A very productive week

[Eileen K.]

Well I am very proud of myself. I know that a person should be humble and all. BUT my family picks on me constantly about all of my unfinished projects. Well because I was grounded to the house. (Trees were cut down and I was ordered not to touch) Any way I was able to finish 4 little girl dresses, 3 bonnets, tie 2 quilts, put the border on 2 quilts, and baste the backing on a quilt. Mind you these quilts are a little bigger then crib size, but it feels good to have them off the to do side. Now I am going to try to finish the first quilt I ever started by myself. What a screw up that was. I was 14 and my sister was pregnant. Gramma was ill that year and mom was very busy. So I was doing it myself. Needless to say I did it the hard way. It is amazing I ever tried to quilt again. Any way what were any of your first quilting triumphs and tragdies (sp)?

[Beth A.]

I made quilts for our children when they were babies, but my first "real" quilt was a Joann Fabric BOM back in 1999 - 2000. I loved doing it and liked how it looked when I was done. I was pretty excited to really quilt my first quilt.

And THEN I made a fateful mistake. Instead of sending it out to be quilted or quilting it on the machine (it was pretty big -- at least double size), I decided to HAND QUILT it. "A little treat to myself," I said. Hah!

I was gung ho for a while, but that is a BIG sucker! It was taking me so long to quilt that I got restless to start another, more interesting quilt. I watched Simply Quilts every day religiously, and all those other patterns and techniques were calling out to me. Plus, as I slogged through that quilt, that I was increasingly regarding as being too basic (too few fabrics) and the quilting too far apart. Then I realized that the quilting I had done in about half the borders was off center and had to be removed. That was it!

Well, it is all basted and 80% quilted. And it's been in that condition for about 6 years. We use it that way in our family room. (In fact, it already needs washed!) The kids keep asking when I'm going to finish it, and I just can't put my other quilting projects aside to finish this quilt.

My label for the quilt is all made up and ready to be applied to the back. The title of the quilt: "How I Spent My Year 2000". What a joke!

How about "How I Spent the First Decade of the 21st Century"?

BethMI

[Beth A.]

Good job I finish hand quilting a baby quilt now I have to sew the binding on it I have to finish my cursie quilt my sister said that I have to work on it next and do some thing for my self I got no sew done to day Stephanie had a Horse show was in the sun all day and have red arms Happy

[Beth A.]

My first quilt was the made from the same pattern book Ricky Tims used when he first got into quilting, but I did not make the full sampler. Instead I for some goofy reason thought I would rather make a quilt based on each block instead. My first quilt was block number 1, the rail fence. My peicing was terrible to begin with, then I machine quilted it because the stuff I used for batting was too tough to hand quilt through (I can't remember what it was but it sure was not quilt batting though, lol) but I did not know to tie off or secure my threads so all the stitches are coming out, and the binding - well lets just say it IT IS UGLY :lol: :lol: :lol: That quilt was used by my kids at preschool for naps though, and it is still upstairs folded and put away. I did my next four or five quilts based on blocks from that book, and each one got better than the last. I have to say that book was a good starting point at least.

[Beth A.]

Since the first of the year, I have been learning about my new Pfaff Creative Vision, editing embroidery, digitizing, quilting with the fabric mover, a new computer and now a basic website class. I was feeling quite befuddled to say the least. It was all as clear as mud. But last week finally several things I had been struggling with started to work. The embroidery editing light bulb came on in my head. I finally got rid of my old computer. The concept of me writing computer code didn't seem so rediculious, and I am much happier with my free motion quilting. In this" I want it now "society, WAIT is a four letter word. I progress each day but it often seems that everything fall together at once. So yes, this was a productive week, but only because of what I thought were nonproductive weeks prior to this one.
I have to go now and do my homework for my basic website class.
Betty Ann in Rainy Florida

[Beth A.]

I made my first quilt when I was still in high school, (probably 1967)and with no instructions! It was pretty much a "Little House On the Prairie" quilt. I had in mind that quilts had to be made out of used clothing and scraps. I cut out squares and sewed them into very long columns. But it seemed too plain to just sew the colums together, so I off-set the squares by 1/2! So there were no matching corners. I used an old, worn-out sheet for the backing, and an equally worn-out blanket for the batting! Then I tied the whole thing together with yarn. Needless to say, that quilt is no longer with us.

