Last night I completed my biggest pieced project yet. Dance of the dragonfly, I have talked about this quilt before it is for either Rebecca my daughter or Samantha her cousin. I told Rebecca she can pick between the 2 when they are done.
This is the first quilt that I have stressed over. I have created a lot of Rag Quilts and they do not stress me in the least. When you screw up a edge on them you just fray it and wash it. On this quilt, I had to machine sew it (and don't look at it up close its terrible).
It has puckers bad down near one of the corners and there is a sizable overlap. Its not the best work ever, but I learned from it. I learned that the batting that I have been using stinks and I will never buy it again.
I learned what the word basting is (sadly I machined quilted it before fully grasping the concept). I can proudly say though that the machine binding on it is FANTASTIC!
OK maybe not that good but the best that I have done to date. You can see I zig zaged my label on it, not perfect but its mine. You can also see the mitered corners turned out well thank you to
http://www.redpepperquilts.com/ where I found a great tutorial for binding (its on her right bar half way down, got distracted once when noticed it making a comment). Sunday my wife was kind enough to finally pose for a picture my first official picture of her (not censored) on the blog to date. I am sure I will get more as you can see she has caught the bug (literally) in the last picture of her tonight.
I came home and she proudly showed off the bug material she bought today for her bug jar quilt. I found one I loved on a blog and pinned it on my pintrest quilt board
http://pinterest.com/rhealey101/quilts/ where I have been pinning projects I want to try. She is catching the bug, still not willing to sew, but she is now cutting out stuff for 2 quilts she wants me to sew up for her. You will note from my tag that I had faith in her all along helping on our projects together. 18 years of marriage and we finally find a hobby we both can deal with.
http://conniekresin.blogspot.com/2012/02/linky-party-tuesday-early.html
http://sewhappygeek.co.uk/index.php/2012/02/13/manic-monday-linky-party-can-you-help-looking-for-jenean-morrison-orange-fabric/
Last night I completed my biggest pieced project yet. Dance of the dragonfly, I have talked about this quilt before it is for either Rebecca my daughter or Samantha her cousin. I told Rebecca she can pick between the 2 when they are done.
This is the first quilt that I have stressed over. I have created a lot of Rag Quilts and they do not stress me in the least. When you screw up a edge on them you just fray it and wash it. On this quilt, I had to machine sew it (and don't look at it up close its terrible). 
It has puckers bad down near one of the corners and there is a sizable overlap. Its not the best work ever, but I learned from it. I learned that the batting that I have been using stinks and I will never buy it again.
I learned what the word basting is (sadly I machined quilted it before fully grasping the concept). I can proudly say though that the machine binding on it is FANTASTIC!
OK maybe not that good but the best that I have done to date. You can see I zig zaged my label on it, not perfect but its mine. You can also see the mitered corners turned out well thank you to http://www.redpepperquilts.com/ where I found a great tutorial for binding (its on her right bar half way down, got distracted once when noticed it making a comment). Sunday my wife was kind enough to finally pose for a picture my first official picture of her (not censored) on the blog to date. I am sure I will get more as you can see she has caught the bug (literally) in the last picture of her tonight.
I came home and she proudly showed off the bug material she bought today for her bug jar quilt. I found one I loved on a blog and pinned it on my pintrest quilt board http://pinterest.com/rhealey101/quilts/ where I have been pinning projects I want to try. She is catching the bug, still not willing to sew, but she is now cutting out stuff for 2 quilts she wants me to sew up for her. You will note from my tag that I had faith in her all along helping on our projects together. 18 years of marriage and we finally find a hobby we both can deal with.
Wonderful quilt that will be well loved by either your daughter or her cousin. And you're learning - that's great!!
ReplyDeleteDelightful post this morning. How nice that the two of you can share in your quiltmaking desire. Who knows what can become it! I visited your Pinterest page, believe it or not my first visit to that site! It was kind of fun! Thanks for sharing! Love your quilt and so will whomever it goes to live with! ~karen
ReplyDeleteSo wonderful that you and your wife have found a hobby you can share! She'll be sewing before she realizes it...
ReplyDeleteLove your dragonfly quilt... turned out nicely and looks very snuggle-able!
That is what is so great about quilting, you learn each time and each time try to do better, I am still trying. Your quilt looks wonderful and will be so loved by your daughter.
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun quilt! I still love that purple fabric! I look back on my first quilts and think "wow, I made this??" So part of learning to quilt is making mistakes, and then learning from them. I think you are doing beautifully for how short of a time you've been quilting. You will be an old hat soon! Keep up the good work!
ReplyDeleteRichard, just found you blog and I can say that I am totally impressed!!! Way to Go!! You have created some lovely keepsakes! Keep up the good work!
ReplyDeleteBlessings to you, your family and that new darling soon to be born baby girl!!
Love the purple quilt Richard, lovely photo of your wife.
ReplyDeleteNice job on the quilt! Any little inconsistencies will disappear as it gets loved by either your daughter or her cousin.
ReplyDeleteIt's so nice that you and your wife can share this hobby, to whatever degree. If someone just did the cutting for me, that'd be a huge help.
The quilt looks lovely Richard. It's nice that both you and your wife share a hobby. My husband shares my quilting hobby - he pays for the fabric! LOL
ReplyDeleteDon't worry about what you see as "wrong"...we all make mistakes and learn from them. I am certain no one could tell any of the things you feel are wrong, just by looking at this beautiful quilt! It's something to be proud of!
ReplyDeleteA lovely quilt that will be enjoyed for years. I always repeat a little quote I read many years ago, think it was Amish ladies talking of their quilts, they said...nothing is ever perfect except for god, its my quilting mantra ;)
ReplyDeleteThat is beautiful! I love all the purples!
ReplyDeleteAnd your wife is beautiful! I love that you two are working together on quilts! If she needs any bug fabrics, let me know. I can send you some. My mom & I are doing bug quilts together.
xo -E
Oh my gosh, does that make TWO finishes this week? It looks great. It's all a learning experience, right? You are learning fast. Your wife's bug jars are going to be cute.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great quilt, love the purple!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful quilt Richard and it is so neat that your wife helps and just might be catching the quilting bug! Thanks for linking to my party!
ReplyDeleteQuilting by the River
Wonderful. Glad you have found a hobby you can do with your wife.
ReplyDeleteI think she'll catch the quilting bug before long. Keep up the good work. We are all still learning every day. Stop by my blog for a visit if you can.
This makes me think of a starry night. I love it!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your story of how your Dragonfly Dance came together. We all learned things most likely the hard way. The one thing about it is we know we won't do that ever again. Anyways your quilt is quite delightful and it will be a treasure. I love it when professional quilts do a trunk show beginning with their first quilt and watching the progression of improvement. I love it that you can share your passion with your wife.
ReplyDelete