Month: September 2017

Scrappy batting

/ quiltinggail / 15 Comments

Do you have lots of batting scraps?  I do.
IMG_1049And when I attempted to sew them together, even when I pin – the joining sides end up looking like this the picture to the right.

GROAN!!!

This does not make a nice batting for sandwiching a quilt.  And the last thing I want to do is unstitch batting!  Sew, it’s useless and only good for dusting and cleaning.  (NOT going to happen!)

Then, one day, I thought, “I wonder what will happen if I use my trusty Elmer’s School Glue to glue the edges together before I attempt to sew?”

I tried it.  It worked!

 

Here’s my process:  I only use scraps that are the same kind.   In this case, the scraps are all “Warm and Natural.”   First, I put a flannel sheet on top of the guest bed. Then I lay out my batting (first picture). I bead my glue along the edge, press it together.  Wait a few hours and it’ll be dry.  If I’m in a hurry, I would press it with my iron.  Then I zig-zag the edges together, using the widest and longest stitch that my machine will do.  Do not sew while the glue is still wet.

I am thrifty … I dilute my glue with an equal amount of water.  It works just fine!  But I make sure to mark the container so that I know if it’s been diluted or not.  I use Elmer’s Glue.  I figure, if it’s safe to eat, it’s safe to use in a quilt.  (No, I do not eat glue!)

Here’s a picture of some of the batting sewn together.  This will be the batting for the scrappy quilt I showed earlier in the week.IMG_1053

Link-ups

To see what others in the quilty world are working on wander over to these blogs:

Happy Quilting
Gail

 

 

What’s happening at the sewing machine?

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Design Wall

My Scrappy leader and ender is now webbed together.  Just need to sew the rows, sandwich, quilt and bind and I will be able to call it done! In the picture, it looks like a tangled mess, but it will be easy to sew all the rows together.  This quilt has a little bit of everything, all from gifted scraps. And NO, please, please, please, do NOT gift me any more scraps!

IMG_1045

Stash Report

Fabric Used this Week:     5 yards  (Scrappy baby quilt)IMG_1044
Fabric Used year to Date:  141.75  yards
Fabric Added this Week:    0  yards 
Fabric Added Year to Date:   49.5 yards
Net Fabric used for 2017:   85.45 yards  

UFO tally

I started the year with 47 UFO’s.

2017   Completed
Jan:           2
Feb:           0
Mar:          0
Apr:          0
May:          2
June:          4
July:          0
Aug:          1
Sept:         2

36  UFO’s left to complete.

Linking to:

Happy Quilting
Gail

Blogger’s Quilt Festival

/ quiltinggail / 13 Comments

Did you know that there’s an On-line Quilt Festival?  I just found out today.

This is the quilt that I’m entering.  It’s one made with my Grandma’s Fabric.  To read more about this and see other quilts made with her fabrics click HERE.Quilt 14

Now, to see a bounty of beautiful quilts that  are entered into the festival visit: Blogger’s Quilt Festival at   http://www.amyscreativeside.com/2017/09/18/bloggers-quilt-festival-fall-2017-edition/

Happy Quilting
Gail

 

A baby quilt finish!

/ quiltinggail / 12 Comments

This is a UFO that was languishing for quite a while … the blocks are left overs from a jelly roll quilt and some creative piecing as there was not enough blocks to complete a whole quilt …  It was fun to make!  I did quilt it with wavy serpentine lines.  Pretty boring!  In hindsight – I should have just done an all-over free-motion and it would have been faster!  And my machine did not like doing the serpentine lines.  When I started, I had tension issues and I finally changed the needle.  That helped.  Then towards the end of the quilting, it started skipping stitches.  Groan.  So the machine has gone back to the machine doctor … they have a great warranty on their work.  It was only the beginning of August when I got it back, so it should be a free repair.IMG_1044

Link-ups

To see what others in the quilty world are working on wander over to these blogs:

Happy Quilting
Gail

Stash Report & Design Wall Monday, Sept. 18, 2017

/ quiltinggail / 15 Comments

Design Wall

My leader & ender has become the main project.  It’s a scrappy Irish Chain with
everything, except the kitchen sink.  That’s right – I don’t have fabric with a kitchen sink on it!  I have about 6 more scrappy blocks to make and then I can web the whole thing unknown-jpgtogether!  Unfortunately, I don’t think it’s put a dent in my 2″ square box.  Hmmm, I think that what they say about scraps having sex and multiplying must be true!L 'n E-5

This UFO is next to be quilted … it should be a quick finish … I hope!  I’m thinking of doing serpentine diagonal lines in both directions … will see what happens …IMG_1037

Stash Report

Fabric Used this Week:     15 yards  (Irish Chain, Kansas Troubles)
Fabric Used year to Date:  136.75  yards
Fabric Added this Week:    0  yards 
Fabric Added Year to Date:   49.5 yards
Net Fabric used for 2017:   80.45 yards  

UFO tally

I started the year with 47 UFO’s.  I got the Irish Chain done … a whopping 15 yards of fabric … and it was an UFO.

2017   Completed
Jan:           2
Feb:           0
Mar:          0
Apr:          0
May:          2
June:          4
July:          0
Aug:          1
Sept:         1

37 UFO’s left to complete.  Oh dear … I do hope I get this number way down before the end of the year!

Linking to:

Happy Quilting
Gail

A Kansas Troubles UFO finish!!

/ quiltinggail / 11 Comments

IMG_1019While I was quilting my Kansas Troubles, Irish Chain,  I ran out of quilting thread … the spool you see in the picture was emptied and I had less than 1/2 a bobbin … groan … I asked a bunch of friends to find out where I could buy it.  I usually buy it from the Canadian distributer (Carola’s) when she has a booth at quilt shows.   The local stores (within 75 km) that sell Aurifil didn’t have this colour. {Although, one did contact me later to say they did have it.}

BUT:  Joy – oh – joy … Carola was doing a trunk show at a local guild meeting on Tuesday with a pop-up store.  I phoned the store and Carola brought the colour I need to the guild meeting.  YEAH!!!

I ended up winding 3 bobbins and managed to finish the quilt.   Sew, finally, my scrappy, Kansas Troubles Irish Chain is done.

In some ways, I feel like I’ve been fighting to get this quilt done.  But, with almost a steady stream of company (sometimes up to 13 people in a 2-3 bedroom house), it’s actually a wonder that I managed to get it done at all!  I know that I have enjoyed making this quilt.  It’s a special quilt to me! Not only because it’s from my favourite line of fabrics, but because my dear friend, “D” gave me the jelly roll that is the main portion of this quilt.  It’s backed with flannel, so it’ll be nice and cosy during the winter months! This quilt is 104″ x 82″.

img_1035.jpg

Here’s a look at the quilting from the back of the quilt. It’s not a great picture because the late afternoon sun was shining through the trees (that’s what the lighter areas are). You can see a close up of a feathered wreath from the front of the quilt HERE.

IMG_1029

Link-ups

To see what others in the quilty world are working on wander over to these blogs:

Happy Quilting
Gail

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A little bit of sewing

/ quiltinggail / 10 Comments

We’ve had a LOT of company over the last 2 weeks and we were away for 4 days, so not much sewing has gotten done.  I’m still working on this Irish chain.  I have about 5 more wreaths to do, then the border, make the label and do the binding.  Hopefully by next week I can call this UFO done, done, done!IMG_1018

Link-ups

To see what others in the quilty world are working on wander over to these blogs:

Happy Quilting
Gail