So many choices!

I have been on a book buying spree this week and have so many quilt patterns to choose from now I hardly know where to start.  But then I screech to a halt and remind myself that I need to finish some of the quilt tops that have resided in my cupboard for far too long.  So today I cleared the kitchen floor and got down to basting this one.

I love the colours and was into orange at the time I chose the fabrics.  It will be nice to see it finished.  Now I need to choose a pattern to quilt onto it.  This will be the first larger quit that I will free motion so I am taking a Monet to pan what I would like to do.  I am thinking of stippling it and spent the afternoon drawing to test out the size for the stippling and trying to maintain consistent spacing.  I really would like to do swirls but for some reason I just can't master it yet so I will have to spend more time with pen and paper for that one.  

Wish me luck!  Stay warm and happy quilting!

It's about the journey...

I enjoy reading the quilt blogs each day and find a wealth of ideas which gives me such enthusiasm for this hobby that I love.  I am amazed at how quickly some quilters seem to start and finish each quilt....especially when some of the quilts are quite large.  I feel like I lag behind in my completions.  This week, after a few conversations with myself (I am sure I am not alone in having chats with oneself) I have made a number of realizations.  The first of these is that it's not a race but rather about spending time enjoying what I love to do.

I have finished my triangle trees wall hanging but need to bind it once I scrounge through my stash to see what I have available to use.  I would like to name this wall hanging and put a label on it but don't seem to be able to come up with a suitable name at the moment.   I will share a photo of it once the binding is done.

Meanwhile I visited Sew Sisters quilt shop in Toronto last weekend and bought a Jaybird pattern that I fell in love with.

This is the second Jaybird pattern I have purchased and honestly it's the second one that I have mucked up when cutting the fabric.  I think I am a Jaybird bird brain.  There really is nothing wrong with the directions.   This pattern calls for the pieces to be cut on the right and wrong side of the fabric.  Despite reading the directions first I still managed mess it up and unfortunately I had used up all my background fabric.  I was kicking myself and then sat back and decided to salvage what I had and see how many blocks could be made.  After sewing nine blocks together I wasn't very satisfied with my seams in the centre of the block.  As a perfectionist, I was tempted to rip the seams apart.  

And then it dawned on me.   I don't have to make the pattern exactly as purchased and my seams don't have to be perfect.  This is my interpretation of the pattern and as long as I have enjoyed the process and I am happy with the completed project that's what counts.  A tough realization for this perfectionalist but I do believe I am ok with that.  After all, it's about the journey!

Triangle Trees

On one of my blog reading sessions I came across a photo of a wall hanging that I fell in love with on Grace and Favour blog http://carla-graceandfavour.blogspot.ca/2012/11/a-cherry-christmas-quilt.html.  Something about the colours, the quilting and the tree design spoke to me so I set about creating it for myself.  I have a triangle template and there was definitely no need to purchase fabric (ha, ha) so I cut up a number of 6 inch triangles and laid them out on a bed (my design wall) with the idea of mimicking the layout in the photo.  What I quickly discovered is that I didn't like the size of the triangle and returned to the cutting mat to reduce each by an inch.  I was much more satisfied with the result.

With the top made now the decision on how to quilt it loomed.  I did some doodling and entertained a number of different patterns for both the coloured triangle trees and the background.  In the end it was clear to me that the quilting in the original photo is a good part of what drew me to the wall hanging so I ultimately choose to do a very straight lined quilting on the background off white pieces following the outline of each unit.  I am still in the process of doing the quilting but here is a sneak peek.

One observation I have made about myself in this journey is that regardless of whether or not I do simple straight lined quilting or free motion, I have to take a deep breath before I start.  Am I the only one who feels like this?    I am so afraid of ruining the top but once I start the quilting the anticipation of the completed product moves me forward. 

Now I just need to name this piece....

Happy Sunday!

Whirlygigs finished!

It's taken me a lot longer than anticipated to finish the quilting on this whirlygig table runner.  The Aurafil thread broke constantly.  I called the place I purchased my Janome from and he suggested changing the needle, which I had already done, and using the single hole needle plate but still I continued to have problems.  It was the upper thread that shredded and broke each time but before each break the bobbin would start making a noise so I think the problem comes from the bobbin.  I am considering trying a different upper and bobbin thread the next time to see if that makes a difference.

By the time I had dealt with all the thread issues I was sure I was going to hate how this table runner turned out but I am quite pleased with it.  I did tight swirls (not very round or as successful as I had hoped) and then a looser quilting around the outside.  I rather like the effect of dark and light that this has created.  It's all a learning process!

I have spent far too much time again scouring the quilt blogs looking for inspiration and did see a triangle quilt that has peaked my interest.  It's similar to the Christmas tree runner that I made in style but not colour.  I have two other table runners to quilt yet but hey, a girl can always start another project in the meantime!

Happy quilting!

Swirls!

We have been enduring the extreme cold and never ending snow of late so dealing with the elements has taken up much of my free time.  It seems like barely a day has gone by in January that I didn't have to shovel snow, today being no different.

I completed a red and beige whirlygig table runner top and have started to do the quilting on it.  I quilted echoed tear drops again in the whirligigs and decided to try my hand at swirls which are similar but it took me a few attempts to get the pattern right on paper.  So while I have been slow to quilt this table runner, I have actually spent a fair bit of time drawing practice swirls which is always a good thing.

I love Amy's free motion Quilting Adventures blog found here http://freemotionquiltingadventures.blogspot.ca. Amy loads free motion videos which I have been carefully watching to understand the movement from one section of a design to the next.  One of the issues for me is the free motion foot I was using for my Janome is a clear plastic one and I found it was distorting my view of where I'd been and where I was going.  I made a trip to my LQS and discussed the options and was pleased to discover I already had the metal open toed foot with my machine so I didn't have to purchase anything. Woo hoo!  I do believe this will work better for me.  I worked on quilting some swirls yesterday and the change of foot is great but it's a good thing the thread is the same colour as the fabric so my wonky swirls don't show up as clearly.  What's the old saying....practice makes perfect!