November's End

So much has happened since my last post.  I'll do my best to sum up the fun parts.


The second annual Orlando MQG retreat took place the first weekend and that was such a blast. It was nice to get away for a few days and just hang out with some wonderful people. I didn't take many photos while I was there but did put a dent in my budget allotted for shopping.

Here are some highlights:

Our view for breakfast each day in Cocoa, FL

Couldn't resist more Cotton+Steel.

Periodic Table Symbols: I'll be making something
nerdy and fun.

Fantasy Forrest:
No plans yet but am so in love!

My continued addiction to Whites with Black prints.
(Love those mustaches the most!)

Coffee...yum!

Crazy great prices so I had to get both!

Some yellows and orange since I have so little in my stash.

Something intriguing in this retro design.

I've had my eye on this Effervescence print from Michael Miller
 for a while and took the plunge.
Those purple polka dots are fun, too.

Safety pins and a fun black on black print.
(I'm going to make a few projects that needed zippers this
Christmas so I bought one to practice.)

A gift from a fellow guildmate!
(She finished a project and gave me her leftovers!)

My absolute favorite!!!

 Finished some blocks:

Last set of StashBee Hive blocks were sent to their new home.

Worked on a few block from T.Pink's 100 Modern Quilt Blocks.
(Still have a long way to go!)

BOM for OMQG Block Lotto this week!
(They need to get trimmed but I was chain piecing
a bunch to better my odds of winning.)

I've just realized that I had many other good times but didn't take any pictures to share. I'll need to do better next month.

How was your November?

Nerding Out

So, I've been a busy bee working on many tasks all at the same time and I am not stopping. It seems that a lot of things are falling into place now that I've decided what I want. I love when the universe provides a path once you've decided on a journey.

Maker Faire Orlando

I am so excited about being a part of Maker Faire Orlando with some fabulously creative women. From a simple conversation at lunch one day about making nerdy yet fun items, my friend Kathryn decided to write a proposal to see if we'd get accepted. I came up with the name, Geeky Chic, and it's snowballed from there. There are four of us this year who will be showing items we've made and sharing demos for projects that are in the works. We will display our love of fiber arts/fabric and hope to inspire others to make something. If you're in the area, you have to stop by September 13&14, 2014 at the Orlando Science Center. We'll be on the fourth floor having fun in the Dinosaur Room.

[Follow us on Instagram: GeekyChicFlorida or Facebook/Twitter: Geeky Chic]

Modern Quilting Salon

As the Orlando Modern Quilt Guild president, I am in charge of reading the random emails that arrive for our guild. I felt bad each time someone asked if we offered anything in the evening since our monthly meetings are held Wednesday mornings. I proposed an idea at the last board meeting about hosting a salon to discuss the modern quilting movement. They approved it and I set out to find a place that would have us in the evening. I was in my local quilt shop and thought to ask the owner if she was interested in hosting and she enthusiastically said, "Yes!"

Starting in September, we will have a monthly evening meeting at the Bernina Sewing Centre to share ideas and examples of modern quilting. I really want to grow our modern movement and see what happens from there. I am excited about hosting the first meeting and know we are going to have a great time. (I feel like I have to make lesson plans for quilting instead of English class!)

I will let you know how it goes!

Shopping (I know I shouldn't but...)

I broke my rule of not buying any more fabric this year until I finished some projects. I can't say no to a good sale. I bought a groovy pattern and some solids because I can never have too much gray, black or white in my stash! It came with a cool gift:

Can't wait to attach this patch to something fun!

Botanics by C. Friedlander
Yes, please and thank you!

The package said, "Hello" and it wanted me to add more Carolyn Friedlander fabrics to my collection. I can't get enough of this fabric line!

I also purchased some patterns that I've wanted to try making. The Groove Quilt, I've long admired and can't wait to change up the colors to make it my own. The English Paper Piecing patterns will be a surprise for later. (I'm bringing them to work on at Maker Faire Orlando, so you'll see them soon.)

Projects

I haven't had much time to sew but I will be sewing up a storm next month on my vacation.

Made a banner for our Geeky Chic table!
Instead of traditional triangle bunting, I made hexagons.
Super nerdy!

