Tag Archives: machine quilting

Quilted cover

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Sewing is one of my more regular craft-type pursuits.  Quilting is a more recent one and I’m willing to experiment with my sewing machine.  Specifically the quilting, free-motion, or darning foot.

Without getting too technical when using this particular foot, the feed dogs are lowered and the pressure on the foot is set to light.  This allows the sew-er to gently maneuver the fabric in any direction while sewing, not just in a straight line.

I wanted to experiment with free-motion quilting and our heating pad needed a new cover.  No one would ever see this so what better way to learn than to practice!

I layered a piece of 100% cotton batting between two pieces of cotton fabric and pinned this all together before taking it to my sewing machine.  The total size was 12 inches by 27 inches. I began stitching in the center and made my way out toward the edges.

My stitches aren’t even as I moved the fabric around.  Going slowly gave me better control of stitch length.  You can see some longer stitches and very short stitches as I tried to make this star.

I drew a leaf with pink chalk and tried to go over the lines here.

More leaves and a heart.

Can you see the hidden messages below?

 

All quilted.

I added binding around the entire piece (don’t look at the horrible corners!) then folded it in half to make a padded envelope for our heating pad. I also made a new flannel cover to conceal it all and make it removable for washing.

I do need lots more practice using this foot on my sewing machine before I tackle a regular-sized quilt. It was fun and I learned a few things.

Do you sew and have you tried using all of the feet that came with your machine?Patti

What I’ve been doing

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I finally finished the quilt for my Colorado grandson!  Happy Dance!!!

I love it, I Love It, I LOVE IT!

Once the top was pieced together, I added two borders to make it bigger to fit a twin-sized bed.  The finished size is 72 X 94.  I think I may have made it too large but, well, it should still work.

This is before the outside border was quilted.  I just ran a line of stitching next to the white border and again next to where the binding would be sewn.  I hope that area won’t shift without much quilting to hold it together.

The front.  Shout out to Mr. Aitch for standing on a stool and holding it up for the picture.  It was raining and the front porch was the only option.

The bottom right corner has a surprise for our grandson – his name (machine embroidered).

The back.

The bottom right corner has the dedication: To Lennon with love from Nona 2020 PJH.

And another surprise on the blue stripe running down the back – his initials.

Here is the quilt on a queen-sized bed. It’s plenty long enough! You can see the variations in the blues and greens better in this photo.

Happy 90th Birthday!

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10

My aunt had a milestone birthday last month and I sent her a goodie box filled with fruits, muffins, breads, and a special handmade gift.

Her iPad has a factory Smart Cover to protect it but when she takes it out of the house she doesn’t have any way to carry it except in a way-too-large tote bag.

And since I am on this sewing and quilting kick, I sewed and quilted one for her.

002-FrontIn red and purple.

006-Open-frontTwo of her favorite colors.

007-Open-backWith a bit of pink since that was what I had in my stash.

012-close-up-2The darker red is actually part of a skirt I had that I ripped apart.

014-stitch-in-the-ditch-2The closure is actually two buttons sewn on together.

003-ButtonThe strap is padded with a couple of layers of quilt batting as most tablets have a bit of weight to them and I wanted it comfortable enough to carry over a wrist or in the hand.

010-side-2It’s just machine quilted in a grid.

011-close-up-1

004-front

008-closed-backLined with red cotton and light blue flannel (because that’s what I had).

016-inside-1I schootched the lining out a bit before I top stitched around the edge so it almost looks like piping.

005-open-front

To be totally truthful…this is the second one I made for her.  The first one fit my iPad but not hers as her Smart Cover adds an inch or so to the overall size.  My sister took the smaller one for her tablet so it all worked out.

Getting…

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gloves

…a grip.  I have taken up quilting and am almost ready to machine quilt my first one.  Question for quilters: Do you wear special gloves to get a grip on your quilt as you maneuver it while machine quilting?

cake

…older.  I had another birthday at the end of October.  Funny how they keep happening year after year after year.  I know age is just a number but I have a hard time telling people how old I am.*  My finite existence is starting to weigh on me.  I’m not as quick physically or mentally.  I forget things so I have to write everything down…that’s not really new but having to go back and refer to my notes is new.  Sleep issues have been a part of my life for 15 or so years.  Our new mattress has helped the past two weeks as I’m getting better sleep, just not enough.  Planning for the future is a real eye-opener.  We’ll need a new roof on our house in the next five or so years.  Do we look at the 20-25 year life shingles or go for the 50-70 year metal roof?  Is adding a craft room in the basement worth the time, effort and expense?  These are things I just don’t want to think about.

pizza

…a chance to goof off.  Last evening I allowed myself to goof off.  I brought home a pepperoni pizza for dinner.  That’s really a big thing for me as I’m not a much of a pizza fan but it was a quick no-brainer option and I actually had some cold paper cash with me.  After washing the dishes and reading a few emails (some I answered, some I did not), I fixed myself a pot of peppermint tea and started to read a book a friend sent me.  Thanks Leah!

tea-pot

*BTW  I’m fifty-eleven.  Ouch.  That hurt.  I need some ice…and an R&C.**

**Rum and Coke