tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55335104797336075672024-03-13T03:13:11.107-07:00Eleven 11 QuiltsCraft Monster Unleashed.Viohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09658696348179112388noreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5533510479733607567.post-89423290950476770552013-12-28T18:08:00.001-08:002013-12-28T18:53:36.521-08:00A year in review?<div style="font-size: 0.8em; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Wow. It should be hard to believe that I've only blogged once this year, but it's not. I have a tendency to drop things after I get really intense about them. I haven't dropped quilting, just blogging about it. :o) I'd also like to blame Instagram. It's just so easy!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">So this year has been interesting. I'm glad it's coming to an end because it means we get to move on from the now and hopefully see our lives more established. My husband and I have finally gotten back to a great employment groove that we fell out of two years ago. Tubby and Poops are both in school now, we even have a dog! Things can only get better from here. Also in the horizon: our 10 year wedding anniversary for which we are planning a week long trip to Hawaii!!! Yup, things are really looking up. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Since I fell out of the blogging groove, technology has advanced beyond me. I never thought I'd be one of those parents relying on their children to keep them up to date on computers, etc. but I feel Poops may soon know more than me! So for now, we'll have to make do with pictures from my phone and from Flickr.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">I finished Tubby's </span><a href="http://eleven11quilts.blogspot.com/2013/04/finally-quilting-again.html"><span style="font-size: small;">#scrappytripalong</span></a><span style="font-size: small;"> back in March? April? That was finish #1. It's been very well loved indeed. I still love looking at it. I almost hope he'll give it back to me. That probably means I'll have to make another one in the near future. Finish #2 was Poop's Zoology quilt I've been promising since her 5th birthday trip to the zoo (she turned 7 this year). Poops asked for diamonds and flowers in her quilt (doesn't everybody want that?). I experimented with free motion flowers from </span><a href="http://www.quiltingismytherapy.com/"><span style="font-size: small;">Angela Walter's</span></a><span style="font-size: small;"> book and some straight line quilting in the setting blocks. I'm really proud of the end result. It's a bit TOO pink but I only used 4 fabrics in the whole quilt which is a current record for me.</span> <br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Finish #2.5 was my King Sized Swoon. I've finished the quilt top but will have to send it out to be quilted. at 110" square, it's a bit much for me to handle. It doesn't look like all the other fresh faced Swoon quilts out there, but I like the end result. I kind of wish I had focused more on a color palette instead on only focusing on fulfilling my husband's request for Asian inspired prints. Oh well, you live and you learn. Now that Christmas is over, I can refocus my money towards batting, backing fabric and the quilter's fees! I hope to finish it in the next couple of months.</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/41538494@N06/11038279813/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="King sized Swoon"><img alt="King sized Swoon by VioEleven11" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2869/11038279813_bae00106a1.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="margin: 0px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/41538494@N06/11038279813/">King sized Swoon</a>, a photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/41538494@N06/">VioEleven11</a> on Flickr.</span></div>
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A close up of the border made of leftover hst.</div>
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On my to do list for 2014:</div>
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*A kaleidoscope quilt inspired by a quilt along Don't Call me Betsy <a href="http://www.flickr.com/groups/1732490@N25/pool/with/6028861415/#photo_6028861415">hosted</a> a while ago. I've been in love with Happy-Go-Lucky by Bonnie and Camille and I went with that type of palette. I haven't cut into it yet. Soon.</div>
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*My mom will be getting a Pineapple Blossom quilt using the Poseidon bundle from Kona. I've cut that one out (no pictures yet), but Thanksgiving and Christmas being so close together threw me for a loop this year.</div>
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*Also Christmas related: I realized I want a Christmas quilt. Of course realizing this a week before Christmas doesn't help. Plus I really love the <a href="http://eleven11quilts.blogspot.com/2011/11/i-finished.html">placemats</a> I made in 2011. I wish I had more Flurry. My plan for this year is to start collecting prints and do the "Christmas in July" sewing thing. I'm not sure yet what pattern I'll use. Dresden plates, scrappy trips, and double wedding rings all fit the bill. Also Round and Round by Thimbleblossoms. We'll see.</div>
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*Speaking of double wedding rings, they're something I've been wanting to try since the very beginning. I'm coveting <a href="http://storefront.unitednotions.com/storefrontCommerce/subcategorybrowse.do?subcategory-name=April+Showers&path=B2C11212013%2f%2f%2f%2fFabrics%2f%2f%2f%2fDesigners%2f%2f%2f%2fBonnie+%26+Camille">April Showers</a> by Bonnie and Camille. I've enjoyed most of their other collections, but this is the first line where I don't want to replace any print or colorway. I have a gift certificate that will help me pay for at least half of a fat quarter bundle. Ideally, I'll use it to make myself a double wedding ring quilt. I've been known to change my mind on patterns, so we'll see what I actually end up using it on. The other thing with double wedding rings is all the different ways to make it! Paper piecing intimidates me (more than the curved piecing), templates seem the safe way to go, and the easiest seems to be the <a href="http://sewkindofwonderful.blogspot.com/">Quick Curve ruler.</a> Another hurdle I'll cross when the time comes. </div>
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I don't think that's a bad list at all! Of course, my girlfriend's have started getting married, so I'm sure a baby quilt or two is in my future. And you know me and quilty peer pressure... It's going to be a great year!</div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">Vio</span></div>
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Viohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09658696348179112388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5533510479733607567.post-64377475951342329932013-04-01T10:48:00.000-07:002013-04-01T10:48:47.200-07:00Finally quilting again.I blame it on peer pressure. I'm really easy to overwhelm and really easy to be talked into doing things. I hadn't touched my sewing machine since late July, but Instagram and <a href="http://www.flickr.com/groups/scrappytripalong/">Flickr</a> and "everyone is doing it" are really great motivators. I love that all my favorite bloggers were doing the #scrappyquiltalong using the scrappy trip around the world <a href="http://quiltville.blogspot.com/2005/06/scrappy-trips-around-world.html">tutorial</a> from Quiltville.com so I convinced myself that I should do it, too. The blocks are really easy and even thought I thought I didn't like scrappy quilts, I figured I should give it a try. Most of the fabric I used was leftover from my previous quilts. I used up some fat quarters that I bought just so I could have them if/when I needed them. I did do a bit more shopping, though, to round out the colors so it wouldn't just be pink everywhere. <br />
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I knew I needed to service my machine, but I went ahead with my piecing. I think I got about 2 blocks in before I felt and heard my little Brother start to give out. My husband got it for me from a big box store 2 Christmases ago and I guess they are not meant for heavy duty usage. Yup, I broke it. It was going to cost almost $200 before taxes to fix so I left it alone. What happens when you can't do something? You want to do it even more! My local sewing machine retailer had lots of options, even a few sales, but I was going to have to wait until we got our tax refund to make a purchase. Boo hoo! I think I waited 5 days. I tried another branch of the same retailer and I was about to walk out empty handed when the sales lady mentioned that the Babylock Grace (that was already about $300 off regular price) was available for financing. Oh, it will cost me a week's work of tip money a month for 12 months? AND I can take it home today with no money down?! SOLD! I can be very easily persuaded sometimes, have I mentioned this yet? <br />
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So, newly armed with a Grace sewing machine, a 4 year old who sometimes naps and 2 weekdays off a week from work, I launched into my #scrappytripalong. (I never made a new name for it. I feel it fits). Most of the bloggers and more experienced quilters had finished their quilt back in January when the whole fever started. It took me into March to finish it, but I think that's my fastest finish yet! I even quilted it all in one day. It turns out I'm not a great free motion quilter, but practice makes perfect. I'm also a bit impatient and need to slow down so I can get the kind of result I'm expecting. Since Tubby experienced this project first hand, he asked for this quilt to be his. I was just making it to be making it, and I didn't have a quilt planned for him yet, so I was very happy to gift it to him. <br />
It is about 60" by 72". I used a numbers fabric from Ikea plus a scrappy border on the sides to make it wide enough for the backing. I quilted it with a swirly pattern and bound it with a gray chevron fabric from Simply Color by V and Co. for Moda. <br />
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Now that I've caught the Fever again, I'm making sure that I spend at least a little bit of time each week working on a project. I still have 8 Swoon blocks to make for our King sized bed. I also have Poops' pink and gray Zoology quilt for which I've made maybe 4 saw tooth stars. AND I bought a <a href="http://www.robertkaufman.com/pre-cut/kona_cotton_solids_poseidon_colorstory/">Poseidon</a> fat quarter bundle for my mom's quilt which I'm 97% sure will be a Pineapple Blossom quilt from Quiltville.com.<br />
