Table Runner on the Gammill

Once in a while, I feel inspired to create something for a specific person.  This was the case with my table runner project.  I wanted to create something for Eygló.  I actually went through 2 different color schemes, and 3 different ideas within the chosen scheme. 

I keep saying I'll work on my shortcomings in the measuring department, but I never do.  In this case, I like the effect.  Feels more home-made and fun.  I've never been a girl to appreciate painstaking perfection.

This is the quilting machine I won from Quiltmaker Magazine.  Never dreamed I would have a Gammill, but thought I had a better chance of affording one some day than winning one!  This is the first project I have entirely machine quilted on this baby.  So... there are a lot of bumps on the road.  I am still getting used to the tensions, and where not to oil!

Here's what the quilting looks like.  Laugh all you want.  I need the practice and I know it.  But I do like how it appears more whimsical because of my very low skill level.  More fun, less strict.  Here's front and back:

And the pretty photo:

I needed this distraction.  Before the piecing was done, I spent some time in the hospital for a kidney infection, and have been feeling down due to my recent MS diagnosis.  This is the project that I've been working on as I came through the other side of my funk, remembering that I do love to quilt.  That I will always quilt, no matter what tools I have, how little I can spend on fabric, or what my mobility looks like.  When it's something you love, there's always a way.

So it's a pretty special project, and I hope it transfers the feelings of triumph and joy to its new owner.

it's been busy

A few months ago,  friend handed me all the pieces she'd cut for a quilt she didn't have time to finish.  I agreed to piece and quilt it.  And it was supposed to be done by Christmas, but there was a lengthy delay for many reasons.  Mostly that I got a job.  And while it's only part time, it still threw off my estimated completion date by over a month.

This is a baby quilt that she'd carefully picked the fabric for, and cut with precision.  I was kinda amazed as I was piecing it.  My stuff is never measured that carefully!  I briefly considered trying to convince her to cut all of my future quilts.

Once the blocks were done, she arranged them how she wanted them.  This was a pretty fun process, fueled by some of the best iced coffee I've ever had, while dodging toddlers in various stages of mobility.

Here's the finished product:

And the quilting:

Turns out I might need to take a class to perfect corners.  I have them down when it comes to cutting separate binding.  But turning the leftover backing forward?  Saves so much time, and the corners make me batty.  But I enjoyed quilting this one.  The repetitive, but beautiful design (from a stencil) was very soothing.

The next project is a table runner for a friend in Sweden!  Here are the fabrics I've been cutting this weekend:

Don't be fooled by the boldness of the colors.  They actually play a very small role in the overall design.

Pink Dogwood Baby Quilt

Remember this one?

I finished up the quilting on this last summer.  Then no one on planet earth gave birth to a girl.  So much for getting ahead of the game.  But someone has just bought it!  So I finished up the binding and got it all ready to go.

The quilting:

The finished quilt:

I had to do the old way of binding, which is great because it's a bit more durable.  But it means a good few hours of dedicated hand-sewing.  Glad it's done, and especially glad it's getting a home. 

Turquoise Lover

So many turquoise scraps, and no more baby quilts to use them on this year.  So what better plan than to make something else especially for a turquoise lover?  Especially one that just moved into her first home this year!

I didn't want to do anything too crazy, and I can sometimes tend to get a little weird when given complete freedom.  When the friend mentioned that's she's not only a turquoise lover, but adores it combined with red?  Well holy crap, it gave me an idea.


 

I cut out a bunch of starfish.  I just wasn't sure if I could figure out how to affix them to the table runner.  I am not proficient with applique.  But after causing a flaw on the quilt (accidentally sliced one of the blocks with my rotary cutter after it was pieced), I had no choice.  I tried to fix the slice with an invisible stitch, and it was NOT invisible.  So now one of the starfish is covering that up.  And I'm not sure I'd have had the courage to attempt it without being forced to desperately save the table runner top.

The applique adventure came after I had finished quilting it, and I'm glad of that.  It filled in the spaces around my design well.

It's a stencil I've had for more than a year, but never had a great place to use it until now.  Turns out the design is MUCH more amazing on the quilt than in theory!  So I was absurdly excited about that.

