Next step - the Binding

After admitting defeat when I worked out I hadn’t actually put away any fabric after all for the binding of my Christmas quilt, I braved the rain and went shopping.  “I want something squidgy”, I told Kathy in the Krazy Cow quilt shop.  She knew exactly what I wanted and showed me the range of Moda Marbles.  Now, shall I get red or green?  I finally settled on a dark green with splashes of a lighter green.  As it’s only for the binding, there wont be much on show.  With the fabric washed, ironed, cut into strips and joined, I was all set to go.  It didn’t actually take too long at all to machine stitch it on the quilt.

Nearly finished - hand stitching the binding down

I’m a real “pinner” and like to have it all pinned down before I do the hand stitching at the back.  It’s quite satisfying doing this step, I always think.  I’m not quite finished yet, but I’m sure to reach my goal of having it all done in time for Wednesday evening.  That will be the last quilt club meeting of the year, and my long winded Christmas quilt will be finished in time for the final Show and Tell.  It sounds like a fun evening, a special supper, a bit of a sing-along, and no doubt a few high-jinks from the committee as well.

Keep me away from Glue Guns

I just can’t be trusted with those hot glue guns, and that is why I got rid of my little cheapie one some years ago.  But a glue gun was required the other day at Krazy Cow stitchers group to finish my block roll project.  Our tutor Luchelle kindly brought her one in from home for me to use.  But….. you can imagine what happened.  I had to cover the heavy cardboard roll with fabric.  The first few dabs of hot glue were put on, and I had to smooth the fabric down over the roll and hold it in place.  My gluing had been too generous and drops were everywhere, and it stuck to my fingers.  Oh, those little dabs of glue were smoking hot, and I ended up with a big blister on my finger!  Luchelle took over the job, and it was all done correctly in no time at all.  No burnt fingers for her.

Block Roll

My block roll started life as a “quilting” tea towel, sent to me by my UK pen-friend a while ago. I backed it with calico, added a light wadding, and stipple quilted the layers together.  Then I added the red binding and ties – and as mentioned earlier, I sadly failed the hot glue gun part of the job.  The tea towel certainly tells a story.

Quilters Quips

Quilting and patchwork are fun to do

Use up your scraps or buy stuff that’s new

In goes the needle, then pull through the thread

Loads of bright colours, blue, gold and red

Techniques and traditions, from home and abroad

Enjoy your designs, and you’ll never be bored

Rustic or modern, you must have a go

Select your own templates, and start to sew

Quick as a flash, you’ll piece and you’ll patch

Unique masterpieces, you’ll very soon hatch

Ideas and designs of star, chain or plate

Pinwheels and triangles, they’ll grow at a rate

Start sewing today, you’ll find it’s just great

By Marjorie Carrier - 1996

I’ll be using my nice new block roll to keep my stitchery blocks tidy and flat, and I can carry them safely to stitching days.

Krazy Cow Stitchers

We had another good morning at Krazy Cow quilt shop yesterday.  That was, till I glanced out the window and saw the rain coming down hard.  Oh no, I had just hung a big load of washing out on the clothes line before I left home, and now it was out in the rain!  So what was everyone doing?

The “other” Jenny was there, working on her original elephant quilt.  For a first time quilter, she is doing really well.  It was time to sew the borders on.  No, teacher Luchelle told her, we don’t just sew a long strip on and chop off the ends,  we measure!  A new quilter wouldn’t necessarily know that unless told, but Jenny took it all in her stride.

Jenny sewing on her borders

Glenys wanted to make a block roll, but first had to practise some free motion quilting.  Practise drawing it first, Luchelle advised, so that your hand and brain work together at the machine.  That’s really good advice.  Then with the feed-dogs dropped, and the darning foot on, away she went, free motion quilting her three layers together.

Glenys machine quilting

With her table runner all done and dusted, Ann went back to work on her cot quilt.  Teacher Luchelle had taken it home and free motioned quilted it for her, so that was a bonus.  Ann machine stitched the binding on, then just needed to hand stitch it down at the back.  She is very proud of her mitred corners, she told me, a technique she has just learnt.  Don’t forget to add the label, I reminded her.  This is such a pretty little quilt, in blue and lemon.

Ann’s cot quilt, almost finished

Luchelle brought along two of her projects to show us.  A friend asked her to make a quilt using her baby’s pyjamas and stretch-and grows.  Not nice fabric to work with at all, we were told.  The end result used a selection of other fabrics, and embroidered pieces of the stretchy stuff appliquéd on.  Hasn’t it turned out great!

