This is just where I'm logging my progress in my quilting projects. While I just started quilting in late 2007, I've been completely bitten by the bug and love learning new techniques, seeing new projects, and have seemed to have gotten really fond of acquiring stash!!
Visitors
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Mini pinwheels
Here is another mini I'm working on. It should finish out about 9.5 X 12.
After posting this and seeing the picture I'm going to take that outer border off and replace it with something else. Not sure what, but I don't like what I'm seeing in this picture. While the colors aren't true, I don't care for the batik for that border. Stay tuned - we'll see what I can come up with.
Working on the Morning Star
I finally got some work done on the Morning Star Quilt.
It is sure slow going - getting the 4 little corners on all the sashing pieces, but I am making progress. Today I decided to start putting some of them together - if nothing else just to inspire me that some day if I keep at it - this WILL become a quilt!!
So far they are just one strip of blocks sewn together with one sashing strip. I will just continue this way so that if I need to move some around to keep the colors pleasing - I will be able to.
The solid blocks are nickels, the sashing is 2 1/2" X 5" an the little corner pieces are 1 1/2 sq.
I have also been working on getting my Virginia Mountains done. It's on a new Quick-Snap frame and is progressing along. I just needed something else to do while my fingers healed a bit!!
It is sure slow going - getting the 4 little corners on all the sashing pieces, but I am making progress. Today I decided to start putting some of them together - if nothing else just to inspire me that some day if I keep at it - this WILL become a quilt!!
So far they are just one strip of blocks sewn together with one sashing strip. I will just continue this way so that if I need to move some around to keep the colors pleasing - I will be able to.
The solid blocks are nickels, the sashing is 2 1/2" X 5" an the little corner pieces are 1 1/2 sq.
I have also been working on getting my Virginia Mountains done. It's on a new Quick-Snap frame and is progressing along. I just needed something else to do while my fingers healed a bit!!
Monday, April 12, 2010
Big Stitch - Light bulb moment
Eureka - no more pliers!! I have been working away at hand quilting my Virginia Mountains quilt and wishing there was some way I wouldn't have to stop every 3 or 4 stitches and grab the little pliers to pull the needle through. I am using a size 5 betweens needle with size 8 pearl cotton and you just can't get that needle and thread through without the help of the little pliers..... or so I thought!
OK I know there are these little needle grabber things that you can use, but you still have to stop, pick up the grabber and place it on the needle.... I don't know if that's a big improvement over the pliers. Plus I have a lot less chance of losing the pliers than one of those little grabber things. (Not losing things is something I always have to keep in mind because I lose things - a lot!)
Anyway - I had a thought pop in my head today about this medical wrap. I've always thought of it as horse wrap, but I know it's used a lot at Veterinarians. They use it to secure bandages and it sticks to itself. It may also be used in regular hospitals – I just know I’ve typically seen it used for animals. This is what it looks like:
The Inside of the core say coFlex.com. It's really stretchy one way and not so stretchy the other, but the main thing is that it sticks to itself a lot like floral tape does - only in a bigger way.
I wrapped some around my index finger and thumb and sure enough it grabbed that needle, but it also stuck my fingers together so I took it back off the index finger.
Walla! It grabbed hold of that needle even though there were several stitches on it and pulled it right through the fabric. I was able to go right back into stitching the next several stitches without having to set down the pliers and pick the needle back up. I felt like I was flying through those stitches! I'll have you know I don't really fly when I'm hand quilting - I'm still so very clumsy with it, but it still felt that way!
OK - that worked - how about going away from myself. This quilt is big enough that turning it every 4 inches was really getting to be a pain too. I added a couple more squares of the tape from the piece I took off my index finger to the pad of my thumb....sticks really good:
....and it worked!! It would work even better with a little something under all the tape I think, but with a little more practise and experimenting - I think I'm going to get this quilt quilted !!!
When your tape starts to lose it's stickiness, just cut off a little strip of the tape and push it on top of everything that's already there. Once your done - you just take the tape off and throw it away. There's plenty enough tape for many, many sessions and they come in lots of colors. I wonder if floral tape would work too. I don't have any around to try, but maybe some of you do and could let me know.
Friday, April 9, 2010
4-Patch Posie Improved
Remember the 4-patch posie that I didn't like? I was playing around with some of the left-over fabric and decided to try the blocks on the left....can't remember their name right now... anyway the smaller wedges and more repetitions really make a difference for this fabric.
Earlier the quilt ended up at 46 X 56 - not really big enough to me because I think a quilt should cover both the shoulders and the toes to truly be functional!! When I added the additional blocks, it stretched the finish size to 46 X 72 - ah..... much better!
Forgive the poor photo. (Cell phone and no good place to hang a quilt for photos, but I wanted to get it documented that I'm now happy enough to call this top done. Off it goes to the short stack to go to the quilter.
Earlier the quilt ended up at 46 X 56 - not really big enough to me because I think a quilt should cover both the shoulders and the toes to truly be functional!! When I added the additional blocks, it stretched the finish size to 46 X 72 - ah..... much better!
Forgive the poor photo. (Cell phone and no good place to hang a quilt for photos, but I wanted to get it documented that I'm now happy enough to call this top done. Off it goes to the short stack to go to the quilter.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Clean your machine reminder!!
4-Patch on Point top done
I finally got this top done. It will go with a couple of others to a nearby quilter to get the quilting done, then I'll get it bound and off the list.
The 4-patches are bits and pieces I've had in a scrap pile - just not enough to do much else with. The light colors are also scrappy though they don't show up as well.
The green is fabric from former curtains or table-cloth! I really don't remember - but I think it was a table covering from the holidays years ago. It has a woodgrain to it and I just loved it - - then!!
It was all assembled in the grocery sack fashion - don't look - just grab a 4-patch and put it in. There are several patterns bunched together and such, but that's OK for this one. It will probably go in a car and get used for a variety of reasons....so it really won't matter.
I'm glad to have this done, and I think we'll get a lot of enjoyment out of it - It turned out pretty darned good for scrap material IMHO.
Finished top 57 X 78 inches.
The 4-patches are bits and pieces I've had in a scrap pile - just not enough to do much else with. The light colors are also scrappy though they don't show up as well.
The green is fabric from former curtains or table-cloth! I really don't remember - but I think it was a table covering from the holidays years ago. It has a woodgrain to it and I just loved it - - then!!
It was all assembled in the grocery sack fashion - don't look - just grab a 4-patch and put it in. There are several patterns bunched together and such, but that's OK for this one. It will probably go in a car and get used for a variety of reasons....so it really won't matter.
I'm glad to have this done, and I think we'll get a lot of enjoyment out of it - It turned out pretty darned good for scrap material IMHO.
Finished top 57 X 78 inches.
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