Have you tried a kit?
Polly Esther
want to invest the time to collect hundreds of various floral pieces.
Finally, I bought a kit - "Butterflies are Free" by Fran Whited for Whims.
Ah, what fun. I won't tell you that I'm any good at it, very probably
someone good at this could do a much better job of arranging the already
found and cut little squares but I have had one grand good time playing with
it.
This is such fun. The hard parts - accurate cutting and accumulating -
are already done. Watercolor quilts are so different from my usual
adventures in quilting.
I have seen some really junky kits in the past and have been reluctant
to try any but this one is a winner. Anyone else wandered into the "kit"
area and found a happy? Polly
Sharon Harper
choosing colours that blend so I'm happy for someone else to do the hard
work. I also believe you get what you pay for.
--
Sharon from Melbourne Australia (Queen of Down Under)
http://www.geocities.com/shazrules/craft.html (takes a while to load)
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/shazrules/my_photos (same as website but
quicker)
"Polly Esther" <miste...@mindspring.com> wrote in message
news:0U9ne.11235$uR4....@newsread2.news.atl.earthlink.net...
Susan Laity Price
hours looking for just the right fabic. If I purchase a kit it can be
sewn-up immediately. I have that "I accomplished something today"
feeling and I can go back to my longer projects.
I also purchase kits on clearance when I calculate that the fabric is
now a bargain. Often these are seasonal kits.
Before I start cutting from a kit I always measure the fabric in the
kit and calculate if I will have enough or if I need to be extra
careful cutting. I don't remember ever running out but have been real
close a few times.
My friend who runs a daycare center doesn't have much time to shop.
She does most of her shopping at two big quilt shows we attend each
year. She likes kits because she just doesn't have the time to look
for the right fabrics.
Kits take some of the originality out of quilting but if it is the
right fabric why re-invent the wheel.
Susan
Butterfly
inspection.(might take a few weeks but I promise it will be returned) I have
a few 2" squares that might be headed into a Watercolor Quilt one of these
days...I cut 5" and 2" squares from the fabric, as they enter the Butterfly
Studio, before they land on the proper shelf (hush, Jeanne--those haven't
been cut yet--they will be soon) I will need to fondle your quilt for the
proper inspiration.
Butterfly
"Polly Esther" <miste...@mindspring.com> wrote in message
news:0U9ne.11235$uR4....@newsread2.news.atl.earthlink.net...
Roberta Zollner
precisely the same reasons.
Usually I talk myself out of kits because it always seems uneconomical (and
I often hate the designs). But recently I finished a lovely boutis pillow
from a kit, just to try a new technique. Worked well, except the quilting
needle they included was not up to standard. No problem, plenty of those
around here.
Roberta in D
"Polly Esther" <miste...@mindspring.com> schrieb im Newsbeitrag
news:0U9ne.11235$uR4....@newsread2.news.atl.earthlink.net...
KJ
I like kits for the same reason Susan said. Sometimes you just want to sew,
not design, plan, and choose fabrics. So a kit is perfect for that. I
bought a Lazy Girl tote bag kit for half price at Ben Franklin's last week
and made it over the holiday weekend. It had Mary Lou Weideman's fabrics
from Benertex, and the pattern for $15.00. Not bad.
"Butterfly" <butterfly_...@bak.nospam.com> wrote in message
news:YYhne.15477$h86....@tornado.socal.rr.com...
Butterfly
admire it.
That really might be a kewl thing--I make a quilt--admire it for a
while--send it off to you--you admire it for a while and return it : )
ONLY stipulations would be --you could NOT USE IT--just admire it and it
would have to be RETURNED on set date. No exceptions.
Butterfly (to those of you reading this: keep the legal stuff outta
this--don't bust a dream. I like to peruse the quilt sites and imagine them
in my home and where they would be best suited : ) NO limits on ones'
imagination YAY! )
"KJ" <KJo...@NOSPAMmchsi.com> wrote in message
news:I3ine.27120$g66.14212@attbi_s71...
Polly Esther
and it recommended that gridded fusible where you stitch all the blocks in
one direction, clip, and then stitch in the other. On close inspection,
it's easy to see that the finished quilts pictured in the book were not as
pretty as I would like them to be. I don't need perfection from me or anyone
else but they really are right klutzy looking. Polly
"Roberta Zollner" <rl.zo...@gmx.net> wrote in message
news:d7ka6c$69f$02$1...@news.t-online.com...
Sandy Foster
"Polly Esther" <miste...@mindspring.com> wrote:
I've only done it once, and it was a success. <G> I made a Christmas
tree quilt one year, and I was in a hurry and thought the kit would help
-- it did. Most kits are too expensive these days, though -- it's less
expensive to do it myself. I have to say that I'd probably go the kit
route for a watercolor, like you -- accumulating all of those fabrics
would take forever!
--
Sandy in Henderson, near Las Vegas
my ISP is earthlink.net -- put sfoster1(at) in front
http://home.earthlink.net/~sfoster1
AKA Dame Sandy, Minister of Education
nana2b
on the Roof and Buggy Ride. Hopefully I can start them in the next couple
of weeks. I am putting borders on DH Roy Rogers Cowboy Dreams right now.
