The Sewing Place
The Emporia => Patchwork & Quilting ... Welcome to the Darkside => Current Projects => Topic started by: Bill on April 05, 2021, 23:24:39 PM
-
I started this yesterday following YouTube tutorials from Melanie Ham. It'll be a doggy bed/blanket.
A bit of unpicking was involved but nothing too serious. I'll be ordering the wadding? on Thursday and depending on finances, a walking foot. Are the cheapo £10 ones on Amazon any good, or do I splash out on a brother foot?
[ You are not allowed to view attachments ]
-
My Brother has seizures if I try to use an expensive generic walking foot. Parts fell off from the needle bar/ presser foot area. Same thing with a ruffler. It made the screaming sounds of a Banshee or Nazgul. Very frightening. :scream:
Also my manual says I can only use the enclosed double needle. They aren't joking.
-
Looks brilliant for a first quilt. I bought the cheap one off amazon for my singer and it does the job great for me.
-
Have you looked at the Tuts (https://thesewingplace.org.uk/index.php/topic,10266.0.html)in the Darkside ???
The ones that will help you the most are the Perfect Points (tho' to be fair from the pic they look pretty much bang on to me) and Cot Quilt from start to finish ... Even if you've got this far, it will explain how to layer, and bind
... Do ignore the quilting In that, I got bored and when off piste ... Crosses across each square are lovely and effective too.
-
I've just had a nosy @Iminei
The destructions aren't showing up at all. No "I" icon either. :thinking:
-
@Wayfarer it works for me - I click on a picture, then the little i in a circle is at the top right of the screen - this is on a Windows laptop.
-
It seems to be a google/android thing. Not working on either my chrome book or phone. Ah well. I'll fire up the dinosaur (pc) later.
-
@Wayfarer my Brother machine won't work with any generic feet
-
I've just found a generic that is listed as compatible with my rig :D
-
Looks very nice. Let us know how the walking foot works out.
-
Are you pressing each piece as you go?... points will be much more accurate that way.
-
Lovely colour choice .
Just think though one wet or muddy dog and......
One thing I have learned is to press at every single stage on every single seam as it is made.
Makes it look good as well :thumbsup:
-
@Wayfarer don't ruin your machine with a generic. They don’t always fit despite what is claimed.
And your guarantee will be invalid if you damage it with one of those!
-
It seems to be a google/android thing. Not working on either my chrome book or phone. Ah well. I'll fire up the dinosaur (pc) later.
I use my tablet for the tuts. It shows over two pages, the full picture first then if you swipe upwards it shows the destructions :)
-
This is the generic I found. Not a cheapo tenner job but not the £35 official version either. It does look as if it has the brother logo and the brother model number listed in the manual for the machine.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07VHHZ1R5/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_glc_fabc_65JVFAQDCKBPJ0A7MXD3?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
I've sewed one row at a time then pressed before sewing the rows together. It'll be pressed again prior to putting the wadding and backing on.
Tara the doggie won't be allowed on it unless she's spotless :)
-
Press every seam before you sew the next...ideally your iron is used as much as your machine. Makes the difference between handmade and homemade.
-
Are you going to applique Doggy Shapes or Heads on the squares?
I did this (with birds) for one of my very first gift quilts in 2012/13 of which I have no pics but I have a test piece to show you.
The quilt was very simple squares in a soft Lavender and Cappuccino colours, so lacked contrast and to add Interest I appliqued lil bird shapes on it ... The quilt was for my neighbour's new daughter Wren ... who will forever after be given cards and gifts relating to birds!
-
You might even manage without a walking foot, if you do lots of pinning and take it slowly @Wayfarer . I’m sure for my first quilt or two I didn’t have a walking foot. However, if you’re planning on making more quilts, it’s probably worth investing in the proper one for your machine.
Tara is a lucky dog to get such a special bed - here’s hoping she avoids all the muddy puddles :D
-
More ironing will take place when I've a better mini ironing board. Currently I'm using a stupid silvery folding clothy thing that when I last used it, my cutting board warped.
I think for now I'll leave it plain jane @Iminei
Baby steps etc. I've not done the binding today that I was planning. I've felt rotten all day. But, I might do something creative on that...the old Uten which hasn't sold yet (although mums decided that she wants it after all :rolleyes:) has a doggy stitch pattern...
