Hello/Goodbye November

It's been a busy fall.  Okay, that's an excuse, but I don't have anything else, so imma go with it.

I started the month with 10 days on my own when The Mister went on a road trip to a big car event. I took the opportunity to take everything out of my sewing room and sort/purge/organize.  

One of the side effects of going to estate auctions is that you end up buying stuff you don't particularly want, along with the stuff you do want. And when it is fabric, it is hard to think that I will NEVER have a use for it. So, it builds up. Sometimes to the point where I am unable to use anything because there is so much 'stuff' in the way.

I was determined to reclaim my space! 

It took just about the whole 10 days and is still a bit of a work in progress because we had guests for the holiday.  Our guest accommodations are in the basement, which was my default landing place for stuff I decided not too put back in the sewing room, but did not go to charity, so that needed attention, too. 

I went through four packages of comic book boards and part way through a fifth package, to wrap anything a half yard to about 3 yards.   I have to say that while I would have rather spent the money on more fabric, the boards do make it more manageable to pull out fabric and be able to put it back in the same spot. 

I need some Billy Bookcases, though.  We will have an Ikea at some point next year and when they open, I will be ready!  For now, I am using some wire baskets on shelves. They are kind of heavy, but manageable.

Meanwhile, I got some sewing done away from home, during "The Great Upheaval".  

The KC Modern Quilt Guild had an all day retreat that allowed me to finish some string blocks for a Quilt of Valor.

This is the the top.  It has been sent away to be quilted!

A week later, we had another sew day due to a cancellation of a speaker/teacher who had an emergency and couldn't come to town.  Since we already had the room reserved, a few of us took the opportunity to sew. 

My project at the second sew day was a "Sew Together" bag.  The pattern was a souvenir of my visit to Dear Sis in October.  "Mama Said Sew", in Ft. Collins, had the pattern and a kit and I bought both. I decided to use other fabric and save the kit, thinking that my first bag might not be cute-Japanese-fabric-worthy.  

I can even put my 3.5" x 9" ruler in it with all my other supplies for sewing away from home!

The first bag turned out pretty well, but I am glad I saved the special fabric for the second bag. 

I did miss the tip about directional fabric, though, so the second bag has a front and a back. Also, I didn't put the pin cushion or needle landing in this bag and I used white muslin for the pocket linings instead of the dark chambray in the kit.  I think white makes it easier to find what I am looking for.  I have my embroidery supplies in this one, but I like to use a 5" hoop and it doesn't quite fit, so I may assign it other duties.

And then I made another!

 

This one I made with some fat eighths of Riley Blake fabric that I got for a Modern Quilt Guild challenge. We received six fat eighths of their basic fabrics and the only stipulation was that the finished item must be quilted. I made this bag two inches more narrow than the pattern, both because I was constrained by the size of the fabric and also because I have a huge supply of 7" zippers (estate sale bounty). I used almost every bit of the challenge fabric and again used white muslin for the pocket linings. 

I must say I really like this size. My plan is to use it for manicure tool/supplies, but I haven't filled it yet since our reveal is at our December meeting. I think the size will be perfect for that. I am not certain it would be big enough for sewing retreat tools, but the proportions are really cute!

The pattern is by Sew Demented and is challenging, but not really hard.  Before the spate of bag making, I believe I have put in maybe 3 or 4 zippers.  Now I have put in a dozen more and I am much more confident with the process.

I have a plan to sew a bit this weekend and get some Christmas packages sent off. I might have done a bit of Black Friday Internet fabric shopping yesterday, so I need to get busy and make some room for it!

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!  Hold onto your hats, because Christmas is just about here!

KCMQG Quilt retreat

I am packing for retreat tomorrow! I am taking the travel projects that I didn't touch on vacation, but also another project for a niece. She asked if I would make her a quilt if she sent me the fabric and pattern. It will be the first time I have really followed a pattern (other than just block tutorials) and the first time working with batiks.

