Getting the Worm
Sep 22nd, 2005 by Tana
Yes, I have been getting up early as I said I would be. This morning I woke before the alarm clock, if you can imagine that! My plan when I wake is to do a daily review (aka think through my day and make sure all my ducks are in order), blog, and then do Pilates. The first item has been happening consistently; as for the other two, well… As for the early bird getting the worm, I have been the early bird, and I would say I have also been getting the worm if the worm is defined as having a peaceful moment to myself.
We were in Florida last week visiting my parents. I had a cold while we were there, but I still managed to get up at 6:00 their time (which translates to 5:00 my time) while we were there. I hate to say it, but we really didn’t do much while we were there. I just found it incredibly relaxing to sit around in someone else’s house where I didn’t have to cook, clean or work on projects – I could just relax. I didn’t even knit a single stitch while we were there (though I did have my knitting along).
On our way to the airport, Mom and I made a quick visit to Joann etc. (the Joann Fabric’s superstore). For some reason I’ve gotten it in my head that I want to try my hand at quilting. Now mind you, I don’t sew much anymore because it isn’t very fun when you have to worry about a toddler pushing the machine pedal when you don’t want it pushed. I have yet to figure out the logic behind this desire, but it won’t leave me alone.
While at Joann’s, Mom found a book called Quilting for People Who Still Don’t have Time to Quilt by Marti Michell. Basically, it’s about quilting efficiently – you sew strips together and then cut them apart into blocks rather than cutting and sewing all of the blocks individually. I like designs that are interesting to look at – optical illusions really appeal to me. Not all of the quilts in this book have optical illusions, but they are along those lines in that the squares end up making designs that are greater than the sum of the parts.
I’ve been reading about the “equipment” you need in order to quilt. A rotary cutter, they say, is mandatory. I’ve always wanted one but never splurged. I found one online at Joann’s online store for $35 including shipping (using the half price coupon that popped up on my screen when I went to their site). Some of those mats cost that much alone, and what I am getting is the mat (18 x 24), a 45 mm cutter, and a 6 x 24 ruler, which is what everyone recommends as the basic pieces you need. It was one that had very good reviews – the ones all of the stores carry around here, it seems, all had very bad reviews.
I also went to our local sew & vac store where they sell machines like my sewing machine and where I bought my serger. The gal who works there (owns the store with her husband) knows her stuff. So I asked her what sewing machine accessories I might need if I was to quilt with my machine. There’s a $30 foot you can use to sew freestyle, but she said what she uses almost all the time is a walking foot. They cost $90, but they keep the stitches even (that’s up to you to move the fabric the correct amount with the freestyle foot) and you can sew thicker things (think machine quilting with the batting in there). I so wished I had a walking foot when I was making diapers for Ben – it would have made things so much easier. Now I think I’ll finally get one.
My first quilt is going to be a lap quilt for my grandmother for her 90th birthday which we will be celebrating with her at Thanksgiving. It’s something I know she’ll enjoy, it gives me a deadline, and if I’m not perfectly happy at my first attempt at quilting, I won’t have to look at it myself. So I have two months to get this done. My goal is to have the top and bottom ready to be quilted together by the end of October. While I’m waiting for the rotary cutter to come, I’ll shop for fabric and check out all the quilting stores in town.