I just bought a new iron today and it's pink! Will it not fall on the floor and break?...I don't know but I have been having that problem with irons that like to jump off my ironing board, crash to the floor and then leak water all over my quilts. So I'm hoping that this beautiful pink one will not be so jumpy. Besides, it goes with my studio.
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| The picture I took at the Huntington Gardens in Pasadena, CA. |
A big deadline is looming over my head as I finish my
Monet in Pasadena quilt. The quilt has been done since last year but I have not had time to quilt it until now. So I made a large order to my favorite thread guy, Mike at
speedstitch.com. I will hide the thread bill from my husband, as all good wives do. Bought 2 packs of new needles and cleaned out the dust bunnies hidng in my machine then revved up the old girl I call Bertha but better know as a Bernina 158.
I love to do big quilts but maneuvering the large and heavy quilt under the machine can move the layers if you don’t have it pinned or basted really well and I've been using safety pins in the past.
On small quilts I can just safety pin the layer and start stitching in the middle and work out but not on this big girl so I tried a new pin basting device that I got from the Cotton Patch store when teaching at Asilomar. It's a rubber plug or stop that you put on the sharp tip of your quilting straight pins. Brilliant idea.
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| The new pin basting device I tried. I think it will work better without all the fusible web. |
But it didn't work that great with the fusible web. I kept bending the straight pins trying to push it in and take it out. Now I have 50 bent pins.
Then I had an idea. How about trying a free motion basting using really large stitches that can easily be taken out? It’s about time to dust off the old seam ripper, if I can find it.
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| My free motion basting. |
But to get those big 1/2 inch stitches, I had to move my hand and the quilt really fast and my foot on the peddle has to go really slow. It was a little tricky at first but it seems to be working so far.
I need at least 3 weeks of solid quilting to get it done. But only have 2 weeks to work. I guess it going to be take-out, for a few weeks.
KEEP POSTING ABOUT THIS . I AM CURIOUS AS TO HOW IT TURNS OUT WHEN IT IS TIME TO REMOVE THE STICHES. I ENJOY USING YOUR TECHNIQUE SO MUCH BUT I TOO DREAD THE QUILTING PART. THERE JUST DOESN'T SEEM TO BE A WAY TO STREAMLINE IT AND GET GOOD RESULTS. DONNA AVILA
ReplyDeleteThank you for the link to Speed Stitch! I'm looking forward to placing an order with them.
ReplyDeleteGood luck getting your quilt done on time.
Janet
Your work always sings to me.
ReplyDeleteInteresting to see your process here too.
I would not like to take out all that basting. I think I'd stick to large safety pins, but that is just me.
This is a fabulous piece. I love how you work your magic with water. I cannot wait to see this one hanging at the next big show. Glorious.
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