Quilt-Along

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Four at a time

June 22, 2010 in Piecing, Quilt-Along | 10 comments

Have you entered my Castle Peeps giveaway, yet?

I have four quilt tops actively in progress at the moment, which feels like quite a lot. Usually I get in a groove and finish one before I really get going on the other. But this week I am literally bouncing back and forth on all four. Sewing a bit here, a bit there. It feels a little crazy, but also kind of fun. Let’s check in with the White Board of Insanity:

So yeah, as I mentioned before, the status is color-coded. Because I’m a huge geek. And the white board came with four markers. Black status means the project is anywhere from “in theory” to cutting fabric. Green status means fabric is cut and I’m at some stage of piecing the quilt top. Red status means the top is done, so just finish the damn thing already.

As you can see, my poor pinwheel sampler is still hanging out in red, waiting for me to piece the back. It’s going to wait a while longer.

The quilt for Willa is a stacked coin quilt, and since taking the picture of the strips this afternoon, I have now finished the top and am coming up with a plan for the back. I’m hoping to finish this one ASAP, it just got bumped to the top of my mental priority list.

The quilt for Gus is going to be a raw-edged quarter-circle quilt, and may end up being the brightest and loudest baby boy quilt ever created. My friend Kathy is his mom, and when she asked me to make this, she specifically said that bold colors were welcome, and I took her at her word. I will sadly not finish it before they move away to Miami in a matter of days. But I’m sure they have more than enough things to pack at the moment, so I’ll mail it down when it’s done.

I’m sewing along with Amanda Jean and her latest quilt-along, which will be a rather lovely twin-sized quilt. I’ve got the strips all made and chopped up, and the center block together. Awaiting further instructions (though I suppose I could guess what they are, I’m not going to get too far ahead… plenty of other stuff to keep me busy).

But I originally bought that fat quarter bundle of Nicey Jane with a particular location in mind: a bedroom in my mom’s lake house. That bedroom has both a twin- and a full-sized bed in it, and it would seem a shame to get one bed a new quilt without the other. So, a coordinating full-sized quilt is the fourth one on my list. It’s going to be a disappearing-nine-patch with nice big blocks.

In an ideal world, I would finish those two Nicey Jane quilts before I leave for Chicago/Wisconsin and the lake house in question on July 15, but if that really happens, it’ll be a miracle.

So, what about you? Do you frequently have a bunch of projects actively going at the same time, or do you keep the actual in-progress list a little shorter?

Chop, Chop

June 12, 2010 in Fabric, Piecing, Quilt-Along | 6 comments

Really, who needs to finish one project before starting another?

My kids’ quilts are in the dryer as we speak, actually. Just hoping for the rain to let up tomorrow so I can take pictures and show them off. In the meantime, I spent some quality time in front of the DVR with my rotary cutter to start two new projects. The first is for Amanda Jean‘s new quilt-along. I cut from a fat quarter bundle of Nicey Jane that I bought a few months ago.

But here’s my question to you, friendly readers… I would like to use some of the remaining Nicey Jane to make a coordinating full-size quilt. (The ultimate destination for both, I think, will be a bedroom in my mom’s lake house, hence the desire to have them match.) What would you make? Would you do a near-duplicate of the twin-sized one from the quilt-along? Something else with a similar feel? Please please share ideas, as I can’t decide. I’m leaning towards something either very simple or with very large blocks, you know, so I can actually complete it sometime this year. You know how it goes.

The other bit of fabric that went under the knife this week was a pair of charm packs. I think I’m going to make another stacked coin quilt, and it’s sort of a surprise for someone I don’t even know, who I thought could use a nice quilt in their life. Will share more of the story when the quilt comes together and makes its way to its new home.

What about you? Have you felt the call to chop fabric to bits recently? I’ve been focusing so hard on several finishes, it feels nice to start fresh.

Spring to Finish 2010

April 19, 2010 in Finished Objects, Quilt-Along | 5 comments

Oh, this is just what I needed! Not pressure to start more projects or join new things, but encouragement to FINISH the things I’ve got going. Thank you, Jacquie!

The challenge goes from now until the end of May, roughly six weeks. Finishes are all our own choosing, as is our reward. So, here’s (the ambitious version of) my list:

Baby Mia’s quilt
Cobblestone quilt for my sister-in-law’s friend
Bed quilt for my daughter
Bed quilt for my son
Pinwheel sampler quilt
Keep up with my Bee blocks!

