Two Steps forward, One step back

I thought everything was going well yesterday, until I finished basting around the quilt and stitching in the ditch between the body and the border.  THEN, while feeling stitches underneath, I discovered a BIG 'bubble' of backing fabric. ARGHHH!!  Doing the stitching in the ditch between the body and the border and quilting the borders before the center/body of the quilt might work for others, but it definitely hasn't been working for me.   I called Colette to 'pick her brain' to see if there was something I didn't do that I should have; she's not a fan of the basting  & stitching in the ditch around the inner border before starting on the center either.

 I spent about an hour and a half last night ripping out basting stitches and removing the stitching in the ditches across the bottom and about 3/4 of the way up each side.  Checked and double checked - the 'bubble' is gone.... I do have a backing & batting border that is no longer straight ( see first pic) and have no idea why, but as long as the backing and batting beneath the quilt top is smooth, I'm not going to worry too much.... and the left side is straight - go figure!

 below is the first row of blocks finished

the rest of the pics are close ups of what I did.... 

So far, I'm pretty happy with what I've done... some blocks/sections I like more than others.  There are a couple little 'bumps' on the back but I'm hoping they'll disappear after a couple of times in the wash machine.

I have the second row all mapped out as to what design goes where... even got some of them stitched.  Now that I know what goes where it should make it alot easier & quicker to finish the second row - hopefully tomorrow afternoon.  Then, I'll map out the third row and try to work on it after hubby's dr. appointment on Tuesday ( he goes for second cataract procedure tomorrow & follow up the next day).  I obviously won't meet my goal of having it done today, but MAYBE I'll have it done in time to take to guild meeting this week :).

Gitter' Done

It's been one of those weeks... not just because of Thanksgiving.  Monday was hubby's first cataract surgery, which went GREAT, then Tuesday back to the eye dr to make sure everything went as planned.  Wednesday, I did manage to get the backing for Chris' quilt stitched together and onto Mo'e.  I had hoped to start stitching before we went to granddaughter's home for Thanksgiving dinner yesterday, but it didn't happen.  Last night, I worked on the gkids ornaments while watching some Christmas movie on tv.  Ended up staying up til midnight to watch the movie to the end.  Then I couldn't get to sleep until about 2:30 am.. have no idea what was going on there; I just couldn't fall asleep.
Needless to say, when I woke up just before 7 this morning, it wasn't enough sleep.  I had to stay up until 8 so that I could give hubby his eye drops... then I went back to sleep on the couch.  My phone alarm clock went off at noon - time for more eye drops... aw, it can wait another 1/2 hour.  When I finally get up ( 1/2 hr later), I give him the first drop but forget all about the second one due five minutes later - and he didn't ask about it until another 1/2 hr- 45 minutes later.... shaking my head....so we skipped that one and made sure that I didn't forget to give both at 4 pm.

About three o'clock I decided I'd better get to Mo'e.  Changed the needle, took needle plate off, cleaned & oiled around the bobbin case and cleaned the rails... then I was ready to load the top on.
Got that done and partially basted around the outer edges.

Finally I got to start the actually stitching!!

center of top border

right top corner ( oops!  didn't get the entire lotus lily in the pic)

from the left side.... '

ok, here's the pic with the entire lotus lily in the upper right corner.

I'm not real happy with some of the stitching, but Mo'e is fighting me again - not all the time, just in spots ( the rest of the so so quilting is my own fault).

Now, it's dinner time.... Got Stouffer's Escalloped Chicken in the oven... haven't tried before, but hubby SHOULD like it ( except for the carrots lol)

I probably won't work on the quilt again tonight.... will wait til morning ( or early afternoon - depending on how well I sleep tonight.

TTYL

Still practicing

Actually, yesterday I didn't get to do any practicing.  I had to take hubby for his first cataract removal and he was so sure that it would take us at least an hour to get there so we left here about 8:45 am; it took only about 1/2 hr so we were there in plenty of time since his appointment wasn't until 10.  Once we got back home ( about 1:30), I was tired because of not enough sleep the night before so I took about a two hour nap.  The rest of the day I just sat, gave hubby his doses of eye drops and fixed a simple dinner.

Almost as soon as hubby got up this morning, I turned Mo'e on and got some practicing in.  Had some glitches here and there -- at one spot he wouldn't move; kept looking around to see what the heck was going on... power cord had come out from under tape earlier and when I re-taped it, it was too short.  The rest of the glitches MIGHT have been because I didn't give Mo'e a good cleaning before starting and there's probably dust, etc on the rails.

 I don't like the feather on the left but I do like the one running along the bottom.  What I tried with the one on the left was to work from top to bottom on the left side of the spine - something I'm not used to doing; I really prefer starting at the bottom and working up to the top then tracing the spine back down to the bottom to start the feathers on the opposite side of the spine.

 practicing curved teardrops....

 curved teardrops with lotus feathers in the corners

 I'm basically happy with the curved teardrops and the lotus feathers above... still need to practice the curved teardrops some more - AFTER I clean Mo'es rails.  I'm thinking I'll use the lotus feathers to 'mark' the middle of each border and use the curved teardrops for the rest of the border space ( just in a larger version of what I've been practicing).

I have to take hubby back to the eye surgeon for a follow up in about an hour so I'll wait til later to clean Mo'e... MAYBE tomorrow I can get Chris' quilt loaded on.