-
Got my new mini ironing board and the walking foot. It has the brother logo on it but I don't think it's an official one. It seems to work perfectly though. I have discovered that the new A150 does not like cheaper threads at all. Coats Moon from now on methinks.
I've done the binding...
[ You are not allowed to view attachments ]
I had to overlock the edges or there won't be much of left by the time the wadding gets here (Mon or Tues) and the lettering hasn't come out perfect but again, cheapo thread I think and there's no stabilizer on it so it moved about a bit too much I think.
I'm getting there :)
Oh, and I've bought an extension table for the machine too :D
We can always get food next month instead :laughing:
-
Tara will like it regardless, she can't read, can she? ;)
-
It's done...
A few things went wrong. :S
My biggest error was impatience. 4 days waiting for the wadding to turn up...thats almost forever! But it gave me time to practice with the walking foot. And so the carnage began.
First things first. The backing. Och! I forgot to buy fabric for that. A pillowcase was sacrificed.
Loosely following Melanie Hams quilting for beginners instructions I discovered that my new wadding is a good 1/4" / 15mm thick uncompressed. I hadn't planned on sewing a settee. Anyhoo, I then safety pinned each patch so it wouldn't move and set to stitching.
I decided to be a clever clogs and try stitching in the ditch. Yup. That went as expected. Half an hour or so later having destitched my koque up I followed Melanie's plans. Mostly successfully too. The fabric folded over a bit on some seams but Melanie said that's OK for a complete idiot beginner.
The binding is where it all went pear shaped. Guess who neglected to clip the binding to the quilt as instructed? Not me miss, honest :\
Stitching was 'wavey' at best and a complete balls up at worst. Should I mention the corners? Train wrecks is putting it mildly. And finally joining the 2 ends together. I hope I'm never trusted to put humpty dumpty together. He'd need a lifetime of mental counseling and serious physical therapy.
Tara seems to like her new blanket though :thumbsup:
[ You are not allowed to view attachments ]
[ You are not allowed to view attachments ]
At least now I know how NOT to go about quilting :D
-
@Wayfarer that is lovely it looks nice and puffy, which I like and Tara is very happy. Well done you :thumbsup:
-
Thanks @Lilian :)
-
I used to join the old biddies at the quilt shop for sewing sessions. The rare times I actually quilted in public I was known for my hysterical laughter. Yes, my quilting is so bad it cracks me up. I don't stich in the ditch. I call it stich near the ditch. Sometimes it makes it into the ditch, sometimes not. So I call my quilts "utility quilts" as they function well but aren't going to get any awards.
I've seen a lot of quilts in my day from experienced quilters. There are a lot of terrible corners out there, many mangled bindings, batting that is loftier than expected, etc.
If you enjoyed yourself, had fun making it and learned a few things consider it a success. Since the recipient seems pleased with it consider it an overwhelming success. If looking at it gives you a chuckle then even better. It's an excellent first quilt, kinda cute and does the intended job.
-
Well done @Wayfarer , it looks cosy and you have a happy Tara :woof:
-
That's lovely - and learning about stitch-in-the-ditch (and why you really want to avoid it) is a rite of passage for any quilter. It's good to get it out of the way early on! :thumbsup:
-
The Pics dont look half bad @Wayfarer ... and Yes, most peeps first goes have a few surprises in them!
I like how youve quilted it especially how it forms the lil 4square pattern in the corners of each square ... Neat!
If you enjoyed yourself despite everything, like the finished item (as Tara obviously does) and want to try another Please do read through This Tut, (https://goo.gl/photos/TuYqVjsiQck2HQH88) it really will take you through every step and, of course, we're all on hand for any unanswered questions!
All in All ... Bravo!!!!
-
Well done, it is none too shabby and your discerning customer seems very happy :)
SITD always sounds like a safe option for a beginner and mostly they cannot be dissuaded but, as you discovered, it's not the easy option!
-
Looks fine to me. SITD is a pain so avoid it.
-
Awe thank you ladies :)
My next attempt might be a while as I'm short on fabric but there will be another.
-
Looks terrific, well done indeed. Once I came to terms with the fact that I will never be a perfect quilter my life blossomed.....well, I did find the perfect red, at a perfect price :toast: at about the same time so the two events did support each other I guess. 0_0 But truly, don't sweat the little errors...you'll learn from them....and besides, you need to keep your anguish for the big errors!!! :laughing: