glen campbell blog: October 2009

Cattle Quilt.....Ready for Quilting

This is a comfort quilt for a friend who is not feeling well.

My objective for this quilt:

* Complete it in the 3 days I have available to make it

* Use the fabrics I have in my stash, as I have no time to run to town to shop

* Give it a masculine look and use cow fabrics

Day 1: Pieced the Star Blocks and Designed the quilt top on paper

Day 2: Pieced the quilt top, Piece the quilt backing, Baste it together

Click Images to Enlarge:

Sashing Strips between Star Blocks

Always place the pieced unit on top.

That way you can control the direction of the seam allowances.

The brown sashing fabric is on the bottom.

The star block is on top where I can see and control the direction of the seam allowances.

Star Points

Notice the X where the stitching lines cross over each other...

This is the Sweet Spot

You want to sew across that X, but NOT to the left side of the X.

Pointy Star Points

This gives you pointy star points

Star Points

Crisp and Pointy

Master Piece Thread

60 wt cotton thread made specifically for piecing.

It is thin, very strong, and nearly lint-free.

It does not add any bulk to the seam allowance when you are precision piecing.

Border Strips

When piecing strips for borders do not butt them up and sew them together.

Border Strips

Place them on a 45 degree angle and piece them on the diagonal.

I like to use a ruler and draw a pencil line to follow.

Border Strips

Sew along the drawn line.

Border Strips

Trim off the excess corner to the right of the seam.

Border Strip

A diagonal line isn't as easy for the eye to follow as a straight seam in the borders.

Chicken Wool Pincushion

This is a gift from my friend, Suzette

I call her Henny Penny

She is weighted down and quite heavy.

She sits nicely on my sewing machine.

The machine is computerized and I cannot keep a magnetic pincushion near it.

Henny Penny is just right for the job!

Cattle Quilt Top Done

60 x 70 inches

By 2pm the top is done.

I ran in the house to show my favorite guy.

Cattle Quilt Basted and Ready for Machine Quilting

By 6pm the back is pieced and the quilt is basted and ready to go!

I don't have to tell you what I will be doing tomorrow on Day 3

May Your Bobbin Always Be Full,

LuAnn

To see my New Work CLICK HERE

To see the Thread Shed CLICK HERE

To see my Exhibit Quilts CLICK HERE

To see Tutorials CLICK HERE

Cattle Quilt......Cattle Call

Day 2 of creating the Cattle Quilt....I have enjoyed looking at the cow fabric and thinking of the person this quilt is intended for.

I have decided to name the quilt.......Cattle Call

Enjoy the video below:

~Britney, Jay Z and Mz.Keyz...Glam and Dapper~

Follow my blog with bloglovin´

Three is a charm
Two is not the same
I don't see the harm
So are you game?

Lets' make a team
Make 'em say my name
Lovin' the extreme
Now are you game?

Are - you in
Livin' in sin is the new thing
yeah Are - you in
I am countin'!

1, 2, 3
Not only you and me
Got one eighty degrees
And I'm caught in between
Countin'
1, 2, 3
-Britney Spears "3"

This week not 1 but 2 fabulously glam music videos debuted. Mz.Spears debuted the video for her hit single "3" and Jay Z and Alicia Keyz released their highly anticipated video for NYC anthem "Empire State of Mind". Peep Mz.Spears rockin the DSQUARED shoes that I told you I had to have in my ~I Want It All. Everything. All Of It. And I Want It Now~ post. And NYC never looked so beautiful as it does as the star of Hov and Mz.Keyz's video tribute to "The City That Never Sleeps"...better slip you an ambien. Sorry...can't help but sing along! Enjoy... Oh! And as an added bonus, for those who missed Game 2 of the World Series I have included a video of Jay and Alicia's live performance of "ESOM". It was phenomenal.

