Patsy Thompson Designs, Ltd.

Updated Cutting Table, Thread Give Away Winner, and Playing with a New Block

patsy — Tue, 15 May 2012 04:28:54 +0000

I had been toying with swapping out my cutting mats for the last 2-3 years, and I finally took the plunge. My cutting table consists of 2 hollow doors that I coated with spray varnish (I think I did 3 layers, sanding between each layer) almost 20 years ago, and these lie on top of many “units” of drawers and cabinets that we bought over the years at Lowe’s. As my sewing supplies grew, we would fill in yet another space underneath with a new drawer unit. This system has worked great for me but the cutting mat part was a bit problematic. I had 2 full size mats that were attached by this screw system, and they would sometimes separate. Even when they didn’t separate, my rotary cutter would never cut through fabric that laid over the seam. Here is a shot of my table with everything removed except my pair of cutting mats:

(As you might have guessed, the table is never this empty!) I hemmed and hawed about getting a full table mat for the last few years and finally did. Part of what held me up is that I did not want a large mat with a “plasticky feel” and was hoping for a material that was quite similar to my Fiskars mats. Here is a shot of my new system:

The mat is in 1 piece and covers the entire table. When it came, I needed to unroll it and have it lay flat in the garage for a few days so it would lay flat again. It does have that plasticky feel that I didn’t want but I have to say that I no longer care. It works beautifully and it is such a luxury to have this huge cutting surface. I love my new cutting system! You can get it with a grid on it, but I never used those markings before so I didn’t figure it was worth the extra $. If you’re interested in getting one, here’s where I bought it; they will custom-size it to your table’s specifications and they worked with me to have it arrive in a narrow window of time.

I have lots of cr-p on one end of the table; it’s all stuff I use constantly. Like this group of rulers:

That ruler holder was an old piece of extra plywood that Ernie routed for me so it would hold rulers. He is really great about making stuff that helps me sew more efficiently. Here’s a shot of the table with all my cr-p back on it…I lost a bit of cutting room but it’s still a dream cutting table for me:

I haven’t gotten to sew much lately but I wanted some sewing pics to post so I’ll show you a couple variations of a block I played with a couple weeks ago. Remember this block from before…

Here is the machine embroidered version of it:

…and here’s a closeup:

I did another one but varied the threads so it was really 2 pairs of stems that were alike:

…and the closeup of the second option:

And now for the winner of the thread give away…it’s Louisa Lawson! Congratulations, Louisa, and I hope you enjoy the thread!

April Finishes

patsy — Wed, 02 May 2012 12:58:37 +0000

I spent a lot of time re-making samples of some of the stuff that was stolen. This table runner is an example:

Here’s a closeup of one of the centers:

I also finished that sampler wallhanging for bird blocks #1 and #2:

If you are making any of the bird block or wreath designs in 15 inch blocks, I began with 23 inch squares (cut into 4 pieces) for the side setting triangles and 12 1/2 inch squares (cut into 2 pieces) for the corner setting triangles. These will be slightly oversized but once the entire quilt has been pieced, I trim my edges so I have a 1/2 inch seam allowance beyond all my block “points.” (I use a wider binding, so you may want to trim yours even closer.) Here’s the center:

…and here’s one of the side setting triangles that are quilted with feathers:

If you ever have a large triangle to fill with feathers but it seems too large for you, it’s always an easy fix to divide and conquer. Here’s a corner triangle that’s been divided in half and then had spine guidelines marked to guide the placement of feathers (soap sliver is the marking tool here):

…and here’s the same triangle with the first feather stitched. You can see there’s also a soap marking about 1/2 inch from the outer edge of the quilt; that’s to remind me to keep my plume tips outside of the binding zone:

And this next table runner shouldn’t really make it into April Finishes,” but I was so darn close! It was totally quilted but not yet trimmed and bound:

The colors aren’t coming out well in the photos. It’s green and purple. Here’s a closeup of the green block wreath:

The background quilting is the rudimentary version of “Plumify It:”

…and I stitched the “Igloos” pattern in the narrow divider/end blocks:

..and here’s a shot of one of the purple wreath blocks:

I could quilt these tablerunners every day! They are such a small quilt that it’s very gratifying to finish the project quickly and it’s very stimulating to see all the texture come to life so quickly as it’s being quilted. On to May projects…

