Sunday Progress

 

I saved out the bigger scraps while ironing some strings for little log cabin blocks.   I will work on those during virtual tutoring from 4 to 5.  I used to have extra help available during our lunch hour at school, but we have three lunches now and so we have been having online sessions on Sundays instead.  There is no way to know how many people there will be, or when they will come, so having something nearby will help pass the time if there are lags.  

My main goal today was to finish this quilt for Kurt's friend from work.   It took most of the afternoon yesterday and 37 flights of stairs to get everything assembled and ready to go.  By that time I was too tired to quilt!

So first thing this morning I decided to jump in.   I was about halfway done when my top thread ran out!  Well that put a bit of a damper on things.  I had another spool which was the same color, but it was much thicker and didn't tension the same.   I have a line of quilts ready to go, but I'll have to find the right thread first.  Joann's was out, but they have a truck coming tomorrow.   I have a spool ordered online, so we will have to see which works out first.   I hope you are having a restful or productive Sunday.  Having both never seems to work out, but if you have any scrappy or hand stitching to share, but sure to check out Oh Scrap! and Slow Stitching Sunday.  

And Sew Ends the Charade

We've been in this house for 11 years now, all of that time pretending that the sewing studio was really a guest bedroom.  Madly picking everything up when guests arrived, and then returning it to its studio state as soon as the door shut behind them.  I was pretty sure that the quilting machine would fit in its extended state if we just moved the bed.

Then the table would go where the Handi-Quilter used to live.  Looks like there is room next to the sewing machine table for a cutting/ironing station.  So now I just have to put everything back.  Maybe a little bit of cleaning and organization at the same time?  Or maybe a bit of binding stitching instead.  I am all tired out!

Thoughts on Thread?

 I've been using my Handiquilter and frame to finish my quilts for a few years now and never taken the time to think much about thread.  It doesn't seem to be picky and sews along without complaint most of the time.  Never knowing what color of quilt will come together next, I like to be able to go out and pick up a spool when I am ready to finish up a top.  I'm a big fan of Connecting Threads as a rule and have enjoyed using their Essential PRO cones.  However, the only cones that they have at my local Joann's are serger thread, and I have been using those as well with no problems.  I was happy to read Jo's post earlier this week about using Maxilock serger thread and was relieved to know I wasn't some oddball quilting rebel for using cheap thread.  It doesn't list a size on the cone, but by comparison I'd have to say it is about 60 wt and 100% polyester.  So what thread do you use for quilting?  Is it worth the extra price for the name brands or is it all about getting it done?

I finally had a break this afternoon to get the borders sewn onto Crossroads.  It has been hanging out on the floor for two days now, so it will be nice to get the back cut and put it next in line to be quilted.  It was my turn to volunteer at math camp today so we all went in and helped with kite building.  Then we were off to piano lessons and home to make dinner.  Meatloaf had just gone in the oven when Kurt got home and told me he was going to volleyball tonight.  So out came dinner and into the car went all three kids and the dog!  It is nice and quiet here so I am enjoying the solitude

Quilting Class

I just got back from my quilting classes. I signed up for two out of a possible 6 classes that were offered over a three day period at a machine quilting shop a couple of hours away. There was a cool class yesterday that I though about signing up for, but the logistics of getting away for more than one day seemed tricky. The morning session was on using rulers. I don't have a ruler base, but the ability to do stitch in the ditch seems like a good thing so I went ahead and ordered one. Using a ruler seems to be a slow and tedious process, but I think sometimes it could be worth it, especially when used with other less time consuming techniques. In the afternoon there was a free motion class based on a book by Megan Best. The premise of the book is that you can start with a basic meaner and then add on to it to get lots of different designs. We practiced each of her patterns on sheet protectors with dry erase markers first and then took turns trying them out on the machines they had set up. Most of the ladies there seemed to be very serious quilters. They all quilted for customers and had been at it quite a while, mainly using computerized machines. Despite that, I was happy with my own ability to execute the patterns we were practicing. I am always amazed at the few classes that I go to, one of the main things I learn is that I am doing pretty well figuring things out as I go along. I got lots of good ideas though, as much from other students as from the teachers. It is so fun to be able to talk to other people that are even more into this quilting hobby than I am.
I will definitely start a practice quilt soon. I am going to either make a simple black and white checkerboard or do a whole cloth divided into squares. Then I'll choose a different design to practice in each little square. The other thing I definitely want to try is a circle quilt with long arm raw edge applique. The shop was also a distributor for acuquilt and we got a demo after lunch. Having just invested in quilting machine, I'm not ready to go out and buy anything else, but it is a really cool tool. I have a mini version called a Sizzix that I use for scrapbooking and have always thought that they should make a quilting version.
I have to go do something quilty in honor of the sew-in. Then I'll go check in and see what other people are up to. Happy Friday!

