I was really touched by all the wonderful comments and advice I got on my last post. It was wonderful to have all that experience to draw on. And as you can see I took all the advice offered! From Spotlight I bought this lovely organic cotton batting, Gautermann quilting thread, some special quilting pins (which must be made of gold judging by the price!) and just for good measure some quilt basting spray (hell it was only $15).
I also got some green flannel which was on special. Again the photos don't do it justice. It's a wonderful yellowy green. Of course I forgot to take any samples fabrics with me and the range was quite limited, but I like the pastel of this which I think will complement the white. I was relieved when I got it home that it is a good match for the shades of green in the quilt. It's not wide enough so I'll have to join some pieces.
Later I went back to the sewing machine shop and bought a walking foot as Rita of Red Pepper Quilts suggested. I'd already bought a free motion quilting foot so this afternoon I could experiment with both straight and free motion quilting.
I'm not sure I have the confidence or nerve for a large area of free quilting yet. I can see how you'd get the hang of it but it felt a little out of control to me, like a race against the clock! And it doesn't feel like you're actually sewing.
I love the quilting effect. So thank you all again for your help. You've helped me get past my mental block and I feel much more prepared and excited about the next stage.
I've been thinking about giving quilting a go. Sounds like an expensive set up tho!
ReplyDeleteHi Sherrin,
ReplyDeleteThat's a good point. You're right, it is an investment in time and money and its good to know that before you start.
Some of the equipment I've bought to make the quilt I won't need to buy again if I make another. And since I made the decision a while ago not to spend money on a new sewing machine but to get my old one fixed I don't feel bad about investing in the special feet attachments. They were about $25-30 each. I'm sure you could make a quilt without them.
The fabric and the batting aren't cheap. I've probably spent over $150 on these. And while you could easily save money on this I'm a fabricaholic and really enjoyed the excuse to buy small pieces of lots of designs. I'm sure you could buy cheaper fabrics for your quilt.
I'm hoping the quilt I end up making will be an heirloom that really means something to me and my daughter who I'm making it for.
Those special safety pins though were $20 for about 50 pins! Luckily I didn't realise this till I was out of the shop. I spent too much on them!