Jelly Roll Quilt - I'm quilting!!

Finally got the Jelly Roll Quilt loaded onto my frame.  This is actually the first true quilt I've had on the frame. So far so good.  My quilt design is a variation of the August FMQ challenge.  I used Corel Draw Essentials (part of the Bernina Embroidery Software V6) to draw the design to fit one page.  Then made enough copies to stretch the length of the quilt and glued together.  The design is 3.5 inches wide.

Quilting 3.5 inches at a time!!

Close up of design

My stitches look pretty even, too.  It would help if the speed regulator would resume at the same speed as when I stopped!  LOL  I might be touching the control as the start/stop button is close, but I really don't think so.  Hard to think about that when I'm concentrating on the laser beam and trying to start and stop on my target!!!  I'm maybe halfway through, then I'll need to turn it around and quilt the side borders.  I've pretty much decided I want to embellish this quilt after it's quilted.  I purchased extra fabric the same as 3 of the jelly roll strips and plan to embroider on the fabric, then applique to the quilt.  There will be other embellishments, too, but this is as far as I've gotten in my planning.

Funky Chicken - August 2012

Finally!  Another month of BOMs completed!  Here's the latest block from FatCat Patterns.

This chick was a trouble maker!  She just didn't want to cooperate when sewing out....not the machine - it was that person who digitized the stitches....mmmmm, yep, that would be me.  I worked on this block a little here and a little there and promptly forgot what had or had not been done during those little heres and theres.  Discovered during stitchout that I had things sewing in the wrong order and...AND...I had not completed a couple of areas.  Duh  Double DUH!!!  Oh well, in the end, this chick ended up looking cute and innocent, altho if you look too closely, you'll see a booboo here and there.  I did several areas of frog stitches and decided she's as good as she's going to get.  Maybe I'll do another one, but probably not.  I'm not after perfection here, I'm after fun.



August 2012 Funky Chicken

August Close up

In one area, I moved the hoop and backed up stitches to fill in where I needed.  This worked really well on the first spot.  Betcha can't find that one!  The second spot, I didn't get it lined up quite so good.  So...she's got a few ruffled feathers!!! haha

Til next time........Keep on Stitchin'!!

OK, yes, I had to go back into the software and get everything fixed...someday someone may find these after I'm long gone and want to sew them out................

FMQ Challenge - August

For my sample block, I did 2 versions of the Jester Hat.  The regular one, which I also used on the curling iron holder shown in the previous FMQ post, and a variation Wendy Sheppard called Cultured Jester Hat.  I think this version is the one I'll use on my Jelly Roll Race quilt.  I used my Bernina Embroidery Software, the Art Canvas section, to draw both of these as borders and I can use them as panthograms.  If I had a longarm, I would be free motioning like crazy, but since I have very limited depth for quilting on my small frame & Juki, I've found panthograms work really well for me.



FMQ Challenge August 2012

I am so very pleased with my progress so far.  Maybe next year I'll get lots of practice quilting all these BOMs that I'm working on this year! Thanks again to SewCalGal for offering this challenge.

Keep on Stitchin'!

August Jester Hat FMQ

I've been making Jester Hats!!  Our challenge teacher for August is Wendy Sheppard and she is another wonderful quilter!  Her tutorial is a design resembling the top of a Jester's hat.  It is  fun to do once you get into the rhythm.   I think I will do a version of this on the Jelly Roll Race Quilt using my frame and Juki.

I practiced on a project to hold a curling iron and wanted to snap a couple of photos before finishing it up.  The wrong side shows the stitches much better.


Jester Hats FMQ - right side



Jester Hats FMQ - wrong side

This was really thick to quilt on...it has a layer of batting as well as a layer of Insulbrite.  Even so, I am pleased with my quilting and keeping the stitch lengths about the same.

Keep on Stitchin'!!

Craftsy - August Block 2

Got the second August BOM for Craftsy finished.  I like this block, even though it has so many points to match!  I think I did pretty good.  Only had to do a little frog stitching on this block.


Craftsy August 2012 Block 2

Let's see...what's left to do this month?  FMQ and the Funky Chicken.  I should work some more on the FMQ this afternoon.  I have a quick project I need to make that will be perfect to practice this month's FMQ challenge.

Until the next post...Keep on Stitchin'!!

Craftsy - August Block 1

I've been busy catching up on some things and lagging behind with my BOMs this month!  August blocks from Craftsy are my favorite (NOT!!!) HST piecing.  Ugh.  I had trouble with the HST block from In Color Order.  But I'm happy to say I had very little trouble with this block.

Craftsy August 2012 Block 1

I learned something I probably should have learned years ago, but since I'm self-taught, I'm sure there are many little things I don't know that would relieve so much stress from my cutting/piecing/quilting adventures.  Amy said something in the instructions that totally opened my eyes.  She said to cut a half square triangle in half FROM THE WRONG SIDE!  Duh!  I had been balancing that diagonal line on the ruler on the seam from the right side all this time!  I also realized that one of the problems I had been having when squaring up these little blocks was that I was only looking at half of the piece when trimming.  I was making sure I had the ruler placed straight on the diagonal and that there was seam allowance on all sides....but I never paid any attention to centering the center and ruler.  No wonder I had some HST points with more fabric on one side of the point than the other.  Today, I put a piece of blue painters tape across the ruler making a nice X guideline on the diagonal.  Those little hourglass blocks are pretty much dead on at the points.  WooHoo!!

Altho it looks like I lost points in this block, I actually cut off the top when taking the picture.  I'm losing points everywhere! LOL

Keep on Stitchin'!!

In Color Order - August HST

And we have another BOM done for  this month!  I think I made this block at least 5 times! For some reason I had a hard time with those points.  Must have done some sloppy trimming on those HST! haha

HST August 2012

Still, a pretty block and the errors are not nearly so glaring as with the seams prior to the all-time UNfavorite frog stitch!

Til next time, Keep on Stitchin!

Carol Doak Paper Piecing - August Block

It's August already!  I have 2 fun events this month, so I'm trying to get as much done as fast as possible.  Ugh...I'm not fast in the sewing room, especially with cutting fabric.  Plus I still have to make the sample for the Bernina Software Sampler class.  AAACK!!!!  I'm already behind this month!!

The August block for Carol's BOM is one of two blocks of hers that I'm using in the Summer Quilt (under Projects in Progress) which I'll be working on at a retreat at the end of the month.  Check out the difference fabrics make between the Summer Quilt block and this one.

August 2012 PP BOM

The other event this month?  It's a two day Anita Goodesign event that I'm sure will be lots of fun and require lots of willpower not to purchase more embroidery designs to add to my stash that I never seem to get around to using.  We have 100 attending this event and sorry, but it's booked solid.

Keep on Stitchin!