As much as I want to say yes to new projects, I have to get to work more on my exothermic quilt for my bed.
I have been saying ‘yes’ to lots of things that I like to do, which in turn makes me say ‘no’ to getting a quilt on the bed.
The 12 year old comforter that I have yet to replace is now doing this:
Another title for this post: Why binding is so important.
Disgraceful! Absolutely. You should all throw me out of the ‘quilting club’ for this.
Not that I really cared for that comforter anyway, wasn’t one I picked out and after 12 years (5 years of winter only useage) I think I’ve gotten my use out of it.
So to say Yes to the replacement quilt, I have to say NO to the other quilts & projects.
Even though I wanted to help with the triangle swap that Nonnie has me thinking about. Maybe I’ll find a way to keep with that. And to finish the table runner I discussed the quilting design for on Sunday.
I had a great T Day, same as always, great food, cooking it overnight in a smoker (I wasn’t part of it, but was around at the time), games, family, planning black Friday (family was not me) finding out Christmas presents ideas, listening to endless complaints about how T Day is not T Day anymore, but “pre-christmas” – you know, the normal things.
Getting home, having to work & then getting the house back in order has been a little bit of the weekend. I personally prefer to work during black friday, which is okay, but makes the drive to work a little more busy.
Then I got sucked into a new present, which was given to me wednesday morning. So I went back to tradition. sat down in front of the TV and didn’t surface for much of 2 days.
So I didn’t participate in Sandy’s AntiBlackFridaySewIn either, although I thought it was a cute idea.
I did have a hard deadline on a quilt block, so I did squeak this out. I was intending to make this pattern for ME, but because of circumstances beyond my control, I haven’t done it yet, and this pattern was all cut out (three times) and so, it became a block for the person who is my partner on swap bot.
It’s called Utah Sparkler and I found it on Quilter’s Cache.
I replaced my seam ripper with a new one of the same (thanks Diane for your comment)
And then today in between laundry loads and food cleaning & prep I got out my book of quilting designs and made the design for the table runner for the giveaway from October.
Here’s my drawings.
And since you can’t see very detailed, here’s a picture of each of the sides, one plain:
And one with a start of a little more detail that I may try to put in the quilt.
I still have to consider the borders, and then I have to practice & transfer this to the fabric (or just iron on and sew through – this is on freezer paper).
Then after the borders are quilted I have to bind it. Then send it on it’s merry way.
Hopefully I’ll be able to make the quilting look as smooth as this drawing!
I have decided I am working on my very own ‘inhome’ retreat. I have been relocated to the kitchen for some other sewing, and in the meantime, my normal sewing machine table has been ‘more useful’ elsewhere.
So I have all my sewing stuff in the kitchen, my make shift ironing board, my tiny twisting cutting mat.
I am working on my lovely block for a black & white block swap for the month of november.
Paper pieced. I really want this block for myself, but I never got around to making this block yet, and these things take time.
So my swap partner (different one this time) will get the same block that I made before.
Anyway, because when i resat down I noticed I couldn’t find my seam ripper anywhere.
This one.
Found on amazon.com but instead of buying amazon, I’m going to wait for a couple of days & buy at LQS.
Yes, this seam ripper is not really that ergonomic, but I really like the blade at the end.
I was given a similar style one by a lady at the retreat I was at, but the blade catches too much I don’t know what the difference is, but I can feel the difference.
Speaking of tools that I lost & replaced:
I had a small magnetic extending tool that I haven’t found anywhere for a while.
So I was at “bargain depot” (a bargain home-improvement type store), and I found something similar.
This one is much heavier duty & I like the handle, and the piece on the end is much bigger than the similar tool I lost.
And bonus!
A light to help you see all that far down on the floor.
Strong enough to pick up scissors.
Well these are my medium sized scissors anyway.
Cheap replacement, and better.
So, I ask you, any of you tried the gingher seam ripper?
Is it worth the cost? Found on amazon.com for twice the price of the ultra pro. Retracts. Looks comfy.
Don’t think LQS has one so I’ll have to shop online for it.
Have things changed for you since you started quilting?
Have you changed some of your preferences in quilting since you started?
When leaving a project for a period of time, and coming back to it, how do you know what to leave alone, and what needs to be fixed?
Have you ever been stubborn & defended the original vision or original technique that was learned, even when you see something bigger & better or even easier?
My first & only machine – Molly. What if I went back in time and never got her?
Or if I never got my iPod? How would my life be different without these simple things?
You ever had a positive experience when waiting a long time between starting & ending a project?
Creatively, have you ever ripped out & started over or given up something from a long time ago?
What about the new experiences you’ve had that may color your quilts better today than before?
Have your quilts grown and changed along with you?
Quilting can provide a good framework for low & high risk of involvement, something to go back & time, to be connected with the past, ladies with different opportunities than I have.
We can connect with good times, bad times and all times of people of the past using quilting – something that has been around for several decades.
Going back in time to learn about the past.
It’s been 2 years since I started the podcast & blog.
No giveaway – still working on the last one from a month and a half ago. Whoops!
Backing fabric is done (pieced), 505 spray is located, batting has been found that is the right size.
My journey steps quilt now has fantastic sashing for the strips.
Here is the fantastic fabric I found last weekend shipped to me. On top of the fabric are some parts of the sashing that has been serving as leaders & enders.
The fabric is dark, colorful and not anything exactly like what I already have. This sashing has to go around the entire quilt, one inch wide at a time.
I wanted to see what it would look like and show you at the same time, so here is a section of my quilt and an example of how my sashing I want to look like in between the section.
Mostly so you can get an idea. There are three sections to this quilt and each will have this narrow sashing in between the sections.
And here’s the close-up of what that will look like. I am really liking this dark & colorful sashing borders, I am glad I found it!
I also am finding myself away from the computer for the entirety of next week too, and things this week were even more busy than the previous week because of arrangements that have to be made.
So, even though I had planned to tough it out & get back to you (with another podcast) on the 19th & 20th, it may not be until afterwards.
I am hoping I can at least reply to you all some time on Sunday, but in case I don’t get to (which it looks like I may not be able to), have a good week next week too!
(I’ll be glad when things settle down, that’s for sure!)
She has graciously agreed to let me share pictures of it with you.
Jane has named her quilt False Impressions, the website of this effect is called bulging checkerboard.
The effect is simply amazing, but the execution of it looks like squares on larger squares. The hardest part would appear to be keeping everything separate and in line.
Here is a detail shot. It would be easy to do with big enough blocks, the effect is much greater when standing back.
I did not discuss color constancy, which is a whole other ball of wax that tricks your brain into thinking about the colors based on the other colors around it.
Welcome to the Scientific Quilter. This blog hosts show notes for the Scientific Quilter podcast. The theme is science, math and quilting. Posts of current projects & thoughts also appear here.
I am always looking for new science & math inspired projects, or a good experiment on quilting techniques. Feel free to contact me with your ideas!
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