Quilt Impressions

What I've been up to....

2006-08-10T13:17:00.000-07:00

I've been having fun sewing lately. I made a skirt last week: M4970. It turned out well. The seam over the zipper isn't as perfect as I would like it to be, but for only my second zipper, I'm not complaining. Each tier has an unfinished seam, and since I haven't washed it yet I didn't bother with the pictures.

On the pic front, I have good news. I'm going to be collecting at least one quilt this weekend, so I should post more pics next week. Maybe I'll try taking pictures of a bunch of mom's quilts while I'm there. I don't know that I'll have anything specific to say about them, but pictures are fun all by themselves, right?

I started a new block of the month from the LJ Community: Block of the Month. I'm really psyched about it because 1. I get to use my stash and 2. since everyone else is using their stash too, we are getting to see lots of great variations for each block.

I've been giving my niece sewing lessons. She's seven so even though she's shown an interest in sewing, I wasn't sure how the lessons would go. Then yesterday she called me to hunt me down and see if I was on my way so that she could finish her project! Obviously I'm holding her back! I'm thinking she's having fun. ;)

Her first project was a simple apron using bias tape for the ties. The sewing machine was a bit too much for her, so after the lesson I decided to do a handstitching project for lesson two. I found this doll pattern on the blog Plush You. I've gotten totally addicted to making these dolls, as the pics will clearly illustrate...

first attempt:

made to order for my three year-old niece who picked out the materials:

my most recent:

When I showed this latest doll to one of the professors I work with, she immediately picked out this book to go with it. I think I'm going to have to hunt down my own copy now, so I can give both the doll and the book to my nephew.

That's about it for me. I have several projects in the works, but they are in the early stages.

Change of Direction

2006-07-18T15:06:00.000-07:00

Lately I've been quilting up a storm. The best part has been the chance to teach two other people how to quilt. The not so best part has been forgetting to take pictures of the quilts in question before I give them to my mom for quilting. So I'm hoping to post several quilt pictures in a few weeks before school begins again.

For those of you who don't know me, which may be everyone who reads this blog, I am currently working on a masters in information science (librarianship). This summer is my halfway point, only eighteen more credits to go after next Tuesday. When the school year begins again in September I'll be back to taking a full course load and working full time, so this blog will be silent except for a few holiday breaks until next May. The good news is that after May, I'll be free to have a life again. In the mean time though I have an almost five week period between classes, and I'm hoping to get lots of quilting done! =D

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

And now I have a sad story to tell...

Once upon a time their was quilter, me, who had a vision of a quilt in her mind. The fabrics in this quilt would be blues and greens that went from light to dark. The fabrics would be used in Northwind Quilt blocks, each block subtly different, so that the colors would seem to bleed into each other. Unfortunately for this quilter, me, after she put sixteen blocks together, she realized that she had made a busy mess of blue and green.

The vision in her mind was strong though, so rather than giving up, she decided to try again. She unpicked all of the blocks and found a beautiful pale blue fabric that all of the fabrics would go well with (A Fairy Frost fabric designed by Michael Miller). She made new blocks matching each of her carefully chosen fabrics with the blue fabric. Still she wasn't satisfied, and the quilter, that's me, knew there was something wrong with this new design. She would get the unfinished quilt out, but then eventually put it away untouched.

Years past, and the quilter, me again, stayed busy with other projects. Then one day, the unimaginable happened: a magazine printed her design*! But worst of all? THEY MADE IT BETTER!!

Image from Summer 2006 issue of Quilts and More

They had the wisdom to repeat the fabrics between blocks so that they formed pleasant rows of color, and then added super cute borders.

The quilter was very sad about this first. At first she tried and pass it off a joke. Then a friend pointed out that maybe this was an opportunity for change. The quilter dismissed the friend's comment at first but the idea wouldn't go away. Eventually, the quilter began asking herself what else she might do with those unfinished blocks. The quilter fortunately had lots of fabric to work with since she'd been saving fabric for the borders. Now the quilter found herself imagining a design that will show her progress as a quilter. Rather than an all over design that might have been cold and boring, the quilter began thinking of ways to assemble the blocks: bringing four blocks together to make a diamond in a square, having a short row of three blocks going the same direction, adding a large rectangle with an appliqued design.

The quilter realized that this was an opportunity for a change. She began looking toward the horizon with new hope knowing the future would bring new fabrics, new designs, and someday a new quilt that would be so original and interesting, no one else but the quilter could think it up!

*The magazine did not REALLY steal my design. Great minds think alike.

On your mark, Get set...

2006-07-06T17:02:00.000-07:00

My goal tonight is to finish a quilt top!