Britney Spears "3":

Jay Z and Alicia Keyz "Empire State of Mind":

Jay Z and Alicia Keys Perform "Empire State Of Mind" at Game 2 of The World Series in The Bronx:

Kisses Bitches...
Glamour Whore...xoxo

Rock of Ages - Part II (Born to Run)

10/13/09 – Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band open a four night stand as they play The Spectrum one last time… or four last times. Nostalgia has a way of refocusing the lens of time so that if we squint hard enough that a sports arena that housed its share of bad basketball teams, who-cares hockey teams, mutant circuses, pound-of-flesh-taking Disney extravaganzas and dinosaur rock bands somehow gets remembered as a quaint little showcase. Now we shut the old girl down and every gig becomes a must-see last gig. The good news is Springsteen rarely fails to deliver (I’m willing to forget the acoustic shows and the by-numbers Human Touch/Lucky Town tour if you are).

If you’re fortunate enough to have seen this tour (or at least don't live in Kansas City), I hope you saw a Born to Run show. From the mournful, opening call of “Thunder Road’s" harmonica and piano through the final, wounded howl of “Jungleland”, seeing Springsteen’s 1975 masterpiece start to finish was goose bump city. Yeah, the diehards were soiling themselves over rarities like “Seaside Bar Song”, “The Fever” or “This Hard Land”, but only because they were rare, not because they cold hold a candle to songs like “She’s The One”, “Backstreets”, “Meeting Across The River” (itself a bit of a rarity) or the twin titans of the title track and “Thunder Road”. Born To Run is the greatest American rock and roll record ever made and seeing Springsteen and the band tear through it was exhilarating and life-affirming, but also sadly beautiful.

And that’s because it really feels like this is the last tour for this configuration of the E Street Band. And this is the way to go out – not at their peak (nothing will top the legendary shows from the E Street Band’s first decade), but a still dynamic brotherhood who on their best nights can still summon the essence of rock and roll. The reason that believers still swear by Springsteen’s live show are the small moments that demonstrate that rock and roll should, at its core, be about fun. Think about that simple concept – FUN. (Ed. Note: It makes me wanna smack Jay Farrar). The local flavor inserted into the new “Wrecking Ball” (“cheesesteaks are as big as airplanes”), the request granting (a “Can I Sing” poster gets a little schoolgirl a show-stopping duet on “Waiting on a Sunny Day that also includes a kiss), another delirious little girl being twirled during “Dancing in The Dark”, the garage stomp of “Little Bit O Soul” complete with po-face mugging about his AARP cover appearance, are all topped off with the greatest of encore songs, “Rosalita”.

If this is indeed the last full blown E Street tour, as I’m positive we’ll see Springsteen down the road, I’ll just say:

“Well if you do you'll know I'm thinking of you and all the miles in between

And I'm just calling one last time not to change your mind

But just to say I miss you baby, good luck goodbye”

Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band - "Thunder Road" (12/28/75 - Tower Theater)

Cattle Quilt & Bias Squares...

Click Images to Enlarge:

We raise commercial beef cattle so I am always on the look out for great cow fabric.

When I saw this....I bought the whole bolt.

I have made a few quilts with it and some pillowcases so far...

Our friend, who raises cattle himself, is in need of a comfort quilt.

I have just the fabric!

Fabric for Sawtooth Star Blocks

I have decided to include stars in the quilt.

I pulled golds, blues, and creams from my stash for the star blocks.

Cattle Quilt.....Design Work

Here are a few fabrics I pulled from the stash.

I am thinking brown and gold border fabrics.

Fabric looks like cattle brands...

I'm not sure if this fabric will work or not, but it reminds me of brands.

Bias Squares Strip Set

When you are in need of a lot of bias squares this is the very best and most accurate method with very little waste.

I need 80 bias squares for the 10 star blocks.

Back To Square One Book

This book includes instructions for making Bias Square Strip Sets

Feathered Star Book

This book also contains instructions for creating Bias Square Strip Sets

Ocean Waves Book

Yes, the book also included directions.

Guide to Rotary Cutting

This one also contains directions.

Look around your quilt library, maybe one of your books includes this method.

I recommend it highly.

I have been making bias squares this way for 10 years.