New Products, a Sale and a Give Away!

patsy — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 16:11:49 +0000

When I have a new prototype die, the first thing I do is cut many shapes from it using scrap paper. I play around with those scrap paper pieces, seeing different ways that I might put them together, whether it’s putting them together with similar shapes or with other shapes. I’ve been playing around with a new die cut shape for about 6 months and I’m happy to say that it is now available for anyone to play with. It’s called the Stylized Stems #2 Die:

This die combines plume and swirl shapes to create a unique stem design. Here’s an example of it used in a very large quilt block:

(It’s the stem shape at the top; the bottom stem is the original Stylized Stem shape.) You can also create some interesting quilt blocks by simply using the one die cut shape:

We also have 2 new digitized designs in our online store. The first one is called Bird Block #1, or “Celebration of Spring:”

This is a 15 inch x 15 inch block. It can also be coupled with Bird Block #3, or “Love Song Serenade:”

Both of these blocks also work very well with our digitized feathered wreaths:

In case you’re thinking it might be hard to stitch out these large bird blocks in multiple hoopings, we just posted a new video tutorial to show you just how simple it is:

To celebrate the addition of these new products, we’re having a sale! From now through May 11, 2012 at 9 am eastern daylight savings time, all retail sales of Appli-K-Kutz dies and all PTD patterns are 15% off! To receive the discount, just enter Bird Block into the discount code box!

And one more thing…we’re having a give away! We’re giving away 15 jumbo-sized spools of variegated 100% cotton Star Quilting Thread:

The box is packed and ready to ship, so all you need to do to enter the give away is post a comment to this blog post by 9 am eastern daylight savings time on May 11, 2012, and in the post, please tell me what kind of digitized applique designs you’d like to see developed. (You can talk about block or hoop size or applique shape theme or whatever!) The bottom line is that I’d like to know what you are interested in! With any luck, you may be opening the box below:

An Actual Blog Post!

patsy — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 03:20:44 +0000

In case you’re wondering what I’ve been up to…I’ve been embroidering bird blocks!!!

These don’t even represent all of the blocks I’ve embroidered, but I have to say that one certainly does generate an awful lot of blocks when developing a machine embroidered applique design! I just finished quilting a wall hanging that used up a few other “experimental” bird blocks. I don’t have a good photo of it but here it lays on the living room floor:

I’ll get a nicer shot once it’s been bound and can actually be hung on a wall to be photographed. This one is made of samples of bird block 1, bird block 2, and the 11 1/2 inch feathered wreath. These first shots are from one of the bird block 1 blocks. First up is one of the birds:

I’m head over heels in love with those voluptuous tail feathers! Here’s a shot of a tulip set…these are made using the Tulips die and the Stylized Stems #2 die. This stem shape is a new die that will be available in the shop later this week. It does many other things besides act as a stem shape, but I digress…

The background of all the blocks is quilted with the “rudimentary” version of the “plumify it” quilting design. Here’s a shot of one of the sample blocks for Bird Block 2:

…and here’s a closeup of this second type of bird that sports a swirl tail instead of the tail feathers:

The center block is a feathered wreath, which I love, love, love!

You don’t really notice it unless it’s pointed out, but the wreath has one color of plumes on the inside and a different color of plumes on the outside. I’m finding it’s a subtle way to jazz things up just a bit. It’s more obvious in this closeup:

And not to be left out of the mix is bird block 3:

Woo-hoo, they keep getting better! Right now, bird blocks 1 and 3 are tied for my favorites…sorry bird block 2! Unless something unforeseen happens, I believe that bird block 1 and bird block 3 will go on sale this week in out online store. We’ll also have a new video tutorial showing how easy it is to create these bird blocks through multiple hoopings that line up like buttah! Oh, and did I mention a give away?!! Keep checking back for breaking news!

