Row by row -

 

 

Three little words - 

 

Was all it took - 

 

To get me going on my Happy Trails - 

 

BOB kept telling me - 

 

It doesn't matter - 

 

Just do it - 

 

But the three magic words were - 

 

Row by row - 

 

So I doodled some more- 

 

And split it into two passes - 

 

The first one from left to right - 

 

And the second one from right to left - 

 

Row by row - 

 

 

Once I had it figured out - 

 

I split the top row into sections - 

 

So I could tell "at a glance" where to go - 

 

And the second pass will get me back to the beginning of the next row - 

 

Row by row - 

 

There are only four of them - 

 

And it only measures 32" x 40" - 

 

So it took me longer to decide WHAT to do - 

 

Than it did to actually DO it -

 

Once I got started - 

 

It only took me about 40 minutes -  

 

The tension could be better - 

 

But it's quilted - 

 

And the texture is great - 

 

It'll look even better after it's washed - 

I still need to take the zippers off - 

And get it bound - 

But that's for another day - ;))

 

 

 

Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew - 

More doodling -

 

 

And playing with some designs - 

For my Happy Trails - 

I found one I like for the light sections - 

 

But I didn't know what to do in the darker areas - 

 

Unless I did the same thing in both - 

 

 

Then I realized that my "workspace" - 

 

Might not allow me to quilt one "snail" at a time anyway - 

 

So I would probably be better off - 

 

Finding a pattern that is "doable" block by block - 

 

And I fell back on the basic "orange peel" - 

 

With some loops in the middles - 

 

 

It's simple -

 

And the 4-patches and big squares are in a continuous line - 

 

But I'll have to play with the connecting parts - 

 

I don't want to get myself in a spot - 

 

Where I have to "travel" along a seam line - 

 

To get to where I need to be -

 

Unless necessary -

 

And now - 

 

Looking at the top photo - 

 

I might be able to get that to work - 

 

Block by block - 

 

If I play with it a little - ;))

 

 

 

Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew - 

 

The second set of strata -

 

 

For my Upstairs/Downstairs - Marigold - 

 

The one on top - 

 

May look a lot like the first set of strata - 

 

The one on bottom -

 

But that's because the top strip in each set is the same - 

 

I used four 20-strip rolls - each with 20 different fabrics - 

 

So each fabric will be in two different sets of strata - 

 

That's one thing I like about this pattern - 

 

There is enough "duplication/repetition" to make it cohesive - 

 

And enough "variety" to make it interesting - 

 

And this bunch of strips has some gorgeous colors - 

 

Perfect for Spring! -

 

And - no - I haven't forgotten about Happy Trails - 

 

It's still on the frame - 

 

But it hasn't told me yet what it wants me to do -

 

If it has something in mind - 

 

I sure wish it would share - soon - ;))

 

 

 

Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew - 

 

Sewing -

 

 

Today I sewed a set of strata - 

 

For my Upstairs/Downstairs - Marigold - 

 

 

Last month I sorted the strips - 

 

And put them on a cookie sheet - 

 

So they were ready to go - 

 

Sewing one set was a nice diversion - 

From trying to choose some quilting designs - 

For my Happy Trails - 

 

I'll come up with something - 

 

But I'm in no hurry - 

 

And I have plenty to keep me busy in the meantime - ;))

 

 

 

Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew - 

 

Fiddling -

 

 

Today I fiddled with more doodling - 

 

For my Happy Trails -  

 

But I didn't get anywhere - 

 

 

Then I put a "sheet protector" on the quilt top-

And doodled on that - 

Thinking that the quilting on the WHITE areas would be most noticeable - 

 

But I still didn't get anywhere -

 

This "e - e - l - l - l - e - e " design is easy enough - 

But constantly changing direction might get confusing - 

And getting the spacing right will be challenging - 

 

So maybe a "flower" would work better -

Or "claws" - or "swirls" - or "paisleys" - or whatever - 

 

 

I know there is "something" that will be "perfect" - 

 

I just don't know what that "something" is yet -  

It's one of those "I'll know it when I see it" things - 

So I have to keep looking - 

And I have a bunch of books to look through for inspiration -

Anyway - 

 

