Pins in the Robyn's Nest

It's been a some what productive week... 

or shall I say, 

as productive craftily as things go these days...

I participated in my second swap 

& I not only designed & created a 

PINCUSHION for the SWAP- 

but I actually just popped it in to the mail!

Heather Valentine organizes the swaps for 

The Scrappy Girls Club 

and assigned me 

a swap with another Robyn!!!

We exchanged some emails...

her favorite color is teal- and she likes animals.

So I gave it some thought & decided... 

on a "Robin & her nest" for Robyn!

October 2016

found a bird pattern to download 

off Internet & gathered my scraps

converted bluebird to a "Robin" with a "red breast"

stitch & flip

Outlined a plate to sew selvages in place to weave a birds nest

Selvage birds nest trimmed for "residency"

birds nest from bottom...

I pulled all the selvages within... 

nest, I sewed edges... 

flipped outward... 

and stuffed in place to allow raised edges for "nesting"

Rice filled bird (tail side)

hand sewn closure of pincushion...

attaching wings and tail

Beads sewn in place for eyes

another scrap for beak

perched robin pincushion in her nest

Pincushion Ready to fly south...

In the Robyn's Nest

Machine Mastery... 6 1/2 hours later

It was finally time for my new Bernina sewing machine mastery class! (I had recently purchased a new machine to transport for workshops and sew days.)

...It seemed it was also time for nearly everyone elses as well & the room was mobbed. I shared a table meant for two... and squeezed my machine on as number three! With half my body way beyond the table... I sat for 6 1/2 hours learning the workings of my newest toy.

My Bernina 350 Ricky Tims special edition 

LOVE!!!

Now, It would have been really cool if they had a giant model sliced in half to explore... but instead we were tightly plugged to power cords... all makes and models... and our instructor was forced to continually refer us to our manual for our model specifics... & slides on screen. 

I had handouts and my machine manual & was taking notes in my lap & trying to keep interested...

if only...

We began with a review of parts... and basic setup of extension table, etc. 

She reviewed needles, thread...

and then machine TLC.

It appears I have seriously neglected ALL of my other sewing machines past & present. 

(And that is all I shall say on that subject... aside from, yay for q-tips!)

By afternoon... we had learned parts, and machine care & finally moved on to sewing...
Oh yeah... did I mention we had not made a stitch yet!!!
Swatches were distributed & she began to explore stitches and options with all off us... constantly referring us back to the stitch chart for OUR model machine. It made for a LOOOONG day.

My model has 191 stitch patterns... 

if I can remember how to actually get to them!

I left with a better idea of what a "300" series is, does, and potentially could do if I BUY & BUY even more new sewing feet and machine upgrades. I learned why I should long for a "higher" model... and of course- now DO :( 
Most importantly... I learned how to oil the machine & how to drop the feed dogs.
It was a very long day... 

6 1/2 hours later

Happily tucked back in its case,

awaiting its next field trip!

Irreconcilable Differences

Some times you give it your quilters' best. 

You plan it... you cut it... you piece it...

but it's still not a quilt until you quilt it.

Many send all their quilts off for others to quilt. 

I have done that for king sized ones. 

But I feel confident quilting a lap quilt on my standard 🏡 home machine.

Still, Sometimes... sometimes, it still just doesn't work out & you have to know when to just step back and let it go.

Frustratingly, this is one of those projects. 

Here is what happened:

Fully assembled, all was going well & I had a 46" by 46" giant star square quilt.

I had used a lot of best press spray starch all along the way... but the Micheal Miller fabric required for the MM 2016 challenge has a weave leaving so much stretch regardless. 

So even after spray basting... I decided to pin baste.

 Lone star baby quilt pattern by Amy Smart

spray basted & pinned

quilting on my Babylock Elisimo

The puckers were awful... so I ripped the stitches out & started over making further stitch tension adjustments, etc. 

And this time... the puckers were even worse!

& I could not deal with any more time with my seam ripper, so I put it aside for the day.

The next morning... it looked even worse!!!

Somehow... the elasticity of fabric had now added to the puckers around the stitch work. It was pulling every angle...

I had tested threads & stitches and tensions before I started this project... but that was on a scrap... 

obviously... I was wrong :(

quilt front

quilt back

Hard as it is... some times... you just need to put a project a side for a while & hope it won't  remain an eternal WIP.
Perhaps I can eventually repurpose the blocks somehow.
Perhaps not... either way... for now...
it's off to the WIPs stack...
Where there are pieces I love and I am reminded I promised myself I would finish... someday...

As for the Michael Miller challenge... let's just call us parting with irreconcilable differences...

At least I did accomplish one thing. I got my teal swap in the mail... 
I hope a warm cup of tea awaits its arrival... 

A mug rug of teal... a star... and Tula!

It's been a very productive week... and I can't recall the last time I was able to actually be able to feel quiltably accountable!

September is Ovarian Cancer awareness month & I am involved in a teal mug rug swap to help support the fight!

After making my donation & signing up... I received the fabric we all must use and awaited to hear from my partner.

After thinking ideas through I was ready to get things going!

I pieced a selvage block to be used as my focal point

The lower piece of fabric is the "swap fabric" 

that must be used

The upper is the block I pieced to look like a mug

Needing more color, I added an outline

It wasn't until after my mug rug was fully bound,

(and quite crooked to say the least)- that I concluded----

TOO MUCH PINK!!!

I decided to use the teal I had already piece with on top

completed mug rug back

(hmmmm, must remember to make up a label...)

My 2016 Teal Mug Rug Swap for my partner,

Hope she likes it!

Next day, I started in on the Michael Miller Challenge. They sent challenge participants 2 fat quarters... mine were solid silver & a silver patterned.

I had already decided a few weeks back to order extra yardage so I could shake things up with a special selvage quilt using just that collection of fabrics...
but to my utter disappointment, they arrived Thursday without a single visible selvage anywheres :(
How could Michael Miller do such a thing to a quilter??????
Thus, I had to rethink the whole thing...

I decided on a giant star, with a modern twist and jumped right in. After sketching out some variations... I got started.

split 12" squares

Row one... 

I had to take a break after block nine when my niece showed up 

and desperately wanted access to my rulers and rotary cutter...

This morning I finished the last of the 10 1/2" blocks... and hope to begin piecing the rows together soon.
Just wishing the cut angles did not vary the shading so much in the fabric weave on the piecings....

And as a special surprise... shhhhh....
Today.... (Don't tell my DH)...

The Tula Pink fabric I preordered months ago arrived in a plain brown box. I gleefully snuck it in...
ok... so I am still hoarding Tula. She & I have a very special relationship... don't judge me.

Slow & Steady by Tula Pink!