Swoon #1 & #2

A productive weekend in the quilting world, although I probably could have done more. I said goodbye to the little brother as he headed home. He treated me to extreme oohh-ing and aww-ing over each little piece of my Swoon (which I finally started!).

I was completely spoiled by him. Every time I would sew something together I would say "Step 3!" and make him look. He helped distract Neti and when I was later baking him some homemade biscotti and shortbread I lost an egg down the garbage disposal. Angrily I said, "Man! This is just not my day!" and he immediately retorted, "What are you talking about?! Look at your beautiful quilt!" Gotta love brothers! I wish he could stick around here forever.

So here they are! Swoon #1...

... and Swoon #2

I obviously have some trimming to do. I love how much fabric choice makes a difference. They are exactly the same pattern but the blocks look so different! I can't wait to see the rest of them come together. I have two mini projects I need to squeeze in between the Swoon-ing for the SMQG. I joined the Madrona Road Challenge and have an idea for a very literal take on the line. I also have to create a nametag for the SMQG meetings and can't WAIT to play with some embroidery and fun designs.

Swoon Count:   2/16 Complete

Happy Crafting!

Pieces Galore!

I spent the majority of the weekend hanging with the brother and hubby and not crafting. When they were fully immersed in video games, however, I would sneak over to my sewing table and cut fabric while interjecting clever, relevant comments about the game. Cutting seems to be all I've done for weeks now! Totally worth it, though. I finally finished cutting!! Disclaimer: Sashing has not yet been cut yet do to some strategic placement needed on my part. I have some math to work out once all my blocks are together. Regardless, CUTTING DONE!

Look at all those squares and rectangles! Yay! Once finished I took a quick break and then quickly laid out what one block would need.

Look at that! All those squares/rectangles needed for just one block. Sixteen to go! I didn't start the sewing yet but everything is ready to go. I anticipate putting together a minimum of three blocks this coming weekend. Can't wait to see it form. I think the boys find me slightly insane counting blocks and constantly referring to the pattern. Soon they will see it's totally worth it. 

Happy Crafting!

Patience is a Virtue

Cutting, cutting, cutting, cutting, cutting. No kidding, my wrists hurt from cutting so much. I am prepping my Swoon quilt!

You may have remembered me mentioning it earlier and not only that but I am enlarging it, hence the greater amount of cutting needed. From 9- 2ft x 2ft squares to 16!

I've definitely run in to a few issues with piece size due to the wonkiness (word?) of the fat quarter set I got. I am barely squeaking by on some of the pieces and may need to work some magic when it comes to piecing together. I left that problem for future me and just continued chopping away.

It took me two weekends, off and on, but I got all of my fat quarters cut! Yay! I finished just last night. This left me with only needing to cut the background fabric. Buh, buh, buuuuuhh...

Look how much fabric it is!!! What a pain to figure out how to cut. On a lighter note, my brother is in town! He's at the end of this long fabric train (hi JP!).

The cat LOVED how much fabric was there. Obviously.

And she delighted in tormenting me. Glad someone (aka the brother) was there to witness it all.

Regardless, I finished cutting all that gray into strips which will then be cut down into about a million squares (a more accurate number will be added soon, but's a lot). It's all much more manageable though in strips, which is great. Maybe another weekend of cutting then it's off to the races!

Both the brother and hubby thought I was crazy cutting all those little squares. I'm excited to show them how it all comes together. I can't wait to see it, especially king sized.

Happy Crafting!

2012 Wrap-Up

Happy New Year!

 

This post is a mish-mash of projects hurridly finished and poorly recorded as well as a new jumpstart into 2013. I got a lot of remarks (mostly from my aunt) that I hadn't updated the blog in ages! This was said while across the table from me, but I guess my cat projects weren't there to show off, so here you go, Auntie Lou.

 

 

The year finished in a whirlwind of finished projects I wanted done prior to Christmas. I made it! But in doing so, I did a poor job of recording evidence that they are finished, at least in the blog sense.

 

My sister convinced me to make a dress I wanted the "right way" by doing it in muslin first. Thanks, Devon! Even though it mostly fit I did make some alterations prior to diving in to the real thing.