Huh. Five completed quilts in six weeks. OK, so maybe that’s too ambitious, but at least it’s a goal, right? They’re all things that are either in progress, or planned out and fabric at the ready, so I should be able to make substantial progress.

As for my reward…. hmm…

Honestly, I don’t need an extra reward. Those finishes would be an enormous reward in and of themselves. I already have my rocking new sewing machine, and the last thing I need is to reward myself with food. No, this one has an intrinsic reward, and I’m going to leave it at that.

What about you? Are you in?

Just because I want to

March 8, 2010 in Piecing, Quilt-Along | 6 comments

[This post brought to you by the magic of scheduled posting, as I am not doing any sewing at all while I'm in Florida this week...]

I have fallen into the trap that so many quilters do: I am forever working on quilts for someone else. New babies, family members who need a special gift, a commissioned quilt for a friend, and not to mention the bee blocks. All of the quilts that I have swimming around in my head that I simply want to do seem to get pushed to the back of the to-do list. I’m trying to integrate some of those designs and colors and ideas into the “have-to” quilts. And, of course, I only “have to” make them because I’ve said so. I do enjoy making them, otherwise I wouldn’t do it at all.

But there’s something refreshing about making something simply because I want to. There is no intended recipient, no deadline. I showed these blocks to my husband, and when he asked “so what are these for?”, I was pleased to reply “for fun!”

I’m making these along with the P.S. I Quilt Pinwheel Sampler Quilt-Along. What can I say? I can’t resist a good quilt-along.

I’m going with mostly stash fabrics (though I admit to buying a few more to add to said stash). I’m using raspberry/fuchsia, orange, pink, and aqua, with gray (Kona Ash) as the background color. So far, two weeks completed, I’m loving it.

Hopefully this will turn out as nice in reality as it looks in my head.

Tags: aqua, fuschia, gray, orange, pink, pinwheel, raspberry

Bee Noob

August 22, 2009 in Piecing, Quilt-Along, Quilting Bee | 4 comments

I’ve had so much fun with the couple of virtual quilt-alongs that I’ve joined, as well as the Doll Quilt Swap, that I decided to jump headfirst into the world of Quilting Bees. For the non-quilting friends who might be reading, a quick run-down of the differences (as I understand them):

Quilt-Along: This is just a bunch of people making (roughly) the same pattern at (roughly) the same time. The Flickr pools for the nine-patch quilt-along and the ORBCo quilt-alongs give some idea of the immense variation that is possible, even when everyone is technically following the same directions.
Quilt Swap: This is when you make a quilt and send it to someone else, and you are the recipient of another person’s work. Sometimes (as in the case of the Doll Quilt Swap) there is an element of secrecy, such that I only know to whom I am sending a quilt, but no idea who is sending one to me!
Quilting Bee: These usually involve making quilt blocks (not a finished quilt) for each other. In many cases, there are 12 people in a group, and each month, one person sends some amount of fabric to the other members. They request a particular style and size of block, or leave it open to interpretation. The blocks are sent back to that month’s person, and they can make a whole quilt out of what other people send them.

At any rate, in the way that these sorts of things tend to snowball, I have joined three “virtual” quilting bees (virtual in the sense that I’ve never met these folks face-to-face). One started in August, one starts in September, and the third starts in January. I’m trying not to freak out about embarrassing myself with all of the talented people who are in these Bees. Hopefully my blocks won’t be awful!

I got my fabric from Anna for our inaugural month in my first bee, and she actually sent rather specific instructions. We each got a fat quarter and some scraps in one color (mine was red), plus a bit of white, and some paper templates for string blocks. I had been meaning to try string blocks, anyways, so that was nice, and the very specific instructions at least meant that I didn’t have to agonize over what to do! So, as soon as I can get a proper mailing envelope, here’s what’s heading out the door. Not bad for a first try! A little wonky, perhaps, but I think it works in a scrappy block like this…

Tags: block, string piece

Vacation Finish #2

August 11, 2009 in Binding, Finished Objects, Quilt-Along | 10 comments

My second vacation finish is a lap-sized version of AmandaJean’s nine-patch quilt-along. And I am in love with it!

