A Day of Mitered Joins

As I was joining the many 2.5 " strips to make the binding for each UFO, I thought about the "Jelly Roll Race" quilt. I decided to have a break from making binding and make one of these quilts.

Take a jelly roll. Join the 40 strips end to end. Now this join can be a mitered join (which I was doing for the binding strips) or a "confetti" square of 2.5 inches. I decided to use the mitered join.

The end result is a 1600 " strip as shown below (ignore the inelegant dog)

I then joined the strip in a geometric progression 1600, 800, 400, 200, 100, 50. The quilters on the you tube videos can do this in 32 minutes. I took much longer coping with dogs wanting to be fed, patted and generally entertained - much like two year old children.

The end result is interesting. It looks pretty bland so I'll need to jazz it up with strong borders. It is however, a quick quilt top. No thinking, no planning, no careful piecing, completely random - just sew long seams together.

I think a 2 inch border then a second 5 inch border will add to this very simple quilt.

Quilting pattern is going to be meandering stars and loops. It will be an opportunity for me to practice free motion on my long arm. Not sure of the design for the borders. I think a cross hatch may be suitable. Back to completing the other quilts.

In between the jelly roll diversion,  I did make the binding for Stars and the first border for Lollipops. Just a lot of mitered joins.

Finally found out how to set the correct date (Setting Language and Formatting). Another learning step. Yay!.

Brown Bear What do you see?

Yet another UFO changing to a completed object. Brown Bear was pieced about three years ago. A certain person was studying to become a pre school teacher and suggested the quilt as being useful with young kiddies. It was started, then life intervened and it was stored in one of the ubiquitous plastic boxes.

To complete the quilt, I decided to experiment with free motion quilting using the long arm. The quilting is a bit wobbly and certainly shows that I have a lot to learn and much practice is needed. Once I had found the fabric that I had put aside for the binding, I managed to complete sewing on the binding in one day.

..

The back is appealing (just learnt how to centre)

And of course, a certain small dog claimed the quilt. Sorry Teddy, this quilt is going to a g-child and the person who suggested the quilt.

Onto the next UFO

Investigating blog designs

Writing this on my iPad just to see if I can.

I'm going to try to add a badge that I will move later.

Accidentally learnt how to insert a break (which shows as "read more") I've also learnt how to delete it - I think.

Another Quilt

Another UFO becomes a FO

Hey I've just learnt how to add and link pages. So now I need to plan a bit.
I've also learnt how to use some of the symbols in the design part.

• See dot point - woo hoo - simple things make one happy

1. Or numbered list
2. I should have realised the above but I really wasn't thinking clearly

• I've also been playing with the settings to correct the date.
• This is fun - but time wasting of course

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Completed binding "Stonehenge".

I will take some better photos tomorrow. Again it has taken two days to complete the binding - in between doing other things.

The colours are great in this quilt. I pieced it some time ago and I was undecided as to how to quilt it. I vaguely thought of custom quilting it around the centre however I finally decided on a shield type pattern. I used mustard Sulky thread. It was a 50 weight but looks quite heavy - which is the look that I wanted.

I can just see this quilt draped over the back of a lounge chair ready to be wrapped around a person when it gets cold. It's a really nice quilt!

Time to select the next quilt to complete.

Quilt Binding Continues

"Pure" completed. It does take about two days, within a normal day, to sew on a binding so I'll aim to sew at least one edge of the binding each night or every time I sit down to sew (or watch TV). I do want to finish eight more by Christmas so I'm going to be busy.

The blue binding lifts the quilt. Oh and I've learnt how to find out the size of the files - just look at the screen when picture is selected - duh! I notice that this program has a default size of medium so now to find out what this means.

I like it! Amazing how quilting and binding lifts a quilt from fair to really nice! This will be a Christmas present for a male I think.

Still don't know how to change the date.

A Day of Binding

I must bind the many quilts that I have quilted so it's switch on TV and sew. I'll post photos when I complete each one.

I must also find out how to fix the date problem (it is Monday yet it automatically puts in the day before)

I also need to work out why - when I looked this blog up on my iphone - it only showed the original post from last year. Hmm - thinking time needed

Worked this out - I have to click share when I leave the post.

Mind the Gap is finished

I'm going to have to try different ways of photographing my quilts.This is draped over sleeping dogs.

Love the back

Folded ready to start on the next one.

Now I hit "Update" and a splash screen from Google is next. I did ignore this but now I'll select "Share".

....Well none of that happened so maybe I only had to "share" the post first time.

Pure finished

Completed quilting Pure. Unpinned from front roller (belly bar)

I release the clamp from the right side and unroll the quilt

Doesn't look too bad.

Yet another quilt to bind but with each UFO that I do, I become more aware of this machine. I think I'll call it Agatha. I'm checking the tension with this thread and needle. With Aurifil thread, Ne 50/2 - which is very fine -  I think that a size 14 or 16 is appropriate . I'm trying a size 16 at the moment and possibly it is too large.

 Loaded the Puppy quilt. I made (and designed) this top 9 months ago. I started free motion quilting each block on my Janome but had only completed half the quilt. It was a slow procedure and even though this is a small quilt, it was tricky to push through the throat of the sewing machine.

I had eight blocks to do so I stabilised each block with a quarter inch border then selected eight different patterns which I scaled to fit within the border. Maths ability is great skill to have for quilting and understanding of older computer programs means that I can (usually) make QBOT do what I want it to.

Quilt finished! It is getting easier. The only problem was one block that was in three sections and I have a teeny bit of unpicking to do. Below is an example of one of the blocks (from the back). I can see how it can be used in other quilts.

I pieced the back of the Puppy Quilt. It's fun to create a back that is interesting and blends with the quilt front. The half done with the long arm fits with the domestic machine blocks. I have some trimming to do then lots of binding.

I found a quilt top that I had started years ago, not finished and needing borders. The incomplete pattern in the box with the top is date 2008 so maybe 4 years ago I pieced the top. Aware of the cost of quilting and thinking that this was just a fun quilt for the g-kids, it somehow was put to one side and forgotten.

Now it will be quilt number 12 and with it I will try custom quilting, corners and borders. I do have a couple of wall hangings that need quilting and they may be done first. Oh and I have a cheater cloth of Amish design and I'd like to try free motion on it. Anyway now it's gardening time then sewing on bindings. Quilting is so much fun!

Must work out how to fix the date - It's Sunday.