Hand Quilting On Bamboo Batting Evaluation

My friend Sandra tried Hand Quilting on the Bamboo Batting. She is an EXCELLENT hand quilter. I take her review as gospel. She REALLY knows what she is talking about. I copied and pasted her e-mail below.

Here's my evaluation on the Bamboo Batting Hand Quilting.

I looked forward to working with this batting. It feels so soft and breaths well. It's tightly punched.

Conditions:Using prewashed cotton fabric (top and bottom); used Aurifil thread; and Roxanne #12 between needle.

Looking for:Being able to quilt with multiple stitches (more than three) on needle and ease of travel for the needle

Results:The first single stitch traveled easily enough. I started with three stitches; there was a little resistance with pulling the needle through. I was able to put five stitches at a time on the needle; had to use the pliers to pull needle through. Too much drag; the needle would not pull through using my fingers.The stitches were 1/16" apart; stitching lines were 3/8" apart. I wanted to see how close I could stitch my lines together without running into any real problems. I split the different between the two lines which created the 3/8" space. The quilting became too difficult. Picking up stitches did not flow well and the distance between stitches almost doubled.

Bottom Line:could not pull needle through fabric with multiple stitches without using pliers for assistance. This batting has too much drag. I would not recommend this batting for hand quilting.

Sandra

Tree Huggers?

I will start this off by saying I believe we should try to help our planet. We should try new ecco friendly products, see if they can work with our current lifestyle or we can adapt them to our life style. We should take our own cloth bags to use at stores instead of plastic. Make a store cram more stuff into one bag instead of using four bags. I also believe we don't all need to become tree huggers.

So I will now endorse a new product I have tried.



Yesterday I started machine quilting my and Liz's Primitive Hearts Quilt. I decided to try Fairfield's Bamboo Batting. I LOVE IT!!! I wish I could buy it in yardage instead of package goods. The batting is made of 50% Bamboo and 50% Organic Cotton. I was amazed that I had NO lint to clean out of my machine after I quilt most of my little quilt, I only have the outer border left. It is so soft and nice to quilt with. Because it is needle punched and a thin scrim you can get away with quilting every 8 inches. It is so nice to work with. WOW!

I am going to buy another package this weekend at JoAnn's to quilt my President's Challenge quilt. I will tell you the price point is higher than other battings. A Generous Crib, 60" x 60", runs $13.99 at JoAnn's BUT it does go on sale 50% off a lot. It is actually on sale 50% off until Saturday.

I am a lover and user of Warm & Natural. I will continue to use Warm & Natural. BUT I will also be migrating to Bamboo Batting when I can.

***Side note for those of you who hand quilt, a friend of mine has a piece that she will be trying out. As soon as I have feed back from her I will post it.***

The E-mail Has Come

Scott got the e-mail this afternoon with his travel information. He will be flying out of Sacramento Sunday at 12:30pm for Houston. Once he arrives in Houston he will take a shuttle to the North Houston Hilton to KBR conference center. Their he will receive his actual hotel assignment and bus schedule.

On Monday he will got back to the KBR conference center at the Hilton to start processing. He will be staying at one hotel and going to the Hilton each day for meals, processing, orientation, training and medical stuff. Once he has everything finished, usually 10 to 14 days, he will be moved from his hotel to a room at the Hilton to wait for a flight to Dubai.

We are hoping that he is on the 10 day plan in Houston and that all his medical stuff is good. We are concerned about his back but it does not prevent him from working. Wish him luck!

Free BOM's

Do any of you realize how many free BOM's there are out in blogland!!! I have found a ton of them this past week. And knowing me I want to do them ALL!

For you non quilting people a BOM is a Block Of the Month. Many shops host them with a monthly fee you get a pattern and a small kit to make the Block. They can last 3 to 12 months, most are 9 to 12 months.

