The Devil (and Australian TSP members) makes work for idle hands ...

[Iminei]

The (and Australian TSP members) makes work for idle hands ...

I was sooooooo bored yesterday, couldn't get going with anything and I found myself thinking about Ruby's skinned quilt ...

http://thesewingplace.org.uk/index.php/topic,2148.0.html

and my problems regarding the (S)Crappy Bargello ... it was made such a loooong time ago, pre-walking foot, pre-quarter inch foot, (pre-knowledge of batting as it turns out) none of the blocks were completely square and not one of the points match up ......but I love it so much!

and suddenly I found myself with my quick unpick in front of ... Oh What a Lovely War ... as I thought "Well Ruby says its possible", and tho' the stitches are verrrry small, there isn't that much quilting and so off came the binding ..... and after a bit more of the film I found that a goodly corner of wadding had been exposed !!!! 


 
and by the time I had given up on David Lean's classic black and white masterpiece and sunk myself back into the virtual comfort of Escaping to the Country armed with more cash than I will ever see in my lifetime, I found myself looking at a scrumpled mess of backing, Bump (which I thought was batting one upon a time) a much misused top and a mountain of threads....



I eventually separated them and looked at the whole sorry pile with dread in my heart ....

(To the tune of Hit Me Baby, one more time)

Oh Ruby, Ruby, What did you make me dooooo .....
Something isn't right here
Oh Ruby, Ruby, Why did I believe in yooooou .....
I'm out of my depth here ...

This crappy quilt will killl meeeeee
and all because I belieeeeeved ...
I believed!!!

Oh Ruby, Ruby,
What did you make me doooooo .....

So I took a deep breath and armed with a hot iron and a spritzer of water I set to it.....



and now I find myself shivering in my chair (The (S)CB used to hang on the back of it and cocoon me from drafts and it has turned rather chilly recently hasn't it ???) looking at it apprehensively ...

I only went through the top a couple of times with the quick unpick, (and only through the brown batik, which I thankfully have more of ... so those can be replaced!) and I guess I will have to add an extra border to the back before re-layering it ... But it will never be square again!

Do I care ??? I don't know for sure yet .... I think I'm just pleased it came apart virtually unscathed and I have a chance to re-quilt it and keep it.

[BrendaP]

I can only see the first photo, which looks to be only part skinned, but I love the combination of colours and those lovely borders.

[b15erk]

How far are you taking this back Im?  Not to individual blocks surely.....

You're a glutton for punishment! 

Look forward to seeing the new 'improved' quilt!

Jessie

[Iminei]

I'm only going to replace (or perhaps just patch) where I went through with the QU, add a border to the backing (so I can layer it) and re stitch the back panel of blocks (this has always had a seam that needed resewing) ... so  no major renovations!

and then I'll layer and quilt ... properly this time!

[rubywishes]

mmmwahahaha !    Well done chookie...looks lovely and pristine all ironed on your hangers. Now all that pick, pick,pick, rip...oops, pick, pick is just a dim dark faint memory isn't it?

Surely, surely, we are part of a very elite, err stupid collective Im!!

Ooooo I love "Escape to the Country" and I too wonder at the dosh you lot must have for house purchases....by the time I do an AUS conversion I'm fair quivering and clutching the bank book!

[PollyWally]

I love "Escape to the Country" too but some of the episodes I have seen are so ancient I wonder what the house prices must be now. Good job on tackling your Bargello Imi.

[Iminei]

I agree Ruby, A very stupid elite collective ... The SAS of the Dark side! if you will.



Two new borders added (Mitred at the corners too ...Oooooh!!!) So it will be a tad bigger than originally but still easy enough to schwizz around under the needle ...... Doodling with thread, my favorite part!

[Iminei]

It is finished and back on my chair and my combobulation is at ease once more .....



I ended up with much more quilting than before, as you would expect four years of quilting on, and some very weird shapes coming out from underneath the needle in the borders ....



I really have no idea what these are meant to be, but they were pretty uniform in size, simple to quilt and filled a lot of negative space! Any ideas what they are ????



The back however (Dont look Ethel!) is not so good.

After I had layered it I turned it over and there right across the middle of the back was a dirty great ruckle!! I ripped the back off and smoothed it back down as best I could but by then all hopes of matching the front and back borders was over and I had to hope for the best.

I dived into the quilting, forbidding myself to turn it over and check on how the front and back were aligned. Only at the very end did I look!

It was not as bad as I feared, but one of the back borders widens to an inch in the middle from 1/2" at the sides whereas the widest border is a pretty regular 1 3/4" all along. I knew I was going to be on a sticky wicket with the borders from before Rucklegate but at least the front borders are a pretty consistent 1 1/4" all around.

Its not square and the piecing still aint pretty but I love it and its back where it belongs!

[rubywishes]

Oh Im, you've done the most wonderful, wonderful job on that.....cripes, with the sort of quilting you do with your walking foot I can't imagine you ever having a need or want to do fm....you are just such a clever clogs!

...and I'm on the floor laughing with delight over your term "rucklegate"....man I had one of those suckers with the spiral quilting! rucklegate, rucklegate, rucklegate. rofl 

[Madame Cholet]

Iminei the colours in that quilt are just... aaah! I just love the colour combination. That quilt is so gorgeous 

I really have no idea what these are meant to be, but they were pretty uniform in size, simple to quilt and filled a lot of negative space! Any ideas what they are ????

... for some insane reason my hectic mind immediately flashbacked through 30-odd years to A level Biology and came up with 'pseudopodia'...

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=pseudopodia&t=hb&iax=1&ia=images

I think I have imbibed far too much caffeine than is good for me today.

The back however (Dont look Ethel!) is not so good.

'oh yes they call him The Streak, fastest thing on two feet', LOL.