I Think This is So Cute

I don't know what I will do with it, though, since it doesn't really coordinate with my house...  It will probably end up in my studio on the wall.  I bought three of these last year at Road 2 CA to practice my ruler work and to do small fills.  It was quick and fun to do.

Here is the front...

And here is the back (although I quilted this with this side up)...

This is a close up

I think these are a great idea to practice your machine quilting skills whether you use a longarm or a domestic machine.

Free Motion (but intense!) Quilting.... Wholecloth!

I am challenging myself again...  I am working on stitching out some new fillers (at least new to me) on this cute little pre-printed wholecloth.  I am using a weighted bag to steady the fabric so it doesn't jump up and down as I stitch these micro fillers.  (I had a cute little bag filled with popcorn, but can't find it) so I grabbed some rice and stuffed it in a sock.  Works just as well!  I definitely need to wear my glasses this fill is so tiny.  I am not sure which side with be the front - the black or the pink.  Two layers of Hobbs 80/20, and Coats Sylko thread.  I am linking up with Esther Aliu for WOW...

Wholecloth....lessons learned #3

Well, here it is.  It's gone from the frame to the table.  I am not done with it yet, so I'm sure I'll have many more things to learn.  ha!   First of all, I really do like it  The front is a celery green, and the back is a royal blue, with lime green thread.  The lighting wasn't the best, obviously I'll have to learn how to take better pictures before it's all done.  There are so many errors in this quilt, it's a shame.
Back to the lessons. So...  here we go:

1)  Don't pebble all the feather stems.  I wanted to leave some unfilled, but once I had done it to one quadrant, I then realized I must do it to all those same feathers. 

2)  Make sure you've got a good audio book going while you bury and tie off those threads.  It really helps.  I've always suspected that I am a bit twisted, (if you read my older posts you'll learn that I actually loved  "skinning" a queen sized quilt) because I was really starting to enjoy all that tying and burying.  Uh?

3)  All crystals are not alike.  I am planning on adding some crystals to this, and I think the first set I bought at JoAnns are the wrong type, they're not adhesive.

4)  When you start a project like this, make sure you have lots and lots of time.  I couldn't even begin to count the number of hours that has gone into this, beginning with learning how to create feathers, then drawing the wholecloth, then marking, yadda, yadda.

5)  Get your design perfect, and mark it perfectly before you begin stitching. 

Where do I go from here?  Well, I'm still learning about this, but I believe I need to

1)attach the crystals first

2)get it wet, and then I'm going to attempt to remove the pencil lines that I idiotically drew on the fabric (before I starched it).

3) if I cannot get the pencil marks out, I am going to paint those areas with a textile paint.

4) block it (I've never blocked a quilt so this will be another learning experience.

5)  bind it.

If you have any suggestions or tips for me, please comment, I need all the help I can get.

Wholecloth.....lessons learned #2

The wholecloth is coming along quite nicely.  Here's a couple more lessons I've learned along the way:
1)  Use a spiral eye needle when burying threads.  (I just ordered mine and am saving my burying until they are received.
2)  Wear your glasses when stitching pebbles. 
3)  Sit down on a chair, stool, or something when stitching those pebbles.
4)  Match the thread color to the fabric.  (Have I said that enough?)
5)  Do not attempt to stitch pebbles after consuming wine.

Stay posted for the finished product!

Wholecloth.... lessons learned #1

I finally got to load my wholecloth.  Less than 25% done and I've got a running list of lessons learned.  Here we go:
1)  Match the thread to the fabric.
2) Match the thread to the fabric.

3)  Use So Fine (#60 weight) or thinner

4)  DO NOT use a pencil to mark your fabric.

5)  The main plumes need to be larger than any fill you are planning on using.

6)  Make sure you have replaced your cone of thread on the the thread holder (after winding the bobbin) before you take off at full speed. 

7) Match the thread to the fabric.

8)  Save the "thread burying or tying off" for long-winded phone calls to save you time.  I'm all about saving time.  I NEVER seem to have enough for my quilting projects.

Stay posted for lessons learned #2. 

No quilting on my vacation and I'm surviving!

Well, it's DAY FIVE of our vacation, and I have not touched my sewing machine or quilting machine once.  I'm not on a Caribbean Island nor across the pond!  What I have done is create this drawing for a wholecloth quilt.  No, it's not a mistake, this is only one fourth of the complete quilt.  I will have it enlarged and hopefully start marking some cotton sateen.