Neck tie quilts

I need to clear up a couple of misunderstandings about my blog posts. One is that I'm retiring from quilting as a business. I am not quitting quilting completely. My blogs are still going to be mostly about quilting; but, now I will have much more time to do (and show) the quilts I make myself. I have a whole bunch of finished charity tops I made myself and are waiting to get quilted. I have probably 40 or so ufo tops I plan to get finished and quilted too. I'll be posting about the quilts and quilting for a long time even after retiring. You will still be able to look at my posts for inspiration for your own customer quilts.

Retiring the business is simply giving me the feedom to live a more normal stree free life. It gives me the time to be with my family and friends without the worry of completing work by the deadlines. Retiring the business means I will have time for doing my other crafts too. I will have more time for making rugs and cardboard furniture. Hmm.... I might even find time for taking a drawing class or learn basket weaving. Who knows? Anything is possible when I have free time.

Next to clear up is about the comment I talked about yesterday. Well off course I knew she wasn't talking about me personally. I knew she was talking in general. I had been searching my brain for the right words to describe how I had been feeling the last couple of years. I couldn't put into words what I knew was happening to me any more than I could describe it when it happened to other machine quilters. As I read that comment, I thought... ah ha!.... that's what my brain wanted to say all this time. She gave me the words that my mind couldn't seem to form.


Ok, on to some quilty stuff to talk about. I have 30 ties to be made into 3 quilts. Wall size of aproximately 40 X 50 or 60. There is to be a big circle (daisy or sunflower shape) in the middle made from the ties. The circle will be 36 inches across on a background of 40 inches wide.

Yesterday I sat down and did the math. I really like to see a design in full size before cutting any pieces. I drew out a sketch. Didn't like it. Drew another one. Then another until I got something I liked.



Next I cut out the pieces of stabelizer to go on the ties. 180 of them. There will be 60 tie pieces in each circle so I cut 180. I didn't have a plastic template the correct size for rotary cutting. I made a cardboard template the right size and traced it onto the stabelizer. Then cut them out.

After all that was done, I hand washed the ties in hot water. Normally I would have put the ties in the washer but mine is broken. I haven't gotten a new one yet. So hand washing was all I could do. Why use hot water? If they are going to shrink it's done before I put all the work into the quilt.

Today I will be taking the ties apart, ironing on the stabelizer, and cutting all the pieces. I may get started on the sewing if the work goes smoothly enough. I want to do as much as I can so I will have all 3 ready for the customer to view next week. If they approve of the finished tops then I can quilt them.

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I may not get a chance to write a blog post tomorrow morning. I'm headed out to the fair for the kick off breakfast at 7 am. My brother is dropping me and my SIL off at the gate and picking us up tomorrow evening.