Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Last Quilt of the Year and Possibly Starting Over

I've been working to finish a couple of quilting projects this year.  A few weeks ago, I received a quilt back from the quilter so it was time to do some binding.  I have an AccuQuilt Go that I haven't used a whole lot.  So as I've had projects I can use it on, I've been pulling out this book I won from Gene and am getting to know how to use this machine.  This book has been a wonderful resource in getting over my fear of trying something new.
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My least favorite part of quilting is cutting out fabric.  For the binding, I used the 2.25" strip die which made short work of cutting the fabric.  I like using this size for binding.  It helps with getting a full binding.
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Literally within minutes I had accurately cut all the binding strips at 2.25".  I only had to sub-cut sections to run through the cutter and I didn't need to be accurate.   I also cut off the selvedge before using the cutter.  I was very pleased with the results.   The strips in the photo below were spot on accurate.  They just look a little wonky because they shifted when I took off the cutting mat.  Very little waste as well - maybe a total of 2" which is probably less than I would have wasted cutting with a rotary cutter.
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A short while later I had a roll of binding.  Isn't there something cute about binding rolled up?
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You may remember this quilt - it took me forever to assemble the top!  It was quilted by Mary at Quilt Hollow.  Mary refers to the quilting as Frosting - which I think is so cute and very appropriate.  She was SUPER fast, easy to work with and extremely reasonable in pricing.  Unfortunately, I didn't get any close ups of the quilting but you can see here that she used a swirly type quilting. I didn't want anything holiday themed or flowers.  I told her I wanted something resembling wind.  She did a great job and I'd certainly use her again!
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On the knitting front, I think I'm going to rip out my Monster Cowl and start over.  The light gray yarn I was using is a slightly different weight than the gold and garnet colored yarn.  It's hard to tell in this photo but there is some puckering in this project.  I think because the light gray yarn is a lighter weight.  So I bought the darker gray yarn and knit a few rows.  See how the projects starts to bow out?  I think that confirms my thoughts.  I don't want to have to aggressively block this to get it to lay flat.  Any knitters have any opinions about this?
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I did push a few buttons at Eat Sleep Knit on Black Friday.  They have the BEST customer service ever.  With over 1000 online orders on Friday,  they still got my yarn to me Monday.  I definitely want to visit this shop in person and should be able to do so next year.
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Bottom row left to right:
Cephalopod Yarns - Beastie - The Hound of Bonacville
Madelinetosh - Tosh DK Yarn - Dirty Panther
Madelinetosh - Tosh DK Yarn - Dove/Subtle (discontinued)
Top row Left to right:
Madelinetosh - Tosh Lace Yarn - Cobalt
SweetGeorgia Yarns - Tough Love Sock - Spruce

There may or may not be some Plucky and Wollmeise on its way to me too.  

In stitching news, I have planned out and received the supplies for two New Years starts.  I took care of that last month.  I figured if I didn't that it would get pushed back to far with the activities surrounding getting ready for the holiday.  Have you planned any new projects for the new year?  

I hope that in the flurry of getting ready for the holiday that each of you have some time to do the things that we love to do.  Thank you for your visits and for the inspiration!

25 comments:

Margaret said...

What a great post!! So you have to tell me if you think this accuquilt is worth the investment. It's the big one, right? So cool! So much easier to make binding! Love your quilt!!! Wow! Gorgeous! And the knitting -- what a bummer! I'm enough of a novice that I am no help at all. I can just commiserate. Good luck with it! I'm drooling over your yarn purchases. Yummy! I have yet to try Mad Tosh yarn. Now how come they had some on sale? I probably missed getting any -- again.

woolwoman said...

love your quilt finish Jackie - so beautiful - what a fancy machine you have there. looks like it makes short work of doing the cutting chore you don't care for. Too bad about your scarf - I hate when that happens - wow - you did a great job snagging stuff from ESK - I have heard they provide excellent service.
Hope you enjoy the holiday season!
Mel

Carol said...

Oh, Jackie, that quilt is fabulous!! Really love everything about it. That's great that you found such a wonderful and reasonably-price quilter. I hope you get your knitting problem solved without too much trouble :)

Catherine said...

Love your quilt!!! And love the colors in your knitting ~ hope you can figure the problem out without too much hassle!

Annie said...

Such a cool way to get the binding cut out. Now you can try other things with the machine too I guess.

Love the quilt. It's absolutely gorgeous. You need some cold weather now!

I like the look of the knitting, but if it doesn't lay right, it will probably just annoy you. The colors are really nice though.

