Sunday, November 16, 2008

Weekend progress

Finish up weekend has finished me off! I have worked hard ( apart from the sleep on the sofa previously admitted) and now my hands are all crampy with little shoots of niggle up my arms and down my shoulders : a certain sign that I should have stopped earlier. I never learn. But still....
This boring scrap top ( which started like this)



now looks like this. It is about 38 x 42 ish. The back of its is dreadful as I had real problems with tension and snapping thread. I tried everything I could think of to solve it. As it is going on my wall, in the end, l I decided a few bobbles made not a jot of difference. It was only today, putting the binding on that I realised that although I had utilised the special glide quilting foot I bought from my Janome, I had not used the reduced tension bobbin case that is required with it. Aha. (Doh!)

The plain Jewish Memorial quilt background now looks like this:



Not finished but it took quite some time to applique all the Star of David leaves and trunks on.

The mini quilt is quilted ( can't show you that as it is a secret swap but I can tell you I nearly freaked out when it arrived as the top was an ornate and precise work of art with stars and celtic applique and tiny precise circles. How not to ruin it? Well, lets just say the back now looks like this:


This too had initial problems as I started to free motion quilt with the feed dogs up and zig zag stitch on. Queue a few well dodgy stitches and a broken needle. Binding is cut but not yet attached.

The fabrics for the NYB block are chosen but I know I should be sensible and not try more sewing tonight. Indeed I cannot because the web site with my chosen pattern on worked when I was downstairs and now I am upstairs refuses to reveal the pattern. I am being given advice I think! Instead I shall try a bit of design work in a sketchbook and see how that goes. Otherwise it is a hot bath and a session of balancing heated wheatbags on part of my limbs they were not destined to stay on!

I have also managed to deliver two finished pieces for assessment to my City and Guilds tutor, have Sunday Lunch at the Bottle and Glass, and research scenic float plane flights and holiday cottages in the very South of New Zealand. Not bad for one weekend.

Finally my stumble-d upon favourite for today is this site of safari photographs

5 comments:

Vicki W said...

You were very productive! I lvoe the mask quilt - it turned out great.

Donna said...

wow! what a quilting machine you've turned into! Hope the body recovers quickly...

Kristin L said...

Very productive indeed!!

I was wondering what you were planning on putting in the center of teh scrap quilt. The mask looks just right.

Shelina (formerly known as Shasta) said...

I just love your mask quilt! I have been thinking of an orange quilt, and there you go and make one. I'll have to try something like that!

Helen said...

I love the Jewish Memorial quilt. Nice one!