Yay!, the skirt is finished

I finally got the skirt finished today.  I am very happy with it.  I hope our grand daughter likes it.  I think I may have to take some more out of the waist so I haven't closed it up yet incase I have to shorten the elastic.

We will be going to see the family in a week or so and I have the little baby coat to take too for the newest grand daughter.

I didn't get anything made for our grandson there yet so I bought him a nice Wrangler Polo shirt to take.

I will not be starting any new projects here until we get back home but I hope to be able to allocate some sewing time with my grand daughter while we are there so who knows what we will make between us.  I suspect something for her American doll.

I am making a little progress on the skirt

I did manage to get some time in my sewing room last week.  I got the skirt for my grand daughter cut out and started to sew it together.  It has two rows of bric brac around the skirt.  It is a full circle skirt and I hadn't really noticed how much was on the reel so had to pick up some more when we were away for hospital appointments.  (It was deceptively packaged so it looked like there was at least three or four yards and I thought I had more than enough).

I tacked on the first row and only had enough for half of the second row so yesterday whilst watching Nascar I tacked on the rest of the bric brac and pinned then tacked up the hem and tonight I pinned and started tacking the broiderie anglaise around the bottom ready to stitch it all up on the machine.

The skirt has a dropped waist so I have to edge the seams on the machine of the top of the skirt before I can attach it to the bottom full skirt then it will just need the elastic putting through the waistband.

I like sewing, it is quicker to make a sewing project than a knitting one so for me with limited time to spend on these projects it is more rewarding.

I also bought a pattern for a baby dress for her baby sister and I am pretty sure I have enough fabric left to be able to make it.

We will be visiting them next month and I will be taking her great grandma's Brother sewing machine to her and we can have sewing sessions.  I am looking forward to that very much.

An absolutely nothing to do with knitting and sewing post!

It is raining, yesterday it was raining, last week and the week before and the month before and the month before that it was raining.  Last Sunday and Monday were dry so the roofers were able to come and replace a section of our roof that had started to leak this year.....yep, because of all the rain.

Not really complaining because when it finally stops it is going to get really hot and humid which will be even worse.

The streams are all running, the ponds, lakes and rivers are all full to overflowing and there is a lot of flooding all over.  Too bad we can't export some of this water to other parts of the US that are having drought conditions.

We are quite lucky, we do get some accumulation in front of the workshop and sometimes on the front porch but nothing serious.  We have a sump pump and are able to direct it away.

The main gravel road which leads to our property gets washed out a lot especially on one corner before it gets to our property.  Sometimes it gets flooded past our property. Sometimes it is pretty dodgy getting round that corner but the county does come and regrade it and bring more and more gravel. Sometimes we can't go the other way because of the flooding. I suspect that one day they will close off the road and do something to make it permanently better but will have to make sure the other way is not flooded or else we will be trapped!    

So that's what we are dealing with this year.

It isn't the reason I haven't got any knitting and sewing done, that is another story for another day.

The new roof

The rain we keep getting

The storms that keep rolling in

Toddler coat done finally!

I finally got it finished.  Not 100% happy with the front bands but not going to undo them.  My time for knitting and sewing is so limited that I have to accept that I can't produce perfect work.  Had I unlimited time I would undo the bands and do them again, but I don't and I have a skirt waiting to be made on my new sewing machine.

I did sew it up carefully so it can be worn either way.  The inside out way is different but I would have preferred to have the bodice the proper side.  In hindsight I could have duplicated the bodices and sewed them together with the right sides out.......but I didn't think about that at the time.

Always learning!

I made one of the sleeves yesterday for the baby coat,  Everything went perfectly and I had it done and my knitting room tidied up afterwards in an hour and a half.

Went back today to do the other one.

Was doing great but I forgot to change the rows per 10cm on the knit radar when I changed from stocking stitch to tuck stitch.

I was 14 rows into it when I realised it.

Having done this before I had a plan formulated in my mind to correct it rather than just take it off and start again.

The plan was to change the rows per 10cm then take the pattern back to where I should have changed it then click it back through on the new setting.

Great plan eh!

I did it and finished the sleeve to find out that I had done 14 rows less than the previous sleeve.

Drat!!!!

But why didn't it work?

Well, I was changing from 52 rows to 75 rows per 10cm.  2 knobs to adjust.  The first from 0-60 to 61-120. (Think that is correct without going back up to check).  The second knob from 52 to 75.

What I didn't know is that on 0-60 each click represents one row and on 61-120 one click represents 2 rows.

So I should have just moved it up 7 clicks to represent the 14 rows I had knitted.  I moved it up 14 clicks so it took me further up the pattern than I should have been.

