Just Hands On TV

I subscribed to Just Hands On TV about six months ago.  For £6 a month you get to see two new videos each Friday.  This sounded ideal - Friday is my day off and to settle down with a cappuccino to watch two quilting videos after showering and dressing sounded like the perfect relaxing way to start my weekend.  (You can get to watch a limited number of non subscriber videos for free if you choose not to pay the £6 fee.)

On the first Friday I couldn't find my two subscriber videos so emailed the owner to ask what I was doing wrong - what I had found was a lady talking about an exhibition which I thought was an advert to get you to visit and a further video showing how to use a particular plastic ruler - for that to be of use you would have needed to buy the plastic ruler from the web site so I just took that for another advert.  The response from the owner was that those two videos were indeed my two paid for videos.  Over the following months there were a few videos of interest to me but some were quite short and usually finished before I got to the end of the cappuccino.  In December one of the offerings was a very poor quality video showing someone talking about mini quilts and I decided to call it a day.  My decision was more than confirmed when one of last Friday's videos was a 1 minute 24 second demo of how to sew a quarter inch seam with your sewing machine.

I consider myself to be an intermediate quilter who is working on improving more advanced techniques and I would reiterate that some of the Friday videos I saw were very interesting, but I don't feel there is enough advanced material to hold my attention.  Some of the videos are introduced as a "quick and easy" way to do something - I don't want quick and easy.  I want to continue stretching myself - I can find quick and easy quilting projects all over the internet for free.

I don't want to dismiss this website completely because if I was a beginner it would be a fabulous place to learn all sorts of "quilty stuff" and give you lots of tasters to inspire and develop your own ideas to begin your quilting journey.  Give it a try and see what you think, you can cancel your payment at any time if you use Paypal and there are lots of videos to browse through when you join.  We're all different and what doesn't suit me may be just the thing for someone else.

When I decided to spend this £6 a month it was to be instead of buying more and more monthly quilting publications and I can confirm that I stuck to this and haven't bought a quilt magazine since last June - pat on the back for me for sticking to that!!

Lazy Girl - Claire Bag

The Claire bag from Lazy Girl Designs finished last weekend.  It has two central pockets on the outside and small pockets all around the interior.  Not particularly difficult to make and it looks nice finished.  It's not very "sturdy" and any weight inside distorts the shape.  If I made it again I would use a much heavier weight interfacing.  It's wide open top gives no security for the contents but there is a small optional flap in the pattern which would keep it together in the middle.  It uses a different fabric combination on each side and requires 7 fat quarters, fusible fleece and interfacing.

I think it will be useful for carrying my packed lunch to work - not secure enough to carry anything of value.  Just dropping it on the floor would have things dropping out all over the place.

Interior showing internal pockets

Other side showing alternative colour way.

Book Review - Embellish with Anything

I bought this book several months ago from Book Depository - Embellish with Anything  It sparked off all sorts of thoughts and whilst I have not made any of the projects exactly as laid out in the book, I have incorporated the techniques into my own projects.  All too often the requirements for projects in some books are not to hand, are expensive or have to be mail ordered as there are no craft outlets in my area but with this book I could find almost anything required from in and around the house and my craft stuff.

The first and most important thing to me which I learned from this book was how to get a much better satin stitch around the edge of my embellisher projects - postcards, ATCs etc.  It had been niggling me for some time that everyone else's always looked better than mine.  It was a really simple technique and it has made a big difference.  There are lots of other things I want to try, paper beads for one and there are some really neat ideas for using things I would never have dreamt of using to embellish with. 

Lots of good, up close illustations and well written advice make this book a keeper for me which I keep going back to and discovering new information each time.  Well worth asking the library for or treating youself.

Embellishing with Anything Fiber Art Techniques for Quilts - ATCs, Postcards, Wallhangings and More

Quilting The Complete Guide by Darlene Zimmerman

Before I consider the contents I have to say I like books which come hard bound and spiral so they will open and lay flat by the sewing machine or chair and you can look and work without continually losing your place when the book closes up of its own accord.

