Fat Quarters

Road to California

2012-01-22T22:05:00.000-08:00

My new work in progress. A fat quarter bag made after the Fat Quarter Bag Class with Linda McGehee. I enjoyed the class, and learned two new zipper techniques, which is exciting. The bags we made for the class were from a kit, so we didn't get to pick our fabrics. When I got home, I immediately started another bag (see above) made from the fabrics I picked up at the show.

Chains of Hope Class

2010-11-07T11:48:00.000-08:00

My chains are red, background blue. I really liked the rainbow pattern from the original, but I didn't have enough variety in my stash to do it, especially the black and whites - which I'm sorely lacking.

The teacher's display

Grace Sturdy Lite Machine Quilting Frame

2010-10-27T10:36:00.000-07:00

Not too far down the road, I'm looking at maybe investing in a quilting frame. I am interested in the Grace Sturdy Lite Machine Quilting Frame, most obviously, because of the price. It's definitely well within the affordable category, and I can see how much more prolific I could be if the whole pinning on my kitchen floor and fighting with the quilt balled up in my machine process could be avoided...

Thoughts? Anyone use/own one of these before? Any other similarly priced alternatives? I've still got to buy my sewing table, but this is definitely on my list.

QAYG

2010-10-27T08:09:00.001-07:00

Once my friends start having kids, I have a feeling this is going to be a very easy go-to method for making little blankets to bring to baby showers :)

Do You Live in Baltimore?

2010-10-25T08:27:00.000-07:00

If so, and you enjoy quilting with modern fabrics, then consider joining the Baltimore Modern Quilt Guild. I recently joined the sister branch in DC, and I really enjoyed going to my first event. I love the concept of online guilds where people can interact a lot more often than a once a month traditional guild meeting. We organize events, but the online function gives us far more opportunities to reach out and share photos, ideas, or ask for advice :)

New Fabric!

2010-10-21T18:07:00.001-07:00

Ordered some awesome new solid fabric from Connecting Threads!

Got some fat-eighth sampler packs, a bunch of fat quarters, and 2 yards each of black and white for background fabric. At $3.96 a yard, these gorgeous colors are so worth it!

Borders!

2010-10-11T08:44:00.000-07:00

I finally got some sewing done! I added borders on my applique practice quilt. If you recall I was just making this quilt as a way to practice applique. I just plan to use it as a lap quilt for watching tv with the kitty. I added some borders from my favorite polka dot fabric.

I think it looks pretty good for what it is. Now if I could only find my batting I could keep going... grrr moving really throws everything off! Oh well, at least I got some sewing done.

Yesterday I went to two quilt shops in Virginia to pick up patterns for the two classes I'm taking. I went to The Artful Quilter to pick up my pattern and materials for the Sophia Carry-All. I saw the sample and it's absolutely adorable! Plus it has a lot of new techniques for me. Adding a covered zipper, adding piping, and working with 3 types of interfacing I've never used before. Should be a great, challenging class.

Then I went to the Quilt Patch in Fairfax, VA. I got the book that we will be working from, and wandered around. I was going to allow myself to buy some fabric, but I didn't really see anything that grabbed me. I had liked some of the fabric at The Artful Quilter, but I may visit a few Maryland quilt shops to see if I like anything better for my carry-all bag.

Another Class Registration & Sewing Table Options

2010-10-05T10:40:00.000-07:00

I signed up for another quilting class at a different quilt shop in VA. It's for a Drunkard's Path variant, which if you've read my blog in the past, is a pattern I've been dying to learn! I love the semi-circular patterns, but I have no clue how to sew with circles, so I'm super excited about this course.

I'm also trying to get my sewing area set up in my apartment. I brought no furniture with me to Vermont since the apartment was furnished, so when I moved down here to DC, I had no furniture. In my infinite wisdom, I decided it'd be awesome to buy a bar-height dining room table and chair set... which means I cannot sew in my dining room. *facepalm*

So. I decided to buy a sewing table, because if I'm going to have to spend $, why buy a generic desk. I don't have much money to spend, so cost is an issue. I also don't have a large amount of space in my apartment, so portable tables are definitely an option, so long as they're sturdy enough. A fellow blogger expressed her satisfaction with the Sew Ezi table, but the price isn't quite right for a recent grad. I found a similar table concept that seems to have gotten good reviews on a number of sites. I like that it is portable, folds up, and that the drop-in machine piece is adjustable to accommodate for a variety of different machines. Seems versatile, apartment-friendly, and the price is right. Anyone have any experience with the Arrow 98601 Gidget Sewing Table?

Amy Butler Bag Workshop!

2010-10-04T12:37:00.000-07:00

I have signed up for my first quilting class in AGES! I'm so excited to take the Sophia Carry-All Class in November at The Artful Quilter in VA. Apparently I snagged the last available seat in the class - thank goodness I decided to call right away instead of waiting.

This is a link to the information about the pattern on the AB website. I have always loved Amy Butler designs, and its my first time taking a class based on one of the AB patterns. It includes a zipper, which will be great practice for me, since I've only sewn about 1-2 zippers total in my time as a quilter.

I also joined the DC Modern Quilt Guild. An online guild for quilters in DC. They have occasional meetings at The Artful Quilter, among other places. Hopefully it will be an opportunity for me to meet other quilters in the area!

Update!