Photos to follow.
Hugs, Linda
L
news:0U9ne.11235$uR4....@newsread2.news.atl.earthlink.net...
I have bought two kits at quilt shows.
The flannel baby quilt for a strip pieced trip around the world (also called
sunshine and shadow) had excellent directions and the top went together like
a dream.
Unfortunately, the backing was 2 inches too short.
Even more unfortunate.. since the backing looked decidedly feminine, and we
weren't sure of the sex of the baby (my DGS #1) I had purchased a piece of
flannel long enough to back the finished quilt. *THAT* piece shrunk up
sideways. Upshoot of it was, the backing needs to be pieced, and the quilt
for DGS #1 was never completed.
I made the foray into a 2nd quilt kit.. another strip pieced trip type. The
fabrics are lovely.. pinks, purples, floral.... very Victorian looking.
The directions are hideous. I literally have put it away, afraid to cut the
fabrics until I have time to truly understand the convoluted cutting and
assembly directions.
And it was so pretty at the show.
I find I am best with a pattern, buying more fabric than I think I need.
The only disadvantage to that is excess fabric. ;-)
Polly Esther
couldn't understand the instructions.
Back before The Flood (Noah's), I often had to write directions for
this or that. I always tested them on 2 or 3 people who were completely
unfamiliar with the project. Our children asked why my instructions sounded
much like "See Spot run". Ah, well. I've been accused of worse.
Now, as to DGS's quilt with no backing. Ship it to Aunt Polly and I'll
back it. We don't want that little guy not to have a quilt made by his
granny. Polly
"L" <lisaann...@hothatesspammail.com> wrote > Not happy experiences for
Ellison
Dear Quilt Beggar: you're good!
Delusional, but good! ;-D
Ragmop/Sandy --buys kits to rearrange and split up
for other projects <g>
"Butterfly" <butterfly_...@bak.nospam.com> wrote in message
news:bline.15481$h86....@tornado.socal.rr.com...
Ellison
And excess fabric is never a bad thing. <g>
Usually, when there's a kit made up, the coordinating fabrics
on bolts are displayed nearby; I like to pick up extra, esp. for
backing, borders, binding.
I have bought kits for just a couple of the fabrics included,
recycled the rest into the stash.
Ragmop/Sandy
"Polly Esther" <miste...@mindspring.com> wrote in message
news:bvnne.13952$w21....@newsread3.news.atl.earthlink.net...
Butterfly
Thanks for the compliment--DH wanted to know why I was LOL so hard : )
Butterfly (who really needed the LOL today)
" Ellison" <el...@sbcglobal.net> wrote in message
news:x%nne.1152$RV5....@newssvr30.news.prodigy.com...
Carolyn McCarty
Dancing Cows, and it was a real peach! I loved making the quilt and my SIL
loved getting it. I had to cut the fabric, but all the right coordinating
fabrics and very good instructions were part of the kit. I bought another
kit, an appliqué dragon, that I haven't had time to touch yet. But judging
by the Dancing Cows, it will be really fun!
--
Carolyn in The Old Pueblo
If it ain't broke, you aren't trying. --Red Green
If it ain't broke, it ain't mine. --Carolyn McCarty
If at first you don't succeed, switch to power tools --Red Green
If at first you don't succeed, get a bigger hammer. --Carolyn McCarty
"Polly Esther" <miste...@mindspring.com> wrote in message
news:0U9ne.11235$uR4....@newsread2.news.atl.earthlink.net...
Denise in NH
kit. Over the years I had accumulated quite a stack of approx. 12"
square fabric samples in many assorted florals and colors. As they were
all so different from each other, I couldn't decide what to do with
them. Then I figured I could cut them up for a watercolor quilt.
I separated them by background color (very important), then cut it all
up into 2 inch squares. I used one of those fusible grid thingies which
worked ok.
Using all fabrics with the same color background, I then separated into
dark florals, med. florals, and light florals. I made a heart wreath on
black background. It turned out pretty well, I wish I had made a larger
plain border around it, but all in all I'm happy with my first attempt.
The second piece I made is about 8" x 5" crucifix with Lillies of the
Valley growing around it. I didn't use the grided webbing on this one,
and it is a little lopsided, but passable. I still have a ton of this
fabric left, so I'll definitely be doing more, probably seasonal wall
hangings.
The only kit I've ever bought and used was from Connecting Threads and
it was a moose and bear wallhanging. I had already fallen in love with
the dark rich colored fabrics of water, trees, and critters. It's
almost done, just needs a little more quilting.
I took an all day machine quilting class through my guild two weeks ago,
and was very disappointed in the teacher. All she did was show us a few
things she made, then she just left us alone to figure out what to do.
My friend and I each bought quite a few spools of all of the recommended
threads on the supplies list, I bought a suitcase with wheels for my new
Janome, a new mat and rotary cutters, etc. When I asked for help
figuring out how to free motion (which is what the class was about) the
teacher said she had no knowledge of using a "newfangled" machine like
mine. "Just keep practicing". We expected to be taught different
techniques with all of the fancy thread, but were told to just play with
whatever you want. We had asked before we signed up if this was a
beginners class and was assured it was.