Bird Block 2-the Machine Embroidered Version

patsy — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 16:08:24 +0000

I had a lot of trepidation about how well this block might translate into a machine embroidered applique block. I say that because what I like the most about the block is the delicacy/intricacy of the swirl tail and the teardrops that spring from it. I wasn’t sure it would be possible to finish those edges without compromising some of that wonderful delicacy. I think it came out great, though! Here’s a closeup of the swirl tail and teardrops:

There is a very small rope cabling stitch that finishes those edges and I think it worked out so well. Sometimes it can be a real challenge to preserve the essence of a shape and also come up with an interesting edge finishing design! Here is a closeup of the flower section-this is from the Appli-K-Kutz “Poppies” die and the stem is one of the stems from the “Stylized Stems1″ die:

These birds are a bit different beyond just the tail feathers. Their bodies are finished with a dual edge stitch design that’s made up of scallops on the outside and crosses on the inside. Their headdresses are also different than the birds in Bird Block 1 as well:

I’m finishing up the quilting on a small quilt that uses Bird Block 1, Bird Block 2 and the feathered wreath block. It’s coming along really nicely and I hope to have some photos in a few days.

In the meantime, there are only about 24 hours left in our book and DVD sale! All DVDs and books by Patsy Thompson Designs are 15% off until 9 am EST tomorrow am (3/30/12). All you need to do to obtain the discount is enter “Spring” in the discount code box at checkout!

Thanks, and New Bird Blocks

patsy — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 06:31:01 +0000

I forgot to post this bird block a few weeks ago and today I made another new one:

Both of these should end up as digitized machine embroidery designs, but more on that later.

This has been a rough week on a number of levels, but one thing that has really helped is the incredible support from our wonderful quilting community. I received so many kind and understanding notes that it truly warmed my soul. I also heard from many people who had quilts meet far worse peril than mine…like floods and fires. Kinda puts my situation in perspective, you know? So thank you all, from the bottom of my heart, for all your compassion and empathy and caring. It’s hard to feel alone with all of you special folks out there!

And now it’s time to get back to quilting! I’m working on fine-tuning what I am affectionately calling “Bird Block 1;” how’s that for a catchy name?! I guess I need to come up with something that sounds a little more snazzy. In the meantime, here’s what the machine embroidered version looks like:

To put it into perspective and see how much MEA can add to a quilt block, here is a photo of the non-embroidered prototype I made for bird Block 1:

Now to really whet your appetite, here are some closeups. This first one shows the tail feathers:

…and here’s what the tulip triad at the base of the block looks like. I’m especially fond of how the stem came out:

And last but not least, the whole bird section:

This will be available in the store once I’ve made some more headway on Bird Block 2 and also once I’ve had time to shoot a tutorial about it. That was planned for this week, but life got in the way…

Life Interrupted

patsy — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 07:18:45 +0000

We had the misfortune of having our car broken into while we were traveling and a lot of stuff was stolen that meant a lot to me. Things like an embroidery machine can be replaced, but quilts (whether completed or in progress) into which you’ve poured time, effort, and heart cannot. Remember this quilt?

Gone. Stolen…most likely in a dumpster or ditch somewhere, covered with mud or garbage, because the person who stole it had no use for it. Can’t really buy drugs with a quilt, so what good are they?

I enjoyed every minute of working on this quilt so I’m grateful for that. For me, quilting is really about the process of making the quilt instead of the final product, but my time with this quilt was cut short. It sounds silly, but I have been quilting this quilt for about 4 months now, stretching it waaayy out and only doing a bit at a time, only because I did not want that creative process…my intimate engagement with this quilt, to draw to an end. I know some of you understand what I’m saying. There’s a sadness once a quilt is completely done and I was putting that off. Oh well.

Also gone. It didn’t look like this anymore…I had added a border to it a couple months ago and was in the process of fusing up flowers/leaves/swirls that would go in the border with a few that would cross into the main body of the quilt. This quilt had loads of trapunto work as well as free motion embroidery; I am guessing that I started working on it at least 8 months ago…

All those wreaths from a recent post…

…will never make it into a quilt. Or the many, many blocks I have been working on. Dang, I had just embroidered several really incredible blocks that I haven’t shown on the blog yet and I was going to wow you with a quilt made from them! Too bad there are no pictures of the blocks since the quilts won’t ever be “born.” Tomorrow is new day and there will be time to birth some new stuff. Please pardon my whining; I’ll be back to my old self in a couple of days.

