Thursday's Sewing Night # 4

Thursday Night is QUILT NIGHT in my house and this week I got a lot “finished”… That is until I bent a needle at 12:30 AM and then immediately remembered what it was I forgot to get the last time I was at the craft store!  So my night was cut short, but it was probably for the better, as I did get some much needed organization done since I couldn’t sew anymore…

So, here’s what I did last night:

FIRST – I finished my QFK (Quilts For Kids) Quilt.  I started this one around the first of the year, and I finally got it done.  I tried a new binding technique called “wrap around binding” because that is exactly what you do.  You leave 1” extra backing material all around the quilt.  Then you fold that 1” in half and iron it well, then you fold that over the front and you have thus “Wrapped” the backing around to the  the front.   Pin it in place and quilt down the Binding.  It worked.  The corners were a little tricky, but I got it done and I don’t think it looks that bad.  I don’t know if I’ll do it again, but hey, if you don’t try it, you can’t knock it…

Finished QFK Quilt (can you see my error??)

Close up of the binding front and back

Binding process

SECOND – I wanted to finish my Mug Rug for the Columbus Modern Quilt Guild Swap… and I almost did, but I did not finish the binding.  I need to do the final part which is to hand stitch down the binding on the front of the quilt.  It was a week for new binding techniques for me.  On this Mug Rug, I decided to add a little flange to the back of the quilt to set off that yellow binding.   Here is the completed Mug Rug (notice the binding still needs to be stitched down)…

The Flanged Binding on the back

I also used a new trick to get my lines straight in my quilting… Frog Tape!

Tape in place and follow the edge of the tape. 

The tape does not leave a residue on the fabric.

And you get nice STRAIGHT lines!!

The Flange Binding went on after the quilting was done…

Then the regular binding… I did not think of the additional layers caused by the Flange or I would have added an 1/8^th of an inch… There are two spots where I am going to be lucky to completely cover the stitching from attaching the Binding.  Next time I will definitely add at least 1/8^th of an inch, maybe a whole 1/4 of an inch.

Then literally as I was stiching the last half inch of binding, my machine made a funny “CLANK” noise, then it rattled, and then it made and even louder clunk.  My needle came up bent big time!  Thank goodness I managed to finish getting the binding on, but it’s also kind of frustrating…  I just cleaned it last week when I was done using it…

139

Hopefully this isn’t indicative of a bigger problem…

Next week is Guild Meeting night, but I plan to get some quilting in when I get back!

Until Next Week, or maybe sooner,

Paul

Thursday's Sewing Night # 2

Thursday Night – Quilting Night for me…  I started the evening planning on quilting and binding the Quilt For Kids Quilt that I need to finish, and then if time would allow I was going to work on my Mug Rug for the Columbus Modern Quilt Guild Swap.

Quilt For Kids is an organization that gives quilts to kids who are being treated in hospitals long term for cancer, leukemia, etc.  I enjoy doing a quilt when I know it will be going to a little boy or girl who is struggling against some of the meanest, nastiest diseases out there.  This one will probably go to a little girl…

So, I laid it out front and back, cut the batting, and then the phone rang.  I was away from my Quilt for less than 10 seconds when I heard a raucous… I looked and found Frapaccino playing on the quilt.  I wish she appreciated my quilting for the workmanship, but I think she just likes the batting and loose threads!

After preparing it for quilting, I realized I don’t have enough of the thread I wanted to use to do the quilting… So I moved on to my Mug Rug.  Remember this?  Erin’s fabric scraps that she gave me to work with have been transformed into this…

I chose a broken Irish Chain pattern because SHE is IRISH… and it would allow me to utilize the strips of fabric that she had put in her baggie.

Since all I really know about her is that she is Irish, and she made a point of emphasizing that more than once, I chose a bright green for the backing.  I am going to try a new binding method called a Binding Flange.  I found it on Julie Herman’s site Jay Bird Quilts.  I will make the flange out of the dark green and then bind it with the bright yellow.  I laid out the fabrics to see if I like it… I think I do.

And then Last but certainly not Least, I worked on my Block of the Month Block, I am doing a Civil War Era Block of the Month project where I will make two blocks each month for a year.  I am going to try a new method called “Quilt As You Go”, and quilt each block individually and then join them all at the end.  I chose a rustic red stripe and a matching blue strip fabric for the backing.  I will alternate the blocks on the back of the quilt when I finish it.  Now I just need to decide on a quilting pattern.

AND THEN, I was done for the night.  5 hours of quilting left me with this mess to clean up…

Until Next Week… Or maybe sooner…

Paul

Thursday's Sewing Night # 1

Thursdays are usually my night to sit down at the sewing machine and quilt.  My wife works on Thursday nights, both of the kids who still live at the house have activities on Thursdays and aside from a need to run out and pick up Chyenne, I have the night to myself and I usually use it to quilt.

This week however, I split my free time and attended the Columbus Modern Quilt Guild's monthly meeting.  I was as usual, outnumbered.  The only guy in the room, but the ladies I sat with welcomed me and I enjoyed the evening.  We did a material swap for some "Mug Rugs".  I packed some scraps in a bag, as did everyone else.  We then all then grabbed someone else's bag and committed to making a "Mug Rug" from the other person's scrap material to give to them at the next meeting.  We then met with the person whose materials we picked and the person who picked our material and chatted a little bit to build an idea of what the other person would like.

 My Mug Rug Scrap Bag...

I did get a chance to sew when I got home.  Two weeks ago I took Jonathon and Maryaha to the store and they each picked out 13-15 Fat Quarters of fabric they liked from which I will make each of them a quilt.  Last Thursday I did all of the cutting for Jonathon's Quilt top, and this week I got to sewing it.  Step 1 & 2 complete!  Woo hoo!!!

Chain Piecing Jonathon's Quilt

More next week, or maybe sooner...