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Tuesday, August 11, 2020

Tuesday To-Do List: Finish All the Stuff I Didn't Get Done Last Week

Good morning and Happy Tuesday!  My post for today's Long Arm Linky party got awfully long, so I thought it would be best to put my To Do's and Ta-Done's in a separate post this week.  Without further ado:  

Last Week's To-Do List:

  • Stay on top of the linky party and continue to spread the word to other machine quilters.  Get the linky post written and scheduled to publish in advance.
  • Finish the three remaining in-progress blocks for my MMBB quilt before I clear off my cutting table.
  • Trim excess batting & backing from Spirit Song
  • Digitize, machine embroider & attach a label to the back of Spirit Song
  • Make & machine stitch binding to the front of Spirit Song
  • Start hand stitching binding to the back of Spirit Song
  • Order a new ruler base for my Millie (because my current ruler base will no longer fit, once the thread cutter has been removed)
  • Well, I got SOME of that stuff done!  My linky party post was finished and scheduled for publication by mid-afternoon yesterday (you can find that post HERE if you'd like to link up with us!).  I finished two of the three in-progress blocks for Anders' MMBB sampler quilt, and I got well into the piecing of the third block last night:


    I also got my 2" binding strips cut for The Quilt Formerly Known as Spirit Song (binding strips are at left in the photo above), decided to rename that quilt Sermon Scribbles instead, and digitized and machine embroidered my quilt label:


    A few words about that: I know some of you will be disappointed that I changed the name of Spirit Song, but it just didn't feel like the right name for this quilt.  "Spirit Song" sounds like there is some deep, lofty meaning to the quilt, but it's just a lot of HSTs and a LOT of custom quilting.  It's not some crowning achievement that speaks to the world about any song in my soul, it's just a quilt I made to practice long arm quilting, a quilt that happened to be in the colors that our contemporary choir at church (Spirit Song) wears frequently.  However, I did furtively sketch out the quilting designs for this quilt on my iPad over the course of several weeks' worth of sermons, while sitting up at the front of the church with the rest of the choir and fooling no one into thinking I was taking notes on the sermon...  So the new name "Sermon Scribbles" feels like a better fit to me, since this one is really all about the quilting designs -- my sermon scribbles -- anyway.  

    Those little Saran Wrap-looking bits inside some of the lettering are washaway embroidery stabilizer, by the way -- they will dissolve in the first washing of the quilt.  I used 60/2 cotton embroidery thread to stitch the design, same hot pink thread in the needle as well as in the bobbin, with one layer of water soluble stabilizer on top and one layer of tearaway stabilizer underneath.  I used my Bernina 750QE's hoop basting feature to stitch that rectangular box of basting stitches around the label before embroidering the text, and then I trimmed 1/4" away from the basting stitches so I could use them as a guide for the edges of my label.  

    This Week's To-Do List:

    • Finish that 15" orange block with the flying geese for Anders' sampler quilt
    • Trim the edges of my Sermon Scribbles quilt
    • Applique my label to the back of Sermon Scribbles
    • Make binding for Sermon Scribbles, machine stitch to front of quilt & hand stitch to the backing
    • Wash Sermon Scribbles and take that quilt out for a photo shoot!
    • Piece backing for tumbler outreach top (next in line for quilting!)

    My new acrylic ruler base was shipped from APQS in Iowa yesterday and should be here by the end of the week.  It looks just like my old one except that it's not quite as wide and it's designed to fit machines without thread cutters:


    I'm also planning to order a different type of ruler base from Donita Darlington's Lakeside Quilting that I found out about through the APQS forum, one that is designed like an extended aluminum stitch plate that screws into the needle plate holes of the machine and has beveled edges that are supposed to slide under the side clamps better without getting hung up on them, but the small business that makes them needs me to mark my machine's needle hole on their cardboard template so they can drill the hole in my ruler base plate in exactly the right spot.  I still haven't gotten their template in the mail yet, so it will be awhile before I actually have that RulerMate base for my machine.  


    I'm looking forward to trying both ruler base styles to see which one I prefer, and I suspect that there are going to be certain quilts where I want the Hartley base that goes on and off quickly, and others where I prefer the low profile, smaller footprint, and stability of Donita's screw-on RulerMate design.  By the way, Donita quilts on Gammill machines herself and she sells versions of this ruler base for most major long arm machine manufacturers.  

    Alright, that's it for today!  I'm linking up today's post with To-Do Tuesday at Home Sewn By Us.

    6 comments:

    1. I like the new name of the quilt!! it sounds more like you :)

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    2. Wow, your husband has been busy, well done that man. Why is it engineers have to hit things with a hammer? My son was an electronic engineer and computer nerd and he often used a hammer (gently) :-)

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    3. Hi Rebecca! I think you can name your quilt any darn thing you want. It is a fitting name and after all the work, time, sweat, tears, and thought you've put into it, Sermon Scribbles is perfect. I'm glad you explained the little white specs on the label. I thought it was my eyes! HAHA! Interesting that there are two different ruler bases. I look forward to seeing how the trials go with each one. Thanks for linking up today. ~smile~ Roseanne

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    4. I agree with the name change, too, and am looking forward to seeing "Sermon Scribbles" bound and washed. :)

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    5. Be careful when you order from Donita. She stopped selling years ago but Website is still up. Be on the safe side and call her first. I do have this ruler base for my Gammill (ordered many years ago), love it to bits. Good luck. I hope she is still selling this. Cheers.

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    6. I love the title of your post about finishing up last week's list! It seems that my weeks vary: one week I'm up on the technological side of things, one week I'm the mad sewist! I have to tell you I so admire LAQs! You wonderful people magically turn my quilt tops into cuddles for the family! :)
      I'm glad you started a Linky Party for LAQs - I've not seen one like this before! I hope it grows so that there will be a fabulous forum to share!

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