Giveaway on P.S.I blog

Rachel is giving away one $50 Gift Certificate courtesy of the Fat Quarter Shop.

Run along and enter. Entries close August 1st, there is still time !

Good luck everyone

Quilting done!

Nearly there ! I bet you have never seen anybody make such a meal over a quite simple quilt! But I am nearly there, nearly all done!

I have completed the quilting!!

I am really pleased even though it is not all even everywhere, it was good giving it a first go! Anyone still scared... Go for it! You learn on the way. Especially with all the peeps over at Old Red Barn/Park City group giving advice !

I got used to seeing the 'weird coral fingers' and I believe that when you wash later on it all puffs up nicely inbetween!
and only a tiny few bits like that on the back.... (I pinned so carefully and made sure to keep everything straight... how did that happen?) but you hardly see it, especially if you don't know... so we aren't going to tell anyone are we ? :-)

Binding next. I have done that before so feel a lot happier about that... Last leg...

It's going well

I have really gone for it and am half way! Yay!! I am really speeding up now and it is a little easier with the practice. I am not keen on the pattern I am making (something like weird coral fingers...) but it looks nice if you look at the quilt overall and not too close up.

Must find some other patterns and try it out. Maybe mark the quilt before doing it? I wonder how you would do that... pencil? Anyone know?

But that is for later quilts. First getting on with this one. I must say, it is starting to look a lot nicer now it's getting quilted! I can't wait to finish bind and wash!!

A little update....

The quilting is getting along... very slowly! It's been a bit busy with sons flying in and out..

Little bit like the kestrels! I hadn't seen the fledglings for a wile and assumed they had flown without me noticing, but no! They are now out and about in the sunshine.. Beginning of the week, sitting a bit wobbly on a branch, today, soaring in the winds and trying to land on a branch against a stiff breeze (and failing... a delight to see the youngster hover and trying to make a landing), then soaring away on the current. A priviledge to see. They are too quick for me though, not being a photographer, I don't know how to 'snap' them quickly...

See.. he's just flying out of range at the edge of the photo (and looking at me with what I am sure is a smile on his face!) and everything is out of focus......

But back to quilting!!

I have received a comment from Evelyn about turning the machine towards you when you quilt. Thanks for that tip Evelyn! I tried it, but totally turning does not work for me as I look against the end of the machine and then cannot see what I am doing. However, turning slightly, about 90 degrees works really well. You can feed the fabric through and it bunches up less as there is more space right and left for it to go! So I am now quilting askew!

I have found that if I put the option I have on my machine to sew at half speed and then go full gas on the pedal, the speed is just about right. I am learning to get stitching more even and to have more rounded curves. Just to see (and as I realized it is going to take a very long time this way) I switched it to full speed... Man, did I get some strange shapes and stitches! It was scary! So in spite of the fact that after 4 hrs quilting I only have done 5 out of 36 squares (no, I haven't done the math to see how long it will take me for the quilt... I daren't! taking it one square at the time!), I will leave it on half motion for now...

I also have found these wonderful gloves.

They are from John Lewis (Department Store) and are gardening gloves "wet 'n dry". The fingers and inside the hand are rubberised and have these ridges for added grip. The gloves themselves are quite soft (see back of the hand) and even though you feel like the Incredible Hulk.. they grip the fabric like amazing!

Just to let you guys know I am still at it.... Just been busy washing, packing, dropping at airport, picking up, washing, repacking dropping off etc...

I will get there !!

The Quilting has started !

I have started to quilt and my... that is hard... you have to keep the quilt moving at an even pace, and also think about the pedal and gripping the quilt...

I started in the middle as I read somewhere you should do, and anticipated doing one end, then turning and doing the other, so (in theory) you only have half the quilt under the machine... However, I find that I quilt best when 'writing' from right to left, so all the material is bunching up under the machine (instead of disappearing where there is space... ), and I just don't have the space there !

I find with the quilting, that once I have made a successful swirl and know where I am going, I speed up and end up with giant stiches. If I am not sure where to go next, I hestitate and have the stitches teeny weeny... I'd rather not stop the flow if I can help it,as again, when I start again you really see it as the stitch seem to 'jump' to a great length away!


You can see here how uneven it is, but hey, it is all learning and I'm sure I'll get better... (she said encouraging to herself...) I am sure it would be much easier if the pattern were to be drawn out on the quilt but I have not learnt how to do that (grafite paper does not work..).

Just wanted to let you guys know I've started...so work is actually in progress!

Apologies - Flickr photostream...

I must apologize to those who have commented on my Flickr photo stream and I have not got back to. I really appreciate each and every comment and endeavour to answer them all if possible!

Somehow, I am checking the blog entries, but it did not occur to me to check the photos in the stream that are not on the blog! Thank you for your comments! (Claudia, Catherine, everyone!!) I really appreciate each and every one of them.

I promise to better my life and check my photostream too from now on... (darned, there are so many functions to blogger, flickr etc etc... I am still not quite on top of it all.... )

Another quilt, by popular demand..

I have shown you my first quilt (several times:-), the blue quilt, being the first one I ever finished. Not to be confused with the first I started (or the 2nd 3rd 4th and so on....only kidding, not that many... honest.....). But I am counting completed quilts only.

I also posted the 3rd one, the lapquilt with the panel 'Footsteps in the sand' blogged about near the beginning of this blog.

You are seeing the birth of the 4th one, my Old Red Barn Company sew-along quilt, which is now sandwiched and waiting for quilting.

Many people have asked to see the 2nd quilt. which is a double full bed quilt. Not being very experienced I had a lot of trouble with this one. A LOT!!! but I won't bore you apart from saying it had to do with not having enough fabric and getting around it by skimping on seam allowances... ahum... NOT a good idea !!! I had it longarm quilted in the end as I wanted it ready by Christmas. The poor longarm quilter just about lost the will to live, but she has since realized it was inexperience and not maliciousness on my part, so I am forgiven..:-)

It turned out beautifully in the end and the lovely quilting she did is holding it together very well. We did each a fair amount of repairs and I will remember this learning experience for a long time to come! But DH was very pleased with it, so that's allright in the end. Phew....