Catching up

And now, for some work I haven't posted yet.  My Solstice Stars quilt for my dad.  The stars are composed primarily of Modern Meadow by Joel Dewberry and Hope Valley by Denyse Schmidt.  The blocks are framed with Kona Bahama Blue and the rest of the quilt is Kona Navy.  

 I quilted the negative space with wishbones (for lack of a better term) and custom quilted the stars.  It is meant to be a twin size quilt but my parents currently have it across their bed in the opposite orientation.

 The Spice Market Tote I made for my mom for Christmas/Birthday/Just because.  I also made her a pleated tote with the bird fabric from Cosmos by Laura Gunn.  Again, I did not take a picture so I guess I'll have to do it later.

 Somehow, during a conversation between my husband and mother-in-law I was asked or I offered to make a quilt for my sister-in-law.  I was willing to do so and was thinking of making a quilt for her next, just it was going to be a surprise instead.  In the course of the conversation with her, I ended up being asked to make quilts for both the nephews as well.  Long story short, after many months of waiting to hear what colors they were interested in and what kind of style, they told me their favorite colors and will be surprised by the quilt choice. They live 2500+ miles away and I haven't seen them for 3.5 years so I don't feel incredibly confident in my decisions.

After purchasing fabric for the two boys, they saw London Tube by Zen Chic and really liked it but it was a bit too late.  I did purchase the pattern and I'm not impressed by the lack of directions.

Nephew #1 chose red, platinum and gold.   I chose to have some artistic license on his colors a little bit and some might call the colors red, yellow and gray.  I didn't run into the metallic dots until after fabric was cut and I didn't really want to go there.  The pattern is Ring Toss by Cluck, Cluck, Sew.

  Besides Kona White, there is Nature and Oval Elements, Metro Living, Stof, Michael Miller Ikat,  Dear Stella (the red with white), Odyssea and Kaufman Spot On in Cardinal.  Hopefully this will be an acceptable interpretation of colors.  Now I am waiting for the backing to arrive.Nephew #2 chose blue, purple and pink and my husband chose Bizzy Kid also by Cluck, Cluck, Sew.  No pictures yet, but I am now waiting on some lighter blues and purples because my purples and blues in my stash are really dark.  The whole quilt was way too dark.  And I've been struggling with the incorporation of small bits of pink as his mom asked to minimize that for the day when society might tell him that it isn't cool for boys to like pink.

My sister-in-law's chose cranberry, gold, green and brown as her colors.  I had to ask style for further clarification and she chose Northcott Stonehenge Gold Leaf Metallic fabric.  Melissa posted about her Starburst quilt-a-long so I thought it might be the perfect match for her fabric choice and my guess at her more traditional styling.  My goal is to send the two boys' quilts together since it would not be politically correct to do otherwise.  I bought enough fabric for one block right now and intend to go back shortly and get the rest for the top.  

The block  didn't seem to take too long for the size of the block.  This is the 32 inch option.  I think I could do another king size quilt with nine blocks like this.  I am not sure why I am unable to realign this line of text.  Oh well.  The fabric fairy should visit on Wednesday and make it financially feasible to purchase the rest of the fabric needed for the quilt.  It'll be a mass FMQ party for me soon with these three and one other one that is ready to start tomorrow night.  

 Erica requested blocks inspired by Amanda Jean's birch trees quilt. Two very scrappy rows and one fairly coordinated fabric collection row that is tiny.

This made me want to organize my scraps, have the ironing fairy come and make them flat to work with and actually make a quilt with all scraps or start some sort of ongoing scrap quilts.  I now just have three WIP, the three above, which doesn't seem too overwhelming.

And finally, my mom and I took my niece and my daughter to the local sewing studio to make gnomes.  I don't have a picture of the finished gnomes at the moment but will try to snatch it from her clutches after I charge the camera battery.  The arms were stitched but the legs still had the pins.  It was quite a bit of fun and I did less of her sewing this time around than before.  

My productivity should drop off again as I go back to work.

Productivity

Now if only I had won the Powerball jackpot and could stay at home to be crafty and productive all the time...  In my first three days of winter break, I've managed....

6 Plucky Pantry boxes from Ruby Star Wrapping.  I used curling ribbon rather than cloth ribbon as that is what I had on hand already and didn't want to face Joann's or anywhere near the mall in the last two days before Christmas.  The ribbon is totally reuseable...

