Saturday 3 May 2014

Sapphire Stars Quilt - more quilting.


Since I last posted I feel as if I have achieved little but looking at these photos I realise I have actually done quite a lot.   This quilt has been very slow going and has had me pulling my hair out at times.


When you last saw it, I had worked the borders and was pretty happy with them.




 I completely changed my plan of how I was going to quilt this.

This was my original doodle but instead I used two dinner plates to draw around for the circles but because of my tiny machine I had to do everything in small sections.


 So far, so good.........

 This is the center of one of the nine patch blocks.



 Halfway through, for some reason, my quilt started to sag in the middle and I couldn't get a good tension on it.  I unpinned the quilt top from the bottom bar 3 times to try and fix it.  I have no idea why this happened and can only put it down to my (inaccurate (didn't think I was that bad lol ) piecing).
This frame quilting malarkey is certainly a steep learning curve but I was disappointed and annoyed at myself.  Halfway through I just wanted to give up but decided to keep going.


 Very messy - but  have unpicked this, fixed it and it looks better now.


I am almost at the bottom border and all going well it should be off the frame sometime this weekend..
The frustrating thing about frame quilting ( apart from not having a long arm) is you have to wait until the end to see the whole thing as its all wound up on the bar. Despite all the problems with this quilt I am still enjoying my journey so far.
Already thinking about 'what's next?'
Enjoy your weekend and thanks for stopping by.
Rhianon.

19 comments:

Grit said...

Your quilting is so wonderful.
Grit from Germany

Sue Jennings said...

I LOVE this post! I have been learning to FMQ on my domestic machine and, seeing the photo of the feathers with the wrinkle in it and hearing about your trials and tribulations made me feel SO much better! You are an amazing quilter...and hearing that it isn't all plain sailing for you sometimes, has given me some hope, and reinforced the importance of persistence! Many thanks!

Marjorie's Busy Corner said...

Rhianon you quilt is gorgeous!! I know how you feel though...getting that far and seeing problems. But I get sagging in the middle when hand quilting a large quilt too. It is frustrating, but can't do a thing about it. It all seems to work. I can see the other side at that time though...makes it easier on the mind. My machine quilting is coming along...getting relaxed, but I find moving the quilt awkward still. Practice more is all I need. You make quilting look easy!! Keep bringing them for us to see.

Prisca2010 said...

Awesome work Rhianon! Your persistence is a lesson to all of us "wanna be Rhianon"! :)

Denise Bongiovanni~ said...

Your quilting is beautiful, I understand the frustration with the short arm, I wouldn't even attempt something so detailed with mine. I just can't wrap my head around the stopping and starting and picking up where you left off thing. I strive to quilt like you, your work is so nicel, I don't see any reason to be dissatisfied! Thank you for sharing your struggles, it really helps me to know others are having success with a short arm., amidst the difficulties.
Nini~

Unknown said...

This is beautiful! Hopefully some day you will be able to upgrade to a longarm, or at least a midarm. I am very fortunate to have a 36" longarm! I feel so very blessed. About your saggy top...I have found that quilts that are set on point seem to stretch a bit in the frame, but the borders hold tight. Just what you found. One way to deal with the extra is to put your hand down on the quilt top as you are quilting and push down slightly. This will take out lots of extra stretch in the quilt, and when you take it out you don't even notice you had such a hard time. I do this alot to keep from having puckers. Hope this helps! Love this quilt, can't wait to see a pic out of the frame!

Linda in PA said...

Your quilt and quilting are gorgeous! I bought an older used long arm about 4 years ago and my quilting is no where near as pretty as yours.

What Comes Next? said...

a beautiful quilt, I love your circular designs and feathers - outstanding! Sorry to hear about all your frustrations, but they sure aren't visible in what I'm seeing!

Susan Lawson said...

looks beautiful!

liniecat said...

Nothing short of STUNNING!!

ipatchandquilt said...

Rhiannon, your work is so impressive! I wish we were closer to each other so I could come and watch you quilt!
Esther

Jackie said...

Gorgeous quilt and quilting. You have definitely added more bling to it with you quilting choices. Can't wait to see the finished pictures.

Anita : Shabby Quilt said...

Love the quilting . It really makes it.

Miss Jamee Quilts said...

i love your quilting! i succummed and purchased a sit down long arm a few months ago...found i had a definite learning curve even with this! when i grow up, i want to quilt just like you, lol. baby steps, baby steps

Teresa in Music City said...

It's gorgeous Rhiannon!!! And how much more beautiful it will be to you knowing what you have had to go through to get it done :) I love the creativity of your design!!!!

Susan said...

Your quilting is beautiful and perfect for the piecing! Yes, it is a struggle to do those designs with a smaller machine, but they will get done. And as for having to wait to see the whole thing, I actually love that part! When I'm done, I unroll it, leaving it still pinned, and walk away. Then when I come in the next day, I'm treated to the most wonderful sight! Truly a great experience!

judith said...

It is FABULOUS, !!!

Michele said...

It is so much better than I can do at this point. I understand your fustration but don't be don't be too hard on yourself. Your quilting is fabulous.

ancsapancsa said...

I really like this

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