Zweigart Open House on Saturday, Oct 2

This Saturday Zweigart is having its annual open house from 9 a.m. to 5.30 p.m. Games, raffle, kid's program. coffee and cake, something for everyone. And a factory tour.
Oh yeah, and fabric. Lots of fabric, including plenty of quilting fabric. 10% off.

Zweigart
Fronäckerstrasse 50
Sindelfingen
Zweigart

Skirt Finished!

Now, in its final version (except for hand-stitching the inner waistband down, I present to you the Bleistiftrock (pencil skirt)! The satin waistband (DD's idea) looks nice, even if the photo seems otherwise.
I'm highly pleased with the outcome, and it's also the first time I sewed in a nearly-invisible zipper, which was easier than I thought. Once you understand how to twist the zipper so it lies correctly on the right side of the fabric, then it's a quick few seams to success.
Things I can't believe about this skirt: DD likes it snug, this is a size 34. I'm wondering how she intends to walk in this thing. Maybe she'll put a slit in.
Also this adapted pattern goes together fast: from cutting fabric to formed skirt took about 5 hours.

Alice in QuiltyLand

Finishing something (the Tokyo top) really releases your creative juices.
This morning, I rolled over in bed and realized I could go back to sleep, so I did. Then started my adventure in QuiltyLand.
Just like Alice, I was transported into a mythical quilt retreat. At one point, I was standing on a tall structure, and had to climb down a metal ladder that I couldn't figure out how to reach with my feet, all the while thinking I wanted to get back to the classroom for the next workshop.
At the workshop, I was sitting next to Lisa W (waves Hi! to Lisa), and the workshop was jsut starting, but somehow she and I did not have everything ready for the class. Lisa, however, slowly unrolled a piece of red crushed velvet with a very interesting edge. Hmm, Lisa, would that make you the Red Queen? Would you like that role?
I awoke just as we were waiting for an answer from the teacher as to what we were expected to bring to the class.

Tokyo Subway Top FINISHED!!!

After a week of doing other things, I got back to my Tokyo subway suburb quilt today. And I finished the top!!!! Yay!!! A finished top - it's about time, as I'd hoped to finish it last weekend.
But it's done done done, and now it's time to iron and quilt it.
I am very happy to have finished it.
Here is a picture - I just tossed the top onto the sofa and made a quick snapshot. Tomorrow it will look better.

Tokyo Subway Suburb progress

Fantastic progress made this weekend!! I finished 15 out of 16 blocks, and would have finished the the last one, if it hadn't been for that silly need for sleep and a broken needle while my husband was standing there, ready to leave.
There are still some corrections to make (a couple of squares are disturbingly misaligned), and I've got to sew the blocks together, but I am still very proud of progress so far.
Here are photos of the first 8 blocks and I'll post all 16 as soon as the last one is done.

All retreated out

OK, so what crazy ideas did I have in my last post about how much I was going to achieve last weekend?
- Did I post pictures of the things I took with me? Nope
- Did I fulfill my fantasy of completing my Tokyo subway suburb quilt? No, but I'll put my progress into a second blog post
- Did I learn a lot at the workshops and get to know new people? Yes !!! It was a ton of fun, and even thought I have a long way to go with crazy quilt block decorating and quilting feathers, I at least took first steps on both.
- Did I finish anything at all? Yes, see below. I finished a fabric bowl (marvelously fun and easy project)
Here are some pictures of first my fabric bowl, then a couple of pics of the meeting center, and finally excerpts from the biggest single project of the Quilt-Sterne group, the Sternengefunkel quilt.

Gettting Ready to retreat

After sending off the skirt sloper, it's time for me to gather my things together for the Quilt-Sterne retreat this weekend. The Quilt-Sterne is an online group of quilters, primarily from Germany, who meet in a Yahoo group. Link is here.
It's a fun group, with almost 1500 members.
The retreat (or das Treffen in German) is at the Haus auf der Alb hotel/conference center in Bad Urach, not too far away from my home. It's an architectural gem, so check it out sometime. Haus auf der Alb link.
The leaders have organized a number of workshops, so I'll be learning how to decorate a crazy quilt block, and how to machine sew a feather quilting pattern, for example.
There will also be plenty of time for working on my Tokyo subway project - I have fantasies of finishing the top this weekend. We'll see.
DH will be holding down the home front this weekend, but he will drive me down to Bad Urach, so I have a helper to carry things in and out. 
I'll try to add a couple of photos to this link later today, so you can see my preparations, especially the crazy block I've prepared for the workshop.

