Sewing in my Dreams

It's been really hectic the last two weeks with family activities.  The taxi has been in full swing!  The only sewing I have been doing has been in my dreams.  The girls have their showcase this weekend, so I have a deadline to get the remaining costume items completed. 

Several have expressed an interested in making the twister quilt.  Ellen and Angie have both completed one.  Today I started pulling fabrics to make one of my own. 

I started by going to the container where all my charm packs live together.  I don't know why I don't let them mingle with my other fabrics.  I think I need a 10 step program.  I guess I am just afraid to use them.  I know I purchased this one in Paducah....and that has been a few years ago.

Eleanor and I are always talking about how the Connecting Threads fabrics don't mingle well with other manufacturers.  Well this proves me wrong!  I search through scraps looking for additional fabrics, but nothing seemed quite right.  Then I remembered the mountain of colors I bought from Connecting Threads.  My charm pack only had 38 squares- I wanted 63.  Look at how well all these go together.  Every single fabric I added was from Connecting Threads.  One thing I love is that they put a sticker on the fabric stating the color.  Often times I will use the rest of a solid color and I will want more.  Most of the time I can't remember what the color was.  I think the stickers will eventually leave a mark on the fabric, but for now, it reminds me of the color name. 
 Don't mind the mess on the counter.  When I tried to put them on the floor, my helpers rearranged the fabrics.

I now have 63 colors and I am ready to cut my charm squares.  The plan is to pick a Saturday or Sunday (since we currently don't have any retreats scheduled) and have a sewcial day with friends.  It's baseball and softball season, so I am going to need a few sewcial days!!

Visitors

New baby = New quilt.  I actually had this one done on time.  Maybe it was due to the fact that the mom-to-be picked it out of the finished pile and claimed it before she was pregnant.

Lillyn Jean Born April 9th.

Big brother Johnathyn wanted in on the action in the last picture.  He is my little buddy, and he is just the sweetest thing ever.  He came to stay with me for the day while mom and dad were at the hospital.  It feels wonderful to be great again...that is great-aunt.

Retreat Success

I made much progress this weekend.  What could be better than 3 days sewing with friends?  It would take something fabulous.  Well, it wasn't all sewing, we did have a little adventure at a quilt shop.  We even a had a friends helping friends experience when Ellen bought two washcloths from Nancy so she would have enough funds to buy the fabric she wanted.  Almost everyone made the strippy quilt (1600" quilt), but everyone had a different vision and they all turned out well.  The quilt below is Ellen's.  I just love that blue fabric that she put between the rows.  After she had her strippy sewn, she cut it apart and add the columns.

 On my design wall is another oldie.  This one was put away long ago because I was having issues with the border.  It was a mystery quilt and I sort of lost interest with my color selections.  It will probably be hanging just like it is now next week, but it will get finished eventually.

 What did I work on with 3 full days of sewing?  Backings and more backings!!!  This tub contains all the quilts that I have finished and the matching backing.  I hope to have a week full of quilting.  Don't get me wrong, I know I won't get all these done this week, but each one is a step closer to clearing up all my UFOs.  I think I must be on the 100 step program.

Check back with Judy to see what others are working on this week.

Another Finish

It was really a push to get this one done, but I had a deadline.  I didn't have time to take pictures before I gave it away, but I did manage to get the label on it.  I love how it turned out.  I made up the pattern after seeing off track on the Cluck Cluck Sew header.  I don't know what the sizes of her strips are, but I used 2 1/2"  I love how the little bit of black and white jazzes it up.  I decided on scrappy binding.  I tried a black and white, but it was too much.

This quilt was made for a girl that my daughter clogs with.  Her family moved and she will no longer be clogging with us.  It was a very emotional for all the girls.  They have been together for a lot of years.  All the girls signed blocks and I put those on the back. 

When we gave her the quilt, it initiated a group hug.  At first I wasn't sure if she like it, but then I realized she was trying not to cry.

The kids did well

I managed to get this quilt put together this week. The kids in my son's 5th grade class made the blocks with the help of a couple of quilters. I cut out all the blocks and each student pieced one block. I made sure none of the blocks had pieces smaller than 2" finished. It was used in conjunction with a Lewis & Clark lesson. I picked a block from each state that Lewis & Clark went to on their journey. Because there were 20 students, I had to add some additional blocks to represent other things that I thought were appropriate. I hope to have it quilted so it can be entered into the fair this fall. I think the kids will really enjoy seeing their work displayed at the fair. I was pleasantly surprised how straight the sewing was. The students have more difficulties with the pressing than the sewing.

Can't do just One

Why is it when I do most patterns, I make multiple quilts of the same pattern? I think it is because I like the finished project so much. I really liked the baby quilt that looked like a present and how it turned out, so my wheels immediately starting thinking about the possibilities of color options for it.

When one of my good friends had a baby boy (after 2 girls), none of the boy quilts seemed to fit the family. They are complete sports nuts- especially football. When I was digging into my scrap bin, I came across this lonely fabric scrap. Just 3 strips 3 1/2" wide. Immediately the wheels staring turning and the fabric started flying.

Since my scraps were only 3 1/2" wide, I had to recalculate my measurements, and away I went. I am so pleased with how the quilt turned out for baby Tate. Now lets see if I can actually get it quilted before my kids go back to school.

