Welcome to Farm Quilter

Enjoy your stay under the variable skies of Eastern Washington and watch the seasons change, from planting to harvest here on the farm...be sure to wrap up in a quilt during the winter, it's cold!!

Tuesday, December 30, 2014

Microwave Plate Potholder Tutorial



Are you interested in making some of these:

If so, this is my first tutorial and this is what I made!
I love leftovers because I can just nuke them and have more time for quilting!  But I really hate burning my fingers or my lap (sometimes you just have to sit in the recliner and eat, right?) with a hot plate, so I figured out how to make these plate potholders!
You will need:
Fabric – my Dad’s plates are 10.25” in diameter and I cut the fabric 14” square and you need 2 per potholder
Batting – I used this Wrap and Zap that I bought at Joann’s that I cut 13” square.  You need two of these too!  Until we put them together, you do the same thing to both “sandwiches”!!

Walking foot for your sewing machine – you will be sewing through 2 layers of batting and 4 layers of fabric!
Pins, rulers, turning tool and thread…you know you always need those!!
Something to mark sewing lines on the batting – I used Expo’s Vis-à-Vis Wet Erase that will disappear when I wash the pot holder, but I really don’t care because I use darker fabric (light shows messes too easily) – you just don’t want something that will bleed or show through your fabric.
On my square of batting, I drew a line from corner to corner and then from the center of each side so I had a lovely pinwheel that looked like this:
The cute little triangles are made by measuring in from the side 2” and measuring 1” from that center line…then draw a line to connect the dots.
Place your fabric pretty side down and put a piece of your marked batting on top of it.  I eye-ball placement about ½” from the edge of the fabric when placing the batting down.  I put pins in the large triangles for stability and sew on the long lines from corner to corner and side to side.
(Sorry, I had forgotten to mark where the darts will be made on this – no worries, you can do it after you sew all 4 lines.)  It is easy to chain sew these.
When all four lines are sewn, fold the right sides of the sandwich together on one of your side to side lines – time to make the darts!
I put the pins on the side that will be on top when I put it through my sewing machine so I can easily remove it.
Chain sew those darts, right on the line!  You can come at the dart from either side.  Sometimes it is easier to sew it from the point.  Both ways work!  When all four darts are sewn, it will look like this:
Time to trim off the darts – they would make it much too thick!!
There is about ¼” left on there…perfect!  Time to nest the two sides.  One side has the batting side up, the other side has the pretty side up – nest them together with pretty side to pretty side!

You are going to “nest” the seams from the darts.  I have the top seam facing left, so that when I run it through the sewing machine the seam I can’t see will be facing me and I can make the top seam face away from me.  I pin on the corner lines and on each dart.  I start sewing on one of the dart seams, using the edge of the batting to determine my seam allowance – I shoot for ½”!
Do lock or back stitch there – we will be leaving that half of that side open so we can turn the right side out.  Sew all the way around to the point on the same side you started on, leaving that ½ a side unsewn, do a lock or back stitch there as well.  Take it off your machine, snip those threads and stick your hand in the hole to grab the opposite corner and pull it through the hole.  Grab something you can poke those corners out with.
This great tool was made for me by a quilting friend’s husband in Florida – thank you, Jim!!!
When you have the corners poked out so they are as square as possible, fold the edges of the hole over each side’s batting (you don’t want the batting to be visible) and pin.
Start sewing about ¼” from the edge of the potholder…don’t start in a corner or where there is a seam or you run the risk of a lovely mess of thread on the bobbin side (ask me how I know!).  The corners and where the darts are, well, are thick!
Smooth from where you start to the dart seam, sew to there then turn your potholder so the sewing line to the corner will be straight and smooth that out.  I do a lock stitch at the beginning and end of this sewing line.
I also do a square of sewing in the middle, about 2” from the center.  I don’t measure, I just guess!  I do stay away from the darts.
And you are finished!
This stack is 2 bowl and 2 plate potholders I made.  If you make them, please let me know because I want to see them!!  If I made a mistake or something wasn't clear, please let me know as well!!
Have a fabulous, healthy and blessed new year!!

I am joining with Jenny of ELEFANTZ and her 

 


Since I don't know how to put "buttons" or whatever on my blog (yeah, I've tried, just end up wanting to throw the computer out the window), I'm just going to put the link here.


