Skills- Use them or lose them

I have not been keeping up with my OMG posts just as I have not been keeping up with some sewing skills.  My mother and I were invited to my niece's husband's birthday party.  My mother asked my sister for ideas for a gift and my mother and I went shopping.  I found a chef's apron and some other grilling tools.  After they arrived, my mother suggested that I do something to personalize the apron.  I have not used my embroidery module but thought I was up to this endeavor.  I created a design that I quite liked.  This took a few days because I totally forgot how to do any of it.  The manual does show you how to attach the embroidery module to the sewing machine but the manual has bare bones information on usage.   I went online to watch some how-to videos to create a design.  In my first attempt I copied the file from the software on to a USB drive to attach to my sewing machine.  The sewing machine did not recognize the file.  I fumbled around and tried resaving in different fashions until I finally remembered that I had to convert the file to a different format using the software.  I forgot I was supposed to push the sewing machine icon.  Software is all intuitive these days and my intuition often fails me.

I stitched out a sample with a thread I contemplated using.  It is a Superior Fantastico variegated thread of reds, oranges, yellows and blues.  I thought of these as flame colors ergo appropriate for the project.  I found a fabric that was nearly black for my test sample. 

Mom and I agreed that the bottom words were too small and not readable in the stitch out so I went back to the drawing board.

Then I made the next stitch out.

I was satisfied with it and passed it by my mother for her stamp of approval.  We discussed some possible edits but we went with the above design.  I hooped the ready made apron in my medium hoop and began the final stitch out.  When embroidering one sits at the sewing machine and watches the stitch out in case anything goes wrong( or change thread colors and all those other things people do with this process).  I was watching Thursday night football and working on Sudoku puzzles.  Sheppard's Grill and Flip had been stitched when I noticed that I had misspelled Flamin'.  Oops.  Panic time.  I decided I would wait until it stitched the end of Flippin' until I pushed the stop button.  I took the USB drive out of the sewing machine and put it back in my computer.  I went to edit the design on the computer only to discover that in the time that I spent watching the beginning of the stitch out, the original file did not save properly.  There was an exception error when I tried to open the file in the software.  I had to recreate it again.  This is harder than one would imagine because I had no idea what the exact height and width of the components were.  I could only approximate which makes repositioning a problem.  When I went to continue stitching, I touched the screen at the beginning of the Flamin' and the needle went chachunk chachunk and moved just to the left of Flippin' and started stitching on top of the existing word.  Panic time again.  I pushed the stop button after four or five stitches.  I tried several different things including moving the hoop by changing the width and height coordinates.  None of those things worked. OH NO OH NO OH NO!  What to do! What to do!  I kept pushing different buttons on my sewing machine.  I do not know what icons I pushed but the combination showed the stitch count on the screen.  I remembered that I used that stitch count to position the needle on another project a long while back.  I started guessing numbers to position the stitch count to get the needle to the end of Flippin'.  After half a dozen or so guesses I got the correct number.  I pushed to go button and lo and behold it started stitching Flamin' under Flippin'.  The word were stitched out and then the program went to stitch out the swoosh under Sheppard's Grill.  The stitching starts on the lower right.  It was Panic time again because it was stitching it closer than it should and I was worried that it would not fit the whole time.  The lower right ended up stitching out touching the bottom of the capital S.  Phew.  I thought I was going to need to pick out that section and rehoop or something to get it positioned correctly.  

Here is the stitching on the apron.  I hope they enjoy the gift.  I enjoyed making it despite the trials and tribulations.  I am so happy that I actually remember how to do some of this stuff because I plan to use my embroidery module to applique a Rose of Sharon quilt soon.  I guess I need to do some things more often in order to get my hippocampus to lock things in the long term memory of my brain.  

August OMG Finish

Here is my block all finished.  My August OM goal is met. Now I can flit about to this and that for the rest of the month.  I will edit this post and hopefully I will have some more finishes or progress to report.

Another finish hurrah!!  I pushed this project up to the top because I am getting ready to start making some EPP rosettes with a new product that reduces the basting.  I wanted to use my needle keeper to work on this project.  The kit was a gift from Paula, one of my wonderful sisters.  I have learned so much from Sue Spargo.  This gave me a chance to put the lessons to good use.

I learned that "Milliners come in sizes 1-10, with 1 being larger and 10 being finer. They can also be found in sizes 15 and 18, with 15 being larger than size 18, and 18 larger than size 1. Confusing? Yes. I have no idea why they are sized that way." I learned this from Mary Corbet's Needle and Thread.

I decided to keep going with the Chateau Hexagon this month and I finished the center panel.  This was a lot of fun.  I had selected a light green fabric for the lawn but I had seen the wall hanging through an internet search of images.  I saw one that had used a darker fabric for the lawns and quite liked it.  I picked a purples for the driveway and another for the lawns.  On to the borders, quilting and binding.

Come join in the fun at Elm Street Quilts and make your own monthly goal.  Get encouragement from the other participant's and see what other are doing.  You will be inspired.

www.elmstreetquilts.com/p/omg-one-monthly-goal.html

August OMG

While home last month I went through my collection of Lynette Anderson fabric and kitted her Chateau Hexagon wall hanging pattern.  The remaining fabrics can now be released to be used in whatever manner I choose.  Therefore, I intend to start doing a Block a month.  I am working on Block 6 this month.  I am using Pellon SF101 as a stitching stabilizer.  I have selected my DMC that I am using to substitute for the Cosmo floss. Now I am off to start the embroidery. 

