I decided not to send the Jacob's Ladder quilt out for quilting. I don't think I'll ever look at the quilt without seeing all the faults. I had considered throwing it away instead of finishing it into a flimsy, so spending more money on it seems like a waste. But I do need to practice quilting and it will be fine for that. I started quilting it this week, using a combination of straight lines with the walking foot and ruler foot and I'm having very little trouble seeing the dark green against white.
The pinwheel quilt blocks are a different story. The light colors against muslin are impossible to see. But I found that drawing a line with a dark Frixon pen is making it much easier. I thought I had all the string parts of the Scrappy Pinwheels quilted until I put them all on the wall yesterday and realized I had one too many pinwheels and one too few square in a square blocks. Since I had used every scrap of backing fabric, now I have to rip out the quilting on a pinwheel to reuse that backing. Why oh why couldn't it have been an extra square in a square with less quilting in it?!!
Getting down to business though, I have maintained my 100% daily stitching success rate for the year, and have used a little more fabric from the stash this week. I came very, very close to buying some unneccesary fabric, but I resisted. I thought I needed a little more muslin to finish my pinwheels, but I found another yard in my stash.
My One Monthly Goal for January was to make 20 blocks for this quilt, and I have made the blocks and done most of the straight line quilting on them. I will be linking to Elm Street Quilts when Patty posts the final linkup.
I am linking this to:
15 Minutes to Stitch at Life in Pieces
Sunday Stash at QuiltPaintCreate
Patchwork & Quilts at Quilting Patchwork Applique
Oh Scrap! at Quilting is More Fun than Housework
Design Wall Monday at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts
Monday Making at LoveLaughQuilt
One Monthly Goal January Finish at Elm Street Quilts
Sometimes finished is better than perfect. You're likely the only one that will notice the design opportunities. Once it's done it will be beautiful.
ReplyDeleteYou made great use of all that stitching time this week. Sorry you had to do a deconstruction, that's always frustrating. Hopefully that's done and you are back to full steam ahead on your string project.
ReplyDeleteYou know, I just finished up a vintage repair on a completely hand pieced feed sack quilt for a client, and that's where my perspective is coming from today. That quilt was SO not perfect, in so many ways, and yet it's beautiful and it's so cherished by the original maker's family that they were willing to pay me to make it serviceable again so it can be handed down to the quilter's great-granddaughter. We modern quilters are so much harder on ourselves in our pursuit of "perfect piecing," and I am included in that category for sure. I am so glad that you continued with your Jacob's Ladder quilt because it really is beautiful, despite whatever flaws you're seeing. I think that quilting this one yourself is a great idea, not because it didn't "deserve" long arm quilting, but because I remember how afraid I used to be of "ruining" a special quilt top when I was first learning to quilt on my domestic machine. A top that you're not 100% in love with frees you to take risks and try something new with the quilting that you might not be willing to experiment with on a "perfect quilt top" (not that truly perfect quilt tops actually exist -- they are like unicorns that exist only in our imaginations). I have a feeling that, when you've put the last stitch in the binding and step away from this quilt, you will be surprised by how beautiful it is, imperfections and all.
ReplyDeleteI love all your projects. It is difficult to finish things that we see mistakes we made or we just don't like the colors or something else. Finishing it will be a great help to you. You can donate if you want and never see again, or you can admire it when you are done and enjoy it.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations for your quilting time, and not buying more fabric! Your projects are beautiful, and I'm sure you will quilt them beautifully too. Unstitching is never fun, but with a good light, and good music, it will be done before you notice it ;)
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing.
I recently had contractors at my house for a couple weeks. I was so happy to finally see them gone. It was so disruptive! Love all your projects. Thanks for sharing with Oh Scrap!
ReplyDeleteYou're doing so well with time! And the fabric is steady, too. I'm so sorry about the pinwheel block. Those little things can drive us crazy, can't they? I hope the noisy plumber got the job done perfectly. =) The green and white looks gorgeous to me. I'm glad you didn't throw it out!
ReplyDeleteVery interisting how you use a ruler for quilting straight lines, this is something I need to try.
ReplyDeleteYour pinwheels blocks look great, sorry about the unstitching episode.
You're doing great with stitching every day this year. I am glad you are using your quilt to practice quilting. I bet you will love it when you are done. There is usually a part in the middle of a quilt that I dislike it but eventually it all works out.
ReplyDeleteLOVE that QAYG project!!
ReplyDeleteI really like your pinwheel/square in a square project! I'm really curious to see how you'll put all your blocks together when the quilting is done.
ReplyDeleteYour pinwheels are pure scrappy fun. I too look forward to seeing how you put your QAYG blocks together. Quilting does a great job of minimizing flaws and when a project is finished I find I no longer see the flaws!
ReplyDeleteGood for you for trying machine quilting your quilt. I might have chosen “organic,” ie wavy lines. Although thinking about it wavy lines might be more difficult. I hate it when I run out of things — thread, a bit of just the right fabric, white fabric. It’s always something! Good luck finishing your quilt!
ReplyDeleteYour scrappy pinwheels look great. I really like your to do list (I've got some nearly as old on mine that date back to when I first learned to piece).
ReplyDeleteFun blocks. Thanks for linking up with Elm Street Quilts One Monthly Goal and congrats on your finish!
ReplyDeleteI just 'discovered you' when I clicked on something that led me to one place, where again I clicked, and I find I am not sure how many clicks brought me to you.....You mentioned 'flimsy' and I am wondering what that is. I thought I saw 'flimsy' used on one of the sites I clicked on, but not sure now if maybe you mentioned it twice? I decided to 'follow you' because I am intrigued. I WISH I had a blog to share, but alas, I am too scatter-brained to get started on one. One of your goals is to paint on fabric. I wanted to tell you that it is not hard and the products available today make it so much easier and better. Not all that many years ago, when you painted on fabric, the results left your fabric stiff as a board. You had to use a textile medium that you mixed with regular 'acrylic' paint (crafters' paint; example is DecoArt/Americana Paints). I have painted fabric for well over 30 years. When DecoArt (I mention them because they are the most affordable and have a huge color selection) came out with its 'SoSoft' fabric paints, everything changed. Now the addtion of paint to fabric is like a marriage - the two are bonded, not one 'sitting upon the other.' I want to create my own fabric through paints, dyeing, and gelli plates. It is my goal for this year. I look forward to reading more from you in the coming year.
ReplyDeleteYou should start a blog! Blogger is very easy, you don't have any special skills, just register and start typing.
DeleteThat is good to know about the so soft paints. I've been painting with fabric ink (I think that's it) lately and really like it too. But I'd like to do more than just the little dabbling I've been doing. I'd love to see what you've done.