Lesson duly noted!

Too long between machine knitting sessions!

I found some time today to get up to my knitting machine.  A couple of hours.  If all had gone well I could have got the other front skirt part done in that time but it wasn't to be.

Cast on went wonky first and second time. Probably user error!

Third time cast on was OK. Got up to the row of holes to realise I had one two many stitches.

Could have dealt with that but then I forgot to return the needles to the working position after transferring the stitches and knitting one row to make the holes so got ladders instead.

If it hadn't have been so long since I last knitted I would have remembered, at least, to return the needles.

Fourth time all went well, casted on, made holes, turned up hem then proceeded to knit in tuck stitch.

Same problem as last time, the tuck stitch wasn't coming out right.

Upon inspection and evaluation (before taking it off the needles in frustration) I noticed a lever on the back of the needle bed underneath and to the right of where you insert the punch card.  Decided to see how the carriage effected it.  It was then I realised the problem.

I am using knit radar and knitting from the left side of the knit radar sheet so all my needles in use were left of the centre.  When I was knitting left to right I wasn't taking the carriage far enough right to allow the lever to pass fully underneath the carriage and engage whatever it engages.

I tried a few more rows taking the carriage further to the right and it knitted just fine.

I also had a talk to my knitting machine.  Her name is Betsy and sometimes she gets a little offstride and in a huff.  I told her that she didn't have to be jealous of the new sewing machine and that because we had a new grandbaby she would get plenty of use.

Hopefully will find the time tomorrow to try again while it is all fresh in my mind and Betsy will be be in a good mood.

It just goes to show you can teach an old dog new tricks!

On one of our 4 hospital visits last week I picked up a nasty cough and head cold which is making me feel pretty yukky and unmotivated. I know it will pass so rather than try and do some knitting or sewing while feeling this way I have been reading up on my sewing machine manuals and surfing the web for ideas and videos. This doesn't require a lot of physical effort and I can stop and start as and when the brain cells decide to work.

I have found out an awful lot I didn't know and have found out a lot more about the various sewing machine feet I have and what they actually do. I have a decorative foot with my older Singer that I didn't realise was different to a normal one and the zipper foot is adjustable for what side the teeth of the zipper are.  So, an old dog can learn new tricks!

I did purchase some fabric and a pattern on Sunday to make our nearly 8 year old grand daughter a skirt. Her favourite colour of the day is dark pink so I found some lovely pink fabric with white polka dots which I am sure she will love. The pattern has options and I am going to make the one with the yoke. It also has a full circular skirt so she will be able to twirl and it will flare right out.  She likes things like that.

I bought white ric rac to do the two lines of trim and am now on the look out for some pre-gathered white cotton Broderie Anglaise lace about 1" to 1.5".  For the life of me I couldn't remember what it was called.  One of those names that I knew that I knew but just couldn't pull it to the fore. Thank goodness for the internet! Although it is also referred to as eyelet lace and that is how I found it.

Patterns are much cheaper now than they used to be

View B is the one I am making this time

The new machine in situ.

 The skirt will be quite retro but I am sure she will like it.

The new sewing machine is fantasidoby!

My new Singer Sew Mate arrived yesterday while we were away at the hospital.  When we eventually got back last night all I had time for was to read through the quick start manual.  Today I browsed through the more detailed manual then watched the video. The video had some great ideas.

Later I took it up to my sewing room and set it up and gave it a thorough testing.  It is great, I absolutely love it,  It stitches so nicely and all the fancy stitches looked like they should.

I tried the buttonholer foot too.  It is a one step buttonhole machine and has 4 different ones to choose from.  The foot has a place where you put the button you are making the hole for then you pull down a lever and the machine makes the button hole the correct size for the button.  Flipping amazing!  The walking foot I bought for my other Singer works on it too as do some of the other feet I have for the Brother.

I tried some free motion stitching as I had a foot from the brother that fitted.  I was not very good, definitely a lot of practice needed but it was fun to try.

I am well chuffed with it.  It has certainly been worth the wait.

Another hospital run tomorrow then next week we have to catch up with the mowing.  I will go out tomorrow while my husband is in the hospital to look for some fabric and a pattern for my 8 year old grand daughter.  I have seen some fabric in our local Walmart I like so will see if they have it in Columbia where we will be.  Hopefully later in the week I will get some time to sew and knit.  Still working on the baby jacket.

It's been a funny old week!