2010-09-14T11:14:00.000-07:00

Sorry I've abandoned this blog lately - I just spent the last month and a half moving and getting settled into a new job and life in Washington, DC. I have not had internet in my apartment, which greatly hinders posting! I also haven't got a space set up to quilt in, though I hope to do so soon.

I'm in the market for a quilt guild in the area, since I find joining clubs and guilds helps when you're new in town. You can make friends, and instantly find a place where you may not know anyone, but know you've got something in common to bond over. It's always good for me to find the local quilters and birders when I'm in a new place.

Here's to hoping I'll be fully settled in and back to sewing soon!

Rain Rain, Go Away...

2010-06-16T07:58:00.000-07:00

I desperately want to make a raincoat after seeing a fellow blogger's post about the adorable raincoat they made. Here's a great resource for sewing with coated fabrics. Maybe someday I'll be able to make a project like this...

Breaking the Dry Spell

2010-05-04T16:22:00.001-07:00

I've been on quite a quilting dry spell. I broke it today procrastinating for finals. I worked a bit on the tree quilt. It's at an ugly stage, but I have faith that as it progresses it will get better again.

Christmas Quilt

2010-02-09T16:10:00.000-08:00

The original quilt was made for me by a family friend when I was a baby. Over the years of use, it acquired a large blue ink stain on it. My cousin took out the portion that was stained, and put in it's place, the star block that you see, and added new borders to replace the ruffles that had been there before.

Now I'm re-quilting the top with a fresh backing and new cotton batting to replace the old puffy polyester filling. I did stitch in the ditch for the majority of it, but I may add in some free motion quilting in the star, and a bit more quilting along the squares.

Skirt-Making

2010-01-27T09:23:00.001-08:00

I have somehow gotten a wild hair and am dying to make a skirt. Sew Mama Sew has a great listing of skirt tutorials to pick from... how to choose??

Eco-Plates

2010-01-25T09:27:00.000-08:00

Check out this amazing disposable dinnerware - made from fallen leaves! Very eco-friendly!

Cookies and Some New Fabric

2010-01-24T13:48:00.000-08:00

A few days ago, I stopped in to my local quilt shop since I was picking up my meds next door. I found a few fabrics that seemed promising as borders for my quilts, but I'll have to bring in the tops I've got finished so I can get going on them.

Since my cousin taught me to always buy a little something to support your local shop, I picked up two fat quarters of a fabric that really caught my eye. It's a black fabric with maple leaf shaped silhouettes on it, in orange, golden yellow, and shiny gold. I'm such a sucker for gold on black patterns. Can't wait to figure out what to do with them.

I played with a recipe from KAF, called the Mother Cookie. It's a bare-bones plain drop cookie recipe, meant to be used as a starting point for customizing your own drop cookie recipe. I subed in a bit of hazelnut flour and added in chocolate chips into mine. I'm going to have to tinker with the recipe a bit, but they were pretty yummy.

Also, I've been thinking a lot about trying hand-dyeing fabric. I'd especially like to try the snow dyeing technique that so many people are blogging about right now, maybe I'll order a kit...

Vermont Shop Hop

2010-01-19T10:54:00.000-08:00

Kiinda want to participate in this, maybe I can find some guild members who'd do it with me...

On a Roll Today

2010-01-18T16:12:00.000-08:00

For some reason I am on a quilting streak. Must be the long weekend allowing me to relax and get the creativity going =) I started a funky wall hanging. It's purple scrappy square background with a white tree made from snowflake fabric I love, and then probably birds appliqued onto the branches as well. We'll see how it develops and changes. Without a pattern to follow it can be whatever I want!!

Word Lap Quilt Minus Borders

2010-01-18T11:59:00.000-08:00

Finished the Word lap quilt top, without borders yet of course. I need to find a black print, or perhaps a green if I can find the right shade...

The bird is my favorite part :)

Stuffed Animals and Applique

2010-01-17T16:30:00.000-08:00

I went to JoAnn's today since they were having a sale. Bought a fabric gluestick for my applique, then got some fleece in animal print and mousey gray for making stuffed animals. I came across the cutest blog post about making stuffed toys, had to try it. Bought some black buttons to use as eyes and noses, for older kids, not small children or cats.

My "applique practice" Word lap quilt. Trying to decide what else to put on.

My kitty "monster" filled with catnip and stuffing for my real kitty

More Progress and a Few Setbacks

2010-01-15T12:50:00.000-08:00

Well I got all my little 5 in squares sewn into 4 or 6 patches. It looks more cohesive already. I was cutting out my freezer-paper applique templates and sliced my finger with my rotary cutter. It didn't hurt too badly, but it bled like a stuck pig, and I apparently have no band-aids in the house. Oops.

The quilting gods must have wanted me to stop for the day, because I then searched for gluesticks, and the only one I could find was so dried out and shriveled that even slicing off the end wouldn't revive it. So, applique will have to wait for another day...

New Helper!

2010-01-14T08:56:00.000-08:00

I went to a few animal shelters Monday and Tuesday, and finally, at the Addison County Humane Society in Middlebury, Vermont, I found my new roommate. She's an 8 year old, previously declawed female. She is a bit of a scaredy cat, but she's been an absolute love bug.

I've got a new project working, just a lap quilt for me to keep so I can practice skills. It's just little 5in squares I got from Moda, mixed in with a few 5in squares I already had. I'm sewing them together, then I'm going to practice some freezer-paper applique techniques to embellish the quilt.