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Wish me luck!Viohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09658696348179112388noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5533510479733607567.post-10193057067597544342012-09-13T08:19:00.001-07:002012-09-13T08:22:49.697-07:00D&B Quilt <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I have finished and gifted my D&B quilt. Yay for me!! Okay, so I finished it a month and a half ago, but I finally get to blog about it. :o) Since that was my one focus with a deadline, as soon as I finished it, I took a break. I haven't even looked at my sewing machine, area or fabric since July 28th. I feel a little guilty, but it goes away pretty quickly. I do get an inspiration bug every Wednesday when I read WIP Wednesday posts over at <a href="http://freshlypieced.blogspot.com/">Freshly Pieced</a> but then the world takes over again and I don't do anything about it. But enough about that, let's focus on what I actually DID!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My 6'2" husband is back there somewhere.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Quilt label: The first verse of "Crazy Love" which was their first dance song.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The back is Moda 108" wide Dotty. This is a close up of the quilting. Just straight lines following the pattern.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On my King size bed. There is no overhang, but I'm alright with that. It's not for my bed. ;o)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Close up quilting on the front. I believe this is after I washed it. Most of the lines really are relatively straight. I promise.</td></tr>
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Thankfully B loved it. She says it went on their bed right after the bridal shower. I didn't get to see it, so I'll believe her. For now. :o) I love this couple and I am very selfishly glad that they have something that could be an heirloom from the start of their marriage. And I made it. :o) No shame, I know. My camera has been acting up so I didn't get the very best pictures of us, but I'm trying to learn to just go with the flow and post pictures even if they do not look super professional.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ready for the bachelorette party.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rehearsal dinner night. </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
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Did I mention my kids were the Flower Girl and Ring Bear? That's right: Ring Bear. My 4 year old was so excited that he was going to go down the aisle scaring people. "Rowr!!" It took me a little bit to get what he was talking about. Too cute. Check them out at: http://bit.ly/Pmkag6 and http://bit.ly/PmkiMw<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gxks3MtEJhA/UFHv09sAR0I/AAAAAAAAAWw/mgP1RFX-0Ms/s1600/SAM_0186.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gxks3MtEJhA/UFHv09sAR0I/AAAAAAAAAWw/mgP1RFX-0Ms/s320/SAM_0186.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Unfortunate smile when you're waiting too long. And a couple of celebratory drinks in. ;o)</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-I7pXLNCd6oI/UFHvzV-DwHI/AAAAAAAAAWo/-dgOer_aHPw/s1600/SAM_0175.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-I7pXLNCd6oI/UFHvzV-DwHI/AAAAAAAAAWo/-dgOer_aHPw/s320/SAM_0175.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">See? I can smile better.</td></tr>
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We couldn't stay the whole night at the wedding because we traveled to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico the next day. And of course, my lovely Babycakes was not packed at all. All in all, it was a pretty eventful summer. I managed to get two whole quilts finished, I have 2 in the works and the fabric for a third. I need to get my sewing machine serviced (a first for me!) and then I will get back in the swing of things. Babycakes would like to have our Swoon quilt finished before the end of the year.... isn't that sweet? He's delusional! Well, maybe not completely. We'll see.<br />
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<br />Viohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09658696348179112388noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5533510479733607567.post-6230941806645594912012-07-01T16:17:00.001-07:002012-07-02T07:37:21.855-07:00Super Heroes Quilt<div style="font-size: 0.8em; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px; padding: 0pt;">
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/41538494@N06/7482802780/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Super Heroes Quilt"><img alt="Super Heroes Quilt by VioEleven11" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7263/7482802780_ac8d6b107f.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="margin: 0px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/41538494@N06/7482802780/">Super Heroes Quilt</a>, a photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/41538494@N06/">VioEleven11</a> on Flickr.</span></div>
I have a finish! I've been a little lazy about sewing lately, but with my nephew's birthday coming up, I put my butt into gear. I will admit that I missed finishing in time for the birthday party, but only by a week! I hope he likes it.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hGitYCQKw_U/T_Gx3FYVsTI/AAAAAAAAATg/a4QYbuXC-Y0/s1600/heroes+back.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hGitYCQKw_U/T_Gx3FYVsTI/AAAAAAAAATg/a4QYbuXC-Y0/s320/heroes+back.JPG" width="180" /></a></div>
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I used 4 prints of Retro Marvel Super Heroes by. Camelot Cottons, 2 other Marvel prints I found at JoAnn's (I forget who made them), Kona white for the sashing, black solid for the back with a scrapy quadrant and Kona Rich Red for the binding.<br />
Because the scale of the prints is so large, I cut my squares at 12" and some rectangles at 12" by 24" to give it the look of a comic book. I didn't want the sashing to be too thin so I cut it at 3". I'm not sure that I like it so wide, though. It probably would have been fine if it finished at 2". I believe the end result is about 72" by 86". Not standard, but I'm okay with that.<br />
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Now I have no excuse for not focusing on my D&B quilt. I have it basted and I've sewn a 1/4" border on. I need to get to quilting! I officially have less than 4 weeks to finish BUT I have a week and a half of vacation starting on the 4th. I can do it!!! :o)Viohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09658696348179112388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5533510479733607567.post-31608714284290356582012-04-30T06:38:00.001-07:002012-04-30T06:38:31.629-07:00D&B quilt top is finished!!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-v2VJ75G8_X8/T56VZ84JIkI/AAAAAAAAATI/Fc3juDgNVD4/s1600/dandb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-v2VJ75G8_X8/T56VZ84JIkI/AAAAAAAAATI/Fc3juDgNVD4/s320/dandb.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">D&B on my king size bed. Please ignore everything that is NOT a quilt top. :o)</span> </div>
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I finished! Whoo hoo!! This is only my second quilt top EVER to finish, and I am so happy with it. I had a bit of some personal drama with my design, but it worked out in the end,. It measures about 77" by 87". I wanted to add a border of multi colored 2.5" squares, but I think that would take away from the whole look of it. There is no rule that every quilt needs to be a standard size, so I'm sticking with what I have. I think I'll back it with Moda's 108" wide lime dottie fabric and bind it in a teal. The original plan was for me to take a long arm quilting class at my LQS, but I slacked too much. Then I thought about sending it out to be quilted, but I decided to attempt it myself on my little Brother (is my machine supposed to have a name?) so that I can be proud to say I made it all myself. I'm so excited for this finish that I ALMOST told the bride about it!! :o)<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fDqCCVE6MkM/T56VZn4mElI/AAAAAAAAATA/hRSMYbKIZlI/s1600/close+up+dandb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fDqCCVE6MkM/T56VZn4mElI/AAAAAAAAATA/hRSMYbKIZlI/s320/close+up+dandb.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Close up of D&B</span></div>
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I've been very distracted this month. I discovered Bollywood movies. They're my type of movie! I love singing and dancing and cheesy love stories. It doesn't hurt that I've found some very hunky actors. ;o) The only downside is that I don't speak Hindi so I have to read the subtitles which basically leaves me stuck to the TV for up to 3 hours per movie. I managed to pull myself away enough to squeeze in <u>To Kill a Mockingbird</u> for book club and piece together the D&B quilt top over a couple of weekends. I had to keep reminding myself that it's just a bunch of quarter inch seams and I only have 3 months left to finish. I didn't touch anything Swoon related even one bit. I'm trying to feel bad about it, but I don't. :o) I think that's ok. I'll get to it. And now to finish!!Viohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09658696348179112388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5533510479733607567.post-35097531909365135422012-03-17T15:40:00.001-07:002012-03-17T15:40:56.477-07:00Swoon half way point.<div style="margin: 0 0 10px 0; padding: 0; font-size: 0.8em; line-height: 1.6em;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/41538494@N06/6991053765/" title="Swoon half way point."><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7069/6991053765_a990e4f96d.jpg" alt="Swoon half way point. by VioEleven11" /></a><br/><span style="margin: 0;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/41538494@N06/6991053765/">Swoon half way point.</a>, a photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/41538494@N06/">VioEleven11</a> on Flickr.