What can I say, what a week!  Started off with a visit to Columbia on Monday for my husband to see his neurologist.  He has been losing a lot of ground these past few weeks so we knew the bad antibodies were in full battle mode and attacking his muscles and nervous system with gusto.  The doc ordered plasmatheresis to be done asap.  They were great and got it organised for Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.  So yesterday we set off at 4.45am for the three hour drive to the hospital. It was dark and pouring with rain when we set off.  The rain persisted all the way there.  The Red Cross nurse was 3 hours late due to a misunderstanding between us, the hospital nurse and her but despite all that they got the procedure done and we eventually left there at 5.15pm.

Tuesday was a good day.  Yep, I am finally getting my new sewing machine.  If you read my blog you know I have been lusting for a new one for 6 months now.  I have battled with myself long and hard over this as it really isn't a necessity (I already have three machines but they are all quite old) and we have so many other things that we need to spend money on for the house and workshop. Anyway, it all came to be on Tuesday. First of all I got a $50 Amazon voucher for Mother's Day which is May 10th here in the US.  So I searched Amazon for a sewing machine that was reasonably priced and would satisfy my lust.  I found a re-manufactured Singer Sewmate for $95.  It is a 60 stitch machine.  I put it in my watch list.

Well, as every move we make on the internet is scrutinised by Google this item kept appearing on my Facebook sidebar.  I was totally ignoring it as it still meant spending $45 and my guilt complex couldn't justify it.  Then Tuesday night it popped up as $81. That meant I only had to add $31 to the gift voucher.  Well, that did it.  Guilt complex flew out of the open window and I ordered it.

It arrives tomorrow but we will be out all day at the hospital so I won't be able to get my hands on it until tomorrow night. It had mixed reviews, people either loved it and thought it was the best thing since sliced bread or they hated it.  I hope I will be a lover of it!

Yesterday while my husband was hooked up the the Dr. Who-like machine getting his blood circulated to remove all the plasma and replace it with new I went and visited a sewing shop and a yarn shop in Columbia and had a lovely time browsing and talking knitting and sewing with the ladies in the stores.

Today we have to go take flowers to the cemeteries for Memorial Day on Monday.  We take them for his parents, grandparents, great grandparents and some other family members.  I am not from round here so my folks are buried in another country.

I did some machine knitting at the end of last week.  I got the bodice knitted and attached to the skirt part on the one side of the fronts.  I started to knit the skirt for the second front but for some weird reason the tuck stitch went awry so I took it off the machine and rewound the yarn.  I will get back to it next week I hope.

And the last snippet which is a bit late on getting mentioned is that I picked up a flat screen monitor for my knitware computer in my sewing room at the city wide garage sale a few weeks ago.  We decided to visit this town and go to the sales for a day out. A bargain at $10.  So the old clonky screen that took up half of the desk is now history! (To be fair, Old Clonker has served us well for many, many years but it is sooooo big. We will store it out in the workshop for emergency use). Now to find a flat screen TV for the same sort of money and I'll be set up there.

So, as I said before, a funny old week but so far, a good one!

Photos for the previous post

I seem to be having a 'wide' phase in my knitting.  Nothing intentional, it just seems the two latest projects have turned out to be wider than I think they should be.

The hand knit jacket is in the washing machine hand wash cycle as we speak and I am hoping it will fall into shape a little more.

The cable on the left looks out of wack but it isn't, hoping the wash will sort it out as well as the width problem

The machine knit seems that it is going to be wide also but in fairness to the pattern it is a gathered jacket and I won't be able to tell until it is complete and assembled.

The smooth side of the tuck stitch pattern

The bobbly side of the tuck stitch pattern

Keeping my fingers crossed on the outcome of the washing!

Making progress

The baby hand knitted jacket is almost finished.  Just sewing it all together right now. The machine knit one is progressing.  The back is all done and the skirt part of one front is done.  Haven't had too much time this past week but the machine is working fine now.  Will post some pictures later when hand knit is completely done.

Our new grand daughter Vivian Ann arrived May 2nd. A perfect little baby girl.  Still waiting on pictures.

Back to the machine knitted jacket, I am making the skirt part of the top in tuck stitch using #3 punchcard of the set that came with the machine.  I like both sides of it.  The bodice I am making in stocking stich.  I am having to use two colours as I realised I didn't have enough pink yarn to finish it. So, the bodice is in lemon and I have put two pink stripes on it so it blends.  The sleeves will be lemon too and the front bands and neck band.

My goal is to sew it up so it can be used either way.  Not sure if I can sew that neatly but will try. If I succeed then I will sew buttons on both sides of the band.  It only takes three buttons at the top. I will use flat buttons so it shouldn't cause any discomfort.  It is like a coat jacket so will be worn on top of other clothes and is for her when she is about 1 year old.

Feeling like a real rookie machine knitter!

