I have some completions! Woo hoo!

In the fall I shared a long list of "in process projects".  I joined the "2015 Fall UFO" group via a Ravelry Group called Quilters Knitting. I had to list at least 5 "in process" projects and make an effort to get "something" done, or (at the very least) to encourage others with their efforts. I visit the group threads everyday. Seeing every one's success (plus targeting a few of my own projects) resulted in a few completion's of my own!

fussy cutting and improv QAYG blocks in process

My first finish was a Quilt As You Go Table Runner that I think I had started earlier last year. It was primarily a stashbuster project. I used a panel that I had on hand and fussy cut the autumn themed leaves, sunflowers, nuts and pumpkins and went at it from an improv point of view from there. I highly enjoyed the process, but came to a complete halt when I hit the sashing bit (and into the UFO pile it went). I finally decided to pull it out, return to the tutorial and soldier on. I am embarrassed to admit how easy it was and how intimidated I had been. The technique is from The Quilting Edge. 

sashing added - QAYG in process

Finally finished!

With a heady feeling of success,  I pulled out my second "time sensitive" project. This was a Happy Holiday Runner that had been languishing from last Christmas.

I spent entirely too much time trying to create a great backing fabric using up my leftovers. In the end I was pleased and I guess the upside is I now have a reversible table runner!

I tried my hand at some free motion quilting (FMQ) with varying levels of success  - bearing in mind that no one who looks at my quilting efforts (in this house) has a clue!

Other than that I finished (finally) my Audrey Cardigan bribing myself that I could start another knitting project if I did.

I'm very happy with how it has turned out but I need to get used to the slippery / slinky feel it has. The yarn is a llama / silk blend and I'm used to warm and woolly yarns!

Well that's it for now. I've a few other thoughts mulling around in my head right now for this blog - just need to let them "moodle" a bit!

Happy New Year!

(Linked to the Needle & Thread Network WIP Wednesday)

Gypsy Wife continues

I have to say I continue to enjoy "the making" of this quilt - immensely. I am using up all sorts of bits and finding lots of opportunities to fussy cut.

Having said that - I am also overwhelmed at times by too many choices. When there seems to be no constraints to the endless colour combo possibilties I am overwhelmed. The "Indian Hatchet" block (below) is 8 fabrics. I had to do it twice to get it "balanced".

Other blocks have successfully "materialized" by virtue of sitting next to each other in the fabric heap on the cutting table. "From The Heart" block (below).

Every so often I need to fold the fabrics up - put them back in the box (in colour order of course) - and take a break.

Which brings me to the next two days of piecing.

The story: I was going to make a T-shirt Quilt for my son who is graduating in a mere six weeks. I was under the impression that making a T-shirt Quilt is what all proud mom's do when marking a special event. The boy had given me a number of T shirts a few years back (which I saved of course). I was in the process of preparing to launder them when I realised I was a few short. That is when ALL was revealed. The only reason he had given me the shirts was because those were the ones "he hated!" By that time I had 2 yards of "Baltimore Ravens" backing fabric coming via post plus a bunch more fabric I had impulsively threw in my "cart" (for good measure).

What was a mother to do? Now at this point the Old Guy (aka husband) had mumbled that no "20-something year old boy wants a lap quilt from his mother". Youngman 2 (aka my son - younger sibling of Youngman 1) hadn't really seemed too enthusiastic about this project from day one. But I carry on (fulling expecting excepting that this project may spend more time on a bedroom floor with a dog laying on top of it.)
Enter Pinterest. Yes I do go there. Yes I post, and pic and love Pinterest. And this is why. Need a quilt idea for a guy? Put "man quilt" in the search engine and voila! The Bleacher Quilt.

Link to WIP on the Needle & Thread Network.

Posted with Blogsy

Gypsy Wife continues

I have to say I continue to enjoy "the making" of this quilt - immensely. I am using up all sorts of bits and finding lots of opportunities to fussy cut.

Having said that - I am also overwhelmed at times by too many choices. When there seems to be no constraints to the endless colour combo possibilties I am overwhelmed. The "Indian Hatchet" block (below) is 8 fabrics. I had to do it twice to get it "balanced".

