Dee, I hesitate to say that this moron DID use a thimble (they're all hand stitched) and still managed to prick myself continuously!! OUCHIE. I think I was so relieved to have those babies done for Christmas that I never wanted to do it ever again. Yes, I bet you've gained a whole new respect for the cutter! I'm so glad it wasn't even worse than that, Dee. I'm reckless when it comes to these things and have a long history of recklessness. As a freshman in Home Ec. class (which was the ONLY year I took that class), I put a sewing machine needle right through my index fingernail. I had to go to the hospital to have it removed!!! And you know why that happened?!?! Because I was horsing around pretending the machine was a race car...just to be funny. Well, in the end the joke was on me! Oh gosh, I could tell some stories of my insane actions in Junior and Senior Highschool!

OMGosh...Ladyjane...a machine needed? I'm cringing just thinking about that. Okay...I think you need to stay away from sharp pointie thing...LOL. I need to stay away from round pointie thing...LOL.
I worked at a TG&Y when I was young and they used to tag clothing with a machine that shot the price tag and a staple at the same time when the part of the cloth was slid into a slot. One day we heard a screaming coming from the women's department. A girl put her finger in the slot and had stapled herself to the machine. I imagine having a needle shoved through your finger is much worse...egads!!!!
Okay...tell tell tell tell...wanna hear more stores of your Junior and Senior Highschool stunts!!! Please???

Yeahbut (my favorite word)...this is a quilting forum! Okay, everyone...don't yell at me because Dee said so!! One story...and if I need to tell more then we'd better move! When I was a junior in highschool I absolutely detested my English teacher....he was new, geeky, NON-smiling and had beady little eyes. The biology lab was directly over his English classroom. Sooooo...one day in the lab I instigated a wonderful plan. Of course, there are always a few kids that will follow anybody and do anything. We were working on pig fetuses....yup, I know...grossss. But that's where we did those things. We had a free spirited sort of biology teacher and he was off galavanting (don't yell at me for that word either) somewhere. We attached several fetuses to heavy duty string, opened the windows and very, very slowly lowered them down to the windows of Mr. Geek's class. It was hilarious!!!! Several of his students got sick or ran from the room and Mr. Beady-eyes is hanging out his window trying to see who was doing this! It was well known through the school and NO ONE ever 'fessed up to it. Sure, we all got lectured about it but I had a way of just sitting there looking unimpressed. When we had a reunion and a memory tour, we were walking by the lab and everyone just broke out in hysterical laughing at the same time...we were all remembering!!! Oh my, I was a bad girl but I had a lot of fun.

I thought it would be cool to start a new forum so I went to REMEMBER and added Jane's story above and started a new forum, "Were you a prankster in school?" I did that so I could hear more stories from LadyJane and others. This outta be fun!!!

A machine 'needed'? Sheesh...I swear I don't see what I type sometimes...NEEDLE...that's what I meant to say. UGH

Ouch! I've been very leary of the rotary cutter since I got it. I've dreamed of doing exactly what you did, Dee! AND a sewing machine needle???

I'm a machine quilter -- not a lot of patience for hand sewing, although it tickles the back of my brain that it might be nice. Not interested in pricked fingers, either.

Dee, triangles are hard. I did 18 "good luck" pieces that involved 8 triangles each. I can definitely tell the first ones from the last ones! All I can say, is if you keep at it, it will probably get easier and better. And, we are all our own worst critics!

Did you sew before? I've sewn all my life and I think that makes it easier. I also worked in a costume shop in college and the instructor taught me to tailor. I even made a few suit jackets at one point -- something I don't think I'd attempt now.

I think a "round robin" quilt would be interesting. Someone starts with a block and then mails it to someone else who creates another block and sends it to someone else, etc. At least, I think that's how it goes. There's still the problem of paying for backing and batting and quilting thread, but we could probably work it out using Paypal. Then we could donate it as the NABBW to a charity somewhere. We could even make it a crib quilt which is a lot smaller!

Casey...I've got to hit the sack at the moment but I definitely want to respond to your post...talk soon.

Hugs all around

OH, boy... wouldn't the postage $$$ grow as quilt got closer to the last robin?! Ouch, fabric can weigh alot. The concept is awesome, but the cost of forwarding unevenly distributed. I guess you could tape a few quarters inside as it progressed along.
Regardless, it would be neat to see what the final product might be.

Casey...sorry it's taken me so long to get back to you...but, here I am.
First, I'm impressed with your tailoring skills...I have been sewing since I was knee high to a pedal singer sewing machine...and I've lined outfits but never did a suit...(I'm bowing to you now...I am not worthy). Goodness...that takes lots of patience and skill. I understand why you'd rather not take that one, again.
I've made a total of five 9 blocks...and you're right...it gets better with each square. I have four more to make for my class project and I've saved the hardest one for last...yikes. The hardest part of cutting everything out...and then lining up the seams to match perfectly...you're blind when sewing it and not until you open it do you know if you've hit or missed. But, I'm loving it and will continue.
How do you choose your colors? Colors make or break a quilt and I admit I'm a bit intimidated when it comes to picking them.
I haven't learned any circular cuts yet...that's coming up and then after we've made all nine blocks, we'll start to piece it together. I want to do as much by machine as possible...don't have the patience to do it any other way.
Are you still quilting, Casey?
I'd love to say I'd take on putting together the quilt but I am no where near doing something like that at this point. I do love the idea and maybe one day we can do this.

My first attempt at a 9-patch lap quilt...I still have to 'quilt' it but that's next week's lesson...this is really, really cool to do...can't wait to finish it and start a new one.

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