Hip to be a Square Podcast - Episode 28

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I am a hand-quilting fool this week, trying to finish up the tribute quilt for my Grama in time to mail it to my mom for Mother's Day (spoiler alert, Mom!). Also, I survived the tornadoes in the South.

Here is a slideshow of the original jacket and patches (and some photos of Grama Eddie for reference).  Once I post pictures of the completed quilt, they will show in this slideshow as well.

Easter Dress (and Some Bragging)

Easter was eventful and fun, and we are still riding the chocolate bunny high (after counting our lucky stars we and our family is unscathed from the tornadoes that hit the South last night). Since I made her dress, I'm going to show it off. I would like to point out I wanted a nice small floral print, but she saw the Easter Egg print and went for it. Fortunately I still have enough of it that I can probably make her another dress next year.

Here is our classic Easter pose in front of the door:

You know it's not a party until the Bucketheads arrive:

And we finish out with a nice Silly Face expression:

Hip to be a Square - Episode 27

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Short and sweet this week! I talk about finding my Quilt Number, and the progress I'm making on a couple projects. ; PS - Zapper says hi!

My "Favorite" Bag (Heavy on Air Quotes)

When my MIL and I were visiting her LQS as part of the Shop Hop a few weeks ago, we both spotted the sample bag from this pattern and immediately went over and drooled all over it (metaphorically speaking, that is - ick, drool!).  We also snatched the last copy of the pattern in stock!  The deal was that she bought the pattern, because as with most of her sewing stuff, when she's done with it or passes on, I'll inherit it. Assuming I didn't already raid her stash and take it.  Note: this is not at all morbid, because she regularly brings it up in conversation, much like my Grama taking us to visit her pre-bought headstone so we could wipe the bird poop off of it.

Anyway, when my MIL bought the pattern, we decided that I would take the pattern because I was more likely to get the project done first, and then somehow we came around to I would make my bag AND her bag. And if the timing was right, it would be for her birthday or Mother's Day.  I remembered last Wednesday that OH CRAP her birthday is the 20th and I'd need to either 1) buy her a present or 2) make her the bag (especially since we'd be celebrating with her the Saturday before). So I got sewing.

She picked out the fabrics from her stash and sent over the pile to me, and I found some grommets that matched perfectly.

(Sorry for the crappy quality of pictures - I took them late Friday night when I finished it!)

Rather than using interfacing to give it body, all the pieces of the this bag are supposed to be backed with fusible fleece.  As you can imagine, it very soft, but also very bulky. And sort of heavy.  And I didn't have enough fusible fleece, so I subbed regular cotton batting and fusible web (I'm like one of the crazy commenters on the recipe sites that say "It's the best recipe EVAR but I changed all the ingredients and made it a dessert instead of a entree!!1!").  Also, I ended up fusing a cat hair into it (after it came off the cat). It worked out okay, but putting the grommets on through all those layers of fabric was tough and ultimately I had to cut out some of the fused batting around the holes for the grommets to eliminate bulk.

All in all, I love the finished product (I'll probably love mine more since I will have picked out the fabrics), but the pattern could have been written better to explain the Grommet Dilemma and some of the construction.

Hip to be a Square - Episode 26

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It's a very Zapper-ful episode! She is very concerned about the state of my sewing. ; I talk about the road trip to A Scarlet Thread, working with grommets, and finishing up projects.

Layer Cake Quilt Along - Finished Top

Layer Cake Quilt Along - Finished Top
Originally uploaded by Pantsfreesia

So... I did this during lunch (and the last couple days). The blocks look much better with the sashing and borders, as before I was thinking (as I have done with every quilt I have ever made) that the individual parts were all quite ugly and possibly the ugliest thing I've ever made. And now... poof! Tiny little sawtooth stars in the sashing makes all the difference.

I'm not quite sure how to quilt it yet, but it will photograph better when I get it done because hanging a quilt top off the clothesline doesn't work so good with the wind warning we've got going on today!

Hourglass Quilt

I think it might have taken me just as long to take a picture of it as it did to make it, but I'm still glad it's done!  Here is the hourglass quilt in all its red and white glory. I think it measures about 80x80" square - that's 144 hourglass blocks in the center.

I set some fussy cut bits from the border and framed them out as cornerstones for the border.

The back is red flannel with some leftover bits from the border.

Easter Wallhanging Finished!

Ta da!

Some close-ups of the center and surrounding chicks (I made use of my machines decorative stitches for the green border - I just wasn't feeling the free motion quilting I started out with)

And here's a preview of two of my next quilts (in addition to finishing up the Layer Cake Quilt Along quilt):

 

Hip to be a Square - Episode 25

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Episode 25! That means our car insurance has finally gone down! ; I talk about refashioning, sewing for kids, and a whole mess of stuff I'm almost done with, including the Easter wallhanging, a lemon wallhanging, and the Layer Cake Quilt Along

Half Square Triangles

• Standard Method (makes 2 at a time)
• "Big Block" Method (makes 8 at a time - look at the second one down)
• Free paper foundations for making HSTs

Refashioning/Re-purposing Projects
Dip Jar to Pin Cushion (forgot to mention it on the podcast)

Shirt to Dress

Muumuu to Dress + Skirt

Layer Cake Quilt Along - Block 12

LCQA - Block 12
Originally uploaded by Pantsfreesia

The last block! Now I have to work on finishing the top and quilt it so I can enter it into the Tiny Stitches Customer Quilt Show for May!

Saturday Sampler, Block(s) 4

Woot! I crammed in a visit to Tiny Stitches this morning before the Atlanta Modern Quilt Guild meeting, so I got to pick up the Saturday Sampler blocks for this month.

This month's house is church. The shop owner was pretty funny, because she said, "Some of you asked for a church in the village. Don't email me if you have a problem with it - just leave the cross off. I don't want emails about this!"  Again, I choose to focus on the cat keeping the church mice in line.

And here's the extra for this month - snowball trees!

 

If a cat hollers in the forest, does anyone hear it?

Yes, because my cats like to holler to represent all cats, so I guaran-dang-tee that I have heard every holler from every cat EVER. Especially when I'm on a conference call for work.

Hip to be a Square - Episode 24

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My focus this week has been on refashioning and repurposing, as well as a few other smaller projects. ; I lament on the lack of internet connectivity, and then (SPOILER ALERT) in a surprise turn, the internet comes back on! You can't make this kind of quality podcasting up.

Business Cat is my hero:

Via I Can Has Cheezburger.

Here my daughter Bloomer is modeling 1) under-eye bags from being up at 2am for no particular reason and 2) flowers we made for her teachers. Crappy lighting courtesy of me and the lack of sunlight before school.

Here are the small treasures from my Grama's sewing box:

Happenings around the interwebs:

• Just One Star - star quilt blocks for Quilts of Valor, sponsored by Moda and Semper Fi Fund. Blocks due May 1.
• Quilts for Quake Survivors - log cabin blocks or strips for others to make blocks.
• Quilt along with Chris on AboveAllFabric.com for the Verna picnic quilt and bag.
• Patchwork Squared is doing a Modern Solids Quilt Along. 7 weeks to complete 9 modern blocks using only solid fabrics. It started March 28.
• Indie Craft Experience in Atlanta is having their regular show June 11 & 12 at Ambient Plus Studio (deadline to submit vending app is Apr 4, and there is a fee), as well as a Wedding Day Hooray show May 21 & 22.