I have supplies....

And sustenance...

YUM!

Wish me luck!

GO!

Independence Day

2006-07-03T21:10:00.000-07:00

My Pretty Pets

2006-06-28T12:33:00.000-07:00

You may have your kitties, puppies, hamsters, or pets of other species, but for me, only one pet will do....

Well...two...

I pet and stroke them, and say, "so soft!" I coo at them, "Ooh, aren't you so pretty? Now what am I going to do with you?" And I smile and hold them. I just love my pets!

The first one, affectionately known as Fabric A, is going to feature in a large medallion-style quilt. I'm trying to decide on a theme for the Fabric A quilt. Tell me please, what does Fabric A make you think of?

I only have a fat quarter of the pink fabric, aka Fabric B, which may not look like much in this picture, but it is just so luminous and beautiful in real life, that I had to have a bit of it. No idea what I'll use this for. It just makes my stash look pretty. :)

Here's an extra picture for scale...

(That's a highlighter btw.)

Baby Cowgirl Quilt

2006-06-27T19:43:00.000-07:00

I finished another quilt top! YAY!

The pattern for this quilt comes from the most excellent book, More Quilts for Baby: Easy as ABC by Ursula Reikes. If I had the money, I'd buy the whole series of these books, because they are each full of really fun and easy quilt patterns.

z

This pattern is basically and uneven 9-patch. Every block is strip-pieced. If I need to make any more baby quilts in the near future, I'll definitely stick to this pattern, it is just too fun. (I say that, but I'm actually planning another baby quilt in a different pattern, but that's a post for another day.)

I'll think I'll probably tie this quilt. I already have the flannel for the back.

Snow White and Rose Red

2006-06-23T10:36:00.000-07:00

This quilt was created through a round robin quilting group. In a round robin quilting group each member begins a quilt, then passes it onto each of the other group members in turn. Each group member adds a border onto the quilt. There were six of us in my group, so my quilt has five borders, and our group created six quilts.

Like most of the quilts that I have created, the idea for this quilt began with the fabric. In this case the dark green fabric with red flowers reminded me of the fairy tale, Snow White and Rose Red. I began the first block, the two sisters dancing with the bear, and then the members of my round robin group did the rest. The first border, the house and the forest, matches up so well to the center block that most people don't realize it is a border.

The second border is a path through the woods. The third border shows the wicked dwarf and his bag of jewels. Notice the bag is leaking, and a few jewels have fallen to the ground.

The fourth border is a variation on a quilt block pattern called Bear's Paw. The last border was split in two: fairies above and red and white roses below for the two sisters.

This quilt is not complete. I intend to add one more border, a repeat of the Bear's Paw block in the dark green floral that inspired me in the first place.

Second Try at the Picture

2006-06-11T19:13:00.000-07:00

I took some pictures of the quilt in daylight, and since the one's from last night are so wretched, I'm posting this quilt again. Hopefully the colors are easier to see.

Click on the picture for a larger image.

Hawaiian Scrappy Quilt- Center Complete

2006-06-10T20:45:00.000-07:00

I finished sewing the blocks together this afternoon! I'm really enjoying how this quilt is turning out. The picture, taken in a poorly lit room, doesn't really do the colors justice. The quilt is bright, but not as crazy busy as I expected it to be. I think there are enough dark prints that the diversity of colors and prints don't become too overwhelming. With the two layers of fabric, it is already heavy and much larger than I originally planned. I'm really very pleased with the outcome.

Here's a funny close up of a block:

I went to the quilt shop this afternoon and found a great jumbo scale orange floral that I'm going to use for an inner border. (I know that jumbo scale orange floral probably sounds like a crazy choice, but it looks amazing! Then assuming that I don't hate it when it arrives, I'm using the ocean print that I linked to in my last post as a larger border. I really hope that ocean print looks good, but if not I'm not going to worry about it. I could finish this quilt now without a border and it would still work. :)

My goal is to have this top finished by next Saturday when I'll see mom and can hand it over for machine quilting. After today's bit of sewing, I'm sure that I'll be able to make that goal!

Progress!

2006-06-08T05:44:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure if you can tell, but that stack of blocks is almost two inches high! I was pretty excited to see such tangible evidence of my progress.

I've even done a little more work since then, and begun sewing the blocks together.

The borders are going to be tricky. I wish that I had some more of the sky blue fabric to use as a border. Mom suggested that I use a darker print to sort of close up the center design, and then I can put a lighter print after it.

Here's the darker print:

I am considering this fabric for a larger border, but I plan to go to a quilt shop tonight and I may find something entirely different then.

