Friday, February 10, 2012

Random

Just a few random thoughts/questions/wonderings for you today!

1. Half Square Triangles - this is what my HSTs look like when I sew them. See how it has quite a bit of a wave to it? Mine are always like this, they never lay flat. Then, when sliced into two and pressed, they still don't lie totally flat. See how the fabric sort of bubbles up at the points where the seam is? Is this normal? Is there something I could do to improve my HSTs? It makes seaming them together a little tricky sometimes.


2. I REALLY want to try this. A "Linding" - label and binding in one! I've been playing around with my machine's alphabets and still have some tweaking to do, but I think this is so cool!! I saw this on the blog "from blank pages" and received her permission to share it. Does anyone else think this is as cool as I do???

DSC_0082

3. Free Motion Quilting - I have made a very preliminary first attempt!! Asides from it feeling totally awkward and my twirls and swirls are completely random and I felt like I couldn't really direct them at all, I thought that it didn't look too bad!! Until, I looked at the back. Ugh. I had my feed dogs down (I know some prefer it with feed dogs up) and I tried to change my stitch length to 0 but it would only go as small as 0.2 so that's what I did. Any tips?? I'm thinking this is a tension issue but who really knows??!! The top two photos in this collage show the front and the bottom two show the back. What do you think?


4. I'm thinking of joining Pinterest. Am I the last one to join? Do you love it, dislike it, or are you meh about it? I have been using Evernote, which I actually really really like and will continue to use, but the concept of Pinterest is a neat one in that you can get inspiration from so many other people's stuff and not just your own favourites. Hmmm.

Alright, that's about it for me today! I finished the quilt top for my mini challenge quilt and it is super cute. :)

16 comments:

Jennifer Wingard said...

I'm guessing, since it's mostly "eyelashing" on curves, you're probably just moving too quickly around the curves. You might also want to try switching to a larger needle (like a 16 or 18). It really helped fix what I had thought were tension issues with my FMQ. Good luck!!

Jennifer Wingard said...

Oh...about the HST's. I'm not sure if it makes a difference or not, but when I make mine, I don't press the seams open (this is the exception to my press seams open rule). I put the lighter fabric against the ironing board, lift the top, darker fabric and fold back over the seam and press it that way, so the seam is always pressed to one side. Doesn't seem to cause as much stretching...probably just because you're tugging at the bias of the fabric if you're pressing that seam open.

Don't know if it'll fix your problem, but I suppose it's probably worth a shot.

Kate said...

1. Are you cutting on the grain? I don't know - mine never look like that! (Helpful, I know.)
2. That's COOL!
3. No advice - I avoid FMQ like the plague.
4. I am the only person in the world who doesn't use Pinterest. I'm afraid I would get lost in there and never get off the couch!

amy said...

the eyelashes on the back could be from going around those curves at the wrong speed, like previous poster mentioned, orrrr they could actually be an indication that your top tension is too loose - try tightening it, or loosening bobbin tension (if you have that option) and see if that affects it. i don't ever remember to change my stitch length; i don't think it makes a diff since your feed dogs are down. at least, not on mine, as i have compared some with and without changing the length setting. do you have a bernina? if so, try threading through the little hole in the bobbin to help with tension. otherwise, looks really good for a first try!! congrats!!

i feel dorky that i'm commenting on quilting blogs at 11pm on a friday night. but it's only because my husband is at the grocery store, getting the ingredients for chocolate martinis... :D

Kelli Fannin Quilts said...

I love Pinterest.. you should def. join and try it out! I have tried FMQ just a couple of times and had the same results as you on the back. Haven't figured out why. Love the "Linding" idea.

Debbie said...

Hey - I have no idea about the hst, but am curious! And the "Linding" is very cool. I agree that your fmq is due to your irregular speed - it'll probably get better as you get more comfortable. I also find, depending on the thread I use, I may need a different needle. I have the feeddogs down & ignore the stitch length - your speed determines that....and Pinterest - love it! I especially like it for 'storing' quilting ideas. Maybe Evernote is similar....I've never heard of it...

felicity said...

I think the HST issue (that happens to me, too) is that you're sewing your seam on the bias, which stretches the fabric. Can you adjust the pressure on your presser foot? That could help.

Leslie said...

I want to try that linding, so very cool and thank you for sharing!!!
Pinterest? YES...GO RUN and sign up now!!! LOVE IT!

Anonymous said...

I can't help you with any of your questions, unfortunately! But the one thing I've heard is that Pinterest is very addicting and can suck a lot of time...but also fun! So join at your own risk :)
~CJ

✾Jamie Lee Cooley✾ said...

My HSTs sometimes look like that, too, but a few weeks ago someone suggested using starch and since I've starched the heck out of my fabric, my HSTs don't seem to be as wonky. But most often mine are not perfect.

As far as the FMQ, I've had terrible eyelashing before, but rethreading my machine and reinserting the bobbin usually helps and also keeping a consistent speed. Don't slow down on the curves. If your machine has adjustable speed, put it in the middle and put the pedal to the metal!

Toni said...

Unfortunately, I'm of no help on half these issues. My HSTs almost always get funky, but maybe starch would help? My fmq looks like that a lot, but I agree that I think it is due to your speed/turning too quickly. The "linding" looks like a cool idea, and I adore Pinterest. When I first joined I found that I spent way too much time exploring it, but not any more. I love having all my inspiration in one place, neatly organized. I have actually done a lot more of the things that I have pinned than before when I was just bookmarking them.

Unknown said...

I will echo what everyone has said about fmq, you're probably moving too quickly through the curves. Everyone does it. :) I would also tighten up the top tension a bit. And feel free to experiment with feed dogs up, different stitch length, etc. Different things work for different people and machines!

HST....I try to always, always, always piece with a walking foot (really I prefer to do all sewing w a walking foot!). Esp. HST b/c it's on the bias. In fact, I am putting off my sparkle quilt until I get the right foot for my machine. Also, I make mine a bit big and trim them down. That seems to help.

I love pinterest!

Jenelle said...

I would guess that with the HSTs the bias is probably getting stretched as it goes through the machine (either by the sewing mechanism or by hand). I have noticed this sometimes happens to me when chain piecing. What does your fabric look like after you sew the first seam off of your line (before you flip and sew down the other side)? Is that first seam smooth?

Holly said...

That linding is very neat! I'm going to pin it right now. Yes, that means I'm completely addicted to Pinterest and think it's definitely worth signing up! Take a look at my "quilts I love" board here: http://pinterest.com/myredbike/quilts-i-love/

Lucy | Charm About You said...

You've had good advice about the fmq. I love the linding - very cool! I do not and will not pin - cannot be sucked into any other internet time sucker!!

Izzy said...

For the HSTs, I do get those waves once in a while, but I find that if I press the square before separating the 2 HSTs flattens everything nicely. Once cut, I also press the seam to one side from the top making sure I don't "pull" on the fabric at all.