“What about the Challenge?” asks Sandra May rather menacingly. Hmmm. Have I had time? Have I had the courage? Did I try it and it was an abysmal failure?
None of the above is quite the correct choice. I have not had (made) much time to devote to quilting (I honestly love cutting up fabric and sewing little bits together, but NOT quilting). I have quailed at the sight of the Skillbuilder panels. And I must honestly admit that when I did have a go, I found that I am much better at cutting up fabric and sewing little bits together...
The Skillbuilder is however, a wondrous tool. I duly made my quilt sandwich, basted with my trusty Micro Stitch Tool, and faced up to my machine. I stole my chair back from the musician who seems to think it is his (well it is really, but it should be replaced neatly in front of the sewing machine, not the guitar stand) and got quilting. It is really very much like learning handwriting. I recall patterning; I taught my boys their letters by the same method. I just don’t have brilliant handwriting, and when driving a sewing machine where I need to coordinate speed and agility and fabric, I appear to be a bit of a dud. That of course is the whole point of the exercises set up in the Skillbuilder books – to gain control, confidence and learn by use and practice-practice-practice!
I must say, even though I am not at the standard of quilting anything precious just yet, I do admire the product and have noticeably improved (bit hard not to really – I surely could not get any worse).
To end on a high note, I can report that the binding is on the quilt mentioned last time, and that it proudly resides in the lounge. That means that it is good enough to be seen by visitors, so I am thrilled! Julia
PS: I got the bloodstains out of the binding from where I overzealously used my favourite Appli-bond Needle – it pays to watch where you stitch...we claim the needles slice through fabric like ‘a hot knife through butter’...well let me tell you, that also reads ‘like a needle through the entire finger tip all the way until it hits the nail on the way out’....the funniest bit was that I was at a hockey game at the time and they nearly had to invoke the blood rule... Lesson learned – respect your tools and concentrate on the task at hand!
None of the above is quite the correct choice. I have not had (made) much time to devote to quilting (I honestly love cutting up fabric and sewing little bits together, but NOT quilting). I have quailed at the sight of the Skillbuilder panels. And I must honestly admit that when I did have a go, I found that I am much better at cutting up fabric and sewing little bits together...
The Skillbuilder is however, a wondrous tool. I duly made my quilt sandwich, basted with my trusty Micro Stitch Tool, and faced up to my machine. I stole my chair back from the musician who seems to think it is his (well it is really, but it should be replaced neatly in front of the sewing machine, not the guitar stand) and got quilting. It is really very much like learning handwriting. I recall patterning; I taught my boys their letters by the same method. I just don’t have brilliant handwriting, and when driving a sewing machine where I need to coordinate speed and agility and fabric, I appear to be a bit of a dud. That of course is the whole point of the exercises set up in the Skillbuilder books – to gain control, confidence and learn by use and practice-practice-practice!
I must say, even though I am not at the standard of quilting anything precious just yet, I do admire the product and have noticeably improved (bit hard not to really – I surely could not get any worse).
To end on a high note, I can report that the binding is on the quilt mentioned last time, and that it proudly resides in the lounge. That means that it is good enough to be seen by visitors, so I am thrilled! Julia
PS: I got the bloodstains out of the binding from where I overzealously used my favourite Appli-bond Needle – it pays to watch where you stitch...we claim the needles slice through fabric like ‘a hot knife through butter’...well let me tell you, that also reads ‘like a needle through the entire finger tip all the way until it hits the nail on the way out’....the funniest bit was that I was at a hockey game at the time and they nearly had to invoke the blood rule... Lesson learned – respect your tools and concentrate on the task at hand!
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