Guess They Like It

2010-01-07T05:13:00.000-08:00

My parents seem to be using the lap quilt I made for them. Caught my dad sleeping under it. Mom's modeling it for the camera to show the binding added on.

Goals for 2010

2010-01-06T09:53:00.000-08:00

I fly back to Vermont from sunny gorgeous Southern California tonight. While I'll be sad to leave my family and the gorgeous sunshine, I'm excited to get back to my apartment and my sewing corner (can't rightfully call it a studio). I decided to lay out specific project goals for when I return here.

Learn to put zippers in my purses
Make a bag with a flap to cover opening
Add zippered pockets into a bag
Try my hand at pieced and appliqued circles
Try the "quilt as you go" technique
Find a class for an "art quilt"

New Year, New Quilts

2010-01-01T12:27:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year all. I hope 2010 will be as good a year as 2009 was to me. My resolution is to try my hand at the quilt-as-you-go technique! What's yours?

Keeping with the Retro Theme...

2009-12-15T13:16:00.000-08:00

I made a purse today using a retro-y canvas upholstery fabric and the Fat Quarter Handbag pattern at Sew Mama Sew. I added a magnetic snap in, which I was excited about. The package came sans directions, weird, so I found this quick tutorial for reference. It was a smooth, easy process, and I really like the purse, I do think that in hindsight, a rectangular handle would have probably been a better fit, but it's cute and surprisingly error-free for my first try at the pattern - guess that's a kudos to a well-written tutorial!

Cute Top

2009-12-14T16:56:00.000-08:00

I found an adorable tutorial by Sew Mama Sew. Just had to give it a try. Don't know if I followed it exactly, I was a bit confused at points, but I finally understand how to do pleating, it seems to have turned out okay. After finishing the first top and knowing what my mistakes were, I decided to try a second one. This time I got adventurous and added ruffles after referencing this tutorial which cleared up my confusion from the other tutorial's directions.

The ruffles really added to the top, and the cuts to allow armpit space were really necessary. I love the second try! Sorry for the myspace-style self portrait, but it was the easiest way to show the shirt. Isn't it cute?!

All I Want for Christmas...

2009-12-11T09:06:00.000-08:00

Is a long-arm machine. haha, machine quilting on my regular sewing machine is a bitch. I love machine quilting, but I have to imagine a long arm would make it soooo much smoother and easier... someday.

Machine Quilting on Vermont Leaves Quilt Started

2009-12-09T20:03:00.000-08:00

As the title suggests, I got the machine quilting started on my fall leaves quilt. It's far from perfect, in fact there are some spots, especially the free-motion areas, that are downright ugly... but I'm happy to be doing it myself and getting the practice down. So far there are no fatal flaws like giant bunches in the backing or anything. I did all the bordering stitch in the ditch lines and did the border and outer edge so there are no more safety pins in it. Tomorrow I will add some more free-motion in the outer blocks, and I'll have to think about whether or not I want to do anything in the border. I kinda like how it looks pillowy without anything in it...

First Snow Storm!

2009-12-09T07:43:00.000-08:00

Well it's my first snow storm in Vermont. Luckily I bought backing fabric for the quilt top I finished, so I have plenty to do. I made biscotti yesterday, so at the moment I'm enjoying some hot cocoa and homemade vanilla biscotti and watching the snow fall!

Vermont Scrappy Leaves

2009-12-02T17:08:00.000-08:00

Finally finished the "Vermont-y" quilt top I started in when I moved here. Tried to take a decent photo, but for some reason the lighting was just terrible. Maybe during the day I can take it outside for a better shot. It's clearly super scrappy. For the center I used the leftovers from the strips that were used in the leaf blocks.

And with borders added to tie it together:

Beautiful Stars

2009-12-02T13:04:00.000-08:00

My cousin is the quilter who inspired me to start my own quilting. Here's a gorgeous quilt she made while using my apartment as a temporary studio during my time in England. My mother is very into rustic colors, and stars - here's just a hint of what they came up with.

The quilting was done by Madeleine Vail, who also did the machine quilting on my very first quilt =) The combination of their work together is simply stunning, as always.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-26T06:32:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone is enjoying a beautiful meal with their families, or friends.

I have to admit I'm a little disappointed that its not snowy and cold today. I had images in my head of my first white holidays. I won't be on the east coast for Christmas since I'm going home, so I was hoping for a snowy Turkey Day... oh well, as I've heard before, we'll soon have plenty of snow and I'll be sick sick sick of it. Yeah yeah, bring it on!

Here's an old post from my other blog about the mascot of this food-filled day, the turkey =)

Enjoy~

Thanksgiving Pies and Rolls

2009-11-25T14:26:00.000-08:00

Well it's not quilts, but tis the season for baking! My other favorite past time besides quilting is cooking. (I'm a regular Holly Homemaker at 21).

I have the good fortune to live near King Arthur Flour's Baking Education Center. I try to sneak away from my law school classes to get some baking in. I figure even though it takes time away from studying and the courses are pricey, it's worth the education while I'm so close, and besides, cooking is as cathartic as sewing is for me.

Today's class was called Thanksgiving Take-away Pies & Rolls. We made pie crust from scratch, which I had never attempted before, then filled it with pear and cranberry filling, and topped it with an almond streusel. Mmmmm!