 I do have to say that simply sticking things in boxes and tying with ribbon took a lot less effort than wrapping paper, but the steps to getting to the boxes being ready for stuffing was more work.  My goal is to do some throughout the year and not wait until the last week before Christmas next year.  Lucky for me, I have 6 complete already.

A Pleated Tote bag using Ellen Luckett Baker's tutorial.  I used the same Heirloom print for both the outside and the inside since it has been sitting in my stash for over a year.  It was pretty quick and wonderful since I had all the supplies on hand for once.  I now need more fusible fleece and another trip to Joann's to get that.  I think I might use some ShapeFlex interfacing on the handles next time.  The Amy Butler Spice Market Tote's handles just seem a little more sturdy than these with the fleece.

 A Washi dress for me using a print from Indie by Pat Bravo.  I need to unpick the side seams and reduce the front skirt a little bit.  It seems to be wider than it needs to be.  But, I am happy that I made a dress for me.

There should also be a picture of a Spice Market Tote for my mom using some Nigella by Amy Butler.  I remember thinking that I should wait for morning to take a picture but then I wrapped her present a few minutes later.  Perhaps I should take the camera over to the house when we go for dinner in a few minutes.  Then I can take a picture of the quilt for my dad and my mom's bag.  Hope you are all having a wonderful Christmas.

Staples, glue and sewing

 My quilt group at work had two baby quilts to make this fall.  The second one we decided would be Interlocking Stars/Sparkle Punch using Superstar by Riley Blake.  I am not assembling or quilting it.

 The first one used up some random fat quarters from Joann, Kona Sky and Animal Alphabet from Moda on the back.  The layout was decided by my 5 year old with a lovely monologue about the boy blocks and the girl blocks sitting at school.  I wish I would have recorded it to keep.

 

  A Broken Herringbone block for Joelle.

My first real experimentation with the glue gun, a fabric ornament from V. and Co. tutorial.  I learned that the low temp $3 glue gun is worthless and am waiting to try again with my mom's spiffier glue gun. I'm now thinking it might be time to invest in a glue gun.

The string pillow with the leftovers from the charm packs used for the ornaments.  

The staple gun was pulled out to finally attach some of the prints from Cosmos by Laura Gunn to a few canvases.  Hopefully it won't take me as many months to actually get them mounted on the wall.

And now back to the staple gun.

I really have been sewing.....

If I don't post a large number of projects and pictures without much explanation, I may never post again so here goes.   My apologies for posts without html links but I think I included the proper credit.  

The front and back of the quilt many of us from work made this summer.  This is the back that one other co-worker and I completed.  I now love machine binding since I actually have a walking foot.

Mod Mosaic quilt blocks for a group baby quilt.  Tutorial from Oh Fransson!.  I was supposed to put that together this weekend but it just didn't work out that way.  This week.....

Solstice Stars Series quilt using Modern Meadow, Hope Valley, Kona White, Navy and Bahama Blue. More detailed post with finished pictures perhaps after the weekend if it ever stops raining with appropriate links provided.  Block directions at Fresh Lemon Quilts and the Lone Starburst quilt block is from a different source (the far left).

Barn Bats block from tutorial at Oh Fransson!  I made the right column, Traci made the left and put it all together.  A friend's son found a dead bat in a glass of water in his bedroom about two days before she posted the pictures.  Notice the quilted cup in the bottom corner.

A Patchwork Chevron baby quilt using Make Life.  Tutorial by Jeni Baker of In Color Order on Moda Bake Shop.

Sew.Bee.Create blocks for Jo using Simply Woven by Jessica Kelly posted on Moda Bake Shop

I made a scarf using the tutorial at Anna Maria Horner's blog but have yet to take pictures and a sparkly costume satin Cinderella dress too.  As well as an Octagonal Orb block for Kris using grey and orange for Sew.Bee.Create.

Perhaps after a second computer is purchased and mine does not have to go to school a few days a week in the evenings, I might actually post more often.  But I will go ahead and post now since internet seems to be working for about 30 seconds at a time during this little windstorm.