[Beth A.]

I can relate to the scraps and old fabric ordeal. I thought each square had to be sewed indivisually and by hand. I must say though for only being 14 I did pretty good. But I sewed it all in embroidery thread. This baby is never going to fall apart at the seems. Rachel :lol:

[Annette R.]

I live by the motto NO MISTAKES ONLY HAPPY ACCIDENTS AND INTERESTING EXPERIENCES. And in quilting I have had both. I have described my first quilting experiences in my member blogs. (you can read them by going to my newest blog or look for I'M SNOW QUILTER) if you say the name of my blog fast you will get the joke!!!!!! nobody has commented on it yet so maybe it is not as funny as I thought. But needless to say my first quilts were interesting experiences and occasionally happy accidents because I wasn't even as smart as Ricky and Mandy - I didn't buy a book. A family motto in dh's family always was "if all else fails read the instructions" and that was usually after you had hit or kicked the offending item a couple of times or thrown it aside in disgust. Somehow in 40 plus years it has rubbed off on me, too.

I am better now about reading the instructions but being a very visual person -- following them if they are only written is sometimes a challenge. That is why I normally do things that don't conform to standard patterns so you can't tell me I did it wrong. But this year I decided to make two quilts that are closer to traditional than I ever do lately. They are both the same pattern but using different fabrics. My challenge is that even though I had the pattern somewhere in the moving from motorhome to house and back to motorhome it disappeared. Fortunately I had read it a couple of times before the quilting aliens captured it and I have pictures of the original. It is set on point so the corner and setting triangles have been a challenge but I have even mastered them in one of the quilts. The second is a different size so I have to make some adjustments but that shouldn't be that hard (Famous last words of the one who rushes in where quilters and angels fear to tread.)

My friends all tell me that they don't even like to show me a pattern because I will have redesigned it at least three times by the end of the day. That is probably true because I have never been known to follow anything exactly but always want to put a little different twist on it. Boy does that get me into trouble at times.

But all in all, I am still learning and experimenting with my quilts and maybe someday one will be a real winner (even if only in my own eyes) now if I just didn't need to eat or sleep, I might get all my WIPs and wannabes done. LOL

Ann

[Annette R.]

Iam very pleased with my self I got a baby quilt done before the baby got here I will be taking it to Pa. this week end to give it to the mom this is great because I did not think I would be able to get it done I have been working alot Happy

[Eileen K.]

I haven't accomplished much with my personal quilting but I am catching up on customer quilts after last week. We picked out a car and we're just waiting for the insurance check. You can read about my Mother's Day weekend in my member blog.
I am almost finished another little UFO, then I have to finish my convergence.
eileenkny

[Wanda M.]

I am happy to report that the graduation quilt top for DS's girlfriend was completed late last Wednesday evening! I won't be jumping at making this pattern again soon...1000 pieces and that's for a lap quilt! It arrived safely at the LA early Thursday morning.

Now, my BOM is another story! I do have all the foundation pieces cut out for all 5 months. Now to catch up on the applique! I'm enjoying the quiet time.

We won't discuss other WIP's!

WandaM

[Wanda M.]

I had a great week, last week. Finished my May block, and also finished a "Chenille" scarf that our small quilting group did. Finished the binding on my "Sandcastle" quilt. I need to take pictures and post them on my profile. It feels good to get something done.

Margarita in Auburn, CA where it is cooling down a bit, which is good. Still like to have some Spring around here.

[Wanda M.]

Margarita

Happy to hear you had a great week sewing. I just watched a show I don't remember the name of quilting show but they did chenelle on vest like one you are wearing,they did different patterns with chenelle,very pretty vest.Then they showed how you can decorate different clothing with the chenelle,like jean jackets,jean pants,purse's ect.
The chenelle holds up beautifully. I'm a big fan of chennelle!!!
"It's Alot of Fun"
Kathy

[Wanda M.]

Wanda 1000 peices would have drove me nuts. On that one alone I must say BRAVO!!! Right now I have several other whips and yet I just want to start a whole new one. DH says I should finish a wip YEAH like he knows anything HA! 8) Time to get out some of that fabric that I have snuck into the house. hehehe Rachel