Practice makes Progress

I keep telling myself that - practice makes progress - although I find myself arguing that it's not always true.  This is what I've done so far this morning....

some I like - some not so much and I'm not sure that practicing will help all that much.  i.e. the strips with half circles and spiral in the middle.  I knew it wasn't going to be easy for me to do without using a curved ruler, but I didn't think it was going to be this UGLY.

Yesterday was the second day of the guild's weekend sew in... and the first snow of the season.  I had left my machine at the library so HAD to go back down there, but didn't take any projects with me to work on.  Wendy brought in a breakfast dish that she made for us to try; it was ok, but apparently I've developed a sensitivity to eggs - I was passing sulpherous gas all afternoon ( and am I ever glad I didn't stay for afternoon quilting!!  the others might have run me off after the first 'leak') 

 Anyway,  I just sat and chatted with the others with the plan that I would pick up the guild's batting before the LQS closed at noon.  I ended up calling and asking them to hold it for another day; that I was worried about slipping and falling trying to carry the rolls into the house.  On the way home just before noon, I stopped at Walmart for some E-6000 and some ribbons; of course I ended up buying much more... but that's ok because I found a dachshund puppy calendar for our oldest son and some 'bling' to add to the annual Christmas ornaments I'm making for most of the grand and great-grand kids.... this is what I have done so far  ( all last night after dinner)

I was beginning to think that I wasn't going to come up with something to make for this year.  I had bought some clear glass ornaments a couple of years ago with the idea of somehow putting pics on/in them.  Found some decal paper that you can print on with your home printer; tried it the other night - no, not happy with the results.  Probably still doable, but NOT less than a month before Christmas.  

So anyway, I saw the snowmen somewhere online - facebook or pinterest ( or maybe both) - hit the dollar store and got almost everything I needed... didn't trust my Aleene's glue to hold and that's why I went looking for the E-6000.  Four done... twenty? more to go.

Ok, guess I'd better get back to Mo'e... practice, practice, practice makes progress.  Oh, and I got the fabric I bought for son's quilt backing serged, washed and folded so it's ready to piece to the pieces I already had.... hope to do that later today, but it might have to wait until I get back from hubby's cataract removal tomorrow.

4:51 pm  

more practicing :)

I really like what's in the triangle, but not sure if I want what I put in the strip.

time to feed Chewy ( the cat) and fix our dinner :).

TTYL

Still practicing

some things I obviously need more practice on; other things I probably won't try on son's quilt - and some I'm definitely going to use on it.

I'm thinking I should put another quilt top onto Mo'e while I'm waiting for the backing for son's quilt to come in... but probably won't since I have sewing with the guild gals this weekend and hubby's cataract surgery Monday.
TTYL

I'm so excited!!

Knock on wood, but Mo'e is working BEAUTIFULLY this morning... even with using odds & ends of bobbins ... have a pre-wound in him now ( first time I've tried one).
First off, after loading the practice fabrics, I basted and then did a straight line of stitching, changing the stitch length every three or four inches.  I then went back and measured an inch of each section to find how many stitches per inch it was giving me... found out that I like #5 which is just to the right of the middle - it gives me 10 stitches per inch, which I think is what I'm most comfortable with for most stitching; I'm sure I'll need to shorten the stitches if I want to do tiny bubbles/circles.

I really want my son's quilt to come out as something I'm REALLY proud of... it will be worth all the sketching, erasing and re-sketching - and, now, practicing on Mo'e.  I'm still working on what to put where, but I have a pretty rough idea of what I want/what will work for me.

Ok, back to Mo'e and PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE :)

TTYL

I'm back.... left leg started hurting, gf in N.H. called and I needed a nap so playing on Mo'e has to wait til tomorrow - or Thursday, which is ok since I just went down to our LQSs to get the backing fabric for this quilt from one shop and to pick up one of my domestic machines ( Marie) from the other one.  I got Marie, but the other shop was out of the fabric I need.  She ordered more while I was there - and hopefully it will be in by next Tuesday.  That will give me plenty of time to rest up my leg and get errands ran tomorrow & sew in on Friday and Saturday ( and hubby's first cataract surgery on Monday) - and to practice more on Mo'e.

Cya later :)

Now comes the hard stuff :(

I started - and finished - my Christmas song challenge for the guild over Friday and Saturday.  Yesterday, I sandwiched and pinned the wall hanging I received from the guild's Brown Bag challenge - haven't started quilting it yet, though.

 My excuse is that I'm waiting for "Marie" ( my newer Janome) to come back from being cleaned; the truth is, I don't know how I want to quilt it.

Which brings me to today's 'hard stuff'....  how to quilt my son's quilt.  Here's what I have so far... but none of it is set in stone - I'm still playing with ideas I'm finding online and from the papers we received from Sue Patten last month.

this is block one (above)... there are five of these
block two (on the right) only has four blocks, thank goodness....











I'm pretty sure that I want to do feathers on the borders, so I don't want to fill up the majority of the blocks with feathers, too... I'm trying to make it more masculine.  And I don't want it covered in stitching... I want it a LITTLE 'fluffy'.  Right now,  I'm thinking that I want to change thread colors instead of using just one  ... use chocolate brown for the brown and the black and then use ecru for the creamier parts.

I think tomorrow I'll put fabric and batting onto Mo'e to practice with...will try sketching 3" strips and filling them to see what I do and don't like... what I'm comfortable with doing and with what just isn't going to happen this month.