Is it Fall yet?

Summer is the craziest time of year for me. My job keeps me pretty busy from April until September. So, of course, my blog gets put on the later pile of things to do.
I have made time to quilt and sew over the last few months even if I haven't stopped to share them with you. Some projects have kept me sane while I tackle the chaos that is my life once a year.

Picture Time!

Block of the Month (BOM)

Pippi Longstocking Block with an Afro.
I wanted my OMQG August BOM to look like me.

*Somehow I don't have a picture of my July BOM for the Orlando Modern Quilt Guild (OMQG) using the Snail Trail design. I guess in the excitement of choosing the BOM I forgot. It was made using red, black, gray and white colors. I'll be making more of those blocks so you'll see it again soon. (It's on the main website from the June monthly meeting in case you're curious.)

The Geo Swirl
Of course I made a rainbow swirl!

Chev N' Hex
Sewn by hand...never again I say!

Diamond Carat
Sewn by machine using clear thread...so much faster!

The Switz Block

Half way done with the Skillbuilder BOM

Half way done with the Skillbuilder BOM

I'm really in love with these rainbow BOM and can't wait to see how they will come together when they are done later this year. I enjoyed paper piecing more than I thought I would and will definitely take on more of those projects now.

In addition to my BOM for Skillbuilder and OMQG, I've also finished many projects for the annual Wayne County Fair. My "In-Laws" live in PA and each year I share my artwork in their local county fair. This started my passion in 2004 for creating unusual quilts, canvas work, and various household items to enter even if I don't win. I've made "modern" quilts before it was considered an actual art form in quilting and usually came in second or honorable mention next to traditional designs. I don't fault them for not getting my work. I think it was just too far out there for them to see what I wanted to present. If I knew there was going to be Modern quilt movement, I would have found "my people" years ago.

August Fair Items

Quilted Purse-Modified pattern from Modern Patchwork Magazine (2012). I added a strap and finished it with black borders. I also quilted the black and gray portion of the chevron for some texture. The straps can be tucked inside to make a fun clutch.

 

 

    

Baby Bunting-I created my own pattern with a huge poster board and used hexagons to create a fun little wrap for a little one. I sewed down one flap to keep the feet tucked inside and warm. At the suggestion of my sister-in-law, I didn't add any closure for the outside flap so there are no potential choking hazards or scratchy Velcro tabs. I didn't have actual baby or doll to try it out but it's soft and cozy to the touch.

Baby Blanket - Finished baby gingham stripped quilt. I used the left over squares to make a border and added a simple blue gingham backing fabric.

Christmas Gift Bag - Made a simple quilted bag with drawstrings for a holiday gift. I used a simple Santa fabric with green and red borders. (I didn't take any clear pictures of the front but I love the stripes on the back the most anyway. It makes me think of candy canes!)

Finished Home Items

Table Runner -Made from great Shoo Fly block Lotto win. Thanks to Michelle from OMQG I mastered the art of continuous binding and love the result.

French Press Cover- I used left over strips to make a fun rainbow cover for our beloved French Press. It's lined with Insul-bright to keep fantastic coffee warm. It's fastened with Velcro and (thanks to my girlfriend) found that it looks great in reverse too with the fun circle fabric I used as backing.

                                                     

Dog Blanket - My remaining dog blanket for the OMQG charity project. This was the last of my Michael Miller Noah's Ark scraps from my nephew's baby quilt. (He's now 5 and it was time to use them up!)

There is more to come later this month. I can't wait to share notes and photos from my class with Jacquie Gering!

Thanks for stopping by and reading all the way down to the end of this crazy-long post.

Rainbow Fun Times

I had great weekend mostly away from work. The rainy weather allowed me to sleep in a bit and get some sewing done. I worked on two rainbow pieces that I started a while back. I'm really excited about them.

Rainbow Spiral

 I completed all of the quilting on this hexagon that "spiraled out of control". I machine quilted around the design and increased the distance in an attempt to imitate a water ripple. Now, I need to figure out the binding. (That's my least favorite part of making quilts. I need to find a binding master/mentor that can help make the process easier.)

Rainbow Wave

Using a Dresden ruler, I cut these pieces a while back but put them away when they became frustrating. I kept trying to make an actual circle using rainbow colors but could not make it work. (Six does not go into 20 very well, even with matching rainbow polka dot dividers.) I started playing with a half circle and it naturally formed into this wave. I cut circles in half using white fabric to cover the edges. I stitched the edges down and several pin pricks later I have the top done. It measures  36" by 18" so far and could be my next table runner. I have no clue how to quilt it yet and am open to suggestions.

Hope you have a healthy, happy week.

Proportions

The last few weeks have been a blur as work demanded a lot more of my time. Thankfully, I can breathe a little soon and prepare for the summer. This summer will include more organization of my work space. I'm going to tackle making my own cutting table and sewing space to save money and create a better flow in my art room. Wish me luck.

Proportion Project

I have been sketching ideas for quilts that play with proportion. I even researched software that allows you to create quilt designs with your own sketches. Since the good ones are out of my price range, I'll have to stick to my low-tech version of pen and paper. 

A few projects are in various stages of completion. Since most of these are improv designs, I am just playing around to see what works. I'll create patterns from the finished projects I like to really be sure that it can (or should) be replicated.

Completed quilts

Giant Log Cabin

Squares and Rectangles

Log Cabin with extra large borders

All three of these quilts were created for our next OMQG charity project. Last month, we brought in orphan blocks to swap.  I chose 2 blocks from the table based on the colors I wanted and came home with two log cabin designs. This inspired my giant log cabin design using my own stash. I will definitely make extra large log cabins again. Thank you random block donor(s).

