Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative

The Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative - AAQI has done wonderful work in raising funds for medical research for this dreaded disease. With the help of the quilting community and many wonderful volunteers, Ami Simms has raised over a million dollars. She has devoted much of her life to this cause and accomplished more than she ever dreamed possible. 

The AAQ Initiative is coming to an end. There are still many opportunities to purchase a small piece on line, bid on a quilt online at the monthly auction or if you're planning a trip to the International Quilt Festival in the fall,  buy one in person.

I am part of the $1,000 pledge; this is probably the last piece I'll be donating. "Buzzin'" is 9" x 12", hand dyed fabrics, machine appliqued with a buttonhole stitch and a beaded edge. The screened image of a dragonfly gives it the name - Buzzin'.
Hope you'll visit their website and consider buying one of these small pieces of art to help such a great cause....

Alzheimer's Initiative - Dragonfly

  Wow, this month is flying, I can't believe it's been a week since I've posted.  This is my favorite time of year, love to savor the moments and beautiful weather.  I've been busy visiting my daughter in Atlanta and getting behind on my "catch up" - projects I planned to finish, but getting to see my new little granddaughter is the best.  

     I did complete another small piece for the Alzheimer's Initiative called Dragonfly.  I used all my hand dyed fabrics and also one print - mostly leftovers from another project.

 I used Lana thread (blend of wool and acrylic) and did the machine buttonhole stitch found on the Bernina machine. I totally love this stitch and find myself using it more and more for machine applique.

 I also did some beading around the edge using 2 sizes of seed beads. Mary Stori calls this stitch "dots" and one she developed.  It's a lot of fun to do and adds a nice finish. I used a screen of a  Dragonfly to make the image in the corner.

I'll be heading off to NY tomorrow for my high school reunion - know it will be a lot of fun! Have a wonderful weekend enjoying the beautiful fall colors.

Alzheimer's Initiative Auction Quilts for October

The Alzheimer's Initiative's monthly auction has opened today and will run for the first 10 days in October.  Follow the link below to view some wonderful little pieces - all proceeds go toward the Alzheimer's Initiative. Not only is it spending for a great cause, but acquiring a wonderful piece of art.  These small pieces - no larger than 9 x 12, have varied themes and because of their size can find a place almost anywhere in one's home.

     I am pleased that my piece - "Sh'rooms" was chosen for the auction this month.  It was created with all hand-dyed fabrics, beading, bobbin work and screening.  The "beaded dots" around the edge is my favorite edge treatment and one I learned from Mary Stori who is an excellent beader and fiber artist.  I seem to use this edging on a lot of things. My newest Alzheimer's piece will have it also.  

So follow the link and click on the bright pink word - auction which will bring you to the auction quilts page.  You'll love what you see.

The Best Advice

Well, I'm back from Atlanta visiting and helping with my new granddaughter. It was a great week full of wonderful moments AND I'm exhausted.  I can understand why it takes a "youngin" to raise a "youngin". My daughter said to bring lots of stuff to work on - lots of "down time". That's a bit of an oxymoron to put "down time" and "newborns" in the same sentence.

     I did manage to finish one of my small pieces for the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative. On this piece, I used a silk screen of a leafy image on each side. I used Lumiere paint which might be a tad too thin for screening.  In this case it smeared and made a mess. 

     I remembered something I learned in a workshop from one of the greats in the quilt world - Roberta Horton.  In this workshop, someone had goofed and Roberta said - if you make a mistake that can't be fixed, repeat it 2 MORE TIMES to make it look intentional.  I can't tell you how often I've thought of those words and acted on it. You can see the smear of green and gold where it should have been branches - (right side).

 so onto the left side where I added more paint (smears) along the bottom.

 And sides - now it's starting to look "intentional".

 I also went back and added some beading.

 My favorite beading technique is something called "Dots" - a small seed bead on top of a much larger seed bead, a technique my friend Mary developed and can be found in Mary's "Beading Buddy" - a wonderful reference guide featuring 78 beading stitches. If you're a beader or even a beginner like me, you don't leave home without it!

 This edging of beads is the perfect touch.

 I also added small seed beads to the "leafy" images.

 And across the mushroom caps, like I said - it's addictive!

 And here's the finished piece called "S'hrooms"

To find out more about the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative and become a part of it, visit their website. It's easy to make small pieces (no larger than 9 x 12") and for such a wonderful cause. I'm happy to be part of it.

Alzheimer's Initiative & Bobbin Couching

I just completed my first "little" quilt for the Alzheimer's Initiative. To make it possible to use the flat rate envelopes for mailing pieces, each quilt must measure 9" x 12" OR less. They are fun to do and for a wonderful cause. I have just pledged to raise $1,000 in the sale of my little quilts. The pieces can but don't have to be related to Alzheimers: this piece is called "Hats Off" to a wonderful cause!
I love to do bobbin work which is working with a heavier thread in the bobbin, sewing on the reverse side so the bobbin thread shows on the right side.

Sometimes it feels a little awkward. I've heard students say things like - "it's like working backwards or blindly", but once you get beyond that, it's really great fun and quite easy. It's especially pretty when you set your machine for a decorative stitch and use the heavier thread. It's almost looks like beading as you can see in the details above and below.

or sometimes just a straight stitch to emphasize the shape of something like in the petals below.

To start, you need to have 2 different threads in the same color - the heavier couching thread and the top thread which can be decorative or a regular sewing thread. The threadwork is strictly decorative so using a rayon thread in the top which is a weak thread will work fine. There are many good couching threads available - YLI has Candlelight, Madeira has Glamour, and Razzle Dazzle by Superior. All are heavier threads and need to be used in the bobbin, they will not fit through the eye of a needle. Below is Candlelight and a matching color rayon. You can also use a monofilament in the top.

Because the threads have different weights, the thinner thread will wrap itself around the heavier thread and be seen, so it is necessary to use matching or clear thread on top.

To sew, sometimes it's obvious where to sew while working from the wrong side. On the red hat, the band on the brim and the circle at the top had already been appliqued down and the stitching showed on the wrong side. The lines were there as a guide. Sometimes the area you want to sew is not obvious and you need to mark it with a line of stitching.

Winding the bobbin is done on the machine, no need to hand wind. Because the thread is heavier, a bobbin will hold a lot less - so it's a good idea to wind more than one up front.

One of the reasons I love Candlelight and use it in my workshops is because 99% of the time, no adjustment is needed on the bobbincase. I know many fear touching the bobbincase tension. If you like doing this kind of work, it's good to invest in an extra case for that purpose. It's easy to adjust using the little screwdriver that comes with your machine.

On the removeable bobbincases, the screw is where you see it in the picture, to tighten, turn right, to loosen, turn left (remember...lefty loosy, righty tighty). The screw in a bobbincase is very short so work with a cloth underneath you - if it should fall out, you will find it easily.

Set your machine for a decorative stitch - this may take some experimenting - ones that look great in a normal weight thread don't always work in a heavier thread. When I first started doing this, I made a sampler and labeled the stitch # - a little time consuming but a good reference down the road.

Pull up your bobbin thread, feed dogs up and traditional sewing foot on.

Before taking the first stitch, pull the bobbin thread up through the fabric so you can see both threads (on wrong side). This will avoid a tangling or mess underneath (on right side). Start stitching using the marked line as a guide. The easiest way to do this is to watch the little groove going down the middle of the presser foot - make sure it's on the marked line.

And the fun part - to flip it over to the right side and see the pretty results.

Have fun!