one under my belt

Last post I talked about machine quilting on the matching twin quilts I am making. I have one done now except the binding. Here are some things I learned:

• Relax
• A fan helps. Even with the air conditioner it gets hot holding all that fabric in this 90 degree weather we have been having lately. I sat with the fan sitting near the a/c vent with the fan blowing on me
• Start with a meandering or an easy flow pattern. I started with some straight line quilting and I found it hard to stay in line while I was learning to handle the bulk (the perfectionist that I am ) 
• It takes more thread than one would think....especially when one rips out 
• The clips to keep the quilt in a roll are nice but they do tend to get caught on edges of the table - I finished the quilt without them and just rolled the quilt.
• I kept a lot of the bulk on my lap as I was quilting.  The table behind the machine kept a lot of the rest.
• I turned the speed on my machine slower. It was easier to control.
• The super slider (teflon) sheet really helps when moving the fabric through.
• Once I got the hang of it, it really didn't take that long.
  
  Today my quilting buddy and I did demos at Serendipity Quilt Shop. It was a lot of fun to show the GO cutter to customers. We will be returning on Wednesday morning for more demos and sharing. and having a class on August 8th to make a fall wall hanging. If you look closely on the table top, you can see the red, white, and blue hanging that we designed especially for the shop. Kathy, the owner, gave it free to those who attended the demo and bought the fabric pack.  She has a few left to sell.

 Over the last week or so, I learned to machine applique (an old dog can learn new tricks)....I am a needle turn applique person so this was a new experience for me. For this little hanging I used a GO applique die..then I used a decorative stitch on my machine to go around the shape. The eyes, nose, and mouth were made from other decorative stitches. My 9 year old grand daughter is here this week and she is making one like it with hand stitches and buttons....when hers is done, I'll have to post a picture.  The hanging is 6 x 10

I also took some time to make a small topper to try out a triangle in a square die. We have a round bistro table in our kitchen and I am always looking to make new toppers. This one turns out to be about 20 inches square.

Hubby is building some new cubbies for my sewing area so my room is a great big mess. Now he says that he thinks he will go ahead and remove the carpeting and put down a new floor (I have been wanting this for a couple of years).  So I guess my quilting will be rather hap hazard over the next couple of weeks. I told him it needs to be done before company comes in August...hope it is! I hate having the berber carpeting. I can't hear pins drop (and I drop a lot!) and they always seem to get caught in the carpet.

Have a great summer day....I am