Quilting Progress and an Update

I am a bit late giving an update on my progress during the Spring Winter Sewing Party I participated in this past Saturday so here it is.

At the previous Genesee Valley Quilt Club meeting I picked up a comfort quilt kit so I could practice quilting.  I am not new to sewing so piecing the quilt top was not a challenge, but I haven’t done much quilting yet and wanted to have something to try out my skills on.  I also recently purchased a Free Motion Assistant with Quilters Cruise Control.  After taking a class in free motion quilting I realized that this device would make the quilting process easier.  Even with the Free Motion Assistant it still takes a lot of practice to improve your skills.  I can still be a bit jerky, but as I have moved along I am definitely seeing an improvement.

This comfort quilt is intended for a child so when I saw these cute continuous line animal charm patterns in a book I borrowed from my mother, I knew I had to include them in the quilt.

Comfort Quilt Progress

In the green squares I am attempting to quilt loop-de-loops around the big circles and then continue with a more free form loop-de-loop pattern in the red polka dot squares. I am not always as smooth in the green squares, but I am getting better as I progress.

Comfort Quilt Progress

I am using a Sulky green variegated thread for both the top and bobbin threads. When I was quilting on Saturday I was having some problems with tension, but after fiddling for a while I was able to resolve the issue. This slowed down my progress, but I am pleased with how far I have gotten and I love the way the charms look in the plain yellow squares.

Comfort Quilt Detail

The next GVQC meeting is March 11th and my goal is to have the quilting completed by then so I can turn it in.

In other news…Recently I posted about the Knitting Tote and accessories I made for my sister Colleen’s birthday and wanted to let you know that she was over the moon with excitement about the bag and all the goodies that came with it.  Okay, that may be a bit of an exaggeration, but she really liked it!   She also sent me a picture of one of her recent knitting projects that I thought I would share with you.

Knitted Christmas Stocking by Colleen

What a cute Christmas stocking.  She gives these away to friends that have had a new baby so they can use it for the first Christmas.  I don’t know much about knitting, but I do like the details of the striped part and the scalloped edge with the little bells at the top.

Today I received another picture from Colleen. It appears that Kip, one of her cats, is over the moon with excitement about the tote bag and accessories, too!

Kip the Kitty

Well, anyone that has or has had a cat knows that any bag that is lying around is fair game for exploring and anything soft and cuddly could also be mistaken for a toy. I hope Kip enjoys his “new toys”, but please don’t tear anything to shreds.