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Saturday, October 30, 2021

RSC - One Step Forward

It’s been one step forward and two steps back this week while I’ve been working on my Rainbow Scrap Challenge projects.  Firstly, I layered and lightly pinned my boy’s boat donation quilt on the floor, carefully picking it up and spreading it on the glass table out in the patio.  There I sat and put even more pins in it.  Sitting at the table was easier on my back instead of kneeling on the floor inside, as I had first started.  Even so, I still needed a little time out stretched out on the bed to rest my back when I had finished this job.  The joys of getting older!

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Pinning the quilt outside in the fresh air and sunshine

It was a day or two later and I decided to start on the machine quilting – wavy lines, I had decided.  It started off well, but then I found that it was getting difficult pushing the quilt through the machine.   I should have stopped once I was having problems, but no, I carried on for several more rows.  Oh dear, just look at those puckers on the back!  There was nothing for it but to start unpicking.  Then I’ll need to smooth it all out again and repin I think.  Bother!

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Puckers on the back

Enough was enough, I decided, and put the boats into time out for a while.  Perhaps I’ll work on my birdy quilt instead.  I’ve stitched enough of the little birds and laid them out on the bed, don't they look pretty.

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Lots of little birds

I’d started making some nine patch alternate blocks and had a count up to see how many more I needed.  Still about a dozen it seems, so off I headed to the sewing machine.  But…….. what’s wrong now?  As I had appliqued the birds onto 6in squares, my 9 patch strips needed to be cut at 2 1/4in instead of the more usual 2 1/2.  I had forgotten this when I cut another batch of strips.  No wonder they wouldn't fit together, I had some with both sizes.  Bother again!  Out came the unpicker again, then a smidgeon was sliced off the offending pieces and the blocks pinned and reassembled once more.

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Making nine patches

That’s enough for today, I’ll do some more stitching tomorrow, and hopefully it will all go together smoothly.

21 comments:

ButterZ said...

I would have put those oversized blocks aside and made new ones instead of unpicking them. Good on you for persevering

Karen - Quilts...etc. said...

it is hard to hold all the layers taunt so you don't get the ruffles isn't it. I really like my hand quilting frame in that I do not have to baste the layers together and it holds all nice and flat! love your bird quilt too

Maria said...

So annoying when the quilt puckers at the back…..
You always make such lovely blocks for RSC ,
Like Jo I would have also remade the blocks so well done being so patient by unpicking.

The Joyful Quilter said...

Oh, goodness, Jenny! Some days (weeks) are like that, aren't they? Hopefully you are back on track now.

Julierose said...

Some days just seem to go like that, don't they? Here, too. Both pieces you are getting done are so pretty. I am just sewing a few long strips together here and there. Having company today, so no sewing today. Hope your back recovers...one step forward, two back is my progress too. Hugs Julierose

LIttle Penguin Quilts said...

That is frustrating when there are puckers in the back! I agree, time out for that one. The birds are looking so fun all together in your photo! Such a colorful flock!

Sara said...

The little bird blocks just make me smile every time I see them. So adorable!

Mari said...

Oh, yes, puckers on the back. I know that problem well. It happens, and you'll feel better about it once you pull it out again. I love the birds! It will be a lovely quilt set with the 9-patches. I might have just trimmed them without unstitching them. They would have looked a little wonky, but it would have been fast!

grammajudyb said...

Ugh! So sorry for all the bothersomeness! I was thankful I had a table like place to spray baste my two projects! It’s horrible to be down on the floor and then have to get UP! I sure like your birdy quilt! I’m anxious to see it with the alternate blocks! Have a good week!

Tired Teacher 2 said...

Some days nothing seems to go smoothly. It’s at that point, I walk away and come back when I’m refreshed and ready to tackle the frustration. The flock of bird blocks is adorable.

Cathy said...

Basting quilts on the floor is for a different generation than us, LOL. But the tables, especially if not large enough to hold the quilt sandwich taut, are problematic. I feel your pain (literally and figuratively). But both quilts are going to be awesome!

FlourishingPalms said...

Oh, I'm sorry you had problems quilting, and had a puckery back. I'm wondering if maybe it's because the quilt wasn't taut when pinning on the glass table. Was the backing taped down? For me, unless the backing is taped to a surface, my quilt sandwich isn't taut enough, and quilting doesn't look good. Just a thought. I'm glad you're working on other things too. I find that when I mess up on something, I need to give it a time-out before going back to it. That's another good reason (excuse) for having multiple projects going at once!

Pat at Bell Creek Quilts said...

I love your houses and your birds!

Nancy J said...

The birds look lovely and with those added colours , the alternate blocks will show them off so well. The puckers, what a nuisance, hope they get all undone when you feel like tackling that task.Sometimes it's easier to put it away for a while, a very good plan. Raining here on Sunday a.m.

Jenny said...

Thank you all for your comments. Now fir a couple of answers. No, I dont tape down the backing, just smooth it all out, pin, and hope for the best. I dont have a table big enough to pin a large quilt so start off on the floor, then usually lift it up and onto the patio table where I can slide it around and continue pinning. As for remaking those nine patches, I'm down to the last scraps of the white fabric so have to make every small piece count!

Cheryll said...

Your perseverance will pay off with a wonderful & cute bird quilt.
Your other quilt will be waiting for when you are ready to work on it again...xox

Ivani said...

Oh Gosh! It is so frustating when there are puckers on the back! This is the hard part of quilting. I would like to have a frame, I dream with this, but here there is no big frames being sold. I would put it aside for a while also.
The little birds blocks are sooooo cute and the alternate blocks will join them all very well.

Jackie said...

I am like you I usually pin my quilts on the floor and have to give my back and hips a bit of a rest about halfway through.

I have started for the third time on my knitting project. Here is hoping third time is the charm.

God bless.

Cathy said...

Well, you've got some lovely projects moving along. Sorry to hear about the problems. I crawl around on the floor to pin baste too. I don't have puckers on back very often but I think I can hear when a pucker starts and I look on the back now after almost every pass on the DSM. I think you were wise to put it in timeout for awhile.

Hope next sewing sessions are free of problems!

JanineMarie said...

So sorry for your quilty troubles! Puckers are no fun. I avoid pinning on the floor as much as I can now, but I did buy two resin banquet tables that fold in half for basting. I put two side by side on bed risers (takes up about 5 by 6 feet of space). They fill up my whole living room for a couple of hours, but they work really well, and are small enough to store when they are folded. I use big cheapy plastic clamps to hold the backing on and roll part of the quilt if it doesn’t all fit and then move it over to finish basting. It really does make the basting go better. I hope picking out the stitches went okay for you because those quilts are going to be so cute when they are finished.

Karen S said...

That can be so frustrating. Good luck when you get back to them.