The Sewing Room

pennib

pennib do you have piccy of quilt? Im machining the blocks but want to hand sew the top! we shall see as it will be vast!![/QUOTE]

I have a picture on my blog, but I hadnt started to hand quilt it at that point. At the moment my fingers are suffering with multiple stabs (but no dna has dropped on it yet ) It is rather addictive quietly sewing while watching tv. Mine is a double and I'm doing it square by square and going around the edges of the quilt first, think it's going to be more difficult as I get into the middle.

rufusdog52

I have a picture on my blog, but I hadnt started to hand quilt it at that point. At the moment my fingers are suffering with multiple stabs (but no dna has dropped on it yet ) It is rather addictive quietly sewing while watching tv. Mine is a double and I'm doing it square by square and going around the edges of the quilt first, think it's going to be more difficult as I get into the middle.

Pennib - my fingers were raw when I first started quilting but I now use a normal metal thinble on the finger underneath the quilt for when I am pushing through to it and on the hand I hold the needle I have a leather kind of thimble which looks a bit like a bandaid with a bit of thread tied to each end to tie it round your finger. I put this on the second finger from my thumb (longest finger, dont know what it is called) and have it placed by the top knuckle, this then pushed the needle through the fabric without it going into my skin. The metal one underneath just catches the tip and pushes it back through save getting pin pricks. Hope this might help Rufus xx

Edit to add - I had never used a thimble before for sewing and took a while to get used to it but my fingers were so sore I wouldnt have been able to carry on without them. Now I use them all the time when quilting and have got quite used to it xx

In_Search_Of_Me

re quilting/sewing and thimbles...I have a variety but also use a cotton plaster which does help...I have small fingers so getting one to fit is tricky! Just found a rubbery one so will see how that goes when I get to the quilting bit! Have now done 3 strips of quilt and its coming on but some squares are a bit off so debating whether to leave it and have slightly wonky or unpick...decisions decisions!

PootleFlump_3

In_Search_Of_Me wrote: »

pootle lucky you...what did you buy?!

Hi ISOM, very strangely (and completely out of character) I didnt buy a thing!! I fully intended to buy loads of stuff but there wasnt really much there for machine sewing (although I really enjoyed the exhibitions and talks). There were a couple of fabric stalls but nothing that took my fancy (pretty boring stuff TBH.) It was mainly for hand embroidery, knitting and cross stitch. I did consider splurging on an embroidery machine but they didnt have any of those either (although probably just as well though as my OH has just announced tonight that my weeks of talking about the Silhouette SD machine has paid off and he is buying me one for my birthday. Woo hoo! Im sooo excited. :T)

pennib

Rufusdog; thanks for that tip I bought some new needles so I hope they are sharper than the ones I have and I also found 2 thimbles that are going on my fingers as they were throbbing last night! It will take a bit of getting used to but will have to persevere as my fingers will be twice the size if I dont!

ISOM: If the wonkyness is only slightly wonky I would leave it. Not all of my triangles meet. I was aiming for perfection but didn't get there. haha

nykied

I bought a thimble from a charity shop. They had about ten so I just tried them all until I found one that fit my twig fingers. I've not used it yet though.

rufusdog52

ISOM - I agree with pennib about the wonky squares, I think it adds character to the quilt if they are not all exactly uniform, cant wait to see it finished xx

I went up our town yesterday and bought a pretty double bed sheet in the charity shop, its white with orange flowers on it and is perfect for the back of one of my denim quilts, at £2 was a bargain for the fabric. Found another item in the next charity shop, a single bed duvet cover which was bright colours and looked like it was a patcwork with spotty patches if you know what I mean. That has backed another denim quilt.

I have two on the go, one is being hand quilted (I am doing quite large stitches, very primitive looking on every other square), other one is all pieced together with the backing pinned in place ready for the quilting. They are both really heavy, think they will be nice as throws like over a settee or something. One of the nieces is already at uni so would probs be ideal for her and one is due to go next year so same again.

I might cut some smaller denim squares out of what I have left for the next one, dont think it will matter if they get different style quilts. Think I will still need some more denim but will see how I go before getting any more in. Might even alternate one denim and one cotton square and see how it comes out.

hart44

Rufus I send a lot of my time scouting through the bedding at charity shops , I love it and have had loads of realy nice (sometimes new) sheets for the backs or cut up for my quilts.
I can't wait to see your denim quilts as they sound wonderful

avstar

Aw Rufus, my mum always sewed when we were little and I have memories watching her treadle away on the big old singer machine (which she still has :rotfl:), messing about with scraps of material.

She seemed to do loads of medning/altering and making for neighbours and hardly got anything for it. A woman asked her to alter tons of skirts & dresses once, and she spent days doing it all (plus working and looking after 3 children) as she could never say no, she got a box of choccies for it :eek:
Don't think people realise how time consuming (& boring) altering hems can be!

Loving the alternative names for "sewists" urgh!
Altho Pennib, you're fef not a jack of all trades, you're a Master of all trades!
Cheeswright - I think I'll let yu keep the tool name to yourself :rotfl:
And Pootle, yes I like seamstress, covers more than dressmaker IYSWIM.

wendym

One of my daughter's friends bought a strapless prom dress that was never going to stay in place, so I fixed it. When she asked my daughter how much she should pay me, I said I'd love a bar of chocolate to have with my afternoon cup of tea. She very sweetly found out that I drink Earl Grey, and gave me tea and chocolate, with a thank you card.

A week later, her father, a Very Senior figure in the cathedral, appeared at the door with an UNWASHED ripped night shirt and a box of the cheapest tea bags, saying he understood that this was 'the going rate'. I was so astonished I couldn't think of anything to say. I took it, washed it, mended it adequately rather then beautifully, and returned it with the tea and a note that he obviously took the hint from, as the episode was not repeated.