Another New Project....Sister's Ten Block of the Month

Because I don't have enough projects going on right now (cough, cough), I decided to follow along with an on-line Block of the Month program.  The great thing about this BOM is that it's free. And it only requires a few fat quarters (aka, small cuts of fabric) for the quilt, other than a bit of background fabric.  Since most of the background fabric is not needed until the finishing part of the quilt, which won't be until November & December, I was able to shop my stash and start this project. yay!

The blog that's sponsoring this, Gen X Quilters, describes this quilt as a way to honor the special women in our lives; all the blocks from now until October (that's where the 10 comes from....) are blocks named after special women -- grandmother, sister, mother, etc. -- and right then & there I was hooked; what a perfect quilt to make for two of the special women in my life, my mom & my sister.

With only nine fat quarters (wide quarter-yard cuts of fabric) needed to make the lap-sized variation, where each block finishes as a 9" square, it was easy to find fabrics in my stash and thus still hold true to my "no new fabric until some of these projects are finished."  Luckily I was smart enough not to commit to not adding new projects, just to not buying new fabric. Whew!

Gen X Quilters has all the details on her blog, on the Sister's Ten posts; if you're interested in the nitty-gritty, head over there and read all about it.  There is still time to join in, too, since she'll be leaving this up on-line for a while.

I chose to do a purple themed quilt for my sister, as that color is the awareness color for Chiari Malformation, which she has. A splash of a nice peachy-orange for contrast and color, and I think it will be a beautiful quilt. Since I am shopping only my stash, I also had to coordinate with something that I had enough of to serve as the background fabric; luckily I way overbought when I made the argyle baby quilt, so I have tons of the sweet lavender polka dot that works beautifully in this.

blocks for my sister

For my mom, I'm using the way honkin' extra that I bought when I did my red white & blue quilt; I bought that extra on purpose, because I so loved the fabric. Even after using it for this quilt, I should, hopefully, have enough to make placemats or something for myself still. My mom loves patriotic things; I can remember in all my earliest memories, once I learned to read, a Red Skelton Pledge of Allegiance on the wall in our home; love of country is a big deal to both of my parents, and I know my mom will love having a quilt that represents that (and shares a fabric with my quilt; she'll get a huge kick out of that part!). 

patriotic fabrics for Mom

The first Friday of every month, Gen X Quilters is posting the tutorial for that month's block; I'll post my photos on the last Friday of each month, which will give me time to get them done and keep me accountable to actually doing them. I am so excited to be doing this; to know that in December, I'll have two amazing Christmas gifts for two very special people in my life, and it will have cost me nothing but the batting and backing fabrics (I don't think I have near enough fabric in the background color of either to also be backing fabric, so I'll have to buy that; by then, though, I'll have enough of my other projects done that I can do so without breaking my "no new fabric" rule).  And since it's a Block of the Month, I only have to find time to make 2 blocks per quilt per month; I can fit this project in around all my other projects. Perfect!

all four finished blocks
two for my sister, two for my mom
January is done! Yay!

Have you ever done a Block of the Month quilt? Which one, and did you like it? I'd love to hear about it! 

A Gift for a Friend, and, My 1st FMQ

A dear friend of mine is having a rough time right now, so I whipped up this cheery pot holder/hot pad for her as a little surprise.

a gift for a friend -- the back

a gift for a friend -- the front

Then I decided to do some Free Motion Quilting (FMQ) in the black triangles, to give a little more color. Remind me next time to do a practice piece before trying the real deal, 'kay??

I started by tracing a flower stencil I have, then tried following the lines and quilting a sweet little flower down in one corner. ahem. Key word, tried.

It came out rather....un-flowerish. So I tried to rip out and start over. Again, key word, tried.  The stitches were so tiny and overlapping that I couldn't get sorted how to rip out. On to plan B -- do a nice, gentle, loopy meander over it as cover. That would work!

