Stitching the pieces together
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Jo those quilts are lovely! What size are they?
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Beautiful quilts Jo. So glad to see you back here. Hope you are feeling better.
Well, Saturday was somewhat eventful. FDIL and her mother and sister were here bright and early. I measured her sister for a bridesmaid dress, and we chatted some as I cut out the dress. Her mother doesn't sew, and there is a communication barrier, so having her here so she is comfortable talking with me was a good thing. They left and Mother came over.
We looked at the bridal gown. Haven't seen the bride in it, but she says it does fit. I won't wait too long to have her put it on, just in case. The shop didn't give her the panel that goes behind the corset lacing to hide skin, so she is to try to get that, but we have everything else. The shop/salesperson took more $$$ off the price because of the issue, and she ended up paying $375 for the dress, hoop, two sets of gloves (one long, one short) a tiara, a long veil and a blusher! I will be ordering some marquis shaped sew on rhinestones to add to the skirt. The alteration guy did not re-bead down the left side of the bodice so that will need to be done, but that's probably only a 30 minute task.
Mother got the sample dress done enough to see if it will fit the bridesmaid. No zipper or hems, but ready for the sizing Me...I got the one dress cut out and got the shoulders done.
We printed the shower invites, and the Maid of honor and I addressed them and got them mailed. MOH and FDIL washed about 20 of my sets of glass tea sets we will use at the shower. A productive day!
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Phew Meece! I feel tired just reading what got done.......lol. FDIL got a good deal on the dress and accessories. Sure hope the alterations are right and only the finishing touched need to be done.
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Thanks everyone. I feel like I have finally been able to move on past this cancer crap even though I am still working with my PS. BTW! I had recon surgery in April and love the results.
The quilt in the upper right corner is a baby quilt. All the others are full to queen size. The pinwheel quilt is a new pattern. I was at a quilt show and bought a gadget that makes the pinwheels after you sew all the squares together. It is so fun and I have not had a chance to make another one yet. The one in the upper left corner was made for a very special BC sister of mine - you all know her as grannydukes! She has a photo of her sitting on it on her facebook page. Oh! As a side note, The baby quilt was tied and all the others were hand quilted. I don't know how to machine quilt and the price to have those done is way above what I can afford. Besides, I love to hand quilt. In fact, I have 2 more quilts going right now - both are in different stages of hand quilting as we speak.
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Jo, the quilts are beautiful. Do you have a full frame for quilting or a smaller lap hoop?
Jana
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Jana - I have an 18" round lap hoop as well as a stand hoop. I don't have the space for a full frame. Both work great for me.
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DS told me the other day that he has had to try really hard to keep FDIL from putting a sewing machine on their bridal registry. I have to get the sewing cabine ready so we can give her her machine. I can't wait to see her reaction.
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Meece you will need to take a pic when she recieves it so we can all see her reaction.......I'll bet it will be priceless!
Well the sewing area ( I won't call it a room as I have to share with a couple of beds....lol) is coming along swimmingly. I didn't realise just how much craft stuff as in fabric, paints, beads, trimmings, thread and all the associated crap that you gather over years of doing this stuff......lol.....I had so I'm going to have to rethink some of the storage. I don't mind really and once I have put it all away to begin with in sections it will be easier to organise within those sections as I will do it bit by bit. I'm still finding boxes of stuff down in the she and unfortunately a couple of the boxes have gotten damp and I've had to throw a whole heap of stuff that has gotten mould on it away.......GRRRR! what a waste! Never mind, there is still plenty left......lol
Jo I have tried to use a hoop and find it impossible......I find it easier to quilt just with my hand supporting the quilt. I find I can get more stiches to the inch that way as well. I'm determined that before I leave this world I'm going to teach myself to machine quilt and seeing I'm planning on being here for a long time it may take years........lol
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chrissy - With my arthritis, a hoop is easier for me to manage. Like you, I am going to be here for many years to come and I also want to learn how to machine quilt. I need to find someone who does that would allow me to watch them. That is the best way for me to learn.
