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Vacation Finish #3

August 14, 2009 in Binding, Finished Objects | 6 comments

The final quilt I finished on vacation was a little something I made for this perfect little guy, not quite three weeks old when I met him on Wednesday.

Theo

Theo is the second son of one of my very good friends from college. I didn’t originally have big plans for a quilt for him, but when my friend mentioned a month or two ago that his nursery was done in a sock monkey theme… you know I just couldn’t resist.

Sock Monkey gift, finished

It came together ridiculously fast, especially since I found the fabric from an Etsy seller who was selling a bundle of 5″ squares, eight each of five prints.  Got a bit of extra yardage that became borders, backing and binding, and threw in that orange border from my stash, and it was a cute little thing. I didn’t measure it, but I suspect that it’s maybe a bit under 36″ square after washing.  I quilted it just with a random stipple in cream-colored thread.

Sock Monkey gift, finished

As much as I dig pieced backings, sometimes it’s nice to make something small enough that you can just use a single cut of fabric. And that numbers print was just perfect.

Sock Monkey gift, finished

And you know I can’t resist a dotty binding. :-)   So much cute, and I think my friend really liked it.  Hooray!

We’re finally back home after our two-week-long Midwest adventure, and I’m so glad to be here. Itching to get a lot of sewing done, but there also seems to be a million things to do around the house, so I’m going to try to find a balance and not totally neglect the rest of my house in the name of fabric. We’ll see how that goes!

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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!

Nine Patch in use

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.

Nine Patch - Done!

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.

Nine Patch Back

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.

Nine Patch - Folded

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.

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Vacation Finish #1

August 10, 2009 in Binding, Finished Objects | 5 comments

I brought three quilts on vacation with me so I could finish the binding while I was away from my machine.  Naturally, they were all done before the first week was over, so I’ve been twiddling my thumbs ever since!  Good thing I didn’t have internet access for much of the last week, or I probably would have gone on a fabric shopping spree in my withdrawal from all things sewing.

The first of the three finishes was a custom order from a blog friend.  She wanted a pink and brown ragged square quilt for her daughter’s move to a big-girl bed.

Pink & Brown Ragged Square

It was quite a variety of fabrics, but I think it turned out pretty well. I added a solid pink border (Kona Cotton in Carnation) because it needed a few more inches in order to drape well over a mattress.

Ragged Square - Back

The back is solid brown (I believe it was Kona Cotton in Mocha) and a lighter solid pink that I found at Joann’s, with a little stripe of one of the prints from the front, which I believe is from the Moda Sultry line.

Ragged Square - Folded

The binding is more of that Moda Sultry print. Not only did I love it, but Fabric.com sent me a full two yards of it when I only ordered a half, so I had plenty!

I had some stern words for this thing when I was quilting it, but it all worked out in the end and it sounds like recipient was darn pleased with it, so that’s all that matters!

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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.

Quilting in progress

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. :-)

Pink/Brown Ragged Square blocks

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.

Red Ragged Square Cuts

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.

Blue Ragged Square Cuts

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!

Neptune squares cut for zig-zag

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.

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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.

A bit of binding

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

ORBCo Quilt - Finished!

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.

ORBCo Finished - back

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.

ORBCo Finished, folded

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.

ORBCo Finished

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?

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Vacation Countdown

July 7, 2009 in Quilts | 1 comment

In just over three weeks, the kids and I will be heading to the great, flat Midwest for a few weeks to spend some time with my family. It will be plenty of crazy and lots of fun, but it also means no sewing machine for a bit over two weeks.

So the question is this: how much can I get done between now and then?  Or, at least, done to the point where I can bring it with me and finish the binding by hand?  I need a list.

The ORBCo quilt may very well come with me to Florida, so I anticipate it being Done very soon.  The nine-patch quilt is also ready for quilting, so that’s next on the list to be finished.  But there’s no rush, so if I get most of the way there and then just leave the binding half-on in time for my trip, so be it.  Honestly, I started quilting it last night, and despite the fact that it’s smaller, I think all of those straight lines are going to take forever.

Next up, and high on the priority list, is a twin-sized ragged square quilt that has been ever so slowly in the works for ages.  I’ve got most of the fabrics chosen and cut, and I think it should come together pretty quickly, but I need to get moving on it.  It was my second custom order, and was always intended to be done by August, so it’s about time.  Again, I can certainly bring the last of the binding with me to Chicago and ship it from there.  (Lordy, I’m going to have an extra suitcase just for sewing, aren’t I?)

I’ve got two more orders for three more quilts.  Two more ragged-square quilts for a blog reader’s twins, and a baby shower gift that a real-life friend of mine has asked me to make.  All three of those are small, in the 24×36″ range.  Do-able.

Plus, of course, there will be a very good friend with a brand new baby when I’m there. Can I arrive empty-handed? Of course not.

Anyone taking bets on how much I can actually get done in three short weeks? Especially when one of those weekends will be spent in Florida?  Hrm.

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No vacation would be complete

June 1, 2009 in Fabric | 4 comments

… without a trip to the local quilt shop.  Or, so it has become.

The hubs and I had a wonderful weekend away in Maine. Very relaxing and all-around good time.  And would you believe that it was his idea to visit a couple of local quilt shops on Saturday afternoon?!  What a treat.

First, I used the Maps feature on my iPhone to find my current location and then search on the word “quilt.”  That lead us to Mainely Quilts in Kennebunk.  The owner, John, was a very nice guy and a retired-engineer-turned-quilter. He had a lot of gorgeous hand-quilted items in his shop (for the low, low price of $1200), and even a few heart-stopping antiques from the late-19th and early-20th century.  He had a small back room with some fabric, a lot of 30s reproduction prints in particular, but not a huge stash as fabric shops go.  After a bit of conversation (and a few fat quarters), we hopped back into the car.

The second shop was one I had spotted on our way in the night before.  And despite it being a bit of a drive, it did not disappoint.  Knight’s Quilt Shop in Cape Neddick was absolute heaven.  The entire first floor of a house was row after row of bolts of fabric.  30s, Japanese, batik, juvenile and novelty, plus any of the big designers you might be looking for.  And more books and magazines than you can shake a stick at.

Fat quarters, everywhere

The fat quarter table, alone, was a sight to see compared to the smaller bins at my local shop.  I just kept walking past it, idly running my hand over the neatly folded rows.  And rather than wait outside in the car or tap his foot in annoyed impatience, M was right in there, pulling out fabrics and asking me what I thought.  What a wonderful enabler he is!  I stopped when my stack hit about 15.

Helping me choose.

Other than that, I obviously didn’t have my sewing machine with me, so not a lot of progress made.  Well… a little bit.  I brought a little pinwheel doll quilt that had fallen by the wayside and finished up the binding over breakfast.  Not a bad way to spend a weekend.

Take-along project

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