or I could find a yard of fabric to use.  I’m not sure what I want on the back yet or what I want for the binding either.  I might use the solid for both the back and binding...I don’t know...I will get back to you on that!  

Next week I will talk about half square triangles and try to give a little tutorial for those.  I will also let you know which solid fabric I plan to use...I have two in mind. :)  If you want to follow along with me, then you can work on picking your fabric and gathering scraps.  You can use any scrap that is at least 5.5” square for the smaller half square triangles or at least 9.5” square for the larger half square triangles.  Again, I hope you will search your stash for this quilt! 

I will also try to be clear at each stage how I figured the math and how I plan to cut my fabric, so that you will get an idea how you can plan a quilt for yourself!

Leave me a comment if you have any questions or just to say, “Hi!”

Sending Quilting Love

Ginger

Coming Next Week:  A solid fabric choice and 8” half square triangle tutorial.

I am Reading:  Elantris by Brandon Sanderson and Man in the Blue Scarf: On Sitting for a Portrait by Lucien Freud by Martin Gayford, Mrs. Bennett Has Her Say by Jane Juska, and I am 9 chapters into Emma by Jane Austin...yes I finally decided!

Finished Fibers is Turning Five in August!

“It was an act of courage to take the scraps life provided and stitch them together, wrestling the chaos into order, taking what had been cast off and creating something from it, something useful, beautiful, and strong, something whose true value was known only to the heart of the woman who made it”

Round Robin: An Elm Creek Quilts Book

Jennifer Chiaverini

I don’t know if you know it, but Finished Fibers, LLC turns five in August!  Yes, five!  I have had the absolute pleasure of making quilts and building my business for nearly five years, and I am so excited! I think the quotation above really gets to the heart of my work, and the joy and creativity I enjoy in the process.  You can read last week’s blog if you want to know more!  

I think a five year anniversary deserves a special celebration, and besides reorganizing and renovating new studio space (Would you like a blog post or two about that? Leave me a comment to let me know!), I think I need a way to commemorate such a special milestone!  What better way to celebrate than to make a quilt?!?

I have lots of scraps from the many (Check out the Gallery!) quilts I have made, so I would like to make a quilt that is five years worth of scrappy.  I saw a quilt in Moonrise Kingdom, a sweet little Wes Anderson film that you should definitely watch, and I have created a pattern based on what I saw.  Suzi’s mom, played by Frances McDermott, has what looks like a quilt on her bed made from half square triangles. 

Finished Fibers Anniversary Quilt Layout!

So...I am going to make this quilt, and I am going to try to finish it by mid-August in addition to all of the other customer quilts I am making!  Would you like to work along with me?  Would you like to be a fly on the wall in my process? Would you like me to present it as a sew-along...quilt-along...a celebration-along?  Leave me a comment and let me know how you might like to participate! 

Sending Quilting Love,

Ginger

Coming Next Week:  More Anniversary Quilt Goodness?  Another Idea?

I am Reading:  Elantris by Brandon Sanderson and Man in the Blue Scarf: On Sitting for a Portrait by Lucien Freud by Martin Gayford, Mrs. Bennett Has Her Say by Jane Juska, and I think I will read Emma by Jane Austin...I’ll let you know next week!

My Favorite Kind of Quilt to Make

Well...being completely honest, I have the same problem with quilts that I have with books.  If you ask my favorite book, then I will likely list at least fifteen, and then I will say, “But what about poetry...epic poems...plays?!? Can I choose from those, too?”

When I was teaching, my students constantly accused me of loving everything we read, and unashamedly, I admit they were right.  Literature never fails to excite me, and I invariably find myself fully enamoured and enthralled by the works I am reading...and yes, I am usually reading more than one thing!  Just like I am usually making more than one thing at a time!

As I said, I am equally as captivated by each quilt that I make, and if you ask me about what quilt is my favorite to make, then I will surely enter into a detailed description of my current project and a follow up list of at least ten other quilts I have made!

My students reacted to my inability to choose one favorite book with probably the same eye roll and “Seriously, you can’t name your favorite book---you’re an English teacher, and you don’t have a favorite book?!?” that you, my kind readers, are experiencing now.  I’m a quilter, and I am unwilling to choose my favorite quilt to make?!? Really?!?!

Well, yes...I read for many reasons, so one book will never suffice.  I love to ply my mind to the best pieces of literature (often more than once!) in order to think about myself and my world.  The process of reading and thinking is what I love, and quilting is the same.

I love the process of quilting--and honestly I find joy in all of its parts--pressing seams, choosing fabric, quilting (hand, domestic, and longarm) and binding (hand and machine)---sewing machine work, handwork---applique and piecing---even my seam ripper has a special, warm place in my heart.

