Quilting "En Provence": problems!

Finally I started quilting my version of Bonnie Hunter's mystery quilt well over a year after I finished piecing the top. I really love this quilt whose colours remind me of La Provence district of France. 

Layering and starting quilting was my One Monthly Goal for May which I posted about here.

Well, that was done in the first week. In fact I had quilted about two thirds of the quilt and thought this will be finished this month. The photo below of the back shows how far I got.

But then my Bernina Stitch Regulator started playing up. The BSR suddenly lost contact with the rest of the machine. The BSR no longer registered on the display screen and (this is the worst) the machine continued to run, at full speed. As the feed dogs were lowered the needle just went up and down about a hundred times before I managed to switch everything off. I tried to fix it myself: unplug and then reconnect the BSR, unplug and clean the plug with a piece of fabric, twiddle the plug a bit in the socket (you realise I'm grasping at straws here) and yes, there it was again - connection made and off we go again. For about five minutes. Then repeat ... several times!

It spent a week at the dealer's and the result was: a service and nothing wrong with the BSR! OK, maybe the service had fixed whatever it was that was causing the interference.

 No. This morning I tried to continue and after about 10 minutes it happened again. This time no cleaning plugs, no twiddling; first thing tomorrow morning it's going back to the expert.



 
 I met my goal for May as I started quilting my "En Provence". I'm frustrated as I'd hoped to have the binding on by now! 
As I probably shan't be able to post until the middle of June I'm sending a link to this post to Patty at Elm Street quilts, but won't be able to post a goal for June.

To see more May achievements click on the OMG button on my right hand side bar on or after 26 May.


Happy Sewing

Marly.

Rainbow Scrap Challenge 2018 halfway summary

Each month, for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge, Angela chooses a colour and Mari chooses a block and gives the instructions for the Squared Away sampler. This month's block is Baton Rouge Square  in pink; I posted about my pink blocks here. As the RSC is running for 10 and not 12 months this year, May marks the half way point. It's time for a summary so here are my blocks so far.

 And here are my squares with wonky stars:

I just finished the yellow star, and the green one I made a couple of months ago. The others I made last year. These started as leaders and enders with 2" squares, and when I have enough of one colour I make them into a big square with the wonky star. Last year I had cut a lot of red squares apparently! Some months I just haven't accumulated enough 2" squares to make a square.

I'm liking up to:

Click on the button to view the display of RSC pinkness.

Happy sewing

Marly.

May pinks

Each month, for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge, Angela chooses a colour and Mari chooses a block and gives the instructions for the Squared Away sampler. This month's block is Baton Rouge Square  in pink (with that name it sounds as if it should be red!).

I have done more pink sewing in the last month:

My starting block for the Dutch MQG (district West) bee round robin. I really made it at the end of April, and it's due to be passed on this Tuesday. I posted more about it here.

Soon I shall have more time for sewing as I have now finally retired. My first task, however, is to sort through, and largely throw away, my teaching materials accumulated over the last 43 years! It really doesn't seem that long. For most of that time I was working from home and visiting client companies which is why my materials occupy 4.5 metres of shelf space. Just imagine how much fabric and how many project boxes I can stash there! Even so, it feels like I'm taking my life to the paper recycling bin; so much effort went into those 4.5 metres!

Sewing has always been my hobby, and quilting since I officially retired 6 years ago. Everyone needs a retirement challenge: mine was to be patchwork and quilting. Unfortunately a few days after my "retirement" my boss asked me to return. It's nice to be thought indispensable, but I was finding the pressure increasingly difficult to deal with. Hopefully now I can pick up where I thought I would be six years ago.

I'm linking up to  

Click on the button to see more pink delights.

Happy sewing

Marly.

My May One Monthly Goal

By the end of May I hope to have the my "En Provence" (Quiltville Mystery 2016 - 2017)  layered and to have begun quilting.

 At the beginning of April, the pieces I wanted to incorporate into the backing still looked like this (minus the bears' paws):

 
At present the backing is pieced and looks like this:

I'll cut the extra off the side while I'm layering. For now the first task is clearly a good pressing!

Good luck to everyone else setting goals to achieve in May; may your plans work out well!

Click to see other crafty May goals

Happy Sewing

Marly.

Round Robin

 

This will be the first time I participate in a Round Robin and I'm nervous to say the least!
District West of the Dutch MQG  has a quilting bee - the Bee Zonder Naam (BZN) - which meets once in two months and is organising a Round Robin. The centre blocks are due on 15 May but I've finished mine already. (I don't know what came over me, I'm not usually that early with anything!)

This block is a composition using the stitch and flip triangle technique, featured in "Quilting Modern" by Jacquie Gering and Katie Pedersen. It is a variation on the traditional stitch and flip technique, and the result is similar to the points on the wonky star block. I really enjoyed making it and will certainly be using this technique much more in future. (By the way, I don't earn anything for recommending this book, I just think it's a really useful book on modern quilting.)

The block measures 10.5" square and was made using pink scraps and solid taupe by either Michael Miller or American Made Brand, I'm afraid I don't remember which.

Although I shall be working on this each month for the rest of the year at least, I won't be posting about it until I'm at the quilting stage.

This is my third finish for

which I wrote about here . Click on the button above to visit the party.

Happy sewing

Marly

Orange!

This is my second finish for April's One Monthly goal, which I posted about here

The Dutch Modern Quilt Guild's theme of the month for March is "Orange" or in Dutch "Oranje" which is the name of the colour and of the Royal Family. The royal connection to the colour has given rise to the predominance of the colour orange in the clothing of our national sports teams. As it's the King's birthday the day after tomorrow shops are full of orange-coloured goods; everything from tee-shirts to pastries; I think this month's Dutch MQG theme choice was also informed by this week's event.

Anyway, I, being originally British, decided that "orange" is a fruit as well as a colour and made my representation of an orange, rolling down the drunkard's path! I think it will become the first of several blocks featuring complementary pairs of colours.

I added the name just in case it wasn't recognisable!

This was incidentally my first attempt at appliqué letters, drawn freehand, traced onto tracing paper and then traced again back-to-front onto Heat and Bond . It was much easier than I expected. The DP blocks I made without pins, following the perfect tutorial by Leanne at she can quilt.

This little piece of patchwork measures 13.75" x 15.5" and is waiting to be joined by more similar paired-colour pieces.

I'm linking this to 

Click on the button to visit the party.

We have a public holiday here on Friday, in honour of the King's birthday; if you're in The Netherlands make the most of your free day, and for the rest of the world:

Happy sewing!

Marly.

Yellow for April

Each month Angela at So Scrappy gives a colour and Mari at The Academic Quilter posts a block pattern for the Squared Away sampler. This month's colour is yellow.

I made the 10" 4X Star block twice:

4X Star blocks

There is also a yellow wonky-star block on the go, but I doubt it will be finished by next Saturday; my day job is rather busy at the moment.

 

I'm linking up with So Scrappy for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge.

Click on the button to join the party and see more sparkling loveliness.

Happy Sewing

Marly.