More hearts and Pins

I spent today making cookies and marking more hearts to the quilt as well as adding more pins.  I've heart they should be about 2 or 3 finger spaces apart and well they are now!  :-)  I have more to pin and it already has nearly 1000 pins in it.  If anything shifts now it is beyond anything I know how to deal with.  LOL 

More marking and pinning tomorrow and then back to quilting. 

Slow But Steady Wins The Race

Not a lot to report.  Today was a slow day on the quilting because I just felt burned out.  I nearly have 1 out of 4 rows done and about 1/2 a row of sashing (row's in between the heart row's) done.  I just feel like it is coming along so slowly.  But I do quilt about 6 hours a day on a normal day.

I am finding that I have to go back and remark things such as the hearts that are traced with the white iron out pen.  I also need to take some time and go back and add some more pins into the quilt.  Can you believe that 700 pins weren't enough?  Well I had heard that you should pin a hand width apart and now I am learning that it should be 3 fingers apart for machine quilting and 2 fingers apart for hand quilting especially if you quilt with a loose hoop like I do.  So I need to go back and add some more pins.  While I'm doing that, I am also retracing some of the hearts I traced when I first started.

I also tossed around rather to quilt the hearts with the natural thread I am using or to use a color like the heart color.  I've finally decided to use a color similar to the heart color.  So I went back and bought about $25 worth of thread to have all the colors I would need.  Now mind you I have no clue what I'm going to do with all this thread when I am done quilting.  I don't know if I will ever need some of these colors again.  It is hard to say.

I'll post some pictures when I finish the row along with the row of sashing.  That will be in a week or so.  Until then God Bless.

Quilt Update

The updates on the quilt don't seem to come as often these days since I'm doing the hand work now and that work is so much slower.  At this point I have quilted two and a half hearts and have 17 and a half to go. I've also crosshatched two name blocks leaving 14 more name blocks to crosshatch as well as quilted just over half of one of the sashing (between the row) strips.  There are 3 of these strips and each one runs most of the length of the quilt and they take a while to stitch because they have a lot of design in them and that takes a while.  Right now I am working in the center of the quilt and I work my way to either the top or bottom of that row and across to the sides on the row.  This is done to hopefully keep out any gathers or bunches in the back fabric.  I have come across some puckers of sorts in the back but I think that is due more to the type of batting and the fact it gives a more antique look.  But I am trying to watch really closely to eliminate any unsightly gathers.  Other than that I thought I would share a few pictures with you.

Me pinning the quilt.  Funny I am wearing the same

dress in the picture of me pinning Angels quilt.

One of the hearts after quilting.

Another heart after quilting

Sashing quilting.  The blue is the marker for the pattern

It does wash out.

Showing the difference of before and after of quilting

Close up of before and after of quilting

Another closeup

And that is about all for now.  Back to quilting I go.

Review of Barnetts Laptop Hoops

I have been trying out different hoops from Barnett's Laptop Hoops still trying to find just the right one for me.  Harry Barnett is such a nice guy to work with.  He has been very patient with me on my search for the right hoop and I'm sure I haven't been the easiest of customers  :-).  I really like the craftsmanship, it is absolutely wonderful on these hoops and stands.  And to be honest I was quite surprised at how sturdy they are and how well built they are.  You couldn't ask for a better more sturdy hoops.  Even my husband has said the craftsmanship is excellent.  Harry has several options of bases you can choose from as well.  I have chosen his new product, the bean bag base.  It has a lazy Susan in it so that it can spin.  While I like the sit on base it just doesn't work for me since I only wear dresses and because I quilt from my recliner.  So it's the bean bag for me.   My hoop is the 14 inch square hoop.  I have tried both the round and the square hoops and while both are excellent I think I like the square frame for the way it hold my quilt while I'm quilting and keeps it square and it gives me just a tad more room. So if you are in the market for a good quality quilting hoop look over the website  http://www.laptophoops.com/  You'll be glad you did.

Progress Report

Well I'm actually quilting it.  And so that I don't get ahead of myself I'm surprised I'm not remaking it  (more to come.) 

Would you believe it took 2 days and about 665 pins to baste the quilt?  Yep that's right 665 pins.

