And the object of my affection is my new Sashiko machine by Baby Lock.
You can find out more about them here.
My good friend, Lin, and I drove up to Prescott last Friday to check them out and I came home with one. Lin's comes in next week. Needless to say, I came home and immediately tried it out.
I had made this little 6" block to demo a Tri-Rec ruler and thought it would be perfect as my first subject. I used a 30 wt. Aurifil cotton thread in a golden brown hue. I was so excited I just could not wait to quilt something else, so I rifled through the now infamous closet and found a UFO that would be perfect for this style of quilting.
Count Down to Christmas, a Monique Dillard pattern, I had pieced last year.
Here is a close-up of the stitch. It looks like hand quilting on the front and a straight stitch on the back of the quilt. I am fascinated by how it works. The only thread is in the bobbin, and a ingenious industrial engineered combo of a hook and needle pull the thread to the front to look like hand stitches.
Needless to say, I am itching for another project to quilt.
So, I searched my bucket of future quilts and found the fabrics and pattern for a darling small quilt called A Rainbow Garden, designed by Glenda of Liberty Homestead.
You can see her designs here.
I forget that a small quilt can take as long as a full sized quilt to construct, so it will be awhile before I can use Sashi again.
The pattern is from her book, Farmhouse Quilts, The Scrap Basket.
You can find it here.
It is the quilt in the center at the bottom of the page. Oops, it is the one in the top left corner!
Here is my first block:
Only 46 of those little 2" finished pinwheels to make! And then there are the 6 baskets, the embroidery and then the wool applique. It will be awhile before I am back with a flimsy.
I have kept up with my monthly goals. My pile of flying geese is growing, another set of blocks for my red and white quilt are done and my Le Jardin block is close to completion.
This one has been hard for me to keep on task with. It is not my favorite block in the quilt from a design standpoint and all those tiny leaves! Only 4 more to sew down.
Finally,
the beginnings of my red and green quilt.
Yes, I have been a busy bee.
Between the Australian Open Tennis Tournament and football playoff games, I have had a lot of time to sew! Very sad my 49ers did not make it to the Superbowl, but I am a chameleon who now wears the Seahawks colors!
Back to making pinwheels.
Hope I can keep up this productivity with all the projects I have in the works.
Oh My...I love the quilting you did. I really need to check out this machine. I hope it isn't too expensive because I just have to get one. I love all the projects you are working on. Hugs
ReplyDeleteThe Sashiko does a great job of the big stitch quilting! What you've done so far is fabulous! I'm also admiring your Le Jardin block... love the reds with creams... Fat Quarter Shop is offering the Simple Whatnots club if you're still interested... I already signed on for the 2014 designer mystery... lol! Is it wrong to enjoy quilting so much? ;-)
ReplyDeleteI love that the quilting looks like hand quilting instead of machine quilting! :0)
ReplyDeleteI'm very impressed with your new machine. Love the look of the stitches. Always so much eye candy when I visit you, Cheryl.
ReplyDelete:-)
Congrats on your New Machine ! Love how the stitches look like you hand stitched it :-D
ReplyDeleteYou have had a very productive month love seeing all of your projects
Love how those stitches look, congrats on your new and wonderful machine! Each of your W.I.P. blocks look beautiful. That red & green quilt is going to be another stunning quilt!
ReplyDeleteWonderful machine, I've used one at Cathy's, our local sew and vac. Love the stitching and used it the same a you did. Wish it could be set up with a walking foot. How it can move sideways to do Sashiko was a mystery to me, let us know how that works! We are sad about the 49ers too. You have been a busy bee, great projects and progress for a start to the new year!
ReplyDeleteYour MOJO returned big time!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on the new arrival, it will definitely speed up the quilting process. Good to see you projects are moving along very nicely. The green and red project is looking quite stunning already.
ReplyDeleteThe Sashiko is a fantastic addition to your arsenal of tools. Your work will shine even brighter! Cheers!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on the new machine!! And look at all of your lovely projects! Full steam ahead!!
ReplyDeleteFirst I've heard of this machine. What a great toy! I'll have to check it out. Lots of lovely projects you have going there. So much fun.
ReplyDeleteI was rooting for the 49ers, too, but now I'm for the Broncos. I'm a big fan of the Manning brothers. Mainly, I just hope it is a good game!
Congrats on the new machine! Speaking from experience, I know you're going to love it! A couple of folks I know don't care for it, as it's slow, but I still think it's faster than by hand!
ReplyDelete(also, from a friend's experience, don't spray baste - the machine doesn't like the stickiness.)
Happy Stitching!
How interesting that you have one of the Sashiko machines. I have watched a video a couple times that demonstrates the machine. The stitches it makes look very good. I have wondered if it would work well for machine quilting.
ReplyDeleteOh my I want to find out more about that machine. It fascinating. Congrats for keeping up with LeJardin blocks, you'll be happy when it's done.
ReplyDeletethis is the first time that i have seen this machine and i find it very interesting. i'd love to know what the back side looks like and i've yet to see any cost . . .
ReplyDeletewonderful projects that you stitched with it too.
:-)
libbyQ