I did not have a good knitting day!  Dropped a stitch after casting on, knitting 10 rows then doing all the transfers for a picot hem. I knitted another 10 rows and was about to hook up the bottom to form the hem when I noticed the dropped stitch!  I couldn't pick it up with the latch tool.  It had to be done from the machine side of the knitting and I just couldn't co-ordinate it.

I took it all off, and started again.. This time one of the stitches didn't cast on properly. I did the ewrap cast on and when I knitted the first row it didn't knit one of the stitches properly.  It seemed to be around the same place as the dropped stitch so I checked the needle that didn't knit properly.  I found the latch on the needle was getting stuck when it was flicked back so I decided to change it.

Couldn't remember how to!  Then I remembered I had to take the sponge bar out to change it. The sponge bar seemed OK but I swapped it out for a new one just to be on the safe side.

Then I oiled the machine.

At this point I decided to quit and I will go back to it another day, probably Monday. Weekends are usually busy.  In the meantime I am going to read up on the manuals just as a refresher.

I guess it is one of the pitfalls of not being able to get on my machines on a more regular basis. One forgets! or at least this one does.

Yay! got some time on my SK700 knitting machine.

It has been a good week so far, I have managed to get upstairs to my knitting/sewing room several times.  First job was to put a patch in my husbands camo pants.  I did it on the Singer.  Found some old tan jeans of mine and cut a patch from them to repair his. I trimmed the rip then placed the patch underneath. Stitched the patch in place then satin stitched over the tear to the patch.  It looked pretty good.  I was happy with it. Far better than the gaping hole that was!

The hand knitted baby jacket is growing, the back and two fronts are knitted in one piece and I am nearly up to where it splits  for the arms. So far so good.

I also decided to machine knit a baby jacket too.  I checked out the knit radar patterns and found a baby jacket I liked.

Pattern C5 from the original knit radar pattern set that came with the machine and the pink yarn is what I am going to use.

I hadn't done anything on the machine since before Christmas which was a lot of stocking caps which just involved straight lengths of ribbing. I hadn't done a swatch in a while and thought I knew where to mark the stitches. Unfortunately with the first attempt, not only did I mark the stitches incorrectly, I somehow managed to take it off the machine in one foul swoop when I was changing colours.  The second one was OK after I consulted the manual! I felt like a rookie again. I would have had to do two swatches anyway though as I decided to change the tension after I looked at the first one.

Marked the wrong stitches on this one doing it from memory! It was 21 stitches each way from the centre not 21 stitches in from the ends as I did on this.

Second attempt, did it in tuck stitch and stocking stitch as the back and fronts are done in two pieces as the bottom is gathered. Will probably do the tops in stocking stitch and the bottoms in tuck stitch. Amazing how the different stitches effect how many rows and stitches to 10cms.

Anyway, now I have the measurements from the swatch and the pattern is in the knit radar and it is set ready to go.  Hopefully, I will get working on it tomorrow.  I am using the SK700 standard machine this time.  I think I am going to take the ribber off as all the hems are picot edges so no ribber required.  The ribber makes it difficult to move weights etc.so if I don't need it might as well take it off.

I also got a really neat little anvil for my leather work.  Our neighbour found it at a garage sale and bought it for me.  Our neighbours are so nice, we are blessed to have them.  It will be very helpful when putting snaps and eyelets in small places.

That's it for the week so far, hoping the rest will be as good.

I even got out on the riding mower today.  It is perfect weather for me, cloudy and not too hot.  What can I say? I am from England, that's our norm so to experience it here in the depths of Missouri is a real treat and definitely to be taken advantage of.

The gnome patch

This year I decided to make a gnome patch just in front of the front porch.  There is a small area out there which is just filled with small rocks so looks a bit bare.  I have thought about doing this for years but kept thinking of my days in England where I had a beautiful rockery filled with gnomes. Someone came into the back yard (garden) one night and stole them all so I vowed never to buy gnomes again.

I mentioned this to our neighbours recently and they went out bought two really cute gnomes for me.

And so that was the start of my gnome patch.

When we were in the bigger town (35 miles away) picking up supplies and shopping I bought another gnome.  He is really cute too and a bit bigger than the other two.  Well, the back of the van was already loaded up with big bags of cracked corn, deer supplements and grass seed.  We had the dog with us and my husbands walker so there really wasn't much room for the shopping.

And wouldn't you know it, when I was loading in the shopping the gnome fell out!  I was quite upset, it seemed like it wasn't meant to be for me to have a gnome patch.

I picked up the pieces and bought them home.

And later that evening I superglued them back on.  There were gaps!

I didn't want him filling up with rain water so I got some plumbing putty and filled up the gaps and cracks. I am happy how he looks now and I will pick up some red spray paint at some point and respray the tip of his hat but for now he will do just fine.