Now here's the story on why I thought I would be unpinning all those pins and remaking the quilt.  After I had everything marked and pinned I started quilting.  I was SO DISAPPOINTED when my needle would hardly go through the fabric and would bend and one actually snapped into 3 pieces.  For some reason there is something about the main fabric that makes it nearly impossible to quilt.  I was ready to give up and start all over because my thumb was so sore and I wasn't getting anywhere with the quilt.  I started trying different sizes of pin and most had such small eye's that the thread would break when I was trying to thread it (with a needle threader of course)  Well the next day (yesterday) I decided to try once more.  I finally found that if I only took 2 or 3 stitches on the smallest needle I could manage to thread, then I could quilt the quilt.  I can't say this is going to be easy because so much of this quilt is that light hard to quilt fabric, but I think I can do this.  So I've been going along slow and steady but you know what they say about the turtle.  I guess I would rather be a turtle that a quitter.

Until next time...God Bless!

Should there be more?

I did get a picture that shows the stenciling I did on the border.  Tell me, is it enough of should I add more to the quilting that will be done?  If you were to add more what would it be?  I am new to this and want to give it my all.  As Karen McTavish says "pick the hardest thing and do it.  You won't regret the result." (or something along those lines)

Time to Pin

Well I finished marking the quilt.  I tried to take pictures of it to show the marking but it wouldn't show up with my camera.  It makes me sad.  I thought my camera was better than that.  :-(  I'm so glad I was able to find ways to make the stencil work even when the corners didn't want to line up just perfect I was able to free-hand some and move the stencil in ways that made it work out really pretty.  It is truly a one of a kind and there will never be another quilt exactly like it.  I just hope she likes it.

I didn't sleep much last night.  I just couldn't sleep well the past two nights so I have a bit of a head ache.  But if the day goes well then I will start the pinning process.  Hopefully by Friday I will start on all those pretty flowers and curves I've stenciled onto the quilt.

Two sides marked

Well I'm working on marking the borders now.  This is a tricky area.  I hoped it would all fit in just perfect but I have to admit that isn't the case.  I'm having to do some creative thinking and marking when it comes to the border corners.  But with that said I will say I have 2 sides done and have succeeded so far.  I did come up against an issue today but I'm happy to say I used a wash cloth to remove the water erase marker I'm using and I found a way I can work the corner so it looks nice and gets the corner up where it should be.  Pictures to come.  Maybe tonight.

On a personal note, we went water walking yesterday and I think I walked a bit too much.  Today is slow moving for me.  I don't know if I will get all the borders done today.  If not I will finish marking tomorrow. 

MARKING

Well I'm still marking the quilt.  I can't believe I've been marking 3 days and still have one more to go.  I should finish marking tomorrow.  I'll post some pictures of the markings tomorrow.  I don't remember so much marking on Angels quilt but I marked about 1/2 of that quilt as I went along.  Tomorrow after I finish marking I will press the backing if need be and start pinning it tomorrow.  I should be finished penning on Wednesday.  Thursday I have some letters I need to get written and either Thursday or Friday I should get my new lap hoop and I will have the quilt ready to start!

IT'S ORDERED AND EMBROIDERY IS DONE

Barrett's 14 inch square hoop

Well I finally did it.  It was a long time coming and researching for the best buy looking for the one that would work best for me.  I hope I made the right choice.  I'm glad Harry offers a 60 day return policy.  Since I don't get around very well and I quilt sitting in my recliner with my legs up I'm not sure what is the right choice for me.  So I'm grateful for the chance to see how it works for me.

The other news is I finished the embroidery on the quilt.  It isn't anything fancy but here it is.

Today I will start the marking process.  I pray all goes well with that.  The first thing I will do is the cross hatching I'm planning where the names are.  From there I will mark the hearts with lots of smaller hearts.  Then comes the area's between the hearts and last is the borders.  I'm anxious to get started.  I usually don't mind the marking too much.  Plus then I can get it pinned and by then I should have my lap hoop and I can get started quilting.  That is the "funnest" part to me.

ASKING A QUESTION TO HAND QUILTERS

To my fellow hand quilters...If you had the chose between a round and a square hoop which would you chose and why?  I ask because I am getting ready to order one of Barrett's lap top hoops http://www.laptophoops.com/  and I can't decide if I want the round or the square.
Thanks for your help
God Bless!
Debbie Feavel