Doctor on Call!

Upgrade and Service

 

At long last Auntie has had her long overdue service. Alan (the engineer who installed her 5 years ago) said he had tried to retire, but keeps getting called upon to service Handiquilter machines in the UK. 

I was very glad he was still available, because he clearly knows what he's doing and doesn't mind climbing up in my loft!

The skipping stitches problem had been increasing and clearly she needed some attention and TLC. Alan stripped her right down, cleaned and oiled her and reset the timing. Now she's purring like a kitten again!

Then he fitted the new interchangeable foot assembly so I can use my new attachments; an open toe foot for detailed work and the transparent 'Glide' foot for edge to edge designs. And finally he installed these new 'Micro Handles' for greater control for 'pebbling' etc. I will need to experiment with the best position to set them in and I might be on the look out for a high stool to perch on while I'm doing close work. I am excited to begin practising, I really feel I want to up my game!


Meanwhile, I have managed to complete the Sew a Row quilt, but I can only give a sneak preview at this stage. Here are the houses I did for the first row. I am pleased with the final result and can't wait to see how my other rows have been used. 

 

Now that Auntie is back on form I can get on and finish quilting my own version of the Sew a Row. Then it's the big Bunny Quilt!

Happy Quilting Everyone!

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Getting a Handle on Things

And Finding My Feet!

Another fun day out at the Festival of Quilts yesterday. We made good time on the journey up in our luxury coach - thanks again to Ann K for organising it. 

My first call was to find the quilt made by Lynda Jackson (Handiquilter educator) before I met up with her on their stand. I had seen pictures online so I knew what to look for, but it wasn't easy to find tucked away up the far end. 

But it was worth the search - a truly magnificent dragon on a black background filled with intricate quilting, which you need to see up close to appreciate. I love dragons and she had actually painted this on herself. It earned her a well deserved 'Highly Commended' from the judges.

I had pre-ordered several new accessories for my Handiquilter machine which I then went over to claim. The great big handles in the picture above are called 'Micro Handles', which seems a bit perverse. They fit lower down the front of the machine, nearer to the needle, to give greater control when doing delicate, smaller (micro) work. This is something I want work on.

I also bought a conversion kit to allow me to switch feet, now that there is a range of new ones available. So in addition to the standard hopping foot I have an open toe foot (for the micro work) and a 'Glide' foot which should make edge to edge quilting and quilting around appliqué smoother. 

I am all set now for Alan to come and service Auntie, the week after next.

And how about this for a pair of scissors! They are specially for cutting wadding - I do a lot of that! (A Christmas present from my dear brother - I wonder if I can wait 'til then!)

As if that lot didn't cost me a small fortune, I bought the other two feet in the picture above as well! These are 'ruler' feet to use on my Bernina and Brother machines, so I can learn to use my long arm rulers on those too. 

But Hey! I didn't buy ANY fabric!!!!!

Happy Quilting Everyone!

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Borderline

Deep Purple!

What? Where?
No that's just what I was blaring out last night while I was piecing together the checkerboard for the border of the Sew a Row quilt for  Connecting Threads. I have been itching to get on with this project, it has been so interesting to see the different ideas everyone has come up with as the bags have been passed around. I set all my rows in place yesterday, with just a little tweaking here and there to make them fit. I can't show a picture yet. 

I used 'Jan Logic' (I'll explain that one day) to decide on the order to place the rows. However, this had the unintended effect of having too much blue at one end. So my plan is to equalise the colour balance with the sashings and border. 

Make sense? No, never mind! 

I am happy in my own little world making these four patches, spinning seams and joining checkerboard strips. I still can't decide whether or not to make a pieced backing.

That will keep me occupied until Festival of Quilts tomorrow! Yay!! Must try to get an early night.

Meanwhile, I am still teetering on the brink of that elusive Laura Ashley project.

Happy Quilting Everyone!

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In the Pipeline

Reconstructive Surgery

It's not like I've not got anything better to do (or tons of NEW fabric to play with), but something possessed me to finish 'reworking' a ten year old + cushion this weekend. It was one of my very early attempts, featuring some very dodgy curved binding and some free-motion  stippling, which wasn't quite as bad as I thought when I looked at it again. It is so old I don't even have a 'before' photo, but I do use it to take out to workshops. 

 As I had already dismantled it few weeks ago, I thought I would take the opportunity to practise free-motion on the Bernina before I put it back together. After much unpicking of the original quilting, whilst swatting up on quilting videos, I got my 'machingers' on and practised hooked swirls on a scrap wadding sandwich. This is so much easier on the long arm, but it really is just what you are used to. I had to learn to use that machine, just the same, and I'm determined to get better on a domestic machine. 

A bit wobbly, I know, but I got the motion fixed in my brain and filled the two halves of the cushion back with the same design. (I had already done some echoing with the walking foot and some feathers around the heart on the front). It was harder though, because I couldn't see where I was going so well with matching thread and the puckers from the original quilting were rather confusing.

