Behind the scenes

I’ve been reading a lot lately about quilting for others and some of the things that happened to other long arm quilters truly scare the crap out of me.  One incident, after the quilting was done, was that the quilter claimed that the backing on the quilt was not hers and refused to pay.  So everyone suggests taking photos of the quilter, her top and the backing when the quilt is delivered…… this makes me feel as I am treating someone who would pay for my services as a criminal but the truth is one should really think about who you can trust nowadays.  On the other hand you received quilts that is not properly measured with wavy borders and sides differing with more than an inch and is expected to solve it all on the frame…. Simply impossible.  Another thing quilt top makers seem to believe is that they give you a quilt, you pop it onto the frame and the quilt motifs magically appears without any strategy, planning and sometimes heaps of photos and/or sketching.  Sorry, not true. Even I, as a beginner, sketch out different motifs and placement possibilities, the photo here is but the start of one such a quilt. 

Once you have an outline plan of what goes where, you need to decide on a thread path to prevent you from constantly breaking thread, this path should prevent massive thread build up in some areas on the back but even this is sometimes impossible. I’ve been fortunate up to now with only quilting for people I know or know of and were mostly allowed to do my own thing but I should keep the lessons learnt through others in mind.

The last and even scarier experience some had was that quilters pick up their completed quilts and then promise an EFT payment which never happens.  How do you live with yourself?  So the lesson to learn is not to have a quilt leave your house unless paid for.

I was able to pull two completed quilts off the frame this week.  This one was a medallion.

Then if finished a One Block Wonder or I guess Stack and Whack with the set in triangles.  

The border designs

And the back

Progressive Detail quilting – 5

I loved every moment of this and although it takes much longer and is more tedious than all over free motion quilting I simply refuse to understand that some people don’t like ruler work on their quilts….. really??  I do get that some quilts do not lend themselves to ruler work but if it is possible, why not.  It just makes the quilt pop and I love that too.  Maybe I am just in somewhat of a romantic mood with using ‘love’ in every second sentence?

My first top is done, label and all and mistakes or not I find it lovely.  Nope, not pointing out my mistakes, this is my quilt and I can do on it whatever I wish and want.

Another obstacle

Finished a quilt and got ready to load a new one when I couldn’t get the screw that holds the needle to fit again.  Saw that some thread – initially thinking from the screw - came off but luckily had a spare screw.  This however did not work either.  Local Bernina dealer came over and it turned out to be thread of the needle bar going into the machine itself, so now a new one has to be ordered.  From what I understand one is not supposed to tighten the needle too much which I must have done thinking I am really securing the little thing.  

Not sure how long this would take but I felt somewhat lost.  Bernina dealer came over again to re-thread (not in those we use for stitching or quilting but thread groove in metal) the shaft and try a bigger screw.  This however will just be a temporary solution and hopefully I won’t have to wait too long for a replacement part.

New thread made in the metal and replacement screw inserted and I can quilt.  One of these days our local Bernina dealer will be able to build me a new machine with all the improvisations he has had to make.  I really don’t care as long as I can quilt and I must say I am super impressed with the service I get from our local Bernina dealer.

Finally I could load a customer quilt again.

Progressive Detail quilting – 4

Granddaughter came out of hospital on Saturday and hopefully life will return to somewhat normal with no more trips to the hospital.  We had Big Man over Friday night and this little bugger woke up at 4 am, had breakfast at 5 and the conveniently went back to sleep at 6 am.  Now that is something I just cannot do, once awake and up, I won’t fall asleep again.  So by mid-afternoon I was rather tired and could use a lovely afternoon nap but it was Wimbledon ladies’ final, I just took a customer quilt off the frame, had two new ones delivered and I so wanted to steal a little time to start working on this course. Time to prioritise, took the quilt of the frame to measure for pricing and this is the back of the quilt.  I have a separate page on my blog where I show the fronts.

Then I took an amazing nap and woke up just in time to see the end of the men’s’ final that couldn’t be finished on Friday.  So while trying to watch the ladies’ final I simultaneously followed the video on my class….. big mistake, got distracted and made a marking mistake in the very first row, so TV and tennis were put on mute.  What a tedious process marking a quilt turned out to be.  Yes, I do mark my quilts too but never the whole quilt before I even start.  I will take a photo, print a black and white copy, decide what goes where on graph paper and mark as I go when I get to that section.  After marking this one, I am rather convinced (unless a whole cloth) I won’t ever mark a complete quilt again and this one is still small, only 36” square.

With my backing and batting for this ready I started looking at the photo of the new customer quilt to get ideas for the quilting and by bedtime, I had the outer border sorted. Then I returned to my class video on the actual quilting and this looks like so much fun, right up my alley but will I get it done.  These things always look so easy when someone else does it until you get to be the one behind the machine handles!  Still I could not wait to start.

Up early this morning, loaded the quilt and got started and the class picture looked more daunting than it really is but when I got to the centre block I could feel my shoulder acting up from all the intense ruler work and micro quilting and I had to take a break.

