Quilting

I'm working on several projects. One is just practice for me. Since I'm pretty good at making stuff up as I go along (something that stresses out my scientist-husband) I haven't ever really been taught how to do what I'm doing. I suppose sewing lends itself to people like me since it's really not that hard to correct most problems. It's a good thing I haven't done many large projects yet hmm? I'm so excited to have my own sewing space in our bedroom and I use it almost every day. It's a little bit cluttered but as I work I find new places for things and new ways of arranging things.




One of the projects that I'm working on, my practice project is to eventually make a jumbled up quilt of practice squares. I've been dutifully reading other quilting blogs to get ideas and inspiration and to actually find out what it is exactly I'm supposed to be doing :) One blogger was using her blocks to spell out words so I tried that the other night. Not too shabby. Since I don't really know how to make these made up blocks the same size. Actually I'm sure I could figure it out but then I would have to stop and think about it which might also halt my creativity ;) However another blogger gave me the idea of placing different sized blocks into the same quilt using graph paper. What a lovely idea! So I am combining the two. I also have several other blocks (of several different sizes) practicing different techniques that I've only seen online. One of which really intrigues me is this one. So I've been working.




The next project is much more organized and tidy. There are parts of me that just absolutely love stacks of things. Nice and neat stacks. Which is why I really love this part of quilting. I get to cut these nice neat stacks of fabric and put them all next to each other. It took me about two days to get all these cut and now that I'm done I'm so thankful. It's so easy to forget how long it takes to cut and how tedious it is when you're piecing.

Don't you just love the way these come together? I could eat these colors up. Since I'm a super beginner quilter I have a feeling that I'm pretty bad at picking out colors. I can't help but think that this one needs one more accent color to offset the blue but I just can't think what. I guess when I have several more squares done I'll look and see what seems to be missing. But right now I'm reveling in their jewel tone splendor!


Neat stacks :)


Here is a picture of something I saw someone else do on (you guessed it) a blog I read. I don't know what it's called... linking or something like that? But if you continue to sew without cutting your thread you'll actually save thread and it really works. It also cuts down on time which in this case is wonderful.


Here's a better look at my machine and the table part of the quilting area. Table given by the wonderful husband :) I absolutely love this machine. It was my grandmothers given to me after she died by my mother when she noticed I had a knack for sewing. I think this machine is the most beautiful one I've seen.. except maybe this one. It's gorgeous, but along the same lines as this one. The unfortunate thing it that this machine came with many different parts including different pedals but I have yet to find someone who can explain them to me. So for right now it's my workhorse that allows me to go forward and backward. No crazy zig-zags allowed for right now. Someday I have a dream of really learning all about it, someday when I'm not working all the time and running every other day :) Not that those are bad things.


My faithful assistant. I've found that as Huxley grows up he follows me more and more. Not in a needy way, Churchill is the definition of needy, but in an adoring sort of way. He'll follow me into the kitchen and lay down on the floor while I cook, follow me into the bedroom to sew, follow me pretty much where ever I go. Here he is posing with some work I'm ironing out. Someone needs a hair cut :)