It took me a couple evenings with the hoop to settle back into my 'zone'. At first the needle felt really small and my fingers were a bit fumbly. The correct rocking motion was eluding me and it doesn't help that my thimble is mostly worn out. Occasionally the needle actually slips right through a hole in the leather {ouch!}.
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| Hand quilting the Worry Baskets |
I finally found my groove late one night after everyone had went to bed, leaving me alone on the couch doing my thing. Ahhh.... Just me and some little baskets, the silence, my thoughts and the soft swooshing noise of the thread moving in and out of the fabric. Complete and total peace. I do love that. Couldn't hardly put it down at the end of that 'last' frame but I'm far from the finish at this particular point. No point in ruining my next day over a silly lack of sleep.
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| Back in the bag until next time |
In good contrast of different quilting methods, I've been working with my Flowering Snowballs a little every day. So glad I went ahead with this challenge, but getting through this particular phase isn't exactly fun. All the seams are pressed in the same direction and it makes for a tough time getting things to match up properly.
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| Sewing the Flowering Snowball row |
I saw a tutorial for using glue, but I just can't quite bring myself to do that yet. Even
I know it's a great idea. Fabulous really. And everybody is using glue these days. Except me. Which just makes me stubborn or old fashioned or maybe even... cautious? I mean, what if the glue loves my quilt so much it never wants to wash out? lol
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| Matching up the seams {or not} |
Don't worry. I'm sure I'll get through this rather awkward period in my quilting life too. You know I always have before.
So basically, (by looking at the picture above) you can see what I have to deal with in about one (out of four or five) sets of the piecing match-ups. The seam on the left is just a smidge off. Which is why I baste a small area at the seam before I do the real seam thing. Still....test, test, testing doesn't always eliminate the issue at hand. Every single time I get these results, there is a decision to be made. Yippee skippee. Why does there always have to be decisions? Be fussy flossy and rip it out? Allow for margin of error in my quilt and move on without using the seam ripper? {I am a devotee of the galloping pony test afterall.} And sometimes I just pretend I don't even notice. Which, of course, is always a fun option, but don't kid yourself. It
IS a decision too. ienie mienie minie moe......
Well, this time I came down on the side of fussy. Mostly I'm trying to fix the 'smidge' if it's obvious--a seam width or so. After all, this is a challenge. I might as well try to get it right the first time and LEARN something right? Ahem, all it really means is that I'm learning to pin a little better. Just don't think I'm quite ready for that glue yet.*wink
Oh my, I can so relate. I'm glad to know that I'm not the only one who struggles with imprecise piecing.
ReplyDeleteI'm with you on the glue, Audrey. A step too far for me.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like your internal conversation is much like mine when confronting matching issues. Sometimes it comes down to whether the quilt will (or might) be displayed on a wall or if it's mostly going to be used daily. Or, sometimes, how much that seam is going to bug me later when I glimpse it. lol
It's nice to see you back. I still shudder when I think of your summer experience. Hope everyone's starting to settle back into some semblance of normal life.
Your internal debate about what to do with less than perfect results is familiar. Thanks for sharing. I think we all struggle with it.
ReplyDeleteI'm a bit nervous about glue, and basting sprays etc.too. I agree that some quilts deserve that extra time to line up seams than others. Great to hear you've found your quilting groove!
ReplyDeleteI feel the same way you do about glue. My grandma would never have considered glue a quilting notion!! Your baskets look gorgeous!! I'm glad you found your groove back - it's a happy place :0) I usually find it's my underneath finger that takes it's time getting it's "groove" back.
ReplyDeleteI have seen some that use glue for a whole long row of blocks instead of pins - that would just take too long in my opinion - I do use if for applique though and never have a problem with it.
ReplyDeletelove your basket quilt!!
Im a fan of glue for paper piecing and I am the glue basting queen when it comes to smaller quilts. No pins to pick out. Fabulous!
ReplyDeletepreciosas las cestas !!!!
ReplyDeleteyo si utilizo spray hilván, no me gusta que muevan las telas mientras acolcho
saludos
It's okay, I haven't tried the glue yet either. Still really crushing on those baskets. Sigh.
ReplyDeleteYour basket quilt continues to be a favorite of mine. Glad you've had moment to settle back in. Some days I'm more fussy than others. And other days, it doesn't bother me with slight variations.
ReplyDeleteBoth of these quilts are gorgeous! And, you are making want to give hand quilting another try... I am resisting the "glue option" as well... for much of the same reasons... I do use a lot of pins though and slow and steady with the speed of the machine... :-) Happy quilting to you!
ReplyDeleteI use glue, for applique (just a drop here and there) and recently glue basted two quilts, one I machinequilted, that worked fine, my latest I handquilting, that was OK, but I did find the glue loosened here and there because of all the handling.
ReplyDeleteYour quilts are coming along very nicely. So glad you have found your groove again. When I am piecing, as a practice, I do aim for accuracy and I used to have the debate about fixing slightly miss-matched seams. Since most of the quilts I make are for family I hope they get used until they are worn out so I usually only fix them if they are noticeable. There are a few exceptions though for my 'special' quilts.
ReplyDeleteI agree with so many of the commenters ( I see myself in so much that was written). I've never tried glue, but I can't guarantee I won't use it in the future. Some days - when it comes to piecing or life in general - are just less precise than others. Frustrating for sure, but you just work your way through it!
ReplyDeleteI use a glue stick made by Sewline some times for applique. Horrors of horrors its blue! I had kittens the first time I used it, but the blue doesn't seem to show through the fabric. I have never used glue on seams though. That's a bit of a novel idea for me. With tricky piecing I use lots of pins.
ReplyDeleteLove both of your quilts. Love that you are hand quilting the baskets. I couldn't attempt that now more's the pity.
I use glue for my appliqué all the time. soak in water long enough and it really does wash out and I don’t think I care if it all washes out or not since I am not too concerned about my quilts lasting for generations. There are so many of us out there making quilts these days there will be plenty left without including mine. LOL!
ReplyDeleteI used glue on the snowball (first time I tried it), and my seams still didn't match that well half the time. In the end, some I fixed, some I didn't. I haven't quilted it yet because it's still bugging me. Must get over it :)
ReplyDeleteI am so jealous of your basket quilt.
do you mean to say that seams are supposed to match and triangles are supposed to have their points?
ReplyDeleteNot in this house, ha ha
Eeh - I'm not a glue girl either. (Shudder!!). I do like hand piecing for tricky seam joining like that - takes time but the outcome is worth it. (And if I'm machining, I sometimes turn a blind eye!)
ReplyDeleteI tried a leather thimble at one time. Just didn't work out and I forget why. I was wondering how you could keep from getting a hole in one.
ReplyDeleteSo glad you're finding that quiet zone, that is my favorite part. I'm going to remember your words for the FS whenever I get to that point. I still want to make one so badly, yours is so pretty.
ReplyDeleteI don't use glue either, although I have some in my sewing room.
ReplyDelete