</span></div><p>I'm still Swooning, just at a much slower pace that I meant to. I've finished 8 of my planned 16 blocks and my random colors are starting to grow on me. The last 3 blocks I did had deeper solids and I think they really balanced out the pale and super bright ones I had. The only one I'm not overly fond of is #7 which is teal and gray. I loved the combination without the background. I didn't pay attention to how closely the two grays match up, and since that combo is one I have half yards of, there will be at least one other block like it. Oh well, maybe that one will grow on me too.</p>Viohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09658696348179112388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5533510479733607567.post-15140261914873284032012-02-10T11:35:00.000-08:002012-02-10T11:35:54.293-08:00Formerly known as...I admit defeat. My first quilting defeat, that is. I was really excited about my Triple Irish Chain wedding quilt for two close friends that are getting married this summer. And then I started laying out my fabric and it all crashed down on me. :o( I believe that I DID pick out nice colors which I believe are close to their wedding colors/favorite colors.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UPgJiJwRe7Y/TzVoDapafmI/AAAAAAAAARg/3zv7-WUevng/s1600/SAM_1440.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UPgJiJwRe7Y/TzVoDapafmI/AAAAAAAAARg/3zv7-WUevng/s320/SAM_1440.JPG" width="213" /></a></div>But the truth is I DIDN'T pick the correct shades (tones?) of said colors for Irish Chain layouts. I wanted to do scrappy but keep the colors in the same place i.e. yellow always in the center followed by green then blue. But there's not real darker color than the rest so it all just jumbles together and does not look like I wanted it to.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RMuYoNwAiy4/TzVoIZnJ9vI/AAAAAAAAARo/4ei-aHvDNGg/s1600/SAM_1473.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RMuYoNwAiy4/TzVoIZnJ9vI/AAAAAAAAARo/4ei-aHvDNGg/s320/SAM_1473.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"> First try: yellows in the center.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pnAPd4P56zQ/TzVoNPTs7kI/AAAAAAAAARw/B_2QlvfUjFM/s1600/SAM_1496.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pnAPd4P56zQ/TzVoNPTs7kI/AAAAAAAAARw/B_2QlvfUjFM/s320/SAM_1496.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Second try: blues in the center.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Of course I realized this AFTER cutting all my fabric into 2 1/2" strips. What to do? I thought maybe there was enough difference between the yellow and green to scale it down to a Double Irish Chain. No go. :o(<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0JRUsq9oo7g/TzVoP8bJPRI/AAAAAAAAAR4/DB4SEqwFCY4/s1600/SAM_1507.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0JRUsq9oo7g/TzVoP8bJPRI/AAAAAAAAAR4/DB4SEqwFCY4/s320/SAM_1507.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_1aVPpk09EM/TzVoS8vxV0I/AAAAAAAAASA/mn7GlaxLjts/s1600/SAM_1508.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_1aVPpk09EM/TzVoS8vxV0I/AAAAAAAAASA/mn7GlaxLjts/s320/SAM_1508.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
My scraps are just too different and at the same time, not different enough. Who does that?! Maybe I psyched myself out by not being able to see it all in the grand scheme of things. I know that I didn't like a single block, though, and that was enough for me. I thought about doing a rail fence with all 3 colors blending into each other, but again the colors are not conducive to that layout.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YsiWzaMiVDw/TzVoZPIf4EI/AAAAAAAAASQ/zNwFlCQ_TC8/s1600/SAM_1511.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YsiWzaMiVDw/TzVoZPIf4EI/AAAAAAAAASQ/zNwFlCQ_TC8/s320/SAM_1511.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GvUmXGYu0mA/TzVoViDYCYI/AAAAAAAAASI/V4_496_W30Y/s1600/SAM_1509.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GvUmXGYu0mA/TzVoViDYCYI/AAAAAAAAASI/V4_496_W30Y/s320/SAM_1509.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
So after over thinking it all twice and out loud to my very patient husband, I decided to go for a rail fence stair step type of quilt inspired by <a href="http://www.redpepperquilts.com/2011/07/zig-zag-rail-fence-quilt-and-new-quilt.html">Red Pepper Quilts</a>. I'm going to make mine bigger with 3 strips of color and a wider white so I believe it will be a 10.5" square.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-w-np-Ayh3wk/TzVoc6KhcNI/AAAAAAAAASY/n_KZIZOX7TE/s1600/SAM_1512.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-w-np-Ayh3wk/TzVoc6KhcNI/AAAAAAAAASY/n_KZIZOX7TE/s320/SAM_1512.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>I am so over the hill with this layout now! Well, as long as I don't start over thinking things again. I sure hope not because I started piecing my strips yesterday. I'd like to do a thin white border followed by a scrappy 2 1/2" square border, probably doing a blue, yellow, green pattern again. So I've renamed the quilt (for now) as the D&B quilt. It's way shorter than "Triple Irish Chain Quilt". :o)<br />
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In other news, I managed to piece two Swoon blocks this week. It felt awesome to get back into it. I may try to piece the rest two at a time as well, just so that it doesn't take me all year to finish it. I'm not too thrilled about the over all colors. I probably should have focused more on the colors of the whole quilt rather than the theme. Oh well. It's just going on my bed. Nobody will ever know. Unless they read this blog. OR look at my <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/41538494@N06/">flickr photostream</a>. :o)Viohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09658696348179112388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5533510479733607567.post-332722154373012322012-02-02T22:16:00.001-08:002012-02-02T22:19:19.896-08:00Make an excuse Thursday<div style="font-size: 0.8em; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 10px 0; padding: 0;">--+<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/41538494@N06/6787709087/" title="Next 10 blocks."><img alt="Next 10 blocks. by VioEleven11" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7001/6787709087_38440105e2.jpg" /></a><br />
<span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/41538494@N06/6787709087/">Next 10 blocks.</a>, a photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/41538494@N06/">VioEleven11</a> on Flickr.</span></div>Ugh. Shopping for fabric and taking a picture is all I've managed to do this week. I had a fun weekend full of girlfriends and wine, but not much on the quilting front. Side note: I bought 5 block pairings that's I'm pretty happy with. My LQS has having a moving sale so i couldn't only have them cut fat quarters, so I had to get a half yard of each. :o( Not too bad since I can just swap my prints and solids for colors 1 and 2, but it kind of messes with my original idea of not repeating fabrics. I'm happy with each color combination, I just don't know that they'll be very cohesive once they're all together. I only need one more block pair and I'll have all 16 for my King Swoon. Back to our regularly scheduled program: Oh, I also marked my Swoon squares and pinned them together. So I did 2 things. BUT I have not dusted off the sewing machine all week. Time to make an excuse!<br />
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My husband has been out of work since July. It sucks. I've gotten used to him being home when I came home and that's all done for the next 8 months. He's gone back to school! Good news, of course, but sucky for me! No more pampering, leading the "good life" coming home to my husband who's a great father and has definitely done more than his share of housework lately. His class is from 6 to 10 pm, which of course is prime bed time for my reluctant 3 and 5 year olds. Boo! I took him for granted and forgot how hard it is to be by myself with my children. Weird, isn't it? <br />
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Excuse number two: full work week! Overtime! Stinkin' work. I had my first 5 day work week last week after Christmas and all that, but the combination of excuse 1 and excuse 2 sucks. Lucky my kids have gotten home cooked meals so far. I can't promise anything for tomorrow, though. :o)<br />
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Excuse #3 is my book club's fault. We finally met this last weekend to discuss our last book. I finished Moloka'i over the New Year weekend, and I didn't want to start the next one before meeting for fear of both stories mushing up in my brain. Mind you 1898 Hawaii and 1942 France have nothing in common, but that's why it's called excuses, right? :o) Sarah's Key is actually a pretty fast read and because it is, it just makes me want to read it even more! I should be done soon, so there's hope for this week yet!<br />
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I have two blocks cut, marked and pinned so even if I manage to not get any Swooning finished this week, I think a two-for-one could put me back in the game. I do love seeing what everybody is coming up with on the <a href="http://www.flickr.com/groups/1904864@N22/">Swoon -Along</a> flickr page.<br />
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Wish me luck!Viohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09658696348179112388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5533510479733607567.post-34859519717786921522012-01-28T14:06:00.001-08:002012-01-28T14:33:57.475-08:00Swoon 3<div style="font-size: 0.8em; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/41538494@N06/6769653123/" title="Swoon 3"><img alt="Swoon 3 by VioEleven11" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7033/6769653123_c4a718458a.jpg" /></a><br />
<span style="margin: 0px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/41538494@N06/6769653123/">Swoon 3</a>, a photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/41538494@N06/">VioEleven11</a> on Flickr.</span></div>I spent way too much time thinking about this fabric and where it all needed to go. I'm really happy that it came out so well, but I think I'll stay away from directional fabric for now. That being said, I have a date with my best friend this weekend and she just happens to live next to the quilt shop where I've been getting all my lovely Asian print fabrics. We'll see how long I can stay away from directionals. :o) I want to have lots of color in the quilt, but it's kind of hard. I think I already have enough off-white, I now have two blocks that will have blue and green (different shades), so I guess I'll have to start venturing out to orange, maybe even yellow. We'll see when I get to the store. These first 3 blocks are kind of muted. Not bad, but that's not how I want my whole quilt to look like. I have two solids that are crazy bright for Swoon <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/41538494@N06/6769670515/">4</a> and <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/41538494@N06/6769673889/">5</a>. <br />
