Labels

Sunday, May 23, 2010

Saturday's fun

I had my yo-yo project all laid out, and Kitten decided to play with the circles and messed them all up.
So I decided to practice my free-motion machine quilting (lack of) skills.
Kitten was not helpful with that either, so I made her a bed of her very own with her very own favorite fabric.
AT LAST I could work!  Free motion practice was easier as I used the design on the BACK of the fabric (and also added a Super Slider to my table) to make something akin to regular lines.  And then I thought MAYBE I could bind this little practice quilt and have a gift for the baby one of the tutors at work is expecting in July.  I have always stubbornly stuck to bias binding and then hand-stitching it closed even though Mom has told me a couple of times that "you don't have to do bias." Well, I put together a couple fat quarters, cut 2" strips, and somehow, by the grace of God, managed to join the strips with the diagonal joins all leaning the same way, and then MACHINE-stitched the binding on and then ALSO CLOSED.  It was an amazing experience!  I feel so free now!  I can do it!  It really is okay; it really works!
Last week, when I was proving to my husband that I couldn't stitch a printed pattern, I put the paper drawing of what I wanted my stitches to look like on top of the quilt and stitched over it.  That was a bad idea, but I wanted to prove to him how hard this is to make a "real" design.  When I finished with the binding, I still had little pieces of paper stuck in the stitching. (I think hubby got the hint though.  Not that it made any difference.  My little tantrum was not worth it.)
So now I had to wash it to get the paper bits out (and the cat fur off).
I am tickled pink!  The little practice piece will make a fine utility quilt for a baby boy!
Some quilting from last week is a little fancy-ish.
But I found loosely following the design on the BACK of the quilt was easier than trying fancy designs (and reduced my frustration level-this needs to be fun for me).  So I quilted from the back side of the whole cloth quilt.  Not that a side mattered too much, but I had all the safety pins on the other side, so I had to be even more careful to watch I didn't stitch over one.

Oh yeah, Mom mentioned she made a turtle quilt:
You know.  Just so I don't get too cocky.  Oh, and on the Mom subject.  She did NOT use a pattern for the kitties quilt.  She says the only tricky think about that quilt is getting the ears on the correct head.  So, for me, that would mean keeping Kitten out of the room after I lay it out, if I decide to jump into piecing one.
Such are the challenges of owning a cat and loving to quilt.

11 comments:

WoolenSails said...

For my bindings, I use the border or add a smaller border edge.
Then I fold that to the back when I am done and hand stitch it on.
Of course my corners aren't perfect and my borders tend to be different sizes, lol. Love the quilt you made, really fun fabric and your mom's turtles are wonderful.

Debbie

Missouri Gal said...

I love your pictures of kitty and that adorable turtle quilt!

Kris said...

Good morning! Love your quilted whole cloth quilt! You did a great job, I think. I am also a novice machine quilter. What type of machine do you use? I keep telling my husband I NEED another machine for the express purpose of machine quilting! Oh..and you can go to ABC.com and select Grey's Anatomy and watch the last show on your computer! Which is exactly what I had to do as I too fell asleep, and forgot to set the DVR. Have a great day!

Karen said...

Love the kitty pic with the yo-yos! Thanks for the info about the kitty quilt...I did draw it out on paper, but haven't tried making a few yet. Will keep you posted. The turtle quilt is really cute!

Karen

Vicki's Bit-o-earth said...

Hi Karmen! Thanks for stopping by my blog~ Looks like kitten is such a great help! So far, I can't claim to be a quilter, since I've only ventured into a few small projects... but love seeing other's work. Its inspires me to keep trying. (: Love your yo yo's and machine quilting! xxVicki

Anonymous said...

What a beautiful blog you have! I love the quilts you featured and your "helper" is sweet as can be. I have 3 cats and they insist in getting in the middle of whatever I am doing! I hope you have a wonderful week.

JayTee said...

I like the quilts you are working on...the yoyos are so cute...i don't have the patience for that!!! Your cat is like mine...always helpful

Queen Of The Armchair aka Dzintra Stitcheries said...

Now isn't that just like a kitty!!! Wonderful quilts especially that turtle one...I love it!!! Thank you for coming over to visit...Dzintra♥x

Becky said...

Wonderful baby quilt! That's one lucky baby and Mom. Love your Mom's turtle quilt. Tell us more. Is that one of her patterns? Take care! Hope Kitten is a bit less helpful with your quilting.

Elyse said...

everything is adorable!

so HAPPY that my chippy plate garden inspired you. that's what blogging is all about!

happy quilting!

xo
elyse

Unknown said...

Yes I think you need to make the cat quilt. I love it. You do such a great job so go ahead and jump into that cat quilt.