This past Christmas season, I received an order for eleven classic 9T quilts with ten of them made from the same fabric--only the t-shirts were different.   At first I was really concerned that I would eventually come to hate making the quilts, but I didn’t.  I really didn’t.  I actually fell into the process, and I enjoyed making every quilt.  I finished the order hugely pleased with myself and all aglow with the simple process of making the quilts...I never got tired or bored because the process was key for me.

I have to say, though, when I first saw this prompt, offered by a kind instagram follower, I knew I wouldn’t be able to choose one type of quilt, but one of my favorite short stories (yes, one of hundreds..okay!?) sprang to my mind.  In Alice Walker’s story, “Everyday Use,” Dee returns to her family’s small hut of a home to claim “relics” of her past she thinks will look chic in her big city life.  The quilts promised to Maggie, her shy, unassuming sister, are among those desired items.  At one point in the story, Dee says, “Maggie can’t appreciate these quilts!  She’d probably be backward enough to put them to everyday use.”  You see, Dee wants to hang the them “as if that was the only thing you could do with quilts.”  The girls’ mother wisely refuses to part with the quilts, and responds, “She can always make some more, Maggie knows how to quilt.”  Thankfully, so do I!

The quilts I make are for everyday use--I even provide quilt care instructions with every quilt.  People deserve a quilt on their beds and quilts to read on in the grass, and if you wear out your quilt, then I can have the joy of making another one of the quilts I love to make!

Sending Quilting Love,

Ginger

Coming Next Week:  Business Anniversary Quilt...hmmm?

I am Reading:  Elantris by Brandon Sanderson and Man in the Blue Scarf: On Sitting for a Portrait by Lucien Freud by Martin Gayford. I just finished David Copperfield by Charles Dickens, and I am trying to decide what I will read next...I might need more Victorian literature.  It soothes me.  Maybe Jane Austen?

Counterpane Comfort

“Upon waking next morning about daylight, I found Queequeg’s arm thrown over me in the most loving and affectionate manner.  You had almost thought I had been his wife.  The counterpane was of patchwork, full of odd little particolored squares and triangles; and this arm of his tattooed all over with an interminable Cretan labyrinth of a figure, no two parts of which were of one precise shade--owing I suppose to his keeping his arm at sea unmethodically in sun and shade, his shirt sleeves irregularly rolled up at various times--this same arm of his, I say, looked for all the world like a strip of that same patchwork quilt.  Indeed, partly lying on it as the arm did when I first awoke, I could hardly tell it from the quilt, they so blended their hues together; and it was only by the sense of weight and pressure that I could tell Queequeg was hugging me.”

Chapter 4; The Counterpane

Moby Dick

Herman Melville

Counterpane:  The outer covering of a bed, generally more or less ornamental, being woven in a raised pattern, quilted, made of patchwork, etc. a coverlet, a quilt.  OED definition. [Melville is one of the examples in the OED]

I often think of this quotation when I think about my work making quilts--one because it is beautiful writing--two because it really gets to the heart of quilts for me.  The juxtaposition of Queequeg, the so-called “savage,” warm-hearted, preternatural, heroic, and the homespun, patchwork quilt is a lovely picture that ends with that unconscious hug at the end.  For me quilts are all of these things.

Quilted items date back centuries, and their utility, comfort, and beauty are deeply embedded in our human consciousness.  Knights wore quilted garments for protection and padding under their armor.  Fabric scraps and worn out or out-grown clothing found their way into quilts that were the only defence against a particularly harsh winter.  Crazy quilts, featuring hours of hand embroidery, have been lovingly created simply because the process and the finished product are beautiful.

Quilts are the very essence of humanness---the base of who we are.  Our need for protection, comfort, and beauty are all found in a quilt, which is, I think, the reason why I find so much joy in my work.  I love making lovely, meaningful pieces for people, and  I love the process and the meaning in the quilts.

I think today, more than ever, quilts can be a beautiful balm for our souls.  Even with spring slipping into summer, when we won’t necessarily wrap up in a quilt, simply having a quilt in a room---on a bed---over the back of a couch----draped over a chair---or spread out over the grass---can be pleasing and comfortable.

I love a good quilt (or two or three or in a stack!)  Quilts remind me of what is important and essential:  Love, comfort, security, and hugs.

Sending Quilting Love,

      Ginger

P.S. By the way, I love Moby Dick---It is a viscerally written catalogue of a horrifying industry used as a backdrop to a close study of the patchwork that is humanity.  There is so much beauty amongst all of its ugliness...and who doesn’t love a novel with a whole chapter devoted to a quilt. 