YAY! Fabric shopping!

UFO: Hawaiian Print Scrappy Quilt

2006-05-30T16:33:00.000-07:00

A friend asked me to post pictures of this project:

I only have these nine blocks completed, but I have plenty of fabric to make more. These fabrics were discontinued samples that a salesman gave to me. If there are any other salesmen/women trying to get rid of their discontinued samples, I'd be happy to volunteer for that arduous task! ;)

Each block will be nine inches finished. I picked that size for really technical reasons...I have a nine 1/2 inch square ruler.

I actually use muslin to back these blocks. The idea of having two layers of fabric over the entire block except for the center irritated me, so I added this strip of sky.

I really like the diamonds. By the way, this is probably the easiest quilt ever!

The Swamp Quilt

2006-05-29T07:28:00.000-07:00

YAY!!! HORRAY! I finished a quilt top! I even put together the backing! Now this quilt is ready to be delivered to mom for quilting. One New Year's Resolution down, two to go! Yay!

I consider this my very first quilt. When I began this project about five or six years ago, Mom had opened her shop the month before with a promotional block-a-month program. I can't exactly remember how it went? Maybe people paid $5 for the first block, and if they brought that block in completed, then the next block was free. The idea was to get people coming into the store at least once a month. Then we'd have demonstrations that morning as we handed out the new blocks. The second block of this program was this combination Snowball and Nine-Patch square. I made the block, and was thrilled with my success. Then the magical swamp fabric came in, and I instantly fell in love with it. Since the Snowball & Nine-Patch block was the only one I knew how to make at the time, the combination of this fabric and that quilt block seemed perfect! Actually I think they were, because the effect of the darker nine-patch is to create little windows, port holes, into the lighter fabric.

More than any of my other quilts, this quilt shows my progression as a quilter. Every square has at least one mistake. I'm glad for these mistakes though because I had to make them before I could move on. I learned on this quilt about making points and seams match up. When I first began working on these blocks, the idea of getting the corners just right had never occurred to me. Many of the blocks are very irregular. I also learned that it was better to take my time and get a neat looking block rather than to hurry-up-and-finish because my hurry-up-and-finish meant a sloppy quilt. When I began making the snowballs, I didn't take the time to draw lines on the back of each corner square. I foolishly believed that I could just eyeball a diagonal line. Despite all of the mistakes, I like the overall effect of the quilt.

The Swamp Quilt is actually called a the Midsummer Night's Dream Quilt (which is just too much to say thus the nickname). A friend who used the same fabric in a quilt called her quilt Brigadoon. The green print has that feel to it, as though at any moment something magical will happen in that place. I still love the swamp fabric, and in fact all of the fabrics I used for this quilt. The swamp fabric is a Hoffman print, and the red at the center of ever Nine-Patch is actually a Cocheco print.

For the backing I ended up needing to add an extra fabric, so I took the Navy batik that borders the top and will be the binding, and put a stripe of that down the middle of the pale green backing.

I tried to get the color on the pale green to come out right, but my camera/computer wants to read the pale green as off white or gray.

Now it is back to trying to make clothes. I'm glad that I finished that quilt. It gave me a real boost of confidence! See, I do finish projects every once in a while!

What have I got myself into?

2006-05-27T10:05:00.000-07:00

I guess it began with the Dress a Day blog. I began imagining how nice it would be to have clothes that fit perfectly and were in the styles and colors I liked. I reasoned that since I know how to quilt and I have made clothes before, a dress and a vest, I could make clothes again if I just carefully read the directions.

But now I find myself at the beginning of several sewing projects and I'm thinking...was I insane? Patterns were 99cents today so I bought three. We won't even talk about the dress yet that I bought the scary slippery fabric for (though I will say that I bought the cheapest fabric in the store, so that if it goes horribly, I can throw it away without remorse.) For the blouse pattern, I bought some muslim so that I could make a practice blouse first before I cut into some of my quilting stash. I hope that works out.

I bought some silk brocade for pillows and purses. I'm finding though that when I sew it there are big stich marks at the seams? This is freaking me out. Maybe I'm not used to sewing with this particular fabric, so I'm being too sensitive? I'm using a Sharps 80/12 sewing needle and polyester wrapped cotton thread. Does that sound right?

I'm very nervous about this sewing all of a sudden, but I think I'll try to get the muslim blouse done this weekend since that looks to be the easiest thing. Then maybe I'll feel confident enough to attack the scary slippery fabric.

I'll post pictures if it comes out...if you never hear about this again...well then you'll know these projects tanked!