I also started a smallish pillow to match my "Simply Love" Quilt. I wanted to put those scraps to good use!

 Using the same idea of a drunkard's path to form letters, I made a smaller (3" instead of 8.5") scale "Love" that will eventually be a pillow cover for our bed.

I am thinking of making a bolster pillow
but haven't made up my mind yet.

I will finish it when I have a larger guild project completed first.




Hope you are having a great weekend. Let me know what you've been working on this week!

Summer's Here!

I hope you are well and having a great start to your summer.

I have been kept busy and I am so grateful for any chance to sneak in some sewing. There are a few projects waiting, taunting me to work on them. I have put a tiny dent in my UFO list and have a long way to go.

Here's a quick look at a few things I've been up to since my last post.

Guild Holiday Quilt

We are making a quilt for the Festival of Trees fundraiser here in Orlando. We set out to design a quilt that all members of the guild can help complete and I thought of making a tree shape out of random blocks. This way, each member can make their own favorite block for the final quilt that will be donated. I made a crude and quick design on EQ7 and put it with the other chosen designs from the committee. The group selected my design and I am excited to see it come to life. (I might have to bid on it at the auction.)

B is the winner!

 SEA Quilt Complete

I was so excited to see the final quilt made by the 5th graders this year. I can't believe how fast the year flew by with them and the wonderful result of our hard work. In my previous post, I shared the final background after it was sewn.

They used a giant t-square to mark the space needed for the binding and set to adding all of the leaves they've embroidered.

 I left after I taught a parent how to attach the binding but didn't see the completed quilt until their graduation at the end of May. I was really moved when I saw the finished piece.
Here is their Ancestry Tree which includes their names and the country where their families are from. Many of them included the year which their family came to America under the country's name and outline.

(Wishing I had a real camera so you
could see all of the great colors and
details on this quilt.)

It took 20 minutes for the crowd to clear so
I could take the picture above.
They were all so sweet!

This is one of my favorite quilts now and I am so glad they asked our guild to be a part of their project next year. We are starting earlier in the year so it can be quilted on their field trip. 

(I arranged a field trip with Wandering Stitches, a fantastic quilt shop in Orlando, where the students learned about sewing machines and long-arm quilting with Lisa. They were even allowed to practice on a machine that was set up for them to play. I am so grateful she let them come to her shop and have lunch in her lesson space.)

So worth the wait

Remember the Halloween blocks I won last October? I finally finished my godson's Christmas present in May. I was getting ready to ship it to North Carolina when I his mom called to say they would be in town in June. I did my happy dance, put it aside and counted the days until they would be here.

He started squealing in delight as he
noticed something new in a block.

After he was buckled in, he really
examined each square. Marge's Day of the Dead
fabric was his FAVORITE!

He giggled and played in the back seat with his
 "favorite quilt" for the rest of the day.
(It was over 90 degrees in FL and he didn't care.)

Front of Quilt

He really loved that the spider web quilting design was completed with glow-in-the-dark thread. My thanks to Marge again for trading BOM wins with me to make this fun quilt. I even have a few blocks left over for some October birthday pillowcases.

Back of Quilt

I'm so glad I waited to ship this quilt because I would not have had the pleasure of seeing his priceless reaction in person. This is my first official completed UFO on my long list, too!

BOM/Works in Progress

I am making my way through the rest of my Bee blocks. I'm with the paper piecing group and have had some fun making them. Here's a look:

I really liked this one for Alejandrina.
I see a lot of possibilities with this simple design.

Love asked us to make our favorite block in blacks, whites,
and a solid color so I chose to make this design again.

Marge's Tulips

I made one for Leslie but really disliked the scrappy fabrics used. So, I have two more to go and then I'll be ready to swap. The OMQG blocks are due in July and I need to get busy.

My second favorite part of making these block is the tearing of the paper from the back. It's a great stress reliever. 

To the compost bin!

I'm almost done with this baby quilt for our OMQG charity project. I made it with lots of colors so it can be gender neutral. (I'm almost done with my vintage gingham, too. I think I'll donate the rest of the unused fabric because this is my 3rd and most likely final gingham quilt.)

Thanks for reading my post. Let me know your summer quilting plans in the comments below.

