Hello and my UFO

[Suziequeue]

Hello

I used to post up occasionally on the previous forum and I am glad I have found my way back here. I am getting towards the end of a long quilting project. It’s inception was back in October 2014 during the Ebola crisis. It’s based on a Sizzix project (https://goo.gl/images/DYHDxN) but then grew legs......so I’ve got 30 star shapes (4x6) instead of the nine in the picture.

I’m not a very experienced quilter and this is my second quilt (with another two “hatching” in a drawer - but I am sure I will be on here with those two in due course).

For the quilting bit, after a brief flirtation with FMQ, I ended up just doing machine stitch in the ditch around the main pieced shapes on the quilt top.

I thought I would machine quilt around the appliqué shapes on the border but did one side of that, decided it looked cr4p, and did the rest by hand.

Having finished the other three sides by hand, I decided that the machine quilted side couldn’t stay so I unpicked it and re-did it by hand.

Having finished it all now I notice that one side of the hand stitched border is rucked up, so now that will have to be unpicked and re-done 

Is this normal? Will I EVER be happy with it!!!!

I will post up a picture when I get back to my PC at home.

[Iminei]

Hi SuzieQ,

Well we do need pics and your link doesn't seem to be working at the moment, but worry not there are plenty of peeps on here who will help you with whatever you need help with.

For hand quilting, Lowena will be your go to girl ...
Any maths problems and colour theories are wonderfully covered by The Goddess Of Colour and Magician of Maths, BrendaP ...
And for QAYG and WF quilting, I can offer some advice.

Looking forward to seeing this UFO of yours and hopefully we can get it landed!

[Suziequeue]

Pix as promised

[Ellabella]

Love your quilt, its stunning. The placement of that swagged border is lovely.

I haven't yet been satisfied with anything I've made but we notice the faults others don't even see.

The trick is to learn to stop poining them out.

[Suziequeue]

Yes - my friend has come over from Germany and we have been looking at it again. It’s not so bad and she didn’t notice anything........ until I painstakingly pointed all the mistakes out to her.

I think it would be good exercise in acceptance to leave it, love it and move on.......

Bias binding next!!

[Iminei]

Bias binding ??? Are you going to bind a scalloped edge???

Love the quilt and it seems to be on a long arm machine ... is that yours ???

If so, you lucky lucky girl!

From the pics posted, there doesn't seem to be anything obviously and disastrously wrong...

Are you sure you are not being too picky ???

I posted a pic of a quilt with a misplaced design on FB, not one of the dozens of Quilters who viewed it spotted it ... so (even tho' I knew where it was) I left it!

[maliw]

That is a lovely quilt - why has it been hidden for so long? (says she who has 2 quilt tops yet to be sandwiched) I can't see any mistakes, don't be hard on yourself. I read somewhere that the Amish quilters always put a mistake in their quilts because "only God is perfect", so you are in good company.

[Pearl]

Welcome, Suz.  Lovely work.

What I love about that story, Mali, is that the carpet weavers of West Asia do the same thing for the same reason.  I find it amazing that people living thousands of miles apart have the same idea.

[Ploshkin]

I have always understood that traditional Aran knitters incorporated a mistake in their knitting but didn't know the reason.

[Suziequeue]

Well - buoyed up by all the encouragement this afternoon, I made about 13 meters of binding this evening  :|and pressed and cut the quilt to its final size.

So all that’s left is embroidering the label on the binding and putting it on. Amazing!!

[Kenora]

Beautiful quilt, and the border is stunning.  Which Sizzix dies did you use?

[Suziequeue]

Thank you Kenora and everybody else who has been so complimentary and encouraging - it’s really given me the boost I needed.

The dies are 658101 Flowers and 658667 8” swag - both by Sizzix

Now I’ve got to find that book in my bookcase that had such a good bit about mitered corners 

[Iminei]

I heard it was the Muslims that leave a mistake or an unfinished bit in their art as only Allah is perfect ... I imagine its a pretty generic thing.

I did the same in my flat when I decorated as I ran out of border just 6" before the start of it so just left it!

[Suziequeue]

Well - one thing that isn’t perfect for definite is the tension on my sewing machine 

I am just trying to get everything right to sew on my binding and have done a mock-up piece with all the layers - but try as I might, the upper tension seems to be too low.

I have tried increasing it but it doesn’t seem to make any difference.

So I have two questions:

Would it be normal - if I am sewing through a bigger “wad” - to expect to have to increase the top tension?

If the tension dial doesn’t seem to be working - is this a problem? and what could cause it?

[Tamnymore]

I'm no expert and others may offer much better advice but isn't a question of the combination of upper and lower tension and it sounds as though you have the whole combination out of kilter? Sorry I think you know that!

I'm just sitting in front of my machine which I've had for 7 years and I couldn't tell you how to alter the tension so it's not something I've ever needed to do. Hmm