First round of applique done!

Tonight I finished my first round of applique - I got all of the circles onto my background fabric.  Next I have to applique all of the middles on.

I still have to trim the background fabric to be an exact fit for the circles - I wanted them to go from one corner to the other, so there's some trimming to do.  Here's a poorly lit iPod photo of my progress:

Appliqueing the circles made me wonder how on earth I'm going to quilt this thing.  I've never quilted a quilt this large.  I did make a queen sized quilt once, but I tied it instead of quilting it.  I'll figure it out...generations of women before me quilted on the machines I have in my basement.  Also, I appliqued using my Kenmore 52, which has a smaller harp than my Singers.  The bigger harp space might help too.

I'm getting ahead of myself, though.  First I have another round of applique to do along with basting...then I'll worry about the quilting part.

Back in the saddle

This morning I sat down at my machine and decided to do something I've been putting off for a while. 

I practiced free motion quilting.

I actually started last night, but got frustrated and stopped.  I hate being patient with my sewing.  I think it's because I have two little children who require patience and a job that requires patience, so in my down time when I sew I just want it to work.  I hate ripping out seams, I hate re-doing things, and I hate practicing.  But I knew that if I didn't do some practice that I'd be doing more seam ripping and more re-doing, so I grabbed some scrap fabric and batting and gave it a try. 

I'd just like to put a little disclaimer here that it's totally possible to sew on a cheap machine.  I've done it!  But without a stitch regulator or the appropriate foot, it's harder.  So if you have a cheap machine, don't give up.  Or, if you truly can't do it on your machine, go vintage before you drop a grand or more at the sewing machine shop.  Many of those old sewing machines are built to handle this type of thing...it just takes some know-how to get it to work.

I got the hang of it this morning and grabbed my quilt before I forgot how to do it.  I did a section of free motion quilting - about five inches by ten inches in the border of my quilt.  The stitches aren't all even but the tension is right.  I was so relieved that it was going better!

And then my needle broke.

Oh well - it was nice to put the project away after having experienced some success.  I'll change the needle and try it again later. 

First attempt

My first attempt at a Dresden plate block. The middle is wonky, but otherwise I think it's okay.

My machine

I work at an urban high school, and it's a pretty stressful job.  My husband is a stay-at-home dad and also works part-time at a bookstore, so there are nights that he's not home.  On those nights, when I'm stressed out and frazzled, this is the most relaxing sight I can see.

I took a leap and put my modern sewing machine up on a shelf.  I've been using my vintage machine exclusively for a couple of weeks.  I adore everything about it.

I adore its power.  I love how it powers through layers of quilting cotton, denim, or anything else I can throw at it.  I love the complicated path the upper thread takes through the machine.

I marvel at its tight, tiny, perfect stitches.  I love how I can drop the feed dogs and let up the tension on the foot and do free motion quilting.  I appreciate its quiet motor...especially when I'm sewing at 9 PM since my sewing area is right under my son's bedroom.  And I adore how I can do simple repairs and parts replacements.

And I really love the fact that someone else used and loved this machine before me, and now I'm continuing to take care of something that mattered to someone.  I wish I could know who she was and what she made.

I still want to keep my modern sewing machine...someday I'll get over my shyness and attend one of the sew days for my local modern quilt guild, and this machine is too heavy to lug around.  But at home I love using this machine.