Wonderful new yarn. You could just put that in a basket and show it off as decoration without knitting at all!

Gene Black said...

If I didn't enjoy cutting and using a bias binding, I am sure I would use my GO! to cut binding.

I didn't need to know about that yarn site! I have to use up a lot of what I have before I buy more.

Anonymous said...

That quilting machine is all sorts of AWESOME!

Love the yarns you bought. Very pretty.

Susan said...

Love the quilt! Perfect for the holidays! I'm one who doesn't mind cutting, so I haven't invested in my own Accucutter. Fortunately, my quilt guild owns one with lots of dies so I could have lots of unusual shapes cut if I want.

Sorry the cowl isn't working out!

ruthsplace said...

The quilt is stunning and the quilting finishes it off perfectly.

I have problems cutting long strips accurately, so found your post on the cutter really interesting. Something to think about for when I live in a place that doesn't require a plane ride to get to a craft store!

Chris said...

That quilt is so gorgeous Jackie!
Your knitting looks great too. I am anxious to see your new stitching projects for 2014! Have a great weekend!

krayolakris said...

Great post Jackie! Sad to say I think you're going to have to change out that gray yarn in the cowl. Happy to read that you're doing your part to help the economy!

Karendianne said...

Lots of lovely!

Vickie said...

Good for you! Such a great feeling to get the quilt completely done!
I do have a BIG stitch planned for the next year. YIKES!

Carla said...

Your quilt is stunning Jackie!

Mrs.Pickles said...

lovely work!! I need to start using my Go! more too never thought about using it for binding. Just might have to put that die on my wish list :)

dixiesamplar said...

Love your quilt finish, Jackie!! And that binding does seem tons easier with your cutter...I always cut mine by hand and am then too tired to attach it to the quilt top, LOL.

Your knitting is fabulous too; that is one craft I never could develop a fondess for, but love to see finished pieces.

Can't wait to see what you picked out for your 2014 stitching projects. I haven't even attempted to begin my selection process yet, too many still to finish for 2013, LOL!

Hope you and yours have a happy and blessed holiday season my friend.

Tammy said...

Your quilt is just gorgeous Jackie. High five yourself for me, please. Love the knitting too. Glad to see your crafting away and enjoying it. The cutter thing is pretty cool, esp if it cuts strips. I always wondered if it wasted a lot of fabric?? Hugs.

Brigitte said...

OH, a cutting machine. Looks very useful and certainly is. I don't like cutting long strips either (that's why I love jelly rolls, lol) because I never seem to be able to cut accurate strips.
This quilt looks gorgeous!!! Really cool.
I can't add any advice concerning the knitting. It's at least 20 years that I knitted the last time.

Hazel said...

The quilts are amazing and your knitting is lovely. I have no advice either sorry as I am not the best knitter in the world. x

Andrea said...

Jackie your quilt is just stunning. I love the colours and the design, gorgeous.

FlourishingPalms said...

It's nice to see the great variety of projects you have going. Lucky you to have an Accuquilt! It would surely make EPP hexagon cutting much easier. I'm glad you enjoy knitting. I'm curious... are you hoping it gets a lot colder in Florida, so you can wear the things you create? Or do you give them away? I'm not planning anything for 2014. I have so much stash fabric, and UFOs, and "I'd like to makes" in my head, that getting to ANY of them would be a treat. I'm taking it one day at a time because, as I learned in 2013, one's health challenges can upset the best-laid plans. I hope you're able to do all you want in 2014.

Karoline said...

Your quilt is gorgeous, congratulations.

Shame about the cowl, but it was the right thing to do if you weren't happy with it. Your new yarn stash is lovely.

Anonymous said...

Your quilt is beautiful. The color combination is perfect for that pattern. The cutter seems like a wonderful tool. Your new yarns are interesting too, especially the cream grey combination. Sorry you have to start your cowl over.

Wishing you a Magical Christmas!

Angela said...

I know absolutely nothing about quilting but I do know that your quilt finish is gorgeous!

I think your knitting looks great but I'm just beginning so everything I see looks better than mine.

I'll look forward to seeing your new stitching projects!

Heidi Kuijer said...

Hi Jackie! Wow...what a beautiful quilt! Great job and what a wonderful note to end the year on.

Love your KAL project. I am thinking I might learn to knit in 2014. But it is maybe not a good idea after seeing how addicted to crochet I have become...lol.

Have a very Merry Christmas!

Hugs from Holland ~
Heidi