QFK#1

It took me two more days to finish the quilt up, about two and a half to three full days total.  On day two I started by sandwiching the pieces together.  I don't like to lay my quilts on the floor unless I have no other choice, so I use a giant piece of styrofoam that I saved from large shipping box.  I attach one side of the backing with giant binder clips then pull it tight to the other side.  I use straight pins to anchor it into the sytrofoam then place the batting and top piece while keeping everything as tight as possible with the pins around all edges.  Next I can go through and baste with the safety pins.  The styrofoam helps here too because you are not poking through to your table or floor.

I bought myself the cheapest walking foot that I could find and started with diagonal lines across the four patch blocks.  Once I started I figured that I should have thought it out a little before so that I would not have to stop and restart for each line.  Lesson learned - one continuous path to quilt (even though feeding the quilt through the small throat of my machine is not easy) is still easier and cleaner.  I used a continuous line to quilt through all of the main blocks in an echo stitch about a 1/4" inside the block.

In the outer border I decided that I would practice my free motion quilting.  I decided to go with some stars and added a few words.  I discovered that I still need lots of practice.

"hope"

"dream"

"play ball"

On the third day I finished it up with the binding.  I was worried about not having enough backing to make the binding from but it turns out that I had plenty, with some to spare.  QFK asks that the binding be attached with a zig zag stitch so it took me awhile to figure out the best way to do this.  You can see the final stitching in the pictures above.  It worked very well other than a couple of spots that I missed and had to go back and double stitch.

Zig zag stitch with the walking foot.

Overall I was very happy with my first QFK quilt.

Finished quilt with some bad lighting and photobombers.

My first label.

I will drop it in the mail to QFK headquarters today and start on my first quilt for my local chapter of QFK.  I have been putting together "kits" just like this one with all of the extra fabric that I have - looking forward to dropping some off with Silicon Valley QFK next time they meet.

Just part of my stash.

My First QFK Quilt

I received my kit for the QFK quilt so quickly.  It came in the mail on Thursday which was perfect timing since I was planning on sewing on Friday.  Here is the kit that I received...

I got started and finished the quilt top on Friday.  Here it is...

I was planning on taking it over to a meeting with my local chapter of QFK on Sunday, but our yard sale went longer than I wanted and with the sun blazing down hard on us as we tried to get cleaned up...  I was in no shape to meet new friends.

I have to get it all put together and figure out the binding (which does not come with the kit).  I may be able to get some out of the backing piece (the green background in the kit picture is the backing piece), but not sure if there will be enough.  I will have to post another pic once it is all done.  I also want to go through all of the fabric I have to make another one to send along with it back to headquarters.

Thanks QFK!!
www.quiltsforkids.org

Getting Organized

So...  I have not given up yet.  I am just trying to get myself organized.  I decided that I am going to do a garage sale this weekend so I have been trying to get all of the "junk" in my house organized enough to put outside.  I am hoping that I will not have to bring much of it back inside!!  I may just take whatever is left to donate at the Salvation Army afterward.  I am looking forward to having just a bit of money to buy some sewing supplies that I have been needing.  I will also need to get batting for the Quilt for Kids (QFK) quilt that I ordered.  I am really excited about getting started on that.  I hope it doesn't really take 6 weeks to get here.  I may start working on another QFK quilt using up some of the scraps I have been piling up over the years.  Wish me luck!!

Mile 1

Running this race will be harder than any race I have ever done (even though I only do 5k's).  I know that it is going to be hard for me to just post.  I want to figure out how to make my blog "fancy" before I start posting about projects and such.  How ironic that I am a perfectionist!!  I mean... why do I strive to make sure that all I do is perfect when I know that it doesn't need to be.  That is NOT what it is all about!!  I am not giving up that easy!!  I keep looking at blogs of others that truly inspire me and at the same time make me think I am crazy for doing this.  I am no where near as talented as some of these ladies!!  I guess God grants us talents and even though my talent is not as awesome as someone else's..... it is still mine and I am still thankful for it!

There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them.  There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord.  There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.    
1 Corinthians 12:4-6

On Your Mark...

I have never fully understood the blogging concept.  I still don't and yet here I am posting for the first time. Yay!!

Get Set...

I am not sure what I will even post about.  How do I get started??  I have been searching the internet trying to figure out which blog sites are best, how to get started, etc.  I have gone to multiple different blogs that I want to go back to later.  How do you even follow a blog that you like?  I have my work cut out for me!!

Go!!!

I finally figured that I will never do it unless I just "GO!"   How exciting!!!  I wonder if it is like Facebook where I can post 10 times a day.....  or is that bad blog style???  How will I ever decide what to post - I have so many ideas and projects that I want to work on!!  How do I organize all of my crazy thoughts and put them here and not go overboard?  I wonder if I can edit it after I post in case I get out of hand one day...

Hence the name of my blog, "Not Sew Perfect Mom."  I know that I am not perfect (but I love to sew)!!  I have tons of room to grow as a Christian, as a daughter, as a sister, as a wife and as a parent.

It seems like all of the blogs that I have ever looked at show women that have it all together.  They appear so perfect, unlike me....  I dislike cleaning and cooking (except baking - that I don't mind).  I am not into girly things....  I wear minimal make-up, I don't get my nails done, I have never owned a Coach bag, and definitely don't do designer brands.  Sewing is my one girly thing!!  And I am not perfect in that either!!!

My goal of this blog is to keep me focused on being better....  I want to be a better Christian, daughter, sister, wife and parent!  I look forward to where I will go with this and to be able to look back at how I have changed because of it.  I pray that some of the things I imagine will come to be and that as I run this race I will strengthen my faith and family bonds.

Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.   -Hebrews 12:1

I look forward to the FINISH.