Machine Quilting

Here is a movie Andrea has just put together of how I have been using my Fine Line Rulers, designed by Carol Olsen, with my Domestic Sewing Machine, a Bernina 440 QE

Here are some pictures of the Black Berol pen in  stages as I washed it out...

 as you can see not much happened to the pencil. 

All the black turned bue and ran,  then the blue disappeard and the lines went rusty red.!

Then it was just pink water....and

All gone  in a matter of moments  .... except the pencil. 

I may just stick with the Berol washable marker.

Andrea is 'clonking' around on her Pointe shoes again!

I will be off-line for a while tomorrow as there will be someone looking down my throat... and thankfully I will be knocked out!

Andrea

As my sewing machines have been put away... nothing has been sewn!

The cyclone has been downgraded to a Low with damaging winds...so I am retrieving the machines and getting back to sewing later .  Andrea is helping me to move things back :)

Here are some photos of Andrea breaking in her new Pointe shoes.

As you can see - our small dog Sophie is not quite sure what is going on.



Machine Quilting

Its so hot - so some more photos

This is my first whole cloth that I have designed and sewn, with the help of lessons from Sharon Schamber.

Its is sewn on Cotton Sateen using whilte silk thread on top and Cream aurofil in the bobbin.  I didnt have enough white for the backing so used a cream Kona Bay cotton.

There really are some pencil marks here.

So now my dilema is - how to finish it...make a cushion or just bind it?

Too hot to do much today.

Should cut out some blocks :)

 

More quilting

I have been busy again...and it is sooooo hot!!

This is what I have been up to today

I have my Pffaf on the right and my Bernina 440 on the left. 

On the right I am working on the SITD for quilt I am quilting on for a friend

I dont have much more of that to do.

Think I have worked out what to do on the sashing...but thats all!

This is what I was finishing on the Bernina - and I actually got the tension right for the silk...I have marks on the bobbin and on the top tension... that interesting ...I actually remembered what they were for :)

I decided to wash it before I completed it,  to see what would happen to all the marking.

The light blue disappeared as it hit the water.. that was good!

The pencil I had marked,  I  had marked too hard...that was not good!

The black Berol washable pen did come out, but gave me a start as it went pink after a while - its out now...that is good, but was a bit of a worry

It soaked for nearly 24 hours.  Its washed and is drying, but some of the pencil is still showing.

Thats still not good.

Now the other interesting thing for us here is that we are on a Cyclone Watch!!

Unusual for us this far South.

Cyclone Bianca  is at present a Cyclone 3 category, and is curently tracking down our coast.  It is due to come in and hit us here...on Sunday, with winds at 120km/hour.

By then it should be a category 1!!

Scary!

No idea what to expect .  The last Cyclone we had this far down was in the 1970's - and I DO remember that!  Not good.

So tomorrow we need to move some loose things out of the way...

I may shift my sewing machines to another room just in case, and we will wait and see what happens.

Its HOT and very Humid just now!

Will let you know how we go.

Machine Quilting

A finish at last!!

And I have made it in time - whoopie

All washed and dried!

The back

One corner

I dont know why - but this photo turned itself sideways ??

My ladybug is on a feather - can you find it?

I was really delighted with it, and so pleased to see both the fine pencil I had drawn with and the washable Berol pen marking all washed out successfully

I did soak if for a couple of hours...and much to my horror there was a red dye from somewhere..so I kept washing it and all was well now.  I think it was from the Christmas style fabric backing.

Now on to other things.



The flag is proudly flying for Australia day .Plus a small mob of Kangaroos :)

It is also my eldest daughters Fiona's Birthday

We never forget her Birthday and she is delighted as she always has a holiday on that day.

I will try to get a photo of some kangaroos shorlty and add it to this post.

AND - here they are!!!  Took this photo a short while ago.

They all live just near us, fornunately not at our place :)

Happy Australia day everyone.

Machine Quilting

Some shots of the back of the Table Runner

At least the tnesion looks OK on the back :)

And today I was given this to quilt.... A first for me,  as I have never quilted someone else's quilt before!! 

I think with this one I will need to keep a log of time spent - and how much cotton I have used.

Its a practise one for me - but special to the owner and her friend who she is to give it to.

I has a wool wadding and is for a bed, so I guess the quilting should not be too intense?

Lots of ITD work to do first to anchor it...and I will see what to do from there.

I may do the ITD work with my Pffaf... and do this on the 'cutting' table to see how I go. 

Oh - for a long-arm - now woudn't that be fun!! 

Friday Night's Sew in

This is some of my Friday Night's Sew in...and now I am working out the small border.
This is a border I learnt from Carla Barrett of Feathered Fibers...I did a class with her in November.
I learnt a lot - including to draw before I sew :)

I am changing the colour of the thread to a light apricot as the pink I used before is too exact and its had to see where I am going. Its the lower one I will be using.

I am using Aurofil thread top and bottom.

I was disapainted with the sewing in the fillers in the circles as I didnt have the tension correct and try as I might - it didnt fix.  Sad...

Another learning curve.

Now to tackle the finishing small border...the binding will probaly take me longer :)



Friday Night Sew In

Today - I thought I would ask a question and show you some of my beautiful thread.

