New quilts

So far so good on the new frame.  I love it, it glides so smoothly.  I finished the first quilt in about an hour.  Would've taken less time, but I kept having to wind bobbins.  I thought 3 would be enough, but it was more like nine.  LOL.  I did an allover swirl in different sizes, and I think it turned out pretty good.  Here are some pics.  

Scrappy pink tumbler quilt

Fleece back of pink tumbler quilt.

Detail of quilting on pink tumbler.  

 I love to use a variegated thread on scrappy quilts.  This was pinks and purples.  It's so pretty, and soft with the fleece backing.  
Here is another quilt, the last one I did on my old frame.  I am terrible about doing binding.  I will wait til I have several that need to be done, and do them all at once.  

pink snowball quilt

detail of quilting of snowball quilt.

fleece back of pink snowball quilt

I used the variegated thread on this also, but just a large loop and meander.  It's just very cuddly, I have a hard time giving away these things!  


Well, time to go, more time to sew.  
Marianne

New Frame

My frame finally made it!  I am so happy!  

My old Sturdy-Lite system

 My old Sturdy-Lite system did me well for the last 3 years, and I really loved it, but I couldn't get my stitch regulator to work on it, and where the frame went together in the middle would sometimes not be level and I would hit a bump.  So, my gift for my quilting this year was this: 

The table insert.

 When the UPS truck pulled up, he only pulled this box out, and I wondered "huh"?.  Then, I helped him pull this out:

A very large box.

 It took both of us to get this box out of the truck.  I was going to wait for the boys to get home from school, but I couldn't wait.  Didn't take long for me to get it in the house.  I was inspired !  It took me less than an hour ( and one bruised knuckle), but I got this up:

Up and ready to go. 

 I love, love, love this frame!  It's the Grace Start-Rite frame from the Grace Company, and I got a really good deal.  It's so solid, and very heavy, but my machine rides like a dream on this thing.  Here's my practice piece:

 I threw an old piece of fabric and some scrap batting on it to practice.  I really like having the stitch regulator working right, especially for tight designs, but for just all over meandering and such, I use the speed control.  I have a tendency to out run the regulator otherwise.  Now, to throw on some of those tops I have been making!  I love this thing!  

Marianne

The waiting game

So, I told y'all that my new frame is on it's way.  Well, it'll be here MONDAY! YIPPEE! (I'm not excited, nah).  In the meanwhile, I have been making baby quilt tops galore!  3 so far, and hopefully more tomorrow.  See, there's this pesky thing called "work" that keeps getting in the way.  Anyway, I hope to post some pics of the tops tomorrow, as well as more on Monday when my frame gets here.  Hurry up Monday.  

Marianne

Sad Day

Today is one of those days where you wish your children didn't have to learn certain lessons.  Last night, a young girl 13 years old, was shot accidentally at a home where she was attending a barbecue.  Total accident, a gun went off in another room, and went through the wall.  My daughter attended school with her and they were friends.  It's a hard lesson to learn that life is short, and people do die, even at such a young age, and I wish she didn't have to learn that so young.  http://www.floridatoday.com/article/20110213/BREAKINGNEWS/110213006/Teenage-girl-shot-killed-Canaveral-Groves?
 I just pray for peace for the family, and forgiveness for the man who accidentally killed her.  

Marianne

Happy Dance

I am so very, very happy.  I am going from this:

 To this:

 I can't wait! My Grace Sturdy-Lite has done me well, don't get me wrong, but I can't wait for a sturdy, metal one to come into my life!  By this time next weekend, I will be bouncing off the walls waiting for it to get here!  (Just don't get me started on how much it cost me in shipping, I had to pick my jaw up off the floor).
In other news, this is what I got to see yesterday:

The Titusville Quilt show was this weekend.  I wasn't sure I was going to be able to go, because I had to work both days, but I made it yesterday, and took my mom.  I loved it!  One of the member of our local guild (The Rocket Quilters) did  a lot of the quilting of the quilts, and she did a great job.  So many wonderful quilts, and now I have lots of inspiration.  It was a great show. 
Now, off to do some more sewing (I try to get a couple of hours in before I go to work, that way, I stay calm when I get to work, and less likely anyone's gonna get hurt LOL)

Marianne

New Pages

I have added some new pages to my blog.  Tutorials will be for hints, tips,etc.  I know a lot of people on some of my yahoo groups have the same machine as I for frame quilting (Janome 1600), so I will try to post some tips I have learned over the last 3 years on there.  The gardening page is for me to kind of keep track of what all I have done, planted, etc.  Central Florida can be pretty tricky for growing organically, because we go from nice and warm to blazing hot over night, and it's unreal how fast some things grow! Especially weeds.  
The quilts for sale is just that-I will be posting some quilts for sale, I have way, way too many.  I literally have so many, some are piled up, and no more room in the linen closet.  They have to go somewhere.  Although, I keep telling my kids that when we finally move up north, we won't freeze! The emergency kit they tell you to keep in your car for in case you get stranded in winter along side the road? Yep, the would find me getting into the emergency chocolate, and toasty warm under about 20 quilts! LOL. 
Well, that will be all for today, I spent all day so far outside trimming trees, weeding, planting beans and shallots, etc. Oh, and digging up a lot of cement.  (I had an idea for a patio last summer-didn't work out, and now I am paying for it by digging up a lot of cement).  The next patio will only be sand and bricks.  
Time for a nap. 
Marianne.
P.S. I am almost done with the Scrappy Love Rings quilt top, and am working on a cute pink and purple tumbler quilt top.  Can't believe how fast that's going together! 

Scrappy Love Rings

This quilt is going to be another Drunkard's Path variation.  I saw a picture of a quilt made by Wendy Hill for a magazine, and loved it.  I made my patches a bit different, and the bias edges different, but it is still similar.  

STEP 1:
Cut your background pieces 5" square.  You'll need 112 light backgrounds (I used different tone on tone white), and 112 dark or medium backgrounds.

 Then, you want to cut out the curved pieces, and lay them on the background fabric.

 Zig zag by machine to background.  I always use a piece of paper for a stabilizer to prevent puckering. 

 I then cut a bunch of 1" strips on the bias that I stitch on to cover the raw edges. Press the strips in half. 

Following the curved edge, pin along the curve, and then stitch down, and press.  

Then, using invisible thread, I stitch the edge down, covering the raw edges. 

Remove stabilizer and trim away excess fabric. Then press. 

Trim to 4 1/2 inches. 

Here I have stacks of finished blocks, I pinned ten together for each stack. 

Well, time to continue pressing and trimming the rest of the blocks.  Hopefully, my next post will I'll be playing with layouts.  


Marianne