Ice cream dress and a bee block

 I finished Sue's bee block using this spiderweb tutorial.  It is about a .25" short in one corner on one side but I unpicked and resewed with less seam allowance and if I seam rip much more, the whole block may come apart with the tiny pieces in the corners.  Frustrating, but next time I make a block like this I may not trim the long side of the triangle until the block is assembled. Sometime in the past two weeks, the eldest had fun sewing fabric together and then seam ripping it back apart.  Love the glow in the dark fabric that I didn't notice until I packed up stuff for the night.

And next came the Ice Cream Dress from Oliver and S using Freshcut by Heather Bailey.  It is odd that she asked for a pink dress since she's been a blue obsessed girl since before the age of 2.  It is not perfect at all but she likes it.  She still needs to learn that just because it is called the "ice cream dress," it does not mean a trip to the ice cream parlor especially when she has a difficult day at school on Friday.  In the background, her brother is wearing her "nimbus" class picnic shirt and is starting to demand that I make him a dress.  Bought more Nightshade fabric and will be making him some pants sometime soon.

I did sew a shirt for me, a Grainline Studio Scout tee but haven't taken a picture.  I've also made plenty of muslins for the Washi dress to try to get the dart in the right place and be the right size.  I'm between sizes and had to lower the dart about an inch.  Now I just need to tape all my pieces together and I can start cutting that out next.  The staff quilt is done too but in the rush of the start of work for the year, I let them display it before getting a picture.

Clothes, again...

I've been enjoying making clothes so here are two more.  Other than learning again not to sew when I am tired late at night, they both were made with minimal seam ripping necessary and no consultations with my mom.

 An Oliver & S. Badminton Skort in Madrona Road by Violet Craft.

An Oliver & S. Class Picnic Blouse using Nightshade by Tula Pink.  After an impressive thunderstorm (by PNW standards) this summer, she would like to be a meteorologist.  We rarely get thunderstorms that they actually issue weather statements about but they did this summer.  She loves the lightning bolts and the moons on the fabric.

Please excuse the blurry pictures.  I had helpers.  Since I returned to work this week for two days and full time next week, I made myself a Spice Market Tote from Amy Butler.  The pictures will follow in the next post since I am attempting to be healthier and using the treadmill while having my computer time.  I am not talented enough to turn around and take a picture while walking on the treadmill.

So the current projects on my wish list include:
*Finish the backing for the Wonky Crosses Staff quilt to be displayed in September.  Then quilt it and give it to someone else to bind it.
*Make a ruffled pouch for my sister for Christmas since she admired mine.
*Make a Spice Market Tote for my mom
*Solstice Stars (from Faith of Fresh Lemons) quilt for my dad by mid October.
*One or two other clothing projects for my daughter
*Quilts for my SIL and two nephews (nice by Christmas but probably unlikely and not expected to be complete by then)

Quilt for MJ and a bee block

I'll start with showing the bee block for the month.  Cherie of Sew and So Quilts made a tutorial for a Carpenter's Star.  The only thing I didn't like so much was that I didn't really anticipate the number of HST that I would be pressing and trimming because of her directions.   I liked how she cut the larger square into smaller units after sewing the diagonals, I just didn't continue the thought process and understand what that meant until I started pressing a few days later.

And finally, the Lynnebobsquarepants quilt for my niece is complete.  The first few pictures were taken in the shade so the colors are not quite as vibrant as the actual quilt.

 After purchasing Free Motion Quilting with Angela Walters, I decided to try a few new techniques for this quilt.  It looks gorgeous and I did enjoy quilting it most of the time but by the end I really wished I had just stippled it all over so it would be done already.  I did spend quite a bit of time just staring at my quilting because I thought it was pretty.  I couldn't get a picture of the back that showed the quilting well.

 Swirls in the white part and an 8 petal flower in the middle square.

 Some skinny swirl scrolls in the white square.  Next time I need to do better at filling the space with this design.

 And a paisley design in the color sections.  To end up on the proper side to travel in a line, I did the initial quilting in the direction I wanted to go next.

Pattern: Lynnebobsquarepants sized for 18" finished blocks
Fabrics: Kona White and Art Gallery Oval Elements, Nature Elements, Lace Elements, Bespoken and Poetica (mostly Poetica and Oval Elements)
Backing fabric: a Riley Blake polka dot flannel from a few years ago and more Poetica
Unwashed size: 72x90
Pieced and quilted by me
Seams pressed open, HST trimmed and binding handsewn by my mom.  I did some, but I fear she did the majority.

And now I should clean my machine before the next project.