Monday, June 2, 2008

28 Triangles and the Power of Spit




















Did you know Block 5 for AmandaJean's Seeing Stars quilt-a-long has 28 triangles? Yes, 28! That may not be intimidating for those of you seasoned triangle sewers, but for me....yikes! But, after sewing this one and having a bit of success, I may have conquered my triangle phobia. I did have one point disappear in the seam line, but a quick resew and "presto" it was a 28 triangle masterpiece! Yes, my hand is getting a bit tired from patting myself on the back! Looking forward to Block 6!

























I finally, with a bit of motivation from my fellow virtual quilting bee pals, (completed blocks were popping up!) tackled the first challenge of the Common Threads virtual quilting bee, Rebekah's block. I adore her fabrics and wanted to showcase them the best I could. I like the subtle wonkiness of the block. I hope Rebekah likes it too! Be sure to check out the blog or our flickr group to see the rest of the blocks.

Lastly, I was being so good this weekend. Saturday I cleaned my studio...I could barely walk with all the fabric on the floor and couldn't work with all the piles of what not everywhere. In the midst of cleaning I stepped on a pin (a definite quilting hazard). It went in pretty far and my first instinct was to pull it out, so without thinking I did. If you are squeamish...skip this next part. A quick yank and then blood spurted everywhere. It was like a mini fountain shooting out of my foot. I grabbed for the nearest absorbent item (fabric) and slapped it on my foot. Thank goodness it wasn't a piece of fabric that I loved. I think I must have subconsciously grabbed something ugly. The bleeding stopped quickly, but the damage to the carpet and some fabric scraps was already done. My beige carpet now had red spots. While I love polka dots I couldn't live with spotted carpet. My next step. Google. I googled "How to remove blood from carpet." You are never going to believe this, but here it is. Spit, yup, good old saliva is the best way to remove blood. It wasn't the grossest thing I've ever done, but it was close. I will tell you that my carpet is clean. Ah, the power of spit!

26 comments:

Polka Dot Pumpkin said...

I love the block you made for for Common Threads. It turned out so cute! I can't wait to see the finished quilt.

Nancy said...

Don't forget, the blood donor and the spit donor must be the same peson. One more thing we can't tell our kids to do for us....

The Calico Cat said...

I have also heard that if you are hand quilting & prick youself good enough to bleed, to spit on that spot as well.

One Shabby Chick said...

Ok your quilt square is beautiful! I'm procrastinating on mine - mostly just nervous!
The blood fountain sounds like quite an adventure...thanks for the spit tip though!

country mouse said...

Love your quilt along block. Defintly a challenging one, I wrote about it in my blog too. As for spit taking out blood stains, I've never heard of it, but it good info to have...espeicially for a semi-clumsy hand quilter like myself. Now I know how to get those spots out of my next quilt (unless I'm lucky enough to not stick my fingers like crazy ;cD)

Abby and Stephanie said...

Love the black and red block! As for spit...I was basting a quilt years ago in the winter (dry,cracked hands/cream background on quilt) and discovered red spots. I called Mom and she said spit. Oh boy did it work!

QuiltedSimple said...

Your blocks look fantastic - I am behind by 2 weeks on the Quilt Along - maybe tonight. The spit thing is gross, but I will have to have to remember it.

Kris

Heidi said...

I am love'n that black, white and red quilt block! I have been hording a bunch of black and white fabric cause I love the contrast, but have not been able to figure out how to use them. I think I will try and make some improvisational items. Thanks so much for the sharing and inspiration :)

BTW, so gross on the spit thing. But totally not surprising either.

bettyninja said...

Great block! It has been great to see what everyone has been coming up with.

Glad spit worked for you. Hydrogen peroxide works wonders for blood on clothing. I haven't tried it on carpet before though

Laurie said...

baking soda works too! The quilts are looking great!
laurie

A Spoonful Of Sugar said...

Thanks for the tip - who ever realised that sewing could be so hazardous! I dropped a rotary cutter on my foot yesterday - fortunately without much damage and no blood on the carpet! Love you black and red block - it is going to be really effective when finished.

Levin said...

i am a triangle phobic! and yet i love them in quilts so perhaps i should learn how to do it too!
i love, love, love the red, black and white quilt - so striking.
thanks for the spit tip!
l
x

audreypawdrey said...

I have to admit I have been a little worried about that block, but yours looks awesome so maybe I should bite the bullet and get to it.
I also love the block you did for your swap. It is great, and I am glad you found the courage to forge ahead. The cutting into other people's fabric gets easier but the waiting to find out if they like weighs on me.:)I don't think you will need to worry about that thought!

Liz said...

I love your red and black block. Your fabric choice is amazing!

Amanda Jean said...

ok, your blood and spit story made me laugh. I had quite the visual image in my head of the mini fountain of blood shooting from your foot. btw, oxy clean does well with the blood in carpet, too. (don't ask me how I know that.)

your block looks fantastic!!! and I have to say the best way to overcome triangle fear is face it head on. (she says under her breath, because it took her 7 years to get over said fear.) I am impressed that you didn't lose a single point. wanna take over teaching? ;)

Rebekah said...

your block is perfect! I love the white and the off center squares! So excited to get this in the mail!

I'll keep in mind the spit/blood connection for those random times when I need to pull out cleaning advice. I'm glad it worked for you! Ah, the pain we go through for our art. : )

Jodi Nelson said...

I have never in my life heard of spit removing blood from carpet. For some reason that was quite a mental picture! LOL. LOVE the 28 triangle block. Way to Go . . . Idaho! LOL.

MichelleB said...

26 triangles! I was just getting the courage up to do that block! Love your other block, too.

Sara said...

I love it! The blocks are gorgeous and I am going to have to remember the spit next time I bleed all over the carpet! I take blood thinners so I bleed like crazy! And I am prone to cutting myself shaving (its a daily occurence!). I would be the other person that would step on a pin (that's the klutz in me!)

Anonymous said...

Lovely blocks--more pats on the back for you from me. Thanks for the spit tip!

Marie' said...

No way! Spit?? I have to remember that one. Nice block 5.

jillytacy said...

I love the black white and red fabric combinations on your blocks> They're marvelous!

Dawn said...

Your quilt blocks are amazing...as usual! *grin* And I am soooo jealous of your triangles--they are so exact. Send some of that triangular precision my way...please. And glad to hear you were able to remedy your little spurting mishap---ugh!

Enjoy your day, Jacquie.

Oiyi said...

I love both of the blocks. They look great.

MightyMom said...

oh yes, spit is the best blood remover....but it works best if the blood and the spit come from the same person. Someone else's spit just aint as good.

:-)

Not Lucy said...

Yep, spit is great for blood stains on something you can't run under cold water. I have used it a number of times when hand quilting!