Did I say that???

Did I once say that I was going to finish up the projects that are lying around before I started something new? ......well I lied!
 I started something new! But it is one of those fuzzy flannel quilts....and that is not the same as quilting a pieced quilt...Really !!? That's what I told myself anyway.
These colors are so pretty....

And I love how cozy and warm these are....especially when it is going down to minus 39C this week!!
They go together so quickly too...such a feeling of accomplishment!

feeling giddy!

I finished the quilt...and named it "Inspiration" ..because that is exactly what it is for me!
The hand stitching really finished it nicely...then into the washer and dryer...

and Voila! Done!!

I am feeling a bit giddy about actually having this finished and happy with the way it turned out.
Now what???? OK, I still have a few things left to finish.....back to the sewing room !!

Success, Success ...and then not quite so much..

Yesterday was a very exciting and productive day for me!
First of all, I received notification that one of my journal articles has been accepted for publication! Yippee!
I will be published in the Journal of Musculoskeletal Pain....I will spare the boring details, but I was very excited....my first publication!

Then on to finishing the binding on this quilt. I don't have a big problem with binding, although I have not yet tried a bias binding!

My corners are usually good, but I have always joined the ends by just folding one under and tucking the other one in. I decided for this quilt, because it was special since I did the free motion quilting, that I should try to join the ends properly with an angled seam. I studied the tutorial on bindings over at My Sweet Prairie and gave it a try.

And it worked !!! (well after I sewed it twisted the first time, and had to rip it out !! ) I did a little happy dance! When I finished it was a perfect angled seam!!  It is amazing....not that I didn't believe you Monika...but it still surprised me that it worked so well.

So because I did a proper angled seam on the binding I thought that perhaps I should try hand stitching the binding on the back. I usually machine stitch them like shown in a tutorial on Red Pepper Quilts.  But this time I got out my needle and thread and sat down in front of the TV and started stitching.

OK, now I know why I always do them on the machine !!  It is a lot of work, and WOW, takes a LONG time!! (but I did learn how to make Italian Veal chops with roasted red pepper salad from a TV show while I was working )

I even tried the beeswax, but still got a few tangles : (
I am not quite finished but,  it really does look very nice! I think the jury is still out on this one, though, not sure which way I will do the next one.

And this morning it is -32 degrees Celsius! (-44 C with the wind chill) Which is almost the same in Farenheit!
Cant believe it ! Stay warm everyone!

Labels.....my thoughts.

Monika is sharing information about labels in her Tip on Tuesdays, go check it out!
Here is my experience in labeling my creations!

I have usually made labels on my sewing machine, using the letters and numbers, and a satin stitch butterfly (....as in butterfly quilting... ) I always thought that this added a real personal touch. Also it is amazing to look back and see the date on something that you made...time goes by so fast!

Recently I ordered some labels from Spoonflower. They were easy to design and I only had to order a small amount to try them out. This was a fat quarter, and very reasonable price.

The background is a bit brighter yellow than I had thought, so I might try to order another batch in a creamier color. I left enough space that I can write on them with a marker to add the date and a name if I want to.
I hope to just cut one out and press under the edges and stitch it on the back.

I just learned that I have been putting my labels on the wrong corner!! I always attach them to the lower Right hand corner on the back, and I now know that the more correct place is the lower Left hand corner. Who knew??    (Monika did..:)....)  Also a great idea to sew them into the binding!

Chalk Challenged!

I decided to try out using a template for the border on this quilt.  I had bought this one quite awhile ago, before I actually knew what to do with it !!!

The helpful lady at the quilt store explained that you mark the template onto the quilt with chalk, so I also bought some chalk to mark it on the border.  I tried 3 different kinds, one is called a magic crayon (and I really, really, really hope that it washes out like they say it does !!!)

But...I had a lot of trouble.
First of all, the pattern on the template had 4 "loops" which didn't make a lot of sense to me, because it would be difficult to continuously quilt it that way....so I modified it and only went with 3 loops.
Next, the chalk/crayon.      It didn't seem to mark very well, or very easily. ...and it broke....It was taking a long time to mark, and even though I only did one side at a time, some of the chalk/crayon rubbed off as I was moving the quilt around.
So....in the end I finished the rest of the border free-hand. Just tried to keep the pattern as even as possible. I know there are quite a few squiggles, and some of the loops are uneven.....but then I guess it matches the quilting! LOL

I am not really happy with the whole border thing so far! But...it is finished anyway!
Next up....the binding!!

Yeah!! Its the Weekend!!

Yeah, it is the weekend, and I finally have some time to sew!!  Back to the finishing of projects that I have neglected! And back to free motion quilting !!  I tried out some different gloves today. The gloves I used before were great, except they were so thick that it was hard to feel the fabric layers and also I had to take them off to change the bobbin etc.  These are surgical gloves, so very thin.

I can still feel the fabric, and wrinkles etc as well as keep them on when changing thread and bobbins !! Great!

I also had another great discovery today! This may seem totally obvious to most people but it took me awhile to figure it out. The first time I free motion quilted I had a problem every time the bobbin ran out and needed changing, because I lost my place, and couldn't find where I had left off.....so this time I put a pin in to mark the spot!
Simple, I know!  (I can't believe I didn't think about it before either !!)

I am getting better, slowly.

There are still lots of mistakes, but because I am using thread that blends and a patterned fabric on the back it is pretty forgiving. It took about 3 hours of sewing to finish the centre.

Now I have to do the borders and bindings...and it is another finish !! :)

Just Looking....

I really haven't had much time to do any sewing for the past few days. ...that work thing keeps getting in the way...you know the one that actually pays!



So I think my Jenny Janome is feeling a little neglected!





I have curled up in the evening with a amazing book though....

It is "Quilted Symphony" by Gloria Loughman.  I just love looking at the pictures!

There are some good sections on using color and the color wheel, and also on a variety of different techniques including applique and embelishing. I haven't actually made any of these yet,  but maybe someday!