Cutting and Sewing...

...was my plan for today. I have been collecting fabric with the idea in mind to make a "Paintbox Quilt" inspired by this one. I have been faithfully watching and taking advantage of the sales on Kona Solids (and using my fabric store coupons). At this point, I have collected over 40 different colors. And I have pretty much memorized what colors are available at which store...

These are the solids paired with a corresponding print.

The matching up of pairs is still a work in progress and I have about 6 or 7 solids that I haven't put with a print, so there may still be some mixing and matching.

Because I am not working from pre-cut strips, I worked out what sizes I needed in what length and set about cutting the fabric for the first few blocks. After I had cut the fabric for the first two coordinating blocks, I realized that it would be more forgiving if I cut the strip pieces a little bit long and trimmed them after sewing them together. So, the subsequent strips were left the width of fabric.

After I cut the fabric for four pairs of blocks, I decided to sew them together before cutting more fabric, just to stay a bit more organized. After about an hour, I had one block complete. Not even on pair. Just one block.

I think I picked out every seam at least once on the first block. And re-cut the strips. It did not register when I was reading the instructions, that the solid pieces were to be more narrow than the prints. At least cutting them too wide is easier to fix than cutting them too narrow!

I finally finished the first block, but even after measuring the seams after I sewed each one, and re-doing the ones that were too wide, the block turned out a bit shy of the 6.5 inches that it should have been.

I am going to start fresh tomorrow and try leaving the strips for the outer pieces of each block a little wider, then cut them down to proper size.

Tomorrow is the Daytona 500. The Mister has been looking forward to the start of racing season for weeks. And 500 miles gives me a lot of time to sew!

Finally, a Quilty Finish!

Some weeks ago, I saw a flyer advertising an organizing meeting of the Las Vegas Modern Quilt Guild. Although I am a girl that loves vintage fabric and traditional quilts, it seems to me that the modern quilt designs are not quite as exacting as the traditional quilts. And more suited to my skill level at this time.

I went to the meeting at the lqs and there was a very cool mix of women of diverse backgrounds, ages and experience. We talked a little about the business of starting a local 'chapter' of the Modern Quilt Guild, and got to know a bit about each other.

One of our group volunteered to do a demo at our next meeting of a wonky block and we decided to do a Mug Rug Swap.

When I heard 'mug rug', I immediately had a flashback to 1985 and some coasters made of plastic canvas and polyester yarn in dusty pink, that outlasted their charm by many years due to the fact that they were made by a lost sister. Today's mug rugs are different, it seems.

Big enough to hold a beverage and a snack, they are more of a small placemat, than a coaster. Six inches by nine inches was the recommendation and mine is just a bit larger by half an inch.

The yellow and green are Kona solids and the embroidery designs are from "Sublime Stitching", Jenny Hart's first book. (I put the initials "LVMQG" on the tea bag tag, but the quilting made it a bit hard to see.)

This is the back, a fussy-cut piece from a fat quarter from the same stack that most of the other fabrics came from. It's a Moda design called Hideaway.

This is the first quilted project that I have finished completely. First machine quilting and first binding.

The quilting went very smoothly, although I assumed symmetry in the new walking foot that I was trying for the first time. I stitched from the top down, then from the bottom up and notice after a few rows that the distance between rows was not the same. So, (and this is what I love about modern quilting!) I just varied the distance between the rows some more, so they were not a consistent 'thick and thin'. And of course, there are other inconsistencies, but overall, I think it turned out well.

I did a pieced binding, mainly because I had cut a bunch of small pieces that I didn't use and didn't want to waste. Also, I thought that a pieced binding would camouflage my errors a bit. A wider binding would have allowed me to stitch it down with the machine. I ended up finishing it by hand, which took no time, since it was such a small project.

Our next meeting is more than a week away, so I am also giving myself 'points' for not waiting until the last minute!

I suppose it was only a matter of time until I took over the 'livingdiningofficegymfamily' room for sewing. Oh - and the kitchen for ironing. I don't feel too badly, though. The Mister finally has a shop where he can work on cars. It is a storage place about a mile away, so not as convenient as in the back yard, but it is bigger that the garage we used to have, so he is able to spread out and see what he has and where.

We are both back to our favorite hobbies! (and trying to keep the other in the dark about how much we spend on 'parts'!)

A new day, a New Year and - finally - a new post!

I have been away from this blog so long that it is hard to know where to start! The fourth quarter of 2010 really rocked our world! But, we are getting settled in and now the holidays are behind us. I think we are even becoming comfortable in our 'new normal'!