P.S.S. I love the OED, too.  I used to spend hours pouring over it at NCSU’s DH Hill Library.

Coming Next Week:  My Favorite Kind of Quilt to Make!

Graduation Season!

Well that wonderful season has arrived…almost…but if you want a quilt in time for graduation, then now is the time to get the process started. Graduation season is so bitter sweet….both college and high school! We love to see our children graduate and achieve this milestone, but we also know graduation signals changes. You can preserve all of those sweet memories, so that those memories and goals achieved can be taken into the future with you child ( Or left on their bed at home for you to enjoy!). My oldest son is graduating from high school this year, and so many things are about to change. Sending him to college with a warm quilt, whether made from his band t-shirts or some other meaningful design, will comfort my heart and I hope his if he misses home!

Happy Graduation Everyone! I would love to help you celebrate with a quilt!

Pop Up Raleigh

Saturday, June 2018 I had a wonderful, if not hot time, at PopUp Raleigh!  I took the youngest boy with me this month...the oldest went with me last month!  June is the third month I have had the pleasure of having a booth at the event, and every month I have met wonderful people!  I love to be able to get out and have my work seen, and I enjoy talking about potential projects with customers, too.  I'll let you know when I am going again, so that you can come visit me, too! 

#t-shirtquilt #PopUpRaleigh #customquilts #memoryquilts

The Details...

Just the other day, I was cutting, sewing, and pressing 2"x4" rectangles, and I was taken by the joy I get from such a simple task.  I love to sew them and press them until they are warm and comfortable in my hand.  I love the sound of the sewing machine as it works along each seam.  I like the sound of my rotary cutter slicing through the fabric.  The details...the smallest parts of my work...make me immensely happy!  I even enjoy working out the math of a new project.  What is the design? How much fabric should I cut?  How many rectangles, squares, or pieces will I need?  Quilting and sewing in general are about the tiniest details that come together to make a beautiful finished piece, and I am glad that I get to spend so much of my day working on those small parts.  I have only really mentioned the piecing part, too, I may have to create another post where I discuss the actual quilting of a piece.  :)

PopUp Raleigh Booth

My day at PopUp Raleigh was lovely!  I had a beautiful spot right near the loading dock, so I had sunshine and a nice breeze all day long.  I met a lot of nice people, both vendors and shoppers alike, and I enjoyed sharing my work with everyone who wandered by my booth.  I also learned a lot, so that next time I can make my booth even better, and now I have all of the necessary items needed for a vendor booth.  Next time's preparation will not be quite so harried!

The NCSU quilt I made to display was a huge hit...even for those blue fans out there.  I think they could see the potential for a Carolina or Duke blue quilt, too!  I also finished a blue bear while I was at PopUp...I'll have to put pictures of him on Instagram!

Pop-Up Raleigh April 21, 2018!

I am immensely pleased to announce that Finished Fibers, LLC will be a vendor/artist at Pop-Up Raleigh on April 21, 2018!  The market is Raleigh's most popular vintage and art market, and you can find out more information about the market itself along with past, current, and future events here:  https://www.popupraleigh.com/.  The market is highly competitive, and I am honored to be a part of this super event! In the coming weeks, I will post bits and bobs that will be found in my booth, which will feature some ready to buy items as well as information about getting custom items, like t-shirt quilts, memory quilts, and memory animals, made.  I hope you will come out to see me and to see the other great vendors and artists in the market. 

Spring in the Studio!

Yes...we may have snow flurries and icy cold wind, but the studio is heating up with spring projects.  I have several projects that have customers requesting these beautiful AmericanMade fabrics...graduation t-shirt quilts, finishing vintage block sets into completed quilts, and....well I could go on, but I should probably get back to sewing!  You will get to see the final products in the gallery and on Instagram.  I might try some process blog posts, too.  Anything is possible in the spring time!  #customquilts #finishedfibers

Quilt Show in 11 Days!

The Capital Quilter's Guild is having its quilt show next week March 16-18 in Raleigh, NC at the NC Fairgrounds in the Kerr Scott Building.  We are so excited about the show. I spent all afternoon yesterday taking in quilts for the show, and you will not be disappointed by the display we will hang next week.  Judging of the quilts will happen on Wednesday, March 14, and the hanging committee will be hard at work getting quilts up as judging finishes.  We will complete hanging and putting ribbons on the quilts on Thursday, March 15, and the doors for the show will open Friday morning, March 16!  In addition to our more than 180 lovely quilts, there will be exciting vendors at the show as well, representing all aspect of the quilting and sewing community.  We will also have a Sit and Sew where anyone can come and sew and learn about the piecing process.  The guild is also having a silent auction of small quilts, so don't miss out!  Come out next week to experience our vibrant community...you never know, you might just catch that quilting bug!

