Blues Baby!

I finally picked out some fabric to start a new quilt. Wahoo!

Its two shades of blue that I'm hoping I will like once I put it together. I also have no particular game plan, although a rough inspiration is this quilt at dsquilts.com, although roughly. I'm not sure how attached I am to that design and how closely it will come out, since I don't really intend for it be exactly like that. We'll see. Its my first time to try anything "odd."

On a side note, I went for my first walk in the park and around the reservoir for the spring and that pleased me very much! I called my Mom and made her accompany while I walked (via cellphone, not in person) and that made in nice enough to walk for at least an hour. Yeah spring! Boo treadmill. The sun makes my apartment too hot in the mornings to get on the treadmill and the air conditioning really hasn't been turned on yet. Walks are looking good to me.

Oh - and I bought my first sandals of the season as well. Yay yay yay! I love sandals.

Another side note - I went to a quilt show and an orchid show this weekend. The quilt show was okay. I'm not too crazy about looking at most other people's quilts, since I'm not often a fan of their color choices, but it was interesting. Too many people have their quilts sent out for quilting by long arms, I think. I suppose it has its place, but why quilt if you don't actually "Quilt" anything? I did, however, briefly catch a shop owner doing a demo on needle punch embroidery. I'm intrigued. It did, however, seem to be another one of those things that I would enjoy doing, but what in the world would I do with it? We're still contemplating that. The orchid show was fun, but it was too crowded. I would have liked to get some different orchids. I have 2 at present and one is relatively new and the flowers have since died on it. The other one just grows. No flowers. Tsk.

My Boring Boring Blog

Sorry for being so darn boring. But I AM BORED. I have no projects right now. Last time I was at Mom and Dad's, I took my Seaside Rose quilt top, batting and backing all excited to get it basted and I forgot pins and clamps. Moron. So that's still all packed up in a bag waiting for the next trip.

I started a couple Christmas stockings that I'm making out of felt. I found the most perfect shade of blue by chance in JoAnns and I had to buy it. I bought half a yard and discovered that it was just right for two stockings. I wanted to applique some white felt stars on it and add some silver beading, maybe pearls. All of my favorites. I cut them out and I've done some of the beading. I've never managed to get any white felt. I got hung up on wanting to line them in white fabric with blue polka dots that now that I want it, I couldn't find. At least not in the shade of blue that would work right. So I lined one in plain white fabric and sewed it together. Now they are too small and I don't like that fabric as a cuff. They were the perfect size before they were sewed. Crap. So of course I have not made any progress since.

So I tried to work on my green and white quilt. I played a bit with free motion trying to do interlocking figure eights in the centers with a bit of echoing. I know exactly what I want, I just can't make my hands move evenly. So I practiced for awhile on muslin and it works just fine if I do little random stitches. If I try to follow a particular line or make bigger designs it looks ridiculous. So what to do? I love this quilt. I want it to be right.

So I went to both Barnes and Noble and Borders to look up Denyse Schmidt Quilts and The Modern Quilt Workshop to see what the fuss on all the blogs is about. So it was interesting, but I didn't bite. I'd like to read them, but I'm not sure I want to own. Ya know? I had looked at the Denyse Schmidt website and at all her quilts. I even printed out pictures of a couple of them to study. I take a very long time to decide what I think about some things. I didn't know that about myself until I started to quilt. Now I leave my projects lying about for weeks just so I can study them on a whim. If I'm making a quilt, it gets laid out on my floor for weeks until the top is finished. My stockings are currently hanging on my mantel so I can decide what I want to do next. Anyway, I've gotten off track. So I went to look and see what her instructions were on making these quilts, assuming that they would be well, random or something. Instead, for the Drunk Love in a Log Cabin quilt, which I'm intrigued by, I discovered that they are made up of a bazillion tiny templates that you're supposed to enlarge on a copier. I don't think so. Isn't the point of making a wonky square that the process should be wonky? (On a side note, my husband is really rather annoyed by my use of that word - am I the only one thinking its the appropriate term?). Whatever. I still am intrigued. I currently am contemplating Drunk Love, What a Bunch of Squares and just the whole aesthetic in general. I didn't get as much time to look at the Modern Quilt Workshop book, but I'll have to look it up again. I didn't like the designs at first glance as much, but it seemed like maybe they would be more helpful in explaining the process.

Anyway. These quilts are perhaps not my normal thing, but I'd like to try them. I was shopping for solids at Hancocks of Paducah and my next dilemma is that I don't know if the shades are accurate or not. Compare these to these. Not the same. They do have a sample card for sale at Hancocks for $15. Rip-off, if you ask me. I have a problem with paying for the privilege of looking at what you want to sell me. So we're stuck there as well.

I also still have to come up with a solution for the back of Tim and Carol's quilt. I'm tempted to try to do something like one of those quilts to make it reversible, but I think that may be a headache. On the other hand, bubbles and rings appliqued might be a pain as well...

