Freezer Paper Raw Edge Appliqué

It’s been a while since I have tackled an art quilt.  I have been doing small journal page style pieces, but nothing large.  Mainly exploring and practicing with different techniques.

Some of my journal pages.

Last month we took a trip through the beautiful national parks in southern Utah.  I came back inspired and after much consideration, I selected to interpret Delicate Arch at sunset.

 

I have experimented with different techniques in every art quilt I have made so far.  I am searching for something that is not too tedious – it takes away from the fun, creative part of the process – but still allows me the control I am seeking.

What I find most tedious are the multiple tracings required, especially if using iron on fusible.  Besides the drawing of the subject, you need the reverse to trace onto the fusible.  Each tracing is slightly different from the original.  Fusible also leaves a residue that will degrade the fabric over time (see this research) and I find it stiffens the fabric enough so that the needle sort of clunks through it.  I think it has its place, but I would rather minimize its use.

Some artists like Ellen Lindner free hand a lot of their stuff.  I do a bit of that, especially when filling in details or the like, but I am not good enough to render a known subject like Delicate Arch sufficiently well to have it remain acceptably recognizable.

I did a few quilts using Ann Holme’s “No Sewing Until YouQuilt It” freezer paper approach.  Works well, but I feel I can’t do the finer details with turned edge like I want and there’s no room to make changes on the fly.

So this time I am trying something that sort of combines some things I have done. 

•   I first print out a full color picture of what I want to interpret.
•   I slide that into a clear sheet protector you can buy at any office supply place.
• I outline the parts that will be fabric pieces.  I try to not get too detailed. I will add fine details as I go or they will be added with thread and/or paint/colored pencils.

Original print and the clear tracing - 8.5 by 11.

•   I then take the print out of the sleeve.  The drawing on the sheet protector needs to be made full size for the master template.  You can take it to a copy shop to have this done or print out sections of the image and tape it together.
•   I happen to have an overhead projector.  They are expensive, but I use it for a variety of things, including as a light table and when I teach classes.  I project the image onto my design wall, onto which I have pinned paper the size I want the project to be.  I then trace the image onto it.  I also leave the projector set up for when I place my fabric onto the background, to check placement.  Otherwise you need a large piece of clear material, like vinyl or sturdy plastic (think paint drip sheets) onto which the full sized image has been traced.
• I start with a piece of thin batting and a piece of white fabric or muslin cut several inches larger than the final size.  If the background is sky, I tend to paint that  directly on the white fabric (I did in this case).  I pin the batting and fabric piece to my design wall so that the image projects correctly on the piece.  If you are using the clear plastic, this is pinned at the top over the background, so you can lift it for fabric placement.
•    I place the master tracing on a large table and decide the sequence.  You always start from the back and work to the front and when possible place darker fabrics over lighter ones.  I number the pieces in their order.  

Full sized master with numbers drawn.  I started out outlining the pieces with marker, but found it unnecessary. I stayed with pencil to get a better tracing.

• I trace each piece onto freezer paper and label it with its number.  I decide which edge will show when tracing (solid line) and which edges need to be cut larger to fit under the next piece to be cut (dashed line).  Once I have selected the fabric, I iron the template on and cut the piece out.  I peel off the template and position the fabric onto the background and pin it through the background and into the batting, but not into the design wall, using the projected image (or the clear overlay) as a guide to placement.  I keep doing this until all the pieces have been placed.  I make changes along the way.

Freezer paper template.  Note that the left edge extends into the next piece - this will be underneath that fabric.

The beauty of this is that if I don’t like a fabric, I can take it out.  I have the template and can iron it onto another piece of fabric.  I ended up completely changing the background – I felt that what I had planned interfered with the focus of the piece, the arch.  I simplified what was in the background and subdued the colors and details.  The arch itself I tried to render fairly faithfully.  Pinning allows changes to be easily made and you are not endlessly tracing and ironing on fusible.  Each of those tracings would be slightly different. 

The next big question, is how easy it will be to sew the pieces down without ending up with puckers, etc.? I have done something like this before with good results. I’ll use clear thread for most of this part.  The arch will be partially peeled back so I can sew continuous lines across the background pieces. After getting the pieces attached, I will complete layering the quilt and do the quilting and embellishing. I am deciding whether I will use a second layer of batting – I may under the arch and the foreground rock for a more 3D effect. I’ll post those results hopefully soon.

Ready for sewing down.

Make your own Skyr

Last year we went to Iceland.  We love cheese and yogurt and so fell in love with skyr, which is sort of like yogurt but also like cheese.  Since I make yogurt and cream cheese, I figured I should be able to make skyr.  After cruising through some recipes, I gave it a shot.  My methods are slightly different from those I read, so I thought to post how I make mine.

