Monthly Archives: July 2008

Totally On A Roll

General Quilting

My niece, aka BeyB, turns 10 next week, and because I love me some ruts, I made her a totebag as part of her present. Voila! It’s a little smaller than the others I’ve made since she’ll a little smaller than the other people I’ve made them for- I used 4″ squares instead of 5″ squares.

I was seriously into rainbows at this particular age - my rainbow era followed the year or so where I refused to wear anything but purple. Which, um… yeah, that hasn’t really changed has it? Only I’ve substituted purple fabric and thread in every quilt project instead of my clothing.

Blue

Finished Projects

It’s been precarious times near the sewing machine.

But I have managed to accomplish a few things. One of which is my Dead End Contest, so called because it is not a Pay It Forward contest. Originally it was so anyone with a secret blog or no blog at all could enter and not feel like they had to do a contest in return, but as it turns out I don’t think the contest I won is not going to come through since I think the blogger has a bunch of other stuff going in her life, so I’m not going to bug her.

But! The goodies! I call this “The I’m-Not-Blue-Anymore-But-You-Can-Be-Anyway Tote”. Behold:

A totebag! Here’s the interior:

In addition to the pockets, I bet you’re wondering, “Bikini, what is that large white thing in the totebag that made your camera flash spaz out?”

Voila! A Tupperware spill-proof insulated cup (seen here with the other side of the totebag).

I have one of these spill-proof cups, and can attest that it is in fact spill-proof. At least for when you knock the cup over accidentally- if your 2-year-old likes to shake things with red Kool-aid in them like a maraca, you may not escape unscathed, but you’ll be pretty close.

Also, I know some of you guys are anti-plastic, so if you don’t want the cup, specify in your comments and I won’t send it. To enter said contest to win the Blue Tote, leave a comment by 5pm Eastern on Thursday July 24 with the question to the answer: “Because I said so,” Sort of like Jeopardy, you see. I’ll use the same random number generator to pick the winner, so comment away!

I Am On A Roll!

General Quilting
So it turns out that with the slooooooow activity at work today (typical of day before a holiday), I got a chance to pack up early and head… over to my sewing machine, which is about 6 feet from my work desk. I re-did a section of stippling on one side of the borders where I didn’t catch the backing fabric correctly (and had a 3″ poof of fabric on the back - heinous). That will teach me not to rely on quilter’s basting spray for quilts of this size! And then the kids were enraptured with a movie before dinner so I even got the binding finished and voila! The first quilt I have ever made for myself.

The pattern is called “Clues Along the Uneven Path”, from this book. I’d had the feature fabric (the big blocks and outer border) for quite some time, and was pleased to be able to use it finally; it is a William Morris print. I have several framed postcards of William Morris prints in our living room. I’m partial to the purple rose fabric myself, as every time I see it I think of how my mom and sister were convinced I was going to paint every room in the house purple.

That wasn’t exactly true, although our bedroom was three shades of purple, and the guest room was a periwinkle. Other than that, nothing else was painted purple. Yet.
Anywho, this quilt is either going to go in the living room (along with about 4 blankets already in there), or in our bedroom (where it will go with the green quilt on the bed right now, and the purple ceiling) (I did eventually paint over the purple walls in the bedroom as it was like sleeping inside a giant plum).

My Early Birthday Present To Myself

Finished Projects
My quilt group wrapped up our Mystery Quilt project last month (pictures of mine to be posted shortly, as I had to redo a part of the quilting that looked like monkey butt), so when soliciting for new project ideas, I jumped in and suggested a totebag. One might say I whipped out the airport elbows and hollered “A TOTEBAG LIKE SHANNON’S PLEASE!” and knocked several old ladies out of the way lest they offer up something different, but then, one couldn’t really prove that, could they?
Truthfully, I was sort of coveting a bag Shannon, one of the group members, had brought in that she had made. Not “coveting” in the sense that I was plotting to take out Shannon (she’s sort of fierce in a nice-but-exceptionally-tall sort of way) and take her bag, but rather upon seeing it, I got the sense that I Must Have A Bag Like That (not unlike my shoe reaction). Not because I don’t have enough random bags in the house to carry all of our worldly possessions already, but I was going to write off the material purchase as a part of my birthday present.
So we got the instructions at quilt group on Tuesday evening, and I finished mine yesterday (a hint at my secret identity based on the initial, but if you’ve ever emailed me you’d know my name anyway).
What’s that fabric, you ask?
Why yes, those are pink circular saw blades! What gal doesn’t want some literal “Girl Power”? Some of the phrases say “Mrs. Fix It”, “Working Woman”, and (my personal favorite) “Word to Remodel”.
Here’s the interior - it’s pretty roomy, as the sides are 18″x18″ with a gusset of about 4-5″.
I spaced the pockets sizes so I’ve got room for a book (you know, the one I bought for Brief to give me for my birthday), as well as whatever random flotsam I’m sure the kids will chuck in there.
I showed it Brief, all excited that I was finished, and then realized maybe he didn’t want to see circular saw blades ever again. I’m pleased to report, that aside from a partially missing fingerprint and some loss of feeling in the one finger, he’s fully recovered, and that my new tote bag did not set him back in recovery at all.