But of course that all worked in my favour and all you can see is texture! This morning I reused the original binding as a piping - a bit tight and awkward around the somewhat over scalloped edges, but I got it all back together. Not my best piece of work maybe; I realise now it never was square! But it is a usable cushion and a reminder that we can always learn and improve. 

I also had a light bulb moment while  I was trying to get in a comfortable position for the quilting. I have been struggling with the height of my chair ever since I installed my new Ikea cabinets as the base for my table. I suddenly remembered I had the pieces of a very sturdy desk that the previous owners had left in my loft when I moved in. I hauled it in from the shed and it makes a perfect platform. Now I have gained 2 inches!

Happy Bunny!!!

Happy Quilting Everyone!

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Run Rabbit Run!

Hop to it!

Well Jane wanted rabbits and that's what she's got. But I think I picked the hardest way to do the appliqué. 

The rabbits were too large for fusible webbing because I didn't want them to look stuck on. So I went down the freezer paper route, thinking I could use it several times over to make all nine. But I wasn't getting a crisp enough fold, so I decided to get the spray starch out, which made the paper wet ... You get the picture! 




But in typical Jan style, I managed to wing it and eventually pressed them all ready to pin in place. 

Ooh burny fingers - good job I've got long nails!

Then I pinned them into place, tweaking the edges to get a good shape, and sewed them on one by one. Can you guess how often I pinned them to the ironing board by mistake? It has taken me nearly three days in all this heat. But now it is finished and ready for quilting.

Thank you Jean Smith for providing the perfect template and for suggesting this fabric - I love how they look!

But quilting must wait. It is unbearable in the loft still, plus I need to get 'Auntie' serviced first, as soon as possible after Festival of Quilts. 
I am so excited for FOQ and it's only a week away!!!! On top of my shopping list are some major accessories for the long arm machine and want them ready for Alan (the engineer) to set up properly and test for me, before I start to quilt.
There won't be much left in my budget for anything else, but at least it might stop me being tempted to buy fabric. Well.........?!

Happy Quilting Everyone!

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Jane's Bunny Quilt

Chain Piecing and Nesting Seams 

Granted, 'Rail Fence' is one of the simpler blocks to piece, but it is still gratifying when all the seams match up perfectly like this. 

This is going to be the background for Jane's 'Bunny Quilt'.

Even though the design features just one block, I did enjoy the process of assembling this large quilt top. I wanted it to be 7ft square, so I knew I'd need 49 twelve inch blocks, each made up of 4 single Rail Fence units in alternating directions. 

That was as much maths as I could do to begin with, so I just dived in and sliced off a metre of each of the three fabrics and started power cutting them into 6 and 1/2 inch by 2 and 1/2 inch strips.  These lovely blues are all by Edyta Sitar; the dark one is from 'Blue Barn' and the other two are from the 'Blue Skies' collection. Then I began chain piecing units of three strips, one of my favourite parts of the process.

Next, I joined them into blocks of four, nesting the seams to ensure a good match. That's the other thing I enjoy about the process! And, if you spin the seams on the back, every seam will nest with the adjoining one.

Well, that only gave me about half the blocks I needed, so I cut another three metres and started the whole process all over again. Last night I was on a roll and assembled the whole top and not one pin in sight from start to finish!

The next job is to make and apply the bunny rabbits! Hopefully, my long arm machine will have had its service by then and I can get on with the quilting - I already have ideas for that.

Happy Quilting Everyone!

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Pussy Footing Around

Weather Watch (and Project 'G')

We shouldn't complain about the sunshine - I know! But I desperately want to get on with quilting my own 'Sew a Row' project, and it is just too hot in my loft! I couldn't even open the windows downstairs while Phoebe was staying with me!

After she'd gone home last weekend, I just about managed to finish Jenny's 3rd quilt, even though it hit 29 degrees up there with 2 fans going.

I was cheered by the arrival of some lovely new fabrics on Monday. 



There is a selection from Edyta Sitar's new collections 'Little Sweethearts' and 'Something Borrowed' (not all of the pics will format properly here).

And some more shades of Linen Texture.

 Pinks and Blues - Ooh How sweet!! 

 I guess I need to make a baby quilt - but have no one to make it for just yet. 

Meanwhile, I have launched into a scrappy quilt project (code named Project G). It is based on the 'OhMyGosh' design, but scaled up to make use of my 1 1/2 inch squares to create 3 inch 9 patches. 

I have made a little dent in my stash of twosies; and the half square triangles I acquired from Connecting Threads the other month are now trimmed down to size. So I'm off to a good start and now I need to cut into my stash.

Believe it or not the 9 patches in the original, pictured here, measure only 1 and 1/2 inch finished! (Hence the name).
I might be tempted to go that small one day, but I want to use the sizes I have first.







My other new project is a full size 'Bunny' quilt for Jane (who is just mad for rabbits!) and I'm about ready to start that one, alongside Project G. It is going to be a blue rail fence background with appliqué. Should be fun!

Happy Quilting Everyone!

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