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To learn to machine quilt, work on squares and baby quilts to experiment and use a walking foot, it keeps the top fabric moving at the same speed as the bottom fabric which have the feed dogs moving them. Follow the seams you've already made (called "stitch in the ditch") or draw lines diagonally from corner to corner with a washable marker that you are comfortable with. Then learn to follow those straight lines. Start off the actual top in the batting somewhere if you can, otherwise, start in a corner where you can backstitch to lock the stiches. If you start off the batting, other stitching will lock it in place later. (You may have a "lock" stitch on your machine and never new what it was for. It's to lock the stitching in place (knot it) without backstitching!)
When you have mastered that, we'll move on to curves and free motion. See you next lesson!
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Thanks Barbe I have done the stitch in the ditch what I want to learn is the free motion or doing those beautiful patterns that you buy the templates for.
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Let me know if you want a detailed description. I used to teach the class!
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Yes please! I would love detailed instructions! Does the teacher need an apple? I promise I'll be an avid pupil!
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Heck I'll supply a whole bushel of apples for free motion lessons!!!
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Drop your feed dogs. Keep machine and thread tension the same!! Do NOT adjust them as some books advise. It is how fast or slow that YOU move the fabric that makes the size of the stitches. If you move too slow, the stitches will be very small and crowded. If you move too fast the stitches will be too long and the back thread will look like crap!! Every once in a while, do check your back thread to make sure it is stitching properly. This is where most people fiddle around with their tension. You MIGHT experiment with it, but you can do it without changing your machine settings. Keep your machine on a simple straight stitch so the needle doesn't zig zag on you.
Start with lined paper and NO thread in the machine (why waste it now?) Practice following the lines on the paper. You will see when you are happy with your stitch length. It should begin to look consistent. You will learn what speed you are doing to make that length. Let your body learn that speed. BREATHE. Keep your shoulders relaxed. Use special gloves with dots to help hold the fabric or even gardening gloves. There are rings you can use as well, that hold the fabric tauter.
Try writing your name, still on paper. That is a body memory that you know very well. BREATHE
Draw a spiral on the paper and follow it from outside to the inside. Then draw another and sew it from inside to the outside. You will find that YOU prefer spirals a certain way. (I wonder if Chrissy down-under will do the opposite of us! hehehhe) It's just what you can do the easiest and there IS a difference! BREATHE
Now, put muslin and scraps of fabric together to make a sandwich and repeat the above exercises with the machine threaded. BREATHE
Now, get a colouring book and lay the picture over the sandwich. Follow all the lines. BREATHE Tear off the paper and voila!! A picture that a 2 year old should recognize. Do YOU?
Let me know how you do on all this and then we can kick it up a notch. BREATHING is the most important tool. Keep your shoulders relaxed and show pics.
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Barbe you are so funny! I always hold my breath when I am learning a new technique. I have a question for you, if I may? I knew how to do free motion embroidery or quilting but my machine then had regular tention and presser foot. My machine now was purchased about a year ago and is automatic everything, it even cuts the threads. Is it possible to do the technique you are describing with this sort of machine? Thanks for your help here, I wish you had a shop in my town! Ginger
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I wouldn't want o share her with everybody in my town. I much prefer learning from our private tutor!
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Ginger, you have the BEST kind of machine to work with!! You can probably set your needle to stop in the DOWN position..right?? SO important with free motion because when you stop your pedal you still move you hands slightly and are off your pattern. If your needle stops in the down position, you will keep your place!!! You probably have the LOCK feature, too. Have you used it? You will be able to do beautiful free motion with your new machine; I bet it even came with a free motion foot!! Did it? Do y'all know what it looks like? It's got a spring in it....
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I have the free motion foot, and my machine calls the lock feature "fix". I wish I could go put the lessons to work right now, but alas, dresses take precedent.
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Yep!! FIX or LOCK are the same thing. Use it with free motion when you stop your pattern, or panic and want to get out and breathe. It will secure your end so you don't have to backstitch or tie it off.
