Aurifil Test Begins

Yesterday I started the comparison test with Aurifil. Just like for Curicini Tre Stelle, I wound 5 bobbins and cleaned and oiled the bobbin case.





Here is the pics after completing one bobbin full.



The throat plate lint build up looks similar to the results for the Tre Stelle, but the bobbin case looks less linty.



As expected, this thread handles like a dream. Smooth, quiet, and stitches that practically melt into the fabric.

I'm still only on the second bobbin, but completed the blocks for the scrappy pinwheel quilt top. I had to take the blocks out to the carriage house studio to use the floor space as my design area. First I set up the blocks on the tables in stacks of like colors - my design palette!



Next I lay out the blocks, being careful to keep a pleasing mix of colors in all the rows.



I had to stand on a ladder and hold the camera above my head to try to get as much of this quilt top in my photo frame as possible. And if you think that was a funny sight, imagine me picking up all of these blocks and keeping them in order as I stacked them from left to right!

Curicini Tre Stelle Prelim Results

I finally used up 5 bobbins of Curicini Tre Stelle 50 wt thread. I say "finally" because it seemed to last forever. This fine 2 ply thread allowed me load up the bobbins with more length than I could get with my previous brand of thread. Nice!

Here are pics of under the throat plate and in the bobbin case after the 5th bobbin was emptied.





So there is a bit of lint build up, but is this from the thread or the fabric? To early to tell (unless someone more familiar with lint patterns can enlighten me!) In addition to now testing Aurifil, I'll also do a similar 5 bobbin test with my previous much cheaper thread to see how that compares with these two fine Italians.

But I must say that even with a little lint build up, this thread was beautiful to use. It ran smoothly and quietly through my Bernina and lay down nice low profile stitches. Already, no matter who comes out on top, I'm sold on these quality threads.

I'm on to my second king-size scrappy quilt. This time I'm using 2 triangles to create a 4" square, and then arrange these into a pinwheel block. I'm loving how many squares I can assemble with this thread before emptying a bobbin.

The Italian Face Off - Aurifil vs Curicini Tre Stelle

And so it begins . . .

I was so intrigued by my first experience with fine Italian threads that I've decided to do a head to head comparison between Aurifil and Curicini Tre Stelle.

I first learned of Aurifil at the Houston Quilt Festival back in 2005 and immediately fell in love with their 12 wt variegated thread. I like to use variegated thread for quilting and the 12 wt was a nice hefty thread that was still thin enough to run through my Bernina.

The Curicini Tre Stelle thread is new to me, but is a from a company that has been around for decades.

The first round of the Italian thread faceoff will be between 50 wt threads doing regular piecing. I use a Bernina 1260 and a 90/14 needle (because I don't like changing needles between cotton and metallic threads!)

In this corner is a grey 2-ply 50 wt Curicini Tre Stelle thread.



I've filled 5 bobbins and cleaned the bobbin case.



Then in this corner, anxiously waiting his turn, is a white 2-ply 50 wt Aurifil thread.



I am piecing regular commercial 100% cotton squares with a straight stitch and will go through 5 full bobbins. I'll be counting thread breaks and checking lint build up after each bobbin finishes.



So far, I completed 1 bobbin full of the Curicini Tre Stelle. This is what the bobbin case looked like afterwards.





Sort of linty! Could be from the fabric, could be the thread, but won't know until the full test is finished. I'm thinking I may have to also run this test with the cheap brand of thread I was previously using just to get a data point on linty-ness.

Other than the lint, the Curicini is running smooth and beautiful through my machine and creating lovely stitches.

I have finished off one simple quilt top, but the challenge will continue on the next! Stay tuned for scintillating photos of lint build up or lack there of.



(Sorry, no wet t-shirts or tight Italian pants in this faceoff. I'll have to leave those images to your imagination!)