Well, it would. If I knew how to do a nice, gentle, loopy meander.  I really should have practiced first.

close up of the, ummm, "nice, gentle, looping meander"

It did cover the un-flowerish flower. And it did add some color to the hot pad. And my dear friend will love it just because I made it for her, and it's my first ever "no lines" FMQ, which is only fitting as she also owns the first ever quilt block I made. But I definitely need more practice.

My biggest challenge is that my machine has no speed regulator, and I am having a great deal of trouble getting the pressure on the foot pedal just right to go slow enough I can steer, yet moving the fabric just fast enough that I'm not putting three or four stitches right on top of one another. How people manage this is beyond me; if anyone has tips, I'm all ears.

Do you Free Motion Quilt? How do yours turn out? And, can I just stick with straight lines from now on???? Pretty please???

Auditioning Fabric: Pot Holder

I mentioned in my last post that I shopped my stash and auditioned several fabrics before making the hot pad/pot holder; I thought I'd show a bit of how that went.

First I pulled all the fabrics that somewhat coordinated with the focus fabric and laid them all out, like so:

focus fabric & all coordinating fabrics
at this point, I had already narrowed down my pinks to the single pink shown here.
same with my reds. I was now deciding which combination to use.

Then I tried different combinations of brights and darks, referring to the pattern for placement. Would this work?

I really wanted the brown & turquoise prints to work. 

How about this?

Maybe if I removed the red, and just used the prints with the solid turquoise??

No? Maybe this?

Maybe if I just used one of them??
I played with these a bit more, because I *really* wanted those to work.
They didn't. 

Yes! I think we have a winner....

I finally admitted that I really needed a light, a dark & a bright.
NOT several brights trying to be darks instead.

Fabrics chosen, the pile became the hot pad; yep, I think I chose right.

finished hot pad.
Now I can't imagine it any other way. 

First Finish: Hot Pad for a Swap

When I wrote up my quilting plans for 2013, I don't think I yet realized I was doing a dish cloth swap with some on-line friends.  They all (mostly) knit & crochet, and decided to swap homemade dish cloths, which sounded like fun, but I don't knit or crochet.  The organizer had several people who wanted in the swap who also don't do that particular craft, and luckily there were plenty of ladies willing to receive something other than a dish cloth as their swap item. Yay!

Once I knew that, I jumped right in and offered either 2 mug rugs or one hot pad/pot holder, recipient's choice.  My recipient has a sweet daughter who knits plenty of mug rugs, so she asked for a hot pad. Yay! Only one binding to do instead of two!!! I hate, detest, loathe making binding. I don't even do bias binding, or hand stitch my bindings on small items, and yet I so loathe the process. Just the pressing. I finger press, but I might need to switch to using the iron as I imagine it's easier on the hands, even if it is a pain in the neck to go set it up.

I did a little sleuthing to determine good colors to use (aka, I asked the recipient, since it is not a secret swap) and then looked for a pattern. I found a free download from Quilter's Newsletter, called King's Crown Block (from the June/July 2012 edition of Quilter's Newsletter); this is a 12" block meant to be used in a wall hanging, but I thought it also made a great stand-alone block for a hot pad that will feature as a table  decoration on the center of my recipient's dining table.

King's Crown Block, 12" finished size
June/July 2012 Quilter's Newsletter (free downloadable pattern)
www.QuiltersNewsletter.com

Next I shopped my stash for fabrics that would work. My recipient said she likes reds, oranges and yellows in her kitchen, as well as blues. But this is not going in her kitchen, so I did some more sleuthing (aka, friended her on Facebook so I could see if she had any photos of the inside of her house; she had very few, but enough to get my brain in gear).  I found a beautiful large scale print that I thought would work perfectly, and pulled a selection of coordinating fabrics from all areas of my stash, then I laid them out and auditioned options, considering where I would use each fabric in the block design.

close up of the focus fabric and the coordinating fabrics
I love that I bought all of these at different times, yet the swirls in the pink are the same
red as the fabric and the swirls echo those in the focus fabric; the little flowers in the turquoise echo the
flowers in the focus fabric, and the texture in the red fabric is a great balance to that in the focus fabric as well.
So happy when stash-shopping works out so well!!!