Sewing Room à la Hillary Duff

2006-05-18T11:48:00.000-07:00

I couldn't resist watching My Celebrity Home last night when I found out that they were creating a sewing room based on Hillary Duff's sewing room. It's not so much that I'm a Duff fan, actually, I'm not a fan at all, but I am insatiably curious about other people's sewing rooms. (If you missed it, don't worry, it will be playing again all weekend: schedule.)

Duff's room was kind of disappointing, but after about ten minutes into the show it became clear that she was still starting out. Two walls were lined with floor to ceiling cabinets. The tops of the cabinets were open like bookcases while the bottoms had doors that hid the contents. Various knickknacks such as decorative boxes, colorful pillows, an old sewing machine and vases all filled the shelves. There was a small idea wall, a cork board in a beautiful frame, where Duff put up pictures and drawings that inspired her. A large and intricately carved desk dominated the room, and a very nice embroidery sewing machine sat on the desk. I caught a brief glimpse of rolls of fabric in one corner, but otherwise no fabric was in view. Duff had a small side table, the purpose of which is still unclear to me, and a pretty beaded lamp sat on the table. Finally she had a clothes rack that had some really pretty curls on it. All in all, I would say that Duff's sewing room bore a greater resemblance to an office than a sewing/craft room.

Apparently for this show, the designers try to replicate the celebrity room as much as possible, though of course on a smaller budget. This meant, especially on the show that I watched, that they passed up many interesting things that would have improved the room because they were trying to make the room exactly like Duff's. I think that is a real shame though because they could have made better choices in many cases. I think it would have been much more interesting to take Duff's sewing room as a starting point for ideas and then made changes and improvements to reflect the contestant's personality and needs.

So I decided to do just that. Here are my suggestions on how Duff's sewing room could be improved.

Reflections on Hillary Duff's Sewing Room

1. Knickknacks--No room! Except for those few things that have personal signifigance or meaning, I think putting knickknacks in a sewing room is a waste of space and resources. Some things, like decorative boxes, that serve a purpose as well as enhance the room are worth including, but otherwise that space can be better used.

2. Fabric--The number one reason why sewing rooms don't need knickknacks to make them pretty is that Fabric is Beautiful! Having fabric around me, inspires me and pushes me on. Of course, if said fabric is cluttered or messy, then that isn't too inspiring. For me the fabric does need to be neatly arranged...Something that I've NEVER managed, but I live in hope! Clear boxes are a great way to see what you have and brighten the room.

3.Books--What is a sewing room with out sewing books and magazines and patterns? A few pictures are cute and they can be inspirational, but books, books are portals to creative ideas! Those bookcases need to be heavy laden with inspiration manuals! And if we must have kickknacks for the sewing room, book ends could be useful since those skinny books never stand up by themselves. I also buy tons of those plastic magazine boxes.

4. Cutting board/table--The desk was beautiful, but it would totally be scratched up if it were part of my sewing room. A good sized cuttting mat is a necessity. Quilters use these all the time of course for rotary cutting, but even when I cut out a dress pattern, I like to have a cutting mat underneath. By putting a large piece of glass over the top of the desk, the pretty desk would be safe and still pretty.

5. Functional Furniture--What's the point of a useless sideboard? Why not get something more practical like an ironing board? The clothes rack was cute and a good idea, maybe the same person/company that made the clothes rack could make an attractive ironing board too? Personally though, I'd want a cabinet that had and ironing board top...more storage for fabric!

6. Something Missing--The one thing that really surprised me about Duff's room is that she didn't have a dress form. I'm wondering if the producers went through the room ahead of time and took out anything that they didn't want to buy the contestant. A dress form for a clothing designer seems like such a must have!

6.5 Something else?--I don't sew many clothes, so I'm not sure, but I thought Duff's room needed a design wall where she could lay out fabrics and play with them before she sewed them together.

I haven't really been sewing very long either, five or six years seriously. Living with a Quilt-a-holic for most of my life has influenced my thinking, which is why I'm so opinonated. Seeing these rooms has inspired me though, and since I'm between semesters and not taking as many classes during the summer, I think I will set up a little sewing station again in my itty-bitty apartment. It won't be anything like as nice as Duff's, but I promise, they're be fabric and books galore! ;)

Finished Top, YAY!

2006-03-19T19:57:00.000-08:00

Hurray, I finally finished the top of my Spring Break quilt. I had some trouble with the borders, but that was because I kept cutting the triangles to the wrong size--once a size too big, and once a size too small!

Now it's done. I just need to get it to mom and have her quilt it for me. Overall, I'm happy with it. The purple worked better in the borders than I expected. I was worried at one point that this was going to look like something out of Rainbow Brite land, but it's not too bad. I like bright colors after all.

