You might remember that last week I told you had a busy week ahead at the long arm. I did… Although I can’t really show the quilts off as they are destined for publication, I can show you Rosie…She happens to be showing two of them off. But it’s just a teaser…you really can’t see much of them.
I felt obligated to show you something though or you all would think I did nothing all week. HA! I think you know better.
The first one is small…the second one is big. This second one is my #5 of the Dirty Dozen UFO finish up. I’m THRILLED to have it done.
With that, I moved on to one of my other #5 UFOs. It is ….
Bonnie Hunter’s Scrappy Bargello quilt from her book Scraps and Shirttails Book One.
This quilt is made in panels…Then panels are trimmed.
Then sewn together. It’s a fun quilt to make and definitely something different than the typical.
Here is one of the completed panels. There it is all ironed and is one completed panel. I have three of them done…that’s half way. Considering I started with just a box of strips last week, I’m doing good. I’m going to PUSH to try to get this into a top for this month yet.
I also pulled this project again. It’s on the UFO list too. I had told you that in my EQ (Electric Quilt designing program) I designed a quilt using these blocks. Well I cut the sashing for them this week and hope to keep this one at least on a back burner until it’s finished. Right now it’s a leader and ender until the sashing is all made. Then front burner it will go!! Full steam ahead.
I had hoped to have the other quilt through the longarm too but Kalissa came the one day this week and she was busy working with me for all the new computer programs and video stuff.
After the machine binding video posted, (Find it HERE if you missed it), several of you asked for more. There will be more. I’ll be making and extended long version that starts out with cutting the strips. We just did a teaser so I could learn how to do the videos and edit them. But one of the questions several of you asked was for me to show off the back side of the stitching. Here it is…
It’s not perfect but I am TOTALLY content with that. I’d rather sit at the machine for an hour and have a bound quilt than sit and hand bind for several nights in a row. My sitting in the chair time stitching is going to be for me to do cross stitching. Of course, everyone makes their own decisions with their own time. This is what works for me. I know there are “police” out there that only hand bind…others that only machine bind. I’m on the “you do your own thing” team. No policing in my neighborhood.
So….That’s it for this week. The agenda for coming up…finish the last quilt on the longarm and the Scrappy Bargello quilt needs to become a top!! Wish me luck!
I made the Bonnie Hunter scrappy Bargello – it is allot of fun – I still have to sandwich and quilt and bind mine along with about 15 other quilt tops but eventually I will get them done
I love your brick blocs quilts can u tell me the size they are each blocks???
The pattern for this is coming out soon Carrie.
Hi Jo, I have enjoyed your blog so much! You are a whirlwind of activity! I also machine bind 99.9% of my quilts. My hands and arms won’t cooperate with the hand stitching any longer. That’s okay, done is done. Thanks for all the inspiration.
Question? Jo : about your machine binding. Do you use a wider binging size like 3 inches instead of the 2 1/2. I do most . Of my donation quilts with sew on binding but I sew it on from the back and flip it over to the front and use a decorative stitch to stitch it down usually using the serpentine stitch.
Thanks for the video it was great.
Wow, Jo! You have been a quilting machine!!! Looking forward to seeing those quilts (after publication.) Did you ever finish your BIG sewing room clean-up? It’s seems like you were close to having it done. Now, you’re on to the next big thing! Understandable, since you’re trying to build your blog into more of a business. I wish you SEW much success!!
Love the shirts! I have a bin full of mostly blue and white ones. Will likely donate them but seeing yours, well, I might have to keep them. Oh, well.
You’ve got me wanting to make a Scrappy Bargello now! I enjoyed your binding video. I used to do mine exactly the same way, but I was missing on the back (not catching the binding) and having to go back and stitch those areas again. Finally just started doing it the opposite way–stitch the binding onto the back of the quilt first, then turn it over to the front side and edge stitch it on the front by machine. Doesn’t matter to me so much on the back if there’s a line of stitching not exactly in the ditch, and it still looks neat on the front.
You are doing some pretty work.
Rosie is so cute and sweet looking in these photos. You are so lucky to have such a nice dog with you all the time.
It’s so beautiful Jo. A funny story from my days working the fabric counter at Walmart in Kansas…. The discussion of binding came up and the dear customer told me “It can’t be a quilt if you don’t hand sew the binding…” For years I told myself that and have never tried to sew binding by machine. It becomes labor intensive and a back breaker for sure – yet strangely odd at time refreshing to do it by hand. My as a “treat “ to oneself – it could be allowed to half mach bind and half hand stitch? I’ll have to try it someday. Rosie looks so comfy.