Saturday, July 28, 2012

Preference Test...Hand or Machine piece.

I found this preference test from Carol Doak's book " Your First Quilt Book ( or it should be!)". Very helpful to beginner quilters to make a decision for their first quilt project, hand piece or machine piece?



I bought this book from second hand book shop last month, good basic quilt book , a lot of picture and basic techniques and fun. The author has sense of humor and great teaching skills. It is not my first quilt book but I found it is very useful.
On page 55, she said "the following questions for beginning quilters will give you some insight into your preferences". I think it really fun so I would like to share. Should we try? Here we go.

Preference test
Answer "yes" or "no" to the folllowing questions
1   Do you own a sewing basket?
2   Is your sewing machine stored in someone else's garage or another remote location?
3   Do you like to sit and visit with friends and family, but still keep busy doing something else?
4   Are you on the run with children to dentist appointments, etc., and a fan during their sporting events?
5   Do you feel relaxed when you hold a sewing needle in your hand?
6   Do you enjoy the sense of creating a little bit at a time?
7   Do you like to take new experiences at a slow pace?
8   Do you enjoy working with your hands?
9   Does you breathing rate increase when you sit at a sewing machine?
10 Do you consider sewing at the machine "work"?
If  you answered "yes" to most of these questions, hand piece your first patchwork project. If you answered "no" to most of these questions, answer the following questions.

( My answer
1.  Yes, I made it myself.
2.  Absolutely no!! Always keep it in my home.
3.  No, they will kill me if I do that.
4.  No, I don't like to do my work outside, I always lost some of my pieceworks..such a clumsy person.
5.  Yes, sure I really love sewing.
6.  Yes, love every minutes of crafting time.
7.  NO, I don't mind to make a complicated work but I don't like to spend a lot of time for a slow progress project. It's a little bit boring for me to repeat the same process over and over again , that a reason that I cannot finish my mini hexies quilt. I sincerely respect everyone who have patient to make large projects of english paper piecing.
8.  Yes, absolutely yes.
9.  No. It's my relaxing time.
10. No, I love to play with my machine. )

1   Do you own a sewing machine?
2   Do you know where it is?
3   Have you ever sewn on a sewing machine?
4   Do you clean the lint from the bobbin area regularly?
5   Do you change the needle regularly?
6   Do you breathe at relaxed intervals when machine sewing?
7   It's 11 p.m.-do you know where your owner's manual is?
8   Do you know what the buttons and knobs on your machine do?
9   Do you "escape" to sew at the machine?
10 Can you get your machine up and running in less than 15 minutes?
If you answered "yes" to most of these questions, machine piece your first patchwork project.

( My answer:
1. Yes.
2. Yes, sure.
3. Yes, always sew by machine.
4. Yes, every time after finish my work.
5. Yes, Needle have to be change for every project.
6. Yes, sure. Recently I found that Beethoven's "Ode To Joy" (Final movement of Beethoven's 9th symphony) is the best song for freemotion quilting. Just let my hand flow along the rhytym of music, make stitches even than before.
7. Yes, always keep it in my sewing machine bag. I can remember almost of it.
8. Yes, I had tested every functions of my 10 years old machine.
9. Yes, I had spent a day with my machine, why not, it is my favorite time.
10. Yes, I ruined my machine twice by overload working, I sewed nonstop for a day and end with motor damaged machine. After second repairing I have to set alarm clock for breaking time. )

How about your?

Hope you enjoy.


Thursday, July 26, 2012

Basic Hand Quilting Class at Pretty Quilt Part 3

Lesson 5 : Fabric Doll and Basket
Project : Rabbits and Basket
Really love this project, as I am a rabbit lover so I made 2 dolls, Mr. and Ms. Bunnies.



ตะกร้าน้องกระต่ายคู่ ถ้าไปเรียนที่ร้านครูไม่ต้องทำสองตัวนะคะ คิดว่ามันอยู่ตัวเดียวคงเหงาเลยทำเพื่อนให้ค่ะ
Happy sewing!!

Thursday, July 5, 2012

Smocking experiments

Well, back to the days, I was studying in secondary school. I learn to make a pillow with smocking from satin. Never thought that I could do other projects with this sewing technique. Last week I read japanese sewing magazine. (Oh!!.. I have to tell I can't understand japanese articles but there are a lot of pictures or I should say that I just scan it instead.)  So I have an idea to make the smocking purse. These are my new experiments, I would like to learn and try several styles of smockings before design and make a template...What should it be?

อ่านเจอในหนังสือญี่ปุ่นที่คิโนะคุนิยะ สม๊อกกิ้งนี่ทำเป็นกระเป๋าก็สวยดี เลยลองหัดดูเล่นๆ เป็นงานทดลองค่ะยังบอกไม่ได้ว่าจะสำเร็จหรือเปล่า ยังมีลายอื่นๆอีกที่ยังไม่ได้ลองทำค่ะ

Happy sewing.