Helpful quilting sites

Still working on My First Quilt and its coming along nicely. It can be hard to get in sewing time after working all day and then coming home to make dinner, do household chores, etc., etc. - you know! But I think I've made some good progress and am almost done. I've also been browsing around on the internet and have found a few interesting quilting blogs and sites. The Online Quilting Blog even offers online lessons/tutorials, free quilting patterns (including a list of other web sites that offer free patterns, photo gallery, tips and a chat room.
The Moda Bakeshop features their fabric line (Moda) and free patterns and photos of the projects. Both definitely worth checking out.
It's so wonderful to see that sewing and quilting are still alive and well in this day and age when so many of the "old fashioned" type of home projects seem to be waning. I'm not sure if sewing is even taught anymore in high school (I don't think it is). It was back in my day when i took home ec. i made a sundress. I think a quilt would have been easier, especially since the dress included a ZIPPER! Anyway i am learning so much from the blogs and sites i come across. Hope to feature more in future along with my own projects and now that i've learned to work the embroidery part of my machine, i'll be incorporating some of that on my future quilt projects, especially for the labels! Happy quilting!

Inch by Inch

It’s so exciting to see all the bits and pieces coming together. All my classmates have chosen such different fabrics and we are all using the same pattern but each has its own personality. It’s amazing to see how the different colors (some that you wouldn’t even think would look good together) and patterns work to make each and everyone beautiful. I’ve put together all the strips and triangles into one square. Next step will be to put each of these squares together with the sashes and borders to make the large quilt top. What is that saying – yard by yard it’s hard, inch by inch it’s a cinch – and it truly is.

On my way..

Second day of quilting class and we got to use the Thangles! A neat little invention that helps you make perfect little triangles into perfect little squares in such an easy way. Being a first timer I thought they were fun and was disappointed when I was done ripping them off my material - it’s a stress reliever! For homework we have to sew all our strips together (3 strips of two different material) and then cut those into squares. It was a relief that I didn’t have to buy a special foot (1/4 inch quilting foot) for this. Hopefully I won’t need it down the line, that’s just one more expense and my regular sewing foot seems to work just fine. I can’t imagine all the time and effort it took back in the olden days to put these together and sew every stitch by hand. How fortunate those who have quilts from long ago that have been passed down through generations. They are true treasures. I found a fascinating web site that features and sells antique quilts from as far back as the 18th century. If I ever get to York Village, Maine , Rocky Mountain Quilts will definitely be a stop on my itinerary. It’s so neat to see my first quilt start to come together and I love being able to have this time to sew again

BeepBeep

Yesterday I attended a class to learn how to work my new sewing machine. Although I had experimented at home with it, it kept beeping and stopping. Upon checking the owner’s manual, it went into a long drawn out explanation that gave the impression the beeping had to do with the settings. I was so glad when yesterday I started sewing in class and it began giving me the same problem. The teacher at first was just as perplexed. So she adjusted the thread somewhat. Still beeped. She took the thread out altogether and rethreaded the whole thing. Beeping stopped. As the class progressed I noticed a little tab peeking out from underneath my machine. Unsure if i might break something i none the less pulled on it. Low and behold it was a little trouble-shooting cheat sheet! And there under number 19 (a little light flashed on stitch number 19 when it beeped) it mentioned “may need to readjust threading”.
I also learned that i didn’t have to follow the instructions per letter in the owner’s manual for my bobbin. The book gave a complicated process that i was having trouble with. The teacher said i could do it like i’ve always done, just wind the loose end about 5-7 times around the bobbin and go. worked just fine. I’m such a rule follower that it makes me nervous to try something new, different. What am i afraid of? i don’t know, it’s something i’m working to overcome - sometimes the rules can be broken with no harm done. This is what i’m hoping to work on by quilting. Yes there are certain rules but doesn’t appear so when it comes to fabric - Colors do not need to match - it can be as wild and as funky as i want it to be. looking forward to these experiments.

The thread goes where?