She ordered some from Hancock's of Paducah and I have supplemented to replace the ones that were not available after she ordered. ( I am not counting these fabrics either in or out of my stash, since they were furnished for the project)

Another first is that every piece has curved seams. At guild last month, Trisch demonstrated the Curvemaster foot. I am thinking it might have been a good idea to order it. I will have plenty of alternate projects to work on, though it it gets too frustrating.

The retreat is in downtown Lawrence, Kansas. I have not spent any time there in many years, but it has always been a favorite of mine. I am sure it would be a livelier place if the Jayhawks were in the final four, but I know we will have a good time.

This is the pattern. I don't have the book with me, so I will edit later with the 'credits'.

Not all the fabric is represented, but this is the color scheme.

A Finish! Madrona Road Challenge Quilt

Someday I will take 'artful' photos of quilts on a fence, on the grass, etc.  It was too cold and dark when I finished this to try.

This is my first finish for 2013!  I received seven fat eights of Violet Craft's Madrona Road fabric at the December Meeting of the Kansas City Modern Quilt Guild.  The Michael Miller Fabric Company offered the fabric to participating guilds.

The challenge rules were to create a quilt, at least 18" x 18" using only the Madrona Road fabric issued, other fabric from the line or solids.  The design was to be a modern take on a traditional block, and the traditional block was to appear somewhere on the quilt.  

My first pieced back!  I was glad to see it turned out pretty straight...

I used Elizabeth Hartman's Wonky 9-patch Trellis design and alternated traditional 9-patches with wonky 9-patches on the pieced back.

Quilting detail on the back.

I quilted wavy lines through the 'trellis' and free motion flowers in the white squares.

Quilting detail on front.

The wavy lines did not turn out exactly as I envisioned, but I think they are effective, especially where they cross.  The flowers were inspired by Angela Walters' "Flower Power" from her book, "Free Motion Quilting with Angela Walters"

Before I resolved to sew from my stash last fall, I had purchased some half yard cuts of Madrona Road, but in the other colorway.  The only one that I felt worked in this project was the text print on white.  I also added some Kona solids in purple, blue, mustard and grey.  I pieced the binding with the gray, blue and purple and added some of the blue Haystack print that I mis-cut and couldn't use for the blocks.

I should have cut the binding a little wider, to account for the heavier Kona, especially since I had starched the fabric when pressing.  I realized it was a bit scant, but in my haste to finish I didn't want to take it off and resew it with a smaller seam allowance.  I stitched it down really securely though, so I think it will be fine, just more narrow on the back than the front.

These colors are not ones that I am drawn to, but I think it works.  The finished quilt is about 40" x 50". I think it could be a modem baby quilt.

The reveal will be at the February KCMQG meeting.  I know from looking at our Facebook page there will be lots of interesting quilts. 

 Can't wait to see them!

To see more  Madrona Road Challenge quilt finishes check out today's post at the Modern Quilt Guild or the Flikr group here.

The Bluebird of Swappiness

Last fall, I participated in a pin cushion swap at quilt guild. The swap committee arranged to swap with other modern quilt guilds in Baltimore, Austin, and Vancouver.  We were not  partnered with anyone in particular, so there was no need to try to make one to suit some one's taste.

I made this little bluebird from a design in a Stash Book called, "Little Birds".   The designer is Laura Clempson who blogs at www.cupcakesforclara.com.

I did not enlarge the pattern, so it is half the size of the one in the book. Because it was smaller, I also did not stuff the wings.  I just used really thick wool felt.  I stuffed the body with wool roving and added the flower head pins for feathers.

It was a little nerve wracking trying to come up with an idea .  The instructions just required a "modern aesthetic".  I kept thinking a quilted design would be more appropriate, but I just couldn't think of a way to make a quilted one that would be special.  In the end, I was pleased with how it turned out and it was really fun to anticipate which one I would get to take home with me. 

We submitted our finished projects at the November meeting and received the new ones at the December meeting a few weeks ago. 