Security Blanket

Also known as a "Leader Square"

I start and end all of my piecing with a scrap of fabric.

All of the threads are secured to this square, and no threads on my work.

I don't have to hold the two threads when beginning to stitch, the security blanket does that for me.

Assembly Line Piecing

I assembly line or chain piece every opportunity I get.

Just feed one piece in behind the last one, no stopping, starting or cutting threads.

Saves a lot of time and thread.

Assembly Line Piecing

Pile up all of your pieces to the left of your sewing machine.

Feed them through one right after the other until they are all pieced.

Security Blanket

Don't forget to sew a Security Blanket to the very end of your Assembly Line Piecing.

Then snip the threads and leave this security blanket in place.

Straight Stitch Throat Plate

When sewing very pointy pieces, the fabric can sometimes get shoved down into the machine by the needle.

By using a straight stitch throat plate (not an oblong zig zag throat plate) the pointy pieces of fabric will feed through beautifully.

Bias Square Strip Set

All Sewn and ready to be pressed.

Bias Square Strip Set

Ready to cut into Bias Squares.

This Bias Square Ruler is one of my all-time favorites!

Cutting Bias Squares

Line up the 45 degree line on your seam.

I am cutting 2.5 inch squares.

Cutting Bias Squares

Continue down the bias square strip set and cut squares.

Then, rotate the squares and trim the other side.

This gives you a perfectly accurate bias square with no stretching.

You never deal with tiny triangles, and there is very little waste of fabric.

Sawtooth Star Blocks

I put all of my cut pieces on a flannel board.

They are easily transported from the cutting table, to the sewing machine, to the ironing board.

Tomorrow I will complete the quilt top and begin basting...

May Your Bobbin Always Be Full,

LuAnn

To see my New Work CLICK HERE

To see the Thread Shed CLICK HERE

To see my Exhibit Quilts CLICK HERE

To see Tutorials CLICK HERE

~Ghoulishly Glam~

Follow my blog with bloglovin´
~ Just like a ghost, you've been a-hauntin' my dreams, So I'll propose... on Halloween. Love is kinda crazy with a spooky little girl like you. ~Dennis Yost and the Classics IV

I think I'm actually a bigger fan of Halloween as an adult than I was as a child. I've come to see it as a night without limits. No makeup is too outrageous. No outfit is too outlandish. All bets are off, bring on the drama. Although truth be told, I would much rather create a fabulous Halloween look for someone other than myself. I like to watch and observe. Halloween is the best live theater, the ultimate reality show... This year I'm in a "I wanna make Halloween glamorous" mood... Maybe even a "I wanna make Halloween sexy" mood. I set out to find some inspiration and I found it. Now I'll it share it with all of you...

Just a few things to spice up your Halloween:

Bejeweled Pumpkins...

Jeweler Eddie Borgo has designed a FABULOUS jeweled pumpkin...and he's showing you how to make one also... He made his first dazzling pumpkin last year when he needed a gift for a friend throwing a downtown soiree and made a gorgeous pumpkin to be used as a table centerpiece. The response was overwhelming. This year he's sharing his technique with you. I am obsessed with these pumpkins, almost enough to try this DIY project..

Supplies:

Pumpkin
Carving knife and spoon
Jewelry studs (Borgo recommends studsandspikes.com or M&J Trimming)
Krylon matte black spray paint

1. Pick your pumpkin at the local market. Borgo likes his medium-size, symmetrical, and round.
2. Empty out the seeds and pulp and begin to carve the face.
3. Try to accentuate the cutout shapes by studding around them, pushing the spikes into the shell of the pumpkin. Borgo likes to start with the eyes, followed by the nose; the mouth comes last.
4. After the face is completely studded, use Krylon matte black spray paint over the whole pumpkin to make it deep, deep black.

If your like me and not always a fan of the DIY projects, no biggie...Borgo can custom-make you one! eddieborgo.com

Another way to spice up Halloween? Halloween inspired under garments and lingerie...

Glow In The Dark Spider Web Stockings: