Teal Fizz

I pulled another old work-in-progress out of hiding and went about figuring out how I wanted to finish it.  The blocks are from The Beehive Quilts quilting bee that I took part in a few years back.  I had chosen the Fizzy Block as my block with teals and charcoal greys as my color choices.  My sample blocks showed the placement of the colors.The group was supposed to send 2 blocks to each member of the ‘hive’.  I actually did not receive all the blocks that I was supposed to receive but that is the chance you take signing up for this type of group.  So, I went to work making more blocks to get up to the quantity of 24 that was required of the bee.It was smaller than I wanted and didn’t give quite the punch that I was expecting.  I want those curves to really shine.  So, I cut out more blocks and more blocks and more blocks.Now, I’ve decided that I want to put it on my bed.  So, guess what?  I need to cut out even more blocks to get it to be a queen size quilt.  I think I’m now at about 48 of the 12″ blocks, in varying degrees of completion, with the possibility of more to come.  I may need at least 8 or 10 more.  Keep in mind that each block takes four sections of the large drunkards path block and I really am getting tired of cutting them out.  I also had to recut my template piece as it was getting a bit distorted in shape and was messing with my block sizing.  All this cutting is really digging into my teal and charcoal stash and I will be sad if it depletes too much more.

But, I do believe that it will be totally worth it when it’s done!  It’s already beginning to shine!

Stash Enhancement:

Well, I haven’t increased my teal or grey stash but recently got in the newest monthly Cotton + Steel Basics bundle from Pink Castle Fabrics.Not a teal or grey in the bunch but still a pretty sight to see.  I just love the metallics in this Basics collection.  They shimmer so bright and will add just the right amount of glitter to any project.

Happy Sewing!

Random Roundup #20

Pouches!

My local guild is having a pouch swap.  It’s a three-way secret swap (and I’m going to post about it anyway…)  I make something for someone, they make something for someone else, and someone makes something for me.  I’ve been picking out fabric in my head and trying to figure out pouch patterns to use.  I wanted to make a smaller version of the Sew Together Bag.  By smaller, I mean less pockets but just as cute and functional.  I tried to make some adjustments myself but just ended up with a short and skinny version.  I really like it so it’s still in the running to give away in this swap.  The pockets may not be deep enough for much though so I’ll still look at other options.One of those options is this Foldover Pouch by Aneela Hoey.  So stinkin’ cute and useful!  It’s got a pincushion, a needle book, a scissor pocket, and a clear vinyl zipper section to keep stuff contained.This one is definitely in the running and I love this Cotton + Steel bird print. It’s so fun!She also has another pattern that I’m thinking about stitching up.  It’s an All-in-One Box Pouch.  It is a large box pouch with a fold down opening with storage on the front and two slip pockets on the back.  I’ve got time.  Our swap isn’t complete until our October meeting. There’s lots of time for making and choosing.  I’ll keep what I don’t give.  I don’t think you can ever have too many pouches.  Or, I can save one until our guild’s Christmas gift swap.  That’s also a great option. Hmmm….

Stash Enhancement:

I am part of the Cotton + Steel Basics fabric club hosted by Pink Castle Fabrics.  So, I get all the basics in all the colorways that were released this year.  It contains Dottie, Add it Up, Netorious, and Sprinkle.  All such good blenders.  I couldn’t pass up the limited time entry earlier this year.  We’re in month 2 and I’m still delighted with what I received and it was a good price.  This one is closed but they have other clubs available so go take a look.I’m off to ponder the next pouch I’m going to make.  I love the planning in my head part!  Happy Sewing!

Random Roundup #13

Splendid Sampler progress:

I’m having fun with the Splendid Sampler quilt along.  We are at 6 blocks now as they are releasing two per week. These are some tiny hearts.  Those are 1 1/2 inch squares on the corners of the small hearts.   I went a little crazy on the flower pot one and my block is a little too big but there is no where to trim so it stays as is and I’ll fit it in somewhere.  I actually didn’t read the size directions on the vase and just went for it.  But I like how it looks.  I really like the block released on Thursday.  It would be fabulous in a larger size to use in a baby quilt.  And now the group shot:  The blocks are 6 1/2 inches (or supposed to be anyway) and there is still a long way to go.  The most recent Sunday block is an embroidery one so I may just skip it.  I’ll have to take a closer look at it and then decide.  I have a number of cross-stitch projects in the works that need my hand sewing attention instead of something new.  But, we’ll see.

Sugar Block Club:

I’ve also been making some progress on the 2015 Sugar Block Club blocks. This is February and March.  This block is a little too muted for my taste so I may remove the corners and do them in color to jazz it up a little.  There is just not enough contrast.  But, I am super happy with the appliqué center section!

Stash Enhancement:

I gave in at The Intrepid Thread during a big Flash sale she had recently and I picked up a number of fabulous things. Some great blenders: Then some Blueberry Park – this is so awesome in person! And daisies are my favorite. Then this gorgeous selection of purples: The top two are also from Blueberry Park.  This group also includes a print from the Rhoda Ruth line. The rest are all from the Macrame line from Cotton + Steel.  They are the most fabulous purples I have seen in a while.  My purples were really lacking and this sale came at the perfect time to stock up.

I should have lots to show next time as I have a few days off this week with just sewing plans in place.  Should be a good week full of creativity and hopefully some quilting.

 
  

Stashing Goodies

All my Christmas sewing is done and has arrived at its destination ready for Christmas but I still had more Christmas prep work to do.  But, before I get to that, I wanted to share the pillow that I put in my guild’s Dirty Santa swap.  The pattern is free on Craftsy and is designed by Kristy of Quiet Play.  I made it with all Cotton + Steel fabrics and then quilted cross-hatch wavy lines in a navy blue.  I finished it way before our swap so I’ve been able to enjoy it for a while.  I received some wonderful folded fabric ornaments which are looking fabulous on my tree.  My last minute prep comes in the way of Christmas Cookie baking.  It’s one of my favorite things to do during the holidays.  First and always, I make my grandmother’s cutout cookies.  They are my dad’s favorite and he deserves to get them at Christmas.  My newest favorite recipe is for Toffee Oat Chocolate Chip cookies.  I discovered it a few years back and make it a few times a year but definitely at Christmas.  Then I tried a new recipe for White Christmas Crinkle cookies.  That one did not turn out as well as I had hoped but it’s possible I did something wrong.  I have yet to taste them.  They will probably be just fine.  Then I can decide if they will make it into next year’s rotation. 

Stash Enhancement – Xmas edition:

I stopped at a local quilt shop and picked up some supplies – some low volume, some staples, and a little pizazz. Modern Background by Zen Chic, Spot On by Robert Kaufman, and First Crush by Sweetwater.  All low volume and texty loveliness!  Architextures Crosshatch in black – just can’t have too much of that one.  That red print is also from the First Crush line.  These two bold prints are from Juggling Summer by Zen Chic.  I don’t have a plan for these but they struck me.  The teal shimmery flowers are from a line called Pearl Essence.  The other one does not have the selvedge but it called to me as well.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas and festive Holiday!  May your stockings be filled with all you dream of….

Text Me, Baby

I was beyond thrilled to sign up for the Text Me Mini Quilt Swap (#textmeminiquiltswap) on Instagram earlier this year.  Text fabrics are my current favorite!  They are so incredibly useful – low volume backgrounds, accents, focus fabrics.  They really can be used for just about anything.

My partner had given me some specifics – pinks, purples, blues, Riley Blake designs, Cotton + Steel.  Well, my purple and blue stash has been running a bit low so I grabbed some of my pinks and started playing around with those.  I thought this was a good mix of values. Then the Twisted Blossom pattern from Sew Kind of Wonderful was released.  I thought I would try it out with my pinks.  I like the way this is looking – let’s keep going…..  I loved this block when I was through with it and decided that I needed to add more to it so I could use it for this swap.  It needed to be just a bit larger.So, I added a border and some corners.  I was able to get a more prominent presence of some Cotton + Steel fabrics.  The square in a square block allowed me to mimic the center of the Twisted Blossom block to give a bit more cohesion to the piece. Close but not quite complete.  A scrappy border should do the trick.  I used the off-cuts from the block and just randomly pieced them together and then cut that pieced slab into 1 1/2″ wide strips. Yep – now I really love it!  Let’s finish this thing up!   I quilted it with a wavy triangle design that echoed out to each side of the mini and bound it in the pink dots.  A polka dot binding is just so great!

I had this fabulous Dark grey text print for the back:  I raw-edge appliquéd the remaining pink corner squares to give a little bit more interest to the back and added the label.  I hope my partner loves it.

I already received mine and I just adore it.  It has the perfect colors and I love the extension of the block into the corners.  It’s just so cool!  I will find a great place on the wall for this block so I can admire it all the time.  😊

Trail Tote

Last week I had pulled some fabrics for the Trail Tote designed by Anna of Noodlehead Designs.  It is a free pattern on the Robert Kaufman site. 

 Teal for the exterior, scissors for the interior, mustard for the accent pockets, and grey for the strap.  All but the teal are from the Maker line by Art Gallery Fabrics.  The teal is Dottie’s Cousin in Teal by Cotton + Steel.  I had decided on the small tote as I wanted it for an everyday bag.  I used Soft and Stable for the interfacing of the exterior instead of the interfacing called for in the pattern.  I wanted a bag that was more sturdy than floppy and I heard that product was fabulous for that result.

I quilted the exterior in between the lines in the design on the fabric.  It’s very subtle but effective.  I felt like a rock star when I got the inset zipper placed and top stitched down. 

 Once everything was prepped and interfaced it came together pretty quickly.  I had ordered my hardware from Etsy via Purse Supplies R Us.  The prices were great and the shipping was fast. 