Sloper 2 done, with learning applied

My second sloper for DD's skirt is done, and I can send it off tomorrow. This time, the assembly went much faster and here's what I learned and applied:

1. I checked out the pattern pieces so I could pre-cut some pieces differently and save time.
2. I used Burda Copy paper to mark both the front and back of the folded fabric, which makes more accurate and easier to sew pieces
3. Also used the copy paper to trace the pieces off the pattern, since I was using a multiple size pattern out of a Burda magazine
4. Skipped the interfacing pieces, since this is just a fitting garment
5. Sewed several different seams, which means DD only has to rip out the seams that are too tight.

Now I'll find out if DD actually knows how to use a seam ripper. LOL

Take a look at the closeup. You can see that I sewed a white seam at the smallest size, then used other colors at slightly larger sizes.

Extension table and bag ready for next retreat

When my plexiglas extension table arrived, I was a little surprised. The seller didn't have the exact measurements up on the website, but it was made to fit my 440QE, so I didn't worry about it too much. The size I had read about was 18 inches by 24 inches.
Imagine my surprise when I opened the box and saw that I had bought a 24 by 24 inch table! Even larger than I'd expected! Nice. And it's a Sew Steady table to boot. Sorry that it's hard to find the table in the picture, but you can see the nice Bernina logo.

After admiring the beautiful clear plexiglas for a while, it occurred to me that I'd bought it partially to take with me on retreats. But I had no way to carry it without scratching it, so I added a bag to my project list.
Well, the retreat is next week, so I had to get that thing done. On my last trip to Hilco with my buddy Andrea, we found a lovely corduroy in nice modern colors, and the saleswoman helped us find a brilliant lime green for the lining.
Today I finished the bag, and I suspect it will become my regular bag for carrying whole quilts. The bag is machine quilted, although rather badly, but that gives it some extra padding. I used the green to make handles and to trim the outside pocket. There's an inside pocket for the feet of the table as well, and I got to practice some more decorative stitching on both the handle and the pockets.

I can fold the top edge over when carrying smaller items, and it slings perfectly over my shoulder, even when I'm wearing a coat. The outside pocket, which I integrated into the handle, can hold rather large items.
All in all, quite satisfactory.

Ok, ok, when I look at the photos, it is a REALLY large bag. A small child could hide in it. That picture with DH? He's 6 foot 2 inches. Really big bag. Not him, the fabric object.

Owls and Basting

My progress on the Tokyo Subway quilt will slow down a little over the next couple of weeks. First, Dear Daughter has more requests for clothing in, and I'm now two skirts and a dress behind.
Second, the guild/sewing circle groups are kicking in a little early this month. Normally the first two weeks of the month are focused sewing time, and the last two weeks are meeting time. This month my first meeting is on Sept 10, with a Stuttgart sewing circle. We'll be doing at least two fun planned activities - one is a member is showing her technique for making teeny tiny owls (she put them on a pincushion), and I'll be demonstrating the small space basting technique.
The small space basting technique is pretty much the same as Sharon Schamber's technique, or techniques I've seen others do. it involves rolling up the backing and top on narrow boards, then building and basting the sandwich a little at a time, whatever fits on your worktable.

Tokyo Subway - Block B1 done

Now there are two blocks done. I laid out the whole top row, in order to see how well my scraps came out color-wise. So far, I'm quite happy with the purple, but not so much with the orange. Working on this quilt has shown me some places in which my stash is weak, namely in the orange.
But when I put both of these blocks side by side, it looks nice - I am very satisfied with Oh Franssons! design. And it's easy to put together. The technique I'm using to align the small squares is a non-locking technique, in which the seams are pressed open. Before sewing strips together, I only finger-press, and don't use an iron until a block is done.
I've had lots of success in the past using the locking technique, but I decided to try opening the seams instead and pinning the seams exactly together.
When I do the pinned open seams technique, it shows me immediately where one seam is slightly too wide or too narrow. When I trusted the locking technique I found it easier to ignore slight misadjustments. In engineering, we have a technique of manufacturing called Poke-a-Yoke, in which the assembly method prevents errors. The open pinned seams technique is my quilting Poke-a-Yoke, since it makes it harder for me to make an error.
What's that I heard you say? That the problem is not in the locking or open-seam technique? That the real problem is that I used to ignore little mislignments rather than fix them immediately? Sorry, I choose to be in denial about that (puts hands over ears and sings LALALALALA in a loud voice.)