Lonely Logs

Today was our "out" day. Swim team, free movie, fabric store, lunch, silly bandz shopping and the hardware store. After that I folded a bunch of laundry and matched up socks. Not quite as fun as my grout scrubbing of yesterday, but it was a close second. I did get a bit of sewing done on the fill in the blank blocks after the kids were in bed. There is certainly lots of empty space in there for some quilting practice.
Tomorrow is my trip north for handiquilting classes! There is one from 9 to 12 and another from 2 to 5. I've got my camera packed, so hopefully I'll get a couple of pictures to share. I should still get back in time to do some sewing for the Friday Night Quilt Along.
Kurt took Ryan to his football awards ceremony tonight. Did I mention that they won the championship series? The coach had special shirts made up for them to celebrate.

Building Rome

I know Rome wasn't built in a day, but it's been more than a day and I haven't yet gotten used to this whole pantograph thing. The first row looked nice and straight. Most of the second row was OK. Then I had to shift the laser doohickey and roll the quilt. It seemed to be working, but then at then end of the row, everything converged and started to overlap. I'm not sure yet what I'm doing wrong, but I think I'll sleep on it. I sometimes have trouble with spatial things. I am almost incapable of backing long distances. Something about looking in the rear view mirror and turning the wheel the opposite way really freaks me out. I'm sure that somehow the shifting of the rows must require the same deficient area of my cerebral cortex as the whole reverse driving thing. That's my working hypothesis anyway. Of course any hypothesis incapable of being tested in worthless, so I'd better try again. Maybe I'm shifting the pattern as I quilt. I could try taping it down. I'll try to come up with some other ideas in the morning. Maybe during my run.


Anna made breakfast for dinner tonight. She hardly needed any help and was very proud of herself. She made pancakes, bacon, toast, fruit salad and eggs cooked to order. Didn't she do a nice job on the table?

More Practice and Counting Down

I just realized that I'm almost at post number 500! I've already been starting a collection of things to give away, so stay tuned for more details. This morning I finished up the practice "quilt" using a spiral squares pantograph and some random feathers. The kids are upstairs cleaning and I'm getting ready to start on some school work. Happy Sunday everyone.

Practice Makes Perfect

OK, so maybe I need more practice. Well, maybe lots more practice would be the thing.
I put together a couple of pieces of flannel with a back made from some leftover fabric from the cushions in the kids toy room. This is a pantograph that I ordered from Golden Threads. I also got a pattern package, but those don't come on a roll, so I'll need to make copies and tape them together apparently.
I'm playing with the little laser pointer guy on my HQ16. I should have left extra space at the edges where I could get the next row all lined up the right way. I think I'm doing it correctly, but it seems a little fiddly so far.

I took a break from the laundry (8 loads and counting!) after lunch to take the kids to see a movie. I think it was called Furry Vengeance and it had Brendan Fraiser and Brooke Shields in it. The kids enjoyed it, and I treated myself to some junior mints so it wasn't a complete loss. Sydney did some sewing of her own this afternoon. Lizzie keeps attacking her dog bed and pulling out the stuffing, so Sydney decided to sew it back together. She allowed me to tie a knot in the end, but after that was insistent on doing it all herself. She is getting very grown up and independent all of the sudden. I'm not sure if I'll do a little more piecing tonight or practice my pantography a bit more. First I think I'll take a shower. We tried to turn on the air conditioner for the first time today when the inside temps hit 85, but it didn't seem to work. So I've been a little sweaty and grumpy all afternoon.

Happy It's Friday

Cross another quilt off the list! I Spy a parrot is quilted and trimmed.
10 more school days for seniors (and they let us know about it). Much like pushing jello up a hill, we keep plugging away until the end. It was a busy week full of scouts and meetings and lots of miscellaneous evening stuff that limited my time to quilt. I did manage to get a few minutes in here and there though, and was almost done with the last border when I got home from school this afternoon.

What I really ought to do is get some serious binding done. There are three quilts in the stack now. If I get it sewn on tonight, I can take it to Ice Skating tomorrow and do the handwork while watching the girls. Regular lessons are in the morning and then the Girl Scouts have a group skate in the afternoon. Separate sessions for the two age groups means I'll be spending at least 5 hours tomorrow watching skating. Something to do will be a definite requirement.