See why I haven't posted? I'm cranky! I want to create something and nothing is coming together for me. On a related subject, my Dad recently gave me this book to read. Its Failing Forward: How to Make the Most of Your Mistakes by John Maxwell. Do you suppose he knows my secret? I can't do anything if I don't think I can do it the way I want?? That it paralyzes me?? Of course he does. I work for him and I do the same thing at work. So now you know my biggest darkest secret.

SHh.

Tedious

I started making some dresden plates last night for my Mom, who wants to use them as coasters for a thing that she's having. They are red and white and will match her china. They turned out quite cute, although cutting and piecing them is rather tedious. Although, what about quiltmaking isn't? So anyway, they're quite little as well. I think if I were to make a quilt out of those, I'd need some bigger templates. Oh, and I can't count worth a darn. I need eight and I only cut out enough of the reds to make four. Moron. So I have to do it again tonight. It will give me something to do.

Chubby Bunny

I stuffed my bunny last night and attached all his limbs. I now know that I don't have a future in bunny-making. The nose was pretty sad. Oh well. He's not too bad. I just have to find some eyes yet.

Craziness about Quilt Backs

So I'm thinking about making a quilt back for Tim & Carol's quilt that would be something different and make it reversible without being too difficult. I don't know if what I'm thinking would be too difficult, considering that I've never done applique, but this is what I'm thinking.

Whaddya think?

Bunnies??

So today I was bored and dragged my husband to JoAnns under the pretenses of picking up a backing and batting for the summer wind quilt. I have been thinking of making something with felt and I've been wanting to try makng either a stuffed rabbit or bear. So I picked up some cute furry felt and I start my first stuffed animal. Stupid me forgot to buy batting for my other quilt and I also forgot to pick up stuffing for the bunny. So he's not stuffed. I also don't have eyes or embroidery thread for facial features. Genius. So I have an excuse to go back, right? So anyway, this is what he looks like. It could go either way at this point. I'm pleasantly surprised at how cute it could be, but I still have to finish it. It could look posessed when I'm done. And I don't quite get how you're supposed to attach all these pieces. I am NOT attempting joints.

Summer Wind is Finished!

This didn't really take very long, did it? I almost wished it had. I don't have anything in particular in the works now that its finished. I guess this means I have to go back and start finishing some quilts. I have to find some backing fabric for the blue and green quilt and I'll have to pick up some batting and muslin for this one. I guess this also means less distractions for me tonight so I can get some work done!

Summer Wind

Doesn't that sound good right now? Its the name of my newest quilt. Its from Moda's 3 Sisters Seaside Rose fabric. The pattern is Miss Rosie's Quilt Company's Summer Wind. I like it. I think I should be declared an expert on half square triangles and quarter square triangles by now. This is my third quilt made from her patterns and I still have on more already bought. Bad bad me.

Of course, this also means I am getting nothing else done. I started this Friday night. I gotta go to work!

Wedding Rings and Mental Blocks

I just finished my little wedding ring quilt. I made this quilt more than a year ago, but I never finished it. Call it mental block. I only had to add eight of the points to the edge of the quilt and then put on the binding, but I let it sit in a pile for over a year. Well, I was at home alone watching the Super Bowl (my husband had to work - boo!) and I didn't have anything in particular to work on, so I pulled it out and I've been working on it since then. I just finished the binding this morning and threw it in the washer.



Funny how perfect it looks in that picture. It is really pretty good, but come on. I still think of myself as a beginner. So, from that perspective, it is great. From my perfectionist position, it sucks. There is some problems with the points, but it's not bad.

Dresden Plates

I just bought some dresden plate quilt templates on eBay. So, I had to whip up a plate real quick to see how they would turn out, since I can't wait for anything. They turned out rather nice, although I can't decide if they're smaller than I wanted to not. I really wanted 12 -segment, rather than 16-segment, which happens to be harder to find than I expected. So this is my block.

Monogram Shmonogram

So I just finished monogramming Tim & Carol's quilt and it turned out just fine. I wanted to make the "B" bigger, but I couldn't see how, since the "T" and "C" couldn't get any smaller and it sure looked like too much overlapping going on to make it bigger. I was afraid to try.

Monster Quilt

I finally finished the top of the the giant quilt that I'm making for my brother's wedding. I turned out pretty well, I think. Its still very different for me, but I think its growing on me. I want to put their monogram in the center of one of the corner blocks, but other than that, its finished. I'll have to wait until I get to Mom and Dad's to get it basted. I don't know what sort of fabric to use for the back, either. Plain white seems boring, but its usually my preference. I'll have to go shopping, I guess.