Memory Quilts

One of the joys of my work is the ability to provide people with a way to actively save their memories in a usable and enjoyable way.  The quilt featured above is a quilt sewn by a daughter with her mother, as her mother lost her battle with cancer.  I had the pleasure of adding borders and quilting this special quilt,  and now the daughter has a lasting family heirloom and a quilt that provides comfort as well as warmth.  I make quilts out of clothing for graduations, and I have made quilts to commemorate weddings.  Squares were signed by guests or meaningful bits of fabric were given to the couple, so they could have them pieced into a brilliant keepsake.  I have made quilts for cancer patients to use during chemotherapy, and a special tree skirt to grace a family Christmas tree.  The list is really endless when I think about the ways I can put memories into a quilt, and all of those ways will provide relief, joy, warmth, and succor for often bittersweet hearts.  I love to make these beautiful quilts, and I would love to help you capture your memories in fabric, too!

Capital Quilter's Guild Quilting From the Heart 2018 Quilt Show

The Capital Quilter's Guild is having their 2018 Quilt show next month! The dates and times are listed below, and you will want to mark your calendars.  In addition to over 175 quilts being displayed during the show, there will be quilt related vendors, a sit and sew, special challenge quilts and a silent auction for small quilts.  There will also be chances to buy raffle tickets for raffle quilts from The Capital Quilter's Guild and The Modern Quilt Guild.  You can see The Capital Quilter's Guild raffle quilt on the front page of our website here:   http://capitalquilters.org/  If you are local, then you should come see the show!

Dates: Friday – Sunday,  March 16 – 18,  2018

Hours: Friday and Saturday, 10-5, Sunday 11-4

Place: Kerr Scott Building, NC State Fairgrounds; Raleigh, NC

A New Service!

I have been asked several times since I started Finished Fibers, if I will make memory animals, specifically bears, dogs, and bunnies.  For two years I said no to making bears, and I recommended another quilter I know who makes beautiful quilts and animals...she makes Santas, too.  If you would like her information, then please contact me!  This fall, I received a commission to make four memory quilts and my customer asked for a dog for her granddaughter, so I decided the easiest thing would be for me to make it.  I absolutely loved making the dog (pictured above), and I have since made another, all the while plotting bears in my head.  They are so cute, and I am happy to say that memory dogs, bears, and bunnies have been added to the list of services Finished Fibers now offers!  #finishedfibers #memoryanimals #tshirtquilts #customquilts

Dorcas Ministries 50th Anniversary Quilt

I had the distinct honor and pleasure of being chosen to make the Dorcas Ministries 50th Anniversary Quilt.  Dorcas is celebrating their 50th Anniversary this year, in 2018, and they wanted to kick off the year long celebration by having the quilt ready for the 2017 Dorcas Thanksgiving Day Breakfast.  You can see a photo of the quilt in Dorcas's January Newsletter behind Debra Morgan (WRAL news anchor) as she led the breakfast.  Dorcas asked for a quilt that will represent all that Dorcas Ministries is from its formation to its current mission.  Dorcas is a great local group in Cary, NC that runs a thrift store, food pantry, and helps struggling people and families find their feet and the skills to become self sufficient citizens.  We heard several stories of people who have been helped by Dorcas, and Dorcas's influence on them is impressive.  The quilt is a mixture of hand work, photo printing, applique, and machine piecing.  The Cary Seal is hand embroidered, and the words in the inner navy circle of the Dorcas 50th Anniversary Logo are hand cross stitched.  All of the quilting is hand guided and custom.  There is one heart quilted in next to Margaret Keller's picture; she is the founder of Dorcas Ministries.  The quilt will now be displayed at local businesses until the 2018 Dorcas Breakfast, where it will hang with 50 quilts that will have been donated for auction.  Then the Dorcas quilt will live permanently on the wall of the Dorcas reception area at Dorcas Ministries!  #DorcasMinistries #Customquilt #finishedfibers

A Lap Full of Hexies!

Here is my lap literally full of hexagons that are being stitched carefully by hand.  This project is labor intensive and slow, but I am thoroughly enjoying it!  The flowers were made by a clients grandmother, and I have everything from cut out flower pieces that were never sewn to complete flowers with borders.  I am trying to utilize as much as I can and to work with the quilter's original vision and method.  The pieces of this quilt hold a lot of memories and love, and I am honored to be able to finish her work for her!