Here's the completed table runner on an actual table.

I would not be offended if you ignored my attempts to stage the perfect picture.  Some day I'll take a photography class.  But in the mean time, this runner is now enjoying the luxurious life with a new, loving owner.

Last Baby Quilt of 2013

This was pieced in just a few days.  I had started cutting for this quilt in January when I was having trouble being decisive about the Blue Stars quilt.  On the borders, I ran out of that particular cream, so I thought it would be fun to diagonally piece the corners.  Well, I don't usually do diagonally pieced blocks, so when I was trimming them down, I only trimmed one side after sewing them in.  So ALL of the corner border blocks are completely irregular!

I wanted to do all creams because I had seen someone do a subtle watercolor style quilt with only cream prints, and it was so beautiful.  So while I forwent the watercolor style, I still like the look of varied creams.  And the fairy frost green is something I've wanted to use forever.

Quilting this was a fun project.  I used an older stencil I have that I always fall back on.  But this time I realized when I use the stencil closely in rows, it creates a totally different look.

The big lesson I learned here is not to use the colored chalk on light fabrics.  The white always washes out.  And this is chalk specifically for cotton fabric.  It's supposed to wash out!  But it didn't.

Luckily, it faded enough that it just looks like I used a pale green thread.  Which I didn't -- it was white thread when I started this.

I'm slowly becoming more adept at binding in this way.  I truly hate cutting separate binding material, spending WAY more time than I like at the iron, then sewing carefully and pulling crazy maneuvers to close it off before having to flip it and hand-sew the other side.  I've been cutting the backing down to 1 extra inch on all sides and just turning it over the edges and sewing *one time*.  It takes no time at all compared to the traditional way.

This is the last one for a while.  But see, I was looking forward to my break in quilts.  Then the day after I mailed this one off, I started a new project!  It's a smaller project, a table runner with my favorite turquoise scraps.  But still...  I'm a quilter that can't sit still. 

Baby Quilt 2

As usual, I completely forgot to take pictures of the finished product, thanks to my irrational excitement at pulling it out of the dryer and finding it totally intact.  Luckily, the new owners kindly took some photos for me.

This is not a color combination I would have come up with on my own.  I know browns have been getting popular for nurseries over the years, but I was never much of a fan.  I was planning to use a nice bone muslin with the green and blue, but what I bought was too thin for me to work with easily, and it was driving me crazy.  In the end, the brown was sturdy, soft and contrasted enough to make the blue and green pop out.  I really dig the look. 

I ended up quilting a leaf border design on the sashing.  I was hoping to add some owl appliques, but it turns out it's much too soon in my skill level to attempt organic shapes.  This was a good quilt for me.  The quilting itself was very calming, and the piecing only took me a day or two of dedicated machine work.  The backing is solid brown, and I turned the edges to the front for the binding.  I've become very fond of that binding style.  It saves me so much time.  No extra cutting, folding, ironing and best of all, no hand-stitching around the back!  If only I could get my one sewing foot to cooperate -- it's open-toed, and tends to bunch the fold.

And with the new baby:

I still want to use the muslin.  Maybe for a whole-cloth quilt.  I like the look of it paired with a nice hand-quilted design.

The third baby quilt of the year has been pieced and basted already.  I have just started quilting it today.  I think it's going to take me about 3 weeks before it's done, unless I get inspired to add some touches.

Blue Stars

I finally finished piecing the blue baby quilt.  I get really giddy when I get to this point, because there's generally a lot of frustrations before I do.  But this one was easy.  Just time consuming.  I am so glad I finally gave in and started using a rotary cutter.

Probably the only quilt I've ever planned and pieced without changing my mind a hundred times.  I'm so pleased with the outcome, I actually started out this post with "look how amazing I am!"  Haha.  I'll get over it.  But maybe not until months after I've mailed it off to its new home.  Maybe years.  Come on, that's a damn fine quilt.

Hand-quilting this starting on Sunday or Monday.  Not sure if I need new thread or not.  Let's see, I've got pink, red, brown and lavender!  So, looks like I will have to make a quick stop at my favorite quilting shop in the world.  Hahahaha... quick stop.  Oh, I kill myself.