Happy Easter! (Eggs and Rainbows for All)

Eggs, eggs, and more eggs!

What a wonderful weekend! It was filled with family, egg dyeing, chocolate croissants, scrambled eggs, bacon, and eggs containing a wild treasure trove/scavenger hunt. The Council of Egg Hiders decided it was to be an adventure and so it was.

(Don't even get me started on the deviled eggs that ensued today. Yum!)

I made a quilted place mat for our nephew for which I received many kisses and thank you's.

Rainbows!

The Easter Bunny dropped off a great gift on Saturday for me! He knows how much I love a pretty rainbow of cotton fabrics.

So many great colors, I don't even know what to make yet. Any suggestions?

Making Progress in March

This month has been a whirlwind of fun. Despite a busy season at work, I'm still making time to sew and quilt. I even completed my long arm certification at my local quilt shop so I can make larger projects this year. I haven't had a chance to rent time on it yet, but I can't wait to expand on designs in my sketch book. (My guild president offered to show me how to use her L.A. machine, too, which makes me eager to get crafty!)

I completed a few mini quilts for the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative challenge and a several pillowcases for the 1 Million Pillowcase Challenge. I can't wait to create more this year for the different challenges our guild plans to sponsor.
I also spent a lot of time enjoying my sewing table and practicing free-motion techniques before I put together my QAYG project.

Time for a photo summary...

"I Wish I Made That" Winner at OMQG

Gifts from QuiltCon. I am so there in 2015!

Bargello Blues for AAQI

Missing You for AAQI

For Mom (AAQI)

BOM for April OMQG

My Pillowcases

More of my pillowcases

I love our guild's creativity and generosity.

Leftover gingham strips for top of baby quilt.

Drunkard's Path blocks
(Pattern TBD)

... and that's all for now. I look forward to making more to share.

Madrona Road Challenge

The Madrona Road Fabric Challenge was interesting. I do love a challenge and had a design that morphed a few times before I settled on a sketch that I hoped would work.

I started by fussy cutting blocks from the various fabrics that I wanted to frame. (My favorite is the journal design which says "Sweet Dreams" with a heart in the center.) Here's a quick look at how I made them:

White squares marked to cut in half.

Pinned squares to corners.

Squares sewn on the diagonal line.

Measured 1/4 in and cut off  the excess.
Then press open.

Add borders to all sides.

After completing the "frames" for each block I used the remaining fabric to create a braid that I thought would show how the fabrics complimented each other. Finally, I used black to unify the squares. The effect I wanted was a gallery wall of colors and fun. I think it worked well.

Madrona Road Top finished!

The final size is 45 by 46 which I think will be a perfect lap quilt once the border has been added. I have not finished the backing because I'm torn between using all white or all black. However, I do plan to use the chevron fabric on the back to mimic the braid on the front. I also haven't figured out how to to quilt it. I want to learn how to use a long-arm quilting machine this year and think this might be a great first project.

Sew Geeky!

What's better than having a birthday a few weeks after Christmas? My new sewing table arriving by FedEx today! (My girlfriend says I'm a sewing geek and she may be right.)

I've wanted one for a while and put off buying it for a million reasons. I finally broke down a few weeks ago and ordered the kit. Since it's custom cut to your specific machine it took a few weeks to be shipped. My new toy arrived today and I was completely giddy. 

Cleaning out my sewing room last weekend was so timely because now I have a great way to start creating with my collection. I can't wait to start practicing the free-motion quilting techniques I've been learning in the Skillbuilder BOM group.

Look out weekend, here I come!

Weekend Review

Ok, I did get much of the room sorted but am not done yet. I had way more fabric than I realized! I used comic book boards to fold up my fabrics into uniform stacks. (Fat quarters are on on smaller boards. Bulkier fabrics were folded into separate piles or sealed in vacuum bags.) Here's what I have so far:

It's a marked improvement from where I started last Friday. I am eager to get more of it finished later this week. Finding some hidden gems underneath piles of fabrics was like Christmas in a way. I also sorted all scraps by colors into separate bins that are labeled underneath my sewing machine table so I can find them quickly.

I did manage to sort and organize my tools into pretty labeled drawers. It's nice to have them all in one section of my room instead of 3 separate areas.

