Exchanges and gifts

These were a gift given yesterday to a special friend for her Birthday - I can reveal it completed now.

She recently moved to her new house and this beautiful colour is throughout her house.  The fabric - with perfect lines to quit on, just yelled out that this was for her :)

As I usually put my trademark Ladybug on the quilts..and had forgotten to quilt it on these ones...I painted on the ladybug instead with fabric paints.

 It was fun to quilt this one.

Showing the back and its Ladybug.
I wrote the 'greeting ' on the lines of the quilt and didn't need to put a label on it :)

I still have quite a bit of this fabric too :)

This was all sewn on my DSM.

Just off the Frame,

Completed this yesterday actually!

I felt a bit more comfortable with this ...when I got to the end of it!

The first 3 top blocks...that you cant see.. I did a different filler design before I settled with the McTavishing within the circle. 

v

I found it ery difficult to do the side borders as it was worked.. 'backwards ' for me... and I couldn't remember what I had done at the top ...need to make notes as I go I think.

The small swirls in the sashing were a little unsteady - that got easier toward the last bit too. 

However.....

When I unrolled the quilt - I had this tension issue to deal with - so I am frogging this...in the circles across the top blocks... 

I will have to resew these sections with the machine on the table now and get back to my frame later with another quilt..

I had such issues with the tension till I figured out how to get it right, bringing the machine to the end of the table, and fastening it with Velcro firmly to the frame so it wouldnt move when I did my test bits by moving my hands.  I have not been very successful using a small hand mirror  to see under the quilt as I sew.  

Still working that one out.

Will do some frogging over the weekend as I cant see it well enough at night.....

so Back to the DWR for a bit.

DWR

Progress

More pinned for tomorrow

Thinking I may need to cut out more fabric pieces.  I had planned this quilt to be 7 circles in length and 6 circles wide. but I have the rows laid down for 9 by maybe 7.  I will check as I go along.

I am finding it easier to do now that I have at last got it in my head how  I am actually   getting this all put together.

1.0am and I am off to bed...

On the Frame, DWR,

Took me all day yesterday to get this much done on the frame....

getting used to stopping where the throat plate of the machine ends is taking some planning.

I am working to get at least one row of blocks done and the side borders

Plus, while sewing, the machine came unplugged at the back  - and I lost all my settings...so thats where I need to start today...sort out the settings and the tension.

Fortunatley I have discovered how to sit in front of the machine at the end of the frame to do this..plus I 'anchor' the machine with one of my side tensions so that I can actually test sew on some fabric...with my hands ...as I am used to...as its difficult to see under the frame with a small hand mirror and I don't have enough fabric on the quilt to test on

I am using Aurafil 50 in the top and Invisafil in the bobbin.

Needle I am currently using is an embroidery needle 75

I also have this heap for sewing the melons together for my DWR.

May need to get some of this done before I get lost at the frame again.

I do have some of the pieces worked out on the design board...and sew and watch through the window to see the birds fly in to get a drink from the bird bath.

DWR.,

Moving between the Fame and my DWR

This is what you call an organized mess.
 So there is some progress here...

I have completed one melon...only 96 to go...!

Slow going but just as well I love a challenge :)

I have all the arcs sewn - but have yet to put all the corner pieces on.  Am ( trying to) doing these 10 at a time and trying to get those arcs completed as I go.

May play on the frame in between times today :)

FMQ and playing,

On the frame today

I did draw the feather on freehand first, but didn't take too much notice of it..

My todays piece..... I had problems with thread and tension.

Took me ages to get this done..lots of sorting lots of concentration ... and quite a few words !

DH took the machine off the frame - and I sorted it...till it got back on the frame...and I found out I could have sorted it by getting the machine up to one end of the frame, and sitting with it there.. :)

I changed the top thread to a Glide, which was kindly lent me to try and it worked a treat...Autifill in the bobbin..

Things you learn!

So now I need to sort my Sewing room and get some more DWR bits completed.. and more PPP tomorrow...as I hstill have space on my PPP piece to do a bit more...dont want to take it off till all the space is sewn...THEN I can put a quilt on there...

Whoo hoo

On the Frame!, FMQ and playing

YES!!  

10pm at night...and FMQ

Just completed this section on the frame.

I am happy at last.  

Feel as though I am getting somewhere and feeling more comfortable.

I have my hum-purr :)'

NO BSR and all is good.  I may even get there !

I feel I may even be close to putting an actual quilt on the frame.

More PPP and play time tomorrow.

On the Frame!,

On the frame again today...

I tried something different and have been way more comfortable.

I attached my foot pedal,,, and undid the BSR,  Yes its a bit different, but it worked.  

I am not a fan of the BSR!