 I skipped the piping step as I forgot to buy the cording for it but I love it all the same.  I made a few errors along the way but was able to unpick and fix the issue without any problems.  Once the bag was complete I also attached the lining to the inside of the exterior with a few tacking stitches in each interior corner within the seams.  Next time, I would make the strap just a little bit longer so that it would sit in the perfect place for my frame.  I tend to like longer bags and always use them as a cross-body so I can stay hands-free while out and about.      I love the mustard accent against that teal of the exterior.  This whole bag is just awesome!

Stash Enhancement:

I picked up some fabric for another mini swap that I am in and it will work perfectly for what I have spinning around in my head. 

Sweet Serenade by Basic Grey for Moda, yellow is unmarked, Violette by Amy Butler,stones are unmarked,Spot On, gold is unmarked, Studio 8 , Stitch Square,Painter’s Canvas

I have a little while until I need to get this one done but I am excited now that I have the right fabrics!

Power Fail

The post I was planning on writing will not be written until later this week because I accidentally put the power cord for my laptop in my messenger bag for my work laptop and took it to the office. My computer had 10% power when I turned it on and quickly gave up for the night. There is prep work that I will need to do on it that I cannot do on my IPad. So we will move on to other things I have been doing this week…..

Stash Enhancement:
I was looking online for some fabric to enhance a mini I am making and found the Super Awesome Low Volume Blogger Bundle at Pink Castle Fabrics.

Here are my favorite ones of this bunch.

The Cookie Cutter print by Cotton + Steel is so incredibly cool. I’m a bit of a baker – well I love baking – so this print just called to me. The top print in front is Teensy Weensy by Art Gallery. It’s so cute with those little x’s all over the place.
And I had to have these butterflies – Biology Fauna in White:

Rainbow Mini Quilt Swap:
I’ve had a plan in my head for this one that’s just been percolating in there. I finally had time to try and put it into action. I had fun choosing this rainbow fabric pull.

I cut each color using a Dresden ruler and sandwiched them with some low volume and texty prints. I just adore a text print. I’ve made some great progress but still have a bit of finishing to do on this top.

Random Ramblings:
I took my mother out for her birthday for a fun lunch and shopping afternoon. We were in Michael’s Arts & Crafts and they have just started carrying all kinds of cool galvanized steel items. Galvanized steel is my favorite decorative accessory material and I just could not resist a few cute containers and these awesome galvanized letters!

They are going to look great on the wall in my sewing room surrounded by all the great mini quilts that I’ve received in all those Instagram swaps.

New Year, New Stash

I took advantage of some New Year’s sales and added to my stash. Pink Castle Fabrics was having an inventory clearance sale but I ended up in the bundle section and found these beauties.

The Word Up bundle:

So much texty goodness! I’ve been using so many text prints from my stash that this is really just a replenishment. 😊

The Not So Red Riding Hood bundle:

I just love all the tone-on-tone colors in this one and that Riding Hood fabric is growing on me.

A Sketchy Rainbow fat eighth bundle to use in the Rainbow Mini Swap mini.

The colors are so vibrant and gorgeous! It will be perfect for that swap project.

I have one more purchase coming that I will share next week then it’s back to sewing my own stash for while. I went 4 months without buying any new fabric and it was actually really great. I was using what I had and making some fabulous items. I have more money in the bank because I wasn’t spending it willy-nilly on something that I really already have enough of. I’ve got a few travel plans this year and that is where most of my disposable income will land. Creating memories with people I love and making them wonderful things from what I already own is part of my quilty plan this year.

I also did some sewing. I completed the final two blocks from the Sugar Block Club 2014.

Now I need to determine how I want to assemble this top. The colors are gorgeous and I’m so glad I went with the darker background. This will be the third Amy Gibson block of the month top that I will have sewn and I really need to make each of them into completed quilts. Part of my quilty goals this year is to finish quilts from the myriad of quilt tops that I have lying around. I have one top basted and ready to quilt. I can’t wait to test out the throat space on my new machine and see if a quilt will fit better than with my old machine.

I made this Halloween gift bag to hold a delayed Christmas gift for my mom.

I had ordered some stitching accessories and a pattern with embellishment pack from a small online retailer in early December. The pattern was on back order so I didn’t get any of the package until last week. I was quite annoyed that they did not send the items that were in stock but held the entire order until the leaflet arrived. So, it missed the actual gift exchange. The pattern is a Halloween based fairy design (which I failed to get a picture of before gifting it) so I stitched up this sweet bag to be her project holder while she is working on it.

I also received some gifts in the mail this week. My dad sent me this awesome plaque for my sewing room.

And I received my Disney Swap mini quilt:

Dopey is my favorite Disney character and my partner made this spectacular mini for me! It looks so great. I have a cross-stitch that I made many years ago that is this exact same pose. Having them together up on my wall will be awesome.

Happy sewing!