Finally Done

 

Ugh, this didn’t finish up quite as well as I’d like.  I tried a faux piped binding tutorial I saw online and I messed it up somewhere big time.  It’s ok and I’ll try it again but I have another method in mind.

It looks ok from the back but one corner was totally goofy.

This one was ok, but see?  I had to topstitch the edge (with invisible thread), so it’s really just a wonky stripe along the edge.  And I had too much green & not enough white (though I followed the cutting directions?).  Ahh well, another WIP done, off to another!

A Near-finish

 

I’ve been super busy with work this week but before the sun came up this morning I got this finished except the binding (debating colors).

It’s sort of a quilt-as-you-go (QAYG), I quilted the top squares with batting but then sewed them all together & added the backing, quilting a double line down each of the 4 big seams.  I should have waited until I bought a walking foot, my lines are a little crooked but no one will notice after it’s washed.  I don’t care for the usual QAYG method that looks like window sashing when it’s done, the construction is so obvious.

I think the pink is my favorite circle.  Many memories in this quilt of clothes, quilts & bags I made for my girls.

Super easy way to make a quilt!  It measures 36” square.  I can’t take credit for the design, I saw one on flickr somewhere and had to try a circle ticker tape, though the white & green center is all mine, I didn’t want to use brown scraps.

It’s backed with a silky minky type fabric remnant, my only cost for the quilt, $5.  Had great fun with it and I’m going to make a few more with different colored center blocks.  I didn’t even make a dent in my scraps.

Design Wall Monday

 

I usually have a finish on Monday morning, not today but here are some process pics for you.

Another installment in my ticker quilt, orange is done, more sparse than I’d like but I actually had a hard time finding orange scraps.  I really should have done another yesterday but I got distracted with other stuff…namely this

I’ve been throwing around ideas on how to label my quilts.  I’ve done the little ribbon across a back corner thing, written on in sharpie.  Ehh, kind of primitive, not much room to write.  I have 2 alphabets on my machine but they don’t stitch very well & I have to do it on a scrap & then applique it to the quilt.  It rarely gets done, it’s hard to read…yesterday I pulled out my big ole Speedball screen printing box o’ fun and made a mini screen ala craftgrrl’s tutorial.  This is real screen filler instead of Modge Podge or the like since I actually do have the kit.  First print on paper, I touched up the screen & it’s ready to have a go at a real quilt.  I’m simply going to write “made by” and the year with a sharpie around the bottom of the swirl.  Love this!  It’s similar to my tattoo, it’s repeatable for every quilt without much effort and I’ve never seen someone do this to a quilt they spent hours & hours on, I’m a risk taker!

 Edit to add first print (on a scrap).  I used a makeshift squeegee instead of a foam brush, slightly better.  Embellished with a sharpie.  Actually just the look I was going for!

Repeat pic before quilting but I’m also hand quilting this baby quilt, I have some of the charm square straight line quilting done and I’m buttonhole stitching around the flowers.  My first real try at the stitch, it looks SO adorable, front and back!  It’s backed with a turquoise solid, really wild with the green sashing, I might bind this in orange for even more zing.  Edit, had to rip out buttonhole stitches, ugh, puckering.

It’s pouring down rain and I have some really. boring. work. sewing. to do today (sob!).  Hopefully I can finish that and get back to fun quilting this afternoon.  Please stop by Judy’s and QuiltStory and Freshly Pieced this week to see what everyone’s working on!  Hopping on a new one, Canoe Ridge Creations!  I’ve met some super nice sewers & quilters since I started playing along.  Have a great week everyone!

Friday Finish

 

We had a beautiful, sunny 80 degrees here today!  I didn’t spend as much time outside as I’d like though, this was calling me.

It’s entirely hand quilted, many many hours of it.  I’m a lousy hand quilter, my stitches are big & child-like but I adore the finished look.  I made this with the very small amount of leftover charm squares from my first Central Park quilt.  It measures 31.5 x 41.5.”  Bound in orange, I think that’s my favorite part.

I got a great deal on the backing fabric, $1/yd.  It’s hard to see but there are little hearts, dots & stars, I think it works pretty well with the line.  Off to the washer, can’t wait to see the crinkled look.  Thanks for stopping by, have a great weekend!

Woo-hoo Wednesday!

 

Wednesday’s my favorite day of the week, I don’t really know why, sometimes I go out for a little evening entertainment on Wed, sometimes not.  I think it’s just knowing I’m that much closer to the weekend.  ETA, I had to look it up, I was born on a Wed, maybe that’s it *grin*

I’m trying out Freshly Pieced’s WIP Wednesday this week, glad to have found you all, can’t wait to see what everyone’s working on!

I’m almost finished hand quilting my Central Park #2 quilt (made from the teeny amount of scraps I had left from the first one).  I’m NOT a hand quilter, my stitches are big & childish, crooked, meandering, but HEY, you can definitely tell it’s got hours & hours of hand work in it, LOL!  I like it regardless.