Other blocks have successfully "materialized" by virtue of sitting next to each other in the fabric heap on the cutting table. "From The Heart" block (below).

Every so often I need to fold the fabrics up - put them back in the box (in colour order of course) - and take a break.

Which brings me to the next two days of piecing.

The story: I was going to make a T-shirt Quilt for my son who is graduating in a mere six weeks. I was under the impression that making a T-shirt Quilt is what all proud mom's do when marking a special event. The boy had given me a number of T shirts a few years back (which I saved of course). I was in the process of preparing to launder them when I realised I was a few short. That is when ALL was revealed. The only reason he had given me the shirts was because those were the ones "he hated!" By that time I had 2 yards of "Baltimore Ravens" backing fabric coming via post plus a bunch more fabric I had impulsively threw in my "cart" (for good measure).

What was a mother to do? Now at this point the Old Guy (aka husband) had mumbled that no "20-something year old boy wants a lap quilt from his mother". Youngman 2 (aka my son - younger sibling of Youngman 1) hadn't really seemed too enthusiastic about this project from day one. But I carry on (fulling expecting excepting that this project may spend more time on a bedroom floor with a dog laying on top of it.)
Enter Pinterest. Yes I do go there. Yes I post, and pic and love Pinterest. And this is why. Need a quilt idea for a guy? Put "man quilt" in the search engine and voila! The Bleacher Quilt.

Link to WIP on the Needle & Thread Network.

Posted with Blogsy

Gypsy Wife Quilt Along

I am a self confessed Quilt Store "fabric remnant bin" addict. Since most bins come with a 10 - 20 % off sticker price and are great for scrappy quilts - they seem like little rolls of bliss. Needless to say I pick them up on a regular basis. I also have quite a few fat quarters and fat eights. I recently decided something "must be done" with this mish mash stash I have accumulated.

And as luck would have it - the Gypsy Wife Quilt by Jen Kingwell fell out of the sky and into my lap. The added bonus? My local quilt store is doing it as a QAL - and - Flickr has an online QAL going simultaneously. How lucky is that?

Having perused the pattern I am thinking it looks quite doable - and since many of the blocks have borders - I can fudge the sizes a wee bit if I come up short (which I've done twice already).

I attended my first class late last month and read there was an errata on the first block. I noted this and continued making the block. I checked everything carefully and laid out the block before stitching and - voila! I screwed up my block (Colour Wheel block). Ironically as I was in the process of making this error, my mind was entertaining itself about being a bit more "Dr Suess - like" in my approach to quilting. You know -instead of becoming paralyzed due the fear of imperfection just asking myself "What would Dr Suess do?"

Well after stitching and pressing, I prepared to take my first pic of my Gypsy Wife and oh! to my horror! this is what peered back at me...

I'm certain even Dr Suess would have used his seam ripper on occasionHmmmm. So my first challenge - what would Dr Suess do?

(Let's face it - even Dr Suess had his limits...)

 

Posted with Blogsy

Gypsy Wife Quilt Along

I am a self confessed Quilt Store "fabric remnant bin" addict. Since most bins come with a 10 - 20 % off sticker price and are great for scrappy quilts - they seem like little rolls of bliss. Needless to say I pick them up on a regular basis. I also have quite a few fat quarters and fat eights. I recently decided something "must be done" with this mish mash stash I have accumulated.

And as luck would have it - the Gypsy Wife Quilt by Jen Kingwell fell out of the sky and into my lap. The added bonus? My local quilt store is doing it as a QAL - and - Flickr has an online QAL going simultaneously. How lucky is that?

Having perused the pattern I am thinking it looks quite doable - and since many of the blocks have borders - I can fudge the sizes a wee bit if I come up short (which I've done twice already).

I attended my first class late last month and read there was an errata on the first block. I noted this and continued making the block. I checked everything carefully and laid out the block before stitching and - voila! I screwed up my block (Colour Wheel block). Ironically as I was in the process of making this error, my mind was entertaining itself about being a bit more "Dr Suess - like" in my approach to quilting. You know -instead of becoming paralyzed due the fear of imperfection just asking myself "What would Dr Suess do?"

