Saturday, December 31, 2011

UFO Finished!!

Happy New Year to everyone!!  I actually finished something today  I just had to share it.
First item finished is a pin cushion that has been hiding in my stash for a couple of years.  It is the size of a cupcake, because it is supposed to be a cupcake, and it turned out kind of cute.  (Sorry the pics are kind of dark I am still trying to figure out how to take good pictures)


This is what I was really excited about.  Machine Quilting!!  I would love to own a long arm quilting machine, but that will not be happening in the near future because they are just too dang expensive!  So I decided why not use what I have, my home sewing machine.  Yesterday I decided to practice a little bit, I made a little quilt sandwich (about 6 square inches) and started sewing.  This is what I came up with . . . (drum roll please)  


a feather!  Alright, I had to tell you what was just in case you couldn't tell.  I know this is nothing to get really excited about but this gave me a little more confidence that with a lot more practice I could produce something that would pass as machine quilting.  
Then I really got a wild hair and thought well if I could do something on a 6 inch square why not try a whole wall hanging.  So, I made the sandwich (the top was already complete), started quilting last night, and it was awful!  It felt as if I were wrestling with the whole quilt and it was winning.  My stitches were uneven, so I put it away and went to bed.  I gave it another try this morning and I actually finished the whole thing!!  Once I decided this was a learning project it was easier to accept my mistakes.  Here it is, a wonderful, finished (yea) Halloween wall hanging, along with a few close shots of the quilting.   




I have to say novelty prints are not really my thing but I decided if it was just for Halloween it would be okay.  In fact, the prints helped hide a lot of my beginner mistakes.  I am not going to point them out because I should be happy with what I did right??  
There is one thing that really bothers me and I need your help.  It doesn't hang right.   


Can you see it?  Along the sides and bottom it kind of ripples.  What causes this?  I'm pretty sure the quilt was square before I started, I can live with it if it is only one quilt but I want to fix it for the next one. 

Machine quilting is one my goals for the year, as well as finishing some UFO's.  It should be a productive quilting year!

2 comments:

  1. Your feathers look beautiful! With a start like that, you'll be doing wonderful things once you get the hang of quilt wrestling.

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  2. By what I have heard, if your quilting is more dense in the inside of the quilt than on the border the quilt will be wavy. I think that it works the other way around too. Aim for consistancy in the density of the quilting throughout the quilt and see if that helps.

    Terry

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