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I was a little late with finishing the 3rd block this week. My first two were finished on Tuesday and Wedneday. I finished block 3 on Thursday. I'm doing well since it's supposed to be one per week. I know myself, though, and I know that if I stop it's really hard to get my motivation back up and running. I have the fabric for my next two blocks already cut, so I'll probably work on them at the same time. I find that I usually do one night to make all my half square triangles and flying geese, and another to put them all together. This last time, I think I cut a little bit of time off my construction by pinning both sides of a strip and then pressing. I also brought my squares out of my sewing area and took them to my daughter's ballet class. I was able to mark them all in the 30 mins I spent waiting for her class to be over. I almost have a routine! Yay me.Viohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09658696348179112388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5533510479733607567.post-37248591275926438592012-01-18T18:32:00.000-08:002012-01-18T18:32:36.616-08:00Snow day!We don't get a lot of snow in the Seattle area. And when we do, we're wimpy about it! :o) Sure other places don't shut down with the "small" amount to snow that falls... BUT WE HAVE HILLS! Today's snowfall is not little by any means of the imagination. Parts of the area south of Seattle are getting 13"! That's crazy snow! I think my area, Seatac, got about a good 6". It's been such a storm that work was actually closed! Whoo hoo!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-A_6pF5_DUMo/Txd_xtTcKiI/AAAAAAAAARY/LpRmKPWj-Lo/s1600/snow+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-A_6pF5_DUMo/Txd_xtTcKiI/AAAAAAAAARY/LpRmKPWj-Lo/s320/snow+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">There's a street in there somewhere.</span></div><br />
We started to get some snow Sunday and Monday so the kids, hubs and I had already gone out and built a snowman, and had several snowball fights. Seems like this storm wasn't for fun. We took a walk around the block and it took us an hour! Well, it was a long block, but still. That got the kids nice and tuckered out so I was able to sew for a couple of hours.<br />
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I've been sewing two things at once, my Swoon block and my daughter's sawtooth stars. I'm making flying geese for both and I'm using grey thread, so why not?! I can't be a true quilter without a couple of things going on at once, can I?<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gMdp2iCACpI/Txd7iDuAJJI/AAAAAAAAARA/M74MxfUG-ZQ/s1600/Poops+Star.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gMdp2iCACpI/Txd7iDuAJJI/AAAAAAAAARA/M74MxfUG-ZQ/s320/Poops+Star.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">I call my daughter Poop-a-loops, Poopster, Poops. So this is a Poops Star. She's only 5, I wonder how long I can keep it up. ;o)</span></div><br />
Over the weekend, I also cut out all the fat quarters I bought for the Irish Chain Quilt. I laid out the strips in the pattern I thought I was <a href="http://eleven11quilts.blogspot.com/2012/01/to-do-this-year.html">using</a>, but I think I may like the second one better. I'll have to lay them out and take another look.<br />
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I had a hard time squaring my Swoon2 HST to the supposed 3.5". I kind of fudged it and hope nobody is looking too hard. Unfortunately, I cut out a BUNCH of my background already, so I can't start cutting the rest of my blocks at 4" until I finish the 3 7/8" ones I already have. I'll just have to be SUPER careful when I piece from now on. So with that warning, don't look too closely. PLEASE.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-z7fGdjD0v7g/Txd7Y6L_4wI/AAAAAAAAAQ4/tHOQP7DYDvk/s1600/swoon+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="317" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-z7fGdjD0v7g/Txd7Y6L_4wI/AAAAAAAAAQ4/tHOQP7DYDvk/s320/swoon+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-c879E36ka4g/Txd7XOrgqKI/AAAAAAAAAQo/50hCBD7g2GM/s1600/S2+close+up.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-c879E36ka4g/Txd7XOrgqKI/AAAAAAAAAQo/50hCBD7g2GM/s320/S2+close+up.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>I've decided that two blocks with off white/snow are enough. Asian prints can be so bold and vibrant that I want to bring more bold solids into the mix. Thankfully this snowmaggeddon has prevented me from going to my LQS to shop for more fabric. I have enough for 2 more, plus one print that's looking for a solid. I'm doing good, though! It's week two and I have completed two blocks.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6rwCagVSRFI/Txd7VwGo9pI/AAAAAAAAAQg/g7SGT88tQx8/s1600/S1+and+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6rwCagVSRFI/Txd7VwGo9pI/AAAAAAAAAQg/g7SGT88tQx8/s320/S1+and+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xT89M-Txkuw/Txd7YDZtTzI/AAAAAAAAAQw/j661wSVpV4k/s1600/S3+fabric.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xT89M-Txkuw/Txd7YDZtTzI/AAAAAAAAAQw/j661wSVpV4k/s320/S3+fabric.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Block 3 fabrics. </span></div><br />
I'm semi ahead of myself, as I already cut out the fabric for block 3. I'm SO ahead of myself that I wore out my rotary blade that I installed last week! That's another thing that will have to wait until the snow melts. Oh well. Happy Snow Day!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lG_6EY57E7w/Txd_s5r5qSI/AAAAAAAAARI/9hgH91iEtvY/s1600/me.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lG_6EY57E7w/Txd_s5r5qSI/AAAAAAAAARI/9hgH91iEtvY/s320/me.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>Viohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09658696348179112388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5533510479733607567.post-5301976903812593342012-01-11T21:23:00.000-08:002012-01-11T21:23:19.621-08:00Swooning AlongI've joined my fist quilt along hosted by Katy of <a href="http://imagingermonkey.blogspot.com/">I'm a Ginger Monkey</a>. I had already mentioned that I wanted to work on the Swoon pattern I bought a bazillion years ago, and this Swoon Along just pushed me to get it started now instead of later. Of course, now that I'm so excited with it, I may have pushed my daughter's quilt further down the line. :o( BUT I'm not going to let that happen! I need to work on multiple things at a time. I've finished my Swoon block for the week, so I need to start cutting fabric for other projects.<br />
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My Swoon is going to be a King size, 16 blocks total. My husband dictated the fabrics. He wanted Asian prints, and I'm matching each with a coordinating solid. My original plan was to use Kona Ash as the background, but JoAnn didn't happen to have any, so I went with Kona Coal. I'm super happy with it, I just hope I bought enough! I have another 50% off coupon that's good next weekend. I'll have to make a trip. ;o)<br />
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I started cutting my fabric on Monday, right after I bought my background. I couldn't help it, I was too excited! I thought I cut enough Coal for two blocks, but alas, it was only one. I'll have to get on that tomorrow.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Z40fJGVuQ7o/Tw5rYrrdqNI/AAAAAAAAAQE/dg3wZl1R95A/s1600/block+1+fabric.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Z40fJGVuQ7o/Tw5rYrrdqNI/AAAAAAAAAQE/dg3wZl1R95A/s320/block+1+fabric.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Block #1 Fabrics Kona Coal, Kona Snow, and random from Kona Bay Fabrics (I believe)</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gzfrEqm4arQ/Tw5r4x3B_fI/AAAAAAAAAQQ/8y_ztkXU4Uw/s1600/block+2+fabric.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gzfrEqm4arQ/Tw5r4x3B_fI/AAAAAAAAAQQ/8y_ztkXU4Uw/s320/block+2+fabric.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Block#2 Kona Coal, Random Christmas Red left over from Stockings and another Random print.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">I was surprised how quickly the block came together! I'm just a beginner, having only done a handful of half square triangles and even fewer flying geese. Not counting cutting, I pieced the block together in two sessions of two hours. I did have a few hiccups. I started drawing the line for the HST on my 3.5" squares only to realize (when I was done) that I was doing it on the wrong ones!! I also had to think a little bit harder about my color placement since I was using a "white" for my "color 1" and the Coal for my "white" background. I hope I don't have that problem with the rest of the blocks. I pressed my seams open, first time doing that, so I think that's also why it took a little bit longer than th</span></span>e 2 hours Katy quoted on construction. I'm beyond excited on how it came out though!! </div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5j8cyarQo2A/Tw5r2TQfoYI/AAAAAAAAAQM/OHs8eGwUvA8/s1600/swoon1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5j8cyarQo2A/Tw5r2TQfoYI/AAAAAAAAAQM/OHs8eGwUvA8/s320/swoon1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Isn't it gorgeous?! P.S. This is also the best picture of fabric I've EVER taken!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;">It's definitely addicting. I want to go shopping for the rest of my fabric NOW!! It will have to wait, though. :o( Back to work tomorrow... to do more daydreaming about quilting. :o)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div>Viohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09658696348179112388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5533510479733607567.post-19977287110967690962012-01-08T21:57:00.000-08:002012-01-09T12:52:20.013-08:00Oh goodness...I had such a productive day today! I finally bound my sampler/niece's quilt. *Happy Dance Time!* I love the gray polka dots I used. It gives the quilt a final note.<br />
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I also started cutting the 2.5" strips I'll need for my friend's triple irish chain quilt. My daughter and I had a very eventful trip to the quilt shop yesterday. I bought about 15 fat quarters in yellow, lime, and aqua, and a yard and a half of solid white to start with.<br />
