I got the last border on this quilt. I posted a picture of this quilt a couple weeks back and it was in rows, but the rows weren't together and the borders weren't assembled or attached. I finished all of that on the treadle machine. Treadling is fun. Not going to be my preferred method, probably. At least not while I can afford electricity. But, it was a fun alternative and I'm learning to make the wheel turn in the direction I want without having to touch it with my hands. That's the real tricky part. Quilters use their hands to sew because seam allowances have to be so exact and I couldn't hold the fabric with both hands and turn the wheel at the same time. With a little practice, I learned to use my feet on the treadle and if it's not turning in the right direction, I can stop and reverse before the thread gets a chance to break...although I did rethread that needle a whole bunch of times before I got the hang of it.
And, I finished these two afghans for Project Linus. The purple and green one just needed the yarn ends tucked into the work and the blue and brown one needed a couple more rows and then the ends tucked in from every time I changed colors. That took a while. These are adult size afghans. When I was more regularly involved in Linus, they had the greatest need for blankets for teen boys, so I've always made sure to make something big enough and in grown up colors, even if the purple and green is probably more of a girl afghan. But, I was starting with their donated yarn, so kinda had to go with those colors. These are my second and third afghans to ever make.
And, because I got so much finished, I decided I deserved something new to take on my business trip this week, so I took a set of Moda Lakeside Resort 5 inch precut squares and used my drunkard's path templates to cut all 42 fabrics down and started hand sewing them back together. I'm hoping to end up with a cute little drunkard's path quilt in these great colors. And, I needed a new fingerwork project. That paper pieced hexagon quilt that I started two years ago has lost it's excitement. Something new was required.
Hope you all had a great weekend. I'll be headed off to Cleveland tomorrow, leaving the poor bairns to fend for themselves. Aww, don't you feel sorry for them? Me, I'll be at a conference, staying in a hotel, roomservice, maidservice. It don't get much better than that. Add a little sewing in the evenings and I think I can stay awake during a conference.
And, I have a trip to a quilt store planned. And, you all know how much I love to go to an out of town quilt store.
Lane
7 comments:
Safe travels and enjoy your trip (as much as you can on a business trip)! Can't wait to see what you find in your quilt shop trip.
Sounds like a wondeful week for you. I laughed when you said all you had to do was tuck in the loose ends. I HATE doing that and always put it off. I enjoy hearing about your treadling experiences.
Have fun this week!
You did a great job on your afghans! I love the color combinations. My mom can crochet really well but she doesn't make the great color choices like you make. That is probably why I have never wanted to crochet - they never looked as good as yours. Have a super trip and enjoy a break from household duties! Lisa
The pieced border really makes that quilt.
I had to smile when I read about quilting on a treadle. For years, the only machine I had was a treadle. I made my daughter's clothes, jackets, leather purses, Halloween costumes and my first quilt. I didn't mind learning to start without throwing the wheel over by hand, but the vibrating shuttles have so little thread space in the bobbin that I felt like I was always winding one.
Can't tell if the afghans are knitted or crocheted, but that must have taken a while.
I love the borders on that quilt, and your afghans are very nice. That's nice to think that someone will enjoy the afghans you made. Hope you have a good time in Cleveland.
Congrats on all the great finishes. Feels good, doesn't it!
You know, my hexagon quilt lost its appeal, too. I'm hoping it inspires me again sometime soon because I do love hexagons and I've put so much time into it already. I guess it is just that I see other people's hexagon quilts and think "now, why didn't I do mine that way?" so then I'm in a pout about how much better theirs is than mine so back into the closet it goes. I tell my kids all the time to not compare themselves with others but against their own potential. I guess I need to take my own advice.
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