Kindergarten Blues

Picnic blanket sewn on B's first day of Kindergarten. Matches my mood
last week.

Estate sale finds

Driftwood sculpture, daisy tablecloth, metal canisters (old shortening
packaging apparently), sparkly blue earrings, and a tiny suitcase...

Dinosaur Silkscreen

I've forgotten the particular name of the dinosaur, but the artist (and model) here could tell you, along with many important details.

Binding has Begun

I've started the binding. I was very, very afraid. But after coaxing myself into it, I cut the binding across the grain (I had read in several places that cutting on the bias would be unnecessary and wasteful in this case). I pieced it together and sewed it to the quilt following (mostly) Heather Bailey's directions.




Now I need to hand-sew the binding to the front, and then wash and dry.

Quilt: Progress and Setback

I'm making progress on the quilt. I had no idea it would be so physically grueling. My shoulders ache. I'm no couch potato, but apparently I don't spend much time wrestling bulky objects with my arms straight out in front of me.

In general, I'm pleased with the results. But I didn't expect to have such trouble sewing a straight line. I sew from one edge of the quilt to the other, but my "straight" lines will suddenly veer off, or they'll hiccup. And I didn't really think about what Katie Did meant by a "slight diagonal." My angles at first were much wider, so I would leave great swaths unquilted.




And then I suddenly remembered the binding. I hadn't bought any fabric for the binding. This wouldn't be a problem except that I wanted to use the same fabric for the binding as I had used for the back. I went to the fabric store and -- of course -- they no longer have that fabric. I've ordered it online, so soon I'll be back in business.

Quilt, Day 2

I successfully sewed the back panels without my usual difficulties. My biggest problem with the next step? The cats. Only the squirt bottle kept them off my wrinkle-free quilt sandwich.





I've read about basting with pins, I've read about basting with needle and thread -- so when I ran out of safety pins, I switched to needle and thread. The pins took longer, but they do seem more dependable.



I've just installed my new walking foot, so tonight I plan to start quilting. I guess I'll find out if the basting worked.

Quilt 2, Day 1

This is actually the second quilt I've made, but the last was probably 25 years ago. Also, it was tied rather than quilted, which is why it is now sadly falling apart.

I've been inspired by the "Go-To Quilt" tutorial on katiedid. This will be a birthday present for H on her 3rd--and a way to celebrate the momentous transition out of the crib in our room and into the lower bunk in her brother's room.

She is helping me make it. The first step, apparently, is to make a tent with the fabric.



The next step involved piecing the yardage together to make the top. I measured 47 times and successfully cut using my new rotary cutter. "Are you cutting off fingers now?" she asked, remembering the lecture I gave them about the dangers of the cutter.

Because I am so smart, I remembered to mark the grain of the fabric so that, when pieced, all three panels would go in the same direction. I marked carefully, attached the outer panels upside down, and sewed masterfully away. Such is my sewing life.