First Quilt

10:57 AM Morgan 0 Comments

The first quilt is finished. All flannel pieces that were cut in different ways and put back together so that I could start seeing how piecing happens. Much has happened during the construction of this quilt and my learning curve seemed to progress each day.




First off, I learned that there is a huge difference between a cheap sewing machine and a top end machine. From the volume of the motor as you sew to the way the material is sewn. I started off with a Kenmore and the sewing shop by my house was having a sale.... The floor model of the Bernina 710 followed me home. Wow. I am in love with this machine. It has a bunch of tips and tricks that I would not have otherwise known I wanted. It certainly is a machine that I can grow into and won't have to replace for a machine that does "more". The throat space is wide enough that I can easily quilt the tops at home, and, thankfully, my local sewing shop has longarm rental time if I find that I want to go that route.

Secondly, having the right accessories plays a big part in ensuring I love the sewing process.  The right feet especially. The dual feed keeping fabric in place has helped immensely with my inability to sew straight lines while keeping the fabric together. I am using the #57 foot and going slow"ish". Trying to not have the pedal to the metal is not always easy as I want to zoom through my sewing. 

This quilt was put together as a "quilt as you go" project. I did this as I wanted to learn the technique but also because I needed to practice free motion quilting.  The difference from block one to the final block was a big improvement. Free motion quilting is quite fun. While my stitches are far from perfect, I am enjoying this challenge and the learning.


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Reviving Happily Handcrafted

1:21 PM Morgan 0 Comments

I keep having great intentions of blogging. I have great intentions of sharing my crafting journey along with whatever else is going on in my world. However, I seem to be failing miserably. Now though, with a new hobby comes a revival of the blog (once again) and perhaps this time I will stick with it.

Knitting has always been my passion. It is what keeps me sane and gives me a sense of accomplishment. Lately however, I haven't been that inspired to knit, or spin, or weave. No real reason why, mostly just because I can't make my mind up regarding what projects I want to work on. 

Then it happened. I was introduced to a new craft. 

Quilting. 

It was time to pull out my brand new sewing machine was in the closet collecting dust for the last four years (never even opened!) and to figure out if I could remember how to sew from those home economics classes I took way too many years ago. My friend had me sign up for a mystery quilt project through Prairie Quilt Militia and Love Shack Quilts. The ladies who are a part of this online group are a hoot and very inspiring. My mojo is back.

So off to the fabric store I went. Purchasing some of the material for the Blindfold Me Baby (BMB) quilt and material for a practice baby quilt to get me started. We won't talk about the other trips since to the fabric stores in town, however I will start sharing the stash I have been accumulating in the last few weeks. 

The biggest thing I had to do though, was to make sure that I had a spot for my new found hobby. My yarn has its own room (or really, multiple) in my house and I wanted the quilting to not feel left out. I had a closet that I wasn't really using so decided to clean it out and organize it. Since quilting isn't that portable I knew that I had to have everything close at hand otherwise I would not stay organized. 


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