Free Motion Fiasco

Yesterday and today I worked on my quilt for the January doll quilt swap.


The theme for the January swap is "snow".  I had in mind to do one pattern, but as I looked at it more closely, I realized the quilt was going to be too large, and so I moved on to Plan B.  No problem there.  I can't show you the whole quilt.  I don't know if my partner reads my blog or not, so I'm playing it safe and giving you the same peek I'm giving her.  I'm calling this quilt "Sled Ready".  

Enticing, no?  I still need to hand sew the binding, but I should be able to finish that no later than tomorrow, and then put it in the mail to her by Thursday.

I can tell you that I copied a snow motif that my long arm quilter, Erin, used when she quilted the January block of the Home is Where the Heart Is quilt.

I really liked the way she managed to quilt snowflakes while still using a continuous line motif.  I was able to copy her design without too much trouble.

Then I found a mitten motif in this book by Laura Fritz called  250 More Continuous Line Quilting Designs.

I like her designs because they can be quite elaborate, like the ones pictured on the cover; and there are also simpler designs that an artist as terrible as I am can actually draw.  I decided to go for broke and quilted the mittens into the border of my quilt along with more snowflakes.  Well....I was only partially successful making them look like mittens.  A few look like mittens.  Most look something like anatomical drawings of stomachs.  Oh well.  I tried.

Nevertheless, I was congratulating myself for the job I did on the quilting when I flipped the quilt over to look at the back.  Oh my.

How I didn't notice this was happening is a testament to my concentration on trying to make my mittens look like mittens.  I managed to let the quilt back get quilted under in not just one, but three spots.  Crap.  I briefly considered turning my rotary cutter on my own throat, but then I came to my senses when I remembered how many baby items I have to sew for my not-yet-conceived grandchild.  You know.  The one I seriously need.

So that was disappointing.  I ripped it all out and redid it after spending approximately five minutes practicing all the bad words I know.  Yes, all of them.

Speaking of bad words, I just have to share something with you that I've had in my sewing room for a while. Recently, I got it in my head that I wanted a magnetic bulletin board.  It was right after I won the wine cork magnets in a recent giveaway.

I've always had some cork strips on the walls of my sewing room where I pinned little doodads, cards, and other stuff.  When I won these magnets, I started thinking an actual magnetic bulletin board would be nice.  I found this one at the Container Store.  The cut-outs are places where things can be pinned, and then the silver parts are metallic, and therefore, magnetic.  Cool.  Perfect for what I wanted.  

So...all of that to say that as I was taking down the things that were pinned to my cork strips, I came across something I printed from the Straight Stitch Society a while back.  It's the Straight Stitch Society Manifesto.

I hope you can read that.  If not, you can see it right here, and you can print your own copy.  Very cute.  I especially like #7.  It was definitely a potty mouth day for me.

How about you?  Did your sewing lead you to swearing or suicidal thoughts today?