QUILTING
TEACHING &
PATTERNS
Get fresh news, tips &
inspiration from around
our creative community
|
This is it! The last of the last in Quilty Habit's Sewing with Certainty Series. We started off back in November by reflecting on our abilities as sewists and quilters, then listing goals we wanted to work on to help improve our weaknesses or to be brave and attempt techniques we'd previously been afraid to try. I set four goals, and here's how I did... 1. Try longarm quilting: DONE! The "Holiday Road" quilt that I made my parents for Christmas featured my debut longarming work. It was nothing fancy, but it came out really well for my first foray. I used three different motifs and even stitched a whole bunch of meaningful words about our family's annual camping traditions into the borders. (Isn't it funny how schools have virtually given up on teaching cursive handwriting, but it's about the easiest thing ever to quilt?)  Taking the class has gotten me really excited about longarming. There's a very good chance that a new machine will be joining me at home in the not-so-distant future! 2. Practice machine applique & hand embroidery: DONE and DONE!
3. New-to-me quilt binding technique: DONE! Quick disclosure: if there is one thing about quilting that I hate - really truly wish I could skip - it's binding. I have a mother who adores this last step; she breezes through creating strips and then happily settles down in a chair, needle in hand, cup of tea at her side, for the rewarding and enjoyable task of binding her finished project. My mom taught me to quilt; if you know me well, you know that I'm like her in many ways, but this isn't one of them! I like to do anything and everything I can by machine to avoid hand sewing, and binding is definitely one of them. So when I came across this quick and easy machine binding tutorial by Ashley Hinton of Wasn't Quilt in a Day, I immediately pinned it for future reference. And now I've used it. You can see a detail of it on one of the doll quilts I made in the photo below.  4. Get better at FMQ: um, yeah, about that... You may remember me saying "I'm also going to try and get creative with some free motion quilting on the doll quilts I'm making.... After all, if they don't come out perfect, my kids sure aren't going to notice and I'll be setting that great 'keep practicing and you'll get better' precedent that we parents/teachers are supposed to." Let's just say I didn't set any precedents. I did try curved lines (which you can also see in the doll quilt pic above), and they look lovely, but I was still too scared to FMQ! Another day perhaps. Overall, I'm happy with what I accomplished during SWC. Branching out just in these little ways has given me confidence to try other things - I signed up for a bee, which I thought was for sure out of my skill set but is so far turning out great (as long as no one asks for paper pieced blocks any time soon ; ) and I just tried curved piecing for the first time ever on my blue Mini Quilt Color Study. Here's a quick snapshot of it - not too bad, right? Now I have to figure out the quilting... and bind it. 
You can find all the great Sewing with Certainty topics we've discussed here. Thanks so much for the great series, Jess! For those of you who haven't been linking up with SWC, what's a sewing goal you have this year to master or even just make a first attempt at? How are you doing with your goal so far?
Such wonderful goals, funny many of mine for the year are the same. Oh no Sarah you got the long arm bug now. :) Same thing happened to me. Once you get a taste of not crawling around on the floor to baste a quilt I think it is very hard to go back. I was like a kid wanting a new toy, constantly thinking about it and telling everyone about how wonderful they are. I think that is why my husband finally gave in just to shut me up. I will have to go check out Ashley's tutorial on machine binding your binding looks lovely. I hand sew all of mine on just because I love the look but it takes so very long. 2/11/2014 02:14:43
I have a business plan in the works, Abby - I am determined to justify the longarm! : P And as for the binding, I do agree that hand sewn gives the prettiest finish (and my mother is mortified that any daughter she taught wouldn't do it!) but I just hate hand sewing and the time it takes. Ashley's binding technique leaves the perimeter line on the back instead of the front, and I can live with that!
Jess @ Quilty Habit
2/11/2014 15:14:49
Woo! You got so much done! I'm obsessed with your flowers. Looking forward to your series! 2/12/2014 12:24:24
Thanks to you! I am definitely more motivated with a few deadlines and good friends to encourage me : ) 2/11/2014 18:52:22
It has been such a pleasure to meet you, Sarah, and to be following along since. I TOTALLY agree with your feelings concerning binding. And just know that one of these days you will take the plunge into the fmq and will never look back. It was a tough one for me. But I still like to use my walking foot too. Well done on accomplishing your goals! 2/12/2014 12:28:51
Thank you, Lorna! I've really enjoyed the opportunity that the series provided to connect with the group and encourage each other : ) And seriously if I knew someone who I could pay to bind my quilts, I would. Although machine binding without half the pinning is a pretty darn good alternative, and I am loving the Clover Wonder Clips that Santa brought me! 2/12/2014 12:32:40
Thanks, Renee! But I think I might have to try the no-pin curve technique next time because these took a LOT of pins and perfectionism to get so smooth. That said, now I know I *can* do curves if I have the time and patience to work on them : ) I hope you get a chance to try soon - it's so much fun! What fabulous goals. We are SO much alike, in these goals. I had a longarm business for 10 years before we sold our house in Phoenix. I LOVED it! I'd like to own one now just for me, not a business. I will never be an FMQ person - I don't have those genes, though I can do alright with a walking foot. I do machine applique, and I LOVE hand embroidery. And I HATE binding so much I almost always pay my friend to do anything bigger than a placemat. =) You did really well on your challenge. 2/12/2014 12:52:13
Ok, Susan, if there are in fact people out there who accept payment for binding, I need to find one of them! I agree with you about FMQ - even though I say I want to get better, I think deep down I know it's just not going to be the skill I master, even if I do improve somewhat - all the more reason to save up for a longarm : ) I'd love to pick your brain sometime about running a longarm business - that's my big goal for 2015. 3/2/2014 00:33:35
Aww, thank you, Peg! I had fun with the goals. I didn't end up FMQ the doll quilt, though - I just used the walking foot and did a curved line freehand. It was good for making it up as I went, but very controlled under the walking foot. I am planning to skip right over trying to learn FMQ on my domestic and saving up for a longarm instead! heehee Thanks for stopping by : ) Comments are closed.
|
Welcome! I'm Sarah. As a milmompreneur maker, wherever I go, I quilt, teach & sew! {Bio} 
Archives:
December 2017
|
