Kimberbell Vintage Boardwalk Quilt

I am so excited to be working on another Kimberbell project, the Vintage Boardwalk quilt.

Kimberbell seems to have cornered the market on fast cute easy to stitch adorable quilts and pillows.  They have tons of other cute things also, but I really like the quilts (wall hanging size) and the bench pillows.

I have made several of these quilts and bench pillows in the past and have learned a few 'tricks' to help me with achieving a nice finish.  I want to share with you one of the most important ones I use in this post.

Warning, this is a very long post, but well worth the read if you are currently or planning on stitching a Kimberbell quilt or bench pillow.

Kimberbell designs have a tendency to use a lot of satin stitch finishes on their applique pieces.  This gives them a cute look, but can be a nightmare when it comes to the fabric puckering if the correct stabilizers are not used.   These stabilizers can give your quilt a 'bulky' look if they are not removed after the applique design is finished.  The instructions give you several different kinds of stabilizer to use depending on the individual design.  Kimberbell seems to be starting to understand some of the problems the designs are having and have now started suggesting that a fusible woven interfacing be ironed on the back of each 'background' piece of fabric.  Plus, you still need to use tear away and cut away stabilizers.

I find all of this confusing and I know it can be very disappointing if even after all of the correct steps are followed you still have a puckered block.  Ironing on the fusible woven interfacing helps, but I don't really want to have to iron stuff on the back of every single block.

I decided to find an alternative way to make these cute projects without all of the stabilizer issues and problems.  I am lucky enough to have a friend, Chantell of  https://www.chantells-creations.com/ who digitizes and her 'specialty' is quilt blocks.  I asked her if she would help me out and make a variety of quilting backgrounds in several sizes.  Lucky for me, she agreed.   I am hoping that she will have them up for sale on her website today or tomorrow, but if she doesn't, you can contact her directly and I know she will help you get them.  The beauty of using these specially created blocks is that once you trim them out they will be the exact size you need for the quilt.  Chantell has now finished the quilting backgrounds that will work for this quilt, you can find them here: https://www.chantells-creations.com/quilts8000/q8021.htm

I do need to point out now that this particular method shouldn't be tried if you are just a beginner, new to your machine, or only have a machine that the biggest hoop is a 5x7.  For this particular quilt you will need a 6x10, 8x8, and 9.5 x14 hoop.  I have stitched all of these designs out on my Babylock Destiny machine.

Here is a sample of how one of my blocks look.  See?  No puckering.  One other thing that does need to be mentioned is the use of the fusible woven interfacing on the back of certain fabrics to help with fabric 'bleed through'.  In this example I did iron it on the back of the yellow fabric because I could see the dark blue fabric through it.

Interested?  It is very easy and the only stabilizer you need is No Show Mesh.  Chantell's background design goes as follows:  Hoop the stabilizer and stitch out the block outline.   This line is important because after you are finished stitching the block, you turn your block to the back and trim it from this line (which gives you a 1/4 inch seam allowance.  You could use a darker color of thread if it helps you see it better.

Next you add the batting and after it stitches down, you trim it.  This keeps any batting from being in your 1/4 seam which keeps down the 'bulk' in your quilt.

Once that is done, you place your background fabric down covering the block outline, and stitch out the quilting portion of the design.

Then you stitch out your applique design.  Super easy once you have done it once or twice.  There are many advantages to using this method.  First and most important, no puckering.  The batting makes for a great stabilizer so no need for any additional stabilizers besides the No Show Mesh.  Second, once you sew all of your blocks together, quilting in the ditch is really all you need to do since all of your quilting is complete (I do add another piece of batting to the back of the whole quilt).  Third, if your block has some special addition, like a bow or drawstring, you can add it now while it is just a 'block' instead of a waiting until it is a whole quilt.  Because I do add another piece of batting to the whole back, any of the designs that wanted you to cut a hole, etc. will still work because the additional back batting covers it.  Your pattern instructions will tell you to wait until the quilt is complete to add the detail items, because they expect you to quilt the whole project after it is put together.  Sewing little buttons on is a lot easier at this stage than it is trying to 'wrestle' a whole quilt.

You will need to use a bigger hoop on these blocks than what is called for in the Kimberbell instructions.  For example the above design needs to be finished at 4.5 x 8.5 which means I had to use my 6x10 hoop so the design would fit in the hoop.

I combine the two designs in my software, but you can also do that on your embroidery machine.  I just find it easier to combine the blocks before I load them to my flash drive.  By combining them first you can make sure the applique is centered in the middle of the hoop, or if it is one of the designs like the Food Stand or the Bike that needs to be a 1/4 up from the bottom edge of the fabric, you can place it correctly beforehand.

I hope that you understand what I have explained and are excited to give it a try.

Here are a couple other finished blocks for you to see how they look, and for your enjoyment since this post had a lot of words and not many pictures :-)

A Little Bit of Halloween/Autumn

I thought I would show you some of my Halloween and Autumn projects that I am currently working on.

Using some of Chantell's designs I made a few mug rugs and a mini quilt.

