Whiskers

I've said before that I excel at procrastinating. Remember that messy room I started to clean last month? Let's just say I'm still working on it. Oh, it was going well, but then I came across that weird knitting project and got sidetracked. (More on that soon.) Next, I found some fat quarters I'd purchased back when I was making my First Quilt Ever and decided my life depended on making something quilty immediately. After noodling around on the internet for about an hour and a half, I found these instructions for making a cat quilt block and decided to give it a try. Well, my fat quarters did not lend themselves to the design, but my heart was set on the cat, so I pulled some other fabrics from my stash and came up with this.

It's not the most complicated design or the best piecing job ever, but I think the face makes up for it. I was inordinately pleased with myself for coming up with that idea for the whiskers and for sewing the irises that way. (I'm sure it's been done before, but allow me the indulgence of thinking I came up with it!)

Speaking of whiskers, this is my box of Isabella's whiskers. Whenever I find one on the floor, I put it in here and save it. This wasn't my idea--my friend did it first. I love having them, but I guess some people might think it's akin to saving toenail cuttings and a little weird. (No, I don't save her toenail cuttings.) Do you save anything strange?

Guess what...

Quilting! Is! Finished!

As this awkward photo is supposed to illustrate, the quilting is done! I thought about taking a picture of all four corners, but even I am getting tired of looking at this thing, so one picture will have to suffice. The last bit of quilting gave me more trouble than the whole thing put together. I was close to running out of thread, the bobbin kept snagging into a nest of knots, and of course that last little section is the hardest to reach, with all the rest bunched up on your lap.


The binding is also sewn on there, just waiting for me to do the hand sewing. Obsessively Stitching's First Quilt Ever Quilt Show is coming up on June 14th, so I need to get it in gear and finish this thing! I wonder if there will be ribbons to win...hmm.

Turbo Cool, Baby!

Had the day off today, so I psyched myself up for some FREE! MOTION! QUILTING! Everything went well until I ran out of bobbin thread. After that, it seemed like no matter what I did, I ended up with a rat's nest of thread or, as in this example, utter freakishness. After pulling out stiches seven or eight times, I finally dismantled everything, put in a new bobbin, a new needle, rethreaded the machine, and blew out the lint that'd accumulated. Then I took a deep breath IN--OUT and tried again. Something did the trick, because it was smooth sailing after that.
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I keep wanting to draw hearts as I'm stitching. What other shapes could I work in there? A cat silhouette would be cute, but seeing as how I can't even draw one with a pencil, drawing one with the machine is probably out.

That's the last frontier! I am 11/14 of the way through it! And it's still rectangular! WooHoo!

I discovered one more tool that is absolutely essential to making a quilt: an air conditioner. Big thanks to my Ger Bear for quickly seeing to my comfort when I started complaining about my sweltering hot sewing room.

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ALSO! Thanks for the sneaker suggestions! I actually have a pair of Simple sneaks, but I'm not a huge fan. I like the company's philosophy and everything, but the soles just aren't holding up very well. Disappointing, because they were pretty spendy. I'd never thought of Vans, but that's a great suggestion! I'm going to seek some out and try them on for size. Also, did anyone see the new British Prime Minister's wife rocking the Converse? Maybe I'll stick with them a little longer. :-)

Progress Report

Three cheers for me! Progress is being made!

After another go at practicing my squiggles, with my arms aching and my spirits in the toilet, I decided to put my researching skills to work and find out more about free-motion quilting. Care's First Quilt Ever! series is wonderful, but I felt like I needed a wider variety of perspectives on this one aspect. I read blogs, I watched videos (this one was particularly comforting for some reason), and then I went back and looked at Care's posts again.


Now, shhhh, don't tell her, but I clicked on every one of her photos to enlarge them and get a really good look at the stitches. And guess what? There were some extra-long stitches in there every so often! And some of her curves aren't as smooth as they could be! And she's been doing this for a long time! I suddenly felt a lot better about how I'd been doing! (Sorry, Care, I know you're going to find out I said this!)

The second revelation? Quilting gloves.