Cot quilt using baby’s pyjamas

We all loved Molly with her knitted red wool hair.  Luchelle is making this for her grand-daughter’s birthday, and just needs to finish off the face.  The little pink pinafore has butterflies, snails and wiggly worms appliquéd on it.

Molly the rag doll

And what was I doing all morning?  Wounded in action, but that’s another story.  There was a nice surprise waiting for me when I arrived home for lunch.  Robin had rescued the washing from the rain, and pegged it all up on the clothes horse.  What a good fellow!

Krazy Cow Stitchers

It was back with Krazy Cow Stitchers today, after missing a week while on yet another caravan trip.  This trip, we stopped off at Ekatahuna, of all places – just because it was there!

My sewing project today looked like this.  It’s cream, and burgundy, and isn’t quite finished yet, so that’s all that can be shown.  But it is coming along nicely, and hopefully it will be completed next week when I attend the group.

Wonder what this is?

The other Jenny is still working away on her elephant quilt, and has done most of the machine appliqué now, and has framed it with a nice striped fabric.  Today she was making blue and green blocks with red centres to add as the second border.

 

There's an elephant in there somewhere

Glennis and Suzie were two friendly ladies whom I hadn’t met before.  They were both making a sampler quilt, and today they were working on a paper pieced log cabin block each.

  Suzie happily ironing her strips

Glennis’s paper pieced block

Ann had almost finished her beautiful batik table runner, and was stitching down the binding.  This beauty is a birthday gift for her daughter, and the teals, oranges and dark blues  look wonderful together. 

  Ann with her table runner

With all of us doing different projects, Luchelle was running from one to the other.  But she took it all in her stride, and showed us her pretty hand embroidered blocks she works on when time allows.  A new creation was her Kaffe Fasset quilt top in a large tumbler patter, full of colour and flowers.  Ooops, I forgot to take a photo of that.

Luchelle’s pretty pastel blocks

In between making coffees and serving customers, Trish was busy at her long arm machine, working on another customer’s quilt.  This one was a Mariner’s Compass in blues and reds.

Trish working her quilting magic

A lovely morning, once again, and many thanks to Luchelle for her helpful advice.  Special thanks to the other Jenny too, for bringing in some home baking to share with us.

Down at the Station

Down at the station – that’s where Krazy Cow quilt shop is situated, the quilt shop has taken over  the former Levin Railway Station.  Trains rush past without stopping,  except for the early morning and evening commuter train.  I called into the Krazy Cow again today to take part in the Thursday stitching group.

Krazy Cow, in the former Levin Railway Station

Luchelle had brought in her raggy Christmas wreath to show us.  Strips of Christmas fabric are ripped, one end is knotted, then stuck into a slit in the wreath.  It looks great, perhaps I will have a go at making one before the Christmas season.

Raggy Christmas Wreath

I had taken my Christmas Stars quilt in to get a bit of machine quilting advice.  So far I have quilted in the ditch around each block, then quilted through each star, but wasn’t sure how to complete it.  The advice was to stitch a large stipple in the other blocks, then Luchelle and I will get together to decide on how to tackle the borders.  Sounds good to me, I’ll just have to get busy quilting now.

My Christmas Stars quilt

Ann is quite a new quilter and has really been bitten by the quilting bug.  After making a lovely cot quilt, she is ready to tackle a table runner for her daughter, to be made from a great selection of batik fabrics.  But first she needed a couple of lessons on how to use a rotary cutter safely. (I remember when I first started quilting, the teacher warned us never to cut towards us, as we could sever an artery.  That's something I’ve never forgotten, as those blades are really sharp.)   With her strips cut out, Ann then got started on piecing the table runner.

Ann working with her lovely Batik fabrics

The door bell rang as customers popped in, including my friend Robyn, and her friend visiting  from Dunedin.  Needless to say we had plenty to chat about, and Robyn’s friend (sorry, although introduced, I can’t remember her name) was after a few fabrics to take to a Gloria Loughman landscape class.  So Robyn and I had to add our input too, of course.

Another customer called in to show her recently completed Kombi Van quilt.  Janice made this beauty for her nephew who will be using this quilt in his own Kombi van when he goes away on camping trips.

Kombi van quilt

Shop owner Trish was working on a very interesting quilt on her long arm machine.  The panels features a selection of rather posh cocktails of all sorts with their descriptions, and was stitched by a non drinker, I was told.  And why not – a bit like having a drink when you are not drinking, just like a Claytons.  

Trish working on the Cocktail quilt

I usually seem to pick up a quilting tip or two from the very knowledgeable Luchelle at these stitching mornings at Krazy Cow.  Not to mention a delicious coffee from the Coffee Cart to enjoy with my lunch.  Thanks ladies, it was fun again, as usual.   

