As Promised: the mini-quilt is done

November 1, 2013November 1, 201352 Comments

I promised not to keep you waiting, and I won’t, but I’m less than pleased with the end result!

I machine pieced and hand quilted the wall hanging and learned a few things along the way… well, to be honest that was the idea. I just wanted the result to be more polished. 😉

All pictures are clickable to see the details… I could feel myself wincing as I typed this.

First, I had to disassemble the pieced top to adjust the trunk of the larger tree.

This part was actually easier than I expected.

(original trunk was off-center and had to be replaced)

Once that was done I had to make my “quilt sandwich” and begin the hand quilting process.

A “quilt sandwich” consists of your backing, batting, and your top.

As a new hand quilter I was fairly pleased with my progress on the diamond background and my stitching. One thing I have noticed with my hand stitching is that I tend to get smaller stitches as I go. BTW, the pictured needle is about 1 inch long.

Hm… maybe I should do a warmup before I begin on the finished piece? 😉

I also liked my stripped fabric, and that is not a typo! I made the green stripes by sewing together varying green colored strips. However, this also added thickness and made it harder quilt too!

An unexpected flaw in the works was my piecing method. If you must piece together a white background, then you need to use a white backing or thicker batting! All my seams in the white background are showing in the final piece!

That pinned button on the bottom will be sewn on as soon as I post this….

Well, after all that hard work, I simply don’t like it all those seams in the white field.

However, it was a very good practice session for my next try!

😀

Nordic Snowflake Quilt (quiltingismytherapy.com)

I Feel Good!

October 18, 2013November 12, 201368 Comments

I knew that I would, but not when…

Those of you who’ve known me for a while know that I have been fighting the good fight to regain my life again. I have been suffering from agoraphobia and depression for a few years.

Buying the Mountain Farmlet (hidden benefits there) and pure determination have been my only tools to overcome the disability.

One of the saddest manifestations of this disorder was my lack of drive to do anything I once loved to do.

Well, I’m definitely on the downhill side of this mountain and the fabric is flying again!

I finished the extra long robe I cut out last February.

I’ll stay warm this winter even if not *fashionable. 😉

And now I’m quilting again!

I’ll share the result when I am done, and I promise not to take 8 months to do it! 😀

~*~

Have a blessed weekend.

~*~

*NOTE: Why is it that when the fabric stores have a big sale on fleece they only have kiddie prints? Where’s all the fleece in Adult prints? Do they even make such a thing? Equally important, why is it that here in Huntsville you can never find a really warm robe that is long enough to cover your legs down to the ankles?

Making a fleece robe for an adult is expensive, even when the fabric is on sale, but we do what we must to keep our pegs warm! Even when it means running about wearing Teddy Bears and looking like a big kid. 😀

Stop Agoraphobia, Stop Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Start Living (anxietykey.com)

I made this. ‘-)

February 6, 2013February 6, 201330 Comments

To understand the following, you would have to know that Tucker stole my Gutermann quilting thread and I couldn’t find it. I eventually found it and posted this:

https://pixilatedtoo.wordpress.com/2012/03/29/what-once-was-lost/

The Managing Director sent me a message on Facebook that I didn’t see until months later wherein he had offered to replace the thread. I explained that the thread color in question was not a usual color for my work and thanked him anyway. He then said to name my thread and I told him I could use some polyester sewing thread in color 102 (gray) which I use a lot of in my machine piecing. I received the thread shortly thereafter. 😉

I feel it was a very generous, and much appreciated gift!

The following is my response to him.

~*~*~*~*~

Letter to Managing Director at Gutermann Thread

February 5, 2013

Dear Mr. *******,

I would like to properly thank you for sending me the two spools of gray sewing thread to replace the quilter’s thread my dog Tucker chewed up. To show my thanks I have made you a little gift. It is a bit primitive, as I am still learning,

[EDIT]

Sincerely,

Lynda Swink & Tucker too

Tucker, my little (B)Rat Terrier

Oh yes, and Tucker wanted you to know that he has promised to never chew up such fine thread again!

~*~*~*~*~

My enclosure…

One six and one half-inch Mini Quilt depicting a spool of chewed thread. 😉 The work is machine pieced, needle turned applique, with hand quilting. I almost sent this without taking a picture of it! (That would have made me sad.)

I had fun!

~*~*~*~

PS: I still owe you a post, but I am trying to figure out how best to write it and if it even wants writing. 😛

Fits and Spurts

January 29, 2013January 30, 201342 Comments

I have been busy working on several projects in my studio. All of them working up my courage to complete a project for a dear friend. You see, the perfectionism gene I inherited from my father would not even let me begin this project unless I could make it perfect…

It is sad really, this letting myself stress and hold back, when the very thing that would make my work better is to dive in and GO FOR IT.

“Enough stalling!” I told myself.

The job is now complete, I am not perfect, and though long overdue on a promise…

Here it is!

Julie’s apron!

I chose the fabric for her because it reminded me of peacock feathers and mandalas. A mandala is a circular emblem, often with spokes in its design. It can be found in many cultures and its designs are infinite.

It is said to:

“[Represent] the universe itself, a mandala is both the microcosm and the macrocosm, and we are all part of its intricate design. The mandala is more than an image seen with our eyes; it is an actual moment in time. It can be can be used as a vehicle to explore art, science, religion and life itself. The mandala contains an encyclopedia of the finite and a road map to infinity.”

Quoted from The Mandala Project, and found HERE.

~*~

I hope she likes it.

The pockets are fully lined,

the hem is deep to cover the raw edges of the blue stripe, and it is invisibly stitched. The waist ties are extra long so they may be tied in the front or back and the little stitching at the waistband is also invisible! I added a bit of quilters batting into the pocket bands, and the waistband to help give them a bit of substance, and for flair I added some beading on the pocket bands and to one of the mandalas!