This is the one i got from Kim in Austin:

It is filled with walnut shells, which Is new to me, so I am anxious to see how it compares. It is certainly more decorative than any of my traditional tomato pincushions!  It will be nicer to use when I am watching TV in the living room, since I usually leave a pincushion on the end table. 

And, a couple of weeks  ago, I got a very nice email from Ann, in Vancouver, who was the recipient of my little bird!  

We have a great swap/challenge committee!  I can't wait to see what they come up with this year!

Two Finishes!

Last Thursday was our KCMQG meeting and I took my quilt con entries for show and tell, so I thought I would show them here, as well. I don't know if they will be accepted, but I am not sure they would be finished, had it not been for that deadline

This is my Octagonal Orb quilt. I started it at the Las Vegas MQG retreat last February. I pieced three 'orbs' that weekend and cut the fabric for the rest.  They are a bit time consuming with 84 pieces in each block but also kind of 'zen' in the repetition.   I used a fat eighth stack of Lauren and Jesse Jung's "Flora" fabric with a little bit of their "Hideaway" line that I had left over from another project.  The block is from a tutorial that Elizabeth Hartman posted on the MQG blog during the 100 days of Modern Quilting series. 













The Mister left the desert a month ahead of me to take a pickup truck load of our stuff to our Kansas house and to get it outfitted with appliances, etc.  He took the TV, the computer and the car, which left me with only my sewing machine and IPhone for amusements.  The first weekend by myself, I used up the whole month's worth of the data plan on my phone watching videos, so after that, I sewed when I wasn't at work.  





























This is another quilt that I pieced last spring. I was inspired by a quilt by a guild member in the LVMQG who made a similar quilt.  Hers was a sample for a class that she taught at the lqs on using panels in improvisational pricing. I fell in love with the Suzy Ultman prints and made my own version. 

The quilting is a mix of three or four different patterns.

Such a cute print!

I have another panel of Suzy's fabric called "Critterville".  It is next in queue!

Reboot: A New Beginning, And Some Finishes!

Hello.

A lot has happened since I have spent any time here. I will summarize it this way:

I retired.

We moved to Kansas.

We had a wedding and 'reunioned' with family from far afield.

Things have settled down. 

Also, I joined the Kansas City Modern Quilt Guild and I have been finishing quilts!

I made the top for this quilt in my "piece making basics" class three years ago.   

I practiced lots of designs and echoed the print in border. 

The fabric was a pre-selected kit for the class, and it didn't really 'speak' to me in the way that things do, sometimes.  It has hung in the closet with various other quilt tops of my own making and collecting since then.  It feels good to have it finished up!

A couple of months ago, I took a workshop on free motion quilting from Tia Curtis. Tia is a dynamic teacher and an excellent quilter.  Her passion is helping people get past their trepidation and jumping in to fmq. She also recommended Angela Walters' book which I had on my 'want list' already. 

In the workshop, we made these clever bags with our practice sandwiches. 

I have also been following the excellent year long series of posts and tutorials on fmq at Insights from Sew Cal Gal. Not stitching along, but reading along and saving the tutorials. Armed with Tia's encouragement and the other excellent resources at Sew Cal Gal, I started practicing on some orphan blocks and auction/estate sale partial tops. I finally got to the point where I felt that I could do some designs without 'ruining' a quilt top. 

And, I made a few more bags:

This is another low investment top that I put together with some 30's reproduction prints that I was hooked on for a brief minute. I practiced using my free motion foot to make straight lines. (Well fairly straight lines)  I am going to donate this one.

I have been working my way up to larger tops that I am fonder of.  

Here is just a peak at one that I am going to enter into the quilt show at Quilt Con.  The Mister said he wouldn't mind a trip to Austin in February if my quilt will be in the show! It is a juried show so it may or may not be accepted. I am going to keep it under wraps until I have it completely finished. Just so I don't jinx it, you know.  Maybe I can get on a wait list for a workshop or seminar!

The past two years have been full of change and transition, but I am finally feeling like I am back in the groove!  I have set some goals and one of them is to stay current here, if only for my own record, but I am always pleased to have folks stop by!

Jan