Wannabe Longarmer

Recently I've been reading blogs about using rulers, that longarm quilters use, for freemotion quilting on a domestic sewing machine.  

It was clear that using the freemotion (darning) foot and an ordinary quilting ruler wasn't going to work.  I'd read enough that I wasn't even tempted to try and see if I could get it to work.

The blog I keep going back to is Amy's Freemotion Quilting Adventures in one post (here) she talked about using a combination of Janome feet on a Bernina.  I thought there must be an easier way.  

And there is .. an Australian company Westalee Design has designed a foot and rulers for domestic sewing machines.  After watching their video, I ordered the foot and ruler and a week later it arrived. 

Westalee foot and ruler

For the foot to work on my Bernina 440 a Bernina 'low shank adaptor foot' is required, which I already have. Following their great instructions, attached the foot and was off ...
 
... had a bit of a play ...

Then onto a mini neonates quilt.  While I could have achieved the same result with a walking foot, it was a great trial.  

using Aurifil 50wt thread

I found it easier to hold the ruler when it was on the left handside of the foot.   On the righthand side it tended to move abit - probably as I'm left handed. Would also help it I stuck on the non-slip strip that came with the ruler!

So now more practice and experimentation, although this will need to wait until I've finished my knitted quilt.

Off on a Journey

Off on a journey - not me but my quilt 'Knit One, Paint One'.  

Folded with long rolls of rolled up tissue paper for padding then in a clear plastic bag, finally wrapped in bubble wrap popped in a box (following SAQA's packing instructions). It has started a long-haul journey to the US for SAQA's 'Redirecting the Ordinary Exhibition'.



 
Since the quilt is going to be in the box for the week or so that the journey takes (and possibly longer as the exhibition is later this year) I was keen to make sure that it arrived in the best condition.  As the quilt is wider than the box it needed to be folded and not just rolled. 

I did a couple of trial foldings to see whether or not the folds remained once the quilt was unfolded. I left it rolled/folded overnight, the next day opened it up and it was fine.  Using the rolled up tissue seemed to help keep the folds rounded and not crisp folds - if that makes sense.

After posting the box I arrived home to find this in the mail ...

Exhibition book

The book produced for the exhibition, each quilt has a double spread with the full photo, a closeup photo and the details of each quilt.

Hopefully the box arrives safely in the US.