Tuesday 23 June 2009

What I've been up to

After soaking the shaped bits of batting off the white wholecloth, I went to use some fresh sateen. I measured it against the master paper pattern, doubled the length, added a bit more and tore off the length. Then I discovered the other sateen I hoped to use wasn't wide enough. At this point I realise this quilt is fighting me more than any other. I had planned to wash out the original and use it perhaps for backing this (backing hasn't been decided yet). Too impatient to order more, or even to wash out the remainder of the marking pens, I'm just using it as is. I know it will wash out when (if?) this quilt is finished but it's not too pretty to look at whilst I'll be quilting it.
Here I'm showing you what I'm using on this particular quilt to hold it still whilst I'm marking. Because the sateen is only semi opaque I can trace through without using the light table. If you look carefully in the bottom left you can even see some of the design in the photo. The paper pattern is held onto the table with several of the white clips you see on the right. They are made to hold tablecloths on outdoor tables (very Martha Stuart, but I have a life). I use these and the other clamps to hold the fabric in place over the master.
Not wanting to get that bl**dy grid wrong a third time (or is it fourth?). I resorted to marking it out on the bedroom floor (you can see to my shame, I haven't got round to making the skirt for the new bed). Firstly I pinned the fabric to the carpet but soon discovered this fouled the ruler. I use the word ruler very loosely, it is a length of cable trunking from a diy store. This was the longest straight edge I could find..I ended up using masking tape. Our thick carpet present yet more problems. If I crawled over the fabric, it distorted into the pile. You can't see but in the foreground to the right it buts right up against the bottom of the wardrobes. This meant for each end of each line I had to climb over the bed. There are 64 lines in each direction. At this point I'd only traced the outer square and the outer circle. I put a little cross in alternate diamonds to make absolutely sure this time, it WILL work!!!!!

And I've been contemplating my Heide Stoll Weber fabrics. I have several ideas, just want to see which fabrics would work with each idea. These two on the right might well be another strippy (or they might not, nothing is written in stone until they are cut)

And because they are so very different from each other, I need to be able to see a goodly amount of each one to make a decision. These stayed like this on the bedroom floor for 3 or 4 days, until I took pity on DH trying not to tread on them when he's been getting ready for work. I do wonder if he ever thinks he could have married someone more 'normal' but then 27 years later, I think he must have got used to it by now.

1 comment:

  1. The day my husband came home to see me in a respirator with my glasses and wearing a plastic shower cap and rubber gloves (because I decided to multi-task and dye my hair while doing some dirty chore) and all he said was "Hey, I'm home", I knew that could take over any space, do anything to any surface of the house or wear anything and it's wound never bother him at all!

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