Additionally, I will continue to work on Gyleen Fitzgerald's Graffiti Quilt.  I hope to get back to my Quiltmania Round the Garden quilt but I may quilt my Callendula Patterdrip quilt.  I am mixing it up this month.  

July OMG Finish

My version of Bonnie Hunter's On Ringo Lake is finished and sitting on top of my sister's version of Bonnie's Hunter's En Provence at her house at the moment.  I brought it there for a sisterly Show and Tell.  I learn so much about how to make successful scrap quilts from Bonnie Hunter and Gyleen Fitzgerald.  I learn so much from their mystery quilts.  I am making progress on Gyleen's Graffitti mystery quilt.  I cannot show pictures of her blocks here but I can show pictures of the blocks I have added.  The Graffitti quilt is an alphabet quilt.  I used the letters she drafted to spell the famous pangram "The quick brown fox jumps over a lazy dog."  After perusing line drawing of foxes and dogs on the internet I drew a fox and dog.

Here is my fox and my lazy dog. ( I blurred Gyleen's number blocks.)  The lighting of this photo is terrible.  I was having trouble with the proportional sizing of the two animals.  I made the fox first and since it was about 28 inches long I made the first dog a little less that that so he could jump over him.

 

My first dog was just too big.  I wonder if my second is too small.  Hmmmm???  

My next concern is to understand proper attribution of one's quilts.  I drew my pictures after looking at a number of line drawing.  The fox is based on a felt mask of a fox, a line drawing of a jumping fox and the feet came from a coloring page version of a fox.  I put them together in a drawing and made my appliques.  The dog is a drawing I made while looking at a line drawing.  I originally planned to paper piece it so I drew it using all straight lines.  I changed my mind after them making the drawing of my second version of my fox.  I drawings are not really original.  They are cobbled together from other peoples stuff.  They are definitely derivatives. I am not sure what is kosher.  Any experts out there?

OMG almost completed.

I found an image of an asymmetrical quilt and thought that it would be great for a pieced back.  It would not matter how much was trimmed off on any side.  I will be using this again.  I tried several different arrangements of the  half square triangles on the floor before I settled on this one.  Next time I will plan better and make that decision before I make the blocks.

I ran into several problems while quilting.  I found this block that was constructed incorrectly that needed fixing.

My new ruler broke after I had completed about two thirds of the quilt.  I taped it together and continued.  I was very nervous about using the broken ruler because my sister has had to send 2 of her sewing machines in for repair to the timing mechanisms due to misadventures in quilting.  I tried to be very careful but I would not recommend you do what I did.  My impatience ruled the day and I chose to continue.

My next problem was the threat of running out of the discontinued thread I had chosen to use.  I choose to quilt from the center blocks in rounds so that if I were to run out I would come up with a new choice for the corners of the quilt.  The white core was peaking out when I had the sixteen blocks on the corners left.  I decided to leave out the center quilting of the blocks until I knew I had enough.  I went back and quilted the centers.  Then I switched from the Superior ⇲35 weight Lava variegated thread to a Superior Art Studio 40 weight blue thread for the setting triangles.  I have used this cone over and over.  I will probably use the rest for applique. I will miss this thread.  I have so much thread it is nice to pare down my thread stash along with my scraps.  

 One of my dear sister's gave me this binding bobbin buddy. I put it up on one of the thread spools on the top of my machine and pulled it through the back of my machine and merrily sewed it on the edge of my quilt.   I had planned on using this one blue fabric for the binding.  I had my heart set on it but there was not enough.  I did not want to purchase more fabric.  I wanted to make my scrap quilt with leftovers on hand.  I scrounged around and found another fabric.  I thought I had enough to bind this quilt.  I did not.  I was just a few inches short.  I filled in with a scrap of a blue hand dye.

 Thank you Bonnie Hunter for what you do.  Here are the front and back of my completed ON RINGO LAKE quilt.

I do not seem to be able to finish my goals on time recently so this will be my OMG but I will also try to complete a Gyleen Fitzgerald Grafitti Mystery quilt. 

On Ringo Lake update

 I was merrily quilting away when I came to this block.  A backwards Brave New World block.  How did I miss this?  I contemplated leaving it in as a humility block but decided that since it was on the side I could fix it.  I have finished all the quilting on the 50 blocks except for the centers on 16 blocks which are in the corners.  I am running out of this discontinued thread.  I still have some left so I will go back and fill them in after a bit.  I want to quilt the setting blocks.  I am using a blue thread that I got from a Superior Thread Sampler pack.  I wonder if I will also run out of that one as well.  Living dangerously.

I struggled using my Westalee Flying Bell Rulers.  I did so many things wrong.  Next time I need to check my tension at the beginning of each session.  I don't know why I would think that would just automatically continue where I left off the day before.  I am really pleased that the quilting goes with the back of the quilt quite well.  I do not think I can make my goal for OMG.  I only have 2 days left and binding always takes me so long.  I have to hunt for some more blue to make the binding.  I have a half yard but I think I will need more.  Back to quilting.

May OMG

I have not been posting to OMG but I have been busy with quilty stuff.   I have finished On Ringo Lake top and now I have just finished piecing a back for it.

The back is an asymmetrical pattern.  This way I do not have to worry about lining up the front and the back.  I need to remember that for future backs of quilts.  The top is set on point and the back is straight set.  I wonder how that will sandwich.  

This month I intend to sandwich and quilt and bind this quilt.  Then I can get back to my Gyleen Fitzgerald Mystery Quilt.