I finished sewing the binding down and the label on the Schnibbles Picnic quilt last night while TIVOing through American Idol. I can't stress enough how VERY happy I am to have finished it! Whew!
Don't get me wrong, I still love making Schnibbles,
and I DO like how the Picnic turned out.
I just had to do waaaay too much
"reverse sewing".
I simply stippled all over and used
a cute bear label on the back.
DONE. So very done.
And on to the next project.
OK, so I told you I wanted to finish a McKenna Ryan project that I started last year. I had already cut out and fused all the gazillion little pieces down on the completed background.
It was all sandwiched and pinned and ready to quilt last year when I quietly folded it and put it away. All the cutting and fusing had taken it's toll and I REALLLLY needed to get away from it for a while.
Like for a longggg while.
For a year.
Sooooo, today after work, I had a big cup of coffee and trudged upstairs to my sewing room to get this thing done! In the pattern directions, McKenna explains that she stitches around all those gazillion fused pieces with invisable thread on the top and cotton thread on the bottom. Ok, so that's what I tried first. YUK! It looked hideous. Absolutely HATED it! You could see the bottom thread points because the invisable thread was so thin. So, pulled that out and tried invisable on both top and bottom. Equally ugly. So, pulled that out, too.
So next I tried cotton thread on both top and bottom in a matching color. Success! Problem is, constantly changing thread...
like every 10 minutes. UGH!
But, it is looking good. And although labor and thread intensive, I'm liking how it's turning out! So far, I've done all the fused pieces and now am filling in the background parts with a dense stipple. I'm a bit worried about making sure it is evenly
densely quilted so it will lay flat and smooth.
Time and thread and thread and thread
and thread will tell. :-)
and thread will tell. :-)
So, tell me all about some project you absolutely
HAD to put away for awhile!
HAD to put away for awhile!
I bet it's going to be beautiful when you are finished. Post a picture that shows off the quilting if you can.
ReplyDeletevail
Your Schnibbles "Picnic" quilt is beautiful. I just purchased the pattern and Moda's "Eden" charm pack to make it. Am a little nervous to start it after reading the directions. Any suggestions for making it?
ReplyDeleteYour Schnibbles quilt is darling Polly! I really like the fabrics you used in it.
ReplyDeleteI've no doubt your McKenna Ryan quilt will be lovely when you finish it... I could never tackle something like that, it would burn me out for a year period!
Your Schnibble is awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteEven if Schnibbles were a pain...it looks fab! Awesome job KUDOS!!!
ReplyDeleteYour Picnic turned out fabulous! Great job!
ReplyDeleteI hear on that particular Schnibbles..I did WAY TOO much ripping. But I was determined to finish it.
ReplyDeleteYours looks SO much better than mine..congrats on such a nice, nice job.
But...on that applique......I'll leave that for you. Man oh man, that looks time intensive.
Your Picnic quilt came out really nice!
ReplyDeleteYou've been doing such a good job finishing your projects. Keep it up!! ~karen
ReplyDeleteYour schnibbles looks beautiful! Would never know you had some reverse sewing :)
ReplyDeleteI had to put the quilt I made for my son away.. it is HUGE and I finally got the sandwich pinned together and was going to try and quilt it.
THEN I realized that I hadn't pre-washed the flannel fabric I had used for the back. I don't always wash my regular cottons but I always wash flannel since it can really shrink.
I put it away..... I finally un pinned it and got a new (washed) backing made, but I have yet to re-pin it....
Its a process!
Love your applique too
SHeilaC
I love your picnic quilt and McKenna Ryan will be well worth the thread changes and time spent when it gets finished.
ReplyDeleteOne project I folded up and put away for a very long time (there are a few actually) is the block of the month that was on the Quilt Show website last year. The teacher was Sue Garmen and the directions are beautifully written. They even had videos to go with it, but after I got the center medalion done never finished the rest. I did print out all the directions just in case I pick it up again. You never know when the urge will strike!
I love the picnic quilt...it is just the sweetest thing....
ReplyDeleteI am going to finish a ufo today that I had put away for three years...I am pretty happy to have it almost done...the colors were just so not me, that I lost interest....now I am actually almost liking it.....usually, if I dont finish something, it is because I am overwhelmed........