T-shirt Memory Quilt

I finished the T-shirt quilt! I had so much fun piecing and machine quilting it.

On the border pieces I tried to change the quilting from each block and to do something special (I did not always succeed; some are the same quilting pattern). These blocks did not have a print on them, so the quilting was a little more noticeable and there was more room to be creative. Let the creative juice/ fun flow!

Does anyone else see the cat in the picture? He was such a ham!

Then this guy had to come over to see what all the excitement was about. See how the cat is all like "Nothing to see here!"

Maybe you can see the back. I just love how the thread pops! So much fun!

With all of the Alabama T-shirts, I felt that an Alabama themed binding was in order. It looks really good on this quilt!

I want to thank my mother-in-law for being my wonderful quilt model. She did a great job. Even when I was like "One more. One more. Just one more...." I think we will have to do this again. She is that good.

This quilt measured 79"x64" not a bad size at all.
Other posts are here, here, here, here, and here. Wow, I did not realize how many times I have blogged about this quilt!

T-shirt quilt update

The new tactic for quilting the T-shirt quilt is going MUCH better!

Just look as some of the quilting. This is free motion quilting. I just embraced and went with it. There is some straight line quilting, mostly to outline the blocks.

I was not enjoying free motion quilting when I started. I was pushing the pedal to the floor and trying to keep up with my hands.Then I read somewhere that there is no need to hit the pedal at full speed. We are not in a race. Sewing machines, much like a cars, have different speeds that we control through the pedal.

I had not thought about that, and it changed how I was sewing. 

"You are here" in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Echo quilting and a little water like quilting.

Reminds me of water flowing.

I don't know how this happened. I just started sewing and my hands just moved to create it. I think it is very cute.

My husband said this looks like electric guitars. Which is what I thought. It is the same as the water above, just positioned differently.

Scallops/ shells

back of the scallops/ shells

This is what the back looks like. I would not have chosen white for the back, but I am very fond of it. It does show my mistakes, but it also shows the designs. Very dramatic.

This quilt is not far from being finished. Just a little more quilting, burying the rest of the threads, and the binding. I hope to have this finished in the next two weeks. I better get busy.

Quilting Some

I have started quilting on the most recent T-shirt quilt.

I don't know what I am doing wrong, but this quilt is being difficult. It is not difficult to quilt it; it is difficult to keep the backing tight. I am picking out two of the three straight stiching lines that I quilted and will quilt it a different way. Maybe this tactic will work better.

Blue Quilting

I have been quilting and finishing the blue quilt. I decided to go against my need for perfection and quilt organic straight lines. I enjoyed how they turned out.

I still need a name for it. The back has NFL Colt fabric so "Blue Colt" or "Colt Blue"? Boring. Maybe "Blue State" or "The State of Blue"? hmmm... What about "That Blue Quilt I Made"? Oh, to name a quilt...

Oh Machine How I Love Thee!

I am back in the world of sewing machines. Although I LOVE hand quilting, I have learned the merit of the machine! Why have I not come around to this until now? I guess we all progress to something different at some point. Then we wonder why we did not want to do this. As I have said before I do not think I will stop hand quilting, but I will definitely be doing a lot more machine quilting. I still do not know how to get my needle to stay down, but I am not worried about it right now. I will progress there eventually, but for now I am enjoying the straight lines. I need to start somewhere.

I started the Batik quilt and a T-shirt quilt, but I am behind schedule. That is OK though, as long as I get them finished before August I will be happy. I am going to add some baby quilts to the list too. Oh how I love having a lot of quilts to work on and being behind, but I am quilting with a machine now so I can catch up!

Also, I really want a serger, because I want to make more bandanna pants, only better, and I want to make baby sheets that look professional! Off to Craig's list now.

Dog Bed Snuggle and Jewlery Box Masterpiece

The dog bed snuggle! Aw, they are just too cute!

See, they all love it!

As promised (a little late, sorry) the Jewelry Box quilt. My first machine quilted masterpiece!!

Yes, that is my bedroom's bare wall, and yes, that is a window going into the garage. It has a shade to cover it. I just like the light sometimes.

1. I am poor.

2. My house is old enough to draw SS and has had many additions.

3. Who needs a pretty wall when you have a pretty quilt?

If you can see in the picture above that my wall is two different color. There was a window there that went into another room. That one had to go.

year end activities

So, I thought I was not getting anything accomplished. Then I realized just how much I am doing (which still seems to be small).

I made some pillowcases for my niece and nephew for Christmas. (No pictures they are finished, wrapped, and in use currently!)

I made a dog bed for my puppies. They love it and so does the cat! I filled it with left over batting scraps.