Spring Break Quilt- 2

2006-03-13T07:04:00.000-08:00

I was planning to post here this weekend with status updates while I worked on my Spring Break Quilt. Once I got going though I didn't want to stop. The good news for this blog is that I didn't finish over the weekend, so I will update now.

When I work on a quilt I learn so much in the process. Unfortunately, I forget the lessons when the time comes to make another quilt. So I'm going to record these lessons! What a brilliant idea! Hopefully, I will remember to come back and reread them! ;)

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Lesson 1: Planning

I tried to plan this quilt as completely as possible. I carefully made a my own version of the pattern, so that I wouldn't get confused by the colors in the original pattern. Then I treated my pattern like a grid: a, b, c, etc. along the top and 1, 2, 3 along the sides. I labeled a file folder for each square in the grid: A1, A2, A3, etc. All of those things were wonderful helps. I have especially enjoyed using the file folders. They not only helped me keep track of where each square should go, but they also provide organized storage for the squares when I'm not using them.

What I should have done is make a minature fabric mock-up by glueing bits of the fabrics to a printed pattern. I've even made a fabric mock-up before in a class, but I didn't think of it this time. If I could have seen the fabrics laid out ahead of time, I would have had a much better idea of the coloring and placement. By the time I put these blocks on the design wall, it was already too late. The blocks just aren't that interchangeable, so I should have played with the fabrics in the layout ahead of time.

Of course, making the quilt like I have, it's added a bit more randomness to the overall design. I might have made all the fabrics too matchy-matchy. So maybe I'm better off this way?

Lesson 2: Fabrics

If I'm already making a scrap quilt from my own stash, or, in other words, if I have more than enough fabric for the quilt and won't have to buy any extra fabric, then there is no reason to repeat fabrics. Either way, I'm going to be dealing with scraps since the pattern doesn't call for that much of each fabric. Plus, having the same fabric repeated in squares too close together really drives me nuts, especially when the fabric in question just happens to pop.

Lesson 3: Half-Square Triangles

Cutting the half-square triangles down to size worked like a gem! The main difficulty here is that I should have made some of the squares a little larger, so here, while I still remember them, are the measurements:

For half-square triangles: Normally add 7/8 inch seam allowance to the finished size. When making it big and cutting down, add an inch or even 1 1/8 inch.

For quarter-square triangles: Normally add 1 1/8 inch seam allowance to the finished size. When making it big and cutting down, add 1 1/4 inch or even 1 3/8 inch seam allowance.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

So that's it for now. I still have about four squares that I need to re-do because I wasn't happy with the original squares. I made four extra squares last night too. There were some squares that were too light, too dark, or too busy. I've add in more fabrics and laid the new squares out. I think these additions will be a huge improvement!

I'm going to have SO MANY extra squares! I have two blocks for each half-square triangle and each of the blocks that required a quarter-square triangle made up three squares. Of course the quilt only uses one square, so that means for each square I made I have AT LEAST one extra square. And then there are the squares that I made and didn't like. In that case, I didn't use either one, AND I made two new squares only using one. All in all, I think for every one square that I have put into the quilt, I may have TWO extras squares that I'm not using! I suddenly see a room full of half-square triangles: pillows covers, a throw, coasters, and more!

Spring Break Quilt 1

2006-03-11T08:47:00.000-08:00

Measure Twice, Cut Once! Is my motto for this project which I have officially begun!!!

Last night I laid out the fabrics.

This hasn't even made a dent in my stash. Maybe I have too much fabric?

Then I spent this morning making a computerized version of the quilt. I'm switching colors around, so I really needed my own version.

So now, I'm on to cutting. I worked out the measurements for the cutting a week or so ago, so hopefully that won't slow me down too much. I have a feeling though that I'm going to have to think out these blocks one at a time.

We'll see. I'm planning to record my progress here throughout the day/week.

Spring Break Project

2006-02-27T08:24:00.000-08:00

I have a new Spring Break Project!!! It's from McCall's Quilting Magazine Feb. 2006 issue. The quilt is called Art Affair:

In the original pattern each block is about 12" wide, which is way too big for my purposes. I just want a wall quilt to put over my couch, so I don't want anything as big as that. That means I have a lot of math to figure out, but basically, if I make the quilt with 6" blocks than my quilt should be about the right size. The original quilt is 68"x68" so half of that is 34"x34" or about a yard square.

