Friday, March 10, 2017

Knocking at the door

Hi everyone, and welcome to another weekend!  Are you as happy to see this one as I am?  It has been a hard week, but I did get some important work stuff done.  Details, details.

This week, I finished quilting up this little row quilt made of Prairie Queen blocks, which I plan to hang on the front door.  Really!  Inside the glass, though:


Isn't that cute? I made this in 2014 and it only got quilted now.  Yes, I know, but I bet you have some of the same! I've actually been making some real progress on getting things out of the closet and into use or, you know, gotten rid of.  Whatever works.


I quilted this one on the 1968 Pfaff.  It makes a great quilting stitch and I've left it in "quilting mode" for quite a while now.  It's just crummy to change all the settings on the machine.  Thank goodness I have the original manual or I'd be totally lost.  I did remember all the oiling spots this time, though.


I used this little piece to practice some motifs and such, including scallops.  I've never done those before and need a lot more practice.  I think I've lost a lot of skills through disuse.  For a long time I made larger quilts that I really couldn't do on my machine, so I sent them out, and all skills atrophy after a while.  I guess that means that I have to quilt more pieces.  Tragic, I know!


I do have one tip from this project.  You know those Teflon pressing sheets that are used for applique and fusing?  They're essentially plastic-y press cloths that won't melt from the iron.  Well, they're also pretty slippery, so I cut an unused portion and taped it to the bed of the machine. It makes a nice surface that the quilt can move on, not too slippery but definitely better than just the machine bed.  I don't know if it's as slippery as one of those "super slider" sheets, but this one only costs a few dollars.  I thought it was useful and I am planning to use it again.  Heck, it's on the machine, why take it off?  Of course, the Pfaff is basically a tank and has a bit of a pebbly surface, so it may not work as well on a machine with a plastic bed.


That's my big finish for this week!  The weather this weekend is supposed to be really crummy, so I'm hoping to get a few more things done, including some basting and maybe some quilting.  Next week is spring break--hurray!--and I plan to do a LOT of quilting and also some painting in the house.  I am so ready for this home improvement stuff to be finished!

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!  Stay warm!

Spring is coming!

Sharing at Confessions of a Fabric Addict, Finished or not Friday, and crazymomquilts.

12 comments:

Vicki in MN said...

That's a cute runner! I think I have/had some of that cherry fabric too. Yes I have bunches of UFO's trying to work through some of them;)

Kate @ Smiles From Kate said...

Lovely runner, I do love a red black and white colour combination. Good tip about the pressing sheets. A friend leant me her supreme slider but I had a bit of trouble, she doesn't have one any more, sad. Good news is she didn't like it much anyhow and we are still great friends (I did offer to buy her a new one but she refused).

Lynn said...

Cute runner and always good to have a finish. Good tip for the sliding. I've also heard people use the non-stick oven liners (come in a box of 3).

Snowcatcher said...

Thanks for that great tip, and what a wonderful door quilt! That's a great idea, too! Beautiful daffodils!

Lynette said...

You're right - I've got several of the same UFO age, and much worse. ;D This is cute! I would love a glass insert on my front door to feature mini quilts in.

JanineMarie said...

This runner will look so striking on the door--good visibility from the street because of the color contrast. Those cherries would be right at home in Michigan. (Are they Mary Engelbreit?) Thanks for the tip. I'm going to look into that Teflon sheet. How big a hole did you cut in it for the needle? I had heard of people using the oven liners, but I couldn't find one.

Carie @ Space for the Butterflies said...

Oh that is so pretty, and it'll look gorgeous hanging on the door - what a lovely welcome to your home :)

Alycia~Quiltygirl said...

Oh isn't that cute!! Perfect!

Kate said...

Congrats on a very pretty finish. Enjoy your spring break, happy stitching.

Preeti said...

Red & Black is a bold color choice. Why make anything wimpy, after all.
Spring may be coming but it is blizzard tonight.
Finally!!!

Bernie Kringel said...

I totally get the problem with lack of practic. I haven't been quilting as much lately and tonight I worked on a little project and yikes....it doesn't look so good! I told myself I was going to be better about practicing FMQ this year but time just flies by and there is always something better to do!

Deb @ Frugal Little Bungalow said...

What a great idea to use this as door decor!