I think I have downloaded patterns to at least 6 BOM's. I am working on 3 right now. So I am going to help you all out. Here is a list of the one's I have found and love:

1. Bunny Hill's A Tisket, A Tasket 12 months
2. Gail Pan's A Christmas Wish 9 months
3. Capricorn Quilts Once Upon A Time 12 months
4. Guute's Mystery BOM 2009 12 months (maybe)
5. Ellie's Quiltplace Country Calendar 12 months
6. Claudia's Quilt Shoppe Bedazzled Mystery 8 months
7. Hugs from Helen Great Summer Mystery Several steps not in months
8. Lynette Anderson Noah's Ark 12 months
9. Willowberry Designs Veranda Views 10 months

Okay that is a good start. Some of these blogs are not in English BUT they all have a translate button. I am working on a few of these now and have printed directions to maybe do in the future. The first three on the list are ones I am working on this years. I realized that with Scott leaving that I will have less time for piecing and a lot more time for hand work. So bring on the BOM's!

6 Days And Coutning

Scott leaves on Sunday the first. That is all we know. We have been trying to get so much done in the little time left. You would not believe everything you have to get done. Beyond packing there is work that has to be done on the house and power of attorney and other legal junk.

Also I just figured out that Delaney's birthday is 4 1/2 weeks away. GREAT! So now I am planning a birthday party. I am thinking up invitations as I type. Mom is checking Farmer's Almanac for weather, which will decide inside or outside party. Aunt Linda is in Mexico so if I hurry, I can send out invitations saying it is at her house before she gets home to say no. And since she is in Mexico I am volunteering her to make the cupcakes, again she's not her to say no.

I still need to quilt my President's Challenge quilt and it only needs to be 100% finished in 3 1/2 weeks. I need to put borders on before I can make a back so I can sandwich it to quilt so I can get binding and a sleeve on for the meeting. Piece O'Cake!

Oh! Just so you all know, you can purchase my pattern Hole In My Role at Ladybug's Quilts in Manteca. For those of you who aren't local the pattern will also be available on Kumquat Kewtie in the next week.

What Did I Do?

Today I don't feel like I have done much of anything, I haven't even brushed my hair. I am trying to figure out how I spent 12 hours...

What did I do?
1. I made a dozen fabric cards
2. Started a Welcome wall hanging for a swap
3. Folded 50 patterns
4. Finished putting away all the Christmas stuff
5. Cleaned part of my living room (the other part is still being used for storage)
6. I did 3 loads of laundry
7. Laid out a crib quilt top, started setting the rows too

I still don't feel like I DID anything.

Delaney did hook up my tv and dvd player. Scott took her shopping too, web cameras.

*** Dean is the winner of the Apron.***
The winner of the last prize will be posted Tuesday.

The End of The Celebration

Thank you all so much for sharing the fun of my 2nd Blog-A-Versary. I am already thinking about next years celebration.

Today's prize is for the guys, a Grillin' & Chillin' apron! It is made out of Alexander Henry's Pin Up Girls fabric. Scott will be modeling later in the day. Also don't forget we have a bonus prize being drawn today for all the people that posted a comment and didn't win. Last all duplicate prizes will be posted on my Etsy site Kumquat Kewtie Sunday afternoon.

At the last minute this morning I found out that I could have the weekend off! This is very exciting. Friday night was spent at a Taco dinner raising funds for a 7 year old girl who had been in a bad car accident. We are hoping to meet up with some friends from the Nor-Cal HHR Club this weekend for food. The rest of the weekend will be spend on home beautification. Scott has already repaired the master toilette and got the figures to finish the hall bath cabinet. I am hoping he can run base board in the hall bath, finish insulating the crawl space, and finish the backyard this weekend.

As for me I need to get sewing done. I know that once Scott leaves I will not have much sewing time. I have 2 twin size quilts that have deadlines on them one is the end of February and the other is March 7th. I only have 2 weeks left to make the transition to a single mom.

*** Kymn is the winner of the Sandra Glam Bag.***