UFOs - One finished

This post, I made my photos "small" - according to Blogger - although they are still over 100 KB. I'm hoping this works. A lot of this photo/blogging is trial and error.

I was preparing for a Quilt Guild Class on Storm at Sea and remembered I actually HAD a UFO Storm at Sea, so I dragged it out, trying to remember why it was never finished. Ah hah! I had done it with plastic templates, and they were not as accurate as I had hoped, leaving lumpy intersections. However, after checking it out, it really wasn't as bad as I had remembered, and I might just finish it after all, although it needs to be larger. The diamond (Peaky) and wedges (Spike) can be done accurately using the Tri-Recs ruler, and there is also another one on the market. Remember, this diamond is NOT 60 degrees!

This next little UFO project (about 36 x 45 in.) is a Sharon Craig design - a scrappy half log cabin, but when you add those little red quick corners, it becomes an entirely different animal. The light border was the problem here -- I should have prewashed that fabric - 'something' was in it, so that when I pressed it, the fabric took on a yellowish tinge. But yesterday I sandwiched, quilted and bound it, yellowish tinge and all. The quilting thread is a red-blue-yellow variegated thread that someone had given me along the way. These little UFO's are wonderful practice for machine quilting. This particular pattern, loops and hearts (or leaves) is ONE I can do reasonably well.

A close-up of the machine quilting. I use a Janome 6500 Memory Craft domestic sewing machine which I bought simply because it has a wider throat space - about 11 inches. It is a heavy machine, which I wanted - too heavy for hauling to classes, but it doesn't jounce on the table when running at full throttle. It comes with a bunch of extra features I hadn't even considered, that I now take full advantage of, i.e., auto threader, thread cutter, knee lift, needle down, a bunch of stitches. I practiced using the knee lift (right knee) until it became second nature and use my left foot for the 'gas'. I also LOVE that thread cutter ... I can stop and start without fiddling with the thread ends. Using these extras has added to efficiency. If you have them, USE them! I also purchased an extra throat plate with a little hole, that I use most of the time. The 'regular' hole is quite wide to accommodate the wide stitches, but a wide space on any throat plate may tend to pull threads down.