CHQuilts: #hand-quilting
Showing posts with label #hand-quilting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label #hand-quilting. Show all posts

Wednesday, January 29, 2020

I just had an epic quilting day

I finally completed my latest quilt top. This quilt—Sizzle—the 2019 Block of the Month project from The Quilt Show was designed by Becky Goldsmith, who did an awesome job creating and sharing this lovely pattern and providing instructional videos. She also included numerous tips and ideas that were very helpful.

This project took up most of 2019 for me, even though I got a pretty late start on it. The blocks were paper pieced and the border was appliqued.

The project was billed as a kit, but the pattern was free to members of The Quilt Show, co-hosted by Alex Anderson and Ricky Tims. I love this show and have written about it many times in CHQuilts. I decided to pick my own colors and fabrics for this project. It is similar to the color of the kit fabrics, but I wanted to use my own. I really enjoyed picking my own color combinations for each block. These are some of my favorite colors.

This project offered great challenges for me. This wasn’t the first time I’ve done paper piecing, but these patterns were fairly complex. Each endeavor honed my skills. Ironically though, each attempt at something new, whether I’ve done it before or not, always feels like a first. Perhaps the real skill I’m really improving upon is simply overcoming the fear of cutting into all that beautiful yardage.

Like paper-piecing, this wasn’t the first time I’ve used applique on a quilt, but the technique, which I’ve described in a previous post in CHQuilts, was new to me. I am pleased with the results.

I’m not sure what kind of backing fabric I want to use or if I want to piece the backing. And, I have no idea how I want to quilt this quilt. I may spend some time working on other projects as I attempt to figure that out.

The second part of my epic quilting day had to do with a quilt I’ve had lying around unfinished for far too long. It is a purple Dresden Plate quilt that I chose to hand-quilt. I decided to work on it last night, while listening the Donald Trump impeachment hearings.

I found that I was just not enjoying the hand-quilting as much as I once did, at least not on this quilt. That was a reason I wasn’t working on it. I just didn’t want to admit it to myself. But last night, I decided to be honest about it. I just wasn’t loving it like I normally do.

There were many reasons for this, not the least of which included some wrinkling in the backing fabric. That is a real no-no!

I had initially spray-basted the quilt sandwich and over time, and this neatly folded piece of fluff in the living room became a favorite resting place for one or more of my cats, the integrity of the quilt sandwich had broken down. I made a big mistake as well, in trying to quilt all the ‘plates’ first instead of starting in the middle and working outward. In fact, I hadn’t even decided what to quilt in the borders. That decision along with some marking should have been done from the middle out. I also quilted without a hoop. By not working from the middle out, it was dangerous not to use a hoop and keep the backing tight. I had only completed the quilting on five of the 20 blocks.

Additionally, I wasn’t careful about how I pressed seams, so trying to work the needle was difficult. I no longer have calluses on my fingers so pricking my finger and the edge of the thimble was just not comfortable. I also noticed that my eyesight isn’t what it used to be. For all these reasons I decided I would quilt this quilt on my sewing machine.

With all these factors, I made the decision to remove all the stitching I had already done. I grabbed my favorite seam ripper and began making a huge pile of thread. I got all of my “unsewing” completed that evening.

Just having that decision made, and having a clean project ahead, I’m getting a little bit excited about finishing this quilt.

I really enjoy hand quilting it isn’t drudgery as this one was. When there are just two layers of fabric and batting, which was not the case with these tiny blades of the Dresden Plate, hand-quilting is a joyful activity. That was not the case with this project. I think I knew I would never finish it. So, that has all changed. I’m excited about pressing the fabric again and starting over with my sewing machine. Truthfully, I can’t wait to get started. I suspect this will be a beautiful quilt.

Friday, September 8, 2017

Quilting never ceases to amaze me

I just realized that one more aspect of quilting--one that I had never even considered--is how it has improved my writing.

No, I don't mean writing as in crafting a blog post, I mean my actual handwriting. I'm a handwriting fan, always have been and always will be. When I heard that some schools wanted to do away with teaching handwriting, I was livid. I think it is a vital communication skill that is also a well-rooted tradition. Imagine if John Hancock and other signers, simply printed their names on the Declaration of Independence. But that is another blog post in another blog. In fact, I already wrote it. https://rural01.blogspot.com/2012/07/cursive-writing-should-always-be-taught.html

But back to quilting. I've noticed that since I've been free-motion quilting, I have to consciously try to keep straight lines straight, without marking the fabric (because I hate to mark). I have learned to judge distance from seams and other lines of quilting; in essence training my eye. I used to be embarrassed about my writing, because it was always uphill. I compensated by always buying stationery with lines. 

I'm old enough to remember when we used to write letters to friends and family. I always loved to communicate, so I wrote lots of them. I used to receive many compliments on my penmanship. When I was in grade school, it was my best class. I remember once my mother-in-law had to send out thank you notes for some occasion. I was honored that she asked me to write them because she liked my writing. Personally, I don't think it is anything special, but I do enjoy writing, even though most of my writing is done on the keyboard now, like everyone else. 
grocery list

I did notice though, while writing a shopping list or addressing an envelope, or whatever I write, that I don't write uphill anymore. Oh, there is still a little hint of it, but not like before. By the way, please don't judge my handwriting skills from this tiny snippet. And by all means, don't judge my spelling skills here either. Who spells strawberries with only one "r"? 

Anyway, you get the point...This is just another reason to love quilting.