Happy Quilting.

Have Hot Iron, Will Travel (plus other February Notes)

How is it possible that February is almost over? I've worked a lot, sewn a little, and slept even less. I have to keep my eyes on the prize and remember that there is an end goal. Unfortunately it means that I will post on this blog when I can and not feel bad when time doesn't allow me to do so.

I do want to catch you up on where I've been and the fun I did manage to squeeze in mostly on weekends.

Completed Stash Bee Blocks and mailed them to England.
Hearts and Flowers in 12x6 or 6x6 blocks. I did one of each.

I also made an iron cover for traveling to and from sew days. Here's how:

First, I outlined the shape of the bottom of my iron on fabric and cut it out 1.5in larger all the way around for seam allowances.
I basted the iron shape with heat-resistant batting and the backing fabric.

I quilted the layers with straight lines to keep things simple.

I cut out the shape of the iron bottom using the top as the template.

 I roughly measured the perimeter of this shape to create the top of this cover. It was about 38 inches so I I used the width of fabric by 9 inches to be safe.
I folded over 1 inch to create a casing for the ribbon I was using.

I sewed the opposite side without the casing to the perimeter of the quilted bottom. Use lots of pins to keep the shape of the top and bottom curves.

Remember to leave a 2-3in gap from the starting and stopping point of your sewing.

Next, I sewed the two sides of the top fabric together. You can easily pinch the quilted bottom so it does not get caught in your sewing here. Do not sew the casing opening closed!

Once you finish sewing the sides together, you can close the seam along the bottom. (Double check for the correct measurement so there is no gap when you close things up to sew the last seam.)

Feed your ribbon through the casing using a safety pin. (I used this Moda jelly roll ribbon because it's so cute and it's a great way to recycle.) I tied a knot so it doesn't slip out. Ensure that your opening is more than wide enough for the iron to come in and out without struggle before your tie things off.

Sorry this picture cuts off the top but there a numerous
tutorials how how to push ribbon through casing.

Finally, flip your masterpiece inside out and kiss those biceps. You have your very own iron cover that will hold a warm iron safely for travel.

I made this during our guild's recent sew day and
actually took home a warm iron.

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I am frantically working to complete a gift for my sister's 40th birthday in March. (I can't believe how old we are already and that 40 is around the corner for me, too.) I don't think I will have it done for her actual birthday after all but she will get it as soon as humanly possible.
Here's a teaser photo:

I saw this paper pieced camera last November at our guild's retreat and started working on a sketch for my sister later that month. I can't wait to share the completed quilt with you soon.

_______________________________

And last but not least, some Orlando Modern Quilt Guild news:

At the February meeting, I was elected President. Whoo hoo! (I was unopposed so I didn't have to kiss any babies.) I'm pretty excited about this new role and look forward to a fun year with some amazing quilters.

Yesterday, the guild and I went to Trenton, Florida to spend the day at the The Suwannnee Valley Shops. I was so happy to get to know Maya during our drive and we only had to turn around twice along the way. (Stupid Google Maps!) We were the last to arrive but the journey was as much fun as the destination.

We had a wonderful lunch at the Tea Room and started our shopping spree. I came under budget on my shopping for fabric and scored these gems:

Julia Cairns for Quilting Treasures
I plan to make something for my momma with this beauty.

Hoopla and Everyday Fun by Jennifer Heynen for In the Beginning fabrics
It's all things quilting in lovely, bold colors.

Technicolor by Emily Herrick for Michael Miller Fabrics

Black and White Houndstooth
Faye Burgos for Marcus Brothers Textiles

Spotlight by Michael Miller
(So retro, so awesome!)

Terrain by Kate Spain for Moda

Zip It (Michael Miller Fabrics)

Where the Toys Are by Dan Morris
for RJR Fabrics

I loved these circles the most.
Blank Quilting (#6270)

Afterwards, we wandered over to the antique shop and found this blast from the past. I felt like a kid all over again and the price was too good to pass up.

As Rainbow Dash would say, "My quilt room just got 20% cooler".


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Stay tuned for more Tula Pink City Blocks next weekend.

Hope you are well. Leave a comment with what you've been up to in February.