Sunday, July 3, 2011

first time for everything

I have done machine quilting on my machine on little things like wall hangings but never a bed sized quilt. So I am attempting a larger piece for the first time.  Over the last week, I have made some progress on one of my twin sized quilts. The biggest issue has been handling all the bulk. I rearranged my sewing area so that I could have a table to handle some of the weight. I started using the clips that you can see in this photo but I found that they often got hung up on the edges of the tables....so I just dispensed with them. I still kept the quilt rolled. I have it about 1/3 done.

Last weekend, I went to my 45th high school reunion. It was wonderful to see some friends I hadn't seen in many years....and I found that one of my high school friends is also a quilter!!! I also was able to see my brother and give him his special retirement quilt.  Great weekend but much too short. It was back to reality on Monday.

Monday night I had a chance to go to Dover to hear Karen Kay Buckley speak about borders on quilts. Her applique work is fantastic and the topic was interesting even for those who don't applique. Borders often end up being an afterthought when one is making a quilt. She had great information and is a great speaker. If you get a chance, you should go to one of her lectures. She was giving a class on Tuesday but my friends and  I aren't members of Helping Hands Guild so we didn't know about it until the last minute and it was full.

I had a chance to get a sneak peak at  Serendipity Quilt Shop's new home on Friday. It is going to be a wonderful place. It has the character of the old shop but has much more room and light. The new fabric she has in is beautiful. I have already picked out some I want to buy. The new store will open on July 7th.  My quilting buddy, Pat, and I will be some demos of Accuquilt GO on Monday, July 11th and later be doing some classees there. Kathy has lots of classes scheduled so be sure to check out the website for the announcements.

This weekend, I am lucky to have my son and his family spend a couple of days with us. My son has to work on the 4th so we are having our picnic today. The sun is out so they are heading to the pool for a little while before we barbeque.

Happy 4th and Happy Quilting

7 comments:

Jackie's Stitches said...

It looks like you're doing a great job of managing the bulk as best as you can. I'd love to hear more about your experiences with quilting on a DSM!

Anonymous said...

Can you tell us about your sewing machine? How long is the throat?

Pat said...

It looks good so far, Kathy. I'm excited about our classes at the quilt shop. It will be fun and it's nice to have the owner be so enthusiastic about the classes, too!

Needled Mom said...

It looks as though you have the quilt tamed pretty well in the machine. That is always the biggest problem!

It sounds like the 45th reunion was a great time! I had mine last year.

Enjoy the classes at the quilt shop.

Nancy said...

Yes... you are in charge! Had to chuckle because I just blogged about my machine quilted project, too. And I faced some of the issues you did, plus I'm inexperienced with doing projects of this size. Well good luck.. because this is one of the pair, right? Enjoy your picnic.

Michelle said...

Good job on your quilting! I know it's tough with those biggies! I'm so sorry I missed the guild meeting the other night, I had another commitment. Can't wait to see Serendipity's new shop!

Unknown said...

I have a Janome 6600 which has a large throat area. I do some large quilts..the double which is known as the "bloody" quilt from Eleanor Burns was the biggest. I usually put a lot of the quilt on my lap and work in quarter panels. I learned that method from Crazy Mom quilts when I first started quilting. I see you rolled and worked down and up. A great idea. So tidy, I don't know if I could be that neat!