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And now, I see there's a Swoon along at I'm a Ginger Monkey. And I may have said I'd Swoon, too. Eek! It's supposed to be semi casual, with a block a week, but I'm doing 16 blocks instead of 9, so I'm not sure if that means I should be working harder and faster or since I'm a beginner, it means do what I can when I can. I'll decide as I go along, I guess. :o)Viohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09658696348179112388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5533510479733607567.post-65157119662406061702012-01-05T22:03:00.000-08:002012-01-05T22:03:21.193-08:00To do this year...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ewo6nZRIXOw/TwaBWB1YuTI/AAAAAAAAAOo/MDxlkhnZ7Zo/s1600/mug.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ewo6nZRIXOw/TwaBWB1YuTI/AAAAAAAAAOo/MDxlkhnZ7Zo/s320/mug.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">(Present from my mom)</span></div><br />
2012 is my first full year of quilting. It's going to be a busy year, too! Now that I'm done with my Christmas deadlines, I can move on to quilts I'm making for other people, mostly family members. I have a list going of who's getting a quilt and what fabric might work for them, but most importantly what type of pattern I want to use. I'm the only one in my close circle of family and friends who does any quilting and I want to make sure I match the quilt to the person as well as I can. I like to assume that they all appreciate receiving hand made things from me, and I don't want to turn them off for sure on quilting! :o)<br />
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My only problem comes with... well, everything. Since I'm just starting, I don't have a stash of fabric to work with. I'm buying fabric to match the recipient. Not too bad of a problem since the bottom line is I get to shop, but my mind works in over time all the time. Until I put my foot down (and drown it in cement to make sure it doesn't go anywhere) I tend to change my mind about patterns, or fabrics pretty easily. I think it's just so easy for me to be inspired by everything I see being done that my mind keeps wanting to up the ante with my choices. And that's really why I call it my "Craft Monster". It just doesn't know when to stop! Just when you think it's down for the count... BAM!!! It's up and running before you can be safely out of the way. *Sigh* I could have worse problems, I guess. :o)<br />
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I have a couple of quilts that are further along in the pattern/fabric process, so I'm going to start with those. I have one deadline: August 4th. I have some friends who are newly engaged so of course I want to make them a double wedding ring quilt. Wait, what?! You mean, and "advanced/experience needed" type of pattern?! With a deadline in less that 8 months?!!! Yeah, scratch that. I'm really fascinated with double wedding rings, I think they're gorgeous. BUT the curved piecing makes me nervous. My local quilt shop is offering their first double wedding ring quilt class at the end of March. It's two sessions and at the end I would have a baby sized quilt. Craft Monster tells me "No problem! That only leaves you 4 months to grow it to a queen size, quilt and bind it. You can do it!". What Craft Monster seems to neglect is that a) I'm a mother of two, a wife, and I work 40 hours a week. And two: I'm a beginner who wants to do other quilts, too! So rational Vio won.<br />
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I decided to go back to my very first idea which was a Triple Irish Chain in their wedding colors of lime, lemon and aqua. I'm going to do it with lots of different fabrics with a white background. I'll figure out the backing and binding when it gets closer. I even drew out a sketch to figure out how I want to lay out the colors. I think I like the top one better. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RGOFoPjGiF0/TwZ9W18CRUI/AAAAAAAAANk/XZ1Rxh6st5I/s1600/chain.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RGOFoPjGiF0/TwZ9W18CRUI/AAAAAAAAANk/XZ1Rxh6st5I/s320/chain.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><br />
My niece's quilt is all finished... except for the binding. I was supposed to get it started last weekend, but I was just down in a funk. All I did was read my book club book (Moloka'i by Alan Brennert), fold some laundry, and finally play Lego Harry Potter on XBoX. BUT I told myself that I'm going to make myself happy this year, and right now, quilting makes me happy. So... back to binding I go! I even have the fabric! I just have to start cutting. Maybe this Friday I'll bust out one of the 3 seasons of "The Big Bang Theory" I got for Christmas and make a night of it. :o)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yV3fZUpHrkg/TwZ-7LYIVKI/AAAAAAAAAOQ/erp7_6Ci2fY/s1600/azalea.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yV3fZUpHrkg/TwZ-7LYIVKI/AAAAAAAAAOQ/erp7_6Ci2fY/s320/azalea.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>Next is my daughter's quilt. We went to the zoo for her birthday this summer and she became enamored with giraffes. Not regular giraffes, of course. PINK giraffes. Soon after, I found <a href="http://www.hawthornethreads.com/fabric/designer/michael_miller_house_designer/its_a_girl_thing/zoology_in_bloom">Zoology in Bloom </a>by Michael Miller and an idea was born. (I just hope she still likes it when I'm finished with it.) I was inspired by AmandaJean's <a href="http://crazymomquilts.blogspot.com/2008/05/seeing-stars.html">Star Quilt Along</a> but because I want to feature the giraffes, I'll only be doing sawtooth stars with the setting blocks. I was originally going to use gray as the background, but I quickly realized that gray is not in the rainbow, and therefore not one of my daughter's favorite colors. :o) I switched to a bright pink, but I had put too much time and effort into the coloring... just imagine the gray is pink, and the pink is gray.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-J2IpLm98qio/TwaA6LreugI/AAAAAAAAAOc/UJrQWdurswc/s1600/italia+plan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-J2IpLm98qio/TwaA6LreugI/AAAAAAAAAOc/UJrQWdurswc/s320/italia+plan.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>My poor nephew... he hasn't gotten a blanket from me!!! I was going to crochet him one when he was born, but I was just not happy with the yarn I chose. It didn't matter how many different patterns I tried, it just never materialized. He's now 4 and a half (oops!!!) so he's next on the list. His dad is REALLY into comic books and super heroes, which of course means that he is too. I found this fabric while perusing one of the online quilt shops and I just had to buy it.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-T42LhR0Tu4M/TwaD6NjcgWI/AAAAAAAAAPA/phHrDvKCcXk/s1600/totez+fabric.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-T42LhR0Tu4M/TwaD6NjcgWI/AAAAAAAAAPA/phHrDvKCcXk/s320/totez+fabric.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>It's kind of hard to imagine what to do with it! That big one is literally BIG. It's a super big scale. I thought of doing 12.5" squares of all 3 fabrics with a 4 patch in green, blue, red and yellow. The bottom two fabrics are kind of khaki colored, almost like old newspapers, so I thought I'd do some brown sashing to compliment. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-norKxLihMLc/TwaEja8dLGI/AAAAAAAAAPM/VdMPh6v044E/s1600/cortez+plan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-norKxLihMLc/TwaEja8dLGI/AAAAAAAAAPM/VdMPh6v044E/s320/cortez+plan.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>BUT now I don't like the idea of brown next to the big scale print. :o( I saw Corrie from Quilt Taffy use the <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ohfransson/5159487618/in/pool-1427324@N23/">Kitchen Windows</a> pattern by Elizabeth Hartman for her <a href="http://quilttaffy.blogspot.com/2011/11/ghastlie-blog-hop.html">Ghastlie Blog Hop</a> and I like the idea of keeping the scene "untouched". So now instead of trying to make my own pattern, I will do a couple of Kitchen Windows for the big print, with some solids and the other two fabrics filling in some of the other panes. I haven't done the math, but I hope it looks good.<br />
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The only way I could convince my husband to let me make a quilt for our bed was that he got to pick the fabric. He decided that if I made a quilt using Asian inspired quilts, it could go on our bed. I fell in love with Swoon by <a href="http://camilleroskelley.typepad.com/">Camille Roskelley</a> when I first saw it and I think it could look really good in Asian prints paired with some solids. I'll be making it 4 by 4 for our king sized bed.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>I think this will be the only project that I'll be working on while I have other ones going on. I can make a block here and there. :o) I'm nervous that if I just start cutting into everything, nothing will get finished.<br />
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Oh, and I almost forgot. I do have one other non quilty thing. I promised my best friend a Birdie Sling last July. Yeah, she was kind of expecting it for her birthday. Oops. Well, at least I have 6 more months until it's due again! I still need the fleece interfacing, but I think they have the one I'm looking for at JoAnn's.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FeJrdU4wp_M/TwaHdtg0daI/AAAAAAAAAP8/4uIwI77Y8x4/s1600/birdie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FeJrdU4wp_M/TwaHdtg0daI/AAAAAAAAAP8/4uIwI77Y8x4/s320/birdie.jpg" width="320" /> </a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">(Yes, that's barbed wire fabric. She chose it for the inside.)</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">And that's it! ("For now!" says Craft Monster) It's a lot, but at the same time, it's not. I just have to keep myself motivated and remember how happy it makes me. Oh, and since I'm not taking the double wedding ring class, I think I'm going to take the basic long arm class instead! The quilt shop offers rentals on their machine, after you take the class of course. I'm making a visit this weekend, and I'll have to ask how much it is to rent. I imagine it's way cheaper than sending out my quilts to be done by somebody else. :o) I just don't think my machine has a big enough arm to fit a queen/king sized quilt. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">P.S. Maybe if I start blogging more often, about all my steps and the wanderings that Craft Monster does, I won't have to write the great American novel every time I sit at the computer! Whew! Or it could be that I just talk way to much. :o)</div>Viohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09658696348179112388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5533510479733607567.post-50826434216882108682011-12-21T07:02:00.000-08:002011-12-21T07:02:51.918-08:00Done, Done, DONE!!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9N_d6Ht516Y/TvHxbtb428I/AAAAAAAAAKM/xqtRjQ1GF_M/s1600/SAM_1312.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9N_d6Ht516Y/TvHxbtb428I/AAAAAAAAAKM/xqtRjQ1GF_M/s320/SAM_1312.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