Yesterday, I had to pop into our nearest town which is 15 miles away and his little brother jumped right into my shopping trolley!

When it stops raining I will get them outside into the patch.

Back to the knitting front, the hand knitted baby jacket is progressing nicely.

Back to the knitting needles and a little soul searching.

We really need to simplify our lives, my husband and I, but we don't seem willing to do it. We live on 20 acres which takes a lot of tending to. Our house needs working on. My husband's computer has been playing up. His internet radio station takes a lot of work. His health isn't good so we spend a lot of time going back and forth to hospitals and doctors. He is also diabetic so he has to eat frequently. I am getting really stiff and achey. Putting it bluntly, we are getting old and really don't need to be here anymore. But neither of us wants to leave. So we keep going and doing what we can, when we can.

This means I don't get the time I would like to spend on my sewing and knitting machines. Does this sound whiney? Yes it does. Does it sound selfish? Yes it does. So I am trying to compromise.

We recently found out our new grandbaby who is due in a couple of weeks is going to be a girl. So I bought some really pretty pink baby yarn and dug deep into my patterns stash and found the knitting pattern I used to hand knit a baby jacket for their eldest daughter which they really liked and got a lot of wear out of. Hand knitting is much more flexible.  I can pick it up when I have any free time and put it down at anytime.

I really love the colour of this yarn, It is a huge hank. It says you can draw from the centre but I couldn't find the loose end. It was like cleaning out a turkey lol. I had my hand inside feeling around for a loose end but to no avail. So I am unwinding from the outside.

I got started on it yesterday. I am using circular needles as you knit the two fronts and back in one piece. Already I have made mistakes. The first one when I forgot to turn the knitting and knitted the whole row before I realised. When I got to the end it was joined to the beginning!!!!!!!  I plead starting the first row of the quite complicated pattern so that I didn't notice I was working on the wrong side. Sounds better than silly old lady getting it wrong.

The second mistake was on the third row of the pattern which involves doing cables and also a lot of knitting 4 tog and yarn over needles. I forgot some of the yon's. Of course I didn't realise this until I was doing the fourth row and didn't have the right amount of stitches. Arrgghh!!!!  I cheated and picked up loops from the previous row. Not sure if that will work, time will tell on that one. I may end up starting all over again yet.

A Sampler quilt it will be! and how something simple can motivate

Two things happened over the past two days.

Firstly, we discovered the air conditioning on the vehicle wasn't working.  Here, in Missouri, that's a pretty important thing!  I went to our local repair shop to make an appointment for next week.  They always have little promotion giveaways on the counter.  This time it was one of those magnetic clip thingies.

These are great for attaching to the hanging threads when knitting.  I have one I bought from a yarn store but if I need more than that one then I usually use plastic clothes pegs but they don't have the weight.  So this little beauty will be great.  Now I am motivated to machine knit again! Weird eh? The best thing is that I can get another next week, (hope they haven't all gone by then!)

Secondly, one of the blogs I follow had an article on sampler Quilts.  Now I realize why my MIL made all those different quilt squares.  I will look out for some nice fabric to make strips in between the squares and a border and then I can make a Sampler quilt. As I mentioned in my previous blogs about making the baby quilt, these are my first attempts at making quilts, in reality I am quite clueless about quilting.  I am so glad I picked up a couple of quilting blogs to follow.

I will never aspire to make some of the beautiful quilts I have seen, I simply do not have the time but I will now make this sampler quilt to use the squares made by my MIL.

So not much achieved this week but at least now have some projects in mind.

Yes! I can still make a crochet square.

I made the square, it was really quite simple when I worked out how many chain stitches to do between each one and on the corners.  I checked the blanket I mentioned in my previous post and it comprises of 80 squares.  Not sure I have the fortitude to sit and make that many.

This was just scrap yarn I used so I made a loopy edge on it and will stick it under a vase or something.  When I looked at it more carefully I saw I had made a mistake. I only did one double crochet in one of the loops instead of three.  It takes a bit of finding and no one will see it under the vase.

I do have a lot of some beige coloured yarn I could use and some brown so I may embark on a blanket at some time.

I think I am finally over my obsession for another sewing machine.  I really needed a new camera, my one is old and the zoom doesn't focus any more.  We use 'Woot' and a refurbished Samsung came up for sale for $125.  The usual price is over $200.  I bought the camera so a fourth sewing machine had to be put to the back of the list.  No more searching and researching for a while.

Darn!, Brother just sent me an email with some more refurb sewing machines.  Not looking, Not looking!!!!!

Trying to resurrect my limited crochet skills and why on earth am I still obsessing about sewing machines?

