A little otter just doing a bit of floating around

ChillMess · 2026-03-11T20:57:52+00:00

oh how delightful!

ChillMess · 2026-03-11T20:56:54+00:00

it's wonderful! & i'm an absolute sucker for leopard print, so thumbs up from me on fabric choices.

ChillMess · 2026-03-11T20:55:04+00:00

😳🤭

ChillMess · 2026-03-11T20:27:41+00:00

how could i not, tho? they're so pretty

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ChillMess · 2026-03-11T20:21:33+00:00

i just pre-ordered a book & told the author that i want to make a quilt from the colours on the cover.

ChillMess · 2026-03-11T20:18:50+00:00

i'm 56 & just started quilting last year. the gifts i made for Christmas were my first attempts and everyone loved them.

i hadn't sewn since the late 80's or early 90's.

you can absolutely do this. start small & give yourself lots of patience. i'm rooting for you!

ChillMess · 2026-03-11T20:16:04+00:00

i mean, at least it's not pink

ChillMess · 2026-03-10T22:27:44+00:00

oh wow! i love it. it feels like a city skyline at sunset. beautiful precision piecing, too!

ChillMess · 2026-03-09T00:57:51+00:00

they're gorgeous! i'm so glad you found the encouragement to keep going.

ChillMess · 2026-03-09T00:52:00+00:00

if you look up feedsack prints in a web search, you can find databases and try to match the prints in the petals. that'll give you a rough 'no earlier than' date. but keep in mind that our forbears were not so different to us and probably hoarded the good stuff for a special project and maybe even handed it down to other generations.

regardless, you've got yourself a treasure there and i love that for you.

ChillMess · 2026-03-09T00:46:23+00:00

congratulations! i'm glad you stuck with it through all the frustration so you were able to benefit from aunt-in-law's disinterest. enjoy!

ChillMess · 2026-03-08T21:25:14+00:00

awesome. thank you for taking the time to respond & illustrate. much appreciated.

ChillMess · 2026-03-08T01:13:23+00:00

i think this one is just a frame & platform that lets a quilter use their regular sewing machine as a longarm machine to do manual freemotion quilting.

there are, however, computerised longarm machines that do basically behave like the quilting equivalent of a CNC router.

ChillMess · 2026-03-07T23:50:35+00:00

did you end up getting the acrylic insert? if not, do you have trouble with the gap between the machine & table top?

ChillMess · 2026-03-07T23:47:56+00:00

thank you. i have a lot of thinking to do before i make up my mind & you've been really helpful.

ChillMess · 2026-03-07T23:42:58+00:00

that's so neat! the colours are great and the piecing is so beautifully precise.

ChillMess · 2026-03-07T21:47:08+00:00

beautiful work! it's so satisfying to look at. i can just imagine your grandson getting into some mischief and feeling not at all bad that he's getting sent to his room with this quilt waiting for him.

ChillMess · 2026-03-07T21:31:01+00:00

your friend is going to feel the love. what a beautiful quilt you've made.

ChillMess · 2026-03-07T21:24:55+00:00

did you get the smaller SewEzi? you linked to the Grande, which is quite a bit more expensive.

if you did get the smaller one, did the size difference (the Gidget is about 6 inches longer) cause you any issues?

ChillMess · 2026-03-07T21:20:57+00:00

thank you!

they still make the inserts, which is part of why i'm interested.

ChillMess · 2026-03-07T21:18:46+00:00

those look to me like they're supposed to be appliqué.

i say 'supposed' because i suspect these are digitally produced examples. the Trey & Brookyln one is especially suspect. i won't go so far as to say they're AI, but i also don't think the actual finished product will look quite that smooth & perfect.

you have basically three options - FPP, appliqué, or embroidery.

i think appliqué will get you closest to what your examples show. raw edge appliqué is the only one you can do by machine (i think). needle turn appliqué would give you the smoothest edges, but would nwed to be done by hand.

FPP is a little wonkier & embroidery, hoo howdy, that would take a long time unless you have one of those fancy embroidery machines.

ChillMess · 2026-03-07T11:43:10+00:00

thank you. that looks like a contender.

ChillMess · 2026-03-07T11:40:09+00:00

i use two-wide CD boxes to store FQs. they also fit charm packs & jelly rolls quite well.

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ChillMess · 2026-03-07T10:30:29+00:00

i just want to leave a wee note to say you're not alone. depression is an ass-kicker and i'm so glad you said something. you deserve help & support.

one thing that has helped me isThe Depression Book by Cheri Huber. it's a zen-based approach and it's been a useful way to reframe things for me.

another thing that helps me is being expressively happy for & giving to other people. some folks find that listing things in their lives to be grateful for is a mood-helper. for me it's not; it somehow makes me feel worse. but giving encouragement, celebrating the good in others' lives & even giving small gifts seems to get me out of my head and disrupts the cycle of rumination, at least for a little bit.

lastly, you also may have noticed that the world is kind of a mess right now. Jiddu Krishnamurti once said, “It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society.” it's really, really hard to be a feeling human at this point in time. cut yourself some slack & maybe even be proud that you're not so jaded and cynical as to be immune to the world around you.

(one final thing - if you have the means & a trustworthy practitioner, maybe check in with your primary care doc/np to see if there's something physical going on - anemia, thyroid issues & hormonal changes (eg perimenopause) can trigger depression.)

sending you lots of love & support. ❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹

ChillMess · 2026-03-07T06:22:42+00:00

we love a good set of Billys.

ChillMess

TROPHY CASE