Quilting Update

I am nearly finished with the machine quilting for this groom's quilt.   I'm at that point where I need to spread it out on the floor and mark the areas that I've missed stitching down.

I"m very excited to finish and wash this quilt as the 1/2" strips next to the wider open sections should make an interesting texture.

The batting is a bamboo/ cotton blend and I didn't want to over-quilt it so it would stay soft and drapey.

Yesterday I had quite the experience  when a rhetorical question had a real solution.  I was quilting away and broke the 4th needle and screamed "What the !@#$ is wrong with this sewing machine?"  My husband, the resident aircraft mechanic was sitting across the dining room table from where I was working and managed to problem solve to find a hidden lint dam in the feed dogs.  It hasn't worked this well in ages!!!

We're taking a morning motorcycle ride in the mountains before it gets too hot, then back for the olympics and more leaves for a hand applique project I've pulled back out.

Quilting Matters

Today I'm working on machine quilting another Groom's quilt.  And I have to say, I'm surprised about how different this is looking because of the quilting that I chose.

This is the finished top.

I had originally planned to FMQ each of the blue sections.

But now I'm using the walking foot and connecting the "mortar" lines on the mosaic aspect of the crazy quilt.

It is turning out to look MUCH different than I'd originally planned.

Stay tuned for more pictures.

A week in my life

Life is so busy and I've decided that instead of reading other people's blogs and feeling badly that I don't accomplish as much quilty stuff as they do, I will imagine that they live dull and boring lives where what they post is all there is.

As shown by my previous 2 posts, I did finish this quilt now shown in situ with the groom under it recovering from the reception.

My older daughter has theoretically moved out - but only took 5% of her belongings.  I have spent about 14 hours clearing out the closet and starting to move things in.  So far it's scrap book supplies and this summer's purchases for sewing clothing and biker leather.   Maybe in a few months I'll have a "Studio" for sewing and crafting.

Removing bags of things from the coffee table in the living room unearthed this Quilts of Valor block that is due Saturday for a Quilt Block Ladies meeting.  A little more button hole stitching and I'll be done.

While I was frantically quilting on Friday, my hubby issued a bribe that went something like this " Want to ride to Joseph Sunday for some fabric and a beer?". How could I say no? Yes...I knew it was too far... over double my longest ride.  Turns out that while 420 miles on a road with 2000 curves is rational for a fabric run, it's a bit much for a one day motorcycle ride for a rookie rider.  We were gone 14 hours, 12 of it on the bike.

My other distraction has been reading.  I'm one of those people who can't set down a book once I start, so I tend to not start.  But I got a Nook for my birthday.  So I bet you're wondering what that has to do with this photo?

It's my Red Neck Nook Cover.  I gutted a book I bought for $1 and 2 rubber bands hold the e-reader in place.

I figure it's an extra security feature for when I carry it around in my purse.  Who wants to steal an old book?

So...that's what I've been up to.  What about you?

Dave Henry's Groom Quilt

Finished quilting this 1 hour before we need to leave for the wedding reception.   Which it turns out is enough time to photograph and blog about it, but not enough time for the nap I really wanted to take this afternoon.

I am pleased with the texture of this quilt.  I used bamboo batting and did the stitching lines with a free motion foot.  My machine was not behaving well, and I broke 6 needles in the process of finishing this quilt.  Good thing I was drinking or I would have driven to the store for a new sewing machine.

Speaking of which, the beer neither improved nor made my stitching any worse.  I just can't sew straight lines.  

I forgot to take a close up of the binding.  I used a blue plaid sheet for the back and made a bias strip for the binding which looks great.

And I realized that the whole quilt follows the traditional rhyme: something old, something new (fabrics from the stash), something borrowed (thrift store sheet for the back) and something blue.

Friday Afternoon Plans

Good thing that I think wobbly lines of stitching look "organic" and add interest to the finished texture of the quilt.  A growler of Sockey Amber in a crystal glass.  Life is good.

Applique Close Ups

I have filled in part of the section in the lower left corner.  I added several stems and have two sets of 3 leaves basted in place.

In answer to the questions posed after my last post, this is all needle turn applique using the back-basting technique, except for the stems, for which I used bias strips.

The other request that I had was to post some close ups...so, here you go.

The flowers and leaves are Esther Aliu's,  I'm just putting them together in different ways.

Watching Olympic trials tonight so I hope to get a few more leaves basted in place.