Wednesday, December 24, 2014

May you have

a Blessed Christmas, with those you love.
May the Lord give you the gift of His Peace, Love and Mercy as we celebrate the birth of the Savior!

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Thank you

Today we remember the sacrifices made by those who serve our country and tell them what we should be expressing every day, THANK YOU!  In my family, I am thanking:

Uncle Floyd, USAF (Col), WWII, Korean War, Vietnam War
Dad, USN, WWII
Cousin Rob, USAF (Capt), Vietnam War
Cousin Ray, USN (Capt), Vietnam War, Desert Shield
Ex-husband Oliver, USMC (SgtMaj), Desert Shield
Daughter Brenna, USAF (TSgt), Desert Shield, Desert Storm
Daughter Tristan, US Army (SSG), Desert Storm, Enduring Freedom - still active duty

Thank you all for being willing to sign a check to our country that was for up-to-and-including your life to protect the freedoms and wonderful way of life we enjoy here in America.  I thank God for your willingness to protect and defend and I also thank God for His protection over all of you when you were in harms way.

**Update:  My beloved Uncle Floyd finished his final pre-flight check list and took off on his final flight December 1, 2014 at 4:55 PM.  At 97, he lived a long, full life free from most illnesses.  He departed with his beloved wife, son and his wife, and his grandchildren at his side.  As he did with everything in his life, he left us with grace and dignity.  He will be missed by all who loved him so much.**

Friday, November 7, 2014

Quilt Retreat and Microwave Bowls

I got home Wednesday night from the most fabulous retreat with my local guild.  Nineteen ladies spent Sunday through Wednesday morning stitching up a storm at the Palouse Divide Lodge.  The lodge is gorgeous
and this was what we woke up to
Sunday was gorgeous, but Tuesday and Wednesday the clouds must have been tired because they were down on the ground, giving the area a good soaking!!  Wednesday we had to leave by noon and the view changed to this

 It was perfect that the two days we were unloading and loading our cars were nice and dry and the days we could just stay in and sew were quite damp!  I got a bunch of sewing done - I don't get to sew much when I'm at home - I'm too busy dancing with my longarm!!!  I got the bindings on 4 quilts, made some microwave bowl holders, came up with a way to make some microwave plate holders and made two more quilt tops.
This is the Abacus quilt I made (forgot to get a picture of the other quilt I whipped out on Wednesday morning!)
I used some of my precious stash of ombre fabrics for the two new quilt tops...I'm on a bubble kick!  And then there were the microwave finger savers:
To make the plate holders, I cut 2 14" pieces of fabric, 2 13.5" pieces of microwave-safe batting, sewed the batting to the fabric, took tucks on all 4 sides 1/2" from the center line and 2" deep.  They certainly work great!  My plates are 10" and 11" in diameter and both sizes fit perfectly!   If there is any interest, I'll work up a tutorial (it would be my first!!) and put it up here.  And I'll put up a picture of my other quilt as soon as I finish unpacking!!






Saturday, November 1, 2014

A Lovely Year of Finishes - November

Where did October go??  I blinked and it's November!  I am linking up with Sew Bitter Sweet Designs - doing this really makes me get at least one of my quilts finished every month...well, at least I try!  For November, I want to quilt, bind and label the quilt I made out of the blocks I had folks sign at my daughter's wedding in August.  I made too many of the blocks when I was making her wedding quilt, so I ironed freezer paper to the back of the blocks, taped a matting frame around them (to keep my 1/4" for sewing) and voile, I had her autograph album all ready!
This is my goal - can I do it??

Sunday, October 12, 2014

Lovely Year of Finishes October Goal Met!!

The month isn't even half over and I finished my goal for the month!!!  It is done-done, right down to the label!  This is a pattern I tested for Sue Abrey and it was a fun quilt to piece.  Definitely different from any other quilt I have made.  Warning:  lots of pictures because each of the 20 golden "blocks" was quilted with a different pattern.



The back

Back detail




Great texture





Great texture

So pretty!!!


Love this pattern!





Love this pattern!



 I am so happy with the way this quilt turned out and I am gifting it away soon.  Gonna be hard to let this one go...it turned out so cool!!!  I may be needing to make another one for myself!  These are colors I would never have chosen for myself, but they match the decor in the recipient's home.

I have linked up sewbittersweetdesigns for the Lovely Year of Finishes!