What’s on the Design Wall and a New Video Tutorial

patsy — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 04:27:11 +0000

I’ve been playing around with different machine embroidered wreath designs and I thought that doing my experiments in blues and yellows would work well since I wasn’t making them for any particular project and blue and yellow always work together. I’m still playing and making more, but I threw these up on my wall to get a sense of how they might go together. Here are some closer shots of individual ones:

I’m not quite as fond of wreath #2 below. It’s a machine-embroidered applique version of asymmetric hyperquilting (no internal thread work on the outer plumes), but I feel like it’s missing something. I’m thinking of going back in and stitching a different freehand motif inside those outer plumes.

Next up is wreath #3:

…and then wreath #4:

Notice that wreath #4 is the opposite version of asymmetric hyperquilting since there is thread work inside the outer plumes but not in the inner plumes. I like this version of asymmetric thread work better. Next is wreath #5:

…which is the larger size of wreath (11.5 in diameter wreath) without any internal thread work. I think it has a nice “classic” look. Then there’s wreath #6:

…and wreath #7:

…and wreath #8, which is the smaller wreath (10.5 in diameter) with no internal stitching:

I’m going to make a few more and put them all together into a large sampler quilt that shows different sizes/designs for different wreaths. It’s going to be awhile, though, because I have 2 other quilts I’m putting together now and I want to quilt those first. I’m having trouble keeping up with my machine quilting…ARGHHH!

These wreaths have been really fun to play with and I’ve only scratched the surface of what could be done with them. We just made them available in our online store and if you’ve ever wondered how you’d machine embroider the applique of a block this large, here’s a video tutorial that shows just how easily it is done:

New Bird Blocks and a Wonderful Resource for Quilters

patsy — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 06:14:12 +0000

I had the chance to work on designing some new quilt blocks over the last couple of days and I’d forgotten how much I enjoy it. I could play with this stuff for days on end, but unfortunately, life kind of gets in the way. Here’s another one:

…and this next one is meant to have a mirror image block that will be to the left of it on “real quilt:”

…and this last one is for a different quilt entirely:

Can you tell that I’m having a love affair with these birds and all things “plumey?!” All of these will look so much better once machine embroidery has been added but I have so many projects going on right now that it’s gonna be awhile! I’ll post pictures once that part of the project is added.

On another note, I wanted to let folks know about a great resource for quilters interested in making quilts using fabric cutting dies. If you haven’t been to Ebony Love’s “Blocks to Die For” website, take some time to check it out! There’s a lot going on at that site. Ebony is a piecer who has spent loads of time cutting geometric shapes using Accuquilt products, both the Studio cutter and the Go cutters. She has very generously shared all kinds of tips and tricks that she’s learned along the way, and this is valuable information! She’s posted many, many, wonderful video tutorials. I haven’t watched them all, but my 2 favorite videos are the tutorial that shows how to lay out fabric on a strip die to use fabric most efficiently, and I also loved the tutorial that showed how to convert fabric scraps into useful strips. I don’t own any strip dies so as I watched these videos, all the info was new to me and I was struck by just how wonderful it is to have a site that is truly devoted to the fabric die-cutting community. While her site is loaded with lots of free information, she also has a digital magazine that’s available by subscription. This magazine is designed specifically for the die-cutting enthusiast, containing even more tips and tricks as well as patterns based on specific dies. If you’re reading this blog entry and have never played with a fabric die cutter, you honestly don’t know what you’re missing. I was very resistant to this form of fabric cutting myself and it has revolutionized my life! If there is any part of you thinking of taking the plunge, watch a few of Ebony’s videos and that may make your decision for you!

Fun Day in the Sewing Room

patsy — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 02:36:08 +0000

Recognize this block? It’s the machine embroidered version of this block I made earlier this summer:

Other than the feather color changes and a different central flower, they look the same from a distance. When you look at them close-up, though, the ME version has a lot of added interest due to the thread work. My favorite is the embroidery on the stems:

…and I also love that rope-like embroidery on the tulip edges. The center flower is nice as well:

The best part, though, is what happens when you quilt these machine-embroidered applique quilt blocks. They take on a wonderful 3-dimensional character that I just can’t capture with a still camera. While the embroidery machine was stitching this block today, I was quilting an earlier stitchout of this block and it was soooo exciting to see that 3rd dimension come to life! I’ll post pics once the quilting is completed, but it was way cool!!