I am so pleased with how it turned out! Enough so that now I want to make one for myself; I am not a huge fan of the current very trendy aqua & red, but this softer turquoise and deeper red, with the grounding of the center focus fabric plus the addition of the patterned pink, makes a very winning combination.

finished product

I used ironing board cover as a heat-proof middle layer and 100% quilter's quality cotton for the hot pad, and I did just very basic "stitch in the ditch" (aka, stitch alongside the seam lines) quilting. Since it's to be used as a resting place for hot pots, pans, etc., I thought that less quilting was better; also, if she ever wants to, it can be folded and used as a pot holder for removing hot things from the oven.  Too much quilting would make it difficult to fold easily.  I have a hot pad done similarly, by a good friend back home, and I am grateful she did her quilting the same way; mine gets very heavy use, and I hope this one will to, when it reaches its new owner.

Of course, I ran out of the red thread near the end and had to switch to beige. And, because I was scared to flip it over when doing the binding, the top/front got the beige stitching. I did use a zig zag over the initial straight stitch to help keep it pretty, and I think it's a soft enough color that it doesn't detract by too much.

 Now, on to that quilting plan....my son would really like me to finish his quilt sometime this year.......

Quilt Plans for 2013

Happy 2013, Everyone! I hope the new year is finding you happy and busy and ready to move on to new projects! I know I am!!

I have a closet full of projects waiting to be started or finished, and am committing this year to finish all of those before I buy new fabric for new projects. This is because I also have an even longer list of other projects I want to do "one day" but do not have the budget to keep buying fabric if it is just going to hide in the closet! So, must finish some of these first.

my current stash closet, organized by project
top left shelf is now a finished tree skirt!!! 

Also high on the list --- get a better sewing table. I thought I would love having a separate sewing room, but I don't, not entirely. I do love having a place to store and organize everything; that part is fabulous. I do not love needing to go off into the far back of the house, away from everything and everybody, to cut, press or sew. Perhaps if I did not also still have young(ish) children, this would not be an issue. But I do, so it is.

While I was frantically working on the Argyle Baby Quilt, my sweet husband let me take over the patio table and move it into the living room so I could work without having to clear the dining table between every meal. Since the baby quilt was for his sister's baby, he was enthusiastic about me finishing it. Since he let me bring in the table, I've managed to convince him that I need a permanent sewing table, in the living room/great room, instead of being sent back to the sewing room. Because he likes having me around in the same room while he does boy stuff with the boys, he agreed. Now I just need a better table.....

my current table set up.
Must get bigger table.

As for quilting projects, there are a lot I'm working on or need to work on. First up for 2013 is to finish the comic strip quilt. For a refresher, here's the EQ7 sketch I made. The left and right panels are totally done, the frames for the middle section are ready, waiting for the comics to be printed on fabric so I can frame them, and 2.5 of the 4 pieced borders are done. I am estimating about one week's worth of sewing time for finishing the top, then I need to buy batting so I can quilt it. I already have backing & binding fabric ready to go.

comic strip quilt
black section - done
white section - done
side borders - done
top border - half done
frames for middle section - done

Once I finish the Comic Strip Quilt, I plan to start (and finish) the Brazil Quilt. I've been dreaming this quilt for a long time now, and I'm out of excuses for stalling. I have the pattern drawn up in EQ7. I have freezer paper so I can (gulp!) paper piece the way Jules taught me, if I need to. I have all the fabric, and probably more than I need. I even have an Architectural Challenge from the ladies over at the TQS Forums, who say that a quilt based on tiled sidewalks counts as architecturally inspired, which gives me an April 1 deadline. I *must* get this quilt started. So, it's next, right after the Comic Strip Quilt.

most recent coloring of Brazil Quilt, though it has since been tweaked a little more
I have the pattern drawn in EQ7, all fabrics purchased, ready to go....

