Tuesday, August 18, 2015

The good, the bad, and the ugly

The machine quilting of this month's UFO is well under way. I am using my free motion quilting foot and making horizontal squiggly lines across the quilt following the braids.


The good: I love quilting a scrappy UFO and visiting the fabrics that I remember from the past. See that angel print under the needle? I really liked it, and it still makes me smile when I see it. 


The bad: Why did those two striped fabrics have to end up beside each other when I joined the braids together (in that first photo)?!? 


And there are only 5 pieces of this funky fabric in the entire quilt, so why did they end up touching each other instead of being scattered around?!?  It really annoys me that "random" layout doesn't mean "perfectly and evenly spaced". 


The ugly:  It gets a little tricky sometimes to follow the correct braid as I am quilting the wavy lines. 
On occasion I find myself missing a turn and I start stitching down the wrong braid. There have been a few U turns where I had to stop, pull out a few stitches, go back to the turn, and follow the correct braid. See where the pencil is? I should have stitched down the yellow chicken fabric but I missed the turn.
It's happening less now that I know to pay more attention at the turns.  Oh well, you'd really have to get your eyeballs up close to the quilt to notice the places where there are U turns, and if that's the worst of my quilting problems, I guess it's not so bad or ugly!
Linky Tuesday at Freemotion by the River

I'm hoping to finish the quilting, and get the binding on in time for Slow Sunday Stitching this weekend. But today I'm linking up to Free Motion by the River over at Connie's.

15 comments:

Quilting Babcia said...

I think that's the blessing of scrappy quilts - once they're finished and washed, nobody will ever notice those little oops moments while quilting. All they will see is all that scrappy goodness!

CathieJ said...

Someday I need to get a machine that can do free-motion quilting. I really like what you are doing. I do know what you mean about being frustrated when random doesn't always work. I am really anal about getting my "random" placement to not be near each other. Not really random then but it makes me happier.

Jo said...

I don't think these oopsies will be noticed.
I'm sure it will be great when finished, looks good now....

The Cozy Quilter said...

Focus on the good. Only you notice the Problem Areas....(well, now all of the people who read your blog will notice them too!). Just have fun getting this UFO done! It is a beautiful scrappy quilt, warts and all!

Julierose said...

Oh, I have to lean waaay down close when I am machine quilting (very bad eyesight have I) and even then I miss turns, too. But QAYG-ing (is that a word? Well it should be haha) does help a lot for me. Any big quilts that I might make in the future will be done using that method.
I think your quilting looks great!! Hugs, Julierose (nose on fabric gal)

swooze said...

Wonder if it would slow you down too much to use a small post it note or piece of painters tape to mark your turn spot.

Karen in Breezy Point said...

It seems like no matter how carefully I plan my settings, there is always at least one place where the same fabrics end up next to each other. Overall, I don't think the missed turns will show--another thing that happens to me all the time too!

Phyllis in Minnesota said...

Our scrap piecing should be called The Good, The Not So Good and The I'm Only Human.
Enjoy your quilting, Phyllis

Mary said...

Remember the galloping horse theory. It will all be just fine. and if you use it for a Nap, your eyes are closed.

Vroomans' Quilts said...

You just can't plan with scrappy - you just go with the flow. And I have lost my train of thought while quilting angles more than once. Don't sweat the small stuff.

Sheila said...

I agree with Sharon. I don't think others see our quilting "oopies" like we do . After a go in the washer and dryer, most all is forgiven anyway. By the way, LOVE your scrappy quilt, dear. So will the people that receive them.

Cathy said...

Love all the different fabrics!

Kyle said...

I've still have some of that angel fabric! Lots of wonderful fabrics in your quilt.

Carla A Few Of My Favorite Things said...

I think it adds a bit of charm when the fabrics end up not exactly where we think they should. I used to worry about it now I just go with it. The only free motion quilting I have done is that meandering and it makes my shoulders tense up. But after two quilts machine quilted this year I am getting more relaxed and comfortable! And you are so right not one will notice when it is finished!!!

Kate said...

Matching up a few fabrics in a scrappy quilt, especially in that layout would add a little interest I would think. It's probably more noticeable to you then it would be to someone seeing the quilt for the first time.