Jason's First Quilt

	I have been blogging about the quilt that my grandson Jason is making. Here, on one page, are all the sewing sessions we have had. Click on the small pic to see enlarged version. Click on your browser's back button to come back.
Day 1	Day 1 - Friday November 21, 2008 I had the most delightful day today with the most delightful person - my grandson Jason. About a week ago I got an email from him asking if I’d have the time to teach him how to make a quilt. Would I? I couldn’t get my fingers to type fast enough to let him know how honored I would be to help him learn to quilt. He has always been artistic and very creative and is now taking a Graphic Arts course. He’s 20. Not knowing what he had in mind, I had some pics of quilts showing different types of quilts and construction. Convergence quilts by Ricky Timms, the “Guy Quilts” from an Electric Quilt clubEQ challenge, Optical Illusion quilts. Showed him some quilts from recent books – “9-Patch Pizzazz” by Judy Sisneros, “Blending Photos with Fabric” by Mary Ellen Kranz & Cheryl Hayes. Wanted to see what struck his eye. We’ll see what he comes up with. He is now aware of how EQ6 can help in the quilt design. After lunch, we went into the sewing room. He had never cut with a rotary cutter before, so he practiced rotary cutting until he got the feel for it. He had never stitched a line before so I had him sew together those cut up pieces with a 1/4" seam. Then, he chose 2 fabrics, cut them into 3-1/2” squares and sewed them into a 9patch block. His first three match points on the 9patch were “so-so”. The fourth match point was “right on”! I sent him home with some fabric squares to practice match points. Gave him some mags and a book. Grandpa sent him home with his (Grandpa’s) homemade cookies! We’ll see him next Friday for more. Probably a turkey sandwich lunch, too! Click here to see the day Jason's sister & I sewed.
Day 2	Day 2 - Friday after Thanksgiving - November 28, 2008 Another good day. Jason is now very good at getting the intersecting seams of a Four-Patch to match at the center. He practiced sewing patches at the machine. He said that he likes the “sewing of the seams”. Me, too. After lunch of turkey sandwiches (what else?), we looked at some more quilting books for ideas. Because of his school obligations, he didn’t have any time to do sewing at home this week. Nor time to look at quilts in the mags or books or internet. He still didn’t have an idea of what he wanted to do. In “The Thimbleberries Guide for Weekend Quilters” by Lynnette Jensen, he found two quilts he liked. He liked the center of one quilt and the borders of another. And wondered if he could extend parts of the blocks from the center into the 2nd border! I think we have a quilter! We took the book to the computer and in EQ6, we combined the components that he liked. He now has his “own design”. He really enjoyed coloring the quilt with the fabrics that he picked out. I emailed him a line drawing of the quilt from EQ6. He is learning PhotoShop and he wanted to experiment with the line drawing. That should be nice practice. While I was eating lunch, I was wondering what we were going to do next, seeing as how we had no plan. But, I think that when we talked about what kinds of fabric he liked (country colors) and types of quilt blocks he was drawn to (traditional), I was able to pull down some books that showed what he was interested in. While looking at the photos in the quilt books, we talked about layouts – straight set, diagonal set. And he commented on quilt layouts that he liked or colors that he was interested in. All new creations are inspired by past observation. The design comes from asking oneself – what if … Jason did the “what if” today. And he came up with a knock-your-socks-off quilt! This is as much an experience for me – as it is for him.
Day 3	Day 3 - Friday - December 5, 2008 Today we went shopping at Joann’s for fabric. His first choice of fabric for the blocks in the center of the quilt changed the colors of the layout he had designed. And he was okay with that. Only bought 2 fabrics today, cuz Joann has another sale next week. Came home, put the fabric in the washer & dryer while we had a lunch of Gpa’s homemade chili. After lunch, Jason ironed the preshrunk fabric and then it was time to cut. He cut strips for a strip set. Sewing a strip set for Block 1 was the first time Jason sewed a long strip. It was also the first time that Jason learned how to “un-sew”. VBG There are certain things that we can fudge, but there are certain things that get “un-sewed” and we all learn these things the hard way. VBG The photo shows 3 blocks of Block 1 that he completed today. Blocks are 12-1/2” x 12-1/2”. Jason gave permission for me to share his quilt design with the blogging world. So, as the quilt progresses, I will be putting up a PDF file of the construction, so if you like his quilt, you will be able to make one like it.
