A delicious dessert we had the other night – homemade whipped cream + fruit
It got a bit cooler this week, so I actually did get some sewing time in and was able to work on the queen size quilt top I started before the heat wave. I sat the other night with a nice breeze coming in the window, some early evening sunshine, my sewing machine to keep me company & finished working on the quilt top :) Quite lovely! Early summer evening sewing really is just the best kind of sewing there is…
I do have a quilting question that I am hoping my lovely readers can help me with :) Normally at this point I pin baste all the layers together. However, my quilts have always been lap sizes, which fit on our tile floor when I get to this stage. The quilt doesn’t fit on the tile floor though being queen size & the rest of our house is carpet… So in the whole house the only spaces large enough to lay the quilt out for basting are the living room carpet or the garage floor. (And since we park our car in the garage, I am not thrilled at the idea of laying out my nice quilt on the garage floor.) So can I pin baste my quilt on the carpet? I am sure that others have this problem, so I am assuming while carpet isn’t ideal it will work, right?
Of course that is assuming that my kitties will actually let me lay the quilt out without feeling the need to test it… :)
Yesterday went by a bit quicker than I expected! I meant to post the giveaway winners last night, but we went out for dinner with friends & didn’t get home till after midnight. So rather than try to type late at night, I stayed up late finishing a book which I couldn’t put down.
The giveaway winners (picked using an excel spreadsheet & a random number generator)…
The winner of the $20 Pink Chalk Fabrics Gift Certificate (from the lovely Kathy of Pink Chalk Fabrics) is…
Jessica Dougherty { 07.28.09 at 8:25 am }
I am a beginner “sewer” and would love to create some totes w/this lovely fabric! Jessica D.
The winners of the 10 fat quarters from Pink Chalk Fabrics are…
Marisa { 07.29.09 at 8:49 am }
Oh Chara, I was just stopping by to tell you how much of a fan I am of you, your photo work, and your awesome blog. I cannot believe that you are having a give away, that is very cool of you. I’ll post a link to your give away in my next post…sweet!! Not expecting to win, but loving your blog as I always have.
Jenna { 08.04.09 at 8:33 pm }
Hi there! I found your website by searching Pink Chalk Fabrics on Twitter! Love your blog! If I win fabric I’d probably turn them into a baby quilt. I’m totally digging quilting again and working on building my stash (that’s why I’m buying over at Pink Chalk tonight too!).
(Ladies go ahead & send me an email so I can get your prizes to you :)
Thanks to everyone for leaving such lovely comments! I read every single one & haven’t had time to reply to any yet, but if I get time this week I will try :)
I tried basting a quilt on the carpeted floor of my living room and it went horribly wrong. You could try it though. I ended up draping it over the smallish dining room table and it seemed to work out great. I just had to go a section at a time. I am no quilting expert though.
By the way, I LOVE blueberries an strawberries together. Also, they photograph together wonderfully!
:)
Well you know I never get tired of seeing your kitties and that photo just got me with its cuteness!
We’ve never really had any space to baste other than carpet, and I’ve found that if I’m careful, it’s not a big deal to pin baste on carpeting. I usually pin around the outside first, and then, as you work your way to the middle, it’s easier to stick a pin through the layers and lift them a bit to make sure it’s not all pinned to the carpet!
Oh definitely do it on the carpet. When I made my son’s twin size I was having a terrible time getting things even on the slippery table and then I found a great method for using your carpet! http://blog.lisacall.com/2005/11/basting-a-quilt-a-definition-and-how-to
She actually pins the backing to the carpet with T-pins. This worked great for me. In fact it’ll be the only reason I’d wish I had carpet somewhere in this house!
I’ve had a hard time with the basting on carpet. It was rather disastrous. I’ll check out the link above!
ehm I don’t pin baste it. I spray baste it…
I know I know I know, I hear you all gasp… but I’ve never have any problem with it. The glue doesn’t not clog my machine needle (I always machine quilt too, so definitively not a purist…) and I can’t even feel it. Once the quilts are washed… voila’… no glue residue at all.
Good luck.
Hi – I’ve just discovered you and I’m loving your blog. As for basting, I’ve always used carpet and I typically get pucker free backs. I didn’t always have a big enough space so I would use the school. I tried both the gym floor and the carpeted library and liked the carpeted floor much better! Good luck.
I’m sure you have finished it by now, but the only space I ha is carpet and it seems to work ok – can’t wait to see it finished.
Sweet kitty!
Thank you so much!
Thanks so much Chara, I’m thrilled that I won. Will post photos on my blog after I get the goodies. You are too sweet to host such an adorable give away. Hope all is well with you.
Your cats are funny. They seem like they love to lay around and watch you sew and they’re totally photogenic! I wish I had advice to offer on the quilting, but I’m having trouble working on my quilt so I’ll be checking back here to see what kind of advice you’re getting! I’m machine quilting and I’m having trouble with the back getting all puckery. I’ve already had to rip out several rows of stitches. Not fun! But I’m excited to see how it turns out. :)
By the way, I’m having a giveaway over on my blog so feel free to check it out!
Happy quilting!