Some winnings and a fix

I won a magazine from the UK on NeedlesandLemons blog.  Judith has a pattern in this magazine, so they gave her an extra copy for a giveaway on her blog. 

Patchwork & Quilting magazine

Attached to the cover, on the bottom is a free pincushion kit.

free pincushion kit

The directions on how to make the pincushion are in the magazine.  Fun!  Now to show you Judith's quilt in the magazine.  It's actually a quilt and a changing pad (2 items) that she has listed together.

both of Judith's items

At quilt guild, earlier this month, I also won a magazine. I couldn't show it, since I loaned it to another member that evening (I was headed out of town for a TOGA, and wouldn't have time to read it for several days anyways).  Well, Jen had it back to me at the guild sew-in on Saturday.

Generation Q magazine

At the guild sew-in on Saturday, I got lots done.  I finished a quilt top for my Aunt.

Pat's quilt top

It's hard to tell in the picture, but, it's oriental fabric.  My Aunt's apartment is decorated with lots of oriental items, since she and my Uncle spent several years stationed in Thailand.  I started cutting the fabric on July 23rd, and finished the quilt top on July 26th.  Not bad. 

I wanted to show you my friend, Marilyn's quilt top that she finished at the sew-in.

Marilyn's quilt top

No, the dresses are NOT appliqued on, it was a panel. 

I've also started a set of quilts for my youngest son.  He couldn't take much with him when he moved to Alaska last December.  He did take his quilt.  He's wanted something for his walls.  Bill Kerr and Weeks Ringle were at one of my guilds back in February.  I loved their pattern for 'Birds on a Wire'. I'm not a much of a 'modern' fan, but, I could see me making this set of quilts.  Well, I finally got started on them this past week.  I'm not following the pattern (my usual style) but, doing it 'my way' instead.  Patterns like that tend to call for FM quilting, and, I don't do FM quilting (yet).  I can do straight line machine quilting.  I decided that I needed to quilt the quilts before I added the birds, then just machine stitch around the edges of the birds.  I chose raw edge fusible instead of the applique from the book.  Well, for some reason, after I stitched the straight lines on the first quilt (and was half way thru quilting the second quilt) I noticed that the quilt had terrible puckers.  OH NO!!! 

Oops quilting

Usually, when I machine quilt, I spray baste and pin baste.  This time I just pin basted.  Also, I used a different type of batting, that I've never used before, and, my top and bottom layers 'walked' with the walking foot, evidently.  No way to 'iron' this mess out.
I've spent over half the day with my seam ripper, on both of these tops.  I took out every other line of stitching.  Woohoo!  Now check out this quilt.

fixed quilting

It all lays nice and flat now.  I still need to finish the last 1/3rd of the quilting on the second quilt, so that I can add the birds, and stitch them down.  Hopefully that will get done tomorrow.