I like this pattern because I can make it from my stash, and it's simple. Or at least it looks simple. With all of those triangle points and lines to match up, I'm wondering. There was a lady that used to visit mom's shop who is something of a perfectionist. She always makes her half-square triangles too big and then cut them down. That way she knows that each half-square triangle comes out just right. So if a pattern calls for 3 1/2 inch hs-triangles, usually you'd cut 3 7/8 inch squares. What she does instead is round up to 4 inches for the squares or strips that she is working from. Once she has sewn the triangles together, she trims the squares down, checking on her ruler that the center seam is exactly in the middle, to a perfect 3 1/2 inch square. That is a lot of extra work if you're making hundreds of hs-triangles, but for this quilt, I think that may be my best bet. I don't want to tear my hair out because my hs-triangles aren't as perfectly straight as they ought to be.

I bet it would be easier to make two identical quilts than to just make the one. I hate sewing triangles together at the bias. I could make the half-square triangles from a whole square rather than from triangles. Then I'd have two of each, which, going from the pattern, I don't need. I wonder...maybe I could make it reversible? I could do one side just like the pattern (which I love!), and then use the extra half-square triangles to make a new design on the back? I wonder what design I could make with them?

I'm still in the early stages of planning this....I need to really think this out. Spring Break isn't until the week of March 13th, so I have two weeks to plan and do the math.

My stash has been at my sister's house, and I'm so glad to finally have it with me! I didn't think I would miss it as much as I have, since I brought several projects with me. But I love those little independent pieces of fabric that float around in my stash until I find a home for them in some little quilt somewhere.

Alex Anderson

2006-01-06T13:58:00.000-08:00

It appears that the HGTV show, Simply Quilts, hosted by Alex Anderson is going to be canceled. An Online Petition has been formed for those who wish to protest the cancellation. However, according to this post, a physical letter to HGTV will have more effect.

I love Alex Anderson's books. I've only recently subscribed to cable, so I haven't watched her show that often. I really enjoy her books though because they are so clear and straightforward.

If HGTV does in fact cancel Simply Quilts, we will all lose out.

My New Year's Resolutions:

2006-01-04T07:14:00.000-08:00

Resolution #1: Finish...

My Midsummer Night's Dream Quilt or as I lovingly refer to it, "the Swamp Quilt." This nine-patch and snowball quilt was essentially my first quilt. In my naivete, and despite my mom's best advice, I decided to make this into a Queen size quilt. I thought, a Queen size quilt is no harder than a small quilt, just more blocks! Yeah right! That's why this quilt still isn't finished!

I love the green theme print. Five years later, it is still one of my all time favorite fabrics! The 9-Patch & Snowball was the first block that I ever learned how to make. Since I decided to start this quilt a week or so after making that first block, this pattern became the obvious choice for the quilt. :P I'm glad that it worked out that way though because I like the feeling that the quilt has of looking out little windows or through a fence into a magical swamp just beyond. My funny bone insisted on a frog prince. I had no desire to add Nick Bottom or any variation thereof to my quilt, and I like to think that Puck might just as easily have turned a prince into a frog as a weaver into an ass.

To complete this quilt, I need to add another column of 12-inch blocks. Each block is made up of two 9-Patches and 2 Snowballs (top row= AB, bottom row= BA), so the 9-Patch squares and the Snowball squares are each 6 inches. The blocks that I want to add on are about half complete (I think), so I'm hoping that this will only be about 2-3 days worth of work. I also need to add an outer border which will be another few days. Fortunately for my strained budget, I already have the backing fabric (a gorgeous tone-on-tone in a pale apple-mint green).

Resolution #2: Finish...

I'm not a very good photographer, so I always feel a need to explain the poor quality of my pictures. In this case, these are just a few of the blocks that make up the quilt. I grabbed these randomly to put in a picture for this post (i.e. the blocks don't really look that good together here.)

I usually refer to this as my Northwind quilt, after the name of the block, but since I have several Northwind WIP, I guess it needs a proper name? Maybe, Frosty Northwind? The main fabric that I'm using is Michael Miller's Fairy Frost in wedge wood blue.

This is another huge quilt, but it didn't start out that way. I wanted a gradient effect to this quilt, so I picked out a 32 fat quarters in various shades of blue and green and sewed them together into 16 12-inch blocks. But the first time that I laid the blocks out together, I could see that I hadn't managed the effect that I intended because A. I didn't have enough fabrics to really create a gradient look and B. all the different fabrics were too busy together. So I picked out this Fairy Frost to be my background fabric and started over. Since I already had 32 fabrics, it just seemed like a natural to add in four more fabrics and make a 36 block quilt, but since the blocks are each 12 inches, the quilt is now very large. Still, I like it much better this way, so I won't complain.