Well after stitching and pressing, I prepared to take my first pic of my Gypsy Wife and oh! to my horror! this is what peered back at me...

I'm certain even Dr Suess would have used his seam ripper on occasionHmmmm. So my first challenge - what would Dr Suess do?

(Let's face it - even Dr Suess had his limits...)

 

Posted with Blogsy

Tour de Fleece 2013 - finale!

Well after 3 weeks of daily spinning my "Tour de Fleece" has come to an end. It was a great tour with Chris Froome winning the Maillot Jaune, and Nairo Quintana bursting from pack to win King of the Mountains and Top Young Rider.

This year I joined the Spin Your Stash Team on Ravelry, and I'm delighted to say that I managed to spin up 6 skeins with a bobbin of a  laceweight merino singles yet to be plyed. Once that's done it's time to return to my other "in process" projects... seems like there's always something to look forward to!

Happy Needle and Thread Network WIP Wednesday!

Tour de Fleece 2013 - finale!

Well after 3 weeks of daily spinning my "Tour de Fleece" has come to an end. It was a great tour with Chris Froome winning the Maillot Jaune, and Nairo Quintana bursting from pack to win King of the Mountains and Top Young Rider.

This year I joined the Spin Your Stash Team on Ravelry, and I'm delighted to say that I managed to spin up 6 skeins with a bobbin of a  laceweight merino singles yet to be plyed. Once that's done it's time to return to my other "in process" projects... seems like there's always something to look forward to!

Happy Needle and Thread Network WIP Wednesday!

July - a change of pace

So as June slowly wound away from itself, I geared up for a change in direction.

I have suspended most of my sewing efforts this month for my annual Tour de Fleece spin a thon. You may recall last year I worked on  my hexagon quilt while watching the Tour de France. I dubbed it my  Tour de Fabric) and that quilt is still in progress (slow but steady wins the race).  But this year I've decided to jump back on my spinning wheel and work through my stash of a different kind - wool. As in mohair, teeswater, romney, corriedale...etc. Whatever my hand pulls out of the stash.

I've signed up for the Spin Your Stash 2013 Ravelry Team - and so far so good! On Day 1-2 I spun up 50 grams of Blue Faced Leicester which is hand dyed by the Canadian company Fleece Artist.

Spin on!

(PS - Today is WIP Wednesday on Needle and Thread!)

July - a change of pace

So as June slowly wound away from itself, I geared up for a change in direction.

I have suspended most of my sewing efforts this month for my annual Tour de Fleece spin a thon. You may recall last year I worked on  my hexagon quilt while watching the Tour de France. I dubbed it my  Tour de Fabric) and that quilt is still in progress (slow but steady wins the race).  But this year I've decided to jump back on my spinning wheel and work through my stash of a different kind - wool. As in mohair, teeswater, romney, corriedale...etc. Whatever my hand pulls out of the stash.

I've signed up for the Spin Your Stash 2013 Ravelry Team - and so far so good! On Day 1-2 I spun up 50 grams of Blue Faced Leicester which is hand dyed by the Canadian company Fleece Artist.

Spin on!

(PS - Today is WIP Wednesday on Needle and Thread!)

Everything stops for tea!

I have a friend who moved away to live her life in a cottage by the sea. (Now how lovely is that?) She is from England originally so the overcast rainy season doesn't bother her a bit. She has a fantastic English garden that seems to be in some sort of blooming state most of the year. (A bit of a downer for a poor prairie girl like me who spends most of her time trudging through snow from October to mid May).

But enough of that. She is redoing her kitchen and it has very much the cottage feel about it. So I am sewing up a little surprise for her. I'm calling them "English Garden - mini tea time mats". They're smaller than regular place mats and bigger than mug rugs. And she doesn't drink coffee anyways.

I had these 2 fabrics in my stash already - and found the backing fabric in the 50% off bin at my LQS.

My first decision was what size to make the mats - so I pulled out a cup and saucer and after a bit of jiggering around I decided on a 9 x 13 finish size.  

I've been wanting to try out spray baste - so this was a good project to give it a try. I found it easy to apply and re-position, and it held it's place while quilting. I've seen it used on a few big quilts - but I think at this point I'll gradually use it for bigger and bigger projects until I'm convinced it will actually hold (comments on this are welcome and appreciated).