I also basted this project to quilt. This is my sister’s graduation quilt. She graduated November 2007, technically, and had a ceremony May 2008. No rush to finish this, right? It is like a ray of spring during these dark winter days.

I also started the binding for my Jewelry Box quilt. You know the quilt that I machine quilted. It has been in use on my bed, with out the binding. So, I am busy.

Also, we got a white Christmas! If you live in Alabama you know it is a big deal to get the white stuff, and an event if you get it on Christmas!

machine quilting update.

Well over Thanksgiving instead of working on school work (I couldn't concentrate anyway) I quilted the Jewelry Box quilt (well almost). I would have it finished now if it were not for coming back to reality on the school work and my husband going back into the hospital.
It is not the best looking thing, but it is my first machine quilting. I should have started small, but why not finish something that I will use on my own bed instead. Besides this quilt needed to be finished. I have had this top for about 10 years so about time right!
Pictures soon.

Machine Quilting Lesson

Well, quilting a full size quilt is not easy! It is not finished. I will work on it more when I have more time!

It was not what I expected (understatement). I have learned a couple of things through what I have done.

1. My machine does not appear to have a needle down mode (at least I haven't found it), so that means I will not be doing free motion quilting until I figure that one out.
2. A full size quilt is really big for a small machine.
3. Straight line quilting is not too bad especially for this quilt.
4. The table I have it on is not going to work, because the faster I go the move the table vibrates.
5. It really hurts my shoulders.

I am sure there is a lot more that I learned but for now that will do.

I am going to have to make arrangements on a different table for this project, but for now priorities are sick husband and school work over quilts.

B

MIA

Have you missed me? "Where have you been?" you may be asking. Well, I have been on a ride called life.

Trying to finish school, work full-time, and continual life as a wife was hard to do, but then my husband got sick.

I mean hospital stay sick. 3 separate occasions he has spent 5-14 days in the hospital. He is much better and is going home today!

In the mean time I have been getting a quilt top ready for machine quilting!

I made a machine quilting test of a scrap, and it went well enough to try a full size quilt! Not perfect, but well enought to go bigger.






B

machine quilting progress1

Well, after buying batting and backing for a quilt top and waiting for them to wash, dry, and iron I thought perhaps I was jumping in just a little to fast. I though, "Maybe I should practice a little first! Yes, it looks easy, but so do a lot of things."

Practice I did. I got a couple of similar sized scraps together and a piece of batting. Then I tried to put my feed dogs down. Down you dogs, down! Then I tried to attach the darning foot, which proved to be difficult. Darn darning foot! Finally, I read the directions. Then I got out the screwdriver! With my darning foot finally attached and feed dogs down, I was ready for practice and glad it was just practice.

Here is my practice piece.

Front

and back.

Not to bad for a crazy town creator!

There was one little problem that could be bad. I folded a portion of the backing which was quilted down. Potential future craziness.

machine quilting

OK, I know what I said about hand quilting and machine quilting, but after the last post I went looking for machine quilting techniques (more like stumbled on them). I found a few great ones. So, I am going to try machine quilting! After all I have several UFOs that need to be finished, and I really don't have the time to hand quilt anything. You know since I am now a full-time student (not sure how that happened), full-time employee (35 hrs a week fall and spring semesters), and wife (never ending). With those hats as well as several others; I find it hard to find time to quilt.

I am not going to stop hand quilting! I love it to much. I am just going to try out machine quilting and see how it goes. I will keep you posted. Now I am off to the quilt store for batting and backing!

quilting

Quilting on a quilt can make a big difference in a quilt. If there is to little the quilt looks naked and boring. I am of the opinion that there is never to much quilting, but I am sure that there is a quilt somewhere that has to much quilting.

When quilting myself I prefer to hand quilt.

For one thing I have not learned how to machine quilt. I do not want to just start without someone guiding me. What if I put a quilt under the needle and the bobbin explodes on the back or something disastrous happens! I just don't want to put a lot of work into a quilt to mess it up machine quilting. Also, I do not want to hire someone to quilt it for me. I am sure that they all do a wonderful job (I have seen some wonderful machine quilting), but that would mean that I did not do the entire thing myself.

Hand quilting is one of my favorite parts of completing a quilt. My hands like to be a part of the work. That may sound strange but when machine sewing my hands guide they do not do the work. There is just something about making something by hand. It relaxes me.

Quilting is not for everyone. It takes time and patience. Quilting a baby quilt depending on the amount of quilting I am doing can take me (if you put all of the free time I find together) anywhere between a week and a month continuously quilting. It often takes me longer because I quilt in my free time, usually while watching TV.

Many people want something now. For these people machine quilting is probably the best. You can have a quilt finished in a weekend.

Happy quilting!