It doesn't hurt to ask...

Moving around so much - well, it can be a bit frustrating... my machine might be in one country, my rulers in another, my fabric in a 3rd. Ugh. It takes a bit of planning to get all the components needed for quilting together, and sometimes, despite my best intentions, it doesn't happen.

Oh yes, please do oooh and aaaah over the Green Ocean Waves quilt - all quilted (by Judy). Last week I ran into the quilt shop and bought a light/dark green mottled leaf print for the binding - you can see just a tiny bit of it on the bottom... It was a bit funny because I was standing there agonizing over the decision - so many choices - when I finally came to my senses, grabbed one fabric and had it cut - so many would have looked good and this one looks just fine too... heck - any binding sewn onto a quilt so you can USE it is already a step ahead of finding the "perfect" binding fabric. Only problem... I like to put my bindings on using a walking foot... and the machine I am borrowing from a sister doesn't have one... and, well - those things are expensive, and I don't want to buy a walking foot for this machine because I already have a walking foot for my own machine (which is in Canada). So you see - I had to put my thinking cap on as to where I might get my hands on a walking foot.

And then I remembered - a distant acquaintance, who lives in town, quilts and I was fairly certain that she would have a walking foot. Well, nothing ventured, nothing gained - right? So, I look her # up in the phone book and call her. And guess what? She DOES have a walking foot (on a beautiful Bernina sewing machine, might I add), and YES indeedy I could come over to her house and use it to put the binding on my quilt! And when I got there she had her sewing table all cleared off for me, the foot attached AND a new needle in the machine. Wow! And while I was in her wonderful sewing room I admired her chicken pin-cushion so she gave me the pattern for that, plus the felt for the beak and comb. She has lots of lovely wall quilts displayed through-out her house too so I had a mini quilt show! After I got the binding on she fixed me lunch and a hot cup of tea and we visited and then she invited me to go to a small gathering of women for hand work/visiting session. Well, that worked into my schedule so off we went and when I got there they gave me a stack of old quilt magazines, which is great because I miss my quilting magazines and books. And, of course, it is always nice to meet with people and see what they are making and chat. I really, really had fun and I am so happy that she said yes and then one thing lead to another - all good things!

So, how is that for a red letter day? All because I picked up the phone and asked someone if I could use their machine to put the binding on my quilt! It doesn't hurt to ask...

AND - my quilt binding is done, done, done!!! I cut my binding 2 1/4" wide, sewed it on to the BACK of the quilt using a scant 1/4" seam - then folded it over to the front and top stitched the front of the binding down. The binding is narrower in the back so when you top stitch the front you don't catch the bottom binding, but the backing of the quilt instead. I really like this look! One more look at the quilting...