You will need:

• ½ gallon milk – any kind you want.  Milk fat will give the skyr a creamier texture.  I used 1%
• 1 cup powdered milk.
• 1 cup unflavored Siggi’s skyr.  Many higher end health food stores carry it.  If you cannot find it, use Greek yogurt or Fage.  You need about  3 T of it.  The rest can be frozen for future batches.
• 1 tablet rennet (this is where Skyr gets its cheese qualities.)  Liquid rennet works, too.  The tablets were easier to find and keep well.

Equipment:
Make sure everything is very clean: run it through the dishwasher or wash in very hot water!

• 1 large glass bowl or cup that will hold ½ gallon or more.
• Thermometer with at least a 100 to 200 degree F range (37 to 93 C) -  optional ,but good to use if you never have made anything like this before.
• Colander
• Cheesecloth to fit colander
• Whisk
• Cup or small bowl for mixing the rennet.

Process:

•  Whisk the powdered milk and milk together in the glass bowl.  Microwave on high until it simmers – usually about 18 to 20 minutes.  It should be at 190+ degrees.  The scalding kills any unwanted bacteria in the milk.
• Let the milk cool to about 100 to 110 degrees.  I use the finger test – sticking a clean(!) finger into it should feel really warm, but not hot.  This also takes about 20 minutes.
• Whisk in 2 to 3 T of the yogurt or skyr starter.
• Dissolve the tablet of rennet in a few T of water.  Whisk that into the mixture.
• Incubate for 8 to 12+ hours.  I happen to have a Big Batch yogurt maker (ancient and no longer made), but you can make your own.  Fill 2 clean 1 qt mason jars with your mixture and screw on the lids.  Place them in a towel lined box.  Wrap a heating pad over the top set to low and drape a towel over that.  OR place the jars in a warm oven.  OR fill several water bottles with very hot water, place them around the mason jars in a box or cooler and wrap a towel around the whole thing.  You need to keep all this very warm for the entire time.
• After the mixture is jiggly firm, set it in the refrigerator for several hours to firm up some more.
• Line a colander with the cheese cloth and set into the sink.  Pour the entire batch into this.  Tie the cheese cloth around the batch firmly and hang over your sink faucet – the weight of the batch is sufficient to help strain out the whey.  Let it drain several hours.  The batch should hold together like very soft mozzarella.  Put into a container and keep in the fridge.

 Skyr can be flavored sweet with fruit, honey and the like or made earthy (?) with herbs and spices.

Half Square Triangles: 8 at a time!

I love HST’s – they can be used so many ways and are quick to make.  

 I usually make them 2 at a time:

• Cut 2 squares one inch larger than the desired finished size.
• Draw a diagonal on one of the squares and with right sides together, sew ¼ inch either side of this diagonal .
• Cut along the diagonal – you’ll have 2 HST’s.
•  Press the seam and trim to size ( ½ inch larger than the desired finished  size).  It's best to place the diagonal line of your ruler along the seam to ensure you have crisp corners.

However, you can make eight with only 4 seams and four cuts.

• Cut 2 squares with DOUBLE the dimensions figured above.  Example: I want to end up with 4 inch HST’s.  So I would cut 5 inch squares to make 2 but will cut 10inch squares to make 8.  (Note how this size of HST is ideal for charm squares and cake layers.)
• Draw in both diagonals on one of the squares. 
• Place right sides together and sew ¼ inch either side of each diagonal.

•  Cut through both diagonals AND cut the square in half each way.  Now you’ll have 8 HST’S.

• Don't move any of the pieces until after you have done all the cuts.  Rotate your cutting board as needed.

• Press and trim to size as above.

Once you have all your HST's, you can arrange them so many ways.  Here's a recent block I made with 2 sets of 8 HST's.

In Praise of Swatches

It seems that among knitters “I never swatch” is some sort of badge of honor.  Admittedly, I also rarely knitted a swatch when I was younger – I was impatient to get my project started.  However, I often ended up having to rip out what I had started – which lowered the probability I would ever finish – or live with the results or give my hard work away.

Quilting made me realize that you need to try things out and practice a bit before committing expensive materials and hard won free time to a project.  I almost always make a practice block, especially if it is a pattern I have not done before.  Sometimes I discover easier, more accurate ways to make the block or realize I don’t like it (and therefore will not waste my time with it) or I discover where I have to be careful, if it is to come out right.

I always first quilt a sandwiched practice block or larger practice quilt sandwich. I check the thread tension, audition threads, practice the pattern I think I want to use and get warmed up.  Way less frustrating than ripping out threads!