I do love doing these courses as it takes you out of your comfort zone making you realize you are capable of more. A pity Kevin Anderson did not win the final but hopefully his day will come soon, he has worked so hard to get where he is.

Progressive Detail quilting – 3

What can I say, if you’re good, you’re good!  I finished the third quilt top needed for this iquilt class literally seconds before the first quarter final on Wimbledon started.  So with my three tops done, I can officially start the class (after finishing customer quilts on the frame) but until the final of Wimbledon on Sunday, I don’t believe much quilting will happen.

Furthermore grand-princess might be going into theater on Friday, if the fever doesn’t return and that might just sway this grandma to give up tennis to be with her.

Progressive Detail quilting – 2

I have finished a panel quilt on the frame and it has been delivered to the quilter.  Trying new things with every quilt and learning as I go some mistakes bigger than others but I guess I will finally get there.

Also done with the second quilt top to be used in this course.  I am not sure I like the colours but at least it will be different than the first.

Furthermore I spend yesterday afternoon with granddaughter at the hospital to give her mom a break to go see her family and Big Man.  Shame, he has no clue as to why mom and Sis abandoned him and when he came to the hospital yesterday he just wanted to touch and hug his sister.  What must be going through this little mind?

Progressive Detail quilting – 1

This is the name of the course I am doing on iquilt and what it boils down to is making 3 tops, using the same pattern (I opted to change the color for each) and then be taught on how to quilt these with the quilting on each one getting more intense/dense or as the name states more progressive.

Got my fabric sorted and cut in between doing other projects/quilts and when I woke up at 4 am one morning, started piecing the first top.

Now back to the beginning to select fabric for the second top.

We however had big man over on Friday and Saturday morning, with his sister still in hospital as they try to manage her fever, and then not much quilting happens.

Simplify – 2

It always amazes me of how I can, one moment, feel as if I have nothing to do or planned and the next all hell breaks loose and everything happens at the same time.  I started this as a new project but not for someone specific so I could work on it leisurely.  I was awaiting 2 quilts to put onto the frame, so while waiting for these, I could work on my project and then…….. Facebook happened. 

Angela Walters is hosting a free-motion quilt along, so does Lauren Jackson and then I saw an iquilt free-motion class that I really wanted to do and for all of these I will need a project to work on.  Where to start and what to do first?

When approaching my desk at the office finding it a neat mess – I only work mornings and in the afternoon everyone dumps whatever they needed done on my table – and that is my welcome note when I walk in; I have taught myself not to get into a flat spin about these.  Just start at the top of the pile and work your way down until you can see the table again.  So I think this is the approach I should take with all these planned projects.

And then to top it all granddaughter ended up in hospital again.  I honestly don't know where my sympathies should go.  The kid in hospital, the mother who is due to suffer from burn out soon, the baby not having the foggiest idea why mom and sister suddenly abandoned him or my son, who would also like to be in 3 places at the same time.  New doctor, so maybe we get lucky this time.  Everything does happen for a reason.

With my Simplify project making good progress I decided to save the links to the other videos – hopefully where I can find them again, luckily this need not be done with the iquilt class as your classes remain available for you to work on whenever you can and continue with my Simplify project and in between work on a quilt on the frame.

While thinking about either of the above projects I started searching through my stash to find fabric to make the tops needed for the iquilt class.

I think top 1 is sorted and meanwhile my Simplify is growing steadily.

Simplify – 1

Remember the new project I mentioned in THIS post?   This quilt is called Simplify by Cluck Cluck Sew and can be downloaded as a PDF pattern over HERE. With Sunday morning all  to myself, hubby playing golf, the grand babies not visiting and no quilts on the frame I could finally start stitching this one.

I already had a couple of strips cut and on the design wall but I will need to cut more.  With cats loving to stretch up against my design wall, thinking my cut strips make wonderful toys, I have to do the cutting in sections, so that no part of the cut strips hangs too low on the wall.

I had the series “The Following” on my computer and watched this as I finished one block after the other and pretty soon I could see things taking on shape.

Labyrinth Walk – 3 – Completed

I finally got the binding on this quilt done.  The piecing and quilting was already done beginning June but I just could not find time to sit my butt down and sew the back of the binding by hand.  The moment I got the gap I made use of it and now DIL finally has the quilt she hinted for.

Another quilt done for Sonja

I had another one of Sonja’s quilts on the frame this week, one she made more than 10 years ago and her original beginners’ quilt.  Although I don’t like to make sampler quilts, these are really fun to quilt as every block lends itself to a different free motion motif and somehow it still works together in the end. I am so grateful to Sonja for trusting me to quilt her tops; she also gives me the freedom to choose thread colour and practice different motifs on these.

DIL, I and the little ones went to lunch one afternoon and as usual overdid it.  It is however school holiday and for the next 3 weeks she’ll have her hands full to entertain the little ones, so I figured the odd change in scenery will do all good.

Done with Sonja’s quilt and this is the back