Miscellaneous

 While it may seem like I've only been working on the Project Quilting challenges since the beginning of the year I haven't. There is a week between each challenge. During that time, I've been trying to get a few little things done. 

Like...

Piecing odd leftover backing flannel strips into new quilt backs. This is my third one. I have at least three more to go.

Don't faint! I've been making Aunt Daisy blocks. This is four out of five that are made...eleven more to go. I've made the executive decision that I'm going to make a queen size quilt using twelve blocks and a lap size with a pieced border using four blocks.

I quilted and donated another quilt top. 

And I have sorted through my fabric bundles and donated a lot to the guild boutique. A lot! The bin was full of flannel pinwheel blocks and HST flannel blocks - Angela brought them up last October. It went to our guild community service coordinator.

Little things but it sure feels good to have them done.

Project Quilting 16.2 Ombre'

 
I haven't made and finished a quilt in ages, much less making and finishing a quilt in less than a week.

You can see all of the PQ 16.2 submissions here. Here is my finished Ombre' quilt.

I put a soft blue flannel on the back.

I'm really happy that I got to use up some very old fabrics in my stash.

I'm not very happy at some of the ridiculously rookie mistakes I've been making lately. I don't know what I was thinking when I pieced the back.

I had to cut away the batting to make sure I wasn't hitting the leader pins.

I don't recommend playing backing chicken.

What to do?

 The new Project Quilting challenge is Ombre. Okay...my two rules, must be easy to make and must use stash. I have two ombre fabrics in my stash... a yard of a pink (not enough) and 1.5 yards of blue (might be able to work with this.

I've had this Villa Rosa pattern for a while and have been wanting to make it for ages. It calls for two yards, I only have 1.5 yards. So, I took a bit of creative license. I'm only making the center and turning it 45 degrees.

This pattern is really easy and fast to make. The top was cut and made in a little over 24 hours - maybe 6 hours total cutting and sewing time.

I'm going to donate the quilt...so, should I add borders and make it wider - 52 x 59?

Or leave it as is - 45 x 59?

I like them both.

FYI, when you fudge up and quilt the binding selvage to the back of your quilt.

Turn it into a label. Hehehehehe

User Error

 In my former work life one of the things I did on a regular basis was provide application tech support. I'd say 98% of the time the problem was not the application but user error. I never (rarely) told the user they screwed up - I told them it was a learning opportunity or that the user guide or tutorial videos were not very clear...I wrote and produced both.

In my case, I definitely screwed up.

In preparation of quilting my Project Quilting challenge (see previous post), I cut the backing out, cut the binding out, dropped the feed dogs on the Juki, set the pressure foot pressure to zero and the stitch length to zero. I practiced a little bit of free motion quilting on a test sandwich, made a few adjustments to the tension and was ready to go.

I had planned on doing a little bit of echo quilting and nothing more.

First issue: The fused tips of my applique piece were started to lift up. No problem, I switched to some raw edge applique. I suck at raw edge applique.

Second issue: After getting about 2/3's of the quilting done I couldn't move the sandwich. ??  Somehow, I had gotten the binding stuck under the quilt (I originally thought I'd flipped a piece of the back under the quilt). I had caught the raw edge of the binding and jammed it into the throat plate. I had to cut a hole in the binding, then dig out the fabric and thread from the throat plate. Okay, I'm done quilting.

Third issue: In order to sew on the binding, I set the pressure foot pressure back to normal, raised the feed dog and I replaced the free motion foot with the walking foot. Got distracted by something, who knows what it was it is easily done, put the needle down into the quilt - WHAM! Broke the needle on the unattached walking foot. Replaced the needle and very securely attached the walking foot.

Fourth issue: Again, put the needle down into the quilt and pressed the foot pedal to start attaching the binding...didn't move, thread jammed up in the throat plate. ?? Cleaned everything out and tried again. Same thing. Checked the machine - feed dog are working correctly. Checked the walking foot - looks okay, re-attached it. Tried it again, same thing. 

After adding more money to the cuss jar, I moved over to the Baby Lock. I don't have a working walking foot for it (replacements are $135 - ouch!). So I very carefully sewed the binding to the front of the quilt, and even more careful stitched in the ditch on the front to attach the backside of the binding. Might of missed a few spots.

Here is the back of the quilt.

Yes, I caught the selvage edge. No, I didn't cut it out as with my luck that night I would have probably cut a hole in the back. Yes, I forgot to change the bobbin thread to black. 

Luckily the front looked good, so I wrote my post and linked it up to the Project Quilting website.

About two hours after I posted and linked my finished project it dawned on me...stitch length! I forgot to reset the stitch length from zero to two! I definitely screwed up.

 

Project Quilting 16.1 Mythical Creatures

 

I think I spent two days looking up mythical creatures before I finally selected the phoenix. I planned to a simple silhouette. I found a free clipart silhouette and thought perfect, nice and easy.

Why don't I ever stick to the plan?

First, it was making the bird from the colors of a fire, not one or two colors but ten. Then I got to think about how the phoenix rises from the ashes of fire ... so I fussy cut flames - luckily, I had the perfect fabric to use. I also used the flame fabric to bind this 11 x 11.5 inch little quilt.

I do like how he turned out. Come back on Monday and I'll tell you about all my boo-boo's making him. ;o)

Mythical Creatures

I finished the flannel quilt top.

The binding has been cut out and the back is ready to be pieced. I'd really like to finish the quilt this week but...

The first Project Quilting challenge has been released: Mythical Creatures. Yikes! I've spent the last 24 hours looking up mythical creature images. Lots of dragons, fairies, unicorns and gnomes. Stephanie said Pegasus, Angela said Dragon. I was thinking Egyptian mythology. I'm settling for something easy since it has to be finished by next Sunday.

This phoenix will be easy to make - simple raw edge applique.

My inspiration fabric and a bunch of hand dyed fabric I've had in my stash since 2000.

Wish I had brighter oranges, reds and deep rust, but this will have to do. No shopping allowed (my rule, not Project Quilting's rule).