Quilt Making Frenzy

Ever since the wedding quilt frenzy, I haven't been able to let go of the desire to make more standard quilts. It has been partly because I realized my scrap pile was threatening to take over my studio. I also needed more room for fabrics that I use in my current work, not the wild multi-patterned novelty-type fabrics I had purchased in the past. So the old stuff had to be used up, because, of course, I couldn't throw it away!



I also realized that I have been at our inn, the Greenville Arms 1889 Inn, for 6 years already and have only completed a quilt for only one of the rooms. I feel like such a piker! Here I call myself a quilter and haven't even made quilts for the rooms -- although my art quilts are all over the place! But I wanted to put "my mark" on the inn as an innkeeper - something that might last longer than I. (Although I am not planning any departure from the inn anytime in the near future!)



I also just like assembling pieces of fabric and it is a very relaxing thing to do when you are too exhausted to think of anything else.



Another motivator is that I bartered one of our workshops at Hudson River Valley Art Workshops for some longarm quilting services. The workshop traded is coming up and I don't have any of the quilt tops ready! So I'm piecing at every chance I get.



Nothing like a pile of chain pieced triangles. If I'm lucky I might have one quilt top ready by the time the workshop is over.

I was approached by a distributor to try out a line of Italian thread, Curicini Tre Stelle. It is a 2-ply long staple thread, reportedly just like Aurifil, another line of fine Italian thread. I tried the 50 wt cotton for piecing. The difference between this thread and the much cheaper brand that I had been using was marked! The Curicini ran through my Bernina like silk.



Now I'm curious about the Aurifil 50wt. I have some but was waiting until I used up the cheaper stuff I had (waste not, want not!). But with the difference between the finer thread being so immediately noticeable, now I want to see how the two Italians face off!

Wedding Quilt Appreciation

My new son-in-law, Zeke, showing his appreciation for a quilt large enough for his 6'4" height!

The wedding quilt was used at the wedding as the backdrop for a time-release photo "booth" - a special camera snapped a picture every 10 seconds and guests stepped into the booth to strike poses with funny paper eye glasses. However, I neglected to take any photos of the quilt! I'll have to wait for the official photos.

So now for some non-quilt related photos of the wedding! As mother of the bride I get to show off the bride in my blog if I want to!



Me and my mom.



Bride and groom with my mom, brother, sister, husband, and sister-in-law.



Me and the bride!



The happy couple.



The happy bride.



This kiss, this kiss . . .

The Wedding Quilt is Done!

I finally had a sunny day when I was also ready to try to take a picture of the log cabin quilt that I made for my daughter's wedding on October 2nd.

It's not an easy thing to photograph a king size quilt by yourself, let alone on a slightly breezy day! (Wasn't too bad, just blew over once.)

I wish I could have had the whole thing hanging straight but it is mostly.

Tomorrow I ship it off to California to await the wedding. My daughter plans to use it has the backdrop for some of the wedding photos. I'm also using a photo of the quilt on a special chocolate bar that we are making as favors for the wedding

It was a relief to finally finish this huge quilt, but at the same time I'm sorry it is done. I enjoyed handling all that fabric and sewing all of the pieces together.

I'll probably continue working on some more traditional quilts while our workshop season is still in full swing. Then come winter, I'll switch to art quilts. I have some ideas for some larger scale pieces and the workshop studio will come in handy for that.

We had a week off over the Labor Day weekend and flew to Seattle to spend the time with my daughter and future son-in-law. My daughter was a good daughter and immediately gave me the address and directions to several fabric stores and a yarn store!

With a store name like this how could one not shop for yarn with abandon?

These skeins are destine for a "break out" sock. I've been using the same simple sock pattern for years. It's time to try something with a stitch pattern to it! This is why I choose a more solid color yarn.

I bought this yarn with the idea of making a shawl or shrug to go with my mother-of-the-bride dress. But who am I kidding . . . I won't be able to finish something like that in the remaining time!

Then this lovely bunch is going to be turned into washcloths, while I try to convert my knitting style into "picking" instead of "throwing."

I finished another pair of socks on the flights back and forth from NY. Knitting is a great thing to while away the time in coach. Not enough room to do much else!

