Busy Day!

I got a good workout in this morning then had coffee with my dad.  At 90, he still swims 40 lengths 3 times a week in the winter, 5-6 days a week in the summer.  I then ran to a quilt store on the other side of the health club and ran into my friend, Mary.  I found a few more I Spy fabrics but I think I'll have to go online to find some more in the colors I want from online stores.  I've had the best luck at Equilter.com, Fabric.com and Fabricshack.com.

So, on to the afternoon activities.  I decided to play with the Acuquilt and use it to cut out a sample block.  I couldn't get a good picture of the die so in a nutshell the squares are set askew so it goes under the roller more easily.  The problem is that it is difficult to line up the fabric to be on-grain unless you pre-cut the fabric to almost the size.  I did the best I could to line the fabric up-a piece that was about the size of a fat quarter.

Lined up and ready to go through.

Midway through.

I had to cut the central square-4-1/2", 4 2-1/2" squares, and 2 sets of triangles for the flying geese units.

I then cut 1-1/2" strips using the Acuquilt.  These are cut width of fabric and I just cut 9" off the fabric and put it on the machine and cranked it through.  Well, as I always say "Shift Happens" and sure enough, it did!  Apparently I did not put the edge of the fabric  at the very end and the fabric mooshed out the other end pushing the folded end of the fabric of the end of the blades so not cutting the full length of the  fabric.  It looked like a black hula skirt!  (Note to self-keep this in mind for next Hawaiian party).

Black Hula Skirt

Fortunately, it was easy to cut apart and the strips looked fine.  I did the white strips next and placed the  fabric correctly.

I then started making the blocks by starting with the flying geese units.  Much to my dismay the triangles didn't match up perfectly as I would expect with die cuts.  But they did line up close enough.  Let's face it, I've been dealing with my cutting for years-I can deal with it!

Lining up the triangles.

The rest of the piecing went smoothly and I'm happy with the results.

Finished sample block

So, do I like the Acuquilt?  It's a fun toy.  I know lots of people hate cutting the fabric and some even have physical limitations which the Acuquilt makes cutting the fabric possible.  But you still have to cut the fabric to a size that will fit in the machine.  I WOULD LOVE to have it for cutting unusual shapes like the bands on a wedding ring quilt, applique shapes and for scrappy quilts when you are using scraps of fabric and not big pieces.  Since my new obsession is using up my scraps (after I finish more of my UFO's) I CAN see myself using this a lot to cut my scraps to size.  Thank goodness Mary made the investment and let me use it!  (Thank you, Mary)  I have invested in some dies-some at Houston and some on sale at JoAnn's.  I would say it would be a fun toy to share with a group of friends.

On another note, a few weeks ago I made a counted cross stitch for a fundraiser one of my daughters' was spearheading for a friend with cancer.  The fundraiser was geared to young professionals in their 20's so I had to come up with something they would like and could relate to.  One of my other daughters introduced me to Subversive Cross Stitch.  I found one that said "F#@k Cancer" with hearts and birds and bunnies.  I made it, framed it and sent it to the fundraiser.  It brought in $110!  And others wanted them so I told my daughter if they would be willing to pay the same as the winning bid I'd make up more!  One of the requests came from the girl with cancer.  Needless to say, I already had all the supplies to make her one.  Just when I think I'm back on track, another project-or few-comes up!

Happy Stitching!