Assuming I finish the Brazil Quilt, or more than likely I'll work on this in between, I want to do my middle son's quilt as well. I have some of the fabric for it, but not all. I do not yet have it drawn out, but still, I'd really love to finish it for him before it gets too cold here, roughly June-ish. We'll see what happens....he knows what he wants, I just haven't drawn it for him yet.

the cat fabrics for my middle son's quilt
he wants a Legend of Zelda in the center of the front, in a green background
then a cat face in the center of the back
then cat fabrics making up the border.
this is as far as I've gotten so far......

Sometime next after that I'll do the Radiant Suns quilt. I'll be tweaking it a bit, adding a few star blocks here and there and using my birthday fabric for the backing.  I decided that the Sun Moon Stars quilt I designed would just be too much and so instead, I'll incorporate a few of those stars into the Radiant Suns quilt and call it good.  I don't have a firm deadline on this, and it's most likely to get shoved over to 2014, but I really hope I finish it this year.

photo courtesy Heartsong Quilts website
the only purchased pattern in the list of quilts for 2013,
the rest are my original design.
and I'll be tweaking this one a bit as well....

After that, or again, this is probably one I'll work on in between everything, is to finish the Diary Quilt. I have all the blocks done, just waiting for sashing and then assembly. I need to find and buy backing fabric and binding fabric, but I have all I need for the top. I am hoping to have it finished by October. Yes, even with everything else that's going on. Yes, I'm a little ambitious.

Oh, except what I really want to do is finish the top in time to take to the US and mail to my personal long arm quilter, Jules, so she can quilt it for me, because even if I get all these other quilts done I don't think I'll still trust my quilting ability to do what I want on the Diary Quilt. I have some specific custom quilting I want on it, and some not specific, and, well, I think I'll send it to her. So hopefully she'll have it done by October. :) Which is another reason to not buy fabric this year, so I can save my budget for paying for long arm services instead.

layout for the diary quilt
all blocks are done, just need to be sashed, then triangles added and borders
then sent to Jules so she can quilt it :)

Whew! After all of that, I'm done. Well, I do have a tiny little wall hanging I'm working on for next Christmas. And a Block of the Month (Sister's Ten at Gen X Quilters) that I'm hoping to work on all year. And a few small things here and there...hot pads and maybe place mats and stuff like that.....but other than that, just those quilts. Five quilts in one year......two are lap/throw sized, one is twin sized, one full sized (but mostly already done) and one queen size (again, mostly already done). I can manage that. I think.

What are your projects or goals for the year? 

Ready for Christmas!! (tree skirt is done!)

It's done, it's done!!!

Finally this weekend I had time to sit down and finish putting the binding together and get it on the tree skirt. I had to sew lots of long strips of green fabric together in order to make one really super long strip, then cut the slit & circle in the tree skirt so it would fit around the tree, then sew the really super long strip to all the outside edges (and the edges of the slit and around the circle in the middle). Whew!  But, I got up early on Sunday and finished it while everyone slept. Took me about an hour, including making the ties and putting those on. That circle was a little difficult!!

finished! 

Since this is just a tree skirt, I did cheat and just pin/clip it in place and sew one time by machine. None of that "sew onto the front, then fold and fold again so it wraps around, then hand sew with invisible stitches on the back so it doesn't show up at all...." stuff. Not for something that will only ever live on the floor below the tree, covered in presents.  I am just not that into the finishing details, and the little stitches that show on the binding (that wrapped edge) don't bother me anyway. If I ever want to enter a quilt into a quilt show, I'm in trouble....

While I was making the tree skirt, it reached a size I felt was good so I decided to skip adding the called-for borders. Seeing it under the tree, with plenty of room for gifts and all but not sticking out far enough that we are stepping on it, I'm glad I made that call. That's what freed up extra fabric for the stockings, too, so definitely a win-win.

in place under the tree....(lights are turned off)
(the kids decorate the tree.....)

And, bonus -- this is the same pattern as Dad & Kim's tree skirt (which she made several years ago) and was a gift from them, so every time I pull this out in years to come, I'll have a sweet reminder of some very special people in my life. Thanks again, you guys!! I absolutely love it!!

plenty big enough for gifts without 4" more on every side!

The Stockings are hung....