Tokyo Subway Quilt: My Suburb

All the pieces have been cut, and I laid out the first blocks. Then I decided to stay up a bit late last night and put together the first block. It went very well, especially when I used a technique I read about recently that said to NOT iron the rows before sewing rows together, but just to align the seams. Out of a 5x5 grid, I only went back and tweaked one seam, yet I am quite pleased with the results.
On the pattern, I've laid out numbers for each block. A1 is the block I finished last night.

Here is my finished block and B1, C1 and D1 laid out. I'm struggling a little with the orange colors, but I decided that it's a scrap quilt, so they can stay whatever they currently are.

Block A1

Blocks B1 and C1

Block D1

Kirwa in Franken

We just returned from a weekend in Franken, where we visited the in-laws and experienced Kirwa (Kirchweih). Kirwa is essentially a local country fair, generally limited to the immediate village.  The vendors go from town to town during this season, and the different villages coordinate their schedules so as not to interfere with the others. Other regions of Germany do similar things, but in spring with a Maibaum (Maypole).

There’s special food, naturally, like specially shaped donut-like edibles, and plenty of beer. But the event is centered around young people and is essentially a party.
First comes the raising of the Kirwabaum, a very tall tree stripped of most of its branches. It’s cut down by the young men and hidden carefully until the day it is to be raised. It’s hidden, because it’s a game for other villages to steal your tree, and a sign of honor to not let your tree be stolen.

On the day the tree is raised, it is paraded through the town, while drinking lots of beer. Then it’s decorated and raised in a great show of manly strength.  Here’s someone else’s Youtube video of the raising. 

The day we attended was the day when the prize is awarded. Then these strong young men paraded again through the town to the Kirwaplatz, this time with beautiful young women on their arms. See photos. Of course a brass band is playing, and if you look closely, you will see that they have been drinking out of liter beer glasses during the parade. Most of the glasses were empty by the time I took my photos, so most guys have put them down already. Look at all the nice Tracht: Dirndls and Lederhosen.

Upon arrival at the platz, the dancing begins. An alarm clock has been set, and as the song plays, the couples dance. There is one bouquet of flowers which gets regularly handed off from one couple to the next. Whoever holds the bouquet when the alarm goes off wins the prize. The prize is hanging from the lowest bar of the Kirwabaum. There’s a beer stein and various other things. I think usually there’s a bit of cash as well, which is pretty often immediately spent in  buying beer for the others.

A nice event, and it’s always good to see the family.

September Quilty Goodness in Alsace and in Osnabrück

There is, of course, the amazing big show near Strasbourg, in Ste. Marie-aux-Mines, the European Patchwork Carrefour. 16th - 19th September.
More information at this link.

But for those in the north, it may be closer to go to Osnabrück to the Nadel und Faden show. It's about more than just patchwork, so for you knitting, tatting, sewing and embroidery people, you can also have a boatload of fun.
More information here.

My Tokyo Subway design

Here's my design, as compared to Oh Fransson's full quilt. As mentioned earlier, I'm only going to make a quarter of the quilt, because that's more manageable for me. I used Excel as my grid, then filled in the color corresponding to the colors in the original quilt. I may still make some color changes, based on what is in my stash.
I chose which quarter to make (lower right quadrant) and started cutting fabric.
This picture compares my design to the quadrant of Oh Franssons! quilt that I wanted to make.

Then I started cutting fabric. I've got around half of the colored fabric cut, but none of the white. It wasn't easy to start cutting into some of my whole pieces, but I took a deep breath and cut away. I'm also not sure how much I like the ratio of patterned squares to solid squares, so I might use more solid. We'll see.
At first I was cutting the exact number of squares, but now I'm just cutting a 2 1/2 inch strip and making squares out of all of it. The rest will go into my Bonnie Hunter Scrappy Irish Chain project.