So when I started to knit again, I realized that swatches were very important.  You practice the pattern (maybe it’s too big of a pain or doesn’t look like you thought it would), you determine the correct needles to make gauge or realize you’ll have to change the pattern a bit, you see if you like how the yarn knits and if it will look good for your project.  Since knitted swatches need to be washed and blocked, you also get an idea of the kind of care the finished project will need.

When I swatch, I tag the little block and write down everything I think is pertinent as well as staple the skein sleeve to the tag.  I feel comfortable not swatching, if I make a similar project with the same yarn (albeit, a different color) and needles.  So I use my building collection of swatches as a sort of reference library.  In the long run, this will save time and money.

Swatch from commercial yarn

Since I started spinning (more about this soon), swatching has become even more important.  In this case, I first spin and ply about 12 to 15 meters of yarn (about 6 to 10 grams of unspun fiber).  I save samples of the singles, the yarn after plying, several meters of untouched yarn and knit a swatch. Normally I cast on 24 to 30 stitches and go from there. I determine the needle size to use by doubling the yarn and seeing which hole in my needle gauge is just covered.  Afterwards I know if I will probably need to go smaller (usually) or larger for a project.  I record the length of yarn used for the swatch, the squares inches of swatch and weigh it.  From this I can determine about how many meters I will need to spin and how much roving I will need to start with.  I build in about 10% slop to ensure I have and make enough.  This swatch also tells me how the yarn will look knitted and whether I want to make changes.    I record all the info, including which spindle I used, on a tag.  This should help me stay consistent throughout the production of the yarn as well as serve as a library for future work.  What doesn’t work is as important to know and record as what does.

Swatch from a project I have just started.

Especially when I am blending colors, this swatch tells me if this is what I want. 

Another current spinning project using 3 different colors blended by carding.

If you have avoided swatching in the past, I would recommend you give it a try – you will find it worth the effort!

Blocking Socks

I started this topic last time, but want to follow up with my final results.  I made 2 large sock blockers from foam board that I already had.  It is cheap, easily available and sturdy enough for the task.  The paper layer seems to be water resistant.  I made blockers for medium and for small socks.  I have used the medium size to block several sets of  my socks and the blockers show no detrimental effects of the damp.  One sheet (18 by 24) will easily make blockers in the three adult sizes with enough left over for a child’s size.  

In making the blockers, a few things to keep in mind:

• You are not trying to stretch the sock to size, so the blocker should be ever so slightly smaller than the final size.
• If you extend the top of the pattern out (see previous blog entry for pattern link), the cuff will get wider, which you don’t want it to do – make sure the cuff part of the blocker maintains an even width.
• Once you cut out the first blocker, use it to trace the second on, so that the 2 are alike.
•  There’s a lot of leeway in this – so the blockers don’t have to be perfect.
•  Use a knitting needle to poke a hole through the middle of the top.

I didn’t like the yarn and hook arrangement to hang them and so came up with a single hanger, shown below.  It takes about 10” to 12”of heavy gauge wire (like 18 or 16).  It is bent in the center and then out – that part fits over my clothesline – and then 2 hooks facing inwards to hold the blockers.  I made the arms of my hangers rounded – more of an artifact of the wire having been on a roll – but that’s not necessary. It hangs like a mobile.  The middle loop could be modified to hang over a dowel or hook or shower curtain rod, depending where you need to hand them up. Or you could fashion a separate hook that fits over larger rods and then hang the hanger from it.  The hanger would work well with commercial blockers.  

Hanger

Hangers with loaded blockers attached.

The blocking process is simple:  soak the socks in tepid water with a few drops of good wool soap.  Squish the water through the socks, but do not agitate.  Then squish out the excess water, rinse, squish them out again.  Lay them on a bath towel and roll this up like a jelly roll.  Place on the floor and stomp on it.  Turn the roll 90 degrees and stomp on it again.  The socks will be just barely damp.  Now pull the socks gently over the blocker and adjust.  Don’t try to stretch the sock out – you are just trying to even up the stitches and give the sock and nice flat shape.

I looked at the foam sheets that were recommended at another site.  Most of it is too flimsy and the stuff that was thicker only came in 9” by 12”sheets, which are too small.  

 I also tried to make a wire frame blocker from plastic coated wire I had.  The 18 gauge was too weak – I had to make cross braces and then tape all the connections and wire ends – while it worked, it was hard to pull the socks on and off without snagging.  However, the socks dried quicker.  I will look for heavier wire and try again.  It does have to be coated, because you don’t want the metal to rust or tarnish and discolor the sock.

Bottom line – the socks come out looking great and adds that extra professional looking touch to them.