Day 4 Today’s block – top left.	Day 4 - Friday - December 12, 2008 Jason is a shoe-less sew-er. All the gkids seems to take off their shoes as soon as they come into our house. They always place their shoes at the back door. That comes from habit. When the gkids were little, they were taught that if you’re gonna take your shoes off at Gma’s house, put them by the back door so that we know where the shoes are when we need to put them back on again. On some wonderful days, I had 6 pairs of little shoes, in various sizes, at the back door. Nowadays all of the gkids shoes are much bigger, as are they. And nowadays we have 7 gkids. We had gkids in 2 batches. Had 6 gkids in 7 years. What a bunch that was when they all got together! When youngest gkid turned 7, we had a 7th gkid. Oh, how lucky the 7th gkid is – he has 6 cousins who adore him and teach him so many things. And, yah, sometimes some real funny things, too! I’m a shoes-on sew-er. Sometimes, I am a barefoot sew-er. What kind of sew-er are you? Today we had a shorter sewing session than usual. But, Jason managed to cut out all the pieces needed for 3 blocks. He completed 1 block. He put together a block that has 17 patches. And it turned out perfect! The horizontal lattice in the block lines up from row to row. Good job, Jas! The first 3 blocks were made from strip sets and then cut up as blocks. I thought the last 3 blocks should give him some piecing practice, so I had him cut the patches individually and sew them together as rows. Actually, the shorter pieces are easier to keep straight when sewing. And are easier to press. Jason is on Winter Break now, so we just might get 2 sewing days next week. Will also have to do some more shopping, as we need the fabric for the sashing around each block.
Day 5 Jason's shoes - Joe's shoes	Day 5 - Wednesday - December 17, 2008 When Jason came to the house this morning, he brought his younger brother with him as a surprise. Joe is on Winter Break from classes at Florida State University. It feels so good to know that these 2 young men would like to spend some time with their Gma (and Gpa, too). Went shopping and Jason got the rest of the fabric for the face of his quilt. Fabric at Joann’s was on sale at 30% off. Got some good bargains. I guess that sometimes when grandsons get bigger, they still do “little boy stuff”. Yes, Joe, I saw you out of the corner of my eye doing the “hula hoop” with one of the large embroidery hoops in Joann’s! May you never lose that “little boy” in you – visit him often! After lunch, Jason got back to the sewing machine and sewed one complete block and almost finished another. He had cut the patches last Friday. It was good to be in the sewing room with 2 grown grandsons. We talked of many things as Jason sewed. Why is it that gathering around the sewing machine brings out all those conversations? Just as in the Quilting Bees of the Pioneer Women gathering around the quilting frame.
Day 6	Day 6 - Friday - December 19, 2008 Didn’t start sewing ‘til after lunch today. This morning, Jason had a final fitting for a tuxedo he will be wearing as a groomsman in a wedding on Sunday. He completed the final block of the quilt today. The rest is sashing & borders. Rows 2, 4 and 6 are sewn together.Each sewing session finds him more comfortable at the machine. He has observed that the pieces are getting bigger! LOL That calls for a different strategy to use when parts of what you’re sewing are hanging over the edges of the sewing table and their weight is dragging things down. I have shown him various ways to complete certain tasks and let him decide for himself which method to use. He knows how important it is for the fabric to be even at the beginning and end of seams – can’t have one fabric scoot ahead of the other and end up longer than the fabric underneath. He knows to clip all threads as the seams are sewn. The back of his work is as “clean” as the front. Jason is doing such a great job on his first quilt.
