Improving My Quilting

I've been on sabbatical since Feb 1 and have been sewing a lot - but not doing too much quilting.

Until now.

I've been working on a wedding quilt for my sister and it is a beast of a thing in terms of size and weight and I was struggling a bit with the quilting. Then I saw that Craftsy had a big sale on this past weekend so I picked up two of Angela Walters classes: Dot to Dot quilting and How Do I Quilt This?

I started with the Dot to Dot class because it was pretty short and I realized I don't want to be doing too much marking on this quilt.

Today I finished the stitch in the ditch on the quilt and started with the free motion designs. I followed some of Angela's ideas and incorporated a few of my own.

I decided on a simple design and made myself a template to help with the dot placement. I do like things even and well spaced.

My squares are about 4 1/2" wide so I started with a square that big and I marked off the diagonal lines:

sorry for the bad lighting - I had the drapes pulled to try to keep it cool in the house - we're in a bit of a heat wave right now

 The little ticky marks are about half way between the centre and the corner and 1/2" out from the centre line.

Then I cut it out and notched the ends and ticky marks. The ends I notched out to help with placement and centering. It worked great.

This is the first square I marked. See the 8 little blue dots? My other "dots" for quilting are the corners and the centre - I didn't mark those.

Then I did my first shape. It looks pretty good to me. I used a water soluble marking pen so a quick spritz with water and I was moving on.

On my next one I realized it was hard to hit the "dots" that weren't marked because they were a little hard to see (since they didn't really exist). So I added a few more marks - actual dots in all the places I need. I'm so happy with the results and I'm sewing right along.

Now, if my cat would only stay off the quilt while I'm quilting, I wouldn't have to drag her weight around with the quilt.

A Rest, A Change, And Back At It

I just checked my last post date - it's been awhile. In that time I've been busily sewing hostess gifts for a big trip I took and I've been working on my sister's wedding quilt. She gets married June 5th and as of right now, I'm on track to be finished.

First up are the hostess gifts. For my cousin - 8 cushion covers. These are screen captures from my Instagram - I think the original photos got "lost" when I switched phones. My cousin loved the cushion covers. They are zipper closed on the back and each has a small design on the back that echoes what is on the front.

Then I sewed a whole cloth wall hanging for my Dad's cousin. I copied the Welsh style quilts. I'm really happy with how this turned out. It's my first whole cloth quilt and I learned a few things.

Next I started my sister's quilt. She wants it to be turned into a duvet cover, so it had to be an exact size - not one of my strong points. It's the "Metro Hoops" quilt from Sew Kind of Wonderful - a great pattern to use. It went together pretty quickly - some process shots:

First layout with a few blocks finished

More blocks finished

All the rings cut

adding the grey squares

All the blocks finished and trimmed - all 68 of them

Then I put the top together - minus borders

I'm really happy with how it turned out. The borders have created a problem - that's a post for another day.

Getting Organized

I am not the most organized person in the world. Other people think I am, but I don't really think so. I have a lot of clutter around me all the time and that makes me feel disorganized.

One of the things I want to do while on sabbatical is finish up some WIPs and organize my house/life.

So, this week, my first week off, I made a list of the things I wanted to do when I'm off

This list has sewing/quilting WIPs, knitting WIPs, and house WIPs. The sewing/quilting list is the longest by far. (And I thought of some more once I finished this list).

Then I organized the list into a spreadsheet so that I could break the tasks into smaller bits and schedule them into months/times according to priority. Here's what I came up with

The blog is flipping this image for some reason so you'll have to flip your head

This list is still pretty daunting, so I folded it to post so it feels more manageable and I'm more likely to get some things on it accomplished

This one is flipping too - anyone know why?

Next week, I'll start working on the projects in more depth.

The end of last week I finished a little knitting project. It's a drop stitch cowl that I picked up at Main Street Yarns. My lighting isn't great in these picts so bare with me

I'm pleased with it, and have only caught it in my coat zipper once.

As for sewing this week, I've cut out a couple of bras and need to get them sewn. I was on the hunt for a wooden ball to press curved pieces and I found one on Tues, so now I can get sewing.

I finished knitting my french press slippers. They don't look like much now, but they'll look great once they are finished. I need to sew them together then felt them in the washing machine (which I'll do at the house of a male friend who makes nothing - should be interesting). These slippers are meant to be my "take alongs" to wear when I'm away from home. I'll let you know how they turn out.

Blog Around the World

My friend L is a prolific quilter and blogger (and a great mom too). A few weeks ago she asked our friend C and I to participate in this Blog Around the World. I said yes (as usual) and promptly forgot all about it (not usual). Until L reminded me tonight that I had to post tonight. I'm sure I've forgotten what I'm all supposed to do.

Here's what I could glean about what I'm supposed to do...

1. What am I working on?
Way, way too much. Hold on while I go take a few pictures (in this dark evening light)

a) I knit too. This is a very cute sweater for L's baby. This is the front, back, collar, and the beginnings of a sleeve.

b) I did a swoon-along with C and L this summer and I was the first to finish making the top. My progress is stalled since then. This is for my cousin's little girl. It's her - welcome to the world quilt. She'll be 5 the end of Oct. Sigh.

c) This is my ironing board. Full of bra making supplies (I am in a state of desperation for them) and two partial Dear Jane rows.

d) This is my actual design wall and the (damn) Dear Jane quilt (which is what I really need to be working on. These are rows D and E completed.

e) This is my dining room table. On here are parts of bra making supplies, two pillow cases for Xmas presents and a couple of pairs of baby shoes. I think that's all that's on here. Oh, wait, some bib making supplies. And fabric for a dress for L's little one.

This shameless display of un-finished-ness also carries on upstairs in my house, but is out of sight so out of mind.

2. How does my work differ from others who quilt?

I think we're all different and that's what makes quilting so great. I like to do patterns that are more on the traditional side with fabric that is more on the modern side. 

3. Why do I quilt?

So I don't go insane. I like it. I especially like how appreciative other people are when I give them a gift that is handmade (not only quilts); I can see that they really love that I took the time to create something for them that they can't do themselves.

That being said I need to start doing some sewing and crafting for myself. For all the quilts I've made, I only have one wall-hanging for myself. Nothing to snuggle under at all. I'm working on changing that (there are patterns in my wip containers).

4. What is my creative process?

I don't really have a process. I wait for inspiration to hit and when it does, I listen. I sometimes go long periods where nothing catches my attention, then I find a project or fabric or idea that I like and I go with it. I read some blogs and I really like instagram for ideas. I have thousands of pins on pinterest (and I do look at them). I like variety and I think that's why I switch between projects before they are finished. My Dear Jane quilt is a case in point; I get so sick of it sometimes that I need to put it aside and work on something else - eventually I get back to it.

I hope you've learned a little bit about me.

I think I'm supposed to refer you on to other bloggers (but I've neglected to make arrangements for that). Here are some bloggers I enjoy - and I'll ask them if they are interested in participating, so if they don't make a post, be upset with me, not them.

This one makes me laugh: http://www.caledoniaquilter.blogspot.ca/

This one inspires me and reminds me of when I lived up north: http://tamarackshack.blogspot.ca/

And this one teaches me about a part of my heritage I did not know about: http://welshquilts.blogspot.ca/