Friday Night Sew In
So last night I participated in my second ever Friday Night Sew-In. Little Miss Sunshine and I sent each other emails hourly of our progress. It's about motivation people. I can't share the emails because they contain swear words when sewing is not going so well, and because there was a lot of personal stuff at 11pm that involved an unfortunate incident with a rather large spider who was taunting Little Miss Sunshine and trying to get into her liquor cabinet. Nobody likes a drunk surly spider so drastic measures were necessary. RIP Spider. Get the full story here.
Remember this fabulous bit of creativity ? It only took 2 days to get the top together. I recall thinking "Maybe I've finally got this quilting thing down pat"
I decided to try spray basting it and it was a complete disaster. I started quilting it and gave up two rows in . My spit would have done a better job of holding it together. It resided in the corner in a crumpled heap for a couple of weeks while I contemplated the evils of spray basting and the crap-ness of Australian spray glue in particular. Then it went to live on a coat hanger in my sewing room for the next 10 weeks, while I got over my fit of pique.
I want to finish this before Little P graduates from high school, so I decided to pull my finger out and work on this for Friday Night Sew In. But first I had some un-sewing to do.
I want to know does anyone really enjoy the basting process? People who buy spray baste that actually sticks probably do ... For the rest of us, are these curved pins the BEST INVENTION EVER ?
So I taped....
And smoothed
And smoothed some more
And pinned
And pinned some more (Yep-I have over-pinning issues.)
And finally I was ready to get to the quilting part. I was flying along. Red rows, blue rows, yellow rows.... and it was all hunky dory until I went looking for my lime green thread. I searched and searched and couldn't find it. It's clear to me that someone snuck into the house and robbed me. Obviously a crafty criminal mastermind who needed green to finish a project. Or maybe the dogs ate it. Maybe one of you stole it because you're jealous of my creativity (snicker, snicker )
So what did I do ? I kind of lost my puff after that. Stomped around muttering things not fit to be repeated here. Vowed to go to Spotlight this morning and buy a spool of thread in every colour and then hide them in a secret place that will no doubt be so secret I will be unable to find them again when I need them, which is probably what I did this time.
Hey it got basted and I got started right? That's better than nothing.
Go and have a look at what some of the other creative peeps actually achieved. I'm going to Spotlight....
It was the spider. And that's what you get - you RIPed him before you questioned him thoroughly. By the way, I've used the spray stuff myself. But it mean (but then ALL the techniques mean) clearing the furniture off the hard floor, cleaning the floor and then crawling around on my knees stretching and smoothing. The spray stuff gets in your nose, and you're never quite sure it's going to stay put - so you end up using a few pins anyway. Using a long arm machine might be fun. Maybe. Ach. The only thing I love about quilting is ironing out the pieces flat so that they're crisp and perfect. Then holding them up to the light so they look like leaded windows. Then we have to go mess all that up with the batting and the quilting -
ReplyDeletesigh.
No one wants to mess with a drunk, surly spider--true. I don't even want to mess with a sober, happy-go-lucky spider. I hate spiders. I won't tell you about the golf ball size one outside my front door the other evening (that was just the body). Fortunately the dog prevented me from walking right into it, which would have results in a high pitched scream, a weak in a padded room, and months of therapy.
ReplyDeleteYour quilting is beautiful, btw. I hope you get your lime green thread, and remember where you put it.
That quilt is so fun! You did a really great job with the top and I love the quilting you've got in it so far. The owls are super cute!
ReplyDeleteConfession: it was me who stole your lime green thread. You'll see why soon.
xo -E
No such thing as over pinning a quilt I am afraid. I use bulldog clips to hold it tight over the table to pin. Lately I do it at hetties in the class room because the thought of clearing the sewing table is more than I can bare. Its looking good
ReplyDeleteWhen you find the lime green thread you will probably also find that packet of flower-head pins that I bought a long long time ago and haven't seen since.....didn't even find them when we moved house and everything therein was packed and unpacked.....
ReplyDeleteI had one brilliant experience with spray basting. It worked perfectly. I was in heaven because, YES! We ALL hate the basting process. I saw my life flash before my eyes and it was basting free!!! The second experience? Not so good. So now I have curved pins and I procrastinate the basting bit and finish very little. (Spray basting has a lot to answer for!)
ReplyDeleteUnpicking and basting all in one go. Thats something to shout about, even if your quilting stalled!
ReplyDeleteI've got some spray stuff that was a gift but I've never tried it yet, the pins work great for me.
It was Elizabeth that has your lime thread, and you blamed me.
ReplyDeleteI loathe basting, I would love it if I could find some decent spray baste.
Little P's quilt is so cute and I love the straight line quilting.
I am pleased to announce that the score is
Margaret 1 Spider 0.
Unsewing, basting and all those rows of quilting in one night - You Sew Girl!
ReplyDeleteI hope Spotty had thread in the colour you were after and we will see a finish soon.
Wasn't me...didn't do it! Hope your trip to Spotlight was successful.....! the quilt is looking good....I have only ever spray basted smallish projects..never seemed quite right to me spraying stuff with glue...can't be good for the sinus' or machine needles...I am sure spray basting has it's place.....somewhere?
ReplyDeleteI agree with K. It was the spider. Spider drunks do not appreciate interference.
ReplyDeleteI just read Marg's post and you have both had me ROFL!!!! What an end to a night at least you got some sewing done :-) I bet Marg never slept a wink all night imagining that spider outside her bedroom door!
ReplyDeleteI used to get upset about spiders but now that I live in the tropics I don't mind as long as they stay up near the ceiling....lower than my head and they are cat-bait!!
Hi, I love your writing style...and - yes - I also don#t like basting. Your quilt will end up beeing awesome and you'll end up finding the wonderful lime green thread right after you bought a new spool.
ReplyDeleteGreetings from Germany Kirsten
i have the lime green thread ... in my search for orange i found it in my thread box and wondered how it got there.....
ReplyDeletejk -- never did find the orange either!!
love it! drunk squirrels on this side of the globe!
diva
You'll be happy to know I went and bought orange, yellow and lime green thread yesterday and immediately sewed it into Little P's quilt so I knew exactly where I;d put it. The leftovers are in my thread basket ...someone remind me next time I say I cant find them .
ReplyDeleteLaughing so much at the idea of spider interrogation K. Seriously.
Before you did away with the spider did you carefully check the colour of his web ..... green maybe !
ReplyDeleteLove that straight line quilting on Little P's quilt!
ReplyDeleteBetter to have over-basting issues than under-basting issues like me. I'm just too darned lazy. I'd probably have more completed projects if it weren't for the necessity of basting. Ick!
ReplyDeleteBasting is the devil's work. Try embroidery instead, it's not necessary to baste!! Lovely quilt though...
ReplyDeleteYes, the curved pins are great. Overpinning? If you overpin, then so do I, and I don't, so you must not either :)
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