Not A Quilting Week

This week was very busy for me as I am sure it was for all of you. The Holiday Season has started and my quilting is having to make way for Holiday Preparations. I am sure I will take the time to do a little stitching here and there but most of my energy has to go into getting things ready.

I have not gotten the braid quilt trimmed and bound yet. That is the one project I will have to make time for. It will be fairly easy to get done. I know Killian is anxious to have it done.

I did get the quilt top leader replaced on Millie. I also took off the backing and take up leaders, sewed pockets in them for the Leader Grips rods and then put the leaders back on the machine. That was a little scary but I got it done. I was getting ready to assemble the rods and place them in the pockets when I hit a snag. Patty of Katydids Quilting Studio told us that we can get dowel connectors to make the joint in the rods more stable. I took the sample pieces that came with the kit to Loews and got the smallest dowel screws they had, 1/4 by 1 1/2 inch. Unfortunately they were too big around. I could not screw them into the rod ends. I had to go on Amazon.com and order 3/16 x 1 1/2 inch screws. The screws won't be in until December 1st at the earliest. With it being the holidays I am thinking it will be December 6th. So that particular project is on hold until they come in.

The think I feel the best about the progress I made in cleaning up the studio. My work space is much more inviting now. I packed up my old serger and it is ready to send off to it's new home with my best friend Bear. My new one is in place and I need to read read the manual and get it ready to make some receiving blankets for my daughter's baby. I also have a few gifts to make and it is much more pleasant to work in a neat space. So yes my great accomplishment this week is cleaning in the studio.

I still have more work to do and I will do it a little at a time between Holiday prep but I am ready to take on the Holidays.

How are you feeling about the Holidays? Are you ready to tackle the prep work?

A Reminder that I am a still a Quilting Wannabe

I finally got around to quilting the braid quilt. I used a wandering stipple pattern and it looks really good with the Friendship Braid pattern.  But the quilt itself was the problem this time.

I made this quilt from 2" X 4" scraps about 4 years ago. It was one of those times when I wasn't feeling really well (I do tend to want to quilt when I am sick). I didn't want to cut fabric to start a new project but I wanted to be sewing. I had been shown the way to make the braid at a 4-H leader meet. I had all these scrap strips so I started sewing.

Now these scraps weren't the best fabric but they were free so not a huge loss if it turned out badly. I sewed several braids.  I really liked how they turned out. Next I had to figure out how to put them together. I decided to put a 2" sashing strip between the braids. That meant I needed to trim the the braids. 

What I should have taken into consideration was that when I trimmed the braids, I was making the
edge of the braid a bias edge.  I not only trimmed the long sides of the braids but also the ends. Once they were bias edges I needed to use much more care in handling the braids. I didn't. I had put this quilt aside to work on a different quilt and it has sat in a storage box until a couple of months ago.  I pulled it out and put the outer borders on it. I measured the top and made the back for it. All the while it never occurred to me I was dealing with bias edges. A very amateurish move.

I put the top on the machine without cleaning up the back. So as I unrolled the quilt it left all sorts of threads on the top. I was constantly using the lint roller on the top.



Then when I went to quilt it there were all sorts of bulges and ripples in the top. Not just loose tension. the bias edges had stretched in spots.  I tried to steam them out without much luck.


I can't tell you how many tucks I had to pick out.





But worse is the outer borders. I could not get them quilted without ripples in them. In the end I was very frustrated.

Such a pretty top that I messed up with careless inattention to details. This quilt is for my son, Killian. He thinks it is wonderful and figures it will keep him warm even if it is not perfect. He especially loves that it is made from scraps. Killian says I am my own worst critic and I see minor imperfections as major ones. I love his support but these were not minor imperfections. I appreciate how he tries to make me feel better about my work.

I think I will eventually make another friendship braid quilt. Next time before I trim the braids I think I will take a clue from garment making. I am going to try stitching down the strip a short way from the cut line before trimming. Hopefully that will stabilize it. Then I will be a lot more careful while handling bias edges.

Next up on my list of things to do is put the leader grips on the backing leader and the take up leader. Also I will replace the quilt top leader. That should just about finish the up grades to my machine.  I also need to revisit my design wall. It needs a little more tweaking. Actually a lot more tweaking. Maybe even a whole redesign.

Minute Incremental Progress

It's been a rather un-productive week. I have mentioned that it is our busy season at work. I worked at least 9 1/2 hour days all week. Well except Friday. Friday they were cleaning a roaster at work and I had to leave early due to the fumes.  I was feeling rather tight in the chest this week anyway. So I am really trying to not have asthma flare. I came home and slept. Hopefully I will be able to keep a flare at bay. Especially since I will be working very long hours this week.

Then yesterday was Mule Days. Mule Days is a festival in a little unincorporated town here in Southern Georgia. It is really quite a fun day. I have found that there are all sorts of little festivals put on by towns all over the south. Usually it is the Lions Clubs doing it. We go to 2-3 of these festivals every year. It is a fun family day for us.

So needless to say, I got very little done. I feel like I never have time or energy to do anything. It has felt this way for two months now. It is kind of getting me down. But I have made some very small incremental progress.  Most of it this weekend.

I have managed to get the Christmas Lemonade Quilt blocks together and measured for the border. I just need to dig out the fabric I bought several months ago for the border and the back. I am not sure where we put it.

I still have to get the Friendship Braid Quilt quilted. I promised this quilt to Killian and he keeps asking how it is coming. I will try to get the batting cut before bed tonight. I did get the bobbins wound for it though. And the brown thread on Millie. So I am a little closer. I also tried to figure out what pattern I wanted to use. I think it will be a simple stipple.

The other thing I managed to get done is change the clamps changed on Millie. The original clamps that came with the machine were small spring clamps. They worked just fine. but I always felt they should be a little wider.


I told you last week I bought the OXO clamp kits from Patty at Katydids Quilting Studios. Well today I got them on. It was just a matter of unscrewing the bolts and taking the clamps off and putting the new clamps on.

I think these will give better tension on the sides than the smaller  clamps. After I get Killian's quilt off the machine I will put the snap system on the leaders. Oh after I replace the top leader. I was suppose to do that back in April.

I need to clean the studio some time this week as well. I have some things that need cleaned up, some piles that need take care off, some fabric that needs put away. I also need to get my new saddle stool set up. I am hoping I find it more comfortable than my dining room chair for working at the Long arm. I also need to clear my dining room table so I can cut fabric for the borders of the Christmas Lemonade Quilt as well as cutting the fabric for the flying geese blocks to finish the Irish chain.

I just expect that I will be pretty tired this week. So I am not setting any goals other than doing what I have time and energy for.  I am however writing down the things I want to get done and going from there. This way I can see what little progress I do make.

How do you keep yourself moving forward?