I also thought it would be fun to join in a Halloween Mystery Sew Along at Fort Worth Fabrics.  The Halloween sew along is finished, but she is currently offering two others:  A Cozy Up Mystery quilt and a Winter Flurry Holiday Mystery Quilt.  I haven't quilted my Halloween one yet, so it's just a quilt top for now.

I also entered a Halloween/Autumn Anita Goodesign contest.  The rules were that you had to use their designs to complete a project by Oct 30.  Some really nice prizes are being offered.  I think they will pick the winners tomorrow.  I am keeping my fingers crossed.  They are all being posted on a Facebook page of theirs and you can vote for your favorites by liking (my post) LOL!  

I used three of their designs:  Zipper Bags 123, Entering Autumn, and on the back Autumn Bounty Premium Plus.  I also made my own tassel!  And yes, its completely lined inside :-)

Hoffman Fabrics Challenge 2018

I love entering the Hoffman Fabric Challenge. This year, 2018, is the 30th year they have sponsored the challenge.  The focus fabric they choose each year is always beautiful and a delight to work with.  This year's fabric, Shine On!, is one of the most vibrant and colorful ones they have chosen so far.  Just like last year, you could choose one or both colorways of the challenge fabric.  I decided to use both.

Aurifil threads, who sponsors three of the prizes, also designed a gorgeous 12-spool collection of coordinating 50 wt. threads that match the Shine On! fabrics perfectly. 

Another really great idea by Hoffman Fabrics this year was to create and print a panel that had a small piece of each of the challenge fabrics from all thirty years.  This was perfect for an idea I had for the border of my quilt!  I wanted to showcase all thirty years in my quilt without taking away from this years challenge fabric. 

Here are some pictures of my progress on the quilt itself!  As always, I have to thank Chantell and Mia for their hard work and talent.  They seem to always be able to digitize exactly what I sketch out for them.  Let's start with some of the 'border' diamonds.  Chantell digitized these for me.  I made them using pieces of the panel so each diamond has a different challenge fabric from a previous year.   

 

 

 

Next I needed a 'diamond' themed background.  Chantell also digitized this panel for me.  I used some of the other Shine On! collections fabrics for the background and for some of the diamonds.

 

Mia then digitized 'Lucy' for me.  Lucy is appliqued on top of the panel in four separate hoopings.  I used my Babylock Destiny embroidery machine's cameras to make sure that all the pieces aligned perfect.

 

I am pretty sure you have figured out the theme I chose by now.  The title of the quilt is 'Lucy in the Sky with 30 Years of Diamonds'.  It is hard to see all of the details in this picture, but there is a lot of bling involved.  There are a ton of rhinestones glued on it in different shapes and sizes which took several days to get them all on.  You also can't see it, but the quilting design is little stars and I quilted it all with several metallic threads from Aurifil.  Here it is!

 

 

And the best news?  It WON!!!  1st Place in the 'Best Use of Aurifil' category!!! 
WOOHOO!

If you want to see some of the other quilts that won, you can go to Hoffman California Fabrics Facebook page.  Another piece of interesting news that Hoffman posted on their Facebook page, was the following statement:

The Hoffman Challenge is in its 30th year and what a blast it has been! We have seen thousands of incredible works of art and enjoyed sponsoring the Hoffman Challenge. We thank you for your contribution to making the Challenge successful and fun.
As Hoffman strives to lead the industry in change and innovation, we have decided to make this 30th anniversary the final year of The Hoffman Challenge as you know it. We have a collective goal to bring you a new and innovated Hoffman Challenge in the future.
Again, thank you for you loyalty and support of The Hoffman Challenge! We hope you enjoy seeing the 2018 Shine On! Projects travel though September 2019, and we look forward to bringing you a new Hoffman Challenge in the future.
Happy Quilting and Sewing,
The Hoffman Family

Makes me think they will not even have a contest next year which would be sad.  Hopefully they will continue with some kind of fun contest for us to enter!

 

2017 in Review - Did I Accomplish Anything?

As 2017 is almost over, I am doing what most people do at years end, contemplating just exactly what did I accomplish this year.  As this was my first full year after retirement, I was hoping that I would get a good start on all the projects that I had been putting off while working a full time job.  My first goal was to enter three quilt contests this year.

I started out with the Kaffe Fassett 'I Am An Artisan' quilt contest.  The fabrics that we had to use were absolutely spectacular.  Such a great color palette to work with.  The added embroidery designs from Mia and Chantell made the quilt.

Blue Plate Special

Not only did this quilt win the Viewer's Choice Award, it also was published in the 2017 Quilt Festival Quilt Scene magazine, and it was hanging in the Houston Quilt Show.  I also just got notice that it will be hanging in the International Quilt Festival in Chicago April 12-14 2018.  A couple of the prizes I won have been either mailed or collected.  I received my prize fabric in the mail and then I picked up my new sewing/embroidery machine at the local Janome dealer Boutique 4 Quilters.  I also took some of the fabric I won and made zipper bags in the embroidery machine for some of my friends.  I am calling this success number one for the year!

