UFO Converted Finale

The UFO Converted completed. The photo on the left is the front and right is the back.

Examples of the machine quilting as seen on the back is the ivy pattern that appears in the green border on the front and a tulip pattern that is stitched into the pink border on the front.

The label is a green leaf print envelope held together by velcro that reads, "Quilted with love by Lacosta L. 2011."

Bargello Update

I promise I have been working on it. I am right on track to have it finished by the time baby #2 gets here and that was the plan.

At the last class, we learned how to turn our strips into runs as well as how to nest 40 pieces with no pins at the machine. Holy heck, I wish I had learned THAT a long time ago. Maybe there wouldn't be a lone star UFO in my closet?!

I got the first 6 runs done after I got home from the class and this is what they look like. I can see it all coming together and I am getting excited!

Today, I spent some time working on it. I got another 12 runs cut, ripped and reset. Now I am ready to iron, sew those runs back together and start joining them to one another. When I finish these 12 runs and join them to the 6 I have already done, half of my top will be done!!!!

Bargello Homework, Take 3?

Yippee! I finally finished ironing and cutting today. I actually used a whole can of starch just on these 20 yards of fabric. I have NEVER emptied a whole can of starch, EVER.

Here are all the fabrics cut and lined up for inspection.

The completed fabric map.

Now for the next tedious step in the bargello quilt making process... sewing together the strips 1) in order and 2) with a scant 1/4 inch seam. As with any quilt, a tiny bit off here and there can make a big difference (and your life a living hell), especially in a quilt this complex. It's quite nerve racking but a welcomed challenge. I can already see my quilt coming together and I am in love with the colors. Stay tuned!

Iron, fold and cut

More Bargello Quilt Class Homework

Ironing: I iron the wrong side of the fabric to avoid staining with the spray starch, which I never use but was recommended by the instructor.

Folding: Selvages together.

Squaring up the fabric: I hate doing this because you realize how poorly the fabric is cut from the bolt.

Cutting: 2.5 inch strips x WOF

Staying organized: I am using binder clips to hold all like strips and the label together.

Fabric scrap: trimmed to 1/2 inch for use in my fabric map.

My Fabric Map (in progress)

UFO converted

Last night when I couldn't sleep, I was thinking about what to do with this UnFinished Object (UFO). It started out as a Joann Fabric's Block of the Month called Nature's Bounty. I never finished it because I ran out of money then the project was discontinued. I believe I started this in 2007 and since I just tucked it away in a scrap box. Below are the 4 blocks I did complete.

Block #1: Pinwheel

Block #2: Laurel and Peony

Block #3: Rail Fence

Block #4: Topiary and Lily

My thought is that I would turn it into a doll or baby quilt for my friend Angela's daughter, Cheyenne who will be 1 year old this year. I know the color and design is not age appropriate but I figured she would appreciate it either way.

Initially, I thought that I would organize it as below with an added border.

While out today, I took the blocks with me to Wal-mart and picked out a medium pink fabric that I intend to use as the border and a dark green fabric for the binding. I did not plan on buying the backing yet as I wasn't sure how big the front would be.

After sitting down with the blocks and looking at their dimensions, I realized that (as a beginner when I started this BOM) there were some inconsistency in the block sizes. Block #3 was almost a whole inch smaller overall than Block #1, when they were suppose to be the same size. If Block #3 had been the correct size, it would have fit around the Block #4/2 as I had planned. Upon inspection, I decided that it was probably an error in cutting and taking the blocks completely apart and putting them together again would not solve the problem.

After much consideration, I determined that it would work best if I break down Block #1 and Block #3 into four blocks and trim them down smaller. Below is what I decided on using all pieces from both Blocks #1 and 3.

I found a scrap of pink fabric in my stash, which I decided to use to fill in the space between the divided blocks along with the green fabric I purchased for the binding. Then pieced it all together, which was a whole lot harder than it sounds as the dimensions of all pieces were different. Below is the final product.

I am debating adding a thin white border around the whole quilt top just to frame the whole she-bang before the binding edge. I decided that the dark green fabric should still be used for the binding. Since I didn't use the pink fabric I purchased for the border, I decided to use it for the backing. I also plan to attach the two left-over blocks (a 9-patch and Topiary applique) from Block #4 and a label block to the bottom Left corner of the backing in a L-shape. For the label block, I am considering doing something unique like a folding envelope similar to the one on Shelley Rodger's website Needlepointers.com. That is a job for tomorrow.

The "Pinking" process

I started working on my Bargello class homework today. Assignment #1: Pinking and prewashing the fabrics.

Pinking refers to the use of pinking shears to trim the raw edge of a piece of fabric. Pinking shears cut a jagged, sawtooth pattern into the fabric, which minimizes fabric fraying or unraveling during washing.

Why is this important? When fabrics unravel, you loose a bit of fabric that would otherwise be usable and oftentimes the unraveled threads get tangled. The tangled pieces can tug (especially in the washer and dryer) causing stretching and distortion of the fabric.



"Pinking" fabric number 6.

Many quilters use a special "wavy" or scalloped blade in their rotary cutter, which is much more efficient than using pinking shears. However, I find that I prefer pinking shears as I feel I have more control over them. It is easy to slip or lose concentration while using a rotary cutter and accidentally cut too much or in the wrong direction. This generally doesn't happen with pinking shears.

I started getting really nervous when I began removing the fabric number labels used to identify where I intend each fabric to fit into the bargello pattern. I didn't want to forget or mis-identify a fabric when I pulled it out of the dryer. It was a lot of work to get the color range set initially and I don't know if I could handle going through that type of headache again. I decided to skip ahead in the instructions a bit and make a fabric map using the slivers of fabric I am cutting off with the pinking shears, just to be safe. Now I feel sufficiently organized, which I am told is essential to the bargello quilt making process. After I square up the fabric for cutting, I will create another fabric map using larger scraps for later use.


My temporary fabric map.

Prewashing the Bargello Fabrics

Part of the homework for my Bargello quilt class is to prewash my fabrics. The instructor recommends prewashing the fabrics in hot water with a product called Retayne. This product "is a color fixative for commerically dyed cotton, linen or rayon fabrics that bleed." It comes in a 4 oz and 16 oz size bottle. The 4 oz. size will treat 24 yards of fabric and since I have 20 fabrics for this quilt, the smaller size should work fine.

I have personally never prewashed my fabrics in hot water or used Retayne. I generally prewash my fabrics in cold water with dye free detergents such as all Free Clear or Dreft. I have only had one fabric bleed (see The Little Gem) so what I have been doing must not be too bad. However, considering the enormous amount of money I have spent on the fabrics for this Bargello quilt... what's another couple of dollars to ensure that I won't ruin my fabrics?

Once I made the decision to follow the instructor's advice, I started searching for this product. I am a bit of a miser so I began looking for the best price on this product. Of course, all the places online with the best prices are SOLD OUT. I started calling around to my LQS's and found that everyone but Patched Works is out of stock. How frustrating... I was just there Sunday for the class and didn't pick up a bottle of Retayne because I wasn't sure that I was going to use it. Now, I have to drive back and it's not exactly close. I guess I will head out there tomorrow afternoon so I can get my fabric prewashed before the weekend, when I hope to get some cutting done.

In the meantime, I will go ahead and pink the edges and sort the fabrics so they will be ready to go into the washing machine as soon as I get my bottle of Retayne.