Then I blew the rest of my fiber shopping budget on fabric.

I'm trying to stock up on dark and light values, as my stash is heavy in the medium values. Sorry, I forgot the name of the quilt shop, but it is just down Market St from Cupcake Royale in Ballard, WA. A nice shop with friendly people. The fabric is contemporary, with a lot of "Amy Butler" types of colors and prints.

Modern Retro Ties in Black

My daughter and her finance have asked me to make some custom skinny ties for the groom and groomsmen (and woman) at their wedding. They wanted a solid black tie that looked like a '50's skinny tie.

But being me, I couldn't resist trying a little decorative stitching on my prototype tie!

However, I did send this sample tie for final approval! If they want plain, I'm happy to make them that way.

I like the way the stitched version turned out though, so I might have to make some more to sell at our Inn.

I use to sell these Crazy Ties at street fairs in California and they did fairly well, but I must have had over 40 ties leftover when we moved here. They have been steadily selling at the inn and I have to restock!

One of our artist instructors, David Taylor of Australia, has specifically requested another tie when he teaches here next year. He wears them to his exhibit openings and when accepting awards!

Fields of Promise

I couldn't wait. I was going to wait until after I had taken a good photograph of my latest Fields of Promise piece before hanging it up at the inn, but it was taking too long to find a moment to set up my photography area. So I hung this one:

And this one in our front dining room.

I'm midway through the quilting on another Field of Promise piece and am hoping to finish it this coming Saturday.

David Dunlop is teaching a workshop at our inn this week and he always has such enthusiasm for art of any kind that it is hard to not catch that enthusiasm and want to get into your studio and create!

That Other Thing

Ok, I didn't mean that previous post to sound like some sort of pity party. I most certainly do not regret my choices, but for me, it is easier to be an artist when I can accept that, at the moment, my other career comes first.

I can stop beating myself up over missed opportunity deadlines and stop agonizing about how long it is taking to finish my next art quilt.

There is, after all, a strong tie between my desire to be an artist and my dream of building an environment where artists can come together for learning, encouragement, and community.

When I first got into quilting and art quilts, way back when, I was a workshop-taking-fiend. Yes, I wanted to learn everything I could and find my own path, but also the value of being able to spend 6 hours a day with like-minded people who understood the language I was speaking, who were seeking the same thing that I was, was priceless.

Even though I was not able to take a retreat-type workshop at the time, I could understand the tremendous freedom one would have if they could put aside their daily lives, even if just for a week, to eat, drink, breath, and live in your art and to be around others who were doing the same.

For me, the benefit of the workshop, is not just what you learn from the instructor, but what you learn from your classmates. This is not to say that who you take a workshop from isn't important. It takes an excellent teacher to facilitate and encourage a learning-rich environment such as this and to recognize that everyone can learn from everyone in the class.

I love being an innkeeper and workshop director. I love being around artistic and creative people. So that is my choice and I'm sticking with it! But I'll never give up creating my own art because it is what I am.

That One Thing

Today on the Quiltart list a question was posed - "What is the 1 thing you need to be successful as an artist?"

My first thought was that I needed more time, but that is such a pat answer and doesn't really lead to any kind of solution.

So my second thought was I needed another lifetime. While this answer doesn't offer the struggling artist any solution, what it does do is recognize that sometimes you just have to accept the reality of your choices.

The reality of my choice is that I choose to pursue a business that requires a lot of my time. I'm talking about being the owner/director of the Hudson River Valley Art Workshops. I have chosen to put my all into a business that I hope will further the success of other aspiring artists.

I want so much for this business to be a success, that I have recognized that I must put my own art on the back burner, even though there are times I feel the loss acutely. But I am only one person and I've made my choice.

I'll still revel in every moment I get in my studio and still create my art, but I'm not going to worry about being a success as an artist. I don't need that kind of stress!