I mentioned before that I elected to stop at 35 blocks instead of 70. One of the reasons I made that decision was that I didn’t think I would like the way it was turning out. The blocks were so random, it just felt messy. I’m happy to report that I think I was wrong on the messiness question. I’m still glad I went with a smaller quilt, but I really, really love how it turned out.

I quilted it just inside each 2.5″ seam, which adds up to 116 straight lines. Damn, that was tedious. I was annoyed at the pulling and puckering, but the sum total looks pretty good. Especially, ahem, from a little bit of a distance.

The backing is Kona Cotton in Ash, plus some light blue solid that I found at Joann’s. The white is a bleached muslin from Joann’s. And I love my three more nine-patches on the back.

The binding is Amy Butler’s Full Moon in Slate. Love love love it, and I’m sad at how hard it is to find more. As a relatively new fabric addict, I’m finding it hard not to freak out and start hoarding fabric that’s going out of print. I wish there was a never-ending supply!

One more vacation finish to report… and hopefully I’ll get a picture when I deliver it to its tiny recipient tomorrow afternoon.

Tags: nine-patch, travel

Seven more days

July 21, 2009 in Piecing, Quilt-Along, Quilting | 6 comments

I have about seven more sewing days before I leave, so let’s check in on my self-imposed quilting marathon!

The big pink and brown ragged square quilt for Mary is now basted and I’ve started the wrestling match that is quilting it. Squares with a walking foot on a twin-sized quilt with my machine? Let’s just say I’m making liberal use of the “reverse” button so I don’t have to cram quite as much of it in there. But, slowly, I’m making good progress. Barring any unforseen derailment, it should be quilted and almost-bound in plenty of time to come with me to Chicago.

Yes, Mary, I’m taking it with me. Maybe I’ll even ship it straight to you from there! Hope you like the block preview.

I also have the fabric cut for two more ragged-square quilts, a request from Marie N for her boy/girl twins. They’re small, so I’ve got a shot at making them before I leave, but we’ll just have to see how it goes.

After this, I think I’m going to have to take a break from this pattern. It’s awfully cute and kids like the raw edges, but I’m ready to do something different.

Other than that, I just need to make sure I pack enough needles, the right color thread, and supplies to make a few labels so that I can be well and truly done with these by the time I get back home!

Oh. Ahem. That. Well, it was raining this afternoon. I may have put on a movie for the kids and sat with them while I cut my squares for the ORBCo zig-zag quilt-along. Heh. I’ll likely get several weeks behind on this one, what with leaving town and all, but it’s started. I’m committed. Or, you know, maybe I should be committed. Whatever.

Tags: cutting, neptune, ragged square, travel, zig-zag

Performance Anxiety

July 16, 2009 in Binding, Piecing, Quilt-Along | 5 comments

Because I’m a glutton for punishment and having five projects on my to-do list, I decided to add two three more. Gah! As it is, I finally have all of the fabrics I needed for Mary‘s daughter’s quilt, and have started putting the blocks together. Mary, hope you like the little preview!

As for new stuff, I couldn’t resist joining the next project that has grown out of the Old Red Barn Co quilt-along: zig-zags! I’ve done a zig-zag before, of course (the baby for whom it was destined arrived yesterday, welcome to the world, Marcella!). And I have another one on my to-do list (a “commissioned” quilt for my husband’s aunt). But the ORBCo version will actually be done with half-square triangles. Plus, I’ve got a fat quarter bundle of Neptune just begging to be used. I think I’m going to do two small (40″ square) quilts, one a little more girly and one a little more boyish. Yes, I have boy/girl twins and a thing for fairness and symmetry, why do you ask? Thankfully, though, these have no particular deadline, so they can get bumped down in the priority list if they need to be.

And finally, I’ve joined my very first swap! I’m doing the DQS7, and I’m both excited and totally nervous. What if the person I get is actually a REALLY good quilter and I send my lame beginner stuff and they’re really disappointed? Gah! But I’m looking forward to having an excuse to try something new and send it to someone who will hopefully enjoy it. We’ll get our “assignments” next week, so I look forward to trying to figure out what my partner likes and figuring out what swaps are all about.

In the meantime, I’ve got two nearly-finished items on the pile for the trip to Chicago. Binding attached, all it needs is the hand-sewing on the back. It’s the nine-patch quilt and a cute little sock monkey baby quilt for my friend’s second son, due to arrive in the next week or two.

I’ve got (theoretically) 12 more sewing days until we leave… we’ll see how much more can get added to that pile! I’m hoping for at least one more, but who knows what life will throw my way in the meantime.