My happy dance is a conga. *Happy Conga!!!* I finished 6 Christmas stockings. And it's not December 24th!!!<br />
I tried to modify some store bought stockings last year. It did NOT work out. They were cheap, and I didn't have a sewing machine yet, so I did everything by hand. I finished 3 out of 4. Guess which one did not get finished? Mine. :o( So with my new found love of sewing/quilting, and my old Craft Monster to cheer me through, I made 6 this year. Four for my immediate family, and one each for my mom and brother. There's a few things I'm not super happy with, like the cuff is too small...the font is too small, and the embellishments got caught up on the seam. But they're finished. And I made them. :o) I used Cluck Cluck Sew's <a href="http://www.purplepandaquilts.blogspot.com/2011/10/stocking-for-kids-tutorial-tuesday.html">tutorial</a> on Purple Panda Quilts and random Christmas fabric from JoAnn (that was deliciously on sale). It's super easy! Now that I've tried them this way, I may try the <a href="http://www.purplepandaquilts.blogspot.com/2011/10/stocking-for-kids-tutorial-tuesday_11.html">lined</a> version next time.<br />
Now to find gifts to fill them with!!!<br />
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I haven't kept track how long it's taken me to finish them. I know that I usually did them during marathon sewing sessions, aka Friday nights. Last Friday was all about making and pinning all the binding to the blocks. Then yesterday I was meaning to only sew one side of the binding on, but that first part is the hardest and when it's over, it's just a bit longer to actually finish the whole thing! Which is also why I was up until 11 pm. :o/ BUT they're finished! I just have to assign them to individual kids and write on the back my little dedication to them. "For so-and-so, Christmas 2011, Love, (Tia)Vio". Loving isn't it? :o) I was planning on appliqueing each kid's initial on the back, but that would have looked weird with the quilting. A permanent pen is also a lasting love. :o)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-of6NF45tRn8/TuEsWlcX7XI/AAAAAAAAAJM/uakF4SgDPtA/s1600/reds.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-of6NF45tRn8/TuEsWlcX7XI/AAAAAAAAAJM/uakF4SgDPtA/s320/reds.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bbLN1bTsWe0/TuEsbdUBwxI/AAAAAAAAAJc/HRuaEzqjY0Y/s1600/candy+cane.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bbLN1bTsWe0/TuEsbdUBwxI/AAAAAAAAAJc/HRuaEzqjY0Y/s320/candy+cane.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>I used charm squares for the backs. They look like a bunch of pot holders. :o)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--KYsx2RQtPU/TuEsZYpIxWI/AAAAAAAAAJU/tOPOuk7cLe0/s1600/back.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--KYsx2RQtPU/TuEsZYpIxWI/AAAAAAAAAJU/tOPOuk7cLe0/s320/back.JPG" width="180" /></a></div>These two are my favorites. They might have to go to my two children. :o)<br />
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Next: 6 Christmas stockings, binding my niece's quilt, starting on my daughter's quilt and possibly my nephew's. Oh, and my husband bought me <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghUZUpN9rks">Lego Harry Potter: Years 5-7</a> for my birthday last month (yes, I know I'm not 13) and I want to start playing it! When I'm focused on one thing, I go all out. I know that if I start playing Harry Potter, I won't sew until I beat the game! So Craft Monster, let's get through Christmas first, then we can <i>Expelliarmus</i> to our heart's content. Deal? :o)Viohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09658696348179112388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5533510479733607567.post-1009396845918766902011-11-27T13:36:00.000-08:002011-11-27T13:36:35.442-08:002 month round up.I finally have some time to catch up on my blogging, so I'll try to fill you in on what went on craft-wise during Sept, Oct, and most of Nov. Wow... that was a long time! I did actually work on projects, I just didn't blog about them. Bad Vio.<br />
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My quilt class went well. I was trying to think of a summary of what went on, what I learned, etc. and my first thought was "I didn't learn anything!! I already knew everything, I was just there." Silly me. That's not true at all! I *thought* I knew everything because I've been reading blogs like crazy, looking at all sorts of tutorials, etc. But aside from piecing my charm squares together, I hadn't really done anything. What this class did was give me 3 hours at a time where I could devote myself to piecing and actually putting into practice everything I thought I knew.<br />
Our quilts are samplers made up of 7 types of blocks: rail fence, 9 patch, 9 patch variation, square dance, friendship star, flying geese and log cabin. I was able to do the first 4 pretty easily, without much instruction besides what size to cut. The friendship star was my first stumble. I pieced it incorrectly and had to rip out the stitches. I love the colors I used so that kept me happy. I knew I wanted to see how the instructor made flying geese since there are at least 4 different ways to do it. And the log cabin actually had me lost for a bit. But I worked through them and I really enjoyed making all the blocks. My finished blanket is 5 blocks by 5 blocks with a 1" inner border and a 4" outer border ( I think). I used the fabric I showed earlier.<br />
I was a little concerned at first because all the other ladies chose really nice subtle colors: one had Fall rusty colors, another had browns, reds and creams, one lady chose only yellows and corn flower blue,and another chose Hometown by Sweet Water for Moda. My colors were almost blinding! The instructor kept pointing it out each time I showed her a block. It got almost to the point where I wasn't sure if she liked them or if she was really aghast at them. I started to doubt in my choices, which is not a very nice thing at all. <i></i>After I put them all together, though, I REALLY like my finished project.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dsBIsUdjL_E/TtKm88S7_rI/AAAAAAAAAD0/cYQbnMi9sjk/s1600/SAM_1048.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dsBIsUdjL_E/TtKm88S7_rI/AAAAAAAAAD0/cYQbnMi9sjk/s320/SAM_1048.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> I pieced the back with a square dance block and strips of all the fabric I used in the quilt.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div> I did grid quilting on point in the main blocks, just stitched in the ditch for the inner border and free motion on the outer border following the flowers on the pattern.<br />
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I love the final result!!! I just hope my sister does too. All I have left is the binding. I bought white polka dots on dark gray fabric. I think that will tie everything up nicely. :o)<br />
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Oh, and I even made a quilt label. I'll have to hand stitch that one in once I finish the binding. I'd like to have it done by Christmas, but I have 2 other projects with Christmas deadlines that MUST be completed first. :o)<br />
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I thought I had a lot more going on, craft-wise, in the last couple of months, but I guess this was the biggest thing! I've posted about my place mats (finished!), I'm working on ornaments and Christmas stockings... I have all the fabric I need for my daughter's quilt... and the main fabrics for my nephew's quilt (which I bought with a gift certificate I won to the <a href="http://fatquartershop.com/">Fat Quarter Shop</a> thanks for Lee from <a href="http://freshlypieced.blogspot.com/">Freshly Pieced</a>). That only leaves 5,783 other projects to do! Unless Craft Monster gets some more ideas. :o)Viohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09658696348179112388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5533510479733607567.post-48378105442436221532011-11-27T12:56:00.000-08:002011-11-27T12:59:34.597-08:00I finished!!I finished my place mats!!! *Happy Dance!!!* It helps so much to have a dedicated sewing area where I don't have to take anything down. Well, that and sewing for about 8 hours with few interruptions. :o) I thank my husband for that one. Since our dining room table was clean from Thanksgiving dinner, I just sewed my little heart out yesterday until dinner time. Then I saw that Celebrity Ghost Stories was new, and I had to watch. *Guilty pleasure* I was able to leave everything out and pick it back up this morning. And 6 bindings later.... I finished!!!! I'm so excited. One, because it's not Christmas Eve and I'm finishing them as family is arriving for dinner. And two, because I now have time for my other projects so that I may (hopefully) finish those before Christmas Day, too.<br />
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I have 10 ornaments that are ready to be quilted. Hopefully I'll finish those today.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rj1VUiAVqhY/TtKff8jtiAI/AAAAAAAAACs/Pgz_oulwVQk/s1600/SAM_1239.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rj1VUiAVqhY/TtKff8jtiAI/AAAAAAAAACs/Pgz_oulwVQk/s320/SAM_1239.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>I made these with leftover charm squares from my place mats and a border from a few fat quarters I picked up. There are 5 with a pinwheel center and 5 with a diamond center. I'm not sure if that block has a name. :o)<br />
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And now....the place mats!!!!!<br />
