I'm busy getting ready to leave my family for five days in Paducah at the AQS Show. And then the fabulous Pizza Girls were at the High Point Guild on Thursday night. Those of you who are aware of my "real" life know that getting ready to leave to go anywhere for longer than a couple of days takes the stealth and precision of a successful Black Friday shopping trip. I'm in charge of accounts payable and accounts receivable and payroll and a thousand other things. If I'm out of the office more than a day or two, I really have to work hard to make sure all my bases are covered.
It's a little like tap dancing on the head of a pin...
The guild had a wonderful time with Patty and Cindy at a afternoon workshop and a show and tell that night.
I had a busy week and had scheduled a busy weekend.
Aaaaannnnnnnnnddddddd then the stomach flu hit Friday morning.
I. Did. Not. Have. That. On. My. Agenda.
From Friday morning until midnight Saturday night, I lost everything I put in me. I have been looking for a successful weight loss program, but honey, this wasn't what I had in mind.
That said, this blog has no pretty pictures and no updates on anything I have done. I had planned to post some pictures of a new quilt I'm working on called Peppermint Place. I haven't taken the pictures. I haven't wrote the copy.
So instead, I am borrowing (with permission) a blog from someone I follow (Lori -- who has a blog called the Inbox Jaunt. If you haven't checked her out, you need to get on that. She is awesome!) In this blog she lists the twelve essentials of successfully making a quilt. So read and review. See how many of these skills you're successful in and what you need to work on.
I do feel better. Hopefully next week's blog will have pretty pictures and stuff that I'm working on!
Love and Stitches,
Sherri
THE ESSENTIAL TWELVE
- Sewing Machine Knowledge–Every quilter must learn the basics of using their own sewing machines. Necessary skills include oiling, threading, changing a needle, adjusting stitch length and adjusting tension.
- Read a Pattern-The quilter must have a basic understanding of terminology, abbreviations, cutting and sewing instructions.
- Cut accurately with a rotary cutter-This skill includes how to read a ruler, how to square the fabric, where to cut.
- Stitch an accurate 1/4 inch seam consistently-This is a skill that must be learned and rechecked periodically. Inaccurate seam allowances cause distortion (and headaches) when piecing any block or quilt.
- Chain Piece – This method allows for increased quilting efficiency and accuracy. Using “leaders and enders” is helpful here as well.
- Pressing Techniques-The Quilter must understand how to press (not iron) to avoid distorting the quilt block. This skill also includes understanding which way to press each seam and why.
- Square-Fabric, blocks and quilt tops all require “squaring” before cutting to prevent distortion of the entire quilt.
- Add Borders-The quilter must learn to cut and stitch borders correctly in order to prevent distortion of the quilt.
- Create the Quilt Sandwich-layering techniques to prevent folds and ripples
- Straight line quilt–Basic quilting using straight line quilting with feed dogs engaged. (What? no Free Motion Quilting?–While I consider FMQ “Essential”–it is possible to create a beautiful quilt using only straight line stitching!)
- Bind a quilt- The finishing touch to any quilt. Should include a mitered corner.
- Label-The quilt isn't finished until it’s labeled!
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