Tags: doll quilt, DQS7, moda, neptune, nine-patch, ragged square, sock monkey, swap, zig-zag

My first finished quilt-along

July 12, 2009 in Binding, Finished Objects, Quilt-Along | 9 comments

It’s amazing what you can accomplish when you aren’t in your own house.

At home, when the kids are sleeping, there’s a million things to do (laundry, dishes, etc.) and a million things to just plain distract me (computer, DVR, other sewing projects). But when you’re at your in-laws’ house and the kids are passed out and your in-laws are the fairly sedate type? You can just hand-sew that binding like it’s your job. And that’s what I did.

And barely more than 24 hours later, I had this:

That’s right, the ORBCo quilt is finished! I’m really happy with it. The fabrics are crazy and groovy and bright and happy. I credit a fellow quilt-along-er for inspiration on the added border, which I like a lot, in part because it makes it easy to find the top/bottom of the quilt. The swirly pink quilting is really subtle on the front, and really just adds some texture without taking away from the pattern itself. It’s delightfully soft and crinkly after a nice run through the washer and dryer.

I am super, super happy with the back. With such a loud front, I’m glad I went with a cool, simple back. The pink thread shows up quite a bit on the dark gray backing (Kona Cotton in Coal), and the slightly-off-center strip (leftover squares from the original strip sets on either side of a few inches of the Wallflower print) pops out really nicely.

The binding is more of the pink/gray Wallflower print with some extra solid gray. I had around a half yard left over of each after making the front borders and the backing, and I really didn’t want to have to buy any more fabric for the binding. I needed about nine strips for it, and got seven out of the Wallflower, so just threw in some gray here and there. I think it works.

I’m not sure what the post-washing dimensions are, but pre-washing it was about 71″ x 91″. A very generous twin and the largest quilt I have ever made. I have to say I am really proud of it.

The quilt-along itself was a lot of fun. The week-by-week instructions were good for new folks, and the Flickr group was a ton of fun to see what other people were doing and exchange stories and advice and compliments and encouragement. In fact, everyone had such a great time that they’re starting another quilt-along: a zig-zag! I’m sorely tempted, but I think I really need to stick to the rest of the items on my to-do list at the moment. So many quilts, so little time…

At any rate, I’m thrilled that it’s done. I have no idea what I’m going to do with it, now, especially seeing that there are no twin-sized beds in my house. But that’s really a very minor concern, don’t you think?

Tags: Erin McMorris, old red barn co, travel, twin size, Wildwood

Loopy

July 6, 2009 in Quilt-Along, Quilting | 10 comments

It is done! The loopy quilting on the ORBCo quilt is done! I may have risked life and limb (or, you know, naptime) to finish it this afternoon, but I made it. And the kids stayed asleep. Whew!

Honestly, I think it felt somehow easier than a “normal” stipple. Maybe it was the ease with which I could go back and fill in spots, or the lack of fear of crossing over. And thanks to all of your suggestions, I am SO happy I went with a pink thread. It’s the “petal pink” from Connecting Threads and I was very happy with it. Yes, I had to have a lint intervention once or twice, but going that crazy with a free motion foot, I’d hardly expect anything else. And the quilting itself has made it so crinkly… I’m fascinated to see how this all comes out in the wash!

I used the majority of a 1200-yard spool, but not so much that I worried I’d run out. I’d estimate it was about 10-12 bobbins. It probably took me around 6 hours total, over the course of four days. I worked on it in 30-90 minute blocks of time, since it pretty much always has to be done while the kids are asleep.

As with many things that we fear, the hardest part is just getting started. Once I was in there, it went fine, and I just wanted to get it DONE! I’m super happy with how it turned out, and though there was some serious wrestling, an extra needle, a few spots of messy knots on the back, and other… ahem… things that give it some handmade charm… I’m really proud of it.

Now, all that remains is binding! Dare I take this behemoth with me to Florida this weekend?

Tags: free-motion, old red barn co

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Quilt-Along

Four at a time

Chop, Chop

Spring to Finish 2010

Just because I want to

Bee Noob

Vacation Finish #2

Seven more days

Performance Anxiety

My first finished quilt-along

Loopy

2009 Finishes

2010 Finishes

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Quilters I Adore

Works in Progress

To-Do List

Gotta Make My Bee Blocks!

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