I got my red block stitched but I’m running short on oranges for the next one…I even dug out and cut some stash.  Not sure what’s up with that, I love orange.  I’m going to move on to another color for now.

Just other stuff I wanted to rattle on about…

1. It’s Creative Mojo day!  3pm eastern, don’t forget to listen (or download) Mark Lipinski’s great show!

2. Just One Star for a great cause, check it out!

I think that’s it, I have a TON of work sewing to finish & deliver today.  Have a great Wednesday!

Design Wall Monday

 

Here we go again, I’m creating an insane pile of tops that I need to quilt.  I have a ton of “work” sewing to do but I couldn’t get inspired there, this charm pack was calling.  I’ll be honest, I wasn’t excited about this one at all, it looked better online than in my hands.  But I like how it morphed once I was playing with the pieces.

This is Hideaway by Lauren & Jessi Jung for moda.  I adore green, especially for babies. 

I think it could have been fairly gender neutral but I had to use some of the extra squares and appliqued some flowers, girly now, huh?

I let the petals go all whimsical, I think it works.  This one will also be hand quilted & shouldn’t take nearly as long as the Central Park one I’m quilting now (which is kicking along pretty well).  I think I’m going to continue the flower theme by quilting some in the borders.  Very fast project, I had the top together (minus the applique) in about an hour. 

Editing Tues to add a pic of my WIP.  I saw a Ticker Tape Quilt Along on a blog and had to hop on the bandwagon, I love TT’s!  Here’s my morning progress, I’m digging a QAYG project, one less top to get to “later.”

Thanks for stopping by, don’t forget to visit Judy’s for more Design Wall Monday & Quilt Story for Fabric Tuesday!

Woo-hoo Friday!

 

Oh thank goodness, it’s been a LONG week!  I’m SO ready to go out and party a bit tonight.  Here’s how I spent my morning.

They’re ready for binding but I’m bored & setting them aside for now.  Here’s the one I finished yesterday.

It’s a little housewarming gift for my best friend who I’ve been helping move.  It measures 5 1/2 x 8 1/2.  The ones up top are also for gifting.  I found the design online, I think it was a tattoo sketch.  And that’s all for now, I have to go babysit and set up my friend’s computer.  Have a nice weekend!

Design Wall Monday

 

I wish I had room for an actual wall but here’s my table in progress.  This is Sugar Pop! by Liz Scott for Moda, another charm pack, this one paired with a dark almost turquoise solid (it looks very green here for some reason).  I’ve had a zigzag quilt on my list for a while now and I used that method where you sew two fabrics RST around the edges and then cut on the X.  Quick & easy, we’ll see if I can get this top finished today, I have to go in to work soon.

Here ‘tis!  Might add a border in the blue but I love it with the morning sun shining through.  Boy was I sick of triangles, lol.

 

Editing to add Monday night’s progress (hope you can see the tons of stitching).

I’ve decided to attempt hand quilting this Central Park #2.  I don’t have a walking foot and want simple straight line quilting, I’m afraid my less than stellar meandering will distort the nice lines.  If it goes well I’ll also hand quilt this one from Saturday’s sewing marathon.

Don’t forget to swing by Judy’s for more Design Wall Mondays & Quilt Story for Fabric Tuesday!

Quilt top a day

 

Well OK, 2 days, but still, this was a fast project!  I got the charm pack yesterday morning and dove right into it, no pattern, no real plan, I just wanted white & on point blocks.  They’re put together log cabin style so it was a lot of back and forth to the ironing board but I really love it! 

These photos are SO bad, I can’t believe I’m sharing them here but you can see in the layout that I should have counted before I started sewing, I had to add a couple more blocks and remove all of the bottom triangles and flip them around, lol.  I’m leaving off the corner triangles on purpose, gives it a different look being non-rectangular.  I have no idea how I’ll quilt it so I’m setting it aside for a few days.

The charms are Dilly Dally by Me & My Sister Designs for Moda.

Back up and running!

 

The internet, that is.  Need to get my butt back out on the road running but I’m sick of the cold!  I’m about half caught up on my blog reading, gosh did I miss that for the last week.  We’ve already called & set up internet & tv with a new company but I’m not cancelling the current company until they get here next week.  I’ve done SO much sewing!  Even knocked out a 3 day work order, delivered it and picked up some more for the weekend.  I’m not sewing on it today though…some fluffy mail arrived a couple hours ago.

My thanks again to my supplier, I’m totally addicted to these little charm packs.  I already dove into the Dilly Dally, it’s about half cut and assembled for another cute baby quilt.

Did anyone catch the boo-boo in my 2nd Central Park quilt?  I left out a whole row of sashing, oops!  Here it is fixed & ready to quilt when I figure out what I’m doing with it.  I can’t believe I laid it on the kitchen floor but that’s all that was available right now.  Not that wonky, I was just in a rush & didn’t lay it out nicely (that would mean crawling on the floor that surely has some cat hair on it, I did give the quilt a good shake, lol).

OK, back to work, just had to check in, happy sewing!