After a while -

 

I got tired of fiddling with that - 

 

So I decided to change "mode" - 

 

And pulled out another jelly roll -

 

For a new project - 

 

This might make a good Bargello - 

 

Or a Trip Around the World -

 

I have two rolls of 40 (2 each of 20 different fabrics) - 

 

And the rolls are already "shaded" for me - 

 

Or I could get back to this one - 

 

An Interweave - 

 

Or I could get back to playing with the Hearts -

 

For my Memory Quilt - 

Or I could "fix" the quilting on my Imperial Bargello - 

 

Because I really don't like the YELLOW on the BLACK/GRAY backing - 

That's one advantage of having several different things - 

 

Going on at once - 

If one isn't "working" for me -

Maybe something else will - ;))

Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew - 

More -

 

 

Chores today - 

 

And a little more doodling - 

 

 

But nothing exciting -

 

So I'll try again tomorrow - ;))

 

 

 

Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew - 

 

More pondering -

 

 

Today I decided to work up an EQ version - 

 

Of my Happy Trails -

 

Printed out a copy - 

 

 

Made a copy of the copy - 

 

And doodled a bit - 

Some designs fit the spaces better than others - 

 

And there are SO many different options - 

 

Next I want to try to come up with something - 

 

That will fill the bigger "snails" - ;))

 

 

 

Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew - 

Pondering -

 

 

What to quilt - 

 

On my Happy Trails - 

 

 

I spent most of the day doing "chores" - 

 

So I didn't ponder much - 

 

But tomorrow I will have more time to ponder - 

 

And should be able to come up with something - ;))

 

 

 

Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew - 

 

More testing -

 

 

After I loaded the backing - 

 

And basted down the batting - 

 

For my Happy Trails - 

 

 

I tested the tension on a scrap - 

 

At the top left corner - 

 

So that it was easy to unzip to check the back side - 

 

I fiddled a little - 

 

And liked the setting - 

 

That gave me the last vertical line on the right - 

 

No GREEN "pokies" from the bottom - 

 

And no WHITE "pokies" from the top - 

 

So tomorrow I'll baste down the top - 

 

And continue on - 

 

In case you're wondering why I loaded the batting off-center - 

 

There is a flaw in the backing fabric on the lower left side - 

I had already attached the zippers - 

And didn't want to redo them - 

So I scooted the whole thing over to the right-hand side to avoid the flaw - 

 

You'll laugh - 

 

With all of my attention lately on getting good "tension" - 

 

I forgot that I have to decide WHAT design I want to quilt - 

 

So I'll add that to my "to do" list tomorrow - ;))

 

 

 

Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew - 

Testing -

 

 

The tension was on the agenda today - 

 

So I made a "practice" sandwich -

With two layers of white fabric -

And a scrap of my 80/20 batting - 

Wound a GREEN bobbin - 

 

And put WHITE thread in the top - 

 

Then stitched a bit - 

 

 

No GREEN thread showing on the top -

That's good - 

 

But with the WHITE fabric on the bottom - 

I can't really tell if I have WHITE "pokies" or not - 

 

So I made another adjustment - 

Just for fun - 

 

And still no GREEN on top - 

So that's good - 

 

And I still can't tell if I have WHITE "pokies" or not - 

 

I think I'm on the right track -

 

But the true test will be - 

 

What it looks like on the "real thing" - 

 

So tomorrow I'll baste the zippers on the backing - 

 

Load my Happy Trails - 

 

And see - ;))

 

 

 

Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew - 

 

Trimmed -

 

 

Today I took advantage -

 

Of the kitchen island being cleared off - 

 

And trimmed my Imperial Bargello - 

 

 

I still have to trim the trimmings - 

 

And cut the binding strips - 

 

But that will get done in time -

 

I also watched some "troubleshooting tension" videos -

 

And think that switching to a WHITE backing - 

 

Would be the easy way out -

 

 

I should bite the bullet - 

 

Use the GREEN backing that I already chose - 

 

And at least try to get the tension to work - 

 

With GREEN thread in the bobbin - 

 

And WHITE thread on the top -

 

So that I'm more comfortable using different colored threads - 

 

On the top and in the bobbin - 

 