Study of Pink and Black

Nothing can refresh me like a new project. I was inspired by a quilt at http://sisterschoice.typepad.com/sisters_choice_quilts/2011/03/all-wrapped-up.html
I just happened to have loads of black and white prints that I have been trying to use up. What a great combination- quick, easy, fun. Who wants to spend loads of time on a baby quilt that it going to be abused. I am surrounded by a baby boom, so I need to have quilts on hand. Char shared her black and white scraps with me that she no longer wanted. I love how my version turned out.


I have had 6 flannel b&w stripe fat quarters for years. They never seem to work for what I want to do, so I was determined to make them work on the back of this quilt. I drew up a plan and went to work. The black was flannel I had on hand as well as the pink. I used every last inch of this pink fabric on the back.


I just love how the pink plays with the business of the black and white prints. Shortly after I quilted this one I checked out McCall's Fast Favorites from the library (http://www.amazon.com/Favorites-McCalls-Quilting-Patchwork-Place/dp/1604680261/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1304097992&sr=8-1). When I saw this quilt (http://www.mccallsquilting.com/mccallsquilting/articles/americana_home)
, I knew it would work for yet another pink quilt (since I haven't even made a dent in my Black and whites yet).
I set to work on my kitchen counter piecing the quilt while standing in the kitchen. Let's just say this won't be the most straight quilt I have ever made. I have all the blocks made for the second baby quilt.



After 2 baby quilts, I still haven't made a dent in my black and white stash. Stay tuned for quilt number 3 with yellow as the accent this time. It is a quilt from McCall's Quick Quilts March 2010

Apple Core

I have had the Apple Core die for my Accucut for quite some time. I have been itching to try it out, but I have been really lacking time to play with it. I decided to give it a try for a gift exchange that I needed in a hurry. I cut this out last night and pieced it today while the kids were having rest time. It went together very well. I am not pleased with my color selections, but hopefully it will find a happy home.



It still has to be quilted and bound by Thursday. I work better with a deadline. You can even see my new flooring in the background.

Obsession!!!

Yesterday I spent the evening doing a very broad search on quiltshops.com for my stripe fabric. I just can't come up with a plan "b" at this point without a lot of unsewing. It's bad when you start dreaming about fabric. I was dreaming that maybe I saved the selvage.

When I discovered the selvage blog (http://selvageblog.blogspot.com/), I started saving my selvages and dreaming up projects to do with them. In addition, other quilters have been gifting me their selvages. Today I decided to dump them and put the dreams to rest. Did I save the selvage or not?????

First - I found all my hidden containers and baggies (there were a lot of them), then I did the big dump. This is what the pile looks like
I feel bad saving these little strings, but they are so pretty to look at that I just can't part with them. I just love all the things I can create with them. My husband will want to get me some help when he sees the pile. Do you see it in there? The stripe, the dreaded stripe. Let me zoom in for a closer look-



It's there!!! My dream was right. I don't remember trimming that off before I demonstrated the Studio cutter to Bonnie. I hope my fabric nightmares will stop. I now have a name. It is from Alexander Henry 2005 and it is from the line "Super Stripe". It came in several colors. I have found some of the colors on the internet, but not this one. If you find this in your stash or at a store in any amount - I am willing to buy or trade. The pieces in the quilt are 1 1/2" big, so scraps will work.

A Finish!

I have to say, I worked my tail off on this one. Ok, I know, I had the shirts for several years, but when I really decided to do the quilt, I got it done quickly. It took soooo long to trim the shirts and get the logos centered that I hope I never do another one of these. I have to thank my non-blogging friend Char for suggesting that I map the quilt out on graph paper before I started the project. That was a big help, and it helped me to keep things on track. My other non-blogging friend Eleanor hand sewed the binding for me in one day (or I never would have met my deadline). I picked the solid colors from a spool of ribbon my oldest DD insisted I purchase. This was given as a wedding gift to my niece. I thought I would at least get a shocked call, but I was mistaken. I quilted it with a medium stipple. I was nervous that the thread would break or I would have tension problems. Some of the shirts had really thick paint. The quilting fairy was by my side - I had perfect tension and not a single thread break

Tumbler Sample is done

I have been patiently (ok, I am never patient) waiting to make something with the tumbler die from my Accucut machine. Having the pieces die cut really made everything line up nicely. Each tumbler is 6" finished tall. I would like to make up some kits to sell. I have some leftover fabrics from previous projects of quilt group that would make beautiful quilts. If you're interested in a specific size, please let me know.

I finished piecing the backing for the purple quilt in the previous post. I am working hard to get back to zero on the stashbusting.

It's a topper!

Well the top is done. You all know how long it takes me to get things quilted. I hope this one is quicker than most. It turned out much better than I expected. I hope it brings a little sunshine and a lot of memories back to the recipiant. The white fabric with the purple and green flowers was cut from a dress that I found in the pile of fabrics I rescued. The rest of the fabric is going to be donated through Quilt N' Gifts in Bluffton to the Warren Methodist Home. The wood in the background is my girls new dance floor. It was a bowling alley in it's previous life. They enjoy clogging on it and performing shows.

Rescued Scraps

I wanted to make a quilt out of the scraps from my rescue mission. I hope the recipient remembers some of the material. Most of the materials are not to my liking, and almost all of them have some poly in them. Last week I sewed the squares into 2 patch units, and Monday I ironed them while my girls were dancing. I organized them last night, and to my surprise (more like shock) they don't look too bad. I MUST finish this quilt as I can't add another project to my unfinished pile. This picture is for Sharon who thinks I need to add my dog to my blog. His collar actually matches the quilt. Since he is sleeping, I guess he approves.