I did it! I made homemade stockings for us this year!! I've wanted to do this for some time, since I first started sewing by hand. Actually, before that, when my sister made awesome stockings for her family using recycled (or upcycled, I should say...) men's dress shirts. Oh my word, those were darling!!! I don't have a picture, but trust me --- a more gorgeous, sweet, vintage-feel Christmas stocking you have never seen. -sigh-

Alas, at the time, I had zero sewing skills, and she and I lived too far apart for it to be practical of me to demand she make stockings for us, too. Drat those miles!!! But, inspired it left me, and now I've done it! And these say "our family" so much more even than my sister's adorable stockings would have (though her version says "her family" perfectly...).

It all started with a tree skirt, actually. A gorgeous fabric for the back of the tree skirt, to be precise. A fabric I couldn't bear to waste on something that would never see anything but the floor. So I decided it had to be in stockings, too. I left the borders off the tree skirt, and then gave the boys a choice of fabric (gulp!) and so I had enough. I now have enough left over to make a table runner or Christmas place mats or something, too. Woot!!

front of the tree skirt;
I still need to make and apply the binding...(and cut the center hole)

Isn't this fabric beautiful?!

the back
isn't that just way too pretty to only ever see the floor????

The stockings came about slowly. I let each boy choose what I would applique to the front of the stocking. I wasn't planning to let them choose their fabric, but one boy just matter-of-factly asked for a specific fabric and I couldn't say no. I had several scraps (all from the tree skirt, so they all coordinate nicely) and one blue Christmas fat quarter I bought a while ago. The blue doesn't coordinate as perfectly, but it works. So I set about taking orders.

The Artist was most definite about what he wanted --- a present on the front. A blue present, with a white ribbon. And a cat popping out. And the cuff should be candy cane striped. No problem, right? Right. Or, well, it wasn't easy, and it took forever, but I did it, because how could I not?

The stripes, by the way, are made from half-square triangle scraps left over from the tree skirt cutting. I joined the triangles into squares, then carefully arranged them to make the diagonal stripes. Then added more when I realized that the rows shrank (darn seam allowances!). He loves it, that's all that matters.

the Artist's cat stocking
and The Adventurer's santa stocking

The Adventurer was set on one thing and one thing only; Santa Claus. Oye. Not complicated at all, dear, no. Sure I can applique a Santa for you! Totally!! Oye. I am so glad that over on The Quilt Show forums they mentioned using washable glue stick to hold down seams, applique, etc. Lifesaver!! I cut and glued all the pieces and then just did a raw-edge applique with the machine. Whew! Felt for the cuffs and beard and such.

The Writer wanted a cross, to show the real meaning of Christmas. Yes, normally symbolized by a manger at this time of year, but the message is the same. Easy, and not bad looking, I hope. Whew!

Mr. Snowman and The Writer's cross

The Chemist really had no preference except he wanted the blue fabric. Of course. I came up with the idea to do a Mr. and Mrs. Snowman on his and mine, used the gorgeous fabric for each of our cuffs, and used some of the red for mine since no one else had picked red yet. By the time I got to mine, I finally had down exactly how to attach those darn cuffs! I really should have found a good pattern to use.....

The nativities that line the mantel come from around Brazil. I've decided I'm collecting them. It started with the plain white one, which was a gift from my mom one year ages ago. Then here the first one I added was the tree with the manger scene inside it; that's by the same artist who did the world tree that heads up the blog. Love his stuff. Love the juxtaposition of a secular symbol and a Christian symbol. Sweet! The next I got was the little 2 story one with doors that open; that came from the local craft fair.  Then I added the colorful clay one with the flying doves overhead (anyone know why the doves???) which came from an art gallery in Paraty.  After that I got the glass one at a nearby city that specializes in blown glass, and the 2 little tiny ones on the end are from our US trip this summer, from the Mt. Rushmore area. I still want to return to Natal and add one from there, although we mostly saw sets of the 3 wise men there. I didn't snag one on our first trip up there.....

nativities and mantel

and the tree, waiting for the tree skirt....

How do you decorate for Christmas?