 

 

I, of course, had my usual "helper" throughout the process.

 

Let it be known: I will not be making clothes for myself again for at least another year. This is awful! It turned out nice but it was so tedious. So boring. Not enough payoff in the end. I'm leaving the clothes to my sister. Not my cup of tea. I'm a quilter thru and thru.

 

Moving on to the mother-in-law's gift. I got some great fabric I knew she would love and figured if anyone would use a table runner it would be her! I went to work piecing it together.

 

The pattern called for X's and O's blocks, which were a lot of fun to make.

This is the basic finish, although I added two color borders around the edging equaling a 1.5" solid border and bound in white.

You can kind of see the borders in the picture below, though you may have to look past the cat, who obviously wasn't for quilting at that moment and was more for petting.

 

Here's the table runner and 6 matching coasters all packed up for Christmas. I finished binding it Christmas Eve, just before packing it. Close call, but I managed.

 

 

She loved it!

 

I also finished Baby Hailey's quilt (who is close to arriving) and hand delivered it to mom, dad, and big brother. This is literally the best "finished" picture I have. I know, I know. Sorry. See it here.

 

 

After a whirlwind travel from Seattle to DC to So. IL to Seattle the hubby and I spent one day getting 2012 closed up with errands and spent New Years Day snuggled up in new fabric!

 

By new I mean "stashed" as I've had this fabric for months and have just been waiting to work with it. With all the gifts and little things out of the way I can now focus on a major project. My very first king size quilt! I'm making a modified Swoon with Quilt Blocks by Moda. SO EXCITED! I got the fabric washed and dried and paired. I spent yesterday napping, ironing, napping, ironing and got all the fat quarters ready for cutting. There are one or two pairs I'm absolutely in love with.

 

This next weekend should be a blast getting the cutting started, although I have a feeling all I will be doing is cutting as the size of this quilt is monstrous compared to the recent baby quilts I've cranked out. No more babies to speak of, so I'm on a hiatus. For now.

 

Happy New Year! I'm so looking forward to what this year will bring.

Christmas is Coming! Stockings were made.

Another sewing weekend and it was glorious! TWO finished WIPs (work in progress). My list of WIPs is dwindling as the new year approaches. Well, not really, I'm just getting all of the little projects out of the way for that king size swoon that is waiting in the wings.

 

 

Just after Thanksgiving I fell in to the Christmas spirit! I figured stockings for my in-law's place was the perfect Christmas project this year. We decided not to do a tree since we are traveling so much for the holidays so a some Christmas fabric was really needed to make it feel like winter.

 

As you can see, even these little stockings had the cat trying to squeeze on to the fabric while quilting the fronts.

 

 

How is that even comfortable?!

 

I embroidered our names on the front cuffs and gave us each a snowflake, of which no two are alike, so I kept with the spirit and made them slightly different. You can't really tell from these pictures.

 

The backings of both stockings are both that deep blue snowflake material (my favorite). I hand drew the patterns directly onto batting and only had to seam rip them apart twice since I wasn't working with a pattern.

Figuring out how to get the insides, right sides together, and the outsides, wrong side together plus a cuff right side out but not sewn in with no seam at the top was HARD. I struggled through it with the first one and just took things wicked slow, but I figured it out!!! SO thrilled.

 

With finished stockings I turned back to the mermaid quilt. I couldn't really decide on a quilting pattern for it so I went with a tiny meandering stitch which ate a lot of thread but has really textured the quilt. All the little mermaids pop out of the quilt as I didn't sew over them but framed them.

 

 

It was a trying process trying to keep Neti from playing with the safety pins, her main bad quilting habit. I think I forcefully shoo'd her away from the quilt at least fives times and got hissed at in the process. She was not a happy cat.

 

Finally finished quilting I laid it out to trim the edges and allowed her to roll on it for awhile. She was appeased and allowed watched me finish binding and tagging it.

Done! It was too dark to get good pics of the finished product. Pictures soon. Goals for this weekend? Not a quilt, but a dress. SO out of my comfort zone. I've been calling the sister for advice. Maybe I should just make her make it for me at Christmas. Hmm...

