Sew Very Smooth Blog
The Quilting Is Finally Done!
by Steve Tippets on 03/30/18
This week's blog will be short, but it is a time of celebration for me! I finally finished quilting my table runner! Yay!!
Once I got in a rhythm I didn't want to stop. I've found I'm a very goal oriented person so I worked on each set pattern along the whole runner then went back and did another pattern. Again, the Ideal Seam Guide made the squares and lines so easy to do.
For the curved lines I wasn't able to use my guide, but I did take the time to mark the lines I should follow. I'm getting so much better at curves now that I've done so many of them. I'm looking forward to future opportunities to do more.
All done! All that I have left is to trim the batting and then bind the whole thing. I love the way it looks from the back.
I've been so eager to get this done so I can finally start on my other projects. I think I'll put the binding on hold for a few weeks and spend next week on the BOM blocks I still have to do. After that I'll do one heart stocking and then start on my red and black quilt.
If that wasn't enough, LuAnn sent me some charm packs and they arrived yesterday. Aren't they fantastic?! This is just a small sampling of what these pack contain.
I'm feeling the need to create a Spring/Easter themed project as soon as possible with these! I wish I had the time to whip something up today and tomorrow, but my sister is in town so I can't dedicate two full days to sewing. In the meantime I will brainstorm ideas and have whatever I create ready to go for next year.
Not Everyone Is Nice
by Steve Tippets on 03/23/18
I'm not very happy with my post last week. I feel like I rushed through the quilt show in an attempt to keep my Friday post schedule. I don't feel like I did the show justice, nor did I talk about the one negative thing that happened. I want to fix that this week.
This particular show was a quilt and craft show so it wasn't completed dedicated to quilting. There were also booths with jewelry, sweet treats, lotions, painting with diamonds (it's a thing), and clothes. I tried not to get pulled into the non-quilt related booths, but I will admit I spent some time looking at jewelry. I felt like it was on the small side too, but that worked in my favor. I was able to see all but a handful of booths in the two hours I had to look around.
I saw a few quilting tools that seemed interesting, but my favorite thing was looking at the different quilts on display. They were inspiring and really helped me see what works and what doesn't as far as color choices go.
One booth in particular pulled my mom and I in instantly. There were three different quilts on display that were Christmas themed. We stopped to get a closer look at them and I had a not so great experience.
My mom and I were admiring the blanket stitch that had been used on one of the quilts and the lady who designed the quilt walked up and started to talk to us about it. I've really struggled with the blanket stitch in particular. The lady then asked me what machine I have. I replied with a Juki and her response shocked me. She just blurted out, "Horrible machine."
I couldn't believe she had just said that to me. It was incredibly rude and made me want to get out of there as soon as possible.
I don't want to drag this out, but I do want to point out that there are better ways to voice your opinion than putting someone down. I didn't pick out my machine. It was purchased for me. If I had though, I would have been even more offended than I was. I hope I never make anyone feel the way I felt that day and I hope everyone who's reading this will decide to show more tact when interacting with people, especially people that share in your passion for something.
In quilting there is no correct way to do something. There are so many ways to do one thing. You learn them and then figure out what works for you. My Juki works for me. It doesn't work for her. That's fine. But don't make me feel bad for using it. Has anyone else had someone say something rude like that to you at a quilt show?
I'm hoping with my next quilt show I can avoid feeling bad and just pick up helpful information and skills. I did walk away with the goal to eventually design quilts like the one I saw. I have a long way to go, but I know I can get there.
On a brighter note, this week I've been able to continue to quilt my table runner. I'm loving how it is turning out. The Ideal Seam Guide has really helped with the straight lines. It would look really sloppy if I didn't have it to guide me.
It's slow going, but worth the time I'm putting into it.
Also, I received my fabrics for this months blocks. Aren't they gorgeous?
I've loved all the fabrics, but these area definitely my favorite. I can't wait to get started on the blocks next week. I'll three to do total. I'm so excited. A little intimidated, but mostly excited.
I feel like I have a ton of projects going on right now, but I like being able to shift from one to another. How many projects do you usually have going at one time? Am I unusual for having three active projects with a fourth I'll be starting soon too or is that normal for quilters? I'm curious.
My First Quilt Show
by Steve Tippets on 03/16/18Today I was able to attend my first quilt show as a patron! Before today I had been to one in Florida, but I was there to help my Aunt and Uncle in their booth. I didn't actually walk around and see anything, especially since they were right next to the doors so I didn't even walk by anything to get to their booth. At the time I didn't mind. I wasn't sewing yet and I wouldn't have understood most of what I was seeing.
This quilt show was different though. I was actually able to attend as a patron and walk through most of the displays. To make it even better, my Mom drove three hours just to attend the show with me!
There were so many amazing quilts, beautiful fabrics, and nifty tools. There was one quilt in particular that really jumped out at me. I just had to make it. Thankfully they had it in a kit for sale so I will be able to make it exactly the way I saw it and not settle on wanna be material. I'm excited to work on it alongside the BOM quilt I'm working on. So much goodness!
While I was at the show I also had the privilege of visiting the Sew Very Smooth booth multiple times. While I was there I tried my hand at a curve for the first time. It was intimidating, but not too hard. The Ideal Seam Guide made all the difference!
Don't mind the extreme look of concentration on my face. I was nearing the end and trying to keep things lined up right to the very end. It's not perfect, but not bad for my first attempt!
This week I also started working on quilting the detailed work of my table runner. These seams are out in the open so I want them to look as good as they can. Insert my Ideal Seam Guide.
When I first started I had to pick many a seam out. I was having trouble with my measuring and marking. The lines would be straight, but the corners of my squares weren't properly aligned so the seam went on the diagonal. I was getting extremely frustrated and almost called it quits for a few days, but I plunged on and eventually managed to figure out a great way to mark my squares evenly.
I'm still only halfway done with them, but I don't feel like quitting anymore.
In addition to these squares I had planned on doing smaller squares within the rectangles, but that did not go well at all. I ended up picking all of them out as well and deciding on a curved design instead. They're not perfect. I need more practice with freehand curves, but they look so much better than the little squares did.
I've only done these three, so I'm sure I'll get better as I go. There are a lot of them to do so I'll have plenty of practice.