Our rolls were delicious Tender Chive Crescents. They where choc-full of butter and sour cream. Not a low-cal roll. As the instructor said, Thanksgiving is not about counting calories! I tasted one of them, and they're delicious. The pie and the rest of the rolls will be coming with me to Thanksgiving dinner at my law school's Dean of Student's home. Those of us who couldn't fly home for the extremely short holiday were invited into her home for the meal so we could spend it with friends. I am excited to be contributing a pie and I hope I'll have enough rolls to share!

NLQG Bingo Block

2009-11-20T14:11:00.001-08:00

For my next quilt guild meeting we were supposed to make bingo blocks to play quilt bingo. After the game the blocks will be sewn together to make a community quilt to go to someone in need. Fun huh?

Flannels?

2009-11-19T06:24:00.000-08:00

Since putting a question out there worked so well for me with zippers, I thought I'd ask if anyone knows a really good store (with a website to order from) that sells a wide variety of flannel fabrics? I've been to some incredible quilt shops, but I'm never that impressed with the selection of flannel fabrics to choose from. I would love to order some good flannels to make some blankets for the long winter ahead.

My First Zippered Pouch!

2009-11-13T11:38:00.001-08:00

I made a little coin purse today based on the pattern from twelve22. Thanks for the responses to my request for zipper tutorials. It took maybe 15 minutes, was super easy, and turned out adorable except for the small detail that I guessed wrong on which way my directional fabric should face- my peace signs are upside down - oh well, I still think its a successful first zipper attempt!

How to Put a Zipper into a Bag?

2009-11-12T11:41:00.000-08:00

Hi all, has anyone come across, or be willing to write, a good tutorial on how to make a bag with a zipper in the top? I've been making a lot of bags lately, and I would love to take them to the next step with a zipper, but I don't know how.

Help?

New Purse and Wallet

2009-11-11T14:37:00.000-08:00

It seems like in graduate school all I have time to make are small projects that can be completed in a day. Today I decided it was time for a new small purse with a matching wallet. I experimented with using thin cardboard (cereal box) for stiffness since I didn't have interfacing. Poor choice in retrospect, slightly too stiff. But still, it did the job this time around.

Practice Pillowcase

2009-11-09T10:26:00.000-08:00

Last night I made a pillowcase pattern I found to see how easy it would be as a Christmas gift idea. I just used some fabrics that were given to me to use for practicing on. I think it turned out pretty good, and I was surprised at how much fabric it needed.

Fall Leaves and Log Cabins Quilt

2009-09-20T16:38:00.000-07:00

In honor of moving to Vermont, I've started a scrappy "fall leaves" quilt.

I got six blocks done =) It felt good to be starting a new quilt. As much as I love making bags, there are a lot of skills that get honed every time I start a new quilt.

New Project!

2009-09-02T19:42:00.000-07:00

To ease myself back into quilting again, I've decided a bag will be a safe project. I've done the pattern at least 6 times, so its familiar enough to jog my memory as I move through the steps.

I chose black & white floral, and a lavender solid for the body of the bag, with a black and white and lavender Cypress block for the outside pocket design. Thinking solid black for the handles, we'll see.

In Vermont!

2009-08-28T06:30:00.000-07:00

Hey all,

I'm back, but this time I'm in Vermont. I've moved here and begun my first week of school at Vermont Law School. A bumpy start to say the least, but I absolutely love it here! I got my quilt studio set up, and once I get some more fabrics stashed away, and pick up some batting, I'll be ready to get going!

Hello again and check back, I'll be posting and sewing again soon!

So Long for the Summer

2009-06-13T08:59:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm a little torn. I will be off to Catalina Island to spend the summer as a Educational Naturalist for the Catalina Island Conservancy. Im thrilled and it should be a great summer. On the other hand, I can't bring my sewing machine since we'll be in an outdoor campground, so I will be relegated to a summer without quilting :( booo

When I arrive in Vermont in the fall I will have to quilt up a storm to compensate. In other news, my first quilt arrived back from the quilter today. Due to it's size and my time constraints, she also did the binding for me. It's absolutely gorgeous and I will try to remember to get a photo before I leave to show you all how it turned out.

Happy Quilting,

Leigh

Finished the Twisted Bargello Top!

2009-06-06T22:10:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the terrible, quality, I forgot my camera so this is a cell phone pic until I can get back to my studio to take real pictures. Here's the finished top! Minus borders of course.

More Bargello Progress

2009-06-06T06:31:00.000-07:00

We added a few more rows Thursday. Hopefully we can add some more this afternoon. We're pushing to finish before I graduate and move away for my summer job.

Bargello Progress

2009-06-03T00:22:00.000-07:00

A lot more un-sewing than is necessary, even in a bargello, today. I overdosed myself on caffeine and it definitely messed with my brain. Even so, we're 20 strips in, 15 more to go!

Another Tote for a Friend

2009-05-25T19:58:00.000-07:00

I made yet another tote for a girlfriend of mine. This one goes to USC, so of course I had to grab the JoAnn's USC fabric and made her a school bag.

Bargello Progress

2009-05-23T15:45:00.001-07:00

I promised photos, so here's the first 14 rows of my Twisted Bargello rainbow batik quilt. Marsh and I added 4 more rows, bringing us to 14 of 35.

Iron Burn

2009-05-22T11:25:00.001-07:00

So about a week ago, as I was making my purse, I burned the crap out of my arm. It's about 2 inches long, and two inches from my elbow on the inside of my arm. It blistered up and a day or two ago the blister burst, it dried out and now the top layer flaked off. I'm told this is a rite of passage for quilters - talk about an initiation ritual - my cousin and aunt have burns in the exact same spot. Where have you burned yourself?

