Quilter's overload
I've had two FULL quilty days....
Monday night I loaded the back of a batik NY beauty on the longarm. The back had not been pressed or washed.... it was a 120 inch wide batik. Batiks in general tend to get hard creases in them and 120" even more. So all I accomplished Monday night was to mount the back, spray/mist the heck out of it and let it dry. I am so glad I learned that technique on MQResouce!
The next morning the batt and top were added and by 2pm it was done. Why the rush? This quilt is the adult ed classes contribution to our Children's Hospital auction/fundraiser. Last year our leaf quilt raised $750. We have our fingers crossed for more this year.
I do have a question for all you longarmers out there. What size and type of needle do you use when quilting a batik? I was not totally happy with the back. My tension was ok but the needles I used left the back fabric with a pokie, rough texture. I'm hoping they disappear with a washing. I did switch needles after the first pass. I started with a #5 sharp and switched to a #5 ball point. With all the layers in a NY Beauty I was afraid a smaller needle would break. Would a #4 or smaller have been ok? TIA
Tuesday Night was my older guild's meeting. Our speaker was Sharyn Craig. She's a local San Diego gal.... in fact, 20+ years ago, she was the president of that guild. =) I've seen her lecture one other time and love, love, love how she works with block settings. Two of her books are like my quilting bibles.... Setting Solutions and Great Sets. BTW ... Setting Solutions is out of print.... just an FYI. If you ever wanted to get one, you should probably round one up soon.
Wednesday morning found me at a Sharyn Craig workshop. This was not your normal workshop. We did not bring machines or any tools. We just brought block sets we had lying around. All I have to say is WOW! There were 10 gals in the class and one by one we brainstormed setting ideas under Sharyn's guidance. By three in the afternoon, my brain was on overload but I am taking so many amazing ideas with me. Definitely got us all thinking out side the box.... aka. traditional settings. I can't wait to play with some of those ideas.
For most people that would be their quilting quota for a 48 hour period, but oh no, not me. Wednesday evening found me at my new guild's meeting. The guest speaker was Norah McMeeking, the author of Bella Bella Quilts. Her quilt patterns are inspired by Italian floor mosaics. Absolutely stunning quilts.
Today I must spend time running errands for our trip. By this time tomorrow, DD#2 and I will hopefully be on the other side of LA..... winding our way to Oregon. I might have access to the internet on the road. Till then....
Monday night I loaded the back of a batik NY beauty on the longarm. The back had not been pressed or washed.... it was a 120 inch wide batik. Batiks in general tend to get hard creases in them and 120" even more. So all I accomplished Monday night was to mount the back, spray/mist the heck out of it and let it dry. I am so glad I learned that technique on MQResouce!
The next morning the batt and top were added and by 2pm it was done. Why the rush? This quilt is the adult ed classes contribution to our Children's Hospital auction/fundraiser. Last year our leaf quilt raised $750. We have our fingers crossed for more this year.I do have a question for all you longarmers out there. What size and type of needle do you use when quilting a batik? I was not totally happy with the back. My tension was ok but the needles I used left the back fabric with a pokie, rough texture. I'm hoping they disappear with a washing. I did switch needles after the first pass. I started with a #5 sharp and switched to a #5 ball point. With all the layers in a NY Beauty I was afraid a smaller needle would break. Would a #4 or smaller have been ok? TIA
Tuesday Night was my older guild's meeting. Our speaker was Sharyn Craig. She's a local San Diego gal.... in fact, 20+ years ago, she was the president of that guild. =) I've seen her lecture one other time and love, love, love how she works with block settings. Two of her books are like my quilting bibles.... Setting Solutions and Great Sets. BTW ... Setting Solutions is out of print.... just an FYI. If you ever wanted to get one, you should probably round one up soon.
Wednesday morning found me at a Sharyn Craig workshop. This was not your normal workshop. We did not bring machines or any tools. We just brought block sets we had lying around. All I have to say is WOW! There were 10 gals in the class and one by one we brainstormed setting ideas under Sharyn's guidance. By three in the afternoon, my brain was on overload but I am taking so many amazing ideas with me. Definitely got us all thinking out side the box.... aka. traditional settings. I can't wait to play with some of those ideas.
For most people that would be their quilting quota for a 48 hour period, but oh no, not me. Wednesday evening found me at my new guild's meeting. The guest speaker was Norah McMeeking, the author of Bella Bella Quilts. Her quilt patterns are inspired by Italian floor mosaics. Absolutely stunning quilts.
Today I must spend time running errands for our trip. By this time tomorrow, DD#2 and I will hopefully be on the other side of LA..... winding our way to Oregon. I might have access to the internet on the road. Till then....
Comments
The batik back will look better after washing, but unfortunately, some of that is just the nature of the beast, at least with the wide batiks that are the higher thread count greige goods. In the future you might want to look at the wide batiks from SewBatik (www.sewbatik.com) -- they have a much softer hand and quilt up beautifully.
I've been spraying rather than ironing backings for a long time - its one of the best tips I read right after I got my longarm. I hate having to iron backings. Don't you love it?