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I use the fix button more than I do the backstitch.
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Jo...when my house is finished you will need to make a road trip. There is a quilt shop in Kerrville, TX that has quilting workshops. We could take one together and learn how to machine quilt. Or have my neighbor give us private lessons with wine afterwards or during if needed. I have a quilting sewing machine but have only used it for straight seams. Well, and a few decorative stitches on baby things for the grandbabies.
Jana
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Several of our local quiltshops closed down, so as far as I know we only have one left. That makes for very crowded classes.
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I just googled a second shop, but all of the classes would require time off work. No matter how much I would like to, I can't skip work.
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Thanks for the lesson Barbe. Unfortunately it will be a couple of weeks before I will be able to put on some practice but I will as soon as possible. I have both the walking foot and a free motion foot......I just have to remember where I put them!
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Jo - the quilts are gorgeous - I especially like the black, white, and red one. Queen sized? SHEESH!!!
O.K. Ladies - I just got this quilt kit to make a crib-sized baby quilt for a shower next Friday. They said it could be done in an afternoon.....
It's darling, it's cuddly flannel, and the best part is that it is enveloped, so there is no binding to sew on. The top is a printed panel, and I was thinking (before I ordered it) that I would just quilt around each figure.
Then I got the kit, and there are SO MANY things I'd have to quilt around.
Let's say I did that...would I use my walking foot? OR - chance it and try to use my free-motion foot? I took one class a few weeks ago...I sucked at it. And I haven't done any practicing because I had my exchange surgery last week.
ALL SUGGESTIONS WELCOME!!!!
quilt top:
backing fabric:
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Better minds than mine will chime in soon. Me, I would use the free motion because then you don't need to turn the entire piece to get around a leaf. You just follow the edge of the leaf as it just moving the fabric to follow the edge with your needle. Go slow, breath, don't let it go too fast. If you can turn down your machine speed than I would do that. Practice first for sure. It will save you lots of grief.
Good luck and look for Barbe to check in here, she is the pro. It is a really cute project.
Ginger
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Barbe - Thanks for the lesson. When I get home I will have to copy your lesson so I can read it again. I have done lots of "stitch in the ditch" on small quilts using my walking foot. I have to tell you, my walking foot was the best investment I have made when it comes to sewing gadgets. Just love using it. I use it when I am putting on binding all the layers move so much easier and I don't have to worry about puckering.
Jana - That would be great - just let me know and I'll see what my work schedule looks like.
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Hello Ladies,
I am new to this site but was diagnosed back in 9/2010. I am all done with treatment except for the finishing touches on my DIEP flap. I have been so lonely lately. My friends and family would call, write and text me a lot when I was going through treatment but now it has all but stoped.
I love to sew and scrapbook. My sewing is just for fun and I am just ok at it but I truly love scrapbooking but I don't have much time after dealing with the tired and sick of treatment and I homeschool my 8 and 6 year old. I have been to a couple crops and those are so much fun.
It is nice to see you all on here and I hope to be able to join in on your posts if that is ok.
Thanks, Laura
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Oooh, GOOD point about not turning the fabric Ginger!!! One of the reason I liked to lend out my ring or "steering wheel" as I called it, was so that you couldn't turn your fabric. Just keep your hands RELAXED on either side kind of bracketing the free motion foot ( ).
When a quilt pattern is very square, it's nice to have a flowing quilt pattern on it. When the pattern is already 'organic', see Blessings one above, it's nice to have diagonal lines. Blessings, it would be TOO much to try to follow all those pieces unless the back was SOLID and would show your efforts!!! The back is patterned, so just do diagonal lines using your walking foot. Make the first diagonal line from the inside corner of the printed pattern to the opposite corner and right off the edge, of course. Use that to offset each diagonal line and it will be pleasing to look at and balanced. Then do the opposite corner. This way you won't have squares, but will have diamonds like harlequins!! Everyone will be SO impressed!!
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