 Blue thread at the top is with the BSR... the rest I have done with the foot pedal and NOT the BSR.

The squares are 1".. I used the Frixion pen for the grids... and ironed it off carefully after I had completed what I wanted to sew. (while still on the frame)

I dont think I will use the Frixion pen to sew my main quilting, but for practice ..they are great, ( and I really love them)  but I am unsure of how they will behave after time.

Still a long way to go...but it feels easier.

 

A little awkward under the frame as I have my machines foot peddle on a large plastic container...

 

At present I am sitting on a kitchen stool.

Not the best,  but at least I can see what is being sewn and its more as I am used to.

I may take the height adjustments off the frame so I can stand comfortably without getting a crick in my neck.

Also may take off the lower bar, that the top goes on and just float the top and batting...

That way I can sit to sew... 

On the Frame!

I am trying.. and watching a heap of videos.... 

all hours of the night...when I can't sleep  

Ahhh

Taken from the back of the frame... side bit on the right is my test bit to check my stitching..

Had to put darker thread on as I couldnt see what I was sewing properly...very difficult when one is sitting sideways at the machine on a kitchen stool... or standing and trying to be about 8" shorter..

 

Up close - warts and all ....Ewwww

Back to my DWR I think... seems easier than this!

DWR., Design Wall,

Began my DWR ... again

THis time using my Go Cutter...which I love!

I put this up on my design wall to see how it was looking..

 Didnt really like all the bits that were not really blue...

So I unpicked them ..see below

what a mess I made...

 

Then put them up on the board again - before I did any more...

Now I am not sure if I should have just left them in and if I should do them again.

at least I now have worked our how to get most of it together... with huge thanks to Joanne,  from Manitoba in Canada,  tutorial found HERE which was SUCH a help for me...

thank you Joanne :)

Now if anyone has any suggestions as to...

should I keep just the blue - 

or should I go back to how I started... ??

 

I have certainly got lots of spare pieces 

 

I am weary of thinking about it at presentso will go sit and watch some TV - for a change ..

FMQ, Using the Bernina Quilting Frame,

I made this a little while ago.

 Its a beautiful design by Sherry Rogers-Harrison  I bought from Digi-Tech Designs  You can find this design here.

I still need to get it painted...Another UFO

In the meantime I have been working at getting to know my Bernina Quilt Frame a little better

I spent about 12 hours yesterday - with many breaks in between... trying to get a different leder system going...BUT have gone back to the original instructions...

as you do!

Got this up at about midnight... Lots of trials and tribulations

BUT lots of learning.

I was trying to get leaders and side leaders made as per Sharon Schamber... and watched her video on YouTube such a lot ( There are 3 videos on this  ) .. but it didn't work..so far!

I have abandoned that for the present!

I joined two bits of fabric for the quilt top..not well as you can probably see, attempted to get the batting and the top sewn on along the top of the backing... that in itself was difficult... 

I am still trying to work out how I can get the machine lower to see if I can actually sit at it...in the meantime the kitchen stool is working some...but not good on neck and back.

I will either need to increase the height to stand, or decrease it to sit!

A least I have managed to get ti all on the frame...and actually understand how the leders and the loiading works!

So - My second time on the Frame...and by 1.00am I had this much done...using the BSR which I NEVER use and am most uncomfortable with...however I couldn't manage the foot pedal as the connection to the machine kept disconecting as the cord was not long enough... or the box on the floor not big enough or high enough :(

I also tried putting the table top of the 820 on the machine...

which seemed OK for now...

I still need the table top to be more level as in the middle of the 'piece' the machine keeps moving forward on its own...not good if the BSR is on!

So there you have it...quite a saga.. and ready for lots of practise sewing.

However I now have to do a major clean up in my studio.. and get some more pieces cut out for my Double Wedding ring quilt. Not to mention all the other UFO's and some binding on a certain quilt.

It was quite early in the morning by the time I finally got to bed!

Quilting Frame,

My Bernina quilting Frame arrived on Friday.

It was brought down from Perth - about 180kms away, and put together for me!   

Well - I think I must have been really tired and a little tipsy.. we had a visitor, and it was that time of the evening.

On Friday I watched the Bernina video on YouTube several times before I worked out how to just put put the fabic on !

As you can see I have a real mess in my studio!

On Saturday I finally got all the fabric and batting worked out.

Did some very strange quilting on Saturday .. and thought - my gaad what have I done.

  This is the last thing I did yesterday - which was also my first day at the quiltingon the frame

I wrote to one of my online friends Rhianon Taylor

who also has one of these frames...and she was REALLY helpful.

She made me feel loads better! Also suggested a stool to sit on.

I now have a kitchen stool in place to sit on and my DH found a box for me to put my foot pedal on.  I really have not been able to use the BSR - 1 or 2.  

