I have started getting more use of my Cricut Expressions Die Cut Machine that, until recently, was only put to use when one of the kids had a school project. Now I'm discovering yet another craft that I enjoy-- card making. Unfortunately, when I get excited about a new project I find it difficult to stay motivated to complete older projects. That means that some of the time I could have spent sewing and completing works in progress has been spent on new sewing projects and other crafts.
If you have been following this blog you know that I promised my daughter a quilt to take to college. It was supposed to be completed this summer but other things got in the way. To force myself to keep working on the quilt I have set a deadline of completing the quilt in time to take it to her on Family Weekend in a few weeks. Problem is, other projects have been "jumping in the way".
Like this pillowcase I made for my son's girlfriend who recently lost a family member --
And these greeting cards--
But despite all the happy distractions I still managed to make significant progress on the quilt...
Currently I am in search of an area that is large enough to lay out the entire quilt in order to take measurements for the border. After that comes cutting out and piecing the border and the quilt back, sewing on the border. Then, of course, is sandwiching the entire thing together and machine quilting it on my home sewing machine. I am not afraid to admit that I am extremely intimidated. I am not a quilter and this is my first major quilting project! Why oh why did I decide to make a xl twin quilt?!
Oh well, it's only sewing-- right???
...gulp!!!
Until next time...Sew something you love!
Pillowcases are fun to make... My son asked me to make him new ones for Christmas so I will check out the "burrito" method! Hope you find a large enough space to lay out that quilt! It is LOVELY!
ReplyDeleteThanks! You will find that the burrito method will make the process super easy and fast. You will be cranking them out before you know it.
DeleteA gorgeous quilt. I must admit I always send mine out to be quilted. Its not that expensive, at least in Australia, I bet it would be less there. I find the angst and hassle is just too difficult. I love the cards and the pillowcases.
ReplyDeleteThanks Mandy. I had thought about sending the quilt out but found it to be cost prohibitive for my budget and I was under a time crunch. Although it wasn't perfect, I'm glad I did it. It won't win any prizes but my daughter loved it and that was better than any prize.
DeleteQuilting a big quilt is hard--so much shifting and turning and rolling. My 2 pieces of advice: put your machine on a BIG table, giving yourself lots and lots of space to support the quilt. If it keeps slipping off the edge and pulling on the part that's on the machine, it's a real pain. And be patient and kind to yourself. Better to do a bunch of 10-minutes sessions than to try to do marathons and make yourself so uncomfortable that you give up. The end is in sight--great job!
ReplyDeleteWendy, thanks for the advice. I have a small sewing table so I used an ironing board placed to my left to help support some of the quilt. I'd also heard somewhere that if you push your sewing table against a wall the wall will keep the quilt from falling to the floor. This worked beautifully and I was pleasantly surprised to see that the task was not as bad as I had anticipated. Now I'm itching to make another one LOL
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