I really struggled to get into the spirit of the holidays, this year. Not having much space to work in, or to make a mess in, seemed really limiting. And, even a 45 minute commute (round trip) eats up more of a day than you would expect. I finally got some inspiration to do some handwork, although not in time to finish before the holiday. I am nearly done, though, so I feel good about that.

Since 1/1/11 was on the weekend, this year, I have a holiday 'in the bank'. I am thinking that I will spend it on a day this week, or next, to finish up and ship all the un-gifted presents and to attend a class on machine quilting at the local quilt shop. If I don't, I am afraid January will get away from me, it will be spring before I know it, and the gifts will still be works in progress!

I am not one to make resolutions, but I have decided to make a plan for the coming months. I am going to walk 4 days a week (minimum) in an effort to lose 8 pounds. Why eight? It just sounds do-able. Living in a small environment means that everything is at hand. Once I get home and get out of my work clothes, I do not get much activity. I have begun to notice the slightest bit of weight creep. Well, before the holiday, it was slight, now I would have to consider it major... I am determined to turn the momentum, before it gets out of hand!

And, we are planning a trip to a South of the border destination wedding in June. If I am going to buy new clothes, I wouldn't mind buying a smaller size!

I sat down intending to at least make a start on a post and think about adding photos tomorrow, but I think I will hit the 'publish' button and see if I can get some mojo running.

Maybe you will hear from me again before the seasons change!

Location, Location, Location

This is what I see in the morning before I go to work.

Just beyond the end of our street is a fabulous view of the Vegas Valley (its really an alluvial plane, but that's not so catchy...). The lights really sparkle at night - this photo was about a half hour after sun-up. Sometimes it is cloudy where we are, but at the same time, we can see the sun reflecting off the tall shiny buildings on the strip in the distance.

The valley is like a saucer and our neighborhood is up on the rim of the saucer, so we can see all the way across the metro area.

I call our new neighborhood the Shady Rest. There are real trees instead of palm trees and much more interaction amongst the neighbors, since everyone is kind of 'cheek by jowl', (although, I think we have more yard than some of the new construction going up, these days).

It is a very modest neighborhood, but friendly. There is quite a list of rules, but not all of them seem to be enforced.

One that is enforced, quite vigorously, however, is 'no working on cars'. Apparently some time back, the EPA paid a visit and found that not everyone was careful about disposing of fluids, so the ban was put in place to avoid 'chronic infraction' status. That is a deep disappointment to The Mister, as he was looking forward to puttering with the Falcon, since it has been out of the paint shop for a very short time. We are researching alternatives for him, since there is not so much to keep him busy with our small space.

One of the rules that seems to be less important is 'no clutter in the yard' and 'only lawn furniture on the patio'.

This is a neighbor across the street:

You can't see in the photo that the 'destination' sign on the motor home says "Twilight Zone". It is kind of a hippie bus with ALL kinds of things in the yard. You can just see the refrigerator to the left of the bus. I don't want to be rude and stare, but if there was a roof over it all, I think it could be on "Hoarders"!

Most of the other neighbors are very tidy, although there are quite a few that have gone a bit overboard with plastic flowers as landscaping.

Since clutter is not against the law, we enjoy the eccentricity aspect.

At least there is no HOA!

Settling in

Well, we are in and it is feeling like home. A small home, but not so bad.

I have learned to judge the traffic and make the call as to whether the highway or surface streets are the most efficient for the commute. The kitties are getting used to the sounds around us, no longer startling at the wind or the barking dogs in the trailerhood.

And, I have my iris in the ground!

I wasn't going to fool with them.

I had dug the special ones and taken them to safe haven at Dsis's house in CO. The only ones left were multiples of nameless clumps that were dry and ignored. It was the last trip to the house to pick up the kitties in their carriers and mop the entryway on my way out the door. I looked at the beds and grabbed a plastic dish pan and a grocery store plastic bag out of the back seat. I dug the plants with my bare hands and took them with me, thinking that I would get some big flower pots and put a couple in each.

The next day when I got home from work, I was thrilled to see that The Mister had fetched the planter boxes and had them installed and ready for planting!

I think that it is likely that I will have some bloom in the spring, since we have a couple more months of warm growing season ahead. We don't have irrigation here, so I will water them with the hose, but they are next to the sidewalk and I will pass them everyday, and that will remind me to give them a drink.

And by spring, maybe my hands and fingernails will have recovered from being used as garden implements!