I have a stop start button coming soon.

 This was my effort today... and now I will have a bit of a break and come back to it later.

We have an overseas visitor arriving tomorrow and I need to get some other things done. 

So - sore neck sore back and lots of work ahead of me!!

Home and Designs, Piecing, Using my Go-cutter,

Busy two days... using my new Go-cutter.

(Which I loved)

An easy design this one... I only wanted to do the 2.5" squares

so designed an easy quilt in EQ7 and cut it all out

Always hoped to do a red and white quilt.

Plus - I get to use up some of my stash... which I really need to do.

Well here is my project... those small squares were so easy and quick to get done.

I have one block sewn  as you can see on the design board.. and all the mostly white blocks are sewn

I visited Cristy Fincher 's blog.  Her blog is Sew Much Like Mom

Had a bit of a revalation.  I watched her video on Glue basting... and made the blocks you see on my board with this method....

 I listened to the Outlander series of books by Diana Gabaldon for the 4th time!!

The blocks were so easy to sew together with the glue basting..no pins and I had practised perfecting my 1/4' seams.

which is something I have been having trouble with..

It worked a treat!

Time passed very quickly too as I listend to my audiobooks.

Now I have ALL my blocks prepared and ready to sew... it didn't really take me long.

I may have to wait till after ther weekend though, to get them together

I am trying to get some easy projects done so I can have something ready when/if my Bernina quilt frame arrives in the very near future.
That's my excuse anyway :)

Oh and I did some cooking.  Two quiches and an all in one apple cake 

from a recipe that I saved from facebook last week...

This is the second one I have made in a week...so easy .. and very yummy!

Till next time

Painting on fabric.,

Well here I am again  - playing with my paints.

I used my Inktense pencils - tried out all the different colours first.. and then tried some that I fancied on  the reverse side of the feathers I painted on the other day

Feeling brave - I put pencil to fabric!  I have watched some beautiful videos that

Sherry Roggers-Harrison has made,  showing how she does her fabulous painting on her quilts.

It looks so easy - but of course its is SUCH  skill,  and she does it so well

Didnt think I put enough pencil on at first..

So redid some of the pencils colour..

Not easy to get all that colour ( not  a large space really) to go on very evenly.

So this is it so far and I wish I knew what to do next :)  Probably go round the design with a black ink Gel pen, which I also got from Sherry...

Now I am going to clean up my studio and start some other thing ... and wait for inspiration to call again.

Not sure how I will finish this up... the background ??  The fabric Sherry has supplied with her quilting sample on is really beautiful and so easy to paint on...

I guess this is one more thing that needs PPP :)

Painting on fabric.,

Had a break from piecing today and did some playing 

with paint on fabric for a change.

Made a mess, which I need to clean up now.

Not really quite sure what I am doing... but enjoying the process

Played with this .. found in a box with things I have quilted in the past.  

Two toned leaf is painted with Inktense pencils. 

the other two leaves are with dry paints from Sherry Rogers Harrison

 and the mediaum I used to use the paint and the pencils was Paintfusion, also from Sherry.. 

some with glitter and some without.

 This is my sample piece... not very neat...but that's OK

And this is another play piece I found tin the box..

All practising for some lovely pieces - prepared for me by Sherry... 

You can see what she offers on her blog - all terrific!

Off to clean up now.

Mysteries, Painting on fabric.

I am a little late with Bonnie Hunters Celtic Solstice, but am having a go with it nevertheless.

However - I mad a boo-boo and ended up with this

200 or so blocks all the wrong size!  

Should have checked!

 These ones I wont be using...

Maybe one day I will unpick them.. lol

Making the next lot - Clue #1with Inklingo 

 Working on Clue #2

and doing just 20 at a time...no hurry :)

and HERE is my play time.

I was lucky to get some wonderful goodies when I sent away to Sherry Rogers Harrison

 and got a starter kit and some other scrumptious things to work on.

SO ... here it is all ready for me to start..

And I found lots of things of my own to play on too...

More later

Carpenter Star, FMQ,

The end is in sight!

Last night I finally completed the quilting on the borders.

Only the binding to go now...so I have a decision to make for the binding  fabric.....and then the hand sewing

Not something I love.

The last borders I did were the small dark blue ones.. I was going to add something to the one between the dark blue and the green, as there are many puckers...but decided to stop and hope they are better when the quilt is washed. 

 I also thought - enough is enough!

One of my two trademark ladybugs

And the second, which took me quite a while to find.  I did think I had a third, but must have decided that was enough!

SO - now for the binding ...pheww!

Oh ... and the quilt measured 105" by 88" I thought it was King size, but maybe not quite!