Happy Crafting!

Mermaids. I want one!

I spent the weekend sewing. It seemed like such a LONG weekend and I guess that would have something to do with me actually getting up early and going!

 

I went to a quilt show in Puyallup this weekend and bought one or two items, though nothing compared to the grandma's there racking up $170 tabs at each booth. Insanity! I got a cute Christmas embroidery pattern to work on, which I think I may take home over Christmas, a few fat quarters for a mother-in-law Christmas present, and two fat quarters for me! I also spent some time drooling over the long arm quilting machine demos there (le sigh). Afterwards, I went home (called Grandma), cleaned, and started sewing!

 

First things first, for this Baby Hailey quilt (soon-to-be sister of Baby Liam) I had to figure out a pattern for the blocks.

I chose the option on the right. The hubby preferred the left, but right just felt right to me. (haha!) The blocks then just started to flow.

 

 

Anyone who knows me knows I'm obsessed with mermaids. The entire time I worked on this quilt I was thinking of ways I could keep it and start over for Baby Hailey. How selfish! But I can't help it. These mermaids are adorable! 

 

Neti was, of course, overly involved in the entire process, which I love/hate. The hubby snapped a few pictures.

 

The finished top! Beautiful (if I do say so myself). I'm in love with this. I want one for me. I may have to go get some more fabric just to stash away for a later date.

 

Not the best picture in the world but I love the "cat vision" effect it has. I had to include it.

 

Neti helped measure for the backing.

I got this pretty pink and white zigzag (Michael Miller), but with all the busy front, I felt it was a bit boring. Also, I altered the pattern pretty dramatically when it came to fabric choices (not using a layer cake as requested) so I ended up having a bit of extra fabric.

And whallah! I really, REALLY cool backing for this quilt.

 

The plan is to baste tonight and start quilting over my FIVE DAY WEEKEND! That's right. Five days. Jealous? I can't wait! It's going to be a sewing extravaganza. I have a lot to squeeze in to this little time period. Goals are to finish Baby Hailey's quilt and finish mother-in-law's present. I think I can do it. I'll keep you posted!

 

Happy Crafting!

Mini-Quilts Delivered & More

The mini-quilts have arrived safe and sound in Chicago! Yay! Since there is no reason not to share, as spoilers have clearly been revealed, here the are the pictures of the seasonal mini-quilts sent to the sister. Please forgive the picture quality. I still can't find my camera so these are via phone.

 

 

Winter! (my favorite)

 

 

Spring!

 

Summer!

So there you have it! Mini-quilts sent. I was literally on the phone with Devon when they arrived and she had the audacity to immediately ask for all holidays: Easter, Valentines Day, Presidents Day (if you can call that a holiday). I told her I'd see what I could do :) I just can't say no to my sister.

On a separate finished note, after posting on the star quilt being finished I threw it in the wash. Immediately out of the drier I stretched it out for a look. As I was smoothing it out over the bed a certain someone moved in. She has NEVER moved in this quickly. It wasn't out of the drier two minutes. I think its warmth was a bonus. She spent a good hour there. The hubby kept saying "she just loves your work!" haha.

 

I then threw a label on it and got it ready for the office.

 

In the office!

 

See? That wall was just begging for a quilt.

 

Once hung it was time to move on. Remember Baby Liam from here? Well, he's getting a sister! She's due in January and since we'll be in VA for part of Christmas I'll get to see the family and present Baby Hailey's quilt. SO EXCITED!

 

Look at those little narwhals!! I couldn't resist. All those boy clothes and Liam's mom needs some pink in her life! I found a fabric with mermaids and knew I need not look any further. I went with a girly nautical theme. 

 

 

I fussy cut the mermaid fabric which introduces whales and octopi as center blocks. It's in the early stages but this weekend should give me a good crack at it.

 

This is another quilt where I realized after the fact that I should have bought double fabric and made this quilt for me. I LOVE mermaids. Oh well, let's see how this one turns out first.

 

Happy Crafting!