I'm not sure what is next up on the frame. I've got two "good" quilts ready to go, but I'm not sure if I'm confident enough in my skills to risk messing up something I really like. Instead I might finish the border on Starlight, a wonky star quilt with words that is meant for donation. I've ordered a packet of pantographs from Golden Threads and am anxious to try out the laser pointer.
Sydney was duly impressed with the new quilting machine and wanted to give it a try. Her attention span didn't last long, but she did put her own stitches into the quilt and was quite proud of herself. How cute is she missing 4 front teeth? She has an adorable little lisp right now that make me want to pick her up and give her lots of hugs.

Plugging Away

After pulling Whirly Giggles off, I got I Spy loaded on. The quilting motif is blades of grass which also looks a bit like a flame to me. I only got two rows done before dinnertime. One of these days I'm going to try a pantograph, but for now I'm having lots of fun with freehand designs. Somewhere I have a bag full of binding. I'm going to be needing some of that pretty soon.

He So Gets Me

Sometimes I just have to laugh at how much my husband understands exactly how my mind works. He was taking the kids to a sand festival this morning and I was apologizing for not going along. He told me there was no need to apologize, spending the weekend quilting was all part of making the new quilting machine into an event.
So instead I continued the quilting machine marathon weekend with Whirly Giggles. This one is for my niece who wanted something soft to snuggle with. I put flannel on the back, which was a little stretchy on the frame, but is so soft and cozy.

I debated doing some feathers allover, but chickened out and went with a basic meander in the background and some simple arcs in the foreground. At some point I'll need to think about catching up on the binding, but for now I think I'll load up I Spy a Parrot.
I did manage to drag myself out of the house last night for an outing to see a play. I girlfriend of mine called to invite Anna and I to go with her and her daughter. The whole family ended up coming along. It was the Pajama Game, which a silly and enjoyable musical.

Having Fun Now

Everything seems to be working just the way it should. I've quilted a sampler of random patterns. Now I'm thinking of loading on an actual quilt. I have a very limited thread selection so far, so I'll have to choose carefully.

Finally -- Success!

My stitches seemed too loose. When checking the back, I had serious eyelash issues. Eyelashes on the back are clearly due to inadequate top tension. I must have watched the "how to thread your machine" video at least five times knowing that I must have been missing something. Somehow along the way I got off on a bobbin tangent. Thinking that less bobbin tension could make up for too little top tension. Big mistake. Messing with the bobbin led to tangles and bird's nests and my own little version of swearing. Admonishing myself, as I would my students, to use proper scientific method, I spent the afternoon working through one hypothesis at a time. I narrowed it down to the little screw knob, knowing the secret was there somewhere. Tightening all the way didn't seem to be changing the tension at all. Finally, I was within an inch of the end of my practice fabric and almost ready to call the toll free number for help, when the thread finally found its way in between the tension discs. Magically, as if it hadn't been mocking me for the past four hours, my machine started making beautiful, perfectly balanced stitches. Now I'm off to make a new sandwich and make something a little prettier. Happy weekend everyone.

First Stitches

With fanfare much like that associated with babies first steps, I have taken my first stitches on the new HQ 16! Much like those first baby steps, perfection has yet to be achieved. The tensioning wasn't quite right. It would look good for about 12 inches and then get very loose before self correcting. I'm sure it has something to do with the way I threaded the needle or loaded the bobbin. I'll watch the tutorial again and fiddle with it a bit. It is amazing how quickly the stitches fill the top. It only took a few minutes to fill the exposed fabric area. As soon as I get the tension issue fixed I'll try using the laser to follow a pantograph.
I went to Anna's music performance at school this morning and then went to pick Lizzie up from the vet, she got fixed and she is none to happy with me right now. I've still got a few more hours before I have to pick up the kids. Maybe I will load a preprinted panel on next. Soon I need to start reassembling the house. It's all full of boxes and displace furniture right now. I still have to figure out exactly where everything is going to live and get it all settled in again. Maybe I can worry about that later though, right now I have quilting to do.

Excellent Customer Service

The web site said my packages were loaded for delivery at 6:47 this morning. I left a lovely note for the UPS man describing which neighbor could sign if a signature was required and when they would be home. Then I found odd moments between classes to call the neighbors to see if any deliveries had come. Finally by 2 I brought the rest of my work home with me and there they were, 7 cardboard boxes of various shapes and sizes!