Day 7 Center of quilt is complete	Day 7- Monday - December 22, 2008 Lots of intersecting seams today that had to be matched. A couple of seams had to be un-sewn, but not as much un-sewing as could have been! So that means that Jason is mastering the art of “matching up the intersecting seams”. I think that calls for a Hooray! LOL We even squeezed in a popcorn break in the middle of the afternoon. The center of the quilt is now complete. Next, comes the borders.
Day 8 Border 1 - top, bottom	Day 8 - Friday - December 26, 2008 At the start of the sewing session, we look at the printout of the layout of the quilt Jason designed in EQ6 and read the instructions that I wrote out and as we talk it out, Jason is able to understand what we are going to do today. I think that Jason could follow a pattern on his own now. Today he cut and pieced together the top, bottom and sides of Border 1 and sewed the top and bottom borders on. Seams to sew are getting much longer! And there is much more quilt to handle on the sewing table.
Day 9 Border 1 - sides Border 2 - top, bottom, 1 side	Day 9 - Monday - December 29, 2008 Jason sewed on the side borders of Border 1. He had cut them out last week. Today he cut strips for Border 2. Since this is the final border, strips were cut the lengthwise of fabric. It is always a good idea to cut the final border from lengthwise fabric, as it doesn’t stretch. Cuts across the width of the fabric always have a stretch to them. He had to buy more fabric than if he were to cut strips across the width of fabric. Jason will not be starting a stash, so I told him that if I liked the fabric he bought for Border 2, I’d buy half of it from him. Now, since I ain’t met too much fabric I don’t like, that was a fair deal! After all, I do have a stash that needs constant feeding. I gave him the pleasure of ripping that fabric right down the middle. It is the best way I know to get a true line down the center. I told him about how they used to tear fabric when you bought it years ago. How many of you remember that little machine with the “clock” on it that they had in the fabric departments? The clerk would pass the fabric through the machine and the handles on the clock would whirr around and count the yardage being passed through. Then when she measured what you needed, she would press a lever and it would snip the fabric. She’d remove it from the machine and rippp your purchase off the bolt. No scissors involved. Jason sewed on 3 sides of the final border. One more side and the face of this quilt will be done.
Day 10 Border 2 - remaining side Face of quilt complete	Day 10 - Friday - January 2, 2009 Face of quilt complete! Jason sewed on the 4th side of final border this afternoon. We went shopping this morning and he bought some flannel for the backing. This quilt is a gift and it will be going across country where it needs to provide warmth. Sent Jason off with some homework – design a pieced back. He’ll be doing that on graph paper. I’m anxious to see what he comes up with. Also will have the quilt label in the back.
Day 11 Panel for pieced backing	Day 11 - Monday - January 5, 2009 Jason had a busy weekend, so he didn’t get a chance to design the quilt back. That did not present a problem. He cut some 3-1/2” squares and then laid them out on the cutting table. He needs a 9” x 63” panel to sew into the back to make the back wider. He sewed most of the strip together. I sent him home with some muslin to make a quilt label.