The Northwind block is probably my favorite quilt block design. The block itself isn't too difficult to put together, but sewing the blocks to each other gets really FRUSTRATING really FAST from trying to match the points on each block. On this quilt, I still have 3-4 blocks to finish and then I need to start sewing the blocks together. I haven't sewn any blocks together yet because since every block has a different fabric in it, I feel like I need to lay the quilt out and see how they all work together before sewing them. This mean that I still have a lot of work to do on this quilt!

Resolution 3: ? Well, I really thought about putting another project here, but I feel like I'm putting too much on myself, so resolution #3 will be to actually do resolutions 1 and 2!

Have a Great Day!

Lisa

My Ten Year Project

2006-01-03T13:03:00.000-08:00

This is a pattern that I bought at the Houston Quilt Festival a year or two ago. This square is one of five that came in the set, and each square is 12 inches across. I used my camera phone to take this picture so I'm not entirely sure that the color came out right. The applique fabric is a deep purple batik and the background fabric is a tan batik. I'm using a light blue batik with pink highlights in the insets. I have the patterns at home, so I can probably add the contact information if anyone is interested.

Because I'm using a batik fabric to do the applique fraying isn't a problem and I can cut as I go along. I don't have to deal with a bunch of little pieces which makes this a great ten year project. (so called because it has taken me two years to get this far, so I figure it will take me about eight more to finish...and some one asked me the other day if I was going to make a quilt of these blocks! Sure, in about forty-eight years! By the way, I'm just slow. The pattern isn't really that difficult.)

I like have a few projects that have no time limits on them. I know that there is no way to hurry myself along with this one (though, any nagging would probably only help me speed up), so instead I'm just enjoying taking my time. I feel like patience with myself and with the process of creating something is one of the gifts that quilting can teach a person. There are already so many things in my life that have to be hurried along and finished yesterday, but this is one project that will only progress slowly. I've started carrying the block in a small bag in my purse along with scissors, thread, and needles. I can take it out whenever I have a few spare minutes. If I finish in less than ten years, I'll only be happy!

So does anyone else have any ten year projects in the works like me?

ETA--> The pattern is sold by Garden City Gateworks. You can contact them via their website http://www.gardencitygateworks.com/ or phone 816-228-9817. The name of this series of patterns above is called Chantilly, and it looks like they have more than the five in the series that I originally bought. YAY!

Quilting Meme by Susan

2005-12-28T22:26:00.000-08:00

1. How long have you been quilting?

About 25 years. I made my first quilt when I was expecting my daughter Kaylynne.

2. What methods of quilting do you prefer to use?

I like piecing and I have a quilting machine so that is my favorite way to quilt. I really like my quilting machine because it enables me to finish my quilts.

3 What kind of quilts do you like to make?

I like to make bedsized and throw quilts. Wall hangings are nice sometimes but the others get used more.

4. What projects are you working on now?

I have a log cabin in progress and a scrappy nine patch.

5. What kind of sewing machine do you use?

Pfaff. I love the built in walking foot.

6. Have you been to any good quilting websites lately?

No. I've been having problems with my computer and haven't been able to look up any. I have looked at Benartex to check out their fossil ferns.

7. What kind of fabrics do you like?

Batiks, tone-on-tones-especially in jewel tones, conversation prints. I like bright colors, distictive images, etc.

8. Who taught you to quilt, or did you teach yourself?

A friend taught a class to make a pieced pillow. That got me started. Then I made a sampler quilt. That is a great way to start. I made a lot of mistakes but I learned a lot by trial and error.

9. Do you quilt mostly for yourself or for gifts?

Both. I like to give my quilts as gifts, but having pretty things around me is a motivating factor.

10. Do you buy fabric as you see it, or for projects?

I use to buy pretty fabrics as I saw them and then make things from my stash. Now I have such a big stash that I don't need to buy any more.

Quilting Meme

2005-11-16T15:31:00.000-08:00

Gakked from here.

1. How long have you been quilting?

About five or six years? I'm actually not sure. I started a few projects over the years including a Christmas House Quilt, but I never really took it seriously until my mom opened her shop.

2. What methods of quilting do you prefer to use? (i.e. hand, machine, tacking, etc.)

I love the look of applique, but I often get frustrated about how much time it takes me. However, I would say that's my favorite. Piecing by machine is fun though too.

3. What kinds of things do you like to quilt? (i.e. bedding, wall quilts, etc.)

I like gigantic quilts, sad but true, which in part is why I have so many unfinished projects.

4. What projects are you working on now?

A hand applique Hawiian block, a handbag, and Christmas presents that will not be described here.

