Hi and welcome! I'm thrilled to say that I finished my February Monthly Goal (OMG). It's a great motivator. Thanks Anne-Marie. 😁
Finishing Swirling Leaves 3
By mid-February, Swirling Leaves 3 had been free motion quilted (FMQ). I knew that I had the rest of the month to finish it, until I realised that I would be out of town.... It was time to get it done!
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| Swirling Leaves 3 finished ✔ |
I don't know how you feel about finishing your quilts, but it's not my favourite thing to do. In the last year, I've been working on my binding skills and I'm happy to report that this was the best binding that I ever did! I took my time, remembered my tips such as,
- How to make those corners straight, (see Related links below)
- Checked to make sure that the seams would not be in the corners and
- Finally did lots of ironing after putting the binding on, and
- Since it was going so well, sewed it on by machine!
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| Machine stitched the binding down |
Of course we all know that it's not the end of the finishing work if it's a wall hanging that we are giving away. Next comes the label and then the hanging sleeve.
I've managed to find a quick and easy way to make the label.
- I cut the fabric that I want to use,
- Add fusible web to the back,
- Use pinking sheers to trim the edges and then
- Iron on the label to the quilt.
- I also practice what I want to write on a piece of paper before using a permanent fine marker to write it up.
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| Label ironed on but not written on yet |
Here are a couple of tips for the hanging sleeve.
- I use a FriXion pen to make a straight line that I follow when stitching it on. There's nothing worse than having to re-stitch it because it's crooked!
- I also add a dowel for the hanging and tell the person that they can add wire or string at both ends, or just hold up the wall hanging on short nails or long push pins at each end of the dowel.
What I learned
- The binding was better because I took my time and practiced what I have learned. I do believe however that the Quilting Goddess was smiling upon me!😍
- I used a two inch strip for the binding, even if it wasn't folded. I'm so worried about the binding not being wide enough but the next time, I'll try a 1¾" strip and see how that goes.
- I wrote myself a note on my bulletin board about using the 1¾" strip, referencing this post. Hopefully I'll see it!
- I'm glad that I realised that I needed to get this done before the end of the month because even if it's a leap year, February is still a few days short!
- The pictures are really not the best - not enough light, too much light....I need to get this post up, so this is what you get!😕
- On a personal note, I'm back from my trip and my appointment went very well - the tumor in my eye is shrinking. It's going to be a slow process but "tout va bien aller!" (everything will be fine!)
Related links
- FMQ Swirling Leaves 3 on Free Motion Mavericks, February 15, 2024
- Spending Quality Time Slow Stitching, February 06, 2024
- Progress on Swirling Leaves 3 for Free Motion Mavericks, November 01, 2023
- Tips for adding a binding - see the What I learned section in An Agenda Cover and Update on Free Motion Mavericks, January 05, 2023
Linking parties
I'll be linking up to the February One Monthly Goal (OMG) Finish Link up and February Favourite Finish, as well as many others. Why not check them out? Design Wall Monday, Sew & Tell, Midweek Makers, Put your foot down, Needle & Thread Thursday, Off The Wall Friday, Can I Get A Whoop Whoop?, Beauties Pageant, Finished (Or Not) Friday, TGIFF, Patchwork & Quilts,
Project Details
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Swirling Leaves 3
Size: 22" x 18½"
Materials: commercial and hand-dyed fabric scraps
Techniques: improv piecing, appliqué, free motion quilting
Free Motion Mavericks
Welcome to week 571 of Free Motion Mavericks.
Diann of Little Penguin Quilts made a lovely red scrappy placemat for the February Table Scraps Challenge. She used the Hanging Diamonds quilting design and it looks great!
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| A red scrappy placemat by Little Penguin Quilts |
It's now your turn!
Taking the time to make sure the binding seams don't fall in a corner is so worth it! Hooray for having this binding go better, and may they all feel easier and go smoothly as you continue to practice the steps that work best for you. Thanks for linking up with Favorite Finish. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks so much Yvonne - the careful practice of attaching the binding is really paying off. I'm so glad that I have my blog to keep track of all of this!
DeleteThanks for joining the party over at TGIFF! What a wonderful finish with so many techniques! I used to feel the same way about binding, and now I love it! Taking care with each little step can make all the difference.
ReplyDeleteThanks Deonn, you're absolutely right. In this kind of process, every little step is important. I'm concentrating on the binding this year. Maybe next year it will be cutting?
DeleteC'est bien pratique ce post où tu gardes précieusement tous les paramètres de finition ! J'espère que ton oeil va aller de mieux en mieux, je croise les doigts et pense bien à toi.
ReplyDeleteMerci pour le partage ! Bises
Merci infiniment Frédérique. Mon oeil va mieux. J'ai appris que la radiation a bien fonctionné mais que ça peut prendre longtemps avant que me vue revienne entièrement. Ce n'est pas grave - mieux une vue un peu embrouyé que pas de vue!
DeleteThis has turned out beautifully :)
ReplyDeleteThanks so much Janine!
DeleteCongrats on your finish; it looks great! And glad to hear your eye is healing.
ReplyDeleteThanks Anne-Marie. It's all good. It may take a while but I'm grateful that it's healing.
Delete