Hello everyone!
I am here again another week to share some in-behind the scenes at CocoWawa and yet again, I have spent my days working on the two samples for the upcoming #cwbrokencirclesquilt (out in April!).
This week I have almost! managed to finish the baby size completely (just need to hand sew the binding to the back) and! I have finished the top of the throw size which I might send to a long armer because nope, I don't have the time to do it myself :)
Here it was right when I finished quilting it. I went for a curvy design following one of the tutorials of the amazing book 'Walk: Master Machine Quilting with your Walking Foot' by Jaquie Gering.
And here you can see a few close-ups while quilting it.
After a lot of practice and studying and watching videos and reading books, I have come up with a ten tip list for better / easier quilting for beginners. I posted it on my Instagram the other day and many found it useful, so I sharing it here as well:
1. Always doodle first on a piece of paper.
2. Practice the design on a scrap of fabric.
3. Check your thread tension and pressure on your presser foot. Adjust while testing.
4. Go for a 2.5 or 3.0 stitch length.
6. If not doing FMQ, use a walking foot.
6. Go slowly to avoid puckers. Walk, don't run.
7. Break the quilt into sections.
8. Consider the material of your batting.
9. Take breaks and stretch your back.
10. And remember, it is better done than perfect 😄
Apart from spending the rest of my time working on the other parts of launching a pattern (creating blog posts, taking pics, editing social media content and the actual products on the website), I have made an effort to also spend some time on personal projects.
I have finally started cutting a sewing a couple of blocks of the Ombre Gems quilt, I finished a shawl I had started quite a while ago and! also cast-on the Novice Cardigan by Petite Knit.
I have found that it is very important for my mental health to still do crafty things that I love not related to work to be able to rest and keep functioning.
Apart from all of this I have been reading, walking, swimming, exercising, going bowling for the first time and seeing a musical (some of these during the weekend).
I will come back next time with more quilt samples! Haha! As you can see, the pattern designer routine can be very much the same each week.
See you soon makers and thanks for reading!
Ana
xxx