I started sewing again today and am working on my idea for the Madrona Road fabrics from my guild. Our projects are due in March and I have a bit more work to do. I have a design in mind but need more hours in the day to work, sleep, eat and quilt. I'll take pictures and share those later this week when I have time to post.

I can't wait to get projects done now. I love the fabrics I've collected over the years and am eager to make great things happen with them.

P.S. -Is it wrong that I want to go shopping for even more fabrics now that I have a great system to sort them?

Weekend Clean Up

A Hoarder's Reckoning 

Somewhere along the line, my room has become chaotic with fabric shoved here and notions shoved there.  I really want to clean and organize my space this weekend so that I can find what I need. I want see all of my beautiful fabrics to inspire creativity.

Looking at pages of how others have stored their fabric made me ready to get my shelves set up this weekend. I've already stored bulk fabrics in vacuum sealed bags since they are not materials I would use for quilting. (I eventually want to learn how to make my own clothes but am not there yet.) I also have a great organizer with rainbow drawers from Christmas (Thanks Love!) that needs to be labeled so it can house all of my favorite tools. I have 3 shelving systems of needles,bobbins, binding and buttons that can be condensed into one, I hope. If I am to be more serious about my quilt work this year, I need to clear my space to make it happen.

Before
(Sadly, this isn't even all of  it. I need to fit
secret stashes in there, too.)

I wish I was at QuiltCon this week! (Although, I would be probably come home with lots of fabric and no where to put it.)

February So Far

So far this month I've completed many projects but have not blogged about them. I really want to get better about posting as I go, but the habit has eluded me. "There is always tomorrow" I tell myself and then I get bogged down by the minutiae of work and my personal life. I am at least getting better about remembering to snap a picture of my projects when I'm done! (I am thinking about a new camera instead of my cell phone. The colors never really match when I see them online. I want to do these projects some justice.)

Here's a summary of the fun things I've been able to make:

Rainbow Table Runner

My first attempt at diamonds.

I learned the hard way about piecing them correctly.
(They are not supposed to be  sewn evenly.)

A happy accident becomes a trapezoid table runner.

          Pillowcase

I also completed a pillowcase for a niece's birthday in February. I haven't sent it to her yet and I can't wait to see if she likes it. I made it double-sided with her favorite pink and green colors and a matching row of flowers. 

Paper bag template used to make the heart center.
Fat quarters and half a yard of
green and pink to make borders and the background.

I love the opposing color blocks I created.
(I should have created a pattern for others to follow.)

          Skillbuilder Block of the Month Work

 I am finally making a quilt for myself thanks to the BOM from Pile o' Fabric. After 12 years of quilting, this is the first project I plan to keep. (I can't believe that I've never made anything for my own bed. I was so in love with the Kona colors I found on sale that I couldn't resist getting a rainbow.) It took forever to pick the fabrics I wanted but I am so pleased with the results. I love the easy to follow directions that are filled with tips and tricks to make any skill level quilter feel accomplished at the end of each piece. I know that future projects are going to be so much nicer as a result of these tutorials.

Rainbow Sound Wave is my favorite so far.
 It contains almost all of the colors I plan to use in the quilt.

January's BOM
Sound wave and Magnum

February's BOM
The Mood and Em Dash

I am still deciding on the quilt as you go method for these blocks. I did purchase the backing and borders just in case. The table I ordered to help become proficient in free-motion quilting is on it's way. I hope it will help settle the matter once and for all. (If it's easy to do on a practice block then it's going to happen!)

              OMQG BOM for March

My recent sew day with my guild has really inspired me to push myself to create more daily. I've always loved the soothing aspect of sewing but have never been able to share that with others in a group. It was a lot of fun to meet with these crafty women who were all doing their own thing. I was always a modern quilt lover and didn't know it had a following or even a name for that matter. I wish I found this group years earlier!

The block for this month is so pretty. The Garden Fence design is one I see appearing in future quilts due to the ease of assembly and simple yet elegant design. I can see so many colors working with this pattern. (I was not very fond of yellow until now. I made 2 in the hopes of winning these lovely yellow and gray beauties back.)

Garden Fence for March's BOM (OMQG)

Well, there you have it. February is almost over and I am having "sew" much fun. I look forward to posting more soon.