5. What kind of sewing machine do you use?

Pfaff. My mom has always had a Pfaff, so I grew up sewing Barbie clothes and whatever else on her Pfaff. I love mine. I would totally buy a Pfaff again.

6. Have you been to any good quilting websites lately?

I visited the Michael Miller website earlier today. I love their designs! They are so interesting. I think though, my favorite of their fabrics is still that Fairy Frost in Wedgewood Blue that I'm making a quilt from. I LOVE that fabric!

7. What kind of fabrics do you like?

Batiks, tone-on-tones-especially in jewel tones, conversation prints. I like bright colors, distictive images, etc.

8. Who taught you to quilt, or did you teach yourself?

I spent two consecutive summers hanging out at my mom's quilt shop. The quilting community at large taught me how to quilt, and mom gives me advice too when I ask for it.

9. Do you quilt mostly for yourself or for gifts?

Myself. I would give the baby quilts as gifts, but mom usually beats me to it. :P

10. Do you buy fabric as you see it, or for projects?

Both. I'll buy fat quarters as I see them, but for larger yardages, I'll usually only buy them for a special project. The exception to that is conversation prints, which I always feel compelled to buy in case they run out of it.

School is winding down, only about two and a half weeks to go, so I'm already thinking about projects that I can work on between semesters....I wonder if I could get away with bringing my sewing machine to work? ;)

Pumkin Quilt

2005-10-31T09:17:00.000-08:00

I made this quilt a few years ago. I think I had planned to make a quilt for every season?? (I must have been feeling very optimistic!) The basic design, scarecrow w/ moon and sign, came from a Microsoft clipart. Mom quilted it for me. I like the effect of the orange thread on the navy blue background. It gives the quilt an eerie quality.

I used needle-turn applique. This was probably my second or third needle-turn project. The hands and feet look a little too much like flippers--I was going for the bunched straw look--and the proportions are all off because I didn't make the pattern ahead of time. Getting the points in needle turn just right and not too bulky is so difficult. Right now I'm working on a Hawiian-style applique block, and I'm just having so much trouble with the inside of the corners and tightening the points.

I love this fabric! The picture came out kind of blurry, so in case you don't understand what you're seeing, the fabric is comprised of yellow-orange flowers on long green stems with pale blue dragonflies circling around and red ladybugs climbing towards the flowers.

Even though I've already put it in more than one quilt, I would love to have more of this dragonfly fabric. I just can't get enough of the fabrics I really love. I could easily have bought a bolt of this one, and used it for years to come. When I'm at the quilt shop, telling the difference between love and infatuation can be so difficult. The only real test is time and use, but once I eventually figure out which fabrics I love the most, the fabric is already long gone from the store.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if there was a Fabric Love Meter that could measure your emotional reaction to a given fabric, and then tell you how much to buy?

"Infatuation: 1.2, this is a fabric that you only sort of like because it reminds you of a friend. You'll use it once, as a gift for your friend, and then wonder what to do with the scraps, get 1.2 yards."

"Budding Love: 8.24, this fabric incorportates your favorite colors with a design that will blend well with many other fabrics. You'll want this for several projects, buy 8.2 yards."

Then, all I would need is a bank account to match!

Bags for Halloween

2005-10-26T13:43:00.000-07:00

When I visited mom's this weekend, I managed to wander off with a bolt of Halloween fabric. Gee, I wonder how that happened? So, I made my nieces Trick-or-Treat bags for Halloween.

Here's a close up shot of the fabric. I think it's pretty cute.

My nieces seem to like them.

Without thinking, I sewed a 1/4 inch seam. I don't often sew for anything other than quilting. Still, I don't feel too badly about that. I didn't really make the bags expecting that they would hold up to much abuse (and won't they make cute patches in a memory quilt later!) If I had more time, I might have put in a lining and been more careful about sewing the handles on in perfect squares. As it is, I made both bags in little more than an hour, which is good since I only had an hour.

A little note on this blog--this blog is intended mostly for mom (she's been telling me for awhile now that she wants a website). However her time is short and technical difficulties seem to be abundant, so we will take this slowly. In the mean time, I hope to post a few times. I don't have a lot of time for sewing now since I'm working full time and taking graduate classes at night, but I do have a few projects I hope to finish. (Ooops, sorry about that! Here I am, only barely writing the first real entry and already I'm using the "F" word, Finish. Sends chills down the spine, doesn't it!) I have a Halloween/Autumn quilt that I'll be putting up on Monday.

First Post

2005-10-20T11:31:00.000-07:00

Just getting things going.