Thursday 7 June 2007

WARNING NEVER TRY THIS AT HOME

WARNING WARNING WARNING ....... Never try this at home…..
I started this quilt approx 6 years ago. It was my first quilt I attempted. The piecing was quite quick and not to bad. (Finished size 84"x100") I designed the quilt myself. I started to hand quilt it and had done very little and decided that I was NOT going to do this. Then I decided I would do a cris–cross pattern straight through the blocks…..I started this and only got ½ way thru. OMG it was so hard to feed to quilt thru my little sewing machine. As the DH had gone for the day I stopped as I couldn’t feed it thru evenly. It ended up being put away and neglected. I do not know what I was thinking when I thought I could do this. I will never attempt something so big again especially made of flannelette...so thick....
Now to present time………..it has been sitting out for a few months waiting for someone to “take care” of it. On Monday a friend Bev motivated me enough to get into it and by 11pm that night I hated her big time. My arms were killing, cramps etc (my whole body was aching) from trying to manoeuver this quilt thru the machine. Tuesday night onto the binding….. I cheated and sewed it on completely. Finished this off this morning and now you see the finished product.
I can tell you it is not the best quilting job but not to bad for a first attempt. Didn’t end up going cross both way only one and TOOOOOOO hard for me. I just think of the money I have saved quilting it myself. It will be going to the quilt display here with a couple of my other quilts. They can put it in a corner somewhere to fill up space. I am sooooo pleased it is complete........
To finish up while outside taking to quilt pics I went and saw the girls they have started to lay eggs again thank goodness........I really hate buying eggs................
I have a sewing weekend lined up with a visitor and her 2 kids so should be a great time........will post some pics next week of what we get up to over the weekend. Perfect sewing weather wet and cold....stoke up the fire and sew away. Last year on this weekend I had 19 in the house and it was wet and cold and no one walked mud into the house.
Hopefully if I get to the quilt show (if it isn't to wet on the road) I will remember to take some pics while there to share with you all..........have a great weekend..........or a great longweekend if you are is Aussie land.............
Take care.........

11 comments:

May Britt said...

I guess you are so happy that it is finished now. I also have a couple of big quilts that should be machinequilted. But I feel they are too big to be done with my sewingmachine. Perhaps I should give one of them a try when my shoulder is better. Your quilt looks so cosy and warm.

Anonymous said...

From where I'm sitting... it's beautiful!

I love the colours.

(ps... what's a chook?)

Belinda said...

I hope our rain moves your way. I'm so over it already! I bet your glad it's finished and you will have some quilts on display this year. Now that must feel good, have fun with Fiona. I'm working Sun/Mon/Tue :-(

Joyce said...

Your quilt looks great. I hear you about the huge quilts in the home machine. I did several of them but now I am doing wall hangings. Much easier to deal with until I get a longarm quilter, which will probably be never, given the price of those babies.

Anne Ida said...

Ooh! I love that quilt! the colours are so cozy and welcoming!!! You should be so proud to have finished it!!! And so what if the quilting is "criss" and not "cross" as well..?? Still lovely!

And no huge quilts on my Bernie any more, and definitely no flannel quilts! I quilted a large lap size flannel quilt last year and my neck hurt for a month! I can only imagine the pain of quilting anything the size of yours...

Take care, and have a great sewing weekend!

Tanya said...

For all your headaches it really is a nice looking quilt! Hope you can get some time doing a little hand piecing in for awhile...

Tracey @ozcountryquiltingmum said...

Nice chooks, I've got 30 layers and one is laying, hoping they get a move on soon, I miss the cash!
That quilt looks good, I do mine on my machine as well, it's hard work but saves a lot of cash! It will be very warm for the winter, Tracey

Tracey @ozcountryquiltingmum said...

ps, for future reference, an angled door stop pushed under the back of your machine angles it towards you and saves a lot of the back ache from leaning over, Tracey

Leigh said...

I can feel the relief through the computer screen,lol.
This is a very comfy, cosy looking quilt.

Rose Marie said...

I would rather machine quilt a flannelette quilt over hand quilting it any day. Either way it's hard to do, but you got through it in the end. Good for you and it's lovely.

Jenni said...

Well I think it looks great, and I know what you mean about the pain. I have decided not to quilt any more big quilts, at least til I win the Lotto and get a quilting frame for my machine.