Spring is finally ramping up although the temps are still cool and overnight it is still in the 30's. Still, that hasn't stopped the birches behind my place from doing their spring thing (above), neighborhood trees from blossoming and daffodils and hyacinths from bursting forth around the building where I went to early vote. It is all very uplifting.
Also uplifting is getting that binding on my fat quarter quilt. Here's a trick I picked up a long time ago, don't remember where, but I find it an excellent way to keep those long lengths of binding from getting tangled as you add them if, like me, you don't pin the binding on before starting to sew. You just fold the binding accordion style and thread the folds onto a large safety pin. This sits in your lap as you apply the binding, and as you need more, you just remove one fold from the safety pin.
As I turned the sewn-on binding to the back and pinned, I could view how evenly that bit of piping/flange showed. Not perfect, a few places where it is narrower than in others, but overall I am quite pleased, thinking "close enough for jazz." And I am also pleased with those corners where I lapped the piping rather than included them on the binding for a miter. If you click on the picture for a larger view, you can just make out the stitching along the binding seam which I did in a gold thread that matches the gold fabric well.
Doing the second thought thing, I wondered if I really should have done the piping between the border and the quilt top rather than in the binding. Nevertheless, it does give the edge a nice pop of color. Now for a good soak in vinegar and a wash.
And since it's Mother's Day, and I've been back to scanning old slides, here's one from 1955 of little me being held by my mom, and her mother, my grandmother standing on the other side. My grandparents died when I was about 5 so I don't have many memories of them or photos either so this one feels very special.
9 comments:
That's a wonderful photo of you with your mother & grandmother! Your flange & binding look lovely & you're going to enjoy that quilt for years to come! We're still waiting for Spring to happen...we've had some really nice days then a return to colder temps & gloomy skies. Thanks for sharing your backyard photo! Jan in WY
Glad you got the binding finished. It looks nice and pulls the gold out to the edge of the quilt. Very nice! A vinegar soak? I guess I need a little more explanation on that one ... ;-) Happy Spring!
Thanks Jan!Yes, so glad to have come across that photo which mom labeled, of course, three generations. And I keep expecting to tire of this quilt, having worked on it so long through so many things but as I was adding the binding, I could still feel my love for it and anxious to start using it. Spring really is taking its time in many places. Freeze warnings the last few nights for around Spokane across the border in Washington and advice to cover "tender" plants for those who got impatient and did some planting on Mother's Day. I did buy some plants for my containers on the back deck but it's been way too cold to go out there to do anything with them. So they sit in a protected corner until we get to those promised 60's later in the week. Up and down with the temps here too. Nature is such a tease!
Thanks Michele! You must have missed seeing the bit about the cigarette smoke smell when I dampened the edges before trimming - see the last paragraph of this post:
https://idahobeautyquilts.blogspot.com/2022/04/a-little-embarrassing.html
Glad to see you finally dove in and finished that quilt. the piping looks great!
I handle my binding a bit differently. As it usually requires several lengths sewn together and I use random lengths of strips, I chain piece the strips but do not cut them apart. the entire wad of fabric sits in my lap and I cut the chain stitch between as I get to it as I am sewing the binidng on.
I'm not sure why I decide to do it that way--I've tried rolling it onto a large spool---from the fabric manufacturing weaving machines---but this takes a lot less time--and I don't end up with a tangle mess.
Looks amazing!
It’s the icing on the cake….the finishing on the quilt is just perfect and worth all your effort!
Sylvia, I chain stitch my strips too but then cut them apart so I can press open the seams and then press the entire strip in half the long way. I'm having a difficult time envisioning how you do that pressing while the chains stitching is in place. But your method would result in something very similar to and manageable as my method. Love hearing how other people solve some of these little issues. :-)
Thanks Chris and Mary!
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