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This WILL make me a better quilter!

I think I've frogged about 2 spools worth of thread on this quilt! It's a BOM sampler from my LQS. It's king size. It has pieced 'rick rack' style borders. Then more solid borders. What a chore. Doesn't help that I'm not a very experienced quilter. Doesn't help that the finishing directions were a little vague for my level. Of course the finishing class at the LQS was the middle of the day shortly before I was laid off from work. Now that I have days free (not by choice, of course), there is no class. Yes, I could go there with my pieces and someone would help - they are all very helpful there. But if I READ correctly, it seems to make a big difference. I have ripped these borders apart more times than I can count. Bias all over the place. I'm pretty much ripping out each triangle and re-sewing one by one on the first border sections. Second section was much better from the start so that should be ok. What a tedious process. Because of the lack of space in my sewing room that means rip, iron, pin, go to the machine and re-sew, get up and go back to the table to iron, rip, iron, pin, over and over and over again.

But this WILL make me a better quilter won't it?

Kim in NJ

Reply to
AuntK
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You poor thing. I would have flung it out of the nearest window by now, but dont do as I do.lol You will be smug and proud when you do finish it! hope we can see pictures when it is done!

Reply to
Estelle Gallagher

Maybe. It would just make me never sew another triangle ever again.

I tried triangles once. Sewed four, threw the miserable looking results away, haven't sewed one since. Haven't missed them either. Life is too short for a hobby to be a headache.

There are directions online for how to make triangles by sewing on squares. You might want to try that, but a kitted BOM block probably won't allow you the flexibility to use that method for lack of fabric. Debra in VA See my quilts at:

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Reply to
Debra

Hang in there! Part of my frustration was like yours, I had to walk over the iron, walk over to the sewing machine, walk over to the cutting table. I had an epiphany one day. DH has completely hogged the entire garage, and garden shed for his "stuff". So I *deserved* to hog one entire room, no? I bought $39 banquet tables, covered them with cutting matts put one on the left side of the machine and one on the right. I bought those "sterlite" (read: Cheap)...little plastic chests of drawers on wheels. They fit exactly under the banquet tables. Drug the ironing board over there till that area makes a big "U". I love piecing now more than I ever have. I didn't realize how tired I was of the whole walking across the room thing, the inefficiency. Never mind that there is now no place to eat in this house except a small kitchen table. At Thanksgiving I reckon we can take the cutting boards off and set plates on the banquet/cutting tables. If I come into some extra $$$, I'm buying OTT lights for the tables. You'll "get" it. I've muddled blocks up before terribly, then found the next ones go together like a dream. Hang in! Sherry

Reply to
Sherry

If you are dealing with bias and triangles ---sometimes spray starch helps to keep everything from stretching. Not sure that is what could help you but if you can get to the quilt shop for help..do so !!..They might have some good help for you. Mary

Reply to
MB

Howdy!

Welcome to my world.

Sherry, if you weren't using the dining room as a quilter space, it would just sit there empty 90% of the time. You're doing your home a favor and taking full advantage of the space you pay for. (And it's next to the kitchen, right?)

Cheers! R/Sandy - w/ a sparkling clean dining room (house!) because s-i-l has been cleaning w/ me for 2 days, clearing up after the countertop installation (construction dust EVERYwhere) -- Nona rocks! ...now I have to replace the quilt stuff in the dining room to get on w/ the LogCabin...

Reply to
Sandy Ellison

LOL, and I can go Sandy one better. I do most of my quilting in my large kitchen. Between kitchen table, freezer top and ironing board it's less than a step from cut to sew, and from sew to press. Plus (and this is a big plus for me) I can either watch movies or listen to audiobooks while I work. I am also only one step away from the coffeepot and/or the cookies. Yet another plus is that I am relearning to play the guitar after a 10-year hiatus. Being able to pick up the guitar (which is on a stand in the corner of the kitchen) for the 15 minutes of practice that helps rebuild my calluses, then return to sewing, gives me a little posture break. Ever since I hurt my shoulder, it has become painful to sit and do anything for very long.

But I agree. The dining room is often the least-used room in the house. If you have one, why not take advantage of it?

Reply to
Carolyn McCarty

Thanks, Sandy! I'm far to old and jaded to be out to impress anyone with the digs I live in. The word of the day is comfort and usefulness. If it's not comfortable, and I don't use it, what's the point? Cleanliness, of course, has it's place in there somewhere. Maybe right behind quiltiness. Congratulations on yours! The best part about remodeling (or moving)...is getting to start over with a sparkling clean house!

Sherry

Sherry

Reply to
Sherry

Reply to
Taria

I hate triangles. Matching points makes me nauseous. Intricate stitching of the rip, pin, baste, stitch, iron, rip again.....type is not something I can do. Not unless I can buy some Ritalin out in the alley of the local elementary school. I think you're brave and predict you will be a much better piecer and quilter for going through the process. I'd just snap and kill somebody with the pinned together quilt and it would all be over .

Good luck. I want to see photos when the last pins come out. I bet it's going to be gorgeous and happy. Just in case you decide to cut your losses, those little triangles make great "starter-stoppers", especially if you just hack them apart with your biggest scissors.

Sunny

Reply to
Sunny

Well, all roughly 100 triangles on the inner border are all ripped and re-sewn! Now it will just be a matter of getting them on the quilt in the correct order/orientation! I think I've got that worked out though. And what a difference a LIGHT makes! OMG! Since my sewing room doubles as a guest room the lighting is not designed for 'working'. Remembered I had a new halogen desk lamp in a box, finally found it and set it on my table. It made ripping much easier!

Kim in NJ

Reply to
AuntK

I hate it too, Sunny. It makes me crazy. The only way I can do triangles is with that flying goose ruler-thing. Otherwise, I just stink at it, and I've learned to avoid what I stink at and don't enjoy. Does't make me a better quilter, but it keeps me enjoying it, and I figure that's what counts.

Sherry

Reply to
Sherry

I originally posted this yesterday, so if some of you are seeing double, I'm sorry. I finally got the 100 or so triangles ripped and re-sewn on the 4 inner borders. Even managed to get the top and bottom borders on yesterday. Not sure if today's schedule will permit any further sewing. The next challenge will be to see if I managed to get the borders on the correct way so that the next set actually form the zig-zag or rick rack pattern. Thanks for all the kind encouragement. This quilt has been a challenge from the beginning. I'm not really a sampler person but find the BOM process a great way to enhance/develop skills. This is only the 2nd one that I've done. At least I'm finishing this one!

Kim in NJ

Reply to
AuntK

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