So that's on the agenda for tomorrow - ;))

 

 

 

Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew - 

 

Plan B -

 

 

To solve my thread choice problem - 

 

On my Happy Trails - 

 

Was to switch the backing to WHITE - 

 

Use WHITE thread - 

 

And a WHITE binding with a GREEN flange -

 

Then the thread would look good on the top AND the bottom -

 

And I wouldn't have to worry about "pokies" on either side -  

 

But that wouldn't REALLY solve my problem - 

 

Which is getting the TENSION correct -

 

SOOOOOOOO - 

 

Plan C - 

 

Watch some recommended "troubleshooting tension issues" videos -

 

Learn how to do that "properly" - 

 

And get in the habit of testing/adjusting the tension regularly - 

 

Rather than relying on whatever the setting was - 

 

The last time I quilted something - ;))

 

 

 

Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew - 

 

Planning -

 

 

How to "label" my Hearts - 

 

And how to applique them - 

 

To what size block - 

 

And what to play with next - 

 

Took up most of a lazy day - 

 

I think I want to quilt this one next - 

 

Happy Trails - 

 

It's only about 32" x 40" - 

So it probably won't take me that long - 

And it will be one more off the "to do" list - 

I found a pretty GREEN for the backing - 

 

 

But now the question is what color of thread to use? - 

 

If I use WHITE - it will look good on the top and show on the back - 

 

If I use GREEN - it will show on the front and blend in on the back -

 

If I use a VARIEGATED GREEN - it will fade in and out on both - 

 

Or I COULD use all three -

 

The GREEN in the bobbin - 

 

And the other two on the top - 

 

Decisions - decisions - ;))

 

 

 

Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew - 

 

Moving along -

 

 

With making the Scrap Card and Heart - 

 

For my Imperial Bargello - 

 

 

I took it off the frame - 

 

And removed the zippers - 

 

It's all folded up now - waiting to be trimmed - 

 

I used a light YELLOW thread in the bobbin - 

 

And I don't really like how it shows up on the black/grey backing -

 

But it's too late now - 

 

I guess I'll have to pay more attention to choosing the backing - 

 

And/or thread - 

 

If I want the thread to blend on the front AND the back - ;))

 

 

 

Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew - 

More steps -

 

 

And I was quilting away - 

 

On my Imperial Bargello - 

 

I chose to quilt the "wavy lines" again - 

 

Since it worked so well on my RED Squirrel -

 

 

And before I knew it - 

 

I was done - 

 

I LOVE the fabrics in this one - 

This was supposed to be my "diversion" - 

While I was "thinking" about my Memory Quilt - 

 

But it obviously didn't last long -

 

So now I need to take it off the frame - 

And load another one - 

 

I don't usually quilt a whole quilt at one "sitting" - 

 

But I was on a roll - 

 

And I did think about how I could "label" my Hearts - 

 

So I'll experiment with that soon -

 

Oh - I almost forgot - 

 

Since this will post on March 17th -

 

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!! - ;)) 

 

 

 

Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew - 

 

Some steps -

 

 

Are bigger than others - 

 

But as long as they are going forward - 

 

That's what counts - 

 

So I loaded the backing - 

 

For my Imperial Bargello - 

 

 

And I cut the batting - lengthwise - 

But left it full width - 96" - just in case - to be trimmed later -

And loaded that - 

 

Then I smoothed out the top - 

Which is 80" long - sideways - 

 

And was surprised at how close it is to the edge of the leader cloths - 

 

It's probably just my imagination - 

But my Upstairs/Downstairs tops are also 80" long - 

And they don't seem to cut it so close - 

 

Anyway - 

I basted the batting - 

And stitched the first line of quilting at the top - 

 

I didn't bother to trim off the selvages from the strips - 

I'll do that later since I didn't see any point in trimming the top twice -  

To line it up -

I paid more attention to the seam lines than I did the edge -

 

Then I dug out the baggie of scraps - 

 

So I can play with making the Scrap Card and Heart - 

 

The bottom left corner has trimmings 1/2" or less - 

So they will be perfect for the Scrap Card - 

 

The top left corner has larger ones - for the Heart - 

Moving right along - ;))

Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew -