So how much is a bunch? I have 5 buildings done and am well on the way on a 6th. I gave up on parchment paper and switched to what I usually use which is called Totally Stable. I also found translucent foundation paper in my closet and that works pretty well. I think I bought it to use for paper piecing. I’m tempted to buy some of the things suggested by Laceflower and Gwyned on last week’s blog. I’ve never used Golden paper, but maybe it’s like tracing paper which I do have. I think I will buy some and try it out. I appreciate their suggestions in the comments last week. It never hurts to get a different perspective.
If you look closely at the photo you can see that I did not stitch down all the features. I think I want some to stitch down when I attach the buildings to the background fabric so the buildings are not just attached at their edges. I just don’t know!!!!!! I’ve never done it this way.
I know this is tedious work and sometimes I wonder how I’ve developed an ability to deal with things that are so tedious. I could attribute it to a few things.
- The long and hard problems I had to work out in grad school physics.
- The endless stacks of lab reports I had to grade over the years. Boy that was really tedious.
- Grading an exam in a class with 150 students where some of the questions were essays.
These were things I just gritted my teeth and did. That’s kind of how I feel now with this project. I have to keep plugging away and get it done. I haven’t tried using music or audible while doing this, but I should. At least this process is predictable. It’s not like trying to figure out how to paint vellum or how to splatter paint for snow. Those kind of things make me anxious. This at least does not make me anxious.
How do you deal with the tedious parts of quilting? What quilting things raise your anxiety level?
On a totally different note I'm thinking of getting a new sewing machine. Currently I have a Janome 9400 that I have never been completely happy with. I was happier with the 6500 I had before the 9400. Sometimes I wish I had stuck with that machine. I had a New Home machine before that. I loved that machine as well. I've had Janome machine for a long time now. I'm thinking about the Janome Continental M7. Does anyone own that machine? My husband is really for some reason pushing for it. I think I will go to my dealer and check it out next week. One of the troubles with upgrading is I will have to replace the top of my Sew Perfect table to accommodate the new machine which is also expensive. I know no machine is perfect, but the 9400 was aggravating at various points. I had to get special needles that would not skip stitches while quilting. I've never really been able to master free motion on this machine even though I was able to do it on the 6500.
Linking to Nina-Marie. https://ninamariesayre.blogspot.com/
Thanks for reading.
Chris
I am blown away. The buildings positively glow. What a surprise to receive a shout out in your post. Very kind of you. Golden Paper is similar tracing paper but comes in a roll. It is more sturdy than tissue paper so only rips unintentionally when being manhandled.
ReplyDeleteAt this point I find hand sewing bindings, facings, labels and sleeves the most tedious part of creating. I used to love the hand work, but as I age (turn 70 in a few months) my hand can only grip a needle for so long before cramping up. I listen to audio books. Blow through over 100 annually.
This is such a great piece, I'm glad you are back at it to get it finished. The tedious part for me is all the finishing: burying threads, facings, sleeve, label. Like you I just grit my teeth and soldier on. I'm a finisher so can't start something new until the last one is done. Sometimes I have the TV on but I'm barely paying attention or sometimes soft jazz. I listen to audio books daily but not while quilting, I can't divide my attention or I'll mess up. I used to have Janome 6000 and loved it, also have a Husqvarna that is a work horse and is now my back up machine. The Husky WILL NOT FREE MOTION. I kept the Janome for in person classes but, alas, it has gone to the junk yard as it will only straight stitch and is unfixable. Bought a Bernina 720 and then the dealer stopped supporting it. It does a lot, (I'm also a garment/home dec sewist) I've used it for quilting when the LArm wasn't a good choice for the piece and it quilts very well. Have fun machine shopping.
ReplyDeleteI think I've only used the Quilting paper for tracing a quilting design on and then quilting through. It does seem a bit different from tracing paper, a bit crisper and stronger while being easy to remove afterwards. Not so sure about how well it would hold up on the back as a stabilizer. I've had good luck with Sulky Totally Stable, liking the fact that you can iron it on like freezer paper but it is softer and easier to remove, although not quite as easy as the quilting paper. I'm thinking with your big project, that might get expensive to use.
ReplyDeleteI think I agree with the others about the most tedious parts of making a quilt. I'd add from my traditional piecing days, making dozens of the same or similar blocks can become tedious and I often refer to things like that as "grunt work" because it doesn't require any creative thinking or problem solving, just repetitive actions.
I often listen to an internet jazz station when in the studio. This particular one is billed as "laid back jazz" and it always surprises me how quickly my body relaxes when I put it on and how it seems to make my time in the studio go more smoothly as I don't tend to tense up or lose my patience and I don't find it distracting like an audio book. It's either that or classical music.
No suggestions on machines. You've already figured out part of the decision has to be linked to a dealership, and then knowing exactly what feature you need for the type of work you will be making it do. I tried out several different brands before going back to the one I'd been happy with for so long when I needed to upgrade for better free-motion quilting. I had to get a lot of embroidery stitches I seldom use but I'm glad I stuck with a brand I was familiar with (Viking/Husqvarna). The others I tried just didn't do it for me. And they all cost so much these days, you really need to be sure before you buy.