Tuesday, January 20, 2015

An Excited Mouse.





I just loaded this quilt onto the frame and wanted to share something that I do.  When quilting, I often have problems on the edges as they don't stay flat.  I have found that if I sew a strip of fabric to either end I can either pin it secure or use the side clamps.  I prefer the latter.  Everything stays taught and I can run the pattern off the edge-onto the extra fabric, if I want.
I also add a strip to the top edge which allows me to tuck some under the take up bar keeping it secure and straight for the first row.  My quilts turn out nice and square using this method.  The extra strip is easy to remove after quilting as I use a long stitch to sew it on.  If I have sewn over the edge, I remove the extra stitches.
I should also mention that I don't have a stitch regulator and just a 9 inch harp on my set up so it makes it difficult to just do a basting stitch to hold everything in place.
 I have heard a couple of news reports lately about how bad sitting for long periods of time is for your health.  Of course, we already knew this but I didn't realize just how bad it is.  Even exercising daily does not negate the effects of constantly sitting.  The recommendation is that you stand for at least two minutes every half hour.  I have put a timer by the computer-where I am most likely to spend the most time keeping a chair warm.  When it lets me know 30 minutes have passed, I get up and do something else.  Adding a row to the quilt is the perfect solution.
It has been a nice and sunny day so really enjoyed my walk with Heidi.  We had a little mouse run across the road in front of us which cause a bit of excitement for the dog.  Probably for the mouse as well.
Blessings.

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