My second goal for this project was to try my hand at pseudo thread painting by embellishing a large print with thread. These flower motifs were perfect for my first attempt and I'm pretty pleased with my results. Next time I'd like to venture into some variegated or metallic threads.

I did a bit of leafy FMQ on the background and prepared to do my binding. Should have been on the home stretch right? Not so! I'm having an awful time with my binding technique. I did figure out how to stitch my binding on around the corners (messed that up on the first try) only to find that the binding strips should have been cut at 2" wide. I had checked a book which had place mats in them and it recommended 1 1/2" strips. They're way too tight to fold over the 1/4 inch seam allowance. I have now ripped out for the second time, cut new 2" strips and discovered... I am 13" short of fabric!!  Being mindful that this was from the bargain bin I am sitting here with keys in hand waiting to hit the quilt store again.

(note to self: divert eyes from all other lovely things).

Update: Disaster has occurred. My binding fabric is gone! However a .7m wide red backing piece (perfect for a Christmas project) has moved in - 50% off of course!

Update Number Two: Upon returning to the quilt store (mini mat in hand) I decided it was time to move on - quit whining and find another binding fabric. The search was on. Bolts pulled, critiqued and returned to the shelf. And then... Eureka! There it was. Snuggled in between 2 other bolts - my original sought after fabric. Now that my delighted delirium has subsided I realize that I have purchased much more than I needed. Just in case.

Everything stops for tea!

I have a friend who moved away to live her life in a cottage by the sea. (Now how lovely is that?) She is from England originally so the overcast rainy season doesn't bother her a bit. She has a fantastic English garden that seems to be in some sort of blooming state most of the year. (A bit of a downer for a poor prairie girl like me who spends most of her time trudging through snow from October to mid May).

But enough of that. She is redoing her kitchen and it has very much the cottage feel about it. So I am sewing up a little surprise for her. I'm calling them "English Garden - mini tea time mats". They're smaller than regular place mats and bigger than mug rugs. And she doesn't drink coffee anyways.

I had these 2 fabrics in my stash already - and found the backing fabric in the 50% off bin at my LQS.

My first decision was what size to make the mats - so I pulled out a cup and saucer and after a bit of jiggering around I decided on a 9 x 13 finish size.  

I've been wanting to try out spray baste - so this was a good project to give it a try. I found it easy to apply and re-position, and it held it's place while quilting. I've seen it used on a few big quilts - but I think at this point I'll gradually use it for bigger and bigger projects until I'm convinced it will actually hold (comments on this are welcome and appreciated).

My second goal for this project was to try my hand at pseudo thread painting by embellishing a large print with thread. These flower motifs were perfect for my first attempt and I'm pretty pleased with my results. Next time I'd like to venture into some variegated or metallic threads.

I did a bit of leafy FMQ on the background and prepared to do my binding. Should have been on the home stretch right? Not so! I'm having an awful time with my binding technique. I did figure out how to stitch my binding on around the corners (messed that up on the first try) only to find that the binding strips should have been cut at 2" wide. I had checked a book which had place mats in them and it recommended 1 1/2" strips. They're way too tight to fold over the 1/4 inch seam allowance. I have now ripped out for the second time, cut new 2" strips and discovered... I am 13" short of fabric!!  Being mindful that this was from the bargain bin I am sitting here with keys in hand waiting to hit the quilt store again.

(note to self: divert eyes from all other lovely things).

Update: Disaster has occurred. My binding fabric is gone! However a .7m wide red backing piece (perfect for a Christmas project) has moved in - 50% off of course!

Update Number Two: Upon returning to the quilt store (mini mat in hand) I decided it was time to move on - quit whining and find another binding fabric. The search was on. Bolts pulled, critiqued and returned to the shelf. And then... Eureka! There it was. Snuggled in between 2 other bolts - my original sought after fabric. Now that my delighted delirium has subsided I realize that I have purchased much more than I needed. Just in case.

April showers bring .... a belated post?

(I started this post back in April - hence the title).