Mini-Winter Landscape Quilt

An artist friend of ours is going through a tough time and so I thought I'd make her a quickly little landscape quilt. She is a watercolor painter now, but use to be a fiber artist, so I know she will appreciate the work.

This week at the inn, Natalie Sewell is teaching her fabric landscape class which always inspires me to make more landscapes!

I'm still itching to do some more work on the paper and fabric journals that I started in Kathyanne White's workshop.

But realized as I was clearing my tables to work on the landscape piece that if I want to make progress on more of these collaged journals, I'll need a more efficient way of storing all the STUFF. Right now I have stuff, such as beads and buttons and ribbons tucked away in a tall plastic set of drawers. Unfortunately the drawers are tucked away in a corner with a table and other stuff blocking the way! This makes it difficult to get any work done when you have to fight your way to the stuff you need! This may be a project for next winter.

It's in the Bag at Gloversville Sewing Center

Can't believe it has already been 2 weeks since I went to Gloversville Sewing Center to buy some orange fabric for the back of my daughter's wedding quilt!

But I found two fabrics that worked well together and luckily there was enough on the bolts, although I emptied one of them! And since I dropped over $100 dollars on this purchase, my shopping bag was 2 fat quarters sewn together. Clever and appreciated -- nice fabrics, too!

I have put together the back for the quilt in a checkerboard fashion using 15" squares of these two fabrics. (Sorry Adina, I just couldn't restrict myself to the use of just one fabric! But it will look great!)

I'm taking it to the longarm quilter's at the end of the month and she'll quilt it in May. Once I get it back I'm going to try to get a picture of it hanging off the second floor balcony of the Inn.

Now that that is done it is back to art quilts.

I made another "fields of promise" piece last Saturday and will finish putting the sleeve on it this Saturday. Then it will be ready to photograph.

Carol Taylor is teaching a workshop with us this week at the Hudson River Valley Art Workshops and her vast arrange of fancy fibers for sale has put me in the mood to do a little couching of yarns myself - which I did on the Fields of Promise 2.

I was collecting fancy fibers way before I became a knitter. I like using them to cover the edges on raw edge applique. I love the sparkly stuff - great for adding the little bit of umpf to the lines of a piece.

I couched yarn or metallic cord over all of the Moon Series quilts. This is one of them.

Sewing of a Different Nature

I thought I was going to get to start a new art quilt, but then I remembered that I had sewing of a different nature to get done.

One of the loveseat cushions in a guest room was getting frayed in one corner, and having inquired about professional reupholstering costs previously, I decided to give it go myself! (Not putting down the work or the worth of professionals, but we have a lot of furniture and not unlimited funds! LOL)

Luckily it was just the cushion needing help, so I was confident that I could do a reasonable job.

So here are the results.

I should mention that I'm a big fan of MacKenzie Childs and their wildly decorated furniture! Obviously, this it not quite as wild, but I'm starting gently!

I think it turned out rather nicely. I just made a simple zippered box cushion cover without welting. I made matching arm covers, but I'm thinking I now need to make new cover for the pillows in a coordinating moss green fabric for some more contrast and to complete the "patchwork" look.

Today I go shopping for the orange fabric I need to complete my daughters quilt.

Disappearing Posts

Think you are seeing things? Thought you saw a post there and then it was suddenly gone?

It's not you, it's me. I use Blogo to maintain all of our blogs and it is way too easy to be so busy writing a post that you don't even bother to look at which blog you are posting to until it is too late!

Got make sure the brain is engaged before clicking POST. Sheesh.

Air Pen Doodles and Knitting

Here is my air pen doodles. Fun. Probably won't be getting one until the winter when I have more time and can also go to the big art studio with more air ventilation. My 3rd floor studio is tiny and does not get much in the way of air circulation with just one window.

Finished another couple of knitting projects. Another fickle finger scarf and some more socks.

Can one have too many hand-knitted socks? I'm not sure -- I'll have just keep at it until I know!

The socks I keep, the scarves I sell. I recently sold quite a few of my scarves, so I'm working to restock.