Since we're already well into November, I didn't have a spectacular number of UFO's that I could realistically finish in time, but I did have a stack of quilts ready for quilting that I would love to have done so I could get a bit of a fresh start in the New Year. Besides, having stacks of unfinished tops and projects just cuts into the fun of it all, doesn't it? I can't stare at them anymore, and trying to hide them doesn't help either ( because we all know they're there, lurking somewhere...), so getting a few done feels good.
My challenge is to finish 4 quilts before year's end. If I keep up the momentum, and the holidays don't get to me, I may add another! Here are the first two:
"Cherry & Chocolate": a quilts made, oh months if not a year ago! Simple straight line stitching put it all together to make a nice little lap quilt.
Here's a quick snap of the back. I've also been trying to use up my stash lurking in the closet, and this is part of my ongoing "make-do" project. After all, what's the point of keeping those fabrics in the dark? I'm pulling them out and working them into my quilts so I can enjoy them!
"Chicken Soup": now this quilt makes me happy. Lots of fun fabrics put together in a pretty much random way and left the border on three sides only to create this vintage look quilt. I also like the gold binding. It brought a touch more light into the quilt, and I felt like trying something other than the perhaps more safe choice of using a darker binding. This was also quilted by machine in simple lines. The idea was to create an overall diamond quilt pattern, but I ended up with squares on point. Oh well....
The evening I finished the last stitch of this quilt my daughter snatched it up and took it to put on her bed; it hasn't been seen since...kids!
Here's the back of the quilt - another bit of stash that can now be put to good use.
This is also the first time I used a bamboo batting. My fellow house dwellers were not too thrilled with it. They found it a bit flimsy and light, not enough "beef" to it. When tested for warmth....eh...perhaps good as a summer cover. Ok, fair enough. They may be used to the 100% cotton batting I normally use. Those quilts are a bit heavier, and so far have kept us nice and warm in the winter ( either on the couch or in bed) and they do have a bit more "beef" to them. I haven't formed a final opinion yet, but did notice a difference in the feel, and the quilts are indeed lighter in weight and to the touch, although to be fair, they do have a nice drape to them. I'd need to experiment a bit more...
In the meantime, I returned to the sewing machine guy this weekend and he checked out my Pfaff. Turned out the "shredding" of my thread was due to the plate not being centered to the needle. As the threaded needle moved up and down, the thread chafed against the plate, causing the thread to shred and break. Mystery and problem solved! Now I can go back and try my hand again at free motion quilting.
Quilt number three is on the table and ready to go, so let me get to finishing!
Have a great week,
heidi