Here's my next OMQG block of the month. I love that I could use those small scraps from my favorite projects and make something fun.

My attempts to make random confetti
went awry because I wanted all the colors to line up.

My next proportion project includes the shoo fly blocks I won in April. I still don't have my final design but it's coming soon.

Wishing you a productive weekend!

Works in Progress a.k.a Procrastination Sunday

I've been sitting in my sewing room for about 20 minutes watching Youtube videos and reading Facebook/Flickr comments because I'm procrastinating.

I have several projects that are in various states of "almost" done. I have quilts that have most pieces cut and need to be sewn. Some are projects that are mostly pieced but not sewn into strips/tops while others are done but not quilted. I even have one quilted piece that just needs binding. Don't even get me started on the fabric I've purchased with the intention of making specific projects that have not even been cut yet.
So now I am writing this post because I still don't know where to begin today...I have to work later tonight so I want to get something creative done.


Here's my first of two blocks for my next Skill Builder BOM. I basted all of the pieces last night as I finished up the last season of a TV show on Netflix. I will need to work on the diamond carat another day.

Chev N Hex basted, not pieced

 I saw a great tutorial on GEN X block library that I've always wanted to complete. I cut these pieces out a while back. They keep getting stacked and shuffled around on my sewing table but have yet to make it close enough to my machine to start sewing. I should finish up at some point this century.

Spiral Hexagon cut pieces

 I'm teaching a mini-lesson for the next OMQG meeting on hexagons. I shouldn't come to the meeting unprepared. I did cut them out so that's a start!

Hexagons for Wed. Tutorial

 I won these Shoo fly blocks last month and have most of my ideas on paper in my sketchbook. I  just need a few more sashes sewn to complete the tops I have planned.

Shoo Fly blocks from OMQG

 I scrappy baby quilt top for my good friend from work. They decided to let the sex of baby #4 be a surprise, so I thought, "You can't go wrong with every color in gingham". (Their son was born last Saturday so I need to get this done before he starts preschool!) I am hoping to complete this on a long arm and have some fun quilting it.

Finished baby top, needs quilting

 A finished blanket for my daughter-dog, Evie, who loves to sleep. A lot. She's 14 and mostly blind so I wanted to make something soft and light for her upcoming birthday in May. I love watching her circle and scrunch up her bedding to find just the right spot to relax.

Finished quilting, needs binding

 Here's a kinda sorta done Drunkard's path set of blocks that I am making, too. All pieces that I need are finally cut but I haven't finished sewing all of the pieces together yet. Then, I need to sew all of these rainbow/black blocks together for this crazy design idea I have in mind.

Halfway through Drunkard's Path Project

I often feel like the man in the Twilight Zone episode "Time Enough At Last".
(Spoiler Alert: In case you somehow missed this awesome episode!) All he wants to do is read in peace but there is no time in his busy life. He's the last one standing after the destruction of the world and he's kind of happy to get to the library after wandering around a bit. He's finally settling in with a stack of books. He walks outside, stumbles and then breaks his glasses. ~In my case, I would break my sewing machine or there is no more electricity when I finally have enough time to sit down and sew all day. Oh, the horror!

Hope you had a great and productive weekend.

March BOM and Robots

I finally finished both blocks for the March Skillbuilder BOM. The woven star and chevron blocks look so intricate but are quite simple to put together. The scant quarter inch seams were a must and resulted in perfect 12.5 in blocks. I am more in love with my soon-to-be rainbow quilt.

Woven Star and Woven Chevron

My rainbow star using the Woven Star pattern

 I can't wait to put them all together in the fall.

___________________________

April is the month of many birthdays including my mom, dad, and nephew. Mom's gift has already been sent and I have a special gift in mind for a great little guy.

He loves robots and this has his favorite colors.

The fabric I ordered arrived in the mail yesterday and I can't wait to get started on his gift.

QST and HST Make Me Happy!

I am such a huge fan of rainbows. The BOM quilt I'm making for myself this year is filled with solids in the various shades of colors I adore. I'm still on the fence about the quilt as you go method so I haven't put any backing on them yet. The tutorials seem easy enough, I think my reluctance lies with deciding on the thread colors I want featured.  I have a rainbow box of Gutermann in shades that match every solid I've selected but I want to narrow it down to 2-3 for the final project. I guess I can still decide later.

This month, both BOMs that I'm doing involved triangles by some strange coincidence. Making half-square and quarter-square triangles are nothing new but the designs are endless. 

Here's my newest Skillbuilder BOM that was so simple to put together. (The original design uses 3 colors and creates a woven pattern. I made a rainbow sketch with the template and decided to go this route instead.)

I am in love with this scrappy chevron for the OMQG's May BOM! I see many quilts with these half triangles in my near future. I found quadrilaterals of all shapes and sizes in my scrap bin to use for this one.

I think I will find more in all 6 colors and try my hand at a rainbow chevron. It could be a lovely baby quilt that's also unisex.

We have a winner!

Yesterday, I won the blocks sweepstakes at my OMQG meeting.
I was so excited by the potential for awesome with the colorful Shoo Fly blocks everyone shared. I created a few sketches in my notebook while I was at the Dr's office after the meeting. JG gave me a few great ideas when I came home, too. I cannot wait to start sewing them together!

Stay tuned for more info.