Dress with No Pattern

2009-05-20T08:16:00.000-07:00

So Monday afternoon I got a wild hair, and decided to make a dress. I had no pattern, I've never used one before and I don't know how to read them. I just grabbed some fabric and started cutting. It was from the cheap fabric bin my cousin put aside for me to practice new techniques with. I had no idea how to put in a zipper, so I put in snaps in the back, and I don't know how to do darts so the fact the sides fit as flat as they do is a miracle. I had no mannequin so I was constantly putting it on and taking it off as I made changes, but I have to say, I've never had a dress so tailor-made to fit me! I like how it turned out, and while I don't know how sturdy it is, I think I might wear it for my college graduation in about three weeks =)Here's the end result:

So in other news, I have been working on the Twisted Bargello with my cousin. We used rainbow batiks and so far it's coming out gorgeously. We have it about a third of the way done. We probably won't work on it again until friday, but I'll try and take some photos then.

Jess' Tote

2009-05-17T21:13:00.000-07:00

I made yet another tote. This one is for my friend Jessica. She rides horses so I wanted something horsey, that wasn't country. I decided on flowers and horseshoes. I think it came out cute, I hope she agrees! I also learned to make buttonholes with my automatic buttonhole foot. It was ridiculously simple, I can now put buttons on anything!!! =) Of course I took advantage of my new knowledge and added a buttoned inner pocket on her bag. Good practice and too perfect.The block I used for the front pocket is Maple StarView of the horseshoe lining and the pocket with the button

My Own Purse!

2009-05-15T08:32:00.000-07:00

I made myself one of the tote bags I've been cranking out, with a few minor changes. I made the body of the bag smaller and the handles shorter so it's a purse that tucks under my arm, instead of a tote bag. I also decided against a pocket on the outside even though I like them, I just thought it would detract from the cool pattern in the blocks.

The blocks are from a project my cousin did in 2000 for a class, I think she called it Noodle Soup? Anyway, she never used the blocks and I asked her if I could make a quilt out of them, for practice and because they're so beautiful. She agreed, but there were many more blocks than I used for the quilt, so I decided I wanted a bag too!

The wallet is based loosely off a tutorial from That*Darn*Kat. It has cash and credit card slots, and the only thing I would have wanted was a place for coins, but I don't know how to add zippers yet. I still need to figure out what I'm going to do as a closure, maybe I can sneak a snap on there, there's a pocket behind the credit cards, so I could probably do that if I tried... hmmmm.

The wallet from the inside

I also want to add a closure to the bag to make it more secure, I'm thinking I'll add an elastic loop to the back and a button on the front for a loop closure. If I knew how to do zippers I'd do that, but I don't know how to do zippers or buttonholes!

The bag from the inside, using more of the blocks as pockets

Tote Ideas

2009-05-11T13:18:00.001-07:00

Well I think I need to make a tote for myself! Katie looked so cute carrying her panda tote today. I think I want to applique a bird on the pocket of mine. Katie has pandas, my mom has tomatoes, I want a bird!

Mother's Day Weekend Quilting

2009-05-10T22:29:00.000-07:00

This was quite a prolific weekend for me. I took a bag class Saturday, which resulted in an adorable tote bag which I will be sending to my Aunt on Monday as a belated mother's day gift since the fabrics make me think of her.Beachy Tote for my Aunt Libby

I finally, finally, made the panda tote, using the same pattern, for my friend Katie. She's really into pandas so I've been promising a quilted panda tote forever.

Katie's Panda Tote

I worked on the blocks for the surprise quilt I'm making my other aunt, using blocks her daughter (my cousin) made over 9 years ago for a class. Teamwork tackling a UFO.

UFO Quilt

Last, I began, but didn't finish a bag for my mom with tomato patterns on it for when she goes to the grocery store. She picked out her fabrics and sat with me while I worked on it. I also made her scones for breakfast. It was a fun Mother's Day.

Mom's In-Progress Tomato Tote

bargello class night 1

2009-05-05T21:57:00.000-07:00

Tonight was the first night of the bargello class. I cut my 20 fabrics into strips, then sewed my strata together. Next I'll be making tubes and cutting those into the strips of various sizes to create the twisted pattern. Very cool! Ill add pictures soon I'm sure.
L

Twisted Bargello Prep

2009-05-03T17:22:00.001-07:00

I pulled fabrics for the Twisted Bargello class I'm taking Tuesday. Going for the rainbow batik effect with a black background and some multicolored options for the border.

FINISHED THE BABY QUILT!

2009-04-20T19:51:00.000-07:00

I finished the baby quilt! It's my very first quilt that I did from start to finish (my first quilt top is off being quilted by a professional and friend since it was huge). There are loads of errors in it, but I am still pretty thrilled with it. It needs to be washed, then I need to get it down to San Diego, where baby Colette resides.From the front
The back
My baaaad hand sewn binding

Binding Sucks

2009-04-16T18:51:00.000-07:00

After finishing the quilting for the baby quilt I learned to bind it today. I discovered I truly dislike binding. I learned French bias binding from my cousin. It was not fun! Now I'm hand-stitching the binding in place while watching a movie. At the last minute I was putting my bobbin case back in my machine and the little peg popped off! It's a plastic piece and I wasn't excited to see that happen. I'll call the Bernina dealer tomorrow to ask if I should just super-glue it back in place, or if it needs to come in to get replaced asap. Drat. Binding day is not a good day for me clearly!

