trying something

Yesterday I mentioned needing to make a pillow case for my niece to store the recently made tree skirt.  I had sent a note that I "owed" her one, LOL.

I pulled the written instructions from an area quilt shop and I guess enough time had elapsed that I forgot how to do the cuff and the rolling up of the body.   All I knew is that I wanted to sew it on the serger so the edges would be finished nicely.

Off to you tube land.  Cynthia Dickerson has an instructional video posted HERE but minus the accent strip. Because I was not clear on the directions, I thought I would make a trial run pillow case and Kristine would get the better of the two.  I am going to need extra cases anyway come quilt show time so no loss of time or effort, right?

I got the job done but I had to pin twice and actually reach in and pull the pins I had just placed.  Pins and the serger do not really mix close to the edge anyway---or you pin parallel to the edge and back a good bit from the presser foot.

Fast forward to today but still side tracking, LOL.   Sharon Schamber advocates using little dots of glue in doing her binding and uses Elmer's glue but replaces the applicator with a very fine tip metal set up.  DJ had repaid me for one of the Christmas gifts I ordered and said maybe there was some other little thing that I wanted to get with the re-payment.  There was actually.  A Passionate Quilter had a post that she had found a 14 pc bottle and tip set at Michael's made by Loew and Cornell.  Joann's had them online as well---and for a reduced rate.  I knew that my area Walmart didn't have anything like this on hand so I ordered it. Well, I also found a Marti Michell set G hexagon and companion pieces template set that I had my eye on for some time and cheaper than directly from marti.  My sweet Bama Belles had given me some mad money so the template set will be from them.

I remembered that I used to have a Roxanne Glue Baste It set up at one time.  Did I still have it?  Where is it?  Not with the applique/hand quilting bag.  Not in the cart around supply basket where it had once been.  I found it in the applique tote that holds the templar, the teflon pressing sheet etc  The Roxanne set up is like a 20 gauge syringe that has been whacked off so there is no beveled edge as a real needle would. It does clog up.  Ask me how I know!  It will still be good to have a back up option if one is soaking or unclogging or one to carry along with me on quilting days.

So back to the story of what I am trying----I am sticking down the accent strip with the little glue dots and heat setting it with the iron as Sharon advises.  I had not stuck any glue dots between the layers of the accent strip but I think it looks like there is enough glue that it seeped up to the top layer anyway.  Sharon does glue her binding together first so the accent strip IS like binding since you double it with the wrong sides together.  My plan is to dot glue the wrong side of cuff to the accent strip right side up, roll up the body and then only have to pin that last edge.  Or maybe glue the whole deal and skip the pins all together on the cuff part anyway.  Takes time to pin and remove them after all.

I DO want to try that binding deal at some point, maybe when I get around to quilting up the 3 pro bono quilts I have on hand though the binding is already pressed and rolled.  It can be un-done.  Mainly I just want to be able to do a better job of it in the machine for the donation quilts anyway.  My own personal projects I would probably continue to do it by hand-----unless I get really, really good at it, LOL.  Like wayyyyy better than I do now.

Well, back to the prep work.  Pictures to follow of both pillow cases and whatever else I manage to get done.