The only thing good was to have 6 hours of uninterrupted sewing time,
and by the end of the day, my friend and I both felt a little more
confident about fmq, even if we did pay $25 to be ignored for the day.
Denise
Maureen Wozniak
you ought to TEACH. I can play at home all I want.
Maureen
Denise in NH wrote:
> I've done a couple successful water color wallhangings, but not from a
> kit. Over the years I had accumulated quite a stack of approx. 12"
> sq
>
SNIGDIBBLY
--
http://community.webshots.com/user/snigdibbly
SNIGDIBBLY
~e~
<">
/ \
http://members.ebay.com/aboutme/snigdibbly.
http://www.ebaystores.com/snigdibblysscrapbox&refid=store
"Denise in NH" <Deni...@webtv.net> wrote in message
news:15778-42...@storefull-3135.bay.webtv.net...
Sandy Foster
Deni...@webtv.net (Denise in NH) wrote:
>
> The only thing good was to have 6 hours of uninterrupted sewing time,
> and by the end of the day, my friend and I both felt a little more
> confident about fmq, even if we did pay $25 to be ignored for the day.
>
> Denise
Oh, Denise, how disappointing! I think I'd complain to the person in the
guild who arranged the class and let him/her know exactly what had
happened. If you don't, this "teacher" may be allowed to do the same
thing again.
Marcella Peek
coordinator in the guild know what happened. She can put it in her book
so future coordinators either don't hire that teacher again or know to
attend one of her classes before re-booking
marcella
In article <15778-42...@storefull-3135.bay.webtv.net>,
Deni...@webtv.net (Denise in NH) wrote:
the black rose
Sandy Foster wrote:
> In article <15778-42...@storefull-3135.bay.webtv.net>,
> Deni...@webtv.net (Denise in NH) wrote:
>
>>The only thing good was to have 6 hours of uninterrupted sewing time,
>>and by the end of the day, my friend and I both felt a little more
>>confident about fmq, even if we did pay $25 to be ignored for the day.
>>
>>Denise
>
>
> Oh, Denise, how disappointing! I think I'd complain to the person in the
> guild who arranged the class and let him/her know exactly what had
> happened. If you don't, this "teacher" may be allowed to do the same
> thing again.
I agree. Whoever's in charge needs to know these sorts of things.
--
the black rose
Research Associate in the Field of Child Development and Human
Relations
http://community.webshots.com/user/blackrosequilts
2005 BOMs: http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/blackrosequilts/my_photos
-------- __o
----- -\<. -------- __o
--- ( )/ ( ) ---- -\<.
-------------------- ( )/ ( )
-----------------------------------------
the black rose
> The only disadvantage to that is excess fabric. ;-)
*blink*
If the excess fabric burdens you, I'd be happy to take some of it off
your hands.
;-)
Ellison
Oh, you've been paying attention, young beggar.
(Hey, Butterfly! Get a load of this one!)
*sniff* I'm so proud,
Another factor that turns many of us away from kits
is the cost, sometimes exceptionally high.
Ragmop/Sandy-- Queen of Beggars ;-D
"the black rose" <blackro...@netscape.net> wrote in message
news:6IGne.1075$g5....@twister.nyroc.rr.com...
FurrsomeFoursome
patterns-with-fabric-selections (same thing, just assembled by the LQS
rather than "commercial").
I'm relatively new, and not with enough free time to quilt for hours a
day or even hours a week, and I enjoy the "zen" of assembling, piecing
and quilting but not so much the overwhelming choices in shopping from
scratch.
Right now, I'm working on a baby quilt for a friend. I wouldn't even
have started yet if I had to figure all the colours etc out for myself,
but thanks to some thoughtful talened folk at the LQS, I got what I
needed all in one pckg and the guy and I will hopefully have it done in
time for the little girl's (we know this now) arrival.
Johanna
Butterfly
she's just cuttin her teef...I better keep a closer eye on this one.....
Butterfly ( I need ffoooooooooooddddddddd--whadaya mean I can only have
water or chicken broff : (
I'ze a good girl, I is--see next post)
" Ellison" <el...@sbcglobal.net> wrote in message
news:S6Jne.1603$JQ6...@newssvr11.news.prodigy.com...
L
> Hmmmm. I hadn't thought about that. A kit wouldn't be any fun at all if I
> couldn't understand the instructions.
> Back before The Flood (Noah's), I often had to write directions for
> this or that. I always tested them on 2 or 3 people who were completely
> unfamiliar with the project. Our children asked why my instructions
> sounded
> much like "See Spot run". Ah, well. I've been accused of worse.
> Now, as to DGS's quilt with no backing. Ship it to Aunt Polly and I'll
> back it. We don't want that little guy not to have a quilt made by his
> granny. Polly
>
Heh, he's four now.. I'm gonna be working on the dinosaur one this summer.
I was just so proud that I finished that top 'in good time' for DD's baby
shower. I had *SO* hoped his would be my first one finished.
One day I have to get over my fear of 'quilting'.
The piecing.. now THAT I have down to a 'T'
<VBG>