Well, I’ve taken out the new machine to familiarize myself with all it’s fancy gadgets and workings. After several tries I was finally able to get my bobbin threaded after spending a few minutes figuring out the example drawn in the instruction book, yet I still don’t think I’m doing it quite right. It kept getting tangled up on the bobbin and ending up in a big mess that definitely would not work. So I managed to figure out a way to get the thread on there tight and managed to thread the machine. I then went through some old scrap material I still had (I keep everything!) to test some of the stitches. It sews beautifully!
However as I went through the various stitches, the machine kept making a beeping noise and stopping. Apparently it is factory set and although I moved the knobs to adjust the stitch length, it still keeps beeping. This will be very annoying if it does this while I’m in my quilting class so I found a class for next Monday morning – lesson 1 to learn how to work my machine. I had already been through this series of classes with my previous machine and now I’m back at square one.
Well it will be worth it, this has some really neat stitch options – ivy and starbursts among others and I can’t wait to use them on upcoming projects.

Quilting Here I Come…

Well I’ve done it. I signed up for My First Quilt Workshop at The Old Craft Store. It’ll be one day a week for the next 4 weeks and at the end I’ll have completed a small quilt – big enough to wrap the first grandbaby in (whenever he/she may come) or to use as a sofa throw or wall hanging.
Another reason I need my “nest” empty now, I need the room for all my stuff and the kids are way overdue on leaving - I plan on making one room my guest/library room and the other will be my sewing/scrapbooking/all-around craft room. Again don't understand those ladies who get depressed over having time to finally do what they want. What did you want to do before you became a mom - do it now. Life is short, bring the experience around to a positive light.
I nixed the idea of inviting my mom, she’d want me to pick her up, etc. and I’ll barely have time to get there from the office before class starts. Plus I don't think her sewing machine is one of those you can tote around and we need to bring our own machine for this one. I’ll also need to stock up on Slim Fast or something to drink on the way there as dinner will be out of the question and by the time I get out of there it will be too late to eat (don’t like to eat past nine at night). I’ll have some me time (hard to come by in a full house) and perhaps make some new friends, yikes and I’ll have to take a change of clothes, not too comfortable to be sewing in my work clothes. Hopefully this doesn’t turn out to be more stressful than fun. It is only one day a week though for four weeks. I can handle that.
Once I’ve learned the proper quilting process, my next project will be to make a t-shirt quilt out of all those old t-shirts that I’ve kept for the kids - T-shirts from camp, girl scouts, boy scouts, sports, school spirit, and vacation souvenir t-shirts.

Reviving an old hobby..

A few years ago I purchased a new sewing machine. I had sewn a lot when my kids were young making nursery items and as they grew I also sewed their play clothes and Halloween costumes. As I began working full time and the kids got busy with activities I no longer had time to pursue this hobby. Attending the state fair one year I came across a sewing exhibition that featured all sorts of sewing machines. I became inspired and later went to my nearest Joann's crafgt store and purchased one hoping to get back into sewing if nothing else for mending clothes and the like. I became so frustrated with trying to figure out how to get the bobbin to work I gave up and set it aside. The machine sat there for a couple of years gathering dust until a few weeks ago when I came across some free beginner sewing classes at the store where I purchased the machine. I became excited about sewing again and using their embroidery equipment and my machine for the embellishment made this little Easter drawstring bag. I did get a little discouraged when the fanciest stitch I had on my machine was this little double zig zag. Everyone else had much fancier machines with stitch options such as ivy, hearts, swirls, etc. Needless to say I was easily swayed to purchase an upgrade of my machine to get some fancier stitches. I found a place called The Old Craft Store that teaches beginners to quilt and can't wait to use my new machine and begin sewing in earnest again. My mother used to love to sew and I wish she had the confidence to attend classes like these to get back into it as well and so she can make new friends. That was something that really stood out to me that in the classes I attended and even when visiting The Old Craft Store, I saw no Latina's or anyone from any other culture. Growing up many women from our family and my mother's circle of friends sewed so it's bizarre to me that I see very few women of other culture's at craft stores (and I live in a large multi-cultural city). It's so satisfying to work on something that eventually comes together into something that can be used or worn for generations to come. Perhaps I'll get my mother to come along, she would like the mother/daughter time anyway.