Monthly Archives: August 2015

Sunday Stash - Twinsies

Sunday Stash

This week I made progress on a couple fronts.  Let’s look at quilts, specifically, though!  I finished two small panel quilts - they are alphabet animal ones that ended up with two of, so I found a bunch of 5″ scrap squares that coordinated and embiggened them a bit and poof! Baby quilts.

I’m so close to breaking 100 yards net used this year! I think I’ll do it this week when I finish the Quilt of Valor. After the QoV, it’s back to the Harry Potter bookshelf quilt to finish it up.

  • Used this Week: 6.5 yards
    • 3.25 yd for 2 baby quilts
  • Used year to Date: 176.5 yards
  • Added this Week: 0 yards
    • Woohoo!
  • Net Used for 2015: 99 yards
  • YTD Used for Charity: 105.75 yards (56% of total used)

See more Stash Reports at Patchwork Times!

Hugs and Kisses Quilt - Finished!

Finished Projects

I’ve got a family member expecting a little girl this year, and I recently bought a new ruler (which, I know - unlike me!), AND I’d had this dessert roll of Kate Spain fabric I’d been wanting to do something with for a while, so it all came together in this quilt I’m calling “Hugs and Kisses”:

Hugs and Kisses Baby QuiltThe ruler is the Quick Curve Ruler, and this pattern is the Metro Twist.  I paired the dessert roll with 3-4 other prints (per Jaye’s advice to liven up the collection) and some Kona Snow for the background.  The ruler itself is pretty easy to use, although all the patterns I’ve seen with it involve a lot of piecing and then trimming to size.  Trimming is not my favorite, but it’s one way to make sure you’re ending up with consistent and accurate pieces.

Hugs and Kisses Baby QuiltFor the quilting, I used my walking foot to stitch within the fabric along the curves, and then one center line.  To fill in the background I FMQed a serpentine stitch to give it some nice texture.

Since the pattern called for  3 1/4″ strips out of the 5″ ones I had from the dessert roll, the leftovers went to the Baby Rails quilt, and I had a couple extra units left over that I turned into a matching zipper pouch.

HtbaS - Episode 240

The big announcement is here! In addition to the podcast, I’ve started an online quilting talk show with my friend Lynn called The Stitch! Watch the episode on YouTube or on our website www.TheStitchTVShow.com.

I also talk about finishing the queen sized quilt for Good Mews, scrap cutting, and what’s up with my family.

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WIP Wednesday - Ouch.

WIP Wednesdays

I’ve been a bit derailed this week due to a broken arm. Not mine, but rather my son’s, who broke it playing baseball Saturday afternoon.  Admittedly, if you ask him how he broke it, he’s been experimenting with some creative writing and you might get an answer that involves a charging rhino and falling off the crapper.

He got the cast put on yesterday (hot pink! his choice!), and we got some non-vodka flavored lollipops to help with the resetting pain. Side note: I was more in need of the vodka than he was, as he is way tougher than me and opted to forgo the novocaine shot when the doctor needed to reset the bone a bit. We both excel at needle avoidance.

(photo taken before bone re-setting, but we both looked like this with some extra green color right afterwards, too)

I’m hoping to get back into the swing of things sew-ing wise, but have a couple other things happening this week (FRIDAY! STAY TUNED FOR ANNOUNCEMENT ON FRIDAY!) that might keep me from the machine for another couples days.

Sunday Stash - Cat-abulous

Sunday Stash

This week, I found out I miscounted the number of pillowcases I finished last week, so I get a bonus yard of usage this week for underestimating before.  I also (drum roll, please!) finished the queen sized quilt for Good Mews’ auction that I’ve named “There’s Always One”. Pictures once I get it wash and dried to remove some marking lines.

In between there, I also managed to clean out the scrap basket and got it all cut up into the right sizes for my scrap storage system (a modified Bonnie Hunter I’ve talked about on the podcast).  Here’s the before and after:

 

  • Used this Week: 14 yards
    • 1 yd for pillowcases
    • 13 yd for “There’s Always One” quilt
  • Used year to Date: 170 yards
  • Added this Week: 0 yards
    • Woohoo!
  • Net Used for 2015: 92.5 yards
  • YTD Used for Charity: 99.25 yards (54% of total used)

See more Stash Reports at Patchwork Times!

HtbaS - Episode 239

This week I tackle some of my first garment since sewing my wedding dress 15 years ago.  I made the Sutton Blouse from True Bias, and talk about the construction process. Here’s my submission for America’s Next Top Garment Sewist Who Photographs Skeptical Bathroom Selfies (it’s an elite group).

Books discussed:

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WIP Wednesday: Paws-ing for Reflection

WIP Wednesdays

This weekend I finished the top for the Good Mews auction donation quilt.  To complement all the cat heads I made some paw prints for the border.  And of course I pieced the back - I had a range of long strips of various browns and creams that pieced together nicely.

I’m choosing to show this instead of what’s currently under the needle, which is a half-finished shirt I hope to get done tonight.  It doesn’t look like much right now, which I hope changes when I actually put it on!

See more WIPs at Lee’s blog!

Sunday Stash - Woohoo!

Sunday Stash,

More good progress this week as I made 5 pillow cases and 6 scrap bags, which really racked up the yardage used.  I also made one more journal cover, and finished the swap project for the East Cobb Quilters’ Guild brown bag challenge; I only had to add half a yard from my own stash to finish the project I made.

The rest of the week I focused on finishing the quilt top and back for Good Mews.  I had originally planned on a bed size quilt, but then thought with the time allowed I might only get a lap size one done. And then I sat down to sew it and it suddenly to bloomed back up to queen size! The center blocks are wonky-set cat heads.  The top is done, and I’m finishing up the back tonight.

  • Used this Week: 8.75 yards
    • 5 yd for pillowcases
    • 0.25 yd for journal
    • 3 yd for scrap bags
    • 0.5 yd for swap project
  • Used year to Date: 170 yards
  • Added this Week: 0 yards
    • Woohoo!
  • Net Used for 2015: 78.5 yards
  • YTD Used for Charity: 86.25 yards (51% of total used)

See more Stash Reports at Patchwork Times!

HtbaS - Episode 238

I talk about getting back into my sewing groove, scrappy projects, and some books I’ve recently finished!

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WIP Wednesday - Off the Rails?

WIP Wednesdays

UntitledUnder the need today is a series of fleece covers for scrap-stuffed pet beds, which are not exciting to look at.  Instead, here’s a couple recent finishes!

Last week I finished the “Baby Rails Quilt”, which is made from scraps and trimmings from another quilt.  It’s about 40 x 50″ finished.

I pieced the back out of fat quarters in the same colors, and I did the scrappy binding.

I also made a zipper pouch out of some leftover blocks from the coordinating quilt; I was playing with the Quick Curve Ruler, and this block is one of the patterns available for it.  I happened to to be bad at counting and had some extras after finishing the quilt top.

Untitled

After I finish my pet bed covers, I’m working on the quilt for the Good Mews auction; it’s due in about a month, and I’ve been piecing 6″ finished blocks for months for it, and I just need to bring them all together into a top. Mostly I’m trying to figure out whether to use white or cream for the background, and whether it should be scrappy or a single fabric.

And I’m also doing some HSTs for a new Quilt of Valor - those are leaders and enders, though, so they’ll be going on for a while.

See more WIPs at Lee’s blog!