One trip to JoAnn's, $2.50, and I'm the proud owner of these magic gloves. I guess they don't make a difference to some people, but they helped me SO much. If you are struggling, I highly recommend a pair of these.

Now, I still have some ultra-long stitches (many of them, to be honest), and there are some curves that are less than graceful, but I'm doing it! And I'm getting better! And if you don't look too closely, it looks FANTASTIC!

One thing I am completely unable to do is sew around the safety pins. The only thing that works for me is looking ahead a bit and taking them out. I'm also finding it much, much easier to maneuver around towards the center. I feel like I have less control towards the edges.

Oh, and when I first switched from my practice pieces to the real thing? Whoa. My practice pieces were MUCH thicker than this, and I really had to work with the thread tension to get it right. Speaking of thread, one bobbin lasted me through about a sixth of the quilt. Currently I'm about, mmm, a third of the way through. I won't have a new quilt by Monday, but I'm getting there!

Practice!

The moment of truth. Well, okay, the practice moment of truth. I'm not sewing on the real quilt yet, but this is still a big step, as it tells me how hard this free-motion quilting stuff is going to be. The first step was figuring out how to lower the feed dogs. Note to Bernina: The index should be the LAST thing in a book. Whenever I need to look something up, the first challenge is locating the index! (I really complain a lot, don't I?)

This is my first squiggle! The nose-like hitch in the first finger of the squiggle is where I realized I didn't have to twist the fabric in order to change directions--a basic, but important, realization!

I wasn't working with the biggest test piece, so I sort of squished my squiggles together more than they need to be. This one, I thought, came out particularly nice, except for those out of control, long stitches at the bottom of the picture. I just need to loosen up and leave more space between the lines, right?
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As for covering the whole thing with stars...I don't know. On one hand, I like the idea of being able to start and stop. I'm worried about consistancy with this squiggle method, too. On the other, I tried a star or two and they didn't come out too well. I did better with the squigs. Hmm...I'll have to see how I do with more practice.
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Per Care's suggestion, I used an old towel as batting, and it worked great! I wonder how something like that would work as a pot holder...thick enough or not?
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Thoughts so far:
1. This is murder on your arms.
2. I hope I get better with practice.
3. I'm going to fret my way through this whole thing.
4. I don't want to bail out and do straight-line quilting.
5. I know when it's done, it'll look fine, even if it isn't perfect.
6. The middle is going to be hard.
7. I have my seam ripper ready.
8. Can I just send this thing to Care and have her finish it? :-)

Borders and Backs

What? You didn't really think I was throwing in the towel, did you? I've come this far, I'm not quitting now! But Care, bless her soul, is already at basting, so I need to get it in gear!

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Adding the border went off without a hitch. In fact, it was so uneventful, I was done before I thought to take pictures! As for that crooked spot I was upset about, two seconds with the rotary cutter and ruler took care of that!

I'm not completely finished piecing the back, but I'm working on it! It was funny to read "Here's what you should have left over from our original cutting" and then compare it to what I actually had left over. Between some bum cuts and the unusable blocks, I had all sorts of scraps to choose from. For this step, I used my old cutting mat, rather than hauling out the big one. I felt so...so...confined! Care is right, I'll never go back!

My strips, all lined up like soldiers, waiting to be sewn together.

Zipping all 26 pieces together went really quickly, but I started to feel nostalgic for chain piecing. (Listen to me, throwing quilt lingo around as is I know what I'm doing!)

And there you have it! My goal for tonight is to finish up with the back, leaving me only ONE step behind! But for now...off to the gym!

Come Together

So how is everyone doing? I knew the day would come when I'd just want to stuff this thing into the trash and set fire to it. Well, that day was today. I've retreated out to the screened porch to write this, accompanied by my Isabella. She is happy to be sniffing the fresh air, and maybe it'll do me some good to be outside listening to the birds squawk and twitter as well.