Stitching Day at Krazy Cow

I enjoyed another stitching day at Krazy Cow today.  I had intended to get out some machining to do, but ran out of time to sort through my extensive UFO pile.  So in the end I didn’t take my sewing machine with me.  My light box got an outing instead and I spent some time tracing off a stitchery pattern.  Then of course I had my old faithful Christmas stitchery to work on.

New quilter Helen attended the stitching day for the first time with a very striking pink and lime green quilt with a colourful ladybird feature fabric.    Not only was this her first quilt, but she had put it together all by herself, and had started straight line machine quilting.  She had the binding stitched on by the end of the day, and just had to hand stitch it down on the back.  A wonderful effort for a first quilt indeed.  This pretty quilt is a gift for Helen’s little grand-daughter. 

Helen and her first quilt

Ann had been busy practising her free motion machine quilting at home all week.  Our teacher Luchelle had even more tips to give, so I pricked my ears up too.  Even though I have been quilting for some time, I am certainly no expert.  One tip I picked up was to bring the bobbin thread up to the top, something that I never seem to do.   Luchelle also gave us some tips on applying quilt binding that I did not know about. 

Luchelle demonstrating machine quilting to Ann

Customers wandered in to the shop, and down to the classroom area to see what everyone was doing.  I bought my self a new Clover “quick-unpick”, and a delicious coffee to have with my home packed lunch.  There is nothing nicer than the smell of freshly brewed coffee, is there.  After lunch Luchelle showed us a couple of her art quilts, constructed of tiny pieces of fabrics and lace glued down then held in place with  free motion machine quilting. 

“Mannequin” art quilt

Another lovely morning spent at Krazy Cow, then we spent the afternoon trying to find ourselves a new doctor.  Seems that doctors are in short supply in our new home town, and we will probably have to go on a waiting list, and keep visiting our previous doctor back in the Hutt Valley for a while.  We will just have to keep our fingers crossed.

Stitching Day at Krazy Cow

I was so pleased to discover that the local quilt shop Krazy Cow has a weekly stitching day.  This lovely shop is in the old Railway Station, south end of Levin.  I attended my first stitching day there yesterday, joining two other ladies.  The numbers vary week by week, I was told, so I was happy to pick a quiet day for my introduction.

Krazy Cow quilt shop

Luchelle was on duty to help with anything the ladies needed, and she was kept busy offering help and friendly advice.  Jenny (not me, a new quilter), was planning to make an appliquéd elephant cot quilt and wasn’t quite sure of colour choices, and what went with what.  Jenny and Luchelle spent quite some time perusing the shelves, pulling various bolts of fabrics out and laying them on the table.  Luchelle explained to Jenny that a little contrast was needed to make the quilt “pop”.  The final choice was a selection of blues and greens with a white background, and red for the accent colour.  This will be an original design, so it will be interesting to watch Jenny’s progress.

Fabrics for elephant quilt

Ann was also working on cot quilts, and had two pieced tops with her.  One of them was laid out and safety pinned up ready for machine quilting.  Luchelle then helped Ann set her machine up ready for free motion quilting.  I couldn’t help but overhear the conversation.  “Drop the feed dogs”, Ann was instructed.  “Feed dogs?  I didn’t know I had any”, was her reply.  It wasn’t too long before Ann was trying her new skills on a practice piece so that she could get the hang of it, before she attempted her first lot of machine quilting on her cot quilt.

Ann’s teddy bear cot quilt

I wasn’t too sure what the day entailed, so just took some hand stitching along, plus my knitting bag.  First I got a mending job out of the way, and pinned up the hem on my blouse ready to re-stitch.  The blouse had elastic stitched into the hem, but I didn’t feel that was particularly flattering so I chopped it off.  Then I did some more work on my “Red Brolly” design Christmas stitchery.

Some more stitching added to this

Krazy Cow offers a commercial machine quilting service, and the owner was busy quilting a customer’s quilt, serving customers and making hot coffee as required.

Machine quilter in action

In between times I had a good look around the shop, there is a great selection of fabrics, notions and patterns on display.  I purchased some thread so I can get cracking and make new cushion covers for our new house.  And bought a lovely hot freshly brewed coffee to enjoy with my sandwiches for lunch.

The shop advertising says, “Take your time, enjoy your stay, have a chat, an espresso or hot chocolate and come back as often as you like. You will always be made to feel welcome”.  I can confirm that I was made very welcome indeed, and will certainly be returning regularly.