Quilting the Baby Quilt

2009-04-15T12:03:00.001-07:00

I held my breath and jumped in! I stitched straight lines up the center of the chains with my walking foot, then free-motion quilted the flowers in the background squares. It was scary but for my first time, I'm happy with the results. Today I need to stitch in the ditch around the inner edge of the border, then add a decorative stitch in the border. Finally, bind, wash and send!Finished quilt top
The pinning begins
Mostly finished front!
From the back you can really see the flowers
Close-up of a flower

Irish Chain Progress

2009-04-12T22:46:00.000-07:00

Well today I finished my blocks for the double-irish chain I've been working on. Tomorrow in class we'll be putting it together and probably adding borders. My Uncle's daughter had a little girl this week, so I made her a baby quilt today - a single-irish chain with a pink chain and floral background fabric. I got the chain blocks done and will cut out background blocks tomorrow, hopefully I can get it quilted and bind it in the next week to get to her.

More Irish Chain Work

2009-04-07T15:43:00.000-07:00

I got the second blocks started and I wanted to lay it out to see how it looked, I'm thrilled!

Chain from above

Irish Chain Class

2009-04-07T11:29:00.000-07:00

I got some of my double Irish Chain blocks done in class last night and I quite like them. It's a very bright combination, but I think when the solid purple blocks are added in it's going to be fun.

Here's the chain blocks

Close-up

First Irish Chain Class

2009-03-23T21:57:00.000-07:00

Tonight was our first class in a 5 part series creating an Irish Chain. Since it was a class meant for true beginners, we talked about tools needed, fabric selection, threads, etc.

I picked out some pretty fun fabrics. I went with a double chain of batiks, a deep purple, a bright green, and for the center chain that is like a green and purple kind of strange checker pattern. I'm excited about it. We'll be making the quilt from start to finish - piecing the top, adding borders, quilting it together, and binding it over the next 5 weeks.

Plus it's currently UC Irvine's spring break, woo hoo! That means time to work on my nature quilt, I started piecing the top today to add around those appliqued squares I was doing last time =)

Practicing my Applique

2009-03-19T20:27:00.001-07:00

I worked on my applique today. I focused on the fusible web technique. Next time I work I'll do the freezer paper method. I had some fun and had some frustrating moments. Here's yesterday's work and the pieces from today for my new quilt.Yesterday's work: aspen leaves fusible web styleApplique faux hand-quilted style (not in my quilt, just practice)
My tree
Acorns
Mallard - minus wing which will be machine quilted in
Aspen leaves minus the stem which will be quilted in

Applique Lessons with Madeleine

2009-03-19T08:55:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was an awesome day. I got to learn to applique from my cousin's quilting mentor. As I've mentioned before, any time I quilt with Marsh, I inevitably hear the name Madeleine mentioned at least twice. Well yesterday I finally got to work with Madeleine herself, who had driven out from Colorado.
We began with freezer paper applique, and did the blind stitching with clear thread to give it a hand quilted appearance. It had a lot of steps, but the results were beautiful. I'm going back over today so I'll bring photos.After we finished our freezer paper design, we ran off to A Time to Sew quilt shop in Laguna Hills/Mission Viejo. We picked up a few fabrics (of course) and supplies for my sewing kit, including fusible web materials for our second kind of applique.We made aspen leaves using the fusible web technique, then did silk stitching around the edges. Beautiful!! I loved the way they turned out, my first few silk stitched leaves were pretty shaky, but then we grabbed some stabilizing paper that tore away when finished, and boy did that help!We did some free-hand quilting on the aspen leaves to give them stems and secure them to the old piece of polyester batting lying around in Marsh's spare stash. That was exciting, and sure not as easy as it looked when she did it.Last we set my walking foot up and attempted to stitch in the ditch on my terrible first block from the no longer clueless quilting class I took at Material Possessions. Working with that block made me realize how far I've come in a month, I guess I should keep it for posterity.I gave Madeleine her rite of passage to California, an In N Out burger, then dropped her off at my Aunt's home in Orange where she's staying during her visit. In a few moments I'll be going back over to the quilting studio to practice both methods again so I don't forget the processes!

Here's the finished quilt top!

2009-03-19T08:44:00.000-07:00

It's a 72" square, 25 block sampler. I'm very glad to have finished it. It's full of many errors, but given that I had never even touched a sewing machine a month and a half ago, I forgive myself those errors ;)

This should help you get an idea of scale, that's my mom holding it up over the banister. She's a tall woman and she's holding it over her head, up the stairs.

Worked on the Quilting Room

2009-03-14T09:37:00.001-07:00

I spent yesterday in the quilting studio but I wasn't quilting. I was organizing. The quilting studio is currently set up at my parent's house in my childhood bedroom. Originally it had been made because I'd moved out and no longer needed a room there, and my cousin needed a space to quilt where her young children couldn't get into things or get hurt by the sharp implements. Once I started learning to quilt from her, I was even more glad I allowed them to convert my old bedroom over.
Yesterday my dad helped me move around heavy objects and I cleared out the bookshelves from my childhood so I could use them to store boxes of fabric. We got a surprising amount of work done and I think I should be able to move the ironing board and cutting table around a bit to create more space now. This week my cousin's friend and quilting mentor Madeline is driving out to CA from CO to visit. She will be teaching me how to machine quilt and applique as well as perhaps do piping for the pillow I'm making my friend as a gift. I'm very excited to meet her since every time Marsh and I quilt it's Madeline does this, Madeline that. =)

Finished the Quilt Top!