So...deep breath...Care's post about assembling the rows scared the daylights out of me. Flip this, push this there, watch out for that... aaaaiiiiiiieeeeeeeee! I'm saying that about EVERY step, I know, but it's been true for every step! However, when I sat down with Care's instructions and just followed them step by step, it all worked out beautifully. The best part about this step? There are no corners to line up! At one point I did find myself questioning whether I'd been flipping blocks over when I shouldn't have, but a quick look at the picture of the layout assured me that I was okay. Then, of course, the whole thing had to be laid out for admiration once again! :-)

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Here's where the trouble started. Today was the day for sewing the rows together. Everything was ironed and ready, and I sat down to begin. Following Care's "fudging" directions, I tried my best to get those corners to match. And you know what? IT WORKED! When I opened the first two rows to see how I'd done, every single corner was either right on or very close!

And that's when I realized I'd sewn the wrong edges together.

I wish I'd taken a picture, just to drive home the point that you need to DOUBLE CHECK which edges you're sewing. Instead:
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DOUBLE CHECK WHICH EDGES YOU'RE SEWING!
DOUBLE CHECK WHICH EDGES YOU'RE SEWING!
DOUBLE CHECK!
DOUBLE CHECK!
D.O.U.B.L.E C.H.E.C.K!

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Now, you know how we didn't backstitch at all when we were sewing all those blocks together? That becomes a bit of problem when you are a nitwit and sew the wrong rows together and have to tear it all out. Uh huh. I wanted to cry. Instead, I took a bath and stayed in until I shriveled and then I started again.


And there it is! There's my quilt top (so far)! The corners even match up pretty well. But...

...what the HECK is going on here? When I sewed rows 1-2-3-4 onto rows 5-6-7, I ended up with this discrepancy. It's like this quilt has it out for me! The minute I start to feel good about how it's going, it throws something like this in my face! UGH!

Quilty Cat

There's a Flickr group for 1st Quilt Ever now! Check it out to see how other people are doing!

So, after hours of choosing fabrics and cutting squares and then sewing them all into blocks, it's time to slice them up. Eeek! Although Care tried to downplay the possibility of irreparable damage, I knew that this was one place I REALLY didn't want to screw up. What if I mis-measured or let the ruler slip when cutting one of these babies?

I'm not sure this actually helped at all, but I used sticky notes to mark some strategic spots on my cutting mat. Even so, I double triple quadruple quintuple checked before I made a cut.

Um, but one thing. Care, oh quilting mentor of mine? My squares? They weren't all that square. --frown-- I hope I did the right thing by trying as best I could to split the difference. I am getting a D in accuracy, I know!

As predicted, Isabella enjoyed the next part of the process. I was just starting to groove on laying out the squares when she sauntered in, flopped down, and farted--FARTED--on my quilt blocks! I left the room for a bit to let the air clear. Besides, once she's flopped, there's no moving her.

This is my final layout. The one thing that sort of bugs me is the proximity of those two acid green blocks. It will probably always nag at me, but I couldn't seem to find a better solution.

When it came time to stack up the rows of blocks, you-know-who showed up again to supervise. I worked around her as much as I could, then gently eased her off the two blocks on which she'd perched.

Ready to start sewing rows! Wave goodbye, Isabella!

Building Blocks

Let's see what I learned from Block Assembly, Part 2.

I learned why my sewing machine came with that table attachment thingy.

I learned that the world won't end if the corners don't match up exactly.

I learned that it's pretty exhilarating when the corners do match up exactly!

And I learned that I cannot resist setting all the blocks out to see how they look at each step of the process!

I Fall To Pieces

My quilting lessons with Care of Obsessively Stitching continue with a lesson in in block assembly. Do I sound nervous? Because I sure was! Previously, this is as far as I'd ever gotten with a quilt. I'd start to sew the pieces together, nothing would match up, and I'd get discouraged/throw a tantrum/take a break and never pick it up again. Take your pick.

First, a question before I even began. What color thread are you supposed to use when the blocks are all different colors? The predominant color? White? Doesn't matter? I thought of my mom, who uses a beige thread with many different colors when she's making doll clothes. There's one particular shade she likes, because it blends in well. I figured I'd be safe using a neutral, but a cool neutral to go with my purples and pinks, so I used a light grey. I already had a nice, fat bobbin wound, too, which might have influenced my decision a tiny bit.