Boutique 4 Quilters

Kaffe Fassett Artisan fabrics

Machine Embroidery Zipper Bags

Next up is the Hoffman Challenge that I enter almost every year.  It's a fun contest and the fabrics are usually very interesting and inspiring.  This years was especially fun because it just wanted to be made into a Hawaiian themed quilt.  It won the Hoffman Choice award! That was pretty exciting but then I found out that Mr. Hoffman loved it so much that he bought it and it now hangs in his office in Southern California.  It didn't get to travel with the other quilts this year, but Mr. Hoffman says that he will display it at a few major shows.

Aloha Hoffman 2017

I have received both my prize and the ribbon from Hoffman which are very nice.  This is accomplishment number two!  And yes, I do plan on entering in 2018!  Thank you Chantell and Mia for your embroidery designs!

Next was the Moda Bella Solids challenge.  This was a huge project.  One of the biggest quilts that I have ever completed.  Unfortunately it was not picked as a finalist for the Moda Bella contest.  But the great news is that Bella Windows - Peeks of Nature was a better fit for the 2018 World Quilt Florida competition in Orlando January 18-20, and it is a finalist in their competition!  I am keeping my fingers crossed that it will be my first win in 2018!!  I still can't believe that Mia drew and digitized 80 different designs for this quilt.  And the quilt of course couldn't have been made without Chantell's modified log cabin block!

Bella Windows - Peeks of Nature

Since all three quilts were completed as planned and each one of them has had great success, I am calling my first goal of 2017 complete.

My next goal was to find something 'to do' that would earn a little cash and also share my talent as an embroidery artist.  I feel that I have accomplished that goal by teaching many classes at Quilts and Lace.  I seem to have become the Kimberbell expert.  I have taught many different projects that have required different levels of embroidery skills from beginner to advanced.  But the biggest project that I taught was the 'Jingle All The Way' quilt.  I think it was my favorite Kimberbell project for the year.

Jingle All The Way

I seem to have caught the 'competition' bug because I went ahead and entered a couple more contests.  The first one was a Moda mini quilt competition and the requirements were to use some of the Moda Primitive Gatherings fabrics.  I had a few different categories to chose from and I of course chose applique.  Everyone who entered ended up sending their quilts to Lisa's shop where she displayed them for the holidays.  She just announced the winners about a week ago, and I was very excited to learn that my little Lumberjack quilt won the prize for Applique!  You can see the other winners here on Lisa's blog.  She has a wonderful shop and sells beautiful things.  I just received my very nice prize package and my quilt back.  Since the quilt was being gifted to Jackie as part of her Christmas present, it arrived just in time.

Lumberjacks

Lumberjacks Prizes

The next little mini quilt contest that I entered required a Moda/Aurifil thread combination.  We had to use both a precut Moda fabric package and Aurifil threads.  I didn't realize at the time that it would not be a 'real' competition. What I mean is that they just threw in a hat all of the names of everyone who entered and picked the winner out of the hat.  So it really didn't have anything to do with talent, just perseverance in finishing your mini quilt.  But that was ok because I ended up with a really knock out mini quilt!  I love it and its going up on my wall!  I used Moda Sweetwater Authentic fabric and of course the Aurifil threads.

Authentic Stars

Sweetwater fabric and Aurifil thread

I also completed a few other miscellaneous projects, quilts, and I did a lot of test stitching for Chantell.  I even took a few classes myself, after all, there is always something new to learn.  I think I am going to call the year a major success! Not only did I complete and surpass all of my quilting goals, but I am now an AWARD winning quilter and I have been PUBLISHED in a magazine!  I am thinking that makes for a very successful 2017!

I don't know what my goals are for 2018 yet, but I will really have to work very hard if I plan on accomplishing even half this much next year!  

Here are a couple more finished projects:

Bubby kitty even got his own quilt this year.

Houses made from Log Cabin blocks

Bella Windows - Peeks of Nature

I thought I would share some pictures of the quilt that has been accepted into the World Quilt Florida quilt competition in 2018.  It is 72 inches wide by 90 inches high, making it one of the biggest quilts that I have completed.  It proved to be quite a challenge to quilt it on my Babylock.  I actually quilted it on a small fold out table with my machine sitting on top.  Not an ideal set up! But I got the job done and it turned out perfect.

This is the statement that I provided about my quilt.  "I wanted to give the impression that each block was a window and each window would give you a view of a little piece of nature.  I feel that we don't spend enough time outside so I wanted people to have peeks of what they were missing.  The whole completed quilt was pieced, quilted, and embroidered on my Babylock Destiny machine."

First is a picture of the whole quilt:

Bella Windows - Peeks of Nature

Then a close up of a few areas:

Close up of Bella quilt

Close up of 4 blocks

  And then just some close ups of random blocks:

There are a total of 80 blocks, each with a different embroidery design in the middle.  Thank you Mia for all the drawing and digitizing you did.  Everything turned out perfect and just as I had envisioned it.  A big thank you also to Chantell for digitizing the exact block I needed.  Without both of these talented women all of my quilts would still be just thoughts and dreams floating around in my head!

And most important of all, thank you to the judges at the World Quilt Florida quilt competition for choosing my quilt to be shown in Orlando in January!