2009-03-10T08:17:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I worked from 11:30am to 8:30pm and I put all the sashings and cornerstones on and put the top together!!!! Everything looked soooo much better with the frames around it and I couldn't believe I'd finished it. My very first quilt. A 25 block sampler with 12" blocks - that's a 6 foot square quilt - basically it's queen sized! Ridiculous =) I took some crappy photos with my cell phone because I had forgotten to bring my camera with me - I'll post them asap!

Walking Foot?

2009-03-09T08:26:00.001-07:00

Necessary for stitch in the ditch or expensive and unnecessary?

Machine Quilting - hard but fun!

2009-03-08T22:21:00.000-07:00

I took a free-form machine quilting class to learn to "sandwich" together my quilt tops with batting in between and a backing fabric. We made 3 plain muslin quilt sandwiches to practice with, and after the teacher showed us a bunch of her quilts to explain the different techniques, she had us draw out the various patterns we were going to try. We doodled in the various styles, including stippling (a free-form type of scrawl that never crosses over itself, like loopy puzzle pieces), loops and hearts, loops and stars, spiral-y daisies, and vines of leaves. Then finally, we sat down to our machines to play.From the front
I initially had some threading and tension issues, but I sorted them out for the most part, although it will definitely be a guessing game for a while until I get the feel for it.From the back (bobbin side)

I was surprised at the feel - so different from piecing! I actually felt pretty exhilarated by how unstructured it was, and how fast we had to work to get the rounded edges. I felt pretty proud at accomplishing each of the shapes, even if they were nowhere as nice as the teachers. I'm sure someday I'll look back at these practice scraps I'm so excited about and feel embarrassed, like I do about the first block I ever made. I think my favorite were the vines and the spiral daisies. I want to practice this again tomorrow when I go over to quilt - I also need to start putting my sashings on my quilt top so I can finish it and start a new project! I love quilting =)

Heart

Spiral Flower

Finished the Blocks!

2009-03-07T20:45:00.000-08:00

Today I finished my last two blocks, Jacob's Ladder and Right Hand of Friendship. My sashings and cornerstones are cut out and ready to assemble! I was amazed when we calculated that it will be 6 feet square with just the sashings attached, wowza, how did I end up with such a monster first quilt?! Tomorrow I'm taking a machine quilting class, but I won't be doing this sucker, it'll probably go off to Steamboat, CO where my cousin's friend Madeline will make the sandwich for me. She's got the machine to do the job. I'm very excited about tomorrow's class, I'll be putting together little 12" squares of my crappier blocks I chose to kick out of my quilt. I may make them into little throw pillows just to try doing those. I'll let you know how it all goes =)

Finals Are Coming Up

2009-03-04T10:22:00.000-08:00

I can't make it over to quilt again until friday, and I'm already feeling withdrawls. I have just one last block to make before I start adding sashings and cornerstones. Then it's time to consider my border and finish this baby.I think I need to make Katie's pillow block Friday so that I can bring it with me to the machine quilting class as another small project I can practice on. I haven't yet figured out exactly what color I'm going to use with the pinks and the black and white panda fabric she wants. I have a very simple pattern I'm going to use to make a 16" square for the pillow - it's the pattern my cousin is currently using for a charity quilt she's making.For my next project I want to either make the lap-sized log cabin quilts for my mom and I or the baby sized Chinese coin quilt... we'll see. It depends on the fabrics Marsh will let me work with. She's been very generous with her stash since I don't have one yet (college student budget).

Bad Day

2009-03-02T21:07:00.000-08:00

Well it was one of those days where nothing seems to go right. I had the hardest time getting one block together, I made mistake after mistake! First I began to make a block, had cut my first few pieces, then realized it was a 12 1/2" block which won't work for my 12" block sampler! Then I found one I liked that was 12", but I didn't have enough of the fabrics I wanted to work with to make it. Finally I settled for Amish Star. I thought the pattern was wrong (it rarely is) because I didn't seem to have enough of something, but it turned out I had set the flying geese I was missing down in a corner and didn't realize it, so I made another two which allllmost made it so I didn't have enough of my one color of fabric to continue the block. I scrapped it up and was able to eek out one block but then I called it quits. Sometimes even when you really want to, you just shouldn't be quilting. The block turned out alright, it looks nice, but even my sewing wasn't up to par. I just should have realized it was an off day and quit earlier but oh well! One more block and I'm done with my sampler blocks, then it's sashings, cornerstones, and border, then off to Madeline to get it quilted! I'm taking a machine quilting class to learn to quilt my own, but this project turned into a monster, and I know I'm not ready to tackle a quilt of that size!

More Blocks - 4 more to go!

2009-02-27T21:21:00.000-08:00

I've only got 4 more blocks to make before I finish my 25 block sampler! Here's the latest additions I made today -

Louisiana

Maple Star

Cake Stand

Indian Star

Pussy in the Corner (made this last time)

Another Block and Sashings!

2009-02-23T21:05:00.000-08:00

I made Yankee Puzzle tonight. I messed up when I stitched it together and had to "unsew" and re-do it. Because of that I only made it through one block tonight, but I did add sashings and cornerstones to my "bad" block from yesterday to test it out. I loved the way it looked framed. I chose a tan colored sashing with little chickens on it, and the cornerstones are red bandana print. It looked great and really put a fire into me to finish the last 6 or so blocks (maybe 11, depending on whether it will be 4x5 or 5x5) to get this sucker put together. My very first quilt almost done!