The first "ah ha" moment in the piecing tutorial came when I read these words: "Begin sewing again with your fabric right in front of your presser foot. The feed dogs will draw your squares under the presser foot and you can continue sewing." I don't have to raise and lower the foot every time? Revolutionary! Why didn't anyone ever tell me that before?

Oh, the shame. Despite my best efforts, a few of my blocks were just not coming out perfectly. I emailed Care to ask if this was going to be a problem. Thank GOODNESS she said no, I would be able to fudge it. I was blaming myself, figuring I screwed up when I was cutting, but she said, no, this sometimes happens due to...well, it's a long explanation. Maybe she'll chime in with the explanation or maybe not. I was just happy to hear that I am not as inept as I'd feared, and I wouldn't have to do it over!

Party time! This makes me want to sew one of those buntings you see EVERYWHERE on the blogs.

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Boy howdy, did I feel a ridiculous sense of excitement when I started to see the fabrics and patterns coming together. I'm not always so good at doing things randomly, but sewing these strips and then making the blocks of nine wasn't a problem. I think the key here is, as Care said, loving all the fabrics you choose. I kept catching myself thinking things like, "Oh, yeah, that neat blue!" or "This zebra will really look punchy!" Seeing them start to combine and play off against each other was just so much fun!

And there's my pile, waiting for Block Assembly, Part Two. Will my luck hold out? What will happen when I have so many corners to line up? Will I crumble under the pressure? Come back soon for the next installment of First! Quilt! Ever!

The First Cut is the Deepest

I am compelled to clean the house by very few things. Impending guests is one of them. Apparently, fear of cutting my quilt blocks is another. Yesterday, after many loads of laundry, dusting, vacuuming, and rearranging my husband's sock drawer (really!) I could avoid it no longer. It was time to cut.

As Care suggested, I set myself up at a table where I had access to three sides of the cutting mat. The only table in the house big enough to hold this gargantuan mat is my sewing table. Piles of fabric and bags of trim seem to grow up around the table like barnacles, so I didn't clear the space so much as I excavated it. But here's the thing: Care is right. You do want to be able to get to three sides of the mat. Some cuts are more comfortable from the front; others are easier to do from the sides. Oh, and the huge mat? Lovely.

Things proceeded rather smoothly. I set up the laptop with Care's tutorial and followed along. I felt reassured having here there on top of my washing machine!

Questions for Care: You say not to iron the fold. Why is that? On some of the pieces, the fold was sort of "loose" (for lack of a better word) which made lining it up on the mat sort of difficult. Will terrible things befall me if I iron the fold?

Also, is it okay that I ended up with a little of the selvedge on one of my blocks? Will it be hidden in a seam anyway?

Here's another surprise I found: Ugly marker marking scrawled on the reverse side of one of my fabrics. Will we be using every single block we cut? Because this shows through on the other side. If I can't get it out, I will have to buy a little more fabric.

I'd give the girl who cut my fabrics at Jo-Ann's a B-. For the most part, I was able to squeeze the cuts I needed out of the pieces, but a few were VERY close, and the zebra print was short.

I made a bad cut myself. Towards the end, I got cocky and ignored Care's instructions. I wasn't cutting away from my body, and I didn't have the ruler pinned down with my forearm, and I made a bad cut. Lesson learned: LISTEN TO CARE!

Eeee! Look how cute! You may notice I didn't not get hung up on making sure the pattern of my muse fabric was straight. Will I regret that? Should I redo it, or will it all blend in once we have it sewn together and chopped up and sewn back together?

And finally...these were the last two fabrics picked! I can't believe how many of you guessed! Why did you pick these? OMG, they don't go, do they? Do I need to pick different ones? I'm just kidding, I'm happy with them. :) I did a random drawing of the names who guessed correctly, and the winner is...2WeeMonsters! Send me your address, 2Wee, and I'll ship a little something off soon. :)