Still Sewing

I don't want you all to think I haven't been quilting lately!

My Log Cabin Star quilt came back from the long arm quilter and I'm working to finish the binding. Vicki Cooley did the quilting and it's beautiful! The quilt is large enough for a queen-sized bed but I haven't decided which of our beds it will live on - or if it will stay in Florida or head to Colorado.

Vicki works on an older long arm machine - so everything is manual. It's obvious she knows what she is doing! She is the guest speaker at our next quilt meeting and I'm excited to learn from her.

My sister, Beth, helped me sandwich and pin baste this Stack-N-Whack while she was here visiting. I did some simple stitch-in-the-ditch quilting - per her directions - and I'm pretty happy with the results.

It's not perfect, but it's sure better than I've done in the past! The colors are all me - but the quilt will be Bill's lap quilt until I get his Bargello made. He selected all the fabric and picked the Bargello pattern - I just have to learn how to do it! I'm going to practice on place-mats first.

This is my completed frog quilt that I machine quilted BEFORE my sister's lessons and I'm not happy with the results. I started in the middle, but tried to quilt around each block separately instead of sewing across the quilt to stabilize it first. I also did not sandwich it correctly and did not put any where near enough pins in. But the quilt is nice and comfy and warm.

Beth showed me how to clamp the sandwiched quilt to my cutting table and pin the three layers in rows from the center out placing the special safety pins about 3 inches apart (or the width of your hand). It sure made machine quilting easier - and no more puckers!

You all remember my "quilt from hell." I had it long arm quilted with darker thread to try and blend in the bright yellow - and I'm fairly pleased with the results. The colors are still outside my comfort zone - but it's not terrible - unless you ask Bill. He doesn't like it at all.

The quilting is a circle design which I think compliments the stars.

Our little local quilt group issued a challenge to make a bowl and this is my project. Kinda fun!

Bill needed arm covers and a head rest for his chair - so I've been busy designing and sewing them. If anyone EVER tries to sell you white chairs - run away quickly!