So, I am still obsessing about getting a new sewing machine.  I spend way too much time searching for great deals and comparing machines.  The problem is I DO NOT need another sewing machine.  I know that so why am I doing this.  Like isn't three enough?????

Logic dictates that I do not sew enough to warrant buying another machine.  I am not going into full time quilt making and with the walking foot I bought for my Singer I can do all the quilting I am ever likely to do.  I can also use the Singer for darning etc. as it comes with a cover for the teeth (whose proper name eludes me right this minute) so I could freehand quilt with that also.

The MIL old Brother XL703 has many different stitches and to be truthful I will probably only ever use a few of them.

And the Brother Auction special is great for high speed sewing.

So what is my problem?  I have no idea, it is totally illogical.  Maybe now I have got it onto paper it will go out of my head.

Changing the subject, I do not have any projects on the go right now so I decided to see if I could still crochet.  Only done it a few times in the past and only ever made round doily things.  We have a blanket made from crochet squares.  It fits on our king size bed.  It is a wonderful blanket and made in pretty lemon shades.  I bought it in a garage sale about 15 years ago for $3. I thought I might try and make one.  It would give me something simple to sit and do at night.  I could hand knit but I think that is a bit pointless when I have three good working knitting machines, so crochet it will be. Not sure how long I will stick at it.

My first attempt was bad, I had grabbed some course yarn from my stash and it kept splitting while I was doing it so it was ugly.  I got some better yarn and started again.  I have worked out how to make the squares so I'll see where I go with it.  At the very least I could make a baby blanket as my preference these days seems to be for smaller projects.

I do want to make something on the knitting machines too but not sure what yet.  A baby jacket I think it will be but I would like to know whether the new grand baby is a boy or a girl before I do that. They have decided not to find out until the birth so I won't be starting on that until May sometime.

The last few days here have been lovely and we got outside yesterday to work.  Today, my husband is sorting out some computer problems so we didn't go out to work.  I did get into the workshop though to check out all my leather tools and they survived the winter OK so it made me want to get out there and do some leatherwork again.

Maybe with the crochet, leatherwork and getting outside more the sewing machine obsession will dissipate.  I can only hope so................but in the meantime there is a really nice Brother XR1355 machine that does lots of different things and you can get it refurbished for only $136.  Like, who doesn't need one of those at that price?

Oh yea! me!

Days 13, 14 and 15 and it is finally done!

The quilt is finished.  It took me three sessions to hand stitch the back of the edging.  I tried to do as tiny stitches as possible.

Not sure what my next project will be but for sure I am out of the funk!    

Days 11 and 12 working on the quilt. Why the heck can't I machine stitch in a straight line?????

Yesterday I worked on the quilt.  I had to do the quilting stitching over the centre motif square.  I had tried it last time and failed miserably and had to undo it.  Yesterday, I tacked a centre line as a guide but I still got it wrong and had to undo it.  Third attempt was successful......thank goodness!

I realised that the centre motif wasn't totally symmetric after I got the quilting stitching right but it was way past the stage of re-doing.  Besides, my MIL had made the motif and I wanted to incorporate it into the quilt as she was the new grandbaby's great Grandma. So, it is sentimental.

I am really happy with how the quilting looks on the back.  I did get a little pucker in it but it isn't really noticeable so not redoing it.

Last night I sat and tried to attach the edging by tacking it.  It didn't look like it was going to work so I undid it and decided to sleep on it.  I thought I might try using the edging differently.  I had previously cut it out, joined it and ironed it in half to use double.  When I tacked it on it didn't look like it would cover the backing fabric which was slightly short on one edge. (see previous posts about this).  I thought maybe I would use it singly which would make the edging wider.

Today I went up to my sewing/knitting room with this plan in mind.  I stitched all around the edge of the quilt as per the instructions.  (I had previously missed doing this).  Then I trimmed it again then played around with the edging.  I thought it may be more difficult to do it singly so I reverted back to the original plan and tacked the edging on using it doubled.  When I checked it was going to cover the backing fabric OK so then I machine stitched it in place.

So tonight I will remove the tacking stitches then turn the edge and tack it down ready to hand stitch it down.

Finally, I can see an end in sight.  I thought this would be an easy and quick project but not so.  I will be so much better prepared if I make another one though.

Addendum:

Tacked the edging in place ready to sew.  After seeing the photo I made a mental note to pull the edging over the stitches showing on the back when I stitch it.  Did it tonight while watching TV in semi darkness! That is my excuse anyway.  It just goes to prove though the old adage that the camera never lies!

