Thursday 29 May 2014

Some utility sewing

One of my unmet first quarter finish along goals to to turn a thin piece of towel-covered plywood into a proper pressing board.  I've been using it that way for at least a couple of years, ever since I realized that pieces pressed on the board didn't stretch out of shape as they did when I used my laundry ironing board.

But even though it was a simple enough task, I didn't do it.  Then when I was putting the binding on my Anita's Arrowhead quilt, I realized why.  The entire time, I kept muttering about the board being too small.  I baste with washable glue, which means the entire binding has to be pressed to heat set the glue. It seemed as if I was shifting the board every few inches.  That's when the light bulb went on, and I realized that I didn't have to use this board just because it was at hand.  I could actually buy one the right size.  When I told my husband that I was off to the lumber store, he said that he was sure that he had something that would meet my needs.  Handy guy that he is, he quickly cut a piece down to size, rounding the corners to prevent injury.

Then, I just covered it with a leftover piece of batting, gluing it down around the top, side and bottom edges, and made a slipcover. It now covers half of my work table, leaving the other half free for cutting.

Just goes to show that, sometimes, procrastination is a good thing.

Monday 26 May 2014

Yay! A Big Finish


Yes, I finally finished something bigger than a breadbox.  It's the Anita's Arrowhead quilt that I've had on the last million finish along goal lists.  Okay, maybe not a million...closer to three, including my second quarter list of goals... but it's done and it's beautiful.  

I did some simple little  free motion loops and leaves with a neutral grey Aurifil 50 thread. 


And I used Susie's Magic Binding to finish it off.  I love that it's machine sewn, so it's very durable, yet you don't have to worry about whether you're catching the binding on the other side as you stitch.  The thin line of colour that almost looks like a flange or piping is a bonus.   
 The texture of the quilt is lovely--soft and drapey. 
 And one more picture, because otherwise I'm not certain that all the lacerations I suffered pinning this thing to the holly hedge was worth it.
Most important, the recipient is happy with it.  That really does make the whole endeavour worth while.