Most of the afternoon was spent carefully unpacking each box, checking for instructions and watching instructional DVDs. The table came first, it took three boxes. Try as I might, I could not find any screws to hold it all together. Although I was sure I could call and get more, I didn't want to wait, so off to Ace Hardware I went on the way to get the kids. They are always so ridiculously nice there. A nice older gentleman greeted me at the door, walked back with me and helped me find exactly the right size of screw. I paid $2.64 for a box of 100 and went home to happily do minor construction. Kurt arrived in the midst of all of this on the way to a business dinner and began grumbling about the $600 dollar table that didn't even come with screws. He could accept the cost of the machine and frame, but somehow the additional cost of the table was ready to send him over the edge. I ignored him blissfully and continued on my way.
Without instructions I wasn't sure about the finishing touches, and so called up Handiquilter and explained my dilemma. Instructions were in my e-mail within minutes, and Whitney promised to send a new hardware package containing the screws, some locking mechanisms and wooden dowels. I had started to set the frame up and put together the rails when dinnertime hit.
Tonight was a fundraiser night at Chick-fil-A for the kids school. Most of the teachers and administrators were there as well as what seemed like hundreds kids. They are always so nice there, and I think they had extra staff on hand for the special event. We came home with all sorts of stuffed cows and balloons. Anna helped me with the boxes and managed to find the mysterious missing screws! I'm so anxious to be sewing something, but the interim has just ended and grades are due at 8 in the morning. I finished the last of the grading last night, but I've still got to put the last little bit into the computer and make comments for each student. I'm taking a personal day to see Anna's music performance at school and take Lizzie to the vet to be fixed. That means I can stay up until the wee hours and try to get everything up and going. Now, back to work so I won't feel guilty about finding time to play.

Coming Soon

I've been tracking my HQ 16 across the country for the last few days. It traveled from Utah to Colorado before jumping to Georgia. It went through a couple of cities there before being checked into Jacksonville at 9:05. It's getting warmer.......
Grades are due Friday at 8 a.m. for the last interim. I'm trying hard to get it all finished up now in case I am busy or distracted tomorrow.

Preparation and Anticipation

5 quilts ready to go. Backings are pieced and they are all waiting together patiently. I've got one more that needs borders and then I'll move onto some easy panels that can be my starter practice pieces. Next on the agenda: moving around some furniture to make some room.

Shopping

I seemed to be out of a lot of the fabrics to go with the blocks I had already made. I couldn't finish Spinning Stars, because I needed a green to sash it with. I wanted to use red to alternate in Four Square, but didn't have any. I am ready to finish of several quilts that will need backing fabric, and there is not a scrap of batting in the house. You get the general idea, right? A trip to the fabric store was definitely in order. The kids and husband were all busy with thier last OM practice before the big state competition this weekend, so I took advantage of the open time, grabbed my 40% off coupon and headed out.
I got a call from Karen at Handiquilter today and she says that my HQ 16 will be on the truck Thursday and will take about one week to ship. Just one weekend to get everything ready! Kurt and I looked at the sewing room/guest bedroom/study this weekend and figured out a game plan. Now I just need to do a bit or arranging and make space for everything. Then I will line up the tops and start getting them ready for the big day. Amy is getting her new system tomorrow -- so I'll have to see how she handles everything to find out what I should be doing.

Hoppy Easter!

Sorry for the bad pun, they are very popular around our house right now. We all had a great time at the Easter party last night; chatting, and playing games and finding confetti filled eggs to smash on the heads of unsuspecting observers.
Our family won the big prize for the games, which were these matching bunny ears. We also took home a family pack of chocolate bunnies which the kids all ate for breakfast this morning. I have been picking bits of confetti and Easter grass up all day, but it was all well worth it. The kids look forward to it every year.
I didn't accomplish any major projects over spring break. Unlike last year when I made the Welcome quilt from start to finish.

I did take care of a lot of loose ends though. I spent an entire day washing, ironing and folding fabric to put away, and another cutting strips and squares from the leftover basket. I also got the rest of the blocks done for the main part of Spinning Stars, as well as planning out the setting and borders. There are going to be four quadrants with 25 blocks each, separated and surrounded by a stripe of dark green. That should cover the top of our bed exactly. The part hanging over the side of the bed will be made up of two rows of four patches, or maybe three depending on how the size works out. Kurt has requested a thicker batting to keep us toasty during those harsh Florida winters. We have a couple of quilts that fit our bed, but they all fairly light weight.

I don't feel ready to go back to school tomorrow, but it is getting very close to the end now. Summer is an even more exciting concept now that my HQ 16 is on the way. I'm already lining up the projects. I hope everyone else had a great holiday.