Somehow during the hospital visits and bad weather I got some more work done on the baby quilt (Day 10)

This past week has been very busy and stressful.  The weather has been nasty.  Overall, this winter has been very cold but we hadn't had much snow and ice.  That changed this past week and we have had snow, ice and freezing rain. I don't like driving in it.  We saw a lot of people in ditches and wrecks.  Thankfully, we got all our hospital visits in safely and we don't have to go anywhere for a few days, at least. We have been having freezing rain all morning so probably we couldn't walk outside anyway.

On one of the days we were home this past week I got some work done on the quilt.  I did the quilting stitching.  I am really happy how it turned out.  I did make a couple of mistakes when quilting through the centre motif.  I didn't have a seam to follow so my stitching went a bit wonky!

I unpicked it and will redo it when I get back upstairs to sew. I will tack a line as a guide and stitch either side of it.  The back also looks great.  I really like how doing the quilting stitching makes the front and back look.

Next will be the edging.  Still pondering on that because the backing fabric wasn't quite as big as the top.  I cut the edging quite wide so I am not sure whether to overlap the edging more than normal so it covers the smaller back also or trim the top to match the back.  

I will wait on making a decision, I am sure the best way will reveal itself as I work on it.

New look on the blog

We have been so busy the past week with traveling back and forth to the hospital 150 miles away. We are home today, waiting for a package to arrive from England so I thought I would chill out as little and try a new look on my blog.  Back to the hospital again tomorrow though.

Going to go and sew a little now.

Tried the walking foot

I set aside some time to try the walking foot today.  I wanted to try it on some scrap rather then jump right in on the quilt.  I joined together some strips I found in my MIL's stash and along with some scrap fabric and batting I made the proverbial quilt sandwich.

It wasn't perfect by any means but it wasn't difficult to do.  I used contrasting thread so I could see it better.  The back puckered a little  in a couple of places but on the actual quilt I will be colour matching the thread for the back so any similar puckering shouldn't be noticeable.  Not sure what colour thread to use on the front yet.  I am juggling between white or red.  The front didn't pucker at all so it is just a matter of choice.  Think I am erring on the side of red though as there will be stitching on the border and I just think red on red on the border would look better.

It will be a week or so now before I can get back to it so who knows what my thought processes will be then!

The walking foot in place and it worked very well.  Very happy with my ebay purchase.

Days 8 and 9 working on the quilt

Yesterday, Sunday, I hand stitched the centre quilt motif to the centre square.

Today I made my quilt sandwich and pinned it together ready to start on the quilting.  Finally, it feels like a quilt and not a table cloth.  I also cut out the edging strips.

The walking foot I ordered arrived today. First though, I have to try it. I will make a 'sandwich' from leftover fabric and batting give it a go.

This coming week we will be away for three days.  My husband is having to resume plasmatheresis treatments which entails three separate days in the hospital which is 150 miles away.  Three very long days which takes a lot out of us both.

It is likely, I won't do any more than try the walking foot this week.  When the treatments are over I will have time to do it without having to rush. I have got this far and don't want to ruin it.

Day 7 working on the baby quilt.

Yesterday, Friday, I cut out the border for the quilt.  I changed my mind on how I was going to do it.  I went with all red for the main border and will make the trim edge with the blue.

I used the rotary cutter and it cut through 8 layers no problem.  I folded the fabric so it would all fit on the cutting board and I could do the cuts without having to stop and move the fabric or the cutting edge.  I am so impressed with the cutter and how straight and accurate it cuts.

(I have sometimes wandered on my cuts though when drawing it along the ruler but as I cover the piece of fabric I want to use, if the cuts go awry then it is on the waste fabric and I just re-cut against the ruler).

I attached the border to the quilt top then ironed it all. That iron hadn't better be thinking I'm it's new best friend though 'cos when this quilt is finished it's going right back into the cupboard where I found it!

Then I hit a snag.  The fabric I wanted to use for the backing isn't big enough.

I found some fabric that I do have enough of but I am not totally convinced I like it.  I really wanted the other fabric which is the brown I used for some of the squares.  So I am toying with putting a border on it to make it fit.  Not sure if that is quilting etiquette though and I don't want the Quilt Police on my back!

So still thinking on that one.  Another option is to combine it with another fabric and make 4 large squares and stitch them together. Maybe, even buy some different fabric.

I have always wanted to make a quilt, just a plain old patchwork one like they did way back when. This is my attempt at that with the idea of using what I already had.

I imagine, back then, they made quilts into patchwork to use up any scraps of fabric they had left from other projects because they didn't have a lot to spend.

Modern quilting has become so detailed and competitive and to be honest, it would cost quite a lot to make one buying everything you need from scratch, so I am trying to be like the pioneers and make do with what I have, so would prefer not to have to buy more fabric.

