Freemotion quilting

It is late Sunday night - work tomorrow - and it was a very busy weekend, I did manage to get a few hours in my sewing room today.  I have been practicing my freemotion quilting and even though I laundered this practice piece (wanted to get the chalk out of it) I think you can see the design pretty clearly in these pics.  I used just regular old school chalk to mark this stencil design.  This probably is not technically freemotion since I used a stencil, but I wanted to try it.

This is the front and the pic on top shows the front with the back flipped over.  I serged the edges. 

The stitch length is looking much better, more consistent I think with several weeks of practice. I am using Superior thread in both needle and bobbin, So Fine which I believe is 60 wt.  I have already made a new quilt sandwich in pink fabric and will be trying marking out squares with chalk and see if I can freemotion a consistent design across the quilt sandwich.  The batting on this piece is 80/20 cotton poly.  The next one I am going to use wool batting. 

I also finished piecing five more blocks in my pink and brown.  That makes 12 blocks completed, but I am still struggling with the 1/4 inch seam allowance, I have tried several different set-ups, but either come up too small or too large.  I am going to try to figure out what I am doing wrong next session.  I think too I will change my presser foot so that I can adjust the needle.  Does anyone else struggle with that "scant 1/4 inch?"  OH YES, the big news is a new JoAnn Fabrics has opened at the mall.  I made a trip today to use my 40 percent off coupon and check it out.  I hope it makes a go of it as we have not had a regular fabric store in town for many years.  Well, better sign off for now, I want to go check out what everyone else has been doing :) Bernie

New Quilting friend Texas Quilt Show

I made a new quilting friend on my trip to Texas in June to attend my nephew's graduation and visit family.  Her name is Elaine G.  I met her through my very sweet niece who just happens to be friends with one of Elaine's daughters (another delightful girl).  The girls got us togehter and we all went to a quilt show. We had a wonderful time and went to lunch after the show and then she invited me to her home to look at her beautiful quilts.  She does redwork and had several wall hangings I loved and also showed me a batik beauty she had just completed piecing in fall colors.  Very pretty.  Here is my new friend.

 and a few pics of the quilt show we attended. 

I think Elaine voted for this one as her favorite.  There were many talented quilters displayed and every row we walked down was full of eye candy.  I was especially taken with a black whole cloth quilt with some star appliques that was quilted with decorator threads and every inch covered with the most fantastic quilting. 

Check out this dragon

Close up of the scales and quilting. 

I can't figure how to get my pics all the same size, hope you can see some of the detail.  Look at the pieced leaves on this last one and the cat in the corner.  Cute.  Well, hope  you enjoyed the show.  I will come back and edit when I find my souvineer postcard to give credit to the quilt guild that put on this wonderful show.  Bernie

The 3 hour block and Halloween treats

Well, I had not been in my sewing room for over a month and was really wanting to get back to it - so at 3:30 pm Sunday afternoon I decided I would work on my pink and brown quilt top.  This one is for me, but it is slow going.  I have to think hard (ouch) about it, one block at a time - because I have my own idea for how it is being put together. And I don't have a design wall, so I have to lay it out on my cutting table, then write down how the next block should be done.  So I pieced the next block in row one and when it was complete the measurements were all off (too small), so I did something I NEVER do.  I took it apart and sewed it together again, but then it was too big, so I hacked off more than I should have only to realize the colors were in the wrong place! So I took it apart AGAIN and sewed it back together again. 

okay, success finally, but I was so tired of it by then, I worked up the next block and quit for the day.

You see my little tape labels for the first row? Those are supposed to keep me from getting too confused :) The pic above shows the pattern beautifully, it is a scrappy quilt and I have collected the fat quarters over the past 3 years.  It started out just brown and pinks, but I have added green.  I  am going to have to figure out a way to put up a design wall if I want to keep it going. 
I also pulled together my little stash of Halloween fabrics and cheater panel. I want to put together a Halloween quilt, just something lap size, which shouldn't be too hard with the cheater panel.  I think the grandkids will love it.

The striped piece has glitter running through it and the bright orange is supposed to glow in the dark.

I have no idea what pattern I might use.  Something very simple.  I don't really want to cut apart the cheater panel, so it will be the center and I will work blocks around it to fit.   Famous last words How hard could that be? HA.