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I should mention that I did a machine binding on all of them. No hand stitching whatsoever. Maybe because I'm a little intimidated, but probably because it's so much easier! About two days after my first binding trial, AmandaJean at <a href="http://crazymomquilts.blotspot.com/">crazymomquilts</a> posted <a href="http://crazymomquilts.blogspot.com/2011/11/one-way-to-machine-bind-quilt.html">this</a> and her results kind of, sort of equaled mine (but hers were WAY better) so I felt like I was doing it the right way. I don't mind that the sewing line shows on the back. Who's going to be looking at the back of the place mats anyway? ;o) <br />
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Okay, I think that's it! I want to upload my pictures to Kate Spain's flickr group for <a href="http://www.flickr.com/groups/flurryfabric/">Flurry projects</a>, quilt those ornaments, and get started on the super last minute Christmas stockings that I decided would be a good idea. Like I didn't already have 6 trillion projects going on. Thanks a lot Craft Monster. ;o)Viohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09658696348179112388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5533510479733607567.post-42234611286470544712011-11-26T21:25:00.000-08:002011-11-27T12:30:07.209-08:00Oh goodness...I started writing a post about a two weeks ago when I realized how long it had been since my last one. I was trying to summarize my quilt class as well as any other sewing I'd done. Well, because I was trying to fit so much, I had to stop and get back to it. It's been so long, and with Thanksgiving going on, I just haven't finished. Anyway, I just wanted to say that I'm still going strong. I may not sew all the time, but I now have 3 projects to finish before Christmas. I just have 6 out of 12 place mats to finish binding and my first project will be finished. :o) I'll have to dedicate some time soon to finish that pending post and put up some pictures. Toodles!Viohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09658696348179112388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5533510479733607567.post-51896234389735022322011-09-15T08:52:00.000-07:002011-09-20T09:16:43.746-07:00ROAR! (...or Second Wind)My Craft Monster has been busy!! (That title is him/her? waking up.)Well, busy adding to my list of things to do, not actually *doing* anything. Silly Monster. It's gotten to where I need to write a list of who I'm making things for and STOP buying fabric. I can only do so much at a time. I've had a couple of weeks now where I did some shopping and researching of patterns and ideas, but didn't do much in the actual construction or sewing of quilts. I should be ashamed. But I'm not. :o) I have reasons.<br />
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Excuse #1: My daughter started school on the First, so that was pretty exciting. My baby is in kindergarten! It was my first First Day of School as a parent. I held up pretty well. :o) My daughter had a little bit of a breakdown. She was super excited for school, but her teacher speaks Spanish, and she doesn't, so that put a wrench in the excitement. She is in a Dual Language program where they will spend 50% of their school day immersed in the Spanish language (no translation whatsoever) and 50% in English. There is an equal amount of native speakers of each language mixed in both classes so the kids can help each other. The goal is bi-literacy and bi-lingual(ness?) by the end of the program, which runs through 6th grade. I was born in Mexico, I spent my first 10 years there, and I am ashamed to say my children do not speak Spanish. :o( I'm hoping this program can help them and our family be more bilingual in our everyday life.<br />
I did make some project progress while she was at school that first day: I cut the backings, batting and binding for my place mats! That should count for something. I started basting, but ran out of pins since I only bought 75. Oops. <br />
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Excuse #2: I didn't have everything I needed! I think that's usually my first excuse. :o) Everything I've read, whether it be in books or blogs, tells me that I NEED a walking foot if I'm going to do any straight line quilting on my machine at home. I went looking for one at my local sewing and vacuum store, but they didn't have the Brother one I wanted, and I did NOT want to spend $100 on another one, so I walked away with only two spools of thread, a binding foot (which I will talk more about once I do some binding), and some advice from the lovely lady helping me out. She suggested I pin like crazy with my basting and that should help me quilt without a walking foot. Well... I started to, but then I gave up and ordered the walking foot online. AND a free motion foot since it was on sale. So now, technically, I should have every notion I need to finish at least the 4 projects I have on my table. (I told you the Monster has been busy!)<br />
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Excuse #3: My husband and I went camping last weekend! Adult camping. As in NO KIDS, so many friends! It's the 3rd year we've done it and it's so much fun. Even when we don't do anything *well, except hold a beer in hand* it's so nice to just SIT. Family camping is usually trying to find ways to entertain kids, keep them fed, semi clean, and out of trouble. This year we invited a couple who hadn't gone camping before (at least she hadn't) and I think they had fun. They're already making plans to come back next year. Yay! :o)<br />
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I think that was the last of my excuses. I'm getting the quilt bug again, so hopefully I'll be able to keep going and actually finish a project! It's hard to do it at night, though. I LOVE natural light. That's probably why when I'm at work, I'd rather be quilting. But once I get the kids in bed, and it's getting dark out, I'd rather sit on the couch and catch up on Psych. :o)<br />
I basted 5 place mats yesterday and I WILL finish the last 7 today. I cut my Flurry scraps as well yesterday. Those will be for my annual Christmas ornaments for all the kids in my life. My sister-in-law and her family moved back home, so they add 2 more kids to the list for a total of 10 ornaments this year! My plan is to make a simple-ish block, probably no bigger than 4 inches, and to hand stitch their name and the year to the back. I now have all the fabric I need for my daughter's quilt top, so I'd like to start cutting that down, too. AND my first quilt class starts next weekend! I know that I have enough projects going on (2 with Christmas deadlines) so that hopefully I'll be able to make a dent each week. I plan to stay up super late on Friday, fire up that Netflix, get lost in a couple of episodes of Psych and actually start quilting! :o) Maybe not so much progress this Saturday because... we're going to the Fair!<br />
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P.S. I never did get more storage on my computer to download my pictures off my camera, but I DID get a new memory card. I think I even figured out how to get pictures off of it without saving them to whatever computer I'm on! I think Craft Monster is getting savvier. It still needs a name. ;o)Viohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09658696348179112388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5533510479733607567.post-9700717688753032122011-08-25T09:24:00.000-07:002011-08-25T09:24:47.247-07:00My Tom Cruise moment.I ordered fabric for my quilting class/niece's blanket online from the wonderful people at <a href="http://hawthornethreads.com/">Hawthorne Threads</a> last week. I was a little unsure of what I wanted so I went through their website a couple of times last week. Of course, by the time I decided to buy, some of the fabric I wanted was out of stock. :o( I really like their website because they have a color grid that displays fabrics in a specific color with the option to show from high dominance, to low, to "it's in there somewhere". I'm completely new to mixing and matching fabrics so that was a wonderful tool to have. :o) I also visited my local quilt shop <a href="http://runningstitchfabrics.com/">Running Stitch Fabrics</a> and came away with only one fat quarter and two half yards of Heirloom by Joel Dewberry. I wanted the whole Heirloom line, but I need to be focused. My last stop was JoAnn Fabrics. I got 4 fat quarters just in case. I think I only need 4-6 fat quarters and there's a <span style="font-size: xx-small;">slight</span> chance I may have gone overboard. Oh well... more fabric for another project!<br />
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My fabric order arrived this Monday and I couldn't open up the package! I was almost jumping on the couch, proclaiming my love for the fabrics á la Tom Cruise. :o) I did good, I must say. My sister is very specific about which colors can be in my niece's blanket which I thought was going to be hard. But looking at my selection, I'm so excited to start cutting and piecing RIGHT NOW! I have the book that's required for the class already and the temptation to start is so hard to resist! But NO. I'm doing things the right way, and I will wait. But that doesn't mean that I can't take out my fabric to pet every once in a while. That doesn't sound creepy at all. ;o)<br />
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The required colors (as set by my very picky sister) are Magenta, Red, and Purple. I know we're both in love with Gray right now, so I'm sure she won't mind me throwing some in there too. Here's a shot of all of them together:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jxvBBNDMXvo/TlZyK9HCaPI/AAAAAAAAACE/JrJjYrZn1Fk/s1600/IMG00379-20110822-1533.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jxvBBNDMXvo/TlZyK9HCaPI/AAAAAAAAACE/JrJjYrZn1Fk/s320/IMG00379-20110822-1533.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>I'm not completely sure about the first gray from the left. I know that I love the pattern (it's Starlet in Gray from Jenean Morrison, the Silent Cinema collection) so I might have to try it out with a few of the other patterns. If it doesn't work out, it will just go in my "to use" pile for later.<br />
Here are the pinks:<br />
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Blockprint Blossom in crimson (Joel Dewberry, Heirloom), 2 random pink fat quarters from JoAnn, two random red fat quarters from JoAnn, Cherries in Pink (Monaluna, Spring Metro Market) and Peeps Illusion in Pink (Lizzy House, 1001 Peeps).<br />
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Purples and Grays:<br />
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Peeps Jewels in Purple (Lizzy House, 1001 Peeps), Empire Weave in Garnet (Joel Dewberry, Heirloom), Starlet in Gray (Jenean Morrison, Silent Cinema), Kona Solid Ash, Castle Wall in Pewter (Jessica Levitt, Kingdom), and what I think is Raspberry Tart (Patricia Bravo, Nature's Elements).<br />