On the other hand, I am really happy with how it has turned out so far and want it to look really nice when it is finished.

Decisions, decisions, decisions................

Meanwhile, last night I sat and un-picked the centre motif on the mis-cut white backing square so tonight I will sew it onto the quilt top centre square.  Just have to make sure I centre it correctly!

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Hadn't closed this post as I wanted to add a photo of the quilt top with border. Then I looked again at the backing I really want to use.  It is just a tad smaller than the top. Two options here I think.

1. Trim the top.  Don't really want to do that though.

2. Go with it as it is and make the edging wider so it covers the edges of the backing.  It says to cut the backing a little bigger than the top in-case it puckers up a bit with the quilting so I am hoping I don't lose too much of it.

Think I'll try option 2 and hope it works...............If it loses too much I can just trim it all.

I have a roll of edging but it is like a burnt orange colour which would so go with the backing but not with the quilt top so will stay with the blue I had originally planned on.  I checked it and have enough to make the edging strips wider.

Who knew there were so many 'walking feet'?

So I spent the entire afternoon yesterday researching and looking at 'walking feet' and how to do the quilting.  Who knew there were so many different kinds for so many different sewing machines?

I couldn't find one to fit the Brother XL703, the 50+ year old machine so I searched for one for my Singer 9805.

I found which one I needed for my model then searched for where to buy one. Found a couple of different sellers on ebay had them so this morning I ordered one.

Before making the decision to buy it I wanted to see if there was an alternate way to do quilting. Apparently, if you are super good, you can quilt using an open toe darning foot.  I actually have a closed toe darning foot for the XL703 (which seemingly could work also) but the bottom teeth won't drop on the machine. They should, but they don't.  The knob on the front that is supposed to take them down so you can darn doesn't work.  I have tried to get it to function but I can't and it isn't worth the time, effort and cost to take it to get repaired.  Buying a new machine would be more cost effective (but I've yet to convince my husband of that. grrr)!

So, a walking foot for the Singer was really the only sensible option as all the quilting sites say, that using this foot, is the best way for beginners to go.  I could have bought an open toe foot for the Singer which was cheaper than the walking foot but from what I read only experienced quilters can make it work.  I can darn on the Singer it seems because it has a cover that go over the teeth so you can move the fabric around.  As I have never tried to darn on it trying to quilt would be be a little above my pay grade.

This is the walking foot that fits my Singer 9805 that I have ordered

I am not planning on taking up quilting full time or becoming an expert quilter.  I will make the queen sized quilt I talked of in a previous post using the ready quilted squares I have and after that just baby quilts if any more new babies come along.

I have knitting projects I want to do, a baby jacket to make for the grand baby due in May and a sweater for myself.  To date, the only thing I have knitted myself is a hat since I re-embarked on the knitting machine train mid 2011.

The interesting thing of the day is that my husband knew I would need this foot to do the quilting.  I guess he used to pay attention when his Mum used to sew.  He knew it went up and down.  I didn't!

So that leads me to wonder where the heck is the one she had??????  I have searched and searched and not been able to find it!

And the faux pas for day 6 working on the quilt was............

I managed to grab an hour or so yesterday to work on the quilt.  It was time to sew all the strips together but first I had to insert the centre large square.  It needed to be cut to size and I calculated what size it needed to be so that the surrounding squares would all line up.

I got the correct size but I didn't cut it out correctly so the motive was not in the centre of the square. AARRGGHH!!!!!

This is where panic set in.  How can I fix it?  Well I couldn't fix the square so I had to replace it.  I really like the centre piece because it ties in the border colours I have chosen (plain red and plain blue) so I wanted to incorporate it somehow. The solution, it turned out, isn't that difficult.  I cut a plain white square and I will unpick the motif from the square I cut incorrectly and sew it onto the new white square.

I sewed all the strips together and ironed it and I am happy with how it turned out. Almost all the seam joins line up.  My ironing all the seams the same way didn't quite work out I discovered when I sewed it all together.  Also, a couple of the seams have a twist but overall I am happy, it looks great on the right side.

Next I have to cut out the borders.

Also, I have been researching the actual quilt sewing process once the three layers are in place and ready to be quilted.

I do not have a 'walking foot' for any of my machines.  I couldn't find one specifically for the Brother old machine I am using so I will check if there is one available for the Singer.  I was surprised I didn't find one in my MIL's stuff but I didn't so I have to keep on researching until I can find one I can buy that will work on one of my machines.

Not sure if I'll get any time today on it but it's still afternoon so I might be able to grab an hour somewhere.  Have to find a 'walking foot' first or a way to sew it without one.