Monograms and More

I bought a set of monogram designs on eBay on Sunday and they were in yesterday's mail. I played with them on a piece of scrap fabric, but then I just had to try them out, so I started to put it on the back of my green and white quilt. I had done the first initial and started the next, when I went out to the kitchen to grab a drink. When I came back into the living room, my husband said, there's something wrong with your machine. I ran over and the needle had come loose (which it has done before!) and stuck in the fabric and of course, the machine kept going and ripped a nice hole in the back of my quilt. I was so angry. He was sitting right there - surely he heard it fall out and start to rip! That's what I get for walking away. This machine is pissing me off a bit with the needle randomly falling out, but I'm not sure what to do about it. The needle is up in the slot the whole way up and the screw is as tight as I can get it with my fingers. I have never had it fall out of my other machine. This one, however, it has fallen out of half a dozen times. Anyway. I was able to get it to finish the monogram, although it is imperfect. I thought I could go buy a small patch to put on the back of the letter that ripped. OTHER THAN THAT, it turned out rather well. This is the picture.

Simpler Designs

So I'm still wrestling with the design of the embroidering on the green and white quilt. I found this design somewhere online for free a couple weeks ago. Its a bit bigger than what I had (its about 5" and my hoop is only 5 x 7) and its as big as I can get. I thought maybe the simpler design was better.

Embroidery & White Spaces

Today I bought an embroidery design & downloaded it this afternoon after consulting with my husband to get his approval (mustn't get anything he doesn't like, you know). He didn't like the first design I had, since he said it was boring. We both don't want any cutesy hearts. So we settled on a celtic type design. Its smaller than I thought, though. I hooped up the section of the quilt and I was pleasantly surprised how well it worked. I didn't use stabilizer. I don't know if you should or not, but it worked without it. This is how it turned out.

Now I don't know what to do. I think perhaps it ought to be filled in a bit, but I'm not sure exactly how. I'm not a great free motion quilter. Eek. It actually only needs a few lines of echoing going on, I think. I'm afraid to attempt it. Big chicken.

New Venture

So this is it. Its very different. I'm still not sure what I think of it.

This is actually sideways. I ran out of green squares, so its not finished. It will be 8 blocks wide by 9 blocks tall. It should be about 96" x 108" when done. Whaddya think?

Film Developed

I just got my roll of film back from Christmas and I was excited because it had a good picture of the quilt I made for my sister on it. It was just not coming out very clearly in the apartment with a digital camera.

This it. All finished and cleaned up. Ah. Now I want it back.

Another Quilt

I've started another quilt. I know, I know, I have several quilts not finished or whatever, but my brother got engaged over Thanksgiving and has plans for an August wedding. I thought it appropriate to make him a quilt. I have no idea what their tastes might be, so I've decided on a design that I've been contemplating for awhile. Not sure what I think of it, but I'm intrigued. I bought the fabric yesterday for half of it and had to go to another store to get the other half today. So now I'm ironing and starching to get ready to cut it up. This is the design. The colors are a bit off, but I'm sure I'll have the top pieced to show you the actual quilt shortly. These are not exactly the colors - this looks rather neon. The actual colors are periwinkle & celery.

Disturbing News

I was at my nearest JoAnns store today to pick up some quilting thread and there was a note posted on the cash register that the store would be closing in March. Stink, stink, stink!

Now, I'm not in love with JoAnns. In many ways they suck, but, they are still necessary! One can't make every quilt with $9/yard fabric. And where else do you wait for thread to go on 50% off sale before you stock up? But this is my JoAnns. The one that is just so close. Its not as if there aren't any others around, its just that it takes at least 20 minutes with traffic to get to any of them. What other store would I dare roll out of bed, put on a hat and a little makeup and sneak in when it opens to get whatever fabric I need that is on sale before all the crazy ladies come and make it not worth standing in line for?

Embroidery & Quilting

I have no good way to baste quilts here, so when I had to make a trip to my parent's house this past weekend, of course, I bundled up all of the necessary quilt supplies and make a quick trip to JoAnns to pick up my batting and backing fabric. I was in a hurry and I still wanted to use my 40% off coupons on both items, so I ended up picking up just the fabric and then stopping in on Saturday to pick up the batting.

So late on Saturday night, I watched HGTV with my pal, Harley (my parents dog, the sweetest little chihuahua ever) and basted my green & white quilt. I went back home on Sunday morning and after my husband went to work, spent the evening quilting the basic grid lines. Now to figure out how to quilt it - the usual dilemma.

I think that I will do diagonals both directions to cut across all the nine patches and then, I was thinking, perhaps I could use my new machine to embroider a medallion of some sort in all the white "circles" or whatever they're called. Could be neat. I'm rather excited, since i have no idea how I would do that without doing the embroidery. I don't do circles yet. At least not that complicated and certainly not that many times! So, obsessed as I normally am, I spent hours on the internet trying to locate the single perfect medallion embroidery design to download. I haven't found it yet. Grr. Too many quilting designs are in packs and there are quilt "blocks" out the wazoo. I just want one little medallion thats not too sparse, but definitely not too busy. It has to balance with the density of the rest of the quilting. Sheesh. There is one that came programmed on my machine, but it seems too simple.

Wish me luck. I need to get back to my real job.