Hopefully, everyone is notified this month! Keeping my fingers crossed. For some unexplained reason, the notification app failed for the last two months, so I switched to a new app. If you are visiting here for the first time, please sign up in the sidebar to be notified when a new blog is posted. You will not be inundated, I only post once or twice a month at the most.
Please post pix of your UFOs. It can be done at the bottom of the page. Remember I said I was going to collect the names of all those who shared UFO’s for a drawing? You can also get your name in, just post before and after pictures of something you finished or pictures of my appliqué blocks you finished! They will be shared here on the blog.
Another finished quilt from Mary H. This is such a happy and cheerful quilt. Here is what she has to say about it and her next project:
Finally finished Daisy Chain. I started hand piecing in 1991 and just completed hand quilting. When I first joined my local guild in early 1980 one of the older ladies surprised me by sharing her scraps with me. I really enjoyed quilting and looking for Mary R.’s fabrics. Forgot to take a photo of my next ufo until it was in the hoop.
I have never been found of machine appliqué, now I know why. After working on this quilt top for two weeks, sitting at the machine, getting all tense, trying to make sure the needle didn’t come down in the wrong place, picking out mistakes, I realized this is NOT my thing!
Maybe the problem was that I forgot the needle-down feature on my Bernina 152 until I was halfway through! The Bernina knee lift is also awesome when you need to pivot with the needle down. However, after putting on my album of Harry Bellafonte’s Love is a Gentle Thing, I was more relaxed.
This top was made as a banner for the 50th anniversary of our priest’s ordination. Originally all I did was iron on the letters, lamb, and lion. I couldn’t give it to him without appliquéing everything in place. So it was put on my TO-DO pile. Finally, it is done, not perfect, but it is done. By the time you see this, it will be quilted, bound and hopefully delivered! (The translation from Latin is below the lion and lamb.)
Still busy appliquéing the circles on the Floral Alphabet Garden Quilt, so I pulled out this great tool for storing threaded needles from Clover.
Thread up to 10 needles, put them in the case and remove one at a time, as needed. Since I am using the same thread color for all of the circles, diamonds, and letters in the border, this saves some time and don’t constantly have to thread up.
THREADING A BUNCH OF NEEDLES
You may have seen this trick before, but just in case you haven’t, this is how to thread a bunch of needles at one time.
You do need a wired needle threader for this method. There are different kinds. This one also happens to be a Clover product. Put ten needles on the needle threader. If the wire is too short for ten, just put on as many as you can. You need to leave a little room to insert the thread.
Insert the thread through the looped wire.
Pull off the needles one at a time, gently, you don’t want to break the thread.
Pull a length (12-15″) of thread off the spool with one needle. Move the remaining needles closer to the spool. (You don’t want to “unthread” at this point!) The thread can be longer, but a longer thread can wear and break as you stitch. This might be because appliqué thread is finer than quilting thread.
Cut the length, do not make a knot, just bring the two ends together. Place the needle in the needle keeper. Turn to wind the thread into the keeper.
Repeat with the next needle.
I use the same trick for threading up quilting needles, too. Here is how I store threaded needles for quilting. Thread up a bunch of needles for each spool. “Park” the needles so the thread slides through all of them easily.
Remove one needle, pulling the thread through the remaining needles. Don’t cut too close to the “parked” needles, otherwise, the thread might pull out if the spool moves.
Is anyone interested in making a “Thread and Needle Roll?” I will post the directions next month if there is any interest. Please comment below to let me know. I have found it to be a very useful tool.
Click on the link below to take you to the page with the 2018 blocks. The second link is the pdf for the border letters. It is only free until the end of May, then it goes to Craftsy.
Alphabet Garden Border Letters
2016-17 Alphabet BOM at Craftsy
