Returning to May You Ever Return

 

The BAMQ UFO challenge has started in January, and the number chosen for us to work on this month was #12 on our lists. For my list, this was my very hardest one, which is finishing this quilt, May You Ever Return. This was started in the excellent class/workshop, Word for Word, that I took with Rosalie Dace along with friend Jaye when we made the pilgrimage up to Sisters, Oregon for Quilter's Affair in 2018. 

It took me a while to even get my hands on the box it was stashed in, and I have as yet been able to find the class notes. (shoot!) So...as you can see this "almost a quilt" is in quite the state at the moment, a little smashed up and un-ironed. It's in an in-between place, I know I was making moves, there were decisions being made about it, placement of pieces, additions and subtractions, etc. That's what I need the notes for.  Seeing it pinned up on the design wall is definitely helping it come back into focus.

Or maybe I just need to listen to the song that it's based on a bunch of times to get me back in the headspace to access my ideas about it all. This quilt has the lyrics to a verse of a Neko Case song, Pitch or Honey, sprinkled around the piece, in an unexpected order. Not at all intended to be easily legible. Just like the song I guess.

Clean & Crazy

Oldest and newest seen together on my workroom chair before heading to the BAMQ meeting today. The assignment was to bring one of our oldest quilts, what fun that was seeing everyone's beginning. Mine is called Crazy Baskets, made in 1999 out of P&B Textiles fabric, with a small border of some of my first SetaColor painted fabric. On top is the most recent finish, Clean Cloud.
 

Still Couching.

 

I'm still working on the "Cumulative Spiral" couching effort for my Stretching Art & Tradition quilt. It's fiddly and kind of close-up. I decided not to mark or pin or glue, but I still am working to a sort of plan/design. The thread vs. the baker's twine that I'm using is playing well together visually. But the baker's twine is sometimes getting stuck on the needle, and on the thread above the needle. So that's a little annoying, but I'm sticking with it and trying to go slow enough to notice when there's a problem developing.

I

Every now and then I have to stand up and see what it is that I've couched. I'd say "So far, so good", I'm almost up to the top, which means I'm almost done. Noticing how much I truly love stitching on my hand-dyed fabrics, it's somehow still quite a thrill. That means I really do need to keep on dyeing. (note the e in the word)

Black and White Couching Spirals

 

After all that quilting, it was time for some quilt trimming.

I have a design drawn out that needs to be added to this quilt, so I decided to try some couching.

I'm using a black and white  two-ply twisted cotton baker's twine. This first part in the lower right hand corner is the most fiddly part.

I'm using a black and white twisted 2-ply rayon thread (Wonderful D-Twist) to do the couching. Last seen being used last year, on my Stretching Art & Tradition 25 quilt

This is working out pretty well so far. It shows up just enough, like a sketch.

Thread Spiral

Choosing threads for all the colors of the background of my SAT 26 quilt, Cumulative Spiral.

Looking for not exactly matching, but pretty close.

It's always fun to go through my quilting threads and search for the right colors to use.

 I think it turned out pretty well. Now that the background is all done, it's time to do the rest of the work on the reminder of the quilt design.

Thread Usage

 

I regularly use Bottom Line thread in my bobbin, especially when piecing, and I bought this cone of "Silver" and started using it, September 2022. I only know that because I marked it on the inside of the cone when I first unwrapped it. This thread is extremely thin and works really well in my machine, very smooth, winds on the bobbins easily, etc. 

I was taking this cone off my machine when my DH came in, and I told him this information, he quickly in his head calculated an estimated usage rate. I did the math and he was very close: 3,000 yards, 1228 days which is 2.44 yards per day. Not terribly useful information, I know, especially because this is not the Only Thread I ever use in the bobbin. I use different thread when I'm quilting, and free-motion quilting. But I will do the same thing again and then I'll have at least one comparison point. Will I make a spreadsheet? Nope, not enough data to make it worth the time.

I also had to write on the top of the cone what type of thread it was so that I'd remember to use it when it was time to wind a new set of bobbins. Guess it's time for me to get some more!

SAT 26 - Begin Again

 

Working on my quilt, Cumulative Spiral for the SAT 26 exhibit (Stretching Art and Tradition). This is the un-ironed, non-sewn together background. Yes, those are all of my dyed fabrics. A lot are the results of trying to match colors for the Temperature Quilt.