Of course you shouldn't judge a book by its cover - however it is clearly written and beautifully illustrated.  At the beginning there are Quick Reference Guides - standard sizes for batting, mattresses, bedspreads and so on.  Formulas for cutting shapes, setting and corner triangles, formulas for backing and binding.  I think these are extremely useful and I have used them to help me finish off quilts which have been started at workshops and I haven't been able to understand the finishing instructions.

The rest of this book contains a huge amount of information and gives a clear understanding of how to tackle many techniques, blocks, binding methods and embellishments such as applique.  Some good edge finishing including how to mark and bind a scalloped edge - the book is packed with info and I was delighted with it. 

Definitely a keeper which I will continue to dip in and out of.

Bias Binder Foot

I can't remember when I bought this foot but it came to mind whilst I have been thinking over the purchase of either the quilt binding set at over £100 or a Janome bias binder foot for around £12.  It has to be more than ten years, in fact I think it will be nearer 15 years.  It came from Jaycotts and has the price label on the bag of £11 - quite steep really all those years ago.  It didn't take nearly as long to find it as I thought it might amongst my extensive range of sewing paraphernalia.

All those years ago I tried all ends up to get some bias binding round something or other and make that foot pay its way but I remember tossing it to the back of the sewing box regretting how much I'd spent on another gadget which didn't work.

I've watched a lot of videos on various bias binder feet in action recently and armed with that knowledge I snapped this foot onto the Horizon, slotted the tape through, pushed the quilted tea cosy edge inside the tape and away I went.  I moved the needle position over to the right a little to make sure the edge of the tape was being caught at both sides and Bob's your uncle.

As far as I am aware I do not have an Uncle called Bob, but I do have a foot which makes a very acceptable job of attaching binding.

I don't think it will do big, thick jobs and I'm not sure how long the plastic will hold up - could be a bit brittle with age but it stands out above the Janome metal foot as this one is adjustable and it can take a wide range of tape widths - I'm guessing here from the gauge on the foot - 5mm up to around 20mm - and that's after folding.  It says low shank on the packet but the Horizon is a high shank and I can't see it matters on a snap on foot anyway.  Jaycotts still sell it for £18.33 and there is a choice of snap on or screw on.

What a satisfying find amongst the jungle of my sewing supplies!  I'm still thinking about the bigger quilt binding set but I don't need the smaller Janome binding foot as long as this one holds out.

Thread Heaven Review

Shopping in Hobbycraft for thread, I saw this little item - Thread Heaven.  Click on its name and have a look round the site to see what it does - covers quite a few different crafts.  I've tried it for hand sewing a double binding onto a quilt and it does what it says - no taffling and no thread drag.  It will be something I continue to use.  I'm also going to try it out with machine sewing, applying it when winding the bobbin and also on the last but one thread guide before the needle.  If there's going to be a problem with breakage, it's always at that point.  Says it is also good for metallic thread too.

Free Motion Quilting - Machingers Gloves

The Machingers gloves have arrived from http://www.asding.com/ and are definitely useful in gripping and moving the fabric - I like them.  It's taking longer than I thought to tame my sewing machine and make it do what I want it to do with FMQ, but I think I'm getting there.  This sample is definitely the smoothest and best I've done so far.  The back looks as good as the front too.  If you like using YLI Soft Touch thread for piecing (I use the grey for piecing everything!) ASding have it at the great price of £3.50 and their P&P is next to nothing!!

Aids to Free Motion Quilting

I've decided my Christmas/Birthday money will buy me some Machingers quilting gloves and a Supreme Slider  I might also get a pack of  Little Genie Magic Bobbin Washers 

I'm in two minds about investing in the Janome add ons free motion feet set (£39) and bobbin case (£25).  It seems like a lot of money to make your machine do something it's already supposed to be able to do, according to the manual........  Are they add ons for the sake of add ons?  Or will they really make life easier?  If anyone knows, please share.