I just hope that my wonderful color collection will translate into a wonderful quilt! <br />
P.S. I will eventually have enough space in my computer to download all the pictures from my camera which will give me room in said camera to take better pictures than my Blackberry Curve 8520 can currently take. I have hope. :o)<br />
Viohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09658696348179112388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5533510479733607567.post-54524742261272954642011-08-09T21:14:00.000-07:002011-08-09T21:14:31.697-07:00Finished!.... Well, kinda.I finished my place mat tops! I want to shout it from the roof tops and show them off to anybody and everybody! It wasn't too bad, actually. I just needed a table at the correct height (bent over a coffee table is not as comfortable as it sounds) and some TIME. :o)<br />
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I survived machine applique. :o) I'm super glad I spent the $14 on the open toe foot. I can see what I'm doing! Imagine that. I decided against using the blanket stitch because I couldn't seem to get the right stitch length/width combination, AND it uses up a lot of thread! I went with a zig zag and I loved it.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-97t1UsWjS7E/TkIAS8UbltI/AAAAAAAAABs/sSW09BGel2o/s1600/IMG00288-20110807-1555.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-97t1UsWjS7E/TkIAS8UbltI/AAAAAAAAABs/sSW09BGel2o/s320/IMG00288-20110807-1555.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Once I finished all the appliqueing, putting the tops together went by super quickly. I did *EXCELLENT!* on macthing up most seams.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7NqgZzdowMc/TkIAZgekzwI/AAAAAAAAAB0/JrQCykYJmzs/s1600/IMG00289-20110807-1556.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7NqgZzdowMc/TkIAZgekzwI/AAAAAAAAAB0/JrQCykYJmzs/s320/IMG00289-20110807-1556.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>However... some seams were not so lucky. :o( Wah, wah, wah....<br />
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Oh well. It's my first time, AND nobody will notice, AND we'll probably only use them a few times a year. It doesn't take away from the fact that I'm closer to finishing! Whoo!!!<br />
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Now... To sandwich! Quilt sandwich, that is. ;o) Oh! And I signed up for a beginners quilting class at my local quilt shop! It doesn't start until the end of September, but that should give me enough time to figure out my fabrics. I'm going to quilt two birds with one stone: my sampler will be my niece's baby quilt. :o) I had planned on these classes being almost stress free for my husband since they're on Sundays, but that was before football was back on. :o( AND they're from 1pm to 4pm. Double :o( But it's only 4 weeks! He'll still have 14 more of regular season PLUS the playoffs and I'll be able to translate all my new found skills into lots and lots of quilts!!! :o)<br />
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Viohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09658696348179112388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5533510479733607567.post-13991292791268136882011-07-25T16:37:00.000-07:002011-07-25T16:37:33.978-07:00I'm sewing, I'm sewing!!!I finally stepped over the hump and started sewing this past weekend. My husband gave me a sewing machine for Christmas, it's a Brother.I'm not sure of the model number, but I do know that it's a Project Runway special edition. And it's MINE! Buahahahah! *ahem* Moving on. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-v-FWZ3AFF-c/Ti38On7JwlI/AAAAAAAAABk/-1H0hXhkmns/s1600/IMG00274-20110724-1424.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-v-FWZ3AFF-c/Ti38On7JwlI/AAAAAAAAABk/-1H0hXhkmns/s320/IMG00274-20110724-1424.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Fancy isn't it? I'm still learning all it can do, so it's good enough for me! :o)<br />
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Until yesterday, I had only sewn about 5 straight lines back in March. I "made" burp cloths for a friend. I say "made" because all I really did was make two folds and sew them closed. But hey! It's a start, right?<br />
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When it came to sewing my 1/4" seams, I used my 1/4" foot with guide, which made me feel really confident. I may have strayed a bit once or twice, but for the most part, I think I did a good job. I paid attention to all the great hints out there and I chain pieced the charm squares for my place mats. I feel pretty cool, actually. I'm chain piecing!. How quilty of me, huh? :o) I'm still missing an open toe sewing foot so I'm still avoiding the applique, but since I have two blank place mats, I went ahead and pieced it all together. And now... I have a finished top!!! I'm so excited! I messed up a tiny bit so one of my corners doesn't line up, but it's not too noticeable.<br />
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I kind of wish the kids would have stayed in the pool a bit longer so I could piece together the second one, but oh well. :o) I get distracted easily so I hope that now that I know how "easy" this is (and fun!) I'll be focused long enough to keep my momentum going so that Christmas doesn't sneak up on me!Viohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09658696348179112388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5533510479733607567.post-58426053812340396302011-07-20T07:02:00.000-07:002011-07-20T07:02:49.517-07:00Slower ProgressI'm a little scared of machine applique, and I'm not afraid to admit it. It doesn't help that a) I've never done it before, and b) the super nice sales lady at the sewing and vacuum store told me it's easier to have an open toe foot so I can see what I'm doing. :o( Did I buy the foot when she told me? No. I was more worried about getting the 1/4" foot with the guide. So now my conundrum is.... try to applique with my current foot? Or go out and buy the "right" one? I *could* do it by hand.... but with 10 names, averaging at 5 letters each... I think I would lose the slight timing advantage I've got going on right now.<br />
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Well, on a good note: I did make some progress on the place mats at a time when I could have let Applique Indecision 2011 rule my life. I ironed on all the names onto the white rectangles, and arranged 10 charm square around each.<br />
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I've gone as far as I can go without sewing a single stitch. Now... do I start piecing the charm squares? Or do I figure out how to do this darn applique and go for it?! I think I need to figure out my sewing area. Either sew in the living room with the TV or arrange the extra TV in the dining room. Mexican soap operas make great crafting companions. :o)Viohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09658696348179112388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5533510479733607567.post-31282207189012143102011-07-13T12:56:00.000-07:002011-07-13T12:56:17.518-07:00Progress!I finally got EVERYTHING I needed to start my quilting career. :o) I know, I said it before, but I "needed" the 1/4" guide on my sewing foot, since I can't trust myself to sew a straight line. AND... it turns out I bought the wrong Heat 'n Bond. :o( All that is behind me now. <br />
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I started my place mats first, since I'm still missing the fusible fleece I need for the purses. I'm using <a href="http://frecklemamachris.blogspot.com/">Frecklemama</a>'s Personalized Place Mat <a href="http://www.modabakeshop.com/2010/12/personalized-placemats.html#more">tutorial</a> from ModaBakeShop.<br />
So far, I've traced my letters (backwards) and cut them out of the Heat 'n Bond.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Zs19eW_DP20/Th31Ov_T4QI/AAAAAAAAABI/UZ-FFfoA-lE/s1600/plain+letters.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Zs19eW_DP20/Th31Ov_T4QI/AAAAAAAAABI/UZ-FFfoA-lE/s320/plain+letters.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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I didn't trust myself to not lose any letters in the process, so I color coded all the names. :o) That way *I think* it will be easier to see what colors I'm putting together. There are 10 people in my family so far. I'll be making a total of 12 place mats, leaving two with plain centers.<br />
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These are the 9.5" by 5" rectangles I'll be using in the centers to personalize.I laid out my Flurry by Kate Spain charm pack first so I can see all the beautiful colors together.<br />
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Then I got to spend some time at the ironing board! :o) My husband joked that I didn't know where the iron even was since he's never seen me do it. I know how to use an iron, thank you! I just choose not to. But with quilting, I'm not 'ironing', I'm "pressing". See? I'm learning.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9PhJBrhJn7M/Th31Vfmy_rI/AAAAAAAAABQ/bUDu2teS6eA/s1600/letters+and+fabric.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9PhJBrhJn7M/Th31Vfmy_rI/AAAAAAAAABQ/bUDu2teS6eA/s320/letters+and+fabric.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> And these are some of the finished product. I ended up using most of the charm pack, minus the duplicates. I think I really only left 2 squares unused. Even then, I was as careful as possible to keep at least half of the square to add to my scrap pile. I see a <a href="http://www.modabakeshop.com/2009/02/stacked-coins-baby-quilt.html">stacked coins </a> Christmas quilt in my future! Well, maybe after the umpteen projects the CraftMonster is piling up. :o)Viohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09658696348179112388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5533510479733607567.post-28667929616467652042011-07-07T14:03:00.000-07:002011-07-07T14:03:45.539-07:00Free!I finally got the fabric I won from QuiltTaffy.com!!! Well, I'm sure it got here a while ago, I just hadn't checked my mail. I love it! :o)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cXZ87p-zg1A/ThYfAQhqUGI/AAAAAAAAABE/mm4MMuafAoo/s1600/Fabric.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cXZ87p-zg1A/ThYfAQhqUGI/AAAAAAAAABE/mm4MMuafAoo/s320/Fabric.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Viohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09658696348179112388noreply@blogger.com0