I think next I'll be making a lap-sized log cabin quilt for my mom. It will likely be a scrappy tan and black pattern since we both like that combination of colors. I'm also signed up for the Irish Chain class, but if nobody else signs up they'll have to cancel it and credit me for the class fee. Hope not.

New blocks

2009-02-23T10:24:00.001-08:00

I made two blocks last night, one went really well, one went very not so well. The first one I made was supposed to be a 12 1/2" block, which I planned to rework to make it a 12" block like the rest of my sampler. Turned out to be much more difficult than I expected. I will be 'pointless' when the block is sewn into a quilt. ohhh well.

My bad block

My second block went muuuch better. The block was perfect! All my points were there, and everything lined up well.

My good block

I also made a jewel box block the time before last, but I forgot to post a photo so here it is:

More Blocks

2009-02-19T21:18:00.000-08:00

I'm a junkie. Nuff said. But hey, it helps me keep my mind off waiting for grad school admissions letters to come! I worked on blocks again today, and I roped my mom into visiting a quilt shop with me. She was impressed with the selection and I got a fat quarter of a cute fabric to add into my blocks. Must wash asap.

Junkie caught in action

My favorite block of the day, Return of the Swallows

Block I finished that I had started making last night when I got too tired

From yesterday, forgot to add a photo last night

Pictures

2009-02-19T08:13:00.000-08:00

So I think I'm beginning to be a junkie. I was piecing blocks together until 10pm last night. I like the Eccentric Star block I made, but my favorite is still the Fox and Geese with Turnstile center, which I now have a photo of! I also adore the last block I was making, I believe it's called Four Corners. I was making slight changes to it, but I looove the mini American flags I've worked in. I'll post photos tonight after I finish the block today I'm sure.

Fox and Geese

Eccentric Star

Makeshift display wall with my blocks on it

Next Class

2009-02-17T11:04:00.000-08:00

I signed up for the upcoming Irish Chain class at Material Possessions, taught by Kathy Awender. I am excited to make it, and I have been trying to decide how I want the color scheme. I am considering batiks - perhaps a black, white, and red motif. I am probably going to attempt the double-chain. It can be done either single or double, depending on the quilter's ability level. My cousin thinks I can go ahead and try the double.

Thursday I plan to head back to my cousin's quilting studio to try and make a few of the simpler blocks I want in my sampler by myself. It will be good to gauge how well I do on a few blocks without the benefit of my cousin's one on one guidance. I'll let you know how that goes!

Three more blocks

2009-02-16T21:44:00.000-08:00

I made three new blocks for my first quilt today. The first was churn dash originally, but I turned the triangle squares in the corner around, which apparently made it more like another block, called Shoo Fly. Then I made Crockett something, haha. Clearly I was paying more attention to the block-making than the names. Last I made Fox and Geese. It has flying geese all around, triangle squares in the corners, and I opted to put a pinwheel (6" Turnstile block) in the center instead of a solid 6" square. It is my favorite block I've made to date. I ♥ it.The machine I'm now using, an Activa 145
My cousin is going to sell me her travel Bernina, which is smaller than the top of the line machine she's got. She still has a featherweight for traveling so I won't cripple her, but it will certainly be 1000x better than the Kenmore I'd been using. I forgot my camera today, and left all the blocks at my cousin's quilting studio where I have my machine set up, so I'll post photos next time I go over there.

The Fall Quilt Marsh Made Me

2009-02-09T12:39:00.000-08:00

My cousin is an award-winning quilter. When I was a little girl, she made me a beautiful pastel quilt made from Aunt Gracie fabrics, which went to my younger cousins eventually (on loan, I want it back someday when she makes one for them!). To replace it, this summer she made a gorgeous fall-colored quilt with nature motifs. I wanted to share it here since it's stunning =)

Here's the finished product!

Check out the bird quilted into the quilt, in gold thread, by her friend Madeline!

Aren't the fabrics gorgeous, and doesn't that gold stitching just pull it all together??

Thank you Marsh!

My First Quilt Block!

2009-02-08T07:48:00.000-08:00

My cousin is an award-winning quilter. I have decided to try and learn from her while I'm still in California, finishing up college. I took a class at Material Possessions, in Lake Forest, CA the other night. In the class, called No Longer Clueless with Carol Madden, I make my very first quilt block, and the first thing I've ever produced on a sewing machine.

Here are my first four blocks, starting left with the one I made in the class.

It's a pretty pitiful block, and I screwed up in a few places, but I was so proud of myself.

The second block I ever made!

The next day, I met my cousin at her quilting studio and she helped me repeat the process and make another block. With her one-on-one attention, the block was 100x better than my first attempt. Then I made another, and another.

The third.

I am hooked! I love the fabrics and deciding how they'll go, then changing you mind the minute the pieces start to come together. What a relaxing, creative hobby!

The fourth.

I'm going to make my blocks into a sampler quilt (I won't be including my first block in that quilt, too crooked!) and depending on the size, I'll either try and learn to machine quilt it together or send it to someone who will do a quick and dirty cheap quilting for me. It's my first quilt, made with cheap fabrics so I could practice, and I don't want to spend too much money on getting it sandwiched together. I'll save that for a better one =)