As it is FNSI - I will be doing the border of the runner today/night

My question is...do you think the border I have drawn is enough.  I am still looking at it today and trying to work out if maybe I should work more feathers in the border...I did also think that the 'piano' keys would add a nice contrast. You can see my trusty purple Marvey pen,  I drew this last night and in the heat a humidy here, it is fadeing fast!
You can also see the double curves I have done with my rulers.  It was not easy getting them even, but I got better by the time I had been around it completely. The sizes differ slightly at the corners so they all fit in.

You can also see my great stash of Aurofil thread which I got from Sue Jackson

of Sue's Sew EZ Designs

Her service is fantastic... in fact I hope to get some more soon.

Off to think and hopefully get some comments back

Machine Quilting

Some more of my progress with the table runner

I bought some sets of the Fine Line Rulers from Carol Olsen of Accents in Design....and have been learning how to use them on my DSM.

I actually forgot to use them for most of these corner blocks.

I dont usually use that foot, and find the closed toe darning foot works best. 

Sometimes it's difficult to see where I am going, and it's hard to learn that I need to allow for the 1/4" that the sewing foot takes up.  If you look closely at the corner, you can see where I did the lines freehand ... thinking to be a bit quicker...shouldnt have, but there you are.

I have drawn these corners in, and they are the same design that I have used in the corners of the blocks with the circles in.

Here is the completed corner..you can see the difference that using the ruler makes.

I just need  practice that a lot - and remember I have these great rulers!

I am using the 6" cc ruler to go around the border with and hope to sort some feathers in the inside cuve which you can see in this photo also...and do some 'piano' quilting on the rest of the border...

I am going to need to work out how it fits in, but I love a challenge.

I still have the 'fillers' to put in the white square blocks - and that will take some time too.

Back to my sewing now.

Machine Quilting

What I have been up to over the last few days.

I have just to complte the last centre of the white blocks - then I will start on the corners of these.

Majority of the Table runner is done.

Apart from the small pink border and the final white border...I have still some way to go.

It seems like I have been at this for ages ... it is to be finished in at least a couple of weeks - so hopefully I will make it.  Its for our neighbours Birthday and I hope it will be a surprise.

She never uses a computer, so I feel safe showing this :)

All that practise in Sophie's quilt worked well.

The backing is Christmas fabric and the thread there is a gold Aurofil, so it should look OK reversed,



Finished the 41 Alternating blocks for Joannes Quilt along

I just had enough of the purple to finish them...on the small ladder/chair you may be able to see some of the small pieces I had left.

I put them all up on the design board... they are not in odrder, but I now need to catch up on the blocks - sometime soon.

Some photos of Andrea , her brother and my eldest son - Andrew - her father.

They left for home today, so as you can see I have been busy.

Here they are having fun.

Going - going

Gone

Now for EQ7 lessons

Joannes Quilt Along

Still working on  my alternate blocks for Joannes Quilt Along
and the sad news is I dont have enough of the purple fabric to do all the 41 blocks...
So I guess things will work out somehow :)
(although I was sure I had some more...the gremlins have been here again.)

I have lost count of how many I am up to.

However as you may notice there is my EQ7 book waiting with the first of 4 lessons with  the Quilt University.  I am doing the EQ7 Sampler class.  It started on Friday ...and as I have had visitors all weekend and more today - I have slowed down a litle.  I need to knuckle down and do some of my homework...

So if I dont post in a while - I am busy and hopefully doing some fo both. 

I also have the table runner to quilt and complete by  the first week in February, for a friends Birthday.  Then I have friends coming to stay for a few days from the USA - I have been talking to one  for quite some years and this will be the first time we will have met in 'person'
So THAT is exciting :)

The second lesson  for EQ7 Sampler class starts on Friday - and I have yet to do lesson one! ...so my running shoes are on...and I am stumbling a bit :)

I think it will be a while before I get back to the blog...

What a busy time, but isnt it fun!!

Joannes Quilt Along

In between other things :)

I have been cutting out and sewing some of the alternate blocks for

Joannes quilt Along

I have yet to do the last 3 blocksJoanne has put up - so I am running behind a bit.

Visitors for weekend - catch up again soon.

Machine quilting

I was struck with inspiration in the early hours of this morning and drew half of this design before

I went to bed.

Centre stems may be a bit thick but will work on that when I am quilting.

I have just finished drawing it in black on the freezer paper and will iron it to the wrong side of the work, use my light board and draw it on with my Berol blue washabel ink pen... if I use the purple one - it will disappear before I get to it.

By now you will know I am still not brave enough to do the work completely freehand... but I want to get some symetry.  I enjoy drawing, and as you can see - the designs didnt match so I split the FP and now I hope I can place it correctly.  If not I will improvise.

I will draw the circles on later or freehand them.

Now I am off to again get stuff off my cutting board and iron on the FP.

Machine Quilting

Hoping all have a Happy and Healthy New Year for 1011.

I have managed, between having a couple of falls (good bones - just bruises ) and burning a couple of fingers on my right hand :(   .. all OK now...to get a few things sewn.

First completed is Sophies Quilt.

I used double cotton wadding and Aurofil thread top and bobbin.

May just do the singe cotton wadding on the table runner..not sure yet.

THhe blue washable Berol ink pen washed out quite well - but I think I maybe should have left it longer.

A small not too good photo just to show Sophie on her quilt.

Better to have something completed with my play quilting....she seems happy too :)

I have more to show later...Andrea has been busy playing with her small brother, who is here for a week,

And we had a great Christmas here with family and friends.

Family

and Friends :)

Andrea had to stick a pin in the balloons to get here gift and lots of sparklies.

More later.