2009 Fair Quilts are home

The 2009 Ionia Free Fair Quilt entries are home. I always worry about my quilts when they are away from home. :-)

There is even a note attached to one of the quilts that a person wishes to purchase the quilt. I'll be in touch with them tomorrow!

County Fair Wins

I've just come home from visiting my quilts at the county fair. I entered "Blue Scrappy Stars" in the pieced/patchwork catagory. I did not win any ribbons on that quilt :-( I guess the judges don't like scrappy quilts as much as I do!

I also entered a civil war reproduction quilt in the piecing /color catagory for which I earned an "Honorable Mention".


I entered a very large cheater quilt in the "Best Quilting on a Cheater Quilt". I won a blue ribbon for this quilt! I wasn't even going to enter this quilt. I didn't even get the binding on the quilt until the day I too them to the fair.

I also entered my quilt "Sophia" in the "Best Machine Quilting" catagory. The quilt is just a simple Take 5 pattern but I quilted it with a variety of different quilting techniques. This quilt won a blue ribbon as well as a Vendor's Choice rosette.

All in all - I'm pretty happy with my ribbons. This is the first year that I entered any of my quilts in the county fair.

Another serger lesson & another apron

Today I finished another apron. It too is retro in style but with a new bohemian fabric. I think my sister will love this one too.

My serger lesson was to learn how to use the ruffling foot. I got out my serger book and all of the feet that came with the serger and some scraps of fabric for practice. The instructions tell you to "use your left hand to hold this piece and your right hand to hold this piece". Then you need to use your other left hand to guide this piece thru the slop and your other right hand to make sure that the flat piece stays next to the cutting blades. And, if you have a spare hand, you can guide the finished ruffle out the back of the machine.

Well, I don't know - I only have one right hand and one left hand. Then whole thing felt BEYOND awkward! However, the resulting ruffle was gorgeous and done without sewing those basting lines and pulling up threads to gather. This will certainly take more practice, but it will be worth it!

Learning to use my serger AND "Going Green"

I think I have mastered the rolled hem stitch on my serger. I have finished 4 dozen cloth dinner napkins. They are so pretty! I used fabric from my stash and now have a whole basket full of the cutest napkins. This SHOULD cut down on the amount of money we spend on paper towels and paper napkins.

I have had a request to clarify the way I made my napkins. They are single thickness. I cut a variety of novelty fabrics and some orphan fat quarters to 14" square. Some of the fabrics were not big enough to do 14" so are a bit smaller.

I hemmed all 4 sides with the rolled hem stitch on my serger. This was really good practice for me becoming comfortable with what I needed to do to set up the stitch as well as changing threads.

Then, I put a dab of fray check on each corner and threw them in the washer. I wanted to see how they would wash and dry as I do NOT intend to iron these things!

They probably are not show stoppers, but they are fun and should work!

Retro Aprons

Retro aprons - I made my first today and I might just be hooked! Fun to make and cute, cute, cute.

Fat Quarters, Layer Cakes and Jelly Rolls, oh my!

I finally finished getting the remainder of my inventory listed on my webpage at www.ioniaquiltworks.com . Great deals on Moda pre-cuts! Check them out!

Starlight-Starbright Block A-13

Jane - You were a better woman than I ! I have tried piecing this block by machine, paper piecing and applique. I am not having a lot of luck. Enough for today. Tomorrow I may try this block my making little tiny freezer paper templates, ironing them to the fabric, adding 1/4 inch seam allowances and then hand piecing.

I'm off to make an apron! I really need to work with some larger pieces of fabric for the rest of today!