Day 12 Neko Back of quilt Close-up of the label	Day 12 - Friday - January 9, 2009 Had sent Jason home on Monday with stuff to create the quilt label. What with classes and school obligations and catching a bug, he was not able to design the label this week. After he arrived here, he sat at the kitchen table with paper & pencil and a photo on my iPod Touch of his cat Neko. He sketched out Neko on paper. Neko was to be a big part of the label! Then, he re-drew that sketch onto fabric. I was amazed how quickly he worked. Whilst I am good with a pencil and a ruler, I cannot “sketch” anything! I am in awe of an artist … Another place was set at the lunch table today. Jason’s mom, DD Kim, joined us. She wanted to see how the quilt was coming along and we all had Gpa’s homemade Sloppy Joes. Gpa was there, too. Jason added the Quilt Label to the strip that was needed to make the back wider. And we cut the backing fabric from top to bottom and he put in that strip. We are nearing the end of this adventure …
Day 13 Jason's shoes - Brian's shoes Showing quilt pinned Pin box before & after Quilting practice	Day 13 - Friday - January 16, 2009 Two pairs of shoes at the back door. Youngest grandson, Brian (almost 9) came to visit today. He was interested in seeing Jason’s quilt and kept Jason company while Jason was pin-basting the quilt sandwich together. The quilt is all pinned and ready for machine quilting. Here's the box of pins at the start of the pinning and what was left at the end. Made up a quilt sandwich to practice machine quilting on. Jason did some straight lines and some wavy line stitching. He liked the wavy lines the best and he will be doing wavy lines on his quilt, following the straight seams vertically and horizontally.
Day 14 Section of quilting The "cheater" The "cheater" in use	Day 14 - Saturday - January 17, 2009 Today was “Quilting the Sandwich Day”. Jason put on a CD of his music and enjoyed the rhythm of quilting – the sound of the walking foot and the natural rhythm that you get into after a few rows of quilting. It’s relaxing. But, you do have to remember to get up and walk around every 1/2 hour or so. Don’t want to get any stiff muscles. And rotate your shoulders and neck. I think one of the most helpful tips for Jason has been the “cheater”. That’s what we’ve been calling the little piece of fabric that you sew between 2 items that you are chain-piecing in case you don’t have another item (yet) to add to the chain. It saves on thread and it also keeps the threads from getting pulled into the underneath that causes the rat’s nest of threads on the underside of your seam. I’m used to holding onto the threads when I start stitching. As a beginning sew-er, Jason was not used to doing that and sometimes the threads got pulled down into the needle hole. If he uses the “cheater”, that does not happen. He uses it all the time.
Day 15 Machine quilting complete Binding on quilt Close-up of quilting	Day 15 - Friday - January 23, 2009 Jason learned a few new things today which has been no different than any other day. It seems that just about the time he masters a new technique, we are on to learning another technique. One thing he has found is that things are easier the more you do them. The machine quilting went faster today. He finished all the quilting lines. Cut the binding for the quilt. Learned how to sew diagonal seams necessary to piece together a long strip of binding. Learned how to sew binding to a quilt and make mitered corners in the binding. More than half the binding sewn to the quilt. Trimmed up a portion of the sewn area so he could see how the binding would turn under and how nice those mitered corners looked! Those wavy quilting lines really look good. This picture really doesn’t do the quilting justice. Used Sulky Blendable thread 30wt. for the quilting. Love the changing of the colors in that thread. There are chalk marks on the quilt. Those will wash away.
Day 16 The last stitch! Quilt - washed, dried	Day 16 - Saturday - January 24, 2009 Jason is pointing to the last stitch in the quilt binding! Happened at 5:45pm on Saturday, January 24. when he finished sewing the binding to the quilt. The excess batting and backing then had to be trimmed away from the quilt. Since this is going to be a much-used quilt, chose to machine stitch-in-the-ditch to secure the folded-over binding to the back of the quilt. Used Steam-a-Seam ¼” iron-on tape to hold the binding to the back for easier stitching on the front. Did some hand-sewing to secure the binding at each corner. This was the 1st time that Jason did some hand-sewing. Here’s the quilt after it came out of the washer & dryer. Used Fairfield’s Quilter’s 80/20 cotton batting. Did not pre-shrink the batting and love the way it shrank up and gave the quilt such character. Whenever someone asked, “How long does it take to make a quilt?” I could never answer cuz I never really kept track in hours. But, now I have a pretty good idea. Jason had 16 sessions and estimating about 4 hours per session (includes the designing and shopping) can fairly say that this quilt took 64 hours. And how much is it worth? Priceless.