So. I am up to my eyeballs in projects right now. (Have I written about this before?) I have picked up yet another couple of projects along my way (yes indee-dee it's true) and I find I've had to buy more project boxes to stash them all in an orderly fashion. (I'm now resorting to baggies).

I joined the "Pretty in Patchwork - Holidays Sew Along" on Threadbias a while ago just to follow along (ya right) and the next thing I knew I had bought the book and was scrambling to get the March project done. I started on the 29th. No pressure there. This was to be a "not one red penny" project - aka "stash buster" and aside from the fusible backing that I required- I managed to hold firm.

The March Sew Along was the "Harvest Vine Table Runner".  I wasn't really feeling the love for an autumn theme (it was March after all) but someone else posted a bright happy version... and needless to say I was off to my stash.

I am a sucker for bright fabrics. I also love the flowery stuff. I seem to purchase it by the metric ton - and then it sits forever while I try to figure out what the heck to do with it. (I do paw it alot however).

So here (left) is my final selection using 6 Kaffe Fassett fabrics from a fat quarter bundle I purchased around Christmas.

I spent a goodly amount of time learning how to piece curves. Turns out it's really pretty easy once you have a handy little video tutorial to show you how!

It took a leap of faith to just "let it happen" because it just looked too easy to be true. But it worked  like a charm and before I knew it all 24 curved petal bits were done.

I also wanted to try my hand at designing a "Creative Quilt Back". I'd taken a free Craftsy tutorial (of the same name) and using scraps from my quilt top this is what I ultimately came up with.

Next came the quilting! This is something I really love - the free motion bits. I'm not very disciplined at staying with a plan - so this little project was perfect for exploring techniques, threads etc. I used a transparent Mylar thread on top for two reasons: 1. I had a lot of colour and activity taking place on the top already and  2. if I screwed up I didn't want to see it.  A basic off-white machine quilting thread was used in the bobbin. This worked out well because I could see my quilting stitches on the backside. It was a good way to see where things went well and other areas... meh!

And finally a finished project!

Enjoy every making moment of your day!

April showers bring .... a belated post?

(I started this post back in April - hence the title).

So. I am up to my eyeballs in projects right now. (Have I written about this before?) I have picked up yet another couple of projects along my way (yes indee-dee it's true) and I find I've had to buy more project boxes to stash them all in an orderly fashion. (I'm now resorting to baggies).

I joined the "Pretty in Patchwork - Holidays Sew Along" on Threadbias a while ago just to follow along (ya right) and the next thing I knew I had bought the book and was scrambling to get the March project done. I started on the 29th. No pressure there. This was to be a "not one red penny" project - aka "stash buster" and aside from the fusible backing that I required- I managed to hold firm.

The March Sew Along was the "Harvest Vine Table Runner".  I wasn't really feeling the love for an autumn theme (it was March after all) but someone else posted a bright happy version... and needless to say I was off to my stash.

I am a sucker for bright fabrics. I also love the flowery stuff. I seem to purchase it by the metric ton - and then it sits forever while I try to figure out what the heck to do with it. (I do paw it alot however).

So here (left) is my final selection using 6 Kaffe Fassett fabrics from a fat quarter bundle I purchased around Christmas.

I spent a goodly amount of time learning how to piece curves. Turns out it's really pretty easy once you have a handy little video tutorial to show you how!

It took a leap of faith to just "let it happen" because it just looked too easy to be true. But it worked  like a charm and before I knew it all 24 curved petal bits were done.

I also wanted to try my hand at designing a "Creative Quilt Back". I'd taken a free Craftsy tutorial (of the same name) and using scraps from my quilt top this is what I ultimately came up with.

Next came the quilting! This is something I really love - the free motion bits. I'm not very disciplined at staying with a plan - so this little project was perfect for exploring techniques, threads etc. I used a transparent Mylar thread on top for two reasons: 1. I had a lot of colour and activity taking place on the top already and  2. if I screwed up I didn't want to see it.  A basic off-white machine quilting thread was used in the bobbin. This worked out well because I could see my quilting stitches on the backside. It was a good way to see where things went well and other areas... meh!

And finally a finished project!

Enjoy every making moment of your day!